Author's Note: Hey guys. Thank you all once again for your reviews, I greatly appreciate them and are glad to see that I have you guys in a frenzy. I wish I could give you guys further spoilers on some things coming ahead but it's just one of those situations that you have to wait and see. I have to say I'm eager to get to certain points in the story because the characters are just dealing with things that are coming to light. I will add my token phrase "Everything anything I write can come back to be used" so beware. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter as I've used characters from Alison's funeral in this story for some parts not completely all the way through. I think you guys will get a kick out of Lucky, he's quite interesting. Lol. I look forward to hearing from you guys.

I can't really say I have a set day for updating now anymore because I sort of write as soon as the chapter is done. So they might come sooner now than a week. I was down with flu, it hit my house like the plague and I just couldn't block it regardless of how much Tylenol I was trying to counteract with.

For thoughts on the chapter and my overall intent for the characters you can check out my Author's Note at the end of the chapter.

Campaign 400= If going for 400 (196 NEEDED) If going for 500 (296 NEEDED)


Quaternary: Rise to Power

Chapter Ten- Gaslit


The fog had began to fade throughout the Upper Eastside but definitely seemed to be fitting for the current meeting between the fractured business partners. Holding on tight to the quarter that was in hand, Carter flipped the coin a few times as he was playing a game of probability. Through his bouts with gambling, Carter found that his luck with guessing odds and predicting the outcomes were sharper than ever as he trusted his instincts more than the average person. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching him, Carter looked up to see Chuck walking towards him. Taking a seat beside him on the bench, Chuck and Carter sat in silence for a few moments just looking out at the stillness of the pond. Flipping the coin one last time, Carter was relieved to see that he had called it right before he quickly put the quarter away in his pocket.

"What'd you want?" Carter asked as he pushed his hands into his coat

"I want truce" Chuck told him after a few moments of silence

"That depends, did you do as I asked? Did you buy back the stock from Russel?" Carter asked as he looked over at Chuck

"It wasn't that simple" Chuck replied as Carter groaned in frustration at the answer "It's not like I can go up to him and request stocks from him" he said

"You can do just that. You're supposed to be in business with the man but yet he doesn't tell you of his dealings?! That's shady dealings right off the bat" Carter reasoned

"I can protect the Waldorf's in other ways that doesn't involve me showing my hand" Chuck said

"How? There's only way to protect someone and that's by taking what's at value for them to be harmed by" Carter said

"Ophelia just wants to hold the cards. There is no real interest in doing anything to Waldorf. If I make it seem like Bass would gain nothing in making further investments into Waldorf then the account would become non existent and be subject to be dropped from the company accounts" Chuck said "This is my only option" he reasoned

"Ophelia doesn't strike me as someone that just wants to sit on the dagger. She wants more and her biding her time is leading to something bigger" Carter said

"Then I'm the only option" Chuck said "I want to help my friend just as much as you do, don't forget that fact" he told him as they looked on at each other for a few moments to size the other up

"And the third party? Have you heard anything about that?" Carter asked

"I know the bare minimum on the situation. You'd know more than me in that department since you cracked the case" Chuck said

"Yeah well, it's taking some time but I'm hoping to figure this all out" Carter said as he turned his attention back to the pond "It's all like some big chess game where everyone's trying to make a move for the biggest prize of all" he sighed

"The Maxwell is what my father spent his whole career chasing. Show me a vulture and I can show you a shark" Chuck said "It's the motto we live by, which is why it's rare to find trust in partners. Our only shot of getting an attempt at getting the Maxwell would be together than a part" he said

"Oh, I'm far from trusting you" Carter laughed to himself as he began to rub the quarter after pulling it out of his coat "You crossed me on a night that was to celebrate our partnership on a pretty big project" he said

"I know but I had no clue as to what my mother was up to" Chuck said

"That seems to be a constant theme with you, not knowing what Elizabeth is up to. She's single handedly ruined your marriage…." Carter began to say

"I really don't want to talk about that Carter" Chuck replied

"We should because someone ought to tell you this. You're mother….she's shady. She's around too many fires, whether she starts them or just adds to it, who knows, but I don't trust her which makes me not trust you" Carter said "I'm about business not dealing with mommy dearest. How can I move forward in our business ventures, especially Empire? With her lurking about, giving out access to projects that I came up with!? Not you but me!?" he exclaimed

"My mother doesn't make business decisions for me. You know my work, it speaks for itself. Have I not added to Victrola? Have I not done my part?" Chuck questioned

"You've done enough but not your part" Carter said as silence came between them "But through and through, you were there when I was on the outs" he sighed

"Gambling problem, drunken bashing of Humphrey, and then…" Chuck began to say

"I get the point. You were there, I get it" Carter said "So I'll stand by you" he said

"Good" Chuck nodded "Personal should effect business. We're on the cusp of great things" he said

"Agreed" Carter replied

"So we declare a truce and focus on the bigger picture. We begin on the Empire" Chuck said

"I've never taken my eye off of the Empire" Carter quickly followed as Chuck looked down at his watch as if he was keeping tabs "Do you have to be somewhere?" he asked

"Yeah, I do" Chuck said as he got up from his seat "So we should probably start meetings on this Thursday" he suggested

"Have your office call mine and we'll set that up" Carter replied

"You won't regret this" Chuck said as they shook on it

"I know I won't" Carter said "Now get out of here" he said urging Chuck on

"All right, talk to you later" Chuck said as he quickly walked off while Carter looked on at him. Sitting in his spot for a few moments longer, Carter couldn't help but feel like extra eyes were on them. It was weird though, it didn't make him nervous but at ease to know there was a possibility of eyes watching. Turning around, Carter scanned the area before he saw a guy quickly put away his camera into his carrying bag.

"To trust or not to trust…what to do?" Carter asked himself as he looked on at his faithful quarter "I'll take trust, heads" he said before he flipped the quarter to get his results "That's exactly what I thought" he laughed to himself before he got up from his seat.


Looking around the small and quaint loft, Blair couldn't help but notice the splatters of paint that were found randomly throughout the loft as she continued to look on. Walking towards the window, Blair looked out at the small town as Hudson was a drastic difference from the hustle and bustle of the Upper Eastside as she knew it. All in all, being in some form of Dan's upbringing was new to her because she had only referred to Brooklyn as his only home but now to be in Hudson with him was yet another aspect of Dan that Blair had to grasp. Making his way into the loft abruptly, Blair quickly turned her attention towards her boyfriend as he happily dropped her bags onto the floor in his efforts to conserve the little strength he had from carrying all of their stuff.

"You do know this is a weekend trip. We're not staying a month" Dan said as he flopped onto the sofa

"Is it like a written rule that Humphrey's get lofts? I mean seriously, we're in a smaller version of the loft in Brooklyn" Blair said as she walked over towards him

"This isn't exactly the same stature of the loft in Brooklyn, this is a bit more downscale" Dan said

"Look at you being all snobby" Blair laughed as she took a seat beside him on the sofa

"I'm not being snobby, I'm answering your question. This is more like a studio apartment" Dan said

"Okay, I'll take your word for it" Blair smiled "I thought your mom lived with someone?" she asked

"Aw, you mean David. No, David vacated the premises after my lovely rant at the funeral. When it came last year, he was crashing at his parents house as he was looking for a place to live because he wanted to respect my wishes" Dan said

"So you stayed here the last time you came up?" Blair asked

"Yep, as awkward as it was, we stayed here" Dan sighed "But everything was fine, Carter and I cuddled through the night" he joked

"I bet" Blair laughed "Erection affection friends in full effect even back then" she teased

"Please, let's not go back to that dreadful memory. That was rather a night I try to Clorox my eyes into forgetting" Dan said

"Point taken" Blair said as a silence came between them "So how does it feel now?" she asked

"It could feel better" Dam smiled devilishly as he looked on at her

"How so?" Blair asked as she looked at him skeptically before he moved closer towards her.

"For starters, my parents aren't home" Dan whispered as he seemed to play the role of that high school boy that was anxious to have sex with his hot girlfriend at any opportunity

"Aw, but we have to respect your mother's house. I wouldn't want her to think less of me than what she all ready does" Blair said as she played along

"Well then that should be a good thing for you" Dan said as he crawled towards her on the sofa

"And why is that?" Blair asked as he leaned in close to where the distance was shortening between them

"I'm not one to care what my mother says" Dan replied before he softly captured her lower lip with his lips. Their lips interchanging so sweetly against each other, Dan began to caress his tongue against hers. Hating that he cut his hair, Blair had become used to running her hands through his hair but had no such thing this time around. Deepening the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck while laying back on the sofa, Dan was glad to see that she was easily submitting to his desire. Pulling away from her lips, Dan quickly sat up to relieve himself of his shirt while Blair began to undo his belt to undo his pants. Leaning forward to capture his lips with hers, Dan's hands ran wildly as he pulled down her fitted pants that she was wearing. Exposing her down to her laced underwear, Dan began to push his boxers and jeans down before he leaned forward to cover her mouth with his as he positioned himself in between her legs. Just as he began to enter, Dan was torn away from his actions by the sound of a knock coming to the door. Pausing for a second, Dan hoped that it was in his mind as he just held his positioning above Blair.

