Begin Again
Episode 11: Mission Possible
Serena was nervous. She hoped this plan worked, for she had no idea what they were going to do if it didn't. As she made her way up the elevator to her parents' apartment, she wondered if she should have called first. What if her mother was out? Though, she knew Lily usually didn't get out of the house until lunchtime. She wasn't exactly a morning person.
The doors opened, and Serena was relieved to see her mother sitting on the couch, reading the morning paper. She had looked up upon hearing the elevator doors open.
"Good," Serena said out loud. "You're home."
Lily set the paper down on the coffee table, and picked up her coffee mug from the coaster on the table. "Hello, Serena. If you're here again to try to convince me your father is cheating on me, you can save your breath. You're not going to convince me."
Serena shook her head, and quickly made her way over to the couch, where she sat down next to her mother. "Actually, I came over here to apologize. I did a lot of thinking last night, and the more I thought about it, the more I am convinced that Dad would never cheat on you. You're right. Rufus' eyesight isn't the greatest to begin with. Between that and the couple being across the street, there's no way he could have seen clearly. Besides, Dad has changed. I've seen firsthand how he's changed. He loves you so much, and I know he wouldn't do that to you, or to Eric and I for that matter."
Lily smiled, and set her coffee mug bag down. "I'm so glad you've finally come to your senses!" She put her hands together as if she were about to pray.
"Also, Rufus not liking Dad probably helped him see what he wanted to. I'm sorry for the things I said yesterday. Can you please forgive me for my momentary insanity?" Serena asked, putting her own hands into a prayer mode now as if pleading. She put on her best smile.
Lily grinned. "Of course I forgive you, my Darling! Anyway, you weren't insane. You just had a momentary laps in judgment is all."
"Well, I want to make it up to you anyway. Let's do lunch today. You can pick anywhere you'd like to eat, and it will be my treat!" Serena hugged her mother.
Lily hugged her in return. "You really don't have to pay for me, Serena, but I would love to do lunch with you!"
"I insist on treating. It's the least I can do. So, where do you want to eat?" Serena stood up.
Lily stood up as well, and smoothed down her gold Nanette Lepore skirt. "How about that new cafe that just opened up on 5th Ave?"
"Green cuisine?" Serena asked. The cafe served foods only made of natural ingredients.
Lily nodded. "That's the one!"
"Sounds good! Let's go. I don't know about you, but I'm starved," Serena said. She wanted to leave now so that they could remain on schedule and be done eating by the time her father went on his lunch break. Luckily, he had had the same lunch hour for the past five years, so she knew exactly what time he'd be leaving the hospital, which was around noon.
Lily nodded. "Me too. In fact, I'm positively famished! I'm so glad you decided to come over and ask me out to lunch!" Lily smiled, and placed a hand over her daughter's back.
Serena smiled at her as she pressed the down button on the elevator. "Me too." She felt guilty about what she and her friends were about to do, but it was for her mother's own good. She just hoped her mother wouldn't be too badly hurt once she found out what kind of a man her husband really was.
~Begin Again~
Chuck honked the horn of his rental Ford Taurus. Dan was just standing on the sidewalk, looking dazed.
Dan looked over at the car, and shielded his eyes.
Chuck beeped the horn again, but Dan was looking at the car as if it were a space ship, and Chuck was an alien.
Chuck sighed, and rolled his eyes as he rolled the passenger window down. "Get in the car, Humphrey."
The recognition hit Dan's face. He quickly sprinted to the car, opened the door, and slid into the passenger side. He shut the door, and looked over at Chuck. "Sorry. I was expecting your limo."
Chuck scrunched his eyebrows at him. "Because following someone in a limo isn't conspicuous at all."
Dan rolled his eyes, and looked out the passenger side window. "Whatever."
Chuck pulled out of the apartment complex. "What took you so long anyway? It's a quarter to twelve. You were supposed to be out here and ready by eleven thirty."
"I had to go to the bathroom," Dan said simply.
"And you chose the time you were supposed to be out here to go? Chuck asked dryly.
Dan looked over at him. "I didn't have to go then. I had to go number two. It came upon me suddenly."
Chuck glanced at him before putting his eyes back on the road. "First of all, you're disgusting. Second of all, what are you, five? Did you seriously say you had to go number two?"
Dan shot him a look. "Fine. I had to take a shit. Is that better?"
"Despite the TMI, yes, it is," Chuck said in his monotone way as he turned around the curb.
Dan shrugged. "You asked."
They drove in silence the rest of the way to the hospital.
"I hope this plan works. William is such a sleaze. I honestly don't know what Lily ever saw in him. I know he's my father-in-law and everything, but he's an ass," Dan said, his arms crossed over his chest. "We don't have a pass," he then added when Chuck pulled into the employees only parking lot.
"Like I care." Chuck pulled a few cars down in from the car he knew was William's, in the aisle that was directly behind William's car.
"What if we get in trouble?" Dan asked.
Chuck rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a wuss. We're only going to be here for a few minutes. Besides, we have to see William to be able to follow him. We can't let him get away with this. No one hurts my mother and gets away with it."
Dan looked over at him. "You really think of Lily as your real mother, don't you?"
Chuck looked at him. "As far as I'm concerned, she is my real mother. She's the only mother I've ever known, and the only mother that matters."
