Hi all! As you can see this week I've updated earlier than usual. No idea what inspired me, haha. Hope you'll like this new chapter. Comments are loved! ;)

….

A loud cry woke them up in the deepest of the night. Blair hadn't realized that they had fallen asleep in the guest room after she had tried to comfort him. The crying baby broke the atmosphere that created in that room a while before.

She couldn't expect Lexie to sleep the whole night, the baby was still young and had been put to bed earlier than usual so it was expected that she would wake up before the sunrise.

"Not now" she murmured. He opened his eyes slowly after she spoke. "Did I wake you up?"

"I don't mind. I'll go check" he said as he got off the bed. Blair got off the bed soon after him and she could see him smile a little when she did it. It was too soon to believe he was okay, but at least was a start.

Chuck picked the baby up from her little crib and tried to calm her down by putting her pacifier in her mouth.

"I should had woken up earlier to check on her" Blair said. "She is probably hungry or thirsty."

"Where is her water?" he asked.

Blair spot the bottle on the changing table and gave it to him. Lexie cried again when he removed her pacifier, but then she started drinking the water vigorously as her parents watched with attention.

"I guess she was really thirsty" she giggled. He laughed too. "I gave her water about six hours ago" she added.

He nodded and then she noticed how his eyes changed. She noticed he had rings under his eyes and that in the corners there were still shades of red because he had cried few hours before. Sadly she couldn't do anything to remove that.

"How many hours have passed ever since -" he murmured, leaving the last part of the question into the dark. He was tired and sleepy and didn't want to talk too much.

"I think four. It's almost 2am."

He nodded, still looking at the baby that had stopped drinking the water. "Oh. Thought it was already tomorrow when the little one woke us up. I should stop hoping for things."

"Tomorrow will always come, Chuck. Whether it's sunny or rainy or there's a hurricane. That's one thing you can never stop wishing. Another day. Another possibility."

He looked up at her. "You're right. Although at the moment seems the only thing I could wish for."

"It's not" she told him frankly. "There's so much to hope in life. You are a great person and to me and your daughter you are being a great husband and father. I know in your heart you might wonder how our baby will grow up and you are wishing her the best, as well as I know you are doing that for me. See? This also means having hope."

He bit his lip and sighed. "I think I'd be lost without you and her" he whispered with a broken voice. He seemed to be scared to admit it out loud.

Blair smiled and got closer to them. "We are not leaving."

He looked insecure. So insecure as he had never been. He had rarely showed that trait, he was mostly the one that motivated and pushed people not to give up. He had done it lots of times with her and with other people like Serena or Nate. He was a supportive man, but he also needed support that she never failed to give him.

Chuck had been a broken guy when they started to get intimate and developed feelings. He had changed during those years, but some of his emotionally depressed traits hadn't completely vanished with his maturation.

She knew that somehow, he was still broken and the parts of himself that were hurt would take longer to heal if it hadn't been for her and her positive support. If it wasn't for her, she knew that he would not be here today.

She thought he was more fragile than he ever let her know. And she cherished him too much to let him lose himself again because of what had just happened with Elizabeth.

He just stared at her, his mouth open and his eyes pleading. She wished she knew what to do how to make him feel better.

"I've got an idea" she said after a few seconds of silence. "Tomorrow you and me are going on a date. I'll choose the place."

He frowned. "On a date?"

"Don't you feel like we need to breathe some fresh air and free ourselves? I think we should go out alone like old times and have fun pretending we are not married. I won't accept a no as an answer" she raised both eyebrows.

"Why should we pretend?"

She rolled her eyes amicably. "Didn't you just love the times when we were together and we felt so free? When I danced for you several times ago and our secret encounters?"

He smirked, although it wasn't so convinced. "How could I forget."

"Wouldn't you like to relive those times?"

"I think it could be a good therapy" he agreed.

She grinned with accomplishment. "We'll have fun, I'm sure of it. We're going to call Serena to babysit Lexie since it's Dorota's free day. And we're going to try to live the day as better as we can and we'll try to be free from our worries. Deal?"

"Deal" he nodded.

The baby had fallen asleep while they talked, so Chuck put her under the sheets of the crib and switched the lights off hoping she would sleep till morning. He and Blair got back to their bedroom and changed into night clothes before they slipped on their comfortable bed and drifted off sleep.

….

He didn't expect a breakfast in bed the day after. Blair had the maid take the food up for them both and for the baby. His mood got better even if he was afraid it could soon turn dark again. It was too short after what had happened and he needed to distract if he didn't want to think about that for the rest of the day.

