"I think she needs another blanket." Blair said, turning to go fetch another one. Chuck grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"No, she's quite bundled enough. Add another blanket and you'll strangle her." Blair rolled her eyes and put the baby bag on the end of the stroller. Henry came bounding down the stairs, clad in his black winter coat and his Addidas Sambas.
"Are we ready to go?" He asked excitedly. Blair shook her head.
"Where's your boot?" She asked him. He looked down at his leg and sighed.
"I don't need it anymore Momma." He responded.
"Yes you do. Go."
"But-"
"No if, ands, or butts Henry. Now." She yelled. He rolled his eyes and went back up the steps in a huff. She sighed and looked back at the bundled up baby in her stroller. She smiled faintly and rested her hand on the stroller.
"She's so beautiful." Chuck marveled. Blair nodded, looking at the little brunette-headed girl poking out from the pink and brown blankets. He kissed the top of her head.
"But this day is mostly about our eldest, keep in mind. He hasn't had a lot of time with his mother lately and it's really getting him down. He was so excited last night when we agreed to this." Blair looked up at him.
"I've been a horrible mother to him lately haven't I?" She admitted, looking back down at the ground. Chuck wrapped his arms around her.
"You've been doing the best you can. Juggling two kids is hard. Especially in the beginning." She shook her head in his arms and he brought her in closer.
"Brielle has to be fed, put to bed, changed, washed, rocked. Most of which is a joint effort but some of it has to be done by her mother. It's not your fault you have to attend to our daughter all of the time. Henry knows that. But it doesn't stop him from missing his mother and becoming just a tad jealous." As if on cue, the small boy came trudging down the steps with his boot.
"Can we go now?" Henry asked in a monotone voice. Blair pulled away from her husband and took his small hand in hers.
"Of course love. I'm very excited to go do our favorite activity again." Henry smiled up at her in happiness.
"I love you Mama." He said suddenly, latching onto her legs. She felt tears prick in her eyes as she rubbed his back lovingly. She would always be her sweet boy. Her first-born. The only boy she loved just as much as her husband.
"I love you too baby."
Chuck pushed the stroller along as Blair and Henry walked beside them hand-in-hand. They had decided to not bring Monkey since it was Brielle's first outing out and it would be too much going on for any of them to handle. He had put on his best begging face, but that had not been enough to sway Chuck. He was the one who would have to man the stroller and the dog, and he wasn't quite sure if he could handle that quite yet. He had mastered it with Henry, but he decided that his daughter's first outing should be as simple as possible.
"How is school going?" Blair asked him as she swung their linked hands back and forth. Henry twisted his mouth. She prepared for the worst. Henry was a sweet boy, but she feared he would be tempted to follow in the footsteps of his father.
"Well Headmaster VanHolt is really mean to me." He said. Blair looked down at him, concerned. She didn't notice Chuck smirking smugly beside them.
"I don't know Momma! He pulls me aside when I'm outside playing with Bradley, Mason, or any of the other boys and yells at me. He puts me in his office in a chair and makes me miss recess. It's not fair." He exclaimed, throwing his hands up at various parts. Chuck coughed loudly to hide his laughs, but Blair knew him better. Her head shot over to him.
"What's so funny? Do you know him? He's torturing our son for no reason!" Chuck smirked.
"I can't believe he still works at St. Judes. He was my headmaster in 7th grade I think but he moved down to the elementary school after my year. I swear it was only to get away from me." Chuck said.
"Well can you go in and tell him to stop treating our son unfairly just because you were obnoxious in your tween years?" Blair asked. Chuck looked at Henry.
"Are you sure you aren't up to a little trouble Hen? I mean I wouldn't be mad if you are. Actually, maybe a little proud." Blair tried to hide her smirk, but Chuck caught it. They both knew that if their son got into trouble it would be a good sign for them instead of a bad one. That he'd caught the scheming gene. Henry shook his head.
