FOREVER YOUNG
Summary: Sequel to Variations on a Theme: La Vie En Rose. The children of Chuck and Blair Bass, Dan and Serena Humphrey, and Nate and Jenny Archibald grow up and experience life, love and loss... and use their parents' tangled past as a compass through it all. A Team Endgame (CB+DS+NJ), post-season 6 AU fic.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Gossip Girl universe, not even (sadly) Chuck or Nate. Major props to Cecily von Ziegesar, the CW, the producers, actors, and crew, and everyone involved with bringing these amazing characters to life.
Dedicated to Where's Waldorf/redonesie. Happy belated birthday, dear!
Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while
Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?
September 2033.
Lia Bass walked into the grand foyer of the Bass family townhome, dropping her Constance jacket on the foyer table. Normally she wouldn't mind hanging it. Although their parents never fussed much about little things like that (that was what the help was for, Chuck and Blair would have said), the fear of Dorota had been placed into all the Bass children since infancy. But today, Lia was greatly annoyed that her afterschool time had been cut short by this impromptu family meeting, especially when she was trying her very best to dethrone Philomena Sparks.
It was quite... humiliating that a mere freshman would dare challenge her reign, Lia thought. Never mind that Lia had been the first freshman in Constance history to be Queen. Even her mother Blair hadn't managed that particular feat until the end of sophomore year. It was a point of pride for the younger of the Bass twins. The fact that their older brother Henry had been a popular, dangerously handsome senior had only helped matters.
But ever since Spring Break – and Henry's discovery of her secret relationship with his best friend Alex– Lia Bass had been off her game.
The fight between Henry Bass and Alex Archibald at the Bass family chalet had been the stuff that Upper East Side legends were made of! What happened in Austria apparently didn't stay in Austria, she thought angrily. Especially when dumb Henry gave Alex a black eye... and stupid Alex bruised Henry's jaw. Dumb, stupid, idiotic boys.
Lia had to spend the rest of the break at the Lyon chateau with only her BFF Sam for company... Sam Humphrey, who'd just begun to warm up a little to Henry... then Sam who declared she'd hate Henry forever for being such a stupid, chauvinistic, sexist male pig after he'd fought with Alex.
When Lia got back to Constance, things had been awful. That was because of her twin sister Ellie's pregnancy scare. Of course, it had been an eighth grader, Philomena, who'd done the hacking into Ellie's personal cloud and learned about the test results. Although they were negative, the fact that a Bass girl had actually taken a pregnancy test spoke volumes. That juicy tidbit hadn't just made the social media rounds or Gossip Girl; it landed on Page Six. (The Times and The New Yorker would have run an essay about it, given the public's fascination with all things Bass, but their extended family's sheer power and influence was able to stop that little story in its tracks.)
But neither the Bass billions, nor Uncle Nate's political power, nor Uncle Dan's poison pen, had been able to stop the rumors from flying fast and furious at Constance or St. Jude's. While Henry's exploits were the stuff of school legend, the Bass twins were depicted as incorrigible sluts. It had actually been a very romantic ski trip before stupid Henry played cockblocking big brother, but now it was known as "the orgy in the Alps" in the annals of both schools.
Not even Lia's best social savvy had been able to save the situation. And what was worse, their parents knew every single detail. (Chuck spent a good month of Sunday dinners muttering darkly over the fact that Blair had vetoed personal bodyguards for the children, to which Blair replied: "I regret nothing.") Everyone, including their parents, knew that Ellie had lost her V-card. Everyone, including their parents, assumed Lia had (although she hadn't). So the Bass twins had their freedom restricted accordingly.
"That's totally unfair, Mom!" Ellie, usually the more easygoing of the twins raged when she was informed of her card's new limit after the fallout subsided in the spring. "Dad's already had Dex sent God-knows-where and I'll never see him again! Now, you're imposing a five thousand dollar per month limit? Our car service is suspended? We have a curfew?"
"Apparently, we're now Humphreys," Lia had murmured dryly. "No money and no transportation means we're being locked in our Bass tower. I always knew Dad was stuck in the Dark Ages, Mom, but I wouldn't have expected this from you..."
"And I expected my girls to conduct themselves as ladies," Blair had replied in a steely voice. "With great privilege comes great responsibility. Just because you're in high school doesn't mean the rules of this household have changed."
"I didn't know there was a no-sex rule," Lia snapped. "Especially considering what our big brother was allowed to get away with, and our parents' infamous appetites for..."
