Disclaimer: Usually this is where I offer something witty about how I own nothing, but I'm too lazy to come up with anything good. You all know what I own and don't own, anyway.
AN: I'm back! I know it's been a while, but this is still my number one story and it's always fermenting away at the back of my mind. Thank you to all my reviewers, your support keeps me going and motivates me to update even when I keep putting it off. As for the great Chuck vs. Puck debate (although there have been a few Nate and Finn entries…), let's just say even I'm not entirely sure how the outcome will go. I've written quite a bit about Puck lately, but never fear for it's Chuck's time to shine. There will definitely be more N-JBC coming up and more interactions between the Glee Club and the Upper East Side. I apologize for my lack of updates and this long author's note; let's get on with it, shall we?
Chapter Six:
If there was one thing Blair was having the most trouble adjusting to since coming back, it was the endless rounds of lavish events and galas and charities and parties. How did she ever keep up? More importantly, how did she ever manage her social calendar? It seemed like she'd be planning for months ahead just so all the events could fit out nicely; quite a chore, choreographing everything together nicely, like a jigsaw. Maybe it was because she'd been so unpopular back at Lima; Rachel Berry simply wasn't cool enough for the latest keg party. Blair Waldorf, on the other hand, couldn't refuse invitations quickly enough.
There was something riding on her mind more than the others though: the upcoming charity gala. To be more precise, it was the after-party for the younger attendees. She's been trying to wipe the memory from her mind; the flashes from the musical, Quinn's voice, Puck's curse - it was undeniable that the Glee Club was in New York. She didn't know the logistics of how they got there or why they were there in the first place. All she knew was that she didn't want to see them. It was easier just to keep her two worlds apart.
She'd kept well hidden while Quinn had conversed with Nate. In the end, Serena had to shuffle back just to drag her out from the shadows.
"What are you doing, B? Didn't you say you wanted to get home? Come on!"
These past few days all anybody was talking about was the gala. It was ridiculous how few people actually knew what the gala was for! Serena went shopping - again - to replenish her stock of dresses now that her "favorite" Chanel was torn. She was forcing Blair to pick something out.
"You know B, people are really starting to notice. You need to blend."
Blair looked up from the TIME magazine she was reading on the lounge chair in the dressing room. The boutiques in New York were a lot nicer than the ones in Lima.
"What do you mean, S? I'm blending perfectly."
Serena shrugged and posed in front of the full-length mirror.
"You're just so… serious all the time. You never want to go out, you never want any gossip, you don't take people down and you don't even seem interested in fashion! What happened to being a dictator of taste?"
"Well," said Blair, sitting up, "I guess going to small-town Ohio really did change me. I was a completely different person back there and there were some experiences I encountered which put me in the shoes of people being tormented. There are just so many more important things than Jimmy Choos or Perez Hilton."
"Don't try to fool me, I know something happened at the musical. You barely left the box, so it must have been something you saw. Spill!"
Blair smiled and stood, stretching over to Serena and plucked a bright fuchsia dress out of the extensive pile.
"You'll look beautiful in this, S. Stop twirling and try this on."
Serena grinned.
"I will, but don't think you're off the hook. We are not done talking yet and you need to find a dress."
"I really don't see the need. I have a huge closet back at home and I don't even remember wearing some of them."
"Well, you're stirring up enough gossip as it is. If you start wearing last season's cast-offs, I don't even want to imagine the damage we'll have to control."
Serena brushed the curtains to one side and stepped out. She was cocooned in a fine layer of vibrancy, her zest practically billowing from her blonde waves.
"What do you think?"
"S, you look perfect. Buy the damn dress and let's go."
"Wait! What about you?"
"I've had enough of this shop, there are plenty others."
(o) - O - (o)
"Blair is acting really… different."
Chuck sprawled across his bed, one hand fingering a joint and the other cushioned under his head. Nate was slumped to one side of the couch nearby, texting furiously.
"I get what you mean, man. She's really quiet and -"
"Unassuming."
"Yeah. And she's not bossy anymore."
