This is a work of fantasy. We don't own Chuck or any of its characters.

This takes place a couple months after the end of the series. Sarah has regained almost all of her memories and they are about to begin their new lives together outside the spy life. They say it was a happy ending. Maybe… Eventually.

All of my stories end up being Charah stories. This one is going to take some time to get there.

Angels and Devils

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Chuck could feel the color leave his face. He just sat there mindlessly looking at her for a long, long moment… unable to fully process what he just heard. There was little question about Ellie being right. The truth was everything she was saying made sense. His wife was acting just like the suggestion predicted she would… it actually explained all the things about her lately that he had wondered about. "Is Sarah going to be okay?" he finally asked.

Ellie knew that she had to tread carefully. Panicking him wouldn't help anything. Yet he had to know that this was serious. "Yes," she assured him. "Sweetie, we're going to make sure that she's going to be okay. That's why we're being so careful. We need to figure out the best way to help her. That's why we want to test."

Chuck could figuratively feel the classic devil on his shoulder. Quinn's suggestion was evil… yet it was working out pretty well for him. "Do we have to tell her?" he asked. But the words weren't out of his mouth before the angel appeared on his other shoulder and he was instantly ashamed. He wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that he had a Stepford Sarah. He sat in thought for a moment… afraid if he said the words, they would come true. "This test," he finally said. "If you're right, she is going to want to…"

"Chuck," Ellie interrupted. "Don't go there. Sarah loves you. That's not in question. You know that she does. You were married before this thing with Quinn even happened. Nothing is going to change that. Of course, the situation is serious… but we really need to access how powerful this thing is. Hopefully, it's not that strong. Worst case, if she goes off the deep end, we'll pull the plug. We'll tell her that we decided the agent we picked wasn't a good candidate as an Intersect and we removed it. That should get us back to where we currently are."

"Why don't we just take away my Intersect?" Chuck asked. "No Intersect… no temptation."

Ellie nodded. "It's been discussed," she said. "That may be an option. You were allowed to remain an Intersect for a reason. That reason is still valid. It would be a shame to run into a situation where we needed it. Of course, if it would help Sarah, it would be an easy decision. It's just that we don't know enough. The CIA modelers are debating this among themselves. Some think it's very possible that it would send her into depression… always longing for something she knows she can never have. That's too big of a risk at this point. It's just another reason why we need to test her."

Chuck fought to keep his voice from breaking. "Ellie," he said. "This is a nightmare. I knew this was too good to be true. She's been perfect."

Ellie knew that she had to be strong. The truth was she felt like crying too. She grabbed his hand. "I know," she said. "Hopefully, she'll always be perfect for you. Chuck, you don't want her to be perfect because she's programmed."

Chuck shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "What should I do?"

At last, Ellie made sure he saw her smile. "First off, take a breath," she said. "I get that you're concerned… but please stop assuming the worst. It's possible that this turns out to be a nothing burger. We're going to move heaven and earth to make sure she is taken care of. If you start acting all tense around her, she'll sense something is up. We're going to set this test up as soon as we possibly can. It has to be realistic… but it also has to happen quickly. For this to tell us anything, she'll need to believe the other agent is an Intersect. She'll need some convincing to even participate. The CIA isn't high on her list of favorite organizations right now. Fortunately, she'd go on any mission you asked her to do, even before Quinn. Until then, you'll need to be supportive. The worst thing about the suggestion is that it is intentionally progressive. She wants to constantly look for new things to offer you… so she's likely to get wilder."

Chuck shook his head. "A rape fantasy?" he protested. "Attraction to other women? How wild is she going to get?"

Ellie sighed. "This Quinn was a real piece of work, wasn't he?" she said. "We're not sure how wild. That's why we have to move fast. As long as it's not destructive, it's probably best if you just go along. You know her best. Try and guide her so that her progression is as slow as possible… but don't add any additional stress by challenging her."

Chuck had his head in his hands. "Great," he muttered.

"No pressure."

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Carina was standing at the window when Chuck got back to the apartment. "Holy fuck," she said. "This view is amazing. It must be nice to be this rich."

