Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews and feedback on the previous chapter. I greatly appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Author's Address to Questions:
How long does it take to write chapters?: It takes me a day and a half if I'm not busy, maybe three if I am.
How do you procede when write a sequel?: I feel like that's a set up question. Lol. I listen to a lot of music and think of storylines. I believe songs have a story behind them, so I think of the characters then think of what path I want to take them on that is logical to their path all ready.
Do I brainstorm?: Yes. I use my notepads unlike any other.
Do I send stories to someone?: Yes. I mostly just get feedback on if the storyline is good or too crazy, luckily I haven't gotten bad news so far.
Are you planning a SEASON FOUR?: Uh...I can neither confirm or deny. I would say that I'm looking for a more interactive way to post my stories. Maybe tumblr or livejournal, but I want to make it easy access to the chapters. Start like a blog or something. So if you have any ideas I would love to hear them, but otherwise I'm still on the fence.
Trinity: Family, Love, and Scandal
Chapter Twenty- Ex Husbands and Wives
And I always find, yeah, I always find somethin' wrong
You been puttin' up wit' my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at findin' what I don't like the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast
TIP #1- Are you ever afraid of going home? Does your partner make you feel unsafe?
Getting out of the shower, Serena wiped the mist from mirror before she looked on at reflection in the mirror. Seeing herself, truly seeing what she had become, Serena could see the bruises that were once on her naked body but were slowly fading away. Even though they appeared to go away, Serena knew that they once existed and still do. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the girl and she knew this wasn't what she wanted to be, but it's the only thing that she knew how to be at this point. Hearing the sound of the door close from downstairs, Serena flinched as she felt every part of her stomach churn with anxiety as she knew he had made it home.
Let's have a toast for the douchebags,
Let's have a toast for the assholes,
Let's have a toast for the scumbags,
Every one of them that I know
TIP #2: Does your partner regularly insult you?
Sitting at opposite ends of the table, Serena picked at the food that he had bought home for them. Trying her best to eat, Serena knew that if she didn't at least attempt to finish the meal then he would think she was being ungrateful. A few days had passed and things were a bit better, but no significant sign showed that he was becoming what she first met him as. Management kept yanking his chain about contract negotiations, which only made him a loose canon when he came home or if he came home. Staring at her plate trying to figure out what to eat, Serena soon felt the salt and pepper clash against her hand as he had slid it forcefully towards her. Groaning in frustration, Serena didn't have to guess what was getting to him, it was about money, it was always about money with Jason these days.
"You're not fucking appreciative. They're not fucking appreciative. No one is fucking appreciative!" Jason yelled "What do I have to do to get some respect around here?!" he asked angrily
"You shouldn't let work get to you like this" Serena softly replied as she wasn't quite sure how he would respond
"Do you understand how fucking stupid that sounded? That was dumbass logic from a dumbass" Jason laughed to himself
"Please don't talk to me that way. I get that your upset but I'm not your enemy" Serena replied as a silence came between them while Jason just stared at her for a few lingering minutes.
"Don't talk to you that way or what?….are you going to leave me?" Jason asked as he threw his fork and knife down before leaning back in his chair. "Are you going to leave me?!….answer my damn question, are you going to leave?" he asked as he began to pound on the table to get her attention which only caused her to jump in fear
"I didn't say that" Serena replied before Jason quickly got up from his chair and walked over towards the entry closet. Grabbing her bag, Jason began to throw her coat and keys in to the bag while Serena just tried to stay cool as she felt herself crumbling inside
"If you leave me, this is what you will leave with" Jason said before dropping the bag on the table. Looking on at the bag, Serena saw a bullet inside the bag as all she could do was look confused. "It's in there. It's not a mistake" he told her as he could see she noticed the bullet
"What is this supposed to mean?" Serena asked as she looked over at him in fear even though she tried to hide it. Leaning in closer, Jason grabbed the back of the chair.
"It means the only way you'll leave me is through death" Jason told her in calmest of voices like it okay to say what he said "I will kill you before I let you walk away from me to be with someone else" he told her as tears began to well up in her eyes. Grabbing her jaw in one swift motion, Jason squeezed so tight that Serena swore her jaw would break "You're mine and you will always be mine. Don't you ever forget that!" he yelled before he threw her face away. Plates crashed to floor as he walked away causing Serena to just close up like a shell as what was supposed to be a simple dinner had turned in to one of those nights with them.
Let's have a toast to the jerkoffs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can
Hearing the banging sounds come from the door, Dan quickly woke from his slumber as he sat up in the bed. Looking over at the clock, Dan saw that it was seven in the morning before he began to rub his eyes. Hearing the banging sounds continue, Dan kicked back the covers hoping to avoid falling out of the bed but didn't manage to avoid it completely. Stopping himself from falling to the floor completely, Dan breathed a sigh of relief before he made his way out of the bedroom. Playing with his matted down hair, Dan walked down the hallway, letting out a yawn at every step he took since he still wasn't quite awake. Opening up the door, Dan quickly felt a gust of Chanel number eight pass him as she was rambling at a warped speed and pacing the floor. Turning to look at her, Dan wanted to be sure that it was Blair that he was seeing and not some ghost that came to life in his imagination. Closing the door behind him, Blair made her way in to the kitchen to put on a pot of hot water as she gathered the items she'd need for her usual morning tea.
"Waldorf, are you aware by any chance that normal people like to sleep in?" Dan asked in between yawns as he walked over towards the sofa to lay down on it.
"All the more reason to be up early. Normal wait for the day to come to them, I chase after the day" Blair smiled
"Good to know. Excuse me while I go back to sleep" Dan muttered as he clenched on tight to the pillow
"No, you can't go back to sleep because I need you" Blair stated as she made her way in to the living room. Popping his head up at the sound of that phrase coming out of her mouth, Dan looked at her with confusion as this admission of need had come easier than he thought. "Not in that way. I need you as in service" she said as Dan once again looked at her with a bit of a grin that let her know that was the wrong statement to say as well "Okay, get your mind out of the gutter. I need you in a scheme" she then told him before he took to hiding his face in the pillows.
"Good night Waldorf" Dan muttered through the sounds of the pillow
"Humphrey, I've come up with a fool proof plan that I need you to help me implement" Blair said
"I have work" Dan told her "You know a job, one that you should be at instead of hounding me about a scheme" he told her
"First of all, I don't have work today, thank God. You can't possibly work on weekends at the newspaper" Blair told him
"I have to finish an article, we go to the press on Monday" Dan told her
"So just do it from your computer here" Blair reasoned as he popped his head up to look at her
"Why do you need me?" Dan asked
"Because your smart and quick on your feet" Blair quickly replied "I need my qualities to be somewhat matched for the level of scheme I want to pull off" she said
"You didn't think that when you had to scheme me away from your whole Georgina reveal" Dan stated
"Georgina is your example? Two words for my rebuttal. Physchotic. Bitch. I was protecting you" Blair replied "But that's besides the point, I need your current level of smarts and quick thinking" she told him
"What exactly are trying to do?" Dan asked as he sat up on the sofa while Blair felt like half the battle was over since she was able to move him to a proper sitting position.
