Thank you all for the feedback, I'm glad you have faith in this fic, I'm really excited about where this can go. Still looking for a beta that can help me with my spelling and grammar, so forgive me for not spotting some things.

Well it should go without saying that I do not own Gossip Girl, nor the characters in it. As much as I wished I did, so I could hire Ed Westwick as a full time personal Chuck 3

Now lets get back to the story.

Lover Come Back

Chapter 4

Chuck and Nate arrived at the Baizen's London Manor around half past eleven, after several drinks at the Gentleman's Club. Apparently Nate was in need of liquid courage before facing the public eye again. Chuck had made a small fortune at the card tables and thought the evening was off to a good start.

They handed their hats and coats to the footman at the door and waited to announced to the assembly. Chuck noted the silence that fell as their names were boasted and echoed through the hall, people stopping mid conversation to eye the pair with little to no decorum. He never minded being the center of attention, it was a stark contrast to the life he lead under his father's house, always alone and in the shadows.

"This was a mistake," Nate muttered under his breath.

"Courage my friend, you're practically royalty. No home in London could shun you without shunning the crown."

"That doesn't mean that people wont talk..." Nate countered defensively.

"And the more people talk, the more well known you'll become. Women can't help but love a celebrity." Chuck drawled making his way towards the group of men surrounding what appeared to be a bar.

Retreiving a glass of scotch for himself and his friend he returned by Nate's side and handed him the extra glass before surveying the crowd of polite society. It was Nate who broke the silence between them several minutes later when something caught his eye.

"There she is." he breathed.

Chuck followed his friend's line of sight to see a tall slender woman, with long locks of golden hair. She was all smiles and sunshine, reminding him of a female counterpart to Nate. No wonder he is so infatuated with her, he thought idly. She was quite beautiful, he must admit, with sunkissed skin and eyes that sparkled like the sun in a clear blue sky. Her smile, he gathered, infectious to those around her, all seemed to smile as well.

"So that is the infamous Miss Serena Van der Woodsen?" Chuck asked before taking a hearty drink of his scotch.

"Aye, she is something to behold. Is she not?" Nate practically mooned.

With a scoff and a final toss of his glass he emptied it's contents and let the slow burn work its way down his throat. He relished the feeling as he studied the girl a bit more, appraising the beauty rather than appreciating it.

"I suppose, but much too flighty for my taste." he replied in a bored tone.

It was when he threw one last glance at the group of women surrounding the golden haired chit that had wrapped Nate around her finger that another woman caught his eye. If Serena was sunshine and blue skies, this woman was the embodiment of the moon and the stars.

Her dark hair fell about her in perfectly coiffed curls, cascading over one shoulder in shiny tendrils that must've been soft a silk. As she turned to converse with someone in her party he was graced with the creamy expanse of her neck, which immediately sent an odd fluttering feeling throughout his stomach and chest. Her lips appeared to be painted a seductive shade of red. She had a small upturned nose and high winged eyebrows that were much like his own, and her eyes were the darkest color of brown he'd ever seen.

Unbeknownst to him, Nathanial had caught him staring much to long at the group of women and mistook the situation immediately.

"Don't you dare get any ideas, Chuck. Serena may not have a title and a place in the Royal Court but she is a daughter to the crown and is to be treated as such." Nate said defensively.

"Hold on to your britches, Nathanial. I have no interest in stealing your deb. Although I do wonder how your dear ex-fiance feels about you moving on so quickly." Chuck snarked with an effortless smirk.

Nate simply shrugged and nodded his head towards the group of women they had just been appreciating. "She's been in Paris for months now, undoubtebly waiting for the scandal around our engagement to die down, otherwise the best chance of finding her would be with Serena."

"What a shame," Chuck replied lamely looking for the dusky brunette in the gaggle of debutantes but not finding her. Nate wasted no time as he made his way up the stairs while Chuck sought out a waiter with a tray of champagne.

He made his way towards the grand staircase but as he began to ascend, a mass of chocolate curls obstructed his view as a petite body colided with his, nearly knocking them both to the ground.

