Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.

I'm back. I survived my cross country trip. Thank you to everyone for the glowing reviews.

"What do you mean you haven't told him yet?" Serena exclaimed, after showering her best friend with the sip of water she had taken. She quickly grabbed her napkin and began patting Blair dry as Blair sat horrified by her friend's reaction.

"I don't know how to tell him," Blair stated finally as she twirled her rings around her left finger nervously.

"But I thought he wanted this," Serena stated as she looked at her best friend in confusion.

"He does," Blair responded quickly, "We both do, but going through this is going to be extremely difficult for him. This is how his mom died."

"How have you kept the morning sickness from him?" Serena inquired. Chuck noticed everything about his bride. She couldn't believe that Blair could hide something like this from him.

"It hasn't been easy," Blair admitted sighing with the disgust she felt at what she had to do, "I've resorted to the old tricks I learned during my bulimic episodes."

Serena scowled at her best friend in response.

"I'm okay," Blair assured her quickly, "I'm not forcing the issue. I've met with Doctor Boyd twice already since I found out, and he assures me I'm doing fine. And I'm certainly not proud of myself for keeping this from Chuck, but every time I plan out how to tell him I start with 'I don't want you to worry about me, but I'm pregnant'."

"Come up with a different opening line," Serena demanded, "Do you know how hard it has been to keep this secret?"

"I'm sorry," Blair apologized, "And I really appreciate how hard this is for you, but I'm just not ready yet. Perhaps when the morning sickness stops. It has gotten a lot better."

"He's going to notice eventually," Serena insisted, "If he hasn't already. You body is already starting to change."

"I know I'm beginning to show," Blair stated as she looked down at the slight bump she was sporting. She rubbed her stomach affectionately. She was so happy to be carrying Chuck's child. She was in tears when her doctor confirmed the news, but then she began to worry about Chuck. They'd already discussed children and agreed to start trying, but she could see he was struggling with how to work through his fear, and he didn't even know yet that she was pregnant.

"Tell him," Serena stated forcefully, "Or I will."

"You wouldn't!" Blair gasped in horror.

"Like hell I won't," Serena responded, "I'll give you a week, but if he still doesn't know by the end of it . . . I'll march straight into his office at drop the bomb myself."

Blair began to mumble insults under her breath directed at her best friend. Serena chose to ignore them, chalking them up to the hormones that Blair was experiencing due to her pregnancy.

"I didn't expect you to have time for your best friend today," Nate stated as he joined Chuck for lunch at his favorite restaurant. Chuck was busy on his phone and held up a finger to Nate to let him know he'd be right with him. The waitress took Nate's drink order before he took his seat and waited for Chuck to finish what was obviously an important business call.

"Sorry," Chuck stated as he ended his call and then silenced his phone so that they wouldn't be interrupted during the lunch that Chuck had invited him to. They both had busy schedules and lunches for the buddies were hard to arrange. They'd already had to reschedule three times that week.

"No problem," Nate assured him, "I'll just need you to compensate me for the time I've waited for you."

"Always looking for money," Chuck laughed out in amusement, "I'll get Eugenia to cut a check this afternoon."

"Just make sure it's made out to the foundation," Nate chuckled along with him.

"How is the housing project going?" Chuck inquired as he referenced the underprivileged housing project that Nate was currently spearheading in Brooklyn.

"Even better now that you were able to clear all the legal issues," Nate responded in a grateful tone.

"It helps to have powerful friends with the last name of Bass," he grinned devilishly.

"Speaking of Basses, how's Blair?" Nate inquired.

Chuck sighed when his best friend brought up the reason he'd wanted to meet for lunch in the first place.

"Don't tell me the honeymoon is over after only fifteen months," Nate chuckled.

"Blair is fine," Chuck assured him before hesitantly adding, "I think."

"You think," Nate repeated as his voice sounded full of doubt.

"She's been distant lately," Chuck responded as he tried to explain the thoughts that were going through his head, "But not really."

"That doesn't make any sense," Nate responded as he shook his head in confusion.

"Something is going on with her, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly what it is," Chuck explained as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"How is that possible?" Nate gasped, "You know her better than you know yourself."

