A/N: I am so sorry for a long update but I would really like to thank all of those that have reviewed, favourited, alerted or just plain old read the story. It really means a lot to me and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

The sunlight peeped through the blinds, silently announcing that it was the next day and yesterday was just a memory. Chuck's eyes fluttered open and quickly closed, followed by a groan. He turned his head on the pillow and grabbed another to shield the light seeping in. Was it too much to ask for just a few more minutes of darkness. He sighed, knowing that the sun had won the battle. After grabbing the nearest robe, he walked into his bathroom.

One hot shower and morning routine later, he found himself sitting in the kitchen waiting for his eggs Benedict. He heard footsteps approaching. Heels to be exact. Jade appeared in the kitchen, dressed for the day with a smile on her face. Seemed she had gotten the goodnight's rest he so desperately wanted. She sat in front of him and asked the maid to get her a cup of coffee before the two were left alone.

"Have a good night?" she asked with a smirk of her face.

"Just fine, especially the part without you," he replied with a smirk of his own.

"You seem tired. Guess obsessing over Blair Waldorf doesn't have it's perks. Tell me, what exactly did you do last night? Look for her, find out she was just fine but thought 'What the hell! Let me bring her home with me!'. Too bad her boyfriend is here too. Then your little affair would have actually kick started," she said as her coffee arrived in front of her.

Chuck waited for the maid to leave before speaking. The sound of the door shutting was his cue.

"I don't see the point of even discussing what did or did not happen last night. I helped out a friend. I don't even need to explain anything to you. I mean at least I'm the one that's honest about last night," he said as he took a sip of his orange juice.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means precisely what is says. Come on, like you didn't have a small party of your own last night. You always throw a party," he said as his breakfast arrived. "I mean, I'm just surprised you haven't had a banquet."

He tried not to notice Jade's impending anger, but it was hard to miss. Her eyes were growing wider and her teeth were beginning to clench. He thought she never looked funnier. She took a sip of her coffee, leaving a red lip mark on the cup. Her nails drummed on the table as she made eye contact with him.

"I should be leaving soon. Wouldn't want to talk to your little whore."

"She's not a whore. She's a woman, something I wish I could say about you," he said as he watched as she took her purse and hung it on her arm.

She grabbed a pair of sunglasses and shielded her eyes from the little danger from the lights in the room. She walked out of the room, leaving him to enjoy his splendid breakfast alone. That lasted all about four and a half minutes before he was once again joined by some company. This time he was happy to see that it was Eric and not Jade coming for revenge.

"Hey," Eric said as he sat down in front of his stepbrother.

"Good morning to you too. What brings you here?"

"Um, just in the neighbourhood," Eric replied, not looking at Chuck.

"You said you were staying at the Humphrey loft when you were in town. Want to try again?" Chuck responded.

Eric sighed before nodding his head. He ruffled up his brown hair and felt his legs started to shake. He planted his feet firmly on the ground but he couldn't stop it. His eyes began to water and didn't have enough to time to get rid of the tears. Questions clogged his mind. Questions that he had tried to block out as soon as he had heard the news, but it was no use now.

He had come to Chuck's first because he knew that Chuck would help him out and not go all crazy worrying about him and stuff like that. Something he knew a hundred percent would happen with his mom or his sister. He finally took a deep breath and looked up at Chuck.

"I think I might have AIDS."

Chuck felt the fork in his hand drop onto his plate followed by a clang of the collision. He pushed out his seat and was at Eric's side in seconds. He unconsciously put his arm around his younger sibling and brought him closer, not caring that his tears were staining his robe.

"We're going to get you tested," Chuck said in a voice barely higher than a whisper.

"He has and didn't even tell me," Eric said as the tears started up again.

"Who?"

"James S. Pine. Some guy who works at the local art supply store near Jenny's."

Chuck made a mental note of the name. There was no way this guy was going to get away with this. He felt someone else enter the room and decided to ignore it. What he couldn't ignore were the butterflies that had magically started flying around in his stomach.

"Chuck?" Blair asked softly.

He looked up and saw her standing there in the doorway. The sunlight from behind her, making her look even more beautiful. Almost an angel sent from above, just for him. He smile at her and managed to get one of his own from her. Then her eyes moved over to Eric and she smiled a bit more.

"Hello, Eric," she said as she walked into the kitchen a bit more.

Eric sat up, letting Chuck's arm drop. The tears on his face had now dried and to the normal person he looked fine, but Blair sensed something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," Eric replied.

She opened her mouth to say something, but refrained. She didn't need to be a cause of awkward tension. Instead, she sat down on an empty chair near them. She smiled at Eric once more but ended up playing with her spoon instead.

