Hello guys, how are you? Are you having a good Christmas? I am even if the day is almost finished... to celebrate Xmas, I thought to write a Xmas special chapter of this story. I've been thinking for a while about it and now I had the occasion. It is kind of a double chapter, it is actually longer than a normal chapter.
I'm sorry it too long to update, but my inspiration failed me. Winter really kills me for that matter, so sometimes I have these problems with updates.
Anyways, hope you'll like this chapter. If we won't see before January 1st, I wish you all a Happy New Year too!
Tweety
….
It was a lovely day in New York when Blair woke up. Chuck was somehow already up, and she thought he had gone to one of his hotels before he appeared in the corridor that led to Lexie's room. The baby was with him, she had already woken up and she thought she wanted to eat.
She yawned and tried to keep her eyes open once he got in with the baby. She felt tired even if she had slept many hours.
"You're awake" Chuck said with a low voice. "Alexandra wanted you."
She sat down and extended her arm to take her daughter. The baby smiled when she saw Blair, as a sweet response. Blair smiled back at her, pleased by this new habit that baby had.
"Have you noticed that she is smiling more and more?" she asked while helping her baby latch on her breast.
Chuck was fixing his hair in front of the mirror. "Yeah. I've read that is a good thing. Means she's happy."
"She indeed is" she commented, and smiled again at the baby.
Things had got a bit better since a month or two before. Now she wasn't scared anymore to take Alexandra and wasn't scared to take her out. She had come to terms with Chuck and their sex life, promising herself she would try to think positive because he had showed so many times, since their visit at the study of her doctor, that he wanted her.
She had decided to do it when she felt like it, when and if the moment suggested it. She had realized that she had been paranoid thinking he had stopped wanting her. He loved her, she was just insecure about her body in some way but he had tried to demonstrate that it still appeased him.
She hated being unsure of herself, but she was slowly finding her way.
"Have you called your mother?" Chuck asked a while later. The baby had just stopped nursing.
Blair's eyes fluttered on him. He had gone to shave his face and wear his cologne meanwhile. Her expression turned from all happy and grins to blank. "She's not coming" she informed him with a bit of frustration in her tone.
He frowned. "I've read of the bad weather all over France, but I didn't think it was that bad. No flights are leaving? They could go to another city in another way and then leave from there."
Blair sighed. "I tried telling my mom, she said that there is no way they can be all here for Christmas. It will be Alexandra's first Christmas and her grandparents won't be here."
"I'm sorry. I know how much it was important for you."
"Yeah" she looked away.
"But they could make it for New Year's Eve though. Nothing is lost" he smiled.
She raised her eyebrow, not quite convinced. "I guess it's time to get dressed" she said with annoyance as she passed Alexandra to Chuck and started to head for the bathroom.
He stopped her before she could get in. "Do you still need to buy Lexie other gifts for tomorrow?"
Blair shrugged. "Why?"
"I think we have time for a trip wherever you want. We could take the baby out" he suggested.
She seemed to think about it for a moment. "Okay" she just said. "Get her ready."
Blair went to the bathroom to get ready while he remained with the baby. He didn't think she was happy after the news that her parents wouldn't make it for Christmas, so he well thought to take her out. She loved buying Lexie new stuff. She had already bought her a set of new shoes and winter dresses. She had also found tiny headbands for the baby to wear.
Blair wanted her baby to be fashionable even if she was just four months old, and Chuck didn't oppose. He knew how much that meant for his wife, and he would try anything to make her feel better that day.
He waited in the foyer with the baby. Alexandra was giddy for some reason, and he kept playing hide and seek with her. He hid his face with his hands and the baby laughed when he put it away. It was so nice to play with her that way. The baby seemed to grow every day and she often seemed joyful.
It had been a while since she had started sleeping through the night too. For Chuck and Blair had been a good goal, but it had its flaws because some nights the baby would still wake up before the sun would rise.
The baby had made Blair very joyful because now they could both sleep better during the night, but he knew that something was still bothering her somehow.
He wished that the gift he had thought for her for Christmas would make her smile again.
"Here's daddy... now he's gone" he told the baby.
Alexandra laughed and made a gurgling sound as she tried to catch his hand. She seemed very interested and caught by the game.
"Where is daddy?" he made a weird face by arching an eyebrow. "Yes, daddy is back!"
The baby seemed to enjoy it.
"Do you like this, huh? I'm sure you'll like the gift now me and your mommy will buy you. She already chose your outfit for tomorrow, you know. You're gonna have a puffy and velvet red dress with tiny bows on it. I'm sure your mommy is also gonna put one of those new headbands she bought for you. And you'll have a different meal just because it's Christmas. Isn't it awesome?" he caressed Lexie's cheek.
She answered with a moan.
He heard the bell of the elevator while he was about to continue his talking with Lexie and turned to see who was visiting.
Lexie emitted a loud squeal this time as Serena approached.
"Hello, Chuck. I was hoping to find you home. Is Blair here too?"
"You're lucky, sis. She is upstairs and she is preparing." Chuck answered quickly, his eyes on the baby more than on his stepsister.
Serena nodded. "Are you going out?"
"Yeah. Blair needs to finish her Christmas shopping. I guess she also needs to buy you a gift" he turned briefly to smirk.
Serena shrugged.
They both heard a noise from behind. Blair was coming down the stairs. Once she noticed Serena, she smiled.
"S, what are you doing here?" she said abruptly.
Serena bit her lip and looked at Chuck before returning on Blair. "I need to talk you, B."
"Is it important? We were about to go out" Blair seemed to shut her friend.
The blonde seemed distraught and anxious. "It is really important, Blair. Can you give me at least five minutes?" she asked with plea. Blair saw something in her eyes and nodded, then turned to leave with her best friend before Chuck interrupted.
