WARNING: I know that there are spoilers floating around about what was supposed to happen after The Thin Line… Please remember, I hate spoilers. If anything I write resembles those spoilers in any way, I don't want to know—and it is pure coincidence (which HAS happened before). Please respect my wishes and do not refer to them in any reviews.

Thank you!  XOXO Sharon

Sunday, February 10th5 days until the Sweetheart Gala

Taking off her slumber mask, Blair looked at the clock and groaned before slapping the snooze button. Six in the morning. Why was she getting up this early on a Sunday? Oh yeah, she had an errand to run in Brooklyn.

She groaned again before rolling out of bed. She went to the shower and slowly woke herself up under the hot spray.

After finishing, she slowly towel dried and began the tedious process of dressing and doing her hair. She didn't know why she was even bothering with her hair because she was just going to be putting a hoodie over top of it, but she shrugged and finished straightening it.

As she looked in the mirror and finished up the last of her grooming she decided to check Gossip Girl for the latest news before leaving.

She grimaced when she saw that the last post was about her midnight run. Crap, she thought. Now Chuck was going to see it and know she had actually shown up.

While she was pleased that there was a mention of the Friday night party—without any mention of why she'd left so abruptly, she couldn't stop the spike of anger. Didn't people have anything better to do than spy on her?

At least they didn't see her before midnight. At least they didn't know that she'd been waiting at that window for an hour and a half staring at the cause of so much of her misery. GG would definitely have a field day then. And everyone would think she was hung up on Chuck.

Chuck was drunk off his ass last night so it'd probably be hours before he saw the post. She wondered what his reaction would be. She hoped he didn't stop by again.

She slammed the lid shut on her laptop and grabbed her bag before exiting her room. It was time to go.

And if Chuck did try to talk to her again, she would just tell him in no-uncertain terms that he was dead to her. She didn't need him anymore.

And that was that.

"Good morning dad," Jenny said as she left her room to grab a cereal bar. She completely ignored Dan who was sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Jenny," Rufus nodded. His children were still barely talking to each other. At least they were civil and joined him for breakfast most mornings, but the happy atmosphere that usually surrounded their humble home was still non-existent.

Dan finally drew himself away from his book long enough to address his sister.

"There was a letter for you by the door when I woke up, it's on the counter," he muttered before going back to his reading.

Jenny tried not to act too excited as she went to retrieve what could only be another letter from her "secret admirer."

She picked it up and frowned. "What happened?"

Dan glanced up, "Oh, I had some cereal and the milk spilled. It should be dry by now." It was about ten in the morning. He'd been up since eight.

Jenny made a frustrated sound. "You couldn't have been more careful?" she snapped at him.

Dan barely glanced at her again. "Sorry," he said somewhat sarcastically.

Jenny glared at him, but he didn't even notice. She grabbed her cereal bar and went back to her room, slamming the door shut.

She carefully opened the letter hoping the spill hadn't messed up the writing. She couldn't believe that Nate had actually gotten up so early on a Sunday just to drop a letter off for her. How sweet was that?

There were little polar bears sitting in a horse drawn carriage with their noses pressed together and a heart floating in the air above their heads on the cover of the card.

Dear Jenny,

I saw you at the party Friday night. You looked incredible. So good in fact, that I almost revealed myself. But I can't. Not yet. Maybe a few more days? Valentine's Day is coming up. Maybe I'll be ready by then… I don't know. You know how I feel about public displays right now… but things seem to be dying down.

I have to tell you that every time I see you, my heart does this little dance. You are always so happy and beautiful… just what my broken heart needs to mend.

Please keep my secret for just a little longer. I grow stronger with each passing day. And when the day does come that I can reveal myself, I know that we will be so happy together.

With love and great affection,

Your Secret Admirer

She was glowing. She just knew it. The smile on her face almost hurt it was so big. She knew that her cheeks were slightly flushed too.

He loved her? He actually said "with love"! And Valentine's Day? It would be such a dream for him to reveal himself on Valentine's Day! She giggled and wanted to start dancing, but she held back because she knew she might start shrieking which would lead to her father investigating the cause of her joy. She remembered the last time she shrieked too loudly in her room. Her father and brother wouldn't let it go. It served Dan right that Dad had found out about Serena's shopping expedition.

She controlled herself and tried to find that little letter that was always under his signature. She groaned when she realized she couldn't make it out too well. The milk stains weren't too horrible, but it had made some of the letters run.

