This story is inspired by Hart of Dixie and is set in a fiction coastal town. More notes at the end of the chapter.

Blair Waldorf had never considered the possibility of happiness living anywhere other than New York City. Paris, perhaps, but only for a short while. In the end, New York City would always be the greatest city in the world. In New York City, you were never alone but always on your own. At least, that's what she used to think.

But that was before her life had fallen apart and the cold weight of reality had sunk in. When she realized that home was only where you were wanted. She was wanted there once, at least she thought she had been. Long before the scandal that had ruined her life and banished her from her home. The scandal that had rocked the Upper East Side and spread like wildfire throughout Manhattan until she was driven across state lines in desperate search of refuge. Refuge in the form of an idyllic town pictured on a worn postcard from some years ago.

On the precipice between land and island, Blair squeezes her eyes shut. The point of no return, she thinks as she glances out the bus window toward the weathered sign proudly displaying the words, "Pearl Island." With no ceremony, the bus crosses the bridge standing before it and just like that, her new life has begun. She takes a deep breath before stepping out at the bus stop. She looks at the address in her phone and then at the map, and swears. The nearest bus stop really had to be two miles away from her destination?

With a sigh, she begins rolling her suitcase down the windy sidewalk, wishing this place had taxis or at least Uber. The sun begins setting and she praying for the last remaining light to last long enough to get her to the address. By mile one, she's already exhausted. The anxiety alone of this sudden uproot of her life was draining not to mention the pain of trying to trek across town in four-inch Choos. The road she's currently on is desolate save for a few parked cars which is all too eerie. She thought small towns had kids playing in the street, picnics happening on front lawns, something other than this uncanny silence.

She hears a car coming down the street and turns, just in case her prayers have been answered and it's a taxi. It's not, instead it's a shiny Prius that begins to slow as it reaches her. Great, someone to abduct her with no witnesses around. She glances over warily as she hears a voice come through the car's rolled down window, "Excuse me, miss?"

Blair's eyes meet that of kind green eyes on an impossibly handsome face. But looks can be deceiving, she knows that. "Can I offer you a ride?" He gestures to the suitcase. "It appears you're from out of town."

She's taken aback momentarily, but she doesn't stop walking. Still, he keeps pace with her, driving ever so slowly as he awaits her response. "Actually, no thank you. I'm almost to where I need to be."

"Where's that?" He asks, politely.

"You know, I'd love to tell you but I sort of have a strong policy against being abducted so…" She trails off hoping again for some witness to appear magically prevent her kidnapping. Now that everyone hated her in New York, she wasn't sure anyone would notice if she went missing. Just like that, she would be gone and no one would come looking for her.

"That's a smart policy to have." The guy laughs, good-naturedly. "But I must say, you certainly aren't at risk of being abducted by me. If you continue walking, after dark though… It's a safe town but I wouldn't want you to risk it. Especially with the wildlife around here. If it helps, I am the town mayor, Google it."

Full of skepticism, she pulls out her phone anyways. "What's your name?"

"Nate Archibald." He smiles. "Should be a photo of me on the town site."

Indeed, she confirms this is the mayor of the town and for the first time, she feels like moving here might have actually been a smart decision. With a mayor that looks like that, then perhaps this place isn't her personal purgatory after all. Still a little wary, she finally nods and he stops the car, leaning over to open the door for her and popping the trunk. After depositing her suitcase, she climbs in. She's made a mental checklist of all the items in her purse that could serve as a weapon if he tries anything, which she doubts he will now that she knows he has a reputation to uphold. But still, she can't be too careful so she clutches her purse tightly.

"Where to?" Nate asks her and she's distracted by the very greenness of his eyes up close.

She reads off the address from her phone and he looks amused. He remarks, "Dorota Kishlovsky, she family of yours?"

"Oh no," She winces. "Don't tell me this is one of those towns where everyone knows everyone."

"Afraid so," He laughs. "I take it you aren't from a small town?"

"Upper East Side," She adds, "That's in Ne-"

"New York, I know. I actually lived there a few years myself." Nate's words surprise her and she looks at him in wonder.

