Sorry for the delay! This chapter took a little longer to write mostly since I wanted to focus a bit more on Nate and Serena and then of course Dan's POV which I promised last chapter. Thank you for being so patient, it's much appreciated! Also thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, it made me glad to hear you guys liked the addition of Vanessa. She's definitely stirring things up in this story :) Hope you enjoy this chapter!
The second Serena hears that Vanessa Abrams has officially returned to Pearl Island, a pang of regret hits her. As though she already knows what irreparable damage this will do to her relationship which had been skating on thin ice for weeks. She's in line at the market on Elm, when she first hears the name uttered. The bottle of beer she had been about to put in her basket, a small something for Nate, almost clatters to the floor. She recovers and lets out a breath as she gently sets it in her basket. She remains still, listening as Gabriela Abrams tells the shop owner all about the welcome dinner she's arranging for Vanessa.
Serena clearly remembered telling the girls that the plan was called off, yet leave it to one of them to go rogue. She would bet it was Nelly Yuki in an attempt to finally win Serena and the rest of the Pearls over. Well, Nelly had been woefully misguided and Serena would be letting her have it. In due time.
In the meantime, she had to go do preemptive damage control. She quickly checks out, once Gabriela is gone, and makes a beeline for what she still hopes is her future home.
Serena tentatively taps on Nate's office door, hoping he's home. "Come in,"
Serena readjusts the grocery bags on her arm as she opens the door with a bright smile. "Hi, I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Never," Nate grins and she knows he hasn't heard yet. At least this time she'll be able to break the news. Perhaps it won't be as bad as the Chuck situation.
"I brought us lunch and a drink because I would bet you could use one after your morning conference call with the school board. I know how those parents are always a headache." Serena guides Nate to the kitchen and begins unpacking the containers of pasta salad, fruit, and cheeses.
Nate picks up the bottle, "Thank you, you have no idea how much I needed this."
Halfway through lunch, Serena finally brings herself to break the news. "So, while I ran into Gabriela at the market." She tells a white lie. "It sounds like Vanessa has returned from Bali. I'm so surprised, I thought she would have continued her travels for much longer. Didn't you?"
Nate looks up, dropping his fork back onto his napkin. "Vanessa is back? Does Dan know?"
"Not sure," Serena keeps her gaze focused on her plate. "I haven't seen him lately."
"I should find out," Nate looks distractedly out the window. "First Chuck, then Vanessa. What is it with all the exes popping up?"
"I don't know," Serena says tersely, quickly correcting herself. "I just hope this reunion will be better than that of Blair and her ex's. Don't you?"
"I really do," Nate nods and then changes the topic. "So, only two weeks to go. Are you ready to be Mrs. Archibald?"
Serena nods, with feeling. The easy expression on his face should comfort her, should reassure her that there was no need to worry at all, clearly, Nate doesn't suspect a thing. But still, she can't shake the foreboding sensation.
Dan's fist clenches and unclenches as he drunkenly stumbles up the driveway, the stars shining above him and the night air brisk against his warm skin. The memory of Carter and Blair is still fresh in his mind, the collective case of beer he downed with Aaron doing little to clear it away. He wonders now if he's in her cottage, taking his spot on the couch, or worse in her bed where Dan never was.
His eyes flick to the cottage and then he realizes there are no cars in the driveway, Carter can't be with her. But still, he wants to make sure. He needs to make sure.
He's about to go up the stairs to knock on her door but then he sees a light out of the corner of his eye. His cottage, it's lit up. As though someone's home. He turns suddenly and stalks to his own front door, jamming the key in the lock and succefully opening the door after the third attempt.
Before him, is a ghost.
"Finally," She laughs. "I was beginning to think I had the wrong address."
"Vanessa." Dan says coldly, frozen in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"
"You don't look very happy," She pouts in a way that reminds him of Serena, oddly. "I wanted to surprise you. I just got back from Bali."
"I see that." Dan waits for further explanation. "But why are you here?"