Dan looked impressed. "You know, aside from Blair and Henry, I've never seen you care about someone so much."
Chuck stared at Dan blankly. "They are the only three people I'd ever take a bullet for." He then looked away.
Dan looked out the window. "It's good to know that even someone as nonchalant as you is determined to get William out of Lily's life."
"There he is!" Chuck said suddenly.
Dan looked to see William walking into the parking garage. "Duck!"
Chuck and Dan both immediately slid down in their seats so that William wouldn't spot them. They peered over the dashboard from their slouched position.
William looked around, but didn't seem to see them, for he pushed the button on his remote to unlock his car doors, then slid into his car, slamming the door shut once he was in.
A moment later, William's engine started, and his taillights were on as he pulled out of the spot, and started driving out of the lot.
Chuck waited until William was down to the end of the lot, then he turned on the Taurus' engine, and began to follow him.
"You don't think he saw us, do you?" Dan asked as they kept a safe distance behind William's car.
"Trust me," Chuck said without taking his eyes off the road, "if he saw us, we'd know about it."
Dan nodded. "I guess you're right."
"I'm always right, Humphrey," Chuck stated as he exited the parking garage and followed on William's tail.
Dan smirked. "Yeah, right," he muttered under his breath.
Chuck chose to ignore him.
~Begin Again~
William wondered if Chuck and Dan thought he was stupid and or blind. They must have, for they apparently didn't think he noticed them crouching down in the front seat of the dinky silver Ford Taurus. It was okay though, for they were playing right into his hands.
He made a turn at the green light, and headed toward Serafina, where his friend and coworker Meg had agreed to meet him. She was a nurse at the hospital, and she and he would sometimes eat together in the cafeteria. Of course that was only when Cassidy had other plans for the day, or if she had to work.
Anyway, Meg wanted to be an actress, and was working as a nurse to support herself until she hit it big. She hadn't had to work today, but he had called her up and offered her five hundred dollars if she would meet him at Serafina at twelve-thirty for lunch, along with a little acting gig, no questions asked. He even offered to pay for her lunch.
Her job was to have lunch with him, then, once lunch was over, leave with him, and play along once Lily arrived.
Of course Meg had agreed. After all, why wouldn't she agree to get paid five hundred dollars simply to just have lunch at a nice restaurant for free, and do a little acting, which she loved to do?
He had already told her what he wanted her to say and do. If she played her part well, he knew he would come out smelling like a rose, and Rufus and his team of cronies would end up looking like asses.
William chuckled to himself as he pictured the expressions on their faces once they realized they'd been duped. Better yet, maybe they'd all turn on Rufus. Well, Lisa wouldn't of course, but he didn't want her to.
It was funny because he had been thinking about what Lily said—how Lisa had confronted her, and threatened her to keep things platonic between her and Rufus. He was going to try to talk Lisa into working with him to keep Rufus and Lily apart. He had thought he'd have to work on her a bit to get her to agree. After all, Lisa appeared to be a sweet little innocent woman, who would never do anything wrong. Boy had he been surprised when Lisa had called him up and told him about the little scheme Rufus and the gang had going on. It was then that he realized he wasn't going to have to work at all to get Lisa on his side.
He guessed the old saying was true—never judge a book by its cover.
~BA~
Meg was waiting for me when I got to the restaurant. I was glad. I only had an hour, and I couldn't afford to lose any time.
"Hi!" she said with a cheery smile as I made my way up the walkway to her, after having parked. She twirled one of her curly red strands of hair around her index finger.
"Hi!" I glanced around, then smirked when my eyes fell upon the silver Taurus. It was showtime.
I placed my right hand over Meg's back, and kissed her cheek. "Thank you so much for joining me."
"Thank you! It's nice to be treated to lunch at a nice restaurant." She winked at me and smiled. "And it's also nice to be able to enjoy a nice meal with my friend for once instead of that garbage the cafeteria calls food!" She placed her arm around my waist.
I grinned. I had texted her earlier, telling her to make it seem like I could be her boyfriend, but not to make it seem like I definitely was. Apparently, she knew exactly how to do that. It turns out, she really was a good actress!
I smiled at her, and placed my arm around her as well. "You got that right! At least the meat here is edible."
She laughed. "I know, right?"
I grinned. "Well, we better go in so that we can get to eating. I can't be late back to work."
"Definitely wouldn't want that! Thomas would blow a gasket," Meg said, referring to our boss.
"That would be his fifth gasket blown this week!" I joked, for our boss had a bit of a reputation for his temper. He was always nice to me, but I'd seen him be a real asshole to people. Not that some of those people didn't deserve it, because they did.
~BA~
Megan laughed.
They then grinned at each other as they slowly headed into the restaurant.
"A table for two please," William told the hostess with a smile.
"Right this way," the hostess said pleasantly as she grabbed two menus, and led them to a table.
William smirked as he held the chair out for Meg, and she smiled big and thanked him. So far, everything was going according to plan. And if all went well, it would stay that way.
~Begin Again~
"Did you see the slut?" Blair asked Chuck over the phone.
"We saw," Chuck said. "Should I call Serena?"
"I'll call her," Blair responded. "They probably won't be out of there for an hour. I'll tell her to be here in an hour. I have my iphone camera ready for photographic proof just in case she and Lily don't make it here in time."
"Just make sure you're not seen when you take the picture, and don't let them hear you taking it. Who knows what William will do if he catches you?" Chuck said, a little worried.
