A/N: I am terribly sorry for the long update. School took up way too much time and now with the holidays appraoching, it was just too hectic for me. So anyways I would like to thank those that have taken their time to review. Happy Holidays everyone! & Enjoy the chapter!
Dorota heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. The maid peered over and saw Blair re-enter the dining room. The happiness that had been visible on her face earlier was gone. She angrily sat down in her seat and began stabbing her pancakes. Dorota watched her. What had happened? Dorota opened her mouth to ask, but heard another pair of footsteps join them in the dining room. She looked up, as did Blair. Dan stood in the doorway, looking at Blair. He held the now empty glass in his hand. Dorota quickly took the glass from his hands and scurried into the kitchen, but kept her ear against the door.
Blair didn't drop her gaze from Dan's. Her fork placed on her plate. Dan quietly walked over to the seat beside her. He placed his hand on her knee. She looked at him. He still reeked of beer and had dark circles under his eyes, but he was her Dan.
"I'm sorry. For everything," he said in a small, but confident voice.
Blair didn't blink. Her eyes became watery and she felt one single tear fall down her face, leaving a wet trace. Dan brought his hand up to her face and gently wiped away the single tear.
"I don't deserve someone like you. You're a wonderful, amazing person. I've hurt you so many times, and I don't think there are enough apologizes on my part," he continued.
Blair felt more tears fall from her doe eyes. Instead of using his thumb, he grabbed one of the napkins off the dining table and started wiping her tears. She grabbed his arm as he wiped her porcelain face. They stayed like that for a few moments, as he wiped her tears away. He placed the napkin back onto the dining table after he was done and turned back to her.
He brought her face closer to his and laid a small kiss on her forehead. She lay on his chest, her little hands grabbing on to his shirt. His arm around her, protecting her.
"Let's spend the day together," Dan said.
"Don't you have work?" she asked.
"Not today."
"Oh," Blair said.
"But even if I did, I would still want to spend the day with you," he added.
Blair smiled against his chest. She looked up at him and shot him one of her toothy grins. Eventually Dorota came back into the dining room, when she thought the coast was clear. Dan and Blair spent breakfast reminiscing their time at Yale.
Dan told her about his job at Scholastic and working for one of the major people there. Blair filled him on how she was spending her days. She would have gone out to find a job right away, but she didn't want to. She wanted to be free and do whatever she wanted to. Something that would have surprised the seventeen year-old Blair Waldorf.
After they had finished their breakfast, Dan had to go home and change into another pair of clothes. His stuff hadn't arrived yet. They had decided that he should be moved in by next Friday, one week and a day away.
Blair hurried upstairs to her bedroom, after Dan had left. She opened her closet doors and ran inside. She quickly picked out a navy blue sweater and white polo shirt to wear underneath. She grabbed a black pencil skirt and white tights. She changed fast, not wanting to waste any time she had with Dan. She grabbed a pair of Jimmy Choos and slipped them on her feet. Everything was going quickly and efficiently, until she had to decide on a headband.
She held two in her hands, looking at them back and forth. One was white with a red bow on it, so it could match the handbag she was taking, but the other one was navy with crystals on the side. She kept looking at them only to be interrupted by the ring of her phone. She placed the headbands down and grabbed it. It was Chuck. Now why would Chuck be calling?, she thought. She sighed and put the phone up to her ear.
"Hello," she simply said.
"Good morning," she heard his voice on the other end.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Well, seeing as though I have three meetings before lunch, I was wondering if we could spend my lunch break together. It would be nice to spend time with you. You are one of my oldest friends. So what do you say?" he asked, waiting eagerly for her response.
"I can't. I'm spending time with Dan today," she replied.
"Oh," she heard disappointment in his voice.
"But, we can do lunch tomorrow," she quickly added.
"That would be nice, but I can't. I'm spending that time with Jade," he told her, worried about mentioning Jade.
"Oh yeah, Jade," Blair repeated.
"She likes you," Chuck said, trying to rid of to awkwardness that was now formed.
