Hi guys, I love reading all of your reviews, please keep reviewing, it motivates me.

I have been updating pretty much once a day but I'm about to go to college so I am going to try to update at least once a week.

One warning though, I have seen a lot of spoilers and while I'm not working off of those some of them may appear in my story because they fit too perfectly not to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl or its characters

Rated: T mostly for language

Blair knew the look on her face had to be one of shock. So many things hit her all at once. Chuck was here he was the other dinner guest. He had been the "brother" that Marcus had gone to play tennis. How could she have been so stupid to think Marcus would have been playing tennis with Eric. Eric didn't even play tennis. She had just assumed it was Serena's brother Eric, just like she had assumed that Vanessa was the other dinner guest. Well there would be no more assuming on her part. She was not going to be tricked again. Blair recovered especially quickly. It had taken all of five seconds for her to process this and compose herself.

During those few seconds Serena had appeared at Blair's side. She might have been too late to tell Blair that Chuck was coming to dinner but she could still support Blair, "He's living here" was all she whispered in Blair's ear and Blair just gave her a slight nod of recognition, she wasn't about to break the stare she was currently giving Chuck.

With a plan in her head Blair decided it was time to get in the game, seeing as how Chuck was already playing. Recognizing that Chuck had already won over Marcus, outward nastiness wouldn't work for her this time, no she was going to have to take a different approach. "Of course I'm happy to see you Chuck, I mean we are friends after all." As Blair said this she walked over and gave Chuck a polite hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Chuck was surprised to say the least. He knew that Blair would recover quickly from the surprise of seeing him, but he wasn't sure what she was getting at now. Why wasn't she yelling at him or something, instead she was hugging him and saying that they were friends? He couldn't help inhaling her sent as she hugged him, but she pulled away much sooner than he would have liked. When she pulled back he saw it in her eyes, that coldness that he had seen so many times before, Blair was pissed. But Chuck couldn't help but think there's his girl.

After giving Chuck a quick look that would have had him lying dead on the floor if looks could kill. She continued with her charade. "So Chuck, I see you've met my boyfriend Marcus." She said as she moved over to Marcus with a beaming smile on her face.

Marcus answered before Chuck could get the chance. "Yes, Chuck was kind enough to take me out for a game of tennis."

Blair put a small pout on her face as she wrapped her arms around Marcus, "I missed you this afternoon baby."

Chuck was almost disgusted by how obvious she was being but at the same time he knew that he would kill to have her act like that towards him.

"Baby, I was only gone for a few hours." Marcus said, but the look on his face made it obvious he was pleased with how much Blair seemed to want him. "I'll make it up to you. I promise" He lifted her face up and kissed her, gently at first but he deepened it quickly.

Throughout the kiss, Blair couldn't help but think that this wasn't her best work, she had been whiney and pouty but she couldn't believe that Marcus had fallen for it.

It took Nate clearing his throat to get Marcus to stop kissing her. Blair giggled before glancing at Chuck and raising her eyebrows.

Chuck wanted to punch Marcus more at that moment than he had ever wanted to punch someone in his life. He wanted to cause him pain because whether Marcus knew it or not, watching them kiss felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. This in addition to the smug smile that Marcus held on his face was enough to make Chuck want to kill him all over again.

It was Serena who broke the awkward tension, "Since we are all here, how about we go sit down to eat?"

Everyone nodded or spoke their assent before following Serena into the dinning room.

As they were walking Serena whispered to Nate, "You knew didn't you?"

Nate simply nodded in return.

Serena was more than a little angry at this point and decided to take it out on Nate, "So what, you came over to watch the show? Don't worry I'm sure that there will be plenty of fireworks later." Serena fired at Nate, in a hushed tone.

"No, Serena, I didn't come here tonight to watch Chuck and Blair go at it, I don't have any intention on getting involved in that mess." Nate said with a distant look on his face.

"Then why are you here Nate?"

"I'm here because Vanessa and I broke up and I didn't want to be alone, okay?"

The look on Nate's face told her that he wasn't lying and she instantly felt awful. "Oh Nate, I'm sorry I mean you should have said something sooner, I wouldn't have accused you of, you know trying to add to the drama."

