chapter THIRTYSEVEN.

Dan and Serena lay together on his full-size bed, her head resting on his chest and his head resting on hers. He stroked her hair gently and she allowed her eyes to flutter shut. Ever since she'd arrived at the Humphrey loft she'd been trying to trick herself into thinking that nothing between Dan's dad and her mom had went on yesterday. She tried to block it out of her mind and pretend their love did not exist, but seeing her boyfriend just brought it all back. . .

She loved Dan - really, she did - but every time she looked at him now, she didn't see the same person. Of course his face wasn't hideously distorted all of a sudden and he hadn't dyed his hair; he still looked like the same Daniel Humphrey she knew and loved. . . But after eavesdropping on Rufus and Lily's 'private' conversation from the bathroom and after hearing them have sex right on the living room couch, Serena couldn't help feeling a little awkward and dirty whenever she was in her boyfriend's arms.

Dan could sense her unease by the heavy silence that drenched the room.

But as strange as it seemed, he didn't feel nearly as awkward or different as the young blonde.

Of course he wasn't some pervert who got off on thinking he and Serena were step-siblings, but he knew by now that they were far too deep in their relationship - too deep in love - to be letting some silly technicality come between them. He loved Serena and she loved him, and that was all that mattered. . . Now all he needed to do was prove that to his girlfriend.

He slid out from under her and then swung one leg around her waist so that they were locked together at the hips, him on top and her on the bottom. Then he bent his head down and began kissing her with as much passion he could muster. . . But to no avail. While he was kissing to save his life, Serena was hardly giving him anything.

He swallowed hard and then leaned back a bit so that he could lock eyes with her, one of his hands falling to her luxurious blonde hair and fingering several locks of it for a moment. "Serena, what's wrong?" he asked. Although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer, he was becoming genuinely concerned - not just for her, but for their relationship.

"You've barely said a word to me all day."

Serena sighed heavily and then ran a hand through her hair, feeling guilty and cruel and weak all at once. She didn't want to hurt Dan any more, but she also couldn't shake the feeling that what they were doing to eachother was wrong - what with their parents doing the exact same thing to eachother as well.

Serena wriggled out of his tender grip and sat up straight so that her shoulders were resting against the headboard of his bed. "I'm sorry, Dan. . . It's just. . . This thing with our parents, and. . ." She chewed on her lower lip, confusion and nervousness taking over all else.

Dan hung his head, sighed, and then lifted himself up, retreating back to his original spot on the bed. "It's weird," he ventured, running a hand through his dark brown hair.

Serena looked at him cautiously. "It's weird. . . and it's unsettling and it's different, all at once."

"Has 'weirdness' ever stopped us before, Serena?" He glanced out his bedroom window and then at Cedric, who was perched atop his end table, but for whatever reason he couldn't quite bring himself to look at his girlfriend.

"I mean yeah, it's a little weird and 'different' now that we've witnessed our parents re-living their horrific grunge-rock sex-love of the eighties--" Serena flashed him a warning glance as if to say You're not helping.

So he went on: "But. . . I'm different. You took a chance on me even though everyone in your life told you not to. . ." Then he finally looked at her and cracked one of his sarcastically-charming grins. "And look how well I turned out."

Serena couldn't resist giving him her own smile and then she threw a pillow at his head, giggling that four-year-old giggle of hers. "And you thought I was the conceited one."

If she were to make a list of the reasons why she loved Dan, him being able to make her smile even in her worst moment would be the list's number one, with a bullet.

She continued grinning for the duration of her time in the Humphrey loft, even as he threw the pillow back at her and even as she climbed on top of him and gave him the grandest, most tender kiss she could muster. . . And even as their clothes fell away and they slid under the sheets.

Dan was right. Love conquered all, and so what if their parents shared the same love for each other as Serena and Dan? If they were really in love, then they'd be able to put it aside and kiss without feeling awkward or guilty. . . And what a coincidence, because that's exactly what Serena was doing.


Someone get me a violin and start rolling the cameras! It's this kind of stuff that makes us girls weep and swoon whenever we watch those adorable 'chick flicks,' like Breakfast at Tiffany's. The title of this one should be something like Lonely Boy Wins the Girl, don't you think? Send me your suggestions and a script and we'll talk. Perhaps it'll be a new hit series, starring our very own D and S! You never know. . .

you know you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl

chapter THIRTYSIX.

Blair was afraid that while she'd been holding last night in high regards all day and had been daydreaming incessantly about what would happen next in her rapidly-reviving social life while holed up in AP French, Chuck was just thinking they'd spent the night in Central Park together, silent as they braved the freezing cold weather. . . And nothing more.

