A/N: Thank you for all your reviews and comments! I'm so glad you're all okay with it. The comments are heating up regarding Georgina…HAHA. Oh trust me, you're just gonna hate her even more as the story progresses.
I always figured that G's someone who wouldn't exactly like B, the all time best friend of S, the girl she's trying so hard to ruin because S didn't want to be friends with her anymore.
I just thought she'd have that specific kind of resentment against B and I sort of wanted to use that. G's the devil of S, B's the one who sobers her up and G doesn't want S sobered up so she hates B for always trying to take S away from her like that. Iono, it's how I picture it. Kind of a psychotic, friendship triangle. : P
Okay enough analysis.
Enjoy this chapter. It'll be my last until I'm able to watch the next episode which is like...later. (Cant wait!) :D
Sorry. Haha.
Daniel Humphrey was a typical guy.
Typical guys liked normalcy, they liked things to be serene and non-turbulent, and they liked things settled. Typical guys did not like arguing with their girlfriends, did not like arguing with their newly bitched-up sisters, did not like feeling as if they didn't know who said girlfriend and sister have become – or are slowly becoming -. Typical guys did not like guys like Chuck Bass hovering all over their girlfriends, because even though he got himself his own girlfriend, guys like Chuck Bass would not give much meaning to something as serious as a relationship, therefore they could still do anything they wanted.
Chuck Bass was not a typical guy.
And apparently, Chuck Bass was the man Serena, his girlfriend, was running to these days, much Dan's great disapproval – and jealously -.
He didn't trust the guy. Period.
And yes, he sort of felt jealous that Serena would run to him in her time of need, instead of him.
Seriously. What was going on with that girl lately?
He, typical Brooklyn guy, wanted normalcy to return.
Everything had been okay. Great, even. And then, Chuck came along, after ruining things with Blair and then deciding to slowly ruin things between him and Serena.
He knew there was something she was hiding. Quite the obvious to a keen eye, really. But she could trust him, completely. He would never turn her away. But no, she just had to not take the SAT's, and the run off into Chuck's arms. God, she had even cut him out. That hurt. Beyond anything, really.
And that was why he was out here by the park, early morning, just gazing at the lake, the beautiful sky, all of nature's beauties he could see before him, trying to calm himself, trying to just block everything that was currently happening and just trying to get some sense of control.
Some sense of normalcy…
He found it quite a wonder that while everyone's lives were slowly becoming chaotic, the sun still rose up and the earth still spun, unbothered and tranquil.
His short lived peace was suddenly interrupted by an incoming Labrador dog running after it's ball. He immediately got up and helped the dog catch it's little ball.
"Oh! There you go, buddy!" He always did have a knack for dogs.
A girl, the dog's owner he assumed, came running after her dog. "Ooh." She said in a reprimanding tone, "Georgie... Hey! Bad boy…" And then she quickly leashed her dog so she could better control it, just in case it decided to disturb someone else's peace.
She finally looked up to him, big, wide, cerulean eyes catching him off-guard.
"I'm sorry he disturbed you."
"Uhm…It's fine, I love dogs." Dan replied easily.
"Really? Do you have any?"
"No…Uhm, we used to have a cat." And then he just started being his old babbling self. "You know, sister. Allergies. Then the cat, Iggy. Lives at Fort with my Grandma. Doesn't write. Never calls." Oh wow, he could go on and on.
The stranger just laughed on at his little story-babble. Cute. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's just a cat." Dan said finally getting to his senses that he was babbling to a stranger.
There was an awkward silence for a second. Until, "I'm Sarah." The girl introduced.
"Dan. Nice to meet you, Sarah." He said pleasantly as he shook her hand.
Georgina Sparks smiled charmingly in return.
So this was Serena's new boy toy. He was kind of cute. Very gullible, she added. The game was so on.
And Serena would sweetly pay for throwing her out of her new perfect life once again. No one just throws her out like a piece of trash.
She'd show that blonde bitch who she really was messing with.
Oh boy this day was going to be lovely.
"So what brings you to New York?" Dan asked as he and 'Sarah' now strolled along Central Park.
He'd found she was easy to talk to, very open-minded and cool about almost everything. It was refreshing and he found he needed a new friend like her to talk to, someone new and open and not from the Upper East Side. Things there were just too complicated and he just wanted to take a break from it all.
"My sister."
