A/N - This chapter takes place before the series - after Serena leaves, and when Blair's dad it about to leave her and her mom for Roman. I hope you guys like it! Let me know!! And also, feel free to request other prompts!

I will be updating "Woah, Baby!" very soon!! I just sent the next chapter to my beta last night!

DISCLAIMER:: I don't own gossip girl!! I'm just a fan!

"I was dead until you found me, though I breathed. I was sightless, though I could see. And then you came...and I was awakened." ~ J.R. Ward

It was eleven o'clock on a school night, and a sixteen-year-old Chuck Bass was far from ready to sleep – as usual. Pssh whatever…he perfectly content with showing up to school the next morning high or hung over…or both. He just needed to wait until the rain let up before getting out of his limo (or as he liked to call it, the Bass mobile) and heading into one of his usual haunts for the night.

Nathanial wasn't available, as usual. He was probably holed up in his parents' penthouse still pining for a certain blonde bombshell who had recently left, or rather fled, town. Chuck's other best friend (though she'd kick his ass before admitting to it), would never be seen in the bars and clubs Chuck liked to spend his time in, and he'd never ask it of her. She was Blair Waldorf, after all, and the amount of innocence she still harbored was something that Chuck would never try to steal from her. It was part of her charm...at least in Chuck's opinion. She hadn't been available much in weeks, anyway. He was pretty sure that he knew why. There had been rumors circulating about a certain father who'd recently come out of the closet. Chuck wouldn't ask her about it, though. It was Blair's business – not his.

After having Arthur circle central park for the third time, Chuck finally asked him to take a drive down 82nd street, and head toward Gael Pub, where he'd likely be picking up his first lady of the night. As they passed the MET, however, Chuck noticed a small, yet familiar figure crouched down on the steps.

"Arthur, stop the car," Chuck called loudly to his driver. He pressed his face against the window of the limo to get a better look through the rain, and sure enough, he knew exactly who that was. Without a second though, Chuck reached for the umbrella that was lying across the seat, and opened the door to get out, immediately cursing himself for being so nice when his Italian loafers were soaked in a puddle. He slammed the car door, and took the steps two at a time towards the brunette on the top one. "Waldorf," Chuck called over the sound of the downpour.

Blair had seen the limo pull up, and though the tears she'd been crying should have immediately stopped, she'd only found herself crying harder than before. At the sound of her name being called by the devil Bass, she didn't even look up – just continued sobbing. "What do you want, Bass?"

Chuck's shoulders drooped, and he silently cursed Nathanial (and himself) for not even knowing that things had gotten this bad for her. He pulled his expensive, purple Armani suit jacket off, and draped it across Blair's shoulders. "I want to get you inside, Waldorf. It's cold out here, and you're soaked."

"I don't want to go inside, Bass!" Blair turned angry eyes up towards the young man, and shook her head in disdain. "I came outside so that I wouldn't have to be inside, don't you get that? My home is a mad-house right now."

"So come to my suite," Chuck answered, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't really feel like getting drunk anymore anyway. When he got an even angrier look from Blair, he put a hand up in surrender. "I'm not hitting on you, Waldorf, and I won't…unless you want me to." Chuck had to add the last part. It couldn't be resisted.

Blair chuckled quietly at his joke, and then thrust a hand up toward him. "Help me up," she ordered – in a nice tone, and when he complied, she even said "thank you." They began walking down the steps, and Blair didn't resist the arm that draped around her shoulders. It was warm, and she was cold, and she needed some kind of comfort, finally, even if it was from Chuck Bass.

The limo ride was silent after Chuck had given Arthur the order to take them home, and the elevator ride up to suite 1812 was silent also – aside from Blair's teeth chattering. When they arrived, Blair didn't resist the hand to hold when Chuck pulled her into his hotel suite, and she even smiled when he offered her a long pajama shirt and a pair of his rarely used sweatpants.

Chuck poured them both a glass of scotch with just a splash of water. Blair was the only girl he knew who liked the same drink as him. Every other girl he'd ever been around always complained – wanting some fruity cocktail – even Serena had, but Blair never griped about it. She loved the strong taste of the amber liquid.

