Hello? There's a question mark after that one. I don't ask for reviews as a general rule… but to go from 26 to 15? Ouch. Did I do something? Did I insult you? Kick your dog? Or was it the lack of Harry Bass? I will cater to my audience. More Harry for you. But now I slightly want to punish you. I'm vindictive that way. I'm gonna let you all worry about that one. Anyhoo... I was in the mood to write this. Here we go…

Chuck lay on his stomach, his arms shoved up under his pillow and his face buried deep in its softness. Blair lay on her side, facing him, and couldn't take her eyes off of him. It had been a tense couple of weeks since her confrontation with Jack, but he had since slipped off the radar and no one seemed to be able to find him. However, that was not what was keeping Blair up tonight. As her eyes traced over the relaxed muscles of his shoulders, they followed the slope of his back to the perfect curve of his butt. God he was sexy. God she was horny!

She inched a little closer to him, and the heat from his body emanating out from under his pajamas did nothing to help her. She reached out and her finger started twirling a lock of hair near his ear, and she leaned in to whisper his name seductively. Nothing. She frowned, but didn't give up. She was a Waldorf… Bass. Either way, she was good at this. Releasing his hair, she gently tugged the blankets away, and she let her fingertips trail along his back, smiling as she felt the muscles twitch under her touch.

"Blair, please tell me your craving of the moment is for food…" Chuck complained into his pillow.

She bit her lip and there was an anticipatory gleam in her eye, and she felt his body tense as her hand traveled over his bottom and headed straight for—

"Blair!" Chuck snapped as he quickly lifted his head from the pillow but not turning to look at her. He knew he'd be a goner if he looked at her. "No."

"Chuck…"

"No means no." He said as he concentrated on staring at the patterned headboard. "Now if you'd kindly remove your hand from my pants and go to sleep…"

"Chuck!" She frowned and whimpered a little as she pressed herself against him. "Please… Just once more…"

"Forget it. I've performed my husbandly duties—twice—tonight and now I'm sleeping." He said firmly, putting his face back down in his pillow, trying not to remember their time in the bath tonight or after as he worshipped her in their bed. It was a matter of principal now.

Blair huffed and pulled herself up to sit against the headboard. "Look, last time around on the pregnancy hormone roller coaster I was on my own to handle my needs."

"Please tell me you mean that literally…" He cut in from the depth of his pillow.

She ignored his words but grumbled on. "Do you think it was easy to be single, pregnant and in a heightened amorous state? It led my father to have a serious and very uncomfortable conversation with me over my perceived sexual harassment of Jean-Pierre the pool boy."

She heard him snicker into his pillow and her hand landed hard on his shoulder.

"Chuuuuck!" Blair whined as she squirmed.

He lifted his head and finally looked at her with a scowl. "Waldorf, I have a conference skype with London early tomorrow morning and then we have that benefit that night. I need sleep." He bit out.

"Fine! Sleep." She half shouted and flipped and huffed onto her side, facing away from his as he shoved his head back down.

A few minutes ticked by and Blair was still wired. All she could think about was sex and Chuck. Both of which seemed out of reach at the moment. Then she remembered she'd survived this need before.

Damn her! Chuck thought as he lay there trying to relax and ignore the hard-on that throbbed beneath him. He had been sleeping. Content. And now look at him. But he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of… satisfaction. He wasn't going to let her win, so instead he lay there trying to will his body to get over it. Chuck thought in might be working… but then he heard her moan softly next to him.

A second later he heard her whimper, "Oui… Oui…" and he lifted his head to stare incredulously at the back of her slightly rocking and undulating form.

"Blair!" He snapped. She was thinking about that fucking pool boy, he knew it!

"Shhh!" Blair managed, clearly close to the edge.

Chuck shoved himself up and pulled down his pajama bottoms before molding his body to the back of hers.

"I swear if I hear you say Jean-Pierre…" He bit out hot and angry, as he maneuvered her body into position and set off the fires only he could start and only he could put out.

