Dan groaned, hearing his phone go off next to him. It had always been a Humphrey tradition to sleep in as late as possible on Christmas because whoever got up first had to make the breakfast for the other two (three when Dan's mother was still in the picture). Dan opened up one eye, trying to figure out if he had forgotten to turn off a stray alarm for school or if someone was truly interrupting his dream of winning the Pulitzer.

It was the second.

Dan rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up quickly as he saw his reflection on his phone screen from the FaceTime call from Blair and it was not a good look. He yawned as he slide to accept the call.

"Oh, did I wake you?" Blair said, looking in to the camera from her phone. "I'm so sorry, Dan! I can call back later."

"No," Dan said, his voice cracking. "It's fine. I should get up anyways. What time is it?" he asked, looking around his room to see if anything had a clock on it.

"It's around noon here," Blair said, biting her lip and looking guilty. "For some reason, I thought it was later. I think it's because I've been up since 6-"

"6?" Dan asked incredulously. "Why are you up so early? It's not like you believe that there's a magical old man creeping into your house early in the morning and leaving you presents."

"It's the excitement, Dan," Blair said, her lips downturning into a small frown. "It's just the idea of Christmas and I love Christmas."

"I thought Thanksgiving was your favorite holiday," Dan said, trying to stifle a yawn and failing.

Blair scrunched her eyebrows together, "It is but loving one holiday doesn't mean you can't love another one. Dan, do you want me to call you back? Maybe closer to 2? That would be like eight your time?"

Dan propped himself up in his bed, scratching his chest, "No, it's fine. I'm up, I'm up." He was barely keeping his eyes open but they had barely a chance to talk since Blair landed in France that he didn't want to blow the opportunity if she had a free minute.

"Dan, I will be so offended if you fall asleep while we're talking so why don't you just go back to bed? Just call me when you are up."

"Are you sure?" he asked through another yawn. "I could just make some coffee?"

Blair laughed, "Dan, it's fine. Just go back to bed. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with your morning breath."

"Ha… ha," Dan said, sliding back down into his bed and glad to give up the guise of being away. "I'll call you when I wake up. Merry Christmas, Blair."

"Merry Christmas, Dan!"


Dan woke for the second time that morning to the smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen to his bedroom. Grabbing at a shirt on the floor of his bedroom, he slipped it on and reluctantly placed his feet on the ground. Checking his phone, which read a more acceptable time of 9:30. Dan opened his door slowly and stuck his head out, "Is there coffee?"

"Of course," Rufus's voice said back to him, a hint of laughter playing under the surface. "You think I would tempt my kids with bacon and not be ready with a full pot of coffee?"

Dan shuffled from the safety of his bedroom to the kitchen where Jenny was leaning her elbows on the counter and eating a piece of bacon that was on a plate in front of her. "Sleeping beauty," Jenny said, looking over to him. "Although, and I told this to dad, I believe you should be the one cooking us breakfast."

"And why is that?"

"I heard you up this morning. I was shaken from my sleep from this screeching sounds- like an animal dying… except it was your voice."

"Jenny, it's Christmas," Rufus said, pointing the spatula at her. "Be nice to your brother."

"Okay," Jenny said, rolling her eyes, "sorry, not like a dying animal. Maybe like a tortured animal."

"Better," Rufus said, laughing.

Dan made a face at his sister before reaching his hand to grab a piece of bacon for himself. "It's not my fault that I have a girlfriend who wants to talk to me. Imagine that?"

"I just can't," Jenny said. "If I were you, I wouldn't taunt me about anything. I hold your fate in my hands."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Don't act like you forgot Jenny has your Christmas gift from Blair," Rufus said, his back towards the kids as he continued to cook the eggs. "I've seen you by her room, trying to peek into her room."

"I was just trying to make sure she was living a clean life, Dad. I don't want you have to live with a slob."

"Yeah, okay, Dan," Jenny said. "That's really believable."

"You know," Rufus said, turning around with the pan in his hand, "some people really hate holidays and I just can't see why with kids with mine." Rufus put the pan of eggs on the table and watched as both of his kids hurried from the counter to the table. "Sure, don't let the cook eat first."

Jenny took her full plate of eggs and bacon to the couch and grabbed the remote, "Good things come to those who wait, Dad."

Rufus looked down at the nearly empty plan, "I don't think that counts for when it comes to breakfast."

"Maybe you should have made more eggs," Dan said, swallowing a forkful of his breakfast. "Can we put off opening presents by a couple minutes?"

"Come on, Dan. First you make us wait for breakfast because you cheated this year and now you want wait for presents?" Jenny said, throwing a pillow at him. "You can't ruin every Christmas tradition."

"I just want to call Blair."

"Or, you open her present and call her after," Jenny said, sighing loudly as though that was obvious. "And then you can thank her while crying that you miss her so much."

"I meant to ask you, Jen," Dan said, looking over to his younger sister. "When exactly did you get the present from Blair because I don't think she brought it when I made her dinner?"

