Disclaimer: I only own the story specific characters I created. The originals belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
After a quick stop at Mabel's first thing the next morning to get the fudge for the party, Charlotte and Eddie left their snowy getaway to venture back to the city. Emie seemed excited for the journey as she hardly sat still most of the way.
"The poor thing has no idea where home is," Charlotte realized as they crossed over the bridge into Manhattan, "No wonder Emie has been acting out. She's gone from your parents' place to my place, to the condo all in a week. She's totally confused."
"We'll fix that now," Eddie gave her a quick squeeze as he pulled up outside the Bass building.
The doorman ran to open Charlotte's door and help her out. "Welcome home, Charlotte."
"Thank you," Charlotte slipped the man a healthy tip before opening the back door to lift Emie into her arms, "We're loaded down with bags. Will you be able to manage?"
The doorman gave her his reassurance as he went to grab a cart after holding the door to the building for her. Eddie helped the doorman unload the vehicle after telling Charlotte he would return a bit later after dropping the vehicle off at the rental agency and check in with his family.
"This is home, Emie," Charlotte lowered Emie to her feet after stepping off the elevator. "We may go on trips from time to time. You'll have to get used to that, but this will always be the place we return to."
"Welcome home, Charlotte," Daniella greeted her with a warm smile.
"Hi, Dani," Charlotte smiled as she took in the residence. Daniella had clearly put the quietness to good use as every kook and cranny appeared to be sparkling and ready for the party the next evening.
"Dorota had some great tips," Daniella appeared to read her boss's mind. "Your mother said the decorators will be here first thing tomorrow morning. The kitchen is ready for the caterers. Everything is ready to go."
"You're the best," Charlotte beamed, "When the bags make their way up, I have something for you. We found this amazing fudge store. I brought back treats for everyone, and a few trays for the party."
"I'll make sure they are prominently displayed," Daniella glanced towards her boss's feet, "And how is the adorable Emie?"
"She's been a bit naughty these past few days," Charlotte looked towards the pup rubbing up against her leg. "Every time Eddie and I left the condo without her, she used the time to scatter her toys everywhere. It may just be her testing her boundaries, or maybe she's confused about her surrounds. She's been shuffled around quite a bit."
"I'm sure she'll adjust," Daniella replied.
"Where are Brice and Collette?" Charlotte took off her coat and handed it to Daniella.
"They're upstairs," Daniella replied, "Collette and your mother have started work on her wedding dress."
"Already?" Charlotte gasped.
"I think it was to give your mother something to do," Daniella smirked slightly, "Doesn't your father usually take her on vacation over the holidays?"
"Usually," Charlotte snickered, "No idea why this year is different. She's probably going a bit stir crazy."
"It wasn't how your father put it," Danella chuckled.
"I'm going up to say hi," Charlotte moved towards the elevator. Emie followed, her fur practically glued to Charlotte's feet. Charlotte looked into Emie's sad looking eyes. "Okay, you can come too. I'm sure Mom will be more excited to see you than me."
Charlotte strolled into her father's office to find him on the phone. Emie was already being showered with affection by her mother, who practically sniffed her out the minute Charlotte stepped off the elevator. Chuck motioned for his daughter to take a seat as he finished the conversation. He was speaking in Japanese, which Charlotte was always surprised to hear, even knowing he was more than conversational in.
"Everything okay?" Charlotte asked when Chuck ended the call. She knew he didn't conduct much business over the holidays unless there was an emergency.
"There were some regulatory issues with the company we acquired a few months ago," he shrugged, "I was speaking with Prime Minister Kato." He said it like speaking with the Japanese Prime Minister was a regular occurrence. "How were the slopes?"
"We had a lot of fun," Charlotte replied, "I met this crazy group of women. They call themselves the ski bunnies. They're a lot of fun. I barely remembered the village from when I was younger, which is such a shame because it was spectacular. Every shop looked like it's own Christmas card."
