The first part of this chapter should really be part of the last chapter, I hope that doesn't confuse anyone. I randomly came up with the proposal idea so I didn't really plan for it. I think it's something Chuck would do but I don't know, tell me what you think. And to everyone that has been reviewing, thank you for taking the time to do so. I read all reviews and they make me really happy so thanks. By the way, I will be taking everyone's preferences for the gender of the baby into consideration when I decide what the baby is going to be but it can still go either way at the moment because I haven't decided yet. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
20 minutes later, Blair and Chuck reluctantly emerged from upstairs and returned to the party just in time to hear Cyrus' speech. "Excuse me everyone," he announced, silencing the large gathering of people. "Can I have your attention please?" Everyone in the room turned to face Cyrus and Eleanor, who was standing beside him, beaming happily. "On behalf of my wife and myself, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming tonight and sharing this special occasion with us." He paused for a moment to smile at his wife before continuing, "Although we've had our ups and downs like any other couple, I can honestly say that the last 5 years have been the best of my life."
As Cyrus went on, Chuck noticed Nate gesturing for him to go to him from across the room. He leant over and whispered to Blair, "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" she whispered back.
"Nate wants to talk to me," he replied, gesturing to where his friend was standing on the other side of the room.
"Okay, hurry back."
Chuck nodded, before slowly making his way across the room, careful to not distract the other guests from Cyrus' speech. As he approached Nate and Serena he asked softly, "What's going on Nathaniel?" Neither of the pair said a word. They just smiled at each other knowingly, before escorting Chuck into the kitchen. "What are you doing?" he asked in confusion as the blondes gently pushed him through the kitchen doors.
"Have you done it yet?" Serena asked excitedly.
"Done what?"
"Proposed to Blair!" she replied, rolling her eyes like it was that obvious.
He glared at Nate, "You weren't supposed to tell anyone."
He shrugged, "Sorry, she got it out of me." Chuck sighed. "So did you do it?"
"No," he retorted. "Don't you think you would know about it by now?"
"Why haven't you done it?!" Serena asked in annoyance.
"It hasn't been the right time," he explained. "And besides, Blair wasn't even speaking to me 20 minutes ago, do you really think she's going to say yes to a marriage proposal right now?" Serena and Nate grimaced, their eyes diverted to something behind him. Chuck immediately knew what, or who they were looking at. He closed his eyes for a moment, before turning around slowly to find Blair standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She looked at him in surprise, but Chuck couldn't tell if she was pleasantly surprised or horrified. Chuck took a deep breath before starting, "Blair I-"
The expression on Blair's face changed suddenly, a grin breaking out on her lips, "Yes!" she laughed, cutting him off.
"What?"
"I said yes, I'll marry you," she replied, moving forward and throwing her arms around Chuck's neck, kissing him passionately. Serena and Nate took this opportunity to make their way out of the kitchen to give their friends some privacy.
As they broke away from each other Chuck breathed, "Really?"
Blair nodded happily, "Yes." She looked at him for a moment before adding, "As long as you have a ring." He looked at her blankly, still not completely processing what had just happened. "Chuck I'm joking, I would marry you if you gave me a $2 plastic ring from Target." She laughed.
He smirked, "Well I guess I'll be returning the ring I bought you then-"
"No!" she cut him off, hitting him on the arm playfully. "Don't you dare Bass."
As Chuck put his hand into his pocket to pull out the ring box, he frowned. "This isn't right," he commented out loud.
"What do you mean?" she inquired curiously, unable to take her eyes off the box in Chuck's hand.
"I planned a really romantic proposal," he explained. "I wanted to surprise you, but now the surprise is ruined."
"If you want, you can propose to me properly and I can pretend to be surprised," Blair offered.
"What happens when someday our kids ask how I proposed to you?" Chuck asked sincerely. "They're going to be expecting a ridiculously romantic story. What are we going to tell them?"
Blair smiled at the word 'kids'. She loved how he was already thinking about them having even more children in the future. "Well I don't know about you, but I know what I'm going to tell them," she started, resting her hand on his chest. He looked at her, waiting for her to finish. "I'm going to tell them how despite the fact that I ruined your surprise proposal, you still managed to make me feel like the most loved woman in the world. Even without an extravagant proposal."
