A/N: This is my take on the thanksgiving episode. I have made some alterations to it. DAIR scenes will be minimal if not inexistent. Also, Jenny's involvement might be slightly different – she at least has to go down for outing Chuck and Blair at the masquerade party. As for Juliette, I don't know how I'm going to change things; if I'm going to change the end of that Storyline, but she will be more severely punished.
A/N 2: Special thanks to CHAIRYTALELOVE9 who has been a great reviewer and giving me great ideas on my story!
DISCLAIMER: Even though I wish I owned Gossip Girl I don't. Sadly. If I did, Chuck and Blair would have been happy and married long before the series finale!
The next day, was Thanksgiving. Blair had come home early that morning from Chuck's. And even though Blair had been invited to Lily's she couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to go, her father and Roman had invited her. It would be the easy way out, she wouldn't be forced to act like her relationship with Chuck was purely platonic and she would avoid any awkward encounters with Serena.
She was still upset with her best friend, at first she hadn't understood why she would expose Chuck and her. She thought back to the time in Paris when she found out Serena was going to Columbia; she wanted a chance to finally shine on her own, without Serena taking the spotlight from her. She wanted to think they could share it, without one of them pushing the other away to further their own agenda. After Juliette's attempt to ruin their friendship hadn't worked and they were in a good place. Especially after banishing Juliette from Columbia.
But they had had another fight at Chuck's party. Now Serena was refusing to come back to the penthouse and had exiled herself at Lily's. It's not like she was going to hide out there forever, she was going to come back at some point, wasn' decided to grab her father's pumpkin pie Dorota had baked, and bring it to Lily's as a piece offering.
She smiled at the thought of seeing Chuck, she was so happy to have him back in her life. She blushed at the memory of the day and night they had spent together. She knew they still had a lot of issues to work through, and it wasn't going to be easy. She could see Chuck's promises weren't empty, he had meant every word. She couldn't doubt it; she saw the look of sheer honesty his eyes had when he promised to make it up to her and it was anything but fake.
But she needed time, there was nothing she wanted more than to tell him she forgave him but she couldn't risk it. Not yet, she just couldn't bargain her heart anymore; there was too much at stake. Then again, wasn't there always when it came to Chuck Bass?
She decided she would give herself until she was at Lily's to call her father before taking him up on his offer.
The ride over to the Van Der Woodsen apartment was fast, it felt fairly routine-like for Blair. Growing up as Serena's best friend meant she was used to visiting the penthouse.
As he opened the door for her, Vanya welcomed her with a warm smile. Dorota was following closely behind while carrying Ana and the pumpkin pie she had prepared earlier that morning.
As she rode up the elevator, she felt the butterflies flutter in the pit of her stomach. They had been running crazy since she had reunited with Chuck, and knowing she was going to be near him again had her internally squealing like a little girl.
The night of her birthday, she had told her mother Chuck made her feel like a weak little girl. That was still true, but he also made her strong, confident and beautiful.
She smiled slightly thinking back at what her mother had told her; her weakness did, indeed, make her stronger.
The familiar chime of the elevator signalling her arrival interrupted her thoughts.
As she walked out, she noticed Chuck taking off his coat and handing it to Larissa; Lily's maid. He was as handsome as he had been when she left him several hours earlier, while more put together than he had been with his purple robe and dishevelled hair.
She decided to greet him, while keeping her excitement to a minimum. "Hi Chuck," He flashed her his signature smirk and kissed her cheek softly, "Blair,"
She honestly didn't know how to act with him in public. When they were alone, they could hardly keep their hands to themselves. Thankfully, the awkwardness was short-lived as Lily walked into the room.
"Blair, I wasn't expecting you here. Are you relaying a message from Serena?" Lily's surprised but polite expression didn't shock Blair, but her mention of Serena did.
