"This will be you and Jenny's room, Vanessa," Blair said, opening a door to a room with a king sized bed. "And Dan, you'll be where you stayed before. Do you need me to show you where that is again?"

Jenny moved past Dan to drop her bag off in the room and falling on to the bed, her arms outstretched. "Lush," she said, closing her eyes.

"Thanks, Blair," Vanessa said, stepping past both Blair and Dan to revel in the room. "This might be nicer than any hotel I've ever stayed in." Vanessa raised her eyebrows, "What is the catch?"

Blair shrugged, "No catch. You would have gotten your own space if Nate wasn't here. I debated putting you in Dan's room, since I know you like to sleep in his bed-"

Jenny interrupted by loudly laughing from the bed. "She's got you there, Vanessa. At least you are lucky enough to still share with a Humphrey."

Dan watched as Blair's lips twitched, clearly pleased at her ability to make his sister laugh. "Blair," he said, placing his hand on her hip and leaning in slightly. "I told you we got an Air B&B."

She huffed, "Seriously, Humphrey? You think I would make you spend money on an Air B&B around here? One, they are all less than average at best and two, what kind of host do you think I am?"

"You weren't supposed to be the host, we're crashing your Thanksgiving. Vanessa, can you see if we can cancel the reservation?"

"Don't bother," Blair said, sounding exasperated. "I already cancelled it. Dad and Roman know the owner of it, they called him and explained the situation."

"Uh," Dan looked at his sister and Vanessa who both were looking smug. "Thanks, Blair." He shifted his backpack on his shoulder. "Well, I should go put this down- does your dad need help in the kitchen?"

Jenny scoffed, "You can't cook, Dan."

"Thanks for the reminder, Jen," Dan glared at her. "I was going to offer up your help."

"Actually, Humphrey," Blair said, her cheeks reddening. "I can use your help quickly. In my bedroom." Blair turned, walking further down the hall where her room was. Dan stood motionless in the doorway of Jenny and Vanessa's room until Blair beckoned him with her finger, wagging her finger at him. Dan pointed in her direction to the other two and followed her, leaving the two of them mocking him by pretending to make out with their hands.

She closed her bedroom door behind them and sat on the bed cross legged, "I have a confession."

"That you hate me for bringing Vanessa here?"

"God, Humphrey, get over that. She's not my taste of a friend, but you obviously care about her so I am trying."

"That's new," he teased. Blair pouted for a second before he continued, "I mean, you even made a joke back there. That was… something."

Blair pushed out her lips, tapping her finger against her chin. "So, how do I say this?"

"Say what?" Dan said. He played with the straps on his backpack waiting for Blair to make whatever confession that she might have had. "Your dad is going to spear me and serve me for dinner?" he joked.

Blair rolled her eyes. "No… but he does think we are," she bit her bottom lip, pausing before she finished her thought, "dating."

"Oh," Dan chuckled. "Is that all?"

"What? We're not."

"Yes," Dan said, stepping towards her bed, "you've said that many times. Well, if we're not- why does he think that?"

"He just knows that I've spent a good amount of time with you at school and has assumed. It's easier than trying to explain our… situation."

Dan scratched his forehead, standing above her. "Well, is he going to try and get Nate with you in front of me again?"

Blair pressed her hands in to the bed behind and looked up at him, lightly shaking her head. "Oh, no, he is over that. I think he's allowing that ship to sail. He is still very sad that the merger of the Waldorfs and Archibalds won't happen, but he is still hopeful that I will find a suitable match. He's calling this my rebellious era."

"Oh," Dan nodded, thinking he got it now. "So, I should expect a lecture about our break up?"

"No," Blair responded, a piece of hair falling into her face as she again shook her head in response. "I learned from my break ups with Nate, I told my parents only the most sparse of details. He thinks it was quite civil."

"So," Dan said, his head leaning to the side as he tried to put together the bread crumbs that she thought she was leaving out for him. "Why does this matter?"

Blair fell back on her bed, her hair framing her face on the white comforter. "I am just telling you so you know what to expect. And, you know, so you don't have to act like a monk around me."

"Blair, I'm not going to maul you in front of your dad."

"You're making this so impossible, Humphrey," she closed her eyes. "Just act like a boyfriend. That's all I'm trying to say."

Dan leaned over her, kissing her forehead and then the tip of her nose and then her lips. "You know," he said, his teeth brushing her ear as he moved his lips to her neck. "You could just say the word and then it would be true."

