Chapter 10

Blair found solace in the smooth strokes of the hair brush gliding effortlessly through Cora's curls. Her anxiety had ramped up several degrees since her encounter with Chuck at the airport. She didn't know if he'd chosen to stay or disappear from her life for a second time. She tried not to think about what his reemergence could mean for her life, but he was always there in the back of her mind. Part of her knew that making the last minute decision to chase him down at the airport could potentially have catastrophic results; keeping Cora from seeing him would prove to be difficult, she was certain, but when she sat on the bed by herself in her red gown, she couldn't help the gut-wrenching fear that came over her when she thought about never seeing him again. She made a conscious choice to face whatever repercussions came with chasing him down - at least then she could live with herself, knowing that she had done the best she could in the moment.

Her engagement, which should be her priority after Cora, seemed like a distant event that she was hardly invested in. She was going to have a fairytale wedding: her high school self would have considered it the most important moment of her life. Now, though, it felt like a giant circus, a show for people she either didn't like or didn't know. It didn't feel intimate or personal, and Sophie's desire to take control of the entire process was going to drive her to her breaking point. She'd already demanded Blair wear the family wedding gown and carry traditional royal flowers, and she was quite vocal about her frustration with Blair's desire to be wed in New York. If she were honest, she didn't like her future mother-in-law very much, and the woman held way too much influence over Louis. In fact, Blair found herself growing increasingly frustrated with her fiance's inability to stand up to his mother. Neither one had been very pleased with her when she showed up over two hours late for her own engagement party after choosing to confront Chuck as her first priority.

"Mommy?" Cora's sweet voice cut into Blair's introspection.

"Yes, darling?"

"I think my hair is tangle-free," she smiled at her mother through the mirror.

Blair grinned back at her daughter, "I just love your hair so much. It's so silky and soft; I could brush it for hours."

"Can I brush your hair, Mommy?" Cora asked sweetly, and then added snarkily, "It's messy."

Blair laughed and feigned offense, "I suppose I require your cosmetological expertise, then." She took a seat on the chair in front of the vanity and handed the brush to Cora, who carefully eyed her mother's part with skepticism.

"This isn't doing anything for you, Mommy," she observed with calculated precision, readjusting Blair's hair. She pulled sections of brown curls around her mother's face, and asked curiously, "Will you wear your hair down for the wedding? Oh, will you wear a tiara since you're becoming a real-life princess?" She paused for a moment as if a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Wait, will I be a princess now?"

Blair ignored the first two questions, having given no consideration to her bridal appearance, and winked, "You've always been a princess. Since the day you were born, you were royalty. I am Queen B, you know, and you're my daughter."

Cora's face fell slightly, but she was a master of hiding her distress, much like her parents, "That may be so, but princesses have fathers. Will Louis be mine now that you are getting married?"

Blair should have anticipated the question as part of Cora's natural inquisitiveness about her impending marriage, but it caught her off guard, and she faltered for just a moment, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the curious child behind her. The question caused an unexpected reaction of revolt and unwarranted anger, and Blair had to clear her throat to formulate a neutral response, "We will be a family. Louis will be there for you the same way he always has. He loves you as his own."

Blair could tell that Cora wasn't satisfied with this answer, but thankfully, she didn't ask anything else about her future relationship with her step-father. For some reason, the entire topic made Blair's heart drop into her stomach. Somewhere deep inside her mind, she knew that she wasn't ready to give that title - "father," no matter what modifier was attached to it - to anyone else. That wasn't fair to Cora, though.

None of it was fair to Cora, Blair sighed, taking the brush from her daughter's hand and sweeping her hair into a ponytail.