"Why don't you girls go out together? Me and Lexie can spend the day together."
Blair looked skeptical at him. "Didn't you want to go out with me?" she asked, getting closer and more intimate. She spoke with a low tone. She thought he had a reason behind it.
"We can go out together in the afternoon. Go out with Serena. Your friend needs you and you need her. Hasn't been a while since you went out together?"
She nodded. "What are you going to do?"
"I'll go to Lily. She asked me if I could come over so she could give me some papers related to Bass Industries. I'll bring Alexandra with me. You have fun with Serena." He suggested.
Blair smiled widely and then kissed him briefly. "I love you" she said before walking away.
….
Like he told Blair, Chuck went straight to Lily's with the baby. Truthfully, she wasn't expecting him. He just needed a stupid reason to let her go out with Serena.
He had thought going out with him and Lexie would be good, but when Serena had asked for Blair he realized she had to spend some time with her best friend. They hadn't seen each other for weeks because Blair had been stuck home with the baby, and he felt as if his wife needed to talk with someone who wasn't him. She needed to relive old times where she and Serena used to go out to go shopping.
The baby was now almost five months and she couldn't stay next to her the whole day. She needed to get back to normal and have a date or two with her best friend sounded like the best idea for him.
"Charles, is good to see you here" Lily greeted him once they arrived. "And your brought your sweetie too" she cooed at the baby.
Chuck grinned. "She needed to breathe some fresh air, you know."
"You did the best thing. Isn't Blair with you?"
"She is with Serena, actually. I bet they are going to do some wild shopping like old times."
"It's really good Blair is with her, I mean..." she trailed off and showed Chuck the way to the couch. "I've seen Serena very strange these past two weeks. We haven't talked much and every time I try to say something, she invents an excuse and walks away."
Chuck frowned and listened with attention. "Do you think she has a problem?"
Lily put a hand on her chest and sighed. "I really don't know. If she does, she is very silent about it. I hope she tells Blair at least."
"I'm sure she will. Don't worry about it. It will be nothing."
….
"I hope you don't say anything to anyone, B. I want to tell my mother about it" Serena said.
Blair caressed her arm and smiled. "Don't worry. But you need to do something bout it. You need to do it soon. You know if it gets really late -"
Serena stopped her. "I will. I swear that I will. Thank you for listening to me today" she said as she hugged her best friend. Chuck found them hugging each other once he returned home. They broke the hug when they heard the doors of the elevator opening.
"I see you girls are being so loving with each other" he giggled. The baby seemed to squeal too. "Have you had a good time?"
Serena barely smiled. "I should really go. I'll call you later, B."
"Let me know how it goes!" Blair screamed before her friend would leave.
Chuck watched the scene and then moved to the couch where he fixed the baby in her little chair to remove her coat. Blair followed him shortly after she went to pick something from the kitchen. She sat down next to Lexie and gave her pacifier.
"Is everything alright with Serena?" Chuck asked all of a sudden.
Blair looked at him. She had a guilty face. "She's... alright. Kinda."
"Lily is worried. She told me she is acting weird and is avoiding talking to her" he told her.
She bit her lip and looked at the baby. "Your face is cold, Lexie. I hope you aren't too cold in other parts of your body. Did your daddy put a scarf around your neck?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did. And I also let her wear a hat, for your information."
Blair's eyes fluttered on him. She was smirking. "Good daddy. You're getting really good day after day" she winked.
"Am I?" he pushed himself closer to her to give her a quick peck on the lips.
"Serena is pregnant, by the way" she then admitted when she recoiled back and returned on Alexandra and her clothes.
Chuck made a face. He was pretty surprised. "How many months is the little Humphrey offspring?"
Blair licked her lips and looked away. "Is not sure it's a Humphrey" she let out.
Her husband was looking even more surprised than before. "Don't tell me the father is Nate. The last time we talked was few days ago, he was in Connecticut to work for his grandfather."
"Try again" she said with a kitty voice.
"It's not possible that she slept with her stepfather. I highly doubt it."
She seemed annoyed. "Would be easier to know this guy has your initials, Bass?"
"Baizen?"
Blair nodded. "Yes. Carter Baizen. She told me that they met at a club at Halloween and then, well... she thinks the baby it's his."
"Has she told Humphrey about it?"
She shook her head while she fixed Alexandra's shoes.
"Ouch. Lily is right to be worried for Serena. What does she want to do?" he wondered.
"I really have no idea. She doesn't want to lose Dan but at the same time she thinks if the baby it's Carter's she needs him to decide too. She may think of abortion."
He sighed. "She put herself in a tough situation."
"Definitely. She's gonna update me later. She said she's probably gonna told Lily at dinner because she doesn't want to do it tomorrow on Christmas." Blair said as she kept fixing the baby. At some point she picked her up and started going towards the stairs.
Chuck followed her to Lexie's room. "Good thing. If she is already two months pregnant, she needs to decide. I don't think she should have an abortion... but if she does think that is better... she needs to be sure about it."
"Look at how caring for your sister you've become" Blair mocked him.
He sheepishly looked down and sat on the armchair in their bedroom while Blair put the baby on the bed to change her diaper.
A couple of hours later, the three of them went out to go shopping.
Blair seemed happier yet a bit worried for Serena. Apparently she was anxious to know what will happen to her friend since Serena had told her Carter wasn't in town and was probably trying to avoid her.
Chuck took Blair in all the boutiques she wanted. He also managed to get something for himself as they made their way to Burberry, and get something secret to Blair for the following days. He loved to buy her clothes and accessories, she had often said he had good taste with that and she had never seemed disappointed by his outfit choices.
