I'll Be Seeing You
Rated: T
Title taken from "I'll Be Seeing You" by Billie Holiday
Chapter title taken from "How To Handle A Woman" by Perry Como
Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl, etc. You know the drill
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It's eight o'clock in the evening and many people have already arrived to the van der Woodsen summer home. Serena is already downstairs greeting her guests and leading them to an open bar that is set up in the largest room of the house. Meanwhile, Blair sits at the vanity in Serena's room, petrified to go downstairs. Her phone buzzes as a text message is received and Blair flips her cell open to read it. It's from Serena.
-B, come downstairs! Nate & Chuck r here!
-I can't, S. Ppl r going 2 stare.
-Who cares? It's my house n if they have a prob w/ u then they have a prob w/ me. Come down pretty plz? :)
-Geez, S, ur killing me ;) Be down soon!
Blair sighs defeatedly. It's now or never, she supposes. The stairs leading down to the main hall look like they extend forever. Peering down over the banister, she observes what looks to be at least seventy people just in the main room. Judging by the fact that she can hear loud chatter even over the music, she figures that there are even more people outside. Blair hesitantly drops a foot down onto the first step, wondering when somebody is going to notice she's there. She steps again. And again. And again.
Suddenly the chatter nearly stops and the deafening music of Flo-Rida is the only sound Blair can hear. She feels eyes staring at her but keeps her head raised. A loud female voice calls out snobbily, "Well if it isn't Queen B! Oh wait, I forgot... You're just a washed-up head-case now."
The chatter resumes and Blair's head whips around to find the source of the comment, a tall dark-haired, dark-eyed girl who stands with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. It's Penelope, but Blair doesn't remember her, of course. Fuck timidity, Blair decides. She narrows her eyes and starts storming down the stairs with her fists clenched at her sides. Striding furiously towards Penelope, Blair stops inches away from the girl's face and snaps, "And just who the hell do you think you are to say that to me?"
"I've taken over your throne, Blair. And if I do say so myself, it came at a fitting time. Falling for a Bass... You were getting pathetic. Maybe if you plead enough I'll let you hang out with us again," Penelope sneers.
Blair can feel her blood boiling. "Really? Well let me give you a word of advice Queen. I may have lost my memory but you clearly have lost your vision. That outfit is atrocious and isn't fit to be seen anywhere but on a thrift store rack. Never wear such a terrible ensemble in public again. And as for pleading to be friends with you? I've just getting to know you again and I can already tell that associating with you would be a worse fate than being stuck as an amnesiac for the rest of my life. Trust me sweetie, you aren't that special," she shoots back, her voice dripping with venom.
Penelope puts a hand on Blair's shoulder and says mockingly, "Don't worry, B, I know you'll beg to be one of us eventually."
"Doubtful. Get your hand off of me," Blair replies in a threateningly low voice.
Penelope doesn't oblige, instead keeping it there to agitate Blair further. "You should be happy I'm still talking to you, honey."
Blair has had enough. She grips Penelope's wrist tightly and roughly yanks the girl's hand off of her shoulder. "I'm done talking, freak. Step away from me if you don't want to end up with your jaw wired shut."
Penelope stares at Blair in shock. "You wouldn't dare," she replies sharply.
She leans towards Penelope's face and is nearly nose to nose with the girl. "Try me," she taunts. Penelope huffs angrily and stomps towards the outside patio. "Come back if you want to play again," Blair calls to Penelope as she walks away.
A group of people surrounding Blair nods their heads approvingly, clearly surprised by her more "hands-on" attitude. More than one are on their phones, texting to Gossip Girl about the brunette's antics with Penelope. Behind Blair, a deep voice breathes into her ear, "Nicely played, Waldorf."
Blair turns her head to the side to see a beaming Chuck Bass. "Thanks Bass. Do you want a piece of me next?" she replies playfully as "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls emerges from the playlist.
He shrugs with a mischieveous grin on his face. "You could say that."
Hitting him with her clutch, Blair laughs. "I don't think you could handle me, Bass. You saw me just now!" She starts winding her body in fluid motions against Chuck. "This song is kind of fun!" she remarks and guides Chuck's arm to her hip, resting it there.
"I can handle you and more, sweetheart," Chuck replies. Chuck is getting increasingly turned on with Blair's backside grinding against him and he's pretty sure he won't be able to hide his arousal for long. Before he has something to be embarrassed about, Chuck adds, "But I have to say, I'm not much of a dancer." He flips her around to face him and runs his hands down her back, settling them right above Blair's ass.
Blair's body is pressed into Chuck's as she continues to tease him with her dancing. Chuck figures if there were any time to make love to her tonight it would be at this very second. He refrains himself, however. "Well then, Chuck, looks like you're going to have to prove yourself now doesn't it?" Blair flings her arms around Chuck's neck and plants a lingering kiss on his cheek before wrenching herself out of his grasp. "Let's go get drinks. I could use one after the bitch incident."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Chuck smirks, pulling Blair into his side with his right arm wrapped around her. Watching as the crowd stares, parting for them, a triumphant smile spreads across Chuck's face. Blair is his woman and they damn well better know it.
"Mhm," Blair answers before ordering two shots.
"Sorry Waldorf, but I prefer scotch. You should know that by now," Chuck says with mock disapproval.
Blair looks at Chuck with a gleeful expression on her face. "Oh no, you silly Bass. These are for me." She takes down one shot and then quickly follows the first with a second.
