Hiya! Hope everyone's having a good week. So I have good news and I have bad news…the good news IS I'm updating early! And this chapter is quite the doozy. I think you're all going to be very intrigued in how it plays out. I wrote it AGES ago, it was one of those that is one of the pillars of the whole story. The song I used frankly helped inspire part of this story. Plus I think there's some minor to large revelations that happen in this one. That said…here's the bad news. I'm going on another trip. This time to Europe so the next chapter may be a little delayed. My goal is still going to be the weekend of 8/5 but work's crazy right now. At least this chapter is SUPER long.
Something about this chapter that's kind of interesting is the number of what I call POV characters included. I've mentioned in my A/N's before that I love to play with POV, turns out that's very difficult to juggle when your major characters are all in one place. Fair warning, viewpoints pop back and forth a lot in this chapter. Anyways – hope you enjoy.
To my reviewers: Matyy, Trosev, iALLIEgator, Property of Joker, Nelson0987, planttae, eckomoon, klarolinebasstiel, mia, Ancient Xana of the Old Forest, and all my lovely guests reviews – you guys are amazing! I think I actually managed to reply to all your reviews and I'm so so so excited to give you this chapter!
To my beta: kosoul7 – seriously you're the best
Disclaimer: I own nothing, especially the lyrics to the song I used.
Rated: A high T mostly for language.
And without further ado…
Chapter 22: Dinner With Skeletons
Chuck looked at Gwen confused, one eyebrow cocked. "Austin. Blair brought Austin." Her ex-fiancé, he added in his head. News that should have made him feel better – Blair was getting back together with Austin. That was good; it meant that she was okay.
Taking a deep breath, Chuck refocused on the matter at hand, this wasn't a big deal. "And from the sound of it, Thomas knows Austin?" He spoke the last bit with speculation.
Gwen gave him her best 'don't ask me' look. She was relieved, he seemed to have passed right by the whole his ex bringing her ex to their engagement dinner thing; relieved though happily unsurprised. "Which seems to be a surprise to everyone involved." Gwen finished before walking with Chuck towards the foyer, more confident than ever that this was the right thing.
Chuck almost rolled his eyes as he approached, he could see their heads from here, even as everyone crowded around them. So they were already back to this, Blair was back with Austin. He had to admit to himself that it had taken less time than he thought – he'd assumed she'd fight a little harder, a little longer, before realizing that he was right, they weren't right together anymore. That was fine with him; at least this way he wouldn't have to constantly worry she was trying to sabotage his relationship with Gwen.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he was annoyed about the whole thing. Blair had come storming back and shaken everything up, but now when the dust was settling it turned out he'd been right all along. He could even feel the smile building on his face as he approached the large group that had gathered in the other room. He couldn't help but feel like maybe this was how things were always supposed to be; maybe things were finally working out.
When he first saw them he felt the slightest twinge of nostalgia, this was the closest he'd ever seen them – always before he'd been on the outside looking in – like in California - but he wasn't going to think about that right now. They looked nice together, like perhaps they just fit. It wasn't until he saw Austin slip his arm around Blair's waist and pull her against him that Chuck felt a strange shifting; as though the world suddenly made a little less sense.
He watched her right hand move to land on Austin's chest as she seemed to melt into his side. She was tucked tightly against him when she looked up and Austin looked down at the exact same moment – he could practically feel the force of their equally beaming gazes from where he stood and one word hit him like a punch to his gut.
One word. One word shook him to the very core as a strange tightening twisted his stomach and rushed up through him like a lion ready to roar. One word forced its way into his brain where it echoed endlessly. One word followed by the strongest rush of anger he could ever remember feeling; anger at Blair, anger at Austin, anger at himself for this feeling he couldn't control. One single word.
Mine.
Chuck couldn't look away, it was like a slow motion train wreck. His hand grazed her hip and her head dipped to brush his shoulder.
Mine.
Someone must have said something funny because her laughter filled the room and her eyes twinkled with what looked like happiness. And he was right back to where he was two years ago, standing on the sidelines watching them be happy from afar. Except this was worse, so much worse. Before it had been pictures, PI's and the rare moment he visited and watched from a distance; now they were just a few feet away. But that wasn't why this was worse, no this was worse because this time he wasn't supposed to feel this way anymore.
Mine.
No! He shouted inside his head. The anger from earlier was back full force. This wasn't right; she wasn't his anymore.
Mine
His mind seemed to be taunting him. But he couldn't do this, they couldn't do this.
Gently Serena reached over and tugged on Nate's hand. "Look at Chuck." She mouthed as subtly as she could.
Nate turned his head slowly and saw his best friend. The sight was enough to shock him. He'd assumed seeing Blair with Austin would affect Chuck but this was a whole different scenario. There was a glint in Chuck's gaze that was practically murderous. He'd only seen that look a few times, none of them had ended well. Snapping his head back towards Serena, Nate's eyes opened wide, clearly conveying his emotions on the subject.
Inhaling deeply Serena shook her head. What the hell had they done? Turning her head she found Dan, catching his eyes with hers before looking back to Chuck; she was almost surprised he was still standing there, his staring was several moments past appropriate.
Dan followed Serena's gaze and almost gasped aloud. Leaning over to Stephanie he exhaled, almost laughing. "Well I'll be damned."
Steph just smiled. "Told you. Weeks ago." With that she directed her attention back towards Blair and Austin, both of whom seemed to be enjoying catching up with Thomas and Eli.
Thomas shook his head. "I just can't believe that Gwen's friend Blair is actually the Blair Waldorf – love of this wanker's life."
Blair laughed as she looked up at Austin. Was that still true for him? Was she still the love of his life? He seemed to think so. More than that she still needed to figure out if he could actually be hers. "Now tell me again how the two of you know each other?"
Austin smiled; he couldn't remember ever being so happy. This was actually kind of perfect that Blair's friends already knew one of his closest. Things were falling together so perfectly. "Thomas and I are both originally from Charleston; our dad's were partners at the same company. My dad got transferred to London first, but he brought Thomas's dad over soon after."
Thomas nodded before jumping in. "Then Austin's family fled back to the US while mine stayed in London."
"Hence the hot accent." Eli added with a smile
Blair smiled brightly at Eli. "I won't lie, every time Gwen mentioned her friend Eli, I thought she was talking about a guy and since Eli's fiancé was Thomas…" She trailed off leaving no doubt what she meant. She'd thought they were a gay couple.
Eli laughed so hard she almost shot wine out her nose. "That's actually a new one! But don't worry, I don't blame you. It's my own fault for shortening Elizabeth to Eli instead of the million other options."
