AN: This is just a short one-shot story idea that came to me in my sleep recently and I thought it was just too cute not to type up and share.
It takes place sometime after season 3, with Chuck and Blair having been in a good place before things went down (ie: Chuck was accused and arrested for an unpaid business amount). After spending six months in jail while an investigation was conducted, Chuck was found innocent of all charges and the story takes place on the day of his release.
Perhaps it is a bit random, but then again, most ideas we get in our sleep are! Hope you enjoy it and please feel free to leave a review!
"Thanks for meeting me, sis," Chuck told Serena as he handed her the Ziploc bag of his personal belongings and began to put his coat on over his suit.
"Of course! They're going to be so thrilled to see you – I know Nate's been quite lonely in the penthouse by himself..."
"And Blair?" he quickly inquired as he looked through the bag and pocketed his cell phone before putting on his watch.
"Blair's... been keeping busy in recent months, but I really do think it's just to keep her mind off it all," she assured him as she reached for his wallet and began to skim to through it.
"What are you doing?" he asked her as he noticed her rifling through his belongings.
"I know you had it on you when they took you in," she told him. "I just wanted to make sure it's still there."
"It is," he smirked at her as he held up the ring he knew she was referring to and tucked it securely in his pocket. "Let's go – it's been six months, I don't want to keep them waiting any longer."
Good afternoon Upper East Siders, Gossip Girl here and our Billionaire Bass is getting out of the Big House today after six months. It appears all his friends are to meet him at his beloved Empire upon his release here shortly.
But what of our Queen B? As our live stream shows, she's apparently brought her most recent beau from Columbia along for the ride.
{{The live stream footage on Gossip Girl shows Blair marching up to none other than Dan Humphrey with a devilish grin on her face as he chats with some friends while her date Cameron awkwardly follows behind her. We see her poke Humphrey in the chest as she says something condescending to him, putting him in his place and causing his so-called friends to laugh along with her. After destroying him with a few simple words, Queen B walks away and begins to ascend the staircase to meet up with Nate and Serena. Cameron however lags behind and after a moment's pause, decides Blair's unwarranted humiliation of Dan is something he just can't get on board with and he leaves the establishment alone.}}
Well, well B – it seems another date of yours isn't fond of your usual antics. When will you learn? Only one will ever be and his name starts with C.
"Well he didn't last long," Nate remarked as Blair approached him on the upper deck, overlooking the back entrance where Chuck had said he'd meet them.
"Hm?" Blair inquired as she took a seat next to him at the table.
"Gossip Girl – she just streamed your whole encounter with Dan downstairs. Seems your date wasn't thrilled," he filled her in as he passed her his phone as he knew Blair had stopped subscribing to Gossip Girl months ago.
"Oh," she stated as she looked behind her shoulder and noted that Cameron was long gone. "He was beginning to be a bore anyway. Is Serena here yet?"
"No, she's running late as usual, she'll be here soon though," Nate told her as he took a sip of his beer and returned back to reading the day's newspaper.
Blair couldn't help but notice the headline on the front page:
Billionaire Bass to be Released
She remembered his arrest six months ago like it was yesterday. She could tell he was in the middle of something important, quite possibly about to ask her the most important question of their lives when the police showed up, arresting him and hauling him away for an unpaid $30,000 they stated he owed a fellow business tycoon. She couldn't believe it. No one could. Yet the media frenzy that followed for days had been the most embarrassing and humiliating thing she had ever had to endure on her own. While she truly believed he was innocent of any such thing, the media was quick to judge and speculate, running her name through the mud by association.
"Have you heard anything from him yet?" she asked Nate once her mind came back to reality.
"Not yet – he said he would call when he was close," Nate informed her.
"I must say, renovating this back entrance area turned out quite nice – it's quite cozy for a place to come and relax with a drink," Blair remarked as she looked around at the place. It had been months since she last set foot in The Empire. "I'm surprised he was able to get it done while in prison – didn't they freeze his assets during the investigation?" she wondered.
"I thought so too, but then again, he is Chuck Bass," Nate reminded her. She nodded in agreement as she took a sip of her drink.
He had no sooner spoke though when his phone rang.
"Hello? Hey man! You almost here? Well Blair and I are here but Serena's Serena and well... she'll be along soon. Yeah, sure – hang on just a sec," she heard Nate speak into the phone as he sat it down on the table and turned on the speaker. "Can you hear me?"
"As clear as crystal," she heard his voice respond over the phone. "I just want to say thank you to you both for not believing all the lies and rumors and sticking by me on the outside through all this – I can imagine it hasn't been easy. But I will say this – fuck Weinstein and his $30,000! How dare he accuse me of not paying up when he's the one who owes me! I swear to God he will pay for these last six months... I'll take him for everything he's got."
It was then that they both noticed his voice was echoing as they looked over the half balcony and saw him standing there with Serena entering behind him. Blair immediately rose to her feet and rushed down the few steps to confront him first before anyone else could.
"Bass..." she spoke lowly with her eyes narrowed and a hint of despisement in her voice as she stood at the bottom of the steps while he still stood only a step inside the entrance.
"Waldorf," he addressed her in return with his eyes also narrowed.
"After all this time do you really think you could just-" but before she could continue her rant a thought occurred to her. "Did you... did you just walk here all the way from the precinct?" she gasped.
