Games

by pLei4fun

Games are the norm for our favorite NJBC: Love games, war games, etc. But it's senior year and that just means that the stakes are even higher. Sequel to the Queen and her Dark Knight can Blair, Serena, Chuck, and Nate make it to the end of their high school careers unscathed and together? We'll find out. Chair always, but the rest is up in the air.

6. The Serena may rise, but

Chapter 6: The Serena may rise, but it's got nothing on a Waldorf

When the white tents blossom in Bryant Park, it can only mean one thing: Fashion week, the time of year when any Park Ave princess would trade her last Prada pochette for front row seats to the best shows. And we hear the seating chart at Eleanor Waldorf's show is being made by our very own Queen B.

Blair loved this time of year. Right after Christmas, her birthday, and Thanksgiving, Fashion Week was definitely in her top five favorite events of the year. It was important that a person in Blair's position to know of the latest trends in the fashion world in order to set an example for the masses. Otherwise who else would be there to correct them accordingly if they weren't told? Next thing you'd know they'd attempt to figure it out on their own and that was just a disaster waiting to happen. Blair couldn't help but smirk to herself at the ridiculousness of that notion. Everyone in Constance knew that Blair was the deciding factor on what was in and what was not. Just look at Humphrey.

She sighed softly to herself as she looked at all of her hard work in regards to her mother's seating chart for her show tomorrow night. Blair was thrilled when the conversation was brought up that maybe she could be in charge of something so important. The fact that her mother considered her for her taste and knowledge of the fashion community was a big deal and Blair couldn't help but reflect on how much had changed between the two Waldorf women since last year when Blair's father first fled to Paris after coming out of the closet.

She clutched the seating board in her hands as she made her way over to her mother who was currently fitting one of the models for the show and proceeded to discuss with her what she decided to do. "…This art director just ran off with the husband of this photo editor. So I sat all of "Vanity Fair" between them." Blair smiled at her mother's sigh of shock as she followed after her, "I figured we'd want to avoid a catfight in front of the catwalk."

"I told Laurel my daughter could make a better seating chart than that drug-addled publicist," Eleanor spoke as she made her way over to the next model to look her over as Blair trailed behind her listening, "It's a blessing she was hauled off to rehab for stealing her son's Ritalin."

"I'm more than happy to step in," Blair assured her as the pair went on to the next model.

"And you and Serena will be with me backstage, of course?" Eleanor asked for confirmation.

"Of course," Blair replied without hesitation as she continued to look at her handy work, "It's our tradition." Seeing this as an opportunity to broach her next subject, Blair continued on, "Now I hope you don't mind, but I sat the girls from school in the second row."

Blair nonchalantly looked over at her mother, hoping that she'd go for it. "Well," Eleanor spoke with a slight smile, "Since they are your friends, why not? Besides, they'll worship you for it."

"I know," Blair replied lightly with a smirk of her own, happy that they were on the same page about Blair's motives.

Eleanor laughed as she gave Blair's face a gentle squeeze of affection. The Waldorf women were more alike than they gave each other credit for from time to time.

After giving her work of art one last look, Blair gently placed it down and gathered her belongings before heading off to school to make her deliveries to the girls. She made a mental note to check in on Serena to confirm that she was actually going to show up to Eleanor's show this week. Ever since her best friend was freed from the baggage of Humphrey she'd been busy socializing among those outside of their circle. Specifically Poppy Lifton.

They met a couple of weeks ago and Blair hadn't been able to catch her best friend ever since. Then again, Blair herself had been busy making up for lost time with a certain Basstard so she couldn't find it in her to complain too much. She just hoped that she wasn't being traded in for the brunette version of Serena. Blair sighed and shook her head clear, choosing to be positive. Serena knew that this was their tradition and how important it was to Blair. Especially since they haven't spent much time together lately, this would be the ideal place for the two of them to reconnect and bond over fashion.

Blair only hoped that everything would go as she envisioned it. Just her and Serena in the back watching Blair's mother's vision come to life on stage.

xoxo

It had been a few weeks since Serena and Dan had parted ways not so amicably and Serena felt as if she were flying. Things had been going great and she genuinely felt that she was balancing the old Serena and the new Serena well. Sure she went out and partied, but she was being more responsible about it. She did her homework and kept her grades up while doing it. The only thing that felt like was falling through the cracks was her time with Blair. She'd been feeling a bit guilty that she'd been neglecting her best friend lately, but Blair hadn't said anything to show that she even noticed her absence so Serena just assumed that everything was going fine between them.

She made a decision to go talk with Blair today so they could set up something for just the two of them alone. She'd admit that she'd been spending a lot of her time with her new friend Poppy, but the last thing Serena wanted Blair to think was that she was being replaced as her best friend. Poppy was fun in the way that Georgina was fun only she actually respected that Serena didn't need to have the drugs and alcohol to have a good time and showed that Poppy herself didn't need it either. It was honestly a relief to the blonde to have found a fellow party girl who knew about limits and didn't look down on those who had them.

After finishing getting dressed for school, Serena went into her mother's room to ask if she could borrow a specific necklace of hers that she felt would finish her outfit perfectly. Not finding the elder Van Der Bass woman there, Serena simply picked the accessory she needed as she headed downstairs for some breakfast, figuring that she'd see her mother there instead. As she walked down the stairs, she saw that she was right as Lily was going over the placements of her new art pieces that her art consultant recently acquired for her while her mother was gone on vacation.

"Hi, mom," Serena greeted as she walked down the stairs, "I borrowed your necklace."

"Oh it's stunning!" Lily exclaimed, "Serena, do you think-"

"It's a necklace, mom," Serena interrupted, misinterpreting her mother's excitement for the necklace as she reached her side.

"Oh, but I'm talking about the art collection," Lily explained as Serena gave her hand a gentle squeeze in greeting. "Isn't it just breathtaking?"

Serena looked over at the painting that she'd passed on her way down the stairs and all the other artwork now hanging around the penthouse and smiled as her mother and her mother's art consultant gushed beside her.

"Any museum would be thrilled to have this collection," the consultant spoke happily.

"Let's hope Bart is when he gets back from Luxembourg this week," Lily responded with a light laugh.

"It's really great, mom," Serena gave her opinion, happy to see her mother happy, "Your art consultant has exquisite tastes."

Lily hooked her arm around Serena's as she led her away to talk, "You got in late last night."

"Oh, yeah. I had the M.O.M.A. event with, uh, Poppy," Serena explained as she let her mother lead her over to the breakfast bar as she hitched her bag into the crook of her arm. "We were perfect ladies, though. We sipped on sodas all night."

Serena turned towards the table to pick up an apple along with her school books that she needed for the day as the consultant spoke up, her voice dripping with awe, "Poppy Lifton, the socialite?"

"Yes, they met at a charity affair the other week, and they've been attached at the hip ever since," Lily explained, pride obvious in her voice at her daughter's actions. Serena could tell that so far her mother seemed to like how Serena pursued finding herself and she felt that the two were growing closer because of it. Serena quickly put all of her books in her bag as she half-listened to her mother continue on with giving her final opinion on some of the pieces on display in her home.

"Now, for over here," Lily spoke, leading her consultant to the living room area.

"Yes, the Ryan McGinley," the consultant spoke up. Serena glanced at it briefly before taking a bite from her apple, not in any rush to head to school just yet.

"Yes. Uh, something else," Lily spoke carefully, "There's a Mapplethorpe that's coming up for auction. Uh…"

Serena set her apple to the side as she walked back over to the duo, the name catching her attention, "Wait. Mapplethorpe. Isn't that the one who took all the pictures of the naked guys?" Serena crossed over to her mother's side.

"Yeah," Lily nodded before adding, "Um, not just guys."

Serena looked at her in shock, unable to believe what she was insinuating. She slowly smiled as she spoke up, "Wait. Mom did you…?"

"Well…" Lily responded with a shrug.

"You modeled for Mapplethorpe?" the consultant asked, unable to hide how impressed she was.

"Well, I kept it a secret," Lily explained with a smile at the look of pleasant surprise on Serena's face, "But I think you and Eric are old enough now…"

Serena couldn't help herself from getting excited over seeing this in person and had to get details, "No, but it's not one of those artsy shots where you can't tell if it's a belly button or a…"

"Well, it's very tasteful, I assure you," Lily spoke with a smirk.

Serena slowly shook her head with a smile. Every time she learned something about her mother's past it just surprised her how completely opposite she was compared to who she was now. "You just became the coolest mom on the Upper East side," she exclaimed as she wrapped her arm around her mother's neck.

Lily preened graciously as she rubbed Serena's arm, "Mm. Thank you."

Serena couldn't help but laugh at the way the world worked. She sometimes forgot that her and her mother were alike in so many ways even though they don't agree. She only hoped that her mother would continue to not be afraid to show off her mistakes and past from her and the Van Der Woodsen girls could continue to grow closer.

xoxo

When Blair arrived on the school grounds, she didn't have to look far to find her boyfriend since he was found in his usual spot of leaning against the brick wall in front. Without missing a beat, he walked in step with her as they couple made their entrance, holding her hand in his as he spoke, "I missed you this morning."

Blair smirked as she leaned up and gave him a kiss in greeting, "As I missed you, but mother needed my help in regards to her show this weekend, which I was all too happy to help."

"It's nice to know that with Marcus being booted back to Brighton that you're able to focus on what's important," Chuck teased with a smirk as he turned to stand in front of her.

"Yes, it is. But what I want to know is why you were lurking alone. Where's Nate?" Blair asked with a frown. Usually when her boyfriend wasn't spending time with her, he was usually with his best friend trying to come up with some sort of plan to rectify Nate's current financial dilemma.

"Nate just happens to be away at his grandparents'. Hoping to maybe smooth the path for reconciliation between them and his mother," Chuck explained. Blair nodded in understanding, thinking that it was the probably their best option to get out of the mess that the Captain left behind.

"Speaking of our blonde counterparts," Chuck continued, "I haven't seen much of Serena lately since she'd been brought back into the fold."

Blair shrugged it off, "She's been busy finding herself. She knows that she did miss a part of who she was before she left for boarding school and that she also enjoyed some parts of who she was with Humphrey; she's just trying to figure out how to mesh them apparently."

"And you're not worried that you'll fall in between the cracks?" Chuck asked a bit concerned.

"That's why I have these," Blair raised the envelopes she had in her hands in victory, "It's fashion week and Serena and I have a tradition to uphold. I'm hoping that by upholding it we can work to getting back on track."

Chuck smirked as he saw the minions make their way over in excitement, "And you are the only girl at Constance with clout."

Blair nodded as Chuck motioned behind her, letting her know that her public has arrived. She turned around with a smirk as Hazel spoke up, "Oh my Gosh, Blair you would not believe what was in the paper this morning!" Blair raised her brows, allowing Hazel to continue with the gossip, "Serena! She was in 'Women's Wear Daily'"

"With Poppy Lifton," Iz added excitedly.

"Serena could like die now knowing that she's lived a fulfilled life," Hazel added as she looked over at Iz in awe.

Blair did her best to refrain from rolling her eyes at the exaggeration as she looked at the paper herself. She had to admit that Serena looked great in the photo and it amazed her how if this had happened to previous year, Blair would have most likely gone psycho and felt as if she needed to compete for attention from her group. Maybe it was because the foursome rushed to her to tell her the news instead of her hearing it from someone else.