Cutting in, Eric managed a straight face as he spoke. "You can't imagine my disappointment. I thought Jason and I would finally have some company."
"Ha ha very funny." Serena said, forcing herself to join in the conversation – this was going to be a long night.
Realizing his mistake Chuck yanked his gaze away from the group – he had no idea how long he'd been standing ten feet away from everyone staring at them. Turning his head he found Gwen's confused eyes and watched a slow smile spread across her face.
Gwen reached out a hand for Chuck's, her smile easy. "First time's weird isn't it?"
It was like a soothing balm to the monster that had suddenly raged up from within him. And just like that he could breathe. He returned her smile and took her hand, interlacing their fingers. "Let's do this." He spoke, drawing her with him towards the group.
Before they took another step Gwen felt a hand at her elbow and turned to find one of the cater waiters standing behind her.
"Ms. Chancellor, sorry to interrupt but the chef has a question for you." The waiter spoke quietly
Gwen nodded before turning her head to Chuck and rolling her eyes. "I'll be back in just a moment."
Chuck returned her nod because what else could he do before turning back to face the group. There were several conversations happening, he just needed to stop being awkward and pick one.
Thomas clasped a hand down on Austin's shoulder and shook his head, lowering his voice slightly and putting distance between them and the ladies. "You know at some point you're going to have to explain to me how up until a few days ago my old flatmate was joining us as your fiancé's date."
Austin exhaled, feeling the air seem to shake from him. He was still nervous about that and sure this was Thomas but he didn't know how to broach this subject just yet especially since he and Blair hadn't really worked everything out. "Let's just say we've been working through a few things."
"Things that bring you here from California?" Nate asked as he joined them.
Austin looked over briefly in surprise. He knew from photos of Blair's that this was Nate but he hadn't realized anyone was actually paying attention to their side conversation nor had they been formally introduced. "I'd follow her anywhere." He spoke, a smile forming on his lips as he looked over at Blair who seemed to be enjoying her conversation with most of the others. Looking back at Nate he stuck out his hand. "I'm Austin by the way; I don't think we've officially met."
Nate reached out and shook his hand. "Nate Archibald." He spoke, with just a hint of scrutiny. He did a quick once over of Austin – definitely Blair's type, good looking, strong pedigree from what he'd heard, innately charismatic and clearly confident. It was strange, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to like him or not; for now he'd settle on studying him.
"I know." Austin replied with a charming smile. "The first boyfriend."
Thomas tilted his head towards Nate. "You dated Blair as well?"
Nate shifted his gaze quickly between the two. He wanted to look to Blair for a cue as to how to handle this but she was engrossed in a conversation and too far away to catch her eye. Exhaling Nate tried to relax; he was just going to have to play this one by ear.
Austin laughed brightly before cutting in. "Since kindergarten!" Shifting his eyes to Nate he smirked congenially almost as though they had a secret. "Or was it earlier than that?"
Nate swallowed tightly. "First day of kindergarten actually through most of high school; if our parents had gotten their way we would have never broken up."
Austin nodded before turning to Thomas. "And now Nate here is trying valiantly to suss out whether or not I'm aware that Blair also dated Chuck." Placing a hand on Nate's shoulder he gave it a quick squeeze. "You can relax new friend, Blair's told me."
This was strange – Austin had read his awkward reaction and cut it off at the knees. He was intuitive and oddly disarming; Nate could practically feel his reservations falling away. "You are not what I expected," he found himself saying. He meant it too. He'd thought the man Blair left would be somehow less than this.
"Thank you." Austin spoke assuredly. He knew that he had something to prove to Blair's friends tonight. In all the time they'd been together he'd never met them and he knew they had to wonder why. And he was at a disadvantage; they knew she'd left him and that he'd followed her here. But he was good at this game – he knew the best way to move past that was to act like he didn't have to prove anything to anyone.
Blair and Austin were each in different conversations; he couldn't avoid both of them so he had to choose. With Austin he'd be walking into a jungle completely unaware of what was inside and seriously unarmed, which did not sound appealing; he'd always liked to be prepared. With Blair he'd be jumping into a shark invested pool headfirst; he knew what was waiting for him in that conversation and it was not pretty.
This wasn't even a choice. If Blair said something that ripped him to shreds he'd never make it through the evening. Turning towards the group of men he forced himself to walk forward, breathing deeply to calm what he could only assume were nerves.
Stepping between Nate and Thomas he immediately extended a hand towards Austin. "I apologize, I'm afraid I've been a terrible host. I'm Chuck Bass."
Austin didn't even blink as he placed a hand into Chuck's and gave it a firm shake. "Austin Davenport. It's a pleasure I'm sure." He'd sensed the shift the moment it had happened – something had changed almost imperceptibly in Nate's posture. It seemed that perhaps Blair hadn't been completely forthcoming about her past with Chuck; this must be the baggage. So the congenial smirk he'd used on Nate earlier slipped right back onto his face as he gave Chuck a nod. "Besides it's your engagement party, you don't have to be polite."
Chuck swallowed quickly as he met Austin's gaze head on. He knew immediately that Austin was more aware of the game they were all playing than he'd expected him to be. That wasn't like Blair – she'd always kept her secrets close to the belt before. And this – this meeting – was different for him; he hadn't been in this position in a long time. But it was in his nature to meet the challenge in Austin's gaze; hell it was practically hardwired into his DNA to one up him. "Yes, well I'm always a gentleman."
"You and Blair grew up together right?" Austin spoke testing the waters with Chuck. If they were going to have a pissing contest he certainly wasn't throwing his cards on the table right off the bat.
Chuck tilted his chin slightly. "Yes, we've always been close; some might even say we were inseparable through the years." He could see Nate's glare from the side and could practically hear his friend's words through his gaze. What the hell are you doing man? But it was like a car crash, he couldn't stop it now. "There's nothing about Blair I don't know."
Nodding his head, Austin smiled sincerely. He wasn't sure if he was glad or not to have been warned before entering about Blair and Chuck's past, if he hadn't known this conversation wouldn't have gotten so strange so quickly and he wouldn't be second guessing every word he said. "That's good, everyone should have friends like that." He spoke with a level voice before removing his hand from Chuck's. Whatever this game was he could play it too.
Chuck found himself scrutinizing Austin with his gaze. He was hard to read, harder than he thought he'd be. Someone watching this conversation might think they were old friends by their cordial smiles and easy stances but their eyes told a different story – he knew that. "Tell me about yourself."
