A/N

Hi everyone! Thank you for starting this story with me. I've had this idea stored for a while now and I decided it was a good time to venture in since the warm season is coming, and I'd like to jump back to younger Chuck and Blair for a little.

I have a sort of plan for this, which will involve shorter and more chapters, and feature some daring scenes and several cities for them to explore - which are also some of my favorites so brace for some touristy insights.

(Yes I know that on the show they've only mentioned staying in NYC over the summer but I wanted to make it up for their previous year!)

I think that their first months together as a couple can lead to so many unexplored territories and I want to experiment in that area to play with something more audacious at times; but I'd also like to let them take me for once and follow different, maybe unexpected turns as the story goes on, so please don't hesitate to suggest ideas or criticism through your feedback! I hope you enjoy :)

I.

Prelude

Summer is overrated. It was his least favorite season. He especially shunned the Meditteranean heat, the humidity, and the swelter of the countryside. The uncomfortable dribble of sweat that trickled down the corner of his eyebrow was just another reminder of that fact, yet another one before being wiped away on a finger.

Chuck was lounging on a wooden deck chair on the patio, pretty much suffocating in an almost fully buttoned white shirt and knee-length trousers that exposed his crossed, pale calves on the cushion.

He was once again hiding from the afternoon blaze, sipping on a not very refreshing fruit punch when a splash shattered his brooding, hitting his ear on the smack of his palms around a mosquito. Following the sound was a sun-kissed figure in an aquamarine two-piece, gliding back into the light blue colored line of vision beyond his hands. And he loved her so much that the mere sight of her was so convincing that he had to admit he didn't really mind summer after all. Because the mere sight of her constantly left him with little to no room for unpleasant and unwanted feelings, as simply she was the most invigorating and exhilaratingly invasive thought that ravaged him in the best way.

'Don't you wanna plunge in?' Blair shouted from the crystalline waters, her chirpy voice raising an octave on that last word to outperform the cicadas in the garden.

Chuck snickered, 'all the time.'

Her eyes did a slow 360° roll at the umpteenth innuendo of the day, but her lips mirrored the feline grin he was flashing her; because Blair actually always liked his puns even when she would force herself to hide it, and she especially liked them now that they more than often involved their relationship.

'You're so smooth Bass, flattering, even' and she ducked back under, her head still shaking as the water engulfed it.

Weary, he glanced lazily at the issue of Forbes he had forgotten at his side, while contemplating giving his muscles another stretch. Chuck was just too clammy and flushed to be caring about entrepreneurship, and to no surprise, he had only made three pages of progress since they'd landed in France a few days ago. Not his usual pace for sure, but among other new adjustments in his life, his reading habits just couldn't be the same as before. Particularly not when Blair's body was so often glimmering with sunlight on the transparent surface, suspended and moving ever so seamlessly at the center of the large swimming pool.

Like it had been happening every day now, Chuck couldn't help but cement his appreciating gaze on the infinite beads of water that made her skin shine like a jewel, drawing reflections and shimmery paths over her delicate curves. She looked so relaxed and serene, smiling as she basked in the refreshing sensation, even if her eyes fluttered under the lids separating her from the rays firing down. It had to be nearly three thirty in the afternoon; Chuck checked his watch and he smirked as he recognized a new routine of hers in the same way that a scientist would look at a new life-changing discovery. At three thirty in the afternoon, Blair liked to be in the pool, cooling off on her back and soaking in the sun, with her stretched arms like wings to keep her afloat between the slow waves enclosing her stomach and the slope of her neck.

Chuck was simply entranced by her, his rapture only interrupted by the realization that he'd already seen her like this. It was an image he had allowed himself to drink in quietly every summer he could remember spending together with her. But now he looked at her with new eyes, or she was different in a way he just couldn't put into words; because somehow she was his, like an extension of his own heart. Like a missing part he'd finally allowed Blair to complete and nearly overfill. Moreover, he was just glad he no longer had to turn his face away before someone could catch him staring with an unexpected, uncommon light in his usually cold eyes.

