Chapter 19 – Playtime In The Park

"She is going to be the cutest baby that anyone has ever seen!" Blair proudly announced to no one in particular, aside from herself. She was kneeling beside her daughter's car seat, in perfect dress and form just a week after giving birth. Well, maybe not in the most perfect form just yet, that would take a few more weeks, but she had definitely gone to great lengths to choose the perfect outfit for her entrance back into society.

She had been delighted to find that the navy colored pencil skirt she had chosen to wear was not too snug from the added baby weight, but finding a top to coordinate with the ensemble was not as easy. It was safe to say that her waistline had suffered some and that her breasts were close to popping the buttons from the delicate materials of her shirts. But Serena assured her that she would shed the weight quickly and had also informed that she did not mind the extra flesh spilling over the cups of her expensive lingerie; she supposed flattery was still flattery no matter the form.

"Hey! Are you girls ready to go!?" Serena chimed in suddenly, as she appeared at the top of the stairs. Her bubbly attitude was hard to miss any day, but as Blair watched her practically skip down the stairs it was obvious that she was especially energized that afternoon.

When the blonde reached the last step Blair was already there, waiting to take her hand and drag her across the floor to give her another demonstration of their daughter doing nothing, yet being infinitely adorable.

"Come here, S, you have to see her with her little hat on. She looks like she should be poolside in the Hamptons." Blair rambled and grasped for her fiancée fingers, only to find them out of reach because they were being used to slide multiple brightly colored enamel and metal bracelets onto her wrist.

The brunette frowned at her choice of jewelry. "What are you wearing those for?" she asked, almost sounding disappointed.

Serena looked down at the pieces with confusion, trying to find whatever flaws Blair was seeing. "What's wrong with them?"

"There's nothing wrong with them…" Blair said playfully, as she took a step forward, brought her body flush to Serena's and placed her arms over her shoulders. "I just thought that you would be more interested in a certain ring that we're hopefully going to find today."

A smile spread over Serena's face at hearing Blair hint at buying her engagement ring and she looked deeply into the brown eyes that were gazing at her intently. "Oh, I am…"

"Good," the brunette whispered in a low tone, before carefully starting to pull the bangles off while letting her fingertips skim the soft skin beneath. "I'll accessorize you later."

"Alright, B." Serena giggled, waiting for the woman in front of her to finish giving the back of her left hand a lingering kiss.

After removing the bracelets, Blair set them on the table in the foyer that always held a vase of freshly cut blooms, while the blonde took the opportunity to check on Carabella. The baby was content being strapped into her car seat with her light blanket and she let her face rest against the cushioned sides of the carrier as she examined her surroundings with as much concentration as an infant could manage.

"What's on your forehead, Cara?" Serena asked aloud, her eyes narrowing as she inspected the dark mark above Carabella's brow, which was more difficult to see from the shadow of the visor being drawn up.

"What? What is it!?" Blair said, bordering on shouting as she dashed forward to kneel beside her daughter once more.

Serena just laughed as she pulled her thumb away and held it up to display a crimson smear on her skin. "Don't freak out, she's fine. Everyone will know her mother loves her…it's your lipstick."

Folding back the visor to inspect what she had unknowingly done made Blair smile widely, and then she leaned forward, attempting to do it again. But before she could, Serena was halting her actions and chiding her. "Now, stop, you're going to get it all over her."

The brunette cocked her head to the side in a haughty fashion and narrowed her eyes as she began to stand. "Well, now you've done it…" Blair stated matter-of-factly, while sauntering towards Serena and keeping their gazes locked. "Now, I'm going to get my lipstick all over you."

They both grinned as the tips of their noses came together, and then finally their lips. And as Serena linked her hands at the small of Blair's back, she cockily thought of how it was not the first time that they had ruined a perfectly good makeup application nor would it be the last.

"I can't get over how sexy you are when you're being all motherly." Blair rasped into the blonde's ear, after having kissed her way there.

Taking some steps backwards, until her shoulder blades met the nearest wall, Serena whispered, "I haven't even done anything yet."

Blair tipped her head back to question her fiancée's disagreement, but then thought better of it, instead deciding to extend her tongue to taste the soft lips that were just breaths away from her own. Serena searched the brunette's eyes and parted her mouth to the exploration, letting her take a few licks and then catching her tongue between her teeth.

"Mmm…" Blair groaned and waited for her tongue to be released from the sharp, yet playful pinch of Serena's teeth. "Maybe it's just you."

"Maybe…" the blonde agreed, and then continued to take advantage of their short moment of solitude and furthered their kissing.

