Chapter One
"Daddy, I wanna be just like you when I grow up," A droopy-eyed Henry drawled out in the midst of his yawn just as Chuck finished his second bedtime story of the evening. Sitting forward, the younger Bass wrapped his small arms around his father's neck and nuzzled his head into his chest.
Chuck dropped a kiss to the little boy's temple, and whispered, "You'll be a greater man than I could ever hope to be. Goodnight, son."
Henry curled on his side as Chuck tucked the navy comforter around his small frame, "'Night, Daddy. Tell Mommy I love her when she gets home."
"Mommy and I both love you very much, Henry," Chuck smiled at the boy's attempt to fight sleep. "Go to sleep now. You have a big day tomorrow."
Chuck sat in the large lounge chair beside Henry's bed long after the little boy had drifted off to sleep, simply reminiscing about the past five years of his son's young life. When he'd first learned of Blair's unplanned pregnancy with Henry after only a year of marriage, he had felt a mixture of anxiety and fear. There was never any doubt in his mind that Blair would be an incredible mother, but his insecurity about his parenting ability plagued his mind for the duration of Blair's pregnancy. While Blair had constantly reassured him of her faith in him, he couldn't help but worry that his own screwed up childhood would somehow negatively impact his offspring. He was terrified of repeating his father's many mistakes, but, now, he couldn't fathom what he could have possibly done right in his life to deserve the child snoring softly next to him. This dark-haired little boy had the most beautiful and pure soul of anyone he'd ever met; he was the brightest light in Chuck's life, an affectionate and sentimental child who loved deeply. Chuck credited Blair with teaching their son that feelings are not something to be ashamed of; instead, she taught him how to take ownership of his emotions, a lesson that Chuck was still learning himself.
An hour or so later, he awoke to the light touch of his wife's hand on his shoulder. "Hey," she whispered, "You fell asleep in here again."
He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently, "He starts Kindergarten tomorrow. How is that possible?"
"The older we get, the faster time seems to move," Blair smiled at her husband and pulled him by the hand from Henry's bedroom so they wouldn't wake their son. She loved every part of Chuck, but there was something about seeing him as a devoted father that caused her heart to swell inside her chest to the point that it physically ached. Chuck loved her fiercely and passionately, but the way he loved that little boy was indescribable; it was truly the definition of unconditional love. In her youth, she could've never imagined that this would be what Chuck Bass would be like as a father. Now, she thought that he was made for fatherhood. He fulfills the role as if being a parent is the single most important thing he will ever do in his life. There are a lot of unsavory comments one could make about Chuck Bass, but being a negligent father isn't one of them. Even though Henry was only five years old, Chuck had already changed his work schedule so that he could be home by dinner every evening, and family commitments always trumped business obligations. He swore to Blair the day she went into labor that he would be a present and involved father, and he had more than delivered on that promise.
As they reached the master bedroom, Chuck pulled Blair into his arms and kissed her lips fervently, "I'm glad you're home. I've missed you the past few days."
"Mm," she sighed into his mouth, returning the kiss, "France just isn't the same without my two favorite boys, but I think we've finally settled on the direction of the holiday line. You should see the rich jewel tones -" her explanation was left forgotten as his fingers expertly unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor.
"I can't wait for you to tell me all about it tomorrow, but now I need to make love to my wife whom I haven't been able to touch properly in four agonizing days," he unclasped her bra and pulled the straps down her arms, his hands softly caressing her shoulders in the process.
"I love you so much," she murmured quietly as he lifted her into her arms and carried her to the bed.
He placed butterfly kisses across her jawline down to her neck, reverently worshipping her body in the way she deserved. When he entered her, she gasped at the overwhelming pleasure that only he could give her. He brought her to the edge gradually with slow, languid strokes, feeling no need to rush their lovemaking. As her soft mewls turned into low moans, he pulled back slightly to look into her eyes, never ceasing the rocking of his hips against hers, and whispered, "I love you more than life, Blair."
Afterwards with her head resting against his chest, she said, "I brought you something back from Paris."
"Mmm," he murmured in his relaxed state, "It can wait until tomorrow. You're all I need."
She reluctantly extracted her body from his embrace and grabbed a small envelope from her purse, and said, "You'll want to open it now. Trust me."
Curiosity got the best of him, and he took it from her hand, tearing it open gingerly. Staring at the black and white sonogram, he asked in disbelief, "You're pregnant?"
She nodded, tears filling her eyes when he pulled her to him in an emotional hug. "I didn't want to say anything until I was sure, but I had an ultrasound Thursday morning before my flight. I've been dying to tell you."
