Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl.
Author's Note: Word of the day was Corybantic. 500 words on the dot. And focussing on Bart and Lily (as always), via Chuck. Hope you guys like it. Please be upfront and honest if you don't. Any criticism or review is greatly appreciated, as always. Please enjoy.
Fairytales of New York
Corybantic
Bart knows that Chuck thinks he only notices and remembers all of his bad things, all of the misdemeanours and mistakes and let downs. What Chuck doesn't know is that Bart tries to know everything about him. Knew how Chuck was overdressed for kindergarten and consequently bullied over it. Realises that Chuck's now made that overdressed thing a thing about him, something that screams Chuck Bass and something nobody would dare mock him for now. Knows how the only people who didn't mock him were Nate and Serena, knows how Nate is family to Chuck, how Blair has become a trusted comrade, ally and maybe even a friend to Chuck. He still hasn't quite figured the Serena thing yet, how they went from friends to acquaintances but knows that it has something to do with that vile Georgina girl.
He also knows that he's far too harsh on Chuck and that's sort of why he notices Lily to begin with. Because Lily's always been kind towards her own children, if a little absent and she shows the same kindness to Chuck, despite whatever rumours might have reached her.
And she's not Elizabeth. That's key to Bart, though he never realises it. Unlike Elizabeth, Lily seems to have a soft spot for everyone, especially the kind of kid who makes a bunch of mistakes because of the mistakes his parent has made. And unlike Elizabeth, Lily might run away from problems but she always returns to them. (And he's damned if he'll ever think of Chuck as a mistake because beneath all of that teen angst and spoilt kid crap, his son's one of the smartest people Bart has ever come across, more astute than half of the men that work for him.) Perhaps most important of all is that Elizabeth had held Chuck in her arms, looked into his cute baby face and rejected him. And for all the flaws Lily has, Bart can't remember a time when she rejected a child in any sort of way.
And so one night, when he sees her, not poised at all but corybantic, hands gesticulating wildly, heels walking rapidly across the street and back again, it's second nature for him to do a little research. He hears whispers of loneliness and attempted suicide. It doesn't take him long to find out that Eric's interestingly away (on short notice) the next day. Later, when Lily tell him that Eric was away on holiday visiting some distant relative, he doesn't blink an eye (despite his PI having found conclusive evidence that Eric was in a home instead).
But he has trust issues and clearly Lily does too. So he respects her reserve and when they are official and he feels like maybe he could finally have some sort of a family, he buys a California article of clothing and just hopes that, with time and love and patience, they'll learn to trust each other and become the kind of family he's always wished for.