A/N I know, the update is not really on time, but I was in a bad mood lately, working on something else, alas I wrote another chapter. Hope you like it, and I'll try to update more frequently.
"Now this was fast, I have to say" – Chuck mumbles incoherently, killing them both with his dark eyes. He waited for few moments before he woke them up, observing the picture of them in bed, tightly holding on each other, him spooning her, and her holding his arm around her waist like it was made of gold. It sickened him, but the masochist in him had to absorb the picture in his brain.
Dan slowly raises from the bed and Blair also tries to at list sit up in the bed. Chuck sits coldly in the chair, not moving his arms or legs, just follows Dan with his eyes like a wild animal.
"I knew I'd find you here. I thought you'd prefer the dusty loft in his neighborhood, but I see you wanted to remain classy." - He stings.
"Chuck enough" – Blair hisses, unable to stand or move from the bed. Her ankle hurts like hell and Chuck only adds oil to the fire. – "I want you out or I'll call the police for intruding." - He starts laughing cynically.
Dan quickly puts on his New Year's costume in Blair's wardrobe and gets back in the room.
"Let's talk downstairs." – Dan says coldly. – "Anything you have to say to her, tell me first. As a matter of fact I have some things to say to you."
"God…aren't you sick from all that hero complex, Humphrey? I came here to bring my wife to reason, not to listen to you. Now, if you'll please excuse me." – He stands up from the chair and lightly pushes Dan outside the room. He locks the door, and even though Dan yells from the outside to let him in, Chuck stays deaf to his words.
"Will you please explain to me your slutty behavior?" – Chuck says, walking slowly to the window and observes the city from there. – "Serena called. She said you were whoring around with Humphrey these last few days. I thought you had more respect for yourself. What is wrong with you?"
Blair doesn't answer to any of the insults. Dan still tries to enter Blair's room from Serena's old room, but Chuck is faster so he locks that door too. Dan's incoherent words and pleads to let him in are completely ignored.
"What did you miss? Thrill? Money? Love? Sex? New York? What? Poetry maybe? Classless stories written by him?" – He doesn't even raise his voice and it is twice as more irritating for her to listen. – "I don't know how to handle you anymore. I don't know what you want, but embarrassing me and my name like this. Well, my beloved wifey, I won't let you do it. You will not get out of this room if it's necessary, but I will not permit you to destroy my reputation."
Blair just lies in bed, repeating in her head that he is not there and that she doesn't even listen to him. She is almost close to succeed believing in her mantra, when he grabs her arm violently, trying to take her out of bed. She loses her balance and falls on the floor, screaming in pain. That's when he sees that her ankle in hurt. Dan's knocking and yelling are getting even louder as Blair screams.
"You animal. Get out!" – Blair screams in pain. He just observes her, not even trying to help her or get her back in bed.
"What happened? Humphrey was rough?" – He chuckles almost inaudibly.
"It's none of your god damn business. I want divorce." – She yells and cries in the same time. Dan's knocking on the main door gets even louder, and it seems that he is kicking it with his leg. With her last atoms of strength she manages to stand on her sane leg and gets back to bed. Her breathing is shallow and fast, her eyes are teary and the pain in her leg is unbearable.
"Humphrey, I swear if you don't fucking stop it right now, I'm calling the goddamn security!" - Chuck goes by the door and yells.
"Unlock the door and get out. I want you out of here and out of my life." – She gets a pain killer and swallows it without water.
"Oh my. Your fire below just burned your cold exterior, I haven't seen this in a very long time. Remind me to thank Humphrey for this. But unfortunately, we are not gonna get divorced. At least, not until I say so. We are not gonna lie to each other, we're dead for a long time, but I'm not gonna let you ruin my reputation just like that. And just when I remember, people talked that I was going to be the one to ruin the marriage." – He laughs, and sits on the chair again.
"Do you want to know what I missed. Everything. This city, and my freedom and the people who understood me and maybe even Brooklyn."
"Don't be pathetic" – He adds, looking at her, cutting her with his eyes.
