Thank you, all for your reviews. I'm so happy you all enjoy reading about Ella. Here's another chapter, enjoy.
I was sickened knowing that Tripp had played the major role in Chuck and Blair's crash. I had to even call my grandfather to confirm the striking information. I needed to get the full confession from him in order to hold him accountable. I was filled with rage thinking that it could have been Ella and me in that crash. I could have lost Ella just when I finally had her as mine. I needed to tell her what I found out. I've been dying inside keeping this secret from her for a few weeks. I know she knows something is wrong but I needed to know all of the information before I brought her back down this horrible road. I was able to catch her for lunch and finally tell her what's been eating me alive.
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She walked in looking beautiful as ever. "Hey." She kisses me briefly before I help her into her seat.
"How was your day?"
"Good, Gina has me possibly getting the cover of American Vogue."
"That's amazing. You've worked so hard for this." I kiss her hand as we order.
"How was your day?" She asks as she digs into her food.
"Um, that's why I wanted to meet you for lunch."
"Is something wrong with the Spectator?"
"Um, no but there is something I found out that will bring back some bad memories."
"Nate, just tell me what's bothering you!"
"I was informed by Gossip Girl herself that she did not cause Chuck and Blair's crash. When I started digging I found out she was telling the truth and the further I dug the more I found."
"What did you find out?"
"The night of the accident Blair and Chuck got into the wrong car. The car that was ordered for me was the one they got into and it was the one that crashed."
"I don't understand..." I hold her hand knowing what I say next might be hard.
"Ella, someone deliberately cut the brake fluid in my car and that's what caused Blair and Chuck to crash." She immediately covers her mouth to keep herself from yelling.
"Who would want to do such a thing to you? Is it because of your work with the Spectator?" Ella's face is full of worry thinking about me and my well-being.
"Not the Spectator, but me in general. I found out that Charlie's ex Max was the one who cut the break line but only after Tripp paid him to."
"I thought you were on good terms with your cousin. Why would he want to hurt you like that?"
"That night when I asked you to come with me to Vermont for my grandfather's retreat. Tripp was passed up for the offer and grandfather chose to take me instead and that pissed him off."
"He had someone cut the brake fluid in a car because of a dumb reatreat1' Ella is getting upset. She stands up and I follow her outside. "I can't believe he would... you know actually, I can. He has always been fearful that you would surpass him because at the end of the day Nate you are more of a man than he'll ever be. He has to... how do go about pressing charges?" I calm her down.
"I've talked to my grandfather and he's flying in so we can ambush Tripp as he tells Serena a lie."
"Why would we need to catch him telling a lie?"
"Because it's the last chance my grandfather is giving him before he destroys him and takes him to jail. If he can't admit to this he deserves anything he gets after the fact."
"How can I help."
"Hold me back from killing my cousin."
"Nate, you're not a violent person. Besides the time, you punched Carter at cotillion or when you wanted to fight my brother. You would never kill someone."
"This time I might." I bring Ella close to me so she can feel how much my heart is racing. "Tripp wanted to hurt me, and in the process, he hurt you. I was with you the whole time you were screaming in the hospital. I saw the pain on your face as you saw the crash. And what kills me more is that fact that it could have been us in the crash. If we had gotten into the right car we could have had a whole different outcome. I love you Ella so much that I can never forgive my cousin for what he's done." She brings me into a deep passionate kiss.
"Remember I'm not living in the past. I'm moving on with my life with you. We're safe and fine. I'll help you with Tripp, but after tonight we don't need to feel guilty about that night."
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We wait behind the office doors in Eleanor's place as Serena talks to Tripp getting him to either confess or cover it up with another lie.
"No, I know. Nate's not the kid that you grew up with. He's changed."
"Yeah. Well, so have I. And I'm not gonna sit here and let him try to frame me for a crime I didn't commit."
"Well, we need to kill the story before he goes public with it."
"How? There's no way I can prove I didn't do it."
"I know, but maybe we can find out who really did do it. I mean come on. Is there anyone that you can think of that would wanna hurt Nate?"
"I don't even wanna say this out loud, Serena. But all the way here, I was replaying it in my mind."
"Replaying what?"
"The night of the accident. I heard Maureen call a car to take her to the Empire. If I had known..."
Wait, wait. Maureen?"
"Are you surprised? I mean, after all, all she's ever cared about was my career, how my success reflected on her. When she saw, my grandfather pass me over for Nate, she decided to protect the thing that mattered to her most." Nate's grandfather slid open the doors and Tripp's shocked face was icing on the cake for me.
"I think we heard enough. Thank you, Nate."
