Chapter 19

"Thanks so much for your time Miss Waldorf. I guess I'll see you and the Prince later tonight," Mr. Mayberry from the New York Times said politely as him and Blair stood in the foyer.

Blair beamed excitedly at how well the interview went that she almost missed his parting comment, but was quick to correct him, "Uh, actually, I'm not going with the Prince anymore. I'm going with my new boyfriend. We're sort of making our own debut."

"Ah," Mr. Mayberry replied before asking, "Is it by any chance Nate Archibald? I've heard that you two used to be an item, is it possible that there has been a rekindling of the relationship?"

Blair shook her head with a smile, "I'm afraid not, Nate was a great boyfriend and a perfect gentleman, but he and I are just friends."

Blair didn't even hear the sound of her elevator door opening as she spoke with Mr. Mayberry and didn't even know that they had an audience until it was too late. Chuck was already making his introductions to the interviewer, "Chuck Bass."

Mr. Mayberry took the introduction in stride and shook Chuck's hand as he introduced himself, "Hi. John Mayberry. New York Times."

Blair forced herself to keep smiling as she glanced back and forth at the two of them while she internally freaked out about what Chuck could possibly be doing here. She wasn't due to see him until tonight; they had made the plan to arrive separately to give the added shock effect of walking down the stairs together after being introduced into society.

"I'd just like to say how proud I am of Miss Waldorf and her loyalty to Mr. Archibald," Chuck stated as he pulled Blair into his side while Blair made sure to keep her smile intact, wondering where this was going, "Even though he ruined her 17th birthday and slept with-"

By that time Blair had had enough and just to shut him up she casually dug the heel of her shoe into his foot, effectively cutting him off as she smiled at Mr. Mayberry offering her hand, "Thank you. That was great, right?"

Mr. Mayberry smiled as he shook Blair's hand with a, "Take care" and walked pass the couple to get to the elevator.

Blair smiled after him as she stepped away from Chuck with a polite wave, "All right. Have a good one."

As the door closed behind the reporter, Blair dropped her smile and glared at Chuck, "What was that?"

"I should ask you the same question," Chuck said angrily, "Perfect Gentleman? That broken record was a hit last year. You and I both know he is far from that image."

Blair glared at him as the pieces fell into place, "You almost made a fool of me in front of the New York Times just because you're jealous of Nate's reputation? Chuck, he is a gentleman, he would never cause a scene unlike you just now."

"Never gets your blood going either does he?" Chuck asked softly as he leaned towards her. If Blair wasn't so angry she would have simply rolled her eyes and smiled at him, but this was serious and she just shook her head at him softly.

"I don't know what else I can do to prove to you that I want to be with you, not him. I am your girlfriend and come tonight everyone on the Upper East Side will know it," Blair sighed, feeling tired and almost wishing she could skip over tonight and it just be tomorrow already and everyone would know about them. But all she could do was hope that after tonight Chuck would feel secure with them and stop this petty jealousy he had against Nate.

After her checking her watch to look at the time, Blair knew that she didn't have much time left before her next guest arrives, crossing her arms as she looked at Chuck, "Look I think you should go. Carter Baizen is on his way here right now."

Chuck frowned in confusion and a little bit of fear at leaving Blair alone with the guy, "What? What the hell are you doing with Carter Baizen?"

"He left his jacket here yesterday," Blair shrugged innocently, "and I'd rather you be gone when he got here. There have been enough scenes for today."

Before Blair turned away she leaned towards him and kissed his lips softly, "I'll see you tonight." At his nod she turned and headed to the other room to retrieve the jacket, glancing over her shoulder at her boyfriend as he got in the elevator to leave. She didn't realize until while she was waiting for Carter to arrive that she didn't ever find out why Chuck was at her penthouse to begin with.

xoxo

Before Blair could call Chuck to find out the reason for his visit, not wanting to wait until tonight, she heard her elevator door open again revealing her next visitor was being very prompt. Blair sighed and stood up from her seat in the sitting room just off the foyer, figuring she'd call Chuck after Carter left, knowing he would worry over her now that he knew who she was entertaining.

"Carter," Blair said in greeting.

"Blair, thank you for holding my jacket for me, I can't believe I left it behind," Carter said politely as he reached for it on the couch.

"Cut the crap, Carter. I think we both know that you didn't leave it here by accident, we both know I didn't hold it out politeness, and finally we both know we need to have a little talk," Blair stated bluntly, adding a sweet smile as she motioned for him to take a seat as if it were merely a request instead of a command.

