It was late afternoon on a perfect summer's day nearing the end of August. The sand was warm, the ocean's waves breaking were cool. The sun would soon be setting in a magnificent painting of various hues of red, orange and yellow... and yet as she sat there on her beach chair, watching from behind her oversized sunglasses her five year old son running back and forth along the beach with his mutt, her best friend tanning on a wicker mat beside her, Blair Waldorf Bass knew a storm was on its way. A storm that while she knew it was inevitable, she still tried to put it out of her mind. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

But a storm is what you get when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

And that's exactly what they had become.

"B, I went to the family day last weekend... he looks good – really good," Serena informed her, drawing her mind back to reality as they sat on the sand together, watching Henry and Monkey run around the beach.

"That's nice," Blair nonchalantly responded as she continued to flip through her copy of the latest issue of Vogue, trying her best not to show any signs of Serena's words having an affect on her.

"B, all I'm saying is... just give him a chance," Serena tried to reason with her.

"He's had plenty."

"Daddy!" they both heard Henry exclaim as he came running back up towards them, disappearing behind them, prompting both women to turn their heads to see for themselves.

Sure enough, strolling down the path from CeCe's Hamptons house was none other than Chuck Bass himself, catching his son nearly mid-air while the boy tightly held onto his father as the two were reunited.

"Daddy, come watch what Auntie Serena and I taught Monkey to do!" the boy anxiously announced as he proceeded to pull his father towards where they had been sitting that afternoon.

"Hey Chuck, glad you made it," Serena stood and greeted her stepbrother with a warm, friendly embrace.

"Thanks, sis," he quietly spoke back, feeling the tension in the air as he noticed Blair remained seated, not bothering to acknowledge him.

"Alright, Hen – got the frisbee?" Serena asked her nephew as she began to follow him and the dog a little ways out, prompting Chuck to take her seat on the wicker mat next to Blair.

"I'm guessing you just got in," Blair finally spoke from behind her oversized sunglasses, after what felt like forever, not bothering to look up from her magazine. "The tan linen suit, even if it is lightweight doesn't exactly say beachwear," she casually remarked causing Chuck to quietly laugh at her wit.

"No, no I guess it doesn't... but yes, I just landed a little bit ago and had the limo bring me straight here," he answered her question.

"And the glasses? Thought you had 20/20 vision..." she couldn't help wondering, again, refusing to look directly at him however she had caught enough of a glimpse of him when he first made his entrance to note the dark frames he was currently sporting as well as the slicked back hair.

"I figured maybe try them out – new me, new look," he simply responded with a shrug. Growing tired of their awkward small talk between them, he decided to just go ahead with it. "Look, Blair... can we talk?"

"We are," she shot back instantly.

"I mean... somewhere a little... private? Just the two of us? Can we go for a walk?" he suggested, hopeful.

"Ugh, fine," she snapped as she sat up in her lounger, tossing her magazine shut and to the ground as she grabbed her wide-brimmed sunhat and stood up. "S, we're going for a walk – keep an eye on Henry, please?" she called out to her best friend.

"Of course!" Serena called back with a smile in between tossing the frisbee with her nephew and the dog. Blair could only roll her concealed eyes as she knew Serena was getting her hopes up that this meant a reconciliation was coming when in fact Blair knew it was likely going to be the exact opposite.

Strolling along the beach together, silently side by side, her sarong flowing in the gentle breeze, Chuck looked around and was suddenly reminded of all the times they had been here together over the years. When they were younger Blair would often stay with Serena at CeCe's house while he would tag-along with Nate at the Van der Bilt vacation home. The four of them would always meet up together, often the girls sneaking over to visit the boys, or vice versa at night to continue the fun they had had throughout the day.

"Do you remember when we used to come here as kids? The four of us?" Chuck eventually asked her after a good minute or so. "We used to come out here in the afternoon – Nate would spend most of his time, "showing off" in the water as he attempted to surf... Serena naively catching the attention of every lifeguard in sight... us sitting up in the sand together, people-watching... providing a running commentary..."

