Title: Bringing Up Baby

Author: Isabelle

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl and Chuck Bass is not locked in my closet. But Blair might be ;)

Spoilers: Post 2.16. After avoiding one another, Chuck and Blair arrive at the Van der Bass home to find a small child left for the Bass family. This follows the first 48 hrs of C and B adjusting to having a small child to care for and realizing they're anything but over one another.

A/N –A special thank you to Tati, my always faithful beta *kiss*

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(Chapter 10)

Saturday, 5pm

It was the sound of Chuck's buzzing phone that woke them. He rolled over and shifted the baby so that he was snuggled to Blair's side, then grabbed the call.

"Hello?" He asked in a muffled and tired voice.

Richie whimpered and burrowed closer to Blair as she pulled the sheet over them, keeping them warm.

"Hold on," Chuck stood slowly from the bed, and Blair blinked lazily at him.

"Chuck?" She asked, slightly out of it.

"It's Mike. Let me take this," he said, and she watched as he padded out of the room.

She tried to go back to sleep but she was acutely aware that he was no longer beside her, so she lay there, unconsciously making circles on the baby's warm body. She began to have a sudden fear. A fear that his father would be just perfect and would miss his little boy; would be ecstatic to have him back, and they would have to give the baby back. Suddenly, she didn't want to be babysitting anymore.

Those were the thoughts and feelings that Chuck brought out in her, she was sure. Yet as the little warm body next to her sighed and shifted, she realized that Blair Waldorf wanted a family. She wanted to create her own family, be an attentive mother, school her daughter in proper society manners, encourage gentlemanly behavior in her son, have a loving husband whose ties she would pick and match with her headbands.

She was in the midst of the perfect fantasy when Chuck reentered the room and slowly slid back into bed. His feet were bare and cold and bumped slightly against hers, making her shiver.

He was silent, and Blair could see his jaw working on the semi-darkness. She didn't know what to say or do, so she rubbed her foot against his in encouragement. He shifted and turned to look at her, giving her a slight smile.

"Mike checked out the dad…" He was quiet again.

"Good guy?" Blair guessed, though she hardly wanted to believe the words herself.

Chuck blinked and nodded slightly.

Blair held the baby tighter against her form. "How do we know for sure?"

"Mike's the best there is. Guy's clean. Works overtime at a factory out in Pittsburgh to put food on the table, has three other kids…" Chuck gulped. "Normal guy."

In her mind, she thought that they could take better care of the baby. Give him all he ever wanted, send him to the best schools, have him travel the world, dine with Vanderbilts. One day he'd be grateful that they took him in and didn't leave him to grow up in the slums of Pittsburg.

"But…"

"We can't keep him, Blair," he cut her off.

She closed her mouth and willed herself to be ok with it, but she wasn't. She was most especially not happy with the fact that he had said 'we,' because last time she checked, there was no 'we'.

"He's flying in tomorrow. We'll have the baby ready."

Blair sat up slowly, waking Richie up, blinking up at them. Blair quickly went to the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind her in case Chuck got any ideas about coming after her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and decided the only way around this was to dab her face with a cold washcloth.

Chuck stared at the closed door for a moment, but his attention soon focused on Richie pulling slightly on his sleeve and, without preamble, climbing on his lap. Chuck picked the baby up without hesitation this time, maybe because no one was looking at him, held the baby closer and rocked him slightly. His father, to his knowledge, had never done it, but now he wished he had. Of course that was how Blair caught him: holding the baby.

She stared at him and walked slowly towards him. His eyes studied her in the semi-darkness as she bent down and slowly placed a kiss on his forehead. Chuck closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. She was so amazingly perfect.

"C'mon… I'm hungry," she said softly. Richie blinked sleepily at her, watching her from Chuck's arms. "You're daddy is coming soon, baby. Isn't that good?"

Chuck watched as she put on her brave-Blair face.

This peaked Richie's excitement as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Daddy?"

Chuck and Blair shared a knowing look and then walked on to the dining room. Of course, they found Serena and Dan in one of their 'we're so angsty' conversations that seemed to overwhelm their teen relationship.

Dan looked over at Chuck, who carried Richie as the baby laid his head on Chuck's shoulder, sucking his thumb.

"Oh, you're awake!" Serena stood, coming around the table.

