'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away


Chuck walked back into the bedroom after getting ready in their en suite only to spy his wife still fast asleep on her side of the bed with their barely three year old daughter spread out in the middle.

"Hey," he gently called to his wife, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her as she began to stir.

"Mmm... what time is it?" Blair groaned, still asleep and exhausted at having been kept up half the night by their young daughter. At about 4 in the morning she resigned to just letting the girl sleep in bed with them as she kept having nightmares about goblins and the goblin king coming to take her away. She could have murdered Chuck for letting the kids watch Labyrinth last night before bed.

"Almost 7," Chuck replied, smiling at the sight of how beautiful she looked in her sleep.

"Ugh... are the kids awake?" she questioned as she rolled over onto her back, forgetting there was a child there.

"Charlotte is still asleep beside you there, I think I heard Henry downstairs in the kitchen with Dorota," he quietly informed her as he began to tie his tie.

"I should probably get up then too..." Blair muttered, clearly still tired.

"Don't worry about it – I'll stick around a bit, take Henry to school on my way to work... save Arthur the mileage on the limo... you take the morning off and catch up on sleep with her – I heard you two up late," he confessed, smiling as he looked over at his princess, sleeping soundly now.

"Well I guess it's only fair, considering I have you to thank for that," Blair teased as she snuggled back onto her side.

"I'm sorry... I didn't think she'd have a problem with it," he admitted.

"Well, if she's up again all night tonight... you're up too," she stated with a peaceful smile.

"Agreed," Chuck stated as he smiled back at her. Truth was, he didn't mind staying up with her. That little girl was his world and everyone knew it. She had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born. "I should probably make sure Henry's about ready to go and get to work myself," he announced as he leaned down and kissed his wife goodbye. "Love you."

"Sounds good," Blair nodded as she returned his kiss with a soft one of her own before attempting to go back to sleep. "Love you too, Chuck and don't forget - we have dinner with the Carlisle's tonight at six," she reminded him as she snuggled into her pillow.

"I won't," Chuck assured her as he reached over and gently stroked his sleeping little girl's cheek, carefully pushing a stray curl behind her ear. She was the smitten image of her mother at that age.

Quietly, Chuck made his way to the door, careful to close it as silently as he could but not before taking in one last look back at the two females in his life that meant the most to him. While Blair was his moon, always having guided him through the darkness, Charlotte was his bright and shining star. He couldn't have been happier for the family he was blessed with.


"Yes mother, I can stop by the atelier shortly and check on the fabrics, however make sure Jean-Pierre knows I will have the children with me as we're on our way to pickup Henry from school," Blair spoke into her phone as she rode with her young daughter in her and Chuck's beloved limo. Hanging up the phone, she smiled over at the child, strapped in her booster seat, gently reached over to readjust her headband.

"Mommy, it's fine," the little girl giggled as Blair combed through her hair with her fingers.

"Yes, well it's important to always look our best when in public," Blair reminded her. "Prim and proper as Grandmere would say... but with a dash of charm and fun," she added with a grin.

"Can we go visit daddy after we get brother?" Charlotte wondered as she looked out the window in awe, curious to the world around her.

"Not today, sweetie – we have to stop by the atelier so mommy can approve some fabrics for Grandmere," Blair regretfully informed her as the little girl began to pout. She knew how much her daughter adored Chuck. While Chuck had been a sadden that Henry had become quite the mama's boy when he was little, Charlotte turned out to be a total daddy's girl. "Tell you what, if mommy can get in and out quickly, we'll see if we can't stop by and surprise daddy by picking him up from work early, okay?" she suggested, hoping that maybe that response would satisfy her.

"Okay, mommy," Charlotte agreed after contemplating the deal momentarily. "And then ice cream at Serendipity?" she asked with a gleam of hope in her eye.

"We'll see," Blair told her. "Your father and I have a business dinner tonight so we may not be able to this afternoon."

"Okay..." she frowned. Charlotte Bass loved ice cream and she knew her brother did too.

"If we don't go today maybe this weekend," Blair offered, knowing that that was a plan she could definitely keep.

She smiled at her daughter who smiled back at her in acknowledgment, a twinkle in her eye. She hadn't noticed they were stopped in traffic and she had no sooner felt the impact of the crash, throwing her against the vehicle, when everything went black.


"Chuck Bass," Chuck answered the phone at his office, his secretary citing it being an urgent call from the police.

"Yes, Mr. Bass... this is Sergeant Reyes with the NYPD," the man spoke over the phone.

"What seems to be the problem officer?" Chuck inquired, curious as to why the police were contacting him. He couldn't think of anything business-wise that would be of police concern.

