Chapter 4

Nate groans as the police officer yanks him out of the cruiser. The officer doesn't give an inch however, as he grabs Nate's arm and leads him inside of the police station. Nate is left standing with two rather stout and pudgy officers on either side of him, as Pine stalks toward the desk. An officer hands him a clipboard. Nate resists the urge to break free of his officers and demand they listen to his side of the story, which is the truth. Nobody seems interested in listening to what he has to say; yet, all he needs is to explain that his intentions were the exact opposite of what they're thinking. Pine walks over with the clipboard, and Nate instantly becomes alert.

"Name?"

"Nathaniel Fitzwilliam Archibald. Hey-"

"Birthday?"

"April 5th, 1991. I just-"

"Address?"

"Why won't anyone listen to me? I need to-"

"Address, please."

Nate sighs. "9283 9th Avenue. Manhattan."

"Any previous offences?"

"None."

Their exchange is interrupted by the entrance of a suited man, whom all three officers greet as "detective." He hands the clipboard over to the detective, and Nate's directed to an empty room with a security camera in a corner and an empty table with a few chairs. The officers leaves, and he's alone with the decidedly average looking, formally suited up "detective". He can't help thinking of Chuck's everyday attire, but this man can't even begin to compare to the perfectly tailored, multi-thousand dollar suits that Chuck Bass wears on a daily basis. The man gestures for Nate to sit in a proffered chair. He himself forgoes the chair to perch on the table, a slight distance from Nate. He squints at Nate for a few seconds, then begins talking.

"My name is Senior Detective Rob Kwychowski."

Nate almost expects a heavy New York accent, à la black and white crime movies.

The detective continues, oblivious, "Mr. Archibald, you should know that we only need a little bit more evidence to bring you to court for second degree kidnapping and drugging, which, if you're convicted, can put you in jail for 10 years or more. Cooperate with our questions, and we'll make sure that gets in your file." Decidedly frank, he says. "You're going to have to get fingerprinted. You aren't in our system, not even for a misdemeanor. For a nineteen year old in this day and age, damn it all, it seems like that's more than any parent should ask." He shakes his head ruefully before an unfamiliar officer walks in with a fingerprinting kit. He grabs Nate's hand, squishing a digit onto the stamp press before repeating the process with a piece of marked paper. He repeats this action on all five fingers before switching to his left hand. He gathers up the paper and kit and leaves as quickly as he came in. Nate resists the urge to wipe his ink stained fingers on his Dior tuxedo pants.

"So. You probably have a version of what happened. I wanna hear it. Tell me your side of the story."

Nate looks up at him, a relieved expression crossing his face. He tries to gauge the man before speaking. "I swear to God I didn't do it."

At this, the detective snorts. "You gotta do better than that."

Nate forges on, ignoring the man. "I'll tell you everything that happened that night. But you have to promise me to keep an open mind, because I know how it sounds." He leans forward while he speaks, leveling an intense blue gaze at the man.

"Aight, kid, go on." Nonetheless, the detective does not sound convinced.

Nate relays the events of his night, detail by detail. He explains his relationship with Serena, and hopes while he's speaking the complex story doesn't seem too fantastical to the detective. When he finishes, mouth dry, the detective has his eyebrows raised.

"Kid. . ." he rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I know all sorts of liars in this line of work." But then he shakes his head. "But I can tell you probably aren't one of them. Or, you could be one of the best I've ever met. " He glances at Nate once, before getting up from his seat, the corners of his mouth creasing in concentration. "You're lucky that I know the bad nuts from the good nuts," he consults his sheet for Nate's name. "Nate. And that I see that you care about this Serena. But it's just a hunch. I'll need proof, and you aren't budgin' until I'm sure of what you were up to the last 12 hours." Rob rubs the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "We're going to need a lot more time than the four hours we're legally supposed to detain you." He exits the room, yelling, "Pine! Get the judge on the phone. We're going to have to hold the suspect for more than four hours."

Dan exhales as Rufus and Lily enter the waiting room with furrowed brows that cap weary eyes. His shoulders rise in worry as he sees Lily's eyes are red. A tall, broad officer in plainclothes trails behind, a notepad giving away his detective status, an image that unsettles him further.