It was then that the blonde in question made her appearance, "Blair, there you are. I wanted to talk to you."

Blair smiled at her best friend in greeting as the minions turned their attention to Serena and bombarded her with questions involving the photo.

"You look gorgeous in the photo," Iz exclaimed as she pointed to the paper.

"Oh, my gosh," Hazel spoke at the same time, "Is Poppy nice? She looks so nice."

"What?" Serena asked in confusion before looking at the paper in their hands, "Oh, Gosh. I haven't even seen that."

"It seems that you've acquired quite a fan base," Chuck spoke up beside Blair after silently watching the events unfold.

Serena shrugged as if it wasn't that big of a deal, "I guess so," Serena turned her attention to what she came over here for. To talk to her best friend, "Anyway, B., I know that we've both been busy lately and I was wondering if maybe we could catch up soon. I miss you."

Blair felt a genuine smile grow on her face at Serena's words. Grateful that she wasn't the only one missing the close friendship, "I miss you too, S. and I was thinking the exact same thing. As you know mother's show is tomorrow night. How about we keep with tradition: Dinner and then hang out in the back to watch for the classic Waldorf meltdown?"

Serena smiled happy that it was that easy for them to reconnect and responded with a smile as she held onto Blair's hand, "Sounds perfect. What better place to bond then over fashion?"

Blair laughed with a nod in agreement. Serena motioned over to the envelope Blair's hand, "What are those?"

"Oh! Thank you for reminding me," Blair responded before turning towards the minions and opened up the purple envelope and presented each girl with her favor. After all, all good Monarchs should have them to keep the masses vying for her. "Ladies…I trust that on the big night you won't embarrass me,"

"Oh, my God," Nelly Yuki gasped as she got hers first, "Second row seats to your mother's show?"

"Oh, my God," Penelope exclaimed as she got hers, "Those are total movie star seats."

Hazel nodded in agreement as she looked at what was in her hands, unable to say a word because she was in shock.

It was then that the bell rang, telling the students to get to class. Blair smiled her goodbyes and waved to Serena as her and Chuck walked off together. Everything was going off perfectly. Serena was coming to the show with her and they will be able to catch up and it'll be just like it used to be. For once the movie in her head and her reality were one and the same. As long as nothing happened to ruin it, Blair had every intention of living in the moment.

She smiled over at her boyfriend and gave his signature scarf a light tug, "So, Bart is returning this week from his business trip, come up with any ideas for your next venture?"

Chuck shook his head with a sigh, "Not yet, but give it time. I figured with you busy with helping your mother with the show that I'd spend the next couple of days plotting and doing more research."

"Well I hope that after your big idea hits you, that you could find some time to swing by the show or maybe even after the show for dessert?" Blair hinted as the two reached Blair's first class.

"I'll see what I can do, Waldorf," Chuck smirked at the prospect of dessert. He'd been having his fill of dessert for the last couple of weeks being off punishment and he can't say that he's reached his limit yet. He doubted that he ever would with this girl. He leaned towards her and kissed her lips slowly, making sure to linger, knowing that it'll leave her breathless before making his exit. He was definitely going to be there after the show.

xoxo

A few hours later, Chuck would be found at home doing research for his next great idea. Victrola was a major success for his first venture, but Chuck now needed to top it. The pressure was on and if he had any hopes to prove that he was worthy of being Bart Bass' son, this was his chance. Unfortunately, Chuck was having a hard time finding his next idea.

He sighed softly to himself after shutting down his computer, coming up with absolutely nothing. He didn't know why he was having such a hard time with this. He ran his hands up and down his face in frustration. With Victrola it was so easy and the idea to invest was simple. Maybe that was his problem. Maybe he didn't need to do research on different places. He was Chuck Bass: renowned for his reputation for partying and womanizing. The only difference now was that he was no longer a womanizer. He still was well known for his parties and the places to be and to be seen.

Chuck laughed softly to himself as he slipped on his jacket to prepare to head out. As much as people would like to look down on him for his lifestyle, people wanted to live like Chuck Bass. They wanted the experiences that he had at a very early age. A life full of women, parties, and excitement is what they were looking for and Chuck Bass was always the sure one to go to in order to find such a place. He just needed to find a specific place to invest in to make it even more of a success. But in order to find it, Chuck needed to get out and find it firsthand.

As he walked down the hallway to head out, he felt his excitement grow. With his new revelation he realized that in order to be a success, he had to be Chuck Bass. He had to do it his way otherwise he'd be like some other mongrel from Brooklyn trying desperately to move up the career ladder. The last thing Chuck wanted to be was a Dan Humphrey. Reading about life and judging others who chose instead to actually live it.

Almost as if he conjured him up with his thought alone, Chuck saw the vermin in question walk out of his elevator doors and into his penthouse apartment. Chuck couldn't help but scoff at the obvious smell of desperation wafting up from the Brooklynite. Just when he thought he had gotten rid of him for good. The guy was like a human version of a cockroach.

"It's like the plague, only instead of literal vermin on my doorstep, I get the metaphorical one," Chuck sneered as he finished walking down the stairs towards the unwanted guest. "Beat it, Humphrey. My sister doesn't dig stalkers."

"Actually, as strange as it sounds, I'm here to see you," Humphrey replied with a nod. Before Chuck could even full wrap his head around that answer, the Brooklynite continued on with his rambling that up until recently, for some reason, Serena found endearing, "I-I know we don't like each other. You think I'm a boring, sheltered nobody."

"I don't think of you," Chuck replied bluntly as he just stared at him, before already growing bored and poured himself a finger of scotch, wondering when the vermin was finally going to get his point of being here.

"Oh, right. Of course you don't," Dan replied with a shake of his head, "But, uh, but I've been thinking of me, and- and I've come to the conclusion that I need to get out of my comfort zone. I- I need to experience new things."

Chuck took a sip from his glass before frowning and tilting his head to the side as he asked, "Are you gay?"

Humphrey paused before responding, "Now that would be out of my comfort zone, but no. Uh, I just need to get out of Brooklyn for one night. I'd like to experience the world of Chuck Bass."

Chuck took a deep breath. His first instinct was to say no and continue on with his plans for the evening. Then his mind flashed to his earlier thoughts upstairs. Humphrey was proving Chuck's thoughts true. People, especially people on the outside, wanted to live the life that Chuck had. Why not consider this as part of his research for his next investment? Besides, Chuck would most likely find a way to make it even more amusing to him by the end of the night. If Humphrey wanted to find his dark side, Chuck could always take the experience and use it for later purposes if Humphrey attempted to pull something later.

His mind being made, he continued to silently stare at the Brooklynite, knowing that it unnerved him before finishing up his glass and replying, "You're lucky I'm bored."

"Is that a yes?" Humphrey asked in disbelief.

Setting his glass on a nearby table top, Chuck passed him towards the elevator that hadn't left, "Get in before I change my mind."

Like the pathetic insect that Humphrey was, he followed eagerly. Chuck said nothing as he pushed the button for the elevator door to close. He could definitely have some fun with this.

xoxo

While Chuck was finding his entertainment for the evening, Blair was home and feeling euphoric over the success of her day. "Dorota it was perfect. The girls were appropriately grateful for my gift to them and couldn't stop talking about it at lunch." Well that and Serena's photo with Poppy in the paper this morning. She silently added to herself, but choosing to shrug it off.

Dorota smiled and nodded at her charge, refraining from mentioning the many times that Blair had ranted about how spoiled, stupid and ungrateful the girls were. She could barely refrain from shaking her head at the memory of Blair's tantrum last year when the minions attempted to dethrone her. "I'm most glad Ms. Blair that everything went well and that you were the center of attention."

Blair forced a smile and nodded as her loyal maid placed the tea set tray onto the dining room table. She took a breath before deciding to be honest. If she couldn't be honest with Dorota who could she be honest with? "Although there was a bit of a hiccup; Apparently, Serena was in the paper this morning with some socialite. The stupid girls were, of course, impressed and insisted that when they weren't talking about my mother's show they talked about Serena."

Blair attempted to shrug it off as if it was nothing, but Dorota knew better. "Well…obviously they weren't grateful enough, Ms. Blair," she replied in her broken English. "Have some tea. Will calm you."

Blair smiled at Dorota's loyalty as she took the offered tea cup in her hand and replied with a sigh, "Never go to high school, Dorota."

She took a sip from her cup. "They obviously don't realize that without me they'd never see the inside of a fashion tent," she vented feeling her anger grow before she took a deep breath, "They'd be sitting outside the barricades with P.E.T.A."

Blair turned her head towards her beloved seating chart and reached over for it as she set her cup down on the table a potential plan forming in her head and began to speak nonchalantly, "Maybe I will leave them outside with P.E.T.A. just to teach them some manners."

Blair paused and a frown slowly began to form on her face as she took in what she was seeing. This was not the same board that was in her hands earlier today at her mother's atelier. "Something's different. Who put Serena and that Poppy person in the front row? And all these socialites?" As she continued to look over the board she felt her voice grow louder, "Someone changed this chart! The chart my mother asked me to do! Who changed it?!"

Blair turned her head to glare at Dorota, expecting an answer. Dorota was her eyes and ears here while she was out and she had no doubt that the Polish maid had an answer for her. And Dorota didn't disappoint as she hesitantly answered, "Eleanor said Miss…Jenny changed."

"Jenny Humphrey?" Blair asked in shock as Dorota looked at her, not saying another word. "I guess she didn't learn her lesson last year. Looks like someone needs a refresher course."

Blair slowly shook her head at the turn of events of the day. She wasn't too worried about Serena sitting in the front row of her mother's show. Serena already said she'd be with Blair in the back as was their tradition; it was the fact that Humphrey girl, once again, overstepped her bounds. She warned Eric what would happen if she did that again and it was time to handle it personally. In her opinion, the girl had it coming to her. As far as Blair knew Eric hadn't been spending much time with little J since the school year started. Such a shame for social climbers to forget those that gave them the keys to the kingdom; they often forget that those keys could be taken away just as easily as they were given.

What would Fashion week be without a Fashion victim? Looks like Little J. just started her own trend: wearing a bull's eye on her back.

Not too much longer, Eleanor herself came in from her bedroom after having just freshened up from her long day at the atelier. Blair decided not to waste any more time and picked up the offending board and walked over to her. "Mom," she called as reached her mother's side.

"Good. You saw the changes we made to the chart," Eleanor replied as she turned Blair around back towards the dining room, "Aren't they marvelous?"

"That's not quite the word I was going to use," Blair responded, choosing to be delicate in the conversation. She needed information and a way to talk her mother around to changing her mind back to Blair's idea from this morning. If her mother put everything back to what Blair had arranged it, Jenny Humphrey would be spared. It was as simple as that.

"Jenny had the inspired idea putting Serena and Poppy Lifton and their friends in the front row."

Blair let her mother take the chart away as she did some quick thinking to fix the situation. She watched as her mother flipped through her date planner, knowing that this was as much of her full attention she could get until the show was over. "But I already told you Poppy and her crowd never miss Marc Jacobs' show. And Serena would never watch the show from anywhere but back stage with me. It's our ritual. None of them will agree to this," Blair explained with a shrug, feeling that the facts would be enough to dissuade her mother from this idea.

Eleanor looked at her daughter and spoke bluntly, "I spoke to Lily. They already have."

