"Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell."

Walter Scott, The Heart of Midlothian

Chuck & Blair: Scheming Together.

Blair had told everything to Chuck who had, since then, stayed in a sort of catatonic state. Blair walked around the table in her living room, not bearing the silence anymore. "There has to be a way Chuck."

Chuck sighed for once again. He couldn't count how many sighs had left his mouth anymore. "Why don't we just let it be?"

Blair stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to look at him. The sheer determination in her eyes already telling Chuck everything he needed to knew. She approached him and pointed a finger at his chest.

"Chuck Bass, don't you dare give up on me. I won't let you. This is your damn empire, fight back for it for god's sake!"

"My girlfriend lied up to my face, my dad faked his death and forgot to tell me, my biological mother sold me out and my uncle tricked me into giving up the only thing I cared about. This is a bit too much Blair, even for me."

Blair sighed, sadness in her eyes. It wasn't fair. Chuck had never been perfect or pure but he didn't deserve so much pain. She sat next to him and took her hands in his.

"Chuck, I know. Believe me, I know. This is unfair and you shouldn't have to deal with this. I'd love to let you the time to heal but, sadly, we don't have such a time because I won't let them hurt you more, Chuck."

Chuck looked at Blair, looking for anything to hang on.

"You've taken enough blows, now it's time to fight back. We won't let them take this from you, okay?"

Chuck nodded. "Whatever you want Blair but I signed a paper. It doesn't matter anymore though since Bart is back. Everything is his again and now he doesn't even want to see my face. He thinks I'm absolutely worthless as a businessman and I don't blame him."

Blair shook her head energetically. "Stop it. Bart Bass can't be unattainable. We just need something that would take them both out of the game."

Chuck's eyes widened suddenly. With all the events going on, he had almost forgotten his hidden weapon.

"What? I know those eyes, what is it Chuck?"

"There might be something."

"What is it?"

"Some time ago I made some investigation about my father's business. They were some illegal things."

"There are illegal things in every empire, Chuck."

"Big things, Blair. Deep connections with the traffic of weapons in Asia among other things and I have the documentation to prove it."

Blair's face lighted up instantly. "That's it."

"Bart Bass is a very dangerous man, Blair. It would be suicidal to come up against him."

Blair smirked, joining her hands. "You're absolutely right, Chuck. That's why we aren't going to be the ones to go up against him."

Chuck frowned for a second before smiling. "Jack."

Blair nodded. "We hand him the documentation and he will confront Bart all by himself. If we're lucky enough, they'll eliminate themselves on their own. At least one of them will disappear."

Chuck looked at Blair, tenderly. "Thank you Blair."

"You're welcome. I have missed our scheming, you know?"

Chuck chuckled, taking Blair's hands in his own. "So have I."

Dan & Serena: Prove You've Changed.

Serena sighed looking at her baggage from the door. She had too many things. "I thought you were better than this."

Serena turned around, recognizing the voice. "What are you doing here, Dan?"

"I wanted to check up on you. I didn't expect to see you preparing a new departure."

Serena sighed, too tired to argue. "This isn't your problem, Dan."

"I beg to differ."

Serena, irritated by the sense of superiority in his voice, turned around. "How would that be?"

Dan smiled at her, as if he knew a secret she didn't. "It's like reading a book, you can't abandon your characters in the middle of it. I've seen you grow Serena and this is not the end you deserve."

"If you want a perfect end, go see Blair! Isn't she the protagonist?"

Dan sighed. "This isn't about Blair, Serena. It's not even about Chuck. This is about you and the last years of your life. You already left long ago, remember? You left after a terrible mistake."

Serena looked down, ashamed. "It's different this time."

"How is it? Back then you were a scared little girl that couldn't own up her mistake. Right now, that's all I see."

"It hurts."

"Yeah, life hurts Serena."

Serena turned around and screamed at Dan. "Would you stop judging me? I am so sick of everybody judging me."

"No, Serena, I won't stop judging you and you should get used to it because it's going to continue for the rest of your life!"

"What the fuck do you want Dan?"

"To help you! To tell you the truth! You can't run away every time things go wrong or it hurts."

"Yes, I can! Maybe I'm weaker, all right?"

"The girl that I met was brave enough to come back and face her demons. You fought really hard to stop being the girl that left on a train years ago. Don't throw it through the window, Serena. Don't turn into that girl tonight."

"I'm not that girl anymore."

"Prove it."

"How?"

"Stay, hurt and fight."

"I failed, Dan. He hates me and he's right to."

