'Blair!'

She ignored the desperate calls of her father, tears blurring every inch of her vision as she sprinted towards the vast door, the only thing that guided her through their building's foyer.

'Blair, darling, please wait!'

Blair was no fool. She'd known for a long time that they weren't happy- she'd seen and heard enough vitriol from her mother in her short sixteen years to last a lifetime. What she had never expected, though, was that it would be her father who destroyed their family.

Emerging on the sidewalk, she looked left and right of herself before darting into the thick throng of pedestrians. Blair didn't look back to see if he'd found and followed her, she just ran; she ran as fast and as far as her feet would take her.

It hadn't been a particularly fraught conversation when they told their only daughter they were divorcing. It hadn't even felt all that tense, as they told her that her father had been discovered publicly in a compromising position, with somebody who wasn't her mother, and that now there was no other option but to separate. Eleanor looked as though she'd already accepted and processed the fact; she was irritated rather than heartbroken, having long accepted her husband's identity. Blair, it seemed, was the only one oblivious to it all across the entire house- the last to know the sordid secret that tore her heart in two.

What it would all mean, she had no idea. Two homes perhaps, two Thanksgivings and two queen beds to sleep in. Two people competing for her love, two people who didn't love each other, but never with one, united enemy to centre them.

As she slowed to a stop, her heart racing, Blair fumbled to feel through her pockets. She found nothing but her phone. Clumsily flipping it open with trembling fingers, she called the one number that mattered.

'Serena,' Blair choked into the receiver. 'Please, just call me. I need you.'

For what felt like an eternity, she stared at the device in her hands, willing it to light up with her best friend's name emblazoned on the display. She snapped it together miserably when it didn't.

The chasm Serena had left in her wake wasn't just in the shape of a tall, slender friend; it was a gaping black hole that seemed to expand on itself unbearably fast. Blair wouldn't admit it out loud, but the loss of her best friend, at a time she needed her so desperately, had pulled her very heart out through her mouth.

But, like she'd been taught to do, Blair pulled herself together, kept walking, and dialled for the second most important person in her life. When he didn't answer either, she stuffed her phone back into her pocket and sighed with quivering lips. People were looking at her; some eyed her tear-stained cheeks with concern, others frowned in contempt. Normally she'd have cared that she created such a sad spectacle, but today she couldn't.

She hadn't meant to walk right up to The Palace, she hadn't even recognised that it was where her feet were taken her. But when she found herself stood before the hotel's grand entrance, Blair realised there was one person left to turn to.

Taking the elevator up to his floor, she hesitated a moment before knocking at the familiar door.

It wasn't long before Chuck grunted from behind it, she watched his shadow move past the peephole.

'I'm busy right now, Blair.' She heard him grumble through the door. 'Your boyfriend isn't here.'

'I-' She stammered, even in her silence.

Blair turned to leave but then heard a sigh. The chain moved and the door creaked open. He stood behind it, barely concealing himself behind the wooden barrier.

'Oh, you have company.' She stated, voice flat as her gaze travelled to the bare arm fastened around the door.

'Obviously.' He drawled, tired of her before she'd said more than a sentence. 'So, if you wouldn't mind getting to the point.'

'I'll just go.' Blair bleated. 'I don't want to be a nuisance.'

He didn't try to stop her, and she rode the elevator back down to the ground floor, ashamed of herself for ever having imagined he would.

With nowhere left to go, and nobody else to reach out for, Blair sought solace in Central Park. She watched the ducks swim happily from her favourite spot and wished, just for a moment, that she could transform herself into one. To be a blissful, ignorant duck, free of thoughts and full with bread- it seemed a much better fate than her own. Mother ducks certainly didn't have to watch father ducks betray them; baby ducks didn't have to learn that the man they loved most, who they'd blindly idolised for longer than they could remember, was a cold, unfeeling fraud.

She didn't go home that night. Instead, Blair sat frozen on the bench, watching the cycle of the winter sun as it slowly drooped, then climbed back up to its perch. Her fingers were cold and stiff and, when the the noises of the city had grown louder and more threatening overnight, she'd almost regretted her decision to stay away from her bed. It hardly mattered, though. Blair couldn't have taken herself back to an apartment that didn't feel like home anymore.

When morning came around, she'd brought her knees into her chest and tucked her head away. One day down the line, Blair knew she'd berate herself for taking such a risk, but she couldn't just yet, not then.

The ducks had emerged from their nest, and she watched them start their rounds once again, as though the last day hadn't even happened.

'Here you are.'

The voice emerged from behind Blair, but she didn't look back. At first, she didn't register it as his voice, having been so convinced that nobody was ever coming for her.

'I've been trying to find you all night, Blair.'

Upon hearing her name, she at last tore her head away from the entrancing dance of the ducks. Chuck was there, sitting down beside her. He handed her a bag of fresh bread from the boulangerie by his hotel.

'What are you doing here?' Blair croaked, her voice raspy from the cold night.

'Looking for you.' He said, as though it were the most obvious answer of all. 'You could have answered your cell.'

