A/N: I hadn't received that many reviews for the chapter I wrote, plus I got a question about what Seth was really feeling, so I decided to push back my own work and continue the story instead, since as I've said, the last chapter was more like Part I of the incident only. I found it cool that many people struggled to guess why Seth was upset at the end of the double date. I hope this chapter clears things up for you!

**Spoiler: This isn't the last we've seen of Chuck!

"Hell-o Blair," Seth greeted Blair cheerfully at school on Monday morning. He walked up to her and gave her a warm bear hug, which she refused to return. It was their first time seeing each other since their double date, and Seth was slowly learning that Blair probably held the world record for holding a grudge. "Come on, Blair," he pleaded with her, "I already said sorry. Give me a smile…please?"

Blair pouted and crossed her arms. "Calling me two hours after pissing me off to tell me that you were quiet because you were in a bad mood doesn't count as apologizing," she pointed out. She was glad that he was making an effort with her, which at least showed that his sour mood wasn't due to any unresolved feelings for Summer. Nevertheless, Blair still couldn't get him to come clean about what had been bothering him, and that bothered her.

"I'm a Cohen. I'm insecure and neurotic and very, very sensitive. Bad moods happen. Let's not talk about it anymore, okay?" he grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face him. "I want to talk about Summer's next exciting date." He waited in anticipation for Blair's reaction. He had kept Chuck a secret for almost two whole days, and was dying to tell her all about him.

"What date? She had fun with Luke. She doesn't need another date. I won," Blair shot back defensively.

"Now there, Blair, that's not fair. We made a deal. You said we would both get to choose a guy, and we would compete as to who would find the perfect guy for her. Well it just so happens that I have found the most perfect guy for Summer. In fact," Seth added, walking behind Blair and putting his hands on her petite shoulders, "if you didn't already have the fantastical Seth Cohen as your boyfriend, I would be worried that even you may want a piece of him."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Doubt it. Your taste revolves around band geeks and Comic-Con groupies, and I hardly call those 'perfect guys'. But as you wish. Not gonna stop you if you want to embarrass yourself with your bad taste," she replied, finally giving him a smile, albeit a smug one.

"Very well, Blair," Seth said, bowing low and taking her hand, "we shall see. Tonight then, after school?"

Blair wrinkled her eyebrows. "So soon? Why the rush?" she asked.

"My man is a very busy fella….businesses to run, flights to catch…you know, that sort of thing," Seth replied nonchalantly.

Blair snorted. "What is he, like 30?"

"You'll see for yourself tonight, princess," Seth said to her as he kissed her forehead. He left Blair standing there in the halls, curious as to what Seth had up his sleeve and why he suddenly seemed so confident.

Seth tapped his foot nervously as he waved at Summer and Blair, who were walking towards him. He had gotten off school extra early so he could plan out the details of their date to perfection. After the excruciatingly boring double date he had with Blair a few days ago, Seth wanted to make sure that the one he organized would be a fun-filled and different experience. He waved at them.

"Hello Blair, Summer," Seth greeted them, pressing his hands together. He scanned the area for a sign of Chuck, but he was nowhere to be seen. Seth suddenly felt a rush of panic through his veins. What if he had changed his mind? What if he had only agreed to the date in order to get Seth to stop bothering him? He was just about to make up an excuse when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Chuck Bass, strolling towards them casually with his hands in his pockets. In the daylight, Chuck looked even flashier than Seth had remembered, dressed in a light blue blazer with a mint green tee and a pair of white khakis.

Seth ran up to meet Chuck halfway, reminding himself to stay cool. "Yo! Charles! What's going on, man?" Seth reached out for a high five, waiting for Chuck's hand to meet his.

Chuck gave him a blank stare and acted as if he hadn't said anything at all. "Where're the girls?" he purred out. Seth spun around immediately, walking Chuck towards Blair and Summer.

"This is my girlfriend, Blair, and this is our good friend, Summer," Seth introduced to Chuck. He threw Blair a smug look, but noticed that his girlfriend had turned a shade of pale green, matching the color of Chuck's shirt. She stood there with the strangest expression on her face, not saying a word, simply staring at Chuck. Seth observed Blair's peculiar reaction, then looked over at Chuck, who also appeared stupefied himself. Even Summer was watching the two of them curiously, unsure of what to say to break the ice.

Seth walked up to Blair, supporting her by the arm. She looked as if she was ready to pass out. "Blair, are you alright?" he asked in a concerned voice. "Are you sick? Do you want me to take you home?"

