I haven't got much to say for myself and the prolonged absence at this point, to be honest. Sorry I'm such a terrible friend to you all and left this hanging for so long haha. I hope this makes up for it a teeny tiny bit and I promise I'm still a chair-crazed fool! The weeks have just been flying recently and, well, yeah. Love you!

Winter in Manhattan, no, January in Manhattan, was certainly no time to be standing out in the cold waiting on one's company for the evening. But it wasn't the biting winter air alone that ground her gears, it was the simple fact that she was being made to wait at all. Waiting was not something Blair was very much accustomed to doing. She was waited for, waited on, but she never waited around. She dialled her boyfriend again, this time he had the decency to pick up at least.

'Where are you?' Her vexed growl was one of a beast about to snap.

'Oh, sh-' He cleared his throat and there was silence on the line for a moment. 'Blair.' He said tenderly, placating her already. 'I'm really sorry, I forgot to tell you, didn't I?'

Blair ignored Nate's very best efforts to sound contrite, they meant nothing to her now. 'Forgot to tell me what?' She hissed.

She heard him shuffling about awkwardly on the other side of the phone. 'I'm not going to make it to the party tonight. Something came up with my parents, so I have to stay home.'

Sometimes, his carelessness made her bones ache from the inside out. 'You've got to be kidding me. Do you know how long I've been waiting out here for the two of you to roll up in that stupid, hateful limo?'

'I know, I know.' Nate babbled. 'And I'm sorry, I am.' He mumbled through his apology half-heartedly. 'You should still go, though- he'll be on his way now, probably just caught in traffic or something. I'm sure it'll be a good night, Blair.' Nate offered. 'You know what Chuck is like.'

'You're right, Nate, I do, and that's precisely how I also know it won't be a good night. I was only ever going because you asked me to. I'll speak to you tomorrow, bye.' She snapped the receiver together and turned back towards the inviting light that spilled from the doors of her building.

Just as Blair reached the entrance, a car horn blared loudly behind her. There was no way it could be him; there was no way it couldn't either. Truly, who else had such singularly frustrating timing? She might have laughed if she wasn't so hotly frustrated by the whole ordeal.

'Get in!' He barked from the window of his car.

Blair knew he'd likely just follow her if she didn't acquiesce to his demands, but still, she didn't turn around for a moment. Instead, she wondered idly if she could make it inside, and whether or not the elevator might come quickly enough for her to evade his grasp.

'Waldorf!' He sounded almost as irritated as she felt- rich considering he was the one running late while she'd been left to freeze.

Her smile, as she spun on her heels, was false like a Canal Street Chanel. 'Oh great.' She called. 'You decided to show up then after all?'

'Don't be a brat, not today. It's my birthday.' He looked at her sweetly, though there was a curl of mischief toying with his lips.

'That is the lone reason I don't sprint into my building right now.' She grumbled, reaching for the door.

The limousine was full of partygoers, all but for one seat at the far end of the bench, running parallel to the always-fully-stocked bar his vehicle boasted. She eyed the spot for a moment, then grimaced.

'What?' Chuck demanded, pretending to check his watch for emphasis.

'You're sick if you think I'm sitting next to baby Kushner down there.' Blair's lip curled at the very thought of right-wing Elliot from debate group's leg pressing up against her own, even for the duration of such a short ride.

Chuck snickered. 'You know he's not really-'

'Do you want me to come or not?' Blair's tone was one of sharp warning.

He laughed again, and the piercing gaze he'd trained on her grew briefly indulgent. Chuck nodded, then turned to the girl by his side. Blair recognised her face but didn't know her by name; she'd tagged along to occasions with Serena once or twice before. 'Luisa, move.' He ordered casually.

The girl scoffed and glared at Blair for a moment, but gave no further protest. Doing as she was told, she clambered further into the car to sit in the only free spot remaining.

She was far from satisfied by his remedy, but with no other option available to her, Blair occupied the space she'd vacated, right beside Chuck.

