Ch.16 - Preview
His sigh of relief at entering the penthouse was cut short by the sound of the elevator opening again and the presence of two all too familiar people following him into the living space.
It was Serena, as predicted, who interrupted him before he could even turn all the way again.
“Chuck,” she said, sounding startled. There was something in her voice that gave her away though. As per usual, Nate played the part of Mr. Obvious and told him what it was.
“We saw you in the lobby and thought we’d see what you were up to,” he said, not sounding the least bit threatening, but Chuck gathered Serena had found it suspicious when she’d spotted him entering the elevator and then proceeded to encourage Nate to confront her dear stepbrother with her.
“So, you were spying on me,” he concluded.
“We were not—”
“It’s not like you don’t do it all the time,” Serena interrupted the calm Nathaniel.
Chuck shot her a confused look, not at the accusation, but at her. She was all…huffy.
“That’s right,” she said, nodding her head as she picked up steam. “I know about the diary.”
“Ah. Well, if it’s any comfort to you, I hadn’t looked at it in quite some time before yesterday.”
“Bull.”
He blinked, somewhat surprised by his step-sister’s sudden language.
“Regardless, I’m not here on Blair’s account.”
Her brows furrowed.
He rolled his eyes.
“Why would I come here? She doesn’t live here.”
“You could’ve been looking for me to ask about her,” she pointed out, propping a hand on her hip.
He sighed. “Enough of the dramatics, Sis. I’m not here about Blair, nor will I tell you what I am here for because you’ll most likely blab about it to her.”
“Is something going on, Chuck?” Nate asked suddenly concerned and having rediscovered he could speak in the midst of a siblings’spat.
“Of course something’s going on, Nate. Blair’s upset and Chuck obviously has something to do with it.”
Chuck shot an offended, confused look at his sister.
“Why should it be Chuck’s fault?” Nate asked. “They signed a treaty.”
Both Chuck and Serena turned to look at him with bewildered confused expressions on their faces.
“What?” Nate asked, feeling under attack. “I saw them do it! Serena, you and I were both there.”
Serena looked at Nate like he was some alien creature that had just recently come into her radar.
“You can leave now, Nate,” Chuck said, refusing to re-explain the situation to his best friend. Sure, he’d kept him somewhat sheltered throughout
the whole ordeal, but Nate wasn’t that far gone. The not so subtle hints that he was playing the dumb blonde told him all that he needed to know. Nate wanted out.
Serena was too bewildered to keep her comrade there. Nate left.
She spun to face Chuck again. “What’s going on?” she demanded.
He plastered a fake smile on his face. “Is Lily here?”
Her brows furrowed. “How would I know? I just got here.”
He nodded once. “Tell her I came to talk to her and that she should contact me as soon as possible.” He walked around her to the elevator.
“Wait. Chuck-” Serena’s testy demeanor faded away at the possibility that Chuck actually needed some help.
The elevator doors opened again just as Chuck was about to press the button.
“Lily.”
“Charles, what are you doing here?”
"I came to talk to you," he said, watching as her confused face turned to one of surprise and delight.
"Oh, how wonderful," she said, moving past him and setting her purse on the counter. Serena remained as suspicious as ever. "What would you like to talk to me about?" She turned and faced him, smiling serenely. "I've finished my errands for the day, so I'm all yours. Would you like to go out to lunch?"
"I just ate," he intervened, realizing he needed to get to the point and fast if he was to ever get this conversation in. "And besides, it's somewhat of a serious matter." He avoided eye contact for a few moments.
Both Serena and Lily frowned simultaneously. Lily walked towards him.
"What's the matter, Charles? Is something wrong?"
"Yes," he conceded, "but..." he turned to look at the now very curious Serena. "I'd prefer if it was done in private," he emphasized, his eyes darting briefly to Serena's presence behind him.
Lily's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "I see." She smiled knowingly. "Serena." She shifted her gaze to her daughter who was already well aware of the command her mother was about to bestow. "Why don't you go see, Blair? You haven't seen her since yesterday," she said cheerily.
Chuck smirked at his stepmother's behavior. It oddly reminded him very much of Blair when she was giving out orders.
"She's not home, and she's not answering her phone. I don't know where she is," Serena said, her attempt at being flippant and annoyed doing nothing for her. Chuck knew she was worried and it made him worry as well.
Chuck frowned, unable to disguise his reaction to the revelation. The last time he'd denied Blair in his time of need things had not ended up so well, and it wasn't just falling into both Carter's and Nate's arms that came to mind.
He was grateful when Lily tossed out the idea to go hang out with Nate, or Dan even, despite where things may or may not stand between the duo - or trio, rather. (He wondered if she was even aware of her daughter's ever present triangle she'd created without even knowing it, as it often was with the blonde.) Serena left, clearly realizing she was not going to win this battle, but he guessed she did hear the first words that came out of his mouth as they turned and went in their separate directions.
"Now what's this about? How can I help you?" his ever endearing stepmother asked.
