A lot earlier than I promised, (sorry fans of Turbulance) here is my new story! I literally couldn't wait to put this up, so without further adue:

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Why mess up a good thing baby?

It's a risk to even fall in love

So, when you give that look to me

I better look back carefully

'Cause this is trouble, yeah this is trouble.

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The loss of a girls V card is always a pivotal moment, especially on the Upper East Side. My sources tell me our very own Queen B lost hers last night, on the eve of her seventeenth birthday celebrations. But which of her many suiters did she lose it to? Word on the street is that B and N are no more, so who did the dirty with our very own Queen? You know you love me XOXO Gossip Girl

The room was the same. The same curtains hung over the wide windows; the same silk sheets comforted her tired body; the same eye mask shielded her eyes from the morning daylight. But she, Blair Waldorf, was not the same.

She turned over with a huff. How could she have given up her virtue to that Bass-tard? What was she thinking? After dangling it in front of Nate for years, she spent 5 minutes in a limo with Chuck and gave it up like last season Prada platforms. Wasn't she worth more than that? Wasn't she worth more than… him?

With an exasperated sigh she rose from the best, testing out her legs as if they wouldn't work anymore. She felt different, more mature even. And not just because it was dawning on her 17th birthday. She covered her goosepimply skin with a sheer dressing gown, feeling as if it had been tainted with something Bass. As she descended the stairs of the penthouse she noted the flurry of activity surrounding her mother, who seemed exceptionally stressed – even for Eleanor.

"Are you not going to wish me a happy birthday-eve?" Blair asked sarcastically, taking a seat at the table. Dorota had laid out a feast of fruits and breakfast pastries on the table and they called to Blair. She hovered her hand towards an indulgent pain au chocolat, but quickly averted it as her mother approached. She popped a grape in her mouth.

"Yes, yes," Eleanor commented absentmindedly, downing whatever was in her glass in one go. Eleanor's gaze then fixated on Blair, "You and Nate broke up?"

Blair froze, pretending she hadn't heard her mother. She blinked her eyelashes at Eleanor, "Don't you think you should take it easy? I assume that's not orange juice."

"The captain's being charged with embezzlement and fraud," Eleanor glossed over Blair's comment, her words direct and harsh. She slammed the morning's paper onto the table on which a colour photo of Anne, The Captain and Nate stood looking guilty at the camera outside their home.

She gulped, struggling to imagine what Nate was going through. As she, ew, slept with his best friend, Nate was having his father taken away in handcuffs. No wonder he didn't want her any more, she was a terrible girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend, she corrected herself.

"How awful," Blair commented, feeling her heartbeat pick up. Guilt blocked up her brain and she couldn't even start to think about what she should do.

Eleanor crashed her glass on the table, causing Dorota to give out a tiny shriek behind them. A frown broke through her layers of Botox, "Yes awful. The deal has fallen through, obviously and now we have no financial backer for Eleanor Waldorf Designs."

Her mother's words barely registered with Blair, all she could think about was appeasing some of her ex-boyfriend's pain. "I need to speak with Nate."

"No!" Eleanor snapped, glaring at her daughter, "We will be having nothing else to do with the Archibalds. The Waldorf name needs not be tainted any further."

Blair stared back angrily, not liking being told what to do. The main pro of the absent parent was the independence and free will it brought.

"I need to be there for him!" She cried out. Blair decided that she could atone for her sins by being there for Nate in his time of need.

"You will do no such thing, you're acting like a petulant child," Her mother said, with an authoritative flourish of her index finger. Eleanor's eyes fell on her tablet, flicking through it aggressively. All of a sudden she stopped, appraising Blair with a long, slow look.

Blair couldn't hold this intense stare so she continued throwing fruits into her mouth, examining each in turn. She could feel the extra pounds hanging on her thighs, her arms; the last thing she needed was to be put on another of her mother's starvation diets. Blair looked up again to see Eleanor smirking.

"Don't smile so much, mother, you'll get lines around your mouth," Blair muttered insolently, not liking the way Eleanor was looking at her.

"We need a new financial backer."

Blair frowned at the obvious words coming out of Eleanor's mouth. She waved a hand, "No, Mother. You need a new financial backer, I'm not a part of your company remember?"

Despite Blair's best efforts Eleanor had never seen fit to employ her daughter, for she knew it would only be to gain access to exclusive runway shows and events under the guise of real work.

"Well you are now, you can be my deputy manager or something," She said, annoyingly vague about this for Blair's taste.

She narrowed her eyes, "What's the catch?"

"I need financial backing. Who better to get it from than the richest man in New York?" Eleanor asked, with a smug smile of self-assurance.

Realisation dawned on Blair's face. She spat out, "Bart Bass? What does he have anything to do with me?"

"He doesn't. But his son does." She responded, noting the way Blair's eyes widened, "I'm sure Bart would be much more liable to agreeing to back Waldorf Designs if his son was dating my daughter."

