This is the longest chapter to date, and I'm guessing the longest chapter this story will end up having... Just a bit of trivia =)
As always, I'm very grateful to those of you who review. Your encouragement and comments mean a lot, so thank you!
Have a happy read!
One morning in October Blair woke up early in her old room at her mother's penthouse and had Dorota prepare a large breakfast. Thirty minutes after her alarm had gone off she was sitting in her mother's living room with a large collection of binders, folders, notepads and whatnot on the table, different selections of breakfast spread out on another table, and a whole crowd of people around her.
Camille was sorting through everything to make sure everything was in the correct order, Serena was half asleep in an armchair, Sophie was eating croissants like she had never seen food before, Amalia was going through the books from different photographers and the twins were eyeing a list of string quartets available. The newest two members of Blair's posse, Greta and Cassandra, just sat and looked on while Blair took her time finishing her breakfast.
"You!" Blair said, snapping her finger at Cassandra. "Newest recruit! Wake Serena up, it's time to get down to business. Sophie please stop eating those. They will go straight to your thighs."
Camille opened her ridiculously large calendar and fished out a rundown of everything they needed to cover.
"Okay, let's see…" she said. "Let's start with the reception. Given the short notice we weren't able to book any of the places you wanted Blair."
"Ugh, it's like they don't even know they're turning down the most important wedding of the decade" Blair griped.
"So it will be at the Empire then?" Serena said sleepily.
"I'm working on a different solution" Camille said. "And I haven't quite given up on all our first choices yet either."
"I thought you were fine with having it at the Empire" Serena said to Blair.
"I was. But then I realized Chuck probably wouldn't be able to just relax and enjoy the night. I may have to put up with him being all preoccupied with work during our marriage, but I'm not going to have him torn between work and me during the first hours of it."
"The priest has been booked…" Camille went on, ignoring the conversation between Blair and Serena. "I've scheduled for you and Mr. Bass to meet up with him in November to discuss the details."
"Isn't that what the rehearsal is for?" Sophie piped up.
Blair scoffed with annoyance and made a face that clearly signaled that Sophie's question was too stupid to be worthy of an answer.
"He does expect Mr. Bass to be a devoted catholic" Camille reminded Blair. "If I were you I would have him study up. I got him some study aid."
"Perfect" Blair smiled.
"You should take a glance at it too" Camille said. "You will be expected to raise your children catholic, so it would be a good idea if you appeared to know anything about those traditions."
"Dorota can fill me in" Blair said, shrugging a shoulder.
"I cannot believe you will be basically lying in front of God on your wedding day" Serena said with rolling eyes.
"We'll be lying in November" Blair corrected her. "Chuck may not be an actively practicing catholic, but he's not a complete atheist. And as a WASP, I at least believe in God. So who cares if I believe in the rest of the catholic stuff?"
"The catholic church" Serena nominated.
"Well they shouldn't have bothered building such great premises for weddings if they had a problem with everyone wanting to get married there" Blair snarled. "It's their own fault, really. Besides, I don't frown upon all the catholic traditions. A sip of wine in the middle of the ceremony might be just what my nerves need."
Serena just shook her head and the fairly religious twins looked very uncomfortable. Blair paid no attention to them and helped herself to some yogurt.
"Camille, what's next?"
"Next up is music. You've settled for a string quartet?"
"Yes. We're going with live music all the way, naturally. Twin A, have you found anything good in the band selection?"
"The best choices have been circled."
"Nice work Twin A. Twin B, what about the string quartets?"
"They're all good, Blair."
Blair snorted.
"Good isn't good enough. We want fabulous. Hand that list over to Serena, she'll do some proper research."
"I'll do some research" Serena echoed and wrote it down in the calendar Blair had given her for everything wedding related.
Twin B got up and handed the list to a yawning Serena, who cast a quick glance at it and put it aside for the moment. She thought to herself that one of these days she and Blair really needed to learn the names of the twins, and who was who.
"What about the bridal waltz?" Amalia asked. "What song will you be dancing to?"
"We haven't decided yet" Blair said. "Something… classic."
"I have a cousin who danced the bridal waltz to 'I Will Always Love You'" Greta said with an excited smile.
