Chapter 18

September 5, 2019

Landry sat on the bar stool and stirred the liquid in her martini glass with a toothpick. A wealthy-looking blonde man had started to approach her, but she noted how quickly he turned away when he saw her red-rimmed eyes and sullen expression. She was truly happy for Chuck and Blair. She would never stand in the way of Chuck finally getting to experience a little bit of happiness; she loved him too much. The years of agony he had suffered with her by his side had been enough to make her vow to do everything in her power to help him find joy.

But the knowledge that he was finally on the path to happiness didn't ease the dull ache that she felt in the pit of her stomach. He had been hers - only hers - for six years. He was her best friend, her confidant, her shoulder, her rock. Now, he'd be those things for Blair. She knew Chuck well enough to know that he would never abandon her, and he would always be there for her as he had promised. But now she'd be his second priority - third, fourth, or fifth priority when they started to have children. She winced at the thought that he would one day be very happily, willingly married to Blair, and she would carry his babies. That opportunity had been so unfairly stolen from her that it shattered her into a million little pieces. Seeing him be the amazing father she always knew he was capable of becoming would be the cruelest twist of fate.

She felt lost. Would she stay in New York and find a place with BI? Would she return home to Australia? She couldn't even begin to imagine a life without seeing Chuck daily - laughing with him, poking fun at him, calling him on his bullshit. Sleeping in the guest room for the past week had felt odd, cold, and lonely. She didn't realize how soothing the warmth of his body next to hers was until it was gone. She already missed the slight hum he made when he fell into a deep sleep or the way he would drape his arm around her waist when he was having a particularly nasty dream. It was like a silent reassurance that she was his safety net to keep him from drifting too far into the dark abyss of his mind.

He was her family, especially after her mother's death. Who did she really have now? She needed him, but it wasn't fair to him to let him know that. She had to let him go for his own sake because she would only hold him back. She couldn't allow herself to get in his way.

She wiped her eyes after giving herself a few moments to mourn her former life before returning her face to a rather stoic expression. She wasn't one for self-pity, so she allowed herself the briefest of moments to grieve, and then she pushed all thoughts of sadness to the very back of her mind.

About 30 minutes later, when all remnants of her emotions had long since been removed from her face, a handsome man in a gray suit and light blue button down sat down beside her. He didn't speak to her at first, and she was comforted by the fact that he seemed to have no intentions of making a move on her.

Eventually curiosity got the better of her, and she allowed herself a subtle peek at him over the rim of her martini glass. He was definitely attractive; his blue eyes, defined nose, and chiseled jaw complimented each other handsomely. There was a naturalness about him that she rarely found in a guy wearing a suit in such a relaxed way. The collar of his shirt was open with no tie, and he seemed comfortable in his own skin. This type of attire was almost always donned by middle-management types trying too hard to appear cool, but he somehow looked both sophisticated and casual.

His eyes met hers after she watched him for a moment too long, and he gave her a friendly smile. She was taken aback by what a genuinely beautiful smile he had; his full lips were accented by perfectly white, straight teeth. She smiled back at him and offered a shy, "Hi."

"Well, hi to you too," He smirked. "I was beginning to wonder how long I would have to sit here before you were going to speak to me."

"I would think that a man such as yourself is perfectly capable of initiating conversation," She pointed out.

"Yes, but see, a woman as beautiful as you must be constantly fending off the advances of strange men. I didn't want to give you the opportunity to reject me," He said in way of explanation. She couldn't stop smiling at him; there was something so charming about him. It was quite refreshing, and she felt herself growing more intrigued by him with each passing moment. Turning to the bartender, he said, "Bourbon, for me, and another martini for -"

"Alexandria," She said holding out her hand.

He took her hand placing a soft kiss on her knuckles, "Carter Baizen."

September 6, 2019

Chuck felt a mixture of unwelcome emotions when he awoke at 7 am. He was uncharacteristically happy and optimistic about his future with Blair, but he was perplexed by how upset she was about her break up with Louis. She had called him crying late the night before over Louis's reaction to the Gossip Girl blast. She repeated her earlier sentiments that they had been wrong to jump into bed together, and that they had both been selfish to give into their own desires without considering everyone around them. He had simply let her talk and vent. He knew that this was her way of dealing with the guilt that she thought she should be feeling. It was a sort of self-inflicted punishment for their rash behavior. After an hour, he'd managed to reassure her that everything would work out and that, even though there would be rough patches along the way, the most important part was that they would finally get to be together.

Forcing himself out of bed, he walked into the kitchen to find Landry sitting at the bar, cup of coffee in hand. "Surprised to see you up so early, considering you didn't come home until well after midnight."

She raised her eyebrows at him, "I was afraid that I might get another ear-full. You can only hear another woman call out your husband's name in the throes of ecstasy so many times before it starts to affect you."

Chuck hadn't seen that coming, and he stuttered in his response, "I-I didn't know -" He changed tactics. "I'm so sorry."

She laughed good-naturedly in an attempt to mask her sadness. Chuck would've normally seen right through her act, but she was able to use his shock to her advantage. "Don't be. I'm happy for you. I'm honestly surprised it took you this long."

