I don't own anything.
All characters Gossip Girl.
Inspired by the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitizgerald.
The ride to New York was fine trip, after the girls had left Chuck had nearly immediately called around Arthur with the car and pulled Humphrey out his house. The pair sat in the back seats, Chuck was puffing on his third cigarette and Dan sat next to him, "So what did you and Blair talk about?"
"We cleared a few things up," he replied succinctly, stubbing out the end of the cigarette.
"She's getting married remember," Dan pointed out, "unless you've convinced her otherwise?"
"At this time, yes, she is still engaged," Chuck replied, "we just caught up, I've not seen the girl for over a year," he lifted another stick to his lips and lit it.
"So, what now?"
Chuck smirked, blowing out a ring of smoke "We have business to attend to."
"Business?"
"I have a friend, Mike, in the city. He has some.." Chuck paused, "information, that desperately needs my attention."
Dan rose his eyebrow, "What kind of information?"
Chuck didn't reply, just smirked and took another puff of smoke.
As the City came into view, Dan was writing in his leather-bound notebook, scribbling notes on characters and setting "What are you going to call me?" Chuck asked, his eyes stretched over the paper covered in Dan's scrawling penmanship.
"Charlie," Dan smirked at Chuck's face, "Charlie Trout."
"Very imaginative," Chuck sniped, "No one calls me Charlie."
"Sorry Charlie," Dan laughed wholly as he said it and heard Chuck give a 'huff' of annoyance.
As the town car pulled into the City streets Arthur announced that they needed some more fuel and he exited the vehicle, "hey, I know this garage," the garage in question was a small, grease covered building with room outside the front with several pumps
Chuck looked up briefly from his newspaper and shook his head, "Look Humphrey, don't remind me you come from around here, I put up with you by ignoring your roots."
Dan rolled his eyes and got out of the car, hearing Chuck sigh behind him, "excuse me, does Vanessa still live here?" Dan asked the boy filling the car.
The boy looked up at Dan, "Uh, yes Sir. She's probably out the back," the boy quickly looked back down at the job at hand.
Dan went into the house past the concrete forecourt and inside was a car garage much like any other, with a car rose up inside so that a mechanic could work underneath it, the table tops covered in greasy tools and wrenchs, at the back was a iron staircase leading up to an office and an apartment at the back. He made his way up the stairs carefully - they didn't look particularly safe.
Upon looking into the office he could see nothing, just a desk with some paperwork, walking in he noticed the door leading to the apartment was slightly ajar and could hear movement in the next room.
Dan walked straight over to it, rather excited to see his old friend again, he hadn't seen much of her over the past few months, after taking the job up in Manhattan, Vanessa wasn't much of a Manhattan girl, she'd gotten married to a son of the Mechanic that owned this establishment a little over a year ago named Milton Jones Jr of Milton Jones and Sons Mechanics. He and Vanessa had been friends since children and knew she would be just as happy to see him - Dan had always thought they would end up together but receiving an invitation to her wedding told him otherwise.
As he walked into the apartment, it was small with maroon walls, white net curtains covered the windows with a small kitchen to the right, but this isn't what made Dan gasp and shut the door behind him, it was the sight of his dear old friend Vanessa in a very compromising position with someone who isn't her husband.
Her tanned body was up against his wantonly and her hands buried in the back of his hair, the man's muscular torso pulled her against him as he kissed the space above her breasts to the hollow of her throat and she let out an almighty moan and he smiled as he pulled that reaction from her, his blue eyes looked on her as if she were a Goddess. His blonde hair mussed from her ministrations and her own jet black hair was curly and wild, the sound of a door being slammed shut made her gasp and grab a green dress that was sprawled on the floor, "Oh my God."
Dan sped down the stairs but tripped over the last step and landed on his chest with a thud that knocked the wind out of him, "DAN!" She shouted and flew down the stairs with just as much speed, "What on Earth are you doing here?"
Dan coughed, "What were you doing?"
Vanessa looked surprised, "Oh well, Milton is in town with his father and uh -" she stopped herself and pulled the dress up her shoulder, "nothing. You saw nothing."
Suddenly a male form made his way down the stairs, tucking his crisp white shirt back into his navy blue trousers but stopped halfway down the stairs, his blue eyes frozen on the man standing just a few feet below him.
"Nate?"
Vanessa looked between the two, "You two know each other," she asked confused, "Nate is a friend. He's doing a deal with Milton," Vanessa spoke quickly, "but as Milton isn't here he wa-"
"Entertaining you?" Dan finished.
"Look V, it's great to see you, but I gotta go.."
"Wait Dan," Nate called from the stairs, "how about you meet me later for a drink?"