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Blair had seen Nate from her perch on the balcony, saw him as he made his way towards their little group. She wasn't ready to face him, and the humiliation she felt for abandoning the future they'd planned. She hastily made her way through the throng of gentlefolk and made her way down the stairs in efforts to prolong their reunion. When she had nearly reached the bottom step, her silver heels slipped on the midnight blue satin of her gown and she tripped. She didn't see the poor victem of her misfortune, but she felt the hard body on impact as a muscled arm wrapped around her waist and steadied her on her feet.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, I -" the apology was cut short, the words falling silently to the well polished floor as her heart leapt into her throat.

He was taller than she remembered, and handsomer. His hair fell in graceful waves that still caught the candlelight and reflected their embers in a most enchanting way. His impeccibly tailored suit outlined the lean muscular frame and she offhandedly chastised herself for ever thinking him a footman. He commanded attention and demanded respect simply in the way he carried himself. His honey colored skin was a shade or two darker, most likely from extended time in the sun. His eyes, however, were exactly the same. They still glistened like polished topaz and promised of mischeif and seduction.

"What are you doing here?" she asked lamely before realizing how rude the question was.

His eyes widened with amusement, and the right corner of his enticing mouth quirked in a shameless smirk.

"Where else would I be?"

She shivered at the sound of his voice. It was still deliciously smooth and thick with the low baritone she remembered. One of his winged eyebrows rose in question and she realized she was staring at him unabashedly.

"Oh I dont know, a masked ball perhaps?"

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Chuck frowned, it was just his luck. The first interesting woman he'd met was completely around the bend. Up close she was much more stunning, absolute perfection. The lips he once thought were painted were actually her own natural shade of red. He found himself wanting to taste them to see if they tasted of the berry color they resembled.

It was when she looked down at the floor, hiding her face, that he was able to appreciate the dress she wore. It was the color of a midnight sky on a cloudless night, making her perfect skin glow much like the moon itself. For a moment a memory from long ago attempted to surface, but he let it go unnoticed in order to admire her.

The decolletage featured her slender neck and pronounced collarbones. Unlike most debs of the day whose gowns were made of billowing skirts and corsets, hers was impossibly thin. The empire waistline hugging the curves of her breasts and falling gracefully over the dip and sway of her hourglass figure. The hand he had used to steady her was still wrapped around her and his hand twitched as he realized he could feel the delicious swell of her derrier through the thin silk.

His reverie was interrupted by the many hushed whispers of the spectacle they must be making and he realized he was nearly groping her openly in the eyes of the most influential people in London and their lesser peers. He released the arm he had wrapped around her and offered the crook of it to her instead.

She gently placed her hand the said limb and allowed him to lead her as she broke the intense silence between them.

"You don't remember me?" she asked quietly.

He furrowed his brow in concentration as he mentally thumbed through the scores of women he'd bedded and discarded. Again a memory flickered breifly but he considered it coincedence. He could never forget such an alluring woman, of that he was certain. At least now he knew she wasn't off her rocker, she simply thought him to be someone she knew.

"I'm afraid you have me confused with somebody else. I have a young uncle and people say we resemble eachother like brothers. Perhaps you are familiar with him?"

She shook her head adamently and he caught the look of contempt thrown his way before she quickly buried it behind a cool fecade. She removed her hand from it's nook in his arm and curtsied to him in effortless grace.

"Thank you, -"

"Chuck. You can call me Chuck."

The most alluring flush of color made it's way to her cheeks at the familiarity he was attempting to establish before even properly introducing himself. He found that she piqued his interest like no woman before and he would be doing a lot more to make her blush like this as often as possible.

"My lord," She said icily, quickly recovering from her brief lapse of decorum. "I thank you for catching me before I fell, but I must rejoin my party."

Without another word she curtsied and turned away from him, leaving Chuck to watch the enticing way her hips swayed as she left him.

"What do you think?" a masculine voice said from behind.

Chuck turned to find Carter Baizen, future Marquis to the Baizen estate and well known gambling afficianado watching the woman saunter away.

