Here's the next chapter! Yeah, it's very long and up sooner than normal but I had one of those creative streaks and couldn't stop writing! Just to be warned, there is a lot of CB fluff in this one and some DS. There's character angst throughout the chapter, though. Enjoy!
The Music in Me: Chapter 5
Chuck looked down at his folded hands and then back up to his girlfriend of four and a half hours. She had her clothes back on and now stood staring out the window of his suite. She gazed down at all of the cars cruising down the streets below, and all of the lights that still illuminated New York so late in the night.
Chuck had told her that he had used her check to get Carter in trouble. Blair had been outraged and nearly left in an angry state--before Chuck told her the reason why he had to get Carter in trouble. Blair had sighed and walked over to the windows, her mind filled with many thoughts. It had been painfully quiet for so many minutes that Chuck felt himself starting to sweat.
"So it was blackmail, was it?" Blair suddenly asked. Chuck jumped slightly at the sudden voice. Or was it his nerves, making him edgy? He didn't know. He just nodded and realized that she still had her back to him.
"Yeah. He said that if I didn't give him the money, he would tell Nate about us." Chuck ran his hand over the quilt that covered up to his waist. "I couldn't let that happen, Blair. You know I couldn't." Blair turned her head and looked at him, holding his gaze. The light from outside casted through the windows on the both of them, and they could see the tension in each other's eyes.
"Why?" she asked, wanting to hear it. Chuck's eyes darted downward.
"Your reputation was at risk," Chuck said, barely audible. He was still ashamed that Carter had used his feelings for her against him. If Chuck hadn't been wallowing in momentary self pity, he would have seen a little smile form at the corners of Blair's lips--and then fade.
"So where's the checkbook?" she asked.
"In my pants," Chuck answered. Before he could get up, Blair walked over to Chuck's black pants that lay on the floor in a bundle. She felt through both of the pockets until her hand laid upon the navy blue checkbook with her initials on it. Blair stood up and looked at the checkbook in her hand, then back over at Chuck. Chuck expected her to become furious again, but instead when she spoke her voice shook with a little sadness.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, almost in a whisper. Suddenly the sadness vanished and her voice arose with confidence and a little bitterness. "You should have just told me about what Carter was doing, instead of going behind my back like that."
"I can handle my own affairs," Chuck replied bitterly. Blair's voice became harsh.
"You always do things underhandedly, Chuck. First the debutant ball, now this."
Chuck looked up at her from under lowered eyebrows. His chest heaved in and out as he inhaled a breath to try to calm himself down.
"Don't ever mention that night again!" he demanded in a sharp, angered tone. Blair cocked an eyebrow, acting like she couldn't be fazed by him. Deep down though, she knew how much memories of that night pained him, although he would never say so. She crossed her arms and sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Chuck--especially since she had just got him back.
"I'm sorry." Blair's voice was less bitter than before, but it still had enough harshness to let Chuck know that she wasn't going to drop the subject. "But I do need to know why you kept that from me. I mean I know we were distant at the time, but that matter did involve me somewhat." Chuck looked down again, and there was a long pause. Blair continued to stare at him, wanting an answer. Chuck looked back up, reluctant to admit.
"Because I knew that if I told you, you would never consider coming back to me."
"What did that have to do with stealing my checkbook?!" Blair asked, about to roll her eyes. Chuck's tone became so venomous that she could hardly believe it.
"It had everything to do with it! If I told you, you would have thought that being with me would cause even more of a risk than it already is! You would have gotten Carter off my back, and then you would have turned around and left me again without a second thought! Back to old Nathaniel, just like always."
"Why would you think I would do something like that?!" Blair exclaimed, her voice rising in question.
"Because all you needed was one moment to convince you about who you were going to choose. If I had come to you, you wouldn't be here right now." Blair looked at him in silence for a few moments.
"Do you really think that, Chuck?" she asked. Chuck raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out why she sounded hurt.
"What?" he asked.
"That it was just one moment that convinced me to be with you? That it was just because Nate was late once again?"
Chuck saw her eyes widen, and he cursed the butterflies forming in his stomach.
"I honestly don't know what you were thinking, Blair. I just took everything I remembered from the past and came to a conclusion." Blair was a little disappointed.
"You gave him reason to think that way, you know," her mind told her. She hated that voice in the back of her head. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Chuck. She looked right into his eyes. The anger and the disappointment that she felt was gone. Chuck looked almost confused as to what she was going to say next. He surprised himself because he usually could always get into people's heads and tell what they were thinking, especially hers.
Blair took her hand and placed it gently on his. She rubbed it softly, never taking her eyes off of him.
"I know I've given you reason to think that way, but that's all in the past now." Her fingers intertwined with his. "I'm never going to leave your side again." She smiled to break the seriousness. "Unless you cheat on me. Then I'd be really pissed." Chuck smiled back and decided to play along.
"No fair, Waldorf. Archibald gets a free pass and I don't?"
"Please, that boy didn't know what he was doing. I had to tell him why he had to buy me something for Valentine's Day when we were eleven." She put her legs up on the bed and moved back so that she was by the headboard of the bed. "You're smarter than that, Bass. Nate could never figure out what was going on, let alone strategize like you can." Chuck grinned at the compliment.
"Well, I did always beat him in chess." Blair let out a laugh, and Chuck's face turned all sarcastic. "No Nate, you can't jump from one end of the board to the other! No Nate, that is not called making your piece fly and air bomb my pawns. Nathaniel, a condom is not a shortened term for a condominium!" They both laughed until they had tears at his last remark, and then they lied down once they were composed again. Blair pulled the blankets over her and cuddled comfortably next to Chuck.
"God, that kid cracks me up," Chuck said. He reached and put his arm around Blair, who stroked his hand in hers.
"Being with you is going to give me such a workout," Blair said.
"I'll say," Chuck said, a naughty glint in his eye. Blair gasped.
"I didn't mean it that way!" she blushingly exclaimed, and Chuck stifled another laugh at her expression. Blair shook her head slowly, but she smiled widely as she did so. "You have the most perverted mind ever."
"You love it," Chuck said, slowly emphasizing every syllable.
"No I don't," Blair lied, trying to be stubborn. She felt her stomach tighten as he intently held her gaze, smirking very knowingly.
"That's not what you said when you had me lying under you, stating all the things you were going to do to me," Chuck whispered smoothly. He suddenly brought his hand down from her shoulder down to her back in one swift movement, and then back up again. His fingers lightly ran across her skin. Blair got goose bumps and hated how he knew precisely how to get her going, even with the slightest motion. "Actually, you didn't tell me," Chuck said. "What were you going to do?" Blair smiled, her cheeks turning red.
"You'll have to wait and see, Bass. You're not the only one with tricks, you know."
"What if I want to find out now?" Chuck whispered, leaning down close to her face. Blair faced him boldly, trying to play his game.
"You'll have to wait. I'm too tired now."
"Oh, come on!" Chuck exclaimed, sitting straight up. Blair couldn't help but laugh again.
"Well first you get me all turned on, then you get me upset, and you expect me not to be exhausted?" Blair asked. Chuck shook his head and laid back down.
"You're a tease," he said.
"And you're a horn dog. See? We go well together," Blair said with a smile. She brought her hand up and pushed his soft hair back a little. She smiled at the brushing warmth of his face against her hand. "Everything's better after you've waited for it, Chuck. I know that." Chuck put his arm back around her, and she felt his fingers playing with her hair.
