A/N - First things first, to Teddy Bear, The Joker HA, Blood Red Kiss of Death, 89, YouSure, al2010, missDK, Lauren1102, 23, Gaara-LOve, Brenda, mary1415, dancing-supastar, jumper, Agent Twinkle Toes, princetongirl, JustJude, hannahbby[:, Edwardslover09, NB, Kensley-Jackson, mystripedskirt, JoJo.x, Winnie, :D, Zoe, Laurienlaurie, Jenny345, Heavenlydoll, sheri.808, and flipped, I HEART YOU ALL for your reviews you lovely people :)

Secondly, apologies for my crappy updating. Seriously, I'm on a break from uni and I've worked harder than I ever do when I'm there. I've had two days off out of two weeks, and in that time I've managed to put together half a presentation I have to do when I get back :( Not fun. Still, I've finally gotten this chapter completed, and you might be pleased to know that I'm halfway through writing number 20, which leads me onto my next point...

Chapter 20 (i.e, the one after this) features none other than Dan Humphrey. I had to give him a part in this because it was too much to resist. Four words people: Lacrosse team in Providence... :P

Enjoy xxx

Five Doors Down

Chapter 19: Possessions

The plane ride back had been almost unbearable for Blair. She'd wanted to ask Nate what had happened between him and Serena down at the beach, had wanted to tell him that she'd slept with his best friend, if only for revenge (again) and she'd wanted to tell Chuck that she was sorry, because as much as she had wanted what they'd had that night, the context had been all wrong. And she felt stupid now, because he'd always said he knew her better than anyone else. He should have known to say no.

They'd been back nearly two weeks, and for that time all had been quiet on the Chuck/Nate front other than a few lewd comments from the Bass about library sex and the like, but that was nothing she didn't experience on a regular occurrence anyway.

"Oh my God Blair, skiing is totally the new Spring Break recreational sport." Cassie exclaimed, fresh from spending the remainder of their break at her parents' as she dumped the biggest case Blair had ever seen inside of the doorway.

"Er, what?"

"Isn't that what you guys would say on the Upper East Side?" The blonde questioned.

"No."

"Oh."

"We're not a different breed Cassie." Blair laughed as her friend raised an eyebrow. "Okay fine whatever, but we don't speak like that. That's a Laguna Beach-ism. And recreational sport? Who says that?"

"Miaow." She screeched, her hands making claw-type shapes. "van der Woodsen piss you off?"

"No, not at all, and for the record, she's not Laguna Beach."

"Probably dates guys from there though."

"Doubt it." Blair muttered into her green tea and lemon.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"There was some serious hooking-up taking place in TJ huh?" Cassie squealed wide-eyed as she sat down beside Blair. "Come on, I want details. You and Nate do it?"

"No Nate and did not 'do it'" The brunette replied with air quotes. "We didn't do anything."

"Sexual tension's a bitch." The blonde nodded.

"What? Cassie no, will you let me tell you without interrupting to ask high school-style questions?"

"Sorry."

Blair glared at her friend again who pulled her finger across her lips after apologising (again) in a whisper. "I did something I shouldn't have, or… did someone I shouldn't have."

"Oh my God did you have sex with a lifeguard?!" Cassie burst out, much to Blair's horror. "Look I'm sorry, this is exciting news and you're not getting to the point fast enough. I need to clear up any questions I may have."

Right on cue, Chuck strode into their dorm holding a bunch of flowers. They were chrysanthemums. She knew what that meant.

"For you Waldorf." He held out the bunch and so took them somewhat cautiously as Cassie eyed the pair of them.

"Flowers?"

"I wanted to ask you something. In private."

Blair looked at Cassie and then looked back at Chuck with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever you want to ask me, you can ask me right now."

He grinned and shrugged. "Okay. Well I was just thinking how much I enjoyed our fornication in that delightful little Oceanside Travelodge and I thought you might want to do it again seeing as I know you enjoyed it too."

She felt herself going red but tried to keep face. "And what made you think that?"

"I'm not sure…" He trailed off, appearing to look thoughtful. "It might have been the way you moaned my name or the way you dug your nails into my back, or-"

"Eww gross. I do not want to hear this." Cassie shuddered, covering her ears with her palms. "Chuck can you relive your sexcapades with Blair elsewhere?"

"I asked Waldorf for a word in private. She was the one who said anything I wanted to say could be said in front of you."

"Yeah, well I wasn't consulted so I'm just going to leave now." She raised her eyebrows at Blair before leaving. "Bye."

"Dinner." Chuck said with the smallest of smiles. "Tonight, at Union League."

"Don't you need a reservation to eat there?"

"Got one."

"And am I just some random that you're taking to fill up the other place or did you just assume that I'd say yes?"

"You'd never be just some random" Chuck replied, brushing her jaw line with his lips, just near enough to her ear so that it provoked the slightest of gasps. "And for the record." He added, opening the door to let himself out. "I knew you'd say yes."

