A/N: Hmm, let's see. I've been busy with college, designing a logo, and surviving withdrawal from a piano. I apologize for taking so long between updates. I'll keep saying what I've been saying for months: Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. I love them to pieces, and appreciate you taking the time to tell me your thoughts.

As always, thank you to Spiros & Sara, both of whom nudge me to keep writing. My best stuff always comes from those hour-long writing sessions, so thank you both.

And to my Dair friends on Chatzy: I don't go on as often as I'd like, but you all motivate me to keep writing for this fabulous couple :)

I've decided to stick with the T rating, but with disclaimers. So...again, there is some M stuff in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own GG or any of its characters.

Blair awoke the next morning to the sound of her own moans. Her back arching, she could barely register where Dan's mouth was as pleasure rippled through her. His skilled tongue was relentless and magnificent, and when she heard him groan into her, she felt the pressure begin to build. It was only a moment later that he hit the sweet spot that snapped her, completely sending her over the edge. She gripped the sheets as she rode out the waves of pleasure, crying out his name. Her whole body was humming and tingling with ecstasy and the best relief possible.

Completely sated and spent, she could only smile when she felt him shift below her. He kissed his way up her body, until he finally landed on her lips. "Good morning," he mumbled, brushing his nose to hers.

"Hmm..." she murmured against his lips. "Morning." She opened her mouth against his, granting him access to meld his tongue against hers. She could get used to this wakeup.

He moved to lie beside her and pulled her close.

"We should get up," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair.

"Why?" she whined playfully, rolling on top of him. "It's Saturday." She kissed his ear. "No classes." His nose. "No Dorota." His cheek. "Just me." His lips. "And this bed," she whispered saucily, and he couldn't help but roll on top of her and fuse his mouth to hers. She groaned at the contact, but whimpered when he pulled away.

"Waldorf. If I don't get out of this bed now, I never will."

"I know," she teased, running her hands down his chest. "That's a good thing."

"This is becoming a very bad cycle," he chuckled. "And as much as I hate saying this, I think we should make some ground rules."

"Ground rules?" she said warily, not liking it already.

"Yes."

"Like what? And...why?"

"Blair, we can't stay in bed all day and have sex every time we're together."

"I know," she scoffed. "We're not animals Dan."

"Says the woman who practically attacked me in the kitchen," he said dryly, smirking at her perfectly cocked brow.

"Like you weren't begging for it."

"Blair..." he breathed out. "I know we haven't discussed what this is yet, but if we take this any further, maybe I should..." He took a breath. "Move out."

"No!" she shouted, her face immediately blushing. "I mean..." She cleared her throat. "You can't move out now. I've gotten used to having someone in the house. And besides...I am more than capable of exercising self-control around you. So please...don't go."

"Okay." He leaned down to kiss her pout. "But let's take this slow. Try and act like a two people who are dating, but don't live with each other."

"Go on normal dates at a normal pace."

"Yes."

She smiled. "Okay."

"The only difference is, I go home with you after the date—even if it's a bad one."

She smacked his shoulder lightly. "As long as your dating Blair Waldorf, there will be no bad dates. Got it?" she sneered gently.

He brushed his lips to hers. "Got it."

::

"I'm taking you out on a real date tonight," Dan said the next morning as he walked into the kitchen. The previous day had been filled with movies and make-outs. Like Blair promised, they both exercised enough self-control to get out of bed for the day. And to drive the point home, she forced them to shower and get dressed, and refused to sleep with him that night. However tempting it was to have sex again—and it was—she knew Dan was right. If they were going to make their new relationship work, they would need to set some boundaries. And so they watched movies, cooked, and made out like insatiable teenagers.

Immediately interested, she set down the newspaper. "You are?"

"Yup," he said while pouring himself some coffee. "So be ready at five."

She bit her lip in excitement. "Okay!"

He started to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" Blair called, stopping him in his tracks. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to my dad's for a bit."

Blair tried to mask her disappointment; she thought they'd spend the day together. "Oh, okay. I'll see you later then."

He turned and walked over to where she was sitting, watching her smile wider the closer he came. Kissing her dimpled cheek, he repeated again, "Five." And with a wink, he was gone.

::

Where the hell is he? Blair thought as she walked around her room. It was 4:55 and Dan was nowhere to be seen. He had come back from his dads a few hours earlier as she was jumping in the shower, but when she got out, he was gone.

