Title: It's A Wonderful Life
Pairing: Blair-centric, mildy BC
Summary: "I wish I had never been born." Be careful what you wish for, B...you never know when a friendly angel's feeling generous.
Disclaimer: I don't own the awesome Blair Waldorf or Clarence Odbody or the wonderful story of 'It's a Wonderful Life' or Gossip Girl
A/N: Wooohhoo! A few more days till the second season! This story is just purely for my own entertainment, hehe. I haven't watched 'It's a Wonderful Life' in a while, so I'm not sure if I got Clarence alright. Note- this is set in 'A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate' right before Blair leaves to go to the helipad. The italics in the second paragprah are like voiceovers as well. Hopefully, everything's okay. And hope you guys enjoy! BIG thanks to Nat! :)
Please God or whoever's up there, look after Blair. Please make sure she doesn't do anything stupid tonight. I know Blair made a mistake, but she's a good person. She doesn't deserve any of this.
"Are you sure you want this, Clarence? We can give this to someone else," Michael asked hesitantly, sending Clarence a sympathetic smile. The angel next to him nodded his head, but said intently, "No, I want to do this. Doing this fifty years ago earned me my wings and I'd like to experience that feeling again."
"You're sick of all the paperwork?"
"Well, you could say that. It'd just be nice to get out and do some fieldwork," Clarence replied, remembering the kind-hearted George Bailey whom he had helped back when he was an angel, second class. That had been Clarence's last appearance on earth, and truth be told, he missed the fresh air and the chance to simply walk on his own two feet (flying took the breath out of him).
"Alright then, but remember, it's been awhile since you were last down there. Times have changed and this young girl, well, she can be quite a handful," Michael warned Clarence, who simply laughed off the archangel's concerns.
"I think I can handle this. After all, a young girl is a young girl in any century. She's probably just scared and confused. Who is this young girl, anyway?"
"Her name's Blair Waldorf. We got the prayer from her best friend, Serena van der Woodsen, and it seems that Blair's in a predicament. She's lost her way and we need you to help her find her path," Michael said. "Are you ready to see her life?"
Clarence nodded his head and waited to see the life that was Blair Waldorf's.
"Oh, where are we are?" Clarence asked, watching the scene unfolding in front of him.
"We're in the Upper East Side," Michael said. "The Waldorf penthouse."
"Natie! Where are you going!" a small, brunette girl shrieked as she ran down the stairs, chasing after her 'boyfriend'.
"I'm trying to find Serena!" Nate cried out, running around, looking for the missing girl.
"But I'll get my dress dirty!" the brunette pouted, stopping at the foot of the staircase, holding out her puffy red dress. "And you'll get my house dirty!"
"But Blair, how else are we supposed to play hide and seek?" Nate asked, finally stopping his searching. He turned to face Blair with an unsure expression written over his face and pulled on his scruffy blonde hair.
"Oh, is she the one?"
"Yes, Clarence, but here's she's only five."
"My, she seems like a very bossy five year old."
"You should see her at sixteen, but we'll get to that later on."
"BOO!" yelled Serena, jumping out of the elevator and scaring both Blair and Nate. "I scared you!
"Gah Serena! Stop playing hide and seek! You're gonna get your dress dirty," Blair scolded in her best mature sounding voice. Serena giggled and replied, "Oh, come on B, it's fun!"
"No! We're gonna play 'families' now. Natie, you can be the daddy, I'll be the mommy and Serena, you'll be the baby," Blair said happily, dragging Nate's hand. He gave Serena a small smile as she shrugged her shoulders and haplessly followed them up the stairs.
"All we're missing is Chuck."
"Chuck?"
"Yes, Chuck, Nate, Serena and Blair. They all grew up together and they're incredibly tight – the fabulous four."
"Are you nearly done, Blair? This is boring!" exclaimed a twelve-year old Chuck Bass as he trailed behind Blair in the girl's department of Macy's.
"Until I find the perfect dress, you're stuck here!" she said haughtily, shifting through the racks.
