Six Months After…

It had been a week ago when Serena Van Der Woodsen-Humphrey received a call from his stepbrother, informing her that he was coming back with his fiancé to spend the Holiday Season in New York.

Serena basically shrieked in excitement at the news as she spoke, "Oh my God! Chuck! Congratulations! I'm so happy for the both of you! Tell me, when and how did you propose to her? And wait, are you only gonna stay here for the holidays?"

"Serena, Serena, Serena, would you please slow down? You are practically causing serious damage to my eardrums." Chuck mockingly said with his raspy voice. Serena rolled her eyes on the other line as he went on to enlighten her, "To answer your question, yes, we're leaving for Spain the day after New Year's. We're gonna be throwing an engagement party before Christmas and you, my dearest sister, are gonna be in charge of planning that so I guess, that will give you and Alex time to get to know each other and bond. You can bombard her with questions about the proposal, the whole thing. I assure you you're gonna love her."

She couldn't contain her enthusiasm as she squealed loudly again, causing him to hold his phone a few inches away from his ears. "OMG! I am so psyched! I can't wait to finally get to meet her!" She has only talked to her on the phone for a couple of times but she finds Alex rather likable and charming. She then asked, "So uhm, when are you going to arrive? Do you want us to pick you up?"

"That won't be necessary," he replied nonchalantly. "A limo will be waiting for us at the airport. Then we'll have to get settled first, have some rest before we can get together."

"Where will you be staying?" She queried.

"Where else but at the Palace, of course." he casually replied.

"Well, your suite won't be enough to accommodate both of you and I'm not so sure about the Penthouse, either," she countered.


"What do you mean you're not sure?" He inquired.

"It's been off limits since you went away and besides it's basically your dad's," Serena explained. "Do you want me to arrange something for you? Anything?"

"Look at that, my favorite sister being so helpful," He teased. "But just let me worry about that. I wanna know though, aren't they going somewhere for their customary Christmas break vacation?" He asked, referring to their parents' "tradition". Ever since Bart and Lily got married, their merged families took trips together every summer and Christmas Break. But ever since Serena and Chuck graduated from College, and later on, Serena getting married and Chuck venturing into business, they no longer do that together as a whole family, Eric simply refuses to be a third wheel to Bart and Lily. The last time they vacationed together as a whole family was when they went to Egypt and Turkey a couple of years ago.

"I don't know. I haven't really talked to mom lately. If they're going to leave then they'll allow you to take the brownstone or the penthouse, whichever you want," Serena hinted.

"Actually, I want them both to be able to attend the engagement party. This is a very important occasion for Alex and me. I want to formally announce the engagement, you know, to make our union official to our closest family and friends," Chuck said. He wanted everyone to meet Alex and Alex couldn't wait to meet his family and somehow, she also looked forward to meeting Blair.

"Right, right. Well then, I better get started on having some ideas for the party. See you soon, bro. Have a safe flight. Say hi to Alex for me."

Serena was helping Paulo wear his shoes at the living room when Nate Archibald and Blair Waldorf arrived at the Humphrey loft. Her best friend was dressed in a white knitted off shoulder sweater dress by Vera Wang and black stiletto boots while her fiancé was clad in a moss green cashmere sweater and slacks.

"So I see the new engaged couple hasn't arrived." Blair remarked after giving Dan a peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, they're running in late. As it turns out, mom and Alex are hitting it off. They spent the entire afternoon shopping together for Christmas presents at Barney's," Serena explicated. "They seem to have similar taste when it comes to women's clothing, shoes, jewelry etc. and you know how my mom is; she probably doesn't want to let her go anymore. Chuck, on the other hand, he just lets them do whatever. He even accompanied them the entire time! Imagine Chuck Bass carrying many shopping bags, following them around in and out of shops and boutiques. Gosh, he would rather lock himself in his suite for the whole day than wander around the mall and now… Well, simply put, he's really changed."

"That's a sight to see," Nate commented as he takes off his coat.

"Chuck simply has a penchant/weakness for Lily. He looks up to her as the mother he's never had," Dan wisely said while taking both Nate and Blair's coats. "So he's being tolerant about the whole thing and of course, with Alex being there… He's been practically bragging about her to everybody."