Sarah grinned. Carina was very accustomed to living a high-life lifestyle. You weren't assigned to seduce many marks who lived in poverty. Maybe you had to constantly submit to some serious slime balls in whatever demeaning way they could think of… but at least it was a life of high rise luxury suites, meals prepared by gourmet chiefs, and traveling the globe in private jets… so for her to be impressed said something. It made Sarah realize that there were things in her life that she had started to take for granted. The view was the least of it. In her effort to tell Chuck how she felt about him she used sex far too much and words far too little. If she was going to claim that she worshiped him, maybe that was something that would have to change. She needed to make a better effort… maybe now would be a good time to start… but she had to admit… the view was amazing. "It doesn't suck," she said.

"I'm pretty sure that's not the view that you came here to see," Chuck said. "Let me assure you, the other view is equally amazing."

Sarah was still grinning. "And sometimes it does suck," she teased.

That got them all laughing. That cemented it in Carina's mind. This thing was real. The Sarah she knew would have never made a joke… especially a suggestive one involving sex. She turned to her oldest friend. "Really?" she asked. "That's definitely a dramatic change in policy for you. What brought that on?"

Sarah's answer was quick and sure. "I found the right guy," she said. "Life's too short to have stupid hangups. I think you'd be proud of me. I'm now something of a self-taught expert at sex. As it turns out, you were right all those years… well, sort of. Sex can be amazing. Now I'll bet I'm wilder than you are. I'm sure that I enjoy sex more than you do. The main difference is that all my sex is with one man."

That got them laughing even harder. "Ouch," was all Carina said.

Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand. "While we're on this subject," she said. "I want to apologize. The thing with Mark. I was thinking like a spy. Those are my stupid instincts. I have to stop that and start thinking like a wife. I have to find another way to meet my objective."

"You said that yesterday," Chuck said. "What does that mean?"

That got Sarah a little serious. "Darcy is my friend," she explained. "You don't understand our new social order. You're too nice of a guy to pick up on it. These are not normal marriages… not like us. The men know full well that the women are gold diggers… so they make them earn it. All of the trophy wives sign a standard prenup. For the first two years the husband can walk away for almost any reason and the woman doesn't get a dime. Darcy's done a couple of Tide commercials… not exactly an impressive resume… in the most competitive career there is. Imagine becoming used to this high octane life style and suddenly finding yourself penniless with no job skills. She'd be in some seedy club giving lap dances to truck drivers within a week. That gives the men tons of leverage and everyone knows it. Chuck, what do you think is happening about twice a week after we leave? The girls get passed around regularly."

Chuck shook his head in disgust. "She sounds more like a whore than a wife," he said.

Sarah nodded her head. "Darcy calls herself a whore," she said. "Please don't ever say that to her. You don't get how much she admires you. It would devastate her. She's really sensitive to it. It's sad really. But it's not exactly like that. Mark is different than most of the guys. He treats her better. Darcy is his first wife. The other men are on their third or more. In his own way, Mark cares for her. But they are not equals. For those first two years, he's in charge and they both know it. Some of the other men are a lot more… disgusting. If you want to know my motive, here is a big one. Mark needs to be taught a lesson in how to treat his wife. All the men do. I'm going to start with Mark. I actually like him as a friend… when he's not angling to get his hand on my chest… so I'm going to be somewhat gentle teaching him his lesson. The others… not so much."

Truth be told, Chuck was impressed. "You said you'd have to find another way," he said. "What was your original plan?"

Sarah grinned at him. "Changing Mark means changing Darcy," she said. "This is what I've been trained to do. Right now, Mark doesn't value her. She has nothing to offer him that he can't already demand. We need to fix that. Darcy is an attractive women. She has all of the tools. She needs to learn how to be a sexy goddess when she wants. Mark has to understand that he can get the sullen sex he demands from an attractive woman… or he can get a sexy goddess rocking his world… and that's always going to be her decision. Suddenly she has all the leverage. We need to get her alone a few times so I have the chance to teach her… sort of a mini Seduction School. She's not exactly an innocent bystander in this situation. She agreed to trade two years of sexual servitude for a payday with her eyes wide open. Now she feels trapped. She's too close to give up, so she wouldn't do anything to risk that. That means she wouldn't do anything that Mark wouldn't approve of. The only way she'll attend my Seduction School is if it's Mark's idea. That was my original plan… to use his pathetic lust against him and make it his idea."

Naturally, Carina picked up on it right away. Actually, this could be a good thing. Sarah lived for the mission. She was also the very best at stringing a mark along without giving in. It earned her the nickname of Ice Queen. If this could keep her occupied, what was the harm? "This is a classic seduction," she said. "You're going to become that sexy goddess and make him believe he'll be richly awarded as long as he does what you want. Of course, that rich reward will never happen."

