Disclaimer: I own nothing except a great love for CB and the many inhabitants of the UES

A/N: Another new one for you guys. You are all so flipping amazing. So glad you enjoyed Blair's loooooong awaited reunion with her babies and Chuck with all of his girls. I had the day off today so here's the next bit. Thanks again for all of the wonderful love and reviews. Glad you guys are having fun with this since I am too and we still have a ways to go. Hugs all around. Lynnie love you wifey, you're my personal rockstar. :kiss:

Chapter 12

"Well, I for one think that it's a horrendous idea. And everyone one here agrees with me." For the second time since she'd woken up, Blair faced off with her children's father. She looked to the others in the room to throw their support behind her, but Lily and Serena both appeared suddenly engrossed in the life and times of George Bailey. Listening intently as he promised to lasso the moon for his Mary, their eyes glued to the television hanging on the wall. Her eyes strayed to the little blond child, leaning back against his mother. No, help there. She glanced down at the two little girls who were laid out at the foot of the bed, their heads drooping and jerking up as they struggled to stay awake.

Damn Basstard had a point. She didn't want it to end, though. Couldn't they all just stay with her? The girls could squeeze in on either side of her for the night. And Chuck could twist some arms and get them to wheel some extra beds into her private room. It would be a nice variation on former annual sleepovers. Another step in making up for missed time. Chuck should appreciate finally getting an invite. Lord knows he'd tried and succeeded in sneaking in once or twice only to get the boot from Dorota before the real fun and games could begin.

She started to tell Chuck about her plan, but he was already reaching for the girls' coats and Serena and her Mom were on their feet.

"Chuck's right, B. You're exhausted. You've had a busy day, you know?" Serena finally decided to voice her opinion. The wrong opinion. Traitor.

"I'm not tired." Blair protested once more, swallowing back the yawn that wanted to belie her words. "Actually, I just had the best idea."

Blair gave him a quick rundown of her idea, all the while his movements didn't even pause as he attended to Kat and Evie. Soon enough they were bundled up in their coats and scarves, earmuffs covering the shell of their ears and small hands hidden away. She smiled watching him, too engrossed in the moment to be truly irritated with him.

"Okay, I guess tomorrow works as well." Blair gave in, adding a hope-filled "early tomorrow."

"Of course." Chuck finally said, before lifting both girls up into his arms and bringing them to their mother. "Ladies. Mommy needs her goodnight kiss."

The girls complied; their eyelids drooping and bodies heavy against Chuck once they pulled back, curling against him.

Serena came over with Alex in her arms, and Lily at her back. "See you tomorrow, B. We've got all time in the world to catch up."

"Not nearly enough, S. Not even." The two best friends hugged. Blair reached out and ruffled Alex's pale before the two-year old arched away from her, burying his face against his mother's throat. "That's okay, Alex. To know me is, to love me."

She wasn't hurt in the least by the blue-eyed boy's continued rejection of her overtures. Her girls were amazing and they'd warmed to her almost immediately, and for now that was more than enough. She didn't want any of them to go. And though she felt knew sleep wouldn't be slow in coming, Blair didn't want to be alone. Her parents probably wouldn't be back until the morning. It wasn't fair really. Ideally, she'd slept enough to last a lifetime.

"Good night, Blair. I'll send Eric your love. He'll probably be up here with everyone else tomorrow." Lily informed her.

"Bye." She waved, sadly, watching as the women started to leave the room with Chuck pulling up the rear. Only now did she notice that he'd put his coat on as well. Wasn't he even going to say goodnight? "Bass, aren't you forgetting something?"

Chuck turned, throwing her one of those infuriating smiles that could drive her crazy, making her furious and turning her on, all at once. "Lily, Serena. I'll be down in a moment." He told them sending them ahead. Chuck turned back to her, adjusting the twins on either side, as their heads drooped onto his shoulders.

Blair smiled. They'd be out of it completely before the limo even hit traffic. "Nevermind, Chuck. Take them home."

"But I'm forgetting something." He said that smile falling away and his expression curious.

