A thousand times a day, I tell you I love the way you sing. Even though it makes me cry, it's my favorite time to be alive.
"No S, I promise - we're all fine," Blair assured her best friend as she cradled her phone between her ear and shoulder while carefully brushing her young daughter's hair.
This division of her attention earned her a scornful side-eye that, at such a young age, could only have been the results of genetics.
"Look, S. I promise we're fine. Henry has the flu but Dr. Bucca prescribed some medicine and Dorota made her famous chicken soup for him, so he'll be back to normal in no time. Audrey is being the best little helper I could ever dream of," she added as she smiled lovingly at her daughter in the mirror. "Chuck will be home in a few days. If anything changes or I need any back up, you'll be the first person I call."
She couldn't hear her aunt's response, but the notion that her mom would call Serena of all people for help taking care of them was ridiculous, and Audrey shot her mother another look in the mirror that communicated just that.
Realizing that she'd better wrap it up before she got herself in any more trouble with her darling daughter, Blair ended the call.
"Sweetheart, you know Mommy would call Daddy to come home before she would call Aunt S to take care of you, right?," she assuaged her daughter's apparent concerns as she devoted her now undivided attention to her and the task at hand.
Aundrey smugly smiled and bobbed her head up and down before thoughtfully replying, "I know, Mommy. Sometimes a little white lie is necessary to preserve the feelings of the ones we love, right?"
"That's right," she lightly chuckled as she began to hum and murmur the words to Moon River as she continued brushing Audrey's hair to the nightly goal of one thousand strokes.
"Mommy, I love it when you sing to me."
"And I love to sing to you, my darling," she replied earnestly. Because it was true - Blair Waldorf loved to sing to the ones she loved and each of her family members had their own special song with her.
"One thousand! Is my hair as shiny as a princess now, Mommy?"
"Even shinier than a princess!"
This enthusiastic response earned Blair a beaming grin from her daughter before she helped her up from the vanity and led her over to her bed for the night. Kissing her on the forehead and tucking her in, Blair turned on Audrey's nightlight and wished her good night as she made her way to the door.
#
As she relaxed into her tub, Blair rested her head back against her bath pillow with eyes closed as she breathed in the the unique house blend of citrus, lavender, and a top secret scent that she'd tediously worked with a perfumer to curate for the Bass home, humming Robyn's Dancing On My Own. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she was utterly exhausted and more than anything, missing her husband.
Chuck was on a 10-day long business trip in Denmark and she had had to stay home with the kids because between school for them and craziness at the atelier for herself, there was just no way she could justify them all flying away with him. That's not to say she hadn't wanted to, because oh did she want to.
Chuck and Blair rarely spent more than three nights away from one another or their children. It was an unspoken rule that they'd put into place after getting married. Family first - always.
She finally couldn't take it anymore - she just needed to hear her husband's voice. Even if it were nearly 3:30am in Denmark and it would just be a few groggy mumbles before she insisted he go back to sleep. Reaching for her phone, Blair held down the number one on her speed dial.
"Mmm, Blair? Is everything okay?," was the gravely response she received after only one ring.
"Yes, I'm sorry my love. I didn't realize what time it was," she lied as she bit her lip. "We're all okay, I just missed you and was hoping to hear your voice. Go back to sleep."
"I love you. And I miss you too, baby," he husked in that special voice that sent a shiver down her spine and rose goosebumps across every surface of her skin.
"I miss you's not enough, darling. Sweet dreams," she cooed back.
"Only when you're in them," he managed before the call clicked to an end.
Sighing, she placed her phone back on the ledge and resumed her attempt at relaxation.
And she actually almost relaxed - almost. That is, until she heard a knock on the door.
"Yes?," she called out, wondering why Dorota was still there.
"Mommy?," Henry's distinct voice whined.
"Oh sweetie, just a moment. Let Mommy get dressed and I'll be right there," she replied before rising from the tub and reaching to turn on the shower to rinse off the bubbles before quickly grabbing her robe.
As she exited the bathroom, she found her eldest son curled up on her bed and moved to lay next to him.
"How're you feeling, Hen?," she inquired as she placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
"Hot. And achy," he groaned before leaning into his mother.
