Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Author's Note: This is going to be a twist of Little Red Riding Hood…though I suppose Red: Werewolf Hunter has a bit more influence. It will be different because in this world there are three basic fractions, Werewolves, Sorcerers and humans and everyone knows about Werewolves and Sorcerers. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this.
Sp: Yes you're right; Georgina does have the upper hand. She's a great character and I couldn't see her in any other position.
To be honest I can't remember all the little things about the witches and such in Vampire Diaries, but I thought I'd give a brief run down for the three supernatural entities in my story:
Sorcerers: They have power in them but there is only so much. When they use it they became depleted but with some rest it builds back up. They can draw from nature and other stuff that has power in it (not just witch power). They can attack other sorcerers and there is no ill effect for them.
Wolves: They shift on the full moon and the day before and after. They have more of the wolf tendencies the days surrounding their transformations. When they are wolves they are big, like the size in Vampire Diaries, though their eyes are the same as human. When they are human they do have enhanced senses, smell, hearing, etc however it's not like they can hear ridiculously far. When they are wolves their senses are much more enhanced. Silver is what does them in.
Huntresses: They are more human except that they do have enhanced senses. They are also more flexible and fighting comes naturally to them. They cannot become werewolves and if one does bite them they are poisoned and during the time the poison is in them they less all their enhanced senses and fighting and such.
I hope this helps. I'll be still happy to answer any other questions.
Thank you for everyone who is reading and/or reviewing this story. Also thank you for your patience. I do hope you have a Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, or whatever it is that you celebrate. And I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Face to Face
A few days later
Blair was looking through some more files. All the ones that she had seen marked had to be Huntresses; after all her Mother had kept track of them. There were even correspondences. And they were in different cities which made sense. There were tons of Huntresses of that she was sure of however they blended in very well. There was only two things that set them apart; there was a mark on their back of a claw mark and they had some form of permanent red with them. Blair looked down at her ruby ring that she had decided on years ago. It was something she had as a small child and so of course, naturally, it became part of her.
Blair was brought out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Looking up she saw one of girls standing there, "Nancy?"
The red haired nodded, "May I come in?"
"Of course." Nancy walked in and handed a folder to Blair. Blair looked up at her, "What's this?"
"There's a problem with a delivery. A few deliveries actually."
"What's the problem?"
"Well one of the places that we get the silk through has raised the prices and won't just accept what we were originally using," Nancy opened the folder and pointed to the place.
Blair recognized it because she had read her Mother's notes and they had a long standing account with them. She glanced at the change in price and frowned; it seemed a bit much all things considering. She looked up at Nancy, "the rest?"
"A couple of the stores won't take in more of the clothes but won't specify with what. We had our lawyer down there and apparently it has to do with the fact that…well…you need to be the one to go and okay the change."
Sighing Blair nodded, "I understand." She looked back at Nancy who had stepped away from the desk. "Get me a list of where I need to be and call me a car. I'll take care of this mess."
Blair watched as Nancy nodded and then headed outside of the office. Blair had barely signed the papers giving her full reign of her Mother's company two days ago and already there were problems. She knew there had been other interested buyers but why they would continue when things had been settled…unless…unless these problems were from a buyer. If so which one? She'd have to see if Mr. Pierce or Dan would have a list of those that had been there and then she'd go through all of them to see which one it might be.
And if they thought that they could ruin her Mother's company they had another thing coming. Nancy knocked on the door, "The car is downstairs." Blair got up and walked over to the other girl who handed her a folder, "Everything is in there."
"Thank you."
It didn't take long for Blair to be brought to the first place on the list. The time was short to see the manager as well. The conversation with the manager was less than inspiring.
"Are you telling me that you can't just call your superior right now and have it fixed?"
"No. I was given instructions that until you speak with him that I can no longer have your items on the floor."
"That is absolutely ridiculous. There was a contract in place and it shouldn't just be null and void simply on the whim of someone."
"Unfortunately I cannot do anything about it."
"Then call him up and I shall speak with him now."
"I can't. I was given specific instructions that you are to speak to him in person." The lady reached over with a card in her hand, "I can do no more."
Blair took it from her hand and stood up, "Well thank you for your helpfulness."
She quickly exited the building and got back in the car. The next two places were no different. All of those in charge couldn't do anything unless she spoke to a Charles Bass. As she told the address to the driver she leaned back and hoped he was careful because her fuse was very short now, almost non-existent.
Chuck picked up the envelope that had arrived for him while he was at lunch; Andrew had finally gotten what he needed. It was a file about the owner of Redwear. If he had known that it was going to come during lunch he would have stayed instead of going with Nate out. Once he saw who this person was he was sure he'd be able to manipulate things to how he wanted. He was surprised that he hadn't heard from them yet. Just the other day, since he had yet to hear from Andrew, he had decided to pull the contracts that were with Redwear. He knew it was a small technicality but it was one that he could and would use.
