FOURTEEN
"That duck over there is hungry. Make sure to give him some bread, too, Henry." Blair pointed to a solo swimmer as she handed her son another part of a loaf. She took the opportunity to adjust his coat and straighten up his mittens before patting him on his back and sending him on his way.
He ran over to the duck and threw a bit of the bread into the water, roaring at him to "EAT IT!"
While Henry was busy feeding hungry ducks, Blair gingerly walked over to a nearby bench. Her feet were killing her as she collapsed down next to her purse and the three large shopping bags she'd been hauling around the city. This was their fourth and hopefully last stop of the day, having begun with breakfast at Sarabeth's, though the majority of the day had been spent at the Museum of Natural History in the dinosaur exhibit. They followed that up with a trip to Dylan's Candy Bar, and now here they were at the duck pond.
Henry was officially hopped up on gummy sharks.
Blair needed a pillow.
She began to massage one of her aching shoulders, sore from the bags she'd been lifting. At the museum shop, they'd loaded up on an assortment of plush dinosaurs, figurines, puzzles, and books. Whatever her son wanted, Blair bought.
Truthfully, she could have forgone the duck pond today, but Henry had insisted. She was secretly hoping that he would succumb soon to a sugar crash.
The good news was that apart from the muscle aches and the fatigue, Blair didn't feel half bad. Thanks to the Bentyl, her nausea had been minimal today, and she'd been able to keep everything she'd eaten down. Granted that had only consisted of oatmeal for breakfast and a pudding cup for lunch. She knew she'd have to do better with the eating, and she was sure Dorota would assist her in that, but she didn't want to take any chances today. This was her day with Henry.
Of course Eleanor questioned whether it was a good idea to venture off solo so soon after being in the hospital, but Blair insisted that she'd be fine. She wanted to make her son feel good and needed him to forget all about the horrible day he'd had yesterday. And everything his father had tried to pull.
From the looks of things, she was succeeding.
Blair took one of her gloves off so she could massage her fingers deeper into her shoulder. She began to close her eyes as she kneaded. Blair exhaled as she relaxed into the bench. She really just needed to break down and book herself a massage.
She was sure her mind was playing tricks on her when it suddenly felt like there was another set of fingers on her. Blair opened her eyes and looked at her shoulder. She was stunned to see that there was indeed another set of fingers there.
She was preparing to scream as she anxiously followed those fingers up to a hand which led to an arm which led to...
Chuck.
"CHUCK!? What the hell do you think you're doing? You scared the crap out of me!" She angrily slapped his hand away. She immediately noticed he was sporting a nice sized bruise under his right cheek. Apparently Dan's little gift had really set in overnight, but she refrained from comment.
"Coming to check on you," Chuck replied. He had a giant bottle of Evian in his hand. Blair scowled as he walked around the bench, then had the gall to sit down next to her.
"You look...better," Chuck commented tentatively. He uncapped the bottle of water and handed it to her. Out of habit, she took it from him and began to drink.
Luckily for him, she just happened to be thirsty. And she didn't need to get dehydrated again.
Chuck observed her as she drank. She still looked a little "off" to him. There was something different about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Maybe the dehydration and vomiting had caused her to lose weight? Not that he would ever comment on her weight...
He came here to get back on her good side after all.
Chuck was still publicly bearing the brunt of the blame for her physical collapse and the sooner she returned to "normal," the sooner he could retire his guilt. So if that meant telling her she looked better, so be it.
After a long night of ruminating, Chuck was now convinced that he wasn't completely responsible for what had happened to her. She was the one who had run off to do God knows what with Humphrey on New Year's. He may have made a horrible decision in the heat of the moment, but she was just as much to blame.
In fact, her spontaneous decision had triggered everything.
But he wasn't going to bring that up. He was turning over a new leaf and was bent on salvaging his family. He wasn't even going to utter Dan Humphrey's name today.
"The doctor...he said everything is… I take it you're going to be okay?" he asked, fumbling through his words.
Blair gave him a perfunctory nod. She wasn't necessarily comfortable being alone with Chuck since he'd tried to leave town with their child. She scooted down on the bench, distancing herself from him, then turned to watch Henry as he aggressively threw bits of bread at the ducks.
They sat in silence for a moment, just watching their son.
"I tried to call you this morning," Chuck finally said, turning to look at her.
"My cell phone is off. I didn't want any distractions today."
Chuck nodded. "I spoke with Dorota. She said you and Henry left pretty early." Chuck began to close the gap between them and Blair found herself moving even farther down the bench. It only served to irritate him.
He continued to inspect her, noting her abnormally pale visage. "Figured you two would wind the day down here. As always." He smiled warmly.
She exhaled and placed her glove back onto her hand. "Chuck. I have no idea why you're sitting here trying to engage me in conversation when your behavior over the last forty-eight hours has been absolutely deplorable. No. Scratch that. Criminal."
Chuck hung his head. What he really wanted to say was that her behavior hadn't been so hot either. But he bit his tongue.
He pursed his lips together and glanced over at Henry who was still oblivious to his father's arrival.
"You're right. But I thought...I thought I was protecting him," Chuck said regretfully. "I was wrong to take off with our son, Blair. Believe me if I could take it back I would." He paused for a moment, as if getting his thoughts together.
"Watching you and him..." Chuck swallowed hard. He wasn't going to say his name. "It hurt me. And then later I had no idea where you were or when...if...you were even coming back. People were already talking, Blair. I didn't want our son to somehow find out about...about you and him from a third party."
Blair glanced over at Chuck. Regardless of whether or not his motives for being here were pure, he did have a point. She had been living in the moment that night. She hadn't even considered how her impromptu PDA would affect her son. It had been irresponsible.
Chuck was registering every movement on Blair's face; every crinkle of her nose, every twitch of her brow. He knew her face well enough to know that what he was saying was affecting her.
He continued to lay it on her. "That night, when your mother was talking about having you committed to a rehab facility, I just couldn't...I couldn't think straight..."
Blair looked at him in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"
Chuck allowed himself a small moment of victory as he "accidentally" revealed to her just what her mother had been planning.
Blair had no idea if he was lying or not, but it would be easy enough to disprove once she got home. Surely he knew that.
"I understand now she was just concerned, Blair. As we all were. As we still are…" He took a deep breath and locked eyes with her. "No matter what happens, I just want you to be happy."
Blair studied him. He wasn't throwing insults at her or at Dan. He wasn't calling her a terrible mother or comparing her to a sweaty old horse. Chuck was actually being humble. Sincere. She wasn't prepared for this and she honestly didn't know how much more she could listen to.
"What I did yesterday was...it was disgusting," Chuck continued. "And I regret it. And I will continue to regret it every day for the rest of my life. If I could take it all back I would."
If there was one thing Blair knew, it was that Chuck adored his son. He had always wanted to be the father that Bart never was to him.
Blair looked up at him. Her eyes were now burning with tears.
And this wasn't a conversation she wanted to be having anymore.
"You can stop now, Chuck. Honestly," she said softly, hoping he would take the hint.