"I just didn't think it was important as to why I was here. But yeah Vanessa got all weird and jealous this morning, she accused me of comparing her to Blair."

"Well were you, comparing her to Blair I mean." Serena knew Vanessa and Vanessa was a smart girl, she was down to earth, and she didn't see her having that reaction for no reason.

"Vanessa called me Natie." Nate figured that would convince Serena. "I simply said that she had never called me that before and that that was what Blair called me."

Whoa, Vanessa had called him Natie, that was not the Vanessa she knew, no that was not like her at all. "Wow, that doesn't even sound like Vanessa."

"I know and I didn't want another relationship that was centered on jealousy, so I ended it." Nate missed the fun and happy Vanessa but he wasn't willing to wait for that Vanessa with the jealous needy version.

Lily had instructed them to take the long way to the dinning room, which involved going outside the back and walking around to a side entrance simply because she didn't want Lord Marcus to see the kitchen in its messy state. But even though Serena and Nate had talked the whole way there, everyone else had walked in complete silence.

Sitting down was a mess to say the least, everyone kept switching around trying to end up where they wanted. Finally everyone was seated. On the right side of the table sat Eric, Marcus, and Blair, across from Blair sat Chuck, Nate across from Marcus, and Serena across from Eric, with Lily at the head of the table. No one looked exactly happy about the seating but no one seemed to find it intolerable.

Lily could sense the awkward tension so she decided to start by talking to Lord Marcus, "So, Lord Marcus, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

With a charming smile Marcus began talking, "Well, Lily, first there's no need to call me Lord Marcus, just Marcus is perfectly fine but about me. Well I grew up in a chateau in the English countryside . . ."

As Marcus continued his life story Lily sat completely engrossed. However the rest of the table was a different story. Eric looked like he was about to fall asleep, Serena and Nate were playing tic tac toe by drawing lines with their fingers on the table cloth, Blair's eyes were wandering around the room, and Chuck well Chuck was watching Blair.

Oh no here he goes again, Blair couldn't help but think to herself. Marcus was great and fun to be around but if you asked him about himself he talked for hours. I guess you could say he was a little narcissistic. Blair had begun to start rethinking her plans, it seemed as though she wasn't going to have to do anything different to make Chuck fall for her again, he seemed to be as enamored with her as ever, so it appeared that her plan would be much simpler. All she was going to have to do was stay with Lord Marcus, by the look on Chuck's face when she and Marcus kissed, she knew that seeing her with Marcus was driving him crazy. Blair had no idea what was going on until she felt a kick from across the table. Wtf, who did Chuck Bass think he was, now he was kicking her from across the table.

When Blair glared at him, Chuck simply raised his eyebrows before saying, "Yes Blair, why don't you tell us all how you two lovebirds met?" With all eyes on Blair and her's on Chuck, Chuck mouthed "Your welcome." Before turning his attention to what Blair was about to say. After all this might prove to be useful information.

Chuck had saved her from being embarrassed, that didn't change anything but it surprised her that he wouldn't want her to look stupid in front of Marcus. "Well, I was attending a soirée of sorts at the home of the St. Claire's. While I was there Madison St.Claire told me there was someone who had been asking questions about me." She said this with a pointed glance at Marcus. "I told her to tell him I wasn't interested, but Marcus didn't take no for an answer, and while I was dancing he came up and asked to cut in. After that evening, we have been virtually inseparable and with Marcus attending Yale this fall, and me heading there next year, everything was just too perfect, just like a movie."

Everyone gave their smiles and nods at how perfect it was, except Chuck who had a fake smile plastered on his face. Chuck was nauseated to say the least, after sitting through Marcus's monologue then Blair's testimony of their perfect movie relationship, he was more sure than ever that he and Blair belonged together. This guy wasn't intense enough for Blair, she deserved someone who could match her wit, her scheming, and her passion, toe for toe, and the only person that could do that was Chuck.

By the time Blair and Marcus had finished talking, dinner was over and Serena suggested that they all go out to the pool for a dip before bed. Everyone agreed except Chuck, who said that there was something he needed to take care of, and Eric who said he had spent enough time at the pool today.