Blair asked him to wait five minutes so that she could get the baby from the other room and take her there. When she came back with her, he couldn't wait to eat together.

"Look who is here" she said as they entered the bedroom. "Say good morning to daddy."

"Gogu da!" the baby shouted as Blair tried to make her wave. "Gu gu gu!"

She sat down on the mattress and put Lexie next to her, not far from where Chuck was. He reached out to her to pick her up and he fixed her on his lap. The baby looked up and kept moving both arms joyfully as he caressed her cheek.

"Today you are going to have the pleasure to eat breakfast with your beautiful mother and father. Aren't you excited, Lexie?" he asked her. The baby stopped waving her hands and was now looking at him with a confused expression. "What do you want for starters?"

He took two little jars from the tray and a spoon. Lexie followed him as he picked the things, until he showed them to her.

"Look what we have today. Banana or pear?" He put both jars in front of the baby to choose. Lexie extended her hand and all excited seemed to point the banana baby food. Chuck laughed. "Banana. Good choice. I think it's your favorite, isn't it? But I suggest you to stop choosing it when you'll start falling in love with guys."

Blair made a face, and he noticed it. He smirked at her. "Don't listen to your dad, Lexie" she said, and the baby was soon captured by her mother's voice. "He's just jealous someday you'll make all the guys fall at your feet."

He rolled his eyes. "And I'll protect you from them and their forbidden fruits" he said with an edge of protection in his voice that made Blair burst into laughter.

"Chuck Bass protecting his daughter from bananas. That is a really nice image forming in my head right now." Blair said, another giggle escaped her mouth.

"What it's wrong with that? There are bad bananas in this world and I don't want her to taste one and be hurt because it had an acrid taste. There are a lot of ripened fruits here in New York. I was one of them, don't you remember?"

She nodded. "You made me start liking them. I'm sure someone is going to make her like bananas too" Blair winked at him.

He rolled his eyes again and looked at the baby that was eying him with a tender pout. "I hope it won't happen too soon." He said as he opened the little jar and started to put some baby food on the spoon and then gave it to Lexie. "Thankfully there's time to throw bad bananas away."

Blair kept giggling as he feed their baby. "I wonder how many will you have to throw away for her. I bet that she's going to be very famous when she grows up."

"I'm sure she will. Hasn't she the genes of New York's finest?" he smirked.

"She is well done" she agreed.

Lexie seemed to eat her baby food very calmly that morning. Blair had no idea if it was the atmosphere or if the baby was hungry. Either way, it sounded awesome. They hadn't had a breakfast together in ages.

Once Lexie had finished eating, he cleaned her mouth and hands and put her next to him on the bed. He could finally eat something now that their baby had been feed. He took some fruits from a bowl and few other things. He tasted the food with a different mood that morning, and he was sure she had noticed too.

"How are you doing today?" Blair asked when she caught him smile a little.

He raised his head from his brioche and looked quite confused, probably lost in his own train of thoughts. "Alright. I think I am alright. Breakfast was delicious."

She soon changed her expression into something neutral. "I'm glad you loved it. I think we should eat more together, what do you think? We should try to have Lexie eat almost as the same time as we so that we can spend lunch and dinner together."

"That's not a bad idea."

"Of course she'll eat before us, but only because she still isn't able to eat by herself." She explained while she checked on the baby. "I want us to be more unite... strengthen our bond."

He looked down and managed a smile. He knew what she meant with those words and couldn't wait to spend more time together with them. Blair took his hand and he pulled it to him to kiss her palm. Then he moved her hand on his cheek and closed his eyes for a few seconds, just to appreciate her warmth. "I love you both so much" he murmured.

"We love you too" Blair echoed.

He felt Lexie's tiny hand pulling his robe and he looked at her. He slowly dropped Blair's hand and she also turned to their daughter. "Do you love mommy and daddy, Lexie?"

The baby emitted a sound while clapping her hands on the mattress. "Mo mo du du!"

They both chuckled and exchanged glances. "Didn't it look like mommy and daddy?"

"What? She just said two syllables, Blair. I think it's too early for her to say anything."

Blair shrugged. "I heard a m and a d. If I recall mom and dad start with those letters. Should we bet on which word she's going to say first?"

"It's a lost bet. I know what she's going to say first." He raised both eyebrows, sure of himself.

She rolled her eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

"I just feel it."

….

"Chuck, Serena has just arrived. Are you ready?" Blair asked a couple of hours later. It was late evening and they were preparing to go out. She had worn a short dress in a water green color and he was wearing a grey suit with a matching bowtie.