Dan leaps up. "Dad! What's going on? Is Serena okay?" Rufus looks at Dan for a moment before replying, the crow's feet on his face appearing in higher definition than Dan remembers in recent history.

"She's fine for now, but I want to get everyone here until we say what happened. Lil called Eric and Chuck already, but call whoever of Serena's friends that you think would want to be here, you know, Blair, anyone else. Jenny would probably only cause trouble drama by coming down from Hudson, so let's just keep it on a need-to-know basis for now, okay?" He rubs his face before turning to the officer. "We might be able to get the guest list from Serena's stepbrother, Chuck Bass, who threw the party last night. We'll be sure to notify you when he arrives."

"Dad, I need to know what happened to Serena! Don't make me wait another hour. Please. I've been waiting all night to find out what happened to her and Nate," Dan can no longer hold in his frustration and preoccupation.

"What do you mean all night? And how do you-" Rufus blows a long breath out and rubs at the bags underneath his eyes. "Dan, just be patient with us, alright? Eric and the others have a right to know what happened as well, and Lil and I are exhausted from waiting too. We've been here since five AM, but they only just let us in to see us. Just sit tight." He put a hand up to all Dan's heated protests. Lily sags into a waiting room chair, graceful carriage gone. Rufus, still grasping her hand, squeezes it.

"Come on Lil. Let's go grab some coffee. Dan, hold down the fort for a couple of minutes and wait for the others here, okay? We'll be back in a few." Lily leans into Rufus and they walk out.

Dan turns away, beyond baffled, pulling out his cell phone. He calls Blair first, knowing she would put aside any animosity for him once "Serena" and "hospitalized" is mentioned. She hangs up so fast he's left saying her name into the receiver, confused, before he realizes she's already on her way over. He looks at his cellphone again, hesitating, before dialing Nate. He lets it ring for a short while before he hits 'end'. He doesn't particularly want to talk to him, and it didn't seem like Nate was going to answer, either.

Blair is the first to arrive, wrapped in a long satin bathrobe and slippers. Her lingerie is kept under wraps for once. Her eyes are wild and filled with concern. Her eyes alight on Dan, and she rushes over.

"Where is she? What happened? Can we visit? I need to see her!"

He can barely manage to discern her words, they're spoken so fast.

"She's in Room 409. I don't know what happened. Rufus won't tell me until everyone is here. I don't know if we can visit. They're only letting in three people at a time, and Rufus told me to stay put for everyone else. So far Lily, Rufus and that policeman have been able to visit her."

"Police? What the hell is going on, Humphrey?"

"Hell if I know. I'm just as worried as you are, Blair. Here's Eric and Chuck."

Chuck and Blair avoid each other's gaze, but ask flat out about Serena. Dan tells them all he knows, that his dad hasn't told him anything, that Serena's injured somehow, and that the police are involved.

"Where are Mom and Rufus anyway?" Eric asks, a furrow creasing between his brows.

"Getting coffee."

"Where's Nathaniel?" Chuck says.

Three pairs of eyes look at Dan. He shifts uncomfortably. "I called him once, but he didn't answer. I was hoping you guys would call him again. We're not exactly the best of friends right now."

Blair rolls her eyes but pulls out her cell phone and speed-dials Nate. They all wait in silence. Then Blair's eyebrows raise.

"Excuse me? Who is this? I'm looking for Nate Archibald." Some indiscernible muttering from the other end ensues. Everyone leans in, trying to make sense of the voice. Blair's face is one of complete shock. She lowers the cell phone down and presses "speakerphone". She motions everyone forward. "I'm sorry, could you repeat what you just said?"

"Nathaniel Archibald is a suspect in a police case as of three o'clock this morning. His phone is being used in relation to a search for possible evidence and/or eyewitnesses. This is Officer Steven Pine of the Brooklyn division of NYPD. To whom am I speaking?"

The tension and surprise from everyone in the huddle around Blair's phone are enough to fill a house. Blair breaks out of their shared reverie to reply sharply.

"I'm with a group of people right now, and we're all friends of Nate's. Does this have anything to do with Serena van der Woodsen?" Her free hand is inadvertently clutching Chuck's arm. Dan thinks he caught a small smile cross Chuck's lips before he wipes his expression clean again.

"Yes, we're currently investigating the van der Woodsen case. Were you at Chuck Bass's party last night?"