"I'm trying to bypass Louis and Bex on meeting The Madame" Blair told him
"Why Bex? I thought you liked her?" Dan asked
"I do, but if I bypass Louis then she'll be compromised since they've worked together longer. So I want to leave her out of this and give the ultimate screw you to Louis without getting debris on her" Blair told him
"Why is getting to The Madame so important?" Dan asked
"Did you not pay attention to anything I said in our relationship?" Blair questioned "The Madame is the pinnacle of my success at Modern. I created the concepts that Louis used for some of the articles and shoots, and since he's on this power trip of me needing him…" she began to say
"You want to show that you can make it on your own merits" Dan concluded as he finished her statement
"Exactly" Blair declared
"So what exactly is said plan, if I should decide to take part in it?" Dan asked as he stretched his arms out on both sides of the sofa "Dazzle me" he smiled
"Okay, first of all, lose the grin. Second, I can't divulge until I know you're in this whole heartedly?" Blair asked
"I have work…" Dan began to say
"Dan, please. I really need your help" Blair pleaded "I wouldn't come graveling if it wasn't important, this is my career on the line" she told him as Dan just sighed.
"Fine, I'm in" Dan told her
Holding the ball over his head, Sean moved the ball around the other players as he went through the motions of the offense. The coach screamed and screamed for them to be aware of the floating defender, while Sean's main goal was to get out of practice alive. Catching the ball at the top of the key once more, Sean looked over at the mock game clock before he finally just decided to create on his own. Losing his defender, Sean challenged the post as he went up for they contested lay up to get the and one basket. His teammate clapped happily along with management as they were liking what they were seeing from their rookie point guard. Blowing the whistle for the final play, the player immediately walked over towards the bench to grab their waters as Sean couldn't help but scan the seating for Serena. Spotting her, Sean quickly waited until Jason made his way in to the locker room while he hung back. Making his way up the bleachers, Serena looked up from her phone to see that he was coming.
"Hey" Serena smiled as he took beside her "You looked good out there. I'm actually starting to believe that you guys are going to have a good shot at getting into the Finals" she told him
"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about that" Sean said pushing the conversation to the side as he turned towards her "The other day, when I was leaving your place, I ran into your next door neighbor" he said
"Which next door neighbor?" Serena asked
"Does it really matter?" Sean asked
"No, it doesn't matter. I just don't know what your talking about because I don't really talk to my neighbors…" Serena began to say
"Did Jason break your wrist?" Sean quickly asked to where it caught Serena off guard "The whole break in, was that even real or was it something else?" he asked soon after
"Are you being serious?" Serena asked
"Yes" Sean replied
"And you get this from where? Because it's completely random that you're coming up with this…" Serena began to say
"I talked to your neighbor, the neighbor said that there was no break in and that they believed Jason was hitting you because they can always hear yelling come from the house. So I'm asking you, what is really going on?" Sean asked
"And this neighbor is who?" Serena asked
"What does it matter?!" Sean asked "I'm asking you if Jay is abusing you, I shouldn't have to verify sources to you" he told her
"Verify sources can add to credibility, which you have none" Serena replied as she got up from her seat before Sean got up to help her
"I'm your friend, and I can only help you if I know what's really going on" Sean told her
"If you were a friend then you wouldn't have talked to someone about my situation with Jason. If you yourself had these doubts, then I'd understand. But you hear this from someone that doesn't even know me and now you register them as true" Serena said
"I register them because all I get from you is some G rated answers" Sean told her
"Because it's the truth!?" Serena replied angrily "I don't make it a business to put my life out there to everyone more than what they all ready know. I thought you understood that…" she began to say
"I understand that, Serena you can't even stand here and say that I don't. I'm concerned because some things aren't adding up. Key things aren't making sense as to why Jason has no scratch on him in a break in when he's the first to approach the said burglar. The sudden emergence of long sleeves you've been wearing a few weeks ago. Why you were torn on whether to go back to the house…" Sean began to tell her
"Because I've never lived with anyone else!? God, it's a common thing, people get anxiety about stuff like that. I had just been attacked by some random person, tell me, why should I rush back to that?" Serena questioned
"I'm not trying to argue with you. I just want you to stand here and tell me to my face that nothing shady is going on. If you tell me then I will leave it alone, I will not breath another word about it" Sean told her "You just have to give me the word" he told her as he walked towards her so that she was forced to look him in the eye
"Nothing is going on" Serena said through gritted teeth as Sean just looked at her for a few moments getting his own read on her "I can't believe you" she laughed to herself in disbelief before she pushed past him and walked up the stairs to leave. Not buying what Serena was telling him, Sean began to wrack his brain with ways to handle the situation. Pulling his cell phone out, Sean went to a familiar number that would help.
"Hello" Tyler said as he answered
"Where are you?" Sean asked as he made his way back down towards the court
"I'm on my way to see Eleanor, why?" Tyler asked
"I hate to do this but I need to talk to you" Sean sighed as Tyler could tell the frustration that was in Sean's voice.
"Okay, well I'll just make a quick visit but meet me at the bar" Tyler told him
"All right" Sean replied before he ended the call as he bypassed even going to the locker room and just left the practice facility.
Rolling over on to his stomach, Chuck reached his hand out to feel the spot beside him to feel that he was alone in bed. Waking from his slumber, Chuck looked to get his final confirmation before he rolled over onto his back. Noticing that his phone was beeping, Chuck grabbed his phone to look on to see that he had a few calls from his Uncle Jack. Chuck's Uncle was a rare presence in his life, but he knew that if his Uncle was contacting him it was all in the name of business. Sighing in frustration as any trace of Bass Industry was managing to take over his focus on what should be on a promising weekend for Victrola. Sitting up in the bed, Chuck immediately began to look over his schedule to see that he had a few meetings but made it a point to schedule a time to go see Bart. Reworking his schedule, Chuck became overwhelmed with the smells of a freshly made lunch that Jenny had put together as she made her way into the bedroom with a tray in hand. Placing the tray on the bed before she got on, Chuck put his phone to the side so that he could get to the bottom of what his wife was up to.
"What is all of this?" Chuck asked
"This is me waving the white flag" Jenny said as she grabbed the white napkin as her flag representation
"I'm not mad" Chuck told her as he began to snack on the grapes she had on the tray
"Chuck" Jenny said as she just gave him a knowing look "I know that babies and stuff is something we've never talked about, but I think we're losing focus on the bigger picture" she told him
"Us. You think we're losing sight on us?" Chuck asked
"Yes, very much so" Jenny smiled "I miss you. I miss laughing with you, I miss talking with you, I miss our dates at Victrola, and I even miss the sex" she laughed
"Aw, but the sex was my means of getting you pregnant with my bastard child" Chuck replied as he continued to snack on the grapes "But I understand what you're saying. I miss you" he told her as they looked at each other for a moment before he leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips
"I even miss your bad morning breath" Jenny laughed before she gave him another peck on the lips "So eat up and enjoy" she declared as she passed out their utensils so that they could eat "You got a couple of messages while you were asleep, something about an Uncle Jack" she said
"Yeah, he's calling about Bass Industries. It's not a how are you doing nephew type thing" Chuck sighed as he continued to eat
"What's going on with Bass Industries?" Jenny asked
"My father is in partnership with a factory in Bahatma that manufactures our products and handles our international business. The problem is that he's got unpaid minor working which goes against child labor laws in that country and in ours" Chuck said
"So what's your stance on it?" Jenny asked
"I think we should close the factory and pay retribution to the workers to avoid future lawsuits, but he doesn't want to do that in fear of losing our on the Maxwell" Chuck said
"Wait, that's the award that Eleanor Waldorf always wins, right?" Jenny asked "Why is that such a big deal?" she asked
"Every business, savy person wants the award. It's like the trophy to show that you're family is at the top of the mountain while others are just ranks below. Top business woman or man means highest grossing income" Chuck said
"So it's about the money?" Jenny asked
"Basically, and even the nicest of people will dirty their hands for this award and the recognition that comes along with it" Chuck sighed
"Well you should try to convince your father of your opinion and maybe you'll come to an understanding on the matter" Jenny told him
"That's the intended plan" Chuck told her as he moved his plate over to make room for his dessert only to see a formal invitation. Looking up from his tray towards Jenny, Chuck could see a smile from ear to ear.
