Author's Note: Hey guys. I hope you all are having a wonderul week. Loving all the feedback, so I thought I'd treat you guys to a quick update. I absolutely adore all of your feedback and it makes me eager to get back to writing when I get so many. Keep doing that campaigning for 400 and may you all have a great day. Also, Has anyone been to the Bahamas? I'm trying to see what's the hotspots over there? what hotels are nice? anything that can give me that good tropical experience...please, help me out. Lol.

Campaign 400 Progress- If going for 400 [223 NEEDED] If going for 500 [323 NEEDED]

Quaternary: Rise to Power

Chapter Nine- Indecent Exposure

Making her way through the gala, Blair clenched on tight to her clutch as she headed towards the bathroom. After an exhausting day at school, Blair was beginning to regret her protests of Dan taking her out to the Edmund's charity gala. Her protests were of mere attempts to keep the Waldorf's relevant but since being among the semi-blacklisted members, Blair was beginning to see that the same crowd of people that she grew up around were becoming the same people she was becoming annoyed by. Entering the restroom, Blair made a quick fix to her make up while checking her phone to see if her mother had called to tell her of Cyrus's return. With Cyrus's work causing him to jet set more, Blair wanted to make sure that he was where he should be when it came to him coming back in to town. Coming out of the bathroom, Blair looked around the ball room only to find Bex making her way over towards Dan. No moment was wasted for Blair as she raced across the room towards the two so she could stop any evil plan that she may in motion.

"Daniel" Bex smiled as Dan kept his focus on the paintings, paying little attention to her

"Go away" Dan sighed as he took a sip of drink

"You afraid Blair might not like us talking to each other?" Bex questioned

"Oh, I don't doubt he's afraid of that but talking to you….well, what's the point in that" Blair quickly added as she made her presence felt

"Blair, nice to see you again. You do look chubby every time I see you" Bex said as she took a sip from her champagne

"You're losing your zest, you should work on that" Blair laughed "Where's the puppet master? Does she know you're running amuck?" she asked

"Ophelia is off running Eleanor's company, making sure that is run properly and efficiently, seeing as someone was so reckless to give it away" Bex smiled "It was actually cute that you sent that little lawsuit over the other day, it made for a good laugh" she then mentioned

"Defamation of character, fraud, and I'm sure you've done other things that could stick" Blair said "But I'm glad you got the message" she said

"Yes, but it won't stick. Your hand prints all over the buying of stocks, so it just you wasting mommy's money again. You should scale back, cut down on your Target trips" Bex laughed

"Okay, I think we've had enough. Why don't we cut the biting words and just leave each other alone" Dan suggested as he put his champagne glass down before putting his hand around Blair's waist

"I'm not going to stop coming after you guys, just let Ophelia know that" Blair told her

"She really doesn't care" Bex replied before she walked off leaving Blair to fume

"Calm. Calm" Dan said as he rubbed her back "You shouldn't let her get to you" he whispered to her

"She does and she know she does" Blair sighed as she ran her hand through her hair "I just wish that Darren could find something on them" she said

"And I'm sure he's working hard in doing just that but you can't go on some witch hunt for them" Dan said

"If I agree, can you just assume that I have agreed with you?" Blair asked with a bit of smirk

"I know better than to just believe what you say face value. Schemes won't work on this matter" Dan said as they began to sway to the music while Blair tried to enjoy herself but could only laugh at how obvious it was "You want to go?" he asked

"I really do" Blair laughed as she put his hand in hers before they made their way over to get their coats. Handing their ticket to the hostess, the girl quickly went off to retrieve their coats. Snuggling up close to Dan, Blair rested her head on his shoulder as they stood and waited. Just as they were becoming thrilled with the prospects of returning home early, Dan felt a vibration come from his cell phone. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, Blair sighed as she looked on to see that it was Carter on the caller identification. "The other woman is calling" she said as she handed the phone to Dan

"Hey, I can't hang out tonight…" Dan began to say

"Yeah, I don't think hanging out is something I want to do" Carter said in a near cry

"What's wrong?" Dan asked becoming concerned for his friend

Putting her final touches on the final gift that she was wrapping, Serena held her box up as she silently celebrated her work. Getting up from the floor, Serena walked over to put the present under the extravagant Christmas tree that her mother had all decked out. Pulling her cell phone out, Serena looked on at her cell phone to see that Nate was unable to keep their plans for the night. Letting out a sigh, Serena hated that her final plans of the nights were officially cancelled. Flopping down on the sofa, Serena relaxed for a few moments as she began to think to herself of the things she could do for the night since her mother and step father were at the charity gala for the night. Grabbing the remote control, Serena turned on the television, hoping that she could find something on to watch that would help her get through the night.

"Katherine is just as good as Audrey Hepburn" Serena said to herself as she found herself watching an old black and white film before she heard the elevator doors open up. Slowly getting up from her seat to see who it was, Serena began to walk towards the elevator to see that it was Trip getting off

"Hey, you hungry" Trip said as he held up the bag of take out food

"Uh…always but what are you doing here?" Serena asked as he walked towards her

"I fear you may have starved to death since Nate is hanging around the house with little to no signs of coming to meet you" Trip said "So I got Chinese. Extra egg rolls with extra sweet and sour sauce like you like" he told her

"Thank you" Serena said as she looked at him skeptically before grabbing the bag out of his hand as walked to the kitchen with him following behind

"Are there any good movies on?" Trip asked as Serena grabbed plates from the cabinets

"None that I know of, but I haven't really looked….you set this up, didn't you?" Serena asked as she put the plates out on the table

"Would you be mad if I did?" Trip asked "But I didn't" he said

"I don't believe you" Serena said as he took the food out

"Because I'm a politician?" Trip asked with a bit of a laugh

"Precisely because you're a politician" Serena said "What? Did you make him cancel our plans so you could woo me with Chinese food?" she asked

"I knew you liked Chinese, I got you Chinese, so here is the Chinese food" Trip laughed

"Fine, whatever. I suppose I could use the company of an Archibald either way" Serena said as she began to eat one of her numerous egg rolls on her plate "So how is that bill for education funding in lower income schools going?" she asked as Trip seemed surprised to hear her ask such a question "What?" she asked noticing Trips shock

"Nothing…I just, I just didn't envision you asking such a question" Trip said

"I care about these things" Serena replied

"I know. I know" Trip replied "Things are a bit slow with it. A lot our upper classmen aren't eager to increase their taxes to kick out to lower income anything" he said

"Yes because a few thousands is impossible to spare, when the millions are in the Kaman Island" Serena said

"You'd think, but there is no true heavy weight in the name department backing the bill" Trip said

"So everyone can follow and claim they were a part of it. Typical" Serena scoffed as she took a bite out of her egg roll

"Is there anything else you want to pick my brain about?" Trip asked with a bit of a grin on his face

"I know where to find you" Serena smiled as they ate in silence for a few moments

"Do you like classics?" Trip asked

"Eat!" Serena quickly replied as Trip just laughed

Silence filled the hospital room as Carter sat on top of the hospital bed looking on from Dan to Blair. Nervously playing with his fingers, there was no amount of words that could express how awkward this was to have his best friend and his girlfriend here with him in the room. Carter had sought other options but feared that it would only be more embarrassing to have his mother down with him in this state. On occasion, Blair tried to change her facial expressions but she simply couldn't manage to connect her thoughts to her facial expression as all she thought was just disgust about the situation. In her mind, Blair could only imagine the trouble that Carter would get Dan into if they'd go past their usual five hour hang out. Silence just filled the room as everyone in it was sure that they were trying to find a better way to break the ice. Just as Dan prepared to speak the door opened with the nurse coming in with Carter's charts in hand.

