Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.

"Chuck Bass to see Jack Bass," Chuck entered the county jail.

The prison guard did a bit of a double take upon recognizing the powerful man on the other side of the glass.

"Yes, sir, you'll need to sign this waiver," the guard handed him the forms.

"Not my first time," Chuck quickly signed the paper and emptied his pockets before going through the metal detector.

"Have a seat," the guard instructed, "We'll see if he'll see you."

"He'll see me," Chuck muttered to himself while snatching up a magazine to keep himself entertained until Jack was rounded up. He wasn't surprised when he was almost immediately ushered into the visitor's area.

Jack slowly walked to his seat, his left arm tight at his side like he was holding himself together. His face was littered with bruises. His lip was split open and there was contempt in his eyes.

"Did you do this, Nephew?" were the first words out of Jack's mouth when be brought the phone receiver to his mouth.

Chuck's jaw dropped at the accusation. "No, Uncle," he shook his head vigorously.

"You said you could make my life uncomfortable," Jack reminded him.

"Physical violence isn't my style," Chuck responded, "Whoever tried to rearrange your face did so of their own accord. Perhaps your sparkling personality has made a few enemies."

"What do I need to do to ensure minimum security?" Jack gritted through his teeth.

"Tell me your true agenda, and you better be making me believe it," Chuck demanded, "If one whiff of it doesn't check out, your ass is getting locked up in Supermax."

"Fine," Jack released a dejected sigh.

"Was Serena your intended target?" Chuck asked.

"No," he responded, "I stumbled upon her by accident while wining and dining an investor."

"You mean some innocent victim you were trying to swindle money from as part of your embezzlement scheme," Chuck amended.

"She was having dinner with her brother," Jack replied, "After he left, she bellied up to the bar and demanded a bottle of tequila. She told me to get lost at first, and I did walk away."

"But," Chuck prompted him.

"I watched from afar as she pounded back one shot of tequila after another. I could have been a hobo by the end of the night, and she would have gone to bed with me. It was just an itch to scratch at first, but then I realized it could further my agenda," Jack responded.

"Which was?" Chuck asked.

"To suck Lily dry by getting her to invest with my company," Jack growled.

"You had to know Lily would never give you a penny," Chuck laughed, "You're not that stupid."

"I knew she'd never give it to me, but Serena would. All I needed was for her to set up a wire transfer one time and then I could do the rest," Jack responded.

"I would understand why you'd try to suck me dry, but why Lily? What has she ever done to you?" Chuck asked.

"You really have to ask?" Jack snorted, "Lily could have given me the reigns to Bass when my bastard brother died. It was my right as much as yours. Instead she gave it to some sniveling pipsqueak teenager who had zero clue about what Bass even did. The real pisser of it…you actually knew what you were doing. You walked in with zero training and Bass ended up being more successful in the first year than it ever was when your father ran it. How the hell did you pull that off?"

"There's no secret to my success," Chuck responded, "I owe everything to my wife. Every success I've ever had was because of her, because of her love and faith in me. Your downfall, you never let yourself truly love anyone aside from the person you saw when you looked in the mirror."

"I saw what love did to my brother," Jack growled, "I watched the man fall in love and then completely lose his soul when his wife died. I was never going through that."

"I never thought you were a complete imbecile until this moment," Chuck shook his head, "Being in love is the best feeling in the world. How you've never allowed yourself to experience it is entirely your loss. Not only did you miss out on the chance for love, you threw your life away completely because you couldn't let go of your hatred. You're going to be spending the rest of your life behind bars. Does that even compute in that tiny brain of yours?"

"Was I convincing enough for you?" Jack ignored his nephew's question.

"Only you could come up with such an idiotic plan," Chuck replied, "You had to know you were never going to succeed. You had to know the minute we realized Lily's money was gone we were going to zero in straight on you."

"By then I would be safely on my own little island enjoying the freedoms of no extradition sitting fruity drinks from glasses with cute little umbrellas," Jack laughed darkly.

"Serena wouldn't transfer money to you, would she?" Chuck suddenly realized.