That quirked his eyebrow and his interest. "Sister? What's up with your sister? Something happened?"
She took a moment to gather her thoughts; Dan could see she looked kind of conflicted, lost even. He wondered why that was.
"She has a heart condition."
And he wondered why no more.
To say that he was shocked beyond all words was an understatement. Sympathy overflowed within him for this girl, who was practically lost in this city, a newcomer, fleeing the comforts of her original upbringings just to be there for a sister who possibly had no chance of living.
Wow. And he thought he had problems.
"I – I'm sorry. Really. I can't imagine what you must be going through."
She smiled, trying to be strong. "I know. What pains me more is that me and my sister never really got along before. We've only patched things up recently but this…This is too much. I…" And Georgina let those watery tears fall to complete her act. "I don't even know what to do anymore…She needs a heart transplant to live. I wish I could give her that but…"
And now she was really crying and Dan felt the pain she was feeling. How horrible could the fates get? Life was too cruel.
He was typical guy. Typical guys were kind and sensitive, even to strangers. He felt so bad for this person. It just shows how much one should value life, something most people like the ones from the Upper East Side never do.
And so he pulled her to him and let her cry on his chest. Nothing wrong with it. He was just trying to comfort a new friend. Besides he thought she deserved a shoulder to cry on. She looked like hadn't even let herself break since the news.
Engulfed in the arms of Dan and buried in his chest, Georgina finally let herself smirk. God, how she loved playing this game! Being someone else other than herself.
She was victorious. Invincible even.
Serena would lose everything she ever cared about in her new precious life, everything she ever worked so hard for, everything she had right now, Georgina vowed.
Starting with this new boy toy of hers.
Serena would come to learn the hard way that throwing Georgina in the trash once again and hurting her feelings by becoming someone she wasn't destined to be, would be the worst mistake she ever made in her entire life.
Dan released her from his embrace, trying to not let the moment last too long, just in case she got the wrong idea. But he was a friend no less, and as a friend he needed to help her, so…
"Hey, I'd really like to help you out, I feel really bad for your situation now. So you know, if you need anything, like say, a companion to go with when you visit your sister in the hospital, just let me know okay? I'd love to meet her."
Oh my God...
Georgina felt like crying even more, which she did to add to the dramatic effects. Oh, was everybody blessing her today or what? She smiled her most grateful smile she could muster.
"Of course! I'd love that. Thank you, thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!" This was too perfect.
"She'd love to meet you, Dan."
And by the way, who would've thought that the Snow White's little illness would be the key to making all her plans a dream come true?
She'd destroy them.
She'd destroy them all…
Let the games begin, S.
Blair Waldorf found herself once more returning to her private hospital, two days post SAT's.
And as she stood before her doctor's door, dread and regret began to seep within her.
Did she really want to know if she was going to die or not? For real this time?
Not like last time wasn't real but she could make herself get better at the time, there was still hope that she could still live if only she abided by the rules.
After what seemed like decades, Blair knocked cautiously on her doctor's main door before slowly entering it.
And coming face to face with a man she had never met before.
For a moment, she thought she had gone through the wrong door and she began to turn away, the man in the huge glasses spoke,
"You must be Blair Waldorf."
She whirled back around, confused. "Yes. I am. Who are you? Where is Dr. Wayne? Is he absent or something?" What was going on?
The man gave her a look of sympathy before he answered. "I am sorry Ms. Waldorf but your doctor no longer remains within this facility. I am Dr. Thompson, replacing for him and am now in charge of taking care of all his patients, lest they decide to let me go."
What?
"What are you talking about? Why is Dr. Wayne not here anymore? Where is he?" Blair threw the many questions at him, becoming frantic. She wasn't comfortable with this new one. She didn't like him at all.
"Dr. Wayne's license has been revoked. He has been fired and no longer working in this facility or any facility for that matter, and he is now currently being questioned by the authorities." Dr. Thompson answered patiently.
Oh my God…
"Why?" Although she already had a feeling what the reason was.
"It has been discovered that Dr. Wayne had carelessly leaked information to a person we discovered is not even a family member of yours. No siblings, I presume?"
She shook her head, suddenly so numb.
"I suspected so. Confidentiality of our patients is our top most priority second only to their health and this breach of contract has been dealt with accordingly. I am truly sorry though it had to be this way." He nodded at her sympathetic once more.
Blair decided she hated him.