"And that is what is so frustrating about this," Chuck groaned, "I do know . . . and she doesn't keep secrets from me, but something is different with her lately. She looks at me with a hesitation I've never seen from her before. Even when we made love for the first time, I didn't see what I see in her eyes right now, and she had to be scared out of her mind that first night."

"Can we skip that memory?" Nate requested. He was referencing the night Nate and Blair had first broken up, which wasn't exactly a happy memory for Nate. Nate still considered that night one of the worst of his life although ironically Chuck considered it one of his best.

"Sorry," Chuck responded with apologetic eyes, "The point is I'm worried."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Nate suggested.

"Yes," he nodded, "I've tried to start the conversation every night for a week, but she keeps interrupting me."

"Interrupting you," Nate requested clarification as to what he meant.

"Seducing me, whichever you prefer," Chuck replied an amused grin, "And we both know I have no willpower when it comes to her."

"I've noticed," Nate added dryly as he rolled his eyes. He quickly realized that Chuck was toying with him. Chuck didn't usually rub his nose in the fact that Blair had chosen him, but occasionally he did, in a playful way of course. "But you've got to resist her if you want to find out what is wrong. Take it from me, you do not want to ignore this."

"I know," Chuck nodded. He paused for a moment to contemplate what he wanted to say next. He'd been teasing Nate briefly, but he knew his limit. "She's been. . . insatiable lately." He struggled to find the right word that wouldn't offend his friend, but get his point across.

"Maybe she's pregnant," Nate suggested as he chuckled in amusement, "Don't women get horny when their expecting."

Chuck sobered up instantly.

"It was a joke, Chuck," Nate stated as he slapped his friend's shoulder.

"She's pregnant," Chuck repeated. Of course, it all made sense now. Certain body parts were more sensitive than they had been in the past. She seemed to be eating more than was typical for her. She was moodier than was normal for her, and her appetite for him unparalleled.

"Is that even a possibility?" Nate inquired as his smile disappeared.

"It's very possible," Chuck nodded as he folded his hands together as he tried to wrap his head around the news, "We've been trying."

"This is news to me," Nate stated as he looked at Chuck with a stunned expression. He was a little hurt that Chuck wouldn't confide in him something this life altering.

"Sorry," Chuck apologized in response to his friend's hurt expression, "It's not really something that we're talking about. I'm sure Serena knows, but that's probably it, maybe Eugenia."

"Naturally," Nate laughed. There wasn't much that Blair kept from Chuck's faithful assistant. She probably knew as much about Blair and Chuck's relationship as he and Serena did. "Would you be happy if she is pregnant?"

"I'd be ecstatic," Chuck responded quickly, "But . . ."

"I knew there would be a 'but'," Nate added, "And I can guess what the 'but' is. You're worried she'll suffer the same fate as your mother."

Chuck nodded as he looked to his hands. His eyes fixated on his wedding ring and the memory it stirred of when she first slipped it onto his hand.

It wasn't on their wedding day. It was the day they set aside to go pick out wedding rings as they were planning the wedding. They had been arguing that day. It was some nonsensical thing regarding the flower arrangements for the reception. Blair had wanted white roses, but Chuck was insisting on pink peonies. To this day, he didn't know what possessed him to force his opinion on her. She had been planning her wedding since she was a little girl right down to the smallest detail.

The sales person at the jewelry store looked at them skeptically as if she knew not only was she not going to make the sale, but that the pair wouldn't even make it to the alter. As soon as Blair slipped the platinum band onto his finger all arguments stopped. They didn't even bother with looking at other rings. In fact, he almost didn't let her take the ring off. It had been a perfect fit, as if that piece of precious metal was meant to be around his finger. They'd paid for the ring quickly and then scrambled to their limo to make up for the earlier argument.

"You zoned out on me," Nate stated as he nudged Chuck's shoulder to get his attention.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he began spinning the ring around his finger.

"She's going to be okay," Nate tried to assure him, "Things are different than they were twenty four years ago. The medical advancements and prenatal care is nothing like it used to be . . . it's so much better."

