Pissed was an understatement. Chuck Bass was fuming. He stood in the foyer of the Waldorf penthouse, waiting for Blair. He had to talk to her immediately. He had to know why she'd set Eva up to leave him. He had to know if she still loved him.

To be honest, he wasn't all that angry because Eva had left him. He liked her a lot, but he could never love her the way he loved Blair. She was a sweet girl. Pretty too. But if he was being completely honest, her looks palled in comparison to Blair's beauty. And the fact that she was an ex-prostitute absolutely revolted him. But she did save his life and that was enough for him to let her stick around for a little while. Well that and the fact that she made Blair jealous.

But then tonight happened and he reverted back to the cruel basstard

Who prostituted Blair for his hotel and took Jenny Humphrey's virginity. He was just so confused and angry about who he'd become.

Just then he heard her footsteps. Careful, measured, Blair steps.

He saw her turning the corner of the winding staircase and quickly composed himself. She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked shyly at the floor, like a guilty child, before meeting his gaze. God, she was just so damn beautiful; he was so mesmerized he almost forgot why he was there. But couldn't let his true feelings show. He had to keep up the act, at least until he knew the truth.

"I know what you did Blair," he started off slowly in a gruff voice. He knew exactly how to scold her to get his answer. It killed him inside, but he knew he had to hurt just enough for her to let her guard down and give him the confession he sought. "It's despicable even for you." He fought the urge to wince. "Do you hate me so much you can't stand to see me happy?" His voice almost cracked when he saw her bottom lip waver.

"No!" she yelped. He could see he was getting to her. This little victory kept him going.

"Then why did you drive the person I care most about out of town?" he questioned with a glare. He felt horrible for lying to her.

"Eva left?" She looked genuinely surprised and this shocked him. It also told him what card to play next. "Chuck, I never meant to-"

"Make her leave me?" he cut her off angrily. His rage was starting to get into full swing. God, his hormones went haywire every time she was near him. "Of course you did." He whispered harshly. In that precise moment he saw her resolve begin to crack. He took a deep breath. This was it. "I need to know why." Swallow. "Is it possible you still love me?" Her bottom lip began to tremble and he wanted to quit right then and there. He hated hurting her, but instead he kept staring her down.

He saw Blair swallow nervously before putting up the emotional blockade she always wore. "Why do you care so much? What difference would it make if I did?" Suddenly he was seething. Did she really not know he would always love her no matter what? Did she really have so little faith in him?

"Just answer the damn question, Blair!" he demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"I can't!" she shot back at him.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know the answer anymore!" she screamed back. She took a deep breath and looked down before continuing meekly, "I just know what I told you at that train station in Paris. You broke my heart, and I didn't think I could ever forgive you after what you did-"

"So you do hate me? You did all this to hurt me!" he cut her off.

"Let me finish goddamn it!" she cursed back. "I didn't think I could forgive you but maybe I was wrong. I will always forgive you, Chuck," Blair revealed. Then, almost as an afterthought she added,"Just like I'll always forgive Nate and I'll always forgive Serena. You're my friend and I wanted to protect you from the social climbing a french floozy. I never intended to hurt you. I just thought you deserved better."

Chuck raised his eyebrow, and Blair realized how contrived the last part sounded. "That's it?"

"Yup," Blair responded too matter-of-factly to be convincing.

"So it was all just a non-judging breakfast club thing?" he inquired.

"Uh huh, purely platonic," Blair nodded mechanically.

"Of course," Chuck released her and looked down dejectedly. He shook his head as he was turning away and, almost to himself, said, "I should have known better than to get my hopes up. Good night Blair." He turned his back to her before she could see his smirk and slowly sauntered towards the elevator, giving her time to respond.

"Get your hopes up?" She wondered aloud.

He stopped and turned to look back at her.

"Chuck what did you want me to say when you asked me if I still loved you?" she asked incredulously.

He sauntered back towards her before tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "If you have to ask, then maybe you don't know me as well as I thought."

"Chuck-" her voice cracked, a tear threatening to spill.

"Then again, it was foolish for me to ask you such a personal question and expect an honest answer after everything I put you through."

"Very foolish," she affirmed. "And the Chuck Bass I'm in love with is certainly not a fool."

He quickly closed the short distance between their lips and lifted her up to carry her up the stairs bridal style.

Just when he reached her bedroom, he paused to catch his breath. " by the way, it was absolutely adorable how jealous you were of Eva," he said as he pressed his forehead to hers. She slapped him playfully and he grabbed her hand to press his lips to it. "I love you Blair. Always have always will."