A/N: So, here's my new one shot! The idea came to me while I was re-watching season two. Oh, good old times... BTW, isn't Ed's hair adorable in that season? Anyway, this is a post 2.15 angsty but sweet fic. Enjoy!

P.S. I suggest you read this in 1/2 mode, it just really looks better that way.

Disclaimer: I don't own GG or the characters.

Chanel No.5 smells of love, hope and faith

(Dedicated to you, dear K.)

"I'm sorry, I screwed up."
"It's too late Chuck. I stood by you through all of this but I can't watch you self-destruct any longer."
"Jack set me up."
"There's no one to blame but yourself. I believed in you, your father believed in you, you are the only one that didn't. All that I wanted to do was just be there but today when you called me your wife, you made it sound like the ugliest word in the world."
"Blair…please."
"I'm sorry but I'm done."

He tosses his tie away, angry and frustrated.
Real businessmen wear such long red ties; his father actually had the exact same model.
That's why he betrayed his style that faithful morning a day ago and tied this piece of fabric around his neck.
It was his attempt to pay his dad some respect.
A misguided one, as usual.
In less than 48 hours, he managed to fail completely the two people who believed in him, Bart and Blair.
Blair.
He clothes his eyes, and her face appears before him instantly.
Her sad teary eyes stare at him intently, and he can see disappointment written all over her delicate features.
I believed in you… (But I don't anymore).
The image is so vivid it makes him sick and dizzy.
He plops into the bed, face-down, because he doesn't want to see anything, he wants to escape into the darkness and never wake up again.
He knows he didn't have the right to, but he thought Blair would understand, would forgive him.
He hates her a little bit for giving up on him.
He hates himself more, though.
It's Jack, he set me up, it's all his fault!, he tries to remind himself, but the words sound weak and unconvincing in his head.
Because this time, there really is no one to blame but himself.
It's pathetic really, how Chuck Bass, the UES's notorious womanizer couldn't get the only girl he ever wanted.
He sucks in a sharp breath, feeling his eyes pool with tears suddenly.
He's Chuck Bass, he shouldn't even be able cry.
Suddenly, Bart's voice fills his ears.
You shouldn't mourn over some girl either, you just lost my legacy!
He can actually hear the way his father spits the last words at him.
Bass Industries.
He could've been Chuck Bass, the youngest CEO of a multi-billion dollar company in the world,
but he's just Chuck Bass, the first CEO in Manhattan's history who managed to lose the position in a day.
He's so awfully weak.
Bart shouldn't have left him the company in the first place.
He hasn't even taken over it, and yet he has already tarnished its reputation.
How thoughtful, getting high and drunk with the one man who didn't have his best interests in mind.
If he was only paying attention, he would've cracked Jack.
But no! He was so absorbed in himself he hadn't noticed the outer world until it collapsed, crashing him.
Now, he is no one and he had nothing.
He turns his head slightly, because he isn't getting enough air, and then an idea comes to him.
What if he didn't move, but covered his head with a pillow instead?
He's so tired, so he would just fall asleep and… die when there was no more oxygen left in the small space between the mattress and the thick pillow.
The though seems so tempting, so…
Please, don't do that to me!
Blair's words ring in his head, but the sound is weak.
It's overpowered by the pounding in his head, by disgust that he feels towards himself.
She is done, she told him herself, and so is he.
Sorry, Blair, he mutters and reaches out for the $300 goose feather pillow.
That's when he feels a hand grabbing his wrist tightly.
"Chuck!" a voice calls him urgently, and his heart jumps in his chest.
It simply can't be her, here, now.
He must've gone crazy.
"Chuck," she repeats, much softer now.
He turns over and opens his eyes slowly.
There she truly is, leaning over him, watching him fearfully.
"Blair," he breathes out, awestruck.
He doesn't allow himself yet to believe that she's come to save him yet again.
"Tell me you weren't going to…" she demands, her eyes glistering with unshed tears.
And his thoughts of two minutes ago seem so stupid, so horrible.
He wishes desperately he hadn't thought them, but if there's one person in his life that he can't lie to, it's Blair.
He averts his gaze, shameful.
"So you were," she states, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"I wasn't really, it was just a though…" he tries to justify himself weakly.
Without a word, she takes a sit at the edge of his bed.
"You promised you wouldn't," she says quietly.
"I did, but… What was I supposed to do? I lost everything that is worth living for," he says bitterly and continues before she can interrupt. "My dad, my future, my legacy, you…"
"Chuck!" she cuts in, and this time he can hear anger in her voice. "Why do you always give up so easily? Have some faith!" she spits at him.
"Are you implying I was supposed to keep fighting for you after you said you were done? Am I to ignore your words completely?" he spits back.
"In the face of true love you don't just give up, even if the object of your affection is begging you to," she cites his own words. "Remember the Chuck who said so? I do. I remember the strong Chuck. The one who bought Victorola; the one who took down Georgina; the one who made me fall in love with him. You are the most powerful man I know, you just need to believe in it," she finishes, looking him into the eyes intently.
And suddenly, her words make sense.
She infects him with her confidence and optimism.
Fills his life with light, just as she always does.
She's his saving grace, and yet he manages to treat her so poorly all the time.
"I'm sorry, Blair. I'm so sorry for everything. It was just all too much. Jack, Bass Industries… everything…" he trails off, because he can't find the right words to say what he means, but she understands him nevertheless.
"We will win Bass Industries back, I promise," she states with a small smile.
"And what about you?" he asks.
He's daring his luck, but he has to try, he decides.
After all, losing Blair was much scarier than losing his father's company.
"And what about me, Bass? I hope you'll win me back. You know what you have to do," she tells him with a playful smirk.
"Blair, I…" he starts, because after this night he knows he can't lose her again, and in the morning she might change her mind.
"Shh, don't." To his surprise, she puts her finger over his lips. "You can say it when you're ready. For now, we are friends," she states.
"Blair…" he tries to argue, but she cuts him off.
"I need you to know that no matter what, even if we don't end up together, I'll still be your friend," she says, and it sounds like a vow.
"Thank you," he replies, his voice suddenly feathery.
"Now, good night, Chuck. A sleep-deprived zombie won't do much good in fixing your life," she chuckles and leans in to kiss him on the cheek gently.
"Wait, Blair!" he calls out when she rises to leave.
"Yes?" she asks, a curious smile gracing her features.
"Can we still have that dinner together? Tomorrow?" he suggests, his heart racing suddenly.
It's silly how he still feels like a 15-year-old when it comes to Blair.
"Eight sharp. I'll clear my calendar."
With that, she makes her exit, leaving her light Chanel No.5 scent in the air.
And to Chuck, it's the best smell in the world.
Chanel No.5 smells of Blair, and therefore of love, hope and faith.

fin.

So, that it! I hope you liked it, and please do leave a review! It would be so sweet of you :) And it's so easy with this new interface, isn't it?

xoxo :***