"Do you know anything about a Russell Thorpe? Did my father ever talk about him?"
It was Serena, as predicted, who interrupted him before he could even turn all the way again.
“Chuck,” she said, sounding startled. There was something in her voice that gave her away though. As per usual, Nate played the part of Mr. Obvious and told him what it was.
“We saw you in the lobby and thought we’d see what you were up to,” he said, not sounding the least bit threatening, but Chuck gathered Serena had found it suspicious when she’d spotted him entering the elevator and then proceeded to encourage Nate to confront her dear stepbrother with her.
“So, you were spying on me,” he concluded.
“We were not—”
“It’s not like you don’t do it all the time,” Serena interrupted the calm Nathaniel.
Chuck shot her a confused look, not at the accusation, but at her. She was all…huffy.
“That’s right,” she said, nodding her head as she picked up steam. “I know about the diary.”
“Ah. Well, if it’s any comfort to you, I hadn’t looked at it in quite some time before yesterday.”
“Bull.”
He blinked, somewhat surprised by his step-sister’s sudden language.
“Regardless, I’m not here on Blair’s account.”
Her brows furrowed.
He rolled his eyes.
“Why would I come here? She doesn’t live here.”
“You could’ve been looking for me to ask about her,” she pointed out, propping a hand on her hip.
He sighed. “Enough of the dramatics, Sis. I’m not here about Blair, nor will I tell you what I am here for because you’ll most likely blab about it to her.”
“Is something going on, Chuck?” Nate asked suddenly concerned and having rediscovered he could speak in the midst of a siblings’spat.
“Of course something’s going on, Nate. Blair’s upset and Chuck obviously has something to do with it.”
Chuck shot an offended, confused look at his sister.
“Why should it be Chuck’s fault?” Nate asked. “They signed a treaty.”
Both Chuck and Serena turned to look at him with bewildered confused expressions on their faces.
“What?” Nate asked, feeling under attack. “I saw them do it! Serena, you and I were both there.”
Serena looked at Nate like he was some alien creature that had just recently come into her radar.
“You can leave now, Nate,” Chuck said, refusing to re-explain the situation to his best friend. Sure, he’d kept him somewhat sheltered throughout
the whole ordeal, but Nate wasn’t that far gone. The not so subtle hints that he was playing the dumb blonde told him all that he needed to know. Nate wanted out.
Serena was too bewildered to keep her comrade there. Nate left.
She spun to face Chuck again. “What’s going on?” she demanded.
He plastered a fake smile on his face. “Is Lily here?”
Her brows furrowed. “How would I know? I just got here.”
He nodded once. “Tell her I came to talk to her and that she should contact me as soon as possible.” He walked around her to the elevator.
“Wait. Chuck-” Serena’s testy demeanor faded away at the possibility that Chuck actually needed some help.
The elevator doors opened again just as Chuck was about to press the button.
“Lily.”
“Charles, what are you doing here?”
"I came to talk to you," he said, watching as her confused face turned to one of surprise and delight.
"Oh, how wonderful," she said, moving past him and setting her purse on the counter. Serena remained as suspicious as ever. "What would you like to talk to me about?" She turned and faced him, smiling serenely. "I've finished my errands for the day, so I'm all yours. Would you like to go out to lunch?"
"I just ate," he intervened, realizing he needed to get to the point and fast if he was to ever get this conversation in. "And besides, it's somewhat of a serious matter." He avoided eye contact for a few moments.
Both Serena and Lily frowned simultaneously. Lily walked towards him.
"What's the matter, Charles? Is something wrong?"
"Yes," he conceded, "but..." he turned to look at the now very curious Serena. "I'd prefer if it was done in private," he emphasized, his eyes darting briefly to Serena's presence behind him.
Lily's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "I see." She smiled knowingly. "Serena." She shifted her gaze to her daughter who was already well aware of the command her mother was about to bestow. "Why don't you go see, Blair? You haven't seen her since yesterday," she said cheerily.
Chuck smirked at his stepmother's behavior. It oddly reminded him very much of Blair when she was giving out orders.
"She's not home, and she's not answering her phone. I don't know where she is," Serena said, her attempt at being flippant and annoyed doing nothing for her. Chuck knew she was worried and it made him worry as well.
Chuck frowned, unable to disguise his reaction to the revelation. The last time he'd denied Blair in his time of need things had not ended up so well, and it wasn't just falling into both Carter's and Nate's arms that came to mind.
He was grateful when Lily tossed out the idea to go hang out with Nate, or Dan even, despite where things may or may not stand between the duo - or trio, rather. (He wondered if she was even aware of her daughter's ever present triangle she'd created without even knowing it, as it often was with the blonde.) Serena left, clearly realizing she was not going to win this battle, but he guessed she did hear the first words that came out of his mouth as they turned and went in their separate directions.
"Now what's this about? How can I help you?" his ever endearing stepmother asked.
"Do you know anything about a Russell Thorpe? Did my father ever talk about him?"