A/N: Blame coconut16 and her awesome Gossip Girl stories for this one. Or credit her, if you want to go about it nicely. Either way, her work has influenced this...
Here's the biz. I've never done a crossover. Never done a story that wasn't OTH. I have no idea how long this is going to be, or where it's going to go. All I know is it's fun to write. That said, we'll see how often I can update; I'll do my best (you know that!).
What you need to know: Everything in GG is the same, except Nate never makes the (stupid) choice to go to Europe with Vanessa. This takes place after S2 of GG.
As for Peyton, everything from S1-4 happened in OTH land, except she never tells Brooke she loves Lucas, and Brooke and Lucas are still together. This takes place after S4 of OTH. This means that that Peyton and Nate are the same age and have each just finished their senior year.
Questions? Comments? That's what reviews/PMs are for! Read away.
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She's seen him around a couple times before, though she's sure he's never noticed her. She's almost certain that's a good thing; this is the first time she's been dressed in anything even remotely worth looking at. The first time, he probably would have thought she was just some random kid walking around the Upper East Side. She had on just her torn jeans and a Johnny Cash tee shirt. The second time, she was wearing a black summer dress from the Gap that garnered strange looks from the women she passed on the street.
In her town, the Gap would have almost been considered haute couture. This is a very, very different world.
He's laughing with a dark haired boy who wears ascots and perfect suits and has a gorgeous brunette at his side sipping a glass of champagne. She hears the boy - her boy, though he isn't hers, but she'll call him that just for fun - say something about lacrosse or soccer or some other sport that isn't basketball, and she smiles. He locks eyes with her as he sips his ice water, and she smiles nervously. His lips are bent into a grin when he lowers his glass, and the boy with the ascot seems to take notice of all this, given the highly amused smirk he's wearing.
She feels her cheeks burn up a little, knowing she's been caught eyeing someone so obviously. She heads back to the bar for a refill on her vodka lemonade or whatever it is she's drinking, and she needlessly adjusts the strap of her pale coloured dress, just to occupy her hands.
She feels completely out of place all of a sudden. It's clear this world was cliquey and pretentious, and it isn't at all what she is used to. She wonders how in the world she's even here. She literally has to think back on the series of events that brought her to this city and question why she ever agreed to it.
She supposes she always knew the owner of the company her father worked for had to be fairly wealthy. She met him a few times over the years, and he always looked well-dressed and was well-mannered, and his wife had a neck adorned with beautiful jewelry and a diamond ring that must have cost a small fortune. What she didn't think was that he would have a house in the Hamptons and a plantation in South Carolina. All that to go along with his other two homes, one in Boston and the other in Savannah. And evidently, that wasn't enough; he and his wife were summering in Europe.
So how did she end up in a massive house in the Hamptons for the summer with him paying her generously? Well, he'd needed a house-sitter, and she'd needed to get out of Tree Hill. It was as simple as that.
Really, her job is easy. It's basically a paid vacation. The housekeeper comes once a week to clean, Peyton has a little Mercedes to drive around in, and she essentially just lives there and he pays her $1,000 a week.
It's really not a bad job at all.
She'd had to go to New York City first to be introduced to a few families who apparently have houses in the same Hamptons neighbourhood. She had gotten a dose of UES life over a week until she was driven to the Hamptons in a sleek town car, her feeble personal belongings in a few bags in the trunk.
The only thing is, she's forced to put in appearances at these parties on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Miller. She was told to say she's their niece, and she really doesn't feel bad about the lie, because none of these people will remember her anyway.
She wonders if even the people who've known her forever remember her.
She'd needed to leave. Nathan has Haley, Brooke has Lucas. She has no one. So she left, in hopes of finding whatever it is she's been looking for forever.
Or maybe finding something she didn't know she was missing.
Or maybe just getting a great tan, padding her bank account, and wearing the expensive clothes the Millers left in the closet in the huge bedroom that is hers for the summer.
