Summary: Sometimes, without realizing it, we inflict our own punishments. At other times, we feel entitled to inflict them on others. All the while we ignore that we must learn to forgive and forget.

Rating: T

Pairing: Chuck and Blair

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own anything.

Authors Note: Tati is a wonderful beta, and for that I thank her. I wasn't going to post here anymore, but I'm doing it for the few of you that really followed this fic for a long time, and don't have it alerted on Gossip-Fic. Chances are it won't stay here, so if you want, you should probably head over there, because there are more chapters posted there.

ETA: The link to Gossip-Fic is in my profile, although you can google it. I am only uploading chapters 24 and 25 here. Chapters 20 through 25 are at Gossip-Fic.

Chapter 25

That Thursday night had been eternal for Blair, barely getting any sleep, and Friday was just never ending. Eleanor was the only one present to give an opinion at that morning's fitting, and given the argument they had gotten into over the choice of dress, she only added to the stress of the day. At least they could all agree on Aimee's dress – including Aimee, who threw a fit when they removed it to preserve it for the big event.

Time flew for Eleanor and Lily, who were forced to make do with the short time given to execute a wedding befitting their social status. It felt like only yesterday they'd started bickering about planning and dividing up the arrangements. Eleanor had been quite adamant that as the mother of the bride, and as the bride's parents paid for the wedding, it was her right to do as she saw fit. Lily had argued that Eleanor wanted to make it a matter of money, Charles would be more than pleased to pay for the whole thing in order to ensure that both families were equally represented in the execution of the event. Eleanor then proceeded to remind Lily how new money it was to flaunt one's wealth at such a sacred event as the consecration of a marriage.

They only agreed to stand back when Celia and Cornelia reminded each that while the parents of the bride were indeed in charge of the reception, it was the groom's parents that hosted the rehearsal dinner. With that, Lily threw herself wholeheartedly into the preceding event. And when word got out to Eleanor of how much more elaborate Lily's would be, she could not help but stick her nose in it and demand that Lily backtrack and make the dinner more low-key than the reception. Lily accepted the intrusion, but only if Eleanor agreed to her input in the wedding preparations. It was a half-assed truce between the women, and one that just barely kept things civil between them.

Among the many points of contention included the coordination and order of the events. It wasn't just a matter of taking the formal portraits before or after the ceremony, but of holding the dinner before or after the rehearsing.

"I can't believe you would do this!" Lily exclaimed. "You've done it on purpose to sabotage my event! Everyone is going to think this was all my doing. Who in the world would consider that it makes perfect sense to hold the rehearsing after the dinner?" she cried. "It is not the dinner rehearsal; it is the rehearsal dinner!"

Eleanor sighed, remarkably unperturbed by Lily's outburst. "If you'd only agreed to hold the dinner a little later tonight, we wouldn't have been in this predicament," she answered, almost too calmly. "Had we rehearsed before, we would have interrupted the Friday evening service. And we would have been late for dinner. Imagine all the angry dinner guests, waiting around for us to finish rehearsing…"

Lily wanted to burst into tears. "You never told me to move the dinner later in the evening because there would be an issue with the church's availability! This is just another excuse of yours, Eleanor! Rehearsing the procession would not have taken more than thirty minutes!"

"Well…" Eleanor started. "If we didn't rehearse those vows you insisted they write…" Eleanor was planting a seed, and Lily knew exactly what it was.

"Don't be so dense, Eleanor. The bride and the groom don't rehearse those in front of each other!" Lily said, irate. Lily knew Eleanor wanted those vows cut out in favor of the more traditional ones that she and Harold had once exchanged. But she wouldn't give in so easily. "Now what do we do for the next hour?"

Eleanor's satisfied smirked spread through her face. "Cocktails?"

"Vows?" Blair asked, panicked after she overheard her mother and Lily arguing again later that night, once at the church. "What vows?"

"Oh, didn't Charles tell you? Lily wanted you two to write your own vows," Eleanor said.

"We have to write vows now?" The color drained from her face, overwhelmed and suddenly feeling completely unprepared to get married.