Blair froze at that bit of information, not wanting to believe it. "Even Serena?" she asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely," Eleanor replied with a smile, unaware of what she was starting with her words, "Marc is going to eat his grunge corduroys."

Blair looked down at the table, letting the hurt and anger wash over her briefly before shutting it down. She needed it for fuel for when she exacted her revenge on both of the blondes. Serena didn't even call to give her a heads up that she was canceling! It felt like Blair's fears were true. She was being replaced by some stupid socialite.

She snapped back into the conversation as her mother reveled in the future success of her show and replied, "All this thanks to little Jenny Humphrey."

"Ah, the girl is quite a talent," Eleanor replied with a nod as she put her reading glasses on, "She shouldered most of the workload at the atelier this week."

Blair snapped her head up in confusion, "How did she manage that after school?"

"Jenny doesn't go to school. She's got a-a…" Eleanor replied with a wave of her hand, obviously the words she wanted to say were lost.

"Independent study?" Blair replied as she felt her confusion grow at this information.

Eleanor snapped her fingers and pointed at Blair, "Independent study thing this semester."

Blair looked at her mother, unable to believe that she actually believed that obvious lie. "A 10th grader with an independent study?" she confirmed with a nod of her head and a look of skepticism.

"Mhmm," Eleanor replied, not realizing how ridiculous it was and Blair decided to look into it herself.

If little J was spending all of her time at the atelier instead of at school, there was a way that Blair could have the girl banished without much more effort than to reveal her lies.

Blair reached over towards her bag as she spoke, "I just realized I forgot a book at school."

Seeing that she had already lost her mother to her schedule, Blair barely heard her mother reply distractedly "Have fun, honey" as she turned away, hitching her bag over her shoulder.

As she walked through the sitting room, her elevator door opened up to reveal her target in question along with Laurel being loaded down with garment bags. Going with her nature, Blair couldn't resist taunting the blonde lightly as she passed her by, "You never learn, do you?"

"Excuse me?" little J responded in confusion.

Blair turned around to face her, "Great job ruining my seating chart."

"Your seating chart?" Jenny asked. Blair was satisfied that the blond began to pale considerable as she started to make her excuses, "Blair, I didn't know."

"Well, now you do," Blair replied with tilt of her head. Not wanting to waste any more time she turned away to head towards the elevator; giving one last look over her shoulder with a smirk before walking into the car. This was exactly what she needed take her mind off of Serena's betrayal, and she was definitely going to enjoy this.

xoxo

Chuck decided to keep the night's events as simple as possible. No need to overwhelm Humphrey on his first night. The night was going to be the vintage Chuck Bass. Back before he started dating Blair Waldorf and was more interested in drugs, parties, and twins rather than spend his nights with a certain brunette in. Don't get him wrong he still went out and threw parties to keep part of his reputation intact, but those old extra-curricular activities were more of a distraction than fun. They were to distract him from the fact that he spent most of his time alone. That no matter what he did he'd never gain his father's approval and the girl that he wanted most was out of his reach, even though at that time he didn't even know that he wanted her as more than his partner in scheme.

Chuck shook his head at himself. Time had definitely changed him over the past couple of years and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd feel nostalgia for the events that were going to be inflicted on Humphrey. Who knows, maybe Humphrey would prove that under all that judgment and naiveté that he was the next Chuck Bass in the making and the only thing stopping him from reaching his full potential was that he lacked the means and resources to do it.

He motioned over to a nearby table just when his phone began to ring in his pocket. Recognizing the ringtone for Blair's, Chuck didn't bother to say anything to Dan as he turned his back to take the call.

"Hey. What are you up to?" Blair asked in greeting sounding down.

Chuck automatically began to grow concerned. When he left her outside of her building after dropping her off, she was happy. Her favors were welcomed from the minions and things were going back to the way it used to be with Serena. What could possibly have happened over the course of a few hours?

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked, not wasting time with pleasantries.

Blair sighed, "Serena basically ditched me to accommodate my mother and Jenny Humphrey, once again, needs to be dealt with."

Chuck rolled his eyes at Blair's dilemma. It was last year all over again. What was it with the blondes in their lives who couldn't seem to remember their lessons of the past? "I'm sorry to hear about the first part, but I can't say that I'm too surprised about the second," Chuck replied with a sigh.

"I just thought that this time would be different," Blair spoke softly before continuing on sounding outraged, "You know she hasn't even called me to let me know that she wasn't going to show up tomorrow?"

"Alright, tell me the entire story because I'm coming in the middle of this rant," Chuck replied with a smirk.

"Thanks to Jenny Humphrey, mother has decided to use Serena's new connections with Poppy Lifton to upgrade her show. She has put them both along with some other socialites in the front row. Apparently Serena had already accepted by the time I found out about it," Blair explained with a shake of her head. It was obvious that she was hurt by Serena's actions. She quickly attempted to change the subject, "You never answered my question of what you're doing."

"I'm out. I realized that I did my best thinking that way. Instead of doing research on a place first, I figured it would be best to get my own first impression of the place on my own and proceed from there. It was how I found Victrola," Chuck shrugged before he got to the best part. "When I was heading out though, I acquired a type of amusement to entertain me for the night."

"Oh?" Blair asked, intrigued, "Let me guess, blonde?"

Chuck laughed, "No more like vermin. Humphrey showed up wanting to apparently get out of his comfort zone."

"Is he gay?" Blair asked dryly before she smirked.

"He claims no, but I have my doubts," Chuck snickered as he replied, loving how in tune the couple were, "He claims that he wants to live life like Chuck Bass. I saw it as an opportunity to vent out potential places and having a bit of fun while I was at it."

Blair smiled as her car turned the corner and stopped outside of the building that she was headed to. She was glad that Chuck was back in the frame of mind to have fun with this project of his. He'd been spending the better part of a month stressing over it to the point that Blair worried that he'd crack. "Well if anyone could show him the world according to Chuck Bass, it's you. Have fun. While you play with a Humphrey, I'm going to go squash one."

Chuck smirked, "You too."

After hanging up the phone, Chuck motioned over to the bartender and before slowly making his way over. Humphrey just sat their quietly as the waiter quickly made his way over with a tray full of shots. "Here you go," he replied, not leaving until he received the nod of dismissal from Chuck.

Chuck just looked at the tray quietly before looking up at the boy sitting across from him. Humphrey was busy laughing in apparent amazement at the display, "Wow. Wow, that's cool. You just signal the bartender, and she sends over a line of shots?"

Chuck refrained from rolling his eyes and just continued to look at him silently as the idiot continued on, "Do you have another signal if you want a martini? Is there, like a insider hand-signal system for the drunken elite-"

By that time, Chuck had had enough of his ramblings and pushed the tray closer to the outsider as he said bluntly, "Shut up, Humphrey."

Miraculously, the Brooklynite did. He looked down at the tray and picked up one shot and set it in front of him on the table before attempting to push the rest back towards Chuck. Child. Chuck thought silently before he pushed the tray back over.

"I, uh, I'm good with just one," Humphrey replied with a shake of his head.

"You're either in for the full ride or you're out," Chuck spoke, not really caring either way. If Humphrey continued to drag his feet about supposedly living life like Chuck Bass, Chuck could easily find amusement for the night elsewhere. It wasn't lost on him that he was pulling the same tactics as Blair herself used during her infamous sleepovers, especially on one specific Humphrey. It was all about the weaker party having a choice. If they wanted in, they'd have to pay the tow. Now it was Dan's turn. "What's it going to be?"

Humphrey sighed before shaking his head as if to psych himself up for what he was about to do and pulled the tray closer to him as he spoke, "All right. Pass me the shots."

Chuck leaned towards him as Humphrey picked up one of the glasses and whispered as he held his hand out revealing two pills, "The liquor's just the chaser."

"What is that?" Humphrey asked, not going near the offered pills.

"Does it matter?" Chuck retorted with a slight smirk, "Go down the rabbit hole or go out the door."

Humphrey looked around before he once again stared at the pills in Chuck's hand. Once again, Chuck didn't really care if he took them or not; at the end of the day he just wanted to see how far Humphrey was willing to go for this supposed experiment. Everyone had their limits. Chuck just wanted to know what Humphrey's was. He silently waited and purposely said nothing as Humphrey finally reached over and took a pill from him.

Chuck closed his hand and took a shot glass off the tray clinking it with Humphrey's before shooting it. While Humphrey took his pill, Chuck seamlessly ditched his as he took his shot. He had his fill of this type of lifestyle and he knew that he'd get more enjoyment from watching Humphrey go through the effects of the drugs than going through it himself. Now the fun could begin.

xoxo

"It is so nice to finally get to meet you, Mrs. Bass," Poppy spoke politely to Serena's mother before she took a bite of her salad.

Serena halfheartedly smiled in response, her mind elsewhere. She was trying to wrap her head around how messed up everything was. She invited Poppy over for dinner so that her mother could meet her to come home and find a note of thanks from Eleanor Waldorf for agreeing to sit in the front row of her fashion show tomorrow. Serena didn't have a clue what was going on and realized that there must be a mistake. She could only imagine how angry Blair would be if she found out. And the fact that the brunette in question had yet to call her or make an appearance only cemented the fact that she knew and was angry.

Serena knew that she made a plan with Blair before this whole thing fell into her lap and she had every intention of backing out of it, but then she heard the faint sound of desperation in the older Waldorf woman's voice when she called, she couldn't bring herself to go through with it and just thanked her for the opportunity before quickly hanging up. It was about this time that Poppy got a call from her assistant about a call from Serena's mother to confirm that Poppy would be at the show too revealed that the culprit was none other than her mother.

"You too, Poppy," Lily responded with a smile, "Please call me Lily."

"Hey, mom," Serena spoke up, unable to keep silent over her mother's meddling, "Poppy told me that you called her assistant to make arrangements for the two of us to go to Eleanor's show together."

"Serena doesn't seem to think it's such a good idea," Poppy said softly.

"Blair would be furious. Things are already tense between us. Not to mention the fact that she and I had already made plans for tomorrow," Serena explained with a lift of her fork, "Now it seems that I'm flaking out on her; we always watch the show backstage together. You know that, mom."

"I know you did that when you were 12," Lily spoke condescendingly, "but it is an honor to sit in the front row, and Eleanor specifically requested you."

"It is the only way to see a show, Serena," Poppy chimed in.

Serena sighed as she attempted to explain, "Yeah, but you don't know Blair. She would never forgive me, ever."

"Okay," Poppy nodded, "We'll do Eleanor's show, and then when we go to the Marc Jacobs after party, your friend Blair can come along. I have extra passes!"

Poppy smiled happily as she clapped her hands in excitement as Lily quickly gave her stamp of approval, "See, that is a wonderful idea."

Serena couldn't help but think that it was a good compromise for her problem, and without thinking too much on it, she agreed, "Oh. Uh, she might be okay with that. I'll ask her."

It was just then that Lily's phone began to ring and she quickly excused herself, "Sorry. Forgive me, girls. I have to take this call. It's my art dealer."

Serena took a sip from her water glass, hoping that everything would work out. Poppy leaned over towards her and the two began to talk about what they were going to wear for tomorrow's events. Soon Serena was getting swept up in the excitement of Blair meeting Poppy and how much fun the trio would have at the after party. Serena couldn't help the little niggling in the pit of her stomach that said that it wasn't going to go that smoothly, that it was even going to turn into a disaster, but Serena chose to ignore it and hope for the best.

