Nate walked cautiously into the room where Serena was lying on his bed clutching one of his throw pillows and playing with a ring on her finger. He placed his jacket and bag on his chair and when he looked up again her eyes met his.

"Hi," she whispered and he nodded at her loosening his tie and taking it off, throwing it onto his desk and walking forward to sit on the edge of his bed in front of Serena.

"Hey," he replied wondering what was wrong, she didn't look like she'd been crying but she looked very deep in thought. It had been over a week since they saw each other and it wasn't like he hadn't made an effort to get in touch with her, she avoided him , so if she was coming to him now something had to be wrong and there was no-one else she could talk to. "What's going on?"

Serena adjusted herself so she was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed underneath her instead of laying down. "I … um… I don't really know who else to go to."

Nate watched her bite her lip and take a breath wondering how that was possible her entire family was still in town, he was sure of it, even Erik came home for the week for his mid semester holiday and Chuck was in the next room. "Why? Serena what happened?"

Serena opened and closed her mouth a few times before looking up at him and realizing who she was talking to and what she was about to say. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have come here," she said making a move to get of the bed but Nate stopped her by putting his hand on her leg.

"You know I'm always here for you S," he said looking into her eyes and hoping she could see the sincerity in them. "No matter what's going on with us you can still come to me."

"I know," Serena mouthed and nodded, she gulped when his hand didn't move, Nate seemed to realize this and sat back quickly, taking his hand with him.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

"My dad wants Lola to change her name and officially let the world know that she is his," Serena said and Nate nodded because that's what Lola told him earlier that day. "He called a family meeting in the morning and you should have seen my mother's face when he announced the news," Serena said with a humorless laugh.

"Lola came to see me earlier and she told me about your dad," Nate said and Serena looked down at her hands. "She said she still doesn't know if she should trust him."

Serena nodded still looking down. "He wants to take her away for a holiday or a bonding experience or something, I don't know, to get her to agree with the change or trust him or both."

Nate didn't have to see her eyes to know that she was close to tears. This strong girl who never wanted to show people her weaknesses gets reduced to an emotional wreck every time her father is around, it made Nate so angry just to think of the man that abandoned his children so long ago and then magically expect them to be ok when he finds out he has another child and just ignores the ones he already knew about.

"He just feels like he's lost too many years with Lola, that he doesn't know Lola like he should and he should spend time with her because she deserves his time more than we do," Serena said, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence.

"Serena, maybe this is something you should be talking to Erik about," Nate suggested because as much as he'd like to be her rock, this is something that her brother would understand and be able to help better than he could but Serena shook her head.

"Erik doesn't understand why I care or why I want the man in my life in the first place, he thinks it's better if he focuses on Lola and leaves us alone, it doesn't even bother him that we have a sister," Serena said rubbing at her forehead tiredly. "My mom is just angry so Rufus is dealing with her, Blair and Dan are occupied on trying to fix their sex life and Chuck is so amused at what he overheard that he can't be serious if I spoke to him, so that leaves you."

"I'm your last choice," Nate said jokingly, nudging her knee gently.

"No, no, of course not," Serena exclaimed, thinking he meant it seriously. "I just wanted to avoid putting you in the middle of me and Lola as much as possible, I'm a friend and she's your girlfriend and you shouldn't have to make any decisions like that."

Nate knew that she mainly kept him out of it for the fear that he'd actually choose Lola's side, that's how well he knew her and the way she thought. He was about to tell her that he and Lola weren't together anymore but she started speaking again.

"He left when I was like four years old Nate and he popped back into our lives when I was nineteen," Serena said shaking her head. "How exactly does he know me any better than Lola?"

Nate decided that this was more of her time to rant and rave and if he said something it was either going to be really wrong or taken as the wrong thing in her mind. He remembered when Serena's dad left, his parents tried to explain to him why Serena was sad all the time and why he had to keep her happy, that wasn't a problem though he hated it when she was sad so he always tried to make her smile and most of the time it worked and when it didn't he'd give her a bear hug and tell her he hoped she'd smile again.

"I just can't understand how he justifies what he's doing, when he came back I was so sure it would fix me but it didn't I'm still a mess," Serena said and then rubbed at her face with her hands. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to go of topic like that."