Blair looked up at him, and then back at Chuck Bass. The sight of him made her dizzy with fear, and it was everything she could do not to hurl right then and there on the spot. She prayed that Chuck wouldn't treat this gathering as a sort of sick reunion, but she could tell from his expression that he was just as surprised as she was. She forced a weak smile at Seth. "So this is the nice man you were telling me about?" She stuck out her hand towards him. "I'm Blair Waldorf. Charmed," she said with a meaningful look.

Chuck hesitated and stared at her intently, like a hawk waiting to swoop up on his prey. Blair could feel the electric shock through his protruding gaze, and felt herself breaking out in cold sweat. Co-operate, she mentally barked at him. After what seemed like an eternity, Chuck finally relaxed his shoulders and took her hand in response. He bent low, giving it a soft kiss. Out of reflex, Blair wanted to pull back from his lips, but with Seth only a foot away and looking terribly baffled, she willed herself to stay put.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Waldorf," he said in a voice just above a whisper, his eyes never leaving hers. She felt completely violated and naked under his eyes. "Say, you remind me of a friend back home," Chuck said to her with a sinister smile. Blair shivered slightly, feeling as if she was staring into the eyes of the devil.

"Really?" Seth said suddenly, stepping in and swooping up Blair's hand protectively. "She must have been pretty darn wonderful then," he continued, giving Blair a gentle smile. Blair smiled back at him in return, reaping a bit of comfort from Seth's touch.

"Ahem," Summer coughed, trying to draw their attention, "I thought you had this amazing day all planned out for us, Cohen? Or is this hour-long introduction your idea of a good time?" She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Ah, I detect a bit of impatience from our friend here," Chuck declared, taking a step towards Summer. He held out his hand, waiting for Summer to take it. "Forgive me for being so rude. You must be the sassy and beautiful friend Seth was telling me about." Chuck flashed her his million-dollar smile and peered down at her.

Summer gave him a small smile and took his hand. The four of them stood there awkwardly, in a perfect square, as Summer looked awkwardly from left to right. She finally jabbed Seth in the ribs.

"Ow! Uh…right!" Seth suddenly remembered that they had a whole day planned ahead of them. "Let's not waste any more time. I present to you all one of the most sacred landmarks of Newport," he stepped away dramatically and motioned to the sign above him. "Ta-da! Centurion Comics!" He nodded approvingly at the selection of comics that was on display in the shop windows, proud of his choice.

"This?" Blair practically spat out. "This is the place you've been raving about nonstop all day today? Seth, don't tell me you're taking us all to a comic book store for a date," she squirmed and blushed a little when she caught Chuck's taunting smile. Blair could just imagine Chuck laughing at Seth's immaturity. She knew she shouldn't let him get to her, but the thought of it made her want to dig up a hole and bury herself. She didn't know who she felt more embarrassed for at the moment – Seth or herself.

"What do you mean, Blair? You have no idea what gems are hidden in this place. This is probably the single most romantic place in all of Newport. Just give me one hour so I can give you my Seth Cohen deluxe tour – you won't regret it," he said, winking at her.

"Blair, I must congratulate you on your impeccable taste in men. Seth seems like such an interesting catch," Chuck said in an exaggeratedly earnest voice that made Blair cringe.

Seth seemed completely oblivious to the backhanded compliment. "Awww…thanks Chuck. See, Blair? At least someone here knows how to appreciate me," he joked.

Blair glared at Chuck. She wasn't going to let him have the upper hand for long. She just needed to find the right timing to get to him alone so she could confront him and get him off her case – permanently. She turned to face Seth. "Fine then, enlighten me with your cartoon heroes," she replied abruptly, shoving Seth inside the store.

"They're not cartoons, Blair. They're called comics. Manga, in Japanese. And don't underestimate this place – some of the greatest love stories of our time can be found in this little shop." He walked through the glass doors, holding the door open for the rest of them. The three of them looked around unenthusiastically while Seth leapt ahead of them, scanning through the bookshelves. He quickly grabbed one of the comics from a lower shelf, flashing the cover at them and pointing to it excitedly.

"This one! This – this has got to be one of the most romantic, epic, love stories ever," he exclaimed, flipping through the pages to try to show Blair, Summer and Chuck.

"More epic than Titantic?" Summer asked sarcastically.

"Wrong. More epic than Romeo and Juliet," Seth shot back, unfazed at Summer's comment. "Romeo and Juliet lasted 3 days. So did Rose and…whatever the hell Leonardo's name was in Titantic." He spread open the pages of the comics, revealing a panel showing the Fantastic Four. "These two, however, have been in love and dedicated to each other for almost 45 years. Meet Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman."

