MONTH 4 CONT.
"This party is just getting…boring," Blair sniffed out as she glanced at the slew of people mingling about the ballroom, her foxy brown eyes glazed over with annoyance. "I thought this was supposed to be a soiree not a…"
"B! Thank god, I found you!" A frantic Serena called as she rushed up to the brunette's side, tearing her away from an envious Kati, "I think I may have dropped my phone into the toilet," she said as she dug into her clutch but was unable to produce the gold cased iPhone that Chuck had given to her a few days prior. "And I know Chuck's going to freak when he gets wind of the fact that I lost another phone but-"
"S, calm down," Blair instructed with that same razor sharp voice that used to (still does) scare the very living daylights out an incompetent worker bee, and one she does not hesitate to use in any given situation. Grasping Serena's golden clutch into her manicured hands, Blair gave the blonde goddess and once over before rolling her eyes, "how much juice did you drink? I can spot a sugar high a mile away, Serena."
The blonde blushed before tapping a long, slender finger to her lip, "I don't know…five, maybe? They had those little red cherries in them but they were all at the bottom of the glass so I had to keep drinking the entire thing to eat the cherry at the end."
"S."
"Yeah, B?"
"I think you're really tired and that sugar high is probably the only thing keeping you going right now," the former queen bee said, struggling to keep herself from laughing at the golden blonde's antics. She knew perfectly well that if Serena was actually thinking straight (and probably not so bored (like they all were) and suffering from an intense sugar high), she'd have seduced a waiter to get her an entire jarful of maraschino cherries. "Come on, let's see if Nate and Chuck have finished cigar sampling now," grasping the blonde's elbow, Blair managed to tow the bouncy blue eyed debutante threw a parade of slightly drunk Upper East Siders, but she still couldn't detect sandy blonde hair nor icy mocha eyes anywhere.
She lurched forward slightly when Serena managed to untangle her elbow from Blair's grip and grasp another sparkling apple juice cocktail, "wait a sec, B, I just need to-"
"Oh, no," the full lipped brunette insisted, grasping the flute away from the blonde's hands, "you are not drinking another one of these, do you hear me Se-"
The blonde pouted, "c'mon, B, what else am I supposed to do? I can't drink, the party's boring, Chuck's being all Chuck-"
"So you're going to drown yourself in liquified sugar?!" Blair screeched as she eyed glass she was holding with distaste, before holding out an arm to keep Serena away. Deep down she knew that Serena's constant indulgences would do nothing for her figure (something Blair was internally jealous of) but she could at least pretend Serena was human and not a goddess for one night, right? Stepping a few feet from the blonde, Blair eyed a cocktail waiter only a few feet away and began to edge towards the mustached, penguin clad server.
The UES golden girl, however, seemed to have other plans. With the expertise of a ballerina (and one sincerely bored out of her mind), Serena managed to clasp Blair's wrist and lunge forward, "B, just let me have the cherry at the bottom-"
"Not a chance in hell, Serena! This thing was probably made by blue collar workers who don't even work with properly imported Les Bon hand sanitizer," Serena opened her mouth to inform Blair that juice factories probably couldn't afford pricey French scented hand soaps but the brunette was off on a tangent now, "and there are probably numerous other things they could've dropped in like an old ladies hair net or some man's dentures-"
"B, are we talking about a juice factory here or an elderly person's home?"
The Queen Bee rolled her eyes, "doesn't matter, S, the point is that if the ingredients aren't in French and you can't taste the ancient smokiness-"
"You mean super stale-"
"-exquisite taste then you-"
"Blair, what are you doing?" The slightly confused, absolutely endearing voice of Nate Archibald inquired as he stared down at his immaculately dressed girlfriend, one arm outstretched to keep a pouting blonde at bay and the other dangling a glass of sparkling apple juice in the other. It was certainly a sight to behold and Nate was soaking up every minute of the oddity, mirth dancing in his moss green eyes. "Chuck went to order a few dozen of those cigars and I just decided to jump ship and see the two most beautiful ladies in all of the UES." He gave Blair a kiss on the cheek as he said so, allowing Serena to snag the flute away from the brunette's hand and twirl unto the midst of the dance floor.
Rolling her eyes, Blair gave a nod towards the blonde who was now eagerly drinking up the concoction. "She's on a major sugar high here, Natie, probably worse than when we were kids because she can't even touch a drop of alcohol," leaning in closer to the lacrosse player's ear, Blair's perfectly plucked eyebrows formed a frown as she scanned the crowd of a certain cabbage patch. "And did you and Chuck get rid of Brooklyn yet? I can't keep Serena by the east bay much longer considering that that's the bar that's serving all those stupid juice drinks."
