1x4 Bad News Blair

"Why not?"

"I don't know. But I wish I had. Because even if it didn't change anything, she'd know how I felt."

She sat in the corridor, her hands neatly placed on the skirt of her green dress, legs cold against the cement. She let his words sink in then finally broke the silence, "Growing up my mother was gone for a lot more than a summer. Most of my childhood memories were of her always jet setting to Europe for her fashion line." Dan listened to her intently as she spoke, "It hurts when I feel like I have to compete for her attention."

Dan slightly smiled out of the corner of his mouth in his understanding, "I guess there's a lot we don't know about each other."

She paused then nodded with a look of gratitude and apology on her face.

A few seconds later he placed his hands against the floor and stood up. Her eyes looked up at him.

"You ready to come back up?" he asked her extending his hand to help her up. "Serena's up there."

"I just need a minute." She looked down at her hands.

He nodded. "Alright," and he began to make his way down the hall.

.

He'd been working on the beginning of this story for almost a year. He decided to title it "Inside" to juxtapose the "outsider" status he had been given at school. Dan was happy with the progression of the story given his new interactions with Serena gave him a lot more to write about. He kept a page at the end of his Word document for story notes and his outline. The night after the fashion shoot he typed:

*Add new minor character, Clair Carlyle.

Post 1x5 Daredevil

In the morning, Dan stumbled out of his room to the kitchen where he found Jenny sitting on the bar stool eating waffles looking happy as ever. He stretched out his arms and let out a yawn and as he passed Jenny he ruffled her hair to which she giggled and let out a protesting, "Hey!"

"I heard you get in last night. Did you have enough of the girl torturing sleepover?" He asked.

Jenny smiled, "Even though I didn't sleep there, I still had a lot of fun," she beamed.

Dan smiled slightly as he poured himself a cup of coffee, "I still don't get why you want to be friends with Blair just because she's the self-titled 'Queen of Constance.'"

"It's not just because she's popular."

Dan scoffed, "What then? Is it her kind yet bullying nature?"

Jenny shook her head matching his sarcasm, "No. It's because she's…smart, and ambitious, and strong. She works hard to get what she wants."

Dan sat on the barstool next to her, "Look, I'm sorry I overreacted last night. I'm just trying to protect you is all. That's my job." He nudged her with his shoulder.

She smiled, "And it's my job to tell you when you're being judgmental about my friends. Which you are."

He laughed, "As long as she doesn't turn you into an Upper East Side monster, be my guest being friends with the ice queen."

Between 1x6 (The Handmaiden's Tale) and 1x7 (Victor Victrola)

Serena lay on her stomach on Blair's bed while Blair tried on different pairs of shoes.

"Serena," she said seriously scrunching her eyebrow as Serena pushed away at the buttons of Blair's phone. "You do know that I take pride in the fact that my address book is rightly void of the 917 area code, right?" She crossed her arms and tucked a loose strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear.

Serena made a face, "Don't you have Jenny's number?"

"Of course not. I e-mail her when I need something done."

Serena smiled, "Well Dan is a part of my life now and you are my best friend and even if you don't approve of him," she pressed away, "he's a part of your life too." She smiled and handed Blair her phone.

Blair looked down and made a disgusted face seeing the "Dan Humphrey" contact on her now tainted list of contacts.

"Can I at least change his name to Cabbage Patch?" Serena made a disapproving face then affectionately held Blair's arm, "He's really sweet, B! And funny, and different…and –"

"Blah blah blah." Blair playfully teased with a smile, "Okay. Okay."

.

"Uh, Serena," he said in a playful voice, "Why would I need the number of the girl who lied and told everyone you have a drug problem? And who by the way orders my little sister around to pick up her dry cleaning when she already has a housemaid."

"She's not that bad." Serena giggled and pushed Dan's hands away as he tried to playfully grab his phone.

Serena continued, "This way if you can't get a hold of me. You can call Blair."

"Mm, and I can hear her insult my hair from over the phone."

Serena smiled, "I know she can be - "

"Condescending? Rude? Classist?" He finished.

Serena laughed lightly, "I was gonna say rough around the edges. But once you get to know her she really is an amazing friend."

