There was a bee in his ear. He swatted at it. It buzzed again. He slapped his ear this time and lifted his head in frustration.
Looking down at the bed, he cursed. His cell phone was vibrating from a damn text message. It stopped and he flopped back down, not even bothering with the thing.
He didn't want to think about last night but the pain pulsating through his body just by the act of lifting his head brought the images back in startling clarity.
After Nate left he had stumbled into his luxury bathroom. He managed to get through a bath and clean up his face well enough. He knew that the area around the top of his nose and his right eye were going to be darker than death tomorrow. His lip was bruised too. He laughed mockingly to himself. He might as well call Jessica now and tell her he couldn't take her to the ball. If he showed up looking like this she'd kill him.
…which he might actually welcome after last night. And his damn phone won't stop vibrating! He didn't even move this time, just waited for the stupid thing to shut up. He knew that it would keep going until he responded; he told his hand to move but it wasn't cooperating.
Last night, when he finally stumbled out of the bathroom in the first pair of pinstriped pajamas he could find, he found his phone and tumbled onto his bed. He started looking through the thing for Jessica's number. He paused when he came to Blair's. He knew he should probably call her so she knew what happened with Nate. He sighed and pulled the covers over himself. He was going over what he was going to tell her when the weariness took over and he fell asleep.
Buzz. Sighing, Chuck turned his head to look at the digits on his alarm clock. 8am? Who woke up at 8am on a Saturday?
He reached and finally managed to pick the thing up. He flipped through and saw that he had ten missed calls and two text messages. He moved his thumb to browse through the missed calls first. They were all from Blair. He really didn't feel like talking to her right now. He read the text messages.
wake up Bass
Then the next one:
i need 2 talk. come here now
Sighing, he hit the Reply button and sent her a message of his own.
later
He turned the phone off and tossed it to the floor. He wasn't going anywhere just yet. He especially wasn't going to crawl out of bed before he was ready just to hear her say she was with Nate again. He punched his pillow and dropped his head face first into the pillow. Within minutes he was asleep.
In reality, Blair was awake because she had received a disturbing call from Prince Theodore. Some emergency back in his country and he was on a plane to deal with it.
Her debut was not going to be perfect after all! She needed a date, complete with tux, and she needed him now!
Her mother wasn't home, of course, and she needed help to think of available guys. All the ones she knew were already going with someone. Knowing that Chuck had a lot of friends who would suit up for this event, she had been trying all morning to get a hold of him.
She thought she might have heard from him last night to find out what happened with Nate but he hadn't called. She had gone to bed instead, just like she told him she would.
Buzz. Beep.
She looked at her cell. Finally! She thought. She looked at the new message.
later
Great! She thought, Just great! She's having a crisis and he can't be bothered.
She took a deep calming breath. As she let it out she told herself that everything would work out. Whenever things like this happen Chuck finds a way to fix it. He may not do it the best way possible, but at least he tries. He would think of someone immediately and that person wouldn't dare turn down the chance to escort Blair Cornelia Waldorf to her debut.
If only he would come over now so she could stop worrying about it.
She went upstairs to get dressed. She had too many things to do to prepare for Cece's tea today and not enough time. After what happened with Nate, she really wished she hadn't dropped Jenny like a hot potato—an errand girl was still an errand girl.
Hopefully Chuck showed up for his "later" before eleven. Otherwise she would have to get CeCe to find someone for her. She didn't like CeCe. She was nice enough. But Blair couldn't afford the chance that CeCe had some hidden agenda. She knew how society worked: anything to get your family ahead…and make your granddaughter shine.
"Blair, pray tell did I hear correctly? Prince Theodore rushed off with a, dare I say, palace emergency?" CeCe inquired.
Cursing inwardly that the news had come out so quickly, and the fact that she managed to be caught alone with CeCe with the news, she maintained her smile and began to speak.
"Yes, you heard right," she managed. She was trying to pretend that she wasn't freaking out inside.
Damn it Bass, she thought, where are you?
"But you have found another escort, have you not?" CeCe asked with her fake smile.
