Sort of AU after Petty in Pink. I mean everything that happened on the show, happens in this. But with one major Dair change. I really have no idea what this is...
I own nothing.
Forget Your Past
I don't know why I'm scared
I've been here before
Every feeling, every word
I've imagined it all
You'll never know, if you never try
To forget your past, and simply be mine
-Adele | One and Only
He clinks his beer bottle against Charlie's, tying to return her easy smile when the door knocks again.
"Expecting anyone else?" She raises her eyebrows in curiosity, but he shakes his head.
"No. Go sit down." He gestures to the couch as he turns to open the door. "Blair." His voice almost catches in his throat (he still not used to this girl being the one he wants).
She smiles at him, nervously shifting her pink bag in her hands. "Can I come in?" she requests and he simply stands aside for her. She stops abruptly and it's not until he turns does he remember Charlie.
"I can wait in the office again?" She jerks her thumb towards the back of the loft and gives him a small (hopeful?) smile.
"Actually..." He starts. He knows he invited her to stay, but this is Blair and he doesn't want to have a metaphorical clock hanging over their head (besides he knows Blair's faces and she needs to talk).
"Oh. I'll go." Charlie picks up his unspoken cues and sets her half finished beer on the coffee table. "We'll talk later." She nods at him as she passes, "Bye."
"Yeah, see you, Charlie." He closes the door and turns to find Blair staring at him, hand on her hip (her coat, he notices, is placed haphazardly over a stool at the breakfast bar).
"What?"
"What was Florida doing here?" Her eyes narrow and he wonders why she cares.
"She was just apologising for the video. And calling her Florida? Very mature."
She rolls her eyes and perches herself on a stool, her pink dress and its formality standing out of place against the normality of the loft. She pushes a stray curl behind her ear and glances up at him. "Well as long as that's all it was." Her eyes flash and her knows what she is saying. 'Don't go there Humphrey.' He wouldn't and won't and it's killing him not being able to tell her the reasons (reason, he thinks, singular, Blair) why. "We all know," she continues, "Florida would be a step down. At least Brooklyn's in New York." She flashes him a smile and he coughs, his feet shifting awkwardly beneath him.
"Why are you here?" He changes the subject, willing himself to stay calm.
"I just wanted to thank you. For the kiss." His eyes meet hers and she shakes her head before correcting herself. "For carrying out my crazy, insane plan."
"It's okay." He tells her (he's lying but he's not if he's lying to her or himself).
"Well, as it turns out it was all for nothing. Louis and I went public with our relationship."
He opens his mouth reply ('Congratulations'? 'Well done'? 'Why'?) but his words get stuck in his throat so he nods and takes the stool beside her. She's looking at him expectantly but all he can give her is 'Another wasted kiss, huh?"
"Well, I mean, at least now Serena knows about us." She offered, placing her hand on top of his. "About us being friends."
"Yeah." He sighs and goes to move his hand from under hers (it feels too heavy) but he remembers the sting of her jerking her hand away on Valentines and he remains still. "How'd it go with her after I left?"
"Not well," she shrugs, "She can't understand how or why we're friends."
"I guess that's not unreasonable." He lifts one shoulder and then drops it.
"I told her we have a connection." Their eyes lock and he feels exposed under her gaze. "We do, right? We're friends?"
He bites on his lip considering how to answer her ('I can't be your friend, Blair. I want more. I want you'), "Of course we're friends," he smiles and she lets out a sigh, "but I don't want you fighting with Serena over this. She's your best friend."
"Oldest friend." She corrects him and he wonders why she's made the distinction. "Oldest friend," she reiterates, "and for want of a better term, my sister. But lately, you, Dan Humphrey, have been my best friend." She smiles, squeezing his hand.
He looks at his knees, trying not to blush ('Do not be uncool about this, Dan!') and then mumbles "You too, Blair." Glancing up, he sees her grin widen and he feels his own mirroring it. "And speaking of oldest friends, it was Vanessa, not Chuck, who told Serena about the kiss."
"What? How did she know?"
