Seasons and Lovers

Disclaimer: Don't own Gossip Girl.

xoxo

October 17, 2005

The brisk wind whipped Blair Waldorf's dark curls around her face harshly, prompting the petite high school sophomore to wrap her navy pea-coat tight around her body in response. "As much as I love autumn, I could really do without the hypothermia," she remarked through chattering teeth.

Her boyfriend, Nathaniel Archibald, stopped in his tracks and turned to Blair with a gleaming white smile on his face. "I've always liked the ice queens, Blair. You know that," he said with a roguish chuckle, bending down to cup Blair's cheeks with gloved hands. Kissing her lightly on the forehead, Nate could feel his virginal girlfriend's skin flush beneath his lips.

Leaves of orange and yellow fell around the couple from the boughs of Central Park trees, painting the sidewalk in bright, warm hues, and slowly, Blair raised her head, searching into Nate's cerulean blue eyes with her own brown ones. They both exhaled lightly, breaths intermingling to form a swirling cloud in the crisp air. Tentatively, Blair closed her eyes and let her own peach petal lips brush against Nate's. When she felt him kiss her back, Blair drew him closer.

"You want to know something?" she asked softly as dropped her head against Nate's broad shoulder and let him embrace her.

"Hmm?" Nate sighed as he inhaled the warm, familiar scent of honey that emanated from Blair's strands.

"I love you, Nate Archibald," she murmured.

Nate smiled. "I love you, too."

Despite the frigid autumn air, Blair felt herself melt in the arms of her first love all over again.

October 31, 2008

Blair sat cross-legged on her dorm room bed, hugging a pillow against her chest. The setting sun outside burned brightly, reflecting nectarine light through Blair's open window that spilled across the brunette's tear-streaked face. She hadn't meant for her boyfriend to get so upset. She told herself that it was just a kiss, that Chuck Bass would do the same to her if it meant he'd get what he wanted, but unfortunately for Blair, Chuck didn't see it that way.

What Chuck did see was an exit, and he took it; he took it like Nate did and Marcus did and her father did.

Blair closed her eyes and fell back against the cheap, paper-thin wall of the dorm. A chilly breeze permeated through the screen of the window and rustled Blair's neatly-styled curls. Instinctively, Blair shivered, and curled her feet further beneath her legs.

Inhaling deeply, Blair tried to imagine the scent of Dorota's pumpkin pie, of her daddy's cologne, of spiced apple cider freshly made, but it was impossible; the only odor Blair could pick up on was the stagnant smell of dusty, unwashed walls, courtesy of New York University.

Throwing her feet over the side of the bed and slipping them into her plush slippers, Blair made her way towards the room's private bathroom. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, Blair didn't even recognize herself. She'd been crying for days, ever since Vanessa had humiliated her in front of Chuck.

"This is unacceptable," Blair whispered under her breath, reaching beneath the sink for her makeup bag. Opening a tube of concealer, Blair started covering the bags beneath her eyes in preparation to go visit Serena. After all, Blair was not about to become like the lonely hermit that lived in the room across from her.

Blair was too busy putting her make-up away to notice the opening of her bedroom door or the footsteps that sounded upon the tile of the room. When Blair stood up, she caught her reflection in the mirror and jumped, startled.

Behind her was a Devil-masked man with dark, penetrating eyes. Blair froze to the spot, wide-eyed as the man's wide hand spread lightly across her waist. "Happy Halloween, Blair." Her name sounded like velvet as it rolled off Chuck Bass' flickering tongue.

Blair exhaled, her hand fluttering to the one that was upon her stomach. She watched Chuck in the mirror in fascination, hypnotized as he guided his hand towards the top button of her blouse and flicked it open expertly. Letting her head fall back, Blair murmured, "Chuck, I'm so sor-"

Chuck pressed a finger against Blair's lips and leaned down, grazing his teeth across Blair's exposed neck. "You tricked me, Blair," he rasped, pulling roughly at the fabric of Blair's shirt to reveal a glimpse of her red bra. Blair sucked in a breath as the cool air hit her scorching skin. Instinctively, she pressed herself against Chuck's groin, purring as his eager fingers crawled up her thigh. "I don't like to be tricked," Chuck whispered against Blair's ear, nipping her softly. He inched his rough hand underneath her skirt and rubbed Blair through the wet silk of her La Perlas. Smirking as she started rocking desperately against his hand, Chuck added, "but I do like to treat."

November 17, 2010

"Must we include microwaved hot chocolate into our scheming?" Blair asked with a roll of her eyes as Dan Humphrey handed her a mug filled to the brim with steaming liquid.

Dan gave the brunette that was sitting primly on his secondhand couch a chastising look. "Oh, poor, naïve Blair! This is more than microwaved hot chocolate, my friend. It's Swiss Miss with marshmallows. You can't get this at any five-star restaurant!"

