Disclaimer: If I owned Gossip Girl I certainly wouldn't be writing fan fiction about the show. I would be writing Vanessa's immediate death into the script instead. Alas, I own nothing.

Also this follows the current storyline just with my own things mixed in. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 2

abby-tabitha: I'm glad you enjoyed it and yes I am planning for this to be a multi-chapter fic.

XcrossingjordanX : Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it so far. And can I just add on a shallow note that I love your screen name. My name is Jordan. Lol.

moarchair247: Thanks for pointing out which line you liked. I enjoy feedback.

Imaginationrunsfree: That episode was great wasn't it? Glad you're enjoying it.

bluestriker666: Lol! Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it.

xcrazyangelx1800: Sorry it took so long for an update. Finals are a bitch.

Ella: Your compliment was so sweet. Thank you. I was a little nervous about it so I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Chapter 2

He's in his suite at the Palace when she knocks on his door. His eyes are bloodshot and his uniform is wrinkled; both of these factors combined with the sneer that appears at seeing her lead Lily to flinch as she stands in the open doorway.

"I heard you were back," the blonde states softly. "I wanted to see how you were." "I'm fine," he declares with no emotion. "Was that all?" He asks his former-stepmother with more than a little sharpness laced in his voice.

He had this fantasy once. It seemed like lifetimes ago when in reality it was just a few short weeks. In this alternate reality of his Lily came to really love his father and they became a family, the five of them. A family that loved one another, a family that trusted one another.

A family. That's all Chuck Bass ever really wanted. A dark smile crosses his lips as it occurs to him that he'll never have a family. There's absolutely no hope for him now. He's a fucking orphan and a part of him thinks that he always has been where it counts.

Lily sighs and enters his suite without an invitation. "Alright, I confess I have another reason for coming here this morning Charles." Chuck's expression doesn't change and Lily reveals, "We miss you. Me and Eric and even Serena but she'll die before ever admitting it." She pauses for a moment to gauge his reaction but he doesn't give one.

"We want you to come back. Back to the suite upstairs to live with us. In a time like now we all need to be around family." She moves forward and rests a motherly hand on his shoulder. "We're not family," he informs her coldly as he moves away from her touch.

Lily nods her head in agreement at his words, "Maybe not in the most basic definition. We're not blood related, we're not even connected through a marriage anymore but family means more than that Charles. Family is the people you surround yourself with. The people that love you and care for you. You may not consider the Van der Woodsens your family Charles but we still consider you ours."

He doesn't quite know how to react to that. So they both stand there quiet, the silence growing thick between them. When he speaks his voice is rough and unpolished, "I couldn't." He shakes his head furiously, "Not with HIM in the picture." He spits out and Lily nods her head in understanding.

It takes her a minute or two to confess the truth, "My mother decided to take it upon herself to tell Rufus the truth…..about the baby. He can't even look at me." Her voice is filled with pain and regret and just for a split-second Chuck feels sorry for her.

But then the moment is gone and he tells himself that the woman in front of him simply reaped what she sowed or whatever that stupid phrase is. The fact of the matter is Karma is a tricky bitch that always gets her way in the end. Something Chuck has learned on more than one occasion himself.

Lily clears her throat as she emerges from her self-thrown pity party, "Rufus isn't in the picture and he won't be so please consider my offer. Eric really misses you. You're the brother he never had." She tells him with a soft smile.

She looks as if she wants to do more, to give him a hug or some other friendly gesture but she doesn't and chooses instead to give him another small smile before turning to leave. "Tell him I'm sorry." His words prompt Lily to turn back around. "For the things I said at the funeral. Tell Eric I'm sorry." Lily just gives him another soft smile, "Tell him yourself." She suggests gently before turning and leaving the way she came.

Blair and Serena reach the school and seconds later S is abandoning her and rushing off to not flirt with Brooklyn. Blair simply rolls her eyes at her best friends behavior and wonders if she should give her new stepbrother a little advance warning as to what's to come with his relationship with Serena but ultimately shakes the thought away.

Why ruin the surprise and impending drama that lay ahead. She thinks as she makes her way up the school steps towards Iz and Penelope. They're both busy at work harassing a blonde that Blair passes off as being a freshman until she gets closer.