"No Daddy I swear on my mother's grade." He said seriously. Blair laughed.
"It's your mother's grave love and please don't swear on anything related to me let alone my grave. It's depressing." Henry let go of Blair's hand and ran (or more like toddled with his boot) ahead to their destination. Chuck and Blair caught up to him after a minute. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree as he waited in anticipation.
Blair smiled and handed him the bread. He broke off a piece and began to feed the ducks. Blair crouched down next to him and bit her lip when her lower body began to throb. She pushed the pain away and threw the bread in the water. She felt Chuck begin to massage one of her shoulders as he rested the other hand on the stroller and pushed it back and forth. Nothing would ever calm Blair down more like feeding the ducks. Other than feeding the ducks with her family. Sharing her favorite place with her husband, son, and daughter was so special to her. Henry finished his slices and picked some more off of Blair's lap. She kissed his cheek as he rose and watched him giggle in glee as the ducks quaked and ate up the bread. She could never get tired of this. Chuck grabbed her underarm and helped her up, sensing her discomfort. She looked up and him and smiled. He kissed her forehead.
"You have the most beautiful soul. It's complex yet simple all at once." She furrowed her brows, still tilting her head up at him.
"Since when was Chuck Bass poetic?" He leaned down and captured her lips in his. It was the most genuine kiss they had shared in what seemed like ages. It wasn't quick so that one of them could go run to the baby or rushed before she cried out. It was perfectly timed and sweet. He pulled away and nudged the cold tip of his nose lightly against hers.
"Since I married the most beautiful girl on the face of this planet." She leaned back further into his arms and rested her hand on top of his on the stroller bar.
"So you're suggesting that on a planet beyond this, there is a lady that is prettier than me?" Chuck smirked.
"Maybe. But no one I could ever love as much as you." She sighed as he recaptured her lips in his. Henry cleared his throat loudly, causing them to pull away from each other abruptly.
"I let you have one soppy kiss. But two was where I had to draw the line." Chuck shook his head and Blair laughed lightly.
"Come here." Blair said, opening her arms and wiggling her fingers.
"No!" He shrieked as Chuck threw him up in the air and caught him back in his arms. Blair and Chuck both peppered kisses all over Henry's face. They had been doing this ever since he was a baby, but as he grew older he began to equate it to a type of torture. Deep down, Blair and Chuck both knew he loved the attention. Especially now that he had a little sister. He dropped the remainder of his bread on the ground and cried out.
"You made me drop my bread!" They both stopped and laughed.
"We have plenty more Henry and you know it." Chuck said. Henry smiled a toothy grin.
"Let me down." He demanded. Chuck placed him back on the pavement and he made his way over to the stroller. He heard little clicking noises and decided to look at his sister. She was bundled up in various blankets and a pink hat. Her little nose was getting pink from the cold, but her mouth was covered up. She looked at him with her deep brown eyes and moved her left arm from out under the blanket. She was almost a month old, but she was already very alert.
"Hi Brielle." Henry said, standing on his tippy toes to get a better look. The baby just stared at him.
"Do you know where we are? We're at Central Park! This is Mommy's favorite place where we feed the ducks. When you're older you can feed them too. But now you're just a tiny little baby." He grabbed her hand gently and she made more clicking noises.
"You seem to like to go out. Me too! When you're older we can come here a lot then and it'll be fun. And maybe when we're really older, we can come here by ourselves. Won't that be fun?" Brielle continued making her little noises. Chuck walked up behind Henry and peeked under the hood.
"Is she okay in there?" He asked. Henry nodded. Chuck reached in and adjusted the blankets so that her hand was tucked in again. She began to wail.
"I don't think she likes her arms tucked in Daddy." Henry suggested. Blair dashed around the stroller at the first sound of her daughter's cry. Chuck untucked her arm and she settled back down.
"She can't be held back. That's a good sign." Chuck observed jokingly.