'There now.' He murmured as she settled in. 'Happy, princess?'

'Not in the slightest.' She returned curtly, the car pulling away smoothly.

'I wouldn't have it any other way.'

'This is for you.' Blair ignored his comment, thrusting him a perfectly wrapped parcel. She had suggested that Dorota should tear a few corners and crumple the paper to wholly demonstrate her disregard for the gift's recipient, but her maid took an obscene deal of pride in her gift wrapping. 'Happy birthday, I guess.' She muttered.

'Thank you.' He returned, seemingly caught off guard by the gesture. 'Can I open it now, or is it unsuitable for mixed company?'

'Please.' She snapped. 'It's just a scarf- and it's a better one than you've been sporting all year long. If you must have a trademark, let it at least be one worthy of being worn' She tugged at the edge of the offending article around his neck.

Her choice, a still ostentatious, but far subtler, checked fabric of reds, blues and polka dots she'd selected at J. Press, was leagues superior to the one he wore now. He'd love it, even if he'd at first pretend not to.

Chuck's mouth twisted into a satisfied grin. 'You shouldn't have.'

Blair shot him a cold glare in return. 'I almost didn't. You're still on incredibly thin ice after what you pulled at my place last week.'

He reached up lazily to tuck a finger under her chin. 'There's that sweet girl everyone talks about.'

'Shut up.' She pushed his hand away.

'Never. But I'll take my birthday kiss later, away from the crowds, if it's all the same to you.'

He'd said it quietly enough that no one else could have heard, but Blair's mouth fell open and she glanced around the group.

'Now there's a guilty conscience if ever I saw one.' Chuck mused.

'I will stop this car and get out right now.' Blair threatened, leaning forward with widened eyes.

'No, you won't.' Chuck pulled her arm gently, and she fell back into her seat. 'And relax, I'm only having a little festive fun.'

She didn't speak to him for the remainder of the ride.

The bar he'd chosen for the occasion was one his father frequented, it was how they, with their fresh faces of just sixteen years, were allowed in at all. Packed to the nines with harsh-faced men in sleek, tailored suits, flowing booze and young women touting their expensive, hired company, the place was something of a haven for the unhappily married man or terminal bachelor. It was smoky, seedy and exactly the kind of place Serena likely would have felt right at home. Blair hated it.

She'd been watching him mingle with a group of women, some of whom might just have been old enough to have given birth to him themselves, for some time, while slowly draining an acidic, slightly warm glass of champagne. She wondered blithely if they knew who, or quite what, they were dealing with. She cursed herself for watching though, noticing how he seemed to tire of them quite quickly when he'd caught sight of her watchful eye. It didn't take long for him to make a beeline for the couch she was firmly planted on, as she had been since they first arrived.

'You look decidedly miserable.' Chuck remarked dryly as he sank into the cushions beside her, still surveying the crowd mere feet away from where they sat.

Blair scowled down at the dregs of champagne still left in her glass. 'Oh,' she hummed. 'It's not like you to recognise feelings. Did Daddy buy you some empathy skills for your birthday?'

He shot her an unamused glance. 'I've come to expect higher-quality jabs from you than that.'

She sighed heavily. 'Perhaps I'd be on better form if I wanted to be here.'

Blair watched Chuck roll his eyes dramatically and then turn his body to her, elbows resting on his knees. 'So why did you come?'

She was affronted by his curtness for a moment, leaning away to protect herself from the familiar stance he'd adopted. 'I came for Nate.'

'Well that much was obvious- you couldn't pant after him harder if you tried.' Chuck commented, his eyes filling to the brim with scorn. 'But why, when you found out your precious darling wasn't going to be here, did you bother coming at all?'

'I was ordered, remember?' She spat.

'Please.' He sneered. 'You don't follow orders, you give them. So, I'll ask again. Why are you here bringing the mood down if you don't want to be?'

