When Nate woke up, it was broad daylight, and he realized that his phone was vibrating on the night stand. He grabbed it quickly, afraid it would wake Jenny. She was curled up next to him, sleeping peacefully, and he didn't want to disturb her. He was momentarily distracted by the fact that she was still naked, but disregarded it as he got out of bed. He picked up the phone, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, mom." He answered, out in the hall.
"Nathaniel. I've been calling you all morning." She scolded him, and he smacked his forehead.
"I've been asleep. You know, vacation and all?"
"I'm calling to inform you that your father's been transferred to a different prison."
"What? Why?" He asked as he turned on the coffee maker, just as Gerard, their part time chef walked in. Nate was grateful he had put on pants before he came into the kitchen. They nodded at each other and Gerard pointed at the stove, asking if Nate wanted breakfast. Nate covered the receiver with his hand.
"Oui. Merci." He told the man, before he went back to the conversation with his mother.
"I haven't gotten all the details yet. I just thought you should know."
"Yeah. Thanks mom."
"How is your vacation? Did you check on the landscaping of the terrace like I asked?"
"Yes, mom. It's all finished and it looks great. You should really come and see yourself. I know you could use the vacation."
"I'm sure you and Miss Humphrey don't want me intruding on your private time." He nearly groaned out loud. "Besides, I have far too much to do in the city."
"Her name is Jenny, mom. And we're not going to be here much longer."
"Oh?"
"We're going to head down the Italian Coast and spend a few weeks in Rome and Ravello." He made his way out onto the terrace, and counted the sail boats out on the water. He really did love this place.
"That sounds lovely. Let me know before you guys head up to the Hampton's house. I'll make sure the staff have it ready for you."
"Aren't you coming?."
"I don't think so."
"Well then I'll just stay with the Humphrey's. There's no point in opening up the whole house just for me."
"Don't be silly. I'll open the house."
"No, mom. It's not necessary. Please don't."
"Well, if you're sure. Talk to you later, sweetheart."
"Bye, mom. I love y-" He was cut off by the sound of the phone hanging up. He sighed, and took a few more minutes before he went back inside. Gerard was preparing breakfast so Nate grabbed two mimosas and made his way back upstairs. When he opened the door, he noticed that Jenny wasn't in bed anymore, but the bathroom door was closed. He went out onto the balcony, and sipped his mimosa while he waited. He left the door open, so Jenny would know where he was. A few minutes later, she came out, wearing his shirt from the day before. He grinned like a Cheshire Cat.
"Good morning." He gestured at the mimosa on the table next to him.
She smiled coyly at him, and she sat down on his lap, took the one out of his hand, downed it in one swig, and gave him a lingering kiss. "Good morning." She told him as she pulled away.
"A good morning, indeed." He grinned, all thoughts of his failing family gone from his mind. "Did you sleep well?
She nodded, a smile on her face.
"We have a lot to talk about, but first, breakfast." He told her, and she smiled. "It should be ready by now." She nodded, and he took her hand as they walked down the marble steps.
"Mmmmm! Smells wonderful!" Jenny exclaimed as they made their way onto the patio. Gerard had set up a brunch array for them which included crepes, fresh fruit, croissants, eggs, ham, coffee and more mimosa. Nate poured coffee and mimosas while Jenny topped a crepe with Nutella and strawberries-a new found favorite of hers, and dashed some powdered sugar on top. Nate didn't realize just how hungry he was until he bit into a slice of ham, and then powered through a little bit of everything. By the time he set down his fork, Jenny had managed half a crepe, an egg and a slice of ham. She was sipping on a mimosa, laughing at his appetite.
"Hey, I worked it up last night." He reminded her, and she blushed.
"I know."
"Speaking of which, how are you feeling this morning?"
"Honestly? I'm sore." She told him. "Not awfully so, but I feel it. I'm happy though." She had a glow about her, and he was so relieved. He was over the moon, but he was afraid she wouldn't be as enthusiastic in the morning.
"No regrets?"
"No regrets." She confirmed with a sun disappeared behind a cloud for a moment, and they both looked up to see storm clouds approaching over the sea.
"Storm today. Probably about an hour." He told her.
"I guess we're homebodies today." She teased, and he shrugged.
"It could be worse." They retreated indoors as one of the maids cleared the table. "I need a shower. Join me?" He asked her earnestly. She bit her lip, and after a moment's deliberation, she nodded. She was unexpectedly nervous. She had slept with Nate the night before, but there was something unbelievably frightening about being naked in front of someone in full daylight. She fidgeted as Nate turned on the luxurious master shower. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "I love you, Jenny." He whispered in her ear, and a shiver went down her spine. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and rested her hands on top of his.
