Disclaimer: I own nothing except a great love for CB and the many inhabitants of the UES
A/N: Another longer one for you guys. And Yay she's awake…I was getting frustrated myself wanting to write actual present CB with B awake :lol: but needed certain things to happen first. And yea…Christmas, cliché but who cares. Couldn't resist a little magic…well in spirit for our favorite Bass and UESers. You guys are love. Thanks so very much fall all of your words and the continued show of support. Sorry this took so long to get to you but life and work has a way of butting in when you just want to play. So of course this continues to be fun to write. Hope you continue enjoying it as much as I am executing it. Quadruple hugs all around to my fellow CBers, fanforum buddies, and reviewers (you know why...CB always babies :D ). Lynnie glad to have you back honey and I don't know what I'd do without my other pair of eyes and soundingboard. :kiss:
Chapter 10
Nate looked up smiling as the elevator dinged, announcing the newest arrival to the Bass apartment. That smile faded when he caught sight of none other than his estranged wife stepping off. He glanced down at the twins who were too focused on their new toys to notice Vanessa's presence. Nate hurried, towards the dark-haired woman, who appeared so ill at ease especially when she saw his thunderous expression. He moved towards her, his sole-intent not finding out just what the hell she was doing there but getting her out before Kat or Evie spotted her.
"Ow, you're hurting me." She cried softly as he gripped her wrist and started leading her back towards the elevator. "What are you doing?"
He loosened his hold but didn't let her go completely. He didn't answer her but surprised them both, bypassing the elevator and heading for the kitchen.
"Nate. Stop it. What do you think you're doing?"
"Just what I was going to ask you." He said once they were in the empty kitchen. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to drop these off for Evie and Kat." She lifted shopping bag on her arm. He could make out shiny, green wrapping peeking from the tote. "I would've brought them days ago, but I…well."
"Got too busy with your boyfriend." Nate supplied.
She shook her head, "That's not what I was going to say. Listen…Nate, I don't want to fight with you. I didn't drop them off sooner because I didn't want to bump into you."
"Oh…okay. So instead of coming on a day when I was most likely working…you wait until Christmas morning when you know I'm going to be off. Makes sense." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"I wasn't ready to see you before. And wasn't sure of what kind of welcome your best friend would have in store…so I kept putting things off." She said, "I was half expecting the staff not to let me upstairs."
At her tight, uncomfortable laugh, Nate felt the anger and sense of betrayal that he'd been burying deep surge forward. "Yeah, well thanks for reminding me. I'll be sure that Chuck speaks with the front desk…today."
She looked away from, but not before he glimpsed the hurt and unshed tears in her eyes.
He shook off the guilt trying to take hold of him. This wasn't his fault. Why should he feel guilty? She'd been the unfaithful one. After weeks of accusing, him…it had been her.
"I picked up the phone to call you…to talk to you but I didn't know what to say." She told him.
"How long?" Nate demanded, and went on to clarify when she turned those glassy, confused eyes on him. "Huh, Vanessa. How long have you been fucking someone else?"
"Nate, don't."
"You wanted to talk? Well, this is what I want to talk about." He stepped closer to her, getting in her face. "I spent the last few days going over everything in my head. All the details. Trying to figure out the when…who."
"It doesn't matter."
"Damn well matters to me. Answer the question, Vanessa." Nate crowded her and she backpedaled until the edge of the kitchen island dug into her back and there was no where else to go. "Give me something here. Do you love him?"
"No." Vanessa answered immediately.
"Okay, so you were screwing him, then. Jeez, I just feel so much better." Nate's laughter filled the room, without humor and tinged with all that he was feeling. Anything else that he might've said. That he wanted to say was lost as Dorota came barging in.
"There you are. Mr. Chuck look for you. You must come now. It's Miss Blair." She said, looking out of breath.
"Dammit." Nate started from the kitchen all his worst fears for his oldest friends coming to mind.
"What's going on with Blair?" Vanessa asked but didn't receive an answer as both Nate and the maid hurried from the kitchen, leaving her to trail in their wake.
Chuck was already at the elevator, stabbing the button as he yanked on his overcoat. His hair was still damp from his shower and his expression appeared shell-shocked.
"Mr. Chuck, you catch cold if you go out like that." Dorota was admonishing.
"I'll be fine." Chuck stabbed at the elevator button again as if he hadn't just done so, bare seconds before.
"What's going on?" Nate asked them.
When Chuck didn't immediately answer, Dorota turned back to them with bright eyes. "Mr. Harold call with very good news." She began excitedly but then lowered her voice when Chuck stared pointedly at the little girls playing behind them. She lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. "He say she wake up."