Jack muttered under his breath.

"Try as those you might to charm her, she never fully trusted you," Chuck added with a laugh.

"She threw away her marriage for me, yet I wasn't good enough to trust with her money," Jack snorted.

"Don't you know you should never mix sex with money?" Chuck replied, "Hell, Bart taught me that."

"Chalk it up to another thing Bart failed to teach me," Jack muttered sarcastically.

"Cry me a freakin river," Chuck responded.

"How about it, Nephew, can you pull some strings and get me into minimum security?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to need something in return," Chuck replied, "I can't go to the U.S. Attorney's offices and ask for such a favor without offering them something in return."

"What are you asking for?" Jack asked.

"How about some show of good faith? Say… you plead guilty to the charges," Chuck offered.

"Do I look that stupid?" Jack scoffed.

"You're the one in the orange jumpsuit," Chuck pointed out.

"I'll consider pleading guilty if they allow me to plead to lesser charges with a possibility of parole at some point," Jack replied.

"Considering the charges they've brought against you, I think parole is a pipe dream," Chuck replied.

"It's worth a shot of asking," Jack countered.

"I'll bring your offer to them," Chuck stated.

"How about you hire me an attorney while you're at it. The public defender they've hired for me doesn't exactly seem up to the challenge," Jack stated, "With my assets currently frozen, I can't exactly hire myself the all star team I'll need to beat these charges."

"There you go again, thinking you have a chance to gain your freedom," Chuck shook his head.

"Come on, Nephew," Jack requested, "How about helping family out?"

"I've made it clear in the past, we're not family," Chuck calmly replied, "I have a family. They're waiting for me at home. You and I share nothing, never have, never will. My only goal in coming here is to see you never again intrude on the lives of those I love. I'll make sure you're comfortable in minimum security, if your story checks out, because a deal is a deal. After you're all settled, I can promise I'll never think about you again."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Nephew," Jack taunted him.

Chuck was done talking.


"Daddy," Aiden rushed towards he elevator when Chuck returned from his visit. He launched himself into his father's arms. "Where you go?"

"I had some grown up stuff to do," Chuck hugged him tight.

"Read me?" Aiden asked.

"In a bit," Chuck nodded his head, "I need to talk to Mommy first."

"Okay," Aiden squirmed until Chuck returned him to his feet. "I go pick out."

"Yes, go pick," Chuck patted his head before he darted off. He then went into his wife's office. She was at her drawing board working on her new line. He advanced towards her as quietly as he could.

"How'd it go with Jack?" Blair asked a moment before he could put his arms around her waist. She turned to see he was mildly disappointed he hadn't been able to sneak up on her as he'd intended. "You'll need to change up your cologne if you want to sneak up on me. Yours is permanently embedded in my soul."

"Good," he pressed his lips to hers, "Where are the children?"

"Nate took Brice and Barty to the park. Charlotte's having a sleepover with some of her friends from dance class," Blair replied.

"Only one child to entertain, I hope we're up to the task," Chuck smiled.

"You're dodging my question," she ran her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. "What was Jack's agenda?"

"To suck Lily's bank account dry and then live out the rest of his life on some tropical island," Chuck replied.

"What? Why Lily?" Blair looked to him in confusion.

"He's pissed she chose me to run Bass and not him," Chuck replied, "Honestly, I think there is more to the story."

"Like what?" she prompted him.

"I think he was in love with her, maybe even before Bart married her," Chuck replied.

"So banging Lily's daughter was a substitute for her?" Blair asked.

"I wouldn't exactly use those works considering your referring to my mother and my sister, but yes," Chuck confirmed.

"I'm looking at it from Jack's perspective not ours," Blair explained. "Does that mean he also had a thing for my mother because he banged me?"

"I think banging you was to get at me," Chuck replied.

"I wish I'd never let him touch me," Blair felt a shiver of disgust course down her spin.

"Makes two of us," Chuck ran his hands along her back.

"How about you take me into the bedroom and make me forget Jack Bass ever existed?" she whispered in his ear before biting temptingly at his lobe.