"Carter Baizen" The nurse said as she looked on at his charts

"Uh…yes" Carter said as he cleared his throat while adjusting his position on the table

"And you two are?" The nurse asked

"His best friend…" Dan began to say

"Disgusted" Blair quickly answered

"She's an unwanted and very annoying presence I can't seem to shake away" Carter reasoned "But we can move on from the obvious. How do I make this go away?" he said

"Maybe if you stop whipping it out then it can come down" Blair replied

"The condition you have is what we call priapism" The nurse said

"What is that?" Dan asked

"It's when the male genitalia doesn't return to it's flaccid state" The nurse explained as Carter looked even more concerned

"It means that you have a prolonged erection that has gone past a certain amount of time for the dumbass in the room" Blair replied

"How exactly did he pick this up?" Dan asked

"Well since Carter doesn't have sickle cell nor diabetes, he must've picked it up from side effects of an erectile dysfunction drug" The nurse said

"Why would you be taking erectile dysfunction…oh, and this just got disgusting, again" Blair replied

"Okay, forget her judgmental eyes. How do we stop the pain?" Carter asked

"We'll have to begin with the procedure, which will involve your least favorite item, but we have to stop the blood flow to your genitalia" The nurse said as she gathered up her charts

"In other words, your penis is about to get a big, long needle injected into it" Blair added

"Yes, I got that Waldorf" Carter replied

"We'll be back shortly and we ask that your friends wait in the waiting room while the procedure goes on. Until then you guys can stay" The nurse said before she made her way out of the room

"Why?" Dan asked

"I could ask the same thing, why would you bring Waldorf?" Carter asked as he adjusted in his spot on the hospital bed

"And miss your missile in full launch mode, never" Blair laughed "You've really outdone yourself this time" she added

"It's not what you think" Carter said "I was on a mission, a plan as you may call it" he then added as Blair just laughed

"Oh, this ought to be good" Blair laughed "Do tell, how you getting a hard on leads to a master plan?" she asked before Carter began to speak

"Before you attempt to answer this. Just know that this does not fair well thus far for you. You have…you have that and that doesn't put you hot on the evidence trail" Dan stopped his friend from speaking

"Anyways" Carter replied as he rolled his eyes at his friend "After the unexpected betrayal by my business partner, I began to reconsider why he would do such a thing. So I did my form of sleuthing…" he began to say

"Chuck's betrayal left you erect with so many questions" Blair teased as she let out a few laughs while Carter glared on at her

"No….well yes, for the obvious sight" Carter replied "What's the best way to get answers around here?" he asked them

"In your case, a hooker….but if we're going off of sleuthing reasons, the party circuit" Blair said

"What's the party circuit going to do for him?" Dan asked in confusion

"I forget how little you know to the art of knowing and finding out" Blair sighed as she took a seat on the counter "If one feels betrayed, the betrayer is sure to have left a trail. If you want your answers, you go to loose lips. Where to find loose lips? Where alcohol and loose inhibitions congregate, which in this case, a popular Manhattan night club" she said

"That scares me that you know this, but oddly enough, I find it to be sexy" Dan said as he looked at Blair with surprise

"Do you really want to get turned on with an erection in between us?" Blair asked finding Dan's sexual innuendo to be awkward

"Can we not talk about the Dan and Blair sex life?" Carter asked as he clapped his hands "Let's talk about my mission. My case of the unknown betrayal that I had to endure on stage at my. I mean do you know how hard I took it?" he asked not realizing what he had said

"Do you really want us to answer that?" Dan asked he tried to stifle his laughter

"Did you find out anything?" Blair asked "I mean even though I was a bit shocked, I still think Chuck has to have a reason behind this to entrust Russel Thorpe of all people. Maybe it's an Elizabeth thing?" she suggested

"Elizabeth seems to be the woman from hell, Bart can't stand her" Dan sighed

"I know right, hence the cheating with your mother" Carter quickly added as Dan just gave him a look "I was on the cusp of finding a lead but things got out of hand" he said

"Houston we have a problem out of hand or an unlaunchable missile problem" Blair teased "Just for the sake on knowing, even though I'm sure I won't want to know later, how did you get deterred from your mission?" she asked

"…The Fuk Me twins" Carter revealed as Blair quickly grabbed her purse

"And that's where I must depart" Blair said as she made her way towards the door "Carter, have fun with your needle. Dan, I will see you outside" she said as she walked out, leaving the boys to laugh

"You need help, you know that right?" Dan asked in between laughs

"You have sex with one, I stepped it up with two. I doubling my load" Carter joked as the nurse came in with the surgery tray. Noticing how big and long the needle was, Carter began to fan himself as he began to hyperventilate. "Holy shit that's a big needle" he said in between wheezes

"Do I have to be in here for this?" Dan asked as he attempted to leave before Carter quickly grabbed on to him "Carter, no. I can't see this" he pleaded as Carter gripped on tight to Dan.

Leaning forward to grab her cup of water, Serena took a quick sip of her water while Dr. Han prepared his notepad at his desk. At first, Serena would take this alone time on the couch to be nervous and fret over what she should or shouldn't say in her session, but she found that her honesty had allowed her to truly understand why she felt the way she did. Though she wasn't in no way ready to consider herself healed over all that she had gone through, Serena was glad to see that she was beginning to fix what was the real problem. Coming over to join her, Dr. Han took his seat in his chair while Serena got comfortable on the sofa. Grabbing her usual pillow to hold on to, Serena braced herself as she was ready to open and release in her session.

"How've you been?" Dr. Han asked

"Good as can be" Serena sighed

"So have you thought about what we talked about last? Have you had that need for the male attention?" Dr. Han asked

"In a way, yes. I know that this whole root of the male attention stems from my father, but dating isn't bad" Serena reasoned

"No, dating isn't bad but it's the purpose of why you're dating and the guys you're dating" Dr. Han said

"My choice guys are wrong but dating is a form of networking….and that made me seem like a complete whore" Serena said as she realized what she said

"Why do you feel that way? Why do you feel you're an automatic whore?" Dr. Han asked

"Because in my past, my form of networking doesn't take long to get into a full fledged physical relationship" Serena told him "It's not that I'm not mindful of how fast I let things progress, I just feel like I need to satisfy the urge and cut to the chase" she said

"So knowing that, how do you feel when it doesn't work out?" Dr. Han asked

"Nothing" Serena replied "I mean I don't invest much to really be disappointed in the end. The rare relationship that I invested in, they hurt. They hurt so much that it made it easy to just keep things simple" she said

"You feel like if you make it physical or desire the physical in your relationships then it will enable the essence of what a relationship should be about?" Dr. Han asked

"Yeah" Serena replied after a moment of thought "I mean I can't get hurt if I don't open myself up to get hurt" she said

"Then with Jason, how was that?" Dr. Han asked "To be emotionally and physically hurt?" he asked

"Felt like hell" Serena sighed as she could feel the tension get a bit thicker now that Jason was being brought up

"You talked with your mother about the relationship, has that helped?" Dr. Han asked

"In some ways. I mean I understand why I stayed but I can't just blame my mother's examples on what was ultimately my choice" Serena told him "I feel like even after everything, I still need that physical element in a relationship. I desire it, so much so that I try to isolate myself from wanting it" she said

"You're running from what you desire?" Dr. Han asked

"…yes" Serena replied "I don't wan to fall back in. I don't want to jump in and out of relationships, but I know that even knowing all of that, I still need to be in a relationship" she told him

"Then by all means, have your relationship" Dr. Han said

"What?" Serena asked a bit surprised "Aren't you suppose defer me away from the thought? To stop the urge or desire?" she asked

"Nope" Dr. Han replied

"Is this like some reverse psychology sort of deal? I mean I'm fully capable of hiding out from the urges, I've even thought of becoming a nun to help suppress the thought. You can't endorse this, you can't tell me to get into another relationship because if you do….if you say it's okay, I will. I'll fight it at first but I will, I'll fall back into the habit" Serena told him as she was waiting for him to give up on the joke but found the silence to be deafening

"Stop fighting the urge. Give in" Dr. Han told her as he looked her dead in the eyes

You say you know her

Well I know her too

You say you kno-ow-ow-ow-ow her

But you don't know her like I do

You say you love her

Once upon a time I loved her too

You say you lo-o-o-o-ove her

But you don't love her like I do

You've got to give me that girl

Or I, will take her from you

Sitting at the table, Tyler laughed as he and Courtney shared a joke that had seemed to be quite amusing than he expected. For the most part, Tyler was enjoying his dinner with Courtney, even though he had taken her to a lavish dinner at an overpriced restaurant he wouldn't dare set foot in under normal circumstances. Placing her hand on top of his, Courtney smiled on as Tyler just froze for a moment at her touch. He wasn't quite sure what it was that he was feeling but it all just felt strange to him, like he was a fish out of water just trying to breath. Being torn away from his confusion by the sound of his cell phone vibrating, Tyler looked on at the message.

"Will you excuse me? I have got an urgent call that I must take" Tyler said as he got up from his seat.

Walking down the hallway towards the restroom, Tyler looked around nervously as he wanted to make sure that he wasn't going to be spotted. Entering the bathroom, Tyler pulled his phone out once more as he looked on at the message once more. Still disturbed by the silence in the bathroom, Tyler looked around once more before he was immediately pulled into one of the stalls.

"Hey stranger" Georgina whispered before she leaned in to kiss him

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked as he ripped away from her lips

"Giving you a good night" Georgina laughed devilishly before she kissed him, making sure to undo his belt as she did so. With his spare hand, Tyler locked the bathroom stall behind him. Picking her up to pin her against the wall, Tyler ran his hand freely under her dress as he slowly pulled down the black lace underwear that she wore.

