Chapter 9 – Bass Is Back
It was the end of May, summer was rapidly approaching on the Upper East Side and Blair was now a little over six months pregnant. She and Serena had just graduated from Constance Billard School for Girls, and since the pregnancy hadn't been planned, she continued to marvel over the fortunate timing. So what if she hadn't even applied to Yale, she knew she would have to hold off on that dream for a couple years.
The past few months had gone by in a whirlwind and each time Blair ticked off the days on her calendar, she realized how her August 21st due date was rapidly drawing near. Topping the list of events, along with the close to twelve years at Constance Billard, was the surprisingly mild public news of Blair's pregnancy. It had caused quite a buzz for a few days, but with final exams and preparing for graduation most people were too busy for rumors. The fact that Serena had gestured strangulation with her Hermes scarf upon seeing some freshman girls trying to take pictures of Blair, also helped the gossip to almost literally, die down completely. Now, all the girls had to do was enjoy their summer and the little bit of free time they had before the baby was born.
*****
"It really doesn't look bad, baby, I think you look cute." Serena stated as she held Blair from behind and they studied her reflection in the full length mirror of the dressing room. They had come to the store to buy a new wardrobe for Blair that would fit her growing belly, but Blair was just not having it.
"The fact that I had to go up like 30 sizes in clothing is not cute, Serena!" Blair shouted sarcastically, glaring at Serena through the mirror. Then, she broke loose from Serena's hold and began flinging different articles of clothing at her to hold. "Whatever you're holding is what I'm buying and then I'm not doing this again!"
Serena laid the items over her arm neatly and watched as Blair tore through her purse for a credit card. After half of the contents of the bag had spilled onto the dressing room floor, Blair finally found the credit card she was searching for tucked into her wallet, exactly where Serena knew it had been, but she dare not say anything.
Blair let out her breath in a huff and handed the card over to her girlfriend. "Will you just go buy these hideous clothes!? I'm going outside, it's too hot in here!"
"Yeah, B, I'll be out in a few minutes." Serena replied. She knew it was better to let Blair's icy remarks go because after a while her temper would pass, as it always did.
When Serena emerged with bags in hand, Blair was standing against the building with her back against the cool stone. Serena gave her a small smile, but Blair didn't even attempt to give her one back. "Do you want to walk through the park?" Serena asked her quietly.
"Fine…" Blair answered in a monotone voice, shrugging her shoulders.
"Okay…" Serena told her as she switched the shopping bags to her other hand and gently gripped Blair's fingers. "Come on."
They walked silently through Central Park for a while until they came to a bench in a secluded area. Serena sat down and set the bag on the ground next to her, and then looked up to see Blair still standing in front of her.
"Blair, what's wrong?" She asked, giving the brunette a curious look.
"Can I sit on your lap?" Blair questioned back, looking sad.
"Come here, B, you know you can…" Serena stated, holding her arms out to her girlfriend. Blair sat down across Serena's legs, and after a little adjusting, managed to put her feet up on the bench. "Feeling better, now?"
Blair's eyes were downcast when Serena had asked the question, but when she lifted her gaze Serena could see that they were shining with moisture. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, S…it's just that…I'm tired and hot, and my feet hurt…and…and those clothes are awful!" Blair finished shakily, as a couple tears dripped down her cheek.
"Aww, it's okay...shh, don't cry…" Serena whispered as she wrapped Blair in a hug and kissed her tears away.
"I can't help it!" Blair cried, hanging her head on Serena's shoulder.
"I know, it's alright…" Serena said soothingly. "Here, let me take your shoes off." Blair bent her knees, so Serena could reach her strappy sandals and undo the tiny buckles. She slid the shoes off and tenderly rubbed the red welts that the straps had left on Blair's swollen feet.
"No more high heels for you, sweetheart." Serena told her girlfriend while she ran her fingertips along her cheekbone, wiping a tear away. Blair just nodded wordlessly.
"Let's go home and take a nap, okay?" Serena stated, and then placed a light kiss on Blair's cheek.
"That sounds nice…" Blair mumbled.
