I'm quite overwhelmed with the response I've gotten so far with this series. I'm glad the doctor was well received, because she returns later on in the story. Thanks goes out to everyone who's taken the time to review!
And I promise, Chuck will make some progress... but like I mentioned in the last chapter it won't happen right away. Also, the first chapters all take place within a rather short period of time (this one is set ten days after the first two) which is one of the main reasons why things might seem like they're moving slow with him.
Hope you'll enjoy the read! And since I'm Swedish, happy syttende mai to all Norwegians.
Three pairs of questioning eyes looked at Blair and Chuck from across the table. They were at the Bass/van der Woodsen residence, sitting at the round dinner table, and both Blair and Chuck felt a bit like they were facing a firing squad even though none of the three people at the table with them had any clue what was going on.
Eleanor and Harold Waldorf had flown in from France the day before and agreed to meet up at Lily's under the pretense of discussing the plans for Blair's twentieth birthday. Little did they know it was an entirely different birthday they were going to be talking about.
Chuck had asked Lily to serve tea rather than coffee, and everyone had a cup in front of them. Large plates filled with croissants, scones and blueberry muffins sat on the table in-between the children and the parents. Blair gazed longingly at the muffins, feeling an unusual hunger, but she didn't want to be the first to grab something off a plate.
In the meantime she put more sugar in her tea and swirled it around with her spoon. Her parents both looked tired from the travel and glanced at their tea cups probably wishing they were being served coffee instead. She hoped they weren't too discontent already. Even in the best case scenario they weren't likely to jump for joy immediately.
Chuck and Blair looked at each other, grasping each other's hand below the table. They had talked at length of how to deliver this news but they hadn't been able to figure out any good way to do it. The only thing they had agreed on was to include Lily, partly because she would be the child's grandmother in the eyes of the law and partly because they both felt they had a greater chance of surviving the day if they had an eyewitness present.
"I really don't see why this is at all necessary" Blair's mother began and took a large sip from the cup of tea she had been served. "Couldn't we have worked this all out over a conference call? I thought you were coming to France for your birthday."
"Actually Mom…" Blair said hesitantly. "My birthday is not what we wanted to speak to you about. We have some news."
"What kind of news could you have that would be so important we had to fly in just a few weeks before you come to us?" Harold asked, giving her a friendly smile. "You are coming to France, aren't you?"
"Probably not" Blair said, sharing a look with Chuck.
"Well why don't you just tell us what you wanted to tell us and have it done with" Lily suggested, not failing to notice how uncomfortable both teenagers looked. "You both look a bit… nervous."
"The thing is…" Blair said, taking a slow, trembling breath.
Chuck gave her hand a firm squeeze underneath the table. She smiled faintly at him, trying to find the words, not to mention the courage, to tell her parents the truth. She hadn't thought it would be this hard, but sitting face to face with them she knew they probably wouldn't think this was good news.
"The thing is…"
"We're pregnant" Chuck said.
"What?" three voices echoed.
Blair carefully studied the looks on her parents faces. She cast a quick and thankful glance at Chuck and moved a bit closer to him before looking at her parents again. He had helped her out, delivered the bad news for her. And he had chosen his words in just the right way, signaling that they were together in this.
"You… Obviously there's been some mistake" Eleanor said, almost laughing at the absurdity of the idea.
"No mistake" Chuck said, finding himself on the same end of the conversation as Blair had been ten days before.
"You're pregnant?" Eleanor gasped. "How could you possibly be pregnant?"
Chuck looked away and Blair looked down at her tea with blushing cheeks. Telling her parents about the baby kind of meant telling them she and Chuck had sex. Even though she knew her parents must be aware of it, it was still awkward to make it so clear. She still wanted to remain a pristine virgin in their eyes.
"I don't… believe this" Harold said, slowly shaking his head. "You're a smart girl Blair. Too smart to wind up pregnant at this age."
"How can you have been so careless?" Eleanor asked.
"We haven't been" Blair insisted.
"Clearly that's not the whole truth, or else my daughter wouldn't be sitting here telling me I'm about to be a grandfather" Harold said.