"Ah yes, that game – who could come up with the better backstory for various tourists... until you'd ditch me for whatever pretty little slut in a bikini caught your eye that day," she harshly remarked, turning the memory sour.

"And I'm sorry for that, but if you remember, we were what – fourteen? Fifteen that summer?" he tried to reason with her, reminding her that all that had been before they were together. "Besides, you and Serena are the only females I can actually recall spending any of my time with while here. The flings never meant anything."

"We did have some good times here over the years..." Blair sighed as she too remembered their annual summer getaways to the Hamptons. "And Nate was pretty terrible at surfing," she slightly chuckled at the memory, prompting Chuck to gently laugh with her.

"I miss him..." Chuck finally spoke after the moment had passed.

"We all do, Chuck, but you know what – there's a certain five-year-old who's missed his father – who's actually alive – a whole lot more," Blair snapped, not even attempting to play nice anymore, diving right into it.

"Blair..." Chuck began with an annoyed sigh, pausing to stop and furrow his brow in frustration. He knew she was going to be like this at first – honestly, he fully expected nothing less from her. But knowing and experiencing it... well, he wasn't ready for her to come out swinging quite so fast. "You know that Nate's death-"

"-Hit you hard. Yes, I'm aware," she cut him off, finishing his sentence without skipping a beat. "It hit all of us hard, Chuck – me, Serena, Dan, Eric... Henry... not just you. We all lost a lifelong friend – Serena and I both knew him just as long as you did. Yet you're the only one that fell off the wagon. Again," she harshly reminded him. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise one child when your partner is acting like another and to keep yourself afloat when everyone else is sinking around you!?"

"And I'm sorry for that – truly, I am," Chuck sincerely attempted to apologize.

"Just like you were after Elizabeth passed," Blair huffed in annoyance, her arms now crossed against her chest, standing her ground. "I still don't fully understand why – after everything thing she did. To you, to us!"

"You know you would have been just as much of a wreck if not worse if your father passed away," he tried to reason with her.

"That's completely different, Chuck! My father didn't abandon me for nearly nineteen years and then scheme with my uncle to con me out of everything I loved and held so dear at the time!" she snapped back.

At that, Chuck let out a deep sigh that had built up in his chest at the remembrance of what had happened, both years ago when his mother resurfaced in his life and the chaos in his life she had caused and then just a few short years ago when he learned she had died of breast cancer, something that had completely taken her by surprise.

"I guess... just like after my dad died... part of me mourned the fact that I would never have an actual relationship of any kind with her. The finality of it... and the fact that she was the only parent I had left at that point... it just... it just hit me, Blair, okay?" Chuck sadly confessed as he tried to convey yet again why he spiraled into old habits so hard after her passing. "I wouldn't expect you to understand – you've always had both your parents in your life, even if your relationship with them wasn't always ideal... and even now, you still have both your parents. And your stepfathers..." his voice trailed.

"But you have Lily! You've had Lily for years, Chuck!" she quickly pointed out to him. "She's been a better parental figure to you than Bart ever was or Elizabeth ever could be! Why can't you just accept that? She may not be blood, but she's your mother nonetheless! Hell, from the way I hear Serena tell it, you're Lily's favorite of the three for whatever reason!"

"Lily's been great and I truly am thankful for her being in my life all these years... but again, like you said – she's not blood," he repeated her words back to her. "You don't feel the same way about Cyrus or Roman as you do about Harold and Eleanor."

"Again, Chuck – that's different. Just like you said – my parents have always been in my life," she threw back at him.

Just then, off in the distance, a figure that had joined Serena and his son on the beach caught his eye.

"I can't believe they're still together," he grumbled as he watched Dan throwing the frisbee around with the trio.

"Yeah, well, people change and grow up, Chuck," Blair spoke a moment later after she realized what he was talking about, her gaze having turned to where Chuck's was. "Something I thought you did years ago."

"Thank you, by the way, for letting Henry come visit," he spoke softly, having returned his attention to his estranged wife. "My doctors think seeing him probably helped speed up my recovery a little bit. A reminder, if you will, as to why I needed to get better..."

Chuck sat alone, flipping through a magazine as he waited to see just who would arrive this month for family weekend.

