Where were you?
The past two weeks had been hell for Chuck Bass. Sure, he gained a hotel, but he lost his world. It was never his intention to hurt Blair; in fact, causing her any pain was the last thing on Earth Chuck would ever want to do. Now, all he was left with was his empty hotel suite and a bed that carried too many memories to be of any use to him these days.
It was true, Chuck appeared to be down for the count. It was taking more and more effort for Chuck to leave his hotel suite each day, but he wasn't quite ready to give up yet, for as long as he was still breathing, there would still be time to win Blair back.
Chuck strode briskly across the dance floor at Butter toward the bar, at which sat a woman whose voluminous dark curls nearly overwhelmed her delicate frame. Chuck leaned against the bar top, ordering a scotch absentmindedly whilst imbibing the woman's heavenly scent of jasmine and orange.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone, Chuck," she said, pink lips pursed in a thin line across her milky skin.
Chuck lifted his glass to his lips, intending to down his alcohol, but thought better of it and set the glass back on the bar-top. "I can't do that, Blair. You know that. So, what do we do now?"
The look on Blair's stony face betrayed no emotion but her body language spoke a different tale. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, conflicted, as she replied, "We don't do anything, Chuck. What's done is done. We're done. Do you really think I have anything left to say to you after what you did?"
"What I did was not purposeful, Blair. I've explained that," Chuck replied firmly, trying not to sound too defensive.
Blair stared at the mirrored wall in front of her, her stony eyes fixed on her own reflection. "You promised you would come for me. You didn't. No explanation can warrant that," she countered in a flat tone.
Chuck sighed. He reached out for Blair's hand, touching it briefly before she jerked it away and placed it primly on her lap. "Blair –" Chuck started.
"You aren't allowed to touch me anymore, Bass, " she snapped, before adding with a snarl, "Nobody is."
Chuck's face fell. "Blair, I will do anything to fix this. Name it. You want the hotel? It's yours. Just let me help you. Let me help us."
At this request, Blair's expression changed from neutral to furious. She quickly swallowed the last bit of her martini and slammed the glass on the table. "There is no us, Bass. And to be honest, you're acting rather pathetic for someone who has nothing to gain from coming here. I don't want your hotel and I don't want you. It's over. Accept it."
Blair handed a twenty dollar bill to the bartender and stood up to leave. This time, when Chuck grabbed her wrist, she barely resisted. It was as if she did not want to let go, but rather had to out of necessity.
"Blair –"
"Stop it, Chuck, let me go," she whispered, exhaustion suddenly creeping into her voice.
"No, Blair, I can't let you go. I won't," he stated resolutely, his grasp on her wrist gentle yet firm, "because I love you."
Tears welled up in Blair's eyes as she answered, "If you loved me, you would have saved me." Her voice regained its confidence as she tried pulling away from Chuck, adding, "I have to leave. You need to let me go."
Chuck closed his eyes sadly before slowly opening them again. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly, his grip loosening.
"You should be," Blair responded. She turned on her heels, Louboutins clicking on the marble flooring all the way towards the exit.
Chuck sat on the barstool that Blair had just vacated and let his head fall into his heads. He had never meant to hurt Blair, or "betray" her, as she liked to put it. The hotel was always important to him because it reminded Chuck that he could be somebody on his own, without his father. Naturally, when the hotel fell into the hands of his uncle, Chuck had to do something to get it back. It was nothing Blair didn't know about, either.
"I've come this far without my mother, I'm not backing down now," Chuck said, his voice low and firm.
Blair thought for a second, before replying softly, "Well, if it's a war Jack wants, then it's a war he'll get." She moved towards Chuck, her fingers tugging at the lapels of his jacket and pulling him close. Chuck leaned down and kissed her, gently fisting Blair's curls in his hand. It was a hungry kiss, a desperate one, and Blair was always eager to feed Chuck's desires. Two hour later, Chuck and Blair lay exhausted in bed, chests heaving and skin glistening with perspiration. Blair's head rested on Chuck's chest, her curls tickling his neck. They were silent for a few minutes before Blair said quietly, "I missed this, Chuck."
Chuck looked down at his girlfriend and stroked her arm gently. "So have I," he replied softly.
The next morning, Chuck stood at the window, deep in thought. He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and was stirred out of his musings, turning around to see a smiling Blair, her body covered by a sheet. "You look happy. I take it you have a plan to bring down Jack?"
"Of course I do," he smirked, before adding hesitantly, "but I need your help, if you'll do me the favor."
