A/N: My mind is an odd place. And it is there that I get all of these half-scenes/ideas that badger me until I finally cave and put them to paper-and by that I mean computer screen. Anyhoo, this is my newest brain child. It is only a one-shot but perhaps I will continue it if you all like it ;-)

Passing the Time

Blair stepped into the elevator and cast a glance at her reflection as the gilded doors smoothly closed. She looked good, even after everything that had happened at the Hamptons. Despite the fact her heart had been ripped from her chest and rather brutally trampled on by a certain man she looked pretty damn good. Suddenly her reflection was marred by a large hand going straight through her chest and the doors jerked open, revealing that mother chucker of a man Chuck Bass who looked far too calm taking her in as he walked into the elevator.

"Waldorf," he said in greeting with a slight inclination of his head. She scowled and glared at their two reflection, side by side, as the doors glided fully shut. Both reached to the floor panel at the same time and their hands touched as both went to press the Van der Woodsen residence. She retracted her hand quickly and wiped it on her skirt. Chuck watched with his lips scrunched into something akin to a smirk and remarked, "You know, there was nothing on it."

"On what?" She asked innocently.

"My hand."

She sniffed once and shot back, "How do I know what you've been up to? There could be a lot on your hands that I don't want touching me."

"True," he drawled. "But I usually shower afterwards."

"You're disgusting," she snapped.

"No, just active."

She glared at him and was at that moment very glad that she was dating her Lord and not this disappointing man in front of her. A man who couldn't even say three simple words, eight simple letters.

And from the sound of him, now, it seemed perhaps he was correct in not saying them. Something in her stomach stirred at this, something eerily akin to disappointment, but she ignored it. Instead she shifted her weight between her Manolos and commenced an examination of her nail bits. Those same Manolos caused her to pitch forward as the elevator came to a sudden halt. She flew forward and Chuck grabbed at her arm.

"What just happened?" She asked hazily, straightening up. When she saw his hand still closed around her forearm she whipped her arm away and snapped, "Let go of me."

"You were falling," he explained.

"Yes, and thank you for helping. Now please refrain from any more grabbing." She straightened her skirt and added, "You lost all privileges in that area when you stood me up in Tuscany."

"I said I was sorry," Chuck muttered.

Rolling her eyes she scoffed, "And we all known how much Chuck Bass' words mean. How true to them you are."

Chuck sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. As he dialed he told her, "Look, we can have this conversation another time. Right now, we need to figure out what is happening."

"There won't be another time," she told him. "I am done with you."

"Damn," he said, pulling the phone away from his ear. "There's no service."

"Of course there is no service," she snapped. "We are in an elevator, Chuck. Press the emergency button over there."

She pointed to a button on the floor panel and he pressed it with one quick jab of his finger. She shook her head as he stared cluelessly at the panel and pushed past him. "You are useless," she huffed before pressing her finger onto the button and holding it until she heard something on the other end.

"Hello?" She called out, putting her mouth near the speaker. "Hello? Is anyone there? I'm stuck in the elevator-"

"Let me," Chuck said, putting his head beside hers. "This is Chuck Bass. I'm stuck in the elevator and would really not appreciate being here all day. Please send someone."

There was no answer.

"Well, we'll have to talk to Lily about this," Blair said, leaning against the wall. "No use having an emergency call button if no one is on the other end. And what was that? Your whole 'This is Chuck Bass'? I think I was handling the situation just fine."

"The Bass name carries some weight with it," Chuck answered easily.

"Oh, and Waldorf doesn't?"

"You didn't say your name," he pointed out.

"That's beside the point," she spat. "You couldn't let me handle the situation. You had to go in and take over."

"No, I didn't," he scoffed.

"Yes, you did," she held. "Men and their damn egos."

He didn't respond but leaned on the wall across from her, crossing his ankles in front of him. Both had their arms crossed in front of them and they eyed each other defiantly.

"What?" Blair snapped, shifting between the Manolos again that had committed treason by making her pitch forward and subsequently come in physical contact with Chuck Bass. She would discard of them the moment the damn elevator started moving.

"Nothing," he answered.

"You were looking at me."

"We're in an elevator, Blair. There isn't much else to look at."

"Well, look at the floor," she said stubbornly, choosing the ceiling for her own gaze. Her nose turned up she said, "It shouldn't be much longer."

"Yeah," Chuck echoed. "It shouldn't be much longer."

20 MINUTES LATER

"Of all the people I had to get stuck in an elevator with," Blair huffed, beginning to pace across the 8 x 5 floor space. "Seriously, of all the people?"

"Relax, Princess," Chuck said, massaging his temples. "You're giving me a headache."

Blair stopped pacing suddenly and spun toward him. "You did this didn't you?"

He dropped his hands and looked at her incredulously. "What?"

"You did this to force me to talk to you."

"Blair, I didn't need to get you stuck in an elevator to have insults thrown at my head. That happens without my asking."

"You deserve them," she sniffed.

"Never said I didn't."

She pursed her lips into a frown and said, "Try the intercom again."

Chuck pressed the button and held it as he spoke into the panel. Once again there was no answer and Blair became increasingly frustrated. She was beginning to think they would never get out of this damn elevator.

"We are going to be here forever," she spat.

"Don't be so dramatic," he drawled. "People besides us use this elevator, Waldorf. Someone will notice it is not coming and call maintenance or something."

"Well, someone better notice soon. I'm hungry."

He smirked. "You're hungry? That seems too uncivilized for the great Blair Waldorf."

"Oh shut up."

10 MINUTES LATER

"You don't think Serena planned this, do you?" Blair asked. Her and Chuck were sitting side by side across from the door. Their legs were stretched in front of them and she anxiously dragged her heel back and forth across the floor.

