This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and stones
Throw your bombs and your blows
But you're not gonna break my soul
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

Serena is lying in bed when Georgina breezes in and throws clothes in her direction. "Up and at em," she chirps raising an eyebrow at a particularly ugly sweater. "Alessandra better have a good excuse for why this thing made it into your public closet."

"Why are you here so early?" Serena asks sitting up and holding her head. "Speak softly."

"Oh S," she says trying to mimic a sympathetic tone. Serena frowns at her and Georgina rolls her eyes smiling because Serena's finally talking to her, "Well this won't do, you need to be ready for the press conference in like an hour."

"You sound like one of my nannies," Serena complains pulling the covers back over her head. "What press conference?"

"The one where you gush about how excited you are to be with Dan again, especially now that his new book is coming out," Georgina say's pulling the covers off Serena and going back to the pile of clothes she'd thrown onto the bed. "Remember to make a joke about how you hope he's going to redeem you in this book."

Georgina has her back turned to Serena so she doesn't see Serena mocking her as she speaks.

"Don't worry though you don't need to know anything about the book, just say he's keeping it all a big secret from you as well," she says turning. "What are you doing?"

Serena stops mocking her and immediately puts her hands back onto her head acting as if she hadn't done anything. "What if I don't want to do this?"

"Well then the sex tape comes out along with Gossip Girls quirky little caption and the world will know what a slut you are," Georgina says with a smile as if what they are talking about is so much fun. "Oh S, you've made me so proud."

"I don't care what the world thinks of me," Serena spits out, ever since Georgina's walked through that door she's awakened something in Serena from the old days.

"Oh sweetie," Georgina says placing her hand on her chest. "You may not care what the world thinks but you certainly care about what your friends think, and your mom and that darling little brother of yours."

"Leave Erik out of this," Serena growled, how dare Georgina bring her little brother into this.

"That's what I thought," Georgina smirked. "Now do you really want to disappoint him like that?"

"Chuck's probably already filled him in on what's going on, their opinion of me couldn't possibly get any lower," Serena said the spark she'd felt when she snapped at Georgina fading with the energy she currently had. "There's nothing left to use against me."

"Do you really think that? I know they are angry now but that will fade," Georgina said with a smile. "Especially our Golden boy, he'll come around don't worry, he'd never give up on his precious Serena."

Serena clenched her jaw when she realized Georgina was talking about Nate.

"See, I do have something to use against you," Georgina said walking toward her and leaning in to whisper in her ear. "But think of how quickly he'll give up on you when he sees you and Dan getting it on in the place he holds closest to his heart."

Serena swallowed hard and shut her eyes, even if Nate never spoke to her again, even if he had given up on her already she never wanted him to see that video. She never wanted him to know how badly she screwed up, how she destroyed and defaced one of their most intimate memories. Georgina threw the clothes onto the bed and crossed her arms over her chest raising an eyebrow at Serena.

"Oh and by the way no more of this," Georgina said frowning and throwing the syringe into the bag and swinging it in front of Serena's face. "You don't co-operate very well when you're … happy."

"Leave me alone Georgina," Serena said through gritted teeth, she was sick of Georgina and her taunting, she'd been able to ignore her for the past week that she was stuck here but she couldn't anymore.

"Fine but don't come groveling at my feet when you're bored out of your mind," Georgina said waving her hand as she left the room. "Be ready in one hour or I'm dragging you out kicking and screaming."

Serena picked up the dress and sighed, why her? She takes a deep breath rolls her neck before getting into the bathroom, she waits until the hot water hits her before she mentally prepares herself for the day, for the smiles and the laughs and holding Dan's hand and pretending to be as hopelessly in love with him as she thought she was before he made her feel like she was nothing.

She put the dress on and slipped into her heels, taking her time with her make-up when Georgina comes in with Milo on her hip, "Oh, you're ready," she says with a bright smile then thrusts the baby into Serena's arms. "Hold him for a moment."

Serena opens her eyes wide and holds the toddler away from her body, she does not know how to handle babies, she'd seen Dorota's kids but she never got close enough to hold them, the last time she actually held a baby was Erik and she was only four.

"He's not going to bite Serena," Georgina said rolling her eyes. "But he will start screaming if you keep him like that and you don't want to hear him scream."

Seeing Georgina shudder made Serena quickly bring the little boy closer to her letting him play with her hair. "What are you looking for?"

"Your phone," Georgina said looking underneath the bed. "Ah found it."

"Why do you need my phone?" Serena asked.

"I want you to see whatever Gossip Girl blasts as soon as it comes," Georgina said slipping the phone into Serena's bag and smiling. Figuring that Georgina's hands were now free Serena held the baby out to her and Georgina twisted her mouth a little. "Er… no, you keep him, he seems… happier."

"Some mother you are," Serena said frowning and walking out of the room, depositing Milo in Georgina's pet of a husbands arms as soon as he was at arm's length.

Dan stood at the door with a stoic look on his face, fixing his tie. He looked up at her and she felt conscious of her clothes as he judged her, he looked as if he disapproved but then again that was the same look she'd been getting from him every single time he looked at her lately.

Georgina led them out, talking a mile a minute about how exciting this is going to be and how brilliant this book was going to be especially since she helped him write it. Serena gulped at the thought of Georgina writing anything, she knew everybody's secrets and she loved to use them.