"How do you know that?" he asked with a knowing smirk. Blair laid her cheek upon his chest. She looked up into his warm brown eyes and her face brightened.
"I waited to find someone who loved me for me, and then after searching for what seemed like an eternity, I found you. Even though you were there all along. It's like the treasure that the gold diggers look for and then they realize that it was in a spot they passed by repeatedly."
Chuck couldn't help but grin. Blair leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek, and he turned and kissed her softly on the lips once she had begun to lie back down.
"Goodnight, Bass." Chuck kept smiling, finding it funny that they were still calling each other by their last names. He had heard that some couples gave each other mushy pet names. Chuck guessed that the last names were theirs.
"Goodnight Waldorf."
Blair laid in his arms and closed her eyes. She sighed, contemplating when she was going to tell him what she was truly thinking. She was thinking of telling him the most powerful words that a woman could tell a man, in vise versa. Serena knew how Blair felt about Chuck, but she had never actually told Chuck that she was in love with him. She didn't want to scare him off, especially when he was new at the whole dating scene.
Her eyes opened slightly and saw that his were closed. Her mouth formed into an involuntary smile, loving how adorable he looked. She sighed again, repeating the words in her head that she was dying to tell him.
"I love you, Chuck. I've loved you all along, even if I never knew."
If Blair had the supernatural ability to read minds, she would have discovered that Chuck was thinking the exact same thing as he fell asleep. He had just discovered it a little earlier.
Carter Baizen stared at the cement wall of the little cell in the police station. He had slept over the previous night, or at least tried to. The bed in the jail cell was as hard as cardboard and the place reeked so bad that Carter could hardly breathe.
It was early Saturday afternoon, and the cop had come by to give Carter his lunch. Carter couldn't tell what it was; it looked like a distorted version of a TV dinner. He put his fork into the stuff and made little circles with it. He hated prison. The worst part was that now he could never say "I did a lot of shit and never went to jail" ever again. Carter's eyes became filled with hatred as he thought of the person who put him there.
There was a loud echo of footsteps down the hall, and they seemed to be getting closer. A policeman walked up to Carter's cell, and began to pull out some keys.
"It's time for more questioning, Mr. Baizen." The cop found the right key and opened the barred door.
"Alright," Carter said. He stood up and stretched. "I don't want the cuffs."
"Sorry, Mr. Baizen. You've been a pretty amiable prisoner so far, but we can't take any chances." He walked over to Carter and clasped the silver cuffs over his wrists. Carter winced as the tight things pinched his skin.
"I'll kill you for this, Bass," he thought to himself as the cop led him to the questioning room. When he opened the door, Carter's mouth dropped open in shock.
Chuck turned around and smirked.
"Hi Carter," he said in a taunting, almost singsong voice. Carter threw him a death stare before the cop led him to a seat next to Chuck, who was dressed in his clothes from the previous night. It was a good thing that the cop had stuck to his guns and slapped the cuffs on his prisoner. Carter looked past Chuck and noticed a woman sitting next to him. She leaned in.
"Hey Carter," she said simply. Carter couldn't believe it.
"Blair?!" he asked, surprised. Blair stared him down, letting him know he was in trouble. Carter observed that her hair was wet and her makeup was fresh.
"She must have just gotten out of the shower or something," Carter thought.
Chuck's eyes darted to the two talking policemen. He leaned in and whispered in Carter's ear commandingly.
"Okay, listen Baizen. You just tell them about what happened the other night. You don't mention the blackmail or anything like that. We're not making a big deal out of this more than it already is. Got it?"
"No. Why would I listen to you?!" Carter asked angrily. "You're the last person I'd take orders from, you menacing bastard. I had to sit here all night away from the glamorous life out there, all because of you!" Chuck shrugged and leaned back casually.
"Well then, if that's the way you feel, then I guess I won't save your ass."
Carter shook his head, confused.
"What?" he asked. Chuck gave him a stare that warned Carter to keep his mouth shut once more. Just then the cops came over and one sat down behind the desk. Carter was still thinking about what Chuck said. He glanced back over at Chuck and Blair, who looked at the cops very comfortably. The other cop stood next to the sitting cop and held a pen and a clipboard in his hand. The sitting cop, the chief, put his hands on the desk and sighed.
"Normally, we do separate interviews to sort things out. However, we have already questioned Mr. Baizen, and Mr. Bass has assured me that this was all a misunderstanding. Therefore, I say we just give you each a chance to talk without interruptions. If this can be settled now, then I see no point of making a court case out of it."
Chuck looked at Carter with a nod and another warning stare.
"Would you care to go first?" Chuck asked. Carter nodded slowly, still trying to figure out what the hell Chuck was up to. The cop looked at Carter.
"Mr. Baizen, are you aware of the crime you committed?"
"Yes sir."
"You showed up at the Hamilton bank--very intoxicated--and you presented a check worth 500,000 dollars. This check belonged to Miss Blair Eleanor Waldorf, and her signature was not on the check. Do you deny any of this?"
Carter gulped. The chief's eyes were very unsympathetic and demanding.
"No sir." The chief sat back and put his arms behind his head. Carter's eyes darted to Chuck and Blair, and he noticed that Chuck was stroking Blair's hand gently.
"Mr. Baizen, when we questioned you before, you denied stealing Miss Waldorf's check, and you said that Mr. Charles Bartholomew Bass gave it to you. Is this the accurate story?" Carter sweat nervously and slowly nodded.
"Yes sir."
"There is nothing else you want to add?"
Carter could feel Chuck's glaring eyes on him.
"No sir."
"Very well, then." The chief turned to Blair. "Miss Waldorf, when we called you last night, you denied giving Carter the check. Is this true?"
"Yes sir," Blair answered, poised.
"How do you know Charles Bass?" Blair looked at Chuck and smiled.
"He's my boyfriend," she answered. Carter nearly jumped out of his seat in shock, but he calmed himself down.
"It's an act," he thought.
"Have you been dating for long?" the chief asked. Blair giggled a little and smiled warmly at Chuck, who smiled playfully back.
"You could say that. We've always known each other forever, since elementary school to be exact. But we've only became official recently."
Carter rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe Blair would degrade herself like this. He thought she had some dignity.
"Did you ever give Charles a check, Miss Waldorf?" the chief asked.
"Never on purpose."
"What does that mean?"
"Well sir, you see…it's very embarrassing, how stupid I was." Blair blushed, and Carter was shocked at what a good actress she was. "I left my checkbook at Charles' suite, after one night." She grinned as she looked at Chuck, then back to the cop. "He found it there and planned to give it to me. Which he did, I must add." Blair pulled out the navy blue checkbook from her purse. "I had left it on the bar because I was making one out to my best friend Serena Van Der Woodsen, who lives in the same hotel as Charles. Then he and I had started talking and I stopped writing, and one thing led to another."
The chief nodded slowly.
"When was this?" he asked.
"The night before last night: Thursday."
"Why were you writing a check to Miss Van Der Woodsen?"
"Her mother is getting married, and Serena needed some money to buy some surprise flower baskets or something," Blair said, a look of puzzlement on her face. "Don't tell anyone, but she's been a little low on her own funds. She promised to pay me back once she got her allowance."
Carter's eyes went wide in disbelief. These two were lying to police officers. And it was working.
