The hand that grabbed me jerked me back and into the house a touch roughly and I almost shouted at its owner. It was instinct. No one manhandles me. I even went so far as to open my mouth, but before the sound could come out, the hand had moved over it to muffle my words.

" SHHH !" The hand's owner hushed me. " Are you the one that called 911 ?"

I took a moment to peer at him over his hand and it was exactly what I'd been hoping to see. Short-cropped brown hair, a blue uniform. A badge. The police.

I have no idea what possessed me, maybe it was the utter relief I felt at knowing the entire ordeal was finally over but I leaped forward and hugged this strange man tightly.

I felt him awkwardly patting my back and whispering things like, it's going to be okay, You're safe now. I hardly heard him.

Then suddenly I gasped and pulled away from the policeman. " Chuck !" I whispered.

" Chuck ?" Another voice asked, from behind me.

" He's being held, too. Only he distracted them so I could get away. They still have him." I motioned towards the window and pointed at the still unmoving hand. " That's Chuck." I breathed. " You have to save him."

The man behind me was trying to drag me away while the one in front of me nodded. " We'll do everything we can." He was saying.

I stopped immediately and put my hands on my hips, planting my feet and refusing to be moved any further. " That's not good enough. You have to promise me you'll get him out of there unharmed."

The man behind me grabbed my shoulder and used his superior strength to force me along. " Miss, if you don't keep your voice down, you'll get us all killed." He told me with his mouth right at my ear.

I tried to keep my eyes on the cop by the window. He was easing it upwards even as I was being escorted around the corner of the house.

Then there was another policeman waiting. A woman this time, dressed in plain clothes. Her hair was short and messy and a weird shade of brown that I couldn't really describe. She took me away from the first policeman and walked me across the street to a waiting car.

That's when we heard the gunshot.

I instantly tensed and made a break for the house again. But despite the fact that the woman wasn't much bigger than I was, she was certainly stronger and grabbed me around the waist, holding me still.

There was a lot of squawking coming from the radio attached to her shoulder and I tried to figure out what they were saying.

Someone was yelling that shots had been fired. They called for an ambulance. And the woman with me pushed a button on her microphone and called the order in.

" What happened ?" I demanded.

" I'm not sure. Someone's been shot and it isn't one of my officers. We'll find out shortly."

Chuck ! Had Chuck been shot ? There was a lot more yelling coming through the microphone and again I wasn't able to follow much of what was being said.

There was a lot of movement going on inside the house and then suddenly another shot rang out, followed very closely on the heels of another.

My breath caught in my suddenly very dry throat and I couldn't breath very well. It was like there was a band around my chest, holding my lungs in and keeping them from inflating.

I needed Chuck. I needed to know he wasn't one of the people being shot as the house flared with light and yet another boom rang out.

I couldn't understand why they weren't trying to make sure that the other victim was out of the line of fire like they'd done with me. Why wasn't someone ushering Chuck around from the back of the house, pulling him out of harm's way ?

The image came to my mind of his broken, battered, beaten body the last time our captor's had dragged him upstairs. I knew it was an image I would never be able to forget.

The woman was talking to me but her voice sounded so far away and distant I had no idea what she was saying. I tried to focus on her words. She was talking urgently so whatever she was trying to tell me it was important.

Finally her voice broke through the fog and I understood. " How many men were in there ? Can you give me a guess ? I need to assess whether the scene is secure enough to get the other victim out ?"

" There were five of them. Plus Jack Bass. So six. At least that's what I remember seeing at the back of the house. But I'm not sure. Is Chuck alright ?" I asked, giving her my full attention for the first time.

" I don't have that information. My men are calling for the Paramedics for him. I don't have any details on his condition." She answered quickly before turning away.

Oh God ! Paramedics.

He had been shot. He had been shot and now they couldn't get the ambulance crew inside because they weren't sure they'd be safe.

He was going to bleed to death while the cops played hide and seek with Jack and his men.

