*tap tap tap* Is this thing on? Probably not. I haven't updated in far too long for my liking and I really doubt anyone is going to read this. I am truly sorry about the updating fail – school is owning me. Whoever said your senior year was a breeze lied like Juliet. .

THANK YOU to all of you who read and review (and who are still reading). I got at least one thank you sent out to everyone who has reviewed the last couple of chapters last night, but I still want to say thank you. Your support means the world an encourages me to keep writing. The next update shouldn't be nearly as long coming. I've go a to do list that makes me want to cry every time I look at it hanging on my fridge, but next week is all mine – I'm heading home for Turkey Day! I'll be writing for sure – I tend to write a lot when I'm home. :)

THINGS I OWN: Ole Miss. Well, *I* don't own them, but my football team did this weekend. Sorry to any Ole Miss fans reading this, but hey, we've had a down year and that win sure felt good. :) THINGS I DON'T OWN: Gossip Girl

Blair sprung away from Chuck, eyes wide as if she had only just realized what she'd been doing. Chuck's eyes widened as well, surprised from the sudden lack of contact.

"Blair? You in there?" Nate called again. Chuck frowned at the sound of his friend's voice. He wasn't thrilled with the interruption.

With hardly a glance at Chuck, Blair snatched up her shirt and pulled it back on, tucking it back into her skirt before smoothing her hands across her outfit.

"Blair?" Nate called yet again.

"One second!" she called out to Nate. She glanced in the mirror, quickly adjusting a few hairs, then strode across the bathroom to the door. "Fix your shirt," she hissed at Chuck as she passed him. Chuck rolled his eyes, but tucked in his shirt as Blair undid the door's lock. He purposefully left his tie undone around his neck, doubting Nate was quick enough to catch the implication, but there was always the chance for a breakthrough.

"Blair," Nate said, his hand raised in mid knock as the door swung open. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Blair answered a little too quickly, putting on a smile.

"You sure?" Nate glanced toward Chuck who was leaning against the bathroom wall, his arms folded across his chest. He looked bored. "Chuck insisted he be the one to find you, but the two of you never came back so I thought I'd check..."

"Did you find them?" Serena floated around the corner. Her eyes fell on Blair. "You did," she answered her own question. Blair glared at her former best friend.

"He did," she confirmed. She was smiling at Nate now, like he was her knight in shining honor. Chuck inwardly groaned. He could see Blair rapidly transitioning from the broken yet honest girl he had held in his arms moments earlier to the leading lady of her perfectly scripted movie. She was looking at Nate like he was her savior, as though it had been him who had burst into the ladies room to find her, had held her and told her she was beautiful.

"Actually it was me who found you," Chuck reminded her, pushing off the wall and sidling up beside Blair. "Made sure you were okay."

"Yes, well, thank you for that," Blair said in a clipped tone. "Nate?" she held out her hand. "Take me home? I've had a long night." Nate looked confused at Blair's sudden shift in attitude towards him, but took her hand anyway.

"Of course," he agreed. "Chuck, Serena." He nodded politely at them and led Blair away. She didn't acknowledge either of them, holding her head high as she possessively gripped Nate's elbow.

"Bye," Serena said. Chuck heard the hint of wistfulness in her voice. His new plan formed almost instantaneously.

"As familiar as the inside of a lady's room is to me, I should probably vacate the premises before someone gets the wrong impression," he said as he sidled past Serena. He purposefully put himself between the exit to the rest of the party and Serena. He looked at her expectantly.

"What?" she finally asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"A loaded question," Chuck mused. "I spent my formative years in Australia, but I believe the common American saying is 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.'"

"Whatever you are suggesting, I'm not interested." Serena tried to push past him, but Chuck blocked her path.

"You want Nathaniel," he stated.

"Nate is with Blair."