For a moment Nate was confused. Her words and the twosome's strange behavior sinking in for him. Blair was awake. He repeated the words in his mind. Once. Twice. Trying to make them seem real, but she'd been gone for such a long time.
"Oh my god. That's amazing." Vanessa said from behind him. Chuck cast her a glance seeming to realize she was there for the first time. He looked ready to ask what the hell she was doing there and turned to Nate, his expression distracted, eyes curious.
Nate shook his head. Not now.
"Mr. Chuck." Dorota wrung her clasped hands, "Blair's papa say she ask for me. I come as well. Please."
The flash of jealousy in his best friend's eyes was so quick that if he'd blinked or Nate would've missed it completely. So Blair had asked for Dorota. Dorota and not Chuck. His friend's expression became unreadable as he considered the maid's request. They all looked glanced around at the two little girls who were still oblivious to the new drama and upheaval going on around them.
"I called Lily. She'll be here soon." Chuck said, sounding torn.
Dorota nodded slowly. Disappointment seeping into her expression though he hadn't said the words yet. She tried to smile and cover up.
"I can stay and wait for her. Follow you guys, as soon as, she comes." Nate offered. Tossing a grateful glance at Nate, she turned back to Chuck, trying not to show how hopeful she was feeling but her eyes shone with it.
"You should go too, Nate." Vanessa said, "You've all known one another forever. I can stay with the girls."
Nate hadn't been oblivious over the past few months, the way his wife had began distancing herself from the twins and Serena's little boy. Especially after the second miscarriage. She'd stopped coming with him to visit his best friend and goddaughters. No longer joining in on their trips to the Garden to for the Knicks or a Rangers game, just to hang out with the twins. All of that stopped. Then once she'd cut herself off from the children in their lives, she'd began distancing herself from him, as well.
"I don't think that's such a good idea." Nate said, as the elevator dinged and Chuck and Dorota hurried inside.
"Nate, go. It's just until Lily comes. Then I'm gone….I swear." Vanessa said.
Chuck made an impatient sound, "Nathaniel, let's go. Blair's waiting. You and…your wife can finish your little discussion or what the hell ever, another time. I insist. Let's go." To Vanessa he added glaring, "Not a word to them about their mother. Not one."
"Of course not."
Vanessa stood in the same spot, watching until the three disappeared behind the elevator doors. She'd considered leaving Kat and Evie's gifts with the front desk, but waking up another day to her empty house…Christmas morning without Nate had proven to be too much. She'd told herself that she'd come up. Give the girls their presents. If Nate happened to hanging around, she'd look her fill. Fulfill the need to just be near him. She wouldn't break down. She wouldn't tell him how much she missed him. She wouldn't beg him to come home because they didn't really belong together after all. She'd just see him and that would be enough.
Yeah right, her mouth curved into a self-deprecating smile. Thank God Dorota had come in when she had. She should feel relief. It was good. Vanessa repeated those words to herself and walked over to the two little girls she hadn't seen in…wow. Two months? Damn.
"Hey, guys. Remember me." She smiled, waiting for the old pain and self-pity to wash over her. But it didn't. The sadness was still there and she had more than enough self-pity to go around, but it had nothing to do with the little girls smiling up at her.
They came at her, asking where she'd been. Full of stories of all that she'd missed. Telling her about meeting their Grandma Eleanor and the recital she'd hneglected to attend the night before. They even gave her a quick rundown of the last Rangers game they'd attended with Nate and their father. But they readily forgave her, especially for her most recent offense, offering to reenact the entire show from the night before.
Vanessa settled back to watch their performance, wondering how they were going to deal with suddenly having the mom they'd never know. Not for the first time, she envied Blair Waldorf. For being someone who Nate's grandparents would've readily accepted. For not just being able to give the man she loved a child but for the two little girls themselves.
The elevator ride down was deathly silent as the three occupants gave themselves over to their own thoughts. Wondering what that first moment would be like. Joyful at the thought of seeing the girl who'd been like a daughter. Fear and love warring to dominance at the thought of being reunited with his lover and the mother of his children. Memories of a little girl who'd called him her prince and all the ways they had grown apart as they grew older and the friend he'd missed even before she'd left them all.
While taken up wholly by his thoughts of Blair and what her awakening meant for his best friend, Nate couldn't stop his mind from wandering to the woman they'd just left in the apartment. He should hate her and a part of him really did, but still he worried for her. How she was handling being with the girls again. Was she still hurting?
Blair. Think about Blair. He ordered himself, pushing thoughts of Vanessa and their crumbled marriage to the far parts of his mind.