"Even the best methods of birth control are only like 99,9%" Chuck pointed out. "In hindsight, we've never really stood a chance against such odds. If you think about it it's an effin' miracle this didn't happen by our three month anniversary."
"Chuck!" Blair said firmly.
"So now you're having a baby?" Eleanor groaned and rubbed her temples. "A baby? Your entire future shot to hell."
"That's not how it is" Blair objected.
"Really? What about college? A career? What about all the things you both want to do before settling down and starting a family?"
Blair looked down again as her mother rattled off the same arguments Chuck had had. He still held her hand and she prayed he wouldn't let go. If she thought for even a second that he was on her parents' side in all of this she might lose it.
"Look, obviously this isn't ideal" Lily said, finally speaking up. "But Charles and Blair are responsible young adults and I have no doubt they will find a way to deal with this situation properly."
"Oh what do you know Lily?" Eleanor said.
"I think this can work out for the best."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's about to be a grandparent."
"I'm Charles' mother legally" Lily objected.
"Stepmother" Eleanor corrected. "And we all know you'll forget all about him the minute you marry your next husband."
Chuck glared at Blair's mother but didn't say anything. He probably should speak up, Lily had been there for him ever since she started dating his father, but he didn't know what to say. It was Blair who instead spoke up.
"Mother don't take this out on Lily. The baby is coming and there's not much we can do about it, so dressing in barrels and walking around declaring the impending doom is not going to help right now."
"Have you thought about… not keeping it?" Lily said.
"Really?" Chuck had to say. "You condone abortion now?"
"I wouldn't judge you if you two chose to go down that road. I was facing the decision myself when I was your age and while I chose to have my baby I can understand if you decide not to have yours."
"We're not aborting" Blair said.
"Maybe you should Blair" Harold gently suggested.
"Daddy!"
"You are both still so young" Harold said. "Blair you're in college, Charles you want to focus on your business right now. A baby is going to get in the way of all of that. It's a huge responsibility and I'm not convinced either one of you is ready for it."
Blair looked over at Chuck, feeling her heart sink with each word coming out of her father's mouth. She knew these thoughts had passed through Chuck's mind.
"We are still young…" Chuck said slowly. "But… we're also together. Your daughter is not going to be a single mother. We may be only nineteen years old but we're two people who love each other and made a baby, albeit unintentionally. I can't ask Blair to abort the product of us, and I don't think she would want to."
"Either way…" Blair said, determined to get all details out there right away. "We can't have an abortion. Not unless my life is in danger or something."
"Sure you can" Harold said. "I'm not saying it would be easy or pleasant but it is still an option."
"We didn't find out right at once…" Blair said tentatively. "I was already quite a bit gone when we realized."
"How far gone?" Lily asked with suspicion.
"Baby's due in five months" Blair admitted.
"Oh good God" Eleanor said and hid her face in her hands.
"You're in your second trimester?" Lily echoed. "You don't… look like it."
"Trust me, there are a whole lot of clothes in my closet that prove my waistline is no longer what it used to be" Blair said tiredly.
"So abortion is out then" Harold said, having grabbed a croissant and begun to nervously tear small pieces from it. "In a way I guess that's a relief. I don't like the idea of it, and I wouldn't want you to have to experience something like that Blair."
"This means we have five months to figure things out and make sure everything is in order" Lily concluded.
"First things first" Harold said. "When will you be married?"
Chuck shared a look with Blair, then glanced over at his adoptive mother before facing Blair's father.
"Oh we're not."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying we're not getting married. At least not right now."
"What?" Harold said, forcefully ripping off another small piece of croissant. "No, that simply won't do. My daughter will not have a bastard child born out of wedlock."
"With all due respect, this isn't 1910" Chuck pointed out. "She'll have the baby without being my wife and it will be fine."
"Like hell she will" Harold objected.
"Daddy" Blair said.
"I agree with Blair's parents" Lily said to the two kids opposite her. "You should get married. And soon, before Blair gets really big, if you want to have a fancy wedding without people only staring at her midsection."
"Don't tell me you're afraid we'll cause a scandal" Chuck said with disbelief.