"I'm not done punishing you yet, Humphrey."

There was a knock on the door and Dan jumped back, brushing his hands against his legs as the door creeped open.

"Ah, Blair bear," came the familiar voice of Harold, "there you are. We wanted to meet your guests, we have drinks already poured," his head turned and Harold took in Dan on the other side of the room. He gave Dan a once over before turning back to Blair, "You could at least wait until after dinner to sneak Daniel into your room, Blair."

Blair rolled her eyes, standing up and motioning for Dan to follow her. "Daddy, we were just saying hello."

"Daniel," Harold said, following the two of them out of the room. He gripped Dan's shoulders and squeezed, "So nice to see you again."

Dan couldn't see Harold's face as he said it but he assumed that it was twisted somewhat from the lie he was telling. Harold had never liked Dan, had tolerated him slightly at the end of the relationship but he had always made it now that his preference was for Nate. "Mr. Waldorf," Dan said as cheerfully as he could, "thank you so much for welcoming my sister, Vanessa and myself into your home for the holiday at such late notice."

"Blair had mentioned earlier that there was a possibility of you coming."

Dan watched as Blair's hand made a little fist by her side and put this tidbit in his head for later. "Yes, well, we weren't exactly sure of our plans but I'm glad it worked out. It's so nice to be around familiar faces and I've heard so much about Blair's pie making abilities."

Blair grabbed a glass of champagne from the counter as soon as they stepped into the living room, "All very nice, but enough idle chit chat. Dan, can you go get Vanessa and Jenny?"

Dan leaned into her, kissing her temple and taking pleasure in being able to do so in public, before heading back to the side of the house they came from to get the two girls.

Vanessa and Jenny, as he entered their room, had not moved from staring at the ceiling in their shared bed. Jenny had her phone above her, snapping pictures of herself and then looking at the phone to examine the results.

"We thought you'd take longer," Vanessa said wickedly, sitting up to greet him.

"Ew," Jenny replied, making a peace sign in one of her photos. "Can you at least wait until I'm out of earshot to make gross jokes about my brother?"

"Blair's dad has drinks for us."

Vanessa clapped, "I love an early start to the drinking. The sooner people get drunk, the easier it is to get them to tell embarrassing Blair stories. What do you think she was like as a toddler? I bet she was a biter. Can't you imagine it, Jenny?"

"Maybe," Dan said, tapping his hand against the dresser, "you stick to making fun of me while we stay rent free in Blair's dad's house?"

"Good point," Vanessa said. She pushed herself off her bed and on to her feet. "Think I should change?"

"If I had to guess, this is only the start of the day. Leave your good Thanksgiving outfit until later. But," Dan said, closing the door behind him, "Blair's dad thinks we are dating-"

Jenny huffed, "You are."

"We're not," he corrected, pointing at her in rebuke. "Don't say anything that would make him think it's not true."

"Well," Jenny carried on, taking the scolding in stride, "it is true, so there's nothing we can say in the contrary."

Vanessa laughed, taking Jenny by the arm and soaring past Dan to open the door. "Now, where were they?"


The table was set and Dan was feeling slightly light headed from the afternoon cocktails which had led into drinks by the pool as the sunset which had led to the turkey being left in the oven slightly too long and now to him saying, "This is delicious," to Blair's father.

Harold threw his head back and laughed, pushing his plate away from him. "Oh, Daniel, don't be such a suck up. I already don't like you-" Blair made a sound like she was choking and glared at her dad. "Blair, honey, it's a joke. Right, Daniel? I like him just fine."

"Harold," Roman said, his voice calm but the look on his face was stern.

Harold grunted, "Can no one take a joke anymore? All I was trying to say was that he doesn't need to lie about the turkey. It's dry. I knew I should have hired a caterer."

"It is not exactly the moistest turkey I've ever had," Nate said from the other end of the table. "But," Nate said, taking a long sip of his red wine, "you tried."

Harold laughed again, pointing his fork at Nate. "See, there's the honesty I need."

"Dad, it's fine. It's edible."

"Not like the turkey your mother use to try and make before she got a cook," Harold said, a twinkle in his eye as he launched into the fifth story about Blair's mother that night. Dan had to guess that it was the wine talking but the more stories he told, the less tolerant Blair was getting to them.