He shook his head. "I need to say it out loud, Blair."
Blair began to fidget, annoyed as she took another sip of water. This was supposed to be a happy day with her child. They weren't supposed to be thinking about the events of yesterday. Chuck wasn't supposed to be here.
"We were on the plane. He was crying. For you. You were all he could talk about."
Blair couldn't take it anymore. She slammed the water bottle down. "WHY are you telling me this now, Chuck?" Her voice was starting to break.
Chuck didn't hesitate. "Because, I need to come clean. For Henry's sake and for ours. No matter what happens between us, I want him to know that he's loved by both of us."
"You told him I left him!" she said angrily. She had no idea why he was continuing to push her. She had been close to forgiving him. Or at least understanding why he did what he did. Now she just wanted to slap him again.
"I made a mistake. I was angry with you. I'm still angry with you, Blair. But I'm trying to be honest. I can't let what you and Humphrey did..." Chuck silently cursed himself for saying his name.
"Do NOT blame me for what you did, Chuck!" she said as she wiped a tear away. "I get that you're hurt. But you know what? You've hurt me for years. But I never thought about just disappearing with our son to punish you for it!"
Blair stood up and took a couple of steps, just wanting to run away from him as fast as she could. She could feel her cheeks burning as a pang of nausea kicked in, halting her in her tracks. She discreetly grabbed her stomach, willing it to go away.
"Just go, Chuck. I can't do this right now." She choked back a sob as she walked back to the bench and started to collect her bags.
"Blair, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He stood up. "That's not why I..." he pleaded. "Please don't…don't go."
"Henry!" Blair called out shakily. Henry turned around and jumped in excitement as he saw his father standing there.
He ran over.
"Blair, you're right. I have no right to...please for Henry's sake can we just..."
Blair said nothing. She wiped another tear and frowned as she watched Henry run straight into his father's arms. Blair couldn't help but notice just how happy he was to see him.
"Daddy! Did you see my T-rex?"
"No, show me!" Chuck said enthusiastically. He glimpsed at Blair who was now biting her thumbnail.
Henry began rifling through the shopping bags, scattering items all over the bench before finally landing upon the T-rex and handing it to Chuck. Chuck took it in his hands, examining it closely. "This is impressive," he said, ruffling Henry's hair. "Hey, did you know younger Tyrannosauruses had feathers for insulation? But they lost them as they got older."
Henry shook his head no as Chuck lifted him up in the air, eliciting a giggle. "What if you had feathers?" Henry was overcome with laughter.
Blair watched in awe. It was a perfect father and son moment. And it was like she wasn't even there.
That is until Henry tilted his head upside down in order to look at her.
"Mommy, I'm hungry."
Blair smiled, grateful that her son had given them an excuse to leave. "Well, let's go eat!" Blair said, somehow managing to inflect her words with enthusiasm. "I'm sure Dorota has prepared something absolutely delicious."
"I want pizza."
"I'm pretty sure Dorota has prepared something much better than pizza," Blair said as she started to cram the figurines and plush toys back into the bags.
"But I want pizza," Henry whined.
Blair gritted her teeth.
"Blair, I'm sure what Dorota has cooked will be just as good tomorrow. How about I take you both to Serafina?" Chuck offered. Blair glared at him.
She had officially been undermined.
"Yeah Serafina!" Henry exclaimed.
"No, no." Blair shook her head at her son. "No. We cannot go to Serafina because Dorota is expecting us." She turned to Chuck. "Maybe another time."
Henry put his head down on Chuck's shoulder. He was pouting. He placed his arms tightly around Chuck's neck while Blair collected their bags.
Chuck kissed Henry on the head, then set him down before beginning to assist her. "Blair..." Chuck whispered. "Come on..."
"He's just tired, Chuck. "We've had a full day."
"The child wants pizza. You wouldn't want to end your perfect mother-son day like this, would you?"
It pained her to say it, but he was right. She didn't want the whole day to get tainted over a simple thing like pizza. Blair looked over at her son who was playing with the T-Rex, a scowl on his face.
She rolled her eyes.
"Fine. I'll call Dorota."
Chuck smiled as he grabbed the bags out of Blair's hands. "Henry. Let's get pizza!" a self-satisfied Chuck announced.
Henry bounced up in excitement. "Yes!" He ran up to his father and hugged him around the waist.
"Limo's right up here." Chuck gestured up to the street.
Blair nodded and grabbed her purse, slowly following behind.
A few yards away, two shadowy figures stood behind a Cypress tree. Georgina was clad in a trench coat and a pair of Armani sunglasses. She discreetly looked over her newspaper as the family Bass paraded right in front of her. Beside her was a young boy wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. He had a newspaper in his hands also.
He looked up at her. "Crikey, mum. I could really go for a good snag and a Tim Tam right about now."
Georgina sneered at Milo, exasperated. "How many times do I have to tell you not to speak to me like that!?" She looked up and watched curiously as Chuck, Blair, and Henry loaded into the limo.
Georgina looked down at her son. "Forget the snags and Tim Tams, Milo. We're back in New York now. And I'm craving a good slice."
Dan cautiously entered the loft.
Rufus already told him he'd be out to dinner with "Panic," the group he produced for on occasion, but Dan didn't want to take any chances. He walked to the center of the loft and did a quick scan. When he was certain he was alone, he walked over to the kitchen island and laid his Barnes and Noble sack down.
He then grabbed a beer from the fridge.
His day had been a bit of a hodgepodge. What he should have been doing was prepping for his meeting with his agent and publisher. His final deadline was fast approaching and the last few pages on his current book about the Roosevelts were due by the end of the month. Additionally, he was supposed to be coming up with a new book proposal.
But he just couldn't focus.
When he realized he wasn't going to get any writing done, he started calling divorce attorneys. He left nearly two dozen messages with attorneys from all five boroughs. No one had returned his calls.
To most, this would have been cause for concern. However, this was Dan's first experience with contacting a divorce attorney. He wasn't sure what to expect.
Rather than wait around any longer, he decided to make better use of his time and venture out.
After having slept on his conversation with Blair from the previous night, he woke up in the morning feeling better about it. He realized that she had things to take care of and that he couldn't take it personally. Blair's priority right now was, and needed to be, Henry.
But Dan had things to focus on as well. He was going to be a father. And it was never too soon to start preparing.
He took a swig of beer and pulled out his newly purchased books. He literally could have bought every book that Barnes and Noble offered on the subjects of pregnancy and fatherhood, but settled on the following: "The Expectant Father," "From Here to Paternity," "Fatherhood: You Can't Do It Over," "My Boys Can Swim!," and "Pregnancy: Day by Day." He also bought a pregnancy journal for Blair, just in case she wanted to do some introspection.
Sure he had some experience with babies thanks to Milo, but he was determined to do this right.
He opened up "Pregnancy: Day by Day" and flipped to day "Twenty-one." This was essentially where they were in the pregnancy, give or take a couple days.
Dan began to read aloud.
"This week your soon-to-be-baby has started on its miraculous transformation from single cell to baby boy or girl."
