A/N: Another incredibly long delay in posting. I'm so sorry, you must be sick of my apologies but time just got away from me. I only watched the first couple of episodes of the season because I hated what they were doing with Dan's character and it made it all too easy to let this story lapse. Everybody who has reviewed, and marked the story as a favourite recently, really inspired me though. I can't thank you all enough. The fact that I'm back with another chapter is down to you. I do have later parts of this story written already. It's just a case of motivating myself to get there so thank-you again for keeping me on track and let's get back to the story.
The rest of Blair's Saturday was a lot less stressful. Fortunately for her sanity Dan left to pick Emily up from her friend's house, where she had been sleeping over, and Dan and Melissa were separated again, just the way she liked things. It all seemed much safer that way. Eventually Melissa took the hint and beyond the odd sly dig at her relationship with Dan they moved onto easier topics of conversation as they shopped and had lunch together. They finished the day with a trip to see a film and all seemed right with the world once more.
She spent Sunday morning catching up with her laundry and was just returning from a leisurely lunch at her favourite cafe. As she climbed the stairs to her apartment she heard a small voice behind her, calling her name. She turned around and was unsurprised to see it was Emily, who was wearing her bike helmet and had a huge smile on her face.
"Hi Blair, do you want to come to the park with Daddy and me?"
Blair smiled back at the little girl.
"Are you sure? Don't you want your Daddy all to yourself?" Blair was very aware of how much time she had been spending with the Humphrey family and really didn't want to be a constant intrusion on their time together.
"I get him to myself lots", Emily replied. "Daddy smiles more when you come out with us."
At that moment Dan appeared behind his daughter and Blair was gratified to see that he was blushing slightly. After being caught on the hop with Melissa yesterday there was a tiny part of her that was relishing seeing the tables being turned, and by a seven year old no less.
He did however quickly gather himself together enough to speak.
"Blair, honestly, we'd love you to come too. We can even hire you a bike. Then you can ride round the park with us. I'm assuming you don't have one? I've never seen one around."
This time it was Blair's turn to blush.
"No you definitely haven't seen one around, but there's a good reason for that. I don't know how to ride one. I don't mind watching though."
Unfortunately for Blair, Emily was not to be dissuaded once a plan was on the table and, as far as Blair was concerned, was much too quick to offer a solution.
"Why don't you learn how to ride one today? Daddy can teach you. He taught me and he was really good at it. I had my stabilisers' off before any of my friends did."
A mere 10 minutes later Blair found herself walking towards the bike hire place with Dan and Emily. To be honest she was still a bit confused as to how the 7 year old had managed to brush all of her objections aside and persuade her that this was a good idea.
To be fair to Dan he had tried briefly to side with her, and to persuade his daughter that Blair didn't have to learn to ride a bike if she didn't want to.
However Emily would have nothing to do with either of their objections and once she had turned her sad eyes on Blair, and started talking about all the fun she was missing out on, she had found that all of her arguments had dried up. The truth was she would do anything to make the little girl smile and she could see that weakness had the potential to get her into a lot of trouble.
Now Emily was cycling slightly in front of them as Dan pushed his bike so he could interrogate her. When she had referred to it as an interrogation he had quickly denied it, but that was still how it felt. She refused to believe that it was that unusual to meet an adult who couldn't ride a bike but he seemed to be fascinated by the idea.
"So you can't even ride one a little bit?" He grinned as he gently teased her.
Once upon a time she would have immediately been on her high horse at such a comment from Dan Humphrey. She was ashamed to admit that she would have tried to turn it around by announcing that bike riding was some sort of activity that she would never lower herself to. Now she knew him better and his smile as he made the comment took the edge off.
"No-one ever taught me," she admitted. "It sounds pathetic playing the 'poor little rich girl' card but I don't think anybody really had the time. Besides it wasn't really necessary. It's not like I would ever have needed to cycle to school."
"Maybe not necessary but I just thought it was something every kid learned to do. It makes me feel a bit sad for you that you missed that."
She saw his eyes soften and felt a little catch in her throat at his statement but she was quick to brush it off. She refused to be pitied because of a such a little thing. She reached across and squeezed his hand briefly.
"Honestly Dan, at no point in my childhood did it ever cross my mind that I was in some way deprived, because no-one took me cycling, so you can put the sad expression away. Beside if it wasn't for your incredibly stubborn daughter there's no way I'd be even contemplating learning now. This is insane."
He grinned once more. "It is isn't it? I don't know how she does it, but I genuinely think she can persuade people to do anything. I think it's something I need to get her to tone down actually. Think how dangerous she could be once she's old enough to appreciate her power."
At that Blair laughed. "I don't think you need to worry too much about that. She seems fairly set on using her powers for good so far. You forget you're talking to the former queen of manipulation. I'll warn you if I see any signs of her becoming the next Blair Waldorf."
He smiled gently before replying, "She could do far worse than become the next Blair Waldorf."
Blair smiled slightly at the unexpected compliment and avoided his gaze, but was saved from replying as at that point they reached their destination.
Dan and Emily chained their bikes up outside and he held the door open for her and gestured her inside. She found herself in what she was privately terming the room of torture devices.
She had to go through the mortification of Dan explaining that she had never ridden a bike before, and although the assistant was very polite about it, and assured her it was more common that she might think, she was unconvinced. It certainly didn't lessen her embarrassment in any way. Besides she didn't believe for a second it was that common, as it would appear that he had no adult sized bikes fitted with stabilisers.