Blair once again snatched him out of his own thoughts with two snaps of her fingers, waving from the edge of the pool in front of him.

'Hello? We're on vacation, you could take that shirt off sometimes, you know,' she teased, crossing her forearms on the white tiles and resting her chin where her hands overlapped, 'not sure if you've noticed, but there's no atlantic breeze here and I wouldn't want you to liquefy' - not after the colossal ordeal I've been through to finally be with you, she added to herself. Blair huffed, audibly, batting her sheeny lashes as to accompany the tone in her voice suggesting that she wanted company. So Chuck sighed and then got onto his feet, finding the calling from his own edgy little mermaid as irresistible as myths had always promised. He paced to the pool's edge and crouched down, bending his knees to place a kiss on her cool brow; his mouth thinned to a Cheshire smile but he stayed silent.

'Why are you hiding, Chuck Bass? I think I've already seen you in your birthday suit, and far from once.' Blair mused as she smiled back, lifting her chest up to stretch out to him, eyes widening into the dark, pensive pools of the young man staring back at her.

'You know that I have sensitive skin' he simply said, grinning against her mouth when she leaned into him to steal a kiss.

The fact that even on their first holidays he chose to look impeccable, sporting elegant clothing instead of mariner tees, was only a matter of respect towards Blair's father and Roman, he had promised her, since nothing was more important than first appearances on such official occasions.

The truth is that he'd always felt a little better, a little braver while covered by fine fabrics; he always had since puberty, especially when he found himself under the unforgiving sunlight or in proximity of a shirtless Nate Archibald. Of course, Chuck had learnt how to hide his few insecurities with his natural charisma and an exaggerated self esteem gifted to him by his money, bedroom skills, and a quick-witted mind. Not to mention the way Blair never failed to make him feel wholly loved and wanted on all levels, with the physical one ranking pretty high. But at nearly nineteen years old he was still and quietly dealing with that bitter acceptance of things he couldn't change, specifically his not-very-statuesque-height and not-very-athletic figure.

Once again, her rousing, loving lips shook him off his own head, her appreciation washing away those looming shadows of thoughts from the back of his mind. But despite his instincts, Chuck was forced to break their kiss to get some air back into his lungs, as the temperature seemed to have risen exponentially in a matter of seconds.

His eyes narrowed to hers, his inner heat piercing into her matching famished stare, and he panted 'Well, Miss, are you going to be topless too?'

Blair could read a well known arrogant expression from under the smugness he was flashing; a tale as old as time. Defiant and insolent as ever, he held her glare as he curled an index finger around the strap of her bikini, teasing her as he pulled it off her skin and inched it down unhurriedly from her neck. When he let it snap back against her collarbone, half of his mouth curled in a smirk: a personal affront that immediately transformed her loving smile into an irritated flat line. An impulse had her hands gripped firmly around his wrists like a harpy's claws, and before he could even begin to realize what she was about to do, Blair yanked him down to her with a strong, sudden tug. And just like that, with another splash, they were both underwater.

In the first momentary chaos, she channeled all her strength and brought his brawny body further down with her, anchoring her fingers onto whatever inch of drenched fabric was within reach. She re-emerged seconds later, moving away from his writhing limbs with a swift kick. Then she pirouetted to face his sunken shadow, and savor the unique spectacle of Chuck coming back up fully clothed.

He resurfaced almost immediately, with a gasp, a rasping cough, and absolutely no grace to his movement. What on earth. He shook his head to get the damp mess of his hair off his eyes, running a hand through it in a weak attempt to comb it back, all while scowling at her from behind a stinging layer of chlorine. 'You are so clever, aren't you? Still so quick on the trigger' he breathed out, each word scraping him like scratches up his burning throat. Reluctantly, at last Chuck gave in to reality and dropped his chin to assess the damage she just decided to wreak to his clothes. He lifted his head back up, eyes reduced to slits and gesturing disbelief as he paddled to stay afloat.

