I hope you all enjoy this new update. I'm enjoying writing Ella's story again and reading your comments.
3rd Person's POV
Lily, with the help of Eleanor, can move the charity event to Eleanor's home while Rufus and her work out their family drama. "Meredith, I am so sorry about this." Lily begins her apology to one of her guests. "Please apologize to everyone at Vogue. Unfortunately, something has come up, but Eleanor has said she's more than happy to continue the party at her place."
"And we've got a little one there as well. Absolutely adorable thing. You'll love her." Eleanor exclaims to the guests. "What's going on?" Eleanor asks Lily. "Why does Georgina Sparks have a baby?"
"We are still trying to figure that out. I'll keep you posted." Lily replies.
"Okay." Eleanor follows the rest of the guests out.
"GiGi, I want to hold the baby." Palmer tells Lily.
"Ahh...Palmer, we...we don't need to hold the baby right now."
"But it's so cute, and I just want to hold it." Palmer whines. Dan enters the van der Woodsen/Humphrey home, finding people leaving.
"Who could've seen this coming?" Dan asks Nate, who's leaning against a pillar.
"Have you met Georgina?" Nate fires back.
"Good point. Where is she?"
"She..." Nate points to the center of the living room. Dan heads over, but his dad stops him.
"Please tell me this is just another one of her ridiculous schemes."
"Why don't you, um, talk in Serena's room?" Lily offers to the Humphrey room. Dan passes Georgina sitting on the couch, giving him a smirk.
"GiGi, look the baby!" Palmer jumps up and down excitedly as Georgina picks up Milo to bring him to them.
"Palmer, I need you to follow GiGi's lead." Lily reminds Palmer.
"Will do GiGi." Lily kisses Palmer's cheek as Georgina approaches them with Milo in her arms.
"Do you wanna hold him?" Georgina asks Lily.
"Yes!" Palmer answers for Lily but is held back, and Palmer calms down. "Look, I wasn't expecting this introduction either."
"You didn't have to spring it on us like this." Lily tells Georgina.
"I know I have a flair for the dramatic."
"I would say." Palmer comments and gives Georgina a giant smile. "My mama says you're crazy."
"I'm not..." Georgina regains her composure. "But I didn't know what else to do. Dan wasn't telling you, and you had to know. At least now everybody's talking."
"Oh, please. You're enjoying this." Lily fires back.
"I know you think I'm crazy. That I'm a schemer and a liar and pathologically selfish, and that's true." Georgina exclaims. "Or it was. Till Milo was born. I understand if you hate me, but please don't hate my son." She begs Lily. "He deserves to have a good family. And no one has more love than you or Rufus. You both have done amazing as grandparents to Ella's daughter and...I want a family for Milo." Georgina pleads with Lily. Palmer tugs on the hem of Lily's dress.
"Hold the baby GiGi, or I will." Palmer whispers to Lily. Lily holds out her arms to take Milo, which Georgina happily passes the baby over. "Yay! Baby!" Palmer jumps up and down with joy.
"Lily, Dan hasn't done a paternity test." Rufus rushes back into the room. "It might not be his kid."
"Is this true, Georgina?" Lily asks.
"You're right, Rufus. Dan did not do the paternity test...but I did." Georgina reaches back into the bag and pulls out Milo's paternity test. She hands it to Dan for him to read the information and confirm her lie to everyone. "I wanted you to love Milo because you wanted to, not because you had to. But if it's come to this, then so be it."
"This...this says I'm the father." Dan tells everyone.
"Well, no offense if I don't take your word for it." Rufus states.
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"Here, hold his head like this." Lily instructs Palmer on how to hold Milo properly. Rufus waits with Dan as he calls the doctor to confirm the results.
"Here, do you want to feed him a bottle?" Georgina asks.
"Yes!" Palmer is so excited. Georgina repairs a bottle for Milo and helps Palmer feed her son. "Look GiGi! I'm doing it!"
"You're doing great, darling."
"You're a real natural." Georgina complements."
"Well, thank you, doctor." Dan speaks with the doctor over the phone. "I appreciate you confirming these results yourself. Okay, bye."
