Chapter 6
Author's Note: Thank you all so much for continuing to read and review this story! I love reading your reviews, getting your feedback, and learning what you liked as well as what you'd like to read in future chapters. I take it all into consideration as I write, so thank you =D
This story is the slowest pace I've ever written in terms of Blair and Chuck being together. Then again, where they are in their relationship in this story requires the unhurried pace. It is going to be an uphill battle before our favorite couple is back together and stronger than ever.
Trosev – Thanks! I've always had a soft spot for Roman and wished that Blair would give him a chance, so that's how I wrote it ;) Can't wait to read you reactions to this chapter as we get closer to Blair coming face to face with Chuck again.
TriGemini – Thanks so much! I'm glad you found it amusing with Serena asking for a hug, with Chuck sharing his emotions much more freely, I had to let him keep some sort of edge, LOL. And I agree, it would be weird to see. My rant on everything Chuck should have known better about, as well as Blair's regrets, will begin in the next chapter. As always, looking forward to your next review.
Blairheather – Thank you! I totally agree with Chuck's personality has been all over the page. In this story I'm having his behavior at the prince's party and Blair's reaction be the wakeup call he so desperately needed to snap out of his destructive behavior. Neither of them are saints and that will all be discussed starting with the next chapter. Looking forward to what you thought of this chapter.
AquarianAir – Thanks! Chuck and Blair have a long way to go before they can get back what they once had and the first step for them is therapy. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to read what you think of it.
Pty – Thank you so much! It took me so long to write those letters, I wanted to get them perfect and I hope I captured the emotions of both Chuck and Blair in them. The information Chuck found out about Thorpes will probably be mentioned during their therapy sessions but other than that, I hate the Thorpes and won't mention them more than I have to. And I love Ed Westwick clean shaven, I never did like facial hair on my men =p Also thank you for keeping me posted on all the GG spoilers. I don't have the heart to read them because the show has become so unfriendly to Chair that I know I'll be watching season five while cringing. I'm looking forward to your next review and the latest GG news!
Tiff xoxo – Thank you! Can't wait to read your thoughts on this chapter.
88Mary88 – Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you found Chuck's letter amazing, it took me so long to get it perfect, in my mind at least. And while Blair is going to be willing to let Chuck and Serena back into her life, it is tentatively and she will make it very clear to them that they are prove to her they are worth her time. If they don't, she has school and a career to focus on. The road back to Chair together will take a lot of time and effort and Chuck is going to have to show her he's changed and will continue to work towards the man she fell in love with, the man she deserves, and the man he wants to be. I'm really looking forward to reading what you think of this chapter.
JadeWilliams – Thanks so much! Twice? Wow, I'm flattered =D I'm glad you picked up on the fact that Chuck did indeed seem humbled by Blair still wanting him. Both he and Blair have begun their roads to maturity and will continue separately and together. As for Blair's birthday, it won't be for a few chapters and I have a few twist planned ;) Nothing bad, just some surprises. No Chair interaction in this chapter, but the next chapter, it's on, LOL! Can't wait to read your review on this chapter and I hope I live up to your expectations of awesomeness.
Layla Waldorf-Bass – Thanks! The work for Chair continues slowly in this chapter. Can't wait to read your comments on it.
Tinamarie333 – Thank you! While I do think they are both at fault when it comes to their broken relationship, Chuck is definitely more to blame. That being said, I always saw Chuck as unintentionally sabotaging their relationship while Blair regrets not taking action when it comes to saving them. That may or may not make sense but I promise it will all make sense once they begin therapy in the next chapter. And I hate how they had Blair's character deteriorate in season four. She needs to grow up and be the powerful woman we know she can be, not the little girl who can't resist playing one more game. Looking forward to your review of this chapter and what you think of their progress.
Lexi1x07 – Thanks! Don't worry, their alone time is coming to an end. They come face to face in the next chapter. Can't wait to read your thoughts on this chapter.
Ellibells – Thank you so much! So glad I was able to pull on your heartstrings with the letters, that was my intention ;) Blair will be in therapy with Chuck and I think her reasons for why will surprise you next chapter. So happy you enjoyed and can't wait to read what you think of this chapter.