She didn't want to assume that everything in her life would just fall into place anymore - she'd done that far too many times to count, and she didn't want to fool herself again.

Which is why, directly after shopping with Kati, Isabel, Penny, Hazel, and Elise, she'd had all her bags sent home and was heading straight to Chuck's penthouse in the Waldorf towncar at the moment, her red-stockinged legs cross as she gazed anxiously out the tinted window. What would Chuck do when he saw her? Slam the door in her face? Run as far away as possible? Scoop her into his arms and kiss her until she couldn't breathe?

She sighed. Too much scenarios.

Blair was completely aware by now that boys and girls thought on entirely different wavelengths, and she knew that while her head had been spinning at the thought of Chuck ever since Central Park, he was probably going about the day like usual, dozing off through classes, flirting with the odd bystander, and smoking weed.

Just the thought made her heart cave in a little.

The door to the Bass penthouse had been left unlocked by its last user, so Blair let herself right in, pulling the door open and stepping inside. She recognized the marble floors and the abstract paintings and the antique furniture immediately - after all, Chuck was one of the children she grew up with, so therefore she knew his house as well as she knew her own - but something about stepping inside its walls with the feeling she currently had fluttering around in her stomach seemed foreign and a bit scary to her.

"Hello?" she called out meekly, her voice a bit uneasy.

The intense silence that permeated throughout the home suggested that it was empty. Blair walked over to a nearby end table. On it was a boquet of hydranges and an exquisitely-framed photograph. Not surprisingly, the photograph was of Chuck and Nate together. It had obviously been taken sometime over the summer because they both had their shirts torn off, revealing their toned and tanned arms. Their hair looked touseled and windblown and they were standing on the deck of Nate's boat, The Charlotte, which he and his dad had built together up in Maine.

Both boys had big grins on their faces and for once it wasn't because they were stoned - it was simply because they were both extremely glad to be spending their summer with each other, because together they were always unstoppable and unbroken. They complimented eachother and they'd grown up together. . . It made sense for them to be best friends. Chuck was strong and manipulative and fearless while Nate was intense and smart and charming.

Blair's heart caved in even more as she gazed down at the picture, realizing now that the sole reason the two boys were no longer friends was because of her. . . It was all her fault.

Swallowing hard, Blair forced away tears of remorse and self-loathe and then set the picture carefully on its stand. She turned on her heel, making her way back to the front door.

What am I doing here? she asked herself, suddenly feeling incredibly foolish. She'd been absolutely crazy to think that she and Chuck would ever be compatible and would ever get back together. . . There was just too much that threatened to seperate them wherever they'd go.

Whenever they were at school, they would always have to face the judgemental and bitter stares of their peers and whenever they'd attend a party together they'd constantly be forced to hear the disgusted whispers of their parents and their 'friends'. . . They'd never be able to work.

Blair shook her head, trying to shove her own voice out of her mind. She grasped the doorknob desperately, but just as she pulled it open she heard footsteps coming down the long, red-carpeted hallway. She wiped the tears that had gathered in her dark brown eyes, shut the door, and turned around to see who it was. And indeed, it was the boy that had plagued her daydreams all during school; the boy whom she could never seem to take her eyes off whenever he entered the room.

As you might have guessed, that boy's name was Charles Bass.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his hairstyle mimicking that of the one he'd been sporting in the picture: wild. His eyes looked a little bloodshot, but he wasn't smiling goofily like he did whenever he was high - those piercing brown eyes must have been reddish and glassy for some other reason. His crisp white shirt was unbuttoned and he was brandishing a crystal tumbler of scotch in one hand.

Blair's stomach flipped as soon as she saw him and she felt her cheeks heating up with a mixture of enthrallment and embarassment. She cleared her throat and took a few wary steps closer to him. "I, um. . . I came to give you this." She waved his phone under his nose briefly. "You must have dropped it in the grass at the Park."

Chuck looked from Blair's face, to his phone, and then back at her face, without extending an arm to grab the device from her. "That's. . . why you stopped by?" He took a prim sip of scotch and then set it on the ornate, decorative shelf that he stood beside. "You think I'd believe that for one second?" Blair looked lost for a moment. "Oh come on, Waldorf. I know you stole it from me just to have an excuse to come knocking on my door for a visit."

Blair scoffed. "And just when I thought you were toning down your level of conceit, you go and say something like that."

"Oh stop it. You know you love me!"

