AN: So I survived probably 2 of the coldest days I have ever experienced in my lifetime (and I'm willing to bet I'm a little older than the assumed majority on this site =D ). And because of the weather, my Monday shift at work was cut short so I basically hibernated in my house for 36+ hours straight. That gave me quite a bit of time to write and rewatch Chair scenes and since the mood struck me, I got ahead of myself on this little Chairytale and have the next few chapters already typed up (just need to do an edit on em and decide if I want to do Bart's accident and funeral as 2 smaller chapters or 1 long chapter as the equivalent of a double episode), hence why this one is being posted a bit sooner than my usual 5-7 days between chapters (To give some insight to my writing process here, on average I find it takes me about 5 hours to write one of these chapters in full, and once I get started I like to go til the idea is complete so I'll often write it all in one sitting/night and then step away from it for a day or so and come back and make edits/changes).

I will apologize a little bit though, as a good bit of this chapter is true to canon, however I did once again combine storylines from different episodes to change it up a little bit.

That being said, enjoy!

Blair awoke, panting, flustered and hot and bothered as Dorota entered after knocking for several moments.

"You are late – breakfast is waiting," the maid informed her.

"I'll be down in a minute," Blair snapped. "I just need to... finish something..." her voice trailed as her mind tried to race back to the dream she was rudely awaken from. The dream in which involved her and Chuck enjoying one of their favorite pastimes in the back of his limo.

"Don't forget – God always watching, Miss Blair," Dorota stated as she turned to leave.

Blair sighed as she tried to finish her dream. It was the first day back at school and it had been days since she last got physical with Chuck. No matter what she had tried and how much she begged him, he had been resisting her charm as she refused to be the first to utter those three little words to him. She was starting to run out of ideas and was looking forward to seeking out the advice of Serena and the minions.

"Wanna get in?" she heard Chuck call out to her as his limo pulled up next to her on the street. "I'd love to give you a ride, Princess..." he grinned.

"Oh I'm sure you would," she smirked back at him as she continued to walk along in the drizzling raining under her umbrella. "Too bad you've made the terms of that arrangement impossible..."

"About that – maybe I was a little too hasty..." Chuck admitted. On the inside he was dying to be near her again. "Come on, get in," he beckoned.

"Maybe I don't want you anymore?" she teased as she stopped to turn and face him.

"Don't torture me – I'm dying," he confessed. "Please?" he requested, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. Fortunately for him, it worked as a moment later she began to approach the vehicle. He soon locked the door though. "All you have to say is those three magic words..."

"Ugh! I hate you!" she stammered.

"Wrong three words, sweetheart," Chuck informed her as he rolled the window back up. He grinned to himself as soon as the car pulled away. He was enjoying torturing her in this way just as much as he knew she was enjoying doing the same to him.

"You have to help me destroy Chuck Bass!" Blair demanded as she ran over to Serena, interrupting her chat with Dan and forcing her to slide over on the bench she was sitting on.

"And I'll take that as my cue for me to leave," Dan remarked, getting up to leave.

"You're very perceptive," Blair commented to him.

"Dan, wait!" Serena proceeded to stop him from leaving right away. "If you're having a problem with Chuck, perhaps a man's perspective can be helpful."

"Just because you two are making a doomed attempt at trying to be friends doesn't mean I have to be the enabler..." Blair quipped.

"Blair, come on," Serena coaxed her.

Blair let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine."

"Uh, okay..." Dan hesitated to help as he sat back down, opposite the girls. "If you're plotting against Chuck Bass then I'm sure I can help think of something..."

"I have an itch that only Chuck can scratch and he won't oblige unless I tell him I love him," Blair got straight to the point.

"You need help getting Chuck to sleep with you? Really?" Dan questioned.

"You hear the judgment in his voice right now, right?" Blair turned to Serena.

"He's working on that," Serena assured her.

"No, no... you're right – I'm sorry, no judgment - only help," Dan apologized. "So... do you love him?"

"No!" Blair shouted in protest. "Of course not..." she lied. She knew Serena already knew the truth but she refused to admit it to Dan.

"So why not just say it to get what you want? Frat boys have been doing that since... forever," Dan quickly pointed out.

"I can't – if I say it, then Chuck wins," she clarified to him.

