Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really motivated me to finish this chapter. I was beggining to think that no one was reading this story.

Water

Chapter Three: Deceiver of Fools

Vanessa knew immediately that she wasn't the only one lying under her bed covers, the sunlight streaming through the open window. And it was freezing. She didn´t need to see the person that laid beside her to know that he was there. She could just tell by the way the mattress dipped lower on that side. That there was breathing.

And the unmistakeable smell of scotch.

That Basstard.

Vanessa wanted to scream and perhaps kick him out of her bed. But found out that her throat refused to work, that the surprise she´d had as breakfast had rendered her speechless. And if anything Vanessa had always been practical so she looked around for something, anything. Because apparently her voice would not come back soon. She grabbed a pillow off her bed and chucked it onto his face.

The idiot let out a muffled groan.

And as sudden as it had left her voice returned. "What is wrong with you?!" she half shouted as she smacked him with the pillow two more times.

"What- what-"

"Get out." She ordered angrily. Pillow held high for menace support.

Chuck was blinking, frowning and un-frowning with the concentration of shaking himself into reality, and when he did instead of explaining why he had decided to invade her room, Chuck just hastily pushed the hair out of his eyes and mumbled "I´m thirsty" while dragging himself off the bed. Vanessa had to make an extra effort to keep herself from sending to hell all of her "no-violence" beliefs and just jump him and close her fingers around his snobby neck.

She closed her eyes and tried to picture a landscape, a green forest, Dan talking... anything. To calm herself down. Her voice came out clipped when she told Chuck "I´m trying very hard not to kill you." Inhale. Exhale. "Could you please tell me" Inhale. Relax. Exhale. Good. "What the hell are you doing in my bed?!" Okay, bad. BAD. Inhale, close your eyes. Exhale.

"Oh, That "He said with a damn nonchalance that made Vanessa cringe, outraged. "I didn´t notice at all." Then he yawned and stretched lazily.

When he noticed her death glare he whispered in that obnoxious tone of voice she and Dan knew to well "Don´t get all worked up over a simple honest mistake. Besides I did not lay a finger on you, flat chested girls have no effect on me."

Now he was just being repulsive, Vanessa rolled her eyes and pointed at the door with a finger. "Leave."

Chuck picked something from the floor and proceeded to walk out, then hesitantly turned around and tried to say something. But Vanessa cut in, tired yet irritated "Just leave!"

He stood there a few seconds more, expression unreadable. Vanessa immediately regretted her reaction but had no idea of how to take back her words.

He left and she threw herself back on her bed.

It smelled of alcohol and whatever fancy cologne he used. Vanessa groaned, now she had to wash her sheets.

Serena Van der Woodsen had everything girls her age and girls who doubled her age would kill to get, money, class and of course also the special kind of beauty that was a sort of armor against the world. Nothing could pierce it or extinguish it, but it held its possessor remote from the world. A detachment that would forever protect her.

And once upon a time, back when Chuck Bass dreamed of nothing more than her golden hair and never ending legs, she also had´d the attitude.

Nonetheless as she sat alone in her bedroom, cellphone ringing nonstop with the latest GG news, her beauty, class and money could not lift her spirit. Finally after a long time of just staring off into space Serena decided some champ would perhaps make her feel better.

Alcohol had made her happy in the past. Perhaps, she thought as she poured herself a glass, change doesn´t suit me that much.

It´s the law of equal exchange, Nelly Yuki would say if she saw Serena, for everything you have a price must be paid. Chuck would, to everyone´s shock, agree with Nelly. But as he entered the Van der Woodsen/Bass luxurious penthouse the last thing on his mind was Blair´s Asian minion. He had come to take the fifty thousand dollars that he had hidden inside a secret compartment under his bedroom´s persian carpet, he had done it so long ago up until now he hadn´t even thought about the cash under his feet.

"There is no such thing as irreversible, just make sure you always have safe cash at hand."

Looks like uncle Jack was right after all, Chuck thought as he neatly put the money into a suitcase. A grin broke his lips as he remembered more of uncle Jack´s advices.

A loud banging sound teared him away from his preteen memories. Half startled it was his dad, half hoping it was Eric or the house domestic employees, Chuck walked out of his room and into the living room. There an insanely giggling Serena had obviously fell down on her butt.

