Chapter Five: Two can keep a secret

Thanksgiving came and went, but not without its fair share of delicious gossip. From what I hear, Blair was unable to enjoy the company of both of her two favorite men during this holiday season. Poor B, trouble in paradise perhaps? Xoxo.

Blair threw her phone onto her bed and let out a deep sigh. Serena would be over in a few minutes. Serena would know what to do about Nate. However, Blair knew that that meant she would have to tell her best friend about the night at Victrola. And the night of her party. And the day in her bathtub. Nobody even knew that she and Nate broke up, because they had both agreed that it would be easier if it was not public knowledge. Chuck was ok with it, so it seemed, because then it added an air of mystery to their complicated situation. She could tell he was growing restless, though.

But Gossip Girl didn't know about Chuck, so the other half of Blair's 'two favorite men' could only be her father. She sighed as she thought of how selfish her mother had been. Eleanor had argued that she couldn't handle seeing him, and maybe Blair was being insensitive, but she'd wished her mom had just told her what was going on. It wasn't fair to keep her in the dark like that, with her hopes up and her pumpkin pie unmade. There were just certain things that she couldn't handle and not having her father around was one of them. Not having her best friend around in a time of need was another.

She picked up her phone, a lump in her throat, and dialed.

"S? I need to see you. I can't do this, and there's something I need to tell you…"

Chuck stared down at the flow of city life below him. Normally, he would be ushering out a woman or two as the morning sun was waking to greet him. Not now. He hadn't been able to enjoy the company of another woman since he had been with Blair. He couldn't even find it in him to try. So, the night before, he'd been desperate.

Nate stirred on the couch. Chuck only had one other best friend besides Nathaniel and that was Blair. If he'd called her in the middle of the night because he was lonely and needing a friendly presence, she would have assumed he was asking for more. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea, even if she definitely would have been irresistible. But being around Nate did make him feel a little like shit. He wasn't being honest with his best friend about the circumstances he'd been in while Nate and Blair had been broken up. He had barely spoken to either of them over the holiday, which had been borderline unbearable, but he had to sort out his thoughts. Blair hadn't told him to give up. She was interested in the game that they were playing and he was going to show her just how competitive he could be.

Nate cleared his throat as he sat up, "Are you ready to talk about what's up, Chuck? Did something happen with your dad?"

Chuck continued to stare down at the city, feeling like a pig, and replied, "Sure."

"Wait…you guys broke up?" Serena asked slowly, a look of complete confusion dawning across her gorgeous face. Blair frowned, clearly annoyed that her best friend wasn't catching on as quickly as she'd hoped.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Blair snapped, throwing herself onto the duvet of her bed.

"But why?" the blonde asked, coming to sit beside her on the bed. A comforting hand found Blair's shoulder, "I thought you guys had worked everything out?"

"We had. I don't know, Serena, I just feel completely lost. And I'm Blair Waldorf, I'm supposed to have a plan for everything, and this wasn't part of my plan. None of this was," Blair said in defeat. Her big brown eyes were being tempted with tears at the thought of the situation.

Serena's brows knitted and her nose scrunched up, "Is there more to the story?"

Blair bit her lip, but decided not to continue to tell her best friend of her recent endeavors, "No, no, just Nate and my mother. At the same time. Everything just feels like it's crumbling."

Serena sighed, "But he wants you back, doesn't he?"

"I don't know what he wants," Blair lied, "I just don't know what I'm doing."

"I think you are severely overthinking this whole thing. I'm pretty sure Nate misses you, B. And I know your father wishes he could be here, too. You shouldn't let these things stress you out so much," Serena said lightly. Her voice was warm and soothing in a way that Blair knew she herself could never master. It was comforting to say the least.

I'm only overthinking the fact that I'd rather have Chuck Bass's body against mine than worry about Nate. Blair swallowed hard as she fought back the thoughts. It was true. She couldn't stop thinking about the casual smirk, the perfectly knotted bow ties, and the large, gentle hands that never failed to mark their territory. She shuddered.