"Really? Why are you here then?" Blair asks curiously.

"I could ask you the same." He counters.

"Touche." After a pause, she adds, "If this really is such a small town, I guess you'll find out eventually. So for now, I can choose to refrain from answering that question."

"Probably for the best. We're here." He gestures to the cute, single family home.

"This is it?" Her eyes take in the house.

Nate nods. "Can I help you carry in your things?" He offers as he pops the hatchback open.

"That won't be necessary. I sort of have to do this alone. But thank you for the ride, Mayor Archibald." She smiles as she climbs out of the car.

"Call me Nate." He corrects but then seems to think, "You know you never actually told me your name…"

"Blair," She walks away before he can even think to ask her last name. The last thing she needs is him googling her. He's cute and hardly liable to be a dating prospect if he knows the dirty details of what went down back in the city.

As Blair stands in front of the door, she waits until he's pulled away to knock. Finally, she raises her fist and hesitantly allows it to meet the bright blue wood. When it doesn't open, she thinks maybe she's got the wrong address but then she remembers Nate confirming that this is indeed the residence of Dorota. She glances at the time, 7:30 PM. It's not exactly late enough to be an unreasonable hour to answer the door.

Just as she's thinking of an alternate solution, the door opens to reveal a very frazzled looking Dorota. Blair barely recognizes her out of her maid's uniform and it's only the accent that confirms it's her.

"Miss Blair?" Dorota frowns, "Are you real?"

"Of course I'm real," Blair blinks away tears as she throws herself into Dorota's arms. The familiar arms she's missed so much. She hadn't expected seeing her again to evoke so much emotion.

"But what you doing here? You should be in New York! Oh, Miss Blair, I had no idea you come to visit. I would kick out Vanya and make you guest room." Dorota ushers her in, full of concern.

"There's no need for that," Blair reassures her following her into the living room which is quaint but very small. It's neat though, with Dorota's signature tidiness fully intact and it calms Blair to be in such a familiar environment. Well, not familiar exactly, but it just has that Dorota feel she's missed so much for the past couple of years.

"So what happen Miss Blair? You on holiday? Or…" Dorota looks off, solemnly.

"No, I'm afraid." Blair meets Dorota's kind eyes. "Oh, Dorota, you must have read. It's awful isn't it?"

Blair can't help but burst into tears. Except right in the middle of her sobs, a small child runs out emitting a shriek of excitement. Dorota hurries up and scoops the little boy up. "Emil! Be quiet, we have guest."

The boy's brown eyes widen as they meet Blair's. Blair hastily swipes at her eyes and musters a smile. "Hi," She waves awkwardly. "I'm your Aunt Blair. How old is he now?" She asks Dorota.

"Just turn three. Say hi Emil." Dorota pats him gently.

"'I," He says, missing the H sound. Blair thinks for a moment it's cute but then remembers that children really aren't her thing as he promptly sticks his finger in his nose.

"Go play," Dorota gently guides the boy back down the hallway and then returns. "Sorry, Miss Blair-"

"No more, 'Miss Blair', Dorota." Blair demands. "Just Blair."

"Okay… Blair… Why you here?"

"I'm sure you most of it. But in addition to the momentous scandal, I got dumped, fired, shunned by society, and basically exiled from New York." She feels another flicker of pain, saying it aloud.

Dorota reaches over, patting her arm. "You here now."

"You know, Dr. Colin never stopped sending me those postcards. So I thought, well he will finally get his wish and I'll come to Pearl Island to practice medicine. Because contrary to what the hospital wants everyone to think, I'm still a licensed physician." She can't help the biting tone. Dorota's eyes turn sad but Blair presses on, "So can I see him? I didn't know his address so I thought you could give it to me considering you work for him."

"Oh Mi-," Dorota corrects herself. "Blair, Dr. Colin pass away two years ago."

Blair shakes her head. "No, that's not possible. He just sent me a postcard." She retrieves the worn postcard from her bag, a pretty photo of a lighthouse on it and proudly displaying, 'Pearl Island: Where the sea glimmers just like a gem.'

