Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
"Try to eat," Chuck tried to get Blair to get more than coffee down as the day of reckoning arrived. She'd been sitting at the table with only a cup of coffee in front of her, looking like she was going to be sick. Today was the day she debuted her fashion line to the world. Today determined whether she truly belonged or if she was only kidding herself.
"I'm not hungry," she shook off his attempt to hand her a pastry.
"You need to eat," he insisted.
"It's just going to come back up," she insisted, "I'm too nervous to keep anything down."
"Eat, Sweetheart," Harold gently commanded from his place at the table, having arrived with Roman two days earlier, "You need nourishment to get through the day. You'll be no good to anyone during your show if you're passed out."
She hadn't been as nervous when she woke up that morning. Chuck had been able to distract her the previous evening to get a good night's rest. It was the call from her assistant that morning to inform her that some of the biggest names in the retail industry had requested seats at the show at the last minute that was responsible for her uncontrollable bout of nerves. She'd spent an hour rearranging the front row of her show to accommodate.
The reality of the day had really hit her. If her show went well, she'd likely have key distribution deals offered, and her dream of sharing retail space with all the heavy hitters in the industry could become reality. If it didn't, she'd likely have to fold her business, swallow her pride, and return to working with her mother.
"You're going to do great," Chuck assured her as he brought her hand to his lips.
Blair tried a piece of toast. It went down with a little effort. "I should get ready. I have to be at the tent soon."
Chuck nodded as he watched her leave the room. He was tempted to follow to make sure what little breakfast she'd consumed would stay down, but he gave her space. He had faith in her.
"Is Blair going to be alright?" Harold vocalized the thought that all three men were having.
"I think so," Chuck nodded as he pushed his breakfast around the plate. He wasn't all that hungry either. He too was nervous. He wanted Blair to succeed in the worst way, and she'd been working so hard on her line. He didn't want that to be for nothing. He didn't want her giving up on herself. She wanted to be more than just Mrs. Chuck Bass, and he wanted that for her.
"You're going with her to Lincoln Center, aren't you?" Harold's voice wasn't quite as convinced.
"Yes," he confirmed, "Blair wants me there to reel her in if she steps out of line. She doesn't want to be known as one of those moody, out of control designers that snaps at someone for breathing wrong."
"It is a shame you won't be joining us in the front row," Roman added.
"I want the focus to be on Blair. This is her moment. We'll have ours at our engagement party. I tried to convince her to take off her engagement ring so that the media wouldn't be able to focus on anything but the clothes, but she refused. Instead, she's turning it around so that hopefully the diamond doesn't get caught by the spotlights," Chuck explained, "We're both a little surprised that no one has mentioned the engagement ring as of yet. They pounced on her promise ring four years earlier."
Blair called out to Chuck to halt any further conversation.
"What's wrong?" Chuck inquired as he stepped into the room.
"I need you to zip me up," Blair turned her back on him as she swept her hair away from her neck, presenting to him one of his greatest weaknesses.
"Playing with fire," he murmured as his hands went to the zipper and slowly slid it up.
"The toast is still in my stomach," she confirmed.
"I wasn't worried," he assured her, as he chanced a kiss to her shoulder, "I thought about it, so did Roman and your father, but I wasn't worried."
"Your faith in me is astounding," she smiled.
"You'd better finish getting dressed," he gently nudged her towards the vanity.
"You'd better start," she added as she looked at the silk pajamas and robe he was still wearing, "I'm not in the mood to be waiting for you this morning."
"Fair enough," he chuckled as he disappeared into the bathroom to take his shower as Blair went to work on applying her makeup.
Mercifully, Chuck was dressed and ready to go just as Blair was putting the final touches on her appearance.
"Your dress is beautiful," Chuck told her as they rode the elevator down to the lobby after getting well wishes from both Harold and Roman, "A perfect final note to your show."
"You haven't even seen my collection," she pointed out.
"Because you haven't shown it to me," he reminded her, "But I don't need to see the collection to know that my statement is true."
"You're always going to be my best accessory," she stroked his chin gently, "Too bad I can't present you to the world as part of my collection."
Chuck brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly, and then swung her ring around to conceal the diamond.
"I don't know how Page Six hasn't noticed yet," Blair smiled as they made their way to the car.
"They've been busy with all the celebutantes in New York raising their usual chaos," he replied, "We're boring. We have real jobs and a purpose in life."
"We're not boring," she scoffed.
"We are to Page Six," he smiled, "They just don't have access to the best, most exciting parts, of our life."