It was due to this, "appalling lack of necessary accessories," as she had termed it to Dan that about 40 minutes later she found herself at the start of a path, desperately trying to balance on two wheels, while Dan held her up. They had now been up and down that path several times, with Dan holding the bike upright, while Emily happily cycled backwards and forwards.
When they had arrived at the park she had sat on her newly acquired bike for a good 15 minutes watching Dan and Emily cycle, while claiming she was observing the bike riding technique. Apparently she had been fooling no-one and eventually Dan had put his bike to one side and insisted on coming to help her. That was what had led to the predicament she now found herself in.
"It won't stay straight. I think it's faulty," she desperately tried to persuade him but he refused to be convinced.
"I swear to you Blair, that's only because you aren't going fast enough. As soon as you start moving at a decent speed it'll be so much easier to keep it straight. This time I'm just going to hold onto the back of your saddle and you'll have total control of the front of the bike. Try to go faster. I'll keep up honestly."
"And you promise you won't let go?" she begged, ashamed of how pathetic she sounded.
"I promise I won't let go."
She started to move the pedals faster while Dan shouted encouragement from behind. Eventually Dan had to shout at her to stop and when she did she realised how incredibly out of breath he was. He was doubled over and gasping for air.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Dan."
It took him a few minutes to be able to reply.
"It's no problem honestly. I probably needed the workout. We writers spend far too much time sitting around on our backsides. That was so much better though. I think you're ready to try it on your own"
"There's absolutely no way that's happening Humphrey. I would have fallen off without you."
"You really wouldn't have done. I wasn't holding you up at all there. You would have done just as well without me," Dan reasoned.
"Really? You aren't lying to me?"
Dan smiled, "What is it with you and the lack of trust today? I'll get an independent observer. Hey Emily come here!" he shouted.
The girl abandoned her bike and quickly ran over.
"Blair you did so well. I was watching. I bet you could do it on your own now!"
"See that, completely unprompted," Dan said, unable to keep the slightly triumphant tone out of his voice. "Now are you ready to try it alone? Seriously what's the worst that could happen?"
"I could fall off and break every bone in my body."
Dan laughed, "That was a rhetorical question and you know it. Come on, please Blair. Otherwise all our hard work is for nothing."
"Daddy's right, please Blair. We'll have so much fun, once you can come out with us."
Once Emily added her voice to the cause Blair knew she had lost. She was seriously starting to wonder if Dan's daughter could persuade her to do anything.
"Fine, I'll give it a shot," she conceded. "Will you still start me off though?"
"Of course I will. Let's go. Hop on."
She jumped on the bike with a lingering sense of fear at the thought of trying it alone. She picked up speed, constantly aware of the reassuring presence of Dan along side. Then all of a sudden she was alone and she was cycling all by herself. She could hear Dan and Emily shouting their encouragement from behind and pathetic as it was for a grown woman, the sense of pride she felt was right up there with all of her finest achievements. As she drew to a halt, carefully applying the breaking techniques Dan had taught her, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
She jumped off her bike and turned around to see Dan strolling towards her with a huge smile on his face.
"I can't believe I did it, thank you so much," Blair shouted as she abandoned the bike and ran towards him.
Before she knew where she was, she found herself in Dan's arms for the second time that weekend. This time though she wasn't falling apart at the time. As she smiled into his chest it struck her that this was exactly what she had been missing, someone to share her triumphs with in her new life, who also understood where she had come from. She loved Melissa but it would have been so difficult to explain why cycling wasn't a skill she already possessed. How many grown adults can't ride a bike?
The other thing that she admitted to herself was how much she was enjoying the hugging that now seemed to be part of her relationship with Dan. It was strange because she had never been a particularly physically demonstrative person. This was different because with Dan it felt natural and that was something new.
At that moment she paused in her thoughts and pulled away from Dan as she heard Emily hurtling towards them. Dan's daughter barrelled into her and almost knocked her over with her hug but Blair was quick to return it.
As was her way, when she was particularly excited, Emily was almost tripping over her words,
"Didn't I tell you Daddy was a great teacher? That was so amazing Blair. You learned even quicker than me. Now you can come with us all the time when we go out on our bikes."
Dan stepped in, "Hey slow down there Em. Maybe Blair won't want to come with us all the time. She might have other things to do sometimes you know."
Emily's face fell ever so slightly as she said, "I know that, but I just thought she might want to."
Blair was quick to say, "I'd love to honestly," only to be rewarded with Emily's answering smile, but in that moment she realised, for the second time that day, that maybe Dan wouldn't want all of his time with his daughter eaten up with her there.
She hastily added, "If that's OK with your Dad?" Under her breath she murmured to Dan, "I don't want to steal your time with your daughter."
Dan reached over and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together for a few moments, before whispering back, "Never think that. Promise me OK?"
She felt a warmth inside her as she nodded back and smiled, feeling happy tears pricking at her eyelids.
Emily chimed in again, "Having Blair there will just make it better, won't it Dad?" she said with enthusiasm.
"So much better," said Dan simply. "So that's it then Blair, you're on board?"
"Absolutely," Blair answered, and as she returned Emily's celebratory hug, locking eyes with Dan over her head, she felt happier than she had done in years.