"Not much to tell." Austin spoke with an easy smile. "Grew up a little bit of everywhere; as Blair would say I'm of the Charleston Davenports, spent a good deal of my childhood in London, High School years in Chicago, then Duke followed by Stanford with Blair."
"You met Blair at Duke." Chuck nodded, not hesitating before speaking, careful to say just the right thing to not imply he knew something he shouldn't. He'd heard the slightest shift in Austin's tone when he'd said Blair's name and something about it made him uneasy – Austin really cared about her.
Austin turned his head towards where Blair was standing. Thinking about her removed his head from the conversation because his feelings were so overwhelming; he would never feel the way he felt about her about another woman. "She was a total ice queen when we met." He spoke, still looking at Blair. "But I saw through it." He could feel himself smiling as he spoke. "I could see her heart; hell I think I could feel it."
Chuck swallowed tightly at Austin's words, his discomfort from earlier building. He'd never heard another man talk about Blair that way and it felt strange, almost like an out of body experience.
"She tore me a new one on a regular basis, still does." Austin added with a laugh, eyes never wavering. "But she centers me and there's something about her…I don't know what I'd do without her. I've gotten a taste of that recently and I didn't like it, I didn't like myself." Turning back towards Chuck, Austin smiled. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Chuck felt his throat tightening, finding himself at a loss for words. It was strange, he didn't know what to say for the first time tonight. He felt unsteady, off balance, like someone had flipped the script.
Gazing away from her conversation to find Austin, her eyes widened when she saw him engaged in conversation with Chuck. Taking a deep breath she made polite excuses before stepping away from her current conversation and walking around the edge of the group. Her heart was racing as she made her way towards them, she was nervous to interrupt this conversation, nervous to interact with Austin and Chuck together and nervous just to speak to Chuck for the first time since the proposal.
I will be calm. I will act totally normal. I am giving this a try. She spoke to herself as she approached. Taking one last deep breath to calm her nerves she plunged in head first. Wrapping her arms around Austin she looked first up at Austin, then over to Chuck a smile on her face. "Not giving Austin the third degree are you?"
Austin looked down at her, instantly filled with warmth at her presence, instinctively wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side. "I don't mind." He spoke before looking back up at Chuck and Nate. "I'm glad your friends are protective; it means they care."
Blair's eyes followed Austin's gaze, but she was startled finding Chuck's on her. He was staring at her in a way she'd almost forgotten about; there was so much in that gaze, so many moments and so much heat. She withheld the small gasp that tried to escape at his penetrating gaze and the heat that rushed straight to her core.
Chuck jerked his gaze from Blair's as soon as he'd felt the heat that stormed through his body. He could hear the monster again raging up from his gut, fed by the warmth now building in his center. This was wrong.
"Dinner's ready." Gwen spoke stepping into the living area where everyone had gathered.
Chuck immediately shook himself out of it and turned towards his fiancé without another word.
Nate looked quickly to Serena and Dan questioningly, this was already bad, how much worse could it get? When he realized Chuck had turned on his heels and left, Nate followed quickly.
Austin paused for a moment his arms still wrapped around Blair as the rest of the party moved towards the dining room. Turning her toward him he placed a soft kiss to her forehead before meeting her eyes. "Everything okay?" He asked softly. He'd felt her tension during the brief conversation with Chuck and it worried him; he knew she was dealing with a lot.
Blair nodded quickly a smile on her face. "I'm fine, that went better than expected actually. I knew tonight would be weird."
Austin nodded because she was right, at least there hadn't been fireworks; parts of the evening so far had even felt easy. But he'd felt her tension just then, he could still feel it. "If you need anything at all just say the word."
Leaning her head on his shoulder she smiled to herself. It was strange being around them both at the same time. It did strange things to her body, almost like she was pulled in different directions – she wondered if that's why Chuck was always stranger when she and Gwen were both around – maybe it was the same for him. She wasn't sure what she'd expected but it hadn't been this tug of war inside her. Her equilibrium was totally off and it was starting to feel like the pressure inside was worsening. Breathing deeply into Austin's shirt she smiled; she needed to get used to this strangeness, she had to. Pulling back she gave him the quickest of kisses. "I love you." She spoke before taking his hand and turning him towards the dining room.
Chuck exhaled, leaning back against the wall to try to control the tremor he felt through his body at what he'd just witnessed. He'd gone back to refill his scotch once more when he'd seen the two of them standing there, casually touching each other. But there was so much more than could be seen in one touch, he could sense it coming off of them; there was so much care in every movement, every word. This is not what he thought this would feel like.
Pushing off the wall, Chuck walked into the dining room mentally cursing himself when he realized the seating arrangement that had played out while he'd been…getting his drink. He was stuck sitting directly across from Austin and Gwen across from Blair. Forcing his face into a mask he took a seat and lifted his glass. "Now that everyone has a drink I just wanted to give a quick toast. I'm so happy that all of you could be here with us tonight to celebrate our engagement. As most of you know, most of my life has been far from ideal but for the first time I can honestly say that I have everything I want in life." He paused, feeling the words he'd planned to say catch in his throat as he met Blair's gaze and his entire body seemed to flame. Breaking away he looked back to Gwen and smiled. "The love of my life and the kind of friends that are more than friends; for the first time I truly feel as though I have a family."
Blair felt the air leave her chest in a quick gasp and knew it had been audible. Not ideal, but she couldn't help it. There was a knife sticking out of her chest, there had to be. The world seemed to spin around her, her vision fading to black as the words Gwen began to speak melted into nothing. She actually felt herself glance down, surprised at the lack of a hilt protruding from her heart.
The surprise was enough to pull her back to the present in time to lift her glass in a toast with the others. She knew the drill, meet everyone's gaze as you clink their glass but when she came to Chuck she wasn't sure she could do it. He'd said this was the first time he'd felt like he had a family and he'd meant it. But she'd been his family, before everything else that had happened, before leaving or weddings, or babies and engagements. She'd been his family even when they weren't together. She needed him to own that statement. Clinking her glass with his she flicked her eyes to meet his head on, only to find that he was looking at the freckle just to the left of her eyes, on her forehead and just like that she could breathe.
Chuck felt as though his heart were in a vise grip. He didn't have to meet her gaze to see the accusation of betrayal in Blair's eyes. He could practically hear her voice in his head, 'I was always your family' but she'd left. Gwen was his family now. 'You didn't have to lie, to pretend it didn't happen.' He hadn't lied. 'The first time.' He hadn't thought about it, the words had just come out. 'Liar.' And as the conversation played in his head, his blood seemed to boil. She didn't get to call him a liar.