Lily, noticing Blair's panic, took her by the hand. "Blair, darling, it was Chuck's idea to write something for the ceremony. You don't have to do anything or worry about a thing."

"It'll be ridiculous if only one of them writes vows and the other one doesn't," insisted Eleanor.

Lily ignored her. "Blair, like I said," she spoke soothingly, "Chuck just wanted to say a few words. I don't want you to panic over this."

"But how am I not going to panic when I don't know what he's going to say? What if he says something I don't want everyone to hear on our wedding day?"

Serena, seeing how agitated Blair had become, waddled towards them. "B, are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Eleanor told Blair out of nowhere that she had to write vows, and now she's in a panic," Lily complained. "We need to find Charles."

When Chuck found her, Serena had her seated in a private powder room, waiting for him. He could see she was upset, and it made his gut knot to think of Blair changing her mind, of her realizing that she didn't want to go through with marrying him.

"Blair, what's wrong?"

Blair shook her head, in tears and wondering if she was being silly. "It's just that my mother said we had to write vows, and it made me panic because I had no idea what you were going to say, and because I don't know what I would say," she babbled.

"Are you more worried that you wouldn't know what to write for me, or about what I would write for you?" he asked. It made no sense to him, and he had to admit he was a little hurt.

"Both, I guess. I just never stopped to think about vows. I mean, I knew we'd be exchanging vows, but I've been stupid and didn't stop to think about what the whole wedding meant to me, and now I feel like I've cheated myself of a perfect wedding. And I'm scared of not knowing what you're going to say –"

"Blair. Blair, stop."

She paused and finally looked into his eyes.

"Do you feel like you're not ready to marry me?" he asked, and she could feel his words laced by hurt. "Because I won't stop loving you if you need more time. I will be there for you and our children, always. We don't need to sign papers or hold a ceremony or a party for me to love you. But I'm never letting go of you again. That mistake I made three years ago won't happen again. Not as long as you'll have me."

"Are you sure you're not trying to marry me because of Aimee and the new baby?" she asked, still incredulous as to what he'd admitted. It was just too good to be true.

"I would always find a way to be there for my children, to make sure they feel that I love them. But you – you are the love of my life. I could never be completely happy if I didn't have you."

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "I love you," she said, admitting to him what she'd been so scared to admit to herself.

I love you. It felt like he'd waited an eternity to hear her say it.

"Do you want us to wait, or do you want to get married tomorrow?" he asked her. "Whatever you want, we'll do."

"Do you want to be married?" she asked him, half laughing.

"I can't wait to make you Mrs. Bass," he confessed, kissing her.

"Then yes, I want to marry you," she said.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she deepened their kiss. She had never been happier being in his arms. She scooted closer to him, pressing her body to his. He pulled her onto his lap, and things got increasingly heated. She pulled his tie undone, and he lifted her skirt, wanting to feel the warmth of her skin. She wanted more from him though, and all she was getting from his touch was an increasing sense of frustration the more he turned her on.

"I need you," she whispered breathily. "We have to go somewhere."

"We'll go back to our hotel suite," he suggested, moving his lips close to the nape of her neck before trailing back up to her earlobe.

"No, my mother won't allow it tonight."

"We'll be married tomorrow; your mother doesn't have to allow for anything…"

He moved his hand up her inner thigh, making her gasp. "Aimee. She needs to be put to bed."

"Dorota can do that for us. At your mother's…"

"Okay, stop. Stop-stop-stop," she ordered him, suddenly serious.

"What's wrong?" he wondered, perplexed by how suddenly she shifted.

"If we're going to do this – and we are," she said firmly. "We need to think about how."

He reached for her again. "I thought I'd already showed you how. Remember, in the back of my limo all those years ago…"

"I mean without getting interrupted. In case you haven't noticed, that toddler you keep overindulging by letting her sleep in our bed has created a serious dry spell."

"Me? You're the one that keeps running to her the minute she cries," he retorted.

"That's not true, and it's beside the point," she said, exasperated. "My mother is expecting Aimee and I to stay at the penthouse tonight…"

"…So sneak out with me after Aimee falls asleep," he suggested.