Vanessa steps closer and he sees that her travels have only deepened her tan and made her hair even more unruly. "To see you," She reaches over him to close the door and then looks at him properly. "You apparently already got started on the celebration though. How much have you had to drink?"
"Not enough, apparently." Dan throws his keys on the side table and kicks off his shoes, making his way toward the mini fridge in search of water. He needs to sober up to wrap his mind around this new development, even if all he wants to do is drink more to forget the day.
"Okay," Vanessa laughs. "Well, I made us dinner." She points to the counter where Dan didn't even notice the tagine steaming. "A recipe I learned from one of the family's I stayed with. It's Moroccan."
"I don't think I'm hungry." Dan downs his water and then stares her down. "You still have your key?"
"Of course, I hope you don't mind me using it." Vanessa smiles.
"You should have told me you were coming." Dan rubs a hand over his face, wondering how he can politely tell her to leave.
"I'm sorry. Like I said, I wanted it to be a surprise." Vanessa starts serving up the food even though he said he didn't want any. Typical. "By the way, I met Blair. She seems very cozy for someone who clearly doesn't belong here."
Vanessa's tone instantly makes Dan tense and he narrows his eyes at her. "You met Blair? What do you mean?"
"She dropped by," Vanessa shrugs and Dan's heartbeat falters.
"When?"
"This morning," Vanessa sets out silverware at the table.
Dan wishes he could rewind time. So that he could be here this morning, not Vanessa. He can't even imagine what that was like, Blair meeting Vanessa. And what did Vanessa say to her? A thought seizes him, what if that was why Blair was with Carter tonight?
With purpose, he marches toward the front door ignoring Vanessa calling after him.
After a solid minute of incessant knocking, Blair finally answers. The door open, Dan pushes past her inside, shutting the door behind him. "We need to talk."
Blair stands motionless momentarily but then rounds on him. "Yes, we do. About the fact that you don't live here anymore and can't just come barging in as you please. What the fuck Humphrey?"
She folds her arms over her chest and Dan notices that she still hasn't changed out of her date clothes. She still looks pristine except for the slightest smear to her lipstick that makes him wonder if that was caused by Carter. The thought elicits another surge of jealousy. He realizes then, that it's an unfamiliar emotion. One that he always scoffed at when he saw others exhibit such a reaction, but now it feels like a sensation he will be getting used to.
"Vanessa said you came by this morning." He says vaguely, hoping she'll fill in the rest.
"Yes, I did." Blair replies cooly. "Congratulations, by the way, Humphrey. Only you could manage to find a girlfriend with even worse sense of style than you have. You two will make quite the pair. Front page of Fashion Police for sure."
"Blair," Dan levels. "Vanessa isn't my girlfriend."
Blair winces. "Well, she was so what difference does it make? Either way, my initial impression that you have terrible taste is only proven by her existence. So go ahead and get back to your backslide while I bleach this place of you. I'm worried such terrible judgment might be contagious."
She starts to push him toward the door but Dan remains firmly rooted to where he stands. Her hands are tightly wrapped around his arms as she futilely shoves him but before she can remove them, he brings his hands up to her own. "It does make a difference." He tries to meet her gaze but she looks away, wriggling a little in his gentle grasp. "Doesn't it?"
He thinks he's gotten through to her, her eyes soften and meet his. But then she blinks and the softness is gone, replaced by an invisible wall. "No. In fact, it's irrelevant to me." She briskly breaks free of him. "Now if you'll excuse me I have cleaning to do and you have tropical diseases to go contract from your… whatever she is."
"Are you going to keep seeing Carter?" Dan asks suddenly, he knows he has no right to ask, not after he didn't kiss her back the other night. But he finds himself needing to know the answer before he leaves. He knows he's not going to get through to her about Vanessa, at least not yet. Maybe once he's gotten Vanessa to leave he can explain himself properly to Blair.
