Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
I have two gigantic thank yous to hand out. One to my terrific beta, thank you Lori! One to all of you still reading this - thank you!
"I wasn't sure you'd be accepting visitors yet," Serena bit her lip as Blair made her way to the foyer after being informed by their recently hired maid that she had a visitor.
"You aren't a visitor, S," Blair replied as she went to embrace her best friend, but surprisingly was shrugged off, "You're family. You never need an invitation."
"Yes, but I figured you'd still be on your honeymoon," Serena explained as she fidgeted where she stood, "I don't want to interrupt that."
"We need a breather every now and then," Blair shrugged her shoulders, "I promise that you weren't interrupting anything too important. We were actually getting ready for our appointments."
"Appointments?" Serena inquired.
"I have an appointment with my obstetrician, and Chuck has an appointment with a new psychologist," Blair explained, "He isn't comfortable with the one that he was seeing."
"Even during your honeymoon, you're making doctors' appointments?" Serena inquired.
"It's kind of important for Chuck's mental health, and that of our baby," Blair explained as she patted her belly.
"I still can't believe that you're having a baby," Serena smiled.
"It took awhile for it to sink in with me too," Blair nodded, "But the food cravings and morning sickness has helped make it feel more real."
"Is Chuck's cologne still making you nauseous?" Serena inquired.
"No," Blair shook her head, "Only because he's not wearing it. Other smells have taken its place, and there is no consistency…As long as you're here, did you want to see the progress that the construction workers are making on your bedroom? I'll need your input for the color scheme."
"Actually that's the reason that I'm here," Serena stated as she bit her lip nervously.
"What's with the nervous tick?" Blair inquired as she studied her friend's curious posture. She couldn't recall a time in which she'd seen her so nervous, "It's just me."
"I've been doing some thinking," Serena started.
"I hope you didn't hurt yourself," Blair snickered.
Serena glared at her before she continued, "With you and Chuck just getting married and now expecting a baby together, it's probably not a good idea for me to move in here. You two have enough going on. If I move in, I'm bound to see a whole lot more than Chuck's backside, and I just don't think my psyche could ever flush that out."
"Honestly, we've been pretty content with our bedroom," Blair replied.
"We both know that won't last," Serena replied, "I've talked to my mom. Dan is moving to London, so I'm going to stay with her until I can find my own place. I've come to realize that it's time for me to strike out on my own. If I'm going to figure out who I am and what type of relationship I'm looking for, I need to start relying a bit more on myself."
"If you feel like you'd be intruding, don't worry about it. Chuck and I agreed that you're welcome here," Blair stated.
"And when the baby comes, I might take you up on that because I want to be there to help you adjust to motherhood like we always promised each other we would, but right now I need to let you enjoy adjusting to married life. I'm pretty confident that you don't need my help with that," Serena smirked.
"We'll set aside a room just for you," Blair replied, "Just in case Humphrey risks a return engagement or for any other reason you find yourself in need of a place to crash."
"Thanks, B," Serena replied as she hugged her best friend, "I'd better get going. I'm meeting my mother soon, and we're going to start looking for my new place."
"If you need a second opinion, or third rather, let me know," Blair replied.
"I will," Serena nodded, "And let me know how your doctor's appointment goes. I want to be kept completely in the loop when it comes to my niece or nephew."
"Absolutely," Blair nodded.
"Oh, and one more thing," Serena stated as she reached into her purse for the gift she'd had specially made for the baby and handed it to Blair.
"I love my Auntie Serena," Blair read off the tiny onesie she held in her hands, "It's perfect. I love it."
"Now I really have to go," Serena replied, "When you and Chuck are done with your honeymoon, give me a call. We can have lunch and then have one of our epic shopping sprees. After all, we'll need to start shopping for that new addition."
"I will," Blair replied as she hugged Serena before showing her to the door.
"Did Serena leave already?" Chuck inquired as he came ambling down the stairs, "I figured she'd have her bags in hand, ready to move in."
"Actually, she's decided to live with Lily until she can find her own place," Blair explained as she stepped towards him and fixed the knot in his tie.
"Serena is going to live on her own," Chuck's eyes showed his surprise.
"She says that it's time to figure out who she is, so she can then figure out what type of relationship she's looking for," Blair explained.
"She's really serious about settling down, isn't she," Chuck realized.
