Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
To all my longtime readers, here is my newest multi-chapter Chair story. It's starts out with several chapters of Bass family fun before the real drama kicks in. I hope you enjoy. As timelines go, it would fit in somewhere between 'Fit for a King' and 'Chuck's Dilemma'.
Enjoy.
"Here you go, Mister Chuck," Dorota stated as she handed her boss a neatly folded pile of his freshly washed unmentionables.
"Thank you, Dorota," Chuck replied as he added them to the pile of clothes to be packed for his corporate retreat. Blair was hovering over his suitcase, tossing items in carelessly, her anger that he was leaving still evident, even though they'd already had their makeup sex after the argument she'd started when he reminded her he had to leave that day. She'd spent the many days prior ignoring his impending departure.
"Do you need anything else?" Dorota inquired as she watched her longtime companion make an absolute mess in his suitcase. It was all she could do to not shove her boss aside to pack the suitcase properly.
"No, I believe I have everything I need," Chuck replied.
"I go check on children," Dorota offered, "They make cute poster to send you off."
Blair huffed in annoyance.
"Blair, I'm only going to be gone for five days," Chuck reminded her for what felt like the millionth time.
"Five days too long," Blair snapped, "I just don't get why you need to go. This is an executive retreat. You are not even an executive anymore. You haven't been for years. You've never had to go before."
"I am still the Chairman of the Board," Chuck reminded her, "And this retreat is different than the ones in years past. With the turnover on the board, attendance is mandatory. You know I'd get out of it if I could."
"You're the man that signs everyone's checks. Override them," she demanded.
"Blair…" he began
"I know I'm being irrational," she sighed, "It's just that we're going to miss you."
"I'll miss you," he pulled his clothes out of her hands and then took her into his arms, "I will miss you and the children every minute that I'm gone, and I promise to call every night."
"You'd better," she glared at him.
"And if you need anything at any moment, you can call my cell," he added, "And I'll be on the first flight home that I can get after we wrap everything up, even if it means that I fly home coach."
"Even if it's in a cargo plane," she amended.
"Even if it's a cargo plane," he repeated, "I love you."
"I love you too," she sighed as she relaxed into his embrace, "I'm not going to be able to sleep a wink while you're gone."
"Neither will I," he replied, "But when I get home, I promise that we'll have a spectacular reunion. Your sainted mother-in-law has agreed to take the children for the evening, so you and I will get the night to ourselves."
"I don't know how I'll manage all three children on my own," she sighed dramatically.
Chuck couldn't help the laugh that escaped at how melodramatic she was being about this. Their children were hardly a handful. Even if she needed a break, which was unlikely, they had a host of people ready to take them day or night. Their adorableness was in high demand. "I'm sure you'll find a way."
"You'd better finish your packing," Blair stated as she untangled herself from his arms, "You're going to be late for your flight, and you still have to say goodbye to the children."
Chuck nodded as the dread settled into the pit of his stomach. As much as he dreaded saying goodbye to his wife, saying goodbye to his children was going to be ten times harder.
He'd never spent a night so far away from them since Charlotte was born. Yes, the children stayed with friends and family for the occasional overnight visit, but they were home first thing in the morning.
He couldn't imagine not waking up in the morning to have Charlotte greet him at the breakfast table with her eager hug or not taking Brice and his dog for a walk in the park or reading Aiden a story at night as he tried to resist falling asleep so that his father would read to him again. Chuck's days were filled with activities that revolved around his children, and that was the way he wanted it.
Soon Chuck's suitcase was packed and rolled into the entryway. On the table near the elevator was the banner that Charlotte, Brice and Aiden had spent their morning creating. There were beautiful little drawings done by his daughter, chicken scratch artwork done by his oldest son, and swirl marks surely added by his youngest. There were even a few paw prints Chuck was sure were added by the family dog. In big bold letters were the words, 'Hurry Home, Daddy'. It was almost enough for Chuck to completely cancel his trip.
"Bye, Daddy," Charlotte wept as she threw her arms around her dad's shoulders when he knelt before her.
"I'll be home soon, Princess," Chuck assured her, "And I promise to have all sorts of presents for you when I return."