"No, but I think there's too much at risk for you two not to get married."
"Well that's too bad, because if Blair and I get married someday it won't be until we're both older and for better reasons than a… macaroon in her oven."
"What better reason is there than this?" Eleanor asked.
"You can't force us into marriage" Blair said. "Don't you think that having a baby is a huge enough step for us, without adding marriage to it?"
"If you're not ready for marriage then you sure as hell aren't ready for parenthood" Harold argued. "Marriages can be ended, children are for life."
"We didn't plan this" Chuck said, getting frustrated with the conversation. "Believe you me. But it happened and it's the way things are."
"So that's just it?" Eleanor said. "In… March next year my daughter will become a mother by her boyfriend, who by the way doesn't want to be her husband?"
"I guess that's exactly how it is" Chuck said.
"That's unacceptable" Harold said, angrily tossing another small piece of croissant on the tablecloth.
"Let's not waste time arguing about things we can't control" Lily suggested. "We have enough to focus on as it is."
"We?" Harold echoed. "Lily no offense but you're not really a grandparent here. How we handle this matter is between us, our daughter and the baby's father."
"Charles is my son" Lily said bluntly. "I will be as much a part of this baby's life as Cyrus Rose or Roman, more so since--"
"Technically he's not even your stepson anymore" Harold argued. "Bart is dead and you married that Humphrey."
"She adopted me" Chuck pointed out. "That makes her a legal grandparent of the thing. I mean, the baby."
"Be that as it may, it doesn't even compare to being the biological grandparent of the thing" Eleanor argued. "I strongly doubt that Lily's calm reaction would have been the same if it were Serena pregnant."
"Frankly I think we're all a little shocked that Blair beat Serena to it" Chuck commented dryly.
"I don't know how I would react if it were Serena" Lily said honestly. "All I know is how I'm reacting now. And I know that I'm invested in Charles' future, and in Blair's. And it is a future we need to discuss at length, and we don't have much time. Five months will go by before you now it."
"I just cannot fathom that my baby is having a baby in less than six months" Eleanor groaned. "I need something a little stronger than this tea, Lily."
"Right. Excuse me."
Lily rose and went to get drinks for everyone but Blair. Blair stared nervously at her parents, grateful that Chuck's hand was still in hers. She had known this wouldn't go over well, but she hadn't thought they would look at her with those eyes.
"I know you must be angry--" she began.
"Not angry. Disappointed" Eleanor said.
"There's nothing to be disappointed of" Chuck said. "We're not teens gone wild, here. We're going to see this through and have this baby. There can't possibly be any disappointment in us doing the right thing."
"The right thing would have been to not get my daughter in a delicate condition" Harold said firmly.
"Oh please Daddy, I'm a just as active instigator to sex as Chuck is" Blair said with rolling eyes, causing both her parents to spit out their tea and Chuck to suddenly seem to find the tablecloth extremely interesting. "And using protection is just as much my responsibility as it is his. I'm on the pill, but--"
"We really don't need to hear more" Harold said. The croissant had practically been turned into edible confetti by now.
"I'm just saying you can't blame Chuck for this."
"Let's not… go down those roads at all" Chuck said. "Like Lily said, we have other things that are more important that we need to focus on."
"If you're not married to my daughter then the child is going to be a Waldorf" Harold said.
"We haven't discussed that yet" Blair said.
"There's nothing to discuss."
"The name is irrelevant at this point" Chuck said, tired of standing on the same spot the entire conversation. "That decision can wait until the kid is a month or so old, at the least. There are other issues, practical ones, that need our attention now."
Lily finally returned with alcohol and Blair stared longingly at the drinks Lily handed to everyone. If she had ever needed a drink, it was now. She gave Chuck a jealous look when he grabbed his scotch and downed it in one large gulp.
"Am I to assume that my grandchild will be raised at a hotel?" Eleanor said once she had taken three large sips of her drink.
"We're not entirely sure yet" Chuck admitted. "There's no place for a nursery in my suite, unless we kick Nate out, but even if we do we won't have a place for a nanny to sleep. Right now we're thinking Blair should stay at her mother's penthouse part-time and at the Empire part-time."