"I think she's afraid that because I'm married now that she's going to be left in the dust," Blair theorized.
"I hope keeping up with you isn't the only reason she's looking to settle down," Chuck stated.
"It might be part of it, but I don't think that's all of it," Blair replied, "I think she's genuinely ready. Not to change the subject or anything, but look at this adorable little outfit Serena gave the baby."
"I love my Auntie Serena," he chuckled as she held the onesie up for him to read, "We should get an adult size one that says 'Nate loves Serena'."
"I thought he was still dating that cougar," Blair stated.
"He is," Chuck nodded, "But I don't think for much longer."
"Yeah, I didn't think that was going to be a permanent relationship for him. Frankly I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did," she stated.
"Are you ready to leave?" Chuck inquired, "Your appointment is in half an hour, and with traffic…"
"I just need my shoes and purse," she replied.
"I'll go get them," he offered, "I move a bit quicker than you do."
"Being pregnant hasn't slowed me up yet," she pouted.
"I wasn't referring to your pregnancy," he replied, "I'm referring to your inability to decide which shoes to wear with your dress. You've tried on nearly every pair you own this morning."
"Get used to it, Bass," she told him, "I'm a woman. That's what we do. You knew what you were getting into when you married me. This is part of those vows you made."
"I don't recall a vow about having to wait for hours for you to make a decision on which shoe to wear with which outfit," he replied, "Maybe we'll have to watch the wedding video to be sure. That entire day is a bit of a blur for me."
"Was it so awful that you blocked it out?" she pouted.
"No, it was that fantastic and overwhelming," he corrected her, "I couldn't absorb it all properly. I do remember being pronounced husband and wife, so the most important part of the day was retained."
"Go get my shoes," she scolded him, "And we're watching the wedding video when we get home. I remember that day with perfect clarity, so I need you to remember it the same way."
"All I needed was for it to be the perfect day for you," he replied.
"And it was," she replied, "But it would be more perfect if my husband remembered it as well."
"You're just looking for an excuse to watch the wedding video," he chuckled, "It's okay to admit. It's just me, your husband."
"Go get my shoes," she commanded him, "We're going to be late."
"Yes, Dear," he chuckled.
"Hello, Mister and Mrs. Bass," the obstetrician greeted the pair as she came into the exam room, "First let me congratulate the two of you on your nuptials."
"Thank you," Blair smiled.
"I read all about your wedding in the society pages," the doctor continued on, "Sounded like an affair to remember."
"For one of us at least," Blair muttered as she glared at her husband.
"So, how have things been going with your pregnancy?" the doctor inquired, "From our earlier conversations, we're approaching eighteen weeks. Have you felt any movement by the baby?"
"Not yet," Blair shook her head, "That's okay, isn't it? That doesn't mean there is anything wrong, does it?"
"It's actually very common for first time mothers," the doctor assured her, "We'll know more when we have the sonogram, but I'm sure everything is just fine. You haven't been having any unusual pains or spotting, have you?"
"No," Blair shook her head quickly, "Other than it feeling like my belly suddenly exploded, but that's not so much a feeling as an observation when I look in the mirror."
"You're not that big," Chuck chimed in, "It's noticeable only to those that know you well and are looking for it."
"It happens to every pregnant woman eventually," her doctor laughed, "How has everything else been going? Any nausea?"
"Some," Blair nodded, "At first it was Chuck's cologne that set me off, now it's other smells, but I'm keeping a journal like you asked."
"That's good to hear," the doctor stated as she urged Blair to lay back.
Chuck grasped her hand as he sat on a stool just off to her side, giving her a reassuring smile as he brought her hand to his lips.
The room was silent for several torturous minutes as the doctor went about the exam.
"Have you two talked about whether or not you want to know the sex of your baby?" the doctor inquired, mercifully breaking the silence in the room.
"We want to know," Blair stated just as Chuck replied with, "We want to wait."
"I want to find out," Blair pouted as she stuck out her bottom lip.
"I want to wait," was Chuck's retort.
"That sounds like a no," the doctor chuckled softly.
"I guess we have a bit of negotiating to do," Chuck told the doctor.
"Sounds like it," the doctor nodded, "I'll let the technician know. You may not be able to agree upon knowing the sex, but I'm sure you'll both want to hear the baby's heartbeat."