Sarah was grinning. "The rich reward will happen," she said. "That's the gentle part of the lesson. It's just that it will come from Darcy… when he's earned it."

Chuck caught Carina's eye and her slight nod. Yeah, she wordlessly probably had a point. As long as it didn't get out of hand, this would be a good way to keep her occupied. "How far would you go?" he asked.

Sarah just shook her head. "That's up to you," she said. "I'm sad that you would even ask that. It'll always be up to you. I would never, ever do anything you weren't on board with. I hope you know that. I get that the Seduction School stuff is the part of the spy life you hate most. There isn't anything wrong with that. It's not my favorite either… it just comes with the territory. I was insensitive yesterday. I'm not a spy anymore. I'm your wife. My day starts and stops there. Mark is like most men… very predictable… at core, pathetic. Inside I'm laughing at him. You asked me to shut him down before I got felt up. It was going to start there. Putting his hand on my chest to gauge my reaction was going to be his next move so I shut him down. I'm sorry that I even brought it up."

Chuck reached out to her. "I'm the one who is sorry," he said. "I get that I've been jealous in the past and made us pretty miserable. I'm not crazy about the Seduction School part… but I understand it a lot better now. Getting together really helped me. If anything, I'm embarrassed… so I'm not jealous of Mark, at all. That's not it. You're playing him for a fool. I just didn't want you doing anything you didn't want to do simply for a laugh. Now that I understand your reason, it makes more sense. If you can help Darcy, I might enjoy watching that happen. Forget about me as your husband for a second. Talk to me as your partner, who hasn't been to Seduction School, about your mission. Just how far are you going to go?"

Carina looked at them together… and Chuck's stock just went up a gazillion points in her mind. Tell most men that Sarah Walker was addicted to looking for ever more lurid ways to seduce him… and none would protest. He really loved her… and this had to be killing him. If they were right… and every indication said that they were… he was about to watch her become irresistibly attracted to another man. Yet here he was… looking out for her the best way he could.

That got Sarah's smile back. She leaned over and kissed him. "I'm very proud of you," she said. "I'm not comfortable forgetting about you as my husband… not even pretending… not even for a second. To answer your partner question, not that far. The entire point of Seduction School is to teach you how to get men to do what you want by allowing them the illusion they are getting somewhere. Mark's easy. He wants this far too badly. If he gets his quick feel, he'll have to go change his shorts. That gives me all the leverage. If I told him that I'd take off my shirt for one of his kidneys… he'd be on the Internet searching for the right surgeon. I can string him along slowly. Worst case, in a few weeks he eventually works his way up to getting my shirt off without any surgery. If Darcy is a quick study, we should be done well before then. Now that Red is here, maybe I can introduce them, and she can be the one whose shirt he takes off. Showing men her chest is her main specialty."

Truth be told, Carina was impressed. Even if it was because of that stupid suggestion, the new Blondie was a lot more fun to be around. "Hey," she protested. "We both have our talents. You kick them in the head. I show them my chest. Either way, they're neutralized."

Chuck wrapped his arms around Sarah and pulled her in close. "I want to thank you," he said, clearly emotional.

Sarah melted into him. "You're welcome," she teased. "Now exactly why are you thanking me? I'm pretty sure it's not because I offered to show Mark my chest. Whatever it is, I want to do more of it."

Chuck held onto her for a long moment. "For everything," he finally said. "This has been the best time of my life. I didn't even think life could get this good."

Sarah pulled back a little. "Chuck, is something wrong with you?" she asked. "Tell me the truth. Why is Ellie checking up on you? Did she find something?"

Chuck mentally kicked himself for stirring up her concern and pulled her in close again. Fortunately, he could truthfully answer her question. "There's nothing wrong with me," he said. "You know how paranoid the CIA is. Ellie barely looked at me. My life is perfect… and that's because of you."

They stayed in their embrace for a long, long time. "I have to tell you, Mr. Bartowski," Sarah finally said. "It's an odd time to get all romantic. My life is perfect too. I think you can probably guess that you've just lit a very short fuse… and Red is standing right there staring at us. Then again, I've watched her get lucky in front of me about a million times. Maybe it's time I returned the favor. She's skeptical that I've changed so much. It's time for a practical demonstration."

At last, Chuck was able to step back and give her a genuine smile.

"Can we keep her from trying to join in?"

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