"Okay," she loosened her hold on his neck, her tears dried slightly with the promise of gifts.
"Who's going to walk Barty with me?" Brice inquired when Chuck shifted so that he was in front of his oldest son.
"Uncle Nate is coming over every morning and then again when he's finished at his office each evening," Chuck assured him, "You and Barty will get all sorts of exercise, okay?"
"Okay," he nodded and then hugged Chuck.
Chuck shifted one more time as Aiden scrambled into his arms. "No go, Daddy."
"I'll be home soon, Aiden," Chuck tried to soothe his crying son by rubbing circles into his back.
"I miss you," Aiden's head came to rest in the crook of Chuck's neck.
"I'll miss you more," Chuck assured him, "But I'll be home before you know it."
Blair took Aiden into her arms as Chuck grabbed his luggage and pushed the call button on the elevator. He made one last round, kissing the cheeks of each member of his family before he stepped into the elevator. He couldn't force himself to turn around until the door was closed as he pulled the picture out of his wallet that he'd slipped in earlier that day. It was the family portrait they'd given out at Christmas several months earlier. Every face was smiling. That was how he wanted to visualize his family for the few days he was away, not the tear stained cheeks he'd just left.
"I want Daddy," Aiden moaned as he cried against Blair's shoulder.
"I know my sweet little boy, I do too, but he has to be away for a few days even though he doesn't want to be. He'll be back as soon as he can," Blair replied as she rubbed his back softly, "How about the four of us go out for ice cream?"
Charlotte and Brice cheered in excitement, but Aiden continued to pout against Blair's shoulder.
"Go put your shoes on and find your coats," Blair urged the two older children as she carried Aiden to his room and helped him get into his own shoes.
"Daddy come home," Aiden moaned.
"He will," Blair gave him her most reassuring smile, "I know we'll all miss Daddy, but he won't be gone for long. In the meantime, we get to have all sorts of fun without him."
Even at the age of two, Aiden had the skeptical look of his father down as he eyed his mother.
"I promise," Blair added.
"Sleep with you until Daddy home?" Aiden inquired when Blair finished tying his shoelace.
"We'll have to see about that, Sweetie," Blair replied as she returned him to the floor after his shoes were secured on his feet and lightly patted his bottom, "Go see if Brice and Charlotte are ready to go. I'll meet you all at the elevator." Aiden scurried from his bedroom to rustle up his siblings while Blair went to her bedroom to find her own shoes.
She paused in the closet after she's slipped her feet into her shoes. She felt silly even thinking of it, but she couldn't stop herself from burying her face in Chuck's dress shirts as she inhaled his scent. He hadn't even been gone ten minutes, and she missed him already. She knew it was going to be a long week without him.
"Have you settled in yet?" Blair inquired as she answered her cellphone later that evening. She knew without having to look at the caller identification that it was Chuck calling. He'd promised to call the moment he arrived in his hotel.
"Just checked in," he replied.
Blair could hear him wrestling with something as they spoke. "Was the flight okay?"
"A little turbulent," he stated, "It certainly wasn't the Bass jet."
"I'm sorry," she replied.
"Are the children down for the night?" Chuck inquired as he continued with his task.
"Aiden is, for the moment at least. I don't think he'll sleep much this week unless I let him sleep in our bed. He really misses his daddy," Blair explained as she heard what sounded like a computer singing to life.
"I miss him too," Chuck replied, "And the other two?"
"Charlotte's reading in her room, and Brice is playing with Barty in the family room. I'm letting them stay up a little later seeing as their summer vacation has begun," Blair stated.
"You're such the pushover," he chuckled.
"I know," she sighed, "Before we got into this parenting thing, I figured I'd be authoritarian, and you'd be the pushover. How and when did our roles reverse?"
"Quite awhile ago," he chuckled, "Would you go into my office?"
"Why? Did you forget something that I need to messenger to you?" she inquired as she began the short trek down the hallway towards his office.
"No," he replied, "I want you to turn on my computer, so we can have this conversation face to face. I had Eugenia make sure that my laptop had video conferencing. I want to be able to say goodnight to you and the children before everyone goes to bed for the evening."