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Looking on at her reflection in the mirror, Serena stood for a few moments as if she was trying to dare herself out of her required assignment. Thinking over and over in her head, Serena knew that if she would revert back to her habit then there might not be any progression to where she wanted to be. Taking a deep breath, Serena finally came to the point where she had to call Dr. Han on his bluff and just get rid of her urge. Immediately relieving herself of her shirt, Serena turned to make her way into her bedroom.

You you're overI say over who

It's gonna be over my dead body

The day she finds someone new

You've got to give me that girl

Or I will take her from you

Biting down on her lower lip, Tyler plowed his tongue into her mouth as he continue thrust inside of her. With her legs wrapped firmly around his waist, Georgina drove him deeper inside of her. Ripping away from his lips, Georgina rested her head up against the wall as she slid up against the wall. Driving harder and faster into her, Tyler rested his head in her chest as he tried to keep his quickened pace up so that it would be sustainable to them both. It seemed to be that between them, it was more about making the other feel the sensation of what it felt like to have every part of your body scream. Tyler could never explain why nothing else could make him feel this way but it was like sex was his way of feeling alive. Their sex was different, it was focused on feeling good not feeling any emotion tied up with love or feelings.

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Zipping up her best dress, Serena looked on at the delicacies that was her perfect frame. Serena had never been one to know what people loved about her but for one night, and one night only, Serena was ready to become the fantasy that guys had made her to be since that fateful wet white dress incident. Pulling the zipper past her laced black bra, Serena smoothed her dress out as she looked on at herself once more. Reaching out towards her vanity, Serena grabbed her newly favorite bottle of perfume before she began to squirt a small amount onto her body.

You know that I want you

And if I can't have you

Then no one can

But I need you

And when I find you…

Her moans had become more and more evident as they continued on in the bathroom. Not wanting the sounds of bystanders that passed by restroom to stop them, Tyler placed his finger in her mouth for Georgina to bite down on. Biting down on her shoulder, Tyler continued to thrust harder and deeper inside of her as his breathing became erratic. Giving one final thrust, Georgina nearly whimpered as the sensation of the high she was coming off of was nearly too much to handle.

You've got to give me that girl

Or I

With her custom designed Valentino clutch in hand, Serena took breath as she enjoyed a few moments of solitude to herself in the hotel elevator. Unsure of where the night might lead, Serena pushed the doubts out of her mind as she had to channel the old Serena. In her mind, this Serena was trying to suppress the old Serena so under doctor's orders she was losing all the thoughts and want to be better and was just going to let things happen as the old Serena would've. Once the elevator doors opened up, Serena got the stop and stares that she was once accustomed to as she was once again feeling like the blonde bombshell she was once known as. Whipping her hair around like she was walking in the classic movie slow motion part, Serena couldn't help but smile as the attention she was craving was all hers for the taking.

"Anywhere special Ms. Van der Woodsen?" The concierge asked

"No, just a nice dinner" Serena replied "Could you get me a reservation for two at that new French restaurant?" she asked

"Most certainly" The concierge replied "Will you be waiting for you date?" he asked

"No, it's a meet along the way sort of deal" Serena smiled before she turned to pull her cell phone out, while the concierge called a town car for her. Going on the Gossip Girl site, Serena quickly began to send a message to the infamous site that had her every move watched.

Anonymous: Serena van der Woodsen dinner for two but no one to join her at Lafelle. S is a damsel in need of saving from her prince charming.

Sending the message, Serena smiled to herself as she could only hope the night wouldn't be a waste. Seeing the town car pull up in front of the building, Serena immediately made her way towards the door to find two guys fumbling towards the door to open it for her. Noticing the guys and then their girlfriends, Serena blushed as she waved to them before making her eventual exit. Getting into the car, Serena looked back to see the guys girlfriends scolding them for their desperate actions.

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Woo Woo, Love me like you say you do

Walking back to the table, Tyler quickly and slyly zipped up his pants before he got closer to the table. Turning her attention towards Tyler as he approached, Courtney smiled with a bit of relief as she seemed anxious as to where he was. Taking his seat at the table, Tyler gave her an assuring smile.

"Is everything okay? I was beginning to look for you" Courtney asked

"Yes, everything is fine. I had just had to work out a few kinks….at the office" Tyler said before he made sure to quickly clarify what he had meant.

Reaching out to grab her toothbrush, Blair sighed as she had to take on the daunting task of putting energy into getting ready for bed. Applying her toothpaste on to the brush, Blair began to brush her teeth. Nearly drifting off into her slumber as she knew this would be her only amount of sleep she'd be getting with two big tests she'd have the rest of the night to study for. Hearing groans of frustration come from the office, Blair was quickly torn from her sleep as she could tell that Dan had hit another mental road block on his attempt to write. Quickly finishing up, Blair spit out the toothpaste as she quickly swished around some mouth wash in her mouth before spitting it out to be on her way. Putting her hair up in a bun before grabbing her textbooks, Blair began to make her way down the hallway as she headed towards the office.

"You're frustration is becoming alarming" Blair said as she flopped down on the sofa with her textbooks in hand "What's wrong?" she asked as he leaned back in his chair

"I can't seem to get a theme for chapter one" Dan said "I've done an outline but it doesn't fit when I write it" he said

"What are you writing about?" Blair asked

"The Adventures of Lonely Boy in the troublesome world of the Upper Eastside" Dan smiled as he looked on at Blair

"I've really done a number on you for you to spend your whole writing career talking about the Upper Eastside. I thought you weren't going to write about the Upper Eastside, I thought you were covering your own personal saga" Blair asked

"This is a personal saga. The struggle for Lonely Boy to navigate…." Dan began to say

"Okay, you need to scrap the story because it's….crap" Blair replied to his summary "Write about the story we had talked about" she told him

"You mean the story you told me to write" Dan corrected

"Precisely. My suggestions have lead to good things for you" Blair smiled proudly "Why not cash in on this now?" she asked

"Because then that means traveling down the road of woe is me, then I might get all depressed Dan that you thought was an asshole. I really see no good in revisiting the past" Dan said

"True, but I believe my jailhouse threat to you was enough to snap you out of it. If you feel like you're slipping back in to jackass mode then I'll threaten you and all goes back to normal" Blair smiled

"Yeah, I like our words to be cordial not possible phrases I could bring up when testifying" Dan said

"My words are of love" Blair laughed

"What are you studying?" Dan asked as he got up from his seat to join her on the sofa

"Marketing Strategy and Operational Management" Blair told him "I've got back to back early morning tests" she said

"I feel your pain. I used to hate the early morning tests" Dan said "But this is the class that you've got a ninety percent grade average in, right?" he asked

"Yes, but I don't want to slip below a ninety five. I have to do good on this test" Blair said

"And that you will" Dan smiled as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek before grabbing one of her textbooks "You enjoying this school thing?" he asked

"Yeah, I am. It's given me something to proud of myself about, especially since the circumstances that got me there was bad" Blair told him

"Made any friends yet?" Dan quickly asked

"I'm not there to make friends" Blair replied

"Which means that you haven't" Dan quickly replied as Blair shifted uncomfortably in her seat "You know you could've made a friend at your job that you turned down" he said

"For good reason Humphrey" Blair said "I turned it down because I'm not interested in covering for anyone. I have enough time getting someone to cover for me" she said

"Cover for you in what?" Dan questioned "It was a great stepping stone for you and could've served as a great opportunity" he said

"Now you sound like Jenny" Blair replied giving him a look

"No, of course not….okay, she may have coaxed me in to saying all of those things to you" Dan laughed a bit "But I do think that was a good opportunity for you. I just think you have a lot to offer in any area you go into because of your impeccable skills" he said

"So now we're playing flattering" Blair laughed

"Yes, is it working?" Dan asked

"Is flattery trying to get you somewhere?" Blair asked "Possibly somehow that would make you forget about your erection experience with Carter tonight?" she asked as Dan quickly tried to rid himself of that thought by shaking his head "Of all the things you two share together, you share an erection gone wrong" she continued to laugh hysterically as she fell to the side

"Stop talking about it!" Dan declared as he quickly covered his ears trying to block out her words

"Erection affection friends" Blair teased as she continued to laugh

Tapping his hand anxiously on his thigh as he waited in the car, Carter thought of all he could to stay alert for the time being. Letting out a yawn as the late night emergency visit was finally catching up to him as the day waned on. With his thwarted sleuthing mission being ruined by an experimental sexual encounter with the Fuk Me twins, Carter relied on the perks of being an Upper Eastsider with connections to get him by on this. Spotting his insider making his way to the desired meeting place, Carter quickly got out of the car as he was thrilled to get out of his state of boredom. Making his way cautiously across the street, Carter gripped on tight to the warmth of his coat as the winter air got to him. Walking towards the bench, Carter looked around to make sure no one had spotted them before Carter took his seat.