Chuck didn't really have anything to do but he didn't really feel like being the odd one out so he headed up to his room, and watched them from his window. Chuck looked on as Nate and Marcus grabbed Serena and Blair and jumped in the pool with them. He saw them chicken fight and dunk eachother. Chuck saw how the girls giggled and swam and the boys chased them. He watched Marcus push Blair against the side of the pool and kiss her. He actually laughed out loud as they attempted to kiss underwater and Marcus almost choked. Nate decided to go home around 11 and Marcus got out and went upstairs soon after. Once he was sure Marcus was in his room, Chuck pulled on a pair of swim trunks and snuck down the stairs. He snuck into the pool house, while Serena and Blair were turned away. From there he heard Blair tell Serena to go on up that she was just going to swim by herself for a few minutes. Saying that it helped her clear her head. Chuck had expected Blair to do this, he knew that she loved swimming alone. So he was ready and waiting.

Blair had been swimming when she felt a disturbance in the water. She turned around expecting to see that Serena or Marcus had come back. When she saw that it was Chuck only a foot away, she almost screamed and probably would have if she wasn't so shocked. Instead she settled for moving away from him. "Chuck, what are doing, trying to give me a heart attack?"

Chuck chose his words carefully, "No, Blair, I just need to talk to you. Please."

Neither Chuck nor Blair had noticed that they had started moving in a circle of sorts, "Chuck, we don't have anything to talk about anymore. You cheated on me and abandoned me in Italy."

"I didn't cheat on you. I considered it then I couldn't, I haven't been with anyone but you since, well since that night at Victrola." Saying this Chuck looked down. He couldn't believe that he had admitted that, he just wanted her to believe him so badly that he had to go for it. "And I didn't abandon you either. I tried to call you at the hotel in Italy and I eventually found out that you had gone on to France. Then I tried your cell and you wouldn't answer."

Blair couldn't decide whether or not she could believe the things Chuck was saying, "Not that I believe you about any of that, but why didn't you come with me on the flight, Chuck?"

They continued circling each other as Chuck responded "I . . . I . . . I was scared Blair, okay. I was scared that I cared too much about you and that that would change me."

The honesty on Chuck's face told her he was telling the truth, but Blair still wasn't about to forgive what he had done. "Then when you got over your fear why didn't you come to France."

Chuck was getting a little aggravated at the fact that she wasn't believing him. "I DID, your father and Roman wouldn't let me see you. They said that they weren't going to let me hurt you again, that you were finally happy again. So I convinced myself that if you were happy I could live with that, but I can't Blair and I don't believe that you are happy with Lord Marcus anyway."

The circles they were swimming had gotten much smaller and they were left within touching distance again. "I am happy Chuck, you apparently don't know me as well as you think you do." Blair said with a smirk. "And my father and Roman would never not tell me that."

"Call them and ask Blair. Or better yet, call my damn travel agent. As for Marcus, I know that someone that dull and drab could never make you happy Blair. You deserve someone with your passion and your wit, Blair. Marcus doesn't even begin to match those and you know it. I saw you at dinner. But I do." These last few words were whispered into Blair's ear as Chuck had moved behind her. He had his arms around her was as he bent his head to kiss her neck.

Blair didn't resist as his kisses moved to her ear were he nibbled before whispering, "You don't belong with Marcus, you belong with me."

As Blair was on auto pilot as her head turned to meet his lips. Chuck deepened the kiss. Kissing her with more passion and fire than he knew possible. She turned around in his arms to grasp his hair and he ran his hands up her back. He pulled back for a minute and looked into her eyes, right as he was about to move back in Blair suddenly pulled away.

"I can't Chuck. I care about Marcus and he hasn't done anything wrong. And I can't let myself fall for you again. Everytime I do I get hurt, and I don't want to be hurt again."

"Blair, please, I wouldn't hurt you again." But he knew it was over for tonight, he could feel Blair pulling away.

As she swam toward the ladder she gave Chuck one last look, the look was sad, but determined.

Chuck waited for her to leave before he got out himself and went to his room.

Late night swim B? Did you think C would leave you alone that easily? I spy with my little eye a little B getting caught back in the spider's web. You know you love me.

xoxo

Gossip Girl

Author's Note: Sorry guys, I know that this isn't my best work but I wanted to get it up before I left for college. As always reviews are appreciated.