"What are you talking about? I thought she was here. That's why I came, I haven't seen her since Chuck's party. We haven't really been speaking." Blair's voice was slightly shaky and Chuck could sense her worry, he has instinctively moved closer to her; only slightly so no one would notice.
"We thought she was at your penthouse." Lily's warm gaze had been replaced by worry. Erik was now standing behind her and joined the conversation, "Okay, now I'm really worried."
"Charles," Lily asked Chuck expectantly. He responded quickly, "She's not at the Empire".
"Where the hell is she then?" Lily asked the whole room.
After Chuck had contacted all the hospitals and located Serena, they took the limo to find her. They were now standing at the front desk in St. Margaret's emergency room, desperately seeking information from the nurses' station.
Chuck could see how desperate Blair was, she was fighting back tears but it was getting harder and harder for her to keep her cool composure. He took her hands while rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand in an effort to calm her. "Blair, I know you're worried, but I'm sure she's going to be fine." He was trying everything he could to calm her down.
"But, why didn't she come to me? I would have listened, she knows that." Her eyes welled up as a single tear escaped her eye. "Hey, listen to me. None of this is your fault. No one had any idea where she was. I'm sure she will explain everything as soon as she wakes up, okay?" Blair nodded reluctantly. Chuck was right, she shouldn't jump to conclusions. But the way Serena had alienated everyone with the whole debacle at Chuck's party worried her. She gave Chuck a small smile in an effort to reassure him, but Chuck anything but oblivious to the fact that it was fake. He knew her too well.
Erik was walking over to them, and Chuck knew he wanted to talk to Blair. She was Serena's sister in every way that mattered too. Chuck then offered, "Why don't I call one of my doctors, maybe they can give us more information."
Blair saw Erik arrive and nodded in appreciation. "Erik, how are you holding up?" Erik had always been the wisest of them all. Not to mention Blair's accomplice in keeping Serena out of trouble more than a few times. He had also been the strong one for them in the past. But Blair knew this was hard for him, and that he was just as worried as she was about Serena. If his suicide attempt after Serena fled to boarding school a few years prior was anything to go by, Blair knew he needed her now more than ever to take on the big-sister role the same way she had many other times when they were younger, and Serena was too busy being a wild child.
"I'm okay, you?" Blair nodded slightly, offering him a small smile. Erik mirrored her response. They both knew their reactions were fake, but needed to keep a strong front for each other.
A few moments of silence passed between them before Chuck returned followed by Lily, then Rufus and Dan.
"How is she?" Erik was the first to speak up. Blair then asked "when can we see her?" Chuck was instantly by her side, making sure she was okay. He knew she wasn't but he had a feeling talking to Erik had helped a little bit. Blair always felt better when she took care of people, it let her forget about her own. Even though in this case it was the same problem.
Noticing Lily struggle, Rufus decided to answer. "The doctors think Serena should get some help." Panic coursed through Blair's body at the realisation that she must have done this on purpose, and obviously Erik had the same reaction. "Do you think she did this on purpose?" he asked. Lily tried to reassure them, but she was struggling at keeping it together, so her attempt was ineffective. It was Blair's turn to speak up. "But you think she did?" Chuck saw how panicked she was and decided to intervene, but before he could say anything the doctor interrupted their conversation, turned to Lily and asked "Have you made a decision?"
Lily shut her eyes for a moment before responding. "Not yet."
"Well don't you think we should talk to Serena first, you're not going to lock her up against her will, are you?" Dan, who had made his presence unnoticed decided to intervene at that moment, being his usual judgemental and oblivious self. Dan hadn't know the pre-boarding school Serena, he hadn't grasped how bad things had been before she left New York four years ago. He thought Lily was being cruel even considering committing her.
The doctor, who was still standing next to them, added "We have grounds to sign off on an involuntary admission if you decide she needs help."
