A/N: Sorry it's been so long, but I wanted to make it Christmas-y! Here you go, and by the way I've written quite far ahead so I think I'll be able to update a lot once I've checked everything over a few hundred times. PLEASE REVIEW, it make sme work faster and procrastinate less!

Blair fought her way through the crowds engulfing FAO Schwartz on Christmas Eve. She struggled up the elevator carrying the various design samples and sketches in folders under her arm. She navigated carefully around a group of Southerners who were obviously in New York for Christmas, she gave them a death glare, just because they were tourists. Eventually she made it over to the dolls and efficiently found what she was looking for, a doll sized crib which was easily assembled so as she could have it prepared for the next morning. As she lifted the flat packed box everything in her arms went tumbling to the ground. Blair cursed under her breath, earning herself a reproachful look from a woman out shopping with an eight-year-old. "Here you go," a voice said to Blair's right. She turned and there was Nate smiling at her, holding her folders in one arm and a pink, red and violet fairy dress in the other.

"Oh, hey, thanks," She took them from him.

"Do you need a hand?" He asked lifting the flat packed crib under one arm easily. Blair smiled, it didn't appear that she had that much choice. He began to head off towards the cashier and Bair followed beside him. "So last minute shopping?" He asked, Blair nodded.

"I kept forgetting about the crib," she added lamely. Nate nodded. "How about you?"

"Oh um…" Nate faltered looking at the dress in his arm, "it's a dress up thing." He looked slightly confused. Blair smiled placidly at him. "And I've got some of the Dora the Explorer stuff, but I- um, I'm not very good at this." Nate said as they joined the line. Blair nodded.

"Have you been to the Disney Store?" Nate shook his head. "Try it, she loves Belle from Beauty and the Beast?" Nate nodded making a mental note as Blair stepped towards the till point. Beauty and the Beast. The woman smiled as Nate lifted the crib and dress onto the desk and rang both of them through.

"Uh, we're paying separately," Blair said as she realised what was happening. Nate quickly lifted the dress from the desk and held it, letting Blair go first.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman smiled, "I thought you were shopping together." Nate smiled at her. He wished they were. Blair, meanwhile, was glowering at her.

Blair somehow then found herself accompanying Nate through the crowds of shoppers on Fifth Avenue towards the Disney Store a few blocks down. She wasn't quite sure what was happening but they seemed to be out shopping together. He held the door open for her when they reached the three years olds dream of tack, glitter and tea sets. Nate followed her inside and stopped himself tripping over a group of ten-year-olds clustered around the High School Musical junk and followed Blair towards what looked like a fairytale palace at the back of the store. This looked more likely; there was pink, glitter and lots of other clueless dads wandering around with empty baskets. Blair efficiently pointed out what Annabelle didn't have and Nate followed, shoving stuff into a basket. Glitter markers, jewellery box, plastic shoes, wand and tiara, tea set, a Belle doll - almost the same size as the real Belle- and several notepads and play sets. Blair nodded approvingly at his basket when they were done and he smiled goofily thanking her.

Subconsciously he took her hand as they left the store and began walking uptown. She turned to look at him, but he didn't notice, she smiled to herself, averting her eyes before he realised that she had realised. He detoured slightly to walk her home, and she helped carry the various bags of toys. She smiled when they got back to Dan and Serena's and rode the elevator together to the penthouse apartment. Nate was going to help assemble the crib once Annabelle was asleep. They hadn't spoken much since they'd left the Disney Store, it was Nate who broke the silence. "I had a really good time on Sunday."

"Me too," Blair smiled.

"Belle!" Blair called when the elevator door opened, "look who has come to see you!" Blair quickly shoved all the bags they were both carrying into the coat closet as Belle came running through barefoot, in pyjamas with ribbons seemingly flying wildly from her brown curls. She paused, registered Nate and hurtled herself at this legs.

"Hey!" He smiled bending down and sweeping her up and tickling her. Blair smiled closing the coat closet door.