Dan gulped. "Baby boy or girl..." A stupid grin washed over his face.
He next leafed through "The Expectant Father," stopping on a random page. He read the heading aloud. "'Sex. Why You and Your Partner Might Be Feeling Increased Sexual Desire.'"
He swallowed hard. "Hmm."
Dan was about to reach for another book when he was jarred by a knock on the door.
He momentarily debated whether or not to answer. The last thing he wanted to see was an axe wielding Chuck Bass at his door. He took a quick chug of beer and licked the excess liquid off of his lips. Then, as quietly as he could, he began to place the books back in the sack.
"Dan?" Nate Archibald was paying him a visit. "Hey man, you in there?"
Dan froze. Did he want to talk to Nate?
He exhaled. "Uh...yee-ah. Just a…uh...just a sec," he called back, looking for a place to stow the books. He caught sight of the oven and quickly shoved the bag of books inside. He hurried to the door, taking a moment to compose himself first before opening it.
"Hey Nate! What's up?"
Nate smiled curiously. Dan seemed a bit out of breath.
"Uh, this isn't a bad time is it?"
"Uh. Um. No," Dan lied. "This is a uh...this is a great time."
Nate smiled suspiciously.
Dan suddenly remembered that Nate had been absent from the hospital theatrics yesterday, and that this was the first time he'd seen him since he and Blair's relationship had been outed to the world.
"Sorry for just dropping by out of the blue, man," Nate began. "Can't seem to get ahold of anyone and I heard Blair was in the hospital. I got no answer when I tried her cell. Chuck's not answering either. I swung by the townhouse and Bass Industries. No sign of them. And Serena's not picking up either." He snorted. "Not that Blair would be with Serena."
Nate peeled off his coat and flung it on the sofa.
"So..." Dan thought. Apparently he was last on Nate's buddy list.
"By the way, I went by your apartment...or, I guess I mean is it Serena's apartment now?" Nate chuckled. "Sorry."
Nate shrugged. "Anyway, Serena wasn't there, but there were some random people inside. With clipboards and cameras. I checked with Vanya and apparently Serena gave them permission to be there. But I sure hope you didn't leave anything of value inside, because it looked like they were going through everything with a fine tooth comb."
Dan's stomach tightened as he realized what must have been happening. Serena and Lily were coming after him with all guns blazing. He wasn't surprised. Guess he would be stopping by later...
He cringed as he envisioned strangers sifting through his things. At least he had his most important possession with him. His laptop. Everything else was pretty inconsequential. Still, it didn't mean he wanted weirdos going through his underwear drawer.
"So anyway, how's Blair? You must know." Nate winked knowingly.
"She's uh...feeling better. Just got a little dehydrated. Food poisoning."
Dan figured the less said to Nate the better.
For so many reasons...
Nate grinned at him. "So you and Blair, huh? WOW. I gotta say. Did not see that coming, Humphrey. Honestly, I never thought Blair would go there again with you. Ever."
Dan tried his best not to take offense. He could see the wheels slowly turning in Nate's head.
"Hey. You know what I just thought about? You're like the new me. The meat in a Serena and Blair sandwich!" Nate laughed, shaking his head and recalling the good times when he had been at the center of some epic Blair and Serena showdowns: Ivy League mixers. Masquerade balls. Bart Bass brunches...
Classic.
"Looks like you're left to carry the torch now. I mean you and Blair did have that practice round six years ago, but now...you just took it to a whole different level! On New Year's Eve, things got real."
There was a strong possibility that Nate had smoked a bowl before coming over.
Nate leaned in just a bit, as if telling Dan something in confidence. "I couldn't say this around Chuck and Serena but man...That kiss was HAWT! You've got Blair versus Serena 2.0 on your hands. Divorce edition. Congrats, man."
Dan wasn't sure if "congrats" was the appropriate word. He looked at Nate, who seemed to have forgotten why he even stopped by in the first place.
"Uh, so you want a beer?" Dan offered. Dan wasn't necessarily in the mood to shoot the shit, especially after hearing that there were people going through his things, but he didn't really want to alienate Nate either.
Nate nodded as Dan headed toward the fridge.
"So you and Blair. You guys are... like official?"
"I would say so."
"So have you...had any contact with Chuck since the whole...?" Nate made a kiss face.
Dan gave him a knowing look as he handed Nate his beer.
"Yeah, he was pretty furious," Nate said as he took a sip. His tone suddenly got serious. "You know, Chuck's my best friend. And I'll try and talk to him. You know, do what I can. But you probably need to...prepare yourself," Nate warned. "He's not going to take this lying down."
As if Dan needed someone else warning him about Chuck Bass. Was anyone warning Chuck about him? After all, Chuck had recently gotten to know his left fist fairly intimately again yesterday.
"I'm aware," Dan replied.
He was suddenly flooded with memories of their little brawl at the hospital and how Chuck had essentially been responsible for getting him kicked out. Not to mention the little kidnapping incident.
"I remember the night Blair told Chuck she got engaged to Louis," Nate recalled. "He punched a damn window out at the Empire. Shattered the glass. So hard one of the shards cut Blair's face."
Dan promptly set down his beer and raised his eyebrows in concerned shock. "I'm sorry…he did WHAT!?"
How could he have never heard about this?
Nate shrugged. "It was a long time ago. It was a small cut. And I don't think he'd respond that way anymore now that he's a father. Not with Henry around."
Dan could feel his fists tighten. He'd had just about enough of Nate's propping of Chuck. The dude had obvious anger issues.
How could Blair have never mentioned this to him? All he could think of now was that he needed to go and get her out of the Upper East Side ASAP because her welfare, and the welfare of his unborn child, were at risk as long as Chuck was in the vicinity.
But first, he needed to fill Nate in on his "best friend."
"Nate, Chuck's behavior hasn't improved just because he has a son. If anything it's worse. Because now he's using Henry as a pawn."
Nate gave Dan a confused look.
"He tried to kidnap him yesterday. To get revenge on Blair for running off with me."
Nate stared at him in complete disbelief.
"Blair was dehydrated yesterday, but it was the stress of thinking Chuck had run away with her child that put her in the hospital. He picked Henry up from Dorota's before dawn and drove to the airport. They were halfway across the Atlantic before Chuck suddenly thought better of it." Dan rephrased. "Or rather, thought better about wanting to go to jail."
Nate shook his head. "Jesus. I had no idea." He sighed and took a swig of beer. "I probably should go talk to him."
Dan cut his eyes. Even with all the disgusting things he knew about Chuck, and the bombshell Dan had just dropped, Nate was still playing loyal friend.
Nate saw Dan shaking his head at him and had a moment of clarity, realizing that it probably wasn't what Dan was looking to hear right now. He quickly changed his tune. "But Chuck's an ass."
Dan gave a halfhearted smile. He would take it.
And that seemed like an excellent place to wrap up the conversation.
"Well, uh, I think I probably need to head over to my apartment now. See what damage has been done."
Nate nodded in agreement as he took one last sip of his beer. "Yeah. I gotta run, too. Dinner with the Captain tonight." Nate got up from the stool, then grabbed his coat from off of the couch.
