A/N: This is clearly a filler chapter, but the costume party sounds like a blast already, yes?
Without A Trace
Blair breathed a sigh of relief when spotted Nate walking into the penthouse towards her.
"I got here as soon as I could," he told her breathlessly as he approached her. "Don't worry. Chuck doesn't know I'm here. I didn't tell him a thing."
The brunette smiled at him gratefully and was touched that he had made it a point to come over here as soon as possible. Serena had certainly picked a winner in spite of the fact that Blair personally found him to be quite dull. She motioned for him to take a seat on the couch and he did so gratefully as he tried to regain his steady breathing.
"We have to be quiet," Blair informed him, bringing her index finger to lips for emphasis. "Everyone is sleeping."
"No problem," Nate whispered as he opened and held out the clear evidence bag to her.
Blair automatically reached for the threatening message and the photo she had placed on the side table with her gloved hand and placed the items carefully into the bag. Nate sealed the bag immediately and set it aside before turning around to face her once more.
"Did you touch the message or the photo at all?" Nate clarified.
"No, I don't think so," Blair insisted. "I was smart enough not to touch either item. I told you I merely noticed them in between two sets of employee records as I was rummaging through the stack of papers. I just put on the glove after I called you to bring the items down here is all. I figured it would be the best thing to do."
"Right," Nate agreed, pressing his lips together in thought. "You mentioned that the employee records from two years ago were missing, right?"
"Right," Blair echoed as she tucked a loose chocolate curl behind her right ear.
"Well, I'll definitely head over to The Palace in the morning and print out another set of those employee records," Nate assured her. "But I have a strong hunch that the culprit was smart enough to get rid of all existing copies. He or she has been nothing less than persistent about keeping their identity hidden."
"Evidently," Blair concurred, her face falling slightly in disappointment.
"I'll go and check it out tomorrow anyway," the blond promised her upon witnessing her dejected expression. "Now, may I ask why you don't want Chuck to know about any of this? He's your boyfriend Blair."
Blair smiled weakly at him in response and offered, "Because I promised him I would stay off the case this afternoon?"
Nate chuckled then and nodded in full understanding. Chuck would definitely not be pleased to know that not only did Blair disobey him, but here she was getting herself into even more trouble.
"Well, I think that's all I can really do for now Blair. I'll run these items through some tests in the lab as soon as I can and head over to The Palace in the morning as well."
Blair opened her mouth to speak, when Nate interrupted her, knowing full well what she wanted to make him promise.
"Yes, Blair. I'll make sure to keep all of this a secret from Chuck, alright?"
"Thank you," Blair told him gratefully as a relieved sigh escaped from her parted lips. "Will you let me know if you manage to get a copy of the employee records from that year as well? I mean, if it's not too much to ask."
He scrutinized her with skepticism before he finally answered, "Sure Blair."
Nate stood up to leave and the brunette followed closely behind him, making it a point to walk him to the elevator.
"Oh Blair," Nate addressed her one last time as he held the elevator doors open. "I have to agree with Chuck. You should stay off the case for your own good and leave it to the professionals. This murderer seems quite serious about getting rid of you."
"I know. Thanks Nate – for everything," she reiterated as he disappeared behind the closing doors.
Blair slipped on her nightgown and was prepared to climb into bed for her beauty rest when her cell began to vibrate. She let out a frustrated groan as she answered the insistent device, slightly afraid that she would be greeted by a creepy, electronic voice.
"Hello?" she stuttered into her phone.
"Blair," Chuck greeted her, his voice cold and impersonal. "What are you doing right now?"
The brunette twirled a strand of her hair around her finger nervously, getting the feeling that Chuck actually knew that she had been investigating the case today.
"Talking to you on the phone of course," she answered smoothly.
"What were you doing before you answered my call Blair," Chuck clarified for her, clearly not in the mood for her games.
"I was fast asleep," Blair assured him, although the barely noticeable squeak in her voice gave her away.
"Oh really?" Chuck challenged her. "And pray tell oh honest girlfriend of mine, what was Nate doing in your penthouse for the last half hour? Watching you sleep?"
"Are you stalking me Bass?" Blair shrieked before lowering her voice once more.