"You mean after I fall asleep?" she replied sarcastically. Wasn't that their fate almost every night?

"Then let's sneak off now." He kissed her again, unable to contain his passion for her much longer.

"But my mom and Aimee–"

"Aimee can keep your mom busy," he said dismissively, his hand going under her dress again.

She stopped his hand from going very far. "We can't just hand her off to my mother and expect her to babysit. We're parents now, not some irresponsible horny teenagers hooking up in the back of a car. Oh, wait!" A light bulb went off in her head. "I have an idea."

He followed her out of the powder room, hoping they'd be unobserved.

"Blair?" she heard Eleanor's call out her name in a shrill voice.

"You keep walking and get the car," she whispered to him. "I'll be right there." She turned to Eleanor, "Mother, I was just on my way to get Aimee's overnight bag from the car."

"Don't be silly," Eleanor said, the idea sounding ludicrous. "Have the driver bring it up to the penthouse. Why should you have to do it yourself? In any case, Father Matthews has agreed to let us run through the rehearsal one last time."

"Yeah, I think it's time to get the kids to bed…" her voice trailed off as she tried to come up with a convincing excuse. "And I'm exhausted. And Serena – poor Serena! I feel terrible," she said. She turned to look outside the tall church doors, and could see from the corner of her eye the limo pull up to the front of the church.

"Yes, I actually feel badly for Serena. We don't want to send her into labor at this stage. The wedding is tomorrow. She should be able to hold off for another day, I think. What about you, darling? Are you okay now?" she asked worriedly, pushing a loosened curl away from her face. A curl loosened by Chuck.

Blair let out a loud sigh, but couldn't help but smile when she replied. "Yes, I am – we are. We're okay." Mummy, she heard a little voice call for her. She turned and saw Aimee waving happily before being distracted by Benjamin, and she knew she had to make an escape before Aimee ran towards her. "I gotta go." She cleared her throat, "I mean, I'll be right back."

"Where is Blair?" Eleanor asked, fifteen minutes later.

From the car she texted Serena, 'Tell Mom to take Aimee home with her.' 'We forgot her bag at the hotel. Going to pick it up.' 'Aimee needs to go to bed – stat.' 'Rehearsal's over btw.'

They were driven around the city in his limo for a couple of glorious, child-free hours.

When they arrived at 1136 Fifth Avenue, Chuck walked Blair upstairs to the Waldorf penthouse, not ready to say goodnight at the door after feeling her finally open her heart to him. It gave him a sudden burst of adrenaline, and he did not want to part from her side, not even for one night. He wanted to hold her close, breathing in the faint traces of her scent and Chanel No.5 as they slept. And now, to watch her eat her ice cream cone so contentedly, the way she would lick, suck, and bite it…

"Blair, ice cream at this hour?" Eleanor huffed. "Don't come crying to me when the dress doesn't fit tomorrow," she complained.

"It'll fit," Blair replied, refusing to worry, the climax of the night – both literal and figuratively – putting her in too much of a good mood to care.

"Where have you two been?" Eleanor asked demandingly. "Do you know what time it is? And Aimee refuses to go to bed."

"Mummy, Daddy," Aimee whined, her arms outstretched towards them as they walked into Blair's childhood bedroom. She'd been sad, sitting up in Blair's old bed, refusing to go to sleep thinking she'd been left behind by her parents.

"My Princess…" Chuck picked her up and kissed her cheek, and his heart skipped a beat when he felt her little arms encircle his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Mine daddy…"

"You can't stay here tonight," Eleanor warned him. "Say bye-bye to Daddy, Aimee."

"Non! No bah-bye," Aimee answered imperiously, pouting for her father's benefit.

"It's only one night," Eleanor warned again, her tone light-hearted. "You have 15 minutes to tuck them in. We have to be up early tomorrow, and I need my beauty sleep. Blair," she pulled her daughter close to admire her. She sighed, "I can't believe you're not my little girl anymore. I'll see you tomorrow morning." She kissed her cheek and walked out of the room, leaving the door wide, wide open.