Frowning, Blair reached for her pocket. Her phone flashed furiously in her hand and she blinked at it in confusion.

'You called me?'

'Only about thirty times. I've had Bart's entire team out- apparently not one of them thought to come here, though. I could have told to check here myself.' He scoffed, then turned to look at her. 'You look awful, have you been out here in the cold all night long?'

'Great, thanks.' She muttered, avoiding his question.

'What the hell happened to you?' Chuck murmured, leaning forward to shift out of his winter coat. He draped it over Blair's shoulders and tucked it around her, until every inch of her body was covered.

His coat was warm from the heat of his body, and she allowed him to pull her into his arms. Chuck let her rest against him in silence, both of them watching the ducks as she clutched the sealed loaf of bread, her stiff knuckles growing whiter and whiter with every passing second.

After some time, she couldn't wait anymore. 'How did you know I'd be here?'

'Call it a hunch.' Chuck spoke, his lips twitched into a knowing smile. 'Your hands are like ice.' He complained, rubbing her fingers with his own.

She shifted in his embrace, moving her body until his arms slipped away.

Blair watched his lips thin into a line. 'Can I take you home? Or can I call someone?'

'No.' She insisted in a hurry. 'I can't go home.'

'Why?' He implored her to answer him, his eyes searching hers for clues. 'What's wrong? Tell me.'

'My father.' She whispered.

Chuck's stance shifted. 'Harold? Blair, is he okay?'

Everybody, even Chuck Bass, knew how much Blair Waldorf adored her daddy.

'Oh, he's fine.' Blair shook her head. 'He's leaving us.' The words were little more than a choked whisper- the first time she'd said them aloud.

'He's what?' She watched the skin between his eyebrows pucker as he frowned.

'He's been having an affair, and now he's leaving us.'

Chuck leaned back from her with a dark laugh. 'Sorry if it's too soon, but I never thought he'd be the type to trade in Eleanor for a younger model. What's her name?'

'Younger model, yes' she agreed. 'Less of the her. It's one of the male models from my mother's winter campaign.'

'Oh.' Chuck breathed.

'Yes, oh.' Blair sighed. 'God. He ate with us at Thanksgiving. It was probably happening right under my nose.' She spat.

'Are you alright?' He asked after a moment, eyeing her with stiff caution.

Blair turned to him, her expression lacklustre. 'What do you think?'

'Fair point.' He conceded.

'I just feel numb right now.' She admitted. 'Like it's not even real.'

'Do you want me to call Nate?' Chuck offered.

'He didn't bother answering me yesterday.' Blair sated. 'I don't see why he'd bother now.' She did want Nate, but she didn't want to face the thought that he might have answered Chuck's call and not her own.

'You've really been alone all this time?'

Blair nodded slowly, watching something appear that, if it hadn't been located on his face, might have been described as guilt. It flashed over his eyes for just a second.

'Don't worry about it. No one else did.'

'I didn't realise.' He offered. 'I would have-'

'You would have what? Turfed out your call girl?' She smiled, but there was no light behind her eyes. 'Don't worry about it, Chuck. I shouldn't have come. In fact,' she muttered, pushing his warm coat off her shoulders and handing it back to him. 'You can go if you want. I'm sure you must have more pressing matters to attend to.'

Blair heard him exhale sharply, then from the corner of her eye, she saw him rise from the bench. She hadn't expected him to take her up on the offer, but supposed ultimately that being surprised to discover that Chuck Bass behaved like, well, Chuck Bass, was foolish.

But he didn't go, instead he held his hand out to her impatiently. 'Get up, you're coming with me.'

'I'm fine here.' She averted her eyes from the hand he'd offered her.

'Blair.' He said firmly. 'I can't leave you here. So come with me, or I'll call Dorota.'

Dorota meant going home, and she couldn't go home.

'Fine.' She said, glaring at his hand. She refused to take it, getting up by herself instead.

'You're freezing.' He sighed, draping his coat back around her as they walked side by side to his limo.

'Get in.' Chuck said as he held the door open for her, she slipped into the car while glaring.

It was warm in the dark confines of his limo, and the minute she lay her head against the seats, Blair felt her heavy eyes wrestling against her body's urge to succumb to sleep. Sleep won the war.

As Blair came to drowsily, she knew she wasn't in her own bed- that she could tell from the scent of the pillows alone. The windows were thickly curtained, the room liminal.

'Are you awake?'

Blair shot up to a seated position, pulling the covers around herself.

'Don't panic, it's just me. You've been out cold for hours.' Chuck said softly, flicking a lamp on beside the bed. It lit the room with a gentle amber glow.

She appraised him, fully dressed and stretched out on top of the covers, then lifted the duvet to find she too was clothed.

He snickered from the shadows. 'You're seriously checking to see if you're dressed? What kind of monster do you take me for?'

Shame spread a flush over her cheeks. 'I didn't mean-'

'Blair, it's fine.' He assured her calmly. 'You were just confused for a second.'

'Yeah, confused.' She agreed, lifting a palm to her clammy forehead. 'What time is it?'

'Around three.' He told her.

'In the morning?'

