Begin Again Special:
Henry's Independence Day.
"So, what should we do for the 4th of July? A big dinner party? We can have dinner, then watch the fireworks from the window," Lily said, gesturing to the window of her apartment that she now shared with Rufus.
Rufus raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "It better not be a big dinner party then if we're all going to be looking out that window. It's a big window, but it's not that big."
Lily smirked too. "Good point. I suppose we could all head over to Central Park to view them."
"Or, we could have a barbecue at the park, and watch the fireworks there. I don't think your friends would like that though. We'd have to make it just us and possibly the kids." He winked.
Lily turned around to face him, and draped her arms over his shoulders. "You act like my friends are too snooty to enjoy something like a barbecue at the park."
Rufus raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, they are, aren't they?"
Lily thought about it for a second, then she grinned big, and nodded. "All right, they are."
They both laughed.
"But we can invited the kids, like I said, and have a nice family day together," Rufus suggested.
"Or, we could take it to the Hamptons. Unless you prefer to do it at Central Park." Lily knew that Rufus still wasn't super into all the "hoity-toity rich people stuff" as Rufus so often called it.
Rufus shook his head. "No, than Hamptons is fine. I honestly don't care where we are as long as I'm with you."
Lily smiled. "That, my Darling, deserves a kiss!" She then pulled him close into a loving and passionate kiss.
Rufus kissed her for a moment in return, then broke the kiss, and licked his lips. "What would I have to say to bring this to the bedroom?" He nuzzled his nose against her neck, then began kissing and nipping up her neck.
Lily closed her eyes, and moved her neck to the side to give him better access. "Well, this is a very good start..."
However, before they could continue it in the bedroom, the phone rang.
"Ignore it!" Rufus ordered, picking her up, and starting to carry her to the stairs.
"But it could be work related!" Lily protested.
Rufus stopped climbing the stairs, and kissed her neck again. "Do you really care about work right now?"
Lily looked deeply into his desire-filled eyes, and knew she didn't give a crap about work. "No!"
Rufus grinned. "That's what I like to hear!"
They kissed some more, then the phone stopped ringing.
Rufus started carrying Lily up the stairs again, but then her cell phone started ringing.
"I have to get it! It's probably important," Lily said after breaking the kiss. She already sounded out of breath.
Rufus let out a cry of frustration, and reluctantly set her back down.
She shot him an apologetic look. "I won't take long." She then rushed down the stairs to grab her cell phone, which was in her purse on the kitchen island.
She quickly dug through her purse, then grabbed her phone when she found it, and answered the call. "Charles! How are you, my Darling? I hope nothing's wrong."
"Lily, I have a favor to ask you," came Chuck's monotone response on the other end of the line.
Lily smiled. She always loved talking to her son. "Sure, my Darling. What is it?"
"Do you have any plans for the 4th of July?"
"Actually, Rufus and I were thinking about getting the family together in the Hamptons for a barbecue on the beach. Or it could be just hamburgers. We're not picky. Whatever you, Blair, and Henry would like."
"Actually, Lily, Blair and I already have plans. We're going to a friend of ours' beach house in the Hamptons. I was calling to see if Henry could stay with you guys for that night. Eleanor and Cyrus are in Italy, skipping the whole 4th of July thing this year. It's all right though. I know you and Rufus want to enjoy your time in the Hamptons as well. We'll just take him."
"You know what? We were debating between Central Park and the Hamptons. We can just stay here. Henry loves the park, so we can all be happy."
"Are you sure?" Chuck asked. "I don't want to impose on your plans. Why should you have to give up the Hamptons just because Blair and I want to go without Henry?"
"You're my son. Your happiness is important to me. Besides, I love my grandson, and Central Park will work just as well for Rufus and I. We'd be happy to watch Henry."
"Are you sure? I'll pay you."
Lily gasped. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that! You know you never have to pay me to watch my own grandson!"
"But you're sacrificing the Hamptons for him," Chuck protested.
"I'm sacrificing nothing. What time will you be bringing him over?"
"Well, we want to leave early, so around ten? Is that good?" Chuck asked.
"That's perfect! I'll see you guys then."
"Thanks, Lily. You're the best!"
"Anything for you, Charles. I love you."
"I love you too, Mom."
Lily's eyes filled with happy tears She loved it when he chose to call her mom! "Bye, my Darling."
"Goodbye, Mom."
They then hung up, and Lily couldn't help but smile big upon him having called her Mom again.
Rufus came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "So, I take it the Hamptons are out for us?" He kissed the side of her neck.
Lily nodded. She then looked over her shoulder at him. "I'm sorry. I should have asked if you minded first."
Rufus shrugged. "I don't mind. Henry's a sweet little guy! Besides, like I told you earlier, it doesn't matter where we are as long as I'm with you."
Lily tuned around to face him, and draped her arms over his shoulders again. She lowered her eyes with love and desire for him. "Now, where were we before the phone rang?"
Rufus' newly lowered eyes reflected all the love and desire he had for her as well. "Mm, I believe we were right about here." He picked her up, and headed for the stairs then, kissing her the whole way to the bedroom.
Lily certainly wasn't complaining.
~Begin Again~
"Mm, that was amazing!" Rufus said, throwing himself down next to Lily after their lovemaking. He kissed her lips. "I saw fireworks, and I didn't even have to wait until tomorrow night to see them!"
Lily looked over at him, blinking blankly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it because I was really bored. There wasn't much to it."
Rufus looked at her blankly in return, actually being rendered speechless.
All of the sudden, Lily cackled. "I'm kidding!" She pulled him closer, her eyes lowering with love for him yet again. "You know I loved it! I always do." She kissed his chest. "You never disappoint me."
Rufus relaxed. "In the bedroom anyway." He grinned.
Lily grinned too, and gently stroked his cheek. "You're never a disappointment to me. Sure we argue like all couples do. We argue and we make up. The only time I'd ever be disappointed is if we broke up. That and if you cheated on me. Actually, I'd be far more than disappointed. Especially the latter. That would pretty much get you killed."
