PFATW- Chapter 11: To Eric From Chuck
Title: Postcards From Around the World
Fandom: Gossip Girl
Pairing: Chuck/Blair
Rating: PG
Summary: Now that the words have been exchanged, Chuck and Blair are ready to take on the world. Or so they think. Can their love survive the obstacles lying at every corner of the map?
Notes: As you can see, this part is more or less concluded. GG still doesn't belong to me. Thanks to Dawn for the beta. And to all of you.
Banner by issa_bell
Chapter 11: To Eric From Chuck
It took about two hours for them to get from their hotel to Chuck's 'secret' place. At least that was what Blair thought. As soon as she came out of the bathroom, Chuck blindfolded her and told her that he wanted to keep the whole trip a surprise. That meant from leaving their room to their final destination, she would be left in the dark.
"But I won't be able to see," she pointed out.
"I'll lead you," he promised. "Trust me."
Ah, trusting Chuck Bass. Last year at this time, she wouldn't have trusted him to donate his organs if she was dying. Last year, he had been a Basstard and deserved to be hurt. But now she had complete faith in him. He wasn't going to lead her astray this time. He had been there the whole time so why would he run now? He came to her when she thought he had died. He had not fooled around with anyone while they were together.
"Can't you just blindfold me when we get there?" she asked, tugging at the blindfold. But he kept stopping her. "Besides I really wanted to drop off this postcard before we leave. I was telling Daddy that we would see him and Roman real soon."
"No because you'll know where 'there' is," he explained. "I want the whole thing to be a surprise. Because you deserve it. You can drop off your postcard tomorrow when I send one to Eric."
"You mean the postcard about me nagging too much? About how lucky Eric is because he'll never worry about pleasing a girl?" She was miffed by his words but she couldn't blame him either. Chuck was trying his hardest to please. She just hated that he had to spill it to his brother instead of her. As a couple, they needed to work on problems together.
"I didn't say that."
"I saw what you wrote. And you don't have to hide it, you are right. I'm just not used to all this. I know you aren't either but...you're trying. You're being better about this than I am. Just tell me I'm being a bitch next time instead of Eric," she smiled. "Now come on. Take me to my magical place."
"With pleasure. Now be careful, we're getting in the car." And that was how Chuck led her around. When there was a crack, he moved her away from it. If there were steps, he let her know before going up or down them. The whole car ride, she remained quiet although she wished she could look outside. He insisted that the blindfold stay on though.
Unfortunately for him, the night wasn't magical. Not yet anyway. His phone kept ringing the whole way through. It rang as he helped her out of the car and started to lead her to their secret place. It kept going and as a result, he kept losing his grip on Blair. She almost walked into the ocean twice and would have gone off the dock if he hadn't caught her.
He hated the fact that Blair had stepped into gum and bird poop while making her way across the dock. It was something they could have easily avoided, but it happened. At least she would not know...not until she looked under her shoes. Then he would be in trouble. Giving up, he checked his phone and saw Eric's name. Clearly, there was an emergency and Eric wanted to get in touch with him. Before Chuck could tell him to call back, Eric said the dreaded word.
"Dan..."
"He's been in there, hasn't he? He's been in my closet," Chuck realized.
Eric paused for a second. "Once...twice..."
"How many times?"
"He's been borrowing your clothes ever since you left," Eric finally confessed. "It's not a bad thing though! Besides, I let him in your closet! He borrowed a shirt for an interview..."
"Which shirt?" Chuck demanded.
"I'm not sure but it was blue." There was silence on the other end. "With stripes. Dark blue stripes on light blue. He says it was the best thing that complimented the pants."
"You mean the purple pants I left him?"
"No...your dark blue ones." Chuck inhaled sharply at that and Eric confessed more. "Okay, he's borrowed an entire suit. That includes your red tie by the way. He hasn't ruined your outfits though...except for..."
"For what?"
"Nothing."
"What did he ruin?"
"...He dropped mustard on your navy blue suit jacket!" Eric blurted out. "And cherry soda on your pants. He dropped those off at the dry cleaners, but I don't think the mustard stain will ever come out. It's kind of mustard that doesn't come out of anything."
"Humphrey stained my jacket. You let Humphrey borrow my clothes," Chuck said. The tone of his voice was hard to decipher. Eric couldn't tell if his older brother was angry or upset or nonchalant. It was the voice of a serial killer. "And he ruined my pants."
"Oh, they'll be fine. The cherry soda smell will be gone. Besides, Blair ruined your pants once."
"Don't compare my girlfriend to the likes of Dan Humphrey!" Chuck snarled. "At least she doesn't take things from me without asking. And why didn't you stop him if you knew he was doing that?"
