The last three months were a whirlwind of emotions for Blair Waldorf. She was engaged for a whole two minutes to the Prince of Monaco, she was to be a Princess, but she threw all of that away to be with her Prince, Chuck Bass. And she never regretted a single moment. They had gone on a spur-of-the-moment spree to travel to as many countries as possible. Now she lay awake in their hotel room, watching the moonlight light his face as he lay softly asleep.
Blair was trying to cherish these last fleeting moments of pure bliss before their natural life would start back up again, and she would be forced to deal with something she had been running away from for the last three months, something that would catch up to her sooner rather than later.
She tossed and turned on the bed and eventually gave up on the notion that sleep would find her again as she struggled to shut off her brain.
She lay on her side facing Chuck. She envied him as sleep seemed to find him much easier than it did her. She lightly ran her finger over Chuck's face, tracing his features. She wasn't sure what he was dreaming of, or maybe it was just a reflex, but as soon as he felt her touch, his entire body relaxed.
She sighed as she got out of bed. She needed to do something, just lying there was not accomplishing anything. Trying to collect her heels in the dark and discreetly so she didn't wake Chuck was a challenge. She was primarily considering the way the night ended last night. She made a mental note to herself that she should throw them off in the same direction.
How did that get there? She thought to herself as she grabbed her last heel underneath the chair. Blair quietly put both her heels on, her eyes never leaving the bed where Chuck was still sleeping. She cursed herself for putting her heels on before leaving the room, as they made it hard to stealthily sneak out of the room without waking him up. Thankfully luck was on her side, as once she made it to the door, Chuck did not stir even once.
She let out a heavy full sigh as she closed their hotel room door.
At first, she didn't think about what she would do besides roam the hotel halls, but it seemed that her subconscious had a different plan, as she had ended up at the convenience store in the lobby.
"Interesting outfit." A voice said behind her.
She swore she had jumped like ten feet in the air from shock.
"Oh, yeah." She nervously said as she placed a hand over her heart from the mini heart attack she had just had.
In hindsight, she should've changed, but she didn't even think she would go somewhere where someone would see her. She was still wearing her night slip, which was too short and too revealing to be seen in public.
"Can I help you with something?" The voice asked.
"I-uh- if I can't find it, I'll ask."
Blair was a little embarrassed even to ask where the location of what exactly she was looking for was; even to a stranger, she didn't want to say it out loud. The aisles were packed with random items that tourists usually forget to pack and only realize once they're there. She mindlessly ran her hand through these items until she was in the right section, at least she hoped. She saw pads and boxes of tampons; to the right, she saw a whole assortment of condoms, and then on the bottom shelf, her eyes made contact with what she was looking for.
"Is this all for you?" The man behind the counter, who had given her a heart attack earlier, asked her.
Instead of answering, she gave him her credit card and the pregnancy test.
–
Chuck groaned as the sunlight started to bypass his eyelids. It was their last day in Venice, and they were expected to fly back to Manhattan this evening, and he wasn't ready to head back to reality. After months and months of being away from Blair, they were finally together, and he never wanted this to end; and some deep corner of his mind, he thought as soon as they got back home, something would take away their tranquility. He would do anything in his power to keep that from happening.
He went to spoon Blair, but there was an empty spot beside him, his hand absentmindedly searching for her. He lifted his head to look towards the bathroom; she was probably getting ready for the day. However, the door was open.
"Blair?" He called out sleepily.
The silence caused his heart to race; anxiety overtook him as he shot up in bed. Absolutely every possible situation that could've happened ran through his head. Did she change her mind about them? Did she run back home? Did she go to Monaco to find her prince and decide to marry him after all?
"Blair!" He called out again.
The door of their hotel room opened, and Blair walked in quickly, making her way to the bed. She was still in her sleepwear, which was odd that she was out in that in the hotel, fully well-knowing someone could see her like that sent a little growl to his throat.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Blair asked while running the back of her knuckles down his back, trying to comfort him.
Relief washed over him, and his body began to relax.
"Where were you?" He asked.
She rested her forehead on his. "I was just in the hallway."
