BE THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING, FOR SOON THERE WILL BE NOTHING.

Blair Waldorf trudged her five inch Manolo's through hordes of tourists and New York natives alike, all awaiting the giant glittering ball to drop and welcome the new year. Fourteen minutes to go and still no sign of him. She pulled out her silver phone and reread the text.

Times Square. Tonight. —C.B.

"Where the hell are you?!" Blair cried out into the ruckus she'd been battling for nearly four hours. She hated New Years' Eve. It was simply impossible. Mass amounts of strangers standing around in the slush with sniveling noses and scratchy throats and frozen ears to watch a dumb ball drop three hundred feet? Big deal. She'd rather be inside watching on her mothers' new Sony with a jumbo mug of dark hot cocoa.

Blair tried texting back to ask for a more specific meeting place all day but never got a response. Was this some sort of test? Whatever it was, she wasn't in the mood for it any longer. She attempted a call but was greeted with a recording prompting her to leave a message after the beep. "I've put up with this long enough. I'm in front of the McDonalds if you're wondering," she roared into the phone and hung up. "You're so lucky I love you." Damn him for sending her on a wild goose chase.

Jenny Humphrey clicked along the steps of Union Station while Damien was involved with a cocaine deal inside somewhere. With everyone out celebrating the New Year the place was nearly empty for a Saturday night. It'll be three months next Monday, she thought to herself as she put her hair in a high ponytail. Three months since she left her family and friends without warning for Chicago. Three months since Linda Schilling, CEO of Waldorf Designs Chicago offered her the opportunity of a lifetime that fell through the roof the moment she stepped off the train. Three months since she ran into Damien Dalgaard at a party trying to promote her designs and offered her a hellacious job she just couldn't refuse.

Her phone buzzed and she immediately ignored it. Why wouldn't he stop calling? That only made it all harder. "Should've stayed back in New York," she muttered to herself and stared blankly at Nate's contact photo.

"Why?" Damien materialized by her side and put a scrawny arm around her

"God!" Jenny jumped a foot in the air and swiped Nate's face off of her phone and her mind. "Maybe a warning next time?"

"Oh come on." He kissed her cheek and dove into her round eyes. "What's wrong Little J?"

"This isn't the life I planned for myself." She didn't want to cry, but the frustration of it all was beginning to hit her. She wiped a tear before it could fall and put her phone in her black Chanel clutch.

"Me either. But does anyone really plan for this?"

"I guess not. I just thought someone would've contacted me about my designs by now."

"Takes time princess."

"Please stop calling me that."

"Princess?"

"No. Little J. That's way behind me now." She sighed. "It's been almost three months. Can you believe that?"

"Time flies when you're havin' fun!"

"Right."

"C'mon." Damien jumped down a few steps, eager to get his Little J in high spirits again. "Let's grab something to eat and go home. I vote pizza!"

She smiled. "No more meetings tonight? No parties to get to?"

"Nah. That was the last one. And I'm worn out anyway. Aren't you? You've been walkin' around on those stilts all day!" Damien took Jenny by the hand and they started toward the doors before he paused. "Oh I almost forgot something."

"What?"

Damien kissed her. "Happy New Year."

Blair looked at her phone for the four hundredth time. Two minutes until midnight and still no Chuck. By now she was sitting inside the McDonalds watching a tired three year old in a booster seat throw a tantrum. For a few seconds she thought about joining him. Maybe Serena was right after all. She couldn't believe she left her moms' party for this. Hungry and cold in a McDonalds, waiting for the man who simply wasn't going to come—even though he promised.

Then, as if on cue, a panting and spent Chuck Bass threw the door open and tore through the place 'til he finally found her. "What are you doing in here with all these people?" he huffed and fixed his hair.

"Well—"

"No time to explain." Chuck took Blair's hand and lifted her to her feet. He looked at his watch. "We only have a minute left, after all."

"I don't know how I feel about this."Charlie Rhodes whispered to Serena van der Woodsen on their way up to Eleanor Walorfs' New Years' Eve party. "I still feel like I don't belong here."

Serena gave her favorite cousin a supportive hug and giggled. "Of course you do. What's it going to take for you to feel like part of the family, huh?"

The elevator doors opened to reveal a restless Blair Waldorf. "Finally. The door took twenty minutes to open," she gasped. Then her eyes met Charlie. "Oh look who it is. Better take your Coco Puffs tonight. Don't want to see more kookoo Charlie, now do we?"

Charlie blushed and fled the elevator. Serena moaned. "Why did you do that?

Blair enlarged her eyes innocently. "Just a little advice for the less fortunate. They can't all be me, after all."

"Are you going somewhere? I thought we were going to have a fun night in," Serena said before a sinister feeling hit her. "Wait a second. This isn't about Chuck is it?"

"I'll explain everything later."

"Blair, come on. After everything that's happened?"

"Don't want to hear it Serena," Blair said as she jabbed the ground floor button three times.

"I just don't want to see you hurt again," she said as the doors began closing. "Well, text me!"

Running, running, running. That's all Chuck had time for if this was going to happen. He looked up at the digital clock towering over Times Square. Any moment they would begin counting down. The golden arches appeared before him and he jerked his head around looking for her brunette head, nowhere to be seen. Dammit Blair why can't you stay in one place?

Chuck took out his phone to call her back before he spotted her inside. He threw the door open and tore through the place to retrieve her. They exited fast food heaven and he pulled her across the bustling street, towards the ball. Chuck pushed hundreds of people out of the way before they neared a discreet alley.

"What's going on here?" Blair asked, but Chuck said nothing. He slid a keycard on the wall and pushed a door open into a dim office.

"What's going on?" Blair repeated and followed him into an elevator.

"I wanted to wait until the time was right for both of us. But recent events are forcing me to speed things up a little."

"What are you—"

"Look. I know I've been an asshole in the last few months. I know I've done things to you that were worse than anything anyone has ever done."

"Chuck, I—"

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the top floor of the building.

"How'd you manage this?" Blair asked as she walked around. Thick sheets of glass substituted the outer walls of the building, giving them a glamorous view of all of Times Square. The monstrous clock counted down to the New Year and a very faint countdown of the crowd was heard.

"FITEEN! FOURTEEN! THIRTEEN!"

"I'm Chuck Bass," he said smugly and took her hand, massaging her milky palm. "Blair…" He started.

"Yes?"

"TEN! NINE! EIGHT!"

Chuck knelt down on one knee and reached into a coat pocket to retrieve the ring he'd been carrying around with him nearly a year.

"SIX! FIVE! FOUR!"

Blair's knees wobbled as soon as Chuck lowered himself to the ground. She's waited for this for longer than she could remember. Forget Serena and her opinions of Chuck. Forget Jenny and her night with Chuck. Forget Bart and his resentment toward his son.

"THREE! TWO! ONE!"

"Will you do the honor of being my wife?"

And for one moment Blair forgot it all. In fact, she had forgotten the english language itself. All she managed was a small nod and a ghost of a gasp before her knees gave out from underneath her. Chuck caught her in a warm embrace she thought would never end as bursts of flaming fireworks engulfed them both, celebrating their wonderful, gorgeous future together.