"She's devestating." Chuck drawled. "I'm going to make her mine. What did you say her name was again?"

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Blair hurried off in a fury as she mentally cursed his existance. How dare he forget? She was Blair Waldorf, queen of the debutantes and reigning belle in society. Granted, no one knew of her dalliance in a garden with a masked stranger three long years passed, but that didn't excuse his lack of reccollection. How many virgins did he lure in and deflower beneath willow trees.

She found a footman with a tray of champagne and grabbed a glass, quickly emptying it's contents before grabbing another. She had been careful never to get tipsy after that fateful night but it seemed the devil had found her and she needed liquid courage to fend off the damned beast.

For a moment she hid in the ladies parlor, steadying the beat of her pounding heart. The worst was over, they finally met once more. She could treat him as an acquaintance and pretend the passionate night they'd shared had never happened. It was after all what she'd been doing for years now. She tried to ignore the ache in her heart at his indifference to her, but it was insistant and unforgiving.

Blair spotted her friend Brandice York, a French model whom worked for Waldorf designs and made her way over. Brandi may not have been a nobleman's daughter, or even a socialite of society but she was good company and the perfect distraction from the hell reigning in her mind. With Serena too busy fending off suitors and flirting with unavailable men, Blair desperately needed a female companion to plot her escape with.

"Brandice my dear, I see you've been busy." Blair said sweetly as she admired the delicate gold and opal bracelet hanging on her gloved wrist. The beautiful blonde took the compliment as an oppertunity to openly admire the gift herself, gaining jealous glances from the surrounding girls, new to life in the ton's eye.

"Lord Baizen is most generous. I believe I may recieve a proposal in a months time. Not to say that I will accept, but his gifts are quite lovely" She giggled before returning her attention to Blair. "How was Paris dear Blair? I see you've completely reinvented yourself. I must say, seductress suits you."

"After my failed engagement and utter humiliation I felt inspired to take in the city of love and learn to live as the Parisians do. Admire beauty, inspire love, but never be consumed by it. I will have all the eligable men in London begging for my hand in marraige."

"Blair?"

Her spine went rigid as steel at the sound of his voice. It appears her escape was short lived and her past had come back to haunt her yet again. She took a deep breath and faced the source of her humiliation, lowering herself in a graceful curtsey.

"My lord." she said politely.

Nate dipped his head in a lazy bow and studied her appearance with little to no decorum. A small smile played on his lips as his eyes met hers and she felt her nerves ease slightly at the familiarity of the gesture.

"You look beautiful." he said in earnest. It was the first time she'd heard those words from him and almost believed them.

"Thank you, my lord. I have heard word you've been escorting my dear Serena on rides through Hyde Park and to Almacks."

She knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn't help it. She didn't like feeling out of control in any situation, and to make him uncomfortable would even the playing field at least small smile on his face disappeared before he cleared his face and changed the subject.

"I wonder if the lady would enjoy a dance." he said awkwardly before offering his arm.

"How kind of you, Nate. May I still call you by your given name? I know we may no longer be engaged, but the three years we spent courting shouldn't be all but forgotten." she said sweetly.

"Of course you can," He replied politely as he escorted her to the ballroom floor. "but only if I can still call you Blair."

For a moment, she felt the resentment she held for the man who pined for her best friend dissapate. She had come to care for Nate deeply over the years, even had hope that there could be love in their future together...at least once Serena had married. Dancing in his arms felt easy, familiar, and safe. She relaxed a little more and allowed herself to just enjoy the moment and relish the hushed whispers around them, about them.

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Chuck stood at the entrance of the ballroom, scotch in hand, as he surveyed the room. He saw the couples that swept about the floor, immediately catching sight of his best friend and the dark beauty in his arms. His fingers tightened around the tumbler in his hand, teeth gnashing together violently.

She was smiling radiantly up at Nate while he returned the gesture earnestly. Chuck knew that smile, it was Nates smitten smile, the smile reserved for women who wormed their way into his heart. Her smile was genuwine and lovely, not at all like the cold indifferent one she'd given him.

