Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
So here is the wedding chapter for all you Chair fans to enjoy.
Blair had kicked Chuck out of their suite before the clock struck midnight the night before, after three so satisfying rounds of lovemaking. Fortunately Serena had made mention that Lily was expecting him at her apartment as he didn't want to go to the manor without Blair. Lily had welcomed him with open arms and gave him his old bedroom for the night along with assurances that Dan would be nowhere in sight that day.
Blair had given him the details of Humphrey's third attempt to stop the wedding and the part he'd played in Georgina's plot to ruin them. There was a part of Chuck that wanted Dan at the ceremony, wanted him to hear Blair make her vows and to be made as his wife. He knew of no crueler punishment to inflict.
Lily, Rufus, Serena, Eric, Nate and himself were all sitting down to a good hearty breakfast. Serena was jabbering on about all the last minute details that she was responsible for and how the best man had the easiest job of making sure that the groom was on time for the ceremony. It was the big, happy, family gathering that made him realize there was one thing he needed to do before he dressed for the day.
"Nathaniel, can you keep everyone entertained this morning? I have somewhere that I need to go," Chuck requested.
"Sure, but don't be late for the ceremony. I'd hate to blow my one responsibility," Nate nodded as Chuck walked towards the elevator.
Walking through the cemetery, he carried a bouquet of yellow roses. Finding the appropriate headstones, he knelt down and left them at his mother's grave. His eyes read across the stone, the day she was born, the day she died. He had to look away suddenly at the reminder, the day she died was his birthday.
"I knew I'd find you here," a voice called out to him.
"How could you?" Chuck hissed, as he looked towards the intruder with death in his eyes, "How could you dishonor my mother the way you did?"
"Come on, Nephew, it was a game. I played my hand; I lost," Jack rolled his eyes, "Bart would have done the same in my position, but he would have done it so much better. You'd still be believing that Elizabeth Fisher was your mother."
"My mother's name was Evelyn Bass," Chuck gritted out through clinched teeth.
"Yes, it was," Jack confirmed, "Let's put the past behind us. We're family."
"You have no idea what it is to be a part of a family," Chuck snorted.
"Neither do you. Don't you get it, Chuck? We're the same. We can never have that fairytale happy ending because we're too screwed up," Jack laughed, "Look at you. You're bipolar for crying out loud. It's going to take medication and electroshock therapy to straighten you out. By the way, have they fried away all of those brain cells you didn't kill with all that weed you smoked yet?"
"You really have no clue what you're talking about, do you?"
"I know that you'll never be able to make Blair happy. How could you? You don't know what happiness means," Jack replied.
"Happiness isn't just some word in a dictionary, Jackie," Chuck replied, "It's a feeling. It's something that you feel deep down in your heart, which is why you won't ever feel it. If you had a heart, which I doubt, it would be made of stone."
"Ouch, Nephew, how about a little compassion?" Jack clutched at his chest.
"If you're here to stop the wedding…" Chuck began.
"I'm not," Jack cut him off, "That's what I'm here to tell you. I'm done. I'll stay on my little island in the Pacific and never bother you ever again."
"At what price?" Chuck inquired.
"Think of it as my wedding present to you," Jack offered, "Oh, and congratulations, I hear you're about to become a father."
"You come near my wife or my child, I will end you," Chuck growled as he advanced towards his uncle.
"Easy, Nephew," Jack took a step back as he held up his hands in surrender, "I mean no harm. I just hope that kid is really yours."
"You're leaving," Chuck told him as he advanced towards him again, "If I see you in New York ever again, I'll tip off the FBI to the role you played in Philip's little ponzi scheme. It was you that orchestrated that entire thing, was it not?"
"I'm flattered that you noticed. Thanks for making him the fall guy, by the way," Jack laughed, "I mean, that was my plan all along as he was too clueless to realize how deep in he was, but you made it almost too easy. With all that money in my bank account, I don't need Bass Industries anymore."
"Leave," Chuck growled as he pulled out his phone in an attempted threat to dial the FBI contact he'd worked with the day before.
"Good luck, Nephew, you're going to need it," Jack chuckled sarcastically as he strolled away without a care in the world. It was at the cemetery gates that he was accosted by federal agents and slapped in cuffs.
"You got all of that, didn't you?" Chuck inquired as he tossed the listening device he'd carried in his pocket towards the agent he'd met yesterday.
"Crystal clear," the agent nodded. "You were very convincing."
"That wasn't acting," Chuck replied.
"Don't you worry, he's going away for a long time," the agent assured him.
"And Bass Industries will be left alone," Chuck needed a second assurance.
"He didn't use any of Bass Industries assets in the scheme. We haven't found any real connection other than the name. You and your father's company are free and clear," the agent nodded.
