Love

A month later

Dan woke up to a throbbing head. "Ugh…" he groaned as he tried to sit up in bed.

Blair walked out of the bathroom just in time to see him flop back onto the bed. "Humphrey, are you okay?" she asked looking at him concerned.

"I'm fine," he said as he attempted to sit up again, "just have to get ready for work." He said, but when he sat up the world began spinning around him and he immediately reconnected his head to the pillow. "I feel like shit." He groaned.

Blair went over to his side and softly touched his face. "You're burning up Humphrey. I'm going to grab some pills and water. Don't move." She said leaving him momentarily.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to." He said as he squeezed his eyes shut hoping to calm the nauseous feeling.

Blair walked back in with a glass of water and some pills. "Here," she said trying to hand him everything, "take these."

"Please don't make me!" he said rolling over so he would be face down on the mattress.

"Really Humphrey?" she groaned putting the pills and water down on the nightstand before softly trying to get Humphrey to roll over.

"I don't want to!" he screamed into the pillow.

"Dear God, I forgot how much of a drama queen you are when you're sick." She said.

"I don't like medication, I'm tough enough to sit through the pain." He said.

"The pills are really small." Blair promised.

Dan rolled over slightly to look at her. "How small?" he asked.

"Look," she said holding up one of the pills, "it's tiny."

"Fine," Dan finally gave in, "but only because you insist." He said sitting up slightly and opening his mouth for Blair to feed him the pills and help him with the water.

After he took the pills Blair grabbed Dan's phone off of the side table and dialed the magazine.

"Samantha, we won't be coming into the office today Humphrey's not feeling well. Have all urgent calls forwarded to my phone and drop off anything that needs to be finalized today at my place." She said into the phone before she hung up.

"You didn't have to do that." Dan said as he rolled back over onto his stomach. "I can make it."

"You're not going anywhere Humphrey. I have lunch with my mom and your sister and I'll have Nate and Chuck come by to keep you company until I get back." She said as she rubbed his back soothingly and sent a text out to Chuck and Nate.

"What're you going to do all day?" Dan asked.

"Take care of you." She laughed. "Every time you're sick I imagine that's what it feels like to have a child. It's great birth control. Which is really interesting because I'm sleeping with you."

"HA HA." He laughed sarcastically. "You're no better. Especially when you scream 'I'm going to die!' over cramps."

"Hey!" she jokingly scolded. "They hurt."

"I think you exaggerate a little though. They can't hurt that bad." He said as he rolled over onto her side of the bed giving her room to sit.

"No uterus, no opinion." She laughed as she got into bed with him. He tried to pull her closer and she stopped him, "I don't want to get sick." She groaned.

"Please?" he begged as she stopped fighting and allowed him to rest his head on her chest.

"If I get sick you're returning the favor." Blair said as she ran her hand through his hair. "Seems like you're already starting to cool down though."

"That's probably because of your icy temperature." He joked.

"I'm laying here nursing you back to health and that's how you show your appreciation?" she laughed.

Dan smiled, "I love you." He said as he have her a kiss on her chest and began to fall asleep.

Blair looked down at him surprised as she saw he was asleep with a small smile on his face.


Blair woke up as she heard her phone ring. She reached over to answer it. "Hello?" she yawned into the phone.

"Where the hell are you guys?" Chuck asked into the phone.

"Sleeping." Blair replied. "I'll be down in a second." She said as she got out of bed heading downstairs leaving Dan peacefully asleep.

"Hey," Blair yawned as she walked into her living room and sat on a chair facing Nate and Chuck.

"Where is he?" Nate asked looking at his watch.

"Sleeping. He's pretty sick." Blair said trailing off.

"Spill." Chuck said interested.

"What?" she asked confused.

"I know that look. Something's going on." He said.

"It's nothing." She said avoiding eye contact.

"It's definitely something." Nate said when he saw her avoiding. "We're just going to ask Dan when he wakes up."

"She's squirming, I'm going to go wake him up." Chuck stood about to head upstairs.

"Okay! I'll tell you." She breathed. "Before he went back to sleep, he told me he loved me."

"And then?" Nate asked.

"What do you mean and then?" Blair asked.

"He told you he loved you and then asked you to marry him?" Chuck asked.

