Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
Thank you everyone for the reviews. As promised, it's time for our favorite pair to return to the real world. Enjoy.
"B, I'm so happy for you!" Serena squealed as she ran to the elevator as soon as Chuck and Blair arrived at Lily's penthouse apartment and engulfed her best friend in the most gigantic of hugs. "Are you happy? You look happy . . . and tan. Where have you two been?"
"Calm down, S," Blair laughed at her best friend's eagerness.
"Let me see the ring," Serena demanded as she snatched her best friend's hand and began examining every detail of the precious stone that sat on Blair's finger. "It's gorgeous. Good job, Chuck."
"Next thing you know she's going to start humping your leg," Chuck whispered into Blair's ear causing her to burst out laughing.
"Not appreciated, Bass," Serena scowled at her stepbrother.
"You don't even know what I said," he defended himself.
"I'm sure it wasn't anything flattering," she continued to scowl.
"Be nice to me, S," Chuck requested, "I'm the one that is finally going to make the two of you sisters."
"I never thought of that," Serena replied as she suddenly pulled him into an awkward hug, "Aww, this is the best present you could have given me."
"I assure you my motives are purely selfish," Chuck replied as he wrapped his arms around Blair's waist, hugging her close.
"So when is the wedding?" Serena asked as she linked arms with Blair and pulled her into the penthouse living room and out of Chuck's embrace. "Or haven't you even talked about it?"
The conversation was interrupted as Lily greeted her adopted son and soon to be daughter-in-law warmly. "Blair, Chuck, I'm so happy that you're both home. Eleanor and I were beginning to wonder if we'd ever see either of you again. You left us all speechless at your engagement party and then just up and disappeared. Had the Bass jet not been commandeered, we wouldn't have had a clue where you had gone. As it is, all that we know is that you settled somewhere in the Caribbean."
"A private island in the Caribbean," Blair explained, "Chuck's private island."
"Our private island," he corrected her as Lily went to embrace him.
"I know how much you hate my displays of affection, but I'm so happy that you're home. I've been so worried," she replied as she hugged her son, "I hope neither of you mind, but I invited Eleanor, Cyrus, Harold, and Roman to join us for dinner."
"Daddy is in New York," Blair spoke out in her surprise.
"He never left after your engagement party, and he promised he wasn't going to leave until he knew you made it home safe and sound."
"You all make it sound as though we just up and ran off," Blair replied.
"And with no explanations or phone calls to the contrary, that is what we all assumed that you did," Lily stated.
"I'm sorry that we worried you, Lily," Chuck replied, "That was never my, our intention. I just wanted to get Blair alone for an extended vacation so that we could reconnect after such a turbulent few months . . . …years actually."
"And I understood that, which is why I didn't have one of the Bass private investigators out looking for you yet," Lily assured him, "I hope you know how happy I am for both of you. This is long overdue."
"I agree," Chuck nodded as he pulled Blair away from Serena and back into his arms.
"How about a little champagne to celebrate your engagement?" Lily suggested.
"No," both Blair and Chuck spoke quickly.
"No champagne," Serena gasped in surprise. "Since when have the two of you turned down a chance to down some bubbly?"
"It's complicated," Blair replied, "But if you have any sparkling cider, we'll both partake in some of that."
"Certainly," Lily nodded as she made the request of her maid to break out some of the best cider that was available.
"Nate, Dan and Eric should all be here soon," Serena informed them, "And Chuck, I'd appreciate it if you spoke to that best friend of yours. He's been canoodling with an older woman once again. You and I both know that isn't such a good idea for him. He gets in way over his head."
"I'll speak to him," Chuck assured her, "But I'm not entirely sure he'll accept my advice."
"He's over what happened between the two of you," Serena assured him, "I hope you know that. He told me so himself."
"We'll see," Chuck shrugged.
