Part 2

Blair yawned and stretched her arms, blinking her eyes open and squinting against the bright sunlight streaming into the room. She stood up and slipped her feet into comfortable slippers. Blair picked up her robe and shrugged into it, then went to her walk in closet, inspecting some dresses that her mother had had sent to her from her Paris boutique.

She took a canary yellow tulip dress and slipped into it. She stood in front of the mirror assessing herself, and wondered if yellow was really her color. Blair suspected that it might make her look sallow, but before she could entertain those thoughts even more, she heard, "Blair, you look adorable."

She turned around and saw Roman standing by her bedroom door with Cat in his arms. "Thank you, Roman. Where's my father?"

"Downstairs preparing breakfast. He always wants to be the one to cook for you," Roman reminded his lover's daughter.

With a smile, Blair walked towards Roman, then playfully twirled. "Do you think it's good enough to impress a guy who's around royalty all the time?"

"Ahhh," Roman responded thoughtfully. "So we're talking about the next door neighbor. Your father told me that he dropped you off yesterday, like a perfect gentleman." Blair nodded. "You are lovelier than any princess, Blair. It's more than good enough."

She worried her lower lip. "I don't want him to think I'm trying too hard."

"Blair." Her eyes turned to her father, who was now standing behind Roman in a light blue apron. "I remember how he was yesterday when he took you home. He adores you just as much as he adored you when you were twelve. You don't need to worry."

"Oh daddy." Blair ran to her father's side and buried her face in his chest for a minute, before extricating herself. "Really?"

Harold tightened his arms around his daughter. He knew how much Blair needed this right now. He had pieced portions of the puzzle together through various calls from Serena and Nate, and managed to glean that Blair had been seeing Chuck Bass for about a week when the boy suddenly decided that he didn't want to see her anymore. Knowing his daughter, Harold could imagine how much that probably stung.

Harold grinned down at his daughter. "I think Marcus once told me that he thought you were a little angel."

She scrunched up her face. "That sounds like something an adoring older brother would say."

Roman placed his hands on Blair's upper arms. "He last saw you when you were twelve and he was fifteen. I'm thinking now, he sees you in a different light. And you've picked the perfect dress to stress your point."

Blair couldn't help but agree. She was a far cry from the gangly twelve year old she used to be. She grabbed an orange headband and placed it on her head.

"He's here for breakfast."

"So punctual," Roman commented. "What good manners."

Blair smiled, pleased. "Please tell him I will be down directly."

Harold and Roman nodded and went down the steps to make small talk with Marcus. After about fifteen minutes, Blair emerged.

"Bonjour, monsieur." Blair slightly bent her head.

Marcus stood up courteously and placed a kiss on her hard. "It hadn't been a good day for some time, isolated as I am in my chateau. That was until I saw you flying off your bike looking like an angel falling from the sky," he said pointedly.

Blair tried to stifle it, but she could not help herself and the giggle erupted from her chest. "Oh my God, Marcus! Does that line ever work?"

Roman looked shocked at Blair's response, but Harold merely shook his head with a grin. Marcus frowned, then shook his head. "It's the first time I said it."

Blair nodded and smiled. "Flatterer."

He extended his arm, and she slipped hers through it as they walked into the dining room. As Marcus easily answered her father's inquiries about his stay in France and his college life, Blair could not help but think about how perfect he was.

Chuck hadn't planned on snooping on his stepsister. The plan was simple. He was going to go to his room in the Hampton house, change out of his sandy shorts, and meet the Brazilian models at the bar. It wasn't until he noticed the Archibald towncar parked outside that Chuck consciously made his footsteps more stealthy. He made his way outside Serena's bedroom door. The moment he heard her name, Chuck held his breath and turned the knob. He listened in one the conversation.



"If you're confused about it, or you're not sure, please don't even consider it, Nate," Serena pleaded, her voice a little sad.

"That's just it, Serena," came Nate's excited voice. "I'm finally not confused about it anymore. I thought I didn't want it. I was scared. I didn't know anything else. I was into you, then I thought I was into Vanessa. But whatever it is, it just always fades into the background when I think about her."

