Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews. I appreciate them so much. Also I want to give a big congrats to our wonderful fanbase because we've had two consecutive Dair weeks, and I've seen that the good time will continue. I'm happy that GG is becoming watchable again. I'm pretty sure it will stop being that soon, but I've watched the whole episode these past two weeks and I've chuckled [no pun intended] throughout, which was something I don't usually do with the show anymore since the first season. I think like this story, when Blair realized that Dan loved her, I was like "Finally!", so I had a laugh because I understood how you guys felt as a Dair fan. So I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to your feedback.
[Please excuse the mistakes]
Chapter Ten- A Day of Nothing
Sleeping so peacefully against her pillow, Blair felt as if her body had reached a level of complacency as it had never felt so at ease. Usually she'd toss and turn about the latest work issue on the horizon or just the usual worry about Nicholas, but this morning it was different. Feeling the sun press against her skin, Blair's eyes slowly fluttered open to see that she wasn't in her usual surrounding. Noticing the sun peek between the New York skyscrapers, it didn't take Blair long to realize that she was at the Plaza. Growing up in New York, Blair had come to learn all the hotels in Manhattan because if there was a party, it was sure to be held at only the finest of the five star hotels that New York had to offer. Slowly pushing back the covers, Blair began to realize that she had a warm arm wrapped around her waste. A smile slowly came to her face as the events of last night had suddenly come back to her, and simply it had become the best night she had in a long time. Though they hadn't had sex, Blair felt as if she had the second best thing to it as it was just them. Dan and Blair. No one else or no confusion as to who they wanted to be with. Slowly beginning to wake, Dan's eyes fluttered open to see Blair's brown eyes looking back at him.
"Good morning" Dan said still half asleep
"Good morning to yourself" Blair replied trying not to smile at how cute Dan looked in the morning.
"Am I dreaming? I mean is this real?…you and me, in bed together" Dan asked as he could barely keep his eyes open
"Unfortunately yes" Blair laughed
"Unfortunately?…please, I rocked your world, and that was even without the sex" Dan laughed
"Yes because I had sex on the brain, when I came here" Blair replied sarcastically
"You're the one who wanted me. I'm just simply obliging. I almost thought we were going to up against the door, which would've surpassed my whole idea that your Miss. Prim and Proper" Dan teased
"We were not going to have sex up against a door" Blair quickly replied as she playfully hit him on the arm
"You were a wild one last night, anything would've been possible" Dan laughed as Blair couldn't help but join in on the laughter as he somehow made her seem more adventurous than she had seen herself. Seeing her smile, Dan froze in a moment as he could've taken a thousand pictures of her smile and still feel like he had yet to capture the best of her smiles. Leaning forward, Dan sweetly place his lips against hers, just wanting to be as patient as possible so that he could let her make the final decision on whether to kiss him back or not. Though he would never admit it, Dan felt as if he was that teenager kissing for the first time as he just wanted to be at his best, when he knew he had no clue as to what he was doing. Kissing him back with as much attention, Dan deepened the kiss for his own sanity before breaking the kiss. Resting her forehead up against his, Blair let out a sigh of relief as she had been aching for him to kiss her since she woke. "But I'm glad we didn't have sex…I want you for other reasons besides sex" he whispered to her before falling back on to his pillow.
"Maybe this is a dream" Blair sighed
"If it is, I don't want it to end" Dan said as he pushed away a strand of hair from her face "It's been so long" he said letting a laugh escape him
"Just how long exactly?….I mean I know on that front, but the other…" Blair asked as she pulled back to look him in the eyes. Unable to take the sincerity of her eyes, Dan feared he'd show his true pathetic self if he had to endure her look. Turning his attention to the smallness of her hand, Dan began to play with her hand as his cop out. "Humphrey" she said soft enough for him to hear as she looked on at him try to avoid the question.
"72 months, 312 weeks, 52,560 hours…that's how long, that's how long I've loved you. You know, without sounding like a nerd and all" Dan replied feeling as if he was truly naked in that moment with her. Astounded by the fact that he had loved her that much to count down to the hours of the days that would lead them to this moment, Blair couldn't help but feel guilty for not cutting that time by seeing what was in front of her all this time.
