Finally an update! Enjoy and hopefully it finds everyone well. I wrote the first half ages ago and just recently started the second half so I hope it flows.

Reviews are key to help make it better and I love suggestions!

I kept my gaze on Serena. My eyebrows furrowing at her beautiful blonde hair that tangled in mysterious knots that formed natural volume. Her ridiculous excuse for a dress had obvious wrinkles in the bottom corners, but somehow she managed to look like a picturesque model that stepped of a runway show for Prabal Gurung.

"Chuck," I said in a forced whisper. "A word." I stood up and sidestepped around Nate who seemed distracted by Serena and most of all Dan. His jealous expression was plainly written on his soft irritating face.

"What's your plan Queen B?" Chuck fiddled with his bow tie as we watched Dan and Serena make their way to the buffet tables. I felt like this speed bump could ruin everything I had originally strategized.

"I don't know," I bit my bottom lip.

"Think of something fast because Serena can be quite alluring when she wants to be," Chuck said pointing to them. They had found an empty table by the big windows. Dan was obviously telling a funny story or joke and Serena was responding with an infectious laugh and grabbing his arm and squeezing it. I silently fumed.

"Just separate them," I said waving my arms at them and Chuck raised his brow.

"Yeah okay," Chuck replied sarcastically.

"I am serious Bass, just tell Serena that Lily wants her and I will handle the rest." I growled at him and he smirked.

"I love it when you get bossy."

"You are disgusting," I pushed him in Serena and Dan's direction. "Now go before things look suspicious." He walked hesitantly and I stood in place with my arms crossed.

I noticed Nate wasn't sitting in his seat anymore and he was carrying on a conversation with his father, which he seemed half interested in. His eyes were still lingering to Serena and Dan. I groaned in frustration. Couldn't he at least pretend to be happy where he was and happy with whom he was with.

"This is so messed up," I muttered under my breath and watched Chuck lead Serena out of the room with some lame excuse I thought up.

I forced a smile on my face and walked over toward Dan. He was wearing a brown jacket that didn't match his black pin stripped v-neck, and a pair of faded dark jeans that looked like they belonged on a mannequin in Old Navy.

"Hello Humphrey," I said getting his attention and he looked up at me and smiled. His mouth was full of blueberry scone and flakey remnants were still lingering on his pert lips.

"Blair," he said with his mouth still relatively full and I stifled a nervous laugh.

"Yeah," I replied taking the seat that Serena had left vacant and I pushed myself closer to him.

"What can I do for you?" Dan wiped his hands on the cloth napkin and sat back in his chair with his arms crossed.

"Nothing, I just thought I would come over and say hello," I paused and looked around for Nate. He had vanished and Serena seemed to still be missing. I scanned for Chuck who was now in a heated argument with his father. "Where did Serena go?"

"Chuck said her mom was looking for her," he shrugged at me and I nodded and saw Lily in the corner socializing with Betty Morgan, and Serena was nowhere to be found.

"Her mom is right there Humphrey," I said pointing to Lily.

"Well perhaps she went to the ladies room."

"Perhaps? Wow, stunning word choice there Sherlock Holmes." I pursed my red lips and tucked a loose ringlet behind my ear. He looked at me and smiled. I felt something in my chest tighten and give me an unknown sense of comfort. His smile seemed genuine, like he appreciated my tiny joke.

"Well would you have perchance preferred Shakespeare?" He bit back and set his napkin on the table.

"Perhaps,"

My response seems to be the perfect one and it rolled off my lips naturally, as if I responded to please Dan Humphrey and charm the pants, figuratively, off of him.

"Shakespeare and Doyle...I think I can get used to conversations like this."

"You shouldn't though, Serena can only correlate Shakespeare with Leonardo Dicaprio." I shrugged, it wasn't supposed to just be mean, but it was the truth. Serena had definitely seen the movie and fawned over him relentlessly during late night sleepovers. I used to roll my eyes when Serena would recite Romeo and Juliet to her as if she had loved it forever. Romeo and Juliet was soon forgotten when Serena watched Titanic and threw herself into that.

"Baz Luhrmann is quite visually pleasing,"

"I suppose, I am partial to the Zeffirelli adaptation," I leaned closer to him. I could smell his Nautica aftershave and his cheap Dove shampoo. "sure the Luhrmann is colorful and pretty, but it's not classic," I looked into his large eyes and he stared into mine. He looked from my eyes and down to my lips. "or beautiful."

We stayed like that briefly. His face inching closer and closer to mine as everything seemed to disappear around us. The very conversation that we were just having seemed trivial. I didn't know what came over me as I felt the heat of his mouth almost cover my lips. His breathe smelled of blueberries and champagne.

