AN: This story was inspired by the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell (great cult classic film if you've never seen it – we watch it every year on Groundhog's Day). Watching the movie this year, a thought occurred to me: what if Chuck got stuck reliving the same day over and over and over again until he got it right? And what day would it be? I played around with a few scenarios, but the one that stuck the most was the season 3 finale, as he did royally screw up what should have been achieving the next step in his relationship with Blair (while technically she could have texted him that Dorota went into labor, he did jump rather quickly into bed with the first person that came along... and it just so happened to be Jenny).
So, this shorter multi-fic is basically Chuck reliving that day over and over until he realizes what went wrong and what he needs to do to make everything right.
Disclaimer: just like in the movie, there are the occasional, "temporary" (if you want to call them that) deaths, this chapter including one of them. But don't worry – because the day resets, the character isn't really dead... if that makes sense...?
Chuck groaned as he reached over and turned his alarm off, confused as to why he had set it so early in the first place. After the events of last night, all he wanted to do was continue to drink and wallow in his misery. Making sure it wouldn't go off again, he rolled back over, pulling the covers up over his head to block out the sunlight trying to peek in through the curtains.
After a half hour or so of trying with no luck and the sound of laughter coming from Nate's overnight guest, Chuck finally decided to just get up and commence drinking already.
Climbing out of bed, he was confused as to why he didn't have the slightest hangover. Considering just how much he had consumed last night, it was odd. Looking around, he noticed the bottle he had brought to bed with him was nowhere to be found either.
"Housekeeping must of stopped by already...'' he muttered to himself as he stood up and surveyed his room, which wasn't nearly as messy as he recalled it being when he had passed out.
"Thanks for letting me crash last night," he heard the familiar female voice speak from out in the hallway.
"Hey, no problem, anytime okay?" Chuck heard Nate tell her as he approached his bedroom door.
"Actually, I don't think that would be a good idea..." Chuck drawled, his eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe the nerve of Jenny Humphrey, thinking she could make herself at home there whenever. Not after what she had done to them all in the last twenty four hours.
"Well, I'm actually just going to gather up my stuff and stay at the loft for awhile... but thanks for the offer, Nate," she spoke up nervously, not entirely sure as to why Chuck was being so cold to her. Surely he couldn't be too upset at her for tipping off William Van der Woodsen at the charity event – Chuck had admitted himself that he admired the great lengths the man had gone to for love... and it wasn't exactly like Chuck was thrilled about Lily being married to her father...
"Dude, what's your problem?" Nate snapped once Jenny had retreated to his bedroom.
"What's my problem? What's yours?" Chuck snapped back in disbelief. "In the last twenty fours that girl has single-handedly ruined both our relationships... and yet you're letting her crash here yet again and inviting her to do so whenever?!"
"What are you talking about?" Nate questioned, not following what Chuck was saying. "Ruined our relationships how?"
Chuck paused he thought how best to put it. True, Serena and Nate's undoing was mostly due to his sister's own fault, allowing herself to get caught in a compromising situation that she had put herself into – Jenny had merely reported it to Gossip Girl. And his demise with Blair had ultimately been his fault... he chose to sleep with Jenny... however had she not messed with Serena and Nate, she wouldn't have been waiting for him there and he never would have had the opportunity to get involved with her.
Yeah, it was all her fault, he decided to himself.
"Look, speaking of relationships... don't you have somewhere to be today?" Nate spoke before Chuck had the chance. "The Empire State Building?" Nate tried to jog his memory only for Chuck to look at him, confused.
"That already happened... or should I say didn't... or did you already forget?" Chuck hissed in annoyance at the recollection.
"What? It did? When?" Nate wondered, now his turn to be confused.
"Yesterday," Chuck simply reminded him as he was becoming more and more irritated by the second.
"Yesterday? But when? Gossip Girl reported she went on her date with that Rugby player after all... and you just gave her the ultimatum last night. The Empire State Building was closed by then..." Nate thought out loud.
"What drugs did we do last night that caused you to block out an entire day?" Chuck couldn't help wondering only for Nate to eye him suspiciously. "Yesterday... I made my grand romantic gesture... Blair didn't show because Dorota went into labor yet she forgot to inform me of that minor detail... she," he spoke, motioning towards Nate's bedroom, "showed up here to see you, only to find me instead, already self-loathing, drinking and thinking Blair was done with me for good... one thing led to another... we slept together..."
