AN: Before all the Louis haters throw a fit, let me just say read the whole chapter first before getting upset as you'll see he's a very minor character in this story (for real - as things currently are, he's only in this chapter and 1 other with the possibility of maybe a 3rd appearance but I honestly wouldn't count on it - remember I have this story outlined and have already worked on various later chapters). Other than a brief fling in Paris, I didn't care for Louis either and wished season 5 had never happened or that Chuck had successfully stopped the wedding. This is story is NOT going that route, so don't freak out. We'll have happy Chair soon enough and for those of you that have chatted with me via PMs or on Twitter, I have stated that after Saints and Sinners canon for our favorite couple takes a completely different turn (but in a good way I assure you!).
With all that in mind, let's see how everyone's summer in Paris is going =)
"You know, S – I am SOOOO glad we decided to get away to Paris this summer," Blair admitted as they sat at a sidewalk cafe, enjoying their lunch. "Spending the day seeing the sites and shopping with you has been just the relaxing break I've needed and then spending the evening on the arm of Prince Louis... I'd be lying if I didn't say that was exciting!"
After the mess and drama in New York, Blair just had to get away for the summer and couldn't think of any place better to go than Paris. Serena was all too happy to join her. While she hadn't been looking to meet anyone over the summer, a chance encounter in The Louvre with the Prince of Monaco several weeks after her arrival made Blair hopeful. It helped that he had taken quite an interest in her right away and had been courting her ever since. She was curious to see where things were headed with them and if she actually had a chance at becoming a Princess.
"I've enjoyed our daytime activities together as well, but B... do you really think this thing with Louis is really going to go anywhere? I mean, he's a royal and you're... an upper class American," Serena stated.
"Hey, it could happen – need I remind you of Princess Di? Grace Kelly? Kate Middleton? They weren't royals when they married their princes!" Blair remarked.
"Well... Grace Kelly was an actress though..."
"Details, details..." Blair insisted. "Tomorrow night he's taking me to a royal ball – can you believe it, S? This afternoon's priority is finding me something fabulous to wear!"
Just then Serena's phone rang.
"Mom?... Wait, wait... slow down... what?!... yeah, we're still in Paris... of course, mom!... you'll try to be in tonight? Okay..."
Blair's ears perked up and she raised an eyebrow in question as she was eavesdropping on Serena's end of the conversation with Lily.
"I'm on it mom... I'll head over right now and let you know if it is really him and let you know what I find out... just try and stay calm until I find out the details... love you too, see you tonight!" Serena had a look of shock on her face as she hung up the phone. "B... shopping will have to wait for today, I have to go... my mom just got a call from some investigator here – they think Chuck's been shot."
"What?!" Blair exclaimed as her eyes widened in horror. "Is he... is he going to be okay?"
"I don't know, B... they're not even sure it's him as he had no ID on him, but going off a DNA test they're pretty sure it's him," Serena explained. "My mom wants me to meet the investigator at the hospital to confirm if it is him or not as she's getting on the next flight out. You don't have to come with, but I need to get going-"
"Of course I'm coming, S! It's Chuck!" Blair interrupted. As much as she hated him right now for almost sleeping with Jenny, deep down, she did still love him. She knew she always would no matter what.
"Are you sure? You have that ball with Louis tomorrow night that you need to find a dress for..." Serena reminded her.
"Louis and the ball can wait, if he's worth it then he'll understand if I can't make it – this is more important," Blair declared as she got up and linked arms with Serena. "C'mon, allons-y! Let's go, S!"
Serena smiled. She was glad Blair had her priorities straight. No matter how mad the Non-Judging Breakfast Club could get with each other, when it came to what really matters, they would always be there for each other.
"Bonjour... I'm looking for Inspector... Chevalier?" Serena inquired at the desk of the hospital's ER.
The receptionist pointed to a gentleman sitting across the way who stood at the mention of his name.
"Merci!" Serena thanked her.
"Mademoiselle Van der Woodsen?" Inspector Chevalier inquired as he approached Serena and Blair.
