A/N: The reviews I've gotten for my fics…have been waning. I'm going to blame it on summer vacations. XD Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! (I've outlined the fic. Less than 10 chapters.)

*I don't own anything. No copyright infringement intended.

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Ch.2—Lack of Preparation

It had seemed particularly odd that she hadn't picked up or returned his phone calls. He didn't know what to make of it, but decided to brush it off for the time being. She had seemed a little anxious lately, but he was sure after a night of Chuck lovin' she'd be home free. He smirked to himself at the thought. Curing Blair of her abnormal anxiety wouldn't be the only reason he'd get some extra pleasure tonight. They'd gone one night without sex since they'd been married and it didn't bode well for their moods the following day. He did not plan on repeating that mistake. Besides, they were only three years into their marriage and it was like they'd been married yesterday. Chuck could never keep a smile off his face when he thought of Blair Waldorf, his Mrs. Bass.

"Honey, I'm home," he said smugly as he waltzed casually into the kitchen. Blair was nowhere in sight and so he took the time to flip through the mail sitting in its perfect stacked pile on the edge of the counter. "Blair," he called out again, the words on the envelopes never even registering as he continued to flip through. "I've got…" he paused momentarily to think of a good lure. "cookies," he said seductively.

As if by magic, Mrs. Blair Bass herself appeared from the shadows of the hallway and swayed towards her husband. Chuck set the pile of letters back on the counter, hardly registering the fact as his gaze shifted to his wife's curves and finally up to her glorious dark brown depths.

"Cookies, Bass? Really?" she teased.

"Your eyes," he said smoothly, grasping hold of her hand and pulling her to him once she was within reach, "are the most beautiful I've ever seen them."

"But cookies?" she asked again, refusing to let bygones be bygones with his ignorance of her response. Her raised eyebrows were clearly making an impression on him because his full lips slipped into a happier-than-is-healthy smile.

"We can eat them later," he assured her, leaning his head down for a kiss. Her hands grasped his shoulders, but she pulled away hardly a second after he attempted to deepen the kiss. It was odd to him, and he was definitely not pleased, but he let it go once more. Perhaps, she wanted to talk.

"Did you do anything interesting today?" he asked, as she turned to go around the kitchen counter. She hesitated for one second too long.

"Just miss you terribly," she said, with an adoring wife smile on her face. He almost fell into the trap. His brows furrowed a beat later.

"I called you twice. You didn't answer."

"I…I was busy," she said. He didn't miss the stutter.

"You didn't call back," he pressed.

"My phone was off," she insisted. He looked at her strangely and she knew without even having to think it through that she'd fallen into his trap. "Okay, okay, I've just been…thinking…about things," she said, hoping he'd believe it this time. She always had an eye for new ideas.

Chuck looked at her a bit skeptically but then seemed to give in. "And just what have you been thinking," he said, relaxing slightly as he leaned against the counter.

She pursed her lips. "Well," She walked back over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was half tempted to ask him if he wanted to try to have a baby. If he reacted well to that sentiment than Dan's idiot interruption to her day could easily be forgotten. But, she resisted. It had taken Chuck a whole year to confess his love to her. Nothing had been stressing him out recently and she did not want to be the one to make the switch to unbearable thoughts. She knew he'd be scared of death at the thought of her pregnant. He loved her. He did not want to take the chance his mother had in giving birth and dying in the process.

"Do you want to go out tonight?" she asked cheerfully, arching an eyebrow. He looked at her like she was a silly little girl asking for a lollipop.

"I'd do anything with you, love." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. This time she allowed him to deepen the kiss. It was so very mesmerizing to kiss him like this. She held just enough willpower to contemplate further actions of how she would keep the news of what had happened that day from him. He always read her so easily, but he could probably not pull out specifics.

"There's something else though," he breathed roughly as they finally broke the kiss. For a moment she panicked, thinking miraculously he must have discovered her hidden secret.

"What is it?" she asked, her fingers curling at the hairs at the nape of his neck.

He pulled a folded brochure outside his inner jacket pocket. Her brows furrowed as she stepped away just enough to see what he was showing her.

"I'm going on a business trip," he said. She told herself she shouldn't be worried. He went on business trips all the time.

"When?" she asked.

"In about eight or nine months, I should think."

Her eyes widened. She was beyond grateful that he didn't catch her reaction.

"For how long?" she inquired.

"Probably a couple weeks."

"Oh God." She turned away from him, searching her mind desperately for an answer. She knew he'd never leave if he knew she was pregnant. Was she planning on keeping it a secret forever?

"I know." He seemed oblivious. Chuck was never oblivious. "I can't wait for it. It's really going to do Bass Inc. some good, going to up the ratings about 20%." He smirked. "Blair?"

She turned back around, dazzling smile back in place. "That's wonderful, Chuck." She leaned in to kiss him again. "I'm going to go change for dinner, okay?"

He looked at her, curious as to her behavior, but nodded. "Should I join you?" he asked a beat later. Horrified by the thought of having him so close so soon after his announcement, Blair spun around with her hands up in a stopping motion.

"No!"

Chuck was taken aback. She immediately recovered though, laughing a little nervously.

"You already look wonderful," she said, running a hand down the front of his jacket. He grasped her write and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. She forced herself to look completely calm, and did not pull away too soon.

Love you, he mouthed. Her smile stretched, but not far enough. The sparkle she tried to put into her eyes utterly failed. She was sure of it. But there were no more questions. Chuck released her, and once out of sight, she bolted for the bedroom.