The elevator chimed the arrival of Eleanor, Cyrus, Harold, Roman and Dorota. Blair flew towards them and was engulfed in the biggest family hug she'd ever been a part of.
"We're so happy you're home, Sweetheart," Eleanor stated once everyone began pulling away as she placed her hands against her daughter's shoulders, "We have been so eager to congratulate the two of you on your engagement. I know we all said that we were happy for you and Louis, but this union makes much more sense. I know you'll be so much happier."
"I agree," Blair smiled as she felt the tears welling in her eyes. It meant more than she realized having Eleanor's blessing.
"Blair, you are positively glowing," Eleanor observed as she spun a lock of Blair's hair around her finger.
"I'm happy," Blair explained, "Happier than I ever thought I could be."
Eleanor engulfed her in another hug that reduced Blair to tears. When she pulled away she quickly excused herself so she could splash some cold water on her face. Dorota dutifully followed, as she always did, with Chuck not far behind.
"Ms. Blair, did you take test?" Dorota asked softly as Blair emerged from the bathroom after fixing her makeup.
"Yes, Dorota, I did," Blair smiled.
"You smile, Ms. Blair, does that mean you have bun in oven?" Dorota inquired.
"Yes, Dorota," Chuck chimed in, "Blair and I are expecting our first child."
"Oh, this is so exciting!" Dorota whispered exuberantly as she threw her arms around both Blair and Chuck. "Ms. Blair, you and I be pregnant together."
"You're pregnant, Dorota!" Blair exclaimed, "That is so wonderful. You, Anastasia, and Vanya must be so excited."
"Yes, Ms. Blair, we are, but I think I more excited for you and Mister Chuck," Dorota said as she released the young couple.
"Don't be silly," Blair laughed.
"You going to be good mother," Dorota stated as she hugged Blair again before she hugged Chuck. "And Mister Chuck, you be good father."
"I hope so," Chuck replied as he took a shaky breath.
"Be good to Ms. Blair," Dorota demanded.
"That is a promise," Chuck nodded.
"You never answered my question about when the wedding was going to be," Serena pointed out as Lily's housekeeper passed out sparkling cider to all of the guests. "Have you talked about it?"
"We have, actually," Blair nodded as she reached out for Chuck's hand to gather her courage to make the announcement and face the dozens of questions that were sure to follow, "We were thinking the end of the month."
"End of what month?" Eleanor asked, "This month?"
"This month," Blair nodded.
"That gives us less than three weeks to plan!" Serena gasped, "What is the urgency?"
"Chuck and I have just decided that we've wasted enough time," she explained.
"Can't you push it back another couple of months?" Serena whined, "That gives us almost zero time to plan."
"Chuck and I have already planned quite a bit," Blair responded calmly, "We know the when and the where. He's going to have The Palace chefs take care of the catering. Mom, we're hoping that you could design my dress. Serena, as my maid of honor, you and I will have to go shopping for your dress. Surely there is something off the rack that we can find suitable enough."
"Off the rack!" Eleanor exclaimed, "I'll have none of that. I'll make designing the wedding and suitable maid of honor gowns my top priority. I had drawings already done that I set aside when you told me that you were required to wear the Grimaldi gown. I'll happily pull them back out and happily put a few twists on it to be suitable for a Bass bride."
"Thank you," Blair smiled.
"Hear that, Beautiful, you're going to be getting married in tacky lingerie," Chuck teased.
Blair scoffed as she slapped his shoulder with a look that told him to behave.
"Married in tacky lingerie, sign me up," Nate chimed in as he, Dan and Eric all arrived at the same time.
"Nathaniel, perfect timing, yet inappropriate as always," Chuck shook his head as he extended his hand to his best friend.
"Bass," Dan nodded his head politely.
"Humphrey," Chuck returned the nod before shaking his brother's hand, "How's Sarah Lawrence treating you?"
"I've only been to a few weeks of classes," Eric reminded him.