"Yes, I believe my mother spoke to you just a little bit ago?" Serena answered the man.
"She did," he confirmed. "As I told her, the young man had no identification on him when authorities found him lying, bleeding out in the alley so upon admittance here we conducted a DNA test to see if any results would pop up, giving us a lead as to who our John Doe could be and whom to contact."
Blair gasped and had to put her hand over her mouth when she heard him say that Chuck had been lying, bleeding in an alley, alone. She didn't have words to describe the heartache and pain she felt.
"Of course, and my mother wanted me to confirm it is in fact him as she's on her way here from New York," Serena stated. She glanced over at Blair who looked wide eyed and terrified after hearing what the Inspector had just said. She reached over and squeezed her hand in assurance. "B... he's going to be okay..."
"Who is this?" Inspector Chevalier questioned, motioning to Blair.
"She's Chuck's..."
"Blair," she stuttered. "Chuck's Blair."
"It's complicated with them," Serena added.
The Inspector nodded. "Well then ladies, are you ready?" Blair and Serena nodded slowly. "Okay, then please follow me."
He led them into the ER and down a hall to a private room in the intensive care unit.
Blair looked around at all the various machines hooked up to the patient on the bed. He was breathing on oxygen, with a tourniquet around his forehead, IV's in his arms, a heart monitor hooked up to his chest and another tourniquet wrapped around his mid section with a circle blood stain from where she guessed he was shot. From the second she forced herself to look at the man lying motionless in the bed, she knew it was him.
"S..." Blair cried as she buried her face in her best friend's embrace.
"It's him Inspector," Serena confirmed as she held onto Blair. "What happened? Is he going to make it?"
"From what we can tell, he was in a bad district... an American dressed like him, he was a prime target for mugging in that area. From what we can tell there was a struggle and his attackers shot him, took what they wanted and left him for dead," Inspector Chevalier explained.
Blair peeked up from Serena's arms and looked over at Chuck.
What could have possibly been so important to you Bass that it was worth almost getting killed for? she wondered.
"But he's going to make it, right?" Serena asked once again.
"Well... now that we've established identity and know who to contact his chances are better – he's lost a lot of blood... and will definitely need a blood transfusion, from a blood relative," he informed her.
"Jack..." Blair whispered. Serena nodded. It was a long shot given their recent history with Jack, but if Blair had to offer herself to him yet again in order to save Chuck she would do it. Hopefully family meant more to him though and she wouldn't have to.
"He appears to be in a coma as well, as he has not woken up and is unresponsive to all attempts," he added.
Blair had a few ideas as to what she could do to wake him up, but quickly pushed those aside as she snapped back to reality.
"I need to call my mom," Serena declared.
"And I need to try and reach Jack..." Blair said as she pulled out her phone.
After several attempted calls with no success Blair finally decided to leave him a voicemail.
"Jack, it's Blair... I know we're not exactly on the best terms with you but I didn't know who else to call. There's... there's been an accident," Blair said as she fought back her sobs. "Chuck's in the hospital, in Paris, in critical condition... they say he's been shot and lost a lot of blood... he needs a blood transfusion from a blood relative – you're the only one I know how to reach. Can you please help? Or at least give me Elizabeth's last known number so I could try her? His life depends on this... I'll do whatever you want - I promise! Just please help us... please!" she pleaded into the phone with tears running down her cheeks as she hung up. Serena walked over and rubbed Blair along the back in comfort.
"B, we'll figure something out if we need to..." Serena told her. Blair nodded in response.
"S... do you mind if I go in and sit with Chuck alone for a bit?" Blair asked her.
"Of course not, B – take as much time as you need," Serena assured her. "I'll be right out here if you need me."
"Thanks..." Blair said as she got out of the chair in the hallway.
Slowly she entered Chuck's room and took a seat next to the bed. Gently she took his nearby hand in both of hers, tracing the lines in it with her finger tips. She then gave his hand a gentle squeeze and kissed his knuckles.