"I mail that. He ask me to keep mailing. He have years worth." Dorota looks sadly at Blair.

"Oh my god," Blair flings her face in her hands in despair. "He was my only hope."

Dorota rests her hand on Blair's back. "There's something else you should know. When he die-" She hesitates. "He leave half of practice to you."

"What!?" Blair sits up again. "Why? How am I just now finding this out?"

"I want to tell you, so many times. But he make me promise not to. He always say, 'She will come one day on her own. This is her home.'" Dorota smiles in memory.

Blair is seriously starting to doubt the sanity of Dr. George Colin. She always thought it was sweet how the man she had interacted with for maybe only 10 minutes had such faith in her destiny as a doctor. Her mind travels back to that day at her medical school graduation when he had introduced himself and said he thought her valedictorian speech was so moving that he had to recruit her for his very own practice in Pearl Island, Massachusetts. It was her first official job offer post-graduation but of course, she turned it down. Why would she become a small town physician when she was destined to be a cardiothoracic surgeon? It was a sweet gesture so Blair had invited him to her graduation party much to the dismay of her mother. The man, likely in his 60s was charming and showed no harm yet her mother went in an uproar at the very sight of him.

Little did she know, it ended up being the Waldorf's maid who accepted a job offer from Dr. Colin. Dorota, who had been pregnant unbeknownst to Blair and her mother, had been so enamored by his stories and photos of Pearl Island, the two had gotten to talking and it was revealed the office of Colin and van der Woodsen had needed a new receptionist. 3 years later and one Bachelor's in nursing later, Dorota was now a nurse and mother of two. While Blair was 28, jobless, husbandless, and childless... She shudders.

"Why would he do that?" Blair asks, still reeling. She knew he liked her speech but to leave her half a medical practice?

"He always believe in you." Dorota smiles. "So you still have hope. I show you to office in morning. Too late now. I don't make you sleep on couch. We find you somewhere else."

"Of course, I'll go to the nearest hotel. Maybe you can drive me?" Blair anticipated this as soon as she arrived, seeing as it's only a two bedroom, one belonging to Dorota and Vanya and the other to the kids.

"There only bed and breakfast in town. I call owner now. Mr. Humphrey may have opening for you." Dorota walks over to the phone and chats for a bit before asking about vacancy. Blair watches with dismay as Dorota's previously cheery face folds into a frown. When she's clicked off the phone, she tells Blair what she already guessed. "He all booked up. Tourist season." She shrugs. "You stay at Archibald Estate."

"Huh?" Blair frowns. "Not the mayor's estate?"

"Yes," Dorota nods. "He have guest houses, two of them. Only one being occupied, other you stay in. I sure he take you in."

"I met him already though, he drove me here. I couldn't ask that." Blair shakes her head, already feeling embarrassed to throw herself in the mayor's mercy. Although she can't deny the shiver of anticipation that comes from the thought of seeing him again. Nothing better to distract her from the chaos of her life than a handsome stranger.

"I ask for you." Dorota starts dialing before Blair can stop her and 15 minutes later, Nate is picking her back up.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Nate laughs as he takes her suitcase.

"I'm sorry, you already have helped me so much today. But Dorota said you were the only option left for lodging and-" Blair doesn't know why she feels so uncharacteristically awkward. She supposes because it's the first time in her life she's been dependent on other people's charity.

"No worries," Nate cuts her off with a winning smile. "There's plenty of room at the cottages."

Blair's nose turns at the word cottage. She hopes she won't be staying in some shoddy staff house. Not that she has much of a choice.

"Just a few minutes drive," Nate tells her as they climb into his Prius and head towards the sea. When they arrive at the estate, Blair is stunned. It's a huge white mansion that could rival the White House. It's a Colonial-style property with huge white columns around the front of the house. The shutters are painted a vibrant yellow and the lawn is expansive and so green, there must be a round-the-clock gardening staff. Even though she grew up on the Upper East Side, surrounded by luxury, she must admit it's impressive so she tells Nate so.