She pondered his question a moment, unsure of how to respond to it at all. In truth, when he'd rolled down his window she could have said no, could have vanished back into her building and refused him altogether, but she hadn't.

'I was dressed for the occasion.' She shrugged easily.

'This?' He glanced down at her dress. 'I've seen you more dressed up than this to lounge around your bedroom.'

Sometimes, she hated how well he knew her. Nate wouldn't have been able to micro-analyse her behaviour in the manner he always could.

'Then, because it's your birthday, I guess.' Blair said. She didn't have much more of an answer than that, but saying it sounded painfully weak nonetheless.

'And?' He drawled, swirling his own almost-empty cup.

'I've heard it's the done thing to spend time with one's friends on their birthdays.' Disliking the sudden sombre mood that had clouded his entire being, Blair nudged his shoulder playfully with her own.

'I didn't even want to do this.' He muttered into his drink, ignoring her jape. 'Nate insisted.'

Nate insisted, and then he didn't even show.

She recognised it in his eyes then, the hurt that had been eating him up all night. Her boyfriend hadn't just abandoned her, he'd abandoned Chuck too, his best friend on his birthday. No, in fact, he'd abandoned him on the most complicated, painful day on the Bass calendar, and for her own part, she'd done little more than complain and bemoan having to spend time with him too. The realisation went through her veins like ice. After the months he'd spent looking out for her since Serena left, being there to pick her up when she stumbled seemingly at every turn, she was repaying him with disinterest and detachment.

'I've been selfish.' Blair murmured, more for herself than for him. 'I wasn't thinking. I-'

Chuck turned away from her, levelling his steely gaze back out into the crowd of people sinking back drinks. 'Just do us both a favour and leave, I don't need either of you. Especially not for pity.' The words came through clenched teeth.

'It's not- I.' Blair cleared her throat awkwardly, unsure of what to say to defend her poor behaviour in light of the months he'd spent listening to her woes and drying her tears. 'I don't pity you, Chuck. Just let me make it right, what can I do?' She implored.

He wouldn't hear her, though. Instead, he just scowled in any direction that he couldn't meet her pleading eyes. 'Nothing, just go, I don't want to be around people who don't want to be around me. Not today.'

She ignored his orders, just as he'd said she would before. 'Who do you want to be around today?'

A dark laugh came half-choked from his throat. 'Nobody, not even myself, if that were possible.'

That was when the idea began swirling and growing, taking on its shape in Blair's mind. 'You want to be someone else for the day instead?'

He was quiet for some time, then relented to his curiosity and eyed her, the odious contempt seeming to slowly dissipate the longer she stayed by his side. 'Chuck Bass' Day Off?' Blair watched him turn the thought over in his mind.

'Sure, if you'd like, why not?' Blair shrugged. 'Let's ditch this place, it's too Bart.' She scrambled for something to offer instead. 'We could go to the Lower East Side and eat ridiculously-sized slices of pizza like we're tourists.' She suggested, half-joking. 'Well, you could, I wouldn't go near that kind of trash.' Blair's nose pinched just thinking about it.

Chuck smirked but shook his head. 'We can't do that.'

'Why not?' She pressed.

'Because I'm-'

'No, don't even say it. You aren't him, not for the rest of the night anyway.' Her eyes glittered as she stuck her hand out to him. 'Come on, I dare you. Be someone else for a little while.' Blair watched his jaw tense slightly, he could never resist a dare.

'And who would you be in this scenario?' His narrowed eyes were interested but hesitant, looking down at her outstretched palm.

Blair's lips thinned as she pondered the idea. A day off from being Blair Waldorf was a remarkably attractive prospect. Serena used to do it all the time, so why shouldn't she?

'Maybe I'm Audrey Camberwell, daughter of an up-and-coming Californian tech giant, in town for the first time in years.'

'Audrey, Blair, really?'

'What?' Blair gave him a spirited shove. 'It doesn't matter what names we use. Just come on before somebody comes over to dismay me with another warm glass of wine.' She implored; her hand once again stuck out to him.

