REMINDER: This story takes place after Desperately Seeking Serena (SAT eppy!). Hence, no video has been delivered to Serena. The sex tape does not exist thus far in the world I'm writing in. Doesn't mean I couldn't add one, but for now, it's not there.

Chapter Six

Blair was having quite an attack of conscious.

On the one hand, Georgina had the power to let loose with humiliating pictures of her and make her current tenuous grasp on her reputation that much worse. So she didn't really want Serena to make this threat against Georgina in case G decided to release the pictures as a way to get back at Serena by hurting Blair further.

She also didn't want Serena to go through with her threat because she didn't want Serena to get in trouble. She couldn't lose her best friend again. She loved her too much. What if coming forward made it impossible for Serena to stay? But… the entire story seemed so weird. Maybe if it had happened last week instead of last year it would seem scarier? Right now though, it seemed like it wasn't Serena's fault at all.

On the other hand, Serena was going through something very traumatic. Blair didn't even want to think about what she would have done around a seizure victim. It was bad enough dealing with Serena whenever she was hopelessly intoxicated, but a dead or dying person? Of course, Blair would never have been in that situation. She would have been able to call for an ambulance. She wouldn't have been near cocaine. She wouldn't have been making out with some random guy, and she definitely wouldn't have been hanging out with Georgina Sparks.

Blair took a deep breath and decided that she couldn't make this about herself. This was about Serena. Serena needed peace. If it took Blair's reputation getting destroyed even more to do it… Blair would have to deal with it. She'd already been tossed into the pits of hell, why not stay an extra day or two—some things were just more important. It was Blair's own fault that Georgina got her anyway. She should have seen it coming.

She hadn't.

"If that's what you want to do, do it," Blair finally said.

Serena looked at Blair, confused. "That's all? You aren't going to say anything else?"

Blair shook her head. "What happened wasn't your fault, Serena. I know you're scared and ashamed, but it wasn't your fault. And you know that I'm not going to judge you." She gave Serena a hesitant smile.

Serena breathed a sigh of relief.

"And here I thought it was something good," Chuck said, giving his usual smirk but it was used more as a means to relax Serena than to tick her off. "Georgina's got nothing. I don't know why she's acting all psycho. It seems to me that you have more against her than she does you. In the past week she's drugged both of you. I'd say it's her turn to be scared. Threaten her. Tell her that you'll come forward with information about that guy last year, and what she did this year. She'll be gone before you know it."

Blair tried not to wince. Last night she had inadvertently given Georgina something to work with. If she threatened Serena with those pictures… Blair didn't even know what was in them… but she had been completely dressed this morning. There was no way they were as horrible as G seemed to be making them out to be.

"He's right," she finally said, giving Chuck a disgusted look.

He just smirked at her.

"Go confront her. You can do this. And don't back down… no matter what she says," Blair added the last part hoping Serena remembered her words if Georgina went that route. Who was she kidding? Georgina was definitely going to use the pictures. Blair just had to make sure Serena didn't back down.

Serena nodded. Then she cringed. "What about Dan? She's been pretending to be someone else. She's become friends with Dan and… even if you're right and this isn't as serious as I think it is, she can still tell him… and he's going to be so mad if he knows I knew Georgina was lying to him about who she is and I didn't tell him!" Serena spoke so quickly, Chuck and Blair could barely keep up.

"Tell him yourself," Blair said. "Don't give Georgina the chance to tell him and distort the facts. Be truthful with him. It's Dan Humphrey. Yes, he's judgmental, but he adores you. He loves you, Serena. He won't just walk away from you. If he really loves you, he can forgive you for just about anything."

Serena had been listening to Blair but she was looking straight ahead again which is the only reason that she saw the look on Chuck's face as he listened to Blair. He seemed to be hanging on to her every word, as if he wasn't just hearing but he was learning something too.

His eyes flickered over to meet Serena's and just like that the pensive expression on his face left and went back to his normal smirk.

"Okay…" Serena murmured, still looking at Chuck. She shook her head as if to clear it and turned to Blair. "I'll go talk to her now."

Blair helped Serena to her feet. They made their way out of the bathroom with Chuck following close behind.

"I left my bag in your room," Serena murmured to Chuck as she tried to situate herself, remembering that she'd forgotten everything in her mad dash to find Blair.

"It'll be there when you're done," Blair said, ignoring the fact that Serena was speaking to Chuck. She just didn't want to hear his voice or acknowledge that he was in the room.

She turned Serena away from Chuck and walked/pushed/escorted her toward the door.

"Everything will be fine, just get the bag afterwards," Blair said briskly. "And call me as soon as you know anything."

"What? Where are you going?" Serena asked when she realized she would need Blair close after her confrontation with Georgina.

"Home," Blair said simply.