A moment later, he saw Lily step from between the doors that separated the main lobby from the rest of the premises, obviously looking around for him. With a shy smile, Chuck stood and waved at her, getting her attention as she approached him.

"Charles!" Lily greeted her stepson with a warm embrace as they met each other. "You're looking even better than you were when I visited last month!" she declared as she took in his presence.

"And you look as young as the day my father married you," Chuck complimented her, causing her to blush.

"Yes, well... botox and regular trips to the spa has helped," she joked with him. "Speaking of staying young... I did bring someone, or should I say a few someones with me this time," she smiled as she tilted her head behind her.

Looking over, Chuck felt a surge of joy at the sight not too far away.

There was his step-brother Eric, walking towards him while holding his young nephew's hand and saying something to the boy who was looking everywhere but in front of him, in awe of the building they were in. After Chuck made eye contact with his step-brother, he saw Eric give Henry a little nudge to get his attention, stopping and kneeling down to his level with a smile on his face as he pointed not too far in front of them. Turning his attention in the direction his uncle was insisting, Henry's eyes got big with the widest smile Chuck had only ever seen at certain occasions, such the first time he saw the Christmas tree all lit up at Rockefeller Center.

"Daddy!" Henry screamed in joy as he let go of his uncle's hand and took of running towards his father with full force. Just as happy to see him, Chuck caught his son in his arms.

"Hey, Hen," Chuck greeted as he held onto him as tight as he possibly could. God how he had missed him. "How's my smart boy?"

"Daddy, I've missed you!" Henry cried as he continued to hug his father, not wanting to let go.

"I've missed you too," Chuck sighed. "You've gotten so big since I last saw you – I swear you've grown two inches!"

"I got new shoes too!" Henry proudly declared as he leaned down and pointed to the objects in question.

"So I see – looking sharp," Chuck told him with a grin as he continued to hold his son. "Did you pick those out all by yourself or did mommy help?" He questioned as he pictured Blair taking Henry shoe-shopping at Barney's.

"Mommy helped a little but I made the final choice," Henry beamed.

"Speaking of your mother..." Chuck's voice trailed as he looked around them and even back towards the door to the main lobby, hopeful, but then quickly changing to heartbroken as he looked around and didn't see anyone else approaching. Looking over Henry's shoulder back to Lily and Eric he started to ask. "Is she..."

"No," Lily sadly stated, shaking her head as she knew what he was asking while Eric looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Charles... just give her some more time," she tried to assure him.

"How is she?" he asked almost immediately, getting right down to it. He had tried calling his estranged wife every chance he got, leaving numerous apologies on her voicemail with no response as of yet.

"She's... doing as well as can be expected during something like this," Lily informed him with a deep breath. Honestly, she didn't know how either of them was managing without the other. She knew Chuck was lonely here without his family and having limited contact while he went through treatment, meanwhile she knew that while her daughter-in-law acted strong and pretended it didn't bother her, deep down everyone close to her knew she was hurting just as much.

"Daddy... when are you coming home?" Henry suddenly asked the million dollar question.

"Soon, Hen – hopefully in a few more weeks," Chuck informed him. "I promise."

"And we'll be a family again?" he inquired, curiously.

"We'll have to talk about that with mommy first," Chuck solemnly confessed, not really sure how else to answer that one. He didn't want to lie and tell the boy first without knowing just how Blair felt about him these days or what she had been doing. If she had moved on...

But then he realized that Henry was there and it dawned on him. She had received his messages. And listened to his voicemails. Perhaps he did still had a chance?

"Although if you had come it probably would have helped more..." Chuck added with a sly trademark smirk on his lips.

"Chuck... you know I couldn't," she sadly admitted with a sigh of her own, eyes averted to the ground. "When you hurt yourself like that... it hurts me too..."

"I know," he gently replied, his finger delicately lifting her chin and although she was still hiding behind her sunglasses, he knew she was still looking directly back at him. "And I am so, so sorry for the pain I've caused you... and him..." his voice trailed as he turned to continue watching Henry happily run along the beach with dog in tow.

Absentmindedly and out of habit, Chuck gently reached to take his wife's hands in his own.