"So hey. You must be ecstatic!" Nate said.
Dan suddenly gulped, looking at Nate in confusion. How could he possibly...?
"Jenny's coming back!"
"What?"
"You hadn't heard? She's coming back to New York!"
"Jenny? Is coming back to New York?" Dan had just spoken to her yesterday and she hadn't said anything.
"Yeah! Apparently Eleanor's giving her a promotion and she'll not only be designing but she'll be overseeing Waldorf Designs in New York now that Blair's stepping down."
And another major piece of info he hadn't been privy to. Dan was beyond confused and a little peeved that Nate somehow knew this information before he did.
"Jenny. Is taking over for Blair? When did this…when did this happen?"
"Well I talked to Jenny this morning. Sorry...I just assumed she'd already spoken to you or I wouldn't have...if she calls just pretend I didn't say anything. I'm sure she'll probably want to surprise you and Rufus."
It occurred to Dan that Jenny must have been the one to tell Nate about Blair.
"Anyway, I should probably get going."
Dan watched as Nate opened the door, but he quickly turned back around, a curious look on his face.
"Hey. Are you teaching swimming lessons or something?"
Dan cocked his head in confusion.
Nate gestured to the kitchen island. "I noticed you're reading 'My Boys Can Swim.'" Dan gulped horror, spotting the one book he had failed to hide.
"Shit."
He slowly shut his eyes, then remembered that rule number one of improvisation was to "always say yes."
Dan opened his eyes. "Yes. Actually I am...I mean I will be teaching. Swimming lessons. This guy I know at the Y asked if I could help out next summer. Figured… why not?"
Nate seemed impressed. "Well, let me know if you need any help. I'm a pretty good swimmer if I do say so myself. Spent lots of summers racing Tripp in Grandfather's pool." Nate paused for a moment to reflect. "Looking back on it, I probably should have let him win more. Maybe he wouldn't have tried to kill me," Nate said with a chuckle.
Dan gave a sympathetic look as Nate slipped on his coat.
"Oh. Hey, are you still good on the uh..." He gestured, bringing his thumb and index finger to his lips.
"Yep. All good. Good to go," Dan confirmed, giving Nate the thumbs up sign. Truthfully, Dan didn't know where the stash had disappeared to. Rufus had been enjoying it earlier in the day. He had probably taken it with him to his "Panic" meeting.
"Maybe we can grab dinner this week?" Nate suggested.
Dan nodded and Nate smiled before finally seeing himself out.
Dan then scrambled to the kitchen and grabbed the book from off the counter, along with the other books he had shoved into the oven. He quickly ran to his room and shoved them under the bed.
Minutes later, he grabbed his coat and was out of the door.
"Serena, I can assure you that you will receive everything you're entitled to and more. It's my job to see to that."
Patrick van Heusen was Lily's new favorite New York City divorce attorney. The three of them were dining at Arlington Club to discuss Serena's divorce.
It appeared that Serena was still in need of some prodding to go along with the tactics her mother and Patrick wanted to use.
In other words, she didn't appreciate that her apartment was currently being ransacked by a couple of strangers.
"And is that why you currently have investigators searching through every crevice of my apartment right now?" Serena asked, taking a sip of her Cosmo.
Patrick leaned over the table and focused in on Serena. He picked up his cell phone. "Say the word and they're gone. I'll make the call. If you're not comfortable with it, I'm not comfortable with it. But it could cost you. If they leave, you could potentially be missing out on that one crucial piece of evidence that sways a judge one way or the other," he explained zealously.
"We're now in possession of photographs and a ten second video of your husband and Mrs. Bass that we've acquired from some of the Waldorf party guests. That's certainly a good start. But if we can show this has been an ongoing relationship, that there's a pattern of infidelity, we stand to gain even more as far as a settlement goes. I'm simply looking out for your interests here Serena."
Serena rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink.
She honestly didn't know what she should be thinking or feeling, but she knew a scum sucking lawyer when she saw one. The truth was that she was still processing it all. The fact that she was sitting here with a divorce attorney at all was surreal.
Her talk with Dan during the dinner that wasn't at Campagnola on New Year's night had made her feel like utter shit. That's when she found out Dan had already known about her and Nate. And it wasn't the fact that he already knew that was getting to her.
It was that he didn't even care.
He wasn't jealous. He wasn't even angry.
And if that didn't make her feel bad enough, just a few hours later she had to endure watching him kiss Blair at the stroke of midnight. With half of the Upper East Side! The way he was kissing her and touching her, and holding her tightly up against him...he had never kissed or touched or held her like that.
He had never written pornographic poetry about her, either.
Serena took an aggressive sip of her Cosmo, trying to wash the memory away.
"Serena," Lily urged. "Dan humiliated you in the most public way he possibly could. With your best friend. Not only was it disrespectful, it was incredibly cruel."
"Yeah, well. Blair hasn't been my best friend in a while."
"Not the point, Serena. Everyone in that room watched Dan making a mockery of your wedding vows. You deserve whatever you can get from him. If he ends up destitute, living with the hobos in Grand Central it will be too good for him," Lily stated firmly.
Serena rested her forehead on her hand and thought for a moment. Maybe her mother was right. She definitely didn't care to endure the whispers and pity glances she was inevitably bound to receive. She didn't want people feeling sorry for her. The only way to remedy the situation would be to take control of it.
That meant going on the offensive.
This was how it had to be.
Serena was now thinking about how she could turn this enormous lump of coal into a diamond. Maybe after taking Dan to the cleaners, she could get back to her writing. She could blog about cheating husbands and become a role model for scorned socialites everywhere. Maybe even write a book.
There were countless possibilities if she played her cards right.
She looked up just as the server arrived with their entrees.
Serena picked up her fork and began to stab at her Branzino.
"Serena?" Patrick continued. "It's your call. What's your answer?"
Serena looked him and took a deep breath. "Keep the investigators."
"That a girl." Patrick beamed. "Now," he said between bites of a very rare ribeye. "You probably already know this, but try and steer clear of your husband. You don't want to say or do anything he might be able to use to his advantage. Same with Blair Bass. We don't want to give them any ammunition."
Patrick continued. "Once the investigators get a report together, hopefully we'll have a sound estimate on just how long this relationship had been going on and how much Dan spent to maintain it."
He looked over at Lily. "I'd also like to get a statement from Charles Bass, just to cover all of our bases."
"I'm sure Charles will cooperate," Lily assured him as she picked up her fork. "Patrick, I'm curious about what exactly Serena's entitled to as far as future earnings from Dan's book sales. Her priority during their entire marriage was keeping him happy and comfortable while he spent his time writing. I think it's only fair that she be allowed to collect on future royalties on the projects he published while they were married as well as the ones he's about to start. And those he completed before they were married of course. Dan based characters on her in two of his books, one of which was made into a movie. And he wrote countless stories and articles about her. Often saying some very disparaging things."
"He had also written some beautiful things about her and a scathing article on Blair. Guess those articles ultimately meant nothing," Serena thought to herself.