Rufus winced. "I think Bart Bass rubbed off on you a little too much!"
Lily smiled and shrugged.
Rufus propped himself up on his elbow, and faced Lily. "Well, lucky for me, I don't have to worry about beyond disappointing you, or getting killed. "I'm never going to break up with you, and I would certainly never cheat on you!"
"I should hope not! After all, you wouldn't even sleep with me when you were still dating Lisa!" Lily reminded him. "Though, as annoying as it was then, I'm glad you didn't. It proves to me that you're not a cheater. Just don't ever leave me for another woman, okay?"
Rufus raised an eyebrow. "What about another man?"
"Maybe he can join in with us. Just do me a favor and make sure he's cute, all right?" Lily deadpanned.
Rufus stuck his tongue out at her.
"Hey, don't stick your tongue out at me unless you want to lose it!" Lily said with a laugh. She gently pushed him.
Rufus grinned. "Well, I don't want to lose it, but what if I use it?" He raised an eyebrow. "Would you be opposed to that?"
Lily raised an eyebrow of her own. "Well, I guess that would all depend on where you use it."
"Well, where would you like me to use it? I'm open to suggestions," he purred, straddling Lily now, and gently running his hands down her body.
"I can think of a few places," Lily stated, watching his hands run down her body.
Rufus kissed the side of her neck again. "Enlighten me."
Lily then pulled him close, and brushed her lips against his left ear. She then whispered in his ear exactly the places she had in mind.
Rufus listened closely, then moaned when she was finished. "Oh, I think I can definitely handle that!"
She grinned. "We shall see." She winked at him.
"You drive me wild, Lil," Rufus murmured.
"And you love me for it," she said simply.
He licked his lips and nodded. Indeed he did. He then went to work at giving Lily everything she had requested.
~Begin Again~
"Mm, I must say, Rufus, you outdo yourself every time we make love!" Lily said with a smile as they headed down the stairs.
Rufus grinned proudly. "As do you, my Darling."
Lily grinned too. After Rufus had given her everything she had asked for, and given it to her damn good at that, she had returned the favor. Judging from the sounds of his moans, she knew he had enjoyed it. If anything, it had resulted in them making love again, so she knew she must have done something right!
She sighed contently. It felt so good to have him back in her life. They had only been back together for a little over two months, but it still felt like they had never been apart. The only difference was, she was more in love with him now than she was the last time they were together. Rufus told her every day that he loved her more and more with every passing day, so she knew the feeling was mutual. She was happier than she had been in a very long time.
"So, do you want to call Serena, or should I call Dan?" Rufus asked.
Lily smiled. "Do you mind calling? I want to check my work email."
Rufus nodded. He pulled her close, and kissed her cheek. "Don't work too hard. It's the holiday tomorrow!"
Lily smiled. "Don't worry. I won't." She kissed his lips, then headed for her computer. She just wanted to check her emails, then enjoy Rufus some more.
Five minutes later, Rufus came back over to her just as she finished checking the last of her messages.
"So, what did he say?" She asked, clicking out of her account, then standing up and walking to the front of the computer desk.
Rufus placed is hands around her waist. "They said lunch would work better for them. So, I was thinking maybe we could do a lunchtime picnic instead. Unfortunately, they have other plans for the evening. Apparently, everyone has the same idea about the Hamptons. They are headed out there tomorrow night with Nate and his new girlfriend to watch the fireworks on the beach."
Lily pouted. "That sounds like so much fun! I wish we could go."
"You can always call Chuck back," Rufus suggested.
Lily shook her head. "No, I already told him yes. I can't say no now."
"Well, we could bring him with us," Rufus suggested next.
Lily shook her head again. "That's all right. He'll get tired being out too late, then we'd have the long drive home. I suppose we could get a hotel, but it would be too much of a hassle with a little one. Lunch at Central Park will be fine. We can order a pizza in, and watch the fireworks out our window. Henry will like that."
"I'll tell you what. We can go to the Hamptons next week. We might not have fireworks then, but we'll still have a fun time. And, hey, we can always make our own fireworks if you know what I'm saying." Rufus wriggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively, and grinned at her.
"Those are the best kind anyway," Lily said, gently stroking his hair.
"I have to agree with you on that one," Rufus said, tightening his grip around her, and therefore pushing her closer to him.
They kissed.
"It's going to be fun taking care of Henry tomorrow," Lily then said. "I love having him around. It gives me the feeling of having a child again, only this one I can send back home to his parents when I'm done with him." She smiled and winked at Rufus.
Rufus laughed. "And that would be the best kind of child to have!" he joked.
Lily giggled. "I have to agree with you on that one." She kissed him.
"So, what do you say we go enjoy not having any children in the house at the moment?" Rufus asked, rubbing his body up against hers so there would be no mistake in what he had in mind.
Lily's eyes widened. They had already made love twice that day, and not that long ago at that! "Again?"
He shrugged. "What can I say? When I want you, I want you!" He grinned at her, then started nipping at her neck again.
"But we haven't even had dinner yet!" she protested. "I'm hungry."
"There's nothing wrong with eating dessert first," he teased.
She pouted. "I'm serious, Rufus! I need energy to make love, and I'll have none if I don't get some actual food in my stomach."
Rufus shrugged. "Don't worry. I can do all the work. All you have to do is lie back and enjoy it!"
Lily sighed. "You're crazy. You know that, right?"
"Crazy in love with you!" Rufus said, kissing further down her neck.
Lily sighed. "All right, fine! But after this we're getting dinner, and I'm not taking no for an answer!"
Rufus picked her up. "Sure."
"I mean it, Rufus. I'm starving!" she whined.
He carried her to the bedroom, lay her down on the bed, and started unbuttoning her blouse. "I promise. As soon as we're done, I'll take you out and get you anything you want to eat. But right now, please can we just enjoy this?" He kissed between her breasts as his hands reached back for her bra clasp.
