Chapter 5 - You can't run from who you are

"Henry, what are you doing?" Eva asked.

"Packing. We're leaving. Isn't that what you wanted?" Chuck replied. There was no way he wanted to stay in New York now. He knew Blair was doing what she always did. Putting on a façade in front of everyone else but Chuck knew her better, he knew she was just trying to bury what she was really feeling. He knew she would be angry but he didn't think he would be able to hurt her by moving on. She was the one that told him that she never wanted to see him again and he thought she would be happy by him doing what she asked of him. Instead it seemed he had done the opposite.

"I thought you wanted to stay longer?"

"I've done what I needed to do, we can leave now." Chuck continued to pack.

"Henry, what happened? Was Lily not happy to see you?" Eva placed her hand on his arm to try and get his attention and get him to stop what he was doing. She wanted to talk about what was going on. He had definitely been acting differently since they had seen the brunette at the graveyard.

"Of course she was." Chuck stopped what he was doing to look at Eva.

"Does she not want you to stay?"

"She does but I don't want to stay."

"Why?"

There was no way Chuck could hide from this any longer. He didn't want to stay in New York because he knew the longer he did the more likely it would be that Eva would find out who he was and he couldn't take the risk of Blair being the one to tell her his history. He also knew avoiding telling her was just proving to everyone else that he was still the coward they all thought he was. It was now or never. "Because my name isn't Henry, it's Chuck, Chuck Bass. Well, it's Charles but everyone calls me Chuck."

"So why didn't you just tell me that your name is Chuck?" Eva barely even reacted to the news. She knew it technically meant he had lied to her the whole time she had known him but it seemed like the bigger question was why was he trying to hide who he was?

"Because I didn't want you to know who I was."

"Why?"

"As soon as people know who I am, how I am head of Bass Industries and a billionaire they tend to treat me differently. I didn't want to live that life anymore I wanted to earn people's respect."

"It wouldn't have mattered to me."

"I know but you would have found out what I had done. What other people thought about me."

"What happened? Why was you in Prague if New York is your home."

"I was running."

"From her?"

"It wasn't like that."

"Then what happened?"

"I hurt her, more than once and I knew she couldn't forgive me after what I did."

"Ok."

"That's it?"

"For now." Eva left the room and headed into the bathroom to pack up her stuff she left in there. She knew he was acting differently since they had been back in New York but if he was really sure about leaving she was happy not to stay.

As she walked back into the room she saw him sat on the bed zoned out and staring at a ring.

"What's that?" She got closer to him and the ring.

"Nothing." Chuck tried to hide the ring. He had forgot all about it until he had come across it while packing. He remembered how easily she had handed back the ring to him after seeing him. He didn't understand why she was wearing it or what it meant that she had been since she thought he was gone.

"Henry, I mean Chuck, it looks like an engagement ring and it is beautiful." Eva tried to reach for the ring.

Chuck moved it away from her. He knew she wouldn't be able to understand and he would never be able to offer it to her. "It's nothing."

"You were engaged?"

"No, of course not." It wasn't a lie, he never got to finish asking her before Humphrey had punched him.

"Then why do you have an engagement ring? I've never seen it before."

"It's a long story. It doesn't mean anything." Chuck wasn't ready to talk about it. Blair was a separate issue, what happened with her didn't change the way he felt about Eva. She really had saved him, looked passed the money and learnt to love him for the person he had become. She didn't constantly expect the worst from him.

"It was hers wasn't it? Who is she Chuck? Is that why you left?" Eva couldn't avoid asking him about her any longer. She couldn't ignore him holding onto a ring that was meant for her. It was obvious he wouldn't be able to let go.

"Yes, no, please Eva."

"I think I should leave."

"Please don't leave me, everyone leaves." Chuck tried to take hold of her hand. He meant it, he didn't want her to leave, without her he had nothing.

Eva avoided his hand but used hers to stroke his face. "Chuck, it's not me you're afraid of leaving you. You're a great man but it's obvious, since we have been in New York, that your heart belongs to someone else. That kind of connection doesn't just go away, especially as you need to stay, this is your home."

"I want to be with you." Chuck tried to take her hand once again but Eva wouldn't let him.

"You want to be who you are with me but you don't need me to be that person. The person you've become."

"Please stay."

"Chuck, you'll be fine without me but you're always going to live in regret if you don't stay. You can't run from who you are."

"And you won't stay?"

"This isn't my world, it's yours, and my family need me."

"I can take care of your family."

"I think you've learnt recently that money isn't everything, Chuck, especially not to me."

"How can I ever thank you for what you did for me?"

"You just did. Don't forget about the great man you have become. If they expect the worse from you prove them wrong."

"What are you doing here and how did you know where I live?" Blair walked into the foyer of her apartment to find Eva waiting for her. That was the last person she expected to see and it was the last person she wanted to talk to. She didn't need to hear about the great Henry Prince and the man that Chuck had become without her. There had been some truth to what Chuck had said to her. She thought she would always be enough to change him, for him to become the great man she knew he was capable of becoming, but Eva was proof that she was wrong.

"Arthur, Chuck asked him to take me to the airport and I had a feeling he knew how I could find you."

"Of course he told you. What did you need with me?" Blair rolled her eyes. It had taken no time at all for Chuck to get his faithful employee Arthur back. She would have to have a word with Arthur about giving peasants her address.

"I'm here to tell you I'm leaving."

"If you are leaving why are you here?"

"I thought you would like to know."

"You were wrong, unless you're here to tell me Chuck is leaving with you."

"He's staying."

"So why are you leaving?"

