Disclaimer: I only own the story specific characters I created. The originals belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.

The extended absence was not by design. There has been a lot going on in my personal life, so I appreciate you all being patient. Having said that, enjoy!

"You're actually making time in your busy schedule for your mother," Blair met her daughter for lunch at the agreed upon time the day before Thanksgiving. It had been over a week since they'd seen each other. Even though Charlotte only lived a floor down, it seemed like they were two ships passing in the night recently.

"You make it sound like a chore," Charlotte laughed as they were promptly seated.

"I just figured you'd rather eat with a certain red headed charmer we both know," Blair opened her menu and began surveying her options, "Are things still going okay between you two?"

"Yeah, things are great," Charlotte tried to reassure her mother, but something had been gnawing at her since their weekend in the Hamptons.

"How about you try that again and make it a bit more convincing," Blair suggested. Of course her mother would pick up on Charlotte's hesitate tone.

"No, things really are great," Charlotte replied, "Except for not spending the day together tomorrow things are going along perfectly, perhaps almost too perfect."

"How so?" Blair asked.

"We agree about almost everything," Charlotte sighed, "And he's so patient with me."

"Patient how so?" Blair raised a brow.

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably in her seat for a moment. Her mother had always made it clear she was available when Charlotte had questions regarding the opposite sex. "We can talk about this right? It's not going to be awkward considering it's Eddie, and you regularly have lunch with his mother?"

"Whatever you and I talk about is just between the two of us," Blair reached for her hand, "You know that."

"He's not trying anything with me," Charlotte sighed, "When we were in the Hamptons, I told him I wanted to take things slow, but apparently he took it to mean glacial. He's hardly laid a hand on me since, even when we sleep."

"Sleep?"

"He's been staying over regularly since we got back," Charlotte bit her lip. She hadn't intended on letter her mother in on her secret. "If you tell Dad, Eddie is a dead man."

"Oh, Sweetie, I'm not dumb enough to tell your father anything when it comes to you and your relationship with Eddie," Blair smiled.

"What do I do, Mom?" Charlotte asked, "About moving forward? I don't know what to do, and I don't really have that much experience to draw from. Devon was always the horny college guy when it came to the physical stuff. Eddie is much more the gentleman."

"It might be as simple as talking to him," Blair suggested, "Explain what you meant by slow."

"Yeah, maybe," Charlotte sighed.

"Is there more?" Blair asked.

"Do you ever regret not having more relationships before you and Dad settled down?" Charlotte asked.

"Why in the world would I regret that?" Blair scoffed, "Have you not been paying attention your entire life? Your father and I fit about as well as two people could."

"I'm not saying you settled for the wrong person," Charlotte replied, "Do you ever think that maybe you settled down too soon entirely? Maybe you should have waited a couple of years to be with Daddy and had a bit more life experience first."

"I was able to experience everything I wanted in life with your father," Blair stated, "My relationship with your father has never once held me back from anything I've wanted to do. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He believed in me so much it gave me the confidence to start my own clothing line almost right out of college. I never would have done that if he hadn't been at my side."

"Yeah, I suppose," Charlotte frowned.

"Do you feel like your relationship with Eddie is holding you back from things you want to experience?" Blair asked.

"No, but I think maybe I'm slowing him down," Charlotte admitted, "He's a bit older than me. What if he wants to settle down and start a family? I don't know if I'm even ready for that. I'm just starting my career at Bass."

"These are things you need to discuss with Eddie," Blair replied, "You can think about these things all you want, but you won't have any answers until you hear them from him."

"Yeah, maybe," Charlotte bit her lip.

"Do you know what you want to order?" Blair noted their waiter was lurking nearby in hopes of getting their order.

"Yeah," Charlotte opened her menu and began looking. Nothing looked particularly tempting so she chose the lightest option possible. She knew tomorrow's feast would fill her belly sufficiently, probably for the next week.

