Dan clasped Serena's hand nervously. College acceptance letters had arrived today and he was more than scared. Serena sat next to him and squeezed his hand reassuringly, trying to hide the fact that she was nervous too. Her letters were stacked in a neat pile next to his. The two had decided to open them together, in the confines of Dan's room. Rufus was sitting in Dan's desk chair, his hands together as if he was praying. Jenny was perched on the edge of Dan's bed, her eyes darting from Dan to the letters.

Serena kissed his cheek, attracting his attention. "Do you want me to open mine first?" She asked softly.

Dan shook his head and reached for the letter on top of the stack. Dartmouth's familiar insignia was clearly visible on the big envelope. He slit the envelope open and pulled out the letter. Not wanting to look, he handed it to Serena who took it in her manicured hands and started to read it aloud.

"Dear Mr. Humphrey, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Dartmouth University.." She set the paper aside and hugged him. "You got in!"

"Dartmouth! Looks like you really impressed J.L. Hall, Dan." Rufus said, beaming as he took the letter from Serena to examine it.

"Can I open the next one?" Jenny asked, her eyes shining with excitement. Dan nodded and handed her the next envelope.

"Ooh. NYU, the one dad wants you to go to." Jenny smiled and ripped open the envelope. "Dear Mr. Humphrey, Congratulations! You have been selected for admission for the Fall 2009 semester at New York University!"

"Now you can stay home with me and Jenny!" Rufus joked, laughing. His brown eyes were aglow with happiness and pride for Dan.

Dan pushed the next envelope towards his father and watched as Rufus ripped it open excitedly. "Columbia. Dear Mr. Humphrey, after reviewing your application, we are sorry to inform you that you have not been chosen.." Rufus trailed off and looked at Dan, who merely handed the last envelope to Serena.

"Can you open it for me?" He asked, his warm brown eyes pleading. "But..its Yale." She said, glancing at the crisp white envelope marked with Yale's familiar blue insignia.

"I know. That's why I want you to open it." Dan said, wrapping an arm around Serena. "Please?"

Serena smiled and shot a quick glance at Dan before sliding her fingernail into the flap. Quickly and effortlessly she opened it and slid out the letter. It seemed amazing how one piece of paper could have such a big impact on their lives.

"Dear Mr. Humphrey," She started off in a shaky voice, eyes darting back to Dan. "We are pleased to advise you that you have been accepted at Yale University!" She handed the letter to Dan, who took it with shaky hands before passing it to his father in disbelief. "I got in." He muttered slowly.

"Go Dan!" Jenny said, high-fiving him. "Dartmouth, NYU and Yale!"

"Three out of four ivy league schools." Rufus muttered incredulously. "I'm so proud of you!" His cell phone buzzed and he whipped it out, frowning as he read the text message. "They need me at the gallery, but celebratory dinner tomorrow, since you're going to be at Serena's. Oh and call your mom. She'll be thrilled." He clapped a hand on Dan's back before leaving the room, a smile on his weathered face.

"I'm so proud of you." Serena murmured, kissing him the moment Rufus left. He smiled and kissed back, forgetting about his sister for a moment.

"Ahh!! My eyes!!" Jenny said, covering her eyes and laughing. "If you're gonna be all mushy, I'm leaving." She exited the room, but not before throwing in a large package. "It's from me and dad."

Dan unwrapped the package and discovered that it was a large bundle of college t-shirts and sweatshirts. "Um, wow. This is a lot." He set the package aside and pulled Serena's stack of letters closer. "You ready?"

Serena bit her lip, suddenly nervous. "I...Yeah. Can you open them? All of them?"

"Okay," Dan picked up the first envelope and kissed her forehead, his warm lips on her cool forehead. "This one's from Brown."

Serena snuggled into his side as he ripped open the envelope, sliding out the letter. "Dear Ms. Van Der Woodsen, we are pleased to tell you that you have been accepted at Brown University!" He set the letter aside and kissed her again. "Congratulations. Your dream college."

"Mmm. Thank you. Now come on! Open the rest!" Serena shoved the stack towards him impatiently.

The next one was Harvard. "Dear Ms. Van Der Woodsen, Congratulations! You have been chosen for our Fall 2009 Semester."

"Dear Ms. Van Der Woodsen, we are sorry to inform you that you have not been accepted at Princeton University.." He stopped and set it aside, frowning.

Serena rolled her eyes and shoved the last one towards him. "C'mon. Open it!"

"Yale? I didn't know you applied to Yale." Dan said, his brow furrowed.

"I wanted to surprise you." Serena said, her knee bouncing up and down impatiently.

Dan slit open the envelope and read the letter aloud. "Dear Ms. Van Der Woodsen, We are pleased to advise you that you have been accepted at Yale University!"

"Yes! Now we can go to Yale together." Serena said, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Right." Dan said, pulling her close. "Congratulations, Serena. I'm so so proud of you."

"I love you." Serena muttered, eyes closed, head tucked in the crook of Dan's neck.

"I love you too."

Serena's eyes fluttered open and she kissed Dan on the jaw. "So which shirt are you going to wear tonight at dinner?"

Dan raised an eyebrow and tucked a tendril of blonde hair behind Serena's ear. "I thought it was a tie event."

"It's just dinner." Serena said, laughing at his befuddled state.

"But aren't all dinners with Bart a tie event?" Dan asked, wrapping an arm around Serena.

"Good point." She mumbled sleepily, her blonde hair fanned out around her.

"I have to stop keeping you awake at night," Dan said, kissing her forehead. "You really need to get more sleep."

"No!" Her eyes opened to reveal bright green orbs. "I like to stay awake with you. Its fun."

Dan rolled his eyes and kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you up in an hour."

Serena closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Dan's warm arm around her. Slowly she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of...Yale?