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.

The Mentor

x-x-x-x-x

There was one thing for sure. Carina's flirting personality was a big hit with their new friends… well, the men anyway. Chuck had recently learned that in their new social pecking order, that's all that really mattered. Of course, the fact that her top looked as if it had been spray painted on probably didn't hurt. The girls took a while. It didn't look good at first… especially when Carina walked up to them while they were setting up the night's lines of cocaine… and drove the color from their faces when she showed them her DEA badge. It took some time to assure them that she was just teasing and got them laughing. After that, she became one of the group.

Sarah knew all along that Mark's protest this morning in his office was faux. He spent little time finding her alone and verifying that he'd make sure Darcy would be knocking on their door tonight prepared to be adventuresome. Of course, now that he had implicit 'permission', his hand quickly landed on her chest. That would probably now happen every time he got the opportunity… at least until he got bolder. Naturally, he misunderstood her grin as enthusiastic participation when it was really snickering at how pathetic the move was.

That was a double-edged sword. Yeah, he had taken the bait… fully bought that she was playing the game… especially since she was intentionally teasing the group by unbuttoning her shirt to a dangerous level. The down side was that he was encouraged to push. His next move would be to reach over, unbutton that last button, and dare her to stop him from fully exposing her chest. Chuck had already assured her that he was on board. Hopefully this morning's lecture about going slow would keep that from happening for a few more sessions… but he had already proven that he had more balls than brains. It wasn't if… it was when.

Sarah and Carina had plainly entered into an impromptu contest to see which one could be the biggest flirt. Sarah was also plainly winning. Chuck watched his wife with mixed emotions. Sure, she was strategically showing much, much more skin than usual at one of these things. That, in itself, wasn't so unusual. Agent Walker had always been willing to dress skimpily when needed. Tonight was different. He could plainly see the twinkle in her eyes. Her smile lit up the room even more than usual. He knew her well enough to know that she was honestly having a blast teasing her potential future suitors. Even Chuck had to admit… it was fun watching the men's eyes bugging out watching the sexiest woman in the world bounce around the room… quite literally… as she danced with anyone who asked. Even if this was the suggestion driving her… it was nice to see her having such a good time.

Of course, that also meant that the other girls were all over him to dance. He could see his wife's knowing grin. There was no way to refuse without seeming like a snob… and she knew it.

It took a while to finally be able to sit on the couch and take a breath. He was a little surprised when Carina plopped down next to him. "I just wanted to thank you for taking the spear with Mark tonight," he said.

Carina smiled. "There's no need to thank me," she said. "It's no big deal… and even if it was, I owe her."

They watched together as Sarah danced wildly around the room with that grin permanently plastered on her face. "It's a shame," Carina sighed. "She's so much fun now."

Of course, Chuck knew exactly what she was saying. "I know," he said. "I just… I just need for her to be okay. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that things haven't worked out for you."

At least that got a genuine smile. Chuck had just earned another gazillion points in her mind. "I think you might have a misconception about me," Carina said. "I'm not as wild as you think. Sure, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to do my job… but I've never had a burning desire to seduce her. That was calculated. I was trying to help her. She was always so uptight. That's a bad place for a spy to be. If I could have loosened her up a little, that would be a good thing for her."

"A community service," Chuck teased. "At least that's no longer needed."

That got them laughing. "I know," Carina said. "You've taken over for me. She's plenty loose. Too bad she's no longer a spy. Her new attitude would have come in handy."

Carina stopped laughing and grabbed his arm. "Look," she said. "I get that you're worried about her. I'm worried too. I don't know how much of this is the suggestion… or how she'll react when she finds out what happened. Nobody does. That's why we need to test her. I do know that she honestly loves you. I'm not guessing about that. I was the shoulder she cried on when she couldn't give you what you needed. She felt terrible about that… and it was years before Quinn. Even if she stops being Party-Sarah, I don't see that changing."

Chuck nodded. Truth be told, Carina had just earned a gazillion points of her own. "Thanks," he said.

