Hey Guys :) I'm back. I was on vacation with the fam, so I'm eager to get back into the swing of things with my fanfiction family. I hope you all had great holidays with your loved ones, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please excuse the mistakes, but I hope to get your feedback.
Chapter Two- Ikea Way of Life
Pulling the covers up on himself as he lay on his bare mattress, Dan did all he could to get comfortable but found the lack of bedding hard to do so. Rolling on his back, Dan let out a sigh of frustration as he knew there was nothing that could make up for the lack of sheets and comforter that a bed was supposed to have. Hearing the sounds of cabinets opening and closing, Dan reluctantly rose from his bed to see that he was still dressed in his work clothes from last night. Running his hand through his messy hair as he made his way out of his room, Dan passed by Nicholas's room to see that he was cleaning up his crown collection. A slight laugh came to his face as Dan enjoyed Nicholas's imagination to the fullest, and found his writing to be the better of Nicholas's need to show his world to him. Making his way down stairs, Dan was happy to be seduced by the aroma of coffee going about that it nearly made it impossible for him to not going running towards it. Knowing Dan well enough to know that any coffee scent would lure him, Blair poured him a cup of coffee before she placed it on the kitchen counter.
"I hate my bed" Dan groaned as he walked up to grab his coffee once he entered the kitchen. "This coffee smells great" he said as he brought the cup up to his nose to smell
"Thank you" Blair smiled as she grabbed her stack of papers to go sit at the table "I take it you hate your bed because of you inept ability to purchase sheets for your bed" she said
"I haven't had the time" Dan quickly griped "Alessandra has me speaking at the New York based colleges, then I have a column due for the times coming up, and I'm supposed to help Nate out" he said as he joined Blair at the table.
"All of which are good reasoning, but goes to show you the purpose of the home….to leave work at work, and enter the home" Blair smiled "At least that's what Nicholas's therapist tells me" she added
"I'm pretty sure he said something along the lines of keeping things normal for Nick" Dan replied
"You concluded that, and I concluded the fact that he told me I need less work in the home atmosphere" Blair said
"And you're doing such a great job of it" Dan said as he picked up a paper off the stack of paper
"I'm coming around on the idea. I just wish fashion week wouldn't impede my efforts to show Nick that I'm trying" Blair sighed "With my mother's impromptu trips, and missing deadlines….I feel like everything is hitting me from all angles. Then this house….I feel like we should be more moved in than we are" she complained
"We should" Dan said as he pulled up a seat "I mean we've made it official, we're living together to give that stability to Nick. What says stable than Martha Stewart home collection" he then stated
"Exactly. If we take time to turn this house into a home, then that'll show tremendous effort" Blair said
"Are you trying to impress the therapist or Nicholas?" Dan questiond
"I'm trying to impress my son" Blair replied "You're still on the number one spot since you finally talked me into sending him to Maxwell " she said "What do you think about Ikea?" she then asked randomly
"Ikea. That's random" Dan laughed
"It sounds so foreign…" Blair said getting lost in her reverie
"But it's not" Dan replied quickly
"It sounds like a place that will turn a house into a home….an Ikea way of life" Blair replied "I think this house is in desperate need of Ikea. Humphrey, we must go to Ikea" she said in a demented state
"You're crazy, you know that, right?" Dan laughed
"They sale sheets at Ikea" Blair quickly pointed out as Dan thought to himself
"Okay, than it's settled. We turn this house into a home by this weekend. I get a good nights sleep and you get brownie points with Nick" Dan said as he stuck his hand out for them to shake on it just as Nicholas came into the kitchen dressed for school in his dress up Prince costume.
"I'm ready to whisked off to the school house" Nicholas declared as he pulled his play sword out. Turning to look at Dan to avoid her immediate reaction to the fashion disaster that her son was sporting so badly, Dan coached Blair through silently.