~ஐ~
Grace Kelly. Audrey. Katherine. Blair started to close her eyes but then thought better of it. She'd had more than enough of the dark to last a lifetime. So instead she breathed in, breathed out. Repeating the steady mantra in her head.
Grace. Audrey. Katherine. She was a young lady now. Eighteen. A true lady. She would not shriek. She would not threaten…again. Blair smiled now at the closest nurse. The woman offered an unsteady smile of her own, her expression confused and her eyes darting to the as yet unused restraints at each side of the hospital bed.
Blair resisted the urge to roll her eyes, the damn woman acted as if she thought that Blair might pounce on her at any second. For godsakes, Blair huffed out a breath, ditching Grace and Audrey for the moment.
Her head was starting to feel less fuzzy than before and though her entire body still felt so incredibly weak and heavy, Blair found that she could move with more ease. She'd barely gotten ten minutes with her parents, both of them crying and hugging her before the swarm of doctors and nurses descended on them, kicking her protesting parents from the room, well her protesting mother, at any rate.
They'd come at her, poking and prodding. Asking their endless questions. All the while dancing around her questions and ignoring all of Blair's demands to see her parents again. They told her that she'd see them soon enough but wanted to check her over first. But if just one more person shined their stupid penlight in her eyes, she was going to shove it somewhere that would've made Grace and Audrey cringe…Defiant Katherine, though, would surely approve.
The nurse left promising that she'd return in just a few minutes. Only she didn't come right back. Another onslaught of nurses invaded instead, ready to poke and prod anew, armed with even more questions.
She wanted to tell them how utterly ridiculous they looked, wearing those cheesy Santa hats. A particularly, heinous broach one of the nurses' had pinned on her lapel caught Blair's attention. The thing was gaudy and butt ugly.
A catty remark on the tip of her tongue, the fog that had clouded her mind lifted even further and her mind worked starting to make connections. She turned her head, her eyes narrowed trying to see beyond the vertical blinds slit just open enough to give her the barest peek outside. Head tipped to the side, Blair found that if she listened carefully enough, over the noise of the monitors and staff she could hear tiny pings hitting the glass. It was snowing?
"It's almost Christmas?" She frowned, turning confused eyes on…Sir Ridiculous and Madame Gaudy.
The woman smiled at her, "Christmas Day. You've given your family one heck of a present, Miss Waldorf."
It was Christmas. The panic from when she'd first awakened came hammering back at her. December? Her hand slid down to the flat span of where the Belly should've been. She didn't feel full to bursting anymore. There was no one in there constantly driving her crazy, wanting attention. Nothing but empty space.
Blair looked back at the nurse still smiling down at her, "I want to see my mother and I want to see her right this minute. The next person who lays hands on me will regret it."
She wanted them. Needed both her parents back with her right now. It was all too much. The need for air pressed down on her, her breathing coming faster and louder to her own ears.
"Now, Miss Waldorf." Sir Ridiculous started over, his tone placating. "I need you to calm down. We'll get your parents in here as soon as possible."
"Want them now? What's wrong with me?" She slapped his hand away when he tried to put an oxygen mask over her face. "I –told—you—not to—touch me."
He tried again, "That's going to be a little difficult. We're trying to help."
Spots danced across her vision, as simply breathing became more and more of an effort. "My parents."
"If you don't start cooperating. I will have to give you something that will calm you down. You feel like sleeping again so soon, Miss Waldorf?" He asked, trying and succeeding placing the oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. "Good. Now just breathe. Nice and deep."
Blair hated giving in, but she didn't want to sleep again or be so pumped with sedatives that she couldn't half see or think straight.
She wanted Harold and Eleanor…where was in the hell Dorota. She needed Ch…Blair frowned, cutting herself off before she could complete that last thought.
Grace Kelly. Grace Kelly. Grace Kelly. She breathed in and out. Filling her lungs with the oxygen pumping through the mask, ignoring how claustrophobic the mask covering her mouth and nose made her feel. Remember Sir Ridiculous' threat. She'd play their game. Calm herself. After that, well, all bets were off.
~ஐ~
By the time Chuck's trio arrived at St. Vincent's, they found that somehow Serena had already beat them there and instead of being able to see Blair immediately, they were relegated to the same waiting room where he'd spent most of the previous night, cooling his heels.
Serena was on the phone, trying to carry on her side of the hushed argument she had going on with her child's father, "I'm sorry if my best friend finally waking up puts a cramp in your big plans but prospective…this is your son whom you claim…yeah whatever Carter. Dammit, just go to my place long enough to let him open a few of his presents. Then you can drop him at Chuck's with my mom. Happy?" She made a face at the phone before snapping it shut.