"Can Miss Van Der Woodsen testify to this?" the chief asked.
"Oh yes! Definitely," Blair said with confidence. The chief looked at Chuck.
"Your turn, Mr. Bass. Do you agree with the stories of Mr. Baizen and Miss Waldorf?"
"Yes I do, sir," Chuck said with a self-assured smile.
"Now then, your questions are the most important. If what Miss Waldorf says is true, and you were going to give her back the checkbook, how did Carter Baizen end up with one of her checks without a signature?" Chuck continued to smile, and he spoke with assurance.
"This is why Blair and I were made for each other, sir. We're both such dumb asses at times." Blair tried not to laugh, and Carter was still in disbelief as to what was happening.
"What is the story?" the chief asked. Chuck leaned back and sighed casually. He moved his broad shoulders back and forth slightly, trying to flatten the hardened cushion on the back of the chair.
"I had Blair's checkbook and I meant to give it back to her. Before I saw her last night, I saw Mr. Carter Baizen. We're old friends and we decided to get some lunch and catch up on a few things. Well, we had lunch, and Carter broke the news to me that he is financially in trouble. His investments haven't been working out for him lately." The chief looked at Carter.
"Is this true?"
"Yes sir. I lost a lot of money recently," Carter said. However, he wasn't lying; he did lose some money, even though he told Chuck he hadn't. Carter's life strategy-- two be a two-story liar--had usually always worked for him. He hadn't lost too much money, but he was glad that if the cops did a background check they would see he wasn't being insincere--for once. The chief turned back to Chuck.
"So you wrote him a check to help him out?"
"Exactly," Chuck replied.
"Why was it Miss Waldorf's check?"
"That's the dumb part," Chuck said with a little laugh. "I passed Carter the wrong checkbook, and he filled it out. Then he tore it off and kept it. He didn't check the name, which I could fully understand. After all, he didn't ever think that I would've been stupid enough to pull out Blair's checks."
"There's still one important matter, Mr. Bass. You didn't sign the check."
Chuck smiled a little wryly.
"I didn't want to have to say it in front of my girlfriend, but I suppose I have to." Chuck cleared his throat. "Carter and I went to lunch, and we stopped at Victrola afterward. It's a burlesque house that my father has invested in. I had a little too much to drink, and I couldn't sign with coordination. That probably was why I pulled out the incorrect checkbook, too. Carter wasn't as bad yet, so he was able to write his signature. He told me not to worry, and that I could see him again to sign it. After I left, I guess Carter drank a little more, and he went to the bank, not remembering that I didn't sign it." The chief nodded, believing the story. Blair gasped and looked at Chuck with an open mouth. She looked horrified and outraged.
"You promised me you wouldn't go to that awful burlesque house anymore!" she exclaimed. Chuck looked apologetic.
"I know, I know! I'm sorry Blair, but a man has needs!"
"I'm your girlfriend! I should fulfill all the needs you have!" Blair exclaimed angrily. She stood up. Carter kept his face composed, warning himself not to laugh. "We just did it the night before, how much more can you ask for?!" Blair asked, tears coming to her eyes.
"It wasn't that good, Blair. I'm sorry," Chuck said, turning from her and looking down.
"Oh it wasn't, hunh?! You seemed to enjoy my lips on your--"
"Please! Miss Waldorf, sit down!" the chief commanded. Blair did as she was told, her face red and upset. "I didn't mean for anything bad to by revealed by this, but this matter had to be settled."
"We understand," Chuck said, still not looking at Blair. The chief looked at Carter.
"Mr. Baizen, is that story true?"
"Yes sir."
"Well, I hope you've all learned a lesson," the chief said. "Be careful with your checks, and don't drink so much." The chief knew they were all underage, but he knew what messing with the family of Bart Bass and Eleanor Waldorf would get him.
"I've learned that," Carter said, faking an assured nod.
"Oh, someone is going to get taught a lesson, alright!" Blair exclaimed. She stood up, picked up her purse, and walked for the door.
"Come on Blair, don't leave!" Chuck exclaimed. Blair opened the door and walked right out. Chuck stood up to go after her, but then the door slammed shut. Chuck sighed and turned to Carter.
"Let's go, Carter. I'll go after her as soon as we get you home." The policeman removed Carter's handcuffs and they left the questioning room. The cop gave Carter back his cell phone and told him he was free to go. Carter disguised his shock as Chuck and he began to walk to the police station door. "I'm very sorry about all of this!" Chuck called out to the police as they walked away.
"It's alright, just be more careful," the chief said. The two got to the door and left, letting it slam behind them.
Chuck turned and faced Carter with a smirk.
"You did what I said." He cocked an eyebrow and smiled mockingly. "How's that for control?" He turned and started walking away, and Carter ran up to him.
"You can't just walk away!" Carter yelled. Chuck didn't look at Carter as he walked; only smiled. "You had me back there. I could've been in prison for life; all you had to do was say you didn't give me the check! Instead you make up a whole, elaborate lie?!"
"Why are you asking me why I just saved your ass, Baizen? Can't you ever just admit that you were wrong, kiss my ass a little, and move on?"
Carter stepped in front of Chuck and glared.
"There's a motive behind everything you do. You could have been done with me forever in there, and instead you defended me?! There's a reason, and I want to know what it is." Chuck smirked.
"Fine, you want a reason? Then I'll say the band. The band was the reason." Chuck tried to walk around him, but Carter wouldn't let him.
"You don't care that much about the band. What's the real reason?" Carter asked. "You don't just give something for nothing, Bass. I know you too well." Chuck paused, his smirk unfading.
"Do you really? Because I could have sworn you said that you had beaten me, and yet you sat in jail for a night."
Carter's eyes widened. He was speechless. Chuck grinned, and Carter's stomach dropped. He had underestimated the most dangerous person in all of New York.
Chuck leaned in and spoke in a smarmy tone.
"Yeah, you could say it was the band. Or maybe I did it just because I am so much better than you."
Chuck walked around Carter, who stood frozen with shock.
"Control," Carter thought. "It's all about control." He knew that now he could never attempt to do anything to Chuck ever again. Chuck had clearly displayed his dominance of power. Chuck walked forward a little and opened his cell phone. There was a message from Gossip Girl, and he immediately deleted it. He got to the Dan message, then stopped walking. He turned and called out to Carter.
"I'll see you at Humphrey's tonight."
Carter turned around slowly, his mouth suspended open in shock. Never again would he mess with the seed of Bart Bass. Chuck grinned and closed his cell phone. He turned his back to Carter, and Carter watched him walk up the sidewalk. He saw Blair, the accomplice, coming out from the left side and running to Chuck. Carter now knew why Blair had looked so clean--they had been together the night before.
He watched them congratulate each other on their scheme with a gentle but long-lasting kiss. He watched Chuck's arm latch behind her shoulders as they turned to walk away. The gentle wind blew their hair back, and Blair swung her purse with one hand as she looked at Chuck with a grin. Carter was so astonished by what he was viewing that it seemed to all be in slow motion.
Chuck turned his head back around and nodded at Carter once more, his trademark smirk spread across his face.
Carter watched in horror, realizing that he had been dethroned as the king of the Upper East Side.
Dan strummed the strings with his thumb and smiled. He loved how guitars sounded.
"Are you mesmerized with sound again?" Jenny asked. Dan looked over at his sister, who stood on the other side of the counter.
