A/N: I don't know what happened with the last chapters of this story, but it seems when I published it on the site, some mistakes occurred in the text, like some words were omitted or some letters got jumbled up. Please don't take this as a lack of grammatical knowledge :D. Enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter Three: The End of an Old Life

Blair's POV

'Oh my God, B, how are you feeling?' Serena shouted as she entered my hospital room.

'I'm fine, I'm not even 2cm dilated, so the baby won't be here anytime soon, but, S, I would really appreciate if you stood closer to my head than my...lower area...'

'Don't worry, I'm not tempted,' she muttered, and I laughed. She laughed with me, taking both of my hand into hers. 'Talk to me,' she instructed. 'How are you, really?'

I sighed. 'Well...how do you think I am? I lost Nate, I lost my reputation, my popularity and my future, but worst of all I lost Chuck. So I would say, on a scale of one to ten, I'm about a minus seven.'

'I'm so sorry, B. What could I do to make you feel better?'

'Stay here. With me. I'll need you more than ever. I'll need someone to help me raise this child, and although God knows you're not the role model I'd want my child to have, you're still my best friend. You're my sister. And I want my baby to have his or her fun aunt for when mommy turns off the TV in the favour of homework.'

'Where else do you think I'd by, but by your side? I love you, Blair,' she whispered, and kissed my forehead like she did many times before, in the past, when one of my biggest problems was who sat higher than me on the MET steps, or how to keep my place as Queen Bee at Constance. This seemed so pathetic, worrying about nothings. And yet, there were so important to me back then... God knows what happened to anyone who dared to sit further up the steps than me. Let's just say the punishment was permanent. But I had more important things to worry about now; it felt like a new part of my life was starting, and I just knew I had to start it on the right foot. I couldn't make any mistakes; not this time.

I forgot about time; I was just enveloped in Serena's arms, my head resting on her shoulder, as she held me, trying to make it better. I pulled back and looked at her; her beautiful face broken by thin, wet lines crossing her face.

'Oh, S, why are you crying? It's not like you're having a baby. At least I sure hope so, I can't even comprehend you and Humphrey conceiving a human,' I joked, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.

It worked; she laughed and slapped my arm playfully. I touched her face, wiping the water from her cheeks. 'Don't joke like that, B. Dan and I are so happy right now... I just can't not imagine it, you know? I almost kind of want it to happen.' She smiled guiltily, her face lighting up.

'Bite your tongue,' I shouted in fake horror, and she giggled, hiding her face in her long, blond hair. Although the idea of Serena and Humphrey being together forever caused the feeling of morning sickness to return, I loved the effect he had on her. I had never seen Serena so happy, so carefree, but in the good way, not the I'm-under-the-influence-of-many-drugs-I-can't-even-name-or-count' way, or so grounded. He brought out the best in her, and with him, she shined. And Dan, well, he was head-over-heels in love with her and kissed the ground she walked on.

'So, have you thought about names?' she suddenly asked.

Before I had time to answer, a very loud noise outside my door captivated my attention.

'Sir, stop right there! I must insist you don't enter that room. Hospital policy interdicts anyone except family to visit without the approval of the patient, and I highly doubt she approved of you! If you step one step further, I will call security. Who do you think you are, to disrespect the rules like this?' a woman shouted, her shadow visible through the smoky glass of the hospital door.

'Ma'am, I'm Chuck Bass,' came the response to the nurse's question, and my breath caught in my throat.

A fraction of a second later, the door opened, and he entered, his eyes locking with mine.

'Blair,' he whispered, but stood in the doorway, not coming any closer.

'Miss, I'm calling security,' the nurse announced and turned around to run to the front desk.

'No, don't worry. It's okay. He can stay.'

'Fine,' she muttered, and walked away after giving Chuck a meaningful look.

'I'll...give you too some privacy,' Serena said, and got up from the side of the bed. She bent down to kiss my forehead and whispered, 'I'll be right outside. If you need anything, just call, ok?'

'Of course.' She exited and I was left alone with Chuck, who still hadn't moved. His eyes still bore into mine, only when I looked into them now, I could see sadness, so much hurt, I had to look away.

'What do you want, Chuck? Why are you here?'

He looked like he was about to cry. 'What do you mean, Blair? You are giving birth to my child, aren't you?'

'I thought you said you didn't care anymore. Why the sudden change of mind?' Did I really want to know the answer? Why couldn't I just be happy that he was here, no matter what the reason was? Why couldn't the hurt just numb for a second, so that I could enjoy his presence, disregarding his motives.