Chuck analyzed the situation before him. He could leave without his stepsister noticing (which would be the wiser choice if you asked Nelly Yuki, who had a thing for competence.) or he could have fun with his drunk sis, some well deserved entertainment.

With a smirk and his signature cat-like walk Chuck approached Serena. Having bad, bad, bad intentions all along.

"...and now Penelope forbade me from wearing pink and black because according to her ¨she´s considering on wearing it, sometime in the future¨, like she´s ever going to! She just wants to punish me for the whole Nate thing, like that was my fault." Jenny explained, exasperated.

"Well... If being around them is such a nuisance then just don´t see them anymore." Vanessa offered, eyes shooting to the door as a hurried Dan entered while struggling to keep the big pile of books he was carrying from falling.

Both girls rushed to help him, but he refused by mumbling tiredly "I got it" over and over again.

Jenny and Vanessa shared a look and hesitantly returned to their sits by the kitchen island. They talked a while about Jenny´s crush on Nate and Vanessa assured her best friend´s little sister that she was not jealous or mad at all about what had happened or would happen between Nate and her.

"It might as well be over, he hasn´t called me or anything. Maybe I scared him when..." Jenny didn´t end the sentence because a bloodshot eyed Dan had approached them.

"If my life keeps this rhythm I´ll develop a hunch back." He complaint, rubbing his neck and groaning.

"No one said senior year would be an easy battle." Vanessa said, patting her worn out friend on the back and handing him a cup of coffee. "And on the bright side hunches are becoming the new six pack." He laughed lightly amused. And Vanessa grinned back at him.

"Did Chuck Bass tell you this? Because let me assure you he´s not a trustworthy source of information"

Vanessa snorted, like she would believe anything that came out of the mouth of such a rich little moron. She was about to say that when she remembered, sighing and knowing there was no one else she would rather talk about this to, "Since we´re on the Chuck Bass subject, ummm... I think there´s something wrong with him."

"Something wrong with him? What is not wrong about him, that´s a more accurate question."

Vanessa grabbed a piece of toast and started buttering it, fast. A clear sign she was uncomfortable about something. A sign Dan recognized immediately. "What happened? Did he...did he try something?" Vanessa rolled her eyes, "If he did I´ll kill him and then dance above..."

"Dan!" Vanessa snapped, not so long before him getting all macho behavior on her would have been more than welcomed but at the moment it strangely irritated her. "do you want me to tell you or not?"

He had the grace of looking embarrassed, and with a mouth zipping gesture he dedicated all of his attention to Vanessa.

"It´s not that much of a big deal, well it was to me. But since it just happened this morning... and now that I think about it he was pretty wasted last night so it makes sense that he probably just got confused. Maybe I´m overreacting." She ranted nervously, and then caught Dan´s inquiring stare, and sighed. She was really helpless when it came to Dan Humphrey so she told him about the events that had taken place the day before.

Dan was alarmed to the point he got out of his chair so fast that he pushed Jenny, who had been sitting beside him sending a text message, out of her sit as well.

"You slept with Chuck Bass?" he asked, shocked.

"You wore the MJ dress?" Jenny chirped, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yes, and yes" Answered Vanessa, "But the dress is not the point here, me still having Chuck Bass as a house guest sent from hell and needing any kind of moral support you can offer so the next week doesn´t drive me to insanity. That would be the point of the story."

"Sorry, " Both Humphreys said. Then Dan, inevitable, shot up and explained "Look I know nothing happened, but you have to understand. He´s Chuck Bass. In the first place I don´t understand why you would take him in, really Vanessa, Bass?"

"He had nowhere to go and no money. I... you would have helped him too." Vanessa said back. Dan sighed, not wanting her to know that he wouldn´t have. He wouldn´t have moved a finger to help Chuck Bass. So instead he asked Jenny what was she so insanely giggling about.

"Vanessa Bass" Jenny said in between breathless fits of laughter. Dan goggled and coughed.

"I kind of like the sound of that." Vanessa added with a sadistic grin "Vanessa Bass."

Dan went paper-white and gaped at them. The girls continued to laugh.

"Girls, stop winding Dan up." Rufus´s amused voice came from behind them. "And Dan, I´m sure Chuck didn´t leave Vanessa´s room without several bruises. Right V?"

"He´s not mistaking bedrooms anymore." Vanessa assured them, though she locked eyes with Dan when she said that. And had Jenny been a less generous sister she´d have pointed out that Dan had pretty much looked jealous.

