AN: This is my second time writing a fanfiction. Please be gentle, and let me know what you think. This will be a short story (ten chapters at most). It is sort of AU and will be Blair and Chuck centric (with hints of Serena, Nate and Dan along the way).

All the characters are still in the Upper East Side with a few tweaks in their relationships with each other.

WITH YOU

by: VeraAGM

I don't want this moment to ever end
Where everything's nothing without you
I'll wait here forever just to, to see you smile
'Cause it's true: I am nothing without you

-With Me by Sum 41, played during 1 x 07 (Victor Victrola)

Prologue

Blair Waldorf had always considered herself an extraordinarily lucky girl. Admittedly, she was born with a gold spoon in her mouth and grew up in a reasonably loving household with two indulging parents and a doting and devoted Dorota. During restless nights, when she would contemplate over how the Humphreys managed to survive in the cabbage patch they called home or how the students who enrolled into Constance and St. Judes with a scholarship coordinated their meager lifestyle, she would snuggle in her bed and hug her bolster a little tighter.

Despite spotting her father naked and in love with someone who was not her mother or watching her best friend jaywalk through the streets of Manhattan with alcohol stained breath, Blair had complete and utter conviction in her chance. It had not failed her during the divorce, when she finally parted from Nathaniel Archibald or after those horrible pregnancy rumors were spread. Ultimately, she had a proper home to go to, a California king bed to sleep in and enough money to fill her penthouse twice.

Therefore, when she saw him during the graduation soiree, she could hardly believe that her luck could deceive her. For the first time in eighteen years, she was utterly and completely confused.

Even to her, the soiree was not an affair to be taken gingerly. It did not make New York Times headlines nor did it receive accolades from Vogue; it was an opulent yet intimate gathering. Cold curtains were drawn back to reveal golden hues, gold tiaras were traded in for diamond crowns, and lacrosse uniforms were substituted with Dior suits. The Upper East Side took a hiatus from its scheming to display a perfect facade constructed of faux tears and nervous laughter. Every freshly graduated student was paired up with alumni from the school they were attending, and together, each duo was to spend a night mingling and lavishing themselves with drinks. After all, it was not every day that Constance lets its genteel, aristocratic and dignified birds fly to the real world and not allow it to come back.

Lily van der Bass, who had taken over the duties of organizing the event, had conditioned Constance's own yard until it boasted affluence. The theme was midnight-the start of a new day, a fresh era for the future heirs. Strings of light had been artistically placed upon the hall while purples, navy, and hints of green peeked out from the radiance.

Blair, as per usual, had taken her time to perfect and mold herself until she was the epitome of midnight darkness. Her Valentino dress was a deep navy mixture of chiffon and tulle, sprinkled with gold specks that clustered around her waist and orbited throughout the bodice. Manolo Blahniks added length to her petite frame while expertly loosened curls framed her face. With painted lips and darkened lids, she walked briskly down the corridors of her school with a Waldorf original hanging off of one hand and a slightly tipsy best friend on the other.

Serena opted for a shimmery silver dress that hung off her shoulders and stopped near at her ankles. Golden ringlets, glossy lips and metallic shoes added to the siren who was the darling of the van der Basses. Blair's stomach had clenched when she first saw her. Her days of purging were long over, but she could not help but blink twice at the blonde's perfectly shaped legs that peeked out from the shiny fabric or the way her hips swayed perfectly as she walked.

Serena was fortunate in every way, Blair had concluded as she watched the her untangle her fingers to join the cabbage patch, his parents, and her family. Maybe, Serena was even luckier than her. Bart had managed to take a pause from his engrossing schedule to attend his little girl's graduation while Lily had been there for her daughter every step of the way. Eleanor, on the other hand, had hopped on a jet to Italy to showcase her collections on yet another runway while her father had sent a "congratulations" card from Paris with a picture of him and Roman in the front.

You should consider yourself lucky that your admissions officer was a client of mine, her mother had chastised after she reminded her about the event. With the drama you pulled with the Archibalds this year and the many classes you missed during sophomore year due to your...condition, it's a miracle that you got into Yale. At the rate you were going in, I was sure I would have to make some appropriate donations to even get you accepted to Cornell or NYU.

Sucking in a breath, Blair plastered a smile as the lights illuminated her. Her mother was right; she always was. She was the most fortunate girl in the world. Her wealth and chance had landed her a spot to the prestigious university. Her golden spoon had saved her yet again.

