Chapter 119: Say You Won't Let Go
~I knew I loved you then, but you'd never know
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go
I knew I needed you, but I never showed
But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go...
I'm so in love with you
And I hope you know
Darling, your love is more than what its weight in gold
We've come so far my dear
Look how we've grown
And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
I wanna live with you
Even when we're ghosts
'Cause you were always there for me
When I needed you most~
(James Arthur)
Disclaimer: I own Elizabeth, all the rest of the characters unless otherwise noted do not belong to me.
A/N: So sorry for such a long delay. I honestly thought I had posted these chapters a long time ago!
Gobble, gobble, Upper East Siders. That's right. It's Thanksgiving again. And I hope you all brought your appetites, because today's the one day a year you're supposed to count your blessings and not your calories. I don't care whether you're sick to your stomach or simply on a liquid diet. This turkey day, I'm going to make sure everyone eats their hearts out.
After their night out at Coney Island, the next day they picked up Ella and packed their bags and went to the Hamptons. Chuck just wanted away from Bart and Lily. As for Elizabeth she just wanted to see Chuck happy. Which at the moment he wasn't, and she needed that fixed. Nate had called him multiple times and he wouldn't answer it.
She got Ella out of her bed and walked into the living room and her phone rang.
"Hello" she answered.
"Lizzie!" Serena said.
"Hey" she replied.
"What are you and Chuck doing for Thanksgiving?"
"I don't know" she replied "We are out of town at the moment"
"Well Dan and I are hosting and would love if you guys came"
"Well, I will let you know" she replied then thought of Lily and Bart. "Your mom and Bart won't be there, right?"
"They are headed out of town so no"
"I will get back to you" she replied then hung up. She walked into the bedroom and saw Chuck sound asleep. She smiled and walked over and sat Ella down and Ella kissed his cheek. He woke up and smiled. "Morning sunshine"
"Is it?"
"It is, and I think we should head home"
"Do we have too?"
"Its Thanksgiving, a family holiday"
"We are family, do we really need the rest of them" he replied
"Extended family. Serena, my brother. Nate"
"Nate betrayed us"
"Bart was blackmailing him Chuck" she replied.
"Let's just stay here" he said.
"You can stay here. Ella and I are gonna go home and have a great Thanksgiving" she said then walked out of the room. She put Ella in the pack and play then started packing the little girl's stuff in the bag. She felt arms wrap around her and she felt Chuck kiss her cheek.
"I'm sorry" he replied, and she turned.
"So, you're coming with?" she asked.
"Will they be there?"
"Serena said no" she replied as his phone rang and he looked at it.
"It's Nate"
"Answer it" she said, and he picked it up and walked out of the room.
She picked up Ella
"Your Daddy is gonna drive me nuts" she whispered, and the little girl kissed her cheek. "Glad you understand kid"
Chuck came back into the room with their bags and dressed but in a foul mood.
"Your attitude has changed?"
"Don't worry about it" he grumbled
"Oh, don't you dare" she replied "Talk to me, now"
"Nate is on a losing battle with my father"
"He's trying" she said and kissed him.
They got their stuff to the Empire then headed over to the Van der Woodsen's. They walked in and Chuck holding Ella headed over to the bar.
"You guys made it!" Serena said hugging her.
"Well Ella and I would have been here regardless; it was getting cranky pants out that was the hard part" she said then saw Lily. "Serena, what are they doing here?
"Tropical storm" Serena replied.
"Oh, some warning would have been nice, now cranky pants is gonna be pissed off pants"
"I know I'm sorry" she replied.
"It took a lot of effort to get Chuck here" she replied as Blair walked over.
"Hey" Blair replied then looked at Elizabeth. "Have you seen Nate?"
"I haven't, why?"
"He told me about Bruce"
"What about him?"
"Chuck didn't tell you?" Blair asked and she looked over to see Dan holding Ella and Chuck walking toward the door. They both ran over there.
"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked.
"You lied"
"I didn't lie, I didn't know they'd be here. Serena just told me there was a tropical storm. Trust me I am just as pissed."
"Then we should leave"
"We should stay. Ella was too little to remember last year but she might remember this year and then next year we will have our hands full. Can we just make the best of today?"
He looked at her then kissed her.
"Fine" he replied. "I'll do it for Ella"
"Well now that she got you to stay, I should let you both know that I have a plan. Trying to prove that the Sheikh's death was via a Bass vehicle just like Bruce's, who fell off a Bass yacht. Nate is upstairs trying all the codes that Jack gave me.
"How did you get the codes from him?"
"Well, I was gonna blackmail him but one mention of a certain Princess and he was all for helping. You definitely have him wrapped around your finger Liz."
"It comes in handy when needed" Elizabeth replied. Chuck grabbed her hand and kissed it.
"This is just what we need"
"Aren't you glad I convinced you come now?" she asked and he nodded then turned to Blair.
