The following are different scenarios that came to me after watching the 20 second promo for episode 13 that followed School Lies. Part of it also came from the one lined sentence promo on the DVR for episode 13.
These were written before episode "The Thin Line..." aired but not published until during the airing of the episode—as a way to avoid being hypocritical. I hate spoilers for future episodes, but only when it's not something the show wants me to see yet. (If that makes any sense?) I also published these while I was watching the episode, just to give an added sense of thrill, if you will. (My boss is letting me come in at 10:30pm tonight, I get to actually watch the show before work! YAY!)
And yes, depending on how The Thin Line… goes, I AM thinking about continuing Scenario A—if anyone thinks I should.
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They were at a small family dinner. Eric had felt unwell and was unable to attend which left Serena by herself to fend off Chuck while Lily and Bart talked in intimate tones. Dinner was over fairly quickly but Lily and Bart stayed seated, enjoying their conversation. Serena excused herself to use the ladies room.
As she left the room after relieving herself, Chuck walked up in front of her effectively stopping her forward progress.
Serena looked at him with a different brand of anger. She was usually just disgusted and frustrated but this time she looked as if she could kill him.
"Just heard the news," Chuck smirked at her as he told her about the message he and everyone else in the Upper East Side had received hours ago. "Funny really. First I'm a brother then I'm an uncle."
Serena's eyes glared and her fists clenched.
"Should I defend your honor? Any excuse to beat the crap out of Humphrey would do really," Chuck said rolling his eyes.
Serena tried to force her way around Chuck now, pushing at him fiercely.
"Wow, this rise I'm getting out of you is worse than usual," Chuck laughed. "I must admit, I'm surprised. With your vast experience I'd think you'd know how to prevent these types of things."
She pulled away and turned her head sharply. "Let me pass."
Chuck thought about what he'd just said and had an odd thought.
"Unless…," his voice revealed a hint of his intrigue as thoughts connected in his head. "Unless you didn't get it for yourself."
He reached out and grabbed Serena's arm, spinning her back to face him. She jerked her arm away, teeth gritted.
"Or should I reiterate. First I'm a brother then a father," Chuck said dangerously, unable to believe the thoughts racing through his head now.
Serena drew back the arm he'd just grabbed and slapped him across the face, hard.
His head flung to the side and his stomach went crazy as he realized that Blair really might be… "Is Blair pregnant?" he asked in a dangerous whisper.
"No," Serena snapped at him, trying to push her way around him again.
He grabbed both of her arms and pulled her up against him. She froze at the different level of dangerous he exuded.
"Why do I get the feeling you're lying?" Chuck said before pushing her away. He turned on his heel and started stalking toward the exit of the suite. He had to find Blair, now.
"Chuck!" Serena called out. "Stop!" There was desperation in her voice.
He froze as he had another thought. He turned and walked quickly back to her. "Whose is it?"
Serena shook her head not knowing what to say.
"Whose is it?" he growled, leaning into her face. "Or, does she even know?"
"It doesn't matter," Serena whispered.
"What do you mean it doesn't matter? Of course it matters," Chuck snapped at her.
Serena gave a small shake of her head and for some ungodly reason tears started to well in her eyes.
"She's…she's not…" Chuck started, the contents of his stomach pressed down all at once.
He swiftly turned and headed for the door again, reaching in his pocket for his phone this time to call her.
"It's too late," Serena called out as loudly as she dared with their parents in the other room. He froze in his tracks, his shoulders stiff. "She's not home. Her and her mother left the state hours ago."
He felt like he was going to throw up. He took a couple deep breaths to assuage the nausea he felt.
When he regained control he turned back to Serena.
"She knew, didn't she? She knew it was mine. She'd never want to get rid of something if it was her precious Nate's," he spat out the words.
"I don't know when she'll be back," Serena said, not answering his question. "Chuck…this would ruin her life…Yale…everything she's worked so hard for." Serena tried to explain.
"Where is she?" Chuck asked quietly.
"I don't know…I didn't want to know," Serena hadn't agreed with Blair's choice… especially her choice not to tell the father.
She finally looked at Chuck, not wanting to really, but she needed to know how Chuck really felt about Blair's decision.
Shock flooded her as Chuck's eyes glazed over in the stare he held on her. It was almost like he wasn't seeing what was in front of him, instead trapped in his thoughts. And she thought she saw his eyes glisten before he closed them and turned away.
"I'll be in my room," Chuck said as his excuse for leaving the family dinner. It was what she was supposed to tell their parents if they asked.
