#carter baizen

BLAST: They say the city never sleeps. But lately, no one's getting a wink — and it has everything to do with one girl: Georgia Astor. Our Georgia Peach may have grown up in this gilded cage, but don’t let the soft name fool you — this girl plays hardball. Blair calls her family. Chuck trusts her with Empire-sized secrets. Nate says she’s just a friend. And Serena? Let’s just say the past doesn’t stay buried for long in the Upper East Side. Now she’s back in the spotlight — friends, family, a legacy, and a bass-shaped hurdle. So buckle up, Upper East Siders. Georgia’s not the new girl… she’s the one who’s been watching all along. And now? She’s ready to play. You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl.

Georgia sighs sadly as she stares out the window of the black town car. New York at the end of summer is beautiful, but after spending the last three months in every European country she could, it didn’t live up to what she needed. But, home wasn’t the first place she wanted to be after all her travelling – she had to make a pit stop at… 

The Empire. The lobby buzzes with people checking in and out, but a hush almost falls over the room when her heels click on the marble floor. The shimmer of the crystal chandeliers has nothing against the sight of Georgia as she steps out of the revolving doors.

A text makes her look down, a blast from Gossip Girl. "Pack your picnic baskets, Upper East Siders. Our Georgia Peach is back on the tree. But is she here to blossom… or rot the whole orchard?"

She sighs at the blast, "Right on time." She mumurs.

“Georgia,” Blair’s voice cuts above the whispers. “Come here!” 

Georgia practically falls into Blair’s arms, “B, I’ve missed you.” 

Blair laughs sweetly, “Really? Because I didn’t get a single postcard or picture of you on the beaches of Saint-Tropez.”

“I know,” She sighs. “I wanted to fully unplug and just leave the drama of Manhattan behind.” 

It was in that moment that Georgia realized Chuck was not too far, connected to his phone. Blair gives her a tight-lipped smile. She shakes her head slowly and motions her out of earshot. 

“How is he?” Georgia glances in his direction again. 

Blair shrugs, “He’s fine, or that’s what he tells me anyway, but he has a lot going on.” 

They’ve known each other their whole lives. If there were two people, Georgia would consider her best friends: it would be Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf. This means that when they’re in each other’s good graces, her life is peaceful. And if they’re at odds, she can’t escape their plots.

“I need to…” Blair glances back at him for a moment. 

Georgia rests a hand on her shoulder, “It’s okay, B, go.” She soothes. “Give him a hug for me.”

Blair kisses her cheek with a soft smile before rushing back towards Chuck. Georgia watches them for a moment, then turns and struts out of the lobby. She peers down at her phone as she makes her way to the town car, completely ignoring everything around her.

“Georgia?” A voice slices through the sounds of the city.

She glances around for a moment before her eyes land on Nat, who is walking towards the hotel. 

“Archibald,” Georgia gives him a soft smile, then a hug. “Good to see your face again.” 

While Georgia has known Nate her entire life, they weren’t particularly close. Nothing to report, that’s just how things worked. He was the golden child with a path gilded for him, and for a long time, nothing really shifted his focus. It was always smiles when they saw each other — Georgia just never allowed herself to get too close. 

“Yeah, good to see you in person and not on Gossip Girl.” Nate chuckles. “You were in… Saint-Tropez, Paris, Capri, and…” He raises an eyebrow. 

Georgia tries to fight the smile on her face. “Marrakech,” Nate nods slowly as he grins. “But good to know all my exploits were beautifully documented for all of the Upper East Side to see.” 

The beauty of having a supermodel mother and a CEO father. Your life is plastered on magazines and on the lips of talk show hosts. No matter how hard she tries, she can outrun the pressures of being an Astor. 

Nate hums. He glances towards the entrance of the hotel, then back at her, “Did you see Chuck?”

“I did, Blair’s with him.” Georgia tries to read the look on his face. “What’s going on? B didn’t tell me anything.”

“Nothing,” Nate dismisses quickly. Georgia holds his eye contact for a little longer. “Come on, how about I get you a welcome back lunch?”

Georgia shakes her head slowly, “It’s okay, I have to go see The General and The Empress.” She rolls her eyes. 

“Ah, how are your parents?” 

“I guess I’m about to find out.” She nods. “Raincheck on the lunch?” 

Georgia starts her walk back to the town car she glances back to see Nate nodding. 

The ride to her house feels excruciating – there’s something weird about seeing her parents after not reaching out the whole summer. God knows what they have to say. 

BLAST: Spotted: Bennett Astor outside his Fifth Avenue tower, flanked by his signature security detail and that colder-than-Wall-Street smile. The man behind half the city’s headlines, and all of its scandals, has kept quiet for years. But with daughter Georgia stepping back into the spotlight, Daddy Astor’s suddenly interested in prime time again. Is it fatherly protection? Or a calculated move from a man who doesn’t lift a finger without a payoff? Georgia may think she’s the queen, but in Bennett’s world, everyone’s just a pawn.

Georgia sends a grin at the doorman, floating through the lobby of her Fifth Ave apartment building. 

“Welcome back, Miss Georgia,” The doorman, Claudio,  greets. “There’s been rainclouds over New York since you’ve been gone.” 

“Claudio, you’re the best. Is he home?” She asks softly. 

