On the last day that they were all in town, Celia and Lauren went over to the Bass penthouse for brunch. Throughout the meal, Lauren could tell that she had begun to adjust to CJ's family. While she was nowhere near comfortable around them, she had managed to get to the point where she didn't feel like she was going to have an anxiety attack whenever she saw Chuck and Blair.

After they had finished eating, Blair invited Lauren to go speak with her privately in the sitting room. Lauren was nervous but she knew that the request was more of a command then a question, so she followed the older woman into the other room.

Once they were both seated, Blair turned to her with a polite smile, "Well, as I'm sure Celia has informed you; my son has never been as serious with a girl as he is with you. He's never brought anyone home to meet us."

"I-, uh, yes, she did mention something like that." Lauren said apprehensively.

"Don't be nervous," Blair patted her knee reassuringly, "Celia sure loves to talk; which, when you think about it, kind of goes against everything our family is about. The Basses love their secrets," She said with an eye roll, "But I guess she is kind of good to have for situations like this, when there is someone new around. Otherwise, I'm sure you would be completely in the dark about many aspects of our family."

Celia smiled, trying to appear calm, "Yes, it was great to have her here. She helped me see a lot of different things."

Blair nodded in understanding, "I know it is hard for us to let people in, especially my husband and I, but I just wanted to let you know that I think my son has made a great choice with you and you are a welcome addition to our family. I can't wait to have you as a daughter-in-law."

Lauren blanched, "CJ and I have only been dating for a few months. But it seems like everyone is already considering us as good as married."

Blair laughed, "Well it is obvious. You two are going to end up together."

"How can you know that?"

"I can just tell," Blair said with a simple shrug of her shoulders, "I see the way my son looks at you. When the Bass men find something they want they won't let it go, no matter how hard you may try to run. Trust me, I would know."

Lauren looked confused, which caused Blair to explain with a faraway look in her eyes, "You can try to leave him, try to move on, but in the end you won't be able to. You will always come back to him. It's inevitable."

Blair turned her gaze back to the young woman next to her with a kind smile, "Has Celia ever mentioned anything about Chuck and I in any of her stories?"

Lauren looked down at her lap as she answered timidly, "Um, just that you had a long and tumultuous relationship before you got married."

Blair couldn't help but laugh at the simple description of everything her and Chuck had gone through in their youth, "Yes, we chased each other and played games and hurt each other for years. Did you know that he tried proposing to me once when we were only nineteen?" She asked. Lauren shook her head and Blair continued, "Yes, well, it ended disastrously. We were interrupted and Chuck was punched in the face and I ended up breaking up with him. It was our longest break up in the whole time we have been together."

Blair paused and looked off into the distance as she continued, "But the second time he proposed it was absolutely perfect. We had gotten back together after the big break up during the summer before my junior year at Columbia and that Christmas I came home one afternoon and found a note from him waiting for me." A smile grew on her face, "It told me to go upstairs to my room to find the first clue that would lead to my present. So I rushed up the stairs and found the note lying on my bed. It said-"

"'So this is your bed?'" A voice interrupted from the door. Both women looked up and saw Chuck standing there with his hands in his pockets and an easy smirk on his face. He walked across the room and sat down next to his wife before he continued, "'We didn't sleep here together very often, but this was the location of many plots of social destruction. Your next clue is located in a place where we did spend the night together quite frequently throughout our secret affair.'"

Blair looked at him with shock, "You remember."

"Of course I remember." Chuck said as he took her hand and pulled her closer to him, "I planned it for weeks. I had thought my first attempt at a marriage proposal, when I unsuccessfully tried to Affair to Remember you, was the most romantic thing I could do, but I really outdid myself with this."

Blair scoffed at his self-assuredness before she turned her attention back to Lauren and continued with the story, "I knew the next clue would be at his suite in the Palace, although I hadn't known he had kept the suite in his name."

Chuck shrugged casually, "Sometimes I can be sentimental; you should know that."

Blair rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored his comment, "His little scavenger hunt took me all over the city, to all the landmark places in our relationship, like my dorm rooms at both Columbia and NYU, central park, the VanderBass-Humphrey penthouse, Victrola, and his limo." She stared into Chuck's eyes lovingly as she continued, "In the limo there was a note that said, 'This is where it all began, and now it will take you to where I almost caused it to end forever.'"

Blair sighed, "I knew immediately where I was going." She focused her attention back on Lauren as she explained, "Chuck had lived in the penthouse of the Empire, the first building he owned, during our first year together. But when he returned to New York after our break-up he moved out because that apartment was filled with too many painful memories, for both of us. And by the time we had gotten back together Chuck was living in another building that he had bought.

"So as soon as I read that note, I knew he was taking me back to the Empire. And when the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, I was surprised to see him standing there, looking out the window. I hadn't expected the romantic trail of clues to end there of all places. The whole apartment was completely bare, since no one was living there, and it wasn't decorated at all. There were no flowers or romantic lighting. There was only a single lamp on in the corner."