"I love you too, Nate. I don't even know what else to say. This is all so incredible." He chucked, and she felt his breath against her skin. The bathroom was starting to fill up with steam, so she stepped away from him, and with her back to him, pulled the shirt up over her head. He was already undressed when she turned around, and they stepped into the shower. She was hit with a downpour of hot water, and it intensified the way his hands felt roaming over her skin. Showering together suddenly seemed like the best idea in the world, and they spent way too long exploring each others bodies and calling it washing before, unable to resist, they fucked for the second time. Nate took her from behind, with her leaning against the expensive tile. They finally got out when the water ran cold, and spent the day in bed together as the storm raged outside. It was bliss.
"Jenny! I missed you, kiddo!" Rufus hugged his daughter as she and Nate walked into the Van Der Woodsen's house in the Hampton's. They had arrived in New York from Paris just a few hours ago, and one Jitney and two taxi's later, they found themselves in familiar territory.
"I missed you too dad."
"I think that's the longest you've ever been away from me." He commented, as they made their way out onto the back patio.
"I know, but we had so much fun! Where's Eric?"
"That's a good question. He and Elliot got here a few days ago, but I haven't seen them much. He said he'd be here."
"Yeah, we saw them briefly in Paris. We celebrated Bastille Day together." Nate told him, as he helped Jenny into a chair at the patio table.
"I've never seen anything like it. The French really know how to party!" Jenny exclaimed, and squeezed Nate's hand after he took hers under the table. They had grown so close over the summer, and they snuck looks at each other every once in a while.
"You've had quite a summer. France and Italy. You've never even been out of the country until this summer!" Rufus commented, and she just laughed.
"Yeah. We started in Nice-the Archibald's house is beautiful-and then we spent a few days going down the Italian Coast, a few weeks in Rome, and then Nate took me to Ravello. What was the name of the hotel there?"
"The Palazzo Sasso." Nate reminded her, and she nodded.
"The view was breathtaking. I can't picture anywhere more beautiful." Jenny got a glazed look in her eye as she remembered how blue the water was, and the nights they spent on the balcony looking at the moon reflecting on the water.
"I've always wanted to go to Ravello." Lily commented. "For whatever reason I never made it there. I'm glad you guys got to see it." Nate and Jenny spent the next hour regaling Rufus and Lily with the details of their trip. They had an entire summer's worth of stories to tell, and they went through several pots of tea while they talked. They had decided to stay at the Van der Woodsen's house. Since as Nate's mom wasn't planning on coming up, she rented out the house to a family for the summer. He was annoyed, but it made sense. There was plenty of space at Rufus and Lily's, and he wasn't complaining about the chance to be closer to Jenny, even if it was going to be difficult to get alone time under her father's roof. She seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she yawned massively after she told them about sailing in Ravello and how she nearly fell overboard after tripping on ropes that the captain neglected to tie down. Nate swore it was because he couldn't keep his eyes off Jenny.
"I think we both could use a nap before dinner." Nate chuckled. "It's been a long trip."
"Oh, of course." Lily doted. "You two must be exhausted. Dinner will be ready in a few hours, and hopefully by then, Eric will be back. I really should call him. Excuse me." She stood up, and Rufus followed. Jenny stretched out in her chair, her arms over her head, as another yawn escaped her.
"I think a nap sounds amazing right now." She told him.
"Come on. I don't think the view from the guest room is quite as good as the Palazzo Sasso, but I'm sure the bed is comfortable." He teased, and they cuddled up in bed together and took a nap before Rufus called them down for dinner. Eric was finally there, and he gave Jenny a conspiratorial wink across the dinner table. She had a feeling it was Elliot who had kept him busy earlier. She turned out to be correct, so Eric, Elliot, her and Nate roasted s'mores at a bonfire down on the beach that evening. Jenny was determined to get to know her brother's new boyfriend, and to make up for a summer apart, the four of them spent the evening drinking and being merry until well after midnight when Eric accidentally pushed Jenny into the water, and freezing, she had to retreat to the house. He spent a while longer with Elliot, while Jenny and Nate spent the night between the sheets, trying to keep quiet so as not to wake her parents. There was something incredibly arousing about the possibility of getting caught.
A week after everyone arrived in the Hampton's, the White Party was upon them, and despite years previous, it was a surprisingly innocent event. Chuck was conspicuously absent, as he spent the summer missing, presumed dead, only to resurface in Paris. Nate had spoken to him, and he planned on coming back to the city within the next few weeks. Blair seemed to be in decent spirits despite her split with Chuck, and Serena was likewise. They were both enthusiastic about attending Columbia in the fall, and Nate and Jenny had several conversations in the last week about what it would be like to have the two of them joining him uptown. He seemed fine with it, but couldn't help but think that it was a disaster in the making. Jenny was uncomfortable with the idea that he and his two former loves would be attending the same school as him again, but Nate assured her everything would be fine. He wasn't concerned, and wanted to put the subject behind them. All too soon, they were packing up to head back to the city and kiss the summer goodbye. Jenny was getting ready to begin her senior year at Constance, and Nate was going into his second year at Columbia.