"Sorry! I didn't think it would be such a big deal! He shouldn't have touched your things but..." Eric paused for a second. Obviously, there was much more too this whole situation. "I want you guys to get along. I thought if he borrowed something from you and kept it in good shape, you might actually...I don't know, be friends. Treat each other better. Maybe it would be a good enough reason for you stay with all of us."
Aha. Eric wanted the two of them to get along. Stay as a family. It was bad enough that Lily intended to marry Rufus Humphrey. The fact that he would bring his children over was worse. Jenny still was uncomfortable around him, not that he blamed her, and Dan was too lame to be friends with. Poor Eric wanted to have everyone together, but it wasn't going to happen. The moment Jenny revealed what Chuck had done to her last year, he would be thrown out. No apology could change his actions.
"What's going on?" a blindfolded Blair asked. He had been so caught up with his thoughts he forgot about her for a second. She was coming close to walking off the dock again. "I can't see where we are, Chuck. Where are we? Are you going to tell me anything?"
Chuck pulled her away from the edge and pressed a finger against her lips. "I'm almost done here." Then he turned back to his phone. "As touching as that is, little brother, I can't talk about it now. We'll deal with my potential relationship with the worst fiction writer in Brooklyn later. Right now...I have a date."
Hanging up, he led her away and started to head towards the ship. So far, so good. Everything was in place. "Now start guessing...where are we?"
They were moving upstairs. "Are we outside still?"
"For now. We won't be in for long."
"Interesting, so we're going inside. Um...we're not in Paris, are we? It might feel like it but we're not. That car trip was too short. But...are we at the airport heading to Rome?"
"No. We're heading to Rome but not now. Try again."
"The airport would be noisy so that's out of the question. Let's see...I smell the ocean. We're at the ocean," she said. "Ocean, roses, definitely not Paris or the airport...I have no idea..."
A passerby, who had been watching the whole exchange, finally got fed up with Blair's guessing and walking towards the ocean. "For crying out loud, chica, it's a boat! He's taking you on a boat!"
Chuck glared at the man as Blair ripped off the blindfold. Sure enough, he had been right. There was a boat waiting for the two of them and Chuck was leading her up to it. "Oh my God!"
"Thanks for the help that I need!" Chuck snapped.
"Hey, at least I mentioned nothing about all the champagne you bought."
"There's champagne?" Blair asked.
"And music and a four course meal made by the finest chefs and a staff waiting to give you a pedicure. Oh, I should also that he managed to get your favorite actor..."
Chuck handed him some money. When all else failed, money paid for everything. His father taught him that a long time ago. Then another thought hit him and he handed the guy the postcard. At least that leech would be useful for something. "Take the money, drop that off at the post office, and get out."
It seemed like a fair exchange. "Cool. Have a good time. By the way, tell your girlfriend that after twelve times, Roman Holiday doesn't get better. Even if it's on a bigger screen than usual."
"Chuck!" Blair exclaimed. She was gaping at the whole thing like a princess who had just been returned to her castle. Her dark eyes were shining with excitement. "You did all this for me?"
"Yeah, he did. He was hoping to make your trip better so he hired..."
"Get out."
The man chuckled and took a quick look at the postcard. Then he looked back to see the couple making their way to the ship. So what if the surprise was ruined. So what if the guy was a bastard? He was a caring bastard.
"First time...lucky bastard."
~ ~ ~
Eric,
Little brother, I appreciate you telling me the truth today. But if Humphrey touches my wardrobe again (save for the pants I've allowed him to take), there is a crowbar in the safe. Don't question why it's there. Just take it out and break his hands with it. If you're feeling violent, you can break any other part of his body too.
Besides that, I think Blair finally trusts me to do the right thing. And I will. So far, it's been hell but I promise to make the rest of this trip better. It's not easy being a boyfriend. But, and don't tell anyone this, I like it. I like having a girlfriend and being her boyfriend. I never thought I would say this but it's true. BUT if you mention anything to anyone about it...I'm going to tell Serena what REALLY happened to her underwear that night and who was responsible. Yes, I know. I'm Chuck Bass. I should know about female lingerie and its many uses.
Anyway, you know the rules: Humphrey touches my pink bowtie, he loses a finger. Remind him of that.
Your brother,
Chuck
P.S. No matter what happens, don't worry. We're still family. But if you spill that, remember...I'm Chuck Bass. I know what you did to Serena's underwear.
~ ~ ~
Note: Ugh, this chapter was giving me so much trouble. Forgive me if it's not up to usual standards. My beta saved this one for me. I struggled with it way too much. I promise that once we start moving further, it'll get better. I'll be taking a quick break from this (I want to finish my EL fanfic first). Then I'll return with more to annoy you all with. Or entertain, whichever this is doing. Thanks for sticking around, those of you who are!
