Chapter 28

Early the next morning, Blair woke up with the baby crying to be changed, and Chuck snoring in her ear and already growing hard pressed against her back, as he rubbed his hand in circles along her abdomen even in his sleep. Along with that Blair suddenly had to use the restroom, so she disengaged herself from Chuck's grasp, despite his subconscious protest, to which she whispered in his ear that she'd be back soon, as she got up from the couch and went to check on her son. She then picked the baby up from where he was sleeping, noticed he needed a diaper change, then took him along with her to the bathroom. Using the toilet while holding a baby was an interesting task, but once she was able to do it, Blair felt more like the urban supermom that she wanted to be. She then went on to change the baby's diaper, and before she left the bathroom, she found a box of condoms and grabbed one out in case she needed it for Chuck.

Blair then went back in the living room, where she collapsed into Chuck's recliner and fed her son a bit while she him and her husband both sleep. Moments like this were what Blair realized came with a real marriage, not everything was always just fun trips and parties and being Queen Bee...instead it was more often moments of have to duty, no matter how young, urban, and professional they tried to be.

After finishing with her son's feeding, Blair checked his diaper to see if he needed changed again, but fortunately he was still dry, so she put him back in his little cot. Then, Blair went over to Chuck, who was sleeping on the couch, still snoring, still drooling on his arm, and still slightly hard from what she could tell by the fact that he was almost falling out of the fly of his pajamas. Yeah, Chuck was quite the guy, but she still loved him perhaps even more for his imperfections. Blair was still tired, so she crawled back onto the couch beside Chuck, who suddenly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, and growled against her ear with his morning voice.

"You're back, Blair, good. What time is it? I want you..."

"It's about six o'clock, Chuck...hmm...yeah I wondered if you wanted it...I guess we can do it...but just be careful because I think I'm still a little sore." Blair sighed as she ran her fingers through Chuck's hair at the back of his neck, while he started to touch her where she mentioned.

"Right here? Yeah I feel it too...I'm sorry...I'll try to take it slow this time...uh...but I don't have a..." Chuck groaned against her hair as he touched her.

"Don't worry, hon, I thought of it earlier and brought one from the bathroom...and I'll help you..." Blair laughed as she tore the wrapper and helped Chuck with the condom, caressing him as she slipped it on him.

"Ha ha you think of everything...it's like you can read my mind...you're a good wife." Chuck laughed seductively.

"Hey I try...anyway it wasn't your mind I was reading, but more like your body. So I knew you wanted me, especially when I woke up with you against my back." Blair laughed as she caressed him under his pajamas and his belly and so forth.

"Ah so was I...well maybe you can help me take care of that..." Chuck asked slyly, pulling her down beside him again.

"Yeah maybe I can..." Blair playfully replied as Chuck rolled over and she succumbed to him on the couch, for kisses and a little morning togetherness.

After awhile, Chuck told her he had to use the bathroom and was hungry, so Blair got up too and walked to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could Chuck and herself for breakfast. She found some of the breakfast roll wreath Dorota had baked the day before for Christmas morning, so she started to cut a few slices of it off for herself and her husband, when Chuck walked into the room and asked if there was any sausage left in the freezer, so she told him to check. Reluctantly Chuck checked and found part of a roll left, which he gave to Blair to fry up, which she reluctantly sliced and threw into a skillet on the stove.

Chuck started eating the breakfast roll, along with a glass of egg nog and rum punch he found in the fridge. He then went over to Blair and sneaked up behind and wrapped his arms around her as she watched the sausage fry.

"Chuck what are you doing? Are you drinking Dorota's special egg nog again? I hope you don't drink too much of it because you don't need to get drunk...although it does make you taste delicious." Blair purred.

"Aw come on Blair, it's good as you said...here have some..." Chuck growled seductively as he handed her his glass and she took a sip.

"So what do you think? Good huh?" Chuck chuckled as he turned her away from the stove.

"Yes it is good...so good that I think I will take the rest of it, over here." Blair said as she playfully took the glass and sat on the edge of the counter, which Chuck followed her to. He playfully tried to grab for it, but Blair drank the rest of it in one long gulp.

