Chapter 14 – Olive You
"Blair, I just can't get over how absolutely adorable you look!" Eleanor exclaimed, as she sat next to Blair on the couch, keeping her hand pressed to her daughter's rounded abdomen.
"Really?" Blair asked with a wide grin. Her mother and Dorota had been fawning over her since they arrived at the Ridgefield house. Lavishing her with tons of expensive baby gifts from Paris and stroking her belly incessantly. To say the least, Blair was thoroughly pleased with all of her mother's affections towards her.
Eleanor patted Blair's stomach lightly, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Of course you are! Don't be ridiculous!"
The young brunette shrugged her shoulders in agreement, smiling brightly at Serena, who was sitting in one of the dark leather arm charms across the room after having been demoted from her position on the couch. Dorota had taken her place when she had gone to fetch ice water for Blair, and now she was left to watch her Queen with her admirers.
"Yes, Miss Blair, positively glowing!" Dorota chimed in after Eleanor, picking up Blair's hand and holding it in her own.
Blair giggled at Dorota's clichéd comment, bowing her head to hide her smile. "Fine, fine, you've convinced me!"
"Oh, she's kicking!" Eleanor suddenly announced in an excited tone, and Blair's time of basking in her adorableness was quickly interrupted. "That is just too precious!"
As Eleanor readjusted her hand to find the baby's restless feet, Blair couldn't help but make contact with Serena's just as confused eyes. Both of them were thinking the same thing; never had they ever heard such fluffy adjectives spill from Eleanor Waldorf's mouth, and in such rapid succession.
Soon, both Dorota and Eleanor were rubbing their hands over Blair's stomach, predicting the spot where the next tiny bump would be, and Serena was sure that if they kept it up that they would be able to see their futures reflecting in the designer maternity shirt Blair was wearing.
The pregnant brunette was beginning to look a bit bewildered, and not to say that Serena was the jealous type, but she may having been seeing a twinge of green from missing out on all the little kicks.
"Alright, that's enough! This isn't a petting zoo!" Serena exclaimed in an overly sweet voice, disrupting the two older women's moment of fortune telling. "Come on, Dorota…you can help me get lunch together."
Dorota followed Serena's lead, rising from her seat, and giving the blonde a disdainful glare, which also mirrored Eleanor's face. But Serena was too busy watching Blair mouth 'thank you' in a very appreciative manner, to even notice.
After the two other women exited the room, Blair and her mother were left alone in a somewhat uncomfortable period of silence. Blair was much too inquisitive to not know which questions her mother would inevitably and undoubtedly ask her, so she steeled herself against the emotions that accompanied them.
Eleanor's hand came to rest over Blair's, where it laid motionless on the edge of the dark leather couch, and her fingers twitched slightly at the sudden contact. Turning her head to look at her mother, she could already see the questioning in the older brunette's eyes.
"You told Chuck he is the father?" Eleanor asked timidly, her gaze faltering to the floor, not quite knowing how to approach the situation.
Blair's breath was audible as she inhaled deeply through her nose, before steadily exhaling from her mouth. "I told him…but he didn't believe me. He most likely never will."
Eleanor nodded in quiet understanding, waiting a few seconds before deciding to speak again. "There are things we could do to prove it to –"
"I'd rather not talk about this right now." Blair interrupted calmly. She knew her mother wasn't trying to upset her in any way, but at this point, Chuck's stinging words of adamant denial were much too fresh in her mind to want to prove anything to him.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just want you to be aware." Eleanor replied, giving her daughter's fingers a gentle squeeze.
"I am aware…Chuck is the only one who isn't." Blair began to explain, her voice sounding uncharacteristically soft and faint. "It only happened once, I wasn't with anyone else…not even Nate."
Blair had never really delved this far into her person life with her mother, and not knowing what else to say, Eleanor grasped Blair's hand between her own and soothingly brushed the back of her daughter's palm. Since she couldn't find the correct or appropriate answers for Blair, she thought it best to let this conversation slip past them.
Blair let her fingers close around her mother's, in acceptance of the silent gesture of sympathy. Even if they couldn't always comprehend one another's actions, they could always bond over their understanding of life's stressful hardships.
*****
"So, Miss Serena…you are taking good care of Miss Blair and the baby?" Dorota slyly questioned, as Serena moved about the kitchen.
Looking past the cupboard door her face was currently behind, Serena stared at the maid, disbelieving. "Of course, I am! I always take good care of Blair."
Dorota tipped her head, answering to the truth in Serena's statement, but then looked back at the blonde purposefully. "You do…but you two always scheming and making trouble together and I am not here to watch you."
"You mean you're not here to help us!" Serena shot back with a giggle.
Apparently, Dorota did not find the comment very comical, for she only glared back at Serena with stern contempt.
Serena just continued to laugh, as she resumed searching for objects on the shelf before her. "I'm just saying, Dorota…Blair and I, we're way past all of that Gossip Girl drama."
The sentence that followed was a string of Polish that the blonde couldn't understand, but nevertheless, it made her laugh even more.