"Buddy, I don't think you can take your sword to school" Dan said as he got up from his seat
"It was a gift from King Arthur. He'll be infuriated if I was so careless" Nicholas said
"I can hold your sword for the day" Blair suggested as Nicholas quickly hid his sword behind his back
"Only a knight or princes can hold the sword" Nicholas replied
"But it'll be safe if your mom holds it" Dan told him "You should place a cloak of invisibility that way no one will try to take it from her grasp" he then suggested as Nicholas began to take the suggestion in to serious consideration
"That's a stupid idea, how will I see it if it's invisible?" Blair laughed to herself before Nicholas drew up in defense
"You can't be trusted!" Nicholas declared as he drew his sword on Blair to her surprise
"Nick, un draw your sword. No pulling knives or swords on people in general" Dan said as he stood at the point of the play sword while Blair sat back in confusion "Now go upstairs to have the commoners draw you a bath because I'm pretty sure you smell like you've been trotting in the open fields and it's beginning to smell like it" he said as he ushered Nicholas off to the staircase
"Don't fall on your sword….people in that age do it all the time!" Blair called out as she got up from her seat. Realizing that Nicholas hadn't heard her declaration, Blair sighed as another battle was lost in her mind with her son.
"Did you really have to say the word stupid?" Dan questioned
"I know, I know. I'm working on it" Blair sighed as she grabbed her files and began to grab her things just as Dan's phone began to vibrate. Pulling his phone out to peek at the caller identification, Dan became alarmed to see that it was Charlie calling. "Work?" she asked
"Yeah, I should probably get going" Dan smiled nervously
"Wish me luck with Nicholas. I'm off to a bad start, but here's hoping a comeback is in the works" Blair said as she headed out of the kitchen. Pulling his phone out after he was sure that Blair was gone, Dan made his way out onto the patio so that he'd have more privacy.
"You know, if you plan to stand a girl up, then you should at least give her a reasoning" Charlie said
"Sorry, I meant to call. Things have just been crazy" Dan sighed "I never meant to stand you up, I'm serious" he said
"Because you've treated me so well these past few months. I thought we had moved past things…I thought I wasn't the villain to you" Charlie said
"You're not the villain, but it may be seen differently to Blair and a few people" Dan told her
"I forget how much of a secret I am to you. I mean once a paid imposter, always an imposter" Charlie sighed "I didn't call to lay a guilt trip, I actually just wanted to see if you wanted to get back to our suited arrangement" she said
"Wait, I stand you up….and you still want to have sex with me?" Dan asked
"You're not emotionally ready to give me anything else, and with sex, I at least get my rocks off" Charlie laughed to herself as Dan didn't quite know how to take that statement
"Thanks, I guess" Dan replied before he heard a the side gate open to see that it was Justine coming through. Becoming nervous, Dan eagerly began to think of ways o end the call that way he wouldn't be linked to Charlie in any manner "Hey, uh….I'll call you back later" he muttered as Charlie could quickly detect what that meant
"Okay. I'll keep he sheets warm for you" Charlie laughed
"Yeah" Dan said before he quickly hung up to greet Justine. "Hey Justine" he smiled as the girl eagerly perked up at he sight of Dan
"Hi, Dan" Justine said like a school girl with a big crush before Blair walked out to join the two of them
"You're late…why are you standing out here Humphrey?" Blair asked an array of questions that left the two to turn and look at her
"I was….I was making some calls to Alessandra" Dan reasoned
"And I was talking to Dan or about to…." Justine smiled so giddily as she stared on at Dan before Blair interrupted
"I thought you had to go to work?" Blair asked
"I do, and I will" Dan said feeling Justine's stare on him that made him a bit uncomfortable "If you have any problems with Nicholas, you can call me" he said as he began to saunter over towards the side gate "See you later Justine" he said as he made his way out while she still smiled happily at the very spot where he once stood as if he was still standing there.
