Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.
"A phone call," Nate exclaimed, "A freakin phone call."
"What's he babbling about?" Blair inquired as she came into the entryway just as Nate started his rant.
"Not a clue," Chuck shrugged.
"Well, seeing as how this conversation isn't to stay PG, I'll leave you two to talk this out," Blair replied as she kissed her husband's cheek before she turned to address Nate, "This house happens to be PG. If I hear that language after the baby is born, I'm washing your mouth out with soap."
"Is she serious?" Nate's face changed from anger to surprise as he watched Blair waddle out of the entryway.
"She's very serious," Chuck nodded, "And not that I'm not happy to see you, but care to explain the surprise intrusion."
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Nate responded quickly.
"Just trying to keep up with Mrs. Bass's mood swings," he replied, "She'd giving Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde a run for their money right now. I'm not sure you want to stick around for too long. She might make you a target."
"A freakin' phone call," Nate renewed his outrage, "She told me she was going to London with a freakin' phone call."
"Awe," the light bulb went on in Chuck's mind regarding what he was talking about, "Serena called to tell you that she was going to London instead of telling you in person."
"It's not even that she called to tell me, she called to tell me while at the airport waiting to get on the plane, like I was an afterthought," Nate continued to vent his frustration, "I'm supposed to be her boyfriend. You'd think that she'd mention her trip abroad before she was at the airport."
"Come on, Nathaniel, this is Serena we're talking about. She could have ridden along with Lily and Eric to the airport and decided on a whim to join them," Chuck reminded him.
"With luggage?" Nate inquired as he held up a picture of Serena and her family checking in their luggage that had been blasted by Gossip Girl, who had reclaimed her gossip crown when Diane went back to London permanently.
"I don't know what to tell you," Chuck replied as he glanced over the picture, "But I have question for you. Why are you still receiving Gossip Girl blasts?"
"Call me sentimental," Nate shrugged.
"Speaking for Blair and myself, life is so much less stressful when we're not worrying about the next blast," Chuck replied.
"Yes, because she doesn't have anything interesting to blast about the two of you," Nate stated, "The last thing she blasted was about Blair being pregnant, and she was so late to the party it was laughable. With Diane gone, she's reclaimed the Gossip Queen title."
"Has she posted anything about Blair and I having a baby boy?" Chuck asked curiously.
"No," he shook his head as he gave a chuckle, "But she's phishing for it. She's even posted a survey on her website about it. According to her followers, there's a sixty-seven percent chance that you're having a girl."
Chuck snorted in amusement.
"Come on, I need a drink," Nate stated, "Do you have any hard alcohol in this place?"
"The hardest thing we have right now is apple cider," Chuck replied.
"That's not going to cut it," Nate frowned, "How about drinks at The Palace?"
"Let me go tell Blair," Chuck nodded, "I'll be right back."
"Yes, go ask your ball and chain for permission to have a drink with your best friend," Nate baited him as Chuck left him standing in the entryway. He felt a hard thump against the back of his head. He turned to see Blair and Chuck's housekeeper, Rosa, standing with a menacing glare.
"You be nice to Mister Chuck," Rosa scolded him, "He take good care of Mrs. Blair."
"Are you sure you're not related to Dorota Kishlovsky?" Nate inquired as he rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head, "You look and sound nothing alike, but you sure do act the same."
Rosa continued to scowl at him. She made him supremely uncomfortable as he waited for Chuck to return.
"What's Nate babbling about?" Blair inquired as Chuck found her curled up in the entertainment room watching a classic film with a bowl of popcorn perched on her stomach.
"Did you know that Serena was going to London?" Chuck inquired as he grabbed a few kernels of popcorn from the bowl.
"She mentioned yesterday that she was thinking about it," Blair nodded, "I got the feeling as we spoke that she'd made up her mind to go. Why?"
"Apparently she didn't tell Nathaniel until she was at the airport waiting for her flight," Chuck replied.
"Uh-oh," Blair responded, "He's mad, isn't he?"
"Wouldn't you be?" Chuck nodded.
"Furious," she nodded.
"He needs a drink, so we're going to The Palace," Chuck replied, "Did you need anything before I leave?"