"I know," he nodded, "But for so long have I blamed myself for my mother's death, and was sure that my father did as well. It's hard to erase all of that self doubt."

"If Blair is pregnant, which you need to find out for sure," Nate stated, "If she is pregnant, you won't have to do this alone. I'll be there for you for whatever you need, whether it be an ear to talk off or a shoulder to cry on or a punching bag to assault."

"That's very generous," Chuck laughed weakly. "You'll be our child's godfather, won't you?"

"I'd be honored," Nate grinned, "But seriously, you're putting the cart before the horse. You don't even know that she's pregnant."

"Yes, I do," Chuck nodded.

"You were just saying how you didn't know what was wrong," Nate responded in confusion.

"I know," Chuck responded simply as a smile began to brighten his face as the excitement hit him suddenly. "As you said, I know her better than I know myself. She's pregnant." He was going to be a father to Blair's child. His life was suddenly more perfect than it had ever been.

"You're home early," Blair stated as she stepped off the elevator and into his awaiting arms. He had a bouquet of peonies in his hand that he gave to her before her arms came around his neck.

"I missed you," he responded simply as he gave her a light kiss on the lips.

"This feels like déjà vu," she claimed as he pulled her towards their dining room which was set with her favorite dinner once again. Her conversation with Serena during lunch was still fresh in her mind. "What are you planning, Bass?"

"Dinner with my beautiful wife," he replied without hesitation.

"You're planning more than that," she chuckled nervously.

"I know," he stated simply. He could see the confusion in her eyes at his statement. She wasn't understanding what exactly he was talking about.

"You know what?" she asked as her nervousness increased.

"I know," he repeated.

"Did Serena tell you?" Blair growled as her face began to turn crimson in anger. "I'm going to murder her!"

"I haven't talked to Serena since breakfast at Lily's two weeks ago," he assured her as he kissed her lips softly in hopes of calming her down. His limited knowledge of her current condition told him that her getting worked up was not a good thing.

"Then what do you know," Blair stated as she began to calm down.

Chuck pressed his hand gently against her lower abdomen as he leaned in to kiss her softly once again. Tears sprang to Blair's eyes at his gesture.

"Who told you?" Blair inquired as she wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"You did," he replied as her hands covered his, "It took me a little longer than it should have to put the pieces together, but the point is . . . I know you're pregnant."

"Please don't be mad at me," she stated tearfully.

"Why would I be anything but ecstatic with you?" he inquired as he cradled her head in his hands, "You're carrying my child."

"I should have told you I was pregnant as soon as I found out," she responded as tears began flowing freer.

"How long have you known?" he chuckled lightly.

"Six weeks," she responded, "I've been struggling with how to tell you."

"How pregnant are you?" he asked as he lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Three months," she stated guiltily.

"That's a third of your pregnancy," he gasped. He snorted in anger. Now he was mad, not at her, at himself that he'd missed so much already.

"I'm sorry," she stated as she cried harder.

"Stop apologizing," he insisted as he took a deep breath to control his anger, "I'm not mad at you, not even a little. I'm mad at myself for not noticing this sooner. I should have known something was wrong when your breasts became so sensitive."

He began caressing them softly. She moaned with pleasure as her head rolled back.

"You are the sexiest pregnant woman I've ever met," he whispered as his lips caressed the racing pulse at her neck.

"Do you have any idea how aroused pregnancy makes a woman?" Blair moaned as she pressed herself against him fully.

"By all means, show me," he chuckled as her hands found his suit jacket lapel and roughly yanked it down his shoulders. His shirt buttons gave way quickly as she ripped his shirt open. Her hormones must have given her superhuman strength as she backed him against the table pushing him roughly against it until he was sprawled out on top of it. The air was knocked out his lungs momentarily as he fell against the table but he quickly recovered to sit up and help her remove the blouse she was wearing. "Slow down, Blair," he whispered into her ear, "I'll need a few moments to catch up."

"That doesn't sound like the Chuck Bass that I married," she smirked as she shrugged out of her blouse as Chuck worked the zipper of her skirt, which quickly pooled at her feet.

