A/N: So, FINALLY I write another chapter, right? Well, I just figured it’d be best if I wrote out the outline first…since I’ve never really attempted it before, and I wanted to try it. It seems to work for other people so, yeah. Anyways, this story will officially be 22 chapters plus an epilogue, and hold onto your seats guys!! It’s going to be one wild ride! ;p
I also want to mention that in my new story “Book of Beginnings” where I write up little previews of my future multi-chaptered CB stories, I am willingly and eagerly taking on requests from anybody. I’ve already gotten a few and I think it’s a great idea. If you request a future story, I will include you as much as humanly possible. I will ask if you have plot ideas, dialogue suggestions and I will even send you my chapters before I submit them, if you would like me to change something…it is a request after all. I am just the person putting YOUR ideas together on paper. ;) Just thought I’d make a shout out about that.
And also, do NOT forget to vote for which CB multi-chaptered story I should do next (located on the poll on my profile). Either “Never Again…”, “Unable” or “Queen Bee…” And as annoying as it may be, I am going to REMIND you all of that fact at the beginning of each of my chapters….maybe the end too. I want to make sure you guys are COMPLETELY aware that a week after I finish this fic, the story with the most votes will be what I dedicate myself to until it’s done…and I will not be starting ANY of the previews from my “Book of Beginnings” until those three are done. ;p Just a head’s up! Heheh.
Now that all that nonsense is out of the way….*clears throat*…I own nothing but my own thoughts and crazy ideas. Enjoy and please review. ;p
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Ch.12—Bending Past Exception
Slowly, Chuck slid the door into its perfectly made case, and flipped the lock, so that neither his ex-best friend or the lame excuse for a human being could find their way into their domain. He paused a moment, trying to grip the situation and how incredibly odd it was, before turning to witness his recently acquired girlfriend…madly pacing in a space not even half the size of her walk in closet across the room.
He just stood there and watched her.
God, she’s hot when she’s flustered.
She paced. Each step quicker, faster, harder, more painful than the last. A few strands from her messy bun flew down around her neck and in front of her face. Every so often she’d blow a puff of air upwards, so as to distract the curly/straight strands (whichever way they decided to act at that particular moment) from getting in her eyes. It was only successful for about half a second, but she wouldn’t dare to attempt it again. Not for another five seconds at least. The tiny speckled earrings glistened, and on occasion her flailing arms would reach up and touch them. Just to make sure they were still there. Make sure SOMETHING was still working as it was supposed to.
His eyes grazed over her. Memorizing her. Again.
He tried to move, but his feet wouldn’t let him.
“Blair,” he breathed.
And her wimperings, her yelling, her frustrated rant…all came to a halt for one moment.
There she was. Mid-rant, mid-pace, mid-freak out. Stopped, she turned her head slowly, and if he hadn’t been so turned on at the moment, he would’ve looked scared…or maybe would’ve been smirking at the way he could get her stop whatever she was doing just by saying her name. But he couldn’t. He was hard. And ready for her. Like he had been all day. Twice. But it just wasn’t enough. It would never be enough with her. Plus, the way smoke appeared to be firing out of her ears at a heartwrenching speed, the way ultimate evil taunted him in her eyes, and how her hands trembled ever so slightly as they slowly settled on either side of her waist, slinking down to her gorgeously shaped hips…it left him paralyzed.
His breath caught in his throat.
She wasn’t pissed.
Not about him at least.
He could read it in her eyes.
The moment she turned her head to look at him.
He could see her anger seep away, and her desire took over.
That intense gaze of his ALWAYS got to her.
“What?!” she asked, frazzled that he had gotten her so hot and bothered when she was trying to concentrate on the two awkardly standing boys in her hallway. She forced herself to snap out of her reverie.
The intensity spewing out dimmed across his face. And suddenly he felt the tension relieved in his feet. He moved swiftly toward her and captured her lips in his mouth.
“Mmm,” she moaned, swept away in the moment, and pulling his head closer to hers with her swift hands, tugging on the roots of his tangled up hair. She bit on his bottom lip, and he grunted softly, allowing his hands to tighten around her waist.
“Let’s stop talking,” she mumbled fiercely against his lips, allowing her nails to dig into the skin at the base of his neck.
He smirked into her as his lips wandered down to her neck, and bit tenderly. “Fantastic idea.”
She moaned louder and turned her head down just underneath his ear and sucked. He stopped momentarily in kissing her slender neck. Breath caught in his throat. Again.
She giggled lightly. “Something wrong?”
Deep throaty laughter echoed in him as he pulled his head up, forcing her mouth to lose temporary contact. That intense gaze was back, and only intensified as he pushed her towards the bed. Forgetting all place and feeling except for the unsatisfied heat crawling from their centers.
“Naw, Baby, why would you say that?” he purred, shutting her up with another passionated onslaught of his mouth.
And she was quiet. Minus the repeated moans and growls exiting her on an every other second basis. Her legs wrapped around his waist, as his fingers began the slow, painful process of lifting her shirt higher up along her form.
Knock.
Their breathing hitched…again, but they didn’t stop.
Knock. Knock.
Blair heard it. But she ignored it. She didn’t care what the problem was anymore, at least not while Chuck was swelling on top of her, still entirely too clothed.
Palm. Fist. Nails. Against her door. For the third. Time.
“Come on, Blair,” Nate whined from the opposite side.
They paused. Had temporarily done so after every knock, but this time Chuck gracefully lifted himself off of her, so she could stand and straighten herself out. He watched her intently. And if he hadn’t felt it completely necessary to get rid of dumb one and dumb two as soon as possible, he would’ve grabbed her again and made Nate wait. Buy him a mute button, whatever!
Once completely composed, Blair took her stride in proper step and walked over to her door, her hand hovering over the locked handle.
Then, she did something that shocked even Chuck.
She pulled her hand away and let it drop by her side.
“No, Nate, I don’t want to talk to you about your messed up trashy Brooklyn problems,” she scoffed.
“Hey!” she could hear Dan call out from the other side, farther away though. She ignored it, waiting to see if Nate would respond to her insult.
A sigh.
That was all he had against her amazing wit.
She turned around and spotted Chuck smirking at her, completely dazed.
Her eyes twinkled, and she approached him again, landing slowly on his seated lap at the edge of her bed. She leaned in and kissed him again.
“What do you say we make them wait a little longer?” she teased, holding her mouth just far away from his to make him physically suffocate from lack of contact.
His eyes grew wide, and he pulled her in. Skin touching skin. Hungry lips ravaging every touchable spot.
