AN: Minor smut warning near the beginning of this chapter, for those that need the disclaimer =)


"Mr. Bass, Mr. Kidd is on line one for you," his older secretary announced as she stepped into Chuck's office at Bass Industries after lunch the following day.

"Thank you, Martha," he told the woman as he took a deep breath before taking the call, knowing that this call would determine the fate of the company. "Mr. Kidd, hello," he answered, trying to sound as friendly and positive as he possibly could be.

"Chuck, hey, I was just calling to let you know that I spent last night looking over your proposal while on the flight home and I just got done meeting with my team here in Atlanta," Bradley Kidd informed him.

"Oh?" Chuck inquired, both anxious and nervous as to what the man was going to tell him next.

"Well, son, after looking over everything... your proposal of keeping your father's company intact is way more profitable than any of the proposals Russell Thorpe sent me," Mr. Kidd announced, chuckling as he heard Chuck let out a sigh of relief. "So tell you what, I'll make the announcement immediately and have my team draw up the papers this afternoon, get my lawyer to take a look over everything first thing tomorrow morning and then I'll be back up there the next day so we can sign everything and make it official. What do you say?"

"I say thank you so much, Mr. Kidd!" Chuck exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat. He couldn't be more thrilled at that moment. "Sounds great!"

"Well, thank you, Charles – backing Thorpe would have been a huge mistake in the grand scheme of things. I'm just glad you brought it to my attention before I signed with him," Mr. Kidd told him. "I look forward to doing business with you and the company – I'll be in touch and see you in two days," he said as he hung up the phone.

"Martha!" Chuck called out to his secretary who popped her head around the corner a few seconds later.

"Yes, Mr. Bass?" she asked, curious as to what he needed.

"Send out a company-wide memo – Bradley Kidd is going to be backing us so we won't be selling," Chuck beamed as he informed her of the good news.

"Oh my! That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, excited that her job was no longer at risk.

"Also, let everyone know I'll be hosting a celebratory party at The Empire tomorrow night," he added, stopping her before she left.

"Will do, Mr. Bass," she confirmed. "And congratulations – your father would be proud," she smiled at him before she left.

"I hope so..." he uttered to himself as he picked up the phone again to call Lily.

"Charles – I've been waiting for your call all day. Any news?" she asked as soon as she answered the phone.

"Actually, yes – are you up for dinner tonight at Gramercy Tavern? I just got off the phone with Bradley Kidd and he's going to back us – said he'll be making the announcement here shortly and is having the official agreement drafted this afternoon. He's going to have his lawyer look it over tomorrow and he'll be back up here the next day so we can sign," Chuck excitedly told her.

"Oh, Charles, that's amazing!" Lily exclaimed, just as excited as he was. "And yes, dinner sounds great – definitely something we should celebrate. Seven o'clock work for you?"

"Seven is perfect," he said to her.

"Alright then, Rufus and I will see you there and I'll see if Erik wants to come along too," she told him before hanging up.

"Blair, cancel any plans you made for us tonight and tomorrow night – tonight we're going out to dinner at Gramercy Tavern and tomorrow night I'm hosting a celebration at The Empire," he informed her as soon as she answered the phone.

"Oh my god! You got the backer?!" she gasped, thrilled for him.

"Yep!" he declared at once.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod! Chuck's that's great!" she squealed, hardly able to contain herself. "What time is dinner? There's an errand I need to run before we go out tonight," she said as she decided she wanted to pick up something new and sexy to surprise him with later that night.

"Seven o'clock, but I'll be home before then," he reminded her.

"That's fine and gives me plenty of time," she stated. "God, Chuck... I'm so proud of you, and I love you so much – you know your father would be proud of you too."

"Yeah, so I've heard and I love you too... thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"For being supportive," he confessed. "I know these last few months have been a bit stressful but I never could have done this and been successful in going against Thorpe without you by my side."

"It's what we do, Chuck – we support each other, we carry each other... just like we have for years and years," she reminded him.

"Yeah... well, I'll be home in a bit – try to be ready to go by six-thirty, okay?"

"Alright, love you Chuck and see you this evening," she spoke before hanging up.

"I love you too, Blair," he replied before he got off the phone and quickly started tapping out a text to Nate, Charlie and Serena to inform them about dinner and the party tomorrow night.

When he was done he sat back in his chair, grinning like he was on top of the world. He was engaged to the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on, he had three successful businesses under his own belt and he just saved his father's multi-billion dollar Fortune 50 company, thus saving his family's legacy.

Right now, it was definitely good to be Chuck Bass.


A man of his word, Bradley Kidd made the formal announcement within the hour and the media was all over it.

Because of the news, BI's stock was set to close for the day with it's highest number since before Bart passed away. Chuck was taken for a bit of a surprise when the New York Stock Exchange called, saying the wanted him to ring the opening bell tomorrow morning in celebration. Of course he accepted and couldn't wait to tell Blair the news.

