"Dan!"

Dan looked up from his seat in the cafeteria and watched as Blair led Serena and Nate through the maze of tables. He gave a weak wave to the two Upper East Siders who were headed his wave, putting in his bookmark between the pages and closing the book he had been flipping through. He stood from the table, giving Nate a brief, but firm, handshake before Serena threw her arms around his neck. "Hey, Serena," he said, giving her a small squeeze.

"It's so nice to see you," she said. "We've all missed you." Serena stepped down, squeezing his upper arms.

Dan smiled bashfully, running a hand over his head. "It's nice to see you guys, too."

"Enough with the sappy small talk," Blair said, putting her arms between the two of them and separating them. "Are you done eating, Dan? We were going to go to the grocery store and get some snacks and drinks for the weekend. Do you want to come?"

He looked down at his full plate and back at Blair, "I just got here. I'll stick around here."

Blair huffed, "Fine. Suit yourself. Don't complain at the drink choices tonight. Oh, but since you're around, can you see who is around tomorrow? I want to go out with Nate and Serena. They both seem to want to hang out in my room tonight, something about being tired from flying, but I was thinking we can go out tomorrow?"

Dan opened his mouth to respond, but Blair had already turned around and was motioning for Serena and Nate to follow her.

"Well, see you guys later, I guess," Dan said. Serena gave Dan a quick pat on the shoulder and Nate shrugged as he walked by.

When Dan walked in to Blair's room, he quickly noted that Nate and Blair were sitting next to each other so that their legs were intertwined in front of them in the floor. "Hey," he said awkwardly, closing the door behind him.

Blair quickly moved away from Nate on the bed where they sat. "Dan," she said, her voice catching. "Serena just went to the bathroom quickly. Nate was just showing me something on his phone."

Nate held up his phone for illustration. Nate, in his credit, was keeping his face neutral as he acknowledged Dan's presence in the room with a nod. "We have a ton of beer in the fridge in the kitchen," Nate said. "If you want anything to drink."

"I'm good," Dan said, holding up his water bottle that he was clutching. "I figured I'd take it easy tonight if you guys are wanting to have a big night tomorrow."

"We might go out tonight too," Blair said, looking at Nate who was nodding in agreement. "Nate and Serena napped when we got back to the store, so they are feeling very refreshed."

"Are you guys still in New York?" Dan asked, sitting down at the desk chair.

Nate shook his head, "I'm in Barcelona. Serena is in Copenhagen. I was visiting Serena in Copenhagen for a couple of days before we headed here. It's really not a long flight, but we went out last night. The Danes know how to drink."

"Cool," Dan said, looking around the room and avoiding either of their eyes. He felt unsettled, as though he was pushed off his axis. He knew Nate and Serena were visiting, what he didn't know that Nate might have wormed his way from friend to something more with Blair. And Dan didn't know what to think of that. It might have been almost a year since they dated, but he still felt protective of Blair especially given that Nate and her's rocky relationship was what pushed them to be friends in the first place.

He was interrupted out of his thoughts when Serena opened the door. She looked at Dan and then he noticed she glanced quickly back to the bed. "Dan! I'm glad you made it. We were just talking about how long it had been since we all hung out."

"Super long," Dan said, his voice monotone.

Serena cocked her head to the side, "You okay, Dan?"

"Actually," he said, standing from the chair, glad to be given an out. "I don't really feel the greatest right now. I think I'm going to go lay down, maybe have an early night." Before anyone could stop him, he had crossed the room and quickly exited. He picked up the pace once the door closed safely behind him.

He heard the door open behind him and he had to actively stop himself from walking faster. "Dan?"

Dan turned on his heel, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "Serena."

"Hey," she said, pushing a piece of hair out of her face. "I know you said you didn't feel well, but…" she trailed off, biting her lower lip. Dan waited. She took a deep breath in, "Can I stay in your room tonight? I don't… particularly want to be bunking with the two of them."

"Oh," Dan said, surprised. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

Serena's eyes brightened, "Seriously? Thank you. I'm sure you can guess as to why."