Blair rolled her eyes and chuckled bitterly. Then she thrust her arm outward, her fingers still clutching his phone. Chuck grinned as if he'd just won some sort of award and then placed his hand over hers, their fingers brushing against eachother as the phone changed persons.

But just as she was about to whirl around and storm out the door and he was about to shove the device back into his pocket and down the rest of his drink, a feeling of electricity and desire ran through their fingertips and instead of turning away from each other, Chuck pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her back and proceeding to kiss her fiercely.

The kiss contained more passion and anger and love than either of them had ever felt and they both felt a little dizzy as soon as it was initiated.

But that didn't stop them from tearing eachother's tops off and walking through the hallway with their eyes closed, bumping into antique statues and Renaissance paintings as they made their way in the vague direction of Chuck's lush bedroom. Blair dug her nails into his chest and his fingers roamed throughout her wavy brown hair, and even though they were a little mad at each other, that madness was converted into love, somehow.

And the rest is history.


Forgiveness. It's a strange and foreign word to some, but to others it comes so easily. . . For B and C, forgiveness is one of the hardest actions to convey. But it's good to see they were able to get over their differences long enough to shove eachother's tongues down their throats and ravish eachother relentlessly - Hey, who's complaining?

you know you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl

chapter THIRTYFIVE.

Jenny ran a hand through her blonde hair and shoved the thick doors to Constance Billard open eagerly. It was already four-thirty and the school's students were technically supposed to get out at three, but the reason she was so late was because she'd been held up in art class - her last period of the day - as her teacher explained why she thought Jenny was the right student to do the hymnals for their school in that 'magnificent calligraphy of hers.'

And then Mrs. Braff had gone on for what seemed like a lifetime about how lacking the educational system seemed to be getting in this day and age and how enormously proud she was of Jenny for steering clear of the numerous amount of cliques among Constance's girls.

Obviously Mrs. Braff hadn't heard the latest, or she wouldn't have been proud of Jenny at all.

The young blonde sighed once her heels knocked against the cobblestone of the courtyard, merely because she was now realizing just how empty the school was. She hadn't seen it looking like this since her fight with Blair the day prior, so to do so in the middle of the afternoon was just plain creepy. With her shoulders drooped and her eyes flashing dissapointment, she began slowly making her way past the series of tables and benches outside, toward the gate.

Then she noticed her geomotry and biology textbooks laying atop one of the tables and curiously walked over to them, scooping them into her arms. That's when she saw the small scrap of paper that had been placed underneath the textbooks to keep it weighed down and to prevent it from being ravaged by the forceful January wind. She unfolded it and her crystal blue eyes swept over the page.

Hey bitch, we waited for you for like ten minutes and you never showed, so we decided to go to Bendel's without you. There's a sale there and B says she'll treat - I know, I know, that seems pretty low of us to go shopping with HER of all people, but she seems to be a little diff. now, so we'll see. We agreed to let Elise come along with us, given she keeps her mouth shut most of the time and carries all our bags. Anyway, TTYL. Tomorrow, hopefully! xoxo - Penny

Jenny groaned and crumpled the slip of paper up, tossing it aside absentmindedly and looking up at the cloudy sky above her. Why were things in her life going so terribly wrong all of a sudden? It's like her knotch in the social chain was slowly making its way back down to its original spot, which was located somewhere near the very bottom.

She shoved both heavy textbooks into her bag and hitched it up on her shoulder, stomping out of the courtyard and away from the dreadful school. She was fed up with the terrible memories and imaginary scenarios it brought her. What if Blair really was stealing all her friends back, two by two? And what if Jenny was bound to stay at the bottom of the social chain forever, a whole two knotches below Dan?

She swallowed with regret and shook her head furiously, as if trying to make the harmful thoughts go away forever. And then she hailed a cab, which immediately took her as close as the driver would go to Brooklyn, as she requested.

Then she walked the rest of the way home.

Once she got there, she slammed the door shut behind her, rushed dramatically to her room, and then slammed that door as well. When she came back out a few minutes later, she was wearing her Hello Kitty pajamas and a pair of bright yellow slippers. This was her 'in-front-of-the-father' look that seemed to say I've been a very good girl, so you should let me borrow your Discover card now.

And it worked almost every time.

She traipsed over to the living room couch, threw herself on it with force, and then picked up one of the home-made throw pillows that lay there, placing it over her face and screaming into it as loudly as possible. Her father was right in the kitchen cooking dinner, so he could no doubt hear her. . . And apparently so had Dan and Vanessa.