"I'm ready." He said with Lexie in his arms. She nodded and asked for the baby and then they went downstairs.

On the couch of the living room, a radiant Serena was waiting for them. She was dressed very casual for the night.

"Hi!" she waved at the baby more than them. "How is my niece doing today?"

"Wonderfully. And she hopes she will stay this way" Blair commented as she passed the baby to an eager Serena. "We are not sure of when we're going to get back."

"Don't worry, I know where the guest rooms are if I want to sleep."

Blair seemed to approve. "You are welcome to go in the room you'd prefer. Are you sure you won't get bored alone?"

Serena made a face. "You are underestimating me! This is not the first time I spend with Lexie. I have babysat her many times. Tell her, Chuck."

"It's true" he nodded his head to a surprised Blair.

She shrugged. "Then I'm sure you won't have any troubles. I hope."

"Hey, I'm not a teenager anymore! Plus, I think Carter will lend a hand. He is coming home today after something he had to do for his job."

Chuck frowned. "Baizen has a job, really?"

"Now you are underestimating him. Carter has had a job for months now. But you never asked me about it" she shrugged. "His father gave him one of his little companies. It's not a big thing like Bass Industries, but he can live with the money he gets from it. It's pretty cool."

"Great, good for him. But now we have to go because it's late. The baby food and all the things the baby eats are in the kitchen, while the other things she needs are in her nursery. For anything, you can text or call us but I'd rather hope you won't do it."

"I think it won't be needed. I'm going to handle it well, I'm sure of it." She said proudly. "One thing I don't trust is how are you dressed, Chuck. Wasn't this supposed to be a revival of your high school years or something?"

Blair pursed her lips. "How do you know? I didn't tell you."

He didn't look pleased. "Why should I change my outfit in favor of more juvenile clothes?"

Serena made a sarcastic face. "Have you forgot how older are you, Chuck? I get that you love suits and you are used to wear them, but there is something called jeans and sweaters. I don't believe you've never worn one once in your life."

"Perhaps when I wasn't the CEO of the Industries. Long time ago."

"I think if you have a pair, you should try them on. What do you say?" she proposed.

Chuck thought about it for an instant. "I'd say I'll go quickly upstairs to change myself. This wasn't actually a bad idea, sis. I'll be right back."

Serena and Blair exchanged a glance when Chuck really left to go changing. It was unusual for him not to wear a suit, but it wasn't like he was opposed to usual clothes.

"Great suggestion, S. I admire you for that" Blair complimented her best friend.

Serena smiled widely. "No need to thank me. I did it for you and for him. About him, how is everything going? You told me he saw his mother again last week. How did it go?"

She soon changed expression. "She is not his mother. And he hasn't taken it too well. Yesterday evening after Elizabeth left, he hid into a guest room to be alone and it scared me. I know that he needs time for himself, but I want to help too... I don't want him to carry this burden alone like he did in the past. You know how much damage caused."

"I remember it well." She said. "You are such a nice and cute wife, B."

She rolled her eyes and blushed a little. "The main role of a queen is to help her king. I won't let this situation destroy us like it did five years ago."

"I am positive it won't. After all Chuck is a changed man compared to years ago. He is caring and responsible and loves you and the baby. You are married now. I can't see him letting the family be sucked into his vortex of emotions."

"I won't leave his side" she promised. "At the cost of arriving to force him to be helped. I don't want him to close in himself, it's just not the right thing to do."

"I agree. Have faith, he won't. I think you count more for him than that woman would ever."

"Let's hope for the best. I am afraid he won't enjoy this night out" she sighed.

Serena patted her shoulder while she was trying to hold Lexie with the other arm. "Why should he not, B? Forgetting who you're talking about? I'm sure a jump in the past will be good for him. It will probably emerge some good memories about how you got together."

She looked down when she heard footsteps from behind her. She and Serena both turned to see he had changed. He was now wearing simple grey pants and a shirt.

"You look better in these" Serena commented. "Although I hoped you wouldn't pick a shirt."

"Did you want me to go out shirtless, sis? I never knew you had such fantasy in your mind. And you're even expressing it in front of your best friend and my former wife."

Serena rolled her eyes and looked away. "I meant a shirt with no buttons, but whatever."

"I'm not jealous" Blair said with an amused face. "And I don't mind what you've changed into. It's better than a suit if you want to live as if you were seventeen again." She added. "Although you used to wear suits all of your life."

"Don't you think you should go now?"

"Are you throwing us out of our own house?" Blair asked. "Anyway, we'll leave now. Don't forget to do what I said and don't tire the baby out. Text or call if it's necessary."