"You never did say what Dad gave you for your birthday last week," Charlotte asked her mother after their orders had been placed. Her father had virtually hijacked the birthday celebration Charlotte and Aiden had tried to plan for her, saying he was taking her away for a long weekend on their private island in the Mediterranean. As a result, Aiden, Brice and Charlotte had all chipped in for the beautiful necklace Blair was currently wearing which they'd sent ahead with their father.

"That's probably best kept between me and your father," Blair gave her daughter a slight smile.

"Ew," Charlotte cringed at the possibility. "Aiden and I wanted to do something with you and Dad, but he sort of hijacked things."

"Your father told me, and it was sweet that you two wanted to celebrate, but it's become sort of a tradition for your father and I," Blair replied, "Ever since I was sixteen, we've celebrated my birthday together."

"Yes, but usually there is some sort of blow out party first," Charlotte pointed out, "Then you two sneak away for one of your…rendezvouses."

"This year was a special milestone for us," Blair responded, "It's was the thirtieth anniversary of our first night together."

"Wow, thirty years of getting horizontal together," Charlotte was taken aback by her mother's announcement. Of course if she'd sat down to do the math, she would have figured out it was a significant anniversary, but she'd long ago stopped keeping track of her parents and their escapades. "That's a long time."

"And we're hoping for at minimum thirty more," Blair sent her daughter a wink.

"You two will probably make it to a hundred and still be more sexually activity than Brice, Aiden and I combined," Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"How about we change subjects?" Blair suggested. While she and her husband had taken their share of ribbing from their children over the year for their never ending lust for each other, in public probably wasn't the best place. "Are we having any additional guest for tomorrow's meal I should be preparing for?"

"No," Charlotte frowned, "Eddie's not joining us. With Justin and his wife in the states, they're all celebrating together at Eugenia's, sort of a one last big meal together before the baby comes."

"Eugenia is so excited to become a grandmother," Blair smiled.

"I think Eddie is excited to become an uncle too," Charlotte confirmed, "He asked for my helping in picking something out for the baby. He's going to give it to Justin and Abigail for Christmas."

"Speaking of Christmas, have you and Eddie decided if you're exchanging gifts?" Blair asked.

"I think he already has one picked out for me," Charlotte admitted, "He seems pretty confident that it's going to be the perfect gift, which puts a lot of pressure on me. You know how bad I am at picking out gifts."

"That's not true," Blair scoffed, "Remember that watch you gave your father for his birthday years ago, he still wears it nearly everyday."

"Then apparently I exhausted my entire creativity on that one gift," Charlotte frowned, "Brice and Aiden always tease me about the gifts I pick out for them every year."

"That's what younger brothers are supposed to do," Blair assured her.

"Okay, what gift have I given you that was the most meaningful?" Charlotte challenged her mother.

Blair sputtered for a moment to come up with a response.

"See, you can't come up with anything," Charlotte replied.

"Awe, I've got it," Blair interrupted her daughter from going on the rant that was forming, "You said Mama before Dada."

"Really, that's the best you can come up with?" Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"You have no idea how much that gift has meant to me, still does even to this day," Blair reached across the table to take her daughter's hand again. "You know how strained my relationship has been with my mother, and how important it was for me to do better with you and your brothers. From day one, you were always such a daddy's little girl. I worried history was going to repeat itself a bit. When you said Mama first, it showed me I had a place in your life."

"I know it was a special moment for you, but how exactly did I say Mama first instead of Dada?" Charlotte asked, "You said it yourself, I've always been such a daddy's girl."

"Your father manipulated it a bit," Blair snickered, "We had made a bet on what your first word would be. He was determined to be right, so he coached you into it."

"Do I even want to know what the result of winning the bet was?" Charlotte hesitated.

"It's not what you think," Blair laughed, "His reward for winning the bet was to celebrate Christmas in New York. It's how our family Bass Family Christmas in New York celebrate began."

