A/N: Hooray for long chapters! Please review and thanks for reading!

Time Out


Bart walked over to his desk and motioned for Jenny to take the seat across from him. He shuffled some papers around and tried to make his desk a little more presentable.

"Mr. Fairmont, I would like to..."

Bart put up his hand to stop her from going any further.

"I have only been aware that you and my daughter are fairly good friends, but you said you knew my son and his...activities very well. Pete has never mentioned you before, so how exactly do you know my son Jenny?" he asked, curious as to her relations with Pete.

"He probably has mentioned me. You just chose not to listen," she retorted. "Anyway, you could say we were very close friends I suppose. My friendship with him was even stronger than my friendship with Vanessa."

Jenny was careful to keep her answers as vague as possible. Bart Fairmont had no need to know the details of their private lives. She was here to help Pete and that was exactly what she was determined to do.

Bart nodded firmly at her response. He could tell that the young girl had shown up with a purpose in mind and any details he was hoping for would most likely not be revealed.

"So, what brings you to my office then? Please make this quick Jenny. I have another meeting to get to in about five minutes."

Jenny smiled sweetly at the older man. "I have a feeling you'll cancel that meeting to hear my concerns Mr. Fairmont."

Dan and Vanessa stayed as silent as possible in the small closet, hoping to catch as much as they could of the conversation. Neither of them had even known that Jenny knew Pete so well. Dan looked over nervously at Vanessa. He really hoped his sister wasn't involved in all of this. Chances are it was illegal. Vanessa patted Dan lightly on the arm to reassure him before turning her attention back towards the conversation.

Bart crossed his arms, giving the young blond a stern look. "And why would I do that Jenny?"

"Because I know more than you think about the stock fraud and your cover up operation," Jenny replied confidently.

Vanessa let out an audible gasp, causing both Jenny and Bart to pause momentarily to observe their surroundings.

"Did you hear something?" Bart questioned.

He was probably being paranoid, but this was definitely not something he wanted to be under the scrutiny of the public eye. This scandal would ruin Fairmont Industries with absolutely no chance of resurrection. It was bad enough that Jenny knew about the scandal. Bart did not doubt that she had been really close with his son. He needed to be careful where he tread. Upsetting Jenny could lead to the fall of the company and the reputation he had worked so hard to build.

"It was probably a mouse or something," Jenny offered.

Dan released a breath he had no idea he had even been holding. He motioned for Vanessa to remain quiet. Vanessa nodded her head in response, biting her lower lip to stifle a giggle. Dan was looking a little blue from holding his breath so much.

"Now, let me make myself clear Mr. Fairmont. I plan to keep my mouth shut, so you don't have to worry about me going to the authorities," Jenny assured him to which Bart let out a sigh of relief.

"I am only here on behalf of Pete," she continued. "I know he would have wanted me to speak his mind for him. I suggest you let someone know you'll be late for your next meeting."

Bart nodded and punched some numbers into his phone. Vanessa held her breath and thanked the heavens that her phone had been set to vibrate. She moved towards the back of closet as far as she could from the door to answer the call.

"Hello," she whispered, praying that Bart wouldn't be able to hear her from inside the closet.

"Vanessa? Why are you whispering?" Bart wondered.

Her mind drew a blank for a moment before she noticed a random book lying on the floor.

"I'm at the library," Vanessa explained. "I'm trying to do some extra research on that deal the company is about to sign off on."

Dan looked horrified and held his breath waiting for his answer.

"Alright then. I'm proud of you Vanessa. Anyway, could you please let the board know that I'm running late? I have some important business to take care of."

"Of course father," she responded. "I'll let them know."

Vanessa hung up the phone as did Bart and the tense atmosphere of the room returned thicker than ever.

"Do you want to tell me why my son committed stock fraud in the first place?"

Jenny laughed, eliciting a confused look from Bart.

"I'm sorry Jenny," he started, looking slightly offended. "Did I say something amusing?"

"Why do you care why Pete did this? I'll humor you though Mr. Fairmont. You never cared for your son. He thought you hated him. All his life, he tried to be the perfect son for you, but you wouldn't even look at him twice. Do you know how many times he came to me torn to pieces because of a hurtful comment you made?"