"Sure. It doesn't matter anyway. Listen I got to go," Blair told him.
"Okay, bye."
"Bye," she said before hanging up.
She placed her phone onto her dresser. She felt a new energy, but it was a tad familiar. She ignored it and went back to deciding which headband to wear. She finally decided on the one with the bow. After brushing her hair and applying a layer of lip gloss, she was on her way.
She hailed a cab and instructed the driver to the Humphrey's Brooklyn loft. She sat giddily. Finally a whole day for her and Dan. The summer had been fun, but lately it was as if the only time she had with him was limited. When the cab stopped, she quickly paid the driver and rushed out. She ran into the building, gallivanting up the flight of stairs.
When she reached their door, she hurriedly knocked on the maple wood. The door knob started to turn and the door flew open. In front of her stood Rufus.
"Hey Blair," he said, moving out of the way to let her into the loft.
She smiled and walked in. She looked around for Dan. She spotted Jenny and Vanessa in the living room. Blair walked up to them. Jenny looked up and smiled.
"Blair!" she said, hugging the petite brunette.
Blair laughed and hugged her back. They separated. Vanessa forced a smile in Blair's direction. Blair forced one as well. Vanessa and her hadn't really gotten along. Well they had in the beginning, but it was one Christmas dinner two years ago that really put them on the outs.
The table was set and the turkey was juicy. Snow had started falling, covering New York City. Blair and Dan had driven back to the city. The airlines would take too long. And since Eleanor and Cyrus were thinking of spending Christmas in Milan, Rufus had invited the two young lovebirds for a Humphrey Christmas.
Dan grabbed his key out of his pocket and shoved it in the keyhole. The door opened, and he grabbed Blair's hand. They both walked into the loft, gifts with them. Jenny came running up to them.
"Finally a Christmas, with the both of you!" she said happily.
They took off their coats and handed them to the younger Humphrey. Rufus came up to them.
"It's about time you two got here. More hands are needed in the kitchen," he said.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Dad," Dan replied.
He followed his father into the kitchen, while Blair went over to their Christmas tree and tucked their presents under it.
"Will that step-brother of yours be joining us for dinner?" Rufus asked from the kitchen.
"No, Aaron and his girlfriend went to Cairo for the holidays," she replied.
She went off to join them in the kitchen. They just had one more dish to prepare, but they finished quickly. There was a knock at the door.
"That must be Vanessa," Jenny said as she went to open the door.
Vanessa walked in, her coat covered in snowflakes. After the usual conversation was done, it was dinner time. Everyone took their seats. It felt like a real family. Blair couldn't stop smiling. After they had cleared the table, they went to living room to open their presents.
"To Dan, from Vanessa," Jenny read the label before passing to Dan.
Dan opened the wrapped box. He moved the tissue paper aside and gasped when he saw what was inside. He held up a small notebook, probably a couple years old. On the front, it was Dan's kindergarten writing. He looked up at Vanessa.
"You saved this?"
"Yes. It was your first book. How could I not save it," she replied.
"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me," Dan said as he got up and went to give her a hug.
Blair watched them. She knew her gift couldn't top that. You can't top memories.
The rest of the gifts were opened quickly. After they were finished, Rufus poured everyone some apple cider. Blair happily sipped on hers. Vanessa approached her. Blair smiled at her, not knowing what to say.
"Blair, could I talk you for a second?" she asked.
"Alright," Blair said, following Vanessa to Jenny's room.
Vanessa shut the door behind them as Blair sat down on the bed.
"That was a nice present you got for Dan," Blair commented.
"Sometimes best friends give the best gifts," Vanessa responded.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Blair asked, changing the topic.
"You and Dan."
"What about me and Dan?"
Vanessa didn't respond right away. She drummed her fingers on the side of her glass. She placed the glass down on Jenny's desk before looking over at Blair.
"You and Dan won't work out," she said.
"Excuse me?"
"Let's be honest, Blair. You and Dan never would have happened if hadn't been for Yale. Sooner or later you're going to break his heart and leave him miserable," Vanessa told her.
