Chapter 4: Naive

Thanks to my Beta!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl or any of its characters.

Oh, you're so naive yet so
How could this been done
By such a smiling sweetheart.
Oh, and your sweet and pretty face
In such an ugly world
Something so beautiful.
Oh, that every time I look inside

I know that she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false, it may be
She's still out to get me

Just don't let me down
Just don't let me down

Reality:

Blair was in a perfect bubble, surrounded by beautiful, rich, important people. Sipping drinks and laughing, a pristine smile was lighting up her face.

Nate was hers and no one would ever know otherwise, not now that Serena had been dealt with that morning.

"Look Blair. I'm really trying to make an effort here. I thought everything was good between us."
"It was. Until I found out you had sex with my boyfriend."

Serena couldn't have thought Blair would never find out. Was she actually just going to go on pretending? At least Nate had told Blair the truth.

"You know, I always knew you were a whore. I never took you for a liar too."
"Blair, how can I fix this?
"You don't, Serena. You just stay away, from me, my boyfriend, and my friends. You're done here."

Blair had felt so good saying that. Like a dream come true. Nothing was going to burst her bubble today. Until Serena decided not to stay away, showing up with her lackey from Brooklyn instead.

Blair's face twitched in irritation and shock at the sight of Serena. She kept up her pristine smile but harshly murmured, "You've gotta be kidding."

Chuck leaned back into his seat and said, "This should be fun."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blair was enduring the most boring conversation ever with the Captain about her mother's line.

The Captain said with his own brand of enthusiasm, "She's really going places."

"Hopefully places far, far away," Blair laughed. The captain furrowed his eyebrows and Blair covered her tracks with a, "Just kidding." Then, just as if she were a damsel in distress, her prince charming came to rescue her.

Nate snuck up from behind her and said lovingly, "Hey, let me get you a refill." He took the glass out of her hand, but first gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right back."

"I'll go with you," the Captain said, directing his words at Nate. "Excuse us." He gave his son a pat on the shoulder and followed after him. Finally that's over.

Blair wondered what to do next, now that she was alone... She turned around to see Chuck behind her, giving her a trademark goofy smile. Aww cute, except not and totally slimy.

Speaking to Chuck, Blair whined, "Ugh, I can't believe Serena even came to this brunch. I told her to stay away." I don't know why I'm surprised. She was supposed to stay away from Nate, but she didn't do that, either.

"You worried about Nate?" Blair's lids became heavy. "Just a shot in the dark."

She nodded like sure, right. . . "I think you know what you need to do to get his attention." He then dangled a key in from of her.

She appraised the object as she asked, "What's that?"

Chuck switched the key in between his fingers as he said, "The key to my suite, Nate's heart and your future happiness." Well, not exactly.

Blair looked greedily at the key and took it from Chuck fingertips. She took the bait.

He gloated, "I'm honored to be playing even a small role in your deflowering." His voice getting lower with each word he spoke. She'll leave that room as pure as she came in. I'm going to have to do something about that one day.

Blair responded immediately with the automatic reply, "You're disgusting."

Chuck was just as quick, "Yes I am. So why be shy?" He squeezed her arm playfully. "Go grab Nate and finish this and report back with details."He settled his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

She rolled her eyes at him as she walked away. And he looked after her, a darkness lurkingbehind his exotic eyes. She turned back to look at him one more time, hesitant about what she was about to do, before intercepting Nate, who was finishing a conversation with the Captain.

Blair directed Nate away from his father and asked,"What are you doing right now?"

"Ah, I was just gonna . . ." Blair took his face in her hands.

She propositioned him seductively, "How about me?"

"Umm," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Blair was slowly leading them towards the elevator, and they continued their conversation.

Chuck loomed in the background, watching the interaction. Nate relented and Blair giggled. They made their way into the elevator and Chuck just watched intently. Finally. Now I just have to wait for the aftermath. He had a plan in the works.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blair pushed Nate backwards in to the room, kissing him forcefully, when he broke the kiss.

"Wait, this is Chuck's suite."

Serena turned around at the sound of his voice, "Nate"

Blair whipped her head around and said, outraged, "Serena."

"Blair," Serena said very half-heartedly. He lied. He planned to see her again.

"Just to talk, I swear."

"You said you would never to speak to her again!"

Liar. It was his idea in the first place! I forgave him. It was in the past. Why did he have to do this? We were supposed to . . . again. And he ruined it. Again. And I told that whore to stay away!

"I asked her to come."

"Oh, so you do want to talk to her?"

"Yes, to explain why, why I'm not talking to her." The three shared an awkward look.

Frustrated, Blair said, "Maybe I'll leave you two to finish that fascinating conversation," and started backing out.

"Oh no no, I'll go," Serena walked toward Blair, in the most confrontational manner she could muster. "Leave you to get back to your quickie." Seriously?

Blair attacked, "It wasn't a quickie. Sex is actually kind of a big deal to some of us."

Serena's voice dripped with sarcasm in every word she spoke, "Oh yeah, I can see that. Chuck's bed. Very romantic, classy too."

Blair said, infuriated, "Oh, like you." She was ready to explode. I'm classier than she could ever be on her best day. Too bad no one cares.

A wicked smirk adorning her face now, "I bet your new friend Dan would love to hear about how classy you are." Blair opened the door and ran.

"Dan . . ."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blair had frantically pushed the elevator button. It closed right before Nate and Serena had caught up with her. She tapped her nails relentlessly on the ride down, nerves raking through her body. Adrenalin was pumping fast, pushing her to find her target. Blair introduced herself, putting up her sweetest front.