"I think someone is at the door" Blair said as she looked over at the door

"No, no. I think we're just moving the couch to where it's hitting something" Dan said as he attempted to kiss Blair

"No, I heard a knock" Blair said dodging his kiss

"I didn't but next time I'll go to answer, until then…" Dan began to say before he kissed her once more. Convincing Blair to forget about the door with each kiss until she slowly got back in the mood before once again a knock came to the door.

"Okay, I heard it that time" Blair said before she pushed Dan off of her and on to the floor "Go answer it" she told him as she looked down at him

"Oh, I hate that you remember every little thing" Dan said as he slowly got up from the floor trying to zip up his pants while Blair pulled her pants up.

"Don't forget to buckle your belt" Blair hissed as Dan opened the door to see two teenagers standing on the other side

"…uh, hello" Dan said as the kids seemed surprised to see him

"Your….your Alison's son. Dan, right?" The boy said as he took a few moments to think

"Yes, and you two are?" Dan asked still not sure of how they knew him

"I'm Lucky and this is my sister, Christine. We're the next door neighbors" Lucky said

"Oh, I remember you two" Dan said recalling the two kids from the funeral while Blair walked over to join them at the door. Noticing Blair, Lucky's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he seemed in awe of her presence. "My mom's neighbors kids" he told Blair

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Blair" Blair smiled on at the two kids to notice that the boy was gawking over her

"Lucky!" Christine scolded her brother under her breath "I'm Christine and this is my brother, Lucky" she introduced as it was becoming apparent that Lucky was in full amazement by Blair "Are you guys were coming to the annual Saturday night dinner at BABA?" she asked

"Uh…" Dan began to say

"Sure. We'll be there" Blair agreed for both Dan and her before she once again looked over at Lucky to see he was now drooling over her.


Sighing as she looked on at the clock, Serena couldn't help but wish for a miracle to happen that would somehow manage to make her latest venture at a family press event to go by quickly. With Richard's latest venture into merging with a bunch of other elitist of the Upper Eastside for ownership of a possible business venture plan, Serena found herself faking the smiles and answering the questions the press had for her that she had rehearsed with her publicist time and time again. Typically Serena would've managed to sneak out by now but she figured that since this was so important to her mother and step father that she be here, Serena decided to stick with it until the very end. Heading towards the bar area of the event, Serena couldn't help but notice Trip talking with a few of the guests. Quickly feeling pangs of guilt over their last encounter, Serena thought to avoid him but once they made eye contact there was no pretending that they hadn't seen each other. Excusing himself from his conversation, Trip walked over to the bar to join Serena.

"I'll have cosmo" Serena said nervously to the bartender while she could feel Trip's smug smile beside her

"Your drinking cosmo's now?" Trip asked

"I like cosmo's" Serena quickly replied

"You sure, I was thinking you might love champagne now" Trip said as Serena could tell he was making a clear reference towards their last encounter with each other

"I don't act that way" Serena quickly turned to tell him "The whole get naked thing, that wasn't me….well it used to be me but I'm trying not to be the used to be me" she began to babble

"So what? You just wanted to get me naked then run?" Trip asked

"No…" Serena began to say

"Nate said that you wanted to have sex that night, with me" Trip said

"I did…" Serena began to answer

"You were acting strange, didn't really want to talk. So I just assumed that you just wanted the sex" Trip said

"I did want the sex" Serena admitted reluctantly as she made sure no one was around to hear her

"With a senator" Trip stated

"Oh, don't do that. This had nothing to do with your political position…" Serena began to say

"I think it did. Have you ever with a senator? A president?" Trip asked

"That's disgusting. I haven't had sex with a senator or a president….wait, what type of president are we referring to?" Serena asked

"Of anything. I'll even take a president of an auto club" Trip said

"Oh well, no. I've never had sex with a president…of the United States" Serena regretfully revealed as Trip quickly picked up on the change of positions

"You had with a president?!" Trip asked in disbelief "Of what?" he asked in a whisper

"….the class president" Serena said shaking her head as Trip just laughed "Look this has nothing to do with what I'm trying to do" she told him

"It does, it really does" Trip said

"How so?" Serena asked

"Because I think you like holding me in check. I think you like having the upper hand" Trip said

"Wow, you've really put thought into this. I'm sorry, how many iota's were killed in the process of you coming up with that conclusion…." Serena began to say

"You find me attractive or else why pick me to have sex with?" Trip asked

"Because I was out of my mind….I was prescribed to have sex" Serena said

"You do know that sounds crazy right?" Trip asked

"I know but if you knew what crazed thoughts I had going on….I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leading you on into thinking we were something more than what we were" Serena told him

"Because we could be" Trip quickly replied

"No" Serena laughed

"You chose me for a reason. You find me attractive…." Trip began to say

"Me wanting to have sex with you means nothing!" Serena quickly stated as she felt she had to beat it through Trip's head that it but the problem was that her statement was loud enough for others to hear. Looking on at other's faces as they processed what she said, Serena groaned in embarrassment of her statement. Forcing a smile, Serena just played it off as nothing while Trip remained smug.

"You'll come around, the attraction will wear you down" Trip whispered to her before he walked away with his drink in hand. Watching as he walked away, Serena hated that she couldn't find some way to answer and shut down his questions he had stifled her with. Looking up, Serena quickly saw Tyler standing at the bar with drink in hand. Immediately, Serena's mind went into a panic as she wondered if he had heard the conversation between Trip and her.

"Tyler…" Serena began to say

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself, just too bad that you had to ship off other to do so" Tyler said before he finished his drink to put it down on the counter before he walked away


Gathered at the table with all of Alison's friends that she had in Hudson and what seemed to be abroad from the two foreigners, Dan and Blair couldn't help but feel like they were intruding at a family dinner. Conversations and laughter were shared as a common theme throughout the dinner while Dan just hoped to understand and grasp what they were all talking about. Seeing how Dan was lost in all of this, Blair rubbed his leg under the table to try to make him comfortable as she could a look on his face that let her know he was beyond uncomfortable. While trying to comfort Dan, Blair could see Lucky staring at her out of the corner of her eye as he was still in that mesmerized state of her. Giving the boy a few skeptical looks, Blair could only hope that Lucky wouldn't drool all over his pizza while Christine was trying to catch his attention.

"So when you plan on paying up on our bet Hal?" Sam asked as the other laughed

"I will, I will" Hal replied

"A girl picks a game right and she can't get her money. That's not right" Sam laughed

"You got lucky, that's all that is" Hal replied as the rest of the group roared with their own opinions on the matter

"Whether luck or not, I believe I'm owed some money" Sam teased

"Have you gone by the exhibit?" Janet asked as everyone seemed to get silent

"The critics said it wasn't his best work" Lucky added

"The critics can shove it up their ass….sorry for the children present" Hal replied "They think they know everything but they don't. He put a lot of creativity in to those pieces" he began to say

"Creativity is what you're judged upon, and that they didn't think he had" Sam sighed "I just wished this could have pulled him out of his rut" she said

"What exhibit?" Blair asked as she began to wonder what they were talking about "What exhibit got bad critic reviews?" she asked as they all looked around at each other unsure of whether she should say anything at all

"The exhibit David did" Lucky quickly revealed before Christine elbowed him in his side as the tension became thicker at the mention of David's name due to Dan's sake

"Oh" Blair quickly caught on to the fact

"It's okay. I'm not exactly sensitive to the topic of him" Dan spoke up as everyone continued to feel awkward

"You forget we were all at the funeral" Sam told him

"A funeral is hardly a place to consider one's feelings for someone else. It's a sad day where things are said out of the heat of the moment" Blair reasoned

"Right, I mean it was a bad day all around" Lucky said trying to add on to what Blair was saying

"True, that can be said for someone who had an upset stomach throughout the day" Christine muttered under her breath

"I had bad seafood" Lucky quickly declared

"Guys, you don't need to shelter me with the David topic. Am I a fan, no, but I can clearly see that you guys have this whole family like atmosphere going to where you care about him" Dan said

"We care about you too" Hal replied

"You don't even know me" Dan replied "I think it's a bit much to say that to me at this time" he said

"Alison was our family, we cared about her….therefore, we care about you" Sam told him as the silence grew between them

"So he can't work? Why?" Dan asked

"For starters, he likes to just mope around and half ass his work" Janet said

"Jan, was that necessary" Sam replied as she just gave her friend a look

"It's the truth. I got the guy a prospective client to buy his work, and what does he do?" Janet asked

"We know, we know…." Hal replied

"He shows up drunk and disheveled" Janet stated "He needs to get his act together and focus" he said

"Way to go Jan, let's give the kid more reason to dislike the guy" Sam sighed

"No, don't stop. Tell it how it really is" David said as he made his presence known to the rest of the group "Hal, Sam, Luck, Chrissy….Dan" he said as he greeted everyone to finally land upon Dan

"David" Dan replied unable to hide his clear uneasiness of being around the guy, which Blair picked up on

"Hi, I'm…" Blair began to say as she stuck her hand out towards David

"Blair. Blair Waldorf" David said "I remember you" he said

"Why? Did Alison hate me that much?" Blair asked as she was surprised that David would remember her

"You were memorable nonetheless" David said

"That you most certainly are" Lucky said as he was still in his trance of Blair, which caused his sister to elbow him once more

"I'll be grabbing my usual beer, that's if it's okay with you" David said looking on at Janet

"David, why don't you sit down and eat?" Hal asked of his friend

"No thanks, I'll pass" David replied "Hope you all have a good night. Enjoy the time here Dan and Blair" he said before he walked off towards the bar as everyone seemed to show heavy concern over their friend. Seeing all of this concern, Dan couldn't help but feel angry inside as he felt like there was nothing to warrant concern over David.

