A/N: I apologize for the lack of Chuck and Blair, but this is first and foremost a murder mystery. I promise that the wait will be well worth it. After all, Blair is still a virgin. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Who did kill Pete Fairmont?

Risky Business


"Vanessa needs you Dan. I can take a cab home. In fact, I feel like taking a walk actually," Blair insisted.

She would have been grateful for a ride home, but the elevator ride down to the lobby had been awkward enough to say the very least. For some odd reason, she found it hard to look Dan in the eyes after what had perspired between Chuck and herself. Every time she did, she heard his voice next to her ear. You have a nice set of those too. It had been an innocent exchange, but she felt guilty all the same.

Dan continued to remain unconvinced and wavered for a moment at her insistence, worry set in his deep brown eyes.

"Are you absolutely positive Blair? I can take you home first and then drive back to meet Vanessa," he offered. "You probably need to vent about Chuck to someone after the way he interrogated you."

You have a nice set of those too. Her cheeks flared at the reminder again. How the hell did Chuck Bass still manage to evade her personal space when he was probably long gone doing God knows what with God know who?

"I am fine Dan. I mean it. Who cares about Detective Bass? Take as long as you need with Vanessa alright? Her brother has been murdered. She needs someone to be there for her right now. No thoughts of Chuck Bass had even crossed my mind until you mentioned him," she rambled on.

Dan frowned in defeat as Blair abruptly closed her mouth to prevent herself from saying anything she might regret later.

"Alright, but you cannot walk home. Promise me you will take a cab at the very least?"

Blair smiled at his concern for her, slightly relieved that he had paid no attention to her odd behavior.

"Dan, you are overreacting. I will not get attacked on the way home," she reassured him.

He knew there would be no changing her mind. When Blair Waldorf made a decision, it was set in stone. Dan nodded and gave her a quick peck on the lips as his goodbye. Blair was non-responsive to the feel of his lips on hers, but Dan hardly took notice. He was too busy envisioning all of the mixed emotions Vanessa was probably experiencing right now. Blair turned her back to him and walked out of the building, inhaling a wisp of the crisp night air. The cool air felt refreshing against her hot skin. She would have to talk to Bart Fairmont tomorrow about fixing the air conditioning system in that hotel. It had to be broken. She stopped at the curb and looked both ways, waiting patiently for a cab.

"I can take you home," offered a familiar voice.

Blair whisked around to find Nate Archibald standing before her.

"How about it Blair?" he offered. Again.

"Is that legal?" Blair asked.

After all, he was a detective and she was a suspect in the homicide of Pete Fairmont.

"You are not a suspect Blair," he explained, attending to her concern. "Chuck is simply cautious when it comes to a homicide case. He has a trust no one kind of rule. Frankly, I think I could be on his list. I can take you home."

Blair considered his offer briefly. She might be able to obtain more information on the case from him on the ride home. She had nothing to lose and Dan would be pleased she had protection.

"Thanks," Blair said as Nate opened the passenger door of his car and helped her in.

"It was my pleasure," Nate replied.

This was perfect. He could probably obtain some information about Serena from Blair this way. The concierge had found her cell phone in the lobby and he would have to return it to her somehow. Nate would never consider Serena a suspect, but Chuck probably would, which was why he was secretly glad that he had been the one to gain possession of it. He would never want his beloved Serena to involve herself in a homicide case. The Serena he knew would not have lain so much as a finger on a helpless ant, let alone kill Pete Fairmont.

"Blair, are you still best friends with Serena?" he questioned casually.

He knew they had been fighting, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Blair thought nothing of the question and answered, "Yes, I suppose you could say we still are. I was planning to make amends with her at dinner tonight actually, but then this happened."

Nate nodded.

"Is she...dating anyone?" he blurted out without pondering over the possible consequences of his question.

"Why do you ask?" Blair retorted, curiosity looming within her.

Then, it came to her. Nate Archibald was probably interested in Serena. It was so typical. Why were people always fascinated with her life? Was she really that much more interesting than Blair Waldorf? Nate ran his hand through his hair and quickly recovered from his outburst.

"I figured she would be single, you know? Daniel was the love of her life, wasn't he?"

He sucked in his breath, hoping his cover was decent enough. Nobody knew of his secret crush on Serena, except Chuck of course.

"Well, she dated Aaron for awhile," she shrugged, pretending to be satisfied with his reason.

Now was hardly the time to question Nate about his affections for Serena. Besides, why should it matter to her?

"Aaron is your step-brother, right?"

Blair nodded in response and let out a yawn. Serena had her condolences if she ever decided to give Archibald a chance. It was like conversing with a brick wall. However, Nate did not realize her boredom with him. Aaron. That made perfect sense. Serena always seemed to fall for the artistic types. He knew he should have written more poetry in high school! His childhood would have been inspiration enough. Blair looked out the window still completely uninterested in their conversation. She wanted to change the subject and so she did. It was only fair that she could ask him a few questions now.

