Six Weeks of Summer

Week One:

We're Not Lame, We're Awesome

"And here we have a typical example of the human male; Dan Humphrey. Even if he has summer vacation, we all know he's going to sleep in late to mourn in peace. This is actually real, heartfelt footage, another example of how the human heart works, when broken into pieces. I think it's safe to say, that Humphrey will mourn all summer, though I have made it my only mission to stand by his side and cheer him up…"

Dan smiled into his pillow when he could hear her getting closer. She had gone through the window and already then he had heard her. There was no doubt in his mind that she was recording him right now. He knew he had to get her to stop, he just wasn't quite sure what to do yet. Should he turn around and throw a pillow at her, or should he fall from his bed to the floor and out of the shot? He weighted the options in his mind, while Vanessa just kept on going.

"I don't know what is going to happen within the next six weeks of our summer, but I know that it has already started, and I am taking heartbroken boy out for a good, nice breakfast, you never know, he might need the strength for the day ahead, and-WHOA!" Vanessa managed to duck along with her video camera before the flying pillow hit her straight in the face. She stood back up and looked at a grinning Dan, "You did not just throw a pillow at me, Humphrey!" she warned him.

Dan rubbed his sleepy eyes. He sat up in bed and stared at his best friend. How could that girl be so awake in the morning? She was all up and about; dressed for the day, hair and make-up done. He glanced quickly at his clock, while still grinning goofily to her. Her video camera was back up and pointed at him, so he leaned forward and said, "Heartbroken boy is off the camera." He just said, and moved the video camera out of the way, he then added to her, "It's too early to be up at eight thirty."

"So you were awake!" Vanessa simply replied, referring to him, calling himself 'heartbroken boy'; that meant he had heard her. She sat down on the foot of his bed and turned off the camera. She then smiled warmly at him, "So what do you say?" she questioned.

"What do I say?" Dan questioned right back. He had no idea what she referred to this time. She could be a little quick at times, and when he just woke up, he had troubles following her train of thought.

She let her video camera rest in her lap and almost rolled her eyes at him, "I thought you were awake? About breakfast, of course!" she gave him a saying look, and he just gave her one right back, "Hello, do you really think I'm going to let you lie around here all summer? We only have each other, Humphrey."

He groaned and let himself fall back onto his bed again. He could have told himself that she wouldn't just let him be. His father was away and Jenny would be working all summer, so they really only did have each other. Yesterday he had been all ready to embrace everything with his best friend, but today it seemed a lot harder to actually do it. He sat up again and stared at her, "Could we maybe only have each other in an hour or so?" he wanted to know.

Vanessa shook her head and a loose curl bounced slightly, "No way." She said, and got out of his bed again. She placed her video camera on his shelf and crossed her arms firmly across her chest as she studied him carefully, "Listen Dan…I know you're all sad about Serena but I thought we agreed not to talk about it. At least not yet." She paused and seemed to finally come to a solution about what to do, and before Dan knew it, she had pulled his covers away from him. He reached out and tried to grab them but she was too quick, and threw them on the floor, which caused him to sit on his bed in only his underwear.

"That's not even funny, Abrams." He said, determined to be angry with her. She just grinned to him like some idiot though, so he couldn't help it. He chuckled too. She had such a great laugh and he knew she only wanted what was best for him. What friend would he be really, if he let her be alone all summer? She practically didn't have anyone else than him, like he didn't have anyone else than her either.

She wriggled her eyebrows at him, "So what do ya' say? Wanna join your bestie for breakfast, I'm starving, you know?" she just told him.

He sighed and eventually swung his legs onto the floor. He could see her smile from where he sat, so he turned around to look at her again, "Yes, yes… I'll go." he said, but when she was about to do a happy-dance, he stopped her, because he couldn't let her win completely, "But what do you say we take the door this time? Good idea…? Bad idea…?"

She laughed again and grabbed the shirt he had thrown on the floor last night. "Whatever it takes to get you out of here." She said, before she threw the shirt at him.

--

Thirty minutes later she tried to get a suggestion, of what they could do for the day, out of him. They were eating breakfast and drinking coffee at some little place Vanessa had picked out, and Dan was already much happier. He was glad that he had decided to go out with her. But he should have known she would cheer him up. When had she ever not been able to? She knew him like no other person really did. And she knew when it was alright for her to tease him or push him and she also knew when she should let him be.

"Come ooon…" she said and sipped her coffee, "I can't do everything here, alright? What do you wanna do today? I promise I'm going to be absolutely at my best behavior all through summer if you just shoot off at least one idea right now."