He had also managed to buy something for Alexandra hoping that even if she couldn't quite understand him, would appreciate the gift.
"I think we did a pretty good shopping tonight" Blair complimented herself in their limo.
He nodded. "You've practically bought the whole store" he giggled.
Blair turned to him and made a vicious smile. "Shopping is one of the things I do better."
"You think? If you're not sure you can't do any other thing better than you do shopping, why don't you try seduce me in this car?" he raised an eyebrow maliciously.
She licked her lips and looked at him with love and lust then she moved closer to his seat and grabbed his crotch and started moving her hand there. He felt instant pleasure as she traveled in that particular zone, that he had to close his eyes for a few moments to recompose himself.
Blair opened his pants within few seconds and her hand started massaging that zone more eagerly. She was smiling while provoking him pleasure, and not only because she was pleased to do it, she was also amused by his turned on face.
Chuck grabbed her at some point, and started to kiss her lips hard while she kept doing what she was doing. He tried to do the same with her, but she stopped him after a while.
"We can't do it here with the baby watching us from the baby chair. She's gonna remind us. Babies are pretty good at memorizing things at this young age" she shrugged.
He sighed with annoyance. "You think? She is almost five months old, Blair. She is starting to say few syllables, but I'm sure she's not going to talk properly until she's three or four."
"You don't get it. Babies are traumatized when they see their parents in compromising situations. I don't want Lexie to be a pervert child! She could have her brain damaged by sex images."
Chuck rolled his eyes and looked away. He started fixing his shirt in his pants and then his tie, while Blair was doing the same with her outfit.
They arrived home a while later, ready to eat dinner and have their baby eat dinner too.
Blair took the baby in her arms while Chuck was still downstairs talking with the staff about dinner.
She felt suddenly scared when she noticed the baby looked really warm. She called Chuck in the nursery and felt out of control when the baby woke up and started to cry.
"She's got the fever, I'm telling you" she told Chuck while she tried to calm Alexandra down.
"Let me check" he asked. "She seems she does. She's really hot. We need to call the doctor."
"Should we? What if it's not fever? What if it's worse?" Blair said with anxiety. She seemed like she wanted to start crying. "What if it doesn't go away?"
Chuck stopped her from walking back and forth in the room, and started caressing her arm while he spoke. "Focus, Blair. Our baby is alright, she's only got few lines of fever. Remember the doctor said she was going to have the fever after the vaccine shot?" he asked and Blair nodded. "Here it is. She's going to be okay. Now I'll call her and she'll come."
Blair nodded again and gripped both arms around her baby. She kissed her forehead and she felt the urge to cry too. The baby wouldn't stop her moans and she was ill, she felt so frustrated in that moment.
The pediatrician came less than a hour later. She reassured Blair that the baby had just a mild fever caused by the vaccine shots and probably the cold the baby had got when they went out. She suggested them to give ibuprofen to her and call her if it wouldn't work.
After the doctor left, Blair remained with Alexandra and did not eat dinner.
Chuck had come to bring it to her on a tray, but Blair didn't want to eat anything. She just kept Lexie on her legs and just hugged her. The baby had finally calmed down after they gave her the medicine. She had stopped crying and she was now sleeping.
That was the first time Alexandra got ill. She had realized that Alexandra may had taken the influenza because of the small trip to Saks they had had that day. She had wanted so bad to buy a dress for New Year's Eve.
She didn't realize that she fell asleep in the chair until she woke up.
The baby was gone and she thought were she may be. She stood up and she found her in her crib silently sleeping under a whole lot of covers. She smiled at the baby and walked away to reach her bedroom. Chuck was lying on the bed and was watching TV. He looked distracted by what was on at that time that she identified as a polo match.
"I didn't know you liked sports" she raised an eyebrow at him.
His eyes wandered from the screen to her. "In fact I don't really. I was just trying to keep myself busy until you would wake up."
"Have I slept for long? I haven't realized."
"You have been asleep for at least five hours, Blair. It's 2am right now."
She looked surprised. "Have I? Is just... I wanted to be sure she was okay."
He distractedly changed channels on TV. "She will surely be. Don't think I'm not worried now. But I am confident that the meds are going to work. Tomorrow she'll be fresh and ready to celebrate her first Christmas."
"Yeah. I really hope the fever will pass soon."
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm sure that the ibuprofen will do its work before dawn. If you feel more sure, we can bring her crib next to the bed so if she'll wake up we'll be ready to take care of her" he suggested.
Blair smiled and took his hand. "Why don't we do it now?"
He smiled back at her and dropped the remote control on the mattress after he turned off the TV. Then they both reached the nursery and helped the crib out of that room, to take it to theirs. That was going to be a long night.
…
In the middle of the night Alexandra cried again.
Blair hadn't woken up yet and she was moving slowly under the comforter so Chuck had to get up and check on the baby. He scooped her up and put a towel on his shoulder so that the baby would lie her head there.
He tried to shush her without success, until Blair put on her robe and reached him in the corridor where he had gone to avoid waking her up.
"It's okay, it's okay. Are you hungry?" he asked silently as he tried to put the pacifier in Lexie's mouth.
Blair put a hand on his shoulder and with a sleepy face asked for the baby. "Let's go downstairs for a change, shall we?" she asked, and her husband agreed with her. While she sat on the couch of the foyer with the baby in her arms latched to her breast, he went to the kitchen to fill Alexandra's bib with water.
"She's still hot" Blair commented when he got back.
Chuck sat on the couch next to her and put his barely cold hand on the baby's forehead to check.
"Should we give her ibuprofen again? It's so weird the fever still hasn't lowered."
