GOSSIP GIRL: Chasing Butterflies [3/12]
Title: Chasing Butterflies
Chapter: 3/12
Author: ladyknight_fic
Fandom: Gossip Girl
Characters: Mia Waldorf-Bass, Chuck Bass, Blair Waldorf
Pairing: OC/OC, Chuck/Blair
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: T
Summary: After 19 years of marriage, Chuck and Blair are bitter and angry. So for their 20th anniversary, their daughter Mia sets out to get them the perfect gift: each other.
Spoilers: through Seasons 1 to 2x13
Warning(s): none
Word Count (per chapter): 3519
Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with the Gossip Girl books or TV series. I only own Mia Waldorf-Bass, Jack Humphrey, Ella Humphrey and Katie Archibald. The rest of the characters are the property of the CW Network and I am not profiting from their use in any way.
- - -
Chapter Three: Persuasion
Jack caught up with Mia as she crossed the courtyard shared by Constance and St Jude’s. She was weaving around a table when he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her off to the side.
Grumbling about his manhandling ways, Mia smoothed down her skirt and glared up at him. “Did you need something?”
“No, but I have info for you, about your parents.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “You work fast. Didn’t we only come up with this plan yesterday?”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, well, you didn’t leave us much time to work with. The Victrola party is tomorrow night. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Now, tell me what you have.”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
She let out a frustrated growl and kicked his shin. “Of course.”
The smile he gave her was wicked, and Mia almost regretted agreeing, but pushed the feeling firmly away. Whatever it was, it could be important. It might be the key to getting her parents back together.
Jack leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. “The night of the first Victrola victory party was the night that started it all for your parents.”
Mia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It was the same night your mother broke up with Nate. She went to the party alone and, after putting on quite the show apparently, left with your dad.”
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as well. “I’m still not getting it, Jack. I know you’re doing this to torture me, but I don’t have time for all that. Just tell me what’s so significant about Victrola.”
Jack’s smile widened and he leaned in close to her. Her eyes focused on his lips for a moment, and smelt the cigarette smoke that lingered on his clothes and breath, before she forced her gaze up to meet his. His smile turned into a smirk.
“Victrola is significant because it was the night your parents first had sex. In the back of Chuck’s limo, if you’re really curious.”
The mental image came up before Mia could prepare herself. Her nose crinkled and she groaned when she thought of all the times she’d ridden in the back of that same limo since her birth. Maybe now was a good time to find enjoyment in walking.
She took a deep breath and then punched him in the arm.
“Ow!” Jack grabbed the abused limb and recoiled. “What was that for? You wanted information. That wasn’t easy to get you know.”
“Okay, first of all, I don’t want to know how you got that information. Second, that’s not helpful, Jack. I need something to rekindle happy memories, not remind my poor mother that she’s not getting any.”
Jack’s eyebrow arched. “How do you know?”
She sighed impatiently. “Sex is meaningful, to some of us anyway, and she loves Daddy. She’s not just going to go out and sleep with someone else.”
He snorted. “Meaningful? Didn’t we just learn that your parents did it in the back of a moving vehicle while drunk? How is that meaningful?”
She glared. “It was fate.”
Jack nodded. “Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that.”
Mia clenched her fist again, this time aiming for his nose, but it was grabbed by someone behind her before she had a chance to throw the punch. She swung around to see Katie holding her fist between her hands.
Katie loosened Mia’s clenched hand and said, “I don’t know what he did, and I’m pretty sure he deserved this, but if you break his nose you’ll regret it later.”
“Doubtful.” But Mia lowered her hands to her sides anyway.
Katie shook her head, a small smile tugging at her mouth. “Listen, I don’t know if it’s any use, but I spoke to my dad last night, and he told me what Blair was wearing the night of the party.”
Mia beamed. “That’s great! Take them right back to the beginning, when everything changed and they were happy and young.”
Jack scoffed. “What? How is that any good? It was more than twenty years ago.”
“My parents are very fashion orientated people. Daddy will remember the outfit.”
“Or what was under it.”
Katie frowned in confusion, but didn’t try to prevent Mia stomping on Jack’s foot. After she’d done that, Mia turned back to Katie and grabbed her by the arm. “Come on, you have to tell me everything, and then I have to hurry home so I can look through Mother’s closet.”
“What if she doesn’t have anything to match?”