During the brief five-minute period they had seen each other in, he had kissed her quickly and told her to dress casually. "Wear jeans," is actually what he really said, but Blair preferred to call it casual.

As she was applying a last-minute touch-up to her lips, she heard the phone ring. She rushed over and answered it.

"Ms. Waldorf?"

"This is she."

"This is George from downstairs. I have a guest waiting for you in the lobby, Ma'am."

Blair bit her lip and smiled. "Thank you, George. I'll be right down."

Five minutes later, Blair held in a squeal when she saw Dan. He was standing near the front entrance holding a bouquet of mums.

He eyed Blair appreciatively as she walked closer to him. She was wearing skinny jeans, like he'd suggested, and smoky grey blouse. He was glad to see she was wearing a peacoat; the air had a chilly bite to it, and they would be outside most of the evening.

"I was afraid you were standing me up," she teased, blushing at his gaze on her.

"Never," he laughed. "I just figured if we were acting like two people dating that don't live with each other, I might as well pick you up the normal way."

"It was a nice surprise," she said, standing on her toes to kiss him.

When they separated, Dan smirked. "Plenty more surprises tonight. So if you would follow me..."

And surprise number one took her off guard. He had led her to his dad's old VW and after looking at it uneasily for five minutes, he convinced her it was safe enough to be a passenger in. Again.

"Where are you taking me?" she questioned as they drove further out of the city and onto the highway.

"Waldorf, why are you acting like I'm kidnapping you?" He reached over and took her hand.

She softened. "Sorry. I just never venture out of the city often. Unless I'm going to Europe or the Hamptons—" Her jaw dropped in realization. "You're taking me to the Hamptons?"

He gave a boyish grin that made her get out of her seat and plant a kiss on his cheek. "The beach is sometimes better in the offseason."

Knowing the plans now, Blair relaxed. With her hand still in his and an old album playing through the speakers, she watched the sun begin to set as they drove towards their final destination.

As they crawled down the main street, Blair realized immediately that they were not going to Cece's house. It somehow made the whole thing more special.

A few minutes later, Dan pulled up to one of the few shops open and told her to wait in the car. He came out holding a temperature-controlled bag and she frowned at not being able to tell what was inside.

Another short drive later and they were at the beach. He handed her the bag (which ended up being zipped shut and un-peekable) and when she followed his instructions to pick any spot, she noticed the order form attached to the bag. Although it did not say what they actual order was, it did say the date it was ordered on. Two days ago. Before their cookie night.

Regardless of the possibility of having sex or not, he had planned to ask her out.

When he joined her a moment later, armed with thick blankets and a basket, she dropped the bag and kissed him square on the mouth. "This is perfect," she said breathlessly.

He pulled back in surprise, not expecting her reaction. He smiled. "I'm glad."

After settling their blankets and pouring two glasses of Chardonnay, Dan gestured for a toast.

"To doing things in order for a change."

Blair smiled and clinked her glass to his. After savoring a sip, she asked, "So, what's on the menu?"

And so Dan laid out the spread he had ordered, all going along with the theme of their location. Thankfully, the temperature-controlled bag had kept everything perfectly warm, and so the lobster bisque was still exceptionally hot. Paired with warm, rustic bread, a light salad, and rosemary chicken—everything was delicious.

Only Dan Humphrey could get her to eat on the beach, without a table or proper chair. And she loved it.

"I don't think I've ever gone on a picnic before," she confessed after they had finished eating. They were now lying side by side on the blanket, with another wrapped around them. The air was chillier than it had been when they arrived, but the wind was still. But the mixture of Dan's warmth and the hot chocolate in the thermoses he had packed kept her nice and toasty.

"Without all the city lights, the stars are so much brighter."

"Brighter? How about actually there? I sometimes forget they even exist," Dan said laughing, while he pulled her closer.

"So Daniel, any more surprises tonight?" Her head now resting on his shoulder, she tilted up to look him in the eyes.

"Actually," he smiled. "There is."

He slowly moved out from under the blanket, and Blair gasped when the cold air hit her. After wrapping her up once more, he looked down at her. "Close your eyes."

She heard him rustle in his pocket for his keys and frowned. He needed to get something for the car. The combination of him off the beach for a moment mixed with her eyes closed in the pitch black made her uneasy.

"Talk to me," she called out.

