The Humphreys arrived at the Archibald-Waldorf home at eight in the morning the Friday they'll be leaving for Italy.

Serena hugs her best friend after the latter has just greeted them a happy anniversary. Nate patted his Dan's back congratulating them with having such a wonderful marriage.

"Don't give them ice cream for breakfast, okay?" The tall blonde said in a warning tone while the petite brunette had only nodded.

"Okay, you can make a list of rules I'm going to break. Geez, S, you're becoming as demanding and as bossy as me."

"Yeah, yeah. Just… don't forget to bring Andy's inhaler every time you go out, Paulo's allergic to eggs and nuts, they always take their nap after lunch, don't let them watch TV for more than two hours, if Paulo does something naughty, just threaten him with a Barbie it scares him almost instantly… which is weird for a 3-year-old boy by the way… And Dan always read to them before they sleep so maybe Nate can—" Serena has become a very hands on mom when it comes to her kids, which is something Blair admires her for.

"Yeah, I'll do that. We got it, Serena." Nate interfered with her rambling on and on. "Wait… you discipline your child by frightening him with a doll?"

Serena shrugs and gives him a smug look. "You can't just give them whatever they want, Nate. I don't want them to grow up knowing that they can have their way around because life isn't like that."

"You're beginning to sound like me." Her husband said, grabbing her waist.

"Relax S, it's not like the first time we have to babysit for you." Blair said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, it isn't but this time's different. It's not only for a few hours! We're gonna be gone for a week!" As always, Serena has a tendency to overreact.

"Don't worry about it and if ever you do have the urge to call, just try to remember that you're in Florence or Milan or wherever you are in Italy with the husband you love… and who loves you back dearly… So, just have an awesome time and limit your calls to three times a day, k?"

Paulo tugs at her skirt, asking "But Aunt Blair, why couldn't we just come with mom and dad? We promise to be good. It sounds like it's gonna be fun."

Blair sat on her heels, brushing her best friend's son's tousled brown hair, "Don't you want a brother you can play with?" The little boy nodded. "They won't be able to do that if the two of you are around. So… your mommy and daddy have to go to Italy and make a baby."

"Does that mean they don't want us to be there?" Paulo seems to be a smart boy for a three-year-old.

"Well… Your parents love you very much but don't you wanna hang out with me for a while? We can eat cake and ice cream and cookies all day… watch cartoons all day… go to the zoo…"

"Yeah, I'd love that!" He hugged her and breaking away from her, he asked, "Do all parents have to go to Italy to make a baby?"

"Now that you've mentioned it, I think it's time for you and Andy to learn about the birds and the bees."

"The birds and the bees?" The twins chorused, seemingly interested.

"Blair!" Dan and Serena both glared at her and she only gave them a mischievous grin. They all realized that she can be as perverted as Chuck.

"Hey! I was just kidding! But seriously, just go on and leave before Nate and I snatch your tickets and fly instead of you two." Blair and Nate show them to the door while they hug their children and say their goodbyes.

"Wouldn't be surprised if you go home sporting a baby bum." Serena's best friend teases her as she gives her a kiss goodbye.

"We really appreciate you doing this for us. And who knows? Maybe by next year, you can go to your own honeymoon and you can tell us all about it." Dan said giving Blair a hug.

"You know how Nate still has to finish grad school and I've got a lot of commitments right now…"

Nate butted in, "Come to think of it, honey, we're practically living together and everything and a wedding's just what's been missing. We can just head to Vegas and get a quick ceremony…"

"You're joking right?" She said, raising her brow at him.

"We can do the big grand wedding as soon as we can." He proposed.

"You really are serious about this, aren't you?"

Serena interrupts, letting out her usual 'ahem', "Guys! We're still here and we're leaving."

And with that, the married couple left for their romantic trip, leaving Blair and Nate to the discussion of their 'wedding plans'.

"Do you need a ride?" Chuck Bass asked the girl standing in front of him, while helping her carry her luggage.