Carter sighed as the two sat down, "You're right. I figure that you know about the last time I was in town?" he asked, not expecting an answer, but Blair nodded anyway, "Even though you weren't there I'm not stupid or naïve to think that you don't have some pull with those two. I want to make an amends. What I did to them was stupid and I was desperate…and too proud to come home with my tail between my legs."

Blair pressed her lips together as she took on this surprising turn of events, "Carter Baizen is actually apologizing?"

Carter smirked and nodded, "Yeah, I don't expect you take it at face value. I know how our world works, whatever you need me to do to show you I'm sincere, I'll do without question."

Blair raised her eyebrow, intrigued, "Anything?"

"Anything," Carter confirmed, obviously showing his unease at what he was agreeing to.

"Okay. But first, we both know it's not me you have to apologize to. It's them. Especially my boyfriend," Blair explained as she tilted her head to the side at him.

"I plan to apologize to Nate; I was hoping that he would be at your tea earlier so I could do it without a scene being made, but-," Carter started to explain only to be interrupted.

"Actually, Nate and I are no longer together, I was referring to Chuck," Blair corrected, smiling to herself as she just told someone else about her relationship status. The more people she told, the more right it felt, even though the two did just have a fight, she wouldn't trade him for anyone else.

To say Carter was shocked was an understatement and for a moment he just sat there in Blair's sitting room as he absorbed this new information, "Really? That's…unexpected, but I don't know why that surprises me. He's a lucky guy."

Blair smirked at him as he bestowed the compliment, "Thank you. Do you still have the ball and watch?"

Carter nodded as he looked away, "Yeah."

"I think it's only right that you return those items to their original owner, don't you? If you're serious about making all of this right…" Blair hinted lightly.

Carter appeared to have no problem with that request, "I'll do it tonight, Serena asked me to be her escort for the ball and I know they'll both be there so I'll make my apologies and return the items to Chuck."

Blair nodded appeased, not sure if she trusted Carter after all that he did in the past, but figuring that at least she tried to return what Chuck held so dear back to him. As the two stood up from their seats, figuring that all was said that needed to be and not wishing to linger any longer than necessary with the events ahead for the night, Blair led Carter to the door, making sure he had his jacket.

"Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad we could have this talk," Blair smiled politely as they waited for the elevator to return.

Carter nodded with a smirk, "I hope that after tonight we call can start over with a clean slate. You and I both know it's better to have both you and Chuck as allies rather than enemies. I wish you luck with him, like I said earlier, he's one lucky guy."

Blair smiled as the elevator arrived and Carter took his leave of her with a playful wink, causing Blair to roll her eyes, "Goodbye, Carter." Blair turned away as the doors shut and went up to her room to prepare to get ready for her big night. As she went into her closet she heard her phone going off in her bedroom, indicating that she had a message. Hoping that it was Chuck, Blair went and picked it up. Disappointed that it was just a Gossip Girl blast, she went ahead and read it. It was a spotted of Carter leaving her building. Blair was just grateful that she had already told Chuck about her visitor before he came, otherwise Blair was sure that there would have been a very angry phone call.

xoxo

Chuck was outside of the Palace hotel taking a smoke when Nate approached him. Obviously having received the Gossip Girl blast from a few hours ago, Nate looked upset. Chuck had to admit that Gossip Girl did him a favor with posting that photo, and so did the photographer. After his fight with Blair, Chuck lingered in the lobby until after Carter left and went out the back entrance after the Gossip blast, not wanted to risk being seen.

He originally went over to Blair's to tell her the bad news that he still hadn't told Nate about their budding new relationship and he knew he was running out of time if he hoped to avoid a scene later. Maybe Blair was right; maybe Nate wouldn't make a scene when he found out and he just wouldn't talk to him for a while afterwards. Chuck didn't like that possibility of losing his best friend though. In fact that was the whole point of keeping him and Blair a secret was so he wouldn't lose his friendship with Nate.

"Carter Baizen's dating Blair?" Nate stated as if to confirm it from Chuck, by this point Chuck didn't even know how to get out of this mess and just tell Nate the truth.

"He's got everyone fooled. Blair thinks he's reformed. He's obviously just toying with her to get at you," Chuck stated as he looked around the courtyard in his tux.

"Yeah, well, it's working," Nate stated as he shut off his phone.

Chuck started musing to himself out loud, "We just need to wait until we can get him in a public place, where everyone who thinks he's changed can see the truth," Chuck nodded to himself. After everything Carter did to him, he had no problems throwing him under the bus at this point. "And we can get him back for everything he's done to you."

Nate looked over at him with a nod as Chuck added, "And everything he's doing to Blair."