At first she shied away, only to be caught off guard when she noticed he was still wearing it. His wedding band.

"You're still wearing it?" she carefully questioned as she fiddled with the object around his finger.

"I couldn't bear to remove it. It's what got me through this summer," he informed her as he looked her in the eye with sincerity. "But I see you did..." he sadly remarked as he took her left hand and noted she wasn't wearing her bridal set anymore.

"How could I? After everything that happened? You let the darkness overcome you, Chuck – you went down a path Henry and I couldn't follow. I couldn't pull you out of it this time – you had to find the way yourself," she harshly reminded him as she dropped her hands out of his.

"Again, I know – and I am so, so sorry, Blair," he tried to apologize once more. "A few of the steps in recovery are apologizing to those you've wronged and attempting to make amends – just tell me what to do, Blair. How can I ever make things right with you again?" he nearly pleaded. "Please, Blair – I just want you to be happy... tell me what I need to do."

"Chuck... it's not that simple," Blair breathed as she tried to hold back a tear. She could tell he was getting desperate yet at the same time, this was nothing new to her. She had heard it all before after the last time he went through rehab. And like a fool, she believed him.

"Yes, it is! You once told me – love makes everything simple," he quickly attempted to remind her.

"And how do I know it's different this time? How do I know you're not just feeding me the same line you fed me two years ago, Chuck?"

"Because I still love you, Blair – I will always love you... and I promise you – I've changed, for good this time. No more drugs, no more alcohol – not even a drop," he vowed to her.

"Until the next person in our lives drops dead... what about if Lily's cancer resurfaces? Or God forbid something happens to Eric? Or Serena? Then what? The cycle starts all over again and Henry and I just have to wait it out and weather the storm til you decide to get your shit together once again?" she challenged him.

"No, Blair – I swear to you, next time I'll be stronger. I know I can," he reassured her.

"And why is that?"

"Because no matter what – no matter how dark I think things get... there's still your light, no matter how tiny or bright it seems at the time, keeping me afloat," he explained. "Why do you think I checked myself into rehab this time?"

"Charles Bass..." his new psychiatrist read his name from his file before glancing at the patient lying rather comfortably on the couch across from him

"Please, call me Chuck," Chuck corrected him almost immediately.

"Okay... Chuck. I see here in your file that you finished your detox the other day... how are you feeling?" the doctor began to question, getting their first session underway.

"Alright, I guess..." Chuck casually admitted as he focused on the tiles in the ceiling above him. "I never realized just how dependent I had become on having a regular scotch though..."

"And how often would you say you've been dependent on the substance?"

"Oh god, I don't know... I started drinking when I was in middle school... scotch became my usual by freshman year of high school... aside from when I was out all night partying, living the life back in the day, I honestly can't remember the last time I didn't have a nightcap of it or at least a glass a day," Chuck shamefully confessed.

He really did have a drinking problem, he realized. How it went undiagnosed for so long was beyond him. Everyone knew his penchant for drinking back in high school, the fact that no one sent him to rehab involuntarily - aside from when Blair had done it almost two years ago - was a bit a surprise.

"It says here also that you were admitted to a rehabilitation facility in upstate New York almost two years ago... for a month?"

"Yes, that's correct," Chuck confirmed.

"And why was that?"

"My... my wife... she admitted me involuntarily," Chuck began with a swallow as his mind drifted back to that horrible period in his life. "I had found out recently that my birth-mother passed away – breast cancer that was caught too late. I felt... guilty? I guess you could say, as had we had a closer relationship I may have been able to help her – provided her with the best doctors and care, giving her a better chance at beating it, even at that late stage... yet at the same time I mourned her loss deeply. My father had passed away already – for good, as I'm sure you may have recalled reading about The Great Bart Bass rising from the dead some time ago – and while we weren't close... she was the last remaining birth parent I had. I guess part of me regretted and mourned never getting to have some kind of... real relationship with her..."

"That's understandable," the doctor conferred.

"Yes, well... I took it pretty hard... resorting to old behaviors, spiraling out of control... my son had just turned three so he still needed a lot of help... my wife got fed up and after an intervention with our closest friends she insisted I be treated."