"Yes, we all were there."

Dan catches Blair's attention and gestures to the detective lounging in the waiting room.

She nods once, squinting at the name tag. "We're actually friends with Serena too. We're all waiting to see her at St. Anne's Hospital. Someone named, uhm, Gary Little is here."

"Detective Little? That's perfect. Can I have your name? I'll give him a call and have him ask a few questions. "

"My name is Blair Waldorf."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Waldorf. Goodbye."

She ends the call, almost dropping it as she shoves it back into her bag. "What did stupid Nate do? Oh my God." She clutches Chuck's arm even tighter, but suddenly realizing the positioning of her hand, whips it away, refusing to acknowledge anything just happened.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, Blair. Nate didn't do this. I'm positive," Chuck says, his heavy brows knitted together belying his words. His best friend, part of a police investigation. He isn't sure what to make it of yet, either.

Eric and Blair brighten at Chuck's words, but Dan's skeptical. He knows what he saw that night. The cabs, the look on his face. He shakes his head, as if to shake the thoughts out of his head as Rufus and Lily come back with steaming cups of coffee. If Nate hurt Serena, he'll pay. Dan would make sure himself that Nate paid, regardless of any amity he felt towards Nate in the past.

"Dad! Lily! Nate's been arrested. What the hell is going on? You have to tell us what happened. Everyone's here." Dan's question is the last lucid question before everyone begins clamoring, words jumbling into a twisted mass. The couple stops in their tracks, alarmed.

Rufus regains full use of his speech to ask, "How did you guys know about Nate?"

"You told me to call Serena's friends from Chuck's party. They took Nate's cell phone and when we called, it went through to an officer."

Rufus mutters "shit", sighs, and sits down heavily on the waiting room chairs with Lily. The foursome automatically surround them, silently begging to know. He bats them away. "Take a seat." Dan and Eric sit next to their parents and Blair and Chuck sit opposite them.

Rufus starts to speak, but Lily lays a hand on his shoulder and wordlessly takes over.

"Yesterday, sometime after the party, Serena was given a heavy sedative and taken to a motel in Queens. She was administered an almost lethal combination of drugs. A number of small bottles were found completely empty, pills all forced down her throat." Her breath catches, and she is forced to stop. Blair puts her face in her hands, and Chuck is rubbing her back, face full of cool, glassy anger. Eric stares seemingly impassive at a distant wall, but his intense eyes reveal his boiling feelings. Dan's head is bowed, eyes hooded.

Lily continues,"Thankfully, the particular types of prescription medication given to her were not very strong, just combined with some over the counter medication. Her life was spared. She didn't have any permanent damage done to her liver or any other parts of her body, but she took tens and tens of pills, so she had to get her stomach pumped. However, according to the doctor, there still could be vestiges of drugs left in her body. Until those drugs go completely out of her system, it's not safe for her to get sick or tired. So we have to be careful." She releases a large sigh, reminding herself how much upset she had made her daughter just minutes before. "Which leads me to the next thing. How Serena was found. Apparently, she regained consciousness, and her kidnapper didn't realize it, because she found the strength to call 911. A SWAT team was called in. Nate was the only one in the room apart from Serena. They almost have enough evidence to officially charge him, since Nate's fingerprints were found all over the pill bottles. All they need are witnesses now."

Chuck speaks. "Nathaniel isn't capable of something like this. He didn't do it." He shakes his head. "It's not possible."

Blair and Eric agree, readily.

Dan spies the glint in Blair's eyes. Oh shit. "Blair. Leave this to the police."

"What are you talking about, Humphrey?" She looks up at him under her eyelashes, feigning innocence as usual. He sighs and turns back to Lily.

"The officer on the phone on the phone told us that officer," Dan points over to the man in question, "will be asking us a few questions."

Lily nods her head, exhausted. "Three visitors at a time if you go visit Serena." She stands and looks pointedly at the four of them. "Do not mention Nate. Lie if you have to. She doesn't need to deal yet with the stress that will come if she finds out one of her best friends could've done this to her. We'll tell her later, for her own good." The look in her eye is impossible to argue with. They all shift uncomfortably, but acquiesce reluctantly. The four turn to each other.