Blair's eyes narrowed. "Lillian Cornelia Bass, have you forgotten who you're talking to?"
"Have you?"
Lia's arms folded. Inside she was trembling (because this was Mom, Blair Waldorf Bass, the 5'4" woman who could make hundreds of employees across the Bass Industries and Waldorf Design empires shake in their boots, grand dame of the Upper East Side, Queen of Manhattan). But outwardly Lia stood her ground. Because she had a point to make!
Besides, didn't everyone say she was just like her mother?
"Lillian."
"Mom. If these rumors had been about Henry, we wouldn't be having this conversation at all. Even the press would be applauding! 'Like father, like son.' Women are supposed to be equal, it's the twenty-first century! It's not fair that Ellie and I are held to a completely different standard than Henry is, and you know it!"
Blair didn't say anything. Daughter and mother engaged in a staring match that seemed to have no end in sight... for Lia was indeed just like her mother. So Ellie served as mediator (as always).
"Mommy, we're just asking you to reconsider," Ellie pleaded. "You're not just punishing me and Li, you're also punishing Sam and Chlo. They didn't do anything wrong and you know it's a huge help to Auntie S to have our driver take the girls wherever they need to go. You know it would be a lot for her and Uncle Dan to afford on their own, and well... it is Constance."
Sigh. "Sometimes, Eleanor, I wonder if you're not really your Auntie S's child," Blair said. "You're certainly more like her than even her own daughters are."
A toss of the head, a shrug, and a giggle. And Blair was as charmed as when her best friend and sister-in-law did it.
"Fine. I'll have my assistant call our car service and reinstate both of your individual privileges..."
"Yes!" said both twins in unison.
"...with the provision that the driver logs where you go, and that you message me and Dad whenever you go anywhere that isn't school or home."
"What? Not fair!" Lia had cried.
"What about our cash flow, Mommy?" Ellie asked. "You seriously don't want us to even hang out with our friends?"
Blair ignored Lia. "You're going to have to talk with your father about that..."
Of course, Chuck had been unyielding. For the first time in their lives, not even the best of their "Daddy's little girl" tricks had worked on Dad. It wasn't until September that their practically limitless credit cards had been restored. As for the summer, it had been one where the girls were practically tethered to their mother. After chafing at being so restricted, Lia and Ellie eventually relaxed and enjoyed the time away from the city.
They'd traveled first to Aunt Jenny's atelier in Paris, then visited with their grandparents... and Aunt Serena and her girls joined them there. Blair and Serena re-lived their youth, and shopped until they dropped, for themselves and their daughters... even Sam left the city with nearly a dozen couture dresses, and double the pairs of shoes.
Then it was time to spend time in the chateau (Lia's favorite spot on the planet), with Dad and Henry joining them toward the end of June. After that, the entire family traveled to Hong Kong, leaving Dad and Henry there... and spent the rest of the summer at Serena's California summer home in Montecito, where Uncle Dan and Rudy joined the group. (Uncle Dan had a book project that wasn't going well so he was particularly grumpy.)
It was the first time Lia could remember that she hadn't spent at least part of the summer in the Hamptons... and it was also odd that she hadn't seen any of the boys from St. Jude's since school ended (which was also a first). So she felt rather odd when she arrived back in town a few days, and arrived at Sybil Chu's party fashionably late the Saturday before school began.
As soon as the Bass twins stepped over the threshold, with the Humphrey girls in tow, the whispering began. Sure, neither of them had been invited, but that never stopped either of them before. They were Basses, princesses royal of New York City... there wasn't a spot on their island where they could not tread. They were the wealthiest, prettiest, and most alluring girls of their generation (especially because Serena van der Woodsen's daughters insisting on dressing as if they were homeless half the time). What did they have to fear?
Well... the likes of Philomena Sparks ruling the roost, for one. For all the girls were hanging on that freshman's every word as if it were gospel. She had fiery red hair, enormous blue eyes, sensual lips, and a flair for fashion that almost equaled Lia Bass'... and to the untrained eye, surpassed it. What she lacked in funds for one-of-a-kind original couture, she made up for with the same unique sass and brass that had made her mother the terror of her parents' generation.
Philomena looked up and her eyes grew chilly.
"Lillian, Eleanor," she cooed. "Samantha and Chloe. It's been ages, darlings! Don't be strangers, do come right over and tell us all your news!"