"Well, not at the moment, but I'm sure someone will just pop out of the woodwork at any moment." She hated admitting that she had no date to this woman, but what else could she say?
Ding. The elevator's arrival sounded through the first floor. The tea party had been going on for two hours now; in fact, they figured everyone would start leaving soon. They both turned to walk through the room to the main foyer to see who had arrived. Blair walked slowly behind CeCe just praying that it wasn't Chuck arriving now. People would wonder why he was there. She didn't like it when people wondered.
"Why, Nathaniel Archibald, what a pleasure," CeCe exclaimed. She walked gracefully over to him and proffered her hand. He clasped it in greeting.
"Celia, lovely to see you again," Nate always had a way with parents and grandparents.
Blair was astonished to see Nate there. She also had a shadow of worry when she noticed the underside of his jaw.
"Nathaniel, look at you, off causing trouble? Who would have thought," CeCe said coyly.
"Oh no, just the wrong end of a football I'm afraid. Always remember to play with a helmet," he said charmingly. CeCe laughed.
Blair still hadn't said a word. She didn't believe a word he'd just said. She knew where he was last night. But surely Chuck would have called her if there was a fight, wouldn't he?
"Do, come join the party," CeCe took his arm and they began to join everyone.
"Actually, I came to talk to Blair, CeCe," Nate explained, stopping gently and trying to disengage himself from her grip.
"Oh, well, what wonderful timing you have!" CeCe exclaimed with mock excitement.
"Why is that?" Nate asked. Blair sucked in a breath. She knew what CeCe was going to say.
"Prince Theodore had to make an early exit from America this morning. Our poor Blair is left without an escort for the ball," CeCe almost pouted over the situation. Then she smiled. She knew he wasn't escorting anyone yet. "Why don't you escort Miss Waldorf?" Blair cringed inside; she had to try really hard not to make a scene. She looked at Nate.
He was looking at her and grinned when he caught her eye, "It would be my honor."
"Well then, my dear," CeCe said, looking to Blair, "that's settled. No need to worry." CeCe was ecstatic. Nate's small bruise would be enough fodder to make people talk. Maybe, for once, Serena would get the good attention.
Blair opened her mouth to refuse, but she couldn't figure out what to say. There was no way she was going to the ball with Nate. Not only had he hurt her, but she had a serious feeling things had gone really badly with Chuck.
Out of the corner of her eye CeCe noticed someone exiting the bathroom. She excused herself. As she glided over to speak to Dan, Blair turned to Nate and glared.
"I am not going to the ball with you," she gave a fake smile as she said it so no one watching could tell they were about to argue.
"Listen Blair, just please give me a second to change your mind," Nate began.
"You aren't. You can't. I am not going to the ball with you. You shouldn't have accepted," Blair was furious.
"I'm sorry Blair," Nate said.
"You're sorry? I'm the one who's going to have to clean up this mess once CeCe starts spreading the word that I'm supposedly going to the ball with you," she snapped.
"Well, why not me? Who else are you going to ask on such short notice?" he leaned closer to whisper, "Not Chuck. We both know you wouldn't go with him." He still didn't want word to come out that Blair was—or had been—seeing Chuck.
She glared at him, knowing he spoke the truth. She didn't want anyone else to know either.
Their heads swiveled to look in the direction CeCe had gone when they heard a loud exclamation from Serena. She was hugging Dan and looking extremely happy. The look on CeCe's face was less so. Blair walked over to find out what had happened. She really needed to get away from Nate. Of course he followed her.
"Serena?" she asked.
"Blair! Guess what!" Serena was grinning from ear to ear.
"What? What?" Blair was catching her enthusiasm slowly. She wasn't really in the mood to jump up and down for whatever good news Serena had just received.
"Dan's going to the ball with me!" Serena hugged Dan tighter to her and kissed his cheek.
A smile started spreading across Blair's face and just like that the world was right again.
Carter had wondered over too when he heard Serena cry out. Blair looked from Serena to Carter and back to Serena.
"So…S?" Blair started. CeCe, already not happy with the turn in event, saw the look on Blair's face and, this time, she knew what Blair was about to say.