“Then we call Ella, and hit Bergdorf.”
- - -
Mia was both pleased and disappointed to find the perfect outfit stashed away in her mother’s closet. Pleased, because she wouldn’t have the stress of finding the right clothes to recreate the night Blair Waldorf snared Chuck Bass; disappointed, because she’d been meaning to visit Bergdorf’s lately anyway to find herself a new pair of shoes…or three.
In any case, when Blair entered her bedroom wrapped in a robe and fresh from her bath, Mia was ready and waiting. She had staged herself in front of Blair’s full-length mirror and was holding the ‘random’ dress up in front of her body.
She silently thanked whichever deity happened to be listening that her years as Queen Bee had taught her to keep a straight face, and then asked that they kept her mother (who was the ultimate Queen Bee) from seeing through it.
“Mother! Isn’t this dress perfect? I found it in your closet, but I’ve never seen you wear it. Don’t you like it?”
Blair came up behind her and stared at the dress in the mirror. Mia was watching closely, but Blair’s face showed no emotion.
“Of course I like it,” Blair said. “It’s an Eleanor Waldorf original. One of the last pieces my mother designed herself. I had another dress similar to it when I was about your age. If you like it, you can have it. It would look well on you.”
Blair turned away and moved towards her closet. Mia’s reflection shot her confusion back at her. She didn’t want to wear the dress?
As Blair disappeared into her closet, Mia shook her head at her stupidity. Had she really thought it would be that easy?
She turned away from the mirror and hurried to the door of the walk-in. Blair had unzipped two garment bags and was considering both options with her usual intense concentration.
“But, Mom, I thought you could wear it.”
Blair’s head shot up. “What?”
“The dress,” Mia said, and thrust it toward her mother. “You should wear it tonight. I already have mine on.”
Mia moved Blair’s dress out of the way to reveal the Carmen Marc brocade dress she was wearing.
But Blair was shaking her head. “No, no. You have it. I’ll wear something more age appropriate.”
Mia rolled her eyes and was glad that her mother wasn’t watching her to see it. The dress, with its long sleeves, high collar and lace ruffles, would not have been age appropriate for the sixteen year old girl her mother had been. To Mia, it looked like something out of a Jane Austen novel, but what did she know?
She took a breath and decided to try again, this time from a different angle. She had to remind herself to be careful. Her mother wasn’t stupid. If she pushed too hard, Blair would know something was up and the game would come to its premature end. Better to lose the battle than to lose the war.
“Mom,” Mia said playfully, “you look amazing. No one else your age can match you.”
“What about Serena?”
Mia scoffed. “Serena’s got nothing on you. Besides, you said you had a dress like this when you were my age, right? Well, this is a Victrola party, and Victrola is about escape, remember? Daddy’s always said so. Where better to escape to than your youth?”
Blair looked up at her again, but this time Mia could practically see the gears in her mothers mind turning over. She tried not to get her hopes up; with Blair Waldorf-Bass, you just never knew, and Mia didn’t want to think herself skilled enough to play her mother.
So when Blair zipped the two garment bags back up with determination and came over to take the dress from Mia’s hands, Mia had to force herself not to jump up and down excitedly.
Blair laid the dress down across her bed and sat down to do her make-up. Mia had been sure to leave the bright red lipstick in sight and gave a small sigh of relief when Blair picked up the stick and applied it. She piled her hair on top of her head and almost absentmindedly attached the silk headband (with jewels sown in) that Mia handed her. She put on the dress and looped a string of rope pearls around her neck twice, and then turned to pick out a pair of shoes. But Mia was already standing by, ready with a carefully chosen pair of Christian Louboutin platform pumps.
Mia kept back as Blair stood and went to appraise herself in the mirror. She turned to see herself from different angles and frowned.
Mia chewed the inside of her bottom lip. Was she seeing too much of her younger self in the mirror? In true Blair fashion, she’d left more than enough time to change multiple times. If Blair decided against the dress, the night would be ruined.
Mia took a steadying breath and reminded herself that this was just the first step. There would be other, more direct, set-up’s later on.
Blair smoothed the dress against her legs and straightened her headband. She tried to hold back the smile, but failed. “I look…”
“Perfect,” Mia said, and matched her mothers grin.
- - -
With Jack’s words still ringing in her ears, Mia had been reluctant to slide into the limo with her parents. But her father had asked her if she was all right, and she had forced a smile on to her face and gotten in.
