'And then what happened?' asked Nate quietly, loosening his top button as he placed a glass of water and two aspirin on the table beside her.

'Just fucking grow-up!'

'Make me.'

'You're drunk.'

'So..? You're a slut. All's fair in lo-'

...

...

'Wh-what did you just say?'

'Well that wasn't the worst part.' Blair answered softly before reaching out and knocking back the aspirin he gave her with a swig of water.

Nate watched as she did. It occurred to him how strained and pressured Blair looked. Her eyes were dull and rimmed with dark circles, her skin lack-lustre. Even her very hair seemed to droop in a despondent way. Granted Blair was never really the carefree soul that any of the other members of the NJBC were-or at least pretended- to be, but he hadn't ever seen her so defeated before. Although she covered it up well, the mask only beginning slip now, but Blair wasn't Blair without the scheming and the manipulation and the clever retorts. This Blair was almost lifeless.

'He-,' she hiccupped slightly, 'he just-' and she burst into tears.

Nate pulling her into his arms gently. 'Shhh... I'm here. You know you don't have to say-'

'I mean he just didn't say anything!' Blair exclaimed indignantly as she wiped her eyes forcefully before breaking down again. 'He just said nothing.' Her warm, brown eyes turned up towards his, pleading with him to understand, begging him to explain how his best-friend could do this to her. Nate didn't know what to tell her, he didn't understand it himself how two people clearly meant for each other could hurt each other so badly.

'Nate? Why did he do that?' Blair asked tearfully, her eyes welling up again.

Nate looked down at her and seeing her tear-stained face, realised -not for the first time in his life- that he was lost for words.

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'Oh my god!' Blair bolted upright, disturbing Nate who fell off the couch in confusion.

'Who? What? Where?' he demanded wildly, blindly searching about for an invisible attacker.

Blair's face was as white as a sheet. 'I left it there.' She whispered almost inaudibly.

Groggily reaching out, Nate's hand groped around until he found the light switch. Flicking it on, he sat back and groaned.

'Archibald,' Blair snapped at him, 'Get-up and find my beret! We have to go get it before he finds it!'

Nate ran a hand through his hair. 'Wait...Get what exactly?'

Blair rolled her eyes. 'My gift.' She said slowly for emphasis.

Nate frowned, 'You mean your pin?'

Blair gritted her teeth in response.

'Right sorry, you don't want to talk about it. But do we really have to go right now? I mean it's what, about 4 am?'

She just glared at him.

Nate sighed. 'Right, sorry boss.'

Twenty-five minutes later they pulled up outside of The Palace.

Blair hopped out of the car immediately, taking up her chosen strategic position beside the old oak tree as she pulled the beret low down over her eyes.

'So...' Nate whispered after a few minutes of silence at her side. 'What do we do now Captain? Storm the building?'

The corners of Blair's lips curved up involuntarily. 'Not a bad idea Archibald,' she admitted before turning towards him. 'But would you really be willing to risk those glorious manbangs of yours shimmying up a drainpipe?' she teased.

Nate took a step back from her and put a hand to his heart in mock horror. 'Anything but the manbangs!' he proclaimed vehemently, his twinkling eyes giving him away.

Blair laughed and shoved him playfully, yet somehow Nate managed to lose his footing in the process. As he fell back, Blair grabbed at his shirt but he was too heavy and she went down with him, colliding together as they hit the side of the car with a crash. Blair landing on top of him, his hands went to her waist holding her steady.

'Ow!' Blair complained, as she extricated herself from Nate's arms, pausing only to fix her curls. 'You messed up my hair Archibald!' she complained, giving herself the once-over in the side mirror.

Nate laughed, 'Yeah well that's what you get for messing with the-'

'AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
A shrill scream filled the air and they both snapped their heads around to see the source.
What they say was a very red-faced, embarrassed doorman who was trying to usher three very drunk, half-naked girls out the back door as discreetly as possible.

Blair presumed the one who'd screamed was also the one currently rolling across the sidewalk with her legs flailing in the air, but of course she could be wrong.
The girl rolled to the right, exposing her purple underwear to the nearby traffic and triggering a wave of car horns as the general public showed their approval.

Blair scowled and turned back to Nate, there really was no class left in the Manhattan.

'Alright girls- I mean ladies, could we... em possibly clear the area? I don't think Mr Bass would appreciate you hanging around-'

Nate felt Blair stiffen beside him.

The girls cackled wickedly at this. 'Oh believe me,' the smallest one replied with a wink, 'Your Mr Bass is very appreciative of our services.' And they all cackled again.

The poor doorman reddened and wiped his forehead. He was flustered and obviously misunderstood their intended innuendo. 'Well,' he tried to charm them, 'if you ladies would just leave the premises I would also be very appreciative...'

And the girls fell about at this, screeching and stamping their feet like a pack of hyenas.

Blair stared after them quietly, a strange calm look on her face.

Nate nudged her. 'Hey,' he said gently, as though she was a small child. 'You know he loves right?'

Blair remained silent.

Nate sighed, he was going to kill Chuck. 'You want to go home?' he offered softly.

Blair nodded slowly, before turning her back on the girls and walking towards the car.

Nate opened the door wordlessly and she slid in. He gave The Palace one last final look before climbing in after her and giving the driver the address for the Waldorf penthouse.

Chuck watched from his window as his best friend and his- Blair drove away.
He gripped his glass so tight it shattered, sending splintered shards twinkling across the floor and scotch over his newly-replaced boxers.

'Fuck' he murmured as he inspected his hand, a drop of blood oozing from a cut there.

Sucking the wound gently he stepped over the mess and picked up the phone by his bed. Calling down to the front desk, he requested room service, a plaster and a new suit to be sent over the next morning.
Putting the phone down he sighed, glancing over at the picture taken of Blair and him on the mantelpiece.

A knock came from the door and he walked over and opened it, waiting for his employee to make himself scarce before strolling over to the trolley of food.

He grimaced as he felt something sharp underfoot and idly wondered how a piece of glass had managed to jump nearly 3 metres across the room from beside the window.
Bending down to pick it up he frowned. Wait a minute... was this..? No! His widened in shock as his fingers closed around the tiny gold heart.
She had given it to him. She had given it to him. His mind reeled.
Blair Waldorf had given Chuck Bass her heart.

Clasping it fiercely he stumbled over to the wall safe behind one of Lily's oversized photographs of the Manhattan skyline.
36 spins and seven digits later Blair Waldorf's heart was safe and secure under 7 layers of titanium.

His mind at ease he sat down to his makeshift dinner. He needed to get his energy up, the battle wasn't over yet, tomorrow was going to be a long day.