Hello! Okay, after watching the finale… I will admit I very, VERY nearly lost all desire to write this fic or any other about Chair. I'm still in recovery. I'm not big on buggering a couple just for the sake of an OMG moment, and I hated the Chuck and Jenny sex. I think it was sad and gross, and a soul damaging decision for both of them. Whenever I don't like an actual plot point sometimes I change it in my head. This is what is going to happen with I Told You, so that I am motivated to write it. I'm still sticking with the original idea but I'm adding a point, which I'll tell you more about at the end of this chapter. Here we go…
Blair lay in bed watching the room change shadows as the sun rose, unsurprisingly having been unable to sleep that night. Finally getting up she went to the bathroom and paused, looking at herself in the mirror. It was going to take a lot of cover-up to hide these circles this morning. Smoothing down a lock of her hair, the sparkle of diamond on her finger drew her attention, and she now moved her hand in different positions, inspecting its affect on her image. She kept her ring on, because just because she hated the man, was no reason to hate the diamond.
Fixing her appearance so she didn't look like a Bram Stoker reject, Blair pulled on her sheer robe and headed down for breakfast. As usual, Dorota already had her fruit, yogurt and orange juice already set out, and Blair couldn't help feel a twinge of pain at the fact that the table was set for one. Just a few weeks ago she would have been sitting there with Harry, talking about what he should wear today, planning a trip to somewhere he had never been. Then Dorota would take him to get dressed, and Blair would sit and read the paper. Now when she read the paper in the quiet of the dining room, she sometimes liked to pretend that Harry was just upstairs, hiding his socks from Dorota and refusing to brush his teeth. She needed that this morning, but the paper wasn't there.
"DOROTA!" Blair yelled. "Where's the paper? You know I can't start my day without the Style section!"
Dorota nervously came to stand in the doorway. "The paper not come this morning, Ms. Blair. Maybe you like Italian Vogue?"
Blair's eyes narrowed and she looked at her maid suspiciously. "Dorota, the Times has the third highest circulation in the country… I think I can get another paper. The question is… are you going to like my mood after I've gotten the second one. So are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"
Dorota scuffled out of the room and came back a few minutes later with the paper. It didn't take Blair long to know why Dorota had tried to keep it from her.
The headline read, "Billionaire Bass Takes Wife… Again!"
"Ugh." Blair said rolling her eyes in distaste. "The Basstard doesn't waste any time…"
Blair was suddenly very pleased with her decision to turn her phone off last night, however she had forgotten to turn her maid off as well. Dorota came back into the room with the house phone at her ear.
"It is Ms. Serena for you." Dorota told her, holding out the phone towards her.
Blair frantically shook her head. "Tell her I'm not here! Tell her I'm dead!"
Dorota rolled her eyes before talking into the phone again. "Okay… Yes…" She looked back at Blair. "She say she hear you, so you're not dead… but you must be crazy to marry Mr. Chuck again. She meet for breakfast in twenty minutes."
Blair huffed back in her seat, scowling at Dorota, but then she got up figuring it was better to get this scene over with, and probably best to do it in a public place, so Blair headed back to her room, changed, and headed out to meet Serena for breakfast. With any luck she would get to the restaurant first and have the power position of seat selection and, and the advantage of time. She really didn't have any luck these days.
"Is that good cover-up I see under your eyes, or bad?" Serena said with a raise brow as she watched the waiter hold out the seat for Blair.
Blair resisted the urge to excuse herself to check her makeup. She knew she looked perfect, and well blended, so she skilled herself to ignore her "friend's" question. In stead the corner of her mouth lifted into a half smile/half sneer, and she quickly picked her menu up to take a few minutes to ignore Serena. When they'd ordered, and there was nothing left to do, the two women faced off against each other.
"My first question would be to ask if it was true or not, but since the statement to the media was released by his official spokesperson, I'm going to skip that one, and get straight to, what are you thinking?"
Blair kept her face a perfect mask of non-emotion and deadpanned to her friend. "I think I love him, am desperate for him, and can't wait for the wedding. Happy?"
Serena ignored the droll tone, and soldiered on. "Seriously, B. I know things are difficult right now, but… you shouldn't just jump into something like this. I just don't want you to be hurt again."
For some reason Blair didn't want to admit what was going on to her best friend. Her life felt out of control, and she had to shore up her walls now, or have them crumble completely. "I'm fine, Serena. This is what I want. And as my friend and maid-of-honour, I expect you to get on board."
Easy as that, Blair had Serena onto another topic, that of the wedding. Sometimes Blair knew her friend too well. She had known it would only take the mention of her being in the wedding party to get her off the subject of the reason for the wedding. Serena was an instant, diehard romantic. She fell in and out of love regularly, so she loved its blushes, and the ceremonies that went with it. Blair had to admit that she was a romantic herself, but her idea and experience of love was something altogether different. It was deep, all consuming, heart entrenching, and when it was finally driven out it left a scar.
After breakfast they headed out for a morning of shopping, because retail made Blair feel better, and Serena wanted to try on mini-maid-of-honour dresses that barely covered her assets. Blair took comfort in her catty comments about Serena enjoying them while they lasted before gravity took hold and she'd need three plastic surgeons and industrial spanx to get away with her trademark style.