"She heard us talking at that photo shoot. She came by this evening but i made it clear that I didn't want to see her anymore. We're no longer friends."
"Well, I would suggest plotting her downfall, but I know now, that not being friends with you is punishment enough." Her voice is light, but he recognises the look in her eyes and he knows she means every word.
A silence descends upon them, but it feels awkward, heavy and misplaced. He shifts in his seat, noticing his now empty beer bottle. "You want a drink?"
"You have anything other than beer?" She inquires, pushing herself off the stool and wandering into the kitchen. Her hand finally leaves his, and it's only then he realises she never let go. His hand now feels cold and empty and he considers how quickly he's become accustomed to Blair Waldorf (if three and a half years could ever be considered 'quick').
"Aha! Wine!" She grins, holding up a bottle of merlot, left over from Christmas. "Not, the best vintage, but it'll do." She lifts two glasses and then locates a corkscrew with ease. "Go get a movie." She glances over her shoulder, "I'm in the mood for something funny, and familiar. And with Cary Grant." He nods and heads to his room to find a film to watch. He pulls out the first Grant movie he finds, returning to find her already on the couch, her legs tucked under her. "What you get?"
"'Holiday'," he puts the disc into his laptop and then sits beside her. "That okay?"
"It's perfect." She smiles, handing him a glass of wine. "To friendship." She holds her own glass up in a toast and he has no choice but to join her.
"Friendship." He repeats before taking a gulp of the crimson liquid (friendship is probably the last thing on his mind).
The movie ends as he pours the last of the wine. "You know, I can do a backflip." He grins as he hands her back her glass.
"No you can't." She swats him on the shoulder, laughing.
"Sure I can. I'm just too cool to do them in public."
"Please," she scoffs, "when have you ever been cool, Humphrey?"
He pouts and puts on a performance of being hurt. "You wound my ego, Waldorf."
She rolls her eyes and leans in, kissing his cheek. "There, better?" The feel of her lips on his skin and the smell of her perfume take him back to that room in his dad and Lily's apartment. His hands on her waist, her arms about his neck, her lips on his and he jumps back as if burnt. "Dan?"
"I can't do this Blair." He squeezes his eyes shut, in an attempt to order his thoughts.
"Do what?" Her voice is barely above a whisper and the desperation in it almost kills him.
"This." His hand gestures between them and he looks up at her (and it the worst thing he could have done. The look on her face is enough to push him over the edge). "That kiss, for me, wasn't a mistake. I can't just be your friend."
"I'm with Louis." She tells and he lets out a laugh that's devoid of any humour.
"Blair, tell me straight, did it mean something, anything to you? If it didn't, then it didn't. You go back to the Prince and we go back to being friends."
"And if it did mean something?" She whispers and his heart swells with hope (he tries to subdue it, but to no avail).
"Blair..."
She reaches out and runs her hand along his cheek and he subconsciously leans into her hand. "I only regret walking away that night." She smiles, but he notices tears forming in her eyes. "But, I'm with Louis, now." She repeats herself, looking down at her lap to avoid his gaze.
He takes hold of her hand, still in place on his cheek and presses a kiss to her palm. She looks up at him and bites down on her lower lip. "I can't." She shakes her head and it's his eyes avoiding her gaze (because he can't bear looking into her eyes, knowing he'll only face disappointment). Her skirt is wrinkled, he notices.
Suddenly her lips are on his again, her hands are in his hair and then he's kissing her back, his fingers trailing across her collar bone, over her shoulder and down her back. He swipes his tongue across her lower lip and she when opens to allow him access, he angles his mouth over hers.
Pulling back, both their breathing ragged, she stands up and walks away from him. "Blair." He calls after her, his voice cracking. She stops in her tracks and looks over her shoulder at him. Reaching out her hand, she beckons him with a nod of her head. Taking her hand in his, he stands and she leads him to his room.
She turns on the spot to face him and dropping her hand, he cups her face, kissing her again. Her hands move to his dress shirt, undoing the buttons and pushing the material from his shoulders. As she runs her nails down his arms he breaks away and bends at the knee to look her in the eye. "Are you sure about this?"