"Who gets to visit Serena first?" Eric says, looking around at the group. Blair smiles tightly without showing any teeth. Her eyes fall on Dan.

"Brooklyn can stay here. Let's go." She walks off, and all Chuck and Eric do is look at each other, shrug and follow her. Dan stops his half-formed, "Hey!", knowing it would do no good.

"Excuse me? Was that just Blair Waldorf? I'm Detective Constable Gary Little." The detective who had been sitting patiently in the waiting room for some time now approaches him and flashes his badge.

"Oh, hey, yeah, that was Blair. Dan Humphrey. I'm Serena's, uh, friend, but I also know Nate. The rest of our group went to visit Serena."

"That's okay. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions then?"

"No, that's fine. Ask away."

"So you were at the party last night. Did you see Serena? Talk with her at all? Anything out of the ordinary?"

Dan briefly thinks about his vague suspicion at the time that whoever kissed him wasn't Serena, but banishes it. Blair said it was Serena, and not even Dan can argue that Blair doesn't know Serena well.

"Well, yes. The truth is she kissed me, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her because she left as soon as she kissed me."

"I see. Is she your girlfriend?"

"Not exactly. It's complicated. Nate and I have been competing for Serena, in a way. She sent us a text yesterday saying she would choose at the party. I didn't know if her kissing me meant she chose me or not, because she left. Or was taken, rather. " The detective, who was scribbling in his notebook, pauses for a long moment with a slow nod.

Dan is confused for a second before it dawns on him that he just provided the motive for Nate. The detective, however, closes off his face, and Dan can't read his expression. "Can you tell me where you went after the party?"

"Yeah, I took a cab to the van der Woodsen's penthouse to see if Serena had come home. I talked to Lily." Here he waves to the person in question, who is talking in low tones to his dad, catching her attention. "I talked to you last night, do you remember?"

"Yes, Daniel. Around 12:30 or so. We talked for a while and then you fell asleep on the counter. I placed a blanket over you. I heard you leave at quarter to 3, perhaps? I couldn't sleep." She looks on worriedly before Dan turns back to the detective.

"Then I went to our old loft in Brooklyn and slept until my dad called me to say Serena was in the hospital."

The officer nods once. "You've got an alibi then, since the amount of drugs absorbed in her system places the drugging between 2-3. Did you notice anything else at the party?"

Dan hesitates. He supposes it is a good thing the others aren't here, because they would have beat him over the head for his next words.

"Actually, I saw Serena one more time, although she didn't see me." He rubs his hand through his hair. "She was sitting in a cab. I couldn't really see her face, but she didn't seem happy. I saw her cab leave, then Nate jumped into a cab and went in the same direction." He digs around in his pocket and draws out his cell phone. He pulls up Gossip Girl and shows the picture. The detective's eyes widen fractionally, and he resumes his scribbling, making sure to copy down Gossip Girl's web address. He finishes and offers Dan a handshake.

"You've been helpful. Thank you, Dan. Do you mind if you go ahead and send your friends back here? I want to finish up asking questions." Dan nods and strides off toward #409. He pushes open the door to encounter Blair holding Serena's hand, Chuck standing close by, and Eric sitting on the other side, concern and love evident. Chuck and Blair hover too closely to Serena for him to see her clearly. He raps twice on the door to catch their attention.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the detective wants to get the interrogation over with. He wants you three." All three of them shoot him the identical look as they detach themselves, all meaning the same thing: don't upset her. Don't discuss it. Don't do it. He glares at them before he shuffles past them to Serena.

The first thing that registers is that she looks distinctly unhealthy and pale. Her under-eyes have the appearance of being bruised. Her lips are a pale pink, not the dusky rose hue that is usually imbued on said mouth. She struggles to sit up a bit, tugging too hard on the transparent cords coming out of her skin. She winces and gives up. She finally makes eye contact with Dan, smiling ruefully. "Sorry."

Dan's knuckles turn white as his hands clench in fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. Dan gives her an anxious look."What are you apologizing for?" He clenches his fists harder underneath the hospital bed before adding. "Nate, uh, went to his grandparents, so he'll take a while before he gets here, and my dad doesn't want Jenny to come down from Hudson, so don't worry about that either. I know you don't get along. " He smiles tightly at her. "How are you doing? Feeling okay?"

