Summary: Just divorced Chuck thinks everything is said between him and Blair. But why does she show up at his doorstep at night? Future fic.
AN: Thank you guys for all your wonderful reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Special thanks to Holz for beta-ing and as always to Sandra for always helping me in word and deed!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Way Back Into Love
Chapter 12: Vanished
If Blair could go back in time and kick herself she would have done so. After the first round of chemo yesterday, Serena had escorted her home and asked about a million times if she should spend the night, since she knew that Dorota wouldn't be there until the next morning.
But Blair had sent her friend home. Reassuring her that she actually felt fine and needed some alone time. Besides she'd read that some woman hardly felt the side effects of the treatment at all. Maybe she would be lucky.
Well, lucky, my ass!
It was 3:46 in the morning, and she had spent the last two hours in front of the toilet, puking her guts out. From time to time she'd been taking a pause from kneeling in front of the porcelain bowl, sitting next to it. Apparently God wasn't that much of a sadist after all and did grant her some breaks to recover her exhausted self.
Twice she'd even made it to the sink, drinking some water, so she'd at least have something in her stomach to bring up.
Four times she'd wrote a text on her cell, telling Serena to come over and saving her from dying on the bathroom floor. Three times she'd erased it. Now her thumb was lingering over the SEND button again.
What difference would it make if her friend was here? None really. If she still had hair, maybe Serena could have held that out of her face. Not necessary now... Besides it would probably give her aheart attack receiving a message from Blair at this hour of the day.
So she hit the ERASE button and prayed that she wouldn't die of dehydration till Dorota arrived in about four hours.
As a new wave of nausea came over her and Blair got into her kneeling position once again, suddenly the idea of calling Chuck came into her mind. The bit of bile fluid making its way up her throat and the same reasons she didn't contact Serena, stopped her from pressing the number one on her speed dial – yes he still held that position.
But maybe she should call him after all? What if he did have a good explanation for the incident of the other day? It was out of question that he stilled seemed to care for her. Why else would've his – not so discrete, she wanted to add – PI Mike, following her all day yesterday.
Had she been handling to hastily by cutting him out of her life until further notice?
But he had been there with her. A woman that stood for everything she hated. And for everything she wasn't. Big-breasted, blonde, tall, healthy and maybe even willing to give him the thing he wanted more than anything in the world. A child.
Trying not to sink into self pity to deep she pulled herself up on the bathtub and came into a sitting position there. She felt exhausted. And she was absolutely positive that she would never again make herself throw up on purpose.
After a few minutes sitting there, fixating her gaze onto one point on her chiffonier she decided that she felt good enough – well, better at least to make her way back to bed.
Weakly with wobbly knees, she walked back into her bed room, holding onto everything she could get her hands on for support. Was that how you felt when you got old? In that case she didn't want to get old. Which ironically made all of this pointless really.
Crawling into the comfortable covers she closed her eyes immediately. She reached for Chuck's shirt, which lay on the empty place next to her, breathing in his smell and holding it close, before she drifted into an exhausted sleep.
-
"Serena said she was coming today, right?"
Chuck knew he had asked this question for the fifth time at least. But he had to make sure he wasn't wasting his time here at Humphrey-Van der Woodsen family breakfast. As good as a PI Mike was, he couldn't give him the real information that he wanted. There was only one person who could and that was Serena.
"She said she'd come, yes," Lilly seemed kind of amused by her step-son's sudden interest in her daughter.
"Are you sure your alright, Chuck?" Rufus asked as the breakfast went on, "You don't look to good."
"Didn't sleep to well last night," he answered, honestly this time. Something was keeping him awake last night. "Was rolling around for hours before I finally fell asleep. Don't know why."
"Maybe you are finally developing something like a conscience and have to catch up for all the years you lived without." Unnoticed Serena had stepped into the room, standing directly opposite Chuck, not even bothering to hide her anger with him.
Immediately Chuck jumped up disappearing towards his former bedroom, dragging Serena with him and only leaving the astounded with a simple, "Sis, I have to talk privately for a second!"
Inside of the bedroom Serenaslapped his hand of her upper arm. "Don't touch me Chuck! What are you even doing here?"
"How is she?" he simply asked.
"Chuck, she wants you to leave her alone," the blonde crossed her arms.
"That's why I'm asking you. I just have to know, Serena."