"That helps."

x-x-x-x-x

Darcy clearly wasn't happy about this situation. But Mark had also clearly made sure that she understood that compliance was not optional. Frankly, she wasn't all that surprised… disappointed maybe. She had been traded a few times… but always within their group. She quickly found that the men were pretty much all the same. Once the lights were out, you couldn't tell much difference. But Mark had never asked her to do something like this before. It was common knowledge from the other prenup wives that your 'husband' would whore you out at some point to get something he wanted. The advice was always the same. Whatever you do, give your best effort. Surely don't embarrass him. So here she was… standing there as specified… standing in front of her best friend wearing that invisible negligee. "I thought that you were my friend," was all she said.

Sarah stood to the side and allowed her to enter the room. "I am your friend," she said. "Understand something. I get that you think that I've betrayed our friendship. I'm honestly sorry about that. You have to admit that you're in this situation due completely to choices you've made. The truth is that you and I are not the same at all. I'll do anything to make his life exciting. I genuinely worship him. But I'm also trying to look out for you. I'm confident that in two hours, you'll feel differently. You're my best friend… and I don't have many friends. I need for you to trust me a little. If I'm wrong… well, I've probably ruined our friendship. That would be devastating. The thing is… I only know one way to do this. So look into my eyes and see how serious I'm being. Chuck is not Mark… he is very nervous about this. If you do anything to make him feel the least bit uncomfortable tonight, I will march right to Mark and give him a blistering report. We both know what that means. So you're going to lose the attitude while you listen to what we have in mind."

Darcy clearly misunderstood. She nodded nervously. "Please don't say anything bad to Mark," she said. "I'll do whatever you want."

Sarah took a deep breath. "This isn't bad," she said. "Sweetie, I know what I'm doing here. I promise. Give me a chance to prove it." Sarah took Darcy by the hand and led her to where Chuck was standing. "I told you that she'd come," she said. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Sarah grinned at the look of surprise on his face. The negligee hid nothing. He certainly didn't expect Darcy to be basically naked. She'd probably pay a price later for teasing him like this. Chuck didn't say anything at first… he just averted his eyes. "Very," he finally said. "Thank you for coming."

Sarah's speech about attitude must have hit home because Darcy's smile looked genuine. "Thank you for asking me," she said.

"Do you know what is going to happen?" Chuck asked.

Darcy thought that she knew…so she nodded. The truth was that she wasn't nearly as upset as she'd indicated to Sarah. It would be pointless to deny that she had a huge crush on Chuck. All the girls did. In fact, it was already common fantasy for her to close her eyes and pretend that Mark was Chuck. Maybe this wasn't the way she fantasized it happening… but if your husband was going to whore you out, at least Chuck was a good choice. Why not play the role for a night? Mark told her to be prepared to be adventuresome. What did that mean? Sarah was standing right there. Three people would sure be adventuresome. The guys hadn't gotten around to that yet. Then again, it was probably only a matter of time. If it was going to become a regular thing, starting off with Sarah didn't seem so horrible. She was her best friend… quickly becoming her mentor… and she was unquestionably the sexiest woman she had ever seen. So maybe the best thing would be to shut off her brain and just go with it. "Not specifically," she said. "I'm just going to follow your lead."

Chuck turned his head to Sarah. "Does she know what is going to happen?" he asked.

Sarah was grinning. "I'm sorry for teasing you," she said. She handed a robe to Darcy. "Please put this on so he can look at you."

Chuck took full measure of the twinkle in her eyes. "You don't look that sorry," he said.

Sarah started laughing. "I'm really not," she teased. "It just seemed like the thing to say."

Chuck turned his attention to Darcy. "Let's talk," he said.

It was the last thing that Darcy expected him to say. Then again, the robe was odd. She expected to be wearing less… not more. "Okay," she said.