"I'm not an idiot, Chuck. I know to keep out of sight, and to have all sounds turned off on my phone." Blair sounded annoyed.
"I know you're not stupid, Blair, I just worry about you," Chuck said calmly.
"I know, and I love you for it. I'll stay inconspicuous. No need to worry about me," Blair promised.
"We'll be waiting for you when it's all over," Chuck said.
"I love you," Blair responded.
"I love you too," Chuck said. He hung up the phone, then looked over at Dan. "You were Gossip Girl. It should be you, not Blair standing out there in front of the restaurant doing nothing but waiting for William. Let you be the one to take the pics while I enjoy time with my wife in the car."
Dan rolled his eyes. "Blair made the orders—not me. I don't exactly like spending my time with you in this dinosaur of a car either."
"Would you prefer to spend time with me the a limo?" Chuck joked, as if he thought Dan was referring to the car choice instead of the choice of company.
Dan nodded. "At least in the limo we'd have a minibar."
Chuck nodded. "Good point. Hanging out with you would be much more tolerable with a little alcohol in my system."
"And hanging out with you would be much more tolerable with a lot of alcohol in my system," Dan quipped in return.
Chuck let out a sarcastic laugh. "You're hilarious," he said, his voice still dripping with sarcasm.
Dan looked at him. "Seriously though, we may never be the best of friends, but I'd like to believe we've come a little ways in the friendship department, wouldn't you say?"
Chuck looked at him as well. "I suppose so. After all, our wives are best friends. I guess you're not a total dweeb."
"And I guess you're not a hundred percent intolerable," Dan said in return.
"I guess that's as close as either of us are going to get to complimenting each other, aye?" Chuck asked with a slight smile spread across his lips.
Dan smiled as well. "With us, that's all we need."
Chuck nodded his agreement.
They looked at each other in silence, then hugged across the seats for the briefest moment. Then, they quickly broke the hug.
"Okay, that was just awkward," Dan said.
"Borderline nauseating," Chuck piped in.
Both men went back to looking out their windows.
~Begin Again~
Serena had stalled for as long as she could. She had gotten Blair's text when they were halfway through lunch. She had managed to convince her mother to get dessert, and an extra cup of coffee, but they still ended up leaving the restaurant with a half hour to spare. The only thing left to do was shop. Thankfully, there were lots of places to shop right near Serafina.
"Well, lunch was lovely, but now I really should get home. There are some things I need to do back at the apartment," Lily said as they left the restaurant.
"Ah, come on! We haven't shopped together in so long. Come shop with me. Please? Just for an hour?" Serena pleaded, latching onto her arm.
Lily smiled at her. "All right. But only for you!" She grinned.
Serena hugged her. "Thanks, Mom."
"So, where should we go first?" Lily asked as they hopped into a cab.
"Well, I was thinking JCrew. I want to get a new shirt to wear under the sweater I bought the other day," Serena said. That part was true, so at least today didn't have to be a total lie.
"Sounds good!" Lily agreed with a nod.
It was just a short ride to Madison Avenue, so they still had plenty of time to shop.
Serena paid and tipped the driver, then she and Lily headed into JCrew.
Time went surprisingly fast, for Blair texted her just as Serena finished paying for the shirt.
"Serena took her mother's hand, and practically dragged her out of the store.
"Serena, what's the big hurry? I saw a skirt I was thinking about getting," Lily said, for she had still been looking around when Serena paid for the shirt.
"We'll go back. I just suddenly needed some air. They had their heat cranked up way too high in there. I was starting to feel overheated," Serena said, still practically dragging her mother as she headed down past a few buildings until she finally got to the restaurant.
Finally, they got to the restaurant, and Serena stopped a little ways back so that William wouldn't see them when he came out.
"Serena, what's the rush? Couldn't we have just stood outside of JCrew instead of charging down the sidewalk like maniacs?" Lily asked, a hand over her heart. She was out of breath.
"Sorry. I just felt like I needed the walk," Serena said, her eyes still on the doorway to Serafina.
"Serena, Darling, are you all right?" Lily asked.
Serena nodded. "I'm fine, Mom. I just..." She trailed off as William came out of the restaurant, laughing, and looking cozy with a redhead. "Oh my gosh," Serena said in surprise. "Rufus was right!" She knew he was right, but actually seeing it made it all the more real.
"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.
Serena nodded toward the door.
Lily looked. "William?" she asked quietly.
"Let's go," Serena said, her eyes on her father, who was laughing and smiling with the redhead who was laughing and smiling as well as she tucked a red curl behind her left ear.
Lily followed behind Serena.
"You're so cute!" the redhead said, grinning at William, and looking in his eyes as she wiped something off his cheek with her thumb.
"Hello, Dad! Who's this?" Serena asked boldly, now right in front of him.
William looked up at her in apparent shock. "Serena! What are you doing here?"
"I was shopping with Mom, and we saw you here, looking cozy with this lady." Serena nodded toward her. "Who is she?"
"Yes, William. Please, introduce us," Lily said, sounding annoyed and looking ill.
William turned to Lily. "Hello, my Love!" He kissed her cheek. "This is my coworker, Meg. I told you about her before. You know, the one who I sometimes have lunch with in the hospital cafeteria?"