Serena bit the inside of her cheek and adjusted to sit with her legs crossed on the bed. Blair was obviously distressed about more than just the break up with Nate, but she wasn't going to cross a boundary without permission. She wanted B to be honest with her, and she tried to mentally assess all of the possible stressors in Blair's life. Nate. Her Dad. Yale. Their own friendship. Cotillion.

"Are you worried about who's going to escort you to Cotillion?" Serena probed.

Blair felt the tension in her body release. Cotillion was the perfect scape goat. It was something that had always been important to her, something that the two of them had talked about for years, that Blair had honestly not allowed herself to stress over in light of everything else. However, Serena was more simpleminded than Blair, and obviously wasn't going to suspect anything more than the obvious.

Blair let a soft, artificial smile touch her lips as she looked up at her blonde best friend, "Is it that obvious?"

Serena smiled knowingly, proud of herself for knowing B so well. Blair was just glad that there was an outlet for her stress without admitting to Serena that she had been deflowered by the king of deflowering. How incredibly stupid of her. Serena, though she had her fair share of past mistakes, had never even resorted to the likes of Chuck Bass. There were just certain things that the queens of Constance could not do, and Chuck Bass was at the very top of that list. Blair groaned and propped her head up with an outstretched arm.

"Nate would absolutely take you, you know," Serena said, a few of her fingers running themselves through Blair's semi-matted curls, "It's only been the plan since, what? Kindergarten?"

"Yeah, but…I don't want to be his pity date," Blair said, falsifying her confession. If she made it sound like she was unsure about Nate and Nate alone, it was a sounder act of judgement, right? Her fake stress could be justified, right?

Serena shook her head, "You know he wouldn't do that. Nate loves you. And any guy would be lucky to have Blair Waldorf on his arm at Cotillion."

"I'm aware of this," Blair said, shamelessly admitting that she was going to be one of the most undeniable beauties there, "But it doesn't change the fact that Nate has always liked you, S." And the casual fact that Chuck Bass might want to date me after said deflowering.

"First of all, no. Inaccurate. I was just an object of lust for him," Serena said, shifting her weight uncomfortably. Blair felt something rip at her confidence then, and they both moved on as the blonde continued, "But anyway, I'm with Dan. And you've always been with Nate. He can't deny that he loves you after all you two have been through."

Blair paused. Chuck was just an object of lust for her, she had accepted that as reasoning the morning after they'd…yeah. He was. She didn't constantly think about the way his voice made her heart dance or the way his dark amber eyes seemed to linger deliciously whenever they were together. She didn't dwell on the sweet gratification he always paid her after a successful triumph over their inferiors, and she didn't wonder what it would be like to be the object of his constant affection. She didn't picture them in her room with Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart on the screen of her television, while they clearly were not watching the movie.

And maybe, just maybe, if she continued to tell herself that she didn't think about those things, it would be convincing.

Blair couldn't help herself, "I don't know if I want to go with Nate…"

Serena froze, and looked back over at Blair, who was now sitting up beside her on the bed. She was running her hands through her long, dark curls and staring the duvet. Her lips were parted slightly, as though she wanted to say more but couldn't make the words come out. Serena could notice a sudden air of confusion, of doubt, but there was no visible difference.

"Who are you and what have you done with Blair?"

Blair rolled her eyes but smiled slightly, "I'm serious."

"I know, and that's why I'm confused," Serena said slowly, "Why?"

Blair shrugged, "I just, I don't know. There are some very real reasons why we broke up. And I feel different. I just don't know what I want right now and that's scary to me." Which isn't a lie, but it isn't the entire truth either.

Serena's eyes widened apologetically, "Oh, B, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how…how seriously crazy this whole thing has been for you. I've never gone through something like this."

Blair nodded, "It's ok. I just needed someone to talk to about it before I went insane. And Dorota is too partial to the feelings of others for these matters."

Serena smiled at that comment, seeing a little bit of the familiar Blair that she was used to, "I get it. I do. And, hey, if you really don't want to go with Nate, I'm sure there are plenty of suitors just dying to take you. We can choose the perfect one. I can go ahead "

Blair smiled gratefully, "Perfect. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, B."