"Are you planning on raising my grandchild at all, or will you just be pawning him or her off to my daughter and a bunch of au pairs?" Harold asked grimly.
"Seriously Daddy, that's enough" Blair said.
"Maybe it isn't such a bad idea for Blair to stay with her mother at first" Lily said. "A young woman with a new baby could use the comfort, help and support of her mother."
"Then she would have to take the baby and come to France" Eleanor said. "I am not moving back to New York because my daughter was careless enough to get pregnant. Honestly Lily, stay out of this. If you want to help out then we'd be glad to accept your help, but for the last time this doesn't directly concern you."
"I beg to differ" Chuck said.
"You know, perhaps I should let you two speak to Blair alone for a moment" Lily said and rose from her seat. "And I could have a word with Charles in private."
"No" Blair said. "Chuck and I are facing this execution squad together. Don't leave me alone with two anti-baby enthusiasts."
"A moment alone with our daughter sounds like it's exactly what we need" Eleanor said. "Thank you Lily."
"Charles" Lily said.
Chuck looked from one person to the other before reluctantly letting go of Blair's hand and following Lily upstairs. Blair tried to protest but he was on his way up the stairs before she could really react. She glared at his retreating figure.
"When the going gets tough the tough go running off with their adoptive mothers" she remarked.
"That's enough wit out of you" Eleanor said. "I don't think you understand the seriousness of this whole situation."
"Of course I understand it Mother" Blair snarled.
"Having a baby with Chuck? At this point in your life? That boy is trouble even on his best of days, and while I will admit that he's made you happy from time to time I definitely don't think he's someone you want to count on to have a baby with. He's at least ten years away from being able to rise to such a challenge."
"I'm not worried."
"You should be" Eleanor said frankly.
"I'm not. Chuck and I belong together."
"Oh don't be naïve Blair. He refuses to marry you, doesn't that make alarm bells go off in your head?"
"What day and age do you think we live in?" Blair asked. "What, you want to sew a scarlet letter to my maternity clothes to signal to one and all and all and one that I'm a whore who had premarital sex?"
"Just listen to how he's made you talk" Harold sighed.
"Oh I wouldn't attribute that to Chuck."
"Forget for a moment about the scandal part of it" Eleanor said. "Think about what it actually means that he refuses marriage. If you both decide together to wait with tying the knot then that's a whole other discussion, but him outright refusing? Blair you're about to become bound to him in a way that outweighs marriage a thousand times over. This baby is going to tie the two of you together for life. Marriage is a much smaller commitment."
"Spoken like a divorced woman" Blair said.
"His refusal to commit himself to you in marriage speaks volumes about how set he really is to stay by your side when the baby has come" Harold said, a little more softly.
"No" Blair said, shaking her head. "You don't know Chuck."
"I know enough."
"He's not refusing marriage because he never plans on committing to me" Blair said, wishing she could make them understand. "In fact, it's kind of the opposite."
"No it's not" Eleanor said and shook her head.
"He doesn't want us to get married just because we're having a baby. When we get engaged, and I believe that we one day will, he wants it to be because we want to make that commitment to one another, not because we feel like we have to."
"Empty words" Harold said.
"No it's not. He doesn't want us to have a marriage based only on this kid, he wants it to be based on what we feel for each other."
"That might be what he's telling you, but I don't think that's the real truth of it" Harold said. "Blair, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or make your life any harder than I know it already is. I just don't want you to be blindsided or taken for a fool. If he loves you like he says he does, and if this baby is a product of that love, then marrying you now would be marrying for love."
"You don't get it" Blair said, feeling more frustrated by the minute, wishing desperately that Chuck hadn't gone off with Lily.
"You are the one who doesn't get it. He's obviously not dependable. There is only one reason not to marry you when you're carrying his child, and that is to leave the door open to bolt if he feels he wants to."
"He wouldn't!"
"Blair he's already standing with one foot out the door" Harold said. "Didn't you hear him when he talked about living arrangements? He wants his girlfriend and child to go back and forth between his place and your mother's; he doesn't even want to live with you and the baby when the baby has been born."