Blair's brow furrowed in confusion as her eyes remained on Chuck; he seemed lost in his head. She felt Austin's hand on hers then under the table and quickly tilted her head toward him.
"You sure you're okay?" Austin asked softly. He could see she was about to answer but spoke again before she did, his thumb lightly running over her hand in his. "Because it's okay if you're not."
Blair felt the smile that eased onto her face like an exhale. He really was perfect. "Yeah, I'm sure." Turning back to the dinner table she joined in on a conversation Gwen was having with Eli as though she'd been paying attention the entire time, lucky that she already had the background info. "So you still haven't made a decision on the Southeast Asia position?"
Gwen shook her head. "No and I know what you're going to say. My candidate, the one I wanted might not be a possibility anymore."
Eli tilted her head. "This is the guy the company didn't like right."
"Let's just say he's had a rocky history." Gwen scoffed.
"Well why isn't he a possibility?" Blair asked taking a sip of her drink and feeling herself relax into the conversation as the liquid burned down her throat.
Gwen exhaled. "He's demanding more…accommodations than we'd originally agreed upon and there's another external candidate on my radar now so I may not need him."
Chuck nodded his head as though he were paying any attention to the ladies conversation but he's mind was still looping over the scene he'd watched play out only moments ago. Blair had gone from focused on him to relaxed with a few whispered words and the touch of Austin's hand. He'd never seen her like that with anyone, maybe not even with him. She looked so at ease. Swallowing, he pushed back the strange feelings threatening to push to the forefront. He was about to join a conversation that Nate and Serena were having with Eric and Jason about their classes when he noticed Austin left hand slide along Blair's arm until his hand was under the table with hers. He could see her shiver from here and watched as she leaned closer to him.
Blair was surprised at the contact she felt from Austin, he was unusually touchy tonight; he likely thought she needed the support and he wasn't wrong. She smiled in thanks as he comfortingly squeezed her hand, exchanging a quick glance to let him know she appreciated it.
Chuck saw Austin smirk as Blair's hand lifted above the table to her drink; but he noticed Austin's hand stayed below the table Chuck might as well have been able to see through the hard oak, he knew where Austin's hand was now, resting on her thigh. Touching her, feeling her tremble beneath him. God this was practically obscene.
Giving Austin's hand a squeeze in return, she withdrew and reached for her drink. They were still working on things, she didn't want to tease him or make him think she was ready to move things along. "You're going to have to force the chef to give me the recipe for this salad; I don't know what he put in it but the mixture is perfect."
"Do you cook?" Gwen asked in surprise. "Not that salad is hardcore or anything, but you said that like you cook."
Blair smiled. "I dabble from time to time."
Austin couldn't help himself, he laughed aloud. "She does a bit more than dabble. You should have her eggs benedict sometime, it's my personal favorite. She's amazing."
Chuck felt his head swim as he watched them. Eggs benedict was their thing; it's what she made him that first morning in the Hamptons. Austin shouldn't be allowed to claim it. He almost said so right then but was silenced when he saw Blair's gaze flick to his own. It was brief but it was enough. Slowly he felt his breathing calm; she knew it was their thing too.
Eric leaned over to Serena, tilting his head towards her ear his voice low. "You want to tell me what's going on down there." He asked watching a silent melodrama unfold.
Serena followed Eric's gaze and sighed to herself. "Now is not the time."
Eric shrugged. "Well at least tell me why Chuck looks like he might jump across the table and punch Austin? Or why Blair keeps shutting Austin down every time he touches her? Or why Chuck can't seem to see that she's brushing Austin off?"
Serena's brow furrowed. In truth she hadn't noticed anything remarkable about their interaction thus far; but Eric was always more observant than the rest of them. "It's complicated." She spoke, looking to the far side of the table to try to catch Dan's eye. She couldn't quite make eye contact with Dan – as he was on her side of the table and staring directly at Chuck – but she did lock eyes with Steph whose lifted eyebrows told her that Chuck and Blair were more noticeable than she'd thought.
Steph switched her gaze to Dan and smirked. "Your next novel is going to be the easiest one yet. It's going to write itself – well really they're writing it for you."
Narrowing his gaze Dan exhaled a slight hint of his exasperation evident. "You and Nate have got to stop saying that."
"It's true." Steph spoke playfully ignoring Dan's annoyed glare. "Well it could throw a wrench in it if Bianca and Clarke don't end up together – I'm not sure I could sell that story to the publisher. I guess you'd have to change the ending…"
Dan's annoyance melted as Steph trailed off, his curiosity spiking. "What do you mean I'd have to change the ending?"
Steph rolled her eyes. "That would be a horrible book and the reviews would be terrible. No one wants to read that Bianca and Clarke don't end up together."
"But what if that's reality?" Dan spoke leaning toward her almost imperceptibly. "I don't want to take away my narrator's credibility"
"No one cares about reality." She replied, finding herself leaning into the conversation. "Sure Dylan's the lens that the reader's touch the story, but the most concurrent overarching storyline is the Clarke/Bianca love story. Besides most of the third book is based on illusion – sure the ending is real but everything else is an elaborate lie Bianca is telling which makes her hardly credible."
Dan rolled his eyes. "Yeah but that's Bianca, not Dylan. Dylan's always been a credible narrator."
"Says the guy who wrote his character a sex scene with the girl he was in love with." Steph scoffed before crossing her arms. This was silly, it wasn't even an appropriate dinner conversation, especially considering their company regardless of the fact that no one was paying them any attention. She just needed to think of something to inspire Dan to write again, if he didn't pick right back up now that Life & Lies was at the publisher he'd go on some kind of sabbatical, she knew him too well. Just as Dan was opening his mouth it hit her and she leaned forward quickly. "That's it."
"What?" Dan asked confused, he'd been about to change the subject.
Steph looked down the table at their friends, then back at Dan. "Lies, credibility, point of view, all of your novels have utilized this to some extent. First you viewed the world through Dylan's eyes so everything was colored by his conception. The introspective on Dylan, is completely from his point of view, so much so that all the other action is only a device used to make him realize the person he's becoming. And of course Bianca's story." She paused realizing her husband was still lost. "That's what the fourth novel needs – you can do the whole thing utilizing different points of view, each POV can be what that character is seeing, experiencing, remembering. The novel can unfold through the different POV's but the reader themselves is going to have to be the one to determine which characters are credible and what's really going on."
Dan could feel his pulse pick up even as Steph's voice climbed in her excitement; an excitement that was contagious. "There would need to be at least one obviously conflicting POV at some point either early on so the readers are alerted or maybe, not until the middle." He felt himself leaning in again, his fingers were practically itching to start typing. "If I waited until the middle, readers would be forced to re-examine everything they thought they knew about the characters."
