Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
"Do you remember when we were kids and you, Serena, Nate, and I used to pretend that we were grownups going to some elegant ball on those frequent evenings that our parents left us for the evening?" Chuck inquired as his limo stopped in front of their destination. He had kept Blair successfully distracted during their ride so that she couldn't possibly know where they were.
Blair chuckled at the memory as she nodded, "Serena always had to be Nate's date because she was afraid you'd give her cooties."
"I told her I had cooties on purpose," he confessed, "I wanted to be your date."
"I should have known," she smirked with a roll of her eyes.
"Do you remember where you always wanted the ball to be held?" he inquired.
"The Waldorf-Astoria hotel, of course," she smiled.
The door suddenly opened and they were in front of the familiar looking building.
"Chuck!" she gasped as he stepped out of the limo and then turned to help her out. "I can't believe you remembered."
"I remember everything," he assured her as he kissed her cheek softly. A blush crept up her neck to her cheeks as he led her into the hotel and towards the ballroom he had reserved for them.
Once in the ballroom they were escorted to their seats by their hostess for the evening and the orchestra began playing. Words were impossible to express how amazed she was by the attention to detail.
"You rented out this entire ballroom for just the two of us," Blair marveled as the first course of their dinner was promptly served.
"You sound surprised," he laughed quietly, "You do know who you're dating, right?"
"I could never forget," she assured him as she reached across the table and took his hand.
"Thank you for the most amazing month," Chuck responded, his eyes echoing the sincerity in his voice, "It's no secret that I fear commitment . . . for a lot of reasons, but you have pushed all those reasons aside. I don't know how you've managed to do it, but you've completely changed me."
"We've changed each other," she responded as he kissed her hand, "In the best ways possible, and not just after we finally stopped denying what we both so desperately wanted."
"Desperate, huh," he smirked, "Was it really that bad?"
"Yes," she groaned, "For crying out loud, I slept with Baizen because of you."
"That wasn't because of me. That was because of Yale," he clarified.
"It was partly because of you," she amended, "I think if we had been together before all of that, I would have handled everything so differently."
"For starters you wouldn't have gotten caught hazing the teacher," he smirked, "I never would have let that happen."
"Are you going to throw every heinous thing that I did this past year in my face?" she snapped, "You were no saint, you know."
"I never claimed to be," he chuckled. He had gotten under her skin again and her attack mode was kicking in.
"Good, because need I remind you of those floozies I caught you with at Bass Industries," she shot back.
"Is that the worst you've got?" he challenged her.
"Well some of us don't have private investigators at our disposal," she responded, her voice dripping in sarcasm, "For all I know you killed someone during your drug induced trip to Thailand."
"That's a low blow, Waldorf," he stated as he averted his eyes so that she wouldn't see the pain her remark had caused him.
"Chuck," she gasped as she stood up from her chair quickly and went to him, bringing his gaze back to her. The tears that pooled in his eyes broke her heart. "I'm so sorry."
"I know," he whispered as she caressed his cheek softly.
"I know how hard that time was for you . . . how hard your father's death still is for you. Of all people, I should know better," she replied as she began raining kissed from his forehead to his eyelids to his cheeks, and then finally capturing his lips. Chuck rose from his chair quickly and swept her into his arms, kissing her with as much passion as he ever had. "I'm so sorry," She mumbled into his lips.
"Stop," he whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers. He'd forgiven her already. "Stop apologizing. We both push each other's buttons. We always have. It's what makes us who we are."
"But there are limits," she sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder as he began swaying her to the orchestral music playing as he took her hand in his to lead her around the dance floor, "And I crossed them."
"Then I forgive you for it," he assured her as he kissed her forehead.
"We're not going to have a normal relationship, are we?" she concluded.
"We're never going to be the couple who make it through more than a few weeks without an argument. If we do, then we're doing something wrong. It's a miracle that we've lasted this long without a fight," he replied.
"I think this is what they call the honeymoon phase," she replied. She felt him freeze in her arms which brought a smirk to her lips. "Relax, Bass, I'm not looking for a death do us part commitment here."
"Honeymoon phase," he repeated, his voice catching on the first word.
"It's a figure of speech," she chuckled as she saw the look of pure terror in his eyes, "I know better than to expect more of a commitment from you than what I currently have."