"Hopefully you'll find the cottage just as accommodating." He tells her in response, driving down the private estate road even closer to the sea. "They do have a view of the beach."

As they pull up, there are two large white cottages each facing the sea. Nate points to the one left. "That one was the initial beach-front cottage, we're planning on renovating at as it's a bit dated. Lucky for you, it already has a tenant so you get the new and improved cottage next door to it. You'll see that you share a courtyard with it."

The car parks and he opens the door for her, continuing to speak as they grab her suitcase and bags. "Although the cottage itself may be new, the power on these properties are unfortunately not. The two cottages share a fuse box so you'll have to watch your usage. Like, don't run your curling iron while using the microwave and having the TV on in the background. Same goes for your neighbor, it's all connected."

Blair frowns, not liking the sound of that. "My neighbor… are they-"

"Dan Humphrey," Nate supplies. "He's my best friend, you won't mind him at all."

Nate's smile for some reason does little to reassure her. She nods instead, following him into the cottage. The door open to reveals a nearly entirely white interior with a linen sofa, soft beige accents, and a bit of turquoise for color. She runs a palm over the shabby chic-style entryway table and is reminded of the house her parents would rent in the Hamptons. The memory makes her sad as she realizes she will probably never go back there again. "It's beautiful."

"I was hoping you'd think so." He gestures straight ahead. "So the bedroom is that way, it has an en-suite bathroom. As for the rest of the cottage, you can see it has a modest kitchen. But we have a much larger kitchen in the estate that you are welcome to use. I make a mean brunch so definitely come by on the weekends for that. Then, you can meet my fiancée, Serena, and your neighbor, Dan if you haven't already by then. But I presume you'll run into him sometime this week. Oh, and you may see The Captain if you're walking the property. He's friendly but I must warn you, he gets excited easily and will jump up and probably knock someone of your size over. Well, really anyone who's under 6 feet is no match for him."

Blair's brain fixates on the word fiancée and she's not sure what else Nate says after that. She thought he had been flirting with her earlier but he had actually been engaged this whole time? She knew it was too good to be true. But she has to admit things haven't turned out too horribly so perhaps that's not the worst news she could have received.

"It's late so I'm sure you want to get some rest. But call if you need anything," Nate hands her a business card. "I'll see you around, Blair."

"Thank you so much." She takes the card, turning it over in her palm. "I really appreciate it."

Once Nate is gone, Blair starts a thorough inspection of her new home. She likes the vintage aesthetic and could easily adapt to it. The bedroom has a large window positioned just over the bed which should allow for plenty of daylight to stream in. Even though it was much smaller than what she had lived in before her life had fallen apart, she knew she was lucky to be calling this home. Stepping through to the bathroom, she smiles at the serene-looking clawfoot tub. It appears well stocked with a shelf full of amenities like L'Occitane shampoo and Bastide rose bubble bath. Deciding she deserves it after such an eventful day, Blair starts the water and pours in a generous amount of the rosy liquid, causing it to foam up instantly.

As she waits for the tub to fill, she texts Dorota to let her know that she's settled into the cottage. Come morning, Dorota would show Blair to the practice, her practice, and get her started. Dorota had explained that they would need the practice's administrator to go over all the details but that she would give her warning of Blair's first day tomorrow. It was then that Blair would also meet Dr. Colin's partner in practice, Dr. van der Woodsen. She was nervous as it was he who Blair would be working with daily but if Nate was any indication, it seemed the residents of this town were more than welcoming.

With the bubble bath solidifying Blair's sleepy state of mind, she crawls into the queen-size bed and tucks herself into the mountain of pillows and covers. She drifts off quickly, dreaming of a new start in this little picturesque town.

It had been a long time since Blair's dream life was better than her real one. Ever since the scandal, her nights were plagued by nightmares in which the humiliation she had endured was magnified. It seemed an impossible challenge, to worsen the state of reality that was Blair's life, but somehow it could always be worse in her dreams. But last night, was the first night in months she slept peacefully. The evening's rest left her feeling confident her first official day as a Pearl Island resident would be an amazing one.