"I'm sorry that you're confused," Chuck said. "I want you to understand something. You're very beautiful. Any man would go nuts for the chance to be with you. Having said that… this is all Sarah's idea. She thinks that she has to push and make things exciting for me. She's wrong about that. Trying to tell her that would just start a fight. This isn't exactly what it seems. I'm sorry that you're lonely. I'd like to help. You do have choices."

Quickly Darcy was alarmed. "Please," she said. "Chuck, please don't do anything to mess me up with Mark. I'm so close to the prize. I'll do anything you ask."

That got Chuck laughing. "Don't worry," he said. "No matter what happens here, Sarah is going to tell Mark how perfect you were, and that he's earned the next step. That should make him very happy with you. It's all part of her quest to teach him a lesson in how to treat his wife. Once you know her better, you'll know that she's currently a bulldog with a bone. Participation is not optional. Trying to talk her out of something like this is a waste of breath. She is honestly trying to look out for you… in the way she's been trained. I get that you're the one who has something tangible to lose here. So here is my promise. If anything we do screws up your deal with Mark, I'll make sure you get taken care of." He picked up a folder and handed it to her. "You're going to get your money, no matter what happens. This is a blind trust with five million dollars that automatically gets executed if your marriage ends, for any reason, before the prenup expires. If you tell Mark about it or stay with him is now up to you."

It didn't take Darcy very long to figure out what that meant. She was no longer Mark's servant. Chuck had made this her choice. It was an amazing gesture. To say that she was very relieved was understatement. "Thank you," she said. "Why would you do that?"

Chuck answered her question with one of his own. "What do you know about Sarah's past?" he asked.

Darcy took a moment to consider the question. "I know that she used to be a CIA Agent," she said. "I've tried to ask her what that means several times, but she won't talk much about it. She always says that you changed her life."

"CIA Agent is never something that you used to be," Chuck said. "Once you become one, you're one for life. CIA Agents don't have lives. How can you call someone your friend when you might have to shoot them in the head tomorrow? So now she has a civilian friend. Okay, maybe she doesn't exactly know what to do. Pretending to manipulate you into kinky sex probably doesn't nominate her for best friend of the year. But here is the truth. Her heart is in the right place. She does love you. In her way, she is trying hard to look out for you. The money is only part of it. I'll let her explain that to you after whatever happens next."

"So what is going to happen next?"

Chuck was still laughing. "That's mostly up to you," he said. "Look, I know that you feel forced into this. I'm sorry about that. It was the only way that Sarah could get you alone with us with Mark thinking that it was his idea. But we don't want you to do anything against your will. Mark thinks you're down here scoring points for him. Carina is paying tonight's price. Sarah promises him a path to what he wants. That means you can relax tonight."

Chuck made sure to look Darcy in the eyes. "This now has nothing to do with money," he said. "You're getting that either way. So, you're not a whore. Stop thinking like that. Sarah thinks that she can mentor you and together change Mark's attitude… make you equals. I wouldn't bet against her. But maybe you don't want that now that his money isn't hanging over you. It's totally your call. It would be your perfect right to tell Sarah to go to hell and stomp out. We both hope that doesn't happen. If you don't want to play her game, we'll have a few drinks and chat for a while. No hard feelings."

Darcy knew full well that stopping was no longer an option. For one thing, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't find out what was going to happen. Mark had made her his property for two long years to get five million. Chuck had offered it for… well, for nothing. Sarah was right. He really was a nice guy. She wasn't used to being around nice guys. Rich men tended to be… not nice. With any of the men she knew, she would already be… umm… engaged. Her friend had just done something wonderful for her. Could Sarah really change Mark? That would be too good to be true. The irony was that now that it wasn't required… the idea of some hot sex with two very attractive people that she genuinely liked without any guilt didn't seem like the chore it had just a few minutes ago. So she smiled. "And what happens if I want to play?" she asked.

As clueless about these things as Sarah always teased him about, even Chuck was fully aware that she was now flirting with him… and his red face plainly showed it.

Darcy didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed Sarah's hand. "I'm sorry that I got mad at you. You just did something very nice for me. Thanks."

