Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.

"This is becoming a routine I could get used to," Chuck smiled as he was greeted by Blair when he returned home from work. Her arms wrapped around him immediately.

"I'm starting a new trend," she replied, "One in which I'm home at a decent hour."

"Always the trend setter," he chuckled as he dipped in to kiss her.

"We're having a guest for dinner tonight," Blair replied as she pulled away reluctantly. She could feel his fingers tugging lightly at her blouse. She didn't want to deter him, but she didn't think it appropriate to allow him to ravish her in the entryway where their children could happen upon them . . . yet again.

"Is Serena joining us?"

Blair shook her head to reject his guess.

"Nathaniel?"

Blair continued to shake her head.

"Lily? Eric?"

"No and no," Blair replied with an amused giggle at the adorable frustration that was written across his face, "How about I just tell you?"

"How about you just tell me?" he laughed as he pecked at her lips again.

"Evan," Blair smiled.

"After one day, he's already managed to make amends for his inappropriate sister-in-law and get invited to dinner. He's a smoother operator than I gave him credit for."

"It has nothing to do with him being an operator of any sort," Blair assured him, "They were assigned a school project together today. Being that she's my daughter, she wanted to get started on it immediately."

"Whose idea was it to invite him to dinner?" Chuck inquired.

"Mine," Blair replied, "It's nearly dinnertime. They still have work that needs to be done, so I made the offer to Charlotte that she could invite him if she was comfortable with it."

"You don't suppose that this entire scenario with Evan's sister was cooked up to be some elaborate ruse by our daughter to drum up some sort of sympathy for her choice of boyfriends?" Chuck thought out loud.

"No," Blair laughed, "Charlotte's mind isn't nearly that diabolical."

"We would have thought of it," Chuck reminded her.

"Because we were deceitful and devious and bored," Blair replied, "That's not Charlotte. Now go change for dinner. You have a few minutes."

"Brice and Aiden are . . ." Chuck inquired.

"Brice is studying in his bedroom. Aiden is in the kitchen with Chef," Blair replied.

"I'm just going to look in on everyone before I ravage you," Chuck replied.

"You're going to check up on Charlotte," Blair amended, "You can say it. I won't overreact. I'll be in your office."

"What is wrong with your office?" he chuckled.

"Mine doesn't have that comfy leather sofa that we can stretch out on," she chuckled.

"How many minutes do we have before dinner anyways?" he smirked.

"Enough," she patted his chest, "If you don't take too long."

"I take as long as you need," his smirked turned devilish.

"I meant there was enough time for you to look in on our children," she tapped his chest before she turned sharply on her heel and disappeared into his office, "I promise not to start without you."

"Minx," he teased as she strutted away with an extra flair of her hips.

Blair turned around briefly to give him her most tempting smile before she disappeared into his office. He very nearly followed her, but his need to check in on his children, mostly his daughter, was slightly greater.

"How is the studying going, Brice?" Chuck inquired as he looked in on his son first. He hadn't thought for a minute that he'd find his son's head buried in a schoolbook. Brice never studied until it was almost too late or his hand was forced, usually by his father. As he expected, Brice had his head buried in a magazine with headphones covering his ears, his head bobbing with the beat. He was oblivious to his father's intrusion. Chuck nudged his son's bed to get his attention. "Finished studying already?"

"Just taking a break," Brice replied as he lifted his headphones away. Chuck lifted an eyebrow to tell his son that he didn't believe him. "Alright, fine, I'm waiting until after dinner to start." Chuck continued to stare his son down. "I'll let you check it when I'm done."

"Yes, you will," Chuck nodded as he ruffled the hair on his son's head, "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Charlotte's in the study with Evan," Brice hoped to rat his sister out so his father would leave him in peace.

"I know," Chuck laughed at his son's obvious ruse, "And I'll leave you to your reading after you hand over the 'Playboy'. You're going to have to come up with a better cover magazine than 'Popular Mechanics'."

"It's not mine, Dad," Brice grumbled as he reluctantly handed it over, "I need to give it back."

