"You're not going to hold this against me are you? I was scared and didn't know what else to do."

"So, you took something--one who was half mine. The life I helped make. You didn't think I would want to know about her did you? You assumed I would want nothing to do in my child's life?"

"No! It wasn't that! People don't care who the father of a kid is, so long as they can slam the mother. I WAS SCARED."

"So you let someone else help raise my kid?"

"Don't say someone like that. Its not like you don't trust him! Plus, you have a family now! You're married and---well your wife wasn't happy when she saw me, but-"

"She is never happy. All she cares about is image. I don't know who I would trust with my kid, for the fact I didn't know I had a kid. For starters right now, I wouldn't trust you!"

"You weren't ready to be a dad yet anyway! We could barely manage to go a day without fighting. I saved you from the thing known as parenthood."

"I thought you said I was different from my father?"

"You are. Look at you! You're married and you're running your father's company triumphantly, and you're only 21! You beat him."

"You just decided on your own I wasn't good enough to be a dad?"

"Stop! You're not making this against me! You didn't look for me. You didn't give much of an effort. That's okay. I don't hold it against you. Just let me be."

"No! I want to be in her life!"

"No, I wont let you. It'll ruin you and the career you've built. I didn't come back for you anyway, Chuck. Nate was the one who asked me to come back!!"

***6 months prior***

"Be still and let momma put your clothes on now, Ava" Blair ordered the tiny brunette who was kicking and thrashing on the table in front of her.

The little girl acting out in front of her was her daughter, and today was her first birthday. Blair was trying to dress her up to take her out for the party she had planned in the park. A party that had a few of the friends Blair had made in this new town and their kids coming to it.

"Please Ava." Blair begged with child, who was beginning to calm down.

Quickly as she could, Blair dressed Ava in the pink satin dress she had picked out and slid on the black flats as well. Next was Ava's hair…for the sake of time, since she didn't have much left, she scooped Ava's dark curl together then fastened them into a black bow clip. She then let the rest fall and cascade down from the ponytail.

It seemed like only minutes had passed before she and Ava had arrived at the park. Blair could see in the distance where her friend Ruby had already set everything up. After a sigh of relief she paid the taxi and gathered her and Ava's things. At least one thing was going right today.

Once arriving at the party sight, she smiled and greeted Ruby, thanking her for all her help.

"Its fine, its fine! Just hand the birthday girl over to me so I can give her some birthday love!" Ruby, a blacked headed woman with pin straight hair and an olive complexion, clapped.

Blair did hand Ava over to Ruby. After doing so she busied herself with putting up some more final decorations of pink, black and white along with setting up the tables for presents and such.

"You look so pretty, how'd you get so pretty?" Blair overheard Ruby ask Ava.

"It wasn't easy, believe me." Blair commented as she smoothed a table cloth down.

Within the hour, most of the guests had arrived, barring gifts and brightly dressed children. Blair thanked God for the play pin she had brought, and for the fact it was big enough for all the 'little' children to play in. Ava included among them, was playing with Stella, another of Blair's friends, son. Laughing when he made faces at her, clapping for the best ones.

Blair couldn't help but smile at her daughter. It was so easy to get enticed just by looking at her. Which was what had happened to Blair. She had completely forgotten she was supposed to be talking with Stella and Julia, and was watching her daughter.

"Blair, hey, did you hear a word I just said?" Stella asked, snapping her French tipped manicured nails in Blair's face.

"Yes!" Blair blurted out, snapping her attention back to the two women.

"Then who is he?" Julia quirked an eyebrow.

"Who?" Blair knew she had been busted.

The two other women laughed, then Stella used her nails to point to a man standing on the outer rim of the crowd. He had dark sandy hair and was wearing a long navy blue coat. A lean body build that was countered with his perfect beach model face. Blair witnessed him laughing it up with some woman on the edge of the crowd. He seemed so familiar, as if she had known him before.

"I don't know." She commented distractedly.

"Well, he is at your daughter's birthday party. Either he is a handsome bum or he knows you and has taken interest." Stella edged her on. Stella would have taken an interest in him of her own, had she not been happily married to the CEO of a company and had the perfect child.

"Or he could be a stalker." Blair sipped her ice water.

"A cute one."

"Yeah, he could stalk me anytime." Julia added in.

"It's time for presents, I'm going to get Ava. If you were fit mothers, you'd get your kids too." Blair laughed as she stood up from her bench.

"I do believe that was a stab at our characters." Julia giggled over at Stella.

"Me too. Good thing I was just getting up to get Nathanial as well." Stella sighed and followed Blair over to the play pin.

"Okay everyone, its time for presents!" Blair announced. Suddenly there was an influx of children, coming to surround the ground around Ava's highchair.

Many 'thank yous' and smiled were passed around as Blair helped Ava open her gifts. Stella's son Nathanial had gotten her a thin gold necklace with a tiny gold heart at the end. Ava took particular interest in this gift since, three year old Nathanial, demanded it be put on her then. She giggled and carried on with the small trinket for a few minutes until it was time for her next present. Julia got her some new hair clasps, in several different colors and styles. Ruby got her a pair of white sandals that had diamonds studs across most of it.

