MONTH 4
Apparently Carter Baizen coming into town wasn't really a cause for too much excitement because he hadn't shown his face around the UES since setting foot at The Empire. Chuck tells himself that the only reason he's even thinking of the worm is because he's wondering how he even managed to get out of prison but the softer side of him, the side that he reveals to Serena more times than he'd like to admit, is secretly worried about the dashing juvenile swooping in and taking his blonde princess away. (He should know by now that Serena is sick and tired of being the princess - that's Blair's job and will always be her position in life).
Serena's in her fourth month of pregnancy now and though she tries to hide it, Chuck can tell she's longing to see her mother again. He silently curses how Lily van der Woodsen chooses now to put those brain cells she's tucked away in the back of her head to actual use and disappear off the face of the earth. Serena warns him to not bother with it - tells him to not look for her because she says, rather boldly,
"I don't need her. She left me with nothing Chuck, if it hadn't been for you I would've…I don't need her. And I don't want to see her because she doesn't deserve to swoop in when she thinks everything's all fine and dandy and that she'll have a grandchild soon. So please," (here she uses those beautiful blue eyes and Chuck nearly gives in. Nearly), "don't look for her." (If Serena hadn't cried herself to sleep for the past three days, Chuck would've complied to her wishes.)
He doesn't mention that he's looking for Lily with as much focus as he is with his stock portfolios; he ropes Blair into helping him as well because if there's anyone who can dig out a person who doesn't want to be found, it's Queen B. However, Chuck mentally growls now as he sits at some damned charity gala, he wants nothing more than to stomp down on the insignificant worm who dared to show his face: Dan Humphrey. Giving a quick glance down at Serena, he sees that she's far too engaged in a conversation with Blair to notice the cabbage patch and he's going to ensure that it remains that way for the rest of the night.
"Nate," Chuck says smoothly as he motions for the glazed eye lacrosse player to come forward, "I do believe they're serving Cuban cigars near the bar. My brand."
Nate's eyebrows furrow. "Cuban cigars? Chuck you know I-"
"They're the finest quality but they were almost run out a few months ago because the suppliers scammed quite a few people in the process of making them." Chuck enunciates perfectly and thanks whatever spirits out there that Nate is actually sober and can think somewhat coherently.
Catching onto Chuck's forced pronunciation, Nate's green eyes skim to the bar before spying Humphrey, causing the warm moss green to steel into a dark emerald. Turning back to the Bass president, he gives a firm nod. "Right, right," the sandy blond nods as he gives Blair a kiss on the cheek, causing the brunette to snap out of her conversation with Serena. "We're just going to head over to the bar. Chuck wants to go cigar sampling."
Blair's fox eyes immediately slide from Nate's face over to the mahogany wooden bar where she spies Dan; quicker than either two men could've predicted, Blair grabs Serena's arm and offers a forced laugh. "C'mon S, I don't want to be around these two when they smell like a burning fireplace. Let's go see if Isabel's nose job is actually as botched as Gossip Girl said it was."
"When does the bitch ever lie?" Serena asks sarcastically as she begins to follow Blair away, unaware of the strange turn of events. Just before the two are out of Chuck's line of sight, he sees a swirl of golden blonde hair and suddenly Serena's right in front of his face again.
"Serena, what-"
"Forgot to give you this," she murmurs quietly and suddenly Chuck finds her warm, apple spice lips upon his own again and quickly snaps out of his stupor. He kisses her fiercely whilst grabbing unto her narrow waist and pulling her in before slowly cupping her cheek, tilting her head back.
"Thank you," he says, his voice taking on a low, lilting quality now as he nips at her neck causing a giggle to escape those soft pink lips. "You better go to Blair though, she looks ready to rip my head off."
The blonde wrinkles her perfect nose and rolls her eyes as she gives a glance back at a steaming Blair. "Eh, she'll get over it." She plants another quick kiss on Chuck's cheek before disappearing into the crowd, though Chuck laughs at her attempts to blend. Anyone with eyes can still spy the tall, beautiful blonde dressed in lavender sashaying to a rather disgruntled Isabel; when he's sure Serena is throughly occupied with Blair's group of cronies, he turns to a slightly confused Nate.