"Yes, I remember," Chuck replied.
"I hear you suggested that Mom and Collette should get a start on her wedding dress," Charlotte eyed her father curiously, "Isn't it a bit early for that? They haven't even set a wedding date."
"Your mother needed something else to focus on," Chuck pinched the bridge of his nose, "She was going party crazy and driving me crazy."
"I thought you liked it when she went a little crazy," Charlotte snickered.
"Different kind of crazy," Chuck laughed.
"So you're ready to go back to the office," Charlotte concluded.
"I'm certainly ready for your mother to go back to her office," he grinned.
"You really should have taken her away after Christmas to someplace sunny," Charlotte replied.
"It wasn't the year for that," Chuck shook his head.
Charlotte never really understood the sort of rotating schedule her parents had regarding their holiday celebrations. They always celebrating Christmas at home, but where they celebrated the new year had always been determined by the unpredictable 'schedule' that she and her brothers had termed it.
"I've been thinking more about what you and I talked about at the gala," Charlotte confessed.
"Oh?" he raised a brow, "Which topic?"
"About me moving to another department within Bass, spreading my wings so to speak," Charlotte replied.
"And what are your thoughts?" Chuck pressed.
"I think it's a good idea," Charlotte bit her lip just as she responded.
"What changed in a week?" Chuck asked, "You were strongly opposed at the gala."
"I wouldn't say I was strongly opposed," Charlotte countered, "I just felt you were trying to rush me a bit, which you are, but I think it's something I need. I need to be pushed outside my comfort zone."
"Does that mean you're ready to take on more of a leadership position?" he asked.
"Yes," Charlotte bobbed her head.
"Good," Chuck replied, "There's position in Finance. You'll head the group in charge of financing our acquisitions. You'll still have a close relationship to the Acquisitions department, which allows you to stay connected to where you are. It also allows you to stay connected to Ms. Washington. I want you to lean on her. She came from the finance department, so she knows the players and the position."
"Wait, whoa," Charlotte was momentarily stunned by her father's announcement. She thought she was just planting the seed, not jumping in immediately, "Just like that?"
"You said you're ready to move," Chuck reminded her.
"I thought it was just a discussion, like an icebreaker or something," Charlotte replied, "I didn't think you'd already have a destination for me."
"Charlotte, your timeline is your own. You get to tell me when you're ready to move, but your path through Bass has already been determined. I'm moving you through the company in positions that ultimately lead you to the senior executive suite with me," Chuck explained.
"I like that I'm not totally leaving Acquisitions behind," Charlotte stated after taking a deep breath to calm her suddenly accelerating heart.
"There will be some new challenges. The members of your team will be several years older than you. Some of them may even challenge your abilities, challenge your promotion. You'll want to hold your ground and prove them wrong," Chuck stated.
"You're promoting me?" Charlotte asked.
"Financial Services Manager," Chuck bobbed his head, "Full executive privileges, incentives for performance, stock option package, key to the executive lounge…"
"Wait," Charlotte halted him, "Executive lounge? Is that a thing?"
"It is," he laughed, "You can even ask Mister Fraser. It's a space reserved for executives to discuss their different divisions, network, brainstorm, even commiserate on occasion…"
"Why is there a secret club that I'm just now hearing about?" Charlotte asked.
Chuck laughed at the pout gracing her face. She looked so much like her mother at the moment.
"It's a place for executives only," Chuck replied, "You weren't entitled to admission until you accepted my offer."
"And Eddie never told me because?" Charlotte pressed.
"I don't think he spends a lot of time there," Chuck responded, "He had a certain brunette as a lunch date on most days."
"Right," Charlotte sighed.
"It's not a secret club. There is no secret handshake," Chuck assured her.
"So this path, do I get some advanced warning of where I'll go next?" Charlotte asked.
"No," he smiled, "It may change based on the direction of the company, which has changed a lot since I took over from your grandfather," Chuck explained.