She handed him his phone, and Dan looked down at the "Blair Waldorf" contact on his phone.

"If you say so." He smiled and leaned in to kiss Serena.

1x8 Seventeen Candles

"I'll have the uh…nori…norimaki roll." Dan gave the sushi chef a smile.

Blair walked up next to him at the bar while he waited for his order. She smiled at him not-so innocently.

"Oh hey. Happy birthday, Blair," he said as he noticed her standing.

"You're an idiot."

Dan let out a breath, "Not the response I usually get but it is your birthday," he bit his lip in his impatience.

Blair scrunched her eyebrows, "Let me be direct with you about something."

"Okay…"

"If you really cared about Serena you would know not to show up as her date to a party with another girl. Even if that girl is just a friend."

"What? No. Serena's totally cool about Vanessa," he said half convinced.

Blair rose and eyebrow and scoffed. "Tread lightly, Humphrey."

Blair turned around as someone touched her shoulder saying, "There you are."

"Chuck," Dan said as his jaw clenched.

Blair turned to Chuck and made a disgusted face pushing his hand off her shoulder.

Chuck smirked at Dan, "Blair, I know Serena's your friend, but you shouldn't have to invite her play toys to your birthday party."

Dan's hands started to clench.

Blair glared at Chuck, "Or my stalkers for that matter." She sighed and got up to leave, "…and you" she turned and looked at Dan, "apologize to Serena."

1x9 Blair Waldorf Must Pie!

"That's why it's called a fire escape."

.

Blair ducked her head under the window and peered out making a slightly disgusted face as she examined the fire escape, "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Yeah. I come out here all the time." Dan offered his hand out as Blair took it and climbed out. Serena, Jenny, and Eric were heading down the staircase.

.

Dan, Jenny, and Blair walked out of the diner after Lily arrived. They started walking back to the loft.

"So, got any plans for the rest of Thanksgiving?" Dan asked Blair.

"Just…going back to a home full of tension," she smiled reluctantly.

"Yeah, us too." Jenny said.

Blair turned around at the sound of a car and saw a cab approaching so she waved it down.

"This is me," Blair said.

Dan opened the door for her and Blair was surprised that someone from Brooklyn was capable of a polite gesture.

Blair gave a quick look at Dan and Jenny, "Happy Thanksgiving. Tell your parents and Cedric I had a lovely time."

Dan laughed and watched as she got into the taxi.

Jenny waved to her, "Happy Thanksgiving Blair!"

"See you later Waldorf," he said as he shut the door.

1x10 Hi, Society

Serena was off with CeCe talking with some of the parents from Constance as the students gathered their things from the dance practice. Dan looked across the room at Serena as she laughed and put her arm around her grandmother affectionately.

"What are you doing here, Humphrey? I thought your liberal laissez-faire upbringing made you against debutante balls." Blair picked up her bag next to Dan and rummaged for her change of shoes.

"I am against them. I just came here to meet Serena's grandmother."

Blair smiled. "Ah, CeCe."

Dan smiled, "Yeah…she's a character."

Blair put on her coat, "Well maybe you would have made a better first impression if you were escorting Serena. I still can't believe you influenced her out of it."

"No, she made the decision on her own and trust me, I'm sparing her from my lack of graceful dancing skills."

"Now that I believe." Blair smiled.

She heard a voice call out, "Ms. Waldorf" and saw it was Prince Theodore.

Blair let out a happy sigh and turned to Dan, "I'd introduce you but I know your distaste for nobles and aristocrats." She twittled her fingers goodbye to Dan smiling sweetly.

Dan thought to himself that Blair was in a weirdly nice mood for Blair's standards.

Between 1x10 and 1x11

He walked up the steps of school and suddenly felt something cold and wet fall on his head. At the sound of a few girls laughing, he touched his head and saw yogurt on his fingers. He looked up and saw Blair smiling along with Penelope and Iz on the ledge as they ate their yogurt.

Serena noticed the incident and rushed to him, "Dan! Are you okay?" She affectionately rubbed his back and took a look at the yogurt in his hair.

He let out a frustrated sigh, "Yeah, I'm okay."

She yelled, "Blair!"

Blair smiled menacingly, "I got bored and ran out of targets."