But even so, every time she sees this one boy, she wonders if maybe this summer will end up being a little more than she bargained for.
"I'm Chuck Bass," a sultry voice says, extending a hand as he sidles up next to her at the bar.
Ascot boy.
But she should probably call him by his real name from now on.
"Peyton Sawyer," she says politely. She figures that as one of the few people at this party who's actually paying her any attention, the least she can do is be nice.
"Interesting name."
"Interesting?" she asks with a raised brow.
"We're a society of Charles'. Blairs and Nathaniels," he explains, though it's not much of an explanation.
She sees that he's watching the two people he was just standing with, and things fall into place. "Blair and Nathaniel, I take it?"
Nathaniel. It's close to Nathan. More refined. A little distinguished. It suits him, she thinks.
And she's staring. Chuck is too perceptive.
"He's single. 18. Archibald. A Vanderbilt," Chuck elaborates.
"So what does that mean?" she asks cluelessly, taking the tall glass he hands her.
"Money," he answers.
"Oh. Right." She takes a sip of her drink, feeling foolish and a little embarrassed. Chuck doesn't seem fazed. "And Blair?"
"Waldorf," he says, watching the girl with a private smile on his face.
"She's yours?" Peyton asks, though it may be an inappropriate way to phrase it.
"She is," he confirms. "Come meet them."
"Oh, no. It's...I'm fine here," she protests, shaking her head and toying with her silver necklace nervously.
"You can't spend your whole summer alone," he says.
And for the first time, as she watches Nathaniel smile at something Blair has said, she feels like maybe she doesn't want to spend her whole summer alone.
"Fine," she says softly.
"After you." Chuck gestures for her to walk ahead of him, and she tucks one of her curls behind her ear as she makes her way to the only other people her age at the whole party.
She's always been fairly sure of herself. She's strong and independent and hardheaded. But she feels completely out of her depth in this crowd. And the way Blair is smiling at her isn't putting her at ease. It's not an ingenuine look, but Peyton isn't sure what judgments or criticisms are in that look. She's been here only just over a week and she's felt the same way almost any time anyone looks her way.
For some reason, she didn't feel that with Chuck; perhaps it was the olive branch he extended her. And when Nathaniel follows Blair's gaze and looks at Peyton, she doesn't feel it from him either.
It's nice, she decides.
"Blair, Nathaniel, this is Peyton Sawyer," Chuck says once they're all standing together.
"Nice to meet you," Blair says, her voice full of a sweetness Peyton can tell isn't fake.
The two shake hands and Peyton is almost put at ease by it. "You too."
"Hi. And you can call me Nate," her boy says, shooting a look to Chuck. "Normal people call me Nate."
"Chuck's not normal?" Peyton asks as she places her palm to Nate's. It's warm and soft and she likes it a lot. She has to remind herself to let go.
Nate and Blair start laughing and Chuck just smirks as he takes a sip of his drink.
"No, honey. Chuck's not normal," Blair says with a giggle. He whispers something in her ear and she drops her jaw and swats his chest. "You'll learn that soon enough."
"You're Howard and Diane's niece, right?" Nate asks.
She almost blushes. How does he know that?
"Um...yeah," Peyton says, though she finds it really hard to lie to him. She doesn't want to. "Okay, no. My father works for Howard and I'm house sitting."
They all laugh again, and Peyton looks to the ground.
"Honesty. Refreshing," Chuck says beneath his breath, and Blair rolls her eyes again.
"Don't listen to him. We're honest. Well...mostly," the girl says. "I saw you in the city, I think. You were with Diane."
"Yeah. I was meeting...um...Dammit. Someone important," Peyton says, tipping her head back and trying to remember the name.
Chuck watches her in amusement.
She's like Serena, version 2.0.
He can already tell Nate is captivated.
"The Chartwells? Does that sound right?" she asks, biting her bottom lip a little.
"They live across the street from you," Blair explains. "But they only come out here once a summer."
