CHAPTER 1 of What Happens on Mauretania, stays on Mauretania

Chuck Bass

The moment I saw her boarding the ship, I knew I had to have her, Blair Waldorf. The rumour had it that she was a known bitch among the ladies but I had no problem with that. I preferred girls who had an interesting edge to them instead of proper miss goody two shoes like Serena Van Der Woodsen who my father wanted me to marry. But for me, Blair Waldorf was the perfect candidate to become my wife.

The problem was all she could see was that gold digger Dan Humphry. He didn't belong in our circle. His father had discovered a gold mine a few years ago. That made him publicly new money, but still part of the club. And Blair and her mother were desperate. The rumour had it that Blair's father had left them with only debths and Blair had to behave to hook Dan Humphry as quickly as possible.

Most of my rich circle of friends new I was a known ladies man and I cringed at the thought that Blair would know it too soon if she didn't already. It wasn't a sin for a bachelor like myself to be a ladies man but it was hard to compete with a guy like Dan Humphry for Blair's attention as his reputation was stellar, he hadn't been associated with any woman publicly and even I hadn't heard him having any conquests to his name. Utterly boring but girls wanted to marry men like that.

So when the dinner was announced and the first class was gathering at the dining hall, I was finally introduced to Blair and Dan Humphry. But first I was re-aquintted with Serena.

"Son, you remember Serena, don't you?" My father Bart Bass said as he waved Serena and her mother Lily to us.

I turned my full attention Serena, taking her hand and kissing it gentlemanly.

"Of course, how could I forget the girl I have chased after all through the high school." I smirked at her.

"Well, maybe if you had continued it, you might have succeeded." Serena smiled back. She had wit but still couldn't hold my interest. Not anymore at least.

"Serena, darling, your mother tells me that as you are finished with school, you are looking to marry soon." My father turned the topic of conversation to what he really wanted to achieve with it.

"Yes, but I haven't decided on anyone yet." Serena politely and vaguely answered.

I rolled my eyes, it was all so boring to me.

"Serena, darling, I think they are expecting us at the dinner table. Let's get seated, shall we. Bart, Charles, see you in a bit." Her mother clearly didn't want to seem too pushy. I knew for them I was the perfect catch, but they had to play it safe. Lily didn't want to appear desperate, I could understand that. Still, the last thing I was going to do was marrying Serena Van Der Woodsen. As beautiful as she was, she just wasn't worth it. Not anymore.

Not when I could have Her, Blair Waldorf who had just arrived to the dining hall with her own mother Eleanor Waldorf. Before she had time to find Dan Humphry, I went to introduce myself.

"Hello, ladies, don't you look both ravishing tonight."

As I kissed her mother's hand first, she seemed charmed right away and asked, "And who am I honoured to be speaking to?"

"The honour is all mine and my name is Charles Bass, but friends do call me Chuck."

"Aren't you quite a little charmer, Chuck." That was her first sentence to me as I took her hand and kissed that too and I saw that although I intrigued her a little, she wasn't quite yet impressed with me.

"Well, I always try to be."

"Of course, that's what gentleman are suppose to be." Her mother intervened.

"Are you a gentleman, Mr Bass?"

As her mother had turned away to talk to someone else who mattered here, I told her, "Yes, when I want to be, of course."

Then I saw that her attention was elsewhere, she was looking something over my shoulder and I turned to look what it was.

Serena and Dan were being introduced and the way both of their eyes lit up seeing each other for the first time, it was clear to me and probably to Blair too that the two of them were into each other from the start.

All four of us and our parents were seated together and all night I watched as Blair tried to get Dan's attention and the mutt simply ignored her as much as possible in favour of Serena Van Der Woodsen. It appalled me that he could ignore someone as interesting as Blair Waldorf. They were both undeniably beautiful but Serena was quite bland compared to Blair. It was just before the men would go to have their brandy in another room to talk business and politics, when Blair who seemed upset, excused herself and left the room. I saw her going to the outer deck, I waited few minutes and followed her.

Blair Waldorf

I couldn't believe it as I leaned on the railing and stared at the quiet ocean. The man I needed to marry, the most eligible bachelor on this ship was interested in Serena Van Der Woodsen, my childhood friend I hadn't seen in years and who I was excited to meet again but not anymore. Not after she stole or at least had started to steal the man I wanted.

"Do you really want to marry this guy?" I suddenly heard that man-whore Chuck Bass ask as he arrived to stand next to me.