"And just to make sure - you do realize our program here is three months, yes?"

"I'm aware and I fully intend on making the most of it," Chuck expressed, letting the doctor know that he had his full cooperation.

"Good – now if you'll tell me, why are you here now, Chuck?"

"Because I want to get better," he simply answered. "No, I mean... I need to get better," he stressed. "For my family."

"What happened this last time?"

"My best friend of nearly two decades died in a tragic car accident. We had been best friends since kindergarten. And just like before, when my mother passed, I spiraled out of control again. This time my wife had had enough – I came home one night to find all the locks had been changed. She kicked me out and requested a separation. I knew then that I needed help."

"This spiraling out of control... is that something that's happened regularly throughout your life?"

"Well..." Chuck began, pausing to think back over his life and the many times he had gone on various benders and the reasons as to why.

There were all the times his father would show up, home between business trips, and come down on him for something he did or didn't do. That would promptly cause him to smoke and drink up almost immediately.

And then there was the first time he experienced the slightest bit of heartbreak – at Cotillion, when he had screwed things up so badly with Blair that she ended up going to bed with Nate that night, catching them on the staircase together as they quietly snuck away for the evening. He had caught the Bass Jet on the next flight out of town, going on quite a bender to try and get over that one. He never would have admitted at the time that he loved her.

Next was when Nate had found out that Blair had slept with him, their friendship in a riff for months because of it. He had spent long hours at The Palace bar dealing with that blow.

And then after his father's wedding to Lily... oh how he had screwed that one up. Too afraid to make a commitment to Blair, he threw himself back into his old lifestyle just to prove a point to his father, causing himself even more pain in the process. And when he couldn't say those three words, eight letters to her after The White Party that now came so easily to him... those were long nights as well.

And of course after his father died. The first time. Everyone remembers just how much he had spiraled out of control after that. As if the initial few days after his father's passing wasn't enough, he then ran away for nearly a month, being found in an opium den by none other than his sleazy uncle. While he had some clarity here and there in the days to follow his return – mostly due to Blair's nurturing and influence – he didn't fully sober up until he had something new to focus on: finding a way to regain his inheritance from Jack.

Things had been good for a while there until Blair had her own downward spiral and wound up back in the arms of Nate – it was then Chuck regularly turned to the bottle at night to numb the pain... and then of course after graduation when he found out that Blair had slept with Jack...

But then he realized none of it mattered – he loved her and finally found the courage to tell her.

Things had been great for awhile. She kept him focused and out of the darkness. Even when he started to relapse on the one year milestone of his father's passing, she was there to pull him out of it.

It wasn't until his mother reemerged into his life that it all went to hell again. He started to become distant with Blair as he dealt with his mother's rejection all over again... only finding some calmness when he quit making the effort and Elizabeth made the choice to know him herself. But then the storm hit. And it hit hard.

And in the aftermath he had lost Blair.

And his old lifestyle of drinking, drugs and womanizing returned.

He tried to fight it, tried to make things right with Blair once more and win her back.

Yet Jenny Humphrey happened. A mistake he regretted as soon as it happened.

He had been a fool to think she wouldn't find out about it. And an even bigger fool to think she wouldn't hate him for it.

And so his downward spiral continued, ultimately causing him to get shot in an alley of a seedy district in Prague.

Eva saved him and brought him back to life, pulling him out of the darkness but only temporarily. He could never love her the way he loved Blair. And Blair fought back. As much he claimed to hate her for what she did to Eva, he knew it was really a lie. He could never hate her. She was his Light. And he was willing to take whatever little bit of it she was willing to give him.

Things were once again okay – instead of turning to the bottle for comfort, he instead turned to scheming and manipulation... and copious amounts of hate-sex-turned-something-much-more-real. He had a glimmer of hope at that Saints and Sinners ball... only for it to be ripped away due to Anne Archibald's rejection of Blair for her foundation, all because she had chosen to go public once again with him.