"Right, but if you say it, then you get him and you win..."

"No, I lose," she stated before turning to Serena. "See? This is pointless! I was thinking maybe I would just disappear for awhile and give him a taste of life without me."

"No, no, no – that's a terrible idea," Dan interrupted. "Don't disappear – become... unavoidable. Chuck might be a deviant, but he's still a man... you know, just drive him crazy, wear him down... you should be good at that."

Blair contemplated what the Brooklynite had just suggested. "Well... look who just got a little interesting," she remarked.

"I'm sure it's a fluke," he assured her.

"See? Isn't this nice?" Serena asked hopefully.

"Eww... even broken up, you two make me nauseous," Blair retorted as she got up to leave. She needed to think up a way to put Dan's suggestion into action.

After her last class she quickly rushed outside to where she knew Chuck's limo was waiting for him. Waving at Arthur, his faithful driver, she hoisted herself up onto the hood of the vehicle, seductively applying some lipgloss with a compact mirror as she waited for Chuck to approach.

She didn't have to wait very long.

"Wanna get a drink?" she beckoned him as he came towards her.

"Wanna say those three little words?" he asked right back at her.

"No..." she replied innocently.

"Then no drink," he retorted.

"Why? Scared you won't be able to handle it?" she taunted him as she slowly pulled her skirt up a tad, exposing her thigh to him.

Chuck paused.

She's good... he thought to himself, caught off guard by her new tactic. It was a nice change from all the begging she had been doing since they started this little game.

"One drink," he told her as he reached for her hand and helped her down off the hood of the vehicle. He then got the door for her and followed in after her.

"I'd like to change first, if you don't mind dropping me off at my place? I'll meet you at Gilt?" she suggested as she inched closer to him on the seat.

"Sounds good to me," he responded, looking her in the eyes. He noticed she was giving him her 'fuck me' eyes as she began seductively licking her lips. Before he knew it, he felt her hand sliding up the inner thigh of his pant leg. "Blair..." he warned, gently taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips for a kiss. "You know the terms..." he reminded her.

She sighed in annoyance. He knew she wasn't going to give up while they were sitting so close to each other in the sacred limo. Much to her displeasure, he moved to the other side of the vehicle and enjoyed watching her concede in her seat in a huff.

"One drink, Blair," Chuck told her as they were seated at the bar. "Unless of course you can convince me why I should stay..." he grinned at her.

"Well... just because we've reached an impasse on a certain issue doesn't mean we can't be friends..." Blair started.

Chuck stifled a laugh. "Blair, honey... you know we'll always be more than just friends," he pointed out to her.

"Regardless... ever since Charlize Theron became the face of Dior I've wanted to change my signature scent – I've been trying out a new one and can't decide if I like it," she informed him as she moved her hair away from her neck – a spot she knew he couldn't resist. "Would you mind?" she requested.

He hesitated for a moment, again knowing what angle she was playing at, but decided he'd go along as he leaned in to take in her supposed new scent. He lingered for a moment before pulling away.

"Smells a little like desperation," he jabbed.

"Uh... yeah, well... I'll just keep on looking then," Blair responded, caught a bit off guard that her tactic didn't work. "Thank you – you've been very helpful" she told him as she took a sip of her martini.

She paused as another idea came to her.

"To friendship," she decided to toast with him. But rather than take another sip, she poured her drink in his lap. "Oh my!" she pretended to act surprised. "Oops! I am so, so sorry..." she continued as she took a napkin and proceeded to rub at his crotch in an attempt to arouse him. "Let me help you with that..." she grinned at him seductively.

Chuck rolled his eyes in annoyance. This was one tactic of hers that was definitely not working.

He pulled her up by the arm as he stood to his feet.

"I gave you a shot, and while your efforts were... admirable... I'm bored," he informed her. "And you ruined my pants," he added.

Blair sighed in defeat as she plopped back down on the bar stool.

"Goodnight, Blair," he told her as he walked away. She didn't see, but he couldn't help but shake his head and let out a little laugh at her last attempt as he made his way out of the bar. He made a note to bill her for the dry cleaning.

"Hello?" Dan answered his phone, confused as to why Blair Waldorf would be calling him.