"Yeah, I'm in one of my moments," Dan replied. It was Saturday evening; time for the emergency practice of Secret Addictions at the Humphrey loft.
"How is everyone in the band, anyway?" Jenny asked. Dan had only told her and his dad about the band members, just because they were family and he knew they could be trusted to keep the secret. Jenny was hanging out more with the in-crowd lately and Dan was a little skeptical about telling her, but she assured him by saying that she would love to just hear about the private drama.
"They're good," Dan said. "There've been no major problems with them. Even Chuck has been in line, surprisingly."
"Yeah, everyone saw the Gossip Girl picture of you guys on the stairs." Dan deleted every single phone message he got from Gossip Girl, so he was unaware. No wonder people were looking at him funnier than usual the day before.
"Jenny, you know I don't look at that stuff."
"Yeah yeah, I know." There was a small pause as Jenny grabbed her purse and a water bottle. "How's Nate been?" Jenny asked. Dan saw her blush a little at the name of the blonde boy.
"He's taking singing lessons and he's learning to play the bass guitar just for this," Dan said. "He's been really committed, which I didn't expect at all. He even wrote some of the songs." Jenny smiled.
"It sounds like things are looking up," she said. Dan smiled.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Now where are you off to?"
"Vanessa and I are going shopping. You remember, the girl who was supposed to be your band manager?" Jenny asked sarcastically.
"If we needed one, I would have kept her on the staff. But I think we're doing alright," Dan said.
"Me too," Jenny said with one last smile. Then she turned around and walked out the door. Dan sighed as the door closed gently behind her. He removed the guitar from around his neck and went to the fridge for something to eat. For some reason, Dan was feeling very hyped up.
"I love rock and roll!" he sang to himself. "Put another coin in the jukebox, baby! I love rock and roll!" He jerked his head back and forth as he opened the fridge door. He found some leftover spaghetti from the other night and opened it up. He grabbed the carton and strummed it unconsciously, as if it were a guitar. He hummed the song's beats out loud as he did so. Suddenly he heard a knock at the door, and he immediately put the carton down and acted normal. "Come in, it's open," he called.
The door opened and Carter entered.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey!" Dan said with a smile. Not even Carter's usually cold presence could bring him down. "Don't mind, I'm just heating up my dinner. Do you want some?"
"No thanks, I ate before I came," Carter said. Dan popped his food in the microwave and Carter threw his coat over one of the chairs. He was dressed very clean cut in a tan suit and his hair was combed through nicely. Suddenly Carter looked over to the side and saw a picture of Dan, Rufus, and Jenny hanging on the wall. He walked forward with an arched eyebrow. Dan looked puzzled as to why Carter was so mesmerized.
"Do I really look that weird, or is my sister really that pretty, or does my dad really need to shave?" Dan asked. Carter looked at him.
"That's your dad?" Carter asked.
"Yeah," Dan said. "Why?" Carter smiled a little.
"He helped me out the other night," he replied. "He got me a cab when I was drunk." Dan's eyes widened. His dad had never told him that story. Carter went to the table, sat down, and sighed. He looked away, out towards the windows.
"You come from good stock," he said, as if Dan were a cow. "Your family is always there for you. You don't have to go out and get wasted to forget about the shit you've done. You don't have to sleep with a million girls to be happy." Carter turned and looked at Dan. "You're a lucky guy."
"Um…thanks?" Dan said, unsure of what else to say. Carter laughed a little.
"You live in a world of rock bands and getting good grades and bettering yourself. I wish I had that, Dan. I really do."
There was a long pause. Dan felt it awkward that Carter was pouring out his secret desires of his heart to him.
"I guess I am better off than a lot of people, but there are still downsides," Dan said.
"Like what?" Carter asked. Dan sighed, unbelieving what he was about to tell Carter. He remembered what Chuck told him and reminded himself not to reveal everything.
"My mom cheated on my dad." Dan left out the part that he still thought about it, and it still bothered him.
"That bites," Carter said.
"It does."
"How do you do it, Dan? How do you not go out and drink and do all the things the rest of us do when that kind of shit happens to you?" Carter asked. Dan smiled.
"I just figure that even if I get drunk to forget about it, I'm still going to remember it as soon as the hangover passes." Carter laughed a little.
"So true," he said. Carter realized that he had to stay in this band as a payback to Dan's dad. He realized that for once he didn't mind paying back so much.
Just then, there was another knock at the door. Dan was thankful. He needed someone else in to end the awkward conversation.
"Come in, it's open," Dan said. Chuck flung open the door, smiling widely.
"Billy Jean is, at my door!" he sang. He closed the door behind him as he walked in. "She's just the girl who says that I am the one!" He removed his coat, revealing a navy blue sweater. Chuck walked over to an empty chair and tossed his coat over it. "But the kid is not my son!" Dan looked shocked, but was glad Chuck had such energy.
"You're in a good mood today," Dan observed out loud. He turned to the microwave and pulled out his food. "What's the occasion?" Chuck walked over to the counter very suavely.
"I took care of some business today that's been hanging over my head," Chuck said. He suddenly turned and looked at Carter. "Hey Carter!" he said with a smirk.
"Hey," Carter replied. Chuck looked back at Dan.
"As for the song, it was on the radio during the limo ride over."
"What, no classical music for you rich and sumptuous?" Dan asked. Chuck smirked.
"Come on Humphrey, we're not that snobby." Chuck looked down at the spaghetti. "That looks good," he said.
"Want some?" Dan asked.
"No thanks, but I would like a soda," Chuck replied. Dan motioned towards the fridge.
"Bottom rack on the door," Dan said. Chuck walked to it and grabbed a Pepsi. Once he got it he closed the fridge he walked back to the other side of the counter, looking around him.
"So this is the infamous Humphrey loft," Chuck said. "Not bad for a Brooklyn place."
"Thanks," Dan said, thinking that was the best compliment he would ever get out of Chuck.
"So Chuck, how's Blair doing?" Carter suddenly asked. Chuck glared at him, turning his back to Dan.
"She's fine," Chuck said in a normal tone. Carter understood by Chuck's look that Dan didn't know, and Carter kept his mouth shut. He wasn't about to cause trouble for Chuck any time soon, now that he knew what he was capable of. Dan raised an eyebrow in question, then looked at the clock.
"Where's Nate? He's usually always on time," Dan commented. Chuck's face remained calm, but his stomach felt sick. He had been so happy with Blair and with how he had Carter under his thumb that he forgot completely about Nate.
"Maybe he doesn't know." Then Chuck remembered the Gossip Girl message he had deleted earlier, and drew in a short breath. He hoped it wasn't about him and Blair. "Let Nate be sick or something," Chuck thought. "God, let him be sick or something."
That was when there came a knock at the door. The sound echoed in Chuck's ears.
"Come in," Dan said. He would have later wished he never said it.
Nate threw the door open and ran right at Chuck, his face lowered in an angry scowl.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Nate exclaimed. Dan jumped at Nate's loud voice, and his mouth dropped open as Nate threw a white-knuckled punch at Chuck. Carter moved forward in his seat, surprised at what was going on but wanting a good view.
