Title: Can't Turn Back
By:Myra
Status: Complete [8/8]
Summary: "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln
Disclaimer: I own this laptop… And this plot. And OCs... But I swear that's it! Also changing the set up to my stories.
Thank You's: To everyone who has read this story, I didn't give up on it until I realized I did. Then I was like what am I doing? Too much time has passed, but I finished I got to the end. Thank you for alerts.
WARNINGS: Abortion and depression, heavy implication of Dangina, Serena bashing (sort of), Georgie defending Blair, Dan/Chuck friendship, Nate/Chuck enemies, at least 4 OC (Melanie Coarsen-Bass, Casey Abbot, Arthur 'Ari' Rose, and Edward 'Eddie' Charles Waldorf), baby!Milo is Dan's son. I don't how much of season 3 and season 4 that I will use be warned. Actually, it's mostly AU.
Can't Turn Back:
Chapter 8: No one thinks twice
No one thinks twice about Chuck and Melanie's divorce after it was announced. No one dared mentioned that it might had to do with one Blair Waldorf or Arthur Rose either. They weren't really allowed, Chuck had made sure of it. They whispered it, of course, even the Great Chuck couldn't stop them from whispering.
Doesn't mean he didn't try.
Melanie—for her part—fled the Upper Eastside with the last shred of dignity she had intact.
It wasn't much.
The king's figuratively beheaded his former queen from society. The false pregnancy hadn't been the smartest move that she planted on the heir of the Bass fortune, but Melanie like to believe she got a laugh. Not too long after Blair's comeback Melanie revealed Chuck's supposed mental condition and later suicide attempts. Blair, in returned, revealed some undisclosed legal information.
"You have him, his child," Melanie spat out in disgust, "I loved him. I saved him. You nearly destroy him and I get the blame."
Blair eyes narrowed.
"Nothing to say?" There was a look of superiority glossing over Melanie's face, "You see, Blair, I may not have Chuck right now. But I still win, you can have him." And at that moment Melanie flinched as Blair tilted her head slightly and smirked. Melanie had no previous experience with Blair, but Georgina had often said Blair's best bitch-face oftened involved a smirk. She thought Georgina was playing her in order to intimidate her.
Melanie perched her own lips.
"You didn't really think, I came here without some reinforcements?"
"You have nothing on me." Her eyes narrow slightly, "And you have no idea—"
Blair sighed, almost disappointingly. "This was more fun when the person knew they were cornered. You, on the other hand, proved to be less than a worthy adversary. I'll give you a hint, since you seem rather reluctant about sharing—does Guam ring a bell?"
The façade had fallen.
"It seems I have a few friends on the island. Aaron had a few contacts over there, and well, your name came up—a few times, I might add. You have an hour to pack your things—either way, I already leaked the story to the highest bidder."
Melanie ran.
No one, however, on either ends of the Manhattan had suspected that Melanie would have lasted as long as she did. Especially while Blair was still alive. Blair was the Queen, there was no replacement.
No one thinks twice about Nate coming back to Manhattan—they think this might have been overdue. There's talk around town that he's lingering around next to a very leggy brunette and an adorable toddler at her hips. It takes a few hours before their names are on the lips of every Upper East and Westsider. They were surprised to discover that one is Nate's fiancé and the toddler was actually a Bass and not an Archibald.
Even more surprising when Nate delivered Edward Bass to his parents.
"Archibald," Chuck greeted his former-friend and now rival. Casey stood there with Edward in her arms, handing over the sleeping toddler into Blair's arms.
"Bass." Nate retorted right back.
Casey coughed conspicuously. "This is very anticlimactic," she said pointedly, "Just say you're sorry and get it over with. By the way, I'm Casey Abbot."
"Nice to meet you," Chuck said as cordially as possible, "I suspect Nathaniel—"
"He hasn't said a word," Casey said casually, too casually. "Alright, he may have said you were a bit of a prick, but that's it. I swear."
"A prick? Nathaniel of all the words in the Oxford dictionary—"
"How did you know I was in London?"
"I like to keep tabs on my friends." There was a hint of mockery, "Also my informant, mentioned that you were a lawyer now?" Nate nodded. The tension was incredibly uncomfortable. It was Ari who broke the silence and some of the tension.
"Aunt Casey, do you have any candy?" Casey smiled and looked in her bag. There was no doubt in her mind that Ari did that on purpose. He was going to great things.
No one thinks twice about Serena and Nate being in the same bar, at the same time because no one is in the empty bar. Chuck had manage to pull some strings and after much debate. Casey must have thought Serena and Nate needed 'closure'.