Sure it wasn't going to be the original plan, but Blair wanted to spend time together. What did it matter with how they spent the time as long as it happened? Right?

xoxo

"You know, that was so intense, how you talked to those hookers," Dan Humphrey spoke in awe in the back of Chuck's limo.

Chuck was far from impressed by his awe. He stopped listening to the vermin's rambling half a borough ago. It turned out that Humphrey was nothing more than what he appeared. With his inhibitions released he was nothing more than a sad pathetic excuse and Chuck was no way closer to finding his next great business venture. He kept the evening rather tame compared to what he used to be up to, figuring that if Humphrey showed promise he'd take it further as the night went on. But, as it was said earlier, Humphrey was just as pathetic as Chuck's original assessment was when he first glanced at him at Blair's Kiss on the Lips party last year.

As he looked out the window, resting his arm on his leg an idea began to form. He could admit that it was amusing to watch Humphrey spiral a bit, but it was about time for the Brooklynite learned of the consequences to living the Chuck Bass lifestyle. He found himself smirking as he glanced over at the peasant as he continued on rambling in amazement.

"Who knew there was a sex club behind the White Castle?" Humphrey asked before resting his head on his hand as he propped it on the limo door as he laughed, "Oh, and beer before liquor. How do you know so many twins?"

Chuck simply shrugged, easily following the change of subject, as he replied, "The twins find me."

"Ah. Well, look, you know, I-I-I got to admit," Humphrey began as he rested his head against the back of the seat, "this was, uh, this was awesome. We gotta do this again."

Chuck couldn't help the frown that began to form on his face at the idea of spending any more time with this guy willingly. There was no way in hell that Chuck Bass would ever deign to be friends with this insect and it was about time that that particular perspective was made clear. Looking straight ahead at the back of Arthur's head as he drove the limo, Chuck heard Dan sigh, "God. My feet are hot. Are your feet hot?"

Chuck decided what better way to leave Humphrey than with less than what he found him with and replied without hesitation, "Why don't you take off your shoes?"

"Mm," Humphrey moaned and nodded in agreement. As he reached down to do just that, Chuck picked up both Dan's cell phone and wallet and slid them into his pocket as he watched in disgust as Humphrey did as he was told, laughing as he spoke, "That feels amazing."

"Arthur, pull over," Chuck called to his loyal driver up front.

Dan leaned into the window as the car pulled up to the curb, looking confused, "This isn't Brooklyn. Aren't you taking me home?"

"Get out," Chuck spoke bluntly as he looked at this imbecile before snatching his shoes out of his hand and putting them out of his reach.

"Wait. No. I-I-I don't-," Dan stumbled as he looked at Chuck, not moving.

Chuck sighed and smirked, "Tonight was nothing. You're just a drunken idiot…my amusement for the night." He turned his head toward the front, effectively dismissing him.

"Can I at least have my shoes?" Dan asked hesitantly.

Chuck just looked at him, giving his answer without actually speaking. He watched as Humphrey scurried out of the back of the limo empty handed with no idea where he was, shutting the door behind him. Chuck motioned for Arthur to go with a smile. Despite how dull the night was, the ending of it was definitely worth it. It was a shame that two Humphreys could live in the same house and raised by the same parents and be worlds different. Jenny proved she could be a formidable opponent and Dan proved that he wasn't even worthy to be called an opponent in the first place.

Even though Chuck didn't find his next Victrola, it felt good to be up to his old tricks and there was only one person that he wanted to tell of the night's events with despite how sappy that may sound. There was a reason she was his best friend. Even before their romantic relationship began, he loved to revel and gloat over his success with her, just as she loved to do the same with him. The revelation of his feelings stemmed from his enjoyment of doing more things with Blair Waldorf than fooling around. Not any woman could be his match otherwise he'd be claiming every other call girl and hooker as his girlfriend. No. Chuck was a man in need of a woman of a certain substance; he was just lucky to have known the woman he needed since kindergarten.

He motioned for Arthur to take him home. He was done for the night and he looked forward to the Gossip Blasts on the spotted map as Humphrey slowly made his way home through the streets of the city with no money, phone, or shoes.

Spotted: Dan Humphrey, shoeless and clueless…that's all.

xoxo

Blair sighed in contentment as she went through her after breakfast ritual for the day. Her mother had already left to do last minute work for the night's show with nothing but a wave and air kisses in her wake. After what happened last night, Blair had no problem understanding that her mother was going to need the added time to prepare. What with Jenny Humphrey being adequately removed from her duties as an intern, her mother was going to be a bit shorthanded.

Blair smirked as she walked into her closet and began to make a mental note here and there for her outfit for the day as she reflected on the events of the previous night after her phone call with Chuck:

Blair finally arrived in Brooklyn with her smoking gun at the ready. At the end of the day, she wanted Jenny Humphrey gone from all aspects of her life. This included her mother's atelier. And since she was interning, the best way to make that happen was by letting Jenny's lame 90's dad do the work for her. She knew, that people in Jenny's position, poor, had parents who cared about them getting an education. And she had no doubt that Mr. Humphrey would make sure that his "little girl" would be back on the straight and narrow. He showed that last year. It almost kind of sad that the one thing that Jenny had that Blair didn't was a caring parent and it was going to be the blonde's undoing.

Blair put on a smile and knocked on the loft door, waiting to begin her performance. Mr. Humphrey opened the door and smiled politely as he spoke, "Blair, what could we have done to deserve a visit from you?"

Blair continued to smile, now amused. It sounded like he was learning from past mistakes of trusting her and she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him that his kids couldn't seem to learn the same lesson. She shrugged it off and raised the plastic container in her hands as she explained why she was there, "I heard Jenny wasn't feeling well, so I brought her some chicken soup."

Mr. Humphrey frowned at the container as Blair held it out to him and laughed once as he took it from her hands, "That's thoughtful of you. Uh, but I think you have the wrong information."

Blair tilted her head a little as she looked at him in confusion, "You mean Jenny's not sick? That's strange. When I ran into Headmistress Queller, she told me Jenny Humphrey hadn't been to school in ten days due to a bad case of mono." Blair shrugged lightly. Yes, her and Headmistress Queller had grown quite close after the whole fiasco last year with the school pool incident. It was why this take down was so easy. Going to Constance and making a light inquiry of Jenny's whereabouts in concern and Blair got all the information she needed. "Apparently, her mother called to make sure the school knew."

Blair raised her brows lightly as she smiled politely. "You know that Jenny's working with your mom tonight," Mr. Humphrey spoke suspiciously, "I also know that you don't have my daughter's best interests at heart."

"Whatever my motives may be, Mr. Humphrey, facts are facts, and the fact is, Jenny hasn't been to school in two weeks," Blair spoke bluntly as she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, "I happen to have Headmistress Queller's home number in my phone. Why don't you ask her yourself?"

She pulled up the number at the ready and offered it to him, already knowing that her word wouldn't be enough for him to take action. He frowned at the object in Blair's hand before looking at her before he reluctantly took it and made the call. Blair smiled as she watched the pieces come together in her plan. Jenny was as good as done with Waldorf Designs.

Mr. Humphrey didn't disappoint as the two rode together back to Eleanor's atelier. Blair enjoyed the show from the sidelines as Jenny was basically dragged away from her sewing machine. Blair remembered how the blonde attempted to be allowed to stay because she didn't want to let down Eleanor or Laurel and then attempted to beg for a chance to explain her actions. Blair began to smile more as she sat at her vanity and began to brush her hair as she remembered that at the end of the conversation the blonde left anyway being proved to be, once again, a liar.

Now all she had to worry about was handling the other blonde in her life.

Almost as if thinking of her caused her to presence, Blair faintly heard the sound of her elevator door ring downstairs. Not too long after, Dorota called up to inform her that Serena was downstairs waiting for her. Blair scoffed and rolled her eyes briefly at the nerve of her supposed best friend. Showing up unannounced today as if it freed her of any guilt on canceling at the last minute was very "old" Serena. Blair carefully set her hairbrush down on her table and stood up as she looked herself over, not in any rush to accommodate the blonde.

Deciding to not even bother with playing unaware, Blair walked down the stairs with a look of disdain as Serena quickly shut her phone after sending a message to, Blair could only assume was, Poppy.

"What do you want?" Blair asked bluntly as she reached the bottom step and walked into the sitting room.

"I tried to call you all night. Why haven't you returned any of my calls?" Serena asked without a single bit of remorse.

Yeah. Blair had purposely screened the blonde's calls throughout the night. So what?

"What is there to say?" Blair asked as she crossed her arms in front of her defensively, "You've only planned to cancel on me after already making plans for us to reconnect only to throw that out the window when a better option made itself aware to go with a complete stranger."

"First of all, I didn't ditch you," Serena countered with a smile.

Blair paused as she looked up at the ceiling as if thinking on it, "No. No. I'm pretty sure that was what you were planning to do, Serena. I was just the last one you thought to inform about it."

"It's not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be," Serena spoke with a shrug, even though Blair's words rung with a hint of truth. Serena knew how her best friend would react and Serena made the decision to go the route she was on.

"And I suppose it's not a big deal that you're sitting front row at my mother's show either," Blair snapped back angrily.

"She asked me to do it as a favor," Serena explained as she took a step forward.

"Oh, and how could you possibly disappoint my mother?!" Blair yelled back, her anger and insecurities coming back in full force. Memories of the photo shoot from last year came flooding back to her as she sneered, "Though you have no qualms about screwing over your best friend."

"Fine. I won't go," Serena spoke, backing down.

"Good!" Blair retorted.

"And then Poppy won't go, and her friends won't go," Serena began to list off angrily, not wanting to focus on its source, "And you can explain to your mother why she has an empty first row. Would that make you happy?"

"At least I won't have to watch the next episode of the Serena show," Blair retorted with a shrug, showing that she was more than okay with those turn of events.

Serena just looked at her best friend before she spoke again, unable to help herself, "You know, I was coming here to invite you to hang out with us."

Blair was not even the smallest bit impressed with the offer and sarcastically retorted, "Oh, how generous, Serena. I should feel so blessed that you would include me in your little group."

It was a slap in the face to Blair. Did Serena honestly believe that Blair would accept that pitiful consolation prize? The plans that were made wasn't about them just hanging out together; it was about the two supposed friends reconnecting alone. But obviously that idea was lost on the blonde and Blair didn't feel so generous to inform her.

"You know what, Blair? I am going to go to that show, and I'm going to sit front row, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," Serena threatened, wanting to hurt Blair as much as she was hurt by Blair's words as she turned and left without another word.

Blair stood there in shock as the elevator doors closed before regaining her composure. If that's the way that Serena wanted to play it, than fine. She wanted to flaunt her new friends and her new life. Have at it. Blair wasn't envious of it. Serena could do whatever it was Serena wanted to do with herself and it was obvious that their friendship was not on the blonde's list of priorities. Blair began to walk back upstairs to get dressed and make a phone call. She wasn't going to allow Serena her fun without a fight. She wanted to screw Blair Waldorf over and thought she could just get away with it scot free? Well she was wrong. They didn't call Blair a bitch for nothing and she didn't earn her crown by being weak either.

xoxo

Several hours later, Serena would be found in the back of a town car with Poppy with Blair's words running through her mind on repeat. Serena knew the original plan with her best friend was more than just an idea. It was a chance for the duo to reconnect. To give them a chance to going back to the way they used to be. She knew in her heart that the accepting Eleanor's generous offer was a bad idea and it was proven true the moment she saw Blair's face when she came into the sitting room in the Waldorf Penthouse.