"Why am I a suspect to Chuck?" Blair reasoned, interrupting his blabbering. "I mean, the Palace should have surveillance tapes, right? Those could prove that I was nowhere near the victim when the murder had occurred earlier."

Nate turned his head to observe her. The homicide case was confidential, but she was his only connection to Serena. Besides, he could trust Blair Waldorf. She had never spread rumours about him in high school. They had been cordial with one another.

"That would seem like a reasonable assumption, but this criminal knew what they were was doing. Not only did they tamper with the key card system, but they overrode the security systems as well," Nate started.

"I noticed the key card system had been compromised, but I had no idea they had tampered with the security systems as well. So, there are no surveillance tapes," Blair continued.

It wasn't a question. She knew that had to be why she was still considered a suspect. Nate noticed the frustrated expression on her delicate face.

"I would like to tell you there are Blair, but the staff was unable to provide us with any security tapes. The last visible portion before the connection was cut was a few hours ago, but I did speak with one of the doormen before I left."

Blair quirked an eyebrow in his direction, willing for him to continue.

"He recognized that you entered the building only an hour or so ago. There is no way you could have committed the crime. Our homicide team has estimated the time of murder to have been at least three hours ago," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Blair breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why don't we start with that important detail next time, Nate?"

Blair paused before another question occurred to her.

"Does Chuck know about this? You better tell him, detective. I can't be held responsible for my actions if he interrogates me again," Blair huffed in slight irritation.

Nate stifled a laugh. He had seen the exchange between them earlier.

He hadn't heard what Chuck had whispered into her ear, but he could tell it had been something inappropriate. At least what he said had to be inappropriate enough to make Blair Waldorf blush a deep shade of crimson red. Blair Waldorf was always in control of her emotions or at least she was in the presence of the public eye. He had found the entire situation completely comical, but Chuck had sent him a brief withering glance to prevent him from laughing out loud.

"I'll let him know," Nate promised.

Blair resumed her false interest in her surroundings again as she allowed herself to drift off in thought. Chuck Bass had been utterly irritating. She could probably sue his judgemental ass for sexual harassment. Was there such a claim? She would have to ask Cyrus about that. Who knew that balding man would come in handy? You have nice set of those too. His sultry voice continued to ring in her ears. She could still feel his hot breath shamelessly stimulating the senses of her right earlobe. She reached up subconsciously to trace its edges. Yes, Chuck Bass was definitely insufferably irritating.

"Here we are Blair!" Nate exclaimed, interrupting her entrancing thoughts.

He went over to the passenger door and opened it for her climb out. There was something unsettling about the way Nate was behaving, but she shook it off. It was a miracle how they were best friends. Nate was boring, but he was such a gentleman and yet Chuck Bass had matured into an undiscovered species of arrogant asshole. She supposed Serena and her were as different as day and night as well. Perhaps certain aspects of the world were simply unexplainable phenomena.


Vanessa walked into the building and was relieved to see Dan waiting for her on one of the lounge chairs. They met each other in a tight embrace. He had never seen Vanessa so broken and distraught.

"Vanessa, your father is upstairs. I think the police are talking with him right now. We should..."

"I need to discuss something with you," she interrupted, dragging him into the nearest unoccupied hallway.

She looked both ways to ensure that the hallway was truly empty before opening her mouth to speak. However, not a single sound escaped from her open mouth. Instead, a single tear made its course down her left cheek. Dan was now completely overwhelmed and confused by her behavior. He held her close, wiping away her fallen tear with his thumb.

"Vanessa, what is going on here?" he asked. "This really isn't like you. You're scaring me."

Vanessa took a step back, regaining her composure.

"I think my father is hiding something terrible from me and from the police. I have no idea what that something is, but I think he may have killed Pete," she whispered.

"What? How do you know that? Where is this coming from?" Dan asked, shocked at her accusation.

"He called me a few moments ago. I had just woken up from my nap. He told me Pete had been murdered and demanded that I be his alibi. He promised to explain everything to me later, but he made sure I knew I wasn't supposed to answer any questions from the police or anyone else until then," Vanessa explained.

He continued to stare at her with wide eyes.

"Maybe he has other reasons for asking you to do something like this," Dan suggested.

"Dan! What could he have been doing a few hours ago that was so horrible that he would need to refer to me as his alibi?"

"Calm down, Vanessa. I know this looks bad, but what if he was alone or something a few hours ago? Maybe he was afraid having no alibi would incriminate him or maybe..."

Vanessa raised her hand to dismiss his ramblings. "Dan, even Bart Fairmont is smart enough to know that not having an alibi is not exactly evidence of murder."

Dan nodded. "What are you going to do? I mean, your father does sound guilty, but Bart seems like the kind of person who would hire someone else to do his dirty work for him, you know? I honestly doubt that he would actually want to take a swim in the idea of direct involvement in a homicide case."

"I know. I was thinking about that possibility too. What if one of the homicide detectives really does ask me to confirm that I'm his alibi Dan? I know they will. My conscience wouldn't allow for me to lie. You know I'm an awful liar. He's my father and I love him, but if he did kill Pete, I want my brother to have justice," she declared.

