Note: I had this idea and couldn't let go of it. It's really cheesy, but I couldn't help myself. I hope you like it! :D
Blair ordered everyone out of her dressing room. The wedding was going to start soon and in less than an hour, she would be Blair Cornelia Grimaldi, princess of Monaco. She looked at her reflection in the oversized mirror. Her dress was of course perfectly tailored and exuded wealth and privilege. Blair Waldorf was never someone accepted anything less than perfection, yet there was still something wrong with what she saw before her. She stood still, trying to pinpoint the flaw, when she heard the door creak open.
"Penelope, I told you to wait until I called for you. It's not to late to revoke your bridesmaid privileges," Blair snapped out as she turned, prepared to inflict violence, if necessary. She stopped when she Louis, prince of Monaco, her fiancee and future husband, standing at the entry way.
"Louis, what are you doing here," she asked after a moment of shocked silence, "Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the ceremony?"
"Superstitions are for weak-minded, my dear, something you definitely are not," he replied as he walked towards his petite bride to be. "Blair, you look beautiful."
"They always say a woman is her most beautiful on her wedding day, and who am I defy tradition and expectations?" she responded with a short laugh before turning back to gaze at her reflection. "I just wish I could figure out what is wrong."
"What do you mean my love?" Louis asked looking with her into the mirror.
"I can't really explain it. Something just seems off. My hair and dress are perfect, my shoes cost more than a year's tuition at Constance, and yet, something still seems wrong. I can't go out there in front of all of those people and not look my best," Blair spoke softly as she began turning around, examining her figure from different angles, searching for the problem.
"Your smile," Louis stated simply.
"Excuse me," Blair asked in confusion.
"Your smile is missing." he replied, a bit sadly this time.
"I don't understand, and I don't have time for riddles, so if you would just please leave so I can-" Blair began, growing frustrated with the man in front of her.
"Blair, I think we need to talk," Louis said simply. He had hoped that her seeing herself in her dress with him standing next to her would have made everything better, but if he was honest with himself, he had never believed it would. She had made him watch Breakfast at Tiffany's , and until this moment, he had never understood Holly's speech to Doc about the hurt loving a wild thing would cause.
Whispers began to spread through the assembled mass of guests waiting on the society event of the year to start. The grandmother of a distant cousin had heard from a socialite that had been told by an usher who gathered from a maid who had overheard part of an emotional conversation behind a partially closed door that the wedding was being called off. News eventually spread to those closest to the couple in question. Louis mother, Sophie, enraged, stormed off in search of her son. Beatrice, pleased that something was finally going her way, skipped off to relay the news to her lover, Father Cavalia, the man who had been scheduled to see over the nuptials. Serena, worried for her friend's sanity, rushed off to find Blair. Eleanor, Blair's mother, began to worry about all the waste of the reception and stepped out to make a few quick calls to have the caterers move the food and reception set up somewhere else. Lily, unfazed by the happenings around her but always in favor a good party, went with Eleanor and offered the penthouse as the new resting place for the food and of course the alcohol. Waste not, want not! Rufus, confused, fetched Lily's coat and followed behind her while she plotted with Eleanor. Chuck, feeling smug about his last minute declaration of inevitability, fate, and undying love to Blair had worked, decided to help Eleanor and Lily and really set the mood for Blair's triumphant return to him. Penelope, Jessica, and Iz, Blair's minions/bridesmaids, were initially upset by the opportunity that had been taken from them, but as soon as they heard that a newly single Nate Archibald was attending the new party being put together by the Bass der Humphreys and Waldorf-Roses, they forgot why they were upset and started stalk the blonde, slightly dim, Nate around while he searched for Chuck. Dorota, upset that her friend was hurting, headed to Brooklyn to get the one person she might want to talk to.
Dan knew none of this. After the fallout of his scandalous book, and the resulting fight between him and Blair and then later him and Nate and Serena, he had holed up in his Brooklyn loft. He had chosen to not attend the wedding, though he had been invited. He didn't think Blair wanted him there and the last things he wanted were to upset her on special day or see her marry another man. Dorota's sharp knock woke him from a light doze. He opened the door and was shocked to see Blair's maid/surrogate mother standing in the breeze way.
"Uhm, what's going on," the scruffy, slightly dazed, brunette asked the plump woman in front of him.
"Miss Blair need you. You come with me Miss Serena's," Dorota replied quickly.
Dan turned back to the loft, "let me grab my coat, I will meet you downstairs."
Blair sat in back of the town car looking out at the rain. She had always heard rain was supposed to mean luck on the day of a wedding, but now it just made her sad. She thought about what Louis had said and how much his words had touched her, but more than anything she remembered his sad eyes when told her thought she deserved to be happy. Someone else had told her that once upon a time. She wrinkled her nose at the last thought. Serena glanced over at her friend, confused by the mix of emtions on Blairs face. Serena could understand the look of sadness, but she was more confused by the small smile forming.
"I'm sorry things between you and Louis didn't work out. I just don't understand why both decided it was over. Weren't you about to get your fairy tale ending?" Serena asked, desperately wanting to understand her friend's eerily calm mood. Blair Waldorf was not known to keep quiet or even rational, when she lost out on something she wanted.
"We decided that we weren't right for each other. We were both in love with the idea of each other and what we represent." Blair replied with a slight shrug.
Serena moved closer and put her arm around the small brunette's shoulders. "You will get your prince I know-"
Blair interrupted her, "No more fairytales. I'm too old for princes and castles. It's time I made my own story instead of trying imitate someone else's."
"Is that what you plan on doing today? At this party? Starting a new story? Is that why you were so accepting about our mothers' plans?" Serena questioned, not sure of how to take this new Blair.