"And here I thought writing was your specialty" Blair smiled "So all that time you let me go on and on about Chuck, while you…wished it were you?" she asked
"You'll do any and everything for the person you love. Even if it means being your own form of torture" Dan replied
"I guess the thing that blows my mind is that you just let me go on all this time thinking we were something that we weren't…" Blair said as she snuggled up close to his body as they just laid and talked
"I've always been your friend. I still want to be your friend, I want to be your best friend" Dan replied "I just don't think being friends is a bad platform to start from" he told her
"True, but it's not exactly a phrase you want to hear when you love someone. I mean if it were me, if I was in your shoes…I would've hated it" Blair said taking the time to really consider herself in his position
"But you weren't" Dan laughed "I really don't want to play the whole poor Humphrey game" he groaned as he tried to burry his face in the crook of her neck as he slouched down in the bed so that he was closer towards her
"I can't help it. I mean it's not my intention, but I just want to understand….I want to know how for the past six years, I've missed out on you" Blair said as he pulled his face out of the crook of her neck to look her in the eyes
"You haven't" Dan replied before he caressed her face "If anything, I don't think I was ready for you then" he said
"What do you mean?" Blair asked
"I loved you like a boy loves a girl. Over the time, I've learned that love goes deeper than just simply loving someone. It's about loving all of them and what they do to enhance your life. Transcending the ordinary into the extraordinary by just one glance or smile, even if it's not mutually received the same way. Raising a child together, learning to be parents together…it was all trying at times, and though I'm not proud of it, I've contemplated giving up. It was those rough times that made me see that I put you and Nicholas before myself because at the end of the day, I knew you were my home. So if you were to ask me six years ago, I probably would've said that I loved you, but I wouldn't have known what it took to love you and if I was capable of it. Now, I love you like a man loves a woman" Dan told her as he got lost in his exploration of her anatomy while Blair squealed inside herself as she couldn't believe how deep his love ran for her. Making her melt, Blair took a moment to compose herself before she couldn't help but crack a smile. Noticing her struggle as she bit her bottom lip, Dan looked at her with smoldering eyes "I totally got you, didn't I?" he asked as he laughed
"Ugh, Humphrey" Blair groaned as she hid her face in the depths of the pillows while Dan just laughed at how girly she was acting, how he was making her weak.
"Damn, I am good" Dan teased as he rested his hand on her waste
"I can completely understand why you're a writer now" Blair said as the pillow muffled her voice
"C'mon. Look at me" Dan said as he tried to pull her away from her pillow
"I can't. I can't look at you now" Blair replied shyly
"Why?" Dan asked
"Because you are now hot, I mean I saw you as just Humphrey, but now you're hot Humphrey. You've officially shed the Humphrey appeal and reached Humphrey attraction. It's too much to handle" Blair laughed shyly as she tried to cover her face
"So you think I'm hot?" Dan asked before Blair lowered her hands to give him a look
"I'm not saying it twice. You've heard it, and I will deny ever saying it now" Blair replied as Dan laid back on his side of the bed.
"How are you feeling now? About their possibly being an us in the romantic sense?" Dan asked as he looked over at her
"Weird" Blair quickly replied before letting out a laugh "But it's a good weird. It's like I never saw this happening, but I'm excited for it. It's like a wrapped Christmas present…." she began to explain
"A Christmas present, that's something I've never been called by you before" Dan laughed to himself
"Would you let me explain" Blair replied as Dan just laughed at her need to share her analogy "You see it under the tree, and you know it's a present, but you don't know if it's for you. Then one day, Christmas, you realize it's for you and you're surprised. You get eager to open it, but then you fear it might not be what you expect, so you open it a bit unsure only to realize that it's something you've always wanted, but never expected. You're happy you have it, but then you start wondering will I use this ten years or even a year from now" she described
"So are you just going to send me to the local Goodwill once you're done, no pun intended, playing with me?" Dan asked
"I don't know" Blair said as they laughed "At that's what I'm excited about in some weird way" she told him "I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm just…that's what I'm thinking" she replied
"No, I know. I get what you mean" Dan told her as he was just glad that she could share all her thoughts with him.
"But I'm glad we've opened the present. I'm very glad for that" Blair told him as she smiled at him "So what now?" she asked
"I don't know" Dan shrugged "We have the room for the day, we should make the most of it" he said as he swung his legs to dangle them from the bed
"And do what?" Blair smiled "Have raunchy sex" she proposed
"If you want…or we can just let it come naturally" Dan said as he got up from the bed "I meant what I said, there's more to us than just an obvious sexual attraction you have for me" he teased
"Please, if anything you're attracted to me" Blair replied
"I think we can agree to disagree on that topic" Dan smiled before he reached over to grab his phone "No interrupting, you and me. In this room…with the occasional check up on Nicki" he told her
"Just talking?" Blair asked with a raised eyebrow
"And other things, if it should lead to that" Dan smiled
"So just hang here for the day. Talking and whatever…that sounds pretty boring for your opening statement Humphrey. I mean is this what a girl can expect from one such as yourself?" Blair asked
"You should feel so lucky." Dan replied before he relieved himself of his shirt to reveal the six packs that she come to like seeing. Throwing the shirt towards her on the bed, Dan looked back to see her looking on at the shirt then to him before he just smiled "Or you could just tell me how hot I am" he teased as Blair rolled her eyes. Grabbing the nearest pillow, Blair threw it in his direction before he snuck off into the bathroom to take a shower.