"So you're saying that he hasn't really changed?" Serena counteracted. "How else would you explain his good behavior then?"

"Well, he still makes those snide comments," Dan argued. "He's still mean to other people and he still has a bad temper."

"The thing about Chuck is that underneath that image he portrays, he's really good to those people he care about. Alex has just all the more brought out this other side of him that we're seeing now although he has always had it in him," Nate said defending Chuck, surprising all of them. "And sometimes, he just has a weird way of showing his affections."

"There's always a reason why he could be mean to people especially if they're not meeting his expectations. Back then, he used to be indifferent all the time but ever since he started having a sense of responsibility, he has gotten to have really high standards and he became this perfectionist," Serena said, backing up Nate's statement.

Blair adds, "Besides, he has always had a sharp tongue and I would have to say that it's a big part of his charisma and character."

"You and Chuck have that in common plus the fact that you're also a perfectionist, more on the obsessive compulsive side," Dan concludes. Serena and Blair both eyed him and Nate coughs.

"That's why I really am looking forward to meeting Alex," Nate stated, brushing off the awkwardness that's coming over them. "I wonder what kind of influence she has over him. They completely have different backgrounds and personalities. It would be interesting to see how they interact around each other."

"Dan and I had the chance to meet her, actually. They invited us over at the Palace for lunch the other day. She's even more stunning in person than in the photos I've seen of her," Serena exclaimed, remembering their first meeting.

"This is my lovely sister, Serena." Chuck said, motioning his hand to the statuesque blonde and then placing an arm around Alex's waist. "Serena, this gorgeous lady to my side is Alex."

Serena only stood there, giving her a friendly smile, unsure whether she should make a move to hug her or something. It wasn't her first time to meet a royal but she didn't know how to react at this instant. Sure, she was excited to meet her future sister-in-law but she didn't want to give her the impression that she's trying too hard.

"What's with the formalities? Don't mind this guy over here. He's such an idiot sometimes." Alex nudged her fiancé on his chest, giving Serena an unbelieving look. "Anyone who's important to Chuck is important to me," she claimed before taking a step towards the blonde to pull her in an embrace.

"But what about me?" Chuck playfully asked, making a face and spreading his arms in front of them. "Can't I join in for a group hug?"

"Shut up, Bass, you're ruining the moment," Serena gave him a look, breaking away from the embrace. "Are you sure about marrying this guy?" She asked Alex, looking skeptical.

Alex only chuckled and shrugged. "Should I change my mind?" She asked, looking at Chuck.

"You knew from the moment I popped out the million dollar question that you were 100 sure. You didn't even blink, you immediately said yes as if it was on reflex." He said, smirking at her. "Before I even had the chance to finish the question…"

"Will you mar-Yes!" He imitated the way Alex said 'yes' when he proposed, with an exaggerated expression on his face.

"It was like a no-brainer. You so want to marry me!" He added.

Serena only stood in silence, half amused.

"Is that so? You know for a fact that women can be so fickle-minded," Alex said, placing her hands on her waist, challenging him.

"You, my dear, are an exemption to that fact. You're not like any other woman I know," He said in resolve to end their banter so that they could finally take their seats.

"Really?" Alex said, pouting her lips, moving closer to him. "Is it a good thing?"

"Absofuckinglutely." He takes her hand and led her to the table he had reserved for them while Serena tagged along behind them. As much as he would like to kiss Alex right there and then, he didn't want Serena to watch them in envy or squeal in delight at their public display of affections or feel awkward or however his stepsister is going to react.

Once they were seated, the waiter took their orders before walking away. Chuck asked Serena where Dan was when he suddenly appeared, muttering an apology for being late and giving Serena a sweet kiss.

"Humphrey," Chuck said in greeting to his brother-in-law. "This is Alex, my beautiful bride-to-be," he motioned to Alex by placing his hand on top of hers. "Alex, this guy here is Serena's husband, Dan." Chuck was of course tempted to say Humpty Dumpy/Brooklyn/Charity Case, those nick names he and Blair came up with to call him fondly.

"Nice meeting you," Alex stood up to give him a light peck on the cheek in which Dan has responded with a polite 'you too'. He was too entranced by her down to earth and genial demeanor that he only stared at her in awe before taking a seat next to Serena's seconds later. Alex shrugged it off, Chuck smirked at Dan's reaction while Serena hinted at him to say something more welcoming to Alex.

