Chapter 25 - It's time you were both honest

"Just pack everything you think I might need Dorota. I want to leave as soon as possible."

"But Miss Blair." Dorota followed Blair in to her bedroom with the suitcases she had requested.

"No buts. Just do as I asked."

"You book a flight?" Dorota placed the suitcases on Blair's bed and unzipped them. She turned around to look at Blair. She couldn't understand why Blair had hastily decided she was running away to Paris.

"Not yet." Blair grabbed her phone, Dorota was right she hadn't even booked a flight, she was hoping she could get to the airport and board the next available one. There was a message from Chuck

The jet is ready and waiting.

She quickly typed back. You don't have to do that.

Yes, I do. Whatever you need I'm here.

Thank you.

It didn't seem enough just thanking him but she didn't know what else to say. She knew she was probably hurting him by leaving him when he was asking her not to shut him out but she just need a moment to think and breathe on her own. Blair sat on the edge of her bed and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Miss Blair you sure you want to leave? Mr Chuck not going too?"

"No, now stop asking questions and get my bags ready. I have a flight to catch." Blair left her bedroom before Dorota could ask her any more questions. She just needed everyone to stop questioning her decision to leave.

Spotted: B fleeing the city. What's the matter B, got something to hide? Funny you are fleeing when a certain Bass comes to town.

Chuck groaned at the Gossip Girl blast. He knew it wouldn't be long before everyone started asking him questions. On cue he heard Nate leave his bedroom and head towards him.

"So, she's gone?" Nate asked Chuck as he sat on the sofa beside him.

"Yes." Chuck continued to stare into the glass of scotch he had just poured himself hoping Nate would get the hint that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Did she say how long she would be gone for?" Nate didn't want Chuck to think he was intruding on his relationship with Blair but he didn't understand where he sudden need to leave town had come from. He thought they were working through the issues and serious about their relationship this time.

"No."

"Chuck, I know I'm not the best person to give advice."

"Then don't Nathaniel." Chuck was quick to cut him off.

"Did you not want to go with her?" Nate couldn't believe after everything Chuck let her leave without him.

"I can't do this." Chuck stood up abruptly and threw his glass of scotch on the coffee table in front of him. He didn't want to say something he would regret so he left the suite before Nate had a chance to press him anymore.

"Charles?" Lily descended the stairs in the van der Woodsen apartment to find Chuck stepping off of the elevator.

"I'm sorry Lily I know I should have called but I didn't know where else to go. If Rufus is here, I can leave." He knew he should have called Lily first but when he left the Empire to avoid Nate he didn't know where to go. His first thought was to find a bar and drown his sorrows in scotch but he knew it wouldn't work. He knew it wouldn't be enough to dull the pain of the possibility of losing Blair again. He didn't realise who he wanted to talk to until he had asked Arthur to bring him to Lily's.

She could see the pain behind his eyes and the last thing she wanted was to let him leave. She knew there had to be something wrong if he was seeking her out for her help. "No don't be silly Charles, take a seat."

Chuck followed Lily towards the sofa and undone his suit jacket before sitting down next to her.

"What's going on? Is Blair okay?" Lily asked afraid of the answer. There had only been a number of times Lily had seen this much emotion in Chuck. She knew it had nothing to do with his father so assumed it had something to do with Blair.

"She left." Chuck knew he might as well stop avoiding talking about it. It was why he had come her after all.

"And you didn't go with her?"

"She didn't want me to." He didn't realise how much it had hurt her leaving without him until he had told someone else what had happened. Even Nate had assumed he didn't even offer.

"What happened?" Lily asked. She couldn't imagine Blair leaving without Chuck if he wanted to go with her.

"Jack, he is in New York. He knows about the baby and he is threatening to make it public knowledge if I don't give him my seat at Bass Industries." Chuck finally looked at Lily.

"That's why Blair left?" Lily took Chuck's hand in hers. She could see the pain behind his eyes talking about the baby. She could never understand Jack's ability to try and repeatedly destroy Chuck for his own gain.

"I'm not sure. She said she needed some time." Chuck slid his hand away. He didn't want Lily's sympathy as it was starting to suffocate him.

"What did you say you wanted to do about Jack?" Lily wanted to understand what happened so she could try and help Chuck.

"The only thing that should be done, give up my seat." Chuck didn't understand how anyone could think there was another possible outcome to this. He would give up everything for Blair. He learnt the hard way that his achievements meant nothing without her.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea when it comes to Jack." Lily knew what Chuck was trying to do but she also knew Jack.

"I don't care about Jack; I want to do what's best for Blair."

"What did she want?" Lily knew the only way to make Chuck see this in a different way was to use what Blair had seen.

"She told me I shouldn't negotiate because there's no guarantee people won't find out and that Jack will just stop when he gets what he wants this time." Chuck tried to stop himself from getting irritated. He knew this conversation was going to be difficult and he tried to remind himself that Lily was only trying to help.

"I think she is right."

"What?" Chuck couldn't hide his irritation that Lily was agreeing with Blair. How was this in Blair's best interest?

"Look Charles, I think it is great that you are including her in your decision to face Jack this time but the problem is, you didn't really listen to her advice. She told you to let Jack release that information." Lily reached for Chuck's hand once again and this time he let her take it.

"But that would mean I am choosing Bass Industries over her and I promised I would never treat her like a possession again." Chuck was confused, surely, he would be going back on his promise if he let Jack tell people that Blair lost their baby?