"Let me check her temperature, I brought the thermometer with me."
He took the thermometer from the pocket of his robe and put it in Alexandra's ear. The numbers weren't that high but they still made Blair worried.
Once the baby had stopped drinking her milk and she had recomposed herself, she felt a bit better because the baby had stopped crying and was apparently calm. She put her on her chest and tried to give her warmth more than the tiny blanket she had put around the baby, could provide.
Chuck was next to them, sitting close to Blair so that they would not feel cold together either. They were covered by a blanket too, both on their shoulders and their legs.
He put his arm on her shoulder and tried to circle the girls together in a hug, while Blair looked at the baby in silence. She felt like putting her head on his shoulder after a while, and that made him rethink that she had fallen asleep.
She had been silent for a lot of time so far.
"Why don't we go upstairs? We can put Lexie in her crib under warmer covers." He suggested.
Blair spoke with a little voice. "I'd rather stay here. This room is more breezy."
He nodded and kissed her hair.
He hadn't realized they drifted off to sleep until he heard the bell of the elevator ringing. He probably knew who it was. His gift for Blair had arrived and she couldn't see it too soon.
Blair was still asleep with Alexandra in her hands. He decided to take the baby that was calmly awake, and reached the entrance of the penthouse. He needed to hide her gift before she would wake up.
He opened the elevator and ordered to shush. Then he spoke with a little voice and closed the doors again. He then went to his office to put Blair's and Lexie's gift under the Christmas tree next to the window of their living room.
When he walked to the couch to check on Blair, she was waking up. She yawned and smiled at him when she saw him giving a bottle of water to the baby.
"Hey" she spoke with a little sleepy voice.
"Hey" he echoed.
"How is she?" Blair asked without hesitating.
Chuck looked down at the baby and his smile widened. "I checked her temperature and the fever seems gone."
Blair's expression changed and she looked really relieved now. "She's definitely ready to open her gifts, then."
They sit on the carpet of the living room and Blair started giving Lexie her gifts. Of course the baby was too little to stand up on her own, so they sat her in her baby chair and opened the gifts for her.
Blair had packed about five outfits for Lexie and some toys. She hated that her daughter was too young to get a perfume or a necklace. She wasn't still able to play with some of her usual toys, how could she be given something to wear on her neck?
"Do you like this, honey?" Blair waved a purple toy in front of Lexie. It was one that could be sucked because it was soft. The baby smiled and to Blair seemed as if she almost wanted to clap her hands. "Do you like purple, huh?"
"I'm sure purple is going to be her favorite color" Chuck commented.
"I would be surprised if it won't." She chuckled and he laughed with her.
He then took another envelope from under the tree. "Now daddy's gift" he said with a soft voice as he started to open the gift for the baby to see it. Blair leaned forward to see better and grinned when she saw what the gift was.
"This is really pretty" she stated.
Chuck took the little silk scarf from the package and wrapped it around the baby. He brushed Lexie's cheek with the back of his hand and the baby blinked at him. She started to scan him with curiosity while he looked at her. He was expecting another reaction but Alexandra was mostly inspecting him.
"Do you like daddy's gift, huh?" he asked and giggled.
The baby kept staring at him until she took a strand of the scarf and started putting it in her mouth. She started to suck on the silk very eagerly and when he tried to put the scarf out of her tiny mouth, the baby started to protest.
He mumbled something to himself as Blair watched them diverted.
"I'm sure she likes it" she then started to laugh in amusement.
"It's not something to eat. She shouldn't suck it. It's pure silk!"
Blair nodded and rolled her eyes. "Who cares it's silk! Our baby is going to start teething soon. She needs to bite objects and she loves the scarf already."
He looked quite annoyed. He was still trying to get the scarf out of Lexie's mouth without success. "But this is not meant to be a toy."
"I know. But don't act offended." She said putting her hand on his back. "She wouldn't bite it if she didn't love it already. She hasn't done this with any of the dresses I've bought her. You should feel happy that she did it with your gift. Plus, it only shows she likes scarves."
He looked at the baby sucking on the scarf and he nodded. "Maybe this scarf is going to become her signature someday. When she'll stop eating it, that is." He turned to Blair and made a weak smile.
"Come on, now. Open my gift." Blair said as she took something from under the tree.
Chuck did the same with his gift for her. They exchanged glances and then he waited for Blair to open her gift before opening his.
Of course she would imagine what was inside of the package. "Chuck, this is beautiful" she observed the piece with appreciation. "It would go perfectly with that dress -"
"It's not over. Didn't you notice the other package next to it?" He trailed her off.
Blair's eyes lightened when she spotted a bigger package. She opened it carefully and a cobalt dress appeared. She touched the tissue and opened it to see how long it was. "How did you know I wanted this dress for New Year's Eve?" she wondered.
"A little bird told me" he shrugged with a smirk.
She smiled at him and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. She then lied her head on his shoulder for few seconds and circled her arms around him in a hug.
Chuck opened his gift. It was a new set of ties and bow ties that he swore he had yet to see in New York, all in the most colored fantasies. He thought those were perfect.
"They came from Japan" Blair explained. "No one has them here. You'll be the first one to wear them."
"And possibly the only one" he chuckled.
"Of course! Haven't we always been original?" she raised both eyebrows questioningly.
They both laughed until they were interrupted by the sound of the elevator. They usually closed the doors of their house after a certain time, especially when they didn't want to be disturbed. Well, in that occasion they surely didn't want to.
Blair glanced at Chuck who was frowning.
"I wonder who that is" Blair said.
Chuck stood up from the floor but she took his hand to stop him. "Can't we pretend we're not at home? Please. I want it to be just us."
