"Blair, do you need help?"

"No, no. I'm fine. Five minutes and I'll be there." She answered Chuck an usual Sunday morning in the summer.

Chuck and Blair had gone to the Hamptons with their daughter to spend two months of vacation close to the ocean and the beach. Chuck's hope was to relax, but he could see his wife had done nothing but taking it easy.

Blair had finally accepted Waldorf Designs from her mother and she was super thrilled for her first collection to be presented in one week. She had been working hard to make everything look perfect and she wouldn't stop until she would have to sleep or eat or spend a little quality time with her husband and child, both so demanding at times.

He wasn't happy about this but he knew it was not easy to stop Blair from overwork herself. She was a Stakhanovite as much as he was, when they had to show the world they could do their job. And now, since Eleanor was so demanding too, Blair wanted to show her mother that she could do that and she didn't want to let her down.

"Come on, we've been waiting for half a hour, Blair. Lexie can't wait to put her little feet into the ocean" Chuck reminded her while he was waiting for his wife next the entrance door.

Blair bit her lip as she checked one last thing on her laptop. "I'm ready, I'm ready! Gimme just one minute and I'll be there, promise."

Chuck sighed while his daughter was burying her face on his shoulder and getting tired herself. She started to moan a little and babbling weird words after a while; she was really bored to wait for her mother and so was Chuck. "Mama mama" she kept repeating, and Chuck kept comforting her that her momma was going to come soon.

Finally, Blair descended the stairs to both Chuck's and Lexie's pleasure. She smiled at them when she locked eyes with her husband first and her daughter next, as she hurried to reach them so that they could leave their summer house.

"I'm sorry momma made you wait, sweetie" she petted her daughter's hair before she took her from Chuck's arms and gave her a kiss. "We can go now."

Chuck didn't add any more comments until they were in the limo that would take them to the closest shore.

"Don't tell me you've controlled the patterns again" he murmured, hoping she was hearing him between checking her phone multiple times and playing with Alexandra.

"I... haven't." Blair tried to reassure him, but she was aware he knew it wasn't true. "But what if I did? What's the wrong in that? I have finally something to do and I want to do it right."

"Yes, but today is Sunday. Plus, we are on vacation" he tried to emphasize the we.

She tried not to look too annoyed by his constant reminder as she played with Lexie. "I have a presentation next week, Chuck. I require to control that my job is going strong as my mother expects it to be."

"You have all the reasons of this world to pay attention to your job, but today is a free day. All this Holiday should have been a whole enjoyment, but it will never be for you if you don't learn to have a moment to relax and another one to think about work."

Blair rolled her eyes in disappointment, she hated when he tried to instruct her about things. Above all when he repeated the words several times in a short span of time. "It's not my fault my mother decided to retire just in time the winter collection would have to be prepared."

"You could take breaks every once in a while. Sundays are the best for that" he told her as he noticed she was still looking at her phone to check for emails.

She avoided answering him because the limo had just stopped in front of the shore. She was sure he wasn't done talking about free time from work with her, she knew this was an argument he considered a lot because of his own experience. He had been a workaholic too once and she hadn't forgotten about it.

Arthur helped them take their beach stuff on the shore, then he left them to their privacy. Chuck had opened their beach umbrella and watched their baby while Blair set two big and colored towels where she could get some tan and she could play with Lexie if she wanted.

"The ocean is calm today, isn't it?" Chuck asked randomly to make conversation.

Blair gave a quick look behind her then she sat down on one of the towels with Lexie next to her. "Unless a storm doesn't come, it is" she glanced at him to see his expression.

He frowned and then took his shirt off so he would remain in his bath suit. "That's really difficult it will" he added. "I'm going for a swim. Are you coming?"

She didn't look so convinced of that. "I need to put suntan lotion on my body before I can come. You can take Lexie for now, I put lotion on her before you would wake up."

He nodded in agreement and lowered down to take the baby. "Alright. I'll meet you there."

Chuck and Alexandra left Blair alone with her lotion and went to the ocean. He kept his daughter securely in her arms so that she wouldn't fall in the water because they had forgotten about her lifebuoy today.

"Gee, this water is a little cold for daddy" he told Lexie when his feet touched the water. "But we'll get used to this. After all, it's a hot day. And I hope your mother realizes it too."

"Mama bada" Lexie said.

