Here's the next chapter. It's set around 4 weeks after the last one. Let me just start by saying that I was really upset by the Chair break-up in 3x17 which made it pretty difficult to finish this chapter. Luckily I wrote most of it before the episode aired or I probably wouldn't have been able to have it up this quickly. I still love Chuck and Blair, but it's going to take a while for them to get past this and for Chuck to redeem himself to everyone.
Also, I really didn't like the Chuck's mother and Jack Bass storyline on the show so I'm completely disregarding that it happened. I'm sticking with the idea that Chuck's mother died during child birth because I think it allows for a better story. Anyway, enjoy this chapter! I think we all need some Chair cuteness after that slapping scene in 3x17. Okay, I'm going to stop rambling now, on with the story...
Blair stepped into the bathroom, pulling her nightie over her head and discarding it on the floor. She then leant over the sink and threw some water on her face, before patting her face dry with a towel. Blair then began to make her way back to the bedroom, but stopped when she caught a glance of herself in the bathroom mirror. She turned on her side, imagining herself with a huge baby belly in a few months time, smiling at the idea. Blair brought her hand to her stomach and stroked it gently. She gasped as she noticed that her belly had started protruding out slightly. She didn't know why she was so surprised, being 12 weeks pregnant it was bound to happen around this time. To others the bump would be nearly unnoticeable, but to Blair it was a drastic change to her usually slim figure. "Chuck!" she called out.
After a few moments, he appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, "What's the matter Blair?" When he saw her standing in her underwear he smirked mischievously, "You're showing off your new lingerie I see."
She rolled her eyes, "No, come here," she gestured for him to come closer. As Chuck approached her, Blair took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "I have a baby bump!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Chuck moved his hand over her slightly rounded stomach in amazement, "Wow, you do," he commented, a small smile appearing on his lips. "The little guy is really growing, isn't he?"
"Little guy OR little girl," Blair corrected him. Chuck had been referring to the baby as a 'he' for the last few weeks, despite Blair correcting him numerous times. "And yes it is growing," she smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Isn't this exciting? There really is a baby in there."
Chuck smiled, wrapping his arms around his girlfriends waist, "It's definitely making this a lot more real," he agreed. What Chuck didn't add was how much this was scaring him. The fact that the baby was growing only emphasised how soon Blair would be giving birth, and how soon they would have a baby of their own.
Blair gave him another quick kiss, before moving into the bedroom where she had laid out the dress she was going to wear that day on the bed. Chuck followed her into the bedroom and watched as Blair unzipped the dress and pulled it over her head. "Can you zip me up?" she asked, glancing back at him.
"Sure," he replied, moving over to her and zipping up the dress carefully.
Blair turned around to face him and looked down to her stomach in amusement, "This dress definitely feels tighter," she commented, allowing her hand to drift to her stomach again. Blair suddenly noticed how quiet Chuck was being and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Chuck answered.
"You're being a little quiet," she confessed.
He sighed, "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Like what?"
"Let's see work, you, the baby..." he listed.
"You don't have to worry about me and the baby, we're doing just fine," Blair assured him. Chuck nodded slightly, looking down at his feet. Blair frowned, placing a hand on his chin and lifting it so he was looking at her. "I scared you with the baby bump thing didn't I?"
"No, of course not," he replied, rubbing her shoulder assuringly.
"I'm sorry, I should've realised that this would be scary for you," she went on. "I mean, the fact that the baby's growing just brings up how close the baby's birth is, which I know must be terrifying for you. I just got so excited and I didn't think-"
"Blair," Chuck interrupted her. "You have nothing to apologise for, you have every right to be excited about this. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your happiness because of my stupid fears."
Blair was about to reply, when there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Is everybody decent in there?" Nate asked from behind the door. He had to ask that question when Chuck and Blair were involved.
"Yes Nate, come in," Blair replied.
He opened the door, "Lily and Rufus are here," he said. "They're back from their trip and they want to see the both of you."
"Oh, they came back from Europe today," Chuck acknowledged. There had been so much going on lately, he had completely forgotten when Lily and Rufus were coming back. They had been gone for the last 2 months and he had missed them terribly. Well to be honest, he didn't really miss Rufus. Over the last few years they still hadn't become very close. He took Blair's hand and they went into the living room with Nate following close behind.
"We'll talk about this later," Blair whispered to Chuck on their way out of the room. He nodded in reply. "Lily!" she smiled, pulling Chuck's adoptive mother into a hug.
"Blair, how are you?" she asked. They pulled away from each other and Lily smiled. "I heard the news!"
"You did?"
"Yeah, I called and told them a few days ago," Serena admitted. "I'm sorry B, I was really excited and I couldn't wait to tell them."