They had to speak to the two idiots soon enough. They both knew this to be true, but…as long as they kept their clothes on, the waiting length would be just long enough.
Keeping the clothes on though.
That would be the challenge.
……………………
“Why are you here, Dan? What in God’s name did you plan to accomplish by coming to Blair WAL-dorf’s pent house?” Dan ran a hand aggravatingly through his hair and brought it together with his other hand over his face. “I mean, did it make SENSE?!” he muttered through closed hands. “No,” he sighed. “It did NOT! Why? Because she’s BLAIR WAL-DORF!” His nails made trials down his face and he punched the railing, the hard stairs doing nothing for his sanity.
Nate just stood stock still in front of Blair’s bedroom door. “Blair?” he asked quietly.
Nothing.
No sound.
Didn’t she have the dignity to respond to his sigh?!
Apparently not.
“You still haven’t answered my question….” Dan continued on.
Suddenly, Nate became aware of the rambling Brooklyn kid on the staircase. “Huh?” he barely spoke, turning his head ever so slightly in Dan’s direction.
“Why are you here?!” Dan raised his hands up in fury and self-pity.
“Oh,” Nate pursed his lips and returned his direction towards the closed door in front of him. He sighed, crossing his arms across his chest and turning his back to lean against the fine wood. He closed his eyes, trying to think of what to do. How to get Blair and Chuck out from behind closed doors and having a civilized conversation. And for the brief moment that Dan’s sigh remained quieter than the rest of his speech…Nate heard something.
He thought it was nothing at first, but then, after a moment, he heard it again. Louder this time. And it wasn’t coming from either him or Dan. He turned slightly and plastered his left ear against the door.
“Do you hear that?” Nate whispered, almost inaudibly. Afraid to talk much louder. It seemed too good to be true.
Dan was rambling, but in the back of his head somewhere, he had heard Nate’s quiet question. “Hmm?” he asked, a few seconds late.
“Shh,” the blonde’s eyes flashed to his and froze. “I think they’re moving.”
Dan scrambled up from his seat on the stairs, straightened his shirt, and walked towards him until he was right beside him next to the door. He leaned his own ear against the door. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth in a mock-gasp. “Why are we whispering?” his eyes narrowed.
Nate rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Because… we don’t want them to hear us!” he said matter-of-factly, and a little louder.
“Hmmm,” Dan continued to mock, pursing his lips at the determined golden boy in front of him. “And…why, exactly?” he questioned.
“Because…” Nate reasoned, “if they hear us, they might not come out.”
Dan gave him a look like he was crazy, but Nate gave him the same ‘it’s true!’ stare. Neither of them moved from their piercing blues and browns. Neither were willing to budge.
And that’s when they heard it.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!” the moaning cry erupted from behind the closed door.
Dan’s and Nate’s gaze broke from each other and their heads slowly turned to look at the door. Nate gulped, but Dan just erupted in laughter.
“Oh man….” Dan covered his mouth briefly in an attempt to not sound too insulting. “Well, they’re definitely moving,” he muttered under his breath. “Is-is this the ‘sound’ you were referring to before?” He looked far too amused for his own good.
Nate avoided eye contact.
“Dude?” he questioned, incredulously.
Nate said nothing.
Dan broke the silence and sighed. “It was a mistake to come here,” he decided, turning away from the door and heading for the stairs.
“No wait, man, come on!” Nate reached his arm out to Dan in an attempt to get him to stay.
Dan turned around instantly, trying to ignore Nate’s innocent pleading look. “Why?” he asked.
Nate was silent.
“Because that NOISE you heard in there was not them coming out to tell us what’s up with Vanessa.” He paused. “It was…”
“What?!” Nate snapped. “YOU tell me what it was,” he raised his eye brows, crossing his arms again, challenging him.
He sighed aggravatingly. “No.”
“Yes,” Nate said slowly.
“No!”
“Yes!”
“No!...ah, fine,” Dan rolled his eyes in exasperation, before returning his eyesight to the confident blonde in front of him. “Your ex-girlfriend and your best friend…”
Nate scoffed at the word ‘best friend’, but Dan tried his best to ignore it for the time being, continuing on with his sentence.
“were having…sex.”
Nate laughed at this, and turned away for a moment, before responding. “Is THAT was you thought the noise was?!” he asked incredulously.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god……..CHUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!” the noise continued from behind the door.
Nate’s eyes closed slowly and Dan slightly turned his gaze to the door, before returning to the blonde who now seemed mortified before him. “That’s kind of the picture I’m getting here,” he said, turning around and heading back for the stairs. “Not that I WANTED that picture…” he mumbled incoherently, shaking his head.
Nate didn’t stop him this time. It wasn’t like he had much ammunition anymore. He swore he could even feel the floor vibrating now, and as he turned just a little bit to look back at the door, he could see the door handle rattling. He let out a sigh.
“You know,” Dan began, probably talking to himself, but Nate still listened, “I bet if we told that maid of hers, uh….uh,” he snapped his fingers, trying to figure out the woman’s name.
“Dorota,” Nate clarified, growing interested.
“Yeah,” Dan continued, “if we told her exactly WHAT her precious little princess was doing with…CHUCK BASS,” he chuckled, “then maybe…she could get them to…”
“Nonononono, wait,” he cut him off, rushing down to Dan and forcing him to turn around. “We can’t do that. If Blair and Chuck find out they’ll never tell us anything,” he said.
“O…kay? Then, we won’t,” Dan tried to turn around, but Nate wouldn’t let him get away. He held on tight to his arm, and ignored Dan’s weirded out look when he wouldn’t let go. He was too busy devising a plan to notice. When he finally turned back to look at the Brooklyn boy, his eyes were glowing, and Dan was officially freaked out.
“Dorota,” Nate said, matter-of-factly.
Confusion was written all over Dan Humphrey’s face. “Excuse me?”
Nate turned his face towards the downstairs, and began walking down the elegant stairs towards the kitchen. “We’re going to sweet talk…Dorota.”
Dan was frozen for a few moments, before realizing just exactly what was happening. He turned around in a flash, and flew down the stairs after Nate. “What do you mean, ‘we’???”
………………………………………
She waited. It seemed like she had been standing there forever with that glass of ice-cold water, but when Jenny Humphrey was determined, no one was going to stop her. Not even the aggravating other voice in her head that insisted on at least getting a chair to sit on until Vanessa woke up.