Blair couldn't help but laugh in triumph. That had been too easy. However he had one thing wrong. In her mind, Chuck had been her pool boy, but she wasn't going to tell him that, she thought as she snickered to herself… but that flew out of her head with a gasp. The man really was brilliant. Best pool boy ever.

The next morning Blair smiled happily satisfied at the table for breakfast. A grumpy Chuck had left earlier for his meeting, but she had been able to stay in bed another two hours. In her mind it had all been worth it.

Harry sat next to her and pushed his food around on his plate. Blair raised a brow at the silent treatment he had given both of his parents this morning.

"I take it you heard we're going out tonight?" She asked him with a raise eyebrow.

He looked at her mutinously for a moment before purposely angling his body away from her as if she wasn't there. Blair sighed heavily. "Harry, Daddy and I will both be here when you eat and we won't be leaving till after your bedtime. If you hadn't have snooped, you wouldn't have even known we were gone."

"I would to! I'd know if we all weren't together!" His ire dissipated and his voice became sad. "Don't you love me anymore, Mama?" He asked with giant eyes.

Blair sat back truly aghast. The angle of his face… The way his lip trembled… His body language… His every intonation…

"God, you're good." She mused truly impressed but not at all snared. Game recognized game… and she suddenly felt the need to call and apologize to her mother, only Blair knew she wouldn't because her mother had told her years ago that she wished on Blair a child in her own image. She hadn't indicated if that was a complement or not.

Harry in the meantime scowled at his play being blown out of the water. "Fine, go… But I want two desserts at dinner!"

And with that Harry got up, whipped his napkin off his lap and slammed it down in his chair before stomping out of the room. Blair rolled her eyes and ran a hand over her heavy stomach. "You better not be taking notes in there."

She was just popping a blackberry into her mouth when Dorota came in and placed a green book on the table by Blair.

"What is this?" Blair asked with a raise brow.

Dorota smiled. "Is book."

"I can see that it's a book, Dorota. I've lost my waist, not my eyes. What is it doing here?"

"Is Giving Tree. I used to read it to Ana every night, but I think now is time for Mr. Harry. He'd like it. Is about how we treat each other… maybe to him some good." Dorota teased.

"No."

"What?"

"No. Thank you, but no." Blair said with disdain and handed the book back. "I abhor this book."

"Why am I not surprised…" Dorota commented with a raised eyebrow.

Blair sat up a little straighter and looked at Dorota with narrowed eyes. "Have you read the Giving Tree?"

"Yes… you remember when I say I read it to Ana two minutes ago? That was me."

Blair ignored the sarcasm. "Did you not notice that the tree was gendered female? No? I thought not. This book highlights everything that is wrong between male and female relationships. The girl gives, and gives and the mean, selfish little boy just takes and takes till she's nothing left but a stump… and even then she STILL lets him sit on her. Read that to Harry? No thank you." Blair finished and handed the book back to a stunned Dorota.

Than afternoon Blair made it a point to hit the bookstore for her own choice of book for Harry. She spotted a cover that she remembered reading as a child… but that she couldn't quite remember the story. She vaguely remembered it was about an older sister who learned to love and care for her baby sibling. Blair thought that might be what Harry needed. She also figured anything was better than the Giving Tree and she headed to the cashier.

That night Blair sat in Harry's bed with him cuddled up to her side, her formal ball gown was spread out around them and Harry had taken to using the full skirt as a blanket, and she read the Maurice Sendak's Outside Over There. It was the creepiest freaking book Blair had ever read, and she almost couldn't believe that she kept going. She could only hope that he'd hate it… and demand to read the Giving Tree. At least the Giving Tree wouldn't scar him for life… Blair felt scarred for life.

Finally she shut the book as she read the last sentence and looked down at his head that rested against the large swell of her stomach. Harry shifted so his doe eyes met hers. She knew those eyes. She had taught those eyes everything she knew, so she was ready for what came next.

"One more time."

Damn. Luckily she had an out. "Sorry, sweetheart. Mommy has to finish getting ready."

