Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
"How are you today, Charlotte?" Doctor Coffey asked as Chuck and Charlotte entered her office. Charlotte responded with a shy smile. "Is Blair joining us?"
"Blair went back to work today," Chuck told her as Charlotte's grip on her father's shoulder tightened. She was not happy having to be in the doctor's office, and she clearly was not happy with the small talk that was prolonging her stay. "She wanted to be here, but I convinced her to focus on her work today."
"That must be hard for Mrs. Bass," Doctor Coffey surmised.
"It is," Chuck nodded as Doctor Coffey held out her arms to Charlotte to see if she would come to her. Charlotte responded by hugging her daddy tighter.
"She still doesn't like me, does she?" Doctor Coffey concluded with an exaggerated pout.
"She doesn't seem to mind you that much," Chuck assured Doctor Coffey. "She's not screaming as she tends to do when someone is around that she doesn't like. Her Grandma Eleanor has been on the receiving end of a few screeches. You're more familiar than she is."
"How's her balance been?" Doctor Coffey asked as she took her otoscope and peered in Charlotte's ears, one after the other. Charlotte began whining in protest, but fortunately she held still.
"She's been walking around without any trouble," Chuck told her, "In fact, she's starting to play hide and go seek with us if we take our eyes off of her for more than a few moments. She's faster than she looks."
"No more tumbling over?" Doctor Coffey pressed as she made notes in Charlotte's chart.
"No more than is usual for a toddler just learning to walk," he responded. "When she falls, it's usually on her hands and knees, not her face, so we've made definite progress."
"Ears look healthy," Doctor Coffey told him, "Those tubes are holding tight."
"Any chance they'll need to be reinserted after they fall out?" Chuck inquired as he tried to pry Charlotte's fingers apart so that the circulation would resume in his index finger that she was holding so tight.
"It's a possibility," Doctor Coffey acknowledged, "But her ears will be further developed by then and perhaps the problem will be resolved. We'll have to continue to monitor her."
"I spoke to my physician. He reviewed my medical files. Apparently I was prone to ear infections as a child. They tried to tubes three times before they moved on to the tonsil and adenoid removal," Chuck informed her. He'd been going back and forth with his PI for too long, and Blair finally convinced him to call his doctor just the week prior.
"We're a long ways away from that," she assured him. "Besides Charlotte is far too young to even consider that."
"She started talking last week," Chuck told her.
"That's fantastic!" Doctor Coffey exclaimed. "Let me guess, her first word was 'Dada'."
"'Mama' actually," Chuck corrected her. Doctor Coffey looked at him in surprise. "I'd been teaching her the word for awhile. I think it was more important to Blair than it was to me. I know how attached Charlotte is to me. Blair is not nearly as certain of their bond."
"That's very sweet, Mister Bass," Doctor Coffey smiled at him.
"Blair and I are discussing adding to our family," he told her.
"So soon," Doctor Coffey responded in surprise.
"Too soon?" he inquired. He thought he heard something in her voice that told him that Charlotte wasn't ready for a sibling yet.
"Not at all," Doctor Coffey assured him, "I just assumed that with Blair returning to work that additional children would be put on hold for awhile."
"If Blair had her way, she'd already be pregnant," he chuckled, "But I felt it was important to her to get back into the swing of things at the office before we jumped back into it. Two children will be more time consuming than one."
"It certainly is," Doctor Coffey laughed, "But seeing the two of you with Charlotte, I think you'll be able to handle it. Honestly Mister Bass, the majority of my patients are children from Upper East Side parents, and you and Blair are without a doubt the two most devoted parents I have met."
"It comes from the abandonment issues we both dealt with as children. My mother died giving birth to me. My father was mostly absent from my life until he died. Blair's dad showered her with affection until he suddenly up and moved to France to live with his lover. Her mother was there to criticize on occasion, but was never really the hands on sort. We were both determined that when our time came that we would be for our children what our parents hadn't been to us," he explained.
"I assure you that Charlotte will not suffer through those same issues, not with the way you and Blair dote over her," Doctor Coffey smiled.