Eric watched as she did so. Was Blair Waldorf nervous or something close to the word? She exhibited the signs. He followed her gaze towards Chuck. Chuck had already met it. Eric silently smirked to himself. True love never dies, he thought. He slowly got up from his chair and walked towards the door.

"I forgot I had to pick something up for Jenny. Bye," he said as he made his exit, but he knew he hadn't broken the gaze held by Chuck and Blair.

The door shut behind him and the two were alone. Chuck couldn't take his eyes off of her. She had a certain radiance about her that he knew would never waver. She was now looking down at the ground, a small smile on her face that he had no doubt was for him. She looked up again and her smile grew bigger.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me out," she said quietly.

"It was no problem," he replied.

She bit her lip, hiding yet another smile from him and slowly pushed herself up from the table. He followed her movements before getting up from the table also.

"Dan also wanted to thank you," she said, breaking the silence.

"Tell him that he's welcome."

"I will. We're actually leaving in a few minutes. I left Jade's night gown on the bed. It looks as if it hasn't been used," she said, meeting his eyes,

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," he responded, both knowing that was a lie.

"I guess this is goodbye, for now."

"Just for now," his voice just above a whisper.

Blair felt the tears well up in her eyes and the hurt expression Chuck was wearing didn't help one bit. She had no idea what to do. She loved Dan but lately past feelings of Chuck came flooding in an instant. The power he had over her, she had never been able to understand only that she couldn't fight it. Not ever. But Dan didn't deserve it.

The sound of the kitchen door opening. They both looked over and saw Dan standing there, wearing the same outfit he had the night before. Blair moved towards him and he placed his hand on her waist, bringing her close to him.

"Thanks, Chuck. I don't know how to repay you," Dan said, trying to appear civil.

"It really was no problem," Chuck replied, stealing a glance at Blair.

Blair looked down at the ground. She could feel Chuck's eyes on her. Burning into her soul and at the same time Dan's arm drew her closer towards his chest. She had to get out of there. She pushed Dan's arm off her and gave him a small smile as she did so.

"I'll be waiting downstairs," she said quietly as she left the room.

The two men watched as she left. The kitchen became quiet and Dan looked at Chuck, his eyes seemed to get a bit angrier.

"Like I said before, thank you for helping out last night," Dan said, breaking the murdering silence.

"I would have done it in an instant."

Dan nodded his head and played with the button on his jacket, as to not make any more conversation with Chuck. He frankly had no idea what to say to him besides "thanks" and had to bite his tongue from saying "stay away from my girlfriend".

Chuck had sat back down at his original seat and began to dig back into his breakfast. He didn't really mind Dan, but his mind was worriedly going through a thousand questions at once. All of them about Eric. He would have to book an appointment with the doctor and get him tested. Just the thought of Eric having AIDS sent shivers down his spine. He jabbed his fork into the eggs, causing Dan to look at him suspiciously.

"Something wrong?" he asked curiously.

Chuck whipped his head around at him, forgetting that he had been standing there all along.

"No," he replied, turning his attention back to his breakfast.

Dan hesitated, trying to think if there was anything he could say at all but came up short. He walked towards the door and placed his hand on the handle. The door opened but before he left, he turned to look at Chuck.

"Thanks again," he said and let the door shut behind him.

Chuck looked up, but Dan had already left. Dan was peculiar to him but it wasn't bothersome. He knew they would never get along and the only thing they will ever have in common was Blair. Just the thought of her name sent his heart racing, not that he would ever admit it.

He quickly finished his breakfast and bounded up to his room. After picking out his suit and tie, he grabbed his daily planner and was glad to see that he had a day off. It worked out in his favour. After getting dressed, he called his driver to bring the limo out front before he called Eric and told him that he would come and get him.

As he sat down in the car, Chuck poured himself a glass of scotch. It was going to be a long day. He just knew it. He felt his eyelids grow heavier but before they could even think of shutting, his phone went off. He looked at the caller ID and saw that is was Serena. He sighed before putting the phone up to his ear.

"What is it dear step-sister?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"Eric just told me. You were just going to take him to get tested and not tell me!" she shrieked on the other line.

"Keep it down. I think the Queen of England heard you," Chuck smirked.

"Ugh, shut up and pick me up. I'm coming with you two and I will not take no for answer," she said.

"Won't the paparazzi see you? The pictures will be published and then your mother will ask what on earth we were doing seeing a doctor in Long Island," he responded.

"I'll wear a disguise," she suggested.

Chuck had to bite his tongue from laughing. Serena had her odd ways and no one could hold that against her. He sighed and played with the liquid in his glass before continuing to speak to his step-sister.

"Fine. Be outside your place in ten minutes."

"Alright," she said as she hung up.

