A/N: Okay, this chapter turned out WAY longer than I expected it to, I even had to split it up. This chapter is going to be the main one on Hank and Celia's relationship, though there is some minor Chuck/Blair in here too.

There is going to be one more chapter after this sort of setting up the characters, and then it's going to get into more of the storyline stuff and Lauren's meeting with Chuck and Blair. I hope you all will bear with me until then!

…..

When the foursome arrived in the city early the next morning after their drive down from Connecticut, the boys had to rush to meet their family. On the day before Thanksgiving the Basses always went down to the cemetery to visit the graves of Bart, Lily, and Cyrus before they went out for lunch all together.

Since this was traditionally a family-only event, CJ and Hank dropped the girls off at Celia's apartment and went on their own. As Celia explained to Lauren, "I'm sure if we wanted to go with, Chuck and Blair wouldn't have a problem with it; I mean if you want to be technical about it, I am more related to Lily than they are, but I've always let them do this on their own. The Basses are a very guarded family, so something this personal is not something I would ever want to intrude on."

So instead the girls decided to get settled at Celia's apartment while they waited for the Bass family to finish their lunch.

When they entered the apartment, Lauren's jaw dropped, "Oh my God, this is where you live?"

Celia laughed, "Yes, at least when I'm not at school or staying at the Bass's."

Lauren looked around in confusion, "Do you live here by yourself?"

"Not including the maid and the cook? Yes, for the most part," Celia said with a shrug of her shoulders, "except for the random times when my mom is home."

"Where are your parents? Aren't they going to be here for the holiday?"

Celia snorted, "I wouldn't count on it. The last time I talked to my mom she was in Madrid, but who knows where she is now. She is always bouncing around from place to place. She comes back here from time to time, but it is never planned."

Lauren frowned, "Has it always been like this? Is that why you spent so much time with the Basses?"

"Um, yes, I mean, I guess you could say that." Celia stuttered. When the other girl just looked at her in confusion, she sighed, "It's a long story."

"We have time." Lauren stated simply, never taking her eyes off the blonde girl, "The boys and their family probably aren't even at lunch yet, right?"

Celia chuckled softly, "Yea I guess not." She sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to her for Lauren to sit. When the other girl had gotten comfortable, Celia began speaking, "My parents had a roller coaster relationship for a long time. They were both sort of free-spirits who couldn't really stick to one thing or one place for long, so their relationship was on and off for many years. They would meet up randomly all over the world on their travels and go out drinking and hooking up and then they would break up soon after. But one night they ran into each other in Las Vegas and got really drunk and somehow ended up married."

She shook her head and laughed softly, "Chuck immediately got the best lawyers for my mom so she could get a quick divorce, but my parents decided to actually try to make it work. And it did, to everyone's surprise. They hopped around from country to country like they had before, but they were traveling together instead of alone. Then a few years after that, my mom found out she was pregnant and she got really nervous because she thought my dad would freak out and get scared and leave, but he didn't. He was almost more excited than she was. They finally settled down here in New York where all their family was." Celia became more somber as she continued, "But less than a week after I was born, my father took off. There was no warning, no sign that he was unhappy. One day my mom woke up and he was just gone. She was confused and completely heartbroken. She went to Chuck immediately and had his best PIs go out and look for my father."

"PIs?" Lauren interrupted.

Celia tilted her head and gave the girl an amused look, "Yeah, you don't know about the Bass private investigators? Chuck has a whole team on standby at all times."

"What? Why?" Lauren asked. She was completely baffled. She had never heard of anything like this.

"CJ didn't tell you?" Celia's amusement only grew, "Well that figures. He probably didn't want to scare you off. Your whole family has probably already been checked out, so if there are any skeletons in your closet you should be prepared for a private talk with Chuck or Blair or both later today. Otherwise you have nothing to worry about. And in the future, don't forget that you are probably being watched."

"So what, they don't trust us?" Lauren asked bitterly, "That doesn't bother you?"