"Okay, Princess, get into bed."

Chuck tried to set Aimee down, but she wouldn't budge, hanging onto him tightly with arms and legs until he managed to tickle her off him.

She bounced on the bed as she fell into it, giggling, but was quick to spot the ice cream cone in her mother's hand. "Maman, I wanna ice cweam," she pleaded sweetly.

Blair sighed, willingly handing over what was left of the midnight treat. "Watch her while I take a shower," Blair said to Chuck. It wasn't long before Chuck joined her.

"And Aimee?" Blair asked.

"I put a movie on for her," Chuck shrugged it off.

Blair, like everything that related to Aimee, wasn't able to do the same. She rushed through her shower and rushed out before Chuck got any other ideas.

He hurried after her, and when he emerged he was surprised by the presence of an old pair of silk pajamas he had once left behind. He found her sitting at her vanity as she brushed her hair, looking beautiful in an empire-waist nightgown, the baby bump looking bigger than it had the night before.

"Aimee fell asleep," she spoke as quietly as possible. "She fell asleep with the cone in her hands, so you can imagine the sticky mess I just had to clean up."

She was so relaxed, so happy; she was glowing. She looked up at him as she applied lotion to her legs, the smile gracing her face telling him she had no hesitations over the day ahead of them.

"So are you going to listen to my mother, or are you going to stay?" she asked with seductive mirth.

"That sounds like an invitation," he said, walking towards her.

She stood up from her vanity and met him halfway, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I want you to stay. I sleep better when I'm with you," she admitted. "But it is only one night…"

"And you should look well-rested tomorrow…" He kissed her and began tracing his way down her clavicle before reaching between her breasts.

"First, any plans you might have probably involve a lot less sleeping, and second, Aimee is sleeping here with me."

"There is the second bedroom next to us that's empty," he said, their kissing becoming increasingly heated. "And I know how much you'd love…" He whispered in her ear.

"Is that the mouth you kiss our daughter with?" Blair complained, mildly irritated by his insinuations.

"Better than the mouth you just kissed your mother with," he retorted, with the very intention of reminding her of… "The way your lips…"

"Enough or I'll have my mother throw you out."

He knew it was an empty threat, part of the game. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the other room without any further protests.

Blair was sighing contentedly to herself the next day, her arms extended out as Dorota and Eleanor dressed her. Her mother had pitched a fit that morning when she found Chuck sleeping next to her, yelling at them for not waiting just a single night, but Blair didn't care. Last night had been the happiest of her life, and she didn't want to ever fall asleep without him. In fact, she was brash enough to tell her mother that Chuck had had to stay, or she would never have fallen asleep. And she did need her sleep, after all.

"Cinch it tighter, Dorota, tighter! I want people to see her tiny waist from behind as she walks up the aisle."

"Miss Blair pregnant with second baby. Nobody has tiny waist at wedding when you in second trimester with second baby. I can't go tighter or she pass out halfway down aisle from lack of oxygen," Dorota protested.

"Oh, here, move." She pushed Dorota out of the way, exasperated, and yanked on the stays of the corset lining the dress.

"Ouch!" Blair complained. "Don't do it so tight. Chuck won't like it if he sees it's too tight."

"Maybe he should have thought of that before taking you out for ice cream at midnight the night before the wedding," Eleanor said as she adjusted the back of the dress. "Or getting you pregnant. Again." She pulled on the stays one more time for emphasis before tying them and tucking the ends. "There," she said, satisfied with the back of the dress. "Dorota, finish buttoning up the back of the dress. I'll go check on the children."

Just as soon as Eleanor was out of sight, Dorota loosened the dress, but was then unable to button it up. Frustrated, she swore in Polish at Blair for precisely the same reason Eleanor had berated her a moment ago. She passed the task along to Serena while she bent down to spread the skirt.

Aimee ran into the room in full wedding garb. "Mummy, looky my dess!" she showed off. It was an overly ornamented marshmallow cloud, with an overpuffed tea-length skirt, lace trimmings and a big pink bow that covered most of her back. Something only a two year old as adorable as she could ever pull off. And underneath it all, she was wearing her black patent-leather mary janes.