It had been the second time Jenny had come across Vanessa in her house uninvited. Not that Vanessa was ever unwelcome in the Humphrey residence, but usually she was awake when she was discovered by someone living there. She would climb through Dan’s window, or wait at the front door…and always conscious. It was a little weird that she was asleep, and in Dan’s bed too. She could’ve crashed on the couch or on Jenny’s bed or something! If she had really been high or drunk (though either seemed perfectly impossible and ridiculous in Vanessa’s case), she would’ve just collapsed on the floor. But no, this was entirely too planned out. Here she was, in Dan’s bed, tucked in and snoozing peacefully. Though Jenny did notice a twitch from her every now and again. Her eyebrows narrowed in worry and concern.
And she still stood there.
Holding the water glass that she was SURE Vanessa would be wanting and NEEDING when she woke from her slumbered state… this is where Jenny stood. And THIS time Vanessa wouldn’t be getting away this time. Not until she explained things…..at least.
So…Jenny waited. She stood there, occasionally shifting from putting the pressure on one foot to the other. Just waiting for her troubled friend to open her eyes. Something was definitely up, and if Vanessa truly did not know what was going on, then it was even worse than she thought.
Just then, she sprung up. Vanessa was panting, and her widened eyes shot straight in front of her, apparently oblivious of Jenny’s presence. It had caught Jenny off balance, but she did not hesitate it finally stepping forward and offering her the glass of water.
“Vanessa,” she held the water out to her. “Here, take this,” she said, sitting down next to her on the bed, finding relief in the soft comfort of the comforter. Her feet thanked her. It had been a good twenty minutes, after all, that she had been standing there.
“Jenny!” Vanessa said, shocked, turning her face to the petite blonde as soon as she had heard her name. She swept a hand through her hair and leaned back against the wall, taking the glass of water and drinking it in sips.
She sighed, trying to relax.
After a few minutes, Jenny was about to start the interrogation (however gentle it might’ve been), when Vanessa beat her to the first question.
“What am I doing here?” she asked, staring ahead.
When Jenny said nothing, she turned her head to look at her. The little blonde was in shock, and it tore her apart how weak her normally peppy friend appeared to be.
“What?” Vanessa asked, a little scared at the look across Jenny’s face.
Jenny shook her head absentmindedly, waving a hand away in a casual gesture. “Nothing…” she paused, seeing Vanessa was not buying it, and with good reason. Jenny never was really a good liar, even if it was for a decent cause. “It’s just….” Her eyes froze on Vanessa’s, “that’s what I was going to ask you.”
……………………………
“Oh, Mr. Nate, stop it!” Dorota giggled wildly, in front of the beaming blonde.
“Oh, but it’s true, Dorota!” he spoke confidently. “I mean,” he became serious, “sometimes I would come over JUST to see you!”
Dorota gaped at this, blushing madly. She was speechless. She had known this boy for years, but NEVER would she find words such as these coming out of his mouth, and directed at HER of all people.
“Blair was just my excuse,” he nudged her, and Dorota let out another quiet giggle.
Dan rolled his eyes behind them on the staircase. He had absolutely refused to participate in this pointless plan of sweet-talking Blair’s maid, but he wasn’t stupid enough to leave without sufficiently witnessing Nate Archibald make a fool of himself. There was NO WAY Dorota would go along with their, well NATE’S idea.
“You TOO nice, Mr. Nate,” Dorota started.
“Aww, Dorota, it’s the truth!” he flashed his million-dollar smile at her, and she blushed again. “Only the most beautiful maid in the world would be suitable for Blair Waldorf,” he winked, and she was held speechless…again.
“Mr. Nate,” she became serious moments later, “You TOO sweet to me. There must be something you want, yes?”
Dan’s frozen gaze slid into a smirk. This is where it would all come crashing down. He was sure of it.
“No,” Nate insisted, “I just…I’ve never gotten to tell you how lovely you are.”
She looked away, and flushed a few shades redder than before when he reached for her hand and kissed the top of it. Slowly, she brought her gaze back up to meet his crystal blues.
“Don’t I have a right to make up for lost time?” his eyes twinkled.
He could notice her visibly gulping. And Dan could only feel bad for the poor maid, who would probably never get such a speech from the young Archibald again.
“Well, T-thank-you, Mr. Nate.”
He only smiled in response, and Dan rolled his eyes again. There was no way this was happening. She wouldn’t cave, not even if she was already a puddle of goo on the floor from Nate’s overly excessive sweet talk.
“I-Is there anything I can do for you, M-Mr. Nate?” she asked, more enlightened than before. Probably more so than she had ever been before with anyone.
He shook his head, and Dan froze.
What?
Is he serious?
After ALL that?!
“Nah, not really…”
She nodded numbly, and Dan stood up right then, fully intending to ask the question himself! I mean, as long as they had gotten this far…
“Well, actually…” Nate began, and Dan stopped. Perhaps Nate did have a plan after all. I mean, he had only really discussed about a sentence and a half of what he had intended on doing, but maybe it was all in his head. It seemed doubtful though.
“….we’re all a little hungry, and Blair and Chuck are just being so humble about asking you for a snack, so I thought…” Nate continued.
And in any other situation, Dorota would’ve looked at him quite skeptically. She KNEW what the handsome boy had put her Blair through, even if the young girl had thought she didn’t, and she was not proud of his actions in the least, but…she had gotten lost in his sweet words. Even the fact that he put the word ‘humble’ with Blair and Chuck did not register to her as complete nonsense.
“Oh right away, Mr. Nate!” she said, flashing him a bright smile and dashing off to the kitchen.
He smirked, and turned around to look at Dan who appeared to be blown away by the events that had just taken place.
“What?” he asked.
Dan just shook his head, letting a chuckle pass out of his lips, and headed towards the sitting room. “Nothing…I just, suddenly…understand…everything.”
……………………………………
Sitting across from each other in the comfortable, yet stylish room, Dan and Nate settled into a quiet peace. Of course, on occasion, Nate would look towards the kitchen and smile at the maid who would have temporarily paused in her cooking to gaze at him.
“You’ve really set her up, you know,” Dan started, and Nate turned to him.
“What? Blair?” he gestured upstairs. “You think she’ll go for the whole snack idea?” he raised his eyebrows.
Dan smiled. “I was actually referring to…the maid.”
Nate’s smile widened. “Oh, Dorota?”
Dan nodded.
Nate turned around and waved at the young woman who had paused yet again. He then focused back on Dan, who was looking at him knowingly. He sighed. “Perhaps, I have.”
Dan chuckled and Nate began to laugh as well.
“I mean, who really knows who you’d be with right now if you hadn’t been dating Blair Waldorf for the majority of your life?” Dan laughed harder.
Nate was silenced.
Dan’s laughter was still draining.
Nate cleared his throat. “I’d be with Vanessa.”
“Oh,” Dan halted his laughter immediately.