"Wait, what?" Nate gasped, shocked at the news.
"We did what?!" Jenny shrieked as she had now reappeared in the doorway behind Nate, her bags with her. "Yeah, right Chuck... you wish!" she scoffed.
"Are you seriously going to deny what happened last night? While I'm thankful you had the decency to sneak out before Blair walked in on you in your underwear, it's your fault I didn't get to propose the second time and everything was once again ruined! If I recall correctly... you were practically throwing your virginity at me!" he nearly yelled at her.
"One, virginity... I... I have no idea what you're talking about – I slept with Damien, remember?" Jenny stuttered, surprised that Chuck somehow knew the truth.
"If it makes you less embarrassed about your first time, go ahead and keep telling yourself that – almost no one's first time is great," Chuck muttered, stopping short as he began to slip into the memory of Blair's first time. Her's actually had been great, so she eventually admitted to him.
"Whatever Chuck... which two – I'm pretty sure if we had slept together, Nate would have heard and stopped it since he was here..."
"No actually, he was out looking for his girlfriend... whom you happened to blab to Gossip Girl who told the whole world that she had spent the night before with your lowly brother..."
"Again, no idea what you're talking about, but I'm also sure I would have remembered and been trying to erase the memory of us... unless of course you drugged me and took advantage of me..." she alluded, causing Chuck to stare daggers back her.
How dare she make accusations like that! He screamed in his head.
"Yeah, Chuck – it didn't happen," she snarked as she stood her ground.
"Dude, check the Pay-Per-View records – she was in my room watching movies all night," Nate spoke up, coming to her defense.
Not believing any of it, he took his best friend up on the offer, walking over to his laptop on the coffee table and pulling up the hotel records for the penthouse.
Sure enough, there had been a Twilight Saga marathon going on in Nate's room the night before.
"Whatever, I'm going back to bed," Chuck muttered as he dragged himself back to his room, grabbing a bottle of alcohol from the bar on his way.
Chuck was awoken about an hour later though when his phone chimed with news of a new notification and a curse of frustration being yelled out by Nate from across the hall. Reaching over to see for himself what Gossip Girl had to share today, he rolled his eyes as he read the blast.
"Must be a slow news day if she's recycling blasts from yesterday," Chuck remarked from his doorway, watching Nate pace back and forth in his own room. "You'd think she'd have better things to do than remind us of the mess that already happened..."
"Yesterday? What are you talking about?" Nate sighed in frustration. "I can't believe she would do this to me! Yeah, I know she was upset about me calling the cops on her dad but still... how could she cheat on me?"
"Well you did send the blast to Vanessa so there's that... maybe they bonded over how their relationships were both over for good?" Chuck suggested as he watched Nate.
"What? No I didn't – again, what are you talking about?" Nate questioned only for Chuck to shrug. "What day do you think it is even?"
"Does it matter?" Chuck replied as he walked towards the kitchen to help himself to some coffee, spiked of course. "Did we not get today's paper?" he wondered as he noticed the one on the kitchen table was the same as yesterdays.
"That is today's," Nate remarked as he followed in after him.
"No it's not," Chuck argued as he picked it up and flipped through it. "These are all yesterday's stock numbers... The Knicks beat The Heat, 89 to 86... the charity benefit coverage..."
"Dude, I don't know what kind of dream you had last night or what you took, but I'm telling you – that's today's paper," Nate tried to assure him. "Whatever you think happened between you and Blair and Jenny... it didn't."
Skeptical, Chuck decided that maybe he'd go see Blair... even if she didn't want to see him ever again, at least that would cement for him that he wasn't going crazy. And maybe if he was lucky he could try and smooth things over with her... at least apologize for what had happened, try to explain things to her now that she had had the night to cool off and calm down.
"Charles, how lovely to see you... can't say we were expecting to see you," Eleanor remarked the moment he stepped off the elevator and into the Waldorf penthouse.
"Considering all that happened recently, I wouldn't expect you to," he spoke in response. "Can you tell me... is Blair... here?" he curiously questioned after an awkward pause. Considering everything that had happened between him and Blair in the past few months, he had no idea just how much her mother knew and where exactly he stood with the elder Waldorf woman.
"No, actually, she's out. With Dorota and some good-looking young man from Columbia... she said something at breakfast about avoiding The Empire State Building and how Affair to Remember was on last night and it gave her nightmares... that girl, I swear I can't keep up with what her favorites are and aren't," Eleanor rambled along as Chuck thought over what she said.
