Chapter 1 of Fire

But true love is a durable fire, in the mind ever burning, never sick, never old, never dead, from itself never turning…

Author: Lyn Lloyd

Summary: Chuck, the orphaned heir to the billionaire Bart Bass, leaves New York in pieces. Blair and the rest of the Upper East Siders are left to question his whereabouts until seven years later, he returns. Blair is set back once again, but once he returns, will the fire that once burned between them still remain?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Rating: PG-15

A/N: I would like to say thanks to my big sister Annie for reading/editing my story!

"But you always find away to keep me right here waiting…"

-Staind "Right Here"

It was not the way she spoke to him, or the way she looked at him that made him angry, but that fact that she cared for someone like him. Sure, you could say he enjoyed feeling sorry for himself, but you could at least try to understand where he was coming from. Though I'm pretty sure you already know why Chuck Bass would hate himself, maybe he wouldn't admit it very often, but when he did, he usually had a glass, a handful of ice and a half empty bottle of scotch. He supported his weight with his elbow leaning against the hotel mini bar. The door was open to the mini-sized refrigerator so that the cold air was stinging his face. Chuck sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve, a bit of blood oozed into his emerald green Armani jacket. The small door slammed as he stood up, his body almost folded over, the alcohol already buzzing through him.

I can't sleep here. It's too small; the bed smells like hookers, and this liquor tastes like dirt.

"A bad sign," He said aloud, concluding his thoughts.

His thoughts drifted from one thing to another, from the room size to…her.

Chuck sat on the floor again too intoxicated to keep standing any longer. His glass sunk into the carpet and the scotch spilled over slightly.

His phone vibrated and a name popped up. Chuck leaned over and clicked the "OK" button. Again, it said "Unknown Caller". He stared at it, unwilling to figure out if he knew the person. Just as he was about to put it down it started ringing.

"Shut up." He moaned and threw his phone across the room. It hit the wall with a crash and fell in pieces on the floor. Chuck stared at it for a moment, but turned away from it quickly. Like he cared, he could just buy another.

Suddenly he drew his attention to his nose which still throbbed from the fist fight he got into with the hotel's "keeper" as he called himself. Chuck chuckled bitterly to himself as he slowly and gently slid his finger down the profile of his nose. He winced and leaned against the side of the bed. He drew out a breath and closed his eyes.

"Please Serena," Blair grabbed onto Serena's arm tightly.

"Ow." Serena pried her friend's fingers off of her, "The ceremony is about to start."

Blair bit her lip and her eyebrows knotted up, "Where is he?"

"Who cares Blair?" Serena sighed, "I thought you were over this?"

"Over what?"

Serena shook her head and put her graduation cap back on, "You know what."

Blair silenced herself and put her cap on too. The seat was uncomfortable, the speakers were a bore. She had been pining over Valedictorian, but ever since Chuck and her starting having sex and actually communicating with each other all she could think about was him. It was hard not to, that was her defense anyway, that she could not not think about him. She would be fine, her grades would remain perfect. Evidently they did not. One "B" and she was not even considered.

She squeezed onto her diploma bitterly, watching the others take theirs. During the ceremony he did not walk up the stage with his usual swagger. A part of her could not believe that he would miss the chance to show off.

"Where's Humphrey?" Blair whispered.

Serena glared at her.

"Congratulations class of 2009!"

Everyone but Blair turned their tassels over and stood up with big smiles on their faces. Serena looked down at Blair and motioned her with her hand to stand up.

Blair looked up and watched Serena as if she were in slow motion. She hesitated and followed suite, she took her cap off and threw it above her head. At the same time though, through the confetti of caps, she did not see him.

Yet, through the disappointment and rage she felt, somewhere deep down in a part she had not listened to in all of her eighteen years, told her that she knew it all along.

"You're not another hooker are you?" Chuck joked to a woman no older than thirty.

She stared at him as he chuckled, "No."

Chuck stopped laughing and rubbed his eyes, "Alright, I'm sorry it was a joke."

"You look too rich to be staying here."

"You look too pretty."

She giggled, forgetting about the hooker joke.

"Sorry Mr. Bass," She stood up, "but I've got another date."

Chuck watched her leave, a smile on his face even though he had lost his prey. The game had been short, but fun.

He slid out of the booth and up the carpeted stairs to his room. The Italian shoes he always wore slipped off easily and the shirt he had been wearing for much too long fell to the floor.

It wasn't until one the next day when he remembered his graduation. He was lying on his bed staring at the smoke stained flower wallpaper when the event finally popped into his mind. A dull smirk formed on his face, like he was missing much.

Blair paced her bedroom; her graduation gown was spread neatly across her bed.

"Serena, where is he?"