Steph smirked at her husband. "It's going to be complicated. Can you do it?"
Dan felt himself nodding almost feverishly. "I'd need to really plan things out, make sure there weren't any plot holes; but yeah I could do it."
"What are they doing down there?" Austin asked Blair and Gwen as he gestured towards the end of the table past Thomas and Eli.
Both girls gave non-committal shrugs as neither had been paying attention; but Eli turned her head towards the center of the table and laughed. "I'm pretty sure they're writing a book."
Blair and Chuck's eyes snapped first to each other, exchanging an alarmed glance before down to Dan and Steph who'd grown quiet at the realization that most of the table was now staring at them.
Nate shrugged and rolled his eyes. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who thought Dan would end up with a book four out of this mess. "They do this sometimes."
Blair turned to Nate and glared. "You're only nonchalant about this because you're basically a filler character."
"Says the protagonist." Chuck shot with a half-smile.
Blair rolled her eyes. "I was barely in Wishing Wells."
"I think the fact that book three is all about you more than adequately compensates." Chuck spoke just as Austin said. "I'm so lost in this conversation."
It was instantaneous that Blair and Chuck realized their mistake. They'd been talking about Dan's books. Books Austin knew nothing about and Gwen thought were mostly fiction; and the new one…there was no telling who did or didn't know about the new one. Their eyes connected quickly, Blair forced her face to remain blank, not wanting to draw any more attention. For that brief moment the strange tension they'd felt earlier was gone, replaced by something she hadn't felt with Chuck in a long time: they were a team, they could work their way out of this.
Chuck felt something familiar snap into place and for the moment didn't question it; instead just going with it. United front, that was the way out of this mess; they just had to trust that their friends still remembered how to follow their lead. Nodding his head quickly at Blair he smirked in Austin's direction. "Dan is a writer. His book series is loosely based on all of us." He spoke gesturing around the table. "Blair's character was popular and mostly missing from his second book, so Dan's new book is about her."
"I knew he was a writer. She's showed me a couple of his New Yorker stories but I didn't realize there were books." He added inclining his head towards Blair. "Wait, am I in it? The new book I mean." Austin asked, eyes widening as he looked around the table. It was clear how much everyone knew about this from their faces – some of the other dinner guests looked almost as confused as he did but others not so much. Eric and Gwen seemed mildly curious but pleasantly so, Serena and Nate looked borderline agitated, Dan and Steph both a bit at a loss for words, only Chuck and Blair seemed to really know what was going on.
Blair tilted her head to the side and placed her hand on Austin's arm. Smiling warmly at him she nodded. "You're in it. But like Chuck said, it's certainly not non-fiction."
It was then that a pregnant pause seemed to fill the room as everyone waited to see what would happen. Blair held her face still, she'd said what she needed to say for now; yes there would be a time before the book came out that Austin would need to know more if they were going to work things out but there was time for that. Now she just needed someone to chime in that wasn't Chuck, someone to say they were telling the truth.
Chuck swallowed uncomfortably as Austin's head turned toward him – if he supported Blair's statement again that just made them both look like liars. Why wasn't Serena or Nate saying anything? Were they trying to cause more problems?
"Yeah, don't worry, Dan and Blair never actually slept together." Steph's voice cut across the table drawing all heads toward her.
Laughter broke out amongst them and for the first time in several minutes Blair felt like she could breathe. Looking to Chuck she gave him a small smirk, which he returned with a nod.
"And I'm not a self-obsessed party girl who never has to work for anything." Serena called out defensively. Sure her character had gotten a bit of a reprieve in Wishing Wells but Insider still stung.
Eric shrugged. "I am gay though."
"Obviously." Jason chimed in with a laugh.
Austin was still looking around at everyone, still a little confused when his eyes landed on Gwen who leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the table and her head on her hands. "You've really never read Insider? I thought everyone had."
At that Austin's eyebrows shot into his forehead and he quickly looked around the table, this time with new eyes. Of course he'd read Insider, Gwen was right, everyone had. Glancing over the faces certain things seemed to click together, making the whole thing seem obvious. "Dan is Dylan?" When Dan nodded, he felt more certain and began to look from face to face, naming them as he met their gaze. "Clarke, Sabrina, Evan, Nick, and Bianca?" He finished looking at Blair.
Blair nodded, not sure yet how Austin felt, there was still too much surprise in his face for anything else to be readable. She was waiting for the questions about her behavior in either book – after all Wishing Wells talked about her leaving though it was more of a 'one minute she was running off to marry a Prince, the next she was back burning bridges with all of her friends' kind of thing. Her exit in Wishing Wells had been relatively early in the book with her last conversation with Dylan being the first shove towards him realizing the type of person he was becoming and then she'd gotten on a plane and left New York.
Chuck had been watching carefully to see what would happen next, almost unfeelingly numb. He'd finally paused to realize what it was that he'd felt earlier with Blair. He'd forgotten that feeling that happened when they worked together, forgotten that even when they hated each other they were a team. The connection was strange; they'd both just known what they needed to say and when. What he'd felt with her then was so sharp and strong that it was still echoing through him. He wanted to reach out and touch her but part of him felt like he didn't need to, because even sitting across from her he still felt as though he was closer than touching her.
I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
"That's so awesome." Austin spoke, a smile broadening across his face. "Really it's one of my favorite books written in the last decade." He said to Dan before leaning into Blair and kissing her neck. Speaking softly his nose brushed against her ear. "It's kind of weird, I always had a bit of a thing for Bianca and I never even knew."
Blair laughed uncomfortably, her eyes glancing away to find Chuck's. Austin's reaction had surprised her sure; but she couldn't explain this sudden desire to see what Chuck thought about it. When her eyes found his, she felt herself freeze. It was almost as though ice water had been poured through her veins. The look on Chuck's face, she couldn't describe it, he looked so…angry and, well the only word she could think of to describe it was betrayed.
Chuck felt his breathing quicken as he watched them. He hadn't known until Austin had spoken that he'd fully expected Austin to be angry, to cause some kind of scene. He hadn't known that that's what he wanted to happen; for Austin to be a boy and storm off. The anger that seemed to overwhelm him then was almost too much, he didn't have a right to feel this way but he couldn't help it and he couldn't help the feeling that sent him spiraling when Austin kissed her neck.
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
Serena leaned around Austin and looked at Blair. She'd been watching both Blair and Chuck very careful and knew that this time that there needed to be some kind of intervention or people who knew less than she did were going to get suspicious. "When were you going to tell me there's a third book?"
