"She's not as bad as I thought," Vanessa said, shouting over the house music blaring out of the speakers. There weren't even that many people at the club that they had gotten dropped off at and the music was still too loud to hold a conversation at a normal decibel.

"Did you think I had no judgement?" Dan shot bad.

Vanessa shrugged, taking a sip from her beer. "I thought maybe your penis was leading. A pretty girl who was using you to get attention. Which-" Vanessa said, pointing the nose of the bottle at him, "I still think she originally was."

"Whatever."

"No," Vanessa said, trying to shake her head but her whole body turning with it. "I just mean- she's kind of cool. And you guys weirdly make sense?"

"We're not-"

"Fuck off, Humphrey." The way Vanessa said Humphrey was in a different league on how Blair wielded it. In Blair's mouth, his last name was a weapon. When she said it, it was to make sure he knew where he stood. When Vanessa said it, it was with the past 18 years of friendship lobbing itself at him. "I wasn't that nice to her when you guys started. I should apologize."

"She's right there," Dan said, pointing at Blair who was spinning Jenny around on the dance floor.

"Not to her," Vanessa replied. She pressed her finger into Dan's chest, "To you. I made it difficult for you. I maybe," she teetered her had back and forth, "encouraged some of your more self sabotaging behavior. I get it now. Seeing you two like this, you make sense. The perennial outsider with the ultimate insider. It shouldn't work but it does."

Dan pulled Vanessa into him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Thanks, V."

Vanessa pulled back, "I was scared that she would come between us."

"I would never let that happen, Vanessa."

Vanessa lightly punched his shoulder as she waved her beer in front of her. "It's empty. Do you want anything?"

"'I'm good. I'm still riding the drunk from all the wine at dinner."

"Can we call it dinner if none of us ate the food?"


"Dude," Dan said, pulling Nate back from Jenny on the dance floor. Jenny scowled at Dan and Nate looked confused. He followed Dan back to the bar where you could hear slightly better. "What are you doing?"

"What are you talking about?" Nate said, his hair sticking up wildly. "We're dancing, we're having fun. Lighten up."

"She's my sister."

"So? She was my girlfriend," Nate said as Blair approached them. Dan's jaw fell open and Nate took a step back. "Dude, sorry. That was out of line."

"It was," Dan agreed as Blair approached them.

"What's going on here?" Blair asked, looking between them. There was sweat beads gathering along her forehead, a small sign of all of the dancing that she had been doing. She slipped her hand into Dan's, leaning her face onto his arm. "Dan, come dance with us."

"Dan, I'm sorry," Nate said, looking at the two of them.

Dan took a deep breath out and felt the anger roll off his back. "It's all good. But," he said, looking back to the dance floor where Jenny was still dancing with Vanessa but kept looking over, "I think my sister might have a crush on you. Can you, just, I don't know-"

"Don't hook up with his sister," Blair said, putting it in plain terms. "It's fucked up and gross."

Nate choked on the sip of whiskey he just took. "Dude, I am not trying to hit on your sister. I am attempting a new thing called fidelity, for one, and two- Jenny's still in high school. That's not my thing."

"So, he should start worrying in approximately 8 months?" Blair asked. "Very reassuring, Nate," she said, reaching over and brushing her knuckles against Nate's arm. "That's the way to make Dan not worry."

Nate glared at his former girlfriend, "Blair, you are making things much worse."

"What are you guys talking about?" Jenny said, making her way over with Vanessa sticking to her spot on the dance floor.

"Nothing, Little J," Nate said, jovially throwing his arm around her shoulders. "Let's get back out there. Your brother was just jealous of my skills on the dance floor."

Dan started to follow before Blair tugged at his arm, giving a barely perceptible head shake. "What?"

"They're having fun, Humphrey. Why aren't you having fun?" she pouted. "I'm drunk, I want to dance."

Dan pointed to where Jenny and Nate, who was keeping a respectable distance from Jenny, were flailing around to the electro-pop song blaring. "I was just about to go to the dance floor. You stopped me."

"You were about to go chaperone."

"I was going to dance-erone," Dan countered, cringing as the portmanteau slipped from his mouth. "Sorry, that was bad."

Blair rolled her eyes, "Come on. We're going to take shots. And then we," she said, motioning between the two of them, "are going to go out there and you are going to dance." She let go of his hand and confidently strutted to the bar, the crowd that had gathered since they arrived seeming to part for her like the Red Sea.

When Dan caught up to her, which was trickier than expected as the crowd swallowed him up again as soon as Blair had passed, heir parting only lasting long enough for the Queen of the Upper East Side, Blair already had two shots in her hands.

"To having fun," Blair said, handing him one and hitting her glass lightly against his.

"To Blair Waldorf, hostess extraordinaire," Dan said. He tipped his head back and let the liquid coat his throat. When he swallowed, he coughed. "What was that?"

Blair shrugged, "Nothing that bad, Humphrey."

Dan leaned into her, his hand resting on her lower back, "When do we go back to calling me Dan?"

Blair grinned, "I knew it bothered you." She leaned over the bar, putting up two fingers.

"No," Dan said, "no more shots."

"One more round!"

"Blair, last time we were in France- Nate had to be called to come drag me home."