There was so much noise and movement coming from inside the house, all the lights were on now and voices yelled out into the once silent night.

I couldn't keep up with what was happening, though I did the best I could. From my position on the opposite side of the street behind a patrol car, I couldn't see much of anything.

Then someone emerged from the house, with someone else trailing along behind them. I recognized one of Jack's men that had been chasing me through the woods. And there was a policeman pushing him quickly along. Another of Jack's men came out a moment later with another policeman hot on his heels.

Both of the bad guys were in handcuffs and they each cast their eyes at me for a brief moment, making me take an involuntary step back.

The ambulance arrive a moment later and I watched as two medics climbed out. They reminded me of Laurel and Hardy. A pair of comedians from a really long time ago. One of them was fat and round and had a face mostly taken up by his nose. The other was tall, and long and had a face that looked like someone had smashed it in when he was young and it just stayed like that. Both had short brown hair and both were dressed in the normal paramedics uniform.

As soon as their feet hit the ground, they ran to the back and pulled out a gurney. Its wheels rattled and clamored over the concrete of the road, making an awful noise as it glided along.

" Do we have clearance to enter ?" The fat one asked.

" Not yet. We still have two unaccounted for perps." The police woman told them.

I watched on as the paramedics bounced on the toes of their feet, as anxious as I was for them to get inside. I could tell that the skinny one was barely holding himself in check to keep from rushing right into the middle of the excitement.

Suddenly there was a lot of movement and loud voices coming from the backyard and I braced myself for the next round of gunshots that seemed to accompany the voices the last two times.

But they never came. Instead, two policeman came around the building hauling yet another of the bad guys in front of them while almost at the same time, another pair brought theirs through the front door.

The woman nodded to the paramedics and they dashed inside.

The wait was nearly intolerable. Another ambulance arrived and they ushered me over to it, despite my protests that I was fine and didn't need them.

I was so preoccupied with my concern for Chuck that I let them poke and prod at me for a few minutes before I realized something that chilled me down to the core of my body.

I hadn't seen Jack. They hadn't dragged Jack Bass to one of the waiting cars in handcuffs. He hadn't come out of the house, yet.

Terror gripped me and tied everything inside me into a tight knot.

And then instantly all thoughts of Jack and how he was still out there somewhere were striped from my mind as I heard a voice arguing quite loudly with another voice.

It was the voice I'd been waiting to hear all night.

I rushed forward just as he was shouting my name at the top of his lungs from the gurney he was trying very hard to get off of, despite the protests of the two paramedics.

Chuck spotted me over the crowd of police and the battle was over as he shoved both of the men away from him and leaped towards me.

The moment his arms were around me I knew we were okay. Until that second I hadn't wanted to believe it was true, hadn't wanted to give myself any false hope. But here we were, standing in the outdoors, wrapped around each other so tightly nothing was going to come between us.

It was over. The whole thing was finally over.

Four hours later we were in a limo, crammed full of Chuck, myself, Lily and Rufus, my mother, Dorota, Serena and Nat. We had been questioned to death by the police. We had been poked and prodded some more at the hospital. We had talked to reporters even. We were both exhausted. I could see the strain on Chuck's face. His eyes were drawn and their lids heavy and dark. I knew my own face was a mirror of his.

He hadn't been hurt during the shoot out. The police had found him unconscious and called for the paramedics, but he hadn't been shot. He hadn't even been bruised. The only person that had been hurt at all during the raid was one of the guards. He had been grazed on the leg when he tried to run off into the woods.

Jack Bass hadn't been among the captured. The police were figuring he had fled before their arrival. They were currently searching for him.

I couldn't think about Jack at the moment though. All I wanted was to get home, take a real shower and sink into my soft, comfortable bed, with Chuck at my side.

This arrangement was still a topic for conversation as we drove through the traffic. My mother was not thrilled with the idea that I wanted Chuck to stay with me. Lily wanted Chuck home with her, but she wasn't actually protesting too hard. She was just genuinely glad that he was safe and like all mothers, she wanted to make sure he stayed that way at least for a short time.