"Of course." She replies and he feels a wrenching sensation in his chest. "We work together, remember? Oh and speaking of that, if you do obtain some rural infection from that nomad, I'm not accepting new patients. So you'll need to see Dr. Baizen or Dr. van der Woodsen."
With that, she swings the front door shut on him.
The most irritating part of Dan's little inquisition last night was the effect his mere presence had on Blair. As soon as she opened the door, a flicker of happiness seized her, until she remembered her. Then, he had the audacity to ask her about Vanessa. What did he think? That she was going to give him her blessing? Fucking idiot.
She couldn't deny Dan telling her that Vanessa wasn't his girlfriend and that it makes a difference had given her a tiny beacon of hope. Until she remembered, she'd been down the road to heartbreak too many times lately. Sure Vanessa wasn't his girlfriend now, but she had seen the way the girl seemed so at ease in his house. The message was clear, he was hers.
Perhaps if it wasn't for the trauma of constantly battling for Chuck's affections and eventually losing them, just as she always feared she would, she would fight for Dan. She would ask him why it mattered, why he didn't kiss her back if that was the case… But she wouldn't do that. Not when she knew better.
That's why today, she would focus on her work and making new relationships in this town. Carter made it clear he wouldn't pursue her until she was over Dan, so maybe it was time to get over him. Except, the tiny problem was that she had no clue how to get over someone that was never hers in the first place.
"Earth to Blair… Hello, you in there?" Blair's eyes snap open and she sees Dorota waving a hand in front of her.
"Sorry," Blair sits up a little straighter in her desk chair. "I was just…"
"Daydreaming about Dan Humphrey?" Dorota's mouth quirks.
"No," Blair replies feistily. "I was not."
Dorota rolls her eyes and taps on the desk. "Well, it time to leave. Past five. Come on, come eat with me, Emi, and C. Vanya working tonight. Keep me company."
"Fine," Blair reluctantly gets up and gathers her things.
In the car, she stares straight out the windshield, not even paying attention to Dorota's ramblings about her and Vanya's debates over which preschool is best for Emil.
"What with you?" Dorota's head turns briefly to survey Blair from the driver's seat. "Resting bitch face seem more bitch than rest today."
That gets Blair's attention. "I do not have resting bitch face and what you said doesn't even make sense. How do you even know that term?"
"New nanny show me Urban Dictionary. Now I can use cool kid terms when we text." Dorota sports a proud smile.
"Great," Blair replies sardonically. "I better block your number as a preemptive measure. So why are you saying I have RBF?"
"You cranky ever since Vanessa Abrams come back." Dorota chides. "That mean you and Dan have fight?"
"I could care less about that mumu-wearing hippie." Blair folds her arms across her chest. "Why does everyone insist on asking me my opinion of her? Obviously, she's not fit for my company or that of any self-respecting citizen of the town. Or the whole of the East Coast for that matter. She and Dan can get married in a barn with the stench of manure and hens laying eggs beside them for all I fucking care."
"I knew it!" Dorota jabs a finger Blair's way. Blair reminds her to keep watch on the road, she's eager to get to Dorota's. But of course, they'd hit every red so Dorota can continue her interrogation. "You want Dan Humphrey all to yourself. Well, I don't know why you worry. He not into her, it obvious. They exes anyway."
"She's living with him so I don't think so." Blair corrects, trying to sound nonchalant.
"No," Dorota insists. "Her parents my neighbors. I see her late last night."
"Wait," Blair whirls her head to stare at Dorota. "No. Stop the car. If she's your neighbor, I'm not coming to dinner."
"Calm, Blair, calm." Dorota says soothingly, pulling onto her block. "They live in that farm-style corner house. You won't even know she down the street."
Blair looks admonishingly at the unkempt lawn and overgrown weeds. "Have they never heard of a gardener?"
"They say 'There no planet B and watering help kill planet. They make Vanya only water at night now.' I think good for environment. I like."
"Great, the next thing I know you'll be telling me the Abrams have talked you into joining a commune." Blair unbuckles her seatbelt and reluctantly gets out of the car.