He sighed. 'I didn't mean what I said. I was shocked, and so angry at you for keeping this a secret from me, that I allowed it to hide away what was underneath; how happy I felt, how excited I was, but also how I had never been so terrified in my life. I allowed my instinct of pushing everyone away to cloud what I really thought or how I truly felt about you and about this child. I'm sure you won't believe me, but all I wanted to do the moment you confirmed what I thought I was dreading was to hold you, keep you in my arms, and assure you I would be by your side even when you don't want me there. And while my heart was telling me all this, my mouth just spoke crap, words I didn't even process. Please, forgive me for what I did to you, and understand that when Serena told me you were going to go to Paris, the only thing I knew I had to do was stop you and tell you all this.'

He was now standing at the end of my bed, and my lungs felt too heavy to breathe. I couldn't think, or cry, as why whole being shut down, slowly understanding what was happening. He was here, and he didn't hate me. He. Was. Here.

I closed my eyes. 'Chuck,' I whispered, and when I spoke it all felt so...good. I felt complete, like the pain I had experienced not long ago had never existed. 'Please move away from my ass, you're making me uncomfortable,' I muttered, and gently smiled up at him.

He smiled back, relief washing through him, and he started walking to the side of my bed. 'Don't worry, Blair, it's not like I haven't seen it all before,' he joked, and stopped by my side, taking my hand into his. His eyes met mine again, and this time there was something different about them. 'Blair, I'm here for you. Please allow me to be a part of our child's life, because I know that I want this more than anything.' His eyebrows came together in a small V above his nose, as he knelt by my bed, my hand still in both of his. 'Actually, that's not entirely true. There is one thing that I want even more, and that, Blair, is to be with you. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me, because I...I-I...I love you. So much, it pains me to even think of trying to live without you.' His voice broke at the end, and he looked down, hiding his face from me.

I didn't realise I was tearing up until I had to speak, and my words were cut by a soft sob. 'Hey, look at me,' I whispered, and when he refused to, I used my free hand to touch his cheek. It was wet, and, for the second time, I witnessed the emotionless monster cry. 'Chuck,' I whispered, and his eyes slowly peeked at me again from underneath his hair. 'Look at me, Chuck,' I ordered, and he finally gave in, facing me again. I slowly rubbed the tears from his red eyes, eyes that weren't used to crying. He leant into my touch, and I understood the difference I saw in his eyes. The sadness and pain were replaced with love and care, as they became soft and warm. And I recognized it; the way he looked at me now was the same way he looked at me that night in the limo when I lost my virginity to him, or the night of my birthday when he comforted me. I realised I wasn't just one of the girls he used to fulfil his disgusting 'needs'. He loved me from the very beginning.

'Chuck,' I whispered, drops of water racing on the surface of my cheeks. 'I need you to kiss me.'

He allowed his lips to curl up at the edges just a bit before he pressed them to my cheek, over the tears that threatened to roll to my chin. Then, slowly, he moved his mouth to the corner of mine, pressing a soft kiss there, his nose rubbing against mine. Then it happened; my world stood still as our mouths reunited once again, soft moments of love and passion shared between unspoken whispers. His hands gripped my face, while arms locked behind his neck, keeping him close. Mine.

A strong pain through my stomach stilled me, and Chuck leaned back to look at me.

'Is everything okay, Blair?' he asked, his hands over the tops of my shoulders.

I fell back on the bed and answered with a scream, as I felt the weight of an elephant drop on my body from an aeroplane. 'It hurts, Chuck,' I cried when I could speak, gripping the bed sheets so hard I could almost hear them rip.

'Shh, Blair, calm down. It'll be fine, I'm going to get a doctor,' he said and exited the room just before I let out another scream.

'Blair, what's going on?' Serena asked, her voice alert and worried, as she ran by my side as soon as Chuck disappeared around the corner.

'It...hurts...' I managed through the shallow breaths.

'Contractions?'

'What else, Serena?' I shouted, regretting behaving like this as soon as I did.

'I'm sorry, B... Is there anything I could do?'

The doctor came in, with a panic-stricken Chuck just behind him. 'Let's look at this, Miss Waldorf. Let's see if you're ready to start pushing.' Why was he so calm, when I felt like I was about to die at any moment? He examined me while Serena and Chuck each held one of my hands. I gripped theirs as tight as I could, only later wondering if I had hurt them. 'Well, you're 10cm dilated. I think we're ready to push. On the count of three; one...two...three...push!'

