Authors Note: None of these are connected to each other. You can imagine them being connected together if you want, but they're merely dribbles. (Yes, the first ones AU).
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
::
the sun shines
and it's a beautiful day
::
She's just a child, it doesn't make him turn away though. It should, but it doesn't. His fingers graze the curve of her cheek, lightly runs his fingers through her hair.
"Stop," She whispers, eyes trained on cleaning his face up. Serena had left her to take care of him, a rush of gold as she chased after Dan. He stills his movements, letting his hands fall back down to his sides.
She's a child, he shouldn't. He shouldn't be touching her, he shouldn't be wanting to kiss her. He leans back in the chair, smirking at her a little cockily. Her fingers dap at the bruise on his chin, he hisses when it stings.
"What did you do?" She asks, curiosity getting the best of her. Nate couldn't of just punched him for no reason. He rolls his eyes, what did he do?
"It's a long story," It isn't, but he doesn't want to look like the bad guy. The younger girl shrugs her shoulders, mirroring his smirk from before as she leans back into her own chair.
"I have time." She states confidently, it's almost as if she's challenging him, daring him to tell her. He smiles softly at her. He shrugs his shoulders, what does it matter if she thinks you're the bad guy.
::
It's London, and she's always been a little bit reckless.
"Carter Baizen." She greets, horror stories from Gossip Girl, rumours spread around school, and well, Serena, (Let us not forget about Chuck and Nate's hatred for him either) flying out of her head. She cocks her head to the side, just a little.
"Jennifer Humphrey," He drawls her name out, leaning against the bar counter top. He remembers her. She became a constant on the blog he was too old to be subscribed to. She was Serena's step sister or something as well, and, Blair talked about how much of a bitch she was and how much she hated her twenty four seven. Basically.
"What brings you to London?" She asks, her question laced with curiosity. He shrugs, taking a step closer towards her.
"What doesn't?" He breathes, an inch or two away from her ear. She lets out a small laugh, grabs her purse and leaves.
But not before calling out, "Maybe I'll see you around."
::
She looks more beautiful in ivory than any other colour, he swears. The lace falling off of her body like a waterfall, she glides down the aisle. Smirking slightly as she passes Serena.
"Well, don't you look pretty, sweetheart?" She blushes a little, eyes falling to the flowers in her hands. Stay calm, breathe in, breathe out. Everything will be fine. This is normal, right? Yes.
Everything flies past so fast, she barely remembers a word, she hopes somebody has filmed everything. She does, however, remember the way Carter was looking at her. The way he always looks at her.
(The way he used to look at Serena. Guess, she & B shared the same problem when it came to the golden child and her boys. Correction: Their boys, shared between the three of them).
She's swaying on the dance floor, her head rested against his chest.
"Mrs. Baizen. I like the sound of that," He whispers, lips landing on hers.
"Ms. Humphrey." She states, tearing her lips away from his. He shrugs his shoulders, he doesn't care what her last name is. She's his, and he's hers.
Heshersheshersheshers - until the day he dies, and even then.
::
She's in her late seventies, and he had passed away the year before.
She guesses his death (he would go before her, of course, she's the young one) was meant to be more tragic, she was supposed to mourn more. She found it to be a weight lifting off of her chest, their arguments ceasing to exist for good.
She loved him. Loved.
(But she'll always love him).
She lays a card on his grave, hair grey, and bones trembling with every step she takes. Breathing becoming an issue for her. Carter Baizen. She remembers their youth, acting as if they held everything in the palm of their hands, ignoring his pining for Serena (she could never fully be his), the constant fighting, explosive, but always ending up in each others arms. Always. They couldn't fight what they had, they could never leave.
The memories tug a smile at her lips, lifting the heart that had been encased in darkness since his death (since before). It may of lifted a weight, but it didn't lift them all.
::
She's crumbling. Back sliding against the wall, as she sits on the floor. Head in her hands, blonde hair spilling out around her. She's still a foolish child. No matter how hard she tries to be mature, to be grown up, to be better. She makes the same, stupid mistakes.
Carter.
Carter fucking Baizen.
Oh god, she feels sick. She loves Carter Baizen. And he loves her. Or he did, before the fight. She wipes hastily at the tears running down her cheeks, pushing herself up off of the ground. She doesn't want to fight with him anymore.
He's standing in the door way, hat in his hands, his heart on the line. She rushes towards him, flinging her body into his. Crashing her lips against his.
They're too wild, too dysfunctional to last. He'll break her, and she'll break him. They'll break each other.
"I love you, Jen." He whispers, enclosing her in a hug.
But she's never been this happy before.
::
She's nineteen and she's scared.
The little pink plus sign haunting her as he calls, as she sleeps, as she shops. As she does anything.
She avoids him at all costs, and she can feel the inevitable break up. It's not just going to be one of many either, it's going to be it. They've discussed it, the next one is for good. The next break up is final, it'll be the end.
So, she calls him up. Nervous, a wreck but ready to tell him the truth.
"Jenny?" Serena's voice is on the other end of the phone, light hearted laughter echoing out of her lips as she hushes for Carter to stop.
"Serena?" Jenny asks, the surprise evident in her voice. She's not a fool, she can connect the dots. She feels her world breaking, crashing down. And oh god, this couldn't be happening to her. She hangs up before Serena gets the chance to respond, flings her phone on her bed and cries. She cries.
She cries because she loves Carter, even though he warned her that she shouldn't, warned her that it wasn't right, she was just a child, he warned her and yet she still loved him. She cries because he told her that what they had wasn't a relationship. She cries because she saw the way his eyes lit up whenever Serena was mentioned in passing. She should of known. She should of been smarter.
It felt like Damien all over again.
::
"Jenny, right?" She's sixteen, lounging at the Hamptons estate. Eric is next to her, on the phone to Jonathan, ignoring her. She slides off of her sunglasses and peers up at the man in front of her. She's subscribed to Gossip Girl, she's not an idiot.
"Carter Baizen, right?" She asks curiously, a small smile lifting at her lips as she sat up. He nods his head, eyes roving around the place.
"Is Serena here?" He asks her, a little desperation in his voice. She lets out a small laugh, Serena? Serena's off doing god knows what, while she and Eric lied for her.
"You might want to try somewhere else," Jenny suggests.
::
It takes her by surprise, his thumb strokes over her wrist as he grabs her hand, helping her out of the car. She's laughing on the phone to some friend, and he's bored. And, Serena and Nate are heading down the street right in their view.
"Now," He whispers harshly as he crashes his lips against hers, hands resting on either side of her face. It shouldn't take her by surprise, but it does. Her lips are frozen for a second, before she spots Serena and Nate, mouths ajar as they watch with equal surprise. She lets her eyes flutter close as she kisses him back.
He pulls back first, tenderly stroking her cheek, then grabbing her hand. Her friend is shouting into her side of the receiver, the small shrieks near Jenny's ear awaking her up out of her trance as she puts the phone back next to her ear. She thinks that this using each other to get through to Serena and Nate could be fun.
She moves her body closer to his, snuggling against him, hands intertwined as they walk past Serena and Nate. The two of them stopping for polite hellos and how are yous for a second before leaving.
He kisses her again, lighter this time, softer. Just a peck, and it makes her heart soar in an unexpected way. A way that makes her forget Nate (and a way that makes him forget Serena).
::
Authors Note: This was pretty angsty tbh.