9-7-08, Thursday

Serena van der Woodsen drags herself downstairs towards the kitchen, her stomach aches from the violent vomiting she's just endured. She has been sick for almost a week now and it is driving her crazy. She has even been avoiding her amazing boyfriend so she won't infect him with whatever hellish plague she is suffering from. She sends a quick text to Dan to tell him that she puked again, and probably won't make it to school.

She is slightly heartened to see her mother, the new Mrs. Lily Bass, seated in the breakfast nook with her younger brother, Eric.

"Hey, mom, when did you get here?" she asks.

Lily smiles and aims an air kiss at Serena. "Hello darling, I got in late last night and I didn't want to wake you. You look terrible, are you not feeling well?"

Serena nods miserably. "I think I'm dying mom. Please, distract me, tell me about your honeymoon."

Serena sits down at the table and warily eyes the sumptuous spread before her. She listens halfheartedly to Lily as she prattles on about the beach and Bart in flip flops. She wants to eat so badly but is unsure she can keep anything down at the moment.

"That sounds really romantic mom," she comments, trying to pretend she is paying attention.

"Well, we had a fabulous time," Lily says, "I'm sorry you feel so awful dear, maybe it's time we called the doctor? How long have you been sick for exactly?"

"I don't know, about a week?" Serena muses.

"Six days." A voice from behind causes both blondes to turn. Serena scoffs in disgust at the sight of her evil stepbrother, Chuck Bass. "My poor sick sis has been retching every day since last Friday. Funny how it seems to always happen first thing in the morning." Chuck says winking mischievously at Serena. Lily seems to miss the insinuation and smiles at Chuck.

"Good morning Charles," she says pleasantly. Chuck leans down to kiss his stepmother on the cheek. "Good morning to you-"

"Say 'Mom' and I'll kill you in your sleep," Serena snaps hotly.

"Decaf Serena, I was going to say Mrs. Bass," Chuck smirks. He then nods at Eric. "Bring the O.J., there's champagne in the limo."

Eric laughs as though Chuck is making a joke, Lily looks amused and Serena just rolls her eyes. After Eric follows Chuck out of the penthouse, Serena attempts to regain her mother's attention. "Okay, so you were saying something about walks on the beach, and flip flops?"

"You really do look awful dear," Lily replies, frowning at her daughter, "why don't you go lie down and I'll have Larissa bring you up some broth and dry toast, hm? And I'll get your doctor on the phone."

Serena is in no shape to argue so she trudges upstairs and crawls back into bed. As she lays back down, she thinks of Dan. She wishes she could be with him, she misses his touch and his comforting brown eyes. She misses his voice, especially hearing it say her name.

Thoughts of Dan slowly fade and the asinine comments of Chuck Bass begin to float through her mind...Funny how it happens first thing in the morning... She knows exactly what he was implying and it simply can't be true. She can't be...can she? Besides she'd had her period...just...last...

Serena sits bolt upright in her bed. Oh god, she can't remember when she'd had her last period. She suddenly feels nauseous again and sprints into her bathroom.

Meanwhile...

Dan wakes up early thinking of Serena. When he gets her text saying she is still sick and won't be at school, worry lines form on his forehead and stay there. He hates that she is so sick. All he wants to do was hold her until she feels better but she won't let him. He texts her back: I'm coming over later. Don't argue. I love you.

When he gets to the kitchen he finds his dad and little sister already there eating breakfast. "Morning son," Rufus says brightly.

Dan grunts. He plops himself on a barstool and begins gloomily eating his waffles.

"Well you seem to have gotten up on the wrong side today. What gives?" Rufus asks.

"Nothing, I'm just worried about Serena. I haven't seen her in days and she just texted me that she's still sick. I hope she's okay."

Rufus is always touched by how much his son cares about his girlfriend. Dan clearly loves Serena in a way that is rare in a 17 year-old.

"Well, I'm sure she'll be all right. It's probably just a case of late summer flu," Rufus reasons.

As soon as Serena had felt well enough, she'd slipped out of her penthouse and run to a drugstore in the Villiage. She hoped that because she was out of her usual neighborhood she wouldn't be recognized. She wore her hair in a bun and her biggest pair of aviators as a disguise just in case.

She's now in her bathroom staring at six rectangular boxes, each containing a pregnancy test of a varying brand. Why is she even doing this? She can't possibly be pregnant, she is always a stickler about her birth control. It is one of the only things she is responsible with. A nasty voice inside her head says 'It's only 99% effective, there's still 1%...' Serena shakes her head vigorously, willing that voice away. There's no way her luck can be that bad.