There was no way she was going to miss anything between her parents that night, unless they wanted to recreate the original night perfectly, in which case, she’d get a ride home with Ella and Jack…and begin taking the bus to school.
When Mia had come skipping down the stairs and into her fathers arms, she’d felt her head lighten at the sight of pride and love in his eyes. Chuck Bass had never been vocal in his love, preferring to show it through his actions. When Mia had been little, Blair had made sure to tell her over and over again that love could not always be measured by the number of times you hear the words ‘I love you’. In the end, those were just words. Love was an action, a sacrifice, not a sound.
Mia thought she understood, having never doubted how much her father loved her, despite his not using the word very often. Still, something told her it meant more between her parents than it did for her.
Blair had kept them waiting, as usual, not because she was busy (she was, in fact, sitting on her bed admiring her shoes) but because she knew how much it irritated her husband. It was petty, but effective. Chuck’s arms were folded tightly against his chest and he drummed his fingers against his elbow. He’d mentioned to her that maybe they should go on ahead and leave Blair to catch up, but Mia had hastily swept aside that option, saying Blair would be down any minute.
Ten minutes later, Mia had been ready to go up and drag her mother down herself. After all the hard work she’d put in trying to get her mother into the damn dress, she wasn’t going to let Blair ruin it. Before she could stand though, Mia and Chuck heard a door open and close, followed by the tapping of heels.
Mia watched her father’s face as Blair came into view, knowing that timing was everything. In the first moment after Blair appeared, Chuck’s eyes widened dramatically and his mouth actually dropped open a little. He tugged at his tie, cleared his throat and looked away, schooling his expression into one of disinterest.
Mia’s insides were dancing with excitement. She’d been right after all; he remembered! In fact, Mia would have bet a substantial amount of money that that particular outfit was etched into Chuck Bass’ brain.
They’d stepped into the lift in single file, Blair, Chuck and then Mia, and ridden down in silence. Mia couldn’t count on both hands the number of times she caught her father glancing at her mother from the corner of his eye.
They arrived at Victrola late (“Fashionably,” said Blair. “No,” said Chuck, “just late.”), and when they entered, Blair took a glass of champagne and went to find Serena; Chuck disappeared into the crowd to talk to Nate.
Mia stood by the entrance and huffed. Where they determined to avoid each other, or was she just lucky?
She took just one step towards where her father had disappeared before Jack was there, pushing a champagne flute into her hand.
“So, was your mother willing to play dress up?”
Mia smiled and sipped her drink. “Actually yes, after a little persuasion, she was very obliging.”
Jack nodded and turned to watch the dancers on the stage. “Good, Katie will be pleased to hear her information was so useful.”
Something in his tone made her look up at him. His face was mostly shadowed due to the dim lighting, but she thought she could make out his down turned mouth before he finished his champagne in one gulp.
It would be ridiculous to believe he felt unappreciated…right? Sure, he’d done what she asked and tried to help, but short of locking her parents in the limo for three days, his information would have proved useless. Even if she had locked her parents in the limo, something told her that they’d have either A) found a way out themselves or B) killed each other before she released them.
Still, she felt a twinge of guilt for the way she’d dismissed him. She stepped in front of him and said, “Jack, about yesterday. I didn’t…thank you, did I, for the trouble you went to? I mean, I doubt your parents would have told you about my parents and the limo, so maybe you did go to a lot of trouble. I do appreciate what you did. There was just nothing I could do, you know?”
Jack stared at her, the look on his face a mix of confusion and incredulity, but said nothing.
Mia glanced away, brought her glass to her mouth and took a large, nervous swallow.
“Mia…”
She glanced back up at him. His face softened into a slight smile and Mia felt something tug in her stomach as she returned it.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks, but I understand that you couldn’t use what I came up with. I think I just told you to see the look on your face.”
Mia’s smile disappeared in an instant and she kicked him. “You ass! I can’t believe I semi-apologised to you!”
“Yeah, me either.” He laughed at the red that had gathered in her cheeks and grabbed her arm to spin her around toward one of the walls of the club. “Your dad’s over there. You should go speak to him. There would be no point to dressing your mom if you didn’t make your dad appreciate it.”
Mia didn’t bother replying, but she threw an angry glare at Jack over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd towards her father. She reached him just in time to see Nate move away and leave her father alone. Perfect.