It looked like it could be a "C", but then it could also be an "A", or an "R" or maybe even a "B". Ara? Arr? Arb? No, it was definitely a "C". What else could it be? Her secret admirer was definitely Nate Archibald. She'd find out for sure with his next letter. It was going to be an "H" anyway.

Darn Dan for making a mess of her letter so she couldn't figure it out clearly though. For all she knew he could be spelling out a place he wanted to meet her instead.

Chuck slowly became aware of his surroundings. Apparently he hadn't made it to his bed last night because he'd just woken with a mouth full of cushion. He was on his couch.

He tried to get up but pain from his hangover went crashing through his head. He groaned and flopped back down.

He really did drink too much last night.

Cursing Blair for not showing up and giving him more misery by that omission, he finally struggled to his feet long enough to land on his bed.

Why did he have to go and ask her to meet him in the first place? Why the hell did he still care? After everything he'd done to destroy her, he couldn't have left well enough alone?

He knew the answer to that. He missed her. And she wasn't with Nate anymore. Not wanting to further piss off Nate was another reason he had turned her away when she came to him before. Now it obviously didn't matter what he did, Nate was never going to forgive him—especially not after his display Friday night.

He couldn't get back to sleep. It was about noon. His head was killing him and he knew he should go over to the bar to make his special hangover brew, but he just didn't feel like getting up. He decided to use his phone to check out Gossip Girl. Maybe there was something that would amuse him and get his mind off of Blair.

Spotted: How much is that doggy in the window? Our former Queen must have a real yen for something at The Palace Bar. My informant tells me she was spotted around midnight outside the window eyeing…well, nothing. No one, no thing. What had B out and about at that time of night? Who knows? But after B's amazing showing at the PVD party, she's definitely brought some "spotting" on herself. And you know how I love to dish the dirt on the…. "dirty". Wonder what else B has been up to. Can she really make that steep climb back to the top? And how is she going to do it? Time will only tell. You know you love me, XOXO Gossip Girl.

She showed up?! Chuck blinked and looked at the screen again, scrolling back up to the beginning of the post. Blair was at the window at midnight? Did she get the wrong time? Even as he thought it he knew that he had sent the correct time. And he knew that she wouldn't have forgotten the time either.

But why didn't she come in? Why didn't she meet him? Did she stand there the entire time he was waiting? Was it some kind of perverse victory for her knowing that he was waiting for her? Or had something else kept her from coming to him? Maybe she was still afraid of him or something stupid. She had responded to him on Friday… at least until he tried to go a little too far. Even he should have known better than to try to remove her panties. Blair wasn't one to have sex in darkened corridors where anyone could walk in on them.

If she could still respond that way to him though, there had to be something there… right?

He groaned and grabbed his head. All of this thinking and questioning was just making his head hurt worse.

He finally struggled to his feet and went over to the bar. It was time for the green sludge cure-all. He needed to get his shit together and take a shower. Then he'd decide what to do as far as Blair was concerned.

She was barely awake, stumbling around her suite in hopes of locating the fruit loops or some other frown-worthy cereal choice that Blair would disapprove of but secretly covet.

Serena was pleased that she had managed to get Blair to the psychiatrist the previous day, but she knew that more visits were definitely in order and that she was going to have to keep an eagle eye on her from now on.

She was almost to the little breakfast nook—the one with a mini-fridge and no oven—when she heard a knock at her door.

Sighing—she was really starving—she went to answer it.

She frowned when the boy at the door didn't wait for her to grant permission, he just pushed his way in.

"Nate? What?" Serena asked, a little ticked.

"Did she come to see you?" Nate asked.

"What are you talking about? And you can't wait to be invited in?" Serena asked.

"Gossip Girl, she had a post about Blair. Blair was here last night. Did she come to see you?" Nate insisted, his question persistent.

Serena didn't answer, just turned and stumbled over to her phone. She picked it up and looked for the latest "Blair" spotting. She didn't have any idea what Blair had been doing at The Palace at midnight. And she was looking through a window…at nothing? Was that really what had Nate's La Perla's in a bunch—because, yes, La Perla did have a men's line.

"Nate, you came all the way over here for this? Blair wasn't even doing anything. Just because she chooses to breathe these gossip whores take notice," Serena said.

"She was staring at the bar Serena. There's only one person I know who frequents that bar," Nate said. He was feeling kind of… thrown. Like his emotions were scattered fragments. He'd been on the verge of talking to her on Friday only to find her with Chuck. Then he thought she needed his help and "saved" her from Chuck. Then she walked away from him after telling him she didn't need his help.