But Serena was always one to follow through with her bad ideas. No matter how truly bad they were. And when they didn't go as planned and her best friend lashed out in anger, what did Serena do? She lashed right back without thought, even though she knew that she was the one in the wrong. She became vindictive and, as Blair so adequately articulated, snapped back at her apparent "generous" offer of an alternative plan; because in the end it was a consolation prize and Serena knew it.

Serena released a big sigh as she looked out the window, not contributing much to the conversation around her at the moment. The moment the door opened to reveal her and Poppy along with the rest of Poppy's friends, Serena would put on the show that she knew was expected of her. After her fight with Blair this morning she honestly didn't even want to go, but after the things that she threatened, Serena knew she had to follow through. Although at the moment it wasn't as much out of spite as it was a couple of hours a go, but in hopes of making the situation right with her best friend. And it was all Chuck Bass' fault.

Serena rested her head back on the head rest as she remembered the conversation they had just before Serena went to her room to change for the show:

Serena had been spending most of the day with Poppy as soon as she left Blair after their fight. The girls were hanging out in Serena's room, discussing their plans for the night before Poppy packed up her bag and said her goodbyes before confirming that she'd come by in a couple of hours with the car to pick Serena up.

After Serena walked Poppy to the elevator door and waved goodbye she ran into Chuck in the living room as he slipped his jacket on, obviously heading out.

"And where are you off to?" Serena asked as she crossed her arms, "Let me guess: a bar to stew in your lack of friends."

Chuck smirked, not offended, "Unlike some people, I don't need a large amount of people to call my friends. It's all about the quality, not the quantity, sis. You'd do well to remember that. And I can assume from your ire that things didn't go well this morning with a certain brunette?"

Serena paused before speaking, surprised at Chuck's words of actual wisdom, "No, it didn't. She, apparently, feels that I ditched her for a better offer."

"Which you did," Chuck replied with a nod. No judgment on his face to be seen. It was because of that lack of judgment that Serena couldn't even bring herself to reply in the negative. "The plans you two made today was more than just a dinner and an old ritual and you knew that. You two haven't been seen together outside of school almost since the whole Humphrey incident. And with your newfound attention, you're letting the things that matter fall to the side," Chuck spoke bluntly.

Serena knew he was right and she hated the fact. She knew that she'd been neglecting her duties as a best friend and Blair had every right to be mad for neglecting her duties again. Blair had always been there for her. Good or bad. Very few people could say that in their world.

Having said what he needed to get his first point across, Chuck began to make his exit, "Now if you'll excuse me. I have an irate brunette commanding my presence as her escort tonight."

Serena couldn't help but laugh a bit and retort, "The great Chuck Bass, now a beck and call boy for Blair Waldorf."

Chuck paused before turning back around to the blonde, "It's astonishing how naïve you are, Serena. Unlike most relationships in our world, what Blair and I have is a partnership. She's my best friend and I am hers. This means that I have the luxury to be on her side, even when I'm telling her she's wrong. Now, granted, that doesn't mean that the boyfriend part of our relationship doesn't suffer because of that luxury, but in the end it works out and she has the same luxury on her end. She needs me; I'm there, and vice versa. How many people have that in their lives with no strings? Quality beats quantity every time."

Chuck turned and continued on his way to the elevator, calling out over his shoulder, "I suggest that you make peace sooner rather than later. It'll make things so much easier for everyone involved."

Serena was pulled from her memories by the stopping of the car. "Come on, Serena! The public awaits!" Poppy exclaimed as she pulled the blonde out of the car after her excitedly.

Serena put on her smile and just reveled in the attention of the paparazzi as they called out her and Poppy's name enthusiastically as they pair and the rest of the group headed inside the venue for the Waldorf fashion show. She waved at some familiar faces as she passed before she was once again pulled to Poppy's side to pose for pictures. Unfortunately, as much fun as she was having, it didn't compare much to the fun she used to have with her best friend. Sure Poppy was sweet and fun, but most of her time was spent in front of the public eye, playing to the cameras and sometimes Serena couldn't help but feel that the persona that the socialite showed to the world wasn't necessarily real. Chuck's phrase of 'Quality beats Quantity' came to Serena's mind as she put her hand on her hip and smiled for the camera as she leaned against Poppy.

She knew she already had the friendships that were only skin deep in substance and already knew that the friendship only went so far before they'd leave you to your own problems if it in any way affected them negatively. It was the friendships that her mother and Anne Archibald had and Mrs. Archibald was an example of just how much those friendships lacked in substance when scandal fell. And it was the last thing that Serena herself wanted for her life.

It was then that she saw in the distance her real friends: Chuck and Blair. Yes. Even though she'd only admit in times of trouble or just in her mind, Chuck Bass was a friend of hers. He knew all of her dark secrets and held no judgment and when she needed help he was there along with Blair to help fix it or seek vengeance in her honor. Serena's smile grew more genuine as she made the decision to do as Chuck suggested and go over to make real peace for her actions for the past 24 hours.

She turned towards Poppy and excused herself, "I see Blair over there. I'm just going to go say hi and talk to her a bit, okay?"

Poppy nodded with a smile and led her group toward their seats as Serena walked in Blair's direction, feeling nervous of how she'd be received. Just before she reached Blair, Chuck nudged her and motioned over to Serena. Blair didn't look willing to stay, but Chuck seemed to be able to get her stay in her spot with just a look. Again, Serena was amazed at how perfect the couple in front of her worked. They understood each other in ways that made it seem that they'd been together for much longer than the one year.

Serena took a deep as she finally reached Blair's side. "Hey, Chuck, can I talk to Blair for a moment, alone?"

Blair froze and immediately took on a defensive posture as Chuck nodded and gave her one last look before leaving her side with a kiss on her temple, "I'll see you in the back after you're finished."

Blair watched him leave her side before reluctantly turning her attention towards her supposed best friend as she crossed her arms in front of her and spoke, "Well, I see that you came."

Serena nodded softly, "Only to see you, though."

Blair looked at her in disbelief, "And why is that? Had something else that you needed to share with me?"

"Blair, please?" Serena begged, "I don't want to fight, okay? I came here to tell you that…you were right. And I'm sorry."

Blair looked at her for a long minute before voicing her skepticism, "Really?"

"Really," Serena confirmed with a nod, "I should have turned down Eleanor's offer out of difference to you the moment I was made aware of it, but B. you have to know that I didn't originally agree to it. My mother did. I just went along with it after I called Eleanor and heard how desperate she was over the phone. I went along with the idea of inviting to come out with me and Poppy afterwards as a way to make myself feel better about the situation and that was wrong."

Blair took a deep breath, listening to Serena's explanation and beginning to understand why the blonde did what she did and that she genuinely didn't do it necessarily to leave her out in the cold. Seeing Serena actually trying to make amends, Blair felt she had no choice but to meet her halfway. "I'm sorry too. I may have gone a little over the top this morning. When I found out that you had agreed to sit in the front row without even letting me know…it just brought back the memory of the stupid photo shoot from last year and my insecurities got the best of me."

Serena nodded in understanding and began to feel even worse because the situation was very much similar to the situation then. "How about we just start over? We can still stand in the back like we used and I can catch up with Poppy and the others later," Serena offered as a sort of compromise.

Blair smiled at the effort and shook her head, "No, it's okay. I've already made plans with Chuck. We'll just go for brunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds perfect," Serena replied with a smile before she reached over and gave her best friend a hug, glad that the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been. "I love you, B."

"I love you too, S.," Blair replied with a smile as she returned the hug before realizing that there was still something that she needed to fix. "How about I walk you over to your seat before I make my way to the back?"

Serena looked at her in surprise and nodded as the pair linked arms and made their way over to the front row on the left side of the venue. It wasn't until they got to the seat originally assigned to Serena beside Poppy but with a Ramona Wong name on it instead that the reason behind Blair's want to escort the blonde to her seat was made clear. Serena slowly turned towards her best friend and raised her brow in question with a smile.

"Did you honestly think that I would have let you come here and not have sought to embarrass you even a little bit?" Blair shrugged unrepentant before motioning over a nearby stage manager quickly as Serena couldn't help but laugh a bit at how true the statement was as she looked around at the other seats to see just where Blair would have had her sit.

She spotted the seat in the fourth row with her name just as Blair began to speak to the manager, "Excuse me. I think there's been a mistake with Serena Van Der Woodsen's seat. She's supposed to be next to Poppy Lifton and I suggest you make the appropriate changes before my mother hears about this."

Serena just stood back and watched as Blair intimidated the older woman, who obviously knew who Blair was, before the manager began to whisper into her microphone before replying, "Of course, Ms. Waldorf."

Blair turned back towards Serena with a smile, looking innocent as ever. Serena couldn't help but wrap an arm around her best friend and laugh at her antics. It was just so Blair. "It's nice to know that the more things change the more things stay the same," she spoke happily as they pair watched the staff arrange everything the way it was supposed to.

Blair's smile froze as she looked off just over Serena's shoulder and asked in outrage, "What is she doing here?"

Serena frowned and looked to where Blair was indicating and saw Jenny. She shrugged her shoulders in confusion, "Doing her job it seems…isn't she an intern?"

"Not recently, her father made her quit last night, but I guess it didn't take," Blair explained as she continued to watch the sophomore carefully as a thought struck her.

"Oh no," Serena spoke as she took in the look on her best friend's face, "B. I know that look, and whatever it is that you're planning. Stop." Blair just glanced at Serena with a look of pure innocence that the blonde didn't believe for a second. "Blair, seriously, just let it go. This is about more than just you vs Jenny it's about your mom's show. Please?"

Blair scoffed before she replied with a smirk, "It's like you don't know me at all, S."

That was just thing. Serena knew Blair very well. Before she could add something to her plea though, Eleanor appeared, "Blair, why aren't you backstage? As much as I enjoy Charles' company, I have a feeling that he'd prefer another Waldorf by his side during the chaotic process before the show."

Blair turned and smiled at her mother, "I was just getting Serena situated in her seat. There seemed to be a problem, but no worries it's fixed." Blair quickly added the last bit at the sight of her mother tensing up at the idea of some sort of problem with anything having to do with her show.

"Good," Eleanor spoke with a nod as she arrived at Blair's side, "The last thing I need is trouble today. Serena, always a pleasure and I am so sorry about the mix up."

Serena nodded graciously as Eleanor motioned Jenny over to the group, "Jenny, there you are!" Eleanor led Jenny towards backstage but not before speaking to Blair, "I'll see you back there soon."

"Of course," Blair replied with a smile, which was quickly dropped to one of faint hostility when her eyes met the small blonde beside her mother, "Jenny."

"Blair," the sophomore replied with the same faint hostility before making her exit with Eleanor.

Blair plastered on a smile on her face as she turned towards Serena, her decision having been made as she spoke lightly, "Enjoy the show!"

