A/N: Aw, I could not have asked for a better response to the last chapter! This one is not so action-packed, but things will pick back up in the next one for sure!

Chairfan (Between our name and chair, I feel the bond already haha!), Young and Careless (I think I might actually do that the next chapter! We'll see ;), RauhlPrincess (Yes, you are right, and I really appreciate it!), merriment (Thanks, you know I love 'em :), Nics (Thank you! YOU are awesome!), anabelle12 (I laughed out loud at your review, and it literally made my day.), kauraREX (I hope this will feed your addiction for at least a little while :), jackyxoxo (Thanks for the review!), and last but never least, livelovelaugh9704 (here's the update, as promised! ;)

P.S. I saw Bloc Party Sunday and they were AMAZING. They hadn't sung "Signs" the whole tour, but they did when I saw them. I took it as a "Sign" that they knew I was in the audience ;)

Chapter 23: Angels

And everyday

I am learning about you

The things that no one else sees

And the end comes too soon

Like the dreaming of angels

And leaving without them

And leaving without them

-"Angels" the xx

"Blair, you must know that this accusation is ridiculous!" Louis said, an all but imperceptible hint of discomfort in his voice. Blair caught it.

"Then why do you sound unsure of yourself?" she countered, leaning into the arm Chuck had wrapped around her.

"I find it very insulting that someone would accuse a prince of something like this," he answered quickly. "And I will not stand here and listen to it any longer, so Blair, I will call you later." He began to stride toward the door, but Chuck caught his arm.

"Hold on a minute, Prince Louis," Chuck snarled, all the derisiveness he could muster infused into the title. "I think it's in your best interest to stay right where you are."

"With you?" Louis asked. "So you can torture me at your leisure? I think not."

"Better me than Russell Thorpe, who if I ask politely, I can have placed in the same jail cell as you," Chuck said assertively. "Would you like that?"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I would do anything to make sure Blair, Nate, and the rest of the people I care about are safe," said Chuck. "And to get back at the people who try to hurt them," he added seriously.

"What would you have me do?" Louis inquired, realizing the precariousness of his situation and the ease with which Chuck, together with Nate, Blair, and Russell's testimonies, could ruin him forever, making him a black sheep in the Monacan royal family if they cut ties with him, and marking all of them as villains if they didn't.

"You're going to confess to me what you did," said Blair, already knowing Chuck would agree to whatever she had in mind for Louis. "And then you're going to give testimony against Thorpe."

"I can do that," Louis said eagerly.

"I'm not finished." Blair gestured at the couch she had been sitting on before, and Louis tentatively took a seat. She placed her face a few inches from his and narrowed her eyes coldly. Her voice was callous, her posture rigid. "You're going to find those two men you paid to take Nate and me and get them in jail as well, and lastly, I'm going to file a restraining order, and you will stay the hell away from me."

"But, Blair, I - "

"I don't care how you feel about me," she cut in. "You obviously have some serious issues that need to be checked out by a professional if you honestly believe that what you did was an act of love."

"So," said Chuck, lounging on a chair and pulling Blair into his lap, "Let's hear it."

Chuck fumed and saw red as Louis told a nearly identical story to that of Thorpe, while Blair sat silently in cool indifference, the only sign she was even listening her periodic frowns. It was lucky for Louis that she was sitting on Chuck's lap, because otherwise, Chuck would have been more than ready to punch him by the end of the narrative.

"As I said before, I think professional help would be a good idea," Blair concluded, a brooding frown still on her face. "Now shall we?"

"Shall we what?" asked Louis, insulted and confused, but his bravado had evaporated to the point where he could no longer argue with the woman he thought himself to be in love with.

"Head to the jail," she replied easily. "It's a good thing we're being merciful, because you'd never be able to pull off orange."

…

After a few hours of grueling interviews with detectives and an angry confrontation from Russell, Nate was finally at peace with the events of the day. Russell was going to jail for the rest of life, both the Czech men would most likely serve fifteen years, Blair was safe, and Louis would be staying very far away from New York. In fact, he was already on a jet back to Monaco, and Nate figured the only people more pleased about it were Chuck and Blair. The paparazzi were sure to be disappointed, but they would never know the whole story. As many times as Nate had relived what had happened at the station, he knew that he needed to tell Serena everything. He didn't want to scare her, but if the roles were reversed, he would want to know.