"Now, who´s in the mood for some Caneglones Capresse" Rufus offered jovially. The four of them had dinner, Dan tried to convince Vanessa of marathon-watch the back to the future trilogy while, annoyingly exited, Jenny told everyone about how awesome the Winter Storm ball would be.

Jenny and Rufus had gone to sleep, and after a while they had decided that instead of watching classics, they would sit on the fire scape stairs and have hot chocolate. Neither started a conversation and as the winter wind blew around them Dan started to tell a story, Vanessa knew to well, out loud.

When they were in elementary school he would spend all his time narrating stories about pirates and fairies to entertain the other kids. But when it was only the two of them he asked Vanessa for a title and he would start a story that had them both as the protagonists. The one he was telling at the moment was called "Swanheart", about princess Marigold, who fell victim of a deadly spell that turned her heart into a emerald that shattered into thousand of pieces, scattering across the thirteen existent universes. Turning the once kind and sweet princess into a harsh shell incapable of feeling who could barely remember Daniel, her faithful knight with whom she had been in love since childhood. Nothing can be done, the kingdom wizards say but the knight refuses to give up and decides to turn to the most feared of witches. Who gives him the means to travel across the planes of existence and also the information to track the princes´s feelings and memories. There´s a price to pay, though, the highest of prices. The knight must surrender the princess´s love to the witch. Even if the princess recovers her memories, loving him will be impossible.

Dan continued the story (his arm around her shoulder) while both shivered.

The story had two endings. The first was the one he used more, a typically "happily ever after" final, with a wedding and peace. In the second, he only used it to apply to contests, the princess regains everything she had lost but could not bring herself to care about the Knight.

So Vanessa stopped him, claiming to be "afraid to catch a cold", from delivering whatever ending he had chosen to give the story. She did not want to get whatever message Dan had hidden for her in the story.

"You should move on...forget me...I´m not that great... blah blah blah." If it was that easy then she would have already gotten over him, well that was a lie. Even if she could Vanessa would never choose to be in love with anyone but Daniel Humphrey.

"So... I should probably head home. I have to wake up early for work tomorrow." Vanessa said, as she grabbed her bag and headed to the loft´s door at an incredible speed.

"Should I take this as a ¨Dan I don´t like your stories anymore¨ ?"

"No," She hurried to deny. "It´s just I know that one by memory, I already know the ending."

"Maybe it has a new ending." At those words Vanessa stayed frozen in her place.

A change of topic was needed, she decided, God, why couldn´t he just let her leave?! "I thought you didn´t write fantasy anymore, what happened to getting a more realist angle of literature?"

Dan chuckled and sat down on the couch, reluctantly Vanessa followed. "Turns out my vision of realism is to boring for the Yale teachers. So, thinking it would do no damage for them to read my other works I gave them a couple of my old stories." A smile quirked a side of his lips "they love them! Swanheart specially. So, I guess I should thank you. You inspired that story, actually you inspired all of my stories."

"I always liked the ¨The Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean¨ better. I couldn´t sleep for over three days" she remembered.

"And my mother thought I was gay for two years straight because of that protection white flower crown you forced me to wear!"

Vanessa bursted in laughter "She used to corner me all the time to ask me, saying she was ok with that. That you could open up to them...oh... and the look in Rufus´s face!"

Dan suddenly got serious and shuddered "Don´t even remember me that! That´s a conversation I´ve spent the last four years trying to erase from my mind."

When the laughter passed, "It´s late." Vanessa pointed out again "I better take a cab"

"Wait,... mmm... I was thinking of writing something new. I´m going to need my muse"

"I´m sure Serena would love to help you." She said, successfully keeping her bitterness from staining her words.

"I meant you"

Vanessa arched a brow, confused.

"Didn´t Platon say ¨muses and romance are two different things¨?" Dan asked as he opened the door for her.

"He didn´t" At his faked sad face Vanessa grinned and gave in "But I guess I won´t mind some extra hanging out with you Humphrey."

Dan stopped a cab for her and before she got in Vanessa blurted "There´s heavy metal concert tomorrow. Ruby left me two tickets, maybe we could look for inspiration there. And the spiked haired angry teens will make us feel better about ourselves."

Dan smiled "It´s a deal, Abrams."