"Aimee, come back for your shoes!" Eleanor called out to her from the nursery.

Aimee used the vanity chair as a prop to jump on top of the bed, far away from her grand-maman. "Mummy, you a pincess!" Aimee announced, happily jumping up and down on the bed, her curls resting on the top of her head bouncing with her. She plopped herself down on the bed, her skirts falling over her head as she giggled uncontrollably.

"Aimee, there you are! You cannot wear those black shoes," Eleanor said, walking in with brand new shoes in her hand. "Come here."

"Non!" Aimee protested as she tried to roll over to the other side of the bed, her little arms and legs flailing as the cumbersome dress got in the way.

Serena took over, pulling Aimee to the edge of the bed and sitting her up. "No, you're the princess. Your mommy is the queen. And the queen said you have to wear the princess slippers, otherwise you'll have to take off your princess dress."

"Like Cinewella?" Aimee asked.

Serena took the shoes from Eleanor and began putting them on her niece. "Yes, like Cinderella. Cinderella needed to wear her slippers to be a princess, remember? And Cinderella's shoes weren't black, so we have to put the white ones on…"

Blair had barely acknowledged Serena's presence in the room, but seeing her play with Aimee brought back memories of when they were girls and used to play dress up. Of all the times they pretended they were getting married and planned their weddings throughout the years. When they were too young to be selfish they'd wanted a double wedding, and their grooms would have to be identical twins, so that they never had to argue about whose was the most handsome, and they would all be equally rich and fabulous.

And once they were old enough to realize that they would need to have a separate wedding because their dress choices would clash, they still knew they would be there for each other. But Blair hadn't been at Serena's elopement, as they'd once promised, and she'd ignored the invitation to her wedding reception after. And yet Serena was here with her, despite long silences and lack of eye contact, helping Blair get in her dress and her daughter in the right shoes. Serena had done her sisterly duty in helping make everything perfect, but it was as Chuck's sister and not hers. It was nothing like the wedding day they'd pictured as girls.

"Thank you," Blair choked out.

"I'm sorry, what?" Serena asked, distracted by Aimee's giggles as she was trying to tie her shoes.

Blair cleared her throat. "I said thank you. For helping. With Aimee. She's very stubborn about her shoes."

Serena stood Aimee up on the bed and fluffed out her dress. "You're welcome. I'm always happy to spend time with my beautiful and adorable niece," she said, kissing a chubby cheek.

Blair observed how at ease Aimee always seemed to be with Serena, and it made the jealousy rise in her for a second. But it dawned on her that Serena had always been sweet and adoring to Aimee, so why would she not like her? And here she was, helping her get dressed when she herself was tired and bloated and forty-two weeks pregnant. And then there was all the running around Serena had done at the rehearsal, and all of the planning that she herself hadn't done. Eleanor didn't know half of what she'd wanted her wedding to be, and somehow she was still getting everything.

"And thank you – for everything you've done."

Eleanor moved Blair's head to face forward so she could place the veil correctly, completely ignoring the exchange happening between the two former best friends.

"Oh, Blair, you are so beautiful." Eleanor admired her as she extended her veil. "Remember, don't walk too fast. And suck your stomach in, at least during the ceremony, and try not to look so indecently pregnant. Although god knows we're not fooling anyone…" she mumbled under her breath. "Alright, we need to get going, or we'll be late. Blair, you will be in the car with your father, and Aimee will come with me."

"Non!" Aimee protested, as she'd protested anything her grandmother had suggested for her that day. "I go width ma maman," she pouted.

"I'll take her," Serena offered.

Eleanor didn't argue, she just knew she'd have one less toddler to deal with. "Perfect. Serena, darling, you've been such a help through all of this. I don't think we'd be pulling this of so perfectly without you. Thank you. Blair, have you thanked Serena for everything she's done?"

"She did, Eleanor," Serena said.

Blair had the sudden urge to hug her, but Eleanor was pulling her out of the room. "Lift that dress up gently, Dorota," Eleanor barked, and Dorota was grateful to be working for Mr. Chuck and Miss Blair now.

