Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl...I own nothing but this story's plot!!!

In Another Life

Part 1:

Beautiful Disaster

Brooke's favorite holiday was always Christmas. She loved seeing the pretty lights and the winter window displays. She also loved decorating cookies and helping the staff trim the 12-foot Christmas tree that graced the front foyer. But her favorite thing about Christmas was getting to spend it in New York City.

It had been a family tradition for as long as she could remember, and pretty much because it was the only family tradition that the Davis's had. Every holiday season they would fly up to visit her mom's sister, Eleanor. See, Brooke's mom might not care too much about family when it came to her, but there was one person Victoria Davis was accepting of…and that was her sister.

Brooke was glad to see her mom actually did care about something besides herself and money. And though it hurt that it wasn't her, she always had her cousin Blair to cheer her up.

"Brooke, it's almost time to leave for the airport. Are you ready? You haven't even brought down any suitcases!" Victoria Davis yelled up the staircase to her daughter.

Just then Brooke emerged at the top of the staircase. She was dragging a Louis Vuitton suitcase that was practically big enough to be a trunk along with a smaller version she used as a carryon bag.

"Yes, I'm ready Mother," She said evenly as the proceeded to bring her luggage down the stairs the best way that she could. It surely wasn't easy.

"I could have had Carlota come and get that for you," Victoria said plainly. "Look at the scuffs you made on the stairs dragging those bags down. And your father and I just had the stairs waxed last week."

"Sorry," Brooke said sheepishly as she hung her head. She never felt as if she was good enough when it came to Victoria.

"Well sorry isn't going to buff those scratches out, now is it?" Victoria asked her rudely. Then she made her way outside of the house where a car was waiting to take them to the airport.

Brooke reluctantly did the same thing. She was ready to get to New York and see Blair, but she was not ready to spend two hours on a plane with Bitch-toria and her no-nonsense father, Cole.

When she reached the front door, she heard her father's voice call out to her from behind.

"Brookie," he said. "You don't actually think you're leaving the house in that top?" He asked her. "It doesn't even cover your stomach."

"And he chooses today to be a father," Brooke thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. "Mom didn't say anything," she told him as she quickly walked out of the house and closed the door. She was in no mood to change, and besides, she had a jacket in her bag.

Brooke couldn't wait to be in New York City. Just to be out of Tree Hill and away from her problems, for even a short time, was a complete blessing. This past semester had been beyond awful for Brooke. She had actually given her heart to a guy and really cared about him. Only to have her heart crushed by not only said guy, but her supposed best friend. Or should she say ex-best friend? Not only that, but Victoria and Cole were fighting even more than usual. It was driving her crazy, and she really wished they would just grow up and try for a separation already.

Ever since the Lucas and Peyton fallout she had been praying for the end of the semester to hurry up and come. She just wanted to be away and not see their lying faces any more. Because let's face it, everywhere she turned one of them was right there.

Now she wanted to hang with her cousin, someone who could give her the unbiased opinion she so desperately craved when it came to the situation. And Blair was also someone who Brooke knew could help her forget all her problems. Because if Blair and her friends knew anything, it was how to throw a killer party.

The only downfall of this trip was that her parents were going to be there so she couldn't escape them. Not that they would be paying too much attention to her, if any at all. And since they were going to be guests she was sure they would be civil to keep up their appearance of the perfect all American family.

They landed in the city not a moment too soon. Brooke rushed to gather her bags, not even bothering to wait for her parents before she got off the plane. She couldn't wait to see Blair, who she was hoping hadn't forgotten their little tradition. The tradition being that every year Blair would ride with the driver to pick up Brooke, and her family, from the airport and bring them both a giant Christmas sugar cookie to snack on. This tradition had only fallen through one year when they were 13, and that was only due to the fact that Blair had had a serious case of strep throat.

Brooke dragged her heavy suitcase down the tunnel that lead back to the airport, practically knocking over an older man in the process. But she was just so happy to finally get to someone who actually cared about her that she didn't seem to mind. And then about 50 feet from where she stepped off the plane, she spotted the person she had been searching for.

