The sky was gray.

How fitting, Chuck thought as he stared out the window of his penthouse at the plaza. A cold gray morning was the perfect setting for the reading of his father's last will and testament.

Turning away from the window Chuck walked to the mirror and straightened his tie. The disheveled look he had been sporting for the past weeks wasn't acceptable anymore. After he had stared into Blair's eyes last night and seen the pain that his self-destruction was causing her he'd realized that it had to stop. No matter how much angst he felt where his father was concerned he did have a reason to stop the cycle.

She was like a light in a pitch-black room to him. He refused to watch her dim.

So here he was shaved, showered and pressed to perfection. Every hair was in place and for the first time since he had been back in New York he didn't smell like alcohol. He wasn't healed. He doubted he ever would be, there was just too much baggage. But he had a reason to stop dicking around.

He had something to live for. Or rather someone.

He looked at the clock on his dresser ... 9:37. Time to leave.

----------

Sitting at the solicitors office in between his Uncle and his father's cheating wife, Lily, Chuck felt more than a little antsy. The leather chair was too stiff underneath and his collar was starting to close around his throat.

The lawyer read off all the preliminary information. Then proceeded to donations left to charity and bequests to old family employees'.

It seemed to take an eternity and Chuck was really starting to wonder why he had come at all. He knew his father would leave him more than enough money to live well on for the rest of his life. Bart Bass had never been a good father to his son emotionally or mentally. Nevertheless, he had always kept him supplied with plenty of funds. Just as Chuck was starting to think about just standing up and walking out the old man behind the desk raised his head from the paper he was reading and looked at Chuck over the top of his glasses.

"Now onto the majority of my estate. To my wife Lily Bass I leave a 29 percent interest in my company Bass industries. To my younger brother Jack I leave a 20 percent interest in the same. Finally, to my son Charles Bass I leave a controlling share of 51 percent interest ..... "

Chuck didn't really hear the rest of the legal jargon because his mind was stuck on the fact that his father had literally left him in charge of his baby. Bart's company had been more important to him than anything else in his life had. And he was leaving in it the hands of his 18-year-old son. It didn't make any sense to him.

The solicitor guy (because really he just couldn't be bothered to remember people's names right now) finished his monotone reading and looked up at Chuck again. Taking a leather portfolio out of his drawer, he stood up and walked around the desk so that he could hand it to Chuck personally.

"Your father wrote you a letter. I suggest that you read it now."

Chuck felt the soft cool material slide into his hand and he turned it over to open it. Inside was a crisp white envelope with his fathers scrolling handwriting sprawled on the outside, it said simply "Chuck". Reaching in to pull it out his hand brushed against something else. Pulling it out Chuck recognized it as a picture .... Of his mother. His breathing hitched and his heart stopped briefly before slamming back into his chest. She was so beautiful. Her long brown hair cascaded over one shoulder as she smiled provocatively into the camera. Her body was turned to the side and one hand rested possessively on her protruding belly. Chuck had never seen a picture of his mother pregnant with him. She looked so happy and ... excited?

For some reason he had never imagined that she'd actually wanted him. That maybe she had been looking forward to giving birth. To being a mother.

It really was true that a picture could speak a thousand words. Seeing her so full of life and expectant joy filled him with a peace he'd never expected to find.

He put the picture in his breast pocket and turned back to his original task. Snapping the seal on his father's trademark stationary Chuck stood and strode to the window, turning his back on the rooms other occupants.

My son ...

--------------

Blair stood outside of the solicitors office waiting for the Bass family to depart. She hadn't wanted to intrude on the proceedings, she simply wanted to be there for Chuck when it was over. Leaning against the walnut paneled wall she stared pensively into space. She hoped he was okay. She hoped that eventually he would be able to come back to her. She hoped that her stupidity didn't destroy them both.

When the door opened, she straightened from the wall. Lily exited first throwing a small smile in Blair's direction before taking off. Next came Chuck, striding purposely out of the door with Jack trailing behind him smirking. Blair quickly stepped into Chuck's line of vision and prayed that his moments of pushing her away were over.