There was the small matter of sorting out a means of transportation. Even though she technically had her driver's license, issued in the state of New York, she was hardly confident enough to drive around town even if Nate had offered his car. Instead, Dorota had dutifully picked her up and the two had set off to the practice together. Dorota was insistent driving a car was just like riding a bike and you never forget. Except somehow Dorota had seemed to forgotten that she never learned to ride a bike. Her mother was always too busy with Waldorf Designs while her father… While it was safe to say her father was too busy with the male models of Waldorf Designs to be teaching Blair basics like bike riding. Therefore, Blair said for now she would walk around town or snag rides if possible. She still couldn't get over the lack of taxis in this town.

Stepping out of the car, Blair looked up in awe at the cozy looking medical building. It actually looks more like a house than an office but she shrugs, deciding it quaint. As soon as Dorota and she enter, Blair spots a dark-haired girl with porcelain skin and oversized glasses sitting at the reception desk.

"Hello Nelly," Dorota greets the girl before gesturing to Blair. "This is Blair Waldorf. Dr. Colin leave her the practice."

The girl looks flustered instantly, shuffling around papers before standing to shake Blair's hand. "Nice to meet you Dr. Waldorf."

"Likewise," Blair nods curtly. "So what can you tell me about my ownership of this practice?"

"Partial ownership," A male voice wafts into the room, tone stern and foreboding. Blair looks over to see a tall man with dark hair and light blue eyes staring her down. He walks toward her and extends his hand. "Dr. William van der Woodsen."

Blair, unintimidated, gives him a firm shake. "Nice to meet you Dr. van der Woodsen. I'm Blair-"

"I know exactly who you are." He cuts her off. "We've been wondering when or if you'd ever show up. Before you can start practicing, you'll need to consult with the town lawyer and we'll, of course, need copies of your board exams, licenses to practice medicine, et cetera. Not just anyone can walk in and start treating patients as I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, Dr. van der Woodsen. I brought all my paperwork with me." Blair sticks out the manila folder as evidence. "This seems to be a small town so I'm sure we can have the law office squeeze us in, wouldn't you say?"

Dr. van der Woodsen sighs, as though he's been defeated. "Fine, if you insist. I have patients to attend to though so I will have Nelly go along with you and take notes for me."

His spy, Blair thinks as the girl pushes her glasses up on her nose.

"Dorota," Dr. van der Woodsen calls her over and points to the lobby. "Please cover for Nelly and welcome any patients that may come in while Nelly is gone."

Dorota nods dutifully and with that, Blair and Nelly are excused. "Where's the law office?" Blair asks once they're outside. "Is it walking distance?"

"This way," Nelly leads Blair a couple blocks down and they walk in complete silence. Nelly seems to be furiously typing out emails with each step she takes and doesn't even glance Blair's way. Whatever, Blair thinks, she doesn't look like her type of friend anyway. Finally, Nelly looks up, stopping in front of a small white building. "This is it."

Blair glances at the sign before they walk in, The Law Office of Cyrus Rose. They are greeted in the reception area by a brown haired girl who looks completely irritated to have to actually do her job. "Can I help you?" She asks monotonously.

"Hi, Penelope." Blair watches as Nelly shifts feet, nervously. "Yes, um, we're here to see Cyrus. Is he available? It's an urgent matter regarding the practice. Please, thank you." Nelly is practically bumbling and Blair is completely confused by her sudden lack of professionalism and mousy demeanor.

"What's up with her?" Blair asks as Penelope retreats into the office to fetch Cyrus.

"That's Penelope. Serena's right hand-" Before Nelly can finish answering Blair's question they are interrupted.

"Why, hello!" A jovial voice booms, practically jolting Blair. "You must be Ms. Waldorf! I have been wondering when I'd meet the new, mysterious resident of our town."

"You know who I am?" Blair blinks at him. She moved here for anonymity, not recognizability.

"I just know of you, of course. Everyone has been talking about the glamorous New Yorker who's graced us with her presence." Cyrus shakes Blair's hand warmly as Blair surveys him. Far too cheery for her liking, she decides.