She didn't know what to say or do to make this better. All she could do was wait.
Looking around, she noticed a collection of his personal belongings lying on the nightstand next to the bed. A small smile crept onto her lips when she noticed that the gold chain bracelet with the little heart charm near the clasp that she had given him their first Christmas together as couple was among them. The fact that he still kept it on him even after their break up made her believe that he still cared and hadn't moved on yet.
"Chuck..." Blair started, still holding onto his hand. "Chuck, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I just want you to know that I'm here. I know I said some harsh things the last time we spoke, but regardless of what you did, I do still love you, no matter how much it hurts me to admit it after what happened. Just know that I'll always love you... and I'll still always be your family no matter what. Please don't die on me..." she sobbed. "I couldn't bare it if you did..." Her sobbing was becoming uncontrollable so she just sat there, holding onto his hand in both of hers and cried.
She must have dozed off at some point in the chair as she awoke to a notification on her phone that a new text message was awaiting her. It was from Jack.
It's being taken care of, he'll be okay. Thanks for the offer but family is thicker than blood – this one's on me.
-Jack
Blair smiled as she wiped a tear from her eye. Jack had pulled through for them and she didn't have to humiliate herself this time. "What a relief!" she whispered. She sprung to her feet and went outside to tell Serena.
"S! Jack did it! He's getting Chuck the blood transfusion!" She squealed as she showed Serena her text message.
"Oh my god, B! That's great! Looks like maybe Jack has a heart after all!" Serena beamed.
Blair gave a shy smile. As much as she hated Jack, it seemed like maybe Serena was right. Perhaps Jack was turning a new leaf.
The next morning Blair was woken up by Chuck's nurse. She had passed out, curled up in the arm chair next to his bed, holding onto his hand, hoping that subconsciously he would know that someone was there for him. Someone must have laid a blanket across her in the middle of the night as she didn't recall having one the night before.
"Mademoiselle, I'm sorry to wake you, but we need to get Monsieur Bass prepped for his blood transfusion as the doctor would like to begin the process as soon as possible. It may take a few hours to complete the process and then we would need to monitor him for a little while to make sure there are no complications," the nurse told her.
Blair nodded, however she didn't move from the chair.
"...so mademoiselle, I need to ask you to please step outside for the next few hours. If you don't mind," the nurse added.
"Fine," Blair sighed as she went to get up. She really didn't want to leave Chuck's side, but at the same time she didn't want to be in the way and possibly hinder his recovery.
Before she left she paused and took Chuck's hand once more, leaving a gentle kiss on top of it. He looked so peaceful in his sleep... if only he would wake up and be okay though, she thought.
"I'm sure he'll be just fine, mademoiselle – they usually are," the nurse assured her, almost as if she had read Blair's mind.
Blair nodded in response. She then give his hand a gentle squeeze before letting going and heading out to the hallway.
She looked around, but Serena was nowhere to be found.
"She must have gone back to mother's apartment..." Blair thought out loud.
Just as she pulled out her phone to call her she noticed she had several messages from Prince Louis.
"Shoot! I forgot to tell him I wouldn't be meeting him yesterday!" Blair exclaimed.
As she walked outside to hail a cab she quickly dialed her prince.
"Louis? I am so, so sorry about last night! Serena got a call yesterday that her step-brother had been shot in the area here so I spent all day and night at the hospital," she explained, only half lying. He didn't need to know about her complicated relation to Chuck, at least not yet. She turned on the Waldorf charm. "I completely spaced and forgot to call you, can you please forgive me?"
"Why of course, Blair darling! I completely understand – you needed to be there for your friend. No harm there, it merely shows me what a loving, loyal friend you are," Louis responded. His words put a smile on Blair's face. She was relieved that her connection to royalty wasn't upset with her.
"But Blair... will you still be able to attend the ball with me this evening? I understand if you won't be able to-"
"Of course, Louis!" Blair squealed. "I wouldn't miss it!"