Lily looked over at Meg, and hesitantly extended her hand to her. "Hello, Meg. I'm William's wife." She put emphasis on the word 'wife' obviously to make it clear to Meg that William was a taken man.
Meg nodded. "Lily, of course! William talks about you nonstop every single day. He loves you so much! But I must say, the picture of you he flashes around work does not do you justice You're even more beautiful in person!"
Lily blushed, her expression softening immensely. "Why, thank you! You're a beautiful woman yourself!"
"Aw, thanks!" Meg said. "I hope you don't mind I borrowed your husband for the day. My boyfriend is at work, and I had a craving for the food here. A girl can only take so much of the cafeteria food, you know? William was nice enough to join me here so that I wouldn't have to eat alone. He's a good friend to me."
Lily smiled at William, and then at Meg. "He's wonderful, isn't he?"
Meg nodded. "He sure is!" She turned to Serena. You must be his daughter, Serena. He gushes about you like he does your mother! You're also even more beautiful in person."
Serena shook her hand. "Yes, I'm Serena. It's nice to meet you, Meg. And thank you! I agree with my mom. You are beautiful."
Meg blushed. "Aw, thanks! You're so sweet."
"It's funny. You know how Rufus thought he saw me kissing a redhead near the park the other day?" William asked Lily.
Lily nodded. "How could I forget?"
"Well, I got to thinking. Meg lives near the park, and she is always telling me how her boyfriend looks so much like me. I thought that maybe it was her and her boyfriend he had seen," William said. "So, I asked her if she was around the park at that time, and she was."
"In fact, what this Rufus person must have seen was the aftermath of my boyfriend having just proposed to me!" Meg held out her left hand, displaying the huge diamond she wore on her ring finger. She blushed. "We usually aren't the PDA type, but I was just so happy he proposed to me, and he was so happy I said yes. We kind of made out in front of everyone around us. We couldn't help it. We were too excited to care. I bet it was us he saw. After all, we were standing right where William said Rufus was when Rufus thought he saw William."
"I still have to see your fiancé. I want to see how much he looks like me!" William said, grinning at Meg.
"Fiancé. I absolutely love that word!" Meg clapped her hands together excitedly, and grinned. "I'll have him come into work sometime, then you can see him. I swear, he's a dead ringer for you!"
"Well, that explains it then. Rufus saw your fiancé and thought it was my husband." Lily giggled. Deny it as he will, Rufus is still a bit nearsighted even with his glasses!"
William grinned. "Well, I hate to say goodbye to you, but I must be getting back to the hospital." He kissed Lily sweetly on the lips. "I'll see you when I get home."
"All right." Lily kissed him in return, her hand resting on his cheek. "I'll be waiting." She smiled, and they kissed once more.
"Can you give me a ride?" Meg asked William.
William nodded. "But of course!"
They smiled at each other.
Meg turned to Lily, and held out her hand. "It was very nice meeting you, Lily. I can see why William loves you so much! You seem really nice."
Lily shook her hand. "Thank you, Meg! You do too. Maybe sometime the four of us can get together and double date."
Meg nodded and smiled. "I'd like that!"
Meg and Serena then shook hands and exchanged goodbyes as well.
"Goodbye, My Darlings!" William said with a wave to Lily and Serena before getting into his car.
Serena waved goodbye. "Bye, Dad. Have a good rest of the day at work."
"Thanks, Baby Girl," William said.
Lily waved back, and blew him a kiss. "Goodbye, my Darling. I'll see you tonight!"
"See you tonight," he agreed with a nod as he pretended to catch the kiss. He then slipped into the car.
"Bye!" Meg said, with a wave of her own before she got in the car.
"Bye!" Lily said, waving as William drove away.
Serena waved too.
"Well, that explains that!" Lily said with a cocky smile. I knew your father would never cheat on me!"
Serena nodded too. "And that was just proof of how much he really loves you."
Lily smiled and blushed. "I'm a very lucky woman!"
Serena sighed. So, maybe Rufus had been wrong after all. Boy did she feel like an ass now. She turned to her mother. "Come on. Let's go back to JCrew so you can get that skirt you wanted."
Lily grinned brightly. "Okay!"
They then turned and headed back toward JCrew.
As they left, Serena looked over at shoulder. She saw Blair, who could only shrug. Blair looked as confused as Serena was.
Serena sighed again. Next time, she wasn't going to be so quick to believe Rufus! She wondered what Rufus would say when he heard this story. She was willing to bet anything he'd feel like just as much of an ass as she did.
~Begin Again~
"And here is your money!" William said with a big smile as he handed Meg her money at a red light.
"Thank you!" Meg grinned at him, and stuffed the money into her wallet. "So, was I good?"
"My Darling, you were marvelous!" William said.
Meg grinned. "The funny thing is, my fiancé really looks nothing like you."
"I guess it's a good thing she didn't ask for a picture, huh?" William asked with a smile and a wink at her.
Meg laughed. "I guess so!"
They arrived at the hospital. William dropped Meg off at the curb. "I'm sorry I don't have time to take you directly to your place. Are you going to be okay walking home?"
"Sure! It's only a five minute walk from here." Meg nodded toward him. "Are you working tomorrow?"
William nodded. "Yep!"
"Lunch in the cafeteria at noon?" Meg asked.
"Sounds like a plan," William said, patting her shoulder. "See you then."