"Not to mention it would be an obstruction of justice," Dan pointed out.

Vanessa silenced him with a glare. It was one that Blair Waldorf would have been proud of.

"Not helping Dan."

Dan let out a tired sigh.

"Vanessa, I think you might be reading into this. Why don't you listen to your father's explanation first before deciding on what to do? I mean, chances are the police won't get in touch with you until tomorrow. The entire homicide team is still upstairs looking for evidence. I only saw Detective Archibald and Detective Bass leave the building earlier."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

"Detective Nate Archibald and Detective Chuck Bass?" she wondered. "Is everyone a homicide detective these days? They must be desperate for recruits to hire those two."

Dan chuckled and guided Vanessa back towards the lobby. He knew Vanessa and Blair would get along if they just gave each other a chance.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. Look Vanessa, I know you don't want to face the police or your father right now, but do you..." he trailed off, hoping she would catch on his question.

"No, I think I should just head home. I wanted to see him dead for myself, but I don't think that's a good idea anymore. I can say my goodbyes to my brother at the funeral," she said, her voice quivering slightly at the very idea.

Dan merely nodded in response. "I can take you home."

Vanessa smiled at him with gratitude, but he could not return her smile. He had never been in a situation like this before and he felt completely useless at the present moment. He had no idea how to comfort her properly even though he desperately wanted to. He knew he would be devastated if he ever lost Jenny, despite their occasional quarrels.


Blair glided out of the elevator and headed for the stairs. She was really tired. She was secretly glad the weekend was here. At least she could sleep off this nightmare in time for school on Monday.

"Blair! Where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?" her mother's voice rang out after her.

She had been so tired that she had failed to see her mother sitting in the living room. In fact, Aaron, Cyrus, and Dorota were all present. Blair blinked once. Then, twice. Was that little Jenny Humphrey sitting on their couch?

"Blair! Where have you been? Does this have anything to do with Pete Fairmont's murder?" her mother repeated, completely distraught.

"What? How did you know about that?" Blair asked.

It was amazing how fast news traveled on the Upper East Side. No wonder no one bothered to read the newspapers anymore. By the time they were in circulation, it was all old news!

Eleanor looked at her daughter as if it were the silliest question in the world.

"I asked Jenny to deliver a dress for me to one of my clients at the Palace! She overheard the situation! She heard you were involved! She reported back to me immediately!" she cried, desperate for her daughter to refute the accusation.

"I was mother," Blair managed to choke out, causing Eleanor to burst into tears.

"The name of the Waldorf-Rose family has been tarnished! How will I face my clients now knowing my daughter took part in a murder?"

"Mother! Get a hold of yourself! I found the body, but that was it!"

Cyrus was trying to calm his wife down.

"Don't worry, Blair. You go up and rest. Your mother is simply terribly worried about you," he reassured her.

Aaron and Jenny simply sat there amused by the entire misunderstanding surrounding the morbid situation. Dorota even stifled a giggle. Blair escaped to her room and collapsed on her bed in relief as the cries of her mother downstairs eventually subsided. Her mother was too dramatic and to think you only inherit half of your mother's genes. Half was more than enough when it came to her mother. Eleanor Waldorf was probably only concerned that this would bring bad publicity to the launch of her new fashion line. She would undoubtedly tell Blair she was being replaced in the morning. She was sure of it. With that disappointing thought in mind, she drifted off to sleep only to be haunted by the images of Pete Fairmont dead and naked in her bed all throughout the night.


Chuck watched as she turned off the lights. Why had Nate been the one to drop her off? Where was that sorry excuse of a boyfriend of hers, Dan Humphrey? It wasn't any of his business of course and she was still on his suspect list, but if she was innocent, she could also be in grave danger. It was the only reason he had dropped by - to see if she had gotten home safely. You keep telling yourself that. Chuck cursed at the nagging voice inside his head. He was only concerned about Blair Waldorf on a sense of responsibility level. After all, he had sworn to protect the citizens of the Upper East Side.

One thing was for certain, the murderer had been a cautious one. They had a goal in mind and was careful to cover the necessary bases. The key card system had been tampered with as were the installed security systems. The system backup had been disabled as well. This person knew what he or she was doing and knew the hotel inside out. Chuck knew from experience that this killer would do anything to ensure their identity remained hidden. He had seen the way Blair had been talking to Nate in the car. She had definitely been asking too many questions for her own good and he could tell that Nathaniel had entrusted her with some confidential information. If this came to the attention of the murderer, things could get out of hand. Things could get ugly. Nate and him were trained professionals. Blair was an easy target. If she really was innocent, he would protect her. He would risk his life to do it. He let out a tired yawn as he drove away. As of right now, Bart Fairmont and his daughter were number one on his suspect list, but Chuck knew deep down that the list would only get longer when the evidence his team had gathered started to pile in. Here we go again!