Chuck's alarm went off promptly at eight am, however out of habit and without even thinking, with his eyes still shut he reached over and turned the annoying thing off. He was quite content to stay in bed a bit longer. He had no sooner started to doze off again when he heard voices outside the room.
"Thanks for letting me crash last night," he heard the familiar female voice speak from out in the hallway, yet again.
"No..." he groaned as he rolled over. Reaching beside him, he felt the space was deathly cold. "No!" he gasped as he opened his eyes and shot up in the bed, realizing he was in his own bed, not hers where he had fallen asleep with her last night.
"Hey, no problem, anytime okay?" Chuck heard Nate tell Jenny as their conversation, which was now becoming routine, carried on.
"No, no, no!" he yelled in anger and frustration as he threw back the duvet to confirm to himself that she wasn't there, that they hadn't at some point returned back to his place for the night. Practically leaping out of the bed, Chuck rushed over to his en suite, just to check that maybe she hadn't woken up early and was perhaps taking a bath.
"No!" he screamed. He didn't understand what had happened. Everything had been perfect. They had been perfect. They had made plans...
"Dude, is everything okay?" Nate wondered as he had apparently entered the bedroom, curious as to what his roommate was upset about.
"Blair... you, you didn't happen to see her, did you?" Chuck frantically asked as he pushed past his best friend and made his way out into the foyer, making his way to the kitchen. Maybe she had made coffee or ordered up breakfast? He had to believe she was still here. That this wasn't happening again.
"What? You mean today?" Nate questioned, now growing confused as Chuck nodded. "Last I saw her was with you at the charity ball last night, when you two were spilling all your issues to that fraud of a doctor."
"What day is it?" Chuck demanded to know as he continued his search. "Is this today's paper?" he asked, holding up the offending literature that spewed the headline of The Knicks beating The Heat 89-86.
"Today's Saturday," Jenny spoke up, as she curiously followed Nate who was now following Chuck.
"And hey, shouldn't you be getting ready? I recall you saying last night about some grand romantic gesture you're planning on making to Blair today? Something involving The Empire State Building..." Nate tried to remind him with a slight smile. He was pleased to see his best friend was taking the initiative with Blair, laying it all out on the line, putting the ball in her court.
"I already did that... we were happy... we made plans... plans to leave for Paris this morning," Chuck blurted out as he remembered. That must have been what happened – she had merely returned home to finish packing her bags. She did say her mother wanted to leave as soon as possible. That had to be it. "I need to make a phone call," he announced as he retreated to his room, leaving Jenny and Nate standing there even more confused.
"Come on, Blair... pick up..." he spoke to himself as he waited for her to pick up the line. Growing annoyed as it went to voicemail, he tossed the thing on the bed and decided to go get ready regardless. At first he didn't even bother checking it when his phone signaled a new notification, but then he heard Nate cursing a moment later and curiosity got the best of him
"What the hell is going on?" Chuck wondered as he looked back and forth between the newspaper and the Gossip Girl blast now displayed on the screen of his phone. Confused, he finished getting ready and hurried on over to the Waldorf penthouse, hoping and praying he would find answers there.
"Charles, how lovely to see you... can't say we were expecting you though," Eleanor remarked the moment he stepped off the elevator and into the Waldorf penthouse.
"Ah, Blair must not have told you," he responded with a smile as he stood before his future mother-in-law.
"Told me what?" she wondered, unsure of what he was implying.
"I'll be joining you all in Paris – Blair and I reconciled last night," he explained as he anxiously looked around for any sign of her. "Is she upstairs packing?"
"Packing? My dear, I believe you are confused – while we both know my daughter likes to be on top of things, Dorota hasn't even had her baby yet and while it should happen any day, so help us God, we're not leaving until she does," Eleanor informed him.
"Dorota... hasn't had the baby yet?" Chuck cautiously questioned, starting to grow concerned.
"No, she hasn't but we all wish she would already! Dorota is far too pregnant right now to be of any help," she quipped in annoyance. "And if you and Blair reconciled last night then why did she leave after brunch with that handsome rugby player from Columbia?" Eleanor couldn't help wondering as it did seem odd.
"Shit..." Chuck groaned under his breath as he began to accept what was happening yet again. But why he didn't know. It didn't make any sense.
"Then again, she did mention something at brunch about avoiding The Empire State Building and how Affair to Remember was on TCM last night and it gave her nightmares... that girl, I swear... I can't keep up with her..." Eleanor rambled as Chuck hurried to put his coat back on.
"Thank you, Ms. Rose," he spoke as he quickly rushed to the elevator. He needed to get to the bottom of what was going on.
"What are you doing?" Nate questioned as he spied Chuck, sitting at the bar, drink in hand as he intensely read something on his laptop. "So are you not proposing to Blair now...?" he couldn't help wondering.