"Serena?" he knocked on the door to Serena's bedroom door and hoped she would answer. He planned to get the conversation over with as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Nate." Eric swung the door open, and Nate noticed he was wearing pajamas. Serena was sitting on the bed, and she was also wearing sleepwear, a pink camisole and little matching shorts, and both she and her brother had lollipops sticking out of their mouths. "What's going on? Is Chuck okay?"

"Chuck?" Nate asked before remembering that the only reason he knew Serena was here was because of Chuck's recounting of his telephone conversation with Serena earlier in the day. "Oh yeah, he's fine," said Nate, sliding into the bed next to Serena.

"Thank goodness," said Eric, breathing easier now that he knew his older brother was safe. "What happened today?"

"I was just going to tell Serena, but now that I think about it, you should probably know too," Nate replied, figuring Chuck would want Eric to hear what was happening.

The conversation went as expected. Serena shrieked with horror at multiple parts of the story, while Eric sat in soundless consideration, mulling over in silence everything that Nate was describing in as little detail as possible. Serena clenched Nate's arm as if assuring herself that he was real, and she cried when Nate got the part about Chuck's rescue of both him and Blair.

"Serena, are you going to be okay? I think you're more shaken up than I am," said Nate with a slight laugh.

"I'm so g - glad you're all right, and I - I'm really proud to have Chuck as a brother," she replied with a wobbly smile.

"Me too," Eric declared, breaking his silence.

"It's just so bizarre," Serena whispered, shaking her head of golden waves. "All of it."

"Do you think everything will be able to go back to normal?" asked Eric, his voice only slightly louder than his sister's.

"I have no idea," said Nate honestly. "But I hope so."

…

"So the caterer has already been booked, as has the band, and we also have the venue ready to go. The florist has been hired. The invitations have been mailed." Blair stood in the front of the room addressing the members of the Hamilton House holiday party committee checking off items on a whiteboard. "I think we're in a really good place right now." It had been two weeks since the horror caused by Russell and Louis, and not only was the party in a good place, she was in a good place.

"Excellent work, Blair," complimented Maggie after the meeting was adjourned. Maggie was a junior, and father was a big shot lawyer from Los Angeles. She and Blair had bonded over their father's careers and their mutual desire to stay away from law in order to create their own paths.

"Thanks, Mags," Blair answered with a grin. She knew how impressive her work was.

"So who's your date?" Maggie asked casually, twirling her honey blond hair and giving Blair a small grin. "As if we didn't already know," she clarified, poking Blair's side and getting a signature eye roll in return.

"Actually, he hasn't asked yet," snapped Blair irritably. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention you-know-who to me anymore."

"Who, Chuck?" Maggie replied, but her green eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, you mean Chuck Bass! CEO of Bass Industries, owner of more designer suits than any other man in Manhattan, and the best sex of your life," Maggie continued, ticking off the accomplishments with her fingers.

"Maggie," Blair growled in warning, but her anger was dissipating. It was difficult to stay annoyed with the warm, clever California girl.

"He's going to ask," Maggie assured her, linking their arms and picking up their pace. "I know he will."

"Well, we're not official, so he might think it's a bad idea," said Blair, confessing her uncertainties. "It might be too… tempting," she settled on, moping as she dragged her feet along the pavement.

"He loves you, you love him! I don't understand what the big deal is!" argued Maggie, almost as exasperated as Blair with the strange relationship Blair currently had with Chuck. The pair had spent close to no time together the past couple weeks, and Blair was alternately avoiding him or doing everything she could to throw herself in his path by going to the bars at The Empire and The Palace, showing up with Serena when she went to visit Nate, and one day, she even went so far as to go to Bass Industries, her attempt at a convincing subterfuge failing miserably when the only excuse she could give to the secretary was that she was dropping by to see Lilly. Before the secretary could even respond, Blair rushed out, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as she fled. And the few times she had successfully crossed paths with Chuck, she couldn't find anything to say, no matter how much she had rehearsed their witty, romantic dialogue in her mind before going to bed.

"It made sense when we decided to wait," sighed Blair. "I needed become a powerful woman, and he needed to focus on Bass Industries."

"Blair, you're plenty powerful, believe me," laughed Maggie. "You may be only a sophomore, but you strike fear into even the seniors."

"True," Blair agreed, smiling. "But I don't feel as powerful as I want to."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well, Anne Archibald is in charge of a new foundation that benefits underprivileged, young girls, and she needs a face for her campaign," said Blair, the wheels turning. "And I know someone who would be perfect."