Chuck groaned in reply. "Regretfully I've already made plans for my afternoon with our son," Chuck moaned with regret.

"Must be Aiden," Blair snickered, "You snuck out without telling him. He's been pacing the halls, waiting for you to return."

"He caught me just as I stepped off the elevator," he laughed, "We have story time in our near future."

"We can have bed time later," Blair vowed.

"I'm holding you to that," he kissed her deeply. Blair whimpered when he stepped out of her embrace. He replied with a Cheshire grin. "Good to know I still have that effect on you."

"Always," she vowed.


Chuck found Aiden in his bedroom sorted through his books for the story he wanted his father to read to him.

"Ready, Buddy?" Chuck asked.

"No," the little boy pouted, "I can't find my book."

"Which book are you looking for?" Chuck knelt next to him.

"Awaddin," Aiden replied, "It not here."

"Let's check my office," Chuck suggested. He read 'Aladdin' to his son frequent. It was highly likely he'd left it behind the last time.

Aiden snatched up his father's hand and tugged him into Chuck's office. Sure enough, the book was sitting on the table next to the leather sofa. Aiden thrust the book into his father's hands and then guided him to the sofa. Once Chuck was comfortable, Aiden climbed into his lap and opened the book.

Chuck dutifully read the book through two times before Aiden was satisfied. He'd just closed the book when he noticed Blair standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Mommy," Aiden waved to her.

"Hi, Peanut," Blair advanced towards them.

"Daddy read me Awaddin," Aiden replied.

"I heard," she bent down to kiss his forehead.

"I wike Awaddin," Aiden proclaimed.

"I know you do," she chuckled, "Can you go play in your room? I need to talk to Daddy for a minute."

"Otay," he ambled out of the room.

"He sounds tired," Blair noted while watched her son stammer his way out of the room.

"Oh, yeah," Chuck agreed, "He's going to his bedroom to crash not play. He yawned his way through Agrabah."

"My sweet little boy," Blair smiled.

"You needed to speak with me," he prompted her.

"William's here to see you," Blair stated. "He's looking a bit jumpy."

"I'd better go see what he wants," Chuck sighed.

"I'm going to tuck Aiden in since it's highly unlikely he fell asleep on his bed," Blair replied.

"He does fall asleep in some rather interesting positions," Chuck laughed.

"Just like his daddy," Blair winked.

"Yes, but his mommy usually helps his daddy get into those positions," he sent her a wink of his own before he had his way to the entryway. "Mister van der Woodsen, what brings you to our home?"

"I was hoping to speak to you about something…personal," William shook Chuck's hand. "In private."

"My office," Chuck motioned him towards the available room. "Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, tea, espresso?"

"I don't want to take up much of your time," William rung his hands together.

"What can I do for you?" Chuck poured himself a glass of scotch from his private collection. He had a feeling he would need it.

"I've run into a bit of trouble at the hospital," William admitted, "I'm being sued for malpractice. A patient I treated died, and her family is looking for compensation. I did nothing wrong, but I already have a black mark on my record from many years ago. I can't afford another. The hospital is threatening to terminate my employment if the judgment goes against me."

"What do you need from me?" Chuck asked.

"I need your help in making it go away," William replied, "I don't care much how it's accomplished. I just need it to disappear. Lil's told me you have a fair bit of influence in this city."

"How do you want this to go down?" Chuck asked, "Do you want me to pay off the family? Dig up dirt on them to make it go away? Pay off a judge? Whatever you think Lily meant by influence, I play by the rules."

"I didn't mean to imply anything," William stammered out.

"What are you doing here, William?" Chuck asked, "You've been back in New York for years. You've never shown much interest in reuniting with your family until suddenly you're in need of money. Did you already ask Lily, and she refused to help you? Did you figure on asking Eric and Serena only to find their money is tied up in their trust funds? You figured, what the heck, Lily's adopted son is loaded, he'll help you out as a favor to Lil."