He kissed her feverishly as his life depended on it. Quite frankly, it did, his world revolved around her, and he could never even fathom the day it wouldn't. She didn't miss a beat and kissed him back, which calmed his nerves down. Somedays, he swears he is living a dream. As the kiss intensified, Chuck brought her closer to him.
She was the one who cut off the kiss, rested her forehead on his, and bit her lip. He knew Blair understood his apprehensiveness after being kidnapped by Russell; he was always nervous to let her out of sight. She rested her palm on his face.
"I'm okay. I'm sorry. I should've waited until you were up to leave."
He shook his head, "No, you're okay. I was just-"
"Worried. I understand." She finished for him.
They sat in bed like that for a while until he finally spoke.
"Do you want to grab breakfast?" He whispered.
She gave him a light kiss. "I guess we should start getting around for the day, as it is our last."
He nodded and noticed her tightened grip on the bag she was holding.
"Where did you go?" He asked her.
She shifted in the bed. He swore she looked a little nervous.
"Just to the store that was in the lobby. I needed some Tylenol. I'm out." She lifted the bag and smiled.
–
Blair walked into the bathroom, placed the bag she bought on the counter, and stared at it. Would she take it now? After weeks and weeks of putting it off, there was no reason not to, and now she had it. Her fingers tapped on the counter while she thought of her options. She could take the test now and ruin their last day on vacation. Or she could wait until she gets home and live one more day in denial.
Blair pushed the bag up on the counter, making her decision to wait. She decided to push the thought to the back of her mind. No, she will give herself one more day. The idea of today's outfit had popped into her head, and she quickly rummaged through her suitcase for those clothes.
"You doing okay in there?" Chuck asked at the door.
Blair stared at her reflection; she just changed her outfit three times. The bloat in the morning was getting out of hand; she looked fat in everything. Blair went through her luggage again; maybe she had something that wasn't skin-tight, which unfortunately was not the case. She let out a huge sigh as she opened the door.
"Do I look fat?" She asked Chuck once he entirely took her in.
Chuck walked over to her and put his hands on her hips. "I think you look drop-dead gorgeous." He gave Blair a longing kiss. "On second thought, how about we stay in? I'd love to take that dress off of you."
Blair wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck and smiled at him. "We did that all day yesterday; I think I'm getting stir-crazy."
"Where would you like to go?"
"The Brunch Cafe is super nice, and we have yet to go there."
He smiled at her as he opened the door, "Well, after you."
Blair and Chuck had been in Venice for a week now, and as much as she loved Paris, Venice was quickly becoming one of her favorite cities. They stayed at the Aman, one of the most beautiful places, and the view was absolutely to die for. Their brief walk from the Aman to the Brunch Cafe was gorgeous. They walked hand in hand along the path; Blair quietly took in the sights, which never got old. She would point out to Chuck in awe of the views, watching him give her a small smile each time. Their time in Venice was dwindling fast, as she was determined to enjoy these last fleeting moments until their real lives came crashing down again.
A wave of nausea came over Blair as soon as they got to the Cafe. She squeezed Chuck's hand.
"Is everything okay?" He whispered into her ear.
The heat of his breath sent shivers down her spine.
"Do you mind seating us? I'll be right back."
She walked off to the bathroom, trying to be nonchalant as possible. She looked at herself in the mirror when she got to the bathroom. Her face had been breaking out the last month and a half; thankfully, she was able to cover up most of the breakouts with makeup. Generally, around this time of the day, she would feel nauseous or have a pounding headache. And nausea appeared first, with them walking into the Cafe and being hit with the smell of the food. She took a couple of deep breaths and splashed some cold water on her face, hoping it would help. She was suspicious about what was happening, but their trip was over that night; there was no reason to stop being in denial. Tomorrow reality can hit her.
As she walked out, she examined the restaurant for Chuck, and it seemed they were sitting outside. She smiled; he didn't even know what was going on to be able to read her mind. She wanted to sit outside; it was ideal for her nausea as the smell of food wasn't so intense. When she got to the table, he had already ordered the drinks for her at least.
"Thank you." She smiled as she sat down.
There was a mimosa in a champagne flute for her and a cup of water. She took the water and slowly sipped it. Chuck was on his Blackberry again; his eyebrows were furrowed. She knew it had something to do with the Empire.