"Why do you look so sore?" The guy asked as Carter gingerly moved

"It's an experience that I don't care to share, nor care to remember. What do you have for me?" Carter asked

"Is it your crotch area?" The guy asked as he watched Carter struggle to cross his legs

"Focus on the damn findings" Carter scolded "I don't pay you to notice my crotch movements" he stated

"Sorry, sorry" The guy said "So I looked into this link between Russel Thorpe and Chuck Bass, not much came up" he said

"So you waste time with looking at my crotch to tell me this?" Carter questioned

"But I did find a connection with Russel Thorpe and Ophelia Sparks" The guy said as he pulled out a photo of Russel and Ophelia together to show Carter

"What is this supposed to mean?" Carter asked "Same place, same time" he said

"For five meetings in a two week span of Russel being here" The guy quickly stated

"Aren't they on the board together?…the name of some business board that isn't coming to mind right now" Carter said

"You'd think, commonly. But it turns out that Russel has business dealings with Ophelia" The guy told him "Ophelia hasn't been a spearhead in the business world, but for her to take down Eleanor Waldorf of all people is a bit shocking but to know she's got Russel Thorpe as an associate does make sense" he said

"You think they're working together?" Carter asked

"I know so. I got a copy of the Thorpe company accounts, they're new so they become accessible to those handling the accounts…" The guy said

"I forget how shady you are at times" Carter said "It's a new account, a joint" he said looking at the paper

"You're observant. You sure you haven't dabbled in the art of hacking?" The guy asked

"I may have shut down a computer network a time or two in my day" Carter replied as he looked on at the paper

"Bass Industries. The joint account is merged with Bass Industries, but the interesting thing is the money deposited. Now if you match it up with the stocks sold in the Waldorf stocks sold, you'll see that on select dates deposits into the account matched the amount of stocks worth" The guy said

"Russel Thorpe bought Waldorf stock" Carter said in disbelief as he took a moment to access what he was reading "…there's a transfer to another account. Russel transferred to another account, another stock you think?" he asked as he began to pick up on the numbers

"Possibly, same amount as this stock worth" The guy said as he showed the stock pricing list

"Can you find out who the third party is?" Carter asked

"It would take some time but I could" The guy told him as Carter pulled out the money to pay the guy as he quickly took a picture of the papers with his phone before handing the papers back to the guy "So do you think this Chuck guy knew about all of this?" he asked as Carter got up

"Do you want my honest answer or the one that sounds good?" Carter asked

"Honest answer" The guy replied

"No. I don't think he knows about this, but it's not too late to let him know" Carter said "Find me that third party" he said as he quickly rushed off with a bit of a limp

Holding her shoes in her hand as she stepped off the elevator, Serena could hear the whispers of those around her as she made her way through the lobby. Snacking on the peanuts at the bar, Nate took a sip of his drink as he looked on at the sports highlights while he waited. Hearing the whispers, Nate turned his attention to see Serena motioning him to join her at the enclosed area where the considered elite got to sit at in the restaurant. Letting out a slight laugh as Nate could only recall numerous occasions in the past where he had to meet up with a drunken Serena to give her clothes so she could sneak in cleanly to her room without Lilly noticing. Walking over towards where Serena was seated, Nate took his seat across from Serena while she fixed herself up.

"So…how was your night?" Nate asked with a bit of a laugh

"Don't do that. You know how my night was" Serena quickly replied

"I see it was a very throwback Serena van der Woodsen night" Nate told her "What damage did you do?" he asked

"Nothing of spectacular variety. I ended the night back at the suite because I shamefully forgot to record the Bachelorette, so I had to come back for that. Nothing spectacular" Serena replied as Nate looked on at his phone to see the Gossip Girl updates

"I think not" Nate said "Numerous messages have you eating dinner at Lafelle…" he began to say

"Which is normal" Serena quickly added

"With a married man" Nate added "Who's wife reprimanded him after she drove out to the restaurant with two kids in tow" he said

"He lied to me!?" Serena exclaimed

"Which I understand. Ooh, then you went to a club….and you made out with a high schooler. Oh, you've had quite the night" Nate said as he looked on at the updates

"Thank you. Like I didn't need a full play by play of my reckless decisions" Serena said

"I guess all I can ask is…why?" Nate asked "You were progressing, now you're regressing into old" he said

"I wish I could say this was of natural progression but these actions were prescribed" Serena said

"Okay, come again. How is you reverting back a prescribed thing?" Nate asked

"Because I'm giving in to the urges" Serena revealed reluctantly

"Yeah, you need to explain this because I'm confused. You went to therapy to avoid going back to the old you but you're being prescribed to be the old you" Nate said

"I know, right. The sad thing is that I don't really feel like I tapped into what the whole prescription was. The married man dinner and the underage makeout, that would be a typical occurrence because of the mystique, which I'm seeing is has some sort of stop effect for the guys…" Serena began to say

"You do have that stop and stare effect" Nate added

"But this, last night…it wasn't a full fledged van der Woodsen night" Serena said

"So what exactly is your plan to accomplish that? And in that it would mean a random hook up, do tell who the lucky random will be that will cure your attraction itch" Nate asked

"Well, that's where I have differ from the originality that is of old. I think it shouldn't be random but an orchestrated one" Serena said

"You do realize that you're entering Blair like logic here" Nate laughed as he sat his drink to the side so the waiter could refill it "You can't orchestrate a hook up because then it will lose the essence of a hook up" he said "I just don't understand why you have to hook up with anyone at this point" he reasoned

"Trip!" Serena declared

"What?" Nate asked

"Trip, I'll have my orchestrated hook up with him. It's apparent that he likes me and there's a mild attraction there, if you blink a couple of times then rub your eyes to have the whole blurred vision effect, so there you have it" Serena smiled

"No!" Nate quickly replied

"What, why?" Serena asked

"Because it's Trip, and you're not exactly in the state to just have a orchestrated slash casual hook up" Nate said

"Says the guy, who mysteriously cancelled on me and had his cousin come over with Chinese food…" Serena began to say

"That was…" Nate began to say

"He had extra egg rolls with extra sweet and sour. That's a fact you and Blair know, and I don't see Blair giving him quick updates on all things me" Serena told him "The way I see it, you've pre-set up this thing with Trip, now you'll just help him finish it" she said

"That really wasn't my plan" Nate said "I was just obliging to his request of seeing you because you don't really talk to him anymore" he said

"Now he'll get his talking session and maybe more. Be a good best friend, set that up….and get me the danish with orange juice" Serena said as she got up from her seat

"Where are you going?" Nate askd

"To take a shower, I feel filthy" Serena said as she made her way back to the elevator

"That's just great, just great. I now feel like your pimp" Nate called out as Serena just waved back at him while continuing to walk to the elevator. Pulling his cell phone out, Nate began to dial Trip's number as the waiter came up to the table to refill his drink "Yeah, danish and orange juice. Then a vodka on the rocks for me" he told the waiter

Meanwhile…

Making his way through the office, Trip looked over the messages that seemed to be coming in and out of the office. The hustle and the bustle of his senate office was becoming more and more like a mad house that he just seemed to live in so naturally. Just as he began to head into his office, Trip was torn away from his quick read over the latest document that needed to be read by him with the waving of his secretaries hand. Looking up at her, Trip hoped that this message would serve as a quick task rather than a prolonged task that would take away from him trying to get out of the office early.

"Your cousin Nathaniel is on line one?" Trip's secretary said

"Tell him I'll call him back" Trip replied

"He says he has to talk to you" Trip's secretary quickly replied as she helf the phone close to her ear "I'll transfer the call into your office" she said seeing that Trip was beginning to wane on his stance to call his cousin back

"Fine" Trip groaned as he headed into his office, closing the door behind him. "What do you want Nate?" he asked as he answered the phone while he partially sat on the edge his desk.

"Oh, nothing but a lobotomy" Nate uttered to himself before he took a sip of his vodka "Yeah, uh….Serena, she wants to have sex with you tonight" he told him before Trip nearly slipped off his desk.

Handing her exam to the professor, Blair took a deep breath as she could only hope to maintain her grade point average in the class. Thoughts of stalking the teacher as he graded the tests ran through her mind but she knew the whole stalking thing wouldn't be as acceptable or tolerated in college as it was at Constance. Heading down the halls, leaving the fates of her academic career in the hands of her professor, Blair sought comfort in a latte to get through until her final bird course that she had to endure to close out the day. Making her way through the quad area of the campus, Blair looked up to see April walking towards her in the opposite direction with the usual flyers in hand. Walking towards each other, Blair did her best to recall the girls name before they officially stopped in front of each other.