"Oh they were bound to find out eventually," Blair replied.
"We are so excited for the both of you," Lily said, giving Chuck a quick hug as Blair proceeded to hug Rufus.
"Thank you," Chuck replied with a smile.
"Congratulations," Rufus said, shaking Chuck's hand. "But I've got to say, this is a huge surprise."
Lily nodded in agreement, "We're gone for a couple of months, then we come back and you're pregnant."
"We were just as surprised as you are," Chuck nodded, as he and Blair smiled at each other. "But we're happy about it, of course."
"Let me say right now, that we would be more than happy to baby-sit whenever you want," Lily offered.
"Oh me too," Serena agreed. "And Nate."
"Me?" he asked. "But I don't know anything about taking care of a baby."
"Don't worry, you'll learn," she assured him.
"Anyway," Blair began, addressing Lily and Rufus, "I assume we're going to be seeing you both at my mother and Cyrus's anniversary party tonight."
"Of course, we wouldn't miss it," Lily replied.
Later that afternoon, Nate and Chuck were sitting at the hotel bar together having a drink. "Nathaniel," Chuck began, turning his head towards his friend, "I need to talk to you about something, man to man."
"Man to man?" Nate repeated.
"Yes, this is serious," he replied. "I'm going to show you something that you cannot tell anyone about, not even Serena. Do you understand?"
"Yeah of course," he nodded. "What's going on Chuck?"
Chuck reached into his pocket and pulled out a small purple, velvet box. He opened it, then set it down on the bar in front of Nate. Nate looked at the contents, a diamond engagement ring and laughed, "Are you asking me to marry you?"
"Very funny," he retorted with a smile. "It's for Blair obviously."
"I'm just messing with you man, of course it's for Blair," Nate smiled. "So you're going to ask her to marry you? That's huge!"
"Well we're already having a baby together, so it seemed like the next logical step," Chuck explained.
"I thought you and Blair decided to wait until after the baby's born to get married?"
"We did. We are going to wait," he nodded, looking down at the ring, "but I just want to show Blair that I'm serious about committing to her and the baby. I want her to know that I love her and I really do want to marry her." Chuck looked back up at Nate to see him smiling at him. "What?"
"Nothing," Nate replied. "I just can't believe that you and Blair are getting married and having a baby."
"She hasn't said yes yet," Chuck pointed out, picking up the ring box and snapping it shut.
"She's going to say yes," he assured him. "She already said she was going to marry you after the baby's born."
"I guess so," he nodded, putting the box back in his pocket. "This proposal thing is still making me nervous. Blair has such high expectations of a romantic proposal, what if I disappoint her?"
"Chuck," Nate started, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You know Blair better than anyone else, you know what's going to make her happy. But regardless of how you propose to her, she will definitely say yes because she loves you." Chuck smiled greatfully. Nate smirked and added, "And because you knocked her up and her mother would kill the both of you if you didn't eventually get married."
"I'm just going to pretend that you didn't say that second part," he chuckled. "So, thanks for the talk Nate. You can be pretty wise when you want to be."
"It's not a side of me that people often see, but it does exist," he replied. He paused for a moment, before patting Chuck on the back, "Don't worry, everything's going to be great."
Chuck paused, before suggesting, "Maybe I should propose at Eleanor's party tonight."
Nate lit up, "Yeah, that would be great, you could make a romantic toast and propose to Blair in front of everyone."
"I was thinking something a little less public, Blair hates to cause a scene," he told him.
"So, what are you thinking?"
Chuck just smiled, "That's for me to know, and you to find out Nathaniel."
About an hour later, Chuck and Nate returned to their suite to find Blair getting ready for the party. She had spent the day with Serena, shopping for the perfect dress for the occassion, finally finding one that was up to her standards. "Where were you guys? The party starts at 7 o'clock and it's already 6, you've got to get ready!" she told Chuck and Nate as they stepped out of the elevator.
"We were down at the bar," Chuck explained. "Nate wanted to talk to me about something." Nate nodded in agreement.
Blair looked at Nate, "You're not worried about moving in with Serena are you? I know it's a big step, but you guys are great together."
"You're moving in with Serena?" Chuck asked, looking at his friend in confusion.
"No, why would I be moving in with Serena?" Nate asked Blair.
"Because she asked you to..." she replied. She grimaced, "Or she's going to ask you to."
"Serena's going to ask me to move in with her?"
Blair nodded, "Yeah, she told me she was going to ask you a while ago, so I just figured that she'd already done it." Nate looked at her in disbelief. "But it's obvious now that she hasn't."
"Why would she tell you about this before coming to me?"
