Hello everyone!
I apologize again that it takes so long for me to update but RL is a b'tch.
So this is a long chapter again but it's full of cliffhangers. Why? Well I want my readers to tell me how to continue?
Three questions:
-Shall they stay in Cuba or going back to NY?
-If they stay in Cuba, Eric with them or without him?
-Shall they forgive their parents? And when yes, all of them or just S or B e.g. Give me your thoughts on it, please!
This is un-betaed btw. If you find mistakes, please let me know.
Three songs later, the bartender got nearer to their table where Eric was still waiting for his siblings and their lovers to return.
"Ey, amigo." He called to Eric.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry. I don't speak Spanish." Eric apologized.
"Oh, so you're Americans, huh?" the man asked.
"Yes, we're from…from…Connecticut." Eric lied.
That was the moment Chuck and Blair returned to the table. Eric gave Chuck a glare that told him, the bartender played 20 questions with him. Chuck nodded slightly.
"Good evening, sir. Can I have another beer, please?"
"Of course. Which one do you like?" the bartender asked.
"Doesn't matter." Chuck shrugged.
"Okay. Here you go." The man said as he handed Chuck a bottle of beer.
"So, do you kids do holidays here or what?"
"Yeah, Wisconsin is kind of boring this time of the year." Chuck shrugged again and said it nonchalant. When he got a sight of Eric's alarmed face, he knew that this was a mistake.
"Wisconsin in Connecticut or Connecticut in Wisconsin?" The bartender gave him a knowing smirk.
Chuck gulped and Eric sighed. Now it was Blair's turn.
"Wisconsin next to Connecticut. What's the problem?" she snapped.
"My problem, my dear , is that I'm in badly need for English speaking staff." The man told nonchalant.
Blair's mouth formed an "O", Chuck frowned and Eric got very serious.
"Do you honestly thing you can blackmailing us into carrying trays around for you for free?" Chuck asked.
"No, son. But I need two dancer, you know show dance, and the blonds over there on the floor right now would be fine waiters and you're guy over there", he pointed at Eric "you would make a good bartender."
"So this is an offer?" Chuck asked in his business tone. Blair eyed him carefully. 'So this is Chuck in his business pose. He seems to have learned a lot from Bart.' She thought to herself.
"Fifteen. For each of you. Twenty on the weekends. Work from Eight p.m. to one a.m." the man returned in a serious tone.
"Fifteen what?" Blair asked in disbelief.
"US Dollar, girl. What did you think? Watermelons?" The bartender asked and chuckled at his own joke.
Chuck leaned forward to whisper to Blair and Eric. "Guys, I know how this sounds BUT this is an extraordinary good offer for the living standard here." He whispered and nodded.
"But we aren't schooled dance shows." Blair said.
"You can take classes. My brother has a studio." The bartender returned.
When Serena and Nate came back to the table, Chuck and Blair told them about the offer.
Meanwhile on the plane.
"Bart, how do you plan to start this suicide mission?" Mr. Vanderbilt, Nate's grandfather asked.
"Well, we figure it out when we'll there." Bart answered.
The Bass Jet took of an hour ago. On board were Bart, his wife Lily, Anne and her father, Eleanor and even Harold had found his way to bring back the children.
"I still can't believe all of you." Harold admitted.
"Well, Harold. Since you prefer to run away every time when it gets serious you're not in the position to ask why Blair did the same, are you?" Eleanor hissed.
"Eleanor, I can't believe you. What kind of mother are you? Can't you at least pretend to be worried?" Harold asked in disbelief.
"Please let's not fight. It won't help." Anne tried to rationalize.
"Anne is right. This is going to be hard enough. At least, don't fight here already." Lily supported Anne's request.
Mr. Vanderbilt nodded and watched out of the small window. His daughter told him a long time ago that Nate wasn't Howard's son. A part of him were shocked that Anne had cheated on her husband. Another part was actually really relieved to be not related to the loser Archibald who got caught for fraud and embezzlement. Bart Bass was new money indeed. But what an amount of money that was! Even if Bart would have another ten bastards somewhere out there. All of them would have more money to spend ever in lifetime. Plus: Bart Bass was a good man. His reputation beside, Mr. Vanderbilt was always pleased to make deals with him. Bart Bass was a piece of work when it came to business but he was a fair player and a loyal business partner.
"So, Bart, Anne, what have you planned to tell Nate?" he asked in a stern tone. Before the Capitan's arrest a news like this would have been inacceptable and Anne Archibald would have paid a lot of money to hide this secret. But now, it was a good thing that Nate wasn't Howard's son somehow. At least in the twisted, pathetic way of thinking of old established UES royalty.
