Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
The reviews were a little light for the last chapter. I hope you are all enjoying this story.
"Are you nervous?" Blair inquired as she helped her daughter prepare for her first official date, who was due to arrive in any minute. She knew Chuck was pacing in the entryway, muttering under his breath about how bad this evening could possibly turn out. He had managed to convince himself that this one night would ruin his daughter forever. The only reason that Charlotte's date had not been cancelled was because Blair had refused to let him.
"No," Charlotte shook her head. Her eyes were telling her mother she was speaking the truth, which surprised Blair. She had been more nervous for her date with her father than she was at the moment.
"I was a nervous wreck when Uncle Nate took me out for my first official date," Blair replied. "I knew that I was going fall out of my heels or spill on my designer dress or get spinach stuck in my teeth."
"Did any of that happen?" Charlotte asked.
"No," Blair shook her head, "But I did accidentally let a door hit Nate when he made me open it myself."
"Then he deserved it," Charlotte proclaimed, "Anyone worth dating would open the door for you."
"Charlotte, I know you have your father's evening as a benchmark, but I hope you don't get too disappointed if this evening doesn't live up to that," Blair stated, "It's very likely that this boy will be nervous, so be gentle with him."
"I know it won't be anything like my night with Daddy," Charlotte conceded, "Evan isn't the man that Daddy is."
"Something is different," Blair stated as she studied her daughter, "When you came into my office a few weeks ago, you were over the moon about this boy, and now you're not. Is everything alright?"
"He's a nice boy," Charlotte sighed, "But that electricity that we had then isn't there now. I think the excitement of it all is gone."
"Because of your date with your father?" Blair inquired.
"No," she shook her head. "Well maybe, but not because of anything he did. I just feel different now than I did before . . . in a good way."
"If you're worried that your father might disapprove of this boy, you don't have to worry," Blair replied. She knew her husband's approval meant a lot to her daughter. "Your father had him checked out, and while he'll never really approve of anybody you date, he's still agreeing to let you go."
"Reluctantly, I'm sure," Charlotte chuckled.
"Always," Blair smiled, "No matter how old you get, you will still be that little princess that used to beg him relentlessly for a penguin of your very own."
"It's probably the only thing I asked for that he never gave me," Charlotte smiled.
"He'd probably give it to you now if you agreed to not go on this date," Blair chuckled lightly, "He has convinced himself that this is the start of so much trouble."
"Daddy trusts me, doesn't he," Charlotte frowned.
"He does," Blair assured him, "But he'll never trust the boys you date. He remembers what he was like at your age, and he has convinced himself that you'll fall for someone like himself."
"But he's an amazing man," Charlotte replied.
"But he wasn't that amazing man at your age, remember," Blair stated, "I know you know all about his past. We talk about it enough that I'm sure you have begun tuning us out, but please keep your father's antics in mind tonight and all future nights. There are certain tricks young boys can play on you at this age that can make you do things that you are not ready to do."
"Mom, I promise that nothing will happen tonight that you and Daddy are not ready for," Charlotte smiled.
"It's not about your father and I being ready for it. It's about you being ready for it. Sex is a big step at any age. As much as I hate thinking it, I'd be willing to bet that one or more of your friends has already taken that step," Blair cringed at the thought.
Charlotte nodded in confirmation, but didn't give Blair any further details as to which friend or friends she was referencing.
"And while they may have planted the seed in your head, I don't want you to feel as though you have to take that next step too," Blair continued on.
"I don't," Charlotte replied. "I'm not ready for sex, and I won't let anyone talk into before I am, certainly not my friends or some boy."
"I marvel at how self assured you are," Blair sighed as she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair to separate out the curls. "I wish I'd had your confidence at that age."
"You and Daddy have helped give me this self-confidence. I know that no matter what, you will always love and support me," Charlotte replied, "That means a lot to me."
"You are growing up too fast," Blair smiled as she hugged daughter around the shoulders. "I'm going to let you finish getting dressed. I had best check on your brother. He thinks that if he dawdles enough that your father and I will somehow forget that he is on punch duty tonight."
"I hope you realize that the girls in my class are going to fawn all over him like my friends usually do," Charlotte pointed out.
"That could work to your advantage," Blair smiled, "It will give your father something else to focus on besides your date, and Charlotte, if your date wants to keep his hands, I'd be sure to keep them in respectable locations."
"Not to worry," Charlotte couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Have a wonderful night, Sweetheart," Blair stated as she kissed the top of her daughter's head before disappearing.
"Go . . . Good evening, Mi. . . Mister Bass," Charlotte's date stuttered out as he arrived at the Bass penthouse. "Is Char . . . Charlotte ready for the dance?"
Chuck groaned in annoyance as he sent Dorota to check in on Charlotte. Chuck continued to stare down the young man though he didn't speak one word. He could see how nervous he made the boy by the sweat pouring off the young man's brow. Had he not be so annoyed by his presence, he might have smiled with glee.