"I like our Christmas tradition," Charlotte smiled.

"I do too," Blair returned her daughter's smile.

"I missed you at lunch today," Eddie greeted Charlotte at her penthouse after work with a light peck at the lips. "How was lunch with your mom?"

"It was the usual," Charlotte shrugged, "Are you hungry? Have you eaten?"

"I was under the assumption we were eating together so yes, I'm hungry," Eddie frowned slightly, "Is everything okay?" Charlotte looked a bit distracted. He worried it was something to do with work. She'd only been back for a few days. So far she'd been accepted, but he still worried those who remained in the department might still have some lingering hard feelings towards her.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Charlotte waved away his concern as she pulled him towards the dining room.

"Hey, Charlotte, look at me," Eddie resisted her efforts and spun her to face him, "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," she forced herself to smile.

Eddie could see through her efforts and tenderly reached out to caress her cheek, "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Do you find me desirable?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Eddie looked like he'd been stunned by her sudden question. "Repeat that for me."

"Do you find me desirable?" Charlotte spoke each word slowly and with purpose even though it took every ounce of courage she had in her.

"Charlotte, I think you're one of the most beautiful women in the world," he spoke sincerely.

"Beautiful and desirable are two completely separate adjectives," Charlotte pointed out.

"Where is this coming from?" his arms encircled her waist.

"This is partially my fault…well, maybe all my fault," her eyes cast to the floor.

"Hey, look at me," he lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. There were tears welling in her eyes that tore a bit at his heart.

"I asked you for slow," she swallowed hard as she looked into his emerald depths.

"And I thought that's what I've been giving you," he bobbed his head, "Is us sharing a bed most nights too much? Have you felt I've been pressuring you for more?"

"No," she shook her head vigorously.

"Then what…Charlotte, what are you trying to say?" he was clearly confused.

Charlotte took a deep breath to try to compose her thought, "When I said slow, I think you took it the wrong way." She could feel her cheeks crimsoning under his intense stare.

"How was I supposed to take it?"

"It's not like I'm not experienced," she chose her words carefully, "I've been with a few guys, and with them it was basically one mad dash to the bedroom every time. There never really was much time for appreciation. I've heard enough out of my parents to know that whatever I've experienced was rushed and…god, this is embarrassing."

"Hey, you can tell me anything," he tried to put her at ease.

"I've never felt like I was cherished," she explained, "I was the means to a release…there were no sparks, no firecrackers, no…"

Eddie dipped in to save her from having to continue on before she died of embarrassment. He poured every feeling he was having for her into their kiss. All Charlotte could do was hang on as she felt her knees about to give way.

"Any man who hasn't made you feel cherished is a fool," he looked deep into her eyes.

"I didn't start this conversation with the intentions of us ending up in the bedroom tonight," she felt herself blushing again.

"And here I was hoping for my nightly cuddle," he tried to keep things light.

"God, I'm so naïve about how to talk about these things," Charlotte looked away, "Why do you put up with me and my inexperience?"

"Because I care a great deal about you," he turned her towards him so she could see the sincerity in his eyes, "You may be younger than me and less experienced, but that doesn't minimize your feelings. I want you to be comfortable with me. I want you to be able to tell me everything you're feeling, especially when it comes to our physical relationship. If you like something or want something, tell me. If you don't like something, I want to know that too."

"I like kissing you," she rose up on her toes to press her lips to his, "And I like being held by you, especially when we sleep."

"All things I like too," he smiled.

"Let's eat," she stepped out of his embrace and pulled him again towards the dining room. She was suddenly famished.

"I want to be clear about something," he resisted her pull one last time, "Yes, I find you desirable. There isn't a day I don't think about wanting to move forward with you, but I'm okay with waiting because I'm in this for the long haul."

"Good," she smiled, "I am too…Now can we eat?"

"Yes, let's eat," he chuckled and finally allowed her to pull him into the dining room.

TBC…