"Something really messed her up in Ohio, godforsaken place that it is." Chuck drew a long breath from the joint. "I think we need to find out what happened and the best way to remedy it. Who the hell are you texting so early in the morning?"
"Oh, just that girl we met back at the musical. Quinn? She's coming to the after-party tonight."
"She was pretty hot."
"Yeah, she was. Oh, she just told me she had nothing to wear."
"Tell her she can never go wrong with a birthday suit."
"Come on, get real. Can you sneak something off Serena or something?"
"Why don't you do it?"
"Because," said Nate, "Serena's not exactly friendly with me after the whole musical thing with us not making an effort with Blair and stuff."
"Heads up, Einstein, I'm not in favor either."
"Well, I just thought -"
"That I would take the bullet?" Chuck snorted. "Not a chance. Angry girls are scary unless they want to work out their sexual frustrations." He sat up and stretched. "I think it's time for my daily hangover cure. Don't go, though. We still need to talk about Blair."
"What about her?"
"Please, Nathaniel. Don't try to act like nothing happened and everything's just the way it was. I've enjoyed having our friendship intact, but you can't deny there's something vaguely amok with out companionship. Besides, with Blair acting so strange, it makes things even harder to figure out. We need to talk."
"Whatever, man. You go get your hangover cure like a good boy now."
(o) - O - (o)
New York was getting exciting. Quinn sent the text with a smile on her face and a quirk in her eyebrow. The Glee Club was leaving in a day and she was going to have some real fun. It was a surprise that Nate actually texted back, but once they got the conversation flowing, it was like they'd known each other forever. Finn had gotten suspicious on more than one occasion, but his brain never functioned at a regular pace and he'd bypassed his doubts. Sometimes it paid having such a slow boyfriend - so slow he'd believe he could get you pregnant in a hot tub.
The charity gala was on tonight. Although she wasn't invited, Nate had texted her the address of the after-party. It was quite late - late enough for her to sneak out of the motel room she was sharing with the rest of the Glee girls. The school budget was tight and sleeping arrangements were crowded. Nevertheless, she could make things work. The only problem was her clothing. If she hadn't seen firsthand at the musical just how glamorous these Upper East Siders could be, she wouldn't have believed it. Now, she knew that nothing she owned would be up to scratch. But Nate had said something about getting a dress for her, so hopefully that would be all right.
"Hey."
Puck had sidled up to her, hands deep in his pockets. She glanced at him.
"What do you want?"
There was history between them; irreversible history. He'd taken her virginity and fathered her child. It would be a stretch to say there was nothing awkward between them. Perhaps she had felt some kind of romance for him at some point, but that point was long gone. The problem with living in a small place like Lima was the lack of choice. You either dated a jock or a nerd or some other stereotype - it was getting old and boring. Puck had changed since the first time they'd met. It was safe to say he didn't harbor any particular feelings towards her anymore, but all the same, they maintained some form of civility.
"Nothing," shrugged Puck. "You just looked like you were thinking hard about something so I thought I'd pick your brain."
"Do you like New York?"
"It's not too bad, I guess. The show was pretty good."
Quinn smiled. "I'd never have pegged you for a musical type."
"Hey," said Puck, "don't knock it. That shit was pretty fly."
There was a silence now, easy topics having all been approached. Puck turned to her.
"You've got that face on."
"What face?"
"You know… that game face. Or bitch face. You're planning something."
Quinn shook her head.
"Nothing! I'm not planning anything!"
"Now you sound all defensive. Give me some credit, I know you better than that."
She bristled at Puck's statement.
"You don't know me at all, Puckerman. Don't even try."
And then she walked away.
(o) - O - (o)
"I still say it's far too expensive for a few yards of silk and fancy stitching."
"It's perfect, B!"
"If I didn't know better, I'd say picking something out for me has cheered you up more than picking something out for yourself."
"Ah," said Serena, clutching her heart, "you have seen through my façade. Underneath this dewy skin and long blonde hair lies a caring heart, ready to serve others."