What was she talking about? Chuck doesn't date, he just whores around and gets high all day. And he definitely didn't date Blair Waldorf's.

"You're hiring me to date Chuck Bass?" Blair asked incredulously.

Eleanor nodded simply, taking her tablet out again and typing furiously. To her the conversation was over.

"He's in the building trade, why would Bart Bass go for a clothing company?" She pushed. How was this even happening?

Eleanor raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure you can convince him, through a familial connection."

"But I can't stand Chuck, I'm not dating him just so you can get backing for your company!" She exclaimed, incapable to process what her mother was asking of her.

Her mother perused her again with a knowing smile, "So who was that I saw creeping out of your bedroom at four o'clock this morning? On the night you broke up with Nathaniel, no less."

Blair's breath hitched. Was her own mother blackmailing her? Whether or not she went along with this half-brained plan it seemed Nate would find out about the two of them. She was expecting his father's scandal would bring them together again but if Eleanor got her way, Nate would never speak to her again. Whether it be because he found out she slept with Chuck or that she was, ugh, dating him.

She distracted herself by shovelling down more fruit; orange slices, kiwi, raspberry; their tangy juices not doing anything to remove the ringing in her brain.

"Go to Charles, seduce him and get yourself a date. I know he has a soft spot for you, he always had. Now we can exploit it."

Blair had gotten her scheming side from her mother. The cold, calculating way Eleanor spoke hit too close to home and she blanched. Chuck Bass has a soft spot for me? Sure they'd been friends since kindergarten, when he gave her her very first plastic crown, but Blair was sure he only saw her as his best friend's girl.

Anyway, Blair looked up to see Eleanor retreating towards the elevator. But then she turned.

"Don't eat so much fruit, the sugar will give you cellulite."

And with that she was gone, exiting the penthouse with a measured flourish. Blair stared at the pineapple in her hand before throwing it onto the glass table, its juices splattering across the furnishings.

.

An hours careful primping later, Blair hesitated outside the Palace hotel. If she went in there was no going back. If she didn't she'd only earn her mother's disapproval and her dirty laundry splashed across the pages of gossip girl. The jury was out on which was worse.

Before she could even step in the direction of the huge double doors, a certain beachy blonde cascaded out of them. That boy, Humphrey, was on her arm and they were so caught up in sickening affection they almost didn't spot Blair. Almost.

"Hey, B!" Serena greeted brightly. She and Dan walked over to where Blair teetered on sky high heels, Serena's face questioning, "Did we have plans this morning I've forgotten about?"

"No," Blair responded tightly. Her eyes lingered on the looming height of the Palace behind them until she noticed Serena's confused look, "I'm here to see Nate… I thought he might be with, you know, Chuck." She stumbled over her words nervously, unable to say his name without stammering.

The blonde's stare became sympathetic, "Oh yeah. I heard about The Captain, it's such a shame." Her little sidekick nodded in agreement and Blair forgot her worries in lieu of an eye roll, "I don't think he's here though."

Blair raised her eyebrows in faux-surprise. It would kind of ruin her plan if he was, she'd already made sure Nate was back at the Archibald's before she'd even considered coming over here.

"Chuck rolled in just after four AM," Serena continued, disgust evident in her tone. Blair continued pretending to look shocked, "Probably just back from spending the night with some skanky girl he'd picked up."

She pretended those words didn't hurt her, not that she had any kind of feelings for Chuck, but being one of his trademark floozies was not a title Blair took willingly.

"Are you sure you're okay, B? I know Nate's dads in trouble but I'm sure it'll all work out."

Oh right. Serena didn't know they'd broken up. She mustn't have checked Gossip Girl this morning where photos of their breakup from every angle were taking centre stage. Plus a poll on who'd swiped B's virginity. Blair decided to keep up that ruse for a little while longer.

"Well I don't want to keep you from your morning trysts, Serena, Cabbage Patch." She responded breezily, cutting the conversation to a premature end.

There was an uneasy moment as the pair walked past Blair, obviously wondering why she hadn't moved from where her feet were rooted to the ground. But as Dan's hand warmed her own, Serena forgot to even consider this further and she bounded out of the gates happily.

And then Blair was alone again. She hesitated again for a moment before striding confidently towards the door, her Chanel heels clacking against the concrete floor.

"Blair. Back for round two?"

The door to Chuck's suite swung open at her approach. Obviously someone at the front desk had informed him of her presence in the hotel. He stood bold as brass in the doorway, dressed in only a loosely tied maroon dress robe and wry smirk.

Blair bit back any scathing retorts, remembering her mother's orders. She flashed a smile, "Not right now. But who knows what might happen?"

Her words caused Chuck's eyebrows to shoot up his face, obviously expecting a slap and a door in his face. He winked seductively and gestured to the open doorway, allowing Blair to step inside before closing the door behind them.

"I must say I'm surprised you've come to me," Chuck commented, pouring Blair a glass of soda water and himself a scotch.