"We can go now" Dan said as he leaned over towards Blair before he got up

"Are you sure?" Blair asked

"I'm certain" Dan said before he quickly made his way out of the restaurant while Blair lingered behind unsure of how to just depart

"Uh, can you guys get another ride back home?" Blair asked "I mean if you want to leave with us or stay and have someone…" she began to say

"We can leave with you" Lucky quickly replied at the prospect of getting to spend more time with Blair.


Finishing up her latest project in class, Jenny began to clean up her work station. Laughing and talking with April as they cleaned, Jenny was eager to leave the class to get a bite to eat since she felt so starved. Trying to speed up her pace since she saw that April was waiting for her, Jenny was relieved to finally put the last garment in storage box before she grabbed her bag and coat. Making their way out of the class, the two girls talked on excitedly about April's latest article that she had posted on her web page. Just as the girls began to make their towards the Columbia campus to get their usual food favorites, Jenny quickly spotted Chuck sitting on the benches. Looking over to meet Jenny's gaze, Chuck got up from his seat and began to walk towards the two girls.

"Do you have a moment?" Chuck asked as Jenny sighed

"It's my only break for the day" Jenny said

"This won't take long" Chuck said as April couldn't help but pick up on the tension between the two

"I'll catch up with you back in the classroom. We need to talk for a bit" Jenny turned to tell April

"Okay, I'll be sure to get you a pepperoni sub" April said as she slowly began to back away to give Jenny the privacy she needed

"I signed the court order" Chuck said as he pulled the papers out of his coat to hand to Jenny

"Why didn't you give this to Darren?" Jenny asked

"I figured that since you're handling the matters of this, I should bring it to you" Chuck said

"Don't start" Jenny replied

"I'm not trying to" Chuck said as silence came between them "How've you been?" he asked

"You're beyond transparent with that. The small talk that will lead to you wanting us to try yet again but me ultimately being played for the fool, not happening" Jenny said

"No, I'm not going to small talk you into conversation. It's clear you have little to say to me" Chuck said "I admit that the night at Victrola wasn't my finest hour but I did what I did because I had no choice" he said

"Because of your mother" Jenny concluded "That's the common theme" she muttered to herself

"No, because of my dad" Chuck replied as Jenny looked at him strangely

"What about your dad?" Jenny asked

"I thought you didn't want small talk?" Chuck questioned as he could see her concern

"Then what's the point of you being here? You bring the papers, I got them. What more Chuck?" Jenny asked

"What's more is that one of Darren's stipulations of filing the papers has yet to be addressed" Chuck said

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked

"Have you talked to him, you're apparent lawyer?" Chuck asked

"Clearly not of late but I'm sure you'll tell me this riveting piece of information that I know nothing about" Jenny said

"Marriage counseling. If we are unable to work out our problems or at least agree to work through them at one session of marriage counseling" Chuck said

"How convenient for you" Jenny laughed to herself in disbelief "Darren just magically comes up with this, which you magically show up to tell me. Then you magically coax me in to thinking their might be more going on with that whole screw Carter over deal…" she went on to say

"Okay fine, whatever. You're done with us, that's fine. Just fake it at the session and then you can get you're separation. It'd be the easiest thing for you" Chuck said

"Oh, I'll do that" Jenny replied

"Fine!" Chuck said

"Fine!" Jenny quickly told him before he turned to walk away while Jenny huffed in anger as she folded her arms in frustration.

Meanwhile….

Standing at the crosswalk, Chuck moved around trying to keep himself warm as he waited for the light to change. Wanting to blow off steam from yet another argument with Jenny, Chuck didn't even bother to call for his car to come pick him up. As he began to cross the street, Chuck felt the vibration of his cell phone against his leg. Feeling as if work was the only thing that could take his mind off of things, Chuck reached to grab his phone out of his pocket.

"Yes" Chuck sighed as he answered the phone

"Chuck Bass feuding with Carter Baizen, care to comment?" The reporter asked

"No, and how the hell did you get my number?" Chuck asked

"So are you spitting mad or are you vindictive mad?" The reporter asked

"Neither. You're little story has no merit. My business partner and I are perfectly fine. We're currently working on business meetings for the pending spectacle, The Empire" Chuck replied

"Yes, we saw the lovely photos of the meeting this morning but I'm more interested in the photos with Carter and another sharp shooter in business" The reporter said as Chuck came to a stop

"You're lying" Chuck said

"It's a good lie or a revelation that you had no clue about, either way I have story" The reporter said as Chuck could tell the reporter was becoming smug

"Send me your pictures and we'll go from there" Chuck told him before he ended the call.


Coming out of the bathroom, Blair fumbled around in the dark to try to find the doorknob as it still took some time for her to get used to this type of loft. Opening the door, Blair walked through the hallway as she looked over to see Lucky and Christine knocked out cold on the sofa. The two teenagers had come back with them from dinner only to see that their mother had gone off to work. Posing that the two didn't feel safe alone in their loft and that Alison would usually let them stay over until their mother would return in the morning, Blair felt trapped in to letting them stay while Dan didn't care either way. Checking in on them, Blair quickly noticed that Lucky was cuddling close to her to her scarf that she wore tonight. Once again, Blair found herself looking at the boy skeptically as she contemplated on trying to retrieve the scarf out of his grasp.

"You are a strange, strange boy" Blair whispered to herself before she headed back towards the bedroom. Seeing that Dan was laying awake, Blair slipped in beside him in the bed as they just lay awake.

"Did you find the bathroom?" Dan asked

"Yes, it happened to be the small room with the toilet in it. I was glad to see there was a dead giveaway within my grasp" Blair replied

"Sarcasm carries all the way to Hudson. Yay me" Dan replied

"I thought it might lead to another banter session that could cheer you up" Blair said

"So you want to banter with each other at two in the morning?" Dan asked

"See how I keep us fresh" Blair smiled "You feel any better?" she asked

"I haven't changed feelings wise" Dan replied

"You sure because you seemed pretty upset tonight at dinner with the whole David thing" Blair said as Dan rolled over onto his side, giving Blair his back

"I'm fine" Dan groaned

"The fact that you just groaned like that is a sign that you're not fine. In fact, I'm starting to think you have a whole David complex to the lengths of Bruce Wayne" Blair said

"You mean Bruce Banner, with the whole anger thing, you mean Bruce Banner as in the Incredible Hulk" Dan said

"Whatever. The thing that turns green and barbaric" Blair said "Beyond the obvious, do you think you'd be able to be here with him here as well?" she asked

"This is just as much my home as it is his" Dan replied

"I know but…" Blair began to say

"I could care less about David. I can be cordial but I can't show concern over him like the others" Dan said "I don't like talking about the guy but I can be around him" he said

"Which is clearly seen with how you're handling this conversation. I feel much better now" Blair said sarcastically

"It's really not an issue" Dan quickly told her

"I'll let you believe that until we reach our conclusion, most likely midway of this trip, where you get upset, say or do something stupid to where I must steer you down the correct and moral filled path. Then you do as all Humphrey's do and do the right thing" Blair said "Face it Humphrey, you're essence of problem management has become predictable" she said

"I don't always…" Dan began to say

"You really do" Blair quickly answered as Dan groaned before he sat up in the bed to sit in contemplation "And now you're contemplating to do the epic storm off to where I suddenly become paralyzed and unable to follow you because I realize you might just want to be alone" she smiled as she continued on with his play by play

"Just know that in this moment, I'm not contemplating leave or storming off as you say" Dan told her

"Due to circumstance, right?" Blair asked

"….Yes. Are the two kids out there?" Dan asked

"Yes" Blair laughed

"And that's my circumstance as to why" Dan said as he rolled over to fluff his pillow to lay back down

"You're such a big baby" Blair laughed hysterically to herself before a knock came to the bedroom door "Who is that?" she whispered towards Dan

"You should know since you know and see all" Dan replied not moving one bit

"Okay, you in the man department, are not doing too well by any means" Blair told him as she got out of the bed to answer the door to see Lucky standing on the other side "Lucky? What are you doing up?" she asked

"I heard voices and got scared" Lucky replied

"Really?" Blair questioned

"Yes, it's scary around here at night. Do you think you can make some tea? It helps sooth me" Lucky said "Then maybe we can talk about your hopes and dreams, then fall madly in love and drive off into the sunset" he said

"What?" Blair asked trying to decipher what she heard as truth

"Nothing. I said nothing" Lucky replied quickly "See, it's the voices again" he said

"Lucky, you aren't hearing voices. It was just Dan and I talking" Blair said "And you're thirteen, I'm pretty sure you can make your own tea" she said

"Well then can you read me a story?" Lucky asked

"I suppose" Blair sighed as Lucky smiled at his momentary victory of gained time "Once upon time in Hudson, at two in the morning, there was a nice brunette. With a sound of a knock coming to the door, the brunette got up to answer the door to find a little boy standing on the other side" she said as Lucky waited for Blair to continue on with the story

"Then what happened?" Lucky asked

"This" Blair said before she slammed the door in the boy's face


Tapping her foot nervously as she sat in the lobby, Serena watched as the reporters walked in and out of the building. It was interesting to see how the reporters went about their daily routine, finding stories to publish, ruining lives after just one call from an unknown source, it was all just an amazement to Serena since she was usually the subject they'd run to cover. On occasion, Serena would get the occasional look from passing workers but they could never work up the courage to come up to her for those eager question she was sure they had. Letting out a deep sigh, Serena began to feel like her visit was going to turn into a complete waste before she looked up to see her target stepping off the elevator. Quickly rising to her feet, Serena rushed over towards where he was.