Dan's shocked face didn't escape anyone in the group. "You can't be serious. Admitting her against her will is wrong. It's not something you can take back. You can't do this to her!" Dan was continuing down the path he had started on, clearly not making any effort to comprehend the situation. It wasn't his fault, he'd never known the real Serena, but it wasn't as if the situation didn't suggest drastic actions had to be taken. And that's what Blair thought.
"She has acted out before, this is serious Humphrey. We can't just stand here and do nothing!" Blair was really scared that Serena had gone back to her old ways.
A nurse made her way over to the group to inform them that Serena had woken up.
Lily took a deep breath, looked at the doctor and spoke up "Ostroff center." When the doctor asked about involuntary hold, she nodded firmly.
Two hours later, Chuck and Blair were standing in the lobby of the Ostroff center. They still hadn't seen Serena, who had been brought to a private room. Erik and Lily were with her, helping her settle in. All they knew was that she was far from happy with the idea of being forced to stay in a facility because of drug abuse, which she was denying. But they agreed that until they knew what event had let to her being in this situation it was important that she stay there, where she was safe.
It was their first moment alone since the hospital. "Thanks for being here Chuck, even if it's not for me, I really appreciate it." She offered him a small but genuine smile. He had truly been her rock since they found out Serena had overdosed. He made every call that was need, did everything he could to ensure Blair didn't go out of her mind.
"You don't have to thank me, I'm glad you don't have to go through this alone, I know we're keeping us a secret but I'm happy get to spend time with you." Chuck was looking deep into her eyes, the overwhelming feeling of his love for her was what kept her together at times like this, times she thought she was going to fall apart.
"I just – I – I want her to be okay. I'm supposed to be her best friend and she didn't even feel she could come to me. After everything we've been through…" Blair trailed off. Chuck hated seen her this broken up; beating herself up over something that was completely out of her hands. She was always doing everything in her power to get all of them out of any twisted situation they might find themselves in. Chuck couldn't think of anything he could say to make her feel better at this point, so he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a warm hug.
He then heard heels clicking on the marble floor and looked ahead only to see a heap long bleach-blond hair. It was Jenny Humphrey. This was probably the last thing Blair needed, and Serena for that matter. But he couldn't hide this from her, she was going to find out at some point anyway. So he whispered into her curls. "Blair," and motioned to the girl walking across the lobby probably in search of Serena's private room. Blair's face went from upset to angry as she marched towards Jenny, while Chuck followed closely behind. He wanted to make sure no one got killed, and he was also curious as to why the blonde Humphrey was disrespecting the terms of her banishment.
"Little. Jenny. HUMPHREY. What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Blair clenched her fists, she couldn't believe that little bitch had returned. And what was she doing here? After everything she had done to Serena, to jeopardize her relationship with Nate the past year! Not to mention what she had done that awful. The thought of it still gave her chills. Chuck was trying his best, but it was hard for Blair erasing that dreadful memory. Jenny sent Blair a wary glance while she scanned the lobby in search of her father, no doubt.
"Blair, my dad called me here, that's the only reason I'm here." Jenny may have been queen of Constance the year before, but a face-off against Blair Waldorf was still a terrifying experience.
Blair scoffed, of course Rufus had called her. He was so blind when it came to Jenny. He often chose to believe she was nothing but a sweet lost little lamb. Well that couldn't have been further from the truth, and Blair was not the only one aware of that fact. "And why is that, because you were so worried about Serena, you couldn't bear to let her go through this without being by her side? Spare me little J. I don't know what you're playing at, but trust me when I say it's not going to work." Blair had no idea what was really going through Jenny's conniving mind, but she wasn't giving up until she figured it out.
They were cut off by Rufus who was followed by Vanessa, he had noticed Jenny had arrived. Spotting her with Blair and Chuck was a clear sign that he needed to come over to his daughter, to make sure the pair wasn't hassling her. "Jenny, here you are. Can I talk to you?" Rufus' usual fatherly tone was replace by a cold, almost annoyed one. Jenny simply nodded to her father and gave her Brooklynite friend an accusing look before following her father who had already started walking away from everyone.