"Like he said, there's no room for a nursery at the Empire."
"And once again the hotel means more than you do" Eleanor said bluntly. "He could easily get an apartment where the three of you could live. But to him, moving from his hotel suite is unthinkable."
Blair bit her bottom lip and refused to look at her parents. Her mother had delivered a low blow and she had to fight to keep her composure and not break out in tears. Nothing she had to say seemed to make a difference to her parents.
"We really don't want to lay any burdens on you" Harold said. "All we want is for you to see the situation for what it is."
"No, this is just you guys not trusting Chuck. Fine, don't trust him. I do."
"You're so wrapped up in your feelings for him and in your idea of how this pregnancy will play out" Harold said. "You're not seeing him, you're not hearing what he's saying. He's outright telling us he doesn't want to be your husband and he doesn't want to live with you and his child. This can only end in disaster. But I will give him this, at least he's being frank about it."
"We will stay together" Blair said, lifting her chin and shooting her father a death glare. "Chuck and I are forever. And we will move into an apartment together, him and me and the baby, when we are ready."
"A young woman's fantasies" Eleanor said. "I don't trust him. He's hurt you before, and he's run away from far less serious matters."
"That doesn't mean he will run away when his own child is a factor" Blair said.
"Men have run away from that time and time again" her mother argued. "For that matter, so have women. His own stepmother gave her firstborn up for adoption."
"Is that what you would have me do, Mother? Give my baby up?"
"It is something to think about."
"No, never. We may not have planned this baby but it is still our lovechild and I will not hand it over to someone else when it's born."
"Then you'd better be prepared for all that comes with motherhood, and prepared to do it all without Chuck. Having a baby is no walk in the park, you know."
"Oh and you know? Please, you've barely been a mother yourself."
Blair glared at her parents and put the hand Chuck had been holding on her stomach. There was no way her parents would be able to make her change her mind about this. There was nothing they could say that would make her believe Chuck would run.
"You watch your mouth young lady" Eleanor said grimly.
"You just wait and see Mother" Blair said. "I am going to raise this child and I'm going to do it with my boyfriend. And we are going to be great parents. I won't ever leave my child with the hired help to go abroad for weeks at a time. I will never put my baby at the bottom of my list of priorities like you so often did with me."
"You just wait and see" Eleanor said. "When that baby comes you will forgive me everything. Trust me."
Blair scoffed and furiously grabbed a scone from the plate on the table. If her parents weren't going to be supportive of her and Chuck right now then to hell with them. She didn't need her mother. Eleanor had never really been there for her anyway. She would do fine without her. And who was her father to talk about running away? Like he hadn't done that himself when he divorced Blair's mother.
The three of them glared at each other across the table. This had not gone well so far, and from the looks of it there was only one direction it would be going next.
Lily led Chuck inside his father's old office and closed the door behind them. He took a deep breath and sighed with relief before turning around to look at her.
"Thanks. I needed a break from those two."
"I meant what I said, they need to have a word in private with their child and so do I" Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You want to talk to me about the birds and the bees? A little late for that."
"Don't try to be cute. You do realize this is serious, don't you?"
"Of course I realize it is serious" Chuck said with dark eyes, tired of the older generation treating both him and Blair like they were idiots.
"Do you? Do you really?"
"Yes, and believe me, having this baby is not something I look forward to. I just don't see what choice we have."
"And you understand why Blair's parents are having a meltdown down there?"
"I don't need a lecture, least of all from you. Contrary to what the eyes of the law think you are not my mother."
"And yet you were the one who asked me to be here. Telling me the news at the same time as Blair's parents."
He made a face and walked over to the other side of the room, resting his hands on his father's old desk. For once he wished his father had been there to help him out. Bart could never have been called a rock even at his best of days, but at least he would have understood what was going through Chuck's mind. The two of them were much alike in some aspects and Bart would no doubt have seen the same problems as Chuck and might have been able to come with a few solutions.