He turned to the bottle once more... eventually taking a short break during the time when he hooked up with Raina. But then Blair rejected him after his attack on Dan for kissing her backfired, the ensuing war for Bass Industries against Raina's father occurred and then Blair's sudden engagement to Louis... the bottle was destined to be his friend for life.

That summer abroad with Nate was a blur – almost every night was a different party, different girl... returning to New York had been a mistake. While he had gone numb emotionally - resorting to self-inflicted abuse to try and feel anything - when she told him she was pregnant with another man's child... it unlocked everything in him all at once. The bottle was back on his nightstand. At least now though he also had Monkey for comfort.

He tried to get clean, for no one other than himself, once he realized he had lost her for good and the best thing was to just let her go. But then she called him that afternoon, practically begging him in not so many words to love her and her child... he reluctantly told her it was foolish to break up her family, a selfless move on his part, but thanks to some unprompted insight from Lily, Chuck realized he had it all wrong. Together, they went to tell Louis the engagement was off, they were going to be together instead... but then the accident happened. And Blair disappeared to Monaco for over a month, acting like it never happened, refusing to give him an explanation.

And so after several months, the bottle returned.

He was resigned to stay away from her wedding, holing up in his penthouse with vices to numb the pain and make himself forget what day it was... but then her mother showed up, convincing him to try and stop her, that she was making a huge mistake, marrying the wrong man. And he had tried to stop her. Serena had tried... even Gossip Girl tried! And yet she still went through with it, forgetting all about the dowry – he even tried to help her escape to get a quick annulment... but at the last minute she told him no. He even offered to pay her dowry (which he did eventually do anyway), but it wasn't enough.

He tried to be okay with it, telling himself it was only a year... but then she started seeing Humphrey... and he lost it yet again. While he only ever wanted her to be happy, he knew he wouldn't be, having to see them together. And so he drank some more.

After his father rose from the dead, things with Blair had started to rekindle... and while he temporarily lost his way yet again after his father took everything from him, Blair came through this time – pulling him out of the darkness before he got lost in it, assuring him that this time she was all in. Aside from the occasional drink here and there at social gatherings and of course his usual nightcap, he had remained clean for many months.

It wasn't until things went south in his war against his father, feeling defeated and unable to hold up his end of the pact he had made with her did he turn to the bottle again. True to her word though, Blair never gave up on them, pushing herself back in even when he tried to shut her out. Once they were back together, happily married and his father gone for good, did he feel like his life was back on track. He had no reason to spiral. He had the love of his life. She was all he needed.

Until his mother's passing five years later was brought to his attention.

But even then, when he thought he was lost in the darkness, against his will, Blair still pulled him out of it, forcing him to get better.

He went through the program, did well enough to get out on time. Yet while he knew he wasn't supposed to touch the stuff... he figured a nightcap here and the occasional social drink there while out wouldn't hurt.

But then when Nate tragically died... he lost it – practically jumping off the wagon head first. It was too much. Nate was his brother, despite everything they had gone through, and one his oldest friends aside from Blair and Serena. Losing Nate permanently from their initial foursome was a huge blow. It felt like a part of him had vanished.

He couldn't remember how long it had been when he came home one evening to find the locks had been changed, the help refusing to give him access codes. Blair had sent all his things to the penthouse at The Palace (which he was thankful that she hadn't chosen The Empire – perhaps she knew staying there would be far too overwhelming for him). And then days later her lawyer had served him papers demanding a trial separation with an outline of demands regarding Henry's custody arrangement. Reluctantly he signed the papers, giving in to all her demands – after all, he just wanted her to be happy and it was obvious he had failed her as a husband. The next day though he was on the jet, bright and early, flying here, to one of the finest and most exclusive rehabilitation centers in Europe that money could buy.

He wanted to get better. He needed to get better.

And now here he was. One-hundred percent sober for nearly a week and finally meeting with his assigned psychiatrist.

He knew he could this. He knew he would do this.

He knew he had to do this for himself. His family deserved better.

"Last time... I did it for you, because you wanted me to. But this time... in order to really make a change, I needed to do it for myself, Blair," he calmly explained, once again taking her smaller hands in his. "Blair... it's alright, please don't cry..." he tried to comfort her as he carefully took her into his arms. "I promise, things are going to be different this time. I'm not going to relapse..."