She was about to reply but didn't; having spotted a tall figure strolling on his way to her. Screaming his name, she immediately throws her hands at him, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. She held his hand and together they both walked their way back to Chuck.

"Didn't mention you had a boyfriend," he whispered to her ear, silently criticizing the man's appearance from head to toe. This guy looks too pretty to be gay. He thought that, based from their conversations, she was too much of an intellectual to be dating a brainless model (assuming that the guy is.)

"Jealous, much?" She murmurs back. "And besides, you didn't ask. Lucky for you, he's just a friend." Is it not unusual to be that intimate with someone who's just a friend? His mind loudly spoke.

"There goes the challenge of snagging a taken girl." He smirks. "Now it's much easier."

"Your arrogance is just turning me off." Which of course, isn't true; as a matter of fact, she has always developed a liking to conceited men. "By the way, Chuck, this is my good friend, Jake." The two guys just gave each other a polite nod.

A shiny black Mercedes Benz stops in front of him as the chauffer gets out in order to greet him.

"Need a ride?" He asked again for the second time while she tries not to look impressed.

She nonchalantly replied, "We're good. But thanks for the offer."

"Well… This is me, now. I guess I'll see you around, Alexis."

"Yeah. You take care of yourself, Charles. Enjoy your time in London." I have a feeling I'll see you again, as well. She gives him a most heartwarming smile.

"Who was that?" Jake asked her the minute Chuck left.

"No one. Just some random guy." Who happens to be undeniably rich, she thought rolling her eyes.

Blair Waldorf was the kind of woman other women considered a bitch but whom dogs and children mysteriously loved. Paulo was clutching her hand with the sort of open and unabashed fervor that is found only in small children who have yet to discover cynicism.

For the right kind of man, there is no more compelling image than that of a young woman in affectionate congress with children. Her face held a radiant kindness of a Madonna and an unusual softness he'd never seen before. Nate's heart leapt and the world regained its equilibrium, for he saw that he'd been right about her all along: she was the right girl for him and he was in love with her.

Carrying a little girl in his arms, he approached her. "I think you'd make a good mom."

"Really, you think that?"

"Yeah, I'm positive. Who would've thought you'd be so good around kids?" They were both now sitting on a bench with the kids playing at the slides.

"I'd say the same thing about you, Archibald." She said, smiling at him. "Andy simply adores you. You're the only one she wants to carry her, second to her dad of course."

"Maybe it's because we didn't grow up having siblings around. Well, you do have Yale as your little sister and Miles, but you know?"

She nodded in understanding to what he meant. Blair's mother had remarried a man named Cyrus Rose and got pregnant (which is shocking for her mom's age) with her little sister who's now about 7 years old. Miles, her stepbrother, was a year older than her. Blair was of course, skeptical at first about the marriage, saying that it would probably not last long but it was only after she saw that her mother has been genuinely happy and less uptight that she finally approved of the marriage. From spending family dinners and vacations together, she learned that having a stepbrother and a half sister wasn't such a bad thing. Blair may scowl every time she sees Miles smokes his herbal cigarettes while listening to his favorite reggae music but she later realized that he's pretty much a cool guy and they had gotten along very well in the end. He's been the protective brother she never had.

"Yeah, I can't believe I was the one changing Yale's diapers and lulling her back to sleep when she was still a baby." She said, wrinkling her nose at the thought of her having to deal with her sister's poop back then but she still smiled.

"Serena told me that time when Chuck was feeding Yale. He'd been curious to know what baby food tasted like and then he tried some himself, afterwards puking everything into the kitchen sink."

Blair laughed and went on with the story, "Saying 'how can she love something that tastes like crap?' with a disgusted face. You should have seen it yourself! The idea of Chuck babysitting was hilarious in itself but nothing could top that little incident."

"Trust me; I would've paid a million dollars just to see that. You should've videotaped it or something. I could only just imagine the look on his face." Nate replied looking amused.

Blair took it as a good sign that Nate's completely over the thing with Chuck, after hearing him easily talk about his ex best friend like that. "Yeah. It's a classic un-Chuck Bass moment."