"See you then! Thanks for lunch and everything," Meg said as she got out of the car.
"Don't mention it," William said. He headed to the parking lot.
Lunch had worked out perfectly! Now, Lily would have no doubt that he wasn't a cheater. Heck, maybe he'd even get Rufus to believe that he had seen wrong. And heck, even if he didn't, Rufus was still going to end up looking like a nearsighted ass, and to William, that was good enough.
~Begin Again~
Rufus looked up as the jingle jangle of the bells above the door sounded.
In walked Dan, Chuck, Serena, and Blair.
"How did it go? Did she catch him?" Rufus asked.
"Oh, we caught him all right, but it wasn't what you thought," Dan said.
"I'm confused," Rufus said.
"And apparently blind," Chuck quipped.
Rufus glared at him. "Excuse me?"
"You saw the wrong man that day you thought you saw my father kissing a redhead. The person you saw was my father's friend Meg's fiancé," Serena said.
"And the redhead you saw was Meg," Blair chimed in.
Rufus scrunched his eyebrows together. "Okay, is somebody going to explain this all to me? Because right now, all any of you are doing is confusing me."
Serena sighed, then told Rufus the whole story. When she finished, Rufus was shocked.
He shook his head. "No. He must be lying! I didn't see someone who looked like William, I saw William! And I can see perfectly fine with my glasses, thank you! Do you want to call my optometrist? I'll get you the number. He'll confirm that for me."
Serena sighed. "I don't know what to believe now. I mean, you do hate my father, so I can see why you'd want it to be him. Maybe you convinced yourself it was him?"
Rufus crossed his arms over his chest. "As much as I hate your father, I would never hurt Lily this way if I wasn't sure about it."
Serena looked torn.
Blair meanwhile was looking at her iphone pictures. She found the one she was looking for. "This picture I took when they weren't paying attention. It actually came out good! I wonder if I should anonymously send William a copy of it just to mess with his mind," she said with a smirk.
"Let me see that!" Rufus said, ripping the phone from her hand.
"Rude much?" Blair asked.
Rufus looked at the photo, then shook his head. "That's not her."
"Huh?" Serena asked.
Again, Rufus shook his head. He pointed to the girl in the picture. "That's not the girl I saw William making out with Monday. The girl I saw had neck-length, bright red, vibrant hair. This girl has shoulder-length hair, and her hair is more auburn looking. She's much shorter too. The girl I saw with William was actually a slight bit taller than him. This girl goes to his shoulders. He played us! He must have known he was being followed."
"Unbelievable! I should have known. I'm sorry. Rufus. I fell for it again. What an idiot I am." Serena shook her head.
Rufus placed a hand overtop of her shoulder. "It's all right. He's your father. You can't help but want to believe the best in him. It's normal."
"What I want to know if how he found out," Chuck said.
Dan shrugged. "Maybe he saw us in the car after all."
"But why wouldn't he confront us right then?" Chuck asked. "Besides, he met Meg at the restaurant. He had this planned before our plan even began. He had to have found out somehow."
"But how would he find out?" Serena asked. "None of us told him."
"He's smart," Rufus stated. "He probably predicted our move. Now that he knows I saw him cheating, he decided to come up with a plan to throw my credibility to hell."
"That's brilliant! Absolutely genius," Blair said.
They all looked at her.
She shrugged. "Well, it is. I'm not saying it was a good and moral idea." She rolled her eyes.
"I guess that makes sense," Dan said. "I mean, of course he's not going to be seen making out with his girlfriend in public view now that he knows he's been seen—especially by you."
Rufus sighed. "I suppose we all really should have known better. Now what are we going to do? So much for plan C."
Serena sighed. "It's simple. We move onto Plan D."
"And what is that?" Blair asked, looking at her.
Serena met her gaze. "Well, I think it's time we call in the big dogs, or dog since we're talking one person."
Blair's eyes widened. "No. You can't mean..." She trailed off.
Serena nodded. "I'm afraid so. We have no choice since your plan didn't pan out."
"I can think of something else!" Blair said, stamping her foot like her son did when he was upset.
Serena shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we need something fast and effective, and you know she's the one to do it." She took out her iphone, and quickly dialed up a number. Then, after a moment of waiting for someone to pick up, she smiled. "Georgina, hi. This is Serena. Unfortunately, we're going to need your help."
Blair walked over to the desk, and gently slammed her head on it.
~Begin Again~
Georgina smiled to herself as she saw William appearing at a condominium ten minutes away from the hospital. It was a nice enough neighborhood. It was very quaint for New York City. She had followed William there from the hospital the very next day. After all, she knew that William wouldn't suspect retaliation so quickly after he had ruined the first plan. He especially wouldn't suspect anything if he thought the others now believed that Rufus had seen wrong.
Anyway, she parked her black BMW when he parked his car, then she got out of her car, and followed a few yards away from him as he entered the building, and headed to one of the individual condos.
When William got to the one he was obviously there for, Georgina hid around the corner, and peered around it.
Soon, the door opened, revealing a beautiful redhead with bright, vibrant, curly red hair that went to the middle of her neck, just as Rufus had described.
"Hello, Baaay-bay!" William said, imitating The Big Bopper in "Chantilly Lace."
The girl grinned, and pulled William into a passionate kiss before responding. "Hey, sexy!" She said with a wink.