…

She was about to explode. If Chuck missed the signs, he was a complete idiot. No one could have been as obvious as she was, and she knew she'd need some serious help – or at least some time – before she could actually appear like nothing was the matter. Somehow she'd gotten away with sleeping on the way home, so she could avoid talking to him.

"Blair," he whispered softly, as they reached their destination. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him. He looked incredibly concerned, and she felt trap. How the hell was she supposed to get out of this? She was half tempted to call up Humphrey and give him a piece of her mind. This was clearly all his fault.

She smiled sleepily, proud of herself for pulling it off. "Hey," she said, her hand lightly reaching up to touch his face. He sighed, worried and on the verge of aggravation. He picked her up and carried her from the car to their penthouse suite on the top floor.

"You didn't have to do that." She snuggled closer to him, her face getting lost in the space hidden beneath the collar of his jacket. Chuck promptly dropped her two seconds later and moved toward the bar, pulling out a bottle of scotch and pouring himself some in a glass. Luckily for Blair, her instincts had snapped to attention the second she felt his arms releasing her even a fraction of an inch. She landed gracefully on her stilettos – miraculously.

"Want some?" he asked casually, staring intently at his half-filled scotch glass as if it were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

"You had wine at dinner," she said point-blank, as if she didn't understand; as if she was the one being left in the dark all afternoon and evening.

"I know."

"Chuck, what is going on?" she walked towards him hesitantly. It had taken great effort to keep from sounding like a complaining little kid being refused chocolate before dinner.

Chuck's eyes lifted to hers, as he set down the glass. "You tell me." His hands sunk into his pockets as he turned to her. "We went to dinner – at a strip club."

She blinked. "You said it turns you on," she said, like it was a perfectly justifiable explanation. "I was just trying to do something nice."

"Ha!" He looked to the ceiling, clearly in disbelief over the situation. Then, he looked back to Blair. "Do you, or do you not remember me refusing a stripper at my bachelor party because I've only ever wanted you, and our engagement made that all the more real."

Her gaze was steady on his. She would not falter. "What else was wrong?" she asked.

"You didn't have wine. You didn't have any alcohol. You had water."

Her lips parted momentarily; then, she gained her nerve. "A girl can have water once in awhile," she scoffed, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. He did not even so much as alter his gaze to her now more obvious cleavage.

"A girl can, but you usually don't."

Her lips slipped into a pout, but she could not force a single tear to aid her in this fight. Chuck sighed testily and ran a hand through his hair. He slipped out of his jacket and came around the bar, straight towards her. He gripped her arms fiercely.

"Please just tell me what's going on, Blair. You're acting…weird, and I know you've been stressed. If you don't tell me, I'll figure it out on my own, and then—"

She cut him off with a hot and heavy kiss that he almost couldn't resist.

"Blair—" He just barely got away with his life.

"I have been stressed. You're right." She nodded, her deep brown eyes pouring into his. A few more moments of her honest confessions and he was gone. "I'm sorry I made such a scene tonight, suggested the weirdest things…" She shook her head, irritated with herself.

Chuck cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Hey," he said softly. She stopped shaking her head and looked at him. "It's okay," he said. He used his other hand to wrap one of her silky curls behind her ear.

Her pursed lips smiled at him a little. She was trying so very hard to be brave, from whatever aspect it was looked at. Slowly, Chuck lowered his head again and brushed his lips against hers. Their lips played a gentle, innocent kiss for what seemed like forever. Then, she felt Chuck's hand slipping down the bare back left free of her dress, and run across her skin. She shuddered in his arms at the warm contact. She sighed into him. Maybe this was exactly what she needed. And it would definitely give her more time. She could leave before he woke up and contemplate her next move. She could come up with the perfect story.

"We should have stayed in," he groaned against her mouth. Her lips quirked up into a coy smile. Her fingers toyed with the first couple buttons on his shirt before slowly undoing each of them. She could feel him going hard against her stomach. Her smile spread further. She loved sexy, needy Chuck.

"Chuck," she whispered hotly in his ear, slipping the now unbuttoned shirt off of his shoulders and onto the floor. Chuck grunted, and she had to try very hard not to chuckle. "Make love to me," she whispered.

His eyes were dark, more intense than she'd ever seen them when she pulled back far enough to see the expression on his face due to her request. There were no words. The zipper being pulled the short distance down her dress was the only sound in the entire room. A soft thump alerted the floor to its new inhabitant. Without breaking their stare, Blair reached for Chuck's belt. She tugged at it, pulling him closer. The heat emanating off of Chuck was so palpable she thought she would drown in it. She looked down only briefly to unbuckle him and slide the belt out of its loops. It plopped down onto the floor to join her dress and his shirt. She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, but before she'd even released the zipper, she felt Chuck's hands encircling hers. She released her hold on the little metal piece. She looked up into the eyes and knew with an undeniable certainty that she wouldn't be able to look anywhere else for a very long time. The passion exploded. Chuck's hands wrapped around Blair's face at the very moments his mouth lunged for hers. She was lost in him – completely. The problem her day had revolved around vanished the second Chuck started kissing her. He loved her so much.

Her mind didn't let her analyze what that meant for her – for the person inside her. She just let him kiss her, and touch her like no one else could, or ever would. His hands running all over her and inside her made her nearly scream. Her nails ran down his back with such intensity, she was sure there would be marks. The shivers of his climax made her forget her own name. His cries of exultation were the only reminder. She thought she would explode in the fire they'd created.

…

A/N: You're welcome. Lol. Please review. =)