I'm almost scared to say hello, but since I'm sure you all are a forgiving lot, I'm positive you'll accept my sheepish hello. Sooooo… It's been awhile… How have you been? You look great! Hopefully I didn't lose too many of you, because I really appreciate you all reading my story. Life has been crazy, and I'd like to say it was because Leonardo DiCaprio has been stalking me, and I've been on a secret mission for the Canadian government in our Artic region… I may have said too much… Seriously, it's been lame things like school, and my birthday that have kept me from writing a new chapter. MANY apologies! My class was cancelled today, so here I am, writing away! So, I heard Apologize by One Republic or Ain't No Love by David Gray in my head, as I wrote the beginning of this chapter, but feel free to set your own soundtrack. Here we go…
Chuck's head rolled away from the skyline as the light in the room automatically clicked on, and turned the widow into a mirror of the room. He stared now at the drink in his hand. He rolled the bottom in lazy pattern against the leather armrest of his chair, leaving a perfect circle of condensation.
"You'll ruin the leather."
Chuck didn't move a muscle for several long moments. Finally, he looked up to the glass and saw her reflection standing in the doorway in her wedding gown. Pulling himself up, he lazily walked to the centre of the room, and she met him half way. The former spouses faced off against each other, but Chuck was at a disadvantage because for once he couldn't read her eyes. Maybe is was the booze he thought, as finished his drink and set the glass aside. He had just turned back to face her when she slapped him hard and fast against his cheek.
His head shot to the side and he kept it down as he drawled. "I take it congratulations aren't in order…"
When she said nothing, he lifted his head to look at her, and caught her hand a millisecond before it hit his cheek again.
"That's enough of that…" He said, holding her wrist tight in his hand as she tried to tug it away.
Turning it over, he kissed her empty ring finger, looking deep into her eyes. He saw the shimmer of angry tears, but remained unmoved.
"I hate you." She bit out.
A travesty of a smile came to his lips, and he finally let her pull her hand free of his. He nodded to the couch, and then went and refilled his glass, pouring one for her as well. She folded herself onto a high-backed chair instead, her gown spreading out around her, giving Chuck the fleeting thought that she looked like an archangel come down to finish him once and for all. Handing her the glass he cringed… He really needed to stop drinking. He was becoming maudlin.
"Sooo… I'm guessing Prince Charming picked option three… I didn't think he had it in him… But let me guess… he was banking on his 'love' for you being enough… That just proves how little he knows you. I would have married you, locked you in, and let the chips fall…" He mused, lying down on the couch to watch her.
"He's not you."
"Oddly enough, that's probably why you didn't marry him…"
"Shut up." She shot hotly.
Her hand tightened on the glass, and for a second he thought she was going to throw it at him, but instead she lifted it to her perfectly red lips and downed it in two long sips. The silence dragged in the dimly lit room.
"I did what I had to do." He said harshly when he couldn't stand the quiet anymore.
"Oh, really? Like what you did when you left me?"
"Let's not pretend you were an innocent party in that."
"Excuse me?" Her voice kicked up a notch.
"Charlie was no accident, and let's not insult each other's intelligence by pretending he was."
"You love him!" She said as an accusation.
"I do." He freely admitted. "But before him, I loved you, above everything else, I loved you…"
Blair was brought up short, and had to look away from the intensity of his eyes. "I know." She said quietly. "That's why I was so sure… but then you…"
"Walked away?"
"More like ran. It was spiteful." She snapped. "You just hate to lose…"
He sat up sharply, his hands on his knees, and she shot back in her chair, her head pressed against the back. "It wasn't a game. For someone who knows me so well, I would have thought you would have figured that out by now…"
"I was terrified." He hissed. "I knew how much my father loved my mother, and I know I love you more… The idea of losing you… of what I would become without you… I was never willing to risk that… not for anything, and not for a child…"
Blair looked at him for a minute, and then rolled her eyes. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard."
"What?" Chuck asked, unsure why he was surprised that his confession hadn't garnered her sympathy.
"Women have babies every day, Chuck. We didn't get to 9 billion people through defective breeding." She derided.
"We had a deal."
"Cry, cry, cry." She muttered. "Maybe I could have handled things differently… But I can't regret Charlie. And if you try telling me he wasn't worth it, I won't believe you. It's funny how it turned out… I wanted us to have a family, and you didn't want to lose me, but now… We don't have anything…"
"I will always have you."