"Yeah, uh…"

Serena's face fell, "Oh. Oh, Dan, did you- did she not tell you?"

"Are they together?"

Serena ran a hand through her hair, stopping at the ends and examining them. "I don't think it's official or anything. It's more along the casual lines than anything."

"Right," Dan said, looking to the room where Blair's head had popped out and was staring back at him. "Well, Blair knows my room number. If you want to just come on down whenever. You can take the bed."

"No," she shook her head. "Blair actually got an air mattress, so I can just bring that down. I'll be down soon," she said, leaning on her toes and kissing him quickly on the cheek. "Thanks, Dan."

She turned away, walking down the hall and past Blair who was now walking towards Dan. "Humphrey," she said, her voice raised slightly.

Dan resisted the urge to walk away. "Blair," he sighed.

"It's not what it could look like," Blair said, glancing back at her open door. "We're not-"

"Blair," he said, holding her shoulders, "it's fine. Whatever makes you happy. We're friends."

Blair pushed his hands away, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" he challenged, raising her eyebrows.

"This. The way you say it. As though you can already see the outcome of it. As though you pity me."

"I don't pity you, Blair. I just question sometimes the things you choose to do to yourself."

"It's different," she said, crossing her arms. "There are no strings attached. It's just fun. There's history."

"Blair," he said firmly. "I'm happy for you. What do you want me to say?"

"The truth. I don't need you to be happy for me, Dan. If we're friends, tell me the truth. Don't sugarcoat it with patronizing sayings that you think I want to hear."

"The truth is I think that if you get back with Nate you are doing yourself a disservice and wasting your time," Dan said, his voice quiet. "When I met you, you were both hurting each other for sport."

Blair let out a harsh laugh, "Well, then."

Dan stared at her for a second before speaking, "Again, if you are happy then I am happy."

"I am happy," she said, standing a bit taller. "Nate and I have worked things out over the last year in being friends."

"Good," Dan said, stepping backwards, away from her.

"Good," she repeated.

"This is why I didn't want to sleep in that room," Serena yelled over the music as she pointed to a corner of the club where Nate and Blair were currently making out. "So, thank you for saving me."

Dan glanced over quickly and then back to Serena, "How long?"

Serena shrugged, moving her head side to side. "Who knows? Forever. They are always going to be like this. Don't be upset, Dan," she said, looping her arm around his neck and making him move to the song with her.

Dan half heartedly did a bit of a two step before looking over again, "Why would I be upset?"

"She did really like you," Serena said, her lips pressed against Dan's cheek as she talked. "She was kind of a mess after everything happened with you. I don't think anyone has ever broken up with Blair Waldorf. Probably because she's also only dated you and Nate."

Serena let him go, bouncing to the music in a small circle. There were plenty of guys trying to dance with her, some even going so far as putting their hands on her waist and trying to pull her to them. She very easily pushed them away and continued to dance in her own little world.

"Do you think they'll last?"

Serena raised her eyebrows, "Do they ever?" She stopped dancing for a second, holding his hand, "You are asking a lot of questions and raising a lot of concerns who kept insisting last night that you are just friends."

"I still care about her."

"Mmmhmm," she said, pulling Dan through the crowd and to the bar where it was slightly quieter. "Dan, if you want to be her friend then be her friend. You're the one who broke up with her," she said, pressing her finger into his chest. "You're the one who told her that there was something you couldn't get over. Don't be surprised that she moved on."

"But to him? Again?"

"There is a certain comfort in knowing what kind of hurt to expect," Serena said, fanning herself. "I'm hot. Are you hot?"

"I think that's what happens when you dance continuously for two hours," Dan mumbled, ordering both of them waters from the bartender.

Serena quickly drank hers, putting the bottle back on the bar. She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and rested her elbow on the bar top, "You're a good friend for her to have. Don't ruin it because you can't over the fact she takes him back."

"Why would you think I would ruin it?"

"Because jealous boys have a tendency to do just that," Serena said, winking at him before shimmying her way past the crowd and back to the middle of the dance floor.