"Is that what you think? You think Blair wouldn't have helped you win back the Empire if you hadn't included her in your decision against Jack?"

"I don't know." Chuck started to think about it. He had dismissed that idea before because he thought Jack would see through their plan.

"Of course, she would have done, she would have done anything, like you would have done anything for her if she was in the same position. This time you went to her first but you didn't listen to what she was asking." Lily stroked his cheek with one of her hands to force him to look at her. She tried to give him the encouragement he needed to realise she was right. Blair would have done anything for him.

"What do I do now?" Chuck asked.

"It's time you were both honest with each other." Lily removed her hand from his face.

"I thought we were." Chuck's head was spinning. He thought they had started to be honest with each other. They were learning to communicate and not playing games like they had always done before.

"Have you even told her recently you love her?" Lily already knew the answer.

"What does that matter?"

"Well for one, where is she right now?" Lily asked.

Chuck sighed. "She is in Paris. I'm guessing she's gone to Eleanor's."

"And you are here."

"She asked me to give her some time and space." Chuck was confused. He thought the best thing for Blair was to listen to what she was asking for.

"To face things alone? When will you two learn that you are stronger when you face things together? I know she asked you to give her some space but I think you need to go after her before it's too late." Lily smiled at Chuck; she couldn't believe after all this time he couldn't see what Blair needed.

"Really?" Chuck was starting to realise that she had suggested to leave for Paris, not when he mentioned Jack was in New York but when he started to suggest her way wasn't the right way to deal with Jack.

"Yes, when was the last time you showed her, you were capable of a grand romantic gesture? If you want this to be it, if she is your future then don't let her get away."

"Blair? What are you doing here?" Eleanor was confused to see her daughter stood at her door.

"You're only daughter isn't welcome to visit you then?" Blair didn't wait for an invitation to go in and walked past her mother to enter her apartment.

"Of course, I'm just a little confused. The last time I suggested you come to Paris you weren't exactly open to the idea." Eleanor closed the front door.

"It wasn't a suggestion mother." Blair was starting to regret her decision to come to her mother's. Maybe seeing her father wouldn't give her such a headache.

"Then why are you here?" Eleanor wasn't ready to allow Blair to ignore the irony of her fleeing New York to come and see her.

"I just needed to get away from New York for a bit."

"You do realise that was all I was suggesting?" Eleanor asked.

"You threatened to cut me off." Blair was already exasperated.

"So, what did Charles do this time?" Eleanor could see through Blair. Chuck was always the reason she fled.

"Mother." Blair snapped at Eleanor.

"Well, that's why you are here isn't it?" Eleanor questioned.

"No." Blair started to move away from her mother.

"Then why are you here Blair?" Eleanor wanted to know what had made Blair flee.

"I just needed some time."

"To do what?"

"To think."

"You couldn't do that around Charles?" Eleanor challenged.

"If you are not going to listen to me maybe I should just leave." Blair started to head back towards the front door.

"Blair, come on, let's go and sit down. I don't want it to be like this between us." Eleanor headed into the seating area.

Blair followed her mother in. "How else do you want it to be when every time I come to you accuse me of having a problem with Chuck?"

"If you two are serious then why is he not here with you?" Eleanor needed Blair to see that if she wanted her to treat Chuck in a certain way then they had to stop acting like children.

"I asked to come alone." Blair avoided looking at her mother. She was starting to realise the error in her decision.

"Why would you want to flee alone Blair, do you love him?"

"Of course, I do." It was true, of course Blair loved him but sometimes it felt like that love consumed her. She just needed to be away from him for a moment to decide if she wanted to be all in with him.

"Then what is the problem?" Eleanor asked.

"He's devastated me." Blair knew she needed to start being honest with herself and her mother.

"But you still love him." Eleanor wanted Blair to continue to explain.

"Yes, and I can't decide if I should. It doesn't help having everyone working against us too." Blair didn't want to mention that Jack was back in New York and was trying to blackmail them again.

"Blair, why do you love him?" It was a simple question and if Blair wanted Eleanor to understand it was one, she should answer.

"Because he makes me happier than I've ever been and he has never tried to change me."

"Then what are you doing here?" Eleanor smiled.

"What do you mean?" Blair was caught off guard by her mother's reaction.

"I should have asked you before why you loved him. I couldn't see past my anger for how he treated you before but this isn't about me, it's about you. All I want is for you to be happy and to feel loved and if that's how he makes you feel then I should learn to respect your decision." She reached out for Blair's hand. She didn't realise she was hurting her daughter by trying to make her move past Chuck.

"You don't think I'm weak?" Blair asked.

"Why would I?"

"Because I don't want to be known as Chuck Bass's girlfriend. I want to be known as Blair Waldorf but I just haven't figured out what I want to do next." Blair looked up at her mother and tried to fake a smile. Her mother had taught her to act in a certain way and not let anyone see a weakness so she thought her mother wouldn't welcome her being this vulnerable.

"If Chuck loves you the way that you think he does he won't allow that to happen. You should talk to him about the way you are feeling." Eleanor squeezed her daughter's hand to reassure her.

"I asked him to give me some space."

"Then take it but don't take too long. Now come on, let's go spend a day together in Paris."

A/N: thanks as always for the kind reviews. I thought it was time that Blair and Eleanor built some sort of mother/ daughter relationship so she wasn't always having to deal with her mother's sly comments about Chuck. I'm a sucker for a romantic gesture so it may be coming next. Until the next time...