AN: So yeah, lets clear up the obvious diversion from the last episodes name. Basically, for this chapter I felt I needed to send out a strong message that there will be no wrong goodbye's in this story! Oh no!
Anyway, this is the last official chapter of the story. There will be an epilogue though. It's easy to guess what movie my version of the last episode is named from.
Also, I'm planning a sequel to this story which will depict what certain characters will do over the summer, after the events of this chapter and the epilogue. I haven't decided on it's name yet, but I have decided what it will be about. It will be much less drama-filled than this story was, and will be much more character-driven. I think my best skill is doing the comedy of Gossip Girl, so I'll be returning to that in the sequel. It also won't be episodic, like this has been. Anyway, enjoy.
Also, I really want to thank the people that did keep reviewing every chapter, and those that will in the future, after this is completed. You guys make this all even more worthwhile.
P.S, if you really liked reading this chapter or the story as a whole, but don't review much, please consider reviewing this chapter, as it's the last official one, and probably the one I have worked hardest on to get perfect. Also, I'd like to hear as many opinions as possible on my first attempt at writing for GG, on things I could improve on, and things you think I got right or wrong. Enjoy!
To: All
From: gossipgirlxoxo
Subject: The End.
Gossip Girl here,
So, we come to the end of this particular tale.
But don't fret, there's always a story to tell on the Upper East Side, and I'll always be around to tell it.
So in closing, I'll leave you all with a quote from Orson Welles:-
'If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.'
Until we start the story again.
xoxo
Nate loved the feeling of being on a boat. He loved the feeling of openess. The way the wind immediately became tinged with the smell of the ocean, as soon as you stepped onto the deck. It was amazing; like all the stress and craziness of the city around them was a different world and he had entered into a rare bubble of freedom.
Nate surveyed the Van Der Bilt boat, which was currently anchored in North Cove, one of the many marina's around Manhattan. He reached out to touch the railings that formed the bridge up onto the vessel, and gently caressed the cold metal with his palm. He was home.
He quickly walked up onto the deck and looked around for a second, smiling. His grandfather had set up two loungers, both next to eachother, directly where the best sunlight would hit later on in the morning, when the sun had finally risen completely. In the middle of them was a small table, with a bottle of champagne sat inside a cannister of ice, coupled with two glasses.
Nate was not one to overly flaunt his wealth, owing to the fact he now had none, but his grandfather definately did. Nate figured this gesture was partly a peace offering in aid of his mothers decision to take away his trust fund and finanacial aid, and while he did appreciate it, he didn't think he would ever forgive his family. Especially after what they had forced him into doing now; making a deal with Russell Thorpe for money.
He just hoped Chuck had the decency to not betray him in the deal. After all Nate had done for his former best friend, he certainly owed him that much.
That feeling of dread inside his stomach was starting to appear again. This was why he always endevoured to not get involved with the various plans and scheme's his friends would concoct, if possible. He didn't like to be backed into a corner, and he really didn't like having to lie to people. Whenever he was forced to tell a white lie, or hide a secret, it always seemed to come back and bite him in the ass. He vowed this would be the last time, and prayed that this time karma would forgive him and things could return to some kind of normalcy.
He sat down on one of the loungers and started to pour out the drinks. The sun was starting to glare down, being reflected by the water.
Now all he had to do was wait for Raina to come. That was all that mattered now. He studied the horizon for a few seconds, thinking of what the future may hold for him and his friends. So much had changed since just a couple of years ago. In high school, he would have followed Chuck into anything, and stood by him through the worst of times. They were best friends. But now, he couldn't see how they could ever be the same.
He chuckled a little under his breath at the thought of what the day held for Dan and Blair. They had made such a collosal mess of their relationship so far, if anything good happened they would consider it an improvement. He made a mental note to ask Dan how everything went when he got some free time in the next few days. He really hadn't had a chance to talk to him about what was between him and Blair, because of his own huge problems lately. He had a feeling, though, that Dan would need a friend and ally if he was going to start a public relationship with Blair Waldorf, even that ally now had just as bad a reputation in the upper east side as he did.