But before Dan did, the Spanish princess congratulated him at the success he has acquired for his first novel. "I saw your novel on display at a bookstore back in London. I had been intrigued when I read the synopsis so I purchased a copy then I started reading it once I got home. You kept me up 'til 6 in the morning. I loved it." she said.

"Thanks. What did you think about it?"

"I thought it was an incredible love story over all. There were a lot of beautiful and memorable lines, the way you have described the sceneries was just so perfect." She paused for a moment to think before she continued. "It was heartbreaking how Stella threw away everything in order to go on her journey to find him in the hopes that they could be together again, only to find out that he has already forgotten about her. Despite that, she never gave up and therefore she waited. It may have been pathetic but I guess that's what love is really all about. It makes us do foolish things we're not even aware of doing."

Dan felt an overwhelming feeling at Alex's words. She wasn't trying to flatter him at all, he knew that she meant what she said and he gave her an appreciative look. Chuck and Serena both pondered her words.

Alex continued, "But you know, you look more different than in your cover photo. You're ten times better looking in person."

But now she's really coaxing him. Dan and Serena were the only ones who find this funny and laughed. Chuck just took a big gulp of the red wine, he wanted his scotch.

"She's elegant and charming and gracious and I believe her sight of seeing is perfectly fine but I do not have any idea how Chuck managed to get her to like him. It's a big mystery and a big miracle in itself!" Serena remarked as she started combing Andrea's blonde fine hair.

Her husband nodded his head in agreement to what Serena said. "You wouldn't get the impression that she really is a true to life princess. I'm not saying she isn't too poised or sophisticated; she's the epitome of that. She's just too down to earth and unpretentious and genuine."

Both Blair and Nate became all the more intrigued. It was Blair who expressed her anticipation freely. "She seems perfect but we all are aware of the fact that sometimes if a thing is too good to be true then it may not be real after all. What if they both wake up one day realizing that? What would happen then?" When Blair realized that she had sounded a bit skeptical, she went on saying, "Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with the way things are going for Chuck especially now that he has found someone he could share his life with. I guess everything just seems to be happening in haste. I believe that before going into something so serious, particularly when it involves making a life changing decision, one should give more time to think things through."

Dan may find Chuck overbearing at times but he agrees to all the things Nate, Serena and Blair has formerly said about Chuck. In addition to the fact that Chuck has been a good uncle to his kids, there really is nothing else he can say about Chuck or complain about. "I do think that they complement each other very well. As what Nate has previously said, Alex brings out the good in Chuck. I don't know how it works out exactly but they do get each other. It's as simple as that."

Nate and Serena turned to Blair to look at her reaction. They expected to see a blank face but instead, Blair flashed a genuine smile, showing them that she was just only concerned about her uhm, ex-boyfriend slash turned friend.

"How long do you have to get to know each other enough for you to realize that, yes, this is the person I would like to spend the rest of my life with? Is there really a required amount of time to know that? Does it really matter when it comes to love?" Dan asked them, letting his words hanging in the air, pushing them deep into their own thoughts.

Surely enough, this got Nate into thinking. It took him a long time before he finally realized that he couldn't think of anybody else to be with other than Blair. It seemed to him that it had been fate that brought them together once more all those five years ago and it had been up to him whether he would take that chance, what obviously was laid in front of him, or not. He was glad that he did. Blair has always been the one for him all along. Was she mulling over the same thing right now?

Then all of a sudden; the door bell rang, breaking them away from their temporary state of trance. Serena hurries to open the door, revealing Alex and Chuck's presence behind it. She gave Alex first a welcoming hug before turning to Chuck, who was looking annoyed, dressed in a Santa Clause costume but snapped out of his irritation when he saw his nephew and niece rushed to him from the living room. He immediately turned into character and smiled as his stepsister's kids jumped at him in delight.

Santa Claus, right, right, right, the fat funny-looking white guy who gives gifts at Christmas, rides a sleigh with Rudolph the red nose reindeer and argh, whatever. I can do this, he thought, mouthing off a Santa Clause laugh, 'Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!' which sounded more like 'Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! Me-rrrrrry Christmas!"