"Don't go," Serena said softly.

Blair rolled her eyes and looked heavenward.

"Fine. I'll be with nimrod over here," Blair looked in disgust at Chuck, finally acknowledging his presence.

"Yeah, we'll be waiting in my suite. Not a problem," he shrugged before a slow smirk made its way across his face, "the… rod… is always at the ready," he drawled.

"Don't talk to me," Blair snapped. Leave it to Chuck Bass to make a penis metaphor in the middle of something serious. She looked back at Serena.

"You'll be fine," she encouraged. "Just don't back down. No. matter. what."

In retrospect, Blair's final words were ringing quite ominous. Of course Serena didn't realize that until midway through her confrontation with Georgina.

"So, let me get this straight," Georgina said, tilting her head to the side and pursing her lips in confusion. "You want me to back off and leave you and all your little friends alone, or you're going to tell on me?"

Georgina started laughing hysterically.

"Serena, please. We both know you haven't the courage. Besides," her face became serious again, "you were the one who gave him that line. I was in the other room, remember?"

Serena could feel herself losing ground. She struggled to regain her footing.

"But you were there," Serena said firmly. "You probably even brought the coke! And, let's not forget about what you've done to me and Blair! Do you really think you'll get away with that?"

Georgina had a sick twisted smirk on her face.

"But Serena, I already have…"

"No, you haven't!" Serena snapped. "You can't just go around drugging people whenever you feel like it and expect to get away with it! And threatening my friends and family? You're like a stalker or something. There are laws against what you're doing!"

Georgina's face became thoughtful and she started strolling gingerly around her room. She paused at an end table and retrieved her cell phone.

She walked back over to Serena while she opened the phone and flipped to her destination without even looking at the device, just keeping eye contact with Serena the entire time.

Serena didn't like that glint in Georgina's eye.

"Well, besides the fact that there is no definitive way to actually prove that either of you were actually drugged… And the stalker thing… well, it'll be very hard to prove that based on a lovely little riddle text message. Unless you actually recorded our conversations?" Georgina laughed.

"Though I think not… but I have a feeling that at least one of the pictures I'm about to show you will change your tune…."

Blair hadn't said a word to Chuck since they entered his suite. She hadn't even looked at him again. She couldn't and wouldn't. If he hadn't opened his big fat mouth, well twiddled his fingers, she wouldn't be in the position she had found herself in for the past few months.

Chuck had remained blissfully silent as well. It was obvious she didn't want to be in the room, or anywhere near him for that matter, but she would do anything for Serena.

He'd had a lot of time to reflect on things in the past couple of months and he honestly was ready to bury the hatchet. It wasn't like him to hold a grudge anyway. If he was wronged, he got even. Then he moved on, not wasting a minute of time living in the past. As far as he was concerned, he'd managed to hurt her just as much—just not in the same way—as she had hurt him. So why not let bygones be bygones and move past this?

Easier said than done.

Especially when she wasn't going to move past it. Probably because nobody else was letting her forget about it. Well, what did he expect? This was the reason public humiliation was usually so satisfying—its long term effect.

He knew she was a bit of a drama queen, but couldn't she at least talk to him? He'd spent all night with her in his arms and he strangely wanted to do it again. Fat chance of that happening.

"You can at least sit down," he muttered while leaning on the counter. He wasn't drinking this early, but he hadn't been able to figure out what to do with him self—which he also found mildly disconcerting—so he spent the time wiping down the bar from Serena's dropped shot the night before.

She didn't even bother acknowledging that he'd spoken. And she wasn't going to sit down. She was going to stand right where she was. She was near the door. She was not entering the room any further. It was bringing back too many memories of things she definitely didn't want to think about.

And sitting on that particular couch, or that particular bar stool, was asking too much.

So, she just stood with her arms crossed facing the wall waiting for Serena to come back so she could get the hell out of this place.

Chuck shrugged. If she didn't want to sit, let her stand. What did he care?

He finished with the counter and leaned against it, as silent as Blair. He finally decided to try to broach more of a conversation when there was a knock at the door.

Blair hurried over and opened it quickly.

Serena came in but she didn't look at either of them. She just went straight to the couch to pick up her purse.

"Well?" Chuck said.

"I, uh, just need my bag," Serena muttered. She clasped it in her hand and started toward the door again, walking past Blair just as quickly as she had when she arrived. She paused at the door with her hand on the door frame, looking out into the hall. "Well? Are you coming, Blair?"

"Wait just a minute," Chuck said, standing straight. "What'd she say? And what's with you?"

"Blair?" Serena said, completely ignoring Chuck's words.

"Serena? Is everything okay?" Blair asked worriedly. "You threatened her right? She's going to back off?" She was ever hopeful about it, but something told her all was not right.

