"Dan! My favorite rags to riches story! So, do tell – how is everything going with S? While things are going just peachy between Jack and I, we're always up for a little fun and trying new things if you're bored in the bedroom with S... you're still my free pass," Georgina proudly announced with a grin as she sat proudly in her seat at the cafe in Brooklyn that Vanessa had once worked at.

"Yeah and I'm still going to pass... besides, I've been there done that with the threesome route, well maybe not that exactly, but you know what I mean," Dan rambled as he took a seat opposite her. "And last time it created more problems than it was worth, plus I couldn't do that without Serena."

"Oh but you could with B? I mean, you've been there done that before too..." she casually remarked before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Look, Georgina, whatever you think you know..."

"What I think doesn't matter – a picture says a thousand words," she stated as she tossed her phone towards him, the picture in question that Blair had warned him about on display.

"That's just a picture of me leaving the Basses'. Technically we are related... it could mean anything," he quickly pointed out.

"True, however look at the time stamp – I'd be willing to bet you aren't usually leaving there at 6am, and still sliding your shoes on to boot," she pointed out.

"You can't send that in, or post it – are you... are you Gossip Girl? Did you really resurrect my old site?" he quickly asked, changing his train of thought.

"Whether I am or not is irrelevant," she told him with a wave of her hand. "And I can and I will unless I get what I want," she quipped.

"And just what exactly is it that you want? A threesome with Jack and I?" he questioned sarcastically.

"Ha! I wish," she laughed, nearly spitting out her coffee. "As much as I would love to make that fantasy a reality, that's ultimately not what I'm after... at least not in this case... although I definitely wouldn't turn down the offer if you've changed your mind..."

"What do you want?" he cut her off, growing impatient.

"I want Jack, reinstated at BI," she said matter of factly.

"You can't be serious! That's what this is about?!"

"Hey! If I wanted to still live in Brooklyn I wouldn't have left Phillip for Jack... and true, compared to Jack Phillip was quite a bore and Jack is a million times more devious than anyone I've ever been with, but still... I'd prefer not to be poor again," she informed him.

"When have you ever actually been poor? You're parents are rich and you were a trophy wife..." his voice trailed as he tried to make sense of what she was saying before remembering their conversation. "Still, you can't send that in – my marriage is already on the rocks, it'll devastate Serena! Your war is against Chuck and Blair – Serena and I have done nothing to you."

"True... you're what they call Collateral Damage," she stated with a smile. "Sorry, not sorry!"

"Alright, alright... I can't get Jack back into Bass – Blair's been avoiding me like the plague since summer ended and I know Chuck would never listen to anything I have to say... is there... I don't know, something? Anything else I could do to get you to not send in that photo?" Dan tried to reason with her.

"Hm... well..." she paused for a minute to think. "Perhaps there is a way you can help me get what I want..."

"Go on..."

"It's been awhile since you last wrote anything, yes? I mean Inside was years ago and Inside Out? It's been seven years! I find it hard to believe you're still making bank from those..."

"I've published other things since..."

"Ah yes, your short story memoirs from your days pining over, S... I recall it was a hit with the teen crowd!"

"Yeah well, there was the revenue from the Inside play... granted a movie would have been better but Chuck and Blair kept paying off every director I hired..."

"Who could blame them? A Dair sex-scene isn't exactly something most people would care to see... granted I'd watch it like a trainwreck but-"

"What are you getting at, Georgina?"

"I want you to write your next scathing novel about the Upper East Side, since that does seem to be your forte. Claire or Blair, Dylan or Dan, Chuck or Charlie... everyone will know who you're talking about... it needs to be scandalous with just enough fictionalization about the events of the past year to avoid libel."

"You want me to fictionalize everything that's happened in the lives of my extended family this past year? G, I can't do that – with Nate's passing and everything that happened in the aftermath... I can't do that."

"Oh but you will if don't want me to send in that photo," she grinned devilishly. "You have until Thanksgiving – I'll contact some of the past Inside Out publishers, see if they're interested. Hopefully by the time you finish Blair will have slipped as to who the real baby daddy is!"

