A/N: My late submission to this year's limoversary. I have an vid in the works (or several), but sadly it won't be finished any time soon, so this will have to do.

*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

…

It was fragile, silk, satiny, shimmering against her body, slight embroidery along the edges and the memory of how it had been ever so carefully been stripped from her seven years ago today.

But that's all it was. A memory. Because now, today, she was six months pregnant and the sentimental piece she had kept as one of her most treasured possessions barely fit over her fuller than usual breasts, not to mention her protruding belly. It didn't matter that, according to Serena, she didn't grow as large in her midriff as other women she'd seen, mostly on television, and Dorota. What mattered was that the key piece to the sixth anniversary celebration between her and her dapper husband, Chuck, was becoming problematic, and it infuriated her.

Dorota heard the huffing and whimpers from down the hall and knew she was about to be summoned. Despite how demanding her mistress was, she was also insistent on doing things her own way unless the need was dire and she sensed it was. Five months in and Mrs. Blair Bass was finally realizing – for the second time – that eventually not all clothes will fit throughout the nine month period when a child grows inside you.

Blair's dutiful maid wasn't particularly enthusiastic on getting "involved" with Chuck and Blair's sex life, but she was no innocent when it came to sexual innuendos or accidental walk ins when it involved the two of them. The sheer slip her mistress had worn at age seventeen, that was stuck halfway down her breasts when Dorota tried to slip past her doorway was the least of it.

"No no no, Dorota!" The maid halted, caught. "You come here. Come fix this." She pointed rapidly to her dilemma and regretfully the plump maid came in through the door, avoiding the pointed look of her damsel in distress.

"I no think this is good idea, Miss Blair. This not-" She tugged on the slip, willing it to come down by pure force without tearing. "fit anymore."

Blair blinked rapidly in shock and scoffed. "What are you saying, Dorota – that I'm fat?" she deadpanned.

"That you pregnant," she responded.

"Seven years is really not that long ago, Dorota. I am exactly the same size I was when I crawled into the back of my dear husband's limo and let him have his wicked way with me." She smiled cheerfully, adjusting her hair in the mirror as her maid continued to attempt making the slip somewhat presentable, and comfortable.

Dorota muttered indecencies under her breath on both counts of what her mistress was saying.

Finally the slip managed to get over the two big humps in its way, but Blair sucked in a breath when it did and Dorota looked up in alarm.

"What happen? You alright, Miss Blair?" Blair said nothing, swallowing. "I take it off," Dorota decided but Blair waved her off.

"No! Absolutely not. I just…it's a little tighter than I remember." She chuckled lightly, turning fully to the mirror as she attempted to pull the slip down farther. "Which is ridiculous really, since it doesn't involve a corset."

Dorota sighed loudly.

Blair's failed attempts to pull the slip further down her body proved to frustrate her even further when the slip just barely went past her belly bump, just grazing her panty line. Her eyebrows narrowed in further disgust as she tugged hard one last time only to hear a sudden tearing noise and see in the mirror Dorota's wide-eyed stare of horror as the material split down the back.

…

"My night is ruined, Serena. Ruined," Blair whined from her soothing spot in the bath tub. She tried to ignore the bump floating above the water, impossibly cold because it was so large. Serena was wrong, she decided. Her baby bump wasn't smaller than others at six months. It was bigger. And though her larger breasts had initiated some extra caressing from Chuck, she was particularly infuriated with those right now too.

"Oh, B, I'm sure it's not ruined. Chuck will love you in whatever you wear."

"That is besides the p-point, S! This is our special night, our special anniversary. And this beautiful piece of silk is a key memento from the occasion. One that I now can never wear again because it's torn."

"Can't it be fixed? How big is the tear?"

"I don't have to answer that question."

"B!"

"And besides, even if it is fixable, it wouldn't be done in time for tonight. Chuck is only working one more hour. I was going to surprise him by going to pick him up in his limo – our limo. It was supposed to bring back memories from when we first—"

"Yeah, got it. No details, please."

