The Small Moments That Led to Chuck and Blair (4/?)
Title: The Small Moments That Led to Chuck and Blair
Fandom: Gossip Girl
Pairing: Chuck/Blair
Words: +/- 2100
Rating: PG
Summary: A series of memories from Chuck and Blair's childhood that leads up to the biggest moment of their lives.
Note: GG still isn't mine and thank you Dawn for the beta.
I always forget to post this banner by issa_bell. *headdesk*
Chapter 4: Baby Names and Aliens
Chuck woke up to find Blair out of bed already. She had to have gotten mad that he wasn't up when she was. These days, Blair's biological clock was off. She would go to bed at seven on some nights and wake up at four AM on others. Pregnancy was driving him just as crazy. He couldn't wait until the baby was here and their lives would return to normal.
But there was no use in making Blair wait for him. He got dressed and decided to see what shenanigans she was up to now. Downstairs, he could hear a conversation that she was having with someone. As he listened in, he could make out the other person: Serena. No surprises there.
It was a routine now. Serena would stop by early and the two would go on about their new favorite thing: baby names. It seemed that his sister was more excited about the new arrival than he was. Ever since Blair announced the pregnancy, Serena began planning the whole thing. She had already gotten them everything for the nursery. Now she had moved on to buying baby clothes and other necessities and she was loving every minute of the baby shopping.
As he headed down the stairs, he could hear an argument brewing although Blair was the only one who seemed angry. Serena remained calm and reassuring. "It can't be that bad."
"Kortney Bass? Kortney with a K? No, S. That sounds like some Paris Hilton look-a-like's name! Come on, give me something else!"
"Okay, how about Piper?"
"Ugh, reminds me of Charmed...especially how bad it got without Shannen Doherty and her wandering pupil. Come on, give me something else."
"Well, if you have a boy, how about you name him after Chuck?"
"No way! One is enough. I don't know if I can live with my son using "I'm Chuck Bass Jr" as an excuse for everything!" He heard Blair bang her fist on the table. "Come on, S. Be more creative! This baby is due any day and we still don't know what to name it."
"How about...Audrey?"
"Audrey." Blair thought it over. Naming the child after Audrey Hepburn couldn't hurt if it was a girl. "That's a possibility. Mark that one down."
"I like that one too," Chuck said, finally getting into the kitchen. Both women greeted him with a smile. "When we have a girl, keep that one in mind."
"It's settled then. Audrey is a top choice," Blair said.
"Good morning, Beautiful." He gave her a kiss, then looked at Serena. Like Blair, she was older and prettier, dressing more classy. Inside, however, she remained the same person she had always been. "And I should say that you look ravishing as well, Sis."
"Well, it's good to know fatherhood isn't going to change everything about my brother," Serena said. "How are you?"
"Still waiting," he admitted, looking at Blair's stomach. She now had that 'pregnant glow' that all expecting women got. It made her look more amazing, not worse. "My heir is in there."
"Your heir? What country has you as its king?" Blair snorted. "And how come I'm not the queen of it?"
"Well, you're the queen of my heart. Isn't that enough?"
"...It's something," she decided.
"You guys are so cute. All these years and you're still cute. Oh, by the way, I saw this and had it made specially for the baby and this is my early baby shower gift to you!" Serena pulled something out of a bag. "Ta da! Jenny put the little designs and the special message on it."
It was a horrible mustard yellow colored baby outfit with stamps stitched all over it. There were stamps all over the chest and stomach and a few on the derriere. In bright green letters, 'SHIP ME TO AUNT SERENA'S HOUSE' was stitched across the front. He wasn't sure what this was but it was ugly.
Serena, on the other hand, was beaming with delight. "I thought this was the cutest idea ever! And this isn't the only one the baby is getting. I had several of this outfits made but with different people's names: Nate, Jenny, Mom, Rufus, Eric. By the way, there are three sets for the grandparents: one for Mom and Rufus, one from Blair's mom and Cyrus, and one for Blair's Dad and Roman! I also have matching booties, mittens for when it gets cold, a hat, and a cloth diaper!"
