Through the Years

xoxoRuflyGirl's story inspired me. However, my story shall be about after we meet them on the GossipGirl TV show. Enjoy!

"Come on, Dad and Lily! Tell us a story about you two." Dan suggested.

"Yes. How about the first time you two re-met?" Erik chimed in.

"That be an interesting story. I've always wondered how long those lingering looks had been going on between you two," Serena added.

"It's not a particularly pleasant story…."

"Who cares? Let's tell them anyway, Lil. Why don't you begin?" He said as he exchanged a smile with her.

"Well, I went over to see him after I met you, Dan. At the Palace Hotel? Serena was trying to get out of the Kiss on the Lips party, so you interjected and said that you two were going on a date. After I heard you name, I was….stunned. It wasn't possible you were Rufus's son. It was just a coincidence. But then….you mentioned Lincoln Hawk."

"Hi, Mom."

"Guess what I got for you. A dress! I saw the Kiss on the Lips invitation!" replied Lily.

"Oh, I'm not going?"

"What do you mean? Blair's throwing it!"

"Yeah…uhmm….see the problem is….by the time I got the invitation I had already….actually already had plans."

"Plans with whom?" How unlike her daughter was this. Serena Van der Woodsen missing a party. NEVER!

"My friend…." She improvised pointing her thumb at Dan.

After exchanging a look, Dan had interceded on Serena's behalf.

"Uhhh…yeah. Hi. Nice to meet you Mrs. Van der Woodsen. I'm Dan Humphrey…."

The moment he had said that chills were sent down her spine. Humphrey. Oh god. How she had known a Humphrey boy.

"What are you and Dan Humphrey doing?" She asked, evolving in to typical mother mode.

"We…uhhh…." Another look towards Dan.

"We're…uhhh…going to a concert tonight." He replied, thrusting the red poster in her face.

"Lincoln Hawk." She said in dryly. That name sent so many emotions running through her mind. So many things she had absolutely no desire to recollect. She had to do something about this. She couldn't handle this.

Dan and Serena started laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god. Remember that?" Serena giggled.

"How could I forget?" Dan replied in between laughs.

"I don't think you've ever told me that story," Rufus said staring into Lily's eyes.

"You never asked."

"Touché," he smirked.

"So anyway……"

As he emerged from the other room of his art gallery, he couldn't believe his eyes. None other than Lily Rhodes (Van der Woodsen, he had to remind himself) had just strode into his gallery looking as beautiful as ever.

"Lily..? Are you shopping for some art to match your furniture?" He questioned teasingly.

Ignoring his comment Lily started, "Why is my daughter going to one of your concerts?"

"Cause we're awesome."

He would reply that. God, he hadn't changed at all in twenty years. He was still attractive, still….ugh, she hated him. Hated him for so many reasons. How could he so casually talk to her? With his stupid, sarcastic responses? Wasn't this at all hard for him?

She turned to him, "With you son?"

"Dan scored a date with Serena." He couldn't pretend he wasn't shocked. His son had had a crush on Lily's daughter for quite some time.

"Mhmmm…" She crossed her arms, with a sarcastic smirk.

"Small island."

"Are you sure it's not some ploy: you're using my daughter to get to me now that your wife left you?" She slyly shot back.

"How did you know about Allison?"

"Like you said, small island."

He turned away, because the wound from Allison needing "space" still hurt him.

"Oh, I see. You're hear about Allison and use your daughter as an excuse to start something."

"Yeah," she laughed, "in your dreams." She touched her scarf, a nervous habit. That's not why she was here….really, it wasn't. She had no ulterior motive whatsoever…oh god, maybe this was a bad idea.

"Well, Lil." He was the only one that called her that. "You are in my dreams. In one that occurs, it involves finding you in the back of a Nine Inch Nails bus with your shoes in your earrings and Trent Reznor…oh wait, that happened!"

Ouch. That hurt her. Like it was her choice to do that….Lily, breathe.

"No need to rehash details of decades passed. So I moved on?"

"Yeah from Trent to Billy to Paris. Till you switched up rockstars with billionaires?"

Off topic. She had no desire to talk about this. This conversation was getting too intense for her taste. It's not her fault she had been trying to get over one rockstar in particular.

"You think you're so cute. Washed up band? Crappy, so-called 'art gallery'?"

Talk about below the belt, he thought.

That's what Lily did when she was upset or didn't want to talk about things. She threw out insults.

"Well," he turned away, "not all of us have settlements from multiple divorces to sustain us."

"Have a nice life, Rufus. "

Wow, she thought. That was harder than she thought it would be. She could almost sense the hurt she had caused him. And it was unnerving. It was so difficult to see him. She wanted to be obnoxious to him. Wanted him to hate her, because she didn't have any desire to fall in love with him again. It had hurt so much when they had ended things, she just couldn't deal with that. Not to mention, she deffinetely did not want Serena dating his son. If she did, who knows what would happen? What if Serena found out about her shaky past? Or what if Dan and Serena were together seriously....then how could she look at him? How could she see him anymore, knowing that their children were supposed to have been them. She chuckled to herself then. Why are you getting so worked up over this, Lily? It's been twenty years....

He hadn't expected her to come to see him. It had completely unnerved him. It was deffinetely a surprise. But she couldn't decide if it was a pleasant surprise or not. The truth was, Lily Rhodes had been the girl that he hadn't ever really gotten over. He had settled with Allison because he couldn't have HER. Why did she have to come back into his life? Hopefully that was the only time they would meet....He still had somewhat feeling for her, but he'd rather he not acknowledge them. He did have a wife, afterall. Even if their marriage was shaky. Besides, it's not like Lily was the same person she had been twenty years ago....

"Some meeting that was," Serena said.