"Does everyone know everyone?" Peyton asks quietly, looking around the perfectly manicured lawn. "I mean, I'm from a small town, so it's kind of the same, but..."
"Well, here, knowing someone means that you know their secrets. And usually use them for blackmail," Nate says, flashing a perfect smile to the 'new' girl. He glances at Blair, and she shoots him an indignant look.
"Why did you just look at me when you said that?" she asks hotly, placing one hand on her hip.
"Blair," Chuck says, raising his brow as he tilts his head just slightly. She pouts until he kisses her cheek, and Peyton laughs.
She shares a look with Nate, who just shakes his head at his friends. She feels a little something when their eyes lock.
And she definitely doesn't want to spend her whole summer alone.
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She's wearing just cutoff shorts and a black racer-back tank top with the word Ravens written across the front when she sees him again. Her hair is up (this humidity is destroying her curls) and she's only wearing mascara and watermelon lip gloss. She considers stepping into the closest store and avoiding him.
But she can't avoid him, and she doesn't really want to.
"Hey!" he says, almost pointing at her when he sees her there. "How are you?"
"I'm good," she says simply, nodding a little bit. "You?"
"I'm well, thanks."
She notices his perfect smile and his perfect eyes and his perfect grammar, and she wonders if he has a flaw.
"I just got sick of sitting at the house," she explains, though he didn't ask. "Who knew a place that big could be so boring?"
He laughs and she feels it. She doesn't know how that's possible. Truthfully, she's usually just happy to feel much of anything.
"Well, I needed a break from Chuck and Blair," he says, as though that's so much worse than what she's had to endure. "You want to come for an iced coffee?"
She can't find her voice, so she just nods and they start walking together. She really doesn't know what to say. He's too nice and too gorgeous and she doesn't want to ruin any of it by saying the wrong thing.
"Bit of a change from North Carolina, huh?" he asks, bumping her shoulder with his after seeing an Aston Martin speed past.
"You have no idea. It's insane." She loves that he remembers where she's from. The party was a week ago and she honestly didn't know if she'd see him again.
"Everything in excess," he says quietly, like he's almost (but not really) ashamed of it. "But I don't care that this iced coffee costs $6. It's the best ever."
"Is that right?" she asks with a laugh.
He holds open the door to the little coffee shop, and she sighs her relief at being in the cool air conditioned space.
Nate watches as she runs her hand over the back of her neck. He watches her legs carry her forward. He notices the sway of her hips and the scar just below her knee. She's different. Definitely different. No matter how much Chuck had tried to say that Peyton was like Serena. Okay, so she seems pretty independent, and kind of free spirited, and she's blonde and has long legs and is absolutely gorgeous.
But she isn't Serena. He finds himself liking that she isn't.
"Grab that table," he says, cupping her elbow gently and speaking in her ear like it's some huge secret. "I'll be right back."
She can still smell him long after he's walked away - grass and sweat and summer and boy; something like all that anyway - and she moves towards the table he'd pointed to. She can see why he wanted this one. It's the best table in the entire place. Near the window, but out of the sun, and with a view of everyone else in the shop.
She watches Nate as he orders drinks and smiles with the barista. He has a natural charm, that's for sure. It doesn't feel forced, like it has with a few of the people she's met. It feels like that's just the way he is. Good looking, great personality, charm. What doesn't the boy have? He can't be that perfect.
She watches him walking back towards her, and it seems for a moment that it's all slow motion, as cliché as it is for her to even think it. But she notices the line of his jaw and the curve of his nose. His hands as they hold those plastic cups. The windswept way he wears his hair. His tanned skin.
She wants to draw him.
She blushes at the thought, and bows her head as he sits down across from her.
"Thank you," she says sincerely, smiling at him.
"So, Peyton, what would you normally do on a day like this?" he asks.
There's an adorable boyish quality to him that is completely juxtaposed to the fact that she wants to rip his shirt off him.
The heat has to be getting to her. She shouldn't be having these thoughts.
