Hey guys,
it's been a really long time since I last posted something but I'm feeling inspired lately so here it is :)
Enjoy!
He had just been finishing his shower after an exhausting work-out in the Empire's training room when his cell phone went off in the pants he was currently pulling up his legs. One look at the caller ID told him that it was an unknown number but he quickly accepted the call, thinking it was Nate, who'd lost his phone again.
"Hello?" his voice sounded through the line. He waited for an answer but all he could hear were people in the background and announcements. "Who's there?" he eventually asked, almost hanging up again, when he heard someone breathe on the other side.
"It's me."
And that was enough to stop his heartbeat for a second - before it accelerated into a frantic rhythm.
"Blair?" he asked hoarsely, even though he knew it was her, he'd recognize that voice anywhere.
"Chuck, can you please pick me up from JFK airport? I just landed and I don't know where to go and I'm really sorry for interrupting and-" her voice broke at the end. Was she crying?
"Are you ok?", the concern in his voice was evident. "Not really" she sniffled a bit and it literally broke his heart.
All of his attempts to get over her, to stop giving up his own life for someone who left without explaining and married a man she didn't love, flew out the metaphorical window upon hearing her like this. "Hold on, I'll be there as soon as I can." She nodded to herself and heard him hang up.
He threw on a shirt – not bothering with his messy and still damp hair – and left his suite, already ordering Arthur to bring the limo.
They were lucky and there weren't any long waits in traffic, probably because it was 9 pm and everyone was home from work already, enabling them to get to JFK in an acceptable time.
Arthur was driving around, looking for a parking lot when Chuck told him to stop and got out, running the way into the giant entrance hall because he just couldn't let Blair wait any longer. Upon leaving the warmth of the car, he realised it was raining, making his legs carry him even faster.
He was about to call Blair, when he realised it wasn't her phone she had called him from earlier – or she had a new one. He ran inside the entrance hall but quickly stilled in his movements and looked around, seeing that it was almost impossible to spot her in the crowd of people.
He was about to go to the information desk when he stopped himself again because he wasn't sure why she was here, hence he didn't know if it would be a good idea to call her name through an airport like JFK.
His gaze wandered through the large hall once again and suddenly he saw her, sitting on her suitcase in one corner and apparently going through a newspaper.
And in the moment he laid eyes on hair, the breath caught in his throat. She looked so tired and small and his instinct to protect that girl from anything cruel the world had to offer kicked in. It was the first time he saw her since she left him to become a princess and her effect on him hadn't changed one bit – neither did her undeniable beauty that even radiated from her when she looked like she might fall of her suitcase from exhaustion.
When he found his breath again he finally started to walk over to her until he was standing directly in front of her. She was too absorbed in a newspaper article to notice him and when he got a glance at the report's headline, he suddenly felt the anger, pain and frustration she had brought him by marrying the man the article was about.
"Blair."
Her eyes shot up instantly, meeting his and it was like an electric shock shooting through both of their bodies before the world suddenly came to a stop.
It was after a few seconds in total trance, that his eyes managed to get away from hers and noticed the black stains her mascara had left from her crying and he cursed to himself, immediately forgetting about his pain and focused on hers.
"Chuck, I…" she started and the way she said his name threw him off his feet once again.
He quickly composed himself though and realised that they were indeed still standing in a crowded airport and for whatever reason she was here, it probably wasn't approved by Louis and his family had their eyes everywhere like Chuck had to learn in the past, so they had to get out of there.
"Before you say anything, we really should get out of here; Arthur is waiting outside with the limo." She nodded and went to reach for her belongings but Chuck was faster and had already grabbed her things, starting to move to the exit and she quickly followed him.
When they stood outside, he mentally chided himself for not bringing an umbrella because Blair didn't even have a coat on and he had left his in the limo in his rush to find her. Fortunately, the limo was standing only a few feet away since Arthur had managed to find a space to park and the two ran the short distance. The loyal driver quickly jumped out when he saw them and opened the doors, taking the luggage from Chuck.