"Just because it's on Facebook, doesn't make it so," Chuck argued. "You want Nate. I want Blair. From what I can tell, Nate wants you. And Blair wants me, even if she doesn't know it yet. You help me out, I help you out. Everyone gets what they want. Or shall I say, who."

"I won't do that to Blair," Serena said firmly.

"Yet you'll sleep with her boyfriend..."

"A mistake," Serena snapped.

"Did you know she knows?" Chuck wanted to know. Serena looked at him, trying to size him up, determine whether or not he was telling the truth. "Because she does. She just admitted it to me. Right before I had her up against the bathroom wall. If Nathaniel hadn't interrupted, who knows how far it could have gone?"

"She knows?" Serena's face was stricken with terror.

"She does," Chuck confirmed. "The pair of you went missing for too long that night and she came to find you. Shame the only interest Blair has in the theater is acting her way through her every day life. She could win an Oscar with her talent, as much pretending and deceiving as she does."

"You're lying," Serena said, trying to call his bluff.

"While I do engage in the art of lying quite frequently, this is one of those rare occasions where speaking the truth happens to accomplish my goal better than a lie ever could. Consider yourself a witness to a monumental occasion." Serena cursed under her breath.

"This is bad," she stated.

"Or it's good, depending on where your interests lie."

"You don't know Blair. She holds things in. And keeps holding them in. And then, something happens that sets her over the edge and God help whoever happens to be in her path of destruction. And if you think you're safe because you're the new guy, or Blair's friend, or whatever, you're not. Especially if you really did have her 'up against the bathroom wall' as you so eloquently put it. I'm sure you're aware that a tryst with a notorious womanizer isn't in the script of her life story."

"Could you say 'and' one more time?" Chuck asked, ignoring everything Serena had said. "I don't think you said it enough in your most recent monologue." Serena scoffed and made to push past Chuck again. This time, he let her.

"My offer still stands!" he called after her. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours!" His answer was the last strands of Serena's hair following her around the nearest corner. He wiped his hand across his lips. He could still taste the faintest bit of Blair's lip gloss.

It was Tuesday and her plan was succeeding brilliantly. A guilt-ridden Nate had been the attentive boyfriend all weekend, making up bringing Serena to the party by showering her with gifts and flowers, accompanying her to plays, and watching Audrey movies without complaint. Serena's name hadn't been mentioned, her presence in New York nothing more than an afterthought in Blair's mind, for the moment at least. She had also successfully avoided Chuck Bass who, according to Gossip Girl, had spent his weekend bedding bartenders and cocktail waitresses and had been too hungover on Monday to show up at school. Now, she sat at her preferred table in the Constance courtyard, reading ahead for her literature class, content that all was right in her world at the present time.

"Waldorf." Chuck's voice broke through the world Blair was painting in her head as she read the story of Heathcliff and Catherine, not for the first time.

"All good things must come to an end," she quipped, marking her page and closing her book. She looked up at Chuck. "What do you want, Bass?" Chuck sat down across from her.

"Can't a friend say goo morning to another?" he asked.

"We aren't friends."

"We were," Chuck reminded her. "In the bathroom at the Kiss On The Lips party we were almost more than friends."

"You can forget that breakdown in my sanity. It won't happen again."

"It seems that you were at your sanest when my arms were around you and your lips were on mine."

"It never happened."

"It did and will happen again."

"It won't," Blair said, her tone full of steel.

Chuck felt irritation growing inside of him. It was impossible to get anywhere with Blair. Forget one step forward, two steps back. She erased whole chunks of time with her delusions.

"You know, the therapist that cracks how your mind works will go down in history," he stated, standing. "Probably win a Nobel Prize."

"The same could be said for you," Blair clipped sweetly.

"Unlike you, I'm well aware of my issues. I just choose to sex, drugs, and Johnnie Walker to escape them instead of trying to manipulate life into my own Technicolor movie. But since I'm feeling generous this morning, I came to tell you Serena has re-enrolled at Constance. Have a good day."

