It had been almost three weeks since his encounter with Blair, and Chuck had still been unable to contact her. Every time he texted her she would say she was too busy to meet him and when he would stop by the apartment (he always asked for Nate first, just in case the maids got chatty), the maid would always say she was out or too busy or too sick to see anyone.

Finally, Chuck had had enough excuses and he went to her building and waited for her to come out. He waited in the lobby for about an hour before he saw Blair exit the elevator. He quickly made his way over to her and stepped in front of her before she was halfway to the door.

"What are you doing here, Bass?" she asked irritably.

"Oh, so we're back to the hatred phase, are we?" He asked with his usual smirk. "You've been avoiding me."

Blair got a haughty look on her face as she turned her nose up at him, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm very busy."

"Haven't we been over this?" Chuck narrowed his eyes at her, "You can't lie to me, Waldorf."

"Ugh! What do you want from me, Chuck?" She asked in frustration.

"We need to talk." He said simply.

"No, I don't think we do. I thought the three weeks of avoidance would give you a hint, but I guess I overestimated your intelligence." She said as she went to brush past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, "Let go of me, Bass." She hissed as she pulled herself free from his grip, trying her best not to cause a scene.

"No, not until we discuss some things. I won't let you brush me off. We need to talk." He said again in a low whisper, "Now you can come with me and we can do this in private, or you can keep being uncooperative and we can do this loudly and publicly right here in the lobby. It's your choice."

She glared at him as she huffed in frustration, "Fine, let's get this over with."

"I knew you'd come to your senses." He said with a smirk as he led her out to his waiting limo.

………

When they got into the limo, Blair sat on the far edge of the seat as far from Chuck as possible and pouted as she stared out the window with her arms crossed over her chest. Chuck instructed the driver to drive around for awhile, as he waited for Blair to break her silence.

Finally Blair sighed and looked over at Chuck, "Look Bass, the other week was a mistake. It was a moment of weakness, and it can't, and won't, happen again."

Chuck met her gaze with a sneer, "Be serious, Waldorf. We both know that as long as I'm in town, which is going to be for a while, you won't be able to avoid me. You never have. It's going to happen again, it's just a matter of time. We're inevitable."

Blair groaned in frustration as she buried her head in her hands. After a moment she lifted her face and gave Chuck a disgusted look, "Nate's your best friend. I'm married to your best friend. I know you're a selfish, heartless bastard, but how can you do this to him?"

Chuck looked out the window, and Blair thought he was just going to ignore her, but then he said quietly, "Because I love you."

Her eyes widened in shock as she stared him and whispered, "What did you say?"

"I love you," He said before he slammed his hand down on the seat and turned to look at her with an intense gaze, "I fucking love you and I know he doesn't! I hear him talk about you and he doesn't care about you. He doesn't appreciate you. He sure as hell doesn't love you! He doesn't give a fuck about you. He only cares about his precious image and his career."

Chuck took a deep breath before he leaned his head back against the seat and pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes squeezed shut as Blair continued to stare at him like a deer in the headlights, completely speechless.

"I let him have you once without a fight." Chuck continued after a moment, finally opening his eyes to look at her, "But not anymore. He doesn't deserve you, and I can't sit back and let him have what never should have been his in the first place."

Finally, Blair's eyes narrowed in anger, "I love how you talk about me like I'm some sort of possession." She said sarcastically, "So do I get any say in this at all?"

"No." Chuck said simply.

"Why not?" She demanded.

"Because you'll choose him." Chuck said as he looked at her darkly, "You'll choose him because it's easy and it's safe and it's what is expected. It doesn't matter that you want me; that I can make you feel things he could never make you feel. It doesn't matter that I treat you better than he ever has or that I love you more than he ever could. You would still choose him, and I can't let you do that. I can't let you allow yourself to continue to be miserable. You deserve so much more."

"Chuck-" She began as she looked at him and shook her head sadly, "I can't just-"

"Shh." He quieted her with a finger to her lips. They continued to stare at each other for a few moments before he began to close the distance between them. When his lips were centimeters from hers, she suddenly snapped back to her senses and pushed him away, "I have to go." She said breathlessly.
"Blair, don't-"

"No. I'm sorry, I really have to go. Stop the car!" she called to the driver who immediately pulled over to the side of the road.
"Blair, calm down." Chuck tried to reason with her as he grabbed her arm, "Let me at least bring you home."

She pulled her arm free as she opened the door and got out, "No, that's okay. I'd rather walk. I-it will give me some time to think. Goodbye, Chuck."

Blair slammed the door shut before he could respond and walked away. Inside the limo, Chuck leaned his head back and ran his fingers through his hair. This wasn't going to be as easy as he had hoped.

………..

When Blair arrived back to her apartment a few hours later, she found a very angry looking Nate waiting for her in the sitting room drinking from a bottle of whiskey.

"Where were you?" He asked bitterly as he took a sip of the whiskey.

"I was just out doing some shopping." Blair answered warily as she moved slowly into the room.

Nate snorted cynically, "Shopping? Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"What are you talking about, Nate?" Blair asked in confusion.

"The doorman saw you talking with some guy in the lobby." He said slowly as he rose from the couch and turned to face her, "He saw you two fighting and he saw you get in a car with him. He thought I would want to know."

Blair rolled her eyes once she realized what the doorman had seen, "Oh my God." She said incredulously.

Nate stalked forward and slapped her across the face, "Don't you dare roll your eyes at me! I am still your husband, even if you are a dirty whore, and you will show me respect in my own house!" He yelled furiously in her face.

Blair gasped and put her hand to her face, "Nate," she said timidly, "I'm sorry. It-it's just, the doorman, he has no idea what he's talking about."

"Are you calling him a liar, slut? Were you or were you not with another man today?"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes, "I was," she said quickly before he could get even angrier, "but it was just Chuck!"

"What?" Nate breathed as he glared at her.

Blair took a deep breath to try and calm herself as she tried to explain, "Chuck stopped by and I ran into him in the lobby. He-he was being his usual smarmy self and we got into a little spat, but he apologized and said he'd help me pick out a gift for you, for your birthday, so we-we left together. It was nothing."

"You were with Chuck?" Nate asked skeptically.

"Yes, Nate, so you don't have to worry. You know that the very thought of him touching me makes me want to throw up." Blair said with a disgusted scowl on her face. It was a complete lie, but she couldn't tell Nate that having Chuck near her, let alone touching her, caused her heart to race in a way that it never did around her husband.

Nate looked into her eyes and nodded, accepting her story. He then excused himself and walked out of the room, taking the bottle of whiskey with him, not even bothering to apologize for his actions or his accusations.

Once he was gone, Blair let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding as she sank down onto the couch. She reached up and gently touched her cheek where Nate had hit her. She would need to get some ice, she thought to herself, so it didn't swell too much. As she sat there, she thought about Chuck and Nate and she realized that Nate did in fact make her heart race, only he made it race in fear, not in anticipation and love like Chuck did.