"I'll go get the children," Blair stated as she hit the power button to turn the computer on.
"Start my computer first," he requested, "I want to make sure this works before we dash the hopes of our offspring."
"Good idea. Hold on a minute. Your computer is still booting," she explained, "When was the last time this thing was upgraded. It looks ancient."
"It's been a few years," he chuckled.
"I guess I know what to get you for Father's Day," she tapped her finger against his desk while she waited for the machine to finish loading.
"I have three beautiful children, that's more than enough," he assured her.
"Be that as it may, you know me better than that," she replied, "Of course you'll be getting a lavish gift of some sort."
"Sexy lingerie is always a popular choice," he chuckled.
"Every Father's Day that we've spent together I've given you the same thing, me in sexy lingerie. Don't you get sick of getting the same gift over and over?"
"When it's you in sexy lingerie, no," he replied, "It is my day after all, you should give me something that makes me happy. There isn't much else that will make me happier than my gorgeous wife in sexy lingerie."
"Three children later, and you're still that horny teenager that I fell in love with," she laughed.
"And you're still that sexy minx that pranced across the stage at Victrola and then let me have my way with you in the back of my limo the week before your seventeenth birthday," he laughed with her.
Blair felt a blush creep to her cheeks as the computer finished loading. "What's your password, Bass?" she inquired as she went to log into his computer.
"BurlesqueBlair16," he replied, "All one word, both burlesque and Blair are capitalized."
"Is it a coincidence that we were just talking about that night, or have you been planning this?" Blair inquired as she typed in his password as he'd instructed.
"Happy coincidence," he smirked, "Tell me when you've logged in so I can connect with the computer."
"It's loading again," she sighed, "Seriously, Chuck, I'm getting you a new computer. This is ridiculous. I could pop out another kid in the time it is taking this thing to load."
"You'd need to find a sperm donor, my love," he reminded her, "I'm shooting blanks, remember."
"Indeed I do," she smirked as the computer finally finished loading, "Okay, it's done loading."
"I'm going to connect. Make sure you accept the connection when you get the message," he replied.
"This isn't my first video conference, you know," she reminded him as his message popped up on her screen. She quickly accepted the connection and before she knew it, his face appeared on screen, "Hi, Handsome."
"Hello, Beautiful," he smiled while they hung up their cell phones and continued their conversation through their computers.
"You were missed today," she informed him, "And Aiden has been moping around here since you left. I've never seen that little boy so depressed. You would have thought he lost his best friend."
"If it wasn't so heartbreaking to witness, I'd be flattered by how hard he's taking this separation," Chuck stated, "I didn't think it would be this hard on any of the children."
"Your life revolves around them, Bass," she reminded him, "Of course they were going to miss you."
"Can I talk to them?" Chuck inquired.
"Yes," Blair nodded, "We'll start with Charlotte. I'll go get her."
"Hi, Daddy," Charlotte took a seat at her father's desk after sprinting into his office the moment Blair told her Chuck was waiting.
"Hi, Princess," Chuck smiled as Blair adjusted the height of Chuck's chair so that Charlotte could be seen on his monitor, "Are you ready for bed yet?"
"Not yet," Charlotte replied, "I'm reading."
"Really, what are you reading?" he inquired.
"Anne of Green Gables," she responded, "It's really good."
"You have your riding lesson tomorrow," he reminded her, "Don't forget to remind your mother."
"Mommy, I have a riding lesson tomorrow," Charlotte tilted her head back so she could see her mother.
Blair chuckled as Charlotte returned her attentions to her father.
"Have you bought me any gifts yet?" Charlotte inquired.
"Not yet," he chuckled at his materialistic daughter's eagerness. She was so much like her mother in looks and personality it was eerie sometimes. "I just arrived an hour ago. I haven't been able to find anything in the hotel's gift shop that is worthy of my princess yet, but I promise that I will keep looking."
"Okay," she sighed, "Mommy took us to see penguins today."
"Oh really," Chuck replied. This was certainly news to him. Blair hadn't mentioned it during their brief conversation.