"I just wanted to thank you for encouraging me to throw myself at Chuck – I can skip dinner now that I am so full of humiliation!" she snapped at him over the phone. "While it seemed like it was working at first... Chuck was completely unmoved," she clarified.

"Are you sure he wasn't just acting like it didn't work?" Dan questioned.

"Unfortunately there was no hard evidence of that – literally... I didn't even get the chance to show him my necklace all tangled up in my hair... the nape of the neck is Chuck's kryptonite," she explained.

"Oh, that's...good to know..." Dan stated, wondering why she was telling him this. "So he just left abruptly?"

"Like a Bass out of Hell," she remarked.

"Well then, you just have to trust me – he's headed home, intercept him," Dan told her.

Blair thought about it for a moment. "I'll let you know what happens," she informed him as she abruptly hung up.

She made her way over to the Van der Bass penthouse, under the guise that she was sleeping over with Serena, in the event that anyone asked. Her real reasoning of course was to seduce Chuck.

If NE1 asks, I'm spending night ur place
-B

Okay...
-S

Need 2 seduce C where he's not expecting it
-B

TMI
-S

Do U have NE candles?
-B

In nightstand drawer
-S

In UR room now. This will be EZ
-B

Chuck had stopped for a quick bite to eat after his encounter with Blair at the bar earlier. He had to admit, the girl was stepping up her game. Although in all honesty, he expected nothing less from her – she was one of very few who could play his own games at his level.

As he approached his room, he noticed Serena's door across from his was ajar. Curious, as he knew Serena was out for the night in Brooklyn, he decided to see what was going on.

He was surprised to find Blair standing in Serena's room, lighting candles in nothing but black lingerie and a sheer black teddy.

"What are you doing, Blair?" he wondered out loud, as he slowly entered the room and approached her, completely mesmerized by her presence.

"Serena knew how upset I was..." Blair started, knowing she had his full attention. She began to twist her hair, exposing her neck to him once again. "She didn't want me to be alone so she invited me to sleep over..."

Chuck couldn't take his eyes off her, she was breathtaking. Almost like he was in a trace, he continued to approach her, staring at his favorite spot on her neck.

"Go away, Chuck," she commanded him as she felt the power shifting in her favor. "It's pointless – I'm not going to say it."

"I don't care..." he breathed as he seamlessly undid the tie to the teddy at the back of her neck, letting it drop to the floor. She turned around to finally face him as he took her in his arms and they began to passionately kiss.

Chuck realized he was losing his own game, however at that moment he didn't care. He wanted the relief they both craved and knew that only the other could satisfy.

Just then, they heard Blair's phone buzz as her text notification went off. After the first time, they both silently agreed to ignore it, however when it continued to buzz, Chuck became curious. Blair knew it was most likely Serena returning her last text.

"Ignore it," she told him, pulling him back towards her hungry lips.

But then it went off a third time. Remembering what she had last texted Serena, she realized she needed to beat him to it before he read it.

He had the same thought though, getting suspicious and they both dove across the bed for the phone at the same time.

"Give it!" Blair cried out as his reach was just longer than hers, thus beating her to the phone.

UR so bad!

-S

He read the reply to her previous sent message about how seducing him would be easy.

"You almost had me Blair – almost," he remarked as he tossed her the phone before he made his way back across the hall, slamming the door behind him. He had been willing to let her win this one so that they would both get what they needed, however her sudden cockiness to Serena had changed his mind. Seems they both would be going without for a while longer...

"You and Chuck have been toying with each other forever... so you didn't win this one – don't you think you should just let it go?" Dan suggested to Blair as she made herself comfortable in the gallery's cafe as she waited for Serena.

"This is different..." Blair lamented. She couldn't believe she was seeking out the Brooklynite for relationship advice.

"Why?" he demanded to know.

She sighed in frustration, not wanting to admit the truth to him.

"Do you... do you love him?" Dan questioned in surprise as the realization hit him. "Wow... someone actually loves Chuck Bass..."

"I don't know, I just... I don't understand how it got to this place... you know?" she began to confess. "It started out as just sex and then it turned into this secret affair that eventually became public... and then he abandoned me in Tuscany... but then I chose him over Marcus and well... here we are."