"Dad, I think we need to start coming up with a plan for me and Eddie," Charlotte confessed.
"What kind of plan?" Chuck's voice was noticeably nervous.
"For how we're going to balance working together and maintaining a relationship without breaking the unwritten rules at Bass of being in a relationship," Charlotte stated.
Chuck's face twisted a bit sour.
"Dad, this is serious," Charlotte held her ground, "I might be jumping the gun, but I think we need to talk about this. The rules at Bass say that Eddie and I can date so long as we are not in a supervisory/subordinate relationship at the office. That's all well and good until the day I get an office on your floor."
"That's assuming he doesn't have one too," Chuck countered, "Charlotte, Eddie will have his opportunities for advancement. Honestly, I'm considering moving him up."
"Would you be considering moving him up if I wasn't dating him?" Charlotte asked.
"Char, you are my daughter, and you will always be a step ahead of Eddie when it comes to my interests in Bass, but Eddie has always had my attention. I have a vested interest in his success, separate from your relationship with him."
"You know I had to ask," Charlotte countered.
"I know," he bobbed his head, "I've taken a great deal of pride in the success Bass Industries has achieved since I took control, and I'm proud to be able to hand this family legacy on to you. If Eddie happens to join our family, I will be equally proud to hand it to him."
"Is there such a thing as co-CEOs?" Charlotte asked.
"Both of you running Bass?" Chuck raised a brow, "That could be challenging on many levels. Your mother and I would never have been able to work together."
"Yeah, you'd spend have your time laid out on the boardroom table with her ankles around your waist," Charlotte quipped.
"Also true," Chuck snorted, "We also needed to have our own space, to be our individual selves, away from Chuck and Blair."
"But Bass is where both Eddie and I want to be," Charlotte frowned, "I don't know how we can find our own space to be separate from each other."
"We'll figure things out," Chuck assured her, "However I believe Eddie should have a say in all this, when the time is right."
"Yeah, I guess so," Charlotte bobbed her head.
"Charlotte, should I be expecting Eddie to be having a conversation with me soon?"
"What? No!" Charlotte gasped, "We're not talking marriage. I mean we did talk about it, but in the form of I wasn't ready yet."
"Sounds like that was a past tense way of thinking," Chuck thought he heard something in her voice.
"How did you know you were ready to marry Mom?" Charlotte asked.
"I was ready to marry your mother the first morning I woke up with her in my arms after finally telling her I loved her," Chuck confessed.
"Dad, be serious. You were eighteen when that happened," Charlotte glared at him.
"It doesn't mean I actually proposed," Chuck replied, "But I knew I would do whatever it took to make her my wife, even if it meant waiting a few years for her to be in the same place."
"Part of me feels like I'm too young to be ready for marriage, but then I look around, Brice is engaged, a bunch of my sorority sisters are engaged…Why did you wait five years to propose if you were ready at eighteen?"
"Because I loved your mother," he stated, "She wanted to be more than Mrs. Chuck Bass and because of that I could be patient…well, as patient as I could be. I did propose a few times before I finally got a yes."
"It must have broken your heart when she said no those first two times," Charlotte replied.
"Yes and no," Chuck stated, "Each proposal was real and at any point I would have been beyond jubilant to hear her say yes, but my final proposal was the most special, most heart felt, it was the proposal she deserved."
"I love how hopelessly in love you are with Mom," Charlotte gushed.
"She's the only woman I ever could have loved," Chuck replied.
Emie pranced into the office and rubbed herself against Charlotte's ankles.
"How did you escape Mom?" Charlotte lifted Emie into her lap and scratched behind her ears.
"I think Eddie gave you the perfect gift," Chuck watched the smile grace his daughter's lips as she loved up her puppy. "I don't know that I've ever seen your smile so wide. Had I known, I might have gotten you your own puppy years ago."
"Mom would have castrated you," Charlotte giggled, "She was mad enough when you promised to get Brice a dog."
