Dear Serena,

Sorry I haven't written a Gossip Girl fic in a while, but tell me what you think of this. And please review!

Dear Serena,

Why did you run away? We could have sorted this out! You didn't need to desert me like that. What am I supposed to do now? I love you. I always have and I always will. Blair and you running away to Connecticut doesn't change that. All it does is make me miss you more and make me realize how vital you truly are to me. Don't you understand? Blair is not the one for me! You are. But I guess you'll never know that because, like all my other letters, this letter won't be sent. I'm too scared to, scared of you and scared of Blair, but know this, I love you and only you with all my heart.

All my love, Nate

Nathaniel Archibald threw down his pen after writing yet another love letter to Serena van der Woodsen, his girlfriend's best friend. They had always been a trio, the best looking, the richest, most popular people in New York's elite. Serena had beautiful long tresses, like spun gold which framed her perfect face with her lovely blue eyes. In contrast Blair had glossy brown hair with sparkling brown eyes. People usually thought that he and Serena were a couple since they looked so perfect together. Yet Blair, who was always obsessed with things looking perfect together had decided that Nate was the guy for her. Blair always planned everything, from the outfits she would wear the next day to the wedding between her and Nate that he had decided would never take place, but it would never do to tell her his decision. Suddenly his phone lit up. He picked it up quickly, checking the caller ID and flipping it open in the same graceful fluid motion.

"Hello?"

"Nathaniel, have you heard?" Chuck's voice sounded in his ear.

"Heard what?" Nate was in no mood to play games with his best friend.

"Serena's back with a mysterious new guy in tow. What do you say to that? That girl attracts men like bees to honey." Chuck laughed, but Nate's heart plummeted, but he could not let Chuck know that so he answered,

"Good for her. Is she…coming to the party?"

If Chuck noticed his hesitation his tone gave no sign of it as he replied,

"No, Blair expressly forbade it. She wants to prevent Serena from re-entering society."

Nate laughed along, thinking that it was a joke. After all Blair would never dare to do such a thing and to her best friend no less. Chuck must be joking, but he would make sure that she was invited anyway. He dialled the number that he knew off by heart.

"Hello?" the familiar voice said.

"Serena? I...uh heard that you had come back."

"Nate?" Was it just him or was there a tinge of sadness when she said his name? "Yeah, I'm back from Connecticut. How are you?"

"I'm good. Listen, there's a party tonight at Chuck's father's hotel. You're coming right?"

There was a pause before she asked,

"I'm coming if my boyfriend can come as well."

His heart broke at the word 'boyfriend' yet he agreed. He would do anything if it meant he could see Serena again. He wondered what this mysterious new guy looked like. Without even knowing his name Nate was intensely jealous of him and wanted to know every detail about him. Sighing, he rose to get ready to face his girlfriend, the love of his life, and most daunting of all…his unknown and unaware rival for Serena's affections.

x-x-x

Serena leaned over to kiss her boyfriend, smiling. It felt good to be back in her home city. She had missed it so much after she had left, but it had been necessary after what had happened between her and Nate. But being back felt like a huge weight was taken off her shoulders especially with her new boyfriend. Yet even whilst she thought this she thought of Nate, whom she had pretended not to love for so long. She shook her head and flicking her long blonde hair she informed her boyfriend,

"We're going to a party tonight. You'll get to meet my friends here."

He laughed.

"I'll be glad to meet them. I barely know anything about you from when you lived here and I want to know everything about you."

"That's so romantic, Jake!" Serena laughed delightedly. Jake grinned, but his phone rang and he checked the caller ID it faded. He rejected the call causing Serena to ask him who it was. Jake shrugged and kissed her.

"No one. You don't need to worry about it."

Serena briefly wondered why he was being so secretive about it, but all those thoughts were dashed from her mind when he pulled her onto the bed and started to tickle her.

x-x-x

Chuck turned lazily to the beautiful brunette sitting next to him. He asked,

"How do you intend to destroy the most popular girl in New York?"

Blair smiled nastily.

"I'm just as popular as her aren't I?"

Chuck was silent, neither confirming nor denying. Blair began to get angry.

"You think she's more popular than me!"

Chuck answered smoothly,

"You're beautiful, but she's gorgeous. You're uptight and she's easygoing. You're snobbish and she's kind and generous. You're bossy and interfering and she knows when to mind her own business. She's bound to be more popular than you and if you don't know that then you're a fool."

"Well then since she's so amazing why don't you go and swell the ranks of her worshippers? I'm sure your time would be better spent there than here with me," Blair said bitchily. He sighed long-sufferingly.

"Who ever said that I like her?"

Blair laughed scathingly.