"No," she shook her head, "I have my popcorn. I have my Audrey. I'm all set."
"Well, don't have the baby while I'm gone," he teased as he kissed her forehead, "I'll be gone two hours at most."
"Can you bring something sweet back with you?" she requested.
"Aside from me?" he smirked.
"Lame," she glared at him.
"Something sweet, yes, I can manage that," he chuckled, "Go easy on Rosa while I'm gone."
She shot him a harsh stare as he cowered from the room.
"I can't figure this thing between us out," Nate grumbled as he swirled the beverage in his glass, "We talk about the future and where we'd like to end up, but there is nothing going on with us in the present. She still hasn't told Lily about us."
"Have you told Anne?" Chuck inquired as he took a drink of his club soda. He felt the temptation to order something stronger, but he fought it.
"I tried," Nate sighed, "As soon as I mentioned Serena's name, my mother started in on how I had such horrible taste in women, and how I was a fool for ever letting Blair go."
"Can't argue with her there," Chuck laughed, "But your loss is definitely my gain."
"She's never going to approve of anyone I bring home," Nate sighed, "Even Serena is not proper enough for her. She wants someone like Maureen, but that type of woman doesn't interest me."
"Not sure she interests Tripp anymore either," Chuck replied, "You've heard the stories right?"
"That they are basically living separate lives in between photo ops, yes, I've heard," Nate nodded, "Tripp isn't anyone that I want to emulate."
"So who cares if your mother approves of Serena?" Chuck offered, "If you love her, that's all that matters."
"I do love her," Nate nodded, "But I wonder if I'm in love with the Serena of the past or the Serena of the present because there is a difference."
"The Serena of the past and the Serena of the present are still the same person, Nate," Chuck replied, "Maybe it's you that can't reconcile that."
"Maybe," Nate stated as he continued to swirl his drink.
"No one is forcing you to be with Serena," Chuck pointed out, "So if you want to end this, you can, but I hope you take some time to think it over first. I don't see you getting another chance with her."
"That's the worst part," he sighed, "I don't want to close the door completely, but I don't know if we're ready for that future that we're talking about."
"Sometimes life just throws you into the deep end," Chuck replied, "I never thought in a million years that I'd be ready to become a father or a husband, but here I am, a little over a month away from greeting my first child. I can honestly tell you that I couldn't be more excited about it."
"You're not scared?" Nate asked.
"Terrified," Chuck admitted, "But the excitement outweighs the fear."
"If you were in my place and Blair had flown to London without giving you any advanced warning, what would you do?" Nate inquired.
"Get on a plane to London myself and confront her," Chuck responded without a second's hesitation, "While you're at it, force her to tell Lily."
"I thought you'd say that," Nate replied.
"Need to borrow a jet?" Chuck offered.
"Do you mind?" Nate asked.
"I'm not planning on using it any time soon," Chuck replied as he pulled out his phone to get his flight crew ready.
"Thanks," Nate smiled as he downed his drink quickly as stormed off with a renewed sense of purpose.
Chuck quickly put in an order for every dessert that wouldn't melt as he texted Arthur to pull the car around.
"Everything okay now with Nate?" Blair inquired as Chuck reappeared in the entertainment room. Her empty bowl of popcorn had been cast aside. He promptly handed her the assortment of sugary desserts that he'd procured and a fork to dig in. He was rewarded with a jubilant smile.
"Nate's on his way to London," Chuck responded.
"Smart move," Blair replied as she dug right in, "How'd you get him to do that?"
"He asked what I'd do if I was in his situation," Chuck stated, "Since stopping Serena's flight isn't an option, which is what I would have done if you'd called me from the airport. This was the next best thing I could think of."
"And how exactly would you stop a commercial jetliner?" Blair inquired as she forked a bite of her dessert and offered it to him.
"I have my ways," he responded mysteriously as he accepted her offering, "I'd better keep them to myself though. They may come in handy somewhere down the road."
"Never going to happen," Blair replied as she tugged on his tie and brought his lips to hers, "Where I fly off to, so do you."
"So true," he mumbled against her lips.