"Or a really, really bad one." Blair said. Henry wiggled his way out of his father's grip and grabbed his bread.
"Can we turn her stroller towards the pond so she can watch?" Blair turned it around and smiled. Henry turned back to face the pond and began to throw the bread in the water again. Blair leaned down to see Brielle staring at the water in wonder.
"She's very observant, just like Henry." Blair noted. Chuck wrapped his arms around Blair's waist.
"We make very scholarly children." Blair rolled her eyes.
"Like you made any contributions to that." Chuck scoffed and brought his lips to Blair's ear.
"I may not be educated in academics, but I sure am in the bedroom. And you're my favorite teacher." Blair slapped his hands.
"No sex for another two weeks Bass. Stop trying to feel me up and seduce me." Chuck kissed her cheek.
"You know you love it." He whispered. She pushed his face away from hers.
"Sometimes I question why I married you first of all, let alone bared your spawns." Chuck walked towards Henry.
"Because you love me." He said as he walked. Blair shook her head and went back to pushing the stroller back and forth slowly. She watched as he sneaked up behind Henry and tossed him in the air again. With a smile, she turned back to look at Brielle, whose eyes were fluttering shut peacefully.
"Can I help you and Henry with dinner tonight Dorota?" Blair asked as she padded into the kitchen barefoot. Dorota raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.
"What? You helped me cook up a storm when I was pregnant with Henry and you know how badly I want to be a homemaker for Chuck." She swung her leg around the stool, forgetting her stiches and yelped. Dorota was immediately by her side.
"Miss Blair-"
"Mrs. Blair." She corrected through gritted teeth. Dorota sighed.
"You should take it easy. Maybe nap would be good before dinner?" Blair shook her head.
"I'm fine Dorota. Sure I may be lacking on sleep, but I've learned how to normally function with it." Dorota gave her a look and she sighed.
"I also want to spend some motherly time with Henry. Chuck was right. I am neglecting him. It isn't fair to him at all. I thought maybe it would be nice if I made one of his favorite meals with him while the baby is sleeping." She looked down at the floor and began to massage her neck with her hand. Dorota replaced her hand and began to massage it hard. Blair yelped again.
"I forgot how painfully pleasurable your Polish massages are." She moaned. Dorota retracted her hand and spanked her butt lightly.
"Now up. Spaghetti doesn't make itself." Blair smiled and swung herself off of the stool.
"Mister Henry! Spaghetti time!" Dorota called. Henry immediately slid into the kitchen in his fuzzy socks. Blair eyed him knowingly.
"Henry…"
"It was being itchy and I want to relax!" Henry complained.
"Last time I checked sliding around the kitchen was not part of relaxing." He crossed his arms.
"But it doesn't even hurt anymore." He pouted. Blair sighed.
"Fine get over here. But tomorrow we are going to Doctor McChlelan and making sure you're telling the truth." He smiled in sweet victory and padded over to where his mom was standing. Dorota pulled a stool over and sat him on it. He clapped his hands together in excitement.
"Are you helping Momma?" He asked excitedly. Blair nodded and kissed him on the cheek.
"Of course! But you have to be my guide." He grabbed the spaghetti package and the big pot.
"You put the spaghetti in the water. Here you can pour half and I can pour half." Dorota poured the pitcher of water in and Blair and Henry poured in the spaghetti. He hopped off of the stool and turned on the burner.
"Now we let it boil." He said in his best instructor voice. Blair laughed. Dorota brought over the spaghetti and adjusted the burner a bit before placing it on top of it.
"Now we have to wait a bit." He anxiously waited by the pot. Blair kept her gaze on him when all of the sudden, a cry pierced through the air on the baby monitor on the counter. Blair closed her eyes and exhaled.
"She hasn't even slept ten minutes." She moaned. Henry looked down at the ground sadly. Blair leaned off of the counter and walked past Henry.
