Hi! Thank you for choosing to read this story. I know there are a lot of fanfictions that delve into an alternate start for the show/book Gossip Girl but I wanted to create something with detail. This is an incredibly Dan/Blair centric fanfic but the characters Serena, Nate and Chuck are an essential part and will have important roles within the story. I have tried to really build up the story and particularly Dan Humphrey's character/perspective. I look forward to hearing your commentary!

The atmosphere was unlike anything Dan Humphrey ever had the privilege of experiencing before this night. Warm bodies were gathered around each other, cupping onto glasses of gin and breathlessly hanging off each other's drunken words. The young women were wrapped up in tight fabric, made to look like statues by the high inch heels that were strapped to their angular feet. Their soft laughs were enchanting, as was their aroma that filled the darkened room. Peaks of colourful lights shone in the corner of his eye, distracting him as he moved through the crowd. The scent of bud promptly caught his attention, blinking in the direction of three males whose tuxedos had fallen to the ground and given them a more dishevelled look. In spite of their unkempt attire, their charisma was enough to make them blend into the warped class of their party patrons.

Dan immediately recognized two of the individuals, making them out to be fellow classmates from Manhattan's most prestigious boys school, St Judes. The tallest boy with a flopping mess of golden brunette hair was Nathaniel Archibald, the one all the Constance Billard girls lusted after. His soft blue eyes and careless smile was enough to make even Dan fond of him. To his right, the far more sinister Chuck Bass resided. Earlier in the evening, Dan had spotted him wrapping his signature red and black scarf around his neck to conceal the hickies he'd received the night prior. He heard him boasting to Nate that it could turn off some of the girls and ruin his chance at scoring at the Kiss On The Lips party. Chuck, with his short dark hair that was matched by his equally dark eyes, had a far less welcoming appearance and he seemed to relish in it. Though Dan had never let himself be intimidated by anyone that was born into wealth, Chuck exuded danger and this consequently made him incredibly weary of the Bass heir.

As of yet, no one had questioned Dan's being there. They were too drunk and absolved in one another's riveting company, he was sure. None of them knew who he was and it appeared that none of them particularly cared. He was so far out of his element, as though he was physically dragged out of his world and thrown into a completely different realm of existence over the Brooklyn Bridge. Dan was confident in the fact that he did not belong there, every bone his body reminded him of that and was begging him to depart as fast as he could. No matter how much he insisted on it, there was a magnetic pull that was leading him through the party. Dan had charted Serena van der Woodsen responsible for his being here. All through his adolescence, he'd dreamed of the day that she would acknowledge him. Here he was, trapped in a room where he was bound to stumble upon her. She was the paradigm of perfection in his naïve teenage eyes, glistening with glory and beauty. He knew not a thing about the supposed goddess but had already fallen victim to her charm.

With a soft and very tender grip, Dan had believed Serena to rule Manhattan. Every once in awhile, he'd venture into the 'S' tag on the notorious blogger Gossip Girl's website and read up on all her adventures. He was intrigued by the eccentric life she led and desperately wanted to become entrapped in it. It was what had initially led him here, dressed in the most expensive suit he owned.

At this moment, Dan had no idea of the darkness that encapsulated the Upper East Side and its residents. It transcended all the fantasies he'd concocted in his somewhat juvenile mind. Before this night, Dan had romanticized the excessive alcohol consumption and bordering on dangerous drug use. He wanted in, unaware of the risks and giving very little care to the consequences.

"Who the fuck is that?" Chuck Bass snarled as he passed his joint over to Nate, glaring in the direction of an aimless Dan Humphrey.

Nate hesitantly looked over to see who Chuck was speaking about, shaking his head. Neither boy recognized the drifter that was wandering around their party.

"I think he's on the soccer team," Nate said with very little confidence before inhaling, "I don't know, who cares?"

Chuck was hardly amused, as he'd always been the type of person who abided by Manhattan's strict class hierarchy. Pretentious and full of repressed anger, he was certain on finding out the identity this mysterious boy was by the end of the night. For the most part, Chuck was simply intrigued. The general nature of the Upper East Side had started to bore him and he was constantly looking for new entertainment. He gave a small shrug, not bothering to hide the growing smirk on his face.

It was at this point Dan had noticed he'd caught Chuck's attention. He acted coy, keeping himself in check and heading over to the bar that was located in the centre of the room. Intoxicated girls in short dresses looked him up and down and, to his surprise, gave him flirtatious smiles. Chuck Bass throwing his arm around his shoulder abruptly interrupted Dan, just as he stepped forward to casually introduce himself to the grinning ladies.

"Hey," Dan nervously laughed out, taken aback by this confronting physical contact with the one person he feared.

"Hey," Chuck quickly retorted in a mocking tone, arching one brow.