Chuck laughed again, then she felt the bed shift as he approached the windows and pushed back the curtains.

'In the afternoon. But I'll be sure to pass your glowing feedback on the blackout curtains on to Bart.'

'My head hurts.' Blair complained. She raised her hands in front her eyes, squinting against the cool, December light as it streamed through the windows.

'I'm not surprised. There's a glass of water on the bedside table. You're lucky you didn't catch hypothermia.' Chuck was frowning at her with the same expression a busy, bustling nurse might have worn. 'I'm going to run a bath for you, then you can order something from the kitchen.'

Sat upright in the bed of the schools', nay perhaps even the city's biggest player, she couldn't help but chuckle. 'Did I miss something?' Blair mused. 'When did you turn into a single mom of four?'

'Shut up.' He protested. She could hear the smile in his voice as he left the room.

Blair listened to the taps as they opened, splashing water into the bath just off the bedroom. She peered around her surroundings. Lifting and dropping the covers with a sneer, Blair curled her lips. She grimaced, wondering if he'd found the time to have somebody change his sheets following the activities he'd partaken in prior bringing her back.

'Don't worry,' he interrupted from the doorway. 'We didn't do it in the bed.'

Blair scoffed. 'You're beyond belief. Remind me to never go near the couch again.'

'Who said we did it there either.' Chuck grinned at her. 'The bath is almost ready, I'll give you some space.'

'What?' She asked, almost bemused. 'You're not even going to try and get in with me?'

His smile grew even wider. 'Well, if you're asking.'

'I'm not.' She assured him quickly, getting up out of the bed and disappearing through the bathroom door. She locked it behind herself for good measure.

Looking at herself in the steamy mirrors, Blair realised how much of a mess she really was. Her hair was tangled and matted, she had oily, black smudges around her eyes and her skin was ghostly pale. Shrugging out of her dress, she lowered herself into the hot water. Its warmth enveloped her still-chilled limbs like a caring embrace. The scent of rose oil was strong in the humid air, and she fumbled around for a bottle of shampoo to rinse away all signs of the night.

'Don't tell me you use keratin conditioner.' Blair smirked, walking barefoot into the living room. 'Did one of your tricks leave that behind? You'll have to thank her for me.' She emphasised her point by twirling a strand of silky hair between her fingers.

Chuck was sprawled on the couch, flicking through channels absently. When she spoke, his head lifted. 'Please, I don't let them leave things here- it gives them an excuse to come back.' He explained proudly.

'Pig.' Blair sneered at his meaning, but she moved over to sit beside him. She reached out to tug his hair. 'So, it's yours then? I knew you were in touch with your feminine side, Bass.'

Pushing her hand away gently he smirked. 'Don't pretend Nate's lack of beauty routine doesn't make your skin crawl. You know, I've seen you watch him reach for the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner with dismay.' Chuck grinned. 'But, if you must know, I sent Arthur out to the store with a list while you were asleep.'

Blair drew back. 'You did? That's uncharacteristically thoughtful of you.'

He nodded casually, recognising that her frown was a sign of bewildered gratitude. 'And, as much as seeing you in my robe fuels so many of my fantasies, I also had him pick up some clothes for you from Bergdorf's. Apparently, you already had a few pieces on hold.' He smirked, pointing to the stiff garment bags that hung over the armchair opposite them.

'You bought me clothes?' Blair murmured, examining him before looking over at where they lay once more.

'Sure.' He shrugged. 'You couldn't wear the same dress you were out in all night.'

'Thanks.' She offered quietly, eyeing him carefully.

Chuck turned his attentions back to the television, so she took her chance to get dressed.

It wasn't until she was sat on the end of his bed, dressed in the clothes he'd bought her, that everything hit Blair like a truck again. Before she could stop them, the tears started rolling down her cheeks and she was choking back silent, painful sobs.

His knock was quiet at first, then louder the second time. He didn't bother with a third, he just opened the door and went to her silently.

'Do you want to talk about it?' Chuck asked softly, his arm around her shoulder.

'No.' Blair croaked.

'Okay.'

It was a while that they sat like that- silent with his arm wound around her slumped shoulders.

'You should just kick me out.'

Chuck sighed and rubbed her arm. 'You'll stay as long as you need.'

AN: Oh my GOD! You don't even KNOW how much I have appreciated your reviews and how much time you guys spent leaving new comments on my story after I deleted it. I LOVE YOU!

Quick response to a guest review: One of you asked me why your reviews weren't appearing immediately. I have to approve guest reviews, or they'll publish automatically in 48h, so sometimes when I'm away from my laptop I can't approve them! But please know I read them through email notifs and laugh and smile and appreciate every single character you type!

Again, just thank you SO much for how sweet you guys have been.

P.S. It just started snowing in my city and I got really excited, so I didn't read through this chapter as many times as I ought to have. Please forgive any glaring errors you may see. OOPS, I'm just so excited and wanna go read my sweet friend's holiday fic. If you haven't read it yet, About150Times is writing an AMAZING Hallmark-esque Chair fic right now. I highly, highly recommend it. Soooo festive. Okay, love you all again, bye!