So I was depressed by the ending of 4x09, so I decided to write this little vignette. I know its a bit sappy, full of fluff, and OOC, but hopefully its not horrible. This is my first foray into fanfiction (although I've been reading them for awhile) so I hope at least someone enjoys it.

I own nothing!

"I'm sorry, but I need to be Blair Waldorf before I can be Chuck Bass's girlfriend," Blair said trying to maintain her determination even though her heart was breaking. Looking in Chuck's eyes she could see all of the emotions she felt mirrored back at her and it made her feel horrible. She didn't want to hurt him, but she knew that she needed to do this. She needed to find herself, become her own person, be a person whose identity was not defined by Chuck Bass but someone who was equal to Chuck Bass. Alright, so she may never be on the same level as Chuck Bass, but she at least wanted to known because of her accomplishments, her successes, and her failures. And being Chuck Bass's girlfriend would not let her do that – at least not right now.

Suddenly, Chuck felt his eyes begin to water, so he tore his eyes away from Blair and looked down at his feet. He focused on the ground and blinked back the tears. After what seemed like a lifetime but was really only a minute or two, he spoke with a voice that was barely above a whisper, "What about becoming Chuck Bass's wife?" Chuck's eyes rose to meet hers, and he saw a look of surprise and confusion take over her face. Blair's mouth formed an 'O' as she continued to stare at him in shock. When she finally spoke, all she could force out was "What?"

This isn't how he meant to ask her. Six months ago he had planned a beautiful proposal on top of the Empire State Building with peonies in hand and the perfect Harry Winston ring. It would have been the most romantic story that they would be able to share with their children and grandchildren. It was going to be magnificent and grand (which this one wasn't), it was going to take her completely by surprise (which this one did), and it was going to be the start of their life together. This time, he didn't know what was going to happen.

Realizing that this wasn't a conversation to be having in front of a party where anyone could interrupt them, Chuck grabbed Blair by the arm and pulled her into a private little nook around the corner. When he was sure that no one was around or eavesdropping, Chuck continued, "I love you Blair and you love me, or at least I think you do. So why shouldn't we get married? I want us to get married."

"You're serious about this!" Blair couldn't believe the words coming out of Chuck's mouth, but one look into his eyes told her that he was very serious. For so long, this is all she had wanted to hear – Chuck declaring his love for her and wanting to marry her. Now that she was determined to branch out on her own and stake her claim on the world, she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear this, at least not yet.

"Yes Waldorf, I am," he scoffed. Gently taking hold of her hands, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands, he took a deep breath and continued. "You've seen the ring. I know we've never talked about it, but I was going to ask you at the top of the Empire State Building – I had it all planned out, the perfect proposal. I even started to outside of the hospital before everything else happened. You are the person I want to spend my life with, you are the person I want as my wife and I want to be your husband. I knew it six months ago, hell if I'm being honest I knew it 3 years ago, and I know it now. You and me, together forever, that is what I want more than anything. Blair, marry me?"

Blair withdrew her hands, brought them to her face, and softly shook her head from side to side. "Chuck this is too fast. We just got back together, if you can even say that. Don't get me wrong, I love you and I want my future to be with you. But that doesn't change what I said before. I need to establish myself as Blair Waldorf before I can be with you. If I don't, I will always wonder if my success is my own or if it is because of you. I will doubt myself and my insecurities will come out, which in the long run will hurt both you and me. So I'm asking you for this time to become Blair Waldorf, someone both you and I can be proud of."

"If you want your future with me, why don't you want it to start now? Are you embarrassed by me, by my past? I know I've done some horrible things, but I am willing to work the rest of my life to make them up to you. Help me understand." Chuck's voice was timid, almost desperate. Blair noticed that he had shied away from her, hurt by her rejection.

"Chuck, you of all people should know how I feel. Last year, I supported you 100% when you decided to branch out on your own. You wanted people to respect you for your accomplishments, not because you are Bart Bass's son. And look at you now, you are doing so well and I am so, so proud of you," she grabbed his hands strongly as she said this and ferociously stared him in the eyes. She wanted to make sure he understood that she was truly proud of him, not in anyway embarrassed by him. "Don't you see, I feel the same way about myself. I want people to respect me for who I am, not because I am Eleanor Waldorf's daughter or Chuck Bass's wife. I need to do this on my own. I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to be a powerful woman. I don't know if that is as a lawyer or a business woman or a writer or a doctor, but I am determined to do it. And I know that you wouldn't ask me to give up on that, right? You don't want me to give up on my dream, do you Chuck?"

The truth of Blair's words hit home with Chuck. All she wanted to do is exactly what he had done the year before, and he couldn't fault her for that. In fact, he wanted her to do find her place in this world as much as she did, and he knew that if anyone could do it, it was Blair. He just had to convince her of that and support her through it, if she would let him.

"Blair, I would never ask you to forget about your dreams. Do you honestly believe that I want a trophy wife? I don't love you simply because you are gorgeous, beautiful, and sexy as hell. I love you for your brain and your wit, for your determination and your ambition too." His words made Blair blush bright red, but they also brought a smile to her face. "I know you can be whoever you chose to be, and you don't need my help for that to happen. All I am asking is that you let me be there with you. You stood by me all last year and gave me the courage to take the chances I took. I just want to do the same for you, be by your side for all of the ups and downs, to share them with you."

"Chuck, please," she drawled, but he quickly interrupted her.

