A/N: I'm new to fanfiction, so excuse any mistakes. Competely AU story, quick background: Blair lived moved to Paris when Chuck to moved to NYU when they were 12, completely missing each other. Now 5 years on Blair's back, and CB start their journey.

Tell me what you think!

Author: Florence

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CHAPTER 1

Starting Over

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Blair Waldorf never believed in fate. She never believed in destiny, or meant to be, or providence. But as she walked into the dimly light hotel room, made claustrophobic by an array of people, dancing seductively, or smoking in areas clouded by grey smoke and caught sight of him at the side of the room, joint in hand, an expression-less feature on his flawless face, as he leant back against the wall, she knew it just couldn't have been a coincidence.

He had struck her from the first moment she had ever laid eyes on him, and it hadn't been in the murky hotel room whilst her newly-appointed blonde best friend Serena van der Woodsen attempted to point out to her, unsuccessfully, any faces she might remember from before the 5 years she had been away.

No. The first time Blair Waldorf had ever seen Chuck Bass was on flight 116 to New York. She hated flying alone, the thought of being just several feet above the ground was terrifying to her, let a lone flying on a massive white bird surrounded by strangers, so high up in the air she could see the could see crisp white clouds floating around her.

She had felt air-constricted the moment she bid her father goodbye and stepped off French tuff onto the plane, and was practically suffocating once her bag was neatly packed in over-head storage and she clicked her seat belt into place with a firm tick.

Blair was absolutely certain she looked a nervous wreck when a dark-haired figure sat down next to her, and she turned to look at him sheet white in fear. Chuck Bass on the other hand, looked like no other; he was already turned to her, eyes sparkling dimly in amusement, a small side-smirk placed idly on his face.

He was perfection, she had realised, from the moment she had seen him. His dark protruding features, mysterious jet black eyes, curved mouth and strong-lined jaw interested her. "Scared?" She realised she amused him the moment the single word left his mouth. His voice made her melt inside, embarrassingly.

She swallowed and managed a small smile, looking away from his protruding gaze.

"Absolutely terrified actually."

She didn't see his smirk grow wider but she felt it, somehow. A three second conversation and all Blair could focus on for the rest of the flight was the mysterious dark-haired figure beside her, her nerves of flying pushed to the back of her mind.

No. Blair Waldorf didn't believe in fate. Not until the moment she saw Chuck Bass, again.

…

Blair had known Serena van der Woodsen and Nate Archibald since the age of 5 years old. She knew them ever since her mother had dressed her up in an immaculate white fairy-tale fit dress and two perfect pigtails for the first day of kinder-garden. The golden haired girl in a bright yellow sun shine dress and the smiling blonde boy on her right, wearing an faultless blue suit, caught her eye almost instantly.

She remembered wanted wanting to befriend them immediately and they too seemed at ease with with her friendship. They spent the next 7 years years of their lives inseparable, before she was forced to move away to Paris to live with her father.

"Darling seriously, don't you ever take that ridiculous bracelet off?" Her mother, Eleanor Waldorf, prestigious fashion designer, once border line alcoholic, scolded, as she grabbed Blair's wrist and studied the dainty old piece of brown string hanging loosely on her thin arm, three silver pendants falling off it; carved into B, S and N shapes.

She forced a smile on her face. Of course her mother hadn't changed, after exchanging two lines of pleasantries, "Blair darling, it's wonderful to see you." She had gone straight to criticising her, and it hadn't been a surprise at all. She knew of course, after the once weekly turned barely monthly calls, that her mother was the same high strung, never pleased woman she had known all her life. Over the phone she hadn't been able to scold Blair over her appearance but quickly took to downgrading her reported activities, even sinking low enough to criticise Blair's voice.

"I like it mother, it reminds me of when I lived here." She tells her cautiously, bending over to pick up her suitcase.

"Well now that you're back you have no need for it." Eleanor shook her head agitatedly, "And really Blair, what are you doing with that suitcase? Did your father teach you nothing in Paris? There's a reason we have a butler dear, and that reason is to serve you."

Blair pressed back the response playing on her lips with a silent gulp and then nodded, dropping the bags once again and shooting an apologetic look towards Theodore, her mother's butler.