Nate wandered over to her, as Chuck followed Blair's maid to her former employers.
"Miss Eleanor. Mr. Harold." She threw her arms around them both, squeezing tightly. "Best news in the world. You talk to her, yes?"
Harold pulled back, smiling. "Briefly." He clapped Chuck on shoulder, "It was unbelievable, Charles. I stepped out to talk to Roman one moment and the next there she was. A little out of it and weak, but wide awake."
"You say she ask for me, Mr. Harold." Dorota bounced a little, unable to help herself.
Chuck felt his jaw clench involuntarily, he forced himself to relax and just wait.
It was Nate who asked the how, "Have they said anything? Do they know if it was the heart attack?"
Something niggled at the back of Chuck brain. Something he should be remembering, some element that needed to be considered, but he couldn't get his mind to slow down long enough to settle on one thing. He kept thinking, what now? With Blair…the girls…him. How did they pick up things from the here and now?
"They're not saying much at this point." Eleanor said, "They're calling her a Christmas miracle. Five years in a coma and she just—she just wakes up."
Chuck had never been a strong believer of miracles. Especially after sitting by those five years, bestowing one wishful kiss almost everyday. But he'd never realistically expected it to work. He'd poured thousands into McCarty's research and the bastard had given him nothing except worst case scenarios.
He stopped, going suddenly still and then reaching slowly for his phone. She'd been perfectly fine…well except for the coma part…then she had a heartache out of nowhere. Now she was awake. God, what was he thinking? How would that bastard have done it? Why?
Chuck had promised him more money than God if the man somehow succeeded in bringing B back to him, but McCarty had been saying for months that the drug was still unstable…the side effects too dangerous for Blair. The man couldn't have gone ahead with this…Chuck would've killed him with his bare hands if that bastard had experimented on Blair and yielded the worst possible outcome. Hell, he still might go after the weasel.
He dialed the familiar number but received no answer. Wandering to a lone corner of the waiting room, Chuck ground out a quick message once the voicemail clicked over. "It's me. You call me as soon as you get this, you bastard. I mean it, McCarty. Don't make me come looking for you."
Chuck would have to somehow warn Blair's doctor's about the drug. They hadn't found anything strange in her bloodtests and screens before, but he could give them somewhere to start. Of course he'd have to do it without Eleanor or Harold. No way did Chuck want that woman up on her soapbox, accusing him of using her daughter as a guinea pig.
Dr. Reeves came in at that point, accompanied by another gentleman…wearing an effing Santa hat. What the fuck? This goofy looking ass was treating B?
"Mr. and Mrs. Waldorf. This is Dr. Chambers. He's assisting in your daughter's case." Reeves said, "If you would please accompany us…Miss Waldorf is refusing further treatment, unless we allow her access to you. She made a other…" He cleared his throat, shifting, "demands but this is what we offer her for now."
"Wait," Serena said, "Isn't there anything you can tell us? How'd this happen? What do we do now?"
The doctors looked to Blair's parents.
"Please speak freely, doctors." Harold said, "Everyone here cares about what happens to Blair and I'd like to know what you have to say myself."
"We still have no definitive answer for you as to how Miss Waldorf regained consciousness. There is no answer. As you already know with every passing year, the chances of Blair just waking up diminished more and more." Chambers said, "Doctors are people of science and we are very hungry for the 'hows' and 'whys' of life but even we must accept that sometimes miracles do happen. In this case your daughter is one of them. She beat the odds. Odds that less than 50% of other coma patients have managed themselves."
Harold and Eleanor gripped hands, while Nate and Serena wrapped their arms around one another, smiling, celebrating Blair's "miraculous" recovery. Chuck's thoughts went back to McCarty.
"Now things aren't going to go back to normal for Blair. Not immediately at least. We're doing tests now to see just what kind of lasting effects Miss Waldorf may be facing." Chambers said.
"What do you mean 'lasting effects'?" Chuck demanded.
"Blair waking up was only half the battle here. First we need to find out if there might be any mental or functional deficiencies. Then she's going to need months of physical therapy and that's just to start. She's got a long road ahead." Chambers explained.
Nate asked, "Physical therapy?"
"Yes, Miss Waldorf hasn't moved really over the past five years. She's going to be weak and need to build up the strength in her muscles and re-build her stamina." The doctor said.
Chuck cleared his throat, "The private hospital where she's been…she's been seen by a physical therapist at least a few days a week since this all started. They said it would benefit her recovery…if she…when she regained consciousness."