'At least you're refreshed now,' Blair teased, her amusement and self fulfillment crystal clear like the water on her pleased expression. 'Really, you should thank me.' Her voice softened as her smiling persisted; and at the same time she searched for a glimpse of reassurance that she didn't cross a line she didn't know was there.

Blair knew she was the one who could really push his buttons, and very quickly at that. But now he was just staring back at her with an unreadable expression. She took the lead.

'... and I'm probably a little more than that, don't you think?' A low hum as she inched closer with a couple of slow breastrokes. When she stilled herself, she bit down onto her bottom lip with a different kind of provocation pooling in her eyes.

She insisted, 'how clever am I, Chuck?', with each whispery word falling to the same pace of her fingers drifting behind her, searching for the knot that kept the scanty bikini clung to her breasts.

'Extremely.' he swallowed the word, the lump in his throat stirring visibly just above the water.

Blair undid the tiny loop with a flick, and didn't flinch or blink in the slightest when the straps slid off her fingers and dropped along the exposed curves bobbing off her chest.

'Anything else?' she purred.

The silence between them was like a fresh waft of air, only made noticeable by the sound of that loud, insistent concert around the pool that echoed the growing pressure in their bodies. But inside they had started to burn, mirroring the sizzling sun above them, even if immersed in cold water.

'You are… incredible' Chuck murmured as he closed in on her, unconsciously trailing his gaze down her tan lines. He was only staggered by a weird feeling of betrayal when he just then became aware of the bulk that strained under the weight of his pants. He suppressed a grunt, and realized at once that he was getting reaccustomed to the way his body never seemed to rest when she was around. Chuck just couldn't remember having such instantaneous and remarkable, mostly ungoverned reactions to anyone else in his life. Always and ever so ready only for her.

Blair was staring at the fissure between his stunned lips, as though she could read in it the desire building up from within him as he approached. She latched herself on his broad shoulders as soon as their bodies were breaths apart, immediately hooking her legs around him with the help of the strong thigh pushing her up.

Chuck kept moving his arms to support them both in the water and, unbothered by their imminent shipwreck, Blair giggled as she peppered wet kisses to his laboring mouth, appreciating his effort to save her first from sinking. Chuck clamped his hand over a jutting tile and shifted his body around so that she could lodge herself between his lap and the newfound support for her back. When he pushed her further up with a swift, smooth movement, a moan fluttered breathlessly through her lips as he pressed into her. Through his lips instead escaped a spontaneous and raspy 'I love you', which had Blair coil herself even tighter around him, because she'd decided weeks ago that it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

Their lips crashed together again as if the seconds that passed from their last kiss had stretched to hours; Blair gripped harder into his ruffled hair, taking pleasure in the way he starved for her lips each time they parted. And he took his pleasure, bursting with desire to be finally touching her unclad skin while her tongue melded with his so relentlessly.

But the change of plans for their afternoon session emerged from the shaded patio, shouting 'Blair Beaar!' with a voice laced with honey. She startled on a gasp and pulled back from Chuck, all while he glued his chest to her in the hope to conceal the hand that cupped around Blair's breast from her own father.

Harold strutted towards the pool's edge without a care in the world, all dressed in pastel with an iced drink in one hand and a Clarins lotion in the other. 'I got you a better sunscreen ma chérie, you should use the 50+ at these hours' the amiable man said, his face split by the widest of smiles, 'especially you Charles, you haven't tanned an inch yet.' He chuckled to the very disoriented boy. The older man seemed to be completely unconcerned that he was dressed and very much pressed to his topless daughter.

'I will, Mr. Waldorf' he cleared his throat attempting to smile back at him, 'thank you.' Chuck was mortified.

'Ah, princesse,' Harold said, his eyes fixed to the spot where he'd placed the tub of sunscreen, 'Roman plucked the peaches from the orchard and was wondering if you'd like to prepare a dessert together for dinner?'

