Protected Scars

By: Shelby

Blair looked out the open French-Style doors at one of the most gorgeous views she had ever seen. The sun was setting over the Manhattan Skyline. She sighed, feeling content, and smiled softly.

"Eat your dinner," Chuck said, breaking the silence. He slid his hand on top of hers and scooted his chair closer. He was noticing she spaced on him quite a bit, but he tried not to let it bother him. He couldn't imagine how she was supposed to act after the ordeal she went through.

"I'm a big girl, Chuck. I can handle deciding when to eat my meals all on my own," Blair replied with a teasing smile as she turned back to him. She then leaned back in her chair and reached for her wine, taking a sip.

He nodded, "While that may be true, I think you also must apply the rules of etiquette. I am paying for this dinner and therefore it would be rude to let it go cold." He brought the piece of his steak he cut to his lips, chewed, and met her eyes once more.

She stared at him for a few moments and shook her head. "You're still upset with me for today, aren't you? Don't try to deny it. I can see it in your eyes, Bass," Blair told him. She was calm, but knowing.

"I was never mad," Chuck denied and shook his head. He then put his fork down and sighed. "I just—I was never mad."

"Yes," Blair smirked, "You were. It's fine. I understand you can't understand it. I don't expect you to, part of me doesn't even want you to." The seriousness to her voice returned and the smirk slipped off her lips.

"Fine. I'll admit I was not happy when after I brought the doctor to our hotel room you wouldn't let me stay for the checkup," Chuck caved. He had wanted to get her checked out the moment he found out what was happening, but that thought originally involved him being there during the procedure.

"I didn't want to worry you and besides I'm fine. We already knew about the bruises and cuts. Plus, only a few will scar," Blair told him. She tried to sound as if telling a joke, but failed miserably because it wasn't a laughing matter.

Chuck's face showed those exact thoughts. "I still would have liked a full, medical backed report. It's not that I don't trust you, but just that you obviously withhold information from me when it comes to these matters," he voiced.

Blair leaned in and spoke just above a whisper. "Chuck, these matters aren't all that complex. I had a work partner I trusted try to put the moves on me with means of violence, but now I don't—trust him, I mean. He was fired and I'll never see him again. Besides, I have a boyfriend who loves and takes care of me. He is also becoming a tad too overprotective," she hinted, kinking her eyebrows.

He leaned forth to though and shook his head. "That word no longer applies to you or to this relationship. It isn't being overprotective. I've learned there's no such thing or else this wouldn't have happened," Chuck argued.

She laughed, "And what is that supposed to mean? Tell me how you were possibly supposed to stop this. I was working late. You do it all the time. What, would you go back now and have me never work? Because in order for me to become a lazy housewife we would need to get married." She was putting on a joking front, but really the subject was serious. She just didn't want to act like it was.

Chuck glowered at her, not saying anything for a long time. Then he finished his Scotch and shook his head. "Nothing about this is funny, Blair. It never has been and it never will be, no matter how much time passes," he told her.

The fake smile dropped from her lips, as did her eyes. She kept them focused on her still full plate and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry," Blair replied, her voice breaking just a tad. She felt guilty now for upsetting him.

He sighed and slid his hand onto her lap. This caused her to look up at him and he gave her a lighter expression. It wasn't a smile, but not a frown either.

"I love you, Blair," Chuck swore.

Blair smiled softly and nodded, "I love you too, Chuck." She realized she didn't say it much anymore, only when he did. It wasn't that she didn't love him, but only that she was scared to say it. It was going to take some time, some time she hoped that he had.

XOXOXOXOXO

Chuck stepped over into a rather dark corner, near his home bar. He took a long sip of Scotch and then sighed, feeling the amber liquid drain down his throat. His eyes gazed over the Waldorf-Bass housewarming party. He didn't particularly want to have one for their new penthouse, for he liked to keep his life private, but he knew denying Blair was not an option. He tried to argue with her that she might not be ready to be in a room full of people with pressure to impress yet, but she was still denying anything was wrong. Blair claimed that she was seeing a therapist and taking some time off from work so therefore everything was over and done with. But it wasn't. And in the present time, Chuck never thought it would be.

