I do not own anything.

Where had the time gone? It was just yesterday when she started walking. Today she was fifteen and it was her first day of high school. She would always be my little girl, but somehow it felt like her innocence would soon be gone. I needed to protect her from, well boys like me; boys who could hurt her and use her. She was a beautiful young woman and I knew that the second she walked into that school she would get winks and looks from sophomores, juniors and even seniors. But I was not going to be the awful father my father was for me. I was going to care and make time for my girl.

I was sitting on the couch waiting for her to come out of her room. She had been up since 6, getting ready. Blair had been up since 6:45 helping her. I had been up since 5 worrying about my little girl. Constance Billard and St. Judes started in 20 minutes and if Emma didn't hurry up, she was going to be late. How much primping could one girl do…

"Daddy?" I looked up from the carpet to find Emma Audrey Bass standing 8 feet in front of me. She had her dark hair pulled into a loose bun and she wore a red headband with a flower on the side. She wore a short sleeve navy and white striped blouse with a few ruffles around the top buttons. She wore a navy A-line skirt that started at her waist and ended ¾ down her thigh. She wore navy oxford high heel booties and white patterned tights. She looked beautiful.

I stood up and smiled. "Honey you look beautiful."

She smiled back with her newly straight teeth. She had just gotten her braces off this summer. "Thanks dad." I almost cringed, I hated when she called me dad.

Blair walked into the room and put her hands on Emma's shoulders. "Doesn't she look stunning?" She then walked over to me and put her arm around me. I imitated her gesture and put my arm around her waist.

"My little girl's all grown up." I shook my head. It was hard to believe.

She laughed. "Daddy." She walked away and got her coat and book bag.

Blair looked at her watch. "Emma we have to go or you're going to be late."

"I know! Come on!" She walked in the elevator and held it for us; impatiently tapping her foot. Blair and I looked at each other smiled, got our coats, and followed our anxious daughter into the elevator.

As we pulled up to the school I saw a glint in Emma's eyes. She was so excited. Emma was sitting in between Blair and I, and we looked at each other. Our eyes were teary. This was it.

Arthur opened the door to the limo and we all got out. Emma looked around her she was awe stricken. I went down memory lane and remember all that happened at this school. My hand found Blair's and squeezed it. She looked at me and smiled. Emma turned around and smiled at us. She went to Blair and hugged her.

"Bye Mom."

Blair let go of my hand and put her arms around Emma. "Bye honey I love you."

"I love you too." They let go of each other and look at each other and smiled.

Then Emma turned to me and hugged me. I hugged her in return and tightened my grip on her.

"Dad I can't breathe." She laughed.

"Sorry." I loosened my grip but didn't let go.

"Bye Daddy."

"Bye sweetie. Love you."

She let go of me and smiled. "Love you too."

"Blair! Chuck! Emma!" We all turned our heads to the left to where the sound came from. There we saw Serena, Nate, and their son Zach. When Zach saw Emma he smiled. We walked up to them, and greeted. Then we heard the bell ring from inside the school.

"We have to go." Zach and Emma looked at eachother, they were best friends. We gave them their last hugs and they walked together into the school.

Once they were gone Serena looked at all of us. "Is it just me, or do you guys feel old?"

We all nodded and laughed. We conversed for a while and then we went into our separate vehicles and left.

I was silent the car ride home. Half way home Blair looked at me and squeezed my hand. "What are you thinking about?"

"She's grown up so fast. What if she doesn't need us anymore?"

She smiled and leaned her head against my shoulder. "Don't worry, take it from someone who's had some experience. A teenage girl, no matter what age, always needs her parents."

I nodded and accepted this. "I swear if she meets a 'Chuck Bass' I will forbid her from ever talking to him."

She laughed. "Hey, if she's got my genes, maybe she can change him." She nudged me.

I laughed with her.

At around 3 o'clock I was on the couch again looking at Emma's baby pictures. I was reminiscing when she was young. I looked at her first Christmas. She was dressed up in a red and green striped dress and a matching headband. She was in Blair's arms and she was clapping and laughing. I chuckled.

I turned a few pages and found her first trip to the park. She was in my arms this time. She wore a checkered blue dress, small black ballet flats, and a black headband. I was crouched on the ground holding Emma by the waist. We were right by the water and she was throwing bread to the ducks.

I turned a few pages and found her first play date with Zach. I smiled when I saw the photo. Emma and Zach where sitting on the ground facing each other. Zach looked upset and Emma, in her red dress, was offering Zach a block. She was always so good-natured. She was the only child, but she was never a spoiled brat. She was always conscience of the people around her.

Just as I was about to turn another page I heard the ding of the elevator.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home."

Blair came out from the kitchen with a plate of croissants. She placed them on the living room table.

"We're in here sweetie!" Blair sat on the couch with me. When Emma came in the room, she walked in with Zach. He had his arm around her waist, and she had her arm around his shoulder. At first I was surprised and almost a little angry. But then I looked down at her feet and she had no shoes on and was limping. I realized she wasn't wearing what she wore to school. She was wearing her sports uniform. Her hair was disheveled and she had dirt all over her hands and legs.

"Oh Emma!" Blair gasped.

I stood up, took Emma from Zach's arms, picked her up and put her on the couch.

Blair sat right by her side on the couch and I stood up near Zach. Blair stroked her hair. "Blair sweetie what's wrong?"

"I just got hit in field hockey. It's really not that bad."

I looked at Zach for his approval. He shook his head. Blair took her out of the room and helped her up to her room to get changed. I sat down on the couch and patted the space next to me gesturing for Zach to sit down with me. He sat down with me. "Zack, how bad is it?"