Lia walked confidently to the middle of the circle to face Philomena. "Welcome to high school, Philomena," she said icily. "I see you haven't changed a bit since summer camp in elementary school."
"You certainly have," sniffed Philomena, looking the older girl up and down. "What on earth has happened to your hair, Lillian?"
Lia's hand instinctively fluttered to the nape of her new pixie cut. "It's all the rage in Paris right now." Goes to show what you know, her almond-shaped amber eyes said.
Philomena chuckled. "Ah, I always did say that Parisian girls' taste is overrated. What works on the runway doesn't necessarily work in the halls of St. Jude's... I see neither your sister nor Serena van der Woodsen's girls have succumbed to the scissors..." some of the girls started to snicker, "...and thank heaven for that. After all, Samantha Humphrey's features are so masculine..."
"I'll make your nose masculine, you bitch," Sam threatened, drawing her fist back. Both twins pulled her back, while her sister just shook her head, and signed to her, "It's not worth it."
"What a bunch of losers," said Philomena to the crowd. "Manly Sam Humphrey, the pride of the junior class, with little sister Chloe Cat's-Got-Her-Tongue. Slutty Ellie, spreading her legs for a shiftless Baizen. And poor little Lia, who's hopelessly in love with her cousin... an affliction that both you and your brother apparently share!"
"You filthy little liar!" raged Sam. To the other girls, she snapped, "Are the rest of you going to listen to this crap?"
You could have heard a pin drop. Lia instantly sized up the situation. The Sparks girl and her allies had take advantage of the vacuum and apparently done a ton of work in the Hamptons. And there were many, many kids who held grudges.
Although none of their children were as mean as young Blair had been, or as calculating and scary as young Chuck had been, there were many who felt that Henry, Lia, and Ellie Bass were insufferably elitist... even as they followed their every move, copied their style, and envied their family's wealth and position. Their minions and acquaintances were drawn from a larger circle, but they were closest to their parents' friends – the Archibalds and the Humphreys, and occasionally, the Vanderbilts and the Kishlovskys.
"Philomena Sparks," said Lia calmly. Voice dripping poison, fire flashing from her eyes. "You can't bully us. If you want to make the rest of your time at Constance miserable, do continue as you've been doing. And as for the rest of you, a Bass never forgets."
That was a week and two days ago. Lia had spent the first seven days of the school year doing two things: establishing her natural academic dominance, and putting the pieces of her plan into place.
And now, her parents decided to call a family dinner. She didn't get it. Henry was at Columbia, and Ellie had ballet. (Lia had piano, but she was so naturally inclined toward it that she sometimes blew off her lessons, preferring to just play after dinner before her mother's cut-off hour of ten o' clock pm. It helped her clear her head.) Her father was on the jet home from Singapore for most of the day. What could be so important?
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad man…
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Ellie Bass hadn't been to a single ballet lesson all year long. Not even her twin sister could know... and she hated keeping things away from Lia. Although everyone knew that Sam and Lia were best friends, Lia and Ellie had shared a womb. This meant that it was difficult to hide the truth, and to lie was impossible...
"Dex, please, we have to stop," Ellie said just then, buttoning her blouse with shaky fingers. She'd told her boyfriend that they had to be careful, but each time, they both got so caught up in each other that it was difficult.
But his mouth was on her neck. Ellie couldn't contain her reaction. How could something so wrong feel so right?
She'd been friends with Dexter Baizen ever since they were very young. His mother, Penelope Shafai, was an old friend of Blair's who'd hooked up with his father as a drunken summer fling when she was between her second and third years of Harvard Law. That led to a shotgun wedding (literally) and a short, disastrous marriage. Penelope passed the bar, "dumped the bum" (as she put it) and was now one of the wealthiest litigators in the city.
The one thing that Ellie remembered was that her parents always argued about the kind of boy Dex really was. Blair observed to Chuck whenever she thought Ellie couldn't overhear that "Dexter is nothing like his father, or his mother for that matter, and thank God." To which Chuck would always reply, dryly, "Blood will always out... there's a reason Henry doesn't much care for him." (Blair: "Then how do we explain you, Chuck Bass?" And her parents would exchange meaningful looks that Ellie didn't even want to begin to understand.)
Ellie had loved Dex from the beginning. She couldn't remember a time when his dashing, dark good looks didn't make her heart beat fast, even when they were small children. And the feeling was more than mutual.