"Not only am I your mother, in a manner of speaking" Lily said, walking closer to him. "I am also the last person in the world who will judge you and Blair. You knew that I would understand perfectly because I was in your position just over twenty years ago."
"Except you weren't" Chuck argued. "You got knocked up by a guy you had already dumped before you found out about the baby. That's hardly the same. You were alone. Blair and I are together."
"Yes, which is why I would have even less reason to judge you."
"But also why you would have a much grimmer view of the situation" Chuck said, staring out the window in front of him. "We're not in the same position you were and we will find other ways to handle it."
"Regardless of what you decide to do this is going to be hard" Lily pointed out gently.
He didn't bother dignifying her comment with a response. The truth was he did find it relieving to have Lily involved. Even without her personal experience with unplanned pregnancy at a young age she would probably be able to take a calmer approach to what was going on. Since she hadn't raised him, only adopted him in his late teens, she stood a bit further away from the situation and could see things in a different light than Harold and Eleanor. He counted on her to go easier on himself and Blair. Having her on their side would mean a lot, she would be a strong ally. Above all he needed somebody in the adult corner who didn't hate him for having gotten his young girlfriend pregnant.
She walked over to him and stood next to him, looking at him silently for a minute. He didn't make eye contact. It was difficult to know exactly how to act around her, since she wasn't his mother yet in a way she was.
"I meant what I said downstairs" she said. "I think you would be making the biggest mistake of your life by not getting married."
He turned his head and glared at her.
"You of all people should not be propagating the preservation of the nuclear family."
"That's not what I'm trying to do, I am thinking about other matters."
"Who gives a damn what society deems proper?" he asked. "That decision is up to me and my girlfriend."
"I don't care one bit about society" she said. "There are other very real reasons why you need to marry that girl before the baby comes."
"Like what?"
"Like you need to protect your rights to the baby."
"What?"
"If the two of you aren't married and you end up going your separate ways then it is going to be very difficult for you to obtain your rights to the baby."
"I'm not too concerned."
"You should be. All your money isn't going to get you far in that situation when Blair has money too. Do you really believe a judge would grant custody to you above her? With your reputation?"
"If Blair and I should break up I would assume we'd share custody" Chuck said.
"Yes, you would assume. But things may look very different a few years down the line when you've both bonded with the child, and you never know what kind of breakup you might have. If it's not amicable Blair might let the claws come out and fight for her right to have the baby to herself. Especially the way you're playing your cards right now."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning you shouldn't be suggesting that she lives with her mother half the time and you only be a part-time parent."
"Listen, no matter what happens between Blair and I, no matter how ugly a split between us might get, I don't believe she would keep me away from the child if I wanted to be in its life. We would be civilized enough to share custody."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. I don't think Blair would take lightly to being separated from her child and settle for shared custody."
"What are you saying Lily? You think she'd sue for sole custody and then forbid me from seeing the kid? I don't see her doing that."
"Maybe she wouldn't forbid you, but you never know what will happen in life. She might get a job elsewhere or meet someone from another part of the world and decide to relocate. If she does the child will go with her."
"Thanks for the horror propaganda, though it really would be more effective if I was looking forward to being a father. Honestly I think this whole thing sucks, pure and simple. And by the way, how is all that you just said going to be different if I marry her now? You think we'd stick together if we were married? Why? Because we wouldn't want the scandal of a divorce? Trust me, if Blair and I decide to split neither children nor marriage licenses will stop us."
"Your legal situation would be entirely different if you're divorcing" Lily pointed out. "Children born within wedlock are not as easily handed off to the mother in a separation. You would be looking at an entirely different situation. Marry her now to protect your rights to the child if the two of you don't work out."
"How romantic. I should include that in my proposal."
"I'm only trying to protect you interests Charles."
"See this is one of the things I hate about that damn fetus. Things that would happen naturally on their own are now things that we should be forced into as quick as possible. I do not wish to be Blair's husband right now and I will not marry her because she's going to punch out a kid in a few months. Not that I expect you to understand wanting to wait with marriage, seeing as how you've never waited more than a coffee break before getting married."
