A/N: This is a new idea I have for a story. Chuck and Blair will receive a happy ending. I promise. This entire story is dedicated to Abby. Happy Birthday!

I Love You

"Chuck, what are you doing here?" she asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.

She was not in the mood for this. Her encounter with Carter at the bar had left her with nothing but thoughts of bitterness. Carter had informed her of what she had missed.

In her darkest moment, Chuck had abandoned her. In her time of desperate need, he had been pursuing nothing but a common whore. Carter had been a gentleman. He did not make a single solitary move on her, but merely sat there to listen to her endless rant about the thorough destruction of her perfect life. He had even talked her out of drowning her misery in alcohol. Carter had most certainly revealed a side to her that she never knew had existed before tonight. She was by no means developing feelings for him, but she appreciated the fact that he was there for her as a friend.

Chuck did not respond to her question, but merely took both of her hands in his. His dark eyes connected with her own and she felt herself fall into a forbidden abyss.

"I love you Blair," Chuck said without a trace of hesitation in his voice.

He heard a hitch in her steady breathing, but Blair could only stare at him in disbelief. She remained completely still, afraid that even a tiny motion would upset the balance of the moment. Since she had said those three binding words to him, she had been dreaming of this moment. She would replay the magical scene over and over again in her mind and yet, this was not how she had pictured it.

Her heart was beating no faster than it was before. The display of fireworks she had planned remained dormant inside her head. Her mind did not race with a slew of inappropriate thoughts nor did she feel compelled to run her hands through his soft brown hair. He was supposed to have been her prince charming, but all she saw before her at that moment, was a pathetic frog.

"Did you hear me Blair? I said I love you," Chuck repeated, curving his lips into his signature smirk.

Blair snapped out of her thoughts and slowly withdrew her hands from his gentle touch. There was a bittersweet smile upon her angelic face.

"You're too late," she whispered. "I am not an afterthought Chuck. I am a destination."

With that, she walked away from the one man she had ever truly loved. It took every ounce of strength that was left in her fragile body to achieve this, but she knew it was something she had to do for herself.

Chuck stayed rooted to the ground unable to speak and unable to move. Her words continued to echo through his mind. I am not an afterthought Chuck. I am a destination. Blair Waldorf had walked away from him. He had confessed his love for her and still she had walked away from him. When had he ever considered her an afterthought? Then, it came to him. She had found out about his escapade with Elle. He hung his head in shame as a single tear gently rolled down his cheek.

Blair took a deep breath, desperately trying to control her emotions. What had just happened? She put her head gingerly in her hands, as she tried to choke back a sob. The words that Chuck had spat out so mindlessly had shattered her heart in a way she never knew was possible. I don't need your help. Stop trying to play the wife. His words continued to ring in her ears, each time taking another stab at her already wounded heart. Blair shook her head rigorously, hoping to expel her thoughts of Chuck from her mind.

Pull yourself together Waldorf! Following her own advice, Blair slowly rose from the couch. She took a deep breath to compose herself and headed up the stairs towards her bedroom. She stood in front of the mirror and witnessed the mess she had made of herself. I don't need your help. Stop trying to play the wife.

This time, Blair made no effort to control her tears as they streamed down her delicate cheeks. She continued to observe her reflection as each tear was absorbed by the plush carpet beneath her feet. Who did he think he was? She had confessed her love for him; had stood by him through thick and thin.

Her depressing thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on her bedroom door. Chuck! Her lips curved into a smile at the very thought of his presence. She would let him wait. He sure as hell deserved it.

"Miss Blair?"

Blair let out a heavy sigh as she wiped away the remains of her tears.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she struggled to dispel the heart-wrenching memory from her mind. She would never forget the pain that he had caused her that night. She had stayed up all night to wait for him, hoping that he would show up to apologize; to tell her he loved her too. When he had failed to show up, she had repeatedly purged the contents of her stomach throughout the night. In a way, she had still been waiting for him, but it was all too late now. He had failed to rescue her from this nightmare. He had finally pushed her over the edge with Elle.

At that moment, she reasoned that she had meant nothing to Chuck. That had to be why he had pursued Elle. She had been nothing but another one of his conquests. Blair laughed at her own stupidity. She had been there for him when he had needed her the most. In his darkest hour, she had been his shining angel. She did not judge him. She had been willing to wait for him and she did so faithfully. Despite how much he had hurt her and how many times he had so mindlessly torn her heart apart, she had stayed by his side.

Yet, in her moment of dire need, when nothing in the world had been going her way, he had abandoned her without a second thought. He had left her to fend for herself; to save herself when her perfect life had been relentlessly tossed into the flames. Carter had told her how much Elle had meant to him, but Blair knew it too. Otherwise, why would he have wanted to run away with her?

Blair laughed again, but this time it was at the very idea of Chuck having wanted to run away with that common whore. Chuck Bass had been planning to escape with Elle to another country when he couldn't even bring himself to show up for her at a helipad.

Blair realized right then and there that it was no longer about the expression of those three words anymore. What was so special about them? Those words she had desired to hear for so long should have meant the world to her and yet, at that very moment, she wished he would never have said them. Right now, his I love you was worth less than the gum beneath the dirty shoes of a beggar in her eyes.

