Thank you to my readers. I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I like writing it…
"How could you wait till the last minute? Come on Nathanial, we're 14, time to take some damn responsibility," Chuck said slightly exasperated with his best friend.
He finished the blunt and crushed it swiftly with his foot.
"And I'm assuming you want me to bail you out…as always."
Nate looked at him with his best 'friend in need' look and Chuck knew he was a goner.
"How many times do I have to save your ass from a rock and hard place and trust me, if you don't pick the perfect gift, Blair will be both the rock and the hard place."
"I know man. That's why I need you. You understand them."
Chuck rubbed his forehead. Sometimes he worried about Nate.
"Girls…please tell me you do not mean girls."
Nate shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. They say one thing when they mean another. And they act different when they are around different people. I just get confused."
Chuck laughed and thanked God Nate was good looking. That and the fact that Nate fit perfectly into Blair's definition of Prince Charming.
"Alright. We'll start at Fifth Ave and work our way around town. Keep your schedule open because this will take all day."
He may have given Nate a harder time but Chuck was never one to disappoint. Least of all Blair.
Nate picked up a large crystal heart necklace on a gold chain.
"Yes, no, maybe?"
Chuck glanced up and nearly chocked on the complimentary champagne he was sipping.
"Yeah, it's a great choice Nathanial….If you were Blair's 76 year old great aunt who is blind in one eye. Blair would never wear that and if you give it to her she will never sleep with you as well."
Nate looked frustrated.
"I'm trying…seriously…I'm just not good at it."
"Not good is just the tip of the ice berg. You are horrendous at this."
Chuck took a second stroll around the store. Nate following closely behind him.
"Anything?" He asked, his eyes filled with hope.
Chuck simply sighed.
"Nothing feels right. Nothing says Blair."
"But we've been everywhere. We are in Tiffany's. This is like her Mecca. If we can't find anything here we won't find anything anywhere."
Nate took a seat, looking completely defeated.
"She is going to kill me."
Chuck laughed, Nate was right but he would never allow that to happen. He'd always orchestrate things to ensure Blair was happy. And Nate made Blair happy.
"Never lose hope Nathanial. That is key. Let's go back to Saks, I have an idea."
"Are you sure Chuck? This isn't much of a gift. It's barely a gift. Let's go back to Tiffany's. Maybe they sell gift cards."
Chuck placed a hand on Nate's shoulder, trying to calm him.
"She will love this. Trust me."
"But Chuck, you cannot be serious. She's going to look at me like I showed up with nothing."
He tried to walk away but Chuck kept a firm grip on his shoulder, "No Nate. She is going to look at you like you handed her a golden torch. The Italian fashion scene is overflowing with them. Blair will be the first to bring it back in the States. A style icon. Trust me. She will love it."
Nate sighed, "If there is one person I trust, it's you. Let's get it wrapped. We only have a few hours until her party."
Chuck nodded and handed the item to Nate. Nate could never appreciate Blair's fashion sense. He never knew of the hours she spent planning her outfits making sure she didn't break some obsolete fashion faux pas.
Rules, restrictions, restraint was how the Waldorfs lived their lives. Her mother, even her father, had ingrained that in her from a young age.
Nothing in excess because Serena was the one who was allowed to be a free spirit. Van der Woodsens were known for things the Waldorfs never could be. Blair always had to be in control. She always had to fit the mold that Serena broke.
He followed Nate out the door.
He wondered if his best friend would ever catch on.
I catalogue these steps now
Decisive and intentioned.
Precise and patterned
Specifically to yours.
Blair met the two of them at the elevators. Her mother was away on business and her father was working on an appeals case in Boston leaving Blair to throw herself a birthday party.
By now they were all well-versed in handling birthdays, Christmases, and summers by themselves.
Well, not by themselves, they'd at least always have each other.
"I'm so glad you guys are here!" Blair squealed as she wrapped her arms around Nate.
Chuck watched her for a moment. She had gotten good at covering it up, pretending that by now she had learned to handle the lack of her parents in her life as a normal event.
And though she wasn't so obvious with her need for attention, like Serena, Chuck saw what their absence did to her. How it constrained her more and more. So much so his 14 year old mind could barely handle it.
He let the thoughts go. He was only allowed to get so thoughtful after a few glasses of scotch.
Blair hugged Chuck and ushered them in.
They each took a glass of champagne and from the look in Blair's eyes he could tell she was dying to see what Nate had gotten her.
Nate glanced at Chuck nervously before handing over the small box.
"Here's your present Blair…"
He trailed off, unsure of whether he should start playing defense already or to wait until she exploded.
She gingerly took the box trying to contain her excitement but Chuck noticed how the corners of her lips turned upward slightly. How her eyes sparkled.
She opened the box and examined the contents. Her face revealing nothing to an outsider but Chuck saw what probably no one else did. Happiness.
He felt his stomach tingle knowing he had helped bring that feeling to her. Knowing he was part of the reason she felt happy, even if it was for only a few moments. Even if she would never know of the part he played.
Serena stepped forward, ready for damage control and Nate placed his hand on her upper arm.
"Blair…I…" he began trying to explain but Blair grabbed him tightly in a hug.