They reached the press venue too soon for Serena's liking, Alessandra was already there talking to reporters interested in what Dan has to say about this new book he's written. Serena was just there as a trophy, she had rehearsed lines that she had to say to make sure she compliments Dan. She feels like such a pushover, ever since she tried to make Lola the new IT girl and Lola replaced her in the fashion show she's lost so much of her confidence, the old Serena would have walked out onto the runway because that was her moment but the new Serena changed into something else and modeled the way they wanted her too, letting Lola have her spotlight.

Dan got out of the car and forced a smile, taking her hand and leading her to the little press arena that Alessandra set up for their questions, Dan greeted the reporters and the questions started coming. She was standing next to him a smile plastered on her face, hanging of his every word, in truth she didn't hear half of what he said, everything out of his mouth was fake and condescending.

Most of the questions asked was about Inside and if this book was going to be a sequel, Dan was very secretive saying that the book was not a sequel but it was going to cause more trouble than Inside ever did. Serena looked at him then, she didn't know what his book was about but she was curious, Inside literally caused all of them to hate him except maybe for Chuck who was amused but even his father wanted to punch him, how much worse could this new book be. He promised it was a tell-all book that no-one would ever forget.

Serena knew her moment was coming up, the questions were centering around his love- life and her presence there, she was readying herself for the questions when she caught sight of Nate, standing at the back of the room watching her. She didn't think twice about rushing toward him and screaming his name, she didn't care about the sex-tape or Dan and Georgina's warnings she just really wanted him to talk to her.

Nate turned away when he saw her coming toward him but it was too late because she caught him, latching onto his arm and stopping him from moving without her. "Nate please listen to me," she pleaded and Nate took a deep breath.

"What do you want me to listen to Serena, I think that proved it all," he said gesturing to where Dan was currently trying to get the attention back on him and away from her and Nate.

"That proved nothing," she said. "I don't want to be with him," she said, she didn't know why it was important for him to know this, since he brought her back they've had moments but it hadn't been moving toward a relationship, either way she needed him to know that she wasn't with Dan.

"You didn't seemed forced," Nate said extracting his arm from her grasp. "And the other day when we came to get you away from him you convinced us that you were ok, so what is it Serena?"

Serena opened her mouth to respond but was hit with the realization that she did convince them to leave her and there was a reason for that and that reason was that she didn't want them to hate her more than they did which is what they are going to do once the sex-tape came out, no matter what her reasons where. This would eventually be easier to forgive.

"Find me when you figure it out," Nate said walking away from her. Serena watched him with tears in her eyes, she wanted to go after him but she couldn't, she was frozen in place her body refusing to move, she felt heavy.

"What was that?" Dan asked from behind her, Serena didn't even turn to look at him, her eyes were still on the path Nate took to get away from her. "Do you have any idea of what you just did?"

"Not a clue," Serena whispered not turning to face Dan and the emotion she knows she's not going to like on his face.

"Damn it Serena if you'd just stop thinking about yourself for one minute, this could have gone perfectly," he said angrily and Serena turned to him.

"You think I'm standing here with you because I'm selfish?" she asked not caring that she had tears running down her face. "I'm standing here because I know what that tape would do to my friends."

"No, you're just afraid of what they'll think of you if they saw it," Dan said shaking his head and Serena could feel her nails digging into her palm.

"You know what, you're right," Serena said and Dan stopped whatever he was about to say and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, ever since the Inside came out and people figured out I was Sabrina nothings really turned out the way it should have, I lost my job, you and Blair started … whatever it was that you were and the only person who cared was Nate," Serena said wiping the tears from her face..

"He fired you," Dan stated dryly. "You can't blame me for your shortcomings."

"He had his reasons and they were all to show me what I was doing wrong," she said with a tiny smile on her face. "You know I was wrong the first time I spoke to you and you asked me how I could go out with a guy I barely knew."

"And what was so wrong with that?" Dan asked. "If I remember correctly you told me I couldn't be worse than the guys you did know and from the past five years of knowing them I think that argument still holds true."

"You are so full of yourself," Serena said. "You are worse than they are, yes even Chuck, my step-brother was a pig but he's never judged or played anyone the way you have."

"You're delusional," Dan said chuckling. "Alessandra will set something up for tomorrow, you can apologize then."

Only then did Serena look behind him to see the place cleared and only a few people talking to Alessandra and Georgina, Phillip and Milo were in the corner away from the others. "What makes you think I'm going to apologize?"

"Because I still hold power over you," Dan said exasperated, like she should know this already. "You know Gossip Girl will be thrilled to have something like this in her collection."

Serena tensed and then nodded, "Go ahead, I'm not going to be your doormat anymore," she said taking a step back from him and holding her hands up. "I'm Serena van der Woodsen and I'm not going to let someone like you control me."

Serena smiled at the look on Dan's face and kept smiling as she walked away, she was going to take her life back, she wasn't going to be the girl Nate brought home in tears, she was the Upper East Side's IT girl, it was time she started acting like it.

A/N : Hey guys, arent you proud of Serena and her standing up to Dan? I know I am hehe I liked the Georgina/Serena moment at the begining
The song I used for this chapter was 'Part of me' by Katy Perry because of Serena finally telling Dan that she's not going to be his lapdog anymore and his opinions of her isnt going to break her, I think it fit

I hope you guys enjoyed this and thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter, the next chapter will have NJBC moments and no Dan, I think I've had enough of him for moment, I miss my NJBC lol

Anyway Please review and let me know what you think, I meant to put up a fluffy NS story in honour of the awesome 'Serenate for Season 6' trend on Twitter on Saturday night but I couldnt finish it in time so maybe sometime in the next week or two I'll have that up

Until next time (^^,)