Blair glared at her. How dare she even say such a thing to a Waldorf. Who does she think she's dealing with? Blair hopped off the bed and walked straight up to Vanessa. Her eyes locked on hers. Nothing but anger seen in them.
"Are you that desperate for a man that you would try to get me to break up with Dan? Maybe you should be like your sister. Being a lesbian didn't do her any bad," Blair started.
"I'm not desperate. You're a bitch that I don't want dating my best friend!"
"Do you honestly think I would hurt Dan? Do you think I would hurt the person I love the most in the world?"
"You don't love him," Vanessa said quietly.
"Yes I do. I don't need to prove anything to you. Me and Dan are in love. You can either be mature about it or you can leave us alone," Blair told her.
Blair walked away, leaving an angry Vanessa by herself. Blair walked back out into the kitchen, where everyone else was. Dan smiled when she arrived. She smiled back. He looked up and grinned.
"We're standing under the mistletoe," he commented.
Blair giggled before bringing Dan close to her, their soft lips meeting.
"Ugh, get a room," they heard Jenny shriek.
The rest of the evening went by smoothly. Vanessa made up some excuse to go back home. If only things were as simple as the gift giving season.
"I better be going," Vanessa said as she grabbed her coat and handbag.
"Really?" Jenny asked with a slight pout.
"Yeah, I forgot my sister needs my help today. Bye," Vanessa quickly said as she rushed out of the door.
The door closed and the room became silent. Blair sighed and looked over at Jenny and Rufus.
"Is Dan ready yet?" she asked.
"Ready for?" Rufus asked.
"We're spending the day together," Blair explained.
"Well he got a call from his boss and he had to go in today."
"Oh," Blair said in a small voice.
"Well, we can spend the day together," Jenny piped in, hoping Blair's hopes weren't crushed because of her brother.
"No it's alright. You have a lot of designing to do. I'll just go home," Blair said as she grabbed her coat and slipped it on.
She walked out of the loft. She felt humiliated. Miserable. And most of all, hurt. He hurt her again. She felt the tears fall from her eyes. The tears he had once wiped that morning.
She walked down the streets of Brooklyn. This was supposed to be their day. Their fucking day, and he bailed on her. She searched her purse for a Kleenex. After she found one, she gently wiped the tears away. She threw the tissue away and hailed herself a taxi.
"Where to miss?" the driver asked her from the front seat.
"The Bass Building."
The small yellow vehicle drove them to Manhattan. Blair held herself together. She didn't want so shed another tear. And especially in front of some cab driver.
The drive wasn't as long as she thought it would be and soon enough she was in front of the Bass Building. It hadn't changed at all. She took a deep breath before walking into the large building. She walked into the building. She took the elevator to the top floor. The elevator door opened and she walked out.
She approached the secretary, who was busy writing down something. Blair cleared her throat, her presence needed to be known. The secretary looked up.
"Can I speak to Mr. Chuck Bass, please?" she asked.
"He's in a meeting right now," the secretary replied.
"When will it be over?" Blair asked.
"A few minutes, but then he'll have to prep for another meeting. You might want to come back later," the secretary replied.
"No, I'll stay right here," Blair told her.
Blair turned on her heel and headed over to the waiting area. She sat down on one of the red chairs and picked up an issue of Time. She flipped through a few of the pages. Finally after reading a few good articles, she heard voices exiting the meeting rooms. She tossed the magazine aside and got up in search of Chuck.
"It's been great doing business together, Todd," she heard him say to an older gentleman.
Chuck shook hands with a few more men before walking over to his secretary. Blair ran up behind him.
"How's the stock market today, Bass?" she said.
He turned around with a huge smile on his face.
"Blair!" he said.
"The one and only," she said as she walked over to him.
"Where's Humphrey? Isn't it the lovebirds day?" he commented.
"He had to go to work last minute," Blair replied.
"Oh," Chuck managed to get out.
"I'm fine. I was actually wondering if we could hang out. That is if you weren't busy?" she asked.