Nate quickly followed behind him and this seemingly put Dan at ease, making him far less apprehensive. For reasons he had yet to analyse, Dan associated Nate with safety, as the somewhat dim boy had always appeared to be Manhattan's White Knight. He was a literary function, there to be the hero and nothing more.

"I'm Nate," he said in a daze as he pulled Chuck off Dan, "and don't mind him, he tends to get a bit handsy."

Dan gave Nate a nod of appreciation, drawing in a deep breath. The last thing he had expected was to be confronted by two of the most well known guys in the Upper East Side. He hadn't been able to properly work out how this conversation was going to go. For the most part, Dan constantly rehearsed dialogue in his brain and waited for the opportune moment to say it. Now he was drawing blanks, having to simply respond without a moment of preparation.

"Nice to meet you, Nate. I'm Dan."

It was simply, generic and of course hardly memorable. At any moment, Dan expected Nate and Chuck to walk away out of boredom. He was less than exciting and there were plenty of women around who were waiting to rip both lads out of their suits. He briefly closed his eyes and, to his surprise, they were still there when he opened them.

"You don't look anywhere near as drunk as you should be, dude." Nate moved his way to the bar, ordering three jägermeisters. He gave the female bartender a smile, biting his lip. Dan mentally recorded the way Nate acted, blissfully unaware of everything that was going on around him. It had temporarily distracted him from a glaring Chuck.

This friendly encounter still had Dan's spinning. Why weren't they hostile? Sure, Chuck looked as though he'd chop him into tiny pieces at any given moment, but they were both actually speaking to him. From time and time again, Dan saw them on the bus to school and neither had so much as looked at him.

For the next half an hour, the three of them did jäger shot after jäger shot until they were all sufficiently drunk. The night had only started and it was already the best Dan had ever had.

"Natie," beamed an incredibly chirpy female voice. It immediately caused Dan to shift and turn to see who had approached their small group. There was Serena van der Woodsen, her hands draped over Nate's eyes as she snuck up behind him. It was the first time he'd heard her speak and he saw in awe as he watched Nate respond to her. The two embraced in a friendly hug, with Nate's arms slipping around her waist as she jumped up onto him. They were so natural with one another, both carefree and beaming with joy. Dan could hardly feel disgruntled by the sight of his crush draped over the guy he had just kinda befriended. It was picturesque and Dan savored the moment.

"Who's this?" Serena questioned, gesturing over to Dan.

"This is my buddy Dan," Nate said as he pulled Serena by his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "we were just doing jäger shots, you totally missed out."

Serena responded with a pout, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Dan took this moment to observe Serena, consciously preventing his jaw from dropping at the sight of her in a very short dress. The gold perfectly complimented her hair as well as her toned skin, leaving her legs to go on for miles. He had to fight the urge not to continue looking at them.

"Have you seen Blair anywhere?" Serena eagerly asked, turning her eyes away from Dan and looking around the room.

"Nah, I figured she'd be with you."

Dan inquisitively looked back and forth between Nate and Serena. They were talking about Blair Waldorf, Serena's best friend, Nate's girlfriend and the host of the party. He'd only read about her briefly from the mentions she'd gotten in posts about Serena on Gossip Girl, never taking an interest in the presumably cold brunette. He'd heard all he needed to know about the overachiever who his sister had spent all her time trying to please.

"I wish she was, I want all of us to dance together until our feet fall off!"

Serena took Nate's hand and spun herself into his chest, placing a small kiss on his cheek. It was only now that Dan became slightly put off by the way these two were acting with each other. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought they were a couple and he was intruding on an intimate moment. Dan turned to his side, looking for Chuck. He'd never thought he'd be disappointed by the sly Bass slinking away somewhere between jäger and Serena's arrival.

"I'm going to go get some more to drink," Dan said, though he was sure neither heard him. They were completely and utterly entranced by one another, hands pawing all over the other's skin and running through their hair. He swallowed hard, not expecting his first encounter with Serena van der Woodsen to be her groping her best friend's boyfriend.

With no one noticing, Dan slipped behind the bar and grabbed the first bottle of liquor he could find. It was Jack Daniels. He'd never had it before but tonight was all about trying new things. With a quick twist, the lid was off and the tip of the bottle was in his mouth. The harsh spirit run down his throat with a surprisingly amount of ease as he'd already had enough jäger to make it taste as soft as apple juice.

Dan shut his eyes for a brief second, stumbling past the groups of inebriated teens. He found a dark stairwell, his sanctuary away from what was the life of the party. He gripped onto the metal bar with his free hand as he fell forward, ensuring that he didn't spill any of his liquor. Clumsily, Dan dropped onto one of the steps and let out a reasonably loud groan. His head tilted back, prepared to close his eyes once more and catch his breath before throwing himself back out into the party. Dan would have happily drifted off if there hadn't been small legs in the corner of his eyes. From his reverse position, it looked as though there was someone hanging from the ceiling and this startled the drunken boy hauling all the way from Brooklyn.