"Hey Blair" April smiled excitedly

"Hey….June" Blair replied as the smile slowly faded from April's face

"It's April, but it's okay, people always forget my name" April shrugged

"Sorry. I was trying to remember but my brain is sort of fried with all things Marketing Strategy and Operational Management" Blair said hoping that would help her out

"Aw, do you have Professor Thompson for marketing strategy?" April asked "Then…Professor Harding…" she began to say

"Don't say hard" Blair quickly said as she squirmed at the mention of the word only to see April looking at her strangely "…I've seen things these past couple of hours that make me squirmish to that word. Let's just call him my other professor or something other than using that word which contains the rest of his name" she said

"Okay" April laughed "Professor Thompson isn't a stickler for exact wording, as long as you know the concept then you'll get and explain it decently then you'll get full credit. Now Professor…the other professor, he let's his teachers assistant do his grading for him. He gets the usual know it all for his assistants so you should start sucking up to them, do the extra coffee to class or ask them more questions on the subject to make them feel like they're smarter than the other professor, which they tend to think on a regular basis" she babbled on to say as Blair seemed amazed by her facts

"How do you know this stuff?" Blair asked

"Because my dad was a Columbia alumni and he kind of figures I should share the same alma mater with a degree in business. I tried it, I hated it. I just take the small bird course to appease him" April said

"While you do the whole G.A.R.M thing" Blair concluded "Must be hard to lead a double life, being one thing but wanting to be something else" she said

"Your Upper Eastside, you know the drill" April said

"Yeah, but my parents goals just so happened to be mine" Blair said "I guess I never was truly forced to take one path" she said

"I do the double life because I'd rather sneak and do something I love than just be without it completely. I'm thinking along the way, I'll become successful and make millions that way he'll see that there is true profits in fashion" April smiled

"And you think you'll make millions off of your business?" Blair asked

"Well that's just wishful thinking because you pretty much have to be bold and daring, have that flash that gets you the longevity to last in the fashion world. But a girl can hope, maybe even be like your mother….I mean before…" April began to say before she had realized what she said

"I know what you meant" Blair smiled "I aspire to be like my mother and I know better than anyone what she added to the fashion world" she said

"Imagine if she had to hide it you know. Regardless if she had to, she would still be incredible" April said "Some of your best work comes when you feel you're amongst the few that speak that language. You put so much passion in it because someday…someday it might be seen and it will be appreciated" she smiled before Blair's phone began to vibrate to break the silence that lingered between them "I think that's you" she said pointing to Blair's phone

"So it appears to be" Blair smiled as she looked down at her phone "It's my best friend…" she said

"Oh, okay. Well it was nice to run into you, and I hope that you will check out my latest article on the ever evolving rain coat" April said proudly as she handed Blair the flyer "I just give out flyers to show the topic of discussion and the web address. I should probably cut down on the papers because of the trees, which I'm still working on an efficient way of doing so" she said

"You should try Gossip Girl" Blair suggested "I mean it's a gossip sight but occasionally she spreads the fashion tip around to those in desperate need of it" she laughed

"I'll try that" April smiled as she began to back away "Good luck with the tests and all that may….challenge you" she said unsure of how to complete her sentence

"Hey, quick question before you go?" Blair asked as she walked towards April once more "Why?" she asked

"Why what?" April asked unsure as to what Blair was talking about

"Why would you want to hire me? I mean you're just basically hiring anybody that applies, right. There's no special qualifications for this job, it's just a cover, right?" Blair asked

"I know more than you think about you" April said as Blair looked at her strangely "I don't mean for that to sound weird, which it probably does but I don't mean for it to be. You really don't remember me, don't you?" she asked as last ditch effort

"You went to Constance, that's about all I know. Should I know more?" Blair asked

"No, no" April said giving up "You've got something that not many have. You clearly over analyze but most likely end up making the right choice in the end. You're not slandered all over the Gossip pages, which shows you carry yourself in a good, positive way. You don't give up some false lie as to why you're at Columbia when it was clear since grade school that you were going to Yale, you make no apologies for being you…and I guess that's a trait I envy about you, and maybe need around me in this business. I guess you'll be the great hire I never had" she said before she turned to walk away, leaving Blair stuck to think

"Wait, grade school?" Blair asked before she realized that April was gone

Stepping off the elevator, Carter immediately made his way through the lobby towards Chuck's office at Bass Industries. Passing the board room, Carter quickly noticed that Chuck was heading up a meeting, which he was sure had to do with The Empire. Not wanting to get sidetracked by the thought of Chuck making another back handed play for The Empire, Carter looked on at Chuck through the glass to get his attention. Nervously looking over at Carter, Chuck rushed through his final thoughts so he could see what Carter was up to. Noticing Chuck's change of pace in how he was talking, Elizabeth looked over to see Carter standing by the window for a split second before her view was interrupted by people getting up from their seats. Immediately heading towards his office, Chuck opened the door to see Carter sitting on the sofa with his feet lounged up on the table.

"You know that annoys me when you do that" Chuck said as he looked on at Carter with his feet up

"I know" Carter replied as he reached over to grab the folder gingerly to hand over to Chuck

"What's wrong with your crotch?" Chuck asked noticing how Carter was shielding his crotch area

"Nothing that I care to talk about…let's talk about your new business partner, Russel Thorpe and Ophelia Sparks being in cahoots" Carter replied as Chuck looked on at the papers

"What is this?" Chuck asked as he looked on with a bit of confusion

"That is records showing that Russel bought Waldorf stock, that Ophelia has so bitchfully taken from the Waldorf's" Carter smiled smugly

"This could be anything, this doesn't specifically mean it's the stock to the Waldorf investor stock" Chuck replied

"They match the price list of the stocks that Ophelia sold them at. If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it's a damn duck" Carter replied "If Russel didn't tell you about his ties to Ophelia then that makes me wonder what else he's keeping from you….which at this point serves you right because of douche move you did to me the other night" he said

"What Russel does is not of my control? He bought stock, I can't control that" Chuck said

"The bought stock is deposited into the Bass account!? Can you not read because I'm pretty sure you have the iotas to do so" Carter replied in disbelief "If Russel has any tie to Ophelia, you have ties to her. That in itself is a problem because Blair is your best friend and with much disdain, she's my friend as well. Loyalties come before business, as it should've with me" he said

"You've hacked into his accounts, do you not see how this is illegal? Which you repeatedly have no trouble in doing when it comes to business?" Chuck questioned

"Screw the business Chuck!" Carter replied "Thorpe and Sparks are in cahoots for this big plan she has going to ruin the Waldorf's and has used to make Eleanor go bankrupt. That's the shady shit that should be condemned" he said

"What am I supposed to do? I can't just berate him over it" Chuck said

"I don't expect you to but I expect you to drop kick his ass from any partnership you two have. If he can do under the table deals to destroy the Waldorf's imagine what he could do to Bass Industries, which Bart didn't seem to proud about hearing" Carter replied as a silence came between them "There's a third stock out there, I'm trying to find it so the Waldorf's can have some bit of say of how their company is ran or how it will be ruined. Now if you think Russel Thorpe is such a great guy, then buy back the stock and give it to it's rightful owners" he said as silence came between them "Chuck!…" he snapped

"Okay!" Chuck quickly replied "I'll buy it back" he said

"I'd angrily storm off at this point but I've got a bit of a condition that enables me to, so know that in this moment….I'm storming off onto the elevators to let you know I mean every word I say" Carter told him

"As you sit here" Chuck said as he looked on at Carter sitting on his sofa

"….as I sit here and look….mad. I'm very mad and angry" Carter said trying to contort his face to be made

"Something happened involving your crotch" Chuck concluded

"I can neither confirm or deny. That's a secret my crotch and I will never tell you" Carter replied "Now call your security and have me helped up….I'm beginning to swell" he said as Chuck looked at him strangely as he just sat "…and some ice possibly" he said as tried to endure the pain.

I came here tonight to get you out of my mind,

I'm gonna take what I find (uh oh, yeah!)

So open the box, don't need no key I'm unlocked

And I won't tell you to stop (uh oh, yeah!)

Tapping his pen on his desk, Tyler leaned back in his chair as he read through his article once more. Sighing in frustration, Tyler couldn't help but feel like something was missing in the article to have that perfect ending like he was used to finishing his work with. Seeing his phone vibrate, Tyler reached for his phone to see that he had a text from Courtney.

Courtney: Beer and game 2nite?

Thinking to himself, Tyler began to factor in if he'd have enough time to finish the article and to meet up with Courtney. Just as his thoughts began to get the best of him, Tyler saw that he was getting another text message.

