A/N: First of all, thank you for reading. There are a lot of really wonderful stories out there to read in Chuck fanfiction and I am truly humbled that you have stuck with this one. I want to give a special thank you to those of you who have reviewed this story as well. Those reviews really do keep me going, especially during those "this is crap" moments.
I hope this chapter meets your expectations. I'm sure most of your ideas of what Jen is up to exceeds what I came up with. Silly cliffhanger. Hoisted with my own petard.
I don't own Chuck. Is he even for sale?
Chapter 4 – Mustang Sally
It was 8 o'clock in the morning and the employees of the Burbank Buy More were about to meet for the first time the woman who was the liaison between them and the new owners. It had been decided that it would be best to keep Chuck and Sarah's identity as the new owners on the down low, so Jen had been recruited to work with the employees directly on their behalf. She had asked for and received from Chuck and Sarah approval to do pretty much whatever she wanted as their representative. They weren't, however, expecting this.
The front doors slid open and in strode Jen Hatch, librarian. Gone were the mom-jeans, T-shirt and Reebok trainers. In their place, she wore tight black jeans, a form fitting v-neck short sleeved black knit top that showed off her heretofore hidden…assets and four-inch heeled knee-high black leather boots. Her eyes were hidden by a pair of sleek, dark sunglasses. A slash of red lipstick adorned her lips. In her hand, she clutched an eighteen inch long black leather riding crop.
Every eye was on her as she entered the store. The invisible Buy More fan blew as she walked in slow motion toward the line of employees, her shoulder length blonde hair flowing in the breeze. As if by magic, every speaker in the store blasted Wilson Pickett singing Mustang Sally. The heels of Jen's boots clicked in perfect time with the driving beat of the song.
Sarah couldn't believe what she saw. It wasn't that Jen looked like a dominatrix or anything. No one would even notice her if she walked down the street in what she currently wore. Well, maybe they would notice the riding crop, but this was LA after all. It was that she looked so different. It was like one of those makeover episodes on Oprah where the grateful husband looked tearfully at his newly coiffed, buffed, polished and styled hot wife. Sarah had to admit to herself that if she didn't already know Jen, she would be a little intimidated with her being around all the time. She smiled to herself when she thought at least she's not a brunette.
Jen closed in on the line of employees as all, both male and female, stared at her, mouths agape. The four-inch heels made her considerably taller and actually a little intimidating. She was now at least the same height as some of the employees. She stopped a few feet in front of them at the middle of the line and turned toward them smartly. She stood and faced them with her hands behind her back, the riding crop gently tapping the back of her left thigh. All eyes were glued to that flicking riding crop. The music mysteriously faded away and the room grew silent. She smoothly slid the sunglasses from her face, revealing her eyes. She usually wore no more makeup than some hastily applied mascara. Now the makeup applied around her eyes could be called "smokey." Her eyes now seemed much bluer than usual. Without turning her head she held the sunglasses in her left hand and raised her arm straight out to the side toward Morgan. He quickly took the hint, scurried over to Jen and took the sunglasses from her hand with a slight bow. He backed away slowly, afraid to turn his back on her. The nerves he showed were very real. His discomfort was not lost on the employees and several audible gulps were heard. The tension in the room grew as she stood before them, her piercing eyes studying each face in turn.
After a long moment, a smile erupted and Jen said in a strong, cheerful voice, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Burbank Buy More. Some of you know me, but for those of you who don't, my name is Jen Hatch. The new owners of Buy More have requested that I be the eyes, ears and voice here on their behalf. They are a wealthy couple who have generously invested in the Burbank community by purchasing this store and saving many jobs. They don't want hollow recognition, so they have requested that their identities remain anonymous." She looked down the line and was met by a couple of confused faces. "That means they don't want anyone knowing who they are," she clarified. The confused faces turned to smiles in understanding.