Serena watched as her best friend turned and headed backstage and felt dread grow in the pit of her stomach. Blair Waldorf was on a mission and heaven help anyone that stood in her way. "Oh God," Serena spoke softly as the stage manager came and put Serena's name on her appropriate. Serena sighed as she sat down. At least she'd be front and center to watch the show. Both of them.

xoxo

Blair felt her excitement grow as she made her way backstage. Easily finding Chuck among the ruckus that greeted her. She smiled at her boyfriend as she reached his side, not saying anything since he was on the phone. She took in everything around her while Chuck was distracted to formulate her next move for the evening. Since her and Serena had made up, she was no longer on her radar. Which turned out to be a great thing otherwise, Blair would have missed out on the opportunity that was there for her to reach her ultimate goal.

As Chuck hung up the phone, Blair turned towards him, "Who was that?"

"My father," Chuck responded, "His flight landed about an hour ago and I wanted to check in to see that he got home okay. Corny I know, but I was hoping that he and I could have lunch tomorrow to talk about his trip. Maybe it'll give me some potential ideas for my next venture."

Blair smiled at him in, "Doesn't sound corny at all. Sounds like the great Chuck and Bart Bass have finally found some sort of connection after 17 years."

Chuck laughed a bit, "It would seem so. Can I guess that peace has been made?"

Blair nodded, "It has, but another battle has come on the horizon."

"I saw Jenny Humphrey walk in earlier with Eleanor. I have to say I'm surprised that was still here after what you told me of the events yesterday," Chuck spoke as he slipped his phone into his pocket as he slipped his arm around Blair's waist.

Blair sighed, "So was I, but I can't say the girl didn't have it in her. Speaking of Humphreys, you never told me how did your night go with the other one."

Chuck smirked as he remembered the fun he had towards the end of the night. "Amusing. After I left him to wonder the streets of New York alone with no shoes, money, or phone, I went home and watched him on the spotted map briefly before settling in for the night."

Blair smirked, happy that he had the fun he used to have all the time. Blair worried sometimes that he'd resent her for the lack of partying lifestyle that he used to have. He still went out from time to time, but Blair knew that it wasn't nearly as much as he used to. She knew who she was with and she didn't expect him to change that just because they were monogamous, with the exception of the whole monogamy party of course. But it seemed that Chuck was genuinely happy with his change of lifestyle. His grades were better, things seemed to be going well with his father, and he was on the hunt for his big business venture. Blair just hoped that if ever wanted to go back to the dark side that he would talk to her and know that she'd willingly go with him if he wanted her to. She loved him that much.

It was then that the pair saw Jenny walk by, carrying a garment bag and handing it over to the stage manager. "Would you mind putting this in the back for me? It's my dress for the after party," Jenny spoke with a smile. As the manager agreed, the blonde walked off out of the backstage area.

Blair made her way over to the same stage manager and greeted her, "Hi. I just wanted to explain the mix up earlier. It seemed that Jenny didn't get the memo about the seating change because I was the one who was supposed to tell her."

The manager nodded in understanding as she replied, "These things happen."

"Yeah," Blair replied as she walked with the manager toward the back as she hung up Jenny's garment bag, "So anyway, I just wanted to make sure that there was no more confusion about who's supposed to do what for tonight. What does the list say Jenny's in charge of?"

"Making sure the models get from here to the runway," the stage manager explained before continuing on her way.

"Great. Thanks a lot," Blair replied with a happy smile.

Spotted: Blair Waldorf looking to do a good deed? There's a first time for everything.

Chuck walked up behind Blair after the stage manager left and wrapped his arms around Blair's waist as he whispered in her ear, "What are you up to, Waldorf?"

Blair shivered as he placed a light kiss along her neck before she slowly turned her head towards him and whispered back, "You'll see."

The pair smirked at each other. Chuck may not know what Blair's plan was, but he knew it was going to be a sight to see. Blair released herself, reluctantly, from Chuck's embrace and headed off to get to work on her plan.

It wasn't even 30 minutes later that the room was completely cleared of skinny, dim models and all that was left was the stylists with nothing to do with their time but to make sure everything was in its proper place. Chuck smirked as he sat on the edge of a table in front of his girlfriend as one of the stylists was touching up her hair. He crossed his arms across his chest, not saying anything as the sound of heels hit the floor and Jenny appeared from up front. He checked his watch and saw that it was about time for the show to start and knew that the game was on.

Blair smiled in satisfaction as she looked over her finished look and nodded in approval to the stylist behind her, very much aware of the small blonde entering the room and looking around in shock at finding it so empty. "Where are the models?" Jenny demanded as she stormed over to Blair.

Blair turned her head and looked at the newcomer in surprise as she ran her fingers through her hair, "What? Which models?"

"The models that are about to walk the runway wearing your mother's clothes?" Jenny asked, playing along with Blair's game.

"Oh, those models," Blair laughed lightly as she rolled her eyes at herself as she looked over at her boyfriend in front of her, "Somehow they got the idea that they'd been overbooked, so they went home."

The pair shrugged to each other as if to say "these things happen" as they continued to smile. Chuck gently reached out and rearranged a strand of hair on Blair's shoulder so that it fell perfectly and Blair smiled graciously in return as Jenny began to pale.

"What? They went home?" Jenny asked as the couple turned their attention to the blonde.

Blair tilted her head to the right, still smiling as she explained, "They're not the brightest bulbs, are they?"

Chuck chuckled as he stood up to stand on Blair's left, leaning against the back of her chair on one hand as his left hand slipped into his pocket, obviously enjoying the show before him. Blair raised her brows, waiting to see what little Jenny Humphrey was going to do about the current catastrophe when Laurel walked in.

"Jenny, we start in ten. Are the models ready?" Laurel asked with a smile, unaware of the shit storm brewing to fusion as she smiled.

Before Jenny could even get a word out, Eleanor herself came through the room. Immediately noticing the lack of people she asked, "Where are the models?"

"Um…," Jenny replied hesitantly.

Blair rolled her eyes, not impressed at the blonde's lack of forethought and stood up from her chair and spoke, "Apparently, Jenny has misplaced them, mother. They've gone home."

Eleanor looked at her daughter in shock, unable to believe what she just heard. "What? How on earth does one lose models?!" she screamed in anger. Laurel quickly walked over to Eleanor's side, sensing the classic Waldorf meltdown coming.

Blair's mother looked over at Jenny as if to hope that it was all just a sick joke, but the look on Jenny's face was enough to say otherwise and when Jenny attempted to speak to save herself, Blair interrupted with ease, "It doesn't matter how. But the fact is: it did. But don't worry mother, fortunately I have an idea."

"You do?" Eleanor asked suspiciously, "And what, pray tell, is that?"

Blair smiled, "Your front row. Thanks to Jenny's idea of getting Poppy and Serena and the rest of those socialites in your front row, you can use them to replace the models she has lost." As her mother took in the idea, Blair continued on with her pitch, "After all these girls are your target audience and they're well known. People want to be their friends and wear their clothes. What better way is there to make Waldorf Designs in demand than have these socialites wear your designs?"

Laurel spoke up as she walked to stand by Blair, "I love it. Eleanor, she's right. You've said it yourself that Blair is your best advertisement. How the girls at her school follow her lead in her taste for fashion, using the socialites would be taking that idea and taking it to the next step."

Eleanor continued to look at both Laurel and then at her daughter with a sense of pride as well as a bit of suspicion before giving her go ahead. "Alright…but are they going to even agree to this?"

Blair scoffed, "Please, it's Serena. When has she ever turned me down in my hour of need?"

Eleanor nodded, "Then get it going, Laurel. You too, Jenny."

Jenny quickly turned and followed after Laurel, doing as she was told without another word. Blair watched in satisfaction, unaware of her mother walking up to her side until the older Waldorf woman spoke, "I don't know how, but something tells me you had something to do with this." Blair pressed her lips together and looked at her mother innocently as Eleanor continued talking, "We'll be discussing this later. I do not take kindly to you using my show as collateral damage for your gains. This better work; for your sake as well as mine."

"It will mother," Blair assured, not surprised that her mother that saw through her rouse.

"It better," Eleanor warned as all the socialites happily walked in the back, excited.

Laurel raced over, smiling happily, "They've all agreed! This is going to be sensational. 'Models lost, socialites save the day'," Laurel smiled as she saw the title in her head as she turned back to Eleanor, "Your show will get so much press, it'll drive Marc Jacobs to drink."

Eleanor sighed as she saw one of the socialites in her design, "God forbid. Every time he goes to rehab, his sales soar." Blair smiled as she followed Laurel and her mother to look the girl over.

"What do you think?" Laurel asked. Blair was surprised when the woman was asking both her and her mother's opinion on the matter.

Eleanor looked the girl over and spoke, "Well, the dress fits." She motioned for the girl to turn so she could look at her in all angles, "How hand is it that society girls are wafer-thin? I hope you know what you're doing."

Blair nodded as she watched her idea unfold in front of her, "It's going to work mother. I know it will."

Eleanor looked over at her daughter and saw that she was being sincere with her assessment of the situation. Blair didn't miss the mixed look of gratitude and warning in her mother's eyes at her words and shrugged as her mother nodded and turned to the next girl to look the dress over. There was no time to linger.

Meanwhile, Chuck had been standing back, watching his amazing girlfriend come out on top. He had every faith that her plan would work flawlessly. He may not know yet of what she was going to gain from this beyond making Jenny Humphrey look bad, but he knew that Blair Waldorf wouldn't risk something as important as her mother's show without a big reward to show for it. Chuck looked over to wear his coat was, realizing that he left his phone in its pocket and went over to get it, careful to stay out of the way. With the change of plans being so last minute, everyone was running around backstage as if the world was coming to an end. But in the world of fashion, for Eleanor Waldorf, it just might.

Chuck pulled out a phone from his pocket and paused as he realized that it wasn't his phone at all. It was Humphrey's. He dug back in and easily found his own phone along with the rest of Dan's things and decided that now was as good a time as any to go through the items in question. Overall there was nothing significantly fascinating until he reached some sort of journal. Inside were notes that, Chuck could only assume, was an outline for Humphrey's apparent attempt at writing. He vaguely remembered Serena mentioning that the Brooklynite wanted to be a writer. When he saw what could only be deemed as bad pseudonym of his name "Charlie Trout", Chuck began to read more carefully.

The more he read the angrier he became. It seemed the vermin was attempting to write some sort of story about him. That was the reason for his sudden appearance at his penthouse yesterday afternoon. To get close to him and then eventually hope that Chuck would open up about his supposed "secrets" to him of all people. Chuck scoffed. Why in the world would Chuck Bass even think of opening up to some nobody when he had people he knew actually cared about him?

Granted Chuck could admit that if the kid played his cards right and pulled this stunt a year and a half ago when his only real friend he could claim was Nathaniel, he would have been successful. But the Brooklynite was too late in the game to succeed. Chuck sighed and threw all of the items away in a nearby trashcan. He wasn't going to confront the culprit. He was just going to continue on with his life. The downfall of Humphrey was that Chuck was aware of him as a threat now, and he would do everything in his power to prevent Humphrey from getting anywhere but out in his future attempts.

xoxo

Serena was standing in the back as she looked at all the clothes in front of her, not finding it in herself to put any article of clothing on. When Laurel came out to ask her and the rest of the girls to model Eleanor's clothes because the models somehow got the idea that they were no longer needed, her first thought was: Sure, it sounded like fun. But now, as she stood there with her hair and make-up done, she couldn't help but feel that she was once again betraying her best friend. She hadn't seen Blair since she made her way back here to get ready. Eleanor decided that Serena herself should wear the final outfit of the show.