"Yes, mama will be surely a bad mama if she doesn't come" Chuck told the baby. "She's working too much, isn't she? And getting too tired. And for your mama, tedious work is like cancer. All of a sudden, she'll have to stop and getting a pause."

Alexandra was looking at her dad with attentive eyes although she couldn't understand much of what he was saying. He kissed her cheek and he kept walking until he could immerse them both in the water.

Lexie suddenly started patting the water with her tiny hands; she usually did this when they bathed her and it wasn't a surprise.

"Oh look here she is my little mermaid" he commented.

After a few minutes in the water playing, he decided it was time to get back to the shore.

He wasn't surprised that Blair was still there and she was talking on the phone with her assistant. He sighed at her when he arrived under their beach umbrella and took a robe to wrap Alexandra in it. When she was done with her call, she noticed Chuck and Lexie were now playing with the sand.

"The people I work with are so incompetent!" she complained. He didn't answer, just waited for her to continue, which she did. "They run out of cloths and now they have to stop."

"I wouldn't blame them, it's Sunday."

"You don't understand, they have to finish everything for next week! It will be so bad if they don't, everything will be wasted!"

He sighed and turned to their baby, they were building a castle. "It won't. Look, calm down, Blair. I'm sure your assistants will know what to do."

"It's so frustrating. If they fail, I will fail. And vice versa. It's like the circle of life."

"You need to distract. Come and play with us" he offered, but Blair shrugged at them.

"My head is exploding. I'll go for a swim first. Wait for me!" She said, then literally run to the ocean to have a dip.

The limo ride to get back to their house was really silent. Chuck had nothing to say and Blair probably had no words either because their child was sleeping and they probably didn't want her to wake up, or that was what she supposed.

Blair took the stroller where her daughter was sleeping onto when they arrived to their destination. He opened the door with the keys and then she got in, pushing Alexandra's stroller and taking her upstairs before he could say anything.

He thought she wanted to put her to bed until she would wake up – which he was sure would be soon; and then do the rest of her duties. Figuring she would take a while to do that, he decided to go take a shower before lunch.

He had had fun at the beach, he thought while he was getting undressed. Alexandra had fun playing with the sand and in the water, she had had fun eating on the beach towel.

She had also played with her mother for a couple of minutes and he was glad for that.

He kept washing his hair in the shower and thought about random things, when he felt a hand on his hip and turned. It was her, and she was completely naked already.

He didn't fully turn until she spoke, her voice was soft and sensual. "Can I join you?"

He smirked. "You don't need to ask."

Blair smiled back at him and then she threw herself under the water running. She purposely landed over him, letting her nipples touch his chest.

He threw is head back a little, sighing in response. That was unexpected to say at least. Not that they didn't have sexy times anymore, but they had not had many intercourses since the last time Blair thought she could have been pregnant again. Let's say they were cautious and planned some of their sex so they would have everything prepared to protect themselves.

She smirked at him and kissed him vehemently, the water was getting in their mouths as they moved their lips on each other. She grabbed his hair and moved her hand into the dark brown mass as she worked her tongue into his mouth.

He was no exception. His hand traveled up and down on her bare back, tasting the skin behind there fiercely, anxiously, taken by a force that was stronger than his: his hunger of her.

Blair closed the remaining space between their bodies by pushing her hips towards Chuck's intimacy. He was sure she was going to do something with her hands the moment she did that, and so he broke the kiss before she could do it.

"Blair" he gasped. "Blair, stop."

She wasn't stopping though. She tried to continue what she was doing but he crossed his arms to cover himself a little below the belt and she felt his rough upper arm on her nipple before she could realize it.

"Why did you stop? We were going great." Blair, complained with a disappointed expression.

"I stopped to prevent things from happening. Have you forgotten about our agreement?"

She looked annoyed of the reminder. "Of course I remember, Chuck. But a little tease won't hurt us."

"Yeah, it does not hurt us. But we can't always control ourselves and I can't always control it."

Blair giggled, she was amused by their talking. "I know the Chenis is a wild animal... but my Blagina can tame it" she winked at him.

He nodded. "She can... definitely help it. But we need to think about it first."

"Think about what? Chuck, you're making this moment lose its magic" she kissed him on his lips but he recoiled back and his lower back hit the tiles on the wall. She was super disturbed by his game. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"If we have to do this, we need to protect ourselves."

"Your wallet is too far from here and we're already wet. Can we skip it this time?"