He had just about thought his day couldn't get any better until he walked into the bedroom he shared with Blair at the penthouse and caught sight of her in a new deep burgundy dress that hugged her curves in all the right places with a plunging neckline that still somehow managed to come off as classy instead of trashy like the necklines on dresses Serena often wore. She also was wearing her hair up, revealing every inch of her neck to him.

"There's my big shot CEO," Blair smiled as she continued applying a deep red lipstick to her juicy lips. "What's the matter, Bass? Cat got your tongue?" she teased as she noticed him staring at her with his mouth slightly a gape.

"You... are the picture of perfection," he managed to get out as he stood there in awe of how beautiful she looked.

"Oh yeah?" she flirted with him as she walked over to where he stood. "If you think this is good, just wait until after dinner," she leaned in and whispered in his ear with a smirk before turning back towards the dresser to chose her jewelry for the evening.

Before she could even take a step though, Chuck's hands locked onto her waist, holding her in place as he leaned into her neck, breathing in her sweet scent that he loved oh so much before he started to delicately plant kisses up and down her exposed flesh.

"Chuck..." she began to purr as she felt his lips on her skin while she intertwined her fingers with his. "We have to get going soon or we'll be late," she reminded him as she tried to resist his touch.

"So?" he breathed as he continued to work his lips along her neck.

"So... I'm just about ready to go... it will take too long to have to get ready again," she stated breathlessly as her eyes fluttered shut in pleasure. "Just wait til after dinner," she pleaded with him as she struggled to fight back her own urges.

"Alright... fine," he reluctantly agreed as he planted one final kiss along the nape of her neck before letting go of her and heading into the bathroom to freshen up for the evening.

Blair let out a deep sigh as she allowed herself to relax now that he had stopped, despite her body screaming for more of his touch. Walking over to her dresser, she selected the pendant he had given her recently for Valentine's Day and decided to make sure she had everything she needed in her small handbag while she waited for him.


Dinner had gone off without a hitch and Lily couldn't get over telling Chuck just how proud she was of him. While Charlie road in the limo with Chuck and Blair to dinner, the couple was a bit relieved when she announced she would be getting home later as she was planning on meeting up with a friend from work.

They had no sooner sat down on the back bench of the limo and Arthur had closed the door behind them when Chuck was suddenly all over Blair, ripping off his jacket, pulling her onto his lap so that she was straddling him and then wrapping his arms around her as he ferociously attacked her exposed neck which had been tormenting him all evening while he worked his way down along her collarbone and towards her plunging neckline.

"Mmm, Chuck..." she began to moan as his kisses were extremely sensual. She had leaned forward to gently blow in his ear as she nibbled on his earlobe, working her way along his neck as she slid his suspenders down his arms, undid his bowtie and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt. As she was doing so, she felt him firmly grip her ass with both hands before one of them began wandering up her thigh to the top of her nude stocking, gently stroking the fabric of her silk thong with his thumb. She began to breathe heavily in pleasure as she felt his clothed erection pressing against her.

"Oh, Chuck... you feel so good," she purred in his ear as she pressed herself up against him. It had been days since they last made love and that had been way too long for both of them. Soon she heard the fabric of her thong rip and almost immediately she heard it being tossed on the floor somewhere behind her. Reaching down as she continued to grind against his hand, she quickly undid his belt before working on the button and zipper of his pants. She had just pulled him out and began to stroke his hardness when she glimpsed out the tinted window and noticed they were almost back at The Empire.

"Chuck, we're already almost home," she pointed out to him before continuing anything further.

"So?" he panted at once, annoyed that her hand had suddenly stopped. Realizing that she was right though, he removed his hand from under her and reached for the intercom with his free hand. "Arthur, drive around the block a few times," he quickly ordered, anxious to resume what they had been doing. "Now that that's taken care of..." he stated as he pulled her hips towards him and at once pushed her down onto himself. "That's better," he breathed with closed eyes as he felt himself inside her. "God I've missed you lately," he sighed, realizing for himself just how long it had been since they last had sex. "Let's not go that long again if we can help it," he panted as he relaxed in his seat, looking up at her in awe as he watched her, lips slightly parted, eyes closed, chest rising and falling as she writhed on top of him while he helped her rock up and down against him.

"Oh, god Chuck... oh god, yes..." she moaned as she dug her nails into his shoulders while trying to keep balance.

"Mmm... Blair..." he murmured as he bit his bottom lip at the pleasurable pain her nails were inflicting on him. "Faster, baby... faster..." he breathed as one hand trailed up along her back while the other slid up under her skirt and gripped the flesh of her exposed thigh. "Yes... just like that..." he moaned as he closed his eyes and pushed his head back further into the leather of the seat. When he opened them again a moment later her juicy, plump red lips caught his attention and he just had to have them. Removing his grip from her thigh, he reached up and pulled her by the neck down towards him, devouring her lips with his own. Not being able to take it anymore, he suddenly found his strength and flipped her down so that she was now laying on the bench seat, causing her to gasp in surprise as he positioned himself on top her, rapidly beginning to thrust into her as he felt himself reaching his climax. Just as he was getting there, she began to come as well which sent him over the edge. When it was over, he rolled onto his side beside her, gasping for air.