Chuck turned and walked off, Blair watching him go. She could pretend as much as she wanted that the bathroom scene hadn't happened, that she, as director of her perfect life, had left the footage for the cutting room floor. But she didn't really want to. She was supposed to, of course. She was still Nate Archibald's girlfriend and that was what was expected. But she couldn't deny that there was something between her and Chuck, some sort of weird connection that was becoming more and more apparent. It was too confusing for her to begin to explore right then, however. Instead, she took out her phone and scanned Gossip Girl. Sure enough, the top story was a photo of Serena in the main office of Constance, class schedule in hand.

"Good morning," Nate said, sneaking up behind her. He kissed her cheek as he sat down.

"Morning," she replied sweetly.

"Did you like the roses I had sent over this morning? I thought your favorite flower would be a good way to start the day."

"They were lovely," Blair answered politely. She bit her tongue to prevent herself from pointing out they weren't, and never had been, her favorite. Chuck, who had known her all of a month, had brought her peonies though, remembering that small detail from an otherwise lengthy discussion.

"So, um, I guess you probably already know Serena is back at school?" Nate asked.

"Yes, I do. What's your point?"

"I just... Thought you should know..."

"Well I do know. Chuck told me this morning." Nate's face clouded over at the mention of Chuck. Blair's curiosity was peaked. Could he possibly be jealous?

"You and Chuck spend a lot of time together," he said carefully.

"He's new. He doesn't have a lot of friends," Blair explained.

"I'm his friend," Nate stated. "And I don't really know if he wants friends. He's kind of a loner, you know? But Blair, I don't know if I trust him."

"I thought he was your friend?" Blair asked, raising her eyebrow. She could get used to this jealousy thing. Nate had never shown such an emotion before when it concerned her.

"He is, but his reputation... It's not like we've been best friends since birth or anything. I just don't trust him not to try something with you."

Blair was immediately reminded of Chuck declaring her as not off limits. The thought excited her more than it appalled her, just as the memory of his body pinning hers against the wall sent shivers down her spine.

"Chuck won't try anything," she said. "We have an understanding. Besides, don't you trust me?" Blair batted her eyelashes and smiled sweetly as she turned the tables on Nate.

"Of course I do," Nate relented. He leaned forward and kissed her softly, quickly. "Just like you trust me." Nate didn't notice the dark look that passed over Blair's face. She had trusted him once upon a time. Then Serena had came back.

"I need to get going," Blair said, standing and gathering her things. "I want to talk to Professor Fozzi about my essay before history." Nate stood to kiss her goodbye but she was already gone. His phone went off and he took it from his pocket. One new text message from Serena. He occurred to him as he read it that he should feel more guilty about it than he did.

Chuck had never felt guilty about anything in his entire life, but as he took up his position across the street from the gates of St. Jude's, relying on a tree for cover with his phone in hand, he wondered if the tight sensation in his pit of his stomach could possibly be the foreign emotion. What he was about to do would further his own agenda, but hurt Blair in the process and for some reason, he found that he cared whether or not she was hurting. Still, this had to be done.

He checked his Rolex and waited. Right on time, Nate, looking extremely guilty, darted out of a side entrance of St. Jude's. He checked his own watch and stopped just outside the St. Jude gates. He checked his watch again and nervously looked in the direction of Constance. Chuck made sure he couldn't be seen from his vantage point and watched as Serena flitted down the Constance stairs and joined Nate. He wished he could hear what they were saying – it would have helped his cause that much more – but he had to settle with holding his phone at the ready, waiting for the right moment.

Throughout their homeroom, he had watched Nate texting furiously and had been just bored enough to find himself curious as to who had that much to say to the blond Archibald. Dr. Baird had spotted Nate firing off another message and reprimanded him, causing Nate to drop the phone. When the bell rang, Nate had took off for his next class without it. Being the good friend he was, Chuck had picked it up to return to him but not before doing a little research that had led him to skip his Italian class.