Dan made a face, "Your best behavior?" he questioned, and she gave a slight nod, "All through summer?" she nodded again, "Don't you think it's stupid to promise something you obviously… for many reasons… can't keep?" he wanted to know.

"Hey," she said and placed her mug onto the table again. She looked greatly offended, but Dan knew it was only pretend, "I can so behave. I was nice towards Serena, wasn't I? And really Dan…" she continued, so he wouldn't dwell on Serena for too long, since this was all about him forgetting her, "Do I have to do everything here?"

He leaned back in his chair and studied her for a few seconds. She really was trying. He had to try too. It was up to him and her to get the best summer ever. She wasn't there last year and he had honestly missed her. They were best friends and she had just left. It was nice to have her back now when he really needed her. He had tried to balance her out with Serena all through the year but it hadn't been the easiest thing. They had never really grown to like each other like he had wished, but now… there was only Vanessa and maybe she did deserve his full attention for some time.

He shrugged, "I don't know." He said. He really had no idea what they could do together. There was endless of possibilities and the two of them were never bored. They could just walk around town for hours with nothing but each other. He'd come home after such day and think it was the best one of his life and that he'd never had more fun, "Why don't we just… go for a walk, see what happens?"

Vanessa seemed to think about it while she made her usual Vanessa-thinking-face. He just waited patiently for her to answer and eventually she did nod her head, "We ought to find the most beautiful artistic place in the city and I'm gonna film you in front of it while I ask you questions." She said, while she lifted her video camera up again, so she could see him in it.

He placed a hand in front of it again; sometimes that girl was just too much. Why did she constantly have to film him? And what would she ask him about? He was confused so he groaned, "Vanessa… why exactly do you have to tape me all the time? When I sleep? When I eat? I'm sure you could pick a more glorious moment."

She let the camera fall slightly again, so at least it didn't point directly at him, "I am catching the moments of Daniel Humphrey's life." She informed him, like that wasn't weird at all. He shot her a confused look and she thankfully elaborated, "Look, I'm making a documentary about our summer. Who knows when we'll spend time together again. I just want some memories of you."

He reached a hand out and took her hand; the one that wasn't holding her camera, "You don't need memories, Abrams." He confidently said; he would never want to not be friends with her. He couldn't stand it if she moved away again, "I won't leave you alone, and if you don't leave me alone, then I'm pretty sure we will be together." He shot her a cheesy grin, "You're stuck with me."

"Unless of course I do decide to leave you." She said, and placed her camera on the table again. She adjusted it slightly and hit the play button which of course he pretended he didn't see, "Or y'know… if we're alone together."

"How's that even a possibility?" Dan asked her, his voice disbelievingly teasing her just because he knew he could.

She showed him her teeth in an over-exaggerated smile, "I haven't figured out yet." She just said, before she drank the last of her coffee in one huge sip. Dan knew it was probably getting cold, so he finished his too in a hurry.

He placed the mug on the table and reached for her video camera, "So do we go for that walk or what?" he asked and snatched the device away from her before she managed to take it. He stood up and turned the camera over so she was filmed, "I will carry this and ask all the questions of course."

Vanessa stood up and got on her jean jacket, while he adjusted the camera better. She then stepped right in front of him and he got this weird close-up of her face, "You're not gonna break it are you?" she asked him, before she turned around and went for the door so they could get outside.

"No, of course not." He said as he followed her. She held the door open for him and right when they were outside both of them, he decided to tease her, "Oh no!" he said, and made a worried face, "What did I just do!? Vanessa… I think I broke it!"

She pretended that she hadn't even heard him and went down the street. Dan groaned at his own lame attempt for a joke which she didn't even buy and followed in her steps. He couldn't help but admire how good she looked on camera. She had a certain glow around her.

--

Later that week Vanessa filmed them in front of the lake in Central Park. She hadn't let that video camera stay at home for one second and Dan found that really amusing. She really meant what she said about capturing their summer on film. It felt somewhat good to know that he had her to look forward to all these six weeks and he hadn't really thought much of Serena. She had managed to really cheer him up so far and that was why he let her ask him questions like she had so badly wanted to.

"So Dan…" she begun in the usual voice she always used whenever she filmed something, "How old are you again?"

He gave her an odd look, "You already know how old I am." He said. He wasn't really into this question-thing, but he would try for her sake. She seemed to take it very seriously even if she kept on grinning and made silly faces whenever he held the camera and filmed her.

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Yeah… but why don't you tell me again? It's for the film!"

"Fine." He said and offered her the best smile he had as he looked directly to the camera again, "I am seventeen." He told her, and couldn't help but grin wider when she smiled at him. Well, if that was all it took to make her happy, then there was no problem at all. He was just concerned about spending all summer as one of her subjects.