No need to mope, she reminded herself. You're finally where you wanted to be.

And she was. She had waited with a baited breath for the graduation soiree to come because it would put an end to the rule of Gossip Girl and perhaps change her from THE Blair Waldorf, the perfect queen of the Upper East Side, to simply Blair Waldorf, an eighteen year old girl with flaws and failures. The suffocation would end.

Sighing, she separated from her posse to stand near a quiet corner and tapped her foot as she waited for her partner to show up. Serena, much to both their disappointment and Dan's dismay, had been paired up with Carter Baizen while Nate had matched with Bree Buckley. Kati had Chairlay Bloomberg while Iz had Anastasia Hilton. Nearly everyone had known or heard of their mentor except her. All she was aware of was that his or her first name started with a C. Apparently, he or she had requested to keep the identity anonymous till the party itself started.

Sighing for the umpteenth time, she closed her eyes and let the music wash over her. It was loud and made her skin tingle and lungs feel like mush. The bass thumped in time with her heartbeat as they were one, filling her from head to toe. As much as she hated to admit it, Rufus Humphrey was an astonishingly brilliant musician. Over the roar of music, a distant, hazy chatter could be heard. She couldn't make out any words, but laughter rang in her ears and wouldn't seem to stop. So what if her mentor didn't show up? She had waited for to long to turn this event into just another night. The song that was playing got louder, pulling her in and not letting her go. She had no choice but to join, sway her hips slightly and move her head with the tune.

"A girl like you shouldn't be dancing alone."

She had almost missed the voice. The acoustics were intense and thundering, but it was the way her back was pricking, and the little hairs on her neck stood up that she realized someone was speaking to her. The only time that had ever happened was...no. Her eyes dilated, throat dried and Blair was sure she was going to lose consciousness.

"Waldorf, I know you recognize me."

She turned slightly, ignoring the thudding of her heart and the lump in her throat. There stood Chuck Bass, in a spotless Brioni Vanquis suit and looking as handsome as the devil. His hair was gelled but tousled every so gently that it lent an air of boyishness to his appearance. His eyes were sharper, nose slightly crooked and lips poised into his signature smirk.

"I...Charles," she managed to croak out.

He let out a throaty chuckle that made her heart skip slightly. "So you do remember me, but I still go by Chuck. How's my sister's best friend doing these days?"

And then suddenly, the trance that had bound her snapped. It had been years since she last saw him, but here he was, still imagining her as his sister's friend. In a heartbreaking second, Blair Waldorf realized that Chuck Bass will forever see her as the girl who made mud pies with him when she was five and cried whenever her headbands broke.

"I'm doing well," she responded coolly, swallowing the lump of dejection that formed in then back of her throat. "How are you?"

"Peachy," he waved his hand in the air at a random bystander as if he were a celebrity. "What are you doing here in the corner? Where are Mati, Peppy and Iz."

"Kati and Penelope," she corrected. "Are talking to their partners and I'm waiting for mine to show up." She spared a glance at her phone before looking up. "He's late by 20 minutes."

Chuck leaned back curiously and watched her with hooded eyes. "You know for someone who is going to a school like Yale, you're being horribly obtuse."

Blair furrowed her eyebrows, her stomach sinking at the playful jeer. "Go away Chuck and let me wait for in peace."

He shot her a knowing look.

"You're C," she articulated.

"Bingo."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, dusting off the imaginary specks from her gown. "It's been a long day, and I need a drink. I thought you already graduated. "

"I was supposed to," he disclosed. "But I took a semester off, but don't worry, you'll be seeing me around Yale. I'm still going there for graduate school."

"That's great," she said candidly. "It will be nice to see a-" hot, wonderfully sexy, astonishingly handsome "-familiar face every day."

"Hmm," Chuck replied, his voice husky. "We can finally spend some quality time together...without my sister."

Ignoring those damn butterflies that now flew violently in her stomach and the heat the pooled between her legs, she twisted her head until she was no longer looking at his eyes. "So why the secrecy?"

"How about I grab you a drink?"

He had almost disappeared when he twisted his face into a sly smile and bent down close to her ear. "And oh, I forgot to tell you. You look beautiful, a thousand times better than Rose."

And thus, with a sinking heart and flushed cheeks, Blaire Waldorf realized that Chuck Bass had not forgotten her confession even after so many years.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Let me know if I should continue this or not. Future chapters will definitely be longer than this.