"Yes, I remember. I always thought Licorice would be the best gift you were ever given," He replied.
"He's right up there," Charlotte assured him.
"There she is," Blair looked a bit relieved to see Emie in Charlotte's arms when she entered her husband's office, "I turned my back for a second, and she was off. She's more slippery than you children were."
"She certainly keeps me on my toes," Charlotte kissed the top of her fluffy dog's head.
"We're finished working for the day, how about you, Collette and I go shopping for dresses for tomorrow's party?" Blair suggested as she slipped herself into Chuck's lap.
"Sounds like fun," Charlotte rolled her eyes at the amorous pair.
"Credit card, please," Blair whispered in her husband's ear before biting lightly.
"Come on, Emie, we're not old enough to see the tricks Mom uses to part Dad with his credit card," Charlotte left the office.
Over chocolatey desserts and coffees, Charlotte was caught up on the plans Collette had already made for her wedding. The fact that the happy couple had yet to set a date appeared to be a minor detail in the planning. Chuck and Blair had already told the soon-to-be bride to not worry about the money. Charlotte wasn't surprised. They'd embraced Collette as one of their own when it became apparent how committed Brice was to the young woman.
"Obviously Brice asked Aiden to be his best man, but we were hoping you'd be okay with him asking Eddie to be one of the groomsmen," Collette stated in between bites of her dessert.
"I think he'd really like that," Charlotte replied.
"You're getting quite serious about the youngest Fraser," Blair smiled knowingly.
"Yeah, he's practically moved in," Collette snickered. She didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable speaking freely around Blair.
"Oh god, could you imagine how Dad would react if Eddie did move in?" Charlotte groaned.
"He'll just have to get over it," Blair responded, "You are an adult in a healthy relationship with a man who treats you well. He was in Eddie's place many years ago. My father wasn't all that thrilled when Chuck and I got involved and started living together, but he accepted it was my decision. Your father will do the same. I promise you that."
"Is he really as accepting of my relationship with Eddie as he seems to be?"
"He has his moments where he's a bit out of control, but I reign him in," Blair reassured her.
"Char, he can't act any worse than my father did when I started dating Brice," Collette chimed in. "Heck, my dad moved me an ocean away. Granted there was a bit more to the story, but still, he didn't like me and Brice together."
"Brice sure showed him," Charlotte smiled.
The trio went on to talk about the upcoming wedding as they made their way through the shops, ultimately ending their search at Blair's flagship store, where they found the perfect party dresses.
Eddie, Brice and Aiden were in the media room watching some action flick when Charlotte and Collette returned home. Emie was in Aiden's lap, and Barty's head was resting against his leg.
"What is this? Guy's night?" Charlotte asked. "All you need is Dad and Uncle Nate."
"Dad just went upstairs when the doorman alerted him you guys were on your way up," Brice twisted so he could greet Collette with a kiss as she bent over the sofa.
"Abby is so excited for the party tomorrow," Eddie told Charlotte when she came around to sit in his lap, "You have no idea. Apparently your mother sent over a custom dress made for her and her round belly."
"Really?" Charlotte looked towards Collette, "Did you know anything about that?"
"News to me," Collette shrugged.
"I know Abby said something to Mother at Christmas dinner about always wanting to own one of Mom's designs," Charlotte replied, "Mom must have taken that as an invitation."
"Your mom is the coolest sometimes," Collette gushed.
"Sometimes," Charlotte bobbed her head.
"She has her stodgy moments too," Brice added.
"I'm a little nervous about hosting my first party," Charlotte admitted, "And I really can't take any credit for it. Daniella did all the cleaning, and Mom did the planning.
"Then what's to be nervous about?" Collette asked, "Your mother can plan a party in her sleep."
"Yeah, but what if it gets out of hand, and they cause damage?" Charlotte frowned.
"It's not like it's a frat party at Columbia, Char," Brice snorted, "You've invited a more grownup group. I'm sure they'll behave appropriately."
