𝓘𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝔃𝔂 𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓼𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻 𝓪 𝓯𝓮𝔀 𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓹𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓽. 𝓞𝓷𝓮; 𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓯𝓵𝓾𝓲𝓭𝓼, 𝓣𝔀𝓸; 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓷, 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮; 𝓵𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓽 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓹𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵 𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓽𝔂, 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓼, 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱, 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮'𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓪 𝓬𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻.
𝓝𝓪𝓽𝓮'𝓼 𝓟𝓸𝓿
"I need more money." I said, Catherine stepped closer to me and began fixing the suit she forced me to put on. Ever since that party, she's been extra territorial over me. All my free time has been spent with her, calling me all times of night to meet her at random hotels, or force me to come with her shopping.
"Hmm, Ralph Lauren adores you." She compliments, completely ignoring me.
"Catherine, did you hear what I just said?"
"I did, what happened to the money I gave you?" She asked, pulling tighter on the suit jacket.
"It's gone, but I can repay you back as soon as our accounts are unfrozen." I lied, I still have all the money she gave me but I need to repay Chuck and Christina.
"Which won't be until your father gets back from..." Catherine trailed off "Where was it again? Dominica?"
"I told you that in confidence, when I was highly intoxicated." I whispered
"No, you told me that in bed."
"Was that before or after you took advantage of me?" Catherine laughed, taking a step back away from me.
"I'd hardly call that taking advantage of you." She said before turning her attention back to the shirt table, "You need to relax, gorgeous, we can discuss this tomorrow over lunch. I got us a room at Mercer, we can order in."
She began caressing my face, I try not to tense up and move away from her touch because she hates that. "I'm so glad this didn't end."
"Me too." I lied with a small smile.
Catherine pushes some dress shirts in my arms "Try these on, I'm gonna go find you some ties." she rubs my cheek one final time before strutting away.
I need to come up with a plan soon because I cannot continue to be with this woman. My phone started ringing in my pocket, I checked my caller ID and quickly answered it. "Hey Vanessa."
"Nate, hi. I hope it's okay that I'm calling."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course. Uh, how are you?" I asked, I briefly spoke to her when I first got back to the city but I haven't been able to really tend to our friendship like I want to.
"Good, um, so listen. I was wondering if-" My phone started beeping letting me know someone was trying to call me.
"Hold that thought for one second, I'm getting another phone call." I quickly switched over before it could go to voicemail.
"Hello?"
"Nate! What are you doing? I could really use your help right now." Christina said, with a sense of urgency.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, she rarely ever calls me for help because she doesn't exactly trust my judgment.
"I'm just really in a bind, think you could meet me at my favorite floral shop?"
"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can." Christina hung up the phone, and I was back on the line with Vanessa.
"Hey, sorry, that was Christina." I began taking off the jacket, switching my phone between hands as I went.
"Oh, well, back to what I was saying, I wanted to know if you were free tonight?" She asked, I'd love to hang out with her but I can't.
"I wish I could, but I have this 'back to school' party to go to." I'd much rather hang out with Vanessa, but Christina would castrate me for missing the party and then Blair would kill her.
"Maybe tomorrow?"
"I have plans with Christina tomorrow." I said, "She and I do a spa day every year before school, mostly it for me since she says 'I refuse to have to age like a terrible white man'"
"Maybe tomorrow night, then?"
"I'll still be with Christina then, but we can figure something out." I turned my head to see Catherine heading towards me, "Sorry to cut our conversation short, but I really have to go."
"Oh, well-" Catherine was too close, so I hung up the phone.
I turned to Catherine and handed her the suit jacket "What, what's wrong? Do you not like the jacket?"
"I actually have to go see a friend, but I'll see you later." I pecked her cheek, she likes me that before I leave. Then I headed to the dressing room to change into my regular clothes.
𝔁𝓸𝔁𝓸
𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓪'𝓼 𝓟𝓸𝓿
This New York heat is going to be the death of me, correction, Blair having me run errands for this 'Back To School' party in the New York heat is going to be the death of me. I would've never agreed to this if I knew I was going to be stuck outside in ninety degree weather.
"Chris!" I heard Nate yell as he jogged over to me, I stood up from the bench that was in the not so helpful shade.
"Everything okay? What's the problem?"
I pointed to the inside of the floral shop "Called me here for some damn flowers?" He asked with a frown.
"Well yeah, I wanted someone to suffer with me and you were my first choice." I smiled, pinching his cheeks.