William picked her up slightly as he kissed her some more.
William then set the girl down, and they continued kissing like starved animals. The girl was even trying to take his jacket off right there in the hallway!
"Ew." Georgina whispered to herself.
William grinned, then backed the girl into the condo. The door slammed behind them.
"Well, that was unpleasant!" Georgina said to herself. She sighed, then headed to the door that William and the redhead had just disappeared into.
She wrote down the condo's address, along with the girl's condo number. Then, she left the condo, and headed back to her car. Next, she got on her laptop, and went to the background check site that she was a paid member of. After all, one never knew when they needed a background check on someone.
She typed in the address to the background check site, and moments later, she had a name and a full report.
"Cassidy Reynolds. Thirty-two years old. Ew. He's old enough to be her father, the disgusting Pervert," Georgina said to herself, making a face of distaste.
"She works as a hairdresser at the Hairs Looking At You, Kid Salon. Perfect," Georgina said. She looked up the number, then whipped out her cell phone, and dialed up the number to the Salon.
"Hello," she said once someone answered. "I want to make an appointment to get a hair cut and blonde highlights. I was wondering, is Cassidy Reynolds working today? She is? Perfect. Does she have any open slots? Oh good. I'll take the seven o'clock slot please. Thank you so much. My name is Tanya. Tanya Adams. All right, thank you. I will be there." Georgina hung up the phone, a smirk on her face. Cassidy was working the evening shift tonight. What perfect luck!
Georgina fluffed her hair. She could get her haircut and highlights while working to bring William down. It didn't get any better than that!
~BA~
I was already doing better than Blair when it came to my scheme to take William down. Whether Blair wanted to admit it or not, which everyone knew she'd never admit it, she was losing her touch. She had been out of practice for far too long. Lucky for her and her friends, I never took a break from scheming. After all, I wouldn't be me if I didn't scheme. It's what I'm good at, so why turn away from it?
I had a fun day of shopping and going to h movies. Of course I worked lunch and dinner into the mix somewhere. After all, I could not be expected to scheme on an empty stomach.
Anyway, it was now time for my hair appointment, so I pulled into Hair's Looking At You, Kid, parked my car, then got out, and headed into the salon. I checked in, then waited to be called.
I got what seemed like the thousandth text today—this one from Serena—asking me how it was going so far. As I'd been doing all day long, I ignored it. As I had told them earlier, I preferred to work alone. I didn't need help, nor did I need anyone checking up on me. I'd tell them what they needed to know when they needed to know it. Right now, there was nothing they needed to know about.
"Tanya?" the pretty, blonde receptionist called. She smiled at me. "Cassidy is ready for you now."
I stood up and smiled, stuffing my phone back into my purse. "Thank you."
I headed over to where the receptionist led me, and I sat down in the chair.
Then, the receptionist left, and the same redhead from earlier came over.
Cassidy smiled brightly at me. "Hello! I hear you want some highlights and a hair cut today!"
I nodded. Wow, this girl was perky. "I just want my ends trimmed, then some light blond highlights put into my hair, please."
"Not a problem!" Cassidy said as she fluffed my hair with her fingers. "Have I had you before?"
"No, but I heard someone in passing mention how their hair stylist Cassidy from Hairs Looking At You, Kid was so good. I decided I wanted to try you. It was just a stranger that I overheard, so technically, I'm trusting a stranger's opinion," I said with a smirk. I had to get Cassidy talking if I wanted to find out anything.
"Well, I can assure you, you won't be disappointed! In fact, by the time I'm done with you, you'll be wanting to take strangers' advice more often!"
I laughed. "I don't know about that, but I trust you."
Cassidy grinned, then went to work at getting the bleach ready to put on my hair. "So, what do you do for a living?" she asked.
"I'm actually a stay at home Mom," I told her.
"Oh, how sweet! What do you have?" she asked.
"A boy." I then went on to tell her all about my son and his father. I also told her how I had split with his father, and was now dating Jack Bass. He and I had been dating for five years, but neither of us was the marrying kind. I figured that, with all the information about myself that I had just told Cassidy, the least she could do was give me the information I needed about her. However, I'd have to be subtle about it.
"So," I said as she started covering the first section of my hair with bleach, "what about you? Are you married?"
"Me? Na. It's not that I haven't tried finding someone though. I'm a wild child, but I'd still like to find someone to spend my life with. Of course, I'm not going to settle down even if I have a husband. I'm gonna party like there's no tomorrow—husband or no husband!" She winked at me in the mirror, and clicked her tongue.
I grinned. "My kind of lady! So, do you have any potential prospects at least?"
She grinned. "Well, there is this one guy." She wrapped the section she was working on in foil, then move onto the next. "His name is William. He's a lot older than me, but he is so sexy and charming." She looked at me in the mirror again. "Not to mention he's great in bed."
I laughed. "That's always a plus!" Inside, I wanted to vomit. The thought of William in bed with some woman was almost too much to bear. Especially when said woman was young enough to be his daughter. Disgusting!
"So, will you be going out with him tonight?" I asked with a suggestive smile and an eyebrow raise.
"Na, we both have to work late. Tomorrow night though, he's taking me to Jullian's, that new Mexican restaurant that just opened up not that long ago. After that, we'll go back to my place for a little extra dessert, if you know what I mean." She winked at me in the mirror. "My roommate's out of town, so we'll have the place to ourselves."