There was an uncomfortable pause. Both completely unsure of where to continue from there, or even if it was best to continue at all.
“Are you sure?” Dan broke the silence, and Nate’s eyes flashed to him.
He didn’t say anything.
“I mean, think about it. Since you broke up with Blair, yeah…there’s been Vanessa, almost Jenny, Catherine, and…and Jordan?”
“Whoa. Okay, first of all…nothing is going on between me and your sister.”
“Good to know,” Dan nodded, “But not exactly what I think my sister is aware of.”
Nate’s eyebrows fused together in confusion. “Huh?”
“She likes you…”
“Whoa.”
“And….I think she thinks there are possibilities, and—”
“Whoa. Stop!” Nate put his hand up. “I feel nothing but friendship for Jenny.”
Dan nodded absentmindedly.
“And as far as Catherine? Biggest mistake of my life.”
Dan’s eyes widened in nothing but agreement.
“And….who’s Jordan?” Nate asked, genuinely confused.
Dan laughed. “A-are you kidding me?”
He was greeted by that innocent Nate look that no one can really pass up.
“She was the girl from Yale? The one you were making out with by using MY name? The one who is supposedly going to help me get into Yale via recommendations from professors?”
A look of recognition came over Nate, and he blushed a little bit. “Oh yeah, THAT Jordan.”
Dan shook his head. “Seems breaking up with Blair agrees with you,” he smirked.
“No, it’s not that…I just…” he trailed off, unable to come up with an answer.
“You know, it’s almost like you’ve become—”
“No,” Nate silenced him, giving the most intense death glare he’d ever seen out of the Archibald youth. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it.”
“…Chuck Bass,” Dan finished, confused from Nate’s anger.
Nate sighed in frustration, closing his eyes and laying a hand over his face.
“But I guess it would make sense, since you guys are best friends…”
Nate shook his head subtly.
“Were best friends?”
He nodded.
Dan’s head shot back. “Look, I know…I have no right to get involved, get in between you two…but haven’t you guys been best friends since like kindergarten?”
Nate sighed, letting his hand slip down to rest on the arm of the couch. “Yeah…since before Blair,” he said, playing with the smooth fabric against his fingers.
“Wow…pre-Blair era, huh?” Dan chuckled softly.
Nate nodded slowly.
Dan’s lips pursed, and he leaned back in his chair. “Well, we’re here to find out about Vanessa, right?”
Nate looked up at him, all thoughts of Chuck seeming to be washed from his face. “Right,” he sighed in relief.
“I know why I’m here. I’ve been best friends with her since we were four,” he spoke softly, trying not to make the reference between Nate and Chuck, “and I’m worried about her.”
Nate remained silent, eyes drifting to the couch again.
“But…why are you here? D-do you still have feelings for her?” he asked.
Nate’s eyes flashed to Dan’s curious spheres. He opened his mouth, and at first nothing would come out. “I…” he began. “I think I’m in love with her.”
……………………………………………….
Down at the diner, Kevin had just about finished cleaning up. He was starting to like this place. Not only was it the first place he met Vanessa, the sparkly girl that he would come to believe had changed his life, but it gave him a purpose, and he appreciated that. His boss had not been mad when he had come back forty-five minutes late. To his surprise there had been plenty of customers there, and the only reason he had not been brutally whipped (being the only waiter in employment) was his brother.
His brother always intervened. Kept him out of trouble. But there was a price to pay. Every single time.
Those investigations.
Those STUPID investigations.
Why his brother had decided to make private investigating his profession he would never know. But it only slipped his mind a few times, that the extent Jason would go to discover the truth was sometimes a bit risky. A bit…dangerous.
Kevin sighed, sweeping up the final corner of the restaurant. He had been asked to clean up. Everyone else was gone. He really hoped they started hiring more people soon. That first day had been exhausting, even if they had only serviced up to fifty customers. And yes, he had counted.
He reached for the light switch to turn it off, and go home, when he noticed something sitting just beneath the counter in a woven basket. That was the so-called ‘LOST AND FOUND’ deposit, and even though everyone had come in and left without coming back asking for anything, the item he had spotted still sat there. Itching to be touched.
He reached forward and grabbed the silver cell phone lying silently in its colorful domain.
He opened it.
12 UNREAD MESSAGES FROM: BLAIR WALDORF.
Kevin gasped. Vanessa had mentioned her. More than a few times.
He closed that window, and went to the main screen.
It was a good thing no one else had been there, or this might have looked suspicious.
Still, he looked around in a quick quiet glance. The lights were still on, but everything else appeared normal throughout the restaurant. He looked back down at the phone and his fears and suspicions were confirmed.
Chuck Bass’s phone.
The entire conversation with his brother flashed before him in memory. That little wallet sized picture his brother had said was of Chuck Bass, the new investigation. Vanessa was now a part of the investigation. Why? She had had significant contact with him over the last day or so. He had been trouble for her. So had this Blair Waldorf.
Kevin raked a hand through his head of red curls and then slipped it into his pants’ pocket, pulling out his phone.
JASON JENSEN.
First on speed dial.
Kevin took a big gulp, shoving the other phone in his opposite pocket.
He clicked on the name on his own phone.
Pressed SEND, and brought the phone up to his ear…waiting for the response, be it person or answering machine.
A few rings later he was greeted with his brother’s answering machine.
“Hey Jason…” he began, “about today, and what you said…” he clutched Chuck’s phone in his pocket with his other hand. “Maybe I was a little quick to decline,” he closed his eyes and a tear trickled down the side of his face.
He said he wasn’t going to get caught up in this nonsense again.
He said he wasn’t!
He cleared his throat. “I think I might have something…you may want to consider looking into,” he gulped, hardly able to believe the words that had just slipped through his mouth. “Call me back.”
He clicked the phone shut and slipped it back in its original pocket, separate from the newly acquired evidence.
He untied the apron from around his neck and waist and slipped it on the hook just inside the kitchen. He looked over the restaurant once more, inspecting its cleanliness, and when he was satisfied he reached for the light switch and flipped it off.
Crossing the room, he opened the main entrance, locked it, and slid the keys in his jacket pocket, walking out into the darkness.
There was a reason he didn’t get involved with Jason’s job.
A reason he defied the very invitation, and not calmly denied him.
It wasn’t just a job…or a career…or a hobby.
Kevin stumbled across the street when the walk sign appeared on the stoplight.
It was an obsession.
