Just managed to finish this one tonight. I'm really enjoying going with this, if my brain could stop from skipping into new ideas for the plot.
"Welcome back, Serena, Dan... all of you," Lily smiled warmly, but her face failed to hide the shock as she noticed the pairings.
Rufus ran down the stairs, gripping the railing tightly to stop from slipping. "Hello, Dan, Serena, Chuck, and... Blair," he said slowly. Blair elbowed Dan and moved her gaze to Chuck's cheek as he caught a glimpse of a father-son wink. "If you wouldn't mind, Dan, I'd like a word with you."
"I'll wait outside," Blair said, as Dan and Rufus walked into his bedroom.
"Just stay here," Serena sighed, as Lily and Chuck walked off. Blair fell back into one of the white pristine couches.
"What is it, Chuck?" Lily asked. "I won't allow you to ru-"
"I'm not here for that, Lily," he said, sitting on the bed that used to be his. He ran his hand down the silk duvet. "Being in Tuscany, after Jack rescued me, it's made me have a new intake on life. More appreciation. But I do want to ask for a favour, I need some files about The Empire. I was aware that you had them."
So 5 minutes later, with Rufus and Lily going to "run some errands", and Blair and Dan collecting some things, Serena and Chuck were left alone. Chuck flashed the key to Serena, before opening up the safe. The two shuffled through the papers, extracting anything that had the words 'Empire', 'hotel', 'Ivy', 'Dickens', 'Charlotte' or 'Rhodes' on it. They slipped them inside a bag before rushing out of the apartment.
"It is three p.m.," Chuck's computer declared as Chuck finally drew out the winning sheet, as if it was a lotto ticket.
Dear Ivy Dickens,
Everyone may know your identity now, but we both know everyone despises you. You have nowhere left to run, no one is going to help you. You have no family left, no one to protect you. You may have the money, but I will find you. You signed a legal contract, promising to hand over the money. This means war, Ivy. You versus me. No limits.
Chuck paused. He remembered those own thoughts coming from his mind, his brain. He continued reading.
I won't stop until you do. Because I'm not like you, I'm giving you one more chance. One final chance. Take it wisely.
Max
He handed the letter over to Serena. There was something they could do; he knew it. Serena knew it. Jack and Diana knew it. He dialed Arthur's number. They could deal with this later, in a more comfortable setting. Why that letter was there, he was curious.
"I need to tell you something." Blair and Dan said at once.
"You go first," Dan said, believing that once he said what was on his mind that she wouldn't want to speak to him. Ever again.
Blair took a deep breath and held Dan's hand between her own. "You really have been so supportive of me, Dan," she paused, allowing the words to sink in. "However, recent events and our present situation has led me to rethink what we have. You're an amazing person, Dan. And I'm actually glad that you got me to see it. But when we were in Tuscany and at Lily's, it was all so awkward. We were ashamed of ourselves. And that's not something I want to be, Humphrey."
Dan let out a sigh of relief. "I don't either," he replied slowly. "I care about you, a lot, Blair, but that's my duty as your friend. And it's an honour to be that for you, whether you want it or not. But Serena's my sister. We may not be in a relationship, but ours was getting in the way of our sibling-hood. And I don't want that, and Serena's your best friend. She always has been."
"Thank you for everything, Dan," she said, offering a hand that he shook in return. But she allowed herself a smile when Humphrey hugged her. "I like our bantering," she said as they parted.
"I'm sure it's not going to end anytime soon," Dan replied, as she slid into her waiting car.
Blair sighed, her forehead leaning against the cool glass of the car. She didn't know what to do next, where to go next, but she knew she had made the right decision. One of the many she would have to make.
Blair and I broke up. On even terms, Rufus read. He smiled to himself before allowing Lily to drag him to the next store.
Now that you've read that Blair and Dan broke up, I hope you understand why I don't believe Dan and Blair would work in a relationship. That's not even the correct wording. They would work in a relationship, but it's not the best one that can be offered for Blair. I've figured out who Serena's going to end up with, already. I may write about Chuck and Blair a lot but it's because I like them the best (once again, does not mean that I believe they should be together). I would write more deeply about Dan or Serena or Nate but the truth is, I don't really care that much for them. They're not the ones that hold my attention.