"He's gone Justine" Blair told her as she noticed her assistant still in a daze
"I know. I just want to imagine what I would've said to him….before you rudely interrupted us!" Justine said so sweetly before gradually scolding her boss
"Ugh!" Blair scoffed as she rolled her eyes at her assistants school girl crush on Dan before she turned to head back into the house "Nicholas! Nicholas, c'mon….we have to go to school" she called out as she walked over to grab her coat and briefcase
"Do you think he notices me? I know I'm big and fluffy…then black, but do you think he noticed me?" Justine asked as she followed behind Blair
"You make him uncomfortable every time you stare. Why do you look at Humphrey like a piece of meat?" Blair asked
"Because he is a piece of meat. He's like a finely seasoned chicken fillet with the garlic just right" Justine described
"Have you been cheating on your diet again?" Blair asked
"I may have had one too many pieces of chips…with enchiladas…and nacho grande with extra green chilis" Justine said "Don't judge" she then added as Nicholas came prancing down the staircase dressed in what Blair had claimed to be normal clothing.
"Oh, great. You're wearing the clothes I laid out for you" Blair smiled
"I feel like a bumbling fool that dances and sings for the King" Nicholas said as he looked on with a depressed look on his face while he showed off his normal clothing.
"You look cute, and handsome for your first day" Blair smiled as she went through her phone so that she could take a picture
"Guard! Guard! Get this unruly woman!" Nicholas yelled out as he covered his face from Blair's attempt to get a picture of him while all Justine could do was laugh.
Making his way inside of Nate's office, Dan wasn't surprised to see Nate on the phone yelling at one of the workers. Nate was never one to yell, so to see him all riled up was a joy for Dan as Nate was laid back kind of guy. Grabbing one of the soccer balls hoisted up in his display case, Dan walked around just juggling the ball around in his arm while walking around Nate's office. Leaning up against the wall to look out at the amazing view of the New York skyline, Dan couldn't help but look out at the view to become reminiscent of his times in the various places of New York that he had ventured during his teen days. Sighing in frustration, Nate was relieved to end the call from hell so that he could turn his attention towards his friend as he turned his chair to face the smug look Dan wore on his face.
"Imagine what this type of focus would've got you in high school, let alone college" Dan teased
"Yeah, I'm getting my pay back in spades" Nate sighed as he got up from his seat to walk over towards his bar "Thanks again man, I couldn't think of anyone else to write this article" he told his friend
"No problem, I love covering the latest socialite that thinks they're God's gift" Dan replied as Nate laughed
"He called the other day" Nate said as a few moments had passed
"I know" Dan groaned as he turned his attention out towards the skyline once more
"He asked about Nicholas, and I told him a few things. Nothing that would lead to anything further" Nate sighed "It just sucks that he put us in this position" he said
"Sucks, I think it goes beyond sucks" Dan laughed "He made his choice, and he's left her to deal…" he began to say
"He was young. I don't know if I would've been able to take on that type of responsibility. I mean the biggest commitment he made was his relationship to Blair" Nate replied
"She thought he'd be there for her and Nicholas…I mean you weren't there that day. It was all so…it was unreal. I didn't sign up for it, but I was there…I'm still there" Dan told him
"Yeah, but not by force" Nate laughed
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dan asked immediately
"You know exactly what that means" Nate replied as he took a seat back in his chair "You're still there because you want to be there" he stated
"No, no. I'm there for Nicholas" Dan replied
"Yes, Nicholas. The boy that is resembling you each time I see him. I'm beginning to think that you're the kids father with the knowledge he absorbs….you know, you're his father" Nate said
"I'm the guy that looks after him" Dan quickly corrected "And yes, I enjoy his knowledge. Everyone should enjoy his knowledge" he sighed
"Yes, they should. I'm all for the good knowledge power. I just think you're there for other reasons, self inflicted pain reasons, but you're there" Nate said "How long are you going to carry on the charade that you're not in…" he began to say
"Don't say that" Dan replied sternly "I'm not…not anymore or at least I try not to be. I don't know!" he groaned out in frustration
"Admit it" Nate laughed
"I'm sleeping with Charlie or Ivy, whatever her name is now" Dan quickly blurted out leaving Nate shocked