Chuck and Blair simply stared Vanessa down. She rolled her eyes at them before leaving the pair alone. She obviously didn't want to spend any time with them, however short the encounter may be. They weren't going to object as they felt the same way. The exchange between the three had seemed odd, was there more to the situation than they thought? Chuck gave Blair a knowing look, she was thinking the same thing as him. "What's the plan, B?" He flashed her his signature devious smirk at the mention of her old nickname.
"What do you think Bass, you know the drill: dig some dirt, scheme, and total, social destruction." She gave him her best devilish smile with the familiar glint of deviousness in her eyes. "Come on, we've people to plot against." And like that, they exited the building and walked out to the limo.
When they were in the familiar sleek vehicle, Chuck dialled #3 on his speed-dial for Andrew Tyler his PI. (Blair was #1 and Nate was #2.) He usually called Mike, but this was family business, this was a situation that required special care.
He requested his PI to get his hands on anything regarding Vanessa Abrams, Jenny Humphrey and any interactions they may have had with Serena recently or not so recently.
However suspicious it looked that Jenny was at the Ostroff Center, Vanessa's presence was inexplicable. She hated Serena. And her relationship with Dan had been awkward for a while now.
The day had been rough, and it was far from over. Blair's thoughts drifted to that morning, when she had woken up once again in Chuck's arms. She really had no idea at that time what the day held. It was supposed to be her favourite day of the year, and it had turned into one of the worst in her life. Chuck noticed her mind had taken her miles away, and just cupped her cheek with his hand. "Hey Beautiful, are you ok?" A soft smile spread across Blair's face, she loved how considerate and gentle he was being with her and hoped it wouldn't stop like it had last year when their summer ended, along with their honeymoon phase. They had become so busy they had lost sight of what should have mattered most, them –together.
Blair looked deeply into his eyes, he didn't miss the sorrow in them. She took a deep breath, knowing she wasn't going to escape an explanation anytime soon.
"I just can't believe everything that's happened, I feel so drained. Emotionally drained. I wish we could go back to this morning, when I woke up next to you. Oblivious to the rest of the world." She smiled sadly at the memory, knowing Serena had been in a cheap motel room; overdosing on various types of drugs.
The sound of Blair's cell phone interrupted their conversation. She glanced at the caller ID which said "LILY", frowning in confusing she picked up the phone.
"Lily! Is everything okay?" Blair's voice was laced with panic. "Blair, it's about Serena. Daniel was in the room with her, and when we returned they were both gone. I think they're planning on running away. Can you meet me at the loft, we have to stop them."
"Oh my god! Of course Lily, I'll be there as fast as I can." Blair hung up, and turned to Chuck with wide eyes, before instructing Arthur to take them to the Humphrey's loft in Brooklyn. She then told Chuck what Lily had told her. He wasn't all that surprised. The guy had made it clear: he was against committing Serena from the beginning. This was the perfect opportunity for him to swoop in and act like Serena's hero.
It was fifteen minutes later, and Blair met Lily at the door of the loft. She and Chuck had agreed she should go alone, as they were still keeping their relationship a secret. If there hadn't been the Serena-on-drugs crisis, people would have noticed; they were too busy to pay attention to such details anyway.
As Blair and Lily were about to open the door, someone on the other side opened it instead. They were faced with Dan and Serena. Lily had suspected her step-son was involved. He had been against making her go to the Ostroff Center from the beginning, but as Lily pointed out at the hospital, this was not his call.
Meanwhile, Chuck was sitting in his Limo, riding back to the Empire. He had decided to return to his suite and arranged to meet Blair later that evening. They were going to set the plan in motion, but for that they needed his P.I to get back to him. He had insisted on the urgency of this particular case and was confident his trusted investigator would deliver information soon. He had been barely sat down on his deep orange couch that the front desk called up to let him know that Andrew Tyler was waiting in the lobby and wanted to come up. He confirmed access to the front desk and moments later, the elevator chimed, indicated Tyler's arrival.