Inside, Dorota relieves the nanny, referred to her by one of Blair's patients, and the kids eagerly greet Blair. Blair finds herself smiling at the way they've grown so attached to her this past month. Once the nanny has left, Dorota heads to the kitchen to start cooking. Blair tries to help but Dorota insists she play with the children instead.
Over gołąbki, a traditional Polish dish, Dorota starts up her favorite conversation topic. "So why you worry about Vanessa? You never answer."
"Being worried would imply I'm invested in Dan which I'm not." Blair says crisply as she takes a sip of her wine.
"Deny, deny, deny…" Dorota whispers not so quietly. "You have no need to worry. He just not that into her. Like movie! Remember, you make me watch with you long time ago. I pay attention!" Dorota taps her forehead. "Before they date, Vanessa hopelessly in love with Dan. He never notice. Then, one day, they together. Odd she the one to leave when she love him. Maybe she knew he never love her back." Dorota shrugs. "Anyway, he look at you the way he never look at Vanessa. So no more worry. Just tell him you like him."
"Clearly you don't remember the movie well enough, Dorota." Blair looks up from her plate. "The whole point of the movie is that if a guy likes a girl, he will do anything to be with her. No exceptions. Have you seen any grand romantic or even any romantic gestures from Dan?"
"Yes," Dorota says to Blair's surprise. "He drive you everywhere. He invite you to dinner with his family every Sunday. He wait for you while you break up with Mister Chuck." She ticks them off one by one.
"Those aren't romantic gestures. Those are just-" Blair flusters. "Gestures!"
"His way of showing he love you." Dorota counters.
"He doesn't love me!" Blair raises her voice.
"I love you!" Emi pipes up.
"We know Emi." Dorota pats her son.
"Dorota, trust me on this." Blair says cryptically.
"How you know?"
Blair huffs and decides to play her ace. "Because I kissed him and he rejected me." She feels her cheeks flush and a fresh wave of hurt as she confesses this.
Dorota looks at her sympathetically. "I did not know."
"Now you do," Blair says sadly.
"Maybe there an explanati-"
Blair interrupts her. "Emil is bored by all this talk of love." She clears her throat. "Can we change the subject? Emil, what did you and Abigail do today?"
By the time Blair has left Dorota's her curiosity has peaked enough that she can't help but linger, for just a moment, outside of the cottages. Her eyes stay fixed on Dan's, willing herself to see inside as though she has x-ray vision. Ever since Dorota said she had seen Vanessa staying at her parents, she can't help but wonder if she has it all wrong.
But then, the memory of the kiss floods her mind and she knows that no, she didn't have it wrong. If he wanted to be with her, he wouldn't have stopped that from happening. He wouldn't have spent weeks living with her and never mentioning the idea of something more.
She shakes away her foolish thoughts and goes up the steps to her own cottage.
Dan supposed getting Vanessa out of his place and into her parents should be considered a victory. But he had hoped for more, as cruel as it sounds, to send her straight back to Bali or maybe even through a time warp that would have made it so she never popped up. He still wonders what it was that Blair was going to say to him yesterday morning, had he been the one to answer the door. But now, he figured it would be nearly impossible to find out.
Her walls were put up again, ten feet higher than they were before, and he couldn't even remember how he had gotten her to put them down for him once. As he glances toward where the curtains are drawn in her living room, he sees it's empty and he misses the days of driving her to work. That duty is bestowed back upon Dorota now he presumes. Or hopes rather, flinching as he thinks of Carter and the possibility of him taking his place.
Once he gets into the bar, he already knows what Georgina will say. But still, it stings to hear.
"I told you so," She sing-songs. "You ask for advice, I say make a move, 'Blair won't be single for long', but do you listen? Dan, nice guys always finish last. Haven't you heard that before?"
"Georgina," Dan huffs. "This really isn't helpful."
"Sorry, but I can't help it." She shrugs. "I like being right."
"That's why you and Blair get along so well," Dan counters.