They exchanged goodbyes and for tenth time Dan made a comment about not being sure if she should sleep in a place all alone with Chuck Bass.

"Look I don´t like him either, but trust me when I tell you he is not a monster." Was the last thing she said before the cab drove to her loft.

"You´re a fucking monster Chuck!" Serena yelled fron the end of the hallway, even after two strong coffees she was still a violent and emotionally unstable drunk. "Get out of here!" And then she threw her empty cup of coffee at him. Luckily for Chuck he had quick reflexes.

And he left, a smirk on his lips all along. Mission accomplished, he had the money to make the speakesasy´s opening party legendary and also as a plus he had poisoned Serena´s mind against Blair.

Now the slightest of misunderstandings could catalyst an epic battle between them.

When Vanessa finally crossed the door to her home she was struck in her place by the sight of Chuck Bass legs crossed sitting on her couch, calmly perusing Jenny´s copy of "Seventeen" magazine.

She snorted, seems he finally ran out of Playboys.

"Decent girls never arrive this late" He said when she walked past him.

"How would you know you´ve never met any" she said back, from the bathroom where she started to brush her teeth.

She exited the bathroom to find Chuck waiting by the door, without uttering a word he handed her a cup of hot chocolate, and then turned around and walked in direction to the kitchen. Taken aback Vanessa stood there blinking, the hot cup warming her hands, and followed him.

She sat in front of him at the kitchen table and sipped carefully her hot beverage. Chuck kept on reading the teen magazine.

"So, Learned anything from the magazine?" ventured Vanessa, the silence had started to creep her out.

Chuck put away the magazine and gave her an evaluating look. "Well according to this, Paris Hilton is the celebrity with most STDs on the last five years. Which makes me proud I turned her down last year in Greece."

"Anything less disgusting?" asked Vanessa.

"Loads of nonsense tips about how to get your crush to like you. And according to the personality quiz in page six I´m ¨not in a stage of my life where love should be a priority. It´s all about having sexy sweaty fun¨" he said dryly.

"Let me see that" Vanessa said, taking the magazine. She giggled. "It also says you´ll finally settle down for the cute and shy person who sits behind you in Math."

"Nathaniel sits behind me in Math." Chuck said darkly.

"How sweet" she mocked "You´ve been friends for so long, never even considering each other in that way and then... BOOM... love blossoms."

"I don´t think it´s a good idea. Everyone knows I´ll end up breaking his heart"

Despite herself, Vanessa laughed. And then yawned. "I´m going to bed." She said, getting up from her sit. "Goodnight Chuck," but she turned to him before heading to her room, doubting. "I don´t have to worry about you mistaking rooms again, right?"

"No, no mistakes tonight" he assured her. And Vanessa began to walk towards her room, and stopped suddenly in her tracks when he said: "Sneaking my way into your bed will be entirely on purpose."

"What?"

"You won´t even notice I´m there."And he had the freaking audacity to smirk. That Basstard.

"What? No...you´re ...no...why are you?...urgh, Stop smirking! Chuck is this some sort of Joke I don´t get because I´m too tired?"

Too damn calm for her comfort Chuck answered. "One, you´re not important enough to be lied to. And second..."

"Then what about your stupid scheme with Blair to humiliate me?" she couldn´t help to blurt out. Because even after all he had done to Dan. That time, she had trusted him, had believed in him.

And he had let her down.

"I never lied. I told you I´d save the speakeasy and I did. You never asked if Blair was involved."

"That just makes you a liar by omission of facts" she countered.

Chuck´s facial features hardened. "Fine" he said "Where was I before you interrupted me? Oh, yes... Second I suffer insomnia," he looked away "I can´t sleep unless I have company."

"I don´t believe you." And before he could argue she cut in "I don´t care you´re not sleeping in my bed."

"Okay, I´ll spend the night awake and tomorrow by the time I get to the speakeasy I ´ll be to tired to remember not to tell everyone that Humphrey has a barbie named Cedric"

Vanessa gaped at him. "How do you know about Cedric?" she demanded in a small voice.

Chuck just shrugged, and his eyes sparkled with the light of triumph.

He knew she would never purposely let Dan being made fun of.

"Fine, but we´ll do it my way. We´ll sleep in the living room, pillows in the middle and if you dare to lay a finger on me the Bass line will end with you." Vanessa warned.