"That... was... perfect..." she panted trying to catch her own breath.

"Sorry but you made me wait all through dinner and I just couldn't wait any longer to ravish you in that dress," he confessed at once. "Do I still get my after dinner surprise?" he couldn't help but ask her.

"You horny Basstard," she laughed as she playfully hit him in the chest. "I suppose so... after all, it would be a shame to waste the other garments I purchased this afternoon," she admitted with a smile as she looked up into his eyes and wrapped her free hand around his neck, running her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. Looking back at her, he slid an arm around her waist and leaned down to kiss her once again, only gently this time as she kissed him back.

"I suppose we should probably tell Arthur to drop us off at the entrance," Chuck spoke after a minute of losing himself in her kisses. "He's probably tired of circling the block," he laughed at the thought.


Chuck woke up the next morning to his alarm going off at eight a.m. on dot, tired and bit sore from their long night of sexual celebration.

"Blair... hey... Blair, baby... wake up," he gently called to her and shook her shoulder as he looked over at her curled up naked under the covers while he still laid on his stomach, face half buried in the pillow.

"Hm?" she groggily muttered, refusing to open her eyes as she snuggled further into pillow and pulled the covers tighter.

"Come on, we gotta get up – we need to be at the stock exchange by nine," he reminded her as he stroked her exposed bare shoulder. "I'll order up room service and we can shower in the meantime," he decided as he reached across her and over towards her nightstand to retrieve the in-house phone.

"You really think showering together is a good idea when we're in a hurry?" Blair mumbled as she fought to stay asleep. "Past experiences show that that tends to take us even longer," she pointed out to him.

"Join me or not, we're leaving in forty-five minutes regardless if you're ready," he told her as he sat up in bed and dialed for room service, placing an order for them. He couldn't help but smile as he crossed over towards the bathroom and he spied her sexy new lingerie set she had purchased the day before now scattered across the bedroom floor from when she had tossed it while performing a striptease for him last night.

Blair closed her eyes for just a few more minutes, springing alive when she heard the shower running in the bathroom. Making herself wake up enough to function, she sighed as she gave in and decided to go join him in the shower.

Maybe this once we can shower together without having sex, she thought to herself as she approached the bathroom door.

Or maybe not, she declared in her head as she had no sooner stepped into the shower stall with him and he was all over her once again.


"Hey, man – you see the front page of the business section today?" Nate asked Chuck while he sipped his morning coffee. "Congrats!"

"Thank you, Nathaniel," Chuck grinned as he took a bite out of a bagel he picked from the tray room service had brought up for him.

"Chuck, did you happen to see where I left my school satchel yesterday?" Blair frantically asked as she hurried into the living room, looking for it.

"Last I saw, it was sitting in a corner of the floor in the foyer," Nate remarked as he watched her scramble.

"Found it!" she announced not even a moment later as she looked where Nate had mentioned.

"Blair, are you about ready? We're leaving in five minutes and you haven't eaten anything yet," Chuck reminded her as she ran back into the bedroom for something.

"Almost," she called out from the other room.

"Thought her class today wasn't until later?" Nate curiously wondered.

"You'll want to turn on the New York Stock Exchange in about forty-five minutes – I'm ringing the bell today," he grinned once again as Nate nearly choked on his coffee.

"What? Seriously?! Wow! That's awesome!" Nate exclaimed as he patted his best friend on the back. "I know I've said it in the past when we were younger and for different reasons, but it must really be good to be you! Everything seems to be going so well for you lately!"

"Yeah... let's not jinx it though, Nathaniel, alright?" Chuck joked, although part of him was fearing that a bombshell might be about to explode sometime soon as things were going a bit too perfectly in his life suddenly. "Blair, come on – we need to leave! Parfait or muffin this morning?" he called out to her, holding both in his hands.

"Um... parfait," she decided in a huff as she grabbed the dish and spoon from him while bending down to pick up her satchel as she clutched her purse and jacket. "Hold this, please, Nate," she ordered him as she handed him the parfait. "Chuck, a little help with my coat, please?" she requested as she held the spoon in her mouth, sliding her arms into her coat while he slid it up her arms and onto her shoulders. "Thanks, now let's go," she declared as she made her way to the foyer.

"See ya later," Chuck told Nate as he quickly followed after her.

"Have fun!" Nate called out after them, trying not to laugh at just how whipped Chuck had become.


At exactly nine twenty-nine and forty-five seconds Chuck Bass excitedly pressed the big green button that sounded the opening of the New York Stock Exchange as his fiancee stood beside him, smiling and clapping along with everyone else that was cheering him on. He saw his father do it once when he was very young and had ever since dreamed of the day when he would get to do it himself.


"Please tell Mr. Thorpe that Chuck Bass is here to see him," Chuck informed the receptionist outside Russell's office as him and Blair decided to make a little detour on their way to drop her off at Columbia just to prove a point.