"Great." She softly said and took a step closer to him and then one to the side, to catch him from a different side, "So what do you think of your summer so far? Hopefully I'm not a complete bore to you."

Dan chuckled, "I hope you know that you could never be a bore to me, Vanessa." He decided to tell her, instead of going into details about their summer. He knew he would have to eventually, but at least she could work for it a little bit.

She giggled, "You're smooth, very smooth Humphrey, but I'm gonna have to ask you to answer the question." She said with a giggly smile; the smile he loved so much. It was so infuriating, and he couldn't help but smile too.

"But of course." He said in his best theatre voice, before he got serious and decided to just answer the question. She obviously wanted him to, so why wouldn't he?, "I actually think that our summer so far has been great." He said and completely meant it. He really liked the sound of 'our summer', but couldn't explain why, "We ah – we've walked around the city and yesterday we ate some very delicious ice cream."

She lovingly rolled her eyes at him and he winked at her, "That's wonderful, Dan, really. So what we've got so far to show from our summer is ice cream and walks around the city. Well that's just perfect." She paused, "It's official, we're very lame. I bet Blair and those people are off somewhere on their private jets."

Dan reached a hand up and crooked his pointer-finger to get her to come closer, which she did; as far as she could without climbing the rock he was sitting at, "You wanna know a secret?" he told her.

She looked confused but nodded her head nonetheless. She wore her hair to the side today which he rather liked because he could see her face. She had the typical huge Vanessa-earrings in her ears and they glinted in the sunlight, "Sure…" she said. She had doubts in her eyes and he could easily tell that she was intrigued while she didn't want to be, "What is it?"

"We're not lame, we're awesome." He chuckled, and before he knew what had happened, she had reached a hand out and hit him on the shin.

"Stupid!" she said, but he could tell she was holding back a laugh.

He steadied himself on the rock she had demanded he sat on, and looked down at her with huge eyes, "Besides," he mumbled, "I didn't think you cared about them anyway."

She shrugged and quickly said, "I don't."

He gave her another look that clearly told her that he did not believe her one bit. She would have never said that about Blair if she didn't care the slightest. And he admitted; it did bother him that he couldn't just fly off to Europe if he wanted to, but that was his life. She had told him to make the best of it with her, so that was what he was determined to do. And he was becoming more and more sure that it would turn out just perfect.

"Alright…" she sighed and hit what he believed was the zoom-button, "I've might've… liked – just a little bit – to drive around in a limo."

Dan then laughed at her. He couldn't believe it; she was just too much. She was the one who had always hated the Upper-East-Siders. He had done too with exception of Serena. And maybe Vanessa had found out that they were humans with feelings and personalities behind that façade. Well… he was pretty sure she had found out that Nate was. He wasn't too sure about what she still thought of Blair and Chuck. She still seemed to dislike them very much. But that she would utter that she liked a limo – that was golden material. He couldn't believe she had just caught that on tape.

Vanessa didn't really know what to do so she just made a face at him, "Well that's good, just make fun of the only person you can spend summer with. Are you sure I'm not going to leave you alone anyway?"

Dan knew she wouldn't so he wasn't particularly scared. He just pointed at the camera and said, "Did you seriously just catch yourself saying that you liked to drive around in a limo? Did you just record that?" he asked her; wow, he couldn't believe his luck. He could hold this against her forever if he had proof.

She rolled her eyes at him, "What do you take me for, Humphrey? I just paused it." She said, like it was no big deal and hit the button she had pressed before, the button Dan had so stupidly believed was the zoom-button, "Seriously. I would never admit such thing."

Dan's grin got immediately wiped off his face. Of course she would have never admitted that onto tape. How stupid had he thought she was? She was smart. She had probably done better on her SATs than he had. "You're so clever, Abrams…" he said, wrinkled his nose at her.

"That I am." She replied with another huge, classic Vanessa-smile.

Dan moved a bit on the rock since it was kind of hard to sit on and his butt hurt and would probably fall asleep soon, if he didn't seat himself somewhere else, "Why did you even like Nate?" he asked her. He had been very curious about this. He hadn't really asked her and their 'romance' had been very short. It sort of suddenly just ended.

She gave him a look, "Why did you like Serena?"

Dan raised his eyebrows, "Touché, best friend." He mumbled, but didn't want to answer her. He had a million reasons but he was still not ready to talk about it yet. It was still too soon. He was sure she could get the entire story before summer was over. It was all about the healing process and so far she just hadn't pulled him far enough into it to really talk, "But I don't think we really wanna dwell on that."