Her eyes widen at the sight of Little J back in her Constance Billiard uniform. "What's going on?" Blair asks as she reaches them. "Nothing," Hazel answers. "We were just giving Little J here a warm Constance welcome back." Blair nods her head slowly before turning to take in Jenny.

The blonde looks on the verge of ripping Penelope's extensions out, her eyes narrowed in anger and her tiny fists clenched by her sides. My my my! Look who's grown up. A year ago Little J would be in tears over getting treated this way. Now she's just pissed off. Blair isn't sure what it is exactly that prompts her into linking Jenny's arm with hers. But in the next moment she's doing it all the same.

She gives the blonde a nudge and Jenny begins to walk inside the school leaving the three wannabes in their wake. "What are you doing?" Jenny quietly whispers as they continue to walk down the hallway.

"I'm walking towards my locker. I'm not sure what you're doing here. Why the hell you would want to come back to a school that pretty much hates you is beyond me." They reach Blair's locker and Blair unhooks her arm from Jenny's to retrieve her books for her next class.

Jenny leans against a locker as she releases a large sigh, "I'm trying to prove something to your clones. To myself. I don't know which it is anymore. And besides no one would hate me if you hadn't ordered it."

Blair gives a nonchalant shrug, "It was war Jenny. There are no casualties in war. At least not in the big leagues." "I got in over my head," Jenny admitted. "I get that now but….I did something." "The infamous see-through dress you gave She-Brooklyn to wear. I heard all about it, saw the pictures too."

"I shouldn't of done it," Jenny says her voice regretful. "No, Blair agreed, you should have done worse." Jenny rolled her eyes, "The point is I feel like I have to prove myself here. That I have to show I can be a better person." Blair turned to her and smiled, "He gave you the speech didn't he?"

"What speech? Who are you talking about?" Blair shuts the door to her locker and then explains, "Nate. He gave you the whole why do you have to be so manipulating speech didn't he?" Jenny frowned, "It was more of a You're not who I thought you were speech."

Blair scoffs and rolls her eyes, "Same old Nate." She mutters. Her and Jenny continue talking as they take the doors that lead them to outside. It's there that she sees him. He's drunk off his ass and Nate is the only thing that is supporting his ass from hitting the ground.

Blair merely shakes her head in disappointment at the sight before turning to Jenny, "Save me a seat on the steps at lunch." She then turns to head down in his direction but Jenny's voice stops her, "So are we like friends now?" The blonde asks uncertain of everything that has just happened in the last ten minutes.

Blair just rolls her eyes at the blonde, "Don't be such a girl about it." She marches over to Chuck intent on finding out why he's drunk at eight in the morning but she doesn't get very far before she sees the headmistress Ms. Queller headed directly towards Chuck.

She acts instinctively, she tells herself that if given time to think about it she won't be saving Chuck from the possibly of expulsion but instead lavishing it up that he is finally getting what he deserves. It's pure impulse that places her in front of Headmistress Queller, blocking the woman's view of Chuck. That's what she tells herself anyway.

A few moments later Ms. Queller is headed away from Chuck and Nate and towards the girls bathroom where two teenagers are supposedly engaging in sexual actives. Hell at this school it probably isn't even a lie. I just hope it isn't S and Humphrey Dumpty that get caught going at it.

Nate gives her a thankful look as he continues trying to help Chuck up the stairs of St. Judes. "Oh just forget it!" Blair cries. "Classes start any minute now and he's completely wasted."

Nate helps lower Chuck down onto the steps and the Bass puts his head into his hands. "What do you suggest we do then?" Nate asks. The bell rings and Blair resists the urge to run a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Get him back into the limo. Get coffee in him, whatever it takes to sober him up but we have to hurry if a teacher sees they won't hesitate to expel him after everything he's pulled these last few weeks."

"He's having a rough time," Nate states defensively as he lugs one of Chuck's arms over his shoulder to carry him back down the stairs and towards the limo. Blair grabs his other arm and tries to help to the best of her ability.

"I didn't say he wasn't. But he can't keep going like this. He's Chuck Bass, that doesn't make him invincible." "Are you both aware that I can hear every word you're saying," Chuck slurred.

Nate just rolled his eyes but Blair quickly jabbed him in the side with a sharp fingernail. "Shut your mouth Bass or I'll do it for you." "Aww…. I love it when she gets all dominating with me," Chuck told Nate with a drunk smirk on his face. Nate couldn't help the laughter that escaped him and Blair shot him a nasty glare over the top of Chuck's head.

