A/N: Yes, this took me a little longer than a week, two, to be exact, but, here it is. Even though I really wasn't satisfied with the way it turned out, I hope it lives up to your expectations.

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: Rated T but may change to M in later chapters.

IF ONLY

Chapter 9

"Hand in Hand"

For someone who wasn't astonished very often, Chuck appeared to be setting a record. This time, though, the subject responsible for his amazement was himself. He was never surprised by the lengths he would go to in order to get what he wanted, or just how warped his motives usually were, but it seemed he'd finally found the exception; the reaction his mind and heart had to the sleeping woman beside him flabbergasted the shit out of him.

He'd been lying there, for who knows how long, reveling in the feel of every inch of her warm skin that was touching his. Her head was resting on his shoulder, bare chest pressed against his side, hand on his chest, slender fingers tangled in the curls there, leg thrown over his, bringing her pelvis flush with his hip; it was overwhelming how attached to him she was at this moment. If this were any other girl, anyone but Blair Waldorf, and he would have pushed her away the moment he woke up. The fact that she was completely draped around him, clinging to his body, as she had done no one else's, made him wrap his arm around her waist to keep her there.

Waking up in her arms was definitely something he could get used to.

When she finally began to stir, he watched her eyes open and flick up to meet his. A smile lifted her lips and his heart constricted in his chest when she whispered, "Good morning."

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, as he'd done the previous morning when she'd woken, he returned the whispered greeting against her hairline, "Good morning, Blair."

At that second, Blair's phone decided to ring and burst their happy little bubble. He was a little shocked when she buried her face into the crook of his neck and mumbled, "Oh… damn it, I forgot to call S. I bet she called a dozen times… she's probably really freaking out." She pulled back and met his eyes, "I was supposed to spend the night at her place, remember?"

He couldn't help but smirk, "That's right…"

"I better get that," she sighed and started to pull away from him, then startled him by dropping a swift kiss on his lips before leaving the bed.

After taking a moment to appreciate her naked body as she waltzed around his suite like she owned the place, he grabbed them each a robe from bathroom as he did yesterday. Putting his arms through the sleeves of his robe, he quickly tied the sash. When he joined her at the sidebar, where she found her discarded handbag from the night before, he draped the other robe over her shoulders. "Are you trying to dress me again, Bass?"

"No arguments this time, Waldorf," he wrapped his arms around her waist and he placed his chin on her shoulder while she looked through her missed calls. When finished, she placed the phone back on the table surface and leaned back into his arms, resting her head on his chest. "Okay, so there were only eight missed calls from Serena… I have to give her credit for that." She giggled when her stomach growled under his hands, "So, what surprises will room service bring for breakfast this time?"

"I was actually thinking we could go out," he spun her around and kissed her, but pulled away when it started to get urgent. "But first, I have something for you."

Her brow furrowed in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Letting go of her and walking over to the bar, he grabbed the golden bag from its hiding place, "It is your birthday, after all." Trying to keep his steps calm, he walked over to the bed and he sat down. He only waited a moment for her to join him, but it felt like an eternity. The bag sat in his lap like a two-ton weight, reminding him, once again, of how big the decision he'd made was; after she saw his gift, there was no turning back.

Watching silently as she sat beside him, he caught her eyes resting on the bag, "What did you do, Chuck?"

Chuck thought it best not to answer right that second, his voice was liable to catch with all the emotions clogging his throat; he pulled the square box from inside and set the bag on the floor. Opening it slowly, he saw her bronzed eyes widen as they came to rest on the glimmering diamond necklace.

Taking in the utter shock on her face, he smiled gently, "Happy Birthday, Blair."

The sight of heart-shaped charm dangling from the chain had caused Blair to freeze solid, because, well, this had certainly been unexpected. She was speechless as he removed it from the velvet surface where it rested and was only able to respond when the feel of cool metal against her skin shook her from her stupor, "It… it's the Erikson Beamon necklace! I couldn't…"

His face showed no trepidation and his hands were steady as he closed the clasp. "Yes… you can."

"But how could you have possibly known…" she let her voice trail off as the pieces came together. "Nate," she breathed, "that's how you knew which store, but why this piece?" Gazing into his eyes as her hand came up to touch the charm, she sighed, "It's too much."

When his cheeks colored slightly before he spoke, her breath caught; Chuck Bass doesn't blush. "After our… less than desirable parting yesterday morning…" He also doesn't fumble for words, yet it was happening, "I still needed a gift and I knew I owed you an apology…" He brought his hand up to his gift, running his fingers along the chain and taking her hand, threading his fingers through hers as he spoke, "So, I picked this up at the jewelry store…"

Staring at their entwined hands, she whispered, "I still can't…"

"Yes, you can," his tone was slightly offended, "As soon I saw it, I knew it was made for you." He let out a mirthless chuckle, "You belong to each other." Using his free hand to run his fingers along her cloth-covered spine, he spoke softly and carefully, "Something this beautiful deserves to be worn by someone worthy of its beauty."

There were no words to convey what she felt right now. The reflection of the two of them in the mirror over the bar, which looked different from the one that hung there yesterday, looked like something from a movie. Sitting here, with one of her oldest friends, feeling the new connection the last few days had formed between them was overwhelming. Her heart felt like it had grown to fill her entire chest, just from his gentle touch and heavy words.