Chuck caught Nate's fist in his one hand, but was so shocked by the sudden attack that he didn't have time to react when he saw Nate's other fist coming at his face. It hit him hard in the jaw, and Chuck's head turned completely the other way. Nate delivered another punch to Chuck's stomach, and Chuck doubled over, gasping for air. Nate shoved him down, and Chuck's head hit the hardwood floor. Nate looked down at him loathingly from above.
"Nate!" Dan exclaimed, his voice shaking in surprise. "What are you doing?!" Nate looked straight at him, and Dan saw that Nate's normal, gentle blue eyes had been replaced by ones filled with uncontrollable rage. It sent a shiver down Dan's spine, for he had never seen such a side to Nate before.
"Stay out of this, Dan!" Nate exclaimed. "I'll handle it myself!" Chuck had slowly been starting to sit up, gently grabbing the back of his head and gasping. Nate saw and pressed his foot down on Chuck's left shoulder. Chuck tried to shove Nate's leg off of him, but Nate just pressed down harder, using all of his strength. Chuck never realized how strong Nate was until that moment, when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder and kept getting worse.
"Nate! Ahhh!" Chuck screamed as he felt his shoulder begin to crack. Nate looked down and smiled, and suddenly Chuck heard a loud thud. Nate's eyes widened and his leg loosened. Chuck shoved Nate's leg off of his shoulder with his right arm right away, using what strength he had left. Nate stepped back a little, a moan escaping his throat. He turned to look behind him and came face-to-face with a determined Dan, who held a steel pan in his hand.
"Damn it Dan! What was that for?!" Nate exclaimed angrily. Chuck tried to sit up, but he couldn't get enough air so he lied back down. He realized that Dan had whacked Nate in the back with the pot.
"What was that for?!" Dan exclaimed, motioning to Chuck. "What the hell is going on?!" Nate pointed down at Chuck, who was still struggling to get air.
"He stole my girlfriend!" Nate exclaimed. "She came and broke up with me, and then hours later he was kissing her and getting into limos with her and doing God knows what!" Dan raised an eyebrow, confused. He looked down at Chuck.
"Is that true?" Dan asked calmly. "You and Blair?" Chuck leaned over on his side and gulped. His voice was very hoarse when he spoke.
"She broke up with him…she wanted to be with me…"
"You're a fucking liar!" Nate exclaimed loudly, making Dan shiver again. He stared at the two of them, not believing the exchange of words between the two friends. "She never wanted to be with you! She came to you because we broke up and you took advantage of her, you man-whoring son of a bitch!" Spit fell from Nate's mouth and onto Chuck's face. Chuck wiped it away, glaring up at Nate vengefully. He was about to try to push himself back up and pound Nate when someone spoke up.
"No Nate, it's true. They're together."
Everyone looked over at Carter in shock.
"What?!" Nate exclaimed in disbelief. Carter rose from his seat, looking disturbed by Nate's attitude.
"I saw them," Carter said. "They were walking together this afternoon, and he had his hand around her and they kissed." Chuck glared at him, even though Carter was trying to help and set things straight. "They looked genuinely happy together, Nate. I've never seen Chuck smile so much."
"Of course, because he got her virginity! He took her innocence!" Nate turned back to Chuck, who had sat up and was looking at Nate with big eyes.
"If only you knew how long ago that was..." Chuck thought.
Nate suddenly bent down and pulled Chuck to his feet. Dan saw.
"Nate! Stop it!" Dan tried to pull on Nate's arms to release Chuck, but Nate's grip was strong and unyielding. He walked Chuck back and pressed him up against the wall. Carter ran forward and tried to help Dan in his so far fruitless efforts at calming Nate down. Chuck's eyes looked downward, away from Nate's gaze.
"Look at me!" Nate exclaimed. Chuck's nose scrunched up a little, detecting a scent of liquor in Nate's breath.
"Of course that's it," he thought. "Nathaniel could never do this without a little help. He doesn't have the…"
"You know it wasn't right, or there wouldn't be guilt in your eyes!" Nate shouted, interrupting Chuck's thoughts. Chuck did look up, but his eyes looked enraged instead of guilty. Suddenly he found his strength and yanked his arms out of Nate's grasp. Dan and Carter pulled Nate back, who was flinging around like a madman, trying to get a hold of his prey once more. Chuck breathed heavily and kept his angry, threatening eyes on Nate.
"You're the one who should feel fucking guilty!" Chuck exclaimed. He walked forward, his voice rising as he approached his best friend. "You left her alone so many times I can't even count them all! I don't blame her for wanting someone who'd be there for her!"
"Oh yeah, you'd be there for her in bed, and then you'd leave her like everyone else you've fucked in the past!" Nate exclaimed, his face reddening. "I can't believe you would do this to me! After I'm the only true friend you've ever had!" Chuck got right in Nate's face, and he felt his own blood rush with fury. He looked right into Nate's eyes and made his next words very clear.
"She doesn't love you! She never did!"
Nate yelled and started to charge once more, but Dan and Carter held him back. It was getting to be hard work. Dan decided to try to step in, taking one hand off of Nate and motioning for Chuck to move back a little.
"Calm down, you guys. Maybe we can just talk about it and clear the air," Dan suggested.
"Oh that's right, stand up for him. He was only trained by the guy who f-ed your girlfriend, but yeah, go right ahead," Nate said coldly.
"What?!" Dan exclaimed. Nate pointed at Carter with his free arm.
"He can tell the story better than I can," Nate said. Carter looked at Nate, outrage spreading across his face.
"You said you wouldn't tell anyone, you son of a bitch!" Carter exclaimed. Chuck looked baffled for the first time in his life. Dan looked angrier by the second.
"You and Serena had sex?!" Dan exclaimed, looking at Carter. Carter looked down, then he looked back up at Dan with sorrowful eyes.
"It was before you two got together. I'm sorry, Dan."
Dan's eyes widened, and he felt his stomach drop. Chuck looked at all of them, very confused. He hadn't known about that, and he knew everything.
"She slept with you but she wouldn't sleep with me?!" Chuck asked Carter. He looked almost insulted. "You're worse than I am!" Carter looked at Chuck with big eyes and shook his head slowly.
"No Chuck, that's not true," Carter said. Chuck's mouth dropped open in shock. Everyone was turning against him, even those like carter who had no right to speak in the first place.
"You're the biggest bastard in the entire universe!" Nate exclaimed. He advanced on Chuck with no one to stop him this time. Chuck backed up slowly as Nate approached, ready to defend himself if necessary. Dan was frozen in shock, and Carter looked ashamed of himself. Nate got right in Chuck's face again. "You beat anyone of the past and anyone now! You're the most pathetic scum of the Upper East Side! I despise you, and I will until the day I die!" Chuck looked right into Nate's eyes and paused for a minute before shaking his head slowly.
"No, you don't. You never despise anyone--you're too innocent for that. You just get jealous, and that jealousy clouds your brain until you have to take it out on someone. And you're jealous now, Nathaniel. You're jealous of what you can't have, and you're jealous that no matter how many times you started over, she never loved you."
There was a pause, and everyone waited for Nate's response, even Nate himself. He didn't know what to say back. So instead of thinking up something clever, he just brought his fist into Chuck's nose. Dan ran forward, the motion startling him out of his daze. He pushed Nate back away from Chuck and looked back and forth at all of them angrily. He tried to keep his voice calm.
"This has to stop." He raised his hands and talked with them as he continued. "I'm all discombobulated right now, trying to keep up with all of this. We can sit down and talk about it, but the physical crap has to come to an end. I won't stand for it in my house, or in between my band members."