Running his hand through his wet hair, Dan messed with his hair a bit as he finished getting dressed as he sat half dressed with his shirt off. Though he had packed an overnight bag for what he thought would be his overnight with another girl, Dan knew that Blair would be short on clothing. Giving her a t-shirt and a pair of his boxers, Dan couldn't wait to see what she would look like in official Humphrey gear. It would have been easy to turn her sudden appearance into a night of sex, but Dan found comfort in just being with her as some sort of a relaxation period. Calling his dad, Dan checked in on Nicholas to hear that he was having a good time and was making the most of his time with Lilly and Rufus. It had always warmed Dan's heart to know that Nicholas was able to adapt to his father, without feeling like his routine was messed up. Looking on at his e-mails, Dan saw it as his standard messages on upcoming deadlines that he'd have to meet for his book. Just as he was getting lost in making mental notes for himself, Blair opened the door up to come out of the restroom. Tearing his attention away from his phone, Dan laughed to himself as he knew Blair would sexy as hell in his boxers.
"Did you talk to Rufus?" Blair asked as she continued to dry her hair with the towel
"Yeah, he says that Nicki is fine. They're going to the library, so that should tire him out after he goes through every book in there" Dan laughed as he leaned over to put his cell phone on the nightstand before getting up to walk towards Blair. Leaning in towards Blair, Dan captured her lips with his. Deepening the kiss, Dan pulled her body towards him as he caressed her face while kissing her. Blair had never really been mesmerized while kissing, but with Dan she grew to like the fact that he took so much attention in how he kissed. It was like he wanted to treasure every moment that their lips met to create that undeniable spark that she couldn't ignore. Nate was more a thinking kisser, to where he was so predictable with his kisses. Chuck was more of animalistic kisser to where there was no nice and easy to enjoy the kiss, but with Dan, it was completely different than any kiss she had ever had. Breaking the kiss, Dan gave her one more quick kiss before he reached into his bag to pull out his movie case.
"Thank you for that…the update on Nicholas, I mean" Blair said still trying to catch her breath from the kiss they had shared
"You're welcome, for the update I mean" Dan laughed as he walked over towards her to show the movies "I got these last week. One of the guys at work gets them before they even make it to the theater" he said as he began to show her the movies
"Italian cinema, you're really testing the market, aren't you?" Blair smiled as she continued to flip through
"Yeah, I'm expanding my horizon from the French cinema. You'll like a few of them though, very film noir type of feel" Dan said as craned his neck to show her the movie he was talking about "La Strada, has Federico Fellini…" he began to say before Blair's face lit up
"Nights of Cabiria" Blair said excitedly before the page flipped to homemade dvd that Dan had labeled as 'Nicki's project' "What's this?" she then asked as she looked up at Dan.