She couldn't believe it. The one and only doctor she had grown to trust and actually like was suddenly fired. God… Her eyes were watering. This was Georgina's doing. Georgina had been the cause of this. One man's life profession has been taken away because she manipulated him for information. God, she wanted to hurl…
She hated Georgina with every fiber of her being.
The new doctor was droning on but Blair wasn't paying attention. She wasn't until he finally mentioned her condition.
"Wait." She finally interrupted. "So, there's really something wrong with my heart?"
He nodded. "Based on your medical records, it's what we've come to discover. But you'll be given a full examination, just so we can really be sure."
The numbness suddenly became lightheadedness.
Oh God… Was this real?
"I understand that you also have a serious case of bulimia, which makes your situation even more delicate than ever. Everything is all interconnected now. Anything that you do affects your heart even if you don't realize it." He continued to drawl on.
Blair just nodded, taking it in. It was like her first time again, when it was a different doctor telling her about her condition. God, she had two conditions now. That was how unhealthy her filthy body was. Shit…She really wanted to hurl right about now…
And much to her great chagrin, he began to interrogate her.
"Tell me, Ms. Waldorf, do you experience a lot of fatigue?"
She nodded. Didn't everybody?
"Do you sleep well?"
She nodded again. And then, thought about it, "Sometimes, I stay up late. It's hard to sleep sometimes. I don't know why."
Dr. Thompson scribbled something in his pad. She hated feeling like she was being judged.
"Do you experience any shortness of breath? Like say, after purging? Or even, in any physical activity whatsoever?"
She thought about it. She did have moments like that. But she only thought it was normal because she was tired. She just nodded to him.
"Do you experience any chest pains?"
She nodded quickly, wishing he'd change the topic. She didn't want to remember the day when she suddenly had one and worse, Chuck had to be there!
God…What was wrong with her?
All the doctor kept asking her were just stuff normal people experienced right? She was bulimic too. Bulimic people could also experience the stuff he had asked right? She refused to believe there was something wrong. No. She couldn't. Georgina was wrong. Georgina was just taunting her. No. Dr. Wayne's profession wasn't taken away from him.
She was back to being in denial once again.
Her new, infuriating doctor just kept scribbling and scribbling on his pad. What the hell was he writing? She felt useless. She refused to be scared. Nothing was wrong with her. All she had was bulimia. And she'd fix that. She'd get better.
She needed to get out of this place…
"I'm sorry doctor, but what's really wrong with my heart? All the stuff you mentioned is stuff people experience everyday." She spoke, interrupting his hastened movements.
Dr. Thompson finally put aside his pen and pad away. He gave a grave look before he spoke. "Ms. Waldorf, what you have is a serious condition. All of the things I have mentioned earlier are indications that your heart is not pumping properly.
"We have identified you to have congestive heart failure or CHF. Heart failure typically develops slowly after injury to the heart, which we've discovered you've had at the tender age of 4. Also, your family tree has been having a long history of heart diseases and, unfortunately it has been passed on to you…"
Blair found herself difficulty of breathing as he continued his tirade. No, no, no, no!
"Too much strain on the heart is placed on the heart because of the many years of untreated high blood pressure, a deceased heart valve and even additional symptoms caused by your bulimia. As the heart muscle weakens, it needs to pump harder to keep blood flowing to the body. Most people don't think they have heart failure because they simply think they're tired or the symptoms are common to all." He explained further.
Oh God…
Blair felt the tears well up again. No. This wasn't happening. This just wasn't! This was a very, very bad dream she just had to wake up from. She…
"So what happens to me now? Isn't there any treatment for this?"
"Right about now, we're going to have diagnose you, use a number of tests to rule out or confirm your heart failure. If it's confirmed, we'll be giving a series of therapies, such as the ACE inhibitor and the diuretic therapy." He paused and gave her a grave look. "But judging from your medical records since childhood, it seems that surgery is the best option to completely eradicate this disease."
"So I'll get a surgery. No problem." Blair immediately said. Whatever it took to get better right?
He sighed and shook his head. "The problem is your bulimia has already weakened a number of your other organs, such organs that will be needed for your survival. Putting your through such an extensive surgery is a risk. There's a chance you might not make it through it."
The tears rolled down her cheeks before she even knew it.
"So that's it? That's it? There's no hope for me? I'm just gonna die?" She began to slowly stand up. She couldn't accept this...Why couldn't she even have the chance for surgery? Why? Why? Why?!