"I'll be right back love." She promised, tapping his shoulder. As she went up the stairs, Henry turned towards Dorota.
"Dorota, why do babies always cry?" He asked. Dorota smiled as she poured out the correct amounts in cups for her special sauce.
"It's their way of communicating since they can't talk." He pondered that for a moment before asking another question.
"Will Brielle ever be happy?"
"Not quite kochanie. But she cry less as she grows." Henry sighed and rested his head on the counter. Dorota continued pouring the various ingredients quietly as she hummed a Polish tune. He could never understand her Polish like his mother could, but he really found it to be beautiful. He wanted to be bilingual someday. He already was almost fluent in French from being taught it since he was a baby. However, he still had a bit to go before he could call himself bilingual. He could have small conversations with his mother and Grandpa Roman, but not like they could have conversations with each other. He got lost in the beautiful rhythm of the language and the rapid speed in which they talked. He loved Paris more than anything and longed to go back to the chateau and the Eiffel Tower. He looked up at the Eiffel Tower painting in their kitchen and rested his head in his hands. He knew they wouldn't be traveling anytime soon with the cranky baby. When they were just the three of them, Blair and Henry accompanied Chuck on a couple of business trips. He always loved having his parents to himself in various fun places.
But everything was different now.
Blair padded into the room five minutes later bobbing the cranky baby up and down on her shoulder. She smiled.
"It already smells good Hen." He turned around and offered her a small, weak smile. He was really looking forward to cooking with his Mom and then annoying Brielle had to ruin it like she always does. Blair sensed his mood and shifted Brielle on her shoulder so she could use one arm.
"Which ingredients do I mix together?" She asked. Henry smiled and hopped back up on his stool.
"These two." He instructed. He reached over and grabbed a whisk and handed it to Blair.
"Here you hold the bowl for me and I'll stir." He complied. After she mixed for a minute, she tapped the whisk on the edge of the bowl and Dorota placed it in the sink. Brielle watched on observantly from her perch on her mother's shoulder. Blair kissed her tiny head and rubbed her back.
"Miss Blair, why don't I do rest and you guys go wait by fire?"
"Are you sure?" Blair asked. Dorota smiled.
"I have been the primary cook in both the Waldorf and Bass households for years." Blair rolled her eyes and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you." Henry skipped after his mother. She settled down on a pillow on the floor in front of the fireplace and cradled Brielle in her arms. Monkey settled down next to her, resting his paws in his hands. He had been very protective of Henry when he was born, and this baby was no different. Brielle fisted at her mother's shirt and gurgled.
"Hi little mama. You just wanted to be held didn't you? You like attention just like me." She kissed her on the forehead as Henry plopped down next to them. Blair kissed him on the cheek and offered him a spot to snuggle up against her.
"When's Daddy coming home?" Henry asked tiredly. Blair brought the burping rag that had been on her shoulder to Brielle's cheek to wipe her.
"Soon. He had just had to run to the office real quick and make sure Uncle Jack and Mr. Walls had everything under control." Henry rubbed Brielle's tummy gingerly.
"I can't get over how tiny she is." Henry murmured. Blair smiled.
"Even though you were a big baby, you were always so small and fascinating to me because I was a first-time mommy." Blair reminisced.
"Chuck-" Blair began, looking down at their perfect son in her arms. Chuck wrapped his arm around her blue-silk covered arm tighter.
"What?" He asked softly. She ran a finger against the baby's cheek.
"I can't believe how tiny he is. Just look at his little lips-" She touched his lips gently.
"His hands all curled up, his tiny tufts of dark hair." She caressed the back of the sleeping baby's head. Chuck kissed her cheek.
"The perfect combination of you and me." Chuck murmured. Blair nodded and snuggled closer to him.
"I'm so happy." She said simply, nuzzling her nose in his shoulder. He rested his lips on the top of her head.
"I've never been happier." Chuck responded. Blair closed her eyes dreamily and felt the combined warmth of Chuck and the baby in her arms.