"Yes. I need to." I hissed at him.

"Why?"

"Because he has impeccable reputation and it's just what I need."

"No, Blair, what you need is someone who can make life interesting for you." He said as he leaned closer to me.

I pulled away from him as I told him, "Someone like you, you mean. But you can forget it, Chuck, It won't happen."

"Why not?" He seemed a little hurt now and much more serious than before.

"Because you disgust me, that's why. Everyone from London to New York knows that you would screw anyone with a cunt."

"Oh, please, continue. I love it when you talk dirty." He purred to my ear.

"Good night, Chuck." I turned to walk away from him, but I stopped cold when his next words reached my ears.

"I have some information about Serena you could benefit from."

I turned around and went back to stand next to him, intrigued by what he had just said.

"What information?" I whispered.

"Something very scandulous."

"Like what, that she isn't a virgin anymore?"

He tried to show poker face but his eyes gave him up.

"That doesn't help me much, a lot of the girls nowadays aren't anymore."

He was fully turned towards me and leaning closer he whispered, "That's not all I know, it's far better than that."

"And what do you want for that information?"

"Not much, just you, while we are still on this ship." He murmured.

"You disgust me, Chuck." I said as I turned to push him with all of my strength and he did try to match my strength. He let himself fall back as he chuckled.

We stared at each other for a while, until I caved.

"I can't, Chuck, If I give up the goods now, no one will-" I told him earnestly, hoping he would understand.

"No one has to know, Blair. It will be our little secret." He whispered in my ear again. "Besides, you can't tell me you don't want to."

And I couldn't. Chuck Bass with his reputation wasn't the perfect catch but compared to Dan he knew how to get to me. He knew how to push my buttons and make me yearn to be one of his whores. Even if just for one night. Actually, one night would be perfect. I could enjoy myself with someone who made my blood boil and then marry the one I needed to keep living the lifestyle I was used to and have the guy who had the reputation of a perfect gentleman. Chuck on the other hand clearly wasn't anything like Dan.

"Alright." I said swallowing hard.

"You sure?" He whispered.

I pulled away then, he was quite infuriating. "I told you, alright. I'll do it. Now, tell me what you know?"

He smirked and leaned back closer to me but holding a gentlemanly distance while doing it. "Serena didn't just lose her virginity about three months ago, she's also already in a delicate condition."

I was shocked, losing a virginity was one thing for a girl, but being pregnant outside marriage was quite the scandal.

"How do you know, you didn't… ?"

"Of course not, don't you think I would take responsibility if it was me?"

"I really don't." I told him and I was deliberately being a bitch. That's not what I really thought, but he didn't need to know that.

He seemed hurt again, but it was washed away quickly as he continued, "It was a few times sleeping with Carter Bazen and that did it."

"Carter Bazen? Who's that?"

"Someone not important. Of lower class. Her mother couldn't let her marry him and is trying to make a deal with my dad to have me take the responsibility."

"And Are you going to do it?" I asked sincerely.

"What do you think?" He said it like it was the most unheard thing that Chuck Bass would accept responsibility for someone else's child. Which it probably was.

"Okay, thank you, I'll take care of some business and I'll come to your suite." I said as I threw him a last glance.

"Go and destruct, Blair. I'm proud of you. And I do want the details later." He smiled at me and I smiled back. It was heinous but we made a good pair of schemers.

I found Serena and Dan talking and when I got near, they were saying goodbye for the evening.

"Oh, Serena, it's so nice meet you here after all those years. Now tell me, Serena, when is the wedding?"

She looked like a deer caught in headlights and I loved it.

"The wedding? What wedding?" Dan asked then.

"Haven't you heard, Dan? Serena is already with child. I don't know who the lucky guy is but she has to marry him now, whoever he is."

Dan was clearly shocked and upset. And Serena was on the verge of tears as she excused herself.

But to my surprise he followed her and I watched in the distance as they exchanged some words and to my horror he hugged her like her condition was not important to him.

Serena cornered me later to gloat about my plan backfiring as she told Dan that Carter had taken her against her will. That of course earned her mayor points in his eyes and basically the deal between the two was sealed. She got Dan and I had lost. She threatened that if I didn't stay away from Dan and her, she was going to tell everyone about my secrets. I was shocked that she knew anything. She couldn't be bluffing, it was obvious she knew something. And I couldn't risk anyone finding out. So I retreated and I had to go to Chuck as just because my plan had backfired, didn't mean I didn't have to pay for the information.