"Good, now Dorota's upstairs. I've laid a little outfit on your bed for the day, of courseyou can't go out dressed like that." The roll of her eyes made Blair redden slightly in anger but once again she attempted to control herself, "I took an opportunity earlier to call Lily van der Woodsen and tell her of your return and we set up a little play date for you and her daughter Serena. You do remember her don't you darling? You two and Nathaniel used to be ever so close when you were children."

Blair stared at her mother coldly and finally lost her composure, "Of course I remember S and Nate, I still talk to them on Facebook and Skype. And I'm not a child mother, I can arrange to meet my friends without your help, so please don't call it a play date, how old do you think I am?"

Eleanor narrowed her eyes, "I know your not a child Blair, I was only trying to help, do not take that flippant attitude with me."

Blair sighed nodding once, and turned towards the stairwell. There was a reason she never talked back to her mother and it was because she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere, "I'm assume I'm taking my old bedroom?"

She didn't need to turn back to see Eleanor nod but proceeded up the stairs, a sense of de-ja-vu falling upon her. It had been years since she'd ascended the stair-well towards her bedroom. Years since she'd open her door and see her maid Dorota prancing around her room with a duster, cleaning any spot of dirt she could find, but there she was standing before Blair doing just that.

"Ms Blair!" The young maid cried, a smile broke out on her face and her arms stretched out to pull Blair into a hug the moment she saw her enter the room, "It so good to see you again. Dorota misses you."

Blair laughed easily at her, "I missed you too Dorota. It's been too long."

"Come." Dorota urged her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the bed, "Ms Eleanor tell me lay out dress you wear today. Ms Serena is coming to see you, you excited very, yes?"

"Yes Dorota." Blair nodded wearily, "I'm very excited."

Her hands fell over the fabric of the beautiful black and red dress Eleanor had laid out for her, and she furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't have any reservation for wearing the dress, it was just that her mother was already back to telling her what to wear and what to do, and in moments she felt constricted again. Eleanor was dressing her 17 year old daughter as if she was a brunette-Barbie doll she just bought from a rack.

"But I'm not going to wear the dress Dorota, I'm much more comfortable in this." Her hands motioned to the white frilly top and red pencil skirt she already had on and she ignored Dorota's worried look, "I'm not a child anymore, I can choose what to wear."

"Of course Ms Blair." The maid ushered, her hands flying forward to remove the dress from the bed, "Ms Serena not coming over till 8, you tired, sleep till then."

"I'm not tired." Blair protested weakly but Dorota shot her a pointed look and she sighed nodding. She watched as a satisfied Dorota left the room and crawled into her bed, trying to put the thoughts of what last transpired the last time she went to sleep in that very bed to the back of her mind.

...

"We're going to a party."

She did miss Serena van der Woodsen, fiercely, Blair realised. The friends she made in Paris were too demur and plain, parties which entitled greasy pizza and chick flicks that didn't have Audrey Hepburn in them didn't really take her fancy.

"A party?" Blair smiled energetically. For the past hour and a half the two girls had caught up, jumping up and down excitedly on Blair's bed as they exchanged anything interesting that had happened in their lives since the last time they spoke.

"Yes, it's at Carter's house." Blair pouted. Carter. She knew that name from somewhere.

"Carter? As in Carter Baizen? Oh S, I don't know."

"We're going." Serena said firmly, "Don't tell me you're not excited. Carter's parties are always fun."

"Yes well I wouldn't know would I?" Blair practically snapped and then sighed, before adding a bit softer, "I'm just not sure whether that's my scene Serena."

The blonde rolled her eyes and got up off Blair's bed without another word walking over her wardrobe, which Dorota had already packed her clothes into whilst Blair was sleeping and slowly looked through the vast collection of dresses that hung off the hangers. Serena's hands slowly pushed each one away until she got to a sparkly black number that Blair opened her mouth instantly to protest against.

Roman had bought her that. And she certainly wasn't going to wear anything that that man bought for her. But Serena rose one finger to stop her immediately and pulled the dress down off the hanger, tossing it carelessly Blair's way.

"You're wearing that." She instructed, "It's hot, you'll look hot in it, and this party is gonna be your reintroduction to the Upper East Side B, so you need to look hot."

She sighed frustrated, "Anything but that dress."

Serena looked at her sadly, "You're with me now Blair, your back where you belong, don't hold onto your resentment from Paris. Show that you're stronger than that and ready to move on. Who cares where the dress came from? It's yours and you're gonna look drop dead gorgeous in it."