"Blair!" She screamed her voice very high-pitched and full of energy. She dropped her suitcase and began to run to meet the other raven haired girl.

Blair turned to face her cousin and screamed right back at her. "Brooke!" She yelled as she too ran in her direction. And when she reached her, they embraced in a hug.

As soon as they pulled apart, Blair turned and screamed to her maid she had brought along with her. "Dorota, go and get Brooke's bag before someone reports it as an unattended object and it gets confiscated!"

"Right away, Miss Blair," Dorota obliged with a nod of her head.

Brooke laughed as Blair turned back to face her. It was so funny to see someone order people around. But that was how Blair lived her life, so much unlike the people she knew in Tree Hill.

"What?" Blair asked her curiously when she noticed how her cousin's signature dimpled smile was plastered over her features.

"Nothing," Brooke quickly told her. "I'm just so glad to be here!"

"I know you are," Blair said, linking her arm with the other girls. "And I think you arrived just in time. From what you told me in your last email, Tree Hill seems pretty toxic. And not only that, but Chuck is having a party at his suite tonight. And guess who is coming with me?" She asked.

"If you say anyone but me, I think I might hurt you," Brooke told her with a giggle.

"Who else would I bring?" Blair said, as if the answer was so obvious. "Oh and I got this for you," she added, pulling a sugar cookie out of her oversize Dooney and Bourke bag.

"You remembered!" Brooke squealed as she pulled Blair in closer to her.

"How could I forget?" She asked her incredulously. "It has only been our tradition since we were six. Now let's go find your bags so we can go home and get ready for tonight."

"Sounds great," Brooke answered, with a bite of cookie filling her mouth. She was right; New York City was definitely the distraction she needed.

Spotted: One Brooke Davis, being greeted at the airport by her cousin, the Queen B of the UES. We smell something interesting brewing…Don't disappoint us Brookie.

"So who all is going to be at the party tonight?" Brooke asked Blair, as she straightened her hair.

"Ummmm, I'm not exactly sure," Blair told her. "I'm sure all the girls will be there. You remember Kati, Isabel, Penelope, and Hazel, right?" she asked, turning her attention from her closet to Brooke.

"Yeah," Brooke nodded; she had met the girls last year. It had been around the time Blair's previous best friend, Serena van der Woodsen had disappeared for boarding school without so much as a goodbye.

"Oh and of course Nate and Chuck are going to be there," Blair told her, her tone full of hostility though she was trying to be nonchalant.

"Don't try to act like you don't care," Brooke told her coming over and standing behind Blair in her enormous closet. "You know you are excited to see your boyfriend."

Blair turned around and sent Brooke a look that she was clearly annoyed as she buttoned up her purple cardigan halfway. "I don't even know if he is my boyfriend right now," she said, exasperated, as she flopped down onto her king-size bed.

"Oh he's your boyfriend, and he has been since you were three. And he will be your boyfriend up until the day you two get engaged, so don't give me that," Brooke told her, leaning over the girl.

"I just don't know," Blair told her, rolling over and curling her body into a ball. "Something seems different with him, and I don't know, maybe we're just not meant to be."

Brooke laid down beside Blair not fully understanding what her issue was. "What's going on with you two?" She asked her as she looked carefully into her face. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"

Blair rolled over on her back, she hadn't told Brooke this, but she knew it was going to come out at the party anyway, so it was best to tell her beforehand she supposed. "Serena's back," she blurted out, rolling her head over to look in Brooke's direction.

"Shut up!" Brooke screamed and slapped Blair on the thigh.

"No, I'm serious," she told her, sitting up and wrapping her cardigan more tightly around herself. "And Nate has just been acting strange every since she showed up. I don't know what is going on but it is like he and Serena have some secret they are keeping from me," she admitted.

"Now you are just being silly," Brooke told her. "Nate and Serena would never keep something from you. They are the people who love you most in this world." And as she said the words, she could help but flashback to the whole Lucas and Peyton fiasco. But this was different. Nate really did love Blair, she had seen it. And Lucas, well he was just some horny teenage boy who thought he could get an easy piece from Brooke Davis.