Nate laughed.
"You think I'm still in the band?! There's no way I'm singing with that waste of a life!" Nate said, motioning to Chuck. Chuck would have replied if he wasn't too busy trying to stop the blood gushing out of his nose. Dan's eyes widened.
"You can't," he stated.
"I can," Nate answered back.
"Nate, we've worked so hard! Sure, you and Chuck are having some problems, but you work it out! That's what best friends do!" Dan exclaimed. Nate laughed once more, louder and crueler.
"He's not my best friend anymore. He's as much worth to me as a used condom."
That hurt Chuck more than he would care to admit. Nate's eyes looked at him like he was exactly what he had just described, and that wasn't making it better.
"Ouch Nathaniel, since when did you become such a smart ass?" Chuck asked. Chuck laughed a little in his throat, letting Nate know he wouldn't be taunted so easily. After all, did he forget who he was dealing with? "Did you need the comebacks for when your dad became a pothead and everyone at St. Jude's was making fun of you? Oh wait--that was me defending you, like I always have. You were so pathetic that you could never come up with anything on your own." Nate paused, still glaring at Chuck loathingly.
"This isn't over, Chuck. You'll be sorry. You think Blair's revenge was bad?" He laughed in his throat and smiled evilly. "You just wait."
"Wow, I'm shaking," Chuck said. "Wait, I'm getting me confused with your father again. Too much pot, nervous breakdown, shaking hands…"
"SHUT UP!" Nate exclaimed, his face as red as a tomato. He turned and started to walk to the door, deciding to bide his time. Dan watched, realizing that everything he had worked for was being blown to pieces in a matter of minutes.
"Nate!" Dan exclaimed. Nate stopped walking. "What about all we've accomplished?! The songs we wrote, the gig we got, everything you've learned…doesn't that mean anything to you?!" Nate turned slowly and looked at Dan.
"I can't, Dan. I'm sorry." Then he turned back around and opened the door. He closed it with a slam, and an uncomfortable silence spread throughout the room.
Chuck was titling his head up, still trying to stop the blood. Dan saw that it had dripped down onto Chuck's shirt and onto the floor. Dan got a few paper towels and handed them to Chuck.
"Thanks," Chuck said. He coughed as he tried to get the awful iron taste flowed into his mouth. It had been worth it though, just to zing Nate one last time. Dan was grossed out but kept getting more paper towels. Carter sighed loudly.
"Well," he said. "I guess there's nothing left for me here." He walked over to the chair he was sitting on before and grabbed his coat. Dan looked up.
"What, you're leaving too?" Dan asked. Carter looked back at him, disappointment lingering in his eyes.
"There's no way we can still go on with just the three of us. Nate covers the high tenor, and we need that. Plus, none of us can play the bass--or learn in a week," Carter said. Dan nodded slowly, realizing he was right. "I'm sorry Dan. Really, I am." He paused and waited for Dan to respond, and he didn't. "You can call me if you ever need anything." Carter then turned slowly on his heels and went for the door. He closed it softly behind him. As he walked away he felt sorry, but he couldn't help but smile. It looked like Chuck hadn't stolen his crown after all.
Dan leaned on the counter and crossed his arms. He looked down at the floor. Chuck noticed how depressed he was.
"That was cool, Humphrey." Dan looked up at him, his eyes curious.
"What was?" Dan asked. Chuck smiled at the corners of his mouth.
"When you hit Nate with that pan. You should have seen it from my point of view; it looked like something out of a movie." Dan smiled a little, but then looked saddened once more.
"I think you should go, Chuck." Dan knew there was so much to what had just happened, but he didn't feel like hearing it. All he knew was that Chuck seemed like the one behind it all. Chuck had disrupted his life when he was trying to accomplish something, just like always. Dan didn't know why he expected otherwise.
Chuck removed the bloody paper towels from his face.
"Do you even know what just happened?" Chuck asked. Dan sighed.
"I don't, and right now I really don't want to know. All I know for sure is that all of the effort I have put into this is down the drain." Dan reflected back on how he chose the three of them for the band. He had been so proud of the way things were going. Now he just wanted to go back in time and remake that decision.
"Humphrey, I didn't mean for--"
"Just go." Dan looked back down, melancholy. Chuck stared at him for a few moments, and couldn't help but feel responsible. Dan kept looking down. With a scorned expression on his face, Chuck walked over slowly to the table and picked up his coat. He looked back at Dan once more, and then went to the door himself. As soon as he was gone, Dan took his cell phone out and called the most familiar number he knew.
"Serena? Yeah, it's Dan. We need to talk. I just heard about you and Carter Baizen."
Chuck got outside of the loft building and the cold air stung his tenderized face. He stood next to the door and leaned against the brick wall. His head was killing him from hitting it so hard on the floor. He placed a hand behind his head and felt a lump.
"Damn Nathaniel."
Chuck closed his eyes. He breathed in the chilly air, which invigorated his overheated body. Chuck sighed as he thought back to the obvious. The band was through. Secret Addictions would never meet the public eye.
And he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault.
Nate's words replayed in his head like a broken record. What Nate had said was more painful than all of the physical blows he'd received. Chuck had never wanted to hurt him. Nate was like the brother he never had (a little one, to be more precise; Chuck always seemed to be teaching Nate the facts of life). Now he was against him, just like the whole rest of the world seemed to be.
After everything had just begun to change for the better, it had taken a turn for the worse. Chuck wasn't scared of Nate's threats at all--he knew that Nate wasn't capable of being deceitful. However, Chuck didn't like that Dan was blaming the whole ordeal on him. He hadn't said it outright, but Chuck could tell by Dan's mannerisms that Dan thought he was responsible. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Chuck felt bad for making Dan's band crash and burn in a matter of seconds. Dan had been surprisingly amiable towards him lately. Chuck figured that now Dan would pass him in the school halls, glaring at him hatefully just like old times.
Chuck wondered why he could never be happy. Every time one thing went right in his life, something else went wrong. He hated that he had to choose between the woman he loved and his best friend, when they always said that a friend and someone to love was all that one should really need in life.
Chuck's heart weighed heavy in his chest, and he suddenly felt very alone. It seemed like he was destined to be constantly lonely in one category of people. His mother had left him, his father constantly disapproved of him, and when Blair finally came back Nate left.
Chuck opened his eyes and realized that everything looked blurry. He quickly brought his hand up and angrily wiped away the despised moisture. Chuck hadn't cried for so long that the tears seemed to be burning his eyes, scarring him. He hated himself when he cried--it was the biggest sign of weakness in his opinion. His father had made that blatantly clear when Chuck was two. Crying was for girls and wusses like Nathaniel: not him.
Chuck took his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Stop being so stupid.You always survive these things,he told himself. "You're fucking Chuck Bass." He first called his limo driver and told him where to pick him up. Then he dialed a number on his speed dial and put the phone to his ear. It rang a few times before he heard a happy voice on the other end, the voice of the one person who understood him better than anyone.
"Hello?"
"Blair?"
"Chuck!" Blair said excitedly. She was sitting on a couch at one of her mom's friends houses. It was another one of Eleanor's social events that Blair had to attend. For once, Blair didn't mind; she had been just too happy to complain.
"How's the party?" Chuck asked, cheering up a little.
