Gossip Girl (Book Six)

Twelve

I walked down the stairs with Alanna, my mom, and Blair as I showed them the upstairs. It wasn't done, but the idea was there. "Something about seeing all these boxes is really making me excited." I said, looking over the railing to see Sebastian walking from the direction of the kitchen with a sandwich.

"This house is going to be beautiful by the time we are finished." My mom stated as we stepped down.

"Where did you get a sandwich?" I asked Sebastian.

"I found them on the table." Sebastian said it like it wasn't a big deal.

That confused me even more. "I had Rose bring them." My mom said and I looked at her confused. "I'm pregnant and you never know when you will get hungry."

Before I could even question her, Chuck and my dad walked into the house with workers coming in behind them. I don't know who they are, or what they are doing. Not one clue. "Who are these people?" I asked.

"I called them." Chuck stated, not really explaining it and not making me any less confused.

"Chuck and I agreed you needed an alarm. If not for general safety, but until this Bart thing is handled."

"I think you guys are being a little much." I stated and Chuck shook his head.

"I don't think so. Bart's always been a little...off." My dad said, lightly shrugging his shoulders to blow it off. I'm going to be looking into that when I get a chance.

"You clearly didn't get your greatness from him." My mom said, putting her hand on Chuck's cheek. Chuck looked over at me with a smile. This is what I wanted. The love of my life with the other loves of my life as one big happy family.

I found my dad sitting on the stairs to the back patio smoking a cigar. I stepped outside, sitting down next to him. "Dad, can we talk?" I asked, pulling my knees up and wrapping my arms around them.

"Always. What about?" He blew the smoke away from me, before looking back at me.

"Bart." I said and he shook his head, sighing. "Sometimes I forget you've known Bart for so long."

"A very long time."

"You said he felt off. What did you mean?"

My dad hesitated, putting out his cigar before looking at me. "It wasn't Bart's drive that got him what he wanted. It was his obsession. And not in the good type of way. Not with girls and certainly not when it came to beating the competition."

"You say that like you saw something."

"I was out at a bar with some friends. Bart was there with his. One thing led to another and I got word of one of my friends in a fight in the back. He liked to run his mouth when he was drunk. So I went out there to make sure he was going to be making it home. I got out there and Bart was over him hitting over, over, and over again. The fight was over and he couldn't stop. My friend's brain was swelled to the point they had to be put in a coma. He survived, but that's not something you forget. Last I heard, Bart paid him off to keep his mouth shut and leave the city. And I heard it started all because my friend said he was going to tell everyone how Bart Bass was a cheater."

Oh, crap. "He threatened his future." I stated, putting the common denominator together.

"And Bart got rid of him. But he's not stupid. He isn't going to come after you."

"It's not me that I'm worried about. Would he be able to stop himself from coming at Chuck like that?"

"As a father, I wanna say yes. But as someone who's known Bart for so long...I'm not sure."