"Not really." Celia said with a shrug of her shoulders, "That is just the way Chuck is. He keeps on eye on everyone in his life. He doesn't really do trust well. He has a file on just about everyone, but no one else, except maybe Blair, ever sees them. Like, CJ will never find out anything that the PIs dig up about you unless Chuck believes that it is a threat to their family even after speaking with you. Then he'll talk to his son and convince him that you aren't a good choice of company to keep."

Lauren stared at the other girl with wide eyes, "You're serious?"

"Completely," Celia said with mock gravity before she burst out laughing, "Don't worry. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." The other girl still looked nervous, so Celia decided to get back to her story, "Anyway, my mom had the PIs start looking for my dad and about seven months later they finally got a solid lead. When they told my mom, she packed up and brought me over to the Basses so she could go and get him. But Chuck and Blair had never been a big fan of my father's and they didn't agree with my mom's decision to leave me behind to go find him."

…

"Serena, you can't just abandon your child." Chuck said from his place standing behind his wife.

Blair looked at her best friend with concern, "Serena, sweetie, think about how you felt every time Lily would take off and leave you and Eric. You don't want to do that to Cece. Plus, Carter has been gone for months. What makes you think he will even come back with you?"

"I don't, but I have to try." Serena said as she looked at her pleadingly, "B, don't you remember how much it hurt whenever Chuck would run away from you back in high school? Imagine experiencing that pain now; now that you have CJ and Harold."

"Serena," Chuck said sternly, trying to stand up for himself, "That was a long time ago. I would never-"
"Go," Blair interrupted him, "We'll watch Cece for as long as you need. Go find him and bring him back here."

Chuck stared at his wife in confusion, but Serena rushed forward and hugged her, "Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I find him. I promise."

After Serena had said goodbye to her daughter and left, Chuck turned to his wife with a questioning glance.

She met his gaze defiantly, "I put up with your silly fears and your need to run away from your feelings when we were younger, but if you ever left our children…" She paused and shook her head, "I would hunt you down until I found you and then I would drag your sorry ass back here and lock you in a room with your sons so you could never leave again."

Chuck pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, "I'm not going anywhere, ever. I promise."

…

"My mom didn't find him that first trip and she came back after a few days even more brokenhearted than when she had left. After that, the PIs would get leads every couple of months and my mom would rush off to whatever foreign land they claimed my father was in and leave me with the Basses but she always came back alone after a few days or even sometimes a few weeks." Celia started playing with one of her rings on her fingers absentmindedly, "Then on my fifth birthday my mom started the familiar routine of packing up a bag for herself and a bag for me, but I refused to be left behind that time. I cried and begged her not to leave on my birthday and to let me go with her to find my dad. I guess she was running late or something because she ended up letting me go with her. And that was the trip when we found him." She looked down as she continued, "He wasn't in the first place we looked, but we had just missed him. So we followed his trail and we found him in Madrid. His hair was buzzed short and he was really thin and he looked a lot older than all the pictures I had seen of him. My mom figured out right then why he had run away and I think she forgave him in that instant."

"Why did he do it?" Lauren asked quietly.

Celia looked back at her, "He hadn't been feeling well in the last few months of my mother's pregnancy and he found out just a few days after I was born that he had a brain tumor. He didn't want my mother to have to deal with his illness and a newborn and he thought he would be more of a burden than a help to her, so he decided to leave and get treatment overseas. He figured that he would either get better and come back healthy or he would die and no one would know."

Celia reached up and wiped away the single tear that had fallen onto her cheek, "When we found him, he had just gotten the news that his most recent surgery hadn't been completely effective and there was no more treatment the doctors could offer. We had finally found him, only to find out there was nothing else anyone could do for him and he was dying." More tears welled up in her eyes as she continued, "My mother and I stayed with him in Europe for the next eighteen months as his health slowly deteriorated. I don't remember too much about that time with my father since I was so young, but I remember him. I remember how every night, even near the end when he was completely bedridden, we would sit together and I would practice my reading with him. Every day he made a point of telling me that he loved me and that he wished he had gotten to spend more time with me. He wanted to make sure that I knew that he didn't leave because of me, that none of it was my fault."