"I was planning on coming up with a sneakier way" Jenny smiled
"The Spring Formal? Since when did you want to go to this?" Chuck asked her
"Since forever…I figured it'd be a good date night for us, and I've worked on the committee so the tickets will be comp'd for us" Jenny told him
"A dance?" Chuck questioned
"I know the great Chuck Bass doesn't do dances, but I would really love to go and I think we'd have a great time" Jenny told him
"I've never gone to a dance" Chuck sighed "I mean that's a part of the memo on me, no dances" he told her
"Neither was marrying young, and yet here you are, wedding band and all" Jenny said as she held up his hand to show the wedding band "Take me out and then I'll show you a formal thank you that you'll never forget" she whispered in to his ear
"So your propositioning me with sex now?" Chuck asked with a bit of laughter
"Very much so, is it working?" Jenny laughed as she asked
"Yes" Chuck said before he captured her lips with his as he pulled her towards him to deepen the kiss and much more.
Finishing up his shower, Dan quickly went into the bedroom to towel off and get dressed while Blair worked out the kinks to her plan. Sitting on the sofa, Blair did her usual damage with her blackberry while ignoring calls that were coming in from Bex. Blair hated that she had to put the cold front up on Bex, but she didn't want her problems with Louis to become anymore of office fodder than it all ready was. Blair was an embarrassment to everyone there now and she just wanted to show them that she on her own merits didn't need Louis to be successful by any means. Blair knew that if she was going to go straight for the Madame then it had to be a plan so strategize of being at the right place and the right time. Taking a moment to think over the steps she had gone over thus far, Blair leaned back in the chair and from her view, Blair couldn't help but notice that Dan was shirtless. Unable to tear away like she had planned to, Blair couldn't deny that he still had that effect on her. Dan's body was never an issue for her as seeing him in any form turned her on at this part. She had spent days shelled up in her room reading the very manuscripts that she thought were about Serena, but to find out that she had spurned an artistic side of him that helped him discover his passion only awakened the existing feelings that she tried to supress for his sake. Noticing that he was coming out of the bedroom, Blair quickly looked away and back towards her phone.
"Okay, so what damage have you caused so far?" Dan asked as he took a seat across from her
"Minimal. I have key points but nothing that will give me location on The Madame" Blair replied
"Is she even in the states?" Dan asked
"That is to be unsure. I know that Louis went to see her, but where she is located is unknown to me" Blair said
"I'm getting this whole Charlie's Angel vibe from this…" Dan began to say
"Don't say I'm Lucy Liu because of smarts" Blair quickly stated
"No, because you have a boss that you've never met and yet this person barks out orders that you follow with no questions asked" Dan said
"It's higher ups Humphrey, it's a system best emulated" Blair replied
"Or a system that is shady" Dan replied
"What exactly are you spewing on about? I mean this is The Madame, the little that I have known of her is but sheer greatness" Blair replied "The woman made fashion iconic in the states, the woman created the handbag, the woman made models walking down a thin strip of raised concrete and art. The Madame is fashion" she stated as if she was in a trance
"In that soliloquy did you happen to notice that you have no real connection of getting to said fashion icon?" Dan asked as he got up to get his lap top from the office before walking back to join her on the sofa
"Watch and learn Humphrey" Blair smiled as she took to her phone to send out a mass text to her minions
"Do you ever do your own labor?" Dan asked as he looked at her while waiting for his lap top to load
"I do management" Blair smiled before she was instantly delivered with the news she had requested "Hmm, The Madame is in Long Island" she told him before he to sent out for his information as he typed away. Looking over to see his methods, Blair couldn't help but feel like they were engaging in some type of battle.
"Well if I run through the schedule of events that a person such as the Madame would go to….I come up with Old Field Lighthouse" Dan smirked as Blair took to her methods with yet another text
"Brookhaven, the name in which Old Field is. You should be more concise, details do matter Humphrey" Blair smiled proudly
"Oh, very much so. That's why I found out that there is an auction going on at said lighthouse" Dan replied
"Well it could be some random auction. A person of her stature only goes around other people with the same stature" Blair replied "I mean you have to pin point if she's even at such an event or gallivanting in one of her numerous homes trying to escape the public eye" she said as Dan took to his typing once more which only made Blair even more eager to beat him to information "Stop with the typing!" she declared as she took to her texting in hopes of beating him. Each eagerly trying to find some lead, Dan quickly grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and began to dial the number. Grabbing her cell phone, Blair furiously dialed on her phone "Penelope, move your ass!….I don't care if your grandmother is coding, she's ninety, the end has been near for quite some time" she said before she hung up as she looked over at Dan to see that he was on the phone. Trying to knock the phone out of his hand, Dan dodged her swipes at his phone until he finally reached someone on the other line.
"Yes, I'm….Gayle King. Oprah's other…half. I was calling to acquire about the guest list about tonight's festivities because Oprah as you know is very particular about the company she keeps" Dan said as Blair looked at him in disbelief
"Seriously?! Gayle King. You could at least disguise your voice, you'd get points for that" Blair replied as he put his hand over her mouth to stop her from talking
"I just wanted to be sure that my dear friend The Madame, well that's what I call her….oh, she will. Good" Dan said before he looked over to give a gloating face to Blair as he stuck out his tongue at her to revel in his victory "No, no. You've been helpful in ways…aw, you crapper!" he began to say before Blair bit his hand causing him to cry out. Getting up from her spot on the sofa, Blair folded her arm as she didn't take to defeat well in area she specialized in "You could just take your loss as a learning lesson" he told her
"Okay, so Gayle and Oprah will be there, how the hell do you expect us to get in there with that crowd. Have you factored that in?" Blair asked
"Can't you use your Waldorf card to get in?" Dan questioned
"Waldorf card? There's no such thing. If we get in to this type of event, it has to be through someone that is heavy in the art community" Blair replied as she went in to thought process
"Well I assure you that I know little besides the bits that my mother did, but that wasn't exactly professional art" Dan told her as Blair thought for a moment before an idea came to him
"But I do know someone that you know that is heavy in the arts" Blair smiled devilishly "Bart's always been a collector of the finer things" she told him before she ran over to pull him up from the sofa then over to grab her purse
"Where are we going?" Dan asked as he grabbed his keys
"We're getting scheming attire" Blair said as they rushed out of the townhouse.
Hey baby won't you look my way
I can be your new addiction
Hey baby what you gotta say?
All you're giving me is fiction
I'm a sorry sucker and this happens all the time
I found out that everybody talks
Everybody talks, everybody talks
Coming out the dressing room in his suit, Dan posed proudly as he felt proud with his selection. Blair held her disgusted face pose for a while as she tried to think of the nicest way to shoot down his declining fashion sense in all things menswear. Immediately pulling out her cell phone, Blair began to type on her phone as all Dan could do was wonder what she thought.