"You weren't supposed to admit that" Nate shook his head in disbelief by the statement "Have you lost your damn mind?" he asked
"Yes, but it's nothing serious. I mean granted, I've become the asshole that I've never intended to be, but it's the only way to keep her at bay" Dan reasoned aloud only to see that Nate still looked confused "Don't look at me like that" he told him
"I'm just wearing the look that half of the Upper Eastside will give to you once they learn they're you're hooking up with Ivy, who made a habit out of screwing with Serena and her family. Dan, she tried to kill Serena….I don't understand how you can begin to think that's okay. I mean Lilly has tried to spread the peace and love, but even Serena knew well enough to move half way across the country to California" Nate said
"I know, I know. It just happened, and it keeps happening because I'm a bit pissed with my own life. Ivy is my alcohol, she's not good for me and I hate it, but I take it to mellow me from the hell that is my life" Dan told his friend "I know it's wrong, I feel the guilt every time. I hate the person I am with her, but I can't stop myself because for a few hours…I get what I need to make believe that I'm not pathetic" he went on to say
"Then tell her…tell them both the truth. No good will come from secrets" Nate warned his friend
"And yet we still have them? We both know where he is, we both know where they both are and yet we protect them" Dan stated
"I can't turn my back on him" Nate replied
"Yeah well I can. I owe him nothing" Dan stated "I hope that we can keep the Ivy thing a secret?" he then asked
"I can keep my mouth closed on that, but I assure you…Blair will not like this" Nate said
"Believe me, I know what Blair will think. It's the only thing I do know how she feels about" Dan sighed "I guess I should get to this story" he said as he walked over towards the door
"Dan" Nate then spoke before Dan turned to look at him "She appreciates you, she may not say it a lot…but she does" he said
Feeling a bit out of sync with her work schedule now that she had centered it around Nicholas's school, Blair worried if she was too early or too late on arriving to the school. Sitting in her car, Blair did her best to not get bored but found her efforts to be failing miserably. Playing with a few apps on her phone, Blair busied herself with trying to beat the many levels in her game. Looking up from her phone, Blair began to notice that a few of the other mothers from Nicholas's old school, in which he had just transferred from. Quickly sitting up to become alert, Blair began to fix herself up as a sudden thought came to her mind that she hoped would help the situation. Stuck in her train of thought, all Blair could think to do was just go a full steam ahead and think later. Getting out of her car, Blair walked over towards the circle of women that were gathered together near the coffee cart.
"Ladies" Blair smiled as she walked up towards the women that happened to consist of Hazel, an ex minion of Blair's
"Blair Waldorf. Surprised to see you" Hazel replied with a smug smile on her face
"Why should you be surprised? My son goes…he's in the shop" Blair quickly replied not wanting to reveal that Nicholas attended Maxwell
"Shop, what shop?" One woman asked
"The book shop. He's a lover of all things literary" Blair smiled
"Yeah, I bet. We haven't seen Chuck Jr around too much at school, what's going on?" Hazel asked
"Well for starters, you won't see Chuck Jr, because my son is Nicholas. We've decided that home schooling was best for him, I mean with his advanced knowledge and all. How is little Jack doing with his booger mosaic going? Or is it a phlegm mosaic at this point?" Blair asked wanting to state the point that Jack was far from Nicholas's knowledge
"I'm glad we actually ran into you. I was just inviting Hazel and her son to Michael's ice cream party we're having at the parlor" One of the mothers said
"Oh, that cute Parlor on Manhattan Avenue?" Blair asked
"Yes, we wanted to get a pre-birthday party going" The mother replied
"Does Nicholas even know Michael?" Hazel questioned
"Nonsense, Nicholas gets along with everyone at the school. Nicholas just chose to be to himself" Blair replied knowing that didn't sound any better
"That sounds cliché, you know before the boy shoots up his school" Hazel teased
"What time is the get together?" Blair immediately asked as she turned her attention towards the mother to ignore Hazel
"In the next thirty minutes. Is Nicholas able to go?" The mother asked
"He'll be there" Blair replied proudly before she looked over at Hazel with a smug smile on her face
"I thought you said Nicholas was in the book shop?" Hazel laughed as she looked over at Nicholas coming out of the school before Blair turned around to look at her son