Fandom: Gossip Girl
Pairing: Chuck/Blair
Rating: PG
Summary: Now that the words have been exchanged, Chuck and Blair are ready to take on the world. Or so they think. Can their love survive the obstacles lying at every corner of the map?
Notes: As you can see, this part is more or less concluded. GG still doesn't belong to me. Thanks to Dawn for the beta. And to all of you.
Banner by issa_bell
Chapter 11: To Eric From Chuck
It took about two hours for them to get from their hotel to Chuck's 'secret' place. At least that was what Blair thought. As soon as she came out of the bathroom, Chuck blindfolded her and told her that he wanted to keep the whole trip a surprise. That meant from leaving their room to their final destination, she would be left in the dark.
"But I won't be able to see," she pointed out.
"I'll lead you," he promised. "Trust me."
Ah, trusting Chuck Bass. Last year at this time, she wouldn't have trusted him to donate his organs if she was dying. Last year, he had been a Basstard and deserved to be hurt. But now she had complete faith in him. He wasn't going to lead her astray this time. He had been there the whole time so why would he run now? He came to her when she thought he had died. He had not fooled around with anyone while they were together.
"Can't you just blindfold me when we get there?" she asked, tugging at the blindfold. But he kept stopping her. "Besides I really wanted to drop off this postcard before we leave. I was telling Daddy that we would see him and Roman real soon."
"No because you'll know where 'there' is," he explained. "I want the whole thing to be a surprise. Because you deserve it. You can drop off your postcard tomorrow when I send one to Eric."
"You mean the postcard about me nagging too much? About how lucky Eric is because he'll never worry about pleasing a girl?" She was miffed by his words but she couldn't blame him either. Chuck was trying his hardest to please. She just hated that he had to spill it to his brother instead of her. As a couple, they needed to work on problems together.
"I didn't say that."
"I saw what you wrote. And you don't have to hide it, you are right. I'm just not used to all this. I know you aren't either but...you're trying. You're being better about this than I am. Just tell me I'm being a bitch next time instead of Eric," she smiled. "Now come on. Take me to my magical place."
"With pleasure. Now be careful, we're getting in the car." And that was how Chuck led her around. When there was a crack, he moved her away from it. If there were steps, he let her know before going up or down them. The whole car ride, she remained quiet although she wished she could look outside. He insisted that the blindfold stay on though.
Unfortunately for him, the night wasn't magical. Not yet anyway. His phone kept ringing the whole way through. It rang as he helped her out of the car and started to lead her to their secret place. It kept going and as a result, he kept losing his grip on Blair. She almost walked into the ocean twice and would have gone off the dock if he hadn't caught her.
He hated the fact that Blair had stepped into gum and bird poop while making her way across the dock. It was something they could have easily avoided, but it happened. At least she would not know...not until she looked under her shoes. Then he would be in trouble. Giving up, he checked his phone and saw Eric's name. Clearly, there was an emergency and Eric wanted to get in touch with him. Before Chuck could tell him to call back, Eric said the dreaded word.
"Dan..."
"He's been in there, hasn't he? He's been in my closet," Chuck realized.
Eric paused for a second. "Once...twice..."
"How many times?"
"He's been borrowing your clothes ever since you left," Eric finally confessed. "It's not a bad thing though! Besides, I let him in your closet! He borrowed a shirt for an interview..."
"Which shirt?" Chuck demanded.
"I'm not sure but it was blue." There was silence on the other end. "With stripes. Dark blue stripes on light blue. He says it was the best thing that complimented the pants."
"You mean the purple pants I left him?"
"No...your dark blue ones." Chuck inhaled sharply at that and Eric confessed more. "Okay, he's borrowed an entire suit. That includes your red tie by the way. He hasn't ruined your outfits though...except for..."
"For what?"
"Nothing."
"What did he ruin?"
"...He dropped mustard on your navy blue suit jacket!" Eric blurted out. "And cherry soda on your pants. He dropped those off at the dry cleaners, but I don't think the mustard stain will ever come out. It's kind of mustard that doesn't come out of anything."
"Humphrey stained my jacket. You let Humphrey borrow my clothes," Chuck said. The tone of his voice was hard to decipher. Eric couldn't tell if his older brother was angry or upset or nonchalant. It was the voice of a serial killer. "And he ruined my pants."
"Oh, they'll be fine. The cherry soda smell will be gone. Besides, Blair ruined your pants once."
"Don't compare my girlfriend to the likes of Dan Humphrey!" Chuck snarled. "At least she doesn't take things from me without asking. And why didn't you stop him if you knew he was doing that?"