"Mr. Thorpe... Chuck Bass here to see you," the receptionist reluctantly told Thorpe over the intercom. They had no sooner heard Russell give the approval when Chuck swung both doors to Russell's office open and sauntered in with an arm around Blair's waist and a smirk on his face.

"Ah, Chuck and Miss Waldorf... Let me guess, you were both in the neighborhood and decided to stop by and gloat?" Russell guessed, not amused by the couple's immediate presence. "I saw you at the New York Stock Exchange just a little bit ago..."

"We actually came by to see Raina, however I guess she's not in yet..." Chuck casually mentioned as they walked further into the office. "We wanted to invite her to a little party we're hosting at The Empire tonight – my deal with Kidd closes tomorrow... you're welcome to attend as well," Chuck extended the invitation. "Sorry... didn't come to gloat... I've just always been a multi-tasker," he continued to smirk at the man.

"Don't you worry that a victory lap might be a bit premature?" Russell suggested.

"Why would I?" Chuck retorted, not worried in the least.

"Well... thank you both for my invitation, but as for my daughter's schedule... you might want to check with that roommate of yours Nate Archibald – seems they've gotten quite serious," Russell pointed out, unaware that they both already knew and no longer viewed Raina as a threat to them. "Your deal closes tomorrow, however you tell Lily that I'll see you both tonight. Now, if you both don't mind, I have business of my own to attend to," he stated as he dismissed them.

"Think it worked?" Blair whispered once they were out of Russell's earshot.

"As far as putting the final nail in the coffin? I would think so," Chuck declared as he leaned over and pulled her to him so he could kiss the side of her forehead. "Come on, you gotta get to class," he reminded her as they proceeded towards the building's exit where Arthur was waiting just outside.


"Someone who knows about Ben is trying to send a message," Lily stated to Chuck who had stopped by his stepmother's penthouse before heading to the office after dropping Blair off at Columbia. She was holding an orange prison jumpsuit in her hands.

"Subtle... although they do say orange is the new black," he couldn't help saying. "It's Russell I'm assuming – I just spoke to him a little bit ago, he told me our victory party was premature."

"Well if he knows he'll use it to kill the deal," Lily quickly pointed out. "He'll threaten to go public unless..."

"He's fishing," Chuck cut her off. "If he had proof he would've made that play by now. We need to shut down his lead, whoever it is... what about Ben? You don't think Russell could have gotten to him, do you?"

"I... I don't think so, we've seemed to have resolved our issues..." Lily spoke as she tried to think.

"I'd make sure if I were you," Chuck urged her. "In the meantime, I'll try and find out what Russell's planning," he assured her.

"Charles... I am so sorry..." Lily apologized. "You and Blair looked good on TV this morning though," she added.

"Thanks, but hey – just talk to Ben," he reiterated as he went to leave, wanting to get to the bottom of this before the party tonight.


"Hey, man – back so soon?" Nate questioned as he bumped into Chuck back at their penthouse. "By the way, I was watching this morning – you looked good!"

"Thanks," Chuck mumbled as he looked around the place. "I need to speak to Raina – she wasn't at the office this morning when I stopped by... you wouldn't happen to know where she is, do you?"

"Bathroom, just finishing getting ready," Nate stated. "We were just about to head out for an early lunch before I go to class and she goes into the office."

"I'll only be a minute," he assured him as he took a seat on the couch and waited.

"Hey, Chuck, how's it going?" Raina asked as she stepped out of Nate's room a minute later.

"I need to speak with you," he told her as he motioned for her to come have a seat. "A few years ago my stepmother perjured herself and an innocent man went to prison," he began to explain once she was seated.

"Okay and you're telling me this why...?" she questioned, growing impatient as she was anxious to leave with Nate.

"Because I believe your father already knows and I think he's planning on using this information as leverage to blow my deal," he continued.

"Chuck," Raina sighed, growing frustrated. "How many times do I have to tell you? He isn't like you."

"Maybe not yet, but if I'm right... he's about to cross the line," Chuck reluctantly admitted. "You can stop him, Raina – if you care about him, you'll do this."

"I would never confront him based on your word alone," she stated after thinking it over for a moment.

"I'm not asking you to, however I'm willing to bet he's going to want to talk privately with Lily and I at the party tonight, giving us an ultimatum first... if you could just be here for when that happens, I'm sure he'll stop once you call him out on it," Chuck informed her.

"What? Nate and I just wait up here for you all to show up?" Raina wondered, trying to get some sense of the plan as Chuck nodded in confirmation. "Alright, fine... but you'll see you're wrong about him," she declared as she stood to leave. "Come on, Nate – let's go."

"I hope you're right," Chuck sighed as he watched them leave on the elevator.


"Chuck?" he heard Lily's voice with a bit of worry in it as he answered the phone while he went over final preparations for the party.

"Lily, is everything alright? Did you talk to Ben?" he asked as he paused to the side, waving the event coordinator off and signaling to give him a moment.

"No but I spoke to Serena... the copy of the affidavit... it's gone," Lily frantically told him.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" he questioned, not quite sure how that was possible.