"I will let that one slide, but seriously Charles, if you love her and you think you will marry her someday then you really should do it as soon as possible. Not for society, not for Blair, not even for the baby but for you."
"When I ask Blair to be my wife it will be for no other reason than that I love her and I want her for life. I honestly don't know if I this will be everlasting. I mean, I want it to be, but… Forever is a long time. I don't want to lose her, I want to be with her for a very long time, but when I picture myself at age eighty I don't know if I see myself with Blair still or not. We haven't been together long enough yet and God knows we haven't had a smooth ride. We couldn't even make it a full year the first time around."
"So what are you saying?" Lily asked. "You don't think you and Blair can make it?"
"I'm saying… I'm saying I'm not ready to make such a commitment to her yet. And I'm scared that if we marry too soon it will ruin us. There will be a whole other pressure on us to make it work, everything will change. It's not something we should be doing until we are ready. Baby or no baby."
"You will still feel that pressure" Lily said. "The pressure to work every indifference out because there's a child's family on the line."
"But without the bonds of marriage there is still room to move, to breathe. If things start to suck we can take a break from each other, spend time apart, then move ahead. If we're married there is no such room. Look I love her and I really want to be the person she's with. But when I ask her to marry me I want her to know for sure that I'm asking because I love her so much, not because I got her pregnant and feel I have to make her an honorable woman. Why rush? If it's going to happen then it will happen eventually."
"Had you said this to me yesterday I would have agreed with you" Lily said. "Contrary to what you may believe I actually do think waiting can be a good idea and you don't always have to rush into something that might happen later on anyway. But now I know you're going to be a father Charles and that changes everything. Why rush? Because the two of you are about to become parents."
"I appreciate the fact that you're trying to protect my interests" Chuck said candidly. "But I will not marry her like this. Our marriage is not going to be about anything other than love. Babies be damned."
"At least promise me you'll think about it" Lily said, putting a hand on his arm.
"I don't need to think about it. I'm adamant about this."
"You're about to find out that when a child comes into the picture, the things you have been adamant about might change."
He snorted but said nothing further. She walked over to the couch and sat down, eyeing him in silence for a moment. It was obvious to her that Chuck didn't want this baby, and she had a feeling Eleanor and Harold knew it to. The only one who probably didn't was Blair. She couldn't blame Blair's parents for being skeptical and wary towards Chuck.
"Come sit down" she said, patting on the couch next to her. "Talk to me. You're not as excited about this as Blair is, are you?"
He slowly turned around to face her, keeping his head held low. He slowly shook his head and sighed, knowing there was no reason to deny it but feeling like an ass for having those feelings in the first place.
"Charles what you're feeling is perfectly normal" Lily said. "You're nineteen and you haven't figured your own future out yet. Becoming a parent all of a sudden is a huge undertaking, one that changes everything."
He walked over and sunk down on the couch next to her. He gave her a look and wished he had the strength to offer her a smile.
"Thank you" he said.
"Well the situation is eerily familiar to me. I can relate."
"No I mean it, thanks. For at least trying to help. All I expect to get from Blair's parents is a lot of scolding and possibly the threat of being gutted."
"Castrated, more likely."
He laughed a joyless laugh and stared into space. She put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a little smile.
"They might just change their minds when they see their grandchild" she said. "The two of you are not alone, you know that right? I'm here, Harold and Eleanor are too even if they're suffering through a near death experience at the moment. Somehow we'll figure this out."
He nodded slightly and almost smiled. He really was grateful to Lily. And luckily Blair's parents lived on the other side of the Atlantic so he wouldn't have to put up with their resentment too often.
"We should go downstairs" he said, standing back up. "I've left Blair alone with them for far too long."
"Just remember what I said, and at least keep it in mind" Lily said. "Marriage to Blair might turn out to be your saving grace. Even if right now you don't think you would ever want any form of custody of the baby."
He left the room without replying, Lily following in his heels. With heavy feet he walked down the stairs, still not ready to face the future grandparents but at least feeling a little bit better knowing he had Lily's support. He would need it, and so would Blair.