Jenny's older brother stepped out of his room and glanced at her collapsed figure warily. Then Vanessa yanked the bathroom door open wearing just a white towel and threw a bar of soap at the pillow Jenny had on her head. "Keep it down, will you? I'm on the phone!"

Jenny bolted upright at the sound of Vanessa's voice. "What's she doing here?" she asked her brother, who was now sitting beside her on the couch. When she tried to look at him directly to lock eyes and make sure he was paying attention, however, she saw that he was staring at Rufus in the kitchen, a suspicious sheen in his eyes.

Something was definitely going on here that she knew nothing about. . . And for once, she didn't want to. Her life with her real friends back at school was far more vital than all the family drama she'd no doubt face if she asked Dan what was wrong, so she decided to keep her mouth shut on the matter.

She snatched the television remote up and flicked it on. Since it was Fashion Week, that was of course the only thing she was remotely interested in watching. Onscreen, a fierce brunette model was walking the runway in a delicious black-and-red gown, giving the camera a flirtatious kiss before turning on her heels and walking back the other way.

Then Jenny heard the phone beep as Vanessa set it back on its base, entering the living room. Now she was wearing clothes, thank God. A pair of tattered blue jeans hugged her hips accompied by a long-sleeved Medic Droid shirt she'd bought online. "Hey, V," Jenny greeted the girl, trying to hide the fact that all she really wanted to do right now was scream at the top of her lungs due to Blair and Elise and all of her other annoyingly backstabbing 'frenemies.' "What are you doing here?"

Vanessa sat on the couch between the two siblings and then grabbed the remote from out of Jenny's hands. "Since when do you watch Bailey Winter's Fashion Week?" She eyed Jenny with something resembling suspicion and then changed the channel. Sesame Street came on. "Now there. That's something more age-appropriate for you, J," Vanessa said with a satisfied little titter.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up." Then she stole the remote back and put the channel on Fashion Week once more.

"Oh and since you insist on knowing," continued Vanessa: "Ruby and I got into this huge fight at home, so I came here for a couple hours to cool off. She can be a drama queen sometimes."

"Hey Jenny, where were you after school?" Rufus bellowed from the kitchen. "I tried calling your cell but it wouldn't go through; I wanted to see if you were up to going to the Flea Market with me."

Jenny scoffed and rolled her eyes but Dan scolded her with a sharp tap on the knee, flashing her a 'be nice' glance. "My phone was turned off and I was staying after school with my art teacher. She wants me to do the hymnals for Constance."

Rufus stepped into the living room, holding a black spatula as something sizzled in the kitchen. "That's where you were? So. . . You weren't at Bloomingdale's with those horrid gossips you call your friends?"

Jenny sneered. "First of all, no, I wasn't. Second of all, they are my friends. . . And since when do you not trust me anymore?!"

"I do trust you, but you're hardly ever home anymore. I don't really know what to think. You stay out after hours, you barely speak a word to me all day, and you've been acting different." He crossed his arms. "I do have the right to ask you one simple question, you know. I am your father."

Dan shook his head from the sidelines. "Right. And you're such a saint," he commiserated, clenching his fists. He couldn't help being a little upset at his father for going after Lily behind his children's backs. The least he could have done was tell Dan the truth so that when he found out he didn't feel like putting his fist through a wall.

Jenny stood up from the couch and threw the remote aside. "Shut up, Dan. This isn't your fight." She shoved past all three of them and stormed into the kitchen, just wanting something to do that would distract her from all the fighting. "And dad, if you hate me so much then why don't I just move out! Sound good?!" She slammed the refrigerator door and bit furiously into an apple.

"I never said I hated you, Jenny. You're my daughter."

"Oh please! You're pretending like you actually care about where I am or who I'm with, when all you're really doing is fishing for a reason to ground me. . . I was at the school!! Give them a call if you don't believe me!!" Jenny slammed the apple into the trashcan nearby with just two bites in it, and when she stepped back into the living room she saw that Dan had already left - presumably to brood alone in his room - and Rufus was storming out as well.

Jenny's dad slammed the door and suddenly the house fell very quiet.

Only Vanessa still sat on the couch.

Jenny swallowed hard and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Sorry you had to hear that. They can be pretty freaking stupid sometimes." She chuckled nervously and suddenly wished she still had the apple to bite into. Vanessa was gazing at her with judgemental eyes and she seemed to be ignoring everything Jenny was saying.

"Can I ask you a question, J?" Vanessa turned the television set off and stood up, walking a little closer to her. Jenny simply nodded, getting the feeling she wouldn't like what was about to leave her friend's mouth.

