Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
"Enough with the mistletoe already," Serena groaned as she caught Chuck and Blair camped underneath the traditional Christmas decoration yet again, "Don't make me get out the fire extinguisher."
"Where is your holiday cheer, Serena?" Blair frowned as her husband reluctantly released her.
"It's worn thin after I've walked in on you making out for the fifth time," Serena glared at her best friend, "No shock that you're pregnant. You two can't keep your hands off each other."
"You're just jealous because Nate is spending the holiday at the Vanderbilt Estate, so you don't get your own mistletoe kiss," Blair replied.
"I can't believe he'd rather spend the day with his family than me," she huffed.
"You haven't even told Lily that you're dating him again," Blair pointed out.
"Maybe I would have if he'd agreed to spend the holiday with me," she sighed.
"You didn't even ask him to spend the holiday with you," Blair felt the need to point out.
Serena wouldn't dignify Blair's comment with a response.
"Do you want me to send a jet for him in the Hamptons?" Chuck offered.
"No," Serena shook her head, "He said he was going to come back to the city on the first train he could get after his crazy family dinner."
"Okay," Chuck nodded.
"Come on you three, you're holding up dinner," Lily found the trio.
"Blame them," Serena motioned towards Chuck and Blair, "I found them under the mistletoe again."
"Is it too late to return the gift we got her?" Blair whispered into her husband's ear as he pulled her to the table where their family was waiting patiently, both van der Woodsen and Waldorf.
"Nice of you to join us," Cyrus smirked as Chuck held out Blair's chair for her before he settled in next to her with his hand on her belly.
"Our pleasure," Blair winked at him as the food started to make the rounds.
Lily had been surprised that Cyrus and Eleanor had accepted her dinner invitation for the holiday as she knew they celebrated Hanukkah, but she had a suspicion that the impending arrival of their first grandchild was the reason they agreed to be included in the meal. As it was, most of the conversation at the table revolved around Blair and the baby.
"Have you two come up with possible names yet?" Rufus inquired.
"We're working on it," Chuck nodded.
"Arguing over it," Blair amended, "I want to name him after one of my favorite characters from the Hepburn classics, but Chuck isn't as sold on the idea."
"I haven't ruled it out," Chuck chimed in, "But I think it would be best to wait until we meet our child before we settle completely on a name. He may not look anything like a Linus or a Henry."
"We can't even come to an agreement on his middle name," Blair added.
"Shouldn't you have a first name before you come up with a middle name?" Serena added her two cents to the conversation.
"Thank you, Serena," Chuck smiled triumphantly, "That has been my point throughout this process."
"How about Eric?" Eric offered, "After his doting uncle."
"Or Roman?" Roman chimed in.
"Why don't we just call him Harold Roman Cyrus Rufus Eric Bass?" Blair listed sarcastically.
"That's quite a mouthful," Harold chuckled, "But my name is first, so that sounds appropriate."
"So it's going to be Bass and not Waldorf-Bass," Eleanor chimed in.
"That is actually the only thing that we have agreed upon so far," Blair replied, "When I went to get my name legally changed after the wedding I was intending on using Waldorf-Bass, but when I filled out the paperwork I put just Bass. I know I could change it, but the more I've written it out, the more I like Blair Bass."
"Anything Blair decides to do professionally, I'm going to insist she do so as Blair Waldorf-Bass," Chuck chimed in, "But legally she's Blair Bass."
"You could always use Waldorf as the baby's middle name," Eleanor suggested.
"I hadn't thought of that," Blair paused for a moment.
"We still have a bit of negotiating to do," Chuck added.
"Just think, next year at this time, we'll be celebrating the baby's first Christmas. It's going to be so much fun," Lily proclaimed gleefully.
"I happened to walk through FAO Schwartz a few days ago," Eleanor chimed it, "The toys they have these days are so different than when I shopped for Blair twenty years ago."
"I did the same thing," Lily replied, "Blair, Charles, I hope you know how spoiled this child will be."
"That's a given," Chuck laughed, "Blair has been getting the baby's clothes organized in the nursery closet. I've never seen so many clothes in my life, and I'm married to Blair."
"Chuck," Blair scolded him with a soft backhand to his shoulder.
"Have you started nesting yet, Blair?" Rufus inquired, "When Alison was pregnant with both Dan and Jenny, I swear she nested through her entire pregnancy. Our apartment was never cleaner."
The mention of Dan silenced the room for a few moments as all eyes shifted towards Blair.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," Rufus broke the silence.
"How is Dan?" Cyrus tried to smooth things over.
"He's doing well," Rufus replied, "He wanted to come home for the holidays, but both Alison and I thought it would be best for him to stay in London."
"Excuse me," Blair stated with a weak smile as she placed her napkin beside her plate before she awkwardly rose from the table and left the room.
Chuck motioned to follow her, but Serena's hand against his shoulder keep him seated.
"Blair," Serena called out to get her best friend's attention after finding her tucked into what used to be Chuck's bedroom, "Rufus didn't mean any harm."
"I know," Blair nodded, "Rufus never means any harm. He doesn't seem to have one wicked bone in his body unlike his offspring. I'm still just so mad at his son. I cannot get over how badly he betrayed our friendship. He took the most personal thing that I've ever told anyone and used it against me the day before my wedding. What kind of person does something like that?"
"One that was not in his right state of mind," Serena chimed in, "I haven't brought this up before, but Dan's in therapy himself. He was diagnosed with depression."
"That doesn't make what he did okay," Blair insisted, "Chuck was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That doesn't make all that he did okay either, and he doesn't expect people to just sweep what he did under the rug because of it. Dan humiliated me and my husband. At least Chuck has apologized for his actions. Dan will probably hide behind this convenient diagnosis and just expect people to forgive him."
"You don't know that," Serena insisted, "Maybe Dan wanted to come back for the holidays to start the apologies. You're being a little hypocritical here, Blair. What Dan did isn't nearly as bad as what Chuck did, and you forgave him."
"Chuck asked for his forgiveness. He worked for his forgiveness," Blair replied.
"Maybe Dan wants to do that too," Serena replied, "Maybe he wants to come home so he can apologize."
"He could apologize from London," Blair insisted, "Last I checked, they have pens and paper there. He could write a letter. They have computers. He could send an email. They have phones. He could send a text."
"Would you read any of it if he sent one?" Serena inquired.
"I'm not the only one he needs to apologize to," Blair insisted, "Has he reached out to you yet? Have you talked to him?"
"No," Serena shook her head.
"I get that you have a soft spot for Dan. He was your first love, but I don't know if I can forgive him. As far as I'm concerned, he's better off in London," Blair replied.
"I wasn't going to tell you this until tomorrow because I didn't want to ruin your holiday, but Mom, Rufus, and Eric are flying to London tomorrow, and I'm thinking about going with," Serena stated calmly, "But I don't want you to be mad at me for going to hear Dan out."
"You're leaving?" Blair's voice hitched with sadness, "For how long?"
"Just for a week or so," Serena replied, "We have to be back before Eric's break at Sarah Lawrence is over."
"So you'll be back before the baby is born," Blair let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Of course," Serena assured her, "I wouldn't even consider going if I thought I would miss out on my nephew's birth. I intend to be there through every contraction and right on through until you pop this bundle out."
"Serena, if you're in the delivery room with me, I promise that I will rip out every strand of that blonde hair one by one," Blair cautioned her.
"Ouch," Serena winced as she ran her fingers through her hair, "Consider the message received, but I promise you I will be there for the most important day of your life. You're my best friend, B. I wouldn't dream of missing it."
"Thanks, S," Blair replied as she hugged her friend, "And if you have the chance, could you slap Dan upside his head for me?"
"I'll consider it," Serena chuckled, "If you'll promise to keep an eye on Nate while I'm gone."
"I'll stick Chuck on that task," Blair replied, "With my mood swings I'd probably castrate him when he says something inappropriate."
"I'd appreciate keeping him in one piece," Serena chuckled, "I may want to be able to reproduce with him somewhere down the road."
"I'll do my best," Blair smiled.
"Are we okay?" Serena inquired.
"Yes," Blair nodded, "I can't stay mad at you anymore. I'm still not forgiving Dan, but you and I are okay."
"Come on, we should join the family," Serena urged her out of the room.
"Go on ahead," Blair replied, "I'm taking a few kicks to the bladder, so the ladies' room is calling."
"Okay," Serena nodded, "But if you aren't back in a few minutes, I'm sending Chuck after you."
"I'll need to make sure he finds me under the mistletoe then," Blair let out a giggle as she turned towards the bathroom.
"Rabbits," Serena muttered under her breath, "They mate like rabbits."
"Is Blair okay?" Chuck inquired as Serena returned to the table sans Blair.
"Yes," she nodded, "She was taking a few kicks to the bladder. You can guess the rest from there."
"I'd better go make sure she's okay," Chuck motioned to stand up.
"I think she can manage to use the bathroom just fine on her own," Serena assured him as she placed her hand against his shoulder for a second time to keep him in place, "You don't need to hover."
"It's hard not to hover at this stage," Harold chimed in, "When Eleanor hit eight months, I didn't let her leave my sight for a second."
"Yes, I remember," Eleanor glared at him, "He even followed me into the bathroom. I learned to lock the door."
"I wish we'd had Dorota back then," Harold sighed, "She would have been able to pick the lock for me."
The table let out a chorus of laughs as Blair finally returned to the table.