Lily sighed. "Oh, all right!" She grinned. She was never one who could refuse Rufus for long.
~Begin Again~
"We're here!" Blair said as the elevator doors opened. She stepped into the apartment, holding Henry's hand.
Chuck walked in right behind them, holding Henry's backpack for him.
"Yay! Come here and give Grandmother a hug!" Lily said, bending down to Henry's height, and holding her arms out to him.
Henry smiled big, let go of Blair's hand, and ran over to Lily. He kissed her cheek, and hugged her tightly in return.
Lily kissed his cheek as well. "You look so handsome in that outfit! I knew you would." She had bought him a pair of Ralph Lauren khaki shorts with a navy blue belt, as well as a yellow, blue, and white striped Ralph Lauren polo. On his feet were red and navy Ralph Lauren sandals that she had also bought for him.
Henry smiled at her.
"What do you say?" Blair asked him.
"Thank you, Grandmother," Henry said.
Lily kissed both his cheeks this time. "You're very welcome, my handsome little man!" She grinned at him, causing him to grin back at her.
Rufus smiled as he watched the scene. Seeing Lily with her grandson absolutely melted his heart!
"Everything he needs is in his backpack, so make sure he has it with him when you guys go to the park. Call us on our cell phones if you need anything, and I guess that's about it!" Blair said. She then bent down, and held out her arms to Henry. "Come give your mother a hug and a kiss goodbye. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Henry ran over to his mother, kissed her cheek, and hugged her. "Goodbye, Mother. Have fun!"
Blair grinned. "Thank you, Baby. I will." She kissed his cheek, and hugged him tight, then let Chuck take his turn.
"You be a good boy for your grandmother and Rufus, all right?" Chuck asked after hugging his sun. He was now holding him at arm's length.
Henry nodded. "I will, Father, I promise."
Chuck smiled. "That's my boy!" He kissed his cheek, then hugged him again. Then, he stood up, and walked over to Lily. He hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks again, for agreeing to watch him. I really appreciate it."
"Anything for my son," Lily said to him, stroking his cheek, then kissing it.
They hugged again.
Chuck then shook Rufus' hand, and nodded at him. "And thank you as well of course."
"No problem. We love having Henry over!" Rufus said with a polite nod in return. Chuck still wasn't his favorite person in the world after having taken advantage of his daughter Jenny and slept with her, but Rufus knew that he couldn't blame it entirely on Chuck. Jenny was a big girl, and had made her own decision. Chuck was a good guy, he knew. Maybe not at first, but he was now. And he had saved Lily from being raped by Jack all those years ago. Rufus knew he would always be grateful to Chuck for that at least. Anyway, him getting along with Chuck meant a lot to Lily, so he was willing to make the effort for Lily's sake.
"We'll be back around noon tomorrow," Chuck said. "We'll give him lunch, so don't worry about having to give him lunch tomorrow."
"Oh, and Happy 4th of July!" Blair called out as she headed to the elevator.
"Happy 4th of July!" Chuck echoed, following behind her.
"Happy 4th of July!" Lily and Rufus both called back in unison.
Rufus, Lily, and Henry then all watched until the elevator doors closed, taking Blair and Chuck from their sight.
Lily sighed, a smile on her face once they were gone. She then turned to Rufus. "I have some last minute things to do around the apartment before we leave. Can you please be a darling and bring Henry with you while you shop for our picnic foods?"
Rufus hesitated for a moment. It had been a long time since Dan and Jenny were children, and he hadn't even raised Scott. He wasn't exactly used to taking care of a little kid. He had expected Lily to take care of Henry.
"You'll do fine!" Lily said, placing her hands over his shoulders. "You never forget how to take care of a child. It's like riding a bicycle! Besides, it's only while you go grocery shopping." She kissed his cheek. "Please?" She then batted her eyelashes at him, her eyes wide and pleading.
Rufus sighed. "You know me so well," he said to her.
Lily grinned, then kissed his lips. "I've had years of practice!" He smiled and winked at him, then kissed him one more time. She pat his shoulder. "Don't forget the grocery list." She then turned to Henry, and bent down a bit to be closer to his level. "Do you want to go help Rufus grocery shop? You can pick out the dessert!" She smiled and winked at him.
Henry grinned. "Okay!" He latched onto Rufus' hand.
Rufus smiled down at him. "Let's go!" He quickly kissed Lily on the lips. "We'll be back soon." He then grabbed the list, and got onto the elevator with Henry.
"Since you're married to Grandmother Lily, does that make you my Grandfather?" Henry asked, looking up at him with his big brown eyes.
Rufus looked down at him. "I'm not married to your grandmother. We're just dating." He knew it sounded dumb talking to a five-year-old about dating, but he knew Henry was smart enough to understand him.
"My real grandfather died. He fell off a roof," Henry stated.
Rufus nodded. "I know."
"He was a real asshole," Henry then added.
Rufus looked at him, and couldn't help but smirk. "Where did you hear that?"
"My parents. Actually, Mother calls him a Bass hole, but Father prefers to call him an asshole. It's the only time I'm aloud to cuss is when talking about Grandfather," Henry stated.
Rufus smiled at him, and gently mussed Henry's hair. "I like you. You're all right, Kid. You know that?"
Henry grinned at him. "I like you too, Grandfather."
"I'm not your grandfather," Rufus reminded him. Frankly, he wasn't quite ready to be called grandfather, or anything else that made him sound old.
Henry shrugged. "You're the closest thing to a grandfather I have on Father's side. Plus, you're not an asshole."
Rufus couldn't help but grin again. "Well, he supposed he couldn't argue with that part at least!
When they got to the grocery store, Rufus got a cart, then they headed down the aisles. He got the frozen boneless chicken first, then he got the hamburger meat. He also got a package of hot dogs. He knew it was a lot of food for four adults and a child, but he didn't know what everyone felt like eating, so he figured he'd come prepared, and just eat the rest at a later time. Next, he got the barbecue sauce and the hamburger seasoning. After that, he got the sodas. They already had the alcoholic drinks at home that he could bring.