"What kind of name is Mr. Fantastic? It sounds like a name some cleaning agent would have," Blair remarked. Summer snickered behind her. Seth threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Really, girls? You haven't heard of Mr. Fantastic?" He looked over at Chuck. "A little help here please from the boys?"

Chuck shrugged. "Sorry, can't say I can help. The only reading I do are ones that teach me about female biology, if you know what I mean," he commented, smirking at the girls. They both rolled their eyes in disgust, and even Seth frowned in response.

"Uh…okay, a little too much information. So none of you have ever read any comic books?" Seth wondered aloud. He felt like he was trying to strike up a conversation with people from the Stone Age.

"Do Archie comics count?" Summer asked. "I used to read those when I was younger."

"Me too. Always thought Archie should have picked Veronica," Blair responded. Summer nodded vigorously in agreement and gave Blair a high five.

Seth ran his fingers through his hair. "Um…okay fine, I can work with that. Next then, is one that you may be a little more familiar with," he started, leaving the aisle and placing the Fantastic Four comic back into the shelves. The other three trudged along behind him unwillingly. He ran his fingers through a mass of books, until finally picking up an issue of Spiderman. "Tell me you know this one."

"Spiderman? Really? How could any guy climbing buildings and dressed in red and blue tights like a total freak be considered romantic?" Blair questioned. She was feeling more impatient by the minute, and she still couldn't believe Seth had dragged all of them here – including Chuck Bass – just to hear him obsess over a bunch of men in Spandex. She watched Chuck from the corner of her eye as he leaned casually over a shelf containing the X-Men comics. He was checking Summer out from behind, like his usual self. Blair chewed her lip thoughtfully, wondering how she could get him alone.

"That just goes to show how little you know about our little Spidey," Seth went on to explain. He flipped through the comic, showing the drawings to Summer, who was looking a little curious in spite of herself. "Peter Parker and Mary Jane have one of the most angsty relationships in all of comic book history. You see, Peter's this introverted, shy boy who's kind of you know, scared of girls, and MJ is like this sexy, gutsy vixen that totally wows him. She loves him, but she can't ever make up her mind about whether or not she's ready to stay with him for good. It's really deep stuff," he insisted, throwing the pages towards Summer to get her to go through the material.

"I don't get why the girls in comics never get their own storylines except for being a love interest for one of the guys. Can't girls be badasses on their own? The only girl superheroes I know who aren't all caught up with love are like, the Powerpuff Girls," Summer complained, leafing through the pages.

"Be careful with that," Seth snapped at her, snatching it from her hands. "And the Powerpuff Girls aren't even considered real superheroes -"

Seeing that this conversation would probably last for at least another ten minutes or so, Blair decided to take the golden opportunity to reach out to Chuck. She shot him a look and tipped her head subtly to the direction of the door, signaling for him to go after her. Checking to see whether Seth had noticed, Blair slowly slid out the glass doors, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air as she stepped away from the ensemble. Chuck appeared two seconds after, closing the door softly behind him.

"Sneaking around behind your boyfriend's back to meet me. This reminds me of old times, Blair," Chuck commented in an amused voice. He reached out to touch her, only to be slapped away violently by Blair.

"Shut up, you Basshole! Don't think that I'm not onto you. What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Blair demanded. She knew she didn't have much time to make small talk, and that she needed to get rid of him as soon as possible before Seth figured out what was going on.

"Please, Blair. School is for peasants. I have people who are taking care of that for me," he responded, checking his reflection through the glass. Seth and Summer were still engaged in a heated debate inside the store, and had not seemed to notice that they were missing. "Now, I'm going to be the one asking the questions. Is this your way of punishing yourself for what you did with me and Nate? Settling with this guy? Blair, I know I compared you to one of my dad's horses, but even they would know better than to date this spastic loser."

"I will not let you speak that way about my boyfriend!" Blair spoke up defensively as she balled her fists. "You don't get to judge him. You have no idea just how wonderful he has been. You're just jealous because you're never going to be able to find love, the way I did."

"Oh. So you love this guy?" Chuck asked with a laugh. He leaned towards her as he waited for her reply.

"I didn't say that." Blair looked away and hesitated for a moment. "Not that I don't. Or I do. I don't know. The point is, whatever it is I feel for him – that's none of your business. I just need you to leave me – leave us alone." Blair's voice sounded firm and cold, but she had a pleading, desperate look in her eyes.

"He doesn't know about what happened on the Upper East Side, does he," Chuck finally guessed. It exhilarated him to see Blair so afraid, but at the same time, it reminded him of just how special Blair Waldorf was – so very strong, yet equally vulnerable.