"Meet any good looking frat guys?" Chuck lifted a curious eyebrow.
"A couple," Eric blushed.
"Putting that van der Woodsen charm to good use," Chuck laughed.
"What's all this talk about a wedding?" Nate inquired.
"Blair and I are getting married at the end of the month," Chuck explained.
"Which month, this month?" Nate exclaimed.
"You're a little late, Nate," Serena chimed in. "We've had that part of the conversation. We've moved on to the plans that they have apparently already made."
"Nathaniel, you'll be my best man," Chuck replied, "So you'll be needing a new tux to match whichever one Blair sees me marrying her in."
"Valentino, Armani, take your pick, Bass," Blair shrugged, "You look handsome in anything."
"Blair, could I speak with you privately, for a moment?" Dan requested.
"Sure," Blair nodded as she gave Chuck a reassuring smile before she followed Dan onto the balcony.
"Blair, are you sure about this?" Dan inquired as they stepped out into the warm autumn evening as Dan closed the door behind them so their voices wouldn't filter in, "It was only a few weeks ago that you were promising Louis that you'd marry him."
"This is completely different," Blair insisted, "I never would have agreed to marry Louis had I thought I had any chance of reconciling with Chuck."
"But what is the urgency?" Dan pressed, "Shouldn't you and Chuck take some time to get reacquainted with each other."
"That is what we did with our time away," Blair stated.
"Blair, less than a month ago, you were planning on marrying another man. Now you're marrying Chuck. I think you need to slow down and decide what it is you really want," Dan insisted.
"And what exactly do you think it is that I want?" Blair snapped, "You? Get it through your head, Humphrey. We are friends, nothing more."
"You can't just sweep what we had under the rug," Dan stated, "We grew close this winter, and you can't just erase the kisses that we shared."
"Look, I'm sorry if those kisses confused you and if I led you on, but you are not the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Chuck is; he has been for a long time. Whether you like it or not, I'm marrying Chuck at the end of this month. The only thing this conversation is going to change is whether or not I'm inviting you."
"Blair," Dan exclaimed as he lunged for her hand as she turned to leave, "Don't ignore what you're feeling."
"Don't tempt me," she scowled at him as she yanked her arm free, "My feelings right now are to shove you off this balcony. For the last time, Humphrey, you and I are friends. There is nothing more to our relationship than that. I'm sorry if there is for you, but there isn't for me. If you cannot accept that then you need to stay away from me."
"Blair," Dan replied as he dove for her hand again, yanking on her hand to force her towards him.
"Is everything alright out here?" Serena inquired as she and Chuck appeared in the doorway. Chuck had a deathly scowl on his face directed towards Dan. Blair quickly freed herself and walked with determination towards Chuck, caressing his face gently to get him to focus on her.
"Everything is fine," she assured him as he captured her hand and brought it to his lips. "Let's go back to the party. I'm in a celebratory mood."
Chuck sent one more scowl in Dan's direction before he refocused his attention on his fiancée as he guided her back inside. Dan was about to follow, but Serena held him back.
"Don't ruin this for her, Dan," Serena warned him, "Everyone knows that they are soul mates. If you want to be a good friend, be happy for her. This is what she wants."
"And a few weeks before she wanted to marry Louis," Dan reminded her, "She doesn't know what she wants. She just doesn't want to be alone."
"She agreed to marry Louis because she thought things were over for good with her and Chuck," Serena replied, "And that broke her heart and made her vulnerable to Louis's charms. That's over now. She's marrying Chuck. There isn't anything that you can say that will convince her that she shouldn't."
"But . . ." Dan wanted to protest.
"There isn't anything that you can say to me either that will convince me that she shouldn't marry Chuck," Serena cut him off. "Walk away, Dan."
"Welcome home, soon to be Mrs. Bass," Chuck announced as he carried Blair across the threshold to what would be there temporary home.
"Chuck, put me down," she squealed as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp.