Chuck nodded in agreement, and gave her a white package.

"The dress, why are you giving me this dress? I´m not trying it again if that´s what you..."

"It´s a gift" Chuck interrupted her, irritated.

"You´re really a piece of work, aren´t you? This isn´t yours to give away. This is Blair´s"

"Actually it´s Serena´s"

"But you took it from Blair." She insisted "You know what? I really don´t care. I don´t want it."

"Fine, Throw it away. It´s yours now after all." He said and got into the spontaneous big mattress they had brought to the living room.

"I´m giving it to Blair" she informed him, as he got under the covers.

"Fine by me. And by the way could you try not to speak on your sleep? It´s distracting."

"I do not speak in my..."

"Yes you do, you keep saying Dan, Dan over and over again. It´s a little sad if you ask me."

"Urgh, you´re unbelievable" she exclaimed, turning on her side as to not face him.

In the dark Vanessa pondered what had she done wrong to deserve sleeping with Chuck Bass, while beside her Chuck smirked and tried to figure out why hadn´t he left yet. He certainly had (now) the money to do so.

"So which one suits me best?" Dan asked, one black t-shirt in each hand. He lifted his right hand "A bleeding skull with a snake on the middle has it´s charm but I think the six six six in the back might be pushing it."

"Yeah, it´s a concert not a cult." Vanessa agreed absenmindedly as she made two capuchinos for a couple that kept sucking each other´s faces.

"Then the metallica shirt will have to do." He said, holding higher the t-shirt on his left hand. His cellphone rang, it was Jenny asking for him to help her repair her sewing machine. "I have to go..." he started but Vanessa held a hand up to stop him.

"Wait," she said, taking the package with the dress out of her bag. "Can you give this to Blair? I would but I have some errands to make before the concert." Said errands were in fact shopping for an outfit for the concert.

"The Marc Jacobs dress" Dan exclaimed in a whisper. "How..."

"Long boring story." Vanessa answered. "Just give it to Blair"

"It was Serena´s first" he cleared.

Vanessa sighned more than tired with the whole dress topic. "Whatever, give it to Serena." She snapped

Dan arched a brow, nor understanding her sudden bad mood.

Vanessa took a deep breath and just told Dan she had had a bad night.

Dan coughed, hoping to get Blair´s attention, who after seeing him walking into her penthouse had not spared him a second glance.

Even Dorota ignored his presence.

Finally tired, he walked towards Blair and poked her in the shoulder. She stiffened and stepped away but did not acknowledge his presence.

"Why are you pretending I´m not here?" he asked, irritated.

"Wishful thinking." Blair said nastily though at least she turned to face him.

"Whatever, I just came to deliver this." He said, putting the white package in her hands.

Blair first stood unmoving for a couple of minutes, bewildered. Then began to open the box and when she saw the dress she let out a little scream. "Dorota! I´ve got it. It´s perfect, every detail, the fabric, he captured Aubrey´s essence! It´s perfect Dorota!" she exclaimed, hopping up an down in excitement.

"You will look beautiful Miss Blair." Said Dorota with a wide smile.

Dan realized then that hey had gone back to ignore him. "You´re welcome" he said not really expecting Blair to leave the dress in Dorota´s hands and approach him.

She goggled at him "Why?"

Dan knew she had meant to ask Why didn´t you give it to Serena?. Even he could not fully understand. Maybe he decided Blair deserved it more because of all those times Jenny had mentioned the brunnete´s fixation with Hepburn´s work.

Maybe because Serena did not seem to care that much for the dress, or for anything else lately.

Maybe because Vanessa had wanted Blair to have it, or because he knew Serena could easily become the center of attention no matter what she wore. And he knew what it was like to stand on the sidelines feeling invisible. He understood Blair´s need for some spotlight.

Dan did not tell Blair any of his reasons. Instead he just shrugged and made his way to the elevator doors.

Before he reached the hallway Blair´s voice caught up to him. "I won´t forget this, Humphrey." He turned around and saw her smiling from ear to ear.

Dan did not regret his decision.

"And neither will I." It was Serena.

She had, apparently, listened to the whole conversation from inside the elevator. Dan tried to get close to her and explain but she pushed him rather harshly.

The metallic doors closed and the blonde was out of view.

"You should run after her. I think she´s been drinking" Blair advised him.