"Is that a baby?" Dan asked, clearly confused and now concerned about the well being of the child.

"Yes, don't they have those in Brooklyn?" Blair snapped, and Chuck smirked.

"We've been known to procreate, yes," Dan said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Like roaches," Chuck muttered under his breath, making Blair hide a smile and Serena glare at them.

"Hilda left us dinner. She went home saying she was dead tired," Serena explained looking over at Richie who peeked back at her.

"Oh, good. I'm starving," Blair replied and walked around Dan as if he didn't exist.

"Who in their right mind left you two in charge of a baby?" Dan demanded.

"Shhh," Richie told Dan, who looked downright baffled.

Chuck's smirk widened as he hefted Richie higher. "You heard the kid."

Dan blinked at Serena. "Where did they get a kid?"

"Someone dropped him off in a basket," she said airily.

"A-are you serious?" He asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, then he peed on my bed," Serena sighed.

Dan blanched at her. "W-what? We were just there!"

"Oh, it's fine – Hilda changed the sheets."

Dan looked thoroughly disgusted with life.

Serena let out a laugh, remembering the earlier morning. "And then I thought Nate had peed on the bed."

Dan gaped at her. "What? Why was Nate in your bed?"

"Oh, we slept together last night."

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Chuck sat the baby on the counter in the kitchen and watched as Blair pulled back the foil paper on the casserole dish on the stove.

"Lasagna!" She cried delightedly.

Chuck's mouth watered. Hilda made the very best lasagna, there was no denying it.

"She's too good to us," he murmured, and Richie, smelling the food, craned his little neck to look over Blair's shoulder. He whined at Chuck, pointing to the food.

"Blair, I think he wants some, too," he commented.

Blair glanced at Richie, who was looking hopefully at the lasagna with wide hazel eyes and mussed hair.

"No, baby – you can't. You have your own food."

Richie whined louder when Blair began to serve herself and Chuck in large white plates. Chuck stuffed the pacifier back into his mouth, and Richie promptly pulled it out and handed it back to him, filled with drool. Chuck grimaced and set it on the counter.

"No, no," Richie told him.

"He wants food," Chuck said.

"He's had food."

"He's hungry again."

"Let's eat first, ok? I'm starved," she gave in, and Chuck winked at the baby, though the baby didn't know why.

Once they were sitting on the table with the baby on Chuck's lap, the baby started crying immediately when he was denied 'big-boy' food.

"Just a little, Blair – c'mon. I'm deaf in this ear already –"

"Fine. If he chokes, I'm blaming it on you," she snapped. She scooted her chair closer and, mashed some of the lasagna on the side of her plate, scooping it up with a spoon. Richie watched with wide, happy eyes as the spoon came his way. He quickly opened his mouth and savored the food, making contented noises.

Richie turned after this third bite and gave Chuck a happy smile. "She caved, did she?"

"Stop talking to him as if I'm not here," Blair snapped.

"It's called male-bonding," Chuck explained.

"I can bond, too," Blair protested. "And how come I'm the bad guy?"

"You're not the bad guy," Chuck said, wiping Richie's face free of red sauce as the baby munched on his new favorite food. "It's just a guy thing."

She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her food when Serena stormed in.

"We broke up," Serena announced as she made it to the kitchen, scooping a huge chunk of lasagna and plopping it on a plate.

"Uh oh!" Richie said, watching her.

Chuck and Blair exchanged looks. "Is it serious this time?" Blair asked tentatively.

"I mean, Nate and I have nothing – nothing – going on!" Serena fumed, and Chuck smirked, leaning back as Richie eyed what was left on his little plate compared to Blair's. He sensed unfairness.

"Where did this come from?" Blair asked, confused.

"Because of last night," Serena blew her hair out of her face as she sat down, popping a diet coke open. Richie's eyes zoomed in on Serena's plate and once more compared it to his.

"What exactly happened last night?" Chuck asked.

"Nothing – we were just having fun. He's having a bit of a problem with Vanessa, and I, wanting to be a good friend, said we should hang –"

"And you're such a good friend," Chuck's smirk widened. Cheshire-like.

Serena glared at him. "You would give your left ball for me to break up for good with Dan, wouldn't you?"

Chuck blanched slightly. "Let's not be hasty."