Nate smiled widely, and he felt a jolt of life flash into him, as Raina pulled up in her limosine. She stepped out, and waved up to him. She was wearing a long floral summer dress and had her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Nate walked over to the entrance to the deck, and helped her make the step onto the boat from the bridge. They both stared at eachother for a couple of seconds. Neither had spoken to eachother since Nate had broken up with her, apart from a single phonecall that Raina had made, telling him that Chuck had told her everything and that he shouldn't feel guilty about the whole thing. Her reassurances didn't really help. Nate didn't know how to react. He couldn't work out what her intentions were. But as if she had sensed his trepidation, Raina closed the distance between them, and pulled him into a hug. She nestled her chin at his collarbone, and Nate held her tight. He inhaled slightly, and breathed in her scent, and for that moment, he knew everything he had done had been worth it. "Hey, I'm sorry for all this. I didn't know what to do when we got back from Chicago. Oh, and by the way, your father? Bit of a dick." He said, as they released eachother, and Raina stepped back.
"Thats just that tip of the iceburg with him, believe me." Raina answered, sighing. "Anyway, I'm not here to talk about him. Honestly I could care less. I want to tell you that we don't have to break up now."
"Good, because I don't want to break up with you. Breaking up sucks, haha." Nate said, smiling awkwardly.
"Good." Raina repeated, smiling again. Nate this time moved closer, and laid a gentle kiss on her lips. It was the type of kiss that both participants could sense the other was smiling. Nate felt all the worry flow out of him.
They both sat down on the loungers, and started to drink the champagne.
"So, I wanted to ask you something." Raina said, relaxing into the seat.
"Yeah?" Nate said, before leaning over quickly. "This isn't about Chuck is it, because I know you must be angry with him, and honestly I'm furious with him myself..."
"No, no. I wanted to, sort of, clear something with you. Well, now I'm staying, I'm thinking of leaving Thorpe Enterprises and starting my own company. Here, in New York. I haven't thought about any of the fine details yet, but I think I might be able to find a place for your dad, if he doesn't mind working for me." She finished, searching for a reaction.
Nate didn't have to think for long. "Hmm, well it's okay with me. I'll have him call you, I guess."
"Yeah, you do that." Raina said, taking another sip of her drink, and laying back. The sun was now nearly completely risen. Nate reached out his hand across the table, and Raina placed her palm in his.
The two of them entered a comfortable silence for a few minutes, holding hands, and just relaxing. Neither of them felt lime much had to be said. Also, they were just tired of the stress and drama, and wanted to just spend time together.
Nate's cell phone started to ring. He grabbed it from the table, and looked at the ID. It was Chuck. Raina spotted the name, and watched Nate press ignore.
"Whats up with you two? You having a lovers tiff?" Raina said, laughing slightly. Nate rose up in his seat and and started to walk forwards to the front of the deck, which looked out onto the long stretch of water between them and the other side of the marina. He sighed loudly, and crossed his arms, looking out to sea.
"I think it might be a little more than that. I don't know, I just think everyone is starting to grow up in my world, and we're all changing, whether for the good or the bad. Thing is, Chuck just seems to be getting worse as he gets older. I thought he'd mellow out eventually, but this obsession he has with Blair has really twisted him up inside."
Raina followed him to the front of the deck, and placed her arm around his waist.
"We all change eventually, Nate. We all grow up. Maybe you and Chuck weren't meant to last as best friends. Maybe you're meant to have a new best friend now." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder.
Nate smirked a little, thinking of Dan. He was totally different from Chuck in every way. The two of them had never seen eye to eye, and after the previous night, probably never would. There was too much bad blood between them. "Yeah, I'm just scared." Nate said, sighing.
"Change is the scariest thing in life. Thing is, it's sort of inevitable." Raina replied.
"When did you become all deep and sage like, anyway?" Nate said, trying to lighten the mood. Raina nudged him with her hip, feigning insult.
"I'll have you know I'm a smart girl, maybe too smart for my own good, sometimes." She said, letting go of him, and sitting on the edge of her lounger.
"Oh, you'll love it with me, then. I get confused at the very thought of introspective thinking." Nate said, sitting next to her.
She silently mouthed the word 'Introspective' at him. "You learned a new word! Thats a start." She said, laughing.
"Now I know what that feeling was when I first started to date you, it was the harsh tinge of being judged!" Nate joked, turning towards her and dropping his chest on her, forcing her backwards onto the lounger, while trying to tickle her. Raina playfully tried to fight back.