"Gone as in we think Ben took it... probably to give it to Russell if he hasn't already," she fretted.

"Lily, don't worry too much about it," he sighed as he rubbed his forehead, trying to think what he could say to calm her down. "I already have a plan in place, just make sure to be here at the party tonight."

"Alright, if you're sure, but I'm scared about what's going to happen," she confessed to him.

"Everything will be fine, Lily – I promise," he assured her before hanging up. He could only hope that Russell deemed his relationship to Raina as more important than crushing the Bass legacy.


"Looks like a good turn out," Chuck remarked as him and Blair stood at the top of the staircase, overlooking the party below.

"Well, everyone is proud of you – you saved the company," she simply stated as she smiled at him.

"Couldn't have done it without you," he smiled back at her, giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek before he pulled back to admire her. She was wearing a strapless dark golden yet simple gown, her hair pulled up in a classy but fun ponytail as she wore the beloved Erickson Beamon necklace, simple diamond teardrop earrings and a diamond studded cuff. "Shall we?" he asked her as he offered her his arm.

Blair gave a slight nod as they began to descend the staircase together.

"Congratulations!" a guest stated to Chuck as they walked by.

"Thank you," he smiled back at them.

"Congrats, Charles – your father would be proud," another man commented, patting him on the arm as they passed.

"Thanks, sir," Chuck warmly responded.

"Mr. Bass... and the future Mrs. - a photo?" a photographer requested as they approached the bottom of the staircase.

"Of course," they both replied, with Blair smiling especially at being referred to as the future Mrs. Bass.

"Champagne?" a waitress offered as they stepped onto the last stair.

"Yes, thank you," Chuck told her as he accepted one before turning to the crowd. "Thank you all for coming," he announced. "As you know, my deal with Bradley Kidd officially closes tomorrow, but as they always say – why put off til tomorrow a party you could throw today? Cheers!" he spoke as he shot back the glass of champagne before stepping off the staircase and greeting Lily who welcomed him with a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "We're all set," he told her at once. "When I meet Russell in my suite, Raina will be in the kitchen – as soon as she hears him blackmail us, she'll confront him."

"Do you think that will be enough?" Lily couldn't help but wonder.

"The only thing that's more important to him than ruining us is maintaining his relationship with his daughter," Chuck assured her, hoping he was right. "Speaking of daughters..." he said as he noticed Serena approaching.

"Hey, Chuck – congrats," Serena sadly remarked.

"Thanks, sis," he replied as he noticed Blair was already off mingling.

"Mom, we need to talk," Serena nervously spoke.

"I'll leave you two to discuss whatever while I go play host – Lily, I'll let you know when it's time to deal with Russell," Chuck informed them as he left to mill about the party.


"What is going on here?" Blair sharply asked as she approached Charlie who was standing around chatting with none other than Dan Humphrey.

"Oh hey!" Charlie greeted her warmly as she reached to give her future sister-in-law a hug.

"Hey, Blair," Dan greeted her also.

"Yeah, hi – what... what is this?" Blair motioned at the two of them.

"This is nothing, Blair, really," Charlie tried to assure her, not really wanting her to figure out that it had been Dan that she had been hanging out with lately.

"Your jaw is doing that quivering thing Chuck's does when he's nervous and afraid I'll find out he just told me a half-truth," Blair called her out.

"Damnit!" Charlie quietly cursed. She hated that she had the same nervous ticks as her brother and she hated even more that Blair knew all of them.

"Is he the friend from work you rushed off to go see last night?" Blair demanded to know.

"Okay, fine – yes, yes he is," Charlie breathed deeply, actually feeling a bit relieved to have admitted it. "What does it matter anyway?"

"It matters because in Chuck's words he's Humdrum Humphrey!" Blair exclaimed, annoyed that Charlie would even associate with him outside work. "Besides, you're a Bass – he's from Brooklyn," Blair also pointed out.

"Oh c'mon Blair! First you tell me I can't pursue Nate because Chuck will freak out, now you're telling me I can't hang out with Dan? What gives?!" Charlie screamed in frustration.

"Yeah, Blair – what's so wrong with me?" Dan inquired, genuinely wanting to know.

"Where do I even begin?!" she scoffed, completely at a loss. "Shall I start with that bush on your head you call hair? Or how about the fact that you've been lovesick over Serena for years and I'm willing to bet you still aren't even over her? Or what about those stories you actually try to pass off as literature?"

"Um, Blair... have you actually even bothered to read my work?" Dan couldn't help asking.

"No, and for a perfectly good reason – I have better things to waste my time reading," she retorted.

"You really could use a haircut – your hair is on the verge of having it's own zip code" Charlie remarked to Dan before turning back to Blair. "His work's actually not that bad," she stated only to receive a questioning looking from her. "What? I've had to read some at work," she quickly explained.

"Oh and he once tried to wash Riedel wine glasses with common dishsoap!" Blair exclaimed.

"What?!" Charlie gasped before turning to Dan. "Seriously? You don't know how to wash Riedel?! My grandmother taught me that..."