GGfan73104 – Thanks so much! Blair does love Chuck but she needs time to grow and understand why she's acted the way she has, and why Chuck has acted the way he has. As for the journal, it will make a very surprising reappearance in later chapters. Care to venture a guess? So looking forward to reading your review of this chapter.
Shop247 – Thank you so much! I'm glad to know you like the different viewpoints, I was afraid it was too choppy but I wanted to include everyone and attack this story from every angle. And don't worry, I can't stand it when writers () make Chair too angsty/mad or have them back together only to destroy them once more. My story will show them working on getting back what they once had. It will be bumpy and there will definitely be screaming and tears before it's all worked out, but I assure you I do not write tragedy, or cheating. I'm totally with you on that finale, my heart was not ready for what happened. I can't wait to read your next review and look forward to your comments.
Chantelle – Thank you so much! I'm so happy you find this story realistic. I always make a concerted effort to keep them as in character as possible while maturing them because I hate stories that are very OOC. Looking forward to your thoughts on this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl, or Ed Westwick – sigh.
August 20, 2011
"Lily got me an internship with the magazine for the New York Times," Dan told her. "I start the week before I go back to NYU. You have an extra week before you get back to the grind, lucky."
"I'd rather start as soon as I get back," Blair said. "Anything to keep my mind busy."
"You should call Eric," he said, seeing his in to talk to her about Chuck. "He's been visiting Chuck everyday and he'd like to hear from you."
"Why?" Blair asked as her guard went up. "So everything I say can get relayed to Chuck."
"No, so he can tell you how Chuck is," Dan said calmly. "I know you want to know."
"I liked it better when we just discussed movies and your horrible fashion sense," Blair spat, trying to sound bitter but just sounding stressed instead.
"What's going on, Blair?" he asked. "I've been picking up pieces of what's going on from everyone here, but I don't have the full story."
"You're really asking to know the story behind my twisted romance with Chuck?" she asked.
"Yes, and it's not that twisted," Dan told her. "What was it you said to me last year at Dorota's wedding? You're Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck. Didn't that mean something?"
"Damn it, Humphrey, I hate to admit when you're right," she said. "How much do you know?"
"I know that you're the reason Chuck checked himself into rehab," he started. "And I know that you let him know you still want him, in time that is."
"You pretty much have the whole story then," she told him.
"There's got to be more," he said. Dan had gotten to know Blair much better that year and was starting to see how much she and Chuck belonged together. While he couldn't fully wrap his head around it, he wanted her to be happy and wanted a bit of insight into how she was coping with everything that had happened.
"Oh, there is," she stated. "Basically, I still love him. And I know in his own way he loves me. The messy part is reconciling that fact with everything that's happened between us."
"How do you plan on going about doing that?" he inquired, genuinely curious. "Bridging that gap, I mean."
"Therapy," Blair told him, "And you are not to breathe a word of that to anyone, except Nate, because I need to be the one Chuck hears it from. Do you understand?"
"I won't say a word," Dan assured her.
"I'm inclined to believe you," she said slowly.
"Good, because it's the truth," he said. "You hate when I do this, but I have to go. I'm meeting up with my dad and when I'm late he starts talking to people and I hate when that happens. So, I'm going and you are calling Eric."
Blair was about to say something snippy when he added one more thing before hanging up, "Do it, you know you want to."
She scowled as she looked at her phone, knowing he was right and groaning angrily as she dialed Eric's number.
"B," Eric exclaimed as he answered his phone, surprised and happy to see that she was calling him, "How are you?"
"I'm better," she said. "How about you? Dan told me you've been kept busy with Lily and Serena."
"I have," he laughed. "Mom's become one of those creepy hoarders, except instead of old socks she's been scouring eBay for every Birkin bag she can get a hold of."
"She's trying to keep her mind off of the house arrest," Blair said. "That and there are worse things to be collecting than Hermes."
"How about you, B?" he asked. "What are you doing to keep your minds off things?"
