A/N: Thanks for the reviews - please keep them coming. This is still unbetaed so all mistakes are my own. I know that I've introduced quite a few OCs recently, but I'm trying to create a world for Dan which is away from UES and the people in it. Hopefully I'm managing to make them characters in their own right, not too annoying and not just plot devices. There's finally some interaction with certain core characters in this chapter. It might take me a while to update as a) the next chapter is Blair and I find her really hard to write and b) I'm going on holiday! Hope you enjoy this part - it is a long one.

xxx

When classes start, Dan is happy to dive right into University life. He's found a good balance between his workload, writing his novel and hanging out with his new friends. Apartment 303 is the unofficial headquarters for the group, but they frequently meet up outside the flat as well.

Halfway through the second week of term, Dan goes with Tove to a bar. It's just the two of them for once, as the others couldn't make it. Tove's almost finished her first drink, laughing along with Dan as he tells her about his day, when her face suddenly falls. Dan's never seen her look so upset before and he turns round to seeing a beautiful Asian girl staring at his friend from across the room. She's got her arm wrapped tightly around a dark-blonde girl, who is fawning over her and is seemly oblivious to the fact that her companion is staring intensely at Tove.

Dan turns back and sees the pain clearly etched into Tove's blue eyes. Tove's attention snaps back to him once he places his hand over hers. "Do you want to leave?"

She just nods in agreement and they walk out of the bar, still holding each other's hand.

"Ex?" Dan asks her when they've put a decent distance between themselves and the bar.

"Yes and that was the first time I've seen here since the very nasty breakup."

As they walk home, Tove tells him all about Jenna. About how they met and dated for almost four months before Tove found out about Jenna's girlfriend of two years. Tove broke up with her the second that she discovered that she was the other woman. There are tears in Tove's eyes when she admits that she'd loved her. Dan listens closely and pulls her into a hug once they're back home. With beers in hand, they sit down on the couch and talk about their past relationships.

"We both have really bad taste in woman," Tove observes after Dan finishes telling her all about his relationship with Blair.

"Well I guess that's just another thing we have in common," He agrees, "That and the fact that we find intelligence sexy."

She nods in agreement, moving forward to clink her beer bottle against his and Dan's happy to see Tove smiling again.

The others find out how messy his past romances were over a late night game of 'Never have I ever'. This leads to Mason and Neela having a heated debate about whether Dan had actually really cheated on Blair with Serena; this was due to that fact that Blair had left him, without breaking up first, to be with Chuck. The night ends with Neela refusing to talk to Mason until he apologises for being a dick and Dan learning a lot more about his new found friends.

Without meaning to, Dan spends the most time with Tove, just hanging out, chatting over meals and running together in the mornings. She's teaches him how to play chess and to become a better poker player. Out of the entire group, she's the one who knows him the best and he has a feeling that this will always be the case. The only time he spends with alone with Alison is when she's waiting for Freddie to get back or during the occasional coffee she'll insist on when they run into each other on campus. She's definitely the unofficial mother of the group; she likes to make sure that everyone's ok, is always willing to lend an ear when needed and tries her best not to fuss. Freddie jokes that Alison is the person you ring at 3am for bail money, because you know that she'll show up, even though she'll have a disapproving look on her face and a lecture already rehearsed in her head.

The first time he just hangs out with Neela, he ends up sat on a chair whilst she gently brushes and blends make-up on his face, as she tries to the find the best method to make him look like a cancer patient. It's for a play on campus and, as he's got the same complexion as the actor, Dan's the perfect guinea pig. She then surprises him at the weekend and takes him to an exhibition at MOMA to say thanks. It's one that he's been meaning to see and yet he's been putting off because of the slight chance that he might run into a certain brunette. When he asks Neela about what made her decided to bring him to this particular exhibition, she tells him, with a slightly shy look on her face, about how she found the dog-eared page when flicking through his New York magazine.

