Chapter 3

At the feel of being jerked forward, Chuck wakes up from the back of his limo with a soft, "What the fuck?" He opens the door forcefully and gets out of the car, pulling his fingers thru his hair, clearly irritated, only to see some badly dressed homeless boy waving apologetically.

"Sorry!" The boy exclaims, before running off down the sidewalk in a hurry.

Chuck rolled his eyes and got back in the car as he told Arthur to go on to Nate's place before muttering, "I thought things like that only came out of Brooklyn."

After pulling up in front of Nathaniel's, he leans back into the leather seats, waiting for Nate to come out of his townhouse so they can go to school. His thoughts running over the events of the previous night and decides to do a bit of recon work to find out where exactly Nate's head is at.

On the outside, the world viewed Nate and Chuck to be the closest out of the upper crust of the Upper East Side kids and, up until sometime during the past year, he would have agreed.

It started with the night of the Shepherd wedding. Chuck was all for playing the field and not focusing all your attention on one girl, but he was also all for being honest with the girl while doing it. That way they don't get too emotionally attached and started expecting things like commitment and a relationship. Chuck rolled his eyes at that thought. As if things like that just happen without careful consideration.

Despite what others thought, Chuck Bass wasn't necessarily against relationships. He just sets a higher standard than most that has yet to be met by any of the girls that he graced his sheets with their presence. One of the first things to take into consideration is that he had to be challenged and be willing to spend time with the girl outside of the bedroom and frankly, after all of his sexcapades, no one has managed to keep his attention in that way…with the one exception of Blair Waldorf.

Blair Waldorf.

Now that's someone he never considered to be closer to than Nathaniel. He still wasn't sure why, after he saw Nathaniel with Serena, that he told her. He wasn't normally a snitch and was a firm believer in the bro code: bros before hoes, but she was there in his suite, months after the fact that everyone found out that Serena had fled to Connecticut for boarding school; not to mention Blair was drunk and Nate was nowhere to be found.

Maybe it was because she actually confided in him that she didn't know why or that Serena had even left until the morning of when she went by her place to walk to school. Or maybe it was because the scandal with her parents recently broke with her father also coming out of the closet. He just knew that he recognized the start of a downward spiral and Blair needed a friend and, with her two confidants Serena and Nate both wrapped up in their own problems to notice, she was alone.

So, very uncharacteristically, he decided to be that friend to her, and one night he told her what he saw that faithful day. At first she didn't believe him, but he could see that she knew that he had nothing to lie about. She knew that Serena would, in fact, do something like that and that Nate would too because of his infatuation with Serena that he always had even when he and Blair first started dating.

It wasn't until almost a month later that he found out about her little bathroom worship problem; something that, again, no one knew about except for Dorota, Blair's maid, Serena, and now him. Since Dorota wouldn't have been home for another 30 minutes later, Chuck stayed and talked Blair into getting some help; even going to the extent of blackmailing her with exposure to Eleanor. With the help of the polish maid, Blair got better and they grew even closer with this new secret that they shared.

Since that day, Chuck had grown very protective of Blair to the point that it, when he stopped to think about it, was almost embarrassing how available he made himself be for her. Chuck was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of the door opeing and Nathaniel slipped in.

"Finally, I was growing concerned that you were going to ditch and not even bother to inform me," Chuck frowned as he took note of Nathaniel's slight perspiration on his forehead.

"Sorry man, I had to run an errand and I figured I could make it back before you got here."

"What errand would that be?" Chuck asked appearing nonchalant as he looked out his window, giving off the appearance that he was just making conversation.

"Just something for my mom," Nate lied not successfully, but Chuck chose to let it go; having an idea but not wanting to jump to conclusions just yet.

"So how do you think today is going to go, with Serena back in town?" Chuck asked as he carefully steered the conversation to where he wanted it to go.