Chuck orders a scotch on the rocks and notices Blair thinking pensively. "What is it, Waldorf?"
"Oh nothing," she answers casually, "Just trying to figure out what I want next."
"Try a martini. They're excellent," Chuck suggests, remembering that martinis were Blair's drink of choice pre-accient. He hopes that the drink might spark her memory or something of the like.
Blair scrunches her face. "Hmmm... alright, you've convinced me." When the bartender gives her the drink she sips it and shrugs her shoulders. "It's pretty good, actually. Nice choice."
In a very unlike Blair move, the brunette chugs the martini and grabs Chuck's hand, leading him outside and onto the porch. Leaning against a wooden railing that surrounds the deck, she wraps her arms around Chuck's torso and pulls him closer to her. She parts her cherry lips and asks quietly,"Do you think I'm broken, Chuck?"
Chuck furrows his eyebrows and stares into Blair's eyes intently, trying to search for answers in her big brown orbs. "Why would you ask that?"
Blair drops her gaze to the floor. "I don't know. Because I am a shattered version of my old self, maybe?"
"Are you crazy, Blair?" Chuck puts his hand under her chin and nudges it up so that Blair is looking at him once again. "If you haven't figured out by now, I think you're perfect no matter how you see yourself. Do you think I would visit you every single day you were in the hospital if I thought you were broken, Waldorf?"
Blair shrugs. "Maybe you were just being nice."
"The Bass men aren't nice to just any woman," Chuck assures her. He is about to lean in to kiss her when a tiny voice inside his head screams out, Take it slow! He doesn't want to throw himself on Blair when she is just beginning to adjust to living in the real world again. He especially doesn't want their new first kiss to be now, when she's well on her way to being hammered. This self-restraint is killing him, naturally. It'll be worth it in the long run, Chuck convinces herself. He loves Blair so damn much that he'll do anything and everything to make it work this time.
Blair stands on her tip-toes and gives Chuck a long hug. "Thank you," she whispers. He sighs in acknowledgement and Blair rests her head upon his chest. The two stand there for a while in comfortable silence before Blair raises her voice and proclaims, "Time to get more drinks and find Serena!"
She throws a smile at Chuck before racing towards the bar again. "It's going to be a long night," he says to himself before walking back inside of the house. He goes to search for Blair when suddenly his path is blocked by one Nate Archibald.
"How's it goin' dude? This party's pretty awesome, huh?" Nate asks in a jovial tone.
"It's going fine, Nathaniel. Why aren't you cozied up with Vanessa? Last I checked you moved on pretty fast from Blair," Chuck responds casually.
"Vanessa? I don't know, man. She wanted to stay in Rome an extra couple weeks so I paid for her. It kind of seems like she doesn't really want to come back," Nate answers with a shrug, "It's not a big deal, though. She was only a rebound anyways."
Chuck pats Nate on the back and says with a chuckle, "That's what I like to hear, Nathaniel. You've got far too much going for you to buckle down with the likes of her."
Looking towards the open bar where Serena and Blair are standing and pounding shots, Nate nudges Chuck, "Man, look at them go. I'm glad to see Blair's having a good time. She deserves it after what she's been through." He pauses, staring at the girls for a second before turning back to Chuck. "Want to go upstairs for a minute and toke up? I've got enough for two or three bowls and no one's going to notice."
Chuck doesn't want to leave Blair but he agrees to Nate's proposal, knowing that her and Serena haven't really had a chance to hang out, what with him hogging her most of the night. The boys head upstairs into Serena's room and lock the door behind them.
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Half an hour later, Chuck Bass and Nate Archibald are completely blown. Nate lays sprawled across Serena's bed while Chuck relaxes casually on Serena's oyster chair. The two are laughing about nothing in particular, their conversation making little sense.
"Serena is just plain hot!" Nate protests with a chuckle. "I mean, Blair is beautiful but Serena is hot!"
Chuck points a finger at Nate lazily and retorts, "No, no, no, no! See that's the thing! Serena is hot but beautiful is so much better! Beauty is in everything that's great, but what sort of things embody the word 'hot'? You get what I'm saying?"
"You lost me a long time ago, dude!" Nate busts out in laughter.
Soon enough, the pair manage to pull themselves together and stumble downstairs, feeling as if they are floating on air. The party is still going in full effect and Chuck breaks away from Nate, squinting his eyes to search for the girls. Serena's golden hair shines like a beacon of light and Chuck uses her hair is if it were the Northern star, guiding him as he makes his way through the crowd. Serena dances wildly, her arms strung around a clearly inebriated Dan Humphrey. "Again?" Chuck smirks, catching Serena's attention.
"Shut up," Serena slurs as she leans in and begins kissing Dan sloppily.
"Where's Blair?" Chuck asks, interrupting the duo's moment by grabbing Serena's arm.
Serena looks at Chuck. "Blair? She was at the bar with Dan and I... I... Oh God, I'm going to be sick!" Serena turns around and bolts to the bathroom, Dan following close behind.
Meanwhile, Chuck heads to the bar. With no Blair in sight, Chuck's high fades away and panic sets in.
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Woo! I had fun writing this chapter.
Anyways, I'm not trying to make Blair too out-of-character but I think that if she went back to exactly how she used to be, then there would be no point in having the amnesia storyline at all, know what I mean? Oh and I really don't want Vanessa in the story so I took the backpacking thing from the finale episode and am running with that =)
Thanks to all my fantastic readers and reviewers!!
