It seems that Lonely Boy's wrong-side-of-the-tracks friend has finally caught the train to the Upper West Side, and B. is not happy about it. Maybe she realizes what her game-playing has cost her. Or maybe she isn't done playing the game. Who has Chuck's heart? I can't say for sure, but it looks like Vanessa has some of his lust. XOXO, Gossip Girl.

Limos and champagne. Furs and diamonds. Tickets to Broadway shows and wristbands to the hottest clubs. Everything designer label. Everything for everyone else to see. No secrets, no privacy, no hiding from the prying eyes of Gossip Girl.

Vanessa knew all too well how things happened in the upper-echelon of New York's rich teen scene. Anything they wanted was theirs for the taking while she scraped by. Everything they had was taken for granted while she praised each new opportunity and held on to it with gritted teeth. All the luxuries were wasted on wasteful people and those who needed it, those who never begged or pleaded or complained, were sitting on the sidewalk in the cold outside a run-down bar. They were trying to save a landmark while the rich were dining and dancing only blocks away, unaware of what "landmark" even meant.

Chuck Bass had tried to save it, had tried to do good. As always he had a motive and Vanessa couldn't help but feel foolish for not trusting her gut and ignoring his persistence. Still, sitting on a lawn chair, wrapped in an old flannel blanket and snuggling her Starbucks hot chocolate for warmth, she couldn't help but think of him and smile. That conversation she overhead between him and his father, the look in his eye when he returned to the bar beaten down and brushed as a liar, the glimmer that was not in his eye when his scheme was revealed. After all he had won. She hadn't been seduced physically, but she had fallen for his attempt at community philanthropy. Shouldn't Chuck has reveled in his victory? Shouldn't he and Blair have shared an evil laugh at her expense? Shouldn't he have stayed at his party and toasted to his richness, his suaveness, his Chuck-ness?

As the protestors began to leave Vanessa considered going home, but she couldn't. Not for the bar, but because she secretly wished he would appear.

"I'm going home, V." one of the community war-wagers said.

Vanessa looked up at him and nodded silently.

"Will you be okay here alone?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm heading home too."

Folding up her chair and draping the blanket around her shoulders Vanessa made her way to the double doors of the bar, she would find warmth in there for sure. Instead, she found Chuck Bass.

He was sitting at a table on the only chair that wasn't perched high on its end. He was alone. He was nursing a drink.

"So you just helped yourself?" she asked as the doors closed behind her.

"I found a bottle under the bar. Scotch. Old. Good." He held the glass up, but didn't look at her. "You want some?"

"How did you even get in here?" she placed the lawn chair next to the bar and the blanket on the counter. She realized the hot chocolate was outside and didn't want to leave it there, but she could not pull herself from looking at Chuck.

"The back door. You should really be more careful. You never know what kind of scum could come crawling in here."

She knew he was talking about himself, almost as if he wanted her to join in his comment, to berate him for his actions. She didn't. Vanessa had more class and she knew it.

Chuck knew it too, and as she stayed quite he smiled.

"I can go, if you want."

Vanessa walked slowly to his side and looked down at him. She took down another wooden chair and placed it on the creaky floor next to Chuck. In a fast, large swoop she almost fell into a crossed leg position on the chair, curling her feet beneath her legs. "I'll stay, if you don't mind."

Vanessa reached for the scotch bottle which sat on the table by Chuck's glass and pulled it toward her. Chuck's eyes followed her movements as the bottle was lifted up to her lips and Vanessa swallowed a large gulp of alcohol.

"You didn't strike me as an underage drinker."

"It's cold. I needed something to keep me warm," she said, smiling slyly at him.

"Are you flirting with me?" he asked, now looking her directly in the eye.

"No. I would never flirt with you Bass. Never."

"Never say never."

"You know that doesn't work? The cool, smooth responses. Your not a matinee-idol or a cowboy or anything other than Chuck Bass."

Chuck looked down and away. "I thought you said you were wrong about me?"

"I've been wrong all around these last few days. Hell these last few months." Vanessa took another drink from the bottle. "All I'm saying is, you don't have to play with me."

They sat in silence for several minutes after that, taking drinks and breathing in unison. They exchanged quite looks at one another and then hid their creeping smiles. Vanessa could feel her body grow hot, but she knew it wasn't because of the booze.

"Why did you come here?" she asked finally, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Chuck rose from his chair and headed to the bar, placing his empty glass behind it. "I made a promise. I told you I would save this place and I will."

"How? I heard your father and he…."

"Forget my father. I have the name. I carry the Bass name and I intend to use it for something other than parties and drinks and girls. I can talk to the Heritage Board. I can try and make them see how important this is."

"I thought you said landmark status was a dead-end?" she followed him to the bar and rested her elbows on the counter beside him.

"It is, but it's all we've got right now. At least until I can look into other financial backers."

"Look Chuck, I appreciate the offer, but you can stop now. The jig is up remember?"

