Here's the next chapter! Lemme know what you guys think

...

It was almost a week and a half since she'd talked to Nate and Serena couldn't take it anymore. She hopped out of bed and started packing.

Eric walked in her room and gave her a suspicious look. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go back to Nate. I can't be away from him for this long."

"But we're supposed to be here like 4 more days."

"I know, I'm really sorry."

"You've only been gone 9 days…not even in the double digits! I never get to see you! Literally seen you twice in the last year and a half. Plus it's almost midnight."

"I know, I know. I'm really sorry I just...there's a flight to JFK in an hour and a half and I can't miss it. It's the only flight that leaves today. But I promise we will do this again soon I just…I don't like the way I left things."

Eric nodded. "Okay, I understand. But a promise is a promise, we will see each other again soon.

Serena kissed his cheek. "We will. I love you."

He finished stuffing her clothes in the suitcase and ran to grab a car. She tried to turn on her phone on the way to the airport but it was dead. She cursed at herself because she knew she didn't have time to buy one once she got to the airport. She asked her driver to borrow his phone and called the airport to buy her ticket. Once the airline confirmed that she got a seat she felt herself relax.

Serena hailed a cab at JFK and frowned at her phone. She kept trying to turn it on even though she knew it was dead. After what seemed like an eternity she got to her apartment and frowned to see that it was empty. It was 10AM on a Saturday, where could Nate possibly be?"

She plugged in her phone and hopped in the shower. After a few minutes of waiting for her phone to turn on, she used the intercom and called down to the doorman. "Hi John. It's Serena. Do you know where Nate is?"

"He hasn't been here all week, ma'am."

"What?"

"He's sent his driver here to get some clothes but I haven't seen him."

"Oh…okay. Thanks." She pulled out her laptop and checked her e-mail. She pulled up an e-mail from Blair and scanned it quickly. She was so confused by what she was reading. She saw another one from Chuck with pretty much the same pleading message. Then, another e-mail caught her eye. Of course, they were all at William's luncheon.

She ran to her closet to pick out a dress.

…

Nate walked up to the stage and read a speech that Blair had written for him the night before. He talked about how inspiring his grandfather was and how much he'd done for the coven. He looked up at the crowd every couple of seconds so that his speech seemed more believable. At least, he'd shown up. He took a breath and continued, only one paragraph to go. "My grandfather was a great man, he—" He looked up and felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him.

Serena had just entered the hall and her gaze met his. The rest of the crowd waited for him to continue but after a few seconds they each turned their head to see what he was looking at, and Serena soon found the whole room staring at her. She gave everyone a polite smile and gave Nate a confused glance. Why wasn't he saying anything? Everyone slowly turned their heads back to the front of the room.

Nate cleared his throat but he was too overwhelmed to go on. His mind was racing with questions. "Excuse me." He didn't care that everyone was watching, he needed to find out what she had to say for herself. What she could possibly say after just leaving like that. The crowd cleared the way for him and he made a beeline for her. She wore a blush-colored dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Her skin was tan and glowing, and her blonde locks were highlighted from being in the sun.

She didn't understand why Nate couldn't finish his speech, why he was heading towards her with such purpose. He stopped when he was a couple of steps in front of her and watched her silently. He looked at her expectantly and she wasn't sure what to say. "Hey," was all she managed to say. Nate narrowed his eyes at her and walked out of the room and Serena followed closely behind.

Anne Archibald was now at the podium demanding everyone's attention and people hesitated but turned back to the front of the room.

He turned a corner sharply and went into the coat check closet, the closest place where they could find privacy.

Serena frowned at his choice of venue. "Nate, what are we doing in here?"

He gave her an angry look. "That's all you have to say? Why don't you tell me what the hell you're thinking? You can't just say you're leaving me and then come back and just say hey."

"Well, I mean, I know that. But I thought my decision was more than understandable considering the circumstances."

"I thought we were stronger than that. That you'd want to work through it." He was pacing around the room now. "I thought you loved me."

"I did…I do. I said that to you in my message."

"You mean the message you left with Tripp? Yeah I got that loud and clear so why the fuck are you here?" He couldn't believe she'd show up to his grandfather's luncheon. It was such a low blow he couldn't believe it.