Nate nodded and smiled at her, "You're not a mess ok?" he asked watching her fidget with the edge of his pillow, she didn't look convinced and nothing he said now was going to convince her so he decided to ask something else. "Did you say anything to him about it?"

"No, it's like he told us and my mom went for Carol, like literally jumped over Rufus and Erik to attack her," Serena said widening her eyes for dramatic effect and Nate laughed. "Erik screamed so loud he sounded like a little girl, I think if Carol hadn't jumped out of the way as quick as she did my mom would have clawed her eyes out, we kind of got out of there as fast as we could after that."

"Was that the reason your dad left though?" Nate asked, it just struck him that it could have been a reason for William's departure, even though Erik was already like a year old and that would mean Lola would have been turning two.

"I don't know," Serena said shrugging. "I don't think so because it would have been a while after the affair that he left, Carol was long gone by then."

Nate knew that ever since her dad left she had been waiting for something from him, a phone call, a letter, a sign to say he still cares and it never came until a few years ago, he came into their lives and played them all before leaving again and leaving her devastated.

"You don't need him S," Nate said taking one of her hands in his. "I know he's your dad but he doesn't get to make you feel like this, you shouldn't let him ok, you have me and you have Chuck and Blair and Dan and Erik and your mom and we all love you and there's no way we'd choose Lola over you."

"You did," Serena said sniffing and blinking quickly so her tears wouldn't leave her eyes, her chest tightening as she thought about it. "She gloated that you chose her over me and she won, I had to remind myself where I was and that I couldn't slap her."

"I know and I'm sorry she did that," Nate started but Serena had already pulled her hand out of his and stood up. "Where are you going?"

"It just hurts," she said walking over to wear her bag was and picking it up. "It hurts that you're probably never going to be on my side when it comes to Lola."

"Wait, no, Serena," Nate said and got up to grab her hand. "I broke up with Lola this afternoon," Nate said and Serena stopped struggling to get out of his hold, her bag falling to the floor but neither of them noticed.

Serena looked at him with her mouth hanging open, after everything that had happened, the talk they had about her feeling's and his relationship with Lola, she couldn't believe that he broke up with Lola. "You … what? Why?"

"Because I couldn't get you out of my mind for the entire week, not Lola, you," he said looking into her eyes. "Serena even if we don't work out, it will kill me that I let this chance to be together go ok, because I really, really want another chance to be with you, I know I messed up last year with Juliet and you were preoccupied with Dan after that, I just thought we missed any chance for us you know?"

Serena nodded and clenched her jaw. "But you said you didn't believe me when I told you what I felt, you thought I was reacting to Blair and Dan."

"I still think that there's a possibility that I'm reading into this all wrong and you really are just reacting to Blair and Dan when you said you loved me but there was something else, I saw it in your eyes," Nate said stepping closer to look into her eyes. "It wasn't just something I wanted to believe and I know that if I don't take this chance with you I will regret it forever."

"So if tomorrow, Blair comes and tells you she loves you and you see 'something' in her eyes will you leave me to take that chance," Serena asked and Nate threw his head back and groaned.

"You don't get it do you? You are the only girl I would ever take a chance like this for, you're the only one I've been waiting for and you're the only one I will ever want this badly, that I'm sure of," he said, using the hand he was holding he pulled her closer to him and taking her other hand so that he was holding both of her hands in his. "I'm asking you right now Serena, was what you said true? All those lost feelings that returned, I need to know that I'm not seeing things, I need to know you're not going to break my heart."

Serena closed her eyes for a second and smiled before nodding, "It's true, I've been thinking about it, about us, since that day they read my grandmother's will when you left with Lola and you looked at me like you would do what you could, you'd do anything to help me and it stuck with me."

"I remember," Nate said softly, he remembered Serena standing there looking defeated.

"There was so much more going on that I tried not to think about it that much, I wasn't going to say anything to you when I wasn't sure myself. And then when you were teaching me to play pool and it hit me, like a ton of bricks it hit me that we never resolved our feelings, we never took that second chance and got to see what we could be, I never chose you or between the two of you, not really," Serena said shaking her head and pulling her hands out of his to rest them on his chest.