When Ellie was nine and Dex was almost-but-not-quite twelve, the children all went to the Brooklyn Public Library for a puppet show. (The Humphreys were babysitting.) During the show, when Aunt Serena and Uncle Dan disappeared together (which they often did), Dex tapped Ellie's shoulder, saying he had to show her something... they slipped away from the crowd, first Dex, then Ellie, sneaking, and then running out of the building...
Ellie couldn't remember how many blocks they walked before Dex stopped right beside a beech tree.
"Here it is."
And there, carved into the wood, was something that made Eleanor Bass smile.
D.B. + E.B.
And around their initials, encircling it, enclosing it was a heart.
"Ellie, I..." he stammered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I like you. I really like you. You know that, don't you?"
She was blushing, but didn't look away as she nodded.
"And... and you. You like me too, right?"
Her voice came out as a whisper. "Yes."
"I... we're just kids, Ellie. But someday, we won't be. I carved this so you'll always remember. Remember us. Remember me."
"Oh, Dex. I don't even need to remember that. How could I ever forget you?"
And then he kissed her. Softly, innocently. First, on the cheek, like a whisper of breath, feather light. Then on the back of her hand, oh so gently.
That was all. Despite their famous last names, neither Dex nor Ellie were ready for more in that moment. And during the next few years, when Dex was ready and Ellie wasn't, he guarded her like a silent sentinel, a constant friend to Alex Archibald primarily because it put him in her orbit, jealously guarding her from any boy who dared get too close to her...
"Dex's getting a little crazy, El," observed Sam dryly as usually-quiet Dex shredded a boy who'd copped a feel of Ellie's boob during Chloe's thirteenth birthday party, the spring of the twins' eighth grade year. "And possessive. I'd watch out."
"Sam," said Lia patiently. "El's the little sister and the daughter of two crazy, possessive Bass men. Forgive her if she thinks that's what guys who like you are supposed to do." Ellie didn't miss her sister's glowering in the direction of Al Archibald (who was totally looking down Ashley Stein's blouse as he chatted her up).
The summer she was fourteen and he was seventeen, things between Dex and Ellie began to heat up. It was in France, right before the horseback ride that they'd shared their first heated kisses in the stall after Al and Henry's horses had been drenched by her sister. Then, after Dex suddenly was sent home, she didn't see him until they all arrived in the Hamptons...
...and gave new meaning to hotter than July. Dexter Baizen was making Eleanor Bass feel things that she had no right to feel... that a good girl shouldn't want to feel... making out in abandoned sheds and back bedrooms... doing everything but... almost but not quite going all the way...because she was a good girl... and besides, her parents would kill her.
For all that, their relationship was far more than stolen corners. Dex and Ellie really did enjoy each other's company. The parents of four alpha people, Carter Baizen's son and Chuck Bass' daughter were quieter. They preferred the sidelines and the shadows, and both enjoyed noticing (and talking over with each other) the little things.
"Do you think something's going on with Al's parents?" Dex asked as they walked the beach early one morning before anyone else was up.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because they used to live together, and now they don't. His mother barely comes to the States anymore, and his father barely leaves."
"That's because she's a designer with a label based in New York, London, and Paris, and he's the Senate majority whip," Ellie pointed out. "Imagine what the taxpayers would say if Uncle Nate was jetsetting every week? Besides, he and Aunt J seemed really cozy in France... not disgustingly so like my mom and dad, but like normal old people. They really love each other."
"Maybe you're right. But I don't know, El," said Dex, a child of divorce, more slowly. "Al's not talking about it, but I can tell it's getting to him. I think he misses his Mom, and wishes she would just live in New York with his Dad. He just doesn't know how to fix it."
"Oh, is that why he refuses to talk to my sister about that kiss?"
Dex shrugged. "That's them."
"Clueless and confused?" she chuckled, low. "That sounds just like my sister and your friend!"
He suddenly spun her around on the sand and drew her close.
"Glad that's not our problem," he murmured, staring at her as if he wanted to memorize her features, then reeling her in for a perfect kiss.
The irony was that it wasn't until the ski trip that Ellie lost her V-card. Sure, she wasn't quite fifteen yet, so she was scandalously young, but things just felt so right. It was after an amazing day on the slopes. Lia and Sam and Henry and Al had gone out on the town... Ellie and Dex begged off, saying they were tired from all the skiing. Soon they were engrossed in a corny 1960s musical that none of the others were interested in. They had the place to themselves, one thing led to another, and...
