*Warning: When I said in the beginning of this story that I was hating on Nate, I was not exaggerating. Even if you are a huge fan of his character, you will most likely hate him in this story. He might seem kinda OOC, but at the end of this chapter I'm going to explain my reasoning behind his actions.

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Chuck was walking through his newest hotel, The Empire, which he had bought during his last trip to the city, when he spotted Blair sipping a martini at the hotel's bar.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of having New York's most beautiful woman in my hotel?" Chuck said with a smirk as he approached.

Blair looked shocked for a moment before her eyes narrowed in apparent disgust, "Oh yes, I forgot you bought this place. It's a shame really; this used to be quite the grand hotel."

Chuck leaned against the bar next to her, "And we both know I'll make it even greater, don't we Waldorf?"

Blair glared at him, "How many times will I have to tell you, Bass? It's Archibald now."

"You know I'll never call you that." Chuck said with an icy glare.

Blair simply rolled her eyes as she set her drink down, "What do you want, Chuck?"

"Would it be too farfetched for me to say I just want to know how you are doing?"

"Yes, it would." She replied shortly. "We haven't interacted on a single one of your visits since you left, why would you inquire into my well-being now?"

"Blair," he sighed, "You know that I had feelings for you that I have never had for anyone else." Chuck shook his head before looking into her eyes intensely, "I still do. I only left, and then avoided you, because I couldn't bear to look at you with Nate; especially after what we had."

"What we had?" She scoffed, trying her best to ignore the fact that he just confessed to having actual feelings for her, "Please, Bass. What we had was good sex. And, in case the drugs have destroyed so many brain cells that you still haven't noticed, I'm still with Nate."

"But you're not happy." Chuck stated simply as he absently traced circles on the bar.

"Excuse me?"

Chuck looked up and confidently met her gaze with his own sober expression, "You're not happy with him. And don't try to feed me the lies you tell everyone else. I know you, Blair. I can see right through your façade." He paused for a second and looked away as a bitter smirk formed on his face, "Though I have no idea how you could possibly endure staying with Nathaniel after experiencing everything with me," He looked back at her shocked face with a dark look in his eyes, "I know you were better off with me. You were lighter, happier. And until you admit it," Chuck pushed away from the bar and leaned in close to her, "I'm not leaving." He whispered into her ear as he walked past her.

Once he was gone, Blair shivered from his closeness and the feel of his breath on her neck. Everything he said had been true, but she could barely admit that to herself, let alone to him or anyone else. Blair sighed and finished off her martini before ordering another round.

*****

As the elevator doors opened up to the apartment Blair shared with her husband, she moved quickly to the sitting room. She was late, her conversation with Chuck had rattled her and caused her to lose track of time at the bar. The New York Times was doing a profile on the youngest city councilman and his beautiful wife, and Blair and Nate were being interviewed that evening. Before she had run into Chuck, she had only stopped at the bar to have one drink to calm her nerves so she could make a good impression.

As soon as she entered the room, Nate walked over to her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her out of earshot of the reporter. "Finally, there you are!" He hissed once they were back in the hallway, "You're late. Where could you possibly have you been?"
"I'm sorry. I just lost track of time." Blair said quietly as she rubbed the spot on her arm where he had grabbed her so roughly.

"Of course you did. You can be so careless sometimes, Blair! You know how important this interview is! Now it looks like I have some irresponsible, flighty wife who can't even show up to our own interview on time."

"Nate-" She put a hand on his arm to try and calm him.

"Don't touch me!" Nate slapped her hand away, causing her to gasp in shock, "I just need a minute to calm down. Just because you are completely incompetent and wear down my patience doesn't mean I need to completely blow this interview by snapping at the reporter."

Blair looked down meekly, "I'm sorry, Nate." She whispered.

"Yeah, well a lot of good that does us," Nate scoffed as he ran a hand through his hair, "Go and at least try to make yourself presentable while I try to fix this mess you've created. I'll deal with you later."

Blair nodded with wide eyes before she turned and hurried up the stairs. She should have known better than to risk being late today. She never should have stopped at the bar, and she knew she would really be regretting it after the reporter left.

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A/N: I know some of you might think Blair is completely OOC and she would never let herself get in a situation like this or be so weak and submissive, but let me explain. Given her history, especially with her bulimia and everything, we know that she is more concerned with public perception and appearing perfect, even if things really are falling apart. Also, you have to remember that this story takes place in a completely different world than the show. Think of how Blair was the first 10 episodes, and imagine what she would be like without Chuck. She would have been stuck in Serena's constant shadow as she tried to be better/perfect for Nate and her mother, both of whom could never be satisfied with her/would always be able to find faults. Without Chuck, she would have no one to accept her as she is or actually prefer her as she is. So, given that change, and her need for the apparent 'perfect' life, I think Blair easily could have become more submissive to a critical/cruel husband.

Also, I know Nate seems kind of OOC too, but let me explain. Given the relationship of his parents and the pressure from his family, I think it is plausible that Nate could have turned into this angry/harsh character. Seeing how controlling and angry his father was and how docile and obedient his mother was to him, might have served to mold his view. Also, given the fact that he is now in the world of politics and facing intense pressure from his family (the Vanderbilts) to appear perfect and have the perfect family and wife, without Chuck (who was always the one telling him to do what he wanted and not what his family wanted), it could easily follow that the pressure would push him to the edge and he would lash out at the one person he could kind of control, his wife.

So anyways, sorry about the longest author note ever. I just wanted to give some insight into where I'm coming from with these characters. I think the removal of Chuck from their lives totally could have changed the course of how the characters grew, and I wanted to explain before I got a bunch of hate reviews. That being said, I would love if you reviewed, even if you're still confused/unsatisfied. I'll try my best to explain better! Thanks!