"Hey no fair, you drank the rest of it! So I'll have to get more...hey are you all right?" Chuck asked as he noticed Blair get a little woozy.

"Yeah it was delicious, but now everything's spinning...except you Chuck! You look so cute and so hot in your pajamas! How do you do it Chuck? Your top lip looks so cute when you go like that...and so delicious! I just want to eat you up!" Blair sighed as she threw her arms around Chuck and pulled him into a sensuous kiss while sitting on the edge of the counter, right at his eye level.

After a few moments of kissing, the phone rang, the baby cried, and Chuck pulled away asking "Is something burning?"

"Oh I think you're bacon's burning Chuck! Ha ha Ha! And oh someone better get the phone! Dorota where are you?" Blair laughed as she wrapped her arms tighter around Chuck.

"Yes I know, Blair, and Dorota's not here...so I'll have to get the phone! Let go Blair, I need to get the phone..." Chuck told her, trying to unpeal Blair from him, but instead she just wrapped her arms and legs around him and moaned "No...carry me!"

"Okay, Blair...oops" Chuck said as he tried to carry Blair across to the telephone on the other side of the kitchen, but when they got there, Blair grabbed the phone first and said "Hello and welcome to the Mad house...I mean the Mass House....No I mean the Bass House...no not that Bass House! Oh hi grandma Alexis! How's it hanging? Oh you wanna talk to Chuckie boy? Yeah he's here granny gran...but I think he's indisposed..." Blair laughed as she slid off of Chuck and realized in doing so, she'd accidentally caused his pajama pants to slide down. "Ooh nice buns Chuck!" Blair laughed as she handed him the phone and gave him a playful slap as she walked over to the stove and tried to rescue the burned sausage.

"Oh hello gran, Happy Christmas. How are you doing?...No she just drank too much egg nog or something...Yeah we're doing fine...no the baby's just crying a little and I need to see to him...yeah the nanny's out...Oh you want to tell me something?...Okay let me take it in another room." Chuck said as he left to pick up the extension in his office, as he yelled for Blair to check on the baby.

"I can't Chuck, unless you don't mind burnt sausage patties!" she yelled back.

"Right now I don't care Blair, just check on our son...and take some of the wheatgerm detox crap and sober up hon." Chuck yelled.

"You're telling me to sober up? Ha ha!" Blair laughed sarcastically.

"Yes, because you apparently have a low tolerance for alcohol right now. Anyway just do it, so you don't hurt yourself. I need to talk to Alexis, before she hangs up or something." Chuck growled as he poured her a glass of the wheatgerm smoothie that was in the fridge, then ran off to pick up the phone, picking up his son on the way through the living room to his office.

"I think this wheatgerm stuff is spoiled!" Blair moaned as she smelled it and then poured it down the garbage disposal, and opting to take a few aspirins instead, as she sank into a chair in the living room to control her headache.

Inadvertently, Blair fell asleep, waking up after almost and hour with a stomach ache that caused her to run to the bathroom and puke in the toilet. After cleansing off her face from that experience, Blair reluctantly walked through the house until she found Chuck in his office, sitting in his office chair still in his pajamas and robe and holding his son who'd fallen asleep leaning against his chest.

This time Chuck hadn't fallen asleep, but he did look rather sullen and sad as he stared out the window at the gray wintery sky, as a gentle snow fell, and he kept one hand on his son to prevent him sliding down his chest. Chuck subconsciously patted his son and kissed the top of his head as he looked out the window, which Blair found endearing until she realized he looked like he could almost cry himself.

"Chuck...what's wrong? Did your grandma have some bad news for you?" Blair gasped, suddenly becoming more sober and increasingly concerned for her husband, remembering the time right after Chuck's dad had died the previous year.

"Bad news?...Yes quite the news indeed...for one thing being that Bartholomew Bass was not my father...my real father might still be alive...and my mother may have been alive until I was at least eight years old...and YOU knew but didn't tell me?" Chuck said, the disappointment evident in his voice.

"Oh Chuck...I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I knew...but Alexis told me in confidence what she was investigating into about her daughter, Audrey, your mother Chuck, and she told me to hold onto the information until she finished her investigation....I'm sorry if I didn't tell you what I knew sooner.." Blair said as she walked over to Chuck and put her arms around him.