Blair might have held a very, very small hand at planning her wedding, but – between Eleanor, Lily and Serena – everything turned out just as she wanted it to be, from the peonies in full bloom to the candlelit church at sundown. What Blair might not have known, though, was just how big a role Chuck had played in making sure she had the wedding of her dreams. He'd sent Eleanor approved wedding dress sketches, flower arrangements and a guest list, all tailored exactly to Blair's tastes.

Of course, he hadn't had much time to consider that guest list, so when he saw Dan Humphrey take a seat in the third pew on the left side of the church as he and Nate walked to the back room, he bristled a little.

"I didn't realize we'd have this many Humphreys at my wedding," Chuck said, almost with a sneer.

"Well, Rufus is Lily's husband, and you didn't expect her to not bring her two youngest children when Benjamin was chosen as ring bearer," Nate pointed out, rather rhetorically.

"I was talking about Dan," Chuck said impatiently. "But I suppose we're all family now, even if he can't remember what side of the church to sit in."

"Well, Blair's needed as many people on her side as she could get these last few years. I guess it stopped her from being picky," Nate reminded him. He stupidly continued, "You're really lucky, bro. It really looked like you had royally fucked things up with her permanently. But maybe this is a sign that you guys were always meant to be. I mean, she probably had the perfect situation with Dan. She had someone that was supportive, who loved her daughter, and was there for both of them in good and hard times. And even then she picks you. You're the one she's going to marry."

Chuck felt his face fall. Yes, he was the one she was marrying, but he'd yet to do much to deserve it – and the shameful reminder that there'd been someone else that maybe had was a slap in the face.

Lily, having listened to most of the exchange between the young men and observed the frown that formed on Chuck's face as Nate walked out, went to her son immediately.

"The ceremony is about to start," Lily said. She stood at the doorframe before walking towards him with a caring smile on her face. "You look so handsome, Charles." She moved to straighten his bow tie, adjusting its appearance. "You're not too nervous, I hope? I promise you, everything will go perfectly."

It didn't seem to shake off his worry, though; she could tell.

"I'm just so happy that you and Blair have finally gotten to a happy place together," she began, trying to put his mind at ease." That doesn't mean that either of you should think that the past never happened and all is forgotten," she acknowledged. "But it definitely does mean you've both taken steps in the right direction. And look how wonderful it's turning out: you're a family, you love each other, and you're getting married."

"Do you think Blair has forgiven me, though?" he wondered in a pained voice.

She smiled that smile that followed the sigh she sometimes gave him before answering. "It's not all or nothing. This is a good start," she assured him. "You don't have to forget the past to move forward."

"But how can you move forward when you're saddled with the consequences of the past?"

"And how can you expect to be happy if you are always atoning for past sins? Blair obviously has moved on from all of that. Would she be marrying you now if she hadn't? Would you two be expecting another baby?" she asked him.

He wasn't sure everything happening now was due to Blair's forgiveness, but Chuck loved and appreciated Lily for the motherly kindness she always showed him. And if he'd had reason to doubt Blair's feelings for him, those doubts had been cleared the night before. He took Lily's hand and kissed it appreciatively.

"Come; I saw the bridal limousine arrive a few minutes ago, and you don't want to keep Blair waiting."

They left and got into the processional line after the guests were seated. Aimee, seeing her daddy, tried to run towards him and unexpectedly tripped on her long puffy dress, making everyone gasp aloud. Carter acted quickly enough to catch her and set her back on her feet as everyone yelled for her to not run.

"Daddy!" she cried for him, her arms extended.

He tried to sneak a look at Blair, but she was getting her dress skirt adjusted after exiting the car, and the people standing in between blocked most of his view.

"Daaaaaaaaddyyyyyyyyy!" she demanded his attention again.

"Oh, yes, Princess?" he asked, refocusing. "Where is your petal basket? Do you remember what you have to do? You walk in front of Mommy and throw your petals, alright?"

"Non, no walk," she said to him, suddenly getting pouty. It was getting close to her nap time.

