Chapter 1

-Paris/France

Blair checks her phone subtly, trying hard to not alert her date of the fact. Nothing from Serena, meaning that she had already snagged some tasty French fellow. Meanwhile she is sitting by the base of the Eiffel Tower on a cosy park bench, with her own tasty French fellow Henry (Enrie~!) carrying on about his art exhibition by the Quelevont Et' Cloune. The trip to Paris was meant to be her time with Serena of course, but they had both agreed to a day or two with the locals for some…local education…The last week had been a perfect haze of shopping, dining and of course bitching with her BFF, all in the perfect setting of the city of lights.

And on this night, the lights are perfect and the night is perfect, warm with clear skies and a cool breeze…and of course also because she is currently in the company of a hot French artist. Henry was obviously a disposable lackey to her, but it certainly didn't hurt that he happened to be too cute to boot. Brown eyes, dark hair, and scruff (but not too much that it was disgusting!), and an accent to die for. However, Henry's dark eyes reminded her of another boy, back at home in New York. Another boy she definitely, positively, did not want to think about.

Fuck. I can't be thinking about that right but him.

She bites her lip out of annoyance and out of nowhere, but mostly out of frustration, she kisses her date softly, forcefully interrupting and shutting him up. Henry pulls back, surprised, but grinning ever so slightly. She embarrassingly mumbles a hurried apology, but is then in turn interrupted by Henry's delicate French tongue. Hmm…It is true what they say about the French.

Blair can feel her anger and hurt fade away. All those memories disappearing for that one perfect moment of abandon…until…she feels her phone vibrates softly.

I need your help, meet me at the hotel room when you finish your date. S. x.

Blair stands up abruptly; "Reincheck Henry. I'm sorry I have to stop our date prematurely, my best friend needs me."

"Ah…so fast! But we did not even get a chance to…Ah…." Henry realises that his luck might have just run out with this beautiful American girl. Oh well, Sai La Voulerevon' (I know completely no French at all and that was complete made-up BS ). Nothing lasts forever.

"Au Revoir Miss Blair. It was zi pleasuuure." Henry croons into her ear.

At his parting words, Blair can't help but chuckle at his hot accent, as well as the fact that he totally sounds like Dorota. Au Revoir Miss Blair…

On that note, she makes a note to herself to get Dorota a souvenir. Some perfume she thinks, yes.

Walking to the main road, Blair's mind wanders back to Serena's text and is instantly worried again.

What could have happened?

She kisses Henry goodnight, and calls a cab back to the hotel. No more time for boys tonight. My best friend needs me.

She runs through the halls, reaching their room and quickly swiping the keypass. The door swings open and Serena is there, standing by the bed. S looks worried, and nervous.

"Blair, thank god you came. How was your date? I hope I didn't interrupt." Serena breathes as she gives her best friend a lengthy hug. Just the presence of Blair makes her calmer.

"Henry can wait. What's important is you. What's wrong Serena? What's going on?"

Serena hesitates slightly, pausing. "Well….okay, I might as well say it since I interrupted your date for this stupid thing which is soooo stupid by the way once you hear it you're gonna be….okay… well here's the thing."

She stops just in time as she glances at Blair's eyes giving her the what-is-wrong-with-you-special-Blair-Waldorf death glare.

"Okay, B…Something happened about an hour ago, and well I…I'm just so confused and I don't know what to do, and I thought if I told you you could tell me what to do…"

Blair is instantly confused, but relieved. She would take a sober, confused Serena over a drunk, roofied Serena anyday. "What happened, and why are you confused?" She asks as she takes Serena to sit on the bed.

Serena pauses, "well, okay. Dan called." She looks up at Blair cheekily as she says this, kind of expecting the full extent of her wrath.

"Humphrey…? What did he want?" Blair's eyes instantly narrow.
She can sense what Serena is about to say. Not again.

She tries hard to take away the judgement in her voice. "Tries" being the key word.

"Oh god. S, please don't tell me the object of your confusion is your Brooklyn quasi-step brother who just called and professed his undying love for you. Again. After you've broken up, what…how many times?"

"NO! He didn't confess ANYTHING of that kind…Its just he came all the way to Paris. And started talking about the weirdest things. Sweet, romantic, its just..I'm so confused. What does this mean? Him…coming here, following me here...I know he still has feelings…and I know I still have feelings for him…"

"Serena-" Blair interjects. "Have you thought this through yet? What the consequences are, if you two get together. Again…"

Serena opens her mouth to answer. And then stops herself. This is too much. What happened to her relaxing holiday? She was meant to get away from boys and problems.

"So you think I should send him away? Tell him to go back to New York?"

"Hmm…When Humphrey saw you, and no doubt embarrassingly rambled his love for you probably whilst reciting poetry (she can't help the sarcasm, she's Blair Waldorf…and ewww, he's Dan Humphrey), what did you say?"

Serena stutters slightly… "We-ell, I said, Dan…I think you need to leave for a while, cause I needed to think about it." (She carefully leaves out the part where they kissed right beforehand, for quite a period of time)

"Wow, that was actually pretty wise and mature of you. Usually I'd take you for a hopeless romantic who'd have jumped Dan the moment he professed his love. Truly, I'm proud!"