Blair wanted to smile and the slight disgust she heard in her best friend's voice, but she was too distraught to revel in the moment.

Instead, she sighed.

"I just had it all planned out, S. And now what? He just comes home, we have a nice dinner and have sex? How is that different from any other night of the week?"

Serena smiled on her end at her best friend and step-brother's daily routine.

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

"That's it? Really?"

"Good night, Blair."

"You're going to sleep?" she gawked.

"No, I'm letting you think."

"I probably won't do anything," she announced. "I'll just sit here in this bathtub all night and dwell on the misery of my stupid pregnant body ruining what was supposed to be this grand momentous occasion and—"

"Won't you get cold?"

"What?" The simple question caught her off guard.

"The water will get cold eventually. And even if you drain and keep putting new hot water in, you are bound to get pruney. Not sure if Chuck will like that."

Blair gasped.

"You just said Chuck would love me in whatever I wear!"

"But pruney fingers and toes?"

She huffed. "I don't have to listen to this. Goodbye, Serena." And she hung up the phone, realizing seconds later the trap she'd fallen into. Her best friend was just a little too smart this time.

…

She looked at the clock when she stepped out of the bathroom and saw that it was past time for when she would have gone to pick up Chuck at work. She sighed and sat down on their bed, smoothing her hand over the covers and remembering their last time together.

Her hair was still wet, ringlets starting to form as she pulled a loose silk nightie over her head and snuggled into it. What was she going to do, find some other lingerie? Chuck had made it a weekly tradition to buy her some maternal lingerie, but it only served to disgust her so she often went naked and he certainly never complained. Now she was beginning to think twice. But even as she did that, the thought of replacing a legitimate memento from the night with some maternal lingerie was appalling. As much as she loved the fact that she was full with Chuck's baby, on nights like she wished it wasn't so inconvenient to her plans.

She cuddled up in bed and closed her eyes. It was six o'clock. Maybe a short nap would do her good and then…well, she'd figure out the rest later. Or maybe she'd just forget this night was significant. That thought made her want to cry herself to sleep. She was so damn hormonal that a few tears did wet her pillow before she finally drifted off.

…

It was eight o'clock when Chuck got home. When Blair was nowhere to be found when he walked through the door he felt an impending doom settling on him. He knew what today was, knew the peonies and diamond necklace he'd picked up on his way home wouldn't suffice, but he'd gotten out of the office as quickly as he could. He only hoped the dark kitchen didn't mean a romantic dinner had been set up and then thrown away because he hadn't bothered to make it on time. He had called and texted but her phone had gone to voicemail every time and there was never a ring. She had turned her phone off.

There was no light showing under their bedroom door and that made him nervous. When he opened it the confirmation stared in his face. No lights, no candles, no conscious Blair gazing up at him sultrily, giving him her seductive smile that never ceased to bring him to her in a heartbeat.

No. She was sleeping. Curled up under the covers. Before nine pm. Because he had to work late? Now he worried.

"Blair?" he whispered softly, coming closer. "Blair?" he said again. He came around to her side of the bed and set the flowers and wrapped jewelry on the end table. "Blair," he murmured, sitting on the bed softly and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She moaned a little, turning her face toward his hand when he tucked a curl behind her ear. He leaned down again and kissed her on the lips gently, which she soon returned. When he pulled back a few moments later her eyes blinked up at him.

"Hey," she said, sounding confused.

"Hey." He smiled.

"You're home," she said.

Chagrined, his lips twisted and his eyes saddened.

"Sorry about that. I really did try to get home earlier but the work load was enormous."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about? What time is it?"

"It's 8 o'clock," he said, deciding it was best not to lie to her to save his ass, since it appeared she may have been sleeping for awhile.

"Oh," she said simply.

"Oh?"

She nodded and snuggled into her pillow, closing her eyes.

"Yes. Oh."

Silence ensued and Chuck found himself wondering what the hell to do next.

"I brought you flowers," he offered.

"Mmm," she acknowledged, her eyes still closed.

"Peonies."

"Thank-you."