"Why don't I check who is it before we decide not to open? It may be Serena and I'm sure you want to know what happened with the baby drama" he arched an eyebrow.
Blair shrugged and then looked away to focus on Lexie again while Chuck went to the elevator.
He was lucky from where Blair was that she couldn't see who entered the penthouse before the person would reach the living room.
Chuck opened the doors carefully and told the people in the elevator to be silent.
"Thank you. Please put the luggage there." Eleanor Waldorf told a guy.
"I wasn't expecting you" Chuck commented once Blair's parents entered their penthouse. "I mean I thought you would come later in the day."
She smiled when she noticed him approaching. "Charles, it's been a while. Come here" she said as she hugged him swiftly.
Cyrus hugged him too while Harold just shook hands with him.
"The weather was a menace!" Cyrus laughed. "It wanted us to remain in France for Christmas!"
"I'm really thankful you advised us before the weather would change, Charles. Otherwise we would be stuck at De Gaulle today. And thank you for the private jet too" Harold said.
"Anytime Mr. Waldorf. Blair will surely be on cloud nine when she'll see you here." Chuck explained. "I'm glad you could come."
Harold laughed and patted Chuck's arm. "Stop using that formal Mr. Waldorf with me. You have married my only daughter. You're family now."
Chuck sheepishly grinned.
Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "Isn't she alright? You're talking as if there are problems. Are there, Charles? We can help."
He tried to stop his mother-in-law from talking. He shook his head to dismiss the thought in Eleanor's mind. "The baby got sick yesterday evening after our trip to Saks. She got her second vaccine shots on Tuesday. Blair was very worried."
"Is it the baby's first fever?" She asked.
He nodded. "But now it seems gone. She seems relieved now."
"Thanks very much! I've missed that little baby. Take me to them, please."
Chuck asked Eleanor to be silent so that they could surprise Blair and Lexie. They walked to the Christmas tree of the living room where Blair was sitting on the floor still. They were followed by Cyrus and Harold. Blair's father remained behind as Chuck suggested.
As soon as Blair heard the steps behind her, she turned.
"Mother, is that you?"
Eleanor smiled widely and run to Blair to hug her. "Who do you think I am?"
"But... I thought there was a storm and you couldn't leave Paris."
"We thought. We've learned about the storm few days before and we set up and earlier date to leave. Let's just say a little bird called us."
Blair nodded. "Did you come alone? Isn't Cyrus with you?"
"Actually, I am here!" the man screamed fro behind the couch. Blair's father was still hidden few steps behind them. "I could not let my lovely wife coming without me!" he said as he reached them and hugged his stepdaughter.
"I'm so happy to have you here!" Blair started to giggle. "I can't believe you're here."
"Honey, you must! We've brought a cake too" Eleanor pointed something behind Blair.
Once she finished, Harold appeared from behind the wall. Blair's eyes glowed with happiness and she didn't think twice before going and hug her beloved father. It seemed as if they hadn't seen each other for months, but they only hadn't met since Alexandra had been born.
"Daddy! You're here" Blair commented with a touched tone.
Harold patted his daughter's back. "I had to come before Christmas, honey. I couldn't miss Christmas and ice skating with you. And I couldn't wait to see my granddaughter again."
"How many days will you stay?"
He smiled. "Can't we enjoy this day first, Blair? I've just arrived."
She nodded and then they went to sit on the couch. She noticed Eleanor and Cyrus were already gone to greet Alexandra on the baby chair on the floor. Chuck decided to take her in his arms and offered the parents the chance to give her breakfast in the kitchen, so they left Blair and Harold alone.
"So how are you, my dear? You look tired. Did something happen?" Harold asked.
Blair chewed on her lower lip before answering. "Last night the baby kept crying because of the cold she had. I've spent few hours trying to calm her down but I wasn't able to do it fast. I am so tired and my neck hurts because we've slept on the couch." She said as she touched her beck with her hand.
"Is the baby alright now? She seemed good."
She smiled happily. "Yes, thankfully she is. Chuck has given her a scarf and she was sucking on it as if it was the best toy she's ever had" she giggled. "The fever is gone."
Harold looked pleased. "Right in time for her first Christmas with her parents... I remember yours very clearly. You were just two months old and your mother had just got back from a work. I told her she shouldn't work on Christmas Eve, but she was stubborn. Later I found out that she hadn't gone to work. She had spent the whole day finishing a dress made just for you. I remember it was a success in the city," he explained with transportation.
Blair didn't seem to know that story. "Did she make me a dress for Christmas?"
He nodded. "You were your mother's first model, Blair. Sometimes when you were little, she used to make tinier versions of some dresses from her collection just for you. Maybe you can't remember now, but I sure can."
She looked surprised to hear those words.
After a lot of years, Blair still hadn't get over the fact that her mother hadn't particularly seemed to appreciate her when she was a teen. She remembered she used to stay with her father most of the time, while Eleanor had to work for her fashion shows and her collections.
She remembered clearly how some Christmas were sad without her mother. Her father always tried to cheer her up and distract her with games or trips to Central Park, but Eleanor's presence couldn't be substituted only by his. Blair needed her mother.
"You didn't think your mother used to care about you during the holidays, did you?" he asked. Blair looked down. "She's always been present, Blair. It's true she had to work during the holidays, but she always found time for you. You're her daughter. Our only daughter" he stated as he caressed her shoulder.
Blair seemed to be moved by his words. She leaned forward and hugged her father.
"Thank you for being here, daddy." She whispered and then recoiled back. "I didn't think you would make it. How did you do it?"
Harold smiled politely while holding his daughter's hand. "You need to thank your husband for this. He sent the private jet the other day to have us here before the storm would hit Paris. He made us stay at the Palace and ordered us to not leave the hotel. He didn't want you to see us before today."