"Sir, I regret to have to tell you this, but your wife and daughter have been in a car accident," Sergeant Reyes continued.

"I see, how serious are we talking?" Chuck wondered as he sat straight in his seat, leaning onto the desk.

"It's pretty serious... your wife is being rushed to Mercy Hospital. It's important you get here as soon as possible," Sergeant Reyes advised.

"I'm on my way," Chuck stated as he stood to his feet, hanging up the phone and grabbing his jacket hanging on the coat stand on his way out the door. "Susan, call Arthur, have him pull the car around and have Lily pick up Henry," he requested in a hurry.

"But sir..." the receptionist started only for him to cut her off.

"No, buts Susan – call the car around," Chuck ordered, growing impatient.

"But sir, Arthur was driving your wife and daughter to pick up your son from school... he was in the accident," Susan hesitantly informed him.

"Shit..." Chuck muttered in frustration as he tried to think. "Fine, just call me a car and have it waiting for me by the time I get downstairs," he barked as he quickly swung his jacket on and proceeded towards the elevator.


"I was called regarding a car accident," Chuck spoke as he reached the front desk at the emergency room.

"Chuck Bass?" a doctor standing nearby, speaking with an officer he assumed to be Sergeant Reyes, approached immediately.

"Yes – I was called at work... my wife, daughter and driver were apparently involved in some sort of accident?" Chuck inquired as he addressed the man before him.

"Mr. Bass... is there someone you can call..." the doctor started his voice trailing. Chuck's gut told him something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

"My wife, where is she?" he questioned once more, growing more concerned by each passing moment. "I was told they were rushing her here."

"I regret to inform you sir... the team did what they could in the ambulance but well, she was pronounced dead on arrival," the doctor spoke, hanging his head, unable to look Chuck in the eye.

"No... no that can't be right..." Chuck stuttered, refusing to believe what he was told. "What about my daughter? Where is she?" he asked, beginning to fear the worst but hoping so much for something else. Anything else.

"She... she was pronounced dead at the scene," the man told him, a lump in his through. "Your driver was the only one that survived. He should be out of surgery soon."

Chuck stood there, completely speechless for a moment.

"Is... is there someone we could call for you, sir?" Sergeant Reyes questioned, trying to help, knowing there was no way any man should be completely alone while he processed news like this.

"Lily Van der Woodsen," Chuck muttered as he continued to stand there in disbelief. "Who... who did this?" he requested to know.

"It was a drunk driver... a man visiting from Rhode Island... your vehicle was stopped in traffic when the driver ran the red light at full speed, crashing right into the back of the limousine.

Chuck listened, trying to picture the scene that was just described.

"We don't think your daughter suffered," the doctor quickly added, as if that would somehow make him feel any better about the situation.

"Is he still alive?"

"Who?"

"The other driver," Chuck clarified.

"Yes, unfortunately he did survive the accident, sustaining non-life threatening injuries," the doctor sadly told him, knowing it wasn't fair. For some reason, these types of accidents never seemed fair – the innocent parties losing the most while the ones responsible got to walk away.

"Can I see him?" Chuck spoke with no emotion as he continued to stare off in space.

"Sir, I don't think that's a good-"

"Can I or can I not see him?" Chuck asked once more, anger seeping into his tone. "I'd like to inform him myself of the mess he's caused and that I will be pressing charges to the fullest extent," Chuck seethed as he stared the officer down.

"I... I suppose I can escort you..." Sergeant Reyes agreed. Everyone knew that Chuck Bass would have his way one way or another. At least this way security would be present if Chuck were to go off the deep end.


"Whoa... you're Chuck Bass!" the young man spoke as he laid propped up in the hospital bed, having seen Chuck standing in the doorway.

"Yes, I am," Chuck firmly spoke as he took a step inside, Sergeant Reyes following closely behind him.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure? I hear you're like a legend in this city!" the man stated with enthusiasm. "Making celebrity charity appearances at the hospital?" he guessed with a slight grin.

"Hardly... I wish that were the case," Chuck seethed as he approached the man's bed. Seeing him hooked up to very few machines, very few scars visible aside from an obvious broken arm in a cast... Chuck wished he could break the other arm for him, along with the rest of his limbs. His neck especially.

"Then... what?" the man questioned, confused.

"Believe me, I fully understand the joys of day-drinking, better than most I would guess, but what you did today..."

"Oh, the whole accident thing? Was that your car I hit? Look man, I'm really sorry about that... I'm sure my insurance can cover it," he began to apologize.

"You have no idea?!" Chuck barked at the man in complete disbelief.

