Chapter One

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

She was weary of him despite her desperation. He certainly had never really cared about her wellbeing in the past, and after all she had to Jenny she didn't really blame him for hating her; even if Jenny did have it coming. Regardless, showing up in Brooklyn in the middle of the night asking for a place to stay was very un-Blair-like.

"I don't hate you, Waldorf," he said; she sensed a hint of frustration, as it had been the fifth time he had clarified this fact. He handed her a pair of flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt with some band name scrawled across the chest. Blair looked at the shirt with mild disgust before reluctantly entering his bathroom to change.

Blair looked at herself in the mirror after stripping off cream-colored blouse. Since her argument with Chuck and Serena a few weeks earlier she had lost some weight, but she really hadn't noticed how much until now. The t-shirt was two or three sizes too big and she had to pull the string on the pajama pants, as tight as she could, but at least they were comfortable enough for her to sleep in.

Dan had already exited his bedroom and Blair didn't want to be alone; she figured Humphrey was better than nothing. Blair pulled the door to Dan's room open and softly knocked on Jenny's door.

"Yeah," Dan replied and Blair nudged the door open.

"I don't want to be alone," Blair's said, her voice unusually scared and small. Dan propped himself on his elbows and starred at Blair in confusion. She lowered her eyes to the floor, and he sighed once he saw the embarrassment in her already sad eyes.

"Right. Come on," Dan pushed the comforter back and led Blair back to his room. He pulled the blankets back and motioned for Blair to lie down. Dan stood at the foot of the bed unsure of what to do. He wasn't used to Blair in his home let alone in his bed. "I—"

"It's okay," Blair said and yawned.

Dan nodded silently and laid down on top of the blankets next to Blair; he was careful not to make contact or touch her, but the brunette rolled over and cuddled into his side instead. Her body shook softly as she cried herself to sleep; Dan reached up and stroked her hair until she fell into an uneasy slumber.


Dan felt an uncharacteristic protectiveness over Blair the next day. She had extracted herself from his arms the next morning and when he woke up a few hours later found her sitting on the couch with her knees pulled to her chest. The look on her face was a mixture of confusion and sadness

"Hey," Dan said softly and he leaned against the wall.

"I'm sorry."

"Well I think that's a first," Dan laughed, pushed away from the wall and sat on top of the coffee table across from Blair. Usually their encounters included witty banter, smartass comebacks, and some form of an insult towards him. She always looked put together and brave. But the brunette sitting on his couch in his Rolling Stones t-shirt and black and white plaid pajama pants looked weak and so small. "Blair Waldorf apologizing to Dan Humphrey. Call Gossip Girl she's going to want proof of this."

"No!" Blair jumped to grab the phone that sat next to him on the coffee table. "Gossip Girl can't know I'm here. No one can know I'm here."

Dan rolled his eyes. Good old Blair, "I get it; you don't want to be seen in Brooklyn with a Humphrey."

Immediately Blair's stomach sank and she dropped the phone onto his lap and retreated back to the couch, "No. That's—that's not it, Dan. I swear."

"Then maybe you want to tell me why you showed up on my doorstep at two AM looking like someone had just killed your puppy." Blair bit her lip, but didn't answer. "Okay, then I'll call Serena and tell her you need her."

Blair sighed dramatically, "She wouldn't care."

"You two always fight."

"This one is different, Humphrey. She's angry I was conspiring to get rid of Ben."

Dan laughed, "I think we finally agree on something, Waldorf. Let me guess, she caught you red handed?"

"Red handed, Humphrey? A literary great such as yourself couldn't have come up with something more—"

"What?" Dan grinned.

"Witty," Blair deadpanned. "I believe you're losing your touch, Humphrey."

"Do you want coffee?"

"Chuck's angry at me too."

"When is he not angry?" Dan asked rhetorically, and he filled the coffee maker. Blair moved from the couch, sat on one of the empty bar stools, and watched as Dan made coffee.

"He has his moments," Blair defended, though she wasn't sure why.

"Too bad we've all only been privy to the bad ones," Dan slid the coffee pot onto the warmer and pressed the on button. The soft beep of Dan's phone interrupted them and he crossed the room to grab it from the coffee table.

Spotted, S looking sullen even on the arm of her new ex-con beau. After her very public argument one has to wonder where B has run off to. XoXo.

Before Dan could ask any questions there was a soft knock on the loft door. Even through the door Dan could make out the familiar shape of Serena's messy blonde hair. Blair's eyes widened in panic and silently begged Dan to not tell Serena that she was here. Dan motioned for her to hide in the bedroom and as soon as Blair had closed the door behind her he let Serena inside.

"Hey," Dan said awkwardly. If you had told him the day before that he would have Blair Waldorf hiding in his bedroom from her best friend and his ex-girlfriend/step sister he wouldn't have believed you. "I just saw the blast."

Serena's face dropped, "Oh."

"Ben didn't come with you?"

"No. He and Nate are—bonding," Serena said with a small smile. "At least he's trying."

"Serena—"

She cut him off before he could finish, "I'm not talking about you, Dan. I'm talking about my supposed best friend, Blair. Which is why I'm here." Dan's heart thumped so hard against his chest he was sure Serena could hear it. Had someone found out that Blair had come to Brooklyn? "I know normally Blair would never willingly come to Brooklyn or to you, but have you seen or heard from her?"

The devil on his shoulder screamed to rat Blair out, but the angel was currently controlling his mouth and brain, "No, but I'm not sure even under the worst circumstances that Blair would ever come here, Serena."

"I thought I would just come and see. I already checked with Chuck and all I got was a scowl and a door in my face."

"No real surprise there," Dan laughed and held the door open for his ex-girlfriend. "I'll let you know if I see her."

Once the blonde had left and the limo had driven out of sight down the street Blair emerged from Dan's bedroom looking even sadder than she had looked the night she had shown up on his doorstep.

Dan reached out and pulled her into a hug. Welcome to the Twilight Zone.


A/N: There will be flashbacks in later chapters. I hope you like this; it's been a while since I've posted here.