Dr. Thompson tried his to quell her mood. "We'll do our best to prevent the progression the disease but nothing is certain…"
She couldn't even hear him the minute he spoke. She seriously regretted ever going here. She did not believe this. She couldn't. She couldn't! She was not going to die! She wasn't…She wasn't…
What about Chuck?
The thought made her burst out the doors, much to the alarm of her new doctor. But he couldn't stop her. No one could.
She ran and ran and ran, tears pouring, out the hospital doors and up the streets, ignoring the sudden chest pain that was starting to form due to her sudden strenuous activity. She suddenly had a flash back from her childhood. Once upon a time, she couldn't run like how normal people could. And now, it seems she was going to have to go back to her no ability to run again.
God...
The thought of her dying was not processing in her mind. She couldn't. She wouldn't. She kept repeating in her mind.
She finally stopped running when the pain got too much, even she couldn't handle it. She clutched her chest and held a hand onto the wall on the sidewalk.
People passed by but they didn't really mind her. They thought she was just going through a dramatic moment.
She wasn't.
She was dying.
She was really dying.
And this time, there was no hope for her to get out of this unscathed.
And after being in denial, she finally let it enter it her mind completely.
And her tears fell harder.
In the past, she wouldn't have minded. A month ago, death was fine with her. Nothing had meant anything to her. Nothing was worth living for anymore.
And then Chuck came along again…
And he made her so happy beyond anything. He…He made suddenly had power to make everything worth living for.
She finally let herself admit that she was in love with him and suddenly she finds out she's dying?
Oh God…
Was she being punished for all the bad things she had done before? Did she really have to pay that price with her life?
What about Chuck?
What would happen to him if she left him like that?
God…
How could she do this to him? Hasn't she hurt him enough in the past already? She couldn't… And now they were finally together again… And she could finally admit that she was in love with him…
She just couldn't die!
She cursed herself and cursed her weak body and weak heart.
Why did she have to be this way?
She hated herself now more than ever. How was she supposed to deal with this?
She collapsed on the stone grounds, not caring whether people would stare at her, completely washed down, defeated and broken.
Georgina was right after all.
Georgina was right about everything…
God…she hated Georgina…
Georgina.
That was the one thought in Serena's mind as she sat on the bar counter of Chuck's suite, downing one last shot. She didn't want to get drunk. No. Not again.
She just wanted to feel a little better.
Saturday just happened to be the worst day of her entire life.
First, she woke up not knowing who she was, where she was, how she get there, then she missed the SAT's, much to her anger because even Chuck had been able to take them, then she completely cut off Dan when he already knew she was lying and then she ran to Chuck, of all people, like she did now, completely at the mercy of him.
And whose fault was all that?
Georgina.
Bitch.
And so, yesterday she had told her off. Cut her off like she cut off Dan. Only with Georgina, she wanted it to be permanent. She wanted Georgina completely out; no one was going to threaten this life that she worked so hard for. God, what the hell did she want? Because no, she didn't want to party or get drunk. No, she had her own idea of fun now.
And that fun did not include Georgina anymore.
And Dan…he couldn't know. He couldn't…He'd never…He…God, she needed another drink…
"Easy there, sis." Chuck said as he watched her scramble for another shot. "Don't want the Brooklyn boy to come storming in here again."
"Georgina needs to stay away." Serena said as she slammed the glass down.
"Yes, she does." Chuck agreed. "And I'm sure you took care of that."
"I need to fix it with Dan…Retake the SAT's or something to make up."
Chuck shook his head in disapproval. "Trust me; you don't want to do that. I don't know what possessed me to follow Blair but SAT's? Not fun. I think I've flunked it. So now, thanks to her, there won't be any college for me."
Serena smiled in mock sympathy. "Aww… Chuck Bass? Actually vying for college? Never thought I'd see the day."
Chuck laughed. "Yeah, neither did I. It's all Blair's fault."
Serena smiled, quite happy for her step brother despite her own situation. He's really changed, she could see. He's still pervy Chuck, of course – apparently that can never be erased - but there were these moments when he'd actually be someone she could count on, someone she could trust, a good guy and the big brother she never had.
He must really care for Blair if he'd let himself be influenced by her.
And maybe, just maybe, he was good enough for Blair; even after all the crap he put her through. Time and time again he'd proved in his own little way that he was in love with her best friend.