"The first time I told Serena I loved her... it was terrifying - I had never felt so exposed," Dan admitted. "...but the feeling I felt when she said it back to me... it was probably thee greatest single moment in my life."

"But you broke up," Blair was quick to point out.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't do it all over again," he explained.

"If I say it... he wins, and if he wins... then I'll just be another girl to him..." she expressed her fear.

"You don't know if that's true," Dan assured her. "Serena and Nate both seem to think otherwise... and you have to decide what's most important to you – keeping your pride and getting nothing, or... taking a risk and maybe – maybe - having everything."

Blair let it sink in for a moment. While she hated to admit it, the Brooklynite was most likely right.

Chuck was a bit surprised to receive a text from her later that afternoon.

You win. Tonight.

-B

It was simple but to the point. He felt his heart and the butterflies he always felt for her begin to flutter as he sighed and smiled to himself. She was finally ready to admit to him that she loved him and in turn, he would be ready to finally confess it to her.

When and where?
-C

Brooklyn, the Gallery opening S is dragging me 2.
-B

He sighed. Once again, because of Serena, Blair was dragging him out to Brooklyn. He loathed Brooklyn and she knew it.

"Hey!" Serena greeted Dan as Blair followed along side her. "This is such a huge turn out! Aaron must be thrilled! And your dad..." Serena added.

"Yeah, yeah... it's exciting," Dan replied.

"Dan! So glad I found you!" Amanda, the new girl at school, exclaimed as she slid an arm through Dan's. "Serena... Blair... nice to see you both."

"I see you invited Amanda..." Serena said, a bit surprised to see Dan with a date.

Blair rolled her eyes. She knew Dan and Serena were attempting to be friendly all while trying to see other people, but she also knew Serena was insanely jealous of Dan's latest interest, going so far as to send the minions after her in an attempt to keep Dan from dating. Blair thought the whole thing was stupid though, as clearly Serena had an interest in Aaron while she had to admit, Amanda was a better fit for someone as boring as Dan.

"Yeah... so uh, I thought you were going to be with Chuck tonight?" Dan turned towards Blair, changing the subject as to avoid an awkward situation with his ex and his potential new girlfriend. "What happened?"

"Oh, she is!" Serena pipped up. "But she told him to meet her here as she needed some moral support..."

"Yes... she," Blair said, turning towards Serena, "is freaking out and needs a drink," she stated as all eyes fell on Dan.

"Uh..." he wasn't expecting to play waiter for the evening. "Let me see what I can do about that for her..." he responded as he went to go get a beverage from the cafe.

Blair's phone began to buzz and she quickly went to read her incoming text.

"It's Chuck – he wants to meet me on the roof!" she squealed. She was anxious to get this over with so they could finally move forward in their relationship, if one could call it that.

"The roof?" Serena questioned.

"Well this way, if he doesn't say it back... I can just... jump," Blair thought up off the top of her head. "Then he'll be really sorry."

"Oh no – don't do it B! You don't want your obit to say you died in Brooklyn!" Serena joked.

"Wish me luck, S!"

"Good luck, B – go get him!"

Blair gave Serena a quick hug for good luck before she made her way out of the gallery. She no sooner passed the cafe before Dan caught her attention.

"Hey, wait!" he called to her through the glass of the faux window. "Stay there!"

"Blair, I need to talk to you," he started as he came around the corner to where she was waiting.

"I can't – Chuck's waiting for me..." she explained.

"I know, it's about that actually..." he started. "Just... be careful."

"Why?" she questioned him. "You said earlier to be the opposite of careful... you told me to take a risk!"

"Right... I know, I know... but it was bad advice," he told her. "When I said that, I was thinking of how things were for me and Serena... but this is Chuck – it's not the same thing."

"Yes, it is," Blair protested. "And it's going to be okay..." she tried to tell not just him, but herself.

"Well yeah, maybe... but before you say anything, just make sure he's done playing games," Dan pointed out.

"He is," Blair informed him. "Now if you'll excuse me, Chuck's waiting for me," she said as she turned to leave.

She paused once she was alone in the stairwell.

What if Humphrey's right? She wondered to herself. What if saying it is just the start of a whole new game?

She knew she wanted Chuck but she was getting tired of all the games they kept putting each other through as of lately. She liked it better when they would team up together rather than against each other.