"No." She said tightly. "What you did with Adam… it's unforgivable…"
"Nothing between us is unforgivable."
"This is." She stood up. "Goodbye, Chuck."
"Goodnight, Blair…" He watched her walk out, and he finished his drink.
By the end of the next week Chuck had watched the fallout of Blair leaving Adam waiting at the alter play out in the gossip pages. He credited Blair personally for her coming out smelling like a rose through the whole thing. Adam not so much.
Chuck was just going over some papers when his assistant called him.
"Mr. Bass, there seems to be a situation in the lobby. Mr. Drakewood is being detained by security."
Chuck raised a brow. This might be mildly interesting. "Send him up."
Minutes later, Adam stormed into Chuck's office.
"You can't do this to me, Bass!"
"First of all, I wouldn't question exactly what I could do to you, if I were you. Secondly… what am I supposed to have done…" He asked detachedly.
"Your plan didn't turn out the way you anticipated it and now you're ruining my life." Adam gritted. "I was up for Junior Partner, now suddenly I'm being encouraged to take a leave of absence. My co-op board voted to have me evicted. I've been taken off every list in the city. The police impounded my bike for being chained to a light post. And the groomer lost my dog."
Adam's eyes flashed when Chuck started chuckling.
"You think this is funny?"
"You have to giver her credit…" Chuck mused with a smile. "She's nothing if not thorough… I wonder what she did with your dog…"
"What are you talking about?"
"I think you're forgetting what happens to a woman scorned…"
"Blair would not do this!" Adam snapped.
Chuck smiled knowingly. "Really…"
"No, she wouldn't." Adam defended again, but Chuck could hear the note of uncertainty in his voice, and relished it. "The one thing that makes this even remotely palatable, is that she'll never let you back in. I may have lost her because of this, but so have you!"
A twinkle entered Chuck's eyes as the looked across his desk at Adam. "I wouldn't be so sure of that… I'll admit… this one might leave a mark, but… Blair and I have been playing this game for a long time… Neither one of us is ready to concede."
Chuck smiled to himself, looking forward to the match ahead. Straightening his tie, he looked at his computer, dismissing Adam without a glance. "You're collateral damage. Feel free to fade away."
Chuck didn't even look up when he left.
Blair unconsciously cracked her knuckles as she went over the deposition for the 17th time. She was lead chair, and she was going to win. She was on a roll lately, after all. Taking a break she snatched up her phone, and called Serena.
"What are you doing tonight?"
"Blair…"
"Come on! I need this!"
"I can't tonight, Blair. I promised Lars we'd sit down and really talk."
"I sense I'll be handing yet another divorce for you in the near future…"
"We don't know that… at least not yet."
"Fine." Blair paused, scanning through her agenda. "How about this weekend. Let's go to the Hamptons. Chuck has Charlie until Sunday. Dan asked to take him to some fair in Brooklyn that afternoon, so we'll have the whole weekend… I'll be your best friend." Blair cajoled.
"Fine." Serena smiled.
"Perfect!" Blair chirped, touching it into her agenda. She glanced up then, and saw Adam standing in the doorway. "I have to go."
Blair hung up the phone and straightened in her seat.
"Was it you?"
"Was what me?" Blair asked innocently.
"Everything."
"Hmm?" She smiled chipperly at him. "While I have to say for the record, I have no idea what you're talking about…" Her voice went cold. "You shouldn't play with people who own the game."
Adam was brought up short by the ice in her tone. "Are you serious?"
The cat's smile didn't leave her face as she blinked twice at him.
Adam started to lose it. "You… Him… This isn't a game! This is my life!"
"You didn't seem to have a problem when the game involved my life." She reminded him.
"You two are sick." Adam stammered.
Blair ignored his comment, having been called far worse and by better. She started flipping through her phone. "Like I said… don't kick the ball if you don't want someone to kick it back… But our game is done… You can go now." She dismissed.
Blair didn't look up when he left.
TahDAH! Okay, there is the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it! I must now finish three papers. Blah. I vowed I was going to really apply myself this semester and bring myself up at least a letter grade… Whatever. I like Bs. They're nice. Oh, and on a Chair note… I have TWO wishes for the next couple of episodes. One, they still do Blair's birthday like they have in past seasons. I always wish he'd send her flowers the day before her birthday as a special anniversary gift. It seems like it would be a Chuck thing to do. I may have to write a one shot. Two, I want Chuck to have a good Thanksgiving. One thrown by Blair; Waldorf style.