All Serena knew was that she and Blair had just made peace and the last thing she wanted was for the two of them to be at odds. Her friendship was more important to her than some fashion show. She had this realization last year when Eleanor tricked her into modeling to be the face of Waldorf Designs. Sure she loved being in the spot light and having all eyes on her, but she was very much aware of how much Blair liked being in the center of it all too. It was one of the major reasons why being Queen at Constance was so important to her. That and the fact that it helped nurture her need to control everything around her.

Serena laughed softly to herself as she looked up at the sound of heeled footsteps. She smiled when she saw Poppy come around the corner. "Hey. Why aren't you dressed?"

Serena sighed making her decision, "I don't think I'm gonna do this. Blair would be crushed. If anybody's gonna walk the runway in Eleanor's designs, it's her."

Serena crossed her arms, comfortable with her decision to step aside when Poppy smiled and spoke softly, "Serena, I've only known you for a few weeks, but it's pretty clear you've spent your whole life worrying about Blair and what she thinks and how she feels."

Serena shook her head, "You don't understand."

"I was best friends for years with this girl that was just like Blair, and it was subtle, but I was always having to make myself less sparkly so that she wouldn't feel insecure. Till one day I finally realized that is crazy…cause a true friend would want you to be your most beautiful, vibrant self."

Serena looked down at the floor, unable to help the feeling that maybe Poppy was right. She shrugged as she looked over at the rack of clothes beside her, "No, I just- I really don't want to hurt her."

"I know. I know," Poppy assured her as Serena looked back at her, "But is that a good reason to hide your light? You're gorgeous, sweet, amazing." Serena smiled at the compliment. "If Blair's a true friend, she'll support you."

Serena took a deep breath as she thought on it for a moment. Poppy was right. She shouldn't be afraid to be herself just to spare Blair. "You're right."

"Yeah?" Poppy asked. At Serena's nod and smile, the brunette smiled back and pulled her out of the corner, "Okay. Come on."

Serena laughed as she called out, "Eleanor. Where's my dress?"

"Here. Here," Blair called as she quickly walked over to Serena with a garment bag in her hands, "this will be beautiful on you. It's for the finale.

"Blair," Serena spoke, feeling a little nervous and a bit shocked at Blair's enthusiasm, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes. It's fine. Just hurry," Blair encouraged with a genuine smile as she pushed her best friend over to where she was supposed to be getting dressed.

"Okay," Serena replied with a laugh, feeling genuine excitement now that she had Blair's blessing. As much as Poppy's words might have rung true for her, Serena felt much better knowing that Blair wasn't like Poppy's old friend. Sure the duo had their bit of rivalry but at the end of the day they were best friends and nothing could change that.

xoxo

After insuring that Serena had the dress that Blair wanted her to wear she went off to go find Chuck. It didn't take her long to find him, thankfully. He was standing on the edge of the stage watching the show. He smiled at her as she reached his side and held his arm as she rested her chin on his shoulder and asked softly, "How's it going?"

"Your plan is going along flawlessly. The media loves the socialites as they usually do and they managed to not trip and fall up the runway," Chuck replied with a smirk as he looked down at his girlfriend.

"Perfect," Blair replied. Everything was going exactly as she envisioned it when this plot came to mind earlier this evening. Everything was going so perfectly that Blair couldn't help but feel a little uneasy that the dress that Serena was about to walk out in would be a failure. Blair silently assured herself that it'll work out. Serena could pull anything off and besides Jenny Humphrey actually had talent so she wouldn't have created something for herself that would result in her being a laughing stock of the fashion community.

It was just then that Blair's best friend walked out on the runway and Blair couldn't help but pause as she took in the sight before her as her best friend strutted down the runway with her hands on her hips completely at ease with the attention. Blair face slowly formed into a look of pride and smiled as her best friend shown like the star Blair always knew she could be and only felt a bit of envy for the blonde.

"She knows how to shine," Chuck spoke softly, "And, because of you, the world gets to see it."

Blair smiled at his words and looked up at him, "You always know the right thing to say, Bass."

Chuck smirked and leaned towards her, kissing her lips softly as the crowd applauded and went wild for Serena Van Der Woodsen. Unfortunately, the couple was interrupted. "Where's Serena?" Jenny asked, sounding a bit frazzled.

Blair sighed and smirked at her boyfriend before turning towards the newcomer, "She's on stage."

"But I have her dress," Jenny sputtered.

"Oh. You mean Serena's on the runway of Eleanor Waldorf's show in a design not made by Eleanor Waldorf?" Blair asked in a tone filled with naiveté as she sighed, "Oh, dear."

Chuck laughed softly behind her as the pair turned their attention back to their friend as she posed and smiled to the crowed. Blair was mostly grateful that Jenny actually made her after party dress; otherwise she'd never see the end of Eleanor's wrath. Blair mentally shrugged off that dark cloud; most likely she would have just blamed it on Jenny and called it a day.

Blair could feel Jenny's eyes glaring at her, but the blonde didn't say a word as they continued to watch the show. No one was aware of Eleanor's presence until the elder Waldorf woman exclaimed as she pointed, "That's not my dress."

Blair glanced over at Jenny as she looked between her and Eleanor and spoke softly, "Yeah. I-it's my dress."

Eleanor gasped as she looked what was her dress in Jenny's hands and back to the dress that Serena was wearing at the end of the runway, unable to say a word. Fortunately, someone called her away and Blair knew that she'd deal with the situation later.

"Why did you do this?" Jenny asked Blair, not moving from her spot as she continued to clutch Blair's mother's dress in her hands. Blair chose to stay silent, feeling that she didn't have to explain herself to the girl at all. "I waved the white flag at school," Jenny continued on desperately, "Why don't- why don't you just claim your throne and leave me alone?"

Blair scoffed and looked at Jenny with pity, "What makes you think that that's not exactly what I'm doing?"

"Huh?" Jenny looked at her in confusion.

Blair rolled her eyes as she turned her full attention to the sophomore, "Despite what I like to make you, and the other victims of Constance, feel, high school lasts for four years. And during the summer before my last year as Queen I decided to focus on what I want for my future after this year was finished. I realized that I don't want to just be Queen of Constance; I want to be a woman of power. I want to be Queen of New York. But that throne requires a lot more than just blackmails and take downs. It requires work, drive, stamina and determination, as well as connections and good favors to call in on. And thanks to you and tonight, I've made a very firm step toward that goal. So thanks, little J, couldn't have done it without you."

Blair smirked in delight as she glanced over at Serena as the blonde beside her looked on in shock. "So what was with the change of dresses? I get that you don't care if you get me fired, but-"

"No, I don't," Blair interrupted with a shrug.

"But what about Serena?" Jenny continued on, obviously wanting all the answers, "She's your best friend and you had no idea if the dress would work on her."

"Serena always lands on her feet, and besides you have talent Jenny. I never denied that," Blair replied with a nod to her head at her best friend, "Look at her, everyone wants to be Serena." Blair couldn't help the slight sound of jealousy come through her voice. Chuck gave her waist a gentle squeeze in comfort. Blair looked up at him as he winked down at her making her smile.

"You might be privileged, Blair," Jenny spoke up softly, "But you work for every single thing you've achieved, like me. Serena just glides through. I wanted to be your friend last year for a reason. I wanted you to like me."

Blair nodded in agreement, "I came to the understanding that Serena will always be Serena. She shines. It's what she always does and probably always will."

Chuck placed a gentle kiss on Blair's temple and whispered in her ear, "You, my Queen, shine for me. The rest of the world just isn't able to see you clearly yet. Don't ever doubt that you are powerful. You're the most powerful woman I know."

Blair smiled at the man she loved, hoping that it's true. That the goal she set for her future, for their future will lead to where she was meant to be. She wanted to shine for who she was and what she had to offer not because of her association with Serena or because she was her mother's daughter. That was her dream.

Blair sighed in contentment as the couple continued to watch Serena show off, not giving much attention to Jenny after she left their side. It wasn't until Laurel appeared full of urgency over the pending news she had, asking Blair where her mother was, that Blair even bothered to glance in the direction that Jenny was. She knew that if her mother wasn't where Laurel could find her, the older Waldorf was most likely reprimanding the sophomore in private and even more likely firing her.

She took Chuck's hand in hers and led the way for Laurel to find Eleanor and, apparently, not a moment too soon. When the trio found Eleanor she was raving about some conspiracy that Jenny was behind the dress switch. Blair was more than fine with Jenny taking the blame for it since that was one of her goals for that particular scheme and let Laurel be the one to interrupt.

"Eleanor," Laurel called out as she approached Blair's mother's side, "Andre' Leon Talley is raving about the finale dress. He said it was the perfect culmination to your line, loved it."

Blair and Eleanor looked at the woman in shock over Jenny's dress gaining such high praise. "They loved the dress?" Blair asked in confirmation.

"My dress," Jenny spoke in shock.

The group heard the sounds of applause as the models made their final run through down the runway. It was time for Eleanor Waldorf to come and take her bow and Blair could see that her mother honestly didn't know what to do now that she didn't have to worry about critics turning on her because they didn't like her finale dress. Now the question was if she would actually claim the dress as her own and take the credit given.

"Eleanor, I used scraps of fabric I found around the Atelier and I adapted one of your old patterns," Jenny explained quickly, obviously seeing the opportunity in front of her, "It's basically your design. Please take credit for it."

"I am Eleanor Waldorf," Blair's mother declared proudly. It was obvious where Blair got her pride in the Waldorf name from. "I do not have to take credit for a dress made by a child."

Blair sighed and decided enough was enough. Her mother didn't have a choice at this point. "Mom," Blair called to her before she walked away, "Jenny took this show to the next level with her dress. It's a smash success. Take your bow."

"Please?" Jenny begged.

At the sight of Eleanor's hesitation for her next move, Blair spoke bluntly with a slight shake of her head, "What else are you going to do, mom?"

Eleanor knocked on the banister beside her as she thought and took a deep breath as she took off her backstage pass and handed it over to Blair, "What the hell."

Blair took it with a nod and watched as her mother left, followed by her proverbial minions to walk onto the stage. Blair smirked and glanced briefly at the blonde standing beside her who was obviously still in shock over the night's events. Blair shrugged lightly at the girl as Chuck leaned towards her and whispered, "Why don't we go and give your mother the standing ovation she deserves, hmm?"

Blair nodded as she looked at him and let him lead the way to the front of the house. Blair couldn't help but smile in pride as she applauded her mother's success. Despite how the day began it turned out even better than even Blair herself could imagine; for both her and her mother.

xoxo

About an hour later, Eleanor was hosting the celebratory party after the show's success. It was another type of tradition that the older Waldorf always did while the designer and the rest of her team waited for the official press release of the show. But, thanks to Laurel's efforts, the more important thoughts were already known for the show and in the end the party was more focused on the celebration part instead of the waiting and being filled with nerves until midnight type of party that it usually was.

Blair took a sip of her drink as she looked around the room at her mother's colleagues and interns. Chuck had left to get her jacket so the two could go home and have a celebration of their own in honor of Blair's own success for the evening. Sure she didn't successfully get Jenny fired, but the blonde managed to earn a bit of Blair's respect for her work ethic. Things were at a good point with Serena, and even though Blair didn't shine as bright as she'd like, she was able to shine at least in her mother's eyes. The one woman in the entire world who was the hardest to please, and Blair was more than willing to accept that praise.