"I know if I stay in New York you'll do everything you can to try and destroy me." Eva wasn't stupid she could tell that Blair was fuelled by jealousy as soon as she witnessed Eva anywhere near Chuck and that she wouldn't stop until she had achieved total destruction. She wanted to end it before she started to dislike anyone.

"And why would I do that?"

"You don't fool me Blair, you still love him."

"You're wrong. How could I love him after what he did?"

"Everyone makes mistakes but not everyone learns from them. He has learnt from them."

"So you say."

"He stopped being happy as soon as he saw you."

"That's not my fault."

"No, but it shows that he still feels guilt for what you put you through and he can only show that if he still feels something for you."

"We've both moved on."

"He will never look at me the way I saw him looking at you and he is been acting lost since he saw you. You both hurt each other but the sooner you stop denying you still love him the easier it will be for both of you."

"He told you what he did?" Blair couldn't believe he would tell Eva what had happened between them. She knew Jack had told some people out of anger but Chuck always made out like it was up to Blair if she wanted anyone to know, yet he told Eva.

"He didn't need to. He told me he hurt you and that he didn't think you would ever forgive him. That no one could but I don't think that's true."

"What isn't true?"

"You've already forgiven him."

"Who are you to tell me about what I feel?"

"This is exactly the reason I won't be staying."

"What is?"

"This world you live in, the world Chuck lives in too, you think everyone is out to get you and you treat people that way. I'm not here to attack you Blair, quite the opposite. If you continue this game all it will bring to everyone involved is pain. Maybe it's time to try it a different way?"

"And why should I listen to you?"

"You don't. I'm not the one that benefits here. Chuck is a great man and he is staying to own his mistakes. It's up to you what you decide to do now."

"He won't come after you. He runs, he doesn't chase."

"I know because it's not me he wants."

"But the ring is still on your finger?"

"You thought he would have given me your ring?"

"Well, it's more appropriate a ring for the fiancé of Chuck Bass to wear."

"It's your ring."

"It's Chuck's. He can do what he wants with it."

"That will never be anyone else's ring but yours and you're silly to think otherwise."

"He took it back"

"I have a flight to catch. It was nice to meet you Blair." Eva turned to head towards the elevator. She said what she needed to say it was up to Chuck and Blair to figure it out now. What they both failed to realise that she didn't want to be second best in Chuck's heart. She removed her ring from her finger as she knew there was no reason for her to be wearing it anymore and she would give it to Arthur to return to Chuck.

Chuck exited the elevator and walked into the foyer of the Waldorf apartment and came face to face with Dorota.

"Mr Chuck!" She hugged him like she was happy to see him and as she pulled away she slightly tapped him on the shoulder. "I still mad at you."

"I know Dorota, is Blair here?"

"I go get Miss Blair." She started to head up the stairs to get Blair, "Mr Chuck?"

"Yes Dorota?"

"I'm watching you."

Chuck let out a light chuckle, the first one since he had arrived back in New York. He didn't doubt that Dorota wouldn't be watching him she always had and her number one priority had always been Blair. If there was one person that protected Blair's happiness more than Chuck it would be Dorota.

A few minutes later Blair met Chuck in the foyer.

"What are you doing here?"

"I've come to tell you, myself, in person that I'm staying in New York."

"Oh."

"Don't act dumb Blair, Arthur told me about his pitstop on the way to take Eva to the airport. This is what you wanted, isn't it, you won?"

"Of course, it isn't."

"I spoke with Lily about resuming my control of Bass Industries. I have a meeting with the board in the morning."

"And?"

"Just thought you would want to know seen as you were quick to think I would run again and not face my responsibilities or the consequences of my mistakes."

"Did I say that?"

"Don't play games Blair."

"I'll meet with my lawyer in the morning, the Empire is yours."

"Oh no Blair, it isn't."

"What do you mean the Empire is your home."

"It was, I've taken back my old suite at the Palace, the Empire is yours."

"I don't want it."

"Not how it works."

"Chuck, please don't do this, I don't want the Empire."

"You wanted me to be alone and unhappy. Sell the Empire for all I care."

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"You know why. Why are you doing this?"

"You think I'm doing this to punish you?"

"Of course, isn't that what you always do Chuck?"

"If I wanted to punish you I would take the Empire back. I would leave you with nothing and make sure you were as unhappy and alone as you've left me but it's quite the opposite. I've had a chance to look over the books and you've turned the Empire around, it wouldn't be my success, it's yours. I left it to fail and you've turned it around. I don't deserve it."

"I don't want it."

"Why?"

"Because, even with you gone, it was still Chuck Bass's hotel. It still holds memories I would rather forget. I didn't make it a success for you but I couldn't have people associate Blair Waldorf with a failed business venture."

"What happened with Columbia?"

"What? How do you know?"

"Blair, what happened?"

"I didn't have the time while trying to run a business."

Their phones went off to signal a Gossip Girl blast and both of them paused their conversation to look at what she had to say.

Spotted: the dark knight entering the Waldorf apartment. Does this have anything to do with a certain blonde fleeing the same apartment earlier minus a ring on her finger? Jealousy is a dangerous trait, careful B, no one does revenge against you better than a scorned Chuck Bass.

"I'm not here for revenge, Blair."

"Just leave."

"Don't you think we should talk?"

"Just leave. I'm not going to ask again."

Chuck left without saying another word. He wasn't ready to get back into the same games with Blair. It never ended well and it would undo all the work he had done to become a better person.

Just want to say thank you to the reviews so far. There's still so much of the story I want to tell so I hope you are still enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it!