"Chuck, not that I'm doubting another one of your ingenious plans," he bites out sarcastically causing the Bass tycoon to smirk, "but shouldn't Serena know that the guy who single handedly stole away her fortune is back in town?"
At those words, the stoic businessman's hand twitches in an attempt to force himself to not storm over to the bar and beat the rag-a-muffin senseless and takes a deep breath. "Nathaniel, you and I both know that Serena has an incessant need to somehow forgive those who don't deserve to be forgiven…in the case of peasants who should be eradicated from existence, she extrapolates on my patience to believe that I would even consider allowing him to live."
Nate blinks at the venom in Chuck's tone of voice as well as the icy, improbable way in which he said it before giving another glance over at Dan. "So what are you going to do?" The golden boy of New York inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity. "Are you just going to hide this all from Serena?" The businessman gives an affirmative nod which only shakes the Archibald heir further. "But, Chuck, she's going to find out eventually! You can't keep something this big hidden in the dark for long."
Mocha eyes lock with moss green ones and even Nate has to suppress an inward shudder of fear as he looks into those dark eyes, the same ones that could promise ruin almost as easily as they could undying love. Giving a cold smile, Chuck raises a glass of scotch towards the Humphrey boy, "oh, believe me, Nathaniel," the dark haired man smirks, "if there was one thing the old man taught me before he began his rotting in hell was how to keep a poker face on - in any and every situation."
Daniel Humphrey gave a sigh as he continued to hover by his niche near the bar, signaling for the female bartender to keep his glass of whiskey filled. He was beginning to understand why so many males spent their time cooped up with alcohol in their system; giving a glance towards the gilded ballroom and Dan could practically smell the sophisticated and haughty money burning up his nostrils. From his corner he could see a few of his old St. Jude's classmates (not that they'd ever acknowledge him as such) but he dared not approach them; he knew from the moment Serena van der Woodsen had gone into Chuck Bass's arms that his name would be slandered beyond salvation. Giving a sneer at the girl he once thought he'd loved, Dan couldn't help but allow an outward showing of disgust; that spoiled little society girl with her blonde locks and ocean blue eyes thinks that just because she's a van der Woodsen she can play his heart for fun? A streak of malicious triumph filled the Humphrey boy's system as he imagined the devastation the two van der bitches must have felt when they realized that his father, his 'poor', 'stupid', lower class father had stolen away every penny of the grand van der Woodsen fortune.
Dan hadn't wanted it to be that way (not really), the dark haired boy shook his head mournfully, he'd wanted to marry Serena, have the two build up a life together and have children. He'd wanted her to take his name because he knew he was good for her; he could be the rational, calm, and mysterious writer husband while she was the devoted blonde housewife. And once a decade passed and he figured Serena was beginning to lose her looks, he could easily have a few mistresses around and she would never know for despite her normal intelligence, Serena wasn't bright and Dan was all the more willing to play on it. A sneer crossed his lips as he remembered how the stupid whore had rejected his proposal! His! The man who had reformed her and saved her from a life of bored opulence and selfishness! He was all the more willing to carry and execute his father's plan and take all the van der Woodsen harem girl's were worth; as his faded brown eyes peered along the room again, he made out the form of Nate Archibald, tanned, strikingly handsome, and enjoying a conversation with none other than Charles Bartholomew Bass.
Fucking dick, Dan thought bitterly as he downed another glass of whiskey, inherited daddy's empire and now runs around trying to be a businessman, ha! Dumb airhead probably doesn't even know what a stock is, Dan figured smugly as slammed the glass down. Just as he was about to approach the Bass head, he saw a flurry of violet chiffon and golden hair and his eyes widened: for, around Chuck Bass was Serena van der Woodsen and she had just kissed him. Full on the mouth. Dan began to march over to where the van der Woodsen and Bass stood intertwined as one with only a single thought running through his head: what the fucking hell?
Author's Note: Or, rather, Author's Question: should Chuck and Serena's child be a boy or a girl?
Up next: Chuck and Serena find out the gender of the baby; Dan interferes; Carter is thrown in and his mystery girlfriend is acknowledged! Will also feature Blair and Nate more.