Hello lovelies. So really the only thing I need to tell you about this chapter ahead of time is that there's a new character that comes up. She's going to be important enough in these last five chapters that I've put her picture on my profile; her name is Jocelyn.

To my reviewers: CarolinaGirl21, wrightangal, Butterflies In My Stomach, GGfanficfan09, Reader, freaky-chick-108, smartin555, SouthernBelle88, ana-12, EdLeighton3, and LitPrincess2787. Your reviews for the last chapter were so amazing! Especially some of the anonymous ones! Thanks for all the support, much love!

Disclaimer: I have a hard back copy of every released Harry Potter book, but I do not own Gossip Girl.

Rated: T because I let things get smexy from time to time and I'm liberal with my language usage.

Thanks again to miragrace93 for the beta work!

Thursday, May 14, 2009 - Chuck's Palace Suite, NYC

Blair could feel her heartbeat racing as she gripped the bar in sheer terror. Questions fled through her mind rapidly as she narrowed her eyes at the very unwelcome intruder. What was he doing here? Why now after everything? He'd let her go, he promised he was going to leave her alone, had he changed his mind? How'd he even manage to get in? She knew immediately her last question was ridiculous, he was one of England's Princes, he was more powerful than Chuck Bass. Yet with all of the questions, one simply kept popping back up in her mind. Masking her emotions, Blair put on an air of completely nonchalance. "What are you doing here?"

The frown that crossed Marcus's face could be considered playful and there was even a bit of a laugh present in his voice. "Aren't you happy to see me?" Blair narrowed her eyes and Marcus shrugged. "Blair darling, I'm hurt." He acted as though she had actually pained him.

Blair inhaled deeply and tried to lessen her hold on the bar. Being tense wasn't going to get her anywhere, she needed to know what Marcus was doing in New York and then she needed to deal with it. She knew him well enough to know that whatever he wanted he would get it; but she also knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't hurt her. . . she thought. "I repeat, what are you doing here?"

"Can't I just be here to check up on my lovely ex-wife?" Marcus asked.

Blair shook her head slightly. "No."

Marcus shrugged again, still nonplused by Blair's noncompliance. "I wanted to see how you were doing after . . . everything."

"And a phone call wouldn't have sufficed?" Blair asked with raised eyebrows. "I'm still not buying it, try again."

Marcus couldn't help but crack a smile. He'd forgotten what it was like to banter with Blair; she was like no one else. "That's partially true you know," Blair gave him the patented Blair Waldorf stare down. "It is." He spoke, his voice actually quite believable. "Whatever, if you don't want to believe me that's fine." Blair smiled involuntarily at his use of 'whatever' knowing he'd picked it up during his time with her. Marcus was bolstered by Blair's smile, however brief, and continued on with an explanation. "I want you to know that I've spent the past few months feeling guiltier than you can possibly imagine. I don't know how I became the type of person who would do what I did to you. And I'm sorry, I don't think I ever actually said it but I am so sorry for everything. I know I ruined your life, I know that what I did was unforgivable. I . . ." Marcus was going to continue but Blair interrupted him.

"I forgive you." Blair said softly as she took a seat on a bar stool.

Marcus's eyes went wide and he noticed that Blair's had as well. It appeared that she was as surprised by her statement as he was. Marcus was further surprised when Blair turned to sit down, she was pregnant. The baby bump was large but it was undeniably there. They sat there for a moment, staring at each other, neither saying a word.

Blair inhaled and exhaled a few times surprised by her own words. Had she really just said that she forgave him? How was that possible after what he'd done to her, after what he'd done to Chuck? But as much as the statement surprised her, it wouldn't have slipped out if it weren't true. She knew that Marcus cared about her, loved her even and in the end he'd not only let her go, but he had helped her find Chuck. "I do. I forgive you." She spoke after she got her thoughts in order. "Without you I would have never found Chuck."

Marcus's immediate response was that without him Chuck wouldn't have needed finding but he didn't want to remind Blair of that after what she had just said. "Thank you." He spoke, almost reverently. "Chuck's part of the reason I came today. I've actually been in town for a few days."

Blair tilted her head curiously. "What are you talking about?"

Marcus's eyebrows furrowed with worry and he began to panic. Why didn't she know what he was talking about? That didn't make any sense. "I've been keeping tabs on the hospital in North Carolina. I wanted you to be in a good mood when I asked you a favor so I wanted to wait until Chuck came home."

"Chuck's not home." Blair spoke, eyes filling with worry and a certain amount of fear. "Why would you think he was?"

As much as Marcus didn't want to say what he had to say now, he knew there wasn't another choice. "He checked out of the hospital yesterday. I assumed he came here."

Inhaling sharply Blair stood transfixed. Swallowing she prepared to speak, unsure of what she was going to say. According to Marcus, Chuck had checked out of the hospital and yet he wasn't here. How had he left and not come home to her? Did he run away for real this time? How could this have happened? She'd thought that giving him the iPod would help him remember or at least bring him back to her. She'd been prepared for what would happen if he never listened to the iPod, she was prepared for him never leaving that hospital. What she was not ready for was this, she was not prepared for him to listen to the iPod and then leave the hospital and still not come back here. What had gone wrong? All of her questions suddenly became too much and she felt a gasp escape her as tears rapidly began to fall from her eyes.

Marcus's heart broke as he watched Blair. After everything that he'd put her through, he never imagined that this news about Chuck would do this; he hadn't thought that it would be news at all. He was next to her with his arms around her before he even knew what he was doing. His urge to comfort her was stronger than it had ever been. He was more than surprised when instead of pulling away she wrapped her arms around him and buried herself in his chest.

For those minutes that she spent in Marcus's arms, Blair didn't care that it was Marcus who was comforting her; in fact, she was glad that it was Marcus and not someone else. Other than Chuck, Marcus had seen her lower than anyone, some of those times were due to him, but still he'd witnessed it. He'd been there when she broke down after the wedding when she'd had to say goodbye to Chuck, he'd been there when she found out that her mother died, and he'd been there at possibly her lowest moment ever when she'd called him and begged him to find Chuck for her. She knew that he would be there for her now. "I'm sorry." She gasped as yet another strangled sob was pulled from her body. "It's just, it's been so hard and I've tried to be so strong but I can't anymore." Choking sobs overcame her once more as she tightly held on to the guy that she once would have done anything to be away from.

Marcus was in shock, but he did his best to comfort her. "Shhhh, it's okay. It's going to be okay. I know Chuck or more, I know how much Chuck loves you. He'll be here; I know he'll come home to you."

Blair pulled back slightly and looked into Marcus's eyes. "But what if he doesn't? What if he remembered and doesn't want to be with me and sees this as his way out?"

Marcus placed his hands on either side of her face, fixing her so that she couldn't look away. "Bollocks! That man followed you to France and would have followed you to London. He'd go half way around the world to be with you. If he remembered, nothing would keep him away."