If he could only turn back the time and re-live everything, he had wished so many times that he could go back to that moment so that he would've done things differently. He would've been there to witness everything, remained close friends with them despite all that has happened instead of staying away. But things happen for a reason and now that he thought about it, those series of events that have transpired have brought him to where he was standing right now. That is, being back with Blair again.

Breaking his chain of thoughts, she softly spoke, "Nate, sweetie, what's on your mind? You suddenly got so quiet."

"Nothing. I was just thinking…" He mumbled the words making her more confused.

"Thinking about what?"

"Nevermind."

"Tell me."

He gave her a smile, gently lifting her chin to kiss her on the lips. "I didn't realize it until now. I know how exceptionally lucky I am to have you and I know I've already told you a million times that you're wonderful and perfect and that you're everything I've ever dreamed of… But I'm going to tell you again and again and again… Because I'll never forget that you're the best thing that has happened in my life and if we hadn't crashed and burned the way we did before… Without encountering those bumpy roads along the way, we wouldn't be here right now."

She stared at him for a whole minute, not saying anything and letting everything that he has just said register in her mind. Sure, Nate's been sweet to her a lot but it still surprises her whenever she hears him blurt out his feelings like that. Men by nature are not very outspoken and articulate when it comes to their emotions. "Are you feeling sick? Do you feel feverish?" Blair asks, placing her hand on his forehead.

"I'm serious, Blair!"

She sneers at this and started to speak in a more serious tone, "Sorry… It's just that… You just surprised me with everything you've just said." She finally feels like the leading lady in her own movie with Nate as her leading man, reciting his lines to her. It's even better because everything's happening in real life. "And I do not know what to say."

"I love you will suffice." He smiled at her, taking her hand and kissing it softly.

She bit her lower lip and looked at him with questioning eyes. "You know, I love you, right? I'd do anything for you."

"Yes? Why do you seem… bothered?"

She shakes her head from side to side and told him she wasn't, trying to push aside her worries. But she couldn't help but fear that something bad might happen now that everything seems to be going great between them.

He caresses her face as if she was the most precious thing in the world and reassures her, "Nothing can tear us apart." The last time he told her this, he had let them fell apart. At this point in time, she tells herself that he would keep his promise.

The two kids ran back to them and they happily walked around hand in hand, painting a picture of a perfect family.

"So, how many kids do you wanna have? I mean, not right now but you know, in the future?" Blair asks him.

"Funny. Dan and I were just having this conversation a week ago and now here we are, talking all about it."

"Well, what did you tell him?"

"Seeing how cute and wonderful Dan and Serena's kids are, I think we'd do better. I want a really big family 'cause that's something I never had so let's say maybe, ten?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Okay, nine? It'll be a waste if we don't make the most out of our good genes."

"Nate! I'm scared to go through child birth." She then jokes, "Maybe we can just adopt."

"Hey! You're a tigress, right? Wanna make babies as soon as we get home?"

"Nate!!"

Dan Humphrey dropped their bags on the floor upon reaching their suite while his wife jumps into the bed as soon as she spotted it. It was fifteen minutes after midnight when they arrived at the villa they had rented for three days.

"You should've carried me to the bed the way you did on our honeymoon." Serena said, looking up at him while he was taking off his shirt.

"Sorry, honey, have to attend to the luggage." He approached her and sat on the bed beside her. "I'm just so tired."

"I know, me too. I thought that as soon as we get here, everything would look beautiful and romantic and we'd do a scene from those romantic novels… But somehow, it feels like we've been on the plane for a week and we're both exhausted. We don't have the energy anymore." She whined showing a hint of frustration.

"Don't worry, we just got here. We'd get our sleep and by tomorrow, we'll stay in and we'll make love all afternoon… Then… we'll explore the town at night."

"Hmm… Sounds like a plan."

"Do you remember our first date?"

"Our first pseudo-date, you mean?"

"Still counts as a date, I suppose. You were wearing this gold top and I thought you looked like a goddess. Right now, you laying here with some of your hair hanging around your face like that…" He tucks the strands behind her ears. "To me, you still look like a goddess, even more beautiful and captivating than before."