Only Blair wasn't crying for the reasons he thought she was.

"Chuck, I'm pregnant!" she tearfully blurted out, causing him to pull back just enough to get a glimpse of her exposed abdomen.

He didn't know how he hadn't noticed it before. Sure there wasn't much of a bump there – the untrained eye wouldn't have even noticed it - but having seen her naked pregnant figure before... he knew exactly what he was looking for.

"Blair, that's great! Don't you see? This can be a fresh start for us – a new stage in our lives, Henry's too..." Chuck began, thrilled at the idea. Excited for their expanding family, as he eagerly placed a hand on her small, but growing abdomen.

Yet Blair feared that what she was about to tell him next would undo everything he had worked so hard for these past three months, crushing all the hopes he had in regards to any future they might possibly still have together. She was sure it was going to break him all over again.

"I don't know if it's yours," she hesitantly revealed, averting her eyes away from him. She couldn't bear to look at him right now, the pain she knew would soon be seen in his eyes momentarily. She nervously bit her bottom lower lip, anticipating his anger.

But to her surprise, it didn't come right away.

"Wha... what?" he managed to speak a moment later as the realization of what she just said finally hit him. "What do you mean? Who else could it belong to?" he nervously questioned as his gaze bounced back and forth to her own eyes, to her abdomen, to her eyes and then back down.

"It... it was an ex... you weren't the only one affected by Nate's death, Chuck! I grieved also! And on top of that, I had Henry to look after, trying to explain to him why he was never going to see his Uncle Nate again... and you had been gone every night, spiraling more and more out of control... and then you signed the papers and suddenly disappeared... I just... I just needed someone to talk to, to be there... and he was. And we may have gotten to talking one night, wine may have been drunk... old feelings were momentarily rekindled... one thing led to another..." her voice trailed as she quietly sobbed. Chuck may have ruined them, but she hammered the final nail in the coffin as she knew he would never betray her in the way she had betrayed him. "I swear though, it was a one-time thing... and it wasn't in our bed-"

"Which ex was it? Considering Nate was out of the running at the time... that only leaves-"

"Does it really matter, Chuck?! I slept with someone else!" she nearly screamed at him, driving the point home. "This may be another man's child!" she added, motioning to her stomach. She knew this was it. He was going to lash out in the way that only he could. She fully expected it and honestly couldn't blame him – she would have felt the same way if the tables were reversed.

"To me, no – it doesn't matter. And let me remind you why," he started as he held her hands once more, trying to calm her down. If she really was pregnant, he knew her being all worked up wasn't good for her or the baby. "One, you're right – I had signed the separation papers. When you made your choice to sleep with... with him..." Chuck winced as he tried not to think about it. Having to witness her publicly being with him once was bad enough without having to envision it again. "We weren't together. So while I admit it does hurt and I'm disappointed, I understand and I'm not going to be upset with you. And second – like I told you years ago, when you wanted to be together but were pregnant with Louis' child... if you really want us to stay together, as a family... I'm going to love your baby as much as I love you. Regardless of who the father is," he promised her once more.

"Chuck..." Blair cried, letting the tears fall freely as she threw herself into his arms, her tears soaking the shoulder of his suit jacket.

"Does he know?" Chuck questioned as he glanced over in the direction where his son was now sitting in the sand, building a sandcastle he presumed, with his aunt and uncle. The sight of Dan with his son now made his blood boil. He didn't fault Blair entirely – she was vulnerable at the time, largely in part of him, yet for him to do that to Serena... he would have to be dealt with in due time. In typical Bass-fashion.

"No," Blair quietly muttered as she shook her head in response against him.

"Good, because to me, regardless, it's your child and that's all that matters – we don't have to find out if you don't want to," Chuck calmly told her as he held her to him, the scent of her hair intoxicating. God how he had missed that smell all these months! "Plus you know it would devastate Serena if she were to find out... somehow I doubt she'll be too forgiving of either of you," he pointed out to her.