She listened intently as her mother continued to run the show. This was her area of expertise after all. Serena finished her drink off, motioning to a server to bring her another.
"He's made a lot of money off of Serena and her image. And she's turned down opportunities of her own to support him in his craft."
"You're right," Patrick agreed. "Absolutely right. Very common in marriages. Women sacrifice everything for the sake of their husbands. I'm going to get an estimate together on just how much Dan Humphrey is worth, what his books stand to make... We'll present that information and I'm sure any judge worth his salt will take it into consideration and proceed with giving us the maximum maintenance award."
Patrick turned to Serena. "Serena. No one comes out of a divorce unscathed. But I assure you, after some time has passed, you will be able to take comfort in the fact that Dan is going to pay for the way he's treated you."
"Sounds good to me," Serena said, taking a bite of her fish. After a couple of Cosmos, she was feeling no pain. She had come to the conclusion that Dan Humphrey deserved whatever Patrick could throw at him.
And if Blair happened to get hit in the crossfire, even better.
"Now, Serena. I already know the answer to this, but I just need to confirm. If an opposing investigator were to go...digging, I want to make sure he wouldn't find anything."
Lily cocked her head to the side. "Patrick, what exactly are you insinuating? That my daughter might have broken her marriage vows?"
Serena suddenly went to work on her fresh Cosmo.
"No. Absolutely not, Lily," he assured her. "But you would be surprised how many clients I've represented who accuse his or her spouse of adultery when..."
Serena began to choke as her drink went down the wrong pipe.
"Serena? Are you okay?" a concerned Lily asked.
Serena nodded as she took a sip of water and coughed into her napkin.
Lily turned her attention back to Patrick. "I assure you. My daughter has been nothing but a loyal and devoted wife. She has absolutely nothing to hide."
Patrick nodded as he took a bite of his steak, then watched curiously as Serena stared down at her plate.
"Blair? Is that you?" a concerned Eleanor called out from the living room. She stood up and placed her newspaper down, making her way to the foyer. "Dorota just left. She told me you called her earlier and that you were taking Henry..."
Eleanor stopped in her tracks, stunned by the sight of Blair standing beside Chuck. He was holding a sleeping Henry and a couple of shopping bags. Blair held another bag, looking absolutely exhausted.
"Blair," Eleanor said, glaring at Chuck. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Um. I'm just going to go put him upstairs," Chuck said.
Eleanor and Blair watched as Chuck carefully ascended the stairs with his son and the shopping bags.
A perturbed Eleanor waited until he was out of earshot before turning to her daughter. "Blair! What is going on? What are you doing with Chuck!?"
A listless Blair shrugged. "We were at the park. He just showed up."
Eleanor shook her head. "Of course he did. Why did you not tell him to leave?"
"Henry was happy to see him, Mother. What exactly was I supposed to do?" Blair heaved a sigh as she turned to walk into the living room.
Eleanor followed, right on her heels. "How about telling him to stay away from you and that your attorney will be in touch?!"
"Aren't you being a tad dramatic, Mother?"
"Blair, he tried to kidnap your child!" Eleanor was livid.
"I know. But…we talked this afternoon. He seems remorseful. And I don't want this to be an ugly divorce like it was with Louis. He knows he made a mistake. Plus, he's Henry's father." Blair collapsed onto the chaise lounge.
"Blair," Eleanor said firmly. "I wouldn't say he just 'made a mistake.'"
"I'm handling it, Mother."
"Not what it looks like, Blair!"
Blair leaned her head back on the chaise and closed her eyes, trying to drown out the nagging sound of her mother's voice.
"Did you even eat today? You look completely washed out."
"Thanks," Blair replied sarcastically. "As a matter of fact I just gorged on pizza. Terrible pizza. But still..."
"Somehow I don't believe you."
Blair sighed. It really was time for her mother to go back to Paris.
Eleanor came to stand over her daughter, her arms folded. "Blair. You are telling me that you can handle things, but your actions are saying something completely different. If you don't start taking care of yourself..."
"You're going to stick me in a rehab facility?"
Eleanor's eyes narrowed. "Chuck..."
Blair looked at her mother.
"Of course Chuck told you about that," Eleanor said, exasperated. "But that was obviously before I knew..." Eleanor removed her glasses, flailing her arms in the air, "…knew about all of this. Your very odd behavior makes sense now!"
Blair sat up. "Mother. Chuck and I have things to discuss. He knows that. I know that. And we will discuss them. But today was about Henry. If you and Daddy can get along, I don't know why Chuck and I..."
"I'm very sorry to interrupt." Eleanor and Blair looked up simultaneously to see Chuck standing right in front of them. He had somehow slithered down the stairs without being noticed. "Henry's all tucked in. Snoozing away. And I placed the bags in your room."
Eleanor refrained from saying anything, choosing to look away instead.
"Thank you," Blair said politely as she stood up.
"I'll call you about lunch," Chuck added.
Blair nodded.
"Have a good evening, ladies." Chuck turned and headed for the elevator.
Eleanor waited for the sound of the doors to close before she turned back to her daughter. She cleared her throat. "Lunch?" Eleanor couldn't understand what her daughter was thinking.
"Mother, I'm done with this conversation. I'm going to take a long soak in the tub and then I'm off to bed."
"So you don't even want to hear if Jenny took the job?" Eleanor exclaimed.
"I'm certain she did." Jenny was still Blair's protégée. She would certainly jump at any chance to follow in Blair's footsteps.
Blair made her way to the staircase as Eleanor called out to her.
"Dorota made chicken soup out of the leftover broth. I'll bring some up for you later."
"I told you I just ate!" Blair said indignantly.
"Sweetheart you're eating for two..."
Blair made her way up to the top of the stairs, then walked through the shared bathroom. She poked her head inside the bedroom. There was a tiny brown head poking out from the covers. She sighed. She then quietly shut the door and locked it.
She began to draw herself a bath, then walked back inside her room and grabbed her phone from her purse, turning it on for the first time all day.
Blair huffed in annoyance. She had no missed calls or texts from Dan.
Vanya had already left, but Dan still got the side eye from the night door man on his way up to his apartment.
Amazingly, though, he hadn't met any resistance from him.
He nervously entered the apartment. His jaw dropped. There were stacks of books everywhere. Papers, files...
A tall woman in her forties with glasses and a jet black ponytail sifted through a pile of his books. She hadn't seemed to notice him when he walked in, or if she had, she didn't seem to care. She opened a book and turned it upside down to see if anything fell out. When she was sure there was nothing stuck between the pages, she went on to the next one.
"Um, excuse me?" A perturbed Dan approached her. "What exactly are you doing?"
The truth was Dan knew exactly what she was doing. He just couldn't believe Serena had actually stooped to this. Sure, her mother was a divorce champion. But Lily hadn't pulled this shit on Rufus.
Dan thought questioning the woman would jolt her a little, but she didn't even seem fazed.
"I'm sure your wife can explain," she replied happily. She then had the audacity to wink at him before going back to what she was doing.