"Wait, you said she was out with Dorota?" Chuck inquired, confused as to how that was possible. "They already released her from the hospital? I thought I had read that standard practice was they keep you for at least twenty four hours after having a baby?"
"Yes, after you have the baby," Eleanor confirmed. "Which I wish she would already – Dorota is far too pregnant right now to be of any help," she quipped in annoyance.
"She... didn't have the baby?" Chuck questioned further.
"No, Charles... she hasn't," Eleanor stressed once more. "And if you're looking for Blair, I've told you all I know about her whereabouts..."
"Thank you," he thanked her sincerely, grateful for at least any help she could provide.
"You're welcome, dear, and if I might say, I'm glad to see you're out and about again," she spoke once more, causing Chuck to turn back towards her, a puzzled expression on his face. "I know you and my daughter have been at odds ever since Dorota's wedding for reasons she won't tell me, but despite whatever happened... I know she still loves you and has been concerned for you regardless. If you're trying to win her back – I suggest you do so soon. That young man from Columbia she's been seeing is quite the charmer however I know he won't make her happy in the long run," she nudged him with encouragement before she went about her way.
Thinking about where she could be to avoid The Empire State Building, Chuck quickly pulled out his phone and looked her up on Gossip Girl's "Spotted" map.
"Brooklyn..." he remarked as he could tell by her location just where she was headed. "Of course," he uttered as he knew that after the Gossip Girl reblast about Serena and Dan that she would piece together that it Jenny had something to do with it and after what had happened last night be looking to lay the smack down on her again. "Arthur, pull the car around," he ordered into his phone as he made his way back to the elevator.
"Wow, that's a lot of photos already – your baby's already photogenic!" he heard Dan joke as he exited the vehicle a short while later.
"Mister Chuck! What are you doing here? You must go! Miss Blair on date and purposely avoiding you and Empire State Building!" Dorota snapped as she saw him approach.
"Good to see you too, Dorota... still very pregnant I see..." he commented, much to her annoyance, as he duly noted that she had in fact not had the baby yet. "And I'm aware she's on a date, Dorota – that's why I'm here... although... I doubt it's going well if you brought her to Brooklyn," he couldn't help remarking to Columbia Cameron as he looked around. "She refers to it as The Slums," he added for good measure, making it clear to the other man that he knew Blair better.
"You need to be at Empire State Building so when Miss Blair realizes her heart's desire you are there to give her happy ending! Just like in movie!" Dorota urgently explained.
"Been there, done that... it didn't work out as planned," he casually remarked, receiving confused looks from both Dorota and Dan.
"And you're here now because...?" Dan questioned, not really sure why everyone was showing up outside his building this afternoon.
"I need to talk to her. I need her to realize everything I did was because-"
"Because what, Chuck?" Blair inquired as she had now appeared behind them all, smacking Dan in the shoulder as she joined them. "I'm in luck! Two smackdowns for the price of none!" she smiled with glee.
"Ow, geez Blair – what was that for?!" Dan exclaimed as he rubbed his now sore shoulder.
"Nate and Serena! Don't screw them up!" she shrieked at him as Chuck simply rolled his eyes. He had no idea what was going on as this was all day old news to him as it should be to them.
"Nothing happened," Dan tried to argue, as Chuck merely shook his head in disbelief.
"Humphrey, we've already been through this – we all know you and my sis got a little hot and heavy the other night... why you even still trying to deny it?" Chuck interjected before anyone else could speak. He was growing impatient and anxious all at the same time. To be honest, he was a little surprised Blair hadn't demanded he leave already. But then again it was odd for her to be wearing the same thing she had on yesterday... Maybe Nate was right, maybe it was all just a nightmare...?
"What? How... how do you know that? Did Serena tell you that?" Dan asked, quickly going on the defensive.
"Yes... why would Serena tell you before she told me?" Blair pried, curious as well just how Chuck knew details that Serena should have told her first.
"Does it really matter?" Chuck wondered with an annoyed sigh as The Empire State Building caught his eye just off in the distance.
Maybe this was a mistake after all... he couldn't help wondering to himself.
"No I guess not..."
"Yes!"
Dan and Blair both spoke at the same time.
"What are you even doing here, Chuck? I thought you were trying to Affair to Remember me today," Blair pointed out, growing impatient after a moment of silence passed between them all.