She shakes her head and whispers "don't ask me that," pressing a kiss to his jaw.
"Blair."
"Dan, I'm not sure about anything right now. But I need this. I know I need you."
It isn't the perfect answer he is looking for, but when had they ever been perfect? He angles his mouth back over her, fighting her for control of the kiss as his hands make his way to the zipper of her dress. Giving it a gentle pull, her dress falls to her feet and she steps out it, taking Dan with her.
Her hands move to undo his buckle, making quick work of the zip and as she pushes his pants over his hips, her knees hit the side of his bed. He lifts her and without breaking their kiss, he moves them onto his bed. Pulling away from him, she reaches up and unhooks the front clasp of her bra, smiling as she watches the look of delight in his eyes. He bends his head and swirls his tongue around her nipple, watching as it hardens. He kisses down the valley of her breasts and pays her other nipple the same attention, before pulling it between his teeth. She arches her back, pushing herself into his keen mouth, a low moan of pleasure escaping her. He kisses down her stomach, his tongue darting quickly into her navel, and he goes lower still. His hot breath blows across the hollow of her hips, before he kisses the seam of her sex through her panties. He rids her of white, lace underwear in one swift movement, before working his way back up her body to kiss her.
She reaches for him, through the slit of his boxers and curls her fingers around him. Giving him a firm tug, he grunts and pushes her hand away, ridding himself of his boxers and reaching into the nightstand for a condom. He rips open the packet, unrolls it, and slides right into her. He stills his movement, allowing her to adjust. She grips his hands in hers and wiggles her hips slightly, a silent request for him to continue. He brings their joined hands above her head and rocks his hips, thrusting into her.
Her back arches and she presses her breasts into his chest. Her mouth parts slightly as she gasps for breath, his name falling from her lips like a prayer as she falls over the edge. One final thrust and he comes too, grunting her name, his head coming to rest in the crook of her neck.
He slips out of her and shifts, pulling her towards him, her head now resting on his chest. He kisses the crown of her head and she smiles sleepily up at him, before they both drift off into slumber.
He wakes and finds her sitting up, his shirt swamping her tiny frame, his copy of 'This Side of Paradise' in her hands.
"You're going back to him." He finds his voice and she looks up, startled.
She closes the book and drops it onto the bed beside her before nodding her head, "I have to." She offers him a small smile, but he notes that it's tinged with sadness.
"You don't have to do anything." He places his hand on her exposed knee and she responds by putting her own hand on top of his.
"I know I don't," she says gently giving his hand a squeeze, "but I want to."
He jerks his hand away, from under her hand, from its place on her knee and he sees her visibly recoil. "Just go then," he tells her, his voice cold.
"Dan..." Her voice is pleading, but he can't look her. He knows it'll be his undoing. "Dan, please, we're still friends, right?"
"Friends?" He scoffs, still avoiding her face, "Then what was last night? Another mistake? Is that now the biggest regret of your life?"
"No..."
"You should have walked away Blair."
"Dan, please. I don't regret what we did, but I'm with Louis. Last night was wonderful, but I made him a promise."
He glances up at her and the second he does, he regrets it. Her eyes are glassy with unshed tears and she tries to give him a watery smile. "Please say we're still friends."
He wants to tell her no, whatever friendship they had was effectively ruined, and he couldn't possibly be her friend, when he now knows how it feels to be inside her, but he nods once. "Sure. Friends."
She smiles at him, bright and happy, brushing away a tear that escaped. "Thank you." She stands and picks up her dress. "I should get ready; my car's been waiting for a while." She makes her way to the bathroom and he rolls over onto his stomach, his face landing on the pillow she slept on. Breathing in her scent, he groans and mutters choice curse words.
Pushing himself up, he locates a pair of sweat pants and pulls them on before moving to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.
The bathroom door clicks open and she appears. Her dress still has a few wrinkles in the skirt, her hair is curly about her shoulders, and her face is free from makeup. He's never seen her look so beautiful. Perfect in her imperfection and she gets to go back to him. A Prince. Dan Humphrey of Brooklyn never stood a chance.