Blair smiled widely at the news.
"Blair honey, your baby eats really a lot!" Eleanor got in and interrupted the moment.
Blair and her father turned. "Yeah, yesterday she didn't eat anything because of the cold and I guess she was really hungry."
"She was really sweet. She burped on my shoulder." She laughed.
"This means she likes you" Blair chuckled and got up from the couch.
They were distracted by Chuck and Cyrus. They went back from the kitchen and Cyrus was holding the baby in his arms. "This baby is sensational! She ate so fast I couldn't follow her pace!" he commented.
"She was very hungry indeed" Eleanor added.
….
Chuck and Blair had to get dressed and had to dress the baby too. They suggested Blair's parents to go in their rooms and wander in the house as if it was theirs, while they needed to take a shower and find something to wear.
Blair took the baby in her crib while she waited for Chuck to get done in the bathroom. Once he went out in his robe, she crossed him on her way to the room. They exchanged a quick glance and he winked at her, seeing her really happy and relieved.
He was comforted that Blair's mood seemed to become better thanks to her father and mother. He knew that was probably the only gift she wanted that Christmas. It didn't pass a year without having Harold at her house for family celebrations. Blair was really attached to her father and he still was the stable point in her life. She loved her father very much.
Once Blair got out of the shower and got dressed in a long sleeve red dress, he thought she had done the right clothing choice for what he had in mind.
"Very Christmas-y, I see" he commented.
She shrugged. "It's not Christmas if you don't wear something red."
"I agree. That's why I didn't want to be any less" he answered. "I've also dressed Lexie with the red dress you've bought her. She's really beautiful in it, and so is her mother." He smirked.
Blair pretended to be embarrassed a bit and looked away. "Thank you."
"For what?"
She looked him in the eyes and reached him. She took both of his hands in hers and he started to caress them with his thumb. Blair moved closer and let their hands brush on their bodies once she closed the distance between them. She give in a slow kiss and she emotionally opened her eyes once she interrupted.
"For what you've done."
"I didn't do anything."
She slapped his arm with a hand. "Don't be silly. My father told me." She smiled.
A small smile appeared on his features. "I just wanted you to be happy, Blair."
"You've made me happy. Really happy." She smiled even more widely. "There was just one thing I wanted this Christmas. And it was being with my family. I would have been equally happy if my parents couldn't make it, because I would have spent this important day with the people I love, opening our gifts in front of the tree. But this morning, when I saw my mother, my father and Cyrus entering the living room... my day was even more made."
"Anytime" he said with softness. "Anything."
Blair grinned and kissed him briefly. "Now let's go to my parents. I bet they are very excited to see our baby. Cyrus seemed already attached!"
"He wanted to give her the bib. He was really good at it" Chuck said. "Your mother wanted to burp Lexie but the baby dirt her cardigan."
She seemed diverted. "Did she? Poor mom."
….
"Are you sure you don't have anything planned, guys?" Cyrus asked while they were all in the living room talking and he and Eleanor were playing with Lexie.
Blair smiled and dismissed the question. "We would have stayed in anyway."
"But sweetie, is Christmas. You should hang out and breathe fresh hair for a few hours. We can stay here and take care of our granddaughter" Eleanor suggested.
Blair bit her lip and looked at Chuck. He was silent and had a neutral expression.
"Yeah, why don't you go out, guys? You are young and I'm sure since this little one has been born, you didn't fully have time for a lunch together."
That was true, Blair thought. Since Lexie had been born in September, she and Chuck didn't have much time for themselves. Blair had spent the first weeks taking care of the baby alone because she didn't want Chuck to help her. Then Chuck had left for two days and she had taken the flu and Chuck had taken care of both. The only time she remembered they went out to have sort of fun, was on Alexandra's first month. Chuck had taken them to the Plaza and they had lunch on his new restaurant, his gift for his daughter.
Apart from then, they really went out few times together.
"I'm okay here, don't worry. We we really planning to remain here the whole day."
"Come on, Blair! Don't kid me. I've been a mother before, and when you were a little child you kept me really busy that if I didn't have a nanny nor your father taking care of you, I would have gone crazy." Eleanor explained.
Harold interjected. "Your mother is right, Blair. The baby is old enough for you and Charles to leave her for a few hours with someone else. We're here with her. If you tell us where is her water and bib, we can give her lunch."
Blair shook her head. "No, really thanks but..."
"What no!" Cyrus trailed her off. "You need to spend time with your lovely husband, my dear. You need to have fun too. You'll have time to be a mother!"
She frowned and then turned to see Chuck's expression. He nodded one time to agree. Whatever thing Blair would choose, he would be fine with it.
"Are you really sure you want to do this?" she asked him.
"Your parents will be with Alexandra. I'm sure you trust them with your life, you'll trust them with Lexie's life too. Fresh air for a few hours won't be bad. We can always go back whenever you want. You need it, Blair."
Blair sighed and gave a quick look to her folded hands before standing up.
….
In the limo, Blair looked worried. She kept controlling her phone and couldn't put it in her handbag for more than twenty seconds.
Chuck took her hand in his and she stared at him for a whole minute before speaking.
"Did we do the right thing, Chuck?"
He nodded. "I know how much you love Lexie. But I also know how much you need some time for yourself. You've been practically only taking care of her for these last five months. You went out two times with Serena and few times with me. You need to take care of yourself too, Blair. You don't need to worry if your baby needs to eat or needs her diaper changed, for a few hours. I'm sure if you now try to think about what I'm taking you now, you'll feel better."
"Where are we headed?"