"Ah," Blair nods. "So word spreads fast in this town?"

"That it does. Come on in," He gestures her inside. "What can I help you ladies with today?"

What should have been a straightforward meeting that would have her ready to practice by tomorrow has turned into a saga. They were able to accept her documents to prove her eligibility to practice as a general physician, so that was the one good outcome. But the bad outcome was that the contract between the two partners, Dr. Colin and Dr. van der Woodsen, had a stipulation that should one partner fail to fill his quota of patients, it would forfeit to the other. Which means, Blair will have to bring in 30 percent of patients within 90 days in order to maintain her partial ownership. That didn't sound too bad at first to Blair, she never had a problem getting people to do what she wanted. Plus, who would turn down the treatment of a Yale med graduate?

But then, she was quickly informed by both Cyrus and Nelly that the residents of this town were fiercely loyal to the van der Woodsens and she would have a tough time persuading them to switch. Blair still felt confident she could do it.

The worst part of the meeting ended up being right at the conclusion. It turned out, people in this town were huggers, business associate or not. So when she extended her hand for Cyrus to shake, he protested and quickly pulled her into a tight hug, proclaiming, "Not enough!"

That sealed the deal that this town may be idyllic but not to someone like Blair Waldorf.

Once they got back to the practice, Blair had a strut in her step as she prepared to face down Dr. van der Woodsen and show him that she would be ready to start tomorrow. She wouldn't let him see she was intimidated by the quota. Except it was he who had a look of confidence as she walked in. "I'm glad you're back. I think we should talk."

Blair reluctantly follows the brooding man into his office and sits across from him at his desk. "While you were gone, I had a little research conducted since you wouldn't provide me with an explanation for your sudden arrival."

"I wouldn't think I would need to provide one given this is my practice." Blair can't help but put a little aggression in her tone.

"For now…" He seems unflustered. "I learned that you were turned down for every single fellowship you applied for."

"Due to extenuating and in my opinion, unjust circumstances," Blair says quickly. "Which is neither here nor there considering I am still a perfectly fit physician."

"I know I wouldn't trust a doctor that wasn't worthy of Mount Sinai, Saint Francis, and New York Presbyterian to treat me. But that's just me. I'm sure I don't know what the citizens of the town my family helped built would want." He replies drily.

"Tell me, Dr. van der Woodsen. Have you ever completed a surgical residency? Or even operated on an open patient?" Blair counters.

"No, because my patients are people, Dr. Waldorf. Not just slabs of meat to cut into." He bristles slightly. "But that is beside the point. I called you in here to let you know that in the spirit of transparency, I will be filling our patients in our your background before you begin treating them. Best of luck to you in securing your 30 percent."

With that, he rises and shakes her hand. He smiles as though he didn't just threaten her and practically say he'll drive her out of this town. Blair digs her nails into his skin a little as she shakes back and exits feeling a flood of rage surge.

Dorota still has another hour of work left so Blair decides to stop into the market she spotted on the way over to Cyrus's office earlier. She could desperately use a bottle or three of wine plus the refrigerator in the cottage was completely empty. Heading straight for the liquor aisle, Blair is dismayed to find their selection in alcohol is seriously lacking. It's practically all boxed wine. With no other choice, she goes for the only two bottles and prays the food selection is better.

There, unfortunately, are no gourmet brands and she makes a mental note to start ordering groceries online. But she at least finds enough foods that will be edible for the next few days. It'll just require a lowering of standards in terms of her taste buds.

Blair could almost cry tears of relief as Dorota walks down the steps of the office, keys in hand. She had been dreading going back in there. Wordlessly, Blair follows Dorota into the car and sighs heavily as she sinks into the seat. She feels a warm hand reach over and gingerly pat her arm. "It's okay, Mi- Blair. You get patients in no time."

Dorota's warm smile makes her feel marginally better and she's grateful she at least has her support. She pulls out the bottle of wine, "Look, all they had was Kendall Jackson." She wrinkles her nose.

