The cold New York wind whistled through Chuck Bass's hair as he stood on the bridge in Central Park, staring down at the iron grey river below, which was frozen over. It was Christmas Eve, and of course he wasn't looking forward to Christmas morning, as usual. Sure, his Father and Step Mother were going to give him some expensive trinkets of no real use to him, and Serena would more than likely be forced into getting something for him, but apart from that, nobody else would feel inclined to give him anything.
It wasn't very hard to see why, now he thought about it. Most people thought of him as the Bitch of New York or the Whore of the Upper East Side. But he completely deserved that. After all…he was Chuck Bass.
Chuck knocked a stray pebble off of the side of the bridge and watched it fall onto the frozen water below him. Even though it was closer to nine o' clock at night, there were many people in the park, looking at the lights and decorations and the Nativity scene in the center of the park.
He re-adjusted his scarf, the better to protect his neck from the frigid wind. The scarf, of course, was just another meaningless obligation from his parents. Yeah, it cost about three hundred dollars, and was an expensive Belmont piece, but it didn't mean anything. It had been given out of a mere obligation to the fact that Chuck had gotten a good grade.
When did Father ever want to give me something just because I was his son? Chuck thought bitterly. He knew how much Bart hated him. Chuck really couldn't blame his father for that. But he'd never been able to see the fairness in his father's hatred. If Chuck had had his way, his mother wouldn't have died giving him birth.
Chuck let out a deep breath, watching the vapor spiral in the air. Despite all the chaos in his life, Chuck at least knew why he was the way he was. Psychologists usually say that the loss of a mother leads to boys becoming…lotharios.
Chuck grinned at the use of the word. He wasn't stupid by any means. And he was…usually careful when he was in bed. Of late, he'd been getting better acquainted with loneliness, seeing as most of the ladies were running away when he introduced himself. Even Blair, his so-called partner in crime, was being unusually distant, something that Gossip Girl was quick to pick up on.
Rubbing his head, Chuck looked around and decided to call it a night. It was cold, and the cheer of others was only reminding him how much he hated the holidays. He was about to turn and leave when he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Jenny hurrying to towards him.
"What do you want?" Chuck said in a tone that suggested he'd rather not talk to her right now. Come to think of it, why would she want to talk to him, after all the crap he'd tried to pull on her?
Jenny looked at him brightly, something which took the young Bass aback quite abruptly. Jenny never usually showed him anything but contempt.
"I just thought I'd give you something." She said cheerfully, handing him a box wrapped in red and blue Christmas paper. "You know…for Christmas…"
Chuck blinked, and took the box, carefully un-wrapping it. He was a little shocked that one of the Humphrey's had spent money, especially on him. There was a small black box underneath all of the paper, which Chuck opened. His eyes widened as he saw a St. Christopher's medal on the soft interior. He looked up at Jenny who was smiling at him warmly.
"Thank you." He said, with such sincerity that he nearly startled himself. What fully shocked him was when Jenny gave him a brief hug.
"Dan and I pulled together to get it for you." She said happily. "Merry Christmas, Chuck!" And with that, Jenny continued down the path, looking rather cheerful.
Chuck looked down at the medal, and put it around his neck thoughtfully. The usual thoughts that crossed his mind whenever somebody was nice to him didn't dawn on him this time. Not many people found it in themselves to act in anyway but disdain towards Chuck, and they had perfectly good reason, seeing as how he rarely ever gave them any reason to.
He was about to turn again, when somebody called his name. He closed his eyes and then turned around, seeing Nate walking towards him, his hands in his pockets. Nate was, as Chuck had constantly said before, his only real friend, and it wasn't that much of a surprise that he was here, looking for Chuck. Well, not as much a surprise as Jenny giving him a Christmas present purely out of good intentions.
"What's up?" Chuck said, slipping back into his cool, calculative persona and trying not to show off the St. Christopher's medal too much.
"You shouldn't be out here in this weather." Nate remarked idly. "Your Dad's worried about you, you know."
Chuck rolled his eyes.
"Let him worry."
Nate shook his head at his friend's stubborn insistence to hate a father that cared about him. However, he didn't pursue the subject, and gave an awkward little cough, before pulling something out of the pocket of his coat.
Chuck Bass felt something then that he hadn't felt in a while. It was almost as though the cold didn't matter. He felt warm inside, and looked up at Nate in what must have been a face full of emotion because Nate looked away briefly.
Silently, he handed Chuck the box, which was wrapped in dark red paper. Whether his fingers were trembling due to the cold or something else, Chuck didn't know. He fumbled with the wrapping paper at first, but then managed to tear an end open. He pulled out a thick book bound in red leather. He opened the inside and to find that it was blank. Turning it over, he found the name "Chuck B. Bass" engraved in gold lettering in the bottom corner.
He looked up at Nate who was not looking away this time.