He pressed his lips sweetly against hers and rubbed his hand gently over her smooth stomach, "God, Blair," he kissed her again before burying his head into her shoulder, "You know I could've lived as the happiest man in the world with just you and Henry, but -" his voice broke, and he couldn't continue his thought aloud.
"I know," she answered, massaging soothing circles into his back. Shortly before Henry turned three, Blair had casually brought up the possibility of having a second child. Chuck was ecstatic, but he had cautiously allowed Blair to take control of any discussions of adding to their family. It had eaten him alive to watch her suffer from afar after her miscarriage with Louis's child, and he knew that she had internalized her guilt and pain over the baby's death. In an effort to remain sensitive to her feelings, he resisted the urge to broach the topic. They had gotten pregnant so easily with Henry when they weren't trying that they had never considered the fact that a second pregnancy might not come as easily. They tried for two years to no avail, despite Blair's careful charting of her cycle and basal body temperature. Chuck had continuously assured Blair that they didn't need another child and that he was more than happy with his current life. It had ultimately been Blair's suggestion to seek more extensive reproductive therapy and fertility treatments after she explained to Chuck that she'd always wanted a sibling and she would like to provide one for Henry. He quietly wondered if her insistence had anything to do with her miscarriage, but he never mentioned it. Despite how open they were with one another, her first pregnancy was one subject that they never discussed.
Chuck pulled Blair back into the bed, kissing a path from her belly button to her lips, "I don't know what I did in life to deserve you. Seven years in, and I'm still in awe of you."
XOXO
The next morning, Chuck and Blair each held one of Henry's hands as they walked him to St. Jude's. Tears filled his eyes as he hugged Blair tightly around the neck, "What if I don't make any friends, Mommy?"
Blair wiped his tears gently, and said, "That's not possible, darling."
Chuck kneeled down beside his wife and pulled their son into his embrace, "You've got too much of your mother in you. You're strong, and you'll be a natural leader."
Henry nodded as the teacher walked up to him and reached out her hand, "Hi, Henry. I'm Mrs. Hanson, and I'm so excited to meet you. I've got a special seat all ready for you right next to Matthew Rubin. He loves dinosaurs just like you."
Blair gave the teacher a grateful smile and wiped her own eyes as they watched Henry walk into the classroom without so much as a glance over his shoulder. Chuck rubbed her back, and said, "He'll be fine. He'll be running the school by recess."
XOXO
After dropping Blair off at the atelier, Chuck headed into Dr. Briggs's office without an appointment. He figured that she had other clients, but he also knew that she wouldn't turn him away after the large donation that Bass Industries had made to her clinic a few months earlier. He had grown rather fond of the middle-aged doctor who had counseled them through infertility treatments over the past year, and he trusted her to give him her honest professional opinion. When he walked into the office, she looked up with a smile, "Mr. Bass, what can I do for you?"
"I'm sorry to drop in without an appointment," he apologized insincerely, "But I have a couple of questions that shouldn't take too much of your time."
She nodded with a knowing smile, "I have a client appointment in ten minutes, but I can spare a few minutes for you. I hear that congratulations is in order."
"Thank you, but I need to know about the risks of miscarriage or risks to Blair's health. I can't help but think that there has to be some reason that we had so much trouble getting pregnant again. I can't stand the idea that I may be the problem; that I could cause her or the baby harm. I love my wife very much," he wasn't sure why he added the last statement or what the implications were, but for some reason, despite how happy he was, there was an overwhelming anxiety this time that he hadn't felt when Blair had fallen pregnant with Henry.
"I understand," she agreed, "But Mr. Bass, your wife is in no more danger with this pregnancy than she was with Henry. Her miscarriage was the tragic result of a horrific car crash, nothing more. Your genetics played no part -"
Chuck cut her off, "Of course my genes didn't have anything to do with it. It was another man's baby."
The doctor shook her head in confusion, "No, Mr. Bass. I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. The baby was yours."
"What are you talking about? Louis Grimaldi was the father of Blair's first baby," Chuck furrowed his eyebrows at Dr. Briggs in frustration at having to recount such a painful memory from the past.
She turned her laptop screen toward him and pointed to the chart, "According to the paternity test that Mrs. Bass had done eight years ago, you were the father of her baby, not Mr. Grimaldi."
A/N: Okay, so I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this fic, or if I will even continue it. If you follow me on Twitter, then you may have seen my post that I was looking to write an angstier fic in which Blair betrays / hurts Chuck in some way. I'm looking at combining some of those ideas into this particular story. If you are interested, let me know, or if this is just too angsty or far-fetched, feel free to tell me that as well so that I can focus my energies elsewhere. :) Thanks for reading.