Sensing her anxiety, he answered, "I'll be right there. It's only us." He shut the car door loudly to signal his departure back to her.

Before she could demand when she could look, her eyes flew open in surprise at what she heard.

A guitar.

She gasped, sitting up on the blanket and following the shadowy figure walk closer to her.

"Oh," was all she could say.

He continued playing as he walked, and didn't stop even as he sat down. She couldn't recognize the melody—it almost sounded as if he were making the song up as he played. But that didn't matter.

What mattered was the way his fingers moved. Those talented fingers. The same fingers that raked through her curls when they kissed, or made her moan with pleasure in the morning, or stirred the pot of the world's best bolognese.

They were also capable and responsible for creating beautiful music. Her gaze was frozen on him. And when she pulled her eyes away from his hands, she studied his face. He wasn't looking at the notes he was playing, or strings he was pressed against, but a spot in the sand. He was focused on what the song sounded like, as opposed to how it was played. And as he strung the last note, he looked at her, and they shared the same smile.

"Dan..." She didn't know what else to say.

She saw him blush through the darkness. "Did it sound okay?"

"O...okay?" She sputtered. "It was phenomenal!"

He cocked his head. "Did it turn you on?" he teased with a smug grin.

She would have rolled her eyes at his childish question had it not been so true. Yes, it had definitely turned her on.

Wordlessly, they gathered up the blankets and threw everything into the basket. Grabbing her hand, he led her back to the car and drove quickly to the first B&B they saw open. With little words, they both decided they didn't care about work or classes the next day. Or the fact that they didn't have pajamas. They wouldn't need them anyway.

They were barely in the room before Dan had Blair's shirt off. Their movements were frantic and heated, both desperate for each other's touch. This was different from the weekend. They already knew each other's bodies, had already been introduced and acquainted to every crevice, curve, and fold. This was about her being inside him in as little time as possible.

It wasn't long before they were finally there; finally in that place that made them both release a moan in pleasure at the sensation. They panted against each other as they rocked together, leaving wet, open-mouthed kissed on every surface of skin they could reach. And finally, sooner than they wanted, they both reached the edge. They came together, clawing at each other's backs, and screaming each other's names. And once their breath settled, they stayed wrapped around each other until they succumbed to sleep.

::

The next morning, after they had breakfast, they went for a quick walk on the beach. Which turned into Dan picking Blair up and pretending to throw her in the water. After enough shrieks to scare every seagull away and threatening to abstain from sex, kissing, and you-name-it, he finally put her down.

"I'm still mad at you," she said with an adorable pout, thirty minutes later as they were driving back to the city.

"I'm too good-looking to stay mad at."

She rolled her eyes and looked at the scenery as they passed it, sharing random memories from childhood summers with Serena. She turned to Dan. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," Blair said, the topic of her friend suddenly reminding her. "Serena wants us to come visit her at Brown."

He looked at her, then back at the road. "Really? When?"

She shrugged. "Next weekend. Apparently there's some football game of great importance and she thinks it'll be fun for us to go. With it being our senior year, lots of her friends are getting awards or something. I don't know." She looked down at her lap. "You don't need to go if you don't want. I think Natie may come too."

"No," he said earnestly. "I'll go. It'll be fun." He flashed a smile.

"Okay." She smiled back. "It'll be a nice change of scenery; much like last night," she said, smiling at the memory.

"So are we making it...known that we're dating?"

"Hmm..." She looked uneasy. "No."

"Are you sure?"

She scoffed. "Of course I am. I don't think we need to be showing up at Brown totally rubbing it in Serena's face. You two may have broken things off amicably and on the same page, but that doesn't mean I get to be insensitive of her feelings."

"Hey." He held up his hands in defense. "I'm not fighting with you on that. I actually agree with you."

She sighed in relief. "Good, so we'll keep it to ourselves."

"Okay," he agreed. "It'll be fun; I kind of like the secretive aspect of it."

She smirked. "I suppose." But the smirk slipped away just as quickly. And for the rest of the ride, Blair anxiously thought about how the next weekend was going to go. And how the hell she was going to pretend she wasn't dating—let alone have sex with—Dan.

A/N: How was this chapter? I know I've been teasing Serena's return for weeks, but it's definitely in the next chapter. Right now, I'm planning on two more chapters & an epilogue. The end is nearing :) Review please!