"Just me, you, and Henry." She listened to the crackling of the fire and it started to put her into a deep sleep like a soothing lullaby.
"Forever and always." Were the last words she heard before falling asleep in the comfort of her husband's loving arms.
"You know I love you very much, right?" Blair asked as she drifted from the memory. Henry nodded slowly and looked down at the ground.
"I used to think I could never love anyone else but your Dad. Every second we weren't together, my heart was broken. And when we were together, my heart was so full I thought it would explode." She laughed shortly along with Henry.
"But when I first looked into your beautiful brown eyes, I fell in love instantly. I have never fallen for someone so quickly. Not even Daddy. In fact, it took me a little while to get the guts to make a move." Henry smiled. Blair remembered something.
"Dorota!" She called. Dorota was immediately in the living room.
"Take baby?" She asked.
"No she's fine. I need you to get my laptop for me."
"Of course Miss Blair. Your Dell?" She nodded. Dorota quickly scurried up the steps and came back down with the laptop. Blair grabbed it with her free hand and placed it on a pillow in front of her.
"Thank you Dorota." Blair said. Dorota smiled.
"Dinner ready in five!" She reported as she left the room. Blair propped Brielle up so she was half-sitting so she had better access to the laptop. She clicked around on her desktop and opened a folder labeled 'Henry'. She silently thanked herself for sorting the various months in different folders or else it would be nearly impossible to find one picture out of the hundreds she had on there. She clicked on the first month folder and found the video.
"I want to show you something very special to me. I'm not going to lie, at the time I totally did not want your Uncle Nate recording this, but your father wanted it and they both knew I'd want it someday. But as you know, having babies is very painful and does not make me very pleasant." Henry giggled and nodded.
"I'm going to skip through the coming out part because there is some no-no language in there and I'm not proud of myself in those moments to say the least. Plus it's kind of disgusting, especially for little eyes. So I'm going to skip to the part where you're in my arms." She dragged the touch pad through a long period of birth and finally found the part where Henry's first cry was. She clicked play and the memory started to unravel itself. She hadn't watched this video in ages, but she was already tearing up over it.
Henry watched as his father's eyes grew large and his mother started bawling as he was set in her arms. She looked down at him with tear-filled eyes with so much love. He was beginning to tear up himself. He now believed his mother's words more than everything. It was playing out right in front of his eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek. Blair smiled through her already fallen tears and thumbed his single one away.
"Why are you crying love?" Blair asked. Henry shrugged
"I don't know really." She laughed and kissed the top of his head.
"Do you see what I mean now?" He nodded and hugged her arm.
"Did you do the same thing when Brielle came out?" He asked into her arm.
"Well we didn't record hers. It was similar, yes. But in this moment you're watching right now, you have to remember it was the first time I was a mommy. Hours before, I was just a twenty-three year old fashion designer married to the business tycoon Chuck Bass. But in that moment, I was a mother. That's an entirely different feeling. You'll see when you become a dad for the first time. But that's not for a very, very long time." The video zoomed in closer on Chuck and Blair's smiling faces as they took in their son. Chuck kissed Blair's cheek in the softest and most loving of ways. Henry swore that he had never seen anyone so in love as his parents. Sure they had their moments: they got in fights, disagreed, said things they didn't mean. But at the end of the day, Chuck loved Blair. And Blair loved Chuck. He was always hearing various bits and pieces of their journey as a couple.
And he was proud to be a part of something so special.