Chuck smirked, suddenly having an idea. "As touching as that story would be, I think we should keep this somewhat traditional, don't you?" She looked at him in confusion. "What if," he began, "I propose to you properly sometime in the next week, but I won't tell you when I'm going to do it."
She raised one eyebrow, "What would be the point of that?" Blair asked, eyeing the ring box in Chuck's hand. "I've already said yes, that's not very traditional."
"But this way I can still propose to you the way I planned to, and it will still surprise you because you won't know when it's going to happen," he explained.
She frowned, "Can't I just have the ring now?" She reached out for the ring box, but Chuck moved it out of her reach and slipped it back into his pocket.
"Sorry, you can't see it until I propose," he said teasingly.
Blair frowned momentarily, but a smile began to appear on her lips, "I guess this could be exciting." He nodded, leaning in to kiss her.
Two days later
"So, Chuck's going to propose to you properly sometime this week?" Serena asked.
Blair nodded, "Yes."
"But you don't know when?"
"No," she replied, smoothing down the wrinkles of her dress as she and Serena walked down the busy New York street.
"Only Chuck could come up with something crazy like that," Serena laughed, "but it is pretty romantic."
"I know, but I just can't wait for him to do it!" Blair exclaimed. "It's been two days and nothing!"
"You've waited this long to be engaged, what's a few more days?"
"I know," she nodded. "I just can't wait to be able to show off my ring and tell people that I'm the future Mrs Chuck Bass." She sighed happily. "And besides, fiancée sounds much better than boyfriend when I'm talking about the father of my baby."
"What do you mean?" Serena asked, as she and Blair stopped in front of the Empire hotel.
"Haven't you seen that disapproving look people give me when I tell them that the father of my baby is my boyfriend?" she questioned her friend.
"No..."
Blair took a deep breath, "Basically, the word 'boyfriend' says to people 'we're not married and we have no intention of being married in the near future, even though we're having a baby'." She paused, "Whereas, the word 'fiancée' says 'we're in a serious, committed relationship that we are going to make official in the near future'."
"Blair, I don't think people read that much into things," Serena replied, trying to hold back a laugh. "You've been thinking about this way too much."
She shook her head, "Everybody thinks this way Serena, it's only the perceptive people like me that pick up on it."
"Okay B," she nodded, looking down at her watch. "Anyway, I have to go. I'm supposed to meet my mother for a late lunch in 20 minutes." She gave Blair a quick hug, "I hope Chuck proposes today."
"Thanks," she smiled. "Enjoy your lunch."
"I will. I'll talk to you later," Serena smiled, before walking to the side of the road to hail a cab.
Blair watched her get into the cab, before making her way into the building.
As Blair rode the elevator up to the penthouse she yawned. She was exhausted from the classes she had that day because of the pregnancy and she couldn't wait to get into bed and take an afternoon nap. However when she stepped out of the elevator, she realised that her boyfriend had alternate plans for the afternoon. Blair gasped when she saw Chuck standing beside a small table with two chairs in the middle of the living room. The table was elegantly set for lunch and Chuck was holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Good afternoon," he smiled, stepping towards her and kissing her. He handed her the flowers.
"They're beautiful," Blair smiled lazily. She gestured to the table, "What's all this?"
"I thought you deserved a quiet late lunch after a long week of classes," Chuck explained, leading her to the table.
As they both sat down, Blair looked over at him with a curious smile, "Is that the only reason? You weren't planning on asking me something?"
"I don't know what you're referring to," he replied teasingly.
She sighed, "Chuck...I'm usually a patient person, but this has gone on long enough. Just propose to me already!" she whined. Blair hadn't meant to sound so childish, but a combination of exhaustion, hormones and frustration had gotten the better of her.
Chuck simply smiled, unaffected by her obvious frustration, "All in good time my love."
"No, not in good time. Now!" Blair retorted, beginning to pick at the sandwich on the plate in front of her.
"Blair it's only been two days," he stated, trying to make eye contact with her. "I want this to be special and I know that you do too, which is why I'm going to do it when you least expect it."