"She was excited, she wanted to tell somebody," Blair explained. "Please don't tell her I said anything Nate."
"I have to Blair, this is a huge step in our relationship."
She rolled her eyes, "Oh please, Chuck and I are having a baby, you and Serena moving in together is not that big of a deal."
"Maybe not to the two of you, but it is to us," Nate replied bitterly. He then walked away and into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
Chuck looked at Blair suspiciously. "Don't look at me like that, it was an accident," she insisted.
"So it wasn't part of a plan to mess with Nate and Serena's relationship after that fight you had with her a few weeks ago?" he questioned her.
"We made up after I apologized, why would I be scheming against her?"
"I know you Blair, you tend to hold grudges," Chuck replied. "And I know how much you hate to apologize. It took you nearly 2 weeks to apologize to Serena."
"Yes, but I know when to admit that I'm wrong," Blair responded, starting to get angry. "Do you really have that little faith in me?"
"Blair, I didn't mean-"
"No, listen to me Chuck," she started. "Having this baby has made me realize that I have to quit scheming and declaring war against people. Let's face it, it's so high school and it should have stopped years ago." She paused for a moment. "I thought I was doing well, but obviously you still see me as that spoilt, bitchy, queen of Constance." With that, Blair stormed out of the room and into their bedroom.
Chuck sighed and thought to himself, way to go Chuck, she's really going to marry you now.
When Chuck, Blair, Nate and Serena(who they had picked up on their way there) arrived at Eleanor and Cyrus' party, it was safe to say that neither one of them were particularly happy. Blair was still angry with Chuck for what he said to her earlier. Nate was annoyed with Blair for being inconsiderate and with Serena for telling Blair about her plan to ask him to move in with her before asking him. Serena didn't know why Nate wasn't speaking to her and was getting annoyed with him for giving her the silent treatment. Chuck was in a bad mood after the argument he had with Blair and was thinking that tonight may not be the best night to propose to her after all. She'd probably throw the ring back in his face if he asked her now.
When Eleanor and Cyrus approached them, they all forced themselves to smile as they greeted the couple, congratulating them on their 5 year anniversary. "Excuse us Eleanor, Cyrus," Nate said politely. "Serena and I need to go have a talk." He shot his girlfriend a glare.
"Yes, we definitely do," Serena added, glaring back at him.
Eleanor looked between the two blondes in confusion, "Go right ahead," she insisted, shaking her head. Nate and Serena walked off to find a quiet spot to talk.
Cyrus turned to Blair, "How are you doing sweetheart?"
"Fine thank you Cyrus," she replied tensely, trying to maintain a fake smile.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Blair insisted.
"Is it the mood swings?" Eleanor asked.
"No mother," she replied, "I'm fine, everything's fine."
Eleanor looked at Blair and Chuck skeptically, "Okay."
"Have you told your father and Roman about the pregnancy yet?" Cyrus asked, changing the subject.
"No, not yet," Chuck answered. "Blair wanted to go to Paris for a visit and tell them then." Blair nodded in agreement.
"Well you'd better tell them soon or you won't have to tell them," Eleanor chuckled. "Don't think your stomach will stay that flat forever Blair."
"I'll keep that in mind mother," she smiled sweetly, grabbing Chuck's arm. "Well, enjoy the party," she said, before leading Chuck away. When they were out of sight of Eleanor and Cyrus, Blair pulled her arm away and sighed, "I'm still mad at you. I'm only playing nice so we don't ruin the party for my mother and Cyrus."
"I figured," Chuck nodded, his eyes drifting around the room and stopping on the bar. "I'm going to get a drink," he told Blair. "Do you want anything?"
"A martini would be heaven right now, but for the sake of our child I'll have a glass of lemonade," she replied coldly.
"Coming right up," he replied with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood between them. Blair just shot him a glare, which made him turn away from her and walk towards the bar as quickly as possible.
Blair folded her arms across her chest in annoyance, and began peering around the room at the many guests that were scattered around the penthouse. She recognised some of them, but many she had never seen before in her life. Blair spotted Nate and Serena across the room, still in deep conversation. They both looked confused for a moment, before smiling at each other and hugging happily. Blair breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she hadn't caused any permanent damage.
"Hi Blair," a voice called from behind her.
Blair span around to find herself face to face with Vanessa Abrams, "Vanessa," she said with a fake smile. "Why are you here?"
"I came with Dan," she explained.
"And why is he here?"
"Your mom invited Lily and Rufus so she had to invite Dan and Jenny as well."
"Oh, how...lovely," Blair commented, not really paying attention to what the other girl was saying. She was beginning to feel extremely nauseous. She wondered whether it was because she was in the presence of a Brooklyn girl or if it was simply a case of morning sickness.