"Yeah, when's that going to happen, huh?" Nate asked obviously all for the idea.

Chuck honestly didn't know, but unlike Nate he had patience. As Chuck glanced over his shoulder offhandedly, he found himself smirking as he saw who'd just arrived at his hotel dressed in a tux, none other than Carter Baizen himself, "I have a feeling it may be sooner than you think."

Of course Nate was oblivious to what Chuck could mean by that statement and Chuck just took it in stride as he led the way inside where the escorts are supposed to be before the announcements were made. Chuck was just thankful that they guys were separated from the girls so Blair wouldn't know until after her big debut what he had done, or hadn't done in this case.

xoxo

In the girl's room, Blair was posing with her minions and Serena for a picture for society news on page six with a smile on her face. When the photographer walked away, Blair snatched her dress away from one of the volunteers for the event who was holding Blair's dress up completely wrong and was on the verge of damaging the garment. Blair was getting so nervous about her big night that all of her previous softness was none existent as she snapped, "If you don't pull it together, I'll go Naomi Campbell on you."

Blair sighed as she worked on fixing her dress so it laid properly as Serena did her best to calm her down and brush back Blair's hair as the volunteer scampered away. Blair release a sigh, again just wanting the night to be over already as Serena spoke, "Maybe Jenny can help you."

Blair frowned and looked briefly at the freshman and looked back at Serena with a firm, "No, I'm fine. Thank you." As Kati worked on fixing Blair's bow on her shoulder and made sure that Blair's Erickson Beamon necklace hung straight. Blair wore it specifically for Chuck on their big night coming out of the shadows.

Blair looked off into the distance as she saw Carter come towards them with a bag in his hand as Jenny was asking a question about Serena's presentation statement. Blair frowned as Carter walked up to them, wandering what he was up to.

"Hey, beautiful. What's wrong?" Carter asked Serena, causing Blair to glance over at her best friend in concern, her dress forgotten.

"I didn't write this. My mother did," Serena stated bluntly as Blair took the presentation away to read what it said.

Blair found herself smiling as she began to read aloud, "Serena hopes to continue to live on the Upper East Side, devote her life to volunteering for the nature conservancy, and junior league and have two wonderful children."

Carter reached for the paper with a sigh, "Let me see that."

Blair happily handed it over with a laugh, "Make it stop. You sound like me." Blair laughed with her minions as she brushed her hair back off her face.

Jenny asked Serena softly, "Serena, where's Dan?"

Blair frowned, wondering the same thing. Serena never did explain the reason why she was being escorted with Carter instead of her boyfriend, so Blair made a point to listen to Serena's answer, "He's not coming."

After Carter handed Jenny the presentation paper with whatever it was that he wrote instead, Jenny left quickly, to which Blair was thankful. She didn't need anyone else to witness her slight hyperventilation that she was experiencing. Carter nodded to her and took his leave not too much longer later with a raise of the bag in his hand. Blair found herself smirking, having an idea what was in there. Maybe Carter really was being sincere this afternoon, but Blair was not going to trust him just yet.

xoxo

As Carter made his entrance into the escort room, he was greeted by everyone with the exception of Chuck and Nate who were standing by the bar across the way. Chuck, having seen Carter enter the building earlier wasn't nearly as surprised as Nate was. Although, even if Chuck didn't see Carter earlier he would have seen him over by Serena and Blair in the girl's room a few minutes ago when he passed by. Call him obsessed, but he just wanted to see her in her dress before they made their debut later on, and he had to admit that she was indeed a sight to behold.

"What is he doing here?" Nate exclaimed as he stood up straight taking in the new comer.

"Carter's clever," Chuck stated as he whispered to Nate, "He's using Serena as a cover." Chuck was surprised when Nate attempted to make his way over to Carter and held his friend back with a soft, "It's not time yet."

Deciding that Nate needed to cool off for a bit, Chuck moved him over towards one of Nate's soccer team mates and Nate became easily distracted with the talk of practice and all that other nonsense that jocks talked about when they were together. Frankly, Chuck didn't see the appeal of it. He knew the more he encouraged Nate to think that Carter was Blair's new boyfriend, the deeper the hole he was digging himself into, but at this point he was willing to accept the consequences and just wanted this night to be over.

Almost as if the gods themselves wished to torture him, Carter walked up to Chuck when he saw that he was alone. It wasn't until Carter was next to him that Chuck saw that he had a bag in his hand. "What, did you rob a bank or something, Baizen?"

Carter scoffed, "Not this time, Bass. I believe this belongs to you." Chuck took the proffered bag and looked inside, finding P.J. and his baseball that Carter stole months ago when he was last into town. Chuck was more than shocked he was confused and because of that alone, his face showed it in earnest.