"Excellente!" he remarked. "I'll send a driver for you at six! À bientôt, Blair!"
"À bientôt, Louis," she spoke softly.
"S! Where are you? Are you here?" Blair called as she entered the apartment.
"Hey B, what are you doing here?" Serena asked as she came down the stairs. "I thought you'd be staying with Chuck..."
"They wanted to get started on his blood transfusion and basically kicked me out as I'd only be in the way," Blair responded. "But it's okay – we need to find me a dress for the ball tonight!"
"You're still going?" Serena asked. "But what about Chuck?"
"He's still not awake and the transfusion won't be done for hours and then they want to monitor him for a bit after to make sure everything is alright," Blair explained. "And besides S, I don't even know where Chuck and I stand these days – I still care about him and will probably always love him no matter what, but I'm still too hurt by what he did to even think about getting back together with him. So there's no reason I can't go to a fancy dream ball on the arm of a prince tonight-"
"But what if he wakes up?" Serena interrupted.
"Well, call or text me then and we'll go from there," Blair responded. "But S – shopping! In Paris! Lemme just change out of yesterdays clothes and we can head out."
"I can't today B, sorry! There's some things Inspector Chevalier needs to go over with me... I was actually just about to head out," Serena explained. "I guess I'll see you later tonight and you can tell me all about the dream ball?"
Blair nodded, "Sure, S. And if anything at all happens to Chuck – good or bad – please let me know."
"Will do, B!" Serena said. She grinned as she added "Salute!"
Blair rolled her eyes, The blonde's French was terrible. "It's 'salut!' The 't' is silent, S.." Serena paid no attention though as she took off.
After lunch on the patio Blair headed out to find the perfect ball gown for the evening. After several stops she finally settled on an orangish Oscar de la Renta Vermillion Silk Organza gown from the new fall collection – it looked absolutely stunning on her.
Now she just needed the perfect accessories to complete the outfit.
Too bad the Erickson Beamon is back in New York, she thought to herself. As much as she currently hated to admit it, that damn necklace Chuck gave her for her 17th birthday was her Go-To fashion accessory for major extravagant events such as this.
Just then her phone rang.
"Blair, dear, how is the shopping going? Are you finding anything to your liking?" Louis asked over the phone.
"Yes, actually! I found the perfect dress, now I just need to find the perfect accessories for it," Blair gushed.
"Oh? Well if you'd like, I could arrange for a few items to be loaned out to you for the evening, compliments of Monsieur Harry Winston," Louis told her.
"Really?! Oh my god that would be amazing, Louis!" she squealed with delight.
"Of course, mon chere! I'll make the call, just tell them I sent you and pick out whatever you'd like to wear," he instructed. "Au revoir, Blair!"
She couldn't believe that the Harry Winston would loan jewelry to her for the night. I suppose royalty does have its perks! She gleamed as she thought to herself.
Browsing through the shop, Blair was in awe of all the magnificent jewels – each piece was remarkable.
She had just settled on a sparkly diamond necklace and matching bracelet cuff when one of the staff approached her. "Are you finding things to your liking, Mademoiselle?" the attendant asked her.
"Yes, madame – these are beautiful!" Blair gushed. "I mean, they all are in their own way, however Prince Louis would want me to look perfect tonight... like that!" she exclaimed as a ring in a nearby case attracted her eye. She slowly approached the piece. "Carats... clarity... charisma... not that I would expect a ring from Louis so soon but... it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"
"I'm sorry, mademoiselle, but that ring has already been sold so we cannot loan it out to you for the evening," the attendant regretfully told her.
"Oh..." Blair said in disappointment. "May I ask by whom?"
"By Chuck," Serena blurted out as she approached.
"What?" Blair snapped in confusion. "How? And what are you doing here? I thought you had business with the investigator to attend to this afternoon."
"That's why I'm here, Blair," Serena responded.
"Ah, I see you've found Monsieur Bass's stolen property!" Inspector Chevalier remarked as he entered the room.