"Sorry! I didn't think it would be such a big deal! He shouldn't have touched your things but..." Eric paused for a second. Obviously, there was much more too this whole situation. "I want you guys to get along. I thought if he borrowed something from you and kept it in good shape, you might actually...I don't know, be friends. Treat each other better. Maybe it would be a good enough reason for you stay with all of us."
Aha. Eric wanted the two of them to get along. Stay as a family. It was bad enough that Lily intended to marry Rufus Humphrey. The fact that he would bring his children over was worse. Jenny still was uncomfortable around him, not that he blamed her, and Dan was too lame to be friends with. Poor Eric wanted to have everyone together, but it wasn't going to happen. The moment Jenny revealed what Chuck had done to her last year, he would be thrown out. No apology could change his actions.
"What's going on?" a blindfolded Blair asked. He had been so caught up with his thoughts he forgot about her for a second. She was coming close to walking off the dock again. "I can't see where we are, Chuck. Where are we? Are you going to tell me anything?"
Chuck pulled her away from the edge and pressed a finger against her lips. "I'm almost done here." Then he turned back to his phone. "As touching as that is, little brother, I can't talk about it now. We'll deal with my potential relationship with the worst fiction writer in Brooklyn later. Right now...I have a date."
Hanging up, he led her away and started to head towards the ship. So far, so good. Everything was in place. "Now start guessing...where are we?"
They were moving upstairs. "Are we outside still?"
"For now. We won't be in for long."
"Interesting, so we're going inside. Um...we're not in Paris, are we? It might feel like it but we're not. That car trip was too short. But...are we at the airport heading to Rome?"
"No. We're heading to Rome but not now. Try again."
"The airport would be noisy so that's out of the question. Let's see...I smell the ocean. We're at the ocean," she said. "Ocean, roses, definitely not Paris or the airport...I have no idea..."
A passerby, who had been watching the whole exchange, finally got fed up with Blair's guessing and walking towards the ocean. "For crying out loud, chica, it's a boat! He's taking you on a boat!"
Chuck glared at the man as Blair ripped off the blindfold. Sure enough, he had been right. There was a boat waiting for the two of them and Chuck was leading her up to it. "Oh my God!"
"Thanks for the help that I need!" Chuck snapped.
"Hey, at least I mentioned nothing about all the champagne you bought."
"There's champagne?" Blair asked.
"And music and a four course meal made by the finest chefs and a staff waiting to give you a pedicure. Oh, I should also that he managed to get your favorite actor..."
Chuck handed him some money. When all else failed, money paid for everything. His father taught him that a long time ago. Then another thought hit him and he handed the guy the postcard. At least that leech would be useful for something. "Take the money, drop that off at the post office, and get out."
It seemed like a fair exchange. "Cool. Have a good time. By the way, tell your girlfriend that after twelve times, Roman Holiday doesn't get better. Even if it's on a bigger screen than usual."
"Chuck!" Blair exclaimed. She was gaping at the whole thing like a princess who had just been returned to her castle. Her dark eyes were shining with excitement. "You did all this for me?"
"Yeah, he did. He was hoping to make your trip better so he hired..."
"Get out."
The man chuckled and took a quick look at the postcard. Then he looked back to see the couple making their way to the ship. So what if the surprise was ruined. So what if the guy was a bastard? He was a caring bastard.
"First time...lucky bastard."
~ ~ ~
Eric,
Little brother, I appreciate you telling me the truth today. But if Humphrey touches my wardrobe again (save for the pants I've allowed him to take), there is a crowbar in the safe. Don't question why it's there. Just take it out and break his hands with it. If you're feeling violent, you can break any other part of his body too.
Besides that, I think Blair finally trusts me to do the right thing. And I will. So far, it's been hell but I promise to make the rest of this trip better. It's not easy being a boyfriend. But, and don't tell anyone this, I like it. I like having a girlfriend and being her boyfriend. I never thought I would say this but it's true. BUT if you mention anything to anyone about it...I'm going to tell Serena what REALLY happened to her underwear that night and who was responsible. Yes, I know. I'm Chuck Bass. I should know about female lingerie and its many uses.
Anyway, you know the rules: Humphrey touches my pink bowtie, he loses a finger. Remind him of that.
Your brother,
Chuck
P.S. No matter what happens, don't worry. We're still family. But if you spill that, remember...I'm Chuck Bass. I know what you did to Serena's underwear.
~ ~ ~
Note: Ugh, this chapter was giving me so much trouble. Forgive me if it's not up to usual standards. My beta saved this one for me. I struggled with it way too much. I promise that once we start moving further, it'll get better. I'll be taking a quick break from this (I want to finish my EL fanfic first). Then I'll return with more to annoy you all with. Or entertain, whichever this is doing. Thanks for sticking around, those of you who are!