Lily Bass slammed the door behind her as she entered the Manhattan apartment she shared with her husband and their newly combined families. Well, not for long, she thought to herself, crossing to the master bedroom. She walked inside it and collapsed on her bed, slipping off her wedding ring. She eyed it suspiciously, holding it up close to her face in inspection. I wouldn't be surprised if he had it bugged, she mused. He had done it again. Just when she had begun to forgive him, her husband, Bart, had gone too far. AGAIN. Long ago, before they were married, he had hired a private investigator to make sure that he was the only man in her life. When he had told her, she'd forgiven him, telling herself that it was too late to be angry. Having someone follow her? That she could deal with. But having someone follow and study her CHILDREN? What the fuck had he been thinking? When Eric had unearthed the files, she was hurt and shocked- sure- but most of all, angry. Lily tossed the ring up in the air and watched as the large diamond caught the light. No, she told herself, there is no way he's going to talk himself out of this one. She threw the ring across the bedroom, into Bart's closet. It landed in one of his shoes. She laughed, despite herself. I can't wait for the day he decides to wear those shoes. Maybe by then, he'll be over me. I hope that feeling that ring against his foot drags up every painful memory I leave him with..It was the day after Thanksgiving, around ten o'clock in the morning. BART would be at work, Serena was spending the day with Aaron, and Eric was with Jenny Humphrey. What could she do to pass the day? She mused over several options as she began to sort through her clothing and choose a few outfits to take along with her, wherever she was going. She stuffed her Louis Vuitton travel trunk with about six outfits and, as an afterthought, she packed every single piece of lingerie she owned. No way he'll get double use out of any of my intimates. As she stepped back to survey her work, she felt her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. Eleanor. Her heart fluttered as she opened her phone and clicked the answer button.

"Lily!" Eleanor trilled, sounding very pleased with herself, "I got us reservations for lunch. I simply will not take 'no' for an answer, so cancel whatever else you had planned and scoot yourself on over to the store."

"Um, Eleanor?" Lily began, swallowing the lump that was beginning to swell in her throat. Don't give in to her this time, Lily. Don't torture yourself by getting surrounded by that which you want and know you can't have. "I'm kind of in the middle of packing to leave Bart. Can we do this another time?"

There was silence on the line. "…Lily, you can't be serious, hun. Just give yourself a few, well, hours, at the very least, and come meet me for lunch. Please! If it'll make you feel better. I'm generally quite an enjoyable person. And we could do a bit of shopping afterward. Retail therapy, if you will."

Lily took a minute, pretending to think it over. Truth be told, she decided, an afternoon with Eleanor was exactly what she needed. Always cheered her up. "Well, El… I guess I'm free after all. See you in twenty? Wait, where are we eating, so I know how to dress?"

"Goodman's. Easy access to the couture a couple levels down." Lily could picture Eleanor winking at the end of her answer. "Now get dressed and get down here. See you soon. Kiss, kiss."

"Kiss, kiss." Click. What am I getting myself into?Lily bemoaned her decision. Ever since her high school years, Lily had liked… well, women. She still felt the same way about men, but there was always a need deep inside her for the touch of another lady against her skin. When she had confessed these feelings to her mother, her family had decided to institutionalize her, figuring a few years locked up would cure her of this, as her mom called it, 'lesbian phase'. Lily snorted to herself in remembrance. Two years after it all began (upon her release) she pretended to be completely rid of any desire towards anyone not male. She'd married the father of her children, and now Bart. Eleanor Waldorf had been a close friend of hers for many years, because of their now-teenaged daughters friendship. Blair and Serena had been inseparable for years. For the whole of their friendship, to be quite frank, Lily spent all her energy hiding her real feelings. If Eleanor knew the things Lily imagined late at night, she would surely never speak to her again. Who knows, she might even tell people, leaving the other woman's reputation in shambles.

Lily collapsed back on her bed, her hands wandering of their own accord to her breasts. She let out a low moan, thinking of Eleanor still. She'd always reserved a bit of hope in the back of her mind that Eleanor felt the same way about her. But now that she'd gone and gotten engaged to that Clive person, Lily just couldn't be sure. Was the occasional wink she got one of friendship? Were the 'accidental' brushes of hands across asses and breasts just that- accidental? Lily's fingernails dug through the silken fabric of her top and into her skin, leaving little red half-moon indentions as the blood rose to the surface. She cleared her mind, removed her hands, and went to the bathroom to fix her make-up. If she was going to see Eleanor, the least she could do was freshen up a bit. She reapplied a bit of eyeliner, spritzed on some J'adore Dior perfume, and ran a comb through her hair, teasing it up into what she hoped was a sexy chignon. She went back through her bedroom, retrieved her trunk, and went on through to the lobby. "Marguerite?" Lily called back to her maid, "finish packing up my things in the other Louis, and book me a room at the Plaza. Then call a car and ride down there with them. Make sure everything makes its way to my suite--- I know every article of clothing in that closet." Marguerite appeared in the doorframe leading to the hallway and nodded as Lily picked up her coat and walked out of her apartment, possibly forever.