"Nathaniel, tell me – have you ever experienced the phenomenon known as deja vu?" Chuck inquired, completely ignoring his roommate's previous question. If tomorrow was going to be the same as today then what did it matter if he followed through on his plan to meet Blair or not? Obviously Dorota was going to go into labor anyway so he didn't really see it as a pressing matter right now.
"Deja vu? Like when you swear you're doing something you've done before?" Nate asked to clarify.
"Precisely," Chuck confirmed, not taking his eyes away from the computer screen.
"Not that I recall... although sometimes things feel a bit mundane and routine," he offered up proudly.
"That's not the same," Chuck pointed out.
"Okay... why do you ask? Are you experiencing deja vu over something?" Nate pried, curious.
"I think I'm reliving the same day over and over and over again," Chuck spoke bluntly. He knew it sounded crazy but there was no other way to describe it.
"Really? Like you've already lived this day?" Nate questioned only for Chuck to nod in response. "What happens?"
"Well, in the original day, I screwed up royally and ended up sleeping with Jenny. In the second day, I screwed up again, unintentionally pushing Blair and purposely driving Jenny away... however she ended up killing herself due to things Blair and I may have said to her," he informed Nate who stood there by the bar, eying him suspiciously with a raised eyebrow. "I know it sounds crazy," Chuck agreed with what he knew his best friend was thinking. "In the day after that... Jenny's alive again, I spend all day following Blair, got my hopes up only for her to not show up again and once again I screwed it all up."
"And that's it?" Nate inquired once Chuck had finished.
"No... the next day... I thought I had finally gotten it right... everything was perfect... we were happy..." Chuck's voice trailed.
"And then what?"
"That's just it – I don't know!" Chuck exclaimed, frustrated as he thought about it once more. "I woke up this morning and the cycle started all over again!"
"And this is day number... what? Three? Four?
"Four. And frankly, I'd rather get to the bottom of this first and worry about Blair later as I know I'm just bound to screw things up anyway so why rush it?" Chuck added as he continued to scan for articles online.
"Okay... may I ask what happens with me?" Nate pressed, curious for himself.
"Serena ends up breaking up with you," Chuck casually remarked.
"What? But she's the one that screwed up," Nate protested, confused as to how that could possibly happen.
"I know, it doesn't make any sense," Chuck agreed as he began to search for anyone within driving distance who knew anything about deja vu and might have answers for him.
"Okay so anyway, basically, you're Bill Murray," Nate spoke again a moment later after taking it all in.
"Bill Murray?" Chuck questioned, unsure as to what Nate meant exactly.
"Yeah, in that one movie, where every day is Groundhog's Day – the guy relives the same day, over and over and over and over again until he finally learns about himself and grows as a person and finally gets it right with the girl he's in love with," Nate explained causing Chuck to stop what he was doing on the laptop and give him his full, undivided attention.
"He learns about himself, grows as a person and finally gets it right with the girl he's in love with..." Chuck repeated as his voice trailed, getting lost in thought. "Do they say why it happened? What caused it?" he anxiously wondered as he returned back to the computer, this time doing a search on the movie in question.
"I don't remember," Nate regretfully admitted, sad he couldn't be of more help. "But it was a good movie!"
"How long does it take him to get it all figured out?" Chuck continued to ask. While he recalled having heard of the movie before, it had likely been years since he actually watched it.
"Well there's some debate over the time frame – some people speculate nine days, others ten years... I even read one theory that he's stuck in the time loop for almost thirty-five years!" Nate declared.
"Nine days is long enough – hell so is four! I can't imagine doing this for ten years or even thirty-five! One would go mad!"
"Yeah... at one point in the movie he eventually does," Nate offered up. "But all his attempts are unsuccessful!" he quickly added, fearing he may have just put a very bad idea into his best friend's head.
"One of the film's screenwriters – Danny Rubin - is still alive and lectures at Harvard... I think I know what I'm doing today," Chuck announced as he closed his laptop and stood to retrieve his coat. Even if the film itself was fiction, a writer would have had to have done their research in order to make the movie's premise somewhat believable, even if the concept was far-fetched, he tried to reason.
"Mr. Rubin?" Chuck inquired as he popped his head into the so-called office he was informed that he would most likely find the man he was looking for.
"My office hours ended this morning-" the man stated without bothering to look up from the papers on his desk.
"I'm Chuck Bass," Chuck hastily introduced himself, trying to make the older man realize his urgency in the matter.
"The Chuck Bass?" Danny Rubin questioned, pausing for a moment to look up and see for himself.
"That would be me," Chuck confirmed as he walked further into the office to shake the man's hand.
"What brings you all the way to Harvard on a Saturday afternoon? Considering enrolling in the fall? I'm sure the university would love to have someone renounced liked yourself as an alumni," Mr. Rubin stated with a warm smile. "However from what I've heard... you don't strike me as the screenwriter type..."
"No, you're right – I'm not," Chuck admitted as he helped himself to a seat across from the man. "There's... actually something I came here to see you about specifically," he began although slightly hesitant. "You see... I have a little bit of a problem."