"And uh, certainly jewelry you may have put on hold."

"That's nice." She smiled, her eyes still refusing to open.

Silence elapsed again and it began to tear at him.

"Blair, do you remember what tonight is?" he asked, sounding so hurt and dejected she couldn't keep the act up a moment longer. She opened her eyes, pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it gently.

"Of course I remember."

"Then…are you mad or something?"

"Yeah," she said. He tensed. "But not at you."

His brows furrowed and she sat up in bed. He scooted back a little as she uncovered herself and walked across the room, pulling the damaged chemise from her top drawer.

He smirked as she returned to him.

"Ah. I remember that little piece." He dragged his finger down the silk material. "It was especially fun ripping it off of you all those years ago."

She cringed at the word ripping, and sighed, turning the garment around and stretching it a little so he could see the tear.

He frowned and looked back up at her. "What the matter?"

Her jaw dropped. "What's the matter? There's a tear in my chemise, the chemise. I had a whole night planned for us and this stupid slip wouldn't fit over my pregnant body and now it's ruined. Forever!" She collapsed onto the bed, suddenly fuming again.

He scooted over to her, realizing the problem and brought her close.

"Blair, it's not ruined." He kissed her neck. "It can be fixed."

She grumbled. "Not tonight it can't."

He smirked against her.

"You know what I remember most about that night?"

She sighed, indulging him for the time being. "My stripping at your club I imagine. Oh no, wait – " She tossed a look his way. "Taking my virginity."

No smile lighted his features. There was no hidden humor he was about to reveal.

"The look in your eyes right after you kissed me for the first time," he said quietly.

She sat up straighter to look at him fully.

"I knew then that something was happening that would never happen with anyone else and that had never happened before. You hooked me, Mrs. Bass," he teased, running his finger down her parted lips. "I was never the same again."

It took a few moments for her find her tongue again to speak.

"Don't tell me you saw 'no regrets' in my eyes, because I'm pretty sure the next day I felt otherwise."

He shook his head.

"No…to be honest I don't know what it was that I saw. All I knew was that I had to have it, but I didn't want to force it. Not then, not unless you were sure."

"Are you sure…" she said softly, remembering, as if she'd forgotten every moment since then.

He nodded and leaned forward, pressing another gentle kiss to her lips. Slowly the kiss escalated, and just as Chuck started pushing her down onto the bed, she put a hand on his chest to stop him and look deep into his eyes.

"I just wanted to make it special for you, Chuck," she said by way of explanation.

"And it is special, Blair." He kissed her again. "You make it special just by being you and being here and wanting and loving me the way I love you." Her heart skipped a beat. "And this…" He rested his hand gently on her growing baby bump. "…makes me the happiest man in the entire world." The butterflies rapidly beat their wings inside her.

"You give me butterflies, Chuck Bass," she said, smoothing her hand down the side of his face when she finally lay flat on the bed. There was so much love in his eyes she thought she would get dizzy just from looking at him.

"I love you so much, Blair."

She shivered.

"I'll get the slip fixed this week," she said, just before his lips met hers again. He smirked and went for her neck since she insisted on talking. "Then some night I can surprise you with what I had originally planned for tonight."

"Mmm, yes, tonight."

"Exactly." Her hands curved over his shoulders and ran down his back.

"For tonight this is good."

She smiled, shivering again when his hot mouth started to drift down her body.

"Don't get too carried away, Bass. I can be hormonal and demanding at six months. That's what the book says." She gasped when he licked her.

He paused and looked up at her, heat burning in his eyes.

"I take that a challenge, Waldorf," he said, slipping back into calling her by her maiden name when any sort of scheme was decided.

"Bass," she corrected. "Mrs. Bass."

He smiled and traveled back up her body, kissing her soundly.

"Mrs. Bass…" Her eyes fluttered open. "You have no idea what you're in for."

Her heart raced as he resumed his task. And though similar words may have elicited rough sex to her in the past, she knew he would be gentle with her in her present condition, and that she was the luckiest woman in the world.

….