When Dan spends time with Freddie or Mason, it's usually with them both. Mostly they just meet for a quick drink at a bar near campus or hang out in the apartment watching TV or playing videogames. At first, Mason constantly makes snide remarks towards Dan under the veiled pretence of friendly teasing. When Dan mentions this to Freddie, his roommates reassures him that Mason isn't a complete ass and that he'll back off once he's used to the change to the group's dynamic. Dan starts to see Mason as an actual friend the night that he turns up at the apartment, looking for a place to crash. Everyone else is out and Mason avoids direct eye contact when he asks Dan for the favour, and offers him a six-pack of beer. Apparently Mason's roommate is passed out drunk on their living room floor and he doesn't want to sleep in the flat which smells of alcohol and puke. Dan agrees to let him stay on the couch and with that one gesture, Mason's hostility towards him begins to drift away. After several beers and two hours of playing Halo, he even apologises to Dan for being a dick.

Dan is finally getting better acquainted with his fellow English majors and other random students on campus. Finally he's making friends with people who never went to Constance or St Jude's.

xxx

"Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling," Siobhan answers her phone joyfully. Her singing is slurred and her accent is coming across very thick. There's a lot of noise in the background. "Why aren't you here?"

Dan leans back in his chair with an affectionate smile on his face. "Because I'm in New York?"

"Puff!" She huffs dramatically, "That old excuse!"

"You're drunk aren't you?"

"What gave me away? The singing?" She laughs loudly, "Yeah I'm drunk. I'm in a pub in Dublin, feeling like a wonderful cliché. And how are you? How goes the novel?"

They spend the next hour filling each other in on their lives. He happy to hear that her novel is coming along nicely and that it should be published in time for Christmas.

"I think that they're going to advertise it as the perfect antidote to all that Christmas cheer. The perfect gift for people who would rather stay depressed in the face of festivities and good will to all men."

She promises to send him one of the first copies and he offers to do the same. Thankfully the publishers have been understanding about Dan's desire to focus on his education and have agreed not to pressure him as long as he keeps Alessandra up-to-date with his progress. He's fairly certain that he'll have his second novel finished around the start of next year.

"I'm glad that everything is going according to plan. You deserve some good fortune," Siobhan tells him sincerely, "Now I better get going. Talk soon. Bye love."

"Bye Siobhan."

xxx

Dan's heading towards the library after one of his classes when literary runs into Nate. They stand there, staring at each other, both unsure what exactly to say. Nate's the first one to break the silence.

"Dan, it's good to see you man. How have you been?"

"Good, really good." Dan knows he's being vague, but he really doesn't know what to say. Out of all the things he's planned for his new life, he's never really thought about what he would do or say if runs into someone from his old life. After a moment, he goes for the safest option, "How are you?"

"I'm good," His old friend laughs nervously, the situation clearly awkward for both of them. "Do you want to grab a drink or something? Catch up?"

It's Dan's hesitation that causes a slightly hurt look to cross Nate's face. Nate begins to mumble an excuse to leave, when Dan tells him that there's a great place for coffee just round the corner if he has time for a quick one. Dan's glad to see Nate's friendly smile again.

They manage to skirt around their love lives and the Upper East Side whilst they chat. Nate doesn't question why he's backed away from his old life and served his ties to it. Dan's unsure whether he's avoiding the topic because he's worried it'll cause tension between them or because he understands Dan's reasons. Nate also knows what it's like to play a supporting role in Chuck and Blair's saga. As Dan listens to Nate talk about how his life is and the demands of running a struggling paper, it dawns on him just how much he's missed his friend. After a long internal debate and after he makes Nate swear not to pass it on to anyone else, Dan gives Nate his new number. Nate saves the number under the alias of Henry Daniels.

"You never know," Nate says with a smile, "Maybe one day he'll be a character in one of your books."

xxx

Dan feels Neela's fingers tips gently touch his cheek as she carefully checks her handiwork. Finally she gives him the nod of approval and declares that she's finished. Dan looks at himself in the mirror. The contacts make his eyes a milky-white, his face is pale and veiny, and there's fake skin lying ripped around his mouth exposing the painted on jaw muscles and teeth. To top it off, there's a lot of strategically placed fake blood around the wound and dribbling down his chin. Dan's never sat still for so long, but he's glad that he patiently did so. Neela has transformed him into an amazing looking zombie. He's dressed in an old ripped suite, which has been muddied and bloodied, all in the name of Halloween.