Chuck tried to rebuff her, but then gave in to her persistence, pulling Blair onto his lap on the chair as well. Blair pulled her arms around Chuck whispering that she was there for him. as she tried to hold him, while he held her and the baby.

Blair then asked Chuck to recant the story Alexis told him about his parents, revealing some facts that Blair hadn't known until that point, causing her to ask "Okay, Chuck, let me get this straight...your grandmother Alexis believes that her daughter Audrey, your mother, most likely perished in a plane crash or some type of accident in the Amazon over a decade ago, however your biological father, Jack Walker, has since changed his name to Winston Funk and is the billionaire owner of Funk Enterprises? My my Chuck didn't you luck out! You didn't lose your father after all...and he's even still a billionaire!" Blair laughed, surprised at the ironic twist Chuck's life had suddenly taken.

"That may be so...but Winston Funk is my father?! He was always an adversary to my father...uh Bart...and would try to beat him to various real estate acquisitions, especially a few of the casino hotels in Las Vegas. I can't believe it, I don't know if I want to believe it! My world has been turned around if this is true! As well, there are two issues that are of an utmost concern to me now, which are what will happen to all of this, if I'm not a Bass? Jack will not get Bass Industries, if I can so help it! As well, I want to be Chuck Bass, not Chuck Funk, or whatever he calls himself!'

"Yeah I guess 'Chuck Funk' would sound pretty funny, although it'd be easy to spell! Or misspell...into Chuck Fu*K which would definitely suit you well!" Blair teasingly laughed.

"Ha ha...yes you are correct, Blair...but that is exactly why I DON'T want to have to change my name to that, if Winston Funk proves to be my father. Anyway, only you can call me the other name." Chuck admitted, becoming slightly more bemused.

"Okay Mr. F...but anyway even if you are Funk's son, you don't have to change your name to that! You could be 'Chuck Walker'...or if you don't like that...hey didn't Lily adopt you? She is...or at least was Mrs. Bass when she adopted you...so maybe you can keep your name that way?" Blair teased Chuck.

"Well now though she's Mrs. Humphreys...and unless you want to be 'Blair Humphreys' I'm not changing my name to that!" Chuck grumbled

"Uh that's a definite and resounding, NO!" Blair gasped.

"All right then, what do we do now? It's quite the issue because my identity and our whole lifestyle is in jeopardy with this sudden revelation." Chuck asked Blair, honestly curious to see what her ideas would be.

"Well the only idea I have right now involves a further investigation into your grandmother's information to determine what is true and what isn't. As well, I think you should arrange for an appointment to meet with Winston Funk sometime soon, and learn from him what he knows about your past...or at least your mother's past." Blair said encouragingly to Chuck.

"Go meet with Winston Funk? I don't know what I'd do if I met with him alone, especially after his past history with my fath... Bart Bass." Chuck growled.

"All right then, Chuck, I'll go with you then. We'll meet as a team in solidarity. I told you I would be there for you Chuck, and I will. We'll meet with him as a team, you'll see." Blair said encouragingly.

"Thank you Blair..." Chuck said while holding her, with more confidence than he'd had when he was sitting alone with just his son.

After awhile, Chuck suddenly cleared his throat and asked Blair "How cold is it outside? Not tremendously cold, I hope. Just cold enough for a wet snow, I'd imagine, am I right?"

"Yes, I believe so, Chuck, why do you ask?" Blair replied in question.

"Well, I wanted us to go for a walk, that is if you wouldn't mind accompanying me and our son on a little walk around the park. But first we need to get dressed in something more substantial than pajamas." Chuck declared as he eased Blair off of his lap.

"You want to go for a walk in the park, in the snow, with our six week old son?" Blair gasped as she stared at Chuck.

"Yes I do. Do you mock my judgment on this matter, Blair? Oh please, it isn't that cold out, and we won't be out for long. I'll keep our son warm, next to me, I promise. I just need to get out of here and clear my head, but I still want to...keep my family close...what there is of it." Chuck admitted, as he carried his son with him upstairs to his bedroom and Blair followed along.