This time he took it, still watching her somewhat dubiously. 'Lead the way then, stranger.'

As she looked down at the greasy slice of dollar pizza in front of her, Blair would admit that perhaps her plan hadn't been entirely perfect. She dabbed at the pooling oil with tissues plucked from a cheap container in the middle of the table; the tacky centrepiece on a surface that was itself questionably clean at best. Chuck, at least, was grinning now. She didn't miss the fact that he'd made not a single dent in his own slice.

'Stop snorting like that.' Blair instructed firmly. 'It's unflattering. Besides, it's not that funny. I'm told people eat this every day.' She shuddered.

He hummed in response and she grimaced.

'So, how would you say that fine idea of yours is treating you now, Ms Camberwell?' The corner of Chuck's mouth lifted as he mocked her.

'Alright, okay. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a tourist after all. You should never have let this happen.'

'Me?' Chuck recoiled, a broad smile of incredulity spreading across his cheeks.

'Yes, you.' Blair insisted. 'You took advantage of my moment of weakness. Of course I didn't really mean we should come here.'

'That's rich, I seem to remember having nothing at all to do with this particular choice of outing. You didn't even ask me what I'd have done instead. And on my birthday no less.' He lamented, peering into the distance with a feigned sigh.

'Alright, I'll take your bait, since it is your birthday. What would you have chosen to do on your evening off?' She returned.

'It's almost too easy.' He smirked, looking back at her almost immediately.

'Go on then, share your genius with me.' Blair drawled, rolling her eyes. She'd not tell him, but to see him looking alive again was worth enduring every moment of his superiority complex.

'I don't think I will. Maybe you'll just have to trust me.' Chuck pondered aloud, mischief shining in his eyes.

'Trust you?' Blair repeated. 'There's a little contradiction in that request.'

'Do you believe I would do you any worse than this?' He gestured around the dingy space.

Blair groaned but nodded. 'Point taken, let's go.'

His idea, it transpired, was to head to a hotel belonging to his father's primary competitor in the city. Hiding in plain sight, he'd termed it. There, he'd led her by the hand to the resplendent bar and taken a seat right before the barman, who'd had one eyebrow raised from the moment they walked in, and brazenly ordered the most costly bottle on the menu.

'Just this once, kid.' The barman agreed. 'But if anyone asks, I checked both your IDs.'

'Thank you.' Blair smiled warmly at him, watching the bubbles fizz inside the chilled glasses. It was certainly an upgrade on congealed pizza.

'You seem like a sweet couple.' He offered, shrugging easily. 'Plus, we've been trying to shift this bottle for a while now, the boss will be pleased.'

'Oh, we're not-'

'That's kind!' Blair interjected, her hand moving quickly to rest atop Chuck's thigh. He looked down at it, then back up at her in bemusement. 'We're actually celebrating three years together tonight. Aren't we sweetie?' She lied cleanly, looking over at her friend with a warmth in her eyes that he'd never seen before.

'Right.' Chuck agreed, somewhat perturbed, but ever-willing to go along with her games. 'I'd never let this one go.'

The barman offered them his half-hearted congratulations, put their bottle on ice and disappeared to attend to another pair of guests. When he was out of sight, Blair lifted her hand from Chuck's leg and burst into fits of giggles.

'Okay, your idea is better.' She admitted, still hiccupping over her laughter.

'I didn't know you got such a thrill out of roleplay, or I'd have invited you up to my suite to play long before now.' He said, still somewhat in a daze of disbelief that left him unable even to fully commit to the risqué suggestion.

For her part, Blair graciously ignored his proposal. 'It's fun not being ourselves. If I were to close my eyes, maybe I'd almost forget about all the terrible, selfish people in my life for a second.'

'Am I to assume you're including yourself in these calculations?' Chuck jibed.

'I'm a cruel, but fair mistress.' She defended herself haughtily.