"Then why isn't he here?" She asked her voice small.

Marcus closed his eyes tightly as he pulled her back into a hug. "I don't know." He paused before speaking again a certain amount of excitement filling him. "Did you give him the iPod?" Blair pulled back and nodded, which he had expected. She knew how much the iPod made a difference where he was concerned so of course she would have given it to Chuck to help him remember. "Then maybe he listened to it and decided that he owed you more than the guy he is right now. Maybe he wants to remember before he comes back to you, or at least figure out what made him a better guy first."

Blair felt her brows relax as she contemplated Marcus's theory. "Do you really think that's what happened?" She asked. Trying to sound unaffected though she knew that there was more than an ounce of hope in her voice. She reached up and used her thumbs to rub away the mascara that she knew was running under her eyes.

"I really do." Marcus said, taking a step backwards. Now that Blair had calmed down, he didn't want to invade her personal space. Trying to get her mind off the current situation he gestured towards her stomach. "Speaking of something happening, when did this happen?"

Blair smiled slightly, there was no use worrying about where Chuck was now, she'd done everything that she could already; the rest was up to him. "Over Christmas or maybe after my mom died." Almost playfully she smacked his shoulder. "Because someone switched my birth control for sugar pills."

Marcus looked down sheepishly as a blush rose to his face. That was another of his actions towards Blair that he rather regretted.

Blair reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. I think everything worked out like it was supposed to." As she spoke, she moved her hand to her stomach. "But look at your shirt! I think my eye makeup has probably ruined it." She spoke, with a smile on her face that was only half fake.

Marcus glanced down at his shoulder before lifting his shoulders in a shrug once more. "It's not a big deal. I have plenty of shirts."

Blair nodded before standing. She linked her arm with his and started walking towards the couch. "Now that you've seen me have a mental break down, why don't you tell me what you're really doing here." As she spoke she sat down on the couch, allowing Marcus to help her before taking a seat himself.

Marcus looked at her carefully, judging to see just exactly where her mind was at the moment. He could still see signs of her tears but she appeared to be strong and even confidant at the moment. He would never get over the amount of resolve that Blair possessed. The girl had more determination in her 115lb frame than anyone he knew. "I need your help." He spoke after taking a seat.

"With what?" Blair asked, surprisingly feeling as though she owed Marcus something, which was completely ridiculous. Yet she still found herself open to helping him.

Marcus sighed in relief. He knew Blair Waldorf so he knew that the hardest part of this plan was going to be getting her to give him the opportunity to plead his case. He wasn't going to be asking her to do something particularly difficult but it did require her participation. "It's about my PR agent. I've kept our annulment quiet up until now even from most of the family . . . including grandmother." He added pointedly knowing that Blair knew that this wasn't just any regular grandmother he was speaking about, he was referring to the Queen of England. "But people have started asking questions. As royalty, we generally are granted quite long honeymoons but right after you called me people started getting nosy. I was hiding out in Bora Bora where we were supposed to be but Jana tracked me down and had a bit of a panic attack when she realized you weren't with me." Blair couldn't help but giggled at the thought of Marcus's publicist having an anxiety attack; Blair hadn't been fond of the woman ever since she forced them to fly coach across the Atlantic Ocean. Marcus smiled slightly in return, knowing that Blair was enjoying his PR representative's misery. "I knew I was going to have to return to England soon to be able to effectively delegate the search for Chuck anyway so I returned with her and kept an extremely low profile."

"So what does this have to do with me?" Blair asked, slightly confused. Usually she was quick on the uptake but she thought everything was taken care of with Marcus, she didn't know what more there was to do.

Nodding understandingly, Marcus folded his head in front of him and continued. "Jana is of course worried about my public image. My idea was to make some sort of formal announcement saying that you and I had been waiting to consummate the marriage until our formal marriage before the Queen; however, after the wedding we realized we'd made a terrible mistake as you were still in love with a former boyfriend and I was too committed to my work. So we had the marriage annulled."

Blair nodded thinking that this sounded like a sensible plan. "That's fine with me, I don't see the problem."

"Neither did I." Marcus replied. "However, there's been a little snag or two. . ." Then with a look at Blair's small baby bump, he added. "Or three." Blair nodded encouraging him to continue, which he did obligingly. "First, Jana is worried about the paparazzi hounding you and figuring out the various holes in our story. She says that we need to present the story together and give them all the facts that they could think that they want. Maybe even over share to ensure that they've had enough. Additionally, she thinks it would be good if we pretended we were intending to stay friends since we supposedly parted amicably. "

Blair was once more nodding. "All of Jana's points make sense and I don't see any of that being too big of an issue or something we can't take care of. As for the baby bump, it's still small enough that I shouldn't have a problem finding a baby doll dress to hide it. Even at full term it probably won't be much of a problem, I've got a small frame and the doctor told me not to expect to show much. So I'll keep things under wraps and try to keep the birth quiet until the paparazzi have cleared out if it takes that long to get them gone. What else?" Blair asked, knowing there was more. After all Marcus had yet to mention the second snag.

Marcus smiled, remembering just why he'd come to Blair with his problem, not to mention remembering why he'd fallen in love with her in the first place; Blair was one of the most manipulating, conniving, and ingenious women he'd ever met, in other words she was perfect. "I've met someone." He replied tentatively watching for Blair's reaction. He saw that she was surprised but she also seemed to be supportive as she had a small smile on her lips. "It's actually someone you know; Jocelyn Forbes."

At that Blair's eyebrows really did raise; how did Marcus meet Jocelyn, much less become involved with her? Jocelyn was one of Blair's oldest . . . acquaintances. "How do you know Joss?" She asked instinctively. Jocelyn Forbes was a former Constance Queen, the one directly prior to Blair Waldorf herself. She'd been the one to crown Blair Queen at the end of her sophomore year. Joss had been a bit of a role model to Blair, she'd been the one to 'train' Blair; not that Blair had ever needed training, something Joss had realized quickly, as she had treated Blair as an equal from the second month of Blair's freshman year of high school. Blair smirked slightly as she remembered the way that Carter Baizen used to chase the girl, never quite catching her. Jocelyn was supposed to be at Yale, living the life Blair had always wanted, which once more begged the question: how on earth had she become involved with Marcus. "She and I have known each other for a long time. God I remember the first day she talked to me."

Blair glared at the girl in front of her as though she was a miniscule piece of dirt on the bottom of her shoe, worthless and annoying. "I thought I told you to stay away from my boyfriend." She said, with venom hidden in her sickly sweet voice.

"Y-You did." The girl before her said with a slight stutter. "It's just Nate's my lab partner. The note I was passing him was about our lab report."

Blair softened her gaze slightly and at first the girl thought she was backing off, but then she realized that the fire was still in her eyes. Blair Waldorf was mocking her. Slowly she withdrew the note she'd collected from one of her followers from the pocket of her purse. "This note?" She asked innocently. "Why don't we read it?"