-

"Hey Cassie!" Nate smiled as the blonde shut his door behind her and he walked over to offer her a hug. "How was Aspen?"

"Actually it was amazing." She replied. "Asher's family, huge, but so nice."

"You remember all their names?" He laughed.

"Are you kidding? I didn't stand a chance. I don't think I actually addressed anybody by their name. Well, except Ash."

"So it's getting pretty serious with you two then?"

"I don't know." Cassie shrugged. "I mean, we have a great time together but it's not like we've done the whole 'I love you' thing. Not like Chuck and Blair apparently."

"What?"

"Er, what?" Cassie repeated, panicking.

"Chuck and Blair love each other?"

"No. I don't know. He just brought her flowers."

"When?"

"Just now. That's why I'm here."

"He brought her flowers?" Nate frowned, sitting down. "Oh."

"Maybe he just saw them and thought of Blair." She reasoned, knowing full well what the chrysanthemums he'd handed to her symbolised: her loved her too.

"Maybe." He muttered in response. Nate knew Chuck. He didn't just buy people flowers because he saw them and thought of that person. There was always a reason behind everything.

"So anyway." Cassie continued. "How was Tijuana?"

"Pretty epic."

"Wow, that good huh?"

"Try two days spent at the hospital." Nate replied. "Not so good."

"Woah, what happened?"

"Serena got spiked and fell and hit her head. They had to pump her stomach."

"That sucks."

"I know. And I kind of blamed it on Blair."

"What? Why?"

"I didn't mean to." He reasoned. "I just…I took it out on her and I shouldn't have, and then we kind of stopped talking for a few days, and Chuck took her side obviously."

Cassie shook her head. "Not obviously Nate."

"I did apologise, I just…I feel bad, I really do. But Serena's kinda lonely out there in California and I just wanted to make her feel sort of protected, you know? And then she got spiked because we weren't watching her and-"

"She's an adult now Nate." Cassie cut in. "You can't expect to watch her all the time. It's not your fault and it certainly isn't Blair's fault."

"I know. And there was something I should have told Blair that happened between Serena and me, but I guess I just didn't know how to, and now we've been back for like, two weeks and if I tell her now she's going to think I'm making it a big deal and it's totally not a big deal but-"

"Nate you're gabbling." Cassie cut in gently, placing a hand on his arm as he sighed out loud.

"Sorry. Serena kissed me. It was when we were on the beach in Oceanside, just me and her and wanted to tell Blair, I really did, but…the last time Serena and I kissed it was when I was dating Blair and when she found out she slept with Chuck. I just…I didn't want that to happen again, and now Chuck's buying her flowers and probably trying to sleep with her again."

"Would that be so bad?" Cassie asked. "If they did sleep together I mean."

"I think. No, I don't know."

"What?"

"I think I like Blair. Like, really like her."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Nate sighed again. "And I guess I'm too late."

-

"Oooh hello." Cassie laughed, raising an eyebrow as Blair stepped out from their bedroom in a tight dark red dress and dark brown peep-toe slingbacks. "Sexy much?"

"Too much?" Blair asked, twirling slowly to give Cassie an all-round view, a smirk playing on her lips as her curls fell around her shoulders.

"For Chuck Bass? I'd say perfect."

The girls shared a smile as there was a knock on the door: Nate.

"Hey Cass, I was just- wow." He shut the door and glanced up and down at Blair who was tweaking the chrysanthemums from earlier in their vase. "You look nice."

"Thanks." She smiled again, somewhat awkwardly as she left the flowers alone.

"Where's he taking you?"

"Union League."

"I've heard it's nice there."

"Well people have been saying you need a reservation so I guess it's pretty popular."

Nate nodded. "I was just coming to see whether you knew if Asher's playing in the game against Brown?

Cassie nodded. "I think he said he was. He's in tonight though if you wanted to ask him. I'm heading over there in a bit if you want to come?"

"Sounds good. I've just got some laundry to do and then I'll be back up here in an hour if that fits in with you?"

"Sure."

"Okay, so I'll go then." He forced a smile at the girls who smiled back. "Have a nice time Blair."

"Thanks." She replied softly, letting out a breath that she didn't know she was holding as he closed the door behind him and she turned to Cassie. "How does he-"

"I might have accidentally told him about the flowers Chuck bought you earlier." Cassie replied. "But come on Blair, couldn't you have told him earlier?"

"Well it's not like I've known about tonight for a long time, you were here when Chuck asked me to dinner. It was only a couple hours ago!"

"No, I wasn't here when Chuck asked you to dinner. I was here when he recounted your Tijuana sex life that Nate clearly doesn't know about."

"It wasn't Tijuana, it was Oceanside."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. It would've been better coming from you."