"Chuck, nice party you have here," Nate remarked, walking up to his friend. He wore a knowing and teasing smile since they both knew how aware he was that Chuck didn't want to be there.

"Don't patronize me, Nathaniel. Besides—" Chuck sighed and shrugged, "Well if it's something Blair wants then she'll have it." He took a sip of his Scotch and stashed his free hand into his suit pant's pocket.

Nate smirked and his eyebrows rose. "Still spoiling her beyond belief, huh? You know, every woman I'm with brings you two up. No one can figure why she's the lucky one," he mused.

"Then they're blind, deaf, or just complete imbeciles," Chuck returned with a roll of his eyes. He shook his head. "Honestly, I don't see how all these whores can even be jealous of her. For one, they were never even in the running. And for two—well, I'm the lucky one." His voice lowered some towards the end. It wasn't that he didn't mean it, but that he only wanted Nate to hear it. Chuck Bass was still very much a private person.

"I guess there's something to say about a man who's only had one romantic relationship, one love," Nate replied, smiling softly. He then laughed though and shook his head. "Perhaps I shouldn't have let Blair go."

Chuck glared at him. It was a look that said 'don't even test me with that joke'.

"Hey man, I was just kidding. Learn to lighten up a bit," Nate laughed, holding up his hands in playful surrender.

"How can I?" Chuck breathed, almost speaking below a whisper. He turned away from his friend and looked at Blair across the room.

Blair was talking to Kati and Isabel, smiling and laughing. She appeared as the perfect host. The way she carried herself was as if nothing in her world was wrong or really ever had been. But then she'd turn her cheek. The bruises were hidden by makeup, but the large slash down the side of her cheek couldn't be hidden. The red scar started a few inches away from the corner of her eye and dragged down, in a slanted fashion, to her jaw line.

Chuck's hand gripped so tightly around his Scotch glass that he thought it would break. He felt a severe sense of anger in the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling that had been there ever since her attack. Chuck Bass had never been a physically violent man before, but now he felt a need to draw the blood of almost every man that looked at her. He didn't trust anyone anymore. Sure, he was really livid with her attacker, but the event caused him to realize it could have been anyone. So everyone who wasn't already okay with him, like Eric or Nate for example, was an enemy.

"She's going to be okay, you know," Nate voiced, disturbing his thoughts. The conversation quickly took a serious turn.

Chuck glanced back at him and finished off his drink. His jaw tightened so much that it was almost hard to speak. "She could have been killed and, she's not okay. She can't be," he denied. He knew she was putting up a front, as well as partly being in denial.

"Blair's strong, Chuck—and so are you. You two will get through this together. Time will pass and it will be a painful memory, but one you realize you don't always have to think of," Nate told him, speaking honestly.

"Since when did you become Dr. Phil?" Chuck retorted, snapping some. He knew Nate was trying to be supportive, but not in the way Chuck wanted him to be.

Nate sighed and put his hand on Chuck's shoulder. "Maybe you should go see Blair's therapist with her and talk a little too. It could help," he suggested.

Chuck shrugged him off though and shook his head. "I don't need a therapist, Nathaniel. I just need to make sure that Blair is never in a position where this can happen again, that I protect her like I should," he vowed.

Nate frowned, "Chuck, it happened at her work. It could have happened anywhere. What, are you going to have her watched by body guards—keep her from going back to work?"

Chuck didn't say anything, but only stared at him.

"You can't be serious. Chuck, Blair will never agree to not go back to work. She's not the type of girl who just lets a man take care of her. You know that," Nate reminded him.

"And I wasn't the type of boyfriend who let some creep beat the shit out of my girlfriend, but now I am. So clearly, things can change—just this time it will be fore the better," Chuck replied, sounding almost crazed.