"It doesn't matter." She glanced down at her clasped hands, missing the knowing look in his eyes and the quick curling of his mouth that flashed across his face mere seconds before feigned ignorance took hold. "It's fine. I'll see you in the morning…"

Chuck cut her off, leaning forward to steal her words with a quick brush of his lips. "Better?" Letting her see his smile now.

"Ass." Forgetting herself for a moment, she cringed covering her tingling lips and glancing at Kat and Evie but the girls had fallen completely over that fine edge into sleep. "Oops."

"You'll get used to it. Mostly." He shrugged, pulling back.

"Goodnight, Chuck."

"Not yet." He winked at her, turning on his heel. "I'm just going to deposit the girls with Serena and then it's just you and me, Waldorf."

He disappeared with a quiet laugh. Taking the girls from the room before Blair let loose with more than a few words that would've gotten her in trouble with Dorota. Basstard had tricked her, let her think he was taking off with the rest of them. Stealing a goodnight kiss.

Blair smiled despite herself and snuggled back against her pillows. She yawned, loud and long, shaking her head to dispel sleep that wanted to take her back. Would serve him right if she were just knocked out when he returned, but hadn't that been his fate everyday for the past five years. No, she couldn't do that to him…not tonight. Besides, they still had a million and one things to talk about. They'd talked so much about the kids and everyone else that she'd barely asked him about himself.

She knew that he'd taken over Bass Industries but nothing else. Had he finished up with school before taking the reins? What else had he accomplished? And five years was a very long time. Had he met someone else? Fallen in love with another girl who could take Blair's place in his life. In their daughters' lives.

Disturbed by the path of her thoughts and her sudden bout of insecurities, Blair lost herself in them. Minutes passed and still Chuck didn't return. And she couldn't seem to stop thinking of what Chuck might've been up to while she'd been in a coma. Granted they weren't committed in any way and he was free to be with other women. To fall in love again. He'd never actually given her the words to begin with. Had he said them to someone else? He'd grown up that much from the boy she'd known. With everything else that had happened…had she been left behind in that respect, as well.

Sighing, she shoved her worries to the back of her mind, focusing instead on drama that wasn't her own. Blair glanced up at the movie still playing and saw that they'd reached the phone scene, one of her favorites. She snorted at the memory that come to mind, when George's friend joked, accusing him of trying to steal "his girl." Blair cranked up the sound until Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed's voices filled the room.

"He says it's the chance of a lifetime." Mary told George, clutching the phone between them. Fully aware of him and electrified by having him standing so very close. His nose in her hair, taking in a deep drag of her scent.

For a split second he seemed to freeze as her words sank in and then he gripped her arms. George shook her gently, the phone falling away to the floor with a thud. He said, "Now you listen to me. I don't want any plastics and I don't want any ground floors. And I don't want to get married ever to anyone…do you understand that?! I want to do what I want to do. And you're…And you're…Oh, Mary…Mary."

"George…George…George."He wrapped his arms around her, peppering her face with kisses.

A smile stretched across, Blair's face and tears slid freely down her cheeks.

"I don't think you're supposed to cry at that part." Chuck let himself in, hitting the overhead lights so that the room was plunged into near darkness. The light from the black-and-white movie casting a soft glow on everything. He almost didn't see Blair go still, her entire body tense and wound as she look around the dimly lit room. He frowned, walking over until he could cup her face in his palm, wiping at her glistening cheeks. Chuck couldn't tell if it was the light from the television set that made her look suddenly paler, "You okay?"

"Yeah..it's just. Do you think we can keep the lights on?" She said, feeling embarrassed at her sudden fear. Blair might have tried playing it cool and not saying thing at all but she was so very tired of the dark.

"Of course." He said, but didn't go back to turn on the overhead, fluorescent lights. Instead he reached up and switched on the small light over behind her. It didn't relieve the room completely but Blair was grateful for the small cone of light stretching out, pushing the unrelenting shadows at bay.

"Thank you." She couldn't help the yawn that escaped. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought."