"Keep squirming and I'm going to drop you," he warned her.
"Then put me down," she laughed, "We're not married yet."
"Soon enough," he chuckled as he returned her to her feet.
"Not soon enough," she shook her head as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Let's go to Atlantic City tonight."
"You were the one that scoffed at my suggestion earlier," he reminded her as he pecked lightly at her neck.
"The end of the month feels too far away at the moment," she pouted.
"I can have the chopper fueled and ready in thirty minutes," he told her.
"I know," she nodded, "And I love that about you."
"But," he prompted her as he could hear that her thought wasn't finished.
"But as much as I want to be married to you at this very moment, I also want to do it right," she sighed, "We are only going to get one chance to make this the wedding of our dreams."
"I'll marry you as many times as you want to marry me," he chuckled.
"I'm being serious," she scolded him, "This is it for both of us. So that means this wedding has to be perfect."
"We'll get this right," he assured her, "At the end of the day, the most important thing we get out of this is the family that we are creating together, you, me, and this child." His hand caressed her stomach gently.
"Will you keep reminding me of that as we get closer to the date of our wedding?" she requested, "Because I see myself becoming the most horrendous bridezilla you have ever seen."
"That is why I am planning on hiring an army of wedding planners to do all the worrying for you," he told her, "I will not allow you to stress yourself out over this. All I want you to worry about is how you're going to fend off any and all other members of the male species with how beautiful you'll be looking on that day."
"You are entirely too smooth for your own good," she shook her head. He began to respond, but she silenced him quickly. "If you tell me it is from years of experience, I'm going to pummel you."
"I would never make reference to my wild, drunken debauchery days without you. I know better than that," he assured her.
"Speaking of wild, drunken debauchery days," she sighed as she looked around the familiar suite, "This place hasn't changed one bit."
"Did you really expect it to?" he inquired as he looked around himself. Their idea of returning to this place had been a thrilling prospect at first, but now that they were here, it felt wrong. Everything about this place reminded them of the times in their lives that were not worth remembering.
"They could have at least changed the drapes or something," she replied, "And hopefully the mattress."
"You don't want to stay here either, do you," he concluded.
"It seemed like a good idea at first, but now it just feels wrong," she nodded.
"I feel the same way."
"Let's go find a place with a few less memories," she replied as she reached for his hand and led him out of the hotel suite. It suddenly felt as if they were closing the door on that chapter of his life.
"Where to?" Blair inquired as they strolled towards the elevator.
"I haven't a clue," he admitted, "Any ideas?"
"No," she admitted as she watched him send off a quick text to his driver to have the limo brought around. "There has to be someplace in Manhattan that is suitable enough for us to stay in until we find a more permanent residence."
Riding down in the elevator and returning to the limo they had thrown out and rejected each of other's ideas.
"Arthur, you know your way around Manhattan. Where would you suggest we stay?" Blair inquired as he held the limo door open for her.
"Miss Waldorf?" Arthur gave her a curious look as he wasn't able to understand her question.
"The Empire, The Palace and The Waldorf-Astoria have already been thrown out as ideas and soundly rejected," she informed him. "We're open for input."
"The Plaza, Miss Waldorf," Arthur stammered out having not been accustomed to having any input in his boss's destinations before.
"How could we have forgotten something so obvious?" Blair exclaimed as Chuck quickly scrolled his contact list to find the hotel's manager and demanded the best room the hotel had to offer.
"Thank you, Arthur," Chuck told his driver as Blair waited patiently inside the car. "That was a splendid idea."
"You are welcome, Mister Bass," Arthur nodded as Chuck slid gracefully inside the vehicle and took Blair's hand.
Blair's head came to rest again Chuck's shoulder as her eyes fluttered closed. It had been a long and emotional day. Her exhaustion had clearly caught up with her.
TBC. . .
This will have to hold you all for about a week. Work is sending me out of town, but I will post as soon as I can.