Sarah tried to stifle the giggle but was unable to stop its escape. Jen's eyes flicked to the back of the room where she spotted Sarah's hiding place. Jen's expression never changed, but her eyes flashed recognition and amusement, if only for a second. She brought her eyes back to the line of employees before her and continued in a strong voice, "The roster of employees and current job positions will remain the same. Your salary and hours will remain the exactly the same as they were before the sale of the store." She walked over to Morgan, stood next to him and said, "Morgan will remain store manager." She nodded toward Big Mike and added, "Big Mike will continue to be his assistant manager." Big Mike audibly sighed and wore a huge smile in relief. She narrowed her eyes at the line of employees and warned, "Treat them with respect." The riding crop, now held straight down along the side of her right leg, slapped the top of her boot forcefully.
She moved to where Chuck was standing at the end of the line and said, "Chuck, here, will remain the supervisor of the Nerd Herd."
A snort escaped from Lester and he rolled his eyes. "Of course she's going to keep her friend in that position," he muttered under his breath. He was a little hurt, too. "We gave her one of our special beers and this is the thanks we get," he said a little too loudly to Jeff.
There was a sudden rush of air and Jen instantly stood next to Lester, her face thunderous. "Is there a problem, Mr. Patel?" she asked in a low voice. She took the riding crop and placed the tip of it between Lester's shirt and his tie. She gave the crop a flick and the end of his tie flew up into his face.
His courage wavered as he whined, "But Jeff and I gave you one of our own home brewed bottles of beer." His nerve grew as he said, "It was a one of a kind gift and you have disrespected it."
Jen's face softened. "I appreciate the sacrifice you made in giving me that gift. I really do. But my personal relationships with anyone at this store cannot influence any staffing decisions." She threw her shoulders back and looked Lester directly in the eye. "Chuck is the Nerd Herd supervisor. Understand?"
Lester didn't look happy as he stared at the floor, but he nodded.
She smiled sweetly and said, "That's excellent, Lester. Thank you for being so understanding."
She stepped back a couple of paces and continued, "Nothing will change around here." That statement was met with smiles of relief from everyone. "Yet," she finished. The smiles quickly faded.
"This is a business, not social club. You are here to work hard and make a profit for the store." Jen watched their reactions to that statement very closely. One Nerd Herder, a tall, skinny kid with red, curly hair and glasses, smiled at her statement. She sidled up next to him and asked quietly, "Why did you smile when I spoke about making money for the store," she glanced at his nametag, "Skip?"
He barely spoke above a whisper when he said, "Because when we make money for the store, we keep our jobs."
Jen smiled benevolently at Skip and said, "That's right, Skip. Well said." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small rectangular piece of paper. "Here, have a coupon for a free pizza."
Every head snapped toward Skip and his piece of paper. He held it reverently in his hand like it was the Golden Ticket that would get him into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Suddenly, they all stood a little straighter and watched Jen more intently.
"We will have to work hard because this store must turn a profit, even in this bad economy. I will not allow the owners to lose money. At all. Ever. It is my fiduciary responsibility to ensure that." She was once again met with a few blank stares.
"It means she's responsible for their money invested in this store," one of the female greenshirts said bravely. Most of the faces cleared with comprehension, but a couple remained unsure.
Jen smiled again and walked over to the greenshirt who had just spoken. She looked at her nametag and said, "Well, Bunny, I couldn't have said it better myself. I see you've worked here since 2001. That's a long time."
Bunny nodded and answered, "Yes, ma'am. Ten years."
Jen looked kindly into Bunny's eyes and asked, "Have you ever been rewarded for your longtime service here?"
Bunny looked stunned by the question. Her gaze fell to the floor when she simply answered, "No."
"Well, you should." She reached into her back pocket again and pulled out another rectangular piece of paper. She looked at it and then handed it to Bunny. "Here is a gift certificate for a free massage at the day spa down the street. On behalf of the owners of the Buy More, I would like to say 'thank you' for your longtime service."
Bunny's eyes glistened with gratitude as she held the certificate tightly between her fingers. She blinked quickly a couple of times to keep the tears from escaping.