"Oh, that's just something Nicki and I had been working on" Dan replied
"You and Nicki have another project?" Blair asked "It must be high tech for it to end up on dvd" she said "Tell me, what does this project consist of?" she then asked
"It's basically an animation that we've worked on at the office, when he comes to visit. You know Mike, the animator guy, we go down there on goof off time. So we just doodled some stuff and created this little animation" Dan shrugged
"What's the animation about?" Blair asked as Dan just laughed nervously at her request "Humphrey, tell me" she said as she began to poke at his bare chest
"It's just a story about a boy that is different, he's a prince and it's just him encountering different situations" Dan rambled through
"You made an animation of it?" Blair asked in disbelief as she seemed to be even more impressed by Dan
"Don't…it's not what you think. It was something we did because we were bored at work" Dan laughed
"It is what I think. Dan, no man just takes to a child like that. I mean it's amazing how much you love him as your own" Blair said as she tried not to be overly emotional
"It's not that big of a deal" Dan sighed
"It really is" Blair said before she grabbed on to Dan's hand so that she could lead him over to the bed. Making him sit down beside her, Blair turned so that all of her attention was towards him. "Why do you always shrug off what you do as nothing?…it's incredible how you are with him" she smiled as she continued to play with his hand
"Because I don't see myself as some saint. I did something that I wanted to do. I benefit more from being around Nicholas than the other way around" Dan told her
"Which is why you got so upset when Chuck came back" Blair concluded from his statement "That was the maddest I've ever seen you. I thought you were never going to talk to me again after that" she sighed
"Yeah well, when you devote your life to someone, you kind of expect them to always be there. I was just upset because I feared that one day you'd get swept off your feet by Chuck or just that fairytale you live for…and you'd want to raise Nicholas with him" Dan told her
"You seriously thought I was just going to up and leave you like that?" Blair asked
"I didn't know how you felt about me, I wasn't exactly open about my feelings. You had every right to take Nicholas with whomever you want" Dan said before Blair's eyes began to water. Feeling guilt for saying such a statement, Dan let out a sigh of frustration with himself for being so careless with his words "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that" he told her
"I know, I know. I guess I just hate that I made you feel like that" Blair said as she wiped away the tears
"Look, I've thought about this a million times. I wondered if my feelings for you would jeopardize what we've built, but I know that it's because of my feelings that I know we can make this work, we have made it work. I want to in Nicholas's life, I want to see him grow into a man, I want to teach him things my father taught me, I want all of those things" Dan told her
"I've never doubted that" Blair replied
"It's scary thinking that we could possibly do something that might change our dynamic, but I have to say that I'm at least anxious to see if we could work. We're a family, and in my mind, we'll always be one, so we owe it to ourselves to give us a shot" Dan said as he held her hand "I don't expect you to say I love you because I know this is all new to you, but I want to show you that I can be that guy for you. I can be the one that makes you believe a fairytale exists" he said as he looked at her
"I can't lose you Humphrey" Blair groaned "I know how I am, I'm crazy..." she sighed
"And I'm judgmental at times. The way I see it, I'm better with you than without, and you're better with me" Dan said as he pressed his forehead up against hers
"I might drive you crazy. The insults will still continue because of obvious reasons, mainly the hair" Blair replied as Dan just laughed
"I'm not asking you to change for me. I just want to love you...can you allow yourself to let that happen?" Dan asked
"I can. I'm ready to" Blair told him as she leaned in to give him a sweet kiss on the lips to make sure the dream of him being so caring and understanding towards her was still true to her "With or without you telling me how you felt, I still consider you a huge part in my life. You're the one person I depend on that it's scary at times on how you make everything function for me. I just think back to when Nicholas was born, and you being there in the delivery room…" she said as she let out a slight laugh by the memory.
"That was the most horrifying sight…I mean with the blood, then the more blood, then the sac….oh, God it was horrifying" Dan described as the visual images almost made him sick again while Blair just laughed
"It was child birth, what did you think?" Blair asked
"I thought they'd wrap the kid up and hand it to you" Dan teased as Blair hit him on the arm playfully "But if I'm being honest, I had a whole new respect for you after seeing that birthing process. No high school birthing video can prepare you for the real deal" he said
"But we got through it, surprisingly" Blair smiled
"Do you remember the first time you changed a diaper?" Dan asked as Blair just sighed while he laughed "That was classic. I think you almost fainted with all the poop…I still have pictures of that moment" he laughed
You're always going to be a part of my life, whether this is real or not" Blair told him
"Gee thanks, I feel confident with us moving towards a relationship" Dan laughed
"You know what I mean" Blair replied "It's always going to be Waldorf and Humphrey" she smiled
"I might hold you to that…nope, I'm pretty sure I will hold you to that" Dan said before he leaned in to give her a quick kiss.
Laying on the bed, forgetting that the movie had even come to an end, Dan and Blair looked on at each other as if they were trying to discover each other for the first time. It didn't take Dan long to discover the things he loved about her, but for Blair it felt like she was learning the things that she needed to know about him for the very first time. They had originally met due to a revenge she planned to exact on Serena, but Blair was glad that they had morphed and grown as people to get to this point in their lives. How could one man be such a pleasant surprise? She asked herself as they looked at each other. Outlining the sides of his face, Blair grew amazed that he could possess so much peace within himself as his calming effect tended to spread within her.
"I was scared of this" Blair said as she continued to trace the outline of his face.