"You don't like anyone but yourself Bass!"

"We're one of a kind then," Chuck retorted. And it was true. They were one of a kind, both of them vindictive and manipulative. Their enjoyment of making their enemies suffer meant that there was a bond between them that nothing could break despite their refusal to admit to it and their professed hate of each other. Yet in times of trouble it was to each other they would always turn because they understood each so well.

x-x-x

"Has your sister been in to see you?" Lily van der Woodsen askedof her son, Eric. He had the same blond hair and good looks that was characteristic of both his mother and his sister. Yet there was something very different about him. He was a profound boy for his age and sensible in a way that Lily and Serena, with their frivolous tendencies, could never be. As Eric answered his mother's question he absently rubbed at the bandages that hid and at the same time exposed the marks of his depression from the world.

"Yeah. She visited, but she didn't bring her boyfriend along unfortunately, but I guess she was trying to be sensitive."

Lily smiled, but answered,

"Well thank God she had the good sense not to bring him in. This is a family affair and it does not need to be paraded in front of the world, especially not in front of Serena's first serious boyfriend."

Despite her good intentions Eric was stung.

"I'm sorry I'm such an object of shame, Mother," he said mockingly. Lily winced at his sarcastic tone and tried to soothe him, but to no avail. Serena had always been better with dealing with him. It seemed that no matter what she did, Lily always managed to put her foot in her mouth when it came to her children. After a long awkward silence Eric said, somewhat calmer, but still angry,

"You're going to accept Bart Bass's proposal, aren't you?"

Lily nodded and said gently,

"He's a nice man and you'll like him once you give him a chance. I'm sure of it…and you need a father figure. You've gone so long without one and sometimes I wonder if that's a mistake. I mean you tried to commit suicide and Serena…gets into trouble all the time. I sure it's because of your lack of a father figure."

Eric was not convinced and didn't scruple to tell his mother so.

"I don't like him and Serena doesn't either. Oh I know he's rich Mother, but aren't you rich enough without needing his money?"

Lily was disgusted by her son's words. She rebuked him,

"How dare you say that I'm marrying him for his money! I would never! And you and Serena just need to get over your prejudices of him because I am going to marry him whether you like it or not. He's a good man and I don't appreciate the two of you casting aspersions on either him or me. It is not your place!"

Furiously she picked up her bag and left the room, but not before an exasperated Eric shouted at her,

"It is our place because we're going to have to live with him."

Eric sank down on his bed, exhausted as usual by his mother's visit.

x-x-x

"Dan, tell Mom and Dad that I'm going to visit Eric. He's sent me an SOS," Jenny called out as she walked out the door. As soon as the door had closed behind her, Dan turned his laptop back on, jut to look on Gossip Girl to see the news of Serena van der Woodsen, the love of his life. He had fallen for her during his first year at his prestigious school and despite the fact that she didn't even realize that he existed, he continued to be in love with her. At first Jenny had teased him but after a while she became bored of it. Nevertheless he made sure she never found anything about Serena on his laptop or in his room. He was in the middle of staring at her picture when a voice came from behind him.

"Humphrey, stop staring at your computer screen. We're going out to catch a movie."

Dan swivelled around in his chair to face his best friend. Vanessa was not pretty in a conventional way yet there was something striking in her curly brown hair and her twinkling brown eyes. He readily fell I with her suggestion as it provided a chance of escaping from an afternoon of sighing over his unrequited love. Quickly scribbling a note to his mother and father, he grabbed his coat before climbing out of the fire escape in his room.

x-x-x

"You're still in love with that woman! Why can't you forget her, Rufus? Why can't you be content with me?" Alison yelled, exasperated. They were having yet another argument and although she knew she was merely pushing him away, she couldn't stop. Thoughts and images of that other woman always haunted her mind when she looked at her husband. Rufus sighed.

"Why are you so jealous of Lily? I'm not married to her. I'm married to you! I chose you over her!"

"But you don't love me as you love her. You only married me because you couldn't marry her. You love her and I'm sure that she loves you back and now she's free."

"She's dating Bart Bass!"

"Not because she loves him! If you showed the slightest interest she would come running to you like a puppy dog!" Alison screamed. Rufus began to say something, but by then she had already stormed out of the room. He let out a long breath, tired of his wife's insecurities, tired of their arguments and tired of having to defend Lily to his wife. He had not talked properly with Lily during the many years he had been married, yet Alison still believed that Lily held a more prominent place in his heart than she did. But they were so different and the love he had for Lily had been a naïve love…the love one held when they thought that they were invincible and that anything in the world was possible. He was more cynical than that now and he understood that Lily belonged in the past and Alison in the present. Yet might not Lily somehow become part of his future?