Blair finally softened up, and her tough façade melted away instantaneously. "Please, Chuck. I'm asking you nicely. Please don't tell him. He'll never see me the same way again – he thinks I'm…perfect," Blair explained in a small voice.

"Of course. You think you've found your happy ending, and now you want to live in denial and pretend nothing ever happened," Chuck affirmed. "But you can't. One of these days, it's all going to catch up to you. Even if I did promise not to say anything…you can't hide from who you truly are, Blair. You know it deep inside your heart. That's what made you and me so good together – we're both so dark and twisted. He's going to see through all of this one day and realize just who you really are."

Blair fell completely silent. She wanted to protest, to refute everything Chuck had just said, and to explain to him that she was no longer the same girl. But she couldn't. Part of her was so afraid that he was actually right. He'd never want to be with that version of me, Blair thought to herself. She watched through the window as Seth continued chattering intensely about his comic book heroes, and she realized for the first time just how wrong it all looked.

"I'll go, Blair, if that's what you want. But remember, you are who you are. You can't run away forever." With that, Chuck turned on his heels and left her there, standing alone as the sun began to set. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She knew she was supposed to feel relieved at the fact that Chuck was finally gone, but all she felt was dread. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when Seth and Summer came out of the store to meet her.

"Blair? What are you doing alone outside? And where's Chuck? We were looking for you two," Seth asked, looking slightly annoyed. He had only gotten onto his third epic love story when he realized he only had one audience left.

"I needed some fresh air from all those dusty comic books," Blair replied, without looking at Seth. She was still feeling uncomfortable from what Chuck had said to her.

"I guess your new friend took off," Summer cut in. "So much for the best date ever," she said to Seth.

Seth and Blair shared an awkward glance. Blair was so distracted by her own drama that she had totally forgotten about Summer's feelings.

"Look, guys, I know what you two are trying to do. And you can just quit it, okay? I understand that you just want me to find someone so I won't feel like the fifth wheel all the time, but I like being by myself. It's like what I said about all those comic books – why can't a woman just be happy and powerful on her own, without a man? Does every teenage girl have to have a boyfriend to be complete?" Summer ranted on, gaining momentum at her own speech.

"Of course not," Blair answered quickly. In fact, she admired Summer for her independence. God knows Blair hadn't even been able to go two weeks without complicating her life with another man. She gave Summer a hug for moral support. "I think it's totally cool that you'd rather be alone. I respect that," she told her honestly.

"Alright then, I'm gonna head out and enjoy the rest of my date, alone," Summer said to them. "You two have fun with the comics!" She waved at the both of them then walked away, leaving just Blair and Seth alone standing in front of the store.

"So what was that all about?" Seth finally asked after Summer disappeared from their field of vision.

Blair's heart almost stopped beating. "What was what?" she asked as innocently as possible.

"That. You just walked out on me and Summer and left us there. You could have told me you were going out, you know," Seth pointed out, visibly annoyed.

"Well you know comics isn't my thing," Blair answered. "Besides, you two seemed perfectly content and engrossed in your conversation, so I didn't want to interrupt." She knew it was unfair to shift the guilt back to him, but in Blair's experience, it was the most effective way.

"Yeah, I noticed." Seth kept silent for a moment before he allowed himself to speak again. "You know what else I noticed? How nothing that is my thing seems to be your thing. I spent the entire Friday night sitting there, bored out of my mind, eating bite-sized French food. That's your idea of a perfect date – classy restaurant, foie gras, and a bunch of old men playing classical music on their violins. But that's not me. I can't give you any of that. It's not who I am."

"I didn't even have foie gras that night," Blair mumbled under her breath.

"Fine. Who cares! My point is, your idea of a perfect date totally sucks, in my opinion, but I still sat through it for you. It would have been nice of you to do the same for me, too," Seth finished. He knew he was going a bit overboard, but Blair's behavior had made him realize what had been bothering him so much all of Friday night – it was the sneaking suspicion that him and Blair were just not right for each other. And today's disaster just further confirmed that theory. He looked away from her.

"I'm not going to apologize for not liking comic books," Blair insisted, refusing to come out from her sour mood.

"Alright. Then I'm not going to apologize either," Seth replied, just as firmly.

"Fine."

"Fine."

They looked at each other, and Seth briefly wondered how things had managed to get so bad all of a sudden, only a week after his very public confession of his feelings for her at the Bait Shop. Blair continued to cross her arms and look away, and they stood there for another good fifteen minutes, before Seth finally walked away.

Blair watched him as he walked away from her, leaving her standing alone in the cool evening air. It was as if Chuck had cursed them both, and had made it impossible for Blair to ever find happiness again. She sat down on a bench nearby, wondering what the future would bring.