"I had it tailor made." Nate said quietly. "I mean…Gossip Girl doesn't have to be the only one who's allowed to kiss and tell."
Chuck laughed and he held it his hand. They shook hands and before Chuck could let go, his best friend had pulled him into a brief, one armed hug.
"Merry Christmas, man." Nate said gruffly, before walking in the same direction Jenny had, his hands tucked into his pockets, and his head bent against the cold.
Chuck ran his hand over his engraved name on the back. Nate must have gone through an awful lot to get this journal for him. And Nate was definitely right about Gossip Girl. A grin spread across Chuck's face as he thought of the prospect of turning the tables on the one female in the Upper East Side who had made the lives of all the kids their completely open to one another.
Taking a breath, and looking around cautiously to make sure nobody was going to call him again, Chuck left the bridge and headed for the park's entrance, which was light by the two lamps on the pillars of the stone entrance. He decided to take a cab home, instead of calling for a limo. He stopped, rubbing his hands together before deciding to use his phone. As he did so, he noticed someone amongst a group of girls from the Constance Billard School. One of which he knew all too well.
Serena caught his eye, and turned to the other girls, muttering something to them and heading towards Chuck who tensed himself for a confrontation.
Serena sighed when she was in front of him and then, much to Chuck's amazement, pulled out a rectangular box, which was slightly flatter than the other gifts he'd received.
"Great, now I've gotta get you something before tomorrow morning." Chuck said with an attempt at bravado, though it sounded rather weak. Serena shook her head and smiled.
"Whatever." She handed him the box, which Chuck gave a skeptical glance to.
"Is this a hush present?" he asked.
Serena again shook her head.
"I think the actual term is Christmas present. I'm sorry if showing you compassion melts your heart." She turned and headed back to her friends. Chuck looked after her, but not with the usual exasperation and slight resentment he usually showed her. Even Serena could be bad at hiding her true feelings sometimes. He knew that there was no mischief behind her gift, and when his cab arrived, he decided to open the present.
He had to contain a gasp when he saw what it was. Before he could even register the marvel of Serena's gift, his cell phone buzzed and he checked it. There was a new text message, from Serena.
"Merry Christmas." Is what it read.
And this time, Chuck really did smile. Serena had gotten him an Armani watch, something that would have raised her credit card limit to near maxing. He put the watch box gently on top of the journal and sat back, listening to the Christmas Carol on the radio, smiling as he heard the driver humming along.
He felt just one pang of pity, realizing that he hadn't gotten anybody anything. Still, it was only Christmas Eve, and he had all afternoon tomorrow before he had to go to the Christmas Dinner Party at his father's company. Maybe he could send last minute invitations.
It was snowing when Chuck finally stopped outside the Bass/Van der Woodsen home. He paid his fare, wished the driver a Merry Christmas and went to the front steps, and was about to open the door when he heard his name called out for the third time that night. He turned slowly, and saw Blair standing there, a rather lost look on her face.
Slowly, she walked up the steps to him, looking at the gifts in his hand.
Seconds spiraled passed, in which Chuck wondered what Blair could possibly be doing here at a quarter to ten at night, on Christmas Eve while it was snowing.
"Hey." She said quietly.
"Hey." He answered, looking down, his mind suddenly turning back to those moments past when Blair had been near to ripping his throat out. She walked up the steps, looking him in the eye.
"So…you got some Christmas presents?" she said, with the air of someone commenting on the weather.
"Yeah…from the most unlikely people."
Blair smiled a little. "It is the season of miracles, Chuck Bass. Is it so damn strange for people who hated you to care about you?"
Chuck looked down and then back up at Blair, who saw the answer written on his face.
"Permit me to sound really cheesy, but it's a New Year soon, Chuck, and it's a clean slate. You've got a lot of opportunities to give back to the people who've given to you."
"How?" Chuck asked softly.
Blair touched his cheek lightly with her gloved hand.
"Well for starters…you could try not being such a bitch." She whispered. Chuck laughed slightly, and looked up at Blair who smiled back at him. Slowly, the snow falling on her eyelashes, Blair drew closer to Chuck, her eyes closed. Softly, she kissed him, and he kissed her in return, their lips brushing together gently, though passionately. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart and looked at each other.
"Merry Christmas, Chuck Bass." Blair said softly, before going down the steps, and walking out of sight.
Chuck stood there for several moments, before eventually going inside and heading directly for his room. His father and Lily were at some benefit and wouldn't be back until midnight. Once in his room, he placed the watch and journal on his desk and got silently into his pajamas, and finally crawled into his warm bed.
Maybe he was wrong about Christmas. Maybe there was something for it after all. He looked over at the gifts he'd been given, and then at the ceiling, his lips tingling remembering Blair's gift. The four he'd received were by far the best he'd ever been given in his life.
And with that comforting thought in his mind, Chuck rolled over, and was instantly asleep.
xoxoxoxo ~ Gossip Girl.