Blair studied the dress for a moment. The high top was incredibly her but the short bottom and almost overly-sparkly black sequin material were too party girl for her. She looked up to see Serena pulling a red dress from her own bag and studied it - the strap-less heart-shaped top and barely mid-thigh length and sighed. Maybe Serena was right, maybe this was her time to move on and become New Blair. Party Blair.

Plus her dress wasn't half as out-there as Serena's.

Serena turned to look at her with a questioning look and Blair broke out into a smile, "How should I do my hair and make up?"

The blonde girl jumped up and down giddily, before falling over towards Blair and wrapping her arms around her enthusiastically, "I missed you B!"

"I missed you too S." She replied truthfully, a truly happy smile plastered to her face.

And that's how an hour later, she walked into Carter Baizen's apartment Serena's hand thread through her arm almost protectively. She looked good, she had realised, only once Serena was done doing her over. She had protested when Serena had applied the black eye shadow and Chanel slightly-glittery red lip stick but once her hair had been ruffled in a casually-sexy way Blair never wore it, she had to admit she looked good. Really good.

"Damien." Serena called out quickly, "You remember Blair right?"

Blair smiled slightly at the boy walking towards her, Damien Dalgaard. He looked exactly like she remembered him, a Zac Efron look-a-like with his piercing blue eyes and pretty-girl-bangs blonde hair.

"Waldorf." He drawled with a care-free smile, his lips collided with her cheek and his arm wrapped itself around her waist, "What you doing back from Paris?"

"I missed New York." She told him, returning his cheek-kiss with her own before prying herself out of his hands, "But I'm back now. Permanently."

"We missed you." He nodded, and then pulled a joint out of his pocket along with a red lighter and swiftly lighted up. She rolled her eyes and half-heartedly pushed him away against his chest laughing.

"You are such an arse Dalgaard, why don't you go get glassy-eyed some place else?"

His eyes twinkled in amusement but before he was able to reply Blair felt herself being picked up from behind and swung around quickly, and she opened her mouth to let out a small failed scream. Once placed back on the floor she turned to look at the figure who picked her up with harsh eyes until her gaze focused on Nate Archibald and a grin erupted onto her face.

"Natie!" She cried happily, her arms stretching out to fold around his neck and bring him back for a hug.

"Blair-bear." He teased back against her ear before placing a soft lingering kiss on her cheek, "I missed you."

"Like you wouldn't believe Archibald." She told him earnestly, and then pulled back to study him, her smile not faltering. He looked as handsome as ever, with his warm green-blue eyes, blonde hair and heart-melting smile, the only thing she noticed changed was his older-looking features and height.

"You look amazing." He told her sweetly and she laughed, replying that he didn't look so bad himself.

"Blair!" She turned around to see Serena calling out to her, one arm draped over Carter Baizen's shoulder as he swung back the contents of a glass of what seemed to be scotch, "Come say hello to Carter!"

She frowned slightly before walking over to the pair. She had never particularly taken a liking to Carter Baizen when they were kids, she knew he was going to grow up and be trouble even at the age of 12. Now, almost 5 years later and she knew her instincts were right. She did not like how friendly Serena seemed around him, and gave Nate a pointed look when she felt him come up behind to which he frowned. In fact, she noticed, he seemed just as troubled by the fact their blonde best friend was wrapped around Carter.

"You look ravishing Curls." Carter told her smirking, "Even more beautiful than the day you left."

"And you're exactly the same amount of sleaze as the day I left Baizen." She smiled as sickly-sweet as she could manage and felt Nate chuckle behind her. Serena, however, glared at her and released her hold on Carter, moving away so his hand also fell away from her waist.

"Play nice B." She said in a warning tone and Blair rolled her eyes.

"It's ok Blondie, I know Curls is just joking." He walked closer to Blair, leaning into her ear and causing her to shiver, "You just want me."

Blair scoffed and stepped backwards, colliding slightly with Nate, who she realised seemed to be standing behind her almost protectively.

"In your dreams."

"Oh believe me, you're in them." Carter returned with a wink before moving towards another corner of the room. Blair trailed him with narrowed eyes, knowing she couldn't trust him as far as she could throw the guy.

And that's when she saw him. The mystery guy from the plane, the guy she had spent the entire plane journey and most of the journey home thinking about, even though their conversationmight not even be deemed that, at the two lines they exchanged. Her heart seemed to do a flip at the sight of him though and she couldn't believe that she had found him again.