Serena wasn't sure what to say. She was not expecting to find such an angry Nate. "Okay, well I'm sorry I left but I'm back now. I thought you'd be happy I came back early and I wasn't going to come here but I was worried after John said you hadn't been home in a week."

Nate was just confused now. "What do you mean you came back early? I guess anything is early when you say you're leaving forever and that you never want to hear from me again."

"What? I did not say that."

"You left the message with Tripp."

"No. Nate, no. I told Tripp to tell you that I love you and that we were okay but that I was going to go on a two week vacation with my brother."

Nate gave her a blank look. "What?"

She was piecing together the e-mails. "You thought I left you?"

"I—"

She closed the distance between them. "I could never do that."

He pulled away from her. "I'm sorry I just…I can't believe this. I tried calling you over and over."

"Eric and I made a no-technology vow so we could bond. I also told you that in my message. What the hell did Tripp say to you?"

Nate was getting angry all over again. "I'm going to kill him." He turned on his heel and walked out.

…

Nate walked back into the banquet hall and made a beeline for Tripp. Serena was at a disadvantage in her Louboutins but she ran after him anyway. "Nate, don't! He's not worth it."

Chuck turned when he saw the commotion. Nate tapped on Tripp's shoulder and punched him hard in the face when he turned around. The impact was hard enough so he stumbled backward and fell flat on his butt. Everyone in the room was gathering around them and some were even snapping pictures. "Get up!"

Serena grabbed Nate's arm. "Please let's just go."

Tripp stood up slowly and rubbed his cheek where he'd been punched. "Nate…whatever she said to you isn't true."

Serena glared at him. He was an asshole.

Nate shook his head at him. "You and me, we're done." He turned and walked out of the building. Serena was right behind him as he hailed a cab. She wasn't sure what to say to him. They climbed into the car and rode home silence. She grabbed his hand. "Does it hurt?"

He shook his head. "No."

She brought his hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss on each on his knuckles. "I'm sorry the luncheon was ruined."

"It's not your fault."

"Why is Tripp trying to keep us apart?" She didn't understand why he would lie, what he could gain from them being broken up.

"I don't know." The car pulled up to their apartment and he got up and held the door open to her.

The doorman looked surprised to see them but greeted them warmly. They quietly rode in the elevator and then walked into their apartment a minute later. She frowned at him. "Why haven't you been here all week? I don't get it."

He frowned at her. "I just hated being here without you. If you decide to go on an impromptu trip ever again, you should answer your phone or at least set up your mailbox."

She nodded quietly at him. She was the one who was supposed to be angry at him, now he was the one taking a stern tone with her. "Good tip."

He sighed. "I'm sorry I'm just…really—" He didn't finish his sentence and looked at her. I'm so glad you're here."

She smiled at him. That was more like it. She noticed that the furniture was not where it usually was. "Did you do some redecorating while I was gone?" She walked to the windows and opened the curtains to let some sun in.

He shrugged. "Not on purpose. So…you're back for good?"

"Nate, I never actually left!"

"Right, It just seems too good to be true. God, I hate Tripp." He plopped down on the couch and undid his tie.

Serena walked over and sat next to him. "He's not even worth it." She looked down at her lap. "Everything is such a mess now, I don't even know how we got here."

"Yeah. You know, I wasn't just going to let you go so easily. I was going to try to find you and fight for you."

She smiled at him, hearing that made her feel warm and bubbly inside. "I love you."

He leaned over and kissed her lips passionately.

…

Nate woke up to the smell of pancakes. He was confused and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He stepped out and the smell hit him again, he definitely wasn't dreaming. He walked over to the kitchen cautiously. "Serena? Are you making pancakes?"

Serena shook her head. "Waffles, actually. Are you hungry?"

He nodded. "Yeah but –" She motioned for him to sit and he took a sit at the bar so he could still look at her. She placed a plate in front of him and a waffle. "Go ahead, I already ate." She placed fruit and maple syrup in front of him.

He slowly added blueberries and strawberries to his waffle without taking his eyes off her. He definitely had to be dreaming. "Is this a dream?"

She gave him a concerned look. "No. I can cook sometimes…"

"Ok, well I appreciate it." He took a bite of his waffle and smiled pleasantly. "I don't deserve you."

She kissed his cheek.

Nate suddenly remembered that Serena had no idea what was going on with Chuck and Blair. "We need to go visit Chuck and Blair."