"That would be correct, Mr…?"
"Bass."
"Mr. Bass. Right. It helps but your friend." Chambers looked to Harold and Eleanor, "Your daughter still has a long road ahead. She will need every bit of support that you can give her…even if she's pulled through this with minimal lasting effects, she'll need a lot of time and understanding from those around her."
He felt Eleanor's eyes on him at the last but Chuck didn't look her way.
"Okay, so now. Mr. and Mrs. Waldorf. If you'd just come with me." Blair's parents left the room with the doctor. They didn't notice as Chuck slipped out and trailed behind them.
He wouldn't barge in. He just wanted to see her. Maybe talk to Chambers about McCarty's experiment. Though he still had no clue how Blair might have been injected with it.
Chuck followed through the maze of corridors. Watching from a distance Harold and Eleanor disappeared finally into one of the private rooms. The doctors followed them inside. Feeling as if his feet were moving along without him, Chuck walked on, until he was outside that closed door, looking through the glass. And there she was.
"Blair-bear." Harold said simply.
"Daddy!" She threw her arms around Harold and quickly included her mother. Their bodies obscuring her from his sight.
Chuck wasn't sure how long he stood out there, watching them. The trio didn't speak as the minutes crawled by—they simply held on to one another. After a while the doctors began speaking, their words too soft and muffled for him to pick up completely. He was actually reaching for the knob when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Sir, you can't go in there right now." A pretty, dark-haired nurse told him. She didn't flinch under the heavy weight of his narrowed gaze, "I need you to head back to the waiting room until the doctors say otherwise."
"I'm sorry, but you don't seem to understand. I'm…"
"I know who you are, Mr. Bass. I was a year behind you and Miss Waldorf. I know who you are. You'll be able to see her. Just not now." She insisted, quietly.
He glanced back into Blair's room where they all listened intently to Chambers. "Fine. I have a few calls to make anyway." Another call to McCarty at the very top of that list. And then his PI. Another project in less than a week, he was going to have to give the man a bonus. Chuck turned without a backward glance at the nurse or B's room, retracing his steps back to the waiting room.
~ஐ~
Stretched out length-wise across the queen-sized bed, his feet dangling off the side, Dan almost didn't move…almost couldn't move when his cell phone went off on the bedside table.
Still he heaved himself up to reach for it. Could be his Mom or Dad. Jenny had seemed to be in a better mood earlier when he'd left and the doctors still weren't seeing any sign of infection.
"Hello." He answered, leaning back against pillows, his arm thrown across his eyes.
The other end was quiet for a moment, "Dan." Serena said, "Hey, it's me. Were you still sleeping? You were still asleep. Sorry, I just thought you'd be up and…"
"I'm up. I'm up." Dan insisted, though he didn't bother opening his eyes. "Sorry. Late night with Jenny. What's up? And Merry Christmas, by the way."
"Merry Christmas to you, too." Serena said, quietly.
Dan asked, "How's Alex enjoying the day?"
In unison, her words came across jittery and happy, "Listen the craziest thing…"
They voices and words tangling up in one another until they both had to laugh.
Between the one breath and the next, Serena sobered just a little, telling him the good news about Blair.
"That's really great, Serena."
"I know. It's the best news. Her parents are with her right now and Chuck saw her…I mean he didn't get to talk to her, but he saw her with his own eyes and she's awake, Dan." Serena said, "You have to tell Jenny. I should probably let you get back to sleep. I just wanted to share the news with the world."
"I'm glad you called me."
"Me too." She said, "Listen. Do you think you might have time for drinks or even dinner later? I guess to commemorate the occasion or something."
"Or something…yeah. I'd like that." He smiled.
"Great. I'll call you later and we can iron out the details." Serena said, "I guess I should let you get back to sleep. Then maybe tonight, you can tell me what you and my brother have been up to over the past few days."
"You'll probably want to ask Chuck," Dan glanced over to his laptop and stack of folders. After a few more hours at the library, they'd finally found the snippet of an article on the 1987 fire, but it had been short on names and details. At least ones that they didn't already know.
He looked to the set of files that Nate had dropped off before, trusting Dan to search through the old police files. Between working with Miller and handling his own caseload, Nate wasn't finding any time where he could go through them himself without Miller sniffing behind him. The files all dated back more than two decades. Spending most of the previous day with Jenny and their parents and then staying at the hospital overnight, Dan barely had the chance to start sifting through the old case files.
They weren't finding leads any other way so Dan sincerely hoped something panned out, otherwise he wasn't sure what their next step would be.
