Morning Coffee XOXO

/this story takes place during the last episode 6X10 (New York, I love you XOXO), before the 5 year time skip. /

"To Chuck and Blair!" the conclusion of Nate's best man speech was met with raised glasses and warm smiles.

The wedding reception might have been the only occasion in which Blair Waldorf- excuse me, Blair Bass had not invited more than half of Upper East Side. The event in its entirety was short, festive and enjoyed by friends and family. Of course Blair was less than ecstatic about Georgina and Dan dulling her celebration, despite having forgiven Dan for spending seven years writing bullshit about her.

"Thank you everyone for coming. It was lovely to have you." Blair greeted in her usual artificially sweet tone, but today one might suspect, there was a genuine glee in her voice. Even Chuck's smirk had bloomed, and for once it looked as if he truly was smiling.

"I'm so happy for them." Serena squeaked and smiled at the happy couple.

"Yeah. I have never seen a better evil scheming duo than those two." Dan remarked, earning a short laugh from Nate.

"Ah. Well this was nice." Nate sighed. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day." Glancing at Dan, he added. "For the both of us."

"Yeah. Yeah it is." Dan looked around the room, and then finally stopping to meet Serena's deep blues. "There's a lot to be done." he continued, without breaking eye contact.

The three stood in silence for a tensed coupled of seconds. Both Nate and Serena were trying hard to repress their urge to badger Dan with questions and Dan was well aware of it. In fact almost everyone in the room was dying to interrogate Dan, but dared not to, for it would be rude to the happy couple. That and, no one wanted to face the wrath of Blair Waldorf-Bass. Just the new name gave most goosebumps.

By the time Lily left, almost all the guests had exited.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted." Blair finally announced.

"Well" Chuck smirked "We can't have that now, can we?"

"I think we all should leave before we hear the end of the that sentence." Dan whispered, causing Serena to laugh like a four year old. And for the first time Dan was startled, there was a nostalgic throb in his heart. It had been years since he had heard her laugh in her carefree and childish manner. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it.

"Ahem" Nate interrupted Dan's subtle admiration of Serena. "I think we should all give these two some time alone." he was answered with nods of agreement.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you two." Serena was the last to wish them.

"Thanks S." Blair pulled Serena into an embrace. Even Chuck gave her a small yet kind hug. Serena hadn't realized just how close her and Chuck had grown in just matter of three years. Chuck, in his own twisted way had become a brother to her.

Serena made her way out of the building, smiling to herself. Today was overwhelming, but it was one of the best days she had in a while. They were all back on friendly terms and Blair and Chuck finally tied the knot. She was glad she made the decision to stay. Maybe UES really was where she belonged.

Outside, waiting for her was a curly haired guy in a black jacket and a soft smile.

"Dan?" she smiled. "What are you still doing here?"

"We both are headed to the same place. I thought I might as well wait, you know." He shrugged with one shoulder. Then closing in on the distance between them, he continued "Besides I figured we had a lot to talk about."

"Yeah." Serena nodded.

Dan had his hand held out, waiting for Serena to take it. As she placed her hand in his, warmth flooded through her. It was a small gesture, but it meant so much more. It reminder her of when they first started dating. A ping of pain shot through her chest, reminding her of what she had and what she had lost.

"All those things about Jenny..."

"She wanted them on Gossip Girl. You are nothing untill you're talked about, right?"

"Even the thing about losing her virginity to Chuck?"

"Yup." Dan nodded.

"And how did you know about what happened between me and Chuck that night at the hotel? How did you even know how to find me?"

"Jenny told me where you were, and when I got there I saw you rushing out. Chuck was right behind you. It didn't take a genius to figure out."

"And the thing about Blair cheating?"

"That was all Chuck."

"Oh my God." Serena breathed out. They spend the whole riding talking; talking about everything except what they should have been talking about. A lot had happened in the spam of five years. A lot had happened today. And in all honesty, both of them were scared to scratch the surface of the ugly truth that lay before them. It had been so long since things were good between them, neither of them wanted to jinx it. But deep down both of them knew that this was just a false sense of security. There was something uneasy hidden in the playful atmosphere and it would peak it's ugly head eventually. It was just like the summer break four years ago.

"I still can't believe it." Serena looked at Dan. Her smile reaching her eyes. Dan couldn't help smiling back. His smile sobered as he took in the details of her face in the moonlight entering through the window. It made her golden hair shimmer and her eyes just a shade darker.

Serena was quick to notice the tension in the air, and the slightest moment of Dan's jaw. He leaned forward, careful not to invade her space. Her eyes closed automatically in response. A light jolt had Serena fluttering her eyes open. Dan hadn't moved but the tension had dropped a bit.

"This is us." She said softly.

"Yeah."

The elevator dinged, as they reached the fifth floor.

Standing in the corridor, in front of their parallel apartments, both Dan and Serena stood in silence. Neither sure of what to do.

The time they spent together today was too little. Neither was willing to let go. They could put everything behind them and give into their feelings but too much had happened. Too much to put behind. Ben, Blair, the sex tape, the exposés, all of it, fell like a chasm between them.

Finally it was Serena who made the move. Planting a kiss on Dan's cheek, she gave him a smile.

"Goodnight Dan."

Smiling back, Dan have her an awkward wave; a recreation of the one he gave her on their first date. This made Serena laugh heartily.

Sleep wouldn't come to Dan. He did all he could to get Serena back, so why was he still listless about it? Something within him was convinced he hadn't done enough.

He tried to remind himself he wasn't that seventeen year old boy any more, that he was an adult. But listening to Serena's kiddish laugh, he forgot all about it. It was like he was a high schooler again, enamoured by Serena van der Woodsen.

Things weren't any different across the hall. Serena spent the night tossing and turning. It was true that they had a lot to work through, but something about this just felt right.

Were they both ready to risk their hearts again? Everytime they tired, they were left heartbroken, struggling to recover.

'I've made mistakes, massive, heartbreaking mistakes. But I have never stopped loving you.'

Sleep finally came to Serena in the morning. Snuggling into her comforter, she dozed lightly, only to be woken up by the doorbell. Groggily she staggered out of bed and peeped through the keyhole. She could clearly make out a head full of dark curls.

"Dan?" she opened the door. Outside her door stood Dan, two, to-go cups of coffee in hand. "What are you doing here?"

"We didn't really get a chance to talk last night. So I thought maybe we could go for a walk. Get a chance to talk."

Serena couldn't help but smile. "Then, let me slip into something less comfortable."

"Sure. Want me to talk to you while you change too?" Dan smiled.

/Author's Note: Hi, this was my first story, admittedly not the finest but I hope you like it. I'm open to criticism, so feel free to leave me a review. Thanks for dropping by!/