Lyon, France

Blair settled into her father's chateau with ease. It took quite awhile to get there. She spent no more than a few days in each city. Always moving so Chuck couldn't find her. She didn't want to head straight for Lyon because she knew that no matter what she wrote he was looking for her. She purposely avoided France. She knew that was the first place he would look. She started in Rome, walking everywhere as it still hurt like hell when she sat down. She went on to Florence, Bologna, Genoa, Verona, and Milan stopping for longer in the small towns in between that only took cash. It was a pity she couldn't stay in Milan longer. There were too many boutiques where she used her credit card. He would definitely find her in Milan. From there she went to Zurich stopping for a few days in Lausanne and Geneva before heading to her father. She had been traveling like a first class nomad for well over a month when she finally arrived in Lyon. She thought she would think of him less if she kept going but he was constantly in her thoughts. She wished he was with her with every new place and missed him more each day. She didn't know how much longer she could last and was cursing her insane inner monologue for insisting on a three month absence. She had to be strong. It was the only way. She wouldn't let him find her and she prayed that her subterfuge would work.

In Zurich she befriended a fellow New Yorker at Teuscher where she was buying champagne truffles for Daddy and Roman. Of course the young woman was from Brooklyn and had a huge backpack but Blair was able to look past those unfortunate facts for her own greater good. She found out that the woman was continuing her journey through northern europe and would spend the next two months traveling through Croatia, Hungary, Austria, The Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands. Blair convinced the woman to let her subsidize her trip. She gave her several of her credit cards to use at various luxury hotels, five star restaurants, and clothing boutiques for the rest of her trip. The woman thought she was crazy and initially refused. She remained unconvinced until Blair told her that she was from the Upper East Side. She finally agreed once Blair let her record her holding her passport and insisting that she had her express permission to use the cards. That should keep that Basshole at bay.

Her father and Roman doted on her like she was a small child. Her father was very pleased when she told him that Columbia agreed to hold her place while she spent the rest of the semester on sabbatical. She spent her days strolling through the vineyard and curling up under a beautiful oak tree reading. Roman began to teach her how to cook and they would pick fresh vegetables from the garden and make the most fabulous meals. After dinner they would drink wine and play board games. It made her realize just how much she missed her father. Her father and Roman took her on a tour of the ancient churches. They started at the Cathedral of St. John and ended at the Basilica of St-Martin-d'Ainay. They were all so beautiful. Her favorite by far was the Cathedral of St. John. Slowly, she was beginning to feel like herself again. It was almost as if this trip was cleansing her soul. She longed for him but she knew made the right choice. She needed to heal and she needed to be alone to do so. She would have lost herself in him if she stayed. She also knew that he needed to really feel what it would be like to be without her.

Empire Hotel, Penthouse

It had been six weeks and still nothing. He had the best P.I. in Europe on retainer and he kept coming up empty handed. He was sure she was in Lyon with her father and Roman but the P.I. checked there first and she wasn't there. He finally thought he found her in Milan. Her credit card popped up all over that city but by the time he was able to get there she was gone. He spent the next three weeks following her trail but she was never where her credit cards said she would be. It just got worse from there. He couldn't stay in Europe. He had to get back to the The Empire and Victrola. The dancers were threatening to walk out and occupancy was down at the hotel. He told the P.I. to keep at it and went home. Not being with her was driving him crazy. He missed her more than he ever thought possible. It took weeks before he was able to wake up without reaching for her. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since she left. He was so restless. It took him forever to fall asleep and if his sheets were any indication all he did was toss and turn when he did. He just had to hold on for six more weeks. Only then would he be released from this purgatory of his own making. He continued to get daily reports from the P.I. which included spending reports from her various credit cards. She was all over Europe. Alone. That thought alone caused him to pour himself a scotch at 9:30 a.m.

He was sitting on his couch drinking when Nate woke up and strolled in wiping his eyes. Nate had stopped speaking to him shortly after Blair left. Chuck couldn't blame him. He would take Nate's head off for just about anything. Now Nate just ignored him. He thought this morning would be the same. Apparently it was not. "Man you need help. It's 9:30 in the morning and you're sitting here drinking scotch. I don't know what you're so depressed about she told you she's coming back to you. She could have just left your ass for good. God knows she had a good enough reason." Chuck continued to sip his scotch with a sour look on his face. Nate was right. "I know and I should try to focus on that but I am so worried about her. I have no idea where she is, who she's with, if she's safe. I can't function without her. I miss her more than anything but what's really killing me is not knowing where she is." Nate sat down next to him and looked at all of the papers on the coffee table. "What did your P.I. come up with?" Chuck motioned to the reports on the coffee table. "Nothing. She's been in almost every country in Europe but as far as I can tell she never stays in the same place for more than a few days." Nate just started smiling. "Of course she doesn't. This is Blair we're talking about. She knows you're looking for her so she is always staying a step ahead of you. That fact alone should put your mind at ease. Clearly she's fine if she is this good at hiding from you." Chuck gave Nate a dirty look and refilled his scotch. Nate felt sorry for him. He's never seen his friend so dejected before. This was Chuck Bass. He always got what he wanted. Always. Nate picked up a stack of reports off of the table and looked at them. "Are these her credit card statements." Chuck just nodded. Nate began to look through them. "Hey man have you looked at these?" "Nathaniel I have been looking through them for weeks. They all have the same charges. Luxury hotels, five star restaurants, high end clothing boutiques." Nate laughed. "Well you haven't looked at this one because it says she bought stuff at the Gap in Croatia and while she was there she stayed at a Radisson." Chuck immediately got up and yanked the statement from his hand. "What the fuck? That conniving, deceitful, scheming little...It's a smoke screen. She got someone to use her cards. She knew that's how I would track her." Nate just shrugged. "Of course she did, she's Blair Waldorf."

Chuck had a new sense of purpose, like he had finally solved the puzzle. He called his P.I. in Europe and told him to sit on the Waldorf chateau in Lyon. She had to be there. Chuck had left him one of the Bass jets and he said he could get there in a couple of hours. Chuck put the drink down and got in the shower, excited for the day for the first time in weeks. Two hours later he called. He found Blair. Chuck hadn't been that happy in weeks. Chuck told him to stay on her without being seen and to report back to him on her daily activities. He could do this. He could make it the three months. As long as he knows she's okay...