"If you cared so much, you'd have noticed my absence in the same minute I left. Go away Chuck. We only destroy each other and I really have no strength to be with you. Not anymore."
He observes her for a moment. Dan quits knocking and yelling and the room gets morbidly quiet.
"How you feel about Humphrey?" – Chuck finally asks with disgusted voice. – "Do not lie to me." - He commands.
She is quiet for half a minute.
"The worst thing I've ever done in my life was giving up on what I had with him."
"I asked for your feelings." - He interrupts her.
"I'm in love with Dan." – She says, bravely looking into his eyes. – "Not until two days ago I know that the emptiness in my guts was nothing else but nostalgia about him and regret and the most terrible depriving I have ever felt. I love Dan. Everything about him. The way he's my best friend and is always there for me even when he's not. The way he looks at me, like I'm the only girl in the world. The way he never insults me even if I deserve so. The way…just the way he is. I love him." – She breaths out all the words like she speaks to a girlfriend, not to her husband.
Chuck doesn't move from the chair, and his face gets visibly dark but he doesn't look away. There is not a single emotion that can be read on his face, although Blair can feel his anger.
"You asked and I told you." - She says quietly.
"How long do you feel this way?" - He sighs in pain.
"I'm aware of these emotions in the past three years. Unaware…since the first movie date we had. I'm sorry Chuck."
"You are an idiot Blair. But I'll be glad to see you going down, when you'll realize that this was just a phase. An unfinished business, since you dumped him like a dog. But, you want a divorce. You'll get it. And with that you will bury yourself deeper than ever. Your name will be insignificant. You won't be able to make anything here and you will be know as former Mrs. Bass. Good luck living with that and good luck with being a powerful woman."
Blair smiles tiredly on his worn off monolog.
"Good bye Chuck. I'd rather work in a Brooklyn gallery and sell hipster art, than be your shadow."
He stands from the char, lazily unlocks the door and leaves. She breathes out heavily like the hardest burden just fell off her chest, and then she remembers of Dan. She slowly gets out of the bed, walks with terrible pain in her ankle, rests her hand on the edge of the bed so she won't fall. The room never seemed so big before. Somehow she manages to get to the door. Just when she's about to fall on the floor unable to stand on her feet, Dan shows up at the door and catches her.
"I'm here." – He whispers, holding on her so tight, kissing her temple. He lifts her in his arms and gets her back to bed. They both know that Chuck won't just go without a battle. - "I...I heard what you said."
"Did you question my honesty last night, Humphrey?" - She smiles, resting her head on the pillow. He smiles gently to her, as he pets her hair. The pain killer slowly takes over her and she doze off. He kisses her lips lightly and keeps sitting by her side.
….
"I am going to kill them both" – Serena screams in tears, walking back and forth in the penthouse in the Empire. Chuck sits calmly on his arm chair, observing her frantic behavior. – "No, this time, I will not just give up"
"Everything is dead, so why don't you shut up" - Chuck's voice is low.
"What happened to you? Don't you love her? Don't you feel anger and jealousy?" - She stops for a moment.
"I lost this battle, the moment Humphrey kissed her for the first time." – He pours himself a full glass of scotch.
"I'm sick to be insulted and replaced. And I can't believe your words."
"What you gonna do, anyway? I have to give her that, that our marriage was a farce. I love her, but I don't. Not like before. I'm fed up." – He drinks and Serena can tell the drink is taking over him.
She gets her phone and dials a number.
"I have drafts…" – Chuck can hear. – "It's not a book, just some ramblings, but if Blair read them she'd hate him forever. I don't know when he wrote them, I guess he was so fucked up and hurt, he didn't know what he was thinking. I want you to publish them. No more questions" – Her voice sounds tirumphant and disapointed in the same time.
"You are the worst friend in the world, Serena." – Chuck says and takes another sip. - "This would be like trying to separate Lily and his father."
"You have to help me!" - Serena barks.
"And then what?"
"Just trust me on this!" - A smirk covers her teary face.
tbc