Serena found Blair practically beaming the next day, when they met up for the first time since their lunch before Blair's doctor's appointment. Serena had hoped Blair had gotten good news, and that she wasn't keeping silent because she was in denial about whatever the doctor had said. Seeing Blair now left no doubt that the news had been good. Blair was smiling from ear to ear, but in addition to that there was something else, something Serena couldn't quite put her finger on.
She noticed Blair was wearing a loosely fitting satin blouse along with a skirt Serena had thought was too big for her. She had been with Blair when she got home and tried it on, only to realize she had gotten the wrong size by mistake. Apparently she had gone back and exchanged it after all. It couldn't just be that Blair was happy about having gotten that skirt in the proper size. Something about Blair's face seemed different.
"S, come, sit" Blair beamed, motioning for Serena to join her on the couch.
They were at Eleanor Waldorf's penthouse. Serena had been surprised to hear from her mother that both Blair's parents had flown in from Paris a few days earlier but right now there was no sign of Eleanor. The two girls were alone and Blair was eager to share her news with her best friend.
"I have something I need to tell you" Blair said when Serena sat down.
"I assume the trip to the doctor went well? You're not dying from diabetes before your twentieth birthday?"
"What? No, no of course not" Blair said, waving a hand dismissively. "But I have something else I need to share. And I hope you will be excited about it. It would be nice if at least somebody was."
"Okay, tell me."
Blair smiled and grabbed Serena's hands.
"I'm having a baby."
Serena's jaw dropped. Blair studied her face to determine her reaction. When no response came she moved their hands around as if trying to jolt something out of Serena.
"You can react now" she said.
"You, you what?" Serena stuttered.
"I'm in a blessed condition!"
"Wh… How?"
Blair rolled her eyes, wondering why everybody seemed to be asking that question. The how should be the obvious part.
"Well S, sometimes when a Chuck and a Blair love each other they like to go lie down together in a bed, and then they--"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it" Serena said. "But still… I mean…"
"It happened by accident, but it's great news!"
"Is it? For both of you?"
"Why must everybody react as if I'm announcing the arrival of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse?" Blair frowned.
"I'm sorry" Serena said. "I'm just… a little taken aback. And forgive me, but this doesn't sound like the kind of thing that would have my stepbrother jumping for joy."
"He's fine" Blair sighed. "And more importantly, so am I, and so is junior."
"Wow, I… This really is a surprise. Pregnant? What are you guys going to do, are you going to keep it?"
"Has my behavior thus far made it seem to you like I'm heading out after this conversation to have an abortion?"
"No, but B… a baby? You and Chuck?"
"Me and Chuck" Blair confirmed, placing a hand on her stomach with a smile. "That's not all though."
"Twins?" Serena asked with a touch of fear in her voice.
"I'm already at four months. We just didn't know it because I wasn't having any of the telltale signs."
"So you're having this thing in less than half a year?"
"March eleventh, mark your calendar."
Serena swallowed and tried to find something nice to say. She couldn't come up with anything. For what possible reason would Blair think this was such great news?
"I don't mean to rain all over your parade, but…"
"Fine, go ahead" Blair sighed. "Or rather, get in line."
"Are you sure you want to be a mother? Now?"
"Can we please just drop all such discussions? This isn't about me and Chuck sitting down one day deciding it's time to procreate. This is about us finding out we've already conceived. This isn't what I had planned, and yes, Chuck is apprehensive. But it's going to be fine."
"Okay, if you say so…"
Serena looked away and imagined the disaster this might all end up being. Clearly Blair was already lost in her perfect movie, "Two Upper East Side Teens and a Baby", and if she knew the baby daddy as well as she thought she did he was probably drinking his bodyweight in scotch right about now.
"S…" Blair said, taking her hand again. "This is good news. Be happy for me."
"I just want whatever's best for you" Serena offered.
Blair looked down and Serena could see that wasn't the answer she was looking for. But she couldn't be supportive of this. Or at least not be happy about it. She had a strong feeling that her best friend and her stepbrother were headed for a crash, and this time there would be no easy fixes. A child was something that could never be undone. Serena did not look forward to having front row seats to Blair and Chuck's lives falling apart.
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