"Why?" Dan asked
"Because you're as we quote, Humdrum Humphrey" Blair smirked as Dan rolled his eyes at the reference while moving closer towards her in the bed so that their faces were inches apart
"Chuck could always supply the one liners" Dan laughed softly to himself
"We go from intellectual debates on French cinema to this…how is that even possible, especially in the Upper Eastside?" Blair questioned "And why on God's green earth won't you cut your hair" she then teased as they laughed softly together
"So wait, if we're going back to Humdrum Humphrey days…the first, first time we kissed…were you just running from me?" Dan asked
"Yes and no" Blair replied "I was confused. For so long my world had evolved around Chuck and this epic love that we had" she said as Dan hid his face in the pillow while he let out a groan
"You guys were the only ones that believed that!" Dan muttered through the pillows before he lifted his head to reveal his messy hair to her "I mean I get that you two loved each other, but epic is a bit much" he stated
"And you and Serena? That was a never ending saga" Blair quickly replied
"And I agree. Serena and I, I was in love with the girl I had pictured her to be. Then I was love with being in love with her" Dan reasoned
"Sounds about right, but it wouldn't be the case with Chuck and I" Blair replied
"Yes, because you guys surpassed that. Look, I want to be honest, and I assume this is the one day that we can totally be honest with each other" Dan said as he sat up in the bed to look at her while Blair rolled over onto her back to look up at him. "You're a romantic, plane and simple. You like to see the fairytale, which is perfectly normal…" he began to say
"Okay, that sound very sexist of you, but do continue, I'm dying to see the numerous ways you can insult my romantic past" Blair quickly added with her usual smirk to cap it off
"I'm not insulting, I'm just pointing out" Dan said "Epic love always ends badly. It's the kiss of death to love, it's not suppose to have so much pain involved" he told her
"That's where you're wrong. The epic love stories always have pain in them, it makes the love worth fighting for" Blair said as she rested the palm of her hand behind her head as she got comfortable on her pillow while she looked on at Dan "Romeo and Juliet for instance" she stated
"Ended in tragedy. I believe death became of that epic love story" Dan quickly replied
"Tristan and Isolde" Blair quickly fired back
"He died of grief, she died of a broken heart. Keep them coming Waldorf, I'm in need of a historical debate these days" Dan said as he sported a cocky smile on his face that only infuriated Blair because of his intellect.
"Napoleon and Josephine" Blair stated
"They were unfaithful through out their time together?" Dan questioned in disbelief
"But they still desired each other, the only reason they split was because she couldn't give him a son…." Blair began to say
"And you do realize that while they were saving face, they stayed together out of mutual respect for each other, yet they still had affairs….sounding a bit familiar to you?" Dan asked
"Okay, so the epic love hasn't worked for the historical realm. Epic love can exist" Blair stated
"It can, but why have epic love, if it's only reasoning is to put a pretty bow on a short term happiness to a long term worth of pain?" Dan reasoned
"Then what love do you have to offer? I'd rather have the promises of a love of ages, than a love of no fire and passion" Blair asked him
"What do you want out of love?" Dan then asked
"I asked you a question, you answer" Blair quickly replied as she nudged him with her foot
"I can't give you some great romance to aspire our up in the air relationship to. I'm not going to trap you in that belief because I think along the way, you'll define what I hope will be love between us. It might've been epic to you on how you loved Chuck, but like every epic love story, it had it's tragic ending. I want to love you like no one has loved you before" Dan told her as he reached out to intertwine his hand in hers
"You mean the middle class type of love. Awkward movie dates, in which we both contemplate on whether to lean in for that treasured kiss that will be burned in our memories" Blair laughed
"Exactly" Dan laughed
"Now who's the romantic" Blair smiled before Dan leaned for to lay half of his body on top of her so that their bodies were in physical contact
"I'm not him" Dan whispered to her
"And I'm not her" Blair replied as she enjoyed the honesty in his eyes as he looked at her
"So there, we've already accomplished something" Dan smiled before he leaned in to kiss her "Who knew spending the day in a hotel room could be to our advantage" he said as he broke the kiss before she finally took control by rolling on top of him to capture his lips as they embarked upon a heated make out session.
Rolling around on the floor, wrapped up in the sheets from the bed, Dan and Blair struggled to move as they were torn between getting ready to leave and just relaxing. Peaking up at the clock, Blair let out a sigh as she knew that they only two hours left on the room before they would have to leave. Making the most fun out of hotel visit, a part of Blair didn't want things to end. Looking over to see Dan still half asleep, Blair just couldn't believe that he was that tired. All she had seen of Dan was eating, reading, writing, and more eating; but never had she seen him sleep so much through out the day. Dan and Blair both had busy schedules that had demanded so much of their attentions, but they were both lucky enough to work their schedules to where they could still have quality time with Nicholas. They were a team, nothing short of that, Blair depended on Dan as Dan did her. To those who knew them well, they'd know that they had grown to put in the true work to put into their title of being best friends. Being wrapped up in sheets with Dan, it may not have sounded appealing when mentioned, but Blair found that it was the most fun she had ever had with any guy because it was like she could just be herself.
