MONTH 6 (CONT.)
"I'm so sick and tired of hearing all this crap about her not being here and you not being able to give me answers!" Dan Humphrey yells into his brand new iPhone 5s, the spittle from his angry shouts staining the perfect black granite surface of his desk. "You either get me someone who can tell me this information or I'll have you freaking deported to fucking Chad where you'll never even see a car again, let alone your lawyer!"
"I'm sorry, sir," the controlled male voice from the other end says stiffly, "but Miss Sparks's personal information cannot be given out to anyone at this time. Please call again later - "
"Later?" Dan hisses into the phone, propping his feet up as he leans back in his black leather recliner, a snarl on his gaunt face, "do you know the hell that I'm currently in trying to find this bi - woman? I've spent months trying to trace her down because we have quite a lot of things to discuss and - "
"Sir, I'm very sorry but there's someone on the other line, so if you could please hold - "
"Hold? Hold?" Dan more or less screeches into the phone, "I'll tell you what I'm going to mother fucking do! I'm going to call your boss up right now and inform him of how unreasonable and unapproachable and utterly stupid his employees are and when you find yourself unemployed and homeless, sitting on the streets of Brooklyn wondering how you lost your cushy little life, remember me!" Dan roars, "remember me - Daniel Humphrey - and how you fucking refused to help me with such a mundane task and that fault, my dear boy, that fault is what brought you this misfortune! So now you will have the good sense to listen to what I say because I - hello? Hello? Hell - oh, you didn't!" Dan says, completely appalled at the call boy's impudence, lifting his phone from his ear to look at the blank screen. "How dare you hang up on me!" The brown haired former Brooklyn resident hissed, slamming the piece of technology atop his desk before standing up and clasping his hands behind his back.
Rising, Dan made his way to the glass windows of his high rise penthouse complex, observing the sunset with a disgruntled expression. The Upper East Side sure did offer a better view than that damp hellhole he'd previously lived in but did that thought give him any comfort?
No.
I'll find you Georgina fucking Sparks, he vowed, even if I have to destroy myself to do so, I will find you and I will end you.
No one else, Dan promised, no one else would ever discover what he and his father had fought so hard to keep hidden - no one could ever read the last will of William van der Woodsen.
No one.
They'd worked too hard to hide those documents - endless hours at the office and a damned week of bartering with the devil himself.
Jack Bass always got paid and Dan was afraid to know what would happen if he happened to be the poor sap who just couldn't deliver.
The den was quiet when Blair picked her way through the front foyer; the dark blue dress she wore was ripped at the hem and someone had spilled champagne on her left sleeve during the apex of the party. Usually, Blair would have their head for even daring to come within a five foot radius of her personally made Zac Posen gown but at the moment, she was exhausted and all she wanted was her Nate.
Chicago had been brutal - even more so since she'd left after a fierce argument with her green eyed prince - and she hadn't been able to focus near as well as she could have. Grinding her teeth together, Blair wanted to throw her clutch against a wall when she saw that no lights were on in the penthouse.
Please don't tell me Nate decided to be all 'chivalrous' again and give the maids the weekend off…Blair internally groaned as she stomped her way down the stairs and across to the hall, where the master bedroom suite door was closed and the air was still. Without even thinking twice, Blair pushed open the door to see that there was a faint glow coming from within the walk in closet; she smiled. Nate was probably hitting up again - though she had told him repeatedly not to do it indoors - but at this point, the weariness was overwhelming and even a high Nate was better than no Nate at all.
"Nate?" Blair called, kicking off her Louboutin heels as she made her way closer, "you better not be getting leaves and shit all over my shoes again - or your Tom Ford's! Do you know how hard it was to scrub off that pot scent from the dark blue evening wear? I nearly died when I saw that - "
"Oh, shut up will you, B?" Georgina Sparks demanded as Blair pushed open the closet door. The heavily pregnant socialite gave her a devious smirk, "really hope you don't mind me borrowing a few things here."
Blair fainted.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Are the first words that leave Chuck Bass's lips the moment Eric van der Woodsen walks through the front door. His eyes narrow when he sees the younger male shift uncomfortably from foot to foot, as if searching for something - or in this case, someone. "How did you get in here?"
Eric gives a nonchalant shrug as his eyes continue to skim across the large den. "I never threw away the key." Was his response, holding up the gilded brass object that Chuck wanted to - more than anything - throw out the window (along with the man who was holding it). "And you can stop looking at me like I'm the scum of the earth, Chuck, I'm just here to help."