"Don't forget French fries!" Henry said. "You can't have burgers without fries! And ketchup! I like ketchup on all my meats!"
Rufus nodded. "Right!" So, they got the fries and ketchup, as well as some corn on the cob. He got some spray butter and some more salt as well. "Let me get some salt potatoes, and then you can pick out the dessert," he said to Henry.
So, he headed to the salt potato section, and picked up a bag. "Do you like salt potatoes?" he asked Henry. When he didn't hear a response, he looked behind him, and realized that Henry wasn't there. He quickly dropped the salt potato bag into his cart, then looked frantically down the aisle. Henry was nowhere to be seen. "Henry?" he called out, quickly pushing his cart down the aisle. "Henry, where are you?"
He kept calling Henry's name, looking one-by-one down the aisles. He was just starting to really panic when he found Henry in the dessert aisle, standing on his tiptoes on top of the bottom shelf, trying to get to the brownies on the top shelf.
"Henry! Be careful!" Rufus quickly ran over to him, and set him back on the floor. He then grabbed the brownies for Henry. "I turned around and didn't see you! I was so worried! Why did you run off like that?"
Henry shrugged. "I figured I'd save time."
Rufus put the brownies in the cart, and sighed. "Well, you can't run off without telling me where you're going. You had me worried sick!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Henry said simply
"It's all right, just tell me the next time you're going to run off somewhere." Rufus placed his hand over his heart, which was still pounding. For a second there, he thought maybe Henry had been kidnapped! Especially with a rich father like Chuck Bass. "I'm going to have to get some cooking oil and eggs for the brownies, then we can go. Stay with me!" Then, having an idea, Rufus picked Henry up, and put him in the kid seat in front of the cart. "There! Now you can't escape me!"
Henry giggled. "You're funny, Grandfather Rufus.
Rufus grinned. "Why, thank you!" He always did enjoy when people thought he was funny.
He headed to get the last two items so that they could check out, and get out of there. He loved Henry, and Henry was a great kid. Even so, he would feel much better once Lily was back in charge of him.
~Begin Again~
"The brownies are done!" Lily called out as the timer went off. She had just finished packing everything into the picnic basket, and was ready to go once the brownies were packed. They had decided to just stick with the burgers, fries, and hot dogs. The chicken would be for the night's dinner since it would be easier to cook at home, and they'd have more time to cook it then.
The fries had gotten out of the oven fifteen minutes earlier, and were now in a big plastic baggie inside of a heat sealing case.
Rufus came rushing down the stairs, grabbed the oven mitts, then took the brownies out of the oven. He set them on the rack, then turned the oven off.
Lily got out the brownie container, and after giving the brownies two minutes to cool, she transferred the brownies into it, and tightly secured the lid.
The drinks were in a big cooler.
"All right, let's go!" Rufus said, picking up the cooler in one hand, and the picnic basket in the other.
Lily grabbed the brownie container and the fry container.
Henry followed them into the elevator after pressing the button for them.
Once they were out of the building, they took a cab to the park only because they couldn't carry the heavy things all the way to the park.
They paid and tipped the driver, then headed out to find a nice spot to have their picnic at. It wasn't hard to find one, for Dan and Serena had already found a spot.
Serena smiled big when she saw them, and waved them over.
"Hi, Henry! It's so good to see you again!" Serena said, hugging Henry.
"Hi, Serena!" Henry said with a smile as he hugged her back.
"What's going on, Kiddo?" Dan asked, high-fiving him.
"Not much, you?" Henry asked.
Dan laughed at Henry's maturity. "Not much! Just hungry!" He pat his stomach.
"Me too!" Henry said, patting his own stomach.
The women laid out the blanket, while Rufus took everyone's orders. He then got to work at grilling things up with Dan while Henry played Angry Birds on his ipad, and Lily and Serena set everything up to eat.
Fifteen minutes later, they were all sitting down, enjoying their lunch.
"So, will you be seeing Blair and Chuck at all tonight?" Rufus asked before taking a bite of his hamburger.
"No, actually, they're going to an entirely different party than we are," Dan replied.
Serena nodded. "Theirs is a big shindig. Ours is just with a few friends." She took a bite of her hot dog.
"This is a really good burger. You're such a good cook!" Lily said. She kissed Rufus' cheek. She loved this. She loved that she and Rufus were not only back together, but enjoying a nice holiday lunch together as a family with Dan, Serena, and Henry. It was no nice and relaxing. She couldn't remember when she had last had such a nice holiday before.
"Why, thank you, my Darling!" Rufus nuzzled his nose with hers, then kissed her on the lips.
Lilly kissed him in return, and they smiled at each other.
"I'm so glad you two got back together. You're clearly happiest with each other. Lisa was nice, but she wasn't for you, Rufus," Serena said to Rufus.
Dan nodded. "Yeah, I liked Lisa, but she wasn't Lily. Even she knew deep down she could never compete with your love for Lily."
Rufus nodded. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize that."
"We're together now, and that's all that matters," Lily said with a kind smile. She meant it too. Sure it had been hard when he was with Lisa. In fact, she had been quite miserable. But being with him now made it worth all the pain. This time, she knew they were back together for good, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
They finished with their main course, then they moved onto the brownies.
"Mm, I love brownies!" Serena said after taking her first bite.
"I picked them out!" Henry said.
"And I made them!" Rufus said.
Lily couldn't help but grin at her husband's childlike ways. It was one of the many things she loved about him.
After they ate, Serena stood up. "I have to go to the bathroom," she announced.
Lily stood up as well. "I do too. I'll go with you."
"Don't be long. I want to get on the road," Dan warned Serena.
Serena rolled her eyes. "I won't." She then turned to Lily. "Men! They are always rushing us women when it comes to using the bathroom."
Lily nodded. "I know, right? And they don't spend long enough in the bathroom. They probably don't even use soap when washing their hands."
"If they even attempt to wash their hands at all," Serena stated.
Lily laughed. "Right?"