After a few minutes, the bathroom door opened, and Blair emerged in Chuck's clothes. She was surprised when he didn't even make a snarky remark about it. He only offered her a drink, which she took, and sipped gladly. "Thanks again for the clothes, Chuck," Blair finally spoke quietly.

"Yes, well," Chuck spoke, and then paused to take a sip from his tumbler. "I couldn't resist the once in a life time chance of having Blair Waldorf in my shirt, could I," he drawled, a familiar smirk on his face.

"True," Blair agreed with her own smirk, before drowning her entire drink a moment later. She stood up, pointed a finger towards the bar. "Do you mind if I get a little more?"

Chuck stood quickly, pulling the tumbler from the brunette's hands, and shook his head. "No, I don't mind," he answered, going to pour another glass. "Just…don't drink it so fast this time, alright?"

Blair scoffed. "This, coming from the guy who only drinks scotch on a daily basis."

"Yes," Chuck agreed, setting her glass down in front of her. "But that's me, and you're you." He sat down on the couch next to her again, only this time, a smidge closer. "Blair Waldorf doesn't drink her day away like I do."

"Well, maybe I'm not the same Blair Waldorf anymore," Blair answered stubbornly, reaching out to take her glass, but only taking a sip – like Chuck had asked. "It's not like anyone else ever stays the same anymore."

"What are you talking about, Waldorf?"

"Well," Blair began with a bitter tone. "My best friend just up and left…never gave me a reason why, my boyfriend never comes around anymore because…well, I don't even know why." She paused for a moment, gripping the tumbler in her hand so hard, her knuckles turned pale. "My father is gay, and he's leaving my mother and I for a male model…in France."

Chuck's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't known that much about Harold Waldorf, and he definitely wasn't expecting Blair to just open up about to him of all people. "I'm sorry, Blair," Chuck said, giving the only answer he knew how. He knew how much Blair cherished her father, and he also knew how much her droned over her compared to her mother. Her mother would ruin her if given the chance, and it worried Chuck that Blair was going to be stuck in a home with only her for the rest of her childhood. He knew firsthand what a parent like that could do to a kid, and he didn't want to see that happening to Blair.

"I just don't understand how it's so easy for the people I care about to just…leave me, you know?" Blair lifted her head from its position, and turned her gaze to Chuck's. There were tears streaming down. He hadn't even known she'd been crying. "Maybe there's more wrong with me than I had originally that," she admonished. "Maybe I just make it hard for people to care about me."

"Hey, hey," Chuck interrupted, shaking his head, and then scooting closer. He placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder, but then hugged her tightly when Blair settled her entire weight against him. "Serena's an idiot to leave like that, and Nathanial is probably just…going through a hard time right now," Chuck answered after a little hesitance. He knew what had happened between Nate and Serena at the Wedding a few weeks prior, but he wasn't going to be the one to bring Blair down even farther. "You know how the Captain rides him about his school work all the time."

Blair looked to be deep in thought for a minute before nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah, I guess. I just…Serena shouldn't have left me here without even a note or a warning, you know?" The brunette shook her head in disbelief. "She doesn't even care what's going on in my life right now. She hasn't even tried to contact me."

"That's because she's being stupid, Blair," Chuck answered quickly. "And on the subject of your father, he loves you, and you know that. Just because he's leaving your mother, doesn't mean that he feels any differently about you than he always has."

"I know," Blair sniffled, moving her tired body to lie on the couch, placing her head across Chuck's lap. She didn't even think twice about it. Who knows how long she'd been walking in the rain before finally settling on those steps. It'd been still light outside when she'd left her house. "You're right, Chuck. Thank you," Blair whispered, letting her eyes flutter closed after a minute.

Chuck sat shocked in his seat when Blair placed her head on his lap, but after a minute of thinking about it, he realized how deeply she wanted someone to just be there for her, and if no one else was going to be nice enough to take on the job, then he would. Chuck silently vowed to himself then and there that he would talk to Nathanial about his behavior, and even if he did come back around, Chuck was going to make himself her new best friend. He wasn't going to let her become this broken again. Ever.

And so that sat that night – Blair sleeping in Chuck's lap, and him combing his finger through her head of curls until he finally fell asleep himself. The last thought to cross his mind before he finally closed his eyes was Thank God I found her.