"You're fishing Hazel, you shouldn't be so desperate" Blair quickly replied as a few of the mothers laughed at the two's banter before Nicholas walked over towards his mother
"You parked out front. You're supposed to park slight to the curb and pointing north" Nicholas said in a trance like state as the mother's looked on in surprise
"He talks well for his age" One mother complimented
"I speak English" Nicholas quickly replied finding that statement to be stupid
"Of course. Uh, I guess we will see you in a few minutes" Blair replied nervously
"I have to meet Daniel. Daniel is expecting me. We read new books" Nicholas quickly replied tugging on Blair's hand
"I know, but we have new…" Blair began to say
"No, nothing new. I must meet Daniel" Nicholas disagreed with his mother
"Daniel? As in Dan Humphrey, right?" Hazel asked
"Daniel Humphrey, you heard correctly" Nicholas replied as he nodded, avoiding all eye contact
"Thirty minutes. We'll be there" Blair replied as she grabbed on to Nicholas's hand as they backed away
"No, we will not" Nicholas replied becoming frustrated
"Is he okay?" One mother asked as she noticed the look of anger on Nicholas's face
"He's fine" Blair replied as she tried to calm Nicholas down as he just pulled away from her before he went into a rave of emotions
"No! no! no!" Nicholas yelled as he avoided Blair
After banging out a two thousand word article for Nate, Dan was relieved to finally make it home. Heading towards the kitchen, Dan tossed his keys onto the table before he walked over to grab a beer from the fridge. Feeling the vibration from his cell phone, Dan looked on at his cell phone to see that it was a text from Charlie that showed how grateful she was for his lunchtime visit. A slight laugh came to his face as he couldn't help but feel like his male ego was on full on boasting mode from his praise that he received, tucking his phone back in his pocket. Dan went back to drinking his beer as he was enjoying his true man time as he came to call it, with his beer chucked back while being pressed up against his lips, Dan was quickly torn from his peaceful reverie by the sounds of slamming doors and Nicholas running up the staircase.
"I don't appreciate you slamming my door!" Blair yelled out from the bottom of the staircase before Nicholas slammed the door once more
"Yeah, I don't think he heard you" Justine told her "Before you give me the whole death stare, just know we still have to go over the corrections for the new accounts" Justine reminded her as Dan came out from the kitchen
"What happened?" Dan sighed as he headed out towards the girls
"Just your basic Blair said the wrong thing again" Justine sighed as she leaned up against the hallway door
"You. Go to the office. Lock yourself in there, but go to the office" Blair instructed her assistant
"And somehow I'm beginning to feel what it feels like to be a minion" Justine groaned "I'm going, I'm going" she said as she headed towards the office
"What'd you do?" Dan quickly asked once Justine left
"Why do you think I did something?" Blair questioned
"Because Justine just said you did" Dan replied quickly as Blair couldn't help but oblige the earlier statement "So what happened at school?" he asked
"I may have set up a play date with a few friends from his old school" Blair hesitantly admitted
"He didn't have any friends at the other school!" Dan reasoned
"I know, but I thought that if he saw his old classmates then they'd have something to talk about. You know, the amazing things about their different schools and how they can all be friends now that Nicholas isn't calling them insipid idiots any longer" Blair said as Dan rolled his eyes at the statement "Nicholas hated the change in plan, and decided to flip out in the middle of the street" she sighed
"Figures, he's not big on change. We were suppose to read that new book I got him" Dan replied
"I would like for him to interact with kids Dan!" Blair replied as she hit Dan on the arm "I just thought it'd be fun for him" she said
"All right, I'll go talk to him" Dan told him as a laugh escaped him while trying to walk past Blair but Blair grabbed on to his arm to stop him
"No, don't talk to him. I will go talk to him. I did this and I at least deserve to fix this….even if I might screw this up again" Blair said as she grabbed Dan's arm to drag him back "Book Ikea, we need our Ikea" she told Dan
"Oh, this household needs more than Ikea" Dan muttered to himself as Blair backed her way towards the office, where Justine sat with her ear pressed up against the door to listen to the two of them "I'll get him washed up, I can do that right? Or is that tampering your attempts to lure him in?" he asked before Blair poked her tongue out at Dan as she made her way into the office.