Serena stared up at her from Blair's vanity chair, "I told you Blair, probably just, I don't know, at another party or something."

"Serena."

"Blair, you have to stop this," She stood up and grabbed Blair's shoulders, "I think it's time to tell you as a friend to move on."

"From what?"

"Chuck, Blair, Chuck."

Blair stared at her with her big, teary eyes, "But,"

"Blair, come on."

"He said he'd be there."

"I know, Blair, but he said that before and if you can't deal with how he is, then you shouldn't be with him."

Blair glared at Serena, "Just because he isn't perfect like, like Dan or like Nate doesn't mean he's a bad person Serena, you just don't get him like I do."

"Now you're sounding a bit dramatic Blair and delusional when you start calling Dan 'perfect'."

Blair's brown eyes fumed, "Serena, you can't just tell someone to stop caring about a person."

"That's not what I'm asking of you Blair," Serena sighed, "I just want you to realize that Chuck does not want your kind of relationship."

"My kind of relationship?" She pushed Serena's hands off of her shoulders, "Why does everyone say that?"

"Because you have high standards, for a normal guy they are hard to live up to, but for Chuck they are impossibly hard to live up to."

Blair sat down on her bed and sobbed into her hands, "I wanted to be with him again."

"I know you did, but you have to realize that Chuck wants to be Chuck. He doesn't want his name coupled with another."

Blair sighed, "But this is just the first time he's stood me up in awhile."

"I know but he'll just do it again Blair." Serena voice was agitated, "Can't you see that?"

[Seven years later]

Blair shot up in her bed and checked the clock. The words echoed in her mind. She sat up staring straight ahead until they faded away. "Can't you see that?"

"Blair, are you alright?"

She nodded, "Yes, Fredrick, I'm fine."

He smiled at her and rubbed her arm, "Bad dream?"

She nodded again, "Nothing too scary…"

Fredrick kissed her and tried to get back to sleep.

Blair faced him, studying his sleeping face, "Did you have a girlfriend in high school?" She then laughed, "Of course you did."

He opened his eyes, "One, but it wasn't serious."

Blair listened.

"I think her name was Sam." He smiled, "But it didn't last long."

"That's it?" Blair raised her eyebrow, "one girl?"

"Yup." He touched her cheek, "One."

"But that was, what, seven years ago?"

Blair nodded.

"Why do you look so sad?" He whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Because…"

Blair looked down at the blankets, "I had a boyfriend in high school."

"I'll take it that it wasn't a summer fling?"

She shook her head, "No."

Fredrick ran his hand through his blond hair.

"It's just that he left right after graduation and nobody has seen him since."

Fredrick looked surprised, "Really? Was he kidnapped for ransom?"

Blair hit his arm playfully, "No, his father died, he already lost his mother and he was depressed, though I'm sure that your theory is very plausible."

"Oh," He pointed his finger at her, "I see, he's a lost, lonely bad boy."

Blair blushed, embarrassed that she had been figured out.

Fredrick grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers, "Let's not talk about this anymore, in all seriousness."

Blair smiled at him, he was not perfect, and he had been through the prep schools and to the parties, which meant he knew how deep you could get into that kind of stuff. Blair knew she had grown up and found someone who she could accept for their imperfections. She had also figured out that, accepting those imperfections was the only way to love someone.

"You know I'm not surprised."

"About what?" Blair asked.

"Your romances…"

"I wasn't taking the deal because he wouldn't lower the price!" Chuck yelled, facing a long table full of his loyal associates.

"We don't need to worry about price; we need to worry about reputation."

Chuck fumed at his rival, Victor Tolstoy.

"What do you mean by that, Vic?"

"You haven't been promoting anything, our stock has fallen." Victor smirked, "And you're standing there like a buffoon while everyone here is actually trying to think about solutions."

"To what problem exactly?"

"Our reputation, we have no word of mouth, it has flat lined because you don't throw parties, you don't invite our sponsors over."

"Right," Chuck circled around the table, "Vic, you know you're right, why don't you just take over the fucking company yourself and you can make the deals. I never asked to run this place, I wanted to get on that motherfucking plane to Paris and screw all the French women I could lay my hands on."

"But you didn't."

"I wanted to!"

Chuck stared at him, "I could go on about all the things I could've done beside bicker with you about business deals and stocks."

"Sir," A petite woman with glasses hurried in.

"What?"

She jumped, "Um, just that the New York offices are requesting you back."

Victor shot him a look, Chuck ignored it and sighed.

"Tell them I'll think about it."

Victor clenched his teeth and prayed he'd be able to take over the California branches again.

"If you take it Bass, you'll be thousands of miles away from me."

"True."