The girl cowered, shaking her head furiously. "No, please. I'm sorry. You don't have to read it."

Blair raised an eyebrow at the girl as she unfolded the note. "Yes I think I do because you clearly didn't get the point the first time." Blair looked down at the words and began reading. "Nate, I know I shouldn't be doing this but I can't hold it in any longer, I like you. A lot. If you ever want to go out, just know that I'm available. 3 Always, Carrie" Blair's eyes once more met the girl in front of her. "Aww how cute." She said sweetly before her voice changed drastically. "This will not be tolerated any longer."

"Blair please." Carrie spoke, starting to shake, she knew what Blair was capable of, or at very least she'd heard tales of what Blair was capable of. She knew better than to cross her but she'd done it anyway. She tried to reach out and grasp Blair's hand to plead with her. "I won't ask him out again, I promise."

Blair just shook her head, backing away a few steps. "Leave." She spoke and the girl immediately scampered off.

Jocelyn had been watching from around the corner, observing the girl that everyone had been talking about, the one that could potentially threaten her rein. But Jocelyn hadn't been watching to see whether or not Blair Waldorf was a threat, no she was watching to see just how good she was. She needed to begin to think about her successor and none of her current followers would do. Not to mention, she could use some help with a little problem. As the smack down finished, she was fully planning to step out and introduce herself, then she saw Blair pull out her cell phone and remained where she was, curious.

Blair withdrew her cell phone, using *67 to block her number before dialing Carrie's house, hoping her mother would be home. This was always more effective to an actual parent rather than an answering machine. Blair smiled menacingly as Carrie's mom answered the phone politely. Blair disguised her voice and began to speak. "Hello, this is Marci of Planned Parenthood. I'm calling to speak to Caroline Sutherland. Her test results are in."

She listened to the obligatory freak out of Mrs. Sutherland. Followed by the demand that "Marci" tell her what kind of tests these were and to give her the results. "I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to distribute information about any of our clients. I'll call back at a more convenient time." She hung up to the continuous sound of Mrs. Sutherland's ranting with a triumphant smile on her face.

Jocelyn stepped out from around the corner clapping.

Blair looked up surprised. She of course knew who Jocelyn was. The junior was legendary and she'd only been Queen for a year. She still had two left. Secretly Blair idolized her just as every other girl in this school did.

"Blair Waldorf, freshman, daughter of Harold and Eleanor Waldorf, girlfriend of Nate Archibald, best friend of Serena van der Woodsen, close ally of Chuck Bass, and the only freshman girl to dare to sneak into the masquerade." Jocelyn said as she walked closer.

Blair inhaled sharply, but maintained her cool. So that's what this was about, Jocelyn knew that she and Chuck had snuck into the Masquerade even though freshmen weren't allowed. She forced her face into an expression that said and your point is? She responded in a similar manor, almost mocking Jocelyn's speech. "Jocelyn Forbes, junior, daughter of Michael and Simone Forbes, Queen of Constance, holds court on the steps of the met, adored by Carter Baizen, and the only girl to ever be crowned as a freshman."

Jocelyn cracked a smile. "I'm surprisingly not angered by your impertinence." Blair felt herself relax slightly as Jocelyn continued. "That take down was a classic."

Strangely calm and composed Blair shrugged lightly. "That was amateur stuff." She wasn't lying, for her that was about as tame as it could get. It was nothing near what she was capable of, especially if she enlisted the aid of one Chuck Bass. She should be terrified, standing before the most powerful girl in Constance history yet Blair found herself strangely at home in the situation.

Jocelyn tried not to show surprise on her features. If that was amateur she couldn't wait to witness the real thing; perhaps Blair Waldorf was just what she was looking for. "Did you get it from Mean Girls?" She asked recalling the scene in which Regina George takes down a girl in a similar fashion.

Blair rolled her eyes, surprising even herself with her cavalier attitude. "No, they got it from me."

By the look in Blair's eyes, Jocelyn certainly believed her. Blair Waldorf was a force to be reckoned with. "I'd like to see just what you're capable of." She said as she crossed her arms.

Blair recognized instantly that this was a test. Jocelyn was vetting her to see if she was worth her time and interest. "Who's the target?" Blair asked, unwilling to fail.

"Viviane Fitzgerald." Jocelyn replied simply.

Blair's eyes widened in shock, this time she didn't even try to hide it. Viviane was supposed to be Jocelyn's second in command, it had been that way since grade school. Normally to act against one of the girls of the steps was to act against Jocelyn herself which meant immediate social destruction. This was an unprecedented situation leaving Blair to wonder if Jocelyn was using this as a reason to destroy her, remove any potential threat before Blair gained any further social status. "Are you setting me up?" She asked her eyes full of a cynicism unknown by most fourteen year old girls.

Jocelyn shook her head. Blair was even smarter than she'd thought. Most girls wouldn't think for a moment that she was trying to trick them, most would think that this was simply their chance to get in her good graces but Blair's mind seemed to work at a mile a minute and she had already discovered the potential threat to herself; messing with a girl of the steps was considered a cardinal offense at Constance. However, this wasn't trickery and she honestly did need Blair's help, this one was too complicated to take care of on her own; in order to gain Blair's trust though she was going to have to open up, make herself more vulnerable to Blair than she'd ever made herself to anyone. "She slept with Carter Baizen." She said, knowing that with her words she was admitting the one thing that she'd sworn never to admit to anyone.

Blair's eyebrows furrowed. "What? I was under the impression that you weren't interested in Carter Baizen. I thought he was just your little lap dog, your ever faithful servant."

Jocelyn pursed her lips slightly, she didn't want to say more, she was vulnerable enough. It was just that Blair looked like she might get it, might empathize with her. "That's what I want everyone to think. Carter and I have an interesting relationship. I don't want people to know he's my weakness so I keep him chasing me but in private things are different. We aren't really together but we banter and flirt and eventually I was going to give in. Viviane knew that Carter wasn't just a game to me, not quite to the extent of what I just told you but she's known us both long enough to know." Jocelyn straightened up. "Besides want him or not, Baizen is mine to do with as I see fit. The girls of the steps knew he was off limits, Viviane most of all." Jocelyn's voice cracked at the very end at Viviane's name.

Blair realized then just why Jocelyn was using this to test her. While Jocelyn wanted to be part of the takedown she was too close to the matter at hand to do this completely by herself. Viviane was her best friend and Carter was her. . .well whatever Carter was. Blair nodded, there was a plan forming in her mind already. A perfect one that involved the trifecta of what made a good take down; public humiliation, social destruction, and irreparable damage. "I think we can work something out."

Jocelyn nodded curtly, her face back to its perfect mask, no trace of vulnerability left. "Lunch on the steps. We'll talk then."

"I can't, I have plans." Blair spoke, remembering that this was still a test. She couldn't let Jocelyn think she was too willing to become part of her group. After all, while she might be aiming for the crown one day, she didn't want to go through the training period and in order to skip that she needed to make Jocelyn want her as a friend and ally, not just a minion.