"Luckily," Blair said as the shots appeared in front of them, "he's already here. She picked up her shot and stared at him until he did the same. She smiled triumphantly, lifting the small glass up. "To Nate Archibald, carrier of drunk Dan."

"To Nate Archibald and his attempt at fidelity."

Blair laughed before they both downed the shots. "Okay," Blair said, pulling at his arm. "Let's go dance."

"Wait," Dan said, resisting the pull. "What did you mean before?"

"Carrier of drunk Dan?"

'No, you said you knew calling me Humphrey bothered me."

Blair's lips turned up into a smile, stepping towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, her doe eyes making her look innocent even as she smirked at him. "You scrunch up your face every time I say it." She closed her eyes, her face scrunching in what Dan believed was an attempt to recreate his own face. "It's so cute. I don't even think you know you do it."

"So, you do it to torture me? Into physically cringing?"

"Dramatic much?" Blair said. "I do it because I want to and as an added bonus, you react in what I deem to be an adorable manner. Like a hurt puppy." She leaned up and kissed him, "Dance with me, Dan."


Dan felt a hand tap on his shoulder and he turned, seeing Vanessa standing behind him with a tall, blonde man. "Who is this?"

"Gabriel, Dan. Dan, Gabriel. Can I talk to Blair?"

"You want to talk to Blair?" Blair was spinning Jenny under her arm as the two girls laughed, Nate having disappeared to take a phone call a little while ago. Dan was confused but nevertheless reached out to tap Blair.

Blair looked annoyed, dropping her arm. "We're busy, Humphrey."

"Vanessa wants to talk to you?"

"Vanessa?" Blair peered around Dan, frowning for a second before shrugging and walking over.

"You said you spoke French, right?" Vanessa said, moving closer to Blair but due to the music's volume, was still shouting at a volume Dan could overhear.

"Oui," Blair nodded.

Jenny tugged on Dan's sleeve, "What's happening?"

Dan put his finger up to his lips, "Shh, I think they're getting along."

"A Thanksgiving miracle," Jenny said, standing next to her brother to eavesdrop.

"He doesn't speak English very well," Vanessa shouted, pointing to Gabriel. "Can you translate?"

Blair looked amused but nodded.

A conversation began to happen slowly between the three of them, huddling together so they could make out what each other was saying. Dan could only hear a few words but it didn't take much to figure out the intent of the conversation. Blair emerged from the huddle looking victorious as Gabriel and Vanessa linked hands. Vanessa leaned over to Dan and Jenny, "See you tomorrow, Humphreys. Jenny, enjoy the plush bed."

Jenny's mouth was agape as Vanessa and Gabriel left side by side, leaning into each other.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Dan asked Blair.

"You are such a judger, Humphrey," Blair scoffed.

"I wasn't judging, I was asking your judgement of his character."

"He seemed nice. I got his address so if Vanessa doesn't appear at the breakfast table promptly by 10, we know where to go."

"What'd I miss?" Nate said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Vanessa met a hot Frenchman and has gone away to get ravaged," Blair stated, a devilish twinkle in her eye.

Nate nodded his approval, "That's what I like to hear. France is paying off for some of us. Are you guys ready to go? I called a car when I was outside."

"I am," Jenny said, before he could finish. She yawned theatrically and shot a look to Dan, threatening with her eyes if he came with them.

Dan ignored the threat, both to keep an eye on his sister and because his ears was ringing, and nodded and pointed to the door.

As the four of them walked out of the club, Blair fell into step with Dan. "Did you have fun?"

"I had a great time," Dan said, still having to shout.

"Vanessa is… not that bad," Blair said. "I'm not about to make us friendship bracelets but I might remove her page from my burn book."

Dan chuckled.

Nate pushed the door open, and looked for the car he called, comparing the license plates of the cars lined up to the one on his app. Jenny went to help him look.

Blair pressed herself against Dan, her arms wrapping around him as she rested her cheek against his chest. "I'm happy you came, Humphrey. I'm happy I got to spend time with you, and Jenny, and Vanessa."

"I'm happy I came as well. I can't wait to get you and Vanessa gift cards to get matching tattoos in Brooklyn when we're back."

Blair looked up at him, "I would never. But… I do want to say that I'm drunk."

"Obviously."

"Shut up," she joked, leaning up to kiss his chin. "I'm drunk and I want you and I think," her voice ticking upwards in pitch as she finished out her sentence, "I love you."

"You think?" Dan said, squinting down at her. "I know I love you, Blair."

Blair closed her eyes and smiled up at him, looking pleased. "Don't break up with me again, Dan."

"You can't break up with someone you aren't dating," he teased.

"Mmm about that."

"Yes?"

They were interrupted by Jenny yelling out for Dan that the car was here. The four of them squeezing into the backseat, Blair resting on Dan's lap with her face nuzzled into his neck. Dan spent the car ride back to Blair's father's house with a stupid grin on his face, rubbing Blair's back aimlessly.

"Smile," Jenny said, holding up her phone to get a selfie with Dan and Blair. She turned from them, without looking at the result, and pointed the phone at her and Nate. "Nate?" Dan didn't have to watch, but knew that Nate would gamely smile for the photos. He reminded himself to have a chat with Jenny tomorrow about Nate, but he decided that that was a tomorrow worry.

For tonight, he was going to let himself be happy that he was here, with Blair, and in love.