Hey all, it's Thursday! The response for the previous chapter was so freaking amazing! I mean 14 reviews for the first chapter, and 16 follows, even some favorites which is astounding because it's only the first chapter! Thank you so much for all the love. I think I tried to reply to everyone, but a lot of the reviews were guest which I can't reply to, so thank you so much! I really really really appreciate it!
A lot of folks have been clamoring for CB interaction, which I'm sorry to say doesn't happen in this chapter. I'm sorry, don't hate me, it's just that a few more things need to be set up before CB interact. It will be next chapter I promise. This chapter is a Chuck centric chapter, B will appear in the next chapter.
Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter, I've just finished chapter five, so I'm keeping my goal of being four chapters ahead! Go me!
There were many things Chuck Bass loved.
He loved scotch, business, being Chuck Bass, money, the pleasures money brings him, sex.
That was the surface.
Below the surface he loved his family (Lily, Eric, Serena, and even Bart, sometimes), Nate. On the good days, he'd even admit to caring about Arthur and Dorota.
But below and above the surface there was someone that Chuck Bass loved above all.
Evelyn Lillian Bass. His daughter.
It was why he pushed aside any attempt to do business and spent all day on the phone with his lawyers, trying to figure out whether Georgina had a case against, and was furious when he found out that she could take him to court and possibly even win.
(He was Chuck Bass. What was the point of that if it didn't mean something?)
He made a point to stop by the concierge at the Palace to thank them from keeping Georgina out of the Penthouse. Mark, who was on duty at the time, stuttered out an apology for not keeping her off the premises in the first place, but he waved it away.
He rode up the elevator with a sense of anticipation, his lawyer's voice ringing in his ears.
If you want this case to be open and shut, Mr. Bass, then you need to prove without the shadow of a doubt that you're providing the best possible home for Evelyn, which we must make it seem like Miss. Sparks is incapable of providing. Not just barely adequate, or good enough. Any judge in New York should be able to look at you and see the best possible father for a little girl.
If he were being facetious, it would have been easy to write off his lawyers' concerns. Despite the fact that he still regretted sleeping with Georgina. It had been him that insisted she keep the baby when she came to him asking for money for an abortion. It had been him who took sole custody of Evelyn and paid Georgina to sun away on an island far away from them. It had been him who had been there for Evelyn's life up to this point.
However, loving his daughter the most meant that he was unwilling to lose her, and Chuck could not risk the possibility of losing his daughter because he was lying to himself.
The reality was this, he loved his daughter, but he blackmailed and paid Georgina off to get sole custody of her, and no matter how good his intentions were they were still misdeeds.
He also had a very demanding job. He had never neglected his daughter, he'd always been there for the most important parts of her life, but the thing was, he wasn't always there. He had put in late nights at the office and he took the occasional business trip. And when he was gone, he entrusts her with Bart and Lily or Serena or Dorota (who in all honesty, he trusted the most with Evelyn).
And if he were being completely honest, he could see when the reality it laid out, why a judge might be tempted to let Georgina have partial custody.
When the doors of the elevator opened, he heard a slight scuffle, a gleeful shout of "Daddy," and then there was a blur of purple and brown as his daughter ran towards him and collided with his legs.
He bent down and scooped Evelyn up in his hands. "Evie," he cried out, similar to her.
"You're home early," she remarked, placing her hands on either side of his face to examine him. "I thought you said you wouldn't be home until I went to bed."
"Something came up," he said vaguely, brushing over the issue. "Did you eat yet?"
"Uh huh," she nodded quickly, "Dorota made risotto with spinach. The spinach was yucky, but she gave me a macaroon for finishing all my food, which was really good." She stated proudly.
"Good for you," he smiled down at her. "Where's Dorota?"
"Inside," Evelyn said with a mischievous grin. "We were cleaning up when I heard the elevator bell."
"Evelyn Bass," he said, failing to control his grin. "Did you leave Dorota with your mess to clean up?"
"Maybe," Evelyn smirked, and for a moment he's stricken by her resemblance to him.
(It had been nothing short of a miracle that Evelyn had been all Bass when she was born, there wasn't a trace of Georgina in her precious features.)
"That's not right," he said as seriously as he could manage. "You need to apologize to Dorota."
"Okay," Evelyn said simply, smiling up at him angelically.
That self-satisfied grin, he swore, looking away from her. It would be the death of him.
He walked into the living room where Dorota was just finishing tidying up. "Sorry Dorota," Evelyn piped up as soon as they were in the room. She squirmed in his arms.
Dorota shot Evie a fond look. "It is all right, Miss. Evelyn."
"Was she good today, Dorota?" He asked the other woman.
"The best," Dorota grinned widely at Evelyn and Evelyn beamed back at the praise. It really had been a blessing to stumble upon Dorota. It had been Lily who had hired Dorota for the Van der Bass household when Chuck was still in high school, and by some strange twist, she had taken a liking to Chuck, despite his antics.