Chuck took one more look at the horrible mustard-colored monstrosity before shaking his head. His child would not be seen in this. "No."
"Come on! It's cute!"
"No son of mine is wearing..." He pointed to it. "Whatever that is you bought. And Jenny Humphrey can do much better than stamps."
"Chuck, look at it! It's precious!" She showed off the back where two stamps were stitched on the rear end. "You have to let the baby wear this if I'm going to baby sit. And you know that I'm going to baby sit because you two will...well, you'll need privacy." Serena was still waving the ugly thing around. "And I know you're both aching for it. You can't hide this from me anymore."
"Actually, S, I haven't thought about it in forever...because Chuck will never touch me again after this." Blair glared at him. "One night. One night was fine, you said. One night won't hurt us if we don't use a condom. I listened to you and this happens."
He could not believe he was hearing this. First the ugly outfit, now Blair refused to touch him. "I need a drink."
"No!" This time it was Dorota barking at him. She had come in with breakfast and to give him another lecture. "No drink for baby, Mr. Chuck!"
"...I'm getting the drink, not giving it to Blair."
"Baby can see everything," Dorota said knowingly. "Baby know when you do good and bad. Baby not happy when Mr. Chuck go drunk."
It made no sense to him but he gave up. Dorota was still more loyal to Blair than him and she could kill him in his sleep. Much as he hated to admit it, the maid scared him sometimes, but he could not blame Dorota for anything. After all, he owed a lot to her. Especially back in the day. She saved him when no one else wanted to.
~ ~ ~
Age Six, Concluded
Blair Waldorf made him angry.
Okay, she was a pretty girl and she told good stories about her dreams, but she was a horrible friend. No wonder his father told him never to get close with girls now. They had a way of leaving you forever. Just like his mother. Not that he knew who she was, she had been gone ever since he was a baby. Blair was no different and he was dumb to think that she was.
He wanted to teach the others a lesson so he ran from them. He wanted them to feel bad. He wanted them to cry for him and be sorry he was gone. But wandering around did not help his feet so he finally sat down under a tree and waited for someone to find him. After all, he was Chuck Bass. If anyone cared about him, they would come for him. And if they didn't, his father would sue them.
Or not. There was some doubt in his mind. Bart Bass could be cold to him. Some jerk told him it was because Chuck's mother died while giving birth to him. He didn't know how this guy knew but that thought dragged him down. What if it was true? Would his father hate him for something like that? Was he a mommy killer? And if his father did hate him, then who loved him?
Not Blair. No, that girl was horrible. Nate could have her if he wanted. Although he would feel bad for his best friend, at least she'd be someone else's problem. He couldn't believe he was stupid enough to believe her. She was snotty and mean and annoying like all the other girls. It was a shame because he thought she would be different. He thought she was someone who would see him as more than Chuck Bass. Someone who would like him as a friend.
Relaxing under the tree, he heard something crinkling. What was it? He looked behind him to see nothing. Then another crinkle sound. What could that be? Nate had been talking about alien abductions the last three days. He mentioned how the aliens would have octopus tentacles and sucked brains out of their victims. Then they would replace the brains with brains of other animals and turn people into zombies. So far, five people had been turned into zombies and were doing weird things.
When Chuck first heard this, he wondered if aliens had sucked Nate's brain out. Now he was wondering about the abduction stories. Everyone that had been abducted had been alone. They had heard a sound right before they were taken to the mother ship. Was that this? Did aliens make crinkle sounds? Was his brain going to be sucked out and replaced with something else? Would he end up being a Chuck Bass zombie?! Now he was getting scared and wishing he didn't run away. He didn't want his brain gone. They needed to take someone else to the mother ship. Maybe somebody from Brooklyn would be a better fit.
Something grabbed him from behind, causing him to yell, "I'm Chuck Bass!"
"...I know that," Blair replied. "And I was hoping it was you."
He turned to see an entire search party behind her. Dorota, Blair's maid, was holding onto Serena and Nate. There were several other adults including the police, carnival officials, and...to his shock...his father. Everyone started talking at once with Bart Bass trying to break through the crowd, but Blair was the one who made it to him first, the one who was still looking at him. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't make out. It seemed like she was ashamed.