The tan skinned athlete merely jerked his chin by the scotch serving west bar, "Chuck's…well, I don't really know what's going on there but we Chuck doesn't want Serena to even know Dan's in town. He's got it in his head that he wants to wipe him from the face of the earth and that Serena shouldn't ever know because, well…"
"She'd forgive him in a heartbeat," Blair finished, nodding her head at Chuck's logic. "Chuck's a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them." Turning, she gave a glance at the ebullient UES princess and shook her head, "it's wrong to do it, but it's what's best. If it were up to Serena, we wouldn't even have a death penalty in this country - and there's no way in hell Dan Humphrey is getting off so easy."
Nate frowned, "but don't you think Serena can take care of it herself? I mean, this guy did destroy her entire family practically and I doubt even S is going to allow-"
"Trust me Natie," Blair said as she gave a breathtaking kiss to her boyfriend, leaving him slightly stunned and without argument, "destroying Dan Humphrey is a game that's long overdue to be dusted off and played."
Whirling about the glittering golden ballroom, Serena honestly couldn't help but feel that for once in her life, everything might just be…okay. Of course there were kinks with her and Chuck (and not the ones that Chuck enjoyed in the bedroom) but they were things that were so couple-y and expected that the blonde couldn't help but inwardly chuckle every time she and the Bass head argued over where to go out for dinner or if Chuck was working too late. She'd never admit it, but it felt nice to be needed and Chuck would breath a word aloud that he'd never felt so accepted around Serena, to have another person genuinely care about him the way she did. Shaking her head from those thoughts, Serena continued to lazily swirl about the ballroom, long having left Blair and Nate to their make out session and was in turn, looking for her own prince to kiss.
"Dancing the night away, Cinderella?" A deep, rich baritone inquired into Serena's ear, his hand wrapping about her waist, preventing her from spinning away and the warmth of his arms and body radiated with a familiarity Serena knew instinctively.
Turning around, Serena gave a deep kiss to the Bass businessman before her, allowing him to slip his tongue in her sweet mouth before her own tongue began the ever-changing dance of dominance. She giggled with he dipped her slightly, causing her arms to grip his neck and shoulders tighter, as she straightened when he began to nip at her jawline and neck, another bubble of laughter escaping her lips.
"If you make me smell like some South American cigar after this, there'll be hell to pay, Bass."
A chuckle was his response as he continue to strew kisses about her as his hands roamed her lithe body, "what kind of father-to-be do you think I am?" He inquired, his right hand gently resting on Serena's flat stomach, "my child will only inhale the smoke of a genuine Cuban cigar - nothing less." He said, his voice coated in a mock seriousness that had the blonde before him swatting away his hands in playfulness.
"Oh please Chuck, if he's anything like you then we both know you're going to have to change the combination to your liquor cabinet."
Chuck smirked, "not a chance in hell, blondie," he murmured as he continued to press the lithe golden girl closer to himself.
Serena pouted, "why not?" She demanded, trying to look more stern but failed when he pressed a kiss right to her collarbone, eliciting a giggle from her perfectly glossed lips.
Leaning over, she tried to maneuver from his arms but warm mocha eyes met her own sparkling blue instead, mirth shining in them. "Because we both know that's your way of trying to get me to relinquish my hold of one the most priceless," Chuck exaggerated in mock formalness while the vision before him merely rolled her eyes, "wine collections in the east coast-"
"Chuck you talk like a boring old man." Serena cut in, knowing full well just what the business tycoon would do as soon as those worlds left her lips.
His eyes gleamed with challenge at Serena's correct deduction. "And I suppose an old man could've easily gone all four rounds last night…and the night before…and-" Chuck's hand slipped from her back right down to her perfectly shaped ass before giving it a squeeze, pulling her in closer to him as a soft gasp escaped her lips as his other hand easily began to reach for her zipper, "make you scream loud enough for even the doorman to hear."
"Chuck, stop!" Serena said heatedly as her own eyes became hazy with want, she knew the were both still in the middle of the ballroom and if she didn't do something, her dress would be off in a matter of seconds. "There's people watching," she tried again as Chuck's hand refused to stop lowering.
"Always did want to try something kinky," the Bass head snickered as he saw Serena's blue eyes light with affection and annoyance.
"You are so-"
"Serena?"
The blonde slowly whirled around, Chuck's arm still wrapped tightly around her waist as she came to face the voice that addressed her. The dark haired capitalist's eyes merely narrowed into unreadable slits as he glared at the person before them as if they were less than dirt. Confusion was the only emotion evident in the van der Woodsen's voice as her own blue eyes sparkled with the beginnings of distaste-
"Carter?"