They laughed together, and made small talk as they headed to the bathroom. Once they got there, they went in and did what they had to do, then they came back out five minutes later after having also checked and retouched their makeup a bit.
"I like taking forever just to tick Dan off!" Serena said with a grin.
Lily laughed. "It's fun ticking off the men, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah!" Serena said.
They laughed again.
"Oh, look! There's Vanya and Dorota with their children!" Serena said.
"Let's go say hello!" Lily said, eager to see the two of them. Vanya was still her doorman, and she adored him. Dorota was such a wonderful lady, and still worked for Blair and Chuck, so Lily saw her once in a while.
"Hey! Happy 4th of July!" Serena said, walking over to them.
Dorota and Vanya both waved. "Hey!" They said in unison. They stood up, and everyone exchanged hugs.
"They've grown so much!" Lily cooed as she eyed up the children.
Dorota grinned. "Yes! It seems like I was just holding them in my arms! Now they got so big!"
"Where are Rufus and Dan?" Vanya asked, a smile on his face.
"They're here. They just stayed back with Henry while we went to the bathroom," Serena explained.
Vanya raised an eyebrow. "You left them alone with a kid?"
Serena and Lily both glanced at each other.
"Yeah, it was only for a few minutes. They'll be fine," Lily stated.
Serena smiled. "Dan's great with kids! I'm not worried."
Lily nod-smiled her agreement. Rufus was also great with kids. He may be a little awkward with them, but he knew what he was doing. After all, he had raised two kids, and, like she had said to him earlier, taking care of kids was like riding a bicycle—you never forgot how. Even so, maybe it would be best to get back soon, she figured. She'd talk a moment more, then she'd head back over to Rufus just in case he needed her help.
~Begin Again~
Rufus smiled and waved at Henry as Henry rode on one of the carousel horses. Henry had begged him to ride it. Lily and Serena were taking an insane time in the bathroom, and Henry was getting antsy, so Rufus had decided just to take him.
Henry smiled at him and waved before the rotating carousel took him out of his sight again.
Rufus shifted his weight from one foot to another. It was incredibly hot outside, and the air conditioning in the building seemed to be out. The carousel ride seemed like the longest ride in history. Rufus needed a drink before he died of dehydration.
Finally, the ride stopped, and Henry got off of the carousel, ran over to Rufus, and tugged on his shirt. "Can I please ride one more time?"
Rufus hesitated for a moment. "I'm really thirsty. I want to go get a drink first," he said, stroking Henry's hair.
"But there might be a line by then! Please, Grandfather Rufus! Can't I go on one more time?" Henry asked.
"I'm not your grandfather," Rufus corrected him.
Henry looked up at him with big, pleading eyes.
He sighed. "All right, fine! But only one more time, then we have to go."
Henry grinned, and hugged Rufus' right leg. "Thank you, Grandfather Rufus!"
"I'm not—" Rufus tried, but Henry was already back over at the ticket counter.
With a sigh, Rufus bought Henry another ticket, then watched as Henry get back on the carousel.
The carousel started up again, and he once again waved to Henry, who, looking very happy, waved back to him.
Rufus sighed, and tugged at the collar of his bright blue polo. It was so hot out, and he really needed a drink. Seeing as the carousel rides were running extra long today, he figured he could head back and grab a can of Pepsi and still be back in time before the ride ended. So, he waited for one more turn, waved to Henry again, then took off once Henry was once more out of sight.
He then quickly left the building, and sprinted toward the blanket, which was about a minute walk from the carousel.
Dan looked at him in surprise. "Where's Henry?"
"He wanted to ride the carousel again, but I was thirsty, so I ran back here to get a drink quick," Rufus explained. He grabbed a can of Pepsi, popped the top, then took a big, long, swig. "Ah!"
Dan raised an eyebrow. "You left him alone?"
"It's only for two minutes. The rides are running extra long today. He'll be fine," Rufus said before taking another sip.
"Lily will be back any time now. Do you really want her coming back here to see that you left Henry alone?" Dan asked.
Rufus swallowed hard the soda that was in his mouth. "Good point." He quickly set the soda down, then ran off to the carousel. However, when he got there, they were loading on the new batch of kids.
"Henry?" He called out. "Henry?" He looked all around the carousel, and all around the building. He went to the ticket taker. "Did you see the little five-year-old boy with short dark hair that was with me?"
The ticket taker shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't. There's so many kids here, it's hard to keep track."
Rufus groaned. "Not again!" He ran to the ticket booth, and asked the guy selling the tickets if he'd seen Henry. Unfortunately, he got the same answer he got from the ticket taker.
He left the building, and frantically looked around. "Henry!" he called out. "Henry!" Unfortunately, Henry didn't respond, nor did Rufus see him anywhere. He groaned. Yes, again. He had lost Henry again, and this time, it was a lot more serious than losing him at a grocery store.
~BA~
I was panicked. I could not find Henry anywhere. Lily was going to kill me! I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tell Lily, and yet, I had to find Henry before I saw Lily again. Otherwise, me being there without Henry would be kind of a dead giveaway. So, I did the only thing I could think of to do—I called Dan on his cell phone.
Dan picked up on the second ring. "Where are you? Lily and Serena are back and we're all wondering what's taking you so long."
"I lost him," I said, already feeling panicky again upon saying it out loud.
"Huh?" Dan asked.
"I lost him! I went back to the carousel, and they were loading the new group of kids. Henry was nowhere to be found. I asked around, and I looked all around the carousel and inside and outside of the building. He's gone. Please don't say anything to the girls. Just come over to the carousel and help me find him, please!" I begged. I didn't want the girls knowing. I was already of edge. Them worrying and getting angry would only make it worse. I just couldn't deal with that right now.
Dan was quiet for a moment. For a moment, I was afraid he was telling Lily and Serena. But then he sighed. "Fine. I'll be right there." He hung up.