"It doesn't mean anything." Rufus argues with Dan. "We're doing our own test."
"Dad, the dates line up." Dan tries to get his dad to understand. "I thought we were being careful, but it's not like I didn't sleep with her."
"Why didn't you come to me when she first showed up?"
"Do you remember how you reacted two years ago when Serena and I had that scare?" Dan argues. "Not to mention I didn't know that I could handle the truth myself. Everything you said then is...is still true. I had to see this through. I couldn't let Georgina go off raise this child without me, never knowing him."
"I may get angry or protective, but I'll always be there for you. That's how it works when you're a father." Rufus tells Dan. "You may not understand that now, but...trust me, one day you will." Dan chuckles at his comment.
"I think I already do." Dan looks over to the girls and Milo. "Georgina, do you have the birth certificate with you?"
"It's in my bag." She passes the birth certificate to Dan, who signs on the form. "Thank you." Dan looks over to Rufus.
"Thanks, Dad."
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Ella dials Chuck's number, and it goes straight to voicemail like it's done for months. "I know you need space. I know you think no one loves you or everyone hates you, but you would be wrong. I don't care what you've done. I will always love you. I miss you more than you ever know. I love you, Chuck, and..." She bites her lip, trying to keep it together. "I just need to know you're okay. So when you get this, just...send a text, call, or...something to tell me that you're okay. I miss you, Chuck. I want you to know that...you will always have a home with Palmer and me...we love you. Lily loves you. Please...just know that you're not alone. I love you." Ella hangs up the phone, but then Lily's name appears. "Lily, hey, how's Palmer do..."
"A body washed up in Pairs, shot with the identification card saying it's Chuck Bass."
"Is my brother dead?" Ella asks Lily.
"No one's heard from him all summer. He hasn't paid the Empire bills. Listen, darling, um...they need a family member to identify the body. But if it's too much for you, I will be on the next flight."
"No Um... I'm in Milan..." Ella tries to hold back tears. "I'll be back in Paris in a few short hours and...I will identify the body."
"Thank you. Um...I will call Serena to tell her what's going and if it would be easier for you, I can ask her to meet you there for support."
"I...I would appreciate that. Th..."
"Palmer is okay. She loves and misses you." Lily tells her.
"Thank you, Lily, for everything you've done for us...thank you. I...love you, Lily." Ella holds back tears as she fears the worst.
"Have a safe flight, darling. I love you too."
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"Ella!" Serena spots her best friend.
"Serena." Ella pulls her into a hug.
"My mom told me. U...do you think it's him?"
"I... I've been trying to get ahold of him all summer. And normally, when he's gone off the rails, he always contacts me at one point just to let me know he is okay. And when I never got that call, I got worried. I contacted your mom to find out if she had spoken to him, and...we both came up with nothing."
"I had no idea you guys were worrying all this time."
"We didn't want to be right. We kept hoping he was just so hurt and ashamed of what happened this spring that he needed more time alone, but...we knew in our hearts something was wrong."
"Ms. Eloise Bass?"
"That's me." Ella holds out her hand to shake the inspectors.
"I'm Inspector Chevalier."
"It's nice to meet you. This is my step-sister Serena van der Woodsen." Inspector Chevalier shakes Serena's hand.
"If you both could follow me." Serena instantly grabs Ella's hand as they are led into the morgue, knowing they will either see Chuck's dead body or be relieved it's someone else. But if it's someone else, then where is Chuck? "The body was in no condition for fingerprints, but we found this." He shows them items of Chucks in an evidence bag.
"Those are Chucks. I...I gave him that wallet." Ella confirms.
"We're testing the blood on the wallet. Do you both need a moment to gather yourself?" Inspector Chevalier asks.
"Ella?" Serena looks at her sister.
"Waiting won't tell me if my brother is alive or dead." Ella says with a shaky tone in her voice. She squeezes Serena's hand tighter, and both of them hold their breath as Inspector Chevalier pulls back the sheet and reveals a man who is thankfully not Chuck. "Thank God." Ella mutters.
"We are still investigating what happened, but we will keep you in touch when we know more."
"Thank you, Inspector Chevalier."