"Work," she told him. "I've started to study for the LSATs and in addition to my fall classes, I'll be interning three days a week with a corporate law firm."
"Law," he said with confusion, "I thought you wanted to go into fashion."
"So did I but my time at W showed me that wasn't where I wanted to end up," she said. "With law I have a lot more flexibility and can move up quickly if I work harder."
"I can see you in law," Eric told her. "And I know I wouldn't want to go up against you in court."
"That you wouldn't, Little E," she said with a smile on her face. "Wait, you leave for college soon. It seems like only yesterday you were stealing Serena's Barbies."
"I think I did do that yesterday," he said with a laugh. "And I'm looking forward to Sarah Lawrence. I'm glad Chuck gets home before I leave."
"Can I tell you something?" he asked her when she remained silent at the mention of his name.
"Sure," she told him, unsure what she was about to hear.
"Chuck won't be going back to the Empire," Eric said. "He wanted you to know he's going to be moving into an apartment at the Palace, you know, in case you want to contact him."
"Good to know," she said. "How did he know we'd be talking?"
"He didn't," he said. "But we all know and were asked to relay the message to you. Any return message?"
"No," Blair said. "I actually have to go, I leave in a few days and daddy and Roman are taking me out to dinner. Maybe I'll see you when I get back to New York."
"That would be nice," he told her. "Enjoy your night."
"You too," she said before hanging up.
'So, Chuck's not going back to the Empire,' she thought. 'That's a start, maybe he'll sell it and we'll finally be rid of that place once and for all.'
August 23, 2011
Blair's summer in France was coming to an end and she was going to miss her father and stepfather tremendously. They had been such a support to her, Roman especially.
Harold and Roman accompanied Blair to the airport to see her take off because they wanted as much time with her as they could get before she left. After having her with them the entire summer, the villa was going to seem so empty without her.
"We'll be in New York for your birthday, Blair bear," Harold said as he gave her a hug. "You're mother has already started the planning for it. I still can't believe you're going to be twenty-one."
"Before you know it you will be giving her away at her wedding," Roman exclaimed as Harold and Blair felt the color draining from their faces.
"That won't be for quite some time, daddy," Blair told him. "Breathe."
Harold exhaled as the color slowly came back to his face as Blair continued, "Thank you for the summer. I'm so happy I was able to escape New York for the time being."
"You are always welcome with us," Harold told her. "We'll be with you before you know it."
"I'm looking forward to it," she said as she gave him another hug before she pulled back and Roman pulled her to him.
"If you ever need to talk," Roman said softly as he hugged her, "Don't hesitate to call me."
"I won't," she smiled at him. "And thank you for listening to me sort through all this."
"You are the daughter I always wanted," he said as his eyes filled with tears. "Je t'aime, mon cherie."
"Je t'aime," she responded as she kissed his cheek.
"I'll see you both soon," she called as she made her way up the steps of the jet.
Blair kicked off her shoes, tucking her legs under her as she made herself comfortable for the eight-hour flight home. She was looking forward to her internship and regaining her class standing, knowing she would have to devote all of her time to it.
She woke up when she felt the wheels drop and the pilot announced their descent time as she freshened up and put on her shoes. The helicopter was waiting to take her into the city when she departed. She was wide-awake from her sleep on the plane and eager to begin her reading as soon as she got home.
"Dorota," Blair said as she got into her limo from the heliport, "I'll be home shortly, have my textbooks ready for me on my desk."
"Miss Blair," Dorota said with an edge in her voice, "Miss Serena has been here all morning and won't leave."
"Get rid of her," Blair demanded. "I'm not coming home until I know she's gone."
"I try," Dorota told her, "But Miss Serena very persistent. I try everything, include threaten. Shall I call police?"
"No," Blair sighed, "Don't do that, just have my books brought down to the doorman. I'll find somewhere else to go for the afternoon."
"You sure, Miss Blair?" Dorota asked. "Because I have no problem calling police."
"I'm sure," Blair told her. "And have the doorman meet my limo, I'm not getting out."
"Yes, Miss Blair," Dorota said as she hung up and went back to where the blonde was waiting in the living room.