Chuck glanced down the line of employees, searching their faces. He could tell that they had been wary of Jen when she had first entered the store. Now he could almost see the wheels turning in their heads, trying to figure out ways to say the right thing so Jen would give them one of those prized pieces of paper in her pocket. She had only been there for five minutes and she had them eating out of her hand. As much as he wanted to shake his head in wonder, he didn't want to break character as a concerned Buy More employee, so he worked to keep his face stoic.
Jen began to pace up and down in front of the "troops" as she spoke again. "I will be keeping a close eye on the books. I will be watching sales figures closely, not only for the store as a whole, but also for individual salespeople. I will be reading customer evaluations from Nerd Herd installations," she said pointedly at Jeff and Lester. Lester wanted to sneer, but the riding crop in her hand kept his face neutral. Jeff simply swayed, his eyes never wavering from her chest.
She looked at Morgan and said, "Morgan, I want to see the EVA profit margin, so can you get that ready for me?"
Thinking it was part of her act Morgan gave her a relaxed smile and replied, "Sure." When he realized she was serious, he stood up straighter and spluttered, "Yes, of course." He gave her a little salute. She rewarded him with a quick wink.
Casey stood the whole time with his thumbs in his front belt loops. This whole thing amused him greatly. Of course that didn't show on his face, although there had been a pleased grunt when Lester's tie had been flicked. Jen walked over to him and said, "I understand you're quite the BeastMaster maven. My husband and I will come by soon and you can help us pick out a new grill." One corner of his mouth rose in a crooked smile. Her eyes danced with amusement.
She stepped back in order to address everyone again. "I will be around the Buy More almost every day. If any of you have any questions for the owners or concerns you would like me to pass on to them, please feel free to talk to me. Now, I must be on my way. I have to meet with the owners and let them know how well this little meeting went." With that she turned on her heel and strode toward the front doors. Just before she exited the store, she called over her shoulder, "Oh, and by the way, there are donuts in the break room. Have a great morning!" With that she was gone.
Everyone stood stalk still in stunned silence. Even Sarah, who maintained her hiding place at the back of the store, didn't move. Then, like a dam breaking, a cacophony of noise exploded as they all started talking at once. Suddenly remembering the donuts, they stampeded toward the break room, their feet pounding floor. It was like the running of the bulls in Pamplona only more dangerous. Big Mike took the lead as no one dare get in his path lest they be trampled. He was surprising quick for being a large man.
Chuck, Casey and Morgan brought up the rear of the herd and were the last to enter the break room. Chuck watched as the women descended upon Bunny, anxious to see the coveted massage gift certificate she still held tightly in her grip. The men circled around Skip, hoping to be included in the free pizza. Chuck listened to the chatter so as to ascertain the mood of the employees and their reaction to Jen. From what he was hearing, it was mostly positive. Lester, of course, was unhappy, but that was nothing new. Even Jeff gave Skip a slap on the back for speaking up and receiving a free pizza.
Chuck's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. "Guys," he said quietly, "Sarah's going to meet Jen down in Castle. Do you want to come?"
"Naw," Casey answered. "I'll stay up here and listen in on some conversations and gauge the reaction to that little performance." He shook his head and said with a smirk, "That was really something."
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With the Buy More staff busy with their donuts, Sarah slipped past the break room and headed downstairs to Castle. She had received a text from Jen asking Sarah to meet her there. That's when Sarah texted Chuck, asking him to come downstairs as well.
Sarah sat at the only table in the still empty Castle, waiting for Jen and Chuck. As a spy, Sarah had played many different roles: drunk party girl, Nerd Herder, nurse, waitress, hooker, hotel employee, receptionist, scientist. The list went on. She could have done what Jen just did in her sleep. But that was just the thing. It was Jen who had just done that, not Sarah. Her unassuming librarian friend had just inhabited a completely different persona, and done so very convincingly.
Sarah saw Chuck bounce down the stairs. He came over to her and gave her a quick kiss. He looked around and asked, "Jen's not here yet?"
Sarah shook her head, "No, she was going to move her car to the back of the building by the loading dock. She should be here any minute."