A thought occurred to Chuck as his eyes racked over her beautiful frame. "We can't do this, Blair," he stated as he slid off the table to his feet.

"You can't allow me to get turned on and then refuse me," she hissed as she attached her lips to the Adam's apple at his neck, "Especially now."

"I'm not refusing you," he assured her as he picked her up in his arms and began carrying her to their bedroom.

"What are you doing?" she squealed as her arms went around his neck as he whisked her effortless into the bedroom to lay her gently on their bed.

"You're carrying my child," he stated as his hand caressed her bare abdomen. He couldn't understand how he had missed the slight rise of her stomach. He noticed every infinitesimal detail of her body.

"Do you have a point, Bass?" she asked impatiently as his thoughts seemed to drift.

"The dining room table is no place to make love to the mother of our child," he smirked as his lips began to caress her abdomen softly. He appeared to be whispering softly against her skin, but her mind was too clouded with lust to make out what he was saying.

"Our child," she repeated as she laid back against the soft pillows as her hands caressed his scalp gently.

"This child will have everything we didn't," he vowed as he looked deeply into her eyes, "This child will know that we love him or her, and that no matter what they do, we will continue to love him or her."

"We'll make a good team," she smiled as he traveled up her body to capture her lips.

"We already do," he grinned as he began nibbling on her neck again as his hands caressed her thighs, lowering her stockings as he went.

"We're certainly good at what we do," Blair agreed as her fingers caressed his shoulders as she worked out the knots she found in his tired back. There was a lot of tension there that she couldn't understand. "You're so tense. What's wrong?"

"I've been worrying about you," he admitted as he kissed her lips again.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled against his mouth just before his tongue invaded her.

"Stop apologizing," he paused momentarily.

"I can help with the knots," she whispered.

"We'll worry about that later," he replied, "Right now I have a pregnant wife that is in need of satisfaction."

Blair fell asleep after their love making. It was unusual for her as she usually liked to talk after they'd been intimate. He didn't question her though. He'd see to it that every one of her needs were met during the next six months. She wouldn't have to lift a finger for anything, he vowed to himself.

Blair curled into his side more fully as her arm draped across his chest, her left hand resting comfortably on his shoulder. He reached for it so that he could admire her wedding and engagement rings. He could have afforded better and bigger, but the stones looked perfect against her delicate fingers just as he knew they would. Any other ring would have looked tacky and he knew it.

Her stomach began rumbling in her sleep which reminded him that they hadn't eaten dinner yet. He had completely forgotten about the gourmet meal he had arranged for her. He began mentally cursing himself for not taking care of her or their child properly which he hadn't even known about for a full day.

He tried to slide out of bed without disturbing her, but she held him close, shifting even closer each time he tried to slide away.

"Blair," he whispered softly as he ran his fingers through her hair, "You have to release me."

"Never," she mumbled as she shifted closer to him. Her eyes were fluttering as they did whenever she was dreaming. He smiled as his hand drifted down her back to caress her soft skin. He felt her shiver with pleasure against him as her lips began to dust across his bare shoulder softly.

"Baby, you need to eat," he spoke softly.

She responded incoherently in her sleep as her lips continued to sweep across his skin. She had seduced him once before in her sleep, although he hadn't known she'd been asleep at the time. She looked well on her way to her second, but her eyes fluttered open as she smiled at him with his favorite lazy grin. It was the one that told him she was a satisfied woman.

"We should eat dinner," he spoke as he tried to slip out of her grasp finally and slid out of bed.

"Can't we just skip the main course and go straight for dessert?" she inquired as she held him firmly down as she planted her lips against his.

"We've already had dessert," he chuckled as he tried to break free from her grasp once more. He knew he wasn't going to succeed as his heart wasn't into it.

"I want more," she groaned as her mouth assaulted his.

"Dinner first," he compromised, "Then I'll gladly help you satisfy your sweet tooth."

"Dessert first," she insisted as her lips turned into a pout.

"Dinner first," he insisted. He was going to hold his ground this time. They were thinking for two now.