"Do you honestly like the person you've become?"

The question was asked rhetorically, which is why it made sense for her words to be met with only silence, but by the sad, devasted, and contemplative look on Jenny's face, Vanessa knew she'd gotten through to her. So she turned on her heels and walked towards the front door, pulling the knob and leaning against it for a second, taking one last, long look at Jenny. "I should probably get back home. Ruby will be waiting."


Hmm. Why so quiet, Little J? You may have wrecked your relationship with your family - for now - but if there's one thing I've learned in this business, it's NEVER too late to apologize.

you know you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl

chapter THIRTYFOUR.

Blair'd caught a nasty cold from staying outdoors in the Park all night with just a short dress and Chuck Bass to keep her warm, but she still didn't regret the spontaneous behavior she'd portrayed last night. . . She'd never really been one for spotaneity, but it seemed like whenever she was around Chuck she became a slightly different person: more dangerous and risky and wild and fun. And in all honesty, she liked the person she became around him, which is why a slight cough and a few sneezes here and there would be tolerable for the young brunette.

She was, however, wearing an extra layer of clothing to keep precautions from catching any more illnesses. If one stayed home sick on the Upper East Side for even one day, he or she could miss a ton of important events. . . Like Jenny and Nate's embarassingly public break up, perhaps? Yes, she'd caught sight of it - along with half of the rest of the student body - as she was perched atop one of the tables of the benches outside in the courtyard.

And could life get any better? She'd practically won back her throne, she was coming dangerously close to winning Chuck back as well, and now her rival was suffering the pain of heartbreak in front of her amused and awestruck classmates. . . All while the young brunette basked in newfound glory.

Then Blair caught sight of Serena as the blonde plopped her bag onto a nearby table and took a seat there. She was waiting for Dan, no doubt, since that was their morning tradition, but it wouldn't hurt if Blair were to approach Serena for a few minutes. . . Would it?

She hopped off the circular table and began anxiously making her way over to her best friend, who just so happened to be wearing an adorable yellow trench and brand new Sigerson Morrison flats. She looked as gorgeous as ever.

Serena spotted Blair as the girl came towards her and she shifted in her seat uncomfortably, not knowing whether to run and hide or smile at the girl warmly.

"Hey, Serena," said Blair cautiously, her voice small as she offered a small wave at the blonde.

Serena waved back. "Hey, B."

Blair could already feel people beginning to stare, and for once in her life she wished they would all just mind their own business and stop idolizing/criticizing her in that obsessive way the school's students were so famous for. Serena sat and Blair stood in silence, both girls glancing into eachother's eyes every few seconds only to glance back at the crowded courtyard again.

"I um. . . I spent the night with Chuck," Blair admitted, hoping that if she just started talking to Serena like they were besties the blonde would suddenly act like they were besties, all over again.

Serena looked slightly surprised, but at least now she wasn't afraid to look Blair in the eye. "Oh, you did? I'm. . . happy for you?" She still didn't know which relationship she should have been rooting for, Nate and Blair or Blair and Chuck, but by the smile her friend was so obviously trying to hide, she was clearly content with her current 'Chuck situation.'

Blair took note of Serena's silence and rolled her eyes slightly. Then she hopped onto the table in front of the blonde and crossed her red-stockinged legs. "I know you think he was just the rebound guy and a big regret and everything, S, but it really isn't like that," she insisted.

Serena looked at Blair with obvious unbelief on her face.

"Well I mean it was, but not anymore," Blair went on. "I thought it would just be that one time and then we'd both forget about it and continue on our way, him being a date rapist and me being the poster child for my family or whatever, but ever since Nate dumped me I realized I don't need him in my life." Another look of unbelief washed over Serena's face. "I mean I know I said that before, but now I mean it. Nate's just a cheater, Serena."

The blonde chuckled. "And what's Chuck - the prime minister?"

Blair giggled too, and then she shoved Serena's shoulder in that playful 'I-can-do-this-again-because-I'm-your-best-friend' sort of way. "I love you, S," Blair finally said, her voice so soft Serena could barely hear her.

"I love you too, B."

And then they leaned in for a tight, comforting hug, both girls realizing once and for all that neither of them needed to apologize this time around.


Spotted: S and B enduring a much-needed rendezvous in the courtyard before school. Wonder how long it'll last THIS time. . . And while they're kissing and making up, one must also wonder just how V will retaliate to J's crude little facade. . . Well, you'll know when I know.

you know you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl