Chapter 1: Benvenuto Roma

Serena smiled as she watched Dan pack and unpack his things a thousand times. She'd been to Italy, Spain and France before. European summers were not new to her, but this trip would be different than the rest. She was spending it with the man that she loved. When she'd texted her mother about her plans to spend the summer with Dan all she'd gotten was a "that's nice dear" in response. It was typical of Lily. She cared more for her spa trips than to be bothered with her daughter's latest excursion. Normally, that would bother her, but it didn't matter anymore. Her mother was never going to change and she could either create a big scene or just move on with her life and accept her mother's flaws for what they were. There was this part of her that wished things could be different, but there was nothing she could do to change things. She smiled down at Dan who was unfolding and refolding the same shirt a half-dozen times. She grabbed his hand and took the shirt from his hand. "Let me or we'll miss our flight."

Dan cocked a brow at her and said, "I didn't know you could be so domestic."

"There's a lot you don't know," Serena said with grin as she continued to pack his clothes. She threw a pile of old t-shirts on the floor. "Hey, I like those."

"They're old and tattered. We'll buy you new ones when we get to Rome. When's the last time you went shopping Dan?"

"I hate shopping," he grumbled.

"It's a good thing you have me then," she said. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kisses the tip of her nose. She pushed him away and went back to packing his suitcase as he watched her bite her lip in concentration. This feeling of simple pleasure was something he'd forgotten. All his other relationships were fraught with tension and ennui. It took he less than ten minutes to put everything away and snap his suitcase shut. She caressed the side of his face and said, "you shaved too."

"It was time that I cleaned myself up."

Serena played with his curls and looked into his brown eyes. "You look pretty."

"Men don't look pretty," he grumbled.

Serena simply giggled and followed him out the door. It took them over an hour to get through security, but once they boarded the plane they sat back and Dan held her hand. "Thank you for coming with me. I know I have a lot to make up for. I wish there was something I could say to explain, but there isn't. I just am so grateful you are giving me the chance to show you."

"I can't say you haven't hurt me, but I love you and I want this to work," Serena said as she kissed him. Dan wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but he was afraid she wouldn't believe him so he was intent on spending the summer proving to her. In the past, he'd been all about the words, but she didn't need words. It was time for him to become a man of action. A flight attendant came by with a tray of champagne and offered them each a flute. "A toast. To our Roman adventure,"Dan said as he clinked glasses with Serena.

Hours later, a flight attendant gently nudged them awake. "It's almost time for our descent."

Serena stretched and adjusted her seat so that it was back in position. Dan was still snoring. She nibbled on his ear and he softly moaned. "Wake up, baby."

"What?" he mumbled

"The plane is about to land sleepyhead," she said as she continued to nudge him. Dan opens his eyes to see Serena's beautiful face looking down at him in amusement. He reluctantly gathers his stuff and gets ready for landing. She holds his hand as the plane descents. Serena knows that he is scared, but he won't admit his fear of flying. She rubs her thumb on his palm in an effort to keep him distracted. Once the plane lands he looks at her softly and says, "thanks."

Serena simply nods and they gather their stuff and make their way through customs and immigration. Paolo is waiting for them at arrivals. He shakes Dan's hands and hugs Serena. "Signorina, so lovely to see you again," Paolo says as he kisses her on both cheeks. "You play trick on me by using that other name."

Dan and Serena just look at each other and laugh. Paolo leads them outside and into a town car that's waiting to take them to their new apartment. "Signor Humphrey. You will be staying in the most belissimo place in Roma. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Dan smiles at the man and says, "Call me Dan."

"Si Signor."

Dan's apartment was located in Corso Vittoria which was a short walk from Piazza Navona which fascinated Dan. The building had so much history and was known for housing artistic elite. He remembered reading that this is where Frank Sinatra and his friends would come to stay. The architecture was stunning and he couldn't keep his eyes off of the outside of his new apartment building. "Are you just going to stand there?" Serena asked.

"I'm taking in the beauty of it all."

She loved the joy and awe on his face. He was like a kid in a candy store. She giggled as she pulled him into the building. Their stuff was already in the apartment. Dan was babbling something about Frank Sinatra when they made it into their apartment. "This is ridiculous. Look at this place!"

"It's beautiful. I love the red curtains and look at the kitchen Dan?"

He grabbed her hand and ran up the steps. He opened their bedroom door and was blown away by the view. Their bedroom had a small veranda where you could seat out onto the city streets. There was even a view of the Bernini fountain. "This is breathtaking"

Serena stands behind him on the veranda with her arms wrapped around his middle. "This is going to be the best summer ever. You're going to love Rome Dan."

"Have you been here before?"

"No, I've been to Italy, but never Rome," Serena said. Dan turns to face her and runs his fingers through her long blonde hair. "Good, we can experience this together."

Dan kissed her until all he could think about was the feel of her skin. He picked her up and walked back into their bedroom and placed her on the bed. They made love with the sun shining into their room. Afterwards, they lay in each other's arms. Dan made a circular pattern on her tummy as they talked about what they would do that day. "Let's nap first. Then we'll explore the city," Serena said as a yawn escaped her lips. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Dan watched her and kissed her temple. "I love you," he said softly. What he didn't know was that she heard his little proclamation.

When Serena opened her eyes it was dark outside and Dan was still sleeping. She slipped out of bed and pulled on the top she'd been wearing earlier. She opened her suitcase and took out her robe and slipped it on over her shirt. She tiptoed out of the room so as not to wake Dan and went downstairs. She opened the fridge hoping that they'd stocked it and was glad to find it well stocked. She took out a Pelligrino and stood by the window. Serena needed time to think. The past six months were hard. She'd accepted that Dan had chosen Blair over her even if it pained her to try and move on, but she never could. She kept hoping he'd wake up and see the truth. Now that he'd finally done so, she wasn't sure what to make of it. His proclaimation of love was not something he thought she'd heard, but could she trust it? It seemed so sincere, but so much had happened and now that she was in Rome with him she was beginning to wonder if she'd made the right decision.

Serena turned when she heard his footsteps coming down the stairs. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and said, "What time is it?"

"I don't know it's dark."

"Come back to bed baby."

She smiled up at him and said, "I'll be up in a minute." There was sadness to her expression that startled him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "Talk to me."

"It's nothing. I'm fine," Serena responded, but Dan knew better. He knew the look on her face. "You heard me."

She nodded her head. "Now, you're wondering if you made the right decision coming with me."

Serena nodded again. "How can you say you love me when you chose her."

"I didn't choose her. I chose fear,"Dan said. "The reason I couldn't answer you after your confession was simple fear. We'd come so close so many times and everytime you slipped through my finger. First it was our parents, then it was Nate, then it was Ben. I know I should have fought for you. But, I was hurt and scared and thought if I could just make myself not love you it would be easier."

Serena ducked her head. She understood that kind of fear better than anyone else. Running was what she did best. "You know I was scared too. That's why I made Nate into a bigger deal than he was Ben. That was just a mistake. I felt guilty for what had happened to him and I guess a part of me was testing to you."

"And I failed,"he said softly.

Serena brushed her hand across his face. "No, you didn't. You were still there for me in your own way. We've both fucked this up haven't we?"

Dan placed his forehead on hers and said, "I never stopped loving you."

"Neither did I," Serena responded with a sweet kiss.

Author's Note: This is not really a quick fix to the mistakes of the past, but Serena is the most forgiving person on the show; if anyone understands running from love and messing up its Serena Van Der Woodsen. Dan may be a man of words, but when it comes to his S he's also a man of action. So, buckle up and hang on tight folks.