He'd been on the verge of going to talk to her again today when he'd received the latest post. One of the last things he said to her when they broke up was "You and Chuck deserve each other". He hadn't meant that… at least not the part where she actually was with Chuck. Was she thinking about Chuck? She always forgave him, would she actually forgive Chuck?

"Was she coming to see you?" Nate insisted again.

Serena wanted to lie, but she couldn't. Not because Nate in anyway deserved the truth, but because if there was one thing she'd learned this weekend it was that Blair couldn't handle dealing with either Nate or Chuck anymore. If Nate thought Blair came here to see Chuck, maybe it was for the best.

"No," she finally said.

"Damn it," Nate said. He started pacing. "Do you know what he did to her?" he asked, referring to the party and to her public humiliation.

"Yes," Serena nodded.

"How could… ah!" Nate ran his hands through his hair. "After all that, she could actually forgive him?!"

"I don't know why she was here Nate, but I think it would be best if you just left her alone," Serena said firmly.

Nate looked at her in confusion. "I thought you were the one who said I should talk to her, insisted on it even."

"I was wrong," Serena said. "Stay away from her, Nate."

Nate stared at her hard, trying to process everything. Then he decided it was time to go. He'd found out what he wanted and obviously Serena was no longer on his side…but she hadn't actually ever been on his side.

He turned and stalked toward the door.

Serena didn't say anything else, just watched him go. She knew he was still hurting, but she couldn't help him.

Blair needed her now more than ever.

Blair had finished her errand and arrived home just in time to have breakfast with her mother, such joy!

Eleanor didn't ask about her early morning excursion, which was just as well because Blair hadn't come up with a suitable explanation.

Eleanor had left soon after breakfast and indicated that she wouldn't be back until very late.

Blair was now sitting in her room in the early afternoon trying to concentrate on a paper due for American History the next day.

Then she got a text. Wondering if Serena had decided to bother her about visiting the psychiatrist again, she opened the phone reluctantly.

glad u could make it

She frowned and immediately erased the message from Chuck. If she hadn't responded to him yesterday, she definitely wasn't going to respond to him now. She turned back to her work. Minutes went by when she heard the jingle that signaled another text.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, she flipped the phone open again.

get the wrong time? no miss perfect wouldn't make that mistake

Damn Gossip Girl for sending that post! She knew he would have something to say about it. She erased the message just as quickly as she read it and turned back to her work, hoping he'd get her message when she didn't respond.

give u a thrill knowing i waited 4 u?

She turned her phone off and threw it on her bed. She was done being bothered by him.

She started to focus on her paper again and slowly got lost in the Industrial Revolution and how the south rebuilt itself after war. She could very much relate.

"Miss Blair!" Dorota called from downstairs five minutes later.

Blair waited for her to continue. Dorota knew Blair didn't yell from another level.

"You have a visitor!" Dorota yelled.

Blair sighed. She just wanted to focus on her paper. Why didn't Dorota say who was there? She usually did. Maybe she just didn't recognize the person.

Maybe it was Elise. At least Blair hoped that was who it was. It couldn't be Serena; S would have just come up. No one else came to visit her nowadays.

Except for…

Blair started down the steps warily and paused when she was halfway down.

Chuck was sitting on a chair in the great room. He was slouched back with a hand in his pocket looking expectantly up at her.

She didn't say a word, just turned around and started back up the stairs.

"Want me to follow you?" he barked out.

She froze on the steps and turned to glare at him.

"Guess you didn't get my message that I was coming, hmm?" Chuck asked. He hadn't moved from his position.

Blair practically stomped down the stairs. She walked over to the elevator, pressed the button to call the elevator back to her floor and grabbed the phone with the line directly linked to the front desk off the wall.

"Leave. I forgot to tell the front desk that you weren't allowed here anymore. My mistake. You will leave or I can call security to have you escorted," she said without even looking at him.

"You showed up for a reason. Put that down," Chuck commanded from his seat. He still hadn't moved and he didn't even look worried.

The elevator arrived just then. She stuck a hand out to hold the door open.

"I don't want to talk to you!" she snapped, finally looking at him again. "Get out!"

"Then why the window shopping?" he smirked.

"I was trying to remember why I ever bothered with you in the first place," she smirked right back at him. "I couldn't. You weren't worth it."

He slowly sat up. "Didn't get that feeling Friday night."

"Oh? And what part didn't you understand? The part where I said no?" she asked. One hand was still holding the elevator, she used her other to make a sweeping gesture indicating he was supposed to get in.