"Waldorf, are you going to say anything?" Dan asked
"I'm trying not to" Blair replied as she looked at him "Humphrey, we need to exuberate having money not that we're in need of it so hide your personal items" she told him
"How does this not scream money?" Dan asked
"The fact that you ask that question in a last season Ralph Lauren custom, that let's me know you're more fashion challenged than I suspected" Blair told him before she turned her attention to the sales assistant "We'll try the crème color custom with off shade of green for the tie and powder blue for the dress shirt" she told the girl
"What's wrong with…" Dan began to inquire as Blair just put her hand up to silence him
"My scheme, my attire, my rules" Blair told him as he just groaned in frustration while he headed back to the dressing room.
It started with a whisper
And that was when I kissed her
And then she made my lips hurt
I could hear the chit chat
Take me to your love shack
Mamas always gotta back track
When everybody talks back
"I'm thinking Jackie-O, does this say Jackie-O?" Blair asked as she came out of the dressing room to model for Dan. Looking up from his phone, Dan could help but laugh as she modeled in her underwear
"I'm thinking Marilyn Monroe" Dan told her
"Why would I be?….." Blair began to ask before she noticed that she didn't put the dress on that she was hoping for
"Would you like crème color under garments with that?" Dan asked in a joking manner
Hey honey you could be my drug
You could be my new prescription
Too much could be an overdose
All this trash talk make me itchin
Oh my my sugar
Everybody talks, everybody talks
Everybody talks, too much
Getting out of the town car, Dan held the door open for Blair before he reached in to help her out of the car. Dressed in their auction attire, Dan couldn't help but like the suit that she had picked out for him as the spring attire was in clear display with the guests that were all ready at the party. Holding his arm out for her, Blair laughed to herself as she linked arms with Dan. Sliding her phone in to view from her purse, Blair looked on at the closest image that was of The Madame that was barely recognizable but Blair figured that she'd have to go off of the features she could see as distinct to find her target. Entering the lighthouse, Blair and Dan stood off by the drinks for a moment before Blair found the closest person that could be The Madame.
"Got her" Blair told Dan as she looked on at him
It started with a whisper
And that was when I kissed her
And then she made my lips hurt
I could hear the chit chat
Take me to your love shack
Mamas always gotta back track
When everybody talks back
Pacing the floor, Sean ran over in his mind all the possible reason as to why things were just starting to come in to play in his head. Moments that seemed off with Serena were beginning to register as what he viewed as strange originally. Every bit of how Jason forced Serena upon him was beginning to seep in his thoughts as it just seemed to play in to the idea that the neighbor had told him. Sitting vigil, all Tyler could do was watch Sean go back and forth as he was sure that whatever had his friend so flustered was something pressing. Tyler knew that when Sean was like this, it was best to let Sean work through it in his head rather than try to pry it out of him. Pacing and pacing, Sean just continued to line up scenarios in his head before he finally just came to a stop. Turning to look at Tyler, Tyler began to perk up as he knew this was his shot to finally say something in what was supposed to be a shared conversation.
"I think it's true" Sean stated as his conclusion
"What is true?" Tyler asked "You haven't quite filled me in on my objective" he told her
"I think what the neighbor said is true" Sean said
"Again, what is true?" Tyler asked
"The neighbor of Serena and Jason told me that she thinks Jason is beating Serena because she hears a lot of yelling" Sean told him
"Okay, you said that he was big into gaming" Tyler said
"Yes, but she said that the break in never happened…that she was sitting on the porch and saw no one escaping the house" Sean said
"Maybe the person took the back way in fear of being seen" Tyler countered as Sean just looked at him
"It doesn't add up. Serena's wrist being broken, her getting the majority of the injuries while Jay has no injury to him" Sean told him
"Some guys get off on trying to hurt the weaker of the genders. Jason was out cold so why waste energy on him…" Tyler began to say
"Then why beat a woman. I mean why not just knock her out cold as well and then move on to the next house" Sean replied
"Look, I can counter act for days on that notion but it just seems that you're trying to find a concrete reason to hold against him" Tyler said
"Because I have this feeling, I have this gut feeling that tells me that it's true" Sean said
"Or is a gut feeling that's allowing you to run with the accusation because of how you feel about her" Tyler questioned
"Don't do that. Don't do the Dr. Phil moment on me" Sean groaned
"You have feelings for her, deep feelings. Feelings that I haven't seen you have for any girl" Tyler replied "I think it's natural that you think you can save her from the obstacle standing in between you two" he said
"And the obstacle is what? Me wanting to rectify domestic violence?" Sean asked
"You trying to find some reason to believe that Serena belongs with you instead of him" Tyler said
"I don't exactly fall for the girl that has a guy, a guy that's given me a shot at my dream but I don't exact condone a guy hitting girl. Never have and never will, you know how long it took my mom to get herself together after my dad finally passed away. She felt peace by him dying because she didn't have to worry about him knocking her around" Sean told him
"I know, which is why I know the subject is sensitive for you. I just want you to think about putting those claims to people without having concrete evidence" Tyler said
"You know I wouldn't just go around accusing, but Ty, I have a gut feeling" Sean told his friend
"And I trust your gut but I also think if your heart weren't involved then you would see it clearly and objectively. Until you have clear cut reason to believe she's being abused then you can't just play hero" Tyler told him "Does Serena even give you any indication?" he asked
"Serena makes everything brief when it comes to Jason and her" Sean replied
"See, if she doesn't give you any indication then you can't just assume she needs you to save her. Maybe Serena just wants to end things with him or isn't as happy as she perceives and is trying to make it work because of the spotlight Jason has on him" Tyler said
"And what if she's too blind to see that regardless of the good days he may give her, the bad days should never consist of her being knocked around like a punching bag whether verbally or physically" Sean replied before he flopped down in the chair "Abuse isn't one of those things you wake up and say you'll walk away from. It gets so engrained in you that you just actually think you deserve to have someone hitting you, you believe that your in the wrong for someone else's anger. Abuse slowly cripples you to where you become numb to it, nothing registers in that persons mind that the situation their in is wrong, it's all about the hope for the good days, getting to those good days so they can have something to hold on to so they can weather the bad days. I can't give clear indications because there isn't any clear indication that she's told me. I can have a list of things to look for but I may find three that suit the situation as of now but abuse gradually gets worse because that person allows it to, so what part do I wait for? Do I wait until she's laying up in a hospital? Do I wait until I visually witness him beating the crap out of her? What part do I need to wait for in order to step in and say finally I have my evidence?" he questioned "Waiting can be all find and dandy, but waiting can also get a person killed because in this whole scenario of waiting….you could find yourself waiting for something that may never come" he told him
"You're a good judge of character, so I won't tell you what to do. As your friend, your best friend…I advise you to be smart about this, judge both sides before jumping in because you may have her best interest at heart but she may not see it that way" Tyler told him "Just be smart on this" he told him once more as Sean just hung his head in a bit of defeat. Walking towards his friend, Tyler rested his hand on Sean's back as he knew what this was doing to his friend. "You can't fight your father through him" he whispered as he could hear the muffled tears come from his friend "I know we'd like to go back and rectify what was wrong in our pasts, but sometimes what's wrong teaches us to fight to do right in our future. We can't be hero's, all we can be are people that try to be a positive in a world full of negative" he continued to say before Sean leaned back in seat wiping away the bit of tears that he let show.