"Wow, it looks great," He tells her. "Thank you for doing this."

"You're welcome," She replies, still managing to unnerve him slightly as she stands before him dressed up as the stage version of the Woman in Black.

They join the others in the living room. Tove's decided to go as Judge Anderson. Alison is decked out in World War II clothing with a gas masking on her face, asking people if they're her mommy. Freddie's dressed as Nick Fury despite his girlfriend's protest about shaving off his hair, whilst Mason has made the least amount of effort in his Edward Cullen getup.

"What?" He protests when he sees their judging looks, "Unlike Dan, I would still like to have the opportunity to get laid."

"Twenty bucks says Dan can still pick up a girl whilst dressed as a hideous Zombie," Freddie challenges, putting on his best Nick Fury impression.

"Deal."

They head towards campus to take part in a scavenger hunt. Alison has invited her old roommate, Gretchen, and her new boyfriend to join their team. She quickly gives Mason a stern warning as they go to meet the couple in the quad.

"Don't you dare interfere with them."

"What! Why would I? You should really be having this conversation with Gretchen, because last time I just smiled at her and she took that as a sign that I wanted her to break up with her boyfriend for me. I was completely innocent." Mason defends himself.

"And this is one example of why we have the do not sleep with other members of the group rule," Tove softly whispers into Dan's ear.

Once they've got the list, the eight of them set off around Manhattan in search of the specified items. They attract a fair bit of attention everywhere they go, as they hurry along, laughing and talking loudly as they hunt. They're on the opposite sidewalk from a high-end club that's hosting a 'Heaven and Hells' masquerade ball, when they run into another group. It takes Dan a moment before he recognises a girl from his English Lit class, dressed up like the front cover of Pride and Prejudices and Zombies.

Suddenly, they're circling each other, as they playfully stare and growl. In a flash, she leans forward and gently nips his neck before she runs, giggling, after the rest of her team. Dan just stares after her in shock.

"If that was Amelia, then she doesn't count," Mason asserts, "Dan's slept with her before. He needs to pick up a girl who doesn't know him without the makeup in order for Freddie to win."

"As you didn't state that condition before making the bet, it doesn't count," Alison argues, "If Dan picks up any girl whilst dressed as a Zombie then Freddie wins the bet."

The others second her despite Mason's protests. Meanwhile, Dan's distracted by the feeling that they're being watched. He looks across the street to see four people, two men and two women, staring at the group. Dan's fairly certain that he knows exactly who three of them are, despite the fact that they're all wearing masks. His stomach drops as he continues to stare right back at them.

"Dan!" It's Neela's voice who brings his attention back to his friends. "Less Dawn of the Dead and more 28 Days Later zombie, please. We need to get going."

He quickly shakes away the niggling feelings that have washed over him, slumps his shoulder unnaturally to one side, and sprints towards Neela. He growls and pretends to bite her once he catches up, and she laughs as she tries to dodge him. For the rest of the night, all thoughts of the three people in masks vanish from Dan's mind.

xxx

After much negotiating and persuading, Dan agrees to have Thanksgiving dinner with his dad and Lily. In return his dad agrees that Dan will spend Christmas with his mother and that Tove can come as his plus one. Despite studying in the US for almost four years, Tove has never experienced a proper Thanksgiving dinner. She usually spends her time during the holiday studying or in a casino playing poker tournaments. When he tells her that she can come, she envelops him a huge hug and beams with enthusiasm. And Tove's nothing if not enthusiastic.

His dad informs him that Serena, her new boyfriend and daughter, Jenny and Eric will also be joining them. Dan's relived when Chuck's name is not listed. He's informed his dad that he needs to leave by five due to another engagement; one which involves Tove, Nate (who's also needs an excuse to escape a tense family meal) and himself watching a selection of classic American films back at the apartment. It'll be the first time that he's seen Nate since they ran into each other and the first time he'll meet Tove; Dan's still unsure what sort of friendship he's trying to establish with Nate. But he knows that he doesn't want to cut him out of his life completely. Not like the others.