"I don't think so," Blair told her. "But I really don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to go to the party and get blitzed so I don't have to think about any of it."

"I'm with you on that," Brooke admitted. "But can I just ask one favor of you?"

"Sure, anything," Blair said quickly, standing up from her bed and going to retrieve a headband from her vanity.

"Can I please borrow this Dolce and Gabbana sequined mini dress?" She asked her practically begging. "It has been pleading with me to wear it since I first spotted it in the back of your closet."

Blair just looked at her and laughed. "Well I'm glad you feel that way because that dress is your Christmas present," she said with another laugh. "So I guess it is really just up to you as to whether or not you wear it."

Brooke smiled widely and hugged the dress close to her body. "Thank you so much, B. You always know just what my style is."

"Hmmm, it's a gift," Blair replied with a shrug. "Now hurry and put that thing on so we can get out of here before our parents try to sucker us into going to that Art for Heart event they are going to."

By the time Blair and Brooke reach Chuck's suite at the Palace Hotel it is already packed with pretty much every teenager from Constance and St. Jude combined. There were people surrounding the massive bar, drinking whatever was in stock. Boys and girls were dancing out on the rooftop patio in various states of undressed. And there were even some guys playing beer pong over in the corner.

"There are the girls," Blair said, pointing to where her posse was congregated on the patio. "Come on, before we run into someone we don't want to be talking to," she told Brooke, grabbing her hand and pulling her along until they were safely outside.

"Blair," Isabel called, waving her over as if she hadn't already seen them. "Oh Brooke, that dress is to die for," she told her, clearly sucking up.

"Thanks," Brooke smiled widely as she answered her. "Blair actually gave it to me. It's an early Christmas present."

"Blair!" Penelope screamed, nearly interrupting Brooke. "You are never going to believe who had the nerve to show her face here tonight?"

"Who, Serena," Blair asked, as if she was totally uninterested.

"Yes. Can you believe that girl? She is completely ridiculous," Hazel chimed in, waving her hand dismissively.

"I'm going to get a drink," Brooke announced, feeling totally out of place with Blair and her friends. She knew she was welcome, but she didn't want to get wrapped up in any petty drama. She had enough real drama of her own to deal with.

"You want me to come with?" Blair quickly asked her, turning to look Brooke in the eye.

"Nah," she answered. "Looks like you need to plan how to take Serena down," she added with a laugh. "I'm a big girl. I think I'll manage."

"Alright, but I am sending someone to find you if you aren't back in ten minutes," she told her cousin with a smile. She watched Brooke go and then turned back to her own group of friends. She loved having Brooke here and she wanted to spend time with her. But right now, she had to figure out how to hold on to the only love she'd ever known.

Brooke walked inside the house, feeling instantly warmer. She hadn't really thought about the fact that it was winter when she had selected her ensemble for the evening. She headed over to the bar and had the bartender make her a lemon drop martini.

She took the drink and let the sweet liquid course through her veins. It was an instant release, not the total one she needed. But it was definitely going to help get her there. As she drank, she began to realize how crowded the house actually was. She wished for a moment she could be Blair, simply enjoying herself and having a good time with friends who literally worshipped the ground she walked on. And being able to let all of the random people and alcohol tune out her problems, but she wasn't like that. And suddenly, all she wanted to do was dull the incessant voices that were fogging her brain and making her enable to think.

She spotted an emergency exit and raced over to it. And as she pushed the door open she prayed that no one had already found their way out onto this little escape haven. She made her way out onto the fire escape and let the door close behind her. And as it shut, she heard a familiar voice yell.

"No!" Nate Archibald screamed as someone let the door fall closed once more.

"Who's there?" Brooke asked, not immediately seeing anyone around. Startled, she tried to open the door and go back inside, but it was locked. "Damn it!" She screamed, kicking the door.

"Now that's something I didn't try," Nate admitted, climbing back onto the level where Brooke was now seated in the corner.

"Natie?" Brooke asked as she squinting to see the person before her in the dim lamp light. She knew that voice had sounded familiar.

"Yeah," he answered warily. He knew there were only a handful of girls that called him 'Natie' and he didn't think they were the type to be retreating to a fire escape in the middle of a party.