"Keep your family close? This is about your father and those things Alexis told you isn't it? Alright Chuck, I understand and I'll give that much to you...but I'm coming along with you because who knows where you'll take our son given what you've done in the past when you were dealing with Bart's death a year ago." Blair declared.

"Don't you trust me Blair? I wouldn't do that to our son! Anyway, dress warmly, but casually...though that's only a suggestion." Chuck said gruffly, as he pulled out a polo shirt and jeans, along with a pair of wingtip boots she'd seldom seen Chuck wear.

Blair then went and put on a pair of jeans she'd bought once but hadn't worn since long before her pregnancy, along with a casual knit blouse and sweater, and a pair of boots she hadn't worn in awhile. She then helped dress their little son in a sleeper and his little baby snowsuit, and was going to get the stroller out, when Chuck said that he wanted to use the leather and fleece lined baby carrier when they went for their walk through the park, so Blair found it for him and adjusted the straps so that it would fit over the black pea coat that he wanted to wear. Blair then found a dark pea coat that she owned, which vaguely resembled Chuck's, and a beret hat for herself, while Chuck found his old newsboy cap and a plaid scarf she hadn't seen him wear in awhile as he bundled up.

They then went out to the limo and rode over to Central Park, where they got out and Blair helped Chuck with the baby carrier and their son, taking part of Chuck's scarf and wrapping it around the baby as well. Chuck thanked her, then held out his gloved hand to her's, and took her hand in his as they started their walk around the park.

The only sounds they heard was the crunching of the snow under their boots, as they walked along in comparative silence for awhile, until Blair broke the silence with small talk about the weather.

"It is rather nice out here in the fresh snow and not as cold as I'd thought. Thanks for suggesting we go for a walk, dear."

"You're welcome, Blair."

"It's nothing. Yeah anyway, you look cute Chuck, with your cap and scarf again, and our son strapped to your chest. Little like the boy I fell in love with, combined with the man and father, you're becoming now. A real 21st century young urban dad, and I think I'm falling in love with you again because of that." Blair admitted a bit shyly.

"Really, Blair? Uh, thanks for the complement. Yeah you look cute too, with your coat, hat, scarf , and so forth. So do mind if we sit here? Sorry if its wet." Chuck asked, as he brushed enough snow off a bench so that they could both sit down and stare out at the duck pond.

"No, it's fine Chuck and pretty dry. Anyway, how'd you know that I liked to come here to feed the ducks, sometimes?" Blair laughed.

"Oh lucky guess...no I used to see you come here once in awhile, when I was passing through." Chuck admitted.

"Were you spying on me Chuck? Or do you like to take walks through the park?"

"Maybe a little bit of both...anyway, if this is one of your favorite places here, I don't blame you because it is nice...though it isn't as grand as my favorite place." Chuck admitted shyly as he teased her.

"Oh it isn't? Now where pray tell is your favorite place in Central Park?" Blair teasingly asked.

"Oh over there, though I don't know if you're up to walking to it." Chuck replied as he motioned across the park.

"What, the castle? Why, Chuck that was always my second favorite place in Central Park because I used to always dream I could be the beautiful princess who lived in the castle and had a beautiful bedroom with ten down comforters, and perfect skin, and mile long hair, and glass slippers, and hordes of servants, and if a wicked witch ever cast an evil spell on me or a dragon attacked the castle, I'd hope my handsome knight would come along and wake me up...so that we could battle the dragon together! I guess I was quite the girl, growing up." Blair laughed.

"Ha ha, that's quite true, Blair. Quite true indeed, if I remembered correctly. You certainly didn't need to be a princess for some of those things, because you already were treated like a princess by your parents when you were growing up. Though the part about battling dragons at that castle is sort of funny because I used to pretend I was Link from the Legend of Zelda game and I had to defend the castle from either a dragon, or a whole legion of an enemy army which was attacking the castle from that side over there, just to get to the princess that was hiding inside. It was fun, and I started playing around there with Nate and some of my other friends after my father took my Game Boy away from me...until my one nanny found out we were playing around the castle, so I got in trouble for that too. I could never win, especially when it came to my dad." Chuck said, growing solemn in the end.

"Really, you used to daydream you were Link from Legend of Zelda? That's cool...though that's too bad you got into trouble like that as a boy." Blair said sympathetically.