"Wonderful idea" Blair said with sarcasm. "Chuck and I can dance our first dance as husband and wife to a song that's about a relationship that's gone to hell. Is your cousin divorced yet?"
She made a mental note to talk to Chuck later about which song they would dance to. Then she grabbed her notepad and jotted it down there too. They had talked about it once, when they were dancing together in France at the surprise engagement party Harold and Roman, though mostly Roman, had thrown them on their last night there. The subject of their first dance as a married couple had come up, and Chuck had suggested "Moon River". Blair had liked the idea at first, but then rejected it as not having romantic enough lyrics. Nothing else concrete had been suggested and it was about time they took that discussion now.
"Do you want a soloist during the ceremony?" Camille asked.
"Naturally. Too bad we don't know anybody with a great singing voice. We'll have to hire someone."
"Cassandra has a pretty good singing voice" Greta offered.
"No thanks" Blair said.
"And have you decided on what songs should be sung?" Camille went on.
"I have a few ideas, but we can get into detail about that later. Amalia, you are now on soloist finding duty. Get me a good soprano, and maybe see if you can find a person to pluck a harp while you're at it."
"Is the guest list complete?" Camille asked.
"No not yet. But we're working on it."
"And do you have a toastmaster for the reception?"
Blair wrinkled her nose. She wasn't a big fan of toastmasters, but Camille had convinced her it would be a good idea.
"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Serena said, finally seeming to wake up in her chair. "Are you going to ask someone in the nearest circle of friends?"
"Oh God no" Blair said.
"But I thought…"
"I'm going to hire someone. I'm thinking an actor from the stage but haven't decided yet. See, if I hire someone then I can tell them exactly how I want the whole thing to be run, and not have to worry about hurting their wee emotions."
"Why don't you just serve as toastmadam yourself and cut out the middle man?" Serena asked, eyes rolling.
"Please Serena, don't be ridiculous."
"Moving on" Camille said, eyes fixed on the list she was going through. "Did you decide on what to engrave the rings with yet?"
"Yes, that's all taken care of."
"I don't have to ask about the wedding gown because I know your mother is working on the design" Camille said. "But you do need to decide on how many bridesmaids you want, and who they should be. Their dresses need to be in production soon too."
"I'm thinking five bridesmaids, though I haven't decided on all of them yet" Blair said, putting her breakfast away.
"What about Mr. Bass, is his wardrobe settled?"
"You would have to ask Chuck" Blair said.
"You can't provide a status report?" Serena asked. "Wow, I thought you would know every last detail about his wardrobe. Probably decide upon most of it."
"We decided to make a little play on the whole not-seeing-the-bride-in-her-dress thing and have both our outfits be a surprise to the other" Blair told her. "Naturally I've gotten my mother involved to make sure he doesn't dress in anything too… well, it is Chuck."
"You don't need to know the color and fabric" Serena pointed out. "Just whether or not he's having his suit tailored yet."
"Phone" Blair said and held out her hand.
One of the twins hurriedly picked up the phone sitting on the coffee table and Blair dialed Chuck's number.
"Hey Bass" she said when he answered. "About your wardrobe. I need a status report."
"My wardrobe?" his confused voice said on the other end. "Am I having it remodeled?"
"Your wardrobe for the wedding, stupid."
"Meeting with the tailor in two weeks."
"Thanks, that's all I needed. Oh, but keep your phone nearby. You might get some emergency calls."
"Rundown with Camille today?" he sighed.
"You should sound more excited. I didn't drag you along so you've been spared the most of it. Love you, bye." She hung up and handed the phone to Sophie who put it back in its place. "He's meeting with his tailor in two weeks."
"Good" Camille nodded. "His groomsmen should have their suits tailored soon as well. Next item on the list… The invitations. You need to write the outline for them and send them to the printers by… late October."
"I'm leaving that mostly up to my mother" Blair said. "Since she and Daddy will be hosting the reception it's them who technically send out the invites."
"Where were we on the caterer?" Camille asked.
"Chuck chose a menu and ordered it. I'll have him e-mail you with more details."
"What will you be serving?" Sophie asked.
"Actually I don't know" Blair admitted. "Like I said, Chuck handled that."
"Alright then, next item on the list is photographer" Camille said.
"We haven't booked one yet" Blair said. "Amalia has their books."