Once school started again, the girls of Constance spent the entire week comparing summer vacations, and reliving Gossip Girl blasts that shook their very social foundations (such as Jenny and Nate being spotted celebrating Bastille Day in Paris with a passionate make-out that earned her several dozen screams in the courtyard before class Monday morning). Of course, the fact that Nate dropped her off and kissed her goodbye in front of everyone helped. It was one thing to bag the "It-Guy" of the year, but to be dating a college guy, who happened to be the boyfriend of former queen Blair, made Jenny even more powerful. After school on the first Friday of the semester, Jenny had to excuse herself from her gossiping hoard to take a call from Nate.
"Hey, Nate! What's going on?"
"Can you come to the Empire?"
"Right now? Is everything okay? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. But you really need to see this. I can't really wrap my head around it."
"Okay. I'll be there soon." She hung up and approached her lackeys. "Sorry, girls. We're going to have to push back our shopping trip."
"Is it Nate?" Kiera asked. The girl was trying desperately to atone for sabotaging Jenny's Cotillion the year before, and was extra attentive to the Queen. She also couldn't get over the fact that Jenny was dating Nate Archibald. She had had a crush on him for years, watching his life through Gossip Girl since she was in Middle School.
"Yeah. Something came up and he needs me to meet him." She told them, and threw in a little wink, just so they wouldn't think it was bad. They all giggled, and Sawyer looked like she might swoon.
"How about Butter tonight?" She asked Jenny.
"We'll see." Jenny blew a kiss to the group, and hailed a taxi. Twenty minutes later, she was riding up the elevator of the Empire. Nate was waiting for her when she got off, and before she could even ask what was going on, he steered her toward the kitchen. When they rounded the corner, they found Chuck sitting with a beautiful young blonde, who was wearing a worn dress that looked to be about ten years old. Even more surprising was the fact that they were laughing, and Chuck was looking at her like she was the sun. Nate coughed conspicuously, and Chuck looked up.
"Jenny! How wonderful to see you." Chuck kissed both of her cheeks, and Jenny stood in a state of relative shock.
"After everything Nate told me happened, I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw you." She admitted.
"I know. It's been quite an ordeal. Jenny, I'd like you to meet Eva Coupeau." Chuck introduced the pretty blonde, and Jenny held out a hand politely.
"Enchanté." Eva kissed both of her cheeks as well, and Jenny felt like she had stepped back into Europe.
"Lovely to meet you." Jenny responded, trying to mask her confusion in cordiality. Nate kept a hand at her waist, and she could feel him trying to contain his laughter next to her.
"Eva found me after I'd been shot in Prague. She took care of me, and when Blair and Serena convinced me to come back to New York, I had to bring her with me." Chuck told her, and she couldn't deny the earnestness she saw in his eyes. It was strange. She had never seen him so genuine.
"Welcome to New York." Jenny told her. "I hope you like it here."
"It's magnificent." She responded with a French accent. "I've only been here a few hours, but I already love it. Chuck has been so kind as to take care of me."
"I know it's a lot to ask, Jenny, but would you mind showing Eva around a little bit? I think she could use a friend here. And you two are welcome to join us for dinner tonight. I can make reservations." Jenny's head was reeling, and she looked to Nate for direction.
He just shrugged."Dinner sounds great."
"Great! Excuse me." Chuck picked up the phone and went into the other room to make a reservation. The three of them made small talk until he returned, at which point Nate excused himself and Jenny, claiming they had plans for the afternoon. When they got into the elevator, they both let out sighs which turned to heavy laughter. Their laughter was short lived though. As they climbed into a cab, they couldn't help but discuss the seriousness of the situation. Nate had returned from his class to find them in the apartment, and spent several hours watching Chuck act like a completely different person. He didn't know what to make of it. They walked around the park as they talked, and then they returned to the VDW so Jenny could change for dinner. Rufus and Lily didn't mind that she had plans-they had likewise made reservations and before too long, Nate and Jenny were in a cab heading back over to the West Side.
"Rufus and Lily seem to be doing well." Nate commented after they left the VDW.
"Yeah. Weirdly, the whole William Van der Woodsen thing seemed to bring them even closer together."
"I'm happy to hear that. They deserve to be happy. By the way, what's going on with Dan?"