"Better now that you called," Blair replied. Chuck heard the smile in her voice. "How's the practice going? Have you guys broken any of cabbage patch's windows yet?" Chuck paused for a minute, not wanting to say what he had to say. Blair noticed and became concerned. "Chuck, are you alright? What's wrong?"
"Nate knows, Blair."
Blair's mouth dropped open and she put a hand over it.
"Oh my God," she said.
"It was awful," Chuck said, thinking back. "He was so angry…I've never seen him act like that before in my life."
"Did he hurt you?!" Blair asked worriedly. Chuck didn't want her to fret over him, but what else was he going to say?
"Not too badly," he lied. Blair felt her heart sink.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed.
"It's fine, Waldorf. It's fine."
"No it's not fine!" Blair said, her voice rising. "I broke up with him! He can't take it out on you! Who does he think he is?!"
"I think it was a Gossip Girl post that tipped him off. Maybe somebody saw us together," Chuck said. Blair became enraged.
"I hate that site. I hate that site!" she exclaimed. Chuck was startled by her sudden outcry, and then her voice turned worried again. "Chuck, stay where you are. I'll come and find you."
"No Blair, it's okay."
"Chuck, I--"
"Your mother wouldn't allow you to leave. Besides, I'm alright now, he's gone. Don't worry about me."
"How can I not?" Blair asked. "I love you."
"I'll just go back to the Palace; it will be okay. I promise you, everything will be fine," Chuck said confidently. Blair pursed her lips.
"I believe you, but I don't like it." Chuck smiled, realizing how much she cared for him.
"You want to know the worst part?" Chuck asked.
"I don't know, do I?" Blair asked.
"Nate quit the band."
"I'm not surprised. Oh my God!" Blair exclaimed for the third time. "You know, he's seriously, seriously pissing me off right now." Chuck laughed a little.
"Calm down, Waldorf. It's all over with now; there's nothing we can do about it." Blair felt like denying that, but she didn't. They continued to talk until Chuck's limo driver arrived. As soon as she hung up, Blair called another number.
"Hello?" asked the voice on the other end. Blair could tell by the sound of her best friend's voice that something was wrong.
"S? What's wrong?"
"Oh my God Blair, it was horrible!" Serena exclaimed through her tears. "Dan called me and told me that he knew about me and Carter." Blair's eyes widened.
"He got mad?" Blair asked.
"Not extremely, but he was upset that I didn't tell him sooner, and now I don't think he's talking to me. Then he told me that the band was broken up, and he told me what Nate did, and it was all so crazy and I don't know what's going on and…" Serena let out a sob. "I called Nate and I yelled at him."
"You did?! Why?!" Blair asked curiously. She wanted to be the first one to yell at Nate for what he'd done.
"He said he wouldn't tell anyone about Carter and me but he spilled the beans. I know I should've told Dan, but that doesn't give Nate the right to!" She gasped through her tears.
"I'm sorry, S."
"B…what is going on with you and Chuck?" Serena suddenly asked. She had gotten the Gossip Girl message, but she couldn't talk about it with Blair at school. Serena had been so busy with the wedding and everything that she didn't have time to call Blair, either. Blair's eyes widened.
"How did you…of course," Blair said, rolling her eyes as she realized it was Gossip Girl.
"Dan told me a little something about it too, when he talked about the fight." Serena remembered the conversations that she had with both Chuck and Blair. She had been desperately wondering if anything major had happened since then or if the text just displayed the scene before another one-night stand.
"I can't explain now. I'll fill you in later, but now I need you to do something for me," Blair said. "I know you're upset and everything, but I really, really need this."
"What?" Serena asked.
"Are you at the Palace?"
"Yeah."
"Can you wait for Chuck, and kind of comfort him when he shows up? I'm going to get there as soon as I can but if he gets there earlier I need someone to just be there with him."
"What happened?" Serena asked.
"Again, I'll tell you later," Blair said. "Can you do that for me, S?" Serena didn't feel like comforting anyone but herself at the moment, but she agreed.
"Sure."
"Thank you so much, Serena. You really are a great friend." Blair hung up the phone, then ran to her mother to try to convince her to let her go to the Palace.
Chuck finally got back to the hotel after what seemed like an eternity. He hopped out of the limousine and walked slowly through the open gates. He raised an eyebrow as he saw Serena running towards him.
"Chuck, Blair called me and told me to wait for you. What is going--" She stopped and gasped once she saw the dried blood on his face. "Chuck, what happened?!" she asked in disbelief. Serena brought her hand up slowly, meaning to examine his face closer. Chuck gently took her hand in his hand lowered it.
"Don't worry about it," Chuck said forcefully. "It doesn't concern you." He started to walk around her, but Serena stopped him.
"It was Nate, wasn't it?" Chuck eyes widened with shock.
"How did you know?" he asked. Serena's face became saddened.
"Dan and I got in a fight. He was telling me that the band is history, and that you and Nate were fighting over Blair." Chuck looked at her, realizing that she didn't know that Blair had broken up with Nate. "What's going on? Did you two get together?" she asked. Chuck sighed.
"Can we sit down and talk about it?" he asked.
"Sure," Serena said. She put her hand on his shoulder and led him over to the stairs. They sat down and Serena pulled some moisturizing cloths from her purse, leftovers from a restaurant date with Dan. She got closer to Chuck and wiped the blood off of his face. Once she finished, Chuck looked closely at Serena.
"You seem concerned," Chuck said.
"Well of course I am," Serena said. Chuck smirked.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you cared." Serena looked down so that he couldn't read her face.
"I care about Blair, and if you're her new boyfriend then I'm going to be worried when you show up all weak and bloodied." She looked back up with a little smile. "Plus, you're not too bad when you remind me that you're a human being." Chuck smiled a little, holding back a sarcastic comment for the first time in his life. "So what happened?" Serena asked. Chuck leaned back against the steps and looked up at her with tired eyes.
"Blair broke up with Nate, and we're together now."
"Really?!" Serena asked. Chuck nodded with a smile. Serena gasped excitedly. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Oh my God, you have a girlfriend! You, Chuck Bass!" She laughed a little. "I never thought I'd see the day!"
"I know, I even surprised myself," Chuck said. "I can't believe you didn't see the Gossip Girl message."
"I did, but I didn't have time to talk about it with Blair. Oh my God!" Serena couldn't keep herself from smiling. Not because she approved, but that the whole situation was unbelievable. "What happened when Blair broke up with Nate and went to you?!" Chuck grinned naughtily, and Serena's excited smile faded and she sighed. "Don't answer that." Chuck laughed a little.
"No, it wasn't just that." Chuck placed his hands on his lap. "Blair can tell you those details, but I'll let you know that Nate found out tonight."
"Yeah, I can guess." Serena wanted to slap herself for feeling sorry for him. "Did he hit you hard?"
"I'll be fine," Chuck said, not directly answering the question. "He was so angry."
"It seemed that way when I talked to him on the phone," Serena said. Chuck raised an eyebrow.
"You called him?"
"I called him to yell at him for telling Dan about Carter. That's why Dan and I fought." There was a pause.
"I'm sorry about that," Chuck said. Serena looked at him, her mouth in an o shape.
"Am I hearing things, or did you just admit that you feel bad for me?!" Serena asked. Chuck shook his head and smirked.
"Don't think that much into it. It's just sad that the one boy who kept you from being a slut is gone." Chuck really did care about Serena; they were going to be related. That didn't mean he would stop teasing her.