"I'm sure you made it. Don't worry." Serena said sincerely, getting a raised eyebrow from Chuck in response.
"Wow, sis. I have to say I'm flattered. You concerned for me?" He smiled playfully. "Never thought I'd see that day."
"Oh shut up. I'm concerned for my best friend and that's why I'm saying this." Serena bit back. She knew she didn't mean that, of course. Chuck was starting to grow on her; she just never would admit that ever.
"Speaking of best friend, where has she been all day?" Chuck asked.
Serena began to wonder too. Blair never came in to class today, never called to tell her what was up and Serena was too caught up in her own world to check up on her.
She felt a bit guilty for that.
"I don't know. She didn't come to school all day and she didn't call me either." Serena responded.
"I've been calling her all day. It heads straight to voice mail. I'm getting worried." Chuck said. His tone did carry that worry, like how Dan got on Saturday with her.
She didn't want to think about that now.
Somehow, Blair missing got Serena all knotted up inside.
What if Georgina…?
No. No. Georgina wouldn't do that. She couldn't do anything to Blair. Blair was fine.
"I'll call her." Serena volunteered.
She took out her phone and dialed Blair's number. It rang and rang for a moment until…
"Hey, S…" Blair greeted, not quite her usual self. Serena instantly knew something was wrong.
"Blair!" She shared a look with Chuck.
He breathed a sigh of relief knowing nothing bad had befallen on his girlfriend. Funny, in the past, he couldn't care less what happened to her. Now, he was all over her, worried and frantic and slowly turning into Brooklyn boy. Shit.
"Hey, B." Serena was saying now. "What's wrong? Where have you been all day?"
It took a long, long while for Blair to respond and that got Serena really going. Something was up with Blair. Something that resembled a sob escaped from the other side of the line.
"B?"
"I'm sick." Blair finally said. Serena could hear the tears even from the phone.
Serena sighed, relieved. She thought it was something serious. Not like this wasn't, but Blair would get better by tomorrow of course. Blair never liked being sick so she tended to cry at times when she was. Like now.
"Oh sweetie, that's alright. Okay here, make sure you take a hot bowl of soup and take your medicine k? And you'll be back and up in no time." Serena instructed, her motherly instinct on Blair taking over.
She really had no idea about the depth of her best friend's simple words.
"Alright." Blair simply responded. "Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Hey, I'll pick you up, k? We'll go to school together." Serena offered. No way was she letting Blair go alone.
"Alright." Blair just agreed.
"Rest well k? Love you, B!"
"Love you too, S…"
They hung up.
A moment of silence ensued between the two step siblings.
"Well? What's wrong with Blair?"
"She's sick." And on Chuck's ever more so worried look, she added, "Don't worry, she'll get better by – "
But he was already on the move, grabbing his coat and cell phone and whatever else he needed.
"I'll go see her." Chuck simply said. He was moving so quickly she could barely register from her spot what was going on. "Help yourself with the drink, stay the night, whatever you want."
And with one last look before he headed out his own suite,
"I'm staying with Blair. I'll take care of her."
The door slammed shut at Chuck's departure.
Serena stared back, rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded.
See? Chuck did have his moments.
There was a soft knock on her door.
And even if it was just a small sound, Blair wanted it to go away because it felt like there were loud banging drums in her ear.
"Go away, Dorota! I'll take care of myself."
The door opened nevertheless, much to Blair's annoyance, to reveal not her trusted maid but the man she was currently in love with, her boyfriend…
Chuck…what was he doing here?
"I'm not Dorota, and I'm here to take care of you."
He acted as if he owned the place already.
She couldn't ignore the sudden rush of her heart beating.
If her heart couldn't properly pump blood these days, why was it with Chuck around it felt it was pumping as properly as it should be and even more so?
"Why aren't you on the bed?" Chuck wondered in bafflement and incredulity.
True, she wasn't lying on the bed as she was supposed to. Instead, she sat crouched down on the floor, with her back leaning against her bed's mattress. She'd been sitting there, crying all day. She wasn't going to lie on the bed now.
Chuck had other plans for her though.
He shredded his coat, then made his way to her, scooping her up in one movement and then gently laying her on the bed. She protested, but he wouldn't hear of it.
"No." He stated firmly. "You're sick. My turn to command the ship."
And all she could do was shut up and let him 'command the ship', or so he termed.
He suddenly bolted out of her room and she wondered where he had gone. She then laid back on her pillows when he didn't come back after awhile.
