It had been a long day. Blair Waldorf-Bass was completely exhausted. It seemed to be her normal state lately. But today was worse than most. She let her eyes scan the impressive Manhattan skyline from where she stood on the balcony of her penthouse apartment. Rain was falling all around her in a steady drizzle that had plagued the city all day but she barely noticed it soaking her clothes as the melancholy of the day permeated her too deeply.

Yesterday she had been angry, so angry she hadn't been able to stop herself from grabbing hold of a vase from its pedestal in the study and flinging it with all her might at the far wall. Today she was so depressed it had been a chore for her to get herself dressed and out the door in time to be where she was supposed to be.

She felt as if she were on a roller coaster and there was no way to get off. Her emotions ranged from out of control to barely containable. The one constant in all the turmoil seemed to be an under laying grief so intense it nearly consumed her.

" Please, Miss Blair," Her faithful maid, Dorota's voice came from just inside the door. " You must come inside. You'll catch your-" She stopped her sentence abruptly, not wanting to say the last word out loud, not wanting to remind her.

Blair ignored her, hardly hearing her over the buzzing in her head that had been with her for the last three days. She found herself unable to focus on much beyond it.

She thought she heard the robust maid give a sigh before she turned and left the room. Blair didn't bother to look to see. It was too much effort, to much energy to exhaust on something so trivial. She didn't care whether or not Dorota stood there and watched her for the rest of the day. She was where she needed to be. Somehow, standing there on the balcony, letting herself get drenched with rain, seemed right. It was fitting. The rain was welcome. It was right, as if the entire city was weeping along with her. As if they too were experiencing the kind of grief she couldn't shake.

" Blair." This voice was much different than the one before and she almost turned towards it. That voice was one of the few things that could break through to her in the last week. It was one of the lifelines she was clinging to as she tried to hold on to reality. " Come inside right now." He told her in a tone that broke no argument, yet still she didn't budge, knowing if she continued to just stand there, he would take charge and move her himself. That option meant less work for her. Let him move her. She didn't really have the will to do it herself.

Chuck Bass, her husband, stepped out onto the balcony beside her and she wanted so badly to fling herself into his arms and let him hold her the way only he could. But again the energy the movement would take was too much. She was too tired.

Finally seeing that she had no intention of moving, he took her by the shoulder and turned her away from the skyline and the rapidly approaching darkness. Then he gave her a push, not a rough push, but a forceful one all the same. It propelled her forward and with a few more similar moves she was inside the formal living room of the place she had come to think of as her home.

The deep piled, beige carpet caressed her bare feet and she had a fleeting thought that she was dripping on it, perhaps ruining it. But again, she couldn't focus on the reasons why she should care about something so mundane. There was a fire roaring off in the corner, surrounded by the white marble mantle that contained it. That was where Chuck was leading her, she realized and she was suddenly grateful. She wanted to feel warm again. She hadn't felt warm in so long.

Dorota was there bustling around the navy damask, Queen Anne sofa with mahogany clawed feet and the two matching chairs to either side of it. She moved out of the grouping of furniture when she realized Chuck was gliding her towards the sofa.

Once he pushed her down onto it, he grabbed a cream colored cashmere throw and wrapped it around her shoulders.

" A cup of tea, Dorota." He ordered in a quiet voice like he was afraid anything louder would startle Blair.

"Yes, Mr. Chuck. Right away."

Once she was gone, he sat down beside her and pulled her into his chest. It had been what she wanted since he arrived on the scene and now she let herself sink into him, reveling in the warmth of his chest.

" I know." He softly cooed in her ear. " But today was the hard part. It's over now."

She nodded numbly though she really didn't believe him. Then she remembered who she was talking to and something inside her began to thaw. Of course he knew what he was saying. He had been exactly where she was now. He had lived through everything she going through and had come out the other side.

She suddenly felt a touch silly. She had had months to prepare herself for the events of the last week. Long, devastating months. And while they were all painful, they should have at least done something to make the end not so hard. All the pain of watching her father waste away should have softened the blow somehow.

But it hadn't. The days leading up to the funeral had been unbearable. Even though Harold had done everything himself when he was still able, the planning was a nightmare. It all seemed so final. But of course it had. It was final. The months of watching him die were over. The days of seeing him in pain were at an end. His life was over. He was gone.