"No, he told me he loved me." She said confused as to why they were acting like this.

"And this is a big deal because?" Nate asked confused.

"Because it was the first time he said it and he was slightly unconscious!" she complained.

"It was the first time he said it?" Chuck asked surprised.

"Yes! Now I don't know if he said it because he meant it or because he was on pills." Blair said.

"Seriously?" Chuck asked. "You know he loves you. We all know he loves you."

"Loves how though? Loves me the same way he has for the last few years or loves me more?" she asked. "It's so confusing."

"He loves you enough to bone you every night." Nate said laughing.

"Seriously Archibald? I'm at a crossroads in life and you're making jokes?" she asked.

"Blair, we had no idea that that was the first time he told you he loved you. He tells us every time we're with him." Nate smiled.

"Maybe it's because he's never told you." Chuck said thinking about it. "It was starting to get annoying." He laughed.

"What?" she asked surprised.

"It's always 'I love her so much' every time we bring you up." Chuck said.

"We actually avoid talking about you so we don't have to hear that crap." Nate laughed.

"You can't possibly be surprised by it." Chuck said concerned.

"We just haven't talked about it." Blair said.

"But you love him too right?" Nate asked.

Blair was about to answer when Dan made his way downstairs.

"What's going on guys?" Dan asked as he sat down next to Blair and put his head in her lap.

"They're just going to keep you company while I go meet with my mom and your sister." Blair said feeling his head. "How're you feeling?" she asked him.

"Better." He yawned.

"Okay," she said sitting him up so that she could slip from under him. "I'm going to head out I'll be back in a couple of hours. Call me if you need anything?" she called over her shoulder as she grabbed her bag and made her way into the elevator.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Dan asked after Blair had left.

"We had to listen to you tell us how much you love Blair and you hadn't even told her yet?" Nate asked.

"What are you talking about?" Dan asked.

"Apparently you told her you love her right before you knocked out and now she's freaking out." Chuck told him.

Dan sat up alarmed. "Freaking out how? Freaking out like 'Oh my God, he shouldn't have said it" or freaking out like, 'Oh my God he loves me and I love him'?" he asked.

"Freaking out like 'Oh my God' you're both girls." Nate eyed him laughing.

Dan glared at Nate. "Well I'm freaking out now because I know she's freaked out."

"She's freaked out because you were barely conscious when you told her and now she doesn't know if you even meant it." Chuck said.

"That's ludicrous." Dan shook his head. "Of course I meant it. I mean, I love her."

"We know," Chuck mumbled, "believe me, we definitely know."

"She doesn't apparently." Dan sighed. "I just figured she knew how I felt about her."

"She does. Don't beat yourself up about it. Just talk to her." Nate said. "I know Blair Waldorf and I know when she's in love."

"Thanks." Dan said laying back down planning what he was going to say when Blair came home.


Meanwhile…

Blair walked into the café that her mother had chosen for their meeting.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Her mother said as Blair took her seat. "Jenny and I have practically had the meeting without you."

"Sorry." Blair groaned knowing that while she was her mother, it was still a work meeting and Eleanor found tardiness to be extremely unprofessional. "Dan's sick." She said.

"Speaking of the male Humphrey." Eleanor smiled. "Were you planning on telling me that the two of you were an item?"

"Seriously Jenny, you couldn't wait until I got here?" Blair glared at the blonde.

"I didn't tell her." Jenny said holding up her hands.

"It's all over page six." Eleanor said pulling the paper out of her purse.

"What?" Blair asked grabbing the paper from her mom. "This is bad. This is very bad. Do they get The Post in rehab?" she turned to Jenny and asked.

"I'll call Eric." Jenny said pulling out her phone and calling him.

"What? Who's in rehab?" Eleanor asked confused.

"Serena. She doesn't know yet." Blair said as she read the article.

"Serena's in isolation." Jenny said hanging up her phone. "She has no access to gossip rags."

"Thank God." Blair exhaled.

"Clearly I need to be around more, I have no idea what's going on in my daughter's life." Eleanor said.

"Yes mom, Dan and I are dating and no, Serena doesn't know. Oh, and Dan told me for the first time today that he loves me right before he fell back asleep." Blair rambled off. "Anything else?" she asked.

Jenny and Eleanor just sat there staring at her.