Blair bent down to place a kiss on the crown of his head before quickly heading to the bathroom for a cool washcloth. Returning, she placed it on her son's head before laying next to him again and stroking his back as she began to sing.
"Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine," she sang in a low tone, comforting her son with a song from his favorite movie when he was younger. She didn't make it much further into the song before his breathing evened out and she was sure he was peacefully asleep.
After waiting a few more minutes to make sure he wouldn't be disturbed, Blair carefully rose from the bed and returned to the bathroom to slip into a pair of pajamas, brush her teeth, and complete her nightly skincare routine before turning in for the night herself.
#
The next day, although she had hoped for nice enough weather to take her younger, healthier children for a walk in the park and maybe an afternoon visit to the Central Park Zoo, Blair was instead treated to a rainy Saturday. Deciding to make the most of it, she declared it would be a movie marathon day in the family's media room and her youngest daughter had the honor of choosing the first movie.
"Ooooh! Sound of Music, Mommy!," Violet excitedly chose, not to anyone's surprise. At 4-years-old, she absolutely adored her Uncle Nate and since that was his favorite movie, it was hers as well.
"Noooo, not again," her twin brother Benjamin whined. "Mommy, please tell her to pick something else."
"I'm sorry Bennie, but fair is fair. You chose last time and that means it's Violet's turn. No vetoes," Blair stood firm as she ruffled her younger son's hair. Truthfully, she wasn't the biggest fan of the movie either, but she had put the rules in place and she needed to stand by them.
As everyone settled in, Blair made sure Henry was comfortable in his oversized chair before moving to get everyone some popcorn from their theater-style popcorn machine at the back of the room.
Once the movie started, everyone quieted down and contently snacked on their treats as Maria danced through the mountains of Austria.
As the movie went on, they all became more invested and soon it became a sing along. Blair was leading her children through Do-Re-Mi as they happily chimed in.
"Ti Do oh oh Ti Do So Do!," the family finished off exuberantly in sync before resigning to a fit of laughter. Blair was just mentally noting how nice it was to see Henry on the mend and joining in the fun when an enthusiastic applause cut through her thoughts.
Snapping their heads to the source of applause, Audrey was the first to bellow, "DADDY!"
Blair and the three younger kids rose from their seats and hurried back to greet Chuck who was now entering the room to meet his family.
Hugging each of the children and moving to check on Henry, he finally pulled his wife in for a deep kiss, dramatically bending her backwards in a movie-like manner. As he pulled her back up to standing he husked into her ear, "I love the way you sing."
Unable to control the blush that flooded her cheeks, Blair kissed her husband once more before murmuring back, "If you play your cards right, maybe I'll sing just for you tonight."
"Can you guys stop making out already? You're making me feel sick again," Henry groaned.
Unable to hold back a laugh, Chuck moved a hand to the small of Blair's back before they moved to rejoin their family for the marathon.
#
Later that night when all of their children were safely tucked in bed, Chuck and Blair headed back to their suite to unwind with a soak.
When he entered the bathroom, he took in the sight of her reclined in their oversized jacuzzi and groaned at the vision she was before him.
"You know, every time I see you, I still hear trumpets," he husked as he made his way over to join her.
She couldn't help but laugh lightly at his borderline cheesiness as she leaned forward so he had room to climb in behind her and then they settled in together.
"So are you ever going to tell me why you came home so early?," Blair finally questioned as she rested her head back against her husband's chest and he caressed her stomach under the water in a lackadaisical manner.
"You said it yourself last night - I miss you is not enough," he replied as if it was the most logical reaction to her late night comment.
"It's not, but it's also not enough to make you hop on a plane," she playfully barbed.
"You forget who you're dealing with," he smarmed as his hands intently traveled lower down her body to reach the apex of her leg. "I'm Chuck Bass."
"Mmmm, you are, aren't you?," she groaned as she slightly spread her legs and granted him more access.
At this, Chuck bent down to kiss her neck before reminding her, "And you promised me you'd sing for me."
"Make me."
#
AN: Hi! It me :) I heard a song I love for the first time in a while yesterday and couldn't stop thinking about Chuck and Blair, so I had to write it down. If you're interested in giving it a listen, check out 1,000 Times A Day by The Early November. Happy holidays!