They were both dripping wet when they entered the warmth of the long vehicle and fell into the leather seats. Chuck's gaze quickly landed on the woman in front of him, who was shivering uncontrollably and he quickly reached for his coat, handing it to her.
She gratefully accepted it but her shivering eventually turned into sobbing and the tears started to roll down her face. Blair immediately tried to wipe them away but Chuck was already by her side, wrapping his arms around her protectively.
It didn't even matter that she was married to another man or that he didn't know the reason for her tears. All that mattered was that he never stopped loving her and despite what she had put him through, he had also had his fair share of hurting her and he would never not care about her.
The moment Blair felt his arms around her body, she gave up any strength she had left and fell against his chest, the tears streaming down her face. He was at a loss of what to do and instinctively held her tighter, feeling her shake. They sat like that for a good 20 minutes and Chuck knew they would arrive soon.
"I'm going to bring you to The Empire ok?" he whispered against her hair. She nodded and he was glad her crying had died down to a few sobs because it literally broke his heart to see her like that.
Not long after, Arthur pulled up at The Empire and opened the door for both of them. If he saw the tears on Blair's face he didn't show it and she was grateful for that. Chuck gave Arthur the rest of the night off and guided Blair up to his suite – not that she needed any guiding because she had been there more than anywhere else in the past.
Upon stepping inside, Blair felt relief taking over. She was finally at home and felt protected. She stood there, a little unsure of what to do. Chuck cleared his throat. "I'm going to make the guest room ready for you… You can take a shower if you'd like and, um, yeah you know where everything is."
There was a little distance between them but it was understandable and Blair was unbelievably thankful that he had just picked her up and actually let her stay over the night.
"Chuck I really wanna thank you for what you've done for me and –" her voice was still trembling a little. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You know you can always come here." He of course was dying to know why she was here and why she had called him instead of her mother or Serena or – he forced himself to think it – Dan Humphrey.
"Thanks, I'm going to shower so yeah, see you in a bit." He nodded his head and watched her go to the bathroom.
When she was freshly showered and had put on a nightgown and a robe, she descended the bathroom, her face free of any make up. She quickly made her way into the guest room and found it empty. She looked around the room and jumped a bit when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in" she replied and Chuck walked in. "Are you hungry? Because I was about to call the chef and order something for me." "Oh, no thanks I ate on the plane… I'm just gonna sleep, the day was pretty exhausting. And thanks again for having me." She added with a small smile.
"My pleasure" he smiled back at her and it almost felt like old days – almost. "I'm just gonna be in the living room, um, if you need something don't hesitate to ask me." Since when had he become so nervous around Blair? He retreated to the door and turned around one last time.
"Goodnight Blair."
And he was out the door, before she could answer. Chuck went back into the living room area, poured himself a scotch and sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was going to be a lot harder to have Blair over, when he should be actually trying to get over her, than he thought.
It was about 1 am, when he received a call. "Hello?" "Chuck? It's Eleanor Rose."
Blair's eyes fluttered open, as she awakened from her nervous sleep. She turned on the other side and tried to close her eyes again, when she heard Chuck talking. She glanced at the clock. It seemed pretty late for business calls, so she started to listen closely and froze when she heard him say the next line.
"No Eleanor, I haven't heard from Blair since she went to Monaco three months ago." Her mother said something.
"Yes, I will call you the moment I hear from her. Goodnight Eleanor." Blair fell back against her pillows and sighed deeply. So the Grimaldis had called her mom already. She was just about to go to sleep again and try to get a few hours of rest before she had to get up and face the day back in New York City, when Chuck's phone went off again.
She heard him answering and then waiting for a few second before hearing the next words that made her blood freeze and sleep a nonexistent option.
"Good evening Louis."
Tadaa! So I just started typing this and I'm not really sure where this is going yet, which means I would really appreciate it if you have any ideas :) Please review!
xoxo, sammy103