"All your dreams will come true, no more business deals, no more hiding." Victor smirked.

"I'm the head of this company; don't talk to me like you own more shares than me."

Victor scoffed, "Fine, stay here or go to New York either way you'll be spending the rest of your life stuck in your office like your father."

Chuck held in his anger, "I'll step aside Victor only because I want to, not because I'm doing you a favor."

"Just let me handle the business deals and you can go ahead and hide out in New York."

"I didn't come here to hide out; I came here to finish the expansion Bart had started." Chuck seethed, but continued to hold it in.

Victor swiveled in his chair and faced the other employees, "Okay, everyone tell me your ideas for our next project."

Chuck left the office and wasn't sure if he was upset or overjoyed that everything had finally run its course and he was no longer needed. But, he knew he'd still be questioning his decision for a long time.

Blair sat up and put her robe on, "What time is it?"

Fredrick looked at his watch and leaned against the door frame, "Noon."

"Oh, wow, I slept in late."

Fredrick put his hands in his jean pockets, "I'm going to go out, and I'll probably be home by three."

"Okay, where are you going?"

He smirked, "It's a surprise."

Blair frowned, "I hate surprises."

"What?"

"Just tell me what it is."

Fredrick shook his head.

Blair pouted, "Please."

He walked over to the side of their bed and leaned down to kiss her.

Blair put her hand on his chest, "Come back soon," She whispered suggestively.

Fredrick smiled and kissed her, "Alright, but I promise either way, you won't be upset with it."

The door closed gently, and his footsteps faded until she heard the silence of their large apartment. It was only a block away from where she used to live. The windows were perfectly set into the old building, with white shutters made to open up and sing from. Though she couldn't sing well, she imagined herself doing just that; singing for her love. She smiled at herself, almost chuckling at her girlish thoughts.

The bed she lay on was a vintage, four poster canopy bed with deep carvings of flowers on either end. The headboard towered over her but she liked the sense of intimidation it gave her. It made her feel very important, like a queen or some other diplomat. The cream colored sheets slid smoothly against her bare skin. She touched the side of her arm, a place Fredrick would touch to console her. The king sized bed left her plenty of room to lay spread out on her belly, but she curled herself up into a fetal position and pulled the heavy covers over her head.

Blair stared at her naked self, her brown curls flowing down her back and the sides of her face. It was peaceful just to lay there and think without the constraint of her clothes or of anything else. The more she thought, the more it led her to reminiscing about high school, which, of course, ultimately led her to thinking about Chuck and about the night after graduation.

"We are going to the grad party right?" Serena stood up and grabbed her new Louis Vuitton purse Blair had been eyeing, but of course Serena had to buy it before she even had a chance to put it on hold. And no, she wouldn't even think of buying the same purse as Serena.

"You go." Blair blurted, "I'm tired."

"This is our last night to be together with everyone B." Serena reached out her hand, "Please don't miss this for Chuck."

Blair eyed her and tried to see what her motive was. Why was she so content when Chuck hadn't been heard from? Blair knew Serena. She knew her very well and it wasn't like her to shrug something off. Serena would've helped her in a split second, but now she was begging her to ignore it? Ignore Chuck Bass? Her gut was telling her something was up, something that she evidently had to figure out herself.

"But I want him to be there." Blair admitted, but then she blushed out of the embarrassment of her pitiful confession.

Serena sighed, "Blair, come on, he's not right for you. I know you and Chuck were doing well for a couple of months, but obviously he's returned to his same self. He's leaving you alone on graduation night; he's been ignoring your calls. That is a sure sign Blair that this is going to end up exactly like every other time!"

Blair grit her teeth, "Fine Serena, maybe you're right, but maybe instead of telling me everything I already know, why not at least try to help me, as a friend."

Serena shook her head, "No Blair, I'm tired of getting involved."

Blair opened her eyes; she hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep. The dream made her cringe. The thought of that night, the night her friendship with Serena was slowly fizzled out, reminded her of another agonizing memory she knew her mind was aching to replay. She pulled the covers off her head, her messy brown hair surrounding the pillow, as she stared vacantly at the ceiling above her.

"I need to take a shower." She got up and went into the bathroom.

Blair turned the knobs and put her hand under the running water, well aware of what she was avoiding. She stepped in, letting the water trickle down her body.

The airport was crowded. She took a deep breath, remembering what Chuck's maid had told her:

"Alright Blair, I'll tell you where he is, he's boarding a plane to France."

"Where in France?" Blair snapped.

"Paris of course."

Blair smirked, "Thank you."

She walked around the airport with confidence even though she could hardly see anything through the crowds of eager travelers. The gates were all confusing; she was not used to doing this herself. But a young man dressed in a pilot's uniform walked over to her.