"I think that tie of yours is restricting blood to your brain, Archibald." Raina said, between fits of laughter. Nate finally stopped, and Raina stared up at him, his sleak but athletic body canvassed over hers. She was just about to lean in, as a familiar voice called out to her. Nate had clearly heard it too.
The electricity that had been pumping through Nate's body up until that moment had now immediately withered away, replaced by panic.
"Thats my dad's voice." Raina said, as Nate pulled himself off of her.
"Raina?" Russell shouted from the dock.
Nate stepped back and tried to think of something he could do. His mind was suddenly blank. Raina stood up, and watched her father in disgust as he strode across the bridge and onto the deck. Nate did nothing to stop him. Raina backed up a little, so she was standing next to Nate. Russell studied the scene for a moment, looking from his daughter to Nate, and back again.
"What a sight this is. It's truly poetic." Russell said, emotionless as stone. Nate was stricken mute by the whole situation.
"What are you doing here, dad? I thought I made it clear with my resignation that I didn't want to see or hear from you ever again." Raina spat out, angrily.
"Yes, well, I think it's time we all made everything clear, don't you, Nathaniel?" Russell said, looking at Nate.
Raina gave Nate a look of confusion, then looked back at Russell. "Whats that supposed to mean?"
Nate just stood there looking helpless. He had the feeling that he assumed everyone got when they knew they had been caught and couldn't think of any way to get out. In the space of a few seconds, he had gone from total happiness and content, to resigning himself to his soon-to-be grim fate at the hands of Russell Thorpe. He couldn't help but feel like Chuck had a hand in this somewhere, but ultimately he blamed himself for both trusting Chuck, and for initially agreeing to Russell's deal in the first place. He knew now that the only real victim in this whole thing was Raina, the only person he had truly wanted to keep from being hurt.
"Not feeling particularly chatty, Nate? Well then, I'll have to say it for you, then." Russell said, giving Nate one more chance to spill the beans. Nate stayed silent. It wasn't that he was scared to admit what he had done, now that the small chance of him getting away with it had dissappeared, it was that he didn't know if he could find the words.
"Mr. Archibald and I had a talk while you were in Chicago, Raina." Russell said, but was interrupted.
"I know all about it, dad. You told him you would destroy his family if he didn't break up with me." She said, furious.
"Oh no, thats not the full story, is it, Nate? Thats just what you and your, I hear, former best friend planned to tell you. What really happened was that I offered Nate here his college tuintion and his father a chance at a job, in return for breaking with you, and he gleefully accepted. But Nate and Chuck tried to double-cross me. He took my money for breaking up with you, but then tried to renege on our deal and turn you against me." Russell explained, looking deep into Nate's eyes.
"Well, more fool you for paying him without assurances. Seems to me like you're just bitter you were beaten, dad." Raina said.
"Okay then, I didn't want to tell you this, Raina, but since you won't accept he's lying to you, I'll have to prove it. It's true, your mother is dead, and she did die in that fire at Bass Industries. But Chuck isn't the only one who knew from the start. He got drunk, and told your boyfriend every single sordid detail, and he still went through with the deal, knowing everything about your mother. He knew, all this time." Russell finished, and for the first time ever, Nate saw him smile slightly.
"What? Nate, tell me this isn't true." Raina said, looking at him.
Nate froze on the spot. He had two choices here. He could dent everything, but the only person who might have backed him up against Russell was Chuck, and that certainly wasn't going to happen. The only way Russell could have found out that him and Raina were meeting on the boat was Chuck. On the other hand, he could tell the truth, and most likely lose Raina, and be back at point one, but with a clear concience. He thought of what Dan would do. Dan would do the right thing, even if it would hurt the one person he didn't want to, and break his own heart in the process. Maybe it was time to stop living the way Chuck would tell him to do, and start listening to what he thought was right.
"I'm sorry, Raina. It was Chuck's idea..." Nate said, preparing a lengthy and heartfelt apology, but Raina was already moving towards him. He barely had time to brace himself before Raina slapped him square across the face.
"I thought you were different." Raina said. Nate was awestruck. He had never been slapped before and thought he deserved it afterwards.
Raina did a quick one-eighty, and marched past her father, but then stopped. "I've had it with both you. I've had it with this town. I don't ever want to see either of you again." She almost shouted, before storming down the bridge and getting into the car that had brought Russell to the marina. Nate averted his eyes as the limo sped away. He could feel a lump in his throat.