Dan turned around and looked at Nate incredulously, "You have to b-"
"Humphrey, I don't have all day you know," Chuck drawled as he wandered into the hall, his nose scrunching up at the state of the joint, "I'm a very busy ma-" Chuck stopped mid sentence, a smirk appearing on his face at the sight of Nate, his collar askew with the faint markings of cheap brown lipstick and the girl hair messed in such a way left little to the imagination, "Well, well, well.. Nathaniel, so good to see you," Chuck smarmed.
Nate's throat swallowed a large gulp, shifting in his spot, and a red shade crept up his neck "Charles, I didn't know you were in the City."
Chuck's eyes gleamed, "I nearly didn't come. I was having such a frivolous catching up with an old friend," he winked for good measure, "Humphrey, I think we should go, we've got so much to do and no it seems that so little time to achieve it," he motioned for Dan to follow as one would a dog.
Nate's knuckles had turned white on the bannister, "I'll see you at the Plaza at seven, Humphrey. Don't be late," he called out.
"Nate? What's going on?" Vanessa reached for him but he snapped his arm away and stomped out the back door.
Dan and Chuck were back on the road, neither speaking, Dan mostly because he'd just saw his childhood best friend naked with another naked man, the image he couldn't shake. He looked up at Chuck and tempted to say something but didn't for the moment - Chuck looked like the cat who'd caught the canary.
"Did you see anything?" Chuck asked suddenly.
Dan thought for the moment, he'd aways seen himself as a moral person - he wanted to do the right thing. So his mind was at a crossroads, was this the right thing? If he told Chuck exactly what he'd seen then he'd destroy what Vanessa had - where would she go if she was caught? If he didn't then Chuck would continue his life solitary and pining over Blair - and she'd be locked in a loveless marriage, he either protected Vanessa or bring two star-crossed lovers back together, "Nothing incriminating," he replied and instantly regretted it.
Chuck's face didn't change, "We're on our way to meet Mike," he lit a cigarette.
"Mike?"
Chuck smirked, "My P.i. - let's see if he found anything incriminating."
They met Mike in a seedy 'Soup Kitchen' in midtown. If you said you wanted the Flamingo Special you'd get a shot of scotch in your soup. Chuck ordered three. It was a dark room covered in wooden panels and large wooden tables and booths filled the room at the end was a large bar.
"Mike - good to see you," Chuck shook the mans hand and passed him a bowl of soup/scotch.
Mike was a short gentleman, his hair was fading on the top of his head so he had combed over what was left on the sides, he had a black herringbone suit on with shiny brown loafers. He had with him a black briefcase and three large envelopes.
"Always good to see you, Charlie," he replied.
Dan laughed and Chuck shot him a look that shut him up, "this is Daniel Humphrey. He's writing about me."
Mike looked interested, "You never saw me. You don't know who I am. If you mention me I'll separate you into five pieces you'll be scattered over five different states, capishe?" he shook a stubby finger at him.
Dan just nodded and Chuck slapped his back, "he's no harm.. so, what do you have for me?" Chuck reached out his hand and Mike handed him over the envelopes.
Inside were black and white photographs, some were just Nate walking along Central Park, a couple of him and his mother drinking tea, "he always was a Mama's Boy," scoffed Chuck and some were just too grainy and blurred to decipher anything.
"This is it Mike? I'm putting your kids through college and this is all you've got for me? I should sho-" Chuck was cut off by Mike raising a hand and giving Chuck one last envelope.
"This should make sure I get a next pay check," he winked at Dan.
Chuck snatched it out of his hands, "why didn't you just show me this?"
Looking through, Chuck's face lit up, "Yes, oh Mike, you are good."
Mike looked quite pleased with himself and took a large gulp of his soup, spilling some of the red liquid down his jacket, "I always deliver."
Chuck looked up and Dan and showed Dan the images, again some were two grainy you could just make out two people - but no identity could be deciphered, when he looked at the next image, Dan swallowed a gulp.
It was of his friend and Nate - again in a very compromising position, there were six or seven all in different locations, some in a car, some in a restaurant Vanessa licking his ear and one taken into a window where - well Dan thought that position was illegal.
"How much?" Chuck whispered.
"Double my usual. I nea-"
"Done." Chuck slammed down a large bag of cash, and Mike's eyes lit up.
"Always good doing business with you," and he left.
"What now?" Dan asked.
Chuck smirked, "I want you to meet Nate tonight. Keep him busy. Play with him a bit. I need to get back to the Hampton's."
"What? How is that going to help?"
Chuck smiled and puffed on yet another ciggeratte, "Just do it, Humphrey."
Thank you for the reviews and I hope you are enjoying it!
I know I'm making Nate to be a bit of an ass but for the story it works - I love Chuck and Nate's bromance usually.
Many thanks Bx