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Ella is busy calling every contact she has, trying to get information on where Chuck could be while Serena speaks with her mom. "I love you too. Bye." Serena hangs up the phone.
"I love you, Nate, or I love you, Dan?' Blair questions as she enters the home.
"I love you mom." Serena corrects Blair.
"Oh well. Now that I'm an egalitarian, I'll accept it even if you choose Dan and not just because he's ahead in the Gossip Girl poll." Blair babbles as a maid places tea and cookies down.
"Gossip Girl has a poll?" Serena asks shocked. "Honestly, I haven't even thought about it. B, Ella, and I went to the morgue today."
"What is that? A sex club?"
"A place where they keep dead bodies. Ella and I had to identify one because he had Chuck's I.D. Don't worry, it wasn't him." Serena shares.
"I'm not worried."
"But Blair, I just hung up with Mom, and Chuck is missing. Ella is trying to use every contact she can to find him."
"Well, consider him found. He was on the Rue de Charenton an hour ago."
"What?" Ella overhears this and comes rushing into the room. "What did you say?"
"Oh, E, I thought we wouldn't see you until we returned to the city?"
"Blair, what did you just say?"
"I saw Chuck on Rue de Charenton an hour ago." Blair repeats.
"You saw him?" Ella asks.
"Gossip girl said I was in Pair. Where else would he be?" Blair argues.
"My mom and the police are looking everywhere. He hasn't paid an Empire bill all summer." Serena tries to get Blair to understand how serious this is. "His assets are about to be frozen."
"I could care less about his Bassets."
"Blair, this is serious!" Ella tries to get her friend to understand. "This is more than Chuck trying to keep tabs on you. Something is wrong with him."
"He's probably filtering his finances through some foreign government, so I won't know he's stalking me."
"Well, what did he say when you saw him?" Serena asks Blair.
"Nothing. He limped away, and I kept driving."
"Limped?" Ella is freaking out now. "He was limping?"
"Well, that doesn't sound very stalker-ish." Serena argues.
"It's Chuck. It's probably part of some elaborate scheme." Blair continues believing the worst about Chuck.
"Well, he did have blood on his wallet, and you said you saw him limping. Don't you think we should at least make sure he's okay?" Serena tries to get Blair to understand where they are coming from.
"I'm sorry, he pissed off the wrong pickpocket, but I've been waiting for this date all summer. I'm not gonna let him ruin it."
"Come on, I'm sure Louis would understand if you're a little late.
"Okay, what the fuck am I missing?" Ella is getting pissed now.
"E, why..."
"We're telling you that Chuck was injured this summer, and someone ended up dead, and we thought he was missing, but you saw him. So the question is, why is he not telling anyone he's okay, but you're more worried about a possible date with a guy named Louis?"
"Look." Blair places her teacup down. "I can't talk to him, E. You don't know what it was like. Seeing him, even through the car window." She lets out a sigh. "Trust me, the only thing wrong with Chuck is that I'm gonna be happy without him."
"My brother did you wrong. I will admit that. He admits that. But...you saw him hurt and didn't want to know if he was okay?" Ella asks.
"He's not my problem. I can't have him in my life. I'm sorry, E if that hurts your feelings, but...I can't do it." Blair walks past them.
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Nate's POV
Speaking with Juliet has been refreshing. She's easy to talk to about anything and everything. She reminds me a lot of Ella and my friendship before we made everything complicated by professing our love for one another. Love is when it got messy. Loving each other past just friends is what changed everything. "I'm sorry for the seven-hour-long story." I apologize to Juliet on our coffee walk chat.
"Are you kidding? Serena took her best friend's boyfriend's virginity, ran away to boarding school, bounced from guy to guy until dating your married congressman cousin, fell in love with you, and then cheated on you with your friend, who's also her ex?" Juliet retells my crazy relationship with Serena; hearing it back sounds even more unbelievable.
"Yep." I confirm.
"The only thing that would make it better is if one of those boyfriends turned out to be her brother."
"Well, does stepbrother count?" She looks at me shocked.
"The life of Serena van der Woodsen is like the most complicated Jane Austen novel ever. Aren't you finally glad you reached the last chapter?" I showed her my phone with a message from Serena saying she needed to talk to me.