"Awww… Dan! It amazes me how you still manage to be sweet and endearing even though we just got here from an annoying long flight… And it's midnight… And I've been whining a lot…"

He stops her rambling by kissing her passionately and that was all she needed to feel the least bit rejuvenated, even if only for a while seeing that they really needed sleep.

Two days later, Blair has just dropped the kids at the Bass-Van der Woodsen townhouse a couple of blocks away from their apartment. Nate just went out for a jog around Central Park and she was in a hurry to go back home just in time to make him breakfast. Her phone started to ring and she had to rummage inside her bag in order to retrieve it.

"Hello?"

Her PR manager was on the other line asking her if she has already seen the papers.

"What? Does it have to do something with the pictures of me and Nate taking my best friend's children to the zoo? 'Cause I've already cleared the rumors out. We wanna have kids in the future but we have no plans of adopting." She claimed while walking in the streets on the way home. She had been referring to the numerous pictures taken of her and her "family" on the pages of tabloids and magazines and the speculations of her adopting the kids.

"Just get a hold of the current issue of OK! Magazine and The New York Post then get back to me so that we could talk about the whole ordeal and make a statement."

"But why couldn't you just tell me on the phone?" She demanded rolling her eyes when Gary just hung up on her. Passing by a newsstand on the other side of the street, her eyes grew wide in shock as she saw the headline and a big picture of her and Chuck sharing a kiss at the airport.

Her face fell and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Grabbing a copy of the magazine and paper, she managed to carry her feet back to the confines of the apartment she's sharing with her fiancé.

On the other side of the globe, Chuck Bass entered a small boutique, clad in a tailored suit with his signature scarf hanging around his neck. He sits on an antique chair, tapping his shoes and waiting impatiently.

Alexis lands her black Gucci pumps on the floor after climbing down a few flights of stairs. She gives him a welcoming look the second her eyes landed on him. "Didn't expect to see you here." She moves closer to him, inquiring, "How did you—"

Being with him for about 18 hours on the plane, she already had anticipated his usual smirk and smooth voice filling her ears.

"I have my ways." He said with a hint of confidence, giving her a wink.

"You do research. How cute and endearing…"

"I'd take that as a compliment." He runs his eyes at her from head to toe— she was wearing a sexy librarian look that seems to please him. "So… this is where you work." He commented after letting his eyes wander around the place. The ceilings were high; the walls were painted beige with chic paintings hanging and there were rack of clothes in every corner.

"Yeah." She nodded, her attention focused on him. "So… Have you found something nice and interesting to purchase?"

"As much as I love seeing beautiful clothes on gorgeous women, I'm afraid I don't have anyone to buy it for." He then suggested, "Unless of course, if you'd want me to dress you up with your own designs…"

"It wouldn't be such a bad idea. Don't you think?" She gave him a knowing smile.

He took a rosy pink body hugging mini dress from the rack and shows it to her, "What about this one? You'd definitely look stunning in this."

"You want me to model my clothes for you now?" She gave him a naughty grin with her left brow raised a bit higher than the other.

"Do you want my help with the undressing part?"

She unbuttons the first few ones of her white oxfords as she takes him into one of the dressing rooms. In a sexy voice, she tells him, "No… I think I can manage it on my own but..." Pulling him closer to her, she murmurs into his ears, "Maybe you can help me with this 'other' thing…"

His self-control was waning and he knew he was dying to taste those rosy lips again; the last time had only been very brief if you'd even consider it as a kiss. Pinning both her arms on the wall with his left hand and the other one running down her waist, he devours her in a hungry kiss running down his tongue into her bubble gum tongue. She moans in this temporary bliss and taking control of the situation, she pushes him aggressively so that he was the one standing against the wall. Proving that he was stronger than her, he carries her with his muscular arms as he feels her legs wrap around his waist in one fluid motion while they were still kissing each other vigorously. She runs her hands in his already messy hair, not minding that her skirt might rip any moment from now.