"Everything good?" She asked him.
He finished texting, put his phone face down on the table, and sighed as he leaned back into his seat.
"Yes, and no." He reached for his mimosa and took a sip. "I am not excited about tomorrow; I can tell you that."
Taking this trip had done tremendous things to their relationship. Granted, some days Chuck could barely leave the hotel room with constant conference calls and trying to put out fires. She didn't mind it; she was used to it with her mom. Plus, she used those times to go shopping and do things by herself, which was a good break; it allowed her to miss him.
"What's going on?" She asked.
He tapped his fingers on the table. "Bookings aren't great currently. Half the hospitality staff quit, so overtime is through the roof."
She put her hand on top of his. "I have no doubt you will be able to solve all of this in a heartbeat. You're made for this."
He smiled at her. She knew how important making the Empire a success was to him. She also knew that he was in the process of trying to buy the SoHo 54 Hotel as well. She was having a glimpse of what life with Chuck will be like. She had momentarily forgotten how busy he was from their relationship a year and a half ago. This was also different as she would stay over there occasionally, but not constantly together like they had been the past three months. Which she had to admit had been excellent, and she was not looking forward to being apart again after the constant companionship.
"Are we all set to order?" The waitress asked as she came to the table.
"Oh!" Blair said, shocked. She quickly looked through the menu, "I-uh will take the -uh classic avocado toast."
"I'll do the Breakfast Combo," Chuck said while handing the waitress their menus.
When the waitress left, Chuck retook her hand and smiled at her.
"Our jet leaves here at six tonight. What do you want to do until then?" He asked her.
"What do you want to do?" She asked him.
"Whatever you want to do." He smiled at her.
That's how he was on this trip. Letting her make the decisions, following her lead on basically everything. They maybe had a handful of fights, but nothing that lasted too long. That was another thing that scared her on returning home; throwing them back into reality would thrust them back to their old ways.
"Well, I would like to see St. Mark's Basilica while we're here. And maybe do another gondola ride?" She smiled at him.
"That sounds wonderful."
His phone began to ring. He frowned and sighed.
"Go ahead and take it." She told him.
"No, this is our last day on vacation; I want to enjoy it before we go back. Whatever the problem is, it can wait. Nothing is more important to me than you."
As soon as his phone stopped ringing, it picked up again.
"As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I don't mind. Go ahead and take it."
He hesitated, but then he took the phone as he got up to leave the table. Blair took this time to pull out her phone from her clutch. She had a text from Serena.
Hey, B. When are you and Chuck getting back?
She knew Serena planned on staying in LA for at least the next semester at Columbia. She and Chuck did visit her in LA for a few weeks on their vacation. And Serena looked well there; she seemed genuinely happy. Blair was thrilled Serena finally found her calling; she just wished she could've found her calling in New York. It was hard enough trying to stay in contact with her with them changing time zones every couple of weeks.
We leave at six tonight and should return at 1 am your time tomorrow.
Chuck came back and looked a little frustrated after the phone call. She put her phone down just as he sat down. She could tell he was running his hand through his hair multiple times as it looked messy. Just as she was about to ask if he was okay, the waitress came with their food.
"Breakfast combo." The waitress said as she put the plate in front of Chuck. "And the Avocado Toast."
"Thank you." Blair smiled.
As soon as the food touched the table, the scent hit her. Her nausea doubled. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on Chuck.
"Do we need to leave now?" She asked him.
He shook his head, "No. The problem is still going to be there when we get home. No need to rush this time."
She tried to eat, but a lump appeared in her throat every time she got even the thought of eating. She tried to sip her water, but nothing was working to help calm her nausea.
–
Chuck noticed that Blair wasn't eating. She hadn't been eating in the morning that much really. Nothing that concerned him to say anything because she would still eat throughout the day. In fact, after the phone call he had just received, he didn't have much of an appetite either. It was one thing when he disappeared for three months, and all he had was the Empire. The only thing that was the issue was the missed mortgage payments. This was different with the upcoming purchase of the SoHo and the opening of his new hotel in Brooklyn. He understood now why his father was so uptight when he was growing up; trying to run a hotel empire was exhausting and mentally draining.