She didn't expect him to say that. "Right now?"

"Yes. Right now. Trust me."

…

Nate and Serena stepped out of the elevator and into Blair and Chuck's apartment. Nate led her by the hand and took her into the living room, where Blair sat flipping through a magazine. "Serena!"

Serena smiled at her best friend. They hadn't greeted each other properly since she got back from her vacation. "Hey B."

"I'm so sorry, S."

"Me too. I'm just happy we're all together again."

She looked from Nate to Serena. "You guys are good?"

Nate looked at Serena and nodded. "Yeah. Where's Chuck?"

Chuck walked out of his study. "I thought I heard you guys. Welcome back, Serena."

Nate raised his eyebrows at them. "Actually, you did miss some things while you were gone. Blair? Chuck?"

Blair gave Serena a beaming look and didn't have to say anything else. Serena's eyes widened. "No."

Blair nodded.

They both grabbed hands and jumped up and down squealing in joy. They hugged tightly and made more excited noises.

Nate and Chuck exchanged a look. They were confused as to how so much was said without a word being exchanged.

Blair pulled away from the hug. "And…not only that but also…" She held out her hand.

"Shut up!" She grabbed her hand and examined the ring. "I'm so happy for you! It's beautiful!" She kissed her cheek and then turned to give Chuck a big hug. "When is your wedding?"

"Um…two weeks."

"What!"

"Yup. You're my maid of honor, if you accept."

"Obviously, yes! Nate, you knew and you didn't tell me? That was literally the first thing you should have said to me."

"Well…we were preoccupied."

Serena's hand went Blair's stomach. "I can't believe it. B, you're going to have such a beautiful baby. Now, tell me everything!" They went to the couch and started discussing wedding details.

Chuck motioned Nate to his study. "Your mom has been calling me non-stop. "

"I know. She even came to my apartment but I didn't let her in the building. I don't even want to hear what she has to say. But let me guess, she said that I have humiliated my family and that I need to do damage control."

Chuck nodded. "Pretty much. I'm sure Tripp deserved it. What the hell happened?"

Nate gave him the short-version of the story; he could hardly keep up with it himself. "All that matters now is that she's back."

"Wow. He really did deserve it." He cleared his throat and suddenly got serious. He took out a envelope and handed it to Nate silently.

Nate opened it to find a single piece of paper inside. He looked at Chuck. "Nate, there's nothing. No evidence, no trace left behind. It's unbelievable."

Nate ran his fingers through his hair. "So whoever murdered my grandfather is going to get away with it?"

"I didn't say that. It's just going to take more time."

Nate nodded. "You need to focus on Blair right now, her well-being, and your wedding."

"I'm an excellent multi-tasker. Besides, we don't want them coming after you next. It's a very real possibility."

Nate nodded slowly. "I know. Listen, can we not talk about this in front of Serena? I don't want her to have to worry about someone wanting to murder me, especially since it's so far fetched right now."

Chuck shook his head. "It's not far-fetched, it's the logical next step. But we shouldn't worry Serena or Blair."

"Thanks, man."

"And Nathaniel? You really should call your mother. At least so she can stop bothering me. You know you're on page six? Quite a great picture of you taking Tripp out."

Nate couldn't help but smile. "Maybe I'll frame it. And yes, I'll call her later."

…

Nate refused to address his very public fight with Tripp. All he said was that there was a family disagreement and left it at that. He ignored the disapproving glances that came from his parents. He'd been extremely busy shuffling from one meeting to the next and he couldn't believe his grandfather found time to do much else.

Anne Archibald walked into her son's office. "You look very handsome in your suit."

Nate looked up at her from his desk. He assumed he was her assistant getting him some he'd asked for. He stood up and he kissed her cheek gingerly. "What are you doing here?

"Oh that's not very welcoming."

"Sorry. Um, what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something very important."

Nate sat back down and tried to look interested. "Go ahead."

"I heard that Blair and Chuck are expecting."

Nate raised his eyebrows at her but said nothing.

"I want a grandchild, Nathaniel. We need something good to happen to our family now…now that my father is gone. Please."

Nate suddenly felt guilty for being so distant. "I think that would be a great idea. I'm just not sure how Serena would feel about it."

Anne smiled at him. "Oh I'm sure she'll come around soon enough. Anyway, I'll let you get back to work."