Blair shook her head and shrugged. "I wasn't sure you didn't know to start with. Didn't you give my stuff to Dan?"
"For Wishing Wells." Serena spoke with a strange look on her face. Was this why Dan and Blair had been spending so much time together? If it was, why had neither of them told her.
Dan saw what Serena was doing and tried to help out. "There was so much material that the book was easy."
Blair gave a half smile as she cut her eyes to Dan. "Thanks…I guess." When Blair realized everyone was looking at her in confusion she shrugged. "The book doesn't paint the most flattering portrait of me."
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
"You've read it?" Gwen asked, a small smile on her face as she leaned further forward. She couldn't help but be curious as to what exactly Dan had written about Blair.
Blair nodded. "A few months ago." She realized then that she'd put an interesting timeline on the book if anyone were paying attention – she hoped they weren't. "But like I said, not flattering, the book makes me out to be foolish and very…what's the opposite of self-aware?"
"Like we've already established, it's fiction." Dan shrugged before furrowing his brow. "And that's what you chose to take offense to? Rather than the lying, betraying, manipulating, and sleeping around?"
Blair lifted an eyebrow. "Well I didn't say it was all fiction." She knew she'd said the right thing when the room broke into laughter, she could practically feel the tension ease.
Chuck could feel Gwen's hand on his under the table and pulled his eyes away from Blair to give her a smile, realizing as he did that it was forced.
It was only a kiss
It was only a kiss
"I take it you're in this book too?" Gwen asked her voice teasing.
Chuck nodded. "I haven't read it yet so I don't know if there's anything I need to warn you about or not."
Gwen lifted her brows playfully. "Have you been keeping deep dark secrets from me Chuck Bass?"
Even Chuck knew his smirk wasn't natural, it tugged down around the edges; but he had to shake this off and to do that he needed to play along. "Closets full of skeletons, actually probably houses or even cities full. You really don't know what you're getting into."
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
Blair could hear their conversation across the table even as she spoke with Eli about the books. When Chuck spoke, everything else seemed to blur together. She heard him mention his skeletons and couldn't help remember saying the same thing to Austin earlier, she wondered if Austin noticed as well.
Gwen smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment. "Whatever will I do with you?" She spoke a smile in her voice, before adding softly. "I love you. I know everything I need to know."
Chuck turned his head placing a soft kiss on her forehead, feeling guilty for no ascertainable reason. "Once I've read it, I'll let you know if it says anything outlandishly false, just so you're prepared. That's what I meant."
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Conversation began to settle back into a normal rhythm but even then Chuck could feel his eyes drifting back to Blair. It was like she was holding a magnet that pulled his eyes back to hers. The harder he tried to look anywhere but at her, the more forced and unnatural he felt. It didn't help that every time his eyes found themselves on her, Austin was touching her in some way. Every time he touched her the monster inside him seemed to feed on it, growing larger and stronger within him. It was then that he heard it, the question that was sure to be the end of him tonight.
"Okay now you have to explain why Blair needed a date for tonight. I've waited long enough." Thomas proclaimed his voice cutting through everything else.
With Thomas's words, Chuck felt his body go completely numb. This shouldn't be of interest to him, this shouldn't matter to him at all, it didn't matter. Just like he didn't care that Austin had moved his arm so his hand was resting on Blair's shoulder where his thumb was slowly running circles. And he definitely didn't care that he watched her shiver at his touch. No, he didn't care at all.
And they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
Serena frowned and looked quickly from Nate, to Dan, to Steph, all of whom she was beginning to consider her compatriots in this mess. Each of them was wearing similar expressions to her own, as each of their gazes moved to Chuck and Blair. She knew that none of them would miss the tension that seemed to be shooting through Chuck's spine as he stiffened before them, it would have been virtually impossible not to notice unless you didn't want to see it.
Steph leaned closer to Dan and smirked, her voice a low hum. "It's a shame you don't have your recorder with you for this one."
Dan lifted an eyebrow and quickly touched his pocket where sure enough his recorder sat; whether he wanted to admit it or not, he'd come prepared. He realized immediately that this was one of those things about him that bordered on despicable…making a profit off of his friends, particularly when he hadn't even told them that recording was something he'd started to do rather frequently.
"They're our friend's right?" Austin asked as he looked to Blair and swallowed, his eyes searching hers for the answer he was supposed to give. He was feeling particularly high on life tonight and closer to her than ever, but he could never be certain they were completely on the same page. When she gave him a nod with a slight smile, his own tentative smile broke into a grin and he cleared his throat.
And it's all my head
But she's touching his chest now
Blair wasn't quite sure what Austin was about to do, but when he looked at her with those eyes, both hopeful and searching she couldn't bring herself to interject. If he wanted to answer this one, she'd let him; she didn't even know how to answer it without lying.
"Blair and I have been on a little break." Austin spoke assuredly. "She left me." He added with a quick almost playful look at Blair. "But I know she just needed to reevaluate some things so I gave her the space to do that. But I couldn't let her go, couldn't give up on us so I came back to fight for her."
Blair couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at Austin's words. It wasn't that they weren't true but she almost felt like he was putting words in her mouth.
Gwen could sense Chuck beside her even though he was so still it almost worried her. It was sweet though, that he cared about his old friend so much, she knew he just wanted what was best for Blair, they all did. "So does that mean you're still on track for a December wedding?" Gwen asked, smiling at the couple.
She takes off her dress now
Let me go
Blair's eyes widened at Gwen's question, she hadn't expected that and didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure yet, they hadn't gotten that far and she thought she'd told Gwen that. What was Gwen up to? Was she baiting her? Before she could craft a diplomatic answer she heard Austin speak and had to hold back a wince. She could tell simply by his tone that this was not going to go well.
"Most definitely." Austin spoke with a bright smile, a bravado to his voice that only Blair might know was forced. Something about Blair's friends had him feeling as though he needed to prove himself, to lay some sort of claim even if he might be slightly exaggerating. "Everything's still booked, nothing was canceled and the venues my parent's plantation house in Charleston so that's taken care of."
Blair stared straight ahead, watching as Chuck's face lost its pallor. She knew there were other people at the table, people she'd been careful to be cognizant of but right now she couldn't seem to look anywhere else.
Chuck's words came unbidden from his mouth, his eyes narrowing as he looked to Blair's left ring finger. He was aware that his hands were shaking and clutched tightly to his thighs to shield their movements. "I didn't realize. I thought the wedding was canceled when I didn't see a ring."
