I found Chuck sitting, well actually lounging was more accurate, in the red velvet chaise lounge that took up a corner of my bedroom. He was looking out the window again, his face as blank and emotionless as I'd ever seen it. He gave no hint at all to what was going on inside his head. But something about the set of his shoulders, the slump of his body, said he was thinking peaceful thoughts. I almost didn't want to disturb him.

But he had somehow sensed my return to the room and without turning his eyes from the window, he smiled and said, " Your mother was just here. She was letting me know that the guest room was made up and ready for me."

His wet hair was messy and rumpled and he was wearing a pair of pajamas. Beige, silk and made to fit him. I eyed the clothing and he must have seen me in the reflection of the window because he answered before I could ask where they came from. " Lily sent over a bag with some things in it for me. It came while you were in the shower."

" Are you going to the guest room ?" I asked as I came to him and perched on the edge of the chair.

" Only long enough for everyone to get to sleep. I'll be back." He answered, drawing my back into his chest and wrapping his arms around my stomach as he pulled me further onto the chair.

" You don't have to indulge her." I told him, not wanting him to leave for even a moment.

" Yes, I do."

I turned slightly so I could see his face. " Why ?"

" Because it's become important for me to get her to like me. I know I'm fighting an uphill battle after Nataniel, but the ends justifies the means." He explained as his fingers glided through my wet hair.

" What ends ? Why do you think you need to get her to like you ? I don't care what she thinks."

" And I love you for that, too." He laid a kiss to my forehead. " But I plan on being around for a really long time and it would be easier on both of us if I can manage to win her over."

I snuggled into his back. " I love you."

" I know." He answered shifting a little and turning me so he could kiss me.

When he pulled away, he eased me away from him and stood, glancing at the door when someone knocked on it.

I got up as well and opened the door, allowing Dorota inside.

" Mr. Chuck, I thought you'd already gone to bed." She turned back towards the door. " I didn't mean to intrude."

" It's okay. I was just leaving." He told her as he went to the door instead. " Both of you lovely ladies have a good night." He dipped his head slightly, then turned his smile on me completely. " I'm right across the hall if you need me."

I nodded and watched as he opened the door.

" Mr. Chuck." Dorota stopped him before he opened it.

He turned back to her. " Thank you."

" For what ?" He asked, curiosity all over his face.

" For keeping Miss Blair safe and getting her back to us." She answered shyly.

He smiled again, his attention completely on me. " It was my pleasure."

" I gave Miss Elenore a nightcap a few minutes ago." She told him conspiratorially. " She never lasts long after her nightcap. She'll be asleep in fifteen minutes."

Chuck nodded and left the room.

Dorota looked at me for a few minutes, watching me like she wanted to ask me something, something she wasn't sure I would want to answer.

Then, in a flash, she had her arms around me and I was buried in her shoulder. " I'm so glad you're home." She whispered as she hugged me tighter.

I hugged her back and completely agreed with the sentiment.

As I snuggled down into my blankets and reveled in the comfortable softness that I had missed so very much over the last two weeks, I determined that I would not fall asleep. I planned on waiting for Chuck. I just knew I'd never be able to sleep without his arms wrapped around me. I knew I wouldn't be able to find peaceful dreams until his chest was securely resting along my back.

I was right. I had barely fallen asleep when dark, dreadful images assaulted my sleeping state. I was running for my life, running through a forest so thick with underbrush and trees, daylight had no hope of finding the leave-covered flooring. My chest hurt, burning as I attempted to pull in air. Then I stumbled over something at my feet. I tumbled all the way down, falling heavily on my hands and knees.

Pushing my hair out of my face, I looked up to see what it was I had tripped over. It was too big to be a tree root, too wide and long to be a stick. My eyes darted over the form that rested not two inches from my face. Unseeing, dark eyes stared at nothing. Grayish, almost fragile looking skin pulled tightly around his mouth and I felt a sticky, wetness under my hands.

Scrambling backwards so fast I bumped into a gnarled, rotting tree truck, I looked down at my hands to find them covered in a thick, almost black, metallic smelling goo.

My throat closed and I couldn't managed to pull in any air at all. But somehow I found enough to scream. I screamed from the bottom of my lungs as I sat on the forest floor, staring from Chuck's blood on my hands to his lifeless body right in front of me.

His voice penetrated the darkness of my dream and called me from its depths. I felt like I was swimming through thick water as I struggled to the surface of my unconsciousness. My dream tried to hold me, grabbing at my mind as if it had hands around my ankles.
Then at last, I felt Chuck's arms around me. I felt his warmth enveloping me and I clutched at him, snatching at any part of him that would anchor me to reality.

I came awake still screaming and clutching at his chest. The beige silk of his pajama shirt wouldn't allow me to get a good enough hold so I snatched it away so I could reach the skin underneath.

His arms were holding me tightly, smoothing my hair back and whispering soothingly in my ear.

I don't remember ever being as frightened as I was in that moment. My heart was hammering in my chest, my forehead covered in sweat and my throat was raw from yelling out so loudly.

I felt Chuck tense and look over his shoulder and couldn't understand why at first. Then I realized there was a commotion at the door. Several voices and much pounding made it impossible to ignore.

When he tried to pull away to assure everyone that all was okay, I wouldn't let him leave me.