Serena doesn't drink, she's too nervous, she waits for Nate. She'll probably always wait for him. She's not entirely sure what that means, and she's not sure she really wants to either.
Nate makes his way to her, it feels very much like the Sheppard wedding. He doesn't understand what he's doing there or who's more nervous. But this ends today.
She greets with a simple hello and he stays silent. If she's offended she doesn't say anything. "It's been a while," she adds and he nods. He doesn't understand why it was easier to forgive Chuck, but not Serena.
"So how long are you back—"
And he can't do this. "What are we doing?" There's annoyance in his voice.
"I don't know." Because she really doesn't, this wasn't her idea. This was Casey, it was Casey who wanted Nate to have closure with his ex-girlfriend. It was Casey who helped Chuck pick the spot. It was Casey.
"Casey," Nate smiled, "she's my fiancé."
Serena nodded, however, not understanding what his point was.
"She's loves me," he said ruefully. "I don't know why either."
She smiles sadly, they both know where this is going. "She's lucky to have you, Nate. When is the big day?"
At that moment, they both understand that they could never go back.
No one thinks twice about it when Serena leaves after a matter of days. She's always been sort of free that way, her attachment had ended shortly after Chuck-Nate-Serena debacle. She had tried and failed in more ways than anyone would realize. Serena had been raised to be brave, free, and alone. Seeing Blair for the first time in years hadn't made things clearer. Blair was a sister that Serena had never had, Blair was family. Was, being the operative word. The last conversation that Serena had wasn't filled with bitter words or a sheer determination to destroy her. It was final.
"You don't have to run." They sat in the Palace bar, nostalgia taking it place between the two former friends. Serena didn't smile, she didn't look up, she drank her martini—dry. The days seemed longer and longer. With Nate and Casey, and her ex attempting to apologized. Now that was another disaster—which she fixed thankfully.
"Running is what I do best, B." She tried to keep her voice light and nonchalant.
"You can stay," Blair added hopefully, "You can—"
"Ruin people lives?" She ordered another drink, "I can figure out ways to be as unhappy as I possibly be?"
The saddest smile appeared on Serena face, but she shook her head. "I need to fix me, then maybe I can figure out how I fit into this world again. I haven't been ok since—I actually can't remember." She scoffed, "I'll be back one day, maybe."
"Keep in touch, S?"
Serena nodded and proceeded to finish her drink.
No one thinks twice about Dan being completely out of the loop. Georgie has just sort of forgot about it until Chuck shows up a week later. With Blair. And a baby?
It's been a while since Dan's days in Brooklyn, and quite possibly a while since Chuck has called him that. The two were friends in spite of the mess, it might have actually been Serena and Lily's fault. Or Eric's?
Regardless of why the two became friends, Blair certainly didn't understand it. She hadn't been gone that long.
Dan had been there for most of the trauma in Chuck's life after Blair had left. At first, it was more for his family, his weird fucked up family. Then Chuck turned out to be a pretty decent critic, which work out well for him and his novels. Somewhere between actually rising Milo, the roll coaster romance with Georgina and Vanessa, and the odd friendship between the two—he realized Blair just came with the total package.
So perhaps it wasn't so much that Dan was out of the loop, but he just choose what was important in life. Like spending time with Milo, who paused the video game to greet his Uncle Chuck and meet his new Aunt Blair.
Or Georgie, walking in glaring at Dan.
"So Lily, just called. Did you forget to tell me something?"
Dan, at the very least, had another week on the couch. So, he forgot to mention the family reunion taking place within the hour. These things happened.
No one thinks twice about Chuck and Blair finally getting married a year after Blair's return. Nate doesn't even scolded her for quitting his firm mainly because she found a job in the city. Ari is still adjusting to life in Manhattan and Edward loves it here, she can tell. Somehow they make it work, the four of them. She wasn't really sure where she fits sometimes, but then Chuck helps makes it easy. They talk, she goes to therapy, they just work. Between then and now, she isn't sure that isn't how it's always supposed to be.
She doesn't exactly love therapy, but it helps. Being home helps.
Blair stares out the window often and wonders about what would have happened if she hadn't run away. What would have happened to Edward and Ari, two of the most important people—even before Chuck?
She feels him wrap his arms around her waist and kisses her on the side of her head. She wants to tell him thank you for everything even though it seems unnecessary.
"Had a good day?" he asks softly, she turns slightly and nods.
This was life, this was her life now. And she loved every second of it.
The end.
A/N: It only took me like 3 years to finish.