"Tyler. Tyler" Serena called out as he looked back to see the blonde coming towards him with little excitement shown on his face. "Okay, I know you hear and see me" she told him as he went into the copy room

"I try not to, hear or see you" Tyler replied

"Can we do lunch?" Serena asked as she followed behind him in his tasks

"I work" Tyler replied

"I can see that but somewhere in your day you have to eat" Serena told him

"Not really because in that said day, I try to earn enough money to cover a thing called rent then for another thing called utilities" Tyler said

"Wouldn't utilities be an automatic with rent?" Serena asked as Tyler stopped to give her a puzzling look of how clueless she could be

"You really are sheltered" Tyler replied before he continued on with his mission

"Fine, is this the only way I can talk to you?" Serena asked

"If you think we're actually talking then sure" Tyler said

"Do you think you could ever forgive me? I mean it's becoming apparent that you can't stand me" Serena said as she trailed behind Tyler

"I don't spend my day disliking you. I really don't think about you…" Tyler began to say

"I miss him. Just as much as you, I miss him but whether you see this or not, I did what I did for him" Serena quickly interrupted

"You knowing him, you having him involved in your mess. It was your mess to clean up, not his" Tyler told her "You get to be around your best friend. You have your family in tact….you just shipped mine over seas" he said

"I made mistakes. Some that I wish I could take back now that I get a clear understanding of what I've done to people, who's only fault was that they were around me. I'm trying" Serena reasoned

"Try harder then. You don't get to sing the I've changed song so love me. You want to make amends for what you've done in your past, then be something meaningful in your future. Take this obsession that people have with you and give it to the people that deserve it" Tyler scolded her as he tried to keep his emotions in check

"While you just continue blaming me for what happened?" Serena asked

"Because it's your fault!?" Tyler exclaimed "You're here and he's in Spain. Spain! How can this not be your fault!?" he told her "You sit back and have your affairs with senators or whatever like he was just some disposable body that was in the way for you or a tie to what really happened in that house" he said

"I'm not dating or having any type of an affair with Trip" Serena said

"I really don't care. I must be among the minority that just don't give a crap about you" Tyler said "So you don't have to worry about what I think about you because I don't think about you or think highly of you either way. Now can you please stay the hell away from me" he told her as Serena just had to endure his wrath because it was becoming more apparent than ever how hurt he still was over losing his best friend through her mess.


Letting out a yawn after a nights worth of lack of sleep, Dan relied heavily on his cup of coffee to get him through the day. Getting up early to avoid running into townies that knew of his mother, Dan wanted to get in a full days worth of work of just being surrounded by his mother's painting to get some jist of what direction he would take the story in or if he could create any story at all from the painting. Pushing the strap up further onto his shoulder, Dan looked on at that the tattered door as he walked towards it. Nothing seemed to be out of place since he last came but even then he was sure that he wanted to leave so quick so he could begin to forget. Pulling out the small key from his pocket, Dan went to hold the door knob to try to insert the key but found the door was all ready opened. Opening up the door, Dan was surprised to see his mother's windowed boyfriend standing inside the studio that was once Alison's.

"Dan" David said in surprise to see the boy "What are you doing here in Hudson?" he asked as Dan juggled the key back and forth in his hand.

"I came to finish" Dan replied as that seemed to be the only reason he was there

"Finish? Finish what?" David asked a bit confused

"The story" Dan said as he motioned for David to look on at his mother's artwork that she left behind for Dan

"And just how exactly are you creating these into a story?" David asked

"By writing my version of the story" Dan replied

"Your version?" David asked a bit confused

"The story is about a boy through the eyes of a mother. Also known as me, now it's my turn to interpret….why do I need to explain this? This is my studio" Dan told him

"I'm fully aware of who's studio it is but I don't think you understand who owns the paintings" David said

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dan asked

"I own the paintings. Alison left the painting to me. So your interpretations, I need to see them before anyone else" David told him

"I don't have to show you anything" Dan laughed

"I'm pretty sure your around all the fancy doctors and lawyers to know that if you write about these paintings, then it could lead to a lawsuit" David said

"Is this a threat?" Dan asked

"No, it's not a threat. I would never threaten you" David said as he took a few moments to think. Working out his hands, Dan couldn't help but notice the needle marking on his arm as he began to expose more of his arm.

"Do you really think you're the best judge of character to tell me anything?" Dan asked as he pointed over at the markings on his arm, which David quickly tried to hide "Drugs, that's classy" he said

"Yeah, that's right. You see the markings and automatically assume the worst" David laughed

"Because it's the worst. I may have the Upper Eastside girlfriend but I'm still Brooklyn through and through" Dan told him "I've seen the tragedies and read about the misunderstandings that were caused by that very marking on your arm" he said

"You…you can't, I'm not letting you write about the painting or anything involving Ali" David said

"I'm not asking for your permission" Dan told him "Now you can kindly leave my studio or I can call the police to have you removed" he said as he held up the keys to show David that he meant business while David just laughed in disbelief

"You're Mr. Big shot now? You come in to town and we just all fall in line because you've magically started to give a damn about your mother and her work" David said

"You're opinion can be stated as you leave or it could be stated in the back of a squad car. I'm anxious to see which path you take but then again the markings on the arm wouldn't make your police visit a pleasant one, now would it?" Dan questioned as he gave a smug smile as David slowly began to gather his bag. On opposite sides of the room, Dan and David glared on at each other as Dan looked on eagerly for David to leave

"How's the floor?" David asked

"What?" Dan asked

"I said how's the floor?" David asked

"….what the hell is that suppose to…." Dan began to question as David quickly ran across the room to tackle down to the ground. Rolling about on the floor, Dan took a few tries before finally landing a punch on David that caused him to fall back. Rubbing his jaw before Dan attacked once more, David and Dan went into a full out brawl as they knocked over supplies left and right trying to hurt the other with their punches.


Going through the photos, Carter looked on with much attention as he seemed to be the prime target of each photo. Watching to see if Carter would give any clear indication of guilt of being caught, Chuck paced the floor just waiting for Carter to break while the newly hired reporter sat excitedly in the chair just imagining the story he could get off of being in the presence of both Carter and Chuck. Finishing up his viewing of the photos, Carter tossed the photos onto the table before he began to massage his forehead. Looking from Chuck to Carter, the reporter sat back with his notepad on hand as all he had to do was watch for the news to come flying out. Getting up from his seat on the couch, Carter walked over towards the bar to pour himself a glass of vodka.

"You have anything to tell me?" Chuck asked

"Yeah, you should shoot me from the right. It's my better angle" Carter replied before he turned to face Chuck

"This isn't about the stupid shot Carter, this about the rumors behind them" Chuck said "You meeting with business execs, pitching Empire to them. Promising cuts to Victrola" he said

"No making promises to moguls is your thing" Carter replied "Those pictures are made to be something that they aren't" he said

"And what exactly are they supposed to be? You did your daily rounds with people that are fully capable to play vulture along with you" Chuck said

"Wait a minute, you honestly believe this so called rumor?" Carter asked

"What else am I supposed to believe, the proof is printed and in color" Chuck stated

"Which you should know doesn't always mean it's completely accurate" Carter replied

"You're skirting around the question. You're not answering the question!" Chuck yelled

"Because there is no answer with because it's not true" Carter said

"Then what? Why are you with these people?" Chuck asked

"For my father's business conference!" Carter yelled in response to his accusations "He was a speaker at this year's conference and I intended because it was yet another social calendar event for the family" he said

"Then why didn't you mention this?" Chuck asked

"I didn't think I had to" Carter said "If anyone should be having the trust issues in this partnership, it should be me" he said

"Well, it's hard to disagree with you but it was brought to my attention through highly credible sources" Chuck said

"This guy?" Carter asked as he pointed over at the reporter "Your credible source is a reporter that gets paid for these types of stories?….you're really taking paranoia to a whole new level" he said

"This guys is sitting right here" The reporter said

"Shut up!" Carter and Chuck both told him

"Credible sources other than him, who else was feeding you this crap?" Carter asked as he finished up his drink

"You being followed and photographed, that was enough credible source" Chuck sighed

"No being followed is just weird" Carter replied "Hey, you!" he said looking over at the reporter "Who paid you for the photos?" he asked

"This guy" The reporter said

"I'm talking about the before part in this" Carter said "Who paid you?" he asked

"I don't tell my sources" The reporter replied before Carter quickly walked over to grab his camera to hold as leverage "Hey!" he declared

"If you want your camera to survive along with you, you tell who hired you…and don't you dare try to ask for money to help job your memory" Carter said

"Fine, fine. The woman said her name was Liz" The reporter said as Carter and Chuck groaned

"Liz as in Elizabeth, who happens to be your bat crazy mother, who's really starting to piss me off" Carter groaned as he slammed his glass down on the counter as the reporter just seemed to be unsure of where this all may lead "How do you let your mother reek this much havoc under your own nose! She's under your roof and still manages to be a pain in my ass!" he replied angrily

"What did she want?" Chuck asked "And why didn't you tell me this earlier?" he asked

"I thought you knew" The reporter said

"Clearly I didn't" Chuck said "What did she want?" she asked

"She wanted Carter followed because she believed Carter was shopping around the ideas of The Empire for some sort of merger with another heavyweight" The reporter said as the silence became deafening in the room

"I didn't know…" Chuck began to reason

"That's the problem with you, you never know what she's doing, which happens to be screwing up your life but this time screwing with my money!" Carter exclaimed "And I'm not going along with it. I want your mother to be dealt with or else these news headlines will be true" he told him before he made his way out of the office.