There actually wasn't all that much to tell Serena, at this point, but he figured that he'd better leave it to Chuck to tell Serena the truth about the current string of fires and their possible connection to her late stepfather. "Listen, don't even worry about it. You just enjoy having Blair back. Do me a favor and tell her 'hi' from an old…"
"Friend?" Serena supplied.
Him and Waldorf friends? He'd been many things…cohort, occasional pawn, frenemy, even. But not quite friends. "Just tell her I said hello…" he sighed deeply before adding the last, "And that she was right…what she said before I left…she was right."
"Okay, you had me and then you lost me. Cryptic even for you, Dan? Blair was right about what? And when exactly did you see one another?" Serena asked.
Dan shook his head, "She'll understand."
"Fine. I'll leave it alone for now. But tonight you're mine, Humphrey." She said, "I'd better go. Check with my mom. Carter's supposed to be dropping Alex off at Chuck's."
After hanging up with Serena, Dan found that he no longer felt as exhausted as before. He lay there mulling over their conversation, trying not to dwell to heavy on her flirting. It'd be a bad idea to go there again. They'd known that back in high school. It wasn't even that she was UES anymore either…hell he lived in an entirely different city.
If he had any sense, he'd call the whole damn thing off later when she called back. That thought in mind, Dan knew that he wouldn't be doing any such thing.
Dumbass and a masochist to boot. Yep, that was him. He got to his feet and headed over to his laptop. Their little investigation would probably be the last thing on Chuck's mind for a while. Dan guessed that he'd better pick up the slack for both of them in the meantime.
~ஐ~
She'd had her eyes closed and they actually thought that she'd been asleep instead of merely resting her eyes and tired body. Blair heard the doctor as clear as day warning them of the earlier incident, when she'd lost her shit.
Sir Ridiculous was that his voice, yea that was it. "…overall we just want to keep her calm for now. We don't want to overwhelm her. Nothing too upsetting at first."
"Harold" She heard the warning in her mother's voice.
"I heard the man just fine." Then her father cursed softly.
Daddy almost never did that, Blair's eyes snapped open, locking on his and that had been it. All other questions fell to the wayside as both her parents came at her, tears in their eyes and hugging her.
Later complying with the deal she made with the doctor, she suffered through the remainder of their tests and answered their questions. Her parents kept looking at one another when they though she wasn't aware. She couldn't stop staring at either of her parents. They looked the same as always, except older…sadder. The past five months must have been excruciating for them, she thought.
After a while she asked about Dorota and Serena, and was happy to be told that they were waiting to see her.
Good. She could always badger Dorota for the truth and S. Serena wouldn't hold back on her as her parents seemed completely prepared to do.
In the waiting room, after what seemed like forever, Harold returned. All smiles and letting them know that things were going well so far. He spared Chuck a regretful glance before taking Blair's maid and best friend back to visit her.
Serena met his eyes, her expression confused but she quickly left the room.
"Chuck, I'm sure she just doesn't kn…"
He shook his head, cutting his best friend off with a glance. Minutes dragged. As they continued waiting for their own summons.
In Blair's room, Dorota's tears and enthusiasm seemed to rival both elder Waldorfs' earlier show of emotion. Damn woman wouldn't stop crying and Blair actually found herself comforting her maid.
"It's okay, Dorota. I'm fine now." Blair's expression softened, as she patted Dorota's back. Had things been really that bad? No, Dorota was just over-the-top in her dramatics at times. And people thought Blair came by that trait thanks to Eleanor. Dorota was just being melodramatic. That was all. Thankfully, her father came over to relieve Blair of her burden.
"Hey, B." Serena looked down at her best friend with a wide smile and gleaming eyes.
"Oh, not you too, S." The two old friends held on to one another. Blair wasn't even sure which of them started laughing or sobbing first, but there they were. Once the first wave seemed to tamper off they both pulled back, and Blair surveyed her friend's appearance. "You look like hell."
"Sorry, if I rolled out of bed and rushed here…just to see you."
"Exactly, you could've taken a moment here or there for just the basics. Little mascara…lip gloss…and what did you do to your hair? You cut it." Blair reached out to S's new shoulder length hairstyle. She smiled grudgingly. "I like it."
"Not by much. There's just no time for anything and I figured something more manageable would be better. Especially with Alex." Serena said.
"Alex, huh? New boyfriend. I'll bet you've been busy." She looked her friend over again, "Doesn't look like you got hit with the freshman fifteen? I can't believe it's December already. I missed the entire fall semester. Yale is amazing, isn't it? It's amazing, right?" Blair sighed, pouting. "I really hate you sometimes. Okay, not really. I just can't believe that I missed it."