"Yeah...and now my dad is dead...and I find out Bart Bass was never my father in the first place...instead Winston Funk is? You said that I am the image of a 21st century young, urban, professional father...but how can I even be a good dad if I never really knew my real dad? If I don't even know my real self anymore?" Chuck admitted dejectedly, his voice growing soft.

"Oh Chuck that doesn't matter, because you're still a good husband no matter who you are..."

"No matter who I am? I don't even know who I am? And that makes it that you don't know who you are anymore either...perhaps you should've never married me, then you'd still be Blair Waldorf, not Blair Nobody. It's my mistake, Blair, I never meant to cause you trouble...I never meant to do you harm." Chuck said dejectedly, brushing her off and beginning to walk away.

"Chuck! Where are you going? Don't leave me...and take our baby with you! You didn't cause me trouble, I chose to marry you, for you, not because of your name! And anyway I don't care if I'm Blair Nobody, because I'd rather be Blair Nobody with you, than Blair Waldorf without you...because I love you for the person you are inside, Chuck. Please believe me, darling." Blair said as she caught up with him, grabbed his hand, and wrapped her arm around him.

"Are you sure? You'd stay with me...even if I...we lost Bass Industries to my uncle because if this stupid technicality? Even if I was no longer a billionaire?" Chuck asked, his voice breaking.

"Yes, I married you because I love you Chuck, not for your name or your money. Just having you for my husband and my lover is worth far more than all of your money, Chuck. And anyway we can find a way to clear up this mess and make things work out somehow, even if we have to make it happen by our own means. Maybe the first place to start is meeting with Winston Funk and hearing his side of the story. We can go together to talk with him if you'd like." Blair said as she rubbed Chuck's back and gave him a hug of affection and encouragement.

"You'd do that for me? You're...quite the woman Blair...and that's why...I love you too..." Chuck said quietly, then went on "Come on...let's go see the castle and I'll show you my favorite parts." as he grabbed her hand and pulled her briskly along until they got to the castle, where they climbed through the fence and sneaked into the terrace area, where they could overlook part of the park. It was there then that they rested, catching their breaths as they shared a bit more of themselves to each other in conversation and encouragement, until Chuck decided they should leave because he had one more place he wanted to go yet.

His limo arrived within a few minutes to pick them up and take them to the cemetery where Bart Bass was buried. Blair followed Chuck until he stopped and stood silently, reflectively at his father's grave. Blair took his hand in hers and put her arm around his back, as she noticed that despite his cold demeanor, he was already starting to tear up. This time though, he did put one arm around Blair, pulling her closer, and one hand on his son as he kissed the top of the baby's hood. Blair then moved in front of Chuck, placing both hands on his face, kissing away his tears and ending with his slightly chilled lips, as he leaned down then against her neck and she let him have his cry.

It was a very subdued Chuck and Blair who rode back home in the limo. When they got home, they both took a bath, relaxing in the tub together, then curling up and watching a movie with a big bowl of popcorn and a couple of sodas, like the two kids they still were...but trying to comfort each other like the adults they were rapidly becoming.

That night, Blair got a call from her friend Mary Wheeler, from the Lamaze class and mother's group she'd attended during her pregnancy, who asked her how she and Chuck were doing and to say that the Lord had laid a concern for them on her heart. This astonished Blair, especially considering the type of day they'd had that day, so reluctantly Blair opened up a bit to Mary, though only revealing that they were dealing with some issues that Chuck especially was finding difficult to handle. Mary told Blair that she would keep them in her thoughts and prayers, then invited them for the after Christmas themed service their mission church was holding in a converted space on the Lower East Side, and if they wanted to they were also invited to attend the First Night bash they were also sponsoring in a cafe they called the Fish Tank, located in he same area. Blair told Mary they'd consider it perhaps, but she'd have to see.

After she ended her call with Mary, Chuck asked her who it was, to which she replied "Oh it was just my friend, Mary Wheeler. She'd said that she had a concern for us that the Lord had burdened on her heart, then invited us to their church service in a converted warehouse on the Lower East Side."

"Ha religious freak." Chuck said sarcastically.