“Hi, Daddy!” She bounded up to him and pushed her arm through his, hugging it to her.
“Hi, baby.” He frowned at the half empty champagne flute in her hand. “Don’t go drinking too much, okay. I don’t want some boy taking advantage of you.”
She smiled and wondered if he was thinking of himself, more than twenty years ago, ‘taking advantage’ of a certain brunette in the back of his limo.
“It’s fine. I don’t drink nearly as much as you did when you were my age.”
Chuck groaned and tried to ignore her sly smile. “Did your mother tell you about that?”
Mia laughed. “No, Dan did.”
“Ah, Humphrey. I should have guessed.”
“Mmm,” she said, looking discreetly around the room. Luckily for her, a group of people moved out of the way and left a clear view of Blair and Serena. Mia’s smile widened.
“You know, Dad, speaking of my mother…doesn’t she look great tonight?”
Chuck glanced up at his wife just in time to see her throw her head back in a laugh. Mia didn’t think it could be more perfect. The moment was straight out of a movie. Any minute now, Blair would look up and her eyes would meet Chuck’s across the crowded room. They’d share a secret smile and toast each other with their glasses. Mia let out a wistful sigh.
Instead, Chuck made a noncommittal noise and took a gulp of his scotch.
Mia frowned. “I picked out her outfit, did you know? She wanted me to have it, but I thought it would look better on her.”
Chuck glanced at Mia. “It would have looked beautiful on you. Besides, if it suits your mother, it’ll suit you too. You look just like her.”
Mia’s frown deepened. Did that mean he thought Blair was beautiful? Maybe she shouldn’t have drunk the champagne after all.
Before Mia could speak again, Chuck gently disengaged his arm from her death grip and vaguely waved his hand over his shoulder. “I’ve just seen someone I have to speak to. Will you be all right?”
Her small smile was sad. “Yes, I’ll be okay. I think I see Katie and Ella anyway.”
“All right then.” He kissed her forehead. “Don’t get into any trouble.”
After he’d walked away, Mia didn’t immediately turn to find her friends. Instead, she watched him. She had to follow behind a little, but eventually Mia saw the person he’d had to speak to.
The woman was tall and leggy, with straightened red hair. Chuck handed her a glass of wine and picked up her hand to kiss the back of it. The woman smiled and looked up at him through her eyelashes as he flipped her hand over and kissed the inside of her wrist.
Mia swallowed and turned away. She licked her lips, feeling suddenly dizzy. She wanted to cry, just a little. More than that, she wanted to cry so that someone would notice how much she was hurting. She wanted someone to ask her if she was okay, if she wanted to lie down. She wanted to turn the clock back to before everything went wrong, so that she could be a child again, and climb into bed with her parents when she had a nightmare and was scared. She wanted them to laugh away her tears when thunder boomed and lightning struck.
She forced her way through the people around her. She thought she heard Ella call her name, but Mia didn’t see her face. Everyone around her looked the same. But then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Serena’s long blonde hair and turned towards it, knowing that her mother would be there.
She was right.
Blair looked up when Mia appeared beside her and put down her glass of champagne. “Mia? Is everything all right? You look very pale. Do you feel sick?”
Mia stared into her mother’s eyes, and couldn’t help but wonder what her father saw when he looked into them. She swallowed. “Yes, yes, I feel sick. I want to go home.”
Blair shared a concerned look with Serena. “All right. We’ll go tell your father.”
It didn’t even occur to her to suggest having Serena pass along the message. As it was, Blair moved off into the crowd, and Mia followed. They found Chuck where Mia had left him. By this time, his mouth was making its way up the redhead’s neck. Mia felt bile rise in her throat and swallowed again, more forcefully than ever.
Blair stood stock still in front of her, but Mia managed to catch a glimpse of hurt and anger on her mother’s face.
“Chuck,” she said.
Just one word, not particularly loudly, but he heard her anyway. When he looked up, there was a split second of regret in his eyes but he didn’t respond.
Blair tore the jeweled headband out of her hair, sending hair pins flying to the floor and her brown curls tumbling around her shoulders. She threw the material at Chuck’s head, missing by a mile, and stormed angrily from the club.
Mia didn’t look back as she followed close behind.