"Perhaps," he casually replied. "Blair, if I may, could you please join me outside so we could speak in private for a moment?" he asked as he looked over to acknowledge Nate just overlooking on the upper balcony.
"I suppose," she decided as she took her time walking towards him, allowing him to slide an arm around her waist as he held the door open for her.
"So, I saw on Gossip Girl you've displeased another suitor with your usual ways," he grinned as he followed her outside.
"I wouldn't exactly call him a suitor or a beau or any of those other names Gossip Girl has been using to label my company in your absence," she grinned, pleased that he had noticed and hopeful that it had made him a little jealous. "If anything, he and the others were merely distractions to keep me busy," she stated.
"Well it seems that perhaps things have gotten lax at my hotel in my absence if they're allowing Humphries to loiter on the premises," he commented.
"Well he did have a book published while you were locked up... he pretty much painted us all in a bad light, including Serena. He didn't even give Nate the courtesy of having his own character – he turned him gay and basically made him Erik. Your character actually gets off lucky – he kills himself," she informed him. "Surprised you haven't heard anything about it – don't they get newspapers in prison?"
"They do, but I prefer the important headlines and the financial section instead of the over-inflated author's ego section," he casually told her. "Pity I missed it."
"I can't believe you would rather spend six months in jail rather than just pay the $30,000, Chuck! You have credit cards with limits much higher than that!" she exclaimed as she turned to face him once they were standing alone outside on the sidewalk.
"It's the principle of it, Blair – I knew once they completed the investigation that they would uncover the truth that I was completely innocent. My lawyers say that the investigation also uncovered enough evidence that points directly to Weinstein being the guilty party in this matter and that he set me up to take the fall instead," he explained to her.
"But prison, Chuck? Seriously?"
"It was a low security, white collar affair, my dear – the same facility that Nathaniel's father has been residing in. In fact, The Captain and I spent quite some time together while in there," he recalled. "But that's besides the point, Blair."
"Then what is the point? Why did you insist on bringing me out here to speak in private while Nate is waiting inside to welcome you home?" she demanded to know.
"I had a lot of time to think while in there and to be honest, I mostly thought about you, and us," he began to confess as he took her hands in his, running his thumb along her delicate fingers. "I know we have a lot to discuss still as a lot has happened, however you're the only one I can ever see by my side forever and Blair, you're the only woman I could ever want for the rest of my life," he continued as he slowly got down on one knee.
She began to bite her bottom lip as she watched him reach into his pocket and realized what he was doing.
"You know I was trying to ask you this six months ago but we were interrupted," he reminded her as he paused to swallow the nervous lump in his throat. He knew this time there would be no interruptions. "Blair Cornelia Waldorf... will you marry me?"
Even though she had known it was a long time coming, she was hesitant to answer right away despite every fiber of her being wanting her to. A lot had changed in six months.
Finally she spoke.
"I agree, we do have quite a bit to discuss," she began. "And while maybe not right away... yes, Chuck Bass, I will marry you – someday," she genuinely smiled for the first time in months as he quickly stood, placed the magnificent Harry Winston diamond on her finger and pulled her into him for a long awaited passion-filled kiss.
Their reunion was interrupted after a few moments though as Serena came rushing outside, squealing with delight after having watched the entire exchange from inside the doors.
"Omigod you guys did it!" Serena exclaimed as she was all smiles and rushed over to give her best friend and stepbrother a hug. They both smiled at her in return.
"Serena, while don't you call Nathaniel to come join us while I call for a car to take us to dinner – there's a certain cuisine I've been craving for the last six months," he stated as he pulled out his phone.
Just then Blair noticed a white kitten scurrying along the sidewalk.
"Aww, Chuck – look! A kitten! Can we keep it?" she asked as the little girl inside her began to follow after it. "We could name it Cat like Holly Golightly's..."
"Perhaps," he stated as he finally got ahold of someone. "Yes, hello, this is Chuck Bass – could you please send a car to pick my friends and I up just outside the back entrance to The Empire Hotel?"
Blair gasped in horror as they stood on the corner of the sidewalk and she watched the kitten park itself against the front tire of a pick-up truck sitting there at the stoplight. Without thinking, she crouched down to reach under and try to lure the poor thing out before it got run over.
By the time Chuck saw what she was doing it was too late. The light had turned green and the truck proceeded on, not even seeing Blair or the kitten. While the kitten had quickly jumped out of harms way, Blair's right hand and lower arm weren't so lucky.
Serena shrieked at the sight of Blair's hand and arm, nearly flattened, as Blair was trying not to let herself panic too much. Quickly, Chuck snapped a picture of the truck's license plate, knowing they would need it.
"You know we have to get her to the hospital right away," Serena remarked once she had calmed down enough to speak. Blair was freakishly silent and more in a state of shock and disbelief than anything as he slid his arm around her while she held onto her limp and clearly broken arm.
"I'm aware," he sighed with a slight smile, not too surprised something had happened. That was the Blair he knew and loved and had missed – the Blair who could shred the likes of Dan Humphrey within mere seconds and yet a fuzzy little kitten would be her downfall.
At least it was her right hand and arm and not the left with the Harry Winston, he thought to himself as the car he called approached the curb.
"Where to, sir?" the driver inquired as Chuck helped Blair into the car while Serena got in the back with them and Nate sat up front.
"Well now... to the hospital," he instructed. "And quickly."
While it wasn't quite the homecoming any of them had imagined for him, it was definitely one they wouldn't soon forget.