When he had Evelyn, it was almost too easy to steal Dorota away from Lily. She had agreed to come along with him even before he offered to double her salary. She was a great help to Chuck, and a companion to Evelyn.
However things had become different in the past few months. She had married Vanya, the doorman of Lily's building, and they already a son, and there was a daughter on the way. She had her own family, and Chuck knew that he couldn't rely on her completely as a stand in for Evelyn's mother.
(He couldn't rely on Georgina at all, but that was a different matter.)
"Everything all right, Mr. Chuck? You look pale," she looked at him concernedly. She had always been able to see through him, and was one of the few people in his life that refused to back down when he brushed them off.
"I'm fine, Dorota. Thank you for your help today, you are dismissed." He waved away her concerns easily.
"Okay, Mr. Chuck," she said slowly, shooting him another concerned look. Before Vanya, she would have stayed, insisted that he tell her what was wrong, but now she has children to get home to.
Evelyn fidgeted in his arms again as Dorota left. "Daddy," she began innocently. "What are we going to do?"
He eyed her. "You're going to bed," he turned towards the clock. "It's almost your bed time."
"But I want to spend time with you," she whined. "You're never home early. Today's special."
He winced at the implication, tempted to give into her demands because his guilt was overwhelming. "How about a compromise?"
His daughter, ever the businesswoman, perked up, "I'm listening."
He chuckled. "How about I read you two stories, but you have to go to bed at bed time."
She considered the offer. "Okay," she said slowly, "but I pick the stories."
"Deal," he said, putting her on the ground, offering her one of his hands to shake.
"Deal," she agreed, shaking his hand. "I'm going to pick out two stories," she giggled, running off towards her bedroom.
He watched her run with a strange pang of sadness. He didn't care if it was a long shot. There was no way in hell he was letting Georgina get even a moment of Evelyn's presence. He didn't care what he had to do to get Georgina out of the picture. He would do it, for Evelyn.
He needed to preserve her fleeting innocence for as long as he could.
Midway through Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Evelyn fell asleep, and he tip toed out into the living room to look over the case files his lawyers sent over for him to review.
The elevator dinged and he glanced over to see Serena and Nate stride in. "Sis, Nate," he acknowledged. "Don't you think that one visit is enough family time for today?"
"Honestly," Serena appraised him, "No. We wanted to see how you were doing."
"Yeah, man," Nate said with a sheepish smile, and Chuck could tell instantly that this visit was not his idea. "We want to help you with the Georgina situation."
He eyed the blondes critically. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I am not sure either of you are capable enough to help me take down Georgina."
"Chuck," Serena whined, flopping down on the couch beside him, "You're not the only one who stands to lose Evie."
He frowned. While he wasn't the only one who had a vested interest in keeping Evelyn, he was the one who had the most interest. She was his daughter.
Sensing she had struck a nerve, Serena wisely changed the subject. "Have you told Evie about Georgina?"
"No," he admitted, "It's not exactly a topic you can bring up casually."
"Chuck," Nate intervened, looking surprised. "You should give her a heads up, just in case Georgina tries to corner her on the side of the road or something."
"That won't happen," Chuck growled out.
"You don't know that," Serena said honestly. "You can't keep her around every single second of the day."
"I can try," Chuck barked back.
"Yes," Serena latched on to that. "Yes, you can try. But one day you might have to step out for a moment because of a meeting, or you will have to go on one of your business trips. And then what?"
And the guilt was back. Chuck ducked his head, avoiding Serena's questioning gaze. "What do you suggest?" He offered.
"Talk to your daughter," Serena said, "Let her know that Georgina is back in town, tell her about Georgina. Keep it simple. So if by some chance Georgina gets a moment with Evie, she isn't caught off guard by the reappearance of her mother."
"What if," Chuck swallowed, "she wants to get to know Georgina?"
Serena was stricken by the emotion on Chuck's face. "Chuck," she said slowly.
"I can't," Chuck steeled himself. "I can't let Georgina near Evie again. She didn't even want Evie. I won't let her reject Evelyn again when she doesn't get what she wants."
"Just think about it," Serena beseeched. "Promise me, you'll think about it."
He stared at her for a long moment. "I promise. Now if you'll excuse me," he said standing up, heading towards his room. "It's been a tiring day, and I'd like to get some rest."
The next morning Evelyn was a ball of energy, and Chuck can't bring himself to actually say the words.
"Evelyn," he said a bit strangled. "We need to have a serious talk."
"A serious talk?" She looked at him curiously. "Like a serious Daddy-Evie talk?"
"Yeah," he closed his eyes at his daughter's innocence. "A serious Daddy-Evie talk."
"Okay," she said simply, straightening up in her chair, mimicking his rigidness. "Proceed," she garbled out the new word.
He laughed shortly at her seriousness, a bit of tension leaving his body at her antics. "Evie," he said slowly. "I found out something yesterday. Something that your Auntie Serena thinks I should tell you."