"What's this?" Chuck asked as he lifted the bag.

"Look I know what I did was messed up, I was just in a bad place and I had too much pride to go home and ask for help so I used you and Nate to get me out of it instead," Carter explained, "I talked to Blair as a way of helping me find a way to make it up to you guys and she and I agreed that this was a good start."

Chuck felt his brows furrow at the mention of Blair. Was this why she invited Carter over to her place under the guise of returning his jacket? To get him back his belonging that she knew meant so much to him? Chuck began to feel those butterflies again but it was as if they were set on fire inside of him. Chuck honestly didn't know what to say and was, for maybe the first time in his life, speechless.

Carter, sensing that he sort of made amends to one of his targets of the night, decided to leave it at that and leave Chuck alone with his thoughts. Before he got too far he said, "Congratulations by the way with her, I can honestly say that I'm not surprised that you two ended up together."

Chuck watched Baizen leave to go get in line to be an escort and found himself smirking at the fact that Blair told Carter even after their fight. She was still in this with him, despite him being a jealous and causing a scene earlier. He only hoped that she was still with him after the truth came out about him not telling Nate like he was supposed to, and he found himself hoping that in time he'd earn Nate's forgiveness as well. After handing his bag off to Arthur to put in the car, not trusting anyone else with it, Chuck motioned Nate over to get in position.

As Nate walked passed Carter, he stopped and looked at him as Carter began speaking, "Nate, look, I was hoping to see you. I wanted to apologize, put the past in the past."

"You don't get to say what goes on here," Nate said softly as he got into position with a smile, "I'm on to you."

Carter chuckled and looked over at Nate as he asked, "What are you talking about?" Yes, Chuck decided, It was definitely going to be a long night, but as long as Blair was by his side at the end of it willing to forgive him, Chuck would feel that it was all worth it.

xoxo

"Hello and welcome to the annual Dispensary Cotillion and Debutante Ball." The ballroom was filled with applause as the event began and Blair took a deep breath as she joined in. It was about to happen and Blair felt the butterflies threaten to choke her, but she just focused on the speaker's voice and her own breathing to get through it.

"Katia Farkas, daughter of Jonathan and Rose Farkas, escorted by Richard North," Blair smiled as Kati took a step forward and was accompanied by her escort and began her trek down the grand staircase as the announcer continued on, "Hopes to major in neuroscience and will continue her family's legacy as supporters of the New York Public Library and Lincoln Center."

As Kati arrived at her designated spot on the ballroom floor, Blair prepared for the moment that she had both looked forward to and stressed over for the past week. After this very important announcement everyone would know about her and Chuck and there would be no turning back. Blair put on a polite smile as she heard the announcer call her name, "Blair Cornelia Waldorf, daughter of Harold and Eleanor Waldorf, escorted by Charles Bass." Blair smiled as Chuck came to her side, taking her hand in his as the two paused for their pictures to be taken as the presentation finished up, "Plans to be a member of Yale's class of 2013. She will continue to summer in Southampton and volunteer her time to children's charities."

As Blair was escorted by her boyfriend down the stairs all she could feel was elation that everything went so perfectly. All eyes were on her and Chuck and there were looks of shock, but overall Blair could see the look of envy on her peer's face. It wasn't until Chuck stopped at their designated spot on the ballroom floor and leaned towards Blair, kissing her lips gently that was the smoking gun. Blair smiled as he took his spot behind her as they waited for the other debutantes to be presented. If they even considered that the duo was attending together as friends, the kiss did a very good job of proving otherwise.

Spotted: C sharing a very public and non-platonic kiss with B. Turns out that our Queen has kept a certain King in the dark. And you thought that tonight was going to be about the debuts of the elite, turns out it's also the debut of the Upper East Side's new royal couple. Talk about an upgrade for our Queen B compared to her last guy. Wonder what she baited to hook a Bass…and how's N going to take it now that his best friend and ex-girlfriend are official?

As Blair watched the other people's reactions, she paused at the sight of Nate's face. Blair could not remember a time that her ex looked so angry and betrayed. Maybe Blair didn't give him enough time to come to terms with her and Chuck's relationship if he still this upset about it. Blair's attention was drawn over to Serena who looked equally shocked at Blair's presentation as the announcer continued to speak.