"What? It's just a car, right?"

"My wife and daughter were in that car!" Chuck screamed at the man.

"Oh, shit..." the man mouthed, barely audible.

"Oh, shit is right," Chuck snapped back at him. "I hope whatever you were celebrating at 3 in the afternoon was worth it because it not only cost the lives of my wife and three year old, but I'll make sure you rot in jail for the rest of your life you piece of shit," Chuck hissed as he stared the man down, clearly making him fear him. "Consider your life over as well," he announced as he turned to walk away.

He had nothing more to say to the man and knew that if he stayed any longer he would likely do something he'd ultimately regret.


"Charles, I got here as soon as I could," Lily declared as soon as she spotted him in the waiting room. He had been waiting for Arthur to get out of surgery as he needed to speak with him. Needed to know what happened. "Your secretary mentioned there was an accident when she called to ask me to get Henry... Where's Blair? And Charlotte?" she quickly inquired as she took a seat next to him.

"Dead. They're both dead," Chuck spoke as he stared straight ahead, his expression blank as his hands absentmindedly fiddled with his daughter's small purple headband that had been retrieved from the scene of the accident. His mind was racing with emotions and he wasn't quite sure how to process them all. Blair had always been the one to help him through times like this.

"What?! Oh my god, what happened?!" Lily exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock.

"Some drunk bastard ran a red light and crashed right into them at full speed," he told her, his voice void of emotion. "Where's Henry?" he questioned, turning to face her for the first time since she had sat down next to him.

"I had just picked him up when I got the call from some police officer saying I needed to come meet you here – not knowing the seriousness of the accident, I dropped Henry off with Serena and told her to wait home with him til we knew more information," Lily informed him as she reached for his hand. "Charles I am so, so sorry..." she began to quietly cry, putting an arm around him as she buried her face in his shoulder, giving his hand a squeeze in comfort.

"Mr. Bass, your driver is out of surgery now and awake if you'd like to see him," the doctor approached, drawing Chuck out of his thoughts and capturing his attention.

"Arthur's alive?" Lily spoke, lifting her head, a tiny bit of hope in her voice.

"Yes," Chuck simply responded as he sat forward, straightening out his jacket and running a hand through his hair in a failed attempt to smooth it out. "And unfortunately so is the drunk driver," he muttered as he stood. "I'll be back shortly – feel free to wait around, however I think after I check on Arthur I'm just going to go home... I already signed the release papers to the funeral home," he told her.

"Charles... if there's anything you need, you know we're all here for you both," Lily called after him as she watched the doctor lead him to a corridor. She was left sitting there, speechless and completely in shock. Blair and Charlotte had meant the world to Chuck. She had no idea how he was going to get through this and prayed that he would be able to weather the impending storm they all knew would be coming.


"I'm sorry, sir... we were sitting in traffic... the light at the intersection was green... we were halted waiting to pass through it... the other driver ran the red light – I didn't realize what had happened until it was too late and the car had already impacted with ours," Arthur apologized, quickly trying to explain.

"It's not your fault... you did nothing wrong," Chuck solemnly told his trusted driver of many years. "I don't think there was anything you could have done..." his voice trailed as he thought the scenario over. They were basically just sitting ducks, he thought to himself.

"I just... I feel so terrible sir," Arthur stated, not really knowing what else to say. "I don't know what to say or do... I know none of it will make things any better..."

"What you can do, is get better," Chuck instructed him. "You have nothing to worry about, I know you did nothing wrong... I'm not firing you so you're still my driver. As soon as you're feeling up to it, I expect you back in my employ, do you understand?" he firmly asked. Regardless of what happened, Arthur was still his most trusted and loyal driver. The only other help that came anywhere close in comparison was Dorota.

"Yes, sir," Arthur responded, relived to still be in service to his charge of at least two decades. "Doctor's say I should be well enough to drive again in about two to three weeks," he reported.

"Good, I'll see you then," Chuck stated as he proceeded to leave. He was relieved that at least someone he cared about survived the crash.


"Daddy!" Henry exclaimed as he came rushing to his father the moment Chuck walked through the front door. "Where's mommy and Charlotte?" he asked immediately when he realized his father was alone.

"Chuck, what's going on? I haven't heard from mom since she told me to bring Henry home," Serena spoke as she joined her stepbrother and nephew in the foyer. "How's Blair?" she quietly mouthed to him, unsure as to what he wanted to tell Henry.

Chuck merely shook his head no as he picked up his eight year old son and held him tightly.

"Charlotte?" she mouthed once more, a look of confusion on her face, not quite following what he meant.