"I'm so confused right now." Eleanor said looking at Jenny.

"It was the first time he said it?" Jenny asked Blair surprised.

"Yes, but apparently not to other people." Blair said as she realized that clearly Dan had told Jenny as well. "Who else has he told?" Blair asked.

"He told me when I called yesterday." Eleanor said. "I think he told Harold last night too."

"What? I thought you said you found out from Page six." Blair said to her mother.

"I did. Then I called your father and told him and then I called Dan to make sure that he was treating my daughter right." Eleanor said.

"So he knew that you knew?" Blair asked.

"Yes, but I told him I was going to give you a hard time about it today, so not to tell you that I knew." Eleanor smiled. "He really does love you though."

"He says it all the time." Jenny added. "He talks about you all the time. To me, to Eric, my dad, and Lily." She smiled.

"So he told everyone but me?" Blair asked.

"Can't blame him." Eleanor said as she watched her daughter. "I'm not sure your reaction is exactly what he's looking for."

"I just envisioned it'd be different." Blair said playing with her napkin.

"This is about Serena isn't it?" Jenny asked.

"Maybe…" Blair trailed off. "I just think maybe we're getting in too deep. Too deep for him to change his mind when she gets out."

"Blair," Jenny responded soothingly. "I think the Dan and Serena ship has sailed. He's with you because he loves you."

"Right now. He loves me right now because is druggie Serena. Who knows what'll happen when she's rehabbed Serena?" Blair asked.

"He'd still love you." Jenny answered.

"Maybe…" Blair trailed off again.

"Honey, the only way you're going to get assurance that you need is by speaking to him. He's the only one that can give you all the answer that you need." Eleanor said as her heart broke for her daughter.


Blair walked into her home after lunch surprised to find her place quiet.

"Dan?" she called out.

"In the room." He called back to her.

Blair made her way upstairs to find Dan lying on the bed looking over work.

"How was lunch?" Dan asked glancing up at her.

"Great. They've agreed to do the next issue and are going to collaborate for a fall line." She smiled taking a seat on the bed next to him. He immediately rolled over and put his head on her lap. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "You seem to be doing better."

"I feel fine. Must've just been a small bug." He said reaching up to run his hand through her hair.

"Good." She smiled leaning down to kiss him. "See what some tiny pills can do?" she asked laughing.

"Thank you." He murmured pulling her down for another kiss. "So…" he trailed off rolling off of her lap to sit up with her.

Blair sighed knowing what was coming next. "Of course they told you. They always do."

"I just thought we were on the same page. I thought you knew how I felt about you." He said taking her hand in his.

"I do…I just feel like maybe we're moving a little fast." She said looking away from him, but not letting go of his hand.

"Moving too fast for what?" he asked. "We've known each other for years. You know everything about me."

"I know, but Serena…" she said trying to pick her words carefully.

"Serena?" he asked interrupting. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"It's just, when she gets out she'll be that girl that you gave yourself to all those years ago. She'll be the blonde dream girl that you waited your entire life just to acknowledge your existence." She said sad staring at the carpet.

"I'm not that boy anymore and she's not my dream girl anymore." He said lifting her chin so she would look at him. "I've grown up and matured and there is no doubt in my mind that I am exactly where I want to be. I just can't believe it took me so long to realize it. You were right in front of me the entire time."

"You really mean that?" Blair asked with a small smile.

"Blair, how many times do I have to tell you? Given a choice, every time, I choose you." He said pulling her lips to his.

She smiled softly at him. "So, you talked to my parents?" she asked.

"They both called." He laughed remembering the conversation. "They both wanted to know why they weren't called immediately."

"Yeah, I heard about it all over lunch. My mom's now on speed dial for any other life changing moment." She laughed. "By the way have you seen this?" she asked pulling the newspaper out of her purse and handing it over to him. "Serena hasn't seen it."

Dan grabbed the paper and read the small article that accompanied a picture of them strolling down Park Ave. with smiles on their faces. "Stop worrying about Serena." He replied offhandedly. "She'll find out eventually and she won't have a choice whether or not to accept it. I love you Blair." He said looking at her as he consciously said the words for the first time to her.

"Good," she smiled taking the paper out of his hands and straddling his lap. "Because I love you too." She whispered before she attached her lips to his.