Like him, Serena had been pretty broken up over the first time Dan and Blair had briefly dated, Dan nearly flaunting the relationship in their faces. Yet unlike him, he knew Serena wouldn't be nearly as forgiving this time around. Secretly, part of him wanted to exile Dan from their lives for good after this – it was bad enough thing for him to take advantage of Blair like he did, it was another to cheat on his sister.

"Hey, she slept with Nate while he and I were committed," Blair was quick to remind him.

"I thought you had gotten over that years ago," Chuck sighed in disbelief. He could have sworn they were past that. "And besides... marriage and dating are a tad bit different," he pointed out.

"Chuck, where did you tell the doctors you were staying after you've completed recovery?" she asked him, changing the subject.

"I'm an alcoholic, Blair – I have been for a long time... it's something I'll always be. I'm always still going to be in recovery – just because I did three months in rehab doesn't mean I'm cured. But to start with, I plan on flying back there one weekend a month, just to check in – I figure if I can stay clean with an ocean between me and my doctors, then I should have a better chance at overcoming it..." he lingered, skirting around her question.

"Chuck... where did you tell them you were staying?" she demanded to know once more.

"I... had hoped maybe I could come home?" he sheepishly responded, knowing she wasn't going to be too happy with his assumption that she would allow it.

"Chuck!"

"Blair, please – tear up the papers, be my wife again!" he nearly begged her. "I promise you, I'll be better! For myself, for you... Henry... this little one..." he added as he gently caressed her stomach.

"Chuck... it's not that simple..."

"Please, Blair – just let me come home! I need my family – you and Henry... you said you'd always be my family, Blair... I hope that hasn't changed," he pleaded as he fell to his knees, his forehead pressed against her middle as he clung to her. He couldn't lose her again. "I love you..." he spoke quietly, just barely above a whisper as he felt his own tears silently trickling down his cheeks.

His behavior had completely caught her off guard. Chuck Bass never got down on his knees and begged for anything in his life.

Something was different, she decided.

He hadn't reacted the way she anticipated when she told him she was pregnant, maybe even with another man's child. He had admitted – out loud – that he was an alcoholic and that it was something he was always going to have to face daily. And now here he was, begging her to take him back. Just wanting his family. Their family.

She could feel the walls she had let build up in anticipation for this meeting starting to crumble. Her resolve failing. Her mind kept telling her not to give in, not to go down this path with him again, that it would just be another endless cycle... but her heart said otherwise. They were Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck. They always would be, no matter how much she tried to fight it.

As they stayed there for a moment, silhouetted against the setting yellow sun, the sky bright with red and orange painted across it, Blair let out a sigh of relief as she eventually brought her hand to rest against his head, gently running her fingers through his hair.

"Get up," she commanded him, helping pull him to his feet. "I... suppose you could move back in... staying in one of the guest rooms for now and we'll see how things go...?"

She had no sooner spoken the words and his lips were upon hers.

"Thank you! Thank you, Blair!" he told her excitedly between kisses. Kisses that he noticed she wasn't pulling away from. It was all the assurance he needed. The gift of another chance.

AN: Don't hate me! I know there's a lot of angst and heartbreak in this one... originally, it was an idea that I dreamed up and wrote the bulk of it out the next morning. I had originally intended it to be this beautiful and tragic yet hopeful one-shot... but when I sent it off to Mary (Scarlett2u) for beta-ing (thank you again, M! You know I appreciate it!), she had asked what happens next, if there was going to be an epilogue... so... as soon as she mentioned that I got a whole bunch of ideas flowing in my head on how to take this and hammered out the bulk of it: Chuck going through recovery now that he's back with his family (and eventually society) and fighting the temptation to drink, Blair dealing with her "Who's the baby daddy" drama... keeping the big secret from Serena... and let's just say Jack and Georgina won't be taking it very well once Chuck returns to work.

While there is going to be some angst to this story, I promise it won't be nearly as heartbreaking as my short fic "Broken" was. This chapter had the bulk of it when it comes to gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, however that's not to say the rest of this story is all sunshine and roses - there will be drama and some more angst.

Feel free to follow/favorite if you want to read more and find out what happens next and as always, reviews are much appreciated!