"The only fingerprints on the gun were our own. But I made sure to wipe it down before handing it over."
Nate was disappointed even though he knew that finding out who G was based on those fingerprints would be too easy. "This little game has gone on for far too long. Chuck, I can't do this anymore. I'm going insane. I can't live like this."
Chuck nodded. "I know. I'm working on a plan okay. I just need to make sure that there's nothing that could possibly go wrong."
Nate tired to lighten the mood. "Blair and you have perfected take downs."
"This guy is a murderer. Not some stupid girl who happens to wear last season's Prada shoes."
Nate frowned and looked away.
Chuck cleared his throat. "So how's the single life treating you?"
Nate shrugged. "It's a lot less stressful than being with Jessica. And I want things to cool off with Serena before anything happens again. I can't remember the last time I was single."
Chuck gave him a smirk. "That's my boy. Make her work for it."
Nate laughed. "Yeah…I guess so. Hey, bet you can't make this paperball into the trashcan."
Chuck snatched the crumbled paper out of Nate's hands. "Are you kidding me? Watch and learn, Nathaniel."
…
"He wants to be single, B. I'm trying to give him his space."
Blair rolled her eyes at her best friend. "Why? Space is overrated. I mean, look at what I'm doing now."
Chuck called Blair earlier to tell her he was going out of town that night and that he wouldn't have time to say bye. And naturally, Blair immediately informed Serena and the two headed for his place.
"Can't we talk about something else? Like, why Chuck sounded so weird on the phone."
Blair shrugged and instructed her chauffeur to go to Chuck's hotel. "I don't know. Christmas is coming up. Maybe he's worried about what to buy me," Blair joked.
Serena smiled. "I'm sure that's it." She cringed when she remembered she'd be back in Constance in only a couple of weeks.
Nate was already waiting for them when their car stopped. He waved the driver away and opened the door for them. "Hey."
Blair and Serena got out quickly and frowned when they saw the concerned look on Nate's face.
"Blair, you need to talk to Chuck. He's planning on bringing G down. Except her won't let us help. Or tell us anything. I tried to talk him out of it but you know Chuck."
Blair let out a loud sigh and pressed the elevator button to the top floor. After what seemed like an eternity, it came to a stop and they walked out to Chuck's suite. "Chuck."
Chuck looked over and acknowledged them with a head nod. "Of course you came. Nate, you were supposed to keep them away."
Blair walked over to him. "Excuse you? Keep them away? Like we're inept." She grabbed his face and pulled him down to meet her lips.
Chuck kissed her quickly before pulling away when he heard the elevator. "That's Andrew."
Andrew walked over to them with a silent smile and laid a suitcase down on the coffee table. Chuck signaled him to go on.
Andrew opened the suitcase and pulled out a gun. "This is the silencer, it's already screwed on. You simply switch off the safety, that's this here, and cock and pull the trigger."
Chuck nodded. He'd been going to the firing range this past week. He turned to a shocked Blair. "Just a precaution."
Andrew pulled out a vest. "This will be undetectable under your suit but will perfectly protect your vital organs. And here's the untraceable phone."
"Perfect, Andrew. That will be all."
Nate shook his head at him. "Dude, what are you the fucking black ops?"
"I said I'd do what I had to do. I'm doing this for all of us."
Serena frowned. "No one's asking you to do that, Chuck. We can help. Just tell us what to do."
Blair held her head high in defiance. "You. Let's talk, in the room. Now!" She turned on her heal and stormed off to his bedroom.
…
Serena looked down at her lap and twisted her fingers nervously. She bit her bottom lip and tried to ignore the shouting coming from the other room. Nate walked over to her and put his arms around her firmly. Serena hugged him back tightly and buried her face in his stomach, and let Nate comfort her, the way he did years ago when her parents argued in the other room. She'd been slightly taller than him then and he'd stand on his tiptoes so that she could comfortably rest her head on his shoulder.
She pulled away and smiled up at him and he smiled back and sat next to her. "Blair will talk him out of it, you'll see."
Serena nodded and walked over to the bar to pour drinks. She took a long sip and then handed Nate a glass. He thanked her with his eyes.
Blair stormed out of the room. "He's batshit crazy! If he wants to get himself killed then that's on him. I'm done." She walked off angrily.
Serena stood up to instinctively go after her. Nate caught her arm and shook her head. "Maybe you should talk to Chuck."
Serena nodded and walked over to Chuck's bedroom. She opened the door cautiously. "Chuck, I'm coming in."
Chuck looked over his shoulder. "If you've come to talk me out of –"
Serena interrupted. "I've learned not to try to talk you out of anything. Ever since we were 8 and you decided to jump off the roof and into the pool. Do you remember that summer in the Hamptons? It was unbearable hot and you were all trying to get my mind off…"
It was Chuck's turn to interrupt. "Your parent's divorce. It worked. You were so freaked out by my jumping off the roof that you didn't have much time to think of anything else."
"I couldn't even look. I'd never been so relieved to hear a splash. And I looked down from the balcony to see you smiling up at us. Nate clapped and jumped after you, Blair yelled at you for being stupid but eventually even she couldn't help but smile."
The memory brought a smile to Chuck's face. And then he felt a sour taste in his mouth, because he knew that no matter what he did, they could never go back to simpler times.
"You should atleast tell us Chuck, I know you're trying to protect us, but you don't have to. We're all in this together."
Chuck let out a loud sigh. "Fine. Get Nate in here. And tell Blair to come back and if she asks, it was her that changed my mind."