Neither paid attention to anything aside from the press of flesh and fingers tangling in silky hair. If a baby was not crying then they were safe, but they had completely forgotten the one other disruption that was always bumbling around the Waldorf penthouse.

The sound of a throat clearing distracted Blair from her eager devouring of Serena's mouth and she leaned away to find the source, still clinging to the once crisp white collar she was fisting between her fingers.

"Miss Blair should learn to keep tongue in her mouth." Dorota grumbled, averting her eyes although shamelessly scolding the woman – who would always be a young girl to her – for the way the pink of her tongue had been clearly visible at the corner of Serena's mouth just seconds ago.

"Sorry, Dorota," said Blair with a half-hearted shrug and a little smirk, "but we haven't had sex in weeks and my hormones are still running on overdrive."

"Miss Blair!?"

Serena could not help the blush that crept into her cheeks from the confession and quickly changed the subject before a squabble could occur or any more personal information could be revealed. "Dorota what are you going to call Blair once we're married?"

The maid shot both of the women a glare that showed she was thoroughly dissatisfied with their saucy display. "I find something to call her, I'm sure," she replied shortly, busying herself with tucking the blanket more securely around Carabella's legs and putting the visor back up. "You keep the sun off the baby, she too little for a tan."

"We know, we know!" Blair dramatically huffed. "And now, we're leaving!"

Taking that as her cue, Serena gripped the car seat handle in one hand and offered her other to Blair, glad to escape from Dorota's watchful eyes. The two were quiet as they waited for the elevator doors to slide into place, but once they had, each was laughing with amusement.

"If only she knew where all this tongue has been." Blair laughed lowly and squeezed Serena's hand suggestively.

*****

"And here, we have the Legacy™," the man who had been assisting the two women stated, as he presented Serena with a platinum ring with a cushion-cut diamond and many more dripping down the sides of the band.

Blair sat beside her in the brightly lit lounge, holding a dozing Carabella against her shoulder and eyeing the ring skeptically. She did not like the setting; it was too flashy for her taste. But when Serena turned to her with an expression that was wondering her opinion she only smiled and asked, "Do you like it?"

The blonde gave the ring that she held between her thumb and index finger an uncertain look, before carefully handing it back to the suited man. "It's beautiful, but maybe something a little simpler, similar to hers…"

Eagerly, Blair put her hand and its shining accessory up for display; she was becoming quite used to showing it off. Not for its material meaning, but for how it physically linked her to Serena. She loved staring into its perfect facets and thinking of all the facets of she and Serena's relationship, and she wanted everyone else to do it too.

"Of course, maybe a different solitaire with a plain band, then?" the man quizzed back, willing to please.

"Perfect," she smiled, prompting his departure to fetch more pieces of jewelry. After he was out of sight and busy with his task, Serena turned to Blair questioningly, "You don't want it to match yours or anything, do you?"

A humorously disbelieving look came over the brunette's face and she quickly shook her head in disagreement. "No, that's just tacky. Choose one you like, this is our engagement, not just mine."

"Wow, B, how understanding and unlike you!" Serena teased, her lips brushing Carabella's soft hair as she leaned in to kiss her head.

"Well, yes, I am trying to be less selfish in my ways." Blair sighed exaggeratedly.

"You're sweet," the blonde laughed, and then steered the conversation toward the entire purpose of visiting Tiffany's that afternoon. "So, do you like any of the wedding bands he showed us?"

"I don't know…we should probably find your ring before we choose the ba –"

A dissatisfied whimper suddenly interrupted the words, as well as the click of shoes sounding on the spotless marble floors. Carabella had decided to wake just as the new pieces they had requested arrived and Blair laid her on her lap, hoping to soothe her before she got too upset.

"Finally, you decide to wake up, sleepy baby…" Blair spoke in a light and playful tone while letting the infant grasp her fingertips. The grip was not content, but more a show of her irritation at being pulled from her sleep, and soon she was protesting as loudly as she could. Which seemed to be much louder than normal, considering the hushed environment of the store, complimented only by the tasteful strains of music playing in the background.

Gathering the baby against her chest again, Blair stood from her seated position and turned to Serena apologetically. "Sorry, S, just let me walk around with her for awhile. She should be alright in a few minutes."

"It's fine," Serena assured with an understanding smile and then motioned to shoo Blair away, "go ahead."

While Blair slowly walked beside the lengths of glass countertops, she gently rocked Carabella and tried coaxing her back to happiness. Serena stayed seated; slipping different styles of rings on and off her finger.

"Shh, what's wrong?" the older brunette whispered against the side of the infant's head, rubbing her back and neck soothingly.