"Do you and Daddy really have to go out tonight?" He grumbled for the millionth time.

"Yes, Harry." Blair sighed. She knew what was coming next.

"Why can't I come?"

"Because it's a formal—"

"I have my own suit!" He piped up.

"—adult party." She finished, emphasizing the word 'adult'.

Harry scowled but put his head back down against Blair's belly. Blair flinched and Harry jumped as the baby landed a sharp kick… right around the area where Harry rested his cheek. Harry scowled and nudged Blair's stomach with the palm of his hand.

"Harry!" Blair gasped, not hurt but surprised.

"It started it." He grumbled as he cuddled back into her, careful to avoid the offending lump. In his head he anointed the baby that. Lump.

Blair raised her eyes to the ceiling, counted to one hundred, and tried to assure herself that since goblins didn't exist her baby was in no danger of being handed off to them by its older brother… she hoped. By the time she finished her count he was asleep in her arms.

"What am I going to do with you?" She mused with a smile.

"Hope that if his little brother or sister is anything like him that he can give it out as well as take it?" Chuck mused from the door.

"Ha. Ha." She said drolly but then smiled at him. "Help me?"

She was weighed down by both the child on her inside and the child on the outside, and Chuck came over and gently rolled Harry over and then helped Blair stand. With that done he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Harry's head before turning and placing a hand on the small of Blair's back as they exited the room. Three hours later his arm rested behind her chair as the finished their ten thousand dollar a plate meal, and Blair glanced over at him. "We're stopping at McDonald's on the way home."

Chuck cringed at her newfound love of the chain's French Fries, but nodded. As the plates were cleared music started to place and he saw Blair look out onto the dance floor longingly. He stood and she looked up at him confused, and he bowed with a lopsided grin and extended one hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Her eyes lit on him, and she smiled as she placed her hand in his. Then she was in his arms on the dance floor and she felt eighteen again.

"You're quiet… What are you thinking about?" He asked at her dreamy look and smile, which only broadened as she met his eyes.

"Oh… I'm sorry… did you want me to speak? Usually you just want me to shut up and dance with you." She teased.

Chuck smiled at the memory, and it was one that didn't even hurt anymore. That had been the night his father had died, and he thought he'd never be able to think of that night or the nights after it without feeling that loss, that pain, that sense of being completely adrift and alone in the world. He held her a little tighter as he thought about how it didn't hurt because this one woman had changed it all. She had nagged and berated him into accepting Lily and her children as his family. She had given him in-laws that called to talk about holidays, and dinners and all the things he'd seen on television that he'd secretly craved. She had given him a son, and soon she would give him another child. She had given him a family… but before everything else she had given him herself. She was the beginning and the end of everything good he had and would ever have in his life. As he squeezed her hand, she looked up at him, confused by the emotions that crossed his face.

"Chuck?" She asked, pressing against him a little as if she felt his need to be closer and wanted the same.

"Blair, I—"

"May I cut in?" A too familiar voice sneered.

In shock Blair and Chuck looked over to see Jack standing less than a metre away. Chuck immediately turned to him as he pressed Blair behind him.

"Aww! How sweet!" Jack mocked his nephew's protective stance.

"Stay away from her." Chuck growled.

"I don't think so…" Jack said with a smile, but then turned around and walked out of the event.

"Stay here." Chuck told Blair as he moved to follow Jack.

She was three steps behind him as they made it out to the top of the stairs that led out of the building. Jack was easy to spot as he stood on the sidewalk and he opened his arms wide.

"Mrs. Bass, nephew of mine… this is only the beginning!" He declared as he stepped back to leave with a dramatic flourish. He really should have invested a moment in Sesame Street safety. He never saw the garbage truck that hit him full-force coming.

TahDAH! The Giving Tree keeps popping up in my life and I forever hate it. I babysat this little boy who LOVED me to read it to him… possibly because I read it with a monster voice and like… "The mean, selfish, spoiled rotten little boy…" Oh, and… GO Canucks!