"Chuck! Mary's nice enough and I don't think she's really a religious freak. Anyway it felt good to unburden some of our concerns to someone else, do you know what I mean?" Blair admonished him.

"Well I hope you didn't reveal too much in your unburdening session with your friend." Chuck replied, a bit angry.

"I didn't, because I knew you wouldn't want me to. Anyway, I just told her you especially were dealing with some issues that were difficult, but I left it at that, and she said she'd keep us in her prayers for what its worth. It was good to unburden myself a bit, to someone other than just you...and I'm only being honest hon, so don't take it as an insult." Blair sighed, then went on "Anyway, not only did Mary invite us to their church service tomorrow, but she also said they were throwing a party on New Year's Eve with some of their other friends, a party they were calling a First Night Bash, whatever that is, at some cafe called the Fish Tank. I thought that sounded a bit intriguing, if only for the name of the locale." she laughed.

"The Fish Tank? Never heard of it...though it does sound a bit intriguing because of the name. Ah when is New Years this year? Thursday? Eh maybe we can go for a while anyway...then if its too boring or something, we can always ring in the New Years with an after party at Victrola." Chuck suggested on a whim.

"You'd seriously consider going to the Wheeler's First Night Bash at someplace called the Fish Tank?" Blair replied a bit skeptically.

"Eh it'd be a change, a chance to see somewhere new and meet a few new people I guess. You always have to keep your eyes and ears open for business opportunities, you know that don't you Blair?" Chuck replied slyly.

"Business opportunities? Well I guess whatever your excuse to go out and make new friends...yeah sure I'll go with you." Blair laughed.

"Cool. Yeah that should be interesting...then we can always have an after party at Victrola if it proves too lame." Chuck laughed too.

"Okay Chuck whatever you say. Yeah a little party at Victrola might be just the ticket, since we haven't thrown anything lately. Is Ramsey still available to cater, or your kitchen staff at least?" Blair asked curiously.

"I don't believe Ramsey's available anymore, but the rest of my restaurant staff at Victrola should be able to take care of it. Either way, if you want to plan the rest, its up to you because you're great at it." Chuck said slyly.

"Thank you Chuck, you know me all too well." Blair replied to Chuck.

The next day, Chuck and Blair missed out on Mary's church service, but they did plan to attend the First Night Party, just to see what it was about, as well as planning for their own after party at Victrola. So in the end they spent the rest of their week planning that, checking on work issues, taking walks together when the weather permitted, and keeping busy in general.

In another part of town, Jenny's friend Bonnie was enjoying her week of Christmas vacation as well as she could in her family's new penthouse apartment, which her parents had purchased from the Elenore Waldorf estate and Bass Industries' real estate agency several months before. It was rumored that her bedroom had once been Blair Waldorf's when she'd lived there with her parents, but she wasn't sure. Either way, there was this unusual mural of a blue ballgown painted on the wall, which was sort of unusual, but she didn't care.

Anyway, feeling bored, Bonnie decided to go for a walk just to get out of the house. She hadn't gone far, and stopped in the corner convenience store to pick up some of her favorite candy and some other snacks, when she suddenly felt like someone was staring at her, so she turned around to see Clyde Barrowsworth staring at her, from beside the slushy machine. She tried to ignore him, but he called out to her, "Bonnie Parkerbrothers...funny seeing you here...How are you doing?"

"Uh...hi Clyde...I'm doing okay, I guess." Bonnie replied, trying to ignore him.

"Just...okay? Anymore visits by those idiots? I could take care of them, you know..." Clyde sneered.

"No..those boys haven't bothered me lately. How was your Christmas, Clyde?" Bonnie stammered, trying to change the subject.

"It could've been better...I've had to work at this f-ing job ever since before Christmas...unlike you, little princess." Clyde said dejectedly.

"I'm no princess...I have my share of troubles too..." Bonnie admitted dejectedly.

"Oh do you now? So money can't buy you love?" Clyde chuckled.

"Yeah...I guess not..." Bonnie admitted.

"Hey...are you doing anything today?" Clyde asked slyly.

"Uh..I guess not...but I shouldn't hang out with you...coz you're supposedly bad news." Bonnie replied trying to walk away from him.