"Go" Chuck told the reporter as he pulled his cell phone out while the guy got up slowly "Turn off any bit of media source you have on. I'm not stupid" he said as he ushered the guy towards the door.

"Can I quote you?" The guy asked

"No" Chuck barked back at the guy before the guy left. Closing the door, Chuck immediately took to dialing before putting the phone up to his ear as he walked over to pour himself a drink "Hey, I need you move some things for me….Elizabeth will be moving out today" he said


Watching the officer scribble down on the ticket, Blair sighed as it seemed the longer he took the more he was coming up with to charge the two guys for. Folding her arms, Blair waited as she could only see this would be a while. Once finished, the officer handed her the ticket as he walked over to assure the building manager of the situation being under control before he left. Looking over at the two guys on their opposites side of the room, looking bruised and tattered, Blair just shook her head as she once again proven to be correct about the Humphrey way of handling things. Folding the ticket up to put her pocket, Blair walked in to the studio to look on at the damage the two had done in their little scuffle. Holding the ice pack to his jaw, Dan glared over at David a few times.

"So let's just go over the days events…." Blair began to say

"I'd rather not" David muttered

"Oh, but we will" Blair quickly replied "I wake to send off my writer deprived boyfriend to a hopeful day of writing so I won't have to keep coming up with brilliant ideas that he just passes over, I'm really starting to believe that writing might be my calling by the way. Through much, much, much research I find something to do in Hudson that is of some semblance of entertaining. After preparing to leave by giving wrongful location to the stalkerish slash creepy Lucky boy of where I'd be for the next two hours or until I've reach a level of fear for my life, I walk out the door to get a phone from the building manager, who tells me that a smack down is going on in the studio. Now granted that you two have only managed to damage minimal cost items, this is far from a smack down, this comes along the lines of two men acting like little babies that need to get off thebreast and deal" she scolded them as they both were surprised with how blunt she was

"I thought you were much nicer than this" David said breaking the silence

"Being nice wastes time, being blunt gets the point across" Blair said

"Point taken" David nodded in agreement

"None of this would've happened if you would've just got the hell out of here" Dan replied

"If you would've just obliged my wishes to just be forthcoming about the paintings then this never would've happened" David quickly replied

"I don't have to oblige anything you want" Dan laughed in disbelief

"The paintings belong to me" David replied

"The studio belongs to me" Dan quickly fired back

"Okay, both of you need to shut up. What you're clearly fighting for is childish" Blair said

"You may think it's childish but it's not to me. You're mother worked hard on these paintings, this is what she was most proud of" David said

"You have no right to tell me anything about my mother!" Dan replied angrily

"Apparently I have to in order for you to realize that she wasn't this bad person" David said "Her work was her gift, it's what made her appreciated in her line of work" he said

"This is classic, this is really classic" Dan laughed "I have the guy that disrespected my father by carrying on an affair with my mother while she was married, who just so happens to be shooting up drugs in his arm, is telling me what to do in regards to my own mother" he said

"Artist and drugs, not really surprising on that front" Blair muttered to herself as she thought to herself

"You don't get to tell me what to do because you have no right to. You ruined my relationship with my mother, she chose you. She chose you over me!" Dan yelled

"She didn't" David said

"I was there. I distinctly remember pleading with her to stay and help me put my family back together, but she had to go back to you. She may have come back but it was returning from you" Dan said

"Your mother's work, all of her work….it was about you! It was everything she wished of what you guys could've been or memories that you guys shared. Her kids were her biggest inspiration!" David declared as he ran his hand through his hair "So now don't you get why I can't let you ruin what was her effort to reach you by what you think she was?" he asked

"Don't you think I got that message when I saw all of this?" Dan asked in disbelief "I get it. I got it what my mother was trying to convey to me and I tried with every part of me to still hold the same feelings I had towards my mother but trust me when I say it took a lot for me to just come to the conclusion that I even registered to my mother" he said

"It's true. He went through this whole jackass phase that nearly cost us our relationship. There was strippers, drinking, crazed proposals of marriage….it was truly pathetic" Blair chimed in to say

"I'll never have that conversation with my mother to discover why she did the things she did or say what I need to say as to how she made me feel. All I have is what I can make sense of. All I have is what is tangible enough to consider as her way of speaking to me" Dan said "I'm not asking for your permission because this is the one thing you shouldn't stand in between. You got to know her, you got to see what her passions were in life, you got the laughs, you got the memories, you got the I love you's….I didn't get that, I don't even have that to recall back to. You've taken enough from me, so I don't owe you anything in regards to me getting my closure with my mom. Whether you permit it or not, I'm writing this to understand her not to destroy what she was trying to stay" he said before he got up to leave the studio. Standing in awkward silence, David looked on sadly as Dan left the room before he looked over at Blair.

"Is this my fault?" David asked knowing that he was wrong but wanted further confirmation

"As the girlfriend, I say yes. As someone who saw him deal with losing his mother on numerous occasions, yes" Blair said "I think it's apparent that you loved Alison, that much can be seen. But I think along the way you were so wrapped up into this bubble of your love life with her that you didn't register what life might be like for her kids. That's the thing with having an affair, which I have come to understand through my own actions, you become selfish and think little to who you hurt in the process…and trust me, you do hurt people" she said

"I'm aware" David sighed as he rested his head against the wall

"Dan's a writer, an artist of some kind but with words. He has this way of seeing depth and beauty in all things just like you, which may be every bit of Alison coming through in him but isn't the essence of art is to have the artist convey both dark and light. He's gone through his dark, and I happen to think that him understanding his mother would be some bit of light. Alison is dead, but her art isn't and I think if you claim that she loved Dan and Jenny the way you say she does, then she'd want him to write this story" Blair said before the two were quickly interrupted by the sudden appearance of Lucky busting into the room. Hunching over to breath, Lucky took a few moments to catch his breath while Blair and David just looked on at the boy

"Someone said you were involved in a scuffle. I came to defend your honor since I see your man friend is no longer here to protect you" Lucky said nearly out of breath

"Oh Jesus" Blair muttered to herself "Lucky, how'd you even find me?" she asked

"The heart follows…." Lucky began to say

"Yeah buddy, I don't think this is the time you quote one of those poems" David said

"Future reference….." Blair began to say as she looked over at David while pointing back at Lucky "Find him a hobby" SHE said before she quickly turned to leave the


Rushing through the lobby, Chuck looked down at his watch hoping that he wouldn't be completely late to the session. Boarding the elevator, Chuck looked on at the floor indicator, hoping that the elevator would magically leap to his desired floor but got no such luck in the process. Feeling the vibration of his cell phone, Chuck pulled his cell phone out to see that it was Elizabeth calling. With the threat that Carter had sent his way, Chuck felt reluctant to make any moves against his mother but knew that some action had to be taken against her to rectify the mess she had caused. Hitting ignore on the call, Chuck looked on to see the elevator doors open up before he stepped off the elevator and began to make his way towards the office. Immediately making his way inside, Chuck could see Jenny was eager to leave.

"Sorry" Chuck said as he closed the door behind him

"Don't say sorry, I'm sure this was Bass Industry stuff that Elizabeth made you stay behind to complete" Jenny replied sarcastically as he took his seat across from her on the other couch

"Jenny" The therapist said sternly

"I see my wife has said nothing but glowing things about me" Chuck said

"Well it's hard to say much or do much, when you're not here to refute. So we can pretty much call this session a insightful one" Jenny said

"One sided doesn't imply insightful" Chuck replied

"Why don't we make this more constructive and leave out the insults?" The therapist suggested "Let's start off with….what you two liked about each other in the first place?" he asked of them

"I liked him when his mother was unknown" Jenny muttered as Chuck just gave her a look

"Can you please try?" The therapist asked

"Fine" Jenny sighed "I started to like him when he helped me get through my attack" she confessed

"Attack?" The therapist asked

"Uh, Jenny was raped at a party. I was passed out in the room while she was being raped, and in some case I've always felt like I played a part in her being raped…" Chuck began to say

"But he was there, and helped me through" Jenny said

"Can you recall your first date?" The therapist asked

"What exactly is the point in all of this?" Jenny asked

"The point is to get you guys to see past the bad and see what was good about the two of you" The therapist told them

"We never really had a first date" Chuck admitted after the silence became too much for him to bear "We were never that normal couple under the circumstances that we came to meet. I was after revenge while she was after friendship from me. Our love story is dark, twisted because I think it's only in television that the good girl falls for the bastard in any scenario, but through her grace….she loved me, she loved the only part of me that made sense" he said

"How did marriage come about?" The therapist asked

"…he asked me to come with him to find his mother. We were both in a vulnerable place at that part and all I knew was that I needed him to get through because he was…he was there. So what does any girl do when she thinks that guy she's fallen for without even realizing it has asked you go halfway across the country. Now granted if I knew what finding Elizabeth would mean, I probably wouldn't have but then, he was searching for the love that I don't think any girl could've given him" Jenny said

"Our summer together was the greatest moments of my life. It was the only time in my life where I felt like this was for me, you were for me. All my hook ups, it was always about sex but with Jenny it wasn't. We didn't even make love until a few months into us being married" Chuck said

"What made him marriage material to you?" The therapist asked Jenny

"….the fact that I needed him. I needed him so bad that I eventually realized I loved him" Jenny said "I loved the man he was becoming and the man he was trying to be. That's what made me want to marry him" she said

"Do you think it was your need for each other that caused you to think it was more?" The therapist asked as Chuck and Jenny looked on at each other for a few moments "Do you think it was love or need?" he asked once more

"It was love" Chuck said "At least for me it was" he said as he broke away from her eye contact to convey the pain he was going through in all of this.