Bart remained silent, so Jenny took the liberty to continue.

"Do you know how many times he wanted to kill himself because you refused to believe he was your biological son? So, yes, Mr. Fairmont. Pete may have committed stock fraud, but with good reason."

"This is..." Bart spoke up.

"I'm not finished," Jenny said, putting a hand up to stop him. "He indulged in his secret society and his rebellious ways because he figured since you already thought of him as a screw up, why not actually be one? This stock fraud plan of his was his ultimate way of getting back at you because honestly, what's more important to a man like you than the reputation of his company and subsequently his own reputation?"

"I had no idea my son felt this way Jenny nor did I take you for such a talkative girl. I took you more for the shy and quiet type," he said, still maintaining his cool demeanor.

"Bullshit Mr. Fairmont," Jenny shot back, ignoring his comments on what he thought of her personality. "You knew. He confronted you once about what you were doing to him and you told him he was being ridiculous and sent him away. You accused him of being drunk."

Truthfully, Jenny was the shy and quiet type that Bart at pinned her for, but when it came to the people she cared about, she would unleash the stronger side of her. She had loved Pete despite the fact that she hadn't been in love with him.

Vanessa still couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had no idea her brother had been so dysfunctional solely because of their father. Pete had told her that he had tried to confront their father once about his feelings, but she had no idea things had ended badly. Pete had told her everything was fine when she had asked him about it afterward. Jenny must have meant a lot to Pete if he had let her in on so much. Vanessa knew that Jenny was probably the girl that Pete had casually mentioned about being in love with once or twice.

Dan reached over and took Vanessa's hand in his to show his support. Vanessa smiled gratefully and they both turned back towards the conversation on the other side of the door.

"Is this conversation going anywhere Jenny because I really am a busy man," Bart reminded her.

"I just wanted to say my piece Mr. Fairmont," Jenny explained. "I know you would never have the guts to kill your own son and I have no idea who did, but that doesn't even matter anymore. I just wanted you to know that Pete died thinking that nobody loved him except for me and his sister. He had always strived to be the son you wanted and yet you weren't even a sliver of what he wanted in a father if you can even call yourself that."

Jenny witnessed a darkness develop in his eyes and she knew she had probably crossed the line. Who could blame her though? It was hard to keep her emotions in check in a situation like this. Pete had died. That night when she had found out about his murder, she had been horrified and the worst part was that she had to act like she was unaffected by it all.

No one knew of her relations with Pete except for Eric and all the members of Pete's secret society. She really had no one to turn to and she had kept all of her emotions bottled up inside. At first, she had been in denial over his death. Then, she had drained herself of her tears. All that was left now was the flicker of anger that was still within her. After this, Jenny knew she would finally be able to let him go.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave Jenny. Please don't make me call security," Bart threatened.

"I can let myself out Mr. Fairmont, but I hope you remember everything I've said today," Jenny told him as she stood up from her seat. "I know you're trying to repurchase those fake stocks now to save your reputation because let's be honest here. If Pete was still alive and there was a way to incarcerate him without bringing down Fairmont Industries, you would do it. Even if you do succeed with your cover up operation, I hope your son's death haunts you for the rest of your life Mr. Fairmont."

With that, Jenny strolled out of his office, leaving Bart to his thoughts and Dan and Vanessa to their shock over everything that had just transpired.


Chuck walked into his office only to find Daryl, Janice, and Nate all waiting for him.

"I assume some if not all of the results are in for the Fairmont case?" Chuck asked. "I mean, I know it's definitely not my birthday."

"We have the results!" Daryl shouted excitedly.

Nate laughed at the boy's enthusiasm. "Yeah man. The results came in this morning. We've got some pretty interesting stuff to fill you in on."

Chuck smirked. "You mean they have some pretty interesting stuff to fill me in on, right Nathaniel? I heard you had a hot date last night unless said hot date had something to do with the case?"

Nate coughed uncomfortably, signaling for Chuck not to say anything else. Daryl and Janice simply looked on in amusement.