- - -
< CH. 2 | CH. 4 >
----------------
Now playing: Glee Cast - Bohemian Rhapsody
via FoxyTunes
Chapter: 3/12
Author: ladyknight_fic
Fandom: Gossip Girl
Characters: Mia Waldorf-Bass, Chuck Bass, Blair Waldorf
Pairing: OC/OC, Chuck/Blair
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: T
Summary: After 19 years of marriage, Chuck and Blair are bitter and angry. So for their 20th anniversary, their daughter Mia sets out to get them the perfect gift: each other.
Spoilers: through Seasons 1 to 2x13
Warning(s): none
Word Count (per chapter): 3519
Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with the Gossip Girl books or TV series. I only own Mia Waldorf-Bass, Jack Humphrey, Ella Humphrey and Katie Archibald. The rest of the characters are the property of the CW Network and I am not profiting from their use in any way.
- - -
Chapter Three: Persuasion
Jack caught up with Mia as she crossed the courtyard shared by Constance and St Jude’s. She was weaving around a table when he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her off to the side.
Grumbling about his manhandling ways, Mia smoothed down her skirt and glared up at him. “Did you need something?”
“No, but I have info for you, about your parents.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “You work fast. Didn’t we only come up with this plan yesterday?”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, well, you didn’t leave us much time to work with. The Victrola party is tomorrow night. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Now, tell me what you have.”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
She let out a frustrated growl and kicked his shin. “Of course.”
The smile he gave her was wicked, and Mia almost regretted agreeing, but pushed the feeling firmly away. Whatever it was, it could be important. It might be the key to getting her parents back together.
Jack leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. “The night of the first Victrola victory party was the night that started it all for your parents.”
Mia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It was the same night your mother broke up with Nate. She went to the party alone and, after putting on quite the show apparently, left with your dad.”
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as well. “I’m still not getting it, Jack. I know you’re doing this to torture me, but I don’t have time for all that. Just tell me what’s so significant about Victrola.”
Jack’s smile widened and he leaned in close to her. Her eyes focused on his lips for a moment, and smelt the cigarette smoke that lingered on his clothes and breath, before she forced her gaze up to meet his. His smile turned into a smirk.
“Victrola is significant because it was the night your parents first had sex. In the back of Chuck’s limo, if you’re really curious.”
The mental image came up before Mia could prepare herself. Her nose crinkled and she groaned when she thought of all the times she’d ridden in the back of that same limo since her birth. Maybe now was a good time to find enjoyment in walking.
She took a deep breath and then punched him in the arm.
“Ow!” Jack grabbed the abused limb and recoiled. “What was that for? You wanted information. That wasn’t easy to get you know.”
“Okay, first of all, I don’t want to know how you got that information. Second, that’s not helpful, Jack. I need something to rekindle happy memories, not remind my poor mother that she’s not getting any.”
Jack’s eyebrow arched. “How do you know?”
She sighed impatiently. “Sex is meaningful, to some of us anyway, and she loves Daddy. She’s not just going to go out and sleep with someone else.”
He snorted. “Meaningful? Didn’t we just learn that your parents did it in the back of a moving vehicle while drunk? How is that meaningful?”
She glared. “It was fate.”
Jack nodded. “Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that.”
Mia clenched her fist again, this time aiming for his nose, but it was grabbed by someone behind her before she had a chance to throw the punch. She swung around to see Katie holding her fist between her hands.
Katie loosened Mia’s clenched hand and said, “I don’t know what he did, and I’m pretty sure he deserved this, but if you break his nose you’ll regret it later.”
“Doubtful.” But Mia lowered her hands to her sides anyway.
Katie shook her head, a small smile tugging at her mouth. “Listen, I don’t know if it’s any use, but I spoke to my dad last night, and he told me what Blair was wearing the night of the party.”
Mia beamed. “That’s great! Take them right back to the beginning, when everything changed and they were happy and young.”
Jack scoffed. “What? How is that any good? It was more than twenty years ago.”
“My parents are very fashion orientated people. Daddy will remember the outfit.”
“Or what was under it.”
Katie frowned in confusion, but didn’t try to prevent Mia stomping on Jack’s foot. After she’d done that, Mia turned back to Katie and grabbed her by the arm. “Come on, you have to tell me everything, and then I have to hurry home so I can look through Mother’s closet.”
“What if she doesn’t have anything to match?”
“Then we call Ella, and hit Bergdorf.”