"Waldorf." He greets her with a smile, but it almost kills him to do so.
She grins at the use of her last name as she pulls on her coat. "See you around, Dan." She kisses his cheek and quickly leaves, the door closing quietly behind her.
He doesn't see her over the next week. She shows up at the loft after the disastrous non dinner for his dad and the band.
"What's going on?" He smiles and she lifts her left hand. He smile fades slightly as hers brightens.
"Louis proposed. I'm getting married."
"Wow." He clears his throat and then smiles down at her, pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations." He whispers in her ear.
"Thank you." She replies, pulling back and looking up at him. "Are you okay?"
He counters her with another question, "Are you happy?" She nods yes and he bites down on his lip, nodding in return. "Then I'm okay."
"I have to go; my car is waiting." She gestures back to the door and he smirks at the metaphorical clock she's put in place. Besides, he knows that Charlie is on her way over after her showdown with Vanessa. "I just wanted to tell you in person."
"Thank you." He means it. The news of her engagement is killing him, but he knows it would have worse to find out through Gossip Girl. "And congratulations again."
"Bye Dan." She kisses his cheek and quickly leaves him alone again.
Charlie arrives in a flurry of pumped emotion, reeling from her confrontation and when she kisses him, he doesn't pull away. If Blair can move on, why can't he? He likes Charlie and she seems like a great girl (even if he thinks her kisses taste different; weird; too sweet. Blair tasted of cinnamon.)
His cell phone rings early and he smiles when he sees her name. "Waldorf."
"I'm having an Engagement Toast tomorrow. You're coming, right?" She doesn't bother with a greeting.
"Sure. That St Jude's/Constance fundraiser is tomorrow, but I could swing by to toast you."
"Good." He thinks he can hear her smile. "I have to go. I'm at the airport picking up my mom and Cyrus, but I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, bye Blair." He hangs up just as Charlie arrives, laden down with bags of candy.
"Breakfast?" She smiles and he stand to help her with the load.
He hasn't slept with her. Her kisses are still too sweet for his liking, and he doesn't think it would be fair to put her through any further comparison.
He calls to her after missing her at both her party and the fundraiser and after Charlie turns out to be more messed up than anyone could have imagined.
"Dan? Is everything okay?" She still hasn't mastered the word 'hello'.
"Everything's fine. I just wanted to saying sorry for bailing earlier at your party."
"Don't worry about it. It's been an eventful night."
"Same here. Wanna swap stories? I kinda miss you." He admits and smiles when she returns the sentiment.
"Tomorrow. Shakespeare in the Park. We'll mock. And talk. But mostly mock." She laughs and he easily agrees.
"I'll see you then Waldorf."
"Bye Humphrey." Her phone disconnects and he throws himself down on to his bed. He feels too wired to sleep, but too exhausted to do anything else.
"She asked you to call her Serena?" Her voice is loud and she get more than a few disapproving looks from the crowd around them.
He laughs and nods his head. "Yeah."
"But why?" She shakes her head in confusion. "You and Serena have been over for a while."
"I dunno." He shrugs, just as confused as she seems to be. Charlie is the only person who knew how he felt about Blair. She knew he no longer had feelings for Serena. "She was off meds, who knows what was going through her head."
"I suppose." She concedes, taking a sip of her coffee.
"So, are you gonna tell me about your night?" He gently nudges her. "Or do I have to guess?"
"I got kidnapped by Russell Thorpe. He tried to burn me alive and Chuck saved me."
"Wait, what?"
"It's long and complicated." She shrugs one shoulder and gives him a weak smile.
"We've got time." He ducks his head to look at her directly and takes her hand. "Tell me what happened."
So she does. Every detail, the ruse, how scared she was; everything. She glances at him and he's slightly paler than when she started.
"Are you okay?" He breathes out and she nods.
"I'm fine, Dan. No harm done. But something else happened." She takes a deep breath and her words come out in one long run on word; "IsleptwithChuck."