Chuck gave a curt nod towards Janice and took a seat at his desk. He grabbed a pen from the drawer and flipped open his notebook.

"Alright, let's hear it," Chuck said, signaling for them to start.

"I'll start!" Daryl raised his hand, waving it frantically.

Nate stifled a laugh and Chuck sent him a hard glare to silence him.

"Well, we can eliminate Todd Jenkins as a suspect for starters," the eager intern started. "He was nowhere near the scene of the crime on the night of the murder. Mr. Humphrey being the target seems unlikely to me."

Chuck nodded. "Sounds good, but the idea of Mr. Humphrey having been the intended target can't be eliminated just yet. He could have other enemies we may not know of. What else do you have for me?"

Daryl crinkled his nose before continuing. "Well, this is based purely on my own speculations, but I found it odd that none of the staff were in the key areas of the hotel around the time of the murder. I went to check it out."

Chuck shot him a look of disapproval. Daryl quickly covered for himself.

"I wasn't questioning the staff officially of course. I pretended to be a nosy guest and apparently there was some sort of commotion in the ballroom at the time. All of the staff were asked to report to the ballroom immediately except for a few personnel like the doorman."

"Patience meter running low Daryl," Chuck warned him as he continued to jot down notes.

"Alright! The bottom line is that Georgina Sparks was the one causing all of the drama. According to one of the staff, she seemed to be inebriated. This could be a coincidence, but..."

"What are the chances that a distraction as convenient as this one would occur in or close to the timeframe of the crime?" Chuck finished for him.

Daryl smiled. "Exactly! Also, all of the tapes from the time of murder and onwards were tampered with. We have no existing tapes that reveal her escapade, which would mean that..."

"...this most likely happened only moments after the murder," Chuck finished for his intern again.

"Good work Daryl," Janice cut in.

Her praise was echoed by both Chuck and Nate, causing Daryl to beam with utmost happiness.

"Georgina could have killed Pete and done this to create somewhat of an alibi. Most of the staff would probably testify for her presence at the time of the murder, since both events happened so closely to one another," Nate offered.

"Georgina could have been giving an opportunity for the real murderer to escape as well, although someone must have seen the perpetrator. We need to head back to The Palace and ask around," Chuck added.

"I can do that Detective Bass!" Daryl volunteered. "I play the part of the nosy guest quite well if I do say so myself."

Chuck nodded at the boy and Daryl took it as a sign of consent. He left the office immediately to start on his new task.

"Alright Janice. You're up next," Chuck informed her. "What do you have for me?"

Janice smiled and began to give her detailed report.

"The suspect left us with almost no evidence. He cleaned up the place very well, but we did find some drug remnants on the side table. It has proven to be cocaine. There was also a piece of thread stuck on the knob of one of the drawers in the room. This thread is extremely unique."

Chuck let out a fake yawn. "Patience meter running low Janice."

Janice rolled her eyes at his dramatics.

"So is mine," Nate added.

Chuck stifled a laugh as Janice glared at the two detectives. She allowed them to regain their composure before continuing.

"The thread we found is unique. There are only two fashion designers around here that use this kind of thread. The first is Eleanor Waldorf of Eleanor Waldorf Designs and the second is her intern Jenny Humphrey, although she now has designs of her own as well."

"Eleanor Waldorf has been accounted for already, which leaves Jenny Humphrey," Nate shared, stating the obvious.

"Thanks for that Nathaniel," Chuck mentioned sarcastically.

"We also found a strand of blond hair at the scene of the crime, Janice informed them. "A match has not been found at this point in time, but I assure you that tests are still being run. As for the other evidence we collected that night, we are still waiting for the results."

"Thank you Janice. I envision a raise in your future," Chuck encouraged her.

Janice laughed before walking out. "I see a raise in my future as well detective."

Nate waited for the lab director to leave before speaking up again. "The blond hair most likely belongs to Jenny, right?"

"Slow down there Nathaniel. We have quite a few other blonds on our suspect list to pin it on Jenny right away," Chuck replied. "Speaking of hot blonds..."