Finally he took hold of hands and pried them from his shoulders, resting them lightly on my chest.

" I'm just going to the door." He said quietly. " Just a few steps away. It's okay."

I could barely understand what he was trying to tell me, his words were coming from somewhere so far away and distant they made no sense. He leaned forward and gently kissed my forehead. And the movement was just what I needed to allow me to break through the fog of my fear and comprehend what he was telling me.

It felt like an eternity that he was gone. I heard my stepfather's voice quietly asking if I was alright. I heard Dorota insisting on seeing me for herself and I heard the door open far enough to allow her inside.

She came to the side of the bed and rested her hand against my forehead. I couldn't manage to pull my eyes to her. I was glued to Chuck. I felt as if, if I couldn't see him, he might not really be there. He might be gone in the instant I took my gaze from his solid, strong back.

He was still talking to Cyrus in hushed voices that I couldn't hear enough to understand. I thought I heard one of them say something about a doctor.

It must have been Cyrus, because Chuck waved him off in the next moment and said I would be fine. He told him that he had me. He would take care of me. And suddenly I felt safe and warm all over.

I watched Cyrus moved out of the doorway and a moment later Dorota passed between Chuck and I, temporarily blocking my view and making feel as if I wanted to scream again. But before I could, he was back, assuring her that I was fine and shutting the door behind her.

I heard the soft sound of the lock clicking back into place and then finally he was back against me.

His strong, protective arms dragged me into his chest and held me so tightly I could hardly breath.

" Are you okay ?" He asked, his voice low and smooth and so gentle.

I nodded into his shoulder.

" I'm so sorry, Blair. I'm sorry I got you involved in all this." He was saying.

I jerked back from him and put a finger to his lips. " Stop it." I said with far more intensity than I thought I'd be able to muster.

His eyebrows quirked upwards in a questioning look and I repeated the statement. " Stop it. You aren't to blame for any of this. Stop apologizing. Stop blaming yourself. Just stop it."

He looked down into my face for a long while, just silently watching me as he thought about what I'd said. Or least that's what I thought he was thinking about. " Do you want to talk about whatever you were screaming about ?" He asked finally.

I shook my head adamantly. I did not want to tell him that it was his corpse and his blood that caused me to scream like I had. He didn't need to know the details, just having him with me was enough to keep any more nightmares at bay. At least, I hoped it would.

" Do you want to talk about something else, something to get your mind off the nightmare ?" He tried again, clearly searching for something, anything that would make me feel better.

I shook my head again and let my eyes drop from his face to his throat where I lost myself in the sight of his Adam's Apple bobbing as he swallowed.

I moved my hands from where they rested on his back, around to his chest and began to fidget with the buttons on his shirt. He was still watching me carefully, his eyes dark and narrowed following the movement of my fingers.

" I love you." I whispered as I looked up at him and caught his lips with mine. " Thank you for staying here with me tonight."

He chuckled deep in his chest, a low rumble of pure sex falling from his lips. " You're thanking me. That's ridiculous. Of course I was going to stay with you. I can't imagine spending the night without you anymore."

" Sooner or later, we will have to sleep in our own homes. Our parents will insist." I laughed back at him.

" They may think that is what's happening, but they don't necessarily have to know every detail of our lives. I figure we can just take turns during the week. And on weekends they will just have to learn to accept that I'm here or you're with me." He explained.

" You mean we spend the entire week sneaking into each other's apartments and on weekends we stick our tongues out at my mother and ignore her whether she's pissed off or not ?" I clarified.

" Well, maybe not ignore. But like I said," his mouth had dropped to my jaw were he was laying soft, sweet kissing along my skin. " She doesn't have to know every detail of our lives. We'll figure it out. Besides," He paused to nip at me and I threw my head back and groaned. "sneaking around could be fun. I think we may even be able to get Dorota to help us. Apparently she's suddenly fond of me."

My fingers were nearly done unbuttoning his shirt and I hadn't even registered that I was doing it.

I slid the shirt from his shoulders and tossed it to the floor behind us. " Well, you do have a certain charm. Cyrus seemed to approve of you, too."

He was sucking on the spot between my breast, right over my collarbone, then he looked up at me with a twinkle in his eyes. " Your stepfather likes me ? I must be slipping."

" I thought you wanted them to like you." I reminded him.

" Yeah, but I figured I'd have to work harder than that. I mean, really, the man barely knows me by more than reputation." He shrugged before finding my breast through my thin nightgown and drawing my nipple into his mouth through the material.

" Chuck Bass, in love, part of a family and liked by parents. How will you ever learn to live with that." I sighed wistfully.

He dropped my breast and sat back, looking down at me intensely. " It's all your fault, you know."

" What's all my fault ?" I blinked at him, not liking the look on his face. It was dark and powerful and piercing. His heavily lidded eyes drank me in like they were seeing straight into my soul. It made me swallow and fight to keep from squirming.

" Everything. It's all because of you. I didn't even know how much I hated myself before you showed me who I could be instead. Made me see how much happier I could be."

I reached up and stroked his cheek, the backs of my fingers running over the light stubble there. He turned his head and kissed my fingertips. Then he looked back at me. " I love you."

I leaned up, laced my hands around his neck and pulled him back down to the bed with me. " Quit telling me and show me." I whispered into his ear.