"And I'll give it back," Chuck assured him, "When you're eighteen."

"Dad," Brice groaned, "Don't tell me you didn't look at these when you were my age."

"I looked and did so much more," Chuck replied, "It doesn't mean it was right. Your mother and I want better for you."

"What is so wrong with how you did things?" Brice pressed, "You ended up with Mom."

"What is wrong is that I hurt countless women in the process, including your saint of a mother. The girls in these magazines have families. They are somebody's daughter, somebody's sister. They deserve to be treated with respect, not ogled over by hormonal teenage boys. I went off what Grandpa Bart did because I didn't know any better. You know better," Chuck explained as he rolled up the magazine and tapped his son's thigh gently with it.

"Is this the start of another one of those 'when I was your age' stories because if it is, I'd rather not," Brice rolled his eyes as the sarcasm dripped out of his response.

"You're getting out of it . . . for now," Chuck sighed, "But we are going to talk about this some more in the near future."

"Fine, but are we done now?" Brice groaned.

"Are you in a hurry to catch up on your 'Popular Mechanics'?" Chuck laughed.

"I'm in a hurry to end this talk."

"Enjoy your foray into the world of auto repair," Chuck continued laughing as he left his older son's room to look in on his daughter.

"Hi, Daddy," Charlotte smiled happily as her father entered the study where she and Evan were hard at work on their assignment.

"How was school today, Sweetheart?" Chuck inquired as he leaned in to kiss her cheek while looking over her shoulder to make sure she was actually doing schoolwork. It was not lost on him that Charlotte was holding Evan's hand.

"Rachel took a spill today in school and showed the world her knickers. Thankfully today was a day she actually wore them," Charlotte giggled in reference to one of her many friends, "But proving that nothing sticks to her, she rose dramatically to her feet and took a bow."

"Hello, Evan," Chuck nodded towards the nervous young man sitting next to his daughter.

"Hi, Mister Bass," Evan stuttered. Chuck took a small amount of pleasure in the fact that he still made the young boy nervous. He hoped that didn't wear off any time soon, as the longer he could intimidate the boy, the better behaved Evan would be with his precious angel.

"Is that a new bracelet, Charlotte?" Chuck inquired as he spotted a shiny trinket on her wrist.

"Isn't it beautiful, Daddy?" Charlotte held up her wrist to show her father her brand new charm bracelet with a platinum apple, "Evan gave it to me this afternoon when we got home from school. It's from Tiffany's."

"It's lovely," Chuck smiled, "I believe dinner will be ready soon, so get to a good stopping point."

"Aiden came in a few minutes ago and said we still had about twenty minutes," Charlotte smiled.

"I'd better go look in on him then," Chuck replied as he kissed her forehead again, "I love you, Princess."

"I love you too, Daddy," she smiled as Chuck walked away. Evan looked to Charlotte with envy. She had a relationship with her father that he could never even hope to have.

"Good evening, Mister Bass," their chef greeted his employer as Chuck strolled casually into the kitchen to see what his youngest was up to.

"Good evening, Chef," Chuck nodded as he watched his son hard at work, "Hi, Aiden."

"Hi, Dad," Aiden replied as he turned greet his father.

"How was your day, Buddy?" Chuck inquired.

"Good," Aiden responded as he turned to stir that sauce that Chef had put him in charge of that evening. It was a big night for him. Chef was usually such a stickler when it came to his sauces that he wouldn't let Aiden contribute. It was clear that Aiden's skills were advancing from the impressed look on their Chef's face as he tasted Aiden's effort.

"What are you making?"

"Chicken Chasseur," Aiden replied as he dipped a spoon in the sauce and then pointed it towards his father, "Does this need more cognac or white wine in the sauce?"

Chuck dutifully tested it and found it to be perfectly balanced as it should have been. "It tastes wonderful, Aiden."

Aiden smiled proudly as the chef left to get the dining room set up for dinner.

"How was school today?" Chuck inquired as he took a seat at the bar stool to watch his son work.