I just can't look it's killing me
And taking control
Blair could feel Austin tense beside her and placed a hand on his thigh, she needed to nip this in the bud, now. Speaking more quietly than the boys she was careful to keep her voice calm. "I thought we agreed…"
Austin grinned almost sheepishly. "Come on Blair, they're your friends. It isn't a big deal."
Chuck's stomach turned as he watched her touch him. He'd been watching him put his hands on her all night, but this is the first time she'd made initial contact. The hatred and anger he felt was vile. He wasn't jealous; he didn't get to be jealous.
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Churning on sick lullabies
Choking on your alibi
Blair frowned, feeling tension of her own in her shoulders. This was still a pissing contest, how had she missed that. "This is a private matter Austin; we don't need to drag everyone I know into it."
Austin reached out and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "We both know we're going to end up back there darling; what's the point in acting like we don't?"
This time Chuck actually felt the bile rise up in his throat as anger seemed to course through him at an uncontrollable rate. He couldn't listen to this anymore he couldn't be here or he would do or say something more he shouldn't. He couldn't control himself anymore, he couldn't control the monster.
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
"Was that your phone?" Gwen asked, leaning close to Chuck and gesturing to his blackberry, clutched tightly in his hand.
Chuck snapped to attention as he realized Gwen was right, his phone was beeping. Without even looking at his screen he stood. "You'll have to excuse me for a minute. Business." He added holding up his phone and staring somewhere at the other end of the table before walking out of the dining room and towards his office.
The voices at the table become blurred as he made his exit. When he heard Blair's voice again carrying over the rest of the conversation, his steps picked up. By the time he reached the stairs that led up to the second level, he was practically racing. His hands were shaking again; this time so violently that he couldn't control them. Turning into his office it all became too much, the emotions, the feelings seemed to crash through him as he slammed his hands against his desk.
Open up my eager eyes
'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside
"I'm not supposed to care, I'm not supposed to feel this way." He said to himself as he rocked against the desk. "Focus Bass, you are over her. You were over her. Gwen and I were happy. But now watching him…watching him put his hands on her, makes me physically ill." He muttered to himself, stomach flipping at the thought.
Austin reaching out and touching her hair, his thumb lingering for just a moment on her face as though he were memorizing it.
Clenching his eyes closed he tried to force back the image that seemed to be assaulting him; an image that seemed to multiply within his brain.
I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
He tried to stop it, he'd tried to force it back but he couldn't do it. He couldn't keep the images away. It was as though they were burned into his memory, damning him to watch them play over and over again in a constant looping stream of abject horrors.
Blair's smile as her eyes met Austin's, exchanging a private glance that only they understood. Their connection was practically visible.
He was over her, it had taken years for him to get over her but he'd done it. He'd finally moved passed her, and then he'd had to move past the hole he dug himself during the time right after she'd left. He had to do damage control at his company; but more than that, he'd had to remember how to be himself without her. And he had done it! So how had this happened? How had he gone from being so completely over her to forcing back bile at the thought of another man's hands on her?
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
This was his fault, he'd wanted it all. He'd wanted to have Gwen and still find a way for Blair to be in his life. He thought he could handle that. His stupidity had done this. It had taken him so long, so fucking long to move on and now he was back at square one with her worming through his brain.
Their hands, both under the table. Blair shivering deliciously at his contact as Austin ran his hand up her thigh, high enough to cause her to tremor.
His resolve had been dissolving for a while, he'd known that but this complete and utter lack of control was new. He'd started seeing her in his mind after that day in her room, that day when she'd kissed him. But even then he'd had a handle on it, it wasn't like this.
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
No…this hadn't started until he'd admitted aloud that he was always going to love her, he'd admitted it and then he'd kissed her. "Fuck." Chuck flinched as the assault continued, featuring highlights from dinner, flickering blindingly through his mind.
Blair's lips as she leaned close to Austin, their red gloss moving in slow motion against his ear in a whisper for him alone. Her eyes cut to the side and connected with Chuck's even as her lips froze where they were.
Chills shot up Chuck's spine as he thought of the pressure of her lips on any part of Austin. He could practically feel the heat of her breathe against his neck. Her lips an illusion on his skin.
It was only a kiss
It was only a kiss
Jerking himself he shook his head. No this wasn't his fault, this was her fault.
He'd been fine, he was over her. She was the one who came back and wrecked everything. And now, now she was trouncing this fiancé of hers around in front of him trying to make him jealous – this was exactly what she'd wanted to happen all along.
And now here he was, warring with himself – or something inside of him that was trying to desperately crawl it's way to the surface. He knew what it was, he knew it all too well; that part of him that he thought he'd buried so long ago, the part that would always be hers.
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
He flinched out of his mental tirade as more images flashed through his brain as though they were memories too. And this this was worse, because he knew they weren't; which meant he couldn't even rationalize them.
Austin leading her onto the sidewalk, tucking his coat around her as she hailed a cab, before drawing her close enough to kiss. Snow was falling softly around them as Austin drew her even closer, acting out one of Blair's daydreams. The gentle kiss quickly tumbling into something more passionate as he pulled her tightly against him, sheltering her from the snow and warming her from the cold.
Intellectually he knew it wasn't real, he'd never seen that and being that they'd only lived in California together when dating, he doubted it could have happened. Besides only his imagination would add in the snow, to make the image even more perfect for Blair. But that wasn't enough to stop his imagination from spiraling dangerously out of control.
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
The monster in him roared at the new affront. What he had seen was evolving into more and the more was enough to send him crashing into the twisted oblivion that was loving her, missing her, being jealous of people with her. Her. Blair.
His. No…Mine.
Blair leaning back against the seat of the limo, before turning her head in Austin's direction. Whispering something to him as he leaned towards her in an action Chuck knew so well. Austin placing his hand on her thigh and drawing her in, his lips once more a hair away from hers.
MINE!
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
He clutched his head tightly, feeling the world spin as he paced the room.
This wasn't happening not again, he couldn't go through this again. But he couldn't control it now any more than he ever could. It didn't matter how he'd ended up back in this place, he was there.
He wasn't in control of this anymore, maybe he was an idiot for thinking that he ever had been in control.
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
But the admission didn't make it stop, at this point he wasn't sure that there was anything thing that could.
A dark bedroom, Austin's hands running along the sides of her body – worshiping her. Blair's labored breathing, hitching as Austin's hands found the hem of her skirt and tugged it up and over her head. Her head tilting back, bearing her neck with the rest of her body as his lips and hands moved immediately to her skin. Her sigh…
He was losing his mind. Chuck thought quickly as he slammed his hands down onto his desk, groaning in frustration as he gripped until his knuckles were white with the strain.