As the time went on, so did the gifts. All of them elaborate in its own way.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help? My day is open." Stella offered as she was gathering some of the scattered wrapping paper around Ava's chair. A sudden tug at her skirt made her look down, "Plus Nathanial doesn't want to leave yet."

"Yes?" A husky voice entered their conversation.

Both Blair and Stella dropped the garbage bags in their hands and turned to look behind them.

"Hi there. Um, I'm sorry can we help you?" Stella regained her composure first.

"I was just hear cause I heard an old friend of mine, daughter was having a birthday today and this was the place." He commented with a smile.

"Nate?" Blair's jaw sagged down.

"The one and only. I'm hurt you didn't recognize me!" He laughed deep and throatily, opening his arms for a hug.

"Nate, oh my God! You've changed so much! Well not really, has just been far too long!" Blair accepted his offer. It felt so good in his embrace. The feeling of home she had longed for was finally given back to her.

"Hey!" A small voice called as there was a tug on Nate's coat.

The two broke apart and Blair received wagging eyebrows from Stella as Nate turned his attention down to the little blonde boy at his feet.

"Are you Ava's daddy?" Nathanial asked, looking up at Nate with a stern look.

"No. I'm her mommy's friend." Nate squatted down to be level with the boy.

"How am I supposed to ask about marrying her if her daddy never shows up?" The little demanded, crossing his arms in a huff.

"Nathanial!" Stella shrieked. "Blair I'm so sorry. He gets that from all of those books Noah reads to him."

"What did I do?" Nate raised up again, seeing as Stella had just stolen the little boy from him.

"Not you, her son's name is Nathanial." Blair commented, "Stella, its fine. He didn't mean any harm. Its cute even."

"I really am sorry. I had no idea he was even planning on marrying Ava." Stella tried to laugh.

"Well, I would be thrilled if it happened. But Nathanial," Blair bent down and petted the boy's hair, "lets wait until Ava is a little older to plan a wedding okay?"

"Fine. But no other boys are allowed to think about it!" He ordered, marching back over to Ava's play pin to climb in with her.

"Full of spunk isn't he?" Nate laughed.

"So, you're an old friend of Blair's? She didn't recognize you earlier." Stella finished picking up the scraps of paper and tied her bag up.

"Yeah, its been a while." He chuckled a laugh out.

"Well, since you're here. Clean. We're almost done." Blair shoved a bag into Nate's hands, forcing him to help her clean.

In thirty minutes they had finished and Stella took Nathanial and went home.

"So," Nate started as they walked back towards the street where a minivan taxi was waiting for them, "this is the new you? Best mommy, parties in the park, book clubs?"

"Hey, don't slam the park parties. It turned out good." Blair laughed, readjusting Ava on her hip.

"It did. Very impressive. I would clap but-" he shifted the packages in his arms.

"Thank you." Blair bowed her head slightly then opened the van door.

Nate rode with her back to her apartment. Where he stayed and talked for hours. It was almost 4 am when they finally stopped talking. Somewhere about 10 O' clock he had helped Blair put Ava to bed.

"Listen stay here. The couch is empty and Ava has really taken an interest in you." Blair yawned.

"On no. What will Nathanial think? It could be scandalous." Nate made a weird face and laugh tiredly.

"I'm sure he wont mind if Ava is happy." Blair squeezed his forearm. "Take your coat off. I'm going to go get you a blanket."

"Okay." Nate smiled back at her and when she was out of site, began shedding his coat off.

"Nate, why did you come here anyway?" Blair asked as she shuffled through the hall closet.

"I missed you." He responded back, making his way through the house until he found her.

"Nice 'perfect boy' response. Now the real reason if you would please." She tugged at a blanket she had stored up on the top shelf.

All the blankets responded to her tugging and began tumbling down.

Blair prepared herself for the impact of the things, only it didn't come.

She peeked up to see the reason and saw a tanned hand suspending the materials.

"Blair."

She inched around to look at him.

"I did miss you. Whatever you came out here to do, I need to do it too. Find myself, be a better person, make something of myself. Look at you! You're amazing. You look beautiful. You're daughter is just as cute as can be." Nate's eyes were burning down into hers.

"I-"

"Are you going to deny me the chance to grow in the same way you did?" He pulled the blankets out and carried them over to the couch.

"No, but Nate your family and Chuck." Blair stuttered.

"Its fine, Chuck got married," that's right! Blair remembered reading about the extravagant Bass wedding. Stella and Julia had been squawking about how neat it would be to be invited. But of course it was exclusive, only people with connections directly to Chuck Bass got in. The woman he married, Blair had never heard of before though. Marrying must've been the fine print on inheritance.

"Sorry." Nate commented shyly.

"Its okay. I'm happy and he is happy. That's all that matters." Blair smiled as she unfolded a blanket for him.

"As I was saying, my mom really doesn't care so long as I don't end up in jail." He tossed a warm smile over to her.

"Nice. Well, I'll see you in the morning--or later I guess."

"Yeah. Good-night."

Should we keep it? Or just abandon it? This hit me as all others, spur of the moment. Please tell me your thoughts. RAWR