"His stolen property?" Blair blinked in disbelief. "This ring? Are you sure?"
"Yes, B, his ring – or should I say, what would have been your ring... I'm here to claim it for him," Serena informed her.
Blair gasped but before she could respond Inspector Chevalier explained.
"From what we gather, the thieves were unable to pawn such a valuable piece to their usual seedy haunts so they brought it here to try and return it for the cash. However Harry Winston knew Monsieur Bass was the original purchaser as it was a custom made one-of-a-kind ring and hence why I was called," he said. "Monsieur Bass would not let go of the ring – he resisted giving it up and so they shot him."
Blair was speechless. So that's what was so important? she pondered to herself as she glanced once more at the ring.
"B, you know he was going to propose to you on top of the Empire State Building!" Serena stated the obvious.
"Yes, S... I'm aware of that!" she snapped. "Now if you don't mind, I have a ball I need to get ready for."
Just then Serena's phone rang.
"Yes? This is she... He is! Oh thank God! I'll be there soon! Thank you for letting me know!" Blair heard Serena tell the caller. "B, he's awake – we should go see him... you need to talk to him."
"Later Serena – I already blew off Louis for Chuck last night, I am NOT missing this once-in-a-lifetime fairytale opportunity," she said as she gathered her selections and headed outside.
Louis' driver promptly arrived at six to take her to the ball. As she rode in the car, she noticed a text from Serena.
B, he knows u were here b4. He's asking 4 you. Plz come.
-S
Blair sighed as she sent her reply:
Later, S. OMW 2 ball.
Chuck was stuck in a hospital bed hooked up to monitors and IVs - it's not like he couldn't wait until after her date, she thought. But then her conscious got her thinking.
S was right, I should be there with him now that he's awake, if nothing more than to just talk... she thought. Louis would understand.
"Driver, if we could please make a detour..." she requested.
Blair felt a little out of place as she strode through the hall of the hospital towards Chuck's room in her ball gown and borrowed jewels.
"Blair! We're glad you decided to come!" Lily exclaimed as Blair tried to quietly sneak into the room unnoticed.
"Lily... how was your flight?" Blair asked as Lily approached her and gave her a welcoming hug.
"Long. I couldn't get here quick enough! But I was relieved to learn when I arrived this afternoon that you and Serena seemed to have things under control for me," Lily told her. "Thank you for calling Jack," she whispered in Blair's ear.
Blair nodded. It was probably best for now that Chuck didn't know that they had to call Jack. He would find out eventually.
Blair looked over towards the bed and saw him laying there just as he was when she left this morning, only this time he was awake. And staring right at her. Seeing her dressed to the nines, he was speechless.
"Here Blair, take my seat," Serena told her as she stood up from the armchair next to the bed.
Again, she nodded as she went to go sit down. She had no idea what to say to him.
"We'll just be outside, leave you two alone for bit," Lily said as her and Serena made their exit.
Once they heard the door close Chuck turned to face her and spoke just above a whisper, "Blair?"
"Yes, Chuck?" she quietly responded.
"You came," he remarked with a slight boyish smile.
She nodded.
"But... I thought you hated me, after what had happened..." he said.
"I did," she stated matter of factly. "But then I realized that no matter what you did, no matter how much you hurt me, deep down I'll always love you... even if I can't be with you. My world wouldn't be the same without you in it."
He turned to look straight ahead as he could feel his eyes watering up at what she said. "Blair, I really am sorry about what happened – I hope you know that. It's probably the biggest regret I'll ever have to live with," he admitted. "Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive me?"
"Maybe some day," she eventually responded after she paused to think about it. Just then the black ring box from Harry Winston caught her attention on the bedside table. "Why did you fight so hard to keep it? Why did you risk dying for it?"
He looked over at her and noticed her staring at the ring box.
"Because... it was all that I had left of you. Of us. It was a symbol of hope that maybe... maybe some day we could get past what happened," he tried to explain.