Serena nodded. "I remember, I remember. Now go!"

Blair sent a kiss to her baby from afar and then she and Chuck left their penthouse to get in the limo that would take them to the first place Blair choose to start the date.

"How do I look?" Chuck asked, still looking at his clothes. "I don't feel me without a suit. It's been a while I haven't put casual clothes on."

"I like it. It's for a change. And besides, I would like you even if you were wearing something else other than suits." She winked at him. "Especially with no clothes on, if you ask me."

He shrugged. "I might try it someday. Who knows. By the way, where are we going?"

"A club. Not yours though. I think we rarely had a club date, hadn't we?"

"Not that I remember. We are not athletic types. At least not in the dance world" he smirked, and she slapped his arm.

The car stopped few minutes later in front of a second class building. It wasn't in the suburbs, but it probably wasn't on the Upper East Side either. Chuck thought they were near Brooklyn or something, a zone he rarely went to.

They stepped out of their limo hand in hand, headed to the entrance. Apparently Blair had a hook in the club and she tipped him so that he let them in without any queue. Chuck had smiled at her and intended to compliment her for the move, but then the music blasted his ears so much in the big room they got into, that he wasn't able to have his voice heard.

He reached Blair's ear to whisper something. "Are we going to remain here for the rest of the night? The music is too loud."

"What? The music is loud? Yeah, I figured. I'm just looking for the private area" she said as she held his hand and guided him through the crowd. "There it is." She said as they walked to a big door covered with a blue velvet texture. She tipped the other bodyguard next to it and then he let them in. "You know, I don't want anybody to find about us."

The private area seemed neat and blocked most of the noise of the thundering music blasting outside in the main dance room. It had few couches and small tables. The lights were dark and mostly blue. Besides them, nobody was there.

"Sounds juicy. That's why we came me so far? You are afraid your boyfriend may find about us?" he asked with a serious voice.

Blair turned abruptly and she tried to look innocent. "Nate is your best friend. Do you really want him to know what's happening between us? I don't think you want to ruin your friendship because of a woman."

"Nate mustn't know about us. Even though I wouldn't mind if he knew." He smirked.

She rolled her eyes and dragged him to the furthest couch. "Shut up" she answered jokingly and then she pushed him down on the couch. "Tonight, this small room will be ours for a while... as long as you wish for. Do you have any special desire, Chuck?" she asked with a shallow voice as she reached for his hand and put it on her thigh.

He looked up to see her face despite the room wasn't that lightened. "Are there any restrictions?" he wondered while his hand grasped the back of her leg.

"Have I ever mentioned one?" she teased and moved his hand now, putting it under the hem of her mini dress.

He bit his lip. "Not that I remember."

He started caressing her thigh slowly as she looked up and closed her eyes. She seemed to quite enjoying it. She put her hands on his shoulders and got closer to him while his other hand started doing the same on her other thigh. The pleasure seemed to double and he sudden felt her skin rough with goosebumps.

"Tonight, we can enjoy each other without worrying someone can catch us. Are you ready to show me if you're worth the money I paid to let us in this club?" she teased.

He couldn't stop himself and without adding a word, he pulled her to him and he kissed her. She exchanged the kiss with vehemence and a new power, messing his hair with one of her hands. He recoiled back few seconds later. "Did you mean my money?"

She shook her head lightly and smirked. "You are ruining the moment with all of this talk, Bass" she answered, pretending she was annoyed. "Why can't you just enjoy the moment? I'm not sure tomorrow we can see each other. My mother is going to be around the whole day and I told Nate we could go out together for lunch."

He gave her another kiss while he grabbed her thigh vigorously and moved his hand under her dress as if he was too hungry of her. "Why don't we just tell him the truth" he suggested, but Blair shook her head with a teasing smile. "If he loves us, he'll accept it."

"Nate would never accept his best friend slept with his girlfriend. We are breaking the bro code" she explained, stroking his hear gently and sending him smiles. "Are we so bad?"

"Do we care? I don't."

"Neither do I." She said, then she pushed him on the leather couch and sat on his legs. She bend and fastly unbuttoned his pants while he helped her dress up her tights. They helped each other do the same with their intimates before she finally bend again and helped him in.

She started making noises as soon as he thrust deeply and quickly, moved by the roleplay game they were doing. She looked up when he was entering her, and he weirdly noticed it. He didn't mind it but it was actually one of the few times she seemed to orgasm in a different way than usual. As if she was feeling his eyes on her, Blair looked down and smirked at him. He had no idea why, but it made him remember about one time in particular when she burst out an I love you while they were having a moment and weren't together.

