"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Serena muttered as she extended a hand towards the man she had bumped into. She helped him up and smiled when she saw that he was alright. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine and its okay. It was an accident." He smiled at her, retrieving his packages from the ground.
She looked in his deep brown eyes and for an instant thought she recognized him. "Dan?"
He looked up, eyebrows knitted. "You know me?"
"Dan..its me, Serena." She said softly, placing a hand on his arm. "Remember? From high school."
"Serena van der Woodsen." Dan said smiling and pulling her in a hug. "Its been a while."
"I've missed you." She whispered in his ear, pressing herself tightly against his body. "How have you been?"
"I'm good, still Lonely Boy though." He chuckled at his old nickname. "What about you?"
"Great, actually there's something...someone I need to show you. Will you come with me?"
"Sure." He smiled, letting her lead him through the crowded streets and into the Palace.
"When we left for college, there was something going on with me. Something that you should have know about."
"Should I be scared?" Dan joked.
"I don't know." Her green eyes were the epitome of lost and scared. "I don't want you to hate me for keeping this from you."
"I could never hate you, Serena. Besides its Christmas."
The elevator door opened and they were in the Palace penthouse, the memories of their past together coming alive. "Mommy!"
A little girl about four years of age jumped up from Lily's lap and hugged Serena's legs.
"Serena?" Dan asked in a strangled voice as the blonde little girl turned her chocolate brown eyes on him. "Explain..please?"
"Let's go to my room. Dani, you keep playing with Grandma, okay?"
"Kay momma. Is your friend staying for Christmas?" She asked, already good at sentence forming for a four year old.
"Maybe." Dan remained silent, his face impassive as he entered the room.
"Did you cheat on me?" He asked, the moment Serena turned around. "I'm not stupid Serena. Four years ago, you broke up with me and never told me why. Did you cheat on me with whoever the hell your daughter's father is?!"
"What..no!" Serena muttered, disgusted. "I can't believe you would think that of me."
"Then who's the father?"
"Danielle is your daughter, Dan. She's what came of us being in love. She's the reason why I broke up with you."
"Why?" He whispered, voice hoarse and face taking on a total transformation. "Why didn't you tell me? All those times...I could've..you didn't.."
"You could've what, Dan?" She asked, voice sharp. "Dropped college to be with me and Dani? I couldn't do that to you."
"Then how could you do it to yourself? How could you not let me know that I was a daddy?"
"Because I love you, okay?" Tears started streaming down her cheeks, making her incapable of speech. "Because you deserve a better life than what I could have given you!"
"My life isn't complete without you, okay?" By now he was crying too as she fell into his arms sobbing for the first time in four years. "Any life you gave me, I would have taken it. Just to be with you. I could be the richest person in the world, and have it all mean nothing, if you weren't right there beside me."
"You don't understand." She whispered, voice quiet and hesitant. "I thought being a teenage father would ruin your dreams. I didn't want you to resent me if you dropped everything."
"Never." He promised, pressing his warm lips to her forehead gently before leaning down and kissing her tears off of her cheeks. "I never stopped loving you, Serena. I just wish you could have told me. I wish I was there for you. I wish I was there to cheer with you when she said her first word, when you brought her home, when she took her first step. If I had known, I would have been there."
"I'm sorry." Those words seemed to be the only she could manage, her chest heaving with the sobs she was emitting.
"Its my fault. I'm sorry for making you think that I would do that." He was interrupted as Danielle entered the room, her light blue dress being the first thing he saw.
"Did you make my mommy cry?" She asked sharply, hands on her hips as she glared at Dan.
Dan released Serena and crouched down to her height. "I'm sorry, Danielle. I didn't do it on purpose."
"Its still not okay." She had walked over to Serena, hugging her legs. "Mommy, who is he?"
Serena sniffled, wiping her tears away as she crouched down as well. "Dani...he's your daddy."
Danielle's gaze softened at those words. "You're daddy?"
"Only if you want me to be. I know I missed some things and its my fault. I'm sorry, but if you want me to be your daddy, I will." Dan proposed, knowing that if even if Serena wanted him around, Danielle hating him would do him no good.
"Okay, but only if you get mommy to stop crying." Danielle ordered, her gaze turning back into a glare.
"Gotcha." He smiled and held his arms out. "Can I....can I hug you?"
Danielle, after a reassuring look from Serena, stepped into his arms and for the first time in her entire life hugged her daddy.
Dan squeezed his eyes tight, desperate to not have any tears leak in front of his daughter. "I'm so sorry."
"Its okay daddy." She whispered, those words making him hug her tighter. "I love you."
Dan stood up, still holding Dani in his arms and hugged Serena. "I love you too. Both of you."
Lily smiled as she closed the door from the outside. Picking up the phone, she dialed a number she knew too well. "Hello? Rufus? It worked, thank you. Merry Christmas."