"What are you talking about? Even she doesn't know! As far as she's concerned, it's Chuck's."

"That may be what she want you to think, but if she really didn't want to know then why did she have a paternity test done?"

"What?"

"Oh, you don't know? Here, let me show you the other photo," she announced as she flipped to another picture on her phone. "Right there – that envelope. What other confidential information would she have gotten in an envelope from her doctor?"

"Oh my god... so she does know?! Why wouldn't she have mentioned that?"

"Because like you said, as far as she's concerned, it's Chuck's," she nonchalantly reminded him. "She needs to keep up appearances. What would everyone think if they knew the wife of The Great Chuck Bass was knocked up by someone other than Chuck Bass himself? Just imagine the scandal and the salacious aftermath!"

"But if there's proof that it's not his..." he began to wonder. "Georgina, I want to be a father. I realized that back when you had me helping raise Milo and... with Serena... for whatever reason it's just not happening. If there's any proof that this child could be mine, I need to know. I want to be there if that's the case and I want to help raise it, Chuck Bass be damned."

"Looks like you need to go find Blair," she spoke, taking a sip of her coffee once more. "Regardless of the father, I imagine the child will have dark hair since you three are all brunette but whose eyes will it have? And whose chin and bone structure...?" she continued, putting ideas into his head.

"I... I gotta go," he quickly spoke as he got up, pulling out his phone to try and message Blair.

"Thanksgiving, Dan! You better have something for me otherwise everything comes out!"

"Where's Daddy? Dinner's getting cold and I'm hungry," Henry began to whine as they sat at the dining room table.

"So then eat your food," Blair stated, just as irritated by Chuck's lack of presence.

"But Daddy's not here – we can't start eating dinner until everyone is present, which includes Daddy!"

"Hen, I'm sure he's just stuck in traffic and will be along shortly," Blair tried to calm him.

"How do you know? Did you ask Arthur?"

"Hen-"

"Call him! We can't start eating without Daddy!"

"Fine," Blair resigned, desperate to put an end to her son's incessant whining.

Henry sat across the table from his mother, eyes wide with eagerness as he awaited news of his father's arrival while Blair spoke to his father's loyal driver.

"He's working late tonight, Hen – he'll be home later," she announced a moment later, an annoyed edge to her voice.

"He's probably just avoiding you..." Henry mumbled as he pushed his peas across his plate.

"Henry Charles Bass! That is no way to speak to me!" Blair exclaimed, shocked by her son's sudden attitude.

"You know it's true! Whenever you two get in a fight, you always make him leave!" Henry shouted back, clearly upset.

"That is not true!"

"Yes it is! You said so yourself this morning that he left last night because he needed space away from you... and then last spring... Uncle Dan said you made Daddy leave-"

"When were you talking with Uncle Dan?" Blair interrupted, suddenly growing concerned as she didn't recall leaving Henry alone with Dan in ages and had no idea just what Dan could possibly be telling the boy about them or their current situation.

"He stopped by with Auntie S when I was over at Grandma Lily's last week," Henry casually replied as he continued to push his food around on his plate. "Auntie S had something to speak with Grandma Lily about so I played with Uncle Dan for a bit."

"It seems I need to have a talk with Grandma Lily," Blair uttered as she picked at her plate, making a mental note to remind her mother-in-law not leave their son alone with his uncle. "Henry, eat your food," she ordered as she noticed he still hadn't taken a single bite.

"I want Daddy," he announced as he pushed his food around some more.

"Henry... eat," Blair warned, knowing her son could be just as stubborn as her and Chuck.

"I'm not hungry," he declared.

"Then you can go to bed," Blair stated, calling the shots. No way was a five-year-old going to win a battle of wills with her.

"No, I'm not tired and it's too early," Henry pointed out. "If I go to bed now I'll be up super early in the morning..."

"Hen, Renee cooked us up a lovely meal and it's rude and impolite to waste food, especially to just make a point," Blair started, trying another tactic. "If you're not hungry that means you must not be feeling well which means you need to go to bed and get your rest."