Suddenly Clyde crept forward and grabbed her wrist, looked into her eyes with his beady ones and said "Ah you say that you don't want to with your mouth...but your eyes are curious to what old Clyde's up to aren't I right?"

"No...yes...I don't know? Maybe?" Bonnie gasped, even surprising herself.

"All right come along with me sweetie and we'll see where we go..." Clyde said as he pulled her along, sneaking what she was intending to buy under his coat and slipping out the door as clean as you please.

Clyde took Bonnie through alleys and back streets. Throughout rougher areas to the south and west. They sneaked into small stores and while Bonnie browsed, Clyde tried to snatch things like spray paint cans, tools, snacks, and so forth. He then took her to a pawn shop where he knew the guy, and turned some of the things he had into cash. Bonnie was distracted by some of the items off to the side and didn't notice when Clyde pawned a gold chain necklace he'd confiscated somewhere and got nearly $200. When they got a building with a fire escape scaffolding, Clyde pulled it down, and they climbed to the top, where they hung out on the roof watching the city from above.

Suddenly, Clyde whipped out the cans of spray paint and began to graffiti designs on the metal structures on the roof. Bonnie laughed and said "Clyde Barrowsworth you are quite the guy! Small time thief and pawn broker and now graffiti artist. You are a rule breaker, that's for sure. Why do you always do that design at the bottom?"

"Design? Oh my signature! Don't you like it?" Clyde said, spraying the last bit with a flourish.

"Yeah I guess...uh oh...geez I think I need to get home or my mom's gonna have a fit!" Bonnie moaned, checking the time on her cell phone.

"All right then, I'll get you home...follow me this way..." Clyde said as he led her off the roof, hailed themselves a cab, and took Bonnie home like a gentleman, much to Bonnie's surprise.

The next day, Bonnie got a text on her cell phone to come downstairs, which she did, only to find Clyde down there hanging outside the door. She ran past the doorman and met up with Clyde. Bonnie and Clyde hung out a bit more that day, then Clyde followed her back home, asking if he could crash at her place since he needed to lay low for a day or two. Reluctantly, Bonnie led Clyde upstairs to her family's penthouse, and Clyde soon made himself at home, scrounging around for food in the fridge.

Clyde then followed Bonnie up to her bedroom because he claimed he needed to use the internet, which she let him do, while she went to the bathroom. When she got out, he quickly flipped the webpage down and she teased him "Oh were you looking at porn on my PC? I bet you were.."

"No, uh never mind...good you're out of the toilet coz I have to go.." Clyde said as he jumped off the chair and ran into the bathroom, while Bonnie sat down at her computer and pulled up her facebook page. Eventually Clyde stepped out of the bathroom and started snooping around the room, poking in corners and what not, and finally flopping in the middle of her bed, saying "My you got a nice room Bon...nice bed too...ha ha"

"Yeah thanks Clyde ... except now its dirty coz you plopped your dirty coat right in the middle of my bed, so its ruined!" Bonnie sighed.

"Aw but my hands are clean! Ha lighten up Bon...or should I say lighter up...ha ha.." Clyde laughed, obviously slightly high.

"Clyde are you on something? You're acting more strange than usual..." Bonnie commented.

"Yes..and its great...you should try it Bonnie...you'll see things from a whole new perspective!" Clyde laughed.

"I don't know Clyde...I've always tried to stay clean..." Bonnie sighed.

"Yeah and that's just given you a boring life...you said so yourself! Come on Bon and join me...uh Bon do you know you have a big purple dress painted on your wall? What the f...?" Clyde moaned.

"Yeah it was here from the last tenant. I haven't done anything with that wall yet..." Bonnie sighed.

"Last tenant? She certainly had the taste...it looks like Barney and makes me want to puke! No taste in art or anything! I'll it fix right now Bonnie my kitten..." Clyde said as she suddenly got up , whipped out a can of black spray paint and graffitied a giant black cat over the dress. Bonnie was going to protest, but then realized that the cat was pretty good.

Bonnie stepped away from her computer and sat on her bed to get a better perspective on the cat. She then, on a whim, drank some of the beer Clyde had left on her night stand and watched him work. "My Clyde, that cat's one crazy cat! I love it! Much better than the dress, I now see!"