Blair crossed her arms and raised her brows at him while Serena, Dan and Nate only stood giving him a look of surprise. Chuck only ignored the looks they were giving him and instead, turned to Paulo and Andy, keeping up the Santa Claus charade and handing them over the presents he bought with Alex for them earlier.

Moments later, all four of them (BN&DS) erupted in laughter. Dan tried to compose himself while the other three continued to laugh like there was no tomorrow. "I now do believe, without a doubt, that Chuck Bass has really changed for the better (or worse?)! This is the worst Santa Claus disguise I have ever encountered in all of my twenty-four years of existence! Never in a million years would I have dreamt of this moment."

"Oh Shut it down, will you?" Chuck yelled at all of them, glaring at Alex for making him do this, muttering a 'Stupid Humpty Dumpy!' making them laugh all the more at his anger.

"Oh my God! My cheeks and stomach hurt!" This time it was Serena, who became mindful of Alex's amused expression so she tried to collect herself, turning to her future sister-in-law, "By the way, Alex…"

Dan and Nate were still giggling like crazy which was very unlikely of them. By this time, Blair was already paying attention to her and Alex.

Serena and Chuck gave Dan and Nate a look that made them stop. "Sorry, sorry! We were just… He was just… Everything was just so hilarious." Nate muttered, still grinning.

Serena noticed Andy tugging at her skirt and saw that her daughter was about to burst in tears. "Does that mean that Santa Claus isn't true?"

Serena and Chuck share a look. Chuck sighed and carried the small girl in his arms, stroking her messy hair and comforted her Santa Chuck-like or Santa Claus-like rather. He went to take the couch near the Christmas tree, letting her sit on his lap. His stepsister smiled at him gratefully while Alex also beamed at him for being nice and sweet to his niece.

Dan then turned to Serena and said, "Anyways, as you were saying…?"

"Why don't we all go to the living room?" She waited for everybody to settle down before introducing Nate and Blair to Alex.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you," Blair pleasantly said, smiling at Alex. The latter gave her a light peck on each cheek in greeting before turning to Nate.

"Everything we've heard about you is true." Nate commented, sitting comfortably at the sofa with Blair next to him and Alex sitting on the other side.

"Is it anything bad?" She casually asked, taking the champagne flute Serena has given her while the latter's pouring white wine over it. She thanked her and waited for Nate's reply.

"No, not at all. Chuck is really lucky to have you," he said.

She gave him a confused look. Blair explained quoting Serena's exact words, "For one thing, you're even more beautiful in person than in the photos we've seen of you. You're elegant and refined but you act like you don't know it. It just comes out naturally."

Alex graciously accepted the compliment and asked her when the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is going to be held. Blair promised to give her tickets. The two women chatted while Serena talked to Chuck for a bit and then allowed him to mingle with the others while she had to supervise the caterers who were preparing their dinner at the kitchen and dining room. Dan had been the one looking after the kids in their play room for the mean time.

Chuck had joined them, giving Blair a hug and telling her how beautiful she still is. Both Nate and Alex no longer seemed to mind. Chuck then looked at Nate. Somehow they knew that the whole rift between them is over. It was Nate who stood up and made a move to give Chuck a man-hug. "I missed you, man!" He said.

"Yeah, me too." Chuck said, breaking away from the hug. He sat next to Alex before focusing his attention to Blair. "I don't know if you already knew this but it had been Nate who talked me into going to Spain to get Alex back. I'll always be grateful to him for that."

Alex exclaimed, "You make it sound like Nate forced you to do so."

"Well, it was him who encouraged me to go anyway," Chuck countered. "I was so bewildered and devastated when I found out that you left."

"You brought it on yourself because of your own doing!" She argued.

Nate broke in, his glance directed towards Alex. "You don't seem to be the jealous type." He looked at Blair and explained to her what made Alex get so upset that she walked out of his suite at 4 in the morning. And apparently, upset enough that she had to flee from London.

Sensing the need to stop Nate from revealing the truth, Alex butted in, "I really don't think it's necessary to discuss it anymore. Chuck and I have gotten past that—"

"Nate told me what happened before but I actually wanna hear the rest of the story from Chuck himself," Blair said, persuading Chuck into telling what had really happened between him and Alex. She didn't have any idea that she was mainly the reason why things happened the way they did. Maybe she did after all; Blair Waldorf is far from being dense/oblivious. Still, she did not know that it's got something to do with a previous conversation between her and Chuck.