"B! This isn't a jo-hey! That's mean. And uncalled for, and totally off the topic!" Serena can't help but feel guilty. Still, she knew Blair would yell at her if she found out the truth. She had just broken up with Nate…

"Okay, okay, what I'm saying is we'll go for a walk, and you can think about what you wanna do about Dan. Okay?"

Serena thinks. And nods her head.

Blair is relieved, smiles at her best friend, and gives her a hug. "It's gonna be okay S. We'll figure this Humphrey problem soon enough ma'cherie. Now put your walking shoes on, we're going out!"

Dan's pacing. When he's nervous, he tends to pace, and ramble. And mutter. To everyone and anyone. The unlucky person on this occasion happens to be a busker by the river. Not that the busker can understand his rambles anyway. Probably for the best.

You have to leave. I need to think...

Leave. Dan had been analysing that word for the last hour on a solitary park bench by the city riverside. Did she mean leave the hotel room, the hotel, or the city? Or the country?

He mutters in the direction of the busker; "what do you think she meant by 'leave'?" And the guy packs up his gear and jets off before even replying. Some help he was. This is not good. Defnintely not good. He had spent most of his savings on a ticket to Paris chasing a girl he doesn't even know wants him anymore.

But that night…And at the hospital…Where they almost…

Serena's reaction made him lose some hope. Yeah, she did seem happy to see him, and they even shared a kiss. But he knew that she wasn't completely sure. Hell, he wasn't even sure if it was a good idea, if they could even be…remotely possible…after everything. All he knew for certain was that he wanted her still. Whether it was a good idea or not, was an unanswered question. Dan stops pacing, takes out his notebook and sits on the park bench. He's exhausted. From the flight, from Serena…and the thought of the situation back in New York. The situation that is Georgina Sparks. Not that guy from Jersey Shore...

But in fact a very pregnant Georgina Sparks. Clearly, she was crazy, and obviously lying because no way could it be his since they used protection and everything and god he wants to faint even from thinking about it. He takes a moment to stop thinking about the devil incarnate that is Georgina, to gaze at the city lights by the river. It really is a beautiful city. And a beautiful night. He just wished he could of spent it with Serena…

Blair glances at her best friend. They're walking by the river, arms linked, and Blair notices that Serena hasn't said a word in a while.

She asks gently. "S…Have you decided what you're going to do…?"

Serena hasn't talked because she doesn't think she can without giving away her true feelings. The truth is she's torn inside because she has thought about it, about Dan, and has decided…more like realised, that they just can't be together at this point. Saying it out loud would make that thought real though. And all too painful…

"Yeah…" She chokes back tears. She's not going to cry.

"I'm gonna tell him to go home bec-" Serena stops. Settles for a simpler answer; "Yeah..I've decided." Is all she says.

Blair hears the pain and sadness in Serena's voice and stops her to give her a long hug. Initially, she wasn't completely sure if Serena really had feelings for Dan, or whether she just missed him out of habit. But Serena's reaction tonight however, made things clear. Blair sighs sadly for her best friend.

"It's probably for the best. For the meantime anyw—" Oh God. That's when she notices him. Sitting on a park bench no doubt writing depressing poetry about love and lost (typical~). Serena's back is facing him so she doesn't realise yet. She has to get S out of here. Immediately.

Gently, (as gently as she can) Blair grabs onto Serena's shoulders, and slowly walks backwards, whilst still clinging to Serena for dear life at the same time.

"Blair! What the hell are you doing…?"

"Nothing—Just a little dance move Dorota taught me. Its called the Polish Vice dance. You grab onto your partner in a hug (with a vice-like grip) and slowly walk backwards all the way to the hotel."

Serena laughs in disbelief and amusement. "The dance specifies that you walk to a hotel? B, come on this is crazy even for you, what are you hiding from me, I'm asking Dorota about this when we get home, so it better not be one of your-" At this point Serena is laughing hysterically but seconds later stops, as she finally slips out of Blairs "vice dance" turning to see behind her.

Her face falls. Because it's him. She stops laughing, cause its all so not funny anymore. She's stops laughing because at this point, her thoughts become real. And the thought of what she has to do becomes real.

Blair can see Serena fall apart as she turns and sees him. This was exactly the thing she was trying to avoid. Stupid Polish Vice Dance. Usually her plans (plots) work out so much better than this…It must be the foreign soil.

"Serena…I'm sorry...We can go now if you want, he's as lost as ever, I don't think Humphrey's even noticed us yet…"

Serena interjects quickly. "It's…it's okay B. I think I've got to do this. Will you wait for me, I'll be back."

"Of course" Blair replies, as she gives Serena a parting hug. She watches her best friend walk slowly towards Dan, who is writing intently in his leather (cheap, fake leather no doubt) notebook, and takes a few steps back to give the appearance that she is giving them privacy, when in fact she just wants to eavesdrop.

to be continued...