Once again, over Henry's shoulder he shook his head no once more.

"Chuck, I... I don't understand," Serena confessed.

With a sigh, Chuck placed his son back on his feet. "Hey Hen, why don't you go play for a little bit in your room - daddy needs to talk to Aunt Serena and make a few phone calls," he told his son, not quite sure as to how to break the news to him.

"Okay... but where's mommy and Charlotte? They didn't come home with you?" he wondered.

"No, they didn't, Hen. We'll talk about it in a bit, okay?" Chuck responded, hoping his answer would suffice.

"Aunt Serena said you were at the hospital – is that where mommy and Charlotte are? Can we go see them?" he inquired once more, wanting an answer.

"I was at the hospital," Chuck confirmed, glaring at Serena who merely mouthed an apologetic 'sorry', knowing she was now in the doghouse. "However, we'll discuss that in a bit, okay? Right now I just need you to go upstairs and play for a bit. I need to talk to Aunt Serena about some grown-up stuff, okay?"

"Grown-up stuff... that's what you and mommy say when you want to be alone together," the boy remarked as he reluctantly started up the stairs. He never saw his father's eyes begin to well up at the mention of his mother and father having alone time.

"Chuck, what's going?" Serena demanded to know, pulling him into the first floor office as soon as they heard Henry's door shut upstairs.

"Is Dorota still here?" Chuck asked her, figuring it'd be better to tell them both at the same time than having to repeat himself anymore than necessary. He was already dreading the calls he was going to have to make this evening to both Eleanor and Cyrus and Harold and Roman and he was especially struggling with how to break the news to Henry.

"Yeah, she's in the kitchen – we saved you dinner," Serena informed him.

"Go bring her here please, I'll call Nate," he requested as he pulled out his phone, seeing just how fast Nate could get there.

"Chuck, please... what happened?" Serena asked once more, hating knowing that there was something he wasn't telling her right away. Something big.

"Just go get Dorota please – I'll tell you all as soon as Nate arrives," he assured her as Nate texted back saying he was on his way.


"Okay, so what's going on, Chuck? You've gathered us all here, Henry's up in his room..." Nate started, curious as to the situation.

"Mom won't tell me anything yet, saying I should talk to you," Serena added, having grown impatient.

"I figured it'd be best to tell you at the same time... God knows I hate repeating myself and I have at least two phone calls to make tonight as well as break the news to my son..." Chuck informed them all as he sat on the front of his desk in the home office with Serena, Nate and Dorota now standing across from him.

"Mister Chuck, just tell us," Dorota requested, curious as well as concerned.

"As you all heard, there was an accident this afternoon, Arthur was driving Blair and Charlotte to pick Henry up from school," he started as they all nodded, having already been aware of that fact. He assumed his secretary had told Lily that much who then passed the information along to their closest friends and family. "Arthur had surgery... he's out of commission for a few weeks, but other than that he'll be fine, and of course the drunk driver that ran the red light managed to escape with just a few cuts, bruises and a broken arm," Chuck seethed.

"Okay, but what about Blair and Charlotte?" Nate pressed him, growing more and more anxious as Chuck continued to put it off.

"They didn't make it..." he finally told them, hanging his head in sorrow as he closed his eyes. He had yet to fully shed tears since hearing the news and he really rather preferred to do such a thing in private, alone.

"What?!" Serena exclaimed in absolute shock. "Didn't make it, what do you mean they didn't make it?"

"Serena," Nate called to her, trying to calm her down. He knew what Chuck was saying, dreading that that was why he had called them all there.

"They rushed Blair to hospital, but she was pronounced dead on arrival. Charlotte was apparently pronounced dead at the scene... fortunately they don't think she suffered," he explained, biting his upper lip, unable to say anymore at that moment.

"No!" Serena shrieked, breaking into hysterics as Chuck watched Nate try and calm her down.

"Serena, it's okay... it's okay," Nate held her tightly.

"Why?! Why?!" she cried over and over again, beating Nate's arm with her fists in frustration. She didn't understand. "Why her?! And why Charlotte?! She was still just a baby!" she sobbed, eventually collapsing into Nate's arms as he guided them over to the couch in the center of the room.

Chuck just held his head in his hand as he wondered the same thing himself.

"No... no..." he heard Dorota continuously utter to herself as she paced around the room. He was pretty sure he heard her curse in polish a few times.


"Hey, do you want me to stick around or anything?" Nate offered once Serena and Dorota had calmed down enough to leave without alerting Henry upstairs and after him and Chuck had made sure to call rides for both of them.