Blair sipped at her drink and glanced up under her eyelashes, "And I was surprised you snuck out so early this morning." Her voice was a carefully selected tone mingling seduction and innuendo perfectly.

The scotch Chuck had just knocked back caught in his throat, its fiery burn causing Chuck to cough. He'd expected good-girl Blair Waldorf to run back to Nate the moment she woke this morning, forgetting all about their amazing night in return for a boringly perfect relationship with his best friend. But now here she was, looking killer in a tight black dress and towering red heels which matched her ruby lips. Lips he remembered kissing him over and over the night before.

"I didn't think you'd want Dorota to find me in your bed this morning. Or that you would, for that matter," He explained. Chuck couldn't quite figure out Blair's angle here, it didn't seem her style to pursue Chuck Bass so openly.

Blair tried not to think about how it had felt to wake up alone that morning. Losing her V card in a limo was bad enough but him not even sticking around for breakfast? She pushed the thoughts out of her head and settled her daring gaze on Chuck, "Well I know a way you can make it up to me."

"If we're going to go again I'm going to need some coffee or something first," He said, not even attempting to hide his glee. There was nothing Chuck wanted more than to get Blair's skimpy dress on the floor as soon as possible.

Despite the lingering temptation, Blair laughed and walked over to the window. "Don't be silly, Bass." She stared out at the New York skyline and took steadying breaths. The next words which come out of her mouth would change everything, "A date."

Wait what? Chuck couldn't tell if he'd heard her properly. Why would Blair Waldorf be propositioning him for a date? His stomach erupted into something which felt like… Butterflies.

"A date?" He scoffed incredulously. Another mouthful of scotch disappeared into his mouth.

"Of course." Blair felt shaky, she knew it would be difficult to get Chuck to agree to a date, but rejection was not something she took lightly, "I'm a classy girl, Chuck. If you want to get this woman back in bed you'll have to work for it."

She knew she had him there. The night previous had been amazing, well Blair didn't have anything to compare it to but the look on Chuck's face as they finished (the first time) told her it was something special. Mind-blowing even, if she remembered rightly. Sexually only of course; there was nothing special between them in any other way, shape or form.

Chuck had a calculating look in his eye as he rose from his chair and meandered across the room, one hand resting in the pocket of his robe.

"Well?" She asked, hoping he couldn't see her nervousness at this near distance.

He leaned in closer until their lips were almost touching, leaving the ghost of a kiss before murmuring, "I'm sure I can make it through dinner."

A shuddering breath betrayed Blair and she broke their intense eye contact. She stepped back in relief, imagining the approval on her mother's face when she told her the news. Even if she'd had to dangle sex in front of him like a carrot to a donkey, she'd managed to score that crucial date.

"Pick you up at seven," Chuck called over his shoulder, walking into his bathroom.

What was he doing? Going on a date with his best friend's girl the day after they broke up? Going on a date period? Well, if being Blair's rebound date was the only way he could get her horizontal again it was a fact he was willing to face. That, of course, was the only reason. The incessant buzzing in his stomach area had no bearing on his judgement.

Blair yelled out to him, "Tonight's my birthday party, Bass! It's just like you to forget."

"We'll have dinner tomorrow then," He reasoned through the door as he turned on the shower. "Celebrate your aging another year and such."

"Okay," She sighed, fidgeting with the hemline of her skirt. A date on her birthday? How serious and unexpected from Chuck.

The sound of the shower doors opening and steam wafted under the door. Chuck's slightly distorted voice called out, "Are you staying for a shower?"

Blair practically ran out of the suite, desperate for a reprieve from the Bass lair. She could feel the lies and double crosses building up and pooling around her five inch heels. She knew after this date her mother would make sure it went public; Serena, Bart Bass, Nate. They would all know she was dating Chuck and that thought alone made Blair want to heave up her breakfast.

"Blair, Darling." Eleanor greeted, taking Blair's hands in her own as she entered the penthouse, "Have you done what I said?"

She repressed the urge to squeeze her mother's hands until they bled. Blair plastered a smile on her face, "I have a date. Tomorrow evening."

"Fabulous," She responded. Eleanor dropped her daughter's hands instantly and walked away, jabbering at Dorota to bring her dress samples or something.

Somehow Blair felt more used by her mother's scheme than sleeping with Chuck in the limo. At least Chuck Bass could show her some kind of affection when even her own mother couldn't. Retail therapy was obviously the only answer, she needed to get herself something to wear that night and for her date. Plus, she remembered with a smug smile, there were some pieces needing to be put on hold at the jewellers.

And back in 1812, Chuck was debating whether to make a visit to that certain jewellers he'd been to many times with Nate, too.

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We are both young, hot blooded people

We don't wanna die alone

Two become one, it could be lethal

Sleeping with a friend

-Neon Trees

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What are your thoughts? Please let me know in a review and I'll update sharpish :)