Blair could not help but notice the irony of the situation. In a timeless jewelry store that she herself loved and that another very famous brunette had described as a sort of nirvana among women, her daughter was loudly wailing. And soon she was giving Carabella her first lesson in old Hollywood glamour and refined taste.

"You know, Cara," Blair began thoughtfully, "a very wise woman once stated that this place should calm you down right away. With the quietness and the proud look of it, nothing very bad could happen to you here."

Rehearsing her own version of the lines that she must have heard over a thousand times since she was just a young girl had no effect on the baby's crying, but she persisted with her speech. Hoping that the sound of her voice, if not the meaning of the words, would give Carabella some comfort.

"Shh, I know, I know…Holly Golightly is just a character, but she is one of my favorites and undoubtedly one of Audrey Hepburn's greatest performances. You really should consider her words, Breakfast at Tiffany's is a classic, and we'll watch it soon."

When Carabella's cries only increased and became borderline deafening next to Blair's ear, she pulled her away from her shoulder and looked at her flushed face and pouted lips with defeat.

"Or, maybe bad things can happen here," Blair continued to speak aloud, beginning to make her way back towards the lounge area, "but after all, you're only seven and a half days old, so I'll forgive you. Someday you'll learn to appreciate it."

As she approached Serena, Blair noticed that the blonde seemed distracted in her task to find the perfect engagement ring and was retiring most of the fine pieces back to the tray from which they had come before even giving them the inspection that the detailed features deserved. Mostly because the two people that she wanted to give all of her attention to had been pacing the store without her.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Serena asked, swiftly standing up to meet her fiancée and daughter in the middle of the room.

"Yes, I'm just going to take her out to the car for a while." Blair answered and smiled at the way Serena stroked the back of Carabella's small hand with concern.

"I'll come with you."

The brunette shook her head at Serena's announcement, "No, go ahead…keep looking. I'll come back in a few minutes."

"Alright…" the blonde replied hesitantly, before allowing Blair to walk out the doors alone. She watched her through the glass store front, making sure Blair was inside their black town car before going to sit down once more.

"I took the liberty of gathering some more pieces for you to view, Miss van der Woodsen."

The blonde found the man approaching with an entirely new set of small blue boxes and suede bags, and she suddenly felt guilty for making him go through the trouble of finding so many pieces when she was now disinterested and had hardly been able to concentrate in the first place.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I think I would rather wait to decide until Blair can look at them with me." Serena said, feeling bad, but still gathering her bag from where it laid beside her on the white sofa.

He smiled his agreement and began putting the items away. "Perfectly understandable…and if I may say, your daughter is very beautiful. She reminds me of my own daughter, years ago, of course."

"Thank you," Serena nearly laughed after a moment of hesitation. There was nothing humorous about what he had said, but it made her think of all the new and interesting experiences she, Blair, and Carabella had shared during the past week. "Having her…well, let's just say that it has definitely been a learning curve."

"I would expect every new parent to say such a thing, otherwise I would suspect the child of not doing a proper job."

The two shared a laugh, and then Serena was adding to her earlier comment, "Oh really? I thought it was just me. This wasn't planned at all and we're still young ourselves, it's just…" She could not understand why she was telling a perfect stranger certain details of her life, but he seemed to understand and that was what she needed.

"It will get easier," he said in a tone that was promising and spoke of personal experience, "but that's not to say that parenting doesn't continue to have its difficulties."

"If I'm any example of those difficulties, then I know exactly what to expect," Serena smiled, and the man nodded politely as he finished taking care of the jewelry and let the blonde continue to speak, "Well, I suppose we will be seeing you again soon. Thank you for all of your help today…with everything."

*****

"If you don't want to grow up to be an Audrey fan, I'll understand…I'll even understand if you decide to believe that Marilyn is the face of classic film. She is gorgeous, of course, although she may have lacked the true poise and elegance of someone like Grace Kelly, or say, Jackie O. But I can't deny, I do have a certain weakness for giggly, carefree blondes."

"And who might that be?" Serena asked with a knowing grin as she opened the car door and over heard the words which were said in a content, smitten sounding sigh.

Blair's inviting smile gave away exactly who she spoke of, while she lounged closely against Carabella's car seat, her elbow resting on its fabric covered side and her chin on her palm. "Oh, no one…" she ribbed, as she gently pushed the baby's butter yellow pacifier further into her mouth after it threatened to fall out.

Serena gave no answer, choosing to let her head fall back against the seats while staring out of the tinted windows instead.

"Are you mad?" Blair quietly asked and reached over to place her hand on the blonde's thigh.

