"Don't splash me, Humphrey," Blair said from her spot in a float in the pool that Nate and Serena rented. Dan ignored her warning as he tipped her float over and she slid into the pool. Blair emerged from the water, her sunglasses floating next to her, and she lunged for him. "I was getting the most perfect even tan and you ruined it," she said, latching on to his neck and wrapping her legs around his torso. "You are such a jerk," she said, pressing her lips against his.

"You are the jerk," he responded, backing against the wall of the pool. "We have this gorgeous pool for the afternoon and you are spending it floating around and ignoring me." He tried his best to mimic her famous pout before starting to laugh and sliding his arms around her waist. "When are Serena and Nate getting back anyways?"

Blair shrugged, "Depends on traffic, I guess, and what time they left the city from dropping Ava off at Lilly's."

"Who else is coming tonight?" Dan asked, running his fingers on her back under the water. "Chuck?"

"Chuck and whatever model he is banging lately. I think this one has done a Vogue spread or two. I guess that's a step up from Abercrombie catalogues. They are coming with Serena and Nate and I'm not sure if anyone else is coming. I think Serena invited her brother and Lola but I don't think either could come or, in Lola's case, wanted to come." Blair ran her fingers through his hair, "I can't believe it's already the Fourth of July."

Dan leaned in to her, grazing his lips against her collar bone, "I can't believe we have to leave tomorrow."

Blair closed her eyes as she felt his hands run up her back and find the ties on her swim suit, pulling at them gently, "Sorry that some of us have to go on a book tour."

"Mmm, yes, the hard life of an author. Free traveling to talk about the book that came out months ago."

"I asked you if you wanted to come," she said. "We could have lived a week of hotel rooms and room service. And it's a tour of a bunch of YA authors who are bucking the tread of the supernatural and going for a more realistic vision of the world. At least I'm pretty sure that's what the posters said. I just glanced at them to make sure they spelt my name right."

"Because it's so hard to spell Blair," he teased, kissing lightly below her ear. "And if the Upper East Side for high school students not from there isn't a dystopian hell then I don't know what is."

Blair nodded, grabbing his chin gently and leaning his head back and kissing him. Dan fingers danced lightly over her bare back as the strap for the back of her bikini floated next to them. She tugged gently at the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair as she squeezed her legs tightly around him. She would have continued that way happily for the rest of the afternoon had it not been for a cough coming from above them.

"Jesus Christ, Chuck," she said, pushing away from the wall and quickly making work of the tie on the back of her suit. Dan's face was flushed and she wasn't sure if it was from what they had been doing, embarrassment, or the sun. Or a combination of all three. "Fucking avert your eyes, you peeping Tom."

"Carry on," he said, his voice low and she could hear him trying to hold back laughter. Blair splashed at him from in the pool and took solace in the fact that he jumped back like a little child. "It's nothing I haven't seen before, Blair."

"You are disgusting," Blair said, swimming over to the steps and getting out of the pool. "Grow up." Blair grabbed her towel and circled around the pool to where Chuck was standing. She was going to just pass to go in the house but when she saw him wink at her, she gave him a quick shove and reveled in him falling into the pool after losing his balance.

As he emerged soaking wet to the laughter of both Blair and Dan, who was now climbing out of the pool, he scowled. "And you told me to grow up, Blair," he said, narrowing his eyes.

She shrugged as she entered the sliding door of the house to Serena and Nate dropping off groceries on the kitchen floor of their rented house. "Tell me again, S, why you invited Chuck? Where's his girlfriend anyways? Doesn't he have anything better to do than bother Dan and me?"

"Did he catch you having sex?" Nate said, his eyes wide as Dan followed Blair into the kitchen.

Dan and Blair both spoke at the same time, "No!"

"God no," Blair said, rolling her eyes. "We weren't doing any thing inappropriate. He just has a way of being the most annoying person on earth."

"Well, maybe because he just got broken up with," Serena said, unpacking the groceries. "Do you want to help me, B?"

Blair looked at her, raising her eyebrows, "I have to shower. I feel dirty."


Blair laughed as Serena shook the bottle of champagne and popped the bottle, spraying all five of them. Dan wrapped his arms around Blair's waist from behind her and she rested the back of her head on his chest. "Happy early birthday, Serena! Only you could win out in a competition between the country and yourself for who we were going to celebrate."

"Speech!" Nate said, already slightly intoxicated from the beer that he and Chuck had been drinking throughout the afternoon. "Wife, make a speech."

Serena rolled her eyes before plopping down on the sand, missing the blanket they had set down by a foot. She was also slightly tipsy but it was because her and Blair had shared a bottle of champagne before they had walked down from the house to the beach. They had gulped it from the bottle like they used to when they were teenagers and too lazy to find their parents good glasses. "To my love," she said, raising the bottle over her, "Blair."

"Boo," Nate said, sitting next to her. "I'm always second to Blair."

"Get over it, Nate," Blair said, leaning down and taking the bottle from Serena's hands. "You should be used to it by now."

"I'm kidding," Serena laughed, laying down with her head in Nate's lap. "To my true love, Nate, for renting this beautiful house and letting me celebrate my birthday ten days early. And, of course, to my three great friends who came down here with us to celebrate. I wish Dan and Blair could stay longer but Blair is the worst and has to work."