She realized Dan was right. She needed to make sure he was done with these games for good before she fully committed to taking the next step with him.

"Brooklyn, really?" Chuck commented as Blair finally approached him on the roof. "You know how much I loathe Brooklyn..."

"At least it will be memorable," she remarked with a smile.

"I'm sorry, but don't you have something you want to say to me?" he questioned her.

"Yes..." she replied shyly, as she began to close the gap of space between them before pausing. Suddenly she got cold feet. "This is so silly... does it matter who says it first? Why don't we just say it together?" she suggested bashfully.

"Because that wasn't the deal..." he reminded her as he took a step towards her.

"Why does everything always have to be a deal?" she wondered.

"Because we made it one," he responded. He could see she was suddenly getting nervous, which was unlike her around him. "What's going on, Blair? You told me you had something to say to me," he pressed her as he grew impatient. "Say it."

"Why do I have to be the one to go first?" she demanded to know. "I was the one who waited on that stupid helipad for you. I went to Tuscany alone!"

"Blair... that's ancient history – I thought we were past that-"

"I was the one who asked you to say it first!"

"At the White Party. When you were on your way out with that hoydy-toydy Brit? Did you really think I was going to say it then?!"

"Yes!" she exclaimed as she struggled to fight back tears. "And when you didn't I wanted to die, Chuck! For your information, I had him take me straight back to the Rhodes Estate where I spent the rest of the night crying... much like I did all summer!"

"Don't tell me you dragged me all the way out to Brooklyn for this!" Chuck snapped. He really had thought they were past all that. "I thought you were ready to tell me how you really felt – obviously it's just another one of your games!"

"My games?" she questioned in disbelief. "Chuck, you were the one who started this one!"

"Yeah... and you just finished it," he hissed as he turned away from her.

She let out a sigh in anger as she stormed off towards the stairs. Clearly they weren't ready for the next step.

"Serena!" Blair called out to her best friend as soon as she spotted her.

"B... what's wrong? What happened?" Serena asked as she ran over to where Blair was about to have a meltdown.

"It was a disaster, okay?" Blair told her. "I'm leaving..."

"I'll come with you," Serena offered.

"No, it's fine, S – stay. I just need to get out of here right now," Blair said as she turned to leave before anyone could see her cry in public. She was afraid someone would tell Gossip Girl.

Chuck waited a few minutes to give Blair a head start, in hopes of avoiding her on his way out. After what just happened between them, he wasn't ready to see her again anytime too soon. She had humiliated both of them.

"Chuck!" he heard Humphrey call after him as he quickly made his way down the stairwell. "Hey, wait up! C'mon, don't act like you didn't hear me..."

"I heard you – I was just choosing to ignore you," Chuck informed him.

"Well don't, because what just happened on the roof, with you and Blair..."

"Is none of your business, Humphrey!"

"No, it is actually..." Dan began to confess. "Look, I don't know how you feel about her, but I do know how she feels about you... and she was going to tell you until I stopped her."

Chuck glared up at him from his place on the stairs.

How dare he meddle in my affairs! Chuck screamed in his head. He had decided that this meant war between him and the Brooklynite.

"You need to watch yourself, Humphrey," he hissed as he continued on down the stairs. He could only hope Serena was still around and hadn't left yet with Blair.

"Chuck!" he heard Serena call towards him as he made his way into the gallery to look for her.

"Serena... just who I was looking for actually..."

"What happened with Blair? She just left a few minutes ago in tears..."

"Your no-class ex is what happened," he informed her. "Apparently he said something to her that freaked her out and ruined everything!"

Serena sighed. "Yeah... I heard from the horse's mouth and already chewed him out about it. I can't believe him – first he has the gall to parade his new love interest in my face and then he has to screw with Blair's head..."

"Wait, hold up, sis – love interest?"

"Yeah, that new girl at school, Amanda... I know you and Blair have both been a little too preoccupied with your own mess to pay attention to mine but while I was attempting to be just friends with Dan, that little bookworm snuck right in under my radar..."

"So we use her, to get back at him," Chuck told her as an idea came to him. "Did any of the minions come?"

"Um... I think I saw Penelope show up soon after Nate arrived..."

"Excellent..." he muttered to himself.

"Chuck... what are you plotting?"