Watching him leave, Serena reached in her handbag for her phone and pressed Send twice—the last person she called was the same she'd been talking to all day long.
The person on the other end finally answered.
"B…he knows," Serena said quietly.
"You told him?" Blair's voice was small, disbelieving.
"He figured it out," Serena replied.
"Of course he would," Blair said with some exasperation, the tears still evident in her voice from earlier. "What did you tell him?"
"The truth," Serena said. She was through lying about this situation to the people most involved. "He had to know it's his."
"There are some things Chuck Bass should never know," Blair snapped out before what sounded like a whimper escaped her mouth.
In the silence that followed Serena couldn't help the question that came next.
"Is it done?" Serena asked.
"Not yet," Blair said.
"It's not too late," Serena had to make one last attempt at stopping Blair. She understood Blair's reasons and she hurt to see her friend in so much pain…but she still couldn't agree with this.
"Yes it is," Blair said.
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Nate closed his phone after reading the message from Gossip Girl. Nate and Chuck were walking along the street after school, approaching Chuck's limo.
"Huh, Serena buying a pregnancy test," Nate felt bad for Serena if it was positive, especially with all of the UES knowing about it now.
Chuck looked up at Nate with a peculiar feeling growing in his stomach.
"You're kidding," Chuck said. "Why would Serena buy it where people would see?"
"Weird," came Nate's reply.
"…maybe it's not for her," Chuck trailed off, pausing in his steps, thinking to himself.
"What, you don't think…" Nate's voice trailed off as he understood what Chuck was saying. Then he laughed it off, Chuck was obviously being ridiculous.
"Nah, we only slept together twice and the second time would have been too soon to tell. Besides, I made sure that wouldn't happen," Nate shook his head at Chuck.
Chuck froze. "Twice?" He breathed deeply and turned away as jealousy shot through him. She didn't listen. He told her he'd tell Nate the truth if she didn't stay away from him.
"Yeah, we got back together two nights ago. I've been a little spacey lately, I must not have mentioned it and since Blair wasn't in school today…" Nate said, a smile coming across his face. It was Monday. They'd gotten back together on Saturday.
Chuck never made idle threats.
"Are you sure it'd be yours?" Chuck asked quietly.
Nate snorted, thinking that Chuck's question was hilarious.
"Of course it would be mine. Who else would it be?" Nate gave him a weird smile, shaking his head at the stupidity of the question. It didn't really matter of course, Serena hadn't gotten the test for Blair. That was preposterous.
"Nathaniel…I have something to tell you," Chuck said almost regretfully.
Nate looked at Chuck, still not thinking anything out of the ordinary.
Chuck looks down before rolling his head to the side, finally making eye contact with Nate again.
"Look… when you guys broke up….she needed someone and I was there," Chuck whispered.
Nate's mouth dropped open, disbelief crossing his face.
"What are you saying?" Nate asked, anger surging inside of him.
"Nate, I—," Chuck tried to say but was interrupted by Nate pushing him against the back of the limo they had finally reached.
"Did you sleep with her?" Nate growled out.
"Yes," Chuck answered truthfully, wondering what Nate was about to do.
Pain washed over Nate in the face of his best friend's betrayal. That's what it was, all it could ever be—betrayal. It didn't matter that him and Blair had been broken up. Chuck had to know this wasn't right.
"You sick son of a bitch," Nate spat out before pulling away from Chuck with a jerk.
"Nate," Chuck tried.
"We're done," Nate said with menace.
"Nate," Chuck tried again.
"Stay away from Blair. Stay away from me," Nate said with disgust. He almost turned to walk away before he remembered their original conversation.
"And if she's pregnant…" the look on Nate's face was dangerous, his hand clenched into a fist. He didn't continue. They both knew that her life would be over. They both knew that Nate would come after Chuck again. They both knew that life would never be the same.
Nate turned and walked away.
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"I can't be with you anymore," Blair said regretfully, tears welling in her eyes.
"What?" Nate gasped in disbelief. "I thought we worked this out. I love you, you love me."
"Nate," Blair had to make him understand. "I was with someone else when we broke up."
"I know—Carter," Nate said, grimacing at the thought of the jerk.
She shook her head. "I wasn't with Carter…and the night of the ball, that wasn't my first time."
Shock came over his face. "Who?"
"I can't tell you," she said hastily.
"But—," Nate began, he had to know.
"I can't," she shut him down quickly.