The new owner would have to come in to resign the papers or even renegotiate the prices if they wanted to continue getting certain fabric and selling in certain high profile stores. He had actually figured that they would have come in yesterday however nothing had happened.
He was lucky that Bart hadn't called for an update; odds were it was because he figured that Chuck wasn't handling things well at all and didn't expect things to get done right away. He was going to show Bart that he could still get things down on his own and that he didn't need Bart there to help him out. Which led his thoughts to what exactly Bart was doing; there was obviously something going on and Chuck wished he knew what it was.
Unfortunately Nate didn't know. Perhaps he could have Andrew look into it.
He quickly reconsidered that idea as he realized how quickly Bart would probably be onto him. Sighing he sat down and logged back into his computer. Just as he did that his phone rang. Looking down he realized that it was the building secretary. Chuck was on the top floor and he had his own secretary however there was someone on the first floor that was there to direct visitors to where they needed to be.
"Yes."
"Blair Waldorf from Redwear designs is here and is wishing to speak with you."
Smirking Chuck nodded, "Of course. Send her right up."
He had gotten even luckier than he realized. Sure Andrew had given him that file and he would probably look at it but she was coming here and he would be able to get anything out of her he wanted. There was no doubt that he could seduce any female…males even…and so getting Redwear wouldn't be hard. Besides odds are she was new and she probably didn't have any experience and she'd be easy to manipulate into getting Chuck what he wanted.
Picking up the file he placed it in one of his drawers so no one would be able to see it. He then sat and waited and allowed his mind to wander for a bit. It wasn't hard to figure out where his mind would go to. It was the same place ever since that night.
The Woman.
He still hadn't found her. All those that had used cards had not been her in which case that either she had paid in cash or someone had bought her a drink. And since that was the case it made things that much harder. He still was not going to give up on her though. He would find her. He had no doubt in his mind that in the end she would be with him again. He couldn't shake her and he didn't think he really wanted to either.
All at once he inhaled a very faint scent; it was one he would know anywhere even though the person with whom it belonged to hadn't been with him for more than a night.
She was here.
In his building.
By his office.
He couldn't decide his next course of action though. Either he stayed here and met with the head of Redwear and get it and Bart off his back or he left and went to find her.
Before he could make up his mind there was a swift knock on his door. Perhaps he could make her wait until he had followed her…
"Come in."
And it was at that moment that she walked back into his life. He could hardly believe the sight in front of him. The breathtaking brunette that had encompassed his thoughts was standing in his door way staring at him with shock evident on her face.
"Blair Waldorf I presume."
"Charles Bass."
"You can call me Chuck."
He walked over to the door but before he was too close to her she stepped a few steps away from him allowing him to shut the door. She was now in his reach. She raised an eyebrow at him, "Mr. Bass I have come here to speak about Redwear designs."
Chuck stepped closer to her and touched her cheek before she stepped back. This time he raised an eyebrow, "Let's not pretend the other night didn't happen."
"I say that I came to talk about Redwear and that is what I'm going to talk about first and foremost."
Frowning slightly Chuck gestured to the chair in front of his desk, "Very well. Business before pleasure."
"I didn't say—"
"What is it that you wished to talk about?"
"The fact that you are not honoring the deals that were made with…Eleanor."
Chuck wondered what the slight slip in regards to Eleanor was; he figured it was something to look into it at a later time. He nodded, "The deals made with Eleanor. Not you. There was nothing in the fine print. However, I'd be more than willing to work out a very amiable deal with you."
Her eyes narrowed, "The deal with the company. You made a deal with Redwear. Just because Eleanor was in charge of it does not mean that the one after it does not apply."
"Actually if you look at the contract it does indeed specify that things can be changed and renegotiated."
"Then you should have contacted me."
"I had tried to find out who you were and I was not given that information."
The woman in front of him was exasperated but she remained silent for a minute before speaking, "Fine. I'm here. A deal needs to be done. I'd like the same as Eleanor had."
Chuck was silent for a minute. He wanted to give it to her because he knew how much this meant to her, though he didn't know why, but he knew he wasn't supposed to. And he wasn't sure why he was suddenly feeling very charitable and wanting to give something that he needed away. Perhaps this was something he needed to work without Blair here. Not that he wanted her to leave so soon.
He finally spoke up, "I'll tell you what I will work something up and then we can discuss it and where to go from there."
She narrowed her eyes, "I really don't see what's wrong with negotiating now."
"Perhaps I have another meeting to go to."
"Well then I can come back."
Chuck nodded liking the idea, "Very well. Perhaps we can meet for drinks and discuss it."
She shook her head, "Your office will be just fine."
"Great. Come back, tomorrow?"
"Very well."
She stood up which caused Chuck to stand up as well, "Where are you going?"
"Our business here is done."
"That business is done. Our business has not."
She raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean our business?"
"You slipped out the other night. Perhaps I wasn't done with you."
She sat up straighter if that was possible, "Perhaps I was done with you."