Blair furrowed her brow, her smile evaporating. "You know I'll do anything, Chuck."
Chuck sighed. "I know, which is why I hesitate in even asking you to do this."
"Chuck, what do you need?"
"I… I need you to see Jack," he admitted, his hand clenching and unclenching nervously.
"O…kay," Blair said, confused, "but why?"
Chuck sighed. Asking Blair to help him in this manner was far more difficult than he thought. He initially had not even intended on involving Blair in the matter, but thought better of it as Jack had seemingly already won this battle and had no reason to meet with Chuck. "Drugs. I need you to plant drugs in his apartment. I would myself had my uncle not made me persona non grata at the Empire. Security would be all over me the minute I walked through the doors."
"Are you out of your mind, Chuck?" Blair asked incredulously. "Do you have any idea how much trouble we would be in if this whole plan of yours happened to fail?"
"I have no other options, Blair, no other ideas. This is my last chance," Chuck responded calmly. "If you don't want to do this, believe me I will understand. In fact, I almost want you to tell me no. But you need to understand, Jack is a lot smarter than we give him credit for. He's not going to do anything right away that would risk him losing the hotel. Trust me, Blair, there's nothing he would rather have than watching me fall."
Blair bit her lip, her eyes searching into Chuck's. It took her nearly a minute to respond. "And how would I go about doing this?"
Chuck let out a woosh of air. It was as if he had been holding his breath the entire time while waiting for Blair to answer. He took Blair's hand in his and led her to the couch, ushering her to sit. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked anxiously.
"Well, I'm still here, aren't I?"
Chuck smirked briefly. "Touché." His countenance became sterner as he began explaining the plan. "Now, if I know Jack, he isn't done yet. He's got the hotel, but he's going to want the one part of my life he can't have: you. Trust me when I tell you, my uncle will try to contact you, and when he does, you have to agree to see him."
Blair cringed. "Fine, that's easy enough. Where does the part where I plant evidence like a L.A. cop come in?"
"We'll talk about that after Jack contacts you. Right now, all we have to do is wait," Chuck answered solemnly.
Sure enough, two days later, a dozen roses were delivered to Blair's dorm room, with a note attached to them that read:
One last chance to save your man.
Blair hesitated to tell Chuck about the note if it meant she had an opportunity to get the hotel back for him without having to resort to illegal activities - well, at least the kind of illegal activities that would necessitate third party involvement. With that thought in mind, she called the elder Bass. "I got your flowers, Jack. I hate roses," Blair spat into the phone.
Jack laughed on the other end. "Easy, doll. I was just trying to be nice. I take it you got my note as well?"
Blair sighed. "Yes. I don't get it."
"It's simple, sweetheart. All I want is one night with you. Just one night, and Chuckie can have his hotel back," Jack replied casually.
Pink lips pursed with controlled fury. "And that's it? I sleep with you and you'll sign the hotel back over to Chuck?"
"Of course. Why would I lie?" Jack answered lightly.
"Why wouldn't you lie is the question," Blair snapped.
"Blair, it's your choice to believe me or not, just like it's your choice if you decide to come to my room tomorrow night at seven." The line went dead and Blair began to panic. Her fingers wavered before hurriedly dialing her best friend for advice.
"S, if someone does something awful, but it's for love, is it okay?"
Serena was confused. "Blair, what are you talking about? What's going on?"
"Jack… he wants…"
"What, Blair? Tell me. You're starting to freak me out," Serena pressed urgently.
"Jack wants me to sleep with him in exchange for the hotel!" Blair blurted out.
"No, Blair! Why would you even be thinking of agreeing to that? It would crush Chuck!" Serena nearly shouted.
Blair paused. "Chuck doesn't have to know."
"Really, B? You would trust Jack not to tell Chuck? Come on, that's naïve," the blond chastised.
"I… I just want to help him any way that I can, S." Blair paused. "I don't want him to lose everything."
Chuck answered the door to his temporary hotel suite to find a conflicted-looking Blair. He immediately took her into his arms and pressed his lips to her head in a gentle kiss before asking her, "What's going on, Blair?"
"I talked to Jack."
"And?" Chuck inquired, his interest piqued. He ushered Blair inside and shut the door behind them.
"And he told me if I spent the night with him tomorrow, he'd give you the hotel back," she admitted quietly, taking a seat in the middle of the suite's cream-colored couch.
Chuck glowered angrily. "Tell me you didn't agree to it, Blair. So help me God, if – "
"Of course I didn't agree to it, Chuck! I would never!" Blair interjected fiercely.