"Well, Gina was earlier, but for some unfathomable reason, she lost you somewhere in between one of your quick little costume changes," he explained to her calmly. "Naturally, for fear of your life, I had to take over."
"You hired someone to follow me?" Blair seethed in absolute disbelief.
"Don't be ridiculous Blair," he chided her. "She works for the department."
"You know what I mean," Blair spat.
"I know you better than I know myself," he said simply. "You were flat out lying to my face when you made that little promise of yours this afternoon Blair. Your eyes were doing that thing where they don't match your mouth."
"Why didn't you just follow through with your threat then and handcuff me to my bed Bass?" Blair questioned. "Answer me that."
"Tempted to Waldorf, but I also happen to know how stubborn you are," he revealed. "In the end, I figured that as long as Gina was there to protect you at the very least, then it would be safe to let you continue snooping around. Evidently, I was wrong."
"I have no idea what you mean by that," she told him, feigning ignorance.
Chuck let out a sarcastic laugh and scoffed, "Please! You must have received another threat from that scumbag to have called Nate up. I beg you to tell me I'm wrong Blair."
A moment of silence ensued to confirm his suspicion. He sighed in frustration before confronting her.
"Why did you have to be so persistent Blair?" he asked her. "I told you to stay off the case for your own good!"
She remained silent once more and Chuck muttered a string of curses under his breath because he knew what she wanted. After being threatened two times, she still wanted to continue on with the investigation. She was giving a whole new definition to the word stubborn.
"Chuck," Blair whined into the phone and he could already picture her perfect pout.
"There are conditions Blair," Chuck started, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
"What conditions?" she questioned warily.
"When you partake in any case related activities, I will be present Blair," he told her. "And Gina will be keeping an eye on you if I am somehow unable to do so when you aren't. Am I understood?"
"Yes," Blair mumbled, although it was evident that she was none too happy with the conditions he had set.
"Good," he responded, ignoring her obvious dissatisfaction with his conditions. "And for the record Waldorf, I'm none too thrilled about having to camp out in front of your building every night until this case is over."
"What?" the brunette clarified. "Why do you have to do that?"
"Because the murderer might be tempted to kill you in your sleep and Gina refuses to take on the responsibility?" he stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You won't be getting any sleep then Chuck," she reminded him, concern laced in her voice.
"Thank you for stating the obvious Blair," Chuck answered. "Just go to sleep now, will you?"
"Goodnight Chuck," she whispered before she hung up the phone.
"Goodnight Blair," he murmured in return before doing the same.
The brunette peered out the window then to observe his surroundings. When he was thoroughly convinced that there were no threats in the vicinity at that particular moment, he leaned back into his seat and relaxed as best he could. This was going to be a long night.
Chuck woke up to the sound of repeated knocks on his car window. He opened his eyes slowly to find Blair standing outside the barrier.
"Shit!" he shouted, jumping up from his seat and inevitably hitting his head against the roof of his car.
He massaged his head to ease the pain as he stepped out of the vehicle. He scowled at Blair, her giggles violating the quiet of the morning.
"Are you ok?" she asked him in concern, trying hard to suppress her giggles but to no avail.
"Yeah," he muttered under his breath. "Sorry I dozed off by the way."
Before Blair could respond to his statement, however, he received an incoming text message. The brunette automatically leaned in closer to him in hopes of catching a glimpse of the screen. He snapped his phone shut before she could see so much as a letter.
"Gina is here," he announced. "I'll pick you up at eight for the party tonight, but call me before then if you need me, alright?"
"I will," she assured him and this time, Chuck was certain that she would keep her promise. "Are you not going to introduce me to Gina?"
Chuck laughed lightly as he climbed back into his car.
He rolled down the window and informed her, "Gina lurks."
Blair looked around then to survey her surroundings. She crinkled her nose slightly and Chuck knew that she was uncomfortable with the situation, but was unwilling to say so.
"You need the protection Blair," he reminded her, taking her hand in his. "I would stay with you if I could."
"I know," she answered, leaning in to place a light kiss on his lips. "See you tonight, ok?"
He nodded in confirmation as he slipped his key into the ignition.
"Don't miss me too much Waldorf," he shouted cockily as he started to drive away.
"As if Bass!" she shot back at him, although a tiny smile escaped from her lips.