"It was alright," Aiden shrugged as he moved around the kitchen effortlessly. He was more at home in the kitchen than he was in any other room of their home, and it was clear that he loved what he was doing, even at such a young age.

"How did that book report turn out?" Chuck asked, referencing the report he'd spent the better part of two evenings helping Aiden with the previous week.

"B plus," Aiden replied.

"That's very good," Chuck smiled.

"It's not an 'A' like Brice or Charlee," he sighed.

"You are not Brice or Charlee," Chuck replied, "Your mother and I don't expect you to compete with either of them. This is going to sound cheesy, but we just want you to do your best. Besides you have a talent that neither of them possess that will take you far, if you want it to."

"Do you think I can make a living as a chef?"

"I know you can," Chuck nodded, "You're nine years old, and you're doing things that most chef students don't dream of doing until well into the culinary training."

"I suppose," he replied.

"When the time is right, CIA will be lucky to have you," Chuck replied.

"Thanks," Aiden stated.

"I'll let you get back to work," Chuck stated.

"Dinner should be ready in fifteen minutes," Aiden advised him as Chuck went to find his wife who was waiting anxiously in his office.

"Took you long enough, Bass," Blair smiled as she sauntered towards him. His lips crashed against hers immediately, catching her off guard. All she could do was hang on and ride through his sudden wave of passion.

"Have I thanked you lately for giving me the three most amazing children in the world?" he asked as he continued to peck lightly at her lips.

"I believe you had some say in that," she chuckled as she pulled at his tie, "Have I mentioned how much of a turn on these power suits are? I always enjoy helping you out of them."

"Fifteen minutes, Beautiful, that isn't enough time for what I have in mind," he chuckled.

"I can settle for quick, if you promise to be more thorough later," she smirked as she pulled the tie all the way off and let it fall to the floor before she shed his suit jacket.

"Why do you have to be so damn tempting?" he groaned as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in as tight as possible.

"To seduce you," she chuckled as she began nibbling on his chin. "I have been thinking about this moment all afternoon. No more talking and much more action."

"How is it possible that you are this tempting to me after all these years?" he chuckled as she quickly began unbuttoning each button of his dress shirt, kissing each new patch of skin as she revealed it.

"No talking," she scolded him as she momentarily pressed her fingers to his lips, "Undress me now."


"I hope you know that Evan, Brice and I heard the two of you having sex," Charlotte announced after Evan had left for the evening. Chuck and Blair were curled up together in his office reading to each other as they did every Monday evening.

"We're sorry if we embarrassed you, Sweetheart," Blair bit her lip to keep from laughing, "But never will we apologize for being in love and needing to express it."

"You guys can be so embarrassing sometimes. I was able to convince Evan that you were probably just rearranging furniture as you liked to do that."

"I can't believe he fell for that," Blair whispered to her husband.

"You have to stop doing that thing when I have friends over," Charlotte demanded.

"It's called sex, Charlotte," Chuck added dryly.

"I know what it is," Charlotte stomped her foot in anger, "But it has to stop when I have friends over, or at the very least take it to your bedroom where it's sound proofed."

"Charlee, your father and I are two responsible, married adults, in a loving, committed relationship. When we are inside our own home, we will do as we please. If you have a problem with that, I suggest not bringing friends home," Blair stated calmly.

"This is so totally unfair!" Charlotte exclaimed as she turned around abruptly and stomped off to her room.

"That looks familiar," Chuck laughed as he watched their daughter imitate his wife almost to perfection, "And since when are you okay with others hearing our office activities? I seem to recall a certain someone once locking herself in our bedroom when a few of our guests overheard us."

"A seven year old boy asked me what screw meant as a result of one of those encounters," Blair stated defensively as she elbowed him lightly in the stomach, "That isn't something that a person forgets."

"I don't exactly recall hearing a complaint during the actual act," he chuckled.

"Chuck, be serious," Blair scolded him, "We have a serious issue here. You promised years ago that you would sound proof this room, yet you never have."

"This hasn't been an issue for nearly twenty years," Chuck laughed.