"Nate, if this is just one of those—"

"It's not," he interrupted. "I don't know why it took me this long to figure it out." Nate chuckled. "But I finally got it. I'm in love with my girlfriend."

And Chuck's throat tightened a little at the relief he heard in Nate's voice.

"I'm all packed. My flight's in an hour," he told her. "That's why I'm here."

"To say goodbye?" Serena asked tentatively.

There was a deep breath, and knowing Nate, Chuck recognized the sound as Nate gathering courage. "I need it, Serena. I know she gave it to you."

"Nate, I don't want to screw up what she has there now."

"Please. This might be my only chance."

Chuck's jaw tightened. He looked down at his clenched fist and realized that he had not even thought to ask his stepsister—Blair's best friend—for the location of the Waldorf chateau. But then, Chuck had spent so long trying to not think of it, because if he got his hands on the address then he just knew he would find himself standing outside while Blair pointedly ignored him and Harold sicced dogs on him.

"Thank you," Nate breathed, and Chuck knew that Serena had once again given in to angelic eyes that seemed like they could do no wrong. "You won't regret this," he assured her.

"Nate!" Serena cried. "Blair's happy." There was a pause, and Chuck's eyebrows furrowed. The last he'd heard from Serena, Blair had been furious and lonely, and that was why Serena had repeatedly invited her to just come back to the States to spend time at the Hamptons with her best friend. "She's dating."

"She's not going to be happy with any French guy that she's just going to leave after summer's over."



This was new to Chuck, and despite knowing how much Serena had always said she despised him, Chuck could not help but feel betrayed that she did not share this bit of information. He pushed the door open. Thankfully, Nate was facing Serena with his back to him. But Serena could see him over Nate's shoulder, and he knew she recognized the look on his face.

"It's Marcus Beacham Rhodes," Serena finally admitted.

Chuck let out a harsh breath. Just when he thought Nate was finally out of the picture, and he did not need to compete with the image of the perfect gentleman, he finds out in one day that he would now need to prepare himself for the combined barrage of perfection from Nate and his blue-blooded counterpart.

Blair Waldorf had only ever once, in the ten years that she had been dating Nate, been the one to initiate a breakup. When they were twelve years old, they had spent a summer vacationing in Britain because Blair and Serena had wanted to see castles that they had read about in a romance novel that she had discovered in Dorota's bedroom, and Chuck and Nate had decided that they wanted to see the sports festival where large men threw big tree trunks as far as they could.

One day, on Lily van der Woodsen's turn of babysitting them, they had been sitting in an outdoor table of a restaurant in London. Lily was with a travel agent figuring out what sights to go to before they made the trip to Scotland the next day. Chuck and Nate were poring over the menu and arguing who would win a javelin throwing contest between the two of them. While Serena and Blair were whispering to each other about the prince in the romance novel who was actually a pirate, a towncar stopped in front of the restaurant and a young man, wearing a dark blue suit, climbed out.

"Lord Marcus!" called out an elderly gentleman.

Blair's gaze turned to the newcomer. 'Lord Marcus' stood still at the entrance and met her gaze. Her breath caught in her throat when he gave her a smile and a nod.

"He's so handsome," Serena whispered into her ear.

Blair stood up and walked over to him. The young man bowed at the waist. "Good morning." He extended a hand. "Lord Marcus Beacham Rhodes."

"Blair Cornelia Waldorf," she returned, shaking his hand. She noticed that Serena had walked up to them and Blair could not help but feel a little spiteful, because Serena's hair was loose around her face and this new boy would just think Serena was prettier.

A stiff older woman appeared beside Marcus and frowned down at the two girls. "Marcus, the earl is waiting inside."



"Mother, meet Blair Cornelia Waldorf."

Blair smiled up prettily at Marcus' mom. To her surprise, the older woman's frown vanished. In its place was a flash of recognition. "Blair. Harold's girl."

"I'm Serena van der Woodsen." Serena stuck her hand out to Marcus, who politely shook it.

"Where are your parents, Blair?"

"They're back in the States, Mrs Beacham," Blair answered. When she saw that Marcus was still staring at her, she blushed.