"Fine," she sighed as she rolled onto her back to finally allow him his freedom. He slid from their bed quickly, locating his robe and hers in their bathroom. He slipped into his easily before he helped her with hers. Once her arms were through the sleeves he spun her around so that he could tie the sash.

"I'm pregnant, Chuck," she giggled, "I'm not helpless."

"I can assure you that you will not have to lift a finger for the next six months," he responded as he looked deep into her eyes to let her know how serious he was about his statement.

"So are you going to dress me every day for the next six months?" she inquired as she put her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"Dress you, undress you, feed you," he began listing.

"This could get really annoying," she sighed as he took her hand and pulled her out of their bedroom.

"Humor me," he requested as he pulled her into the kitchen and lifted her onto the counter before he turned to raid the refrigerator. He knew that their planned dinner would be ruined by sitting out as long as it had. "There is very little that an expectant father can do other than service the expectant mother."

"Can't you just focus on one particular service and let me take care of myself," she whined, "I'll even let you take care of the most important one which involved undressing me."

"You have such a one track mind these days, Mrs. Bass," he chuckled as he pulled several items out of the fridge and set them next to her before he returned to the unit to gather more items. She couldn't even hazard a guess as to what he was concocting.

"It's the hormones," she shrugged, "The OBGYN says that it is completely normal that I'm even more insatiable than normal."

"Am I going to need to take a leave from the empire so that I can be your beck and call boy for the next six months?" he smirked devilishly.

"Speaking of leaves," she picked out of his crude statement while ignoring the rest of his comment, "I've been giving my leave of absence some thought."

"Already," he responded in surprise.

"I need to have a plan of action. I am the heart of the line and a lot of people depend on me for their livelihoods," she explained.

"What are your thoughts on this?" he inquired, "Will you let me finally buy out your line and bring you into the Bass Empire?"

Blair laughed at the ridiculousness of his statement before she turned serious, "No, but it's a really good try. I was thinking of handing the reigns over to Riley (one the friends she had made during her college days at NYU) while I'm on maternity leave. She's my right hand woman anyways. I trust her. She can handle the day to day aspects and free me up to focus on the designs which I can do from home. Our child happens to be due at the perfect time, right in between both the Fall and Spring fashion weeks. I can worry about the shows when they happen."

"How long are you thinking of staying on maternity?" he inquired as he began assembling their dinner. She still hadn't a clue what he was making, but it looked really good as her stomach began to growl louder and louder. Each noise had Chuck working a little more quickly to feed his pregnant wife.

"I was thinking a year," Blair stated as he handed her a few pieces of fruit to snack on while he finishing preparing their dinner. He couldn't take the noises coming from her stomach any longer. "We can revisit it at any time, but a year sounds acceptable for right now."

"We'll need to start looking for a nanny," he stated.

"NO!" Blair gasped, "No nanny."

Chuck looked at Blair with a stunned expression on his face. Every child raised on the Upper East Side was done so with the aid of a nanny, including the two of them.

"You said you wanted this child to know that we love them," Blair began to explain, "That means we raise this child ourselves. We don't need a nanny."

The determined look on his wife's face told him not to argue with her. He'd bring it up again at a different date, but for now he returned his attention to dinner. He'd picked up a few tricks from their gourmet chef over the years as his work routinely made him late for dinner. Blair knew that he no longer relied on sandwiches to curl his appetite, but she had never witnessed his culinary skills before as he moved about the kitchen as he prepared their meal.

"Do you know how sexy it is to see a man cook for me," she stated seductively from her perch on the counter.

"Andre cooks for you every evening," Chuck laughed, referring to their middle aged, balding, pot bellied gourmet chef, "Are you saying you find him sexy? If that is what you are saying, then we'll need to find ourselves a new chef. I don't want to have to worry about coming home to find you having an affair against the stainless steel appliances."

"Who says that we already aren't?" Blair stated with a mysterious twinkle in her eye.

"It's Andre's child you're carrying isn't it," Chuck played along as he growled in discontent.

"Guilty," she snickered as she tried to hide her amusement. "We were hoping that you'd never find out, but you caught us."