"I heard about the baby," Vanessa said, "congratulations."
"Thanks," Blair replied, her hand subconsciously drifting to her belly as she attempted to settle her churning stomach.
"If you think about it, I'm sort of going to be your baby's aunt," Vanessa continued. Blair nodded, but was secretly horrified at the thought. "I mean, Lily is Dan's step-mother and Chuck's adoptive mother which sort of makes them brothers..."
As Vanessa continued on with her twisted explanation of how she was related to the baby, Blair was beginning to feel even more sick. As much as the thought of her baby calling the girl Aunt Vanessa disgusted her, she concluded that what she was experiencing was morning sickness. So far, Blair hadn't had any, and thought she was one of the lucky ones that wouldn't get it. Unfortunately, she was wrong. "I've got to go," Blair said, cutting Vanessa off and rushing across the room and up the stairs, trying desperately not to throw up. Vanessa just watched in confusion as Chuck approached her, holding a glass of lemonade in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other.
"Where did Blair go?" he asked her, glancing around the room.
"She just went upstairs," Vanessa replied.
"Thanks," Chuck said, handing her the drinks. He then walked across the room and made his way upstairs to find his girlfriend.
When Chuck entered Blair's old bedroom, he found her on the floor of the connecting bathroom, bent over the toilet throwing up. He rushed over to her and held back her hair, rubbing her back as she finished throwing up. When she had finished, Blair groaned and sat back against the bathtub.
"Are you okay?" Chuck asked softly, brushing her dark hair from her face.
She glanced at him for a moment, before hitting his hand away, "Go away Chuck, I don't want to talk to you."
He completely ignored what she said, and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry," Chuck said, glancing over at his girlfriend cautiously.
"For what? Impregnating me and causing this terrible morning sickness, or accusing me of trying to intentionally ruin our best friends' relationship?"
"Uh...both," he offered with a small smile. "I really am sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"Well you did," Blair retorted bluntly, standing up from the floor. She made her way over to the sink to brush her teeth. Chuck sighed, this wasn't going to be easy. When she finished brushing her teeth, she turned to her boyfriend suddenly, "Nearly everyone thinks that I can't be a good mother. They think that I'm too immature that I won't be able to take care of our baby without help from a nanny or my mother or Lily or whoever else." She paused. "I thought that at least you had some faith in me Chuck."
"Of course I have faith in you Blair, I know that you're going to be a great mother to our child," he said, standing up beside her.
"No you don't. You said it yourself that my mother was right about whether or not we'd end up getting a nanny," Blair said, trying to stop the tears that were close to falling as she made her way out of the bathroom and flopped herself down on the bed. She cursed her pregnancy hormones for making her so emotional.
"I was just joking," Chuck explained, following her out of the bathroom. "I know that you would never get a nanny. You want our child to be raised by both of his parents, not by a range of foreign nannies like we were," he continued, laying down beside her on the bed.
"Or her," she replied simply.
"What?"
"His or her parents," Blair corrected him, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "You were calling the baby a 'he' again."
He smiled, "That's because we're having a son."
"We don't know that yet."
"I don't need a doctor to tell me that we're having a boy, I can tell that we are."
"What are you psychic now?" she scoffed.
Chuck smiled, taking her hand in his own and stroking it with his thumb gently. He allowed the room to go silent for a moment before leaning closer to her and saying softly, "I love you so much Blair and I'm sorry for making you feel this way. I'm such an idiot."
Blair smiled to herself and replied, "Despite your idiocy, I love you too."
Chuck laughed softly as he leant down and kissed his girlfriend on the forehead. He then moved down and kissed her stomach, making Blair smile. "Don't be an idiot like your dad little guy," Chuck said to his unborn child.
Blair laughed, while Chuck moved back up to her face, "Don't worry, he won't be."
He looked at her in surprise, "You said he."
"No I didn't."
"Yes you did," he insisted. "Admit it, you think it's a boy."
"I don't know what it is," she replied. "I'm just so used to hearing you call it a 'he' that it slipped out accidentally."
"Hmmm," Chuck murmered, rolling onto his back so Blair could rest her head on his chest. He paused, "So are we okay now?"
She nodded, "I think you've done enough groveling for the night."
"Thank God," he commented, holding Blair close to him. He glanced down at her, "Are you ready to go back to the party?"
"In a minute," she muttered against his chest. "I'm good here right now."
Chuck smiled, and kissed her on the head as they laid on the bed together in the darkness. They still had a lot to talk about, but for now they were both content to just be with each other.
Don't worry, the proposal is coming in one of the next few chapters. This chapter was already pretty long so I thought I would save it for a later chapter. As always, please review :)