A/N: I'm sorry this took me so long to post, you guys, but I kept psyching myself out about this scene. :lol: This chapter is slightly shorter than than the others, but it felt like it needed to stop here. It's extremely Chuck-centric, dedicated to those of you who wanted more Chuck insight last chapter. Also, it came out this way because it's my favorite Chuck/Other Character scene post-Victor/Victrola. I just love the way Ed plays the scene and the way you just KNEW what he was thinking behind those gorgeous eyes of his. :D Another thing, I know the dialogue is mostly the same right now, but it will be changing subtly, probably starting with next chapter. Small changes are all I'm making.

Again, this is un-beta'd, so go easy on me. I'll probably re-read it again tomorrow for mistakes and fix any I find. That's the way it usually goes, anyway. :lol: Oh, and I wanted to mention that the title of the story and the chapter titles are song titles. Extra love for the person who can name the band that they all come from. :D I hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for reading/reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own Blair, Chuck, or Gossip Girl. If I did, Blair would realize that Nate is a whiney baby and Chuck is all the man a girl could ever need.

Warnings: T for occasional language and adult themes; may change to M in later chapters.

IF ONLY

Chapter 3
"Can't Stop"

Chuck Bass, the most notorious teenage playboy the New York Upper East Side has ever yielded, was starting to panic. After a whirlwind trip to an exclusive jewelry story, he was sitting at the bar in his suite, staring in shock at a black box that couldn't be heavier than a few ounces yet carried the weight of a million consequences. His eyes were frozen on the heart-shaped, diamond accented charm as his fingers brushed reverently over where it dangled from the chain.

When he chose the stunning necklace out of the myriad of items Blair had chosen, it had seemed like the perfect item, but the more he studied it, the more remorse flooded his head. This had been meant for Nate to purchase; Chuck was absolutely certain. If not because it was the most expensive piece of jewelry that Blair had chosen, then it was due to the heart-shaped charm unwittingly symbolizing the wearer carrying the giver's heart around their neck. The more Chuck became comfortable with the idea of giving Blair his heart, the higher his level of alarm rose. His heart was supposed to be his own, yet here he was with this damning necklace about to figuratively hand it over to a girl that would most likely crush it beneath her over-priced designer shoes.

As if the terror slowly beginning to course through his veins hadn't been enough, there was a loud rap on his room's thick wooden door. Quickly snapping shut the jewelry case that was cause for so must unrest, he placed it carefully into the golden gift bag the store had handed it to him in. After placing the bag on the bar, he descended his stool and slowly crossed the floor of his suite to the door to peer through the peephole at his guest.

Seeing his best friend on the other side of the barrier had never been so petrifying.

Breathing deeply to try and calm his unnaturally racing heart, Chuck held tight to the hope that Nathaniel would assume he wasn't home and leave. When a voice came from outside of the door, the wish died unfulfilled. "Come on, man, I can hear you breathing on the other side of the door. Is she anybody you can get rid of? I really need to talk to you man, please."

Barely controlling the urge to sigh mournfully, Chuck waited a beat before turning the knob to allow his friend inside his former haven. "Nathaniel!" Turning before his friend could see the shame in his eyes, he quickly made his way back over toward the bar stool he'd vacated to answer the door.

"Where's the girl?" Chuck glanced up to see Nathaniel peeking into the room, expecting to find that Chuck had company like he would have on any usual morning.

Chuck used his friend's absent mind to buy him a little time; he grabbed the golden gift bag from where it sat on the bar and hid it behind the back of the stool next to him. "In my dreams… I was trying to get some shut-eye. What's on your mind?"

"It's my mom…" Nate sounded vaguely tormented.

Slipping easily into the asshole persona his friend expected, he replied, "Sounds Freudian." On the surface, Chuck was back to his inappropriate self.

The comment didn't even faze Nate as he continued his lament, "She wants me to give Blair her ring."

At least he had been able to feel like normal for a few minutes; Chuck almost lost his nonchalant attitude at that revelation. "What? You guys broke up."

Nate's head fell back to rest against the couch in resignation. "Yeah, I know. I mean, uh… wait, how do you know?" He now had his eyes trained on Chuck suspiciously, most likely trying to figure out how he knew.

Anxiety welled up Chuck's throat as he came up with an outright lie. "Predictably, your ex ran the old, uh, 'Grill the Best Friend' play…tried to find out where your head was at." Hopefully Nate wouldn't notice the slight stammer with which the excuse was delivered; Chuck had never stuttered before this moment. "So, uh, where… uh, where is your head?"

Luckily enough, his best friend's brain was too occupied to notice Chuck's slipping composure. "Spinning. I mean, my mom wants me to get back with Blair so Eleanor doesn't pull out of their business deal. It's all because of my dad's whole… trial thing, you know?"

There was that guilty feeling again, weighing down on his chest. Chuck wasn't one to apologize for what he does, but he wished that Blair had happened to him under different circumstances than his best friend's father being arrested. "Yeah, I'm sorry about all that." And he was, but he still wasn't above steering Nate away from the ex-girlfriend that he never had truly appreciated. "But, look, if you're done with Blair, be done. Don't cave to your parents' wishes if they're not your desires." It really would be best for all involved if Nate moved on from Blair.

Nate looked more confused than ever. "Excuse me? Where's my boy? You know, seal the deal, tap that ass… money marries bigger money?"