"Oh, don't thank me. Thank Serena. It was her idea." Serena comes to stand next to us.
"What the hell's going on?"
"Well, we knew you wouldn't admit to anything, so Serena and I staged that little argument on Gossip Girl. We figured you'd try to pin the accident on someone else just like you did two years ago when you left Serena in that car."
"Did you really think I'd talk to you again, never mind take your side against Nate's?"
"You're really gonna try to pin this on Maureen?"
"I'm not pinning anything. It was Maureen. Why don't we go ask her ourselves?"
"We don't have to. She has an airtight alibi."
"How do you know?"
"Because the night of the accident, she was with me consulting with a divorce lawyer. And as soon as she hears about this, she's definitely gonna be through with you." We have Tripp cornered and he has no option but to tell us what happened.
"Start at the beginning."
"And don't leave anything out." Nate is holding my hand through this whole thing.
"The day of the accident I met Max. He followed you from Nate's office and offered to help me in exchange for money. We'd just had that argument about the weekend, Nate taking my place. I was so angry and so I paid him to drain the brake fluid from the car. Half before and the rest when I was done."
"So, that explains Gossip Girl's photo of Max at the Empire."
"I met him outside the garage to give him the rest of the money. He said he'd done it and he took off, but when I double-checked it turns out he played me. He took the money and ran."
"So, you did it yourself." I was disgusted hearing this.
"Look, I never meant for anything to happen to Blair."
"Yeah, but you wouldn't have cared if I ended up in a wheelchair or worse? And Ell was in the car with me Tripp, what would you have felt if something worse happened to her?"
"I never thought it would get that bad. I thought you'd I don't know hit a parked car, get thrown around, get banged up. I wanted to ruin your weekend, not your life. I know what you think of me after what I did to Serena. But when I saw you rising up at the Spectator. Well, we both know there's only a certain amount of grandfather's love to go around. He chose you. So, I did the only thing I knew how..." I pull my hand back and punch Tripp straight in his shit face. He clutches his face in pain and no one tries to help him.
"And I did the only thing I know how to. That's for killing not only Blair's baby but mine too."
"What? I had no... Ella!"
"Save it, Congressmen, no one wants to hear your lies.
"That's your response is not enough love? I raised you to stand on your own two feet."
"No. You raised me to kneel before yours. And now my life is over."
"Trust me you deserve more than that!" I fire back as Nate is holding me back.
"Two years ago, you and I were the ones in the accident, and you left me alone and you got off scot-free. Now you've hurt two of my best friends and now you're not going to get away with it. You're going to pay for what you did."
"And I'm gonna see to it." Serena has to leave to deal with Blair being arrested. Nate takes me to a corner to calm me down.
"I guess it was you who needed to keep me from killing him." I state with a half-smile.
"Who knew you had such a good right hook on you." Nate takes my hand and kisses it.
"It sickens me that he was that jealous of you and that careless to do such a horrific thing and see nothing wrong with it." Nate brings me into a hug.
"I know, but he's paying for it now and that's all we can do."
"No, we could have bagged him up a little before sending him off to jail."
"I know but justice will be served."
"Thank you for looking into this and giving us a piece of mind."
"Always." Nate places a kiss on my lips before his grandfather comes back.
"Tripp's in the car. Says he wants to tell the police himself. I'm gonna take him down there now."
"Good." Nate says as he squeezes my hand.
"I wanna thank you, Nathanial, for the way you handled things tonight and for never believing that I could have had anything to do with this heinous crime."
"Yeah, I'm glad your conscience is clear." I look to Nate. He never talks to his grandfather in this way.
"What is that supposed to mean? You can't possibly blame me for what happened."
"You pitted us against each other our entire lives. Everything is a competition and the prize is your approval. It's the great van der Bilt tradition."
"Well, I'm sorry that you feel that way about your own family. And might I remind you that Diana Payne would have never given you that job at the Spectator if I hadn't paid her to." Nate scoffs at his grandfather's fable attempt to guilt him. "You really think you can make it on your own?"
"I don't know. But it's the only way it'll mean anything. I've set up some meetings with investors. I'll be making you an offer." Nate's grandfather leaves without another word.
"You don't need him to make it Nate. You've already done things on your own and your family has nothing to with it. Sure, he may have gotten you the job but he didn't make you a success."
"All I need is my friends and family who support me and your love is always a bonus."
"I love you Nate, and I wish you the best in anything you chose to do." We head out to make our way back to the Empire. Having each other during this difficult time has made me realize you don't have to face the world alone like I originally thought. I have no idea why I kept from myself from this type of happiness for so long because something that feels this good can't be bad.
Will Nate and Ella last or will something or someone come between them?