After a thorough exam, Charlotte was given a clean bill of health, and the pair where sent on their way. After a short jaunt through Central Park, in which Chuck was careful to keep any penguins or carousel reminders out of Charlotte's view, they returned to the penthouse to prepare for Blair's impending arrival home.
A wonderland of pink peonies greeted Blair as she stepped off the elevator, with Charlotte holding one in her hand, which she was extending to Blair as she waddled towards her.
"What is all this?" Blair inquired as she surveyed the penthouse with wonder as she picked up Charlotte and hugged her tight, taking the flower from her daughter's hand and threading it through the little headband her daughter was wearing.
"Just a little welcome home gift," Chuck told her as he handed her a deep red rose before he kissed her deeply.
"It's good to be home," Blair sighed as she spoke against his lips before she resumed the kiss.
He momentarily forgot about the welcome home surprise he had planned for his wife, that was until Blair spotted the trail of roses that led to their bedroom.
"What is all this?" Blair inquired as she started along the path of roses, which led in two directions. Naturally she turned to follow the path towards her bedroom.
"Wait," Chuck told her as he reached out to grab her wrist before she could get out of his grasp. "That is for after we get Charlotte to sleep."
"What are we waiting for?" she inquired with an urgency in her voice that amused him.
"Patience, Beautiful," he chuckled as Charlotte leaned over while reaching out for Chuck, "She hasn't eaten yet, and she needs her nightly fairytale then you can have yours."
"Come on, Charlotte," Blair replied as she distracted Charlotte enough so she could carry her towards the elegantly set dinner table complete with his wife's favorite meal.
"How did your first day back go?" he inquired as she set Charlotte up in her high chair. "I hope we didn't disturb you with our impromptu visit."
"Quite the contrary," she assured him, "Your visit inspired me. I had serious case of designer's block that suddenly vanished when you and Charlotte appeared. I actually found the perfect idea for my new line."
"I'm happy for you," he replied as Blair began feeding Charlotte while ignoring the gourmet meal in front of her.
"I missed you today, Charlotte," Blair sighed as she wiped the bit of food that dribbled down Charlotte's chin.
"She missed you too," Chuck assured her as Blair leaned in to kiss Charlotte's forehead.
"Do you mind if I read her the fairytale this evening?" she inquired.
He shook his head to let her know he was okay with her request. He suddenly realized if her meal was going to be eaten he would have to feed her as she fed Charlotte as she was too distracted by her pent up longing for her daughter to have any thought of taking care of herself. He reached for her plate and wrapped several strands of pasta around her fork before he tapped her shoulder to get her attention.
"You need to eat too, Beautiful," Chuck told her as he held the food to her lips. She nodded before her lips closed around the fork, pulling the food into her mouth. "Such a seductress," he groaned lustfully as her tongue came out to wipe her lips.
Blair then turned her attention back to Charlotte. "Daddy has that look on his face," Blair told her daughter, "It's the one that says we both need to hurry up and eat, so you can get to bed and he can have his way with me. Well, Little Girl, you take all the time you need. Lesson number one on how to handle men: make them wait for it. It makes the payoff so much more worth it."
"I'd appreciate you not teaching my daughter your seduction tactics," he teasingly scolded her, "She's already too adorable for her own good."
"Lesson number two: if he punches you in the sandbox on the playground, give him a second chance. He may actually turn out to be the love of your life," Blair mused as she sent Chuck a teasing smile.
"I didn't punch you. I'd never hit a woman," he chuckled, "I pinched you. There is a world of different, and you chased me around the playground trying to kiss me in retaliation. If only I'd had the sense to just stand still and let you have your way with me back then."
It was Blair's turn to laugh as the memory returned with perfect clarity as he fed her another bite of pasta.
"How about I just have my way with you later," she offered just before she took the second bite from him.
"Sounds like a perfect evening," he replied as he wiped a bit of sauce off her lip with his thumb.
After both Blair and Charlotte had finished their dinner, Blair lifted Charlotte out of her high chair and carried her to her bedroom to get her ready for bed. Charlotte was in a playful mood as she fought with her mother as she tried to get her in her pajamas.
