Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.

This is a continuation of Manic. It starts approximately five months after Manic ended. I must point out that Seasons Five and Six never happened in this story, but some of the storylines from those seasons will find their way into this story. I hope you enjoy.

"Oh my God!" Blair screeched. "Chuck! Chuck, get in here!"

"What's wrong?" Chuck darted into the room with Evie. His five-month-old angel was sound asleep, safe and sound as usual, in his arms. Ever the doting dad, Chuck rarely wanted to put her down, and the young parents had found that putting her down before she was asleep she would result in her screaming her head off.

"Have you seen this?" Blair held up her phone. Though she'd unsubscribed to Gossip Girl nearly two years earlier, Serena still forwarded her a blast or two on occasion. She usually just deleted them, but she'd opened this one.

Chuck's face turned sickly pale as he took in the image of his father. Why would his wife show him a picture of his deceased father? She knew the issues he had.

"This was taken less than an hour ago at JFK."

"That's impossible," Chuck shook his head as all color drained from his face, "Someone's playing a sick joke. My father died nearly six years ago."

Blair turned on the television as the post instructed, "According to the blast, the news is all over ZNN."

The headline of the story scrolled across the screen, "Bart Bass Returns from the Dead!"

A ringing of their doorbell echoed through their home.

Chuck looked at the little girl in his arms as tears streamed down his face. He was in such a good place right now. He was married to the love of his life. He had two beautiful children. His father returning had the potential to shatter his happy existence.

The ringing of Blair's phone interrupted his thoughts.

"It's Serena," Blair sighed as she looked at the caller ID before she answered it, "Hey, S. How's your mom?"

"Oh my god, B, have you seen the news!" she shrieked, "Everyone is freaking out, Mom, more than anyone. You know this means that she and Rufus aren't legally married, don't you?"

"Have you seen him, S?" Blair asked nervously.

"No, Mom had our floor locked down. She doesn't want anyone getting in. The press is going crazy and trying to push past Vanya. We aren't letting anyone in right now. What about you? Is the press bothering you too? Have you seen Bart? Surely Chuck would be his first stop."

"We haven't seen or heard a word from him," Blair replied as the doorbell began to persistently ring. It was clear that whoever it was would not go away quietly. "S, I have to go. Someone is trying to wake our two sleeping angels, and naptime isn't over yet. If it's the paparazzi, I'm going to get a restraining order."

"How's Chuck?"

"Here, ask him yourself." Blair handed Chuck the phone and then took Evie from him, "I'll put her down and then go strangle whoever is at the door."

Chuck nodded as he kissed the top of Evie's head. Blair caressed his cheek, wiping away the tears that remained. "He can't hurt us, Chuck. No matter his agenda, you and I are as solid as the diamond on my finger."

Chuck nodded again as he found her lips just as another ring chimed out.

"How's Lily?" Chuck spoke to Serena once Blair and Evie were out of the room.

"She's freaking out, Chuck," Serena responded, "But forget about Mom for a moment. How are you?"

"I don't know," Chuck replied. After the initial moment of panic, he now felt nothing. "In shock, I guess. I don't understand how any of this is possible. You and Lily were with him when he died. I watched the orderly cover him with a sheet. We buried him."

"Mom's having the same thoughts. If anyone could pull it off though, it would have been…be Bart," Serena stated.

"Serena, I have to see who's at the door," Chuck stated as the doorbell chimed yet again.

"Be careful, Chuck," Serena warned him, "Bart had a lot of enemies before he died. If he's really alive, they are going to be coming after him and you."

"Thanks for the concern," he replied as he started walking towards their front door. Rosa was scurrying towards it, trying to silence the commotion before it woke the children. "Rosa, I'll answer it."

"Yes, Mister Chuck," Rosa bowed slightly, "They cause so much ringing. Mister Luca and Miss Evie going to wake."

"Blair took Evie into Luca's room. It's soundproof," Chuck assured her.

"I go see if she need anything," Rosa stated as she flitted out of the room.

Chuck took a deep breath to prepare himself to go on the attack with however was on the other side of the door. The nerve anyone had to interrupt his private life with what Chuck was convinced wasn't anything more than a prank. He simply couldn't wrap his head around the possibility that his father had somehow faked his death and disappeared for nearly six years with so little regard for his son's wellbeing.

Chuck's heart stopped as he opened the door. Reality was playing another cruel prank on him. "Dad?"

"Chuck, my boy," his father embraced him.

Chuck went completely numb as his father continued to hug him. He couldn't even summon the thought as to when he'd last been hugged by the man. His arms didn't have the strength to return the hug. He still felt as if he was experiencing an awful dream.