Chuck removed their dinner from the heat of the stove so that it wouldn't get ruined before he went to her, pinning her against the counter with one hand on either side of her as his lips crashed against her roughly. "You are mine, and only mine," he growled.

"Always yours," she moaned as his mouth assaulted her lips roughly. She felt him smile against her lips as they both moaned in pleasure.

"Are you ready for dessert?" he grinned wickedly against her neck as he nibbled gently as he loosened the sash at her waist and slid the robe from her shoulders.

"Do you even have to ask?" she inquired as he slid her closer to the edge of the counter before he slid into her. "Why do you have to be so good at this?"

He chuckled against her skin as they crashed against each other while her legs wrapped around his hips to bring him in closer.

"To satisfy you," he responded.

"I'm not sure I'll ever to truly satisfied," she groaned as he found one of her sensitive spots on her neck.

He stilled his actions as he looked at her in horror.

"To be satisfied means to meet the needs, expectations or desires," she responded as she dug her heals into his back side to encourage him to keep going, "I'm not sure that my needs, expectations or desires for you will ever be fulfilled because doesn't that mean that I wouldn't need you any more, and I couldn't see a situation in which that would ever happen."

"As much as I appreciated what a bookworm you were at Constance and then at NYU, I'd very much appreciate if you didn't quote Webster's Dictionary at the moment I'm making love to you," he responded as he used his lips to silence any response she appeared to be forming. She whimpered against him as she fought to get his robe free so that she could roam his back. True to his earlier promise, he read her mind and quickly divested himself of the robe so she had free range all while keeping his rhythm steady.

She was so close, he could feel her climb higher with each thrust.

"Chuck!" she called out as she crashed over the edge as her nails dug into his skin. He hissed at the pain but kept going as he did his best to draw her orgasm out for as long as he could. When he knew she could take no more, he allowed himself his release.

"Are the next six months going to be just like this?" she gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

"Do you want them to be?" he teased.

"God, yes," she groaned.

"Baby, I need to finish your dinner," he stated as he tried to pull away. She kept her legs firmly clamped around his waist. She pouted as he untangled her legs and pulled away, picking up his robe as he went. "Will you make sure our child has your pout?"

Blair picked up a piece of fruit and launched it towards him, hitting him squarely in the back as he returned their dinner back to the stovetop to finish cooking. Chuck spun around in surprise and glared at her. That prompted her to throw another piece of fruit at him, this one missing him completely and landing in the pan that was cooking their dinner instead.

"Are you about done?" he scolded as he scooped the offending piece of food out of their dinner. "Since when do you have such an accurate arm? You usually throw worst than a girl."

She responded by launching the last piece of fruit she had at him. This one missed both him and the pan and landed with a splat on the wall in front of him. Chuck was dying with laughter by that point.

"If you wanted a food fight, Mrs. Bass, all you needed to do is tell me. I'd be happy to dig more appropriate food out of the cupboards for you to use," Chuck managed to get out between fits of laughter as he tried to focus on his task at hand. "And you'd better stop before our housekeeper attacks you. I can't protect you from her. You know how much she frightens me."

"I miss Dorota," Blair sighed.

"One day I will manage to pry her away from your mother," he vowed as he began plating their dinner.

"I know," she nodded confidently.

"Blair, you need to put your robe back on," Chuck requested as he put the finishing touches on their meal.

"Why?" she inquired as she slipped back into the piece of silk that was pooled behind her. She couldn't help but notice who he was avoiding looking directly at her since he returned to his cooking.

"I have always appreciated the beauty of your naked form, but now that you're pregnant with my child, that beauty has increased a hundred fold," he explained, "And that is increasing my usual desire for you exponentially."

"So you're saying by avoiding looking at me naked is the only way you can concentrate of anything other than making love to me," she summarized.

"Yes," he nodded as he finished their dinners and was plating them both. When he turned around she had removed the robe once more. He groaned with his need as he crossed the kitchen so that he was standing before her. The plates were put on each side of her before he pulled her close and made love to her once more as if to prove his point about how turned on he was by her. Their food would be a little cold when the eventually got around to eating it, but neither minded.

TBC. . .