He didn't move.

"You wanted me. Don't deny it," he said.

Blair just kept on glaring. "When hell freezes over. Get out Chuck!"

He still didn't move.

"Just leave me alone! What's wrong with you? You said in no-uncertain terms that you were through. You turned your back on me just like everyone else. You set these rules. Why the hell are you here trying to change them now?" Blair said in angry frustration.

"I was wrong," Chuck said, looking straight at her.

"What?" Blair lifted her eyebrows in disbelief.

"You didn't tell Nate it was me," Chuck explained.

"Of course I didn't tell Nate!" Blair cringed. "After working so hard to get rid of that tape and doing your stupid bidding by avoiding him, did you really think I wouldn't do exactly what I said I'd do?"

"My mistake," Chuck muttered, throwing her earlier words back at her.

"I don't care! It doesn't change what you said to me or what you tried to do Friday night!" She was so angry that she let go of the elevator door and slammed the panel back up against the wall before stalking forward.

Chuck stood up and glared at her too, getting into the argument. "What about what you said and did to me?"

"I broke up with you! Get over it!" Blair exclaimed.

"You fucking went back to Nate! You were mine, but that didn't matter to you. You just went straight to him and started where you left off. You fucked my best friend!" Chuck spat the words at her.

Blair paused in her yelling for a minute.

"Well… I regretted it," she muttered finally.

"Believe me, I got that message loud and clear. Keep on pretending that nothing ever happened between us Blair, but it did! And I'm sorry for what I did, and I'm sorry for what I said, but you owe me an apology too you bitch," Chuck snapped at her.

Blair was silent for a moment longer. She could tell by his words that he was actually hurt by what she'd done. She didn't think it was possible to hurt him. She just assumed that she'd been another conquest to him. That he'd been so angry at her because he wasn't in control of the situation. And now he was actually apologizing for everything?

"No…" she began. He let out a quick growl of frustration thinking that she wasn't going to apologize like he'd practically demanded her to.

She looked down, breaking his gaze for the first time since they started arguing.

"Sleeping with Nate…" she trailed off before looking up at him again. "I regretted it."

Chuck frowned in absolute confusion, shaking his head as he tried to understand what the hell she was saying.

She looked away and around, anywhere but at him. "I knew it was too late, but I tried to get a hold of you anyway."

Chuck nodded slowly. She had sent him a million texts after his disappearing act after the ball. He hadn't responded to any of them until two days before Christmas when she'd finally found out where he was.

"'Anything I need to know?'" he mocked her text. "Got quite a laugh about that one. You were the one acting like a jealous girlfriend," Chuck muttered.

"Didn't take a genius to figure out what you were doing in Monaco," she muttered right back.

She'd been thrown off when Bart told her where he was vacationing. Then he'd asked her about faking her virginity for Nate. That was when she realized that he knew. She'd been shocked and wary. She didn't know what was going on between her and Nate at the time, and she knew even less about what was going on with her and Chuck. She knew that she loved Nate, but she still thought that she might have rushed things with him in an attempt to make up for being with Chuck. She hadn't known if she just wanted to salvage her friendship with Chuck or what, but for whatever reason, she'd been jealous.

Chuck just smirked. He was still trying to piece together what she was telling him. He didn't care if she regretted it, she still slept with him. "Same thing you were doing with dear ole' Nate," he spat out the words in disgust.

She drew herself up straight at his words and glared at him again. "And that's why the regret didn't last long. You just made it that much easier to forget about you."

"Glad to be of service," he snapped, rolling his eyes.

"After the hell you put me through you had no right to say what you said to me, you ass," Blair snapped right back, her anger growing again.

Chuck rolled his head back and around, closing his eyes briefly before looking at her again. He'd give her this, since she had given him the truth finally.

"You telling Nate aside, I was pissed. You came to me because you had no one else. Last. That's just great. All the bickering? I actually tried to help you when Serena thought you were pregnant. Just another thing for you to throw in my face. My best friend had just walked out on me because of you. I was drunk… angry… and I wasn't myself," Chuck explained, looking away from her.

"Wrong Chuck," Blair said angrily. "That is your self. Why do you think I didn't want anyone to know in the first place? You can't change. And after what you did and said to me, do you really think I'd ever forgive you?" She was back to glowering at him.

"Blair…" Chuck just gave her an annoyed look. It seemed he was going to be the only one to apologize today. And she was throwing that apology back in his face, again.

"Get out!" Blair exclaimed.