"I haven't even responded yet. You know, things between us, they never really ended. They just...stopped and...instead of dealing with them, I just..."
"You little black booked the pain away?" She finishes for me, and I nod my head.
"Exactly. How things ended up with Serena was a way better ending than what happened between me and my other ex."
"Other?" She looks at me intrigued. "You have another ex that is more tantalizing than Serena?"
"I...not for the same reasons as Serena but...in a way, yes."
"Wow, how could she top Serena in the drama department?" We stop just in front of one of the many billboards and buildings in the city that have Ella's face plastered all over them.
"Because I can never get away from her." Juliet's eyes widen.
"Your other ex was..."
"Supermodel Ella Bass." I confirm for her.
"You dated The Ella Bass? When?"
"For almost a year, and then I screwed it all up because I let my lingering feelings for Serena get in the way."
"What do you mean?"
"Ella, you know, got pregnant our last year of high by this douchbag, which I'm happy he is no longer in her life or her child."
"You knew him?"
"He was a friend. But he's an ass, and she's better off without him. He hurt her and her child, and...she never deserved that." I let out a sigh. "She didn't deserve what I did either."
"What did you do?"
"I always loved Ella. She is my best friend's twin sister. She was always around us and best friends with Blair and Serena. She's always been easy to talk to, and... she's so smart. Probably the smartest person I know. Made perfect marks on the SAT and ACT. Could have gotten into Ivy of her choice. She's a great mom, friend, and...she was a great girlfriend."
"So what made you want to give up the intelligent, beautiful, single mom who was your best friend as well?"
"Serena; she...there was always unfinished business between Serena and me. And when I saw her pursuing my married cousin, I just...something changed in me. I was worried that she was making the wrong choice."
"Which she was." Juliet reminds me.
"I didn't want Serena to get hurt like I knew Tripp would do to her. I wanted to protect her, and in doing so, I wasn't the partner Ella needed me to be. People always seem to leave Ella, and...her fear of me leaving her, coupled with my need to protect Serena, was a perfect storm to end our relationship."
"Did you cheat on Ella with Serena?"
"No." I answer quickly. "She thought I did, but...I guess physically, I didn't. When I lied and told her I was out with my cousin but left out Serena, being there was my way of unknowingly starting to cheat on her emotionally. I...I didn't think of Serena in that way. I was just a friend, but...there were still feelings that neither of us could deny, and...when Ella broke things off, and Serena had her car accident, it...it was easy to be there for her."
"How badly did you leave things off with Ella?"
"Well, we had moved into a Brownstone together on the Upper West Side and were basically co-parenting her child together. Her daughter didn't see me as her dad or anything, but I was there for her more than her real dad. And when Ella ended things, I...she cut off that relationship with Palmer and...effectively our friendship."
"You miss her."
"Terribly. She was there for me when my dad went to jail, and...we leaned on each other because her home life wasn't great, and dealing with teen pregnancy and everyone having an opinion about it wasn't easy. I miss her, but I'm not sure she misses me." I lay it all out there for Juliet.
"Is Ella single?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not on her friend list to know anything about her life." I state.
"Well, do you wanna get back with either of them?"
"Ella wouldn't take me back even if I begged her."
"But would you want her back? Like if you could do a do-over? Would you still want to be with her?"
"Being with Ella was...the closest thing to perfection that I can remember. We weren't perfect, obviously, but...we understood each other. We pushed each other to chase our dreams and never to hold the other back."
"So what about Serena?"
"I don't know. You know, it would be nice if I were the one deciding, not her." I share.
"In that case, the first thing you need to do is eliminate the competition. What was his name again?"
"Dan's not the competition, alright? He's my friend. Besides, for all I know, he is not even interested in her anymore."
"And what happens if it's too late by the time you find out?" She makes a good point. "Look, I can help. Let me...be your life coach. For the next 24 hours, I promise you will be in a place where you make the choice. Brooklyn, you say?" She offers. I nod in agreement with her plan.
They did Eva dirty in my opinion. She was good for Chuck; but Blair and Chuck is still my favorite couple.