Georgina: Ur place or mine?

Stuck on pause. Tyler sat with a confused look on his face.

Hey boy!

I don't need to know where you've been,

All I need to know is you and no need for talking

Hey boy!

So don't even tell me your name,

All I need to know is whose place,

And let's get walking...

It was all set up, Serena thought to herself as she nervously hit her hand against her leg. She was supposed to go over to Trip's place and have sex with him or at least that's what she instructed Nate to set up for the evening. Dressed in her most sexually appealing outfit, Serena felt like she had to dress the part to really seduce herself into the mood. Trip was attracted to her and she didn't find him completely irresistible, Serena thought to herself just before the car pulled up in the driveway of Trip's estate.

All I wanna do is love your body

Oh oh oh oh

Tonight's your lucky night, I know you want it

Oh oh oh oh

Coming to his conclusion, Tyler knew the best route to go was to hang out with Courtney because she clearly wasn't satans spawn in the literal sense. Preparing to ignore Georgina's text and accept Courtney's, Tyler began to text Courtney just before another message came in from Georgina that was more revealing than he could imagine. Nearly sitting with his mouth wide open, Tyler just looked on at the pictures of Georgina's breasts.

"Oh Jesus take the wheel" Tyler muttered to himself as he couldn't stop staring at the picture

All I wanna do is love your body

Oh oh oh oh

Tonight's your lucky night, I know you want it

Oh oh oh oh

After much conversation, Serena insisted on speeding things up by showing little to know interest in what Trip was saying to her. That wasn't something she'd be interested in or at least the old Serena wouldn't she thought to herself. Seeing that Serena was serious about the proposition, Trip cut the small talk before he went to grab his best bottle of wine. Once he grabbed the bottle, Serena quickly followed him as they headed upstairs. Making upstairs to his room to see that there were candles everywhere, Serena nearly freaked out at as this was becoming more real than she thought. Stopping herself from going into full panic mode, Serena decided to take the bull by the horns. Grabbing his hand, Trip turned to face her.

"You undress first" Serena said seductively

It's true what you heard, I am a freak, I'm disturbed

So come on and give me your worst (uh oh, yeah)

We're moving faster then slow,

If you don't know where to go,

I'll finish off on my own (uh oh, yeah)

With the pictures coming at a rapid pace, Tyler felt like he was slowly becoming more and more aroused, even though he clearly didn't want to be with Georgina. Trying to not look at the phone, Georgina made that nearly impossible with the numerous pictures she was sending to where he had to look at them just to delete. Deleting the pictures started off at a rapid pace but then slowed down to a few glances then a delete until he finally had to reply to her messages.

Tyler: Stop with the breasts

Tyler quickly text, hoping that would be the end of the naked picture barrage he was getting. Trying to get back to his normal routine, Tyler saw his phone vibrate once more.

Courtney: What?!

Nearly freaking out, Tyler began to wrack his brain for possible ways to get out of this dilemma.

Tyler: I wrote you're the best but my phone corrected it.

Courtney: ….to "stop with the breasts"?

His only reasoning. His only thing he could think of to answer back to her clear confusion, Tyler just text what came to mind.

Tyler: Yeah. Sprint sucks.

Hey boy!I don't need to know where you've been,All I need to know is you and no need for talkingHey boy!So don't even tell me your name,All I need to know is whose place,And let's get walking...Say say hey...

Getting herself ready on the bed, Serena shifted around on the bed to the best position that would show she wanted sex. Moving all around, Serena managed to find something wrong with every pose she was doing to where she felt like maybe it was because she wasn't alluding to the sex she wanted. Unzipping the back of her dress, Serena pulled the straps down on her shoulder to show skin before she laid back on the bed, propped up on her arms. Getting herself prepared once more, Serena was beginning to feel like she was actually capable of having random hook up sex.

"This what you want?" Trip said before he opened the bathroom door to show his naked frame, leaving Serena completely surprised

"Oh my God, you're naked" Serena said as she quickly hopped up from the bed to grab her shoes before she ran out of the bedroom

"I thought this is what you wanted?" Trip asked in confusion as he called out to her.

All I wanna do is love your body

Oh oh oh oh

Tonight's your lucky night, I know you want it

Oh oh oh oh

Grabbing the bowl of popcorn out of the microwave, Dan quickly put the necessary condiments on the popcorn as he could hear the rattling of game pieces being moved about in the living room. Taking a break from his writing, Dan was glad that Blair welcomed the idea of playing Monopoly, which he was sure was more of a thrill for her than it would be for him in the end. Coming out of the kitchen, Blair clapped excitedly to finally have the popcorn as the Humphrey popcorn touch always seemed to work miracles for her than her own did. Putting her phone down on the table they were sitting next to on the floor, Blair sighed as she let the warmth of the popcorn melt in her mouth after grabbing her handful. Taking a seat across from her at the board game, Dan took a few moments to get comfortable in his spot on the floor.

"What were you checking?" Dan asked as he looked over at his phone

"Just the business section of the newspaper" Blair sighed

"Why?" Dan asked

"Its my way of checking in on ruins of Waldorf, also known as Legacy, now" Blair sighed "Ophelia's letting people go left and right. Trusted board members are losing their jobs right before the holidays" she said

"Can't say that I'm shocked. I'm sure Ophelia is in full overhaul mode" Dan said

"Yeah, but these are people that I knew growing up. People that used to tell my manufactured lies to my mother when I had to explain why I snuck out to retrieve Serena from the latest reckless decision. We developed an unknown bond that I never really got to say thank you for lying for me" Blair said

"Things will work out. It may not seem like it now but it will" Dan assured her as he leaned across the mat to kiss her on the lips quickly before taking his seat again

"I don't understand how they can walk around like they can just destroy peoples lives for sport" Blair said "I mean I remember my mom would take on more work around the fall, I never understood why because I just wanted her to be around more. One Christmas, we went to Paris for her latest collection that she was working on. At the event, one of her assistants she had at the time came up to me and gave me this Christmas card that her kids had sent to my mother" she said

"Holiday cheer sort of thing?" Dan asked

"That's what I thought but then I read the card to find out that she took the extra hours to bring extra money for the company so that people could get extra on their Christmas bonuses" Blair said as she thought back "At the time I didn't value it because it just took her away from me, but now….knowing what she was and what she meant to her job in the industry, she was a caring person. She was a dictator and drove a rough ship, but she did so that everyone could benefit around her. Hell, she practically helped Bex get to the level she's at in the industry…and this his how she gets repaid" she sighed

"At the end of the day, Eleanor won't be remembered for being a business woman. She'll be remembered as just being an incredible woman…..that's if it should get there" Dan said not realizing what he was saying as an instant ping of guilt took over him

"Hey, where'd you go just now?" Blair asked as she poked at him "Did you drift off into thought?" she asked

"Yeah" Dan smiled weakly "Don't give up. If you know a way to fight back, then fight back but don't give up" he quickly replied

"I thought you said not to or at least in my preferred methods of doing so?" Blair asked

"Well without the setting me up to sleep with Bex or not to sleep with Bex method is a no, but everything else…the part where you remind people of your mother is really about….that's what you should fight for" Dan said

"Sort of like your best work coming when you feel like no one speaks your language…because you're hoping that someday they'll appreciate it or in this case appreciate my mom" Blair said as a slow realization of what April had told her

"Yeah, something like that" Dan smiled as silence came between them while he just tried to get himself to think of other things "Do you think you want to go to Hudson with me?" he asked

"Uh, that's a random question. Why are you going to Hudson?" Blair asked

"Because that's where my story is" Dan told her as Blair reached out to caress his face

"Can I buy new clothes for this trip?" Blair asked lovingly

"No" Dan quickly replied

"Oh, then no. I refuse to go" Blair replied as she attempted to play hurt before Dan leaned forward to kiss her as all she could do was laugh uncontrollably "Fine. Fine. Fine I'll go" she said in between kisses as she lay beneath him "But I may have to ask for time off" she then stated

"Time off?" Dan asked in confusion

Walking down the street, Serena looked on at the street lights that allowed her to see where it was that she was going so it was recognizable. Running out of Trip's house, Serena didn't think to take the town car back into the city like she would've typically done. Feeling like her mind was all over the place, Serena wasn't sure she knew what was right or wrong anymore because everything was so jumbled up in her head and her heart. Noticing the headlights of car coming towards her, Serena looked on for a moment as the car pulled up towards her. Watching the door open up, Serena looked on intently in case she had to run for her life, she was quickly dismissed of that thought once she saw that it was Nate getting out of the car. Letting out a sigh, Serena took a seat on the sidewalk as Nate waved off the car.