"This was fun! And we got jobs. Real jobs!" Serena bumped as they entered the house.
"Yippie. Let's open the champagne." Blair hissed sarcastically.
"Actually, there's really some wine in there." Chuck pointed at a kitchen cupboard.
Blair walked over to the cupboard and took it out. As she started to search for an opener, a paper sheet got her attention.
"Chuck Bass, you idiot!" She spat angrily.
"What? What did I do now, Waldorf? Is it the wrong wine?" Chuck returned annoyed.
"No, look at this! It's the bill the workers left here. Look at the address!" she commanded as she throw the paper on the kitchen table and the other four walked to it slowly.
Bass Ind.
Wall Street #78
New York
"Great. And if they send it the same day…" Nate started.
"…means the later arrived there yesterday." Eric finished.
"So, what? I don't think they even care." Serena said and everyone glared at here in disbelief. "Come on guys. We're the fallen children. They don't come and look for us."
"Like hell they will, van der Woodsen. You're really pretty naïve, Sis." Chuck spat out angrily.
"Well, we've exactly two options: Run or stay." Eric summarized.
"I've only one option. And I'm going to stay here. This is my mom's house and I've a very good fake ID." Chuck returned.
"I'm going to stay where Chuck stays." Blair said and Chuck gave her a sweet smirk.
"I'm staying too. There's nothing left for me at home. " Serena said.
"So, that's what I'm going to do, too." Nate added.
The NJBC eyed Eric. He stayed silent for quite a while.
"Well, I can't let you kids alone. Let's face it. You would starve and Serena would invest all money in donkeys. You NEED me." Eric said smiling.
"Oh my god, what is this place?" Eleanor hissed as they left the airport and stepped out on the street.
"It's called Cuba, dear." Harold teased and Eleanor glared at him.
"So, how's the strategy?" Mr. Vanderbilt asked.
Bart just opened his mouth to repeat as his cell rung. He took the phone out of his pocket and answered it. "Si?..." he continued to talk in Spanish. When he finished everyone looked at him.
"Well, looks like our children got their first job. But they are right now in Chuck's house." Bart sighed.
"Job?" Eleanor asked in disbelief.
"Chuck's house?" Mr. Vanderbilt asked confused in the same moment.
"Yes, Chuck's mother left it to him. She wanted him to have this place. And yes, jobs. From what I heard Chuck and Blair as dancer and the other three as waiters." Bart returned.
"GREAT, just great. Two weeks with Chuck Bass and there are pictures of my daughter in inappropriate poses in some cheap Mexican club and now she's a stripper? What's next? Girls go wild porn?" Eleanor yelled as she threw her arms in the air to make the sound of her words even more dramatic.
"Well, dear, if you didn't have made her run away in the first place, she wouldn't have done something like that." Harold answered.
"Don't you dare to call me that again! And you ran off in the first place and let her alone so…"
"STOP this discussion right now." Mr. Vanderbilt commanded. And both of them shut up immediately. It was clear who was the really authority person right now. Mr. Vanderbilt, Senator of Connecticut, heir of a 250 years old legacy, would not allow inappropriate behavior in his proximity. He spent his half life with fixing his family. When Anne called and told him about Nate's runaway he was surprised. The boy did such a good job playing the good son during the past year of shame for the Archibald's. But, in best family manner, he was about to fix this. Nate would come home with them, would do some internships in the mayor's office and with some family friends and walked the way fate, aka William Vanderbilt, planned for him. What with the other spoilt brats happened was none of his business, though he would like to see the Waldorf girl go back to normal. The relationship was good for Nate's image. But now, that he saw her parents fighting like low class exes he got second thoughts about that.
"So, the plan: We wait until early morning to slip in the house. When they wake up, we're going to take them by surprise and make them go home with us. If we're lucky, we can finish this business by eleven a.m. and can be back in the city by one p.m." Bart explained.
"This isn't business, Bart. It's our children you talk about." Lily returned in disbelief. How on earth could be someone so cold when it gets to his own child?
"You're right. Business is what happened in my company right now. The business I can't take care of since my selfish son decided to play rebellious teenager instead of being the son he should be." Bart hissed in return.
"Does really no one here see the point in all of this? That's exactly the reason they ran. Putting in the shape. They want a live of their own. Who can blame them?" Harold mentioned.
"I can. And since you put Blair in those shape as you called it as well, it's probably time to stop playing the innocent and take some blame, too." Eleanor replied.
"When did I ever do something like that?" Harold asked defensive.
