Chapter 19

September 10, 2019

"Are you sure?" Nate asked Chuck as he reclined back into the leather chair, eyeing his friend with a hint of scrutiny. "That's an awful hefty accusation."

"Of course I'm sure, Nathaniel," Chuck answered pointedly, "The evidence seems to speak for itself. The security footage from the night of the fire incriminates Russell Thorpe. The night of the wreck that almost killed my father, he was on his way to a meeting to discuss the acquisition of Thorpe Enterprises. The vehicle that crashed was provided by Thorpe; the brake lines were cut. It cannot be a coincidence that Raine Thorpe is getting cozy with Humphrey."

"So what's the game plan? You can't just go up to her and accuse her father of being a murderer."

"That's where you and Serena come in. Befriend her. Get her to trust you and open up to you. There has to be a piece we are missing."

XOXO

September 11, 2019

Chuck walked into Bass Industries the next morning determined to ask his uncle for help. He hated to lower himself to pathetic pleas, but he was beginning to feel desperate. Over the past few years, he had challenged himself to become a man worthy to lead a multi-billion-dollar empire, marry a girl like Blair Waldorf, and be a respectable face of real estate in New York society. He honestly felt like he had reached that status before his return, but seeing the evidence of his actions splashed across all of the newspapers at the corner magazine stand made him feel like the same lost boy who had been caught with drugs and whores by the Board a month after his father's funeral. It was just another visual reminder that no matter how much he tried to be better, he would eventually fuck things up.

"Nephew, what can I do for you?" Jack questioned leaning forward to place his elbows on the desk. The action was meant to appear casual, but there was an underlying possessiveness to his movements that did not go unnoticed by Chuck.

"I have come to ask you to speak to the Board on my behalf. I have run the Australian branch for the last few years flawlessly, and it's unsettling that one rather mild transgression could be enough to cause them to lose faith in my ability to lead this company," Chuck sat down in the seat across from his uncle and tried to don a more humble countenance than he typically showed, "Jack, I appreciate everything that you have done for Bass Industries over the past ten years, but I am ready to take control. I genuinely believe that this is in the company's best interest. I just need the Board to believe in me."

Jack regarded his nephew for a moment, trying to push the pang of guilt to the back of his mind. He'd always been fond of Chuck, despite his previous actions. The kid was intelligent, cunning, and ruthless. He had a business acumen that only came naturally; he was positive that Chuck had inherited the trait from Bart. There was no doubt that Chuck would lead BI to find even more success in uncharted territories, but the jealousy overrode the guilt. Jack felt like he had given the company his all over the past decade; he had worked long hours and kept the company afloat amid Bart's death and Chuck's departure. He was the one who had to deal with the incessant questions from the press and the anxiety and frustration of investors. He was the one to increase profit margins by 20% in the first two years of his leadership.

It was the reason that he had paid a private eye to follow Chuck and catch his debaucherous behavior on camera. The Board had been quite enthusiastic about Chuck's return, but after Jack leaked the photos to Gossip Girl, their reservations kept them from allowing a wildcard like Chuck Bass to take over. He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest definitively and said, "I'm sorry, Chuck, but there's nothing I can do. Your actions have already caused this company hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past week. I just can't allow that type of irresponsibility to cause the company to suffer."

Chuck drew a breath, locked his jaw, and clenched his hands into fists. He knew he would get nowhere with his uncle if he was at all combative. "Jack, you know that's not true. You can look at my success in Australia and know that I will always put the company first. This company is my legacy. I will do anything."

"Anything, huh?" Jack asked contemplatively.

"Just name it," Chuck confirmed.

"Ok. I am willing to convince the Board to give you a chance if you can convince Blair to spend the night with me," He raised his eyebrows in a clear challenge. "How much does this company mean to you, Chuck? Are you willing to pay the price?"

Chuck looked at his Uncle in contempt, "Fuck you, Jack. You haven't changed a bit."

"The question is, nephew, have you?" He chuckled. "I want Blair, but I'd take that pretty little wife of yours, too. Either one, it's up to you. All it'll cost is one night, and you'll be the king of your own empire."

Chuck stood without another word and slammed the door behind him. He could feel rage coursing through his veins.

XOXO

Landry sat across the table from Carter, watching him intently as he silenced his cell phone and dropped it into his pocket. "There we are. You will have my undivided attention tonight."

"As I should," She grinned at him. Her initial reluctance to accept his dinner invitation had nothing to do with how she felt about him. From the moment she first talked to him, she had been attracted to him. Her hesitance was partially because of her feelings for Chuck, although she knew that she needed to get past that. She knew he would marry Blair as soon as he could; their divorce should be finalized by December, and then nothing would stop them. On the other hand, though, Chuck was weirdly possessive of her. Even if she wasn't his wife, she was positive that he would be unwelcoming to a new man in her life. It was the reason that she'd lied to him when he asked who the man in the photo was; she just wasn't ready to let him play the role of the overly-protective brother.