Blair's lips curved into an amused grin. She had to admit, Dan could banter with the best of them. "Well, I'm sure it'll be right on par with the contents of your neighbor's septic tank then!" she teased.

"You won't be saying that when you're begging me for another mug. I'm just saying," Dan replied with a casual shrug before plopping down on the couch next to Blair.

Setting the mug down on the table and opening her laptop, Blair gave Dan a sideways glance. Who would have known that in the span of a few months, he'd become her knight in tarnished armor? At her birthday party just a week prior, a jilted Chuck had been planning to humiliate Blair in front of all of her party guests by sending Gossip Girl a suggestive photo Blair had sent him a while back. To add insult to injury, Chuck intended to send the blast right as Blair was blowing out her candles. The only reason Chuck didn't follow through with the plan was because some bimbo ran into him, causing him to drop his phone mid-text. Being the nice guy that he was, Dan picked it up and saw what Chuck was trying to do. Suffice to say, Chuck's iPhone ended up in a glass of vodka, and Chuck ended up on the floor.

Blair's eyes grew teary at the memory. She still couldn't believe Chuck would be the one to try to hurt her, and she really couldn't believe that Dan "Cabbage Patch" Humphrey would be the one to save her. Dan must have been watching her with his dark, observant eyes, because all of a sudden, he asked, "Are, uh, you okay?"

Dan's voice brought Blair back to reality. Feigning cheerfulness, Blair held her head up high and said nonchalantly, "Of course I am. I'm more than okay. I'm... great!" The last word was a struggle to draw from her lips, and Blair knew that Dan had caught on to that as well.

"If it's about Chuck, I hope you know that you… Well, you could do better, Blair. You could be happier," Dan told her, directing his eyes down to the carpet, slightly embarrassed.

Blair shook her head. "You don't get it, Humphrey. Chuck and I… we're connected. I am who he is. I'm… I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

"You aren't pathetic, Blair. You're connected to Chuck like I'm connected to Serena, but just because we care for them doesn't mean that you're a bow-tied misanthropist or that I'm a flighty drama queen." Dan reached for his mug and took a long sip. "Ahh," he sighed, smacking his lips. Bringing his eyes back to Blair, he raised the mug. "Try it," he persisted.

Blair playfully rolled her eyes. Secretly, she was warmed by his words and the earnest expression on his sculpted face, and so she couldn't help but oblige. As the hot chocolate melted down her throat, Blair gave a satisfied sigh. It was thick and decadent, and unexpectedly comforting. Blair's brown eyes widened with surprise as she turned towards Dan and said with a laugh, "Wow, Humphrey, it's not so bad after all. If I weren't so parsimonious with compliments, I might even say that it's delicious."

Pleasantly delighted that he and Blair had found something in common, Dan chuckled and joked,"Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"Of course not. What would be next? Me calling you Dan?" Blair forced a smirk as butterfly wings beat rapidly in her stomach. She hadn't felt that kind of fluttering since before her and Chuck broke up. But why? How? She was a princess and Dan was a pauper for God's sake!

"Oh, that can never happen. I don't want Hell to freeze over," Dan said with an amused grin, choosing not to comment on Blair's obvious anxiety.

As Blair held the mug tightly between her hands and took another long sip of the hot chocolate, Dan studied her face with curiosity. He'd always thought she was attractive in a classic sort of way. Her carefully lain curls and demure dresses almost led Dan to believe she was an anachronism from the Victorian age, and as he watched the way Blair tapped her nails nervously on the mug, Dan couldn't help but think about how much he liked history.

Dan cleared his throat. "So, Blair…"

"What?" Blair snapped, coming off harsher than she intended.

"Well, I was thinking we should, uh, you know," Dan stammered, running a hand through his messy hair.

Blair's heart raced but she wrinkled her nose. "Should what, exactly, Humphrey?"

Dan pointed to the laptop screen, which displayed the Gossip Girl site. "Uh, scheme. Plot. Dastardly twirl our mustaches and all that good stuff."

Blair was taken by surprise. "Oh… right! That's why I'm here, after all. To take down Juliet."

Dan and Blair both sat awkwardly on the couch next to each other and watched as the laptop turned to sleep mode. Dan cleared his throat again and Blair eyed him suspiciously. "Humphrey…"

"Blair..."

"Don't even try it."

"I would never."

"We can't."

"Obviously."

"We can't."

"I heard you the first time."

"Ugh. Quit trying to seduce me, Dan Humphrey. I'm aware of the fact that we're two single consenting adults."

"Right. Two single consenting adults that enjoy hot chocolate."

"Fair enough."

xoxo

AN: This was just a little fun autumn story I had in mind. If you couldn't tell, each relationship Blair was in or was getting into had a significant fall memory. As I'm not so into Chair right now (get your act together, Chuckles, ya hear?), I decided to lay the story out in a "too cold" "too hot" "just right" format. Shout out to Goldilocks for that one lol.