"Well, I hadn't seen him in twenty years...."

"Fifteen." Rufus suddenly said quietely. He assumed only Lily could hear him

"What?" asked Dan.

"Nothing.." Rufus quickly replied, catching himself, after he had exchanged a look with Lily.

"No, what did he mean, Mom?" Erik asked.

"Nothing..." Lily replied in the same tone Rufus had.

"What do you mean...nothingg?" asked Serena.

"Could I talk to you for a moment, Rufus?" Lily asked suddenly.

"Of course, my love." He replied with a smile.

"Whatever. I'm going to get a drink. Be back in a second," said Serena.

"Yeah, me too," Dan added.

"We're coming too." Jenny said, referring to herself and Erik.

"Yeah, I have no desire to see you two make out again..." he said, leaving the room.

Now Lily and Rufus were all alone.

"We've never talked about that time, Rufus." Lily began warily.

"I was married. You were married. Do we really need to?"Rufus replied.

"Well, we're together now. Why are we still hiding that night?"

"Because....I don't want to tell Jenny and Dan that I cheated on their mother..." Rufus trailed off guiltily.

"Ohh..." was all Lily replied

It had been five years after they had broken up. One of Lily's old friend's', Erika, had invited her to come and watch a concert and she figured she might as well. After all, she had little time to get out anymore. Plus, she needed to spend some time with a friend. The truth was her marriage with William was getting a little shaky and she just needed some time away from her high society life. Not to mention, she hadn't been to a concert in years. Not since.....Rufus.

"Lily! Oh my god. How are you? You look fantastic!" Erika greeted her.

"Look who's talking! Who got you knocked up? You're glowing!" Lily laughed. Seeing Erika made her remember how easy things had been five years ago. Before William, before going to Paris to have the baby, before she had ruined things with her boyfriend.

"Matthew! We got married last spring!" She replied, flashing a wedding band at Lily.

"Oh my god. I can't believe I missed it!"

"You've missed a lot...." Erika trailed off.

"I'm sorry...." Lily really was sorry. She was sorry that this was the way things had ended up.

She smiled though, "Let's not talk about it though. You're hear now!"

"Yes, I am."

They had continued to catch up until Lily stopped suddenly when she saw him.

Erika followed her gaze.

"Oh...." Erika said, "He's married now."

"To that tramp?" Lily replied harshly.

"Lily....you broke his heart...."

Yeah, but I didn't want to, she thought...tears were about to come.

"I've got to go to the bathroom...." Lily arose from her seat and started walking towards the bathroom.

"Lily! Wait!" her friend called after her.

But Lily was deaf to all her cries. The sound of the music became suddenly louder and she became numb with emotions...

Then she bumped into HER.

"Sorry..." she said hurriedly.

"Well, well...if it isn't Lily Rhodes. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hi, Allison." Lily was trying to be polite, but it wasn't easy. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful....," she ennuciated every syllable, suttely showing off her ring. "Rufus and I got married."

"Oh, congratulations!"

"Yes! We've just had our second child, Jenny."

"Wow. That's incredible....Listen, I'm going to go to the bathroom. Nice seeing you..."

"I won, Lily." Allison said quietely.

"Excuse me?"

"Turns out he loved me after all, didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so...." she paused, "but only due to the fact that he couldn't have his first choice..." What? She couldn't help herself.

"You wish..."

"Whatever. I'm not doing this. Don't be a bitch. Okay? You got him okay. End of story. Have a nice life together..." Lily just wanted to get away from her. Far far away.

She went to the bathroom to wipe the tears that had began streaming down her face and took a deep breath. Whatever. It was her fault....Lily had done this. She couldn't blame anyone, not even Allison.

As she was leaving the bathroom, she saw him. And before she could pretend she hadn't, he spotted her looking at him. They exchanged a glance....Then he began walking towards him.

Oh god, she thought, she couldn't do this.

"Hi, Lily." Rufus said polietely.

He called her Lily. He hadn't called her that since their second date. And only because she had told him she didn't like being called 'Lil'.

"Hi, Rufus."

They carried on some small talk, nothing he said those three words...

"I miss you..." He looked guiltily at her, because he knew he shouldn't miss her. He had a wife and two kids.

"Rufus...."

"I know. I know I shouldn't have said that..."

"I'm glad you did." Lily replied.

Before she knew it, their lips had been drawn together like a magnet. Their bodies pressed against one another and it felt so comfortable. It felt like no time had passed. Aliison and William both soon forgotten. It wasn't long before they ended up in another room. It felt so good to have his body intertwined with hers.

After all was said and done, they were lying talking about things.

"I've missed you, Rufus...." Lily finally replied.

"I've missed you too, Lil. How is everything? Are you happy?"

"As happy as I can be without you. I married William."

"Oh. That's good."

"I guess. Right now things are strained. We have two kids: Serena and Erik, but it feels like it's ending."

"Allison and I got married."

"I heard."

"Two kids: Dan and Jenny."

"Beautiful names...."

"Thanks..."

They were clinging to this night. Knowing it would be one they would remember for the rest of their lives.

"Rufus, I have to tell you something....about why I left....It wasn't----"

Allison decided to interupt them at that moment. It figures. She had been on the verge of explaining everything about why she had left. She was even going to tell him about their baby.

"Rufus...are you in...OH MY GOD! What the hell are you doing with her?" Allison yelled.

"I--I---"

"You bitch! You let him go! He's MY husband! And you..." she turned to Rufus, "how could you fall for her trap? She's a whore. Always has been!"

"Allison...."

"Don't you dare defend her!" Allison stormed out.

He paused for a moment, "Lil, I've got to go after her. I'm sorry...."

"No. Don't worry about it. It's fine...."

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