I smiled, and winked at her in the mirror. "Sounds like tomorrow's gonna be an amazing night!"
"Oh I can assure you it will be," Cassidy said with a grin.
"So, what time does he pick you up tomorrow?" I asked, hoping I wasn't being too pushy. Thankfully, Cassidy didn't seem to be the private type.
"We're meeting at the restaurant at six, but he'll just drive to my place after we eat," Cassidy said simply. She already had half my head wrapped in foils. I had been so wrapped up in our conversation, I hadn't even noticed how quickly she was working!
"Well, have fun tomorrow," I said with a smirk. I had gotten all the information I needed to know for the time being.
"Oh, don't worry," she said. "When William and I get together, we always do."
I fake grinned. I'm sure they did too. Gross!
~BA~
Georgina walked out of the salon, fluffing her blond highlights. Cassidy turned out to be a pretty good hairdresser! Georgina figured she might just start going to Cassidy on a regular basis.
She pulled out her phone, then texted back Serena, who was the last person to text her. She left her a simple message.
The redhead's name is Cassidy Reynolds. She'd definitely William's little sex kitten. You'll find them at Julian's tomorrow night at six. They plan on getting feisty afterwards.
Georgina then typed in Cassidy's address, then finished off the text.
Do with this information as you want. You're welcome.
Georgina sent the text, then put her phone back into her purse. Then, she hopped back in her car, and sped off. Her work here was done.
~Begin Again~
"I'm so glad you called me. You know how much I love our mother son time!" Lily said, hugging Chuck tightly.
Chuck hugged her tightly in return. "Well, Henry's with Eleanor and Cyrus, and Blair is at a meeting with a potential client, so I figured it would be the perfect time to get together with my mother." He kissed Lily's cheek. Serena had appointed him to be the one to take Lily to Julian's. She hadn't wanted to be there if her father was going to be getting intimate with Cassidy afterwards.
"I love it when you call me your mother. It never gets old," Lily said.
"Well, you are my mother, so what else would I call you?" Chuck asked her with a bright smile.
Lily kissed his cheek. "The only good thing that ever came out of my relationship with your father was getting you as a son."
"I appreciate that," Chuck said. He led her into the elevator.
"I hope this place is good. I haven't tried it yet. Have you?" Lily asked.
"No, but a couple of my friends have, and they claim it's to die for," Chuck responded. He hated lying to Lily about even the smallest, most insignificant things. However, he knew that it would only help her in the end, no matter how much it would hurt her at first.
They got down to the lobby and hopped into Chuck's limo. Then, ten minutes later, they were at Julien's. Chuck's driver opened the door for them, and Chuck helped Lily out of the limo.
Then, he and Lily were left standing in front of the restaurant.
Chuck checked his watch. It was six on the dot. He wondered if William and Cassidy had arrived yet.
"What are you waiting for? Aren't we going to go in?" Lily asked with a smile.
He thought fast. "I just need a minute. I was feeling a little car sick on the way here."
Lily looked at him with concern, and placed a hand overtop of his shoulder. "I didn't know you got car sick."
"I usually don't, but for some reason, I just feel really nauseous," he said.
"Well, we know you're not pregnant!" Lily joked.
Chuck grinned at her. "Ha, ha..." He looked toward the restaurant again, and saw William heading toward the restaurant.
Chuck quickly pulled Lily to the side of the restaurant.
"Charles, what are you doing?" Lily asked him in surprise. "Do you have to throw up?"
Chuck knelt down, then glanced around the side of the restaurant, and saw that William was waiting for Cassidy.
"I felt like I was going to. Just give me a minute, all right?" he asked.
Lily nodded, and began to rub his back. "Take your time. Maybe we should just go back if you're not feeling well. I can make you some chicken soup or some dry toast."
"I'm fine, but thank you. I'm okay. I think the air is helping me." Chuck peered around the corner again. Thankfully, Cassidy had just arrived. He stood up straight.
"Let's go," he said, taking Lily's hand, and leading her out toward the front of the restaurant. He silently cursed to himself when he saw William and Cassidy slipping into the restaurant. He had hoped William would kiss her or something first. Then again, after being caught the first time, he was probably on his best behavior now when it came to not making out with her with witnesses around.
He stopped Lily outside of the restaurant. He needed to stall to give William and Cassidy time to be seated, he knew. "Lily, do you mind if I call you Mom all the time now? I don't know if it would be weird for you since you didn't actually give birth to me."
Lily had tears in her eyes as she gently stroked his right cheek with the back of her left hand. "Oh, Charles, I would absolutely love it! I told you before, to me, I might as well have given birth to you because I love you just as much as I love Scott, Serena, and Eric."
Chuck held her tight, and kissed her cheek. "In that case, I love you, Mom."
"And I love you, my Darling," Lily said hugging him tightly back, then kissing his cheek in return.
Chuck knew he didn't have to feel guilty about this, for he meant every word.
They then headed into the restaurant, and got seated shortly after. Chuck quickly asked for a table that just happened to be on the total opposite side of the room that William and Cassidy were seated. He knew that William couldn't see them or they would be busted. Also, he didn't want Lily seeing William to early. He didn't need her confronting William before William did something incriminating.
They got seated, and then waited for their server to arrive. Chuck just hoped William and Lily didn't spot each other before they were supposed to. Keeping that from happening was going to be the main thing he had to worry about for now, Chuck knew.