"It's pretty bad. I was waiting for her practice to be over, and I was waiting by the fields. Well she had the ball, and then this girl on the other team, who obviously wasn't that good, swung the stick up to her shoulder and then down to the ground, trying to hit the ball, but she hit Emma's ankle. Emma started crying and fell to the ground. I ran to help her and the coach told me to bring her to the nurse. I carried her to the nurse. She insisted that I put her down, but I didn't want her to hurt it anymore. The nurse said that it would leave a nasty bruise and that we should call her parents to pick her up. I said that I was going home with her anyway and the limo was outside waiting. She let me take her."

"Did you get all of her books and her change of clothes?"

"Yeah I carried her back to her locker and she told me which books to put in her bag. I was gonna carry her inside to the hotel, but she said that it wasn't that bad and she didn't want to worry you guys."

I patted him on the back. "Thanks for your help Zach. You're a good friend to her."

"I'd do anything for her Mr. Bass." He smiled and got up off the couch.

"I'm glad. She needs a friend like you. Here you can take the limo home. Tell your parents the story so they know why you're late." I led him to the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator immediately opened.

Zach stepped in the elevator but held the door with his hand. "Goodnight Mr. Bass. Can you just ask Emma to call me later so I can know if she's alright?"

I smiled, he was a keeper. "Of course. Goodnight Zach."

The second the elevator door closed I got Emma's book bag and brought it upstairs. I saw Blair coming out of her room.

"Oh good you got her book bag. Go in and talk to her, I'll be up in a minute, I'm gonna get her some food, because she starving. And I'll bring up some ice for her ankle." She kissed me on the cheek and went downstairs.

I took off my suit jacket and walked into Emma's room with my hand in my pockets. Her hair was brushed and the dirt had been washed off her body. She was in her pajamas and she was reading Seventeen Magazine. When I walked in she put the magazine down and smiled. "Hey daddy."

"Hey sweet heart. How's your ankle doing?" I sat on the bed with her.

She gave a weak smile. "Oh fine." I didn't believe her so I got up and pulled up the bottom of her pajama pants to take a look for myself. I was swollen and was starting to bruise.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "It doesn't look very fine."

She pushed the bottom of the pants back down. "Really I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Whatever you say." I smiled at her and looked her in the eyes. She was the spitting image of her mother. She laughed.

Blair walked in. "Hope I didn't miss anything." She put the croissants down on the bedside table and gave one to Emma. She went to Emma's bathroom and got a washcloth and wrapped it around the bag of ice and placed it on Emma's ankle. When she did so Emma took in a sharp breath. I turned to her with a worried expression and she smiled.

"I'm fine."

Blair sat on the bed on the other side of Emma. She patted Emma's thigh. "So honey what happened at school today?"

Emma smiled. "It was great! Queen S, her name's Samantha, said I was a project. Zach's in all of my classes, which was great because I had a friend with me the entire day. My teachers are all really nice and they really liked me. I got… a lot of attention though."

My mind, of course, always expected the worst. "Attention from whom?" My overprotective side kicked in.

"From boys. A lot of guys in my grade and a few older guys. It was flattering but some of them made me uncomfortable."

"What kind of stuff did they do to you?" I had been preparing myself for this the entire day, but I kept hoping that it would all be respectful gestures. Not gestures that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Well most of them smiled and just stared at me, like even after I had passed them. A few winked and said stuff like 'I haven't seen you around before' and this one guy; he was leaning against the wall when I passed him, and when I walked past he ran in front of me, kissed my hand and told me I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. His name was Richard Daniels. Zach didn't like him"

I clenched my jaw. This Richard Daniels sounded just like me; a young boy who would take away her innocence and hurt her. "Did you like him?" I asked this slowly, dreading his answer.

She smiled. "Yeah, kind of. He was very charming, handsome too. He made me feel… priceless."

I sighed and leaned my head against the pillow. Of course. Blair rolled her eyes at me and kept talking to Emma "What did you say to him."

"Well I said thank you of course. Then he gave me his number and asked if I would like to go out sometime. I was going to answer but Zach pulled me away."

Blair was excited. Didn't she understand that this guy was up to no good? "Honey you should call him! He sounds like a nice guy." I looked at Blair with shock. Was she crazy?

"I'm going to; I just wanted to get your approval first." She looked at Blair. Blair nodded. Emma then looked at me. I had to say no. I knew these kinds of boys, and they were not the right kind of boy that I wanted my daughter hanging out with. I looked at Blair. She was nodding her head. I figured that I should meet the boy before I forbid my daughter from seeing him. I gave in.

"Sure. You have my approval."

Her face lit up like the fourth of July. She hugged me. "Thank you daddy! Thank you!"

"But, first call Zach, he wanted to know if you were alright."

"Okay! Thank you!"

Me and Blair got up from her bed and left the room.

I whispered to her in the hallway. "I told you! I knew she was going to meet another 'Chuck Bass'"

She whispered back. "Oh stop it. She can take care of herself. She's a big girl now. And she likes him, Chuck! And he likes her back. That's all a teenage girl can ever ask for!"

I shook my head. "I just want the very best for her."

"As do I, but we can't shield her from the real world like she's a little girl anymore. She's going to have to find out sooner or later."

"I guess you're right." I pulled her to my side and she wrapped her arms around my torso.

"Hey Zach, it's Emma." She laughed. "Yeah I'm fine. It's a little swollen but I think I'll be alright by tomorrow. Thanks for all your help! See you tomorrow! Bye Zach."

"We raised a good kid, Chuck."

"We sure did."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

R&R please!