"Why are you helping us? I was awful to you on the roof 6 months ago and have done nothing but push you away."
"Because I love you, and I love Elizabeth. Most importantly Ella is my god daughter and it is in my job description as her godmother to always protect her. That includes from her own grandfather. As it is Nate's. So that's why we conspired to help"
"Thank you" Elizabeth replied hugging her "I knew there was a reason I was dead set on making you her god mother"
"I'm gonna go help Nathaniel" Chuck said kissing her cheek and running upstairs.
Elizabeth turned to Blair.
"In this plan of yours, do I need to do anything?"
"No, you just be you. Take care of Ella and that new baby of yours. Leave the rest to me"
"Babies"
"What?"
"Yeah"
"Well then you definitely need to take care of yourself and let me do the rest"
"Thank you"
"Consider it a late wedding present"
"Thank you" she smiled, and they walked back over. She grabbed Ella from Dan and got her settled at the table. She could faintly hear Blair talking to Lily but Ella was being fussy so her focus was on her. She finally got her settled and walked over to get some food.
"She getting so big Miss Elizabeth" Dorota said.
"I know" she replied. "How are your little ones?"
"With Vanya right now"
"Well I'm sure you miss them as much as they miss you" Elizabeth replied and she walked away. She got Ella some food and put her food down. Moments later Chuck came back down and kissed the top of Ella's head and turned to her as Lily was talking to Bart about Bruce. Chuck turned to them.
"Speaking of Bruce. I heard he drowned like a rock, or at least had them tied to his ankles." He sat down then put his hand on Elizabeth's back
"Charles, show some respect"
"Maybe we should take a moment to remember Bruce who died falling off your yacht"
"Remind me to never step foot on that" Elizabeth replied and Bart shot her a glare. She sat down and put her hand on Chuck' leg.
"And Sheikh Hassan, whose Bass Industries provided car burst into flames. I hate it when that happens"
"Bart is that true?" Lily asked.
"I have no idea what kind of car he was driving"
"Oh I can provide that information" Chuck replied and pulled a paper out of his pocket and opened it. He read it then turned it to face Bart "Bentley W12 provided by Bass Enterprises. Leasing agreement hot off the press"
"So what if we provided the Sheikh's cars?" Bart asked "We're certainly not responsible for every mechanical malfunction."
"Wouldn't you want to be thought, well not responsible, but you would want to make sure that your guest or clients are traveling safety to their next destination?" Elizabeth replied and Chuck smiled at her.
"You need to mind your business little girl" Bart said
"Well we are discussing Bass related items and last time I checked I am now a Bass so…" she replied and Chuck grabbed her hand with her wedding ring on and kissed it. He then turned back to his father.
"I think what my wife is trying to ask is, 'Is it just a coincidence that the two men who could've sent you to prison happen to die in transportation you so generously provided them?'"
"If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna freshen up" Lily replied and got up. Bart followed her. Nate came down with Sage and Elizabeth looked over at them.
"Are you two?"
"Yeah" Nate replied.
"Good" Elizabeth replied. "Nate has been a…"
"Chuck already told her" he replied and she looked at Chuck and kissed him.
"You were brilliant" Chuck said.
"I'm a Mama Bear and mama bears they look out for their cubs and therefore they don't back down. He can spout awful, hateful things all he wants to me. I'm not walking away. I love you and I vowed to always have your back" she said then kissed him. "Always and forever"
"I vowed the same" he said kissing her. She smiled in the kiss and pulled away then leaned her forehead against his. Ella started laughing next to him and they both laughed and they turned to her as Serena clinked her glass.
They turned to her.
"I just want to thank you all for joining us for our first Thanksgiving together as a couple even Georgina. Who I didn't actually invite but…welcome. So too many more years of love, happiness and good friends."
"Cheers" Everyone said as phones went off.
Georgina stood up.
"Well. I too, have something to be grateful for…freedom of the press. If you will all take a look at your phones. You will soon realize that my protégé Daniel Humphrey has just released the latest installment of his serial. A chapter on our very own Serena" Georgina said then whispered to Dan.
Elizabeth picked up her phone and began reading.
"Serena Van der Woodsen…'Golden Girl Falls From Grace'" Nate said.
"'A Faux Love Story'" Blair added.
Serena got up and went to her room and Dan followed her.
"Give me a second" Elizabeth said kissing Chuck and getting up and heading that way. She heard them fighting.
"That is the issue. It's 'My World'" Dan said.
"Oh, come on. It's a figure of speech" Serena replied.
"No, it has always been your world and you've never let me forget it. I've always been a visitor. The poor kid from Brooklyn. Even my twin sister is more welcomed than me and she doesn't do this whole glam. As least she used to not be."
"So, this is your payback?"
She leaned against the wall and tried not to listen anymore. Serena walked out past her, and she walked into the room to see Dan packing.