She thought of her current situation. If Chuck found out, what would he do? She wondered. Stay or run away as far as possible?
A part of her – the part that loved him like hell – wanted him to run away for the reason that she didn't want to see him hurt. Chuck was a great guy when he wanted to be. He was rich and handsome, smart if he just put himself into it. He was passionate and sweet, charming in his own Chuck way and he could really love someone and show it in the smallest ways. He was no Nate and Blair was actually glad that he wasn't.
A guy like Chuck deserved to be with someone who could give him the forever she'd always dreamed of with Nate. Someone he could grow old with and live happily ever after with.
That someone was obviously not her anymore.
The other part though, - the selfish part of herself – wanted him to stay for the reason that he was the only one who could make her feel any better and that if she were to die far earlier than all her friends and family, she'd want to be happy till the very last moment and she'd want him to be there beside her.
Shit.
She slapped herself for already thinking such morbid thoughts. God…what was she going to do now?
Her train of thoughts ceased abruptly as Chuck made his way back into her room, a tray in hand.
She paused. "Chuck, what's – "
"Ssh. No speaking for you."
Okay... Commando - type much?
He put the tray on her bedside and climbed on top of her, pulled her upright, startling her, and began undressing her, again much to her surprise.
She somehow managed to stop his swift hands. "Chuck, stop. Wait. Don't you think if we're going to make love, you could at least warn me?"
Chuck gave her the most sarcastic smile ever and sighed, counting to ten, she assumed.
"Blair," He began as if talking to a child. "I'm trying to undress you so that I could change you into something much comfortable so that you don't have to strain yourself by getting up."
Oh…
She just bent her head in embarrassment, trying to cover up her blush. That was actually sweet…in its own Chuck way. See?
At her silence, he continued to do what he started, not pausing to stare at her body the way he usually did, quickly took her silk pajama top from the cabinet and began to gently dress her up again.
"You look hot, by the way." He quietly commented.
She blushed again.
"If you weren't so sick right about now, I'd have ravished you already." He gave her a pointed look. "And no, I wouldn't warn you."
They shared a short laugh.
She'd volunteered to put on her own underwear though. She may be sick but she wasn't a complete baby, Blair argued. Plus she was still kind of shy.
"Shy? Don't be. Blair, I'd be more than glad to do the honors."
She slapped him on the arm. "You're heinous."
"I know. But you love it too."
She just smiled at that.
Once she'd dressed up for bed, Chuck finally got off of her, shifted himself to the side and brought out the bowl that came along with the tray he brought in.
"Here." He said. "Eat this. It's good for you for now."
Her heart could've melted at the thoughtfulness of his actions.
She gazed up at him, wondering if he really was the Chuck she'd known all her life. Where was the guy that told her he didn't want her anymore? And who was this man she'd unexpectedly fallen in love with?
He stared back at her, wondering what she was thinking. She had that unreadable expression again and he just wished he could go into her mind just to find out whatever it was she…had in mind.
"Chuck…"
He interrupted. "No arguments. You're not going anywhere until you finish this."
Again, she instantly shut up and followed his orders, her heart beating steadily – based on her current state – at his actions.
He watched her silently eat her meal; glad she was following him without anymore queries.
She'd finished at last and he made her drink her medicine and lots of water. She obeyed him once again without any more argument. It kind of made him wonder even more what was going on in that little mind of hers as she remained silent, being so unusual it was scaring him, doing nothing but following everything he tossed at her.
When everything was done and through and they were both finally settled down in her bed, with her head lying on his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her thin waist, he finally asked her,
"What's wrong?"
She looked up, wide doe-eyes giving him that mysterious, far away look that he just couldn't decipher. He was getting really worried. To top it all off, she just smiled and said,
"Nothing, Chuck. I'm just really sick. Thank you for being here though."
And then, his thoughts suddenly drifted to Dan and Serena in his own suite just last Saturday…
"What's going on?" Dan asked.
Serena shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine…"
And then…
"Hey," Dan said gently, trying to comfort her. "I'm not mad, okay? I'm just so worried, I've been so worried about you…Please help me understand what's going on here…"
Again, she shook her head slowly. "Can we talk tomorrow? I'll call you…I'm sorry."
Wasn't that conversation slowly nearing to what they were about to have now?