"Thank you," Chuck nodded.
"I'll leave you to it then," the agent stated, "And congratulations. I hear you're going to become a father soon. I have two girls myself. The cutest little bugs in the world."
"Thank you," Chuck repeated as he turned towards his parents' graves as he released a deep sigh of relief. "I'm sorry I had to do that here. It was the only place I could think of to lure him in, but it's over now. I know the truth, the whole truth. And he was wrong, Bart. I know you'd never do to me what he did, even if the roles were reversed."
Chuck took a few moments to catch his breath. It felt as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest as he fell to the ground.
"Are you okay, Charles?" Lily inquired as she was at his side in an instant.
He'd confessed the entire plan to Lily before he'd gone to bed. He was torn and needed someone to talk to. The agents had given him the option to be a part of the plan or not. He didn't know if he could be a part of Jack's downfall. He didn't want to drag Blair into it. It was her wedding day, after all. He wanted her day to be perfect, free of any outside drama.
Lily had been a good listener. She didn't try to influence him one way or another. She just told him to do what felt right in his heart. It was the happy, family breakfast that convinced him. He and Jack weren't family. They shared a bloodline. That was it.
"I'll be fine," Chuck nodded as he sat in the grass for a few moments.
"I saw Jack being led away in handcuffs. I guess he confessed," she replied.
"It was almost too easy," Chuck stated, "I just had to play to his ego, and he sang like a canary."
"I'm not surprised," Lily stated as she knelt down next to him, tracing the letters of Bart's name on the headstone, "Jack was always the egotistical one. Bart was the smart one; smart, ruthless, calculating, confident, charming…"
"Did you love him?" Chuck asked.
"Yes," she nodded, "But your mother was the love of his life. I couldn't compete with that. She was always going to be our downfall, even if he had lived through that accident."
"Not Rufus?" Chuck pressed.
"What Rufus and I have is different from what I had with your father, but he wasn't the catalyst," she explained, "Like I said, Bart is a charming man. I did love him, but it's hard to love someone when they don't love you back."
"I'm sorry," Chuck stated, "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"Its quite alright," Lily turned to smile at him, "I got something wonderful out of my marriage to Bart, you. Watching you become the man that you've turned into has been such a joy. It certainly hasn't been easy, but seeing where you are today, your wedding day, it warms my heart."
"Thank you for looking after me," Chuck replied, "You certainly didn't have to. No one would have blamed you for ripping up those adoption papers after Bart died."
"Like I said, it has warmed my heart to see the man that you've become," she stated as she hugged him. "Now, we'd better get going. We had best not be late for your wedding, and I still have to get to Eleanor's to get my hair and makeup done."
"Will you tell Blair that I love her, when you see her?" he requested as he rose to his feet.
"I'm sure she doesn't need the reminder, but yes, I'll tell her," she replied as she hugged him again.
"Thank you, Lily," Chuck stated as he held her for a moment longer than she'd expected.
After returning from the cemetery, Chuck felt as if the rest of the day passed by in a blur until he was standing at the altar, waiting patiently for Blair to emerge on her father's arm. The skies above were grey. It looked as if it could rain at any moment, but so far their luck was holding. The five-piece orchestra was playing as the guests arrived and were seated. They were all talking about the same thing, the skies.
"Almost time," Nate stated as he looked at his watch. "Last chance to make a run for it."
Chuck couldn't keep the laughter at bay as he looked to his best friend.
The processional started as Serena made her way slowly down the aisle, in time with the music.
"She looks beautiful," Nate stated as his eyes flowed Serena with each step.
"Do me a favor," Chuck requested, "If you're going to nail her on a bar stool again, be a little more discreet about it this time."
"I'm not…" Nate began to protest, but could only shrug as he conceded to the possibility. Diana was leaving for London almost immediately after the ceremony, so he'd be on his own. With enough alcohol, he could very easily see himself reenacting their past.
Serena smiled warmly at both Nate and Chuck as she took her place at the altar. Her attention quickly diverted to the back of the aisle as the processional music changed to the wedding march.
Blair and her father magically appeared, seemingly out of thin air. Chuck's breath caught. She was mesmerizing; her eyes were hypnotic as she held his gaze with each step she took. He couldn't even describe the dress. He hadn't seen it. It was the look of pure and simple joy that had his complete attention.
Nate had to poke Chuck in the ribs as Blair and Harold stopped just before the altar to get him to go take Blair's hand as her father lifted her veil to kiss her cheek.
The ceremony commenced. Chuck said all the right things, repeated all the right words, went through the proper motions, but he'd have to see the wedding video later to know what happened. The only thing he would remember was the moment that he was told to kiss is bride. He kissed her with such passion her tiara nearly fell off. Just when he pulled away the drops of water from the sky began to lightly fall. Blair squealed in surprise as he took her hand and led her quickly towards the tent before the skies really opened up.