"I'm sure it'll be the same as it was before she left," Chuck glances at Nathaniel, noticing that he was now looking out the other window and decides to continue on with the conversation.

"You know, Serena looked effing hot last night. There's something wrong with that level of perfection, it needs to be…violated," Chuck gives his signature smirk when Nathaniel looks back at him and responds with a grunt, "You are deeply disturbed."

"And yet, you know I'm right. You're telling me that if you had the chance-," Chuck persists.

"I have a girlfriend," Nate interrupts.

"You guys have been dating since kindergarten and you haven't sealed the deal," Chuck said with his smirk still in place as he finds amusement in Nathaniel's choir boy act.

"Who says seal the deal?!" Nate laughs. Chuck releases a chuckle as the limo pulls up in front of the school, climbing out after him. Just as Chuck took a step away from the car he gets bumped into from behind. Full of anger at being attacked he spins around with a vicious, "Watch where you're going-"

"I'm sorry man, my mistake-"

"You? You're that homeless guy that my driver almost ran over earlier! What are you following us or something?" Chuck looks at him with disgust.

The homeless man frowns in confusion before responding, "No, I'm Dan Humphrey…We go to the same school, same uniform?" He motions between them and their similar attire.

Chuck sneers at the kid and just walks away, remarking towards Nathaniel, "They apparently just let anyone in this place."

xoxo

Blair sat down on the highest step of the Mets at lunch time, as her minions took their seats a step below her on either side, with a sigh; for the first time all day she felt as if she could finally breathe. The entire school was buzzing about the return of Serena Van Der Woodsen, it was as if they had nothing else to talk about! She can now, finally, focus her thoughts on her planned evening with Nate as well as her party tomorrow. It was going to be THE social event to start off the school year and nothing other than perfection would suffice.

Not because it was for charity for some endangered bird or what have you, but because she was the chairwoman of the committee and if it was not presented perfectly her reputation would be tarnished. It's not like Blair cared about birds, with the exception of ducks, she was only on this committee so that she can look even more perfect on her Yale application.

Blair smiled to herself as she let herself get swept away in her daydream of when she's at Yale. She'd spend her time studying and going to the Princeton game with daddy, Nate would come up from Dartmouth to visit on weekends. Everything will be perfect.

And everything will be set into motion tonight when she gives her virginity to him and he'd finally realize that he and she were meant to be together, and he won't even look twice at Serena again.

"Hello, Blair. Um, I have the invitations you wanted." Blair was pulled from her plans of later at the sound of the voice. She smiles her queen smile as she sees that it's that Jenny Humphrey girl. She motions for Iz to take the offered box from Jenny's hands and hands it to her.

As Blair was flipping through the invitations, she was very pleased as she heard Kati exclaim, "They're so cute!"

"They should be framed or something," Iz adds on at the sight of her queen being pleased with what she saw.

Blair smiled up at Jenny as she gave her final seal of approval, "Not bad work." She hands the invitation designated with Jenny's name on it back to her. "Here's yours, as promised."

"Thanks," Jenny smiled as she holds her special invitation, her key to officially start her way to becoming popular.

Blair finished putting the invitations back in the box after handing Iz and Kati's theirs and looks up just as Serena was jogging up the steps to them, "just when I was able to finally breathe." Blair thought as she prepared herself.

"Hey," Serena started as she took a spoonful of yogurt and pressed it to her naturally glossed lips. "Here you guys are, I looked all over the dining hall for you." Of course you did, you still don't seem to get how things are run around here now, Blair continued to think to herself.

"Oh, hi, I'm Serena." Blair watched as Serena put on her dazzling smile and introduced herself to Jenny.

"I know, I mean… hi I'm Jenny." Blair rolled her eyes lightly as she thought great, another Serena worshiper; she's not that perfect, people! Sensing their queen's displeasure Kati and Iz rolled their eyes too at Jenny's obvious hero worship.