"Are you going to ask your old man to come in or keep him on your doorstep?" Bart asked as he stepped back. There was a smirk on his face that felt out of place. Bart never smiled.

"Come in," Chuck stepped back to allow his father into his home. As Bart stepped in Chuck noticed two authoritative men standing behind his father in matching dark blue suits, earwigs in their ears, and guns holstered at their hips. One stayed outside and the other escorted Bart into the foyer. Their appearance screamed FBI.

"You have a lovely home, Son," Bart stated as he took in the appearance of the entryway.

"It's all Blair," Chuck rubbed his hands together as he looked nervously towards the man scanning his home with some sort of device in his hands, "Are you going to introduce your friend?"

"Special Agent Simmons, this is my son, Chuck. Chuck, this is Special Agent Simmons, FBI," Bart confirmed his son's suspicions.

The agent nodded in acknowledgement yet continued on with his task of sweeping the entryway.

"Does he explain where you've been for the past six years?" Chuck snapped, the bitterness in his voice coming through, surprising even himself.

"He's a small part of it," Bart nodded solemnly. He hadn't expected his son to roll out the red carpet for him. He'd put him through a horrible ordeal. All he could do now was try to make amends.

"I don't know what to say," Chuck stated after several painful minutes of silence as the agent finished his sweep of the entryway and then began making his way through each room without an invitation.

"Honestly, I don't know what you could say," Bart responded, "I've dreamt about this moment for six years, and even I'm at a loss for words."

"You died. We buried you. We mourned for you. How are you now standing here in my foyer?" Chuck shouted, the anger of six years starting to come out.

"It's a long story," Bart began, "One that I will tell you in its entirety, but I want to focus on you right now. You are not the seventeen year old boy I knew when I left."

"You've never given me a second thought for seventeen years. Why should now be any different?" Chuck hissed.

"I've done a lot of reflecting since I left," Bart responded.

"Reflecting," Chuck barked, "How about picking up the darn phone and calling your only child to let him know you're alive! Do you have any clue about the things I went through while you were gone?" Even with his rage, his language was kept in check because he knew that any moment his son could wander down the stairs, and he didn't want to teach his son such foul language, though keeping his language in check was extremely difficult.

"I know everything," Bart nodded solemnly, "I know about Thailand. I know about smoking pot at St. Jude's and almost getting expelled. I know about falling in love with Blair, about Jack digging up some ex-lover and convincing you that she was your mother and then you trading Blair for the hotel that Jack was trying to take from you…"

"You can stop," Chuck cut him off abruptly. He'd apologized to Blair for his past misdeeds until he was blue in the face. He wasn't going to allow his father to throw them in his face now, especially after a six-year absence from his life.

"I know about your diagnosis and subsequent therapy. I know about your marriage and bringing two children into the world with Blair," he choked on a sob that he was trying to suppress.

"Congratulations, you know every damn thing that happened to me. None of that answers where the hell you've been for the past six years," Chuck hollered.

"Chuck," Blair made her way down the steps with their son in her arms, "Luca's asking for you."

The little brunette boy had his head on Blair's shoulder. He had his tired, pouty face as he rubbed at his eyes. "Daddy," he called out as Blair reached the bottom step as he reached out to him.

"There's my little man," Chuck's anger disappeared as he lifted Luca out of Blair's arms, "Did the doorbell wake you?"

Luca shook his head from side to side as his head came to rest against Chuck's shoulder. "I not tired anymore."

"Are you sure about that?" Chuck laughed as he ruffled his son's hair.

"Who's tat, Daddy?" Luca pointed towards Bart.

Blair gasped his surprise, having not seen Bart as she made her way down the stairs.

"That is my father, Bart," Chuck stated as he grasped his son's hand and pulled his finger back, "Say hi to your grandfather, Luca."

"Hi," Luca replied as he waved slightly.

Bart was fighting off tears as he waved back. "Chuck, he's beautiful."

"Takes after Blair," Chuck stated as he kissed the top of Luca's head as he reached his hand towards Blair, "You remember Blair, don't you?"

"She's even more beautiful than I remember," Bart nodded as Blair stepped into Chuck and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Welcome to the family, Blair."

"Thank you, Mister Bass," Blair smiled nervously.

"I think Bart will work just fine," he replied.

There was another long pause as Bart took in the young family.

"We have a little girl, too," Blair stated finally, "She's five months."

"I've heard," Bart nodded.

"I should go get her. She'll want to meet her grandpa."

"It's not necessary," Bart stopped her.

"Are you going to be in town for long?" Blair asked.

"Hopefully," Bart nodded.

"Could you stay for dinner? Our housekeeper, Rosa, is a fantastic cook. You must try her cooking," Blair insisted.