I sighed, and hung up my phone as well. I shoved it back into my pocket. I was so worried. I was worried for Henry's sake of course. But, I'm not going to lie. I was also worried for my own life. For, I knew that if Lily and Serena didn't kill me, Blair and Chuck would. And I knew from things I've witnessed in the past that Blair and Chuck were not people you wanted to mess with. Especially when it involved their child. Gulp!
~BA~
"How can you lose a child? I told you you shouldn't have left him alone!" Dan said as soon as he met up with Rufus.
Rufus sighed. He was so not in the mood for an I told you so.
He sighed. "Spare me the lecture, all right? I messed up. I get it. But I swear the ride wasn't as long this time as it was when I waited for the first ride to be done!"
"It always seems longer when you're waiting, and not busy doing something," Dan stated. He then sighed as well. "Come on. Let's go find him! I told Serena that Henry wanted me to ride the carousel with him, so we don't have much time before she starts to suspect something's up!"
Rufus nodded, and they quickly got to work at walking around the park, trying to find Henry. He wasn't at the playground, he wasn't in the bathroom, and he wasn't on the big rock. He wasn't along the walking path, and they didn't see him anywhere along the quad.
"Where could he have gone in such a little amount of time?" Rufus asked.
"You'd be surprised at how fast kids can travel when they want to," Dan replied. He then raised an eyebrow at Rufus. "You know, I seem to know a lot more about watching children than you do, and I don't even have kids! You have two! Well, that you raised anyway."
"Your mother helped me a lot," Rufus grumbled.
"Well, if you and Lily ever have a child, pay more attention this time!" Dan said, sounding annoyed.
"Ha!" Rufus said, amused. "That ship has sailed! I'm too old to raise another kid."
"Apparently so because you just lost Henry! We have to cal the police," Dan said, pulling out his phone.
Rufus quickly pulled the phone out of Dan's hand. "No! There's no use calling the police when we barely looked yet."
"What if he got kidnapped? He could be anywhere! We need help before it's too late, and he's long gone!" Dan said, reaching for his phone.
Rufus puled it away. "No. Let's just look a little while longer. Please?"
Dan sighed. "Fine. But if we don't find him in a half hour, we're calling the police. And, we have to tell the girls!"
Rufus shook his head. "Oh, no! We're not telling Serena! If we do, she'll call up Blair and Chuck and tell them."
"Well, they have to know! It's their son!" Dan exclaimed.
Rufus shook his head again. "There is no use worrying them until we know for sure if he is lost."
Dan crossed his arms over his chest, and raised an eyebrow. "Do you see him anywhere?" He motioned his hand around the park. "I think it's safe to say he's lost."
Rufus held his hands up. "Look, why don't you go tell Serena that I'm with Henry in the bathroom, and that you want to leave now? I'll tell Lily what happened, but please don't let Serena know. You two just go and have a good time. I promise to call the police if Lily and I don't find him within a half hour or so."
Dan raised an eyebrow. "Or so? The deal was a half hour!"
"Fine! We'll call in a half hour," Rufus promised. "Just please don't tell Serena. It will only cause a panic, which won't help anything."
Dan sighed. "Fine. But I hate lying to my wife! Don't ask me to do so again."
"I won't, I promise. This is the last time," Rufus assured him.
So, Dan grabbed his phone back from Rufus, then ran off to go tell Serena that he wanted to leave.
Rufus sighed. Lily was so not going to be happy when he told her, but he knew there was no hiding this from her.
So, he looked around ten minutes more to make sure that Dan and Serena were gone, then he headed back over to Lily.
Lily stood up. "There you are! Dan and Serena had to leave. Serena wanted to say goodbye to Henry, but you guys were taking so long in the bathroom. What, did you fall in?" She then looked around him. "Where's Henry? Don't tell me you forgot him in the bathroom!" She looked panicked.
Rufus shook his head. "No. It's a funny story actually. You see, he went on the carousel, and it took so long, and it was so hot. The air conditioner seems to be broken in there. He wanted to ride it again. I was thirsty, but he didn't want to wait to ride it again. So, I let him go for another ride. I figured that, since the last time it took so long, I'd have time to go back to the blanket and get a drink. I swear it only took me two minutes and thirty seconds to go and come back. However, by the time I came back, they were loading a new bunch of kids onto the carousel. Apparently, this ride wasn't as long as the last one. I couldn't find Henry, and nobody remembered seeing him."
Lily crossed her arms over her chest. "So, where is he now?"
Rufus blushed, and looked away. "I still haven't found him." He winced. Here it comes! he thought. He covered his ears. Still, he could hear Lily's frantic shrieking.
"Rufus!" she shrieked, "I'm going to kill you!"
Rufus swallowed hard, the wince still on his face. And there it was.
~Begin Again~
"I don't understand you! How do you lose a child? You never should have left him alone! Are you crazy?" Lily yelled.
"I'm sorry! It was only for a couple of minutes and some seconds!" Rufus defended himself.
"That's all it takes!" Lily snapped. She sighed. "So, when Dan went over to ride the carousel with Henry, he was really going to help you try to find Henry? And when you were supposedly in the bathroom, you were looking for him and hiding out from Serena and me?"
Rufus winced again, and nodded. "Pretty much."
Lily rolled her eyes. She then grabbed his hand, and pulled him forward. "You better pray to God we find him. If not, Chuck and Blair are going to want to kill someone, and I will make sure to let them know that you are the one responsible for losing their son!" She let go of Rufus' hand then ran off to the bathrooms, not caring if Rufus had trouble catching up with her.
"I'll look in the women's bathroom. You look in the men's again!" she snapped. She narrowed her eyes at him to show him she meant business.
Rufus nodded his agreement, then they both went into their respective bathrooms and searched thoroughly.
When they came out, Rufus looked pale. "I accidentally walked in on a guy on the toilet!" he said, wrinkling his nose. "I was so embarrassed! Not to mention grossed out." He made a face of disgust.