"Do you want the most expensive one, or the one with the best book?" Amalia asked.
"The best book, naturally" Blair said, growing more tired of her minions by the minute.
"Then it's this one, in my opinion" Amalia said and held up a book.
"Great. Leave all the books with Dorota, and Chuck and I will look through them tonight" Blair said.
"Then what was the point of me looking through them?" Amalia had to ask.
"I never said there was one. Moving right along."
"Your hair" Camille said.
"Booked the best hair dresser in New York" Sophie said. "The one you asked for, Blair. He wants to meet with you a week or so in advance to discuss the details."
"Good work" Blair acknowledged.
"Blair I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything," Serena said, "but this is pretty dull. Are we only here to go over some stupid list?"
"S, this is a crucial part of the wedding planning process" Blair insisted. "I'm sorry if you think it's dull, but this is important to me."
"Everything is important to you."
"Well it is my wedding, and in violation of Upper East Side tradition, I only plan on getting married once."
"How come the maid of honor has to be here but the groom gets a free pass?"
"Because he made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be here, and unlike you he's VIP, not staff, so he's got a choice" Blair said. "Besides, we might end up discussing things he as the groom shouldn't know. Like my dress, for example."
"Yes I'm sure your whole wedding will be ruined if he learns that Eleanor has begun to work on it" Serena said sarcastically.
"Floral arrangements" Camille continued, ignoring the discussion. "Bridal bouquet is under control, but how about centerpieces?"
"Still undecided" Sophie reported.
"Decide. Soon. Transportation?"
"Chuck's limo" Blair said with a sweet smile. "It will pick me up at the hair salon and drive me to St. Patrick's. Then it will pick up Chuck for whatever errands he has to run. And of course it will be our method of transportation during the rest of the day."
"A limo?" Serena questioned. "I always figured you wanted the horse and carriage thing for your wedding?"
"In December?"
"It's not like you haven't done crazier things."
"Well we don't want the limo to feel left out" Blair said.
"It's a vehicle, not a pet" Serena argued.
"To us it's kind of a toss-up."
"How will you be getting from home to the hair salon?" Camille demanded to know, completely uninterested in Serena and Blair's banter.
"How about Chuck's chopper, for dramatic effect" Serena suggested dryly.
"What is with all the negativity?" Blair asked. "We've got the whole transportation thing under control, Camille. And S, if you must know, the chopper is our emergency contingency plan in case of heavy traffic or other disasters. What's next?"
"Your honeymoon."
"Oh, exciting!" Sophie chirped.
"You'll have to ask the groom" Blair smiled. "He insisted on planning it himself. But it is the middle of winter, so I'm guessing something tropical."
"I don't really care where you're going" Camille pointed out. "I only care that it's being arranged in proper time."
"Phone" Blair said.
"My cousin honeymooned in Tombstone" Greta chimed in. "Her husband has a huge fetish for the wild west."
Blair gave her a disgusted look while she dialed Chuck's number, and silently wondered if Greta's cousin had the most doomed marriage of all time.
"Gotten stuck already?" Chuck's voice answered her call.
"Camille wants to know about the honeymoon."
"Nice try" he scoffed.
"Here, I'll let you talk to her" Blair said with a smile, and tossed the phone to Camille.
"You know, my mother has been married five times, and I still had no idea this much planning went into it" Serena said. "Either my mother has more faith in her wedding planners than you do, or you just take it to much greater extremes."
"This is my first wedding" Blair emphasized. "You can't put as much oomph into it the second, third, fourth and fifth time. It's not proper."
"And until Chuck dies, it's the only wedding you'll be able to have in a catholic church" Twin B piped up.
"Could you please not talk about my fiancé dying?" Blair said. "I have enough to stress over as it is."
"We know sweetie" Serena said. "Unwind. It would be good for your health."
"That's why I need this run-through" Blair said. "I can't unwind unless I know everything is going smoothly."
"How about after this we go out and find some proper spa service" Serena suggested. "Pedicures and massages, wouldn't that be great?"
"Sounds lovely" Amalia said.
"Too bad you're not invited" Blair said, wrinkling her nose. "Don't you have a soloist for our ceremony to find?"
Camille finished her debriefing of Chuck and tossed the phone back to Blair.