*****
"I thought of something you might like during my flight." Eleanor finally said, after the quietness of the room became unnerving.
Finely arched brows creased together, and Blair turned to her mother with a confused smile. "Shouldn't you have been reviewing designs?"
Using her free hand, Eleanor made a swirl in the air in a motion of dismissal, as an odd look came over her face, and then transformed into a smile. "Never mind designs…I was thinking that we should have a baby shower for you."
"Oh…" Blair dimly acknowledged her, although it was evident from her expression that she was searching for an excuse. "That may not be the best idea."
"Well, why not!?" Eleanor asked in surprise. Usually, any type of party…well at least any type of expertly planned and properly hosted party, seemed like a good idea to Blair.
"Because of Chuck and Gossip Girl, and –"
"And they have nothing to do with it." Eleanor finished with a light smile, pinning the brunette with honesty.
"Who would come?" Blair quizzed, and Eleanor's smile widened as her daughter showed a small flicker of interest.
"We could just have an intimate gathering, family and close friends."
Blair's lips pursed in annoyance. "I don't have many friends these days, mother."
Eleanor gave her daughter a poignant look. "Then just family."
The two were just as stubborn as one another, but Blair could see that her mother wasn't going to let her win this battle, for whatever unknown reason. "I suppose…Serena would probably like that."
"Good, it's settled then. I'll be sure to run all the details by you for your approval." Eleanor stated in mock seriousness, even though each of them knew it was the humorous truth.
*****
Serena had stolen back her spot next to Blair after they had finished eating lunch, and now she and Dorota were bouncing smug smirks and icy stares off one another, as Serena idly smoothed her hand over Blair's belly.
"So, a baby shower…sounds like a fun idea to me." Serena announced, and Blair threw her hands in the air. She always knew what Serena would like.
"Yes, it's going to be wonderful." Eleanor exclaimed, reaching her hand out to stroke Blair's stomach some more.
"I have to pee!"
Serena turned to look at Blair strangely for her rather loud declaration, but before she could say a thing, her girlfriend was tugging her from the couch by her hand.
The brunette marched them into the bathroom, and leaned back against the door after she had closed it, as if she was secretly hiding from someone on the other side. Which in actuality, she was.
"Oh my God, S, you have to make them leave!" Blair whispered frantically, suddenly grabbing Serena's shoulders with complete desperation showing in her brown eyes.
"Why, what's wrong? I thought you had to use the bathroom?"
"No! I had to escape!" Blair explained animatedly, and then stopped for a moment. "I'm sure I'll have to pee in like five minutes, but that's beside the point! Serena, if they rub my stomach one more time, I'm going to…I'm going to unleash a hurricane of hormones in that living room!"
Serena's eyes opened further and she moved back a bit, as Blair moved closer and closer to her face.
"Okay, okay, calm down, B!" The blonde chuckled, and then wrapped Blair in a hug to slow down her rapid flow of speech. "We'll just tell them that you're tired and that you need to rest now."
"Anything, Serena, just please, please get them out…I've had enough bonding time!" Blair spoke exaggeratedly into Serena's long tresses, standing perfectly still with her hands at her sides, as if her afternoon spent with her mother and Dorota had put her into shock.
*****
It had taken nearly two hours to finally convince Eleanor that it would probably be best for her and Dorota to make their way back to the city. Another twenty minutes and another long session of belly rubbing, much to Blair's dismay, before Serena was practically pushing them into the limo and slamming the door shut.
Now, the two girls were snuggled up on the couch watching movies and enjoying more alone time, which after the day they had endured, was much needed.
"I understand she's trying to be all caring and supportive of me…but she's likely to kill me if she thinks she can do it all in one afternoon!" Blair ranted, and Serena couldn't help but agree.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to get used to it." Serena sighed, trying not to laugh at the way Blair stared at her, before letting her head fall dramatically over the arm of the couch. "It isn't that bad, now come here and watch your movie."
While they continued watching old films, Serena got a small taste of the effects of Blair's pregnancy. One moment Blair was hysterically laughing until she could hardly breathe, then she was restlessly staring at the ceiling, insisting that movies which she used to love, were "the most boring movies she had ever seen in her life."
The brunette had eventually exhausted herself, and was now zonked out, her head lolling to the side as she slept on the couch. Serena watched her with a smile, in near amazement, wondering what had happened to the perfectly composed Blair Waldorf she used to know. Serena wasn't certain, but she was just thankful that her girlfriend had fallen asleep before the famous Breakfast at Tiffany's rain scene, because if she hadn't, Blair would have surely drowned them both.
*****
"S?" Blair whispered into the darkness of their bedroom, waiting for the blonde to hear her. "S?"
After finally convincing Blair that they should go to sleep in their bed, and not in the living room, Serena had quickly joined her girlfriend in sleeping off the day's events.
"Serena!?"
"Oh my God, what!? What's wrong!?" Serena wailed, after waking up to Blair shouting her name. She couldn't see anything in the pitch black area, but she had already jumped up from the mattress when she suddenly realized that a certain someone had gone silent. "Blair? Blair, what's wrong? Talk to me!"