Celia took a deep breath and looked down again, "After he died, my mother had his body brought back to New York so he would be buried here. She was in a trance those first few days leading up to the funeral, and no one could get through to her. After the funeral she was a wreck and three days later, I came home from my first day back at school to find a bunch of suitcases waiting by the door. Before I could even ask a question, my mother sent me to my room to change and then we left. She brought me to the Basses building and put me in the elevator with my bags. She handed me a note to give to Blair, gave me a kiss goodbye and pressed the button for the penthouse. When I arrived, no one was home, except for the maid. Dorota looked worried when she saw me, but she quickly put a smile on her face and had me sit and eat some cookies until someone came home."

…

Chuck arrived home promptly at five after another long day at the office. He knew his wife had taken the boys to get haircuts that afternoon and wouldn't be home when he arrived, but Blair had always been adamant that he arrive home at a decent hour so he could bond with his children before they ate dinner together as a family, and it was a hard habit to break.

He strolled into the penthouse and handed his coat to the waiting Dorota. She looked nervous, which caused him to raise an eyebrow in question. The maid gestured to the sitting room, "Mr. Chuck, Miss Celia is here."

His brow furrowed and he noticed the suitcases sitting in the foyer. He was about to walk into the other room and talk to the young girl sitting on his couch, but just then the elevator opened and four brunette little boys came running out as Blair followed behind with their newest, infant son cradled against her chest while she yelled at the boys to take off their shoes and go wash their hands for dinner.

Chuck walked over and gave his wife a soft kiss as Dorota took young Sebastian from Blair's arms. "Did you know about our guest this evening?" Chuck asked, causing Blair to look at him in confusion. He gestured towards the luggage, "Cece is here."

Blair's eyes widened, "What? Where?"

Chuck pointed into the other room, "On the couch."

Together the pair walked into the other room. At the sound of their approach, Celia looked up and smiled innocently, "Hi Aunt Blair. Hi Uncle Chuck."

"Hello, Cece. What are you doing here?" Blair asked kindly.

"My mom dropped me off. Here, she told me to give this to you." The young girl said as she took an envelope from the table and handed it to Blair. Her smile fell as she asked, "Where did my mom go, Aunt Blair? We already found me daddy, she doesn't need to look for him anymore."

Blair's heart broke for the little girl before her. She handed the letter to Chuck, who immediately opened it and began to read while Blair sat down and put a comforting arm around Celia, "I don't know where she is, sweetie. But Uncle Chuck and I will find out."

"Okay." The girl nodded, "Why didn't she take me with? Was I bad last time?"

"Of course not!" Blair said quickly, "Your mom, she just-, well, she-"

"She just needed some time alone." Chuck finished for her.

"Why?" Celia asked as she looked up at him questioningly.

Chuck knelt down so he was eye-level with her, "Well, your mom is really sad and she misses your dad and she didn't want to make you sad too."

Blair had been able to figure out the gist of the letter from Chuck's response and she continued, "You know how when you are really sad sometimes and you want to be alone."

Celia nodded slowly, "I want to be a big girl. I don't want to cry in front of everyone."

"Right," Blair agreed, "Well your mommy wants to cry, but she doesn't want to do it in front of everyone either."
"So she went away to cry?"

"Yes."

"When will she be back?" Celia questioned.

Blair looked to Chuck, unsure if Serena had put a return date in her letter. When he shook his head ever so slightly, Blair looked back at the little girl, "I don't know sweetie, but as long as she is gone you are going to stay here and help me and Dorota keep all these boys in line, okay? We really need the help, we're outnumbered here!"

Celia smiled and nodded eagerly, "Okay" She said just as the boys came scrambling down the stairs.

"Cece!" Hank said excitedly when he saw his best friend sitting on the couch. "Are you sleeping over?"

Before she could answer, Blair put an arm around her waist and pulled her close, "Yup," She told her son, "I think it's about time I had another girl around this house for a while, don't you?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "I guess." He then grabbed Celia's hand and pulled her to her feet, "Come on, let's go play in my room until dinner is ready."

The two children ran off as Chuck and Blair shared a worried glance. They were both well aware of Serena's tendency to run from pain and problems and they hoped that this time would be different; that she would return home before too long.