Blair and Chuck exchanged quick and rather flustered glances as they nodded together to Harold, who'd already started to step back to the villa. 'Bien sûr daddy, we'll be out in a second.'

'Oh and Charles,' he turned, pointing to the far end opposite to them, 'your flip flops have drifted over there.'

And right in that moment, Chuck thought he'd much rather be drowned.

Harold Waldorf's vineyard in the Lyonnaise province was picture perfect of what one would expect to see on the most obvious postcard. A three-story château showcasing its freshly revamped graystone walls and turrets with a sprinkle of rural-chic brownstones, the whole setting encompassed in vast, luxuriant green and colorful gardens.

Blair spent the late afternoon in the large cottage style, wooden and white tiled kitchen, discussing Edith Piaf's impact on Chanel with Roman and Harold while peeling perfumy fruits for a peach tarte tatin. Chuck was there too, of course, freshly dressed in evening attire, pouring iced tea for everyone and overall assisting the family in the cooking area, only voicing his thoughts when he saw fit - which was close to never.

As much as he admired both of Blair's parents, already for merely bringing her into his world, he never really had chances to bond with them; and honestly, in retrospect that had been for the best. If anything, Chuck knew that his fame had always preceded him and besides, he usually showed up at Blair's on her special, often nightly requests or turned up at her parties. Much unlike his best friend for life, who had basically grown up at the Waldorf's and blossomed into such a golden hearted, young man, especially in Harold's eyes. Before them, before actually knowing Blair, Chuck had never cared about any of that, not in the slightest. Yet suddenly now he did, with his whole heart; he couldn't put a finger on it, but at some point in his recent past he realized that what mattered to her, mattered to him too.

'So Charles, is this your first time en France?' inquired Harold, noticing just how timid Chuck could actually be, 'I have to admit, I was surprised when Blair told me she would visit with you instead of Serena or our handsome Nate.' What a funny thing timing was.

'Well daddy, handsome Nate' she bit, 'is just a friend and I wouldn't dream of bringing him here… or anywhere else actually. Like I told you over the phone, things have quite changed after you left.' Blair hummed all chirpy, rushing to the rescue and eliciting a slightly embarrassed but grateful smile from her lover.

'And senior year was... rough, so I'm very excited to be spending the whole summer with my boyfriend now' she sighed and then flashed him one of her most beautiful smiles; that one wide, beaming smile Chuck recently noticed she'd only reserve for him. She looked so genuine and happy, so enthusiastic about the future. It was their future, which she'd probably been planning and awaiting, sitting tight for it with open arms and a heart filled with expectations. That thought pierced into him, one scorching, overwhelming blow hitting him right in the chest. And he still couldn't really tell what part of it was love and what part was worry for her.

Blair and her fathers looked so cheerful in that moment, very much in contrast to Chuck's silenced emotions. Their high pitched voices resonated through the warm kitchen as they chatted and discussed, keeping themselves busy with some cooking and snacking. Chuck felt like he was intruding somewhere that was not intended for him, an image so poignant that it had him mentally stepping out of the scene, forcing his blurred eyes to look from a distance. Everything he'd seen in the few days spent with Blair's family was so foreign to him, so ridiculously far from what he had experienced in life. That's when he realized what had been off with him all day: he'd never felt more out of place.

'So NYU for Blair-bear, Columbia for Nate, what about you mon garçon? Have you applied anywhere in the city?' The inquisitive tone poked his skin, bringing him back inside the kitchen and out of his thoughts. Chuck cleared his throat and straightened himself from the counter he was leaning against, uncrossing his legs. 'I haven't... actually, I plan on joining my father's company as soon as the board will uh… see me fit for the spot' he stated, furrowing his own brow at how unconvincing he must have sounded to them.