"I don't want to drag Lily or my children through hell," William replied, "I've caused them enough heartache over the years. If the press gets wind of this, it's going to be front page news. Serena and Eric don't deserve to be dragged through this."

"So this is to protect your children," Chuck let out a sardonic laugh, "Suddenly your children's wellbeing is important to you."

"Why the hell do you think I left the first time?" William barked out. "I didn't want to put my children through the hell which would have come with dragging all my problems out for everyone to see."

"Instead of fighting for your family, fighting for your children, you ran," Chuck growled. "I am so tired of cleaning up the messes of adults who were supposed to be carrying for and loving me and my loved ones. Life gets a bit complicated, and you all run for your lives. Good message to send to your offspring."

"I'm sorry for wasting your time," William translated Chuck's anger as denial of his request for assistance. He turned to leave the office.

"How do you want me to help?" Chuck asked a second time after taking a healthy gulp from his tumbler.

"I need the malpractice suit to get dismissed without a judgment," William replied.

"Best way to do get your desired result is to get the plaintiff to withdraw the petition," Chuck responded, "It also means a confidential settlement. What kind of funds do you have at your disposal?"

"Not much," William admitted, "I have a small savings, nothing like it will take to convince the family to withdraw. If it's a matter of repayment, I will agree to whatever plan you believe is fair. I'll live in squalor if need be."

Chuck took another drink from his glass. "Negotiate the settlement. I'll cover it."

"For what in return?" William asked.

"I'll need to consult my mother first," Chuck replied, "I'm assuming she already knows of your predicament."

"Your mother?" William looked to Chuck in bewilderment, "I thought your mother..."

"Lily," Chuck clarified, "Does she know about your suit?"

"Yes," William nodded.

"Once I know her feelings, I will decide on remuneration," Chuck replied.

"You want to know how much she thinks you should make me suffer," William translated.

"It's her call to make, not mine," Chuck took one final drink from the glass and then went to the bar to pour himself another, "Count yourself fortunate she's deciding your fate and not me. I don't have a lot of sympathy for absent fathers."

"No matter the outcome, I appreciate your willingness to help me," William responded, "I realize I'm nothing to you."

"You're my siblings' father," Chuck replied, "It makes you family. I never turn my back on family."

William nodded in appreciation and left. Blair ambled into her husband's office the moment William left. She'd heard Chuck's raised voice and knew she'd needed to defuse his mood.

Blair set aside Chuck's tumbler of scotch and planted herself in his lap. "Aiden is sound asleep in the tent you two created in his bedroom the other day. I wasn't about to get on my hands and knees to retrieve him, so I let him sleep."

"There are enough pillows to pad the floor," Chuck assured her.

"There's steam coming out of your ears, Sweetheart," Blair caressed the shell of his ear with a finger, "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

"Does it ever feel like we're cleaning up after the mistakes of our parents?" Chuck reached for his glass.

"They weren't perfect…far from it," Blair took the glass of scotch from him before he could take a drink.

"I went from being the Upper East Side's Mister Screw Up to Mister Fix It," Chuck sighed.

"Because you're an amazing man with an amazing heart," Blair caressed his chest.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" he asked while she nuzzled into his neck.

"There is no try in my vocabulary when it comes to seducing you," she nibbled at his lobe, "I always succeed in seducing you."

"My beautiful siren," he felt his eyes roll back in his head when she began sucking lightly at his Adam's apple.

"All these years and your pleasure points haven't change," Blair smiled into the skin.

"Neither has the siren who uses them," Chuck replied.

Just as Blair went for the buttons of his shirt, Aiden darted in.

"That was a quick nap, Peanut," Blair stated while Aiden climbed up Chuck's chair so he was sitting the lap of both of his parents.

"Daddy, can we play in the jungle?" Aiden asked.

"Is that where your tent is, Peanut?" Blair poked him in the belly.

"Yep," Aiden bobbed his head and then tugged on his father's hand, "Jungle time, Daddy."

"I can't say no to you, Buddy," Chuck smiled, "May I have a rain check, Beautiful?"

"Always," she captured his lips.

TBC…

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