"Because I needed to talk to you..." he tried to begin but not really sure as to what to say now as he realized things weren't making any sense suddenly. "But I guess this was just a mistake," he lamented as he turned to walk back to his waiting limo.
"Unbelievable," Blair declared, stopping him in his tracks. "Unbelievable! First you draw me back in with some scheme to expose Serena's dad, which worked by the way! Then you give me an ultimatum straight out of one of my favorite movies which I now hate, thank you very much! And before you even give me the chance to make the decision for myself you crash my date and then say it was all just a mistake!"
"I'm sorry, Blair," he muttered as he had turned back to face her, truly regretting showing up now.
"I'm sorry too, Chuck," she continued to tear into him. "I'm sorry for second guessing my decision to avoid The Empire State Building altogether because I was close – so close – to giving in and showing up, giving you another chance, but you just made that decision so much easier for me because now I know – you can't wait and let me come to a decision on my own! It's not about what I want – it's always about Chuck Bass getting what he wants!"
"Blair, no, I-"
"Whatever you had planned, forget it – I'm not coming so don't even bother! This day never happened!" she turned away from him with a huff. "Humphrey – leave Nate and Serena alone! Cameron, Dorota – let's go!" he heard her bark at them as he made his way back to his vehicle, his head hung in sadness and his heart sunk in his chest.
He hadn't even gotten to apologize to her or try and make another grand gesture and she already shot him down simply for not being patient enough. Now he really didn't know what to make of the day. While whatever he thought had happened yesterday was definitely worse than now, today wasn't going much better that's for sure. And he still wasn't fully convinced that events from yesterday hadn't happened.
Sitting in his penthouse, in the dark, alone, Chuck brooded with a drink in hand.
"You should have just stayed in bed, drank the pain away," he mumbled to himself as he took a sip.
"Nate?" he heard her voice calling out from the foyer yet again.
"You have got to be kidding me," he grumbled to himself as he turned on the light beside him and sat up a little straighter. He definitely wasn't in the mood for this again.
"Chuck? What are you doing here?" Jenny wondered as she approached from the hallway.
"I live here and what does it look like?" he growled as he kicked back the remainder of his drink and pour himself another from the decanter he had on the coffee table.
"Geez, sorry... I guess since Nate's not here I'll just leave you to yourself," she remarked as she turned to leave.
"When are you going to get it?" he finally snapped at her, tired of this. It had been a long couple of days and he was frustrated that she just didn't seem to get it, after everything that had happened, all the damage she had caused.
"Get what exactly?" she questioned as she turned back, curious as she came to join him on the couch.
"That Nate doesn't want you – if he did, it would have happened by now," he angrily responded. "And after everything that's happened... the way you purposely tried to break up him and Serena, I can't see how he ever could," he continued. "Hell, you didn't just ruin them – you ruined your brother's relationship too... that's low even for me."
"Chuck, I..."
"Don't. After last night, I'd prefer it if you never came around here again... you're just a reminder of yet another mistake I've made in the list of reasons why Blair doesn't want me," he rambled on.
"Mistake?" Jenny gasped, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. She wasn't sure why Chuck was being so harsh to her all of sudden. Sure, she got that he was angry at the way she meddled with Rufus and Lily and now Nate and Serena, but what had she ever done to him?
"Did I stutter?" he leaned in closer, a rage having filled his eyes. He simply wanted her gone and the sooner the better. "Leave," he firmly demanded, prompting her to quickly get up and grab her things, scurrying off to the elevator. He could hear her sniffling as she waited in the foyer for the car to arrive.
"Dude, wake up!" Chuck heard Nate call to him as he practically shook him awake on the couch where he had passed out some time earlier.
"What? What time is it?" Chuck wondered as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His head still feeling fuzzy from the amount of alcohol he had already consumed.
"We've all be trying to call you. I spoke to the doorman downstairs, he said Jenny stopped by here earlier? Did you happen to see her... or say anything to her?" Nate hurriedly questioned.
"Yes, she did – she had the nerve to show up here, looking for you, feeling all sad and shit... needless to say I couldn't care less – she's done enough damage to us all," he admitted as he reached for his glass on the table which still had a sip or two left in it.
"Did you say anything else?" Nate pressed further as he sat down beside him.
"I told her I'd prefer it if she never came up here again – Nathaniel, she's too much of a reminder of how badly I hurt Blair this last time..."
"Dude! Whatever you think happened yesterday - it didn't! Yesterday was the charity event. Today... well Dorota had her baby tonight..."