"Yep, we saw penguins and sea otters and…" Charlotte rambled on as she listed all the animals they'd seen during their outing in the Central Park Zoo that afternoon, "And then we had ice cream and cookies…"
"Which explains the sugar high you're still on," Chuck interrupted her, "No wonder you and Brice are still awake."
"We had fun," Charlotte informed him.
"That's good," he laughed, "You're being good for Mommy, aren't you? No Waldorf fits?" It was a term that he and Blair had coined when Charlotte was still a toddler and created a massive scene when something wasn't going her way.
"I was good today, wasn't I, Mommy?" Charlotte asked as she tilted her head back again.
"Yes," Blair laughed while stroking her fingers through her daughter's curls.
"It's past your bedtime, Princess," Chuck noted, "Go get ready for bed. Mommy will tuck you in after I finish talking to your brothers, okay?"
"Okay," she pouted.
"I love you, Princess," Chuck replied.
"I love you too, Daddy," Charlotte kissed her hand and then shifted in the chair so that she could touch the screen where his cheek was, "I miss you."
Before Chuck could respond, she was out of the room to carry out Chuck's order.
"You have the magic touch," Blair shook her head, "I wasn't going to get her into bed for at least another hour."
"She may have me wrapped around her finger, but I've learning that she's also wrapped around mine," he chuckled, "I'm sure puberty will put an end to that, but for now I intend to use it to my advantage."
"Let's see how that works with Brice," Blair challenged him, "I'll go get him."
Chuck prepared himself for the round of twenty questions he was about to face. If it was possible, Brice was even more curious about the world since he started school. The rounds of questions lasted much longer.
"Hi, Dad," Brice jumped into the chair after flying into the room.
"Hi, Little Man," Chuck smiled, "How are you?"
"Good," he replied, "Dorota had to take me and Barty for a walk this evening. Uncle Nate couldn't make it, but he promised that he would be here first thing in the morning."
"That's good," Chuck stated, "Did you thank Dorota for taking you?"
"Yep," he nodded, "What kind of plane did you fly in today?"
"A 757," Chuck replied.
"Did you get to fly first class?" Brice inquired.
"Yes," Chuck nodded.
"Did you get to eat anything?" his son asked.
"Yes, the flight attendant gave me macadamia nuts when we took off, and then we had a steak sandwich served with vegetables," Chuck replied.
"Did you get any cocktails?" Brice inquired.
"No," Chuck shook his head, "I'm on a business trip. I typically don't drink until the end of the day when I'm on a business trip, if I drink at all."
"How come?" Brice inquired.
"I need to keep a clear head," Chuck replied, "The people that I work with expect me to keep a level head, or I might make a bad deal."
"That's bad," Brice stated, "Then you'd have to go back to work full time."
"Maybe," Chuck nodded.
"I don't like when you have to go on business trips," Brice informed him, "You can't read my bedtime stories to me."
"No, I can't," Chuck agreed, "But I'm sure Mommy would read to you if you ask nicely."
"Is your hotel nice?" Brice inquired.
"Yes, it's very nice," Chuck nodded, "It's not one that we own, but it's nice."
"Are you in the Presidential Suite?" Brice asked.
"Yes," Chuck nodded.
"Has a president ever stayed there?" Brice inquired.
"I'm not sure, Buddy," Chuck responded, "I'll make sure to ask."
"Why would they call it a presidential suite if no president has ever stayed there?" Brice inquired as he propped his head up on his father's desk. Either the sugar was wearing off or the endless questions were wearing him out. Chuck could see that Brice was getting tired.
"So that anyone that stays in the suite feels special, like the president," Chuck explained.
"Do you feel special staying there?" Brice inquired.
"No," Chuck shook his head, "But I know the secret as to why they call it a presidential suite because we own many hotels."
"Can you come home yet?" Brice let out a healthy yawn.
"Not for a couple of days," Chuck sighed, "But I'll be home as soon as I can."
"Can we come stay with you?" Brice asked.
"You have baseball practice on Tuesday and Thursday, and Charlotte has her riding lessons tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday," Chuck pointed out.