Vanessa got his hint and shook her head rapidly, "Nooo, back to our summer." She swallowed loudly before she went back to her questions, "So, about how we're lame."

"We're not lame!" Dan objected. He stared right into her eyes and gave her that look. Sometimes he felt like he sent messages to her telepathically because she understood the weirdest looks and gestures; it was kind of scary how they were so good together, "I really enjoyed those ice creams."

She got lost in thought for a few seconds and that caused her to get huge thinking-lines on her forehead which he just found adorable too. But then she relaxed her face again, and let the video camera fall, "Then let's go get some." She suggested and made a big deal about showing him how she pressed the red off-button so the camera made a little melody before the screen went black, "Want to?" she asked again.

Dan quickly got off of the rock. He could feel his butt thanking him for finally standing up. He joined Vanessa by the bottom of it and gave her a sideways hug before he let his arm fall, "I'd love that, because that means no more questions."

"Aw you did a darn fine job, Dan." Vanessa told him as she reached down and dusted off his butt since it was dirty from the rock. She looked at him, "Dirt." Was the only word she said, before she started walking, and he gave his pants a quick look to make sure that now they really were dirt-free, before he hurried to follow her.

"Can we continue our lame summer in a slower phase?" he asked her, when he finally walked by her side. That small girl could surely walk quick.

Vanessa linked her free arm with his and offered him a sincere smile, "We can do anything as long as we're lame together." She replied as they headed towards the place they got ice creams the other day.

Dan chuckled happily; they really could be lame together.

--

The next day he went to see her at work. She still had to earn some money somehow so work had to get done. He didn't have a job and he was very grateful that his father just paid the bills. Vanessa really had to work to live. It was kind of scary, but she handled it in a way that only Vanessa Abrams could.

When he walked into the shop it was still during the late morning rush, so he just fought his way into the back of the small place and waited. All these people had to have coffees to go so within a few minutes there would be empty again and Vanessa would see him. He could see her laptop on the back counter and her video camera was in it's bag right next to it. Either she figured he would come or she had planned to go to his place right after work was over. When nothing happened, she usually worked on her laptop too, even if she was at work.

He watched her as she served every customer. She hadn't seen him yet, but he liked watching her. There was something so calming about his best friend. He honestly couldn't have chosen a better girl to have a lifelong friendship with. She was so amazing and he knew she would do anything to keep him happy. She had even tried to make friends with Serena and embrace the world of riches just for his sake. Even if she was hurt that he just sort of 'threw' her off to the side and bumped her from number one to number two on his list, she tried her best. And now when it was over with Serena, she was just there for him again, even if he hadn't treated her the best. He'd tried though, that evening when she first found out about them he had run after her, because he couldn't stand to see her upset. And she clearly had been.

She handed a customer a coffee and as she lifted her head to skim the room, she saw him. Her smile got huge and he gave her a small wave. She turned her look away from him and finished with one customer before she got her co-worker to take over. She grabbed a pen and a notepad and went around the counter to his table in the back. She clicked the pen to be ready to write, "Hi." She said.

"Busy day?" he questioned and looked around the shop again. People were slowly leaving and he suspected it would be like this again right after lunch. He felt bad for her because obviously the half hour it lasted she would have to work fast.

She shrugged her shoulders and quickly tapped her pen against the pad, "Like usual." She replied, and then glanced at her co-worker who was pretty busy, "Listen, do you want anything, otherwise I have to go help Britt."

"Just give me a coffee when you have time." Dan replied. She smiled warmly to him and turned back around to the counter. He leaned himself against the table and watched her as she finished working. She would probably have a break soon and then they could talk about what to do once she got off. He wasn't sure when she would get off either, but he hoped it wouldn't be too long.

About ten minutes later the rush was over and Vanessa sat down in front of him with two coffees. She sighed in relief and he immediately took a long sip of his. "So what are we doing once I get outta here?" she asked him, and sipped her coffee too.

Dan shrugged and smiled happily at her, "I'm sure we'll figure that out once you're ready, Abrams."

She nodded and squeezed her eyes together in agreement, "You know what? I think you're just right about that, Humphrey." She said and lifted the plastic cup to her mouth again, while he just chuckled goofily.

He was pretty sure that the rest of the summer would turn out just fine.

So, yeah. That was pretty much just first chapter. This fic is TV-based for I have never read the books (I don't think we get them in Denmark), and it's right after the season one finale. It's basically just about Dan and Vanessa and their summer together and her feelings for him. Serena will make an appearance so will Rufus and Nate most likely. It's going to be six chapters. I hope you liked this first part. Please give me your thoughts, I'd like to know?

Disclaimer; I don't own Gossip Girl.