"I hate talking to you" Sean sighed "You know me too damn well" he groaned as Tyler laughed
Finishing up his meeting with yet another investor for Victrola, Chuck felt thrilled that Victrola would receive an increase in funds that would allow him to bring home a bit more money. Typically, Chuck would've been all about the money with Victrola but he saw that with the hard work and effort that he was putting in, the rewards came slow but they came. Victrola was his business and it was a business that was ran in the way that he wanted it. Chuck knew that a minimal of Carter's cut went to Dominic Nicks, but there was nothing he could do to prevent that if it was helping Carter get out. Getting up from his seat, Chuck made his way into the office to put away his files and contracts that he had just completed with the vendor. Hearing the sound of the door opening, Chuck looked over thinking it was Jenny but saw that it was Nate. Quickly putting his stuff down, Chuck walked out of the office to join his friend at the bar.
"You look like crap" Chuck observed as he grabbed their choice drink before pouring into the glasses
"Went to a brunch with my family, The Captain said little to nothing to me. Once the camera crew left, The Captain pretty much left" Nate said
"So he still hasn't come around?" Chuck asked
"He hasn't even gone on the path to try to accept and understand me" Nate replied
"So I'm guessing this makes the offer that GRC gave you that much appealing" Chuck told him
"I'm not trying to be a poster boy for the Gay Rights Committee" Nate told him "I know that it would make their day to get me as spokesperson but I'm trying to figure out myself what this all means" he said
"I think you understand what it means to be gay because you are. I think you're trying to make people understand that just don't want to understand" Chuck told him as he slid the drink in front of Nate
"They're my family, regardless of how crappy they're being, they're my family" Nate said
"I get that but you've been given an opportunity to be a voice for others that are in the same situation as you" Chuck said
"What? Other rich Upper Eastsiders are scared to kick out their designer closets in fear and with my help they'll finally find the courage to do so. I hardly think I have that much power in this state" Nate told him
"You may think that, but your family has a platform in this present time" Chuck said as he took a sip from his glass
"A platform that's to get Tripp into the senate" Nate replied "They act as if he's the up and coming to the family, like he'll bring the glory back" he said
"The days where The Archibald's held ownership of the most prized possession the Upper Eastside has to offer" Chuck smirked "I should know, The great Bart Bass is preparing for the very award" he laughed
"I'm not trying to deter the spotlight away from my family. I want my family to be respectable" Nate said
"But at the price of you. Nate, Tripp has literally cut you out of the family and you buy this crap that it's for the sake of the campaign" Chuck told him "It's not about the campaign, it's because of a church vote…and you know what comes along with that church vote, the belief that you live the life the church represents on a daily. You know how George Sparks felt about Katie's one indiscretion, imagine how he'll feel that the family he's endorsing is housing a gay. This is all tactical" he told his friend
"I'm aware of what comes along with the church vote" Nate said
"And you accept that?" Chuck questioned "Wow, I get that it's hard but you shouldn't have to be made the black sheep because they can't accept what you want. That's not family, that's people dressing the part as it because family accepted you and had no questions in doing so" he said
"What do you want me to do?! You act like this is easy" Nate told him
"I don't expect it to be easy, but half the battle was admitting it to yourself. Now…you have to stand up for yourself because you're not wrong, you in no stretch of the imagination are wrong to me….they're wrong and you need to realize that" Chuck told him
Chatting up the woman that she believed to be The Madame, Blair made a mental note to go through the checklist of things that she was sure The Madame liked. The woman for the most part had knowledge of fashion but Blair was sure that with a bit more conversation they'd be able to get to the core details that would show that she was The Madame. Sitting in the front row, Blair occasionally looked down the row to see how Dan was doing with the crowd of people. For the most part, Dan was able to look as if he somewhat belonged amongst the Ritzy crowd, but Blair knew that she'd have to check in on him to make sure he didn't feel completely secluded. Just as Blair was returning to her conversation, Blair heard a bit of laughter come from down the line just as the host made their way to the podium. Trying to ignore the laughter, Blair felt successful at first but it was until she heard the added familiar laugh to the mix that she knew Dan was involved. Leaning forward quickly, Blair spotted that Dan was now being joined by a doe eyed brunette that seemed to have the art of Dan on her mind rather than the actual art. Leaning back in her chair, Blair began to fan herself with the panel as she did her best to get back into the conversation she was having.
"So like I was saying, I think fashion has turned for the better the hand bag…"Blair began to say before she heard his laughter once more
"You were saying?" The woman asked
"I was just saying that…" Blair began to say before she heard the brunette laugh in the manner that was clear that she was flirting with Dan "If you'll excuse me" she told the woman before she quickly got up from her seat. Walking towards where Dan sat, Blair grabbed a glass of cranberry juice that the waiter had on her tray in stride.
Looking up to see Blair coming, Dan kept his smile as he talked to the brunette while wondering what exactly Blair was doing. The closer she got, Dan began to worry even more until the cranberry juice that Blair was holding in her hand suddenly appear on the white dress that the brunette wore.
"Oops, I'm sorry" Blair apologized "The floor boards in this place are just so awful" she then replied as the brunette began to freak out.
"My Adeline Andre!?" The brunette squeeled as Blair gave the girl a pouting face before she quickly turned to leave putting the glass back on the tray of the waiter in stride as she went back to her seat.
Hey, boy you never had much game
Thought I needed to upgrade
So I went and walked away way way
UhNow, I see you've been hanging out
With that other girl in town
Looking like a pair of clowns clowns clowns
Uh
Listening on to the bidding, Dan couldn't help but let out a yawn as this was really becoming a borefest for him. As he sat, Dan couldn't believe that he managed to let Blair talk him into coming to an event like this and get in to a scheme like this. Just as he leaned back in his chair to rest his arm in the empty chair beside him, a blonde quickly took a seat in the chair. Surprised by how quick she came, Dan began to speak as the girl smiled on at him but before she could even manage to say anything a paddle came flying in her face. Surprised to see the object, Dan looked forwards towards where the object was thrown to see that Blair was sitting in front of them. Turning around, Blair placed her hand over her mouth in fake shock.
"Oh, my. I got caught up in my bidding that it just flew out of my hand" Blair said as the girl held her hand up to her eye "Do you think you can pick my…" she began to ask before the girl quickly got up to run off "Well that was rude" she said as she turned to look at Dan before he just gave her a look of disbelief.
Remember all the things that you and I did first?
And now you're doing them with her
Remember all the things that you and I did first?
You got me, got me like this
Uh
And now you're taking her to every restaurant
And everywhere we went, come on!
And now you're taking her to every restaurant
You got me, got me like this
Uh
Laughing to himself as he read the texts that Carter was sending him, Dan kicked his leg up to where he was comfortable in his seat. Sending a text back, Dan couldn't help but laugh to himself as the running joke between the two friends had him chuckling. Leaning back to look over in Dan's direction, Blair felt relieved to see that he was by himself. Leaning back further, Blair's intuition began to pick up along with her bitch senses to see that a brunette was keying in on Dan. Turning back to her conversation with The Madame, Blair sighed as she knew this would have to be put on halt.
"Excuse me again, this will take just a second" Blair told her as she got up from her seat. The moment was set up perfect for her, Blair saw that Dan was busying with his texting while unaware that he was in sight to be hunt down by yet another brunette. Just as the brunette thought she was in the clear, the brunette began to take a step while Blair put her foot out in passing to trip the girl. A loud thump rang loudly in the door bringing the auction to pause as everyone turned to look over in the direction where Dan sat. Turning in his seat to see the girl on the floor with Blair standing nearby.
"Oh, God. Seriously?!" Dan asked as he looked over in Blair's direction
"Can we please get someone to look at this floor board?" Blair asked as she looked around to the staff as they wasted no time in rushing towards the girl.