Blair laughed and linked her arm with Serena's. Now this; this was companionship.
"I've missed you."
Serena looked surprised "Well, I've really missed you too, B."
"No." Blair shook her head. "When I went to Lima, I was all alone and I really appreciate how you tolerate me and stick by me. You are truly my sister."
Serena pulled her into a hug, dark and light hair spilling together.
"We'll always be sisters, B." They pulled apart. "And now we'll be the most fashionable pair of sisters at the gala tonight."
"You're really pushing it, aren't you!" said Blair, eyes twinkling.
"Pushing what?"
"Your choice of dress for me and the decision to spend an insane amount of money on new clothes."
"Well," said Serena, "it's all part of the experience."
It was getting late in the afternoon when Serena finally wore down and agreed to Blair's request to return home.
"You know, we should really go see the boys."
"The boys?" asked Blair, playing dumb. Serena rolled her eyes.
"Stop it, Blair. You know who I mean. You can't avoid them forever, despite your best efforts at the musical."
Blair threw her hands up. "Fine! What do you want me to do? I can't pretend that things aren't awkward between the three of us! What happened has happened and I can't reverse the past."
"No, but you can make things right."
"How?"
"Talk to them."
Half an hour later, Serena was rapping on the door of Chuck's suite.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Serena."
The door clicked open. Chuck was standing at the doorway, dressed impeccably in a grey suit. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Blair.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the elusive Miss Waldorf. Please, do come in."
He swaggered away to let the two girls pass, his silence from the other night completely replaced by his usual drawl.
Nate stood up when he saw them. "Blair, Serena. What are you guys doing here?"
"Well," said Serena, "I hate this. This no-talking thing has got to stop. So I managed to convince Blair she had to come and smooth things over and put an end to all this crap. We are not leaving until you have the talk you three so desperately need."
She shoved Blair forwards. Blair tottered in her heels before settling down on the couch next to Nate. Chuck pulled up a chair and Serena perched on the armrest.
"What do you want to talk about?" asked Blair.
Nate looked at her. "How are you?"
Blair smiled. "I could be better. But I could be worse. I want to apologize for just leaving like that. It was cowardly of me. I know how it felt when Serena left for boarding school without a word," and here she shot Serena an apologetic look, "so I know it must have hurt just as much when I ran away; especially considering what had happened."
She paused, but nobody rose to continue the discussion.
"Anyway, I can't change the past and I don't want to. It's good to see that you two are friends again. With everything that happened, I just want us all to get along, hang out, and be friends. Being at Lima, I really missed my friends here and I want this all to work out. It's too much hard word skirting around the edges of propriety. Let's just let it go."
Chuck exhaled loudly.
"Who are you and what have you done with Blair Waldorf?"
At this point, Serena clapped her hands and spread her arms wide.
"Yay! Now this is all in the clear, we can go get ready and have a great time tonight without all the uncomfortable silences."
"Do you want us to pick you two up?" asked Nate.
"Sure," nodded Blair. "That would be nice."
Maybe this was step she needed to take in order to get over herself. As she and Serena left Chuck's suite, she couldn't help but feel refreshed and renewed. There really was a chance of new beginning and it was foolish to think she'd have to move to a whole new state to experience it.
(o) - O - (o)
"I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of miss Rachel."
The Glee Club was lounging around in the boys' room, enjoying their last full day in New York before they left the following evening. Mercedes had just sat up and was contemplating the room.
"I mean, she could be really annoying sometimes, but without it, the atmosphere's just different."
"Yeah," agreed Kurt. "I even miss her diva antics."
"You guys have been in New York for too long. The city air's getting to your head," snorted Santana.
"It's easy to remember the good stuff when Rachel's not actually here, but don't you remember all the hissy fits and drama and constant commandeering of the music selection. Besides, it feels good to sing solos sometimes."
"I just think it's kind of weird how Rachel just left," said Artie.
"Yeah, she didn't even say goodbye."
"You'd think, with Rachel being such a diva, that she would want a big dramatic exit and a tearful goodbye," said Tina.
