A/N: This is the final chapter of the story and I would like to thank each and every one of my readers for following me on this journey and for your reviews. You may notice that not all loose ends have been tied up by the end of chapter, but rest assured, they will be in the upcoming sequel. What do you mean Jenny is kidnapped? Please leave me with one final review and thank you once again for making my first Gossip Girl story such a surprising success!

Update 11/7/10: I did indeed start a sequel to this story titled Death By Design on 1/8/10. However, nine chapters in now and I realize that not only have most of my readers lost interest, but that maybe I have too. I have never done this before nor do I wish to ever do this again, but I have deleted the sequel as of today. I remain 100% dedicated to the series I am writing in real life on which both Liar Liar and Death By Design were based on. Thank you.

Love, Lies And Murder


Her chocolate eyes widened as she sat frozen in her place on the couch. After taking a moment to mentally calm herself down, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Nate?" Blair questioned, a mixture of both curiosity and fear written upon her pristine features.

Nate brought the gun closer to her in response. It was now pressed firmly against her forehead, a bead of sweat trickling down his own.

"Don't make me ask you again Blair," Nate warned her, reaching out his free hand to receive her phone.

Blair reached for her purse and slowly brought out the requested item, trying to formulate a plan of escape, but to no avail. With her back towards Nate, she eventually settled for calling Chuck. She had recently set his phone number as number one on her speed dial and she prayed that he would answer his phone. Luckily, Nate remained oblivious to what she had done and the moment she had placed the device in his hand, he tossed it aside. Blair watched in agony as the phone slid a good two meters away from where she was currently standing. She hoped that Chuck would come and rescue her, but she had to fend for herself in the meantime, especially if Chuck had failed to receive her call.

"How did you find out?" Nate demanded to know, his finger still resting steadily over the trigger, although the cold metal was no longer in contact with her delicate skin.

"Nate," Blair started, unable to take her eyes off of the weapon in front of her. "Put the gun down. I know how much you love Serena and that you want to protect her. As her best friend, I want to help her too. We can help her together Nate. Please put the gun down."

"Serena? What the hell are you talking about Blair?" he wondered, his eyes swimming in confusion.

Eventually, the perplexity faded and he realized that Blair had been talking about Serena all this time. Blair thought that Serena had been the one to kill Pete and that he was merely helping her cover up for her crime. She had wanted to give him a chance to get Serena to give herself up to the authorities. He shook his head at his own stupidity and let out a loud sigh, running his left hand through his hair in frustration though he continued to keep the gun trained on her forehead.

Blair brought her hand up to cover her open mouth when she too realized the truth and exclaimed, "Oh my God! Serena didn't kill Pete. You did! You were the one who killed Pete Fairmont!"

"Shut up you nosy little bitch!" Nate shouted, both of his hands on the gun now.

Blair looked down at the ground and murmured, "Why? Why did you do it Nate?"

"I thought I told you to shut up!" Nate reminded her. "And it was a fucking accident! Pete was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time!"

Blair swallowed hard. She needed to calm him down somehow or she was sure to be dead by the end of their conversation.

"Accidents happen all the time Nate," she enlightened him in a failed attempt to appease him. "Please put the gun down. Please."

Blair dug her nails into the palm of her hands to prevent herself from crying. She needed to stay strong. It was the only way she would get out of this apartment alive.

"No," Nate responded, shaking his head from side to side. "You know way too much Blair. I can't let you go to Chuck with what you know. A scandal like this would ruin my family, especially my mother. She would be torn apart."

"It was an accident Nate," Blair persisted, almost begging with him now. "I'm sure she'd understand. Don't you think it would hurt her more to see you like this?"

"I'm sorry Blair, but things didn't have to end up this way. I warned you Blair. I warned you multiple times," he whispered, ignoring her question completely before raising his voice once again. "You are so goddamn stubborn Blair! You brought this on yourself! You brought this on yourself!"

Blair took a step back upon instinct. Nate was clearly losing it and fast. She was done waiting for Chuck to come and rescue her. She would need to rescue herself.