Dex made it so special for her. Ellie loved being with him like that, so close, with nothing between them. With him, she could never be afraid... she didn't feel self-conscious about how she looked or what he was thinking about her... everything was just right. Perfect, in fact.
The next day, Henry caught Al and Lia playing around on the slopes, put two and two together, and then proceeded to completely and totally lose his shit. That was a fight for the ages... snapshots and even video of the two heirs and former best friends brawling in the snow landed all over the international media and even sparked a national conversation in the United States about "rich boys behaving badly."
Of course, Lia had betrayed her! She'd found the condoms in Ellie's luggage when she was "borrowing" a sweater from her, and it hadn't taken much to put two and two together. Lia was all giggles and imploring questions the night before Henry caught her with Alex... but of course, she used every tool in her arsenal in her fight with their older brother.
"Goes to show what you know, Henry Bass! While you're so busy cockblocking your best friend? Dex Baizen is screwing your other little sister's brains out!"
Ellie could have killed Lia that day. Henry had pummeled Dex, then called their parents and told everything. Normally, Ellie adored her big brother. But after he ruined her and Dex, she really wished he'd drop dead!
It had been six months since she'd seen Dex anytime except for during the ballet lessons she pretended to go to... the first time in her lifetime she could remember not being with him every day. An hour every other week wasn't enough...
Ellie looked over her shoulder, watching him watch her as she finished buttoning her Constance uniform blouse.
"What's wrong, baby?"
"It's not fair, Dex."
"What isn't?"
"That we can't be together all the time."
She turned back around, tears filling her eyes. Hugging herself... but she knew he'd come to her. He always did.
Was there ever a boy so wonderful? Ellie loved the way Dex pulled her back against his chest.
"Dex, I'm sorry, I'm being silly."
"No, you're not. It's frustrating for me too. But you know, we won't always be fifteen and seventeen. I'm off to college next year... and you'll be there two years after that... and this will seem like nothing."
He kissed her ear, and Ellie's eyes shut as she savored the soft press of his perfect lips.
"El, I love you," he said.
She inhaled. "I love you too, D," she said. "So much."
Now, she had to go to this stupid family meeting, Ellie thought resentfully, walking out of Dex's mom's apartment. She didn't want to. Although she'd forgiven Lia for her blabbermouth, it would be a long time before she'd forget what Henry did. For even though there was a time when Ellie Bass thought her big brother was everything...
...that honor now belonged to another boy.
Oh, Dex. I miss you so much!
I'm going to find a way to see you...
...somehow.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Fear not when, fear not why, fear not much while we're alive
Life is for living, not living up tight, see ya somewhere up in the sky
Fear not dying, I'll be alive for a million years, bye bye
So not for legends, I'm forever young, my name shall survive…
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Henry Bass' fathoms-deep dark eyes rolled to the top of his head when his smartphone buzzed for the third time in five minutes. For a second, he thought about ignoring it. But knowing his parents, they'd had kill switches installed on each Bass limo to ensure compliance from their children…
"Yeah?"
"Henry, where are you?"
Groan. "Mom, I'm just leaving the Upper West Side…"
"Not according to my app. Since when did Westchester County merge into the city? Did I miss something? What are you doing up there?"
"Do you really want me to answer that, Mother?"
He could feel Blair's glare through the cellular connection. "Never mind, I don't want to know any more. Just…"
"Stop by the dorm, take a shower, put on a suit, and don't forget to wear a tie." He paused for a beat. "Got it."
Sigh. "I just wish you'd settle down, Henry…"
"Mom, I'm eighteen. Just because you and Dad have been joined at the hip since you were four doesn't mean that it's normal."
When she didn't say anything back, he knew he'd gone too far.
"Mom, I'm…"
"Seven," Blair cut him off. "We're looking forward to seeing you. Bring your overnight bag. You can go back to Columbia in the morning."
"Mom…"
The dial tone sounded in his ear. Before he could react, his phone rang again. Cracking a grin, he picked it up.
"Hey, Dad."
"Hey. Is Mom right there?"
"She is."
"Why is she being so… so…"
"So Blair?" Chuck finished. "You'll see at dinner. We've something to share with everyone."
Henry suddenly perked up.
"Everyone as in… the Humphreys and Archibalds?"
"Thankfully, no," Chuck said. "This will be a Humphrey-free event. Basses only."