…

Celia sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "My mom came home a few months later, but she didn't stay for long and ever since she has been in and out of the city. She will go away for weeks or months at a time and then one day I'll wake up and she will downstairs singing in the kitchen and making some toast. She stays for a few days or weeks or even occasionally a couple of months, but then I'll come home from school or wake up to find her packing or already gone. Her appearances are never planned and she always leaves unexpectedly."

"That must have been rough on you when you were younger." Lauren said sympathetically.

"Um, yeah, in a way it was. But I always had the stability of Hank and his family, so it made it all more bearable."

"Aren't you angry at your mom, after the way she left you?"

"No." Celia said quickly as her eyes snapped up to meet the other girl's, "I mean, I wish she had been around more often, but I can understand why she did what she did." Seeing the perplexed look on Lauren's face, Celia shrugged and continued, "I know what she is feeling. Both of my parents always felt the need to run from pain or change or fear and there are a lot of times I feel the exact same way. Running away is something that is in my blood. I've thought about leaving a bunch of times, but I've only managed to actually leave the city once."

"Oh?"

Celia nodded, "It was about a week before graduation and we were in a seniors-only assembly about the end of the year. I started thinking about how everything was going to be different after that week and I just freaked out. I stood up and left in the middle of the assembly." She looked down and picked at her cuticle, "To anyone else, it probably seemed like I was just going to the bathroom or something but Hank knew me. He followed me out and tried to catch up to me in the hall, but when I saw him coming I started to run. I ran outside and jumped into a cab before he could reach me and took off. I went home, threw some clothes in a bag and went straight to the airport and bought a ticket for the first international flight that was available. From the time I left school to when my flight took off, it was probably less than an hour, but when I landed in Milan a few hours later, I went to baggage claim only to find Hank standing there with my suitcase."

Lauren's eyes widened in disbelief, "What?"

Celia shook her head in amusement and chuckled softly, "As soon as I got in the cab at school, he knew what I was doing. He called one of the PIs and had him watch my credit card so he would know where I bought a ticket too. Then he called his dad and had the Bass jet fueled up and ready to go so it could leave as soon as he found out the destination. He went straight to the airport, without any clothes or luggage or anything and sat in the jet and waited for the call from the PI. As soon as I bought my ticket, he knew where I was going and he took off. He didn't have to sit through the long check-in or security lines or wait for the set departure time like I did, so he was able to beat me there." Her expression became more somber, "As soon as I saw him, I just fell into his arms crying."

…

Hank smoothed down his girlfriend's hair as she cried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Hank." She kept repeating over and over.

"Shh," He soothed her, "Don't apologize. I'm not angry."

She pulled back and looked him in the eyes, "You're not?"

He shook his head, "Nope. You were scared, I get it." He tilted his head down and stared deep into her eyes, "I know you, remember? I understand your need to run."

The tears started to fall down her cheeks again, "What did I ever do to deserve you? You're too good for me."

Hank smirked, "You know that's not true."

Celia opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with a raised hand, "I do have one small request I would like to make."

She laughed bitterly, "After what I did today, you can ask for whatever you want."

"Next time you feel like you need to run away," He said tenderly, "take me with you."

"Hank-"

"Please, Celia. I don't care where we go or how long we're gone. I'll run anywhere with you, as long as I am with you."

…

Lauren smiled softly, "You guys seem perfect for each other. Chuck and Blair must have been pushing you together since you were little."

Celia laughed, "It was more the opposite actually. They encouraged us to date other people."

"Really? why?"

"Apparently when Blair was younger, her parents pushed a relationship on her even after she realized that it really wasn't working and her and Chuck never wanted to do that to their own children. They never pressured us, but they have been supportive and happy ever since we got together. They just wanted to be sure we really wanted to be together and weren't doing it because we thought it was expected of us."

Lauren frowned, "They sound so intimidating. I'm so nervous to meet them."

Celia patted her knee with a kind smile, "Don't be. Chuck and Blair may seem tough, but deep down all they really want is for their children to be happy and anyone with eyes can see that you make CJ happier than he has ever been."

Lauren returned her smile half-heartedly, "I hope you're right…"