"Andrew, thanks for coming so soon. I trust this means you have some answers." He didn't mean it as a question at all, he knew his P.I would never make a house call if a) he hadn't gathered valuable Intel and b) if said Intel could be discussed on the phone.
Indeed the man worked fast. "Chuck, I couldn't tell you this on the phone. You're going to want to see this with your own eyes."
The P.I. handed over the file. Chuck's eyes widened in shock as he flipped through the numerous photos and papers. This could mean one thing, and one thing only.
He thanked his P.I. quickly. The man whose profession demanded discretion took it as his cue to leave.
Chuck reach into his pocket for his phone, this time dialling #1, for Blair.
At the loft, Blair was talking to Serena. She was trying to make her understand that everything that was happening was for her own good. But her best friend was being her usual stubborn self and refusing to admit what had happened. Their phones both rang at the same time, signalling an incoming text message. It was gossip girl; who else. The evil blogger was report Serena's trip to rehab, along with a picture showing Serena all drugged up in a bar. The two best friends looked at each other, both shocked. Serena then got up, making her way to the kitchen; it was time to face her mother.
"Mom, I'm so sorry" it was all she could say. Lily frowned in confusion; she hadn't read the blast, so Dan gave her his phone. Lily just looked at Serena; her face hard. "Take me back to Ostroff." Serena's voice was small, laced with shame.
Blair had left Serena in Lily and Dan's care and called her driver to pick her up. She had planned to meet Chuck to plot against "Team Brooklyn". She sat back into the seat of the car and admired the lights. Her day had been exhausting. All she need right now was a relaxing evening with Chuck. Maybe they could plot later.
She heard her phone ring in her pocket, "perfect" she thought gleefully as she noticed the caller ID "CHUCK".
She answered the call almost instantly. "Hi, I'm on my way," Her tone was more relaxed than it had been earlier. He usually would have thought that was a good thing, but he didn't really enjoy playing yoyo with her emotions.
"Great, because I've something you need to see. Andrew delivered some pretty incriminating material just now." She noticed the strain in his voice. That was never a good sign when it came to Chuck.
"Okay, well I'm pulling in right in front of your hotel now. See you in a minute." She hung up and hurried out of the car, not waiting for the driver to help her out. Giving a quick nod to the doorman, she scurried across the lobby and into the private elevator for the ride up to Chuck's penthouse suite.
She was fidgeting like mad on the way up. What have Chuck's P.I discovered? She thought to herself. She wasn't able to finish that thought as the elevator dinged in signal of arrival.
"Chuck! What's going on? What did Andrew find out?" Blair had never been patient, especially when it came to her loved ones. He couldn't find words to describe what he had uncovered; instead he handed the folder to her.
She shuffled through it nervously, discovering what Chuck had gone through countless times.
There were pictures of Juliette entering her "real" apartment, and some of a tall, bleach-blond girl wearing dark shades with an olive-skinned, frizzy-dark haired girl who entered the same building. He knew who they were: Jenny Humphrey and Vanessa Abrams. The file also had another valuable piece of information: shopping receipts. Both for Carolina Herrera; identical dresses were purchased along with masks. She knew that dress, she had seen in on the runway, but that wasn't what struck her. It was the dress Serena had chosen. And Serena had insisted she hadn't gained access to the party before the curtain had been pulled; revealing Chuck and Blair together at the ball. It would explain why Nate and Dan were both kissed by their blond dream-girl.
It wasn't Serena, she had been set up!
Blair's jaw dropped and the file hit the floor, and three single words escaped her mouth. "Oh my god."
TBC…
A/N: Okay! I have to admit I originally wanted to follow the show's SL. But I don't want my story to be a replica of S4 so this is where my alterations led me! What do you think? Please leave a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and any ideas you may have!
