A/N: This chapter gave me hell. I did not enjoy writing it at all. It just didn't flow like the others have, but I really hope that doesn't reflect too much in the writing. I know it took a while and I'm sorry about that! I think once Jenny's birthday has been and gone, the story will really start to pick up speed.

The main thing I wanted to establish in this chapter was Carter, and I'm actually really happy with that part.

Onward!

Victoria Secret

'Jen!'

The pounding knock on the bedroom door woke Jenny from a deep, vodka induced sleep. She turned her head to the side and found Eric lying next to her on the bed, still in his shirt and trousers. He groaned loudly and rolled onto his stomach, then buried his head under one of the six pillows. What was it with rich people and pillows? Jenny pushed herself up onto her elbows and surveyed the mess that was her room. More accurately, Dan and Serena's guest room. And she and Eric looked to have destroyed it. There were scattered bottles of alcohol, empty cups and lots of chick flicks strewn across the floor.

'Oh, no…' Jenny muttered, rubbing her eyes. Surprisingly, she didn't have a headache. But she felt wretched in her stomach.

It had been a night spent reminiscing and confessing, though Jenny chose to ignore just exactly what she'd confessed. She suspected Eric would tease her about Carter endlessly later on.

'Come on, Jenny. Let's get breakfast,' Dan called to her through the door.

She replied with a groan much like Eric's, but within fifteen minutes she'd managed to scrape herself together to head out for a morning bagel. Her hair was up in a top bun, she'd pulled on some light wash jeans, tan ankle boots and a cream blouse. Finally, she added a leather jacket. The one downfall of being a designer was that the press always wanted pictures. No matter if she was just running to the store, or heading downtown to get a manicure, or just to the atelier, she always had to look her best.

'You reflect on Waldorf, and if you look bad, Waldorf looks bad,' she muttered to herself, Blair's words emanating from her memory.

Grabbing her bag and slipping her sunglasses on, she met Dan in the hallway after brushing her teeth.

'You look like hell,' he said, feigning sympathy. Jenny hit him on the arm and they headed out.

Half an hour later, after they'd decided to get coffee and a bagel to go, they found themselves wandering around Central Park. It had been a while since Jenny had taken a breath and looked around, and only then did she realize how much she missed just that; wandering. For years she'd had goals. She'd achieved so much in such little time, and now that she was home she wondered if maybe she should slow down and drink it all in. Of course there was still the spring line to consider for next year, but she did miss idle summer days spent with her family. Speaking of…

'Have you spoken to Mom?'

'No,' Dan said sternly, taking a swig of his coffee to avoid a more in depth answer.

Jenny tried not to roll her eyes but it was no use. Ever since The Incident, Dan had avoided any and all contact with their mother. Even his Dad's reasoning hadn't worked. Dan had always been stubborn, but it was starting to get ridiculous and even though he was justified in his annoyance, Jenny wasn't sure how much more of this rift she could take.

'She's sorry you know. She didn't mean it –'

'Yes she did,' Dan said, stopping in his tracks and turning to her with a half-laugh. 'She did mean it, and it was hurtful. To Serena and to me. If she is sorry, she has a funny way of showing it with her lack of phone calls and her lack of texts and emails and everything.'

Jenny was resigned. 'Fair enough. She has tried calling, though. You've just never picked up.'

'Yeah, the first few times because I didn't want to say something I'd regret. Then she just stopped, like it didn't matter anymore.'

Jenny led him to a nearby bench. 'Has anyone ever told you you're a pain in the ass, Humphrey?'

'Has anyone ever told you you're a terrible liar, Humphrey?'

Jenny scowled at him and drank the rest of her coffee.

'Kidding, you're actually scarily good at it.'

'Aren't we all?' Jenny challenged, hooking an eyebrow.

'Fair enough. What I mean is… there's something there, isn't there? With you and Carter?'

'Not this again,' Jenny groaned. 'I already spilled enough to Eric last night, even if I can't remember just how much.'