Jocelyn raised an eyebrow. No one had ever turned down an invitation to eat lunch with her. "Then cancel them." She said, a slight amount of her natural cruelty slipping into her words.

For a moment Blair worried that she'd overstepped her bounds, maybe she'd pushed Jocelyn too far. "Sorry, I already have a public humiliation scheduled with Chuck Bass during lunch. It's time sensitive. Besides, we can't really talk at lunch Viviane will be there." Jocelyn's eyes let Blair know that she was backing down so Blair continued. "So how about right after school? We can hit Bloomingdales and discuss it then."

Nodding slightly, Jocelyn took one step backwards. "Alright Blair Waldorf, but tread lightly." She paused letting Blair know what she meant before speaking again, this time there was a storm brewing in the depths of her grey eyes. "While a certain amount of impertinence will be tolerated and even applauded at times; there is a line. Today you've toed the line, I don't suggest you cross it unless you'd like to start a war the likes of which Constance has never seen." Another pause, as her eyes seemed to shimmer and fade. When she spoke again her voice was lighter and much less terrifying. "By the way, I adore the headband." With that she walked away.

During lunch, Blair had gone to Chuck for help. Since she hadn't actually had anyone to humiliate but they'd taken care of that problem and picked a girl on a list that Chuck was keeping of future destructions by sending the gossip girl blast that she had made a donation to a fund for teens with herpes 'due to her recent struggle with the disease' just before senior lacrosse captain Michael Fischer asked her out. In reality they'd made the donation in her name. After the takedown occurred, Jocelyn had met her eye across the hallway and nodded in satisfaction. That afternoon they'd gone shopping at Bloomingdales and Blair had presented the plan, a plan that Jocelyn heartily approved of. That night it was time. Blair and Chuck had shown up at Butter at ten just like she and Jocelyn had discussed earlier. When Jocelyn saw her arrive, Blair nodded that everything was in place and Jocelyn stood, pulling Viviane with her towards the bar.

"Come here a second Viv." Jocelyn said taking Viviane's hand and leading her away like she often did. "You know I think your hair would look better down with that dress." Jocelyn said reaching up and pulling the pins from Viviane's hair.

Viviane laughed as her dark curls tumbled down around her head as Jocelyn fixed them. "Stop it." She said still laughing. Things had been strained with Jocelyn lately, not because of something Joss had done, but because of what Viviane had done. About three weeks ago, she and Carter Baizen had slept together and she'd been terrified ever since that Joss was going to find out. The worst thing was she didn't even have a good reason for why she'd done it. She knew Carter was off limits and she knew that Carter liked to play games and flirt; as long as it stayed at flirting Joss didn't care but Viviane had been drunk and bored and Carter was there and he was horny after Joss had kicked him out of her apartment and it had just happened.

"There, perfect." Joss said with a smile, knowing that her face was a perfect mask of fun drunkenness when inside she was boiling over with anger and pain.

Viviane just smiled, this was the most normal things had felt in so long. "So what's this about Joss, what are we doing over here?"

Jocelyn's mask changed instantly to one of anger, the storm in her eyes brewing once more. "Only my friends call me Joss and you Viviane Fitzgerald are no friend of mine." With that she met Blair's eyes over Viviane's shoulder, the signal that it was time.

Instantly, Viviane's eyes went wide. Jocelyn knew and that wasn't all, she'd already placed Viviane in position for a takedown. Fear shot through her. "Jocelyn please." She spoke but she knew it was already too late.

On the sign from Jocelyn, Blair approached Viviane from behind, the Nair-tini already in hand. Tipping the glass over completely, Blair managed to pour its entire contents on Viviane's scalp. There was no point wasting it on her curls, Nair was only effective at the scalp. For good measure, Blair forced some over her forehead in hopes that it would reach her eyebrows before Viviane was aware of just what had been dumped on her.

Viviane turned around suddenly to see who was behind her that had dumped something on her head. At the sight of the usurping freshman that she had been warning Jocelyn about only days ago, with a darkly handsome boy behind her, she flipped back around to Jocelyn. "How could you? I'm supposed to be your best friend and you put me in position so that this little twit could pour yogurt on my head, humiliating me in front of all of our friends."

Jocelyn wanted to keep her talking, giving the Nair-tini plenty of time to take effect and hopefully dispose of her eyebrows as well. "I think you know why I did it. Would you like to leave it at that or should I tell everyone who you slept with?" Viviane was still too shocked to answer and began to shake her head. Something Joss was glad of, she wanted it to remain a secret that Carter was her weakness.

"But her?" Viviane asked flipping around once more towards Blair and the boy she thought was Chuck Bass. Viviane felt a slight tingle and begin to wonder if she'd developed some kind of allergic reaction to yogurt. "She snuck into the masked ball and she goes around conducting her affairs as though she doesn't have to answer to you."

"That's precisely why I chose her." Joss spoke matter-of-factly. "Someone has to fall so that she can rise. Turns out that someone was you." Jocelyn added before turning around to face the crowd of people that had gathered. "Let it be known, that those who cross me in the future will face a similar fate. No one, is exempt from this." Flipping back to Viviane she put a triumphant smirk on her face. "And that's not yogurt sweetheart."

Fear seized Viviane as she felt the tingle on her scalp and forehead turn into a burning sensation. Knowing now exactly what had happened Viviane reached up and wiped her hand over her head, screaming as her long gorgeous hair slid off her scalp in her hand.

Chuck swaggered to the front and pulled out his camera. "Smile for gossip girl." He said with a click.

Viviane continued to scream as she realized that the Nair had coated almost all of her scalp as well as her eyebrows. She ran to the bathroom crying as the shocked crowd began to erupt in laugher and whispers.

Blair realized immediately that people were looking at her, whispering about her and the whispers were growing louder. She saw something in the eyes of everyone gathered that she'd seen from people on occasion, after all she was Blair Waldorf, but never had she seen it on this grand of a scale or with students years older than her; they were afraid of her. Slowly, she began to panic. That's when the gossip girl blast came through. And the poor girl was practically bald before she'd made it to the bathroom; something that made Blair's stomach twist with regret.

Gossip girl here and what an eventful night it is. V got herself into a Nair-iffic situation after crossing Queen J. But as exciting as this is, what might be more interesting is the rise of freshman Blair Waldorf. B may be young but after her debut tonight I wouldn't dare cross her and from the sounds of it, J is priming her to take her spot as Queen when she graduates. Either way this was a debut the likes of which the Upper East Side has never seen. I'll be watching you B, we all will.

Without another word Blair turned and left the bar, walking quickly.

Jocelyn followed behind her slightly worried about the change in Blair. As she stepped outside she saw her leaning against the wall, seemingly trying to suck in air. "What's wrong? That went brilliantly and the eyebrows were an ingenious touch."