"Come on, Charlotte, be a good girl for mommy," Blair pleaded with her daughter. "The sooner you get into your pajamas, the sooner you get your bedtime story, and the sooner mommy gets her bedtime with daddy."
Chuck was laughing silently from his observation spot against Charlotte's bedroom door. Blair hadn't realized he was there yet, but Charlotte had as she kept pointing towards him and giggling. Chuck waved back before encouraging Charlotte to sit still all without Blair realizing he was the influence that calmed their daughter down so she could finally be dressed.
"Daddy will probably be able to tell this story better than I will," Blair told her daughter as she sat with her in the rocking chair, "But I'm going to give it a shot.
"Once upon a time, there was a princess by the name of Blair. She had everything she had ever asked for . . . material wealth, servants to wait on her hand and foot, minions to do her bidding . . . and a prince," Blair sighed, "Although Prince Nathaniel was handsome, he was just not the prince she needed. See this prince, as well intentioned as he was, didn't stir the feelings inside the princess that she knew there needed to be to have a happy and satisfying life.
"One day, a mysterious, yet strangely familiar prince entered her kingdom and swept her off her feet. Before Princess Blair knew it she was giving Prince Charles the one thing that she held dear, her heart. The prince was terrified at first, for he had never been given such a precious gift, but Princess Blair, having always been given everything she had ever wanted, was persistent. She wore Prince Charles down until he realized that he too loved Princess Blair. Finally one fateful day, he was waiting outside his Palace, gifts and flowers in hand, ready to give her the one thing she desired above anything else . . . his heart. He swept her off her feet and they never looked back. While they lived happily ever after, that is most certainly not the end to their fairytale, for they became the king and queen of their kingdom, and were blessed with an even getter gift, their very own princess, who is the most beautiful little girl in not only the kingdom, but also the world."
"I'm impressed," Chuck finally spoke up as he knelt next to them, "Except you forgot to characterize Princess Nathaniel as dimwitted, and you didn't include the part where Princess Blair hypnotized Prince Charles with her sultry dance at Victrola. That is a key detail to our story, Beautiful."
"Forgive me for skipping that little detail. She's only thirteen and a half months old. I'd figured I'd keep that small detail a secret until her wedding day," Blair replied as she reached out to caress his chin softly.
Chuck closed his eyes to savor the feel of her palm skimming across his face. He was suddenly rose up to capture Blair's lips, the force of his kiss surprising his wife as she gasped while simultaneously granting him the access that he sought.
"Dada," Charlotte spoke out. Her voice was as clear as a bell.
Chuck froze against Blair's lips. His eyes went wide as the two syllables repeated in his head.
"It's about time," Blair laughed out as Charlotte repeated the word again as Chuck began raining kisses all across Charlotte's face.
Charlotte continued to giggle as she stared up at her father with her innocent chocolate brown eyes. Those eyes that would forever melt his heart and make him give her the world.
Chuck took her in his arms and hugged her tight as he spun her around. Had she the ability to ask for anything in the world in that moment, he would have given it to her.
Later that evening, he would pull his wife down the rose covered path to their bedroom and seduce her, but for now he would enjoy the time with his wife and their beautiful daughter. For through his child's eyes, he was the man he had always wanted to be, happy.
And so we have reached the end . . . yeah right. Something else will be along shortly.
So I've complied a list of all your ideas, (which were awesome, thank you) let them churn around in my head for a few days and popped out a few ideas. Now I need you all to decide for me. The option with the most votes will be written.
1) Chuck and Blair celebrate the one year anniversary of the start of their relationship and them dealing with issues that resurfaced during their first year together (would take place after 'Don't Let it Be True')
2) Chuck and Blair navigating parenthood as they try to tackle the issue of their son Brice acting out (would take place after 'Seven Year Itch').
Let me know what you think. I'll start writing as soon as I know what you all want to read. Note that I am not opposed to writing both, but I can only focus on one at a time, so if you all want them both, I will do it. Keep an eye out. As always, thank you for reading and the encouraging reviews.