Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.

Takes place just after 'His Turn'. Enjoy!

"What do you mean, you aren't sure," Eugenia snapped into her phone as Chuck stepped off the elevator after he returned from his business lunch, "That's not good enough. Find out for sure or I can guarantee that you'll be fire!"

"Who did what and why will I need to fire them?" Chuck inquired as he strolled casually to his assistant's desk as she slammed down her phone as she yelled out a deep groan of frustration. He smirked slightly in amusement. It was rare that Eugenia ever showed any frustration. "And as much as I love your enthusiasm for your job, threatening termination is my job, not yours."

"That was the transportation manager. He received a call from the police," Eugenia stated seriously, "One of the fleet vehicles was involved in an accident."

"Is everyone okay?" he pressed as his voice and facial expression matched her own.

"We don't know," Eugenia stated as tears filled her eyes, "We don't know for certain which vehicle was involved nor which driver. Not all drivers have checked in, and there are a few that aren't answering their calls on the radio or their cell phones. All we know for certain is that it was one of the limos."

"Blair!" he gasped as his stomach did a flip in panic, "Tell me you've been able to reach her."

"I called her as soon as I got the first call from the transportation manager," Eugenia stated as a tear slid down her cheeks, "She didn't answer. Her phone went straight to voicemail."

"Get the transportation manager on the phone right now!" he barked, "Find out who was involved. If I don't have answers in five minutes everyone is fired!"

He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and began dialing Blair's phone as he scrambled into his office, slamming the door behind him as hard as he could.

"This is Blair. I'm not available, leave a message," the voicemail stated cheerfully as soon as the phone picked up on the first ring.

"Waldorf, turn your damn phone on and call me back right now!" he shouted into the phone while he stared at the picture of her on his desk. At the last possible moment he added a desperate, "Please."

A knock on the door frightened him out of his thoughts, which were turning darker and more dangerous with each passing moment. He was nearly hyperventilating in panic.

"The manager is going through the logs as quickly as possible," Eugenia assured him as she entered his office. She was visibly shaking as she addressed him. He could see in her eyes that she was just as fearful that something had happened to Blair as he was. "We have seven fleet vehicles left to check in. Of those seven, two are out on maintenance runs. Three were on their way to their destinations with no passengers. Only two had potential passengers."

"One of which is Blair," he choked out.

"And I checked for police reports. There is an accident on Blair's usual route home from school," Eugenia stated as she shook even more.

"You have Blair's cell phone contact list, correct?" Chuck snapped, "Start calling everyone in it to see if anyone has heard from her at any point throughout the day. Maybe she had a study session or was meeting her friends for lunch. Find me anything that tells me that she wasn't on her way home."

"Yes, sir," Eugenia nodded as she turned around sharply.

"And get someone to the scene of the accident and verify that Blair was not involved. I don't care how you get them there, just do it. Land the damn helicopter at the scene if you have to," he snapped as he began dialing Blair's number again.

"Damn it, Blair, I'm serious. Call me back right now! This game of yours isn't funny!" Chuck shouted when her phone went to voicemail again. He was hyperventilating now as he pounded his fist against the desk. Of all days for her to have her damn phone turned off.

The lack of oxygen was taking its toll as he lowered his head between his knees before he passed out. He was making himself sick with his worry for her. He'd never felt as helpless as he did at that moment. He needed a plan of action, something to do to keep his mind from going to the place that he couldn't allow himself to go.

Things had been going so well for them for the past month. She was almost through with her first year of college. She was so looking forward to their summer trip to France to visit her father and then on to Greece before they had to return to New York so she could start her internship with Michael Kors.

Dorota had been teaching her how to sew, and even he admitted that she was a very quick study. She had sewn herself an exquisite silk slip that she proudly displayed for him only a few nights before. He'd been extra careful when he removed it so that he wouldn't make her mad at the importune moment.