Boy you can say anything you wanna
I don't give a shh, no one else can have ya
I want you back
I want you back
Wa-want you, want you back
Once the auction was over, Dan figured that Blair was going to put in her best work to show herself off to The Madame. Dan knew that this may take awhile as she was the Queen of smooth talking. Walking over towards the bar, Dan ordered his usual beer but found that the bartender was keen on seeing identification. Letting out a sigh, Dan changed his order up to a water. Taking his water to go sit in the back of the room, Dan sat down in the chair as he began to sip his water. Smiling and eager, the red head walked up to Dan as she seemed eager to talk to him.
"Oh, you really don't want to talk to me" Dan said in a fearful tone
"Why?" The red head giggled as she began to get in a sitting motion to sit beside him but found her chair was pulled out from underneath her.
"Because…. of…. that" Dan replied as he watched the girl fall to the floor
"Sorry, needed an extra chair. Hope you understand" Blair replied as she dragged the chair over towards where she was. Feeling proud that she had managed to void another attempt at Dan, Blair sense of pride was soon pushed to wayside as the woman that she thought was The Madame was no longer sitting there.
UhI broke it off thinking you'd be cryin'
Now I feel like shh looking at you flyin'
I want you back
I want you back
Wa-want you, want you back
Uh
Pulling into the parking garage, Sean looked over at the clock to see that he was still making good time to get in a good workout before getting prepped for the game. On game days, Sean didn't like to come at the normal time as he wanted to get a good rhythm going so that he was ready to go for the game. Grabbing his gym bag from the passenger seat, Sean got out of the car and began to take out his headphones so that he could get in his zone. Walking down the hall of the arena, Sean shook a few of the staff members hands as even though he had moved into a starting position, Sean still wanted to show that he was humble to the people that were good to him as a bench warmer. Bumping into Jason's publicist on the way towards the locker room, Sean quickly began to apologize.
"I'm sorry" Sean said to him as he took his headphones off
"It's okay. So have you given any thought to representation with the media?" Jason's publicist asked
"Uh, not completely. I've been just getting used to the attention" Sean laughed "Jay's put in a good word for you though" he then added
"I handle everything. All you have to worry about is playing basketball while I handle everything else" Jason's publicist told him
"I like the idea of that but I'm a practical type of person" Sean told him
"Practical can be handled. You should worry about putting a ball through a hoop and not what people want from you. I handle media, I handle appearances, I handle what is printed about you…everything" Jason's publicist told him "Okay, Jay and you are close, right?" he asked
"Yes, we're pretty close" Sean replied as he adjusted his gym strap
"Well to show you how good I am, I took care of a little matter he had with a mother" Jason's publicist said in a whisper as he walked close
"A mother?" Sean laughed as he wasn't sure if he was supposed to be impressed by this "I don't think I want you handling my mother" he joked
"No, hear me out. Hear me out" Jason's publicist said "You know his girl, Serena, right?" he asked as Sean looked a bit intrigued to hear her name come up in the conversation
"No, I don't really talk to her as much" Sean lied as he was eager to hear what he had to say without being associated to Serena, how eager would he be to get Sean for his client
"He was a bit tired of the mother always interfering in the relationship, so I help him with getting breathing room from her" Jason's publicist told him as it all began to register for Sean "So he sends me a clip of Serena just bashing her mother and I…" he began to say with a bit of laughter before Sean quickly took off. Walking with a full head of steam, Sean nearly felt as if he was running towards the locker room. Before Sean could even turn the corner to get into the locker room, Sean found that he was bombarded with camera's coming his direction, which put a halt to his destination point.
Making her way out, Blair pouted as her perfect opportunity had been squandered away all around. Once realizing that The Madame wasn't there, Blair looked on at the panel that was assigned to the woman to see that she wasn't The Madame, which she was identified as by the staff that Dan had spoke to. Sulking in her defeat, Blair leaned up against the rail as she looked on at the night sky begin to set in. Sighing in frustration, Blair began to wrack her brain with a back up plan that would make up for the time wasted today. Left and right, Blair tried to put two and two together so that she could get another shot to meet The Madame so that she could show how valuable she was to the company because Blair knew it would only be a matter of time before Louis would fire her from her position. Walking up towards Blair with his hands in his pocket, Dan shook his head as he joined her. Knowing that Dan wanted to scold her for her behavior, Blair just prepared herself for the scolding as she didn't have the energy to fight him.
"I've been trying to think of a way to ask you this, but there's only one way to ask this…what the hell is wrong with you?" Dan asked her
"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you? I didn't bring you hear to meet your booty call for the night. We're on a mission, we were supposed to be focused, locked in" Blair told him
"I was locked in and I wasn't trying to get a booty call. I was minding my own business letting you do your thing…" Dan began to say
"Well you sure mixed in your thing to the whole plan" Blair stated
"Wait a minute, this isn't you being upset because I'm upset. I'm upset with you" Dan told her
"For what?!" Blair asked "I clearly saved you. I mean seriously Humphrey, the girls that you were entertaining were walking hazards" she said
"Walking hazards to whom? Me….or you?" Dan asked as he was eager to hear her answer
"Oh, don't you dare put this on me being jealous. I could care less that you were talking to a bunch of floozies" Blair replied
"Really?" Dan asked
"Yes, really" Blair stated "I'm not one of those girls that keeps claim on an ex" she said before Dan quickly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket
"So you won't mind if I call….Michelle" Dan said as he looked on at the paper to read the name
"Have no problems. I happen to like the name Michelle, always loved it because of Michelle Williams…" Blair began to reason
"Really? Never took you as a Dawson's Creek type of girl" Dan quickly replied as he wasn't buying her reasoning so Dan began to pull his cell phone out to dial.
"I mean I can't equate said Michelle to Michelle Williams but it's a positive for your future…what are you doing?" Blair tried to ride the lie before she realized that he was dialing
"Oh, I'm just calling my Michelle. I want to lock in this date since you clearly are okay with it" Dan said
"Perfect with it" Blair quickly replied as she folded her arms
"Great" Dan replied
"Wonderful" Blair quickly added as Dan brought the phone up to his ear
"Do you mind stepping away? I want a little privacy" Dan told her as Blair just glared at him before a silence came between them "It's ringing, she must lead a busy life but I like a woman that's not clingy" he said
"You just like female" Blair stated in retaliation
"I sure do" Dan smiled before he turned his attention back to his phone call "Michelle, hi. It's me, Daniel Humphrey. We met at the Old Field auction…yes, I had a great…." he began to say before Blair ripped the phone away to end the call only to realize that he never called anyone but was using a checkers app
"You asshole!" Blair said as she hit him on the arm
"Just admit it, you were jealous" Dan replied
"Yes, I was jealous!" Blair replied "I'm crazy, I'm manipulative, and I was jealous" she exclaimed as silence came between them as they both just looked at each other "I can say until I'm blue in the face that I'm trying to get over you and I'm honestly trying to but it's not working. I don't want to see you with anyone else because I still see you with me. I see you in every bit of my day. You're in every aspect of my life that I just can't shake you. So yes, I was jealous because maybe I'm starting to see that through all of this…you're my destination too" she said
"Why couldn't you just tell me that?" Dan asked
"Because I just couldn't. I've made up this logic in my head that us being together will only stop you from growing because once upon a time I did stop you from growing. I've read the manuscript you wrote over and over, to where I realized that I wasn't stopping you. You took away my reason for us not being together. So I thought that if we worked together than we could coexist as a team without the complications of romance, but then that got burned to hell because your only more appealing to everyone else now that your this brand new you" Blair told him as Dan stood in confusion "I know that it sounds crazy with a mix of shallow, but I started to feel like that while you went and grew up…I just stayed idle thinking I was something that I clearly wasn't" she told him
"Well you're right, your logic is very much crazy" Dan laughed to himself as he couldn't believe that he actually understood what she was saying to him in only a way that he could "I haven't changed on what I'm about. Blair, nothing was wrong with either one of us or is wrong with us. We just didn't appreciate each other. I took you for granted and I realize that now, but that doesn't mean my whole purpose of growing up was to grow out of you…I'm trying to be that guy that can make the girl happy and secure. I love all shades of who you are, so much so that I'm not looking at anyone else because my view has still been on us. I want us above everything else because I think this next time around, I think we could be greater than we ever imagined" he told her
"So you don't see us as tainted in anyway?" Blair asked
"Nothing about you has been tainted for me because at the end of the day, I'm the one standing here with you" Dan said as he moved in closer towards Blair "Waldorf, you've gotta stop over thinking things. You just have to trust me when I say that you're the one I want" he said as he tucked a strand of hair away from her face. With one single touch, Blair felt his strength empower her to be the strong and confident woman that he had come to know her as.