She was through with Charles Bass. The new Blair Waldorf was going to learn to love no one but herself. He had destroyed enough of her already and he had taken her soul with him. She needed to learn how to let go of the past and embrace the future. She took a step back from the mirror and dried the remains of her previously uncontrollable tears, offering herself a tiny smile. The old Blair Waldorf was now officially dead and buried. The new Blair Waldorf would live for no one else but herself.

Blair woke with a start to the sound of her alarm as the rays of the sun welcomed a brand new morning. She smiled inwardly to herself. This was the day that the world would be introduced to the new Blair Waldorf. She walked over to her closet excitedly and swung the doors wide open. She would pick out the perfect outfit for such an occasion. It would be an outfit that would express that she no longer had a care for the world. She would no longer live her life with expectations; with a plan. The new Blair Waldorf would now live on whim and on her own accord.

"Dorota!" she cried in distress as she stared at the contents of her closet.

Where was her uniform? Where were her clothes? She closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths to prevent herself from fainting.

"Dorota!" she cried again.

The maid bustled into the room, a look of concern upon her face.

"Yes, Miss Blair?"

Blair opened her eyes before turning around to address the maid.

"Dorota, where is my school uniform and where are my beloved clothes?" Blair asked, enunciating each word to make sure Dorota understood her concern.

"Your father construct new room for your clothes. Your school have no uniform no more. You alright Miss Blair?" Dorota responded, confusion evident upon her face.

"What do you mean my school has no uniforms? Since when did I have a separate room for my clothes?"

"Your school abolished uniforms Miss Blair. You asked your father to build new room for your clothes months ago. You no remember Miss Blair? You asked me to burn old clothes. They did not fit new Miss Blair," Dorota explained.

"Pinch me Dorota," Blair demanded.

Dorota was really starting to worry about Blair.

"Pinch you Miss Blair?"

Blair let out a frustrated sigh and pinched herself. Unfortunately, she did not wake up in her bed again. Instead, she felt the sting she had created on her own skin. Blair had a lot of questions, but she would have to ask them cautiously.

"Is my father here Dorota?" Blair questioned.

Dorota laughed. "You play prank on me Miss Blair. Your father is here of course! He married to your mother!"

Blair stared at her with wide eyes.

"What do you mean my father is married to my mother? What happened to Cyrus? What happened to Roman?"

"Miss Blair, you worry me. Cyrus cheat on Eleanor. Your mother reunite with your father after. Roman left your father for other male model. It has been few months. You no remember? We see doctor now," the maid answered her, taking a hold of her wrist.

"No!" Blair shouted, panic evident in her shrill voice. "I remember now Dorota. How silly of me to have forgotten!"

Dorota hesitated, but eventually decided to leave Blair to her thoughts. After Dorota made her departure, Blair positioned herself in front of the mirror. She still looked like Blair Waldorf. Nothing seemed to be out of place.

She approached her closet again and warily opened the doors to examine its contents. There were rows and rows of boxes before her, but a special rose-colored box captured her immediate attention. She retrieved it from its place on the shelf and gingerly removed the leather lid, afraid of disturbing its contents.

Much to her surprise, her eyes fell on a single white envelope. Her name had been scrawled carelessly on the front with a black pen, but the ink had begun to fade. Even so, she could recognize the intricate handwriting on the envelope. Chuck had written a letter to her. She quivered slightly as she opened the crisp envelope and removed the well-worn sheet of paper from its hold. She held her breath as she read the letter through and through. The ink had begun to fade, but she could still make out the words.

Blair,

I have never written a letter before. I never had the need to put my heart on paper. I cannot even begin to make you understand how sorry I am for all the pain that I have caused you. I know I say those words a lot. I can never seem to express them enough whenever I am around you. I know I abandoned you when you needed me the most.

That night when you said you were done with me, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I knew at that moment that that was what you had felt each and every time I had taken advantage of your unconditional love for me. Elle had been a convenient distraction. You are never an afterthought for me Blair. You are my destination.

I know you hate me right now and truthfully, I hate myself, but I meant what I said last night. I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than I love myself. I always have Blair and I always will. I was never able to admit it because I was afraid that when I did, it would change us. I have been a fool. There has never been an us to begin with and the blame rests upon my shoulders.

I honestly have no idea what I want to achieve with this letter, but I want you to know what I feel about you; about us. I hope that in time you will forgive me Blair. No matter what road you choose to travel on in the future, I will always be with you. I will always be by your side.

Chuck

"He wrote you that letter one week after that night, you know."

Blair turned around to address the unfamiliar voice. A beautiful girl stood before her. She was well dressed and definitely came from endless pools of money. Her green eyes were accentuated by the rays of the sun and her hair mirrored the colour of her own.

"Who are you?" Blair asked as a slight fear began to consume her.

"My name is Abby. I am here to show you the consequences of the path you have chosen," she proclaimed.

"What do you mean?"

Abby smiled before continuing. "You were so set on being the new Blair Waldorf, you know? You sent Chuck Bass along his way. He waited for the return of his old Blair, but you never came back."

Blair finally caught on to what was happening.

"This is the future I have carved for myself," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Abby nodded in response to her statement. "This is not a figment of your imagination Blair. You have to live with this future. You promised yourself you would embrace your future and that is exactly what you must do. We cannot turn back the hands of time."

Blair wanted to protest and turned around to confront Abby again, but she found herself staring into nothing but an empty space.