"I thought you were an alien," he said. "Like the ones that Nate talked about."
"Nate was probably abducted by aliens," Blair murmured, looking down at her feet. "Look, Chuck, I just wanna say...well, I'm trying..." She had a hard time with this. Why was Dorota making her apologize? She never made anybody apologize. "Chuck, I never did this before, but Dorota said I should do it. It's the right thing to do."
"Did what? Look at your feet?"
"No, I never said I'm sorry. Because I am," she said, finally looking up. "I said bad things to you. I lied to you. I made you run away. And now I'm in trouble because I did. Even Dorota said I was a bad girl. Dorota never said I was a bad girl and now…" Her eyes welled up. "I feel like a bad girl. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he said. It wasn't the most elaborate apology but at least she meant these words. He had no reason to question anything. He could see it all in her eyes. She felt bad and she wanted him to know it.
"Are you mad at me?"
"I'm glad you're not an alien who wants to suck my brain out."
She smiled. "Thanks, Chuck. I feel better."
"Me too. So...we're really friends?"
"Yeah. We're really friends."
The conversation had to end there because Bart finally made it and picked Chuck up, asking his son a million questions. Harold came over to pull Blair away with a "We need to have a talk about respecting others, young lady" and Nate wanted to know if aliens landed in New York. Again. All the questions and talking kept him from Blair that night but at least he had some relief.
As Bart carried him away, Chuck looked over at Blair who was also being led away with a lecture. She turned to see him and he waved at her. She waved back, hoping that this would be the end of everything. She had apologized and no longer had to agonize over Chuck's disappearance.
Yet there was nothing she could do. Chuck was her friend and she was his. This time, she was not ashamed about it. Apologies did a lot of things and strengthening a bond between two people was no exception.
TBC...
Note: Wow, I take a long time with these things, don't I? Sorry, guys. I promise to move a little faster when I have a less hectic time at home. I doubt this one will get as long as "Postcards" is looking right now. And yes, everyone will more or less be in this. Some more than others but I'm trying to fit the whole family/friends/etc in. Thanks for all your support here! It's much appreciated.
Fandom: Gossip Girl
Pairing: Chuck/Blair
Words: +/- 2100
Rating: PG
Summary: A series of memories from Chuck and Blair's childhood that leads up to the biggest moment of their lives.
Note: GG still isn't mine and thank you Dawn for the beta.
I always forget to post this banner by issa_bell. *headdesk*
Chapter 4: Baby Names and Aliens
Chuck woke up to find Blair out of bed already. She had to have gotten mad that he wasn't up when she was. These days, Blair's biological clock was off. She would go to bed at seven on some nights and wake up at four AM on others. Pregnancy was driving him just as crazy. He couldn't wait until the baby was here and their lives would return to normal.
But there was no use in making Blair wait for him. He got dressed and decided to see what shenanigans she was up to now. Downstairs, he could hear a conversation that she was having with someone. As he listened in, he could make out the other person: Serena. No surprises there.
It was a routine now. Serena would stop by early and the two would go on about their new favorite thing: baby names. It seemed that his sister was more excited about the new arrival than he was. Ever since Blair announced the pregnancy, Serena began planning the whole thing. She had already gotten them everything for the nursery. Now she had moved on to buying baby clothes and other necessities and she was loving every minute of the baby shopping.
As he headed down the stairs, he could hear an argument brewing although Blair was the only one who seemed angry. Serena remained calm and reassuring. "It can't be that bad."
"Kortney Bass? Kortney with a K? No, S. That sounds like some Paris Hilton look-a-like's name! Come on, give me something else!"
"Okay, how about Piper?"
"Ugh, reminds me of Charmed...especially how bad it got without Shannen Doherty and her wandering pupil. Come on, give me something else."
"Well, if you have a boy, how about you name him after Chuck?"
"No way! One is enough. I don't know if I can live with my son using "I'm Chuck Bass Jr" as an excuse for everything!" He heard Blair bang her fist on the table. "Come on, S. Be more creative! This baby is due any day and we still don't know what to name it."
"How about...Audrey?"