Chuck felt that familiar anger flair up. There was no way that she could be done with him; not after that night. He wasn't done with her. He couldn't look at another female the same way anymore. He needed her. Although the scary thing was Chuck was sure that he wanted her more than just a body in his bed. He watched as she stood up apparently thinking their conversation was over.
He got up and followed her to the door and placed his hand on her shoulder before she had put her hand on the doorknob. He heard her intake of breathe and smirked pleased that his touch did garner some reaction from her. Stepping closer he slid his hand down her arm slowly and leaned down slightly to whisper in her ear, "I don't think you're done with me in the slightest."
He placed his lips on her neck, kissed her and then moved down to the next part of her neck. He continued placing kisses down her neck while he wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her body closer to his. He felt one of her hands move up to the arm that had her against his body while her other hand held onto his. He couldn't help it when his lips twitched up to form a smile as he continued down her neck. He wanted to go further but he felt Blair all of a sudden tense up.
She pulled away from him and he dropped his arm to allow her to face him with her back against the door. Her hand came up and pressed against his chest, "This is not going to happen again. Ever."
He raised an eyebrow and grazed her cheek with his knuckles, "I say it is."
"Just because you say it is does not mean that it will happen. I do not wish for it to happen. The other night…was a mistake."
He felt his insides clench at the thought she had of it being a mistake. Though he had made many mistakes in the past he knew that that night was definitely not on the list. Everything between them was right. And unlike any of the other females he wanted to get to know Blair better. Even though it was a scary thought that he wanted to know her in all ways he could possibly know her and he somehow knew that there wasn't any other way for him to go. It was not something he really wanted to think about and a large part of him wanted to let her go. He wanted to be able to not be consumed by a woman who he had only seen three times and yet he hadn't been able to keep her out of his mind regardless of what he had been working on. And imaging nothing else ever happening between them was not something that was good.
The need to be in her life and to have her in his was there. He looked her in the eye as he tucked her hair behind her ear, "It was not a mistake. And it will happen again."
"First off, you don't know me. You can't even pretend to. The way you were able to guess the other night is beyond me but the point is you don't know me. I also don't know you."
"Then get to know me." He moved his hand down her arm.
"I came here for one reason and that was for you to agree with the terms that were set up with Eleanor. It was for her company and this is still for her company."
"Alright. How about this; we can go to dinner and you can explain exactly why we shouldn't be renegotiating the terms?"
"Are you asking me out?"
He smirked, "Blair, I thought you wanted nothing to do with that aspect? I was merely suggesting a business dinner but if you'd like we could have a bit more of that."
Her eyes narrowed, "A business dinner to explain what I just explained?"
"Let's just say that this would help in me deciding on how the deal should be made. Such as understanding you better."
He knew it was a way just to spend more time with her and get to know more about her but the part that fascinated him the most was watching her thoughts pass through her eyes until she finally nodded, "Fine. When and where?"
He smirked at her knowing that she had already put together what his real intentions were and was still going along with it. He moved closer to her, "How about 7? And I'll pick you up."
"How about it's a business dinner and you tell me where and I'll meet you there."
He stood there silently for a few minutes. He could keep insisting on picking her up, there was a chance that she would concede…however there was also another chance where she might change something or come with more armor then she currently had. Although truth be told getting there her armor seemed like it could be something he would be up for. In fact considering how intelligent and shrewd she seemed to be he would venture to say that he would enjoy breaking through her defenses.
He stepped back breaking all contact with her. For a moment Blair appeared to be at a loss before she stood up even taller and nodded more to herself then to him. He tilted his head slightly before she shook it, "Even though it is a business dinner I will pick you up. Where we are going will be better if we show up together rather than show up separately."
Chuck watched as he was sure she went through the different sceneries herself before finally sighing, "Alright, fine. You can pick me up."
"I knew you'd see it my way."
"But we are discussing business."
"Of course business; I wouldn't have it any other way." She stared at him for another minute before turning around and grabbing the doorknob. "Blair."
She tensed for a moment before turning, "What?"
"What's your address?"
Her lips went into a straight line before she exhaled and then gave it to him. She then quickly turned and disappeared out of his office. Chuck moved back to his desk and sat in his chair. This was not a meeting he had been prepared for. Sure he wanted to still get Redwear for Bart but at the same time it was Blair's and deep inside of him he realized that he didn't want to take that from her. That was something he did not like at all. He decided to keep that feeling deep down and cover it and instead still deal with the Redwear part as a business deal. The rest with Blair…would be something else.
He knew that when they were at dinner tonight he would have more of an opportunity to get to know her. She was right. Though he felt…connected to her he still didn't know her. Not completely. Reading her emotions and some of her thoughts was easily enough when looking at her expressions or her eyes. He didn't know anything else really about her and he knew that he wanted to know everything he could about her.
As much as Chuck wanted to deny it he realized that in all truth she was under his skin and there was no way that she was going to get out from that. It was something he hated and yet he didn't want to give it or her up for the world. He got the file out again and decided he was going to learn all that he could from Blair Waldorf and that she would be his again very soon.