Jenny shrugged, "A magician never tells the secrets to their tricks."

"And now you're a magician?"

"Well, I have the ability to make your present disappear."

"And apparently three eggs and a fistful of bacon," Rufus said, from the other side of the couch while eyeing Jenny's plate.

Jenny scowled, "Don't judge me. I was hungry. I've been preparing for breakfast since dummy over here woke me up. Don't blame me, blame him."


"Hi," Blair answered her phone, the screen showing her in the hallway of her dad's house. "I can't really talk for long. We're having dinner with some of my dad's friends. Based on their age, I would say they are more Roman's friends but France is weird."

"Sorry for calling so late," Dan said, his back against his headboard. "We ended up getting distracted watching a stupid movie my dad bought Jenny."

"Don't worry about it," Blair said, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "It's Christmas. If you were going to watch a movie with your family, this is a pretty good day to choose."

"I know, I just… when do you come back?"

"Right before New Year's. I changed my flight. How boring would it be to spend New Year's with my dad, Roman and a bunch of French models?"

"Yeah, probably best you come home," Dan nodded. "I wouldn't want you to bore yourself around some models."

Blair smiled, "How is your Christmas so far?"

"It's good! Jenny got me some books and my dad got me a gift card for the Apple store to put to a new lap top."

"Anything else you opened?"

"Oh, right, can't believe I forgot," Dan said, playfully hitting himself in the forehead. "My mom sent over some new clothes for me and Jen, which was nice to even think of us. Sometimes she gets so wrapped up in her art that she forgets its December and we get presents in March."

"Well, that was nice of her," Blair said. She suddenly turned her head to the side and was talking to someone out of frame, "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute. I'm just talking to my boyfriend." She turned her head back and shrugged, "One of Roman's friends. He brought the dessert and told me earlier that he would consider it a crime against our budding friendship if I didn't devour an entire piece."

"Do you have to go?"

Blair looked down the hallway again and back to Dan, "I think I can get away with a couple more minutes." Blair started to walk down the hallway and Dan was transported to a familiar bedroom and the last summer, which felt more than a couple months removed from normal life. "Do you want to know what I got?"

"Of course," Dan said, placing a hand behind his head.

Blair looked around her room and turned around her phone to show Dan an enevelope, "In here was a very lengthy apology letter that was in my dad's handwriting but I suspect dictated by Roman. Either way, I'll take it." She turned the camera to the closet, "And they both pitched in to buy me some very nice things from their favorite French designers. And here," Blair said, pointing towards a mirror, "they got me this mirror for my bedroom here. Roman said if I was going to spend anytime looking at myself here it should only be in the finest glass."

"Very nice," Dan said, taking Blair in in the mirror. She was wearing a short black dress with a red headband pushing her hair back from her head. "Well, I for one am glad for the mirror. You look very nice."

Blair smiled, turning the phone back around, "Thank you. I was debating wearing this dress for New Year's as there will be no pictures of me wearing it tonight."

"Double dipping in your wardrobe?" Dan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I know," Blair said, pursing her lips together. "How absolutely scandalous of me. Also, about New Years, one of my high school friends is having a party if you want to go to that with me? Serena also mentioned her and Nate were going to a bar, but that was being rented out by Chuck Bass and I know how you feel about him…"

"Super warmly obviously," Dan said, taking a sharp breath. "Whatever you want to do, Blair. I was just planning on watching the ball drop on my computer the next morning as I would be sleeping through that."

"Well, we can't have that." Dan could hear a door open on the other side of the line and instinctively moved his head to look at his own dad. He could hear a male voice talking to Blair and Blair nodding. "One more minute," she told the person off screen. Dan heard the door close and her attention return to him. "It was my dad. I should be going."

"I forgot to mention my favorite present," Dan said, holding up a photo book that had been placed on his nightstand.

Blair smiled naughtily, "You know that if we ever break up, I will watch you burn that."

"So I should make copies now?"

"Very cute," Blair said. "I hope you didn't open it in front of your dad."

"God, no. Although it was kind of hard to convince them that you only had packed a scarf in the box."

"I mean," Blair said, "It is Burberry. It's a very nice scarf."

"It is very nice," Dan agreed but waved the book around, "but this was nicer."

"Something a little nice, something a little… not so nice. I'll be on both of Santa's lists this year."

"You sure will," Dan said, laughing. "And both my dad and Jenny wanted me to send you their thanks for their gifts as well. You're making me feel very inadequate not getting something to send over to your dad and Roman… or even your mom, who is in the city."

Blair shook her head, "Don't. I would be worried that you were having Jenny do all your holiday prep if you handed over me presents to give to my parents." Blair looked to the door, "I should go, my dad's definitely tapping on the door now." Blair blew him an air kiss, "I am very much looking forward to seeing you when I get back."

"Me too. I think there were some outfits in this book that I haven't seen in person."

"We can go through my closet together to find them," she said, with a wink.

"Are you sure you don't want to change your flight to tonight?" Dan said, smirking.

Blair laughed, "I wish."