Blair was worried that the blonde would miss her queue, but fortunately Serena heard her name and started step forward towards Carter. "And now I'd like to present Serena Celia Van Der Woodsen, daughter of committee member Lilian Van Der Woodsen, granddaughter of Chairwoman Emeritus, Celia Catherine Rhodes, escorted by Carter Baizen. Miss Van Der Woodsen hopes to bed as many billionaires as she can before settling down to…"

Blair quickly turned her head away as she covered her mouth unable to stop her laughter at what Carter put on Serena's card. As she glanced over at her best friend she saw that the blonde was enjoying herself as the announcer began to flounder at what she just said. Blair felt relief that Carter's joke didn't embarrass Serena at the expense of putting the blonde's family in their place. If Carter was legitimately turning over a new leaf, Blair was more than fine with starting the acquaintance with a clean slate.

As Serena took her spot beside Blair, the two shared a look and a smile as Iz was presented to society. The look from Serena screamed that the two would talk later about Blair's little surprise and Blair simply nodded softly as Chuck leaned towards her, whispering, "I love your necklace by the way; it does you justice."

Blair felt her smile grow at the compliment and turned her head towards her escort as she fiddle with the necklace a bit, "Thank you. It was a birthday gift from my boyfriend."

Chuck smirked, "He has great taste, in jewelry and in women."

"I like to think so," Blair responded just as Nate and his date passed by them with a glare. Blair felt her confusion grow at Nate's reaction; it was almost as if he had just found about them, but that couldn't be right. Chuck promised that he would tell Nate before the ball.

After the presentations of the night were over, Blair was still troubled by Nate's reaction as Chuck led her towards her first position to lead the debutante dance. She was sure to keep her smile in place as Chuck took her in his arms and the two danced around the room with ease. Every once in a while the pair would pass by Nate and his date and all he would do was give them an almost murderous glare.

Before Blair could ask Chuck about it, it was time for them to switch partners and the next thing Blair knew was that she was in Nate's arms, forced to endure his glare up close and personal. As the Pierces continued their song "Secrets" Blair had reached her limit on being quiet, but before she could say anything Nate beat her to it. "So…Chuck's your new guy?"

Blair took a deep breath and nodded as she smiled, glancing over at the guy in question as he danced with Serena to find him looking at her, "Yeah."

"I understand now why he decided to keep it a secret. Didn't want to give the con away," Nate said offhandedly.

Blair frowned and turned her attention back to Nate, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying I understand why you wouldn't want anyone to know about it. I mean he's Chuck Bass, his reputation precedes him, but…come on Blair, do you really think with him escorting you that he's changed? That you're different?" Nate said bluntly.

"I am different," Blair said firmly, "Chuck and I are together for real. As I explained to you earlier this week, we chose to keep us quiet so we could figure it out for ourselves without everyone else putting their opinions in the mix."

At Blair's pointed look Nate rolled his eyes, "Please. Do you honestly think that once he's tired of you that he won't just throw you away? Chuck's incapable of being committed to anyone; it's against everything that he stands for." Nate snarled at Blair, believing the propaganda.

As Blair listened to his words, she realized that this wasn't just the words of stewing upset; this was more of a first response reaction. Nate was acting this way because he just found out with everyone else that his best friend and his ex-girlfriend were together and obviously have been for a while. Blair felt hurt and betrayal build inside her as she glanced over at Chuck over Nate's shoulder.

Nate took in Blair's face and assumed that his words had gotten through to her before he leaned towards her, whispering, "And after he's through with you, imagine what people would say?"

At his words, Blair turned her head sharply at Nate and began to pull away, not wanting to be anywhere near him. She was foolish to think that Nate would actually be happy for them and be supportive. He ended up doing what was typical, planting seeds of insecurities into Blair's head. Blair noticed that it was time to once again switch partners and was relieved as she spoke again, "Thanks for the talk, Nate. Let's not have it again."

But Nate wasn't going to let her go that easily. He held onto her hand firmly as Blair was about to make the transition over to Carter. Blair frowned and tried to gracefully pull away from him so as not to cause a scene before it was too late. To Blair's surprise it was Carter who came to her rescue and stood just behind Nate, "I believe it's my turn now, Archibald."

Nate turned towards Carter and whispered menacingly, "They might not know who you are, but I sure as hell never forgot." With those words, Nate pulled back his right hand and punched Carter in the face! Blair gasped as she found herself just standing there, unable to comprehend what was happening in front of her as the two boys fought. Attention was immediately drawn to the scene and pictures were taken for the next Gossip Girl blast. "Nate, what are you doing?!" Blair found herself yelling.

As Carter yelled to get Nate off of him, Blair felt the rip and felt that her night was officially over. Serena and Chuck raced over to her to get her away from the squabble as Blair cried, "Ugh! They ripped my dress!"