Chuck smirked and turned to his secretary.
"Nicole, cancel all of my meetings today," he said.
"But sir, are you sure you want to do that?" she asked worriedly.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"What will I tell them?"
"Tell them that I am going to spend my day with one of my best friends and if they have a problem with that, then they'll have to deal with," he said.
He turned back to Blair. She stood astonished. He smiled before disappearing to his office to grab his coat and beloved scarf. He remerged quickly and grabbed Blair's hand, leading her towards the elevator. The doors shut behind them.
"You didn't have to do that," she said.
"Do what?"
"Cancel your meetings."
"I wanted to."
"Yeah right. Cancel meetings with important investors to spend time with boring old me," she said.
"I want to spend time with you, Blair," he said.
Blair felt her cheeks redden. They arrived on the ground floor. She walked behind him. She noticed the way others looked at him. A powerful man. That's what he was now. They walked outside. She saw his limo parked outside. He opened the door for them. She sent him a small smile before climbing in.
"Where are we going?" she asked as she looked at the passing buildings.
"Somewhere you can let loose," he said.
Blair stiffened at his words. She turned rapidly to him.
"Chuck, no. I'm not stepping foot into Victrola," she said.
"Who said anything about Victrola."
"Chuck," she said sternly.
"We'll just have lunch. Can't friends have lunch?"
"Yes, just not at Victrola."
"Why not?"
"What?"
"You heard me. Why not? Why can't we have lunch there?" he asked as a smirk formed on his lips.
"You know very well why!" she shrieked.
"Care to enlighten me?"
"Ugh, you haven't changed one bit," she said as she crossed her arms.
"Neither have you," he replied.
The ride was silent. Each to their own thought, all though their minds kept trying to block out each other. The limo stopped and they were at the burlesque club. Chuck held his hand out for Blair, but she ignored it. They walked inside. It was exactly how she remembered it. The dark colours all around her, dancers walking everywhere. He led her to the V.I.P. section, which was located in front of the stage. Food awaited them there.
Blair sat down on the couch, Chuck sat beside her. An employee gave them their sushi on a plate. Blair dug into her California Roll. She looked over at Chuck, who was enjoying his spicy chicken. He quickly turned his head towards her. Blair went back to looking at her food. A smile appearing on both of their faces.
After they were done, Chuck poured them a flute of champagne.
"To friendship," he said, raising his glass.
"To friendship," Blair repeated.
Their glasses clinked before they each took a sip.
"This wasn't that bad as I thought it would be," Blair commented.
"And how bad did you think it would be?"
"Beyond horrible," she said with a small giggle.
"You've got to start trusting me more, Waldorf," he said as he took another sip.
"I might just have to."
"I'm glad that you came to the office. It was getting a bit boring," he told her.
"It must be. Listening to all of those old men talk about money," she teased.
"Very old men. I swear in one of the meetings there was a ninety-eight year old man," he responded.
Blair took a sip of her champagne.
"So how are you and Dan?" Chuck asked.
Blair bit her lip.
"We're just fine," she replied, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"You can talk to me. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes."
"So is there anything wrong?"
"No. Everything's fine," she replied.
"Blair-"
"I said everything was fine," she snapped.
"It doesn't seem fine to me," he replied.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you tell me what's bothering you right now or I'll go ask Dan," Chuck told her.
"Are you making me choose? When nothing is wrong?" she asked out of disgust.
"Just tell me. You need to talk about it. You bottle things up and then you explode."
Blair looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears. His eyes were concerned for her. Her bottom lip started to quiver.
"I don't know what's happening to us. We were just fine a few months ago and now work and other things are taking up his time. I feel like I don't see him anymore," she said as one tear escape from her eye.
Before she even disposed of it, Chuck had moved over and wiped it away with his thumb. The feel of his skin on hers sent an electric charge all over her body. She looked at him. Her eyes didn't dare look away from his. Their heads came closer and soon his lips had crashed onto hers. Just like old times.