He stood in the shadows watching the couple dance until the music stopped and the bells for dinner chimed. Nate escorted her off the dancefloor and took led her towards the corner he was currently spying in.

"Chuck!" Nate said gaily as the pair closed the distance between them. "I'd like you to meet Miss Blair Waldorf, daughter of the Embassador to France Sir Harold Waldorf and his lovely wife Eleanor. Blair, this is my oldest friend, Lord Charles Bartholomew Bass future Duke of Empire"

"Enchanted." he drawled.

Chuck bowed gallantly taking her hand in his. His lips descended to meet the alabaster skin of her dainty fingers and he didn't miss the jolt that resulted from the contact between the two. She withdrew her hand from his immediately, placing it back upon Nate's arm.

Blair threw another ingenuwine smile his way before quickly replying, "I'm sure."

Nate took a brief moment to look confused, but then quickly forgot it once Serena joined their small party.

"There you are Blair, I've been looking all over for you. My lords," Serena gave a quick curtsey before continuing. "Dinner is served, Eric is waiting to escort us to our seats. Nate wont you and your friend join us?"

"We'd be delighted to Miss Serena." he said happily.

Chuck watched Nate exchange looks with both females, clearly at odds with which beauty to lead to dinner. With a subtle manuver that went unnoticed by all but the object of his desire, he worked his way beside Blair and offered his arm. She eyed him with something akin to disgust but took his arm anyway.

"So, my lady how did you come to be acquainted with my dear friend Nathanial. I've known him for nearly two decades and not once have I had the distinct pleasure of making your acquaintance."

She rolled her eyes with annoyance, but he found that only made him like her more. She was a fiery little thing, wasn't she.

"I'll pretend to ignore your failing memory as to our meeting before, and the fact that my relationship with Nate is none of your business, my lord." She said icily. "If you'd like to know anything I suggest you ask your dear friend."

Chuck frowned again. He'd never met her, that was certain. He looked at her carefully. She had a delectable, triangular face enveloped in soft, dark curls: a perfect button nose, and high cheekbones. Her mouth was a natural dark red. Her eyebrows were exquisite: high and expressive, a woman's version of his own. For a second some memory stirred, but...

"I've never met you." he said with a smile. He would never forget a woman as beautiful and witty as this.

Blair's mouth fell open to refute him, but she must've decided against it. So he must steal virginity as a rule, most likely once a week. The rake! The Lothorio! The Damned Basstard would not be getting anywhere near her skirts ever again, as god as her witness the devil was going down.

"Lord Archibald was my fiance," she said sweetly. "Perhaps our mother's will come to terms again once the scandal surrounding the late Lord Archibald dies down."

Chuck's muscles tensed beneath her dainty fingers and she looked up and him curiously, he hadn't suspected her to be Nate's former fiance. How was he to go about seducing her if she carried a torch for his best friend? She had spent three years of her life planning her future with a man that was clearly enamored with another woman, but that didn't mean she hadn't fallen for him. Any young woman given the opportunity would easily give in to the throws of love and all it's foolish features.

"Ah, so I see you survived the scandal and came out unscathed?" It wasn't really a question more of inquery to her reaction.

She shot him a look of defiance, clearly suprised he'd ask such a personal question to someone he was under the false impression he'd only just met.

"My lord, -"

"Chuck."

"I hardly think it appropriate to ask such personal questions. Nate and I have maintained and amiable friendship, not that it is any of your business. Now if you will pardon me I have a party to rejoin and no longer wish to spend my time in the company of a known rake."

He chuckled beneath his breath as he watched her escape him. She was witty, passionate and clearly had a fire burning beneath the cold exterior. Not to mention, she was the embodiment of perfection and stunningly beautiful. He would have to play this game very carefully if he planned on everyone coming out unscathed, but that was a challenge he looked forward to. He would melt that cold exterior and make her his. He was sure of it.

As always read and review. Tell me what you think. What would you like to see happen. I have a strong outline for the story so I know where it is all going, but feel free to give me your suggestions. I really want to please the readers and make this fic something special. :)

Love always

ZarJar