"Just sit back and enjoy the take down," he grinned at her.

"Penelope..." Chuck said casually as he approached the always eager to please brunette.

"Chuck..." she replied in greeting. "Where's Blair?"

"She left... however there is a small favor I need to request of you..."

"Oh?"

"That new girl, Amanda, who's seeing Serena's ex and making her jealous while Humphrey meddles in mine and Blair's affairs..."

"I know who she is... what do you suggest, Chuck?"

"Ninth grade, the Danish exchange student who kept flirting with your junior prom date... you still remember how to serve up a Nairtini, don't you?"

"I believe I remember the formula..." Penelope replied eagerly.

"I'll be right back with the main ingredient – do this for me and I'll see to it that Blair and Serena let you be Queen for a day," Chuck promised her. "And if that doesn't work, I'll get Nate to take you out on a real date."

Within minutes of his return with the Nair, everyone heard Amanda shriek from where she was in the room. Penelope was nearly dying of laughter and Chuck couldn't help but grin at the job she had done.

He watched as things unfold, with Amanda yelling at Dan to just leave her alone and Serena rushing in to comfort him, only for him to accuse her of the scheme and cause her to storm off and find her new love interest Aaron.

After he watched Humphrey storm off in humiliation he carefully approached Penelope.

"Nice job – I see you haven't lost your touch," he remarked to her.

"Just make sure you keep up your end of the deal," she snapped at him. He knew Serena had already gotten to her.

"Chuck! Was that your plan? To humiliate that poor girl to get at Dan?" Serena questioned him as she walked towards them.

"Part of the plan – use her, to get to him, for your sake... you'll just have to wait for school tomorrow to witness the next phase," he informed her.

"Well... while I don't agree with your tactics, I appreciate the sentiment," Serena admitted.

"Thanks sis, but if you don't mind... there's a certain other brunette I believe I need to go make amends with," Chuck told her.

He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say to Blair, but he knew he didn't want to lose her completely, especially after knowing that the reason for their downfall this time was because of Humphrey's doing and not just their own egos for once.

Blair was sitting at her vanity when she heard the door creak open. There was only one person who ever entered her room without bothering to knock.

"Are you here to gloat?" she asked accusingly as she looked over, not surprised to see Chuck standing in the doorway.

"Over what?" he inquired softly as he watched her take off her jewelry.

"Well you won..." she quipped. "Pop the champagne!"

"I didn't win..." he gently told her.

"Then why does it feel like I lost?" she questioned sadly.

Chuck took a step forward before explaining. "The reason we can't say those three words to each other isn't because they aren't true..."

"Then why?" she asked for him to continue.

"I think we both realize that the moment we do... it would be both the start of something and the end," he went on. "Think about it – Chuck and Blair go to the movies... Chuck and Blair hold hands..."

"We don't have to do those things..." Blair informed him. "We can do the things we like."

"What we like... is this," he pointed out to her.

"The game?" she questioned. "But... I'm tired of the games, Chuck... I just want things to be simple..."

"Blair, you know we could never just be simple... and without the games... I'm not sure how long we'd last," Chuck confessed. "I'm afraid it would just be a matter of time before we messed everything up again."

He could see the tears starting to well up in her eyes. He knew she wanted to protest but at the same time she was debating his words in her head. He gently knelt down beside her and wiped away a stray tear that had fallen.

"Blair... don't cry," he tried to comfort her. "Look, I'd rather we wait and maybe in the future..."

"I suppose there could be some excruciating pleasure in that..." she remarked.

He could see the sadness in her eyes and leaned up to kiss her. She gently threw her arms his neck, kissing him in return, not wanting him to leave.

He paused for a moment and rest his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears in his own eyes..

"Goodnight, beautiful," he whispered as he pulled away, getting up to leave.

"Chuck..." Blair quietly called out to him as she once again struggled to fight back the tears. "Please don't go," she requested. She didn't care about the lack of sex they were currently having, she just wanted him near.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, turning back from the doorway.

She slowly nodded as the tears began to run down her cheeks. "Even if we can't yet say it to each other, it doesn't mean I don't feel it..." she quietly admitted, desperate for him not to go, afraid she might lose him once again.