Serena looked up. "Mind if I take your castoffs?" Blair said, looking pointedly at Carter.
Serena laughed, "Sure B." Carter finally caught on to their exchange and he laughed.
"Being passed from one beautiful woman to another even more beautiful woman. A man would be proud to be on either of your arms," Carter walked over and took Blair's hand. He bowed over it before looking back up at her. "Would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the ball?"
Blair smiled charmingly, "Of course." She let go of his hand. Turning back to the circle, she didn't look at Nate at all. She just wanted him gone. She laughed and turned to talk to Serena about who was doing her gown.
Slowly, but surely, all the guests left. The tables had been cleared and the staff was in the kitchen figuring out…well whatever staff needed to figure out to wrap up these sorts of parties.
Blair collapsed on the settee in her foyer. She was tired and worried, but also happy. She had a date to the ball! He already had a tux! Everything was going great and she'd become a lady tomorrow on the arm of a respectable gentleman.
She was worried still though. She had checked her cell numerous times and hadn't heard anything from Chuck. She hadn't been able to get away during the tea because she was playing hostess. She kept hoping he'd walk out of that elevator any minute now, but he hadn't yet.
Sighing, she picked up her phone. She was about to press Send when the elevator dinged. She looked up and frowned.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I couldn't leave it like that Blair. We need to talk, really talk," Nate said, walking forward with his arms out like the proverbial white flag.
"After everything you've put me through, I don't think we need to talk at all," Blair stood up. She was getting angrier by the moment.
"Please Blair, I know it's a little too late, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything," Nate said.
"You're sorry. You're sorry? So what? It's nothing new. And I just kept forgiving you. But that was when we were together. That was when I thought you loved me," Blair laid into him.
"Blair…," Nate started in disbelief that she wouldn't forgive him. "The picture was a lie. It was just a friend. I swear."
"Don't you get it Nate? This isn't about some picture. You slept with Serena! If I could forgive you for that don't you think I could forgive a picture?" She asked. Her composure was slipping and she disliked that.
Nate opened and closed his mouth but no words came out. He didn't know what to say. He didn't understand what this was about obviously.
"I asked you if you love me and you didn't answer," she cried. "Every single thing that you put me through, I put up with it. I did it because I loved you. And I stupidly thought you loved me back." Tears were streaming down her face.
Nate couldn't take the guilt anymore. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. She was so distressed that she let herself be pulled in for some small comfort. They had been friends and significant others for so long, it just felt natural to hold each other.
Blair cried into his chest for a moment. When her tears slowed and she was sniffling, he whispered, "Blair?"
She looked up. Her eyes were so big and sorrowful. She was so beautiful, even when she cried. He wanted to take away the pain. He brought his lips up against hers.
She stiffened and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him, not wanting to let her go.
Ding. The elevator sounded once again.
Nate finally let go of her and they both looked at the newest arrival.
Blair gasped as she saw Chuck. She froze, not knowing what to do.
Nate looked at Chuck with a smirk. He winked at him.
Chuck's face was unsmiling. He looked from Blair to Nate, then back to Blair. With a deep breath, he reached out his hand and pressed a button on the elevator panel and the doors slid shut.
Blair screamed, "Chuck!" She tried to run to stop the elevator but it was too late. It was far too late.
She threw her arms up against the metal and turned around.
"I think it's time for you to leave," she said without any emotion.
"Blair, c'mon," Nate tried to reason with her.
"Did you do that to him?" Blair wanted to cry again just thinking about the bruises on his face.
"You don't understand, Blair, I do. I love you. I love you. Believe me, please," Nate was getting desperate because this wasn't going at all like he hoped.
"I said, GET OUT!" She was pissed. "And don't come near me again! We are done for good! You disgust me!"
He sighed in defeat and walked over to press the button on the cursed elevator. He was going to have to wait for it to come back up.
She looked at him with anger and revulsion before running over to the window that faced the front of the building.
She saw Chuck walking furiously to his limo. He got inside the back and it drove away. She put her hand to her mouth and worked hard at stopping the tears from coming.
She didn't know how to fix this, but she just knew she had to. She needed Chuck, more than she ever thought possible.