Blair looked over at Jocelyn with tears in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. "It was just a little intense, maybe too intense. Maybe I'm not cut out for this. When we left everyone was whispering about me, about what I'd done and then this." She said holding up her cell phone.

Jocelyn sighed as she read the blast, she hadn't wanted it to come to this, she'd thought that Blair was stronger than this. "If you want to be part of this world Blair, people will talk and you need to decide if all this is worth it."

Blair looked down at her hands; doing everything she could to make them stop shaking. She wanted this, she was meant to do this, but yet she hated the feeling she had back there, that everyone despised her. "Everyone was afraid of me and those who weren't were even worse; they despised me. And I've done bad things to people, but that was over the top even for me. Nate is going to think I'm an awful person when he sees that blast."

And then Jocelyn knew exactly what to say to convince Blair of who she was supposed to be. "That's the thing; you need to be cold to be Queen. Anne Boleyn thought only with her heart and she got her head chopped off, so her daughter Elizabeth made a vow never to marry a man, she married her country. Forget boys; keep your eye on the prize Blair Waldorf. You can't make people love you, but you can make them fear you."

When Blair, looked back up at Jocelyn, her eyes were filled with something new. They were filled with determination. She could do this, she was strong enough, and like hell she would allow herself to be bowed to someone else's will should they get Queen over her. "Okay." She said simply.

Jocelyn relaxed, smiling. "Okay."

Blair shook her head slightly. "She created me. Well her and Chuck because I turned out to be even colder and crueler than Jocelyn when I was Queen." Blair shook her head more violently, disposing of the memory. "So tell me how you know Joss?"

"Through you actually." Marcus said as a smile appeared on his features at the thought of the girl. "She's been studying abroad in London this past semester and we ran into each other in a coffee shop downtown quite literally as she knocked my coffee all over my shirt."

Blair burst out laughing, unable to contain herself.

"What is it?" Marcus asked, instantly curious. After all, Blair had known Jocelyn quite a bit longer than he had. It was entirely possibly she knew more about the girl than he did. What if she said something about Jocelyn that he didn't like? What if she said that Jocelyn was playing him? He had only recently gotten over losing Blair, he wasn't sure he could handle betrayal so soon.

Blair stifled her laughter, composing herself before she replied. "Let me guess, as soon as she spilled her coffee she said, 'Oh my goodness, I can't believe I just did that. Sometimes I can be so clumsy; you'd never guess that I took ballet for twelve years.' Then when you responded that it was perfectly alright, she said, 'You at least have to let me buy you another cup.' After which she enchanted you with her charming personality over a cup of coffee."

Marcus was in shock, he wasn't sure how Blair had known any of that but that was precisely what had happened, almost every single word was right on point. "Seventeen years."

Blair nodded smirking fondly at a past memory. "Right, it would be seventeen now. It was five years ago that she taught me that trick. I was a freshman in high school and she was a junior. I was sure she knew everything there was to know about catching boys and it appears she's caught you." This time it was Blair giving Marcus the pointed look. Realizing suddenly that she had caused Marcus to stress out slightly she reached out and lightly placed a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, it means Jossie thinks you're hot and totally worth her time. You have to meet at least eight out of ten first glance items on her check list to get the 'Soak to Snag'." Marcus sighed, appearing relieved and Blair continued. "Now tell me how exactly I brought the two of you together."

Marcus nodded, unable to resist a sigh of relief that Jocelyn hadn't been playing him. After losing Blair, he had thought it would be a long time before he found someone that he cared about but then Jocelyn had come along. He would have been crushed if it turned out that she was playing him all along. Marcus zoned out as he recalled for Blair, his meeting with Jocelyn.

Marcus did his best not to look impatient as he waited for his coffee. His baseball cap and sunglasses, paired with a pair of torn jeans and an old Yale t-shirt were doing a good job of disguising his identity. It had been working to his benefit that he was relatively unknown to the paparazzi at least in his dressed down wear as he was known for his outlandish attire pre-Blair. Besides they were still getting used to the fact that Will and Harry were no longer the princes anymore as were the people of Great Britain. But it was still important that he kept a low profile for Blair's sake. He needed to work out how he was going to go about announcing the annulment before he was spotted back in London and he wanted to find Chuck before that.

Midterms had Jocelyn way more strung up that she normally would so she probably shouldn't be waiting in line to buy coffee but she knew if she didn't get her daily dose of caffeine, a headache was sure to ensue. Tired of studying, she needed a good distraction and as the guy two people in front of her began to place his order she decided that she might have just found one. They were in a coffee shop so 'soak to snag' could be easily instituted IF he met at least eight out of ten items on her at a glance check list. Hot . . . definitely check, confidant . . . from the way he carried himself that was another check, smile . . . oh yeah, style . . . the clothes were a little dressed down for her tastes but still fashionable so check, in shape . . . from the looks of the tight arm muscles that was a check as well, accent . . . British so check, eyes . . . covered but done so with designer sunglasses giving him another check, payment method. . . Platinum American Express a classic which meant check. No wedding band. . .he was available which was check number nine. He'd already scored a nine out of ten so she was already planning on doing the catch, when he helped a woman with a baby get the lid back on her coffee giving him the check for respect, which was of course check number 10. It had been years since she'd found a perfect ten on the 'soak to snag' scale and even more interesting, the guy had on a Yale shirt which was just an added bonus. Yes she was definitely going to be instituting the 'soak to snag' as soon as he stepped into position.

Really it was a crime against his country that he'd picked up the coffee addiction while in the states, thought Marcus as he did his best to wait patiently for his drink. He should be drinking tea but he found coffee so much more invigorating. Finally hearing his number called, he picked up his iced coffee, taking the lid off as he turned towards the cream and sugar. A swash of blonde hair filled his vision and milliseconds later he felt an icy cool spread down his shirt. He involuntarily shivered as he moved to steady the blonde who'd bumped into him. "Are you okay?" He asked as he righted the young woman.

Jocelyn looked up, her eyes full of feigned surprise as though bumping into him had been complete happenstance. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I just did that. Sometimes I can be so clumsy; you'd never guess that I've taken ballet for seventeen years." The bit about ballet was her favorite addition to the fool proof guy trap; it told the potential boyfriend three things all at once, that she was flexible, that she was poised, and that she was dedicated; which were all traits that a good girlfriend should have.

Marcus smiled down, his tense posture softening as he met her shockingly grey eyes, though his own were shaded. He felt an intense desire to protect the girl before him as though she needed taking care of. There was also something familiar about her, something he just couldn't put his finger on. "Oh, don't worry, it's perfectly alright. I shouldn't have turned around so quickly."

Jocelyn smiled up at him brightly, shooting him her most winning smile. This one was definitely a keeper. He'd scored 10 out of 10 on the first impression list, with a bonus for the Yale T-shirt. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "At least let me buy you another cup."