Opening up the door to the storage closet, Blair let out a cough as she tried to navigate her way through all the art supplies that Alison had. Coming up with an idea to loosen up Dan, Blair hoped that what she was looking for would be around the loft somewhere. Through piles and piles of stuff, Blair quickly began to pick up on the type of music that Alison liked as it was becoming a constant theme to see classic rock along with the occasional jazz. A slight smile came to her face as she came upon an ABBA record as Blair could only feel delighted that she had something else in common with Dan's mother other than the fact that that she was crazy about her son. Just as she began to further walk into the storage closet, Blair heard her phone begin to vibrate in her back pocket before she reached back to grab it.

"I need you to help me clean up a mess" Serena quickly said once Blair picked up the phone

"Who and what?" Blair asked "Then….what's the obvious weakness then the secondary weakness you can think of and we'll go from there" as she continued her search

"Okay it's scary how you go into that mode but this is not that type of mess" Serena said

"When you start a call with I need you to help me clean up a mess, I can usually under our circumstances jump to that conclusion" Blair said

"True" Serena said after she thought about it "But the who, is your brother. The what is that he hates me" she said

"He doesn't hate. He's too goody to hate" Blair replied

"Well this good guy hates me" Serena said "He overheard me talking about sex with Trip and I'd swear his eyes turned red and then burned me like a Salem witch" she said

"Whoa! What?! You had sex with Trip?!" Blair questioned immediately

"No, I tried but then…" Serena began to say

"How do you try to have sex with a senator?" Blair asked

"Because it was a whole revert back moment but I didn't go through with it and what Tyler heard was me apologizing to Trip for leading him on" Serena said "I tried talking to him and he said something along the lines of not giving a crap about me, which is put mildly on behalf" she told her

"Mildly, huh?" Blair asked as she picked up items to look at "Well shall I skirt around the elephant to wait for you to call it or should I just poke at it to save us time?" she asked

"Go ahead because I'm pretty sure you're on the same wavelength" Serena sighed

"From what little I know about my brother, which is strange in me saying, Sean was his family. Family to him is a big thing so he views you as the person that took his family from him" Blair said

"Which I never intentionally meant to" Serena clarified

"Doesn't matter, you still are linked to him not being here. Tyler lost his parents along with his girlfriend. Sean and him became each other's family" Blair said

"Okay, I get that" Serena said

"Just imagine this, how would you feel if some random person was tied to me leaving for another country, and this person happened to be known for being a screw up?" Blair asked

"Gee thanks, I feel so much better knowing your view of me" Serena replied

"This has nothing to do with the actual truth, this is just hypothetical's . You're the hypothetical screw up that took his best friend away" Blair pointed out once again

"I think I get it now B" Serena said "So how do I fix this? How do I make him not hate me?" she asked

"Well for starters, this may be out of your wheel house. You don't do the clean up mess, which is where I come in" Blair said "I'll call him and tell him to get over himself and stop being an ass, which is a call I had to make anyways seeing as he's denied posting any of those fake allegations I've created about the Sparks. Do you know I had Georgina giving birth to an orangutan?" she told her friend

"Well some things have to change on that front. I need to clean this up" Serena said

"Wow, what's got you all feeling responsible?" Blair asked

"I just don't want to become dependent on you, who's to say you take another trip to Hudson and I need another situation handled of this magnitude" Serena reasoned

"Yes because you should fear Tyler of all people" Blair replied sarcastically "I'm telling you, the boy has a guilt complex that will kick in and he'll come around when you least expect it to tell you that he's mad but he'll find a way to deal with your differences with each other. Then he'll say some cheesy line straight out of Full House" she said trying to comfort her friend

"I don't we'll have that moment but here's to hoping" Serena sighed

"And you're sure about this? You want to be the peacemaker and clean the mess? Because I have no problem doing so. I have no problem doing crisis management beyond giving advice" Blair said

"I love you and appreciate you but I have to do this, I need to do this regardless of how Tyler may take it" Serena said

"Well you know how to find me" Blair told her

"How is Hudson going by the way?" Serena asked

"Bored but good, if that's even possible. I have a teenage stalker" Blair said

"Those were fun when I had them" Serena laughed

"Yeah well this one is very much stalkerish than fun and cute" Blair said as she continued to sift through items "I'm actually on a mission to give Humphrey an early Christmas present" she said

"Oh, that sounds good. Hey, what did you want for Christmas? I got you that new Chanel perfume but I'm thinking I should add something else" Serena asked

"You should, as my rich friend, you should definitely add more for your friend who is budget shopping. I'm not going to be that person that says nothing on my list doesn't matter because the important thing is that I have you, I want everything I have on that list from you" Blair said

"B, seriously? I'm not transferring you a million dollars to a Swiss Bank account" Serena told her.


Taking his seat at the bar, Tyler sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. Wanting nothing more than to blow of some frustration of the day with yet another day survived from staff budget cuts, Tyler found the joys of journalism was quickly being sucked away with all the financial talks around the office. Again, Tyler felt secured with the inside track he had to all things Upper Eastside but he could tell some of his colleagues were starting to question how he was getting his stories. Unable to get out the society page rounds, Tyler lurked in the back at the bar while he listened to the same speeches with the same theme he'd hear on a regular basis. Turning to get his drink from the bartender, Tyler turned to face the stage once more before he realized that Serena was sitting beside on the barstool beside him.

"Oh, God" Tyler groaned in frustration

"Yes, I'm that person you're trying to avoid" Serena told him "I'm not going anywhere" she said

"That you make clear. You don't go anywhere, others do" Tyler replied

"So you're mad that Sean had to go to Spain. What else?" Serena asked as the bartender gave her drink to her

"Excuse me?" Tyler asked

"What else? I mean you've probably acquired a list of things that I do that have made me someone that you couldn't give a shit about, so what is it?" Serena asked "What don't you like about me? Then I'll state what I don't like about you" she said

"I could care less what you don't like about me" Tyler laughed

"You're judgmental. You're sort of like….Dan. You clearly think you do everything right while the rest of sinners just deserve to burn in hell" Serena said before taking a sip of her drink, leaving Tyler surprised with how blunt she was.

"You've talked to Blair, haven't you?" Tyler asked

"She's my best friend, we talk all the time" Serena shrugged off

"You're reckless. You have no clear regard to who you hurt, just as long as you get yours in the end" Tyler quickly fired back

"Reckless, that's nothing new that I haven't heard" Serena laughed

"Then it must be true. That's shocking" Tyler replied sarcastically

"I've done a lot of things in my short existence on this planet to know how I am…" Serena began to say

"No, you don't. You really don't" Tyler said as he just laughed off her statement "You think you have some clue of what you've done but you don't. Sean had a basketball career in New York, he was on the verge of becoming something until you" he said looking on at Serena before the silence had come between them

"I've done my research on you. I've read all about you. I've seen enough of you in magazines and newspapers to know that you all come alike. You all do the same things to those lesser than you…" Tyler replied

"I never saw Sean as lesser than me" Serena quickly refuted

"You led him to believe that you guys had something but then you magically had some sort of a connection with the senator, who gets up on stage to gladly give the announcement that Sean is being elsewhere!?" Tyler exclaimed

"Because I was trying to protect him!" Serena declared

"From what? What were you protecting him from?!" Tyler asked as he looked on at Serena like she was making his point "You were protecting him from your mess, the mess that had him in jail taking the wrap for something you did" he told her

"Yes, he protected me. But that is also the reason I did what I did to get him out of jail" Serena said

"And what is that exactly? What exactly did you do to get him out of jail?" Tyler asked

"Like you haven't come up with your own assumptions" Serena said as she just looked at him for a few moments "Sean had a kid, a baby on the way. I wasn't going to leave him in there to rot, knowing all that I knew about his own father. I was trying to help him" she said

"Well you didn't!" Tyler yelled before everyone's attention soon turned to them, leaving even more helpless at the fact that his emotions were showing. "You didn't help him, you may think you did but you didn't" he said getting his emotions under control

"If he has the opportunity to be in his child's life and play the sport he loves, I'd rather be blamed by you than for him to lose either of the two" Serena said "I'm sorry if that offends you but that's just me being honest" she said as she looked out the corner of her eye at the people looking on at them