"You said you killed Pete by accident Nate," Blair reminded him in an attempt to distract him while she came up with a plan of escape. "Who did you mean to kill then?"

"Rufus," he answered, pausing slightly before he continued. "He was supposed to have been in that room that night not that the outcome would have been any different though. It would have still been a mistake if I had killed Mr. Humphrey instead."

A tear slid down his cheek then and he quickly wiped it away with his left hand before resting it once more on the cold metal.

"What do you mean it would still have been a mistake?" she encouraged him as she glanced around for a potential weapon she could defend herself with.

Nate laughed menacingly at her question and commented, "I admire your spunk Blair. Even at gun point, you still want to know all the sordid details of what led up to Pete's death."

"Well," Blair retorted courageously. "You plan to kill me anyway, do you not? You might as well tell me the full story. I think I deserve that much at the very least."

Nate pursed his lips in consideration as Blair took notice of a glass vase set a mere meter away from her on a nearby side table. She took a step to the side towards it and luckily, her minor movement went unnoticed by the blond boy.

"Fine," Nate conceded. "Why the hell not? You know what they say Blair. Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."

Blair shivered at his words, but kept her eyes locked on his. The last thing Blair needed was for Nate to notice what she was inching slowly towards.

"My father walked out on my mother before I was even born you see," Nate started, his voice quivering slightly as he began his story. "I never knew who he was. My mother refused to let me know him because he had broken her heart. You have no idea how many mental breakdowns my mother has had over the years because of that son of a bitch. You have no idea what she's been through. She only started smiling when she met my step-father, Howard. I swore to myself that I would track my father down one day and kill him for all of the pain that he had caused her."

"You hired Andrew Tyler to find him," Blair stated as she took another step towards her destination.

Nate remained silent and Blair stood still in response, careful to remain unmoving.

"Rufus is your father then?" Blair prodded him on after a moment of silence, forgetting momentarily that Nate had mentioned that even killing Rufus would have been a mistake.

Nate let out a low chuckle and replied, "That was what the pictures he had given me had led me to believe, which is what led me to accidentally kill Pete. That fucking useless PI that I hired made a mistake apparently and to think Mr. Tyler is supposedly the best in the business. Ha! The best in the business my ass!"

"The envelopes," Blair whispered as the pieces of the puzzle finally began to fall into place. "Andrew Tyler accidentally gave you the envelope that was meant for Mrs. Humphrey."

Blair watched nervously as his lips curled in displeasure.

"I take it you did do some snooping around in my phone," Nate deduced, staring intently at the brunette. "Yes, the envelopes, but what do you mean Andrew Tyler accidentally gave me the envelope that was meant for Mrs. Humphrey?"

"Lily hired Mr. Tyler to find out whether or not Rufus was having an affair with his ex-wife, Allison. Those pictures of Rufus were meant for Lily – not you. He mixed up the envelopes," Blair reasoned, taking herself one step closer towards her weapon of choice. "He left you a voice mail though admitting his mistake, didn't he?"

"I had already killed Pete by then!" Nate yelled desperately, tightening his hold on the gun, a new fire in his eyes. "And meanwhile, I still don't know who my bastard of a father really is because I've been avoiding Andrew Tyler like the plague in case someone would miraculously be able to connect everything together like you did! You've ruined everything Blair!"

"So, when I was getting too close, you poisoned me and sent me those threats," Blair confronted him, reminding herself to keep him talking. "And to think that I actually thought that Serena had been the one to kill Pete and that you were merely helping her cover up for her crime."

Two more steps and she would reach her destination.

"Serena doesn't have it in her to kill anyone," Nate spat.

Blair was right by the vase now and she thanked the heavens that Nate had not noticed their evident change in positions.

"You don't either Nate. Not really," Blair insisted, waiting for the opportune moment to attack him. "You didn't mean to kill Pete and you certainly don't want to kill me. You can give yourself up Nate; give yourself a fresh start. The mistakes can stop here. I'm sure they'll put it into consideration when they prosecute you. I mean, do you really want to do this Chuck? And what about Serena? Killing me will break them Nate, especially if you were the one to seal my fate. You know it will."