Blair now rested her palm on her forehead.
"Are you okay?" He asked her.
He reached across the table and lightly rubbed his thumb on her arm.
"I just came down with this massive headache." She looked into his eyes. "I know I said I didn't want to, but do you mind if we stay in today? I'm sorry, I know it's our last day. Im just not feeling well at all."
He smiled at her. "Nothing would make me happier than to spend all day in bed with you."
Chuck flagged down the waitress to get the bill. His eyes never leave Blair. She seemed to have many headaches in the last couple of weeks. It mostly left them going out to eat for breakfast, her coming down with a massive headache, rescheduling their plans, and just staying in bed for the rest of the day. He didn't mind it at all, mainly just laying in bed with her and talking about anything and everything has been the highlight of this trip for him.
When the waitress returned with the bill, he laid down his card. He watched Blair intently, sipping on her water, not touching her mimosa.
"Why don't you take a sip of this." He nodded towards her champagne flute. "The sugar from the orange juice may help."
She nervously hesitated before she took her mimosa in her hands. He watches her twirl the liquid around the glass, not touching her lips. He frowned. Chuck was about to say something, but the waitress returned with his card.
"We should go," Blair said in a hurry.
–
The rest of the day consisted of a quiet walk back to the hotel and cuddling in bed while watching some movies that were on in English. Unfortunately, their last day of bliss had ended too quickly. They had pushed to the last minute they possibly could, and now they were running slightly behind schedule. Chuck was easily packed, as most of his stuff from their summer journeys was already on the jet. Blair, on the other hand, went a little too overboard at some of the boutiques in Italy. Granted, she did curve her spending a little bit more than usual, or else she would've filled the entire jet with stuff, as the stuff here was to die for. However, as often as she tried to charge her purchases on her credit card, Chuck kept intercepting and was insistent that he would pay for everything. So, that's what left her in the predicament she was currently in.
"Blair!" Chuck yelled from the bedroom. "We need to get going!"
She was doing a once look over in the bathroom, ensuring she didn't forget anything. She had all of her shopping bags at the door, as well as her suitcase. Just as she was about to confirm they were good, the bag from the store downstairs she had bought earlier today caught her eyes from the counter. Blair quickly grabbed the bag and its contents and shoved it in her clutch. She opened the door and sighed.
"I'm ready if we must."
Chuck smiled, placed his hands on her hips, and passionately kissed her. He rested his forehead against hers.
"I love you." He told her.
Blair's fingers tossed his tie. "Are you sure we have to leave?"
"No." He groaned like that leaving was physically hurting him.
Her hands cupped his face. "Hey, everything with us will be the same, even when we get to New York. We're forever." She kissed his firm lips, which were having trouble believing her and was consumed with worry. "I love you."
He took one of her hands in his, and they walked down to the limo waiting for them in the lobby.
"Seriously." Chuck groaned as his phone rang for the tenth time since he and Blair got into the limo.
Blair saw the frustration on his face. She wasn't sure how everything would play out as soon as they got back home. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" She asked him.
He held down the volume button and put his phone on silent. He wrapped his arm around her and put his lips on her temple as he pulled her closer.
"You sure you don't want to move in?" He asked her for the thousandth time on their trip.
She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. Moving in made a lot of sense. She'd have to admit that she would be lonely without him after being together for so long, but she's still in college. The appeal of living with Chuck had crossed her mind several times on their trip. She wants to eventually, but she needs to get back into the groove of things and figure out their dynamics before they do anything drastic, like moving in together.
"As of right now, I'm sure."
He kissed her temple. "I don't like that answer." He chuckled.
The limo had pulled up to the Bass Industries jet waiting for them. Nothing ever had looked uglier in Blair's eyes. Neither of them moved; they just sat there hand in hand. When the limo driver knocked on Chuck's door, they got their attention. Chuck rolled down the window.
"Mister Bass, the pilot wants to know when you plan to board." The driver asked.
Chuck sighed as he opened the door, pulling Blair along with him.
"We're boarding now."
–
They landed about thirty minutes ago, but neither wanted to leave the arms of the other quite yet. The brace of actual reality seemed to be imminent. Blair stared off to space, not allowing herself to think, and counted each time Chuck inhaled and exhaled. They both snapped their heads to the sound of footsteps on the jet.