"You ever wonder why he hasn't reached out to you?" Tyler asked "I mean since you've all ready confirmed in your mind that you did right by him and saved him, why hasn't he reached out to you?" he asked

"Because we didn't exactly leave things on pleasant terms" Serena replied

"Or because he might not hold you in such high regards that you think. He's doing good, he's playing the sport he loves, he's a father to his son…" Tyler began to say

"Wait, he had…he had a son?" Serena questioned "You've talked to him?" she asked in disbelief "Wouldn't that mean…if he had his son, wouldn't the baby be born…" she began to say

"Premature" Tyler concluded "Yeah, the baby was but the doctors say he'll be fine" he said as Serena began to fan her eyes to stop herself from crying

"What's the name?" Serena asked

"Michael James Anderson" Tyler said as he began to notice that others around them were settling back into their conversations, leaving them to their own "…in the pictures he looks just like Sean. He looked a little weak at first but the little guy is getting stronger" he said as he pulled his phone out to show Serena

"He does, he looks like him. He's got Sean's eyes" Serena smiled on at the picture on Tyler's phone

"I don't hate you. I don't think it's possible for me to hate anyone….but I do blame you" Tyler said as tears welled up in his eyes while he tucked his phone away in his pocket "I blame you because you're the only person to blame in all of this. If there was anyone else, I'd probably blame them because this isn't exactly how I envisioned how things would end up for my best friend and I" he told Serena "I know it's stupid to think but when you have a best friend, you just tend to believe they'll always be in your life. That every disagreement will just fall by wayside, every thing with that person will always be there because they're your best friend, the one person in this world that saves you without needing to be told to do so" he said

"I feel the same about your sister" Serena admitted as she could see Tyler true emotions

"But you have her. You have Blair and you'll always have her" Tyler quickly replied "I've lost more than I've gained thus far in my life…I can't blame anyone for the death of my parents but myself. I can't hold anyone accountable for the pain I've always felt and still feel, but for Sean…I can hold you accountable for that. He's doing good but it's in spite of you…because he gave up on loving someone that would never love him back, and that…that's why he's doing good now" he said before he began to walk away

"For what it's worth, I truly am sorry. I know it won't change anything but if I could go back, I wish things would've turned out differently" Serena said as Tyler stopped to hear what she had to say "You'd have your friend. Eleanor would be cancer free. Blair would've gotten some form of revenge on The Sparks and I would've steered clear of Sean so I'd have no chance in ruining his future. I wish that more than anything" she said

"Well that's the things about wishes….sometimes they don't come true" Tyler said before he walked off while Serena just looked on as he left.

"Happy Christmas Eve" Serena said to herself sadly


Surveying her work, Blair wanted every bit of the night to be special since it was years ago on the eve of Christmas that they had lost their virginities to each other. Though then it wasn't perfect, Blair could only hope the next time it would be reenacted it would be for them. Pushing back the sofas in the living room, Blair had managed to find a bevy of sheets to recreate the night with a bit of an upgrade on her account. Walking into the kitchen to grab the lighter, Blair began to light the candles around to put the final touches on the night. Just as she finished up with lighting the candles and dimming the lights, Blair heard the door begin to open. Tossing her robe to the side, Blair posed quickly as she wanted the first sight Dan to see was her in her newly bought lingerie. Watching the door opened further, Blair gave her best sultry smile before it all came crashing down at the sound of lasagna splattering to the floor.

"Holy…mother…of….God" Lucky said as he looked on in complete shock and surprise while Blair looked on in horror before scurrying around to cover herself "God does answer prayers" he declared

"What the hell are you doing here Lucky?!" Blair asked as she tied her robe up tight

"I came by to bring my mom's lasagna, but what is lasagna compared to the sight before me" Lucky said still mesmerized "I knew you'd come around" he smiled

"No, there is no coming around" Blair replied

"I know the age may be a big issue….but my body…" Lucky began to say before he flexed his muscles "Is ready for you" he told her as he tried to rip open his zip up jacket but found much struggle in doing so

"Lucky" Blair said as she watched him struggle

"Wait, I'll be ready in a few seconds" Lucky said as he continued to struggle "God, why do they make it look so easy on the movies?!" he said to himself

"Lucky! It's a zip up jacket!" Blair exclaimed as Lucky came to a quick halt

"Right, let's do this over…" Lucky began to say

"How bout we not" Blair quickly replied

"I'm not yet a man but I am boy with many toys" Lucky said "Erotic toys" he mouthed to her

"Lucky, I'm not trying to seduce you…" Blair began to say "Do you understand that?" she asked

"Of course I understand. No seduction is necessary with your natural beauty" Lucky reasoned

"And you keep missing the point. Lucky I'm not trying to seduce you in anyway. All of this is for Dan, my boyfriend…" Blair began to say

"You're man friend" Lucky quickly replied

"My boyfriend" Blair said

"Man friend" Lucky quickly replied once more

"Lucky, sit down" Blair then said as Lucky walked over to take a seat

"Just to let you know, my mother is fully independent and takes no crap when it comes to schooling and grades, so I love a woman in charge because I love my mother" Lucky said as Blair looked at him strangely

"Lucky, you are an interesting yet strange boy. But I do think that you have an upside, somewhere. You have to realize though that when a girl doesn't look at you the way you look at her, that sort of means she doesn't like you in that way…no it's definite she doesn't like that" Blair told him

"So you think it's weird?" Lucky asked

"No….it's crazy, creepy, disturbing, scary. You're even teetering on the lines of future stalker in the making" Blair went on to tell him as Lucky couldn't help but feel dejected by her

"You probably think I'm just some little dweeb" Lucky sighed

"No, I don't think that. I don't even say the word dweeb" Blair reasoned as she took a moment to think "Why do you have this apparent like of me?" she asked

"Because….you don't know me well enough to know that I am a dweeb. Then you're hot" Lucky told her

"All of which I agree with" Blair said finding his compliment to be endearing "But don't you think you should like girls your own age. Preferably in high school" she said

"Girls in high school like the jocks or the guys with connections. They don't like the guys that read comics or hang around coffee shops" Lucky said

"You'd be surprised what girls fall for when they're not being mentally googled in your mind" Blair laughed "Girls like the jocks because they want to hide their own securities but all girls really want is a guy to take the time to get to know them" she said

"So if I would've asked you questions and gotten to know you, then you would've fallen for me?" Lucky asked with a bit of hope

"Can I lie at this point?" Blair asked as she didn't want to further crush Lucky's spirits but he clearly wanted the honesty "No but that's only because I've all ready found the guy I want to be with" she said

"Sexually…" Lucky began to say

"In every sense and I really don't feel comfortable to talk sex with a thirteen year old" Blair said

"Sorry" Lucky said

"The right girl will come along and will be floored with how good lucky you are, then you'll forget I even existed. I'm just a fantasy, an unobtainable desire" Blair said

"Did you fall in love in high school?" Lucky asked "Is that even possible or is it all just fairy tale fantasies?" he followed up

"Yes, I did but I found out what love really was after. So you'll have plenty of time to find the girl of your dreams" Blair told him "So no more of the drooling or longing looks" she told him

"Okay" Lucky agreed before Blair attempted to hug him but found it be best to just pat him on the head

"Is it wrong to ask a girl if I could cop a feel?" Lucky asked

"You can go now" Blair quickly replied as she got up from the sofa.


This fire grows higher

This fire grows higher

This fire grows higher

This fire grows higher

Finishing up her book, Eleanor relieved herself of her glasses before placing them on the table. Slowly getting up from the sofa, Eleanor found nice and slow to be her only speed that she could go at. Hearing the sounds of the elevator door opening up, Eleanor stopped midway in the living room to see who it was. Surprised to see Jenny walking through the door, Eleanor let out a smile as the girl made her way in with a wrapped gift in hand. Jenny hadn't noticed Eleanor immediately but Eleanor had seen enough of the girl to realize that she had been crying. Once her eyes landed upon Eleanor, Jenny quickly perked up as she wanted to convey that nothing was wrong.

"My dad wanted me to drop this gift off for you" Jenny said as she began to walk over towards the Christmas tree to put it under the tree "The tree looks amazing" she said taking a few moments to look on at the tree

"Yes. Dorota has outdone herself as per usual" Eleanor said "Is everything okay Jenny?" she asked as Jenny seemed surprised that Eleanor would ask her that question. For a moment, Jenny thought to come up with a good excuse or dodge the question all together but she could see that Eleanor was reading her so clearly.

"Uh….I was just wondering" Jenny fumbled for words as tears welled up in her eyes "How do you know when you're marriage is over?" she cried as Eleanor walked over to give Jenny a hug as she sobbed away in Eleanor's arms.

"You're making me feel useful again" Eleanor laughed as she stroked Jenny's hair while Jenny continued to cry.

When there's a burning in your heart

An endless yearning in your heart

Build it bigger than the sun

Let it grow, let it grow

When there's a burning in your heart

Don't be alarmed

This fire grows higher

Stepping off the elevator, Chuck began to loosen up his tie as he quickly saw the movers carrying some of Elizabeth things board the elevator as he was stepping off. Hearing his mother's rants from down the hall, Chuck could decipher what mood his mother was in before even seeing her. Heading into the penthouse, Elizabeth quickly turned her attention towards her son as she nearly ran over towards him in a fit of panic.