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Saturday, 6pm

"How do you know he'd like this?" Blair asked, setting Richie down next to Chuck as he sat before the piano.

"All well-raised gentlemen know how to play the piano."

"He's one. He'll bang on the piano, and you'll have to get it tuned again," she informed him.

"So?" Chuck asked casually and picked up the baby, setting him on his lap. Blair slid in next to him and pressed some of the keys. When they were younger, they would play together while Serena and Nate danced around and complained about their taste in music.

He smiled at her slightly, those rare smiles he threw out when he didn't notice, as they began to play the piano in sync.

"Remember that time when we put a mini-concert on for Bart and your parents?" He asked her. Blair remembered both Eleanor and Bart had stood up during their performance to answer their phone, but still congratulated them on their skills. They were eight at the time. She wore a huge pink bow on her hair, and he matched her with a white and pink polka-dot bowtie.

"Yes, we were wonderful," she nodded, keeping up with his swift hands as Richie watched the keys and listened to their noise.

"It's going to be different, you know," he said quietly, his eyes on the keys as she watched his profile.

"What is?" She asked quietly, her eyes not even on her hands, simply remembering their flow.

"When we have our kids…"

Her throat went dry. Her eyes went wide and they locked on his. He looked just as stunned as she felt. She couldn't speak even if she wanted to. She was still so emotionally sore from their last meeting that tears, unbidden, came to her eyes.

"Blair –"

She didn't let him ruin the moment, and instead captured his lips in hers, sinking her hands into his hair. He eagerly responded, his own tongue quickly finding a home inside her mouth, moaning into her.

They pulled back momentarily, their foreheads pressed against each other as they panted.

"You taste like pasta," he murmured, still hazy and buzzing from the feeling of finally kissing her again. Since their kiss in the park, he had been craving her the way he did when he had first had her. Craving her like he needed air.

"No," Richie protested, staring up at them, indignant at having no attention paid to him at all.

"I want you now, Bass." And those were the only words he needed to hear. Quickly he stood up, taking Richie with him and stalked back to Serena's room. His step sister blinked at him, confused, as he entered with the baby and plopped it down on her bed.

"Watch him," he said tersely.

"What? No!" Serena cried as he opened his mouth to cry out at being dumped on the bed unceremoniously.

"Please!" Chuck pleaded, shifting, and Serena's eyes widened when she saw the erection he was trying to hide.

"Oh no," she mumbled, covering her eyes. "I didn't see that. I just didn't. It was an optical illusion."

"C'mon! It's been a while –"

"Get out! I can't look at you – this is just gross!"

"Thank you, I owe you."

"LEAVE!"

Richie wailed, Chuck sped out, nearly tripping on the stack of magazines on the floor.

He hadn't even made it to the middle of the living room before Blair was already on him, fiery little thing that she was.

His small hands dug into his hair, yanking it gently but full of fire and need.

"Chuck…"

"Fuck, Blair." And his hands were on her ass, lifting her up. She yelped, surprised but content, as she moaned against his mouth and pushed him back, stumbling back into his bedroom.

Before he knew it, they were on his bed, which smelled like a baby but he didn't care, all he cared was that Blair Waldorf was once more on top of him, grinding her hips against him and arousing him more than any woman ever had.

"Smells like Richie," she murmured as his lips attached themselves to her neck.

"Don't think about the kid," he pleaded.

"Who did you leave him with?" She breathed.

"Serena." He latched on to her ear. She squirmed and moaned against him, grasping his hair even tighter.

"Who?" She said distractedly as his hand found itself under her blouse.

"Serena. Stop talking," he begged.

"She doesn't know anything about babies!" Blair pulled back indignantly.

He lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling and wondering if all of his previous evil deeds were being paid back at this moment.

"Neither did we, and we didn't have much trouble."

"We're smart," she pointed out.

He pondered this, and she peered down at him, his brows slightly furrowed. He looked downright handsome.

"You're right, she's liable to kill him," he agreed, and they both scrambled off the bed, fixing their clothing as they made their way to the door. Before they reached it, Blair turned around and grabbed his face, grinding her pelvis against and kissing him fiercely.

She pulled back, and they were both panting and staring at one another.

"I love you," he murmured, and she froze – feeling like she couldn't breathe.