"Can I join you?" Nate asked as he walked up to her

"Do you want to have sex with me?" Serena asked as he looked up at her

"Yeah, there was a time where that would've been a hell yes…." Nate began to say

"And now?" Serena asked

"It'd be a no because of the whole…." Nate began to say

"Because you're gay" Serena sighed "I've resorted to hitting on my gay bestie, my gaybie" she said as Nate took a seat beside her "How'd you know how to find me?" she asked

"Trip called and said that you ran out like a crazy person and didn't take the car back to your suite, so I put two and two together along with driving up and down the streets to finally find you" Nate said as a few moments of silence came between them

"I'm a complete mess" Serena cried as her mascara began to smear on her face

"Currently speaking, yes" Nate said with a bit of laughter as he wiped away the mascara "Generally speaking, you're just a little lost trying to be found" he told her

"Why is it that you're the only guy that can find me? I mean really find me. I mean I'm beginning to pray that you're not gay because I think you were the only love I knew could be real if I gave it the chance" Serena asked

"Because we were attracted to each other and attraction isn't love" Nate said

"Attraction is a key component in love" Serena replied

"Yes, but there's got to be other things that makes that person your love. They've got to do other things that make you feel content with being with just one person" Nate told her

"Content is something I can never be, and at this point….I don't think I ever will be. I'm a runner. I'm a natural born runner because that's all my father ever was. He ran from my mother and us. He ran from every responsibility he had, and now I'm just living to run" Serena said

"Equating ourselves to our parents is never a good thing. We'd all be depressed and drug dependent in order to survive those thoughts" Nate said

"You forget that I'm the one that gave our belated friend the lethal dosage without her knowledge" Serena smiled weakly at the thought "I'm every bit of my parents down to my incessant need to feed into my reckless side" she said

"Serena, what was tonight all about?" Nate asked "You say it's a prescription but I don't think you're supposed to be depressed like this" he said

"Tonight….tonight was about me" Serena said as she quickly got up to face Nate "It was about me not caring about the rule, giving in to the urge and to stop running from it. I'm beginning to think that I hide out with my gaybie because I know that I won't want to have sex with you or I know that you won't look at me as some sexual object" she said

"So now you're hanging out with me because I'm gay. Gee, thanks" Nate replied as he got up from his seat

"No, I didn't mean it like that" Serena replied realizing that she was making a mess of the situation even more than what it was "I don't know what I'm doing Nate!? I'm trying, I'm really trying to figure me out but I don't even know what I want anymore. I tell myself I want one thing but I do another….and I just can't understand it" she said as tears welled up in her eyes "I just want to feel comfortable in my own skin. I want to know that I can be somewhere and not feel like I'm that girl to someone. I just want to be Serena van der Woodsen without the mystique…I just want to be the girl just like everyone else. I want to be liked past the mystique to where I don't feel like I have to run once they see what I really am" she exclaimed "I mean aren't you afraid of not being loved for who you really are?" she asked

"Is this a genuine question?" Nate asked

"Yeah, this is me asking a genuine question" Serena said as silence came between

"I'm scared that I might not have the same happy ending now as opposed to if I was still straight" Nate said "….I still playback the moment my own father called me a faggot and the disgust he had as he looked at me. I mean I just think what if that's what everyone thinks of me now" he laughed as his tears welled up in his eyes

"I love you as you are" Serena quickly replied as she went to hug him

"I know that… I know" Nate laughed as she let go of her embrace of him to look at him "Me being gay doesn't change any fear the average person may have either gay or straight. We all want to be loved for who we are and it's no crime to be scared of admitting that. The only crime in all of this whether gay or straight….is thinking you don't deserve to be loved" he told her as Serena let it resonate.

Oh oh oh, there's a place that I know

It's not pretty there and few have ever gone

If I show it to you now

Will it make you run away?

Smiling on at her test scores, Blair was beaming with excitement to see that her grade point average would only improve with the perfect score she got on the test. Dismissing the class, Blair quickly grabbed her stuff as all the students began to file out of the classroom. Making her way down the steps, Blair thought to herself for a few moments as she wanted to leave but helpful words made her think otherwise. Noticing the teachers assistant sitting off in the corner of the room, Blair made her way over towards the assistant. Checking to see if the professor was out of earshot, Blair walked closer towards the assistant helper.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand what the Professor was saying and you explain things so well….do you think you can explain this to me?" Blair asked as the teacher's assistant slowly smiled at the compliment, which only made Blair realize that April was right.

Or will you stay

Even if it hurts

Even if I try to push you out

Will you return?

And remind me who I really am

Please remind me who I really am

With the phone pressed up against his ear, Tyler sighed in frustration as he got Courtney's voicemail yet again. Time after time, attempt after attempt, Tyler tried to get in touch with her to apologize for his actions but saw his opportunity slowly fade away by each ring. Giving up on leaving her a voicemail, Tyler ended the call just as Eleanor made her way into the room to notice his look of disappointment.

"Why the long face?" Eleanor asked as she slowly walked over to join him on the sofa

"Things with Courtney, I don't think they're going to work out" Tyler said

"What happened?" Eleanor asked with concern

"I guess she saw my dark side" Tyler smiled weakly as Eleanor looked on sadly at the thought that Tyler was hurt

"It's her loss. Dark side or not, you're still a catch" Eleanor smiled as Tyler smiled weakly along with her to just appease her

"C'mon let's get you into bed. I'm sure Dan will be by for his usual session with you" Tyler said as he got up from the couch to turn to help Eleanor up

Everybody's got a dark side

Do you love me?

Can you love mine?

Nobody's a picture perfect

But we're worth it

You know that we're worth it

Will you love me?

Even with my dark side?

Walking around with the frozen vegetables to his crotch area, Carter tried walking and dialing at the same time. Slowly taking a seat on the sofa in the office, Carter endured the minimal shooting pains he was having for a few moments. Hoping and waiting for the on call nurse to come back on the phone, Carter just bided his time by dreams of a healthy penis that he'll have after his recovery. Dreaming of all the ways he'd value a fully healed penis, Carter swore to never recklessly take any experimental sex drugs. Just as he got lost in the reverie of a literal meaning of safe sex, Carter was torn away by the sounds of an on call nurse.

"How may I help?" The nurse asked as she came on the phone

"Yeah, I need to get a prescription refill" Carter said

"What's the problem?" The nurse asked

"My frozen carrots and peas are serving as pain relief for my genitalia areas. Now typically this wouldn't be a problem, but my mother's planning on making beef stew tonight and if you know the key ingredients, you'd understand that these peas and carrots need to be elsewhere by the end of the night" Carter reasoned

Like a diamond

From black dust

It's hard to know

What can become

If you give up

So don't give up on me

Please remind me who I really am

Stepping off the elevator, Dan handed his book bag to Dorota as it appeared to be their routine for the past couple of weeks. Heading back towards Dorota to grab his notepad, Dan smiled weakly on at Dorota as he tried to appear normal but he could sense that she knew what they were really up to. Hating that he had to keep this for Eleanor's sake, Dan knew that he had to appear like everything was fine. Rubbing his hand over his buzz cut hair, Dan was once again reminded of the state she was in that made others around her feel like they were walking through a ngihtmare that wasn't fully realized. Heading up the staircase, Dan opened the door to see Eleanor sitting at her usual chair, looking out as other walked by on the sidewalks or out in the park playing.

"You should really get a dog. I will you to get a dog" Eleanor said as she continued to keep her stare while Dan felt awkward at her phrasing

"That's really not the best phrasing you could've used" Dan replied

"Sorry…I just really want a dog" Eleanor smiled weakly

"Then why don't we go look at them? Why don't we do anything other than this?" Dan questioned

"Because then that'll be just another thing I'll be leaving behind" Eleanor smiled weakly as she looked back at him as the silence grew between them.

"I have to go for a few days. I'm going to Hudson to sort of write this story that just keeps popping up in my head….and I just want to know if you'll be okay while I'm gone?" Dan asked

"I'll be fine….you don't need to worry about me" Eleanor said as she laughed only to see that Dan wasn't laughing "I'm serious. You don't need to worry" she told him after a few moments

"I'm writing your will. I kind of started worrying more and more since we're just about close to finishing it. So I can't say your words help me anymore to not do anything but worry" Dan told her

Everybody's got a dark side

Do you love me?

Can you love mine?

Nobody's a picture perfect

But we're worth it

You know that we're worth it

Will you love me?

Even with my dark side?