"Blair, just follow me," Serena said listlessly.

"So, she's not backing down?" Chuck guessed. "You're not really going to turn yourself in, are you? I mean, yeah, it was a threat, but you don't really have to do it. We'll figure something else out."

Serena stopped trying to put up a front at his words, especially since it was obvious Blair wasn't following her as quickly as she wanted her to. So, she let go of the door and let it shut before resting her forehead against the wood.

"No, I'm not turning myself in," Serena whispered.

While Blair was relieved, she was also worried. What was Serena not saying?

"Then what's with the speedy entrance-exit?" Chuck said. "You should be celebrating. I didn't think she'd give in so easily, or so quickly, but I stopped trying to figure out that bitch a long time ago."

Serena just shook her head, still resting it on the wall.

"Serena…" Blair started, the dread starting to build. "I said 'no matter what.' You didn't listen to me, did you."

It was a statement, not a question. She knew what happened. She was a fool for thinking that Serena would do as Blair said. It was part of this whole living in denial "thing" that Serena kept harping on her about. She was a fool for not warning Serena about Georgina's latest tactic… but she didn't want to say anything in front of Chuck. Even after Georgina showed Serena the pictures, Serena should have remembered Blair's words and understood that Blair was willing to suffer horrendously, once more, so that Serena could find some peace.

"Well, just go back and tell her it doesn't matter!" Blair commanded.

Chuck looked from Blair to Serena, feeling as though he was missing something huge.

"It's never going to be over," Serena whispered. "I'm damned if I don't…" she trailed off before finally turning and meeting Blair's gaze. "… And you're damned if I do."

Blair winced. "I told you to—"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Serena asked, eyes luminous.

"It doesn't matter," Blair said, shaking her head. "This isn't about me, this is about you."

"Tell you what?" Chuck asked Serena, though it didn't really matter because both of them seemed to have tuned him out of their little conversation.

"You don't understand…" Serena said, a tear trailing down her cheek.

Blair shook her head. "I told you, it doesn't matter. It was my fault this happened. I can deal with it, okay? Okay?" Blair insisted. This was too hard. She wasn't one to be selfless, but… Serena was her best friend. She'd do anything for her. Besides, even if Georgina released the pictures, Serena would be there for her… if she's not in jail, of course. But Blair didn't see it going that far.

"No, it's not okay," Serena said, fumbling for her phone. "It's not okay, it's NOT OKAY!" She found what she was looking for. "Does this look okay to you?"

Serena shoved the phone into Blair's face.

Blair blanched.

"What the—" Chuck said as he started across the room to see whatever the hell Serena was showing Blair.

Before he got close enough, Serena snapped the phone shut.

Chuck glowered at Serena from his place next to Blair. "Sis, you're really starting to piss me off." When Serena still ignored him, he tried to take the phone away from her but she snatched it back.

"Somebody start talking," Chuck said. "Think I'm in this for my health? The crazy bitch is going down. Whatever the problem is, we'll take care of—"

He broke off when he heard a sob.

He turned his head to look at Blair. And all he could do was keep watching in shock.

She was trying not to cry. She was really trying hard. But the act of holding it in was making short sobs burst out, racking her body. Once, twice, three times. She was no longer paying attention to anything or anyone around her. All she could see was that picture, this one worse than anything she could possibly have imagined.

She started shaking her head, trying to gulp back the tears.

Serena saw her start to fall apart and went straight for her, putting her arms around her best friend. Blair half reached out too, but then she started pulling away, still shaking her head.

"I…" Blair whimpered, "I… " She couldn't finish the sentence. In truth, she didn't even know what she was trying to say.

She yanked away from Serena and pushed past her to the door. She was out of the room before Chuck and Serena could even blink.

Chuck stood frozen, staring at the door, unable to believe that Blair Waldorf had just been reduced to tears. And he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Serena," Chuck said, talking to her even though he was still staring at the door. "I want answers. Now."

Serena wasn't even listening to him. She was already on her way after Blair. She grabbed the door handle and opened it. She turned back to him as an afterthought.

"We need something on Georgina. Something big. Find it. Now," she said, her eyes gloomy as she nodded darkly, making sure he understood what he was supposed to do.

With that, she was gone. Chuck had half a mind to go after them, but her words gave him pause.

The only reason that they would need something on Georgina would be if she had something on one of them.

And judging by Blair's reaction, Georgina had something on her. Something big. Something horrible.

And as much as he wanted to go after them and ring their necks until they told him what that "something" was, he didn't think now was a good time.

In the meanwhile, he was going to do exactly what Serena told him to do. He was going to get the bitch. His mind was already racing with ideas. Looked like he was going to be doing some reconnaissance work too.

It was going to be a long day.

To be continued…