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest now
He could feel his pulse pounding through every inch of his body. No one was supposed to touch her, not like that, not like he had. That look was his. That sound was his to hear alone. No one else was supposed to make her sound like that.
Mine.
Blair's back arched off the bed as Austin entered her in one perfectly controlled thrust, her hips rocketing to meet his and draw him further into her. His hands gripping hers above her head as he entered her again and again, moving completely in sync.
She takes off her dress now
Let me go
Chuck was shaking uncontrollably as he felt himself rock on his heels. He didn't want to see these things, didn't want to be imagining them. "Calm down Bass, that's all this is. It's your fucking imagination."
Talking to himself seemed to be working for a moment. Even though he could still see his imagined images playing on loop, his heart rate was finally slowing down, he had control of his emotions – or he thought he did.
Blair reached up in the midst of their throws and touched Austin's face. Meeting his gaze head on she slowed him down until she had his undivided attention before she smiled. "I love you, you know. I think I always have."
Cause I just can't look it's killing me
And taking control
"NO!" He exclaimed in anger as he slung his arm across his desk, sending its contents flying. He was over her, he didn't care. He loved Gwen. He wasn't jealous. There was nothing in him that still belonged to her…Blair. Nothing.
"Are you okay?" Blair spoke, taking a few tentative steps into Chuck's office. She'd excused herself to go to the bathroom as soon as she could after that fiasco without drawing attention to herself, but she hadn't made it that far. She had heard Chuck as she walked to the end of the hall and her heart had started to pound in her chest. Against her better judgment she'd walked quickly and quietly up the stairs, following her instincts. When his door had been open she just couldn't help herself.
Chuck's head snapped up, eyes immediately connecting with Blair's. His defenses were lowered and the sight of her in that moment was enough.
Jealousy
Turning saints into the sea
He acted without thought and in two quick steps he reached her, placing his hands on her shoulders and pulling her into him. His lips crashed into hers as he continued his movement, slamming her against the door, closing it as he pressed her against it, entire body flush against hers.
Blair's head snapped back hitting the door; but her mouth parted instantly allowing him entrance. He invaded her senses in every way possible, causing a shock to her system. She braced herself against the door, one hand pressed against the knob to steady herself, the other coming quickly to his shoulder. His movements were rough and unapologetic, leaving no room for resistance but her body wouldn't have let her even if she had tried; rather she felt herself kissing him back, just as hard.
Swimming through sick lullabies
Chocking on your alibis
He dug his fingers tightly into her hair as he pressed her harder against the door. They'd kissed in recent weeks, twice, but both times he'd been keeping himself carefully in control; but he wasn't in control this time…nowhere close. Touching her now, tasting her now, it was like he was alive for the very first time in longer than he could remember.
Blair gasped as his grip on her hair tightened, pulling back her head and giving him access to her bared neck. She felt his teeth scrape against her skin, from her nape to her jaw eliciting a sigh from deep within her.
There it was. Chuck smirked against the hollow of her throat. There was that sound his was looking for. His sound. Reaching lower with his free hand he grasped the back of her thigh feeling the strap of her garter and jerked, lifting her foot quickly from the ground and hooking her leg around his waist.
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Gasping in surprise, Blair felt herself lifted until her center was pressed tightly against him. When she felt his hand leave her hair and land on her still grounded leg, she acquiesced his unspoken request, wrapping both her legs around him, allowing her dress to bunch around the tops of her thighs. Gripping his hair in her hand, she fisted it to give herself some form of purchase to hold on to.
Feeling the movement of her dress, he pushed harder against her forcing it further up around her waist, her full garters becoming visible to him. These she'd worn to torment him, she'd had to, she knew how the sight of her in lingerie affected him. The monster roared seemingly in triumph and his hands found her ass, jerking her more tightly to him before backing from the door.
Open up your eager eyes
Cause I'm Mr. Brightside
With Chuck's movement Blair's hand still holding purchase on the knob of the door quickly released, wrapping tightly around his neck as they tumbled backwards into the room. She felt him turn as his mouth found hers again, barely registering when her backside landed on something hard.
Pressing her into his desk, Chuck's hands immediately found their way under her knees. Leaning into her he ran them up along her stocking clad thighs, tracing up her garters all the way to her La Perla clad ass. Running one hand smoothly across the front of her panties he smirked at how wet she was. You still get wet for me.
I never
Blair's head titled back as she felt his mouth, warm against her panties. Her hands pressed against the desk below her to hold herself in position. The sensations she was feeling were too much, she was about to cum and he'd barely touched her and even then through a layer of cloth. Reaching down with one hand, she fisted his hair, yanking his mouth back up to hers.
Grinning dangerously, Chuck moved up her body, steady like a predator on the prowl. His head dragged its way up her front, his body stepping in between her legs, thoroughly spreading her out before him.
Mine.
I never
Blair could feel her heart pounding in her chest, so loudly that she couldn't feel anything but that and the pulse of blood throbbing through her body. She felt Chuck's hands under her dress, pulling at the sides of her panties. He would rip them if he pulled much harder, but she couldn't bring herself to care about anything other than this.
Looking up from where his head was on her chest, Chuck's eyes connected with Blair's and the monster roared again. His hands fisted the delicate fabric of her underwear and with one sharp tug from both sides he felt them snap in his hand, his eyes never leaving her own.
I never
Blair jerked as she felt him pull her ripped panties from her, not seeing where he placed them as he grabbed her ass again, pulling her tightly against him. She could feel it then, him, pressing tightly against her core, throbbing with need. Swallowing tightly she met his gaze, leaning up and placing her lips on his, tugging his bottom lip between her teeth.
Grasping her face with one hand, he held her mouth against his as he reached down to the zipper on his pants. He didn't care anymore, he didn't care about anything but this. Taking her, right here, right now, and showing her that no other man would ever make her feel like this.
I never
Both of them were so lost in the moment that neither of them were ready for it when someone pressed the door the rest of the way open, the door that Blair's had unconsciously opened when she'd released the knob earlier to grasp onto Chuck as he'd backed away.
"What the fucking hell?"
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh I really hope you liked it! I haven't been this anxious for reactions in so long (I legit wrote the final scene of this YEARS ago, before I published anything for this FF). I can't wait to know what you thought (and who you think caught them!).
Song was Mr. Brightside by the Killers (all time favorite band). And a seating chart for the dinner party is below.
Reviews are love
xoxo
kate
Seating Chart:
Eric - Serena - Austin - Blair - Eli - Dan
Jason -Nate - Chuck - Gwen- Thomas -Steph