He rolled his eyes before shoving the phone back into his pocket. The drive was strangely pleasant, despite the situation. They drove past the park and towards the library, where Eric had promised to meet him. Sure enough as they approached the building, Eric sat outside on the steps. As soon as the limo was in full view, a smile broke onto his face and he bolted down the outdoor stairs. The driver held the door open for him as he quickly climbed in. The limo resumed driving as Eric settled in.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me," Eric said as he poured himself a glass of mineral water.

"People seem to be saying a lot of that lately," Chuck said as he sipped his scotch.

Eric smiled a little but couldn't keep it on his face for very long. He let his head fall into his hands and tried to close his eyes for a moment. Wishing more than anything that all of this was a dream. But he couldn't just pretend that it wasn't real. If the test came out to be positive, one night of passion would haunt him for the rest of his life. He felt a cool liquid streak down the side of his face, but he didn't care. There was no need to hide anymore.

Chuck watched as his younger sibling sat there, saddened. He felt so helpless. Usually he could fix problems in an instant for him but this time it was a lot different.

"Want a drink?" Chuck offered.

Eric shook his head and Chuck poured him some mineral water, his choice of drink. He passed it to him and Eric took it graciously before taking a sip. Chuck sighed and took a sip of his own drink. He had no idea what to say or what to begin with. He didn't want to start interrogating him, that would just make him more anxious about the whole thing.

"I'm so worried about this whole thing," Eric said in a quiet voice, almost as if he was talking to himself.

Chuck looked over at him, not sure if he should say something. He took one more sip of his scotch before he set it down.

"Listen, whether the test comes out positive or negative. Your not going to change. You're still going to be my little brother, who has a scarf collection almost as big as mine," Chuck said with a smirk.

He saw a small grin appear on Eric's face and knew that he had done his job as an older brother: comfort the younger one.

"And when we're done with this, James Pine won't know what hit him," he added.

Eric looked up at him and nodded. Chuck gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze as the limo halted to a stop. The sound of the driver's feet hitting the pavement outside as each foot progressed forward. Muffled voices were heard. Presumably the driver's and Serena's. The sounds of their footsteps grew louder and the door opened.

Standing in front of them was not a tall blonde movie star, yet a raven haired, bundled up woman which neither could recognize. Chuck and Eric shot each other a look of confusion before looking back at the lady.

"Serena?" Eric asked quietly.

She grinned and slid into the limo, shutting the door behind her. She took off the gloves she was wearing and removed her wig, shoving them both in her bag. The limo started for Long Island.

"Told you I'd get a disguise," Serena said teasingly to Chuck.

He rolled his eyes and drank his scotch. It was going to be a long drive.

Blair sat quietly as she waited for Dan to come back downstairs. He said he had to go get something, which she didn't find that odd since he had sent some of his stuff back to her place and Dorota had placed that in a guest bedroom.

She played with her thumbs, crossed and uncrossed her legs and even picked off imaginary lint off her clothing. Anything to keep from thinking of him. She didn't know why she couldn't get him out of her mind, it wasn't like he was the most handsome guy she had ever seen. Well that may have been a lie, but none the less she didn't want him having this power over her. She was a strong woman now, no longer a weak girl. And she was in one of the best relationships of her life.

But then there was always Chuck. Chuck fucking Bass that made her forget about the world around her. Oh how she missed that. The feeling of his arms around her. His lips gently brushing hers. Soft memories that she savoured because they had been just for her.

The sound of Dan's footsteps startled her. She looked over at him as he smiled at her and put his coat on at the same time. He kissed the top of her head.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

She grabbed his hand as he escorted them to the elevator. She pressed the button for the bottom floor and waited for the doors to close. As they did, she looked at her and Dan's reflections on the mirrored walls. What would it be like with Chuck? she mentally asked herself only before mentally scolding herself. A few seconds later, the doors opened and linked arms with her boyfriend, bringing him closer.

They stepped outside and were greeted with a gust of cold wind. They walked down the street, towards a nearby restaurant. Dan started to talk about the scarves all the men were wearing and how ridiculously the prices were. She nodded along and added a "good point" every once and while but her mind could not forget about Chuck and the image of him in his robe this morning was not helping.

Once they had reached the restaurant and taken their seats, a waiter came up to them to take their orders. Dan ordered the soup while she ordered a salad. As the waiter walked away, Dan poured them both a glass of water.

"Thanks," Blair said as he poured hers.

"Something the matter? You seem a bit out of it today," Dan said as took a sip.

"Just a bit tired I guess," she responded with a smile.

"Well I'm glad that we get to have brunch together. I feel terrible for not able to more often."

"It's alright. You love your job and I wouldn't want to take that away from you," Blair said reassuringly.

"Have I told you how much I love you," he said as caressed the back of her hand.

Blair smiled before taking a sip of her water. At the same time, the feeling of guilt took over her.

"I love you too," she replied.