"Apparently using shampoo on glassware is more common than I thought..." Dan remarked, feeling a bit out of place.

"Ugh, look Charlie – do what you want, but if it's him or Nate... Nate's the better choice," Blair stated as she was about to walk off, frustrated beyond belief and knowing Chuck would have a fit if he found out.

"Gee, thanks, Blair..." Dan spoke as he rolled his eyes, a bit hurt by what she had said. "She's never liked me," he quickly explained to Charlie as Blair turned back around.

"Speaking of never liking you, what are you even doing here?" Blair wondered. "This is Chuck's party for BI – you don't work for the company and Chuck has never considered you a friend," she reminded him.

"I invited him," Charlie informed her.

"Yeah and if anything... I'm covering the party for W?" Dan told her, trying to sound convincing yet questioning the alibi Charlie had given him as it really didn't sound all that believable.

"Whatever," Blair retorted as she walked off for good this time to go mingle with people that actually mattered to her. She didn't get very far though before she bumped into Serena. "Hey! S! What's going on? Did you know Charlie's here with Dan?" she anxiously asked her best friend.

"Hey, B... no, and have you seen Ben?" Serena sadly asked her.

"The convict? No... but what's wrong?" Blair pressed her for information.

"I'm pretty sure he stole the forged affidavit that could put my mother in jail and we think that he gave it to Russell Thorpe who's going to try and blackmail her and Chuck with it," Serena quickly explained.

"What?! Oh my gosh!" Blair exclaimed, shocked at the news. "But why... if he knows, why didn't Chuck tell me earlier?"

"I don't know, B, but according to my mother he has some plan already in place... however that doesn't help me figure out just where things stand between Ben and I now," Serena lamented.

"I'm so sorry, S... look, you go find Ben and talk to him and I'll be here whenever you need me, okay?" Blair told her as she gave her a quick hug.

"Alright B, thanks," Serena replied, still overwhelmed by it all.

"Chuck!" Blair called out to him as she approached him from across the room. "Hi," she greeted the small group of guests he had been chatting with using her fake society smile. "May I steal my fiance away for just a moment?" she asked them as she hooked her arm through his and led him away from the group.

"Everything alright?" he asked her, curious as to what was suddenly so important.

"I should be asking you that – why didn't you tell me Russell has a copy of the forged affidavit?!" she snapped at him.

"Because," he sighed as he began to tell her. "We don't know for sure that he does and even if he does, I have a plan already in place so there's nothing to get stressed or worked up over," he explained as she merely stared back at him. "Look I figured I'd tell you later – Lily and I are taking care of everything and I didn't want you to worry."

"Well I appreciate you thinking about me, but at the same time I prefer to be in the know when it comes to matters concerning either of us rather than finding out from Serena," she pointed out to him.

"Alright, fine – I'll keep that in mind for next time, now if you don't mind... Russell Thorpe is here and I need to go put my plan into action," he told her as he spotted the man just walking into the room. "Wish me luck," he smiled at her as he gave her a quick kiss before rushing over to Lily.

"Good luck," Blair sighed as she watched from a distance as him and Lily approached Russell who motioned them over to the elevators.


"So, is this quiet enough for you?" Russell asked as him, Chuck and Lily stepped off the elevator and into Chuck's penthouse.

"I should talk to him alone," Chuck quietly told Lily as they stayed a few steps behind Russell.

"No, this is my mess – trust me, you're going to need me," Lily whispered back as they followed Russell into the living room.

"Well, you called this meeting," Chuck started as him and Lily sat down on the couch opposite Russell.

"You didn't want to wear that gift I sent you this morning, Lily?" Russell teased her. "Orange is so your color..."

"I have guests downstairs," Chuck reminded him, wondering if this was actually going to go somewhere or if they were just wasting time.

"And I have the nail for your coffin," Russell responded as he reached into his jacket and pulled out the missing affidavit, sliding it towards them on the coffee table. "It's just a copy of course – perjury... obstruction of justice... bribery of public officials..."

"Why don't we cut right to it?" Chuck quipped, eager to get to the point.

"That I can do it – you sign over Bass Industries once and for all or I'll destroy you and your entire family, current and future," Russell threatened him, pausing to wait for Chuck's response which oddly he wasn't getting. "I'm surprised you even have to think it over," he stated, trying to get some kind of reaction out of the Bass heir.

"I wasn't thinking, I was waiting," Chuck informed him at once.

"For what?" Russell questioned, confused.

"For me," Raina announced as she and Nate appeared from around the corner. "He was right about you!" she gasped, completely shocked by her father's actions. "This whole time, he was right!" she exclaimed, giving her father one last look of disbelief before walking towards the elevator, Nate shaking his head as he went to follow her.

"I'd follow her if I were you," Chuck told him.

"No – he signs over the company right now or you're going to jail," Russell declared as he spoke to Lily.

"Maybe... but not because of you or anyone else," Lily informed him."I called the DA ten minutes ago, Rufus is waiting in the car to take me downtown," she turned and explained to Chuck.