"Well what was I supposed to say? Hey Nate, I slept with Chuck again because I saw you and Serena getting it on on the beach. Oh, and by the way, now we're going out on a date."

"You slept with Chuck for revenge?" Cassie asked, surprised.

"No." Blair shook her head. "Because I wanted to. But if I hadn't seen Nate and Serena…I don't know…we probably wouldn't have."

"So you know about Nate and Serena?"

"Yes I know. How do you?"

"Nate told me. He said that Serena kissed him when they were at the beach."

"While Chuck and I were…"

"Having sex."

"I was going to say showering."

Their laughing was interrupted by Blair's cell beeping. "It's Chuck." She said, reading the message. "He says to meet him out front."

"Why would he say that?"

Blair shrugged. "I don't know."

"Look at you!" Cassie exclaimed playfully. "You're excited."

"Am not."

"Yes you are, you're doing that smiling thing that gives you dimples."

"That's just my smile."

"I know. It's your proper smile. Which means you actually want to go on this date."

"Okay personal shrink, have you finished analysing me so I can go?"

"Go!" Cassie laughed. "And have a good time."

"You got a limo?" Blair asked as she reached the gates at the front of the campus to meet Chuck, who was wearing probably the most Upper East Side-esque suit she'd ever seen. Still, the red pinstripes and bow tie matched her dress perfectly and as he handed her a single red chrysanthemum with a tiny bow around its stem to match the bunch from earlier, a smile crept across her lips as any thoughts of Nate drifted from her mind. And she couldn't help but think that this was how senior year should have been.

"For old time's sake." He replied, opening the door for her to climb in.

-

"Blair!" Nate called down the hallway of the communications block. "Blair!"

"Hey." She smiled after turning around to meet the boy half-jogging towards her.

"Hey, how are you?"

"You mean how did my date with Chuck go?"

"That obvious?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Just a little."

"So are you busy right now or…"

"I have an hour before class." She shrugged. "I was going to the library but if you asked me whether I'd like to go for a cup of green tea instead I might be persuaded."

Nate smiled. "In that case Miss Waldorf, would you like to go for a cup of green tea?"

She pretended to think for a minute and then laughed. "Since you asked, I'd like that."

They made small talk for a few minutes, chatted about Cassie and Asher and Nate's laundry malfunction from a few days previous which had resulted in one of his favourite shirts turning a dirty grey colour, and discussed the pitfalls of Tijuana for another future Spring Break destination.

"So I have to tell you something." Nate began, setting down his coffee on their table. "And I know I should have told you before now, but I couldn't find the right moment."

"Okay."

"Serena kissed me when we were in Oceanside. I know by saying that she kissed me it makes it sounds like it was all her. I'm not, but just so you know. And I didn't immediately pull away."

"Okay."

"And then I did. But I just wanted to tell you even though nothing's going to happen. I just thought you should know."

"I appreciate you telling me." Blair replied, trying to act in a way that didn't make it known this was information she already knew. "But why can't anything happen between you two?"

"Well there's the opposite sides of the country thing." Nate replied with a small smile. "And then there's you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. But you're with Chuck now so it's fine."

"Fine?" She questioned. Suddenly everything didn't seem so.

"I'm cool with it. Chuck's happy, you're happy…you are happy right?"

She smiled, properly again, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for telling me. And I am happy."

Her lips against his skin weren't what he'd expected. And they were something he wasn't sure he could handle. "Uh, I've just remembered that I've left my coffee machine on. I'll have to go check on it."

"I'll come with you." Blair offered.

"No, you haven't finished your tea. Stay, you've got class in half an hour anyway."

"Okay. Are you sure you don't remember turning it off? It's not like you to leave it on past 12."

He shrugged. "I think all this studying's making me forgetful."

She laughed and he grabbed his books from their pile on the floor. "I'll see you later."

"See you later."

"Oh and Blair?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're happy. If it is with Chuck. It's good."

-

"How was class?" Cassie asked as Blair returned, Chuck and Nate already devouring pastries in the girls' kitchen area.

"Hard." Blair replied. "And I'm tired."

"Well I got you a pastry treat." The blonde smiled, waving a brown paper bag at the brunette. "And it's your favourite."

"Maple pecan." Blair smiled, taking the bag from Cassie's outstretched hand. "Great, I-" She stopped mid-sentence, clasping her hand to her mouth before running to the bathroom.

"Blair?" Her friend asked with a concerned expression as they heard her emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"I'll see if she's okay." Nate said, walking towards the bathroom before Chuck stopped him.

"No. I'll go."

His tone meant that Nate left him to it, glancing at Cassie as they heard Chuck turn the tap and rinse a flannel under the water.

"I'm fine Chuck." They heard her say somewhat weakly. "I think it was just the smell of the pastry. And I was hungry. Maybe I should have something savoury instead."

And with that, the bathroom door opened and the two of them came back out again and as he watched Blair rest again Chuck, he knew what they were: she was his.