Title: All That Glitters
Authors: Sara And Lizzie
Rating: T for language, mild sex
Disclaimer: We don't own Gossip Girl. Obv.
Summary: Four years after they graduated from Yale, Blair is engaged. Chuck is in Europe. On his 26th birthday, faced with the choice of staying in Europe or coming home to run Bass Industries, Chuck learns of her engagement, and goes home to win back the only thing he ever really wanted.
Author's Note: So we have a ton of ideas for this story as well, and we're sort of working out some kinks as we get into the groove. This chapter is mostly dialogue, but there will be some flashbacks in the next few chapters to fill in some of the blanks. We're sticking the essence of the characters, but they've all matured. Somewhat.
REVIEW.
Open up your eyes.
It was 6:24 pm when the plane touched down at Teterboro and Chuck made his way over the waiting chopper. He hadn't wasted time. She was getting married in ten days. And he still didn't know to who. The puzzling part was that Serena hadn't mentioned. No one had mentioned. Which meant that no one wanted him to know. This bothered him as he slid into his waiting limo at the helipad.
"Arthur." he said sliding into the backseat. "It's good to see you again."
From the rear view mirror, Arthur, his driver since Chuck was six, smiled at him. "You too, Mr. Bass. You look well."
"Not nearly as good as you do, Art. Let's go to my father's." He closed the partition between them, and took out his cell phone, ready to make the call he had been contemplating the whole way from London.
"Chuck!" Nate said as he picked up the phone. "Happy birthday! You back, buddy? I bet Serena and Dan you wouldn't waste time. I just won fifty bucks."
"Nathaniel, just tell me one thing." Chuck said, gripping the phone so tight he was shocked it didn't crack. "Is it you?"
"Is it me what?"
"Are you the one she's marrying?" Chuck asked impatiently.
"God, no, Chuck." Nate said. "It's Blair. She's the love of your life. Not mine. And we're best friends. Besides, I'm still with Jenny."
Chuck paused, flooded with relief. "You and Little J? Still?" he mused. "Good for you, Nathaniel. So who is he?"
"I'm sorry, I thought Serena told you. It's not me. It's Marcus."
"Lord Marcus? Million summers ago, pansy Brit Lord Marcus?"
"That's the one."
"My father's. Ten minutes. And bring reinforcements." Chuck clicked off the phone, sighed and slumped back against the limo seats.
Blair stepped out of the dressing room at Bergdorf's and stood in front of the mirror. Serena smiled and bit her lip. "B, it's amazing. And I'm not just saying that because I picked it out. You look amazing." Blair smiled and looked at herself again.
"I admit, Serena, you did well. It's perfect for tonight." She paused and looked at herself again. "It's funny." she said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. "It's exactly the kind of dress Chuck would have liked." Serena looked down, hoping her face wasn't giving away the fact that's why she had chosen it.
"Heard from him?" she asked.
"Not since the infamous forty five second drunk dial last New Year's Eve." Blair said, trying to keep her tone clipped and even. "Guess he gave up the company though."
Serena's phone vibrated in her hand and she flipped it open. Just talked to C. Bart and Lily's. Now. Nate's text on her screen was short, but she knew exactly what it meant. "It's Dan!" Serena blurted out when she looked up and saw Blair looking at her. "Dan. He needs help. With something. For tonight. The party. You know. I'll see you in the limo." she called over her shoulder as she took off.
Blair raised her eyebrows. "Sure, S. Leave me here. Have fun with your sex." she muttered. A salesgirl walked by and looked appreciatively at Blair in the dress.
"Wow." she said. "That looks wonderful on you Miss Waldorf. Shows off your legs."
Blair smiled tightly. "Thank you. I'll take it."
Chuck walked into the living room to see Nate, Serena and Dan sitting there. "I tell you to bring reinforcements and you come up with this?" he asked.
"Don't forget about me, Bass." Jenny said sailing in and planting a kiss on Nate's cheek as he rose. Nate embraced Chuck, clapping him on the back and grinning.
"I missed you." Nate told his best friend. Chuck smiled and nodded at him.
"Nathaniel, there's only one person I missed more."
"Yea, and about Blair," Serena said, rising and begrudgingly throwing her arms around her stepbrother's neck, "why the hell did you even leave?" Chuck's eyes hit the floor.
"You cheated, didn't you?" Serena asked.
"No." Chuck said, meeting her eyes. "Never. I got into a fight with my father. Took it all out on Blair. Said some awful things to her. Came to the city from New Haven. I drank and smoked my way to oblivion at Victrola, and by the time I woke up, it was seven thirty the next night, and I knew the only thing she would think is that I was lying on a couch somewhere draped in naked women."
"So you just left? Instead of explaining?"
"She left me a voicemail. Well, being Blair, she left me almost thirty. But the last one I'll never forget. She wasn't even angry anymore. She said she loved me, that she didn't care if I had been with anyone, she understood, and she wouldn't even ask." Serena opened her mouth again, but Chuck cut her off. "Let's focus on the present, sis." he said. Dan made a face but instead of a comment, Chuck extended his hand. Dan shook it tentatively.
"If you don't mind me asking Chuck," Jenny asked, "what exactly is your plan? Besides charging in, white horse evident and guns blazing?"
"Well, the Marcus information threw me, but now that I've had time to think it over, this is classic Blair Waldorf. Adding that certain Gatsby-esque quality."
"I'm sorry." Dan said. "You're Gatsby now?"
"Don't you see what she's doing?" Chuck asked. "She's replaced me with the anti Chuck Bass. Well bred, well mannered. Wouldn't pull any of the stunts I would. And have. Old money."
"Gatsby dies, Chuck. He doesn't get the girl, but he dies." Dan pointed out.
"Lucky for me my Daisy Buchanan isn't already married."
"Charles." Bart's voice seemed to echo throughout the room. Chuck stood up as straight as he could and shook his father's hand.
"Good to see you, sir." He said. To his shock, Bart embraced him, and no sooner had he released him, he was swept up in Lily's arms. "Lily, you look marvelous." Chuck said.
"Why thank you Charles. So glad to see your charm remains intact." Chuck turned to his father, smiling.
"Chuck, I'm glad that you're here." Bart said. "And we have a lot to discuss, but it will have to wait." He handed Chuck a small card with an address written on it. "Happy birthday, son." He said.
"A building?" Chuck asked. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but when I said expensive, I was thinking a suit. Maybe a car."
"The gift isn't the building. It's the address. And I did get you a suit. It's hanging in your room. You should put it on, look nice and go with Serena and the others to that address. Blair's throwing a party."
Chuck looked up at his father in amazement. "Blair?" he asked. Bart smiled and gripped his son's shoulder.
"Don't think I don't know what brought you back." He said.