- - -
Mia was both pleased and disappointed to find the perfect outfit stashed away in her mother’s closet. Pleased, because she wouldn’t have the stress of finding the right clothes to recreate the night Blair Waldorf snared Chuck Bass; disappointed, because she’d been meaning to visit Bergdorf’s lately anyway to find herself a new pair of shoes…or three.
In any case, when Blair entered her bedroom wrapped in a robe and fresh from her bath, Mia was ready and waiting. She had staged herself in front of Blair’s full-length mirror and was holding the ‘random’ dress up in front of her body.
She silently thanked whichever deity happened to be listening that her years as Queen Bee had taught her to keep a straight face, and then asked that they kept her mother (who was the ultimate Queen Bee) from seeing through it.
“Mother! Isn’t this dress perfect? I found it in your closet, but I’ve never seen you wear it. Don’t you like it?”
Blair came up behind her and stared at the dress in the mirror. Mia was watching closely, but Blair’s face showed no emotion.
“Of course I like it,” Blair said. “It’s an Eleanor Waldorf original. One of the last pieces my mother designed herself. I had another dress similar to it when I was about your age. If you like it, you can have it. It would look well on you.”
Blair turned away and moved towards her closet. Mia’s reflection shot her confusion back at her. She didn’t want to wear the dress?
As Blair disappeared into her closet, Mia shook her head at her stupidity. Had she really thought it would be that easy?
She turned away from the mirror and hurried to the door of the walk-in. Blair had unzipped two garment bags and was considering both options with her usual intense concentration.
“But, Mom, I thought you could wear it.”
Blair’s head shot up. “What?”
“The dress,” Mia said, and thrust it toward her mother. “You should wear it tonight. I already have mine on.”
Mia moved Blair’s dress out of the way to reveal the Carmen Marc brocade dress she was wearing.
But Blair was shaking her head. “No, no. You have it. I’ll wear something more age appropriate.”
Mia rolled her eyes and was glad that her mother wasn’t watching her to see it. The dress, with its long sleeves, high collar and lace ruffles, would not have been age appropriate for the sixteen year old girl her mother had been. To Mia, it looked like something out of a Jane Austen novel, but what did she know?
She took a breath and decided to try again, this time from a different angle. She had to remind herself to be careful. Her mother wasn’t stupid. If she pushed too hard, Blair would know something was up and the game would come to its premature end. Better to lose the battle than to lose the war.
“Mom,” Mia said playfully, “you look amazing. No one else your age can match you.”
“What about Serena?”
Mia scoffed. “Serena’s got nothing on you. Besides, you said you had a dress like this when you were my age, right? Well, this is a Victrola party, and Victrola is about escape, remember? Daddy’s always said so. Where better to escape to than your youth?”
Blair looked up at her again, but this time Mia could practically see the gears in her mothers mind turning over. She tried not to get her hopes up; with Blair Waldorf-Bass, you just never knew, and Mia didn’t want to think herself skilled enough to play her mother.
So when Blair zipped the two garment bags back up with determination and came over to take the dress from Mia’s hands, Mia had to force herself not to jump up and down excitedly.
Blair laid the dress down across her bed and sat down to do her make-up. Mia had been sure to leave the bright red lipstick in sight and gave a small sigh of relief when Blair picked up the stick and applied it. She piled her hair on top of her head and almost absentmindedly attached the silk headband (with jewels sown in) that Mia handed her. She put on the dress and looped a string of rope pearls around her neck twice, and then turned to pick out a pair of shoes. But Mia was already standing by, ready with a carefully chosen pair of Christian Louboutin platform pumps.
Mia kept back as Blair stood and went to appraise herself in the mirror. She turned to see herself from different angles and frowned.
Mia chewed the inside of her bottom lip. Was she seeing too much of her younger self in the mirror? In true Blair fashion, she’d left more than enough time to change multiple times. If Blair decided against the dress, the night would be ruined.
Mia took a steadying breath and reminded herself that this was just the first step. There would be other, more direct, set-up’s later on.
Blair smoothed the dress against her legs and straightened her headband. She tried to hold back the smile, but failed. “I look…”
“Perfect,” Mia said, and matched her mothers grin.
- - -
With Jack’s words still ringing in her ears, Mia had been reluctant to slide into the limo with her parents. But her father had asked her if she was all right, and she had forced a smile on to her face and gotten in.
