'There Might Be Blood' (2x09) is one of my favourite episodes because it's not about Emma - it's about Chuck and Blair. It proves not only that they can be amicable when they try, but also that there are some things which are sacrosanct and will never cease to be so: the limo means something, virginity means something (let's just discount Jenny, she was a ho in spirit), and he's still prepared to run all over New York for no apparent reason if it will help her out. Chuck sums it up in one line: 'for you, anytime', and you know he means it, that he cares. Blair, I think, would have wanted Emma to know more than just 'it should be with someone you love', so here it is: a conversation to teach one of the most important lessons of life.
Enjoy.
Lock, Load
"How old were you?"
Not old enough, still not old enough, still playing for time. "A little older than you."
"How long had you been together?"
She laughs. "We weren't - not in the way you mean it, boyfriend and girlfriend, making out against a locker everyday - but he knew all my secrets and I knew his. He'd test drive ideas on me and smile when I was sad. He never smiled, so that made me smile too."
The tilt of a younger face, an expectant lilt to the question. "How did it happen?"
"It wasn't as dramatic as you're imagining, I promise. We were having fun, and I...I felt free with him; it's not half so important to feel important as it is to feel free, you know. He was sweet to me - too sweet - and I knew. I knew when I looked at him, and he didn't joke or smirk. I knew it was going to happen, and when he asked me if I was sure, I was."
"Did you ever regret it?"
"I told him I did, once or twice, when I was afraid of my feelings or he was. But honestly? No. Never."
The narrative seems to have satisfied, and sequins flash as she sits back. Then, "He loves you too, you know."
"Who?"
Both pairs of eyes are deceptively innocent, but one far outstrips the other. "You know who."
"How can you say that?"
She smiles, smug in the knowledge that her knowledge will score at least one point tonight, (even if there is no one counting). "Because when he looks at you - like, actually looks, in your eyes and at your face, like you matter - I think he pretends you were his first time too."
Fin.