He glared at her, not moving an inch. There was one more thing he had to ask her. He couldn't leave until he found out what was going on with the doctor thing. He'd been hoping to ask it when she was settled down more, but now would have to do. Then she beat him to the punch.

"I never wanted you! You were just convenient!" she taunted him.

"Oh, a revenge fuck huh? The lady doth protest too much," Chuck smirked at her. Was she back to lying to him again? Or was she telling the truth? Did this all start because she wanted to get back at Nate by doing the same thing to him that he did to her? He didn't believe that. Well, he almost didn't believe that.

"Let me reiterate. I may have regretted Nate at first, but after we got back together, the sex was 'wow'. Amazing. You showed me the techniques. Nate showed me the stars," she continued to taunt him, smirking at him as her words hit home.

He glared at her dangerously. "Surprised he even found the hole," he snarled at her.

"You're disgusting," she made a face at him.

"And you're lying," he accused. There was no way Nate was better than he was. He was the master, Nate was a beginner.

"Get out Chuck," Blair commanded. She was lying, damn him for calling her on it.

Cursing himself for his curiosity and his apparent worry about her regardless of everything they'd just said, he still had to ask.

"Oh I'll get out alright. Far be it for me to stick around after your glowing words of praise for the golden boy who left you by the sidelines. Just answer one thing for me," Chuck said.

Blair looked at him expectantly, wondering what else there was to say.

"What was going on yesterday?" he asked, eyebrows squinted.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Blair said. "So, yippee, you can leave."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me why Serena is making you go see a doctor," Chuck said firmly.

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again just as quickly. She hadn't seen that coming. She was speechless for a moment but finally found her words.

"Why? So you can turn an innocent trip to the doctor into another scandal?" she asked sarcastically.

Chuck's eyes lowered to her stomach, "You're not…?" He trailed off before looking back up at her face.

She blinked. "And have the devil's spawn? I think not."

His stomach turned over. "Blair," he said with warning.

"Wow," she threw her hands up in exasperation. "Some things are none of your damn business."

He just continued to look at her, not knowing whether to believe her.

"Ah!" she shook her head. "A sinus infection, okay? I kept putting off going because I had other things on my mind. Serena just wanted me to get a check up, okay?" She needed to stop saying "okay" at the end of each sentence or he might think she was lying.

He accepted her explanation though. He slowly nodded.

"Would you just leave?" Blair said. She was losing her equilibrium now and couldn't take much more of arguing with him.

"Blair…" he didn't know what else to say. He really should just go. But something made him want to stay.

"What!?" she hollered in his face.

He didn't say anything else, just kept staring at her.

She was becoming more and more infuriated. She couldn't read his face and that was worrying her.

"What's it going to take to get you through that door and never come back?" Blair asked, dejectedly.

He still didn't respond, just stared at her.

She reached out and pushed him. "Go away!"

He jerked a little from her push but he was unfazed. If anything he seemed to come closer to her.

"Chuck, please go," she said. She couldn't believe she just begged him to leave. She was out of options here. She really didn't want to cause a scene by calling security, that didn't mean she wouldn't.

He just continued to stare at her with those same dark eyes that always seemed to see too much. She wanted to flinch away, but she couldn't stop from staring back at him.

"Leave!" she hollered, pushing him again.

"No," he finally said, jerking toward her hands, coming even closer.

"Yes!" she snapped, angry emotions rushing through her.

"No," he muttered, his eyes never once leaving hers.

"Yes!" she hollered again, desperate for him to leave.

"No," he whispered.

She kissed him.

He was too close. He was right in front of her. He was there. She had lied. She did want him. But she didn't want to want him. She had wanted to kiss him again ever since Friday night, no matter how humiliated she was that Nate had seen them.

He didn't respond at first. He let her kiss him. He wasn't going to allow her to claim that he had in anyway forced her to do this. If she wanted to stop, she could.

She didn't stop. She actually walked closer to him, finally closing the small gap. She ran a hand up through his hair and pulled his mouth more firmly against hers.

He finally gave in and kissed her back. He angled his head to the side for better access and reached a hand up to caress her cheek as his lips found her bottom lip and gently kissed and suckled. The kiss was becoming more and more heated.

And as quickly as she started it, she pulled away. He let her go. She gasped before crossing her arms, hugging herself and turning away. He realized she was gasping around tears. What the hell?

"Blair…" he said her name with some confusion.

"I'm not a whore!" she glanced at him when she said it. Then she looked away again. She seemed to be shaking. She wasn't crying, she had tears in her eyes though.