"Oh my God, I missed you so much," Brooke told him, getting up from where she was seated and wrapping her arms around his neck. When she did she twirled one of her fingers through his hair.

This was a move Nate knew was only performed by one Brooke Davis. "If it isn't my favorite North Carolina girl," he greeted her as he squeezed her back. "When did you get into town?" He asked, placing her back on the ground.

"Earlier today, actually," she admitted, walking over and retrieving the drink she had left before. "And you would have already known that if something weird wasn't going on between you and Blair, so spill," she instructed, pulling Nate down with her as she resituated herself on the fire escape.

"Ugh," he groaned as Brooke pulled him down towards her by the collar of his shirt. He was tired of all the bullshit with Blair and Serena and their drama. He did not want to be a part of it. And in fact the whole reason he got trapped on this fire escape in the first place was because he was trying to avoid it.

"You know we are locked out here, so you better tell me what's going on," she said. "Either that or you better start putting on a dirty little strip tease because I am already becoming extremely bored," she added with a giggle.

"Can I take option two?" He asked her, leaning in so that their faces were mere inches apart. It was an act that made her breath catch in her throat, and she had to instantly pull back from him.

And again she wished she could be Blair and have a great guy like Nate. But she was doomed to forever get burned by losers like Lucas and never find true love.

"Is the alternative really that bad?" She asked him, letting her head fall against his shoulder. All these reminders of what she left behind were making her tired. And she didn't want to deal with anything at the moment.

"It's the reason why I couldn't stand to be in there," he told her, gesturing back towards the party that was raging through the door behind them. "Plus remember the little strip show you and B put on two years ago. It wouldn't be right not to return the favor," he laughed.

Brooke laughed too, but it wasn't the carefree laugh Nate was used to. The girl with that laugh was gone and she had been replaced by someone who had been broken and was now jaded by the harsh realities of life.

"What's wrong with you, Brooke?" Nate asked her, tilting her chin up so she was looking into his face. "The girl I knew would have jumped at the offer. And by now we would probably be streaking across Manhattan together because there is not anyway to say no to her dimpled smile."

"Well I guess I'm not that girl anymore," Brooke admitted, taking the final drink from her martini and wishing she had another. "I just want to escape," she admitted to him.

"Me too," he finally answered her after a few long moments of silence. "And maybe by being locked out here, we're both getting what we wanted," he added as his head came to rest gently on top of hers.

Uh oh, looks like our golden boy N has a secret. Maybe B was right, maybe something is going on. And what about B. Davis? Looks like there may be some extra baggage she hasn't unpacked from the long flight. I know I won't stop till I know the truth.

Blair was tired of the chatter of her posse of girls. They were doing nothing but giving her a headache. She had to send two of them off to get her a drink, leaving only Penelope and Isabel there with her, the two that seemed to bother her least.

It had been twenty minutes since Brooke went off for her drink. So she and her friends scoured the entire party looking for her. She was nowhere to be found. But there was someone who seemed to be everywhere Blair turned…Serena.

She was outside flaunting herself in the hot tub when Blair and the girls began plotting ways to keep her from ruining their precious social structure that had been created over the past year. She had been in the center of the dance floor when Blair had searched it for Brooke. And she had been at the bar when Blair finally got tired of her friends screwing up her drink order and went to do it herself. She was everywhere!

Blair had had enough of Serena. She needed to be somewhere that she wasn't. She couldn't deal with a rival threatening to knock her from her precious thrown as queen of the Upper East Side. And then for a moment, she wished she could be Brooke. Brooke was the undisputed queen of Tree Hill High, and she didn't even have to work at it. She was beautiful, outgoing, and totally fun. All her friends loved her, even the backstabbing one kept crawling back to apologize. And it wasn't because she was scared of what Brooke would do to her. It was because Brooke was that good of a friend.

She needed to get out of this party scene. It was obviously having the opposite effect on her than she had intended. She hadn't seen Nate at all. All she had seen was Serena. Brooke was missing. And the alcohol she kept pouring into her system seemed to be having no effect whatsoever. Because if it had been working, she was sure she wouldn't have minded seeing Isabel and Hazel talking to Serena.

