Title: Masks, Lies and Power

Characters/Pairings: Chuck/Blair, mentions of Marcus

Summary: CB. Short oneshot. Set during 2.03. They all wear separate masks.

Disclaimer: They own their own inimitable chemistry.

Notes: Not beta read so, sorry!

On the Upper East Side you can't trust the truth in what people say. You have to put a smile and lie through your teeth because rumour and reputation and heck, propriety says you must.

Everyone has a public face against the private but on the UES the masks have to be worn for extensive periods of time. The danger is in the damage it can do.

Hers; the face of perfection, Grade A student, fairytales and happy endings.

His; the dark eyed devil, doesn't want love, doesn't need it.

But together it's something else.

The truth is too much to bear, for either one, so it becomes about darkness and fire and passion and living.

They both lie - yet mean the truth - so they can carry on, keeping their prominence and notoriety, taking the truth and spinning it, dropping the mask for a second, peeking and moving on, around.

It's the real thing, alive and in front of them and for this moment no one's watching.

"Blow out your candle."

And she does.