"I thought you were done" she said, "I thought your whole getting everyone's forgiveness was you saying you had stopped writing the chapters."
"No" he replied
"They're our friends Dan, how could you…"
"The only people those people care about are each other. They don't care about you or me. They never have. You're fooling yourself for thinking otherwise."
"Not true" she said.
"You really think any of them would have even talked to you if I hadn't of dated Serena." He said and she slapped him then walked away. She walked back to the table and Nate got up and pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Dan walked out and Nate pulled away. She saw Chuck walking away from Lily and walked over to him and he hugged her and leaned his head on hers. They pulled away and she glanced toward her brother.
"Hey Dan. Before you go" Nate said then punched Dan. Elizabeth covered her mouth in shock. "That was from all of us, including Liz"
They got back to the Empire and walked into the kitchen after tucking in Ella. She was so happy to be home.
"Hey, talk to me" Chuck said, and she glanced at him. "Come on Cinderella"
They walked into the bedroom, and she picked up a photo of her and Chuck from their summer together years back.
"What did he say to you?" he asked, and she turned and sat on the dresser. He put his hands on her shoulder.
"He told me that none of you would have spoken to me if he hadn't of dated Serena. And…"
"Don't think that for a second" he replied lifting her chin to look at him.
"Well I mean…"
"I didn't know your name, and I didn't know your brother, but I knew you"
"That makes no sense"
"Well back then you had a different name" he replied tucking a piece behind her ear. "Ballerina"
"What?"
"I used to watch you practice in the gym during lunch. I was infatuated with you to be exact."
"Really?" she smiled.
"Jenny wasn't the girl I wanted to take to the roof that night. I was watching you from across the party. And I wasn't a guy that was nervous around girls but you I couldn't put two words together to talk to you." He said "So when I finally did and went to do it you were talking to Nate, and you were smiling. I thought I lost my chance"
"So, you targeted Jenny?" she asked confused.
"Not something I'm proud of" he replied.
"What about the day before on the bus. You had every chance to talk to me but you didn't. I think I even bumped into you"
"I know" he replied, "I just didn't realize at the time that you and my ballerina were the same person."
"Oh" she smiled.
"What I am trying to say is that Dan dating Serena has nothing to do with you and me. In fact, I don't even think them dating has anything to do with us anyways, right? Did they introduce us?"
"No, I knew that Nate was your best friend, and I knew that you lived at the Palace hotel and I knew the only way I was getting your room number from the front desk is if I was some bimbo who had slept with you and really needed your attention"
"See, we met because of you" he replied "Being smart and knowing exactly who I was"
She nodded then kissed him then pulled away.
"I just had no idea that was going to be the beginning of a relationship with my future husband." She said and his phone rang. He glanced at it then looked at her. "Who is it?"
"Lily"
"Answer it" she said "I'm gonna change for bed"
She got down and kissed his cheek and walked into the bathroom. She went up to the mirror and put her hand on her stomach.
"Hey kids" she replied "Daddy is working so hard to make this world so much better for you guys. And you have the most amazing god parents so I can't wait for you to meet them. Your uncle on the other hand is being a big dummy. And mommy is really mad at him"
Her phone rang and she grabbed it.
"Hello" she said.
"Hey Rockstar" her dad said.
"Hi" she replied.
"You, okay?" he asked.
"Why do you ask?" she asked.
"Well, your brother is home and though he doesn't seem to be upset about everything else he did say you slapped him and he deserved it from you and I know you and your brother and I know that he has never done anything to you to make you slap him so what happened?"
"He told me that if he hadn't of dated Serena no one in that group would have even talked to me" she replied.
"You don't believe that do you?"
"I was questioning it" she replied "But my husband, who has been my rock these last two years reminded me that I got his attention all on my own. He could've cared less about Dan and Serena"
"Well Chuck and I may have had our issues, but I know that he has always held you on such a high pedestal."
"Thanks Dad" she replied
"Get some rest. Take care of yourself and take care of your children. The one out walking around and the one growing inside you"
"Love you"
"Love you too Rock star" he said, and they hung up.
She got changed and came out as he was hanging up the phone. He looked at her and kissed her.
"What" she asked pulling away.
"Lily is gonna help us" he replied and she hugged him. She pulled away then kissed him. "Who were you talking to in the bathroom?"
"My dad called to check on me. Dan told him I slapped him and well that was the first time I've done that"
"What did he tell you?"
"That I have an amazing husband who loves me and only me for who I am" she replied and he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
Thanksgiving may be over, but I hear that our favorite upper east siders are still cooking something up. And pretty soon, everyone is going to feel the heat. Of course, when you fan an old flame, sometimes you wind up just getting burned and having to start from scratch. Luckily, the things that have been slowly simmering always taste the most satisfying. On appetite.
X.O.X.O Gossip Girl