"That is a story for another night." She told him with a heavy sigh as they pulled up to the restaurant. The hostess lead them to their best table, where Chuck and Eva were already seated. Eva was wearing something much nicer than she was that morning, and Jenny had a suspicion Chuck had sent out a personal shopper. Eva didn't look prepared to tackle the Three B's-Barney's, Bendel's, and Bergdorf's, yet. They made pleasantries for a few minutes before Chuck brought on a new topic.
"So, I went to see Lily today. I told her all about what happened this summer, and she suggested I bring Eva to the Fashion's Night Out party tomorrow night."
"Oh, yeah. Nate and I will be there, too. That will be a great chance for you to meet everyone." Jenny gushed to Eva, and the girl beamed. She was so innocent to this world that Jenny almost felt protective of her. She remembered being naive to what the world of the Upper East Side was actually like, and how it felt to be tossed into the lions den. She made an internal promise to keep an eye on Eva.
"That's great news. And Jenny, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind taking Eva shopping tomorrow for something to wear? You are a fashion expert, and I think Eva would appreciate a friend to help her out."
"Of course. I'd be happy to."
"Thank you so much, Jenny!" Eva looked so relieved, and the rest of the evening went remarkably smoothly. Eva was every inch the sweet porcelain doll she appeared to be, and when they all stood up and hour and a half later, Jenny had made plans to meet Eva at the Empire in the morning to take her shopping. Jenny and Nate spent the rest of the evening on the couch at the empty VDW talking about Dan and Milo. The bomb that Dan had a baby son got dropped on them while they were in Rome, but they returned home to find Milo wasn't actually Dan's. Georgina had just dumped the baby in Dan's lap before skipping town. Nate was still reeling from that when Rufus and Lily walked in and effectively kicked him out, citing curfew. The year was definitely looking interesting.
Jenny picked Eva up from the Empire at 10:00am, and after getting coffee, they walked into Carlos Mieli to shop for a dress for the evening. Jenny was digging through a rack in the back when she heard voices that spelled trouble. She emerged to see Blair hard at work on Eva.
"It doesn't matter if the dress is couture if the girl is off the rack. Soon enough, you'll be sent back where you came from." Blair fired shots continuously at the French girl.
Jenny jumped in between them, literally, and had to keep herself from physically shoving the brunette. "Blair! What do you think you're doing?" She accosted.
"Little Jenny Humphrey." Blair condescended. It seemed now that Blair achieved Ivy League and Hamilton House status, Jenny was back to the bottom of the barrel. It was a never-ending struggle with the girl. Just a few months ago, they had been sipping mimosas in France together, and now Blair was once again looking at her like gum on the sidewalk. "I understand you enjoyed your foray into the upper class with Nate this summer. I wouldn't ruin your progress by standing too close to this one." She gestured purse-lipped at Eva, and the poor girl looked humiliated.
"Blair, I'm sorry that you and Chuck broke up, but that doesn't mean you can fire shots and the girl he's moved on with. Especially not when I'm around."
"I'm not saying anything that isn't true."
"No, you're being vindictive and trying to tear down a perfectly sweet young woman because you hate that she might actually be good for Chuck. He's moved on, and so should you."
"Don't cross me, Jenny. Just because you're dating my ex-in fact both of you are dating my exes, which means you're second rate-doesn't give you any right to challenge me."
"I've been challenging you since I was a freshman, Blair. I had hoped we finally moved past this pettiness." Jenny was disgusted with Blair in that moment.
"I have nothing against you sweetie. I just don't want you to tarnish your already precarious social status by letting Chuck and his little cherie drag you down with them."
Jenny was about to speak when Eva cut her off. "Jenny, you don't have to do this…"
"Yes, I do. This isn't even about you, Eva. It's not your fault. Blair just feels the need to hurl insults to make herself feel better, and really isn't worth your time." She turned to the young Waldorf. "I see you were on your way out, so why don't you keep going, and give up your little anti-Chuck happiness crusade." Jenny told her off, and escorted Eva back to the dressing room, leaving a dumbfounded Blair Waldorf in her wake.
"Thank you, Jenny. You really didn't have to do that. I don't want you to get in a fight over me."
"Trust me, Blair and I have fought over much less. We've been rivals for years. Don't let her get to you. She's just threatened by you, and will say anything to make you feel bad. Now, let's shop!" They spent another few hours hunting through shops. Chuck had offered his credit card, and they were hard at work using it. When they returned to the Empire around 3pm, Chuck greeted the giggling pair on the balcony.
"It seems like the two of you had fun." He commented, and Eva jumped up to greet him.
"Jenny is wonderful! We had a delightful time together."
"I'm happy to hear that. Jenny, thank you for taking care of her."
"My pleasure. I'm going to head home to get ready. Nate's picking me up before the party. I'll see you guys there!" She and Eva kissed cheeks, and she even gave a cordial goodbye to Chuck. It felt like her world was spinning.