Chuck smiled. "It wouldn't be a secret if I'd told you right now, would it?" he winked.
"Ugh. I hate you, Charles. Take me home!" she pretended to be offended.
He shook his head and smirked.
At some point the limo stopped. Chuck got out before Blair and went to open her door.
"Are we at Victrola?" she asked.
He was sure she would recognize the place, she had seen it many times. He took her hand and they got in the building.
It was all dark but for few colored lights lightening up the stage and the couch in front of it.
Blair looked ecstatic around her. "I haven't been in this place since -"
"Since the night before you told me you were expecting our baby" Chuck finished the sentence for her. He remembered as if it was yesterday.
She glanced at him and smirked. She was pleased he remembered.
"What are we here for? This place doesn't do lunches that I know of."
"It doesn't, no. But I eventually arranged one, shall we?" he asked as they reached a small table all fixed with Christmas things. He helped Blair sit down and then he went on the right to take a big dish for her.
"What is this?" Blair asked with curiosity.
"Open it."
She removed the cover on the silver dish and she saw a dish she liked a lot. It was a French dish Chuck remembered she always appreciated whenever they went to Paris.
"My favorite" she noticed.
They ate the first course slowly and exchanged few words. It seemed as if they didn't need to talk much, their eyes were doing everything. They only needed to glance at each other and smirk or smile, and they were fine.
After other three dishes, dessert included, they were both full.
Chuck took Blair on the couch in front of the stage. They were sipping water in flutes.
"It seems like a deja vu" Blair commented. "Just that the first time I went in this club I was drinking champagne."
Chuck nodded. "And I looked after your drink while you danced for me. How could I forget."
"I publicly made a fool of myself in front of a lot of people..." she rolled her eyes at the memory. "But it was worth it. Sure, I hated you for taking my virginity back then. But I realized after a while that we didn't make sex. I made love with the one I've always loved" she looked sweetly at him.
He turned away with a shy smile. "You made me fall in love with you while you were dancing on that stage. It was electrifying."
"I thought you fell for me after we made it in your limo?" she asked with surprise.
Chuck turned back on her. "This is correct. But I started to fall for you while you were stripping down for me. It was as if I could finally see through you... I've always thought we were alike but not until you've teased me with that dance. I was enthralled."
"What do you say we dance together now?" she offered.
He smirked. "I was about to suggest the same thing" he agreed.
Blair went on the stage while he went to turn on the music. He didn't know which song was in the stereo, anything was good. It started a slow melody at first.
She removed her pumps and put them on the side of the stage. She circled her arms around him and she put her head on his chest. They moved really slow to the sound of the music, appreciating every second of it.
Chuck kissed Blair's head before the music changed abruptly into something fast.
She leaned back a few inches and looked in his eyes, then started to chuckle and move a bit, trying to be sexy for him. She made him stop and made some sensual moves around him. This excited him a lot and made him shiver because he didn't know what to expect with her.
At some point Blair took him back on the couch. He sat down and started sipping the champagne he had just opened. He followed her every move until she reached the center of the stage again and started dancing the melody that had just started.
It was a song called Stripped. Let me see you stripped down to the bone, it said. Blair didn't think twice and let her red dress fall down at her feet and leave her with her matching slip on.
She moved her hips calmly from left to right aiming to tease him.
Chuck looked pretty pleased with the show his wife was giving him. And he became even more enthusiast and excited when Blair dropped her silk slip next to her Lanvin.
She moved her index motioning him to come on stage too, and Chuck didn't wait.
He reached her and Blair started moving sensually around him like few minutes before. She started undressing him slowly, following the sound of the music, until he remained with only his pants on.
He raised her from the floor and took her in his arms at her own surprise, to take her on the velvet couch they were sitting earlier.
There he started kissing her feverishly while she lied her head back on the soft furniture.
Blair's hands went to his pants and opened them with strength and he lowered them so that he would now remain with only his boxers on. Her hand wandered there for a brief moment before she lowered her stockings and her lace thong.
For some weird reason, Chuck's eyes went on the place she had just exposed.
Years before she would have felt ashamed, shy. No one could touch nor see her intimacy. She kind of protected it because she was afraid the person would then betray her after he had seen her stripped down. That was the reason why she didn't give herself to Nate in the first place.
But the way Chuck looked at her... she knew that intimate place was already his. He had broke in it the first time, he would keep breaking in for the rest of their lives.
They were each other's keepers.
He seemed serious and his face held a lot of feelings in the moment that passed before he kissed her lips with vehemence again.
Blair loved to feel that loved. Her lover wasn't of many words but he showed a lot. He made her feel really loved and wanted.
He pushed into her with grace as he kissed her neck.
She emitted a silent moan as her hand wandered in Chuck's thick hair. He was so expert and nice while he nudged into her. Every time seemed like the first time. He didn't made her feel much, he was a master.
Blair kissed his lips eagerly and kept unintentionally putting her nails onto his back, while Chuck's hand tried to massage her shoulders.
He looked so eager as well, that day even more than usual.
She lied bare next to him. They only had their panties on, and her head was on his right arm and she was looking at the stage now. Her back was brushing against his chest full of hair, and even if she was used to them, they still made her shiver. Chuck's right arm where she had her head on passed under her armpit and touched her breasts. He was hugging her almost.
"You had everything arranged, hadn't you?" Blair asked after a long silence.
"Was it evident?" he chuckled.
Blair chuckled too. "What if I refused to go out with you? The lunch would have gone wasted."
"Believe me, I've considered that option too. But I had some other excuses up on my sleeve to take you out."
She sighed. "I should have known before. I've married a psych."
"I thought you liked the surprise." He said, a bit disappointed.