Dan kissed her hand. He began to talk about his latest clients and how bogus some of their stories were. Again she nodded occasionally and managed to ask a question about one of the clients, but for the most part she was quiet. Thinking of a certain guy. Dan stopped speaking as he saw their waiter bring their food over.

Blair dug into her salad right away. She hadn't realized how hungry she was but it sure felt good to eat.

"You must be starving. Didn't you eat last night?" Dan asked as he slurped his soup.

"Yes. The turkey was delicious," she said, deciding that telling about the reason she left would not have been contributing to their special alone time.

"How was the rest of the gala?"

"Wonderful. Lily must have raised a lot of money for the cancer society," Blair said.

"That is great. It sort of reminds me of one of the stories on of my clients pitched this week."

"What was it about?" Blair asked, genuinely curious.

"It's about this lady, early twenties I believe. Anyways, she falls in love with this guy and well they realize their made for each other. But the problem is she's already in this relationship with this guy. So they decide that the best thing is to separate. Thirty years go by and they haven't spoken to each other but they can't stop thinking about each other. So one day the lady gets an invitation to a fundraiser and low and behold, the guy is there! They don't talk but they have this super intense stare for like four minutes."

"Sounds romantic," Blair commented.

"Yeah, but in the end the guy ends up dying in a car crash," Dan added.

"Dies?"

"Well yeah, a happy ending wouldn't have been great," Dan teased. "Besides I don't think it'll be published."

"Why not?"

"Are you kidding me? It's a dumb love story that's been done too many times before. No one can relate to it."

"Yeah, no one," Blair said quietly.

Dan gave her a loving smile before beginning to talk about one of his other client's story idea. Something about an astronaut that falls in love with the moon. Blair found herself completely bored but she hadn't realized how bored she was until Dan's phone rang, waking her up from her open-eyed nap.

"I got to take this. Do you mind?" he asked.

"Not at all."

He got up from the table, phone in hand, and headed towards an empty space. She watched as his figure walked away and didn't mind it at all. She was used to it by now, he wouldn't ever have as much time for her as he did at Yale. What happened to them? Would they always have Yale but never be able to survive the city? She wasn't going to let this happen. She would just have to shut Chuck out of her life. Starting right this second.

That didn't last long. She sighed and got her ringing phone out of her purse. The screen informed her that she had gotten a text message from Serena.

Hey, I was wondering if you could come over later -S

Blair stared at the message for a few seconds. Usually she was the one asking Serena to come over to comfort her. It wasn't like Serena never asked her, but she only asked when something was really eating at her.

Of course. Around 4? - B

Okay, but I might be a bit late. Bye - S

Blair turned her phone off and placed it back in her purse just as Dan was taking his seat. He smiled and quickly gave her an excuse on why he had to take that. She pretended to listen but yet again her mind was far, far away.

I wonder what he's doing right this second.

The limo stopped in front of the Long Island Hospital exactly forty-five minutes after they had left the city. They walked inside together and found directions to the right wing. Chuck had made sure that they had made an appointment. After they checked in, Serena found them three empty seats. There were probably five other people in the waiting room, none of them looked calm.

Eric kept looking at the ground, his hands in his pockets. He just wanted to shut the world out. Just wanting to be alone, where no one could see him. He had made one stupid decision and now it could cost him his life.

"Eric van der Woodsen?" the nurse called into the waiting room.

"That's me," he replied.

Serena gave him a quick hug and he received a comforting smile from Chuck before he followed the nurse to get his blood test.

Chuck and Serena sat back down. She had put her wig and gloves back on. Completely unrecognizable. He picked up the latest issue of O magazine and started to read an article about how money could be spent and saved in the right way. It wasn't interesting but there wasn't much else to read. He glanced at Serena for a moment. Her arms crossed and her eyes welling up with tears. He grabbed his handkerchief out of his coat pocket and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said softly.

She gently wiped her eyes, although a few tears escaped.

"I'm just so worried, you know?"

"Yes. I am too," Chuck replied.

"What if he does have it? How long will he live? All of this has just been bothering me today. I don't want to lose him," Serena said as more tears rushed down her face.

"I don't want to lose him either."

"I could really kill that James guy right now," Serena said with a small laugh as she dried up her tears.

"Don't worry. I got my attorney already starting a case," Chuck answered with a smirk.

"When do you think we'll be done here?" Serena asked.

"Probably around two. Why? Do you have some big move star plans?"

"No, I'm meeting Blair at my place."

Chuck felt his whole body freeze at the mere mention of her name. It was all coming back to him now. The same memories that he tried so hard to put out of his mind. The smell of her hair. A mix between vanilla, cinnamon and her own personal scent. The way her dimples would appear when she smiled at him. How he longed to hold her, kiss her even have a conversation with her right this moment. But he knew he couldn't. She has Dan, otherwise known as the luckiest guy in the world.