"Daddy!" Blair laughed, running towards Harold and nearly knocking him off his feet. "You're here! In my apartment, right now..." Some of her excitement subsided. "What are you doing here?"
"My daughter just graduated top of her class from Yale." Harold reminded her with a smile. "I think that calls for a visit. Where's Chuck? Usually he doesn't leave your side." He teased.
"Working. Again." Blair rolled her eyes in exasperation, flopping down on the sofa and patting the seat next to her for Harold to sit. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear he loved that stupid company more then he loves me."
"Stupid company?" Harold asked speculatively, looking pointedly around at the penthouse apartment furnished with luxurious fabrics and filled with expensive decor. "Blair Bear correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it the income that Chuck gets from that same company that bought this place? And everything in it?"
Blair raised her eyebrows but conceded the point. "I pay my own way! And he's a billionaire, he can afford it." She said defensively. "Lord knows he's not taking his money to the grave with him. Besides," She batted her eyelashes. "I'm worth it."
"Evidently he thinks so," Harold indicated the practically baseball sized diamond that graced the hollow of her neck. "If you're wearing that as daywear."
Blair smiled and fingered the necklace. "He bought me this to apologize for calling me a golddigger."
"He called you a what?" Harold chuckled.
"Long story, but the important thing is that I won." Blair shrugged her shoulders. "As always."
*
*
*
"Mr Waldorf." Chuck said in surprise, as he and Nate entered the apartment to find his girlfriend, his sister, and her father drinking martinis and laughing together. "I didn't know you were coming."
"Surprise visit." Harold explained as Serena kicked off her heels and Blair waved to the two of them.
"Hey Chuckie!" She said enthusiastically, almost falling over in her haste to get to them. "Whoops, I think I'm a little tipsy." She told Nate conspiratorially, before giggling loudly and dancing into Chuck's awaiting arms.
"You don't say," Chuck said dryly, looking at Harold accusingly.
"Maybe we went a little overboard on the gin?" Harold said apologetically.
"Just a tad." Nate laughed as Serena turned up the music and started to dance. Badly. Blair soon went and joined her.
The three men let out a collective wince as a stray limb met with Blair's one of a kind antique vase.
"She is going to be pissed in the morning," Chuck groaned, wrapping his arms around Blair and pulling her back onto the sofa with him. "She loved that damn thing."
"Hello?" Dan Humphrey's voice called from the doorway. "Serena?"
"Great, just what I need right now." Chuck muttered.
"In here." Nate called, giving his best friend a warning look.
Dan walked into the room, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of his on-again/off-again girlfriend dancing to an old Spice Girl's track. "Okay..."
"Dan!" Serena shrieked, "Come dance with me!"
"I'll go run the shower." Nate volunteered, watching in amusement as Chuck struggled with Blair on the sofa and Dan found himself coerced into dancing with the blond beauty. Harold was standing to the side and looking completely out of his depth.
"Daddy!" Blair pouted, finally prying herself away from her boyfriend and deciding to latch onto her father instead. "I don't feel so good."
"Maybe we should get her some penicillin?" Harold suggested.
Chuck shook his head. "It doesn't react well with the alcohol. It will make her feel better now but she'll have a killer hangover in the morning." He looked Harold in the eye. "The last time she had a hangover she threw a glass at Eric."
"I did not!" Blair protested, before thinking about it. "Actually, wait. Yeah I did. But he was breathing too loudly and his fake blond hair was too bright!"
"Okay shower time," Nate decided, helping Chuck lead her to the bathroom and quickly leaving the room again.
"A little help here?" Dan asked weakly, "Serena is surprisingly strong for a girl."
"Maybe you're just weak." Serena giggled, allowing Nate to lead her to the awaiting Chuck.
A few minutes later Nate re-entered the room laughing. "Have I mentioned that I love drunk Serena?"
"Oh yeah the flailing limbs and stench of alcohol is really attractive." Dan said sarcastically. "Not to mention the insults. Speaking of which, Blair must really be drunk if she's allowing me to step foot in her precious apartment."
"I was here the day they moved in, Blair tried to make me wear rubber gloves." Nate told them. Harold shook his head and laughed while Dan didn't appear fazed.
"Honestly I can't blame her." Dan shook his head. "Have you seen some of this stuff?" He pointed out a painting on the wall. "I swear that is a Van Gogh print."
"Original actually." Blair's voice corrected snappily from the doorway, she was now clutching her head and wearing a pink velour tracksuit. "I bought it for Chuck last Christmas."
Dan's mouth gaped open.
"Humphrey come and sort out your girlfriend." Chuck demanded, wringing out his sweater. "She's getting water all over my bathroom floor. And me."
"Brotherly love." Blair snarked, downing an iced cappuccino.
"Blair are you feeling better?" Harold asked concernedly.
Blair nodded mutely. "I am never drinking again." She finished the last of her caffeine hit.
"Uh huh," Chuck said in a bored tone of voice. "Just remember, when you wake up tomorrow morning and your head is killing you; Chuck is not to blame. Blair's intolerance of alcohol is."
The glass very nearly hit his head.
*
*
*
"Goodbye Daddy," Blair said cheerfully two days later, pecking Harold on the cheek.
"Goodbye Blair Bear, goodbye Chuck." Harold smiled. "I'll see you both in France this summer?"
"Only if you promise to hide the booze." Chuck muttered under his breath before wincing when Blair's stiletto met with Chuck's toe.
"And you're sure you don't want a ride to the airport?" Blair continued.
"I'll be fine. You worry too much." Harold assured her.
Blair rolled her eyes before handing him his bag. Her gaze then fell on the empty spot on her coffee table. "Where the hell is my vase!?"
"On second thoughts who wants to wait for summer?" Chuck laughed nervously. "Let's go now." He ushered Harold out of the door ahead of him. "Quickly, before she realizes."
"BASS!"