Their one-year anniversary was only two weeks away. He was already planning a romantic evening for them to celebrate. He nearly choked on the thought that he wouldn't be able to give it to her. His stomach churned violently before he unloaded his lunch into the trash can near his feet.

Eugenia came back into his office just as he was about to attempt his third call to her phone. "We only have two vehicles left that haven't checked in. One is a maintenance run vehicles and the other is . . ."

"Blair's car," he gasped as his stomach dropped.

"Yes," Eugenia whispered, "I got a preliminary report on the accident on Blair's route home. It was a three-car accident, and there was a fatality. There is no description on the fatality nor the vehicles involved as of yet."

"She can't do this to me," Chuck stated as he dialed her number yet again, "She cannot leave me the same way my father did. Eugenia, get me a fleet vehicle now. I'm going to that accident."

"You can't," Eugenia stated desperately, "The police have cut off traffic for a three block radius while they try to clear up the accident. All traffic is being diverted."

"I'm Chuck Bass for crying out loud. They'll do what I tell them to!" he shouted, "Get me the vehicle now!"

"Chuck," Eugenia stated softly as she touched his hand gently. He was shaking with fear and rage. She was fearful of his reaction to her touch but he didn't lash out as she had expected. He broke down almost immediately, so much so that he couldn't see the read out on his phone to dial Blair's number.

"This can't be happening. Please don't let it be true," Chuck whispered softly as Eugenia's arms went around him to provide him some level of comfort. "Surely I would feel if there was something wrong. I'd feel it in my heart. It would be breaking right now."

"Let me have someone drive you home," Eugenia offered gently, "I'll keep trying to get any information that I can. You shouldn't be here right now."

He nodded in agreement as he stood up from his leather chair. He didn't even pick up his briefcase as was his normal routine. He merely followed Eugenia out of his office.

"I'm halfway through Blair's contacts. I started with her school friends, but from what I've gathered she was following her normal routine today of leaving as soon as classes were over. She didn't have any plans with anyone for lunch or any study sessions. I also accessed her phone's calendar and nothing was blocked out with any appointments," Eugenia explained as she walked him to the elevator door as she began texting the fleet manager to have a car brought around.

"Eugenia, please don't say anything else unless its good news," Chuck requested numbly, "I don't want to hear anything else."

She nodded in understanding as the elevator doors opened, and they both stepped into the elevator. She had no intention of leaving him alone at the moment. She was going to continue working on getting the information that he needed, but she wasn't going to leave his side to do it. Although he'd never verbalize it, he appreciated the gesture, more so with each floor the elevator stopped at in which Eugenia was able to stare down anyone that attempted to join them.

"I'll call you as soon as I have any definite answers," Eugenia assured him as they stopped in front of Chuck's building after an unproductive ride to the penthouse. Eugenia was running into one dead end after another and threatening nearly every employee she had spoken to. Chuck nodded his gratitude as he stepped out of the vehicle.

Eugenia broke down in hysterical sobs as soon as Chuck was out of sight. She knew what Blair meant to her boss, and if the worst did happen he would be completely destroyed. She knew that no amount of consolation would help him.

Chuck stumbled off the elevator into their penthouse as her scent filled him. He never realized how much their home smelt like her until that moment.

There was a framed photograph of the two of them taken at midnight on New Years' Eve that greeted him. God, they were so happy that evening. They had made some ridiculous resolution to go a week without sex, but they lasted no more than five minutes after their guests left for the night. Her giggles echoed in his ears as they discarded their clothes in random locales as they made their way towards their bedroom.

Returning to the penthouse hadn't been a great idea he realized. She was everywhere. She was responsible for the decorations. She ensured that the house was cared for properly. They had made love in every room, on or against every flat surface, wall, and floor.

He couldn't even imagine what he would do if she really was gone. The mere possibility left him paralyzed. He'd never be able to live without her, nor would he want to.

He didn't know where to go or what to do. Something caught his eye suddenly, a glimmer of hope . . . her school bag. She never went to school without it.