"Leave now," Dorota told Serena as she glared at her. "You have two minutes before police be least of your worries."
Usually Serena would brush off Dorota's threats but the way she was looking at her really freaked her out so she left without much of a fight. However, she wasn't giving up hope on her friendship with Blair.
Meanwhile, Blair had her textbooks and was en-route to the Humphrey loft, the one place she was certain would provide the peace and quiet she was craving.
"Thank you, Dan," she said as she stepped out of her limo and handed him her bag of books. "I never thought I'd be so happy to be in Brooklyn."
"Well, I'm glad we could impress you," he told her with a grin as they made their way upstairs. "I have your favorite coffee and macaroons with your name on them waiting."
She smirked as he opened the door to the loft and she stepped in front of him.
"Not to be rude or anything," Blair said as she started to spread her books out, "But I'm not in the mood to talk. I just want to read my textbooks before classes start."
"Okay," Dan said as he walked towards his room, "Make yourself at home. I'll be in my room if you need me."
Blair nodded before giving her full attention to the book in front of her, determined to make up for her carelessness last semester when it came to her grades. If she wanted to get into Columbia's law school, she needed her straight-A average back and had to ace the LSATs. Coffee and a lack of sleep were the only things she saw in her near future, but that was okay, if she focused on studying, her mind wouldn't be as tempted to think about Chuck.
September 2, 2011
"Welcome home," Lily, Serena, and Eric exclaimed as Chuck walked off the elevator with Nate. Chuck just checked himself out of the Ostroff Center and was moving into his new apartment at the Palace. The van der Woodsens met him for a housewarming of sorts, not wanting him to be alone and wanting to welcome him home.
They all had smiles on their faces and Nate was grinning next to him when Chuck spoke with a slight smile on his face, "Thank you for being here."
"There is nowhere else we'd be," Lily said as she pulled him to her. "But I can officially go anywhere I want now that I'm free of that dreadful anklet."
"And she's still in the Palace," Serena said with a giggle as her mother held out her bare ankle with excitement. "It's good to see you home."
"It really is," Eric said as he gave Chuck a hug as well. "How are you?"
"Ask me in a week," Chuck told him as they all took seats in the living room.
"Why is it you won't let me hug you?" Serena pouted as she sat in the armchair, her mother and brother sitting on either side of Chuck.
"It's probably your sparkling personality, rubs him the wrong way," Nate said, getting a laugh out of everyone except Serena who continued to pout.
"Anyway, what are your plans now that your back?" he asked Chuck.
"Well," Chuck started as he looked at Lily, "I do believe I start back at Bass Industries next week."
"You do," Lily smiled before looking at her children and Nate, "Can you give us a few minutes?"
"Sure," Eric told her as he and Nate stood up. "Come on," he muttered as he pulled Serena up and they all walking into the kitchen to give Chuck and Lily privacy.
"Charles," Lily said when it was just the two of them, "Tell me what's going through your mind."
"I'm fine," he said as she looked at him. "I will be fine. It's one step at a time, right?"
"This will all take time," Lily said gently. "She'll come around soon enough."
"The sale on the Empire went through last week," he told her. "The captain is having the money set up in various stock options. My hope is to invest wisely and be able to buy back Bass Industries within the decade."
He continued to tell her about the plans he drew up with the captain and his lawyers while at the Ostroff Center, impressing her with his determination and business savvy.
"Just keep your focus on work, the rest will fall into place when the time is right," Lily told him as he nodded.
"You can come back now," Lily called as they all rounded the corner.
They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing their plans for the fall. Nate and Serena were continuing with their studies at Columbia, Eric was heading off to Sarah Lawrence, and Chuck was going back to Bass Industries with Lily's help.
While Chuck was happy to be going back to work, he couldn't help but think how much he wanted to call Blair and tell her what he was feeling. But he couldn't do that, he told her he would wait for her to make the first move and he needed to respect that. Keeping his word to Blair was the only thing he could do and he was going to be damned if he screwed them up once more.
October 1, 2011
"Do you have time to talk with me, Miss Blair?" Dorota asked as she poked her head into the bathroom as Blair got ready.