"I should tell you something" Dan said with his eyes still closed as Blair looked on at him "Since we're being honest" he sighed before his eyes fluttered open. Propping himself up on his arm, Dan looked at Blair with all the seriousness in his eyes
"Okay, am I going to like this?" Blair questioned as she could feel the mood change
"Don't know. I mean I don't think you will, but I want to be honest about this" Dan told her
"Usually when a guy starts out like that or when my usual romantic interests have started out like that, it ended badly…please tell me this will have a different ending?" Blair asked a bit nervously
"Your mom…she's been acting weird" Dan told her
"That's what you have to tell me" Blair asked as she let a laugh escape her "I've noticed the change in behavior…" she went on to say
"It's a bit more than a change in behavior" Dan added
"Mid-mid life crisis?" Blair asked
"Try dementia" Dan sighed as Blair looked at him in confusion and shock all wrapped up in one
"Dementia? What's dementia, Humphrey?" Blair asked as she propped up herself up on her arm
"Loss of brain function…it affects her memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior" Dan sighed
"…since when? How?" Blair asked becoming scared
"I don't know when, but it's been some time now. It's the reason why she's been all flighty with work" Dan told her
"No, no. My mom would've told me…she's Eleanor Waldorf. My mom would've took this head on besides running off to Fiji" Blair replied as she quickly excused her mothers actions "She's just vacationing…she's just resting up for Fashion Week" she tried to reason
"Blair, I've seen it head on. Cyrus told me himself" Dan told her as she just shook her head
"You knew about this?…how long have you known about this?" Blair asked
"A few months. It's the reason I decided to go ahead with the fake marriage because I knew what you'd be up against at work if they found out why Eleanor was really skipping out" Dan told her
"Because it's a lie!" Blair yelled as she pulled away from Dan's embrace
"It's not" Dan replied "I wish I could say it was, but it's not" he said before Blair tried to kick out of the tight wrap the sheets had on her. Doing her best to kick out, Blair gave a good fight against the white sheets but found that the sheets were winning. All Dan could do was look on at how she struggled to free herself
"Help me!" Blair exclaimed as she looked over at Dan, wondering why he had sat still "I want to go. I need to leave because I didn't think you'd start lying so soon" she reasoned as she continued to kick "Get me out Humphrey!" she said again
"We need to talk about this" Dan told her
"No, we don't need to talk. You made the decision to lie to me about….about this whole thing. So we don't get to sit and talk, our talking is over!" Blair said before Dan finally rolled over onto his stomach so that she could break free. Getting up from the floor, Blair immediately gathered her stuff together while Dan got up from the floor.
"I can handle you being mad with me, and if it were me in your position, I would be as well. The fact will still remain, Eleanor is sick" Dan told her
"She's tired" Blair replied sternly
"She hasn't accepted it yet. She's afraid of disappointing you" Dan informed her
"Because there's nothing to be disappointed about. My mother had a 110 fever, and delivered a stunning collection that got her fashion designer of the year. The day of her divorce, she signed a multi billion contract with Japan. Doctors told her after she had a hysterectomy, she'd have to stay off her feet for a month, she went back to work the next day and created the Waldorf Woman line that earned her high remarks in every fashion magazine" Blair pointed out to Dan "So this…this is something she will fight, and it will be as trivial as any other disease" she told him
"And I wish that, but if…" Dan began to say
"There's no but if's. She's not sick" Blair quickly replied as a moment of silence came between them. Closing her eyes, Blair wanted to stop the tears that were coming as arguing with Dan was something she didn't want to do after the day they had had together. This couldn't be a reality? She asked herself. Her mother was immune to the common diseases that ordinary people deal with, Blair thought to herself. Seeing her struggle with the news, Dan hesitantly walked towards her as he was wanted to give her the comfort that she needed.
"She's human, we all are" Dan told her as he grabbed her hand "I just think you should prepare yourself for the possibility that she'll be changing" he told her
"She's not suppose to…." Blair reasoned as tears filled her eyes "She's my mother…she's suppose to be indestructible" she replied as her lips quivered
"I know" Dan said before he pulled her towards him so that he could hold her. For a moment, Dan jus held her as tight as possible while Blair welcomed his embrace.