The blond trembled from where he stood as hot tears began to pour uncontrollably from his eyes at her words. He lowered his gun slightly almost as if in consideration and Blair took the opportunity to grab the vase and smash it onto his head with as much force as she could muster.

"You bitch!" Nate screamed, grabbing his bleeding head in pain as his gun dropped to the floor with a resounding thud.

Blair bolted towards the door and unlocked it at the same time that Nate retrieved his gun from up off the floor and ran after her, his left hand still holding onto his bleeding head in obvious pain.

"You can't outrun me Blair!" he shouted after her, the bullet he had sent off missing her head by an inch.

Blair screamed and turned the corner, running as fast her legs could carry her towards the stairs. The elevator was definitely not an option at a time like this.

"Goddamn it Blair!" he yelled in frustration as he continued to chase after her down the hall. "Why do you have to make things so fucking difficult for me?"

Blair continued to head for the stairs at the end of the hall, although her tears clouded her vision. She blinked them away and tried to quicken her pace. Nate was getting closer. His aim was getting better. Just as she passed by the elevator on her way to her destination, the doors opened and she felt someone pulling her into the confined space. Blair let out a shrill scream and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worst only to open them moments later and find that not only was she alone in the elevator, but that she was already headed down towards the lobby. She didn't have the mindset to ponder over why this was so and simply continued to hyperventilate as she descended towards the ground, deathly afraid that Nate be waiting for her on the other side of the double doors when it was finally time for them to open.

"Blair!" Gina shouted as they did, rushing in to help her up and out of her prison.

"Who are you?" Blair asked frantically, struggling against Gina's grasp. "How do you know my name? Let go of me! I have to call the cops! You have to call the cops! You don't understand! There's a murderer on the loose! You have to..."

Two gunshots sounded off from above them then and Gina watched in horror as Blair collapsed mid-sentence into her arms.


"Serena," Dan urged for the millionth time. "Blair is going to be fine."

He rested a hand on her knee reassuringly as she sobbed into his shirt.

"It's been two hours Dan and she still hasn't woken up! People don't faint for that long!" she protested, letting out another strangled cry. "This is all my fault!"

"Don't be ridiculous Serena," Dan told her, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her into an upright position so that he could look her directly in the eyes. "We were all fooled. None of us knew what Nate had done. We couldn't possibly have known."

Serena sniffled as he handed her yet another Kleenex.

"How do you date a murderer and not know Dan?" Serena asked in exasperation. "God! All this time I've been making out with a murderer, who happens to be the reason why my best friend and her boyfriend are currently in this wretched hospital by the way."

Dan let out a frustrated sigh. They had been having the same conversation over and over again for the past two hours. He looked up at her again then only to smile when he saw who was coming their way from behind her.

"Hey Dan," Vanessa greeted him, giving him a quick kiss. "How are you holding up Serena?"

The blond glanced back and forth between the two wondering if the kiss she had just witnessed had merely been a figment of her imagination.

"Did you two just...? Are you two...?" Serena asked, leaving each of her questions unfinished.

Vanessa looked over at Dan hesitantly and he took her hand in his in response, silently assuring her that their newfound relationship was to be no secret.

"Yes, we did and yes, we are," Dan notified the blond.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Serena broke into a wide smile and pulled them into a hug.

"Since when?" she squealed, grateful that they were helping her take her mind off of the current situation.

"Somewhere between poking fun at our bacon and eggs costume and drinking cheap beer on the roof of Victrola," Dan confessed as Vanessa let out a laugh over the memories of that night.

"It was slightly more romantic than that," she insisted. "I guess we just realized that the right person had been by our side all along."

"Exactly," Dan echoed, placing a light kiss on the back of her hand.

"Well, I'm happy for you two," Serena announced before plopping backwards into her seat with a loud sigh.

There was a pause.

"I should have just been honest with Blair about everything from the start," she started up again. "Maybe she would have figured out much earlier that Nate was the culprit and then none of us would be in this mess! Oh God! This is all my fault!"