"Seems my work is done." Russell said, starting to turn away.
"Didn't you hear her? She doesn't want anything to do with either of us." Nate uttered quietly.
"Yes, but I'm her father, Nathaniel. We're family and she'll eventually forgive me. You on the other hand, well, we might aswell stick a fork in you, because you're done." Russell joked, walking across the bridge to leave. Nate could feel the same anger rise up in him as he had felt in Chuck's apartment just a few hours before. He quickly went after Russell.
He caught up to him, and grabbed hold of Russell's suit, forcing him around. He curled up a fist and started to strike. Russell started to flinch, but Nate stopped inches from his face, and thought better of it.
"I should hit you. But through all this, I've learned something. Sometimes it's better to do nothing and wait for karma to catch up to someone. Becuase it always does. I should know." Nate said, letting Russell go, as another car pulled in and took the businessman away.
Nate slowly moved up onto deck again, picked up the bottle of champagne, and took a big gulp disgusted with himself. His cell phone beeped again. The message ID was 'SERENA.'
Chuck woke up groggily. He immediately felt the lingering pain of his black eye and his severely bruised cheek bone. He smirked slightly; this was nothing. He had been much worse before.
He quickly rose out of bed, and started to clear out what was left of the many empty bottles and stained glasses from the night before. After Dan and Nate had left, and he had called Russell, he had called in every single easy girl that he knew from his black book, and had one hell of a party. It seemed as if none of them had stayed behind for round two, though, as the apartment was empty, aside from him.
After he had cleared most of the wreckage up, he opened the blinds of the windows, and squinted out into the city below. He smiled sweetly at the knowledge that Nate would have gotten his deserved punishment by now, and it would take a while, but he would eventually get his best friend back. Whatever people would say, he really did care about Nate. He considered more like a slightly more innocent brother than his friend, a brother that sometimes needed teaching not to step out of line and start fraternising with the unworthy, and Dan Humphrey was exactly that. All he could hold onto now was that by whatever means, no matter how evil or deprived, he would get Blair back. He would get her, and he would keep her. Maybe then he would hang up his scheming boots and settle down to the business of getting control of Bass Industries. He tried and failed to not imagine Blair running into the arms of Dan Humphrey. If he could forsee what hell might be like, this was close to it as you could get while on earth. He poured a glass of water to quench his thirst, and felt a shot of pain as the water touched the inside of his injured cheek. His sanity was eerily close to breaking. He tried to think cohesive thoughts.
"Oh, nephew of mine, what have you gotten yourself into?"
Chuck turned around and saw Jack Bass peer through the gap in the slightly opened door. He quickly walked over to the door, and rammed it closed, nearly breaking his hand on the hard wood.
"That's no way to treat your boss, now is it? Come on, open the door." Jack said coyly, as Chuck grudgingly inched it open again.
"What is it that you want, Jack?" He asked.
"Neighbors were getting pretty annoyed about all the racket coming from this apartment all night, so the hotel staff called me. Since this is the only thing I can't take from you, since it's in my brothers will, I can at least police you whilst you live here." Jack muttered, giving the door a powerful push. Chuck had little energy left after his activities the night before, so he relented and let Jack come inside.
Chuck sat down on the only sofa that wasn't either turned upside-down or propped up against a wall, and held his head in his hands.
"I told you this would happen, Chuck. Last year, I said you weren't ready for a responsibility like running Bass Industries. Hell, you can't even run your own life. You haven't even got the one thing your shriveled old heart truly yearns for, anymore." Jacked said, pacing around the room, clearly enjoying this thoroughly. Chuck just sat in the chair, slowly losing his grip on his temper.
"And to lose Blair to a low class, poetry writing, brooklynite. You should have let me have her last year, at least then she'd still be in the family." Jack continued, as Chuck curled his fists involuntarily.
"Don't you dare talk about her. EVER." Chuck said, shouting the last words.
"Lets take a look into your future, Chuck. I see...you...bitter and alone, with nothing except this crappy hotel to your name, and all you'll have to hold onto are your memories, of the good ol' days, when you had Blair Waldorf on your arm, and Bart wasn't dead, and you had a family and a business."
Chuck didn't have the power to fight back with words or actions. He just languished in his suffering. A realization that maybe everything Jack was saying was his true future.
