This story is dedicated to pokey—for always being there when I'm freaking-out. I love you my dear!

"Chuck, what are you still doing here? I thought you would have left hours ago," Bart asked as his son settled into a seat at the dinner table.

"I missed the flight, but I'll be taking a later one, commercially," Chuck drawled out with a shrug. "Figured I'd join you and Lily for dinner."

He'd sent a text to Blair as soon as the blonde returned a smile after he told her who he was. He told Blair that he was running late and would have to catch a later flight. He hadn't heard from Blair since. He didn't know what that meant, but he figured she'd gotten the text or else he would have heard from her when he didn't show.

He still wasn't sure if he was going to go and meet her. He hadn't even booked the later flight yet. He knew he could work up some excuse to not join her at all. But then he wouldn't get to see her for almost three months.

After his talk with his father, he wasn't sure if that would be a bad thing. While his father was describing everything that would change in Chuck's life, he realized the old coot was right. He wasn't ready for any of the stuff falling out of Bart's mouth. And as much as he loved Blair, though he'd never said those words to her—just to Nate—this love crap was new to him and he didn't realize how different things would have to be.

He told his father that Blair knew him. She knew him better than anyone else. That was the truth. She knew he'd never change. But he had been changing. He guessed now he had to prove himself right by continuing to behave the way he always had. Maybe he was putting Blair to the test, trying to see if she really did want to change him or wanted him the way he was. He didn't know what he was thinking. All he knew was that things had gone out of control way too fast.

He didn't want to get stuck with all these serious thoughts. All he wanted to think about was the fact that he had plans for little miss home decorator in a couple hours. She'd taken the bait: hook, line, and sinker. She had no problem coming by to "discuss the plans for his room".

Bart's eyebrows crinkled for a second, pondering, but then he shrugged, "That's too bad. What about Blair?"

"She, uh, went ahead I believe," Chuck said, shrugging again. In truth, he didn't really know where she was. He assumed she'd gone ahead with the flight because she still had to go to France anyway. And he had told her he'd meet her later, so she should have figured on heading out the way she intended.

"I see," Bart said. If he was the type of person to show more emotion, he might have shown his confusion at Chuck's words, but he didn't show anything. Instead he just looked at his son for a moment before turning back to his meal.

The dinner continued for the next few minutes undisturbed. Chuck was asking Lily about the sight-seeing the two must have done on their honeymoon, feigning interest in trivial things. Chuck knew how to be charming with any woman really.

Dinner was about midway through when Bart received a phone call on his cell.

No one else at the table paid it any mind. Bart reached into his pocket to pull out the phone and glanced at the number. It wasn't a number he recognized, so he just shrugged and turned off the ringer before putting it back into his pocket.

As soon as the call went to voicemail, the dialer must have hung up and tried again immediately because the ringer went off again.

Bart sighed, "Excuse me." He left the table and went into the hall, answering the phone with a gruff, "Bass."

"We have your daughter," came a weirdly distorted voice.

"Excuse me?" Bart asked, not comprehending. "Who is this?"

"We have your daughter," the voice came again. "Don't contact the authorities. We'll be calling again, very soon."

With that, the line went dead.

Bart hesitated before he closed his phone, contemplating what that could possibly mean. He didn't have a daughter. Well, now he actually did.

He walked back into the dining hall. He didn't want to frazzle his wife's nerves, but he had to ask her. He settled down at the table, still emotionless.

"Where is Serena this evening?" Bart asked Lily, interrupting her conversation with Chuck.

"Oh, I'm sure she should be home any minute," Lily explained demurely. "She said she was having dinner out, but I should expect her soon."

Bart nodded slowly. He reached in his pocket and decided calling Serena directly was the best way to find out if she really was safe without frightening Lily.

He'd just found the seldom used number and was going to click 'Send', when someone entered the front hall entrance.

"Serena! It's so good to see you," Lily exclaimed from her seat.

Serena went straight to her mother and gave her a hug. She hadn't seen her mother in a week due to the honeymoon, and she had really missed her.

Bart breathed a sigh of relief and decided that the phone call had been a fluke and picked up his fork to begin eating again, wondering how prank callers had gotten a hold of his private line.

Serena settled next to her mother. She started to ask how her trip was when she realized Chuck was sitting across the table.

"What are you still doing here?" Serena asked, perplexed. "I thought you were going to Tuscany with Blair. Shouldn't you have left hours ago?"