"Blair," he called out for her, praying for the first time in his life. There was only silence. Their home had never felt so quiet. "Blair," he called out even louder as he began searching for her cocoa brown curls in each room as he went.

His heart stopped when he entered their bedroom to see the blinds completely drawn shut and familiar feminine silhouette sound asleep in their bed. Tears fell freely as he crossed the room in record time and scooped her into his arms with alarming speed. Blair jumped from fright having been awoken from a deep sleep.

"Chuck!" she groaned as she pushed him away roughly as she buried her head in her pillows to block out the light from the doorway that was spilling into the room. "Turn out the lights. I have a migraine. I had to take a cab home from school a few hours ago."

"Thank god you're alright," he stated as he gathered her into his arms again and began rocking her gently as he buried her head into his chest to block out the painful light.

"Not so loud," she groaned. It was then that she realized that he was crying. "What's wrong?" she asked as she reached up to wipe his tears.

"One of the fleet vehicles was in a car accident. We couldn't get a hold of you nor the driver filing in this week while Arthur is on vacation, and I thought . . ." he trailed off as he kissed her forehead softly. He couldn't complete the sentence. The thought was painful enough.

"Chuck," she whispered softly as she caressed his chin softly. She could feel the slight stubble of a spot that he must have inadvertently missed earlier that morning as he had to rush out the door. He was running late because of her extremely effective distraction techniques, and he had an important early meeting.

"You don't know how hard these last forty-five minutes have been for me," he replied as he kissed her forehead again, "I couldn't allow myself to believe it, but every time I gave it a moment's thought I always came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be able to live without you."

She began loosening his tie as he began to sob quietly in relief.

"I called your cell phone and it kept going to voicemail," he stated, his voice sounding frantic as he returned back to those terrifying moments as she began to unbutton his dress shirt.

"I turned it off," she explained as her hand rubbed his newly exposed chest affectionately. Her headache was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. She could feel his pain ooze out of every pore of his body and she ached to comfort him. "My mother has been texting me all morning about a party she wants me to help host for Cyrus next week which was making my headache worse."

"Don't ever do this to me again," Chuck commanded as he shrugged out of his suit jacket and shirt as she went to work on his pants.

"Never," she agreed as his lips crashed down against hers roughly. She didn't remember him ever kissing her that way before. He was beyond possessive, bordering on painful as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. She was helpless to do anything but moan. She could feel him shaking against her as the realization that she really was alive and in his arms hit him fully.

"I know you're in pain, but I need you right now," he groaned as he pulled away to allow them both a much-needed breath of air.

"I need you more," she assured him as she pulled him back to her for another soul-searching kiss as her hands ran through his hair, scratching his scalp lightly the way she knew he liked. He opened his mouth but wasn't quick enough to dart his tongue into her mouth as she invaded him first. His hands became tangled in her hair as they began warring with each other for control of the kiss before they both broke away panting for air.

"I love you," Chuck stated as he slipped the satin nightgown she had slid into when she returned from class off her body. She was completed exposed to him, and he wasted no time in caressing every bit of flesh as fast as he could. She giggled when his touch tickled her in places, and moaned his name when he found certain erogenous zones.

"Chuck, your pants need to come off now," she gasped as she tried unsuccessful to rid him of his remaining clothes. The fact that she was firmly implanted in his laps was making her task impossible to accomplish.

"I need more of this," he stated as he shook his head as his hand closed roughly around one of her breasts. Her head fell back in pleasure as a deep groan escaped from the back of her throat. He'd never heard that sound from her before which he found both alarming and alluring at the same time. He concluded that there was still much to be learned about each other physically. In any other moment he would have given her a leering smile, but not this moment. He was still too raw from the earlier pain he felt when he thought he'd lost her.

They'd had rough sex before, so this should have been nothing new for them, but as he finally allowed her to rid him of his pants and hovered over her just before he thrust himself into her he found himself pausing.