Seeing her standing there made him slow his stride. He stopped when he reached her side and she held her breath while she waited for his reaction. He didn't look happy. He also didn't say anything. Instead, he handed her an envelope with the Bass seal on the back and Chuck's name sprawled on the front. A letter from his father? Blair had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at what this would do to him now. He'd finally cleaned himself up and at this close proximity, she could smell his cologne. It sent shivers down her spine. God she loved the way he smelled.

His look was intense and disturbed and as she looked from him to the letter and back again she knew instinctively that he wanted her to read it. Opening it, she drew out a single sheet of paper and scanned the paper. Chuck's gruff voice sounded in her ear.

"Read it out loud."

She searched his face for some meaning but it was as hard as granite. Clearing her throat, she began ...

"My Son,

By now you know that I have left you a majority share in Bass Industry ... "

Blair paused to look up and this time she caught his gaze. Meeting her eyes, he gave an imperceptible nod as if to acknowledge the truth of his father's statement.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I would entrust the care of something that I spent my life building, into your hands. The answer is not simple. I honestly don't know if you are capable of filling my shoes as CEO. You will be a very powerful man Chuck. Use it well. Use it better than I did. I have always had high expectations and I'll admit that you didn't always live up to them. But here's your chance. Stand up and take responsibility for something. Show me for once that you care about something more than drinking and whores.

This company is my legacy to you, my Son ... I challenge you not to destroy it."

Blair's voice faltered towards the end and the final sentence was uttered in a whisper. She looked up and could see Chuck's throat working to hold back the emotions that were so obviously threatening to spill out. She really didn't know what to say. A final letter to the child you've left behind should have been full of more I Love You's than I Challenge You's. Bart should have taken the opportunity to tell his son that he was sorry for being such a sucky father and he should have admitted that everything wrong between them was his own fault. Not Chuck's.

She wanted to reach out to him but before she could, he stormed out of the door. Running to catch him she threw open the iron and glass impediment and flew down the concrete steps to reach him in the courtyard in front of the building. Grabbing his arm, she spun him around.

"Chuck ... I'm sorry"

Her apology caught him off guard and his stone-faced expression faltered in confusion. Softening he looked at the ground.

"For what Blair? The fact that my father is setting me up to fail from beyond the grave? That's not your fault."

"You're not going to fail Chuck. You and I both now that if you wanted to you could take Bass Industries farther than even Bart ever dreamed possible. I actually believe you could rule the world if you wanted to."

She broke off with a slight smile and Chuck's eyes warmed as he watched the humor creep into her expression.

"Just don't let him keep you down anymore Chuck. I know you loved him. I believe that he loved you too. He just never knew how to show it." Crumpling the paper into a ball, she dropped it onto the ground ... "Obviously. But for the record Chuck, I need you to know that if this is what you want to do ... be CEO of Bass Industries ... Than I'll be right by your side. And if you want to tell your father one last time that he can go to hell and let Bass rot on it's own devices ... Than I'll still be right by your side.

So stop running away from me. Stop shutting me out ... Okay? It's getting really old."

She reached out and took his cold hand into both of her smaller ones.

"I miss you Chuck. I need you to be here with me."

Chuck could feel his heart expand in his chest a little bit at her words. He didn't know how to believe her. He'd never really experienced unconditional love before. He didn't know if it really existed. But something in her eyes promised him that all he needed was to surrender to it and she would handle the rest.

Talk about ruling the world. Blair had that position on lock down.

Blair could see in his eyes the moment .. The exact second that the real Chuck Bass came back. His eyes glowed with unfulfilled promise and tender vulnerability but the boy that she had fallen in love with was finally looking back out at her.

He raised his free hand to her face and cupped her cheek gently and then slowly he leaned down and took possession of her lips.

What started slow and gentle quickly turned wild and savage. They had been devoid of themselves for far too long. Breathing each other in like air, their clasped hands broke apart. Chuck's hands moved to the small of Blair's back bringing her body as close to his as possible while her's reached up to push his head down and deepen the kiss.

Looking on you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

Which was exactly what Jack Bass noticed as he stood within the building looking out of the door at them. This was the first time Chuck had shown any signs of life since he had picked him up out a Bangkok brothel. Blair Waldorf was obviously too much of a good influence on his young nephew.

Something would have to be done about that.