He looked away, a little thoughtful. He didn't know why he was being so picky, it's not that if she would get pregnant again, there would be something to object. But they had both decided that they would plan their second child, not to let their first not get the attentions she deserved.

"Risk, you mean?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "We won't be risking anything if you recoil back when it's the moment to do so" she shrugged. "I'll take the morning-after pill to feel more sure, okay?"

"Blair, I don't know if this is right."

She was losing her temper a little. "You are being so annoying, Chuck. What happened to you to decline sex? You don't look like usual yourself. First you complain that I'm working too much, next you bother that our intercourses will lead to break our deals."

"That you are overworking yourself for Waldorf Designs, that is so true. I mean, you've been working every Saturday and Sunday of August to make your collection great, without taking a rightful summer break from your duties. You are human, you need to relax."

Blair put a hand on her bare hip and looked away, super bored. "Well, this is me relaxing. But you seem not to find this rest enough for me, you are contradicting your own words, Bass."

"Sex is exhausting. It would make you more tired" he said, trying to justify himself.

She raised an eyebrow. "You know what, Chuck? You're right. Sex is indeed exhausting with you. You are exhausting! You and all of your piece of crap advices!"

"I'm just doing and saying things for your good will."

"Then would you please stop?"

"I'm sorry I wanted to stop you from blaming things on me if something goes bad with your clothing line or other things come out unplanned."

She opened her mouth in disbelief. "You are so transparent."

"And you are stubborn." He said, then he walked away leaving her there under the running water of the shower.

The water had gotten cold while they were discussing, the same way their warmed up make out had cooled down. She didn't know for which thing she was angrier. Chuck trying to suggest her things, or Chuck refusing her to have sex because of a stupid agreement they had made before the spring came. One thing was sure: she felt so lonely in that shower after he had left the room, despite she was mad at him.

She could tell he was right about some things, but he wasn't completely. She had to finish to check the last details for her very first collection at Waldorf Designs and that was her priority at the moment. She had wanted him to ease her mind a little by sexing her up, but he had failed so badly at it she wasn't even sure that was what she really needed.

As expected, they stopped talking to each other for the whole day. Chuck ate lunch alone in one restaurant not far while she ordered food at home. When he came back – because she heard the door opening – he did not look for her to let her know he had returned.

She spent her afternoon on the computer trying to check things for her company while her daughter was in her stroller playing with some toy. She didn't know what Chuck was doing and she tried to tell herself that she didn't care, he could have gone back to New York for all she cared at the moment.

She spent a day in lonesome and then decided to go to bed with Lexie. "We better go to bed, sweetie. Mama has to check on more things tomorrow, for her fashion show."

They climbed the stairs until they reached the bedroom. Blair's hand hesitated on the doorknob. What if he's inside? She suddenly asked herself. Who cares, she then added, but still wasn't able to get in the room.

She sighed one last time before she got the guts to open just to find the room empty. She heaved a sigh of relief this time, he wasn't there.

"Thank God" she muttered to herself.

She guessed Chuck had gone to sleep in one of their spare rooms, so when her alarm clock ticked the following morning, she went to check on him.

She had imagined right. Chuck was in the furthest room from the one where she and Lexie were staying. She didn't know but the thought of their distance made her sad. But she had no time to think about this, she realized. She had a fashion show to set up and clothes to check. She couldn't think about her husband and his woman-with-period swingy moods.

Anyway this was really hard to achieve because she had seen Chuck take the baby out at ten in the morning. "We're going to the beach" he had informed her, and she had been careful not to lock eyes with him and she had tried not to stare at his body leaving the house, but it wasn't an easy task to do. Despite being angry at him, she was feeling too lonely with no one to talk to... it was really sad. She wasn't sure how she had been silent after his words.

But her loneliness was about to end.

"I told you I would come for the fashion show, did I?"

"Serena!" Blair exclaimed as her best friend entered the holiday house. "I wasn't expecting you so early" they hugged each other.

"Well, it's a surprise! We decided that it was better if we came here few days before the show so that we could enjoy the Hamptons."

"We?" Blair wondered, since she wasn't seeing anybody else other than Serena. As soon as she asked, she heard footsteps and tried to see who was coming.

Serena smiled and shrugged and turned as she heard the steps. "This is Ben, Blair. My new boyfriend. Lily and Rufus are on their way here too."