He didn't want to feel what Dan did. That was completely wrong on Serena's part. And he didn't want Blair to feel the need to do the same to him. He clearly knew there was something else she was hiding and he needed her to understand that she could trust him with anything.
"Blair…" She looked up once more, unreadable eyes, silent. "Something's wrong, I know. Please…you know you can tell me anything. You can trust me…"
Right at that moment, Blair just wanted to cry. How she just wanted to unload on him! How she just wanted to cry on his shoulder till tomorrow and let him comfort her in her dark situation! God…she just wanted to tell him, anyone! Because, really, how could she shoulder this heavy burden alone? She was scared and she didn't know what to do! She wanted to tell him so badly...
But she remained silent despite her angry cries within.
"Nothing's wrong, Chuck. I promise." She was lying, he knew.
She smiled though, trying so hard not to let the tears fall. She was afraid he'd see right through her. He couldn't know…She couldn't hurt him like that.
"Blair…please…" Oh God, he really was starting to act like Brooklyn boy now!
But she didn't say anything; instead she confused him even more by asking,
"Chuck, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"If I die tomorrow, or next week or after 3 months, or a year…" Who knew when right? "What would you do?"
His eyebrows furrowed. Why was she asking such a random question? Was she trying to distract him into not telling him her mysterious secret?
"Blair…" His tone carrying impatience. "What are you trying to pull now?"
She tugged on his sweater, as if holding on for dear life and then suddenly he realized that she was serious and she wasn't trying to play any games.
"Please just answer the question…"
Well what was the answer anyway? He didn't like thinking about questions like this simply because they weren't going to happen and if ever they did, he just didn't know exactly what he'd do. And that's exactly what he told her.
"I don't know, Blair. If you die, I don't know how I'd live. You're important to me, you know? Girlfriend or not. I'd be hard without you in this world…" Chuck proclaimed honestly.
Moments like these were very rare, very un-Chuck like, but he had to show that he could be honest with her and maybe, she could finally open herself up to him too.
Blair's eyes watered and she fought the tears back painfully. She gulped and didn't say anything, just thinking, deciding, and figuring out what to do next.
If you die, I don't know how I'd live…
She couldn't do that to him. She couldn't hurt him like that…She wanted forever, but she didn't want her to haunt him forever like that. God…This was so hard.
Chuck continued, pulling her closer to him and kissing her forehead lightly. "Anyway Blair, that's not going to happen, why are you asking stupid questions like that? You're not gonna die. I'll protect you."
She just smiled back bravely at him. "Aww…sweet. You'll protect me…Now, I feel so safe!" She exclaimed overdramatically.
He laughed and kissed her on the lips. And then his laugh died down, "Blair, I'm serious. I will protect you. And you can trust me, even if I've screwed up loads of times in the past. It's not going to be like that anymore, remember?"
She just nodded; drinking in his words, wanting to tell him it wasn't about not trusting him, that it had nothing to do with him but more to do with her.
Eventually, she had tired out first. The day's events finally taking a toll on her. She had fallen on to a blissful sleep on him chest, thank goodness. With him by her side, she just felt so much better.
Chuck didn't sleep though. Instead, he watched her. Her angelic face was so beautiful, it took his breath away. God, no wonder she was nicknamed Snow White…
Georgina was definitely right about that part.
He couldn't ignore the feeling though that she had cut him off just like Serena did. Well not exactly how Serena did it with Dan. Blair – much to his surprise – had been far gentler with him tonight. Serena had been plain harsh at that time. What? Had they switched personalities now?
No wonder they were best friends.
They both had their own mysterious secrets that they didn't want anyone other than themselves to know. And they had to cut off their boyfriends just trying to hide...whatever the hell they were hiding.
Chuck, for one, was getting tired of the secrecy though. And if it were him, he'd shake it off out of Blair and Serena, whatever they were both individually hiding.
Seriously. What was up with these girls lately?
Chuck wouldn't give up though. He'd pry it out and figure it out, whatever it took. Well, not really, he couldn't go behind Blair's back again, he promised and she'd figure it out anyway and he'd be in deep shit then.
Shit.
Everything just got a whole lot harder.
A part of him suddenly regretted making that promise. How was he supposed to figure it out then?
To be continued...
Okay there you go.
Can't wait for tonight.
OOh..I'm actually lazy to write author's notes this time around. Shocker anyone? haha.
Anyway R&R please. Thank you so much! :) Love you all. :D