"You must be Evan," Blair stated as she made her entrance having put the finishing touches on her makeup.
"Ye. . . Yes, Ma'am," he nodded as Blair extended her hand to him.
"Charlotte is almost ready," Blair assured him.
"Thank you," Evan nodded as he shifted nervously from one foot to the other.
"You look beautiful," Chuck whispered into her ear as she kissed his cheek softly and whispered a warning to behave for Charlotte's sake.
"Thank you," she smiled as she reached out to straighten his tie, "You look pretty handsome yourself."
"Evan, I'm told that you live with your brother," Chuck decided to ease his daughter's date's nerves ever so slightly as he looked a little too green. Charlotte didn't deserve to wear her date's dinner on her dress to the dance.
"Yes, sir," Evan confirmed.
"And he's married to Henry Brandt's daughter, correct?" Blair prompted him.
"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, "For three years."
Blair nodded. They'd been invited to the wedding due to the high societal image the Brandt family kept, but chose not to attend for fear they'd cross paths with their former nemesis.
"Hi, Evan," Charlotte announced her presence as she floated into the room.
"Hi, Charlotte," Evan blushed as he extended the bouquet of white lilies he'd held in his hand. "These are for you."
"Thank you," Charlotte smiled as she accepted the flowers. Dorota fluttered into the room on cue and offered to put the flowers into water.
Brice strolled in casually as he fiddled with his tie. Blair stepped towards him and helped him straighten it as Chuck continued to stare down Charlotte's date.
"We should get going," Charlotte announced as she tried to break the tension in the room.
"After a couple of pictures," Blair announced.
"Mom," Charlotte groaned.
"Humor me, Sweetheart," Blair laughed.
"My sister-in-law would like copies, if you don't mind," Evan was able to get out without too much trouble.
"Certainly," Blair smiled as she began arranging the pair for the picture, taking extra time with Charlotte's hair.
"Mom," Charlotte gritted through her teeth as her patience was wearing out.
"Okay, okay," Blair replied as she stepped back with her camera posed at the ready. "Big smiles."
Evan dutifully smiled; Charlotte didn't do anything more than blush crimson in embarrassment. Blair didn't want to embarrass her daughter any further, so she waited patiently for her daughter to collect herself. Her patience was rewarded when finally Charlotte smiled.
"Okay, now we can go," Charlotte announced before the flash had a moment to die out as she turned to find her coat.
"Just a couple more," Blair countered as she looked at the output screen to see that her first attempt had been blury.
Charlotte let out a low groan.
"Three more, I promise," Blair vowed.
"Blair, you'd better speed this up," Chuck whispered in his wife's ear, "Charlotte is three pictures away from throttling you."
"I'll make this quick," Blair replied as she waited patiently for Charlotte and her date to smile again. Charlotte dutifully smiled which allowed Blair to begin shooting in rapid fire. She'd exceeded the three picture limit she'd set. Finally having enough, Charlotte turned and snatched her jacket as her mother continued to take pictures of every further movement until Charlotte and Evan stepped on the elevator.
"I saw that playing differently in my mind," Chuck laughed as he pried the camera out of his wife's fingers, "I always thought that you'd be the calm and collected one, and I'd be the borderline narcotic one when Charlotte left for her first date." He inspected the camera for a moment to see that she'd taken no less than fifty pictures in less than two minutes.
"I'd better dumb these pictures off this memory card, so I'll have enough space for the dance," Blair stated as she reclaimed the camera and disappeared into his office.
"Blair, there is a line of sanity that I think you've just crossed," Chuck laughed as he followed after her, "We should leave the camera home, or we leave you at home."
"What is so wrong about wanting to capture our daughter's first date for posterity?" Blair inquired.
"Put yourself in Charlotte's place for a moment, Beautiful," Chuck told her as he leaned across the desk and snatched the camera from her. "You would have been mortified if your parents had pulled what you just did."
"My parents weren't even home when I had my first date," Blair rolled her eyes as she tried to snatch the camera back.
"And if Dorota had done what you had?" he theorized.
"She would have been promptly dismissed," Blair sighed. "Fine, we leave the camera home."
"Perhaps we could put it to good use later," he winked at her, "There are a few things that I'd like to capture for posterity."
"I think that tape we locked up in your safe is sufficient enough," Blair grinned as she rose from the chair and came around the desk to step in between his legs when he turned to wrap his arms around her waist. "Remind me again how you talked me into making that."
"I happen to be very charming," he reminded her.
"You have your moments," she agreed as his hands grabbed her derriere and gave it a healthy squeeze. "But this isn't one of them. We need to be leaving for the dance, or all those hormonal teenagers will start to get some wrong ideas."
"Until Charlotte became one of those hormonal teenagers, I could have cared less, but we'd better go," he sighed, "We'll pick this up where we left off when we get home and have our little princess tucked safely in to bed."
"Agreed," she nodded as she gave herself a moment of pleasure as she leaned in to kiss him.
TBC. . .