Author's Note: I don't usually write CB fic, but this is a birthday present for a very special lady—Dr. Holland.
Summary: What if Blair couldn't go through with marrying Louis and ran off with Chuck. Parts of this story align with the 100th episode, but others don't.
Chuck ran his hands along the smooth edge of the newspaper that held Blair's wedding announcement and took another sip of his coffee. He was hoping that Blair would have come to her senses by now. There were few things that Chuck was sure of in life. His love for Blair was a given and he believed in time she'd see that as well. But, the situation with Louis was getting out of hand. Something was up with her and he was determined to get to the root of it.
Blair threw herself on to her bed with Serena on her heels. She was so confused. A part of her was elated, but another part of her felt like she was making the biggest mistake of her life. "Mrs. Grimaldi. Is this really happening?"
"If not all those commemorative plates are for nothing. It's going to be great. It's going to be the best day of your life, "Serena said enthusiastically.
Blair held tightly to her friends hand and looked at her sadly. She'd dreamed of this day for years, but she had never imagined she'd be doing it to keep the man she really loved safe. Blair knew in her heart of hearts that she had to marry Louis. "Are you sure?"
Meanwhile Chuck was watching as the unscrupulous French priest was hunched over in pain. He may not be marrying Blair, but he was damned if he was going to let some ridiculous Frenchman ruin anything for her. If she walked away from Louis it was going to be for love not because of some underhanded scheme set up by a half-wit clergyman.
"What did you do?"
"Just a touch of food poisoning. I can't allow you to destroy her wedding. You think because I love her, I want her all to myself, but what I do want is her happiness," Chuck says as he leaves Jean-Pierre doubled over in pain. He gets into his limo and instructs Arthur to take him back to the Empire. When he enters his suite, Eleanor is waiting for him. She's helped herself to his whiskey. Eleanor looks up from her drink and smiles.
"I'm glad you're back so soon. I need to speak to you Charles," she says.
He walks over to the bar, undoes the button of his blazer, and pours himself a drink. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be helping Blair get ready for her big day."
"You have to stop this. I've stood by long enough. I thought one of you would have put a stop to this madness by now," Eleanor says as she looks at Chuck. As far as she was concerned, they were both being obtuse and this ridiculous game of cat and mouse they insisted on playing was bound to end in disaster.
"She's made her decision. She'll never forgive me if I mess this up for her."
"You and I both know what she has with Louis is a fantasy. It's not real and she can only continue to pretend for so long," she said as she put an invite in his hand. "Fight for her."
Chuck poured himself another drink and sat on his couch contemplating his next move. He'd done everything he could to figure out what was going on with her. The idea that she was marrying another man was eating him up, but there wasn't much else he could do. They were so close to having everything before the accident. He'd even tried to get an explanation from her, but she'd give him nothing. However, those things didn't seem to matter anymore. Chuck Bass was not a quitter.
I'm done. She's mine and it's time that French fool realized it.
Chuck ran up the stairs of the old cathedral and rushed into the holding room where Blair was supposed to be getting ready. He stood in the doorway and overheard a heated conversation between Serena and Blair.
"You have to tell him Blair. You can't build a life on a life because you are afraid of living it."
"You know I can't tell him. I'm doing this to protect him."
Chuck pushed through the door and said, "Protect me from what Blair." She was a vision in white. Her long hair cascaded down her back in waves. He wanted nothing more than to hold her.
"Chuck what are you doing here?"
"I'm an invited guest," he says as he waves the invite Eleanor had given him. Blair went white. This was an absolute disaster. It was hard enough giving herself to Louis, but she couldn't do it with Chuck being witness to her misguided nuptials.
"You look awfully pale Blair?"Chuck said as he sat in a nearby chair and crossed his legs.
"Chuck you need to leave. I'm marrying Louis. It's over."
He stood up and held her hands in his own. "It's never over between us. Stop this. I know you love me and I love you. Don't marry him."
Blair looks down at their joined hand and turns from him. His touch makes her yearn for the life she always dreamed of having with him, but she knows what she has to do."
"She thinks that she has to marry Louis because she made a stupid pact with God after your accident," Serena said. "I've tried talking sense into her, but she won't listen."
Chuck places his hands on her bare shoulders and turns her to face him. "Don't do this, Blair. This silly superstition it's not like you. Are you willing to throw your whole life away simply because you're afraid? I know I've hurt you, but what we could have, it's so much better than going through the motions."
"I did it for you," she says as she wipes tears from her eyes.
"Blair medical science saved me, not your pact with God. This is not a Graham Greene novel," Chuck says. He cups her face in his hands and kisses her gently. She loses herself in the sensation of his touch. Blair wraps her arms around his neck and for a moment she feels the happiness that had escaped her for nearly two years. They are so caught up in each other that they don't hear the door open. Louis is standing there watching them. "I can't believe you would do this to me Blair," he drawls in his lazy French accent.
Chuck and Blair break apart at the sound of his voice. Chuck watches Blair as she stares at Louis in shock. Her brown eyes look from Chuck to Louis back to Chuck again. The entire time she is still holding on to Chuck's hand. "I'm so sorry Louis."
"I should have known that this would happen especially after the accident," he says.
She closes her eyes and hopes for this nightmare to come to an end. "I shouldn't have done this to you," she says as her hand slips from Chuck's grasp. She grabs the skirt of her dress and runs from the church. Chuck follows her out. She's running aimlessly down the city streets. He eventually catches up to her. "Blair, wait."
"I'm a horrible person," she says to him.
"You're not. Come with me," he say and they make their way back towards his limo and get in.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere. I just can't be in the city right now."
Chuck instructs Arthur to take them to his home in Connecticut. He makes a few calls to Eleanor to have her stuff delivered to where they're headed. Blair looks at him and while a part of her is eaten by the guilt of what she's done, the rest of her is finally at peace. She moves closer to him and lays her head on his shoulders. She wants to whisper words of gratitude, but his smile lets her know that it's not necessary. She was so caught up in her own dread that she was continuing to make more mistakes. He's always who she wanted. There was a time when she thought she was meant to be with Nate, but what they had was more about the life she had planned out for herself then the reality of being happy. Chuck had hurt her, but she didn't care anymore. Being without him hurt worse than anything he'd ever done to her. She'd had her role in their relationship disasters. For the first time in a long time, she understood that.
Chuck threaded his fingers with hers and said, "I called your mother. She's going to send your things over. We can stay as long as you want, but eventually we'll have to face the world again."
She smiled and kissed him tenderly. "So, long as you're by my side I can handle it. Chuck…"
"Don't. I don't need any apologies or platitudes of thanks. I just want you."