"I suppose that's true." Georgina throws him a towel to help her start drying dishes and he takes it. "So did you get rid of V?"
"Sort of," Dan sighs. "She's at her parents now at least. I still don't get why she would just show up like that and make herself at home."
"I told you that one had something off about her." Georgina smirks. "It takes crazy to know crazy."
"Admitting it is the first step, Georgina." Dan says sardonically. Then, he turns to her. "How serious do you think Blair is about Carter?"
Georgina laughs. "I don't think Carter is who you should be worried about. Get Vanessa out of town and I bet you Carter will go back to giving his affections to Ivy League sorority girls rather than wasting them on Blair. Who will never return them, by the way."
Georgina's words give Dan a small sense of comfort. But still, he needs to make sure. "Really?"
"Yes," She says a little exasperated with a pat on his shoulder. "Why is she back anyways?"
"She said something about a postcard from The Pearls." Dan shakes his head. "I thought they all hated her ever since she protested their cotillion."
"Sounds like something Serena cooked up to me," Georgina replies confidently. "Hasn't she been out to get Blair the whole summer? Guess she's smarter than I thought. Although I'd bet her hopes were more along the lines of driving Blair out of town rather straight into Carter's arms. It's ironic, really."
For the rest of the day, Dan ponders whether this really could be Serena's doing. The circumstances of the renovations had been a little questionable but if anything, that would do the opposite of what bringing Vanessa back to Pearl Island would accomplish.
When Nate knocks on his door that evening, he's a welcome reprieve from his thoughts.
"Hey man, got a minute?" Dan opens the door wider in response and Nate follows in. "So I heard Vanessa is back…"
"Yeah," Dan scrubs a hand over his face. "I guess she is."
"It looks like you aren't too happy about it," Nate sets the case of beers he was holding on the counter and opens up a couple bottles for them.
"I don't know, it's just really unexpected. It sort of threw things for a loop," He says cryptically.
"With Blair, you mean?" Nate keenly observes.
"Yeah," Dan reluctantly admits and takes a sip of his beer.
"It was obvious something was going on. So what happened?"
Dan exhales and recounts the tale of Blair kissing him and Dan stopping it. "I just didn't want to be her rebound, you know? I wanted to go on a date with her first, do things right."
"Right," Nate nods. "But now Vanessa's here…"
"...And Blair thinks we are together even though I told her we're not. I guess it was something Vanessa said to her or maybe since Vanessa was here when I wasn't."
"Where did she even get a key?" Nate asks.
"She says she still had it but I clearly remember asking for it back when we broke up. I'm pretty sure I gave that spare key to Jenny or my Dad. So it doesn't make sense."
A look of suspicion crosses Nate's face and Dan asks about it. "What?"
Nate sighs. "I hope I'm wrong but I don't know... I just have a feeling Serena had something to do with this. I just don't know who she is anymore. Ever since Blair got here, she's just morphed into someone I don't recognize. I guess I'm just having doubts." Nate's shoulders sag.
"Maybe it's just nerves about the wedding," Dan tries to placate. "I'm sure that's normal."
"But it's not. Marrying Serena was something I knew I'd do for so long, it's just now that it's here I just can't help but feel like it's not the same Serena I'm about to marry." He shakes his head. "I don't know if that makes sense. But I think if she had something to do with this Vanessa thing, I need to have a talk with her."
Dan takes in Nate's words, unsure of what to say. Looking at his friend, it's like he's already made up his mind. He could tell him the Vanessa stuff isn't that big of a deal, it's trivial in comparison to the life ahead he has with Serena, but he's certain it wouldn't make a difference. So instead, the two just sip their beers in silence both thinking about the girls making their heads swirl.
Serena gets the answer she was waiting for at brunch. As soon as she sets eyes on Nelly Yuki, who is brazenly sitting where Penelope usually sits, she knows it was her. The girl is practically jittering out of her seat with excitement.