Chuck knew he was about to tread into dangerous waters, but he always had a problem controlling his temper. "You already did, Blair. New Year's, if I recall correctly. And trust me, this time around I won't be so forgiving."
Blair leapt on her feet, crossing her arms. "Are you seriously bringing that up again? I thought we were past that, Chuck! I… No."
"'No' what?" Chuck spat, clenching his fists.
"No, I'm not fighting with you. This is what Jack wants, Chuck," Blair answered, her voice quiet.
Chuck loosened his fists and sighed, taking a moment to calm himself down. "You're right. I apologize. I know you wouldn't risk that again."
Blair crossed the space between them and wrapped her arms around Chuck, hugging him briefly. "You're right, I wouldn't. Because I love you."
"And I you," Chuck replied.
Blair dropped her arms from around Chuck and put her hands on her hips. "So what now?"
Chuck paced back and forth as he thought. This went on for nearly a minute before he responded, "Go to Jack's tomorrow. I'll get the… supplies. All you need to do is make sure you wear gloves so you don't leave any prints on the bag because Jack is of course going to deny the drugs are his. Are you following so far?"
Blair scowled."You forget you're talking to the master of devious plots"
Chuck smirked before continuing, "Remember, you have to find the right time to take action. Make Jack feel like he has the upper hand. Listen to him. Pretend you give a shit what he has to say. Once it's done, text me and I'll come, police officers and all."
A visible shudder swept over Blair and the tone of the conversation changed suddenly. "And what if Jack is ready to… you know, right away?" She instinctively tightened her shawl around herself. "What am I supposed to do then?"
"You text me and I will be there regardless of who Jack has hired to keep me away. When it comes to you, keeping me away is impossible," Chuck said sternly - not to scold Blair, but to reassure her of his presence. "That being said, my uncle is like a cat that relishes in playing with the mouse. He thinks he is destroying our relationship and he is going to want to enjoy the process, ensnare you on an emotional level first." Leaning close to Blair, he kissed her forehead. "Trust me, my love."
"Okay," she whispered, eyes closed in silent understanding. "I trust you."
"Your trust means the world to me. But I need to ask you one more time," Chuck said in a gravely serious tone, "are you sure you want to do this?"
Big brown eyes fluttered open. Blair took Chuck's hands, her touch soft and warm and everything. "I'm sure."
"Mr. Bass, are you alright?" the bartender shook Chuck's shoulder gently.
Chuck lifted his head wearily, His eyes were red and bleary, his cheeks damp. Had he been crying? Impossible, he thought. "I'm fine," Chuck snapped hoarsely, before slapping a fifty on the bar-top. He stood up abruptly and upon walking, realized that he was rather drunk.
He exited Butter and got into his limo, collapsing in the backseat. "Where are we headed, Mr. Bass?" his driver called out from the front of the vehicle.
"I'm not sure…" he murmured, more to himself than to his driver. Chuck closed his eyes wearily and let the darkness wash over him. Nothing was certain anymore.
Chuck couldn't believe how incredibly nervous he was after dropping Blair off at his recently usurped suite. His stomach was in knots; the last time he had felt so anxious Elizabeth ended up leaving his life for good. Chuck wasn't an idiot; he knew Elizabeth was his mother despite the vapid lie she had told him. He wasn't lying, though, when he said Elizabeth wasn't his real mother. "It takes more than DNA to be a parent," he had said to himself as she walked away from him for the last time.
And now Chuck was experiencing that same uneasiness as he had before. It was an awful feeling, a lung-crushing, heart-pounding feeling that he was sure would not go away until he seen Blair again. He had given her twenty grams of cocaine to plant, and she had hidden it carefully in her tiny clutch. Twenty grams was more than enough to charge Jack with intent to distribute, and if all went according to plan, the elder Bass would spend a decent amount of time in prison.
Chuck just hope he hadn't underestimated Jack.
AN: Just to clarify, I'm no longer a Chair shipper and have not been for a long time (I think it's quite obvious by my "newer" fics). That being said, I have a fair amount of old, unfinished writing about Chair that I'm going to be posting since GG is on its way out the proverbial door and I'd rather it is at least seen by some. All the snippets of what could have been will be posted as "chapters" here. This particular one was obviously written just after the IP storyline. I was going to turn it into a multi-chap that would reveal what happened to Blair and why Chuck broke his word but I lost inspiration because I couldn't write a realistic redemption for this scenario.