Running around trying to take care of things with Victrola, Chuck barely had enough time to breath as he was being pulled every which way. Thankfully, Carter was around to help Chuck with the workers as they were setting up for their big Cabaret set that they were going to feature for the Weekend Special they were now running. Heading into the office, Chuck began to sift through papers that were sitting on the desk in search of the contracts to pay the workers with. Just as he was beginning to curse himself for keeping the office so messy, Chuck felt the vibrations going off from his cell phone. Grabbing his phone, Chuck answered the phone without really paying attention to who was on the line.
"Hello" Chuck answered
"There's the sound of my lovely nephew" Jack said as Chuck groaned in frustration as this was the one phone call that he didn't want to answer for the day "I feel like you're ignoring me" he said
"I'm not ignoring you. I'm just busy running a business" Chuck replied
"The strip club?" Jack asked "That actually requires you to work?" he asked
"It's not a strip club" Chuck replied "And yes, I do run it efficiently unlike some under the table deals you do" he said
"Ouch, I feel offended…but you're right" Jack replied "Look, I'm calling because your dad could potentially be fucking up my stocks. I kind of need my stocks because I kind of like having money. So do you understand the dilemma?" he asked
"What are you talking about?" Chuck asked
"I'm referring to the orphan Annie's he's not paying in Bahatma" Jack replied "Yes, the word gets around and if it's leaked to me then you can imagine that within days the public will know" he said as Chuck froze
"So there's a leak in the office" Chuck concluded
"I can neither confirm or deny that, but I need you to talk to dear old Bart and get him to do lose the kids" Jack said
"Don't you think I understand the ramifications" Chuck said "I've talked to him and he understands so you can save the lack of concern" he told him
"I care. I care if he fucks with my money" Jack told him
"Which you made clear" Chuck replied
"And you should care because there's a board meeting in about an hour that could be very important…" Jack began to say before Chuck ended the call. Quickly ending the call, Chuck went back and forth with what he should do because he knew that he had to be at this meeting to be in the loop of what was going on with the company. Knowing that it might be a late night of dealing with what the board recommended then implementing plans, Chuck knew that his work would be cut out for him. Quickly dialing a familiar number, Chuck quickly began to text Jenny with the news that he wouldn't be able to make it to the dance. Sighing in frustration, Chuck quickly began to gather his things as he wanted to make it over to Bass Industries in time.
All the right friends in all the right places
So yeah, we're going down
They've got
All the right moves in all the right faces
So yeah, we're going down
Feeling a wave of butterflies come over her, Blair couldn't help but feel like Dan and her were in a new place. Though it was unsure of the state of where they stood in relationship terms, Blair could feel every irrational thought she had on what she had to do in order to help Dan go to the wayside as it wasn't something she had to shoulder on her own. It was dumb to think that this break from each other had taught them to be partners again, but Blair was seeing the potential of how great they could be the next time around like Dan had predicted. Grabbing her stuff from where she sat, Blair stopped one of the staff members as her curiosity had gotten the best of her.
"Excuse me, by any chance do you happen to know where exactly The Madame was sitting during the auction?" Blair asked as Dan began to walk over towards them
"The Madame?" The girl asked
"She was on the guest list…it's a name she goes by for publicity reasons, you know Lady Gaga deal" Blair said finding it strange that she had to explain the fashion icon
"No, I know who you're talking about, it's just that she wasn't here" The girl said
"What do you mean? I was told that she was on the guest list along with an unseen Oprah, but we won't get into that" Blair replied
"She was here in other ways but not physically" The girl replied
"But I was told this morning that she would be here. This auction was exclusive" Dan stepped in to say "What other way could she be here?" he asked
"Her painting. It's a rare collection that came in from an artist in Monaco. Most people had been vying for this painting and The Madame was the only known person that possessed this painting" The girl said as Dan grabbed the sheet on the chair next to him to look on at the lists of paintings featured. Noticing the painting with an asterisk beside it
"Belle fille" Dan read the name of the painting
"Beautiful girl in French" Blair stated
"Yeah, it was sold for the highest auction price this event has ever had. One point five billion" The girl said as Dan and Blair looked on at each other in confusion. Noticing that the rest of the staff was beginning clean up prep, the girl signaled that she would be over "If you'll excuse me" she said before she walked away
"Now my question is, who the hell is The Madame and why is she sight unseen?" Dan asked as he walked towards Blair
"That's a question that I'll leave for tomorrow to answer but now….I just want to go home and get some rest" Blair sighed "Preferably at your place…you know since it's closer" she told him as a smile quickly came to his face as he knew what she was implying
"Yeah, I think my place is closer" Dan smiled as they smiled on at each other before they made their way out
Let's paint the picture
Of the perfect place
They've got it better then when anyone's told ya
They'll be the King of Hearts, and you're the Queen of Spades
Then we'll fight for you like we were your soldiers
Making his way off the elevator, Chuck could hear the arguing from the boardroom before he could manage to even take one step. Quietly making his way into the boardroom, Chuck made sure to stand off in the back so that his father wouldn't see him. Leaning up against the wall, Chuck folded his arms as he just listened in on the talks of the topic at hand.
"If you go ahead with keeping the factory, this board will have no choice but to take action against you" One of the board members said
"You all are blowing the situation out of proportion. We are panicking for nothing…." Bart began to say
"There's political upheaval in the country. We could lose money rather than gain to get security for the products and services we provide" One of the board members said
"And we could also gain by not making knee jerk reactions. Our quarter numbers are coming in and I guarantee the substantial increase in profit will be more than satisfactory to all in this room…" Bart began to say
"The risk is becoming too high Bart" One board member said
"So what? Are you questioning my judgment now?" Bart asked
"We question the direction this company is going in" One board member added "We all have too much to lose with this scandal that is bound to get out…and we feel this is not the only slip up that you've allowed to happen in your pursuit to greatness" he added
"A pursuit that was this companies goal" Bart stated
"Well it's a pursuit that would be best served under new leadership" One board member stated
"Meaning what?" Bart asked
"We've elected a special board meeting to elect a new CEO" One board member revealed as Chuck straightened up in his stance to listen closely
"You need a majority of the stockholders for that to take place" Bart replied
"We have a majority of the stockholders to agree to this…even the highest stockholder and a suggestion of your replacement has been placed on the ballot" One board member said
"Who?" Bart asked knowing that this meant one thing
"Our son" The woman said as she emerged from the crowd. Quickly pushing to the front of the crowd, Chuck looked on at the woman before he looked over towards his father "I, Elizabeth Dennison, also known as, Elizabeth Dennison Bass, elect that Charles Bartholomew Bass be next in line for CEO of Bass Industries" she stated as Bart looked shocked to see his ex-wife while Chuck stood stunned.