"Audrey." Blair thought it over. Naming the child after Audrey Hepburn couldn't hurt if it was a girl. "That's a possibility. Mark that one down."
"I like that one too," Chuck said, finally getting into the kitchen. Both women greeted him with a smile. "When we have a girl, keep that one in mind."
"It's settled then. Audrey is a top choice," Blair said.
"Good morning, Beautiful." He gave her a kiss, then looked at Serena. Like Blair, she was older and prettier, dressing more classy. Inside, however, she remained the same person she had always been. "And I should say that you look ravishing as well, Sis."
"Well, it's good to know fatherhood isn't going to change everything about my brother," Serena said. "How are you?"
"Still waiting," he admitted, looking at Blair's stomach. She now had that 'pregnant glow' that all expecting women got. It made her look more amazing, not worse. "My heir is in there."
"Your heir? What country has you as its king?" Blair snorted. "And how come I'm not the queen of it?"
"Well, you're the queen of my heart. Isn't that enough?"
"...It's something," she decided.
"You guys are so cute. All these years and you're still cute. Oh, by the way, I saw this and had it made specially for the baby and this is my early baby shower gift to you!" Serena pulled something out of a bag. "Ta da! Jenny put the little designs and the special message on it."
It was a horrible mustard yellow colored baby outfit with stamps stitched all over it. There were stamps all over the chest and stomach and a few on the derriere. In bright green letters, 'SHIP ME TO AUNT SERENA'S HOUSE' was stitched across the front. He wasn't sure what this was but it was ugly.
Serena, on the other hand, was beaming with delight. "I thought this was the cutest idea ever! And this isn't the only one the baby is getting. I had several of this outfits made but with different people's names: Nate, Jenny, Mom, Rufus, Eric. By the way, there are three sets for the grandparents: one for Mom and Rufus, one from Blair's mom and Cyrus, and one for Blair's Dad and Roman! I also have matching booties, mittens for when it gets cold, a hat, and a cloth diaper!"
Chuck took one more look at the horrible mustard-colored monstrosity before shaking his head. His child would not be seen in this. "No."
"Come on! It's cute!"
"No son of mine is wearing..." He pointed to it. "Whatever that is you bought. And Jenny Humphrey can do much better than stamps."
"Chuck, look at it! It's precious!" She showed off the back where two stamps were stitched on the rear end. "You have to let the baby wear this if I'm going to baby sit. And you know that I'm going to baby sit because you two will...well, you'll need privacy." Serena was still waving the ugly thing around. "And I know you're both aching for it. You can't hide this from me anymore."
"Actually, S, I haven't thought about it in forever...because Chuck will never touch me again after this." Blair glared at him. "One night. One night was fine, you said. One night won't hurt us if we don't use a condom. I listened to you and this happens."
He could not believe he was hearing this. First the ugly outfit, now Blair refused to touch him. "I need a drink."
"No!" This time it was Dorota barking at him. She had come in with breakfast and to give him another lecture. "No drink for baby, Mr. Chuck!"
"...I'm getting the drink, not giving it to Blair."
"Baby can see everything," Dorota said knowingly. "Baby know when you do good and bad. Baby not happy when Mr. Chuck go drunk."
It made no sense to him but he gave up. Dorota was still more loyal to Blair than him and she could kill him in his sleep. Much as he hated to admit it, the maid scared him sometimes, but he could not blame Dorota for anything. After all, he owed a lot to her. Especially back in the day. She saved him when no one else wanted to.
~ ~ ~
Age Six, Concluded
Blair Waldorf made him angry.
Okay, she was a pretty girl and she told good stories about her dreams, but she was a horrible friend. No wonder his father told him never to get close with girls now. They had a way of leaving you forever. Just like his mother. Not that he knew who she was, she had been gone ever since he was a baby. Blair was no different and he was dumb to think that she was.
He wanted to teach the others a lesson so he ran from them. He wanted them to feel bad. He wanted them to cry for him and be sorry he was gone. But wandering around did not help his feet so he finally sat down under a tree and waited for someone to find him. After all, he was Chuck Bass. If anyone cared about him, they would come for him. And if they didn't, his father would sue them.