"It's alright, Nathaniel," Chuck told him. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I still need to call her parents and break the news to Henry..." To be completely honest, all he really wanted was to be alone.

"Alright man, but you know I'm here for you if there's anything at all you need, okay?" Nate reminded him. He remembered how much his best friend had spiraled when his dad first died. Without Blair around this time to help him through it, he knew Chuck was going to need all the support he could get and Nate was determined to do whatever it took to help.

Nate had no sooner left when Chuck retreated to the office once more, calling Eleanor first and then Harold. Both broke into uncontrollable sobs when he told them the news, Eleanor going into hysterics much like Serena had. He had assured them both someone would be in touch regarding funeral plans and they both confirmed that they would both be in town with their respective spouses within the next few days.

Glancing over at the clock, he noted it was already past eleven. As he ascended the stairs, Chuck prayed that Henry had fallen asleep already and wasn't still awake, waiting to bombard him with questions regarding his mother and sister. At this point, Chuck was both drained emotionally and physically. He hoped maybe he could get his son to put it off until at least tomorrow, giving him some time to sleep on how best to break it to the child.

"Daddy?" a small voice spoke up from behind him as he had just reached his bedroom door, his hand on the doorknob. "Aren't you going to tuck me in and tell me goodnight?" the boy questioned, even more confused as to what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Hen," Chuck apologized as he pressed his forehead to the door, pausing for a moment before turning to face his son. "It's very late, I figured you had fallen asleep already," he confessed as he began to approach the child, walking him back down the hall towards his room.

"It's okay," Henry told him as he walked hand in hand with his father. "I already got ready for bed all by myself but I stayed up reading, waiting for you to come say goodnight," he informed him with a proud smile.

"Smart boy," Chuck told him as he picked him up once they reached his room and carried him over to his bed, laying him down and beginning to tuck him in.

"Goodnight, Hen – I love you," Chuck told him as he kissed him on the forehead and proceeded to stand to leave.

"Wait, daddy..." Henry called to him before he got too far. "Where's Charlotte and mommy? Isn't mommy going to tell me goodnight? And why did Aunt Serena scream earlier? I could hear her all the way up here," he began to question all at once, sitting straight up in his bed.

"Henry..." Chuck sighed as he furrowed his brow with his thumb and index finger. "Can we please just get some sleep tonight and we'll talk about this in the morning?" he pleaded.

"No! You said earlier when you came home that we would talk about it later – this is later," Henry pointed out, crossing his arms with a huff. "Where's mommy?" he demanded at once.

"Henry-"

"I can't go to sleep until she kisses me goodnight!" Henry yelled, not understanding why his father wouldn't just tell him where his mother was. "Where is she? Where's mommy?"

"She's gone, Henry, okay? She's gone and she's never coming back!" Chuck blurted out in a spout of anger, not realizing what he had just said until it was too late. His young son had pushed him over the edge he had been so carefully toeing all evening.

"What? Gone where? You're lying!" Henry yelled back, not believing what his father had just said.

"Trust me, Hen, I wish I was..." Chuck muttered as he fought to stay strong in that moment.

"No! Mommy wouldn't do that to me! She wouldn't leave me! She wouldn't!" Henry screamed as he burst into tears.

"She's gone, Henry... they're both gone," Chuck softly spoke as he took a seat on his son's bed once more, attempting to pull the boy into his arms.

"No... no... mommy wouldn't leave me," Henry sobbed, fighting against his father's embrace at first before surrendering and eventually clinging to him in return.

It was then that Chuck finally broke, his son in his arms. He realized it was just the two of them now, the rest of his world completely shattered. Despite his earlier desire to just be alone, he knew there was no way Henry would be able to sleep by himself tonight after what he had learned so he didn't bother protesting when little boy requested for his father to stay with him tonight, snuggling tight in his arms as he eventually drifted off to sleep, sobbing althroughout the night as he struggled to make sense of it all.


AN: I know, this one's quite sad and tragic... I recently came across a post in my Facebook newsfeed about a mother who was a survivor in a horrific drunk driving accident that killed her husband and young son (however I recall the drunk driver survived as well) and that sort of inspired this idea.

This is going to be a shorter story - originally I had divided it into 2 parts, the initial accident and aftermath in the first part and the long-term affects a year later, however after rereading and editing it I realized it worked better as a 3 parter, with the events of the funeral getting it's own chapter (plus, I hate to work too many emotional feels into one chapter as I know there's only so much one can take!).

I'll be posting part 2 soon as it's all ready to go - let me know you want this continued as well as your thoughts, reactions and predictions and perhaps I'll post it even sooner ;-)