A/N: You all are such faithful, wonderful reviewers. I am so terribly sorry I took almost a month to deliver this final chapter. I hope at least some of you will take pity on me and still read and review. *gulp* Thanks and enjoy. =)

…

Ch.7—Looking Glass

Blair and Chuck were lost in each other on the dance floor, and Eric had wandered off to the bathroom. Serena, Nate and Dan were somewhere about, she was sure, but everybody looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. However, she'd seen Blair's wary glances earlier on. Georgina was going to be disposed of. She had to act quickly.

"Georgina!" she called out to her, hastily before anyone could really take notice. The auburn vixen turned around smoothly and plastered a thick winning smile on her lips. Jenny tried her best not to look nervous. After the havoc Georgina had caused in almost keeping her father and Lily from finally getting married, uncertainty was clawing at her.

"Jenny," she responded coolly. "What can I do for you? Lovely wedding by the way," she gestured around the room at the colorful designs and happy couples swaying to the music. Jenny nodded curtly and forced a smile.

"Can we go…talk somewhere in private?" she asked, her face looking a little desperate. Georgina's eyebrows rose in amusement and she followed the blonde out into an adjoining room.

"What is it?" Georgina asked, leaning her slim figure against the doorframe of the dimly lit room. Jenny wiped her hands against her dress, demanding them not to dampen all over again and she cleared her throat, mentally commanding herself to take control of the situation.

"What you did today is inexcusable, Georgina." The auburn color of Georgina's hair shimmered just a bit as her eyes blinked amusedly at Jenny Humphrey, especially when the blonde did not continue with her little 'lecture'.

"I'm guessing there's something you want from me?" she offered up with a gesture of her hand. Jenny told herself she shouldn't have been surprised by Georgina's sharp skills in putting two and two together, but it still came as somewhat of a shock. "And you don't want anyone to know about it either," she shrugged nonchalantly. Jenny's barely parted lips snapped shut.

"I don't want to be in your debt. I just want a little more adventure in my life without being a complete bitch to everybody by becoming queen of the school."

"Ah," Georgina smirked. She pushed herself off the anchor of the doorframe and stared her intently in the eyes. "So, that's it, then?"

Jenny blinked. "I have your guarantee that this won't come back around to bite me in the ass?"

Georgina shrugged, unfazed. "Well, I can't guarantee anything, but if no one interferes with the generous opportunities that I can very soon be offering up in your life, I'd say the chances are pretty good that your life will become a little more…interesting."

She smiled while she said it, and it made Jenny nervous all over again. She clearly hadn't been thinking when she'd set out to seek Georgina's aid in the matters of her personal lifestyle. She just wanted things to be safe, normal, no stress – but she didn't want that to include boredom. She didn't think a little excitement would do harm to anyone, especially when it didn't directly affect any of them.

Georgina turned and went out of the room before Jenny had a chance to react. It was like the whole transaction never even happened. Within half an hour she was discreetly ushered out by some prince of some overseas country. Jenny didn't pay much heed to specifics, but warning bells dimly went off in the back of her mind.

It was only a few months later when Chuck so conveniently was made to babysit the heir of a man of some importance to him – Damien. When her minions pointed him out, everything just formed in her mind. The wheels began to spin. Opportunity was knocking at every door until she'd fallen so down deep that she was in the source's clutches. Georgina had lied, but what else was new? The only thing that could really be pinned on her was the arrangement that had been made between Chuck and Damien's father. Breaking apart Chuck and Blair, Nate and Serena, and succumbing to drug dealing would all be pinned on Jenny.

She wanted a junior year to remember, and damn if she didn't get it.

The skyline of the next bright, brilliant city shone in the distance as the sun set. Jenny's eyes hazily watched the lowering of the golden sphere. It was the second train she'd been on since the day before when she'd first taken off. Georgina had very discreetly handed over both train and plane tickets for her to use as her passage overseas. Taking a plane straight from New York would have been extremely suspicious, and Lily and Rufus would have no doubt intervened immediately. Blair would have had no issues with her mysterious change of destination, but that was beside the point. Blair could care less about her now.

