The Thawing
Chuck never knew his heart could beat until he saw Her. Multi-chap about Chuck's first encounter with Blair. AU, CB.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
xoxo
A thin, filtered ray of sunlight peeks through dark curtains.
Cracking one eye open, and then another, Chuck inhales sharply through his nose and rubs a hand over his forehead and through his hair.
The alarm clock informs Chuck that it's 9:50 in the morning (also known as far too early for a teenager to wake up on a national holiday). He closes his eyes again and turns on his side, making to drape his arm over Blair's waist and thank her for helping him the previous night.
Chuck grasps air.
"Blair?" he calls out.
The door to Chuck's bedroom creaks open slightly, and Blair's head pops through the crack. "Morning," she greets him, opening the door fully with a bump of her hip. Chuck moves backwards against the headboard, and sits up, craning his head slightly.
"Well, well, Waldorf. What did I do to deserve this?"
Blair enters with a breakfast tray that holds two mugs of coffee, three beignets, and a bowl of freshly washed berries. While the gesture appears magnanimous, the look on Blair's face is somewhat more difficult for Chuck to read. "For starters," Blair comments casually as she sets up the tray over Chuck's lap, "you bought a certain ex-boyfriend of mine a one-way, first-class ticket to Paris without consulting me first, and, what's even more astounding, you managed to keep it a secret from not only me, but also from Gossip Girl. What an achievement, Bass!" She clasps her hands together in mock adoration.
Someone definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Chuck notes, wondering why women so thoroughly enjoy wrapping dubious intentions in such pretty wrapping (or in this case, beignets).
Cheeks burning, Chuck forces himself to focus on the tray in front of him. What immediately pops out to him is not the deliciously glazed French pastries or the bright red strawberries, but his own iPhone neatly displayed next to the cup of coffee. Chuck wills his hands to steady as he reaches for the phone and sees on the screen the text conversation between himself and Andrew, detailing where Casey had been staying.
Chuck slams his iPhone down on the tray, pretending not to notice Blair jump, startled. "What do you want me to say, Blair? That I'm sorry? That I regret sending that arrogant, self-righteous woman beater back to where he belongs? I hate to break it to you, but that's not happening. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever," he growls defensively as Blair quirks an eyebrow as if to challenge him. "And what about you? You went through my phone. Are you going to apologize for that?"
Blair's lips are pursed in a thin line as she crosses her arms over her chest. "Your stupid cell wouldn't stop vibrating this morning so I went to shut it off, and what do you think I saw? A text from your private investigator saying that Casey's plane had just touched down and that all 'went according to plan'," Blair hisses, making mock quotation marks in the air. "You know what, Chuck? I don't need you interfering in every little aspect of my life! I can take care of myself!"
"Right, because you're doing a real fine job of that, aren't you?" Chuck replies callously, gesturing towards Blair's bruised face. He looks away from Blair and takes a huge bite out of one of the beignets, chasing it down with a gulp of coffee. "Thanks for breakfast, Waldorf," he adds nonchalantly.
Chuck can't help it. He does what he has to do to solve a problem, and what happened with Casey was no different. Blair will see that eventually, he tells himself inwardly as he tries to avoid her stare.
Blair's lower lip wavers as a hand flies to her cheek self-consciously. Chuck prays to whatever's out there that she turns on her heel and leaves, because he can't stand to watch her crumble and he certainly doesn't want to stop eating these heavenly pastries. To his surprise, Blair takes a deep breath and sits down on the bed beside Chuck. Her voice softens but sounds more resolved, and suddenly Chuck loses his appetite. "I don't have the energy to fight anymore," she tells him, "Not about this, not about anything. I wanted to start new with you, Chuck, to begin a relationship the right way, not under some veil of secrecy, but look what happened. You lied to me. How is starting a relationship that way any better?"
Chuck sets his pastry down and turns to look at Blair. "I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you. Everything – sending Casey away, pursuing you like a madman, everything - was for your own good, Blair," he says earnestly. "You just need to realize it."
Goddammit, Chuck thinks as he sets the breakfast tray aside, he knows Blair better than she knows herself! How the hell can she be so blind?
Sighing, Blair replies. "Lies of omission are still lies, Bass. Look, I know that Casey and I weren't meant to be together. I know, for some inexplicable reason, that I wanted to be with you. I know that you had my best interests at heart all along. But you know what else? I know that this will never work because you can't be honest with me and you don't know how to treat me as a partner. All I am to you is a damsel in distress."
When she begins to move from the bed, Chuck grabs Blair's hand desperately. "Wait, Blair, don't go. Please. We can fix this. We can make it work. You just… you can't leave. If you leave then you're walking away from us."
"Let go, Chuck," Blair commands.
"No." Chuck tightens his grip on her hand.
His eyes fix on hers and neither blink, as if there's a stand-off and the winner takes all. Mere seconds go by, although it seems like hours, and Blair's eyes suddenly close, exhausted. She lets herself collapse on the bed and Chuck eagerly wraps her in his arms.
"I'm so tired, Chuck," she whispers, "of all of this. I need a break."
Chuck buries his face in the crook of her neck, relishing in Blair's soft, vanilla-scented skin. "I know, and I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. I promise," he vows, voice muffled against Blair's neck,"I won't let you down."
"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"I deserved it."
"Yeah, you did," Blair says, smiling though Chuck can't see it. "But can you do me a favor, Chuck?"
"Anything," he relents.
Blair turns in his arms, big sparkling eyes pleading. "Let me make my own decisions. I'm a big girl."
Chuck bites his tongue as he runs a hand down Blair's arm. "And what if it's a wrong one?"
"We'll see, now won't we?" she smiles.
Pressing his lips to Blair's forehead, Chuck draws back and smirks. "That we will."
Blair grins deviously. "Now we'll just have to convince Serena that she's made a wrong decision. As partners, of course," she adds.
Chuck sweeps his eyes over Blair's slender form, which is sheathed in his white dress shirt. His heart - the one organ that Chuck Bass could've once sworn he'd been missing - clenches at the sight of her. Perfect, pristine, posh… partner. Yep, that one will fit in Chuck's endless list of adjectives describing Blair Waldorf.
xoxo
So, this was the last chapter! I really hoped you all enjoyed the story. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting it to end so soon but it felt right. I was sitting, thinking, wanting to write more but when it came down to it, this is the natural end. Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews... It's been fun!