Chapter 4

Opening the doors to her home, Blair walked inside and glanced around. Smiling at the familiarity of her home, she removed her jacket and purse before walking towards the main seating room. As she walked inside, she saw her loyal housekeeper rounding the corner.

"Dorota!" she squealed as the alarmed woman turned to face her.

"Miss Blair!" she exclaimed in return before rushing towards the young girl. "It is so good to see you. How do you like university?"

"Good so far," Blair said with a shrug, leaving out the details regarding her roommate. "Where's my mother?"

"She's upstairs Miss Blair," Dorota stated in her thick accent. "She's been on the phone yelling every day."

"Why?" Blair asked with a frown, but Dorota shrugged her shoulders.

Smiling politely, Blair walked passed the housekeeper and towards the large study at the end of the house. As she drew nearer, she heard her mother's angry voice on the telephone. Entering the study, she stared at Eleanor for a couple minutes before the elder Waldorf turned around and noticed her daughter. Cutting the rest of her phone call short, she hung up and smiled.

"Darling, I didn't know you were coming here today," she began just as Cyrus entered the room from behind.

"I wanted to visit you guys," she replied.

"Sweet step-daughter," Cyrus said before pulling her into a hug.

Blair rolled her eyes slightly but deep down enjoyed the fatherly warmth of his embrace. When they leaned back, Eleanor leaned in and kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked as the three of them moved towards the couches in the family room.

"Just a business deal going south, dear," Eleanor replied, sitting next to her husband as Blair sat across from them.

"So tell us everything," Cyrus began enthusiastically. "How's school?"

"It's good," Blair replied, letting the phone call go as Dorota entered with drinks. "My classes are pretty interesting."

"Do you have a roommate?" Eleanor asked, taking a sip from her glass of water.

"Yes I do…Whoregina," Blair said, sitting back in her seat.

"Blair!" Eleanor exclaimed, setting her glass down as Cyrus laughed heartily under his breath. "A lady doesn't speak in such ways."

Mumbling incoherently under her breath, she took a sip from her own drink.

"How's Serena?" Cyrus asked, changing the subject.

"She's good and settling in but I think she wishes she were still here," Blair replied.

"How's Charles?" Eleanor asked.

"He's good too," Blair replied, a smile immediately covering her face as she gazed down at her hands. "Really good."

Eleanor and Cyrus exchanged amused glances before turning back to their daughter.

"Then it's safe to assume things are going well between the two of you?" Eleanor asked.

"Better than that," Blair said, her smile widening.

At the sound of their laughter, Blair pulled out of her daze and sat up.

"You're completely head over heels in love with him, aren't you?" Eleanor asked as Blair cleared her throat.

"Maybe," she said nonchalantly, waving the thought away.

Before anyone could form a reply, Dorota walked back into the room.

"Mr. Chuck is here," she said with a smile before walking back out.

Blair's smile immediately returned to her face, the change not going unnoticed by her mother and stepfather. Moments later, Chuck walked into the room dressed in a navy blue suit, but with his tie already untied and vacant from around his neck.

"Charles," Eleanor said as they rose to their feet.

Chuck kissed her cheek and shook hands with Cyrus before walking towards Blair. Kissing her softly, he sat down next to her as the others followed suit. Blair's left hand immediately locked with his while her right hand moved to the nape of his neck, playing with his hair as he draped his arm over her curled up legs.

"It's good to see you, son," Cyrus began as he smiled in return. "How's the business treating you?"

"It's going pretty good so far," he replied. "It's just really tiring."

"Well of course," Eleanor said, sipping her drink once more. "You went from a boy whose biggest responsibility was going to school to a man running a multi-billion dollar empire within a matter of months,"

"I see your point," he said before facing Blair.

"I thought you were coming later," she said, playing with the collar of his shirt.

"It's a Friday and I'm the boss," he said with a grin as she laughed.

Without realizing that they had an audience, Blair's hand moved to his chest and she leaned the side of her face on his shoulder as her fingers drew patterns on his skin.