"Now get away from me," she shoved at his chest, "You're interfering with my dessert."
"Eric, I thought you'd be at Sarah Lawrence," Chuck replied as his stepbrother and stepsister appeared in the entryway a few weeks after they'd returned from their trip to London.
"He says he's coming home every weekend until his nephew is born," Serena explained his appearance.
"That's not necessary," Chuck replied, "I'll send a car for you when Blair goes into labor."
"It's okay," Eric replied, "I don't mind. It gives me an excuse to avoid my roommate on weekends. He seems to think we're best buddies or something. He's even gone out of his way to assure me that the gay thing doesn't bother him. Serena and I think he's in the closet and about ready to come out."
"Is that so?" Chuck laughed, "And you've come to the lioness's den for what reason? Torture?"
"We've come to offer moral support," Serena stated as she held out bagels and coffee, "Eric and I thought you could use a little reprieve from Godzilla."
"Are you calling me Godzilla!" Blair exclaimed as she appeared seemingly out of thin air.
"No," Serena shook her head quickly, "I was referring to Rosa as Godzilla. Did you know she slapped Nate upside the head a few weeks ago? He wasn't happy about it."
"He probably deserved it," Blair replied, "Are those bagels for me? I'm starving."
"Sure," Serena replied as she handed the bag to Blair before it was ripped out.
"Are they for me or not?" Blair glared at her.
"They're partly for you," Serena responded, "But we were thinking we could share."
"Forget it, I don't want your stupid bagels," Blair replied as she tossed the bag back at Serena, not so subtly aiming for Serena's head before she abruptly left the entryway.
Serena silently mouthed to Chuck for fear that Blair was lurking around the corner ready to pounce again, "Oh my god!"
"Is she always like that?" Eric whispered.
"For the past few weeks," Chuck nodded, "S, you got off easy. At least you caught the bagels. I've had many items thrown at my head that I never saw coming."
"I think we may need to perform an exorcism," Serena replied, "She's possessed."
"She's just uncomfortable," Chuck defended his wife, "The doctor says she has as many as three weeks to go. We'll make it."
"Are you sure?" Eric chimed in, "She seems more vindictive than usual. Are you sure certain body parts won't go missing during the night?"
"All sharp objects have been hidden, and I sleep with one eye open," Chuck laughed.
"Wow," Serena replied, "I could tell from the phone calls that she wasn't in the best of moods, but I had no idea it was this bad. Chuck, you deserve some sort of award for putting up with this."
"I'll have one in just a few weeks," Chuck assured her, "It's a small price to pay."
Their conversation came to a halt as there was a high pitch whistle coming from the direction Blair had ventured. Chuck cringed at the sound like someone would upon hearing nails scraping against a chalkboard.
"You gave her a whistle?" Serena's eyes went wide with horror.
"She demanded one," Chuck replied, "She was watching 'The Sound of Music' and thought it would be a good idea to have one so that I could be signaled if she needed either me or Rosa as the manor is rather large, but that's Rosa's signal. We have a few minutes before she figures out Rosa is out of the manor on an errand."
"Well, I've come to provide you with a reprieve," Serena steeled her nerves for what surely lay ahead, "You'd better leave before I change my mind."
Another shrill whistle rang out.
"Is that you?" Eric inquired as he recognized a different pattern in the sound.
"Unfortunately," Chuck sighed, "I'll be back in a few minutes…hopefully."
"Chuck, Rosa's not answering my whistle," Blair pouted as Chuck found her sitting in the entertainment room, which had turned into her haven. She had two destinations in the manor, their bedroom and the entertainment room, with frequent stops at every bathroom in between.
"She's at the market," Chuck replied, "Remember you sent her out to find some peppermint tea because you drank the last of it."
"Inexcusable," Blair scoffed.
"What can I get you?" Chuck offered his services.
"I left my Cosmo in our bedroom. I wanted her to get it for me. I was reading this really great article," Blair replied.
"I'll get it for you," Chuck stated, "And then Eric and I are going out for a little while. Will you play nice with Serena while I'm gone?"
Blair glared at him as she snatched her whistle and blew it in his face merely to spite him.