"Me?" asked Maggie with a winning smile. "I mean, come on, this face belongs on billboards." She then stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes at Blair.

"Pretty." Blair giggled at her friend. "But really, Mags, I think this could be a big break for me."

"Then I know you'll get it," said Maggie confidently. "Anne would be lucky to have someone as amazing as you."

"You better be right," Blair replied. "Because I don't know how much more of this I can take."

…

"I don't know how much more of this I can take!" Chuck shouted, running his fingers through his slick coif.

"For the love of God, Chuck, just ask her to that party at Columbia," Serena said, her arms folded. "I can't handle her whining about it anymore."

"Whining?" Chuck asked, interested. "What has she been whining about?"

"Other than you?" asked Serena, her mouth and eyebrows quirking at the same time. "Let me think. You, you, you, you, and some more about you."

"What about me?"

"That she wants you to ask her to that damn party!" exploded Serena. "So just do it, or I will for you!"

"Okay, I'll ask her," conceded Chuck. "But after Thanksgiving. I need to get through that first."

"Thank God." Serena poured them both tall glasses of vodka-soda and squeezed the juice of a lime into them. Handing Chuck's drink to him, she held hers up to make a toast. "Here's to my brother and my best friend, that they may find their way back to each other once and for all."

"Amen!" Nate cried, entering the room, his hair still damp from his shower. "You ready to go, Serena?"

"Yep," she answered, knocking back the alcohol. "Have a nice night with your thoughts Chuck. You know, they're not going to keep you warm in bed tonight."

"At least I have them. All you hear is a dull buzzing whenever you try to think." Nate glanced at his girlfriend and best friend and relaxed upon noticing their matching grins.

"Right now, I'm thinking that you should call Blair. I'm pretty positive she doesn't have any plans tonight," she inveigled him, pursing her lips.

"Just go, sis," Chuck ordered, pushing her into Nate. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. We're still going to lunch, correct?"

"Yeah, and my mom and Eric can't wait," Serena said genuinely. "We're going to have a real family lunch, the four of us."

"Bye Serena," said Chuck, also looking forward to it. He hoped to make it a weekly tradition.

"Bye!" she chirped. Nate gave Chuck a wave before holding his hand up by his ear like a phone and mouthing call her. Chuck rolled his eyes, but nevertheless, he picked up his cell as soon as they were out the door.

…

Piles of magazine cutouts and spreads surrounded Blair as she sat on the floor of her bedroom. W was more work than she anticipated, and Epperly had her going full-force on an online feature about the best holiday looks for every type of event. She was debating whether a little black cocktail dress by Michael Kors or a more noticeable red silk blouse and grey pencil skirt from Vera Wang would be more suitable for an office party when Chuck called. When she first saw his name flash on her caller ID, she assumed she was hallucinating. Was he really calling after their two weeks of incessant mutual evasion, broken only by Blair's flashes of insanity? As the ringing kept on, she put her qualms to rest for now and hit accept.

"Hey, what do you think is more suitable for an office holiday party?" she asked casually, not wanting things to feel uncomfortable. "An LBD or a bright silk shirt and pencil skirt?"

"Designers?"

"Michael Kors and Vera Wang respectively."

"LBD, then," said Chuck decisively.

"You're right. The Vera is too much."

"Is this something for W?" Chuck wondered.

"Yes," replied Blair. "It's for an online article. I have to finish by tomorrow, and I think I may be over my head here."

"Want me to come over and help?" offered Chuck carefully. Blair nearly dropped her phone, but a smile immediately stretched across her face.

"That would be great!"

"See you in ten then."

By the time Chuck arrived, she had her piles relatively organized. There was one with dresses, another with skirts, and others that featured blouses, pants, shoes, bags, and jewelry. Completed outfits were pinned onto a corkboard under their category.

"That's quite a system you've got going there," Chuck observed, entering Blair's room and sitting beside her without preamble.

"I'm an organized person," she said with a shrug.

"You're anal is more accurate," argued Chuck with a smirk.

"Okay, so perhaps I like to be in control," she amended.

"Which I support wholeheartedly," said Chuck slyly. "Especially in this room." He looked around the room he hadn't been in for months. She hit his arm playfully and ignored him, sorting through the shoes pile to find the pair of DKNY pumps she wanted to pair with the black dress. "So how far are you?"