"Apparently it is now," Blair replied, "Charlotte likes having those soiree sleepovers like I used to have with her friends. We cannot deny her that."

"Perhaps when she has those soirees, you and I should reserve a room at one of the many hotels in our empire," he suggested.

"And who will we get to chaperone their activities?" Blair inquired, her eyes brightening a little at his reference of it being 'their empire'. She loved that he always kept it at the forefront of his thoughts that they shared everything. Never once had he ever slipped and mentioned that he was the single owner of anything. Even though he was technically her boss, they never fell into those roles unless it was one of the kinky games they were playing. He always made a point of assuring her that they were equals. "I'm not leaving teenage girls unattended. I trust Charlee. I don't necessarily trust all her little friends."

"That is what we have Dorota for, Beautiful," Chuck reminded her as he brushed the hair away from her neck, revealing that tantalizing nape that always left him weak in the knees.

"I suppose we have time to think about this," she sighed as his lips closed in on her neck, "Charlotte isn't due to have a soiree for a while."

"We have another problem now though," Chuck stated reluctantly. "Charlotte has her first boyfriend. I believe that is the dilemma that we need focus on. Did you see the gift on her wrist?"

"I think the bracelet is sweet," Blair smiled.

"Sweet is just wonderful," Chuck responded sarcastically. "If we're going to allow this relationship to take its course, there are going to be restrictions, lots of restrictions."

"If her first date was the benchmark, I'm not the least bit surprised. You have taken the protective father bit to an entirely new level," she chuckled, "But as long as you're allowing it, I'll support your restrictions."

"I still don't like this," he sighed.

"Duly noted, and nobody expects you to like this," she continued chuckling, "In fact if you did like this, I would probably would have to commit you because you would have completely lost your mind."

"Don't put away those asylum brochures just yet," he replied, "Charlotte dating may just end up being the straw that finally breaks me."

"You'll make it," she chuckled, "I'll make sure of that. I don't want to have to run all the way to the Ostroff Center every time I have an urge that only you are able to satisfy."

"I love you," he smiled as he began nuzzling her neck again in hopes that she would take it as her clue to begin distracting him.

"How about we move to the comforts of our soundproofed bedroom?" she suggested, "You promised me thorough remember."


After Blair had fallen asleep in his arms, Chuck slipped out of bed and donned his robe to look in on his children. Aiden was sound asleep with a book tucked under his chin that Chuck carefully removed as his kissed his son's forehead.

Brice was turning in his sleep as he usually did with Barty at the foot of his bed, oblivious to the continuous motion. Barty lifted his head to acknowledge Chuck before he returned to his slumber.

He was so proud of his boys. They had their moments where Chuck's most annoying traits came out in his boys, but they were happy and driven. He didn't worry about them the way most people probably had worried about him.

When he looked in on Charlotte, his heart began to ache at the realization that she truly wasn't his little girl anymore. She had turned in to a confident and beautiful young woman. That he hadn't dealt with young boys beating down his door until now had been a miracle. He had a feeling that Evan was going to be the first of many boys coming into their lives, and he was going to hate each and every one of them. His dilemma was going to come on that day in which she found the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to let go.

He felt Blair's arms come around his waist as she kissed his shoulder.

"She's so beautiful, Blair," he whispered softly, "Like her mother."

"She has her father in her too," Blair reminded him.

"It's going to be tough to let her go when we have to," Chuck admitted.

"We never have to let her go," Blair told him, "She's always going to be our daughter. That will never change."

"Our daughter," he repeated with a smile, "One of the four best things I've ever done."

"Come back to bed," she urged him out of the room.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," he promised her with a kiss her lips.

"I'm hauling you back to bed if you're not at my side in two minutes," she cautioned him.

"I'll be there," he assured her with one more kiss.

He watched Charlotte sleep for another minute before he stepped in and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Princess," he whispered softly.

"I love you too, Daddy," she mumbled as she turned over and returned to sleep.

He knew at that moment he would do whatever it took to keep his little girl safe and happy, even if he had to make a deal with the devil to do it.

TBC . . .