Nate huffed out a small laugh and pulled her even closer, putting his hands on her hips and his forehead on hers.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened last year, I shouldn't have put you through that," Serena said and Nate smiled.

"It's ok," he said leaning down to kiss her like he'd been thinking about doing for the whole week. "You don't want to know how long I've been waiting to do that."

Serena giggled and leaned up to kiss him again. "I think you've waited long enough."

"I really want us to work this time S," Nate said his thumbs rubbing circles at her hips. "I want us to have that absolutely cheesy, infuriating to look at kind of love that everybody wants."

"You want us to have what Blair and Dan have," Serena asked with a teasing smile and Nate laughed because a few days ago she called them infuriatingly happy.

"No," Nate said and Serena looked at him confused. "We could never have bad sex."

Serena laughed and let her head rest at the base of his neck where it met his shoulder, feeling the vibration of his vocal chords as he spoke on her forehead.

"We'll be better than Blair and Dan anyway coz we're the golden couple and plus since you're the new Gossip Girl you can call us that all the time," Nate said dramatically and Serena shook her head.

"Maybe as the new Gossip Girl I can let my dad see that he doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does," Serena said hopefully and Nate smiled and nodded once bumping her head with his chin, he knew what was bothering her.

"I really don't want you to go anywhere but you need to speak to your dad about Lola, it's not going to help anyone if you avoid this," Nate said, he knew that this was going to bother Serena unless she says something to her parents about it.

"I know," she said picking her head up and giving him a small smile as her arms snaked around his neck. "But I don't want to, I just want to lock that door and never leave this room."

"Don't tempt me," Nate said with a slight laugh. "That's not going to help you though, you know you need this, screaming at your dad could actually help you, just don't let him play you."

"I won't," she said letting go of him and taking a breath. "I can't believe you're making me do this."

"Me neither but I know you have to," Nate said with a smile. "When you come back, I'll take you out and we can figure out where we stand."

Serena nodded and smiled because as much as they weren't a couple just yet he gave her hope and that was all she really needed from him, "Wish me luck," she said stepping away from him and Nate pulled her back for one last kiss. "You're really not helping me leave."

Nate laughed and let go of her. "Good luck," he said softly and Serena was torn between going to see her family so she could start to work through those problems or stay there with Nate and kiss him until she couldn't breathe anymore. Nate seemed to sense her hesitation and lead her to the door, Serena groaned and waved at him before leaving.

Serena left Nate and ran straight into Chuck, "You've calmed down," she told him.

"I know," he said, sounding upset about it. "I'll walk you out."

"Did they have good sex?" Serena asked wondering why his mood was so dark now.

"Apparently," Chuck said with a slight shrug. "She's hosting some sort of coming out party for them next week."

"A coming out party?" Serena asked turning to him and Chuck nodded. "You mean like to show him off."

"I don't know," Chuck said as the elevator hit the ground floor. "It just seems like she's trying to prove something, like she's trying to integrate him into our world as much as she can because he's going to stick around."

"Oh," Serena said softly, she didn't know how what else to say, Chuck loved Blair and he truly believed that she'd see the faults in Dan quicker than this and she'd leave him allowing Chuck to win her heart over again.

"You don't seem to upset," Chuck said scanning her. "You don't really seem to care much at all actually, I know you told me you were still in love with Nathaniel but those big feelings for Dan you were going on about a few weeks ago can't have disappeared that fast."

"No, I mean I guess some small part of me will be upset about this and feel betrayed but the bigger part has Nate and needs more than ever to make it work with him or risk losing him and I don't want to lose him," Serena said, she knew as soon as the words left her lips that they were true and that this wasn't just something she had to say to convince herself and those around her. "I'm mot the love of Dan's life and he's not the love of mine and I need to be mature about this so I'm going to be supportive of their decisions not to throw a tantrum."

"Admirable," Chuck mumbled. "I hope you aren't expecting me to do the same."

"No, I'm expecting you to win her back," Serena said with a smile and Chuck smirked as he opened the car door for her. "Just don't tell Nate I'm encouraging your scheming."

