Twelve Days Of Christmas
Two : On The First Day Of Christmas… And The Second… And The Third… And The Fourth… And The…
On the first day of Christmas, her true love and absentee fiance and Grinch and unreasonable Basstard gives to her a hundred pink peonies, each perfect in the most exquisite way, defying the laws of nature and the freezing temperature outside.
She plucks out the customary card and leaves it on her dressing table for later, and calls Serena. The blonde arrives within minutes and they both admire the beautiful flowers – her favorite – while she calls him every single bad word she can think of.
They take care of the flowers and follow every rule in the book to prolong their life expectancy. And then Serena pulls her out and they have lunch at Butter for old times' sake, and spend the day with Lily, planning the perfect charity event.
She returns home in considerably brighter spirits and instantly heads for the bathroom, where she spends a good hour immersed in warm water. When she emerges fresh-faced and wrapped in a robe, she picks the card up, brings it to bed with her and reads it three time before she returns it to its previous post and turns off the lights, giddy with anticipation and curiosity, wondering what the following day will bring.
Blair,
I love you. A million peonies, a dozen Christmasses and a lifetime spent together will never be enough – will not even come close to expressing a fraction of what I feel for you. But a missed Christmas and days spent separately will not make me love you any less – nothing ever will.
Remember – I miss you, I love you, and I always will.
-Chuck.
On the second day of Christmas, her true love and apologetic motherchucker gives to her tickets to the current Broadway play, one that has been sold out for ages, and has Dorota sneak in while she's out to prepare macaroons and favorite movies.
A note comes with the tickets – there's one for Dan Humphrey, because he knows how she enjoys debating a play while she watches it – and she once again places it on her dressing table, with the first. She decides she will keep all of these notes for nighttime, because that is when she misses him the most.
She leaves for the play and meets up with Dan, and though she enjoys herself – well, as much as she can with Lonely Boy for company – she sees right through all of this, and knows immediately that he is just trying to keep her busy so that his absense and all that it entails is far from her mind.
She watches three movies, stays on the phone with Serena for an hour and even checks if her wardrobe needs organizing. Finally, when she can feel herself growing just tired enough for his words to be the last thing on her mind before she drifts off, she admires the card and turns off the lights.
Blair,
I miss you more than words can express. It is torture, sitting here and subjecting you to Dan Humphrey's company simply because I can't be there, but I know you will have enjoyed yourself today.
Try to get some sleep, even though I know you are now excited to see what tomorrow brings. I miss you, I love you – always.
-Chuck.
On the third day of Christmas, her true love and amazing fiance gives to her a one-of-a-kind pair of Manolos, made specially for her. She squeals and tries them on and instantly multitasks, calling Serena while she coordinates outfits to go with these beautiful pieces of art that she knows she will only wear once he's back.
She impresses herself when she can look away from the shoes long enough to spot his card and rescue it to place it with the others, but then again, she does love him so it's not that much of a feat. Serena promises to be there later that evening to admire the gift, because she actually does have a life of her own, thank you very much.
Dorota keeps her occupied in the meantime, telling her how much Mr. Chuck really cares about her and that she should call him because he probably misses her more than she does him, taking into account the fact that he has no cards and gifts.
She dismisses Dorota but not her words, and later that night as she cradles his sentiments close to her, she vows to herself that tomorrow she will call him, and thank him, and apologize, not because she was in the wrong but because she did overreact. Just a little bit.
Blair,
It's the third day and I have never known it possible to crave someone this much. I smiled today, picturing your reaction to my gift. I considered that maybe you would call – but it's too soon. For now, I will wait, and I know that you will call, eventually. I will not push you.
I miss you, I want you, I love you.
-Chuck.
On the fourth day of Christmas, her true love and the most thoughtful man to ever live gives to her her mother, who isn't due back until early January. Eleanor Waldorf shows up then, with Lily and Serena in tow, and the four of them somehow have fun together.