……………………………………………………………
A/N: Okay, super long I know! And I’m sorry, but I’m going to stick to this outline if it’s the last thing I do!!! Lol. XD I hope to update soon, so please PLEASE review! (with details, perhaps? ;p) And a special shout out to Waldorf on fanpop!!! I wrote those Narota scenes in YOUR favor! ;)
I also want to mention that in my new story “Book of Beginnings” where I write up little previews of my future multi-chaptered CB stories, I am willingly and eagerly taking on requests from anybody. I’ve already gotten a few and I think it’s a great idea. If you request a future story, I will include you as much as humanly possible. I will ask if you have plot ideas, dialogue suggestions and I will even send you my chapters before I submit them, if you would like me to change something…it is a request after all. I am just the person putting YOUR ideas together on paper. ;) Just thought I’d make a shout out about that.
And also, do NOT forget to vote for which CB multi-chaptered story I should do next (located on the poll on my profile). Either “Never Again…”, “Unable” or “Queen Bee…” And as annoying as it may be, I am going to REMIND you all of that fact at the beginning of each of my chapters….maybe the end too. I want to make sure you guys are COMPLETELY aware that a week after I finish this fic, the story with the most votes will be what I dedicate myself to until it’s done…and I will not be starting ANY of the previews from my “Book of Beginnings” until those three are done. ;p Just a head’s up! Heheh.
Now that all that nonsense is out of the way….*clears throat*…I own nothing but my own thoughts and crazy ideas. Enjoy and please review. ;p
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Ch.12—Bending Past Exception
Slowly, Chuck slid the door into its perfectly made case, and flipped the lock, so that neither his ex-best friend or the lame excuse for a human being could find their way into their domain. He paused a moment, trying to grip the situation and how incredibly odd it was, before turning to witness his recently acquired girlfriend…madly pacing in a space not even half the size of her walk in closet across the room.
He just stood there and watched her.
God, she’s hot when she’s flustered.
She paced. Each step quicker, faster, harder, more painful than the last. A few strands from her messy bun flew down around her neck and in front of her face. Every so often she’d blow a puff of air upwards, so as to distract the curly/straight strands (whichever way they decided to act at that particular moment) from getting in her eyes. It was only successful for about half a second, but she wouldn’t dare to attempt it again. Not for another five seconds at least. The tiny speckled earrings glistened, and on occasion her flailing arms would reach up and touch them. Just to make sure they were still there. Make sure SOMETHING was still working as it was supposed to.
His eyes grazed over her. Memorizing her. Again.
He tried to move, but his feet wouldn’t let him.
“Blair,” he breathed.
And her wimperings, her yelling, her frustrated rant…all came to a halt for one moment.
There she was. Mid-rant, mid-pace, mid-freak out. Stopped, she turned her head slowly, and if he hadn’t been so turned on at the moment, he would’ve looked scared…or maybe would’ve been smirking at the way he could get her stop whatever she was doing just by saying her name. But he couldn’t. He was hard. And ready for her. Like he had been all day. Twice. But it just wasn’t enough. It would never be enough with her. Plus, the way smoke appeared to be firing out of her ears at a heartwrenching speed, the way ultimate evil taunted him in her eyes, and how her hands trembled ever so slightly as they slowly settled on either side of her waist, slinking down to her gorgeously shaped hips…it left him paralyzed.
His breath caught in his throat.
She wasn’t pissed.
Not about him at least.
He could read it in her eyes.
The moment she turned her head to look at him.
He could see her anger seep away, and her desire took over.
That intense gaze of his ALWAYS got to her.
“What?!” she asked, frazzled that he had gotten her so hot and bothered when she was trying to concentrate on the two awkardly standing boys in her hallway. She forced herself to snap out of her reverie.
The intensity spewing out dimmed across his face. And suddenly he felt the tension relieved in his feet. He moved swiftly toward her and captured her lips in his mouth.
“Mmm,” she moaned, swept away in the moment, and pulling his head closer to hers with her swift hands, tugging on the roots of his tangled up hair. She bit on his bottom lip, and he grunted softly, allowing his hands to tighten around her waist.
“Let’s stop talking,” she mumbled fiercely against his lips, allowing her nails to dig into the skin at the base of his neck.
He smirked into her as his lips wandered down to her neck, and bit tenderly. “Fantastic idea.”
She moaned louder and turned her head down just underneath his ear and sucked. He stopped momentarily in kissing her slender neck. Breath caught in his throat. Again.
She giggled lightly. “Something wrong?”
Deep throaty laughter echoed in him as he pulled his head up, forcing her mouth to lose temporary contact. That intense gaze was back, and only intensified as he pushed her towards the bed. Forgetting all place and feeling except for the unsatisfied heat crawling from their centers.
“Naw, Baby, why would you say that?” he purred, shutting her up with another passionated onslaught of his mouth.
And she was quiet. Minus the repeated moans and growls exiting her on an every other second basis. Her legs wrapped around his waist, as his fingers began the slow, painful process of lifting her shirt higher up along her form.
Knock.
Their breathing hitched…again, but they didn’t stop.
Knock. Knock.
Blair heard it. But she ignored it. She didn’t care what the problem was anymore, at least not while Chuck was swelling on top of her, still entirely too clothed.
Palm. Fist. Nails. Against her door. For the third. Time.
“Come on, Blair,” Nate whined from the opposite side.
They paused. Had temporarily done so after every knock, but this time Chuck gracefully lifted himself off of her, so she could stand and straighten herself out. He watched her intently. And if he hadn’t felt it completely necessary to get rid of dumb one and dumb two as soon as possible, he would’ve grabbed her again and made Nate wait. Buy him a mute button, whatever!
Once completely composed, Blair took her stride in proper step and walked over to her door, her hand hovering over the locked handle.
Then, she did something that shocked even Chuck.
She pulled her hand away and let it drop by her side.
“No, Nate, I don’t want to talk to you about your messed up trashy Brooklyn problems,” she scoffed.
“Hey!” she could hear Dan call out from the other side, farther away though. She ignored it, waiting to see if Nate would respond to her insult.
A sigh.
That was all he had against her amazing wit.
She turned around and spotted Chuck smirking at her, completely dazed.
Her eyes twinkled, and she approached him again, landing slowly on his seated lap at the edge of her bed. She leaned in and kissed him again.
“What do you say we make them wait a little longer?” she teased, holding her mouth just far away from his to make him physically suffocate from lack of contact.
His eyes grew wide, and he pulled her in. Skin touching skin. Hungry lips ravaging every touchable spot.
They had to speak to the two idiots soon enough. They both knew this to be true, but…as long as they kept their clothes on, the waiting length would be just long enough.
Keeping the clothes on though.
That would be the challenge.
