Hour one

Logic - it never really was a strong point for Blair Waldorf. As she had stated to Dan a while back, "warped logic" was unquestionably a specialty of hers.

The more she thought about what she was about to do, the more unlogical it became, the more insane it became.

Blair was about to shatter the heart, of the one person who in this very moment she undoubtedly cared and loved most in the world, to pieces any second now, she just had to wait for him to walk through the loft door. Blair loved everything about Dan, his witty remarks, his sarcasm, his ability to make her smile even when she was in the worst moods and even had somehow managed to love his hair and his obsession with plaid, both of which she would deny if he ever found out. The problem wasn't that she was completely in love with him, it was that he was completely in love with her and that he would readily admit he would do anything for her. This Blair had convinced herself was a major problem, especially in her current predicament.

Dan and Blair had planned to fly to Rome together later that night, she had managed to convince him to take his agent up on the offer as it was a brilliant opportunity which he had accepted on only one condition. That she come with him. Blair had of course accepted, and couldn't wait to go, she couldn't remember a time she had been so happy in her entire life, that was until Chuck reappeared and decided to drop thousands of potentially relationship destroying bombs into her life. None of these had succeeded of course, they were strong, and it appeared to the outside world they could overcome anything.

But not this, Blair couldn't allow him to forfeit such an amazing opportunity for her, he had to go to Rome, she had watched him give up so many opportunities for Serena, missing endless job interviews waiting for her and she was adamant she wouldn't do the same.

"..and Serena disappointed you twice today, you owe me twenty"

Chuck needed her, the last twenty messages from friends and family had pretty much demanded she be there for him, as he had become unreliable and they were scared for him. Yes she cared about chuck , but she didn't love him, he didn't have even a tiny piece of her heart anymore, because it had been wholly and truly captured by Dan. But she had now decided he didn't have to know that, she knew that if he knew the truth that she was being forced and guilted into staying in New York over the summer he would never leave her, he would insist that he would stay as well, as he had pretty much stated earlier that morning. But she couldn't let him, he couldn't give up this opportunity, so she had decided, she was going to lie, lie and tell him she didn't love him. Yes it was brutal but it was the only way she could set him free from the vicious circle of dependency chuck was attempting to pull her back into.

A tiny part of her was praying that after it was done, she would be able to catch a car to the empire and talk some sense into chuck, a type of sense that convinced him they weren't meant to be, but simultaneously showed her that he was okay, and that everyone could stop the constant worrying over his state of mind. If this happened she would race to the airport and tell Dan the truth and hopefully, he would forgive her and understand that she was sorry she had to shatter everything he thought he knew, about them and her, just incase she didn't make it in time, so he would go to Rome, heartbroken yes. But at least he would be there, and it would massively help him career.

And once again the question of logic came into her mind.

Yes it was definitely warped

At that moment the loft door opened. Dan walked through the door and immediately started rambling. He was smiling so brightly that she almost considered switching her phone off, gathering her things and suggesting they go now, even if there flight wasn't for ten hours.

"I was checking out the weather and its looking good, I cant wait to go sightseeing in the sunshine with you waldorf, although I cant imagine you trying to walk up hills in those heels! You really need to rethink the footwear you've packed" she couldn't help but smile as he moved towards her and smoothed her hair down the sides of her face, kissing her softly.

She broke the kiss and looked up at him sadly, "Dan I need to talk to you about something" she stuttered. Stupid god damn warped logic she thought to herself

He let go of her and stepped away slightly, seemingly unaware of what she was about to do, "What's wrong Waldorf, you know I'm always here for you" he smiled softly and she could see his eyes glistening in the light.

She looked at the floor and took a breath prompting Dan to notice her unease. "Hey whats wrong?" he soothed.

"I cant come to Rome with you." she focused on the floor but for the brief second she looked up there eyes met and she saw the look of horror appear on his face. She immediately felt guilty, and she wanted to go to Rome with him more than anything.

"What, why? I don't understand?" he rambled as he took a step closer to her.

"I just cant Dan, I cant do it.. Its just" she didn't know how to explain herself, what was she supposed to say, that she was trying to do something selfless and letting him go, while she was tied to saving chuck bass from the dark side, he would never accept that.

"Chuck?" he questioned, with looks of sadness, anger and disappointment flashing simultaneously across his face.

"No" she paused unsure of how to answer, "Well not exactly, I don't know." she was afraid to look him in the eye, if she did it may just break her to see his world come crashing down around him.

"I don't understand Blair, you told me you loved me, the day before yesterday and the day before that, how can it just change, please tell me this is some kind of sick joke?" he rambled placing both his hands on either side of her face, searching her eyes for something, anything that would show him this wasn't happening.

"I just don't love you anymore Humphrey, I'm sorry" she finally locked eyes with him, and forced the tears back that were threatening to spill, noticing as he attempted to do the same. That was the fatal dagger that hit him right in the heart, he dropped his hands from her face and walked away turning around to face the living room. She couldn't gage his reaction but she was pretty sure he was trying to control his emotions with minimal success.

When he finally turned around they again locked eyes, both watery and red, "But you love Chuck right?" he stated as a fact rather than a question his voice hitching in the back of his throat half way through.

She nodded sadly, her own heart breaking at what she was doing to him she really was ninety five pounds of girly evil, hell she was worse.

"okay" he seemed resigned to defeat.

"ill just go then" she turned to leave before she felt him grab for her hand, turning her back around

"You know Blair, I was so shocked that day you came to me, after Ceces funeral party, I was sure id lost you, lost my chance with you, but I hadn't and you managed to make me one of the happiest guys on the planet, I swear, and I know that sounds stupid." she burst into tears, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "But now I think about it, I can see that this was always going to happen, I think a part of me knew that I was delusional to think you could ever feel the same way, or even more about me, a boy from Brooklyn when I'm up against Chuck Bass.

He put his arms around her, and pulled her into a hug, like it was the last time he would be this close to her, ever be able to think Blair loves me and her tears were soaked up by his shirt. When he finally let her go he walked away pacing up and down, giving her the next move in the conversation.

"I should go" she muttered her breath hitching "I really did (do, she thought) love you."

He turned round to watch her leave the loft closing the door behind her, his eyes then drifting to the suitcases, and all the bags they had packed in the weeks before that were scattered around his feet in preparation for their flight. Then his eyes fell to the bag he had been carrying when he came in, she hadn't noticed, probably too focused on breaking up with him, he assumed, but what she didn't know was that he had been out searching for a perfect pair of flat shoes for her to take to Rome, he'd eventually settled on a red dainty pair from Chloe with a little flower detailed on the top.

"Maybe Ill go to Rome and never come back." he muttered, swallowing the lump that was currently residing in his throat, and attempting to blink away any new tears that were forming. He concluded it was his own fault, it wasn't Blair's she was always going to be tied to Chuck, he was stupid to think she would ever want to be with him. He grabbed his phone and coat, and decided he was going to take a walk, and maybe phone his dad, he really couldn't stand the site of her bags right now, and especially those stupid shoes.