Ben, a blond guy with clear eyes, appeared from behind Serena. It was Serena's classic type, Blair wasn't really surprised of the choice. He extended his hand to Blair and she managed to make an awkward smile.

"They're coming to see the show too?"

"Yes, Lily told me to say that she's really excited for it! She can't wait."

"Me either" she giggled. "In fact now I have to keep working to make it more memorable. Make yourself comfortable, guys."

Blair was still working when Chuck got back home with Alexandra. She heard the door open and turned her head by reflex, only to lock eyes with him for an instant. Serena was also there and she was reading a magazine; her best friend had told her that she could stay in the same room as hers as long as she would not talk too much.

Serena raised her head from the magazine when Lexie talked. "Mama!" she exclaimed when she spotted Blair on the sofa.

"Hi there, guys!" the blonde said with excitement. "It's been so long since we saw each other."

"Hello, sis. I didn't know you were coming, I would have asked the maid to prepare a room for you and your beau."

Serena frowned. "How do you know I have a... whatever, I just came to see Blair's show. My boss gave me a week off."

"Glad things are going well with your new PR gig" he complimented her.

Serena grinned. "Well, thanks."

"Mama! Mama!" Lexie shouted again, trying to get off Chuck's embrace. She knew how to crawl, but it would take too much time for her to reach Blair if he let her go.

Blair looked up and met Chuck's eyes for a moment. It was quick, but after that glance, he walked to where she was and gave their daughter to Blair.

"I have to go take a shower now. I'll see you later, sis." Chuck said before he walked away to go upstairs.

Blair sighed then. She had secretly hoped that their arms would touch in the moment he would be passing her the baby, but it didn't happen. He had been so careful. How much she was angry at him.

"Blair?" Serena called her, and she lazily turned.

"What?" she looked so confused.

The blonde looked suspicious. "Is everything okay?"

"It depends on which everything you mean" she turned back to her daughter.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Chuck."

Blair managed a smile she hoped was credible, and turned again. "In this case, there is nothing imperfect on that side, Serena."

"Are you sure about that? You two seemed cold."

"Since when do you lecture how me and Chuck behave, S?"

"I'm sorry I was concerned. It was just a feeling, nothing more" she snorted. "If it didn't bother you so much, why did you answer so roughly?"

"My question wasn't rough. You just are seeing things that don't exist."

"If you say so..." Serena shrugged and got back to her magazine.

"So – Ben, what are you doing for a living?" Chuck asked at dinner time. The four of them were sitting at the square table of the dining room and were discussing between the meals.

Serena's new guy, Ben, seemed reluctant to answer him. "I'll actually start working in September after a long time. I went out of prison few months ago."

Blair was surprised and Serena caught her stare and decided to salvage the situation before she knew her best friend would judge. "Where he was so wrongly accused, I'll tell you."

"I see. Well then what you used to do before you were, uhm, there?" Chuck asked, continuing his conversation.

Ben seemed relieved for the little change. "I was a teacher at a private school near New York."

"Yes" Serena interrupted him again by taking her boyfriend's hand. "He was my teacher too when I went to boarding school." She looked at him and grinned knowingly.

"Your... teacher? But Ben, you look so young" Blair commented.

He shrugged. "I'm just twenty-eight years old, in fact. I started teaching after I got my degree and I have done it so until someone thought I was sleeping with their daughter."

"Which it wasn't true" Serena added.

"Is this way you went to jail?" Chuck asked.

The guy nodded. "Yes. Actually, it was very embarrassing for me and my family. But they've always believed in me, no matter how crazy the assumptions against me got. There weren't real proofs but they still sent me to serve in prison... destroyed my career."

Blair looked at Chuck and they exchanged a quick glance. It was like a sign of understanding between them, an automatic gesture at the word family.

"But now you're working, right?" Chuck assumed. "You restored your life."

Ben smiled. "I do, yes. Thanks to Serena and my family, many have accepted me back to society. She helped me show that I have never been the man that wealthy woman who accused me in the first place, claimed me to be."

"It's great your loved ones supported you when you were in the toughest period of your life, having to prove the world you're guilty and good at your job" Blair was losing herself in her talking. "Sometimes you can't stop working because there are things that need to be made to be successful" she leered at her husband.

"Not when you overwork yourself, though. Do you agree?" he wondered, asking Ben.