She looked at him in disbelief, before taking a deep breath. "I didn't want to have to resort to this Chuck," she began, "but you've left me with no other choice." Blair looked at him seriously, "I'm not going to have sex with you until we're engaged."
"What?"
"You heard me," she replied smugly.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
He groaned, "That's just cruel."
"I'm just following suit sweetheart," Blair replied fakely.
He sighed, "Fine." Blair glanced up at him i surprise, hoping that he was going to give in. "You can hold out on me all you want, but I'm not going to propose until I'm ready."
She frowned, "Fine." She stood up from her seat and glared at Chuck. "If you'll excuse me, I was going to take a nap." Blair took a step, then turned around and grabbed her sandwich, before making her way towards the bedroom.
Later on that night, Blair had just changed into a new set of lingerie and was observing her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Her make-up was done perfectly, and her dark brown hair was slightly curled and rested flawlessly on her shoulders. She adjusted the corset slightly, not believing how tight it had become on her already. She had only bought it a few weeks ago. This was definitely not the most comfortable outfit to be wearing at the moment, but Blair was going to do whatever it took to seduce Chuck and force him into proposing. When she was satisfied with her appearance, Blair made her way into the bedroom and laid down on the bed with her copy of 'What to expect when you're expecting'. She flipped through her book casually, and pretended not to notice when Chuck came into the room, his jaw dropping open in surprise.
As he regained his ability to speak, Chuck asked smoothly, "Why are you wearing that?"
Blair shrugged, cocking her head to the side with a smile, "I haven't had the chance to wear it yet, so I thought I would get some use out of it before I'm too big to fit into it."
"That can't be comfortable," he replied, knowing exactly what she was trying to do. He turned away from Blair and began unbuttoning his shirt so he could change into his pajamas.
"You'd be surprised, " she lied, trying to ignore how itchy the lingerie was. As Chuck changed into his pajamas, Blair had an idea. "Now that you mention it, it is starting to get a little tight in the bra area. My boobs are just getting so big these days," she sighed, pretending to be annoyed as she looked down to her breasts.
Chuck eyes widened as he climbed into bed beside her, but he did his best to hide it and replied with a sly smirk, "So take it off."
She pretended to ponder this idea for a moment before nodding, "Good idea." Blair sat up and knelt beside him with her back towards him, "Could you.....?" she asked, her voice trailing off as she hid a sly smile. Chuck nodded, and sat up to help her. "Just remember Bass," she said, causing him to freeze, "You can look, but you can't touch."
Chuck surpressed a groan as he reached over to undo the clasps on the back of the corset. As he did this, he leant over and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry Waldorf, I know the rules." Blair bit her lip nervously. If she wasn't careful, she was going to give in to Chuck and lose at her own game.
As Chuck undid the last clasp, Blair felt the corset drop from her body and into her lap, but made no effort to cover herself up. She got up off the bed, allowing the corset to fall to the floor as she turned around to face her boyfriend. "Thanks," she smiled, trying to make eye contact with him. However Chuck's eyes were on another part of her body at that moment. Blair reached over and lifted his chin so he was looking at her face and leant in to kiss him. He returned the kiss eagerly, relieved that Blair had given in to him so easily. All of a sudden, she pulled away from the kiss, before turning and making her way into their walk-in closet. Chuck just stared at her in disbelief. He thought he had her, but obviously he had under-estimated Blair's willpower.
He got up off the bed and followed her into the closet, "What the hell was that?" he asked as Blair emerged from the back of the closet, buttoning up her flannel pajamas. "Since when do you start things and not finish them." Chuck suddenly noticed what she was wearing, "And flannel?!"
"I thought you said you knew the rules?" Blair teased, walking passed him back into the bedroom. As she got into bed she continued, "I was just thanking you for helping me get out of that corset, I wasn't intending on taking it any further." Chuck scoffed in annoyance. "Unless of course, you're going to ask me that little question."
"You are a cruel women Blair Waldorf," he glared, getting back into bed with a huff.
She just smiled, picking up her book and picking up where she left off, "It's up to you Bass, you know what I want."