He watched as Serena rested her hand on Nate's arm. He considered taking the picture he needed, but gambled on them doing getting even closer. His gamble paid off when the two embraced in a hug too intimate for just friends. He snapped the photo and fired it off to Gossip Girl. Once the message had been delivered, he erased it and the picture from his phone. He pocked his phone and waited for the coast to clear.

Blair covertly filed her nails as her chemistry professor droned on and on about reactions or catalysts or something. She didn't have much interest in the subject, but an A in it would look stellar on her transcript. A buzz sounded throughout the room and almost as a unit, the class reached for their cell phones the moment their teacher turned her back. Blair gasped audibly at the image in front of her as all eyes turned to her. She inhaled a deep breath, squared her shoulder, set her jaw, and dropped her phone into her bag. When the bell rang ten minutes later, she was the first one out of the class room.

She stormed into the St. Jude's side of their building, curls flying. She had every intention of skinning Nate alive when she found herself being dragged into an empty classroom.

"Going somewhere?" Chuck asked, shutting the door behind them.

"Let me go, Bass," Blair demanded, struggling against his grip on her arm

"Not until you calm down."

"Calm down?" Blair asked. "Calm down. Really, Chuck? I'm sure you've seen the Gossip Girl blast. You know about their history. You're seriously going to stand here and tell me to calm down?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "I know you're furious, as you should be, but you should take a deep breath before you go all exorcist on Nate."

"I told him to stay away from her!" Blair fumed. "Who does he think he is, meeting up with her in secret while everyone else is in class? Did he really thing no one was going to find out? I don't understand!" she ranted. She took a deep breath and looked at Chuck. He raised an eyebrow, waiting. Blair sighed, hating that somehow he could see right through her. "Why can't he stay away from her?" she asked him, her resolve dissolving around her. Chuck let her go. She sat down at a desk and drew in another breath.

"Maybe it was a final farewell," Chuck said, perching on the desktop. "A 'my girlfriend said I could never see you again, have a nice life' sort of thing."

"Neither of us believe that," Blair retorted. "You're a fool if you do."

"Well, clearly comforting the hurt is not my calling."

"Clearly," Blair agreed. Something in her tone made Chuck smirk just a little.

"If you want to separate Nathaniel's head from his body, far be it from me to stop you, but I recommend you reconsider your venue of choice for the execution," he told her. "Whoever sent that photo to Gossip Girl is most likely is aware of how you would react, hence the reason they sent it in the first place. You go after Nate here, there will be a Gossip Girl blast in under five minutes, damaging your reputation and giving Serena's a few bonus points."

Blair considered what Chuck was saying. He had a point. She was more often than not Gossip Girl's main target and the last thing she wanted was to give Serena any momentum.

"Fine," she agreed. "I'll give Nate a piece of my mind after school."

"You're more than welcome at my suite for a celebratory drink following your disembowelment of Nathaniel," Chuck offered with a bit more of a smirk.

"I'll pass," Blair stated. "There won't be anything to celebrate, after all. And now, I've got to go. I'm already late for French." Head held high, Blair exited the classroom, leaving Chuck to follow, satisfied that things were going his way.

"Blair," Nate greeted, caution in his eyes.

"We need to talk," Blair stated. "Can I come in?" She stepped inside the Archibald's foyer without an answer.

"Like I could stop you," Nate muttered under his breath. He turned to Blair. "Should we go up to my room?"

"This won't take long," she told him, drawing herself up to her full though still diminutive hight. "I told you to stay away from Serena."

"Blair...

"Why were you meeting up with her?"

"She texted me..."

"She texted you? So that gave you the right to text her back? To agree to meet her? Though I'm sure you were only meeting her to tell her in person that you couldn't talk to her anymore. Which, judging by things, you felt was best sealed with an intimate hug to say goodbye."