He had held on far longer than anyone had anticipated and she secretly thought she knew the reason for that. Harold was a strong, determined man, always had been. He held on because there were things we needed to wait for. The doctor's prognosis when the whole ordeal began was two years, at best. He had lasted one. Holding on for as long as he possibly could, denying the pain and agony that each treatment put him through. Holding his head high even as his body withered away and betrayed him.

A soft sound from directly behind the sofa grabbed her attention and Blair immediately stirred.

Chuck held her more tightly. " She's fine. Let her sleep." He whispered, stilling her with the lulling sound of his voice.
But still she wanted to go to her. She needed her suddenly. Needed to hold her in her arms. Evelyn Eleanor Bass was the reason her father had lasted as long as he had. And Blair wanted to thank her somehow for giving him the strength to hold on for so long. Getting to know his granddaughter had been worth the suffering to him and she was grateful to her daughter.

Three and a half months old and she was already making an impact on everyone around her. No one was immune to the charms of the tiny bundle laying in her antique, mahogany bassinet just a few feet away from where her parents sat on the sofa. Eve, as they had christened her, was never without someone lavishing her with affection and attention. Chuck was right, it was better to let her sleep while she could. It wouldn't be long before all the other mourners arrived and the baby was certain to be the center of attention throughout the event, just like she was at every other event.

She often wondered if Chuck's stepmother, Lily's gift of the bassinet hadn't been useless. It was rare that the baby was ever put down long enough to enjoy it. And the man sitting beside her was mostly responsible for that. He seemed absolutely unable to control himself most of the time. He couldn't keep his hands off his infant daughter for long.

" People will be arriving soon. Are you sure you don't want me to cancel this whole thing and tell them all to go away ?" He asked.

" No," She shook her head into his chest. " It's what Daddy wanted. He didn't want the funeral. He didn't want everyone to be sad. He wanted a party to celebrate his life and that's what I'm going to give him." Her voice was stronger than it had been all day, more determined and she knew she had the two people sitting with her to thank for that. They were her strength. She could draw the courage she needed to get through the next few hours from them, her husband and her daughter. " Is Eve ready ? I bought her that new dress to wear."

" She's wearing it. She's been bathed and feed and she looks beautiful." He nodded in assurance. "Now it's time to get her mother ready, too."

" Thank you." She told him, pulling him down for a kiss.

" For what ?" He asked when he eventually let her slip from his lips.

" Being here, taking care of things, just..." She smiled but it was still a sad smile. " Everything."

" Of course." He nodded. " Where else would I be ?"

Dorota choose that moment to come bustling in with a tray of tea. " Is there anything else I can do for you, Mrs. Blair ?" She asked, sitting the tray down on the claw footed mahogany coffee table that matched the sofa and chairs.

Chuck sat back, taking his arms from her after placing a soft kiss to her temple. " Help her get ready for our guests, Dorota. I have a few things I need to take care of before things get going."

" Yes, Mr. Chuck. I take care of everything." Dorota answered in her heavily accented English. "Should I bring Miss Eve with us ?"

" No," He shook his head as he stood. " I've got her. You concentrate on her mother."

Blair watched him step around the sofa and bend over the bassinet behind it, a moment later he stood up with a bundle of pink blankets. She smiled as she watched him adjust the baby in his arms and settled her in comfortably. She wasn't sure how he had managed. When the baby first came along, he looked so uncomfortable and out of place trying to figure out how best to hold her, trying to be careful of her head, trying to be careful not to drop her. She had never really experienced Chuck looking uncomfortable before. It wasn't a normal thing for him. And like she knew it would, it had only taken him about a week to figure it all out and make holding his daughter look like the most natural thing in the world.

" We'll be in my study if you need us." He told her as he left them alone.

" Mr. Chuck a wonderful man. You're so lucky." Dorota smiled after them.

" I know." Blair smiled in agreement.

She wondered how the shareholders at Bass Industries were taking the fact that Chuck did most of his business with his daughter in his arms. She wondered if they approved of the arrangement or not. She knew it didn't matter to Chuck whether they liked it or not. Nor did it matter to him whether they liked the fact that he had been running his multimillion dollar company primarily from his home office for the last month or so. Her father had needed her so much over the last weeks of his life, Blair had spent nearly all her time taking care of him, with the help of his partner, Roman, of course. Chuck had moved the daily operation of Bass Industries to his home because he knew she needed him close to her and he had voluntary taken over the care of their daughter, giving her the time she needed with her father. Dorota couldn't have said anything more truthful. Chuck was a wonderful man. And she was the luckiest woman in the world.