"I bet she fucking can..." Dan muttered as he walked towards his bedroom. Standing in his closet was a younger man with a buzz cut. He was pulling Dan's clothes off of hangers, smelling them, checking pockets, and on occasion taking pictures of them. When he was finished with a garment he placed it into one of three different piles on the floor.
"What the hell are you doing? Get away from my clothes!"
"Well since I bought most of them, technically they're probably mine."
Dan turned around. Serena stood in the doorway smirking, arms folded.
"What is going on here? What's the point of having these people in here? It's an invasion of my privacy."
"What do you think is going on, Dan? You decided to humiliate me in the most public way possible. And now you're going to pay for it. And these people? They work for my attorney, Patrick van Heusen. You may have heard of him. He represented Blaine Trump and Tory Burch in their divorces."
Dan gulped, feeling a bit apprehensive. Serena observed him, an amused look on her face. "Scared, Dan?" Serena smirked.
"Serena. It doesn't have to be like this. You know that. You don't have to take Lily's advice on everything."
Dan suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a text from Blair.
"Where are you?"
He sighed and quickly put the phone back into his pocket.
"Who says I'm taking my mother's advice? This is my decision. The way you've treated me the past year, let's face it-the past few years... Let's just say you've been less than kind. The things you've written about me over the years..."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"'Gossip Girl,' Dan. I'm talking about 'Gossip Girl.'"
They were interrupted by the sound of Dan's phone ringing. Dan pulled it out again.
Blair.
Dan quickly silenced it. "Serena. That was eons ago and that wasn't me talking, anyway. Those were anonymous tips that people sent in! Tips that were true!"
Serena's eyes narrowed. "Not all of them..."
"Well, you must not have been that upset about it because you ended up marrying me!" Dan shot back.
"Because you emotionally manipulated me," Serena declared.
"I what?" Dan gritted his teeth. He suddenly remembered they weren't alone and turned around to see the man with the buzz cut smiling, amused as he pulled some old receipts out of Dan's jeans.
"Sorry, Dan. But you screwed with the wrong girl. And you're about to find out why."
Dan felt his phone vibrate again and huffed in annoyance. He looked down at it. It was another text from Blair.
"IGNORING THE MOTHER OF YOUR CHILD IS NOT A WISE DECISION HUMPHREY!"
Yikes. All caps. Dan massaged his neck for a moment.
"Who is that?" Serena smirked. "Is Blair summoning you?" she asked condescendingly. "You're so pathetic, you know that? She has you completely whipped."
Dan pursed his lips. "Yeah. Maybe so." He walked in the direction of the door, then quickly turned around to address her. "Whatever this is, is fine. Just fine." He gestured to the investigator who was now sniffing one of Dan's dress jackets. "Have them go through everything. Have them go through it twice. I don't give a fuck. Just remember you're not completely innocent here. Nate and I are having dinner soon. And there are a few things we'll be discussing."
With that, Dan walked out the door. "Oh, and by the way," he called over his shoulder. "When these people are done here, just donate all of the clothes to Goodwill, because I definitely don't want any more reminders of you."
Serena sprinted into the hallway and watched as Dan made his way to the elevator.
"You're an idiot! She'll never leave Chuck!" At the sound of the elevator doors closing, she grabbed her phone, a crazed look in her eye. She scrolled down to Nate's name and dialed.
"Nate? Hey! What are you doing later?"
Chuck flipped on the light and looked around his office at Bass Industries. It was late, but he was still up for a little celebration. Just twenty-four hours after being numero uno on Blair's most hated list, he had somehow managed to turn it around.
Back at the park, he had even brought her to tears with his heartfelt confession and apology. And after eavesdropping on Blair and Eleanor's conversation at the penthouse, he realized things had gone even better than he originally thought.
Chuck had a seat at his desk. He opened a side drawer and took out a bottle of Scotch. He took a swig straight from the bottle. He then spun around in his chair, viewing the Manhattan skyline. "Not bad, Bass."
It would only be a matter of time before she was dumping Humphrey Dumpty. She'd soon be begging Chuck to take her back.
Just like that night on the roof at the Empire.
And of course he'd take her back. But there would have to be some punishment involved.
Chuck smirked as he began to mentally compile a list of "items" to pick up at 'The Pleasure Chest,' and lingerie to acquire from Kiki de Montparnasse.
Chuck raised the bottle in the air, toasting himself to a job well done.
"To Blair and her Brooklynite!" a smarmy voice exclaimed from the direction of the doorway.
Chuck jumped in surprise, nearly dropping the bottle to the floor. He peered at the door.
"Jack?"
"I prefer 'Uncle' Jack. You know that."
Chuck sank into his chair. He wasn't exactly in the mood for surprises. Good or bad. And this was definitely on the bad end of the spectrum.
"What are you doing here?" Chuck grudgingly asked.
"Thanks for the warm welcome. Can a man not come and check on his favorite nephew from time to time?"
"I'm your only nephew. And I know you, Jack. That's not why you're here."
"Aaaaand you're right," he said sarcastically. "You see, I got a very interesting email from Rich Haley."
Chuck shook his head and shrugged. "Yes. And?"
"It seems he's pulling out of Hong Kong. We lost it. Site's gone now. Sold. 'ZAI ZIAN!'"
Chuck looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean he's pulling out of Hong Kong!?"
"Pulled. It's done."Jack wagged his finger at him. "It appears to me that someone hasn't been taking care of business." He rubbed his chin. "Oh yeah," Jack deadpanned. "That someone would be YOU. Nice shiner, by the way."
"Jack I..."
"No, Chuck. I told you I didn't mind living abroad as long as you had things on lockdown here. We just lost millions of dollars in revenue a year. That hotel was in the sweetest location on Victoria Harbor."
Chuck's head was spinning, trying to reconcile the information Jack was giving him. "I don't understand. I just talked to Rich last week. What the hell changed? And why didn't he tell me? Why is he emailing you?"
Chuck's fingers clenched his bottle of Scotch unconsciously.
Jack bowed his head. "Oh Chuck. You young tiger cub. There's still so much to learn." Jack pulled a copy of the New York Post out of his back pocket and slammed it onto Chuck's desk.
"Your wife and her lover are smeared all over PAGE FUCKING SIX!"
Chuck zoomed in on the write-up. He'd heard there was a mention about the New Year's party, but so what? It was a stupid gossip column.
Chuck shrugged. "What the hell does that have to do with the Hong Kong deal?"
Jack laughed at his poor, deluded nephew.
"Do I have to explain everything to you? It shows a loss of control. It shows you can't handle your own wife. That you have no staying power. It shows that you can't take care of business," he said as he made a vulgar gesture.
Jack sat down on top of the desk. "But you wanna know what the worst part of all this is?" Jack sneered.
Chuck remained silent.
"The dude she's screwing around on you with is a sensitive type. A writer who, at one point, masqueraded as an anonymous, catty, femme fatale blogger with eternal PMS. I mean, if she was gonna cheat on ya it could have at least been with Derek Jeter. Or Topper Mortimer." He looked Chuck straight in the eye and smiled. "Or me."