Sarah grinned. "You're welcome," she said. "You don't know the half of it. Trust me. I know exactly what I am doing. The CIA has made very sure of that. If you will accept me as a mentor with no questions asked, I promise you some wild times. Together we'll transform Mark until he is on his knees asking you if he can be your toy. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing that."

Darcy maybe blushed, but she also smiled. "Do I want to hear about what you're going to teach me?" she teased. "I'm looking forward to that too."

Sarah sat on the couch next to her friend. "So," she said. "You've had quite the day. You're suddenly rich. I hope this means that you're not still mad at me."

Darcy paused for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. "I'm so sorry that I got mad," she said. "I was such a bitch. I didn't understand. You were looking out for me all the time… and not just with the money. I feel horrible."

Sarah sided into her. "Don't feel horrible," she said. "You should have been disappointed in me. I was making a point to hopefully teach you something. I intentionally didn't tell you what the plan was. I wanted you to be able to make your own choices. I still want that. We're just at the beginning of this so hopefully I've earned some trust. Just so you know… I'm always going to look out for you… always. Let's talk. Tonight was the start of a long journey. I have a plan that will teach Mark a serious lesson about how a man is supposed to treat his wife. I can teach you how to become in charge of your sex life. Then I'm going to move on to the other guys."

Darcy paused again for a long moment. "Do you really think you can change Mark?" she asked.

Sarah sided into her again. "I'm not going to change Mark," she said. "We're going to do that together. In fact, you're going to be doing most of the changing. I'm going to teach you how. And I don't think this is going to work… I'm absolutely positive. You know that I was a CIA Agent. I spent an intense few months learning how to get men to do exactly what I want… in life or death situations. Mark's lust makes him the perfect… well, mark. That's going to be the easy part. First, you have a decision to make. You're no longer depending on Mark's money. Maybe that changes things. The way he treats you pisses me off. Don't stay with Mark because of me or my plan. If you want, I can go up and help you pack some things. You can stay here. Tomorrow we can look for someplace to live. If you want to stay married is now your call."

Darcy nodded and thought for a long moment. "I think that I want to try," she finally said. "I'm mostly happy with my life. Mark is honestly a decent guy. I knew what I was getting into when I signed the prenup. I… I just want him to change a little." She paused for a moment, and then started to grin. "I'd be lying if I said that I'm not eager to see how this happens. I know that you don't like him… but he really, really, really wants to sleep with you."

That got them both laughing. "No kidding," Sarah was finally able to get out. "If he has been trying to hide it, he's failed miserably. In fairness, that's also true of a lot of men. Yes, I'm pissed at him… but I do like Mark… as a friend… when he's not trying to be smooth and charm me into bed. I don't like how he treats you… but that's just as much your fault. You've allowed him to treat you poorly. We're going to change that." She stopped laughing. "His lust is actually a good thing. It's the carrot on the stick that we're going to use to teach him his lesson. When we're done, he's going to discover that he really, really, really wants a healthy sex life with you… that only occasionally gets wild. He's also going to understand that you are in control of how often that happens and you have to be equal partners in bed."

Darcy shook her head. "I don't think that's going to happen," she said sadly. "You're the sexiest woman we've ever seen. How can I possibly compete with you?"

Sarah grinned. "There are a lot of things wrong with that statement," she said. "First off… you're not competing with me. Stop thinking like that. You're his wife. I'm a potential conquest… nothing more. I'm playing him. I'm going to do some things with him… like I did tonight… to keep him on the hook. Each time, if he behaves, he'll get a little tiny bit more. But Mark will never get his conquest. I have no desire for that. The idea turns my stomach a little. For one thing, if he ever did get his conquest , I'd lose my carrot. Mark will soon learn that what he really wants is to make love with you… and that can happen pretty much any time he wants as long as he treats you right."