"Why now? Why wait until now to tell me?" Nate asked quietly, he didn't understand any of this…or how this could even happen.
"I…I think I'm pregnant and if I am…I think it's his," she whispered as the tears started falling down her face.
Nate could feel his heart aching in his chest, unable to believe what she was saying.
"Who, Blair?" he asked again. He needed to know who's face he was going to rearrange for doing this to her.
"I can't tell you," she said again.
"How do you know it's not mine?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. He had protected her, unlike this nameless faceless guy she seemed to be trying to protect now.
"I…I don't know for sure," she whispered through her tears. "But this isn't fair to you…I have to go to the doctor to know for certain…"
"What are you going to do?" she may have kept the truth from him, but he still loved her. He knew what something like this would mean to her future.
She closed her eyes, gasping through her tears, before finally speaking, "What I have to…" She trailed off.
"Blair…" he couldn't stop himself from pulling her into his arms. This was as much his fault as hers. He didn't know what he wanted until it was too late…he just hadn't realized how late.
She allowed herself to cry into his chest for a moment before pulling away abruptly. She pushed at the hands he put out to reach for her again. "Don't…just go." She commanded softly before turning and running away.
"Nathaniel, something on your mind? You look a little lost. What's up with you, man?" Chuck asked, wondering why Nate looked so down.
They were walking along the streets of New York, just bull crapping around.
"Blair and I broke up—for good," Nate said. He had to do what she wanted. She'd been through enough. If she wanted to end things, he had to do what she wanted. He couldn't hurt her anymore than she already was hurt.
"Why?" Chuck asked, pausing in his steps. He felt a small hope that maybe she finally realized she wasn't in love with Nate. Maybe she wanted Chuck back. Girls were fickle like that.
"She told me she was with someone else when we broke up," Nate breathed a shaky sigh. Chuck looked away quickly, wondering what else she told him. "She wouldn't tell me who."
Chuck almost breathed a sigh of relief before looking back at Nate. "Man, I'm sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say.
"So am I," Nate shook his head.
They walked along silently now, heading back to the limo.
Nate took his phone out and loaded the internet. He wasn't going to tell anyone—even Chuck—about the possibility of her being pregnant. But he had to make sure nothing had made its way to Gossip Girl's webpage.
He sucked in a breath when he read the blog on her homepage.
C seems a little lost lately. Could it have anything to do with the reconciliation of N and B? B & C sure did seem chummy there for a while. Poor C, did he get his heart trampled on? Does he even have a heart? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. You know you love me, XOXO Gossip Girl
He froze in his footsteps, looking at his best friend.
Chuck looked back when he realized Nate was no longer with him.
"What's up man?" Chuck asked. Nate was giving him a horrible look, filled with accusation.
"Nate?" Chuck didn't understand why Nate looked like that. He noticed the phone in Nate's hand, but still didn't understand.
Nate dropped the phone and walked straight for Chuck, throwing him up against the back of the limo and crouching over into his face.
"Did you sleep with her?" He asked through clenched teeth.
"Nate, what are you—," Chuck began, feeling some panic and wondering what the hell had brought this on.
"Did you sleep with her?" Nate asked again, pushing him harder into the metal, his head smashed up against the back window.
Silence came between the two friends as Nate glared into Chuck's face. Chuck didn't want to tell him the truth, but he knew it was time. "Yes."
Nate stood up, jerking away from him, looking anywhere but at Chuck. "Why?"
"She needed somebody and I was there," Chuck said trying to explain away his actions.
"And you couldn't have given her a hug and sent her home?" Nate growled at him.
"Nate…I care about her," Chuck said.
"Ah, a fourth item to your list huh? Considering the way you cared about the third item, I have to wonder if you have any feelings at all," Nate said, referring to himself.
"I'm sorry," Chuck apologized for one of the first times in his life.
"You really are a piece of work aren't you? You sick son of a bitch," Nate looked at him with disgust.
"Nate," Chuck needed to make Nate see reason here. He'd been rejected by Blair already; he couldn't lose Nate—his best friend—he just couldn't. He'd really be all alone.
"Stay away from me. Stay away from her," Nate threatened. "You are dead to both of us, do you understand?"
With that, Nate turned and walked away quickly. He needed to find Blair. He couldn't let her continue to beat herself up over this. She needed him by her side right now. He really did love her and he had made a promise to her. Nothing could tear them apart ever again. Not even if his best friend had knocked her up. He had to make her see that. He loved her.