"Seven Years"

Summary: A planned movie on the first bestseller by author Dan. J Humphrey forces the couple that haven't talked in years to come face to face again, only to rediscover old jealousies and emotions and the possibility that maybe they never really got over each other in the first place.

Author's Note IMPORTANT: This story is basically AU, and while this is a fan fiction based on the TV adaption, aspects from the book series will be included. I do not agree with some character traits from the book (basically Dan's smoking)

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not nor will likely ever own Gossip Girl. Due credit must be given to Cecily von Ziegesar who was responsible for coming up with the characters of Serena, Blair, Dan, Nate, Chuck, Jenny etc… and Josh Schwartz who brought them to the small screen.

The house lights were finally turned on again, revealing for the first time the crowd of almost three thousand to the young dancers on stage, and the thunderous applause began to slowly die away, ending yet another three hour dance recital that Dan Humphrey had patiently sat through with only his sister Jenny as company.

"It wasn't that bad." She scolded him lightly as the crowded theatre rose from their seats to face the cold Manhattan February night. He was complaining, under his breath to avoid meeting the wrath of other pride-filled parents, about the other dancers.

"No, it wasn't." He conceded with her. "Emily was perfect. It was every body else."

"You're biased." She reminded him as they entered the just as crowded lobby to wait for the aforementioned Emily; Dan's nine year old daughter to emerge from the stage entrance. "Em can never do any wrong with you. And any parent would tell you their kid was perfect up there."

"Aunt Jenny." The loud squeal could be heard quite distinctly over the din of the foyer, as a small blonde girl, her hair still tied back in a perfect ballerina bun, came hurtling towards the two, throwing herself into her Aunt's legs.

"Hey Emmy," Jenny laughed, using the nickname that only she was permitted to use, bending down to her niece's height. "You were wonderful out there." She smiled, wrapping her up in a hug. "I think that's your best recital yet."

"You say that every time Aunt J." Emily sighed, sounding incredibly troubled for a nine year old. "I was okay I guess, I forgot some of the steps."

"Perfect and humble." Jenny heard her brother mutter behind her. "You were amazing Em." He spoke up so his daughter could hear him. "All that practice paid off." He somehow managed to remove Emily from Jenny's grasp, lifting her up into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you."

From the other side of the foyer, a young woman who looked like she belonged more on the cover of the latest fashion magazine or European catwalk runway than a children's dance recital, watched the heart warming family scene unfold.

Her long blonde hair had been tied back into a messy bun so it couldn't get into her eyes, and she was wearing a loose black knee length dress that still accomplished showing off her toned figure to every divorced father and jealous mother in the room.

She nudged her "date" for the night, her mother Lily, and discreetly nodded her head in the direction of the small family.

"Can you go get her please, we really need to go." She didn't want to be a callous, heartless woman pulling a child away from her father, but she really wanted to be back to the sanctuary of her Upper East Side penthouse home.

Lily who still had trouble passing off that she was the grandmother to a nine year old briskly walked through the room; a path miraculously forming in front of her as people scrambled, until she reached her intended target.

"Ahem," She coughed, interrupting the quiet conversation the three Humphrey's were having.

"Lily." Dan nodded curtly, standing up to his full height after he'd put Emily down again. Lily nodded back as a greeting before turning to her granddaughter with a warm smile.

"Your mum is waiting for you, we need to leave now." She held out a hand, which Emily obediently grasped. Dan sighed, and for a split second he thought about what would happen if he actually challenged the van der Woodsen women, and demanded that he be allowed to take his daughter with him.

It wasn't his weekend though, and he wasn't prepared to cause a scene in a room where most of the Upper East Side elite were.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay Em?" Dan bent down to give her one last hug before Jenny did the same. "We'll go see Grandpa Rufus next weekend." Emily smiled and nodded and then let her Nana Lil lead her away.

Once she was gone the two remaining Humphrey's slowly began to push their way out of the building.

"You know." Jenny finally started speaking again once they made it out into the open Manhattan night, passing the waiting convoy of limousine's, to walk back to Dan's apartment. "You're every bit as successful and influential as Serena is now. You can probably get a better custody arrangement with Emily."

The blonde twenty seven year old fashion designer saw how much it killed Dan to hand his daughter over to Lily van der Woodsen every second Sunday night when she came to collect her grand daughter, and she saw how much it upset Emily too.

"This is the arrangement we both agreed to." Dan sighed, he had often fantasized about suing for a better custody deal, but he didn't want to put Emily in the middle of a court case again; to be fought over by the two people that were meant to love her most in the world.

The second she got within arm reach, Serena wrapped her only child up in a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you baby girl." She was excited. "That was an excellent show." She picked up Emily's bag that she had been carrying earlier, and they slowly began to make their way out of the theatre with Lily following them to the waiting limo outside.

It was a long and difficult process, Emily had to stop every couple of steps to receive congratulations and praise from the people who were on a charity board with either Lily or Serena or to stop and squeal excitedly with one of her fellow dancers who had been on stage with her that night.

When they finally made it out past the doors, Serena let out a deep sigh of relief, sliding into the backseat of their waiting limo; pulling her hair out of the bun, finally feeling like she could relax.

"Don't slouch. It's hideous." Lily scolded her daughter as the limo slowly pulled away from the curb and into the constant rush of New York traffic. Emily giggled; watching her mother be scolded by her grandmother was always fun to watch, and a surprisingly frequent occurrence.

"I have deserved the right to relax mother." Serena narrowed her navy blue eyes at the older woman. "I was sitting next to old Worthington for the last three hours while he continuously ogled me."

Emily giggled again, but shut up quickly after her grandmother shot her a quick, sharp glare.

Lily let her daughter and grand daughter out at the front door of their apartment complex; the white gloved doorman already waiting for them at the glassed doors. "I'll talk to you later Serena dear." She called out calmly, their so called disagreement earlier forgotten.

Serena brushed her mother off with a wave; she could only handle so much of her mother in a night. "I have some double choc chip mint in the freezer." She announced quietly grabbing Emily's hand while her mother disappeared again into the traffic. "How about we go dig in?"

Emily nodded, excited as she started to drag Serena towards the door. It was nights' like these that the little girl loved the most, and was going to treasure as she grew older; when she had her mother all to herself, not having to share her with a husband or a boyfriend or her Nana Lil.

Dan had long ago said good night to his sister who had left him alone in his penthouse apartment with the view of Central Park. He had mercifully changed out of his suit and into the old pair of tracksuit pants that he wore to bed each night, before pouring a tumbler of whiskey for himself and walking over to the large window in the living room that gave him the perfect view of the famous park.

Standing there, looking down at the busy Manhattan road, he knew that in one of the tall apartment buildings inhabited by the rich and famous that surrounded the park, his daughter an ex-wife would be hiding away in the penthouse; talking and playing with each other before Emily was sent to bed to be ready for school the next day.

It was nights like these, coming home from one of Emily's many recitals and concerts and school productions, when he was all alone that he found himself playing a game of What If…

What if Serena and I had made it; if we were still married?

Casey xXx

[Edited: 10 March 2010]