Darcy was clearly still skeptical. "How do we do that?" she asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Sarah said. "Here is the hard part. I spent months learning these things. We're going to condense that training for you. Changing Mark starts with changing you. You called me sexy a minute ago. That's a state of mind. That's the first thing you have to learn. You're already beautiful. We're going to make you sexy. That means changing your thinking about some things. You have to relearn everything you thought that you knew about sex. First, we need to teach you how to enjoy it."

"I enjoy sex," Darcy protested, now genuinely offended. "Why do you think that I don't enjoy sex?"

"Because you don't," Sarah said. "Sweetie, take a breath and listen to me. I'm not criticizing you. Here is the honest truth. I was once exactly like you. Everyone likes the climax of sex. That's not what I'm talking about. To say that you enjoy sex means that you have to enjoy more than just the end. You have to learn to enjoy everything… the pursuit… pushing the envelope… the seduction… thinking of new fantasies… all of sex. That's when you'll be sexy. Think about this and answer me honestly. When you go home tonight, Mark is going to be fired up. We both know where that will quickly lead. Tell me the truth. Are you going to enjoy him using you because Carina lit his fuse?"

The question was plainly rhetorical since Sarah didn't wait for an answer. "Mark currently doesn't value you," she said. "Because you have nothing to offer him that he can't already demand. Men all want a conquest. Being his wife and always available to him… while at the same time being a sexy conquest is a delicate balance. For an agent, that is often the balance between life and death. Maybe your stakes aren't nearly as high but you have the same issue. You have to learn how to read his mood and switch between slut and bashful, shy, girl next door without him even realizing. Mark currently knows that he can get sullen, pouting, halfhearted sex from you anytime he wants. He has to subconsciously learn that, when you want to, you can turn into a sexy goddess and give him his conquest while you rock his world. Even if it's subconscious, he's going to learn to do the things that get him that sexy goddess, and that means he has an obligation to make sure you're just as satisfied. That's what I'm going to teach you."

Sarah paused a moment for effect. "You and I need to make a deal," she said. "If you will accept me as your mentor, I make you a solemn vow. I will always, always, always be looking out for you. It's just that sometimes it might not look like it. As my student, you have to give me your total trust. Some of that training was uncomfortable for me. They demanded that I go far outside of my comfort zone. Just like I'm going to push you past your comfort zone. I need you to trust my promise and do whatever I ask… even when you really, really don't want to. Not only that… you need to learn to make yourself get into it. We're going to have fun with this."

Darcy sighed. "I've been with Mark for years for his money. I feel guilty taking your money."

"Stop thinking like that," Sarah said. "Guaranteeing you the money was the right thing to do. For one thing, it's really not that much money to us. It was actually Chuck's suggestion. You need to go into this with nothing to lose. We didn't do it to get a conquest… but part of being sexy is losing your sexual hang ups. The physical part is pretty easy. Women have been doing it for a million years. Being sexy is mental."

Darcy nodded. "I'll do anything you tell me," she sighed.

That got Sarah laughing again. "Sweetie, here is your first assignment," she said. "When Mark asks you what happened here tonight, tell him an exciting story. Thank him for making you do it. Tell him that we turned you inside out, you had a great time, and want to make it up to him. Drive the process. Become sexy. Don't take off your clothes… smile and slowly strip for him. Look him in the eyes and tell him how on fire you feel. It would change everything. Make tonight all about him in every detail. Do the things that you know he likes… with a smile… before he asks. Pause a few times to tell him how sexy you feel. Moan like you don't know where you are. Thank him when it's over. Tell him that you have a new attitude. He'll think you're submitting to him. The truth is that you'll never be more in control of Mark than when he thinks you're submitting to him."

Sarah laughed at the look on Darcy's face. "I know that sounds fake," she said. "There was a time when I thought so too. Tonight, you're probably going to have to pretend. You now have the power. You need to learn how to enjoy that power. This is one of the things we're going to use to condition him. When he demands sex, he gets the sullen, halfhearted act. When he is patient and allows you take the lead, he'll get a completely different experience. He'll get his conquest. It's called leading from behind. Sweetie, follow my plan and in a short time you'll go from being his slave to being his master."