"Mmm, I know, so let's get out of this park and into your bed for some snuggling." Serena whispered, placing her hand on the roundness of Blair's stomach.
The two made their way out of the park after Blair grudgingly put her sandals back on and made Serena promise to hail a cab. When they reached the street, Serena stepped to the curb and raised her hand, but then quickly put it back down, as she suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh! I forgot, I have to pick up some of my things from the apartment!" Serena said in an annoyed voice, hoping to convince Blair with her completely fabricated statement. She actually had forgotten all about how she was supposed to pick up the bracelet and charms she had secretly bought for Blair. It had been hard enough keeping her cell phone out of sight so Blair wasn't asking why Tiffany's had left a message stating her custom engraving was finished.
Blair rolled her eyes impatiently and sighed. "You have to do that now?"
"Well yeah, because I…um…I don't have any pajamas to wear tonight." Serena stated matter-of-factly.
"Pajamas?" Blair asked in a questioning voice as she arched her eyebrow. "When was the last time you slept in my bed wearing pajamas?"
"Um…"
"Never, because I usually have you naked or in lingerie, at the most." Blair said lowly, before Serena could even respond.
"That's what I meant…I got new lingerie! I wanted to show it to you!" Serena exclaimed with a bright smile.
Blair was still eyeing her suspiciously. "Alright…" She replied slowly and curiously, knowing the blonde was up to something. She was the master at cracking anyone's secret, but luckily for Serena she was too tired out to care.
"Oh, but don't worry, you can go home and get started on that nap we talked about, and then I'll sneak in and snuggle you up!" Serena said happily as she raised her hand again, hailing a cab before Blair had any time to disagree.
Blair threw the shopping bag across the seat of the cab and sat down, looking at Serena and shaking her head. "I guess I'll see you later…love you, S."
Serena bent down and placed a quick peck on Blair's lips, before giving the driver the address. "I'll be back in a while, love you too."
*****
As the taxi weaved in and out of traffic, Blair laid her head against the seat and smiled to herself. Serena was definitely up to something and since she had no idea what it was, it had to be something for her. The brunette turned her head to look at the passing store fronts, noticing the Godiva shop on the right.
"Sir, could you pull over here…thank you…" Blair stated, as she grabbed a few bills out of her purse and then handed them to the man. She could walk the rest of the way to the penthouse from this distance, and once she got her hands on her favorite European Truffles she could care less about her feet hurting. Godiva had been her weakness before the pregnancy, but now her cravings had increased ten-fold.
After finding her truffles, Blair swung the bag cheerily as she walked out of the shop, only to be shocked by the image of Chuck Bass standing before her. Her ninety days of peace had just ended.
"You!?" Blair spat at him.
"And you…I see Gossip Girl was right on the mark with her little inference about…" Chuck widened his eyes and gestured nonchalantly to Blair's obviously pregnant stomach. "…about that."
"You have no idea about this!" Blair hissed, placing her hand on the side of her belly.
"You're right…I have no idea about what you've become, I guess I was wrong when I said that no one would want you." Chuck drawled slowly, shaking his head as he looked her up and down.
Don't Chuck, you don't…you…" Blair stammered, trying to find words for a situation she had not been expecting to be thrown into.
That signature smirk spread across Chuck's face and he laughed quietly. "It's a sad day when Blair Waldorf can't form a proper insult, I can tell whoring it up with the entire Upper East Side has exhausted a few brain cells."
Chuck's words stung. Why couldn't she just have gone straight home, instead of stopping? Now, she was standing out on a sidewalk by herself being called a whore in public. "Chuck, I don't have to listen to this, I'm leaving." Blair told him, in as strong a voice as she could muster when actually, she was close to tears.
"That's fine, because nothing has changed in the past few months…you still disgust me, only now even more so." Chuck stated bluntly. "Oh and by the way, Waldorf, the truffles might not be the greatest choice." He laughed, pinching his cheek before walking past her.
Blair gasped a little and clenched the side of her tongue between her teeth to keep the tears that were threatening to fall at bay. She took a deep breath and kept biting down as she began to walk away, trying to forget what Chuck had said. The truffles were tossed into the first garbage can she passed and she made her way home as quickly as possible.