Serena led Blair away off the dance floor as Chuck stayed behind to attempt to do damage control. Blair was oblivious to the mess behind her, only focusing on her current dilemma of her ripped dress. Serena did her best to calm her down but Blair was inconsolable. "You don't understand. It was custom-made. My mom is going to be angry!" Blair shouted as the two walked away, stopping as some blonde crossed their path.

"Jenny! Jenny, hey, we need you. Please?" Serena pleaded to the girl as Blair got a better look at who the blonde was, recognizing the freshman.

"I have to go. I have my mom's thing," Jenny explained.

Blair remembered her thoughts from earlier and figured that now was as good an opportunity as any to offer Jenny the chance to get back into the fold. At this point Blair was desperate, but made a good show of hiding it as she stated firmly, "Jenny, fix my dress, and all is forgiven."

The blonde only thought about it for a moment before quickly leading them to the debutante room to fix the dress, positioning Blair on top of a chair so Blair wouldn't have to demean herself by undressing. Serena, after assuring Blair that everything was going to be fine, left to go find out what was happening. Blair couldn't believe that Nate had caused such a scene, privately and publicly. Her mind went over the words that her ex had said to her. They were cruel and hurtful, and they were the result of Chuck not telling Nate before the two told the world about their relationship.

Blair felt her hurt and betrayal by Chuck build rapidly. How could he have done this to her? He knew how important tonight was for not just her but for them as a couple. As Jenny finished with fixing her dress, Blair gave a smile of thanks and left the blonde there in the room alone as she walked with determination to find Chuck.

As Blair made her way into the ballroom, she instantly spotted Chuck as he motioned to the band to begin playing, and since he was Chuck Bass, they immediately did. Blair took a deep breath as he swept her into his arms and the couple proceeded to dance around the floor with the rest of their peers. By this point Blair wasn't feeling up with putting on the façade of a happy couple and asked, "Where's Nate and Carter?"

"Nate was asked to leave, along with Carter," Chuck explained as he danced with her, "If you asked me thirty minutes ago I would have said good riddance but, I have to say that I'd have preferred Carter to stay. I feel as if I now owe him,"

Blair found herself smirking, "Oh really? May I ask why?"

Chuck smirked back as he pulled her close, "He gave me something earlier while we waited for the presentations to begin, and he told me about you two's talk. You told him about us."

The last sentence wasn't a question, but Blair answered anyway, "I did tell him about us," With her words she remembered the reason why she was so determined to seek Chuck out and added, "But the thing is…you didn't tell Nate."

Chuck sighed and looked down at the floor, pausing in their dance as Blair continued, "You promised me that you would. You said that you were going to while I hosted that tea yesterday so we could avoid the scene that just happened."

"I know I promised," Chuck said softly as he looked up at her, his eyes pleading with her.

Blair forced herself to not be moved by his look as she stated, "So you lied. You lied to me instead of just being honest. I've been through the type of relationship filled with secrets and lies before, Bass, I won't go through that again. I can't." Blair's voice broke as she said her last words.

Chuck felt his heart stop at Blair's words and whispered, "Blair, please?" Not voicing what he was asking, but he hoped that he was making himself clear. This was what he feared would happen. That he'd find a way to screw this up and he'd lose her forever.

Blair shook her head and backed away as she felt her eyes fill with tears, "I need to get out of here. Please, just leave me alone." And with those words, Blair turned and quickly left the dance floor.

Chuck just stood there as he watched her leave him, calling out to her in desperation, "Blair. Blair!" But she didn't turn around, she just kept running, farther and farther away from him and out the door. Leaving Chuck standing there, feeling as if a hole had formed in his chest and he lacked the ability to breathe. Not knowing what to do.

xoxo

As Blair fled from the Palace quickly, she wiped her face clean of the few traitorous tears that escaped from her eyes. All she wanted at this point was to be alone for a while. Everything was going so well and, once again, it all blew up in her face. Could she not have one event that went off perfectly?! It was as if the fates were against her for some unknown reason.

"Blair?"

At the sound of the voice standing beside her, Blair closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Yes, the fates were surely against her. She was being punished for her bitchiness and the way she treated people as if they were beneath her. But Blair couldn't help it if they were!

"Hello Nate," She said softly as she opened her eyes and watched the cars drive by, wishing that Nate would just go away. His words from earlier were still ringing in her ears.

Nate, once again, was oblivious to what Blair wanted and chose to stay and proceed to give Blair, what she assumed, was an apology for ripping her dress and for the scene he caused with Carter. Blair vaguely noticed that he didn't really apologize for what he said, more like how he said it. By that point Blair wasn't up for hearing him go on and on about her choice in boyfriends and whether he approved or not.