"Mom" Chuck said to himself as he looked on at the woman that he had been searching for be in eye sight for him to see.
I know we got it good, but they got it made,
And their grass is getting greener each day,
I know things are looking up, but soon they'll take us down,
Before anybody's knowing our name
They've got...
Hearing the coach scream as they ran up the court, Sean did all he could to keep his head in the game but he found that every bit of distractions was getting to him. Jason was playing his worst game of series, which only fueled the aggression amongst the team as everyone seemed to be griping at each other. Sean tried to put the personal feelings to the side for the sake of the game, but he found that trusting Jason on the court was something he couldn't do. All he could focus on was to try to get through the game as it was a tight one. A layup here, a shot there, another layup there, Sean was doing all that he could to keep his mind into the game without letting the outside forces get in.
All the right friends in all the right places
So yeah, we're going down
They've got
All the right moves in all the right faces
So yeah, we're going down
Signing on the dotted line, Nate looked up to see the eager faces of the committee of the Gay Rights Committee smile eagerly. It was no surprise that once Nate had agreed to be a spokesperson for the committee, every possible news source would come out to witness the signing. Shaking the hands of the people he'd work with on the committee as he headed back towards his seat and smiled for the photographers. Nate looked out into the crowd to see The Captain standing in the back round. Pausing for a moment, The Captain and Nate shared a stare before The Captain eventually turned to leave. Quickly running off the stage, Nate ran out into the hallway to try to catch his father. Seeing the door the stairwell close, Nate quickly ran towards the stairwell to go inside to see The Captain try to flee the scene.
"Dad, will you just wait?" Nate asked as The Captain came to a stop "Will you please just talk to me, look at me at least?" he asked
"I don't think you want me to do that" The Captain replied as he clenched his fists trying to control his emotions
"I do. I want you to look at me" Nate told him as a silence came between them. Thinking that this was a moment that the two could actually talk, Nate began to walk towards his father before The Captain quickly turned around to spit directly into Nate's face. Standing in horror of what his father had just down.
"You disgust me. You're not the son I raised…you're everything I hate in this world!" The Captain yelled as tears welled up in his eyes as he couldn't keep his emotions in check "Never in my life did I think I would have a faggot as my own….I hate you and your kind" he said as the shock of his father words paralyzed Nate to his core. Without another word, The Captain felt his point get across before he turned to leave.
They say
Everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going
Yeah, we're going down
They sayEverybody knows, everybody knows where we're going
Yeah, we're going down
Looking on at his watch, Carter could tell by how late that it was getting that Chuck wouldn't be coming back. Deciding to close down early for the night, Carter made sure to send Vanessa a text to see if he could see her before the night was over. Just as he began to put the chairs up on the table, Carter looked up to see Nikki coming into the club. Not paying much attention, Carter continued to clean up before he noticed that two cops were with Nikki.
"These are the cops I was telling you about" Nikki told "Officers, Carter Baizen" he introduced
"What can I do for you guys?" Carter asked nervously
"We're hear to get you briefed for the warehouse raid, the one in which will tie Dominic Nicks to the organized crimes in the neighborhood" The cop said
"This is what you wanted, this is your freedom" Nikki told him as Carter stood in silence feeling like he was coming upon the crossroads in his life.
Do you think I'm special?
Do you think I'm nice?
Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces?
Between the noise you hear, and the sounds you like
Are we just sinking the ocean of faces?
It can't be possible... the rain can fall
Only when it's over our sun is shining everyday, but it's far the world that's 've got, they've got...
Opening the door to the townhouse, Dan turned to grab Blair's hand as he lead her inside while she closed the door behind her after she made it inside. Quickly tossing his keys to the side, Dan wasted no time in capturing her lips in his. Collapsing against the door, Dan's hand slid down her side to where he picked up her leg as he pressed against her. Deepening the kiss, their hands fumbled with buttons on clothing as it took them longer than usual to remove the very items they wanted gone. Ripping away from her lips, Dan removed his shirt before his hands hiked her dress up. Hearing the sounds of the phone ring in the back round, neither Dan nor Blair bothered to stop what they were doing to answer the phone.
"Hey Dan, it's me Alessandra. I'm calling with good news, you got approved for your summer writing workshop in Paris!….you leave next week so I suggest you start brushing up on all things Paris" Alessandra voicemail said as she sounded ecstatic on the answering machine. Breaking the kiss, Blair looked over at the answering machine as if listening would help her hear better in some case.
"Paris?" Blair asked in a bit of confusion with tears welling up in her eyes
"Paris" Dan sighed as he knew that this moment was too good to be true between them.
All the right friends in all the right places
So yeah, we're going down
They've got
All the right moves in all the right faces
So yeah, we're going down
Hearing the yells from the crowd for their play, Sean threw the towel over his head while hanging his head in defeat. It was no surprise seemed to be unforgiving for the lackluster effort, but Sean just zoned out of the moment as nothing seemed to matter to him anymore. Ahead of him, Sean could see woman hounding each of the guys as they walked into the tunnel, she yelled out profanity left and right that each guy hated to even have to pass the woman. Not paying attention to what wrath he may endure, Sean's only focus was to just get out of the arena and get somewhere other than here. Walking towards the locker room, Sean threw his towel over into the laundry cart before he entered the locker room. Trying to avoid Jason at any cost, Sean just headed towards the training room to get the tape removed from around his ankle.
"Stupid bitch" Jason griped as a few of the teammates laughed at the remark while it seemed to be the trigger for Sean
"What'd you say?" Sean asked holding up the line towards the training room
"What?" Jason asked
"What'd you just say?" Sean asked as he continued to walk towards Jason and in that moment Sean felt as if he was blacking out. Noticing that Sean seemed unlike himself in the moment and felt bold enough to approach him, Jason just laughed him off. "Is that the same crap you say to Serena?" he asked as Jason looked at him in disbelief. Feeling every bit of the attention shift to them, Jason felt as if he was being called out.
"And if I do?" Jason asked not backing down from Sean
"Do you hit her?" Sean asked as he continued to walk towards Jason, pushing off anyone that tried to get in his way
"You're fucking crazy" Jason laughed before Sean grew even more agitated at the sound of his laughter that in one quick motion Sean bum rushed Jason, slamming him into the locker. Swinging left and right, Sean found himself pummeling Jason as his face became a punching bag to him with every punch that he was landing. The rest of the team tried to separate the two but Sean managed escape the hold his teammates had on him to attack Jason once more as he tackled him to the floor. Blacking out, Sean kept punching to the point where he couldn't even recognize who or what he was punching at. His anger of the past and present fueled this attack to where there was no telling how far he would take this.
They sayEverybody knows, everybody knows where we're going
Yeah, we're going down
They say
Everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going
Yeah, we're going down
Music/Lyrics Used In Chapter:
Kanye West- Runaway
Neon Trees- Everybody's Talking
Cher Lloyd- Want U Back
OneRepublic- All the Right Moves
Thank you for reading :)