The fresh smell of pancakes awakened his senses as he stepped inside his house. He strode into the kitchen to find Nate and Eric seated at the kitchen table.
"You never fail to come over for breakfast when Eric makes pancakes, do you Nathaniel?" Chuck asked.
The blond shook his head as Eric asked a question of his own.
"Did you not get enough sleep last night?" Eric wondered, noticing his tired expression. "Where were you anyway?"
"Camping outside of Blair's building?" Chuck offered as he let out a yawn.
"You do know that Blair is your girlfriend now, right?" Eric teased. "You don't have to stalk her just to see her anymore you know."
"Oh you're so hilarious little brother," Chuck commented sarcastically.
"I do what I can," he answered smoothly, patting his brother lightly on the back.
"Even after two threats, Blair still wanted to finish the investigation," Chuck explained.
"So, you just let her?" Nate inquired. "Way to stand your ground man."
"I know," Chuck groaned. "But she's incredibly hard to say no to. How often do you find yourself saying no to Serena?"
Nate laughed and said, "Point taken."
"Anyway," Chuck continued. "I did set some ground rules. I have to be with her whenever she partakes in case related activities and when she doesn't, she has to let Gina keep an eye on her from a distance. I take over only during the night because for some odd reason, Gina refuses to work after ten."
"Ah!" Eric stated in understanding. "That certainly justifies your stalking tendencies when it comes to Blair then."
Nate chuckled at Eric's comment as Chuck sent them both a death glare.
"What are you laughing about Archibald?" Chuck inquired. "I haven't even begun to grill you on what you were doing at Blair's last night."
Nate's eyes grew at least two sizes wider when he finally realized that since Chuck had been camping out in front of Blair's building last night, he must have also witnessed both his arrival and departure.
"Hey man," he started to defend himself. "She called me! I swear and it was case related, but I can't tell you anything because I promised her I wouldn't breathe a word to you."
Chuck rolled his eyes and clarified, "I'm not accusing you two of having an affair here Nathaniel and she told me about the second threat evidently, but I want details. So, start spilling."
Nate breathed a sigh of relief and quickly revealed everything he knew to the brunette, who twitched slightly as the blond relayed the threatening message to him.
"Have you sent them down to Janice for fingerprints and what not then?" he asked afterward.
"Actually, I figured it was urgent," Nate informed him. "So, I ran the tests myself last night immediately after I left Blair's. They're clean. No clues whatsoever to the murderer's identity. I was also at The Palace when Eric called me to let know he was making pancakes this morning. The perpetrator was smart enough to delete that specific set of employee records from the computer database as well."
"Hotel hard copy?" Chuck questioned. "And did they leave any clues behind at the restaurant at least?"
"Gone and I'm afraid not," Nate answered, glancing nervously at the brunette.
"This is ridiculous!" Chuck shouted after a moment of silence. "How can they be this good at covering their tracks?"
"Beats me," Nate enlightened him. "We still have our suspects though, right? You still have a few leads."
Chuck let out a deep sigh as Eric walked out of the kitchen, mumbling under his breath about being late for school or something like that.
"Blair's got Serena covered and I think I'm going to have to seriously look into Bart at this point in the case," Chuck told him. "Don't even think about stopping me Nathaniel. I don't give a shit what Bart is paying for! Blair's life is at risk here!"
"Which is why you're letting her continue her investigation on the case?" Nate retorted.
"Don't," Chuck warned him.
"Fine. I won't stop you or Blair," Nate promised. "But will you at least tell me why Blair's investigating Serena?"
Chuck looked up at his best friend then apologetically. He had almost forgotten that Nate and Serena were dating now.
"Sorry man," Chuck started. "But the lab results came back. The blond hair we found at the scene of the crime was Serena's."
Nate opened his mouth to speak, but Chuck put up a hand to stop him.
"Now, I know that doesn't mean that she did it, but I have to at least question her," the brunette reasoned with him. "Blair just wanted to do it informally at the costume party tonight herself is all."
"Ok fine," Nate conceded. "Fair enough, but I know she didn't do it Chuck. I mean, Serena?"
Chuck nodded in agreement and announced, "I know Nathaniel, which I why I'm prepared to fully investigate Bart Fairmont now."