"Probably sit in coffee shops drinking cold drinks," she says, and they both laugh. "Maybe the beach." She shrugs her shoulder as he sips on his straw. "I don't know. I can barely remember last summer."
"Oh really?" he asks in amusement and she rolls her eyes.
"No. It wasn't like that. It just seems like a long time ago."
"Why's that?"
"It's been kind of a crazy year," she says softly. "It's actually really good to get away."
"And it's not like you're anywhere awful, either," he says, glancing outside at the sunshine.
"No. It's beautiful. I just...I thought I wanted the summer like, all to myself. I was totally going to just sit around and think and just...reconnect with myself," she says before really thinking. "I sound crazy."
"No you don't," he insists. "That actually...I'd probably be doing the same thing if Chuck and Blair weren't around."
"You guys are close?"
"You could say that," he says with a laugh. "We've known each other forever. Blair and I used to date."
"Oh. Wow." She takes her first sip of coffee and her eyes go wide. He smiles at her like he's happy to have convinced her that it's the best.
He doesn't mention Serena. He doesn't want to, and it's not important, and she doesn't need to hear about that other girl yet. Maybe eventually they'll get there. He doesn't know why he thinks so.
"So what was so crazy about your year?" he asks nonchalantly. He looks at her like she's insane when she laughs.
"Everything," she says. "You won't believe me."
"I will too!"
She takes a deep breath and squints at him, as though she's trying to decide if she really wants to tell him everything, and he just smiles at her. That smile is plenty of encouragement.
And she doesn't know why she's so at ease with him. It's really not like she's ever just broadcasted her life story to anyone before. Maybe it's just that smile. Or maybe it's got something to do with the fact that she's only around for the summer, and after that, they'll probably never see each other again.
Either way, she starts talking.
And she starts at the beginning. Well, the beginning of her senior year. Her almost ex and her best friend. Her close friends getting married, separated, having brushes with death, then getting back together. Finding out she was adopted. Her birth mother dying. Getting shot. Traveling to see her ex-boyfriend and almost getting engaged (she says almost, because it was never really real). Thinking she was in love with another boy, only to realize that she really wasn't. Finding out she has a brother. Being stalked (twice) by a guy posing as said brother. Her real brother being in the marines and heading for Iraq. Not getting into the college she wanted. Her friends having a baby.
He's wide-eyed when she finishes, and she fully expects him to run through the door and never look back. But he just looks at her and shakes his head and says he's sorry that she had to go through all that. He tells her she has to be a hell of a strong girl to be still standing and smiling at the end of it. He smiles when she blushes, and then asks a couple questions about her getting shot.
"You want to see it, don't you?" she asks with a grin. All boys are the same.
"I totally do," he admits, making them both laugh.
She lifts her leg up onto the chair next to him and he leans down to take a closer look at the wound. It's long-since healed, but he still looks intrigued and amazed by it. She feels...something...in her stomach when he places his hand on her calf and runs his thumb over the scar. She has to bite the inside of her lip to keep herself from saying something - anything - to him.
"Okay, what the hell kind of place is Tree Hill?" he asks with a laugh. "Ridiculous."
"I know," she says, giggling as she puts her foot on the floor again.
"You had to escape to the Hamptons to get away from the drama. That's saying something."
"How much drama can there be here?" she asks.
It's his turn to laugh, and he does it with heart. His laugh is infectious and adorable, and she thinks she's falling in love with it a little bit.
"When you get home, go to a website called GossipGirl," he says. "That'll answer your question."
He knows it's incriminating. There's stuff about him on there that she probably doesn't need to know, but he figures she's only here for the summer, and he doesn't know her very well at all, and if she starts to hate him, maybe that's not such a big deal.
But they've been talking for close to two hours, and he's hung on her every word. She's told him a lot of things she really didn't have to, so maybe it's not so bad if she knows some things about him.
And anyway, if she starts to hate him, he's almost certain he'll probably spend the rest of his summer trying to get on her good side again.
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Thoughts? Worth continuing? Let me know...