His frown stayed in tact, so I have to do the only thing that always gets him to smile. "Stop looking at me like that." He demanded.
"You will help me." I said with the best Et impression, Nate cracked the tiniest of smiles. "Come with me." I poked the tip of his nose, causing him to burst out laughing.
"Okay, fine, but you owe me." I interlocked her hands together and pulled him into the shop. The ET voice has never failed me, I used to use it all the time to cheer him up by scaring Chuck.
𝓒𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓮'𝓼 𝓟𝓸𝓿
I slumped back against my limo seat, the sight of Nate and that guard dog is utterly disgusting. Marcus had told me everything about the great Christina Bass, she seems like the perfect girl who has everything.
The perfect grades, the friends, the face and body, everything about her is just simply perfect. Despite my best efforts, she has Nate wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger. At first I was worried about him and that girl Vanessa that's been calling his phone, but no, my only true competition is Christina.
According to my intel, Vanessa likes Nate but he's way too obsessed with Christina to even focus on some of her advances and she completely hates that. So in order to get Nate completely to myself, I have to have the perfect plan and I know just the person to help me.
𝔁𝓸𝔁𝓸
𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓪'𝓼 𝓟𝓸𝓿.
"The flower's won't arrive until five and you've checked them out, right?" Blair asked, I nodded my head and continued to eat my blueberry muffin while I perfected the guest list. "Serena, did you get the order from the caterers?"
Serena handed her the form, and she began going over it. "Elanor comes home today, you excited she finally gets to meet Marcus?"
"And see why he's so wonderful? It's not often you find a man who's intelligent, sophisticated, has an appreciation for golden-age Hollywood, and is a gentleman to boot." Blair brags "You know, he hasn't pressured me about sex once, not once."
"He definitely has a small penis." I quipped as I checked off one of the names on the list.
"Would you quit saying that?" Blair laughed and shook her head "He's definitely average."
"Code for he has a little dick, and has to compromise for his shortcomings."
"How about you, Christina?" Serena asked changing the topic "Any sight of you and Nate getting back together."
I glanced up at her "Uh no, we're strictly friends." I shifted my focus back to the list, there's so many families coming.
Serena groaned, Blair and I snapped our focus to the blonde "Are either of you going to express interest in my relationship with Dan?" I rolled my eyes and went back to my task "I know you both know about me and Dan, even Dorota told me she was happy for me."
"We're happy for you." Blair said bluntly, not wavering her focus on her papers. I got the Gossip Girl alert when I was in the flower shop with Nate, and I wasn't even a bit surprised.
"I know you guys don't approve of him."
"True." I scoffed
"And I know that he's not the twenty-second Lord of Westmoreland shire."
"True again." Blair muttered.
"Why can't you guys support me?"
"Have you two talked about everything? 'All the very real reasons you broke up last year?'" Blair asked, I took my eyes off my papers once again.
"Well, not completely." She admitted
"Well, when you do and if you're still together. We'll be happy for you til then, you're only wasting each other's time." I said, Blair's phone started ringing and she rushed to pick it up.
"Duchess, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Blair asked, god that woman is everywhere.
"Yeah, okay, I think you guys got this taken care of." Serena stood up, grabbed her things and walked away in a huff.
"Running away as always." I said, I grabbed another muffin and poured more orange juice into my glass.
"I heard that."
"You were meant to." I took a sip of the orange juice, I tuned out the rest of Blair's conversation. The amount of ass kissing she does, is slightly nauseating.
"Chris, did you hear me?" Blair asked, I snapped my head to the side.
"No, I try to tune out you sucking up to Catherine."
"So, you and Nate really aren't seeing each other again?" I raised my eyebrow, she would be the first person to know.
"Uh no. we're strictly friends as of now, why?"
She picked a grape off the fruit tray "Then do you think he and Vanessa are messing around?"
"Blair, I am not his keeper." I laughed off, she began fidgeting with her pen.
"So, are you cool with his fling with Catherine?" She asked, I pushed my papers to the side and rested my elbows on the table.
"He and I aren't together, so I have no reason to be not okay with it." I lied, there's a billion reasons to not be okay with it but I can't exactly tell her that. Blair didn't look convinced with my answer, so I placed my hands over hers "Trust me, I'm cool with it."
Blair nodded her head, and we went back to finalizing the plans.
𝔁𝓸𝔁𝓸
I stepped into the party, fashionably late as always, there's too many people here and not nearly enough alcohol in my system to deal with them. I pushed past the few people that were trying to talk to me, and made a b-line for the bar.