Chuck hated to see her cry. And he especially hated to see her cry because of him. "Alright," he conceded as he walked back towards her, he understood what she was saying – he could feel it too. And right then all he wanted was to be near her, to have her in his arms. "I'll stay."

She gently led him towards the bed where he climbed in under the duvet behind her after taking his shoes, jacket and bowtie off.

He laid on his back as he felt her snuggle up next to his side, wrapping an arm around her as she nestled into him even more. Knowing it would help calm her down (and in turn calm him down) he put on Breakfast at Tiffany's. As the melody to "Moon River" played on, he felt her breathing relax more and more the longer they lied there with her head on his chest and his fingers gently stroking through her curls. Before he knew it, he was beginning to drift off to sleep as well.

He woke up the next morning before her and gently snuck out of bed. Apparently he wasn't quiet enough as he no sooner got his shoes on when he heard her begin to stir.

"Chuck?" she questioned as she woke up alone in bed.

"Hey..." he said as he softly leaned down on the bed next to her. He couldn't help but smile, she was completely adorable when she first woke up.

"Where are you going?" she questioned him.

"I've got a few things I need to take care before school this morning," he explained. "Let's just say... Humphrey's going to learn quite the lesson about meddling in other people's affair. Especially people with power," he grinned at her.

"Chuck... what are you talking about?" she inquired as she sat up on the bed.

"You'll see," he grinned as he stood up, leaning forward to give her a kiss. "I'll see you at school."

Blair smiled as she laid back in bed. While they may have called off the battle, she couldn't help but think they had come to a minor mutual victory together when it came the war. She could only imagine what he had in store for the Brooklynite.

"B!" Serena exclaimed as Blair entered the gates outside school. "I left you several messages – are you okay?"

"Yeah... Chuck actually stopped over last night and we sort of came to an agreement to just leave things how are they are instead of pushing it," she told her.

"That's great... I guess," Serena said, a little confused. "I mean, if you're okay with that and that's what you both want for now."

"It'll do for now... until we're both ready," Blair informed her just as she heard a mass of text notifications going off all over the courtyard.

"There's the signal, girls!" Serena barked at the minions.

"What's going on?" Blair questioned, clearly needing clued in on whatever was happening.

"Just follow me – you'll see," Serena instructed.

She waited in the hallway next to Serena and the girls as she watched everyone scatter away and clear out the moment Dan entered the courtyard.

"Chuck...?" she quietly called to him as he rushed past them in the hallway.

"Just watch," he grinned at her as he hurried along. "Or better yet... Serena, change of plan – Blair's coming with me," he said as he quickly grabbed Blair by the hand, pulling her with him down the hallway and around the corner.

"Watch," he told her as they stood in the doorway around the corner of the courtyard from Serena and the girls. Blair watched as they walked as a pack across the courtyard, snubbing Dan as they went and giving him dirty looks and looks of disgust.

"Serena... hey... uh, what's going on?" Dan attempted to ask her, completely confused as to why the whole school was going out of their way to ignore him.

"Putting you in your place," Serena retorted as she brushed him off, winking at Chuck and Blair as they approached them.

"Annnnd that's our cue," Chuck informed her, taking her arm in his and leading her out to the courtyard.

"Hey, Chuck... Blair... about last night... I see you two worked things out?" Dan inquired as they walked past him.

"I warned you about meddling," Chuck hissed at him. "Now you can know what it's like to be utterly humiliated in front of everyone."

"But I... I..." Dan couldn't find the words for a proper comeback.

"Let this be a lesson – you don't mess with me, or Serena, or Blair and even Nate for that matter, or we will make your life a living hell," Chuck snapped as him and Blair went about their way.

"Thanks," she whispered to him once they were back in the hallway.

"Anything for you, my Queen" Chuck told her as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Besides, the asshole deserved it for what he did to Serena and the rift he caused between us."

She couldn't help but smile – he definitely knew how to get back at someone who crossed him and those he cared about.

AN: Since the next chapter is basically done (and I really enjoyed writing it!) I might post that one within the next few days... but we'll see - I do have a busy weekend coming up at work (it's our yearly mass inventory count weekend!).

And as always, thanks so much for all the reviews and favorites/follows - I really do appreciate them all and find it very encouraging - I especially look forward to seeing new reviews pop up =D