A/N- Hi sorry for the long wait, just been really busy and the whole Eva thing in season 4 annoyed me so I just didn't feel any inspiration and then school got busy, but would just like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone that reviewed- I try and respond to each one but in case I forgot I'd just like to say thanks and that I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me you're enjoying it!
Thanks also to my lovely beta twilighted4eternity for being so patient and encouraging!
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl or any of its characters- because if I did Chuck and Blair would be together by now.
"You're such a disappointment"
Chuck could hear his dead father's words so clearly, the words he never wanted to hear, but always earned, if his father was still here Bart would not hesitate in letting him know how Chuck had once again let him down and how he was still acting like the 16 year old boy he used to be. Chuck sat in the Palace bar alone swirling his scotch round and round trying to understand how he caused his life to become so fucked up.
All his life, he wanted Blair Waldorf, he may have not have realised it for a while but the want had always been there- waiting to be unleashed and when he saw her at Victrola he knew there was no denying it any longer. He wanted her forever.
He sat there trying to find someone to blame for all this, to take away the guilt of hurting his family but his thoughts kept coming up short.'Why had he done it?' that was easy to answer; he was weak 'how had he done it' was a completely different question. How could he have possibly even thought about sleeping with some second rate whore with his Blair at home? He was at the Palace bar attempting to somewhat numb the aching pain; by his fifth straight scotch he couldn't stand up- Matt the bartender knew the Basses well enough to know to make a call before his boss could be spotted by paps like this.
Ring ring ring
"Miss Blair, a Mr Matt on phone for you" Dorota whispered trying not to wake the baby.
"Thank you Dorota" she took a deep breath wondering what she would found out now, "Hello?"
"Mrs Bass, we have a... situation at the Palace bar... Mr Bass is..."
Blair didn't know what to do, if she went to Chuck's aid now when would she stop; but if she didn't then the press could find out and she didn't want the divorce effecting Bass industries- after all it was her son's inheritance "Matt is it? Keep Mr Bass in your eye sight; I'll be there in 5 minutes." This is the last time, she told herself.
She called for the limo and told Dorota she would be back shortly. Calmly walking into the bar she spotted him easily- slouched over the bar, trying to order yet another drink.
"LOOK YOU WORK FOR ME SO YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHEN I CAN AND CANNOT HAVE A DRINK!" Oh god this was so embarrassing, Blair hurried over to him before Chuck could cause even more damage.
"Mr Bass I'm just follow-"the scared bartender was trying to reason with him when he spotted Blair. "Mrs Bass there you are." You could practically feel the relief radiating off of him.
"Matt your dismissed" she nodded submissively at him.
"Blair what what are you doing here?" Chuck looked bewildered as if he were hallucinating.
"I'm here to save your sorry ass once again, don't say anything let's just get you upstairs" she said trying to pull him to his feet.
"Let's go home Blair" Chuck wrapped his arm around her waist.
Blair knew this was going to happen, he was manipulating her into letting him back into their home "Chuck" she tried to pull out of his tight grip, "this doesn't change anything, you are going to your suite and I am going to the apartment, just because you drank yourself into a embarrassing stupor in a pathetic attempt to self destruct doesn't mean that I'm going to feel sorry for you and take you back."
"Blair I never asked for your sympathy" Chuck looked disgusted with himself for misreading the signs- Blair's outburst had suddenly sobered him up and cut him deep. "In fact I never asked for your help at all, it was your need to feel important again that drove you back here to feel like my pillar of strength once more, when in actual fact I am surprisingly capable of catching an elevator on my own. Unless you want to give me a good fuck- get out of my hotel." He couldn't help but smirk as he threatened her, as before the divorce took place Chuck was still in control.
"Chuck you'll regret this, I promise I'll make you sorry for talking to me like that." Before he had a chance to reply he had a chance to reply she stormed out of the bar. Shit, I just made things about 100 times worse, Chuck thought.
Blair ran out of the Place straight into an unsuspecting passerby, "Can't you watch wher-"she looked up mid-rant and saw a familiar handsome face, "Carter? W-What are you doing here?" It wasn't often that Blair was caught off guard but obviously today was just going to be one of those days.
"Hello beautiful," he leant down and kissed her cheek, he still looked the same but somehow better; his hair had gone darker and slightly longer and his body looked more built up than she could remember. "How are you?"
"I'm good, never better actually," she lied through her teeth.
"Liar" he smirked. Blair was just like him; never let anyone know anything and that way you're safe. She looked annoyed, she hadn't seen Carter since he left her during her attempt at self destruction.
"What's with the glare? Not glad to see me, Waldorf?" Carter said attempting to get her wound up.
"No Carter. I'm afraid I'm not. I'll ask again what are you doing here? The last time I heard you were hiding from the Russians."
"A big misunderstanding I assure you," he replied with a nonchalant shrug, "and how could I not stop by here when I found out that this would be one of the best places to find you, Waldorf…" he said with a seductive smile.
"I thought it was clear that when you decided to up and leave me when I needed someone the most that we were no longer friends. Also encase you hadn't heard, which I doubt very much, it's Bass now"
She didn't see the flicker of hurt in his eyes, he was Carter Baizen, and he didn't care about anything other than who to scam next to fund his lazy lifestyle.
"Yes I had heard, however I also heard what was said in the bar just now about the upcoming split of the great Waldorf Bass household so I didn't think you would actually mind." He knew he would catch her off guard about overhearing hers and Chuck's conversation- after all the entire bar was empty and she probably thought she had gotten away with it.
"You heard wrong"
"Oh I don't think so, I think you've come to your senses and finally seen that Chuck isn't able to be what you need." He was pushing her; but he needed to, he wanted to break through this facade she had put up if he had any chance of making her believe him.
"Carter, this is none of your business, even if it were true. As much as this has been interesting I have to go back home"
"What to little Theo Bass? I have to say Blair I'm not surprised at how attached you are to him, I hear he looks just like you."
"How do you know what he looks like?" She was bewildered, why had Carter been looking into her family- was it something to do with Chuck?
"I bumped into your stepfather today; he couldn't wait to show me the baby photos"
She knew he was lying, but she needed to find out why, it was getting late and she needed to be with Theo, but she couldn't help but prove him wrong "No he looks like Chuck, everyone says so, and you didn't see Cyrus because he's in Paris"
"You're wrong he's like you in the eyes, the mouth, even the ears- definitely all Waldorf. And ok you've caught me out- I've been following you for a while, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." He tried to step toward her but she immediately stepped back.
"Carter, you left me, I'm married and I have a baby, I don't know what game you're playing but leave me alone. Nothing more would please me than for you to move out of my way and let me go home."Blair said in a threatening voice.
"Oh Blair I can definitely think of more enjoyable ways of pleasing you…" Carter smirked.
The lecherous remark reminded her too much her bad boy husband she tried to push past him.
"Carter –"
"No, you don't get to talk anymore. You say I left you but I'm not like that, I'm not like them. I left because I cared about you."
The joking manner he had been hiding behind disappeared. It was replaced with such a solemn gravity that she wished he would maintain the light-hearted mocking façade he had kept up when she first ran into him.
"Now you and Chuck are... well let's just say my gag order has been released." Finally he could tell Blair what he had been thinking about for the last few years.
She didn't know what was happening, one minute she was arguing with her soon to be ex-husband and now Carter fucking Baizen- a man she hadn't seen for years- was telling her about hidden feelings he had for her.
A/N- Hope it was worth the wait, let me know what you thought of Carters return, and just generally the whole chapter!