"If you don't want my help…." He began to say as he headed for the door.

Against her better judgment Vanessa followed and placed her body between the doors and Chuck. She let her arms outstretch so as to cover more of the opening, her chest inadvertently pressed out and connecting to his own. Their faces so close, breath on breath, the smell of scotch more intoxicating than the taste.

What was happening to her? Why was it happening? She ruined her chances with Nate. She knew she had betrayed trusts and taken her affections one step too far. She had become like the petty, social climbing rich girls she was sure she hated. But falling for Chuck, that could not happen. Nate would never look at her the same if she were to go out, or kiss, or…..If she were to be with his best friend. Yet there she was, in the dark of the bar, staring at his lips and biting her own in restraint.

"Please move."

His voice was cold, monotone, sad. Vanessa held her ground.

"Please."

She had never heard him, or any of his kind, say please. It hurt her. She moved.

"Thank you."

He pushed the door open and stepped outside. The night air was cold and he pulled his arms around his chest. Vanessa followed him, always following him. She felt foolish, but then she noticed his limo was nowhere in sight.

"Where's your ride?" she asked, clutching her own body tight, wishing she still had that flannel blanket.

"I don't have one," he said. Catching her eye he saw the look of distrust. "It's a couple blocks away. I just have to call."

"Well don't let me keep you." Vanessa turned on her sneaker-clad heels and re-entered the bar. Before the doors could close Chuck was in behind her.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, his voice startling her. She turned around and he was there against her, again too close for comfort.

"I'm not doing anything."

"Yes, yes you are. You are not like other girls. You care about these things, but you don't care about people."

"Excuse me. I don't care about people? This coming from the great Chuck Bass? The new Lonely Boy?"

"So you read Gossip Girl?"

"No!"

"You pretend to be all high and mighty, above all us rich people, but you're sitting at home reading about us, thinking about us, showing up at our schools and parties wishing you were one of us."

"Go to hell Bass." Vanessa rushed behind the bar looking for another bottle. She wasn't sure if she wanted to drink from it or hit Chuck with it.

"Searching for a weapon?" he called after her. How did he know?

She stopped and looked up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you already ask me that?"

"Call your limo and go home Chuck."

He exited the bar again and reached inside his Armani pants pocket for the sleekest, most expensive cell phone his father's money could buy. Flipping it open he could see that a text had been missed, the phone had been on silent. Scrolling to the text he knew it would be from Blair, they were always from Blair. For a girl who said she did not like him she sure did text him a lot.

"I thought you were leaving," Vanessa said strolling up beside him.

He nodded and opened the text.

"Thought u wanted it. 2 bad 4 u." it read.

"Looks like you missed out," Vanessa commented, blatantly reading the text off the cell phone screen.

"Privacy much?" he scoffed returning the phone to his pocket.

"Well, according to you I'm just going to read about it on Gossip Girl later."

He smiled wide and she did too. They stood in silence once again, this time surrounded by the New York air, the city skyline peering down on them, illuminating them from above. Vanessa knew she had missed her moment, but what moment it was exactly still eluded her. Did she miss the opportunity to save the bar? Or did she miss the opportunity to save Chuck Bass? As a cold shot of wind turned the corner toward them, Vanessa found herself moving closer to him, letting his form shield her from the weather. For a second she thought his arm was going to creep around her shoulders, but instead it moved past and Chuck let a hand run through his thick, black hair. The wind made that hair blow wild and he looked almost imperfect. Vanessa liked it.

"I want you to save the bar."

He made no noise, no move, no retort. Vanessa sighed heavily, but it was stifled by the wind.

"Did you hear me? I want you to save the bar."

"I heard you. I just wanted to hear it again."

The limo pulled around the corner and stopped before them.

"But you didn't call?" Vanessa said, startled by the vehicle's presence. She thought they had more time.

"Sad?"

Vanessa turned around to go back inside.

"I'm going to keep my word!" He called after her.

"I know!" she said without turning back. He watched her enter the bar, and could hear the old brass locks clack in place behind her.

Chuck slid into the back of the limo, the door already open for him, the limo driver waiting patiently as Chuck took one more look at the bar window. One more look at Vanessa who was undoubtedly looking back at him.

As the limo drove off into the New York that Chuck was more comfortable with, as it left the slums behind, he checked his cell one more time. There was another missed text.

"Thought u wanted it. 2 bad 4 u. Vanessa."

Vanessa finally made it home, throwing her jacket to the floor and kicking off her sneakers. She jumped to the bed and wrapped herself in the covers, breathing in the fabric softner, wishing she weren't alone. Pulling the laptop from her night-side-table she flipped open the top and immediately clicked on the Gossip Girl link.

There on the front page, the newest piece of news, was a picture of her and Chuck standing outside of the bar. They were looking forward, almost as if they had been posing for a portrait, but Vanessa hadn't seen any photographers.

The caption read: "Lonely no more."