"Lily, you can't!" he spoke to her, completely baffled.

"Once I go on record with the truth no one can hold this against us anymore," she explained further. "Just promise me one thing – before Thorpe leaves here tonight, tell that son of a bitch where he can stick it," she whispered as Chuck nodded in response.

"Thank you... for saving his legacy," he said to her.

"Bass Industries isn't his legacy, Charles – you are," she told him as she gently stroked his face before she went on her way.

"Well, you heard the lady," Chuck turned towards Thorpe. "Now if that's all, I have guests downstairs-"

"They can wait," Russell declared. "Don't you even want to know why I was willing to sacrifice my own daughter just to destroy your precious little legacy?"

"Because Lily left you for my father," Chuck replied, bored, as he watched Russell help himself to a drink.

"I would think you knew me better than that by now," Russell said to him. "Did Raina ever talk about her mother?" he curiously inquired.

"Not really aside from the fact that she left when she was only two or three," Chuck told him as he wondered what this had to do with anything.

"Her mother didn't leave us," Russell confessed. "Avery was having an affair with your father, however she was going to end things but never got the chance."

"Oh?" Chuck asked, curiously.

"Did your father ever tell you about a fire that happened at one of the buildings almost fifteen years ago?"

"The one where a security guard died?" Chuck questioned as that was the only one that came to mind.

"Yes, well... the security guard wasn't the only one that was trapped in the building that night..." Russell informed him as he took another sip from his drink. "He killed her."

"You're lying," Chuck quickly spoke, not wanting to believe a word Russell was telling him.

"Believe me – I wish I were," Russell stated. "Because of your father, my wife is dead.

"No – I confronted my father about the fire when he was alive. It was an accident. He owned up to the death of the security guard – he never mentioned a woman," Chuck sternly told him.

"Why do you think the security guard was in the building?" Russell pressed him, trying to get Chuck to realize the truth. "He was trying to save my wife!" he yelled out. "No one knows the truth, not even Raina – she thinks her mother left me for another man... which I guess is partially true..."

"When my father died we were in a good place – you're trying to rob me of that," Chuck angrily stated. "You'd say anything to hurt me at this point."

"Perhaps... but I think you knew your father well enough to believe that he was capable of deliberately taking a life," Russell pointed out to him. "I hope your stepmother enjoys rotting in jail, protecting the legacy of "The Great Bart Bass"." Russell spat as he got up to leave, leaving Chuck alone to sort out everything he had just been told.


"Cheers!" a man attempted to toast with Chuck as he passed him on the grand staircase only for Chuck to completely ignore him as well as several other guests who tried to congratulate him as he was still in a state of shock.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Serena asked him as she quickly spotted him at the bottom of the stairs, looking like he had just seen a ghost.

"Shut it down," he grumbled at her as he looked around at everyone celebrating.

"What?" Serena questioned, not completely understanding his request.

"This – all of this. Shut it down," he repeated as he pushed past her and headed straight for the bar. Serena was at a complete loss for words and confused as to what was going on but quickly got to work at ending the party for him.


"Have you seen Blair?" Chuck asked Serena as she approached him by the bar while he finished a shot and began to pour himself another.

"I saw her earlier talking to Charlie... she's around here somewhere," Serena assured him as she sat down next to him. "I got most of the guests cleared out, but Chuck, talk to me – my mom just turned herself in to protect you... why'd you have the party shut down?"

"There's nothing to celebrate," he muttered as he downed another shot before pouring a new one.

"What are you talking about? The company is safe, you're about to be the head of your father's empire – aside from Blair, it's what you've always wanted," she reminded him.

"What I wanted... all I ever wanted from my father was to know him, for him to let me in," Chuck confessed to her. "Yet he lied to me until the day he died," he stated as he downed the next shot. "I need to talk to Blair – she's the only one who'll understand."

"Understand what? Chuck, you're not making any sense," she told him as she tried to stop him from pouring another shot. "Chuck, maybe... maybe you should just go upstairs, lie down and wait for her?" she suggested after giving up on trying to pull the bottle off him.

"I have to find her," he declared as he downed the last shot and quickly got off the bar stool, heading out of the bar on a mission.

"Fine, I'll come with you," Serena sighed in frustration as she went to follow him around the hotel. "Chuck... Chuck!" Serena called out to him trying to get him to stop for two seconds.

"What?!" he barked at her, annoyed and starting to feel a little drunk.

"I think that's her up there," Serena said as she pointed towards the seating area on the second floor near the balcony overlooking the rest of the room. She had no sooner pointed her out to him when he had taken off towards the stairs, staggering as he made his way up them. Serena merely sighed at the sight as she went to follow, making sure he didn't accidentally cause a scene on the way.


"I will most definitely keep that in mind," Blair chuckled as she sat with Chuck's secretary. "You should expect your invitation in the next few weeks," she smiled at the woman only to put on a worried look as she noticed Chuck approaching fast, clearly upset, with Serena quickly following behind him. "Chuck, what's wrong?" she asked as she stood to approach him.