"Why would she do this?"

Blair avoided his gaze as she said, "She kept telling me I needed to sit down and talk with you."

"Well," Chuck said appreciatively and when she glanced over at him she saw he was smiling slightly. "Glad to know someone is on my side."

"Oh shut up."

"While I appreciate her support, I doubt she did this. Serena was never the mastermind of schemes and besides, she had no way of knowing that we went in together."

"I'm still blaming her," Blair huffed. "Because I need someone to blame right now."

"I'm just glad it's not me anymore," Chuck tossed back, shifting a bit beside her. His hand dove into his pocket and Blair looked over at him, watching him with scrunched eyebrows.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Trying to find some gum."

"You won't be needing any, Bass," she warned him. "I know how your mind works."

"My gum needs have nothing to do with you, Waldorf." She rolled her eyes and he added, "As much as you would like to think they always do."

"Gross," she scoffed, hitting his arm.

Chuck pulled out a packet of Orbit and offered her a piece before taking out one for himself. Blair considered refusing, if on principle if nothing else, but she was hungry and years of forcing herself to fit in a size 0 had taught her the hunger suppression benefits of chewing gum so she grudgingly took the piece and popped it into her mouth. Several agitated chews later one thing was clear.

She was still damn hungry.

10 minutes later

"Let's play a game," Chuck proposed.

"Let's not."

"It's not one of those games," he drawled. "You like movies, right?"

She didn't respond.

"Let's play the movie game."

He figured this would pique her interest and sure enough she looked over at him and asked, "What's the movie game?"

"I say a title of a movie and you have to name one with my ending letter. For example, Funny Face and-"

"East of Eden," she interrupted.

He grinned and said, "Very good, Waldorf. Either you're a fast learner or you've played this before."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not exactly rocket science."

"North by Northwest."

"To Be or Not to Be."

"Is that even a movie?" He questioned.

"Of course it is," she answered haughtily. "Carole Lombard."

"Oh, how could I have forgotten that one?" He asked dryly. "Um, The Entertainer."

"Is that even a movie?" She echoed with a slight grin.

He shook his head and scoffed, "You just insulted Sir Laurence Olivier. A travesty for an old movie connoisseur such as yourself."

"Rebecca," she answered.

"Sir Laurence Olivier forgives you," he conceded. "An Affair to Remember."

Blair thought for a moment and then smiled brilliantly. "Roman Holiday."

"Ah, the movie you have forced me to watch upwards of ten times."

"It is a wonderful movie," she said fervently, defending the movie until the end. "Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, it's movie magic."

"If you say so."

"And I never forced you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You were free to leave whenever you felt the desire to."

"It wasn't too bad," he admitted. "You were there after all."

His words held no charm, no innuendo, and it made her feel uncomfortable. With those two sentences any levity in the elevator went right out. When she didn't speak his hand edged toward hers on the floor. "Blair-"

"It's your turn," she said abruptly. Her voice sounded strange but she pushed on, anyway. "Roman Holiday."

"I think we've played enough games."

"You're the one who started," she said, fully aware that they were talking about more than just the movie game.

"And I'm ready to get serious." His hand covered hers. "I want this, Blair."

"Oh really?" She answered lightly, pulling her hand from beneath his and setting it on her lap. "You wanted this so badly that you let me go off to Tuscany on my own and wait days for you only to discover that you were never coming? That really sounds like you wanting this."

"And I regret that every day."

"It doesn't matter. I have Marcus now," she told him.

"Ah, your dashing Lord."

"My dashing English Lord," she said resolutely, proud of his pedigree. "He is a perfect gentleman."

"A perfect bore."

"He respects me," she said.

"But doesn't know how to kiss you so that you don't remember your own name."

"That was once," she hissed.

"And memorable."

"He really cares for me."

Chuck hesitated but then said, "Does he love you?"

She looked at him harshly and said, "You have no right to ask."

"He doesn't."

"What makes you so sure?"

His voice was soft as he said, "He will never look at you the way I do."

She looked at him for a moment and then in a weary voice said, "In case you failed to notice, Chuck, you've lost this game."

Sadly she was referring to both games. He couldn't think of one damn movie that started with a y. He sighed heavily and leaned his head against the wall. He knew he should say it. That was all she wanted.

Three words.

Eight letters.

But saying it would be letting go of everything that he had held onto so tightly for the past seventeen years of his life. It would mean giving himself to someone else completely. It would mean having to take responsibility for his actions and growing up.

It would mean having her.

"Blair, I-"

The elevator jolted into movement and just like that he lost his courage. He stood and reached down for her. She took his hand as she stood up onto her stilettos. He didn't let go of her hand and she didn't tell him to.

"We're moving," she breathed out.

Her cheeks were flushed with excitement and without thinking he crashed his lips into hers and drank her in as her mouth opened to him. Perhaps it was the rush of finally moving or the sudden change in altitude altered her mental state but she threaded her fingers through his hair, bringing his face closer to hers as her body pressed against his. The kiss was passionate and fervent. Just like them. They broke apart just as they reached the Van der Woodsen apartment. She was the one to pull away, her cheeks flushed and lips raw and swollen.

"We shouldn't have done that," she said, her fingers covering her lips. "This..this did not happen."

"The hell it didn't," he growled, his arms still around her waist. He ducked his lips to meet hers again but she pulled away and twisted from his arms.

"Momentary insanity," she told him as she moved from the elevator and glided into the Van der Woodsen apartment. He sighed and followed her. It seemed that Blair would pretend that it hadn't happened. Oh well, that was expected. Blair never gave in easy. And neither did he.

He was back in the game.

A/N: Well, thoughts?