"Yeah, well, if we don't find Henry, that will be the very least of your problems!" Lily snapped. He was acting like losing Henry wasn't a big deal, and it was starting to annoy her. Didn't he realize how serious this was? she wondered. "Let's split up. We can cover more ground in a shorter amount of time that way," Lily ordered. "I'll take the playgrounds in the area, and you take anywhere else you can think of. We'll meet back in front of the carousel in a half hour."
Rufus nodded. "All right!"
Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't let yourself get distracted by anything or anyone. You look for Henry and call me if you find him. I'll call you if I find him."
Rufus nodded. "Deal!"
Lily then took off, determined to find her grandson. She was so sick with worry, she felt like throwing up.
~BA~
I ran as fast as I could, ignoring strange looks from the park goers around me. I had to find Henry. All these panic-filled thoughts kept filling my head. What if he's been kidnapped? What if he's hurt? What if he's lost and scared? I shook the thoughts from my head. I couldn't afford to be distracted by such worries. All that mattered now was finding my grandson.
I went from playground to playground, asking people if they saw Henry. I showed them a picture of Henry that I kept in my wallet. No one had seen him. It was starting to get frustrating! I looked at all the playgrounds within the area to no avail.
I sighed, and looked at my watch. The half hour was up. I headed back to the carousel, feeling defeated. Rufus and I needed to call the police, then we needed to call Chuck and Blair.
When I got to the carousel, Rufus was there without Henry, and I felt my heart drop. Even though he hadn't called to tell me he had found him, I still had a hope that maybe he had found him and forgotten to call me, or that he had found him and wanted to surprise me. But Henry was nowhere to be found.
I walked up to Rufus and sighed.
He looked as sad as I felt. "I take it you didn't find him either?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Do you see him?"
He looked down at the ground.
I sighed again. "I'm sorry. I'm just extremely stressed about this. We've looked long enough. We have to call the police."
I was worried he would fight me on it, but surprisingly, he nodded, and dug out his iphone. He then dialed up the police. "Yes, I'd like to report a lost child."
I sighed yet again. I sure hoped the police could help us find him, for if they didn't, I would never forgive myself for letting Henry get lost when I was supposed to be taking care of him, and I knew Rufus would never forgive himself either.
~BA~
"And that's it! We looked all over for him, but we couldn't find him," Rufus finished explaining to the police.
"Where all did you look?" Detective Roberts asked, writing down notes on his notepad. He was a tall, tough-looking black man, who looked like he'd be kind yet tough all at the same time.
Rufus told him all the places he and Dan looked, and all the places he had looked by himself.
"And I looked at all the playgrounds I could get to within the area. I wouldn't think Henry would have wandered to the other ones, but you never know," Lily stated.
Detective Roberts glanced up at her. "Can you please tell me which ones you already checked?"
Lily nodded. "Of course!" She then told him the names of all the playgrounds she went to, going slow so that he could write them all down.
The sound of a police officer's radio went off, and Lily looked toward the direction of it. It was Detective Robert's Partner, Detective Jamison's radio.
Detective Jamison was a Caucasian man, who looked to be in his mid-forties, as did Detective Roberts. He had sandy colored hair and green eyes. "I put an APB out on him using that picture you gave me. I have cop cars within a hundred mile radius driving around, looking for your grandson."
Lily nodded. "Thank you."
"I'll have my men continue looking around the park as well," Detective Roberts chimed in. "What is your address and numbers?"
Rufus gave him their address and numbers, and he wrote it down.
"All right!" Detective Roberts looked up at them. "I need you two to go back home and wait to hear back from us," he ordered.
"But we need to help! We cant just go home and do nothing!" Lily protested. "Not when my grandson is still lost!"
"The best thing you can do for your grandson it to be home in case we need to get ahold of you," Detective Jamison assured her.
Detective Roberts nodded. "And, if you want to do more, you can help by calling around the hospitals just in case. More than likely he isn't there, but just in case he is, it will be good to ask."
Lily suddenly felt faint. She hadn't even thought about the hospital! She felt Rufus wrap his arms around her tightly.
"We'll do that, Detectives. Thank you," he said.
Detective Roberts and Detective Jamison both nodded.
"We'll keep you posted!" Detective Roberts promised.
"Thank you," Lily said, feeling a little out of it.
She and Rufus head back to the blanket and gathered up all their things, then they headed out to hail a cab. When they got one, the driver loaded up the trunk.
Once they were all in the cab and ready to go, they gave the driver their address, and he took off.
"Do you think they'll find him?" Lily asked as they headed home, her head rested on Rufus' shoulder.
Rufus, who already had his arm around her, gently rubbed her arm. "We have to have faith that they will," he said.
Lily looked up at him. "But what if they don't? What if he's lost forever?"
"We can't think like that, Lil. Just stay positive, all right?" Rufus asked gently.
Lily sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder again. "I'll try to, but it's hard."
Rufus kissed the top of her head, then they rode the rest of the way in silence.
When they arrived back at the apartment, they paid and tipped the driver, then took their things from him, and carried them up to their apartment.
"You know, maybe I can call my friend Jimmy. He's a cab driver. He can look around while he works!" Lily suggested.
"The one who helped you spy on me and Lisa?" Rufus asked as the elevator took them up to the apartment.
Lily nodded. "That'd be him."
"It's worth a shot," Rufus agreed.
The elevator doors opened, and they walked into the apartment. They set their things down, and the doors closed behind them.
They then headed over to the living room to call the hospitals and Jimmy. Boy were they surprised to see Henry sitting on the couch, playing Angry Birds on his ipad.
Henry grinned up at them when he noticed them standing there. "Hello!"
Rufus and Lily looked at him, and then at each other, then back to him.
Lily couldn't think to do anything but run over to him, grab him, pick him up in her arms, and rock him while she sobbed tears of happiness. She couldn't seem to get herself to stop sobbing, she was so relieved. However, she didn't care if she couldn't stop crying, for right now, all that mattered was that her grandson was safe, and back in her arms. Oh, thank God!