"Chuck, this wasn't your fault. You didn't let anyone do anything. There was no way you could control this," Nate told him.

Chuck didn't say anything, but only stared at him for a few moments. His dark eyes revealed the guilt. Clearly, he didn't believe Nate. He shook his head and walked away from his friend without another word.

XOXOXOXOXO

"The party was nice. Everyone loved the penthouse," Blair reported with a smile. She followed Chuck into their bedroom and watched as he undid his tie, going into their closet. She sat down at her bureau to remove her makeup.

"I'm sure they did," Chuck replied. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. "Baby, I have to go into work tomorrow for a little bit. I was thinking you could call Serena though and stay in, having a girl's day," he offered. He was telling her not to leave the house in his own language, but he hoped she didn't realize that.

He soon realized that wasn't an issue though when he was only met with silence. There was no response from his girlfriend. He frowned and walked out of the closet. "Blair?" Chuck called.

Blair was still silent. She looked as if she didn't even know he was there, and really that was exactly how she felt. She was lost in her own tragic, mute world. It was a place where one, meaning she, could only focus on image. And the one staring back at her in the mirror was the worst.

Chuck saw her looking at her reflection. Her doe brown eyes were devastated and in her fallen hand she held a now dirtied makeup pad. He quickly walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Blair, look at me," Chuck said softly. He turned her cheek so that their eyes met, but she now appeared as if she had seen a ghost.

"I'm so hideous. How can you love me?" Blair asked, her voice breaking. Tears gathered in her eyes and she shook her head. "No wonder everyone at the party was staring at me. I'm a sideshow freak."

Chuck felt a pain run through his heart. He shook his head and rubbed her arms. "No—no, you're not. You're gorgeous, Blair. Nothing could ever change that," he assured her. He brought his hand to her cheek though the scar burned at his fingertips.

"Ch—Chuck, no. Look at this. Oh my God. Look at it," Blair sobbed. She grabbed onto his hand and moved it away from the scar. "I—I don't want it to be there. Make it go away," she begged. She then buried her face into his chest and started to wail at full volume.

Chuck wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "Shh… Blair, it will go away. I promise," he soothed. On the inside though, he was breaking down too. He had let someone destroy the only person he ever loved. How could she love him for letting that happen? He'd never forgive himself.

XOXOXOXOXO

Later that night, Blair and Chuck lied in bed together. He curved to her body, holding her close. She lied on her back though and stared at the ceiling. She had finally stopped crying and now there had been just an eerie silence. But they were both still very much awake.

"I want to have a doctor look at my face," Blair said suddenly, breaking the silence. She felt him sit up some to look at her, but refused to meet his eyes.

"There's no need for that. The scar will go away. You just haven't given it enough time. Your bruises aren't even healed yet," Chuck refused. He turned her cheek so that she had to meet his gaze even though she didn't want to.

Blair sat up though and pursed her lips. "I don't want to look like this anymore, Chuck. And don't act like you enjoy having a girlfriend with a huge scar on her face. Knowing who you are and your past of beautiful woman, there could be nothing more embarrassing," she argued.

He scoffed, "You can't be serious. You are the most beautiful woman I've been with and you always will be. I thought I made that clear. But me letting another man bring a knife to your face, that's not happening."

She rolled her eyes. "A plastic surgeon isn't going to slash me up. It's completely different and you know it. He'd fix me," Blair stated, nodding her head.

"You don't need to be fixed, not like that. Now drop the conversation because it isn't happening," Chuck informed her. His voice was serious and definite. There was no way he was going to let it happen.

"You can't tell me what to do. If it want it, then I'll get it. And that goes for everything, Chuck. I want someone to fix my face. I also want self-defense classes before I go back to work," Blair furthered.

Chuck turned away from her, wincing at the thought. He couldn't let her go back there. So he turned around and put a hand to his chest. "And what about what I want, Blair?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Well what do you want, Chuck? You haven't exactly been that open about it lately. So tell me now." Her eyebrows rose in question.