Or not. There was some doubt in his mind. Bart Bass could be cold to him. Some jerk told him it was because Chuck's mother died while giving birth to him. He didn't know how this guy knew but that thought dragged him down. What if it was true? Would his father hate him for something like that? Was he a mommy killer? And if his father did hate him, then who loved him?
Not Blair. No, that girl was horrible. Nate could have her if he wanted. Although he would feel bad for his best friend, at least she'd be someone else's problem. He couldn't believe he was stupid enough to believe her. She was snotty and mean and annoying like all the other girls. It was a shame because he thought she would be different. He thought she was someone who would see him as more than Chuck Bass. Someone who would like him as a friend.
Relaxing under the tree, he heard something crinkling. What was it? He looked behind him to see nothing. Then another crinkle sound. What could that be? Nate had been talking about alien abductions the last three days. He mentioned how the aliens would have octopus tentacles and sucked brains out of their victims. Then they would replace the brains with brains of other animals and turn people into zombies. So far, five people had been turned into zombies and were doing weird things.
When Chuck first heard this, he wondered if aliens had sucked Nate's brain out. Now he was wondering about the abduction stories. Everyone that had been abducted had been alone. They had heard a sound right before they were taken to the mother ship. Was that this? Did aliens make crinkle sounds? Was his brain going to be sucked out and replaced with something else? Would he end up being a Chuck Bass zombie?! Now he was getting scared and wishing he didn't run away. He didn't want his brain gone. They needed to take someone else to the mother ship. Maybe somebody from Brooklyn would be a better fit.
Something grabbed him from behind, causing him to yell, "I'm Chuck Bass!"
"...I know that," Blair replied. "And I was hoping it was you."
He turned to see an entire search party behind her. Dorota, Blair's maid, was holding onto Serena and Nate. There were several other adults including the police, carnival officials, and...to his shock...his father. Everyone started talking at once with Bart Bass trying to break through the crowd, but Blair was the one who made it to him first, the one who was still looking at him. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't make out. It seemed like she was ashamed.
"I thought you were an alien," he said. "Like the ones that Nate talked about."
"Nate was probably abducted by aliens," Blair murmured, looking down at her feet. "Look, Chuck, I just wanna say...well, I'm trying..." She had a hard time with this. Why was Dorota making her apologize? She never made anybody apologize. "Chuck, I never did this before, but Dorota said I should do it. It's the right thing to do."
"Did what? Look at your feet?"
"No, I never said I'm sorry. Because I am," she said, finally looking up. "I said bad things to you. I lied to you. I made you run away. And now I'm in trouble because I did. Even Dorota said I was a bad girl. Dorota never said I was a bad girl and now…" Her eyes welled up. "I feel like a bad girl. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he said. It wasn't the most elaborate apology but at least she meant these words. He had no reason to question anything. He could see it all in her eyes. She felt bad and she wanted him to know it.
"Are you mad at me?"
"I'm glad you're not an alien who wants to suck my brain out."
She smiled. "Thanks, Chuck. I feel better."
"Me too. So...we're really friends?"
"Yeah. We're really friends."
The conversation had to end there because Bart finally made it and picked Chuck up, asking his son a million questions. Harold came over to pull Blair away with a "We need to have a talk about respecting others, young lady" and Nate wanted to know if aliens landed in New York. Again. All the questions and talking kept him from Blair that night but at least he had some relief.
As Bart carried him away, Chuck looked over at Blair who was also being led away with a lecture. She turned to see him and he waved at her. She waved back, hoping that this would be the end of everything. She had apologized and no longer had to agonize over Chuck's disappearance.
Yet there was nothing she could do. Chuck was her friend and she was his. This time, she was not ashamed about it. Apologies did a lot of things and strengthening a bond between two people was no exception.
TBC...
Note: Wow, I take a long time with these things, don't I? Sorry, guys. I promise to move a little faster when I have a less hectic time at home. I doubt this one will get as long as "Postcards" is looking right now. And yes, everyone will more or less be in this. Some more than others but I'm trying to fit the whole family/friends/etc in. Thanks for all your support here! It's much appreciated.