"Nelly?" Serena sits down and fixes her attention on the girl. "Do you have something to tell the group?"
Everyone's heads swivel to where Nelly sits. "Yes, as you may of heard, Vanessa is back. Blair went on a date with Carter and has been going out of her mind at the office. I even looked through her computer history and there was a search for 'Flights to New York.'" Nelly waits for a round of applause and looks defeated when none comes.
Serena meanwhile, is trying not to unleash the fury she feels building within her. She would love nothing more than to blame the problems with Nate on Nelly and her going rogue but then, that wouldn't be fair would it? Because she's the one who got the girls thinking of ways to get rid of Blair. Had she not ever started this whole operation, perhaps there wouldn't be a growing divide between her and her fiance.
So instead she says this, "I really wish you would have consulted us, Nelly. If you recall, one of The Pearls doctrines is to always trust her sisters to help and guide her."
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Penelope smirk, clearly pleased by Nelly being rebuked. Nelly meanwhile fidgets. "Sorry, Serena. I just- I thought this was what you wanted."
Serena can't help but agree, "I thought it was too. But it's not."
Serena stands, smoothing out the pleats of her dress, "I have to leave ladies, meeting adjourned."
With that, she sets off for Nate's and prays coming clean will be enough to prevent this mess from interfering with her wedding day.
By the time Serena knocks on his front door, Nate has had a few days to think. Thoughts that he never thought would cross his mind yet somehow felt like they were always destined to appear. Ones that he knows will be harder to say aloud.
But the moment he opens to door to see her in her floral shirtdress and a neat string of pearls around her neck, he knows it's time.
"I'm glad you're here," He tells her as he leads her toward the couch. "I've been thinking that we needed to talk."
He sees Serena's smile leave her face and be replaced with a look of concern. "You have?"
"Yes," He exhales and takes her hands which he feels tremble slightly under his touch. He can tell this wasn't what she was expecting. She clearly had something she needed to say, expected to be leading the conversation. But he needs to do this, before she changes his mind. "About the wedding."
"The wedding?" She echoes, her perfectly pink-lipsticked mouth falling open slightly.
"Serena," He falters as his eyes fix on her diamond ring, the one that meant they would spend the rest of their lives together. "I think we both know that things haven't been right with us for a while. I think the wedding was a distraction, a good distraction but also a bad one. Because we stopped being us. Two people who wanted to marry each other and spend forever together and instead two people who had to get married. Because it was expected of us. And there's something that doesn't sit right with me about that."
"You don't want to marry me?" She sounds affronted.
"I-" Nate doesn't know how to answer. "Serena, I just feel like we don't even know each other anymore. You've been spending so much time with The Pearls which of course I support but it's turning into something I don't support. Like all this business with Blair. She's my friend, Serena, and Dan's too. The girl I fell in love didn't fill her time with schemes and plots to get rid of someone who was just trying to find a new home."
Serena's eyes fill with tears and she takes a minute to speak. "Nate, I came here to tell you that I'm done with all that. I realize what I did was wrong, it was awful. I didn't mean to hurt Blair. I just, I felt you slipping away and I thought it was Blair's fault. But we can fix this, the wedding is-"
Nate stops her, willing his resolve to stay strong despite the vulnerability across her face. He has to say it now. Because if he doesn't, he never will.
"The wedding is off, Serena."
TBC...
Nate and Serena fans, don't worry this isn't the end of their story! As many of you have mentioned and I think I've also said, Serena didn't have much depth on the show unfortunately but I think her character had potential. So I like the idea of her life being turned upside down by a broken engagement and then her being forced to find a new purpose and direction. I'm definitely going for the Lemon Breeland angle where her character was unlikeable Season 1 of Hart of Dixie but by the end, was someone that could be rooted for. So stay tuned for some Serena growth and for more Dan and Blair scenes!
PS. Next chapter has a fun Serena and Blair scene inspired by a Lemon/Zoe scene on Hart of Dixie. Can't wait for you guys to read it!
Thank you for reading!