Jenny and Eric are already at the penthouse by the time Dan and Tove arrive. They accept a glass of champagne and make the first toast of the day with his dad and Lily. He watches Tove with a slight smirk on his face as she examines the table spread and the view from the living room with a look of glee. For now Dan's glad that he'd agreed to come; it's been too long since he's seen his sister or stepbrother and he's missed them a lot. He's especially missed Eric's ability to predict when Jenny's about to bring up an uncomfortable topic, like certain not-to-be-mentioned past relationship, and his skill for steering the conversation back to safer ground.

Finally Serena turns up with the new boyfriend and the daughter in tow. She fails to hide the apprehensive look directed at Dan as Steve and Sage are introduced. When Dan leaves to use the bathroom, Serena slips away and corners him outside once he's done.

"Can I have a quick word?" She asks him, worrying her lip slightly with her teeth.

He doesn't want to; he's fairly certain that he knows what she wants to talk about and he really would rather leave it alone. However, her anxiety over him being there is clear, so he reluctantly nods and follows her into her old room. He closes the door behind him and they stand apart, ensuring that they keep a decent distance between their bodies.

"Dan," Serena starts once she's finally found the courage to speak, "I haven't told Steve what happened. I haven't told anyone-"

"Look Serena, as far as I'm concerned, what happened between us is in the past. And I'm not going to bring up past mistakes, which I really wish I could undo, over dinner. Especially in front of our parents and siblings," He assures her.

"Good good. I deleted the tape. I really just want to forget about it."

"Well we're on the same page there. And if you do end up wanting to tell Steve about it, so long as you tell him the truth, I couldn't care less."

Serena nervously bites her lip again. "Does your friend know?"

Dan sighs. "You don't need to worry about Tove. She's the last person who will say anything. Also, she won't judge you or like you any less because of anything I've told her, I can promise you that."

Finally, Serena's concern fades away and her usually carefree smile is back. "You know I saw you and your new friends at Halloween. You were dresses as a Zombie weren't you? Me and Steve had just bumped into Chuck and Blair out-"

"I think we should heading back don't you?" He interrupts her ramblings.

She whispers her appreciation for him keeping their secret and moves to give him a hug, but Dan backs away before she can reach him. Her shock over his reject is clear, but she doesn't protest when he opens the door for her.

This particular van der Woodsen–Humphrey Thanksgiving dinner is the most uneventful one they've ever had. The conversation is remarkably smooth and everyone is on the best behaviour, apart from Sage who makes the odd snide comment before ignoring everyone else in favour of her phone. Dan silently wishes Serena the best luck for any attempts she makes to try and build a relationship with the unruly teen; she's definitely going to need it. They're all enjoying a fantastic pumpkin pie, when Tove inadvertently makes a comment which brings a sudden hush to the table.

"Well Dan, I think it's only fair that you come to Sweden next year and celebrate Midsummer with my family. And it'll be easy enough to do seeing as you'll be in Edinburgh."

It takes Tove a moment to realise that she's let something slip that she shouldn't have and she looks mildly horrified with herself. All eyes are on Dan and Tove now.

"I thought that you had told your dad?" Tove whispers as discreetly as she can given that they are currently the centre of attention.

"I haven't got round to it yet," He hisses back.

"Told me what Dan?" His dad asks with a look of confused concern.

Dan takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the scrutinising eyes on him. "I'm applying to do an English Masters in Edinburgh."

"It's a really good course at an amazing university," Tove adds supportively, "And the city is gorgeous."

"I haven't got in yet," Dan informs his dad, whilst Rufus stares at him, his expression a mixture of hurt and surprise.

"Yeah but he will," Tove snorts and when Dan shoots her a look, she shrugs, "Well you will. They would be crazy not to take you."

"Well that sounds like a wonderful opportunity for you, Daniel." Lily is the first to comment. She smiles at him proudly and Dan thinks she's reassuringly holding his father's hand under the table. "Don't you agree Rufus?"

It takes his dad a moment to respond, but a slight smile appears on his face when he does so. "Yes I do. So long as it's what you want?"

"It is."