"So, Alexandria," Carter drawled lightly brushing his fingers over the top of her hand, "Tell me about yourself. What was a beautiful woman like you doing alone in a bar on a Friday night?"

She blushed as he turned her hand over and continued the path on the inside of her wrist, "Please call me Landry," she paused as he nodded, "I was going through something rather personal, but things are really starting to look up."

"And how's that?" He prodded.

"A really handsome stranger asked me to keep him company," she flirted back. It felt odd to speak to another man in a way that she was only accustomed to speaking to Chuck. Before meeting Chuck, she had dated a handful of different men, but she'd never been in a serious relationship. For the first time since suggesting a divorce, she felt like there might be life after Chuck.

Carter gave her a genuine smile, "Are you from New York? I feel like I would remember you."

"I am," she responded, "But my mother moved us to Europe and then Australia before I turned 5. I have only recently returned to the states. What about you?"

"New York, born and raised. In fact, I went to school right around the corner at St. Jude's."

Landry's eyes widened for the briefest moment at the shock, but she quickly recovered before Carter noticed her fumbling. She wasn't sure how much she should reveal, so she asked, "When did you graduate? I have a friend who went to Constance."

"I graduated in 2006. Who do you know from Constance?" He inquired.

Shit, Landry thought. She'd backed herself into a corner. She quickly did the mental math and figured that Chuck was a freshman when Carter was a senior. Hopefully he wouldn't know any of the same people, but she tried to figure out who would be the safest bet to keep him from steering the conversation in Chuck's direction. She really only knew two girls from Constance - Serena and Blair. Chuck's step sister or his ex- (current?) lover. She decided that mentioning Blair with all of the press coverage would be too risky, so she answered, "Serena van der Woodsen."

She thought she may have made a mistake when he tilted his head to the side, "Really? Serena and I go way back. I escorted her to her Cotillion. I actually ended up getting punched out by Nate Archibald," He chuckled, "This real asshole named Chuck Bass had convinced him that I was making a move on Nate's girlfriend, Blair. We had some fun times. Anyway, how do you know her?"

Landry tried to keep the look of panic off her face as her heartbeat quickened. She had learned a lot from Chuck about maintaining a cool and unaffected demeanor in stressful situations, so she was thankful that Carter didn't seem to notice. "Oh, she and I met during Paris Fashion Week a few years ago. I fell in love with her Dior dress, so we became instant friends," She answered, waving her hand dismissively, hoping he would change the subject. How was it possible that the first guy she's even remotely interested in knows Chuck, and he seems to hate him?

She breathed a sigh of relief when he seemed to buy her explanation, and she praised every god in the universe when the waiter appeared. After taking their orders, Carter asked, "So what brings you back to New York now?"

"I needed to help a friend through a family crisis," She dared not reveal more than that. This guy seemed really genuine and sweet, but she wasn't about to share any information that could betray Chuck. "But that's enough about me. I want to know more about you."

An hour later, Carter had shared his stories of backpacking across Europe, almost being disowned by his parents, and ultimately being able to find his way back among the elite of New York Society. She felt a small pang in her chest when she remembered how he had called Chuck an asshole. She really liked Carter, but she didn't know what that would mean for her relationship with Chuck.

At the end of the night, Carter hailed a cab for her and leaned in to gently kiss her on the lips. She allowed him to deepen the kiss ever so slightly before pulling back with a blush, and saying, "Goodnight, Carter."

"Goodnight, Landry," He smiled. "I hope I get to see you again soon."

"Maybe if you play your cards right," She couldn't keep from grinning as she settled into the cab.

Neither one of them noticed the girl taking photos of their embrace on the other side of the street.

A few minutes later, Carter entered his loft apartment and nearly stepped on the newspaper in front of his door. He rarely read them anymore because it was just filled with gossip and depressing stories that didn't directly impact him. Now, however, he stopped in his tracks as he stared down at the picture of the beautiful woman with whom he'd just shared a meal holding hands with Chuck Bass underneath a headline that read "Bass Heir's Gorgeous Wife Identified As Alexandria Fisher."

Carter tripped over the step as he entered the apartment, still clutching the newspaper in front of his face. Oh, fuck, he thought.

XOXO

After Sophie left, Blair had only one thing on her mind: I have to see Chuck before the paparazzi catches wind of this. She stared down at the garish ring now adorning her finger once again, dreading her conversation with Chuck. She knew he wouldn't take the news well, but she couldn't risk Sophie outing Bart before Chuck could be reunited with him.

Before Bart's funeral, he had had a small glimmer of hope that he could form a real relationship with his father. Bart had started to pay him a bit more attention, and he was pleased with the interest that Chuck was taking in business. Unfortunately, right before he "died", Bart had harshly told him that he would always be a disappointment. Blair knew for a fact that his father's continuous disapproval had been one of the main driving forces for him to leave and try to become a better man. His relationship with her was part of it, but his father's condemnation had set the whole thing in motion.