Dan groaned and dragged a hand over his face in annoyance.

Vanessa smiled in understanding and suggested, "Why don't you go and check up on Jenny, Dan? She should still be mopping around in front of Nate's room."

"I thought no one was allowed in that hallway?" Dan clarified as he stood up from his seat, fully prepared to leave.

"You're allowed to be in the hallway. It's just that no one can go in and see him except for hospital personnel and the police of course. In fact, they have two people stationed in front of his room to make sure of it," Serena informed him. "I still can't believe Nate did all this! Has he woken up yet? Has Chuck?"

Vanessa shook her head solemnly as Dan gave her hand another light squeeze before heading off to find Jenny. The moment Dan had turned the corner, Vanessa opened her mouth to speak. Before she could utter a word, however, Dr. Parsons stepped out of Blair's room at long last.


"Miss Waldorf is awake," he announced. "Now, I know you all want to see the patient, but I must ask that there be no more than three visitors in her room at a time. She is still slightly disoriented from the trauma she has suffered."

"We understand doctor," Eleanor spoke up from a few seats away. "Thank you."

She then turned towards the Serena and Vanessa and told them, "I would like to see my daughter first."

Vanessa nodded in understanding and held Serena back as Cyrus and Aaron followed closely behind Eleanor and into Blair's room.

"Blair?" Eleanor whispered as she took a seat by her daughter's bedside.

"Mother?" she asked, trying to get herself into a sitting position.

Aaron immediately ran over to fluff up his step-sister's pillow and this did not go unappreciated by the brunette.

"Thanks," Blair murmured before addressing her mother once more. "What am I doing here? Has Nate been arrested? Did he escape prosecution?"

"Gina brought you in," Cyrus answered her. "You fainted in her arms and yes, Nate has been arrested."

"He has?" Blair clarified to which all three of her visitors nodded. "Good. Does Chuck know?"

Cyrus and Aaron both glanced nervously at Eleanor who told her, "He was the one who saved you Blair."

Blair crinkled her nose in confusion when realization suddenly hit her full force.

"He was the one who pulled me into the elevator," she whispered, pausing for a moment before she continued. "Wait. I remember hearing two gun shots before I fainted. Who was shot? Nate or Chuck?"

"Both of them," Aaron informed her grimly. "Nate and Chuck shot each other in the midst of a struggle."

"Oh my God!" Blair voiced, putting a hand over her open mouth. "Is Chuck ok? Is Nate?"

"I honestly don't understand how you could still find it in your heart to ask about that wretched boy," Eleanor told her. "I mean Nate of course."

"Because I know the whole story mother and regardless of the fact that he's made some big mistakes, I still want to believe that he has a good heart," she said truthfully. "Now, answer my question. Are they both ok?"

"Neither of them has woken up yet if that's what you mean," Cyrus revealed, a sadness in his voice. "Keep in mind though that they both just came out of surgery about an hour ago."

Blair breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his words. At least she knew that they were both in recovery and not dead like she had initially feared.

"Serena and Vanessa are here to see you as well," Eleanor announced as she stood up to leave. "Should I send them in?"

"Yes," Blair answered. "And will you tell daddy and Roman that I've woken up and that I'm fine?"

"Of course. Dorota will be around in case you need anything dear. You should be out of this hospital by the morning," her mother assured her as she took her leave, Cyrus and Aaron both following closely behind her.

Moments later, Serena and Vanessa both entered the room. The blond hesitated for a split second before running over to embrace her best friend.

"I should have known Blair," Serena told her. "I'm so sorry."

The brunette pulled back from their hug, disbelief written all over her face.

"You're being ridiculous S!" Blair chided her. "None of us could have known. I should be the one apologizing. Near the end of my investigation, I had actually pinned you down to be the murderer. What kind of best friend am I to have lost my faith in you so easily?"

Serena laughed a little through her tears.

"Well, you had every reason to be suspicious with me being so evasive and all," the blond assured her, biting her lower lip in hesitation before she continued. "Blair, about what Pete was blackmailing me with..."