……………………
“Why are you here, Dan? What in God’s name did you plan to accomplish by coming to Blair WAL-dorf’s pent house?” Dan ran a hand aggravatingly through his hair and brought it together with his other hand over his face. “I mean, did it make SENSE?!” he muttered through closed hands. “No,” he sighed. “It did NOT! Why? Because she’s BLAIR WAL-DORF!” His nails made trials down his face and he punched the railing, the hard stairs doing nothing for his sanity.
Nate just stood stock still in front of Blair’s bedroom door. “Blair?” he asked quietly.
Nothing.
No sound.
Didn’t she have the dignity to respond to his sigh?!
Apparently not.
“You still haven’t answered my question….” Dan continued on.
Suddenly, Nate became aware of the rambling Brooklyn kid on the staircase. “Huh?” he barely spoke, turning his head ever so slightly in Dan’s direction.
“Why are you here?!” Dan raised his hands up in fury and self-pity.
“Oh,” Nate pursed his lips and returned his direction towards the closed door in front of him. He sighed, crossing his arms across his chest and turning his back to lean against the fine wood. He closed his eyes, trying to think of what to do. How to get Blair and Chuck out from behind closed doors and having a civilized conversation. And for the brief moment that Dan’s sigh remained quieter than the rest of his speech…Nate heard something.
He thought it was nothing at first, but then, after a moment, he heard it again. Louder this time. And it wasn’t coming from either him or Dan. He turned slightly and plastered his left ear against the door.
“Do you hear that?” Nate whispered, almost inaudibly. Afraid to talk much louder. It seemed too good to be true.
Dan was rambling, but in the back of his head somewhere, he had heard Nate’s quiet question. “Hmm?” he asked, a few seconds late.
“Shh,” the blonde’s eyes flashed to his and froze. “I think they’re moving.”
Dan scrambled up from his seat on the stairs, straightened his shirt, and walked towards him until he was right beside him next to the door. He leaned his own ear against the door. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth in a mock-gasp. “Why are we whispering?” his eyes narrowed.
Nate rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Because… we don’t want them to hear us!” he said matter-of-factly, and a little louder.
“Hmmm,” Dan continued to mock, pursing his lips at the determined golden boy in front of him. “And…why, exactly?” he questioned.
“Because…” Nate reasoned, “if they hear us, they might not come out.”
Dan gave him a look like he was crazy, but Nate gave him the same ‘it’s true!’ stare. Neither of them moved from their piercing blues and browns. Neither were willing to budge.
And that’s when they heard it.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!” the moaning cry erupted from behind the closed door.
Dan’s and Nate’s gaze broke from each other and their heads slowly turned to look at the door. Nate gulped, but Dan just erupted in laughter.
“Oh man….” Dan covered his mouth briefly in an attempt to not sound too insulting. “Well, they’re definitely moving,” he muttered under his breath. “Is-is this the ‘sound’ you were referring to before?” He looked far too amused for his own good.
Nate avoided eye contact.
“Dude?” he questioned, incredulously.
Nate said nothing.
Dan broke the silence and sighed. “It was a mistake to come here,” he decided, turning away from the door and heading for the stairs.
“No wait, man, come on!” Nate reached his arm out to Dan in an attempt to get him to stay.
Dan turned around instantly, trying to ignore Nate’s innocent pleading look. “Why?” he asked.
Nate was silent.
“Because that NOISE you heard in there was not them coming out to tell us what’s up with Vanessa.” He paused. “It was…”
“What?!” Nate snapped. “YOU tell me what it was,” he raised his eye brows, crossing his arms again, challenging him.
He sighed aggravatingly. “No.”
“Yes,” Nate said slowly.
“No!”
“Yes!”
“No!...ah, fine,” Dan rolled his eyes in exasperation, before returning his eyesight to the confident blonde in front of him. “Your ex-girlfriend and your best friend…”
Nate scoffed at the word ‘best friend’, but Dan tried his best to ignore it for the time being, continuing on with his sentence.
“were having…sex.”
Nate laughed at this, and turned away for a moment, before responding. “Is THAT was you thought the noise was?!” he asked incredulously.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god……..CHUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!” the noise continued from behind the door.
Nate’s eyes closed slowly and Dan slightly turned his gaze to the door, before returning to the blonde who now seemed mortified before him. “That’s kind of the picture I’m getting here,” he said, turning around and heading back for the stairs. “Not that I WANTED that picture…” he mumbled incoherently, shaking his head.
Nate didn’t stop him this time. It wasn’t like he had much ammunition anymore. He swore he could even feel the floor vibrating now, and as he turned just a little bit to look back at the door, he could see the door handle rattling. He let out a sigh.
“You know,” Dan began, probably talking to himself, but Nate still listened, “I bet if we told that maid of hers, uh….uh,” he snapped his fingers, trying to figure out the woman’s name.
“Dorota,” Nate clarified, growing interested.
“Yeah,” Dan continued, “if we told her exactly WHAT her precious little princess was doing with…CHUCK BASS,” he chuckled, “then maybe…she could get them to…”
“Nonononono, wait,” he cut him off, rushing down to Dan and forcing him to turn around. “We can’t do that. If Blair and Chuck find out they’ll never tell us anything,” he said.
“O…kay? Then, we won’t,” Dan tried to turn around, but Nate wouldn’t let him get away. He held on tight to his arm, and ignored Dan’s weirded out look when he wouldn’t let go. He was too busy devising a plan to notice. When he finally turned back to look at the Brooklyn boy, his eyes were glowing, and Dan was officially freaked out.
“Dorota,” Nate said, matter-of-factly.
Confusion was written all over Dan Humphrey’s face. “Excuse me?”
Nate turned his face towards the downstairs, and began walking down the elegant stairs towards the kitchen. “We’re going to sweet talk…Dorota.”
Dan was frozen for a few moments, before realizing just exactly what was happening. He turned around in a flash, and flew down the stairs after Nate. “What do you mean, ‘we’???”
………………………………………
She waited. It seemed like she had been standing there forever with that glass of ice-cold water, but when Jenny Humphrey was determined, no one was going to stop her. Not even the aggravating other voice in her head that insisted on at least getting a chair to sit on until Vanessa woke up.
It had been the second time Jenny had come across Vanessa in her house uninvited. Not that Vanessa was ever unwelcome in the Humphrey residence, but usually she was awake when she was discovered by someone living there. She would climb through Dan’s window, or wait at the front door…and always conscious. It was a little weird that she was asleep, and in Dan’s bed too. She could’ve crashed on the couch or on Jenny’s bed or something! If she had really been high or drunk (though either seemed perfectly impossible and ridiculous in Vanessa’s case), she would’ve just collapsed on the floor. But no, this was entirely too planned out. Here she was, in Dan’s bed, tucked in and snoozing peacefully. Though Jenny did notice a twitch from her every now and again. Her eyebrows narrowed in worry and concern.
