AN: I'm so pleased with the response for this story, so I'm continuing! Just me just clear a few things up: no, Blair and Chuck never hooked up in high school. Chuck had a little crush on her when Nate was treating her badly because of his father and the fact that he liked Serena. No, Nate and Serena never slept together. Serena thought his crush was appalling and is always going to be there for Blair in this story. If I need to clear anything else up, let me know.

...

Blair Waldorf was never one for indulging jetlag. Blair Archibald is no different. The newlyweds got home from JFK at about 5 PM, and by 6, Blair had scheduled brunch for the NJBC in the morning, and sent out invitations for a soiree in a week's time.

That is, she wasn't one for indulging jetlag publically. In the privacy of her own home, there was nothing wrong with making her bath longer than usual and insisting Nate get her dinner all the way from Chinatown. There was nothing like dim sum to get rid of Parisian flight fatigue.

And so she settled into bed, skin soft from her bath oils, with Sabrina and pork shumai. The married life was the best life.

Except her husband was nowhere to be found. After dropping off her dinner, Nate had left to get a drink with some college buddies that were in town. Despite Blair's objections and the fact that his family owned a private jet, he left, insisting that he never sees these guys, and he missed them.

"Did he not want to spend his first night home with his wife?" Blair thought to herself as Sabrina returned home from Paris cooking school. Her pork shumai and Audrey films would have to do.

...

Blair walked into the restaurant as the queen of Manhattan in all her glory. Any sign of sleep deprivation (she had waited until 2 for Nate to come home) was seemingly airbrushed off her face. She was gracing the presence of the masses in a black and white striped sleeveless Lanvin dress, sunshine yellow Bottega Veneta heels with bows on the toes, and Oscar de la Renta jewels to match.

"Gingham, Charles? Are you joining the masses in your choice of fashion statements?" Blair spoke as she sat down across from Serena and Chuck.

"Tis the season, Waldorf. And you're just upset that we're matching." He said with a smirk on his face. It was true. The yellow of Blair's shoes and jewelry matched the yellow of his subtle gingham shirt. While she had matched her yellow with just black and white, Chuck had paired his with charcoal pants and suspenders.

Blair rolled her eyes, and turned to Serena, holding out her left hand. Serena grabbed it and squealed. "It's just the one you wanted! He did and a better job with the wedding ring than with the engagement! If that's even possible."

"I know! It's stunning. Wanna see, Chuck?"

"Who do you think told him which one to pick," Chuck rolled his eyes. "Speaking of the man spending his trust fund on making you happy, where is he?"

"He said he would be here in a few minutes. He actually has a job, Chuck."

"I work, Blair, and make quite a lot of money. You on the other hand..."

"Law school!" Blair almost yelled.

Serena giggled. "You two are like an old married couple."

"He's more like my little brother. Immature, vulgar, an ass-"

"Nathaniel!" Chuck stood to greet his friend who was coming in through the door behind Blair."

"Chuck!" Nate replied, turning his friend's handshake into a hug.

"Maybe they should have gotten married," Blair muttered under her breath.

Serena shot her a look as Nate kissed the cheek his wife had offered and sat down next to her.

"So," Nate started. "I'm married now."

"You've been married for 2 weeks, dear." Blair said condescendingly.

"I know, sweetheart," he replied, just as condescendingly. "It just feels so official now that we're all eating lunch together. And I'm married."

"And so am I." Blair smiled.

"And I'm not." Serena made a face.

"Neither am I, sweetheart." Chuck laid his head on Serena's shoulder, mocking the couple in front of him.

Blair rolled her eyes. It was good to be back.

...

Blair picked a piece of lint off her floral brocade Valentino dress. The soft pinks, blues, and greens against the nude fabric would have been too Easter-y for any other occasion, but her almost garish Bijoux Heart earrings and two toned Saint Laurent pumps made the outfit just right for hosting her first ever dinner party as Mrs. Nathaniel Archibald.

She was putting one last coat of lipstick on when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she called. "You know, now that we're married, Nate, you really don't-"

"It's me."

Blair turned to look at the intruder. "Oh hey Chuck."

He walked over to her. "I wanted to congratulate you personally." He placed a champagne flute on her vanity.

"Because I got everything I ever wanted?" Blair smiled at her reflection and turned to look at Chuck.

"Here's to an entire life of dinner parties and galas." He raised his glass.

Blair clinked her's with his and stood up to hug him, but something felt off. An entire life of dinner parties and galas? Wasn't she going to be more than that? Law school? Becoming the US ambassador to France, maybe? Blair Waldorf was a lot of things. She wasn't just dinner parties and galas. But maybe Blair Archibald was.

...

The rest of the party went of without a hitch. Everyone laughed and probably drank too much. They were all dressed impeccably, and it was a perfect show of Manhattan society. Even Chuck kept his perverse remarks to a minimum.

Before they knew it, it was midnight, and all of their guests had left.. Blair was clearing plates from the table, when Nate walked in.

"You know we hire people to do that."

Blair smiled at her husband. "I'm just nesting."

"Speaking of nesting..."

Her grip became harder on the plate she was holding. "No." She walked past him and into the kitchen. "I don't want children right now."

"Blair, you've always wanted children." He followed her in.