He felt a little deflated, even as he chuckled. "Come on, Dad. Your sister and your best friend both married Humphreys…"
"A fact that signals their distinct lack of intelligence and good judgment." Chuck cleared his throat. "After dinner, you and I should also discuss your summer internship."
"There's nothing to discuss, Dad. I'm coming to BI. Right?"
"There have been some… developments on that end. I'll share more in due course. Get here safely, and for the sake of your mother, not a minute after seven."
"Sure thing, Dad. See you soon."
He hung up. A meeting just for the immediate family? Wonder what this is all about? And no Humphreys… hope Dad and Uncle Dan aren't at war again…
Henry had been listening to his father's sly jabs about Humphreys his entire life. Although his Aunt Serena and his Uncle Nate both married Humphreys, Henry knew that Chuck Bass' Humphrey snark was generally directed toward Uncle Dan. Chuck Bass and Dan Humphrey would have likely remained enemies if they hadn't married best friends. Henry's Dad disagreed with everything Uncle Dan did. And, judging from what Henry had gathered over the years, the feeling was more than mutual on Uncle Dan's part.
He didn't really care, though. Of course, growing up, he'd hung out with Alexander Archibald a lot more than the Humphreys. Sam and Chloe were a few years his junior, and Randy was younger still... Dan and Serena's youngest son wasn't even in high school yet, and Henry was a freshman at Columbia...
...a Columbia freshman who was seriously smitten with Constance junior Samantha Celia Humphrey.
Henry couldn't even remember a time when he didn't have Sam on the brain. He wasn't old enough to remember when she was born, but Aunt Serena always laughed about the way her four year old nephew stood over her cradle like a silent sentinel, watching her with his basilisk-like Bass gaze (okay, perhaps Auntie S didn't use the word "basilisk"... that might have been Uncle Dan). His first memories of Sam were of a little girl so exquisite that people on the street would stop to stare at her, to loudly and vocally proclaim that she was the most beautiful child they'd ever seen.
And she was. Henry knew that Sam lamented not being a statuesque blonde like her stunning mother Serena, pretty little sister Chloe, and cool Aunt Jenny. But her midnight dark hair made her gorgeous, almond-shaped royal blue eyes that much more dramatic. Her rose petals complexion was perfect... she didn't get that skin from the Humphreys or the van der Woodsens... but she had the most soft, most amazing skin Henry Bass had ever touched.
When he was younger, he didn't think much of it... he just would grab her hand if she went to touch something that she shouldn't, or to bring her over to Mom or Aunt Serena for one reason or the other. But before their cold war, Henry had found himself making excuses to be near her… at holiday dinners… at the interminable parties everyone in their set attended… when she was visiting the Basses, or he was visiting the Humphreys.
Then it was almost as if Sam went into a cocoon. She hacked off her glorious waist-length dark hair with a pair of scissors... Henry remembered how his mother had screamed and raged at her young niece.
"Auntie B, it's just hair," shrugged Sam. "It'll grow back."
Sam began to hide her slender, young body in shapeless clothing, and went around looking unkempt. When Henry remarked about this, Sam just shrugged.
"None of that matters to me, Hank," she told him, with all of the earnestness that a twelve-year-old could muster. (Samantha Humphrey was the only person who could call Henry Bass 'Hank'... and live.) "I'm not like the superficial bimbos in your harem. I mean, why do girls have to get their hair done and wear dresses anyway? I think it's silly and boring."
"Ah, but there's nothing more beautiful than a beautiful girl," he remembered telling her, all of fourteen, smoothing back her hair, "with beautiful curls, and beautiful eyes, who enhances her beauty instead of hiding it..."
"Why?" The look on her face was a very Humphrey one, a look of commoner superiority that frustrated the hell out of his parents... but intrigued the hell out of him.
"Why would you hide a rose beneath a basket, Samantha?" Henry drawled. "All it will do is shrivel and die... and beauty should be seen... enjoyed... ravished..."
"Yuck, that's nasty, Hank," she replied. "You sound like a bad romance on Kindle."
Henry lifted his patrician jaw arrogantly. "There are girls who would kill to have me talk to them that way."
"Then heaven forbid I ever become one of those pathetic loser girls," snapped Sam. "It doesn't matter what's on the outside, Hank. What matters is what's up here," she pointed to her head, "and what's here," and she pointed to her heart.