"I hate honesty" Blair muttered
"It sucks, but we've got to do it" Dan told her
Coming down the staircase in a frantic pace, Cyrus eagerly looked around to see if he could find his wife. Hearing the sounds of pots and pans crashing in the kitchen, Cyrus quickly made his way into the kitchen to find Eleanor rummaging through the drawers. Rambling on and on to herself about tasks she had to prepare for with fashion week coming near, it was clear to Cyrus that Eleanor mistook the kitchen as her office. Trying to clean up her mess as she rambled, Eleanor went back and forth in her reality and in her alternate reality of what had began to take its toll on her. Still dressed in her pajamas, Eleanor looked on at the mess for a second before she made her way out of the kitchen, continuing on about her make belief tasks that she had made for herself during the past month. Walking over towards the closet, Eleanor grabbed her fur coat as Cyrus came out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Cyrus asked tiredly
"Work. I've got a million things to tend to. Japan and Tokyo will be coming soon, and I must prepare my line for them" Eleanor told him as she gathered her briefcase
"You've all ready done business with Japan and Tokyo, you're practically wealthy enough off of them alone….why don't you lay down and get some rest" Cyrus told her
"I have to work. I can't just frolic about, I'm not some housewife….you did not marry a housewife" Eleanor replied sternly
"And I'm well aware of that…" Cyrus began to answer
"Good then you should expect me back in the morning" Eleanor replied
"You can't leave Eleanor. The new medication the doctor has prescribed will not help unless you rest" Cyrus replied
"I don't care what the doctor prescribes!" Eleanor yelled "I have a company to run. I must run my company like I have every day of my life!" she continued to rant "I have not missed a single day from work, and I don't plan on starting" she then added as Cyrus sighed in frustration
"Sweetheart, you need to rest" Cyrus told her
"Then you rest…rest for the both of us because all you do is rest while I make millions for you to rest. So go rest, rest your fucking head!" Eleanor yelled as the elevator doors opened. Stepping off the elevator, Blair quickly noticed the mess that was the penthouse before she finally laid eyes on her mothers odd attire. Dressed in her usual work fur, Blair found it a bit odd that she wore her pajamas along with them.
"Blair. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Cyrus asked as he tried to play nice and make it seem like everything was fine
"I came by to talk with my mother, whom is having quite the fashion statement in this current moment" Blair replied as she turned her attention from Cyrus to her mother "How are things? What have you been up to?" she asked
"Oh, don't patronize me. You know what I've been up to….I've got Tokyo riding my ass on the men's line. Fashion Week is approaching and Sonya has yet to give me confirmation on the guest list" Eleanor replied as Blair stood in disbelief
"Mother, Sonya quit" Blair replied
"When? Why wasn't I informed? And why aren't you in school? You should be in school" Eleanor asked
"Because I've graduated….Cyrus, what the hell is going on?" Blair asked before she looked over
"Blair, its…" Cyrus began to say
"I can handle this Cyrus" Eleanor quickly replied "In order to succeed, you will not go anywhere in life my lying and ditching classes. I pay to keep you educated so you can make something of yourself. You're my daughter for crying out loud" she told Blair as Blair became even more confused
"Humphrey was right" Blair said to her self as she looked on at her mother
"Humphrey? Humphrey Bogart?" Eleanor questioned as Blair nearly broke inside. A moment of silence fell upon the room as Eleanor ran thoughts through her mind at a rampant pace. "I need to rest. I should rest" she said
"Yes, I think that would be best" Cyrus said as he rubbed his wife's back while she stood confused
"You're all grown up. Did you know she was so grown?" Eleanor said as she caressed Blair face while she looked on at her daughter
"C'mon, lets get you upstairs" Cyrus said before Eleanor leaned in to kiss Blair's cheek. Turning to pass Cyrus, Eleanor slowly made her way upstairs before Blair finally turned her attention to Cyrus.
"You're mother is tired…" Cyrus began to explain as he sighed
"You're tired. You look like you haven't had a good ounce of sleep" Blair quickly noticed of her step father
"Yeah, I guess. Things are good though, work has picked up" Cyrus tried to laugh
"Dan told me. I know about mother" Blair replied as Cyrus looked at her for a moment to see if she was being truthful and not playing a game with him "I respect that you want to take care of her, and I will not get in the way of that, but you will respect that she's my mother" she told him
"And I do. It's because she's your mother that I'm doing everything I can…" Cyrus began to say
"And I see that. I thank you for loving her, but she has to accept that she's sick. We all do" Blair told him "I appreciate all that you've done, but she's my responsibility" she said
"She's my wife. I love her" Cyrus proclaimed
"It's because you love her that I respect all that you've done, but she needs medical attention. Attention that her doctors need to give her, and she needs to follow" Blair replied "I won't come in and make drastic demands, but out of respect to you, I will make sure that she gets the medical attention she needs" she said
"I've tried" Cyrus told her
"I know you have, which is why I should now" Blair said before she leaned in to kiss Cyrus on the cheek. Turning to walk back over towards the elevator, Cyrus did all he could to keep himself together.