XOXO

Chuck collapsed into the seat of the smelly New York taxi, clutching the Harry Winston box that held the ring that he'd almost died for six years earlier. He was lost, and he didn't even know where to tell the driver to take him. He opened the elegant box and studied the eight-carat ring staring back at him. His heart thudded powerfully against his chest as several memories flashed before his eyes within seconds: designing the ring, waiting for her atop the Empire State Building, beginning his impromptu proposal at the hospital, and guarding the ring from the thieves in Prague. The ring was so perfectly Blair, and it was a shame that it had never found its way onto her finger. He briefly wondered how she'd come to be in possession of the ring and how she'd reacted the first time she saw it, the first time that she realized that he'd intended to propose. If things had been slightly different, would she have said yes? She would've been a beautiful bride.

She will be a beautiful bride, his mind corrected, just not his bride.

It felt rather unsettling to possess such an opulent piece of jewelry when he had spent the better part of the past decade living among the working poor. He couldn't help but think how garish such a ring would look on Eva's well-worked fingers. Where it would suit Blair flawlessly, it would look out of place on his girlfriend. He and Eva were comfortable in their current life, but there was nothing to spare. Everything went to bills and the betterment of the pastry shop. They very rarely indulged in unnecessary spending; it was such a stark contrast to his former lifestyle that it would be laughable if it wasn't so damn confusing. Henry Prince and Chuck Bass were foils of one another in nearly every superficial way possible - rich vs. poor, selfish vs. selfless, kind vs. cruel - but they shared the same dark, twisted heart. He had once convinced himself that Henry Prince was the epitome of everything Chuck Bass had wanted to be but was incapable of becoming, but now he was starting to think it was all just a ruse.

He felt like he was torn between two worlds that couldn't coexist. Blair's plea "It wouldn't be my world without you in it" had been replaying continuously in his mind as he tried to figure out his next course of action. There was so much truth in her words for him. He realized that it was probably the very reason that he felt so miserable as Henry Prince because Chuck Bass didn't exist without Blair Waldorf, but changing his name didn't change how much he missed her - how much her presence gave his life meaning.

It was ridiculous really, pathetic even, that a woman with whom he had a relationship as a teenager still held this much power over him. He'd been away from her for longer than he'd loved her before he left. He's been with Eva longer than he'd been with Blair. None of it made any logical sense, but since when did love listen to rationale? The worst part was that there wasn't a fucking thing he could do about it. When he looked at the situation objectively, he had to remind himself that Blair was engaged to be married (to a prince), and he'd all but committed himself to another woman and another life. His crimes against her were so egregious that she may be able to forgive him for the sake of friendship, but she would never fully trust him again, and, finally and perhaps most importantly, she didn't love him anymore.

He'd done it all for her, right? That's what he hoped she would understand, but he wasn't so convinced anymore. He had told himself repeatedly that removing himself from her life was the kindest thing he could do for her, to give her a chance to find happiness without him. All he did, time and time again, was rain darkness over her. He made her miserable; he saw her smile and the way she shines with the prince, and as much as it made his heart ache, he knew that was the Blair he loved. In all of his time with her, he'd never made her come alive the way Louis seemed to. He'd broken her and haphazardly glued the pieces back together so that the fine hairline fractures were always visible, always vulnerable to new cracks.

Examining the last year of his relationship with Blair, though, he started to wonder if there was some selfishness to his decision to destroy Chuck Bass. When he looked back at how much damage he'd caused not only Blair but his friends and family, he hated himself and the name. He hated the name Bass and the pain that it delivered. He hated being associated with an empire that was bred of ruthlessness and greed. In running, maybe he was trying to save himself from his father's legacy as much as he was trying to save Blair from further destruction at his hands.

The question now is what to do about Jack Bass. Did he care enough to try to salvage the company that his father had built? If he stopped running from his father's ghost, he would have to face the fact that Blair had tried to desperately convince him of: Bart had believed in him enough to leave him in charge of a multi-billion dollar company. Leaving within a year and half of his inheritance had certainly had an impact on Bass Industries, but he'd never really given himself a chance to prove his abilities. He felt more confident in his capability of leading a company now than he had years earlier when he watched Jack destroy the Empire. His natural business acumen had led to the immediate and unexpected success of his and Eva's little pastry shop, so maybe it was time to test his skills on a more global scale.