Rufus was actually on my side, though I wasn't sure what his motives might be. Maybe he was just as genuinely concern as Lily and he really was trying to make things as easy for us as he could.

Two weeks. That was actually how long we'd been gone. My mother had called the police the next morning when I hadn't come home from the party. Lily hadn't called them until Serena told her that I missing. It was three days after we were taken. And you could actually see the guilt weighing down on her.

"This is all my fault." She was saying. " Maybe if I'd called the police sooner, they would have found you sooner. I just didn't know."

Chuck turned his head from the window and regarded her. " It wasn't your fault." He said finally, but his voice was unemotional and quiet. " If I didn't have a habit of running off at the drop of a hat and not telling anyone where I was going, you would have known there was a problem." He shifted his gaze to Serena, then to Rufus before turning back to her. " If I started acting like I was part of a family, you would have known I was missing and not just off somewhere in a drunken stupor. So really it's all my fault."

Every eye turned towards him. They were all watching him very carefully. This was so unlike Chuck that it had taken them all aback and caused a very pregnant pause to fill the same space.

I wound my hands tighter around his bicep and put my head against his shoulder, waiting for everyone's reaction to this new improved Chuck.

No one was sure what to say in response. Serena shifted. Lily sat staring at him wide-eyed and completely bemused. My mother's eyes darted from Chuck to Lily and back again so rapidly I thought she might be getting dizzy.

It was Rufus that finally broke the silence. He reached out a hand and patted Chuck's leg in a fatherly way that looked strained and forced, but he was making an effort. The minute he touched Chuck I felt him tense under my hands. His eyes were back on the window as if he wasn't aware that his statement had caused so much tension. He was lost somewhere in his own mind, just staring, unseeingly out the heavily tinted glass.

" No one blames you, Chuck." Rufus said, when Chuck eventually turned and let his gaze fall to the hand on his leg.

" Elenore does." He answered so quietly we all almost missed it.

My mother set up straighter as the attention in the cabin shifted to her.

" I don't blame you, Charles. " She managed but it sounded every bit like the lie it was.

" Maybe we should talk about all this later, after everyone's had a chance to get some rest and time to recuperate." Lily announced as if she were referring.

Finally, I huffed and raised my head from Chuck's shoulder. I felt Dorota stir beside me and then her hand touched my back.

" Miss Blair." She whispered as if in warning.

But it was too late I'd had enough of everyone thinking the worst of Chuck. I'd had enough of everyone's judgment of him, their superior attitudes where he was concerned.

" I realized you've all been through a lot. And I'm sorry for all the worry we caused you." I began.

Rufus and Lily immediately interrupted me, determined to let us both know that we weren't the cause for the worry and had nothing to apologize for. But I waved them both silent and let my eyes land on my mother.

" But you have to realize that we've been through a lot, too. And the worst part is knowing that Jack is still out there. Now I know you don't like Chuck." My mother opened her mouth to protest, but I cut it off before she could continue to lie. " You have never liked Chuck. Which is fine, he's never given you a reason to like him." I glanced to my side and Chuck had gone back to staring out the window. He had the look of someone trying very hard to pretend they were anywhere but where they were. I sympathized. " But the fact is, you don't have to like Chuck. But you do have to accept him because he is going to continue to be a very big part of my life."

" My saying no to Chuck staying with you tonight has nothing to do with whether I like him or not." My mother answered.

" Oh really ?" I asked with raised eyebrows. " You mean to make me believe that if I wanted Nat to stay with me instead, you would still have said no ?"

She looked at Nat, who squirmed at the un-welcomed attention.

" Well," she shrugged. " That's different. You and Nat have always been together. I trust him."

Chuck tensed again and I knew that he had turned towards her. I didn't want to look at him and see what look he was given her. I was afraid it would be more hurt than angry. In fact, from the way his hand found mine and squeezed it, I was sure that's what it would be.