"Dear, I think this means they want to be alone," Cyrus said, exchanging a knowing glance with Eleanor.

"No, I…," Blair began, but her mother cut her off with a smile.

"Let's all have dinner tonight at seven," she began. "It'll give Cyrus and I time to attend to some business we have outside and time for the two for you to…"

She cut her sentence short before clearing her throat.

"We will see you here at seven. You can stay or go before then as you please," she said before leaving the room and searching for Dorota.

Cyrus chuckled lightly before rising to his feet and following his wife. Once they were gone, Chuck turned to face Blair with a grin.

"Even your mother and step-father can see how irresistible you find me," he said as she lightly slapped his arm.

With that, she rose to her feet and pulled him with her.

"Come on," she said, leading him towards the staircase.

"I'll meet you upstairs," he said, stopping at the first step as she faced him. "I just got to tell my driver how long I'm going to be."

"Don't make me wait too long," Blair said with an innocent smile before heading upstairs.

He watched her go before heading towards the main door. As he neared the foyer, he heard Eleanor and Cyrus arguing quietly. Cyrus was already outside when he stepped into view.

"Oh Charles," Eleanor said, caught off guard.

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Waldorf?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Yes," Eleanor replied, nervously straightening her coat.

"Are you sure?" Chuck asked.

When she looked into his eyes, she saw a concern that she knew he held regarding her daughter. Stepping towards him, she placed her hand on his arm reassuringly.

"It will be," she said before walking out.

He watched her and Cyrus get into the backseat of a car before their driver pulled away from the curb. Once they were gone, he spoke with his own driver before heading upstairs. Walking into Blair's bedroom, he shut the door behind him and smiled upon seeing her sitting on her bed waiting.

"So this is your bed?" he asked, repeating the words he had said to her two years ago.

"Yes it is," she replied and watched as he removed his jacket and opened the first couple buttons on his shirt.

As he neared the bed, Blair moved back until she was lying down. He slowly crawled up her body until he was fully towering over her. Leaning down, he kissed her softly before lying down next to her on his stomach. With his arm draped over her figure, half of his body covered hers but she welcomed the weight. She held onto his arm with one hand while her other hand buried itself in his hair. Closing his eyes, Chuck buried his face in the crook of her neck, his warm breath comforting her in an unimaginable way. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, she listened to the gentle beating of his heart and smiled.

Before they had officially begun a relationship, they had believed that their dynamic would change and be broken were they ever to get together. But the level of intimacy they shared during the past few weeks had simply brought them closer. Although Chuck would never admit that he liked cuddling with her, she knew that it was this level of comfort, love and intimacy they were sharing that had ultimately begun healing the brokenness his father's death had left him with. Turning her face towards his, she leaned in and placed kisses on his forehead, cheek and eyes. Although she had never been overly affectionate with previous boyfriends, with Chuck she found that she couldn't help herself. All she wanted to do was hold him, kiss him and make love to him every day. Kissing him once more, she closed her eyes before drifting off into a peaceful sleep herself.

Around seven o'clock, an exhausted Eleanor and Cyrus returned home. When they found downstairs empty, they quietly head towards the second floor, a weary look on both of their faces. Seeing Blair's bedroom door closed, they nervously glanced at one another before walking towards it.

"You open it," Eleanor urged her husband, anxious about what they were about to see.

Taking a deep breath, Cyrus turned the doorknob and opened the door. Stepping inside, what they saw made them smile. Chuck and Blair were fast asleep in the same position from hours ago, holding onto one another tightly.

"Have you ever seen Blair as happy as she is now?" Cyrus whispered, facing his wife.

"No, she was mostly miserable with Nathaniel" she replied, shaking her head. "But with Charles…she loves this boy so much."

With that, she stepped back out of the room followed by Cyrus who closed the door.

"I can't tell her, Cyrus," she said, clasping her hand over her mouth. "Not now."

"She has a right to know," her husband reminded her.

"I know she does," Eleanor agreed. "But not now."

With that, he draped his arm around her waist and they began walking back downstairs, leaving the two of them in a peaceful sleep.