Dan nodded and took the stairs. By the time he left the building, Serena had already gotten into her limo.

Cursing and starting to feel guilty Dan took out his cell phone and decided to cancel his plans with Vanessa. This was urgent.

"...don´t worry Dan, it´s fine. Okay, yeah--- bye." Vanessa stared at the mirror. She had dressed up for a guy who would never see her as anything else than a friend. Leather trousers, a black and red corset... was she really that desperate to get Dan´s attention?

Great, now she felt worse.

To make matters more hellish Chuck had just entered. "Going somewhere?"

Vanessa gave him a long evaluating look, considering whether it was a good idea or not. "I was about to leave to a Metal concert, do you want to join me?"

"Sure" he said shortly. "let me get changed."

"Wait," Vanessa said, "May I make a suggestion?"

Chuck raised an eyebrow.

"Do not wear one of your eccentric suits, just put on a pair of jeans" do you even own jeans? "and something black."

Scanning her outfit with his eyes Chuck turned around and went to change his clothes.

WOW.

Vanessa gasped, astonished. She had never thought of Chuck Bass as bad looking but she also had never considered him handsome.

He was wearing dark ripped jeans and a black t-shirt that had only a sleeve. Showing off his left muscled arm.

Vanessa would never admit it out loud but he looked kind of (sort of) hot.

"Do I have something on me? You keep staring." Chuck mocked.

"Yes, a normal guy disguise." Vanessa replied with a laugh. "We should get going, the subway station is three blocks away."

"We´re not going in public transportation." Chuck said firmly. "My limo is waiting outside."

"Whatever" Vanessa agreed, not realizing that if he had the money to pay himself a limousine that he must also have the money to leave her loft. The thing with people like Vanessa, they´re to trusting. Sadly for her that would be the reason why she wouldn´t stop Chuck Bass from ruining her life.

Vanessa sighed, "Okay, whatever. Let´s just go" After all, she only wanted loud music, a cold beer and to raise a little her selfsteem when a guy asked her out.

Chuck Bass had attended, in the past, rock concerts. But always with a VIP treatment, and with a pair of twins at each side he never really got the whole experience.

Not the way he was getting it at the moment. The music was so loud he had yell to get Vanessa´s attention. The crowd pushed each other, jumping and singing along with the long haired singer on stage.

It was like sinking in a big mass of bodies, taking a hold of Vanessa´s hand so she wouldn´t disappear in the crowd. She jumped and raised her arm at the same pace with the rest of audience.

Chuck imitated her reactions as to fit in.

By the last song, Chuck was sweating horribly, just like Vanessa, who was trying to regain her natural breathe rhythm.

They dragged themselves back into Chuck´s limo. Both smiling and feeling the adrenaline setting in.

Only after they arrived, took turns taking showers and changed into their respectives pajamas, did Vanessa spoke. "You´re unbelievable! They totally bought it." She said, referring to the backstage guys Chuck had convinced into letting them get backstage. Though only the drummer had been there, he had given her his autograph.

"Yeah, I´m amazing I know."

"Big head much?" She said stepping in front of the couch, where he was sitting. "I´m not feeling sleepy. What do you say if in the spirit of Heavy Metal we watch a movie?"

"Is this the part where you show me your creepy Steven Spielberg altar and movie collection."

"No, I enjoy his work but Kim Ki Duk is my favorite director. Though this movie" she said while opening a dvd case and inserting it in the dvd player. "is from Johnnie To. It´s called Full Time Killer."

"Sounds promising."

"It is. Lots of blood, vengeance and a pretty girl."

Chuck had to admit the Japanese movie was an interesting watch, two professional killers who fell in love with the same woman. It sounded cheesy but still had very bloody action scenes.

"The snoopy scene rules." Vanessa commented, nudging him in the ribs gently.

Chuck grinned and spared her a sidelong glare, a smile quirking the side of his mouth.

So they had been hanging out the last two days. And yes Vanessa had finally admitted to herself that she sort of kind of enjoyed Chuck´s company. But that was only because Ruby wasn´t around and Dan was too busy with a school test he had to study for.

It didn´t matter if she had gotten used to his presence anyway. The speakeasy would open its doors that same night and by the end of the party Chuck would be out of her loft and her life.

Vanessa was okay with that, not happy or sad, just okay. To be dishonest with herself, she didn´t care.