There was no way she was going to miss anything between her parents that night, unless they wanted to recreate the original night perfectly, in which case, she’d get a ride home with Ella and Jack…and begin taking the bus to school.
When Mia had come skipping down the stairs and into her fathers arms, she’d felt her head lighten at the sight of pride and love in his eyes. Chuck Bass had never been vocal in his love, preferring to show it through his actions. When Mia had been little, Blair had made sure to tell her over and over again that love could not always be measured by the number of times you hear the words ‘I love you’. In the end, those were just words. Love was an action, a sacrifice, not a sound.
Mia thought she understood, having never doubted how much her father loved her, despite his not using the word very often. Still, something told her it meant more between her parents than it did for her.
Blair had kept them waiting, as usual, not because she was busy (she was, in fact, sitting on her bed admiring her shoes) but because she knew how much it irritated her husband. It was petty, but effective. Chuck’s arms were folded tightly against his chest and he drummed his fingers against his elbow. He’d mentioned to her that maybe they should go on ahead and leave Blair to catch up, but Mia had hastily swept aside that option, saying Blair would be down any minute.
Ten minutes later, Mia had been ready to go up and drag her mother down herself. After all the hard work she’d put in trying to get her mother into the damn dress, she wasn’t going to let Blair ruin it. Before she could stand though, Mia and Chuck heard a door open and close, followed by the tapping of heels.
Mia watched her father’s face as Blair came into view, knowing that timing was everything. In the first moment after Blair appeared, Chuck’s eyes widened dramatically and his mouth actually dropped open a little. He tugged at his tie, cleared his throat and looked away, schooling his expression into one of disinterest.
Mia’s insides were dancing with excitement. She’d been right after all; he remembered! In fact, Mia would have bet a substantial amount of money that that particular outfit was etched into Chuck Bass’ brain.
They’d stepped into the lift in single file, Blair, Chuck and then Mia, and ridden down in silence. Mia couldn’t count on both hands the number of times she caught her father glancing at her mother from the corner of his eye.
They arrived at Victrola late (“Fashionably,” said Blair. “No,” said Chuck, “just late.”), and when they entered, Blair took a glass of champagne and went to find Serena; Chuck disappeared into the crowd to talk to Nate.
Mia stood by the entrance and huffed. Where they determined to avoid each other, or was she just lucky?
She took just one step towards where her father had disappeared before Jack was there, pushing a champagne flute into her hand.
“So, was your mother willing to play dress up?”
Mia smiled and sipped her drink. “Actually yes, after a little persuasion, she was very obliging.”
Jack nodded and turned to watch the dancers on the stage. “Good, Katie will be pleased to hear her information was so useful.”
Something in his tone made her look up at him. His face was mostly shadowed due to the dim lighting, but she thought she could make out his down turned mouth before he finished his champagne in one gulp.
It would be ridiculous to believe he felt unappreciated…right? Sure, he’d done what she asked and tried to help, but short of locking her parents in the limo for three days, his information would have proved useless. Even if she had locked her parents in the limo, something told her that they’d have either A) found a way out themselves or B) killed each other before she released them.
Still, she felt a twinge of guilt for the way she’d dismissed him. She stepped in front of him and said, “Jack, about yesterday. I didn’t…thank you, did I, for the trouble you went to? I mean, I doubt your parents would have told you about my parents and the limo, so maybe you did go to a lot of trouble. I do appreciate what you did. There was just nothing I could do, you know?”
Jack stared at her, the look on his face a mix of confusion and incredulity, but said nothing.
Mia glanced away, brought her glass to her mouth and took a large, nervous swallow.
“Mia…”
She glanced back up at him. His face softened into a slight smile and Mia felt something tug in her stomach as she returned it.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks, but I understand that you couldn’t use what I came up with. I think I just told you to see the look on your face.”
Mia’s smile disappeared in an instant and she kicked him. “You ass! I can’t believe I semi-apologised to you!”
“Yeah, me either.” He laughed at the red that had gathered in her cheeks and grabbed her arm to spin her around toward one of the walls of the club. “Your dad’s over there. You should go speak to him. There would be no point to dressing your mom if you didn’t make your dad appreciate it.”
Mia didn’t bother replying, but she threw an angry glare at Jack over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd towards her father. She reached him just in time to see Nate move away and leave her father alone. Perfect.