"Tequila soda, with very little soda please." I ordered, I felt someone put something on my shoulder and leaned up against my back. I slowly turned my head and saw Nate resting his head on me, peeking over towards the bar.
"Yes, Nathaniel?"
"You look beautiful tonight." He compliments, I know he means it but I also know when he's trying to butter me up.
"Okay, what do you want?" The bartender placed my drink in front of me, I turned my body sideways to lean against the bar.
"How about I use that favor, and we go back to your place and watch some movies? We can watch Tomb Raider."
"Oh using my love for Angelina Jolie to your advantage, very smart." I said, she is one of my many weaknesses. "But as tempting as that sounds, I spent all day planning this party and I'll be damned if it goes to waste."
Nate began to say something, but was ultimately cut off by.. "Nate, there you are! We weren't finished with our conversation." Catherine said, she paused for a moment looking at our closeness
"Lovely to see you again, Helga Pataki." I said, Nate tried to retrain himself from laughing. He made a noise as he slowly stepped away from me.
"Hello, Christina." She reached over and grabbed Nate's hand. "We really need to talk, Nate." She said through gritted teeth.
"Actually, I was talking to Christina."
"And I said we needed to talk." She tried to pull him with her, but he remained next to me.
"Nate!" Vanessa called cheerily, she walked over to us
"Vanessa?" Nate asked, with wide eyes.
"For fuck sakes, great, now Denise from 'A Different World' has decided to join us." I complained, Vanessa didn't even say anything to me, only focusing on Nate and Catherine's close proximity and conjoined hands.
"Oh my god." She said disgustingly, oh goodie now she figured it out.
The lights began to flicker, then suddenly went completely out. "Now this is just simply perfect." Vanessa ran off and Nate followed behind her, Catherine called after him but he didn't turn back around.
"Everyone remain calm, the power should be on momentarily." I heard Blair announced from the other room. Judging by the unusual darkness outside the window, the power won't be coming back on anytime soon.
"Cmon, let's go get some candles." I grabbed Catherine by the shoulder and guided her to the den. After all these years of spending an insane amount of time here, I know this penthouse like the back of my hand. With the help of the candles placed on the tables and banister, I effortlessly got us to the empty room.
"You're a very remarkable woman, Christina." Catherine complimented, I pulled my phone out of my purse and used the light of it to help me search for the candles.
"Christina Andromeda Bass, born January twenty-first, exactly two days after your brother Chuck. Daughter of billionaire Bart Bass, never got to meet your mother since she died shortly after childbirth. You've never been close to your father, since he put his work over his family. But one could say that you and your uncle Jack have a father-daughter relationship.
You've never really had a material figure because your father never keeps anyone around longer than a month, but you've cleaned onto your friend's mother's as a substitute for what you don't have. For example, Lily Van der Woodsen neé Lily Bass.
In order to gain a sliver of your father's attention, you threw yourself into academics but that didn't work since he took that as a sign of you being capable of being the heir for Bass Industries." I kept a hardened expression, the light from my phone allowed me to see her cocky ridden face.
"But no, you don't want that. You want to become a fashion designer, even had a whole plan on how you're going to make that dream a reality. But Bart wouldn't allow that, he envisioned you becoming a lawyer and working your way up the ranks.
You keep a very small circle that consists of your brother, step-sister, Blair and Nate. You don't really have a love life, you've only dated two guys despite having just about everyone falling at your feet for a chance to be with you. But None of them are good enough, none of them are Nate."
"Wow, Blair, tell you all of that?" I asked, she's the only person that would benefit from giving Catherine all this information about me.
"No, she's a really loyal friend and only had nice things to say about you. I had to do plenty of digging on my own." She said, "Always have to cope out the competition."I hummed, I'll keep that in mind for when Blair asks me to do more planning.
"You're not the only one that does some research. Catherine Beaton born as Catherine Annalise Thompson, in April of nineteen-sixty eight. Your father was a businessman, your mother came from a rich aristocratic family. You went from Oxford for a semester and during that semester, your friend urged you to go to an open- modeling call.
And as fate would have it, you landed your very first modeling job for Versace. Pretty damn lucky if I do say so myself." I found the drawer that held the candles and pulled it open. "You modeled for ten years and during that time you had a few flings, nothing ever stuck though because you were just so focused on your career. That was until Duke Beaton came around.