"Mister Bass, are you ready to depart?" Asked Arthur, Chuck's chauffeur.
Chuck shifted under Blair's weight before saying, "We will be out soon."
Arthur nodded as he left, and Blair tucked her head into Chuck's lap.
"I like what you're thinking." Chuck laughed.
She rolled her eyes full well, knowing he couldn't see it. His fingers played absentmindedly with her hair. As if hit by a freight train her thoughts went straight back to the test that was in her clutch. She had put this off as long as possible, and even now, she was trying to find a way to put it off even longer.
"I guess we should be going; Dorota is probably anxiously awaiting our return."
Arthur had already taken care of their luggage, as it seemed that the majority of the back of the limo was filled. The ride from the landing to her penthouse was as quiet as from the hotel to the jet. Both were too scared to be the first to speak, too scared to end the tranquility. When the limo pulled up to her building, it was like all the air had exited her lungs.
"Do you want me to walk you up?" Chuck asked.
Blair shook her head. "No, you should probably make your way to the Empire; at least get some sleep before your meeting today."
Chuck nodded before giving her one last kiss of the night. She had no doubt she would at least hear from him later in the day.
"Let me know how the meeting goes." That was the last thing she told him before exiting the limo and going to her penthouse.
–
Blair exited the elevator as it opened up to her floor.
"Miss Blair!" Dorota said excitedly as she entered.
Dorota quickly walked over to Blair and engulfed her in a big hug, swaying herself back and forth. Blair returned the exchange and hugged Dorota back. She has missed her, especially the last couple of weeks.
"How was your trip?" She asked when she pulled away.
Blair smiled at her and replied, "Relaxing."
She noticed the pile of mail on the table in the entranceway. However, her eyes drifted up to the stairway to her bedroom; she was utterly exhausted. Even though the flight was almost ten hours long, she could barely convince herself to sleep. Blair gripped her clutch that was in her hands; her luggage was currently behind her as the doorman was unloading it. Now that she was home, reality hit her like many bricks.
She was late really late. By her current calculations, she was three weeks late going on four. At first, she thought it was her body trying to get used to the new birth control she had switched over right before they had left. However, as time passed, she genuinely got concerned that that wasn't why she was late.
"I will see you tomorrow," Blair told Dorota. "I will be calling it a night."
Her grip tightened on her clutch as she went upstairs to her room. When the door behind her shut, she stood, paralyzed physically, but her mind moved like a hundred miles an hour. Not only was she late, she was nauseous in the morning, had headaches and bloated in the mornings, and was exhausted all day. However, she also wrote off most of these things with severe jet lag, with them traveling to different cities about every week.
Even so, they were careful with the switching of her birth control. Chuck always made sure to wear a condom every time…
She shook her head. She's not pregnant; she can't be. It wasn't part of the plan; it couldn't be part of it. She and Chuck had just gotten back together, and currently, they were in a good place; a baby would complicate all of this.
Her footsteps to the bathroom echoed loudly throughout her bedroom. When she flicked on the light, her heart pounded in her chest. She slowly opened up her clutch and saw the thin piece of plastic; her fingers briefly brushed the plastic.
"I can't be," Blair whispered to herself.
After minutes of talking herself out of it and then back into it, to out of it, to into it again, she finally decided to take the test. She set a three-minute timer on her bathroom clock. Absolutely every situation ran through her head.
What exactly would happen if she was? What would Chuck's reaction be like? She always wanted to be a mom but didn't want to be a mom this early. Blair did imagine having her own little family with Chuck, but that's all as far as it went, imagination. She never once even spoke of the possibility with him of them having kids together. The way he is with his family may have sent him running. It took him a year to admit that he loved her. They were only together for a year before the incident, which was not even long enough for her to randomly bring up kids in a conversation with him.
Her phone buzzed with a text message.
I made it home. I love you.
She smiled.
I love you too.
The timer had gone off. She closed her eyes—the moment of truth.
"I can't be pregnant; I can't be pregnant." She kept repeating to herself.
Blair took a deep breath and looked at the test on the counter.
Positive.