~Begin Again~
Dinner and dessert had been wonderful. Lily had enjoyed her time with her son so much, but now she was tired, and knew she should probably be getting home. She wanted to take a bath before William got home from work. Though, right now, she had to go to the bathroom.
"Where are you going?" Chuck asked as Lily stood up.
"I have to go tot he bathroom before we leave," she said.
"I'll go with you." Chuck stood up, leaving his credit card and the bill in the leather carrying case on the table. "I have to go too."
"All right." Lily giggled. "It's usually only women who go to the bathroom together. Apparently, they both don't have to be women."
Chuck smiled. "When you got to go, you got to go!"
Lightly laughed. "Aint that the truth!"
So, they headed to the bathroom.
On their way there, out of the corner of her eye, Lily thought she saw a man sitting at one of the tables who looked like William. She turned to get a better look, but Chuck quickly stepped in front of her line of view. "After we eat, do you want to go to a movie?" he asked her.
"Oh, Honey, maybe another time. William will be home from his work meeting soon, and I want to take a bath before he gets home. But next time for sure!" She kissed his cheek. "I'll be out in a minute." She then headed into the ladies room.
She went to the bathroom and washed her hands, then made sure her makeup was still on all right. She reapplied her lipstick, then put it back in her purse, and headed out.
Chuck was right there waiting for her. "Are you ready to go?" he asked her.
Lily nodded. "Yeah! Did you get your credit card?"
Chuck nodded. "I picked it up when you were in the bathroom. What do women do in the bathroom that makes them take longer then men?" he asked.
Lily shrugged. "I don't know. Touch up our makeup is the only thing I can think of that men wouldn't do."
"And sit to pee," Chuck said.
Lily laughed. "That too." She glanced in the direction that she thought she had seen William at earlier, but the table was now empty.
"Do you mind if we stop at my friend's condo on the way home?" Chuck then asked her. "He's holding a gift for me that I left there for Blair. I got her a diamond necklace that I didn't want her accidentally finding at home."
"I don't mind." Actually, Lily was eager to get home, but she didn't want to make things inconvenient for Chuck. Besides, she supposed picking up a gift couldn't take too much longer.
Even so, she would be happy to be home. She wanted to spend some romantic time with William tonight. He had been working so much lately that she was really craving some time just the two of them.
She smiled. So, after she got home and had her bath, she would slip on her sexiest lingerie, and they would have their night together. She could hardly wait!
~Begin Again~
Chuck pulled into the apartment complex that Georgina had said William and Cassidy would be at.
William had left just moments before Lily had gotten out of the bathroom. It was a close call. Chuck had been so worried that either Cassidy or William would have to use the bathroom. Thankfully, they hadn't.
"I'll just wait int the car," Lily said.
"No, I want you to come with me," Chuck told her.
"Why?" Lily asked.
"I want you to meet my friend. I want my Mom to know who all my friends are." He knew he was laying on the corniness, but he didn't know how else to get her to come up with him.
Lily smiled. "Aw! All right."
So, they headed into the condominium, and took the elevator to Cassidy's floor. Then, they made their way down the hall.
When they were just about to Cassidy's condo, Chuck saw that William and Cassidy either hadn't arrived yet, or they were already in the room.
He walked right up to Cassidy's door, and was relieved when he heard Cassidy giggling.
"Mm, Baby, you're so naughty!" she said. "I love it!" Her voice took on a seductive tone. "But you know, I'm the one in charge. I want you to be the one down on your knees, begging for it. Then, if you're a good boy, maybe I'll get on my knees and beg for it."
Lily blushed as she heard this too. "Um, maybe your friend forgot you were coming over? We should leave."
Chuck ignored her. He knew what he had to do. He walked over to the door, and knocked on it.
The room got quiet. He knocked harder, and would not let up.
"Charles, what are you doing?" Lily whispered.
Chuck knocked harder, and more insistent until the door finally flew open.
"What?" Cassidy snapped. She was wearing only a black lace bra and a matching black lace thong.
"I need to speak to William van der Woodsen. It's important. Is he here?" Chuck asked, hiding his British accent so as not to tip William off.
Cassidy looked behind her. "William, it's for you! It's some dude." She stepped back, revealing a startled looking William, who was clad only in a pair of black silk boxer briefs.
Chuck looked back at Lily to see if she had seen. Judging from the look of total shock and horror on her face, she had seen.
Her eyes met with Chuck's, then she cried out in a sob. She then ran down the hall toward the elevators.
"Shame on you! You really are a lowlife scum!" Chuck said to William, his fists clenched.
William was too shocked to say or do anything.
Cassidy looked at William. "Baby, who is that, and why is he calling you a lowlife scum?"
Chuck nodded at her. "He's a married man." He then took off down the hall in a sprint.
He got to the elevator doors just as they were opening. He stepped onto the elevator with Lily, then took her into his arms as the doors closed.
"Sh... I know it may not feel like it now, but you're going to be okay," he gently soothed.
"Just take me somewhere. Anywhere but home. I can't stay there," she whispered. "Please."
Chuck nodded, and kissed the top of her head. "You can stay with Blair and me."
"Thank you," she said between sobs.
Chuck held her tighter. William had hurt his mother. And now, he was going to have to hurt William.