Serena sighed and sat down on the bed, "She's okay I guess. Bitchier then usual, but that is to be expected. Let's just say she's definitely been better."
Chuck leaned against the door, "Did she have any side effects yet?"
She shook her head, "Not yet, though the doctor said it may take a while till those really set in."
He nodded, not really knowing if he should feel relieved or not. For now Blair seemed to be okay. She had gone through with the treatment. But it was only one round. According to the medical reports, she was facing about seven more. And once the side effects really kicked in... Let's just say Blair wasn't a woman who dealt with stuff she didn't want to.
"How comes you're asking me all of that anyway Chuck?" Serena wanted to know, sounding a bit defensive. "Your PI was following us through half of Manhattan yesterday."
He looked at his step sister surprised.
She just shrugged her shoulders. "What? You didn't think I'd notice? He's worked on my behalf a few times before, if I must remind you. I'm just glad Blair didn't notice. You know she would've taken that iv pole all the way across New York to kick your ass."
A smirk spread on Chuck's face. Yeah, she probably would've done that. A moment later he was pushed forward by the door that opened suddenly and Nate stuck his head inside.
"What the hell, man!" Chuck complained after regaining his balance.
"You two should come see this," Nate announced with a serious look on his face.
Exchanging a glance Chuck and Serena followed after Nate back to the living room. The whole family had gathered around the television staring at it, taken aback.
"... the socialite Blair Waldorf, recently divorced from real-estate mogul Chuck Bass, was confronted with the devastating diagnosis breast cancer a month ago. A mastectomy followed. Having started chemotherapy just this week, she was spotted leaving the Manhattan Women's Hospital yesterday after her first round of chemo..."
During the report they showed various pictures of Blair. One particular tasteless that showed her at a gala event years ago, wearing a dress with extra much cleavage. Another one showing a front page of a big tabloid newspaper titling "Breast Cancer At 32!", showing a picture of Blair wearing a headscarf.
"Turn that trash off!" Chuck said angrily.
Rufus followed the command. With the television off the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"Is this true?" Nate asked turning to Serena.
Lily looked at Chuck, "Charles, you knew about this?"
Neither of the addressed answered, but instead they turned to one another.
"We have to go see if she's okay," Serena stated.
Her brother agreed with a simple nod, grabbing his jacket, already half her out the door. Not giving the family a chance to ask any more questions, the siblings disappeared into the elevator together.
"Who do you think leaked this?" Serena asked.
"I know who," Chuck answered, his jaws clenching as he reached for his cell phone. "And that bitch is as good as dead."
"Well, who?"
Ignoring his sister, Chuck concentrated on his phone call.
"Mike? This is Chuck Bass. I want you to strike now." With those words he shut his phone.
"Strike?" Suspiciously Serena eyed him.
"The less you know, the better."
Almost at a run Chuck and Serena made their way out of the lobby once the elevator doors had opened. Rushing into the already waiting limo.
"To my wife's penthouse! ASAP!" Chuck told his driver, deciding to plainly ignore Serena's pointy look at "my wife".
"Chuck," the blonde probed again. "You know who's responsible for this, so tell me."
Sighing Chuck leaned back against the leather seats, "This is the reason why I was meeting Valerie the other day. She'd somehow found out about Blair being sick and threatened to release the story to the press. I paid her to keep her mouth shut."
"But if you paid her, why would she break that agreement now?"
"I made sure she got what she deserved for the show she pulled at the cafe the other day," he explained. "And I guess now, all bets are off."
"Do you think Blair saw the news already?"
"I dearly hope she didn't," Chuck said in a worried tone. "This would devastate her. Anyone else finding out about her situation..."
Serena fell silent, knowing that he was right. They had to be at Blair's apartment stopping her before she could make any rash decisions.
Ten minutes later when they arrived at her building they were already greeted by a hysterical Dorota, buzzing through the lobby.
"Thank god, you're here Mr. Chuck," she greeted her former employer. "I don't know what to do. Miss Blair's vanished."
"What do you mean vanished?"
"I was bit late this morning and when I went upstairs to wake her, she was gone," the maid told them desperately.
"This so isn't good. What if she does something stupid?" Serena's facial expression had changed from worried to panic.
Chuck didn't respond but pulled out his cellphone, basically barking into it, "Mike, forget about Val. I need you to locate Blair, immediately."
To be continued
AN: Reviews are loved! (And will probably provide a very soon update...)