Jenny was still going to boarding school. Georgina wouldn't shift the plan of action so much as to give off a trace of her scent. The blonde would just be doing it extremely far from home and in the presence of maybe some not-so-nice individuals that Georgina had just gotten away from. She could not be certain, but there were clear hints from Georgina on that one that Jenny had caught. Georgina had called her smart, but she just labeled herself too perceptive and wished she were just oblivious and naïve like she'd been her freshman year.

Her phone rang beside her and lazily Jenny reached to pick it up.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice sounding a little hoarse from the lack of water she'd obtained within the last few hours.

"Jenny," the voice on the other end was demanding and she picked up the possessive, overprotective feel of it immediately. "Where are you?" He sounded downright concerned and that had hardly been his state when they last spoke. He hadn't been glad to see her go, but he had definitely been disappointed enough in her to keep it from showing.

"Dan?" she asked, confused, still recovering from the fact that he had called. He sighed, sensing her confusion and fearing for longer than expected that Georgina may have drugged her in some form before sending her off.

"Jenny, did you take something?" he asked, his voice dangerously low and almost angry. It was all he could do to hide his fear and panic.

"What?" she snapped up in her seat, ignoring the looks from the other passengers. "No!" she said, knowing exactly what conclusion he'd come to – what accusation he'd nailed across her guilty slate. Dan sighed in relief. Jenny was more confused than ever.

"Where are you going, Jen?" he asked softly. She rolled her eyes and leaned her head against where her hand seemed forever implanted against the window.

"I don't know," she said truthfully, "But it can't be any worse than where I was going to go." Dan's eyebrows narrowed.

"We were sending you to mom," he said. Her facial expression didn't change.

"Yes, well…" she sighed, having no direct response. "Just let it be, Dan. I'm still going to boarding school and no doubt getting what I deserve there. So just, drop it." She went to hang up the phone but stilled herself at what she thought was Dan's shriek.

"Jenny!" he called out, desperate.

"What?" she asked, quite flustered.

"I talked with Georgina. Something's up, and I know it involves you." Jenny bit her lip, wondering what all she should tell him. She didn't want anyone to suffer but it was pretty hard to avoid it now that everything was set into motion. Maybe everything was already done. All she knew was that she was the trigger and chaos would – if it hadn't already – ensue.

She told him what had happened at Rufus and Lily's wedding earlier in the year. He barely spoke throughout her whole explanation, but she knew the judgment would come soon enough. Though, it was a comforting thought that she was often the person he came to judge last.

"I'm sorry, Jen. I shouldn't have come down so hard on you," he finally said. She blinked, completely caught off guard.

"What are you talking about? I deserve all of this."

He shook his head. "No, I was so furious over what you had been doing that I didn't even think about the possibility of you being manipulated into it all. I should have considered the possibility that Georgina was still holding a grudge over Chuck, Blair and Serena."

Jenny sighed uneasily, but Dan spoke up again before she could say anything further. "I'm coming to get you, Jenny. I don't know how, but I'm going to come for you and bring you home and then we'll settle everything later. I don't need Chuck and Blair's scheming to protect my little sister."

She wanted to hug him. She wanted him to be there right then, so he could hold her in his arms. Everything had exploded on her. She hadn't thought when things ha happened throughout the year. She had been grateful. She had overcome things, and then everything just got lost in her own arrogance and conviction of being better than everybody else. Sleeping with Chuck had been the last straw – for everybody. Georgina had only really come back to town to see all the fireworks explode firsthand.

"Dan…" she whimpered.

He clutched the phone fiercely. "I'm coming," he ground out. "Where are you?"

She gasped, looking out the windows in some sign of where they were. "I don't know…" her hand raced through her full head of hair as she raked her eyes for some sign of where she was, but she couldn't find anything.

"Nevermind," he said. "Are you on the same train you left on?"

"No, I got on the second one late last night."

His breaths were low, harsh. "What does the ticket say?"

She gulped, looking down at the remainder of the ticket that had been given back to her when she'd boarded the train. "The letters are all smudged, but I think it's somewhere in 'Jersey."

He nodded, not really knowing what to do with the information. "Okay," he swallowed hard. "Just sit tight, Jen. We'll figure something out. Just," his sigh was strained, "don't get on a plane."

"I have a ticket for one," she winced as she said it. He felt like he was going to explode.