"Chuck!" a feminine voice called from behind him. He paused. The voice was too husky to be Blair, but too familiar to be anyone other than-

"Serena," he said coolly, turning to face her. His signature scarf billowed slightly in the late autumn breeze. The blonde seemed slightly breathless, several strands of loose blonde hair had fallen into her face, and her cheeks were flushed. He arched a brow, "Did you walk here from Brooklyn?"

Serena frowned, "You are just as bad as Blair, you know."

He gulped. Oh, Blair is pretty bad, you just don't know the extent of that.

"I'm assuming you're here for a reason," he said, a smirked dancing across his proud lips, "Unless you've finally come to the realization that you just enjoy my good company."

"Hard pass," Serena said, shoving him back slightly. She was hardly offended by his flirtatiousness. She believed that some of Chuck's first words had been sexual innuendos, for they seemed to roll off his tongue as naturally as anything else. She swallowed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Blair told me what's going on."

Chuck felt his heart stop beating. If Blair was confiding in Serena, the game must be over. Blair wasn't one to share her tactics with others until the plan had already commenced. He hadn't seen her since the day when she was in the tub. He had barely texted her. He was waiting for her approval, for her to allow him to pursue her relentlessly. It hadn't happened yet, and if she was sharing intimate details with others, then he was done for. He knew it.

"She did…and what did she say, exactly?" Chuck asked, trying to keep calm.

Serena stomped her foot on the ground lightly, "I'm positive Nate's already told you about what's going on with them."

He felt a wash of relief sweep through his being, "Oh-oh yes, he has. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't, um, giving any sacred information away."

"I'm her best friend. She tells me everything."

Chuck couldn't help but smile to himself. The best part was that she wasn't even aware of how ironic she was being, "Right. Of course." Because I'm sure she's told you how we had sex twice in the first day and a half of her being single.

"Anyway, she expressed her desire to be escorted by someone other than Nate at Cotillion," Serena said, her love towards her best friend clearly pouring other through her words. She watched Chuck's face slightly harden, and he wet his lips in uncertainty. She was sure that Chuck was feeling just as uncomfortable as she was, being the friends trapped in between. It was like a cruel custody battle that neither of them wanted to be in.

Chuck's throat felt dry, "Did she say who?"

Serena shook her head, "No one in particular. She just doesn't think she wants to go with Nate. I, personally, just think she's under a lot of stress right now and isn't sure what to do. I think we should do something about it."

His brows knitted, "Such as?"

"Remind her of how she really feels," Serena said, a proud grin appearing on her face.

Chuck didn't like that idea one bit, but he continued to humor her, "How?"

"We can help them get back together. I have an idea," Serena said.

Chuck realized how much he truly didn't want to hear her idea, but he cared too much about Blair and the secrecy of their game to give it away by telling Serena. He just stood there, his eyes communicated that he was interested in the idea, and he waited to be repulsed.

"Escort Blair to Cotillion," Serena said simply, as though that didn't require an enormous amount of effort and convincing. He stared at her in disbelief, unsure of how his company was expected to push Blair toward Nathaniel once again. She added, "And I'll ask Nate to escort me, I know that Dan wouldn't want to go anyway. That way neither of them is being distracted by another date, and we can get them to talk things through once and for all. I mean, it will require us to plan a few things out, of course, but I think we can handle that."

Chuck waited to answer her, sifting through his thoughts to find the perfect response. On the one hand, Serena had never been a clever woman. He doubted that she possessed the means necessary to unravel a well-developed scheme such as the one she had in mind. There was no doubt that she meant well, but it just wasn't amongst her strengths. Escorting Blair would be an interesting twist in the game he meant to play with her. He meant to show her that he knew her body and her mind, he could make her feel things that she had never experienced. He would shower her with gifts, affection, and never ending pleasure. He knew he was up for the challenge, and he didn't feel poorly about using Serena's pathetic scheme to get his own way.

He smirked at her, "Of course we can."

Hello, my dears. So this chapter was just sort of meant to set the stage for what is to come. I regret to write an ENTIRE chapter without a single Chuck and Blair interaction, but I found that it just simply had to be done in order to make other things possible. I hope you enjoy! Xoxo, M.