Disclaimer: All chapters of this story are for entertainment purposes only. I own none of the characters. Props to the writers and creators of My Fair Lady and of course, GG.

Chapter 11: Frozen Assets

A big chill was descending upon the Upper East Side. Blair's birthday party had been perfect, but now circumstances had put the good times on ice. Bart Bass was dead and Chuck holed up in The Palace. No one had seen or spoken to him since the party. He didn't even attend his father's funeral. Chuck Bass was officially incommunicado.

Blair, Nate and Serena had all tried to reach out to Chuck. Nate and Serena texted him nearly every day, to no avail. As for Blair, well, she tried to break into his penthouse several times. Apparently, the security at The Palace was better than what she had at her party. Plus, she was not quite as smooth as Chuck. She couldn't just say the magic words "I'm Chuck Bass". Even with the help of her fairy godmother, it was no use. Chuck was laying low.

Naturally, Blair was heartbroken. She of all people knew what it was like to lose parents. She could help Chuck, if only he would let her.

As if the Chuck situation weren't bad enough, Blair had her own problems. Keeping up with the UES lifestyle had proven to be a bit too rich for her blood. Blair was going broke, fast. After paying her tuition at Constance, buying her uniforms, and throwing the lavish party, she was strapped. Then, of course, there were the shoes and the rides into the city and the accessories. It had all added up.

Sure, she was lucky enough to have such generous friends, but they had already done so much for her. Nate and the lunches, the Countess and the penthouse, Chuck and the (sigh) Harry Winston. She couldn't ask any more of them. She needed to tweak the plot to save the plot. Of course, the necklace Chuck gave her could solve all her money woes. She could return the piece and be set for tuition for her senior year and fund most of her Yale (fingers crossed) education. But, how could she do such a thing? It was such a precious gem…not so much for the carats or the sparkles, or the envy and awe that it inspired but because it came from him. There had to be another way.

Blair walked around the city looking for inspiration. She gazed up at the tall buildings and the intricate art deco workings of the Chrysler Building. There was so much imagination that went into creating Manhattan. It was teaming with inventiveness and the entrepreneurial spirit. She just had to tap into this somehow.

As she walked down Lexington Avenue, her phone rang.

"What do you want Humphrey?" She asked slightly annoyed that he broke her concentration.

"I was wondering if you got the physics homework." Dan asked frantically.

Blair shook her head as she talked, "Of course I got it. I'm a bloody genius, remember? "

Dan was flustered, "No, I meant did you get the page numbers of the problems we're supposed to do?"

"Sure, I completed that lesson the first day of class." Blair continued down Lexington.

A moment went by and Dan was silent.

"Humphrey?" Blair asked halfheartedly. "Humphrey!" She yelled.

He was no longer there; the call had been dropped.

And then hit her. RF nulls in urban canyons could be reduced by implementing a simple noise mitigation algorithm.

It was so obvious. How could she not of thought of it sooner?

Simply put, she would write a program to make cell phones work in the city. No more dropped calls or missed Gossip Girl blasts.

Blair continued down the street at a fast pace. She had to get back to the loft to start coding. Not only was this a money maker, it was a product that was much needed. I mean, what if someone important was trying to call her right then? Like Serena or Chuck. It hurt to even think of his name, but she held out hope that one day soon she would be speaking to him again, if not in person than from her cell…and when she did ,his voice would be loud and clear.

So off Blair rushed across the bridge. Now there was to be "the plot" and "the invention." It would take her a few months to finish the algorithm. She would have to hurry as time was not on her side. Luckily, she was very bright and there was espresso, even in Brooklyn.

By spring, she should be able to sell the invention to Verizon or Qualcomm and make a tidy profit. Of course, she would need a lab to test it in, but that was a problem for another day. For now, she was thrilled with her new idea and encouraged that there was still hope for the plot and Yale and if she was really lucky, maybe even Chuck. But Chuck was endgame, and right now she had business of her own to attend to.

Before going to the loft, Blair swung by her bank to check her balance. It was pretty ugly. She wouldn't be able to ride out the winter at this rate. Blair had to do something drastic. Not hock the Harry Winston drastic, but she knew what she had to do would not feel good.

Blair got to the loft to find Dan with his nose buried in a book lying on the couch.

"What happened to you earlier?" he asked looking up.

"Cell phone cut out. Isn't that fantastic!" She said barreling past him and into her bedroom.

She went to her dresser and opened the top drawer. There was the headband with the red bow she wore the day she first saw Chuck at school. She recalled how he looked at her when he saw her coming down the hall. She remembered how she blushed when she saw him and how they left things and the words she yelled at him. Just you wait Chuck Bass, just you wait. Blair repeated this a few times, only now her anger had been replaced with something more sincere. She missed him dearly and couldn't wait for the day he would come around.

Next to the red number was her crystal headband. Sure, she had worn it to the ball, but these "crown jewels" had been replaced by something much more spectacular. This is how she could justify letting it go. She had no other choice really. It was her most expensive accessory aside from the necklace.

Blair grabbed it quickly before she had any more time to think. Had she stared at it any longer, she may have changed her mind. After all, it was what she wore to the ball where she was formally introduced to him, and where they had talked of Paris and…It was all too much, she had to get rid of it and fast.

Blair raced back through the loft, and passed the couch. "You just got back. Where are you going now?" Dan asked.

"None of your business," she said putting on her jacket.

"Can I at least get the page numbers for the homework?" he asked with that same flustered voice he had had on the phone.

Blair shook her head, "Forget the homework. When I get back from the pawn shop we will talk Pseudo-random Noise and CDMA."

Dan rolled his eyes."Seriously, what are you talking about?"

"Listen Humphrey, I wouldn't expect your primitive mind to understand. When I get back, I'll broad stroke it for you…and that's not code for anything."

As Blair left the loft, a cold gust of wind passed through her. Winter had arrived and covered Brooklyn in a blanket of white. Idiotically, cars still cruised with windows down blasting ghetto beats. A Cadillac drove by Blair and the passenger hollered, "R-I-P, B-I-G! BROOKLYN, BABY!"

Blair laughed as she listened to the lyrics overtaking the neighborhood.

…Phone bill about two G's flat, no need to worry my accountant handles that…50 inch screen, money green, leather sofa, got two rides a limousine with a chauffer...

The irony was not wasted on Blair as she listened and thought about the Upper East Side. Oh Biggy, you have no idea.

A/N: Next time, Chuck Bass and the limo.