"You´ve done an awesome job in this place" Nate congratulated Chuck. Who was behind the bar table of his speakeasy.

"Nathaniel" Chuck greeted in a clipped voice. "What brings you to Brooklyn?"

"I came to apologize to a friend, and to offer him my help" Nate said honestly.

You´re three weeks late Chuck wanted to say but couldn´t. Instead with a broad grin he offered Nate a glass of champagne. "Should I then hope you´ll ditch the Winter Storm ball and come to my party instead?"

"Of course" Assured Nate with a smile. "That´d be the best since I´m avoiding Jenny until she gets the message."

"Have you been getting it on with Humphrey´s sister? Nathaniel, I´m impressed."

"Not really, just you know I was bored. But then she fell under the delusion that I was her prince charming in shiny armani, if you get my meaning."

"Oh, poor you. See this is why I prefer scorts. Less expectations more fun." Chuck said and took a sip of his own glass.

They were chatting quite amicably when Vanessa walked up to them. "Chuck I need you to check this list" she said, putting in his hands a paper sheet with the names of the brands of liquors he had ordered.

"Everything´s right" he told her. Vanessa folded the paper and put it in her pocket.

"I´m going to the coffee shop to get lattes for the girls, you want anything?" she asked kindly.

"No, thanks." Chuck said then caught Nate´s wink at him.

"I do feel like having a cappuccino . Do you mind if I walk you there Miss Abrams?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes at Nate and shrugged.

"Be right back man." Nate said before he exited the speakeasy with Vanessa.

And people say I´m the womanizer, Chuck thought and ignored the strange sensation that tugged at him. A sensation he could not name.

"So Mia says you know where Vanessa is, I´m looking for her." Dan said to Chuck, trying to sound mature and unaffected by the fact that he had to recur to Chuck freaking Bass to locate his best friend. Well, he was also really pissed because of his fight with Serena.

"I don´t think she wants to see you" Chuck told him with the intention of bothering him.

Predictably, Humphrey took the bait. He instantly let out a tense sigh. "Well, I don´t care about what you think. I just want to know where my friend is." He said in a clipped tone.

"And you won´t get that information from me. Which leaves us in a sort of dilemma right?" Chuck replied coolly with a smirk.

"Whatever. I´ll just stop by her place later." Said Dan who really could not stand Chuck. Then he just openly fixed Chuck with an analyzing glare.

"I know what you´re thinking" he informed, in a deadly serious tone.

Chuck raised an eyebrow politely at Dan "And that would be?"

"You think that because she let you stay in her place and is nice to you, she likes you or that you know her? You don´t. She´s only coping with you because she felt sorry for you. It´s the way Vanessa is, always trying to help. But she isn´t stupid she knows very well who you are.... And... And she can´t stand you." He ended, childishly.

Chuck pretended to yawn, and turned his back on Dan. Who after a few minutes exited the bar.

"Could you tell me what is so funny?" he snapped to the redhead who had been giggling nonstop for the last fifteen minutes.

"Someone wrote ¨Kiss me I´m rich¨ on your back" the girl said in a muffled voice.

"Humphrey" he accused.

"Actually it was Vanessa." An asian boy told him. "she did it after you implied that Dan Humphrey played with dolls and had a suspicious sexual orientation. You two are a weird couple, she´s cute so I guess it makes it all right for her to be crazy."

"We are not dating" he said to the boy, "now shut it and clean the back of my shirt Joe."

"It´s John."

"Do you think I care?" Chuck said sharply.

"Mia said she saw you arguing with Dan at the speakeasy." Vanessa told Chuck, from the inside of her bedroom where she was getting ready for Chuck´s party.

He said something back but she couldn´t hear it, so she stepped out of her bedroom and was left breathless for a few seconds.

Chuck was already dressed, in an eccentric suit that made him look more like the Chuck she despised and less like the guy she had kind of begun to befriend.

His dark eyes flicked to her and she said the first rational thing that came to mind "Will the immaturity contest between you two ever be over?"

"I don´t think that´s an option." Chuck answered.

Vanessa swallowed a groan. "Why can´t you just..." she paused. "Be a man, ignore him."

"I am a man," he said, slitting his eyes like a cat in the sun, "but since I can´t face my inner demons I take it out on other people."

"Oh, Shut up." Said Vanessa, but she smiled.