Serena's eyes widened with each word Blair spoke. She turned looking to Eleanor who only shook her head.
Blair didn't miss any of it. Her eyes narrowed. "S…"
"B. I need to talk to your mom for a minute. In the hallway." Serena said, trying to smile for her friend and failing.
"Wait, I want to talk to your first."
"We'll talk as soon as I get back." Serena squeezed her hand and went to stand in front of Eleanor, their eyes waging silent battle until both women hurried from the room.
"Well, that was subtle." Eleanor said once she and Serena were in the hall. Glancing through the panel of glass she could see Blair staring at them . She gripped Serena by the arm and pulled her the extra feet until they were out of sight.
"What was that in there? Of course she couldn't know about Alex but why is Blair asking me about Yale? Why does she think it's still five years ago?" Serena demanded, her tone low and tight.
The older woman, quickly explained the doctor's previous warning and Blair's panic attack.
"Well, what have you told her…has she asked about the girls?"
"Excellent question, sis." Chuck brought their attention around to him. He leaned negligibly against the wall, his expression deceptively cool, but his eyes were afire. Frustrated and pissed.
After Serena and Dorota had left with Blair's father, he'd paced…getting angrier with each passing moment. He hadn't been sure what he'd do to his poor best friend if Nathaniel had been next on Blair's apparent desired list of visitors.
Five years and Waldorf asked for everyone under the sun before she asked for him. Felt like old times. Now he was hearing that Eleanor hadn't even told Blair of his presence. Talk about old times.
"Serena, why don't you go back and keep Blair company." He said, quietly.
"Chuck, I don't think that now's the time…" She started, biting into her lip nervously. He turned on her glaring and cold, despite the heat of his anger. "Fine. Just remember Blair needs us all right now. All of us." She glanced pointedly at Eleanor, then Chuck. "Think about that before you start tearing into one another."
Neither he nor Eleanor said a word as Serena made the quick trip back to Blair's room.
"Serena." Blair was waiting for her, her expression as formidable as Chuck's in the hallway. "What the hell is going on? Where's my mother? What aren't you telling me…"
The blonde looked at her friend, her expression nervous and conflicted.
"Come on, S. You aren't going to hold back on me, too. Are you?"
Serena glanced at Harold who returned her look helplessly. And Dorota was still sobbing in her own little world. So she jumped right in, getting it out in one rushed breath. "Eleanor's in the hallway with Chuck."
Excitement shot through Blair. He was here. Chuck was here. She'd been afraid to ask. Afraid to even say his name. It was December again…so almost a year since Bart died and Chuck left. Bitterness and anger surged, warring with her excitement, taking over. Since he'd run away from her.
"What's your game, Eleanor?" Chuck hissed out, pushing away from the wall.
She shook her head, "No game. I doing what's best for Blair right now…"
"Thought we'd agreed that you'd stop using that phrase in my presence. What else haven't you told her?" Chuck asked, understanding building. "You don't want her knowing what you did. You don't want her to know that you tried to give away her children…that you gave Evie to strangers."
"That's not what this is about. For godsakes. Think of all that's happened. Five years are gone from her life. Are we supposed to hit her with it all at once? Well, we're not doing it. The doctors think it would be a bad idea. Blair's still very fragile…"
"I think she'd appreciate the highlights." Chuck said, darkly. He shook his head, hearing her words but unable to overcome his suspicions. "You know she'd hate you if she knew that you went through the adoption against her wishes. That you'd all but given up on her."
"And what about what you've done." Eleanor retorted, "Blair might be hurt by my actions and I truly regret them. She'd forgive me, just as she always does, but what about you. You destroyed her mother. Do you honestly plan on giving her all the gory details? Tell her why someone else is living in the home that she grew up in…"
"I'll get it back for her."
Eleanor rubbed at her temple, looking defeated and worn. "Charles, I don't want to fight with you. I'm not saying that we don't tell her. Just that we take our time…"
"I want to see her."
"Of course."
"Now." He insisted and without another word he turned on his heel and walked into Blair's room.
"You mean the great Chuck Bass tore himself away from his whores and scotch long enough to come see little old me." She said to Serena, something hard and unforgiving in her expression.
"Yes," He couldn't help the growl that escaped his snarling mouth. "and forgive me but I tired of cooling my heels. Sorry to just barge in, Waldorf. Seems my invitation to this little get together got lost en route."
Blair's eyes widened and then narrowed, glaring while she tried to pretend that she wasn't actively drinking in the sight of him.