"I thought you'd be up with the kid?" Justine asked as she massaged the side of her face that Blair had opened the door on when she entered
"I'm giving Nicholas time to cool down. He's upset and I don't want to make it worse" Blair sighed as she walked over towards her desk to take a seat "So what do we have?" she then asked as she went through the paperwork
"I've basically corrected all of the mistakes, and we should be able to meet the deadline for the printers" Justine told her as she shuffled through the papers she held to get them organized "You know the buzz around the office is becoming a bit louder" she then told Blair
"What buzz?" Blair asked
"You're mother. Some are saying that's she's losing her touch, not in touch with what the company needs" Justine told her "And we both know Harris is gaga over you. Loved your deals abroad with the up and coming designers…do you ever think about it? You know…" she began to say
"No, I don't. This is my mother's company, I work for her" Blair quickly replied "This was just a minor slip, a simple mistake that a busy woman like her will make from time to time" she stated
"Yeah, maybe so" Justine said detecting that talking about work was becoming a touchy subject for Blair with the slowly rising implications beginning to form around work. Getting up from her seat, Blair let out a sigh of relief that Justine had managed to take care of all the hardwork so that she could focus on Nicholas.
"Thanks again for coming all the way out here. I'll see you tomorrow" Blair told her assistant
"No problem, anything for the you" Justine smiled as she nodded while she peeked out of the door to see if Dan was around
"You mean to see Dan" Blair quickly replied
"Exactly…I mean, no" Justine replied unknowingly making the mistake of admitting the very truth she didn't want out or at least at the moment between the two "I don't get it" she then stated
"Don't get what?" Blair asked as she just laughed at how obvious Justine was with her crush
"You and Dan. How can you two just be friends? He's hot and you're….you're tolerable when your not in dictator mode, he's practically a perfect father to your son, and handles everything beautifully with all that you two have had to deal with….how can you two not be doing the nasty? If it were me, I would have gave him some after meeting him" Justine said
"Okay, and that will be enough for you tonight" Blair said as she began to usher her assistant out towards the door
"You're living the life" Justine stated as Blair continued to push her towards the door
"Goodnight Justine" Blair told her as she opened the door before Justine reluctantly heading out
"I hate you sometimes, I really hate you sometimes. Sitting in this house with all that…" Justine began to say before Blair closed the door on her. Leaning up against the door, Blair sighed as she knew her day wasn't over, she'd have to correct a wrong that she had done. Heading up the staircase, Blair went over in her head all the things she should say to her son, but feared that the wrong things may still slip out in the end. Blair hated that she was an outsider to the world of Nicholas, but she felt as if she was trying to scheme her way into her own son's heart. Blair was so used to being the insider in every aspect to her life, but it was new for her to be the outsider in a phase in life where she should've been number one. Stopping short of the bathroom, Blair looked in to see Nicholas sitting in the bathtub surrounded by bubbles while Dan sat on the floor beside the tub just laughing with the boy. Leaning up against the wall so she wouldn't be seen, Blair listened in on the two.
"I don't need friends" Nicholas replied stubbornly
"Everyone needs someone. It's the cliché line, but we do" Dan replied
"A prince relies on his instincts, he mustn't be bothered with loyalty to others less than him" Nicholas replied as Dan just laughed to himself
"It's shocking how much you sound like me, I literally thought the same thing about everyone I went to high school went…even your mother" Dan laughed
"What made you subside to the masses?" Nicholas asked as Blair just shook her head in amazement by how grown her son sounded for just a four year old.