Even though the conversation around the table moves on, Dan's still happy when it's finally time for him and Tove to leave. He knows his father is disappointed that he didn't tell him earlier, but Dan didn't want to say anything until he knew that he had a place. After seeing Mason's photos, Dan started reading about the city online and then the university. He's not quite sure what it is about the city which draws him to it, but he's wants to experience life as one of its inhabitants for a while. This would be a huge change for him; a real chance to start again in a city where no one knows him. But it would also be the first time that Dan would live on a different continent to his family.

As he says his goodbyes, he quietly reminds Jenny and Eric that they are welcome to come over if they can find a way to get out of more family bonding time. They agree to text him if they can make it. Dan and Tove are waiting for the elevator when the doors ping open and Dan feels his heart sink. Inside are Blair and Chuck; she stares back at him in shock, whilst a sneer spreads across Chuck's face.

"Hello Humphrey." Chuck's condescending greeting makes Dan focus his attention away from his ex and onto the over-privileged ass instead. "I hear that you're keeping more appropriate company these days."

Dan doesn't need to look at Tove to know she's frowning at Chuck; it's a rare achievement for someone to elicit that response from her when they've only just met. Chuck's arm is wrapped tightly around Blair and his fingertips curl possessively over her arm. Dan just shakes his head at Chuck's pathetic attempt at masculine intimidation.

"Well, Charles, it's been a pleasure as always," He says with false pleasantness oozing from his voice. He holds out his arm to Tove and she quickly loops her own through it, as they brush past the couple and swiftly enter the lift. Dan tries to ignore Blair's gaze as the doors slide shut. As the elevator descends, he tries not to think about how she looked; her beauty was almost overwhelmed by her clear exhaustion and wan complexion. She's lost weight as well, making her look even frailer. And, for some reason that he doesn't want to think about, he just wants to pull that stupid jewelled hair band off of her head. Dan tries to concentrate on the comforting feeling of Tove's arm against his and not on his anger at Chuck for not taking care of Blair. If he focuses on that then he's going to go storming back into the penthouse and give the selfish brat a piece of his mind. Doesn't he see how Blair looks? Doesn't he care?

"Does he always mumble that much, because I almost couldn't understand him?" Tove asks, snapping Dan out of depressing thoughts. "He's more incoherent than Christian Bale as Batman."

With that, his increasingly dark mood is broken and he lets out a slight chuckle. "Oh trust me, Chuck Bass is the opposite of Batman."

"Are you ok?" Tove gently enquires, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. "That was the first time you've seen her right?"

"Yeah it was. But I'm ok. I just really don't feel like talking about it right now. I'm going to be fine though, I promise." He assures her, squeezing her arm back.

"Alright, but if you want to talk about it-"

"Then I know where you are," Dan finishes for her and gives her a small smile. "I do think, however, that picking up some more booze on the way home might be a good idea."

Tove smiles back at him as she hails a passing cab. "Deal."

They watch films with Nate, and later Jenny and Eric, until the early hours of next morning. Once everyone's left, Tove helps Dan into his bed as he rambles drunkenly about how it's best that he's seen Blair now. That it won't be such as shock next time. That, despite the amount he's drunk, it really doesn't bother him. Not in the slightest. Not really. Tove just pats him lovingly on the head, places a bucket beside his bed and a glass of water and two aspirin on his bedside table.

xxx

During the final week of classes before the Christmas break, Dan's new friends find out about Gossip Girl. It's Sunday morning and Tove's gone out for her daily jog despite the freezing temperature and the sporadic patches of ice. Dan's sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast with Freddie and Alison, when Tove barges back into the apartment. Her face is storm and there's blood trailing down her arm.

"Oh my god Tove, what's happened?" Alison asks, as she runs over to her friend. She inspects the tear in Tove's clothing and the deep gash in her flesh. "Quick, get the first aid kit."

Alison leads Tove to a chair, whilst Freddie fishes through the cupboard for the kit. Dan grabs a clean cloth and a bowl of warm water which he holds out for Alison.

"Some damn teenager was taking photos of me on her phone. I have no idea why. And when I asked what the hell she was doing, she just laughed. And that's went I slipped on some ice and fell off the curb," Tove explains, fuming, as Alison begins to tend to her wound. "Oh and she took more pictures of me whilst I lay flat on my ass. She said something like 'you know you love me' before she ran off."