*****
"Thank you so much, these are perfect...she's going to love them!" Serena gushed, as she signed and finished paying for the jewelry.
The man behind the counter smiled and handed her the small blue bag. "Well, she certainly is a lucky girl!"
Serena accepted the bag and smiled back at him, before replying. "I think I'm the lucky one! Thanks again!" Then, she headed to her family's apartment to hide the pieces of jewelry high up in her closet, where she was sure Blair would never find them.
*****
As Blair stepped off the elevator, she could hear Dorota working in the kitchen. Eleanor was out and Blair was thankful for the opportunity to run up to her room without distractions. Once she entered her room, she silently closed the door behind her, so as to keep her presence unknown to Dorota. She cast her shopping bag and purse onto the floor, not caring when random items scattered over the carpeting, and marched into her bathroom.
The door clicked shut; Blair turned on the shower and then threw herself to her knees in front of the toilet. She knew she shouldn't be here, in this position. It had been months since she had even thought of doing this to herself and many more since she had actually gone through with it. Blair was breathing heavily and tears blurred her vision, as she rested her fingertips against the seam of her lips. The feeling made her think of Serena, the way the blonde would gently touch her lips before kissing her. This thought caused more teardrops to make their way over her lashes, but Blair told herself to keep thinking of Serena, of her daughter, of anything but him. She tried, but his words kept resounding in her mind over and over. Her teeth gritted together as she fought the different images swirling in her head and the urge to shove her fingers down her throat.
When Serena walked into Blair's room, she could immediately tell something wasn't right. Blair's clothes weren't lying around anywhere, but she could hear the shower running in the bathroom and a million stunned thoughts flickered through her mind as the realization hit her.
"Blair! No!" Serena yelled, throwing open the bathroom door and seeing the brunette sobbing with her fingers poised against her lips.
Before Blair could even look up, Serena was kneeling on the floor behind her, pulling Blair against her body and pressing her hand to her wet cheek. Serena held her face to the side of Blair's as tears escaped her own eyes. Finding her girlfriend in this situation held too many bad memories and emotions for her.
"What happened, B? What's wrong?" Serena whispered, her voice breaking.
Dark curls bounced when Blair shook her head indicating that she couldn't answer. Serena could feel Blair's body trembling while she made little gasping sounds as she tried to catch her breath.
"Please, get up…" Serena quietly pleaded, pulling Blair up to get her out of the bathroom and to distract her from what she had been going to do. They both stood and Blair turned around just in time to see a tear dribble down the side of Serena's nose. Blair gave her a sad look before starting to sob again and burying her face in Serena's neck.
"I-I didn't…I didn't, I'm sorry!" Blair cried.
Serena sniffed and pet her hair lightly. "I know you didn't, it's alright, just come and talk to me." She told Blair, picking up her hand and leading her out of the bathroom. The two lay down on their sides on the bed and soon the story was spilling from Blair's trembling lips.
"I saw Chuck… he, he called me a whore out on the street and gestured that I looked fat!" Blair exclaimed, her voice still choked with tears. "H-How am I ever going to tell him!? He will nev-never believe me, he's awful!"
Serena's eyes were still wet with tears, but flashed with anger after hearing about Chuck's comment. As much as she wanted to be mad, she knew that right now she needed to take care of Blair. Reaching out, Serena traced Blair's jaw and gently wiped away some of the moisture there.
"I'm so sorry, I promise we'll figure something out…" Serena stated. "But, please, the next time you even feel like doing that to yourself, call me…I don't want you to go back to that."
Blair closed her eyes, feeling ashamed that she had nearly reverted to the habit that had ruled her life years before. She felt Serena move closer and soon her head was lying on Serena's chest. "I'm sorry, S...I was just upset, I…"
"Shh, I know, I just want you to be happy, I don't want to see you hurt yourself." Serena murmured into Blair's hair. The brunette let out a shaky breath and pressed her face closer to Serena, finally settling down, but completely unaware that Chuck was about to wreak havoc on her life.
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