"What? Of course not, B!" Serena reassured, while bringing their hands together. "I just have to keep reminding myself that this is what we signed up for, and that it's worth it."

The remark seemed to make Blair recoil a little, as if she had not listened to the rest of what Serena had said and soon she was self consciously pulling her hand back to her own lap. Her eyes shifted to the floor mats with a pensive expression. "Well, I know I did…I didn't really have any other choices."

"That's not what I meant," the blonde backtracked, leaning around Carabella who was now asleep again in her car seat, to take the other woman's hand back.

Before Serena could say anything else, Blair was adding her opinion to the matter. "It's just that you never had to do this with me. And as much as I love her – which I do, more than anything – I made this huge mistake and I just feel like one day you're going to realize that and I'll end up on my own."

Serena's face was masked with an odd look as Blair studied her with confusion, and then she was laughing in genuine disbelief. "Where have you been all day, Blair!? Don't you remember those things we were just looking at? They're round, shiny, and expensive…I think they're called wedding rings, as in, we're getting married."

The brunette raised her head and stared blankly at the partition for a moment, before shaking her head as if to clear it and then smiling at Serena. "You're right. I'm sorry, I guess I just…" she struggled for the correct words while gesturing with her hand, "I don't know."

"The hormones again?" Serena questioned with false seriousness and a smirk.

Blair could not have held back her amused chuckle even if she wanted to. "It could be…"

"You know, I'm not really sure how much longer the hormone line is going to work for you, B," the blonde teased.

"I'm sorry, Serena," Blair began to apologize for the second time in a row, "I don't mean to freak out on you, it's just that sometimes everything seems too good to be true."

Serena scoffed at the notion. "When you bring a van der Woodsen and a Waldorf together things are bound to be too good to be true. It's like a law of the Upper East Side."

Blair laughed at her girlfriend's successful attempt to cheer her up and then nodded in compliance. "But my name carries a little more weight than yours…"

"Pssh, whatever…I think the brilliance of this relationship is – as you would say – a team effort!"

The brunette shrugged in a kittenish manner and chimed, "Whatever you would like to believe, S."

"Mhmm, yeah…" Serena said with a sarcastic nod, "Now, instead of arguing over who has the most profound genealogy would you like to take our daughter to the park instead?"

"Sure," Blair purred, a wicked look coming over her face, "But there would be no argument, it's obviously me."

Their eyes connected and they each tried their best to uphold an icy stare, but it only lasted a few seconds before their resolves broke and each was laughing hysterically.

*****

The last time Blair and Serena had been in Central Park, they were a little over half way through their foray into becoming parents. And by now, the journey had already taken its abrupt start.

"It doesn't even seem like that long ago when Dorota was bringing me here to feed the ducks…" Blair reminisced as she looked out over the calm water, which was only subtly rippled by the late summer breeze.

"Did you ever think that one day you would be bringing your own kids here?" Serena asked, swaying slightly on her feet to a smooth rhythm for the baby she was holding.

The brunette was shaking her head in disagreement while still gazing at the water's glassy surface, before she replied, "No, never…"

"Well, I'm glad we get to do it together." Serena announced, pulling Blair from her trance and making her beam brightly in her direction.

"Yes, me too – ugh!"

Blair swiftly went from happily reminiscent to disgusted in fractions of a second and a familiar, cold visage seemed to freeze her features into a sneer. Just like memories of the duck pond, the mask could be easily remembered, but it was something that neither woman had been mourning in their everyday lives.

"OMG, she is so adorable, Blair!"

Suddenly, Blair and Serena found themselves caught in a whirlwind of colored tights and clashing, yet somehow perfectly put together fashion accessories. Because even if there was not a notorious Waldorf around to hold down the steps of the Met throne, there would always be her leftover power-hungry minions, Penelope, Hazel, Isabel, and Nelly Yuki willing to do the job.

"I know," Blair began in her sticky-sweet, reserved-for-inferiors tone, "but if you could refrain from using text acronyms when referring to our daughter, I would appreciate it, Is."

The barb went disregarded, in favor of the infant resting against Serena's shoulder. Just like in days gone by, the other girls never seemed to fully grasp the insults and cynical remarks that the head brunette threw their way. Except maybe Penelope, who was always watching over with a little more awareness than the others, waiting with a keen eye for Blair's slip-ups.

"Oh, is her name Audrey!?" Nelly asked excitedly, while Blair and Penelope stared each other down with distrust, and Serena tried not the laugh at the awkwardness of the whole situation.