"I hope so," she reached over to scratch behind Emie's ears. The pup leapt from Aiden's lap and pawed her way up Eddie to get into Charlotte's lap. "You're a very resourceful little thing."
"Daniella said she was very well behaved in the apartment today," Eddie told her, "She didn't make a mess of her toys or anything."
"That's my girl," Charlotte kissed the pup's head.
"Yeah, Dani probably followed her around the place all day picking up after her," Brice snorted, "Dorota did the same thing when we first got Barty."
"Oh god, I remember," Charlotte laughed, "He was always getting into Mom's shoes."
"Apparently the left heel always tasted the best, because that was always the one he destroyed," Brice stroked his dog's head affectionately. "He still does it on occasion…"
"What's a loss of a shoe if it means the love of a dog," Charlotte shrugged as she loved up her pooch again.
Aiden glanced at his watch and rose to his feet, "I'm off. No fifth wheel for you guys tonight."
"Big plans, Little Brother?" Charlotte asked.
"Just meeting some friends at a club," he shrugged, leaning down to kiss the top of his sister's head, "Night, Charlie."
"How about a movie night," Collette suggested, "Or are you guys movied out?"
"I can watch another movie," Eddie replied.
"Me too, so long as we can compromise on something that isn't a chick flick," Brice agreed.
It took a bit of time, but eventually the foursome agreed on a suitable movie to close out their evening.
"I have to talk to you about something," Charlotte told Eddie as they prepared for bed.
"Okay," Eddie plopped down on the bed and made himself comfortable before patting the space next to him in invitation for her to lay beside him.
"I talked to my dad a bit more about my future at Bass," Charlotte curled up against him, "And I wanted you to hear it from me before the news is out there…I'm transferring to Finance. I'm going to oversee the group that handles the financial sides of the acquisitions."
"Oh," Eddie's eyes went wide in surprise, "That's an executive position. That's a big step for you."
"I know," she sighed heavily, "It's what Dad wants for me, and I guess partly what I want for myself."
"But," he prompted her.
"Do you think I can handle it?"
"Without a doubt," he responded quickly. There wasn't even a sliver of hesitation in his voice.
"I'll be leading people older than me," Charlotte frowned, "They're all going to assuming I got the position because of my father and my last name, and honestly, that's the truth."
"So what if it is?" he ran his fingers through her hair, "Char, people are going to have to get used to you running things. Your last name is always going to give you a leg up. Your father was given the same opportunity, and he seized it."
"What if I'm not the seizer my father is?" she frowned.
"You may not be," he continued to stroke her hair, "Have you ever considered you might be better?"
"Better than Daddy," Charlotte scoffed.
"You do have a few things going for you that your father didn't," he reminded her. "For starters, you've been learning the company since you were a toddler, and your father took an interest in helping you learn his role.
"Your dad had no such mentor. He basically had to make it up as he went."
"Yeah, I guess," Charlotte frowned, "And I have another thing going for me."
"Oh," Eddie raised a brow.
"You," she smiled, "Whenever I need another opinion, I know I can always come to you."
"Always," he kissed the top of her head.
"I love you," she replied.
"I love you too."
TBC…
A reviewer asked about ages of the main characters – I know this might open a can of worms, but here goes:
Bass Family:
Blair and Chuck – I'm leaning towards 47 or 48, only because I figured they were about 25 when they first became parents, and I do math for my day job, so to make the rest of it fit that's what I'm sticking with.
Charlotte – 22 at the start of the story – 23 somewhere during the story but her birthday is not mentioned
Brice – 20-21, same deal as Charlotte (in my head, Charlotte and Brice's birthdays are around the same time)
Aiden – 18-19
Fraser Family:
Eugenia and Cedric – late 50's. I always figured they are about ten years or so older than Blair and Chuck.
Eddie – 29
Justin and Abigail – 31
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Hope you've all enjoyed this latest chapter.