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The revelers milled around the expanse of the Bass penthouse with a mixture of sad tears, melancholy smiles and heartfelt remembrances for the man they had all assembled to celebrate.

Chuck Bass stood by his fireplace nestled securely between two people who had come to mean a lot to him. Lily Humphrey now, his stepmother and Serena Van Der Woodsen, his stepsister, were chattering at him about something that was going on in his stepbrother, Eric's life. Apparently there was a new man on the horizon for his brother and Chuck was genuinely happy to hear it. Eric had not had the most pleasant life growing up. Chuck was glad that something was going right for him.

" Where is my granddaughter ? I haven't held her since this morning. My arms are aching." Lily asked, glancing around the room.

" Cyrus and Eleanor had her the last time I saw." Chuck answered her with a smile. " I think they were going towards the kitchen."

Lily leaned in and brushed a kiss against his cheek. " I'm going to steal her. They've had their turn." She announced as she left them, walking away with determined steps.

" How are you ?" Serena asked after she was gone.

" I'm fine. I'm a little worried about Blair, though." He answered. " She isn't taking all this very well."

" Of course she isn't. It's her father. Remember how it was for you." Serena said, bringing up a still painfully sore subject.

The old Chuck would have snapped at her for the reminder. Losing his father had been the most horrible thing he had ever gone through. He still wasn't fully recovered from the loss. He hated that Blair was now having to experience the same thing.

" I'll talk to her, make sure she's alright." Serena offered.

" I'd appreciate that. She needs all the support she can get right now." He nodded.

She laced her arm through his and again, the old Chuck would have started at the sudden contact, but human touch was something he was becoming accustom to and the movement didn't frighten him the way it once would have. " In the meantime," She told him with a smile. " Tell me all about Eve. What has she done lately ? Was there anything I missed ?"

" In the last two days since you've seen her, no." He chuckled, " She hasn't added any new skills to her already impressive resume." He thought about it for a moment before adding, " Blair thought she smiled yesterday, but I'm convinced it was just gas."

Serena was leading him away from the fireplace and towards the doorway. He suspected they were off in searched of the baby themselves. " It better have been gas. She isn't allowed to do things like that without me here to see it." His sister pouted. " Still I bet it was the cutest gas ever."

He laughed out loud at that. " If you are impressed by the gas, then you really missed it this morning. There was the most adorable bubble of drool."

His gaze caught sight of Lily just then walking towards them with his daughter in her arms. She had her snuggled into the crock of her arm and Eve was wiggling restlessly, probably getting a little tired of being passed around from hand to hand. He thought about rescuing her. But then he changed his mind. There would be plenty of time for the baby to get some rest after everyone was gone and he recognized the need to cling to the infant for what it was. Everyone here was mourning the loss of a man that had touched their lives. Everyone here needed a chance to see his legacy, to hold it in their arms and reassure themselves that he would live on through the tiny infant.

" Can I steal him for a moment ?" The voice of his best friend, Nate asked as he came to them and put his hand on Chuck's shoulder. " I need to talk to him about something."

" Of course." Serena nodded, stopping long enough to kiss Nate quickly before walking away towards her mother.

" Nathaniel, how have things been with you ? I haven't seen you in a little while." Chuck asked, turning to his friend.

" Is there somewhere we can go ? I have to tell you something." Nate announced seriously without preamble.

" Yeah, this way." Chuck nodded in concern and immediately lead him down the hall to his study.

He closed the door behind them and gestured towards the bar sitting against the far wall. " Drink?" He asked, " You look like you could use one."

Nate shook his head. " There's something you need to know." He said, taking one of the burgundy chairs in front of the large, cherry wood desk that sat in the center of the room. Chuck took the other chair and crossed his ankle over his knee. He was trying for a casual pose, hoping it would serve to ease some of the tension he could clearly see oozing from his friend.

" What is it ?"

" I was at grand central this afternoon meeting a business associate of my grandfather's that just arrived in town." Nate began. " I wasn't sure at first. But the more I think about it, the more certain I am."

" What ?" Chuck insisted, trying to get him to stop babbling and just tell him what was going on. The build up was quickly testing his patience.

" Your uncle Jack was there." Chuck sat up straighter at hearing that. Jack had been out of the country for years. And that was exactly how Chuck wanted it. The farther away from Chuck and his family the better. " There's more." Nate told him.

" What more ?" Chuck asked through gritted teeth.

" He was with Georgina Sparks."