'Our Blair with the young, daring Gatsby of our time, who would have thought!' Roman asserted and they all chuckled, although both Harold and his daughter slightly raised their eyebrows at the implications of what he'd just said. Chuck's gaze found hers when she mouthed him an "I love you" on her soft, empathic pout, and he could've sweared that his heart had twitched.

Blair turned her attention back to the wooden table and rummaged inside a basket, cupping her palms around a bunch of fruits. 'Ugh so many of these peaches are ruined' she fussed, as she scrutinized them gingerly one by one. Blair shrugged and tossed a half rotten peach into the waste bucket right beside Chuck, and this time it was something spiky that twitched deep in his gut.

Then a loud, sudden blast roared from outside, and they all winced. The blue sky had been washed in dark by the menacing, vast clouds that raced over sharp gusts of wind, signalling a summer rainstorm approaching.

'Blair honey, would you mind going to salvage Cat down the vineyard? He's probably in his usual spot paralyzed with fear' Harold asked as he drew the window shutters together.

'Oh I'll go, I could use some cool air after today's heat wave. If you'll excuse me' nodded Chuck, eager to go outside and let some pressure off the same way the weather was about to.

Blair followed his wake with her eyes, letting herself consider the fact that he maybe, truly needed some minutes alone after spending so much uninterrupted time together for the first time.

But something inside her made her drop the cutlery in her hands and go after him, her instinct deciding for her that it just couldn't be the case.

Blair walked down the trail of flattened grass blades he'd left behind, fast pacing through the orchard that opened on the many rows of lush grapevines.

She found him crouched down, leaning into the large, low shrub where Cat usually liked to nap under. Chuck had his right arm stretched out and was brushing the animal's furry head with the back of his delicate fingers, both seeming absolutely indifferent to the rain that had started ricocheting off his back. She thought he looked a little too much like Audrey, stealing her Cat and her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

'He likes you' Blair announced herself.

'At least the cat does.' he sighed, raising up from the ground, 'it's raining.'

She blinked at his unusually inane observation, but the hint of perplexity on her face softened as Chuck immediately got out of his linen blazer and hurried over to wrap it around her shoulders. And she thought that she definitely could get used to this version of the movie.

'Chuck, are you ok? It's like you lost your tongue the second we got here' she mused, 'only figuratively speaking, of course' they both snorted, and Blair was glad to see him smiling again.

Chuck looked back up at her from under his lashes, which were now made darker by the drizzle posing on them. He took in the graceful rosy color spreading over her face as her skin became cooler with the rain, a sight that immediately had him curl his arm around her and stroke some warmth into her body.

'I feel perfect whenever I'm with you, but… I know your family sees me as some sort of mobster' Chuck shook his head as he finally spitted out the words that had raced through his mind all day.

Blair nearly gasped at what she'd just heard. 'Absolutely not, I can assure you' she hushed, closing in on to him.

'Daddy finds you charming, polite, and educated. And Roman is so impressed with how well-read you are… not to mention your fashion sense' Blair chuckled, and she reached over to pull his hand out the pocket where he'd hid it. She folded her fingers around his large, soothing palm, immediately sensing the warm feeling that radiated from him. She squeezed his hand with hers, intertwining their fingers and letting the raindrops fall into small paths that trickled down their skin. His expression softened too, almost exceeding hers now, as he looked completely unperturbed that he was ruining his second dress shirt of the day.

'They also said that we look so good together… and that you belong to another era, just like I do.' There she was with her gorgeous smile again, and Chuck felt he could have melted on the spot, even when the temperature had now dropped down twenty degrees.

'They were kind to say that, but they don't know me Blair.' He smirked softly, brushing water beads off her cheek with the back of his fingers, his hand always nestling hers, 'I still remember your mother's face at brunch after you told her we would travel Europe alone' he countered, hardheaded as ever.

Blair gasped, again, and she batted her lashes: partly to shake a few drops of water off them, partly because he was being his usual obstinate, self-absorbed ass.