"Done sharing secrets with the hired help?" she said sweetly into the phone.
"How much are we paying this woman?" Chuck asked.
"Enough."
"Double it. She's a rock for putting up with all of this."
"Why do people keep talking like I've gone completely crazy?" Blair complained.
"You're passionate. Which is a good thing, but also something that can bring you and those around you ulcers. I've got to go, I'm having lunch with Eric in an hour and I'm in dire need of a shower. If there are any further emergencies, put them on hold. And remember, if you start experiencing sharp pain shooting up and down your left arm, that means it's time to grab a dictionary and look up the word 'easygoing'. Love you."
He hung up and Blair handed the phone over to Sophie who put it back in its place. She glanced at the clock on the wall and wondered why Eric always insisted on having lunch before noon.
"I trust you got what you needed" she said to Camille, who was making notes.
"I did" she confirmed.
"Do the plans sound promising?" Amalia wanted to know.
"It's Chuck" Serena said. "He's not going to settle for a week on Mallorca."
"We're almost done now" Camille said, looking up from her lists. "Two more things. First, printables. We've talked about what you're going to have, but have they been put into motion? Fonts, text, shades, the works?"
"No" Blair said. "I asked Twin A to get me some samples for inspiration but so far I haven't gotten any."
Twin A blushed and turned away from Blair's sharp, disapproving eyes.
"I think my mother still has a catalogue for printables, or something like that" Serena said. "You could start by looking there."
"Thanks S. Twin A, if I were you I would get to work. What's the point of having minions if they won't do the leg work? I knew I should have outsourced as much as possible to Dorota… You know what? Twin A, forget about it. I will let Dorota handle it."
"Get back to me on this as soon as you can" Camille said. "Last item then… The rehearsal dinner."
"Talk to Lily, she's offered to arrange it for us" Blair said. "Which is a blessing, because frankly it's enough hassle to plan the reception."
"I need a phone number for her then" Camille said.
Serena jotted down her mother's phone number and passed it along to Camille. Blair got up from her seat and brushed a few crumbs off her skirt, the members of her posse rising as soon as she did.
"So we're done then?" Blair concluded.
"For today at least" Camille said. "I'll e-mail you with a reminder of everything I want you to get back to me on."
"Fabulous. Camille, you are a rock. Maybe I should add you to my crew instead of all these morons. Morons, you all have your assignments, consider yourselves dismissed."
Trying to hide a smile Serena got up, yawned and stretched. She followed Blair towards the elevators, looking forward to a nice massage and getting to discuss her own stuff for a while. She had an unspoken agreement with Blair by now, that after spending hands-on time with something wedding related, all wedding talk would be banned for at least a couple of hours. Surprisingly enough Blair had honored the agreement every time.
"Let's go B" she said, grabbing her coat. "My feet need new nail polish."
"It scares me that you're dating a guy with a foot fetish" Blair sighed.
-
After the spa treatments with Serena Blair headed to the Empire, where she found Chuck playing his latest computer game on his laptop. He looked up when she came in and quit the game. He was losing anyway.
"Hey you" he said.
"Hi yourself."
"Come here. You smell like cinnamon. Why?"
"Serena and I tried out the latest in the world of spa" she said, moved the laptop aside and sat down on his lap. "Unfortunately, my feet don't match the rest of me, 'cause they smell like orange."
"What does that make you? Eclectic?"
"How was lunch with Eric?"
"Satiating. How was the meeting with Camille?"
"Productive."
"Hand me the laptop Waldorf, let me show you something."
She reached for the computer and he placed it on her lap, struggling to write on the keyboard from the angle he ended up with. After a bit of trouble he managed to access his e-mail account and opened something he had received earlier that day.
"I thought you might like to see this… The reporter from the Times sent me a copy of the interview, before it goes to the printer. Officially, so that we can see it first. Unofficially, so we can shriek loudly now if there's something we disapprove of, rather than after it's been printed and sold."
The first thing that caught her eye was that the word "socialite" had vanished from the headline. She smiled slightly. At least this couldn't be completely hopeless.
He let her take her time reading it, gently stroking her back while she did. He had already read it and had no problems with it. She made a few comments here and there, but there was nothing she deemed horrible.
"I really don't get why it focuses on you more than me" she said with a frown once she had gotten to the end.