At this, Chuck roared. 'Absolutely not. If you were an old, Russian monarch, they'd no doubt endow you with some wicked name.'

'Blair the Abominable.' She considered her self-appointed title proudly.

'It's not half bad.' He agreed. 'But, if you're feeling abominable, I wouldn't mind it now, you know.'

'Mind what?' Blair's eyebrows furrowed.

'My birthday kiss, of course.' He exclaimed, as though it were the most obvious thing in all the world.

She offered him only an exaggerated eye roll. 'Nice try.'

'Fine, one to celebrate our third anniversary then?' Chuck pressed.

'You don't actually want me to kiss you.' Blair asserted.

'No?' He was smiling genuinely then, leaning close to hear her reasoning.

'No. You just want to get back at Nate for bailing on you tonight.' She concluded. 'And you can do that by cancelling next week's smoke session last minute, not by getting one over on him with me.'

'Nice try, yourself.' He remarked.

She shrugged, looking down at her perfectly manicured nails.

'Come on, like I'd throw the ball right in your court like that. We both know you want nothing more in this world than for Nate to quit smoking with me.'

'It would certainly be my preference. He already struggles a little in the brain cell department, I don't need you taking any more away.' Blair grinned.

They sparred a while longer, gradually draining the bottle of champagne until there was nothing left but a dribble. Chuck tried valiantly to convince her to open another, but Blair was already flushed and full of bubbles.

The cold air hit her face again as they left the foyer, but she didn't much mind it this time. Her arm was tucked into his as they waited on the appearance of his limo.

'So,' She spoke over the noise of the bustling city. 'How has it been?'

'What?'

'Your birthday, of course.' She huffed. 'How has it been?'

'Somewhat worse than I expected.' He joked, earning him a jab in the ribs. 'Ouch.' Chuck coughed through his laughter. 'Fine, it's been somewhat worse, then somewhat better.'

'Somewhat? You insult me.' Blair sneered.

'You made me go to a dollar pizza… establishment.' Chuck pulled a face as he searched for the words to aptly describe her initial escape plan.

'Will you let that go? I really don't need anybody hearing that I organised a spur-of-the-moment pizza party for you.' Blair glowered, tugging on the crook of his elbow as she spotted the car pulling up a little way down the street.

'Unlikely.' His smirk was back again, dark and devilish as he reached down for the car door handle. 'But your cred is a little low lately, so I won't tell anyone.'

'Fine.' Blair resisted the little stomp of her foot that was ever so tempting, reaching around him to climb into the car.

It was dark when he closed the door and slid in beside her, almost quiet with just the muffled noises from the busy streets.

'Don't tell anyone I said this,' came his quiet voice from beside her. 'But, thank you.'

'For what?' She chuckled. 'Being a bitch or making you sit in front of a cold slice?'

'For making the effort. No one else did.'

'What do you mean? You had a whole gang in here earlier.'

'It's not the same without them.' He admitted. She didn't need to ask who he meant, the same hole had been punched through her too. 'But you made it feel like it was for a while.'

'Just you and me now, Bass.' Blair murmured, turning to face him with her cheek leant on the cool, leather headrest. 'Holding it all together.'

He hummed an affirmation.

In the morning, she'd not be sure if it had been the confines of the dark limo, the buzz of champagne or the feeling of quiet sadness she felt looking into his cat-like hazel eyes, but Blair shuffled closer to Chuck. Wordlessly, she leaned into him and pressed a soft, chaste kiss against his mouth.

'Happy birthday.' She whispered, drawing slowly away. 'Will that do?'

Chuck was quiet for a minute, his gaze fixed on the curve of her upturned mouth. 'I'm not sure.' He replied. 'I might need another taste to really be sure.'

Blair snickered, then rolled her body away from his, the softness of the moment floating away. 'I admire your commitment to this, but there's no chance in hell.' She sang sweetly, turning to look out of the window while the street lights flashed by in a blur. 'Don't tell Nate.' She ordered.

'Who is Nate?'