After purposefully extending her glare for a couple more seconds and then adding an eye roll, Blair turned to the wannabe geek-chic girl who had most definitely taken her spot at Yale in the fall. "No, Nelly Yuki! Her name is not Audrey!"

Not even bothering to look, Nelly continued to ogle Carabella alongside Hazel and Isabel. "Then it must be Holly!"

"No, it isn't! Now, stop creeping me out by knowing random facts about my life and interests!" Blair spat snottily, and then reverted back to her sarcastically nice tone. "Her name is Carabella, but I'm not sure why any of you should have the privilege of knowing that."

Secretly, Blair was thrilled at having her former "friends" fawning over her newborn daughter. It was obvious by the hint of a self satisfied grin curving the corners of her lips, which only Serena had taken notice of.

"What's wrong, P? Nothing to say?" the tall blonde asked with a smile, as she studied the newly appointed leader of the group and her unreadable expression.

Before an answer could be given, Hazel was gushing in agreement, "Yeah! Come on, P, you can't deny the fact that she is like the cutest thing ever!"

"Well…" Penelope began, sweeping her eyes haughtily over Blair and then back to the baby, "I suppose she is pretty adorable for being the spawn of Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass."

Blair was already on her way to clawing the other girl's eyes out when Serena's free hand locked around her elbow and another movement had her forgetting the comment all together.

"Look at her little fingers!" exclaimed Isabel, and then raised her hand towards said fingers.

"No touching!" Blair snapped, and somehow managed to swat the offending hand away before it could contaminate her daughter, even while Serena was still holding fast to her arm. "I don't want her to catch the last season that seems to be dripping from you!" she started to rant, "I was pregnant, ladies, not in a coma. I can still recognize your outdated style, and just like you all, it has no place near my daughter or my fiancée!"

The brunette was brimming with triumph when her diatribe finally had found its mark, especially when the girls shrank away in what she could only hope was shame at the stinging truth. But her glory was short-lived and soon Serena was pulling her back to rational thought after seeing too much of her horns reappear.

"Okay, B, that's enough tyranny for today. Let's go!"

Taking a deep breath and then releasing it with an air of calmness, Blair nodded in approval. "You're right, S. I think we've spent enough time in the park this afternoon."

"Yes, we have. Now, walk, we're leaving." Serena said, taking the control that she always had, but normally never had to use. Her hand was at the small of Blair's back, guiding her away from the girls that only led to upset when she was urgently called back.

"Wait, Serena!?" Hazel shouted, wanting to make sure she got the blonde's attention since it was evident that the group already had Blair's by the way she was practically baring her teeth while looking over her shoulder. "We should have lunch sometime, you know, on the steps like old times. Lunch on the steps is practically a rite of passage."

Serena peered at the four girls with skepticism; she was wondering if it was actually possible for people to be as clueless as they all appeared to be at the moment. "She's barely a week old. She doesn't do lunch on the steps, she does milk in her cashmere booties."

"Aww!" Hazel, Isabel, and Nelly all cooed in unison, all of them aside from Penelope confirming Serena's thoughts on their intelligence.

"So, if you don't want to have lunch…are we invited to your wedding?" Penelope finally asked in a sly tone, disregarding the rest of the pack's stupidity and lack of focus to zero in on the gossip worthy target.

With a tilt of her head and a finger put to her chin in mock thought, Serena smiled sweetly and happily answered, "No!"

"Well…that was strange." Penelope announced after Serena and Blair were out of earshot. Each of the girls was having the same thoughts as they watched the two walking away, their hands clasped together in obvious devotion.

"Yeah, I had my money on Nate. I never would have guessed that Chuck would be the baby daddy and Serena would just be the straight up daddy!" Isabel laughed in disbelief.

Murmurs of agreement arose throughout the circle and being the highest ranking, Penelope added what she thought would be the last word. "There's nothing straight about that!"

But before the laughter had time to die out, Hazel had left them with a comment that could not be denied. "Although, you know…Serena is sort of sexy."

Nelly looked scandalized, Isabel had arched her brow while looking strangely contemplative, and Penelope could only purse her lips in aggravation. Either way, as they continued to watch the two advancing into the distance, neither one of them could deny that there was something especially alluring about the way that Serena's arm curled protectively around the brunette's waist. But that was nothing new for them; Blair was always onto a good thing before they even had the time to figure it out.

Spotted: Queen 1 and Queen 2 giving a lesson on the definition of Rite of Passage in the park. Silly minions, don't you know that when your mothers are the reigning royalty of the Upper East Side you don't need initiation into the Court. It's called succession and whether you like it or not, this Little Princess is the next in line.