Sometimes the author writes the story and sometimes the story just takes the author along for a ride. This was originally going to be chapter 4. I really like this chapter, but I just couldn't publish this without describing the evening in more detail - it felt unfair. That said, I'm really happy with this chapter, even though it's a rather sharp turn from sultry to sweet (mostly).

Sarah lay on her side next to the sleeping, nearly-unconscious form of Chuck, gently stroking his hair and cheek, watching his bare chest rise and fall with his rhythmic breathing. She was tired, stiff, sore, and unsure if she could ever wash the stickiness off of her – from her hair, her chest, her face, and her thighs. She had every reason to be unhappy or feel used, but she didn't.

She didn't, because it had been worth it. It had all been worth it. Chuck would probably never know how long and hard she'd worked to make today's mission a success. The keystroke logger she'd installed. The custom spyware which sent all Internet sites he visited to her. The countless hours slogging through hardcore nerd sites trying to understand him and his fantasies. The questions about whether she'd ever have the guts to do everything necessary in trying to make a perfect day for him. The thrill at finally finding the opening she needed, to move between hardcore nerd and just plain hardcore, fulfilling two of his fantasies at the same time. The nervous excitement waiting for him to get to the Penny Arcade site and the worry that she'd miss her opportunity when he did.

Personal missions were dangerous, she knew. Only very rarely did the best agents give themselves a mission. But this mission – to give Chuck the best day of his life – was not one she could refuse. Even though he had never asked for it (or much of anything), she knew she had to give it to him. So she had thrown herself into the private, internal mission, both preparation and execution, with her typical abandon.

It had all paid off. She had surprised herself a few times in Nerdville, chuckling at some inside joke that would have caused her to fight to not roll her eyes before. It had added a whole new level of challenge to her cover life, too, rolling her eyes at jokes that she used to not understand but now did. Her lack of understanding and disdain had become expected and she wanted to surprise and to overwhelm him with everything in one day. All or nothing had been her way for longer than she could remember and she wasn't going to change that for him, even though she would change nearly anything else (and had already changed more than she truly realized).

Today had held a number of surprises for both of them, she thought wryly, as she luxuriated in the pleasurable physical sensations which were only now draining out of her limbs and core. His shock had probably been the larger, she decided, as she remembered some of the times his eyes had bugged out through the day. She checked now to make sure they were still safely encased by his head – they were, though they were now darting around under his closed eyelids. She had a pretty good idea what might be filling his dreams – the same thing that had been filling hers since she'd started planning this whole escapade – since she'd caved in to the inevitability of accepting her own mission - the demands of her heart.

She had been surprised at how long the evening's activities had lasted. While many (too many, she thought ruefully) men had graced her past, many of them virile, none of those past encounters held a candle to her new, future, and forever man. Long after the cookies had been abandoned, the two lovers had invented, played, and pleased. She marveled at the miraculous seven times Chuck had forcefully shown his appreciation for the day, in sensational and copious ways. It was no wonder he was now impossible to wake.

But the surprise of seven had paled in comparison to a larger revelation. Planning the mission, Sarah had planned to make everything in the day be all about Chuck, making him happy and showing him in no uncertain terms exactly what all she would do for him. Even with her jammer precautions, it might be the only real time they got to spend together, so she wanted the day to implant itself into his memory. She felt like she had succeeded in making his day, but that wasn't the surprise. No, the shocker was how much fun she had had throughout the entire day. The flirting, the joking, the laughing, the orgasms, the pleasure – none of it had been acting. While the day may have been planned for Chuck, it had been appreciated by both. She had honestly fully and deeply enjoyed every moment of the day, to the point where she could imagine making a yearly ritual of the excitement and teasing of the day, especially with the ultimate climaxes.

Even cleaning the entire apartment after Chuck had essentially passed out hadn't diminished the glow of the day. She wasn't sure exactly when Ellie and Awesome would return, but she wanted to minimize some of the evidence of the day. In particular, she had taken down the jammers and stowed them safely back in her duffle bag, near the unused teddy and other outfits she'd brought. Her favorite cookie was wrapped and securely stored in her bag, too. She had also spent nearly an hour cleaning frosting (and other substances) off of furniture and the floor, before deciding it was good enough. The final batch of blackened cookies had unceremoniously gone into the garbage. The odor, even masked by burnt cookie, would leave little doubt as to the day's activities, but at least the amount of permanent damage had been minimized.

The camera had proven a bigger obstacle. She had wrestled with the decision about leaving digital evidence behind, even in Chuck's hands. He was welcome to look and reminisce all he liked, but she didn't want any of those photos getting into Casey's hands. Or Morgan's. Casey was enough of a spy to go searching for them. And Morgan just didn't seem to think Chuck ever needed privacy, about anything. In the end, she'd unhappily swapped out the memory card, with a mental promise to provide Chuck hard copies of all the pictures.

Now, though, all her work was done and she was able to just relax and watch Chuck sleep. Part of her desperately wanted to shower, but she wasn't able to force herself to leave just yet. Besides, if he did happen to awake, she wanted to be right there, wearing how little she still was, to remind him that the day had been real. At least until midnight, she'd promised herself, she would be there to do whatever he wanted. After midnight, she reasoned, the mission would be officially over. While she wouldn't turn into a pumpkin, she would allow herself to clean up and settle in for some sleep. Tomorrow.

For now, though, she allowed herself to simply be Sarah Walker, still an agent, but one who had just experienced the best day off that she could remember – maybe the best day of her entire life. A day which was almost over, a fact cemented by the clock flipping to 11:58. She knew she could just leave – shower, get on clothes that were comfortable, which actually covered her, and which weren't dry and crusty in spots. Chuck would not wake for anything less than a fire alarm directly in his ears. But she was still finishing her mission, now, and she never let a mission go uncompleted. That mission, for the rest of tonight, was to be with Chuck.

As her mental countdown to midnight approached, Sarah leaned over to kiss Chuck once more, on the cheek. She whispered softly, "Merry Christmas. I hope you liked unwrapping your gift. I love you."

As the clock flipped to midnight, Sarah snuggled under the sheet, and shut her suddenly-heavy eyes. Mission complete.

Review, please. Did you like the turn the story took? Does it make Sarah less out-of-character? Or just make it weird(er)?

I think this is the last chapter, but there might be one more epilogue-y type chapter, if it comes together.