"Okay, sure. Why not?" He responded, feeling completely charmed by the petite blonde. As they stood in line, they began to chat amicably.

"I'm so sorry about your shirt." She spoke, looking up at him flirtatiously. Making sure to angle her body to show off all of her greatest attributes, she collected a few napkins and insisted upon wiping off his shirt.

Marcus shook his head slightly, wondering what sort of spell this girl had cast over him. His heart was racing and he found himself suddenly very glad for his glasses which shielded his eyes from her own, giving them free reign to travel over her body. "It's fine, I'm sure the stain will come out and if it doesn't I have other shirts."

Jocelyn smiled up at him coquettishly."Did you attend Yale?" She asked as she brushed her fingertips across the words on his shirt while she continued to soak up the spilt coffee.

Marcus could feel a tingle rush through him as the blonde continued her ministrations. "I did for a while. I've transferred back to Oxford. I was only in the states with my fiancé."

Jocelyn stiffened suddenly. So he was engaged, of course. He was almost too perfect of a male specimen not to be. How disappointing. On the other hand, engaged wasn't married. It had been a long time since she'd gone after a soon to be unavailable man and this could be the perfect distraction to keep her sane through midterms. In the world of Jocelyn Forbes a man was fair game until 'I Do' but marriage was the one line she wouldn't cross. "Oh." She replied softly, shocked at the fact that she sounded slightly wounded.

Noticing the sudden change in the girl's demeanor Marcus realized his mistake and felt the unexplainable urge to correct himself; it was too soon to be thinking like that wasn't it he and Blair had only ended things a month or so ago. But he did it anyway. "No, that's not what I meant." Jocelyn looked confused and he felt it was necessary to be able to meet her eyes without the shield of his glasses so he took them off; forgetting about the threat of paparazzi. "She and I aren't together anymore."

His last words were almost lost on Jocelyn as she recognized the man standing before her the moment she saw his blue eyes. Her own iced coffee slid right through her hands as though she weren't touching it at all. "Oh my God. Marcus?"

Marcus recoiled slightly, looking around to see if anyone had heard before quietly shushing her. "I'm trying to keep a low profile." He replied eyebrows furrowing. How had this girl recognized him when all paparazzi had been unable to do so? He was about to ask but the young woman in front of him wasn't done yet.

"Did you just say that you and Blair were over? What the fuck happened?" She couldn't quite contain herself or her questions but she did follow his wishes as she lowered her voice. "I always thought that Blair would marry once and that would be it. Blair Waldorf a divorcee. . .how weird is that?"

Marcus found that her babbling only endeared him further towards the blonde yet he was increasingly worried about where she knew him from. Clearly she knew Blair, so that would mean that they met in New York. "Have we met before?" He asked rather than answer one of her questions.

"At the wedding." Jocelyn said with a nod; still in shock. "You and I had a conversation out on the balcony."

Marcus let his head tip backwards in realization. Of course. That's why she looked so familiar. "You're Jocelyn Forbes."

"In the flesh. Most of my friends call me Joss." She said with a slight lift of her shoulder, indicating that he could number himself amongst her friends if he so desired.

Marcus gave a slight nod as he took her hand in his and lifted her fingers to his lips. "Well Joss, it's very nice to make your acquaintance . . .again." Jocelyn laughed and Marcus noted that it was one of the most beautiful sounds he'd ever heard; he liked making her laugh.

"So it looks like my prediction was right after all." Jocelyn spoke with a smirk.

Still looking at her in bewilderment, Marcus shook his head confused yet still enraptured by the girl in front of him. "What prediction?"

Jocelyn smiled flirtatiously once more. If he was on the market, she was definitely back in the game. "So it looks like you didn't just forget me, you forgot our conversation as well." She said pointedly before giving a teasing smile and continuing onward. "During our conversation I congratulated you, saying that you were a lucky man to have snatched such a catch from the clutches of Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass."

Marcus nodded, recalling the memory vividly now that she had mentioned it. They'd talked during the duet between Blair and Chuck and into the song that followed. "You told me you hadn't seen me coming, accusing me of throwing a wrench in what might have been perfect predictions."

"So see I was right." She said smugly.

Marcus smiled in response. "That you were." He looked at her, almost unable to look away. She was mesmerizing, not a Blair carbon copy like every other girl who'd caught his eye recently but she possessed the same spark that had made him fall for Blair. There was an air of entitlement, mixed with a desire for control, and an affinity for manipulation present in her presence. Yet it was obvious that she had good breeding and excellent poise. Add that to the yearning to protect her that she inspired and you had an incredibly intriguing girl.

Jocelyn ran a hand through her hair, almost nervously. Marcus seemed to be lost somewhere else, leaving her wondering if she'd caught him quite as well as she'd originally thought she had. Of course the Blair connection did complicate things; that would have to be navigated carefully as the younger girl was perhaps the one person that could cause Jocelyn to pause and consider the possible ramifications that could ensue. Any other girl's revenge would have been something to scoff at but Blair was someone you didn't want to be going up against; even if you were Jocelyn Forbes. "So what happened with you and Blair? Why the divorce?"

Inhaling pensively Marcus considered the options. He could of course tell Jocelyn what had happened but it wouldn't be the smartest decision. On the other hand, having someone to talk to would be nice and she'd have to know eventually if he wanted to have any kind of future with her . . .FUTURE where had that word come from, they'd just met. Yet already Marcus knew that he wanted to spend more time with Jocelyn. Now he just had to trust that he wouldn't scare her away. "Why don't we both get a new coffee and sit down. This could take a while."

Blair let out a sigh of realization. "Of course! Joss was at the wedding, fully prepared to step in as bridesmaid if I needed her to. She caught the bouquet if I remember correctly."

"She did." Marcus spoke, with a slight nod. He hadn't remembered that Jocelyn had caught the bouquet but it had been something that they had discussed in their time together since. It had come up along with the fact that Joss was quite superstitious. It had been the closest that they had come to discussing a future together. Neither of them had said the word marriage but he had known that they had both been thinking it. Drawing himself back from the place in his mind devoted solely to thoughts of Jocelyn, Marcus forced himself to be in the present; they still had a lot to work out. He did however, completely expect for her to talk for a while to work all of this out in her head, so he wasn't surprised when Blair took another walk down memory lane.

When Blair spoke again, she was heady with memories of a time that felt so long ago. "I'd forgotten that Joss foresaw the triangle breaking out between Nate, Chuck, and me long before we did. She said from the start that I needed to watch out for Chuck Bass."

Blair placed a chaste kiss on Nate's lips sending him off to lunch with his lacrosse buddies before turning and heading towards the steps. She'd officially been a 'girl of the steps' since October. She'd been anxious at first, nervous even. Jocelyn's obvious favoritism towards her was something she relished yet at the same time, she didn't like the envy it inspired in the other girls who were all older than Blair. But now it was April, freshman year was almost over and she no longer held any fear when it came to the other girls; they'd all seen her in action before, they knew she could destroy them as quickly or more so than Joss. So with her head held high she made her way up the steps, past the other girls to sit one step below Jocelyn. She could have sat next to her, Jocelyn wouldn't have stopped her, rather she sat a step below as a sign of respect for the monarchy.