"You'll be sat on a bench alone in central park, while in the distance, your complete opposite marries your one true love, with your former best friend as his best man, and your adoptive sister as the maid of honor. Oh how beautiful it'll be. Maybe I'll go, who knows. I'll have to think of a gift." Jack finished, laughing slightly under his breath.
He turned to walk out of the room, but stopped before he closed the door. "Pathetic." He said, before slamming it shut.
Now Chuck was sat in silence. He sat there for a few minutes, just contemplating his life.
Suddenly a mini dining room table was thrown through the air, and crashed through the glass window to the apartment. Chuck had erupted out of his chair, and launched the nearest thing across the room as hard as he could. He then grabbed hold of one of his solid gold awards from his bedroom cabinet, and started to smash everything in the apartment that was able to be smashed. He broke all the priceless glass that he kept away from the lounge so nobody would use them for parties. He wrecked the beds and sofa's as best he could, and began to throw all his pictures and other sentimental items in the junk.
He came across a picture. It was of him, Serena, Blair and Nate, all with arms over eachothers shoulders, and all smiling happily. He tore it off the wall, and threw it out of the window that had been broken earlier and watched it tumble down fifty floors to the parking lot behind the hotel, until it was so small that he couldn't see it smash on the ground.
Nate was still laying on one of the loungers, watching the waves go up and down against the hull of the boat, as the sun started to set over the Manhattan skyline. He had lost all feelings of regret and sadness throughout the several hours of thought he had had since Raina left. He considered where he had gotten to in life, and decided that at the point where he was, he was on the tipping edge of a knife. He could go either way, right now. He had one of those big, character defining decisions to make, and because Dan had something else pressing on his mind, he had called one of the few other people in the world that he truly trusted the judgement of. He needed to talk to someone who would actually listen. He just needed someone to voice his thoughts onto, that wouldn't judge him when he went into the dark or embarrassing stuff. He needed someone who had seen his darkest and lightest points, and whom he had seen the darkest and lightest sides of.
"Hey." Serena said.
"Hey." Nate replied.
Nate patted the other lounger slowly, as the blonde understood the gesture, and laid down across from him. He reached over to the side of the deck, and picked up his shades. The sun was starting to hurt his eyes.
"Serena...how did we both get to this? I have spent pretty much all day thinking about it, and I can sort of work out my pathway to this, but I'm coming up with next to nothing on how you managed to end up here." Nate mused, looking at her.
Serena searched her own mind for the answers. How had she gotten here? The events were too vast and complicated to even fathom. From Dan, to Blair, to Chuck, to Nate, to her mom and all her problems, to her dad and the effect he had on her, it all seemed like a huge blur.
"Honestly, I know less about the inner-workings of my life than you do. Lets face it, Nate, if either of us put any stock in thinking about our decisions and planning them before we made them, we wouldn't be in these situations we always seem to find ourselves in." Serena answered, drinking the last bit of warm champagne from the last bottle next to Nate.
They bogth let out a sigh in unison, then both let out a laugh at the timing.
"We're too similar, do you know that?" Serena said, smiling at him.
"We are. We've both let our domineering and much more sinister best friends rule our lives, and look where it's gotten us. You're not friends with Blair right now, and I don't think I'll ever forgive Chuck for the awful things he's done." Nate said, turning onto his side, facing Serena.
"Thing is, Blair is looking like he's growing up and moving on, leaving me without someone to control my craziness."
"And with Dan, no less. Who'd have thunk it?" Nate said, laughing slightly, but stopping after seeing the look on Serena's face. "Sorry. Too soon?"
"Just a little. But again. it just shows how mad our lives have turned out. Those two. They hated eachother in high school." Serena said, almost to herself, rather than to Nate.
"Things change." Nate said, jumping to his feet, and going back to the edge of the deck, with only a barrier between him and the open water. The sun was cloaking everything in a dark orange sort of color.
"If anyone knows how much things change, it's us two." Serena said, now standing next to him.
A few moments of silence passed by, as they both were stuck in thought, staring out to the horizon.
Nate came upon an interesting thought.
"Hey, do you want to go sailing?" He asked.
Serena laughed a little, feigning excitement. "Oh my god, can we go fishing?" She said, jokingly.
"Oh yeah...but there's a problem." Nate said, pretending to be worried.
"What?"
"The servants did all the fishing before, and I never learned." He said, laughing.