There. He'd said it. Not as a mistake, but because that was honestly how he felt at that moment. Seeing her hair disheveled, her lips swollen, her eyes glazed, her perfect little body fitting so very well against him – that is how he felt.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to say it –" he began, still confused as to what this meant for them. Where did this place them? How should they act? He didn't know – he was lost completely.

And she was kissing him again. Forget the baby. Serena would just have to handle it. Let her call Eric or Nate for assistance. They needed this. Badly. They hadn't had sex in over a year. You can only be away from someone you love for that long before you just burst.

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Saturday, 7pm

She shifted in the bed and sighed contently, running the palm of her hand over the hairs on his chest.

"It's been 24 hours," she said softly, and she shivered slightly as he traced her spine with his fingers.

"Hmm?" He asked, still too satisfied to have any sort of thought, especially when her warm body was molded against his, her legs tangled in his. He couldn't believe this was what he had been so very deathly afraid of. This feeling of complete and utter contentment. Knowing that someone out there loved you more than any other person and the feeling was returned. He'd been a fool. Any person in their right mind should never run away from this. This was perfection. If the choice were his, he wouldn't move for a month. Just lay there contentedly.

"Twenty-four hours since I got on that elevator." She was looking at the clock on his nightstand.

He shifted slightly to look at the direction she indicated.

"Has it?" He murmured.

She nodded in the crook of his arm, snuggled into the warmth, and blew out.

His hand lazily rubbed her scalp, making her tighten her arm around his chest. "Let's take it slow this time. Do it right," she asked of him.

He smiled and looking down at her. She was staring at him with amusement. He reached forward and kissed her, gently sucking on her lower lip. She really did have fabulous lips, well-formed and slightly pouty.

"I like this idea. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius," he said, and she laughed gently, pressing her forehead to his.

A harsh knock interrupted their lovely reunion and his eyes narrowed at the door.

"I know you two are done, I can't handle him anymore!"

Serena. And a crying Richie.

Blair sighed and slowly extracted herself from Chuck's reluctant arms. "Let her suffer a bit longer," he pleaded.

She turned and threw him a smile. "You're so very bad to your poor sister."

"She owes me," he defended.

"I know." And she pecked him again.

"I can hear the smacking!" Serena bellowed from the other side of the door.

Blair chuckled and grabbed Chuck's discarded shirt, throwing it over her frame and walking towards the door.

"You look fucking hot with my clothes on. Have I told you?" He asked as he lounged on the bed. He wasn't moving an inch. The sheet barely covered his bare hipbone, his arm pillowing his head. She glanced back at him and scowled.

"Put something on!" She hissed.

"No, that kid's too young to give a damn."

"Serena's here!" She snapped.

"She's welcomed to join us," he smirked.

She glared even harder and yanked the door opened to reveal a disheveled Serena, holding the sobbing Richie away from her body. When the baby spotted Blair, he instantly let out a loud wail.

"Mama!" He cried, lurching for her.

Serena huffed, and Blair picked up the baby, rocking him against her as his cries subsided.

"What did you do to him?" Blair asked worriedly.

"Oh, you mean aside from attempting to cover his ears, so he didn't hear you two moaning and crying out each other's names?" Serena snapped, her hair frazzled and decomposed.

"We weren't that loud!" Blair defended, very scandalized. They hadn't been loud.

"Don't be offended, sis. I know the most you've screamed in bed is when Humphrey accidentally used the wrong hole," Chuck smirked as he lay in bed, enjoying his sister's frazzled nerves.

"Chuck!" Blair chided, and Serena screamed, covering her ears. Richie giggled.

"Blair Cornelia Waldorf!"

All three parties froze as out of the elevator stepped Eleanor Waldorf, with Cyrus trailing in behind her.

His mother's eyes zoomed in upstairs, and she swore she never saw her mother's eyes widen as much as they did when they caught her in Chuck's shirt and a baby in hand.

"Yeah, I have to go do something," Serena said, turning sharply towards her room.

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To be continued

AN - Apologies first of all because I know this is late. It's been one of those weeks at work when my mental capacity has been used 100%. The good news is that I'm off from work starting Tuesday and I wish to finish this fic before the new episodes begin. So hopefully I will be able to provide you with much more frequent updates :)