Somebody That I Used To Know
Summary: Serena ignores. Chuck blames. Nate hates. Dan runs. Blair emerges from the rubble of her past unscathed, but when she meets a mysterious bartender with a familiar face, will her world turn upside down once more? Post-GG.
Blair leaves work early, knowing that she still has to prepare for dinner with Serena later in the evening. When she gets home, Sylvia is still there, tidying up the foyer. Blair asks her to take out D'Artagnan, and the pretty Polish maid obliges with a curt nod of the head.
Left in silence, Blair lets the exhaustion of the past few days sink into her bones. So much has happened – she's met a man, planned a date with said man, ran into her ex-best friend, and will soon be meeting with ex-best friend to rehash old arguments over fine French dining. Making her way into the living room, the brunette glances at her watch. Noting the time – 3:51 – Blair decides to settle onto her maroon chaise lounge chair and relax for a little while before beginning the arduous process of getting ready.
Blair sighs, contented as her head falls back, espresso curls splaying across the plush fabric. She removes her high heels with a dainty flick of each foot before drawing her legs back into a folded position. The chair is oriented such that the Blair has the perfect view of the city, which has been magically transformed by a plethora of brilliant Autumn hues. Gazing out of the window absentmindedly, Blair senses her limbs growing heavy. Slowly, slowly, slowly, her eyelids begin to droop, and the brunette soon surrenders to sleep.
"Do you, Charles Bartholomew Bass, take Blair Cornelia Waldorf to be your lawful wedded wife?" the priest presiding over the wedding asks. "To have and to hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for the rest of your days until death do you part?"
Chuck gazes at Blair in admiration. Squeezes her hands between his. "I do." He slides the silver band they'd picked out over Blair's ring finger.
Blair smiles warmly. The smile is wiped off of her face as she locks eyes with Dan Humphrey. He's sitting there in the front row, dressed in a black suit, hair slicked to the side. His countenance is stony, but behind the mask Blair can see the truth. He's completely and utterly devastated.
"And do you, Blair Cornelia Waldorf, take Charles Bartholomew Bass…" The priest's voice is drowned out by the blood rushing in Blair's ears. Her palms begin to sweat, pulse racing, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't rip her eyes away from Dan's.
"Blair!" Serena hisses, startling Blair out of her trance.
Blair looks around and notices that people are looking at her expectantly. Chuck is looking at her expectantly. She'd been so distracted that she hadn't even been listening.
Blair supposes this is her cue. This is what she's been waiting for since she first slept with Chuck in the back of the limo. This is the reward for all the emotional devastation and heartache she'd endured. "I do," she says forcefully.
The priest nods. "Is there anybody here who can provide good reason why Charles and Blair should not be wed? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."
The audience is silent. Dan leans forward in his chair, hands clasped together, right foot tapping anxiously. Blair watches him chew on his lower lip, open his mouth as if to say something.
Despite the fact that she is finally getting the happy ending to her unconventional fairytale, the one she's dreamed of since she'd been a child, a small, secret part of Blair is hoping for something else. She won't allow her mind to even think it, but that little part of her deep down in the depths of her heart knows.
Say it, she begs silently, Come on, say it!
Not a word spills from Dan's lip. The expression on his face is one of resignation, and Blair feels that little spark of hope extinguish. She breaks her gaze and turns to face Chuck, who grins at her with the twinge of boyish smirk she's accustomed to seeing.
She takes a deep breath, ignores the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. The warmness of Chuck's hands begins to sooth her and the look of pure adoration in his eyes reassures her.
Everything will be okay. It has to be okay.
The priest begins to speak again. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Charles, you may now kiss your bride."
Chuck grasps Blair's waist and pulls her close to him. His other hand entangles itself in her hair and brings her face to his. They kiss, deeply and fully, and when they break apart, Blair suddenly feels changed.
She's a wife now. She's Mrs. Bass. And like everything else she does, Blair knows she will be the best damn wife there is.
Between the clapping and the cheering, Blair can't even hear her own thoughts. She and Chuck begin walking down the aisle. A laugh escapes from Blair's lips. She smiles, looking around the crowd at everyone who she and Chuck proved wrong.
Then she notices the empty seat.
Dan is gone. And so is that piece of her heart.
…
…
…
It's been a month to the day of her wedding and Blair is laying quietly in her – in Chuck's – king-sized bed. Beside her, her new husband is sleeping peacefully, tiny snores audible with each inhale. While Chuck remains in a deep slumber, Blair is exhausted; she'd spent all night tossing and turning. They'd spent last night arguing because Chuck had taken out a client to a burlesque club. He'd come home drunk and wanting sex. Blair had turned him down given his inebriated state. "You never support me," he'd slurred angrily as she had put him to bed. "Never had, never will."
One month ago, she'd said yes. She'd committed to Chuck for life, and he still hadn't learned to appreciate everything she'd done - and continues to do - for him.
Blair turns her head, looks at the sleeping Chuck. She examines the features of his face, his strong brows and wide-bridged nose. Inhales his familiar musk. Suddenly, overwhelmingly, Blair feels something swell in her heart. It's the feeling you get when you run into your first love: a surge of affection entwined with powerful nostalgia, one inextricable from the other. It's at that moment that Blair realizes that she's made the biggest mistake of her life: she had married Chuck Bass not because she'd still been in love with him, but rather because she had loved the idea of him. Of them. Of being that couple, that magnetic couple on the primetime TV show that you can't take your eyes off of even when they're at their worst. Of being high school sweethearts that have the odds stacked against them and come out the other side better and stronger than before. Of being the princess and the dark knight, the good girl and the bad boy who is changed forever by her.
Reality settles in. Blair knows now. Despite the proclamations and gestures of love, there will always be another selfish decision, another Jack Bass, another reason that she will be blamed. It's a matter of when, not if. People say that some fairytales don't have a happy ending. Blair wonders if that's true. She doesn't want to be an example, a statistic, of what not to do, though. How would it look to others? How much time would have been wasted?
Right there and then Blair makes a promise to herself. She promises to throw herself into this marriage, to dedicate herself to learning how to love Chuck for who really he is, to build the life and family she's always wanted. She's going to write her own damn happy ending, because… well, what's the alternative?
Blair awakens with a startle, unsettled by the memories that had flooded her unconsciousness. Dusk is starting to fall already, signified by the illumination of lights across the city, bright against the watercolor of purples and blues that is the sky. She looks down at her watch to see that it is already 5:30. She's supposed to meet Serena at 7:00!
"Damn it!" Blair curses under her breath, sure that if she is late for dinner tonight, she will lose her chance to clear the air with Serena. Hurrying to her bedroom to shower and change, Blair is thankful that she will not be left alone with lingering thoughts of her dreams tonight.
A/N: I know that it's a short chapter, but these are key events that happened in Blair's past that give insight into her feelings, personality, and relationships with others. I especially wanted to highlight her relationships with Chuck and Dan. As always, let me know what you think! Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story.
-C