"What?"
"I slept with Chuck." She sighs, eying the hem of her sleeve with a new interest.
"Blair." He prods and she looks up slowly. "What happened?" His voice is calm, but inside he's reeling.
"I'm not sure. I think it was something to do with fact I wasn't dead. I was going to break off the engagement."
"To be with Chuck?" His voice is harsh and she winches. He's glad. She wouldn't leave Louis for him before she was engaged, but she would now. For Chuck Bass?
"Yes." She snaps, "But I'm still engaged, so what does it matter?"
"Do you love Chuck?"
"I think I'll always love Chuck." She replies and he feels his heart sink. "But I realized last night, I'm not in love with him anymore."
"Are you in love with Louis?" He asks, throwing his empty coffee cup into a nearby trash can.
"I'm marrying him, aren't I?"
"That's not what I asked." His tone is weary.
So is hers, "I know." She sighs and runs and hand through her curls and his wishes he could so the same. "I do love Louis. And he loves me. And right now, that's all that matters. You said if I was happy…"
"I know." He nods.
"I am."
"Good." He stands and offers her his hands. "This is terrible. Wanna take a walk?"
"Sure." She places her hand in his and he pulls her up. She lands a little to close to him and he can feel her breath on his face. They both jump apart, giving each other an awkward smile. "Did I tell you I'm going to Monaco this summer?"
"You are?"
"Yes. I leave in three weeks. We have plenty of time to catch the new show at the MoMA and see the John Huston Retrospect."
"Sounds like a plan Waldorf."
"Good. Right now though, I'm in the mood for a little classic Audrey. Care to join me?" She smiles up at him and he's powerless to say no.
He meets with her two or three times a week until the day comes when she's leaving for Monaco with Louis.
He arrives at his Dad's apartment and there she is. Bright eyed, conversing happily with Lily. Serena and Charlie are still at breakfast. He watches her with interest. Something is off with her. It's not obvious, but there's something. She spots him and her smile brightens. She excuses herself from Lily and moves to join him.
"Hey." She comes to a stop beside him, running her hand down his arm in greeting.
"You okay?" He asks in a hushed tone.
"I'm fine. Better than fine. I'm flying of to spend the summer in luxury." She beams and can't hide his smile.
"And I'm happy for you. But something seems…different about you." He shrugs.
She narrows her eyes and then sighs. "Fine. Come with me." She walks off towards Serena's old room and he obediently follows. She is staring out the window when he reaches the door, her fingers curled around the curtains.
"Blair?"
She turns and give him wide smile. "You have to promise not to tell anyone."
"What's going on?" He crosses to her and places his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"Just promise me." She grins. "I know I have to tell you. When did that happen? When I had to tell you everything about my life?"
"When we became friends?" He shrugs. "And I promise. Your secret is safe with me."
"I'm pregnant." She whispers up at him.
"With a baby?" He asks unintelligently.
"No, a toad." She rolls her eyes.
"And you know who the…" he trails off and she smiles at him.
"The father?" She asks and he nods. "I do." She confirms. "You and I were careful." She shrugs, easily dismissing the night they had spent together. "The dates are wrong for Chuck."
"Thank God. A Baby Bass would probably arrive with a bow tie and smirk." He quips and she lets out a soft laugh. "So, it's a Royal baby?"
"Yeah." She nods and a soft smile plays on her lips.
"You're happy?" He questions and she nods again.
"It's scary. And I still have to finish college and plan a wedding. But I'm happy. I'm really happy." She grins and lets out a laugh, tears forming in her eyes. "Happy tears." She clarifies and he hugs her.
"You're an amazing woman Blair Waldorf." He kisses the top of her head and steps away from her as Serena appears at the door.
"Everything okay in here?" She walks into the room, followed by Charlie. "We're just getting the last of Charlie's things."
"Okay, well we'll leave you to it." He walks past the two blondes and Blair follows, smiling at her friend as she passes. When she reaches the door she strides ahead of Dan. He grins as she corrects his dad and then watches, shifting uncomfortable as she talks to Chuck. When Chuck leaves, Dan moves to rejoin her.