"Hm, how about taking the girls to Yale at least once a year and making Blair wear the Yale shirt every day?" Lily asked and Harold's face fell.
"Or ringing the bell of our front door like a mad man and totally overreacting when you found Blair and Nate making out on her bed when they were fifteen?" Anne added with a small smile.
Harold nodded and looked down to the ground.
"But it's not time for the prep-talk right now." Eleanor said as she walked towards Harold side and put her hand to his elbow. "It's past midnight. Let's go get some sleep before getting our children back." Eleanor said sternly and nodded in the round. When everybody agreed, Bart gave a sign to the drivers of the two limos which were already waiting for them.
Back in the house.
"Chuck, do you sleep?" Blair whispered. Chuck laid behind her in bed, an arm around her waist.
"No." He answered in his husky voice.
"Are you afraid?" Blair asked voiceless.
"Are you?" Chuck returned. Not quite sure what she wanted to hear from him.
"Yes, I am." She admitted as the tears starting running down her cheeks.
"I don't let them."
"Let them what?"
"Take you away, or take me away, or take Serena away or take this away. They ruined our lives for long enough. We're about to build up a life of our own. And for what it's worth, I love you Blair and you already know we're inevitable. "
"I love you too, Chuck. No matter where I am, no matter what they do, I'll love you."
"Promise?" he whispered soft against her neck.
"I promise."
"What do you think will they do?" Nate asked Serena. She eyed his face carefully.
"Dunno. But I don't care. We're here, together and it'll stay that way." Serena said sternly.
"Well, I'm going to be eighteen in two weeks, Blair in five, you in two and a half months, Chuck in three months. But Eric is pretty young. Two years to go for him to be off age." Nate calculated loudly.
"Eric will stay." Serena enunciated as a statement and Nate nodded in return. He knew that this topic was not up for discussion.
6 a.m., same day.
"Bart, do you still think this is the best idea?" Harold asked concerned as one of Bart's caveman broke the lock of the gate at the inlay.
"Yes, I do." Bart returned and finished this discussion with it, all in once.
Ten minutes later, the six adults entered the house through the veranda door which Chuck forgot to close the night before.
"What now?" Eleanor asked.
"I suggest, we wait downstairs until they're up and coming down. I DON'T want to know what we could possibly interrupt there upstairs." Lily said and took a seat at the kitchen table. Bart sighed but Mr. Vanderbilt nodded and took place next to Lily. Eleanor started to sneak around and inspected the content of the kitchen cupboards. Harold leaned against the counter and starred up at the clock on the Wall. Anne took a seat next to her father. Bart stood in front of the kitchen glass wall and eyed the garden. The garden is beloved, dead wife loved so much.
8 a.m.
"Chuuuuuck, I'm thirsty." Blair moaned as she tried to wake her boyfriend up and make him bring her some water.
"No way, Waldorf. If you hadn't drunk like a fish last night you wouldn't be dehydrated right now. Go and get yourself something to drink. Consider it as punishment." Chuck mumbled in return.
"Well, thank you, lover." Blair hissed as she got up, took her silk robe from the vanity chair and put it on. She rubbed her eyes as she walked downstairs. Still exhausted and tired from last night's dancing as she spotted someone in the hallway. It could be true….
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Blair screamed like some ghost or serial killer were on his haunt after her.
Bart Bass, life size, in the hallway.
"Good morning to you too Miss Waldorf." He said with a smirk.
"Blair baby what happened?" Chuck yelled as he ran towards her in record time. When he spotted his father, his face fell completely. After the second of shock he frowned and his face became a scary mask affected by pure anger. Meanwhile the other adults were in the hallway too and some doors were opened above.
"Father, what the hell are you doing here? You're not welcome at this house anymore!" Chuck spat and Blair jerked a bit. Normally, Chuck didn't dare to give his father oppositions. But now hear him actually be un-respectful, even harsh to Bart really scared Blair.
"Do you realize who are you talking with?" Bart yelled back.
"You mean the guy who tried to put me in an institution after seventeen years in which he didn't give a f*ck about me?" Chuck yelled back. Louder than Blair had ever heard him.
"Chuck." Blair whispered as she turned to him and laid a hand on his chest to bring him back to reality. She knew he was out of his right mind right now.
"Can we talk about this like adults?" Harold asked.
Now it was Blair's turn to get angry. An anger that boiled in her for years was about to come up. Now she understand Chuck's little performance a minute ago. Meanwhile were Serena, Nate and Eric also on the stairwell and starred down at the scenario in front of them.