"Who was talking about hot blonds?" Nate inquired.

Chuck smirked. "Well, now that you mention it Nathaniel, how was your first date with Serena? You should be ashamed of yourself for keeping something like this from your best friend. I thought I mattered to you man."

Nate rolled his eyes. "What about you and Blair? Eric called me last night and told me all the juicy details. Sounded like a pretty hot kiss Bass."

Chuck groaned. "Betrayed by my own brother."

Nate laughed. "I bet Blair told you it was a mistake and asked that you forget that it had ever happened."

Chuck looked up from the papers he had occupied himself with. "How did you know that?"

"She has a boyfriend. What? You thought she would accept your advances? She might have if she wasn't taken already, but even then..."

"Whatever Archibald," Chuck interrupted him, clearly irritated at the mention of Dan.

"I think you like her man," Nate teased.

Chuck remained silent and refused to acknowledge his best friend.

Nate got up from his seat and headed for the office door. "Denial is always the second stage."

"I think you mean denial is always the first stage Nathaniel," Chuck said, smiling at his clueless partner.

Nate spun around. "Aha! You just admitted to being in denial! How else would you know that denial is the first stage and not the second?"

Chuck shrugged. "Because denial is the first stage. No one I know declares it to be the second stage. Seriously Nate. Why do I even bother? The phrase is supposed to be denial is always the first stage."

"Whatever you say man," Nate continued to mock him as he shut the office door.


Blair walked into the foyer only to find her mother waiting for her. She had been reliving her kiss with Chuck over and over again and she had tried to distract herself all day. She had attempted to get a hold of Serena all morning to spend some girl time with her, but she was still not answering her phone. She still had to ask her about the blackmail as well. Then, she had occupied herself with her homework the entire afternoon and now it was almost dinner time. Much to her dismay, she was still thinking of the feeling of his lips on hers.

"Blair!" Eleanor greeted her daughter a little too enthusiastically.

"I know that look mother. It means that you made a delicious plan and that everything is falling into place. I should know because I inherited that look from you," she said as-a-matter-a-factly.

"The Humphreys are coming for dinner tonight!" her mother announced.

"Really?" Blair asked, suspicion laced in her voice. "You rarely ever invite the Humphreys over for dinner. What are you planning mother?"

Dorota stared down at the floor and remained silent. Blair knew instantly that something was wrong. Dorota was purposely trying not to look at her.

Eleanor was quick to wave off her suspicions. "Lily and I have some much needed catching up to do. You and Serena are best friends again now anyway. Besides, that Humphrey boy has been your...you know…for awhile."

Blair rolled her eyes. She knew her mother always avoided mentioning Dan as her boyfriend.

"How very mature of you mother."

"The Archibald and Bass families have also been invited," Eleanor added.

Blair held her breath. "What? Why?"

Eleanor walked over to place a hand on her shoulder and Dorota took the opportunity to escape into the kitchen.

"You look slightly pale darling. Are you alright? The more the merrier, right Blair dear? We should thank them for all the hard work they have been doing for our community as of late."

Blair took a deep breath before confronting her mother, throwing her thoughts of Chuck momentarily out the window.

"You better not be attempting to set me up with Nate. I know how much you like him. I know Chuck is probably only a cover up. Did you have to invite the Humphreys then? You just want to make Dan feel awkward," Blair protested.

"Those were not my intentions at all dear," Eleanor responded.

She was technically telling the truth. Her real plan was to set her daughter up with Chuck and Nate was the true cover up. Sure, she wanted to make the Humphrey boy feel awkward, but she was mostly telling the truth.

"I need to see how Dorota is holding up in the kitchen now, so please excuse me."

"Wait! Did the Archibald family and Bass family both accept your invitation?"

"All of them will be here. I called them personally about an hour or two ago except Nate will be representing the Archibald family tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Archibald are out of town for the week. I have a dress laid out for you in your room. You need to look good for...our guests. Dinner will start in about an hour," she finished before heading towards the kitchen.

Blair groaned. Not thinking about Chuck was going to be a lot harder than she had ever imagined.