A/N: This will not be an easy chapter for Chair fans to read. Please just trust me when I say, I have a plan.

Chapter 14

September 2, 2019

Chuck opened the door surprised to see Blair. He couldn't keep the disdain out of his voice when he said, "I thought you would be with your prince by now; that's what Gossip Girl said at least."

She fiddled with the latch on her YSL bag and said, "This is more important than that."

He watched her fidget uncomfortably and mentally cursed himself for being the cause of her distress once again. Less than 24 hours earlier he had his hands all over her body and his lips fused to her skin. Now she couldn't even look at him. He wanted to apologize for his behavior, but the words wouldn't form in his throat, so he simply asked, "What's more important?"

"Georgina knows about Bart," She answered quietly. "And she has pictures of -"

"Hey, guys!" Serena greeted far too cheerfully as she and Nate walked in. Their clasped hands didn't go unnoticed by the more cognizant brunettes, who both raised their eyebrows at the blondes. They immediately dropped their hands as if they'd been caught sneaking into the cookie jar before dinner. "So, what's the emergency, B?"

"Georgina cornered me in the lobby of my building this morning," Blair began. "She says that she knows about -" She cut herself off when she realized that Chuck was glaring at her in warning. She had completely forgotten that Chuck said that he had not told Nate and Serena about Bart's faked death.

"Ugh, that can never be good," Serena said with a roll of her eyes, "What did she want?"

Blair looked to Chuck in desperation, unsure of how much she should share. If Georgina wanted to meet with all four of them, they were going to find out eventually, right?

Chuck sighed and raked his hand through his hair. "Let's all have a seat." He led them to the living room. "I found out that after I was stabbed the blood transfusion came from my father. He's still alive and he's in hiding because someone has been plotting his murder. I really don't want to get into any more details than that. It appears that somehow Georgina knows the truth."

Nate and Serena both stared at him in shock for several moments, neither one knowing how to respond. Finally, Nate spoke up, "Are - are you okay, man? I mean, that has to have an impact -"

"I'm fine," He replied with a small smile of gratitude at his friend's concern, "I have known about it for nearly two years, so I've had time to come to terms with it."

"So, what does Georgina want?" Serena asked again.

Blair finished telling her story, "She says Dan is writing an expose on the Basses, but that she wants to make sure that he doesn't find out about Bart. She wants the four of us to meet her here tomorrow evening."

"How can we trust her?" Nate asked incredulously. "I mean, this is Georgina we are talking about."

"I thought the same thing," Blair answered, "But she says that she's always -" She scrunched her nose in Chuck's direction in disgust "-had a soft spot for Chuck."

Chuck smirked at her and couldn't keep the arrogance out of his response, "The amount of pleasure that I bestow does demand a certain amount of loyalty."

"Ew," Blair responded. "Anyway, I don't know if we have a choice but to trust her. Serena, can you go to Dan's and see if you can find out what he actually knows? If anyone can get it out of him, you can."

"Yes, I have to go pick up Millie anyway," She said looking at Chuck pointedly. She was genuinely hurt that he had been back in New York for nearly a month and had made no attempt to meet his niece. He hadn't even so much as asked Serena how she was doing.

He avoided her gaze and replied, "Just don't set him off. Don't give him any hints that we have any idea what he's doing. I don't want him trying to hide evidence or become even more secretive."

Nate said, "I'll go with her."

Blair stopped him, just as they were about to leave, "Wait a minute there, Barbie and Ken. Don't think that I didn't see you two bouncing in her hand in hand like it was 2010. Are you two together now?"

Serena and Nate grinned sheepishly at each other before Serena said, "We are taking things slow. We missed each other so much, and we realized that we work so well together. We are going to see how things go."

Chuck gave Nate a look that spoke of both envy and approval. He knew that Nate had been longing for Serena since before she and Dan got married, but he was jealous over how easily Serena and Nate always seemed to find their way back to each other. It all seemed to come so easy to them. Looking back to Blair, all he could think about was how much he had fucked up over the years. There was so much history between the two of them that he couldn't imagine that things could ever be as simple for them as it was for his sister and best friend.

XOXO

February 28, 2016

A week after being released from the hospital, Chuck and Landry got married at city hall. The officiant noted that it was probably the most depressing wedding ceremony he had ever performed. The bride and groom both seemed rather unenthusiastic, and he was shocked when they didn't even kiss each other on the lips when the ceremony commenced. Instead, Chuck had gently kissed Landry on the cheek and squeezed her hand with a small smile.