“Hi, Daddy!” She bounded up to him and pushed her arm through his, hugging it to her.
“Hi, baby.” He frowned at the half empty champagne flute in her hand. “Don’t go drinking too much, okay. I don’t want some boy taking advantage of you.”
She smiled and wondered if he was thinking of himself, more than twenty years ago, ‘taking advantage’ of a certain brunette in the back of his limo.
“It’s fine. I don’t drink nearly as much as you did when you were my age.”
Chuck groaned and tried to ignore her sly smile. “Did your mother tell you about that?”
Mia laughed. “No, Dan did.”
“Ah, Humphrey. I should have guessed.”
“Mmm,” she said, looking discreetly around the room. Luckily for her, a group of people moved out of the way and left a clear view of Blair and Serena. Mia’s smile widened.
“You know, Dad, speaking of my mother…doesn’t she look great tonight?”
Chuck glanced up at his wife just in time to see her throw her head back in a laugh. Mia didn’t think it could be more perfect. The moment was straight out of a movie. Any minute now, Blair would look up and her eyes would meet Chuck’s across the crowded room. They’d share a secret smile and toast each other with their glasses. Mia let out a wistful sigh.
Instead, Chuck made a noncommittal noise and took a gulp of his scotch.
Mia frowned. “I picked out her outfit, did you know? She wanted me to have it, but I thought it would look better on her.”
Chuck glanced at Mia. “It would have looked beautiful on you. Besides, if it suits your mother, it’ll suit you too. You look just like her.”
Mia’s frown deepened. Did that mean he thought Blair was beautiful? Maybe she shouldn’t have drunk the champagne after all.
Before Mia could speak again, Chuck gently disengaged his arm from her death grip and vaguely waved his hand over his shoulder. “I’ve just seen someone I have to speak to. Will you be all right?”
Her small smile was sad. “Yes, I’ll be okay. I think I see Katie and Ella anyway.”
“All right then.” He kissed her forehead. “Don’t get into any trouble.”
After he’d walked away, Mia didn’t immediately turn to find her friends. Instead, she watched him. She had to follow behind a little, but eventually Mia saw the person he’d had to speak to.
The woman was tall and leggy, with straightened red hair. Chuck handed her a glass of wine and picked up her hand to kiss the back of it. The woman smiled and looked up at him through her eyelashes as he flipped her hand over and kissed the inside of her wrist.
Mia swallowed and turned away. She licked her lips, feeling suddenly dizzy. She wanted to cry, just a little. More than that, she wanted to cry so that someone would notice how much she was hurting. She wanted someone to ask her if she was okay, if she wanted to lie down. She wanted to turn the clock back to before everything went wrong, so that she could be a child again, and climb into bed with her parents when she had a nightmare and was scared. She wanted them to laugh away her tears when thunder boomed and lightning struck.
She forced her way through the people around her. She thought she heard Ella call her name, but Mia didn’t see her face. Everyone around her looked the same. But then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Serena’s long blonde hair and turned towards it, knowing that her mother would be there.
She was right.
Blair looked up when Mia appeared beside her and put down her glass of champagne. “Mia? Is everything all right? You look very pale. Do you feel sick?”
Mia stared into her mother’s eyes, and couldn’t help but wonder what her father saw when he looked into them. She swallowed. “Yes, yes, I feel sick. I want to go home.”
Blair shared a concerned look with Serena. “All right. We’ll go tell your father.”
It didn’t even occur to her to suggest having Serena pass along the message. As it was, Blair moved off into the crowd, and Mia followed. They found Chuck where Mia had left him. By this time, his mouth was making its way up the redhead’s neck. Mia felt bile rise in her throat and swallowed again, more forcefully than ever.
Blair stood stock still in front of her, but Mia managed to catch a glimpse of hurt and anger on her mother’s face.
“Chuck,” she said.
Just one word, not particularly loudly, but he heard her anyway. When he looked up, there was a split second of regret in his eyes but he didn’t respond.
Blair tore the jeweled headband out of her hair, sending hair pins flying to the floor and her brown curls tumbling around her shoulders. She threw the material at Chuck’s head, missing by a mile, and stormed angrily from the club.
Mia didn’t look back as she followed close behind.
- - -
< CH. 2 | CH. 4 >
----------------
Now playing: Glee Cast - Bohemian Rhapsody
via FoxyTunes