He was the first and only guy that even made you consider settling down, I'm guessing he was a real charmer. After two years of dating you guys finally tied the knot, but then something happened during that time, something just switched." I handed her a candle. "He stopped being so loving, compassionate, and caring. That time that you spent together just all of a sudden stopped, hell, you guys have never stayed in the same city together longer than three months at a time."
I grabbed my lighter out of my purse, flipped it open and lit the two candles. "You're not my competition Catherine. You're a lonely, desperate woman who is clinging onto her youth because of a husband that doesn't even notice you anymore."
"That's not true." She denied, I closed my lighter and slipped it back into my purse.
"My bad," I laughed. "Your husband only notices you when it's time to impress his friends and colleagues,you're nothing more than a trophy wife. And once all the botox and filler stops working, he'll leave you for something younger, newer, prettier."
"You're right, and you're right about it not always being like that." She said, she began walking towards the window "When we first started dating, he was amazing. Took me out on dates, vacations, showered me with gifts and wrote me letters daily.
When we got engaged it still slowed down but stayed consistent, nonetheless, the dates got shorter, the gifts became smaller and the letters got shorter." She sighed to herself and gazed out the window. "Then we got married and everything seemed to stop, shortly after the love that was once there ceased to exist."
"Wow Catherine, I'm sorry."
"I don't need your pity, I need you to stay away from Nate." She demanded as she walked away from the window and back to me. "Instead of being at his every beck and call, maybe take some therapy sessions for the obvious mommy and daddy issues you have and get a jump start of the aa meetings you'll have to attend in your future."
'Wow' I mouthed, "Yeah you're not the only person that can read someone."
"Do you ever wonder what Nate's thinking when he spaces out, during your time together?" I asked, Catherine raised her eyebrow to me "He's thinking of me, see what we have can't be bought, manipulated or groomed. So while you're forcing him to lay next to you during one of your nightly calls, he'll be thinking of me and how he'll stop at nothing to get rid of you just to get back with me."
I strolled towards her and pushed some of her soft flawless hair off of her shoulders "And I'm guessing your intel nor Blair warned you of the consequences of when you speak on my mother, because now you're on strike three. Which means I will stop at nothing to absolutely destroy you and everything that you have."
I stared into Catherine's eyes, showing her how absolutely serious I was.I have to go back on my promise with Nate, and destroy any viable chances Blair has with Marcus but that's a chance I'm willing to take.
𝔁𝓸𝔁𝓸
"So let me get this straight, you were experiencing some blockage and you got rid of it by almost fucking Blair?" I asked Chuck, we got some pizza and met up back home.
"Well, when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous."
"Because it is ridiculous, and how come Marcus didn't try to kick your ass?" I passed him a plate from the cabinet.
"I don't know, but I'm telling you Chris there's something off about that dude."
"Yeah, you might actually be right." I said, the elevator rang and footsteps echoed through the living room.
"Hello, Bass siblings." Nate said, taking a seat on the countertop besides me.
"Hey." We said, I grabbed another plate for him and handed it to him. He mumbled a small 'thank you'
"You finally get the plumbing fixed?" Nate obviously asked Chuck.
"Yes, and I double checked with one of my regulars."
"I shouldn't even be listening to this, like this is not a conversation a sister should be a part of." I said, I've always hated being apart of their guy chats.
"How many times do I have to tell you that you're one of the guys?" Chuck asked
"But I'm not one of the guys." I argued, he's never allowed me to just be there.
"Nate, will you please tell her that she's one of the guys?" I turned my head to Nate, who was too busy indulging a slice of pizza.
"Nathaniel." He called
"Please don't involve me in your argument, the last time I agreed with you on something she didn't talk to me for a week." Nate begged, honestly I just wanted to be petty since they both were right.
"Oh I see, you can't be one of the guys because of him." I rolled my eyes, tuning out Chuck tantrum.
I felt Nate brush my hair behind my ear. "The situation has evolved, and I don't think I can do it by myself anymore." He whispered
"You sure ?" He nodded his head,I'm going to get that bitch .
"Oh, so we're whispering and trading secrets now?" Chuck asked
"Not everything is about you." I said, Nate went to get another slice of pizza but Chuck slapped his hand.
"Since you want to keep secrets, you can't have any of my pizza." I reached over and took the box away from him.
"I paid for half."
𝔁𝓸𝔁𝓸
A/N: I cannot wait for the next chapter, I think you may like the outcome but I don't know. Mostly everything that happened in the show with Vanessa and Nate still happens and will happen with a slight twist, remember Christina is always ten steps ahead.