"Look, I care about three things, Nathaniel: Money, the pleasures that money brings me, and you." Just because that list may have grown to four things, didn't mean that Nate needed to be let in on that information just yet. Chuck needed to assure his friend that he had his best interests at heart, even if it did serve his own purposes as well. "I'm just trying to have your back here. Your parents have been controlling you your whole life; if it doesn't end now, when will it ever?"

It only took a second for Nate to nod his head at Chuck's train of thought. "Maybe you're right, man. All they've been doing is blaming me for my father's problems and expecting me to fix them." His chin came down to rest on his fists, his elbows resting on his knees. "Dad told me last night that he was the adult, but I can't help but feel like I've been raising him the last few months, you know?"

Chuck finally left his perch at the bar and took his place next to Nate on the sofa. "Nathaniel, there comes a time in ever Upper East Side teen's life when he realizes his parent's maturity level does not surpass his own." He slung his arm across his blond friend's shoulders and leaned back into the couch, smirking at the ceiling. "I was fourteen… but then again, I was always ahead of the developmental curve."

Nate's smirk grew to match his own. "Then again, you're dad is Bart Bass… we grew up knowing that he has the emotional depth of a frat guy."

The smirk on Chuck's lips grew to a grin as he chuckled. "Doesn't bode so well for our lives, does it? Our parents have taken 'screwed up' to a more fantastic level than we ever could have imagined."

"It's going to be difficult to beat this one." Nate's face turned contemplative for a moment as he pulled a ring-sized box from his pocket. "I'm going to go for a walk to do some thinking, so I'll catch you later, man." Standing back up, he re-pocketed the object and began to walk to the door.

Chuck stood to watch his friend go and get one last quip in. "Luckily for us, our parents lives are too messed up to allow them time to ponder what we're doing when they aren't watching." The mischievous twist to his lips only added meaning to the wink he ended his statement with.

With a wave, Nathaniel's laughter followed him on his exit from Chuck's suite; its echo reverberated in Chuck's chest, somehow making the Blair situation feel even more serious. If Chuck succeeded in getting Nate to give Blair up, and vice versa, what would happen if Blair actually considered being with Chuck an option? Would Nate hate him for dating Blair? For the circumstances that brought them together?

Could he actually lose his best friend over a girl? Chuck would have never thought it a possibility in the past, but it seemed as if reality was a lot crueler this morning. Not only had Blair left under strained circumstances, but Chuck had grown a conscience about growing attached to his best friend's ex.

He was starting to doubt whether he was right for taking a chance on his own intellect. The same mind that was telling him there was an underlying motivation behind Blair's behavior toward him.

Walking over to the barstool that held the golden bag, he removed and opened the black box. The shining splendor of the gold that glinted there would have screamed Blair's name if it could. He could picture how it would hang around her neck like it belonged there. All it took was the thought of her smiles and laughter from that morning to cinch the heart in his chest to the one on the chain.

There was no question to whether he would return it, now. His heart was going to be hers for the taking, no matter the repercussions.

Blair was pacing back and forth in front of the mirror, wearing her black lingerie, striped tights, and heels when Serena finally walked into her room. "You know, B, if you aren't careful, you might wear a hole in the floor." The blonde let out an amused giggle at her own joke, but stifled it when Blair sent her a cutting look. "Blair, what's wrong?"

There was not a chance in hell that Blair was going to admit how nervous she was about seeing both Nate and Chuck at the party tonight. Serena didn't know about the break-up, so asking her advice was out of the question as well. Finally, she just replied, "I needed you to help with my dress and you're late." Her groan over how lame that excuse was died silently in her throat.

Serena looked at the clock on the wall before replying, "It's only fifteen minutes, B… calm down. It's your seventeenth birthday party! You have the right to be fashionably late."

Gently stepping into her black Valentino dress, Blair slipped the straps over her shoulders. Serena was at her back to zip the dress before Blair could start speaking. "You know how I feel about punctuality, S. Besides, I wanted to see how this would look on me. What do you think?" Eyeing her friend, she waited impatiently for the praise that would come; she really needed a lift after the day she'd had.

"Come on, Blair… you know how fabulous you look in black couture! Something seems missing, though…" Serena scratched her head, unwittingly mussing up her hair which somehow only looked better for it. "I think it needs the right necklace. What were you thinking of wearing?"

Blair fought the urge to groan again and forced a smile to her face. "There's no point in putting one on…" Her voice sounded excited, but her heart only sank further.

"Now, B, are you getting a necklace? Did you call the jewelry store and spy on your gifts again?" Serena's voice took on a tone of mock disappointment. "You do this every year. The point in getting a gift is being surprised!"

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Blair grabbed her clutch purse from the foot of her bed. "No time for lectures, S. We're already running late, so let's get out of here!" The sooner she got this whole thing over with, the better.

Blair exited her bedroom with thoughts of her friend's comment about surprises and how there weren't going to be any for her tonight. She had either planned or approved every aspect of this party down to the last detail. Now her present from Nate was not going to be a shock and the expectation of a continued relationship went with it would be just as predictable.

This was the first year that Blair wished she had heeded Serena's advice to let the night take her by surprise. Maybe if she stopped planning things so meticulously something would go right for a change. Those things had been known to happen.

If she could stop thinking of last night in Chuck's arms as one of those things that had been a welcome surprise, she might just make it through tonight with her heart unscathed.

A/N: Well, there you have it. I hope I did my Chuck justice. :D Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. Love you all!