It's at this moment that Dan suddenly drops the bowl. Alison gives him an irritated look for spilling the water that she's using all over the floor, but Tove and Freddie eye him suspiciously.

"Do you know something we don't?" Freddie demands.

His mouth is dry; it feels like insides have turned to chalk and he can't even swallow. Even if he knew what to say, he's not sure that the words could make it out of his mouth without being caught on the rough surface. He stands there in a daze as his friends look at him expectantly, before he strides into his room and brings back his laptop. Dan avoids looking at the screen as the cursed website loads and turns it around so his friends can see it clearly.

It only takes a second before Alison and Freddie start yelling at him. Demanding to know what's going on. What is this website? And why are there pictures of them on it? Dan stands perfectly stills as the barrage of their understandable anger hits him. As they shout at him, Tove silently gets up and walks away. Dan feels hurt by her abandonment, but he can't blame her. The last time he went on Gossip Girl was before he left for Rome; it's very clear now how incredibly naive it was of him to assume that she would lose interest in his life if he just ignored her. That's not how she works. And because of him, his new friends' privacy is being invaded too.

Finally, he finds his voice again. "Gossip Girl is some anonymous blogger who posts rumours and gossip about people on the Upper East Side – primarily anyone who has anything to do with Serena van der Woodsen or Blair Wardorf. She's obsessed with them. She only started being interested in me when I started dating Serena and I was kinda hoping that she would stop posting about me once I'd detached myself from the Upper East Side."

"Well clearly she hasn't," Alison snaps, "Instead she's posting pictures of us and asking people to find out who we are!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I haven't looked at the website for months."

"It would have been nice if you'd mentioned your internet stalker before you moved in," Freddie comments angrily, "You know, so we could just have a heads up about your little situation."

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to put Gossip Girl behind me and have a fresh start."

"Apparently she doesn't feel the same!"

"I'll deal with it." Tove's stern statement cuts through the commotion. All three of them turn round to look at her, as she puts her shoes on at the door. She's wearing different clothes and her damp hair is almost completely hidden under her hat.

"What?" Freddie asks.

"I said I'll deal with it," Tove repeats calmly, but her usual smile is replaced by a grim look. "I'll be back when I can." And with that, she leaves.

Dan's day just goes from bad to worse when Neela and Mason show up. Dan's powerless to do anything apart from apologise as they rage about the situation. Finally everyone's anger is spent and instead they continue to look through the website with horrified fascination.

"Looks like the people think Tove is some sort of Manic Pixie Dream girl," Neela notes.

"To be fair, she does look like a pixie," Freddie comments, "Guess they haven't figured out she's gay."

"Well everyone knows from television that a woman's only a lesbian until she inevitably finds the right man," Mason states causing everyone to stare at him in disbelief. "What? I was being sarcastic. Anyway Tove would have laughed and mentioned something about how those same shows treat abusive relationships as something which can be magically resolved in a couple of episodes or retconned out of existence." He pauses and looks around the apartment for a moment. "Does anyone know where she went?"

Freddie just shrugs. "To 'deal with this', whatever that means. She's probably going all Lisbeth Salander on someone's ass."

Unless he's apologising, Dan hardly says a word. His friends' morbid curiosity about the world of Gossip Girl eventually leads to their usual teasing comments. But instead of hearing their usual good natured banter, all Dan can hear is their bitterness and judgement about the Dan that he used to be. The one he tried to keep from them. And with every comment made at his expense, Dan feels his rage and humiliation growing until they almost engulf him.

Suddenly, he cracks and storms out the apartment without thinking. For a while, his anger and his pace manages to keep him warn as he marches down the street, but eventually the cold starts to worm its way in. Dan regrets not grabbing his coat before he left, as he wraps his arms around himself in a vain attempt to conserve heat, but he can't go back right now. He can't face his friends like this.