She bend her back a little so she could kiss his neck, trying to stimulate him. He soon was not capable of watching her anymore as he lost himself in his own moment of pleasure that he still hadn't been able to let out via his voice.

The couple kept going on for a while until they both fixed their clothes and ordered some drinks. For some reason, after they drunk their glasses Blair suggested him to go saying that it was too late for her. He loved that she was still playing, it was amusing.

Actually it wasn't that late, it was barely after 1am and he still wanted the night to continue for a while. He hoped that she had another location to visit with him.

The two sat down in the limo a while later and they both were a bit exhausted. Blair put her head on his shoulder and he circled her with his arm. "Thankfully no one caught us, Bass. We were lucky."

"If this you can call it luck" he murmured.

She slapped his leg. "You should appreciate what you get more. You are so rude."

He rolled his eyes and removed the arm from her back. "You are ungrateful. I've given you the best sex you ever had since you were born. I bet Nate isn't as good as me."

"Actually, he's better than you." She shrugged and pretended to be offended.

He made a face and then pulled her towards him so he could kiss her. Blair did not recoil like she had wanted to do to keep playing that game. She didn't want to stop that kiss just to pretend she still was her old teenager self. She was enjoying it too much.

Chuck kept kissing her until he abruptly stopped, leaving her breathless. "Were you saying? Nate is better than me?"

She sighed and disentangled herself from his arms and she suddenly started to laugh. "I guess that was too much for your patience."

"Not really. I was just playing my part. I think my seventeen year old self would have minded that. Although when I was a teen I tried not to show many emotions when I was with you. Hell, sometimes I couldn't stand that you confused me."

"What do you mean I upset you?" she frowned.

"I thought the reason why I wanted to be with you and have you every day, was purely superficial and momentary. You made me confused. I felt emotions I never tasted before, and it scared me. After you broke our meetings I realized that maybe I didn't just like you. I loved you. That scared me too and made me run away."

She smiled. "I'm happy you didn't kill those butterflies after all."

He looked away, a bit shy. "Yeah."

Blair gave him a kiss on his cheek and then she opened her door. He didn't notice that the limo had stopped and they weren't in front of their building.

Chuck tried to go out of the car and help her out before she could, but he arrived late. She was already waiting on the other side, next to a balcony. He walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her body.

"Now I got why you took me to that club so far from home" he commented.

"Someone suggested me to come here just to see the city from afar. Is pretty good, isn't it?"

"It's beautiful. Thank you for taking me here. And thank you for well, everything."

"You don't need to thank me, Chuck" she answered. "You know why I did it."

He nodded and tried to turn her so that they would be face to face. Blair seemed taken off guard when he did so and then he hugged her tightly. She didn't know why he was doing that but she loved the moment. Maybe it was his personal demonstration of being thankful.

They were both tired when they got back to their penthouse. It was late night and the only thing they wanted to do once upstairs, would be sleep after the nice day they had had. He was glad the date with Blair had distracted him, and she was happy that it had worked.

They sneaked in their house calmly, hoping that Serena wouldn't be in the living room still.

"I hope that Serena is sleeping in the guest room and Lexie is in her crib. I would never forgive her if we find she and Carter still awake with the baby!" Blair complained.

"They are not here downstairs, I think they are definitely sleeping in one of the rooms."

"Let's go check on the baby first" Blair said, almost running to Lexie's nursery.

As he said, the baby was asleep in her crib. The covers were pulled on her and she seemed to be okay and not hurt. Blair could say she was happy of this. Not that she didn't trust Serena, but knowing that Carter would be here made her doubt that her best friend would only focus on their little child.

"Okay, thank God Lexie is still intact. I don't want to wake Serena up so I think it's better if we go to our room now" she suggested and Chuck nodded.

Blair sat on their bed when they got back to their bedroom so she could kick off he heels. Her feet hurt so much because she had had her pumps on for long. She would love to have a relaxing pedicure before sleep, but she realized it was too late for one.

Chuck decided to get undressed and he quickly changed into his pajama. "I'm so tired" he told her. "But this night was really worth."

"Did you have fun?" she asked as she looked for her nightgown.

"It was a while I hadn't felt so young. Not that right now I'm old. But you know, as a teen. Now I realize how much I have changed my behavior since then. Sometimes... I miss it."

She shrugged. "You changed into a better man, Chuck. I've fallen in love with you when you were the man you pretended to be tonight and I saw you evolve into the man you are now. When I think about it, I am convinced it was worth waiting for you few years ago."

He smiled. "This means I was worth the money you gave to those guards at the club?"

"Absolutely."