So I have been told anonamosly that I use too many elipsis marks (...). I suppose it's true. But they do help me to express awkward pauses in conversations.

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"Let's go home," Serena said.

"What? Why? This is our vacation," Blair whined. Serena had gotten back yesterday and already she wanted to go home.

"I know, but it is winter here and I really don't think you're having such a great time."

Blair sighed. "Not really. But I've only been here, like, two days and now that you're back maybe we could go skating, or..." she sighed again. "Maybe I could go stay with my dad for a few weeks."

"Yeah." Serena's phone rang. "Hey, just a second."

Serena went into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Then she answered her phone. "Where are you?" she asked.

"I'm at the airport," Chuck said lazily.

"Why?"

"I'm getting a change of scenary. Can you do me a favor?"

Serena rolled her eyes. "What?"

"I need you to transfer some money into one of my accounts."

"Hey! Are you in trouble?"

"No. But since you are, like it or not, my step-sister the bank will give you access to the money. I need you to take all the money out of my fathers account. Put it in mine."

"Okay."

"His account number is in the address book in his study."

"Okay. Where are you going?"

"Somewhere far away."

Serena looked at her phone after Chuck had hung up. The call hadn't been a long one- fourty-two seconds exactly. Chuck hadn't sounded like he was in trouble but Serena happened to know that there was a lot of money in Bart's bank account. What could Chuck possibly need all of it for?

And where was Chuck going?

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Home again. Yuck. Blair looked around her room. Girlish giggles reached her ears, even through the closed and locked door.

So Eleanor's friend's daughter had been invited to stay with the Wardorf/Roses for two weeks. Ick. The girl, Hannah, had barely even arrived before she'd started flirting with Aaron. Yuck! What would Serena say?

Blair picked up her phone, and hit the speed dial. The phone went straight to voice mail.

"This is Chuck. Leave a message and I might call you back."

"Hey, Chuck. It's Blair. Again. Uh...I don't know where you are, and I really need to talk to you about...something. If you ever get to this message, please call me back. Bye."

She missed Chuck. But, if she was honest with herself, she missed the manipulative games rather than Chuck himself. Life was too quiet without him here.

"Oh, my god you did not just say that!" Hannah's voice squealed down the hallway.

Maybe he hadn't, but she would. Blair threw the book she had been reading across the room where it hit the wall with a dull thud. She jumped off her bed and went down to the living room.

"Would you shut up?" she said.

"Excuse me?" Hannah asked.

"If you don't know how to laugh like a human being, and not like a mouse, then do all of us a favor and don't laugh at all. And you can stop your flirting, he's taken," she said pointedly. Aaron looked somewhat disappointed but didn't disagree.

"Blair, darling," Elenor said, looking somewhat sour. "Let's not ruin the mood."

"What? What mood?"

"Blair!"

"Okay, I'm sorry! I'm going to go out."

"Where?"

"Just out!" Blair grabbed her coat and left.

She was in the lobby when she noticed Chuck standing at the front desk. "Chuck." She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to find, to her utter embarrasment, that the man was not Chuck, only a look-a-like. Blair laughed in embarrasment. "I'm so sorry. You look exactly like..."

"Chuck Bass?" the man asked. "I'm Jack Bass, Chuck's uncle. Do you know where Chuck is?"

Blair shook her head. "No. I haven't heard from him since...for quite a while."

"Well...are you leaving right now?"

"Um, yeah, unfortunately."

"It's fine. Come on, let's walk."

Jack took Blair's arm and led her outside. "How do you know him?"

"We've friends since we were little kids. And his step-sister is my best friend."

"Serena van der Woodsen. Would she know where Chuck is?"

"If she'd heard from him, I'm sure she would have told me." Blair said. Serena knew how much she cared about Chuck, even if she didn't understand it. If she had heard from Chuck, she would have told Blair, wouldn't she have?

"Can you tell me where Serena lives?"

"Sure. Let's go." It was amazingly sad how much Chuck and Jack looked alike. "So why are you looking for Chuck?"

"I want to be his legal guardian. And from what I've heard, lately he's been a bit..."

"Worse than usual," Blair finished.

"Yes."

How would Chuck feel about his uncle becoming his guardian?

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"Hey, dad, I'm leaving now!" Dan called.

"Where are you going?" asked Rufus.

"Vanessa's. She has a book that I need to borrow, and then I'm going to see Serena."

"Oh. Okay."

Dan shook his head and left. Maybe Serena would know what was wrong with his dad and if it had something to do with Lilly.

Dan didn't bother knocking at Vanessa's door. She wouldn't be home, anyway. But when he opened the door, he wished he had. Because he walked in on Vanessa and some guy who was definately not Nate sharing a passionate kiss. Or groping session, whatever.

"Wow. Uh... I'm sorry. I'll just go..." Dan closed the door again, ignoring Vanessa as she ran after him.

"Dan. That's not what it looked like," she pleaded.

Turning around Dan said, "Really? Because it looked like you were kissing some guy who was not Nate? Did you guys break up or something?"

"No. But that was just...a scene for a new movie we're working on."

"Really? Because I didn't see a camera."

Vanessa looked around guiltily.

"I'm not going to say anything, mostly because Nate and I don't talk anymore."

Vanessa smiled. "Dan..."

Dan held up his hands and backed away.

Poor Nate. Looks like he's been cheated on. Again.

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