"I had given up on flowers," Chuck interrupted to explain, "Every time I tried to give them to you, things just ended up getting ruined." He turned to Lauren and said, "I haven't given any to my wife since. I find other, more personal things to give to her. Flowers are overrated."

Blair looked at him like he was crazy before she said to Lauren, "I was really confused, and when Chuck turned to face me he could probably see that. I had no idea why he would ever present me with a gift at a place that had caused us both so much pain."

…

Chuck walked across the room towards her slowly, "I know I've done some horrible things in the past, especially to you," He said softly, "And you know how sorry I am about it all. But I've changed, I'm better than I was then and I never want to see you upset or hurting or crying ever again. And, Blair," He said as he took her hands in his, "If you do me the honor of becoming my wife, I promise I will do everything I can to ensure that nothing and no one, not even me, causes you pain ever again."

"I know that being here is hard for you," He said, gesturing to the room around them, "It's hard for me too. But it is something that needed to be done. I know this isn't your idea of a good proposal location, but I'm asking you here because like our past, this place is full of both good and bad memories. We shared plenty of good times here, some of the best, but we have also experience some of the very worst moments of our relationship here, moments that have torn us apart and tested our love."

He looked deep into her eyes as he continued, "I'm asking you here because I want you to remember and consider those bad times along with all the good ones before you answer. I want you to think about how great we are together, about how much I love you. But I also want you to consider how much I have hurt you; how much I could hurt you again if I screw up, which we both know could very well happen." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but it quickly faded, "I don't want you to make this decision rashly. I want you to take both sides into account before you give me an answer. Either way, whatever you decide, I will understand."

"Just ask me, Chuck." She said, looking down at their entwined hands.

"What?"

She met his gaze confidently, "You brought me here to ask me a question, Bass. So ask it already."

Chuck took a deep breath, got down on one knee and looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes, "Blair Cornelia Waldorf, be my wife. Chuck Bass doesn't beg, but here I am on my knees, begging you. I can't promise that I will be perfect. I can't be that perfect prince charming that you always dreamed of. But I can promise to try my hardest. I can promise to be the absolute best that I can be for you. So please, marry me."

"Yes," Blair said with tears in her eyes, "Of course I'll marry you. Yes, yes!"

Chuck rose to his feet and pulled her close, wearing a stupid grin to match hers as he slipped the ring on her finger and pressed his lips to hers.

…

Chuck and Blair were staring into each other eyes as they finished telling the story and Lauren was completely awed by the romanticism of the whole thing. After a moment Blair turned to her and smiled, "I know my son and I know that he feels the same way about you that Chuck feels about me. He's just smart enough not to screw it up so much."

"Ouch, that hurt, Love." Chuck said darkly with a hand to his chest, feigning insult.

Blair merely smirked back at him and before Lauren could formulate a response to what she had said there was a knock and the door opened. CJ took a step into the room and asked, "What are you doing in here? Have you managed to scare off Lauren for good yet?"

"We were just having some girl talk." Blair said innocently.

CJ raised a skeptic eyebrow, "With Dad here?"

"He came in uninvited. But I would just end up telling him all about it later anyway, so what difference does it make if he stayed?"

CJ rolled his eyes in a way that reminded Lauren a lot of his mother, "Well, regardless, Celia and Hank are ready to go so we need to leave so we can get back to school at a decent time."

They all stood up from their seats and Blair gave Lauren a hug, "It was so great to meet you, Lauren." She said as she hugged her, "I can't wait to have you come visit us again."

"Thank you, I had a great time." Lauren said shyly as they broke apart.

Chuck placed a hand on his wife's waist and nodded at Lauren, "Keep an eye on our son. Make sure he doesn't cause too much trouble up at that fancy, uptight school of yours." He said with a wink.

Lauren laughed and told him she would as CJ scowled before he shook his father's hand and kissed Blair's cheek to say goodbye.

After they had said their farewells to everyone, CJ, Lauren, Celia and Hank all got on the elevator to head down to their car and leave. While they were in the elevator, Lauren turned to CJ and said, "I like your parents."

CJ looked surprised and she quickly continued, "In a they-still-scare-me-shitless-and-I-feel-like-I always-have-to-be-on-my-best-behavior-around-them kind of way."

CJ just laughed and pulled her closer, "That feeling will pass…maybe…" He laughed some more as she scowled and hit him on the chest playfully.

…

A/N: Hmm, okay, so this is probably the last chapter focusing on Lauren and CJ. They will still be in the story, obviously, but I think next chapter I'm going to move on to the next focus, which will be Ed and Emily. As I've told a few of you, Ed is probably my favorite of the Bass children and he has a really good story (in my opinion. Lol.) so I'm excited to write it.

Please review!