Same disclaimer as before: I unfortunately don't own Blair, Dan, any of the Humphreys, Waldorfs, van der Woodsens, Archibalds, Basses, etc.
For the record, this chapter will take place four years before the last. I thought it would be nice to know how Dan and Blair got to be married, parents, and living in Paris.
Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom
October 9, 2010
7:49 p.m.
Blair Waldorf couldn't help the smile that graced her lips as she watched Rufus Humphrey and Lillian van der Woodsen welcoming their guests to their engagement dinner.
Lilly looked beautiful in an ice-blue gown, her long blonde hair pulled back into a chignon.
Rufus stood beside her, surprisingly handsome, in a black suit, white Oxford and ice blue tie.
Looking around the large crowd, Blair spotted Lilly's daughter and her ex-bestie but still current friend, Serena van der Woodsen, conversing with Rufus' daughter, Jenny.
Not thirty feet away, Erik van der Woodsen, Serena's brother, was making conversation with Blair's ex-boyfriend Nate Archibald, and Chuck Bass.
A flash of green caught Blair's attention, and the petite brunette winced when she saw her mother, Eleanor Waldorf, heading straight for her.
Blair searched for an exit. As Eleanor was stalled by a few of her fellow socialites, Blair spied French doors leading out to the patio, and ducked towards the exit quickly.
It wasn't until she was closing the doors as inconspicuously as possible that Blair realized that she was not alone out on the landing.
"I didn't think you'd show. Especially without that tetanus shot."
Blair spun around to find the only member of the soon-to-be-formed Humphrey-van der Woodsen family not enjoying the party.
Dan Humphrey was leaning against the stone balustrade, infinitely good-looking in charcoal gray suit, black Oxford, and black and dove gray checkered tie. His hair was cut slightly shorter than the last time Blair had seen him.
Blair gathered her wits about her.
"I was upset; it was the best I could up with under duress. Besides, I was invited." She established, leaning back against the glass doors.
Dan shrugged a shoulder.
"I know." He admitted. "Why are you out here, though? The party is in there. Serena, Jenny, Isabel, Kati, Chuck, Nate…they're all in there. The crème de la crème of Manhattan society is that room and you're out here with me."
Blair met Dan's expressive coffee-colored eyes for a brief second before shifting her focus to sky above Central Park visible over his shoulder.
"The crème de la crème of Manhattan society includes my mother." She revealed, voice just barely above a whisper. "I'd just like to stall that visit as much as possible right now."
"Okay."
Blair crossed over to the balustrade. New York looked beautiful in the moonlight. She missed this.
As much as Blair loved Yale University and New Haven, Connecticut, there was something about Central Park on an autumn eve that just made her feel at home. There was a slight chill in the air and Blair folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to stave off the breeze.
Dan watched Blair.
Back in high school he'd been on Serena's team, believing her to be the good one of the pair. The picture his late night phone conversations with Serena and Vanessa Abrams had painted of Blair was not in the least appealing, despite the few honest exchanges he'd himself had with the Waldorf heiress.
But as he watched her now, Dan could easily see he'd been mistaken and hypocritical. He'd criticized Blair for not being more open-minded, for not giving him and Jenny more opportunities, for classifying them as beneath her because of their zip code and yet he'd done the same to her. Dan had pigeonholed the heiress in a heartbeat, designating Blair to be arrogant, heartless, scheming and cold without so much as a second thought.
A loud honk brought him out of his reverie, and Dan and Blair turned to slightly to their left, looking over the railing toward Central Park South where a taxicab driver and a Lincoln Town Car were engaged in a battle for better parking.
A flash of skin caught Dan's attention.
Blair's dress was backless. Was she trying to kill him? Dan had never negated the fact that Blair Waldorf was beautiful. He new it as well as everybody else in the city did. And he was as affected by it as all the men that came into contact with the brunette. Dan had just been a whole lot better at concealing his reaction.
But he hadn't seen her in two years and his loyalty to Serena was murky and fraternal at best, so Dan allowed himself to appreciate the sight Blair presented him.
When he saw her shiver, Dan shrugged off his suit jacket and slipped it over Blair's shoulders.
The feel of rich fabric moving across her skin startled Blair, and she spun around to find Dan holding his jacket and wrapping it tightly around her small frame.
"You looked cold." Dan said.
"Thanks."
"I want to apologize." Dan began; he was unaware of why he felt the compulsion to express his contriteness when it would sound ridiculous, even to him. "This is going to sound incredibly stupid but…I wasn't the nicest person to you in high school. So I'm apologizing for being an ass."
Blair's laugh rang clear in the night. Her chocolate eyes sparkled with mirth, her cheeks flushed pink.
Dan didn't think he'd ever seen her look more stunning.
Here she was, standing the autumn air, dark hair tousled by the breeze, her shapely figure wrapped up in a short and strapless dove-gray dress topped off with his jacket.
"I was a bitch to you." Blair reminded him. "A complete and utter bitch. To Jenny, too. I should be asking you for forgiveness."
Dan shrugged and the matter was dropped.
"What do you think about upper echelon Lillian van der Woodsen marrying a blue-collar guy like my dad?" Dan queried, sitting down on a stone bench.
Blair pulled the coat tighter around her and sat down beside Serena's former boy-toy.
"They actually love each other." She uttered, a hint of wonderment lacing her voice. "Do you know how rare that is when it comes to people like us? Lilly is very lucky, even if it did take them twenty years to get their act together. Besides, I like your dad. He's actually very charming."
They shared a smile.
"It must have skipped a generation." Dan quipped.
Blair looked up at him; Dan's face covered in shadows, and shook her head.
"You underestimate yourself, Humphrey." Blair argued. "You're pretty appealing yourself."
Dan raised an eyebrow.
"Are you drunk?"
"Do I have to be drunk to pay you a compliment?"
"Yeah." Dan deadpanned. "Or stoned. Or both."
The two shared moment of silence before bursting into giggles.
"Well, you're right." Blair confirmed. "I'm a little bit drunk. But I meant what I said. Just know it's very likely I'll never say it again."
"Okay. For the record, the feeling's mutual, Waldorf. The feeling's mutual."
I consulted with my best friend, who happens to be my beta, and she encouraged me to continue so...this is my attempt to writing something more than a oneshot.
Be kind, review. If you think this is good, let me know. If you think it sucks, let me know, too.