"I'm not going on anywhere, Waldorf." He brushed at light kiss at her temple.

Blair felt the tension inside loosen even more at his words. "Good." She looked at the chair a few feet away. "I don't know how happy your back is going to feel sleeping in that thing, but I'm glad you're staying."

"Who said anything about me sleeping there? Scoot the hell over, lover." He climbed back into bed beside her. "We've done more with less. Don't think the night shift would appreciate the show, though. So I say we save it for another time, no? Still…play your cards right and I may let you talk me into another goodnight kiss."

"As if there would be anything for them to walk in on. Now hush. I want to watch the rest of the movie." She shifted much as her tired limbs would allow and he did the rest, arranging them both on the hospital bed. He kicked off his shoes and wrapping his arms around her.

"You know how this ends. You've seen it enough." He lowered the sound.

Despite his words, he fell silent, happier than he could remember being in years, just lying there with her, watching the old flick. Over the past few years, he'd had his work and the girls. Life had been good, but something still felt off. Missing. B. Of course, Blair. He'd known that all along. But now he had her back. Life was more than just okay again.

She yawned again, visibly fighting sleep.

"Close your eyes, Blair."

"Only for a minute." Her easy capitulation told him just how tired she truly was. Soon enough her eyelids were faltering and words slurring. "Just don't go anywhere."

"You either." He whispered, but she was gone, turning onto her side in her sleep and forcing him to do the same. Dragging the covers up over them both, Chuck pulled her back against his chest. Only then did he close his own eyes. The monitors and Stewart mere background noise as he focused on the steady sound of Blair breathing.

~ஐ~

Serena watched her mother remove the girls to make them more comfortable and arrange a throw over Kat and Evie's sleeping forms. They were stretched out on the seat, arms and legs thrown every which way, as if they were at home in their own beds instead of the back of a moving vehicle.

Her son laid back against her chest, rubbing sleepily at his eyes, putting up a more valiant effort against impending sleep than his cousins had.

Lily came back to join her with a tired sigh, she absently stroked her grandson's blond head. "What's wrong, Alex? Grandma's sleepy, too. Wanna rest our eyes together."

The little boy shook his head, pouting and ill-tempered. "Want Wobbie."

Serena glanced around the dimly lit interior of the limo for her son's diaper bag. "Mom. There's his bag. Would you mind grabbing his bear for me?"

Lily made a face, scratching her ear. "Actually, sweetheart. Robbie isn't…" She pitched her voice low for Serena's ears only, but the mere mention of his bear's name had Alex's attention. His blue eyes darted around, searching. Lily threw her hands up, mouth compressed. "Carter promised to drop…you know what off later…he forgot to pack it this morning with the rest of Alex's things."

"Forgot. He knows, but he know…" She shook her head. Classic Carter. "Just forget it. Here take Alex, please." She shifted Alex to her mother's lap, and moved away from them, her cell phone still clutched in hand after yet another fruitless attempt to contact Dan.

She was starting to get really worried and, as soon as, she reamed Carter out…she had every intention of calling Nate to find out just what the hell they were up to and to see if he'd heard anything from their old classmate. For now Serena focused on her child's father.

With one ear, she listened to Alex's escalating sleepy cries and through the other came the steady and increasingly agitating ring of Carter's unanswered line. Avoiding her mother's eyes, she ducked her head and practiced all the things she shouldn't say in front of her son once the voicemail finally kicked. Of course, she was still good and mad when Carter's voice finally came across the line.

Only it wasn't his voicemail. It was Carter live and he sounded more than a little out of breath and highly irritated. "Yeah?"

God, she didn't even want to consider just what taken him so long, Serena jumped right to the point, "Please tell me that you dropped Robbie at my place."

"Oh, shit." Carter said.

"I guess that's a 'no'." Serena forced her jaw to unclench. "You know he can't sleep without it."

"Of course and I had every intention of stopping back at your place with it but things have been crazed with my family and…"

"Your mysterious plans from earlier?" She threw in.