"But if you need to prove you're good and you have one chance to do it, would you blew it up to relax?" Blair also asked the poor blond.

Ben was confused. He didn't know which one of them had to answer first.

"If you are really worth of something, you won't fail if you take few minutes of your day to have a little fun" Chuck continued.

"Fun is for losers when you have to fix problems. You can't run away from them. Isn't that true, Ben?"

"Come on, even Einstein took breaks one time or another before he discovered the theory of relativity."

"Yes, but he didn't have an imminent deadline!"

Serena was getting annoyed. "Would you both please STOP?" she stood up from her chair so that her voice would be heard. Both Blair and Chuck turned to look at her. "It's evident you are having some subtle discussion with each other as you always do. Be adult and talk about it! Don't use my boyfriend to debate about your arguments. Let's go out, Ben."

Ben nodded at his girlfriend and then they both left the room. They couldn't even raise their heads from the table after they heard the door closing behind Serena and her guy, but they knew none of them would be standing up to leave the other alone at that point.

Blair heard him sigh, he was the first to talk. "Your collection looks great from the scrapbook."

"The enhanced version is even better" she replied, still keeping her head low.

"I'm sure it's beautiful. You've made it." He said, talking slow and muttering the words. "Look, Blair, I'm -"

"You were right about relaxing. You were right about many things but it's hard for me to say you were." She shrugged and managed a little smile.

"No. You were right. This is the only chance you have to make everything look wonderful and to surprise your mother and it is okay for you to put so much efforts into it. You will... rest after everything will be over."

She shook her head and finally stared at him. He had raised his head long before. "I'm mentally and physically tired, Chuck. I'm drained. I'm taking pills to feel better but I'm not. Not really anyway, because the strength I gain with sleep, I use it to work."

"Blair, you will have an amazing show on Saturday and stun everyone." He took her hands into his and caressed the side with his thumb. "I'm sure of this. If you want to take a day off, take it. We can stay in and watch a movie with our baby."

"But if one minute ago you were saying I should rest after the fashion show? We are so weird" she giggled. "And now we are excusing each other by saying we were both right. You know what? None of us was, I've decided. But we can fix this. We should compromise."

"Which kind of compromise we should make? I'm fine either way."

"I will take one day off like you wanted me to – tomorrow. And then work no-stop until the day my collection will be presented."

"Seems reasonable."

"Are you okay with it? Because, like you also noticed, it's true I only have this shot. I can't lose my chance. And I will be more free if this goes right - next week."

He nodded. "I agree. But only if you take your day off with me and Alexandra."

"Yes, thank you. I've felt so lonely yesterday when we weren't talking to each other."

"It's so pleasant to hear it from your own voice" he smirked, while she rolled her eyes. "Then we're fine now?"

Blair wasn't sure. "No. You have something else to do for me, to be fully forgiven."

"I guess I know what you're talking about" he winked.

"I'll go prepare the bathroom, then" Blair proudly told him as she stood up.

"I'll come in a minute."

Chuck watched as his wife walked away from the table to go upstairs. Damn, she was so beautiful and so hard to bear with at times, but he loved her so much anyway.

"What an amazing shower we've had." Blair commented later that night, after a long and cool hour spent in the box of the bathroom.

"It was refreshing."

She moved her body closer to his until they could touch. "You know what, Chuck... I think I may be ready to have another child."

He turned slowly to look her in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm totally sure I want to endure other nine months of back pains and all of the rest."

"But we've used protection in the bathroom. You placed it on the sink so we wouldn't have to travel to this room naked to get one."

She shook her head and caressed his cheek. "I didn't mean tonight, silly. Near future. Maybe after Alexandra's first birthday. We don't have to hurry, we have a lot of time."

"Yes, we definitely have it."

"I just want our first daughter to have everything she wants and the attention she deserves before our second baby is born. She needs to get equal focus."

"She will get it. You don't have to worry about this. When baby number two will decide to grace us, we'll try to act the best we can so that Lexie won't feel left out or jealous of the newborn. I promise."

She smiled and then moved a little to kiss him. "Alright. Now we better sleep because we're both tired and tomorrow I want to do a lot of things with you on my day off."

"This is the enthusiasm I've always loved about you. Goodnight, Blair."

"Love you, Chuck."

…...

I think the next chapter (or two) may be the last ones for this story. It was awesome writing this, but I want to start writing something new soon. :) Hope you liked this chapter!