" And you don't trust Chuck ?"

She started to say something, then thought better of it and closed her mouth.

I felt the limo ease to a stop.
When the driver opened the door to allow my mother, Dorota and I to exit, I kept hold of Chuck's hand and began to pull him along with me, whether my mother liked it or not.

Chuck paused for a moment and looked at Lily. " You don't mind if I stay with Blair, do you ?"

I watched as Lily's eyes watered, but she managed to blink the tears back and give him a warm smile.

" No, I don't mind. Though maybe tomorrow you could spend the night at home ?" She made it a question.

I blinked back a few tears of my own. I was in awe as I watched the looks they were exchanging. Rufus clutched her shoulder, as aware as I was of what we were witnessing. It was the birth of a real, full-fledged relationship between them and it was honestly one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

Chuck nodded at her and squeezed my hand again. " I'm sure Blair wants to spend some time with Serena so I think we can do that."

When we'd exited the limo, we all stood there on the sidewalk staring at each other for a long few moments. I could hear my bed calling to me all the way from the penthouse.

Dorota had gone in already, at least she was certain that she was staying.

" So what happens now ?" I asked her, latching my eyes onto hers and refusing to let her look away from me. " Can we all please just go inside and get some sleep ?"

My mother folded her arms over her breast, something I had never been able to do very well, but then I was more endowed in the chest area than she was. She was giving me that look that said she'd made her decision and she about to change it.

I just kept hold of Chuck's hand and continued to stare back. I could be just as stubborn as she was. I'd learned it from her after all.

" Elenore," A voice rang out from behind the doorman and before I could brace myself, I was jerked away from Chuck's hand and bound into the small, compact body of my stepfather. " Why didn't you phone and tell me you were almost home ? I was so worried."
He was hugged me so tightly I had to fight to draw breath, but I didn't pull away. In fact, I sank myself into him and whispered his favorite saying in his ear, " Not enough." I told him and he held me even tighter.

We finally pulled away and he looked from me to my mother, who still hadn't dropped her arms, to Chuck.

He extended his hand towards Chuck and gave me a wink. " Well, well, well, if it isn't no one." He whispered to me. I beamed a smile at him. To Chuck he said, " I'm glad to see you're alright, Charles. You both had us on pins and needles for a time."

" I'm sorry to have made you worry." Chuck answered as he shook his hand.

" Don't be ridiculous." Cyrus waved off his apology. " Now let's get inside and get you some food."

My mother didn't move.

The limo driver shifted with the door still held wide opened, unsure of what he was supposed to do. I saw Nat squirming in his seat nearest the door.

" Is there something wrong ?" Cyrus asked as he watched the scene in front of him.

I had no idea why it hadn't occurred to me before. Hell, I'd been playing this game since I was old enough to understand the rules. The players may have changed but the game was still the same.

I grabbed hold of Cyrus and clutched his arm as I summoned up a few tears for good measure.

" Mother won't let Chuck stay with me tonight. But, Cyrus, Jack is still out there and I don't think I'll be able to sleep at all without Chuck here with me."

Chuck's eyes narrowed as he watched me over Cyrus' shoulder. He knew I was in manipulation mode. A smile warmed his face for an instant as his eyes twinkled at me, but he hid it quickly and went back to being quietly brooding.

" Elenore," Cyrus started as he detached himself from me. " Blair's been through hell." He took hold of my mother's hand and began to glide her inside. " Now I'll agree it isn't very conventional, but if it's what Blair needs right now, let's just not argue. We need to think about her for now."

He was saying all this as they walked and by the time they got to the door, my mother didn't even cast us a backward glance.

Chuck leaned into the door of the limo and told everyone goodbye. I waved before the shut and a moment later they pulled away.

As soon as they were away from the curb, Chuck had me against him. " You are one of the most manipulative women I've ever known." He announced before kissing me gently.

" That's one of the things you love about me." I answered, with a wave of my hand.

" One of the many things." He said before leading me inside.