"She did?" Chuck perked up at hearing that news. At least something good happened today.
"Yeah, little girl – really cute," Nate confirmed, getting distracted for a moment. "But look... you had no right to take out whatever didn't happen on Jenny!"
"I don't know why you're so upset about it – so I'd rather she didn't stay over here anymore. Big whoop – she'll get over it in Brooklyn... maybe go back to Hudson or wherever..."
"Yeah, that would have been nice... except she killed herself," Nate revealed as he helped himself to Chuck's glass, nearly downing it in one take.
"What?" Chuck asked, caught off guard by Nate's sudden confession.
"Yeah, she killed herself," Nate repeated once more. "She showed up at the hospital in tears, I guess Eric spoke with her and went to go get Dan for help... but by the time Eric found him it was too late – she had disappeared to the roof and jumped. Just as Lily and Rufus showed up with food. It was horrible..."
"Shit..." Chuck muttered to himself, his hand in his hair as he sat back in disbelief. "Wow..."
"Yeah..." Nate agreed with a deep sigh.
"How's... how's Lily? And Eric?" he couldn't help wondering. Somehow he felt this was all his fault. He did tell the girl she had been nothing but a mistake to him. And reminded her yet again that Nate wasn't interested in her in the way that she wanted him to be.
"Lily's... well, she's trying to be strong for Rufus but you can tell she's just as in shock. And Eric... he was a mess when I left. Almost inconsolable," Nate told him.
"This is my fault," Chuck uttered as he took another sip, this time to calm his nerves.
"Dude, don't blame yourself – she made the choice to go up on that roof and jump. It's not like you pushed her or anything," Nate was quick to point out. The last thing he needed was for Chuck to blame himself and spiral out of control once more. Especially not now that he seemed to be getting back on his feet finally after everything that had happened with Blair leaving him at Dorota's wedding.
"I may not have physically pushed her but I'm sure what I said to her probably didn't help stop her," he stated and then he soon remembered – Blair had probably said some harsh things to her earlier too. "Does Blair know?" he wondered as the thought occurred to him. If he was blaming himself for what he said, Blair was most likely blaming herself for what she had said as well.
"Yeah, she was still at the hospital when it happened," Nate informed him.
"How's she taking it?"
"Well... you know Blair," Nate remarked as Chuck simply nodded. "She's sad for Lily, Rufus and Eric, and I think she feels a little guilty as well since Dan and Rufus both confirmed she too spoke with Jenny earlier today, but she's also being Blair, saying what a stupid thing it was Jenny did... what a waste of talent... Jenny was really talented when it came to fashion..." he added, his voice trailing as he began to get lost in thought. "Hey, speaking of Blair... how'd it go today? I take it not well since you're here alone and she's with that Columbia guy at the hospital?"
"I'd rather not talk about it," Chuck grumbled as he sat back and tried to wrap his head around everything, making a note to send flowers to Lily's for her and Rufus and to make a point to spend some time with Eric tomorrow too.
"Alright, well I'm gonna go back to the hospital and stick around with everyone – you're welcome to join," Nate offered as he stood to his feet.
"I'll pass," Chuck replied as he curled back up on the couch, stretching out across it. "Especially if Blair's still got that Columbia guy with her there."
"Okay, man – I'll see you tomorrow then," Nate spoke as he went to leave.
Chuck finished off the rest of his drink and laid back, staring up at the ceiling in thought. It had been a long, strange day. He hoped maybe he'd fall asleep and never wake up as tomorrow was going to be even more trying. He could only imagine everyone blaming him and Blair for Jenny's suicide as they had probably been the harshest on her.
"Maybe bonding over blame is how you'll get her back," he spoke to himself as he shut his eyes and waited for sleep to come.
AN: What do you think is going to happen in the next day?
So with this story... I already wrote it all out, making edits before I post each chapter, as I intend on posting a chapter a week, sort of as filler for my other stories – which don't worry! I haven't abandoned ARA or Chairytale! They are being worked on and I plan on posting the last chapter of Chairytale pre-5 year epilogue very very soon (it's turned out to be quite the long chapter!). In the mean time... tell me, what do you think of this one?
Special thanks to M (scarlett2u) for reading over this story and helping me with suggestions and tweaks for it! If you haven't already – be sure to check out her historic AU story The Gilded Cage and her fetus Chair AU story One Secret I'll Never Tell!
Until next week!