The whole time that they were reciting their vows, Chuck could only think that the beautiful woman in front of him was all wrong. Her hair should be lighter, her eyes darker, her features more delicate. Landry was not unaware of Chuck's sadness in marrying her, and she felt like she had trapped him into an unhappy life in some way, even though the marriage was his idea to begin with.

That night, they lay in bed for the first time as husband and wife, having never shared any form of physical intimacy beyond hugs or chaste kisses to the cheek or forehead. Landry wore a sweet, white lace slip gown, and Chuck had come to bed in a pair of silk pajama pants. She rested her head against his shoulder, and asked, "How do you feel? Your body, I mean?"

He stroked her hair and replied, "I'm getting stronger every day. I probably won't even have to use my cane much longer."

"I can't believe we are actually married," She said with a small smile, "Who would've thought this would be our future when you walked into Bass three years ago?"

"You were a beautiful bride," He said almost out of a feeling of obligation. The awkwardness of marrying someone you weren't even dating was not lost on either of them. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that earlier."

She raised up on her elbow to look at him, and she could still see the darkness in his eyes. Ashamed, she started quietly, "I'm sorry that this isn't what you wanted, Chuck -"

"Hey," He stopped her by caressing her cheek softly, "What are you talking about? I am married to one of the most beautiful, kindest women I've ever met in my life. If anything, I'm lucky."

"I don't believe you," I'm not her, she wanted to add, "But thank you for saying so anyway." She paused for a long moment before continuing, "I want you to know, Chuck, that I do care about you, so much."

His heart was breaking for her. This was her wedding night. A night that should be filled with joy and passion, and here she was practically apologizing for not being someone else. "I care about you, too, Landry," He answered as he pulled her face to his in the first real kiss that they had ever shared. He gently pulled her gown over her head and continued to kiss her in desperation.

The first time that they had sex was on their wedding night, but it wasn't passionate or loving. It was needy and comforting. They were both hurting to a degree that no other person could understand, and their coupling was the physical embodiment of the need to be close to someone who understands.

When he entered her, tears escaped her eyes, and he gently kissed them away, and made her a promise, "I will always protect you. Until the day I die, I will take care of you." That promise became the foundation of their relationship. They took care of each other; they put each other's needs before their own. They supported each other's quest for completion and happiness no matter what. Theirs wasn't a marriage of romantic love; it was a marriage of mutual understanding, respect, and loyalty - a marriage between two people so damaged that they were desperate for human connection, and they found it in each other's brokenness.

September 2, 2019

Serena pulled Nate back into the car as he started to exit, "Look," she whispered, and pointed toward the woman entering the building.

"Who is that?" Nate asked.

"I think that's Raina Thorpe. I recognize her from some of the conventions that my mom used to go to with Bart years ago."

"I'm not following."

"Her father is Russell Thorpe. He owns one of Bass Industries' biggest competitors. This can't be a coincidence."

"You think she's working with Dan?" Nate asked, still a few steps behind Serena.

"Why else would she be here?" She asked incredulously. "Change of plans. I'm going to go up and get Millie, and then we'll go to my place to do some research. I don't want to let on that I know anything."

Five minutes later, Serena and Millie climbed back into the car with Nate. Millie yawned as Serena buckled her into her booster seat. She whispered quietly to Nate so as not to disturb the little girl, "Something's definitely going on. He pushed me out the door rather quickly and Raina was nowhere in sight."

XOXO

Chuck and Blair sat quietly after Nate and Serena left, neither one wanting to say goodbye, neither one wanting to be the first to speak. Chuck finally relented and said, "Thank you for...for everything. For keeping my secret, for helping with Georgina, for -"

She turned to him and grasped his hand. She knew that after their dance the night before, she shouldn't be alone with him, and she certainly shouldn't be touching him. Logic was always hard to come by in his presence though, "I told you, Chuck, I'll stand by you through anything. This thing with your dad is bigger than anything else."

He nodded and inched slightly closer, never releasing her hand. It didn't go unnoticed by him that her engagement ring wasn't on her finger today, "You've always been too good to me."

She felt a little bold when she said, "Serena said you and Landry are getting a divorce?" Her heart beat rapidly in anticipation of his response.

He nodded and ran his thumb over her left ring finger, "I noticed that this finger is rather bare."

Her breathing became heavy as she tried to tell him that it was just at the cleaners; she couldn't bear to tell him that it felt suffocating to wear it after their dance.

His hand raised her chin to look at him, and he whispered, "Tell me to stop."