With startling clarity he finally understood why she'd been shaking yesterday. She wasn't afraid that he would hurt her. She was afraid that she was all those things everyone had been saying about her. She had responded to him on Friday, and that scared her, not him.

"Blair," he whispered, reaching his hand out to rest on her shoulder. She didn't pull away from him so he reached his other arm around her and turned her toward him before pulling her up close. She rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her. "You're right, you're not."

She was still trembling against him.

He remembered his words.

"Rode hard and put away wet."

He had certainly made it sound like she was. Was she beating herself up about what he'd said? At the time he only wanted to hurt her, he didn't know he'd succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

"I really am sorry," he repeated his apology from earlier.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes. The shaking had stopped and she was just standing against him, letting him hold her.

He wondered if she'd say anything else. He didn't have to wonder long.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She moved her head closer to his, snuggling against his neck. "I'm sorry about everything."

He sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. He hadn't thought it was possible for their conversation to turn out so well. He never in a million years would have thought that she would forgive him, or that she would admit the things she had, or… that he would forgive her.

He kept a hold of her and walked over to the white settee. He sat down and thought she'd sit next to him. She didn't. She sat right on his lap and actually curled up into him.

He didn't know what he was supposed to do now. He didn't know what any of this meant. He hadn't come here with any other intentions than to clear the air somewhat and make sure she was okay. Were they friends again now? Were they more? Did he want either of those things? He knew the possibility of becoming friends with Nate again were almost nil. He wouldn't have attempted to even talk to her otherwise… All this crap was confusing the hell out of him.

And he hated being confused.

But he didn't mind holding her.

She couldn't believe she was sitting on Chuck Bass' lap actually being comforted by him. She couldn't believe most of what they'd said to each other this afternoon. She couldn't believe she'd apologized… and she couldn't believe he had either.

Finally she pulled back and looked at him. He just stared back at her, hoping none of his confusion showed. She rested her forehead against his and whispered, "I want to kiss you again."

"Then kiss me," he whispered.

"I don't know if I should," she whispered.

"Then let me," he said before leaning forward and doing just that.

She wrapped her arms around him and clung tightly. She kept waiting for him to heat things up, but he didn't. He was slow and gentle, like he was savoring each kiss.

Finally, she pulled back and stared into his eyes again. "What are we doing?"

"Thought that was obvious," Chuck murmured, his eyes drifted down to her lips.

She sighed but just rested her forehead against his again.

He thought about his next words before he finally decided to ask.

"Come upstairs with me," he whispered.

She closed her eyes and winced. "Chuck," she said with warning.

He held his breath, waiting for her response.

"I thought I wasn't any good," she finally asked, opening her eyes and smirking at him. "That is what you told Matt wasn't it?"

Chuck sighed. "It was a lie, okay? I didn't know it'd get so out of control," he tried to explain.

"Why would you say that about me?" Blair asked.

Chuck winced, "And let everyone know how good you are?"

She finally understood. She felt a little better, though still sick that his little lie had caused her so much pain. She had spiraled out of control and almost left for France again because of it.

"I don't want to go upstairs," Blair finally whispered.

Chuck slowly nodded. He hadn't really thought it would be that easy anyway. Blair really wasn't a whore; she wasn't going to just pick up where they left off—even though she could do it with Nate.

"Come to the Sweetheart Gala with me," he asked. He knew she'd probably say 'no'. Heck, he didn't even know what had made him ask. She was tired of public displays, so given the choice between riling up the gossips with her "date" or going by her self and hanging with Serena, he figured it would probably be the later.

"I'll think about it," Blair said. She couldn't just announce to the world that she was seeing Chuck. Her reputation was already destroyed though. She wasn't going to get it back to its original glory, no matter who she dated. Did she want to date Chuck Bass?

"You do that," Chuck nodded with another smirk. He was going to wear her down this week. His mind was already racing with ways to get this thing between them back on track properly.

She slowly stood up and he followed her to his feet.

She took a hold of his hand and led him to the elevator doors. She pressed the button and then leaned into his side.

"What about Nate? You know he'll never forgive you if I go with you," Blair said quietly. She already knew that Nate couldn't forgive her. He hadn't spoken to her in over a month…it really was over. She had to go on with her life.

Chuck took in a deep breath and let it out with a small harsh laugh. "I think all chances of him ever forgiving me went out the window Friday night. That along with everything else… it's definitely over," he said.