He laughed softly, "What are you jealous? You know all you have to do is pick up the phone…"

"Alex's bear, Carter."

"Look, I'm sorry." He said, sounding as if he truly meant those words. "I really did forget."

Of course he had. What with his all important plans that had left him so hot earlier to drop Alex. How could he have possibly been expected to remember packing his son's insignificant sole prized possession? Dropping her voice too low to carry to either her mother or Alex's ears, Serena cursed softly, "Dammit, Carter."

He, of course ,ignored her as was their routine when he screwed up concerning Alex and she called him on it. This, while not the hugest of his transgressions, was just another in a long line of irresponsible acts that were getting old. "I apologized, drop it. Now, is that my boy?" He asked hearing Alex's growing cries, "Put him on the phone."

"He's not in the mood to talk, Carter. He's exhausted and wants his bear."

"Just let me talk to him."

After a moment, she sighed. "Fine."

Initially, Alex shook his head, thumb thrust in his mouth. He didn't want the phone at his ear. He wanted to be held. He didn't want to be held. He shifted tirelessly against his grandmother and whimpered sleepily, fighting the heaviness of his eyelids.

Serena finally gave up, bringing the phone back to her ear, "He's not in the mood…look why don't I just…"

"I'll bring the damn thing over." Carter interrupted. "See you in twenty."

"We're in the car. It'd just be easier…Carter?" The line went dead before she could finish. She locked eyes with her mother. "He hung up."

"That's it. Alex, honey, we're going to Daddy's." Lily finally promised.

~ஐ~

"Come on, don't leave." He said, tossing his cell phone to the bed. "I'll just run the damn bear to Serena's and then we can pick up right where he left off."

She shook her dark head, already climbing from his bed, the clothing that hadn't been flung across the far reaches of the bedroom still hanging off just so. If the sounds of Alex's cries over the phone line hadn't been echoing in his ears, he'd have tried his hand at putting quite a different look in his lover's eyes, rather than the dawning regret that he saw now.

"I should go."

"I thought you wanted company for the night." Carter said, yanking his pants on.

Vanessa avoided his eyes, shrugging. "It was a bad idea. This entire thing is just wrong."

"Poor Archibald. You must drive him insane." He said, glancing briefly at the tangled sheets covering his bed. "You want me. You don't want me. Your marriage is over. You want him back. You fuck me. You hate him. You fuck me. You love him. You…come on. I'm serious, don't leave, Vanessa."

She looked at him now, eyes glaring. "I can't believe you…" She shook her head. "I'm idiot. I let myself get involved with you…"

"You were lonely. Poor, Natie wasn't getting the job done. It happens with the best of marriages and from what I'd been hearing from Serena." He shook his head "Yours has been over for a while. If I remember…you actually told me the same yourself."

"I swear, Carter. Just shut the hell up." Vanessa hunted furiously, searching for the rest of her clothes.

"Sorry, I forgot. Our number one rule…Nate and the real world don't exist within these four walls."

"Stop."

"Oops. Said his name again." He said, his tone anything but repentant.

"I'm not coming back here, again."

"Think I've heard that before."

Thrusting her arms back into her shirt and shimmying into her jeans, Vanessa gathered up her sneakers and stormed from the room, "Well this time I'm serious. Don't call me again."

He followed close behind, "Why not? You could always just not answer the phone."

"Aren't you supposed to be going to Serena's?" She scooped up the familiar small brown bear that had lain fallen and forgotten for the better part day. Vanessa tried not to wonder how many times Carter had walked by without picking it up. Vanessa stopped long enough to hand over Alex's favored toy, "Your son's waiting on this. So you might want to finish getting dressed and get to him."

For the hundredth, she wondered how she'd let herself get sucked into this…thing with Carter Baizen. She didn't even think that she liked him half the time. No, actually she was pretty sure that she couldn't stand him. He reminded her of Chuck from when she'd first gotten pulled into the twisted lives of the Upper Eastside teens. When her best friend first loved Serena Van der Woodsen and when it seemed as if Chuck Bass didn't give a damn about anything or anyone besides himself.