"Starting at the party tonight?" Nate offered.
"I guess so," he answered as the two boys headed out the door. "That reminds actually that I'll have to kindly ask Daryl to help me pick up my tux later today."
"Isn't it a costume party?" Nate wondered in confusion.
"It is," Chuck assured him. "Blair is going as a queen and I'm going to be her king."
"In other words," Nate said as he rolled his eyes at the brunette. "Neither of you are really going in costume. I mean, Blair will be in a pretty dress and you'll be in a tux. I wouldn't call those costumes exactly."
"Nonsense," Chuck uttered, waving off his unwelcome words. "Blair and I will even be wearing crowns."
Nate rolled his eyes once again and stated, "And by crowns you mean Blair will be wearing a headband and you'll be wearing a matching bowtie, right?"
"I won't tell a soul if you won't," Chuck promised. "Sorry, but Chuck and Blair just don't do costume parties."
"Well, in case you were wondering, Serena and I plan to go as Barbie and Ken," he revealed with a look of pride on his face.
"How...suitable," the brunette commented as he took the key out of the ignition, stepped out of the car, and approached a pissed off Janice, who was most likely furious that Nate had used the lab last night without her permission.
"Explain to me why we're going to the party as bacon and eggs again Dan?" Vanessa asked as she observed her costume in the mirror.
"It was your idea to purchase these when we walked into the costume shop," Dan reminded her. "You wanted unique, remember? I think you got it."
"Maybe we should have gone with ketchup and mustard instead," Vanessa said as she readjusted the yolks of her costume.
"Yes," Dan agreed, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Because that would have made us look less ridiculous."
Vanessa laughed and urged, "Oh come on Dan! It's a costume party. I'll bet Victrola will be crawling with outrageous costumes tonight."
"Right," Dan muttered. "Why is this being held at Victrola again? It's sort of the last place I want to be right now since I'm trying to get over Blair?"
"You told me you were over her," Vanessa accused him, her hands on her hips.
"I meant I'm still trying to get over the humiliation of the break-up," Dan explained. "I told you that after the anger passed, I felt relief for some odd reason. I wasn't lying about that."
"What I want to know is why you felt relief and on top of that felt nothing when you kissed Serena," Vanessa told him. "I mean, how weird is that?"
"Yeah," Dan murmured as finally slipped on his bacon costume. "How do I look?"
"Good enough to eat Humphrey," Vanessa said, giving him her verdict.
He smiled at her and chose to ignore the queasy feeling in his stomach as they headed out of the penthouse.
"Hey! Wait for us!" Jenny and Eric shouted simultaneously from behind them.
Dan and Vanessa swiveled around to find them dressed as knife and fork.
"What the hell?" Dan asked in confusion as he surveyed the two.
Jenny laughed at the semi-shocked expression on his face and responded, "We saw you two purchase those costumes today and we just couldn't resist."
"Where's Jonathan?" Vanessa questioned, doubling over with laughter at their costumes.
"Oh look," Eric commented in a playful tone. "The girl dressed as eggs thinks she looks so much less ridiculous."
Vanessa stopped laughing then and shot him a teasing glare as Eric made it a point to appease her by answering her earlier question.
"Jonathan's meeting us at the party," Eric explained.
"He's going as the spoon," Jenny added as she shared a look with the Bass boy.
"Well then," Dan joked. "I guess all we're missing is a slice of toast and maybe a glass of orange juice to make us a complete breakfast."
"Dad and Lily are already at the party as a doctor and a nurse and Serena has her own thing going with Nate," Jenny revealed, a hint of jealousy in her voice upon saying the latter part of that sentence. "Otherwise, we would be a complete breakfast."
"Not without a plate," Eric interrupted.
"Oh and a napkin! And a table! And a tablecloth!" Jenny shouted enthusiastically.
"Ok," Vanessa voiced. "Now we're just going overboard."
The group headed out of the penthouse laughing and chatting away as the raven-haired girl trailed slowly behind them. She felt her eyes water at the thought of how much Pete would have enjoyed this costume party if he were still here. She felt Dan squeeze her hand lightly in support as they climbed into the waiting limo. She smiled gratefully at him before she made a silent vow that she would have fun tonight for her brother. It was, after all, what he would have wanted.