"Am I interrupting something?" Serena said with frustration recognizable in her voice. The situation couldn't have looked good, and I don't know, if she hadn't of returned something may have happened with Dan.

Something may have happened in the middle of brunch surrounded by everyone I had known. I could have dropped the ball and made a mistake that would cause a bigger ripple effect then anticipated. Who the hell is this Dan Humphrey?

"Me and Blair were just discussing the classic from the modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet." Dan chimed in, interrupting my quiet thoughts. He moved away from me and smiled at Serena. His sharp reaction seemed out of place from his nervous answer.

"Looked like a pretty interesting conversation," Serena crossed her arms at us and I stood up to leave.

"Don't worry S," I stood up and smiled at Dan and back at Serena. "I was just leaving."

"Bye Dan," I waved gently and left without another word. He smiled at me as I left.

"They were in here earlier," Chuck said drinking his scotch listlessly, as if the burning sensation of the alcohol didn't harm the back of his throat anymore, he was immune to the sharp pain.

He was telling me that Serena and Nate were engaged in an intense conversation and he walked in to catch them. They must have been having it when I was talking to Dan.

We were sitting in his suite discussing the events of the day. Dan and Serena had left the brunch shortly after our brief encounter and Nate left complaining of a migraine. I gave him a kiss and he left without an even 'I love you' escaping his pouty lips.

"They have no decency," I said trying to mask my anguish. Chuck puckered his lips and raised his eyebrows. I concentrated my expression on the mess of magazines on the coffee table with water rings and food stains.

"How'd it go with Humphrey?" he said snapping me out of my reverie.

"Great," I responded candidly.

"That's it?" Chuck sighed. "I was expecting details and I get half an answer."

I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter, Brooklyn doesn't deserve my mellifluous words."

"Fine, but without an answer I can't help you and dime a dozen Dan." Chuck said going to his mini bar and pouring another scotch.

"We discussed Shakespeare and I let the conversation almost get out of hand." I confessed and he looked at me with shock and surprise written on his face. I was never one to let anything get out of hand. In school I was the one with the itineraries and schedules. I always had a plan. Today had seemed even strange to me.

"Did he kiss you?"

"Almost…" I toyed with the rogue olive in my martini.

"Couldn't seal the deal could he?" Chuck said like he expected it. "Serena is too perfect to pass up."

"And yet he wasn't the one to stop it," I scolded. "Serena interrupted the moment."

"Don't get sentimental on me Waldorf, we have a concocted this for a reason." Chuck reminded me.

"I'm not Charles,"

"Good," he smiled at me with the same kind of devilish grin he would give one of his many suitors. I groaned and dismissed myself. "You know the next step now and you know it will require you to be one hell of an actress."

I nodded at him.

"I guess I better call Serena," I internally felt an uncomfortable flip in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to see her. I could barely think about looking at her face.

We agreed to meet in Central Park, a place we spent with Chuck and Nate playing around as children and drinking expensive wine and trying our first cigarettes as young teenagers. I breathed those days. When Nate was securely by my side squeezing my waist closer to his and Serena was being Serena and always trying to outdo Chuck or even outdo herself. She would always be the reason we would get in trouble, but then it didn't matter because we were altogether and had each other.

Things were different now and I wasn't the same person. I wasn't okay with taking any sort of blame for Serena's dumb actions. I wasn't in the same place where I tried to imitate her. I was breaking the habit.

"I'm surprised you called..." Serena said standing up from the park bench. She shrugged at me and I faked a smile.

"I don't want to fight Serena, I just," I stopped, and made a choking sound, one that would show I had been holding back tears, but there weren't any tears to hold back.

"I know, and I am so sorry B." Serena pulled me in for a hug.

I nodded against her shoulder. I didn't understand how someone so charming and likeable, could be so stupid. She had known me since we were in first grade and yet she didn't see the look in my eyes that said 'I don't forgive you'

We stood together in the warm September air, and watched the tourists pass us by and I realized that this was easier than I thought it would be.

"Well I better go," I spoke up after a brief interlude of silence. She nodded in response.

"Yeah me too, my mom is probably having a cow after me bringing Dan to the brunch."

I perked up with interest.

"Oh...right...Brooklyn isn't quite suitable enough, is he?" I looked at the ground while I spoke.

"Yeah...I don't really care about that though. He is a really nice guy." Serena shrugged.

"Good. That is good." I stuttered out. I felt myself freezing up at the mention of how nice he was. She was right. He was really nice. "Call you later."

"Okay."

We hugged and parted ways again. I walked around the park alone for an hour trying to figure out when I became this immense shadow of myself.