"Don't you have any other friends that you can torture?" Chuck asked, eyeing a passing girl.
"Well, Nate's visiting his grandfather and Serena's visiting her grandmother, so it looks like you're the only one left. What about this one?" she said, pulling out a floral dress. Chuck grimaced and shook his head, replying, "The 60s are so over."
"Besides it's not like you had anything to do today."
Chuck paused and thought this over, "Well, I suppose I could've gone with my mother to see the Baizen's."
"Yeah, Carter's so cute!" Blair squealed, much to the distaste of Chuck who rolled his eyes.
"Remember, you're dating my best friend," Chuck said, raising his eyebrow.
"Duh, you idiot! I think I remember that! Besides, if you were a girl, you'd know what I mean."
"Thank god, I'm not one then or else my life would be devoted to Dawson's Creek and Charmed and all that stupid make-up and dresses."
"What a shame that'd be," Blair said, smiling wickedly, deciding that Chuck was now officially her shopping buddy.
"They seem to be close, Michael."
"Yes, they're very. But it's Serena that's been through thick and thin with Blair."
"Serena, where were you last night?" Blair asked as Serena stumbled into the school yard, squinting at the sunlight.
"Gah, Blair, stop screaming. You're hurting my ears," Serena muttered, dropping onto the stairs next to Blair. She leaned against the rail, and slowly hummed to herself, trying to get rid of her pounding headache.
"You were out with Georgina, weren't you?" Blair said in a defiant tone, folding her arms across her chest with a scowl.
"What…Georgie? Noooo…" but Blair knew better than to believe her half-intoxicated friend.
"Serena! I've told you a million times that that girl's bad news! All she's doing is getting you drunk and wasted every night! You're only fourteen!" Blair scolded, but all Serena did was block her ears and hum louder.
"La, la, la!"
"Serena! You'll see! She's nothing but trouble!" Blair exclaimed as she stood up and picked up her bag. "And you're completely tone deaf!"
"They love each other, they really do. It's a love-hate relationship, that they've got going on."
"My, my. Things have certainly changed since I was alive."
"I imagine they have. Still feel up to the challenge, Clarence?"
"More than ever, Michael."
"On behalf of my family and myself, I'd like to thank everyone for coming to this special assembly. It isn't everyday that a young man and woman receive a scholarship to Constance Billards and St Judes," Harold Waldorf paused as the rest of the auditorium applauded. "My wife and I started the Waldorf scholarship when our lovely daughter, Blair, was born and we take great pride knowing that thanks to it two children will be able to receive a fulfilling education.
Blair clapped along with the rest of the crowd and stepped forward as her father called her.
"The lucky people receiving the Waldorf scholarship for next year will be," Blair paused as she opened her envelope and smiled sweetly at the audience, "Daniel Humphrey and Rachel Henderson."
A tall, lanky young man and a blonde, plump girl walked onto the stage and Blair shook their hands firmly, pulling them next to her as the photographers began snapping shots of them.
"Just don't act like a nerd," she uttered to the boy next to her and she gripped onto his arm tightly, forcing him to smile awkwardly at the cameras. Thank god, she wasn't being forced to actually be friends with the loser from Brooklyn.
"Oh my, she certainly still is bossy."
"Yes, she's got that gene in her. The perfectionist gene. Like the one Mr Bogart had."
"Ah, yes. Bless his soul, old Bogie. Are we nearly finished?"
"Nearly, Clarence. Just a few more scenes left."
"Argh, what am I supposed to do, Nate?" Blair shrieked into her phone as she slammed her locker. "I've got no time to do these invitations and my dress just got ruined so I have to buy a new one!"
"Miss Waldorf, no phones!" hissed a passing teacher.
"I'm sorry, Mrs Cobler. It's my dying aunt, she just wanted to hear my voice," Blair sobbed and Mrs Cobler nodded her head in support and walked away, pretending to have not witnessed the incident.