"I'm not eating until Daddy gets home," he protested. "So you need to go make up with him."

With that, he had pushed Blair to her limit.

"Go to your room," Blair ordered at once, fed up with his back-talking.

"Uncle Dan was right..."

"Go to your room, now!" Blair nearly screamed, now furious.

After a brief silent stare down, Henry finally caved, dramatically getting up from his seat as he stomped on up the stairs. Once Blair heard his bedroom door slam, she allowed herself to break down. It felt like last spring all over again.

Once she had calmed down, she picked up her phone and sent a message to Arthur to come to the house immediately.

"Dorota!" she called out a moment later, after having collected herself somewhat. "Get my coat and keep these meals warm – I'll be back shortly," she declared, having made up her mind that she was going to bring Chuck home whether he wanted to or not.

It was just after seven o'clock and Chuck continued to sit at his desk in the office at The Palace, pouring over the copies his PI had gotten him of Blair's medical files and records. He couldn't believe just how fast the clinic had worked to remove any mention of the paternity test having been done. It was as if it had never been conducted!

"Chuck..." her voice gently called to him.

Looking up, sure enough, there she was standing in the doorway.

"Blair..." he growled back, acknowledging her presence as he continued to flip through the papers.

"It's late, you should come home," she declared, pretending as if nothing was wrong. "Dorota's keeping dinner warm – I had Renee make one of your favorites..." she sung playfully, hoping the news would change his mood.

All she received in response though was a quick glare before he turned his attention back to whatever he was working on. "I know you're only working late as an excuse to avoid coming home and having to talk about last night with me," she called him out.

"You're right. I am distracting myself with work because it's either I do that or I forfeit my sobriety and I'm working late because there's work to be done," he snapped, not letting on to the fact that it actually wasn't work that he had been working on.

"All of which will still be here tomorrow," she pointed out, her voice wavering at the news of his confession that he really was struggling at the moment. "I know there's nothing crucial that you're currently working on," she informed him to no avail in an attempt to get him home immediately as she knew he definitely didn't need to be alone right now. "Chuck, put the papers down," she nearly demanded, staring him down as she grew impatient. Glancing up from the papers in his hands, he once again glared right back at her, entering a battle of wills. "Can we please talk?" she surrendered a moment later, knowing if she didn't nothing would be accomplished.

"Unless you're going to tell me exactly what those test results you were so quick to destroy revealed then what else is there to discuss, Blair?" his spoke through his hurt and anger.

"It shouldn't matter what they revealed – you promised me you were going to love this baby as your own regardless!"

"Exactly, so why can't you just tell me what the test results said?!" he nearly pleaded.

"If it doesn't matter either way then I shouldn't have to!" she argued with him before eventually taking a seat opposite him, realizing they were having the same argument they had had last night. "Chuck, just come home," she sighed, practically begging him at this point.

"I'll come home when I come home," he stated as he turned his attention back to the work laid out on the desk before him.

"Don't do this again, Chuck... please..." It was taking everything in her to hold back the tears.

"Don't do what again?" he pressed her, confused as to what she was referring.

"This – working late, avoiding come home because you don't want to deal with reality... you're not just punishing me, but you're also punishing Henry."

"How am I punishing him? I'll be home before bedtime-"

"Chuck, he knows something's wrong! He's been insecure for months, worried you're going to leave again-"

"And remind me, whose fault exactly was that? You were the one who kept me from him the last time-"

"He asked me if we were getting a divorce," she blurted out, interrupting him yet again.

"Why would he ask that?"

"I guess... before Tegan's mother divorced his father... they were sleeping in separate rooms, like we did last night..." her voice trailed as she painfully told him.

"Well maybe if someone hadn't gotten their La Perla's in a bunch and purposely decided to hog all the covers last night..."

"Chuck, this is serious," she quipped, not in the mood for his teasing, even if it was a small change in his attitude since she first arrived.

"What did you tell him?" he questioned her, his tone growing serious once more.