Towels were handed out to the guests like party favors as Blair and Chuck took several moments for themselves in the segmented room set aside just for the two of them.
"Hello, Mrs. Bass," he smiled as he held her in his arms as they swayed gently against each other.
"Hello, Mister Bass," she smiled back at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck a little tighter. "I can't believe it. We're actually married. There were no interruptions, no surprises. The rain stayed away until the very end, chasing us in here at the perfect moment. That's what this day is, Chuck, perfect."
Chuck stepped away suddenly.
"What are you doing?" she looked at him with intrigue.
"I suddenly realized I haven't seen your dress yet," he explained.
"How could you not have seen it?" she gasped, "You watched me walk down the aisle in it."
"It's those siren eyes of yours," he told her, "They had me so hypnotized that I couldn't look anywhere else."
"Well, now that you've seen it, what do you think?" she inquired as she did a quick little pirouette to give him the full effect.
"Breathtaking," was the only reply he could come up with.
"Breathtaking works," she smiled as she stepped back into his arms, "Now shut up and kiss me."
"Chuck, Blair, everyone's anxiously awaiting your entrance," Serena announced as she stepped tentatively into the room. She didn't know what she was going to find. She half expected Blair's dress to be on the floor, and her best friend to be pressed against some solid surface with Chuck pounding into her. What she saw warmed her heart. They were dancing, slowly in a circle, as if they were in their own little world. Their foreheads were pressed together, and they held each other as close as they could.
"Don't care," Chuck waved her away.
"Come on, Chuck," Serena refused to be ignored, "The sooner you come out, the sooner you can leave and start your wedding night."
"The talking blonde has a point," Blair sighed.
"Save me a dance?" he requested.
"I'll save them all for you," she winked.
"Come on, Mister and Mrs. Bass, one step at a time, you can do it," Serena encouraged them as she would an infant taking their first steps.
"The condescension is not appreciated," Blair scowled at Serena.
"No squished faces, it will give you frown marks in the pictures," Serena replied.
"Can I slap her?" Blair asked Chuck.
"You can do anything you want today," Chuck told her, "It's your wedding day."
"You don't want a red hand print in the wedding photos," Serena winced as Blair walked past her and raised her hand.
"We have to take these wedding pictures soon. They're ruining my fun," Blair whined.
"Come on, my queen," Chuck wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her into the ballroom.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, let me announce for the first time, Mister and Mrs. Charles Bass," Nate stated from the podium where the full orchestra was set up.
Blair and Chuck stepped onto the dance floor as the orchestra began playing "Waltz at the Ball" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Chuck and Blair bowed to each other, keeping up with the fairytale theme of the dance before Chuck took her in his arms. He guided Blair around the floor as if they were flying through the clouds, turning her at appropriate intervals. No one would have suspected that less than a week ago, he'd been in a car accident and had been walking with a limp ever since.
Half way through, Nate and Serena joined them on the dance floor, and clumsily made their way around. Both were grateful when the orchestra shifted to an easier step. Neither had paid much attention during the dance classes they were required to attend in their youth. Blair and Chuck kept dancing as they looked to each other with stars in their eyes.
"It's time for the father-daughter dances," Chuck told Blair as he spotted Harold approaching them, "I'll be back in three songs."
"I love you," she cooed just as she pressed her lips to his.
"I love you too," he told her as he gave her hand to his father before turning to find Lily.
"You look very happy, Blair-Bear," her father observed.
"I am very happy," she nodded, "I don't think today could have been any more special or perfect than it is. Even the rain couldn't put a damper on things."
"Rain on one's wedding day is a sign of good luck," her father told her.
"Are you making that up?" Blair inquired as they swayed in time with the music.
"No," her father chuckled before his face turned suddenly serious, "Blair-Bear, is there more to this wedding than I know?"
"What do you mean, Daddy?" Blair asked as she batted her lashes innocently.
"Sweetheart, are you pregnant?" her father whispered in her ear.
Blair nodded her head as her smile widened. "We aren't telling anyone just yet. Only Mom and Lily know, and of course Dorota," she explained, "We're going to wait a little while longer to make the announcement, but if you want to tell Roman, you may."
"Blair, this is fantastic," her father told her as he hugged her tight, "Roman and I had this feeling. How long until the blessed day?"
"A little over six months," Blair replied.
"And Chuck is…" Harold began.
"The father, yes," she nodded, "Without a doubt."
"Congratulations, Sweetheart," Harold beamed down at her, his eyes glistening with happy tears.
"Don't you dare start crying on me now," Blair warned him, "We haven't taken pictures yet."