"Maybe we should release a sex tape," she gave him a mysterious smile, "I bet they'd start paying attention then."
"You're the one that has always nixed that idea," he decided to play along and see how far she'd go with the suggestion. He had a feeling that she was warming to the idea.
"You just haven't made an offer tempting enough to accept," she replied.
"This diamond ring isn't tempting enough?" he revealed the ring to her.
"I wasn't aware that was part of the offer," she played it cool, "Perhaps I should be rethinking my acceptance."
"Don't you want something that we can look back on in twenty years to prove that we haven't lost that passion and fire of our youth?"
"Keep working on that offer," she tapped his thigh lightly, "I may consider it one of these days."
All too soon the car came to a stop and Arthur was opening the door to the tent that seemed to be taunting her.
"You're going to do great," Chuck assured her yet again as he watched her turn a new shade of green, "Blair Waldorf doesn't know how to fail."
"Promise me that you won't leave my sight," she requested as she took his hand and pulled him along.
"I'll even follow you into the bathroom," he tried to joke, though she wasn't in a mood to respond. They quickly flashed their credentials to the security guard and walked into the back room that was set-aside for her and her staff. He wasn't surprised to see that Blair was the first to arrive.
"What do you want me to do?" Chuck inquired as Blair went straight to work getting her pieces arranged in an orderly fashion.
"Keep me calm," she requested.
Chuck nodded as he stayed close even when her staff and the models she'd hired for the day began to filter in and be put through hair and makeup. He stayed even when the models began to dress for the show.
"Go make sure that everyone is seated appropriately," Blair requested when she realized that Chuck was surrounded by naked models. He was behaving as his eyes searched around for neutral places to look, but she knew it was best for everyone to not tempt him.
"I'll make sure the video feed is up and working properly so that Serena can watch along with the rest of us while I'm out there," he nodded as he kissed her cheek.
"How's Blair?" Lily asked as she greeted her son with a hug and kiss to his cheek.
"Anxious," Chuck replied.
"So is everyone here," Lily noted as she surveyed those in attendance, "Everyone who matters in the industry is here. This is the hardest ticket of the week to get. Thank god the designer is my soon to be daughter-in-law. I'd never have gotten in otherwise."
"I'm sure any designer would love to have Lily van der Woodsen front and center," Chuck insisted.
"Maybe a decade ago," she smiled, "Are you sure you can't join us in the audience?"
"This is Blair's day," he shook his head, "I don't want to take any chances of taking attention away from her." His eye suddenly caught as Eleanor was milling in the back in a pair of sunglass, fidgeting nervously, and trying desperately to blend in. "Excuse me, Lily. I have to check on the video feed for Serena."
"Of course. We'll see you after the show."
Chuck weaved his way through the crowd and approached Eleanor who was trying to ignore his approach, mostly because she hadn't wanted anyone to know she was there and be thrown out. She'd slipped past security.
"Don't tell Blair I'm here," Eleanor told Chuck, "I don't want to ruin the show or distract her. I just wanted to see her debut. I'll be gone right after the show. She won't know I'm here."
"She might appreciate you being here," Chuck told her.
"Perhaps, but I don't want to risk a potential scene. I don't want to create any more drama in her life, Charles. I've caused quite enough as it is," Eleanor insisted. She was nearly in tears as she spoke.
"Okay," Chuck nodded. He felt for Eleanor as she was so full of doubt and fear. "Enjoy the show."
"I know I will," her voice caught as he let her be.
Chuck did a quick check of the video equipment, checked in with a few more guests of the show before he returned to Blair's side. He could feel the tension from the minutes he'd been gone melting away as soon as he was there.
"You're better than a sedative," Blair whispered before she returned her focus to the models lined up for the start of the show.
"Ms. Waldorf, whenever you're ready," the stage manager announced after a brief conversation through his headset.
Blair took a deep breath as Chuck found an out of the way spot to catch the show and the reactions of the audience, yet not be seen. Her eyes locked momentarily with his as she gathered her courage. "Start the music."
The steady beat began to play as Blair readied the first model and sent her out. The show flew by in a whirl of activity. Blair didn't remember breathing once until she recognized the final piece of her collection. As the model strutted out to do her thing, Blair followed behind to a thunderous round of applause, easily outdoing anything heard during the actual show. She took a moment to soak in the adoration before she gave a slight wave and then made her way back down the runway and into Chuck's waiting arms.
Chuck had been watching the reactions to her line more than he'd been watching the individual pieces walk down the runway. He could tell that Blair was dazzling those that held her creative fate in their hands. The buyers and fashion critics alike were scribbling furious notes with wide smiles on their faces. He knew without a doubt that Blair was going to be busy for the foreseeable future.