She turned to face him and her breasts brushed hardly on his chest. He could sense her hard nipples still.
"I did" she answered with a low voice. "You always catch me off guard."
He rolled his eyes and giggled. "And this is a bad thing?"
"Of course it is. I am in the one in control here."
He nodded. "I forgot."
She slapped his chest and he moaned in response.
"Hey" he protested.
"You gambled, you lost."
He smirked and then leaned in to kiss her lips briefly. "I didn't lose anything. I still have you."
Blair made a face. "What makes you think this?" she teased.
"Because you love me" he went to kiss her lips again.
….
Their way back to their house was really joyful. They kept teasing each other nicely and exchanged kisses every once in a while.
Chuck had managed to drift Blair's mind and worries from the baby. He was sure Harold, Eleanor and Cyrus were taking good care of their daughter. It was their granddaughter, after all. Blair needed to trust her baby with her parents more.
He thought that someday they had to let Serena look after the baby too, even if Blair would probably disagree.
"Have you had news from Serena?" he asked while they were stuck at the traffic lights.
"She only texted me Merry Christmas. I have no idea how things went with her." She said and looked at her phone, noticing the time. "We could visit her... what do you say?"
"I think it's a great idea. We aren't far from Lily's house."
Arthur took them to the Van der Woodsens. Lily and Rufus were apparently out enjoying the afternoon with friends. Eric was the one who greeted them, and he wasn't alone.
"Look who is here." Chuck said with bitterness when he spotted him.
"Can't say it's a pleasure to see you, Bass" Carter's voice was even bitter than his. "You waste your time if you're looking for Serena. She doesn't want to see anyone. It's been hours I'm waiting for her to see me."
"Is she in her room?" Blair asked. Carter nodded and she didn't need more words to go straight in her best friend's room. She would be welcomed, she hoped.
Chuck sighed and went to have a glass of something while Carter's eyes were following him. Eric was there too, sitting on the couch browsing the net on his laptop. He seemed pretty much on his own and wasn't caring for any of them.
"Do you know something?" Baizen asked. He looked really interested in Chuck's response.
Chuck raised his eyes from the counter. "Maybe I do."
Carter seemed to be waiting for his answer at that point, but Chuck didn't want to give anything away... yet.
"Do you love my stepsister, Carter?"
Carter was caught off guard by the question. He opened his mouth a bit in surprise. "Why are you asking me this, Bass? Why do you care?"
Chuck walked slowly towards him. "Serena is family. She's had her heart broken once thanks to you. She wouldn't bear her heart broken another time. If you are again at faults with some rich family, you need to tell her now before you're sent to work on a oil platform again."
"I'm not in trouble this time. I swear." He tried to explain himself. "I've been abroad, cleared my mind. Tried to earn my father's respect. I met Serena again casually few months ago and I realized that I still cared... somehow."
"So do you love her?"
Carter fought back his emotions. He looked like him sometimes. "Do with my words what you want. I don't need to explain myself to you."
Chuck nodded and looked away. He watched the street out of the window. There was a long traffic jam. They wouldn't get back in time to their house for Christmas dinner if they wouldn't leave soon.
Blair reached them ten minutes later. Serena was with her and Carter looked relieved when he saw her. She smiled at Blair and then at Chuck, before taking Carter's hand and heading back to her room.
Chuck and Blair left the apartment after then.
"What happened with Serena? You girls didn't give me an explanation." Chuck protested while they were in the elevator of their building.
"She decided her fate" Blair answered. Chuck was looking at her with an eloquent expression. "The baby is apparently Carter's... she decided to keep him."
Chuck nodded. "He loves her" he confessed her.
Blair didn't look surprised. "I know. I've seen the concerned look in his eyes."
"Everyone can have a concerned look, is not an indication" Chuck interjected.
She shook her head. "You have the same look some days, when you see me sad. Don't you think I don't know you're concerned with me, Chuck." He looked sheepishly away. "That's why I love you. That's why I enjoyed this day more than I should." She grinned sweetly.
The elevator's doors opened. They could hear Blair's parents voices from there, they were by any chance in the living room.
The baby was on the tiny table in front of the couch. Cyrus had a Santa hat on his head and Harold had it too. They managed to put one on Lexie's head and she seemed amused by what her grandparents were doing. They were singing her Christmas songs.
"Silent night, holy night" Cyrus tried to sing but failed.
Blair tapped her foot on the carpet and they all turned.
"Sweetie, you're back. Have you spent a good afternoon?" Eleanor asked.
Blair looked at Chuck and tried not to laugh. "We... did, and seems so did you."
"We've had an amazing day so far! Trying to keep a baby entertained for a whole day is tiresome, but in the end is worth it when she laughs at you." Cyrus said.
"Aren't you very laughable, honey? Look at you!" Eleanor mocked her husband then set her eyes back on Chuck and Blair. "My dear, didn't you go out with stockings?" Blair bit her lip and started looking embarrassed. "There was wind outside? Your hair are messy. And Charles, didn't you have a tie before you went out?"
Blair looked lost and Chuck looked away. He almost wanted to laugh at Eleanor's attention.
"Eleanor, why don't we let the guys go fix themselves? They still need time on their own" Harold interrupted his ex wife. Eleanor smiled and motioned an 'I'm sorry' from afar, while Blair's father winked at them.
Chuck and Blair went upstairs to take a shower. They were very exhausted and they just wanted to relax before getting back to their life. Christmas was a holiday made for families. Chuck never thought he would ever have one, but Blair proved him wrong. Not only he had a wife who he loved and she loved him very much. He also had an adorable daughter and step parents who treated him as if he was their son. Same was for Blair.
They couldn't ask better from life.
…
How was it? Comments are appreciated :D