Eva.

Sweet, patient, loyal Eva. Where did she fit into this puzzle? Could he bring her back here? Surely, it would be like throwing her to the sharks: she'd be eaten alive if she didn't simply drown in the depth first. She wasn't cut out for New York life; it was one of his favorite qualities of hers. But he had to make a decision: go back to life with Eva as he knew it, tell her the truth and bring her to Manhattan, or break up with her and leave her devastated and alone. None of the three options sounded very appealing.

XOXO

When Chuck pushed the door to Nate's loft apartment open, he rolled his suitcase inside in a much less dramatic fashion than in which he'd left. He heard the water running in the kitchen and went in search of his friend to offer him some sort of unspoken apology for his earlier behavior. Instead of Nate, he found Serena standing at the sink, rinsing a wine glass, staring blankly out the window overlooking the New York skyline. He hadn't spoken to her much since he'd returned; her allegiance clearly rested with Blair, so the truth was that he didn't really know how to talk to her.

He didn't think that she registered his entrance, but after a moment, she spoke softly without turning around, "So you decided against abandoning your family all over again? Or did you just forget something in your rush to skip town?"

He had expected Blair's anger, Lily's undeserved forgiveness, and Nate's begrudging support, but he had never stopped to really consider how Serena felt about his disappearance. Their relationship had always been one that was better defined by their closeness as a group than as individuals. Somewhere over the years, their reluctant friendship had grown into a genuine bond of misfit siblings who understood one another more than they'd like to admit. Her voice was anything but welcoming, and he couldn't blame her for her sharp tongue. He sighed, "Serena," letting his finite tone act as a warning to the tantrum that was resting inside her words.

"No, Chuck," she turned to face him with cold intensity burning in her blue eyes, "You can't just brush me off this time; you can't just act like what you say goes, and no one else gets to have an opinion."

He deposited himself on the stool behind the bar and raked his hand through his hair. "Everyone has an opinion on my life it seems," he muttered.

"When are you going to learn that it's not just your life that you're messing with, Chuck?"

"What do you mean?" He narrowed his eyes, but he could see her expression softening slightly, her eyes no longer threatening.

"God, Chuck," she huffed, throwing her hands in the air, "To be so savvy, you really are dense. You've seen mom, you've seen Nate, and you've seen Blair. You have seen first hand what your abandonment did to them. Now that you're back, do you have any idea how selfish it would be to just run away again?"

"I'm not running," he scowled, looking away from her, unable to hold her judgmental gaze any longer.

She took the seat across from him and lowered her voice, "So what are you doing then?"

"I don't have the slightest fucking clue."

She could sense the distress in his response, and she scolded herself for not controlling her tongue more carefully. Everyone had been so concerned about Blair's feelings that perhaps they hadn't stopped to consider things from Chuck's point-of-view. No matter who was at fault, he was struggling, and he needed support. They had all been friends at one point, but time and distance had made these conversations a lot harder than they once had been. She tentatively reached across the table and took his hand in hers, and when he met her gaze, she felt her chest tighten at the lost look in his eyes. "You were going to leave without so much as a goodbye. Do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

He swallowed, his jaw clenching tightly, "I'm sorry."

"I know," she nodded, not quite accepting his apology but at least acknowledging it, "But there's a reason you didn't get on the plane." He pulled his hand back from hers, but she didn't miss the flinching of his shoulders. He remained silent, and she prodded, "Blair? She did it, didn't she? She convinced you to stay."

"She caught me at the airport," he finally admitted, still trying to process his conversation with her, but all he could recall was how devastatingly beautiful she was.

"And?"

He sighed, "I really don't want to get into it, Serena. I've got a lot to think about."

"What's there to think about, Chuck? This is your home. Whatever Blair said to you, she was right. You belong here, and I think you know it. Otherwise, you'd already be halfway across the Atlantic by now."