It'd been a long time before she was able to admit how wrong she'd been. Years watching him raise the twins and seeing his friendship with Nate had shown her a different side of that too rich, self-assured manwhore who took much too much pleasure in torturing those around him. While the latter she wouldn't really attribute to Carter, the others applied all too well. Knowing all this, Vanessa still couldn't figure how she'd landed in his bed that first night. Or the night after.

No, that wasn't right. She couldn't plead total ignorance as to what kept bringing her back. All she had to think of Nate's attitude at the hospital earlier. There hadn't been a trace of the anger and emotion from that morning at Chuck's. If memory served, the newly awakened Blair Waldorf had said more to Vanessa in those first few minutes than her husband did at all. In fact, Nate hadn't even spoken to her. Around her. Yes. To everyone and anyone besides his wife.

The thought of sticking around much longer after Chuck took Kat and Evie to see their mother had been way too much. Instead she stopped off to hang out with Jenny. Still her thoughts kept coming back around to the man only a few floors away. Who could barely stand the sight of her anymore? Finally claiming to have plans with her family she'd left her old friend, not that Jenny seemed to mind. She'd been depressing the hell out of the other woman, her meager efforts in trying to cheer the blond, failing miserably.

Vanessa hadn't even made it outside before she was on the phone with Carter, making plans.

"Stay here. Things were just getting good…don't leave," Carter said again, tracking her to the door, grabbing her hand as it closed on the knob. "Besides, you said it yourself…you don't want to spend another night in that big, empty house."

Without another word, Vanessa yanked away from him, letting herself out of his apartment. No falter in her step, she listened for the sound of the door opening again, but Carter didn't follow her out.

She tried not to think about what Carter had said. Of course she didn't want to be alone in that house. Her and Nate's house. She'd resisted the urge to pick up the phone the two previous nights, toughing things out at the brownstone. It was just too quiet and empty. And despite his words, Nate hadn't actually sent anyone around to pick up the rest of his luggage. So now the damn things just sat there lined up against the wall in their bedroom, echoing Nate's hurt and the broken state of not just her marriage but her life. Work sucked. Nate was gone. Nothing was right.

Lost in her thoughts, she pressed the down button to call for one of the elevators. It seems like almost immediately that the door to her left slide open, revealing a smartly-dressed older couple who looked to be leaving for the night. Visiting friends, maybe?

Vanessa stepped on offering a smile in absent greeting and was promptly ignored. She rolled her eyes, sighing as she turned to the front. Hello to you, too.

A flash of blonde hair in the corner of her eye made her look up and across to the other elevator as the other doors slid open. Serena, of course, who else? The blonde looked upset and her movements appeared stiff and jerky. Her entire focus seemed to be on the cell phone in her hand.

"I swear if he doesn't answer the phone…" Serena muttered, bringing the phone to her ear.

Feeling like the proverbial deer in the headlights, Vanessa felt herself freeze up, praying that the other woman didn't look up. That and for the doors to slide shut. Quickly. The wheels started churning in her head, good sense telling her to move and she finally ducked off to the side…of course only then did the damn elevators doors deign to finally slide shut.

Head cocked to the side, Vanessa waited for a cry of surprise from the blonde but there was nothing. Nothing more as she continued muttering into her phone, cursing her child's irresponsible father.

Vanessa breathed out a sigh of relief. That'd been too close. It'd been just a few seconds but the time before that elevator had finally closed could've spanned forever as far as Vanessa was concerned. Damn. What would she have done if Serena had seen her? The other woman would've told Nate just who Vanessa had been sleeping with…give him a face for that unpleasant blank spot in his mind. That at least she wanted to spare him. Again and more determined before to stick with it, she decided that it would be better if she didn't come back. That had been too much of a close call. Way too close.

The elevator came to a step and let her and the "Van Uppities" off. Feeling guilty, she offered the couple a half-hearted "goodnight" which was met with the same chilly silence. Great.