"Yes, definitely," Blair nodded as Chuck bobbed his head up and down along with her.
"We'll even make a recording for you, which can be sent directly to your phone or email, so you can hear it whenever you want," the doctor explained.
"That would be wonderful," Blair proclaimed.
"Sit tight, I'll be back in a minute," the doctor stated as she left the room.
"I want to know, Chuck," Blair moaned the moment they were alone.
"And I want to wait," he held firm.
"No, Chuck," she pouted, "I want to start shopping for gender appropriate items."
"And I want to be surprised in the delivery room when we hold our little bundle of joy for the first time," he replied.
"No," she drew out her moan.
"Is that the best response you have?" he chuckled.
"Please," she tried to put an extra ounce of sugar into her voice as she batted her lashes.
"We obviously need to discuss this further," Chuck replied.
"There is nothing to discuss," she insisted, "I want to know."
"How is that fair?" he inquired.
"It's fair to me," she responded.
"It's not just you anymore, remember," he told her as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, "It's not even just us anymore. We have to find a way to compromise on this."
"That's an extremely mature answer," she sighed, "Damn it."
"And the first compromise we should make is to save this discussion for another day," Chuck offered.
"I can agree to that," she nodded, "But don't think for a minute that I'm going to just forget about this."
"I wouldn't dream of it," he chuckled as the pout took up residence on her face again as the doctor and sonogram technician came into the room.
"Was there a compromise made regarding knowing the baby's sex?" the doctor inquired as the technician began setting everything up.
"We've agreed to discuss that at a future date," Blair replied.
"Alright," the doctor nodded.
"But we do want those recordings of the heartbeat," Blair added.
The technician squeezed the gel onto Blair's stomach and pressed the scanner to her belly. Suddenly the sounds of the baby's heartbeat filled the room. Blair's eyes suddenly were shimmering with happiness.
"It's so fast," Blair remarked, "Is that too fast?"
"Sounds just right," the doctor replied.
"And here's your baby," the technician stated as the black and white image appeared on the monitor.
"That's our baby," Blair got a little misty eyed as she reached out to touch the monitor, "Is that the head?"
"It certainly is," the technician nodded as she moved the scanner around to get several different angles.
"Looks like we have a shy baby today," the doctor observed as she looked at the monitor over the technician's shoulder, "We wouldn't have been able to tell the baby's sex even if you wanted to know."
"That doesn't sound like a Bass baby," Chuck laughed, "That must be the Waldorf coming out."
Blair reached out to smack his shoulder.
"As promised, we're recording this. We can burn you a copy on a disc for you to watch, and we will send the audio recording to your cell phone," the doctor explained.
"Thank you," Blair replied as she continued to trace the monitor, "That baby looks okay?"
"The baby looks perfectly healthy," the doctor assured her.
"But the baby hasn't kicked yet," Blair replied.
"Which is very common for first time mothers," the doctor replied. "Mrs. Bass, if there was something to be worrying about, I would tell you so."
"Okay," Blair nodded as the technician handed her a towel to wipe the gel off her belly. Chuck snatched the towel before Blair could and did it for her, gently caressing her belly as he cleaned her up. Blair gave him an adoring smile.
"Sit tight for a few minutes," the doctor stated, "We'll have that disc burned for you in no time."
"Thank you," Chuck replied as the technician and doctor left them alone in the exam room for a few minutes.
"We made this, Chuck," Blair marveled as she rubbed circles into her belly, "This seemed more real today than it has any day since we found out we were pregnant."
"For me too," he nodded as he kissed her cheek.
"Thank you, Chuck," she replied.
"For?" he prompted her.
"For getting me pregnant," Blair explained, "I never knew how much I wanted to have a baby until I found out I was having one."
"Then I should be thanking you as well," he replied as he kissed her cheek again, "Because I never knew how much I wanted you to have my baby until we found out you were having one."
"I love you, Chuck," Blair replied as her phone suddenly alerted her to a new text message. She fiddled with it for a few moments as she was still trying to get the hang of her replacement phone for the one she smashed at the groom's dinner. Suddenly the heartbeat they'd heard during the sonogram was replaying on her phone.
"I love you, Blair," he stated as she pressed the play button again and again, replaying their child's heartbeat over and over again.
TBC. . .