I did, and it hurt even more. I didn't think it possible to grip harder on Chuck and Serena's hands, but somehow I managed to. I tried to keep the screaming on the inside, and I felt my teeth grind as I tried to keep my mouth closed. I gave in to the pain and relaxed, only to hear another 'push!' coming from the doctor.

'I can't!' I cried.

'Of course you can, Blair, you're doing amazingly! Come on, sweetheart, push again!' Chuck soothed, trying to offer me support.

However, I didn't appreciate it. 'Well, how about you frickin' push, let's see how it feels then?' I snapped, gathering all of my energy for another push. Chuck didn't comment; he just kept encouraging me and holding my hand.

I pushed as hard as I could, and just after I relaxed, the doctor announced, 'I can see the head! Blair, one last push. Come on, you can do it!'

'Come on, B, one last time!' Serena encouraged.

'God, Chuck, if you ever touch me again, I swear I will beat you until you won't be able to use whatever it is mother nature gave to you, you hear?' I threatened, ignoring Chuck's hold of my hand. Then I pushed again until the loud cry of a newborn baby interrupted my own.

'Congratulations, Miss Waldorf and Mr Bass, you have a newborn daughter,' the doctor stated, and I fell back on the bed.

'Well done, B, I'm so proud of you! You made me an aunt!' Serena squealed as she hugged me tightly at her chest. 'Well, Chuck, it seems you have put your talent to good use,' she said to Chuck and kissed his cheek. 'I'm going to tell everyone, they're waiting outside,' she said, and ran through the doors.

After what felt like an eternity, but was, in fact, just over a minute, Chuck approached my bed with a bundle of pink in his arms. He didn't look at me; his eyes were locked on the face of the baby he held, his attention fully captivated by her. He looked like he was under a spell, walking absentmindedly as he held life.

'She's beautiful,' he finally whispered when he sat beside me on the bed, and when he looked at me, there was nothing but love. He handed her to me, and he was gentler than he had ever been. 'Thank you,' he whispered again, and kissed the top of my head. He was right, she was beautiful, and I instantly felt something never experienced before; the unconditional love a mother felt for a child. It was the best feeling in the world.

'I'm sorry to interrupt,' the doctor whispered, 'but we need the baby girl's name.'

'Elisabeth,' I stated without even thinking, realising I hadn't even ask for Chuck's opinion. 'If that's okay with you, of course,' I rectified, looking at him.

'Blair, Elisabeth was my mom's name,' Chuck said, uncertain of what he had heard.

'I know. I thought it would be a nice way to show the world she's yours too,' I told him, only to see him smile even brighter.

'Thank you,' he said, and kissed me slowly.

'Do you mind if we call her Serena as well? I...'

'Serena is a beautiful name,' Chuck confirmed and smoothed my hair with the back of his hand.

'Elisabeth Serena Bass it is, then,' I finally said, and, after the doctor exited, Chuck kissed me again, whispering 'thank you' against my lips.

Soon after, our friends and family came in to see our newborn daughter. I watched, happy, as everyone I cared about slowly filed into the room, standing around the hospital bed. Dan held Serena as she cried tears of happiness at the sight of her niece, while Lily, Eric, Jenny, Rufus and even Bart watched the sleeping baby in my arms.

My mom walked over to the side of my bed, her eyes glistening with tears, and kissed my forehead. 'Well done, sweetie. She is gorgeous,' she said, and cupped the baby's head into her palm. 'And so small,' she added, and gave out a short laugh. I laughed too, savouring this moment of perfection. 'Can I hold her?' she asked, and I accepted immediately, placing my baby in the arms of my mother. 'Beautiful,' she whispered, and she adoringly watched the newborn sleep.

'Everyone, meet Elisabeth Serena Bass,' I announced, and heard each person clap and express their appreciation.

While everyone else waited to hold Elisabeth, I looked at Chuck. He beamed with pride and adoration as he glared at me, his heart-stealing smile making me fall in love with him all over again. I remembered I had something to say to him, something I didn't have the chance to before.

'Chuck, I need you to know something,' I whispered as he framed my face with his hands. 'I love you, too,' I vowed, and closed the small space between us with a much longed for kiss.

A/N: Well, I think this might be the end of this story. Thank you for reading it; I hope you liked it. Please review, it makes me a better writer. Xx