"He may just help me," Chuck said and Serena shot him a confused look. "It's been a while since the book but I don't think Nate will ever forgive Dan for making him so irrelevant."

"Maybe," Serena said as Chuck closed her door. "I'll see you later."

Serena got back to the Empire after two hours and sat heavily on the couch between Chuck and Nate and put her head in her hands. Nate looked at Chuck and raised an eyebrow, Chuck just shrugged and poked his sister.

"I take it the talk with daddy didn't go so well," Chuck said and Serena groaned.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled and Nate sighed.

"I'm going to let you handle this one," Chuck said to Nate and Serena glared at him, Chuck smirked and touched Serena on her back as he stood.

"What happened?" Nate asked still chuckling after Chuck left. Serena groaned again and leaned into Nate who threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her back so she was leaning on him.

"He doesn't care!" She exclaimed. "He thinks I'm being spoilt and I should get used to the fact that I'm not his only child."

"I'm sorry," Nate whispered and rubbed her arm.

"Urg, I'm just annoyed with him, it's like he's so set on making Lola feel like she should be a van der Woodsen, that he's forgetting about Erik and I, he doesn't even know us," Serena said taking a deep breath, trailing of and grabbing the hand on her arm, pausing it's movements. "I guess we should just be used to it by now, everyone comes before us."

"Your dad has no idea what he's missing out on," Nate said pressing his face into her hair. "He's missing out on knowing the best person in the world."

"What did I ever do to him Nate?" she asked, and he could hear the tears she wouldn't let fall.

"Hey look at me," Nate said gently moving her so she was facing him and he could take her face into his hands. "You didn't do anything wrong , you're dad doesn't deserve you and when he finally realizes what he's missed out on you can turn your back on him, how does that sound?"

Serena sucked in a breath as the tears fell from her eyes because of Nate and she let her forehead touch his. "I'm sorry," she said covering his hands with hers. "This was supposed to be a happy moment for us."

"If this is really going to work S, I need you to tell me these things," Nate said pulling away enough to look into her eyes. "I still want to be the guy you can talk to about everything."

"You are," Serena said prying his hands of her face and squeezing them. "I think we're ready to do this again, I think we've both waited for this for a really long time and we had our chance but everyone deserves a second chance."

"I think so too," Nate said softly, a smile breaking onto his face at her words. "I'd give you a million chances."

"I think you already have," Serena said laughing softly. "I've hurt you so many times."

"You're worth every single scar," Nate said and Serena pressed her lips together again. "Don't cry, I didn't mind, I knew it would someday lead to us getting here."

"How can you have so much faith?" Serena asked.

"I just do," Nate said kissing her and for the first time in a very long time Serena felt like she was worthy of something, that she wasn't alone, she felt like a weight was lifted of her shoulders and Nate was the reason for it all.

A/N first of all Disclaimer : I do not own Gossip Girl

So I have actually just watched the ep after Chuck and Blair's car accident, yep I am that far behind, from that ep I love how Chuck tells Dan that Serena is Dan's sister as well when he tells Chuck about the fake dating, and Nate is snappy with Dan the entire episode because of the book, so I pretty much enjoyed that ep lol but from the spoilers and recaps I read to write this story it doesnt look too good but here's hoping for a Serenate reunion

Please Please review and let me know how I did, I have exams coming up very soon so I doubt I'll be posting another story very soon but how do you guys feel about a sequel? I also have an idea for a very fluffy NS multichap story but we'll see how it goes.

Mano : I am so sorry about the last time I guess I misread what you wanted, first you need to create an account, from there you upload your word document with your story using the doc manager under the publish tab. After your document is uploaded then you'll need to agree to the terms and conditions before publishing your story... Its not very difficult but like I said before if you create an account it would be easier for me to talk to you about it.

Hope you all enjoyed this unitl next time (^^,) ... The end

****Updated****
Hey guys I know in the original I said I was ok with the ending but I really didnt like it, it felt kinda fluffy really rushed and nowhere close to what I actually wanted to end it with, this ending it more of what I had in mind so I hope you like it. I'm not expecting those who reviewed before to review again, just read it and please enjoy :)