Mrs Beacham's eyes flitted over to Blair's companions and recognized Lily van der Woodsen. She made her way over to the table. "Lily, I didn't know you were in town."

Lily van der Woodsen looked up and saw her ex-husband's old acquaintance. "Madeline, it's good to see you."

The children watched as Lily greeted her old friend, but she did not sound like Madeline Beacham was really an old friend.

"How long are you here for?"

"Not long," Lily answered quickly. "We're leaving for Scotland tonight. The children have plans."

"Ma'am, can Blair Waldorf have breakfast with me?"

At that, both Chuck and Nate looked up and assessed the young man. They looked him up and down, and felt underdressed.

"Oh Marcus," Lily replied, recognizing the boy as Madeline and Alfred Beacham Rhodes' only son and heir. It was not difficult to guess, given the valet that was standing ready behind him to give assistance when needed, and the two other men serving as his security, by the suspicious looks they were giving at everyone passing by. "Blair's parents aren't here. I really think that letting Blair go off with other people is not going to be received well."

Marcus looked at his mother expectantly.

"Jeanine," Madeline called curtly.

"Yes, madam." A young lady stepped out from behind one of the security guards and handed the phone over to Madeline. "He's on the line." Lily could not help but think about how efficient she was.



Madeline held the phone to her ear. "Harold, darling! There's a lovely surprise at breakfast—Lilly van der Woodsen with a few kids—and I need a favor. Marcus apparently thinks your daughter is an angel and wants to spend time with her. Brilliant! I'll hand you over to her." She gave the phone to Lily, who listened for a few minutes before hanging up.

Lily returned to phone to Madeline, but it was Jeanine who took it. Lily smiled at Blair, "It looks like you'll get to spend the day with your new friend."

Chuck's eyes followed Marcus's hand when it closed around Blair's. "Thank you, Mrs van der Woodsen."

When the Beacham-Rhodes dropped Blair off at the hotel that night, she smiled at Nate and told him, "I think we should stop dating for a while."

"Is it serious?" Nate managed.

"I don't know. Apparently, neither of them knew that they were both in France. Blair had a slight accident with her bike while she was there. From what I can gather, Marcus scooped her up in his arms and took her home."

Every word was like the slash of a knife to Chuck. He knew Serena just didn't want to admit it to Nate, but they all knew Blair and that kind of first meeting meant Blair would be walking on air for a long time. It seemed like it was right out of an old romantic movie.

"They've just been dating for two weeks," Serena offered as consolation. "It can't be that serious."

Two weeks was long enough to make it serious to Chuck when it was him.

"You're right," Nate answered. "Two weeks is nothing compared to ten years."

Chuck scowled at that and walked out of Serena's room. He stepped into his room and quickly stripped off his shirt, then stepped under the shower. When he finished and toweled off, he stepped outside the bathroom and saw his stepsister sitting on his bed. Had he been in a better mood, he would have been able to give a snide comment. Instead, he proceeded to his closet and selected an outfit. As he shrugged on his shirt, he turned to Serena and arched an eyebrow.

"He's gone."

"Good riddance," Chuck muttered. "Hope Marcus lays him a big one."

"Chuck," Serena said, as if she were pleading.



Chuck slid on his pants, then grinned at his stepsister. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have hot Latinas waiting." He made his way to the door.

"She's looking into schools in Paris." Chuck stopped at her words. "I need your help, Chuck. I can't lose my best friend. We're already going to lose Nate. We can't lose anyone else."

Chuck gritted his teeth. "If she wants to stay in France with Lord Marcus—" He cursed, then made his way back to his closet. He threw several shirts and pants onto the bed. Serena watched in awe as Chuck created a couple of piles of clothes. "Get your butt moving, sis," Chuck commanded. "Grab a bag and pack everything you can."

Chuck dialed his father's phone and placed it on speaker. Serena heard the call roll into voicemail.

"Dad, I'm taking the company jet. Before you get pissed off, I'm saying it now. I'm sorry. I have to do this." Chuck hung up the phone, then turned to Serena with his hand open. "The address."

tbc