"So you're really getting married, huh?" He smiles and she returns it, her eyes flashing a thank you for keeping things normal.
"Yes, and you're actually going to be invited. I bet you never thought you'd get to go to a royal wedding." She mocks him slightly, but he returns her serve with ease.
"Only my own. Do you think you could introduce me to Charlotte Casiraghi?" She shakes her and makes a face and he's never seen her look so adorable, but reminds himself that she is friend. His engaged friend. Engaged and pregnant. "Listen, if the castle gets lonely, um, you want to watch a movie with a friend..."
"I already copied your queue." She interrupts him, but her small smile tells him all he needs to know. She gets it. He's there if she needs to talk. "Our email discourse begins Monday with Hal Ashby's The Landlord. And we'll take it from there."
"Okay." He concedes as he walks her to the elevator. "Have a safe flight." He whispers as she stretches up to kiss his cheek.
"Thank you." She nods, before turning and leaving. He stares at the closed elevator door for a second, rubbing his chin in thought before realising that Charlie was leaving too. He hugs her and she tells him that she really did like him. He tells her that he really did like her too, but leaves out that it wasn't enough. She wasn't enough. She wasn't Blair.
He's been in The Hamptons for just over two weeks. He emails Blair every few days and spends the rest of the time wishing he could call her.
He's having lunch with Hannah. Eric introduced them a few days ago and this is their third date in as many days. She's interesting, tall with long brown hair and an interest in Beats literature and seventies rock music. He hasn't kissed her. It would feel like a betrayal, but he's not sure to whom.
He pays for lunch, and she asks if he wants to take a walk along the beach.
"I can't," he gives her a small apologetic smile, "I have plans this afternoon. Sorry."
"No problem." She shrugs and kisses his cheek. "See you tomorrow?" She pulls her sunglasses over her eyes and he nods. "Good." She waves and walks off the opposite direction and Dan heads back to the house, a movie and a phone call from Blair (their first) waiting.
He enters through the back door, into the kitchen but he can hear voices from the sitting room. Assuming its Eric and Peter, from next door, Dan ducks his head around the door frame to say hello. He spots the brown curls and stops dead in his tracks.
"Blair?"
She stands and gives a small wave. "Hey." She breaths out, but he's too stunned to reply.
"We'll leave you two alone." Eric stands, taking Peter's hand and they brush past Dan, who is still standing in the doorway. As the front door clicks closed, Dan is jostled from his thoughts.
"What are you doing here?" He finally joins her in the room.
"I needed to see you." She sniffs, trying to fight back tears.
"What happened?" He holds on to her arm and guides her to sit down.
"I tried to tell Louis about the baby." She starts, but a tear falls on her cheek and soon she's sobbing onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She repeats over and over.
He soothes her, running his over her back in slow circles. When her breathing returns to normal, he sits back and looks her in the eye. "Wanna start again?"
She nods and takes his hand. "I asked Louis about having children. Trying to suss out how he would take the news..."
"Okay." He nods and she continues.
"He told me that we would have trouble conceiving."
"But you're already..."
"I'm aware Humphrey. I asked what he meant. When Louis was twenty he received treatment for skin cancer. The radiation therapy left him...he can't have children. We could conceive artificially, with frozen..." She trails of and blows out a breath. "Long story short, but there's no way this baby is his."
"What does that mean?" Dan shakes his head, trying to comprehend what she is telling him.
She takes his and gives it a short squeeze. "The dates are still way off for Chuck to be the father." She pauses and looks at him. "I guess we weren't as careful as we original thought." She whispers and his eyes widen in shock.
"You mean...?"
"Yeah." She nods, brushing a curl out of her face. With the movement, Dan catches sight of her ring finger. Her very bare ring finger. He takes hold of her hand and stares down at it. "I left him." She says after a few seconds. "It wouldn't have been right."
"Why?" Dan looks up and she flashes him a smile.
