AN-Anyone who has read my other Gossip Girl stories would know that even though I only write Dair fics, I have never portrayed Chuck as a jerk. I mean sure, he can be a jerk sometimes but unnecessarily bashing just because you don't ship their pairing is just plain stupid. I like Chuck as a character as much as I love Dan. And Chuck actually has been regrowing on me this season. So, this fic is not for the love of a pairing (because I would always love Dair) but love of characters.

I also haven't seen Episode 4 of Season 5 yet, so I could have gone wrong on so many levels here. This is purely based on the spoilers and promos on the net. Any OOCness (even though I have tried to keep everyone in character) is regretted but this is my first time writing Chuck properly. Also, this tiny one shot has been written in a very short time and has not been beta read yet.

For some time, he just watches her, quietly so.

She is, as he sometimes remembers her to be; irritated, fidgety, pacing the ground furiously because something has not gone her way. He remembers being there to crease that brow and tell her that she could do anything, manipulate anyone, win anything, because he was Chuck Bass and he was in love with her.

He doesn't know if it's being shot and almost landing dead or just the morning scotch which has given him this insight but even he can't help but cringe at how self absorbed he must have sounded then. But then again, he is Chuck Bass, there is no denying that...And it had worked on Blair.

Then.

"Why aren't you inside?"

She turns around, faces him and the frown on her face relaxes a little, "I'm waiting for Dan to come out."

"Yeah...," He says softly, characteristically, "The man of the hour! Where is Louis though? Didn't you have something special planned with him tonight?"

Blair looks down at her hands, "I ditched him at the penthouse."

"To come instead to Humphrey's book launch party? Last I checked that wasn't a perfect fiancé thing to do."

"No," she clarifies, "I'm not here for Humphrey's celebration. I'm here for explanations."

Chuck grins. He knows what has her so vexed, he has read it all and he should have guessed that it would trouble her. Blair never did like facing up to the truth...Neither did he, really, but he has to be given credit for trying...and boy! Was he trying..."Ahh...so I presume that you did read the infamous sex scene. For a writer, signing his books inside, Humphrey sure lacks imagination, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" She bursts out, "It is imaginary. You wouldn't' think I would..."

"Of course I know it's imaginary." He cuts her off, "C'mon, it's missionary, on your bed and has way too much of fore play. You and I both know this is not how it's done."

"Chuck..." She warns.

He changes tracks, "Why don't you just barge in and destroy his party then?" He asks instead.

She shakes her head, "It is his day, the least I can do," and there is a soft smile on her face, which he misses, because there was a time it would grace only for him, "for him is to save him the embarrassment at his own event. I'm reserving my blast for a personal accusation of betrayal of trust and friendship." She narrows her eyes, "Why aren't you in there though. The event is at your hotel after all," she pauses, "and since when do you have a dog?"

He chuckles, "Humphrey presented me with it."

Her eyes go wide, "Dan presented you with a dog?" She shakes her head in bewilderment; "I don't think I even want to know how did things come to that."

"I won't bore you with the details either." He replies and pulling gently onto Monkey's leash, side steps her to make his way inside.

And there is a soft voice behind him, "Thank you Chuck."

He wonders what is she thanking him for; for letting her go? For not fighting harder? For not creating a scene when she told him that she was carrying another man's child? Greeting her right now? She probably means all of them but he doesn't have in him to turn around and tell her it's okay.

Because it isn't...

He sighs, turns around and tells her the one thing he can tell...,"Be gentle with him Blair."

"What are you talking about?" She asks, even though he suspects that she knows exactly what is he talking about.

"He is in love with you."

She actually laughs out a bit, "Who? Dan Humphrey? Him fantasising about sleeping with me doesn't make him in love with me Chuck. We are friends, or at least were before his lame attempt at being a writer by selling out to his friends and family. It's crafty and genius to cash on so much drama but I wouldn't have though this of Humphrey."

"My point exactly. Even though I do agree that anything coming from Brooklyn probably is lame but I don't think Daniel was being crafty, for all I know he's being honest..."

"Making up ideas in your head doesn't make you honest Chuck. It makes you a schizophrenic."

He shrugs, "Don't say I didn't warn you." He turns once more to go inside.

She stops him once again, "Why are you saying all this? What do you get out of telling me this?"

He is thankful she can't see his face because it wrenches inside him that she would think he was looking for a motive in it. Placing his smirk back on its place he faces her, "The only pleasure I would get out of this is to see Humphrey jailed when you issue restraining orders against him. I had warned you people like us do not mix with people like him."

But she does know him, and unspoken, unsaid, he has told her that he is doing this because he has been there and done that. Nobody recognizes the signs of being in love with Blair Waldorf like Chuck Bass does.

She understands and she accepts, "But..." she straitens herself when Chuck suddenly takes two steps closer to her, "but I'm not in love with him."

"I know."

"We have a connection, an understanding, a friendship..." she looks at him pleadingly, "a friendship I don't want to lose. He has been around for me."

And he wants to yell at her that he would have been around for her too had she given him a chance to. But he remains quite, willing her to continue and the irony of life is that he is trying to find a meaning in the words she is using for Dan Humphrey, "But it isn't love. Not the way I feel about Louis, not the way I feel about," she pauses and looks him straight in the eye, "you."

He smiles a little, "I know that too."

And for sometime it isn't about Dan Humphrey anymore, "I don't want to break his heart Chuck. But this is not what I want. He will have to understand that."

"I'm sure he will."

"And he will be happy for me?"

"He has always been happy for you Blair."

"Blair? I thought you weren't coming to the party and why did you call me outside?" Dan's voice makes him retract his two steps back.

She stiffens her shoulders too and Chuck can't help but grin at the look in her eyes. He recognizes it as the look of the girl he had destroyed once. It is the look of a woman determined.

Ruffling his Dog's hair, he turns away from Blair for the final time that evening and stops by the side of Dan Humphrey, "When you come out of this Humphrey, you may need a dog or something," Dan blinks confusedly at him, "And no, you cannot borrow Monkey."

With that he steps inside his hotel and lets Dan face what he knows is not going to be an easy conversation.

Because he has been there, done that.

AN- So? Please review and let me know how was my first Chuck centric story like.