"Well, watch and learn, Archibald." Serena, said, finding a fishing rod propped up against the wall near the steering wheel.
If anything was true, the one glaringly obvious thing in this world was that Dan Humphrey did what he was told to do, and now, he was standing on the roof of the building that housed the loft, just as Lily had told him to earlier in the day. He clicked open his cell phone and checked the message.
'Daniel,
Please go to the roof of your building at 8pm, it is very important.
Love,
Lily.'
So, here he was.
He was tired, and he was anxious. He had spent all day chasing down Blair, but after calling her all day and getting no answer, the only communication he had received was from Lily in the afternoon. The sun was now completely set, and night was starting to begin. The rooftop was plunged into darkness, apart from the dim lights from the streetlamps below, and the light of the moon from above. Dan quickly turned on the light that was attached to the wall that connected the door to the roof and the stairs down into the building. He could at least see what was around him now.
Dan stepped back over to the edge of the rooftop, and propped his arms up on the five feet high brick barrier that stoppedanyone from falling. He definately liked the city better at night. It reminded him of all the films he had seen depicting old New York; the glitz and the glamour, but with undertones of real magic and drama. Living where lived, he felt like he was part of history. He was in the city where all those amazing characters would have lived and died in.
His life had turned out to be quite different, though. If anyone ever made a movie about him, it would most likely be a story of exploration. A tale of a small-town guy made big. A story where the guy thinks he's finally got it all, and then it's repeatedly ripped away from right under his feet, but then at the end, he realises everything he wanted before wasn't what he wanted now. That maybe it was about the journey rather than the destination.
Maybe he was destined to constantly be chasing something he would never catch. He let out a long sigh, and blinked a few times to regain focus. But suddenly he perked up slightly, as he heard a voice echo around the rooftop. The voice he'd wanted to hear desperately for forty-eight hours. He turned around and saw Blair Waldorf, standing in the doorway to the roof. They both looked into eachothers eyes. Dan felt a feeling of warmth wash over him, even though the air was cold and there were no heaters outside the building. "What are you doing here?" He asked, quietly.
Blair took a few steps forward, and smiled knowingly.
"What would you say, If I said I've been walking around Brooklyn all night, with one, all-consuming, paralyzing thought." Blair said, both of them still searching the others eyes.
Dan let out a slight laugh. "Oh, I don't know, I'd say something snarky like, 'Why have I been walking around Brooklyn, when I live in the city?'"
"Seriously. I have been." Blair said, the two of them edgeing ever closer.
"Well, seriously. I'd say that it's times like these when even I have to admit how crazy this world we live in truly is."
"I know exactly what you mean." Blair said. They were only a couple of feet apart now.
"So, what are we going to do here, Waldorf?" Dan said, inclining his head slightly.
Blair thought for a moment, before speaking. "Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I got your messages all day telling me what Chuck told you last night. I shouldn't have let him manipulate me, like he's done so many times."
She grabbed his hand, and held it tightly, as they moved only a couple of feet from touching.
"Dan, I'm always going to have Chuck to deal with, just as you're always going to have Serena to deal with. But I don't want to be with Chuck. I'm here, trying to be with you." Blair said, now holding onto both of his hands, and standing face to face.
"You don't have to apologise. We just have to trust eachother from now on. I do trust you. It's just Chuck twists everything around him. Lets both be sorry, and have done with it." Dan said, and Blair smiled widely. She felt relief rush through her body.
Dan raised his eyebrows, coming upon a thought. "I still can't believe Blair Waldorf is in love with me." He said, smirking at her happily.
"Well, believe it, and trust me, I have never been so sure of anything." She answered, swinging his arms from side to side slightly, and looking down at the floor.
"This is really not how my life was supposed to play out." He said, pulling her closer, so they were almost touching chests.
"But it's right, Dan. Want to know how I'm so sure?"
"Yes?"
"Because of how easily I said it. I said 'I love you, Dan Humphrey', and it was easy. You have no idea of the gravity of that gesture to me. That I didn't spend weeks playing games with you, or expect you to say it first, or expect anything in return. I put myself out there, completely, with no difficulty at all." Blair finished, feeling content inside. It was a completely new feeling to her. She had felt pure happiness before, but she had never felt so perfectly content with what she was saying. It felt amazing. A pure natural high.
"And you did with Chuck in senior year, right? I remember you coming to me for advice, heh." Dan said, smling.