"Tell me if I hurt you," he whispered just as he slid home as they both hissed in pleasure. Home was truly where he was at that moment. The penthouse was merely a place to lay his head when she wasn't there.

"Chuck," she called out to him as he drove into her solidly over and over again. She didn't try to match his rhythm as she normally did when they made love. It would have been impossible to figure out. He was going at a pace she had never felt before, one that was more intimate than anything she had ever felt in her life. He was driving deeper than he ever had, hitting spots inside of her she didn't know she had until that moment. She merely wrapped her legs around his torso tighter, clamped her eyes shut, and held on as he brought her towards a pleasure she had never experienced before. For her to even think those words was saying something as he was the most skillful lover any woman would ever know.

He had tears in his eyes once again as he felt her reach her orgasm around him. He had thought he'd never feel that sweet pleasure ever again; never hear her blissful moans of ecstasy, never see her beautiful face contort with rapture as the full effect of her orgasm rocked her body.

Chuck let go almost as soon as she did as he filled her completely with his essence. Suddenly he didn't want to wait until after she finished college and started on her career like they had talked about. He wanted to marry her, make her his in every way possible. The words tumbled out of his mouth before he realized he was saying them.

"Marry me, Blair," he panted.

"What?" she exclaimed as her eyes went wide in surprise. His eyes suddenly reflected her own when he realized he had said the words out loud. He debated in his head on how to proceed, but then decided to hell with it . . . let the chips fall where they may.

"Marry me," he repeated as he looked deep into her eyes, "Become my wife before anything can ever happen to prevent that."

She had tears trickling down her cheeks as his words sunk in. "Do you really mean it?"

"Yes," he nodded as he captured her lips in another bruising kiss. "God, yes, I do mean it. That one hour in which I thought I had lost you changed me in ways I cannot pretend didn't happen. I'll die without you, Blair."

"Chuck," she whispered gently as she caressed his cheek softly with the back of her hand, "Yes, I will marry you . . . someday."

"Today," he tried to suggest, "We can be in Atlantic City inside of a few hours. You can be Mrs. Chuck Bass before dinner."

"You know that I want that more than anything, but when we're ready," she responded as she tried to get him to see the situation rationally. He was thinking emotionally at the moment. "You had a big scare today, one that I know is the most painful you can ever imagine, but Chuck we're not ready for marriage yet. We're only nineteen years old. We have all the time in the world."

"I thought that until today," he agreed. He wasn't backing down from this like he knew she had hoped. Every fiber of his being, every beat of his heart told him that he had to hold his ground until she caved to his wish. "Nothing is going to change for us between now and four or five years from now."

She closed her eyes as she began processing his words. Naturally, he was right. There would be no change in their relationship between now and five years from now. Of course they would still be blissfully happy and in love. His words made sense.

"Do you want me to give up my dreams?" she inquired as she brushed away a tear that fell down her cheek. If they married right that moment before she started her career, she'd never be seen as anything other that Chuck Bass's blushing bride. Even if she graduated college and managed to get her own fashion label up and running, nobody would see her as anything other than his wife.

Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. He was being selfish. He couldn't ask her to give up her dreams anymore than she could ask him to give up his.

"I'm being ridiculous, aren't I," he sighed as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"Not at all," she assured him as she forced him to look in her eyes, "You're being completely honest with me, and I love that you trust me enough to do that. One day, I will definitely marry you. You have my promise on that." She held up her ringed left land him to remind him. "I just need a little time. Can you give me that?"

"Of course," he nodded as he kissed her ringed finger.

"I love you, Chuck," she whispered as she felt him grow hard inside her once more.

"I love you, Blair," he whispered back as they began to move in perfect rhythm. She was his mentally, spiritually and physically. He could wait a few years to make her his legally. He loved her enough to do that. The most important thing at that moment was that she was in his arms where she belonged.

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