"I'm sorry," Blair said. She knew how close friends Chuck and Nate had been. It was probably the only reason she had even associated with Chuck to begin with. The pain she'd gone through when fighting with Serena was still fresh no matter how much she tried to cover it up. She knew what it was like to lose a best friend. This couldn't be easy for either Chuck or Nate.

"Yeah, well… we all have a lot of things to be sorry for." Chuck trailed off. The elevator finally arrived.

He glanced down at her and was surprised when she offered him a kiss goodbye. He relaxed into her mouth for a moment, but knew it really was time to go.

He slowly pulled away and started to walk backwards into the elevator. She hadn't let go of his hand yet. She walked toward him to hug him close one last time, she was so glad to finally have someone else in her life again.

"I'm glad it wasn't you," Blair admitted.

"Hmm?" Chuck murmured against her hair.

"I was positive it was, but then Nate said Jenny told him. Serena had blabbed to Dan and little J was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Blair muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Chuck murmured again, trying to understand what Jenny had to do with their conversation at all.

"Gossip Girl," Blair explained, still holding him close. "I'm glad you weren't the one who out-ed me. I should have known you wouldn't go that far to destroy me."

Years of not showing any sudden reaction was the only thing that kept Chuck from doing so now.

What?! He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. She didn't know. All this time, and she thought Jenny had ruined her reputation? Thoughts raced through Chuck's mind and he tried to figure out what to say. He should tell her the truth right? But, no, if he did then she'd boot him out of her life again.

If she didn't know, then no one else knew either… except for Nate.

She finally pulled away and stepped back out of the elevator, giving him a slow smile as the doors finally closed. Chuck tried not to show any expression whatsoever. He succeeded.

The elevator began its descent and all Chuck could think about was how screwed he was if she found out…and whether he should wait until after the Gala to tell her. Valentine's Day was one of those special holiday things. If he told her before the festivities, she wouldn't have a good day, and he'd have even less of one. He would wait until the weekend to tell her. Maybe by then he could prove just how much he regretted sending that text. Maybe….

Nate wasn't going to be coming around. He hadn't forgiven Chuck, so forgiving Blair probably wasn't an option either. What were the chances of Nate showing up and bringing up the very thing Chuck didn't want him to talk about? Well, knowing his luck… But no, he was going to wait until after the Gala. At least then he'd have given her the most perfect Valentine's Week ever to soften the blow.

He wasn't going to worry about it. In the meantime, there was one other thing floating through his mind.

So Little Jenny Humphrey was the one who told Nate…it looked like he was going to need to have a chat with the little bitch tomorrow.

"Look at this!" Kati exclaimed in awe.

Kati and Is were out shopping for their outfits to the Sweetheart Gala. It had to be absolutely perfect.

Kati held up a tiara, but it wasn't just any tiara. It was resting on a flatbed of pink that gave a much more royal effect to the mix. The tiara itself had two silver hearts lying on their sides, facing away from each other with another upright heart in between and a glowing jewel at its center. There were other designs and ribbons hanging from the sides. It was truly a party tiara. Elegant but madly fun.

And just the thing that Kati and Is was looking for.

"I love it!" Is proclaimed. "And that dress over there matches perfectly!"

She walked over to pick up the white lacey dress. It had see-through lacey sleeves. It bared the shoulders and had a smooth glossy white material down the front. The skirt had the same lacey material over the top of more glossy white, but the lace on the skirt had threads of red and pink mixed with the white.

Kati agreed immediately. They both took a gown off the rack and went into the dressing room to try it on. They would add their own accessories to the ensemble and that would be the only thing different about them.

In the dressing room, Kati found herself remembering all the times they had gone shopping with Blair.

"You know, shopping just isn't the same anymore," Is said, not even realizing she'd tapped into the very thing Kati was thinking about.

"I know," Kati exclaimed. "I think I actually miss Blair."

"Me too," Is agreed. "You know, we haven't talked about it…" she began, referring to Melissa's gossip from Friday.

"I think we should spread the word," Kati said.

"So what do we say," Is said excitedly, leaving her dressing room with the dress on to get Kati's opinion at the same time that Kati left her dressing room.

They paused for a minute to admire each other in the dress.

"Beautiful!" Kati exclaimed over Is.

"Amazing!" Is exclaimed over Kati.

"So…?" Is held up her phone and waved it in front of Kati's face.

"Well, since they're actually talking, maybe we can leave out the part that we think Nate was with Serena," Kati said.

"Gotcha," Is said before flipping open her phone and starting to type out the letters of the text message. "This is going to be so good!" she squealed.