~ஐ~

Blair ascension into wakefulness was nothing like the slow progression of that morning. She came awake suddenly, breath catching in her throat. Unlike before, her surroundings were no longer unfamiliar or confusing to her. A slow smile, curved as she lay there in the dimly lit hospital room, enjoying the feel of the warm body curved against her back and heavy weight of his arm, thrown across her middle. At some point, she'd reached out in her sleep and linked their fingers. Clinging.

She snuggled back against him, the scent of Chuck enveloping her. The steady thump of his heart beating against her spine, tempting her back for more sleep but she fought its insistent pull. Sleep could wait. Blair wanted to lay there. Be with him just like that for a little while. His arms around her, made her feel at peace and completely taken care of…she knew that there would be much to worry over once morning arrived but for now Blair wanted to savor just being…savor that moment…the feel of him. Of them.

She'd craved this during those long confusing months after he'd disappearing. Blair remembered lying awake in her dark room, hand stealing beneath the covers to the explore the bare curve of her belly. When she'd first found out, she'd headed straight for Serena's, needing the comfort of her best friend, but once everyone else had gone to bed Blair had wandered into his room. Everything just as he'd left it. Closet door standing open, scarf thrown across the back of his chair.

No one else awake, the rest of the apartment deathly quiet around her, as if it too was in mourning for the absence of both Bass men. She walked around his room, touching every surface, burying her face against his pillow as if it might still hold the elusive sent of Chuck even after more than a month. It hadn't but, she'd curled into a ball, lying in the middle of his bed, thumbing through the book on his nightstand, page dog-eared and waiting for Chuck to get back to finish what he'd started. That book in hand and looking down at her still flat belly, she wanted him back. Just for a night. Just to hold her. He could've gone away…back to his whores and drugs. Back to whatever hole he'd dug up to hide himself in. She hadn't cried, but Blair remembered shaking. Shaking so hard with everything balled up inside. Needing him.

Blair shivered now at the memory. Remembering feeling so very lost. Even with him back and his arms around her just as she'd wanted, that suddenly wasn't enough and she needed to see him.

She slowly maneuvered herself around, not wanting to wake him…just to lay eyes on him. Blair turned within the shelter of his arms. Rolling over until she settled onto her other side and her eyes could skim that face.

Long lashes shadowed his cheeks, his features were lax and soft as he rested. Every now and again his mouth twitched and brow furrowed, as if he couldn't figure whether or not the subject of his dreams left him confounded or amused. The line of his jaw was bristling and dark with stubble. She could almost feel the abrasive texture of it beneath her palms and she was already reaching before thinking better of the sudden urge. She didn't want to wake him up and break the moment.

Morning would be upon them soon enough, with all the questions still left to be asked and answered. The big one of what now? They couldn't exactly just pick right back up where they'd left off. He'd been so wrecked by Bart's death. While she'd just been trying to deal with the idea of raising two babies and starting her freshman year in college. Being on the outs with her mother and without a single clue how to find the man she loved.

But, then again, they weren't even those people anymore. Everything was changed. Different from where she'd left them. Everyone around her had gone on and picked up with their lives. Even Chuck and the twins.

Blair shook herself mentally, not ready to lose the earlier feeling of peace…of home. Not yet. Tomorrow. They'd start sorting things out. Figure out where life started again for her once the morning dawned and other people and doctors brought reality back to the forefront.

Right now, though, Blair wanted to lay curled against him. Morning would come soon enough.

ஐTBCஐ

A/N: Sorry would had this posted earlier but got caught up with the episode and then rewatching it again. And again. What they lacked in CB they made up fo it with other things, no? C punched that Jackass. Jackie, hon. Working on what we talked about. Okay back to the endnote for this piece. Episode ruined me sorry. …Okay and I'm back. :D. Thought I bring some drama to the forefront for NV and give CB a moment to breathe, no? lol. Okay well hope you enjoyed this and will update as soon as possible. As always let me know what you're thinking. Nothing but love guys. *runs back to watch C punch Jackass and CB mini moment* :kiss:

Courtneyஐ