Rufus was about to apologize again when Blair held up her hand to silence him, "Let's just forget about it and move on with our day."
Chuck's hand settled at her belly again as she reached for her fork and resumed her meal. His eyes were reflecting his concern for her. She gave him the most reassuring smile she could as she ran her fingers along his hand. Chuck bent in and kissed her cheek softly, whispering his love in her ear.
"Serena's present seemed to go over pretty well," Blair chuckled as they sat near the elegantly decorated tree in their bedroom. It had been an ordeal for Blair to get down to the ground, and it would probably be an even bigger deal to get her to her feet again, but she liked cuddling with Chuck in front of the fire.
"You gave her that vibrator you got from her for a wedding present," he chuckled, "Unless Nate managed to convince her to round the bases within the past few days, I'd say that gift is going to get a lot of use."
"She has performance anxiety," Blair sighed, "She's worried that their sexual chemistry hasn't improve, which proves my point from so many months ago that she was faking."
"You were right," he chuckled.
"So, do I get to open my gift yet?" Blair inquired as her fingers walked along the elegantly wrapped package at her side.
"You're like a little kid when it comes to gifts," he chuckled as he placed a kiss at the juncture between her neck and her shoulder, "You've opened more than your share of presents this year, between our wedding gifts, your birthday gifts, the baby shower gifts, and then the gifts you were given at Lily's just this afternoon, yet still you aren't satisfied."
"Because I know your gift will top them all," she replied, "Now quit stalling. I want my present."
"I'd hate to disappoint my queen," he chuckled at he picked up the gift she was toying with and placed it on her belly in front of her.
"See, this bump is good for something," she chuckled as she watched the gift balance perfected atop her rounded belly. Finally giving into temptation, she snatched the gift off her stomach and tore at the wrapping paper, sending bits of it flying in many different directions.
"Careful," he laughed, "You don't want to set this carpet on fire."
Finally ridding the box of the paper, she lifted the lid to reveal its contents. Inside was a platinum locket, split open at the hinge to reveal the picture he'd tucked inside.
"Is this?" she gasped as she eyed the image, which looked like the sonogram photo they'd been given by their doctor days earlier.
"Our little boy," he nodded against her shoulder, "I figure we can put another picture of him in after he's born on the other side."
"Chuck, it's beautiful," she stated as she ran her fingers along the locket, "Where did you get the picture? I already added the sonogram picture to the baby book."
"I called your doctor's office later that same day and asked for a copy," he explained, "I then went to a photographer's studio and had him shrink the image so that it would fit into the locket. It took awhile to get a quality proof, but it was worth it."
"See, I told you that you give the best gifts," she stated as she turned her head to kiss his lips. "Now, your turn."
Chuck reached for the other package at their side.
"I'm a little nervous about this," she confessed, "Almost as nervous as I was when I…nope that will give away the surprise."
"You've piqued my curiosity," he chuckled as he shook his gift to hear the soft rattle.
"Open it," she encouraged him with an eagerness that rivaled that of when she wanted to open her present.
"Open it for me," he offered the present to her to open, "It's more fun watching you tear into it anyways."
She didn't have to be told twice as she tore at the paper as fast as she could and then pulled the lid off of the box before handing it to him.
He pushed aside the tissue paper before he took the box from her hands. Inside was a platinum framed black and white profile picture of Blair laying on her back on what appeared to be a cloud, with a piece of black cloth covering just above and below her belly bump.
"Blair, this is…" Chuck fumbled for an adequate expression.
"Awful," she gasped as she suddenly burst into tears, "It's stupid. I don't know how I let Serena talk me into it."
"I was going to say breathtaking, but that doesn't seem to go far enough," Chuck quickly put her fears to rest, "I've been saying for months how beautiful and sexy I find this pregnant side of you. Now I have this to remind me every day, even after you give birth. Thank you."
"You like it?" she stammered out.
"If you weren't on restrictions right now, I'd show you how much I love it," he told her as he tangled his fingers into her hair and brought his lips a breath away from hers, "Until those restrictions are lifted, this will have to do." His lips claimed hers, causing her to whimper in reply as she dueled with him for dominance.
"Chuck," she gasped as she pulled away to catch her breath.
"Merry Christmas, Blair," he whispered as he nuzzled her neck.
"Merry Christmas, Chuck," she replied as she tangled her fingers into his hair, keeping him close. "Just think, next year at this time, we'll be doing this with our little boy crawling circles around us."
"Next year at this time, our little boy will be tucked into bed for the night so that I may ravage my wife properly," he amended.
"I like your idea about as well as mine," she chuckled.
TBC. . .
I know a lot of you are anxious for a bit of drama. There wasn't much in this chapter, but I hope I get credit for what's there. I do promise more in a few chapters.
As always, a big thanks to my beta Lori2279 and to my faithful readers and reviewers. You all rock!