Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.

I hope everyone has recovered from the end of Gossip Girl. Relief has washed over me, and in an odd way I feel inspired again. Though GG has ended, I think I still have a bit left in me, that is if you all want to read it.

"This is a beautiful space, Blair," Chuck marveled at the surroundings of what Blair hoped would be her loft.

"And I already know exactly where I'm going to build my office," she replied as she pulled him eagerly towards one side of the building to showed him what her view was going to be. "That's quite a view, isn't it?"

"The Bass Tower," he chuckled as he looked at the familiar structure.

"If I get a high powered telescope, I'll probably be able to see into your office," she grinned proudly, "Not that I think you need to be checked up on."

"I'll be sure to flash you," he chuckled.

"It's a short commute from both the penthouse and your office," she added, "We could even carpool in the morning."

"I didn't realize you were such an environmentalist," he laughed.

"I'm not," she replied as she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I just want a few extra minutes with you every morning. You're always so frisky then, and we should have just enough time every morning to get…"

"Ms. Waldorf," the leasing agent greeted them suddenly, "I was surprised to hear from you so soon."

"Are the papers all ready?" Blair asked as she took out the special pen from her handbag that she'd purchased that morning for the occasion.

"Indeed they are," the agent nodded as she held them out to Blair to sign, "A five year lease, as we agreed."

"Could I take a quick look?" Chuck requested as Blair was about to put her pen to the paper without another thought. He would have hated himself if Blair had signed herself into something that would get her in trouble down the road.

"Okay," Blair nodded as she turned the lease over to Chuck.

"He's my business partner," Blair explained Chuck's presence.

"It never hurts to have a second opinion," the agent agreed as her phone rang, "I need to take this. Let me know if you have any questions as you go through it."

"I should have asked you first if it's okay that I take a look," Chuck gulped nervously.

"No, that's okay," Blair assured him, "I should have thought of that. You see these types of things more often than I do. I shouldn't be so quick to sign, even if I think this is the perfect space."

"I'm going to have one of my real estate lawyers look this over quickly," Chuck stated as he took pictures of each page and sent them to one of the Bass lawyers. His phone rang almost immediately. It was said lawyer to offer his advice. Blair paced around the empty space, visualizing every detail of what would hopefully be her design loft. Chuck's voice would filter into her thoughts every now and then. She could even see him stopping by during one of her late nights just before Fashion Week with dinner packed in a picnic basket. They'd toast to her upcoming success and make love on the floor of her office. She'd find her second wind thanks to him, and Fashion Week would be an enormous success.

"There are a couple of changes Blair and I would like you to make," Chuck spoke to the agent. Blair was shook from her thoughts as she heard the two negotiating back and forth. She had a momentary thought that she should be angry with him for speaking for her before speaking with her, but it passed as quick as it came. He was looking out for her best interests because he wanted her to succeed in the worst way. The negotiating went on for a few minutes before the agent agree to nearly all of Chuck's demands. Soon Chuck was handing her the contract and bending at the waist to offer her his back as a table for her to sign.

"Congratulations, Ms. Waldorf," the agent stated as she handed Blair the keys to the loft, "I'll show myself out."

Once alone, Blair threw her arms around Chuck's neck as he spun her around in celebration.

"This is really happening!" she exclaimed with a triumphant smile as happiness oozing out of her pores.

"We'd better get to work on those business proposals," Chuck replied.

"So true," she smiled, "I have to pay for this space for five years. The trust fund will run out sooner rather than later."

"How about lunch to celebrate?" he offered.

"With you, it's a little more vertical than I was hoping for," she pouted slightly.

"We can do the horizontal celebrating when I get home tonight," he chuckled as he kissed her lips.

"So the lease was okay to sign?" she inquired as she linked her fingers through his as they walked to the elevator.

"After a few modifications, yes," he confirmed.

"You were talking gibberish back there. Could you tell me what other conditions they agreed to?" she requested.

"Basically, they will be responsible for the initial refurbishment of the space along with any repairs that need to be made during the length of the lease," he explained, "You still get to set up the floor plan and decorate it however you'd like, but the largest expenses would come out of the landlord pocket."

"And they agreed to that?" she gasped in surprise as they stepped into the elevator.

"This space has been vacant for quite some time," he nodded, "That lawyer that I sent the paperwork to did a quick search while we were on the phone. The ownership of this property is on financially stable ground, so there isn't anything to worry about from that end, but any landlord will tell you that any lease is better than no lease at all. The monthly rent is in line with other properties of the same caliber. You may not have known in full detail what you were signing into, but you could have signed the contract as written and it would have been fine. I figured I'd push a little to see what I other perks I could get you. With as accommodating as the agent was, I have a feeling she was told to get the deal done no matter what concessions had to be made."

"Further proof that you are a brilliant businessman," she smiled as she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Blair was considering her day as perfect. After a delicious lunch, Blair and Chuck strolled back to his office, hand and hand, forgoing the limo as they wanted to enjoy the brilliant blue sky and each other for as long as they could. She returned to the penthouse to get working on her business proposals. Chuck had set up three meetings with interested financiers for first thing the next week, so she knew she had to get started. It wasn't in her nature to procrastinate. Luckily Chuck had given her a few outlines to go by, or she wouldn't have had a clue how to start. She was moving along quite well when the elevator chimed. She looked at her watch and became confused. It was entirely too soon for Chuck to be home.

"Mother!" Blair gasped as she approached the entryway to see Eleanor fidgeting before her. To say she was surprised was an understatement.

"I should have called first," Eleanor began, a slight stutter in the phrase, which surprised Blair almost as much as her mother's presence in her home.

"Yes, you should have," Blair agreed, "I really don't have anything to say to you."