"So, when's the party?" Serena asked as she picked up Kati's invitation from off the ground. Kati looked to Iz and then Blair with a slightly irritated face as if to say, is she really coming this late in the game?

Blair simply smiled up at Serena, more than happy to put her in her place, "Saturday." Giving a glance to both her minions and, happy with what she sees as their loyalty to her, continues, "And, you're kind of not invited." Blair savored the slight look of shock on Serena's face, but she wasn't quite finished.

"Since until twelve hours ago, everyone thought you were at boarding school. Now we're full, and Jenny already used up all the invites," she says lightly as she glances over at Jenny to confirm her story.

"Um, actually-," Jenny tried to explain, but Blair was not having it and interrupted with a firm dismissal stating, "You can go now," with a smile worthy of her status as Queen.

Blair watches Jenny leave the steps and looks back at Serena, "Sorry" with a smile and a light shrug, not really sorry at all.

"No, it's okay. I got a lot of stuff to do anyway," Serena responded as she dropped the invitation beside Kati where she picked it up.

Blair mentally shrugs off the attempted snub and begins to gather her things and stands up, "Well, we should get going then, unless you want us to wait for you? Looks like you have a lot of yogurt left," Blair smirks as she sees Serena finally getting that things are no longer how they used to be between them and the school itself.

"No, go ahead."

Blair gives a fake, sweet smile to her and makes her way down the steps, followed respectfully by Kati and Iz, only stopping when she hears her name being called by Serena.

"Blair, think we could meet tonight?"

Irritated, but determined to not lose this stand-off Blair responds, "I'd love to, but I'm doing something with Nate tonight."

"The Palace, 8 o'clock? Nate will wait," Serena says forcing Blair hand. Instead of coming off complacent Blair concedes with her condition, "I could probably do a half hour," shrugging lightly.

"Thanks for making the time," Serena states, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"You're my best friend," Blair smirks with equal amounts of sarcasm before turning away and shrugging lightly to her minions as if what just happened wasn't a big deal. Glad that she was able to keep the upper hand and did not appear weak in front of the help.

Spotted on the steps of the Met: An S and B power struggle. Did S think she could waltz home and things would be just like they were? Did B think that S would go down without a fight? Or can these two hotties work it out? There's nothing that Gossip girl loves more than a good cat fight and this could be a classic.

You know you love me,

xoxo Gossip Girl

A/N: So there we go! I gave you a N and C scene, some B and S showdown. And we got to meet Little Jenny Humphrey. But as a special treat, you got to officially meet lonely boy! All wrapped up in a chapter that was longer than the last. Personally, I didn't understand why Chuck Bass of all people would be on a city bus, that's so poor! (speaking as someone who IS in fact poor lol) So I took creative license and fixed it. Hope you like the new scene because I had a good laugh while I wrote it! ;)

Some of you have asked if I have an ending in mind and I do. This story is going over the course of the timeline of season 1 because that's the season that made me love this show along with 2 and most of 3 and half of 4, then it got really hazy…and dark…and a place that I don't wish to go back! Lol

Special thanks to my reviewers: Sparkleyangel, , and Angelwilliamsfan! And I have 17 followers, which just makes me smile so much! Thanks to the recent ones: Angels1991, Angelwilliamsfan, Breezygal07, Shelbylee824, bribrit11707, jumpsandlove, 22, Littlemissobssesse, and teinshoj as well as thanks to the followers that are still with me after the first two chapters. Be sure to also check out my Beta's, EvelynBass, story Return Someday. She awesome and I just love this story that I'm fortunate to be able to beta for her.

I love you all and next chapter, which I can tell you just from writing the first scene of it that it will be longer than this one, we'll have the sitdown of B and S, and we'll have a C and S, N and B, and of course (since they weren't together in this chapter) B and C, twice! What can I say? It's obvious that I have my favorites to write ;)! And please continue to keep sending me your thoughts and opinions and your love! lol

-Plei4fun