"What is it?" She stared at him with wide eyes.
"Evie," he changed tracks suddenly, unable to take the direct approach, "do you remember when you asked me about your mother?"
"Yeah," she said unsurely. "You said she was went away. And she wasn't coming back. But it was okay because I had you and Dorota and Auntie Serena and Uncle Natie and Grandma and Grandpa."
"Yes," he said slowly, "It has come to my attention that your mother is back in town."
Evelyn stared at him for a long silent moment. "Why?"
His heart dropped. "I don't know," he says honestly. "I haven't talked to her yet."
"Are you going to talk to her?" Evelyn continued to look at him with wide confused eyes.
"I," he stuttered for a moment, "Do you want me to talk to her?"
It occurred to him in that moment that he would actually do it, if that was what she wanted. It pained him, but he would talk to Georgina if she wanted him to do. He'd do anything for her.
Evelyn looked at him unsurely. "Daddy, I don't think I want you to talk to her."
He sighed in relief, "Really, baby?" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice.
"You said she wasn't a nice person, right?" She confirmed. He nodded in assent. "Okay, you shouldn't talk to her. You shouldn't talk to not nice people, Daddy, that's what Dorota says."
"Okay, baby," he looked down at his breakfast. "I won't talk to her."
Suddenly Evelyn looked hesitant, "Daddy," she said slowly. "Could I change my mind later?"
"Huh?" He looked up so fast his neck cracked.
"If she's not bad, can I change my mind?"
His daughter looked so hopeful, his heart cracked just a little bit. She wanted to know her mother, and that hurt.
He swallows thickly. "Of course, Evie. Anything for you."
Her answering smile is radiant.
"Mr. Bass," his assistant stood up suddenly when he walked in to his office, looking frightened. "Mr. Bass, I'm so sorry. She just walked in, I couldn't stop her. I called security, but she insisted that she needed a moment of your time, because," she trailed off.
"It's fine, Betty," he soothed the older woman. "Who was it?"
"She said she was the mother of your child."
Chuck felt something in him snap. "Hold all my calls until she leaves, and call up security, she'll get a moment of my time, but she'll be escorted out when it's over." He strode past her, as he snapped out the instructions.
"Yes, Mr. Bass," he heard Betty chirp back, as he pushed through the door.
She was sitting on one of his leather chairs that Serena sat in yesterday. She looked completely at ease in it, unlike Serena had yesterday. She was nursing a cup of scotch, his scotch, one leg crossed over the other. She looked up at him as he strode towards his desk and smirked. "A bit late to the office, aren't you dear?"
"Georgina," he acknowledged, "To what do I owe the displeasure?"
"Didn't you hear I was back in town?" She said in a faux innocent voice. "I had a lovely run-in with your dear stepsister."
"I did," he confirmed, sitting down in his chair with a flourish, "but you know my sister, she's not the most reliable source of information. Sometimes she over exaggerates. She said this funny little thing yesterday about you wanting sole custody of my daughter."
"Tut tut, Mr. Bass," Georgina leaned forward. "Our daughter."
Chuck continued as if he hadn't heard her. "But that can't be true, because you left right after she was born with quite a sum of my money."
"Yes, well, when I left, I was not in the right frame of mind. I had just given birth, I was emotional and you made me leave under duress." She recited, looking entirely too smug.
"Duress?" He scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "You ran out of there before the ink on the check was dry."
"Duress," Georgina stressed again. "Once I had come to my senses, I decided to come back and try to get to know my daughter. You can understand a mother's need to see her child, can't you Bass?" She gasped artificially. "Oh that's right, you can't." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
His blood boiled, but he fought to keep his restraint, he couldn't give her any more leverage. "What do you really want, Georgina? More money?"
"I want to know my daughter, Chuck." She explained simply, clasping her hands in front of her.
"No," his voice cut through her explanation. "You don't. And I won't have you use my daughter get to me, not even for a second. So tell me what you really want."
"I want," Georgina leaned forward in her seat, "to take you to court, Bass. Where I will prove that I am a reformed woman who just wants to get to know her daughter. I will receive visitation rights, then partial custody. And then when the time is right, I will go to court and prove to all of New York that you are an unfit parent and take sole custody of my daughter. Then I will sit back watch you lose everything you love, your child and your company, because who would back a man that can't even raise a child, much less run a company. The child support checks that follow will just be a bonus."
Chuck's stomach dropped. "Prepare to be disappointed, Georgina. No court in New York would grant you visitation rights, much less custody of my daughter." He fought to keep any expression of panic off his face.
"Ah well, we all know that maternity is a matter of fact, while paternity is a matter of opinion." Georgina said standing up. "Don't worry, Chuck, darling, I won't cut you completely out of my daughter's life, yet."
She walked out of his office, laughing, as he steamed behind her.
Tbd.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and favorite if you liked it! And definitely follow if you want to see more, because there is most definitely more to come! Remember, chapter releases are every Thursday! See you all next Thursday!