And then she felt the urge to cleanse herself. It was something she had started in the summer, right after her father had left. It wasn't something she was proud of, and she would deny it if anyone questioned her about it. But for some reason it made her feel better, and she felt worthy of her position.

She rushed to Chuck's bedroom, where she knew she could block out the party. Not that anyone would have been able to hear her if she went to the hall bathroom since the damn music was so loud. She entered the bathroom and made her way over to his marble toilet. And she sang her shameful song.

During the middle of her performance, there was a knock on the bathroom door. "Is everything okay in there?" the muffled voice asked.

Blair coughed and then answered, "Perfect," before turning to the sink to rinse her mouth out.

"If you threw up on my Persian rug I swear I will beat the shit out of you," the voice spoke again. And with his words, Blair knew it had to be none other than Chuck Bass.

She swung open the door and was greeted by none other than the devil himself, face to face. "Oh, your little heirloom is still perfectly intact. Have no fear," she told him. Of course Chuck was more worried about his things than an actual human. Worrying about another life would actually require him having a heart of his own.

But he did notice something in Blair's eyes. The confident spark that was once ever so present in them seemed to be dulled. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. "What's going on with you?" He asked her seriously.

"You mean other than you trying to molest me?" She asked, trying to divert the attention from herself and his now somber attitude.

"Blair I'm serious," he snapped. "I've known you since you were in diapers. You are one of the most self-assured people I know. But ever since Serena reappeared on the scene you've been acting strange. You're shutting people out and getting so wasted that it makes you sick."

Well at least he had gotten part of it wrong. She wasn't wasted, but in order to keep up her little charade, she might at least want to play the part. So she stumbled into Chuck, forcing him to catch her in his arms.

"See what I mean," he said. "You are not yourself. Now I'm having Jerry take you home before you get any worse off than you already are."

"If that's even possible," she said. And for a second time she wished she could be Brooke. Brooke had friends to take her home, people who cared if she actually made it. All Blair had was people who would rather party so they pawn her off on their hired help—story of her life.

"Oh trust me, it's possible," Chuck told her as he ushered her down to the lobby of the building to meet his driver.

Is B back to her old habits? And what's this, Chuck Bass showing a similitude of a heart? I guess it's true you never really know what will be revealed from the mouths of drunken youth. Until next time, XOXO, Gossip Girl.

Brooke wasn't sure how she ended up back at Blair's house. All she remembered was someone finally letting her and Nate off that dreaded fire escape. Then downing everything she could get her hands on at the bar. But here she was, being tucked into bed by someone who she could only guess was Nate, next to her already sleeping cousin.

She was tired and her eyes were beyond heavy. She could tell by Blair's heavy breathing that she was already somewhere in dreamland. She felt Nate move some stray hairs out of her face and then kiss her forehead.

"Goodnight, pretty girl," she was sure she hear him say. But that wasn't right. That was what Lucas said, not Nate. Not Blair's boyfriend. She must have already been dreaming, and she wanted to force her eyes open to see, but they were too heavy.

"Night night," she mumbled back before she rolled over and cuddled herself deeper into the down pillows and silk comforter that adorned Blair's bed. And she let herself become lost, hoping to go to the only place she could truly leave her problems behind, her dreams.

So what do you guys think?? I hope you like it! This is my first attempt at writing something Gossip Girl, but I am so into the GG/OTH crossovers right now that I thought I would give it a try! Also, just as a heads up this is kind of going to be like two stories rolled into one...so you will have to let me know what you think about that as well...one chapter will be Brooke and the next will be Blair...but you'll see more of what I'm talking about next chapter! I have another question...do you guys like the Gossip Girl like Narrator comments? I hadn't had them in orginally but then I got to one part and I like "This narration might be good here" so I went back and added a bunch of them! And some things may be more like the GG books than the show, so just incase there are any discrepancies...that is where they came from. Anyways, comments are always appreciated, I love hearing what you all think and If you understand the way the story is going!! Just let me know!! :)

Audra