"Hi. I'm Blair Waldorf, Serena's friend." She offered up her hand.

"Oh hey. Yeah. Do you happen to know where she is?"

"As a matter of fact I do." See how he likes his goddess once he knows.

Serena intercepted, "Blair!" She's can't stop me now.

The conversation went in circles. However, Blair did get a chance to learn more heartbreaking news.

"Why weren't you talking? Does this have anything to do with why you were waiting for Serena this morning?"

"You were what?"

He had been waiting for her. He went to her this morning. He didn't even go a day with out seeking her out. Blair had convinced herself that Serena had tricked Nate to meet her once she showed up at brunch in the elevator. Knowing he went to see her was harder to erase. But not impossible, of course. Then Chuck showed up.

Dan vented his annoyance, "Oh, exactly what this situation needs: Chuck. Now what is going on here?"

"We were just getting to that."

Serena pleaded, "Blair, please, don't do this." Why shouldn't I?

Blair deadpanned,"Sorry, did you want to tell him?"

"I'll tell him," Chuck suggested.

Blair and Nateboth gasped: "You know?" How the hell did he know!

He said menacingly, "I know everything."

Nate didn't tell him because he was surprised, too. He's not smart enough to have faked that reaction. But how did he know? Why didn't he ever tell me he did?

Chuck did tell Dan, doing Blair's work for her, "Look, Serena, stop trying to pretend you're a good girl. So you slept with your best friend's boyfriend. I kind of admire you for it."

"Is that true?" Dan asked.

Blair added on, "Oh, then she ran away and lied about it. I just thought you should know. Before you fall head over heels for your perfect girl in her perfect world and then get left all alone with nothing but your Cabbage Patch kid." See how much Daniel worships her now.

Serena's chances with Brooklyn boy were ruined. Chuck and he getting into a little tussle was just an added bonus.

Nate said, "I hope you're happy." How can he say that to me? After all he's done.

"Not even close." Blair was angry, sad, any emotion but happy described her as she stalked off.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blair's long black eyelashes fluttered three times. She touched the side of her eye lightly, wiping away a tear. She looked in the mirror, straightened her dress, and walked out of the bathroom.

She was in Chuck's suite. She still had the key and she wasn't about to use a public restroom. Even at a five star hotel.

Chuck entered. His face displayed slight surprise at her appearance in his room, before returning to a less readable expression.

"You look happy,"he deadpanned.

"I don't know, maybe seeing my boyfriend with my ex-best friend when he promised he would never talk to her again just didn't make me particularly thrilled," She vented, then continued with a pointed look in Chuck's direction, "Or finding out you knew all along." He was there the whole time. We spent so much time together, and he never mentioned a thing.

He remarked, a little taken aback, "You can't actually be mad at me." I was helping her. It wasn't my secret to tell.

"I'm not mad. I admire you, really!" Blair took an old drink and threw it in Chuck's face. What else can I throw?

His eyes blinked, trying to see through the liquid, and he drawled, "You are mad."

Blair questioned, "How? For how long did you know?"

"Enough with the twenty questions," he snapped at her. "I saw them that night, at the Shepherd—"

Blair cut him off, "You knew this whole time. You rat! When Serena left and Nate was acting all weird you knew and you just watched me squirm for you own enjoyment." I needed the truth and he didn't say anything. She threw a random book at him, but this time Chuck ducked.

"No need for physical violence." He grabbed her hand and pried the spoon she had planned on throwing from her grasp. "Besides, I clued you in this time."

"What?" She gazed at him as she put the pieces together. "You knew Nate was meeting Serena, too? You set a trap for me to see them." I should have known.

"I was trying to be nice." He cringed slightly at the word nice escaping his lips.

She said bitterly, "Well, it was very humanitarian of you."

"It's more fun this way," He reasoned. "I thought you deserved to know this time." He wasn't going to tell her. Serena deserved it, anyway. No one turns me down.

Her anger at him for withholding information was subsiding. Throwing things always helped.

At least someone else let me know. No one seems to think I deserve the truth anymore, except Chuck. Blair's insides warmed at Chuck's own twisted brand of honesty, but she didn't let him know that.

Blair looked at the book on the floor and Chuck wet suit and smirked, "If Nate comes looking for me, tell him I went home."

Chuck spat, "I'll give him the tip."

She waved and left Chuck wet in the middle of his suite.

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Movie:

"I can't fix this if you don't even want to fix this!"

Blair grabbed at the end of her hair, pushing her fingers roughly through her forehead. She was at her wit's end. "I forgave you for everything. All you had to do was stay away from her and you couldn't even do that right." Tears poured down her face and Nate sat and listened, brooding in the dark corner. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Forgive me. Please, I will try harder." Nate begged, he moved in to the light and she could see his beautiful blue eyes were glazed over with tears. "I was an idiot. I'm so sorry, Blair"

Blair shook her head, choking back more tears, "You are a huge idiot."

"I know that. But I know Serena was a mistake. I know that your the one for me, you're perfect and beautiful. Serena could never compare and I know that now. I should have known that sooner."

Blair was relenting inside but still trying to keep strong. "You just keep ruining things."

"Nothing can ruin us if you don't let it. Just forgive me, and I promise things will be better." He held her close and she nodded her head into his chest.

Nothing can ruin us if you don't let it.

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Reality:

Nate lay beside Blair on her bed, the dark lighting matching the mood.

"Look Blair, you either forgive me or we break it off."

Cursing herself internally for all the words left unspoken, she took his hand in hers and continued to cry silently into her pillow.

Thanks for the reviews, hoped you liked the update. Next week poison ivy!