She shook her head and promised herself that she would do everything within her power to make sure that Chuck got to see his father again, if only to prove to him that he was a better man than Bart Bass could ever hope to be.

Stepping off the Palace elevator, she finally removed her hat and glasses that she had used in an attempted disguise. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Chuck opened the door, clearly not expecting company. He had on a pair of casual khaki pants with an unbuttoned white shirt hanging loose. His hair was still damp from a recent shower, and Blair felt her mouth go dry at the sight of him.

When he came to the realization that his guest was Blair, he smiled slightly before pulling her to him in a crushing kiss. He pushed her against the door and allowed his hands to roam over her body as his tongue invaded her mouth. She tried to pull back, but his hands cupping her ass elicited an involuntary moan from her lips, which Chuck took as an invitation. He lifted her legs up to wrap around his waist and pressed her harder against the door. She nearly forgot her reason for being there when she felt his erection against her inner thigh. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "God, I've missed you. Five days away from you is entirely too long," before sucking lightly on her neck.

"Chuck…" She begged, unable to form the words necessary to approach the conversation that she needed to have with him.

His hand cupped her breast through her shirt before lowering her to the ground and working his way to the pearl buttons at the front. She trailed her hands up his exposed chest, scratching lightly at the skin she found there. When her hands reached his shoulders to push the shirt away, he pulled back from her. Through the haze of desire, she couldn't figure out why he had stopped. Roughly grasping her left hand, he held up her ring finger and said, "What the fuck is this?"

"Chuck, just let me explain," She started.

"Explain what?" He narrowed his eyes in anger, "That you came to fuck me one last time before running back to your prince?"

"Dammit, Chuck, why do you always jump to conclusions?" She screamed.

"What am I supposed to think when you show up with another man's ring on, Blair?" He was being unreasonable, but his fears that he would never be good enough for her overrode his sense of logic.

"I told you I love you! That hasn't changed," she added quietly.

"You love me, but you're still going to marry another man?"

"I'm not going to marry him," she crossed her arms in front of her chest defiantly.

"You're not making any sense, Blair," his patience was growing thin.

"That's why I told you to let me explain, if you'd stop being so fucking stubborn!"

"Alright," he relented. "Please explain."

She drew another breath and took a seat on the couch motioning for him to join her, "Sophie came to me this evening and threatened to reveal to the media that Bart is still alive if I don't keep my promise to marry Louis. She said that she knows someone in the media that she could convince to print a retraction saying that the photos of you and me dancing were photoshopped."

"Blair, we'll find a way to bring my father back to New York, but I can't lose you again. Please don't marry him; I couldn't bear it," He pulled her hands into his lap and looked deeply into her eyes. "As long as I have you, nothing else matters. I love you."

She gave him a soft smile, and said, "I love you, too, but I have a plan. I only have to stay engaged to Louis while we find your father's murderer. This engagement gives us time and a shield from the scrutiny of the press. It gives us three months."

Catching on, he nodded, "That might take away Jack's leverage as well. If a retraction is printed, then the Board can't hold those pictures against me."

Blair knit her brows together in confusion, "Jack's leverage? What does he want?"

"Nothing I would ever consider," He answered sincerely. Jack had to be out of his mind to think that Chuck would ever trade Blair or Landry for something as inconsequential as business. He would rather be dirt poor and homeless and remain loyal to the two most important women in his life than to be so callous as to treat them like his property to buy and sell as he sees fit. "But, Blair, I want to be with you now. I've already waited too long."

Blair sighed, "Chuck, I want to be with you, too, only you. You're it for me," She assuaged, raising her hands to caress his cheeks, "But there are some things that need to be dealt with before we can be together. It's only right to wait until your divorce is final. That'll be about the same amount of time. It'll be hard for a little bit, but come December, we can start our life together. It'll be worth the temporary pain for a lifetime of happiness."

"After ten years, I guess three months won't be so bad," He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, "But stay with me tonight? Let me make love to you properly one last time?"

"Take me to bed, Bass," she smirked and then giggled as he lifted her into his arms.

A/N: It always bothered me that the writer's had Chuck trade Blair to Jack in season 3. To me, it was one of the single most unforgivable things that he did to Blair. It was far worse than him sleeping with Jenny. When watching that episode and the next, I kept waiting for another explanation that it wasn't what it seemed. If they needed him to take her for granted for the storyline, there were a multitude of other ways that he could betray her besides having him pimp her out to his uncle. I love Chuck's character development, but that part of the story was unnecessary. He could have schemed with Blair against Jack. They both lost because they continuously went behind each other's backs at the end of that season (like when Blair manipulated Chuck into kissing the man for her speech). Communication was such an issue for them.