"Get out of this room now," Chuck Bass hissed to the original party boy as he kept his grip tight about his pregnant girlfriend, who was still in shock. Sneering down at the reckless playboy, Chuck merely gave a cold smirk, "after all, wasn't that ticket I gave you a one way ticket? I'm sure that whatever labor camp you're in needs all the filth it can gather to dig those trenches in…Tanzania, was it?" After seeing the tightening of Carter's lips, the Bass executive mocking grin, "but I suppose that even a low bred illiterate could see you as the pathetic worm you are - foolish of me to believe you'd ever be thought of as anything more by anyone - even the incompetent fields man."
The newly instated Baizen heir glared with an coolness icy enough to freeze a falling star but it had little affect on the ruthless businessman before him.
"Carter what are you doing back?" A softer voice cut in, though not quite laced with as much venom as her other half's, Serena van der Woodsen's voice was far from being the tranquil lull he had known it to be so long ago.
Giving a longing stare back at the blonde haired beauty, the dark haired rake merely gave a weak smile. "Good to see you Serena," he tried, soaking in the radiance of the goddess before him.
She (and the statue of a man beside her) seemed to have little patience for the pregnant blonde merely raised a brow. "There's no one here to scam, Carter," she snapped, gesturing around the ballroom. "Everyone here knows who you are and even if they don't, I'm pretty sure they can smell the ten different women hanging off your shirt."
"I need to talk to you-"
"You won't be talking to anyone-" was the icy cut in he got from Chuck but he could tell that his weak demeanor was starting to arouse Serena's soft side.
"Serena, please," he tried again, willingly reducing himself to a cowardly beggar if it meant he could be alone with her for a few moments before she arrived. "I need to tell you something before anything else happens."
This irritated the fair haired Venus, "and what you can say you can say in front of Chuck," she threw in, her own eyes narrowing as Chuck placed a protective hand atop Serena's stomach - asserting his dominance over the scene.
A nervous frown suddenly appeared on the usually cool and collected Carter Baizen but before he had a chance to open his mouth, a vibration of his phone was enough to cause him to cast a longing glance at Serena before eyeing the west doorway with contempt and…shame?
"I have to go, Serena but if you'll meet me in front of Sabarsky tomorrow at around noon then-"
"She won't be meeting you anywhere, Baizen because as far as I'm concerned," Chuck hissed, his eyes dark with an undelivered promise, "you have minimal authority here. And most likely, you'll have even less than the scraps you possess when I have you on a plane with a permanent ticket to Chad."
Just as Chuck was about to grasp Serena's elbow, the blonde turned, eyeing the dejected womanizer one last time. "I'm giving you one chance, Carter,"
"Serena-" the Bass dealer began but was silenced when the blonde easily cut him off.
"And you'd do well to not waste it." The ending of her sentence was done in such a Bass-like fashion that the immaculately dressed tycoon couldn't help but be impressed, a faint smirk upon his lips as he saw the weakling nod quickly before vanish into the sea of socialites.
Turning to face Serena (and guide her to the doorway) he allowed the growing smile to emerge on his face. "When did you learn to do ambiguous threats, van der Woodsen?" He asked teasingly, "wasn't it always me and Queen B who had to handle the underhanded dealings while you were ah, occupied with the bathroom and last night's liquor?"
The blonde playfully slapped Chuck on the shoulder, an easy smile appearing on her flawless face. "Guess I picked up some of your unfortunate Bass traits-"
"I think you mean phenomenal-"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, King Chuckie or I'll terrify you to death with my cravings again."
"…I'll make a Bass out of yet."
His only respond was her light hearted laughter; unbeknownst to them however, a pair of dark eyes lingered on the smiling blonde and arrogant corporate man but the er, burly associates that Chuck had kindly dislodged from Bass Security Detail had prevented him from so much as moving a muscle - except from going south and heading towards the door. Dan Humphrey's entire countenance colored in annoyance as he found he couldn't spy Carter Baizen anywhere, and by the time his useless sweep had finished, the vivid orchid gown and dapper black suit with the velvet bow tie had gone.
"Damn it," the dark haired former author hissed under his breath as he slammed down another glass of whiskey. "Fucking Bass-"
"You know boy, I was the champion thrower back at West Point before I went to Iraq," the dark skinned black suit clad agent called out randomly, his sunglasses obscuring his eyes.
"Don't say, Joe," the other guard responded, his brown hair slicked back while an ear communicator was visible to Dan from his seat in between the two chaperons (as Chuck had humorously called them), "I was named best shot in Afghanistan. And so was my father. And my grandfather. Who fought as a decorated hero in WWII and killed about fifty Nazis."