After dinner, her mother and Lily leave them to their own devices, but only after her mother promises that she won't leave just yet – after all, she still has Lily's benefit to attend. Serena drags her away then and they return to the Tribeca, sipping girly drinks like they used to when they were fifteen.
She calls him later that night when she gets back, and thanks him. He thanks her for calling and everything that he couldn't write on paper, he tells her in his familiar voice. She wants to cry and laugh at the same time because they did this to each other, but she keeps it together for his sake.
She craves more from him just minutes after ending the call, and so she gleefully picks out today's card, the one that had been delivered with a photo frame, one that held a picture of them, taken years ago.
My Blair,
Day four and I know even Serena can no longer hold your attention for long. I hate that this is happening, but trust me when I say I would change it all if I could. But I can't, and there was only one other person left who had a chance at cheering you up. You love your mother, Blair. I know.
And I love you, so much.
-Chuck.
On the fifth day of Christmas, her true love and expert when it comes to all things Blair Waldorf gives to her the perfect dress for tonight. It is Marchesa and a beautiful champagne and can only be called a masterpiece. She hasn't seen it on the runway and neither has Serena, so strings must have been pulled.
She puts it on and feels special and loved, because Chuck doesn't take these things lightly – when he does pick a dress for her, he does it with much thought. So she makes him proud and holds her head high, and rules over her court even though it isn't her palace.
Her mother – here for the night – fawns over the dress and the man who had picked it out, and expresses her clear approval of her future son-in-law, even if she had expressed certain reservations years ago. She smiles because even absent, he is charming women and winning their hearts.
That night as Dorota hangs up the dress and places it in a spot of its own, she lies in bed talking to him, closing her eyes and picturing him next to her. She tells him this and he says that if they were in the same bed right now, neither would be talking and even a continent away, he claims he can see her blush.
My beautiful Blair,
Five days. It's been five days and now there are another eleven to go. I don't know how I'll make it but I will, because I have to see you and I will, in another eleven days. In the meantime, I will just picture you in today's dress… and maybe nothing at all.
I love you more than words can express.
-Chuck.
And so it goes, and every day she has a gift and a cherished note, waiting for her in the mornings and sometimes, after she goes back to work on the sixth day, in the evenings. She accumulates a new Hermes, a Harry Winston set, her favorite perfume, but in a special crystal bottle and a dress worn by Princess Grace Kelly herself that he had somehow managed to purchase.
She loves her gifts but loves the notes even more, because they are special in a certain way and hold a charm to them. Each day they shift from apologetic and desperate to playful and for-her-eyes-only, and it's like having a tiny piece of Chuck with her every day.
He tells her one night – the tenth night, actually – that if they lived anywhere else in the world, he probably would have gotten her a car by now. She laughs and warns him not to, because it's pointless and she needs him to be sensible. He grows silent after that and ends the call just a while later, and she grows suspicious.
But the next morning her gift – a beautiful portrait of them done by one of her favorite artists – and her card arrive, and so she doesn't think much of it. There is a Christmas party tonight and she spends all day getting ready, comforting herself with the knowledge that he will be back in three short days.
She prepares herself for the three longest days of her life.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, Blair's true love gave to her… why, don't you wanna know! So be sure to stay tuned! Third and last chapter up tomorrow.
Some reservations about this chapter – the way it's written is actually bugging me – but I decided I'd share it with you guys first and if it really, really sucks, then I'll rewrite it or something.
Some of you wondered why Blair didn't go along with Chuck - well, a) the story wouldn't work and b) when I try to picture the future between these two, I see them maintaining separate lives in certain aspects, especially after all that they've been through. So Blair doesn't go along on business trips - she'd much rather go back to work as some high-flying, big-shot fashion magazine editor.
Won't you be merry and festive and leave me a nice review? And if this isn't enough to get you all festive, be sure you check out the rest of my Christmas Specials! More info on my homepage and Twitter.
E Salvatore,
December 2011.