Jocelyn smiled down at Blair, forever impressed by the girl's sensibilities. "Nate's definitely a keeper, how many years has it been now?"

Blair tucked a stray curl back into place as she opened her fruit parfait. "To be honest, I don't actually know. He asked me to be his girlfriend when we were in kindergarten and it's been that way ever since."

The other girls sat there quietly eating their yogurts, none of them daring to interrupt a conversation between the Queen and her obvious favorite unless they had something truly remarkable to add. Instead it was Jocelyn who spoke once more. "Don't you ever wonder what it's like to kiss another guy?"

Blair shrugged her shoulder's slightly, looking up to meet Jocelyn's gaze. "Not really. Nate's it for me."

"Are you sure?" Jocelyn asked, sounding almost concerned. "If you'd like someone else, you know I can arrange it."

This time Blair shook her head rather energetically, sending her curls bouncing. "Joss I assure you, things with Nate and I are perfectly fine, wonderful even. He's the boy I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Jocelyn tilted her head slightly, as though examining Blair before suddenly laughing; going from serious to joking in a matter of seconds. "God the thought of only having sex with one man for the rest of my life is fucking terrifying. How can you not wonder what sex is like with someone other than the golden boy, with someone more mysterious?"

Blair's cheeks colored immediately. She and Nate hadn't gone that far yet. In truth they hadn't even made it past second base; she was a little scared, not that she would admit it to anyone except maybe Serena. Before Blair could say something witty and distracting Joss cut in.

"Oh my God! You and Nate have been dating since infancy and you still haven't done the deed . . . have you?" She exclaimed, more surprised than she'd quite possibly ever been.

Blair recognized Jocelyn's tone of voice. She may have been surprised but her question wasn't an optional one; something that angered Blair quite a lot. Rarely if ever was she subjected to Jocelyn's authority; that only occurred when the older girl really wanted to know something. "JOSS!" She exclaimed through clenched teeth, averting her eyes to the other girls perched around them; all of whom were now leaning forward intently.

Jocelyn looked up as though surprised to still see the other girls there; Blair was a smart girl, of course she didn't want to talk about her personal life in front of the entire court, that was the fastest way to end up on gossip girl. With a flick of her wrist Joss spoke to the girls. "You're dismissed." When they all looked rather stunned she flicked her wrist again. "Well scurry along."

The girls all knew better than to ignore a direct order and disappeared from sight quickly, leaving Blair and Jocelyn alone on the steps. Jocelyn looked at Blair expectantly, waiting for the details; but found her mission thwarted once more as a darkly handsome boy sauntered up. "To answer your question my queen, dearest Blair and my best friend Nathaniel have yet to how did you say it 'do the deed.' It seems as though my best friend is not competent enough to know that when you have a beauty as magnificent as Blair Waldorf as your girlfriend that you don't deny her one of life's greatest pleasures." Chuck glanced at Blair lasciviously. "I know that I would have no qualms about ravishing her were she on my arm."

Blair reached over and smacked Chuck's thigh as it was as high as she could get without moving herself. "Perverted much, Bass? You are utterly revolting."

Jocelyn watched on with an eyebrow lifted as their banter continued. "Please Waldorf, you know you like it."

"I most certainly do not!" Blair exclaimed with just the right amount of indignation.

Chuck smirked. " I could make you like it. I could make you beg for it."

Blair's cheeks flamed once more. How dare he and in front of Jocelyn. "You are heinous and I hate you."

"Do not." Chuck said teasingly. Before toning down the smirk and straightening up slightly. "Now I'm actually only paying my respects to make sure that we're still on for this afternoon."

Blair nodded, realizing that the time for banter had come to an end, they had moved onward to shop talk. "Yes I'll meet you by the limo after school and we'll take care of the little problem."

Chuck gave a curt nod. "I'll see you then." He started to walk away before turning back slightly. "And I was serious before Nate's a lucky man to have you; he doesn't know what he's missing not having all of you."

Blair was almost too shocked by the obvious sincerity in his voice to comment and she was a millisecond away from letting Chuck get away with his parting statement when she snapped out of it. "Neither do you Bass. And the diference is, you never will."

"You say that now Waldorf, but we'll see." He replied with a parting smirk. "Like I said, one day I'll have you begging for it."

Blair arched an eyebrow, a hint of a threat in her eyes. "I wouldn't bet on it if I were you."

Chuck gave a slight shrug. "But you aren't me and I'm a gambling man. Especially when the victory is certain and the prize is so utterly delectable." With that he sauntered off, leaving Blair stewing in his wake.

She turned to Jocelyn furious. "Can you believe the nerve of that Mother Chucker? I mean seriously how dare he say those things to me? Nate would not be happy." If she were smart, she would tell Nate of the things Chuck said to her. Sure Nate would probably say 'that's just Chuck, you know how he is' to her face but sometime in private he'd make Chuck stop. But the truth is, that's why she didn't tell. Chuck's attentions made her feel good, wanted, something Nate had begun to fail at lately. And truth be told, she enjoyed their banter far too much for it to stop.

Jocelyn's grey eyes narrowed in thought before she spoke. "Watch out for him Blair."

Blair looked at Jocelyn, surprise replacing indignation on her face. "Chuck?" She asked slightly confused. She realized that Jocelyn must know Chuck's reputation and be worried about her, something Blair was quick to correct. "Don't worry, when it comes to me, he's harmless. He wouldn't lay a hand on me that I didn't ask him to."

"That's what I'm worried about." Jocelyn replied softly, concern still present in her voice. "I'm not worried about him laying an unwanted hand on you, rather I'm worried about the day you do want it; the day you do ask for it."

Blair shook her head. "That will never happen. I'd never cheat on Nate."

This time it was Jocelyn who shook her head. "Things change Blair, including your feelings."

Blair almost laughed. "Even if I did feel something for Chuck, which I don't, he'd never reciprocate so it doesn't matter. I do not hook up."

"On that I know you're wrong. If you don't see the way that boy feels about you, then you are a lot more oblivious than I realized Blair." Jocelyn spoke, her voice becoming slightly patronizing.

Blair rolled her eyes. "You cannot possibly be saying that Chuck Bass likes me."

Jocelyn nodded. "Oh yes, that is exactly what I'm saying."

At that Blair did laugh. She laughed so hard she ran out of air. That was rich, Chuck Bass liking her. The day that happened was the day she'd actually consider sleeping with him. In other words, never.