Just then the door flew open and Jen started down the stairs. Chuck and Sarah grinned and broke out in a round of applause. Jen was surprised at first and then straightened her back and raised her head high. She plastered a fake beauty contestant smile on her face and slowed her descent down the staircase. With one hand on the hand rail, she raised her other hand and waved like the Queen acknowledging her subjects. She made a deep bow when she came off the last step. She grinned as she walked toward Chuck and Sarah.
"Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week and don't forget to tip your waitress," Jen joked.
"Well, that was unexpectedly awesome," Chuck said with a voice full of laughter.
"So you liked my little performance?" She grimaced a little and asked, "It wasn't too much, was it? I wanted to make a strong first impression."
Both Chuck and Sarah laughed at that. "Well, I think you did that," Sarah replied. She looked down at Jen's feet. Gone were the high-heeled boots. They were replaced by a pair of black Chucks. "Where are those kick-ass boots you were wearing? I love those!"
Jen's winced at the memory of the pain and replied, "Oh, they were killing me. I never wear shoes like that in real life. I changed into these as soon as humanly possible."
Chuck wiggled his eyebrows and asked, "So, did Mark see you in that outfit before you came here?"
Both Chuck and Sarah knew the answer to that question before Jen ever opened her mouth. Her face turned four different shades of red. "Yeah," she replied shyly. "He wants me to wear it, boots and all, when he takes me out to dinner tonight." She giggled and said, "My daughter was both horrified and scandalized when she saw Mark's reaction when he first saw me this. She looked like she wanted to claw her eyes out. She literally ran from the room. It was actually pretty hilarious. Teenagers don't like to think their parents ever…" she trailed off as she flushed an even deeper shade of red. Sarah pressed her lips together to keep the grin under control.
Chuck cleared his throat and changed the subject. "The riding crop was a nice touch," he said. "Very Colonel Klink."
Sarah shot him a confused look, but Jen just laughed. "Yeah, I decided to skip the monocle, though. I hope I was a little more intimidating than Klink. I'm not a very commanding person, so I thought having a prop might help me be a little more imposing." She grew serious and asked, "So, how did all of that go over with the 'troops?' I was serious when I said that I want to make sure this store makes money. Even if you two have a gazillion dollars, I want to make sure you don't lose a cent on this place."
"I listened to the conversations in the break room before I came down here. Morgan and Casey are still up there, acquiring intelligence. I think most employees are on board. The coupons were genius. I could see them all trying to figure out ways to get a reward for themselves," Chuck replied.
Jen smiled, "Positive reinforcement. It works every time. If you catch them doing something right and reward them, they keep trying to do good things to get another reward. It works with kids, dogs, adults, fanfiction writers…"
At that, Chuck's face scrunched in confusion. Then she shrugged slightly and continued, "You're going to have to keep an eye out for Lester. He has a problem with authority."
Jen nodded, "Yeah. I've been thinking about how to handle him. He acts like a three-year-old." Her eyebrows shot up. They could practically see the light bulb above her head. "In fact, I will treat him like a three-year-old having a temper tantrum. I'll just ignore him. I'm not sure it will work, though."
They nodded in agreement. Neither Chuck nor Sarah had been around thee-year-olds, but ignoring Lester always sounded like a good plan. It was worth a try, anyway.
"So, I guess I'm done here today?" Jen asked. Chuck looked at Sarah who shrugged and nodded.
"We made a list of the things we need to purchase from the Buy More, so if you're up to coming in tomorrow and buying the stuff upstairs on our behalf, that would be great," Chuck said.
"Roger that. I may not wear the boots, though," she said. She relented when she saw the disappointment etched on their faces. "Oh, alright," she sighed in mock exasperation, "I'll wear the boots." She moved toward the stairs and said as the climbed them, "By the way, I'll buy supplies for the supply closet, but I'm not going to put the stuff in there myself. I figure you two would enjoy doing that." She waited a beat and then called back, "You can thank me later," as the door shut behind her.
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Next time on Return of the Ninja Librarian:
She smirked at him and rolled her eyes. She rolled up her pant leg to reveal her cache of throwing knives strapped around her ankle. She slid one out of the holster and handed it to him.
His mouth hung open. "God, you're hot," was all he could manage.