"Yes. We spent months trying to get eachother to open up. But with you it only took a deep breath, and a few seconds to lay it all on the line, and now, somehow I feel like more of a person for saying it. Does that sound strange to you?"
"No, not at all. It's the same feeling I'm getting right now, and I'm gona quote a dear friend here, and say, Blair Waldorf, I am ass-backwards in love with you." Dan said.
Both of them felt a natural pull towards the other, and before either of them could work out why, they were kissing. It was a long, passionate and enduring kiss. Dan could feel the longing she felt for him, and Blair could feel the same. Everything in the world seemed to stop, and all their previous issues and problems seemed to wash away with that one confession from Dan. Blair felt like she was on the edge of crying from the joy building up inside of her. It was both scary and wonderful at the same time.
They finally broke apart, and came up for air. Dan couldn't stop smiling. "And hey, I am from Brooklyn, as you quite rightly stated, which must have presented quite the challenge, hm?"
Blair laughed slightly. "Well, I am an ambitious girl."
"That you are."
They kissed again, and the force of Dan's kiss pushed her backwards against the nearest wall, next to the door to the stairs. They only stopped so Blair could speak.
"Oh by the way, I think we have a couple of guests." She said, knocking twice on the door, and immediately appeared Rufus and Lily, both smiling happily. Rufus had his guitar with him.
"Oh no, don't get him started, he'll never stop!" Dan jokingly protested, as Lily tagged along with a medium sized speaker, connected to the guitar, and his dad setup to play.
"Come on, go with it, Humphrey." Blair said, pulling him out into the center of the rooftop, and placing her arms around him, and starting to sway, as Rufus started to play.
Isn't it strange the way things can change,
The life that you lead turned on its head,
Suddenly someone means more than you felt before,
Her house and its yard turns into home.
I'm sorry but I meant to say,
So many things along the way,
So this ones for you...
The two of them swayed in the moonlight, as Lily watched from afar, smiling, and Rufus carried on playing. Dan aimed his head towards her ear. "Really?" He said, sarcastically.
"Really." Blair said, smiling to herself.
"How did you persuade my dad to help you, anyway?" Dan asked.
"Dan. He's in Lincoln Hawk. They arn't exactly beating bookings off with a stick." Blair said, which caused Dan to laugh slightly. "And besides, he only wants you to be happy. Even if it's with a Waldorf."
"I'm beginning to realise that maybe a Waldorf is what I needed from the very start." Dan answered, both of them still swaying.
Have I told you I ache,
Have I told you I ache,
Have I told you I ache for you?
The time that it took writing words for my book,
Seems to have broken in half,
The gate that I shut last time i got hurt,
Seems to have opened itself...
Oh the world, its spinning now, its trying to catch me up,
And tell me to appreciate the here and now...
Dan continued to whisper into her ear. "I don't know much that's certain in this world right now, Blair, but I know that I want to be with you. Right here, right now, and I know there's still so many things trying to keep us apart. But now I feel like there's a million reasons why we should stay together."
I'm sorry but i meant to say,
Many things along the way,
So this ones for you...
Have I told you I ache,
Have I told you I ache,
Have I told you I ache for you?
Blair blinked a coupleof times, still trying not to tear up from the sense of pure joy. She wanted to address his concerns though, and put them to rest. "Dan. Don't ever feel like you're out of place with me. Ever. This might the hardest thing I've had to admit tonight, but without you in my life right now, I feel out of place, no matter where I am. So I need you with me."
"I'm right here." Dan said, quietly.
Have I told you I ache,
Have I told you I ache/and I hope its not too late...
Can I hold you and ache for you?
"Thing is, Dan, I have been wrong for years now. There was never anything about you that needed changing. There never has been, and there never will be...Je t'aime." Blair said, kissing him again.
Rufus stopped playing the song, and put down his guitar. Dan and Blair seperated for a moment, and motioned for Lily to come over. Dan hugged his dad, and Blair hugged Lily, before the married couple stepped away and started to leave the rooftop through the door.
Rufus looked back at Lily. "Did you just get a weird sense of Déjà vu, there?"
Lily shut the door, and watched Rufus. "Yeah. They remind me of us."
THE END.
AN: So yeah, thats the end. Please review!
P.S I expected that song part to come out less messy. The song is called 'Ache' By James Carrington, for anyone who wants to listen to it.