"Chuck, tell these men to put my stuff down" Elizabeth said

"I can't do that" Chuck replied

"Why not?" Elizabeth asked

"Because I've called for them to move your stuff out" Chuck told her

"For what?!" Elizabeth asked in disbelief

"Betrayal" Chuck told her "I love you but you've gone too far with your latest stunt. You're costing me more than I'm gaining" he told her

"Betrayal? I've never betrayed you" Elizabeth said as Chuck grabbed the bottle of vodka from the bar as he walked towards his bedroom

"Security will be up to escort you out. Goodnight mother!" Chuck called out before he closed his bedroom door behind him while the movers continued to carry her stuff out while she stood in confusion as to what she had done.

When there's a doubt within your mind

Because you're thinking all the time

Framing rights into wrongs

Move along, move along

When there's a doubt within your mind

Taking pictures of his latest subject, the reporter got off a few good snapshots before he could be spotted. Stuffing his camera away in his carrying bag, the reporter began to walk towards the street so he could go on to his next target. Checking his cell phone, the reporter kept his focus on his phone unaware of the black town car that pulled up in front of him. Looking on into the car, the reporter was caught off guard to see the door open up towards him. Hesitantly getting into the car, the reporter was relieved to see a familiar face.

"I thought I'd make sure we had a clear understanding about how things are supposed to be after this" Carter said

"Make your business partner believe you were conspiring against him while making him believe it was his mother. Yeah, I'm pretty clear on that" The reporter laughed "Was that really necessary? To gaslight him like that" he said

"This is about business, anything is necessary" Carter said as he reached into his pocket to pull out a wad of cash "I believe this will tide you over for what you would've made" he said as the reporter wasted no time in counting it

"Do you have anymore pressing stories or shake ups that you need assistance in?" The reporter asked

"Of course, more is sure to be coming. But until then….nope…" Carter said as he reached across to open up the car door "I think I have it from here" he said as he motioned for the guy to get out the car

When there's a burning in your heart

And you think it'll burst apart

Or there's nothing to feel

Save the tears, save the tears

When there's a burning in your heart

Watching as the movers delicately moved the art pieces out, Dan found himself watching intently as if they were children being handled. Walking over towards the center of the room, Dan looked around at his mother's studio just wondering how his mother managed to draw so much inspiration and if he could manage to channel the same imagination she had. As he looked around, Dan' glanced over to see David making his way inside the studio with boxes in hand, which only made Dan nervous as to what he had in them.

"I'm not up for another sparring session. Their mine…." Dan began to say

"I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to help you" David said as he put the boxes down to open them up to show off the collage of pictures that were of Dan and Jenny "She kept this and would do her mock drawings off of them. In the paintings, the boys facial expressions come from some of these photos. She called her master set because this was how you were and imagining anything else would be a complete failure" he said as Dan kneeled down to look on at all the pictures his mother had of him

"Why are you doing this?" Dan asked after a few moments

"She wanted you to come back here, she wanted to talk to you through her work….and I think it's high time you two talk for a change" David told him "Her art was the only thing I had of her and I guess I wanted to hold on the only semblance of her that remained, but she always belonged to you. Even if she was never physically there, she belonged to her kids" he said

And if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born

Then it's time to go

And define your destination

There's so many different places to call home

Because when you find yourself the villain in the story you have written

Moving her foot nervously as she sat with her legs crossed, Serena did her best to pass the time in the waiting area of the airport with sportswatch. It had been an app that she had recently downloaded for the times she couldn't be able to watch the games at the bar. European basketball had been hard to get a automatic update on with current games but Serena figured with enough persistence of the team webpage, Serena would get as close to the current score as possible. Hearing the announcer call out the plane number that had just landed, Serena immediately got up from her seat and began to walk towards the greeting area. Just as she walked over to get a good spot, Serena couldn't help but notice Carter in the crowd. Giving a few glances over in his direction, Serena finally came to the conclusion that it was indeed Carter.

"Carter, what are you doing here?" Serena asked as she walked over towards Carter

"The same reason you're here" Carter replied "I came to see him" he said as they turned to see Eric making his way towards the greeting area of where they stood.

"Serena. Carter" Eric said to them

"Oh, the seasons greetings that will come" Carter laughed as he draped his arm around Eric's shoulder "C'mon let's get you out of here and into a strip club" he said as he lead Eric out, leaving Serena confused.

"Tis da season" Serena sighed as she began to follow the boys

It's plain to see

That sometimes the best intentions are in need of redemptions

Would you agree?I

f so please show me

This fire grows higher

When there's a burning in your heart

Laughing at the pictures of a toddler Humphrey, Blair couldn't but find the pictures to be so endearing of him. With each picture that he had went through, Dan was surprised to see that his mother had pictures of Dan from his fifth birthday all the way up to his thirteenth. In some odd way, Dan felt like this was a Christmas gift that he needed to see in order to feel some bit of assurance that what he was doing was okay. Exchanging a few smiles with Blair, Dan could tell that Blair was happy that this trip was turning out to be a positive than the negative

"Do you think I'm crazy for doing this?" Dan asked as he looked back at Blair before she leaned forward to wrap her arm around his neck as they sat on the floor looking on at the remaining artwork in the studio.

"I think you'd be doing her work justice" Blair told him "You two would finally have that conversation you were hoping to have with her" she said before she kissed his neck

"And what if I ruin what everyone came to love about her pieces?" Dan asked

"I hardly think that's possible" Blair laughed softly "The story is about you in the eyes of the mother, now you write the story in the eyes of the boy" she told him

"I do know another story we could retell that has similar settings" Dan said after a few moments of silence came between while Blair caught on to what he was saying

"Before you even try to move further, we need to make sure doors and windows are locked" Blair told him

"Why?" Dan asked

"We need to take every precaution necessary" Blair said as she got up from the floor to lock the door, leaving Dan confused before he just eventually laughed at her paranoia.


Music/Lyrics Used in this Chapter

Deathcab For Cutie- Tourist


Author's Note: This chapter was pretty chill. It was moreso about establishing that Dan will be writing his book about his mother's paintings through the boys perspective. I will breakdown by characters/pairings.

Dair- as stated before this chapter was pretty chill and laid back, with minimal scandal. Lol. Dan of course is back in Hudson to retrieve the paintings for his book but got much protest from David, Alison's boyfriend. David is sort of a hot mess right now and he viewed the paintings as all he had left of Alison but Blair in her loving way helps him see that he's taken enough from Dan. I liked Dan and Blair in this chapter because the story thus far has been about Blair, so it was nice to put the attention on Dan. Establishing his story arc because he is in fact a writer.

Blair/Lucky- Lucky was little when he was at the funeral in Second Time Around, so I wanted to make him a little pervy as a teen boy is sometimes. I wrote Lucky in the terms of a mini Carter but adolescent version with a crush on Blair. Blair definitely had her hands full with this kid but I liked their interaction.

Serena/Tyler- I wanted to have them confront the issue between them and that was the fact that Tyler blamed Serena for why Sean had to leave. Tyler is dealing with so much and is in a lost state but can fake it pretty good, so I wanted to have him sort of crack with Serena. I wanted Serena to deal with the tension head on rather than avoid it because on the show, I never really saw Serena take real responsibility for her actions. Whether it was intentional or not, Serena did cost Tyler his best friend. Of course we all know what happened but Tyler only knows that Sean protected Serena with the minimal suspicion that she was in an abusive relationship. Tyler's objectivity is out the window because all he's seeing is that my friend should've never gotten involved with you.

Carter/Chuck/Elizabeth/Jenny- I liked this storyline the most because I think it has the potential to be bigger than what it was originally intended to be. I kept thinking abotu this storyline and I was dumbfounded with how many avenues it could go down because their are so many playeres involved. But I will say this storyline will serve for some huge scandal and betrayal. I love Carter because he's that free spirit but I love him more because he's still undefined as a character. He's a truth teller but he's also a screw up, which is fun to write for because he doesn't have to fit into any certain role. He's the ace. In this storyline he really shows his ruthless side because Chuck has sort of pushed him towards it. The Empire is a big deal for him, so he's sort of tired of waiting for things to come together, he's just going for it. Carter views Chuck as obstacle so he's truly in all sense put his business partner in a web of distractions because as you know, he's brought Eric back, which will threaten his marriage to Jenny. Carter has managed to play Chuck into kicking his mother out. He just morphed into this badass that I'm liking.

Tyler/Georgina- They weren't int he chapter but I got a lot of mixed reviews on them. I love the mix reviews because I've got you guys where I want you. Yes, I'm evil and manipulative like that. Lol. Tyler and Georgina are supposed to be wrong, sexy, disgusting, and all the above. It's the thrill of two people, who aren't supposed to be together because they should hate each other because their families do, but they have this unexpected draw to each other. They relate because they both know what it feels like to not be wanted or to be rejected in some sense. Tyler has no one in the sense of family that he grew up with, he still feels like an outsider in the Upper Eastside. He blames himself still for the death of his parents and girlfriend that he feels like any form of happiness is bad. Will that mean love for him and Georgina? I can't answer but I can say this story will be twisty and dark. I want to humanize Georgina but still keep her essence of what makes her unique as a villain.