Nate leaned down and kissed her and Blair pretended to be disgusted, burying her head into Dan's shoulder. "Get a room," Blair joked, lightly kicking sand their way.

Chuck looked down at his watch, "Well, please excuse me. I see a party over there that needs to be crashed. Being with two couples is hurting my ego more than I would have guessed. Thank you for dinner and the drinks." He nodded, "I'll be back later when I find someone to drag into this." He paused, "Blair, can I talk to you for a second?"

Blair raised her eyebrows, pressing her thumb into her chest, "Me?" He nodded and she shrugged as Dan let go of his hold on her. She stepped forward before turning back to Dan and holding up one finger, "I'll just be a second."

She walked with Chuck until they were out of earshot of the other three before he started to talk, "Are you and Humphrey serious?"

"What?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "Did you and Nate smoke something as well as drink?"

"Are you two serious?"

Blair bit her lip, "What are you going on about?"

"Just answer the question," he said, slightly raising his voice before glancing back at the other three who hadn't seemed to notice. "Are you guys a momentarily thing or a real thing?"

"Why would I waste my time at this age on a momentarily thing?" she asked. "Chuck, what is this? Why do you care?"

"I just wanted to know," he said, his head slightly bowing. "I just figured," he sighed as he turned slightly from her to look at the ocean. "I just figured that we would get to a certain age and find each other again. I didn't figure Humphrey into the plan."

"Chuck, I was never waiting for you," Blair said, trying to keep her voice level. As much as Chuck was an annoyance to her at times, they were still, and had been for years, friends. "When we broke up a few years ago, it was over for me. You prove to be a much better friend to me than you ever were a boyfriend. Why is this coming up now?"

"I proposed to you, Blair," he said.

"Five years ago! Drunk as fuck and also using Serena's ring as your own."

"I was going to buy you a ring," he muttered.

Blair took a deep breath, "It doesn't matter, Chuck. For all the times we were happy, we had double the amount of times when we made each other miserable. Like right now. This has never been a thing until you saw Dan and me."

"It made it real."

"You've been dating people ever since we broke up," Blair said, throwing up her arms in frustration. "You flaunt them in front of me. Stop acting like you care about me in any other way than friendship. This is just stupid jealously rearing it's ugly head. Yes, Dan and I are serious. No, this," she said pointing between the two of them, "is never going to happen again. Even if Dan and I break up, it won't be a thing. I'm not going to risk anything I have with Dan over something you want to claim is still between us. I love him."

Blair stopped, closing her mouth and glancing back from Chuck to Dan, who was laughing at something Nate or Serena had said.

She loved him.

"Chuck, I don't know what brought this up but I need to get back over there," she said, thumbing at the three friends behind her back. "You know that we're friends but we can't be anything else." Chuck nodded, looking slightly sad but mostly okay, and Blair reached out to squeeze his arm before practically running back to the blanket. "Dan, do you want to come with me back to the house? I think we need more champagne."

"I think that's a great idea," Serena said, her head still in Nate's lap.

"And bring some chips," Nate blurted out.

Dan looked confused but stood like a confused puppy dog and followed Blair the short distance in silence to the house. When they shut the sliding door behind them, he started to talk, "Are you getting back with Chuck? Was that what you were discussing?"

"No?" Blair said. It was her turn to look confused. "Why would you think that?"

"Something Nate said earlier that he said came from Chuck in the car. Something about making a play for you." He shrugged, "I just figured that was what that was. His big play."

"And you let me go off with him?" Blair shook her head, "You would just let me go off with someone you think is going to steal your girlfriend?"

Dan scratched his head, "Okay, so not the smartest move on my part but what was I going to say? Stop, Blair, he's going to try and trick you into loving him again? Stop, Blair, it's a trap?"

"How about… stop, Blair, because I love you?" she said, raising her eyebrows and putting her hands on his chest. "I think that would have worked."

"I thought you weren't ready for that and banned me from saying it again until you were?"

"Well," Blair said, tapping her fingers lightly against his chest, "Chuck did try and pull something." She could feel Dan's hands besides her turn into fists. "I told him that he was basically wasting his breath." Blair could feel Dan slightly relax at the reassurance and she stepped closer to him. "I told him something I should have told you already."

"And?"

"And… that is," Blair looked up at him, "that I love you, Dan Humphrey."

"You told Chuck this before me?" Dan asked, raising his eyebrows before cracking a smile.

"Accidentally."

"Well, I'm glad the embargo has lifted because I am in love with you, Blair."


"We brought champagne," Dan said, lifting the bottles over his head.

Blair meekly lifted the two she was carrying, "And we have a special announcement which is that we are totally in love with each other."

"We knew that, you idiot," Serena responded, lifting her hand for a bottle. "Screw love, though, let's drink."

Blair put a bottle in Serena's hand before sitting down on the blanket, Dan settling in next to her. She placed her chin on his shoulder and draped her legs over his. "I love you, Dan Humphrey."

Dan smiled at her before covering her mouth playfully with his hand. "Screw love, let's drink… and also, the fireworks are about to start and they are my favorite part of the summer."

Blair gently hit his bottle with hers and looked over at Nate and Serena, who were sitting like the picture perfect couple they were next to her.

So this was happiness, she thought, before handing her bottle to Dan to open for her.

If this was happiness, she liked it very much.