"Have you ever stopped to ask Serena why she took off?" Nate wanted to know. "Or why none of us heard from her? Or even why she came back?"

"Have you?" Blair retorted. Nate opened his mouth to reply, but Blair beat him to it. "Of course you have. Stupid question on my part."

"She left to try and get her life together. You know what she was like, Blair. She's changed. You'd see that if you would just talk to her."

"What do I have to say to get you to understand that I want nothing to do with Serena?"

"She's your best friend."

"Was. Then she left."

A knock sounded on the door. Nate moved around Blair to answer it.

"Nate! I'm sorry to just drop by, but I didn't know where else to go and I just came from visiting Eric..." Serena trailed off when she seen Blair standing behind Nate.

"Nice to see you've finally decided to be a sister," she quipped. "Seeing as you've failed horrendously in recent history."

"Eric told me you've been visiting him," Serena answered. "Thank you, Blair." She was sincere, but Blair didn't care.

"Someone had to."

"You knew about Eric?" Nate asked, turning to Blair. "Why did you tell me?"

"It's not exactly something that was meant to be spread about," Blair spat. "Serena? Do you need something? Nate and I were in the middle of an important conversation." Serena looked conflicted.

"Um, no, I guess. I just... I wanted to talk to someone about Eric. Normally I would come to you, but since you're not speaking to me, I thought maybe Nate..."

"You didn't tell her you can't see her," Blair accused Nate, interrupting Serena's speech as she whirled around on face him, perhaps more livid now than she had been when she'd seen the photo of them earlier.

"She's my friend, Blair. She used to be yours. It's not fair to ask me to give up a friend." Despite his brave words, Nate shifted from one foot to the other, nervous as to what was to come. Blair stared at him for a long moment, hiding her hurt as she realized Nate was choosing Serena over her, the girl he was suppose to love.

"Well, it seems the two of you have plenty to talk about. I guess I'll be going." She turned and made to leave.

"Blair," Nate called, reaching out to stop her. "Wait." She turned to look at him.

"Why should I?" she asked him. Her eyes sparkled with tears she refused to shed in front of either of them. "You chose Serena. You always do. You even lost her virginity to her. I was a fool for ever pretending I didn't know." She watched the shock register on Nate's face.

"Blair..."

"I'm done, Nate," she said, surprising them both. She turned to leave again and this time, Nate didn't stop her as she brushed past Serena and out the door.

"Blair...," Serena called after her. "Blair, wait!"

"Blair, stop," Nate called half heartedly, seeming to finding his voice after momentarily being struck dumb. Blair didn't acknowledge either of them. She slipped into her waiting car, determined to keep her composure even if her heart was breaking.

"Take me to The Palace," she ordered her driver. For some reason, it felt like the only place she had to go.

15 minutes later, Blair was knocking on the door of suite 1812. Chuck Bass opened it and smirked when he seen her. It was as though he expected her to turn up the whole time.

"Waldorf," he greeted.

"How about we turn that celebratory drink a 'drown my sorrows' drink instead?" she proposed. Chuck's smirk grew into a Cheshire cat-sized grin.

"I take it things didn't go according to plan."

"Hardly. Serena showed up. And I think we broke up. I don't want to talk about it. Now are you going to let me in or not?"

"Actually," Chuck said, stepping into the hallway and shutting the door behind him, "I was on my way out to check out an investment property. A little business venture I'm considering proposing to my father. You could come with me, see if the place meets your impossibly high standards. Then we'll drown your sorrows, no discussing of feelings necessary."

"Fine," Blair agreed. It was then that she noticed the folded newspaper and leather document case in Chuck's hand. His suit was sharper than usual too, she realized. She fell into step with him as they walked down the corridor. "What kind of place are you taking me to anyway, Bass? Do I need to make sure I have an updated tetanus shot?" Chuck placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her into the elevator.

"No tetanus shots necessary," he told her. "The place is called Victrola."

Oh Victrola...