"You were right," Eleanor admitted, "I did take your design. It wasn't an accidental thing. It was a conscious choice, and a bad one at that."

"How could you?" Blair hissed.

"I don't have a good reason, Blair," Eleanor confessed, "I was looking at your senior portfolio before a meeting with one of my buyers. I accidentally left it out. The buyer saw it and began ranting and raving about the design, saying it was my best work in years. I couldn't very well say that it was my daughter's college senior portfolio after that. It would have been humiliating. After that, there was no turning back."

Blair was left speechless by her mother's confession.

"I made a mistake," Eleanor began rambling on to fill the silence, "But once it was made there was no going back, so I hid it from you. I did everything I could to keep you from finding out because I didn't want to see that look of betrayal on your face that I saw when you confronted me a few days ago. I've very sorry, Blair."

"You're sorry," Blair snapped as she threw up her hands in exasperation, "Well that makes it all better then, doesn't it? Wow, I should be honored. The great Eleanor Waldorf has apologized for fashion espionage. That just solves everything…Wait, no it doesn't! You lied to me. You stole from me. You claimed ownership of something that I did, something that I poured hours of my own blood, sweat and tears into. And when confronted, you didn't just own up to it. You went on the offensive. You attacked the thing that is most sacred to me when you attacked my relationship with Chuck. In my book that's almost unforgivable."

"Blair, don't say that," Eleanor shook her head, "I'm sorry. I'll do whatever you need me to do to fix this. I'll give you the credit. I'll run press releases that not only has my beautiful daughter come to work for my label, but she has also joined the design team and her influence has already been felt in the ads being published. I'll go a step further. You'll become a part of my design team. We can be the Waldorf Women."

"I'm starting my own label," Blair cut her off, "I'm putting together my own staff. I have my own loft space leased, and I've even come up with the logo. I don't want anything from you, Mother. You take that dress and do with it whatever you want. That will be the last thing you get from me. You should leave."

"Blair, wait," Eleanor called out as Blair turned to leave. She brushed tears away when her daughter didn't turn around, "We have to fix this. You're my daughter, and I love you."

"I love you too," Blair's voice broke as she spoke, though she refused to turn towards her, "But this can't be fixed, at least not yet. I need time, lots of time."

"Blair," Eleanor called out as her daughter left her alone in the entryway. Blair didn't stop this time. She didn't turn around. She was gone. All Eleanor could do was leave.

Chuck came home several hours later with a bottle of champagne in one hand and a bouquet of peonies in the other. He ventured into his office expecting to find Blair hard at work on her business proposal. His office was empty except for the papers she'd left earlier. He glanced over what she had so far and was impressed by what he saw. Not that he was surprised, but she was doing a spectacular job. Even without their personal connection, if he'd been given the proposal based only on what he saw in front of him, he would have given Blair the money she needed, and he was a hundred times more critical than any bank would be.

He tried the dining room, thinking perhaps she was waiting with a celebratory meal. Still nothing.

He gave it one more try as he ventured into the bedroom, thinking she'd slipped herself into a sexy piece of lingerie to kick off their little celebration and was seductively posed on their bed. Though he found her, she wasn't wearing lingerie, and she wasn't seductively posed. She was curled into a ball as tiny sobs escaped. Chuck felt his heart shatter. Something had obviously happened, but he didn't know what.

"Blair," Chuck poked at her shoulder slightly to open her up. She unfolded quickly and threw herself into his arms and began sobbing against his shoulder. "What happened?"

There was no reply. She continued to sob with no end in sight. Chuck held her, his arms tightening each time hers did. Blair couldn't get close enough to him. Soon she was in his lap, her arms and legs wrapped around him.

"Tell me how to fix it," he stated.

"You can't," she cried out, her voice thick with sobs, "I don't think this can be fixed, ever."

"Everything can be fixed," he whispered, "Just tell me what's broken."

"I am," she stuttered, "My mom broke me, many years ago she broke me. Just call me Humpty Dumpty. Not even the king's men can put me back together again."

"I don't need the king's men," he replied as he caressed her back, "Broken or unbroken, you are the love of my life. I'll take you anyway I can have you."

"I love you, too," she managed a tiny smile.

"What happened?" he pressed as he pushed the tangled mess of hair away from her face.

"She admitted it," Blair sniffled, "My mother admitted that she stole my dress. She gave me this long drawn out explanation, and then she offered all these ways to make it up to me. The more she talked the madder I got. I stormed out. I left her standing there in the entryway of our home. I've been in here ever since."

Chuck nodded. He knew anything he said to try and smooth things over was going to have the negative effect, so he said nothing. "Your business proposal looks amazing."

"You think so?" she smiled slightly as her head came to rest against his shoulder.

"If I thought you'd let me, I'd finance your entire business," he added.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she sighed.

"I'm not," he assured her.

"Then you're angling for sex," she replied.

"I wouldn't turn down sex," he chuckled, "But that is not my reason. What you have so far is a sound business plan."

"You are amazing," she stated, punctuating each word with a kiss to his lips.

"I brought champagne to celebrate your lease," he stated, "Splash some water on your face and join me in the dining room. We have some celebrating to do."

"How about you bring the champagne in here, and we celebrate," she smiled as she unbuttoned a few of his shirt buttons.

"And our dinner?" he inquired.

"Bring it all in here," she replied as she unbuttoned a few more of his buttons, "I'll feed dinner to you."

"Hold that thought," he smiled as he gathered her hands into his and kissed each one in turn, "I'm be back in a few minutes."

"The thought will hold," she smiled coyly, "But not for too long, so no dawdling."

"Five minutes at most," he winked at her before he darted from the room.

TBC…

Mad props for my beta Lori, my pal and partner in crime. And to all my loyal readers, I love you all.