At one point, his conversation with Chuck had affected her, made her question herself if she still has feelings for him and second-guess her relationship with Nate.

"I still can't help missing you, Blair…" Chuck confessed to her.

When she said nothing, he told her, "I got rid of the box and everything that comes with it… I had to in order to move on. There was no point of holding onto our memories when you and I both know that we're just not meant to be anymore... We both have separate lives right now…"

She didn't know what to say so she just kept silent. "But before that, I was able to read your last letter… and I'm really touched by everything you have said. I just want you to know that I will always feel the same way about you. No matter what."

What's that supposed to mean? She asked herself that a couple of times. When she told Nate that she would be staying in LA for a little longer, she had tried to talk to Chuck in order to ask him what it meant. Carter Baizen came into the picture, making her temporarily forget about Nate and Chuck. Later on, she realized that what Chuck and her had will always be special to the both of them that is why she feels that way about him. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that she still loves him. It became clear to her now. Somehow, Carter has made her realize that.

Going back to the conversation, Chuck told Blair that it only had been a misunderstanding. Blair wasn't satisfied with his answer so Alex told her that she has already put the past behind her. Or rather, both her and Chuck did.

It was then when Nate had a hunch that it had something to do with Blair. It occurred to him that Chuck never told her who the "girl" was.

"Everything was going on well between us until she caught me talking on the phone with another girl. What Alex heard me say on the phone… She thought I was seeing another girl but everything's just a big misunderstanding." Chuck hopes that Nate won't be suspicious as to who the said girl was so he adds, "And you know the (playboy) reputation that's attached to my name… She storms off from the suite at 4 in the morning. I tried to explain but she didn't want to listen, told me that she never wants to see me again."

And then it hit him. It had to be Blair. Who else could it be? He was sure of it but he had to ask, "Was it Blair?" Chuck was too stunned to say anything and Blair was also shocked.

Feeling the tension in the air, Alex excused herself from the group. (Again: It always boils down to Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck, what used to be.) Serena was just about to go back to the living room with the kids to tell them that dinner's ready when she saw Alex coming her way.

"Hey. Is there anything wrong?" She asked Alex, looking at her in concern.

Alex shook her head in response. "No, not at all. I was just gonna go to the kitchen to get some ice." Then she noticed that she hasn't brought her glass.

"Mommy, who ish that lady tha Uncle Chuck-with?" Andy asked her mom in baby-talk, pointing at Alex.

Alex bent down before Andy and interjected, "Hi! My name's Alexis but you may call me Alex if you want. What's your name?"

"I'm Andrea but you may al-sow call me Andy," the little girl graciously bowed and politely said, "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. You're a very pretty girl like your mother," she said, tucking a stray hair off Andy's doll-like face. Alex glanced back at Serena and pointed out, "Andy and I have something in common. Boyish nick names." Serena let out a laugh.

"Your Uncle Chuck and her are getting married soon so you must call her Aunt Alex from now on, okay?" Serena turned to Paulo and said to him. "And you too."

"This must be Paulo." Alex looked at Paulo and smiled at him, the latter tugged at her mother's Prada skirt shyly. "Both your kids look adorable."

"Thanks. I'm sure you and Chuck will make cute kids as well, although I hope they'd be more like you than Chuck," Serena said. "By the way, dinner's ready, but I can fix you a drink if you want." Alex asked her where the bathroom was, saying that she needed to freshen up instead.

Serena noticed the looks Blair, Nate and Chuck were sharing; it appears to her that something was up. She asked Paulo and Andy to join their dad in the "play room" and they did what she asked them to do.

A/N: This will probably be the second to the last chapter. If you have any questions or anything you would like to clarify, feel free to leave a review or PM me.

I'd really appreciate it if you guys tell me what you think about this chapter, what you'd like to see happen, etc.

In the next chapter, it will be revealed (1) how Chuck convinced Alex to get back with him. (2) how Blair and Nate relationship was after Blair got back from LA (3) what happened to her and Carter, if they had an affair or still do (what do you guys think about this?) (4) did blair even tell nate about her and carter or did he find out? (5) will blair and nate stay together?