"But Chuck, it's just a ring. One-of-a-kind maybe, but it could have been replaced!" she declared. "You on the other hand, can't! If they had aimed just a little higher... you would have been... you would have been..." she couldn't bring herself to say the last word. She could feel a sob forming in her throat.
"I know, Blair... I know," he comforted her, reaching over to take her hand. He gently stroked her fingers. "You know, Waldorf, you look absolutely breath-taking," he complimented her.
"Thanks..." her voice trailed.
"But you know, you didn't need to get all dolled up just for me," he joked, trying to lighten the mood and take the focus off him.
"I... I was on my way to a ball," she admitted. "The Prince of Monaco has sort of taken an interest in me lately..."
"Oh, I see..." he spoke shortly as he slid his hand away from hers as he looked away from her. "Well, don't be skipping out on him just because of me."
"I intend on arriving fashionably late..." Blair stated. "But Chuck, if the ring meant so much to you, why did you have it on you? And what where you doing in a seedy part of town anyway?!"
He sighed.
"Because, Blair," he began. "After spending the first half of the summer trying to drink away my regret I decided to come after you. I knew you had gone to Paris with Serena – she is my step-sister after all – and I had to know if there was any chance at all of us being able to move past what happened. If there was still any chance for a future together. We missed each other at the Empire State Building and I didn't get a chance to propose before everything all went to hell between us so I figured, when in Rome – or in this case Paris – throw caution to the wind and lay it all out on the table." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "But when I got here and began looking for you... well, you were already seeing that prince. I saw you two dining together... you were smiling and laughing, looking quite happy. It was obvious to me you were moving on, so I went to go do what I always do – bury my pain in booze and cheap women. So that's how I ended up in the shady part of town and clearly you know the rest."
"Chuck... I'm so sorry..."
"It's fine," he snapped. "Obviously coming here was a mistake. A HUGE mistake."
"Look, Chuck," she snapped right back at him. "I meant what I said before – whether or not we can be together, I know I'll always love you and care about you regardless."
"Do you think that there's any chance – any chance at all – of a future for us?" he asked her, his eyes practically begging her to give him the answer he longed to hear.
"Honestly... I don't know," she responded. "Right now... no. Definitely not. I know you said you're sorry and that you regret what you did, but that doesn't mean I can just get over it quickly and pretend like it never happened – you almost cheated on me! - one doesn't just get over that easily! And I know if the roles were reversed and it was me that did that to you... you would be seething with hatred towards me right now!"
"Blair... NOTHING actually happened that night... and besides, I could never hate you..."
"Regardless... I don't know if my heart can take being hurt and broken anymore by you, Bass. Like you said before, if we were to ever reconcile it will be for the last time. I WILL NOT continue to allow myself to be hurt by you anymore," she declared.
He nodded just as one of the machines next to his bed starting going off loudly.
"Shit..." Chuck murmured to himself.
"What happened? Are you okay?!" Blair frantically asked as her eyes widened in horror that something was wrong. Just then a nurse rushed in to see what was the matter.
"Monsieur Bass!" the nurse declared in an angry tone as she approached the couple.
"I'm fine, really," he tried to assure the nurse.
"You were told that you need to keep calm while your body is recovering - your blood pressure just went off the chart!" the nurse told him. "If your guest is upsetting you then I'm going to have to ask her to leave."
"No need, I was just leaving," Blair spoke up.
"No, Blair... please stay," he pleaded with her as he reached over for her hand.
"No, I have a ball to get to - the Prince of Monaco is waiting for me - unlike some people, I'm sure he would never sleep with someone he knew I absolutely hated!" she hissed at him.
"Well I guess that's something him and I have in common because I NEVER slept with her!" he shouted back, causing his blood pressure monitor to go off once again.
"Monsieur Bass!" the nurse yelled at him before turning to Blair. "Mademoiselle, please - you need to leave."
"Fine... I'm glad you're doing better and are going to live. But goodbye Chuck," she replied angrily as she got up to leave. He could be such a Basshole sometimes when he wasn't getting what he wanted. But she knew she had to stay firm, she would not allow herself to get hurt again by him.