"Look," Annabelle smiled proudly indicating the ribbons in her hair. Nate smiled and pretended to marvel at them. Blair had to give it to him, he could amuse her pretty well. Blair would probably have laughed and pulled the ribbons out, but Nate seemed to convince everyone he knew exactly why there were ribbons in her hair, and yes it was something special thank you very much. "Santa is coming to bring me presents," Annabelle told him proudly. Nate nodded as followed, carrying Belle, as Blair led them through to the sitting room of Serena and Dan's apartment.

"Santa only comes to little girls who go to bed," Blair added and Annabelle nodded vigorously. Nate smiled and Blair arched her eyebrows.

Harold was decorating the Christmas tree. Annabelle wriggled down from Nate's arms and went back to her position on the floor, surrounded by ribbons which she methodically entangled in her hair.

"Ah Nathaniel! An extra hand is always welcome!" Harold beamed gesturing his daughter and Nate towards the tree to help decorate. "Does one of you want to untangle the lights? I was doing it and your daughter was decorating the tree, but then she found a more effective use of her time," Harold chuckled, Nate smiled.

"Sure I'll do it," he said pulling the box of fairy lights towards himself and sitting on the ground next to Annabelle.

Several hours later, Nate's golden hair was sufficiently decked with ribbon, as were Blair's long mocha locks. Harold had escaped with a few trailing from his shoes and Annabelle looked like some sort of piñata streaming with color. Nate had just finished wrapping the lights around the tree and Annabelle was clinging, fast asleep, to Blair as she finished adjusting the bows and miniature stockings.

Blair put Belle to bed whilst Nate and Harold made coffee in the kitchen. Harold again began quizzing Nate. Did he have a girlfriend? Would he introduce her to Annabelle? Would he tell Blair first? What about he and Blair? How were things? Nate stuttered his way through the seemingly friendly questions, but became a little tongue-tied. Blair arrived to relieve the friendly catch-up telling them Annabelle was asleep. They then set to work wrapping, unpacking and assembling.

Harold excuse himself once everything but the crib was ready. "One more would just be trouble," he smiled leaving Blair and Nate to it. Blair pulled out the instructions as Nate lay the pieces on the floor. Soon they got to work organizing everything and began to build it.

"So what are you doing tomorrow?" Nate asked.

"Uh, well Annabelle in the morning and hen bringing her over, and then probably just hanging out," Blair replied fixing holding two pieces together whilst Nate glued them.

"You know, you can stay at mine and we can all hang out together," Nate said without looking up. Blair looked at the top of his bent head a small smile on her face but she didn't say anything. "I mean it is Christmas, and I think we can drop it all for a few hours," Nate said rationally, "for Annabelle of course."

"Of course," Blair agreed. "Maybe I will hang around." Nate smiled to himself and then looked up to meet her eyes.

"Sounds Great." He smiled in complete awe of how beautiful she looked right now, sleepy, yet not tired. Blair nodded in agreement. "So what did you guys do the past two Christmases?"

"Uh, spent them in my Dad's châteaux, I didn't really know that many people in Europe, so Christmas was just family." Nate nodded.

"Yeah, uh I just hung out with my parents." Blair nodded in understanding.

"Do you remember our last Christmas?" Blair asked reminiscently.

"Yeah, we 'missed the flight to California'," Nate air quoted. Blair smirked. "Although we most definitely had a better time at home."

"You-" Blair was about to say but she stopped. Nate looked at her.

"I?"

"Never mind." Blair said hastily, not wanting to bring up the subject, it probably wasn't the best idea. They sat in silence building the crib together for a while longer.

"I booked St. Patrick's," Nate said quietly. Blair nodded but neither looked at the other. "There." Nate said smiling at he screwed in the final bolt. Blair smiled, but didn't say anything.

"Do you ever wonder-" she began again, but Nate cut her off.

"All the time." He said getting to his feet and turning to go as he picked up all the wrapped presents leaving Blair sitting on the floor.

"Thanks for all the help," she said quietly as he left.

"You're welcome, see you tomorrow?" He asked stopping in the doorway. Blair nodded as she tied a ribbon around the crib and moved it to under the tree.

A/N: Please, please review; even if it totally sucked! I'll love you forever in a metaphorical platonic sense!