"You're right," he chuckled, "We can do that later."
Blair went through the next two dances with her other fathers having pretty much the same conversation. She thought she'd be upset with people figuring out her big secret, but each time she confirmed the news she became happier. She almost wanted to grab the microphone and make the announcement herself right then and there, but then she caught Chuck's eye. He had a mysterious twinkle about him as he danced with her mother. Suddenly, she wanted no one else to know. She wanted to keep their secret for as long as they could.
When her father-daughter dances were concluded, she caught Nate about to step in to dance, but Chuck was quicker and spun her away.
"You can have your turn later, Archibald," Chuck replied as Blair's head came to rest against his shoulder as they swayed to the music.
"We're getting hungry, Chuck," she whispered in his ear.
"Let's finish this dance first," he suggested as his lips drifted to her ear as he whispered, "Your fathers know, don't they?"
"Yes," she replied, "And they are so happy and excited for us. I thought Daddy might be a little disappointed with me, but he wasn't, not even for a split second."
"So I don't have to worry about three pairs of hands wringing my neck?" he smiled.
"You only have to worry about one pair, mine," she chuckled.
"I can't say it enough today. I love you," he replied.
"You can't ever say it enough," she told him.
"In that case, I love you, I love you, I love you…" he rambled on until Blair kissed him to keep him from continuing on.
"We're home, Mrs. Bass," Chuck whispered in Blair's ear to wake her. She'd fallen asleep on his shoulder during the short ride from the park to their new home.
"So tired," Blair mumbled as she burrowed into his shoulder.
"I'd carry you the entire way to our bedroom if I could," he replied as he shook her gently.
"I know," she stuck out her lip to pout.
Chuck helped her out of the limo and kept the train of her dress from dragging across the wet pavement. It had stopped raining an hour earlier, but the steady rainfall had soaked the stones completely through. It would take the sun's rays the next day to thoroughly dry everything.
At the door, Blair waited for Chuck to unlock the door. She wasn't expecting his next move as he swept her into his arms and carried her across the threshold.
"Chuck, put me down," she demanded, "You're still healing."
"I have a surprise for you," Chuck told her as he returned her to her feet.
"Your restrictions were completely lifted, so I don't have to feel any guilt as we make love," she stated hopefully.
"I don't give a damn about those restrictions," he told her, "As far as I'm concerned they were lifted last night, but that's not the surprise."
"Well if that isn't the surprise, then I don't know what it is," she stated.
"That's why they call it a surprise," he replied as he grasped her hand and led her towards the staircase, "Now follow me."
"Anywhere," she vowed as she gathered her skirt so she wouldn't trip as she carefully took each step.
At the landing near their bedroom, Chuck had Blair close her eyes and then he spun her in circles. Having not thought of the complication, the train of her dressed wrapped her in a cocoon leaving her unable to move. It took a bit of work to free her, but once she was untangled he led her towards her surprise, keeping his hands over her eyes in case she had the thought of peeking.
"Okay, open your eyes," he whispered as he lowered his hands.
Blair gasped at her surroundings. They were standing in the finished nursery.
"Chuck, this is perfect!" she exclaimed as the vision she'd had in her head for a few weeks was surrounding her.
The walls were mint green. The floors were a rich brown maple. The crib in the corner was the ivory painted, Tiffany crib that she'd picked out in a catalog earlier that week, with chocolate and white polka dot sheets. Near the window was an ivory overstuffed chair and ottoman. On the far wall were two framed black and white photographs, one of Blair as a baby and the other of Chuck as a baby. Hanging over the crib was a mobile with four pristine white teddy bears, ready to entertain their child.
"When the baby is born, and we've decided on the name, we can have that embossed on the wall," Chuck added.
"I'm nearly speechless," Blair stated as her hands traced along the crib's frame.
"You were very specific with your notes," Chuck told her, "It made the task fairly simple… well as simple as it can be when it all needs to come together in under a week."
"I love it," she replied as she threw her arms around his neck.
"I have one more gift for you before we retire to the bedroom," he replied as he disappeared into the baby's walk in closet only to reappear with a beautifully wrapped box in his hands.
She reached for the lid and pulled it off as she peered inside like a giddy little girl. Inside was a collection of fairytales, wrapped in a bow.
"It's never too early to start him or her on the classics, is it?" he inquired.
Blair quickly lifted the books out of the box and set them on the ottoman. "For tomorrow, perhaps."
"Ready to retire for the evening?" he inquired as he offered her his hand.
"As long as retiring doesn't mean falling asleep," she replied as she grasped his hand and followed him to their bedroom.
"I believe our bedroom should be the next room in the manor that we christen," he nodded as he kissed her hand.
TBC. . .