Well, Samantha Humphrey certainly was in Henry's head and heart. He'd spent his entire time at St. Jude's romancing every single pretty girl who passed through Constance's doors. His conquests were legion, and he was widely rated as the most desirable guy at school. Although he was in college, his reputation and legend had surpassed even his father's… after all, Dad spent most of St. Jude's totally in love with Mom, and Gossip Girl had documented the entire affair. But no girl had ever captured the younger Bass' heart. Many tried… all failed.
Of course, Alex Archibald, now a senior, had taken his place as King of Constance. But there was no way in hell that a kid who was half-Archibald and half-Humphrey would ever match up to the progeny of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf in sheer seduction. It just wasn't happening. Not in their parents' generation… and certainly not in theirs.
Not to mention the fact that Alexander had spent their entire childhood thinking of his baby sister in the same way that he thought about Sam!
Henry was not okay with that. Lia was just a little kid! At least Sam was sixteen...
Well, she'd still been fourteen the summer that she sprayed their horses with water and got everyone in trouble…
Wetting her white tank top in the process. A tank top that she hadn't bothered even to throw on a bra underneath ("in typical crass Humphrey fashion," his mother would have said).
Even now, more than a year later, Henry's mouth watered, remembering the delicious sight. For no matter how many girls he'd bedded since then, he didn't think he'd ever be satisfied until he knew whether her breasts tasted as delectable as they looked.
And she was innocent. Even his own sisters hadn't managed to get all the way to sixteen with their virginity intact. (Every time he thought of it, Henry could just kill Dex Baizen and... and... that Archibald who called himself his best friend all over again. The fact that he'd been initiated into manhood by Abby Collins at the tender age of fourteen on the St. Jude's balcony after school didn't matter… Lia and Ellie were his baby sisters.)
Sam Humphrey wasn't interested in popularity, or boys... he'd had a bad summer of wondering if she was into girls, but her very vocal crush on this dipshit looking author guy named John Green, and the fanpages all over her cloud, proved to Henry that his Sam was straight as an arrow.
Henry loved everything about Sam. He loved even the things that he didn't quite get about her. As different as they were, as much as he cared about appearances and the norms of the elite, as much as he knew that she didn't care, he knew that she was his match...
A match that wasn't talking to him at the moment, because as she told him, he was an asshole.
A match that even the buxom redhead he'd left in her Westchester County bed with a smile on her face couldn't make him stop wanting.
A match that…
His phone rang. Alexander. Glaring at the screen, Henry almost didn't answer. However, his former best friend never used the voice function of his phone… a fact that amused Uncle Nate, but frustrated Aunt Jenny to no end. If he were actually calling…
He picked up the call. "Archibald. I assume you've been thinking up an appropriate apology for being inappropriate with…"
"Henry, I'm sorry, man, but that's not what I'm calling for."
Henry frowned. "You sound terrible. What's wrong? Cold? Flu? Dying of pneumonia?"
That's when Henry heard Al choke on a sob. Always affable Alexander Archibald, who never raised his voice, cursed, or even frowned… crying.
"Henry, it's my dad," he said. "He's in the hospital. He's had a heart attack…"
"A heart attack?" Henry's blood ran cold in his veins. "But he's not even… is he…"
"He's in emergency. We just got here…"
"What happened?"
"We were at the athletic club, playing squash, and everything was fine. Then he grabbed his arm, and…"
"Where's your mom? In Paris still?"
"No, she's here, thank God. But Mom is... she can't even… and the press wants to talk to her… and they were all in her face… I think I punched someone from WABC so we could get through the doors. On national TV." Al sniffed. "When Dad comes to, he's going to love that."
"Fuck the press." Henry had already pulled out his tablet and was messaging his Dad. "Have you contacted anyone?"
"No. It all just happened… we just got here five minutes ago. They rushed him into the operating room… listen, Henry, I know you and me have been at odds lately… but man, I can't even think…"
"You don't have to think," Henry assured him. "Not at a time like this. That is what a best friend is for. To think for you."
"Dude, I'm sorry about Lia and how I…"
"Let's not worry about that right now," Henry said. "I'm going to call my parents. You just stay with Aunt Jenny till Uncle Nate gets out of surgery, okay?"
"Okay, man, it's just that… Henry, he's my Dad."
"And he's my godfather, uncle, and Senator. Uncle Nate is going to be fine. Mom and Dad will be on their way as soon as I call, if they aren't already. Your job is to keep your Mom calm."