"I found that seeing things through other people's eyes and challenging my views were far more rewarding. I'm not going to lie to you, I hated the idiotic things my peers did, but going through life thinking your better than people is not the way to go. Learn about people, learn to put judgments aside because I guarantee you, you will find someone that you mesh so well with but is the complete opposite of what you ever thought you'd come to like" Dan told him
"And that opposite, is that my mom?" Nicholas asked
"Yeah, she was my absolute opposite" Dan laughed as Blair didn't quite know if she was liking the tone of the conversation that was at her expense "But now….I can't picture my life without hearing her opinions or her ideas because now….I come to enjoy them" he smiled at the young boy as the words seemed to warm Blair's heart
Sitting with a hot cup of coffee in her hand, Blair sat up looking out at her new surroundings in the neighborhood. Accustomed to living in the city, Blair was beginning to like the serene feeling of being in the suburbs of New York. Though this had all been Chuck's idea to move away from the heart of the city, Blair was glad that she had worked up the nerve to follow through on the plan of what she wanted for her son. Heading down the staircase, Dan slung the towel over his shoulder before tossing his tie to the side on the banister before he walked over to join Blair on the sofa. Laying against her side, Dan propped himself up so that he could get some bit of rest after finishing his task of getting Nicholas ready for bed. Matting his flop of hair down, Dan could sense that Blair was making mental notes to convince him to cut his hair, that Dan knew that was something he had to jump on just to beat her to it.
"Is he playing in his castle?" Blair asked
"Yes, the usual routine. In about thirty minute the drawbridge will be raised, so you might want to work your magic soon" Dan sighed as he nestled up close to her body
"Do you think I'm that much of an opposite to my son?" Blair asked
"Waldorf, I don't think you're some oblivious fool to your son….yeah, Nicholas sounds like me" Dan said before he caught the little part of his statement that Nicholas would emulate "I actually praise your efforts to try" he said
"Really? You're not secretly upset with me for once again trying to force my beliefs onto my son?" Blair questioned as Dan laughed to himself
"No, I commend you. All you can do is try" Dan sighed as he began to drift off to sleep "Tomorrow should be a great day for Ikea" he said nearly half asleep
"It should be a day in which you get a haircut. Humphrey, you look like a muppet" Blair told him as she played with his growing hair
"Leave my hair alone" Dan muttered as Blair moved out from under Dan so that she could get up from her seat on the sofa
"Goodnight Humphrey" Blair laughed to herself before she placed a pillow under Dan's head then reached over to spread the blanket over his body. Looking at him for a few moments, Blair turned to head up the stairs towards Nicholas's room. Slowly making her way towards Nicholas's room, Blair stopped short to access what she would say before she hesitantly entered the room to see that Nicholas was nowhere to be found. A small piece of her became alarmed that she couldn't find her son, but she found a small sense of relief to see that none of the windows were opened to show that he hadn't crawled out of the window. Walking towards his castle, Blair could see a bit of movement come from inside that let her know that he was inside hiding from her. Taking a seat next to the castle to show that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Blair looked on at the castle to see if Nicholas would make any attempt to make movement out of the castle to confront his mother.