"About halfway," Blair guessed. "All I have left is two more office party outfits, five casual looks for hanging out with family, and five for black tie events." They ended up dividing the tasks. Blair did the casual ones, and Chuck did the formal, because he didn't know much about dressing casually. It wasn't Blair's forte either, but she could manage to pull together anything and make it perfect. They worked mostly in silence, but it was comfortable, and Chuck would share little anecdotes about Bass Industries and how things were going with the new hotel, while Blair would discuss school, W (repeating several times how nice it was that Dan had resigned), and avoid anything to do with Hamilton House like the plague.

"We're done!" she announced excitedly when everything was carefully pinned to the corkboard. "It looks great."

"Of course it does," said Chuck. "We make an amazing team, always have."

"And always will," she answered absent-mindedly, the comment slipping out before she could consider her words. She didn't see Chuck's smile, instead choosing to rearrange an already perfectly aligned photo on the pin board.

"Blair, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Chuck queried out of the blue, surprising her.

"Oh, I'm not sure yet," she admitted, turning back to face him. "My mother thinks she's going to be stuck in Paris for work, and Daddy and Roman have had a vacation planned to Greece for ages, and Thanksgiving is the best time for them to go. Some special trip package through Roman's friend or something," she said with a sigh. Another Thanksgiving without her father. It was horrible to have grown so used to it.

"You should come spend it with us. The Archibalds are coming to Lily's too, and unfortunately Rufus will be there, but his spawn won't. You should come," he reiterated.

"I don't want to intrude," she said lightly.

"Intrude?" Chuck scoffed. "By spending a holiday with people who love you? You're coming Blair, no excuses," he decided.

"Okay," she relented. "I'll go."

…

By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, Blair had met with Anne Archibald more than once over the possibility of her becoming the face for Girls, Inc. And while at first she had mainly been interested in what the opportunity meant for her, she soon became invested in the lives she could be changing by becoming involved in the foundation. Anne was impressed by her enthusiasm and drive, just as she had been when Blair dated Nate in high school. In fact, to Anne, it seemed that her motivation and passion had increased ten-fold over the past couple of years. Both women were looking forward to seeing each other at Lily's Thanksgiving dinner.

"Happy Turkey Day!" Blair said excitedly, carrying her signature pie in her arms and trailed by Dorota, Vanja, and their baby daughter, whom Chuck had insisted on inviting as well.

"Happy Thanksgiving, dear," said Lily, kissing her cheek and giving her a warm smile. "I think someone's been eagerly awaiting your arrival all day." She nodded in Chuck's direction. He was discussing something with Eric, and as he let out a laugh, Blair smiled. She loved that laugh.

"Then I suppose I should say hi," she told Lily.

"That you should. Here, I'll take this." She grabbed the pie, placed it on the kitchen counter, and watched as Chuck grinned widely after seeing Blair, before asking Rufus, "Have you seen Serena anywhere?"

"No, I haven't," he answered, stirring the homemade gravy he was working on. He held up his spoon to Lily. "Here, taste this. I think it's about right."

"She better be back soon," said Lily, ignoring her husband's request as she fretted over Serena's whereabouts. "I won't be happy without my daughter here to celebrate."

…

Serena shot out of Nate's bed after glancing at the clock.

"Oh my God, we're going to be late!"

"What?" Nate asked, still drowsy after their lovemaking session and brief afternoon nap.

"We have to get to my mom's!" She threw open Nate's closet and selected a suit, tossing the clothes to him on the bed. "Get dressed!"

"Serena, I'm sure your mom will understand if we're a few minutes late," he said calmly, hoping to soothe her, but it backfired.

"No, she won't! And your parents are coming too!" It was true that both Anne and Howard would be attending. Howard had finally been released and was laying low and trying to ease back into things. Going to Lily's was a big step for him, and Nate had told Serena how important it was, which now seemed like a terrible idea. "What if your parents don't like that we're dating? Your mom has always hated me; I just know it!" she cried.

"Serena, please. I've already informed my mom that I love you, and she's happy for me. Don't stress yourself out about this."

"And your dad? He always adored Blair, and I'm nothing like her," moaned Serena, rifting through her overnight bag to find something suitable to wear in front of Nate's parents. All her hemlines suddenly seemed too short, the fabrics too clingy, the silhouettes too tight to her body.

"Serena, look at me." Nate stood in front of her, holding her face in his hands. "I love you. Say it back."

"I love you too," she grumbled.

"And my parents will grow to love you."