~Begin Again~
"Henry! Where were you? How did you get here? I left you for just a couple of minutes on the carousel so that I could get a drink. I came back and you were gone! I was worried sick!" Rufus exclaimed.
Lily, who had finally managed to stop crying, nodded. "So was I!"
"I got off the carousel, and I couldn't find you. I couldn't find the blanket, so I took a cab back here," Henry stated.
"How? You didn't have any money," Lily said, holding him out at arms length now so that she could look at him.
Henry nodded. "Yes, I did. Mother and Father always give me emergency money in my backpack along with my address. Well, this time they put your address in there. They told me that, if I ever get lost, I should hail a taxi, then give the driver the address that is in my backpack, and then the money to pay him. When I couldn't find you guys, I did what they told me to do."
"Henry, I told you not to run off on me!" Rufus gently scolded.
"I didn't! You ran off on me! Then I couldn't find you, so I just did what Mother and Father told me to do," Henry defended himself.
Lily smirked, and turned to Rufus. "He does hold a valid point."
Rufus sighed. "I'm sorry, Henry. I shouldn't have left you."
Henry shrugged. "It's okay. I still love you, Grandfather Rufus."
Lily smirked at Rufus, and raised an eyebrow. "' Grandfather Rufus?'"
Rufus shrugged. "I told him I'm not his grandfather, but he still insists on calling me that."
Lily smiled. "Well, I think it's adorable!" She then turned back to Henry. "You did the right thing by listening to your parents," she told him.
"I just wish Chuck and Blair would have told us about their little plan," Rufus grumbled. "It could have saved us a whole lot of time and panic."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Well, at least it taught you a lesson not to leave a kid unattended. Had you not left him unattended, this never would have happened, now, would it have?"
Rufus rolled his eyes in return. "No, it wouldn't have," he grumbled. "Don't worry, I learned my lesson." He hated when Lily was right!
"Henry, do us a favor, and don't tell your parents about losing us and having to take the cab home. All right?" Lily asked, setting Henry back down on the couch, and bending down to his level.
Henry nodded. "Okay. I won't tell, Grandmother Lily."
Lily smiled. "Thank you! Now, how much money was in your bag? I'll replace it."
"A fifty!" Henry told her.
Lily instantly headed to get her purse.
Rufus was surprised that Lily was willing to cover this all up. Then again, saving her own hide was classic Lily. Though in this case, she was saving his hide too, which meant he was all for the cover up!
Lily dug a fifty out of her wallet, and put it back into Henry's bag. She then smiled. "So, do you want to watch a movie in bed, Henry? We have the new Cars movie!"
Henry looked up at her with wide eyes and a big smile. "Yay!"
Lily laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." She winked at him. She then headed over to Rufus, and whispered in his ear, "He'll fall asleep halfway into it. Lesson two in taking care of a child: The best way to get a kid into taking a nap is to trick him into one. Lesson one being you don't leave a child alone for even just two minutes!"
Rufus nodded, wondering if she'd ever let him hear the end of that one. Knowing her, she wouldn't. But, it was all right. Henry was back. No harm done. "I'll go call Detective Roberts and tell him we found Henry. Then I'll text Dan and tell him."
Lily pat his back. "You do that!"
"And Lil?" Rufus asked before she could go help Henry get ready for the movie. "I know you also did it for yourself, but I know it was mainly for me. Thank you for making Henry keep this from his parents."
Lily smiled at him, then kissed his cheek. Then, she picked Henry up, and carried him upstairs to the bedroom to watch the movie.
Smiling, Rufus watched them until they disappeared up the stairs. He was the luckiest guy on earth to have a girlfriend like Lily, he knew.
He then went to call off the search party, so happy to have things back to normal.
~Begin Again~
The elevator doors opened the next day right before noon. In walked Chuck and Blair, their arms around each other.
"Mother! Father!" Henry said, running over to them.
"Henry!" Blair cooed. She took Henry in her arms, and kissed him all over his face. "Did you have a good time with Grandmother and Rufus?"
Henry nodded. "We went to the park! Serena and Dan were there too!"
"Did you have fun?" Chuck asked him.
Lily looked at Rufus, who was looking at him. She was worried that Henry was going to tell Blair what had happened, even though he had promised not to. Judging from the look on Rufus' face, so was Rufus.
"Yes! And we watched the fireworks through the window at night! Grandfather and Grandmother were kissing!" Henry said, his face full of excitement.
Lily and Rufus both blushed.
"Oh they were, were they?" Blair smiled, then stood up. "I'm glad you all had fun. Thank you so much for watching him. I really appreciate it."
"He was no trouble at all. In fact, it was as if he wasn't even there," Rufus stated.
Lily casually elbowed him.
Rufus smirked.
"Thanks again. If ever you need a favor, just ask," Chuck said.
"Not a problem," Rufus said, shaking his hand.
They all talked for a little bit more, then Chuck and Blair finally left with Henry. Though, the elevator doors opened again almost as soon as they closed.
Blair popped her head out. "Oh, I forgot to ask, can you watch him the weekend after next overnight for two nights? Our friends invited us to spend the weekend at their cabin upstate."
Lily nodded and smiled. "Of course we can! We'd love to."
Blair grinned. "Thank you! I'll call you later with the details." She popped her head back in the elevator, and the doors shut again, this time staying shut.
Once they were gone, Rufus groaned. "Again? I'm barely recovered from having just watched him! I don't want to have to watch him the weened after next too!"
Lily smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'll be watching him this time. I won't let him out of my sight! Anyway, I'll make it worth your while." She clung tightly to him, and brushed her lips against his left ear. "After all, we didn't get to enjoy the fireworks last night as much as we could have since Henry was here. Now that he's gone, why don't we go upstairs and make some fireworks of our own?"
Rufus grinned at her. "Well, when you put it that way!" He placed his hands around her waist, and pulled her closer.
They smiled at each other, then kissed.
She smiled even bigger when he picked her up, and carried her up the stairs to the bedroom. The 4th of July had been a little rocky, sure. But that was okay, because she knew the 5th of July was about to rock!