Everyone knew the symbolism behind the shape of the charm now hanging around her neck; it was age-old and universal. The way he had spoken to her last night on the terrace only confirmed that he was fully aware of the meaning as well. She felt so full of emotion from the weight of his precious gift: Chuck Bass had given her his heart.

Her silence must have been telling; they both knew what had just happened here. He leaned down to kiss her shoulder, before resting his forehead against it, "I really am sorry."

She turned her head and rested her forehead against his hair, "I understand."

After taking a few breaths to let the shock and awe of the moment wash over her, a wave of longing passed over her. The brown-eyed boy surrounding her with his breathing, warm body, the same one who'd tasted her skin and groaned her name, was exactly who she needed him to be right now. He always seemed able to fix what ailed her, no matter how much damage there was.

He'd salvaged her birthday, just like he said might happen the night before.

A sly smile spreading across her face, she kissed his forehead and maneuvered herself so that she was sitting on his lap. Her open thighs spread across his, she started to un-tie the closed robe he was wearing, cutting off his protests with her kisses. Just as she freed his chest by opening the cloth garment, there was a different phone ringing, a rock song filling the air.

His hands stopped their journey into her own robe and kissed her forehead quickly, "I should get that."

Arching an eyebrow, she ran a finger over his jaw-line, "Are you sure, Bass?" Leaning into him and taking an earlobe between her teeth, she whispered, "Just let it ring…"

There was a grunt of frustration as he lifted her off of him and stood up, snapping coldly, "No. I really have to get this one."

She crossed her arms over her bared chest and tried to repress her startled jump when she heard him purr, "Nathaniel…" into the phone receiver, his eyes never leaving her. "Yeah, I was abusing my Sunday sleep privileges… oh? She did?" He sighed exaggeratedly into the phone, "Of course… I'll see you in twenty."

It took her no longer to cross the room than it did for him to hit the 'end call' button. "Let me guess," she sighed, eyes glued to his face, as she stood just out of reach, "You're leaving."

Chuck didn't seem know what to say; he looked like a lost boy, unsure which step would take him in the right direction. "I'm meeting Nate for breakfast," his eyes snapped to hers, still bewildered and unsure, "He wants to talk about how you dumped him last night."

"What's the big deal? So, you listen to him whine and keep your mouth shut," she shrugged, not sure of why he was looking at her with wide eyes. "You're a master of deception, so it shouldn't be difficult."

He scoffed at her, "Deceiving pitiful excuses for human intelligence is simple; pretending I wasn't inside my best friend's ex-girlfriend only a few hours ago is an entirely different animal, Blair."

Dropping her jaw, she squeaked, surprised at his vulgar choice in wording, "Chuck!" Pulling the robe closed around her, she continued, "Just because you fucked up doesn't mean you should take it out on me. I'm not forcing you to see him."

"He's my best friend. I have to go." He ran his hands through his already disheveled hair, "If Serena and Brooklyn had broken up, and she wanted to eat with you, wouldn't you go?"

She recoiled at the thought, "I don't like that scenario… I'm not sleeping with Cabbage Patch."

"I didn't say…" he threw his hands up in the air, "Whatever, Blair, I have to go."

Realizing she was probably not handling this correctly, if there even was a right way to handle it, she waited until he walked to his closet then slipped her arms around his waist. "Okay, so you have to go," laying her head on his back, she breathed deeply, "I guess I would do the same thing… but you have to admit, things are a little different."

She heard his intake of breath through gritted teeth in warning, "Blair…"

"It's the truth. We have a…" she thought for a second, "Unique situation here." Waiting a second, she heard him trying not to chuckle, "But I understand… and now I'm going to get dressed."

Dressing swiftly in her surprisingly unwrinkled dress, she checked her reflection in the mirror over the bar and was suddenly overcome by curiosity. "That isn't the same mirror that was in here yesterday…" turning, she saw he was pulling his shoes on, "Is it?"

Giving her an odd look, his gaze flashed between her and the mirror before meeting her eyes, "I grew tired of the other one."

Chuck's evasion felt a little off, but it wasn't really an important thing so she let it go. "Whatever," she was gathering her things together over at the sideboard when he felt his hand in her free one. "What? Ready to go?"

He seemed to struggle with whether or not to say whatever thing was obviously on his mind and think better of it, "Yeah… let's go."

Straightening the collar on his shirt a little, she sighed, "I think I'm going to stop by Serena's." The amused look on his face at her little obsessive action caused a giggle to escape her lips, "Since she called me eight times."

His answering snicker was mocking, "You think that's a lot? Nathaniel called twenty-three."

Even though the sound of her ex's name from her lover's lips left her feeling cold, she still managed to laugh at the idea.

When the elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor, Blair giggled as Chuck kissed her deeply. Dressed in last night's couture, looking flushed and glowing, she was obviously enjoying herself. Her exit took a few moments as things obviously started to heat up right in the hallway, no matter who was watching.

Blair's tall, blonde-haired friend ducked around the corner before either saw her.

A/N: Well? What'd ya think? I kinda backed myself into a corner with the whole necklace thing, so I hope this played out okay. Let me know what you thought.