"Well, don't use it, Jen. I'll find you. Just don't leave the country."

….

She could have drowned in the pools of hazel that rested on his face. From the very beginning she'd started to notice amazing things about Chuck Bass. It wasn't until she fell in love with him, though, that she knew she could not live without those things. She had done some breathtakingly risky things to make sure she didn't live without them. When she finally pulled back from this love that she could not explain, everything in her screamed to fight for it again.

Chuck hadn't said another word since his first initial breath of her name. He'd been speechless and confused and frustrated. She had felt the exact same way and the few tears that had trailed down her cheeks had shown that very clearly. She didn't say a word, and for the longest time they just stared at each other. Neither would have been surprised if hours passed by in the midst of them trying to find the right words or justified actions that would save them. Chuck had already tried to win her affections again several times and had been turned down. The kiss he had swiftly forced upon her did not exactly have promising results, and so all attempts on his end stopped .The consistent rejection had been painful for him, but it was reasonable on her end and he knew he deserved it. He deserved everything she was giving him, except the possible forgiveness that he hoped might just come. It was her turn now, and she had no idea what to do. The fate of their entire relationship sat on her shoulders at that very moment. She could always leave and come back later, she told herself. But it would only be harder later. She had to make a decision now. The glittering diamond she knew was safely inside its velvet box in Chuck's pocket did not make her decision-making process any easier or faster.

Her phone interrupted them.

Dan calling...

She stifled an angry groan, barely flicked her eyes in Chuck's direction and muttered something about having to take the call.

"What is it, Humphrey?" she snapped into the phone before Dan could get a word in. Chuck's brows immediately narrowed. He was fuming.

"Look, Blair—"

"If you've come to apologize, don't bother." She couldn't believe how pissed she was sounding. Maybe she was doing it for Chuck's benefit, to get his anger to simmer down. She certainly had never been so feisty about what Dan had almost done. She had almost let him after all, and in the end he had 'shown her the light', so to speak.

He sighed. "Blair, it's not about that."

"Well, then what?" she nearly shrieked. She felt Chuck's eyes burning a whole into the back of her neck, and decided right then that her unexpected anger had to be the result of all the stress she was under, concerning everything. That included Chuck.

"It's Jenny. Georgina's got—"

"Well, she had it coming to her," Blair scoffed. Jenny she was actually angry at. Now she could direct her spontaneous anger in an actual legitimate direction.

"Blair!" She could have sworn she heard him stomp his foot. She blinked, amused momentarily. "Everything's screwed up! Georgina has planned all of this from the beginning. Jenny's as much a victim as the rest of us."

Blair came extremely close to hanging up on him but her hand clenched around the phone and she forced herself to stay on the line – for curiosity's sake. "What are you talking about?" she seethed. Dan took a deep breath and told her what he'd all found out.

"And you believe her?" she asked him after he'd finished. Her question had been directed towards Jenny.

"She did some messed up things, but yeah, I believe her. Sleeping with Chuck was not at the top of her to-do list. It was a last resort that wasn't planned, just like everything else that happened this year."

Blair came very close to hanging up on him again.

"Don't you dare try to pin this all on Chuck," she found herself saying without inflection. Chuck had stood up by this point and reeled back a little at her statement. She took no heed to his movements. "She's as much at fault with this as he is."

Dan took serious offense. "How can you say that?" he asked, aghast. "This is Chuck Bass we're talking about. This is what he does. He takes advantage of girls, and—"

"Not anymore he doesn't!" she insisted, scared of how close to screaming she was. She was breathing very hard now and Chuck walked towards her hesitantly, very concerned.

"Well, then why the hell are you two still broken up?" he fumed. Blair had no response. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Good-bye, Humphrey," she said, determined to hang up on him this time.

"Blair, wait! I need you to help me fix this!"

"Call Serena," she told him, the tone of her voice now neutral. She did not offer an explanation. Her fingers loomed too close to ending the call and she could not listen to another of his pathetic excuses or the pleading she was quickly growing sick of.