Together, they exited the building and got into the limo, in direction to the party.

Chuck had honored his promise. He had indeed returned the speakeasy to it´s old extravagant glory.

Every detail since the elegant wood walls to the beautiful themed dressed waitresses had a special touch of Chuck´s style. Vanessa wondered whether it was bad that she had noticed that.

"I´m impressed, you´ve done an impressive work here Chuck." She told him. The blonde he had on his arm, rolled her eyes at her and tried to drag Chuck to the other side of the bar but he sent her away. Asking Vanessa to follow him to the terrace, there was something he wanted to talk about he said.

His face in the moonlight was dark, lined with silver shadows, "you know that tonight I´ll move out of your loft." He said.

"Yeah, finally." Vanessa joked, looking at him in that moment had a strange effect on her, that made everything else in the world seem not quite real.

"Well I was wondering if I could, as an expression of gratitude, buy it."

She gasped, but still he kept on. "You would still live there and be the owner. But I´d become the financial owner. Meaning that your expenses would be paid by my economical manager. However in exchange I would demand to be allowed to spend some time in the loft."

"What?" she said, outraged.

He became deeply interested in his shoelace. "It would benefit us both. Sometimes I need a place to crash you know."

"What?!" she said, louder this time.

"Ok, forget it." He said quickly. "I just thought it would be a nice friendly gesture."

But Vanessa who was livid with fury could not brush off the topic that easily. "I´m not something you can buy and we certainly are not and could never be friends!" she yelled quite harshly.

Reacting just like the time she had purpuselly kicked his shin, Chuck stormed off.

Vanessa stood alone in the terrace for a while, believing that maybe at any point triumph or a sense of righteousness would hit her. Instead she just felt guilty.

It was just her luck that on her way out of the speakeasy (having decided to wait for Chuck by his limo) she bumped into a familiar pair of green eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Ruby.

"Oh, I arrived this evening. Just in time for Chuck´s party."

"Did you see where he went?" Vanessa asked heatedly.

"Yes, but I´m not sure I should tell you, I think you´ve yelled at him enough."

Vanessa sighed, "If you knew what he proposed to me..." she started.

"I do know. I heard because I was making out with Emily in the room next to the terrace. And yes, he said a bunch of stupid stuff but that´s not the point here."

"Then what it is?" Vanessa asked flatly.

"The why, that´s the axis of the matter. Which I think is my duty to reveal to you because you´re too stubborn to even try to figure it out. Chuck was not trying to offend you, he was just trying to win you over the only way he knows how. Purchasing you, and in case you wonder why, well you´ll have to accept that he likes you, I mean sure, he´ll jab at you and he´ll try to unsettle you and part of that is because he doesn´t even really understand how he feels about you, only that you mean something to him, but he doesn´t know what. It doesn´t fit into any recognizable category of experience for him. He´s never really had a female friend whose good opinion he´d have to exert any effort to keep. He doesn´t know how to act towards you. So he falls back on being sarcastic, or nasty, and then when he is kind, you don´t trust that kindness, and you throw it back at him. Come to think of it, he´s actually pretty patient with you."

"That´s not... How did you notice all this?" Vanessa asked, perplexed.

"I merely observed. I mean really all those times he helped you with the editing of your work and you two watching movies, not counting that time you had a paper ball war."

"I had never... "

"considered him a friend?" Ruby cut in. "Because he even stopped using those crocodile suitcases after you gave him that two hours long lecture about animal rights."

"Hell how do I fix this?" she asked, feeling like a small child who had just done something very stupid.

"It´s up to you really, you´re the one with the advantage over him, V. You´ve had friends. You know how to treat them. He doesn´t. He just reacts instinctively. If you treat him like a friend, he´ll be the best friend you ever had. And if you treat him like your worst enemy, then that´s what he´ll be."

"I guess, I´ll go look for him. God, Ruby what would I do without you?" she said before running to the door, determined to look for Chuck.

"Spontaneous combustation comes to mind" Ruby said softly.

That`s the end of chapter three folks, it was supposed to be a little longer but I have an important test coming up and little time to study. I`ll try to update as soon as I can. Oh and Christmas WILL arrive in chapter five.

Next Chapter: Chuck`s birthday present, an evil cunning plan that is not Blair`s and Serena in a coconut bra.

I`d love to hear which part of the chapter you liked more, so be kind and leave a review.