"Okay. Thanks, man."
"Don't mention it. Get off the phone. We'll be there before you know it."
Henry hung up. A text message popped up in response to the one he'd sent his Dad.
H - J texted your Mom. On our way to Lenox now. Meet us at home.
He glared and shut his tablet's case. So the kids were supposed to twiddle their fingers and sit at home while their favorite uncle's life was on the line? Usually Chuck and Blair's word was law, but...
His phone lit up. It was Lia.
"Hen?"
"Hey, Li. You've heard?"
"Yeah. Mom called me. Did they reach you?"
"They did. Are you and Ellie at home?"
"Yes." Pause. "What do you want us to do?"
Henry marveled, despite his concern for Uncle Nate, over the way a crisis had catapulted him from Bass Twin Enemy Number One to Heroic Big Brother.
"Stay there. I'm in my limo and can swing by to pick you up. Do Aunt Serena and Uncle Dan know yet?"
"I texted Sam. She says if we go to the hospital, she wants to go. But she's all the way on the West Side, and…"
"Don't worry," Henry cut his sister off. "I've got her. Stay put, I'll be there in 30."
"All right. And… Hen?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"I love you… and I'm sorry."
Henry smirked, feeling genuine warmth for his headstrong, bold, and amazing little sister.
"Love you too, Li. Tell El to sit tight… I'll swing by, pick up the Humphreys, and we'll be there with Al within the hour."
He hung up the phone. As a Bass, he wasn't much for prayer, but he sincerely hoped that his Uncle Nate would be okay. (And once he was, perhaps he'd listen to Henry's Mom about his frat-house diet… eating pizza, French fries and burgers was okay in college, but not so much when you were a fortysomething Senator, House Majority Whip, and a leading contender for the next presidential race.)
Another, more selfish, essentially Bassian part of him had more pressing thoughts.
There's nothing like a tragedy to bring people together…
What will you say when you see me today, Samantha Humphrey?
What will you say?
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever and ever…
Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever young.
~the end… or the beginning?~
A/N: I've had this file on my drive since November 2012. Then came the finale, endgame, and Clair de Lune… which meant this little story got lost in the shuffle. Where's Waldorf began her wonderful fic These Kids, and everyone else began writing their postcanon takes on Chuck and Blair's kids and their friends, and I just didn't feel this was up to snuff. (The very best in this genre, in my opinion, is my Chairy godmother Maryl's I Told You, which is up there with Fake Empire in its epic scope… everyone in fandom who ships Chuck and Blair should read it.)
Honestly, this is not my best work, and not sure when I'll get back to this, or if I'll complete it, but I wanted you to have it, dear readers and friends. Think of it as my way of saying "thank you."
The most important change in this fic is that the FF is different, so that Henry has kids from our gang who are closer to his age. So here's what happened with the Team Endgame couples:
- Chuck and Blair marry in December 2012, and have Henry three years later, in 2015. The twins, Lia and Ellie, follow three years later, in 2018.
- Dan and Serena are together starting in December 2012, marry in December 2016 after living together for four years, and have Samantha in 2017, Chloe in 2019, and Randy in 2021.
- Nate and Jenny have a secret one-night stand after Chair's baby shower for Henry in 2015. (When Blair is pregnant with Henry and needs to go out on maternity leave, she forgives Jenny, ends her banishment, and asks her to come on board Waldorf.) Jenny goes back to England after Henry is born to resume her life there, but is pregnant with Alexander. In typical Jenny fashion, she lies and says the kid's dad was a friend from Central St. Martin's, and she's going to raise the kid alone… but of course baby Alex (born in 2016) comes out looking like Nate. Dan confronts Nate, Nate goes to England, gets Jenny and Alexander, and they marry a short time later.
So that's how the backstory here differs. As it stands now, I have three storyverses:
-the P&Cverse, based on Pomp and Circumstance, follows canon up to 5x19, AU after that.
-the Roseverse, based on Variations on a Theme: La Vie en Rose, follows canon up to early season 6, AU after that (so Dan is not Gossip Girl).
-the CdLverse, based on Clair de Lune, follows all of GG canon through and including the 6x10 FF, picks up five hours after the last scene in the TV series.
This was/is a Roseverse story.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend, American lovelies, darlings, jewels, and nonpareils! And to all of you, all over the world, wherever you're reading this… don't you forget about me!
XOXO, Dr. Holland