"We're going to work on that together."

x-x-x-x-x

When Carina finally got back to the apartment, Sarah was sitting on Chuck's lap. "That took a lot longer than I expected," Sarah teased. "Maybe I wasn't being clear. We're trying to get him to go slowly. I guess he might be more talented than he appears. How far did he get you?"

Carina shook her head. "You were very clear," she said. "Trust me. He has no hidden talent. He's pathetic. I couldn't wait to get out of there. I've been talking to Beckman."

Sarah was laughing. "What did she want?" she asked. "Did she forget where she parked her broom again?"

In spite of Carina's mood, that got a laugh. "No," she said. "She's learned to always park it in the same spot. Actually, she was talking about you. It seems that they have a crisis and need your help."

That was the last thing Sarah expected her to say. They wanted her? They had a thousand agents just like her. Their current relationship with the agency wasn't the best anyway. In spite of that, she had always expected there would be a time when Beckman would come to Chuck and ask him to take his Intersect on a mission. She had practiced many ways to tell her to go to hell. There was no way Chuck was going on a dangerous mission. They were retired. "Did you tell her to kiss my ass?" Sarah asked. "Or are you leaving that to me?"

That didn't get the expected laugh. "I think maybe you should consider this one," Carina said. "They are working on a new Intersect and having issues. She sounded pretty desperate."

Sarah had mixed feelings about a new Intersect. They had a deal. Then again, making a deal with the CIA wasn't worth the paper it was written on. The question wasn't if they would renege, it was only when. The truth was, having another Intersect was probably good for Chuck. There wouldn't be this constant temptation to ask him to go on missions. "What issues?" she asked. "Why me?"

Carina sighed. "It seems like he's having trouble controlling it," she said. "You're the only person in the world with a track record in this area."

That got Sarah to get off Chuck's lap. At least that made sense. She probably was the only person with any experience. "What exactly are they asking me to do?" she asked.

"They want you to go undercover," Carina said. "Go on a couple of assignments with him. Observe and see if you can figure out what triggers him. Chuck and I will be tailing you in case things go south."

Sarah was shaking her head even before Carina had stopped talking.

"I think you should do this."

Sarah couldn't believe her ears. She just stared at him for a long moment. "You think I should do this?" she asked incredulously.

Chuck nodded. "You have to admit," he said. "This is something where you're the only person in the world with any experience. The Intersect is important to me. My dad invented it. It's a family legacy. That's not the only reason. It's like… rich people don't know how great it is to be rich… because they've never been poor. Our 'retirement' was pretty sudden. You were one for ten years. Now that you've been a civilian, you'd have a new perspective about being a spy. Maybe this would be a good way to get some closure."

Sarah's head was spinning. It was the last thing she expected him to say. Maybe he even had a point… but… "Chuck, do you understand what you're saying?" she asked. "Undercover couples pretend to be intimate. They spend the night together." It was more than that. Most undercover couples hooked up at some point. She had one undercover partner in her career… Bryce. Surely Chuck understood the implication. The very last thing she would want would be to dredge up those jealousy feelings.

Chuck forced a smile. "I think you might be underestimating me," he said. "I've been jealous. I'm guilty. Aren't we past that? I remember the thousand lectures you've delivered me. On missions you have to depend on your instincts. You do things that are fake. You do them to survive. They don't affect your real relationships."

Sarah stood there for a long moment. "Tell me the truth," she said. "Are you unhappy with me?"

Chuck winced at what clearly was the suggestion talking. He stood and wrapped his arms around her. "How could you ask me that?" he asked. "In case I haven't told you this today… I think you're perfect. There is not a single thing I would change about you. Part of what makes you perfect is that you've dedicated your life to the greater good. I'm not crazy about this. I'll miss you… but it's only a few days. This is important for the world."

"Maybe you'll learn something about yourself."

x-x-x-x-x