She sighed and found Chuck staring straight at her, his eyes as intense as she'd ever seen them. There was hidden hope in their depths, and that made her uneasy. She had let her thoughts burst open in her conversation with Dan. Everything had just been so overwhelming. She didn't know why she had defended Chuck so much, but everything from the whole year had just flashed before her eyes and even if it didn't justify what he'd done, it did warrant her anger in regards to Jenny Humphrey. For a moment, she felt like the lover of a murderer. She would always feel the pain over what he'd done, but she could never stop loving him and that felt like enough to save them, or at least to give them a clean slate.

She sighed shakily and ran a hand through her hair. "I can't marry you, Chuck," she said, as if it explained everything. He felt like he'd been shot with a bullet at close range and someone had dared to steal his most precious engagement ring from its safety in his pocket. He swallowed hard, hardly noticing when she walked towards him. His eyes flicked up to hers when she was within a foot of him and had taken his hands in her own.

"Not yet," she said, fearing her own words. She had given away too much of her feelings. Her heart screamed at her to take the ring and wear it right then and for the rest of her life, but common sense prevailed and told her to be careful. It also told her to run away from him and never come back. But she didn't listen. Not to that part.

She breathed shakily and leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips against his. She distinctly heard his breath catch in his throat. "I can't forgive you," she said, her eyes pouring deep into his. "Not yet," she shook her head slowly. He studied her face like he'd never seen it before, searching desperately for the silver lining.

"But I love you," she said, raising one of his hands to greet her lips. Her eyes flicked back to his and she tried her best to keep the sniffles from rising in her voice. "I never stopped, and I'm never going to."

The certainty in her voice scared him. He swallowed hard, desperately wanting to know what her words meant for them.

"I just can't forgive you yet," she whispered. Then she fell into him and instinctively he wrapped his arms around her, in shock, but pulling her close and pressing his lips to the top of her head nonetheless. She shuddered and eventually relaxed against his chest.

He had a vague realization of what this all meant, but he wasn't sure, and he knew he wouldn't be sure for awhile. Somehow though, it was enough.

"I never meant to hurt you," he said very quietly.

She nodded softly against him. "I know."

He was afraid to say it, but it slipped out without warning. "I love you."

Her eyes closed and more tears seeped out. She was silent and incredibly still for a very long time. Then her lips parted and sniffles audibly appeared in her voice.

"I know."

…

Serena's bedroom door opened and Dan looked into her impending neutral eyes. She had not been overenthusiastic about his topic of discussion but her need to be with someone had prevailed. She was having problems with Nate and he had vacated the premises for the day – had vacated her for the day. Dan she could always talk to.

Stepping to the side, she let Dan enter her room.

"I don't know if I can be much help to you, Dan."

"Just promise me you'll help, or…" he paused, "try to?"

She was hesitant but nodded. "And for me?" she questioned almost playfully, turning to face him.

"Nate's an idiot," he said simply and they both laughed. The ice had been broken, and help was on the way.

…

Serena discovered a tracker Georgina had that led straight to Jenny's whereabouts – with the help of an old fling she'd had who just happened to work in the world-wide public transportation system…and Chuck's connections with the hotel Georgina had been staying in while overseas.

Georgina was furious but surprisingly did not react much to her dissolved plan. It had been to teach them all a lesson, but no one doubted that she'd find the opportunity soon enough. By then, they would all be ready.

Two years later, Chuck and Blair were married…after lots of counseling and learning to trust.

Blair forgave Jenny after a loooooong, long time.

Nate and Serena are still working on their issues. She's not quite sure what she wants – Dan, Nate, Carter, something she hasn't found yet... She just knows that life is unpredictable. Everyone breaks, everyone falls, and when they do, they fall hard. But someone is always there to catch you when you fall, in some form or another – ALWAYS.

…at least that's what Serena thinks. Everyone else is still wondering.

…..

A/N: THE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEND! Lol. I'm thinking it's probably not the epic ending I was going for, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I was determined not to have this story go on forever, so I thought I'd show you what happens, lol. I obviously couldn't have it all solved in this chapter without it seeming rushed. Heh. Please review. Sorry if Georgie's involvement was a bit anti-climactic, but the central of this fic was CB, so I didn't want to explode with that SL. Lol.

I'll be starting my POST S3 CB fic soon. Thanks for voting on the poll. Please vote on my poll again. It's a different one, I swear. Lol. I am curious to see which fic you'd like me to start on once I finish DaP. ;)