If anyone had told Dan Humphrey in high school that a few years down the line he would be dating Blair Waldorf he would have looked at them like they'd grown two heads and chalked it up as a side affect to all things UES.
After all Blair is mean, manipulative and downright cold. In other words she was a bitch but by no means would Dan ever utter those words out loud for the fear of losing his precious family jewels.
Back when he attended St Jude's he could honestly declare that the only good thing about Blair was Serena.
Blair was conniving and would use any means necessary go get what she wanted and if that meant destroying everyone in her path then so be it. They were just pawns to her, a means to an end. In Dan's opinion she was a spoilt brat, a tragic hero responsible for her own downfall.
Dan could never comprehend why Nate, Serena and Chuck were even friends with her. Well he could understand Chuck.
But Serena, sweet, kind, bubbly Serena, that he would never understand.
Now Dan could say that everything he thought he knew about Blair was wrong. He loved her, understood her, and accepted her. Everything he thought he hated about her was the same reasons he fell in love with her.
He saw a side to her no one else had the privilege to witness. Everything else was a mask. Confusing and complicated were few of the many facets to her personality and if you saw at least one of her true layers you should feel honoured
She chose what she wanted to reveal to the world. Everything else was to be shown only to those who were important to her.
A mask that he believed was the real deal, until she trusted him enough to drop her walls.
And it was what was underneath those walls that held the true beauty. Underneath those walls Dan saw a frightened girl unsure of what to do next. A girl who wanted nothing more than to make her mother proud, who wished with everything in her to be a part of her fathers life. So she strived to be the best, perfect hoping to get their approval but in the end she always got burnt.
Nate, Serena, Chuck, Jenny even Dan hurt her in some way, (albeit unintentionally).
When Dan discovered she was bulimic he was horrified, having walked in on her in her moment of weakness. In that moment she came across as feeble and vulnerable, almost scared of his reaction.
He wanted to yell at her, scold, ask her if she knew what damage she was inflicting on her body. How detrimental her actions were. But of course he never did any of that instead he took a hold of her hand, small and soft, in his, and proceeded to carry her back to the bedroom where he held her the entire night.
It was then he began to see her in a different light. They had this unspoken understanding. They became somewhat friends, both too stubborn to admit to what was right in front of them.
All the bad things had a positive spin. Anger, hate, love, sorrow. All emotions she felt, she did it completely. She was such a passionate being in every aspect of the word.
He loved her regardless of her many flaws.
Her courage to fight for what she believed in even if it was wrong.
When the time had come for them to reveal their relationship to say Dan was scared was an understatement. They prepared a nice dinner and invited everyone so they could share their news at on one occasion
Worst idea ever. It was like World War III on the Upper East Side.
Eleanor was appalled at the fact that her daughter would even think of dating Brooklyn trash.
Serena was furious for some reason that Dan never understood. He at least expected her to be on their side. Being Blair's best friend and all instead she started sprouting stuff like how could they betray her and go behind her back. All the while Dan looked on confusedly. Serena also said something about Dan being hers and that quote mad Blair go into bitch mode thereafter starting a social war.
The only people who congratulated him were his father and Lilly. It made him feel so much better about the messed up dinner. The entire night he had to grasp Blair's hand in a death grip for the fear of her attacking Serena. He had no desire to make daily visits to the hospital.
Now three hours after the disastrous dinner he sits in his Brooklyn loft letting his mind wander when Blair walks in adorning a beige form-fitting dress and black pumps. She perches herself on his lap and hides her face in the crook of her neck, "tonight wasn't such a good proposal was it," she whispered rhetorically. Dan just chuckled at her and then proceeded to peck her pout.
She sighed disappointedly, "I knew that tonight wouldn't be a walk in the park but I never anticipated it to be this awful. I expected insults and fights but not so loud and to that extent,"
He cupped her face in his hands, "hey it's going to be okay. There is nothing you have to worry about, especially not Serena," he said knowing that when Serena was involved Blair could become very insecure.
"You mom, Serena, Jenny, Chuck, they all can judge, plot and scheme to their hearts content but they will never be capable to take or impede what's ours. I won't let them have that satisfaction. That is a promise Blair Waldorf. A promise that I will never break" he declares.
That night thy slept in each others arms satisfied and blissful because they both knew Dan was right nobody can take what's theirs.