"And I am committed to you," he responded quickly, "But marriage. . ."
"Freaks you out, I know," she assured him, "In truth it does for me as well. Neither one of us had the best role models. My parents spent almost twenty years together with both my father and mother denying who he really was. You had Bart Bass. He went through relationships like most people go through socks."
"He would have been different if my mother had lived," he stated as his eyes began to tear. "He did commit to her one hundred percent. I can do that for you. . . I think."
"One step at a time," she smirked, "Let's just play out the honeymoon phase for all it's worth and then go from there."
"No arguments here," he returned her grin, "This past month has been phenomenal. We all know my stamina, but never in a million years did I think I'd find someone that can keep up with me."
She threw her head back and began laughing. "I never thought I'd be able to keep up with the legendary Chuck Bass libido, but you do things to me that I cannot put into words."
"And you do the same to me," he replied as he kissed her neck which was still exposed, "I've never felt the things I feel when I make love to you."
"Perhaps because it was only sex before me," she offered.
"Whatever it is, I'm not fighting it," he replied, "Let's finish our dinner. We can dance later."
"Are we really here to dance?" she inquired as he led her back to her seat.
"I'm giving you the fairytale ball," he replied, "If you want to dance, we'll dance."
"And if I'm done living out the fairytale?" she pressed.
"Then we move to the next part of the evening," he stated as two silver platters were placed in front of them, "But we should eat first. You'll need your strength for later."
She shook her lead in amusement, "You still have a one track mind."
Chuck tried to play innocent, but he failed miserably. She knew him too well and saw through it immediately.
"Are you certain that you're finished with the dancing for the evening?" Chuck asked as he led her from the grand room, "We have the ballroom for as long as we want."
"I'm sure," she replied. In truth, she had a hard time finishing dinner. The romantic evening, complete with her favorite meal, was taking its toll on her. All she wanted to do at that moment was go back to Chuck's Palace suite and spend the night in his arms, but apparently he had other ideas because instead of guiding her to his limo he ushered her into one of the hotel elevators.
"You didn't think I'd bring you all the way to the Waldorf-Astoria just to have dinner and dance for a little while," he chuckled lightly as their elevator rose. His arm came around her waist to pull her closer to him.
"Are you saying that we're spending the night?" she realized. He nodded as the doors opened. She gasped when she realized that they were entering the Royal Suite, the one reserved for visiting royalty. Princess Diana had stayed in this room once upon a time.
"I take it you like our accommodations," he stated as he nudged her gently into the room. She was still frozen at the doorway.
"How did you do this?" she gasped, finally able to verbalize a thought after several moments of complete silence.
"I own the Palace," he replied, "You don't think that I don't have some pull with other luxurious hotels in New York City, do you?"
She quickly spun towards him and rushed into his arms. "I love you, Bass."
"I love you, too, Waldorf," he responded as he looked her deep in the eyes. All of his emotions were open to her, the slight fear at how vulnerable he felt at finally opening himself up to someone, the pure joy that came with knowing that she loved him in return, the promise that this relationship would continue well after this evening. They would have many more anniversaries; they both knew that. "Happy Anniversary."
That phrase sent her into panic mode. "Chuck, I forgot your present in my bedroom!" she exclaimed, "We need to send your driver to get it."
"You haven't forgotten anything," he assured her as he spun her towards the bedroom while held two beautifully wrapped presents, one that she had spent an hour wrapping, and another that had been wrapped by a professional.
"How did this get here?" she inquired as she picked up her gift to him and studied it.
"I told Dorota to give it to my driver when I picked you up for the evening. My driver gave it to the concierge," he explained, "I told you I thought of everything. There is even a change of clothes for tomorrow morning, so that you don't need to wear this ball gown home, compliments of Dorota."
"And if I need a few moments to freshen up?" she tested him.
"Everything you could possibly need is waiting for you in the bathroom, other than me of course," he assured her.
"Can I have a few moments?" she asked as she motioned towards the open bathroom door.