"I'd love to," Bart replied, "If it's okay with my son."

"Will you read me?" Luca batted his lashes at his grandfather, his Waldorf charms oozing out.

"Read you?" Bart frowned in confusion.

"He likes people to read to him," Chuck explained, "Bedtime stories especially."

"I go night-night," Luca added.

"Not yet, Peanut," Blair nipped at his cheek, "We have to eat first. Bart, will you be joining us?"

Bart looked to Chuck for his answer.

Every rejection, every insult, every hurt feeling came bubbling up as Chuck contemplated his options. He wanted to do to his father what had been done to him, but looking into his son's big, brown eyes, the ones that held such adoration for him, he couldn't do it. He needed to be the bigger man. "Please stay for dinner."

The snooping special agent reemerged from concluding his sweep, startling Blair with his presence.

"Blair, this is Special Agent Simmons," Chuck explained, "He escorted my father. There's another agent standing guard outside our front door. There's an explanation that we are not yet privy."

"Would you like to join us for dinner, Agent Simmons?" Blair asked.

"No, thank you," the agent shook his head quickly as he turned to address Bart, "We'll be outside if you need us."

"Would you like a drink, Bart?" Blair asked as she showed him into the library where there was still a wet bar set up even as Chuck wasn't able to partake, "Scotch on the rocks, right?"

"You are correct," Bart nodded as he watched Blair prepare his drink and then pour herself and Chuck a club soda. His eyes were on Luca as he accepted the drink. "I can't get over how much Luca looks like Chuck did at that age."

"We have pictures of them side by side at this age. It's very difficult to tell them apart," Blair smiled as she kissed the top of Luca's head. She was overjoyed to have a Chuck Bass clone, as he would surely be the most handsome boy growing up.

"I bet you're a hit at the sandbox," Bart tentatively addressed the small boy clinging to his father.

"I like the sandbox," Luca responded, not really understanding Bart's statement.

"Before I forget, I have gifts," Bart suddenly pulled two small boxes from his pockets, "This one is for you, Luca."

Luca looked to his father for direction. Even at a young age, he knew not to accept gifts from strangers. Bart Bass was most definitely a stranger to the tot.

"It's okay, Luca, you can have it," Chuck urged him to take the box that Bart was offering.

Luca snatched the box out of Bart's hand and eagerly tried to pry it open. He struggled mightily to lift the lid, but neither Blair nor Chuck would offer help unless asked. Christmas that year had taught them that their son had an independent streak. "Help," Luca requested finally as he handed the box back to Bart for assistance.

"Help, what?" Chuck prompted him.

"Help, please," Luca elaborated as Bart took the box from him, lifted the lid with ease to show the boy what was inside. Luca's eyes lit up with intrigue as he looked inside to see a set of cufflinks, "Shiny."

"And they have your initials, Luca," Bart held them up for the boy to see, "See, an 'L' and a 'B'."

"Like Daddy's," Luca proclaimed as he snatched one from Bart's hand and lifted it towards his father, nearly hitting him in the eye in his excitement.

"Yes, Luca, they are like mine," Chuck nodded as he tilted his head back to avoid injury, "What do you say?"

"Thank you," Luca turned towards Bart again.

"Put that back in the box," Chuck instructed him, "You don't want to lose the first gift your grandfather gave you."

Luca dropped the gift back into the box Bart was holding. When the lid was replaced, Luca snatched the box back from Bart and handed it to Blair to take care of.

"This is for your daughter," Bart stated as he handed Blair another box of similar size.

"May I look?" Blair inquired.

"Of course," Bart nodded.

Blair lifted the lid and saw a pair of small, platinum apple earrings. The design very similar to the ones Chuck had given her the morning after their wedding.

"They're beautiful, Bart," Blair stated as she turned the box towards Chuck to view, "Chuck gave me his mother's apple earrings. I wear them often."

"So did Evelyn," Bart spoke softly. His eyes showed a glimmer of sadness. Even twenty years later, there was still so much sadness whenever his deceased wife was mentioned.

"Rosa," Chuck called out for their housekeeper.

"Yes, Mister Chuck," Rosa scurried into the room.

"We'll be having a guest for dinner this evening," he told her.

"I set extra place at table," Rosa nodded as she left as quickly as she came.

"Read, read, read," Luca chanted as he bounced in Chuck's arms.

"After dinner, Peanut," Blair assured him as she lifted him out of his father's arms, "How about we go check on Evie and let Daddy talk to his daddy? Chuck, why don't you give your father the grand tour?"

"She's always eager to get feedback on our home," he chuckled as Blair left the room after giving him a gentle warning to play nice.

"A tour would be superb," Bart nodded.

TBC...