As they left Bergdorf's they were suddenly besieged by a group of photographers and reports, all shouting questions about the upcoming wedding, and Blair ignored them all until one caught her attention.
"What did you say?" She asked sharply over the noise. The group was actually shocked into silence at the cutting tone, and the surprise of Blair Waldorf addressing one of their own. She was known to allow her photo to be taken, but to not engage with any of them verbally. As if they were beneath her. As if she was a queen.
"Um… Well…" The reporter stammered. "Is it true you put your penthouse on the market to move in with Mr. Bass?"
Ignoring them again, Blair shot a look to Serena. "I have to get home."
Blair had the driver drop Serena off first, before having him head straight to her penthouse. The doorman smiled at her and congratulated her on her engagement. She managed a tight smile in return, and head straight upstairs, nearly missing his comment about how they were going to miss her in the building. Blair's blood ran cold as the doors opened up and she walked into her very empty apartment.
"DOOORRROOOTTTAA!" Blair bellowed and it echoed off the bare walls. "Dorota!"
This couldn't be happening. She'd only been gone a few hours, he couldn't have acted that fast. And what the hell had he done with Dorota? She was about to yell again when she heard the click of heels as they walked towards her. Looking up sharply Blair saw an exotic supermodel in a business suit, which could only possibly be one of Chuck's many assistants.
"Where are my things? Where is my Dorota?" Blair demanded.
"Ms. Waldorf, Mr. Bass sought to remove the stress of the move so you could concentrate on the wedding plans." The woman smiled coolly at Blair. She was clearly on the Bass payroll and loyal to the large check that it provided. "I've show your apartment twice this morning, have three appointments set for this afternoon, and several of them are showing serious interest."
The woman looked at her expectantly, like she was waiting for Blair to express some form of gratitude, but Blair just looked away dismissively.
"My maid?" Blair questioned icily.
"I believe she too is ensconced at Mr. Bass' penthouse." Reaching into her binder, she pulled out an envelope embossed with a bold B.
She scanned the card quickly. "A little insurance so you don't try to run. You never get far without Dorota. I'll see you at home. C."
Not wanting to give anything away in front of the help, Blair tucked the card away in her purse, and walked out of the place that just this morning had been her home. Not wanting to go to Chuck's, and not wanting to see Dorota so soon for fear she'd kill her for falling for whatever line Chuck had used to get her to his apartment, Blair headed to the pond. She sat on her bench and watched the ducks, but her mind was a million miles away. Actually it was almost nine years away, to the first time that Chuck Bass had proposed to her. Given that it was not her favourite time of her life, she rarely allowed herself to reflect on it, except for days like Anastasia's birthday when she couldn't help it.
It had seemed every sign had been stacked against her the day Chuck had set for his ultimatum at the top of the Empire State Building, and it turned out that every sign had been mocking her on that day. In the end she had rushed to meet him, but had missed him finding only his peonies waiting for her past the expected hour. Taking them as proof of her commitment to him and of her showing up, she headed straight to the Empire. She spilled everything out at him, and he had seemed so happy, which was not something common in Chuck, but he'd also seemed a little cagey. She'd even suspected at the time that he'd had someone there, but she was so happy to be back with him, and he was so eager as well, that she'd shaken it off. He said all the right things, and made all the right moves that evening. She should have known by then that these were all things that could betray.
He'd made her a drink and then quickly showered and dressed. She had thought they were going to the hospital so that she could tell Dorota her good news about being happy and with Chuck in the same night, and so they could see Anastasia, but Chuck had had other ideas. He'd instructed the driver to take the back to the Empire State Building, and even though it was closed for the night, he had unsurprisingly bribed their way in. She had thought he was going to do something romantic, and what he had planned for them earlier. She was right on both counts, but she had expected them to go to that spot and officially re-declare their love. Chuck had something more permanent on his mind. Standing at the top of the ESB, with the Manhattan skyline lit around them, Chuck Bass turned to her, took a deep breath, and spoke more surely and earnestly than even she was used to.
"I am so sorry for the pain I've caused you. And I know I can't take it back, but I want to make it up to you, even if it takes me the rest of my life… Blair, will you marry me?"
Her breath had caught, and just like she had followed her heart earlier today, she followed it now. "Yes!"
With happy tears in her eyes she had eagerly let him thread the ring beautiful ring onto her finger, before throwing herself into his arms. It had been one of the most romantic nights of her life. It was too bad that it had eventually been shot to hell by the dirty truth that had practically throbbed underneath it.
Coming back to the present, Blair shivered as she realized it was getting dark. A part of her was tempted to go to a hotel, and forget that Chuck Bass existed, but she couldn't do that. If she wanted him to keep to his half of the bargain, she would have to keep to hers. Standing up she straighten her coat and headed home… to Chuck's.
TahDAH! Okay, so I wasn't going to have them married before, but after the finale… I had to include it as part of the reason they weren't together later. More will be revealed about their first marriage in later chapters. I also think our Chuck wouldn't have been stupid enough to think the Jenny debacle wouldn't have gotten out. I think he would have acted faster, which is what you'll read here. If I can pull it off the story will address the present situation and cover past conflicts, which will be many. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh, and can you tell I might still be pissed at the Mother Chucker, and that's partially why he's not in this chapter. Seriously he has to be one of the MOST self-destructive characters on television. It's going to be a long summer…