He's almost two blocks away when he hears Alison calling his name. He ignores the desperate edge to her voice until he hears a sudden thump and a yelp of pain. Dan turns around to see her lying on the ground, clutching her ankle. Instinct takes over as he runs back to his injured friend and gently helps her to her feet. She offers him his now dirtied coat that she'd been carrying and gingerly tries to put weight on her foot. A hiss escapes her mouth and Dan helps her to hobble into the nearest coffee shop.

One of the other patrons offers her services as a doctor and carefully examines Alison's ankle. She assures her that it's just sprained, before asking a barista to fetch some ice for the injury. Dan leaves his friend for a moment to order two hot chocolate and then places drinks on the table as he sheepishly sits down.

"I think that I should be the getting those," She states softly.

"It's the least I could do seeing as you injured yourself chasing after me," Dan states sadly, "Sorry for this. For all of this."

"Hey it's ok." Alison reaches forward and wraps her hand around his before he can pull away. "We're not entirely blameless. This whole Gossip Girl thing clearly upsets you and we could have handled it with a bit more understanding and a lot more tact."

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before."

"I know. I'm sorry that you've had to put up with an online stalker for all these years," She tells him honestly, giving him a comforting smile and his hand a squeeze before letting go.

They sip their drinks in silence for a moment, but it's less tense than before.

"That's how I found out that Blair had left me. From Gossip Girl." The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them. He stares intensely at the table and counts the sugar granules that have been spilt on the surface. There are nine in total. He starts to run his finger over the rough grains, before Alison takes his hand again.

"I'm really sorry Dan. No one should have to find out like that. No one should have it happen to them in the first place."

He claps her hand tighter this time. "It's alright. Well it will be in time. Heals all wounds and such." He pauses before he starts rambling any further. "Do you mind if we stay here a bit longer? I need some more time to cool off."

She nods and they continue to sit there, holding hands across the table and drinking their hot chocolates.

The second they're through the apartment door, Dan is greeted by his very apologetic friends. Neela gives him a hug, whilst Mason hands him a beer and Freddie pats the space next to him on the couch. A videogame is paused on the television screen and Freddie offers him a controller and two free headshots. Dan accepts the controller, but refuses to accept any free pity points when he's capable of kicking Freddie's ass on his own. And just like that, everyone's smiling again and everything is forgiven.

xxx

Dan's woken from his sleep by the familiar hum of his computer booting up. It's been almost 48 hours since anyone's seen Tove and now she's in his bedroom, hunched over his laptop. Its gentle glow illuminates her in the darkness.

"Tove? What are you doing?"

She yawns and beckons him over. "Come take a look."

Reluctantly, he gets out of bed and goes to sit down at his desk. His sleepy brain takes a few moments to process the webpage on the screen, before he's staring at it in complete astonishment. He reads Gossip Girl's words over and over again, unable to entirely comprehend that this is really happening.

Looks like Lonely Boy's finally made the decent back into obscurity. Congratulations, I no longer have any interest in your boring little life and so I won't be following it anymore. But one last favour before we part ways: when your next book gets published, I want to be sent the first copy. What can I say? I have a healthy appetite for both fact and fiction, and I'm curious about what Lonely Boy will give us this time.

Farewell Lonely Boy – enjoy your humdrum life.

xoxo

Dan swivels his chair around to where Tove is laying face first on his bed. "How?" He asks with both shock and awe, "How did you do it?"

"I know someone who's good with computers and owes me a favour," Tove begins explain, her words muffled by her tiredness and the pillow, "We just sent her email with a virus laced photograph attached. When she downloaded the image, my acquaintance was able to hack into her computer and take a photograph of her using her own web camera. And once I had the leverage, it was pretty straight forward from there."

"You blackmailed Gossip Girl?"

"I prefer the term negotiated with," Tove yawns, "Oh and part of the agreement is that I don't reveal her identity to you or anyone else, and that you send her a copy of your next book. You just need to email her when it's coming out and she'll send you PO Box address. I thought it was a pretty fair deal."

"I really don't know what to say. You really are amazing."

"I know. Now let me sleep."

Dan stands up and folds his duvet over his exhausted friend. He reads the words which grant him his freedom one more time, before he closes the browser. Grinning widely, Dan opens up file on his hard drive and continues to work on his next chapter.