Claudio nods once, and Georgia is on the elevator. She rolls her shoulders back slowly, murmuring to herself. She pushes her hair behind her ears and sucks her cheeks in just as the door opens to the penthouse. 

It’s just as she left it several months ago – a mix of vintage and modern touches. Gold leaf ceilings. Oil paintings. It smells like pine and musk, and it’s abnormally cold. You could hear a pin drop before the sound of Beethoven overtook the atrium. It startles Georgia and makes her shut her eyes briefly. That means he’s off of a business call. 

A door opens at the end of the hallway, and she sees the housekeeper, Belinda. 

“Miss Astor, welcome home!” She greets with a warm smile. “Your father is in the Blue Room.” 

The Blue Room. Georgia has received every lecture since childhood in that room – at one point she renamed it the doom room – if Bennett calls you into the Blue Room, it was always about business, and 9/10 you did something horribly wrong. You never want to be called into the Blue Room. 

Georgia quietly walks towards the room, conscious of the fact that he knows she’s here. When she makes it to the door, she readjusts her shoulder before knocking on the door. A muffled response comes beyond the heavy oak door. When she opens and walks in, her father sits on his light green sofa, legs crossed, with a lowball of scotch in his hand. Papers are scattered on the coffee table. 

“Hey, Dad,” She greets curtly, eyes on his. 

“You were quiet this summer, Peach. Enjoyed Europe?” Bennett responds, but there’s something stern in his voice. 

Peach. Gossip Girl wasn’t the only one to use that nickname. Her parents have used it since the day she was born, and when it came from them, it was usually laced with something shy of loving. When they used it, when her dad used it, her skin would heat up with worry. 

“It was good to be away from everything.” She nods. “Where’s mom?” 

“She should be back from the Hamptons tomorrow.” He turns his attention back to a stack of papers on his lap. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” 

That was his way of dismissing people. Short, curt, and rude. Georgia stands there silently for a moment before leaving the room. Outside the door, she takes a deep breath. 

Her phone buzzing in her pocket quickly catches her attention. Between breaths, she stares down at the text, and it only makes her drop her head. 

Jack Bass: Heard you're back in town. Meet me at Eleven?

She stares at the wall ahead, then quickly makes her way up the stairs to her room. 

BLAST: They say you can tell a man by his shoes. But Jack Bass never plays by such pedestrian rules. A custom suit. A corner booth. And a dinner companion whose name carries more weight than her appetite. Jack Bass is back on the Upper East Side—and when he pulls out a chair, it’s never just for company. One can only hope our Peach knows not every invitation is meant to be accepted...

Georgia licks her bright red lips as she walks through the restaurant. A few faces turn and stare, but she doesn’t let them get to her. She finds the one both in the room that’s dark enough to hide the late-night rendezvous, and sure enough, Jack is there with a grin that makes a shiver run down her spine. 

“If it isn’t the gorgeous peach,” Jack smirks, standing to help her into her seat. “How was the flight home? Any motion sickness?” He teases. 

She rolls her eyes at the dumb joke, “I don’t get motion sickness.” 

Jack pretends to think for a moment, “If I remember, you threw up when we–” 

“Did you ask me here to reminisce on… what?” She snaps quickly, holding his gaze. “I don’t want to talk about this summer or any story you want to conjure up.” 

He smirks further, “I don’t have to make up any stories about this summer, Georgia, if I have to share anything, it’ll be the truth.” 

That makes her swallow slowly. Georgia looks around the room and sighs deeply. 

“Don’t tell anyone, anything.” She searches her eyes. “Please.” 

“Worried that Baizen will find out?” 

It takes everything for Georgia to not react to Carter Baizen’s name. 

Carter Baizen, for all intents and purposes, is Georgia’s first real love. There was a time she couldn’t imagine her life without him, but on the Upper East Side, all intentions aren’t pure. They were supposed to end up together if she had the powers, but the city loves to tear things apart. He was older, and his life just didn’t seem to include Georgia anymore. 

“Why are you mentioning him?”

Jack clears his throat, “Do you think I don’t know why you were in Marrakech? I heard Baizen might’ve been tied up there.” 

Georgia can’t admit to Jack the truth – she was on the hunt for Carter. She was still hurt after his relationship with Serena. She needed answers, but he was nowhere to be found; maybe he was hiding from her. And now Jack knows. 

“Is that why you called me here?”

He shakes his head, “I want to help you, Georgia, let me help you.” 

“And what do you get in all of this?” Georgia eyes him suspiciously.

“The satisfaction of bringing two young people back together.”

Jack and Georgia both stare at each other, unsure of what comes next. A waitress comes up to the table, a warm smile on her face. 

“What can I get for you?” 

Jack doesn’t break eye contact. He waits for an answer. 

“I’ll take a dirty martini.” Georgia answers, never breaking eye contact with Jack.

He smiles wickedly, “Make that two.”

BLAST: Sources say the Peach has been globe-trotting — and not just for the view. Word is Marrakech wasn't just a getaway… it was a hunt. For whom, you ask? Three guesses and the first two don’t count. Is Carter Baizen still MIA, or is he just hiding from someone scarier than debt collectors? One thing's for sure: Georgia’s lips may be red, but they’re not sealed. And if Jack’s offering help, there’s always a price. XOXO, Gossip Girl