This was not how he'd envisioned their reunion. Not even close. Fragile? Eleanor had called her vulnerable and fragile. Was the damned woman blind?
"Guys." Serena started to rise, stalling under, Blair's grip on her arm.
"It's fine, S." Blair pulled herself together. He looked good. Really good. And suddenly she remembered her own circumstances. Oh, great the picture she must make. And that stupid hospital gown…really there'd been nothing else at all that she could be wearing? Whatever. Fine, she'd work with what she had, "Bass," She smiled tightly at him, drawing herself together as if she wore Valentino and Prada, instead of polyester and cotton. "You look well. S, was just telling me that you were here."
So she hadn't known that he'd been waiting? She hadn't been playing games? Or worse avoiding seeing him? Chuck felt something inside loosen, relieved. He looked to the other occupants in the room, "Would you give us a moment?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." Eleanor said from behind him, shooting him a warning glance when he turned.
Harold was already up, helping Dorota who'd gone quiet as the tension in the room skyrocketed. "A reasonable request, Charles. Do take care though, yes?" Her mild-mannered father's voice took on an edge of warning.
"Of course." Chuck nodded his jerky acquiescence.
"Good. Blair-bear. We won't be far. Serena. Eleanor. We should check in with Nathaniel. Give him an update."
And just like that they were alone. Glaring and warily sizing one another up.
"So how was it?"
"How was what?" He asked after a moment.
"Why your grand tour, ofcourse? Let's see. Moscow. Amsterdam. Dubai. Bangkok…yes I believe that I heard something about you hitting Bangkok. Twice." She settled against the pillows at her back. "A postcard would've been nice…not a novel just a quick line…you know…'so many whores, so little time'."
"Blair." His voice dropped, low and warning. Awake less than a day and she was already picking a fight with him. He was frustrated but the smallest thrill of adrenaline pumped through him.
"I know. Chuck Bass doesn't do postcards. Well, you could've picked up the phone…oh wait you did. You called and breathed in my ear like some perv…" She smiled acidly, "Wait, that fits you perfectly."
"Look, Waldorf. I know my leaving like that hurt you but I had to go…" He said, for the moment, loosening his stranglehold on his own dark emotions. Chuck sank down in the chair at her side.
"You just disappeared…you didn't care about the people that you left behind. Who were scared for you."
"You're wrong, Blair. I did care. No matter how much I tried to cut myself off from all of you…I never stopped." He reached for her hand only to have her pull away. Or at least attempted it. Chuck wouldn't let go.
"I wanted to be there for you. I said the words, Chuck." She didn't seem to be aware of the tears streaking down her pale face, not until he reached out with his free hand, swiping at those tears with the pad of his thumb. "I needed you, too, Bass."
Her eyes fell to their joined hands. Convulsively, she gripped at his hand before dragging in a shuddering breath, the entirety of her small frame shaking with it. Blair licked her lips and raised questioning, brown eyes to his. It was a few seconds before he realized that she'd dragged their joined hands closer to her body, until they rested on the span of her flat stomach. "I needed you, Chuck."
"I know." He let her hear the regret that had been with him since Serena had told him everything. "I know."
Blair looked at him uncertainly and he could swear that he read blatant fear before she seemed to come to herself. He watched as she seemed to just shut down. Her expression going blank and her body stiff and controlled. He could almost see her mentally wrapping that protective, chilly mantle around herself like armor around her heart. Her voice devoid of emotion, she asked. "Chuck?"
"Yes, Blair."
"We've done a lot to each other. We've played our games. We've hurt people around us and one another, but for the most part you can be counted on for brutal honesty when it matters." She said. "I need to know something without having to deal with someone else dancing around the truth."
Eyes narrowed, lips tight. "Ask away, Waldorf."
She seemed to dissect him with her eyes, as if she could see the deepest parts of him. And damned if she hadn't been able to do just that all those years before. Blair nodded her head as if some unvoiced question had been answered. "Chuck, tell me the truth. Are my babies dead?"
The dream came to him again with her words. Could there have been anything to it? How would she react to their daughters? Would she resent them as his father had him?
"Chuck…" Her voice cracked, like the ice…her armor. "Are they…"
He reached out stroking his hand across the soft skin of her jaw. "No…no, B. They're fine. I promise you. They're perfect."
He let go. He said the words and waited to see where the truth left them.
ஐ TBC ஐ
A/N: Promise to update as soon as possible. Got a lot of things already plotted out and tweaking the next bit. It's coming. So B's back and there's oh so much that she's missed but first…she wants to know about her babies… Hope you guys liked this. As always let me know what you're thinking. Kisses and many more hugs.
Courtney ஐ