"A problem?" Mr. Rubin inquired, intrigued. He found it hard to believe a rich kid like the son of world-known businessman Bart Bass could possibly need the help of him.
"You wrote the screenplay to the 90s film Groundhog Day, correct?" Chuck questioned, wanting to make sure he was in fact talking to the right person.
"Of course – it's actually the main work I'm known for. My greatest accomplishment some say... fortunately it's become a cultural icon or otherwise I fear I may have been forgotten completely," the man rambled with a slight laugh.
"And I assume that when writing you tend to do your research?" Chuck pressed him further, eager for answers.
"As much as one possibly can when writing a work of fiction, yes," Mr. Rubin confirmed. "You seriously came all the way here to ask me about a screenplay I wrote nearly twenty years ago?"
"I... god, this is going to sound crazy... but I'm living my own personal version of your movie," Chuck finally blurted out, deciding it was best to just say it and get it over with. If anyone would understand what he was going through it would have to be this man.
"You're what?" Danny Rubin asked, a loss for words. "That's... not possible. It's fiction."
"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that I've been reliving the same day over and over and over... no matter what I do, I wake up the next morning, in my bed – the alarm going off at the exact same time, the newspaper always the same. The same events happening... I can't escape it! I need your help! What do I do?" Chuck frantically demanded, desperate for answers.
"I... I don't know what I can do to help," the man stuttered, still at a complete loss. What he was hearing was absurd. He then remembered that Bart Bass's son had had quite the reputation over the years, it wasn't uncommon to see the young man in various tabloids. "Have you been taking anything lately? Drugs perhaps?"
"No, I'm not on anything!" Chuck exclaimed, growing frustrated. "Just... tell me what I need to do! In the movie, what exactly was the key to Bill Murray breaking the curse and ending the loop?" he requested, now slightly calmer.
"In the movie... Phil – Bill Murray's character - realizes what the right priorities are. That it's not about him but instead... it's about those around him. How he can help others, making them happy... all while enriching his own life in the process," Mr. Rubin explained. "When he realizes that it's not all about him, it's then the cycle breaks. I don't know you personally, Chuck, but maybe try and be selfless – help those around you," he suggested.
Chuck sat back in the chair and pondered what the man had just told him. "Help others..." he thought out loud to himself. He remembered the mess Serena had gotten herself into with Dan... and while he had successfully avoided her the last few days, he did recall Georgina stopping by, desperate for help as well. With a nod he accepted that that would be his new plan of action, agreeing to give it a shot tomorrow. "Thank you for your time," he spoke to the writer as he stood to leave, shaking the man's hand once more.
"Kid really needs to lay off the drugs," the man uttered to himself as he watched the infamous former playboy leave his office before returning to his reading.
"Chuck!" he heard the voice of his stepsister call to him as he no sooner stepped off the elevator in his penthouse and began to walk to his room.
"Serena? What brings you here?" he curiously questioned as he stopped and changed his course to meet her in the main room.
"How could you!" she snapped at him as he approached her.
"How could I what?" Chuck spoke with frustration, curious as to just what now he was being accused of.
"You give Blair an ultimatum, talk about making some grand romantic gesture... and then you blow her off?!" Serena stated in disbelief. "Please tell me something life threatening happened otherwise... that's a pretty shitty thing to do to someone you supposedly love."
"Sis..." he started as he rubbed his temples, trying not to lose patience. He couldn't wait for this cycle to end – it seemed liked nothing he did was right.
"Seriously, Chuck – how could you?" Serena demanded to know once more. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I'm sure you're about to inform me," he mumbled under his breath as he walked over to the bar and promptly began to pour himself a drink. God knew he needed it.
"Blair came home crying. Again. Because of you," Serena laid into him. "She resisted all day, having made up her mind she wasn't going to give in and meet you, yet for some reason she changed her mind and yeah okay, she got there a little late because Dorota went into labor, but still... she asked the guard at the top of The Empire State Building and he said no one that matched your description had been there all day! She even came here, hoping you two could talk but again, you weren't there! Seriously, what the hell?!"
"I wouldn't expect you to understand..." he muttered as he walked past her, drink in hand, and retreated to his room for the night.
While he made the choice to ride out to Harvard for the day instead of following through with the plans he had previously made, he did regret being the cause of Blair's tears yet again. He hadn't taken that into account when he made his spur of the moment trip today.
Fortunately for him, he knew tomorrow would come and that it was another day – another chance – to make things right. It had to be – no one had gotten what they wanted today. There was no possible way the cycle could have broken.
AN: Happy Monday! And as always, thanks for all your comments and follows/favorites!
Alright so Chuck is becoming a bit more aware of what's going on, now he just needs to figure out how to break the cycle. Any guesses as to how he attempts to fix things for others?
And fun fact: Danny Rubin was actually one of the screenwriters for the movie and according to Wiki he does regularly guest lecture at Harvard =)
Until next week! XoXo