"Touché, Charles," Serena said with an eye roll.
"When did you ever get with Carter? I didn't know about that," Chuck commented.
"Maybe you don't know as much as you think," Serena said with a wry smile. She suddenly turned her head forward. "Like how Blair Waldorf doesn't take no for an answer." Chuck turned to see what Serena was looking at. Blair was getting out of a limo and walking through the open gates. Chuck looked at Serena, who gave him an encouraging smile. "Go on," she urged.
Chuck stood up and ran to Blair, whose face brightened when she saw him. They met in the middle of the circle-shaped pathway.
"Yeah, I'm a little late. But better late than never, right?" Blair asked. Chuck couldn't keep himself from smiling.
"You didn't have to come," Chuck said.
"Let me get this straight," Blair said, folding her arms. "You are always there when I'm down and lonely and shit out of luck, and I can't be there for you when your time comes?" She smiled. "Keep dreaming, Bass."
Chuck was speechless. He threw his arms around her, and she hugged him comfortingly back. People passing by on the streets saw them and smiled. So did Serena, who stood up on the steps to get a better look. She never would have pictured (or approved of) the two of them together in a million years, yet they made such a beautiful pair.
Chuck bent down and kissed the top of Blair's head, and she looked up at him. They were silent for a few moments, their arms still tightly wrapped around each other.
"I was so worried," Blair said.
"Did you honestly think that Nathaniel could do anything bad?" Chuck asked, gently pushing some of Blair's hair out of her face. She blushed.
"No, but I couldn't help myself. I love you. If anything happened…" Blair stopped, realizing the words she had just said. Her eyes widened, fearful of what Chuck would say back. Her fears were soothed as Chuck's face brightened and a genuine smile spread across his face.
"I love you too."
No words could begin to describe the happiness they each felt at that moment. They had found the pure bliss that they had been searching for their entire lives. Only one thing could truly accomplish expressing that.
Serena wiped a few warm tears running down her cheeks as she watched them kiss. Even she could feel how much they cared for each other--and dare she think it, how much they belonged together.
When the kiss finally broke, they looked at one another for a few moments, astounded at how much their dreams had become realities. Their hearts beat at the same, quickened pace as the silence and awe enveloped them. After for what seemed like an eternity, Blair spoke again.
"Whatever Nate does, he won't stop us from being together Chuck. He can't."
"Of course not," Chuck said, assuring. He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips once more. "Nothing can." Blair smiled widely and blushed. Suddenly, through all of the horns and noise of the city, there came a faint musical sound from above. Chuck and Blair looked up as it grew louder, thinking they were hearing things. Someone in one of the hotel rooms was blasting a song, and had left the window open. It was so loud and clear that they could distinguish the instrumental song.
"Nobody does…it better…" Blair sang softly. "Makes me feel sad…for the rest…"
"You know this song?" Chuck asked suddenly.
"Dorota likes Carly Simon," Blair said with a smile. Chuck looked clueless. "The lady who sings it?" Blair asked.
"I don't know who sang it, all I know is that it was from one of my dad's favorite James Bond movies," Chuck said. Blair laughed, stifling back joyful tears.
"Chuck, you are something else."
"And I'm yours."
Chuck stepped back a little, out of her arms. He extended his arm out and opened his hand with a smile.
"You ran off at the cotillion before we finished dancing," Chuck reminded her. Blair smiled brightly and held in a gasp as she realized what he was proposing. She walked forward and took his hand. Blair moved her other hand up on Chuck's shoulder, and Chuck put his hand around her waist. Then they began to dance. They moved gracefully with great vivacity, even though neither of them was focusing on their steps.
Chuck was too busy thinking about how much he loved her and how lucky he was. And Blair was too busy looking at the handsome man she loved with disbelief and affection, noticing how much the song reminded her of him.
"Nobody does it…half as good as you…baby you're the best…"
They were so involved that they didn't notice a familiar face running past them, nor did he notice them.
"Serena!"
Serena turned her blurry eyes away from Chuck and Blair and turned them to the owner of the voice. She gasped.
"Dan!" He ran over to her, panting. She laughed a little as she stepped down the stairs and approached him. "You look so out of breath!"
"I took a taxi here but I only had enough money to take up the last street. I had to run down a few blocks," Dan answered. "Plus, I was kind of worried you wouldn't be home."
"You could've just called me!" Serena said.
"Yeah, but that would've ruined the surprise," Dan said.
"I thought you were mad at me," Serena said. Her face fell. "You have every right to be. I should've told you." Dan sighed.
"I was upset. But then I was going through all of the songs the band and I wrote, ready to toss everything out. I came across one that I hadn't finished." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Dan unfolded it and handed it to her. "Take a look," he said. Serena saw the title, "My Angel at the Banister." She read it and her mouth dropped open in pleasant surprise.
"Dan, is this about me?!" she asked. Dan smiled.
"After I told Nate to stop writing songs about you, I had an inclination to do the same thing but in the way that I see you. Not just the girl I did, but the girl who means the world to me."
Serena continued to read in disbelief. She got to the end and looked up at him brightly.
"I thought you didn't finish it." Dan blushed, embarrassed.
"After I saw it and read through it, I came up with the ending," Dan said. Serena couldn't get over how sweet he was being, especially since he should've still been upset. Dan sighed. "I overreacted a little about the whole Carter thing. It just surprised me, I guess. But what's in the past is in the past. I want to know that I'll still be with you in the future." Serena grinned widely and the tears continued to flow down her cheeks. She realized that she couldn't have found a better man than Dan Humphrey. Her heart fluttered as the words escaped her lips.
"I love you, Dan. I love you so much." Serena grabbed him and pulled his lips into hers, and Dan didn't argue. He put his arms around her and she molded into him. When they pulled away, Dan smiled and gently wiped away her tears with his hand.
"I love you too," Dan said. Serena wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm so sorry about your band, baby," Serena said. Dan was amused--he never thought he'd hear her call him her baby.
"Me too," Dan said sadly. "Maybe I can get some new members." Serena wanted to comfort him, and could only think of one way.
"Do you want to go up to my room?" she asked. Dan bent down, and suddenly Serena felt herself being picked up. She kept her arms around Dan, who smiled at her warmly.
"I've had practice at the cotillion," Dan said. Serena laughed, then bent over and kissed his cheek. It seemed like Chuck and Blair weren't the only ones reliving that night.
"You're amazing," she told him. As Dan began to carry her away, Serena looked back once more at the couple in front and gaped at what she saw.
Chuck and Blair were deep in a passionate kiss. They held each other so close and fit together so perfectly, it almost looked like they had been set up to pose that way. The song continued to blast from the apartment above:
"Nobody does it…quite the way you do…why'd you have to be so good?"
Serena grinned.
For once, she and her best friend had found their perfect match.
Spotted: C and B slow dancing and making out romantically in front of the Palace Hotel.Tsktsk, have these two forgotten that I'm watching them? As much as I am dismayed to write this, I guess Queen B found her match in the royal jester. Rumor has it that our knight in shining armor N is pretty mad, naturally, but will he do something about it? N has never been one to scheme. If he has got some secret tricks up his sleeve though, there is school on Monday. C ought to watch his back, because N will be on the lookout for him. And so will I. You know you love me.
XOXO
Gossip Girl