"Yeah thanks Bon, I knew you see it my way." Clyde laughed as he finished off the picture with a crude version of his initials, then he noticed something. "Hey Bon, I knew you loved me! You wrote it right here, 'I luv CB' ha ha!"

"Huh? I didn't write that, Clyde! I just got this room a few months ago! I didn't even pay attention to that corner over there!"

"Aw, I'm crushed! Coz it matches my initials so perfect!" Clyde sighed in mock dejection.

"Your initials? Is that what that scrawl is? CB?" Bonnie asked a bit perplexed.

"Yes...CB, Clyde Barrowsworth...Cat Burgler!" Clyde sneered with twisted pride.

"CAT BURGLER?? HAHAHA! Oh Clyde!" Bonnie started to laugh, almost uncontrollably.

"Oh you don't like my choice of professional advancement? Well so far it pays well...though I could use a partner?" Clyde said slightly teasingly.

"Oh you do? All right I'll be your partner!" Bonnie laughed, thinking it was all a joke.

"Really? All right then I have a few rules...which are that you have to do everything I tell you...which includes trying some of this..." Clyde said as he hopped down and handed her a few pills.

"I don't know Clyde..." Bonnie said reluctantly.

"You said you wanted to be my partner, so you'll have to try it...or else I'll tell your mother about everywhere you've gone with me. Come on little Alice...slide down the rabbit hole with me..." Clyde threatened.

"Oh don't tell my mother, Clyde! Oh all right, just this once..." Bonnie panicked as she took the drugs from Clyde's hand.

"Yeah, now just wash it down with the rest of the beer and you'll see my artwork in a whole new perspective." Clyde coaxed as he watched Bonnie take what he'd given her, and he took another.

Soon both kids were tripping on what Clyde had brought, laying on the bed letting their inhibitions go...which also caused their better judgment to go...and soon they were awkwardly having sex on Bonnie's bed.

The next morning they both woke up a bit hungover and guilty, although Clyde took it in stride and figured that wealthy Bonnie Parkerbrothers now belonged to him. Bonnie's parents never knew Clyde had stayed overnight and a few days afterward. During his time there, Clyde also introduced Bonnie to his favorite movies, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Natural Born Killers, The Avengers TV show, and a few horror pics, etc. Bonnie, who in the end was easily influenced, and thought that it was all a game, fell under Clyde's spell. His ideas about her apartment being a great party potential location, and that for fun she should change up her style to go more with his personal style sounded like it'd be fun too.

~o~o~o~

Meanwhile, Chuck and Blair did go to the First Night Party on the Lower East Side, which actually turned into a non-alcoholic pub crawl type event, where they went from venue to venue, hearing bands, seeing comedy shows, speeches, sporting events, guest speakers, and even participated briefly in a Euchre Tournament, which were all things neither Chuck nor Blair had participated in ever and astonishingly they found the activities and events enjoyable. Blair was also glad that Chuck hadn't had the opportunities to drink that he normally did, and because of that his overall demeanor seemed improved. He didn't seem quite as melancholy as he normally did, especially this close to the holidays, and for that, Blair was grateful. When she saw the pamphlets about an AA group that met there, Blair picked them up and secreted them away in her purse, for later in case she ever felt the need to suggest it to Chuck.

Since they'd been so busy with going to each of the locations, Blair felt tired and suddenly a bit concerned for their baby, so the party at Victrola's was postponed until a later date, and Chuck summonsed the limo to take them home. Interestingly enough though, it was Chuck who fell asleep on the ride home, while Blair was holding onto his hand. Blair started to chuckle to herself as she heard Chuck start to snore as she snuggled close, remembering how much better this New Years Eve was than last one's. Different too, but that wasn't the half of it. This time she was with Chuck, so since she was holding Chuck's hand with her left, Blair took her right hand to stroke her husband's face and tilt it just enough to plant a kiss on his soft lips and cheek, which caused him to groan slightly between snores, then slid down to pillow her head against his and listened to the sound of Chuck's snoring. It was so much fun to try to kiss Chuck, even while he slept, Blair thought as she fell asleep herself.