"I missed the chopper," Chuck said, shifting slightly. Why was he feeling a little guilty about this whole thing? He needed to try to keep some things under wraps around Serena though. He hadn't thought about how pursuing his normal activities would get a monkey wrench being the brother to his girlfriend's best friend.

"So, what? Did Blair just go alone?" Serena asked, getting perturbed. "Seriously, Chuck, you did not just send Blair off to Tuscany on your father's private plane without you, did you?"

They all looked over at Bart when he uncharacteristically dropped his fork against his plate causing a loud clatter.

He had finally figured out what that call was about. It wasn't a prank call. It was very real…. and whoever called had managed to snag the wrong person.

Bart stood up, tossing his napkin on the table. He looked at Serena. "Get Eleanor Waldorf on the phone right now."

"What—?" Serena said, confused, reaching for her phone anyway.

"Now," Bart commanded.

Chuck just watched his father in confusion. Why the hell did he want to talk to Blair's mother?

Bart stalked to the edge of the room, pulling out his cell phone as he went, dialing quickly.

"Where's the helicopter now?" He listened. "And the plane?" he asked, knowing that since the helicopter reached Teterboro, Blair and the marketing team would have transferred to the plane immediately.

"Can you get a hold of the pilot?" he asked.

Chuck was standing up now too. He didn't understand what was going on, but something wasn't right.

Bart kept a hold of his cool. "I see. Thank you." He closed his phone and looked toward Chuck.

"You picked a good day to miss a flight, but you should have told Blair to wait for you," Bart said.

Chuck shook his head, confused. What the hell?

Serena had finally gotten a hold of Eleanor. She held up the phone for Bart, "She's here." She had heard what Bart said to Chuck and she didn't understand either.

"What is going on, Bart?" Lily asked.

He didn't answer his family directly but took a hold of Serena's phone and spoke into it. "Eleanor?"

"Yes, Bart, what is all this about?" Eleanor asked. She didn't usually speak to Bart Bass outside of social settings.

"Come to The Palace immediately. We have a problem," Bart said, making eye contact with his son.

"I really don't understand…" Eleanor started to ask.

Bart didn't want to say anything over the phone because Eleanor might start freaking out and do exactly what the kidnappers didn't want her to do—call the police.

"It's about Blair," Bart said gruffly.

"What about—" Eleanor started, but was once again interrupted by Bart.

"She's in trouble. Come here now," Bart commanded.

"Father, what is going on?" Chuck almost yelled, freaking out worse than he had earlier.

Bart hung up the phone, not wanting to speak with Eleanor and try to answer her questions any more than he could right now.

"Who knew you were supposed to be on that plane?" Bart asked his son.

"What?" Chuck asked, taken back by the new line of questioning. "Just Blair, Nate, and Serena I guess, why?"

"Someone else knew you were supposed to be there too," Bart explained. "And fortunately for you, you weren't. Unfortunately for Blair, she was and these people seem to think she's my daughter."

"I don't understand," Serena said. "What's going on? Where's Blair?"

Bart looked at her. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Chuck said angrily. "She's on a plane heading to Europe, where she's supposed to be!" Even if he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

"My people are no longer in control of the plane."

Chuck tried to speak and say something, but he couldn't. He was too shocked.

"Who is?" Serena asked, her eyes wide as she finally understood that her best friend was not safe.

"I don't know." Bart answered.

"Well, do something!" Chuck commanded his father, as if he had the power to reach up into the sky and pull the plane back down to earth this very minute.

"There's nothing to do but wait," Bart said.

"For what!" Chuck said, panic flooding him.

"The next call," Bart said before he sat back down at his seat, picking up his fork to start eating again. There was only so much he could do. He wasn't going to panic. There wasn't any point. It still wasn't going to change the outcome. He knew there was always a possibility of something like this happening one day. He was one of the richest men in the Upper East Side. Being a wealthy parent meant extra care and security when it came to a child. Ironically, he thought if something like this were going to happen, it would have happened when Charles was younger. He was very much relieved that his son was safe, though Eleanor would be arriving shortly and would have to receive the news that no parent ever wanted to hear: her child was missing and it would take a fortune to get her back.

"Then what?" Serena asked, her voice hoarse.

"Then we find out how much these people think Ms. Waldorf is worth."

To be continued…