As Blair finished her own walk down memory lane Marcus smiled. "Sometimes I miss those days; things were so much simpler then. I mean, that was before the baby, before you, before Chuck even. Back then I thought I knew everything that was going to happen to me, I knew my plan perfectly and I thought I was well on the way to happily ever after. God I was so stupid. I didn't know anything back then." She paused briefly, gazing at Marcus. "But then I have to think that things have a way of working themselves out." Marcus gave her an appreciative smile knowing that she was once more telling him that she had forgiven him. "So just how much did you tell her?"

"Everything." Marcus replied simply. He hadn't had much of a choice if he wanted to be close to someone. He couldn't keep the things he'd done hidden forever. Just as Blair had said that things have a way of working themselves out; secrets have a way of reemerging. The past never stays buried for long.

"You didn't!" Blair said, raising her eyebrows as she angled herself forward. That had completely thrown her. Not only had Marcus opened up to someone he barely knew about his most personal secrets, he'd told a girl he was interested in about his dirtiest laundry. Things that most sane girls would run away from; but Jocelyn never was most girls.

Marcus gave her a half smile. "I did. Well I didn't tell her about the way I treated you after we first got engaged, the abuse and the assault; both of which I'm sure I'll rot in hell for. Additionally, instead of using the word blackmail when referencing how I got you to marry me, I said that I coerced you with something very appealing." Blair found herself nodding understandingly as Marcus continued and was surprised to find that she had truly forgiven him. Yes the memories still caused her pain but she didn't feel any of that animosity towards Marcus, not anymore. "I know it's surprising but I needed someone to talk to about all of it and she was so willing to listen."

"I'm happy for you. Both of you." Blair said, with a somewhat bewildered smile. After everything that Marcus had done, she was shocked to find that she was happy for him and was okay with the fact that he was dating a friend. Even if she and Joss weren't as close as they once were, she did actually care about the girl. "So how did the 'soak to snag' turn into a relationship?"

Marcus smiled at the memory."Our coffee dates became a daily event at first because I really needed a friend that understood what was going on in my life, not just parts of it; a friend who wasn't on the royal payroll. Then it became more." Marcus looked away clearly lost in thought. "We've been officially dating for a month and I'm falling fast. It wouldn't be a problem but if I emerge from this amicable annulment with a new girlfriend the press isn't going to buy our story."

Blair knew Marcus was right, so she set her brain to work thinking of ways to work this out. There were only so many ways they could work this. She thought she had a plan but she would need people, people that she trusted, in place for it to work. "What if we purposefully get photographed with me introducing you to my good friend Jocelyn?" Blair asked, a smirk rising to her features. "That way, you two will be free to spend more time together, with my blessing of course. She is back in town for the summer right?"

Marcus nodded his head enthusiastically. "That's perfect! You are twice the PR rep as Jana and it's not even your job."

"I haven't even told you the best part." She said, the smirk still present on her features. "Dan was published in the New Yorker once before and he had some kind of summer internship with a famous author, I can get him to do the original story; that way we can be sure that everything is run exactly as we want it to be. There's another guy, Aaron Rose, who I met at my mom's funeral. His dad and my mom were apparently seeing each other around the time of her death. He's an amazing photographer, so he can shoot the pictures. What do you think?"

"I think that you Blair Waldorf are a goddess!" Marcus said with a smile.

Thursday, May 14, 2009 - Unidentified Palace Suite, NYC

Chuck sighed as his phone began to ring. He knew without a doubt who was calling and he had grown to depend on the moments. He hadn't seen Blair since he'd returned to New York City determined to be with her. Andrew Tyler, who was currently calling him, was his only connection to her at the moment. "Chuck Bass speaking." He spoke as though he didn't know who was on the other end of the line.

"Mr. Bass, it's Andrew Tyler. I'm calling in to give you a report on Blair."

Chuck nodded though he knew Tyler couldn't see it. "Go on." He said, since of course he'd known already why Tyler was calling. Anytime he had a phone call it was Blair; it was always about Blair.

Tyler frowned on the other end of the line not quite wanting to do his job at the moment, yet he knew that if he didn't report what he'd seen to Chuck then when Chuck found out he'd be in much more trouble than he would telling him now. So bracing himself for the impending wrath of Chuck Bass, Andrew Tyler spoke. "Marcus just left Suite 1812. He was already in there when Blair arrived. He looked happy or at least content."

Chuck's slight smile at news of Blair frosted over as he realized just who Tyler was talking about. Marcus was the man who'd taken Blair from him; the one who'd set this entire debacle in motion. What the hell was he doing back in New York? Chuck felt his blood boiling. If Marcus had laid a hand on Blair he'd kill him. "And Blair?" Chuck asked through gritted teeth.

"Is still in her room." Tyler replied. "She called the maid for turn down service a minute ago so I assume she's fine."

Chuck nodded, still frowning. "Let me know when you know more." Hanging up he lay back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was not in the least happy about this turn of events. If Marcus was back in town it could only mean trouble for everyone involved, particularly Blair. What if Marcus had come to take her back? What if Blair had given up on them and went willingly? No, that wasn't possible, he'd listened to the iPod and he knew the way Blair felt about him and the way she felt about Marcus, she wasn't going anywhere. However, he began to think that his current course of action might not be the right thing to do anymore.

When he'd originally returned to New York, Chuck had had every intention of going straight to Blair but the entire trip back had been like a stroll down memory lane. It never came at a predictable time; only when something really needed remembering that a new memory surfaced. None lasted very long, they were all brief flashes of memory that he knew were real and not figments of his imagination by the feelings that went along with them. He remembered looking over Blair's shoulder at a group of their friends on a webcam, he remembered swimming with her in a pool each of them circling each other, he remembered seeing her in a wedding dress, he remembered dancing with her at a Gala to one of the songs from the iPod, he remembered touching her stomach accusing her of being pregnant back during junior year, and his favorite of all, he remembered kissing her shoulder on what he assumed was her seventeenth birthday. But that wasn't everything, it wasn't close. He wanted to remember before he went back to her. He wanted to go back to her a whole man, not some pathetic broken down version of himself.

So he'd gotten a suite at the Palace and was trying to stay under the radar; the last thing he needed was someone knowing that he was back. Right now he was biding his time, waiting for Blair to go out so that he could sneak into his suite and look around. He'd missed his chance earlier when she'd gone to Central Park (according to Tyler) but he'd been asleep. It turns out it was a good thing he hadn't gone since Marcus had shown up.

Right now it was simply the waiting game to get the opportunity to sneak upstairs again. He wanted to have a look around, to see if there were any clues that would trigger his memory. He couldn't help but think that if there was anywhere that would trigger his memory, his old suite was the place. Now all that was left to do was wait.

A/N: So first off, I hope you enjoyed learning a little about Jocelyn. I've posted pictures of her on my profile if you want an idea of the actress I cast as her. You'll be meeting Jocelyn in the next few chapters as she's going to help close out the story, brining in a little bit of perspective. I've written most of the remaining chapters but I don't want to post them all at once mostly I want to finish the whole thing so that you guys don't have to wait on updates.

Reviews are adored!

xoxo
kate