"It would've never happened if it hadn't been for your advice. Turns out telling her how I felt was all she needed." She could see a fire behind his eyes that she'd never seen before.

That comment cut deep, as she allowed the realization that it was her own words that had pushed him into Blair's arms.

Rolling her eyes, she tried to joke, "Imagine Chuck Bass - communicating openly about his feelings. Who are you?"

He kissed her on the forehead and replied, "I am still the same exact asshole that you have always known and loved. I just happen to have my two favorite women in my life now. But enough about that. I want to know what happened with you last night?"

"What are you talking about?" She feigned innocence.

"Oh, please, Landry. I saw the Gossip Girl blast. Who was the guy in the suit talking you up at the bar?"

A blush spread into her cheeks, and she gestured dismissively, "Oh, just some guy hitting on me. I cut him off pretty quickly after he bought me a drink."

September 10, 2019

Blair hadn't seen Chuck in 5 days. They had agreed to wait out the storm of the paparazzi, but neither one had expected how brutal the media would actually be. The headlines were giving Blair whiplash:

Long Lost Bass Heir's Reappearance Wrought with Infidelity

Trouble in Paradise: Monaco's Royal Couple Separates After Scandal

Bass Lives Up to Playboy Reputation of His Youth; Cheats on Wife with Princess-To-Be

Unroyal Behavior: Blair Waldorf Proves Money Can't Buy Class

Bass Industries Stock Plummets Amidst Scandal

She had never been so embarrassed in her life, but she was mostly worried about both Chuck and Louis. Louis didn't deserve this kind of attention, and she knew that Sophie was likely having a meltdown. Blair knew that Louis was the type of man who fell hard and fast; he was a hopeless romantic at heart, and she really hoped that he would find someone else quickly.

Chuck, on the other hand, had been out of the spotlight for a while. After a couple of years of speculative journalism trying to guess the story behind his disappearance, the masses of New York had become bored with the stories of the debaucherous Bass heir so the media had moved on. Now, though, he was thrust front-and-center on every newspaper. He didn't say so, but she knew him well enough to know that he was struggling. Landry and Chuck had done all that they could to remain under the radar when they returned to Manhattan, and now they were the number one topic of conversation. There were even sites speculating on if they had had a threesome with Blair, if they were swingers, and if Landry was a mail-order bride.

The worst part for him, though, was that the Board of Bass Industries was very skeptical of allowing him to take Jack's place at the head of the table. They felt like the media attention and his recklessness were going to cause too many financial problems for the company. They ultimately voted against him, and agreed on a re-vote at the October meeting.

Blair was terrified that this would send Chuck into a relapse. One of his goals when he left New York years ago was to find his own way in Bass Industries as a legitimate businessman, not as a spoiled trust fund brat who pissed away everything he was given without ever actually earning his position. From what Landry had told her, Chuck had worked really hard in Australia and had flourished as the COO in Catherine's stead. Acting as the head of BI in New York was another step to ensuring that Bart came home with pride beaming in his eyes at all that his son had accomplished.

She already missed him so much, and she didn't know how to help him overcome these obstacles. She had no standing with the board, and it really wouldn't help his case any if she - his alleged mistress - tried to convince them of his unwavering scruples and maturity. Wracking her brain for days, researching dirt with which to blackmail board members, and consulting lawyers about the legality of withholding his own company from him had left Blair empty-handed and hopeless.

Walking down the stairs of her penthouse, she paused when she saw the tension written all over her maid's face. "What is it, Dorota?"

"Miss Blair, you have company," was the unsure response.

Looking past Dorota into the foyer, Blair's heart plummeted when she saw Princess Sophie standing coldly in front of the elevator. Blair couldn't hide the utter disdain in her voice when she said, "What are you doing here?"

"You have embarrassed my family and my son. I would be careful of the tone that you choose to take with me," Sophie warned.

Blair sighed, "My name has been dragged through the mud. I'm called a harlot, a cheater, and a gold-digger. What more could you want?"

"I want our family's honor to be restored," She answered. "Your engagement to my son turned the royal court of Monaco into a trashy reality television show."

"How am I supposed to help you with that?" Blair asked indignantly.

"I want you to reinstate your engagement to my son. There have been no more photos of you leaked, you haven't been seen without your ring yet," Sophie stated, holding up the gaudy piece of jewelry, "I have enough powerful friends in the media that I can convince them to print a retraction that the pictures were photoshopped by crazy fan of Louis's out of jealousy."

"You are out of your mind!" Blair snarled, turning away.

"That may be so, but you will do this," Sophie's calm response had a tone of finality that made Blair stop in her tracks.

"And what makes you think you can bully me into a forced marriage?" Blair crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to give into the dread that she felt in the pit of her stomach.

"Because if you don't, I will reveal to the world that Bart Bass is alive," Blair's mouth fell open in shock as Sophie continued, "And if I do that now before his assassins are found, he will never be able to return to New York, and Chuck Bass will never see his father again."

A/N: Please just trust me when I say that we will not have a repeat of the shit show that was season 5. The writer's did Blair's character and Chair fans a huge injustice with that story line. I'm taking thematic elements of season 5 and rewriting them.