Chuck was seething at Jack's last comment, gripping the armrests of his chair.
"I mean, who the hell is Dan Humphrey anyway? I went to his wedding, right? Didn't he marry 'The Serena?'" Jack snorted. "He's sacked both Blair and Serena? Jesus, what the hell does that say? Guy must be hung like a bull." Jack raised his eyebrows as he hopped off the desk and grabbed the bottle of Scotch. "Hey. Wasn't he the guy that published that vomit inducing homage to you in "Vanity Fair" several years ago?"
Jack began to laugh uncontrollably. "And now he's fucking your wife? I can't... That's just too rich."
Chuck was stone faced.
"What are you going to do about this Chuck?"
"It's not your problem, Jack," Chuck shot back.
"See that's where you're wrong." Jack placed the bottle down on the desk. "I was planning to retire in two years. But now, thanks to your ineptitude, it looks like I'm in it for the long haul."
"Blair and I talked today," Chuck began. "We're having lunch tomorrow..."
Jack began to laugh hysterically. "Wah! Wah! Wah! Blair this, Blair that. Boo hoo. Who fucking cares? My question is, why haven't you done something about the douchebag who's banging your wife? You're sitting here on your ass celebrating the fact that you get to 'do lunch' with the missus and she's probably on her knees blowing him right now!"
Chuck cut his eyes.
"Listen. Hope is not lost. You're lucky. Because you have Uncle Jack here to guide you now." Jack took another drink from the bottle. "Since my arrival several short hours ago, I have discovered some interesting things. For instance, did you know that not one divorce attorney in this town will return Dan Humphrey's calls? And you wanna know why? Because Lily hired Patrick van Heusen. My next question is why haven't you hired him yet?"
"Because I'm not getting a divorce!" Chuck raged, pounding his fist on the desk.
Jack snorted, amused. Finally some emotion.
"So what are you doing to ensure that doesn't happen, Chuck? You think you can just sit around here and wait for Blair to come to her senses? Fuck that. You need to show her you mean business. By showing him who he's fucking with. Did you know he has a meeting scheduled with his book agent and publisher this week?"
Chuck shook his head.
"See Chuck? I haven't been here five hours and I've already put more work into trying to save your marriage than you have!"
Jack eyed Chuck for a moment. "When's the last time you got laid, Chuck?"
Chuck was quiet.
"That's what I thought. No wonder you're not thinking clearly. Time to get your fucking balls back!" Jack turned toward the door and clapped two times. "HEIDI! SHANNON!"
Seconds after being summoned, two call girls, one red head and one blonde made their way into his office.
"Sorry. Brunettes were all booked," Jack winked. "You girls know what to do."
Chuck cautiously stood up from his desk as the red head started to remove Chuck's coat and bow tie. The blonde got down on her knees and went to work on unzipping his pants.
"Oh. And I'll be taking this with me," Jack said, grabbing the bottle of Scotch.
He walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
Chuck sat back down, closed his eyes, and sank back into his chair.
He needed this…
Jack pulled out his phone and dialed. "Yeah. Rich. Figured out where you want to meet yet?"
Georgina inconspicuously popped her head out from around the corner as her husband stepped on the elevator and disappeared from view.
"Really Jack? Heidi and Shannon again?" She was startled by the sound of her phone ringing. She looked at the caller ID, rolling her eyes as she quickly answered it.
"What, Phillip?" There was an exasperated pause. "No, they're like cookies."
She paused again.
"No. Two layers of a chocolate malted biscuit with a light chocolate cream filling, coated in a thin layer of chocolate." She sighed. "I don't have time for this right now. Just get him a pack of Oreos!"
She hung up and began to scroll through pictures on her phone. Among them were pictures of Chuck, Blair, and Henry dining together like a happy family at Serafina. Another was a picture of Heidi and Shannon. They had actually posed for her minutes earlier in front of Chuck's office door and were going to text her some additional photos later if all went according to plan.
Georgina smiled. "On to my next stop."
Eleanor was about to carry a tray of chicken soup, a dinner roll, and a glass of orange juice up to Blair's room when she heard the elevator doors open. She laid the tray down on the entry way table and looked up to see Dan stepping off.
"Of course," Eleanor groaned. "I am assuming Blair rang you up."
"Uh yeah. Yes. I'm sorry to drop in on you so late, Mrs. Rose." Dan wasn't sure how to proceed with her after their intense, albeit brief conversation yesterday.
Eleanor sighed. "Well. Since you're here now, I will leave it to you to carry this tray up. Despite what she says, I don't think she's had much to eat today."
"Okay," Dan nodded, happy to help; and happy that Eleanor wasn't throwing him out.
"Okay," Eleanor echoed. She then cleared her throat. "Well, I'm off to the atelier. I have some things to get in order."
Dan was surprised. "Really? This late?"
Eleanor rolled her eyes. He obviously knew nothing about running a major fashion label. "Have you not spoken with your sister recently?"
"Um. Not since yesterday morning, but I heard she's..."
Eleanor nodded. "Yes, well. I just hope she can handle the job duties. Blair says she can, so..."
Dan was pleased to hear that Blair had given his sister her seal of approval.
"Well, anyway. I must go." Eleanor grabbed her coat and started toward the elevator. "Daniel?" she called out.
Dan turned around.
"Yes?"
"I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow." Eleanor seemed to be getting a tad emotional. "And I am entrusting you," she said, her lip trembling, "to look after her."
No matter how he'd felt about the woman yesterday, Eleanor was coming from a place of pure concern for her daughter.
"Absolutely."
"Can you please tell Blair I left?"
Dan nodded politely as he watched Eleanor step onto the elevator. When the doors closed he grabbed the tray and made his way up to Blair's room. He approached Blair's door and knocked twice.
"Room service," he said in a posh British accent. A second later the door swung open. Blair stood before him in a robe, hand on one hip. She looked at the tray and frowned.
"Looks like someone's in a pleasant mood," Dan deadpanned as he walked past her with the tray. "Your mother told me to let you know she's going to the atelier."
Dan set the tray down on the bed. "By the way, thanks for telling me you're stepping down from Waldorf and that Jenny's taking over for you."
"Well how could I possibly tell you about anything when you haven't even called me in the past twenty-four hours?" Blair huffed.
Dan looked at her. She was apparently suffering from amnesia.
"Blair. You said..." He paused abruptly. He noticed her arms were crossed and her head was cocked to one side. At that moment Dan decided that he wasn't going to argue with her. There was no way to win.
"I'm sorry. I should have called you. Forgive me?"
A tiny grin popped up on Blair's face as Dan approached her. He took her hands and placed a quick peck on her cheek.
"So, are you sure about this? I mean is Jenny really up to running Waldorf?"
"She's merely keeping my seat warm. Seeing that I'm going to be tied up with some 'things' for the foreseeable future, we thought this was the proper thing to do. She shouldn't get too comfortable, though." Blair smirked. "Besides. I'm going to keep my eye on her."
Dan smiled. Of course she would.
"How was your day with Henry?" Dan asked as he let go of her hands.