'Oh I know you did.' Dan was grinning. 'You're pretty loud when you're drunk. Plus Serena was throwing up all night and she had stomach cramps, so I didn't get much sleep anyway.'

'Is she okay this morning?'

'I think so. She's tired but she's gone to take care of Henry for a few hours. I think she caught whatever he had a few days ago. And don't change the subject – I know you like Carter, and like wasn't the only L word you threw around last night.'

'Oh, God!' Jenny put her head in her hands, praying for anything to help her forget. Luckily, Dan had just the thing.

'Alright, never mind Carter for now. What happened with you and Nate?'

'Oh God, oh God,' she repeated, looking at him through her fingers. 'This is just the worst week.'

'He was pretty upset when he left. Told me to get the damn proposal over with already.'

'Honestly Dan I think that would be best for everyone.'

He laughed briefly, but it faded and there was a glint in his eye as he looked at her.

'I don't get you two.'

'What's to get?' Jenny asked, frowning.

'Never mind. It's just… he cares about you, you know? He always asked about you when you were away, always wanted to make sure you were okay, and he always took care of you when you needed him. I don't understand why the two of you can't seem to just… figure it out. You should talk to him.'

Jenny rolled her eyes. 'I think I'd rather talk about Carter.'

Dan threw an arm around her shoulders as they stood up and began the walk back to his apartment.

'Seriously, I think you two should talk.'

'Serena, hey.' Nate kissed her cheek as she came through his office door with a sleeping Henry on her hip. He took her bag and pulled out the chair opposite his desk for her to sit. Henry woke up quite suddenly and, after Serena had set him down, he took a running jump at his godfather and giggled as Nate swung him up into his arms.

'Hey, buddy! You feeling better?'

'Yes!'

'Yes…?' Serena chided him, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Henry took his cue with a smile. 'Yes, thank you!'

'Good,' Nate said, ruffling his hair. He set him down and led him over to a trunk he had in the corner of his office. Henry immediately threw the lid open so that it banged against the wall, but Nate only smiled wider as Henry pulled out toys upon toys out. With Henry occupied, Nate strolled back to his desk and sat down opposite Serena.

'How long have you had those toys here?'

'About three years,' Nate said, chuckling. 'I love that kid. So, what can I do for you?'

'A friend can't just visit a friend for lunch?'

'Serena, it's ten thirty.'

'Breakfast, then?'

'Of course a friend can,' said Nate, knitting his fingers together in his lap. 'But that's just it. We're friends. I know something's wrong, so tell me.'

Serena's gaze travelled to Henry, and her heart skipped at the sight of him with his dumper trucks and his little colourful abacus. He looked so happy, so fulfilled, and she knew that he was so loved. It made her ache inside, and suddenly her eyes were welling.

'Do you want kids, Nate?'

He looked surprised by the question and took a moment to compose himself before answering with a smile.

'Of course. Whenever I'm with Henry I think about the day that it's my own son, or daughter, and it excites me. Why do you ask?'

Serena wiped at her eyes and tactfully covered her sadness with her million dollar smile. But Nate could always see right through her and he practically leapt over the table to sit beside her and take her hands in his.

'What is it?' he asked. 'Are you okay?'

'Nate, I think I'm pregnant,' she admitted, and then collapsed into tears in his arms.

'Woah, woah,' he said. 'It's okay. Isn't this a good thing?'

'We're not married, and normally that's not a big deal but for us, in this world, it does, a-and we're not… Dan's so stressed with his new book, and there's so much going on with me and the committees and it's just not the right time, and we're still not speaking with his mother and I just… I can't… I don't know what to do.'

'Serena, don't cry!' Henry suddenly shouted, careering towards her and throwing himself into her lap. He hugged her fiercely around the middle. Nate touched Henry's cheek and then Serena's, and she was struck suddenly into calmness.

She'd be lying if she said that, in her younger years when part of her heart belonged to Nate, she hadn't imagined the two of them making a life together. Even though it was supposed to be Blair and Nate, Serena had always been a defining factor in all of Nate's relationships, and she knew that. She felt bad that most of his girlfriends scurried away at the smallest mention of Serena Van der Woodsen. He'd loved her for years, and she'd felt guilty for longer.