"She'll fight you. Every inch, she will fight you" Cyrus warned
"I was raised by a strong willed woman, I'm fully aware of what she'll do along with what I'm capable of. I just hope she'll see that I'm doing this out of love and concern for her" Blair told him as they shared a moment of silent confirmation, knowing that their next actions would either bring them together or apart.
Finishing up with the dishes, Dan lifted his hands up in celebration as he had conquered the pile that had been waiting for him. A bit surprised that his father didn't take care of the left over party mess, Dan knew that he couldn't expect his father to clean up his own messes. Letting out a laugh, Dan couldn't help but feel like reverting back to that boy that still believed his father was put on his earth to clean up after him. Tossing the dish rag onto the sink divider, Dan made his way out of the kitchen before turning the hallway lights out. Peaking out the window, Dan felt a bit worried to see that Blair hadn't shown up yet, but he knew that she had to process the news of her mother. Making his way upstairs, Dan opened up the door to Nicholas's room to see that Nicholas was getting into his bed like clock work. Letting out a slight laugh, Dan was glad that there was still some thing he could always expect to see. Grabbing a book from the collection of books that Nicholas had, Dan looked through the pages before deciding that it was the book he would read to Nicholas. Taking a seat on the space Nicholas had left for him, Dan got comfortable as he opened up the book.
"Okay, where did we leave off on this one?" Dan asked
"The pauper attends the ball" Nicholas quickly replied as Dan just laughed
"I forget that this is the hundredth time you've read this book" Dan replied
"I'd think you'd remember. You and the pauper are similar" Nicholas replied
"Of course we are. I mean a pauper and a princess, that's clearly my type of story" Dan told him
"The king would frown upon such relations" Nicholas told him
"But I'm sure he'd understand. I mean this is love, they love each other" Dan said
"Love is irrelevant" Nicholas began to say
"Love, it's the one thing that makes the easiest decision easy and the hardest decision harder. There's no refuting love" Dan quickly told the young boy "Trust me on this, the pauper loves the princess, regardless of all the obstacles, he loves her" he told him as a moment of silence came between them
"Did the pauper get the princess to love him?…in your book" Nicholas asked as Dan took a moment to think
"She's a bit undecided, but she's beginning to see that the pauper could teach her a few things about love" Blair quickly replied before both of the boys turned their attention to look at her "That's if he's willing to teach them to her" she said as she looked at Dan
"I think he's always wanted to, but yes, he's willing to teach her the ways love should be" Dan smiled as Blair walked over to lay across Nicholas's bed.
"Good, I kind of want the princess to get her happy ending. Too many epic love stories hogging up the true romantics that made it work in the end" Blair smiled
"That's great, now we've managed to ruin the book. I vote we read a new one" Dan declared
"No, we're reading that book. You're only doing that because I like the book Humphrey!" Blair exclaimed
"Once again, this has nothing to do with you" Dan replied as he dodged Blair's attempt to hit him with the pillow "I personally think we should read the book where the prince fights the dragons and stuff" he said
"Because a prince beating a dragon is realistic?" Blair questioned
"It is a bit far fetched, but it makes for a good story" Nicholas replied
"What about Cinderella, we could do girl power for tonight's story" Blair suggested with much excitement in her voice
"I fail to care for Cinderella" Nicholas began to say
"How can you not care for Cinderella?" Blair asked in disbelief as she was more than prepared to debate her son on the topic. Back and forth, they all debated over stories that they each enjoyed, but in the end it didn't really matter what book they read because what they enjoyed most was just being together.
Author's Note: I know, I know. They didn't waffle. I thought about them having sex, but then I realized that what makes them so special is that they don't have to have sex to consumate how they feel about each other. In this chapter, I wanted to highlight what they do best, and that's the fact that they can honestly talk to each other. They have a friendship, in which they care about the other's opinion of them, and they want to always be on the same page with each other. So I wanted them to honestly talk and share their fears about taking that next step with each other because they do have a lot on the line. But the sex will be coming, sooner than you think so just hang in, they will get their Belgian Waffle on.