"I love you too," he responded calmly as he kissed the tip of her nose.
"It's so quiet," Eric marveled as he and Chuck returned to the manor after a few hours of strolling along the streets of Manhattan. It had been Chuck's idea as he was mostly confined to the manor and wanted an excuse to stretch his legs.
"Wait for it," Chuck replied. It was only moments later that the whistle sounded. "Serena must have been given her own signal."
Sure enough Serena came running through the entryway loaded down with items. She was too frazzled to notice either man.
"I'm going to head out before I've given my own signal," Eric stated.
"Wise man," Chuck stated, "Thanks for the exercise."
"Good luck," Eric replied as he darted out the door.
Serena appeared again, apparently on another mission. "Oh thank god," Serena sighed as she came to a screeching halt, "I've been running around here like a mad woman since you left. First she wanted her toenails painted. Then she wanted her hair curled. Then I brought down the wrong curling iron. Now she wants a manicure, but keeps changing her mind regarding what color she wants her nails to be painted. She has lost her flippin' mind. How are you able to put up with this? That damn whistle has not stopped ringing. I'm about ready to ram it down her throat."
Chuck responded with a hearty laugh. "Welcome to my world."
"You know what, tag, you're it," Serena stated as she patted his shoulder and snatched her coat from the closet. "I'm leaving."
The whistle interrupted any response he was going to give.
"That's you," Serena replied as she darted out of the door faster than Eric had moments earlier.
Chuck could only laugh as he made his way towards the beautiful beast. He couldn't find any way to be annoyed by her, even though he could see what Serena and Eric had made such a swift getaway. He was just so excited for the blessing that he would be welcoming within the next few weeks.
"Chuck, thank god, you're home," Blair sighed in relief as he appeared, "Serena was driving me crazy. First she wanted to paint my toenails. Then she wanted to curl my hair. Then she insisted on giving me a manicure. I kept sending her upstairs for different colors of nail polish so that she wouldn't touch my fingers. Tell me you chased her out of here."
"I think you did that all on your own with that little whistle of yours," he chuckled.
"Yet another use for this little beauty," Blair proclaimed as she kissed the end of the instrument, "Most useful gift I've ever received."
"How about we retire the whistle for a few hours?" Chuck suggested as he gently pried it from her hands and set it out of her reach.
"It's annoying you, isn't it?" she frowned.
"A little," he nodded.
"I'm sorry," she began to pout.
"It's okay," he assured her as he sunk into the sofa next to her, tempting fate by putting his arm around her shoulders, running his fingers through the recently added curls, "I know this is hard for you. The baby is kicking all the time. You are dealing with copious amounts of gas. You have to pee every time you sit down, and standing by yourself is nearly impossible. You haven't seen your feet in weeks."
"Months," she corrected him, "The only reason I let Serena paint my toenails is because I knew I'd never see them even if it ended in disaster."
"Let me see," he urged her to produce her feet.
"What color are they?" she inquired as she lifted her feet and began wiggling her toes.
"Baby blue, very appropriate," he smirked, "They look good."
"Great, the one time I want to see them and can't," she sighed.
Chuck pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly snapped a picture to show her.
"Awe, they're cute," she smiled, "So maybe I was being a little hard on Serena."
"I'm sure she understands," he stated as he kissed her cheek.
"Did you and Eric have fun?" she asked.
"We just walked around the city for a little while. It felt good to stretch my legs," he replied, "I bought you something."
"Gimme," she demanded as she held out her hands.
"Close your eyes," Chuck reached behind the sofa where he'd hidden his gift. He set it in her hands and then told her to open her eyes.
Blair opened her eyes and smiled at the stuffed red apple toy in her hands that he found at a tacky gift shop near Central Park. "It's so cute. Is it for the baby?"
"It can be for the baby if you want it to be, or you can keep it for yourself," he replied, "I'll leave that decision up to you."
"I'll keep it," she proclaimed as she clutched it close to her chest, "The baby already has way more toys than he'll ever be able to play with anyways."
"That's my girl," he chuckled as he kissed the tip of her nose.
TBC. . .
So, we're getting pretty close. Are you excited?