"Blair!" Serena snapped louder, her hand colliding with Blair's arm, forcing her back into the real world and her gaze away from the brunette boy's, "Seriously did you hear a single word I just said?"

Blair dismissed her question and just looked back to the guy in the corner. She had to know who he was, she needed to know who he was straight away, but she didn't want to be too obvious about it. She didn't want Serena and Nate knowing just the impact looking at a guy she barely exchanged two words with was having on her.

"Introduce me to some more people," She insisted, grabbing Serena's arm and pulling her towards Chuck's side of the room.

The blonde eyed her suspiciously but before she could say anything Blair heard Nate shout something behind her. Her eyes flashed to her other blonde bestfriend and found that he was looking straight at the mystery guy. She really did love Nate Archibald so very much.

"Chuck! Hey Bass!"

Her eyes snapped back around and she found the brunette's boys eyes land on where the three of them where standing and his eyes connected with hers. She could have sworn she saw a flash of recognition flash across his face but she could easily pass it off as wishful thinking. Would he even remember her as the girl from the plane, how likely was that?"

As they moved towards the guy automatically, she saw his mouth curl up into a smirk, "Nathaniel." He nodded towards Nate, and then glared at Serena, "You."

Blair furrowed her eyebrow's as she turned to look at Serena who only rolled her eyes in response. "I warned you last time you brought a girl home, you're not allowed in my bathroom anymore Chuck. It's disgusting."

She must have flinched but she wasn't sure. Luckily his eyes were trained on Serena but she was sure Nate's fall on her. She tried to compose herself, wondering what the hell the pair were talking about.

"I'll find a way sis, you know I always do." Blair felt a feeling of understanding finally wash over her. It wasn't just a few hours ago that Serena was complaining about her mother's new finance and his son moving in with them... she furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to remember his name.

Charlie... no. Chuck. Chuck Bass. A flash of recognition crossed Blair's eyes and she turned to look at Chuck again, when she realised his eyes were already on her, inspecting her slowly. She couldn't help but feel self-conscious under his dark protruding glare.

"So is anyone gonna introduce me or..." He drawled and Nate chuckled lightly behind him.

"Chuck, this is the infamous Blair Waldorf. Blair, Chuck Bass. He moved to New York a few months after you moved to Paris actually."

"I'm infamous?" Blair laughed weakly because she didn't know what else to say.

"Actually," His smirk grew slightly, "We've already met."

Blair was sure that her eyes widened again on their own accord. He actually remembered her from that morning? What did that mean?

"What are you talking about?" Serena's puzzled voice snapped Blair out of her thoughts again and she managed a casual nod.

"The flight back from Paris this morning. What were you doing in Paris?" She asked him, speaking directly to him for the first time since she had entered Carter's suite.

"What are you doing back in the Upper East Side?"

She wanted to take a moment to process his tune. He was starting to sound slightly disinterested and she was starting to feel slightly inferior, which she didn't like at all. Blair Waldorf did not feel inferior to anyone. She took a slight breath in before reassuring herself that he was just like anyone else. She was going to behave around him just like she did with Nate, Damien, Carter or any other of her guy friends.

"I asked you first Bass." She pouted and then when he looked at her in an amused silence to which she rolled her eyes and turned back to Nate, feeling his gaze still on her back, "Come on Archibald, buy me a drink, we have to catch up."

Nate grinned lazily at her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders before leading her off to the bar. She forced herself not to look back to see whether he was still watching her but she was pretty sure that she could just still feel his gaze burning a hole through her dress.

It wasn't until an hour later once Nate had been practically dragged away, despite many protests and apologetic looks, by some girl Blair didn't recognise called Juliette Sparks. That she felt some felt someone slide into the seat next to her and turned to see it was Chuck Bass, holding two glasses of scotch.

Without looking her way once he pushed the glass towards her and took a tentative drink from his own.

She stared at the glass for a few moments and then forced herself to look at him, "You didn't spike my drink did you? Because honestly, I've got to warn you that Serena's watching me like a hawk tonight and she's gonna see you dragging me off."

His mouth broke out into the first genuine smile she saw on his flawless face before settling back into a casual smirk and his eyes turned to look into hers, "You don't like scotch?"

She blinked in surprise at his quick realisation and then shook her head. He nodded, pulling the drink back and drowning it in a second, and she turned back to watch in annoyance.