Heading into the back office of one of Russel's development sites, Chuck looked on at the security that Russel had, feeling like he felt more endanger than safe. Just as the security walked out, Chuck looked up to see Elizabeth giving her goodbye's to Russel. Surprised to see his mother, Elizabeth made her way towards Chuck and quickly took him by the hand to lead him outside. Covering their sudden need to leave together by saying Chuck had to walk her to the car, Elizabeth wasted no time in pulling Chuck onto the elevator.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Chuck asked

"I came by to make sure you didn't do anything stupid" Elizabeth said as she became anxious to get off the elevator

"What?!" Chuck asked in confusion "Wait, were you here about the stocks?….did you overhear my conversation with Carter?" he asked as he looked on at his mother to get his answer by her silence. Attempting to get off the elevator, Elizabeth prepared to step off once the doors opened but Chuck quickly closed them while shielding her from walking off

"Chuck!" Elizabeth exclaimed

"Talk!" Chuck replied angrily "What the hell is your deal with Russel?" he asked

"He's a friend" Elizabeth replied nervously

"Bullshit" Chuck quickly replied before Elizabeth slapped him across the face

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry" Elizabeth quickly tried to apologize as she attempted to tend to Chuck but he pushed her hands away. "I never wanted you to find out this way!?" she exclaimed

"I know nothing because you tell me nothing but the bare minimum!" Chuck yelled "I'm defending you but know nothing as to what I'm defending!" he replied angrily as he hit the wall of the elevator

"You can't buy the stock back" Elizabeth said

"Why not?" Chuck asked

"Because making Russel happy is the only way we can all live comfortably. Making Russel is not an option" Elizabeth said

"I don't give a damn what mode he might be in. He's doing deals with Ophelia Sparks…." Chuck began to say

"Because I'm the one that bought the stock. Russel gave me the money, and I bought it for him as a business transaction for Thorpe….it was my gift to him. I knew how to get the stock through an insider with Ophelia and they weren't going to work with Russel without me being involved in the deal. Russel meeting and dealing with Ophelia was just for future business endeavors" Elizabeth said

"What future endeavors?" Chuck asked

"The fire sale of Waldorf. Any remaining value the company has will become non-existent. Every Waldorf product will be discontinued…" Elizabeth began to say

"To cut off any financial gain that Eleanor may still be seeing. Ophelia's leaving her for broke" Chuck concluded as the big picture was becoming evident "I have to tell Blair" he said before Elizabeth stopped him once more

"I appreciate your loyalty to your friends but this is bigger than friendship. We keep our mouths shut and I keep my focus on keeping Russel off the trail of going after Bart" Elizabeth said

"This makes no sense, why would Russel want to go after Bart? What crazed step am I missing?" Chuck questioned becoming annoyed with the newly added information he was getting

"The fact that Bart killed Russel's wife" Elizabeth said as Chuck looked on at her with shock "….you want to continue to protect your father then you do so by keeping your mouth shut" she told him before the elevator doors opened up once more before she gave him one final look then walked off the elevator.

Don't run away

Don't run away

Just tell me that you will stay

Promise me you will stay

Don't run away

Don't run away

Just promise me you will stay

Promise me you will stay

Will you love me? ohh

Dropping the stacks of magazines on the table, April sighed as the task of carrying the magazines were becoming more tedious by the day. Breathing a sigh of relief while realizing how sore her arms were, April flopped down on the chair as she began to rub her aching arms. Opening the door to the warehouse, Blair looked around as she did the first time, finding it still hard to get use being in a warehouse. Surprised to see Blair's appearance in the corner mirror, April perked up as she turned her chair to face her unaware that she was wearing her large Urkel glasses.

"Blair, what are you doing here?" April asked as Blair took a moment to access that she had such huge bifocals on

"It's something I'm trying, a friend suggested…." April began to say

"That's not a friend, that's an enemy" Blair quickly replied before April got the hint to take the glasses off "No, I mean you can wear them….I didn't mean to bully you out of the glasses" she said hating that she intimidated April without realizing it

"So do I wear them?" April asked unsure of what to do

"…do what feels best?" Blair replied after much thought

"Why are you here?" April asked

"Your tips worked. I managed to get inside scoop on what's going to being heavily featured on the next test" Blair told her "So I figured to repay your kindness, I could work for you" she said

"You don't have to" April replied as she couldn't hide her excitement

"Oh, but I do. Though I will have to request time off for a weekend trip but other than that, I'm ready to start work" Blair said as they smiled on at each other "Second thought, maybe the glasses do work with a the frames being a bit smaller than what they are. It could add to the geek chic…." she began to say

"Maybe even add in a skinny tie…" April began to say

"With short leather jacket…." Blair began to say

"With cropped short shorts" April quickly added as they quickly vibed off of each other

"See, I speak your language….not so hidden anymore, are we?" Blair asked as she walked away, meeting Jenny on the way out as Jenny was heading in.

"Blair, hey" Jenny quickly said noticing her

"Gotta go pack for Hudson. Bye" Blair said as she continued to walk out leaving Jenny confused

Everybody's got a dark side

Do you love me?

Can you love mine?

Nobody's a picture perfect

But we're worth it

You know that we're worth it

Will you love me?

Even with my dark side?

Leaning forward to grab her cup of water, Serena took a quick sip of her water while Dr. Han looked on at her for a few moments. At first, Serena would take this alone time on the couch to be nervous and fret over what she should or shouldn't say in her session, but she found that her experience this week had prepared her to truly understand why she felt the way she did. Though she wasn't in no way ready to consider herself healed over all that she had gone through, Serena was glad to see that she was beginning to understand herself.

"So how'd those urges go for you this week?" Dr. Han asked

"Horrible. At first it was fun but then I ended up weaseling out of them for some small reason. I skipped out on a full night out to record the Bachelorette. Then I ran out on a naked guy that I had convinced myself to have sex with because I was mildly attracted to him" Serena said

"Yeah, that's some urges you have…." Dr. Han began to say trying not to sound disturbed by what he was hearing

"You know you made me cry during this whole embrace the urge and give in" Serena told him

"I never meant to…." Dr. Han began to say

"But then I realized something. I never gave in, I mean granted I shouldn't have made out with a high schooler but the whole time I knew that this wasn't what I wanted. I ran at the nearest opportunity back to a safe haven and not the next problem or next guy" Serena said as she began to get lost in her thought "This urge that I keep feeling is loneliness, its an urge that has caused me to fall back into habits because I never wanted to admit what the real meaning of that urge was…I'm afraid of not finding that right love or just love period. I run to keep from seeing what I've always known and felt…" she said trailing off in thought "I want the love that is that is good for me but good to me. Before it was about just curing the loneliness so it could momentarily go away, but now, I could sleep with a not so random guy but it wouldn't change anything. The best way I can cure this loneliness is just believe and know that I will find that love and that I don't have to settle for the random hook up, I deserve to be loved the right way…and it doesn't hurt that I have great best friends that have loved me through good and reckless Serena to now, a soon to be better version of that girl" she said

"Now I do believe we're getting somewhere" Dr. Han smiled as she Serena clearly understood the message

Don't run away

Don't run away

Don't run away

Promise you'll stay

Music/Lyrics Used in this Chapter

Dev- Take Her From You

Christina Aguilera- Your Body

Kelly Clarkson- Dark Side

Author's Note: Aww, I always love when the characters have that "A-ha" moment. I wanted to breakdown the chapter a bit by character to explain some stuff.

Dan/Blair: Blair is working! April managed to appeal to Blair's softer side as she's now planning on working with April. I'm lovign her storyline thus far because it's maturing Blair and giving her those life experiences that she needs, while meeting an interesting group of people [Two people]. So it'll only get more interesting. Dan is working on his book and doing the will for Eleanor, but he hasn't told anyone about it because Eleanor doesn't want to yet. Dan is abiding her wishes but it is hurting him inside.

Serena/Nate: Serena growing up, I love that. Serena finally got to the bottom or is realizing that sex and jumping to random guys doesn't help her urge but makes it worse. So don't expect Serena to be bed hopping or guy hopping anytime soon, she's focusing on herself and her friends. I loved Nate and Serena's talk in this chapter because I felt like they were both honest with each other about their individual fears, and it helped her realized that her fears were shared.

Carter: Yeah, Carter and his crazy adventures continue. Carter got sidetracked on his mission by the Fuk Me twins, who gave him an experimental sex drug that gave him an enlarged arousal that lasted longer than four hours. Yeah, I can't say where I get this from but it just seemed so Carter like that it was just natural to write. I do admit to laughing while writing this on his parts because it's like how can I make it more extreme for Carter.

Chuck: He's catching a bad flack with the readers, which is understandable but he's stuck in a rock and hard place. Chuck's trying to protect his father but is messing up everything in his life in order to do so. Everyone is starting to see how Elizabeth is, but Chuck is reluctant to see because he doesn't want to think the worse of his mother because that's his mother.