The duo set their highly intoxicated friend up in the back of the limo. "Maybe we should have the driver just take him back to the Palace. Let him sleep it off." Nate suggested. Blair shook her head no; "Jack promised that he would be back at school today. He has to attend at least some classes."

"Okay so you stay with him now, load him up with coffee and try to keep him awake and I'll be back after first period." "W-W-Wait!" Blair grabbed a hold of Nate's arm before he could leave her alone with the Devil. "Why do I have to stay with him? Why can't you?"

"I have a history test I have to take. Cancel that, I have a history test I have to pass. I can't stay with him right now. It'll just be for first period I can come back during second, he'll be awake and sober in time for lunch."

Blair bit her lip and then finally let out a muttered, "Fine." Nate nodded his head and then turned to head inside, "You're an ass for choosing She-Brooklyn over Jenny by the way!" Blair tossed over her shoulder at Nate before hesitantly climbing into the limo with Chuck.

Blair thanked the woman behind the counter for the cup of coffee she was handed and then exited the Starbucks restaurant. She instructed the driver to take them back to school and then handed the cup to Chuck.

"I don't want it," he muttered. His head in his hands. Blair released a frustrated sigh, "Drink it anyway." Chuck raised his head and looked at Blair, "I don't want it." "I don't fucking care what you want! Drink the goddamn coffee!" She yelled.

He sullenly took the coffee from her hands and drank it slowly. The limo pulled up in front of the school and Blair took a peak at her watch. Oh joy! Only twenty more minutes of hell.

"Why are you even here?" He asked his voice scratchy and rough. "I have no idea," she informed him quietly. "Then why don't you just leave." Blair let out a sharp laugh, "God! You would like that wouldn't you? Then you could be all alone. You know you're such an asshole! You have all these people that care about you and you can't even give a damn!"

"Why should I?" He hissed, staring at her in the eye for the first time since she climbed into this limo with him. "Because people don't wait forever Chuck." Her voice cracked a little at the end despite how much effort she tried to put into keeping it steady.

He opened his mouth to say something, what she would never know as in the next instant the door was opened by Nate. Blair hopped out of the limo quickly and didn't spare a glance behind her as she headed inside.

"What is that?" Blair asked Cyrus curiously as she came into the kitchen later that day. "Apple cake, taste." He ordered scooping some up on a fork and posing it at the entrance for Blair's mouth. Blair took a little bite of the dish and deemed it delicious before turning to head up towards her room.

"Um…Blair; Dear have you talked to your mother yet?" Blair shook her head no, "Why is something going on?" "Well….yes. You see there happens to be this minor inconvenience that we need to discuss." "Okay," Blair declared warily. "You and mom aren't having a baby are you?"

"Oh Good Heavens No!" Eleanor declared as she stepped into the kitchen. "Why? Do I look pregnant?" She looked at Cyrus with fear in her eyes. "I knew I gained weight! Marcia has been looking at me funny all week! I knew there was a reason!"

Blair rolled her eyes and once again headed upstairs towards her room. Whatever this "minor inconvenience" was Cyrus could tell her later, after Eleanor's mini-freak out. Blair opened the door to her room and topped dead in her tracks. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

Aaron looked up from where he was hanging a rather large painting on her wall. "Didn't my dad tell you? My apartment flooded I have to stay here for a couple of weeks." "Well that's great and all but I repeat, what the hell are you doing in my room? Why are you hanging that God-awful thing on my wall? And oh dear Lord did you actually put cardboard boxes on my carpet!" Blair shrieked.

Aaron let out a sigh before turning around to face her, "Okay first of all, your room is my room; temporary at least. Secondly, this, Aaron gestured towards the painting, is a work of art. Kindly do not insult it. And third, it's carpet, he whispered, get over it."

"NO! NO! NO!" Blair shrieked, "You and your crappy piece of art can go stay in the guest bedroom down the freaking hall. Also this is the softest carpet money can buy." Aaron smiled, a slow and mocking smile that had Blair reevaluating her decision not to mention Dan and Serena's rapidly growing "friendship." "Guest bedroom is being remodeled princess. So did you want the left side of the room or the right? Your choice roomie." Blair opened her mouth and did the only thing she could think of, "MOTHER!"