"I've always wanted a strong career. Young kids and a budding lawyer don't mix."

"Well maybe I don't want you to go to law school."

Blair froze where she was in front of the sink, afraid to turn around. "Why wouldn't you want me to go law school?" Her voice was a barely audible whisper.

"Because I want to get my life started."

She turned around, the blood rising to her face. "Your life is started. You're 23, and your life is way more started than most other 23 year olds! You vowed that your life was with me, and I want to go to law school! That is starting something!"

"Blair-"

"Is this about you wanting to be the breadwinner?"

"Maybe! You just don't have to work!"

"I want to work! Unlike you who reluctantly goes to the office everyday, I want to contribute to society!"

"So contribute by having children with me!"

"I am not a meek housewife who hosts dinner parties for a living! I'm going to get my career started!"

And with that, she stormed past him, grabbing her keys and slamming the front door behind her. She hailed a cab immediately and climbed in. Her heart was pounding and her head was filled with rage. This wasn't the 15th century. Just because they were married didn't mean he had the right to dictate her entire life.

She almost didn't hear the cab driver ask her where to. "West 63rd Street, The Empire Hotel."

She was almost surprised to hear herself say that, but somewhere in her angry subconscious, some deductive reasoning had been going on. Serena had gone straight to Dan's after the party, so neither her apartment or Brooklyn were options. Chuck's was the only place she could go.

...

When he had gotten home, he headed straight for his minibar. The weak-ass alcohol they had served did little to help his troubled mind. The mind that was troubled because she blatantly accepted that she would be little more than a housewife for the rest of her life, because her Valentino was dangerously tight across her chest, and because her features looked so soft in the dimmed light of their dining room.

He poured himself a glass of the strongest stuff you can drink and sat down on the couch. He must have finished it all and fallen asleep because he was woken up by her Saint Laurents clicking across his floor. When he opened his eyes, she was standing in front of him. She wasn't crying, but her jaw was clenched, and her hand knuckles were white on the strap of her handbag.

"Can I help you?" He sat up, wiping the sleep from his face.

"It's Nate," she sat down next to him, back rod straight.

"I surmised." He sat up, putting the empty glass at his side on the table. "Do you want to talk about it."

She shook her head a little bit. "Not now."

Chuck nodded.

"Do you want to eat something?" Her voice was quiet.

"Was the salmon not to your liking, Waldorf?"

"I don't like eating in front of him."

"You're married..."

"I don't want to talk. Let's just eat."

"Should I just order up anything?"

She nodded her head. Chuck got up to make the call. When he came back to sit with her, she was still sitting up straight, ankles crossed.

"Blair,"

"I said no talking."

He ignored her. "You've been in Valentino for the past 6 hours. Would you like to borrow something to change into?"

The words sounded awkward coming out of his mouth, but she knew he was just being courteous. She nodded again.

He stood up and walked into his bedroom. She followed. He went to the bottom drawer in his dresser and pulled out a pair of navy blue silk pajamas. They had his initials monogrammed on the right breast.

"Can you...?" Blair motioned to her back.

"Sure." He walked behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. He pulled the zipper down the back of her dress in one smooth motion. She didn't move away from his touch, comforted by his warm breath fanning out on the back of her neck.

He was mesmerised by the soft cream of her skin and how it contrasted with the small strip of black fabric that was the back of her bra. But this was wrong. You aren't supposed to be mesmerized by your best friend's wife's skin. Wife.

He cleared his throat and took his hand off her shoulder. "I'll let you change."

She nodded, and he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Was it possible that his breath on the back of her neck made her feel more than her husband's hands on her body?

Of course not.

She quickly took her dress off and pulled on his pajamas, noting that they smelled not like cologne most men wear, but just like Chuck.

She walked out of his room to see that he had laid the food brought up on the coffee table. She walked over and sat down, noting what he had ordered: scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, croissants, and bacon. Breakfast. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's the most important meal of the day." He shrugged.

She picked up a plate and started scooping up the berries and eggs. When she had finished, Chuck took the plate from her hands.

"Chuck! What are you doing?"

He put a croissant and two pieces of bacon on her plate. "Eat it. You're about the size of my pinky finger."

"Trust me, it's on purpose." She glared at him, but ate the food anyway. When she was a good portion of the way through her plate, he finally spoke.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"He doesn't want me to go to law school."

"Right. He told me that."

"What did you say?"

"That you need to go."

"I deserve it!"

"I agree. You've worked hard, and you'll be fabulous at it."

"And did he tell you why he didn't want me to go?"

"Enlighten me."

"Because he wants us to start having children. Now."

"You're 23."

"I'm aware!"

"So you got into a really big fight over it?"

"I'm passionate." She shrugged.

"Galas and dinner parties are not your entire future, Blair."

She smiled at him. "You're right."

...

When they were finished eating and talking, Chuck turned on a movie. It was something neither of them watched, as they fell asleep almost immediately. Blair curled up at Chuck's side, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her. They stayed like that for the rest of the night.

...

AN: Have you noticed that Chuck still calls Blair 'Waldorf' even though she's now an Archibald? Also that Chuck is the one that picked out the wedding band she loves so dearly? Just some things to think about...