Blair let out a small laugh. "Well, let's hope that these plans turn out better than my wedding plans."
The two girls began to giggle. As the laughter began to quiet, the enormity of the events of the day began to settle over them, they leaned into each other.
"Blair, you are my best friend, my sister. I might not understand everything that went on today or yours and Louis' motivations, but I will always be here for you. I just want you to be happy." Serena wrapped her long, perfectly tanned arms, around her friend.
"Everyone keeps telling me that," Blair said quietly and hoped that the beautiful blonde, her best friend, her sister, really meant it.
Dan waited for the elevator to arrive at the top floor. Dorota had filled him in on the basics of the what happened at the wedding. Blair and Louis had decided to call the whole thing off, and while their split was amicable, Louis had still decided it would be for the best if he returned to Monaco immediately. His mother had been less than gracious about the turn of events and managed to turn Waldorf into a curse word, Nate had barely been able to keep Eleanor from attacking Sophie with crystal vase. Waldorf women of all ages did not take to insults kindly. Lily had decided that what everyone needed was a friendly environment and decided to host a small get together for the Blair's closest friends and family. After every resident of the Upper East side had been invited, everyone made their way to the Van der Woodsen-Humphrey's building and the lavish spread set out in the penthouse.
When he stepped out onto the landing, he looked around shocked. Only in the UES could something such as a failed wedding end in swarovski trimmed party decorations and a caviar station. The music was loud and considering the events of the day, the overall mood of the event was happy. He started to walk further in and stopped when he spotted her. Blair Waldorf, still in her wedding dress, standing near a window, watching the guests dance, laugh, and celebrate the end of her engagement. She looked beautiful and delicate, but he knew from very personal experience that she could wrestle, metaphorically and literally, with the best of them. He felt a pang deep inside. He thought that those feelings had began to fade away. After the book and the fight and the time spent apart, he had hoped that maybe they wouldn't have run as deep, but as he made his way towards her, he knew that indeed, Dan Humphrey was still in love with Blair Waldorf.
She noticed him when he was still five or six feet away from her. "Humphrey, what are you doing here?"
"Someone told me you were having a bad day, and thought that you might need a friend," he replied as stepped closer to her.
"Who says we are friends? I don't think I have forgiven you for all the turmoil you caused with your ill-timed and self-indulgent work of fiction."
Dan knew this diatribe was just part of the rhythm of their friendship, but it still hurt that this was her first comment to him "Well, if you don't need me, I''ll be going, I can feel guilty and horrible about the story that I didn't want published in the first place, at home where it is more comfortable and a hell of a lot warmer."
"Don't be so sensitive, Humphrey. It's not becoming," Blair replied nonchalantly, but grabbed his arm to keep him from leaving.
Her touch softened him and he turned to look at her. "So what happened to make Blair Waldorf decide she didn't want to be a princess afterall?"
"Well, if you must know. Louis came to talk to me this morning. He told me that while he respected me and cared for me a great deal he couldn't marry me. He said he knew he couldn't make me happy."
"Why? Did he give a reason?"
"He said that while he had been trying to fight it and that I had been trying to deny it and hide it, the truth was I was in love with someone else, and he knew couldn't fight fate."
Dan bristled at the last word and turned his dark eyes to gaze at Chuck, Blair's first true love and the man who had almost broken the spirit of the vivacious woman next to him. Not knowing why he hated himself enough to need to hear her say the name himself, he quietly asked, "Who?"
Blair smiled and turned to stand between Dan and sight of Chuck, who was hitting on a girl at the bar with the transparent intention of trying to make Blair jealous. She stood there until Dan focused on her her face, and the simply stated, "You." With that single word, she grabbed the lapels of Dan's jacket and pulled towards her, mimicking their first, lonely kiss in her foyer. This time though there was no hesitation on either of their parts, and they are were far from being alone. The music had died down and the entire crowd had to turn look at the pair who too busy enjoying themselves to notice anyone else. Finally someone in the audience loudly cleared their throat and the two broke apart.
Eleanor just stared, trying to figure out if she dreaming or if her newly singled daughter was kissing Dan, the cater waiter in front of every socialite, debutante, and important person in Manhattan. Chuck, snarled, grabbed the vapid girl next to him and a bottle of Jack. He wasn't worried, Blair would be back; she always came back. Nate ruffled from his recent sexcapade in a guestroom, just grinned and clapped. Lily, champagne glass in hand, just leaned back and enjoyed the show. Rufus, still confused, continued keeping Lily's glass coming. Serena, who was at first shocked then hurt, grabbed her phone so she could deal with the stress the way all Rhodes women handle their persona issues, she ordered 3 pounds of french fries to be delivered directly to the penthouse. The minions instinctively grabbed their phones from purses and began snapping pictures and sending texts, their fingers almost unrecognizable with speed. Dorota just smiled, afterall, she had always just wanted Miss Blair to be happy and find good, true love, and it seemed Mr. Daniel could be that.
"Umm.. Blair, I think we might have an audience," Dan said quietly as their lips parted.
"I'm tired of being watched today. Is the loft empty," Blair asked as she looked up at him.
"Yeah,"
"Take me there?" she asked quietly, as a smile started form.
"Of course, you lead, I follow." he replied, a huge lop-sided grin covering his face.
Blair grabbed his hand started pulling him towards the door. The room was still silent, except for Nate's echoing snicker. All of Manhattan's elite watched Queen B lead Lonely Boy out of the penthouse and into the elevator. Those who were close enough saw another kiss before the doors closed, but this time was Dan's turn to go initate.
THE END!
I told you it was cheesy! :D