"What are you doing, Serena?" Blair's serious voice asked her, sounding as if she hadn't just yelled Serena's name in the middle of the night, and as if the blonde shouldn't be worried in the least.
Seconds later, Serena switched on the lamp setting on the night stand next to her and turned to Blair, who was still lying in bed contently. "What do you mean, what am I doing? What are you doing?"
"Oh, I was just wondering if there are any olives in the refrigerator." Blair stated nonchalantly. Either she was playing coy to the fact that she had nearly given Serena a heart attack or she just really wanted olives. The blonde would soon find that is was definitely the olives.
"Are you serious?" Serena asked with a completely straight face, hoping that her girlfriend could stave off her cravings.
Blair stared at her for a moment, taking in her mussed blonde hair and the grogginess in her eyes. "Yes…"
Serena blinked, and then shook her head. "Well then, let me go check and see for you."
"Thank you, S!"
"Oh, you're welcome, B!"
Serena lazily made her way into the kitchen, before throwing open the door of the refrigerator. There were tons of little jars that could have closely resembled that of olives, but after looking at each of them, it was painfully apparent that there were not any olives in the house.
"Blair, there aren't any olives in there…we can get some tomorrow." Serena spoke loudly as she walked back to the bedroom, her voice lowering to a normal volume as she came to stand in the doorway.
"Can't you call someone?" The brunette hit her with another question, as she made a disgusted face.
"For olives? Blair, it's like 2 o'clock in the morning…" Serena answered tiredly, wanting nothing more than to collapse back into the bed.
"I really need them, Serena…maybe you could call the driver to pick some up."
Blair had said the sentence like it was a suggestion, although Serena really knew it was a command. But it was one that could not be made.
"The driver won't come this late…" Serena replied, thinking she had ended the conversation so she could go to sleep again.
"Didn't Lily say that she left the Lexus in the garage?"
"Yes."
These were exactly the types of games Blair was an expert at; Serena had fallen into her trap before she could even discern its presence.
*****
Ten minutes later, Serena was backing her mother's black Lexus LS 600h L out of the garage, fully clothed, while Blair sat next to her in the passenger seat in her expensive silk pajamas, blanket in tow.
"It's a good thing these windows are tinted, I don't think I could handle it if someone saw me like this." Blair announced, as she folded down the visor to inspect her image in the small mirror.
"Definitely…" Serena gave an automatic response. She would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't rubbing them in an attempt to wake up, and gripping the steering wheel tightly to keep the car on the paved driveway, and off of the flawlessly green lawn.
The tall blonde began driving to the nearest store she knew of, as Blair chattered away, basically having a one-sided conversation with herself about her new found love of olives. But when the car's headlights illuminated the dark and empty parking lot of the store, both of the girls' faces fell, each for different reasons.
"It's not open…just like I thought." Serena sighed glumly, and then let her forehead fall onto the top of the steering wheel.
Blair huffed, biting her lip while trying to think of a possible solution. "Okay, I'm calling OnStar, where's the button!?" She reached her hand up, beginning to fumble for a button overhead.
"There is no OnStar, put your hand down, Blair." Serena answered in a monotone voice, following Blair's hand and catching it within her own, before setting it on the seat beside her. "Just don't worry about it, I'll find a store."
The brunette took her hand back, and crossed her arms over her chest, while Serena turned the car around. They proceeded to drive on in relative silence, until finally, after a long series of turning around and reading street signs, they found their way to an open store.
"Oh, thank God!" Serena whispered under her breath, before hastily leaving Blair in the parked car and locking the doors behind her. After all the time they had spent in the car, it took Serena about thirty seconds to grab four jars of green olives, and fumble the money into the very confused looking cashier's hand.
"We are never going back to that store again."
"Why?" Blair quizzed, waiting rather impatiently for Serena to uncap one of the jars for her, as they sat in the parking lot.
"Because that cashier surely thinks that I am a dazed alcoholic who loves her martinis." Serena said, and then had to laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. Even though she had certainly done crazier things for Blair, there was no questioning that.
*****
"Are you about finished with those?" Serena yawned, absent mindedly playing with dark brown strands of hair, as Blair munched on her olives while lying in her lap on the couch once more. She was eating her prized snack in a meticulous fashion; first taking out the pimento, before eating the actual olive itself.
"I suppose…here, take them away from me." Blair told her, and Serena very willingly retired the jar to the side table next to them. The blonde then switched positions, moving to lie down with Blair on her side.
Blair was smiling contently, as she brought her hands to rest on either side of Serena's face. "Have I told you how much I love you lately?"
"Probably, but you can tell me again…" Serena answered, her lips parting in a bright grin.
"Well, I love you so much, Serena…you're the best girlfriend I've ever had."
"I love you too, but I'm the only girlfriend you've ever had."
"You forgot best."
TBC
Hey! Thanks for sticking with me, even though it's taking a ridiculous amount of time for me to update...sorry!!! Just a couple more chatpers and then it's baby time, yay!!!