Chuck just sighed and tried to push all sexual thoughts out of his mind. Having no success, he decided that he needed a distraction. "So what should we be expecting?" he asked, looking at the book Blair was reading.
Blair looked up from the book, surprised at how quickly Chuck had managed to compose himself and change the subject. "Well apparently, the baby is currently 2 inches long and weighs half an ounce."
"Wow, that's so small," he commented as Blair showed him the drawing of what the baby looked like from the book.
"That's easy for you to say, it's not growing inside you," she replied. "The book also says that the morning sickness should stop right about now, why is mine starting?"
Chuck looked at her worriedly, "I don't know, maybe we should see the doctor about that."
"But I don't want to be that annoying couple that goes to the doctor for every little pregnancy symptom," Blair said, turning to the back of the book. "I'll see if the book says anything else about morning sickness."
"The book is not a replacement for a doctor Blair," he pointed out, as she looked through the index of the book.
"I know," she replied, flipping to the page that she wanted. "Here we go, 'For most women, morning sickness resolves by the 12th week of the pregnancy. However, one in five women endure morning sickness into their second semester, and a few experience nausea and vomiting for the entire duration of their pregnancy'. Great, trust me to be one of the unlucky ones."
"What does it say that we should do?"
"Um..." she started, skimming through the page. "Oh here, 'In most cases, morning sickness doesn't harm the woman or the unborn child. However, severe morning sickness that includes weight loss and dehydration needs prompt medical attention."
"Are you experiencing weight loss and dehydration?" Chuck asked nervously.
"No," Blair scoffed. "If anything I'm gaining weight. I guess we have nothing to worry about."
"If it gets any worse, tell me and we'll see the doctor," he said, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.
"Our next appointment is in 3 weeks, I'm sure it can wait until then," she reasoned. "Don't worry."
"I just want you and the baby to be happy and healthy," Chuck replied.
"I know," Blair smiled, "and we love you for it." He smiled. "Do you know what would make me love you even more?"
"What?"
"Becoming your fiancée."
"Blair-"
"I don't need you to do all of this Chuck," she cut him off. "I would have been happy if you proposed to me in my mother's kitchen the other night."
"With a plastic Target ring, right?"
Blair grimaced, "I take that back, that would be horrible." Chuck nodded in amusement. "The point is, I don't see why we're focusing on something so silly when we have much more important things to do, like planning for the baby."
"So you really wouldn't mind if I proposed to you right now in this bed, with you dressed in flannel?" he asked.
"That would be perfect," she replied. "Flannel pajamas and all."
Chuck smiled and finally gave in, leaning over to retrieve the ring from the drawer of his bedside table. He took the ring out of the box and hid it in his closed hand, before turning back to her and taking her hand with his other hand, "You win Waldorf," he said, as Blair looked at him with a smile. Chuck kissed her hand and presented the ring to her, "Blair Waldorf, will you marry me?"
She gasped when she saw the ring. Blair paused for a moment, before replying teasingly, "I don't know, I might have to think about it."
"Blair..."
"Of course I'll marry you," she laughed. Chuck grinned, slipping the ring onto her finger, before kissing her happily. When they pulled away from the kiss, Blair looked at her ring and sighed contently, "Oh Chuck, it's beautiful."
"You really like it?" he asked. "Just tell me if you don't. I can take you to my jeweller right now and-"
Blair cut him off with another kiss, "It's perfect," she told him sincerely. "I love you."
"I love you too," Chuck replied, kissing her hand.
"Guess what?" Blair said, running her fingers through his hair.
"What?"
"It's time for me to follow through with my part of the deal," she said. Chuck smirked. "Wait here, I'll go change back into that corset."
She was about to get out of bed when Chuck pulled her back, "How about we stick with the flannel? It's actually starting to turn me on."
Blair looked at him skeptically, "Really?"
"Well actually it could just be my sexy fiancée wearing the flannel that I find arousing, not the flannel itself."
"I hope so, my mother wears flannel," she replied in disgust, leaning in to kiss him.
Chuck pulled a face, "Why don't we get you out of those?"
"Good idea," Blair replied, beginning to unbutton her shirt.
I hope this chapter was alright and I didn't disappoint anyone with the proposal. Please tell me what you think.