Full Summary: Nate's been through a lot: issues with Blair, confused feelings for Serena and pressure from his parents. When his mother held him responsible for all family problems, he felt he couldn't handle it alone, so he aimed for the only person he thought could help him: his sister.

It's been five years since Nicole Archibald graduated from Constance and left New York. When her parents left her with two choices: leave or college, Nicole surprised everyone and moved to Los Angeles. Since then, she never returned to New York and had been distanced from her parents and younger brother. Nate never understood why she had to leave, and all Upper East Side wondered if she actually left only because of college.

Gregory Bass, Nicole's once BFF from high school is currently married and living in London, where he takes care of the Bass Industries in Europe. When he finds out that Nicole is back to New York, he finds himself challenged for her dare. And you never challenge a Bass... Where do you think Chuck Bass learned all he knows?

A/N: Hello everyone!

This is my first Gossip Girl fanfiction and it's entirely based on the series. I had published this a few days ago, but had it slightly revised, so I'm publishing it again.

The story will have Chuck/Blair later on (because we all love that) and also some Nate pairing with different girls as the story goes on.

It's mostly also Nate's and his sister's point of view of things, but eventually Greg's and even Chuck's.

I will be having two main OCs, as you might have noticed, and possibly more minor ones as the story goes on. The main OCs are Nicole Archibald, Nate's big sister and Gregory Bass, Chuck's older brother who will come in later in the story. And yes, they're also a pair.

For pictures of whom I imagine being Nicole and Greg, please visit my profile for the links. Fear not, for I will not pair them with the Canon Characters, they both went to school together, a bit before Nate and Chuck went themselves. And I tend to explore this later in the story.

The story picks up from season one, episode six, right after Nate got home and his mom accused him of being on drugs. As usual in my stories, the prologue is shorter than the rest of the chapter.

Enjoy and please review!

Prologue – S.O.S

"So, what do you have to say for yourself, Nate?" Anne Archibald said in a sneer, clearly trying to hold back tears of discontentment. Nate glanced from her to his father sitting by her side; Howard Archibald had his eyes fixed on the nothing, unable to stare at his son.

"What?" Nate asked a little more shocked than confused. He tried, helplessly to make his father look at him. He couldn't believe he would let him take the guilt for that.

"Well, it isn't mine, and it isn't your father's," Anne said, waving the sack of cocaine with a certain disgust. "So that only leaves one other person in this house."

Nate felt as if the ground had vanished from under his feet. He had a horrible night and he hadn't sleep well since he found that same pack of cocaine among his father's things, and now this. He sighed and shook his head slightly.

"May I be excused?" he asked under his breath.

"No, you may not—" Anne started raising her voice, but Howard's voice cut her.

"Yes," Howard said an octave higher than Anne and stared at her when she looked intently at him. "He needs a little time," he added.

Anne looked from the captain to Nate and nodded. Nate stood there for a second trying again to make his father look at him, but the captain didn't dare to. Nate then turned around and left the room, running upstairs to his own room.

In a fury Nate slammed the door behind him as he entered the room. He took a deep breath, throwing the mask on the bed and taking his hands to his hair. He closed his eyes and stood there for a second, just hearing the sound of his breath and his mother's muffled screams coming from downstairs.

He then opened his eyes and took his cell phone from his pocket. Scrolling down some names he pressed the green on Nicole and took the phone to his ear as he threw himself on the bed.

After a few seconds, a young woman's voice picked up.

"Hey, look who the cat dragged in!" Nicole said on the other side with a laugh. "How are you, honey?"

"Hey Nic," Nate couldn't help to smile when he heard her voice. "Do you uh... Do you have a second? Is it too late... or too early there?"

"Honey, I'm in LA, not Japan, it's a little past 10 PM," Nicole said on the other side as she, in her apartment in Los Angeles, sat on a couch. "But what's up? Why are you sounding like that?"

"It's dad—"

"Oh, what did the captain do this time? When he told me about Dartmouth I told him to ease up a little on you," Nicole said, holding the phone with her shoulder as she unzipped her boots; had he called three minute before and he wouldn't have found her home.

"It's also mom and... Blair and... Everything," he sighed laying his head against the pillow and closing his eyes. Feeling a slight headache from all the stress he's been put through in the past few days.

"No, wait," Nicole stopped immediately what she was doing. Very rarely she heard that tone of voice coming from her brother and the rare times it happened, something really bad was troubling him.

"Mom told me you were doing great," Nicole continued and Nate let out a sarcastic laugh at that: this is what their parents wanted her to believe. "She told me you and Blair had a fight, but she didn't tell me it was this serious. Also, what the hell are mom and dad doing with you now? Are they insisting on Dartmouth again?"

"I found cocaine on dad's things." Nate said at once, he didn't know where to begin to tell her; their parents did a good job deceiving her of what was going on, and he had to start telling her the truth from somewhere.

"You did what?" Nicole said after a brief moment of silence.

"Yeah, I did," he confirmed, nodding alone in his room, one hand holding his cell phone and the other massaging the other side of his head. "A week ago or something I found out dad had moved money from my account, it was all gone, then I talked to him and he said he was moving accounts. Next day it was there again, I thought we were having some financial problems... Then I found cocaine on his things and was sure of it."

Nicole stayed in silence on the other end of the line. Nate knew she believed him, she always did. Ever since she left, he would call her now and then to relieve the stress: she was fun and she always understood him. It was his escape to talk to her when everything seemed to be falling apart. But this time he needed more than just hearing her voice on the other side of the line. And he prayed in silence for her to do what he expected her to.

"Nate," she said slowly and took a deep breath. "You think you can hang on alone for a couple of days?"

"I guess, I don't know, this isn't all," he replied carefully. "Mom found the same pack of cocaine on my things and she thought it was mine."

"And he didn't say anything?!" she asked with her voice higher than she wished.

"No," Nate replied quietly.

"Okay, uh, you hang on, alright?" she started, he could feel how tensed she was only by the tone of her voice. "I will try to catch the first plane back to New York. I was going to arrange things here first, but this isn't the right time to plan anything."

"Sorry Nic, I didn't mean to mess up your whole life," he started, even though he wished more than anything for her to go back.

Ever since Nicole left, he only saw her on Christmas Holidays. She always went to Connecticut to spend the holidays with the family, even though the tension between her and their parents was still a bit complicated. In the beginning their parents left her with no money when she moved, but within a few months their dad was helping her again. But Nicole never returned to New York, and Nate wasn't sure if she ever would.

"You should have told me before about the drugs and even the money, Nate." Nicole said with a concerned sigh as she walked from side to the other in her living room in Los Angeles.

"I know, I'm sorry—"

"It isn't your fault." she replied quickly as she stopped walking. "You listen, I know how mom and dad can lay their frustrations on you, they did the same with me, but this is not your fault, do you understand?"

"I do," he smiled on the other side. He was already missing this concerned Nicole from the last time they talked on the phone. "Thanks Nic, I know how hard it is for you to come back."

"Don't tell them I'm coming, alright?" Nicole replied. "Don't tell anyone, actually. I'll try to find a late flight and maybe tomorrow by night I'm there, the latest the day after tomorrow by morning."

"Uh-huh"

"I'll keep you posted, okay?"

"Ok," Nate said. "Really Nic, thank you."

"We're a family, Nate," Nicole replied quietly. "We're supposed to be there to each other... And oh, one more thing before I hang up."

"Yeah?"

"I love you," she said with a smile on the other side. "Don't you forget."

"I love you too." Nate replied also with a smile and hung up. He then took a deep breath and for the first time in weeks, he had the sensation that everything would be alright.