"I love it…I absolutely love it," she kissed him softly.
Nate looked at Chuck, finally smiling and mouthed the word 'thank-you.'
She pulled away from Nate and pulled the headband out of the box.
"It's Audrey Hepburn chic but with a modern flair. It's me. And it matches my dress perfectly."
She stepped towards the mirror to adjust the red headband with a graceful bow into her hair.
Nate followed and stood behind her.
"I hear the Italian fashion scene is overflowing with them. I thought you could start a trend here."
She turned and kissed Nate again.
They broke apart after a moment and Blair's face was a light, "You know me so well. I really love it. Thank you."
Chuck smiled to himself as he went off to find some real alcohol.
She found him a few hours later, near the bar. He had become bored with most of the guests by now so he was simply nursing a drink.
"You know you are way too young to be drinking scotch."
Chuck shrugged his shoulders, "If I am going to drink I might as well drink the good stuff."
She wrinkled her nose at the scotch before lifting up her champagne glass, "This is the good stuff."
He smiled at her, "To each his own."
She took a seat next to him, her thin legs dangling slightly.
She looked relaxed in that moment. Not so constrained by the rules of what a hostess should and should not do.
He liked her this way, probably more than any other way and he was thankful that he was one of the few people in the world who ever got to see her this way.
He'd do anything to make sure it would never change, even if it meant spending everyday before ever major life event in Blair's life shopping for the perfect present with Nate.
"I wish they were here..." she began slowly and Chuck didn't even have to clarify that she meant her parents, "We were supposed to go out for dinner but things came up suddenly. At least the party is going well."
She smiled and touched the headband gently.
He wondered if Nate would ever know how much it meant. How much someone knowing what she alone wanted meant to her.
She never got to be the center. Even on her birthday her parents had found other places to be.
He took a sip of his drink. Nate would probably never realize but it didn't matter because he'd always be there to make sure Nate never faltered.
She shook her head softly before looking at him again, "You know you still owe me a birthday present."
"I'd never forget."
Chuck reached into his pocket and pulled out a Tiffany's box.
Her expression showed she was uncertain of how to react to the box.
Chuck simply grinned. That of course did not mean he could not have some fun along the way.
She opened it up and lifted the gold chain with the heart shaped crystal on it.
He almost laughed at the look of utter disgust on her face but he kept his composure. He had to sell it so she would never suspect.
"It's ugly. It has got to be the ugliest thing I have ever seen. I mean, I cannot even believe Tiffany's would sell this. You didn't just buy this off the street and put it in a Tiffany's box, did you? Because that is illegal. It's like defaming Tiffany's."
She looked at him, her eyes scanning to see his intentions.
He simply smiled his Chuck Bass smile. He'd always play the fool for her.
"There is a gift receipt in there. You can exchange it for anything you want there."
She breathed a sigh of relief and finally smiled at Chuck, "Thank you."
She looked towards the party, noticing Nate and Serena on stage singing karaoke. They were laughing and acting like children.
Even on her birthday Serena managed to be the one who had all the fun.
He could tell she wished she could be that way. She wanted to go act immature and mis-sing lyrics to some nineties pop song but Blair Waldorf had grown up much too fast for something like that.
Her toes curled slightly and Chuck knew she was using every ounce of self restraint she had within her to not run on stage with her boyfriend and best friend.
Instead she turned to him again, "You should take lessons from Nate. He always gets the best presents. Maybe next time he can give you a heads up on what I like."
Chuck simply nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. Now come on, I think Serena and Nate are looking for some company up on that stage."
She held back, "I just couldn't..."
He looked her in the eyes for the first time that night, "No one's here to enforce the rules Waldorf."
She looked away and he knew he'd broken down her walls for a moment. That rules could be bent without being broken.
He grabbed her hand and though she continued to protest he knew it was all too easy to get her to the other side of the room.
He shared a mic with Serena and watched Nate and Blair stand intimately close to one another around the other mic.
He would deny to no end his participation in their rendition of Nsync but he knew he would always remember the way Blair was smiling on the stage. The red silk of the headband shimmering slightly under the lights.
He had that warm feeling in his stomach again knowing he had a part in bringing a genuine smile to her face.
Maybe one day when he was older he'd realize it was butterflies that gave him that warm feeling.
but I've hidden a note,
it's pressed between pages that you'll read if you're so inclined.
It says, "Does he ever get the girl?"
Dashboard Confessional lyrics
Of course Chuck picked out her birthday presents. Nate is somewhat too dense for something like that. And he definitely does not share the same flare for fashion Blair and Chuck do (i.e. the bright yellow and orange coats they wore in recent episodes). And wouldn't it if be fun to think that Chuck was behind Blair's headband craze without her ever knowing? Something so simple but so integral to her character? Chuck at his best.
And I know Chuck is a little insightful for 14 but these kids grew up fast. Little parental supervision, endless sums of money at their fingertips, it would be very hard to stay a child in situations like those. I hope it was believable.
Hope you enjoyed. It'd be great to get a little review if you did (and of course if you didn't I'd love any feedback on improvement).
Thanks for reading and please remember to review.