"Blair! There you are! I was starting to get worried!" Louis exclaimed as she arrived at the ball.
"I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting," Blair apologized. "The truth is... Serena's step-brother... him and I were... very close up until this summer. He had a blood transfusion today and on my way here I was informed that he finally woke up... there were some things that him and I needed to discuss..."
Louis nodded. "I understand, Blair – like I said before, you are a very loyal and loving friend. Clearly your friends are important to you and you hold them dear as if they were your own family. I can respect that. And I can only hope my friends would be so loyal if it were me in the hospital."
Blair smiled. She was once again relieved that he wasn't upset with her.
"Have I mentioned that you look absolutely beautiful tonight?" he told her.
"Why thank you, your highness!" Blair blushed.
The ball was everything she could have dreamed of and more. She dined on lavish French food and danced with the Prince of Monaco. The only problem though was that her mind kept wandering back to Chuck. Suddenly she felt guilty.
"Blair? Is everything alright?" Louis asked her as they danced around the grand ballroom. "You seem distracted."
Blair bit her bottom lip nervously before she spoke. "I'm just... worried about Serena's step-brother, that's all." It was a half-truth. "I'll be fine."
The rest of the night she tried to stay focused on Louis and the ball. Before she knew it, it was time for him to take her home.
"Thank you, Louis – for being so understanding and well, just for everything! I'll never forget this night!" Blair said to him as she gave him a big hug.
"You're welcome, Blair," he responded as he walked her to her door. He then took her hand and gently laid a kiss on it, causing her to blush. "À la prochaine," he whispered.
She smiled. "À la prochaine, Louis," she told him as she entered her mother's apartment, closing the door behind her. She thought about going to the hospital, to check in on Chuck and see if he was still brewing over their earlier conversation, but then remembered that visiting hours were most likely over and she didn't really feel like sleeping in the armchair again.
"I'll just go first thing in the morning," she said to herself.
When Blair arrived to the hospital the next day she was surprised to learn that Chuck wasn't there.
"What do you mean he's checked out? He just had a blood transfusion yesterday!" she exclaimed to the nurse. The poor woman just shrugged. Not being legally family, Blair wasn't being told much of anything.
Just then she saw Serena walking down the hall.
"S!" Blair called out to her friend. "S, what's going on? They're telling me Chuck's not here!"
"Yeah... being that he's Chuck Bass – which I guess even Europeans know what that means - he insisted on being transported back to the states where his care will continue there," Serena explained to her. "Him and my mom just left on the Bass jet a few hours ago... what did you say to him yesterday?! He was in foul mood the rest of the night after you left..."
"I just refused to simply hand over to him the one thing he wants most, after what he did," Blair remarked.
"Which is...?" Serena was confused.
"My heart," Blair said simply. After a moment of silence and understanding, Blair finally spoke. "S, let's get out of here – I don't want to be in Paris anymore... we still have a month left until classes start – do you want to finish our summer in the Hamptons, on the beach?"
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea, B!" Serena squealed. "Let's go pack!"
And so they finished out their summer spending their days on the Hampton beaches and their nights at various social gatherings. Blair tried her best to not think about boys – she'd deal with Chuck when she got back to New York and she figured by now Louis had moved on also as he finally stopped calling and texting her.
Spending time with her best girlfriend, just having fun was what she really needed. She decided that she wasn't ready for a relationship right now – with Chuck or anyone. She would be starting fresh at Columbia soon and was determined to give college a solid effort this time around – Columbia would be much different from NYU, she told herself.
If only she knew.
AN: And next chapter will be in the fall as Blair and Serena both start fresh at Columbia... or so they think.
Thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter - even those who were a bit... angry (although I find the threats filled with spelling and grammatical errors to be quite humorous - seriously, no one's making you read). Regardless, I really do appreciate all the feedback and I promise, happy Chair is just a few chapters away so stay tuned!