"I told him the truth... to some extent," she clarified. "That we had a disagreement..."

"If that's what you're calling it," he muttered during her brief pause.

"And you went for a walk and when you came back I wanted to talk but you didn't and simply needed some space away from me," she continued, ignoring his remark. "But most importantly, that we still love each and we are not nor will we ever be getting a divorce."

Chuck sat there, staring her down for a moment in observation, trying to judge the sincerity in her words, if she truly meant it or if she had merely said them just to ease their son.

"Chuck, I love you. I love every part of you – your brilliance, your darkness, your stubbornness... all of it. I love how hard you've been trying these past few months... I still loved you last spring when you had hit rock bottom – that's why it was so hard for me to put my foot down and say enough! You know that. And like it or not, you're not getting rid of me – not now, not ever. If you ever tried or wanted to divorce me-"

"I would never," he firmly interrupted.

"Good. That's settled. Now... come home," she demanded once more. "Whatever you've chosen to distract yourself with..." she motioned at the work in front of him, not even sure of what he had been attempting to work on. "Can wait til tomorrow."

"Fine, but only because of Henry – just because I'm giving you the win for this battle doesn't mean you've won the war, Blair. Don't think you're getting out of this one so easily, I'm still upset about last night," he informed her after having come to a decision. "We're not done on this topic," he added as he stopped when passing her on his way to his coat.

"Alright," she agreed. They were going to have to discuss it at some point, one of them eventually giving into the other.

"Daddy!" Henry excitedly announced, rushing from the piano he had been picking at and straight into his father's arms. "You're back!"

"Of course I'm back, Hen – I told you before, I'll always come back," Chuck reminded him as he sat his son back down and proceeded to undo his scarf and take off his tan trench coat. He couldn't help glaring at Blair once more, it was all her fault Henry now had this irrational fear of him leaving, never to return.

"Did you and Mommy make up?" the boy eagerly pried.

"I brought Daddy home, did I not?" Blair interjected, knowing neither of them were in the mood to discuss their latest spat with a five-year-old. Fortunately her answer seemed to suffice.

"Can we eat dinner now? I'm starved!" Henry declared as he began to walk back towards the dining room, his parents following behind.

"Of course, Hen," Blair confirmed as Chuck walked along beside her, silent. "Dorota! Bring those meals back out, please!" she called out at once as they took their usual places at the table.

Blair was sitting up in bed, flipping through the latest issue of The New Yorker, having made a point to wear just her light pink satin slip to bed in an effort to break down the wall she could tell Chuck was beginning to build up between them when he finally joined her.

"Not having another sleepover in Henry's room tonight?" she playfully questioned as she watched him attempt to get comfortable under the covers, finally settling on his side, facing away from her.

"Goodnight Blair," was all he muttered with his back still to her, not in the mood to banter tonight.

Feeling a little guilty and hating the space between them, Blair sat her magazine down and reached over to turn off the nightstand lamp before rolling over towards him, snuggling herself in as best she could behind him. When she reached her hand to gently stroke his arm in comfort he flinched in response, the action throwing her hand off him.

"Don't," he quietly snapped. "I'm only sleeping here because of Henry. We've both witnessed the effects of martial discourse on a young Serena and Eric... I'd rather he didn't burst in here in the morning to find us sleeping separately and get that idea again. The less he knows the better."

Blair silently nodded her head against his shoulder in acknowledgment. She agreed, the less Henry knew about their problems the better. She carefully slid her hand around his side as she tried her best to fight off the sobs, however she couldn't help the tears that soon began to roll down her cheeks, staining the pillow.

Chuck clenched his eyes shut, biting his bottom lip in restraint as he laid there.

Despite her best efforts, he knew she was crying behind him.

Unable to ever be completely heartless towards her, he reached up and covered her hand that was now around him in his own, giving it a squeeze in comfort as he deeply sighed in frustration. He loved her with every fiber of his being and knew he couldn't live without her, however the reality that she had seen proof that this child might belong to another and not him and yet she still refused to tell him... he was no longer sure if he could keep his promise.