"I have a whole life, Serena. I have a girlfriend and a job. I'm not Chuck Bass anymore."

"That's bullshit, and you know it," she glowered. "Bring Eva here."

"Blair -"

She knew it; she knew that Blair still had the same hold over him that she always had, the same hold that he held over her. "What about her? Blair's engaged. You've got a girlfriend. Surely, you two can coexist in the same city, if not become friends once again. You can't let your past with Blair cause you to desert your entire family. I don't think Mom could handle it again."

XOXO

The following day, Serena approached Blair with an odd request, fully expecting a Waldorf meltdown. She wisely chose to use Lily as her scapegoat because no matter how angry Blair felt, she would never take her wrath out on the elder van der Woodsen. Nevermind the fact that Chuck had not consented to a welcome back party in his honor; in fact, she was almost certain that he would hate the idea, but that was an issue for another time.

"And you're serious?" Blair scoffed with a sardonic chuckle.

"Completely," Serena grinned sheepishly. "It'll be great for him, and the tabloids will lose all of their fodder. You know that as soon as he interacts with Jack, the media is going to be rehashing his entire past, including every part of your relationship. If you show up, they'll have no choice but to respect that you are 1. supportive of his return and 2. nothing more than former friends. The further away you stay, the more the press will be looking for a deeper connection. They'll scrutinize you; they'll drag Cora -"

Blair shook her head in frustration, "I haven't even told Louis about any of this. He's never been a fan of Chuck's, understandably so."

"Convince him that you're doing this for Lily. Surely he'll come around. You still have time to explain. The party's not until Saturday."

"How am I supposed to keep this from Cora?" Blair sighed in defeat.

"You know how I feel about that," Serena sat on the bed beside her friend and took her hand, "You owe her the truth."

"I can't," she turned her head away.

"I won't push you, but if she finds out that you have hidden him from her…well, it's hard to return from that kind of betrayal," she reached out to stroke Blair's hair off her face, "I know you think you're protecting her, but in the long run, she'll end up resenting you."

Serena worried that she was being too aggressive or taking the wrong approach by pushing Chuck and Blair together, but she couldn't help the feeling that time was limited. They would never step foot in the same room again if she didn't intervene. Nate didn't approve - surprise, surprise - but this was one issue that she couldn't just leave up to fate. Blair and Chuck both needed to face their fears, and they couldn't do that without facing each other.

XOXO

Eva glanced groggily at the clock. It was 5:02 am, way too early for Henry to be calling without reason. He was well aware of the time difference, and he was always careful to contact her at a decent time of day. "Henry? Are you okay?" she answered the phone, concern apparent in her voice. He'd been acting so strangely ever since his friend had shown up at their door. She was growing increasingly worried about what that might mean for the future of their relationship.

"I owe you an apology," he stated calmly, "I don't expect you to understand. Look, where I'm from people lie and cheat and destroy whoever gets in their way. I did it better than any of them. When you dragged me in from the alley, you didn't just save my life - you gave me the hope of a new one."

Her sleep-addled brain worked desperately to comprehend what he was saying to her; his voice was serious, so she knew that his words were important, as was her reaction. "Well, the you I've been living with never did anything to be ashamed of."

His voice grew raspier as he forced back the guilt he felt bubbling inside, knowing that her words were simply untrue; she just didn't know him well enough to know the shame he was still hiding from her. "I want you to join me, here in New York, as soon as possible."

"You got me a ticket?" She sounded bewildered, uncertain how he could afford an international flight on their meager income.

"You don't need a ticket," he explained, "I'm Chuck Bass."

A/N: Okay, so now that Chuck has finally accepted his rightful place in New York, things should start to pick up a bit. I know you are all anxious for Chuck to find out about Cora and for them to interact. Blair can't hide their daughter for long, now that Chuck is back in the lives of all of their friends. :)