"Don't," Blair stopped her. "You don't have to tell me S and frankly, I don't want to know. Just burn the tape. We'll put it behind us."

"Thank you," Serena replied gratefully as Dan barged into the room.

"Blair," he greeted her. "Thank God you're alright!"

He leaned in to hug her and then stepped back, giving Vanessa a smile.

"Congratulations," Blair voiced then, smirking at her ex-boyfriend.

"Thank you?" Dan asked in confusion, scratching his forehead.

Blair giggled and explained herself, "You and Vanessa are a couple now, right? I can tell by the way you two are looking at each other."

Vanessa glanced at her nervously as did Dan and Serena.

"I'm happy for you two," Blair assured them, a smile upon her lips. "I mean, nothing says true love like best friends in a bacon and eggs costume."

Everyone burst out laughing at this when Dan suddenly remembered something extremely important.

"Speaking of true love," Dan started, looking sheepishly at Blair. "I forgot to mention that Chuck just woke up."

"Humphrey!" Blair shouted, leaping up from her bed immediately. "What room is he in?"

"It doesn't matter. You can't leave this room Blair," Vanessa reminded her. "Doctor's orders."

"Well then make yourself useful and cover for me," Blair persisted as she approached the door.

"Dan, why don't you stay in here with Vanessa just in case the doctor comes back to check up on Blair? I'll go with her to see Chuck. We'll be back before you know it," Serena assured him.

"Why not? You two just go ahead," Vanessa encouraged them. "I could just slip into the washroom and pretend to be Blair if necessary."

"Fine. The fifth room to your right in the next hallway," Dan conceded after a moment of consideration to which Blair and Serena carefully slipped out of the room in response.


"Wait Blair," Serena stopped her the moment they were outside.

"What is it S?" Blair whispered, not wanting to get caught.

"I think I'm going to go join Jenny in front of Nate's room and wait for him to wake up if that's ok with you," she revealed uncertainly, waiting for her best friend's reaction.

Blair wrapped the blond into a tight hug in lieu of an actual answer. She could tell that Serena still loved him after all that he had done. The blond smiled in silent thanks of her approval and started to run in the other direction as Blair continued onward to her destination. She turned the corner and started to count the rooms to her right when she saw him standing there at the threshold of his room arguing with a nurse.

"For the last time, I want to know which room Blair Waldorf is in and I honestly don't give a fuck that the doctor doesn't want me to leave my room!" Chuck shouted in frustration, grabbing his wounded chest in evident pain.

"Please keep your voice down Mr. Bass and you really need to stay in bed. That bullet wound isn't going to miraculously heal itself," the nurse insisted.

"Chuck!" Blair called out to him before he could utter another word.

"Blair," he whispered, happier than he would admit to see that she was ok.

He tried to move towards her, but another dose of pain coursed through his body.

"You really need to get back into bed Mr. Bass," the nurse urged, taking him by the arm.

"I'll do it," Blair insisted as she made her way over to his side.

The nurse observed her sceptically, knowing full well that she should be in her room as well, but decided to let it slide just this once.

"For the record, I had no idea you escaped from your room Miss Waldorf nor did I see you sneak into Mr. Bass's room. Am I making myself clear?" asked the nurse, although she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Of course," Blair assured her, returning her smile as she tucked Chuck back into bed.

"Blair," Chuck started the moment the nurse had left to give them their privacy. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. I should have listened to you in the first place and investigated Nathaniel. Things might have ended differently that way."

"Don't be ridiculous," she told him, placing a light kiss on his lips. "You saved me Chuck. I might be dead right now without you. How did you know where I was?"

Chuck proceeded to tell her then about how he had opened the envelope that was meant for Nate. Inside, he had found a couple of photos and a handwritten note in which Andrew Tyler apologized once more for the mix up and informed Nate that the man in these photos was his real father.