And she still stood there.
Holding the water glass that she was SURE Vanessa would be wanting and NEEDING when she woke from her slumbered state… this is where Jenny stood. And THIS time Vanessa wouldn’t be getting away this time. Not until she explained things…..at least.
So…Jenny waited. She stood there, occasionally shifting from putting the pressure on one foot to the other. Just waiting for her troubled friend to open her eyes. Something was definitely up, and if Vanessa truly did not know what was going on, then it was even worse than she thought.
Just then, she sprung up. Vanessa was panting, and her widened eyes shot straight in front of her, apparently oblivious of Jenny’s presence. It had caught Jenny off balance, but she did not hesitate it finally stepping forward and offering her the glass of water.
“Vanessa,” she held the water out to her. “Here, take this,” she said, sitting down next to her on the bed, finding relief in the soft comfort of the comforter. Her feet thanked her. It had been a good twenty minutes, after all, that she had been standing there.
“Jenny!” Vanessa said, shocked, turning her face to the petite blonde as soon as she had heard her name. She swept a hand through her hair and leaned back against the wall, taking the glass of water and drinking it in sips.
She sighed, trying to relax.
After a few minutes, Jenny was about to start the interrogation (however gentle it might’ve been), when Vanessa beat her to the first question.
“What am I doing here?” she asked, staring ahead.
When Jenny said nothing, she turned her head to look at her. The little blonde was in shock, and it tore her apart how weak her normally peppy friend appeared to be.
“What?” Vanessa asked, a little scared at the look across Jenny’s face.
Jenny shook her head absentmindedly, waving a hand away in a casual gesture. “Nothing…” she paused, seeing Vanessa was not buying it, and with good reason. Jenny never was really a good liar, even if it was for a decent cause. “It’s just….” Her eyes froze on Vanessa’s, “that’s what I was going to ask you.”
……………………………
“Oh, Mr. Nate, stop it!” Dorota giggled wildly, in front of the beaming blonde.
“Oh, but it’s true, Dorota!” he spoke confidently. “I mean,” he became serious, “sometimes I would come over JUST to see you!”
Dorota gaped at this, blushing madly. She was speechless. She had known this boy for years, but NEVER would she find words such as these coming out of his mouth, and directed at HER of all people.
“Blair was just my excuse,” he nudged her, and Dorota let out another quiet giggle.
Dan rolled his eyes behind them on the staircase. He had absolutely refused to participate in this pointless plan of sweet-talking Blair’s maid, but he wasn’t stupid enough to leave without sufficiently witnessing Nate Archibald make a fool of himself. There was NO WAY Dorota would go along with their, well NATE’S idea.
“You TOO nice, Mr. Nate,” Dorota started.
“Aww, Dorota, it’s the truth!” he flashed his million-dollar smile at her, and she blushed again. “Only the most beautiful maid in the world would be suitable for Blair Waldorf,” he winked, and she was held speechless…again.
“Mr. Nate,” she became serious moments later, “You TOO sweet to me. There must be something you want, yes?”
Dan’s frozen gaze slid into a smirk. This is where it would all come crashing down. He was sure of it.
“No,” Nate insisted, “I just…I’ve never gotten to tell you how lovely you are.”
She looked away, and flushed a few shades redder than before when he reached for her hand and kissed the top of it. Slowly, she brought her gaze back up to meet his crystal blues.
“Don’t I have a right to make up for lost time?” his eyes twinkled.
He could notice her visibly gulping. And Dan could only feel bad for the poor maid, who would probably never get such a speech from the young Archibald again.
“Well, T-thank-you, Mr. Nate.”
He only smiled in response, and Dan rolled his eyes again. There was no way this was happening. She wouldn’t cave, not even if she was already a puddle of goo on the floor from Nate’s overly excessive sweet talk.
“I-Is there anything I can do for you, M-Mr. Nate?” she asked, more enlightened than before. Probably more so than she had ever been before with anyone.
He shook his head, and Dan froze.
What?
Is he serious?
After ALL that?!
“Nah, not really…”
She nodded numbly, and Dan stood up right then, fully intending to ask the question himself! I mean, as long as they had gotten this far…
“Well, actually…” Nate began, and Dan stopped. Perhaps Nate did have a plan after all. I mean, he had only really discussed about a sentence and a half of what he had intended on doing, but maybe it was all in his head. It seemed doubtful though.
“….we’re all a little hungry, and Blair and Chuck are just being so humble about asking you for a snack, so I thought…” Nate continued.
And in any other situation, Dorota would’ve looked at him quite skeptically. She KNEW what the handsome boy had put her Blair through, even if the young girl had thought she didn’t, and she was not proud of his actions in the least, but…she had gotten lost in his sweet words. Even the fact that he put the word ‘humble’ with Blair and Chuck did not register to her as complete nonsense.
“Oh right away, Mr. Nate!” she said, flashing him a bright smile and dashing off to the kitchen.
He smirked, and turned around to look at Dan who appeared to be blown away by the events that had just taken place.
“What?” he asked.
Dan just shook his head, letting a chuckle pass out of his lips, and headed towards the sitting room. “Nothing…I just, suddenly…understand…everything.”
……………………………………
Sitting across from each other in the comfortable, yet stylish room, Dan and Nate settled into a quiet peace. Of course, on occasion, Nate would look towards the kitchen and smile at the maid who would have temporarily paused in her cooking to gaze at him.
“You’ve really set her up, you know,” Dan started, and Nate turned to him.
“What? Blair?” he gestured upstairs. “You think she’ll go for the whole snack idea?” he raised his eyebrows.
Dan smiled. “I was actually referring to…the maid.”
Nate’s smile widened. “Oh, Dorota?”
Dan nodded.
Nate turned around and waved at the young woman who had paused yet again. He then focused back on Dan, who was looking at him knowingly. He sighed. “Perhaps, I have.”
Dan chuckled and Nate began to laugh as well.
“I mean, who really knows who you’d be with right now if you hadn’t been dating Blair Waldorf for the majority of your life?” Dan laughed harder.
Nate was silenced.
Dan’s laughter was still draining.
Nate cleared his throat. “I’d be with Vanessa.”
“Oh,” Dan halted his laughter immediately.
There was an uncomfortable pause. Both completely unsure of where to continue from there, or even if it was best to continue at all.