"Well maybe if your mother had died and you had inherited her legacy, they would have focused on you."
"Just the fact that I am Eleanor Waldorf's daughter should be enough to merit focus" she replied.
"Just be glad they're not writing you as a sweet ornament" he said. "I hate those 'behind every great man…' stories."
"When did you say that we are building our business empire?" she asked. "I don't remember that."
"I probably said it while you were on the phone with Camille. I've told you before, once we're married everything we do business-wise will be ours, together."
"I must say, you did good Bass…" she said, closing the window with the article. "Your father would be proud to read an article where you represent yourself this way. And you didn't even say 'because I'm Chuck Bass' once while they were interviewing us."
"I want to create a better reputation for myself. Perhaps it is time for me to drop the Chuck Bass thing altogether. Start calling myself Charles instead."
"Geez Bass, can't you wait until thirty before you turn mega-grownup?"
"I guess not. I'm only twenty-one and I'm getting married."
She opened the document with the article again and read through it once more. He noticed a frown appearing on her face.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just… This whole 'we're building this business empire together' thing is endearing, but perhaps you shouldn't put so much emphasis on it being something we're doing together. Because it isn't. I don't want credit for your hard work."
"First of all it's not like I get no help from you. Second, I wouldn't even have set out on my own if it wasn't for you."
"But that's not the same thing as us doing it together" she objected. "Don't get me wrong, I love getting credit, and I love basking in your triumph… But I think you're selling yourself short giving me this much credit."
"Well, once you have your college degree you'll be joining me at the Bass Empire, which by the way is what I've decided to call my own company."
"Because of the hotel? I like it. But who says I'm going to come work with you when I've graduated?"
He looked a bit taken aback.
"Who says you're not? I'm longing for the day when we're officially working together, side by side."
"But what if that's not what I want?" she asked, frowning deeper.
"I'm sorry, where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
"Where is this coming from? When have we ever discussed my future post-college? I don't remember pinky-swearing that we'd work together."
He looked at her, at a loss for words. She put aside the laptop and got up from his lap, taking a few steps away from him. He rose and tried to arrange his thoughts into something coherent he could voice.
"I thought that was the plan" he said. "You and me, the ultimate power couple. We'd rule Manhattan if we put our minds together and worked as a team."
"I know we would. But maybe that's not what I want."
"Please, power is like oxygen to you."
"Maybe I want to go work for someone else. Or start out on my own, like you did."
"Okay fine, start out on your own. You can have your own… franchise within the company, or a subsidiary."
"How is that branching out on my own?"
"Why wouldn't you want to be a part of the Bass business if you are a Bass?" he retorted. "Why is working at my company so awful?"
"You stepped out of your father's shadow and started something on your own. If I want to do the same, can you really blame me? I mean, I don't have any plans on doing that at the moment but who knows how I'll feel once I've graduated?"
"Hopefully you'll feel like working where you belong."
"How do you know that this is where I belong?" she asked. "I love you, but I don't want to have to work with you."
"I would have thought you'd rather work with me than possibly against me" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Maybe it doesn't have to be about you" she retorted. "For once in my life I like not knowing what I'm going to do for a living. Figuratively speaking of course, since I don't need to work for a living. But I like knowing I have options. I'm not saying I can't imagine coming to work with you but I sure as hell want to have a choice."
"One of the reasons I'm giving you half of the hotel is because I thought we would be in this together."
"You're not giving me half, you're giving me 49%. And I told you before, you don't have to do that. I won't freak if you decide to change your mind, and if it comes with strings then I really don't want it."
"No, it doesn't come with strings" he sighed. "And it's yours no matter what. But we're supposed to be a unit."
"Lots of couples work for different companies. In fact, nearly all couples do. I might work for someone else for a few years and stand on my own two feet, and then join you later on. So long as you know you have my full support with your business, does it really matter if I work side by side with you or not?"
"It does, actually."
She sighed and groaned with frustration. It had been a long day, and the relaxation she had felt after the spa treatment had already worn off completely.
"You said you don't like the whole 'behind every powerful man' thing, so why can't you be supportive if I choose to work elsewhere?" she asked.
"I never said I wouldn't support you. But I would be incredibly disappointed."
"So supportive, but with a touch of emotional blackmail? The foundation for every successful marriage."
