'No, it doesn't.' And he was determined to do something about it.

-xoxo-

As soon as his plane landed on French tarmac, there was a slight buzz in his chest. Anticipation, frustration, the fact that he had no damn clue how to find her, they were all kind of closing in on him. But he compared them with his target, her, and his potential prize, still her. And his so called 'problems' seemed more and more insignificant.

All the crap people say about Paris being 'the city of love' and 'the city of lights' was true. He felt overwhelmed by the beauty, and the class, and the vintage smell of the city. Everything about it seemed refined, and for someone who loved to just observe people and then write about them, this was absolute heaven. The sky was dark, but everything around him shined. The brightest, of course, being Paris' most famous landmark. As he sat at a small cafe in the vicinity of it, he realised how happy he was to be here. To attempt and start a new relationship with Serena away from the toxic air of New York and everything that came with it. A relationship that would last.

He didn't know where to start, where to look, but there was a small part of him that knew he would somehow find her. He slept at a small hotel close to the centre of Paris, and dreamt of her. Not unusual for him.

He started his search for her the next morning, visiting all the places her and Blair fantasised about going to. And it worried him that another sunset enveloped around him and he was still alone. There was something attracting him to the Eiffel Tower, and, after realising he needed the daylight to attempt a successful find, he took an elevator to the top.

It literally felt like being on top of the world. For someone living in NYC, someone used to the sight from the top of a sky scraper, Dan had never felt so free. It must have had something to do with the different air and tension, the smell of freedom, no expectations, just him.

And her. He couldn't believe the fact that his gaze had rested on her back, and he double checked the fact that he could still breathe, that there was still some oxygen left in the thin atmosphere around him. He loosened his shirt, and for the first time since deciding to come to France after her, he had no idea what to say. 'Hey, I stalked you here,' didn't seem like a good enough love story starter.

She sat at a small table, a beautiful dress around her body and a croissant on a plate in front of her. He smiled; at least her appetite was intact. His heart seemed encaged in...something... and with every step he took towards her, he felt that cage getting smaller and smaller. Man up, Humphrey. This is what you came here for.

'Serena?' he asked, and slowly touched her shoulder, grabbing her attention.

'Oh, my God, Dan, what are you doing here?' she asked, and jumped out of her seat, throwing her arms around him. He linked his around her waist, and they just stood in each other's embrace for what seemed like a much too short second. He breathed her in, her specific, intoxicating smell, and his heart raced just a little. He had done the right thing coming here.

He sat opposite her at the small, round table, which seemed out of a Grace Kelly movie.

'Where's Blair?' he asked, once the anticipation and tension around them dissipated slightly.

'Out. With some... French guy. I just needed the quiet, she needed the privacy. And this is my favourite cafe in Paris. Of course, I wouldn't tell Blair that...' She giggled.

'Why not?'

'If it's not one of the most famous places in Paris, she doesn't bother to remember its name.' She laughed and focused her attention back on him. 'So why are you here? Brooklyn is quite far away, you know...' She joked, and he laughed gently with her.

'You know that stuff I wanted to talk to you about? Well, it can't wait. I need to say this now.'

He waited a second, analysing her expression, hoping to notice a change. But nothing more than confusion was seen between the blueness of her eyes.

'Serena, I think there is a reason why we always come back to each other somehow. All this time, I kept putting it off, ignoring it, because I was selfish enough to protect myself from getting hurt. But I was wrong in doing so. I was wrong in ignoring the fact that, since that stupid kiss with Rachel Carr, I have never been truly happy. That the only one to make me so is you.'

'Dan...' she interrupted, but he closed his eyes, hinting to her to let him finish. He knew he wouldn't say it again, even if he had to. It was...emotionally draining.

'I'm here because sometimes it's about going for the right thing at the right time. This is the right time, Serena. This is our time. I'm here because I love you, like I've never loved anyone before, and like I don't think I'll love anyone again. I just needed you to know this, give you another option, hope for another chance. I'm here to beg for another chance.'

The fact that she was avoiding his gaze didn't help. His palms were sweating, and he felt like he was losing her. And that feeling was the most horrible feeling in the world.

'I don't regret that kiss. I don't regret the way I felt when it happened, or the way I felt afterwards. I would have done it again, at the hospital, if my phone hadn't rung. I want you back, Serena, with every fibre of my being, and I just need to know if you feel the same.'

He waited while she collected her thoughts, and it was the most painful wait of his life. Agonising. The cage around his heart was the smallest it had ever been.

'I broke up with Nate...' was her only reply.

'I know. And I'm sorry, but at the same time I'm not,' he said, gently, and she completely understood what he meant.

'The only reason I did it, the one reason I wouldn't allow myself to admit, was because I didn't feel about him in the same way. Something had changed inside me the night my father left. The night we...' She trailed, and brought her gaze back to his. 'I remembered everything I tried to forget in that one single kiss. Everything I fought with, everything I hated myself for feeling. Everything I wished I could've felt for Nate. And it's not fair to be so in love with you, but I can't help the fact that I am.'

He let out a relieved laugh, the corners of his mouth stretching into a soft, faded smile. He walked towards her, kneeling in front of her chair, taking her hands in his.

'I left New York to fight once more. To forget. And you being here is really not helping,' she muttered, and he laughed softly again, bringing her knuckles to his lips and kissing them repeatedly.

'You don't have to. I don't want you to.'

'I don't want to either.' She leaned into him, their foreheads meeting in the middle. She fisted one hand into his hair, and the feeling of his thick locks between her fingers reminding her of everything that she once lost. He placed his hands onto her hips, finding their own place where they always stood. Once their lips touched, anything else stopped mattering. It was just them, on the top of their world.

-xoxo-

It was good to be back, and it was good to be back together.

I miss you. And I'm waiting for you. We have to tell our parents somehow, before they find out from somewhere else. I can't do it alone... –S

I'm on my way. You don't have to do it alone. I'm right here, remember? I love you. –Dan

I know. –S

He searched for his keys, when an unexpected knock came from his front door.

'Come in, it's open!' he shouted, looking into the pocket of one of his coats.

'Hi, Dan.' The voice sickened him.

He could barely speak for a second, his eyes widening with the shock of seeing the malicious brunette. 'Georgina, what the hell are you doing back in town?'

A/N: Second chapter for you guys. It begins towards the end of the 22nd episode of the 3rd season. Enjoy, and, of course, REVIEW! Thanks for reading. xx