"And you!" Blair pointed at her father. "What do you think you're doing here?" she hissed. That was the moment, Chuck pulled her towards him and put his arms around her protectively.
"Excuse me?" Eleanor spat in return.
"Look, " finally Mr. Vanderbilt found it was his turn to try a new strategy. "we came here in peace, to talk. I suggest, every of you children give the parents that came for him or her thirty minutes of you time. After it, we'll see how we're going from there."
"I know what you about to try, grandfather. It won't work." Nate replied sternly. His grandfather eyed him carefully.
Chuck turned around to the three other kids above him, Blair still clenched at his chest. "Let's bring this to an end." he mentioned and nodded to them.
8. 15 a.m. , in the living room
Eric, Serena and Lily sat in the living room. Lily sat on the opposite couch, hands in her lap. Serena crossed her arms in front of her chest as she crossed her legs, leaned back against the couch and pouted a bit. Eric sat beside her, shoulders slumped, hands on his sides.
"So?" Serena demanded to know.
"What so, Serena? What do you expecting to hear from me right now?" Lily asked with a tiny touch of anger in her voice.
"I want to know why you're here." Serena returned.
"Well, you are my children and you ran away. I'd say you made your point, now we're going home and going back to normal again, I guess." Lily said firmly.
"No!" Serena screamed as she jumped up.
8.15 a.m., at the inlay
"Blair bear, what's the matter with you?" Harold asked concerned as he watched his angry looking daughter who crossed her arms over her chest protective.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Blair shouted at her parents.
"Watch it, young lady!" Eleanor yelled as she took a step closer to her daughter.
"Why? Do you want to slap me? Well, if that's what it takes to make you go away again, do it!" Blair spat at her father. Harold's face fell completely while Eleanor just shook her head.
"Blair, what's got into you?" Harold gave it one last try.
"Ask her!" she pointed at her mother, "ask her, what she was about to do before we went away?"
"Eleanor, what is she taking about?" Harold asked his ex-wife confused.
"Well," Eleanor took a deep breath "well, since you were distracted, Harold, it was a decision I had to made on my own."
"And what was that?"
"Blair got out of control, out of order, it was a reasonable decision. Boot camp."
"Out of order!!" Blair yelled as the tears started to run down her cheeks and she turned around to make a run to Chuck who was in the garden with Bart.
8.15 a.m., garden
Bart followed Chuck outside. Chuck stopped in front of the rosebush and clenched his fists on his sides, back to his father.
Bart put his fists in his suit pockets and sighed.
It took a moment before Chuck started to talk.
"Why?" he asked calm.
"Why, what Charles? And would you please be so kind and turn around to face me?"
"I can't face you, father. You disgust me."
"CHARLES BARTOHOLMEW BASS!" Bart yelled as Chuck turned around. Bart jerked some inches back as he saw Chuck hateful face, moisture in his eyes. It shut Bart up.
"So what do you want here, father? After seventeen years in which you always let me feel how much you blame me for Mom's death?" Chuck asked before his voice broke.
"Chuck." Bart said shocked. "I NEVER blamed you for your mother's death. Never. It was not your fault, neither hers." He nearly whispered and Chuck was surprised. Bart Bass doesn't do whispering. It was the moment Chuck Bass finally recognized that his father didn't blame him for the death of his mother but himself. Before Chuck could say something, Blair made a run to him. He broke the eye contact with his father to look at Blair. Her face was wet with tears, she looked more vulnerable than ever so he raised his arms to pull her close as soon as she got there. Bart looked at him confused but a second later, Blair laid in Chuck's arms. Heavily sobbing against his chest.
"What happened, angel?" Chuck mumbled against her hair.
8.15 a.m., hallway.
"Nate, you will come home with us." Anne commanded.
"No, mom, I don't." Nate shot back. Anne was confused. Her golden boy, the well behaved son who never gave opposition words finally shut her up.
"What exactly do you planning to do here, Nathaniel?" his grandfather asked.
"I don't know. I guess, we'll figure it out."
"No, no, you'll come back with us." Anne said as she stomped her foot to the floor like a five-year-old.
"I will not. I'm sick, I'm sick of living in father's shame shadow, of living up to your expectations. I will not do it anymore. I feel finally happy and you want take that away from me, mother. It's time for you to take things in your own hands. I won't do that anymore."
Don't forget to review AND give me your thoughts on it!
And don't forget this:
Three questions:
-Shall they stay in Cuba or going back to NY?
-If they stay in Cuba, Eric with them or without him?
-Shall they forgive their parents? And when yes, all of them or just S or B e.g. Give me your thoughts on it, please!