When she first sees them out of the corner of her eye, she thinks she must be hallucinating.
Across the café, Dan Humphrey and Serena van der Woodsen stand at the register, their laughter audible despite the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve. Humphrey, she corrects herself regarding Serena's name, she'd heard through the grapevine that the two had married several years ago.
Glancing in their direction once again, she notices the little boy balanced on Serena's hip, playing with the single braid in her blonde hair. With dark curls and a mess of long limbs, she can tell immediately that the child belongs to them. As if on cue, the young parents simultaneously begin to pepper their son's face with kisses, and Vanessa feels as though she's intruding on a private family moment.
Since returning to New York, she has hoped to see Dan again. At first, she called constantly; believing that time and distance would heal the friendship, only to have her messages go unreturned. In her mind, she was a sellout, by the desire to speak with him again had not lessened.
Swallowing her pride, she rises from her seat and heads toward the counter. The worst they can do is ignore her, she decides. This may be the only chance she'll have to speak to them; to instill what she hoped would be feelings of nostalgia.
"Hey," she says hesitantly, taping on Dan's shoulder. The pair turns around simultaneously, their eyes widening when they catch sight of Vanessa.
"Vanessa, wow, what a surprise!" Serena exclaimed, her face breaking out into a tight smile.
Dan's face remained unreadable, but gently pushed his wife and toddler behind him in what she thought to be a protective move.
"Dan, relax, I just want to catch up. It's been a long time since I saw the two of you."
"I know, that's been intentional on my part," Dan frowns.
"We're alright, honey," Serena rubs his tense shoulder. She is no more thrilled by the site of her husband's former flame than he was, but if having Lily van der Woodsen as a mother taught her anything it was to face one's opponents with grace.
"I see that you all have gotten busy. What is this little guy's name?" Vanessa asks, transitioning. She pats the child's arm, and a look of annoyance immediately comes over Dan's face.
"This is William Cedric Humphrey, or Will for short. Named for my dad and his cabbage patch kid, the latter of which he cannot sleep without. He's turning two tomorrow." Serena answers, instructing her son to say hello.
"He was born on Christmas day?"
"Yup, turns out he makes an even better gift than the winter wonderland she created back in high school." Dan says, his eyes now fixed on his beautiful boy.
"But we did get that as well, it started snowing like crazy as soon as my water broke. By the time we made it to the hospital I was almost ready to deliver."
Unable to help herself, Vanessa smiles at the memory of assisting Serena with Dan's gift.
"I'm sure the two of you already have him enrolled in one of the most elite preschools on the Upper East Side," Vanessa presumes, an aura of judgment present in her voice. Serena sighs, noting that time had not lighten the chip still present on her shoulder.
"We actually have a house in Greenwich now. When the time comes, he'll be going to school there. Will has wanted to see the trees at Rockefeller Center, so we're taking him tonight as an early birthday present." Dan answers. He'd long outgrown the petty bitterness displayed by his childhood companion.
"Didn't think you had it in you to leave the city behind," Vanessa says, looking at Serena.
"Well sometimes people surprise you, but I do work for The Spectator and have worked on a few film productions in the city, so I'm still in touch with my roots." Serena smirks, emphasizing her career accomplishments.
"Living in the suburbs is a far cry from either of our upbringings, but so far it's been great. The only downside was having to teach Serena how to drive, that was truly petrifying," Dan mocks playfully.
"Don't listen to him, I'm a great driver. Isn't that right baby?" She brings her attention back to Will.
Will begins to fidget in his mother's arms, navy blue eyes now set on Dan. His chubby figures reach out to touch one of his dad's curls, the texture identical to his own.
"I see somebody has a favorite," Serena jokes, kissing the boy's head as she transfers him to her husband. Turned at an angle, Vanessa notices the small but prominent bump present between Serena's hips.
"Oh please, all I hear is 'mommy, mommy, mommy' the second you leave the house for anything," Dan mimics in a higher pitch, "I'm definitely unloved." Serena swats his elbow playfully.
"Maybe you'll be the preferred parent to the next one," Vanessa interjects, as Serena brings a hand to the swell of her abdomen, blushing.
"We're waiting until tomorrow to officially tell everybody, though I'm guessing they've already figured it out. I'm showing a lot faster than I did with Will," Serena smiles.
"It'll be fun watching them try to feign surprise," Dan added.
"When are you due?"
"Mother's Day, Chuck and Blair are actually expecting a new addition to their family at about the same time. It'll be fun having the two of them grow up together."
Vanessa grimaces at the mention of the Basses, wondering if Dan brought them into the conversation to prove a point. Bitterness, he knew, was one of her worst traits.
"But what about you Vanessa, have you been up to in the years since we've seen you?" Serena asks, remaining polite.
"Just trying to get a foot in the door with my documentaries," She offers a half-smile, remembering Serena's apparent success in producing film. Feelings of jealousy and resentment towards the blonde woman begin to resurface, and suddenly she feels as though she's sixteen again.
A moment of uncomfortable silence passes between the former friends, broken only by the clerk calling out the Humphrey name.
"What did you order that took so long?" Vanessa asks.
"Just bagels and some pastries. We're hosting Christmas tomorrow, and cooking dinner will take most of the afternoon, so we decided to cut ourselves a break by ordering breakfast. And yes, we will be the ones cooking," Serena emphasized, answering Vanessa's question before she could ask it.
"We also got chocolate-covered strawberries, but chances are they'll mysteriously disappear before any of our guests arrive," Dan adds, winking at his wife. She playfully sticks out her tongue at him. Serena hoists Will into her arms and walks back to the register, leaving the exes alone. Tension fills the space between them.
"Dan—" she begins.
"What did you hope to accomplish by talking to me, Vanessa?" He cuts her off.
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you. My actions, unlike those of the people you currently surround yourself with, don't have a hidden agenda." She crosses her arms.
"Bullshit, your last scheme nearly got Serena killed. At least Blair has the decency to own up to her deceptive ways."
"I had nothing to do with that and you know it. Even if I did, Serena's moved on, why haven't you?" she snaps. Dan snorts at the irony of her statement.
"I moved on a long time ago Vanessa, that's why I haven't returned any of your countless phone calls. My wife might put on a nice face, but deep down I'm confident she dislikes you as much as I do."
"All these years and you still haven't realized how much she's brought you down," Vanessa rolls her eyes.
"As always, that's where you're wrong. It's you, not Serena, that hindered me. She's been the inspiration behind every brilliant thing I've ever done."
Serena reproaches them, food in hand. Temperamental under the best of circumstances, he is thankful that she returned before he caused a potential scene. She tugs his arm and both turn away without a goodbye, and Dan wonders if she eavesdropped on their conversation. But Will begins to babble with excitement as they make the walk to Times Square and Serena plants a kiss on his cheek, and his encounter with Vanessa is easily expunged from his mind.