Blair spent their entire relationship trying to keep his approval and now that they were over, she had no time or energy to try to work for it now. Blair found herself going over everything that was so wrong with her relationship with Nate. They were picture perfect on paper, but they were never equals. They weren't ever partners like Blair was with Chuck.

Partners...

It was then Blair came to the realization that, despite how much she wished differently, she had let Chuck down as much as he did her. He may not have told Nate about them and wasn't honest with her about it, but she shouldn't have asked him to do it on his own either. They were partners. They should have told Nate together and accepted the consequences together as a united front. Instead she used the opportunity as if to, subconsciously, test Chuck on his commitment to her, and she knew he would fail.

To him, Nate was like his brother, and for Chuck, loyalty was one of the most important things he valued. It was something they both shared when it came to people they cared about. And Blair expected him to basically admit to being disloyal alone? To basically take the proverbial bullet for the both of them while she just sat back and judged?

Blair mentally scoffed and admitted to herself that she had a part in this mess; a part in the scene that was made that ruined hers, as well as, hers and Chuck's relationship's debut. Blair was just about to turn around and head back inside to find Chuck when Nate reached towards her and took her hand in his.

Blair just realized that he was still there beside her, talking to her with a soft smile. Blair vaguely remembered him mentioning something about dessert. Blair frowned at their joint hands and something else caught her eyes to the right of her. Blair froze as she saw Chuck standing just outside the hotel, staring at them with a look of shock and hurt.

Spotted: Chuck Bass losing what no one knew he had to begin with-his heart.

It seemed like forever before Chuck snapped himself out of his stupor and began his desperate search for his girlfriend. Hoping to be given a chance to apologize and make it up to her. He knew that she would be upset after she figured out what he didn't do, but he had no idea that what he was doing would lead to her feeling the way she felt when Nate screwed up so many times. The last thing Chuck wanted was to make her feel the kind of pain he witnessed on a number of occasions while he watched her go through it alone, and he was causing just as much pain as the great Nathaniel did on his first time out.

"Hey. Have you seen Blair Waldorf?" He asked some random debutante in passing as he walked through the hotel lobby. When the girl mentioned that she saw Blair leaving, Chuck raced outside, taking out his phone to call Arthur so he could make a quick exit to follow her wherever she was going.

When he pushed open the door, Chuck froze at the sight just ahead. There was his girlfriend and, what was now he supposed, his ex-best friend, holding hands. Chuck predicted and feared that this would happen, but it didn't stop the pain he felt in his chest. He knew that as soon as he screwed up, Nate would swoop in and take her away from him and she'd go with him happily after realizing what a mistake this whole farce of a relationship was.

He feared that it would happen and yet he hoped that Blair meant her words of wanting to be with him, that she chose to be with him instead of Nate. He felt his hope grow when she turned Nate down to be her escort to Cotillion and it grew again when she said that she would only go with him if he was willing. The entire week was filled with his hope growing that they were for real.

He actually let himself relax as the two stood on the ballroom floor after making their debut to all of society together. Especially when she encouraged his kiss in front of everyone before he took his position behind her. Now he saw that everything was just a grand illusion, a dream even. With no warning, Blair turned her head towards him as if sensing his presence, still holding Nate's hand. Unable to bare the sight for much longer, Chuck was about to turn away when he noticed that she was pulling her hand away from Nate's, that she took a step towards him.

"I don't know what else I can do to prove to you that I want to be with you, not him. I am your girlfriend and come tonight everyone on the Upper East Side will know it," her words from earlier trickled through his mind softly. Maybe she was telling the truth all those times she tried to reassure him, maybe she wasn't, but it was Chuck's turn now to show her that he was as in this as she was. Maybe it was the sight that she was standing there with her back towards Nate, looking at him with pleading eyes; maybe it was because being near her allowed Chuck to finally be able to breathe for the first time since she walked away from him on that ballroom floor not ten minutes earlier.

Either way, it made Chuck take the risk and he slowly made his way over to Nate and Blair. He was willing to do anything for this woman to keep her with him. He was better than to bow out without a fight. Chuck Bass knew what he had with Blair Waldorf and unlike Nate he wasn't going to let it go and let someone else come in and take what was his.

"Blair," he said softly, "May I have a word with you?" Chuck glanced over at Nate briefly before adding, "Alone." He'd deal with Nate later; right now this was far more important to him and he didn't know if he'd have this opportunity again.