She even got to mingle a bit with a few important people and Laurel was there to inform them that it was Blair's idea to use socialites as models. Blair accepted their praise with the grace only a Waldorf could pull off and took their contacts for future use. Yes, it was a very successful night indeed.

Blair was just taking a last sip of champagne from her glass when her mother approached her and gave her a fresh glass before leading her over to the stairs as she tapped on her glass to gain everyone's attention. Blair looked at her mother in confusion, not sure why she was standing beside her as she was about to give the obligatory thanks to everyone's hard work for the night's success, but choosing to remain silent and not ruin the look of happiness on her mother's face.

"I would like to thank everyone for making the show a spectacular success," Eleanor spoke, "But most of all, I'd like to thank especially, my daughter, Blair." Blair looked at her mother in surprise, "For her quick thinking idea to save the show and her faith in my talent to be a success. But what she doesn't know is: She is my inspiration." Blair looked at her mother and saw her eyes water as she continued to speak and felt genuine shock at her mother's words.

Eleanor nodded as she continued on, "On those long nights when I hit a road black in my designs, my mind goes toward this young woman beside me. How beautiful and smart she is and how she'll be even more so in the future. God help the rest of us," Eleanor broke off in a light laugh resulting in the rest of the room joining in before Eleanor motioned for everyone to settle so she could finish her tribute. "When I think of these things, my darling, I'm filled with pride and inspiration to create. I don't say this often, but I love you Blair. And if there wasn't a you, there wouldn't ever have been a Waldorf Designs. To Blair."

"To Blair ," the rest of the room returned before taking a sip of their glasses.

Blair couldn't find the words to even respond with as she let a stray tear fall down her face. Her mother smiled and gently wiped the tear away and held her face gently as she kissed her forehead affectionately. "I love you too, mother," Blair whispered back as she closed her eyes and just lived in this rare moment in time.

Eleanor gave her a firm hug before quickly releasing her and turning behind her. Only Blair could see that her mother only was attempting to hide the tears that were about fall and it made her feel that the tribute was more than just words to play to their audience. They were words that Eleanor truly felt and it made Blair feel as if the past 17 years was completely different then what she thought originally. She smiled as her mother turned back to the assembled group.

"I also wanted to raise a glass to Jenny Humphrey, the sensational Jenny Humphrey," Eleanor spoke, fully composed, "Without her hard work and talent, the show would not have ended in such splendor. To Jenny."

"To Jenny," Blair agreed with a smile as she raised her glass to the girl that she once considered her rival for both her crown and her mother's affection.

The group once again raised their glasses as they yelled in agreement, "To Jenny." The blonde tapped her glass with those around her and her eyes met Blair's as she mouthed silently, "Thank you" for giving her the opportunity to shine for her talent. Blair smiled back, accepting the thanks with ease as she looked around the room and found Chuck with a glass of his own and a smirk. He silently raised his glass to her, reminding her off that night almost a year ago at Victrola when she danced on stage with the burlesque dancers. He was toasting her from a distance, allowing her this moment to shine and enjoy this moment and she was grateful. But she realized that as much as she loved to shine and be the center of attention, sometimes it was nice to know that there was someone on the sidelines to encourage her but also willing to tell her that it was alright to not be all the time. That it was okay to let others be in the light. Besides there were some things that were better left to do in the shadows.

Blair smirked over at him as she said her goodbyes to her mother. Wanting to make her way to find Serena before her and Chuck could go off for their night alone. She sent Chuck off to call Arthur and wait for her outside as she took her coat from his offered arm, giving him a gentle kiss before going off to find her best friend. Blair was glad that she managed to catch her before the blonde left, because it turned out that Serena was just giving herself one last look over in the mirror before walking out the door herself.

"Serena," Blair smiled in greeting as she made her way over to the blonde's side, noticing she was a bit stand offish, "I'm glad I was able to catch you before you left. I wanted to say you were amazing tonight."

"You mean despite how you attempted to publicly humiliate me?" Serena asked, her tone making it obvious that she was upset and she knew about the dress switch.

Blair sighed as she looked at Serena, knowing that the group was heading back to the atelier to clean up and wait after they finished celebrating and that the pair wouldn't be interrupted, "You know about the dress."

"Yeah, Laurel told me," Serena replied with a shrug, "She said it was an accident. Clearly, she doesn't know you."

Blair pressed her lips together before responding, "I'm sorry, but to be completely honest. Embarrassing you wasn't even on the scope of what I wanted to achieve tonight."

"Just get over it, Blair," Serena spoke bluntly.

Blair paused in shock and just stared at the blonde in front of her for a moment before responding, "Excuse me?"

"You mean to tell me that you didn't do all of this with the dress so you could get me back for blowing you off tonight?" Serena asked accusatorily. Poppy was right when she questioned Blair's motives and actions and Serena saw that now. "My whole life, I have been bending over backwards to protect your feelings." Serena shrugged, "And you know what? It's not my fault you're so insecure."

Blair moved her head slightly to the side before she snapped back with the thought that flashed through her mind at that moment, "And I'm sure it's not your fault you're so conceited."

"I'm just tired of trying to hold myself back so I don't outshine you," Serena argued back, obviously believing every word she's saying.

"Oh, my god," Blair replied, not recognizing the girl in front of her, "Do you even hear yourself?"

"Just the truth," Serena said with a shake of her head.

"The question is, Serena: Who's truth?" Blair asked, "Because as far as I'm aware, for the past year with the exception of my mother's photo shoot, I've been nothing but encouraging of you. When we talked last month, after you parted ways with Humphrey, you said you wanted to finally be the real Serena Van Der Woodsen, not the one people expect you to be; I agreed with you because I knew who that was. She's my best friend, no, she's my sister along with all the rivalry that goes with it. But I've learned to embrace that rivalry because it forces me to be better.

"You talk about how I'm so insecure, tell me, Serena. If I was as insecure as you think me to be: Why did I offer up the idea to use you and the rest of those socialites to walk in my mother's show?" Blair asked, putting the information out there as she watched Serena absorb the information in surprise before the blonde began to look a bit guilty at her judgment of the situation, "You do your best work being front and center," Blair spoke, "I knew that whatever Jenny designed you'd make it amazing. You can make a brown paper bag amazing."

Serena laughed a bit at the visual as she looked down at the ground and nodded as she spoke softly, "Now I'm sorry," Serena looked up at the brunette in front of her offering up her hand in hopes of being forgiven for the second time that night, "I shouldn't have misjudged you." Blair looked at the hand and took it, knowing that if it was last year, she would have definitely have pulled the stunt to hurt Serena. "Poppy and I were talking and she misjudged our friendship, comparing it to what she used to have…and I guess I got scared that she was right," Serena explained with a shrug. "I want to be who I am, I just don't want to lose the people that matter to me too, you know?"

Blair nodded, "You won't lose me. Not even if you pull the stunt you just pulled again and we never talk." Blair smiled at Serena softly, "I will always be here for you when you need me. Just like I've always been."

Serena smiled in return and nodded. This was their kind of friendship. Despite unspoken words of jealousy and rivalries, Blair and Serena always came back together when either, most likely Serena, was in trouble. "I broke the number one rule in being in the Non Judging breakfast Club. I judged," Serena whispered before she laughed.

Blair laughed with her and nodded in agreement, "Yes, you did, but it happens to the best of us. We all can't be Chuck Bass."

The two girls giggled again as their phones both went off simultaneously. Expecting it to be some random Gossip Girl blasts, the girls pulled them out to read what happened now that was worth the blogger to tell the word.

"It's Chuck-"

"It's Poppy-"

They spoke in unison and laughed at themselves before gathering the rest of their things from back stage. They walked out the front door with arms linked and smiles on their faces being sure to finalize their plans for the following day for lunch before they stepped out onto the steps. The paparazzi quickly stormed and started calling out Serena's name in excitement. Blair smiled at her best friend, showing that she was okay that the public wanted Serena instead of her, as Serena smiled and waved before turning her attention back to Blair.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Serena confirmed.

Blair nodded and gave her a hug, feeling particularly sentimental tonight. Maybe it was the memory of Eleanor Waldorf's tears, or the revelation she made about relinquishing some of her spot light to others every once in a while to those who deserve it. Blair had no idea, but frankly she hoped it wasn't a permanent change. Only those close to her are allowed to see her soft side.

She felt her posed smile grow more genuine as she saw Chuck waiting for her beside his limo and went over to greet him with a kiss, "Hello Bass. I'm feeling sentimental how about our first round goes to the back seat of the limo and I'll give you a dance when we get back to your place?"

Chuck smirked in amusement at the proposition. "You know I'm always up for your kind of games, Waldorf," he replied before kissing her lips hungrily as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Things go well with Serena?" he asked halfheartedly.

Blair slowly backed up, taking his hand in hers as she walked backwards to the opened back door of the car, giving one last glance over to the blonde in question with Poppy Lifton. The pair posed for the cameramen happily, obviously having the time of their lives. "I think we're going to be just fine," Blair finally replied with a smile as she turned her attention back to her boyfriend, leading him inside the waiting car seductively.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that there would be no gossip without secrets. You might be brave enough to reveal your secrets, only to have it used against you…or someone else's secret might affect you in unexpected ways.

There are some secrets you're only too happy to keep.

Others surface only to be buried away deeper than they were before.

But the most powerful secrets are the truths you thought you could never reveal, that once spoken, change everything.

The brightest stars may burn out the fastest in regards to S., but with B., climbing to the top with patience and work, she just might be allowed to shine for far longer.

You know I'll be watching this star on the rise,

X.O.X.O

Gossip Girl

A/N: I have no excuses so I'm not going to bother with finding one to give. All I have to say is that I'm sorry for the delay and Happy Valentine's day aka Single's awareness day! I also like to call it I heart me day since I have no one to send me flowers and take me out but myself. I usually go see a chick flick followed by an action flick and then take myself to dinner, but since I have to work this weekend, I have to put those plans back to later.

But enough about me! What are your plans?

What did you think of the chapter? I made some changes because as the author of this story I can! Lol I never understood the reasoning behind Serena's flip of conceit at the end of this episode. Personally I felt that what she was "attempting" to do beforehand was called being considerate of other people's feelings, but apparently the canon Serena finds this too much of a hardship! I don't know, that's just my opinion and I'm more than open for one of you lovely people, if not all, to give me your view points. I'm up for hearing either side of the line, I just want to know that you all are still here reading! ;)

I'll do my best to post in a month's time with the New Haven Can Wait episode. Again, there will be changes since our characters are at different places than canon. Chuck is on Humphrey watch and Serena is working on finding herself beyond what others want her to be. Sounds like a blast to me!

The only thing to make this chapter better would be if Nate made an appearance but that Archibald kid was off attempting to make peace within his family, but I guarantee that he'll be back next chapter. Still no guesses on who my Gossip Girl could be? Come on people I want hear your theories, I know for a fact that you die hard fans had theories about who it was throughout the series and I want to hear about them! Welcome to the new readers who've added both this story and its predecessor The Queen and her Dark Knight to their favorite/alert lists. Glad you like the story!

I love you all and hope to hear from you!

-Plie4fun