"Hey! Where's Quinn?"
The club members rose to life, switching their heads around, looking for her.
"Did she tell anyone where she was going?"
"She was here a moment ago!"
"We need to tell Mr. Shuester."
"She's gonna be in so much trouble."
"Fuck, where did that girl get to?"
Before long, Mr. Shuester was notified of Quinn's absence. He'd groaned.
"Everything was going so well."
"Wait, wasn't there some party thing that the guy at the musical mentioned?"
It had taken two seconds for Mercedes to search it up on the internet.
"Yeah, there's a charity gala tonight at the Met."
"Well then," said Mr. Shuester, "I'll be off now. Wish me luck."
"What?" scoffed Santana. "You're not just leaving us. We're coming with you."
"I can't afford to lose any more kids," protested Mr. Shuester.
"You can't even afford to lose one kid," said Puck, "but you lost her anyway. We need to find her and more heads will make the search easier."
"Fine," said Mr. Shuester. "But stick together and don't go wandering around, okay?"
(o) - O - (o)
"Blair! You look beautiful!"
Blair laughed.
"As always, Serena, your zeal is overwhelming. You don't too bad yourself."
"No, your fashion taste is still just as good. I really love the fuchsia."
"Ladies," said Chuck. "Can we rave over our attire in the limo, please? The night isn't getting any younger."
The four of them clambered in, lost in easy conversation.
"Blair, tell us about Lima," said Serena.
Blair closed her eyes.
"There's not much to tell. My dad wanted to get away from civilization for a while and he chose that tiny town. It was completely random. There aren't many schools there and even less shops. Oh, there are heaps of diners, though. Their equivalent to Butter is this place called Breadsticks where you keep getting breadsticks until you leave or pass out."
"That sounds awesome," said Nate. "I want to check that out."
Blair laughed. "It's actually quite heavily booked, you know. The food isn't terrible, but being back in New York reminds me of how much I've missed out on."
"B, you keep talking about the town, but I want to hear about your new life. Your new school? How was it?"
"It was," Blair paused, "horrible. I wanted to become a completely new person. I changed my hair, my clothes, my personality…"
"Yes, I remember you were wearing plaid when we met in Lima," said Chuck. "And not in a good way."
"It didn't work out, of course. More people hated me than ever. There's this ritual at the school - William McKinley High School - where the nerds or unpopular people are given slushie facials. They get slushies dumped on them. I was one of those people."
Serena widened her eyes while Nate and Chuck snorted with laughter.
"I have great difficulty imagining Queen B with an iced beverage on her face," laughed Chuck.
"Yes, laugh on. But it was a cruel practice. Coming back I guess I realized what I bitch I was. I mean, those girls at McKinley are nothing compared to me. I was… I was hell!"
"So that's why you're so different," remarked Nate.
Before any of them said a word, the limo pulled to a stop.
"We're here!" announced Serena. She squeezed Blair's hand as they slid out the door.
(o) - O - (o)
There were some big, mean guards at the door. They did not look friendly. They did not want to negotiate. Even Puck wouldn't want to mess with them, as kickass as his guns were.
"I'm sorry, sir, if you're not on the list, you can't enter. It's our rule."
"But," Mr. Shuester protested, "I just need to speak with one of the attendees. A Nate? Please, one of my students is missing and it's urgent that I find her."
"I'm sorry," the guard was emphatic, "we cannot allow that. Please step to one side."
Mr. Shuester wandered back to the group, head hung down.
"Guys, I don't know what to do. Should we call the cops?"
"Hey!" Brittany yelled. "Isn't that the guy from the musical?"
Mr. Shuester couldn't believe his luck. There he was; Nate from the musical with Chuck in tow. The Glee Club started to hurry over. Then they all stopped.
"Is that… Rachel?"
(o) - O - (o)
AN: Yes, the plot is awfully contrived. But I am the author so I can do what I like. I like it so far, not so sure what's going to happen in the distant future, but I'm pretty sure of what's going to happen in the next chapter.