Blair had tears in her eyes as he released her. "They were applauding, weren't they?"
"Thunderously," Chuck confirmed as he kissed both of her cheeks.
"They weren't laughing or booing me off the stage," she choked up.
"Your designs very much belonged out there," he assured her as he wiped at the stray tears that fell.
"Blair, your phone," her assistant offered her the communication device.
"Melanie, now isn't the time," Blair waved her off.
"I think you'll want to see this one text message," Melanie insisted as she continued to hold out the phone.
Blair glanced at the phone. It was a message from Serena. – I'd say that was amazing, but that was beyond words! So proud! CONGRATS!
"She summed it up nicely," Chuck looked over Blair's shoulder as she beamed, "You'd better get out there. Your adoring fans are waiting to shower you with praise. I'll be waiting for you back here."
"You're not coming out?" her eyes widened in surprise.
"This is your day," he reminded her with a kiss to her hand. "I'll be waiting patiently."
She caressed his face, pouring out all her emotions without having to say a word. He gave her a reassuring smile as she was swallowed by the throng of people waiting with baited breath to give her their sincerest congratulations and wishes to do business with her. Her business manager was at her side taking down everyone's information as they went.
The crowd eventually began to thin, leaving just her family, closest friends, and those on her payroll. Chuck came out from behind the curtain with a champagne bottle and two glasses as several others followed him out with more bottles and glasses.
"Where did the Dom come from?" Blair inquired as Chuck peeled the foil and popped the cork.
"I had a few crates stashed away," he told her as he poured two glasses.
"And if I'd been laughed off stage?" she inquired as she took a sip.
"We would have drowned our sorrows," he replied.
"I'm going to be the first to toast to the belle of the ball," Harold spoke up as he raised his glass, "To the woman with the vision and the courage to make it a reality."
Blair blushed at the compliment before adding, "Don't forget my staff. I couldn't have done this on my own."
"To the most talented staff assembled," Chuck toasted her staff.
"To CB Fashions," Blair toasted.
The euphoria carried everyone out to dinner. Blair wanted to stay behind to make sure that everything was transported back to the loft without any issues, but she sent her entire staff ahead. Naturally Chuck stayed with her.
Blair was running around backstage, making sure that an abundance of caution was taken by the group she'd hired to transport her designs back to the loft. Chuck stayed out of her way as he took a seat in what had been the best seat in the house during the show. He could still hear the music and the perpetual applause of the show.
"It's so quiet now," Blair joined him, startling him from his trance, as she put her arm around his shoulder.
"Was it everything you hoped it would be?" he inquired.
"Much more," she replied as she thumbed her ring, spinning it back around so that the diamond was proudly showing once again.
"You're going to be very busy for the foreseeable future."
"With business and only during the day," she smirked as she ran her fingers through the hair at the nap of his neck, "My nights are reserved for you."
"You might be too busy to plan a wedding," he thought out loud.
"Never," she shook him off.
"I'd be okay with waiting, after all we haven't even set a date," he tried to assure her, "Your business is going to explode. As stressful as this time leading up to Fashion Week has been, I think your stress level is about to increase exponentially."
"Nothing is going to interfere with us becoming man and wife," she assured him, "That will always be something that I have time for, that and having time for the man that will be making me his wife."
"If you get overwhelmed through it all, I'll hire an army of wedding planners to take the load," he captured her hand and brought it to his lips.
"I can't believe this is really happening," she smiled, "My show appears to be a success. We're engaged to be married. I don't know if my life can get much more perfect than it currently is."
"That's a dangerous word," Chuck reminded her.
"But my brain is a little fried right now. I don't have the capacity to come up with anything else," she smiled, "Perfect will have to suffice."
"We have to make an appearance at your celebratory dinner," he reminded her.
"I know," she sighed, "But I think we can get in and out quickly. I'm mentally, physically and emotionally drained."
"I hope you have a tiny shred of energy left for our own private celebration," he replied as he grabbed the one bottle of champagne he'd saved for their own celebration back at their penthouse.
"I do," she confirmed, "But it's already earmarked."
"For me," he smiled confidently.
"Let's just sit here for a few minutes," she requested as she turned her focus towards the stage. Her label was still lit by the spotlight, "I want to soak all this in for a little while longer."
"Take all the time you need."
TBC…
Big thanks to my beta Lori2279 for her work and to all of you reading. I think there is one chapter left in this story and then it will be time to move on to something else. Stay tuned.