Chuck closed the Goodnight Moon book and placed it on the end table. He took in the sight in front of him. Henry had his head rested against the backboard of the bed fast asleep. In his arms, he held his baby sister protectively. She was asleep too. Her long feeding and bath had worn her out, for the joy of both Chuck and Blair. He was almost afraid to move her out of Henry's arms and into her crib. She looked so comfortable and peaceful in the small boy's arms. More terrifying was moving his sleeping wife to their bedroom. He swore he had torn both of his legs carrying her pregnant body around, but he never complained. He didn't have to deal with half of the stuff she did during pregnancy, so he was willing to pamper her and make her more comfortable in any way he could. She had her head rested next to Henry's on the headboard, but it had slid down to rest on top of his. They had all been so tired when they snuggled down for their first bedtime story since Brielle was born that he had predicted this would be the outcome. The baby was out first, Henry following quickly after, and then about a page or two from the end, Blair went down. Even Monkey had fallen asleep on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Henry had been so excited to include Brielle in story time and was even more excited to hold her. Chuck was surprise at his sudden change of attitude. The day with Blair really paid off. She had told him while he sat massaging her feet as she nursed that she had shown him his birth video. He concluded that the video was probably the final puzzle piece for his son to see the full picture. No matter how many babies came into the family, he would always be their first and loved as much as all of his siblings. He had a special place in the family and finally found himself honoring it. He was taking his big brother role more seriously now and Chuck was interested to see how this was going to play out as Brielle grew. Sure he knew they'd probably get in a lot of fights and would hate each other from time to time. But they were siblings. Even though he didn't know much about siblings since he never had them, he saw it in front of his own eyes with Eric and Serena. Siblings have a bond like no other. Even with his step-sister and brother he found a different relationship than he had ever had before. It was organic, unique, and stronger than any other force. He could even argue it was stronger than a bond between lovers. Lovers can part forever, but siblings can't. You can never speak to each other again, but you'll always be connected. Lovers share no blood connection, no shared life-long connections, no unified spirit. They are just two people who collide to create a burst of color. He knew his love with his wife was unique and maybe was as strong or stronger than sibling love, but he knew his son and daughter would always be connected.
He smiled to himself and shifted Brielle into her arms. He thanked god that she only stirred and didn't wake up. He bobbed her up and down gently as he walked down the hallway and into her nursery. Setting her down in her bed on her tummy, he murmured sweet nothings to her. With a small pat on the butt, he kissed her goodnight and pulled her blanket over halfway over her. Her tiny fingers gripped the padding of her bed and she made a couple clicking noises. Chuck smirked.
"Sleep tight my baby girl." He whispered. With that he turned and padded back down the hall to Henry's room. He looked back at his wife and son and determined his options. He made his choice and went to Henry's side of the bed. His son seemed lifeless in his arms as he tucked him in under the covers. He truly was a heavy sleeper. Chuck then moved on over to Blair. He kissed her on the cheek softly before reciprocating the action. Blair stirred in her sleep, but adjusted to the pillow and snuggled into her son. He smirked. Only she could fit in a single bed with her son. She was the tiniest thing ever. He kissed them both on the cheek once more.
"Sleep tight my other loves." He turned out the light with a click and left the room. He slowly clicked the door shut. He had remembered Blair had pumped bottles in the fridge, so he could indeed give her a night of rest. Since they had gotten Henry's walls soundproofed, it only seemed reasonable to keep Blair in there so that her motherly senses wouldn't wake her up. Tonight was going to be his night. He made his way back to their bedroom and settled into his own bed. It felt so empty without Blair's warm body wrapping perfectly around his. He hugged the body-length pillow and sighed. After a few moments, a cry pierced the air. He moaned into his pillow.
It was going to be a long, long night.
One more regular chapter left and then an epilogue! I know this chapter is kind of skippy, but I wrote it in all of the free time I had. I hope you liked it anyway! I made it extra long to make up for the long time it's taken me to update. I'm going to try and update every single story of mine this week as long as time permits because I am injured and don't have to go to Winter Track practice! So stay tuned…
(THE FINALE IS NEXT WEEK. LEMME DIE. LIKE- I AM ACTUALLY ALREADY DEPRESSED.)
R&Rs are so loved. Thank you all for being such good ones for this story. You don't know how much I truly appreciate them.
XOXO, Becca