"If I skip my baseball practice, can I come stay with you?" Brice asked.
"I bet Joe DiMaggio never skipped baseball practice to stay at a hotel with his father," Chuck countered. Joe DiMaggio was Brice's current idol. He alternated between many of the Yankee greats, but Joe DiMaggio was his current favorite. Whether it was getting Brice to eat his vegetables or pick up his clothes, using his idol was always the most useful way to keep Brice in line.
"Fine," Brice pouted, "I'll go to stupid baseball practice."
"You love baseball, Brice," Chuck pointed out, "You want to play catch with Barty every time we go to the park, and you know all the servers in the luxury box by name at Yankee Stadium."
"Fine," Brice moaned, "It's not stupid."
"I'll be home soon, Brice," Chuck vowed.
"Okay," Brice nodded.
"Why don't you get your pajamas on?" Chuck suggested, "Mommy will read you a bedtime story."
"Okay," Brice's head continued to bob.
"I love you, Little Man," Chuck smiled.
"Love you too, Dad," Brice hopped out of his chair and darted off.
Chuck smiled to himself as he waited for Blair to appear once again. So far he was two for two in getting his children into bed.
"Look, Aiden, who is that?" Blair inquired as she sat in Chuck's chair with her son in her lap. She'd found him in his bed, grumpy, half awake and asking for his daddy. Aiden followed Blair's finger to the screen.
"Daddy," Aiden called out as he reached towards the screen.
Chuck's heart ached as Aiden continued to reach towards him, expecting to be able to touch his father.
"Hi, Aiden," Chuck tried to summon the best smile he could.
"Come home now," Aiden demanded as he began sucking on his thumb.
"I wish I could," Chuck sighed.
"Come home now," Aiden mumbled as he kept his thumb in his mouth.
"Aiden, Daddy will be home as soon as he can," Blair told him gently, "He doesn't like being so far away any more than you like him being so far away, but he has to for his job."
"Quit," Aiden demanded.
"Daddy can't quit his job, Sweetie," Blair tried to explain to him, "It's Grandpa Bart's company. He gave it to Daddy to take care of. You want Daddy to take care of Grandpa Bart's company, don't you?"
"No," Aiden snapped.
"If Daddy quits then he won't have the company to give to you and to Brice and to Charlotte," Blair replied as she began rocking him gently back and forth.
"Aiden," Chuck interrupted the response that his son was about to make, "I know how hard this is. Nobody wants me to be home more than I want to be home. I can't say anything that is going to change your mind about this, but I do promise to be home as soon as I possibly can."
"Come home now," Aiden repeated his demand from before.
Chuck's head fell forward in defeat. It was killing him that he couldn't give into his son's demand. He didn't deny his children anything, especially his time. He knew how it felt when he was a little boy and he wanted to have his own father at home when he was on a business trip. He hated that he was making his own children feel that way.
"Why don't you go climb into my bed?" Blair suggested as she lowered Aiden to his feet, "I'll be there in a few minutes after I tuck Charlotte and Brice into bed."
"I love you, Aiden," Chuck called out as Aiden sulked away but received no reply.
"Should I come home?" Chuck inquired once Blair had assured him that Aiden was out of the room.
"No," Blair shook her head, "I'll manage until Friday."
"Perhaps you will, but will Aiden?" Chuck frowned.
"He'll be fine," she assured him, "And just think of the homecoming you'll be getting when you do come home. You'll feel like a rock star with the way these children will be hanging all over you."
"I'm counting the minutes," Chuck sighed.
"Don't worry about the children," Blair tried to assure him, "You just focus on your work. I promise I have everything under control. Yes, the children miss you. I miss you, but we'll be just fine."
"I love you," Chuck gave her a tiny smile.
"I love you too," she smiled, "And I'll see you in a few days."
Chuck nodded.
"Get some sleep, Bass," she encouraged him.
Chuck snorted in reply. She knew better than anyone that he wouldn't be sleeping much on this trip. He never had slept well when he was apart from her. This week wasn't going to be any different.
TBC...
Don't forget that feedback. It keeps me posting (hint, hint).