Serena stretches a pale arm to grasp his hand. "I'm fine."

Dan raises a curious eyebrow at the detached shortness of her reply. "What's wrong?"

Serena smiles a genuine smile, though not a big one. "You always see right through me." She tilts her head back when Dan refuses to change the subject and accept the answer. "All three of them were keeping something from me. Then my mom told the ginger policeman to keep something from me. And I see you trying to hide something. What is everyone trying to hush up?" Her eyes connect with his. Her blue eyes are on their proverbial knees, begging. When Dan only stands dumbfounded, unable to deny or acknowledge, she lifts a limp arm to her face, covering his visage and ignoring the pain the tugging of the cords gives her.

"Then leave. I don't want any more lies. I'm lying in a hospital bed, clueless, and the only thing I want is why and yet nobody will tell me what they're hiding."

Dan opens his mouth but shuts it abruptly. She's right. He can't lie to her. He can never pull it off. But he cares too damn much about her to tell the straight truth. The truth would hurt her, rip her open, and he can't find the strength to do that right now to the girl he loves. He turns on his heel and leaves.

Nate looks up as the detective reenters the room after about two long hours. He never believed he could get so bored. The only thing that stopped him from tearing his hair out with cuffed hands was that sporadically, his thoughts would turn to the pain he's bringing Serena as she wonders what had come over him to do such a thing to her. No doubt somebody will tell her he's a hair away from being sentenced ten years or more to jail for kidnapping and drugging her. He also wishes luck to the person who decides against informing his mother of his so called deeds. Chuck can handle her though. She's always been prey to his relentless charm. But still, no doubt, she would storm down and try to pay his way out of it, no matter of his guilt or innocence, just to save face like she's trying to do with his father.

Nate sees the detective gesture at the two policemen that accompany him to stop and enters the room alone. He sits down on the table, twisting to face Nate.

"That's it then. We just interviewed witnesses from the party, and no less than five gave both eye witness accounts and picture evidence from that one website you talked about. You were seen chasing after the girl in a cab, and shortly after, she was drugged. The timeframe works." He drums his fingers on the table. Nate can tell he was trying to stall.

"Kid, I hate to tell you this, but you're on your way to a trial, no doubt about that. We got more time from the judge, but we've used it up. Your story might have hung tight with me, but it's not gonna hold up shit in trial. You gotta get a good lawyer." He clasps Nate's slumped shoulders. "I hope you'll win the case. I really do. But right now you're going to be put in a holding cell until your trial. It hasn't been scheduled yet. Do you want to contact anybody for bail? You've got one phone call. We said you weren't a flight risk, so it was set at 25 grand. Pocket change for people like you, eh?"

After some thought, Nate shakes his head dejectedly. Twenty-five grand, admittedly, is a small sum of money for people like him, and he's sure Chuck would pay it in a heartbeat to help him out. The last he wants, though, is for his mother to bail him out and accuse him of emulating his father and "acting out" because of the divorce, nor does he want to face the media shit show in New York for his arrest and for everyone to accuse him of something he can't prove he didn't do. He shuts his eyes, leaning forward and burying his head in his hands. He'll call Chuck later, but firstly, he needs to sort his thoughts out before he stepped into the maelstrom outside.

The detective waves over the policemen, and Nate stands up. He is led out by the arm of the main police station area into a dimly lit area with 4 cells, each with two cots. The detective releases him from his fetters when he is inside one of the cells. He nods at him and walks out wordlessly, shutting the door behind him with a foreboding clang.

Nate looks at his "room". What a far cry from what he is used to. He leans against the dirty wall, forehead pressing against the surface. He bangs his fists against the wall repeatedly, unsure of what would happen next. He reaches for the collar of his white shirt and tie, unbuttoning his top button and loosening his black tie. He hadn't noticed it choking him until now, as there was nothing to wait for and nothing to do. He sinks into the creaky bed. He realizes that none of this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't wanted to play hero and rescue Serena. But even as he thinks long and hard of the consequences that have befallen him for doing so, he couldn't bring himself to regret his actions. What if Serena hadn't woken up? Then he would've been her last hope before dying of an overdose. He shakes his head at the thought.

A/N: If you're enjoying the story, please continue to read! New chapters will be posted soon. Tell me what you think in a review.