He nodded before she disappeared. Once the door was closed it sent him into overdrive as he began pulling out candles from various drawers around the room and lighting them. As he went, his tuxedo jacket and bowtie were discarded and the buttons to his dress shirt had become undone. He was lighting the last of the candles when the bathroom door opened. When she came out, she was no longer wearing her ball gown. She had exchanged the gown for a black silk robe with gold trim that Dorota must have packed. How she was able to get out of the zipper at the back of her dress was a mystery to him, but he didn't fight it as she sauntered towards him seductively.
"Are you ready for your present?" she asked as she picked up her package as she past the bed and held it out to him.
"You first," he responded as he held out the slim box wrapped in the Tiffany blue paper.
Never one to be told twice that she could unwrap a gift, she set his gift down and eagerly tore into the beautiful paper. "Chuck, this bracelet is beautiful," she gasped as she pulled out the diamond cluster bracelet that he had given her.
"I was going to go with a necklace, but then I remembered the Erickson Beamon necklace that I gave you over a year ago. I don't repeat gifts if I can remember giving them," he explained as he took the bracelet out of the box and clasped it around her wrist.
"It's beautiful," she repeated as she held her wrist up and admired the way the candlelight reflected off its many stones.
"It pales in comparison to you," he replied as he leaned in to kiss her.
"Ever the charmer," she smirked as she pulled away, "I think I've heard you whisper that to others before me."
"Yes, but with you, I mean it," he grinned devilishly, "I'm not just looking for a quick roll in the hay. . . at least not for another few minutes, and it's never quick with us."
She shook her head in amusement.
"Is it my turn?" he inquired as he bent down to retrieve the gift she had laid at his feet so she could open hers, "I'm in desperate need of a new sweater."
She began laughing at the confused look on his face when he picked up the box to feel that it was as light as a feather. She sobered up quickly so that he couldn't see how proud of herself she felt. She didn't want to ruin the effect of the gift.
"But I thought you took Eric shopping a couple days ago for a sweater," he frowned as he shook the package several times. She had taken great care to ensure that the box was stuffed with enough paper for the gift to not rattle around.
"Is your PI still following me?" she smirked. She was losing her ability to hide her amusement. She wasn't going to last much longer.
"No . . . well, yes, but. . ." he fumbled. He thought she'd be irritated by his confession, but she much have expected his answer because her smirk grew wider.
"You need to pay him a little better," she teased, "I didn't even buy a sweater that day."
Chuck began tearing into the box, bits of paper flying everywhere in his haste. Soon the box was opened, and more paper was flying as he looked for what was inside. She was glad that she had left the bracelet in the jewelry box or it would have ended up on the floor.
He was surprised to find the box at the bottom. He quickly opened it and studied the contents inside. His eyes glanced over the square linked eighteen carat gold bracelet before they finally settled on the clasp and an audible gasp escaped from his lips. "Blair, is this what I think it is?"
"Yes," she nodded with a shy smile, "I know you had your heart set on a sweater, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It didn't seem special enough for you. When I gave the pin to Nate I didn't even know love meant. My heart isn't merely on your sleeve . . . my heart belongs to you."
"And mine belongs to you," he stated as she took the bracelet from him and put it on his extended wrist. Tears fell freely from his eyes, but for the first time in his life he wasn't ashamed of them. "It always has."
She smiled as she brushed the tears off his face.
"This time it's going to be different," she smiled.
"This time it's going to work," he assured her as he took her hand and kissed it gently, "It has to. I don't ever want to experience the pain of this past year ever again. My father's death hurt, but it hurt so much more because I couldn't be with you. I wanted to be, but I knew I couldn't. I knew I was going down, and I couldn't bear to bring you with me. I loved you too much to let that happen."
"I love you too," she replied as he swept her into his arms without any sort of warning. She squealed in surprise which elicited a laugh from him as her arms came around his neck.
"What do you say we give that bed a proper work out," he suggested, "It's probably never seen the type of action that we're going to give it. . . This is the royal suite after all."
"I hope the bed can keep up because we've both discovered I can," she smirked as she began tracing his jaw with her lips as he walked them towards the bed.
"Waldorf, you are going to be the death of me," he groaned as he lowered her softly to the bed as she began lightly biting his neck.
"But what a way to go," she teased.
"What a way indeed," he laughed as she pulled him to the bed.
TBC…
Normally, this is where I would end one of my stories, but there is just too much good material left in my head. I'm going to gloss over some of the spoilers that are out there. . . This is my story after all.