"Nate, I have to go. I'll try to come over later. Toodles!" Blair hung up her phone and exited the building, shivering as the cold wind blew past her body. What was she was going to do? The kiss on the lips party was in less than three week's time and here she was with a box of stupid invitations. If Serena were here, she would've had her do them, but the hard truth was that her 'best friend' was miles away, god knows where.
"Watch where you're going!" Blair exclaimed as she bumped into someone, nearly sending her flying to the floor. The blonde girl mumbled a nervous 'sorry' and stared at Blair like she was a famous actress or model. "Hello. Move."
"Oh, I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to get in your way," the blonde stuttered and Blair almost found it cute. Suddenly, an idea crossed Blair's mind. A wonderfully, amazing Blair Waldorf idea.
"What's your name?" Blair asked curiously, smiling intently at the freshman.
"Jenny. Jenny Humphrey." The girl's face sparked brighter than a light bulb and Blair found herself thinking about Serena's bubbly face. Oh God, how she missed that blonde.
"Well, Jenny," Blair said as the name rolled off her tongue in a wickedly sweet tone. "It seems I've got a little job for you."
"I suppose you have enough information now, Clarence. I hope you don't mind if we fast-forward a bit of herr life. I've got a dinner date with Mother Theresa."
"No problem, Michael. My, this girl is a tough cookie."
"You've seen nothing yet."
Blair and Nate making out fervently on Blair's bed, suddenly pulling apart at the sound of Serena's voice.
Blair and Serena tousling in the grass, scratching at each other.
Blair and Serena taking shots of each other in Central Park, matching in contrasting dresses, smiling like they were children.
Blair and Chuck kissing passionately in the back seat of his limo, oblivious to the world around them.
Blair, her father and Roman sitting around the open fireplace, conversing joyfully as Eleanor surprisingly handed out Christmas presents to them.
"And where's Blair now, Michael?"
Blair Waldorf quickly rushed from her dresser to her bed, shoving all that she could fit into her suitcase as she wiped away her hot fiery tears. She wasn't weak. Waldorf's did not cry, but unbeknownst to the world, they did have their moments.
She had been surprised when her mother had made the call to her father, telling him that Blair would be on the next plane to France. In fact, Blair had surprised herself in coming to her mother. Of course, she hadn't told her mother anything of importance, merely tiptoeing around the truth. If her mother had found out the real reason as to why she wanted to leave New York, she would never hear the end of it and the last thing she needed was an Eleanor Waldorf atop of all the crap she was going through.
Plopping onto her bed after she had finished packing, Blair stared around her room, her eyes skimming over the photos in her room. She found a photo a Serena hanging next to her dresser and wondered what her best friend would think of her. But then again, Serena was in no position to judge considering her disappearance last year. Blair stood up and peeled the photo from the mirror, shoving it in her coat pocket and from the corner of her eye, she noticed a photo of her, Nate and Chuck outside of Constance Billard. Nate had his arm around Blair and was smiling at the camera with his boyish grin. Blair was laughing at Chuck who had a scowl on his face, but was nonetheless staring at Blair, a certain reminiscent look in his eyes. It surprised Blair that she had never noticed the photo before and it pained her that their friendship, not matter how dysfunctional, was now totally and utterly screwed. No matter how many times she wished that today had been a dream, all she had to do was pinch her arm and find the pain intolerable and reality mocking her cruelly.
Blair heard Dorota's voice calling her from downstairs and assumed that her limo was now waiting for her outside. She took one last glance at her room and sighed, pulling her suitcase from her bed. She opened the door and felt another stolen tear fall.
Her life was destroyed, her reputation ruined, she had no more friends (sure, she had Serena, but she couldn't face her), Chuck and Nate both hated her and worst of all, she was going to get wrinkles from all the crying she had done today. Dragging her suitcase behind her, Blair muttered to herself in all sincerity, "I wish I had never been born."
"Be careful what you wish for, Blair," Clarence said with a soft smile, slipping onto earth, dressed in a limo driver's uniform.