"You can't blame me for being disappointed if my partner doesn't want to be my partner in every field."
"Is this argument really worth having?" she sighed. "It has been a very long day, and quite frankly it's pointless to discuss."
"That's what you always say when you have no intention of listening to a damn thing I say" he snarled.
"No. It's pointless because I might end up working with you right away after graduation, in which case this argument will have been all for nothing. And if I don't, what can you really do about it?"
"That's not how things will work once we're married. We can't do things just based on what serves ourselves best. We need to consider the other's standpoint."
"I don't see you considering mine."
"I haven't exactly told you I forbid you from working for anyone but me."
"Probably because you know you can't."
"Oh that's nice. Thanks for thinking so highly of me."
"I can't have this fight right now" she sighed. "I just can't believe the man I'm marrying would go bonkers if I didn't want to work for his precious company. You got to decide for yourself so why can't I?"
"Fine" he said. "Go work for whoever the hell you want. Let me e-mail you a rundown of my largest competitors, you can send them your CV."
"Real mature. You know I wouldn't go work for any of them."
"I'm not sure I'd put it past you."
Her face fell and he regretted having said that. He knew fully well she would never do anything to threaten his business. But he was angry and kind of hurt, and he was too damn tired of her wedding antics and her refusal to sleep with him, and part of him felt she deserved to feel rejected too.
"If you'll excuse me" she said, walking past him towards the door. "I apparently have a CV to compile."
He said nothing, and sunk back down on the couch when he heard the door slam. He lifted his right hand to his face and began to rub his temples slowly. Why the hell did she have to be the only person he knew who could match him in stubbornness?
-
Later that evening he went down to Gimlet to speak to Horace about some recent issues, and was surprised to find her sitting by the bar. He walked over and took a seat on the empty barstool next to hers.
"Having drinks on the house?" he asked.
"No. Unlike you I actually pay for stuff here."
"For no good reason."
"I know this may sound hard to believe, but there are times when I like to feel like I've earned what I enjoy."
"And you feel like you wouldn't have earned anything if you came to work with me?" he asked gently.
"I told you, I wouldn't mind working with you. What I mind is feeling the obligation to do so. There are a lot of things I could learn from working for someone else."
"Industrial espionage for instance."
"Shut up, I'm serious."
"I know you are. But I am disappointed to hear you're considering making use of that college degree elsewhere. I like working with you. I've been looking forward to climbing to the very top with you."
"Do you have to do that before we're thirty?" she asked.
"Damn straight I do. Anyone can be successful with enough time on their hands; it's reaching the top in a short amount of time that is the true achievement. I could do that without you, but it wouldn't be the same. But if you want to work for someone else then I promise I won't throw too big a tantrum over it. So long as you head off to work every day knowing that I miss you by my side."
"Can't we just put this on hold, and cross that bridge if we do get there?" she suggested, feeling incredibly tired.
"I guess we can."
She gave him a halfhearted, tired smile. He glanced at her drink and decided the glass was too full. He grabbed it and downed it quickly.
"Hey!" she objected.
"Come on partner" he said, getting down from the stool and offering her a hand. "If I can't have make up sex then I at least demand make up make out."
"So long as you remember, hands where I can see them" she said, and took his hand.
"Yeah, yeah… We can discuss it in the elevator."
She sighed and followed him through the bar towards the elevators. Truthfully all she wanted to do was crawl underneath the covers and go to sleep, but perhaps some PG-13 quality time would be the only decent way to put an end to this far too long day.
"Something I've been meaning to ask… Should our safety word for sex double as our safety word for making out, now that you refuse to put out?" he asked as they waited for the elevator.
She smiled slightly. Their sexual safety word, or rather her sexual safety word, was "discount", since that was a word Chuck knew Blair would never feel compelled to say otherwise, and there really wasn't anything she could do that would merit him needing one.
"I think this situation deserves its own safety word" she said as they stepped inside the elevator. "How about 'wedding planning'? At the moment, those two words are definitely going to make me lose wood…"
... And that's probably the most drama you'll get out of this series. There won't be any "will they cancel the wedding?" scenarios, and I want to keep it more on the light side overall. But I figured you can't chronicle an engagement without including at least one argument ;)
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review.