Sitting there with him and Henry in her lap, they looked like a little family. Serena smiled. Nate was her family, and he always would be. But no one could ever come close to Dan's place in her life. He was everything. Nate wiped away a stray tear and left his hand on her cheek.

'Dan's the luckiest guy in the world, and he loves you so much. You're going to be amazing parents.'

'Thank you, Nate.' She leaned into his touch.

Someone cleared their throat in the doorway, and they both turned to find Jenny watching them, arms crossed and eyebrows raised higher than the Empire State Building.

Carter had never been good at picking gifts. During his short-lived romance with Serena Van der Woodsen, he'd wanted to spoil her but, at the time, money had been something of an issue. Now, with Jenny, he was financially secure and that was just him being modest. He was rich, and he liked the gifts he gave to reflect that. But he was terrible at choosing things, even for someone he knew as well as Jenny. He thought about calling on Erin to help, but he knew that Jenny would suss him out right away and at the very least, he wanted to surprise her by doing something of his own accord.

He wasn't too sure about Jenny Humphrey. He was sure he liked her, of course. God, she was brilliant. Street smart and intellectual and beautiful and able to play a good game or two, but the sudden rush of feeling when she'd told him she might not be coming back to London had him panicked. They weren't supposed to be anything. She was the best sex he'd ever had, and he'd had his fair share. Something was different with Jenny, and he couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was.

So it remained that he liked her, and that in itself was a problem. He liked her enough to be debating gifts for a person who was half a world away, and he had a sinking feeling that he was alone in his feelings. But then she had seemed so… disheartened on the phone, and that was his fault really. He'd been unenthusiastic when talking about her birthday, but it was just a facade. A well-honed method of coping. Growing up on the Upper East Side made actors of them all, and Carter could hide his feelings with the best of them. But something about Jenny made him want to stop hiding.

And Jesus Christ, that was scary.

His desk phone buzzed and Erin's voice chimed into his thoughts.

'The real estate agent from Manhattan is on the line. Are you in the office?'

Ah, the pinnacle of his last few months' work. His new restaurant, which he'd been planning for a while now but had only recently named, was set to be a popular night spot; if he could only wrangle the property he really wanted. There was interest from another party, and Carter was sure it was going to go to auction. He had plenty of funds to back himself up, and he truly loved what he did, but it was a commitment.

Not just to his career, but to Jenny. J was for her, and as much as he ignored the fact, it was slowly dawning on him that this was a serious thing. This playful, friends with benefits, sex at all hours and no commitment had rapidly becomes movies on pay per view in their pyjamas, spending the nights just sleeping, wrapped up in each other, and talking every day. Carter had fallen hard, but he couldn't pinpoint when or where.

'Mr Baizen?' Erin prompted.

He cleared his throat and swung his feet down off the desk.

'Tell Miss Thorpe I'll call her back. I have some errands to run.'

It came to him as he walked the streets of Soho, then caught the tube to the Embankment and from there walked to Chelsea. He loved this city more than New York. There was something in the air; a closeness of people despite the sheer size of the place. He loved to walk around in the free air, in the place he'd found himself after years of running away and pissing away his family name and wealth. He was man now, with things he treasured and wanted to last.

His feet wandered with his thoughts and, before long, he was outside The Corner Place, and staring at him through the window was Jenny's very favourite cake. Victoria Sponge. Smiling to himself, he pulled out his cell and dialled his assistant's number.

'Erin,' he said, beaming, when she answered promptly. 'Scramble the jet and my pilot for this Saturday.'

Erin sighed and then, under her breath, muttered 'finally'. Carter smiled wider and put the phone down, then said to himself:

'There's someone I need to get to.'

I know this is much shorter than the others, sorry! Buuut it looks like things are about to get veeery interesting on the Upper East Side.
Please review! It makes my day x