"Really, Ryan?"
"Oh, yes. We Johnson's are trained to respect one's superior and eliminate those who do not."
"Wise code."
"Indeed."
Dan Humphrey left three point two minutes afterward, but not without a mental note to visit his dear brother-in-law, Carter.
"Wake up, Miss Serena!" Luna-Belle, the permanent Bass housekeeper, announced cheerfully as she threw open the heavy satin blinds to the Master Suite.
The golden blonde merely turned onto her stomach, grasped her pillow and threw it over her head, all the while muttering a "gimme five more minutes, Luna…" and promptly nodding off.
A chuckle left the red haired Irish cleaner as she clucked her tongue, placing a glass of seltzer water with lemon on the nightstand before moving to get out Serena's robe. "But you must, Miss Serena. Mr. Chuck has already gone to eat breakfast and you two have appointment today to check on baby!"
"Tell Chuck to reschedule - we both know his mistress is his phone, Luna-Belle."
"Actually I prefer to any woman I sleep with to be tanned, blonde, and just a bit of a bed hog," came a clear, deep, blue blooded male voice. Immediately, the redhead dropped into a small curtsey while the blonde behind her merely rolled over, the pillow still atop her face as she did so. She heard him chuckle before walking closer (Luna-Belle had already begun to edge out of the room), "exhausted?" He taunted, the teasing lilt never disappearing from his voice.
"You screwed me on the piano," was Serena's response, "and you don't even play the piano!"
"Oh, I think I played both you and the piano very nicely last night-"
"I have imprints the size of music keys on my ass!" Was her only reply which merely elicited another chuckle from the Bass head, only this time it was slightly louder and bordered on a genuine laugh of amusement. Throwing the pillow off her face, Serena couldn't wipe away her smile of triumph of getting him to actually laugh; sitting up in bed, she allowed the sheets around her body (Luna-Belle was gone by this point) to fall down unto the bed. "You really should consider yourself lucky that I actually want to get out of bed today - on another given morning, you'd never get me out of it, Bass."
The brunette raised a brow, "is that a challenge I hear, princess?"
"Nope, just stating facts!" Standing up, the blue eyed vixen turned to walk towards her closet, hands running through her golden mane as Chuck followed behind, his fingertips ghosting over her skin causing her to wince with anticipation. "Don't even think about it, Bass," she warned, doing her very best to sound firm as she threw a pair of jeans and a light, oversized white sweater onto the bed, "I don't want to miss this appoint-mmh!" Her sentence wasn't even halfway out of her mouth before his lips pressed against hers and she couldn't help but smile, her eyes sparkling with love.
There was something about these mornings - where he was teasing and playful - and where they didn't have sex but that was okay because these little conversations, these playful little talks of nothingness meant more to the both of them than most anything. Perhaps it was naive to hope that everything could last like this, Serena thought mentally as another slip of laughter escaped her lips at something Chuck said, but her heart clung unto the belief that if you just willed yourself into something strong enough, then perhaps it would stay. And perhaps it was because of paranoia, or because she'd really been spending too much time with Chuck - they did live/sleep/eat/ec. together 24/7 - but there was an odd sinking feeling that something else was shifting out of place.
Hey there UES, I've been gone for a few days but now I'm back with news as talk worthy as it always is. It seems that our Queen S and King C just can't seem to keep things secret for long and who would want that anyway? It seems only fitting that I announce the arrival of the new UES prince because King C is finally getting an heir. Cheers to the happy couple! And much luck - you'll need it because guess who I spy with my little eye has come back to town? Looks like Little J isn't so little anymore and it seems that along with her new do and attitude, she's acquired a very fine piece of man candy: has the original C missed our Queen S so much he's gone to the knockoffs?
This is a reunion that no one's going to want to miss, and I'll be there documenting every moment of it for you.
XOXO,
Gossip Girl
Author's Note: ooh, seems things are heating up! Sorry for the delayed chapter but I kept putting this off because of procrastination...typical...hehe
For those of you who wanted to see Chuck and Serena's reaction to the baby, don't worry - it'll be done next chapter in a bit of a flashback mode (you'll see why when I post up the next chapter!) I also hope that my portrayal of Blair was on the money, she's such a calculating little bitch that I love and I want to make sure I get our Queen B right!
Next chapter: we'll get to see Carter's girlfriend/wife, will definitely feature Dan more, we'll be having some intense flashback scenes, and Chuck's plan will be put in motion! We'll also having some more Blair/Nate in there for some fluff and cuteness!
Send me a review to tell me what you think! (Seriously, review box is right there :))
x,
Gina