"You know Blair, I never thought I would be back in this place with you. After what happened last year, I didn't think that you would ever love me again. When I got shot in that alley, I thought I was going to die. But I didn't – I was given a second chance. I don't want to miss any more opportunities with you, and I feel like this would be doing just that. All I want is for us to be together, however that is achieved." Chuck could tell that Blair's determination was slipping, that he was getting through to her. "How about this – we keep it a secret. Nobody needs to know, it's none of their business anyways. This can be something special that we share, something that is ours and ours alone, something that no one can take away from us. And when you're ready we'll let the world know, but for now, we can keep it between us. What do you say Blair? If anybody can do this, its us. We can do this."

Blair looked into Chuck's eyes and she felt overwhelmed by the love in them. There was only one way to respond to him after that, so she said simply "Okay." The smile that broke out on Chuck's face was so big and true, a rare smile that few people ever saw on the face of Chuck Bass, and she knew she had made the right decision. Blair knew in that moment that she would never love anyone the way she loves Chuck and that it was foolish to deny or put off their future together. Like he said earlier, they can have it all, and she was going to make sure that that was true, even for her.

Chuck was ecstatic; Blair had jumped off the ledge and said yes to him. Or at least he hoped she had agreed to marry him, but he needed to make sure that this wasn't all in his head, that he hadn't imagined it. So he asked her again, praying that he hadn't just heard the words he longed to hear. "Blair, did you just agree to marry me?"

"Yes," she simply said and looked him straight in the eyes, to ensure that he understood.

Chuck was sure that the happiness he was feeling was showing on his face, because he felt like he was going to burst. This was all he wanted, all he would ever need. He knew that Blair loved him, but still he needed to make sure that she was agreeing to be with him because this is what she truly wanted, not because he had guilted her into it or because she felt this was their only chance. He also wanted to make sure that she knew he didn't want her to give up her dreams. "Blair, don't get me wrong, I want this more than anything. But I want to make sure that you are saying yes because you want to marry me, not because you're worried about hurting my feelings. I don't want you to make anymore sacrifices for my benefit."

"Chuck, I love you and this is my decision. I'm Blair Waldorf and I am going to be a powerful woman, but that doesn't mean I can't be a happy woman too. And you make me happy. We'll find a way to make this work," she said shaking her head up and down with conviction. As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were true. This was going to work. She is Blair Waldorf and Blair Waldorf doesn't give up, she fights for what she wants. And who is to say she can't have it all too! So she cupped his face with her hands and kissed him, hoping he would know she meant everything she said.

"You won't regret this Blair. I promise you, you won't regret this. We're really going to do this and its going to work out! Now, why don't you sneak into my limo and I'll meet you there in about five minutes. I'll make sure no one sees me." And he snuck one last kiss before he gently pushed her towards the waiting car. He was going to make sure everything worked out for Blair, he wasn't going to be the cause of any more of her pain.

Five minutes later, Chuck slid into the backseat of the limo and he saw the glowing face of his fiancée. His fiancée, he never thought that he could ever be so lucky. Blair looked really, truly happy and he couldn't believe that he was the reason for it. He couldn't help but kiss her. Taking her into his arms, he said, "So, I've called and the Bass jet will be ready in the morning."

"Why?" Blair was confused about why they needed the jet.

Chuck smiled and laughed at her question. "To get married Waldorf. If we want to keep this hidden from everyone, we need to leave Manhattan. Someone would be sure to discover us if we got married here, and you know nothing stays secret on this island." He had thought this through in his head before getting into the car. It was the perfect plan. He knew it was a little rash, but he wanted to marry Blair and he didn't want to wait another minute. Now, he just needed to convince Blair that eloping was a good idea.

"Are you suggesting that we elope?" She questioned him hesitantly. He just smirked back at her. Of course that is what he was suggesting, that Basshole. She realized then that she always made spontaneous decisions when it came to him in the back of this limo, so why not do it again. They would elope, but she wouldn't let him get away with it that easily. She decided to toy with him a little. "Bass, I am not having a shotgun wedding in Vegas!" she screamed, trying to keep up an appalled façade while smirking on the inside to herself. She loved playing with him.

"No, of course not. Wait, I mean yes I want us to elope but I am not saying it has to be Vegas." Chuck was stumbling over his words. He didn't want Blair to rethink her decision. "Anywhere you want to go. Just name the place and the jet can take us there. It's up to you. I can take care of everything else." When he finally looked into her eyes again, he realized that her didn't match her mouth. She was messing with him! He couldn't help but smile – this was his Blair, beautiful, intelligent, playful, and scheming, and she would be his for the rest of his life.

"Okay, we'll elope. It needs to be someplace private, but still beautiful. I may not be having my dream wedding, but that doesn't mean it can be tacky Bass." She spoke with determination, getting more and more excited as the minutes passed. She was going to marry Chuck Bass in less than 24 hours!

"Blair, please, I'm Chuck Bass," he said slyly. "I don't do anything tacky. Our wedding will be classy. Oh, and don't think that you won't have your dream wedding. In a few years, when Blair Waldorf is a force to be reckoned with, we'll have your dream, Upper East Side society wedding. A wedding that everyone will envy. Mark my words." He had made a promise to Blair that she would not have to sacrifice her dreams for him and he meant it. This was going to be partnership, he was not going to put himself first anymore.

His words made Blair smile. She really was going to have it all. So she decided that she was going to take a leap of faith. "You know what Bass, a marriage is built on trust, so why not start at the beginning. You pick the place and make all the arrangements and I'll show up. How about that?"

He could only think of one response that seemed appropriate, so with a smirk he asked, "Are you sure?" Blair responded just as she had three years earlier, by kissing Chuck with all of the passion she had. This was really happening. By this time tomorrow, Chuck and Blair would be husband and wife, and nothing would come between them again. They were building a future together and they were going to have it all.