Chuck snarls. It's not that he has a personal vendetta against Eric personally, on the contrary, he rather liked the quieter van der Woodsen boy who seemed to live more inside his head than in the physical world. But after the scandal with Lily and the Humphrey's, Eric had just up and left the UES without a single goodbye spoken to anyone - namely, his exuberant older sister who was in the middle of having a breakdown. In any other case, Chuck would have applauded the younger man's ability to steal away in the night without having to face the repercussions of what had just occurred but when it came to Serena (and here Chuck gave a small smirk), all reason and selfishness seemed to evaporate into thin air.
How could this man before her, standing as Serena's brother no less, simply waltz back into their lives after leaving when his sister needed him the most? How can he expect anything but the frigid welcome Chuck had just gave to him? Did he truly expect forgiveness? From Serena, she may very well give it, but from Chuck? There was a better chance for Eric van der Woodsen to be nominated for Senatorial candidate than to be granted the Bass executive's forgiveness as easily as that.
Narrowing his eyes, the dark haired scion turned over to his liquor cabinet, his cold Bass facade in perfect place. "I'm guessing you just came up from Brooklyn - with your filthy shoes and whatnot," Chuck says as he pours a glass of scotch for himself. "Drink?" He offers, but there is no warmth in the question - simply a further mocking attempt to provoke an explanation from the young van der Woodsen.
"I'm not here to argue with you, Chuck." Eric says again, his voice platonic and not giving away any trace of emotion. "I know Jenny Humphrey's in town and I know for a fact that Dan Humphrey won't be too far behind."
Chuck freezes, his entire body tense before he took another sip of scotch - being drunk and dealing with Eric was a far easier thing to do than to be rational and hear the younger man's blabbering. "And how did you learn this?" He inquired lightly, voice not even hinting at the deep aggravation that was bubbling within him.
"Don't play stupid, Chuck. You know how. After all, you're the one who sic-ed Georgina Sparks to Chicago to find me."
A cold smirk forms on Chuck's face. "So you're really not as stupid as you pretend to be." He remarks casually, walking over to one of the dark brown leather recliner's Serena had picked out and seated himself down, ankle crossed over knee and surveying the room like a king would his subjects. Or subject in this case. "Did you happen to run into Blair while you were there?" Chuck adds, "she flits her time between New York and Illinois now…shame really, Nathaniel has no idea what's going on."
The calm expression on Eric's face darkens, his eyes turn hard and his lips are pressed in a thin line. "Don't change the subject, Bass. If you care about my sister as much as I think you do, then you'll help me get the man who ruined our family."
Chuck raises a brow. "It's true that I care about your sister but as far as I'm concerned, she seems perfectly content with the way things are now." It's a total bluff and lie, but he needs to know what cards Eric is holding - he can't be sprung up like this again because Chuck Bass is always two steps ahead but judging from what had just transpired, something had shifted.
The pale faced young man runs a hand through his hair, weariness overtaking his lean form and his limbs look far too heavy for his body to uphold. "Chuck I know you want to bring down Dan Humphrey more than anyone else and I know for a fact that you hate Carter Baizen too."
"And what does boy playing wealthy host have to do with a poverty stricken rat?"
"They're working together Chuck," Eric says and he sees as Chuck's face registers genuine surprise for the first time. "Carter wants Serena and Dan wants safety - he knows that if Georgina's parents hunt him down and find out that he's the father to her child as a fact, then he'll be risking everything. The Sparks have a powerful legal empire and they won't be afraid to throw their weight around - there's no way in hell they'll be allowing their only daughter to have some criminally charged man's child. Dan's desperate and so is Carter."
Chuck's expression turns to stone. He's trying to hold back the anger that's rising in him but he can't; his fists clench and the glass tumbler falls down to the floor from Chuck's sudden movement. He feels like a fool - how did he not see it earlier? Baizen suddenly turning up into town wasn't a coincidence, his constant flittering about with Serena had to have more purpose than just a 'friendly catch up'…how did he, Chuck Bass, the man who pulled the strings, suddenly become a puppet? A puppet controlled by Carter Baizen and Dan Humphrey no less…he should have seen it coming. He should have -
"How did you figure this out?" Chuck demands when he realizes that Eric is still standing before him. His gaze is unrelenting and Eric shifts back and forth, knowing the answer that he's about to give with have Chuck hitting the roof.
"Georgina told me. We…spent some time in New York."
Chuck quirks a brow, obviously not pleased with what was said but gestured for him to continue on.
"And…we kept in touch. Even after, well, everything. And…"
"For gods sake, spit it out!" The mocha eyed billionaire hisses, finally losing his temper.
"The baby's mine."
And for once, the Bass heir is speechless…
A/N: okie dokes, so I've left you with a little bit of a cliffhanger...hehe...and yes I know: there's no Chuck/Serena here but I needed to get the ball moving with the plot so...
Along with that, Eric and Georgina are having a baby! Looks like Chuck and Serena aren't the only ones who were busy...sound off in the reviews what you want the baby's gender to be!