"But - "

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes. "But you're so optimistic sometimes that it's hard for me to agree with you."

"Then do me a favor, and make this the one out of ten things that you go along with." She nodded her head slowly, and she only had to yell at Nate to hurry twice before they set off to Lily's.

…

"So, Blair, how is Hamilton House treating you?" asked Anne Archibald, scooting closer to her on the couch. "I've met many lovely women who were members."

"It's wonderful," said Blair honestly. "As are the girls. I've met some great friends already."

"I'm so glad," Anne said. "I remember you mentioning a holiday party you're planning. Is that the one?"

"Yes. It's going to be the best one yet," she replied with confidence.

"Anything Blair does is the best," Chuck put in, choosing the chair to Anne's left in the living room.

"Hello, Charles," greeted Anne formally, a careful and demure tight-lipped smile on her face. "How have you been?"

"Swell," said Chuck sarcastically. "Almost lost my company, but other than that, just dandy."

"Yes, I read about your struggles," Anne said, used to the sarcasm often employed by her son's best friend. "But I was happy to see the Times article that featured your plans for a new hotel."

"It's going to be incredible," remarked Blair, casting Chuck a proud glance.

"Well, it certainly helps that you've been involved in the process. Blair is a meticulous planner, not to mention, she has the best style of any woman I know," Chuck commented, the derision gone. "The suites are all her."

"Very impressive, Blair." Anne took a sip of her red wine and smiled. "I was going to tell you at the end of the night, but I think I may as well tell you now. I would love for you to be the face of Girls, Inc.!"

"Really?" Blair breathed elatedly.

"Yes," Anne confirmed. "Would you like that?"

"I'd love it!" She and Anne shared a hug, and when Blair pulled away, she saw that Serena had appeared and seemed to be on the verge of vomiting. Blair didn't know why Serena looked that way, but she was concerned. "Serena, are you okay?"

"Fine," Serena said unconvincingly. "Hello, Mrs. Archibald."

"Serena," said Anne coolly, her expression only a modicum away from being described as a scowl.

"Um, how are you?" Serena asked, nervously picking at a dress that was far more modest than her usual looks. It was a brown and white striped, long-sleeve wrap dress with only a miniscule V in the front.

"Fine." Anne all but disregarded Serena and placed her attention back on Blair. "Blair, sweetie, we need to talk about plans for the campaign! How about we go discuss it in the dining room?" Blair recognized what Anne was trying to do, so for Serena's sake, she gracefully declined.

"Perhaps we should keep Thanksgiving free of business talk now," she said politely.

"No, you're right," Anne replied, shaking her head. "How silly of me to suggest it."

"Not at all. I'm very excited too," Blair added to spare Anne any embarrassment. "Serena, why don't you tell Anne what you've been working on lately?"

"Sure," said Serena, giving Blair a grateful look. "I've been continuing my blog for the Spectator and also writing freelance articles for New York Magazine. I had one published last month."

"Oh? What was it on?" baited Anne. Serena was a naïve girl, and she should have known better to set herself up for this one. Anne had already read the article, which was about whether certain foods really worked as aphrodisiacs and her personal experiences with testing them.

"It was on, uh - "

"Look, the team just scored a goal!" Blair interrupted, saving Serena from what was sure to be an awkward situation.

"Which team?" asked Nate, entering the room with his father.

"The blue one?" responded Blair innocently.

"First of all, they're both blue," Nate educated the room. "Second of all, it's called a touchdown, not a goal. And third, the team that scored is called the Giants, and they're playing the Cowboys."

"Which one do we want?"

"The Giants," said Chuck, shocking everyone listening. "Nate told me how bad he wanted them to win this year," he continued, which Nate confirmed with a nod. "Don't worry, I'm not becoming a sports junky anytime soon."

"That's a relief," Blair said. "Because I don't want to be forced to watch them with you."

"Like how you force me to watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians with you?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows.

"Hey, they're famous for no reason, and they still manage to make millions of dollars a year," Blair defended. "I could use some of that business savvy."

"You watch it for the drama," Chuck countered, and each of the other guests voiced his or her agreement. Eric even went so far as to mumble that Blair loved being a drama queen.

"I resent that, Eric," she said teasingly. "But, okay, you got me." Everyone laughed, and Lily walked in holding a glass of champagne in her hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served."

And with words unspoken

A silent devotion

I know you know what I mean

And the end is unknown

But I think I'm ready

As long as you're with me

Until next time - xoxo