"And maybe Blair will rise back up," Kati said.

"And the world shall be right again!" Is said as she hit send. "Done, and done!"

Kati squealed and both girls jumped up and down.

Then they went back to disrobing and set off to buy their selections. The Sweetheart Gala was bound to be fabulous. They could hardly wait!

Gossip Girl here. Top story on my homepage? Apparently N is for naughty, not nice. A very reliable source claims that not only was N the one to cheat on B, but B never cheated in the first place. Was our little former queen actually secretly dating C when the royal couple was splitsville? But we thought she was seeing another former king. What's the truth? What's the gossip? And who am I? That's a secret I'll never tell. You know you love me, XOXO Gossip Girl.

To be continued…

I wanted to add this part to the top of this chapter, but I figured it was more shocking to read the end of the C/B section before knowing where I was going with it. So here it is now as a recap. Enjoy.

Previously on Gossip Girl and Aftershock…

"You know Chuck would say anything, twist the truth!" Blair exclaimed, trying to still deny the truth. Chuck couldn't win this! After everything he'd put her through, he could have said anything to Nate. He probably made everything worse with whatever he said.

"Yeah but Jenny wouldn't," Nate said, completely exasperated.

Blair was startled, and confused… "Jenny?" What did Jenny have to do with this?

"And don't go blaming any of this on her Blair. I would have found out eventually," Nate said.

"And what about Blair? Does she even know it was you?" Nate asked, his anger completely uncontrollable, as he leaned toward Chuck across the desk.

Chuck managed to nod. She'd come to him to congratulate him the last time they spoke. She knew he'd ruined her. She knew he'd finally dealt his final hand and she had lost.

"You slept with her and then you told everyone? You are deeply disturbed you sick fuck," Nate pushed the desk toward Chuck

"I can't believe you told Jenny about me and Chuck," Blair said, feeling completely betrayed.

"What?" Serena shook her head in confusion, "I didn't…"

Blair nodded. "Because of her everyone knows the intimate details of my private life, and now Nate's not speaking to me."

"I told you B, I didn't tell Jenny, I don't know how she found out," Serena insisted.

"Well if this is who you are, I don't like you very much," Dan grimaced before turning around again.

"Dan! That's not fair!" Jenny was really upset that her brother kept turning his back on her.

"NO Jenny!" Dan said, turning on her once again and stalking across toward her. "What's not fair is using information that you received through listening in on my private conversations for your own gain! What's not fair is sending information to Gossip Girl so she could send it to the entire school and ruin someone! What's not fair is that you almost destroyed mine and Serena's relationship because of that information! What's not fair is that I still have to look at you and know that there's no getting away from living with the very thing I hate most about Constance Billiards!"

"I didn't tell Gossip Girl!" Jenny shouted, rising from her chair and getting into her brother's face.

"Yeah right!" Dan hollered at her.

"I only told Nate that it was Chuck!" Jenny exclaimed. "He's my friend! He deserved to know the truth!"

"Yeah, well who else would have told her Jenny? Who else?" Dan stared into Jenny's eyes, daring her to come up with someone. She didn't respond.

"That's what I thought," Dan said. "You can deny it all you want, but I don't know who the hell you are anymore…so why in the hell would I believe you?"

"That's the thing. She said she didn't do it," Dan said slowly.

"What?" Serena asked, glancing up at him a little surprised.

"She said she didn't tell Gossip Girl. She just told Nate that it was Chuck," Dan said.

"Do you believe her?" Serena asked as her mind raced with the possibilities.

"I don't know," Dan shook his head. "I want to believe her, but she's turned into this person I don't even know. How can I believe her?"

"And who else would have told Gossip Girl?" Serena said, continuing his thoughts.

"Exactly," Dan nodded.

"The only people who knew—as far as I can tell—were me and you, Blair and Chuck, and Jenny," Serena said. "I know Blair didn't tell her, and I didn't. You would never—"

"Absolutely not," Dan reiterated.

"So that leaves Jenny and Chuck," Serena said slowly… her mind still racing.

"It had to be Jenny," Serena continued. "She was the only one to gain anything from this. Plus, Chuck would have to realize that Nate would ask Blair questions and the truth would come out anyway. Nate would want to know the identity of the 'other' guy. Chuck is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. He may be an ass, but his friendship with Nate meant a lot to him. I at least know that…

"And that's not one thing he'd give up lightly."

And who am I? That's a secret I'll never tell.

You know you love me,

XOXO

Gossip Girl