"I'm meeting Nate and Dan in an hour," she said as she put on her mascara. "Is this important?"
"I hear about you know who from Vanya," Dorota said uncomfortably.
"You can say Chuck's name," Blair said as she continued putting on her makeup. "What news do you have?" She may not be ready to talk with him herself but wasn't going to pass up information on him.
"Vanya say he working very hard at Bass Industries," Dorota started. "Go in early and get home late, most time bringing work with him. He also tell me that other than the van der Woodsens and Mr. Nate, no one else visits him."
"Is that all, Dorota?" Blair asked.
"He's trying," Dorota said. She always had a soft spot for Chuck, she could see that he loved Blair and knew that her mistress loved him as well. Dorota just wished that so much had to happen to make them drift further and further apart.
"I know," Blair said as she swiped on her lipgloss, "But it's going to take more this time."
"You ready to try again with him?" Dorota inquired as she tried to hold in her excitement.
"Soon," Blair told her. "I'll let you know when I do. But for now, I have a lunch date that I'd rather not be late for."
"My ride better be waiting when I get downstairs," Blair called as she grabbed her purse and made her way down the stairs.
Dorota scrambled to the phone to call the concierge, breathing a sigh of relief when he told her the car was indeed waiting for Blair.
Nate and Dan were already waiting for her out front when she arrived.
"You're early," Blair stated as she looked at her watch, "Because I'm on time."
"We know," Dan said with a grin. "No need to get so touchy, Waldorf."
They made their way to the table they reserved in the back and after ordering, began talking about how their first month of classes were going.
"It's brutal," Nate lamented, "Do they realize we have more than one class?"
"Stop complaining and toughen up," Dan told him. "You're only taking four classes and you're not interning. Blair and I are taking six classes and interning three days a week. Do you see us complaining? No, that's because we prioritize our time and don't spend six hours playing X-box when we should be writing a paper."
"Hey," Nate exclaimed, "I've only done that a few times, and I always get the paper in."
"Yeah, late," Dan said as he took a sip of his drink. "How are you managing classes with your internship, Blair?"
"Good," she smiled, "I have it all down to a science. With enough coffee and four hours sleep a night, everything is getting done, and on time."
"Not nice," Nate said as she smirked. Before he could say anything more, their food arrived.
"I have no more excuses to avoid them anymore," Blair told her friends, surprising them with her topic of choice. "I've put it off as long as I could but I'm settled in now, I need to talk to them."
"Are you ready for that?" Dan asked her.
"Yes," she said, "And no. But I have to."
"Why?" Nate asked.
"Because I told them I would," Blair told them. "And I always keep my word."
What she wasn't telling them was that she wanted to make sure her timing with Chuck this time didn't get screwed up. She needed to be in control of the pace they took and she needed to be the one to initiate their initial conversation. As for Serena, she wanted the blonde to stop harassing Dorota.
"Anything we can do to help?" Dan asked as Nate nodded in agreement.
"Actually, yes, there is," she told them.
October 4, 2011
After weeks of going back and forth on when and where to meet with Chuck, Blair decided on the one place that would ensure their privacy and the place she chose was perfect. If he showed, then she would know he was serious about making things work with her.
Chuck was on his way to work when the concierge handed him an envelope. He immediately recognized her handwriting and had it open by the time he stepped in the limo.
'She has to be kidding me,' he thought as he reread where she wanted him to meet her.
'Alright,' he thought, 'I guess I deserve that. At least she contacted me.'
Please review to let me know you'd like me to continue. And if I haven't heard from you yet, leave a review. Lots of you have favorited or alerted this story but have yet to leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts and it's very easy to do, not to mention it would really make me smile =D
Chuck and Blair come face to face in the next chapter, after four long months apart! Where do you think she asked him to meet her? And how do you think their talk will go?
For those of you eager for angst and tears, expect both with the next chapter. They begin therapy and let me just say one word to describe it, explosive =o Prepare yourselves for my rant of how Chair went wrong.
Remember, more reviews = more love = faster update. And I loved detailed reviews, the longer the better =)