“Are you sure?” Dan broke the silence, and Nate’s eyes flashed to him.
He didn’t say anything.
“I mean, think about it. Since you broke up with Blair, yeah…there’s been Vanessa, almost Jenny, Catherine, and…and Jordan?”
“Whoa. Okay, first of all…nothing is going on between me and your sister.”
“Good to know,” Dan nodded, “But not exactly what I think my sister is aware of.”
Nate’s eyebrows fused together in confusion. “Huh?”
“She likes you…”
“Whoa.”
“And….I think she thinks there are possibilities, and—”
“Whoa. Stop!” Nate put his hand up. “I feel nothing but friendship for Jenny.”
Dan nodded absentmindedly.
“And as far as Catherine? Biggest mistake of my life.”
Dan’s eyes widened in nothing but agreement.
“And….who’s Jordan?” Nate asked, genuinely confused.
Dan laughed. “A-are you kidding me?”
He was greeted by that innocent Nate look that no one can really pass up.
“She was the girl from Yale? The one you were making out with by using MY name? The one who is supposedly going to help me get into Yale via recommendations from professors?”
A look of recognition came over Nate, and he blushed a little bit. “Oh yeah, THAT Jordan.”
Dan shook his head. “Seems breaking up with Blair agrees with you,” he smirked.
“No, it’s not that…I just…” he trailed off, unable to come up with an answer.
“You know, it’s almost like you’ve become—”
“No,” Nate silenced him, giving the most intense death glare he’d ever seen out of the Archibald youth. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it.”
“…Chuck Bass,” Dan finished, confused from Nate’s anger.
Nate sighed in frustration, closing his eyes and laying a hand over his face.
“But I guess it would make sense, since you guys are best friends…”
Nate shook his head subtly.
“Were best friends?”
He nodded.
Dan’s head shot back. “Look, I know…I have no right to get involved, get in between you two…but haven’t you guys been best friends since like kindergarten?”
Nate sighed, letting his hand slip down to rest on the arm of the couch. “Yeah…since before Blair,” he said, playing with the smooth fabric against his fingers.
“Wow…pre-Blair era, huh?” Dan chuckled softly.
Nate nodded slowly.
Dan’s lips pursed, and he leaned back in his chair. “Well, we’re here to find out about Vanessa, right?”
Nate looked up at him, all thoughts of Chuck seeming to be washed from his face. “Right,” he sighed in relief.
“I know why I’m here. I’ve been best friends with her since we were four,” he spoke softly, trying not to make the reference between Nate and Chuck, “and I’m worried about her.”
Nate remained silent, eyes drifting to the couch again.
“But…why are you here? D-do you still have feelings for her?” he asked.
Nate’s eyes flashed to Dan’s curious spheres. He opened his mouth, and at first nothing would come out. “I…” he began. “I think I’m in love with her.”
……………………………………………….
Down at the diner, Kevin had just about finished cleaning up. He was starting to like this place. Not only was it the first place he met Vanessa, the sparkly girl that he would come to believe had changed his life, but it gave him a purpose, and he appreciated that. His boss had not been mad when he had come back forty-five minutes late. To his surprise there had been plenty of customers there, and the only reason he had not been brutally whipped (being the only waiter in employment) was his brother.
His brother always intervened. Kept him out of trouble. But there was a price to pay. Every single time.
Those investigations.
Those STUPID investigations.
Why his brother had decided to make private investigating his profession he would never know. But it only slipped his mind a few times, that the extent Jason would go to discover the truth was sometimes a bit risky. A bit…dangerous.
Kevin sighed, sweeping up the final corner of the restaurant. He had been asked to clean up. Everyone else was gone. He really hoped they started hiring more people soon. That first day had been exhausting, even if they had only serviced up to fifty customers. And yes, he had counted.
He reached for the light switch to turn it off, and go home, when he noticed something sitting just beneath the counter in a woven basket. That was the so-called ‘LOST AND FOUND’ deposit, and even though everyone had come in and left without coming back asking for anything, the item he had spotted still sat there. Itching to be touched.
He reached forward and grabbed the silver cell phone lying silently in its colorful domain.
He opened it.
12 UNREAD MESSAGES FROM: BLAIR WALDORF.
Kevin gasped. Vanessa had mentioned her. More than a few times.
He closed that window, and went to the main screen.
It was a good thing no one else had been there, or this might have looked suspicious.
Still, he looked around in a quick quiet glance. The lights were still on, but everything else appeared normal throughout the restaurant. He looked back down at the phone and his fears and suspicions were confirmed.
Chuck Bass’s phone.
The entire conversation with his brother flashed before him in memory. That little wallet sized picture his brother had said was of Chuck Bass, the new investigation. Vanessa was now a part of the investigation. Why? She had had significant contact with him over the last day or so. He had been trouble for her. So had this Blair Waldorf.
Kevin raked a hand through his head of red curls and then slipped it into his pants’ pocket, pulling out his phone.
JASON JENSEN.
First on speed dial.
Kevin took a big gulp, shoving the other phone in his opposite pocket.
He clicked on the name on his own phone.
Pressed SEND, and brought the phone up to his ear…waiting for the response, be it person or answering machine.
A few rings later he was greeted with his brother’s answering machine.
“Hey Jason…” he began, “about today, and what you said…” he clutched Chuck’s phone in his pocket with his other hand. “Maybe I was a little quick to decline,” he closed his eyes and a tear trickled down the side of his face.
He said he wasn’t going to get caught up in this nonsense again.
He said he wasn’t!
He cleared his throat. “I think I might have something…you may want to consider looking into,” he gulped, hardly able to believe the words that had just slipped through his mouth. “Call me back.”
He clicked the phone shut and slipped it back in its original pocket, separate from the newly acquired evidence.
He untied the apron from around his neck and waist and slipped it on the hook just inside the kitchen. He looked over the restaurant once more, inspecting its cleanliness, and when he was satisfied he reached for the light switch and flipped it off.
Crossing the room, he opened the main entrance, locked it, and slid the keys in his jacket pocket, walking out into the darkness.
There was a reason he didn’t get involved with Jason’s job.
A reason he defied the very invitation, and not calmly denied him.
It wasn’t just a job…or a career…or a hobby.
Kevin stumbled across the street when the walk sign appeared on the stoplight.
It was an obsession.
……………………………………………………………
A/N: Okay, super long I know! And I’m sorry, but I’m going to stick to this outline if it’s the last thing I do!!! Lol. XD I hope to update soon, so please PLEASE review! (with details, perhaps? ;p) And a special shout out to Waldorf on fanpop!!! I wrote those Narota scenes in YOUR favor! ;)