"Next time, go to market on Elm. Much better selection, you will like." Dorota says confidently. "Don't worry, you will learn this town and it will learn you. You sure you don't want to come to Dorota's for dinner? I make your favorite, Margherita pizza!"

"No, thank you though Dorota." Blair gives her a soft smile. "I just want to drink my wine and wallow in misery. This place is really different than I thought it would be."

"You wait and see. It will get better. It still new, things get better with time." Dorota gives her one last encouraging pat on the arm before Blair climbs out and heads into her cottage.

That evening, after eating her grapes and cheeses, Blair grabs the now chilled bottle of wine and heads for the beach. Not even caring to dig out some practical shoes from her suitcase, she sets out in her strappy stilettos. She pulls her trench coat around her tighter, wishing she would have thought not to go out with bare legs. She's still not used to the breeze of the ocean and wishes desperately for the familiar humidity of a New York summer.

Feeling the long grass brush her legs, she plops down on the little sandbank and begins drinking, straight from the bottle. She laughs when she thinks of what her mother would say if she saw her right now. The thought encourages her to drink more and more until she no longer feels cold, blood warmed by the alcohol pulsing through it. Once her bottle is empty, she stands up ready to go back to her new home, nearly falling back over in the process.

Trekking along the sand, and wobbling with nearly every step she barely makes it to the cottage gate. She sticks her key into the little lock that keeps the courtyard secured and misses, metal on metal again and again. Finally, the key clicks into place and she turns it, kicking the gate open with her heel.

"Ah!" Blair screams as she's suddenly tackled straight back down onto the sand before she can even walk through. The bottle that was in her hand hits the gate as she falls and breaks instantly, the glass shattering around her. Her arm is pinned down and she pushes at the... furry?... attacker. "Get off me!" She wails.

Suddenly, the very shaggy assailant is lifted off her and a voice is yelling, "Go away Captain! Bad dog!" She feels an arm pull her to her feet. "Careful, there's glass everywhere now."

On her feet now, Blair looks up to see an unfamiliar face with concerned brown eyes and high cheekbones. His strong grasp releases her as he looks her over with worry. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"What the fuck? Who the fuck are you?" She pushes away from him, tottering on her heels in her drunken state. She's utter perplexed as to why someone would be walking their dog on private property. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you." He says as though it's blatant. "You're welcome, by the way. You know normally when a kind stranger helps you up, you say thank you and maybe introduce yourself."

"Helping me?" Blair echoes, incredulously. "Your feral dog just attacked me! I'd hardly call that helping!" Blair brushes sand off her coat as she berates him.

"First of all, that was not my dog. It's the mayor's dog. Second of all, it was hardly attacking you and it's definitely not feral. It's a trained golden retriever, albeit a bit overage, but it's not like it could kill you with slobber. Oh and to answer your earlier question, I'm Dan Humphrey, the tenant of the other cottage. I was sleeping when you woke me up with all the screaming and ensuing dramatics."

Blair scoffs at him. "Well, nice to meet you, Dan." She laces her voice with sarcasm. "I hope not to see you around."

TBC...

I hope you liked the first chapter of Pearl Island! I've had this in the works for a while and am really excited to share it. I have 3 chapters written so far, each exceeding 3,000 words so you can definitely expect this to be a much longer fic than my previous works. It'll also feature multiple POVs going forward so you'll get Dan's insight too (as well as the other characters.)

You may notice there are some minor book series incorporations like the color of Nate's eyes. I found it just worked better for the story if Nate was green-eyed and Blair will also have a little bit of her character be book-based. Mostly since this story features her life up until now having been completely independent of Dan, Nate, Serena, etc. so it allows for more creativity in her past. Also, the scandal that she's escaping from will be explained in future chapters!

As for the Hart of Dixie inspiration, mostly the concept is derived from HoD and it won't follow the show's plot structure. But I do plan to have some scenes inspired by the show, like the heat wave and the hurricane episodes from Season 1. If you have a favorite episode of Hart of Dixie you'd like to see portrayed in here, let me know!

I'll post the next chapter by next Monday. Thank you again for reading!