"You owe me a drink." Blair muttered but he doesn't comment, only continued to down the contents of his own before gesturing to the bar tender.

"We'll have two glasses of Champaign and keep them coming." Blair narrowed his eyebrows in further annoyance at his order.

"Maybe you should let me order next time." She commented in an adjusted voice and Chuck's eyes sparkled in slight amusement which she growled slightly at.

"What's the fun in that?" He broke the intense gaze first, as he took the glasses from the bartender and passed one her way carefully, "Anyways. You like Champaign."

Yet again she didn't manage conceal her surprise and he shrugged, "I saw you drinking it with Nathaniel."

"What were you doing watching me and Nate?" She asked before she can stop herself and she instantly wished she could take the words back. His eyes went back to hers and she had no idea what emotion they were portraying. He turned back around first again and swung back the remains of his Champaign and it causes her to want some too, so she slowly raises the drink to her mouth and sips.

"Why you so afraid of flying?" He says it after moments of silence and she's surprised at the genuine curiosity in his voice. The guy was obviously very good at concealing his feelings but he'd obviously slipped up again with that comment.

"I just am. I have been ever since... ever since I was a little girl." She concluded and he narrowed his eyes at her as if to say he didn't believe her, but she forced a change in topic and nodded towards his third finished glass of Champaign instead and smiling slightly, "Since when you been you been an alcoholic?"

Chuck scoffed, raising a single eyebrow before shrugging, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me Waldorf."

"You're right." She nodded, finishing her own glass, "We don't know each other."

A moment of uneasy tension fell across them and then suddenly she could feel his breath at her cheek and she instinctively moved her face towards his and felt his lips at her ear making her shiver, "Maybe I want to get to know you."

His breathe smells of scotch and cigarettes and her mind wonders for a moment thinking that it's most certainly a smell she can get used to. She manages to get her breathe back enough to speak softly, "And why's that?"

A moment of unsure silence passed as his warm breath continued to tickle her cheek before he finally replied in a voice so husky it didn't sound like his own, "You interest me."

And with that she felt him move away and she let out a shaky breath she didn't even realise she'd been holding. She felt her mind reel at the thought of Chuck Bass finding her interesting of all people, and she finds herself repeating his words, the wheels in her mind spinning. They had been right, they didn't know each other and yet, some how, she felt as if there had been a magnet between them, pulling them together. Some unseen force that drew them to each other in someway.

At least that was how she felt about him.

"Blair." She turned around slowly to find Serena standing behind her, hands folded in front of her chest, a stern expression fixed on her face that she had never seen Serena wear before, "No."

Of course Blair understood what she was talking about straight away but she decided to play her joker card and act naïve, pouting innocently.

"What are you talking about S?"

"We know him Blair." Serena pressed on regardless, "He's our best friend, we've known him for 5 years. He's not like you, ok? He doesn't do relationships, he just does girls."

She cringed again and it doesn't go unnoticed by the blonde shook her head, sighing deeply.

"Just don't get involved with him Blair. Please." Blair let out an exasperated breathe, getting up from the chair and turning to face Serena completely.

"I'm not getting involved with anyone S." Serena looked unconvinced but she rolled her eyes and carried on regardless, "And I'm not interested in Chuck Bass."

Serena still obviously didn't believe her but Blair's look is so final she dropped the subject.

"This is my fresh start Serena, I've got other things to think about!" She grabbed both of blonde's hands intertwining their fingers and grinning at her, "This is the beginning of our senior year, everything changes now!"

Finally Serena let a grin break out on her own face and laughed happily, "Everything changes right? A new year and fresh start, chance to prove ourselves and more forward with life."

"Yeah." Blair found herself smiling softly as she rubbed Serena's hands beneath her own, this really was the beginning of something for her. Her life away from France, back where she grew up back where she belonged, "Yeah it is. That's just hope it's the start of something amazing."

...

...

tbc

So you got to meet most of the people who'll be involved in this story this chapter – it's very much based around Nate-Serena-Blair-Chuck but Damien, Carter, Juliet and Georgina are gonna be making appearances – sometimes major something not.

Hopefully you guys will understand the other various pairings I make beside Chuck-Blair, I have a few ideas as to where I'm going which you might have picked up on but if there are any other two people you'd like to see have scenes just comment about it :)

So yeah I hope you enjoyed it, please review if you'd like for me to continue!