Dylan was spending the last two days in a hotel room. The slight admiration he had for Clair faded away and now he hated her. She came out of nowhere and stole his father's attention in less than two days. He also hated her mother. That woman was the sharpest and the most arrogant creature he has ever met. His father's words that she meant so much to him were making him sick. He was thinking a lot about his mother and what she has been through because of Blair Waldorf. Several times he wanted to call her and tell her everything but his ratio was keeping him sane. After all Dan was the one who had to inform her. He doubted that Elizabeth would be surprised or that the news would disturb her somehow.

"So you moved in here I see?" – Dylan came back to the loft. Clair was reading a magazine on the sofa, seeming content and calm. Her phone, lip balm and lap top were around her and she really seemed as she lived there for ever.

"No, I'll be here till the storm passes" – She added.

"Don't tell me that you call him dad already?" – Dylan asked. He was looking at her with disgust.

"Not yet" – She added carelessly and kept reading her magazine.

"You know that you are a complete stranger, right? How can you just…you know slip in?" – She didn't reply and just ignored him. – "Where is my father?" – He asked another question.

"He said he had something to do. He'll be back soon." – She added. They weren't noticing but they were already acting like siblings.

Dylan was annoyed by her nonchalant attitude, the way she was sitting in the middle of the sofa with her legs tucked below her not making room for other people to sit on it, the way she was breathing…everything.

"So you met my aunt I guess?" – He asked.

"My aunt, my dad, my, my, my….Everything is yours, I get it." – She sassed. – "Yes I met her. Few more visits and I'll get under her skin." – She winked at him.

"Let me tell you something. Maybe you are used to have everything and things are served on a silver platter for you, but finding out that Dan is your father does not make you part of this family. As a matter of fact, I don't think I will ever accept you."

"Ooh, It breaks my heart" – She made him a face and stood up from the sofa. – "You don't have to accept me, or even like me…I find it cute to have an older brother that I can annoy. You know my mother and Chuck were paying people to take care of me, so they were enduring my annoying personality because they were getting money for that. You will have to take it for nothing." – She smiled at him and went in the bathroom.

Dylan hated her, if it was possible to hate a girl like Marie Clair. Her last comment made him smile, but it didn't mean that he was ready to forgive his father.

Dan left early that morning to decide how exactly he would inform his parents and his ex wife about the situation. He called Elizabeth first. She sounded friendly and nice, and he knew there wasn't any nice way of saying the truth. She didn't sound surprised or bothered. She just said that she understands and that she was happy that he found the girl. The conversation wasn't long and it was a relief for him. Next was Rufus. He understood perfectly well. There wasn't anyone in the world that could have understood his pain and destiny more than Rufus. He said that he was in Canada with the band, touring and promised to come to New York as soon as possible. His mother said that he was exactly like his father and that she felt for his former wife and the drama that she went trough.

By noon he finished the phone calls and went eating alone in a quiet little Italian restaurant. Not that he haven't ate Italian food since he came back from Rome that summer, but all of a sudden memories started coming back.

Hey…I love you…you know that right?

-Oh come on Humphrey, stop being you for once. We are in Rome. Look at all these stones, they are supposed to make you happy. I mean, you know art and history. Lose that face and enjoy your summer.

Georgina's tries to make him smile didn't help. He knew that Georgina didn't care about his happiness, she only was annoyed of his contagious depression. Rome was just another place, another continent, another street…He was the same Humphrey. He was the one who got dumped by Blair Waldorf. The one who couldn't think of any other girl for almost two years. The one who had to pinch himself everyday to believe that she was waking up next to him…Now she was somewhere with Bass and he was with Georgina, teaming up to destroy the Upper East Side.

Focus Humphrey! Don't just stare in blank, for fuck's sake. Write down these things I'm telling you. – She was amazing him with her careless attitude and selfishness that couldn't be measured.

Don't tell me that you are happy that she is on the same continent with you? I swear I will drown you in one of these fountains.

"Outside" was finally written. It was like a dark alternative universe of "Inside". Clair was described as a cold and heartless bitch with masochistic tendencies, a weak girl who couldn't recognize happiness even if it hits her in her face.

At first he was content, knowing that she would be informed about the book and its content. But every night before he was going to bed he knew that he did no harm to her at all. People would have talked about it for one, two months, a year maybe, but it wasn't changing the fact that she ran after Chuck.

The first time he saw her after they split, was five years later. He was wandering aimlessly around the city on a rainy afternoon, and he didn't notice that he ended up on the steps of Metropolitain Museum. It's been five years and his eyes simply focused her walking out of the museum. She was alone, opening her umbrella and walking down the stairs. A car was waiting for her on the street and Dan didn't need to guess who that was. He remained alone on the rain for some time then walked away from the spot where he put tiara on her head and made her feel like a princess for one last time.

All he wanted was to get back home as fast as he could, forget that he saw her and forget that he actually cried.

He never knew that Blair turned her head and was looking secretly at him while the car was driving away. Chuck didn't notice that. Dan never knew that five years later Blair had the most heartbreaking crying session. For the first time she cried because she realized what she willingly lost. Chuck was sleeping peacefully in their bed.

Going in bars, picking up girls, having meaningless one night stands were not helping him get over the fact that Blair Waldorf finally (as the magazines wanted to write) marry her high school sweetheart, Charles Bass.

He finished his meal, paid and left the little restaurant. Avoiding Blair was always hard. He got a cab and went to her place.

"Where is Clair?" – She asked with worried voice.

"She will come back when she will come back. " – He answered.

"You know her for two days and you already act as you know her."

"I know you, and that is enough." – He replied, constantly looking in her eyes. It was the first time since he came to New York to look at her like that.

"Want something to drink? Tea, coffee…?"

"Whiskey" - She looked at him a bit confused but still, she got two glasses and poured the drink. – "I plan to have a little conversation with you, and I don't think I can handle it sober."

Four glasses of strong Whiskey and Dan and Blair finally felt comfortable enough to share more than few words.

"Were you happy with him?"

"I was trying…I was happy when she got born. Life isn't about happiness only…" – She took another long sip.

"Yes, Blair it is. You wanted to be happy since forever. You were even asking me what would make me happy…Ever since I know you, you were seeking happiness."

"Yes, when you are young and everything is rainbows and butterflies. Then your family and work are getting most of your time and…

"Pour another one, please" – He asked, even though the drink was already taking on him. – "I don't think I can ever forgive you for hiding her from me."

After finishing practically the whole bottle, the tension and the awkwardness was completely gone.

"I'm a 48 year old woman, mother and a business woman…I shouldn't be getting drunk with Dan Humphrey!" – She giggled.

"And I'm a father of two, respected writer and author of at least five bestsellers. I shouldn't be getting wasted with the woman who marked my life and…

"Oh for crying out loud Humphrey" – She said and pressed a light kiss on his lips.

His well known confused multiple blink followed after the kiss. Again they were 20 something and everything seemed easy.

"No…" – He just said while she leaned in for another kiss. – "I'm too old for this"

Instead to argue with him, she just laid her head on his chest, still holding his hand in hers and closed her eyes. They fell asleep on the sofa.