She grabs the first box and rips it open. All she is doing was proving a point, proving Chuck and her evil inner voice wrong. She has the stomach flu, or Malaria, she is not. with. child.

Twenty minutes later, Serena is lying on her bathroom floor in a pool of her own tears. The discarded boxes surround her and the six pregnancy tests are lined up on the edge of her sink, each showing a positive result. She is pregnant. She is pregnant. With Dan's baby. She is pregnant with Dan's baby. There are so many emotions flowing through her she cannot identify them all. There is one in particular that scares her. Something she shouldn't feel, something a teenage girl in high school definitely should not feel when finding out she is pregnant. She feels joy.

As soon as the last bell rings, Dan leaves school and heads straight for Serena's building. He only gets two blocks when his phone rings. He smiles at the name on the caller ID.

"Hey baby, I'm almost there, how are you feeling?"

"Dan, don't go to my house."

"Serena, I don't care if you're contagious, I'm coming to see you; we can puke together."

"No, I mean, I'm at your place already. We need to talk."

Dan stops in his tracks. "Okay, what about?"

"A-About why I'm sick. Just come home, 'kay? I need you."

Dan feels the worry lines on his forehead reappear. "All right, I'll be right there."

When Dan gets home he finds Serena pacing fervently in front of his door. When she sees him she rushes at him and throws herself into his arms. As she hits him with her full weight Dan shuffles backward a bit but holds her tight. He can tell something is wrong, she is shaking. When she pulls back she stares at him with wide and glassy eyes and then kisses him full on the mouth.

"Well, I hope whatever you have isn't deadly cause I think you just gave it to me." Dan is trying to make her smile, it doesn't work.

Serena's eyes drop. "Trust me it's not contagious."

As they enter the loft, both are surprised, yet grateful to find it empty. Even so, Dan steers Serena into his bedroom and locks the door. She sits down on his bed and he sits next to her. He looks into her fearful eyes and holds her hands.

"Baby, please talk to me. Whatever is wrong, you can tell me."

Serena swallows hard but can't find words. She knows that he loves her but she is afraid this will be too much for him, too much for their recently recommitted relationship. Their whole world is about to be turned upside down, but she has to tell him. She takes a deep breath. "Dan...I'm pregnant."

Dan blinks dumbly. He seems to have lost the ability to breathe.

Serena silently pulls a pregnancy test out of her purse and shows it to him. He takes the plastic stick from her and quickly finds a pink plus sign glaring up at him.

"Oh my god." It is all Dan can say, his head is spinning.

"I took it earlier today," Serena whispers staring down at her lap, "and five more just to be sure. They all said the same thing."

There is a long silence where Dan simply sits there in disbelief. Serena starts to feel scared. What is he thinking? Is he angry? Does he hate me? Is this too much for him and he's trying to work out how to break up with me? Serena's heart starts to hurt and tears gather in her already puffy eyes. That twinge of joy she felt earlier now feels like guilt. She can't lose him, not now, not ever.

Dan takes a long breath and tries to form words. "You're pregnant," he whispers. The wind goes out of him again. Pregnant. Pregnant meant a baby, a child, a child that was his.

"Dan," she puts a shaking hand on his knee, causing him to finally look at her. "You are the most important thing to me. So-so whatever you want to do…about this, we'll do. I haven't…decided anything yet."

Dan stares at her in disbelief once he realizes what she is saying. She loves him so much she is willing to literally give up a piece of herself if it is what he wants. He reaches over and smooths his hand over her middle. She looks down and covers it with her own.

"Serena, I want this baby."

Serena's eyes shoot up to meet his and he offers her a reassuring smile.

"I want this baby," he repeats, "as long as you want it too. I'm in, all the way."

Serena breaks into sobs of relief. She needed him to say that and he did, she feels like she can breathe again. Dan pulls her into his arms and cuddles her to his chest. "I want our baby Dan," she says through her tears, "I really do."

Dan nods and kisses the top of her head. "I love you."

Serena calms down pretty quickly. She lets the sound of Dan's heartbeat soothe her. "I'm scared, Dan," she murmurs.

Dan hugs her tighter and tips her chin up so he can look her in the eyes. "Me too," he says earnestly, "But we're going to be okay, I promise." He kisses her lips gently and with all the love he feels for her in that moment. Serena kisses him back with her whole heart. She feels so insanely lucky to have this boy, this man, in her life, to be the father of her child, to be her everything. She lets that joyous feeling fill her up again.