'Uh- I can't believe you're fazed by my mother like that. She was just surprised by the fact I chose to do something that didn't involve Serena, trust me.' Chuck cocked his head as he smiled at the authoritarian tone that had just surfaced to her voice. He laced his other arm around her waist, pressing the knot of their hands to her back so she could slip into his embrace.

'Fine, but can we just admit that I am not Hallmark boyfriend material? They must know that I am not one of the Archibalds of the world,' he declared seriously.

Blair laughed to his face in response, 'and thank God for that! Chuck, I think you're missing the point here' she continued, leaning into his chest and drinking in the expectant, shiny eyes that were locked with hers.

'You are my boyfriend material, and my parents will come around to it. If I could do it, then there's no reason why they can't.' And at that, Chuck couldn't find a good enough of a reply other than a low whistle and a nod. Touché.

Rain started pouring down with more insistence, and he squeezed her tighter to him when he felt goosebumps crawling up her arms as well as her quivering under her soaked minidress.

Blair nuzzled where his neck met his shoulder, relishing in the warmth of his body. She then shut her eyes for a moment, listening to the now faint thunders echoing in the sky above and the musical, swishing sounds of rain showers down the foliage around them. She pressed the side of her face into his chest and murmured, 'this time last year you left me because you were terrified I would see you', she paused to lift her head and gently cup around his face, holding his affectionate, tender stare.

'And now that I've been seeing you, I can confirm that there's nothing I don't like.'

In that moment Chuck was shaken by an explosion of so many different feelings, some of which he still couldn't even identify. It hit him like delicious electricity invading his chest, spreading to his whole body in such an overwhelming way that he thought he could have screamed because of it.

But he rushed to her mouth instead, letting his silent lips do all the talking he simply didn't know the words for yet. Blair pressed her hands to his jaw in response, as if she could add even more meaning to his deep, loving kisses. She couldn't help but grin against his lips, allowing a few raindrops to infiltrate between their mouths and mesh their freshness with their moving tongues. And she grinned more, parting her lips from his as she felt a tickly, soft tale brushing against her calves.

'Mh, ok maybe Cat does not like you' she puffed, closing into his face again to let her tongue gather up the water drops that settled on his lips. And softly she smiled at the realization that she had never allowed herself to soak under the rain before, let alone kiss under a summer storm. Blair knew then that she had been missing out, because she absolutely loved it.

'I think I can survive that.' Chuck murmured, fixing a few damp curls of hers behind her ear and then whispered, 'I love you.'

He said it decidedly, and with emphasis; like a well-rehearsed phrasing he loved to pronounce just as much as he loved the one woman he would ever say it to.

'I love you too, and that's really all we need' she hummed, convinced, before rushing to his lips once more.

'I understand if my parents are making you a little anxious but please, believe me when I say that it's not as important as you think' Blair cooed, nuzzling her nose briefly against his.

He smiled at that comforting affirmation, but he searched into her eyes and said, 'They're important to you'

'Yes, but what truly matters to me now is that we're finally a couple Chuck, and this summer is going to be something that I'll want to remember for the rest of my life, so-'

Again, a burst of love, as he could probably best describe it, took over him; Chuck just had to kiss her, and he would kiss her as if his life depended on it every time she said, or showed, anything remotely appreciative of him.

During that long, lush kiss of his, Blair understood that spending their first days together at her father's place hadn't been exactly what they needed. And with another kiss, she realized that she didn't really want to stay there for the whole few weeks they'd originally planned. They could always stop by again on their way back home, but only after being alone with just the two of them for a long, long time. Besides, if there was anything that Chuck had proven to her long ago, it's that a sudden change of plans can lead to the best of consequences.

'You know what, we could just leave tomorrow' she breathed out, beaming at him with an euphoric rush that had just spread inside her.

His eyebrows furrowed, but he pressed her even closer to him, if possible, and purred to her ear, 'and where shall we go first?'

'Paris. That seems like a good place to start.'