Blair nodded faintly, not even saying anything to Nate as he walked off in a huff. Almost as if she knew how big this was, how important this was for him to say, she stood there silently as he began to speak. Chuck sighed in relief as she let him take her hands in his gently as he desperately spoke, "I'm sorry for not keeping my end of our bargain. I'm sorry that I ruined your Cotillion, and I promise you that I'll never lie to you again."

Blair pressed her lips together as she felt her eyes fill up again with tears. Chuck Bass was apologizing and acknowledging that he did something wrong, this was huge. And she wouldn't have been Blair Waldorf if she didn't milk it for all it was worth. She smirked at him faintly as she asked, "How do I know that you'll keep it?"

At the sight of her smirk, Chuck felt his heart begin to rise in elation as he answered, "It's like you said from the start, Waldorf, if we want to give this a chance I'm going to have to trust you, just like you need to trust me. I didn't step up when you needed me to, and consider this me stepping up because I never want to hurt you the way Nate did so many times. And tonight, because I was afraid, I ended up doing that very thing; to hurt you like that was inexcusable and I'm so sorry."

Blair sighed softly and laced their hands together as he leaned his forehead against hers gently, "I'm sorry too."

Chuck frowned in confusion before pulling away, "What?"

"I'm sorry for making you have to tell Nate on your own. We were supposed to be partners, a team even, and we should have told him together," Blair looked up into his eyes as she explained her apology.

Chuck smirked and moved his head back to where it was originally, pressing his forehead against hers as he ran his nose along hers gently as he spoke, "I'll forgive you if you'll forgive me…"

Blair smiled and nodded as she closed her eyes, "Okay, but you're on probation Bass. If we're really going to do this, we can't lie to each other."

Chuck nodded firmly in agreement, "I'll take probation; I'll do anything it takes to get back in your good graces. it's us against the world and as long as we stick together we'll be indestructible. So what do you say, Waldorf, ready to rule them all together?"

Blair laughed at his words and nodded eagerly, "There's nothing I'd love more."

At her words, Chuck opened his eyes and lifted his head as he looked at this beautiful and magnificent creature standing in front of him who had decided that out of everyone, to be with him. It was while looking in her eyes that he realized something else. It was there, outside of the Palace hotel, looking into her eyes after having almost lost her, that Chuck Bass realized that he loved Blair Waldorf. But he didn't tell her out of fear that it was too soon, not to mention that would be a total cliché to tell her here and he did not view his life as some made-for-tv movie. Chuck smirked before leaning towards Blair and kissed her lips, figuring that even though he wasn't going to tell her just yet of his feelings, he would at the very least show them to her.

"Are you ready for your surprise or do you want to go back in?" He whispered against her lips.

Blair gave him a lingering kiss of her own before answering, "I'd rather have my surprise, and I think we've made a big enough debut in there."

Chuck smirked with a nod as he waved his hand for Arthur to come over with the limo and ushered Blair into the back seat. The very back seat that held so many delicious memories of their beginning and it was there that they began again tonight as Blair and Chuck, Chuck and Blair.

It's often said that no matter the truth, people see what they want to see. Some people might take a step back and find out they were looking at the same big picture all along. Some people might see that their lies have almost caught up to them. Some people may see what was there all along. And as for me? I can see clearly now

x.o.x.o

Gossip Girl

A/N: And here's part 2 as promised! I didn't have the heart to make you wait a whole week for the ending. Watching this episode allowed me to do a lot of what if's and I'm glad that I was writing this story because it allowed me to perform them. Hope you liked Cotillion! What did you think of the slight angst with Chuck and Blair? How about Nate's reaction? There were a lot of requests and some demands that I not have Nate take B to Cotillion and that Chair stuck it out together at the end, so I hope you guys in particular are happy with how I made the chapter come to a close. They are officially out as a couple!

As for Carter Baizen, I wanted him to make peace with our chair, I may use him later...if not in this story than the potential follow up.

I have to agree with Celia, Serena's grandmother, when she said that Serena had to earn her right to make her own rules. Because despite how much things had changed in comparison to Celia's time as a deb and Serena's time, they were just as much the same. Serena chose to do whatever she felt like doing in the beginning of the series and look at how it ended? She was trying so hard to brush off her bad girl image, which she more than earned, and try to get people to take her seriously. Which they refused to do. Makes you wonder…

I'm dedicating this chapter to Danae, my gemini twin who's at the hospital! I love you, D and you're in my prayers!

Anyway! I hope you loved it because next week's going to be Roman holiday! Chuck's meeting Harold and Chair's having their first Christmas!

My love to all my reviewers and followers as well as my readers! Check out some fanfictions to recommend because I'm running out of material!

I'll see you all Saturday!

-Plei4fun