Blair glared at Roman who took the hint. "Harold, let's leave Eleanor out of it. I'm sure she, like many Americans, struggled to make a turkey but really, why must you all have the same meal on this day? What about spicing it up?"

"It's tradition," Blair replied. "I love traditions. Like when my dad used to live in the states and we would go see the tree lighting."

"I never did get your love of that," Harold said, his wine splashing over the rim and on to the white tablecloth. "It is such a tourist thing to do and my daughter was more sophisticated than your average New York tourist even at the age of three- but you loved it every year."

Dan grabbed for Blair's hand under the table, "We can go this year, Blair."

"It will already be lit by the time we are home, Humph-," Blair caught herself, "I mean, Dan." Dan gave a small shrug, taking a bite of the dry turkey. "But, maybe we can go when we're back."

"Such a romantic thing to do," Jenny said, sighing as though imagining herself with a boy doing the same but Dan could see the grin on her lips through her acting. "What will you guys do for the holidays? How will you split your time?"

Dan shot her a look, "We haven't discussed that, Jen."

"Brooklyn is so pretty in the winter," Jenny continued, undeterred.

"Are we talking about the Brooklyn that is in New York?" Roman asked, scratching his chin in confusion. "Why would it look any different than Manhattan? You should get the same amount of snow, no?"

"I think," Blair said, excusing herself as she stood up from the table, "it is time for pie."

"Blair bear, we all have our meals still out."

Blair looked around at the mostly untouched food, "You are a lot of things, but a good cook is not one of them. Daniel, assist me."

Dan knew he was about to get in trouble for the antics at the table and he clenched his jaw in anticipation as he followed Blair in to the kitchen. Blair started by setting the pies out and beginning to methodically cut them in to pieces. She pointed at a cabinet wordlessly and Dan opened it, finding plates behind it and placed them in front of her.

"This is a disaster," Blair said.

"It's not that bad," Dan said, trying not to sound defensive. "Jenny is just having a little fun at the situation at hand."

Blair looked up from the first pie, her forehead scrunched. "What? I meant the pies, Humphrey. They don't have a good knife for cutting them, it is barely getting through."

Dan couldn't believe the response he just heard. He pushed again slightly as he started opening up drawers in search of a better pie cutting knife for Blair, "So, you're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm furious," she responded, finally getting the slice from the pie to the plate. "My father is as drunk as a skunk out there. It's so embarrassing. He left my mom for a man, he doesn't need to drag her name from the mud. It wasn't the turkey that made him leave, it's the fact that he's gay."

Dan stopped again, holding the plate that she had handed him. "I meant you're not mad at Jenny. Or at me."

Blair looked up, confused, "Why would I be mad at you two?"

"Jenny and her Christmas comments?"

"God, Humphrey," she said, handing him another plate and pointing to the dining room. "Do you think I am that easy to provoke?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Dan asked, trying to step carefully as to not drop either of the pieces of pie she had given him to serve.


"Well," Roman said, stepping into the living room, his accent more pronounced than earlier in the evening, "your dad is snoring in the bedroom, Blair. I think he is done embarrassing us for the night." Roman dropped his head into his hands, "I am so sorry for that display. I think he got overly excited in hosting the holiday for you and your friends."

Blair sat, her body curled against Dan on the couch, "He will have to pay for it in the hangover he'll have in the morning."

"Too true, Blair," Roman let out a small chuckle. "Well, if you all are not tired, I can call you a cab or two and you can take them out to the bar, Blair?"

Blair was mid-yawn when Jenny turned around, her eyes wide. "Oh," Blair said, sitting up. Dan noticed how she blinked, her eyes closing and opening rapidly as to try and wake herself up. "That would be great, Roman, thank you."

Jenny kicked her feet out and smiled wide, "Yes! I can not wait to tell my friends. Vanessa, can you help me pick out an outfit?"

Vanessa shook her head and pointed to Blair, "I think you have a way more stylish option to choose from, Jen."

Dan watched as Blair's face lit up as she smiled. "Jenny, we can go look in my closet. And, Vanessa, if you want to?"

"I bet I have some things for Dan to wear," Nate said, standing up and stretching.

"Oh no, I'm fine," Dan responded.

Blair looked at him, glanced at what he was wearing. "Maybe you could just see what he has?"

"Come on, man," Nate said, offering Dan his hand and then pulling him to his feet. "Let's go make you the best Upper East Side version of yourself you can be."