"I've been watching you; do you need help with anything Miss?"

Blair didn't look up at him, but kept on searching for Chuck's brooding face.

"Miss?"

"Huh?" Blair stared up at him. The young man was tall; with nicely cut blond hair and a cheerful smile on his classically handsome face.

"I'm Fredrick Duke." He reached out his hand, "You need help with anything?"

"I-I'm trying to find the next flight to France." Blair gulped.

"That's too bad, right as I get home; you have to fly halfway around the world."

Blair was shocked by how upfront he was.

"Well, before I can help you I have to know your name, it's in the manual." He joked.

"Waldorf, Blair Waldorf." She wasn't the least bit charmed at the time, because she was only focused on finding Chuck.

He led her down the large airport until she found gate 9B.

"Here you are Miss Blair."

Blair didn't notice Mr. Duke leave or notice when he turned back to look at her again. She only noticed the handsome figure, with his head downcast holding a first class ticket to France in his hand. She couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't using his private jet. Maybe, she thought to herself, it would've been too lonely.

"Chuck!" She yelled.

Chuck kept his head down.

She fumed at the thought that he couldn't hear her so she yelled his name again, "Chuck!"

"Is he deaf?" She said aloud. But as she yelled his name for a third time, he was gone.

Blair covered her face with her hands thinking about the stupid incident. She couldn't believe where she was now with Fredrick Duke, owner and occasionally pilot, of every airport in New York State. Of course now she told herself that it didn't matter, that Chuck was just a past high school romance, that's all. But, why then, did it keep replaying in her mind?

"Mr. Bass?"

Chuck held the phone away from his ear. He pressed his mouth against his cell, "What do you want Victor?"

"You can't go, we need you."

Chuck switched the phone to his left ear, "No, I'm not going."

"Then you'll loose everything Chuck, the board is demanding that you come back to help keep us afloat."

Chuck shook his head in disbelief, "Where are you?"

He could hear the stress in Victor's voice, "California."

"Victor what's the problem? I thought we were doing fine over there?"

"LA isn't being too kind to us."

"Why does it matter if we loose a few offices in California?"

"Because Chuck, this branch means takes in a lot of profit, if we loose this, with how things on going on in our economy, we could risk loosing our office in New York too."

Chuck stared at the back of the seat in front of him, "Maybe I could do this one thing for my father."

"Yes, do this for your father." Victor said firmly.

Chuck hung up, "I'll be leaving the plane." He said to a cute flight attendant who had been eyeing him the entire time.

"You can't just get off."

"I'm Chuck Bass." He smirked, "I can do anything."

"Mr. Bass?"

Chuck looked up.

"Would you like some champagne?"

"Vodka."

His butler, Vincent, nodded and grabbed the bottle from the cupboard.

"Any kind." Chuck added.

Vincent poured him a glass, "How are you feeling?"

Chuck smirked, "Nostalgic."

"Well, Mr. Bass, I'd say something better is ahead of you now." Vincent said.

Immediately he thought of Blair.

Blair wrapped the towel around her. She opened the door and stared at Fredrick who was dressed in a tuxedo, holding a dress in his arms.

"Ms. Waldorf?"

Blair smiled, but her gut was screaming at her to turn around and lock herself up in the bathroom forever. She loved Fredrick. She hated surprises.

"I have dinner re-"

"Let's have dinner here." She blurted, "I don't want to go out tonight…"

Fredrick frowned at her, "Blair, come on, I planned everything."

"Stop it." Blair snapped, "I don't want to go out, I'm not feeling well."

Fredrick put the dress on their bed, "What's wrong?"

Blair felt bad.

"We can stay in." He sat down the bed and loosened his bow tie.

Blair went to his side, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

Blair kissed his neck and then his cheek, "You're very sweet."

He grabbed her and nibbled on her earlobe, pulling her down on the bed. Suddenly her mind filled with images of Chuck Bass climbing over her, ravishing her all over again.

"Are you sure?" Fredrick whispered.

"Are you sure?" Chuck stared at her; the lights of the city bouncing off his face as the limo drove them through New York City.

"What?" Blair gasped.

"You want to stay in?" Fredrick stared down at her, "Are you sure you want to stay in tonight?"

"Yes."

"Yes…" Blair said to Chuck, nodding her head, before he kissed her again, before he made love to her for the first time.

The words echoed in unison. Every gasp she made as Fredrick made love to her, instantly reminded her of all the times Chuck had made her scream his name. The limo, her bed, his bed…

It all combined into a circle of confusion she wasn't sure she could escape.

To be continued…

A/N: This is just the first chapter, hope you enjoyed it! More will be coming soon! Thank you for reading!