"I went into Nate's office after and searched around for a bit," Chuck continued. "I mean, I was just trying my luck of course, hoping that he had kept the initial envelope he had received. I eventually stumbled upon a folder he had hidden in between two of his cabinets. There were a few photos of Rufus Humphrey and from there, I was able to piece the puzzle together. I received your call right after. You have no idea how panicked I was when I realized that Nate was holding you at gunpoint through the phone. I called Gina immediately to get her to protect you, but she failed to answer my call. I had no choice but to take a good guess as to where you and Nate were. I ended up reasoning that you two must be at his apartment since Nate usually spends his days off there."

"Good guess," Blair commented, smiling at her own personal hero.

She then started to tell him her side of the story when she was silenced by the feel of his hand upon her cheek.

"Blair," Chuck whispered, stroking her soft skin. "I actually thought I was going to lose you. While I was speeding over to the apartment to save you, all I could think about was how I might never be able to..."

"To what Chuck?" Blair wondered, placing her hand over his.

Chuck hesitated for a moment before he answered, "To tell you that I love you Blair."

The brunette continued to stare at him in shock as an unwanted silence took over the room.

"Oh Christ!" Chuck muttered when she failed to give a response. "I've just made a complete idiot of myself!"

"What?" Blair inquired, snapping out of her reverie. "No! I love you too Chuck. I just...I never thought I would hear you say those words to me – at least not so soon."

She sealed her confession with a kiss and he deepened it, both of them getting lost in the moment. A few minutes later, Chuck pulled back, holding onto his chest in pain again.

"Oh God," Blair spoke up. "Are you ok?"

"I'll live," he assured her, giving her a wink. "You might have to play nurse for the next few weeks though Waldorf."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" she teased, a mischievous twinkle in her own eyes.

Suddenly, Eric and Jonathan strode into the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

"We hate to interrupt the moment," Eric started.

"We were eavesdropping," Jonathan blurted out at about the same time.

"As I was saying," Eric stated, glaring at his boyfriend for his outburst. "We hate to interrupt the moment, but we thought you two should know. Nate just woke up."

"Thanks Eric," Chuck responded before turning back to face Blair.

"Don't you want to see him?" Eric wondered curiously, although he could understand why his brother might not want to.

Chuck sighed and admitted, "I'm not ready to see him yet."

"I understand," Eric assured him. "But no one can see him without you there; without your approval. Serena and Jenny desperately want to talk to him and so do Anne and Howard."

Chuck nodded his head in sympathy and requested for a piece of paper and something to write with. He then scribbled a few lines onto the page and signed his name, handing the tainted sheet over to his little brother.

"This should get all four of them in," Chuck told him. "And take my badge just in case ok?"

Eric nodded, giving his brother a tight hug before leaving the room.

"I'm glad you're ok," he whispered.

The moment the two boys had left, Chuck shifted over to the right side of the bed, motioning for Blair to get in next to him. Blair went over willingly and snuggled up to him, careful to avoid his wound, her head resting perfectly in the crook of his neck and her hand on his chest.

"Are you sure you don't want to see him yet?" she whispered softly.

He nodded and repeated, "I'm not ready to see him yet."

She didn't press the issue any further because she fully understood the position that he was in.

"I am ready, however, to show you just how much I love you Waldorf," he teased, lightening the mood once more. "I have my handcuffs."

"You're heinous," she told him, poking him lightly in the chest.

"And you love me for it," he commented, wincing slightly at her gentle touch.

"I do," she said sincerely, shifting onto her elbows so that she could look him in the eyes. "I love you Charles Bartholomew Bass."

"I love you too Blair Cornelia Waldorf," he responded, tucking a rebellious curl behind her ear. "I love you too."

Their lips met once more and their tongues melded with one another, her uncontrollable moans perfectly synchronized with his own. An uncomfortable cough sounded from behind them and Blair immediately leaped off the bed and into a standing position at the noise.

"Miss Waldorf?" Dr. Parsons said, openly smirking at the redness in her cheeks. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to control your hormones and return to your room."

Blair glared at her boyfriend and rushed past the doctor in embarrassment as Chuck gave her a loving smirk of his own. God. He loved Blair Waldorf. He loved her so damn much.