"I had convinced myself staying with Louis was the right thing to do, because he was the father of my baby. When I realised that he wasn't, I felt relieved. I wasn't obligated to stay. I gave him the ring back and got straight on a flight back home."
"I'm gonna be a dad?" He asks and she nods. "And you're no long engaged to a prince?"
"I'm not engaged to anybody." She shrugs. "You know the whole flight back, I kept thinking about last summer. I wandered Paris searching for a connection. Someone who I could sit with and discuss a book. Or walk around a museum with. I met Louis and thought that he was who I was looking for. He wasn't. You were. I was looking for you. And I found you, but I was too stupid and conceited to realise it. And then I went into denial, but I can't live like that. I love you Dan Humphrey."
He kisses her and he thinks nothing has ever tasted better. Pulling away from her, he rests his forehead against hers. "I love you too Blair Waldorf."
She laughs in relief and cups his cheek. "What about the baby."
"I love the baby too." He shrugs.
"You wanna keep it?" She bites down on her lip.
"My position is the same as always Blair, I want whatever makes you happy."
"I want this baby." She confesses.
"So do I." He replies and she smiles brightly.
"Though," he frowns, "this does mean that you had sex with Chuck, while pregnant with my kid."
"Try not to think about it." She kisses his forehead. "I don't. We just have to forget our past and look towards our future."
"I think I can do that." He smiles at her and she pulls him to her, kissing him soundly. He thinks she tastes of forever.
Five years later
"Mommy! Look!" Blair smiles as her five year old daughter come running up to her, a still wet painting in her hands. She takes the painting in her own hands and tries to work out what it is. A snail? A scooter? Looking down at the little girl, she beams.
"It's amazing Livvy! I love it!"
"No critique?" The little girl frowns, her brown eyes narrowing. Blair laughs at her daughter's precociousness. Blair, the curator of a small gallery, has taught Olivia the fine art of a good critique.
"No." Blair shakes her head. "There's no critiquing perfection."
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, she runs off, towards her grandfather, her long brown curls flying out behind her.
"What is that? A bicycle?" Dan appears at her side and she wraps her arm around his waist.
"I have no idea, but if she asks you about it, just say you think it's incredible."
"I think everything Liv does is incredible." He shrugs and she kisses his chest.
"Softie." She mumbles into him and he laughs loudly.
"Daddy! Shhh!" Olivia chastises him from across the room.
"She's too much like you." He frowns.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." She beams as Jenny joins them.
"Hey, you tell her yet?"
"Tell me what yet?" Blair glances from Dan to Jenny and back again.
"No." Dan shakes his head before continuing. "Jenny is gonna keep Liv here tonight."
"Yeah," Jenny smiles, "I never get to see her. We'll watch some Disney movies and gorge ourselves on popcorn and ice cream. And you two can make up for your anniversary. Dad told me about Liv being sick. Not how you're supposed to spend your first anniversary."
"Are you sure?" Blair asks and Jenny nods once. "Thanks, but if my daughter comes home knowing the finer points of eyeliner application, I will bring about your downfall, Little J."
Jenny laughs at the use of her old nickname and pulls the brunette into a hug. "Whatever you say B."
Dan smiles at the two, wondering how they never got along in high school. But then again, he and Blair didn't exactly like each other back then either.
"Go say bye to her and then go have fun." Jenny pushes them towards Olivia and Rufus, taking the wet painting from Blair's hands.
"Livvy, we're going now. We'll see you tomorrow." Dan kneels beside his daughter and she gives him a quick hug.
"'Kay. See you later." She hugs Blair and kisses her cheek and then turns back to her painting.
"I feel loved." Blair pouts as they leave the apartment and Dan laughs, drawing her into a hug.
"She's five and excited about the prospect of making herself sick on candy. And besides, I have plans for you tonight. You are definitely gonna feel loved." He winks, kissing her cheek.
"Is that threat Mr Humphrey?" She smirks and he smiles down at her.
"That's a promise, Mrs Humphrey." He whispers in her ear, before kissing her squarely on the lips. Her arms wrap around his neck and his hands wander across her back.
He still thinks she tastes forever.
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