"Aww, yes. Look at your pretty dress. People want to see you walk in your pretty dress," he said, encouragingly. He set her down on her feet and went in search for her basket. "I'm going to be in the front, and you are going to walk in front of Mommy–"

"Non, no walk width Mummy!" Aimee cried.

"Okay-okay-okay. I'm going to go stand in the front," he pointed towards the altar, "And then you walk to me."

No. Aimee would not settle for anything less than walking down the aisle holding her daddy's hand, flower girl duties be damned. But she was so happy walking with him, and when the wedding march started, nothing could have made him happier than waiting for Blair at the altar with their two year old right next to him.

When Serena slowly waddled to her place, she wondered if the church had stretched over night, the walk longer than she'd remembered it the night before. Though she supposed that any woman forty-two weeks pregnant would find a walk in high heels extenuatingly long. And all this she was doing for a former friend whom at times she very much doubted appreciated all of the effort she had gone through. Still, she smiled as she past the throng of guests.

Blair's momentary anxieties came to a peak as she and Harold were left to walk the procession. She looked around towards their guests, noticing a few snickering quietly to each other. But she just looked ahead and didn't care. She knew where Chuck's heart lay, and that was all that mattered. She saw him waiting there, with Aimee standing next to him, innocently playing with her petals, and it was all she needed to keep her step from faltering.

To Chuck, she was the vision of an angel, soft and ethereal as she floated towards him. There was a perfect demureness in her, the same that had made her irresistible at sixteen, with the tiny capped laced sleeves that looked to be barely holding in place, and the airy silk of her dress that seemed to billow with her small steps. The delicate Cartier diamond necklace added a glow to her face every time she took a breath, light reflecting through the strand of small diamonds. He'd been afraid to look into her eyes at first, fearful of finding insecurity in them, but one look at her smile told him she wasn't nervous or in doubt of the step they were about to take.

When she finally reached him and Harold handed her over, all he made out from the priest's words was Dearly beloved, before the rest turned into a jumble of words. She replied with an "I will" as her declaration of consent, snapping him back into attention.

He kept turning to glance at her, not able to keep his attention on the ceremony and its rituals for very long. When the priest turned his back for a moment, Chuck managed to steal a quick kiss, surprising Blair and making their guests laugh. The priest never knew what caused the distraction in his otherwise solemn ceremony, but figured it might have something to do with the child that was currently hiding under the front pew.

When Aimee saw Benjamin playing hide and seek, she jumped off her bon-papa's lap, but both were quickly reprimanded by the adults. Aimee, not happy after being hissed at by Harold, pulled away from his grasp stubbornly and ran to her daddy, unaware of the important event she was interrupting. She was happy sitting on Chuck's lap quietly, but they were quickly instructed to stand again, and at that point Aimee did not see how inappropriate it was to raise her mother's dress and peek beneath her skirts. At that point Serena took charge of her, and Aimee was happy to comply in her new role of co-bridesmaid, so long as she got to hold onto Serena's bouquet.

After exchanging vows and being pronounced husband and wife, Chuck went on to try and kiss Blair but was quickly stopped and told to stop getting ahead of himself.

For Chuck it felt like things went on and on pointlessly. They'd already been pronounced husband and wife! After more mindless prayers, they were asked to kneel for the blessing. It wasn't until many more Amen's later that they were asked to rise and, to Chuck's surprise, he was given permission to kiss his bride.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as he pulled her body towards himself and pressed his lips to hers and her hand went to cradle his face lovingly as their guests cheered.

"I love you," she whispered to him, looking into his eyes before kissing him again.

It made his heart swell. She trusted him enough to love him.

"I promised you," he said, reminding her of their conversation the night before. "I love you."

She didn't take his arm, instead reaching for his hand and intertwining her fingers with his. He kissed her again reverently, a firm seal of the promises and vows they had just made. They began walking down the aisle, when they heard a splash from behind and noticed their guests staring. Blair looked back, remembering Aimee was with Serena.

"You goin' potty?" Aimee asked innocently as she and Serena were soon standing in a large pool of liquid.

"Oh, no…" Serena cried. "My water broke."