Blair walked over and picked up the dinner roll Eleanor had sent up with the soup and began to nibble on it. "I think we bought every dinosaur related item that the museum of Natural History had in stock. So much walking... Wouldn't be surprised if he sleeps all day tomorrow."
"So it was drama free then?" Dan asked pointedly, alluding to Chuck. He was still thinking about what Nate had told him earlier. About him punching a window and cutting Blair's face. He wanted to discuss it with her at some point, but tonight probably wasn't the right time.
"Yep," Blair answered a little too quickly.
Dan observed her for a moment as she munched on the roll. Her hair was pulled up and her cheeks were still rosy from the heat of the bath. She was obviously fatigued but apparently feeling well enough to send him rude text messages and give him a hard time.
"So, anything interesting happen with you today?" Blair asked as she took a sip of orange juice.
"Well. As a matter of fact I just came from seeing Serena."
Blair made a face and set her glass down. "Ugh. Why?"
"Because her attorney had his investigators digging through all of my things. All of my books. My clothes..."
Blair pondered this as she took a spoonful of soup.
"It was humiliating, Blair. This random guy was going through all of the pockets in my pants. And this woman was going through all of my books and files. And Serena was just standing there smirking the whole time. I told her to just donate the clothes and that I didn't want any reminders of her anyway."
Blair laughed. "It's probably time for you to get a new wardrobe anyway. I can help you with that." Blair looked at him. "It's also probably time I paid Serena a visit..."
Dan shook his head. "Blair, no. Please don't go stirring up anything with Serena."
"Sounds like she's the one stirring things up. I'm just going to tell her-"
"Blair. Serena is not in a good place right now. She probably just needs some time to cool off and she'll realize that the tactics she and her attorney, and Lily, are using are unnecessary. Promise me you'll stay away from her."
Blair scrunched her face. She just couldn't make that promise.
"Fine," she lied. "So who's her attorney anyway?"
"I don't know...some guy name Patrick van-"
"Heusen?" Blair dropped her soup spoon and raised her eyebrows. "She got Patrick van Heusen?"
Dan nodded.
Blair bit her lip in concern. "Hmm. He's kind of a big deal, I guess. But don't worry. I'm sure you can find someone equally impressive."
Dan supposed so, but he was becoming increasingly concerned that he hadn't heard anything back from any of the attorneys he'd contacted.
He sat down next to her on the bed. "So um. How are you feeling? Have you been eating?"
Blair rolled her eyes at Eleanor sending messages through Dan. "I'm trying," she said defensively. She took another spoonful of soup then pushed the tray away. "See? There." She laid her head down on the pillow, exhausted. She grabbed his fingers and began to play with them.
They spent the next few moments in silence. Dan watched as her eyes began to drift shut, and when her fingers suddenly went still, he knew it was probably time to go.
"Blair," he whispered. "I'm gonna let you sleep. I'll call you in the morning." He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.
Her eyes immediately popped open.
"What?" She was suddenly wide awake. "You're leaving?"
"You're tired..."
"No. No," she whined. "You can't leave."
"Blair..."
"Don't you want to have a sleepover with me?" she asked, her liquid brown eyes practically begging him.
"What about Henry?"
"I told you he's asleep. And he's not waking up anytime soon."
She took Dan's hand and slipped it onto her leg. Dan's breath caught for a moment when he realized she didn't just want to have a sleepover. She wanted to have a sleepover. She began to untie her robe.
Dan yanked his hand away. "Blair. I don't think..." he began, swallowing hard. "I mean you're preg-" He licked his lips. "And what if Eleanor comes back? What if she forgot something? And Henry is right in that bedroom..."
Blair frowned. "Relax, Humphrey. My mother's not coming back. Henry's sound asleep."
She studied him. He was so anxious. "I hate to break it to you but pregnant women have sex. Lots of it."
Dan suddenly remembered what he'd been reading earlier.
"Sex. Why You and Your Partner Might Be Feeling Increased Sexual Desire."
"I am...um, aware of that," Dan replied nervously.
"So then what is your problem?"
"My problem? I...I don't...no problem." Dan thought back to the other book he'd started reading earlier.
"This week your soon-to-be-baby has started on its miraculous transformation from single cell to baby boy or girl."
Blair rolled her eyes, as if reading his thoughts. "You bought books, huh?"
Dan's silence said it all.
"Well forget what you've read. I'm not letting you off the hook, Humphrey." Blair assertively pulled Dan's face to hers. She placed her lips on his, parting them slightly, her tongue aggressively attacking his.
"Blair," he panted, finding that his concerns were quickly fading away. Especially when she did that thing with her tongue.
She looked at him, eyes raised. "Well?"
"Yeah," he exhaled, closing his eyes. "More..."
She gave a pleased nod as she worked to remove his coat. "Up here," she commanded, patting the pillows and directing Dan to scoot back against them. He slid off his shoes and did what he was told. She hopped off the bed and placed the tray of soup over on the nightstand, then hit the light switch and jumped back on the bed.
His breath hitched in anticipation.
She began to straddle him and slowly unzip his pants.
He closed his eyes, resting his arms above his head. He couldn't believe how horny she was so quickly after being incapacitated. He could feel her sliding his pants down.
She began to slowly stroke him through his boxers. "Come on Humphrey. Don't be shy..." she implored. She worked to unbutton his shirt as she began to grind on top of him. "Button number one..."
For every button she released she left a kiss in its place. "Button number two..." Kiss. "Button number three..." This time she threw in some tongue and he moaned in appreciation. "Yeah...You like that...?" she whispered in his ear.
When every button was freed, she continued to kiss down his body, running her nails over his chest and down his abs. He was getting painfully hard and was full on panting as he opened his eyes and watched her hop off of him.
She pulled the clip out of her hair, letting her hair fall over her shoulders. She licked her lips and slowly worked to pull his boxers down, a mischievous smile on her face.
Dan took a deep breath as her lips made contact with his cock. "Fuuuck..."
Her hair was everywhere, tickling his abs and chest, and he moved his hands so he could run his fingers through it, massaging her head in the process.
She gave a little sigh of approval.
Blair began to lightly suck on his tip, licking it, and then sucking it again. His breathing was deep and labored as she began to lick up his shaft.
"Yes, Blair..." he groaned in appreciation.
She came back down again and began to take his cock in her mouth. She took him in half way, making pointed eye contact with him, wanting to make sure he could see everything she was doing. Blair took him in a little more, her eyes still locked with his.
Slower. Deeper.
Dan couldn't take it anymore. "Blair..."
She understood, smirking as he pulled her off of him. Together they went to work on freeing her from her robe.
He had just begun to pull it down off her shoulders when Dan caught sight of the door knob slowly turning.
He suddenly froze.
"Blair..."
AN: Thanks to Vampslaying101 for once again helping me with this chapter and thanks to everyone for following and reading. This story truly seems to have taken on a life of its own. I'd love to hear your thoughts, speculation, gripes, whatever... I read all of the feedback and it truly does help guide me for future chapters.
XOXO
Erin