Dan shook his head and approached Serena, cupping her face with his hands. "You made a mistake, Serena. It happens to all of us."

"I love him and he hates me."

"And it sucks but you can't turn your back every time you make a mistake. That's just not how things work."

Serena hugged Dan, terrified of what awaited her. He was right though, she couldn't be that girl ever again.

Chuck & Jack: Fall Right Into My Trap.

Chuck entered Jack's house with a smirk on his face. He smiled to himself mentally, no game is lost until it's over and this one still had one chapter to go.

"Chuck! What a surprise. I thought I'd never see my nephew again after the absolute ridicule you made a few days back."

Chuck smiled, approaching Jack, hands in his pockets. "You're right, it wasn't my smartest move but it doesn't really matter now, does it? Bart is back, you're out."

Jack snorted. "So are you. He'd never put the company back in your hands after what you did."

"At least I've learned valuable information about my family history, don't you think?"

"I'd hardly call that a family, Chuck."

"I have never agreed with you so much, Jack. So, a girl was the reason why you've always hated me so much?"

"I don't waste such a strong emotion on someone like you, Chuck."

"I don't blame you. If the woman I love had a son with my own older brother, I wouldn't like him very much either."

"You don't choose very well the women you love. I guess it's a family thing."

Chuck smiled. "Probably. Anyway, I'm not here for this."

"And why are you here for?"

"I've got something that may interest you."

"I doubt it."

"I've got information on Bart, Jack."

Jack shot his head up, unable to hide the interest that had erupted in him.

"What exactly?"

Chuck took his phone out of his pocket, handling it to Jack.

"As you can see on the documents, I hold very specific information on Bass Industries. Information that you could use to destroy Bart and get back the business."

"And why would you given it to me instead of using it yourself?"

"I know the rival, Jack. He's much stronger than me. Plus, he's still my father. A little bit of decorum would be nice."

"But you won't have the lead."

"I've got time. I'm young after all."

"What do you want?"

"Two very simple things: vice-presidency of the Industries and to be your legal heir."

Jack smirked. "I guess we could work out that."

"Great, my lawyer will come by tomorrow and have all of this signed."

"The documents?"

"He will also deliver those."

Jack smiled, satisfied with the transaction. "You may not be as stupid as I thought, Chuck."

Chuck extended his hand and Jack shook it. "That's a deal then."

Serena & Dan: Not Now, Not Because Of This.

Serena reached up Dan's neck, bending his head down. Dan let her bring his mouth closer to hers for a few seconds before coming back to their reality and gently pushing her away by the waist.

"You don't want me either?"

"This is another way of running away, you know?"

She sighed, looking at her feet.

"You said you loved him. You shouldn't kiss me just because he's mad. You're better than that, Serena. Our story is better than that. If we ever kiss again, it shouldn't be out of sorrow."

Serena nodded. "Then what should I do?"

"You fight. If you truly want him, you fight for him."

Blair & Chuck: Maybe Someday.

Blair and Chuck laughed as their glasses of champagne joyfully touched each other.

"We'll get them Chuck, I promise."

Chuck nodded, smiling. Blair coughed; conscious the subject she was about to brush was a difficult one.

"Have you talked to Barbara?"

Chuck shook his head.

"Don't you want to?"

"No, I already know everything I need. It's time to leave them behind. It's time to leave all the demons behind."

Blair nodded, not finding it in her to contest his decision.

"Thank you Blair, I wouldn't have done it without you."

"What are friends for?"

"Just friends?"

Blair almost choked up on her champagne. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Chuck approached Blair, taking her hand in his. "I've missed you."

"So have I."

Chuck kissed her sweetly.

"We can't, Chuck."

"Don't you want to?"

Bart's words about Barbara and Jack flashed in Blair's mind.

"Yes, but we can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm in love with Dan and you're in love with Serena."

"We're also in love with each other. We've always been."

"We can't end up like Barbara and Jack, Chuck. We'd destroy ourselves."

Chuck sighed. "We don't have to turn out like them."

"We've already have, Chuck."

Blair hugged Chuck's hand tightly. "Maybe someday, when we're both older and almost healed. If it's meant to be, we'll find each other at some point."

Chuck nodded, knowing it was of no use to argue with Blair on the matter.

"Chuck, I know Serena hurt you but you should cut her some slack. She made a mistake but it was out of love and you should value that."

Chuck sighed. "As you just said Blair, love can also destroy. In fact, nothing can destroy as much."

"The path we're taking is not a road, Kiyo, it's a pier, and it ends someplace where the sea begins. It can't be helped."

Yukio Mishima