"Hi, Martha," Chuck quickly greeted the woman who was still sitting and sipping on coffee before he turned his attention towards his fiancee. "Blair, we need to talk – upstairs. Now."

"What? Why? What happened?" she questioned, starting to get worried as she could smell the liquor on his breath. "Serena, how much has he had and why was the party shut down?" she wondered as she had Chuck drape his arm around her as she put her arm around his back.

"I honestly don't know, B," Serena reluctantly admitted.

"I'll explain everything once we're upstairs," he told her as they began to walk towards the elevators.

"Goodnight, Martha – we'll have to have lunch sometime," Blair said to the secretary as they went on their way.

"Do you need me to come too or...?" Serena hesitantly asked once they were waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"No, S... I can handle him from here," Blair assured her as Chuck was beginning to become deadweight. "Once I get him upstairs we'll be fine."

"Alright, goodnight you two," Serena said as she went to leave them alone. "Call me later," she mouthed to Blair who gave a little nod in acknowledgment.

"Geez, Chuck!" Blair exclaimed as they practically fell into the elevator with him sitting against the back wall, resting his hands on his knees as he hung his head back. "How much did you have to drink?!" she questioned as she pushed the button to close the doors and then pulled the stop button, taking a seat on the floor beside him.

"Doesn't matter how much I've had to drink... doesn't change anything," he muttered as he looked off in space at the ceiling.

"What are you talking about?" she gently asked as she softly ran her fingers down the sleeve of his jacket, stopping to place her hand on top of his when she reached it.

Before saying anything, Chuck turned to look over at her, a vast range of emotions in his eyes from hurt and betrayal to anger and frustration.

"Did everything go according to plan with Russell?" she probed, trying to get some information out of him.

"Yes," he slowly nodded as he gazed back up at the ceiling.

"Okay... then what's wrong?" she pressed him to continue, growing frustrated at his reluctance to do so. "Come on, Bass – you said we needed to talk, so talk to me."

"Russell's whole motives for dismantling the company were personal, however not for the reasons we thought," he began before pausing.

"Go on," Blair gently urged him.

He let out a deep sigh before continuing.

"Everything I believed about my father, everything I thought I wanted to be – what I needed to be for him... it was all based on lies..." he sadly spoke.

"Chuck... what are you talking about?"

"Remember that Bass Industries fire from the nineties that Humphrey found out about when he was going to write an expose on my father a few years back? Shortly before his death? The one my father claimed was an accident and where a security guard died?" he asked her, wondering if she recalled him telling her about it.

Blair nodded in response as she vaguely recalled the details. Her, Chuck and Serena had been chasing some Yale alum's daughter all over town that night as the girl was determined to lose her virginity to anyone that would take it when his PI had called with the news of what Dan had been up to. It was also the same night that she had first admitted in front of Chuck that she knew she loved him, in less than so many words, when the girl had asked if her first time was with someone she loved.

"Turns out, Raina's mother died in the fire as well," he confessed to her.

"Oh my god!" she gasped, completely at a loss for words.

"Apparently she was having an affair with my father but was going to end it... only she didn't get the chance," he continued, noticing Blair covering her mouth in shock as she was speechless. "I've been spending months fighting to save his legacy... and now I have to wonder, knowing all that... was it really worth saving?" he couldn't help but question.

"Chuck, I'm so sorry," she finally managed to speak as she pulled herself to her knees and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to her as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"What do we do now? His legacy is tainted," he stated as he struggled to come to a conclusion.

"We go ahead with the deal as planned," Blair simply told him. "Tainted or not, there's hundreds of people employed by BI – because of you, their jobs will be safe for years to come," she reminded him. "Besides, it may have once been your father's legacy, however now it's yours and I know you'll make it better than he ever did."

"How do you know that?" he wondered as he looked up at her with scared eyes.

"Because Chuck, just like I believed in you when you bought this hotel, I believe you in now," she smiled at him as she gently laid a kiss on the top of his head before rising to her feet. "Besides, how do you even know what Russell told you was the truth? You need to have Mike look into it before you blindly accept anything Russell says," she reminded him as he nodded in agreement. "Now come on, let's go upstairs and get you in bed so you can sleep off all that alcohol," she said to him as she attempted to pull him to his feet and pushed the emergency stop button back in place before sliding in the keycard to their penthouse.

"You always know what to say," he uttered as he put his arm around her shoulders for support as he felt her slide an arm around his waist.

Blair simply smiled at his comment as the elevator approached their floor and she led him out into the foyer and to their bedroom where he immediately collapsed on top of the bed and was out like a light.

What am I going to do with you, Bass? She wondered to herself as she shook her head with a slight smile on her lips as she watched him fast asleep.


AN: Thanks again for all the favorites/follows/reviews - it really is appreciated! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter - we're finally getting to the end of the Thorpe drama (3 more chapters I believe - Almost forgot how long that arc really was!). I'll try to have the next chapter up sometime this holiday weekend, but it still needs a bit of work as I decided to change some parts of it that need rewritten.