She couldn't stop him; she was physically and mentally incapable of forming the words or actions necessary. His lips slowly, lightly brushed against hers, and she felt her whole body respond as she sank deeper into his side. His hand that wasn't holding hers caressed her cheek as he gently pressed his lips to hers once more and deepened the kiss by opening his mouth ever so slightly. His hands were shaking as they slid from her cheek to caress her neck. This is home, he thought as his tongue gently worked its way into her mouth, my own personal heaven. Her hands were just making their way up his chest as they were both startled by the vibrating of her cell phone on the table.

Pulling away, she picked up her phone with trembling hands, no longer looking at Chuck, "Serena said they found something at Dan's, and they will fill us in tomorrow."

Chuck shook his head in acknowledgement and started to pull her back to him to continue the kiss. He had as much as given into his desires after his conversation with Landry. There had to be a reason that Blair wasn't wearing her engagement ring, but he would question that later. Right now, the only thing that he could focus on was how much he needed her lips on his own.

But Serena's ill-timed text had been like a bucket of cold water over Blair's head. The trance had been broken, and she had closed herself back up. Turning to Chuck, she scooted away from him so no parts of their body were touching and asked, "Why haven't you gone to see Camilla? I know it hurts Serena; you're her uncle."

The question threw him for a loop, and the expression on his face was cold and unreadable. He looked angry, but there was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. "Blair…"

"No, Chuck. Answer me. Your niece deserves better."

He sat forward and buried his head in his hands. He simply whispered, "I'm afraid it'll be too hard."

"What-" She asked before her thoughts started to race, "Chuck, you don't have-"

"No," He snapped and then drew a breath, "Blair, you still don't know everything."

Her entire body started to shake as fear shot down her spine. She hadn't been prepared to meet his wife, but she had known that it was a possibility. But this she had never even considered. "Tell me, Chuck."

He swallowed and closed his eyes. He hadn't wanted to relive this moment. He didn't want to tell her or anyone because then it would all be too real. The pain and the guilt were almost too much to handle, but he and Landry had made it through together. But, now, he was afraid that Blair would hate him forever. How can he look at the woman he loves and tell her this? "After Landry and I got married, we were both broken and desperate. We weren't careful. She-" He swallowed again, "She got pregnant -"

Blair felt tears brimming in her eyes as feelings of betrayal washed through her body. She shook her head, and snapped, "So you forced her into an abortion?" It was a cold and unnecessary accusation, and she felt her heart quench tightly as the words left her mouth.

He looked up at her in shock and anger, "Is that really what you think of me?!"

"What am I supposed to think?! You left ten years ago without a word and then you come back with a wife and baby?!" She was yelling now as the tears freely fell from her eyes. She didn't know if they were from sadness or rage, but she didn't care.

"There is no baby!" He yelled back, throwing his hands in the air.

"What are you talking about?" She tried to slow her breathing so that she could actually listen to him.

"We lost her." He sat on the couch and quietly continued, "Landry slipped down the stairs; she was 23 weeks along. She would've been about the same age as Camilla," He confessed as an explanation for why he had not yet met his niece, "I was selfish and didn't protect her. Landry has always blamed herself, but it was my fault because I'm so fucking selfish. I'm the one who didn't use a condom."

Blair could see unshed tears pooling in the corners of his eyes as he desperately tried to keep them at bay. She hadn't stopped crying and her face felt raw from the onslaught of tears. She felt herself growing faint and grabbed the nearest chair before she fell over. She couldn't even begin to process what he was telling her, and her lips quivered uncontrollably. She swallowed hard and said quietly, "I don't think you should divorce Landry." His head shot up to her then with a pained question in his eyes and she continued. "You two have been through so much together. You love her, don't you?"

He only nodded slightly before pleading, "But Blair…"

Her breathing was heavy and uncontrolled as she choked out, "Then there's your answer. You need each other."

Without another word, she picked up her phone and purse and left. When she arrived home, she threw up for the first time in years and cried herself to sleep.

September 3, 2019

"Good morning, dear," Louis greeted Blair the next morning. "I hope you slept well. I hate that I didn't see you last night."

"Good morning, darling," She forced a smile, "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to pick you up from the airport, but I am all yours now. I was thinking we should set a date for the wedding."

He smiled at her in surprise because she had never once initiated conversation about the wedding since they had gotten engaged last year, "That's wonderful news! When were you thinking?"

"I was thinking a winter wedding would be nice. I know it's short notice, but I would love to be a December bride. Do you think we could make it work?"

"Of course!" He beamed. "I'll inform the wedding planner to start making arrangements immediately."

She brushed a solitary tear from her eyes before he could see it when he leaned down to press his lips against hers.

A/N: There you have the last part of Chuck's secret. I have been super nervous to post this chapter, probably more so than any of the other ones. I'm anxious to hear what you all think.