He stared at her in silence for a few moments and then nodded. "Fine. I want you to wear my engagement ring, for us to get married, and for us to have a baby. And it doesn't even need to be in that order. We could start trying now and get married before you begin to show," Chuck told her.

Blair shook her head and laughed in disbelief. "You cannot be serious. You, Chuck Bass, want to have children and get married? Where exactly is this coming from?" she questioned.

Chuck didn't respond, but turned away from her. He knew why she thought he sounded crazy and maybe he did, but he didn't care. If they had a baby then she would stay home with their child instead of going back to work. She would be safe and he could protect her.

He turned back around and met her eyes. "Why does it have to come from anywhere? Can't you just accept that I love you and want to be with you forever? Maybe I want a real family to come home to everyday," Chuck voiced.

Blair parted her lips to retort, but stopped herself. She looked deeply into her eyes and then sat back some. "Oh my God. You only want this to keep me at home, don't you?" she asked.

"That's not why," Chuck lied. Then they had a stare down. He knew she was going to see right through him. He was screwed.

She shook her head and stood up. "And now you're lying to me. Let me just tell you though whatever this is," Blair motioned from her to him, "It needs to stop. I love you, but I'm not going to let you marry me just so you can keep me from living my life."

"I'm not trying to do that! I'm trying to protect you!" Chuck shouted, standing up. He then breathed harshly, his heart beating fast.

Blair slowly turned around and looked at him. She shook her head. "But you're not. You're trying to shelter me. I don't want that. God, don't you think it's hard enough to try and live my life after what that creep did to me? I need you to encourage me to be strong, to not be scared. Instead, you're just helping him bury me in my own fear!" she cried out. Her eyes watered and her body began to tremble some.

"Yeah, well I'd rather you be scared and safe then us act all oblivious like nothing happened and nothing ever will again! I used to and look what happened to you because of it!" Chuck shouted back.

She stopped and silence filled the room. Blair shook her head and walked up to him. Her hands reached up and held his cheeks. "You think this is your fault, don't you?" she asked. She finally realized what was wrong with him.

Chuck's eyes fell away from hers in shame. "It is my fault. If I would have protected you then this would have never happened," he breathed.

"Look at me," Blair said seriously. When he didn't she forced him to. She shook her head. "This is not your fault, Chuck. It didn't happen because you couldn't protect me. It happened because there are sick people in the world like the man who attacked me. It's his fault, not yours. How could you ever think otherwise?" she questioned, her voice breaking some.

"Because, I'm Chuck Bass. I'm one of the richest, most powerful men in all of New York City. And you, Blair Waldorf, are the only girl I have ever loved—the only girl I love and this happens to you, to us. It wasn't supposed to, Blair. I'm in control of everything, but I couldn't stop this from happening? How could it not be my fault?" Chuck told her, finally explaining how he felt out loud.

"Because, I'm Blair Waldorf. I'm the only girl you have ever loved—the only girl you love. And I'm strong Chuck, but I couldn't stop this from happening. No one could. No one, but him could have. And he didn't. He chose to hurt me and he did. But you, you chose to love and care for me. That's the only thing you're guilty of," Blair assured him.

Finally, Chuck nodded slowly. Then he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I love you—so much," he whispered. He was completely vulnerable, but it was okay. She was the only one who could see him that way and the only one that ever would.

Blair rubbed his back and nodded. "I know. I love you too. And we're going to make it through this, Chuck. I promise," she returned.

He pulled back and smiled softly. "And then we'll talk marriage?" he asked.

With tears in her eyes she laughed. Blair nodded, "Don't forget babies too, Bass, Waldorf-Bass babies."

He kissed her passionately on the lips and stroked her cheek. "They'll have one hell of a strong mother," Chuck breathed.

"And one hell of a strong father," Blair concluded.

XOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: So how did you like the one-shot? I quite enjoyed writing it.