"You're not permitted to be in here" Nicholas muttered
"I know, I wouldn't permit me either" Blair sighed "I didn't mean anything by the whole change of clothes or the whole ambush meeting" she told him
"Then why keep doing it?" Nicholas questioned "I don't like people…I'm trying to but people are a species I can live without" he mumbled
"People are a species I can live without as well, but they're not going to become extinct anytime soon" Blair said
"They should be" Nicholas stated "They're the weird ones" he told her
"Weird? Has anyone said anything to you?" Blair asked becoming alarmed by the statement "Do you think you're weird?" she questioned
"I don't think, I know. I'm different" Nicholas said as he lowered his head in a moment of sadness within his castle, just glad his mother couldn't see him "I feel it" he sadly told her which made Blair tear up for a moment
"You're different, but you're not weird. Being different is a good thing. We're not put on this earth to be carbon copies" Blair replied
"Daniel all ready told me that….you're late on that speech" Nicholas said
"I'm late on a lot of things" Blair said "But I just wanted to apologize for what I did to you" she said
"You're the main one!" Nicholas yelled as he startled Blair with his sudden anger "I see the way you look at me. You constantly try to change me to be normal" he complained
"I know…" Blair tried to reason
"I like the way I am. I'm a prince!" Nicholas yelled
"And I get that" Blair accepted
"Then why don't you like it?" Nicholas questioned
"Because I don't get you….I'm your mother and I don't get you. I relate in fashion and scheming, so me dressing you was having some attempt of feeling like a mother to you. I get that you're smart and can basically become a mini genius by the age of ten, any mother would be proud of that, but I'm just afraid that while you grow to be this brilliant young man…I'll be amongst the many that just never understood you. I want to, I want so desperately to be in your world that I've resorted to trying to bribe you into liking me" Blair sighed
"Why?" Nicholas asked
"Why? Why would any mother try so hard?….regardless of what you may think, I do love you. I've loved you the first moment I held you in my arms all the way to this very moment. I'm always going to love you, that's the one thing that will never be different or weird when it comes to you" Blair said through choked back tears as she was resigned to have this emotional breakdown by herself. Just as she wiped away the tears, Blair feared she was beginning to embarrass herself in front of her son before the draw bridge on Nicholas's castle suddenly came down. Looking over at his slow motions, Blair felt a tiny victory within herself as he came out from his castle. Slowly taking his seat beside her, Nicholas and Blair sat awkwardly for a moment.
"If you ever you want to know…just ask" Nicholas said as he hesitantly looked over towards his mother as they shared a moment between them.
"I will. I plan to take you up on that" Blair said as she just smiled at him from ear to ear "Am I permitted to hug you?" she asked
"You may" Nicholas replied before Blair wasted no time in throwing her arms around the young boy
"Good, I was going to do it anyways" Blair muttered as she held her son close to her as if she had no intention of letting him go.
Opening up the sales paper, Blair walked in to the local Ikea prepared to shop. Following behind her with a bag, Dan and Nicholas looked on in amazement at the overwhelming presence that Ikea gave off to them just by walking in. Scanning through possible items that she would make Dan build for her, Blair was beginning to create the perfect house in her mind that she was just so excited to bring to life. Walking further into the scenery, Dan just laughed to himself as only Blair could embrace a setting that was Ikea. Just as Dan worked his magic on Nicholas to give the place a chance, Dan felt a vibration come from his cell phone that caused him to become a bit alarmed. Knowing that it was probably Charlie, Dan didn't think much of answering before he finally just promised to ignore the call until later. Looking over at her partner in all that was her crazy life, Blair and Dan gave each other a silent confirmation before they grabbed Nicholas's hand.
"I think I could fall in love with this place" Blair stated
"Do they have sheets?" Dan questioned "That's all that I wanted to know" he stated
"They should" Nicholas said as he looked over in Dan's direction
"Yes, they should" Blair laughed "Besides, you probably need some other things besides sheets. You know; pillow, curtains, sanitizers, all the things you wouldn't think to buy due to your gender" she replied
"Anyways, I'll find my sheets with or without you" Dan replied as he walked off to go down an aisle by himself. Playing the part of a customer for a few seconds or so, Dan looked around to see if he was alone before he finally dug into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. Looking one last time to see where Blair and Nicholas were, Dan got his second since of relief to know that they had drifted off to look at crock pots and other numerous items Blair knew nothing about. A slight laugh came to Dan as he went through his contacts to pull up the number he was looking for. Letting out a sigh before calling, Dan put the phone up to his ear as he nervously let each ring pass him by. Glad that he got her voicemail, Dan saw this as a golden opportunity for a clean break. "Hey Charlie, it's me. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do this anymore. I've got a lot on my plate with Blair and Nicholas with the whole move and all, so I just don't think I can be the guy you need. I'm sorry for how I've acted towards you because no girl deserves that, regardless of what mess the guy has made. I hope that we can still be friends….so yeah, I'll see you around" he said as he hesitantly ended the call, feeling as if the asshole he had tried not to be had come out in that one phone call.