The thirty minutes trip to the Equestrian Centre felt more like a transatlantic flight. Blair had invited Serena and Dan to take the ride with them, but they had refused. Serena might have to be on call for some emergency work…whatever that meant in the fashion world. Maybe it was for the best; the trip already seemed long enough why making it even worst to had Dan's presence to it? As much as wanted to refuse it, he hadn't make it out of her thoughts. And the anticipation of a full day with him around, being wonderful with her son made her stomach flint.

Henry was sitting right next to her looking excitedly out of the window. She looked at him but her mind was somewhere else, or better saying on someone else. All of this was way too confusing and she hadn't had the time to process everything that she had started to feel after their almost kiss. She had just spent so much time hating the sight of him, and all of the sudden he had turned out to be that Dan that she once cared for dearly. The image of the plastic crown brought an unexpected smile to her face, and her heart grew softer for him. She would be lying if she said that the thought of how it would have been had she chosen him over Chuck. She had thought about it a couple of times in the beginning, before he had gone into his writing rampage, and she had been thinking about it over the past couple of weeks. He would be in that car with her, they would be at their regular bickering, Henry would laugh at them…Henry would be his! She immediately shook her head, disgusted at herself for letting that cross her mind. Chuck was Henry's father and she never had regrets for having his child, and she wasn't going to start having them now.

"It shouldn't take much longer for us to be there." Blair said breaking the silence. Henry turned his attention to her and smiled at her, bringing a motherly smile to her face.

"I can't wait!"

"I'm sure you are going to love it!" Blair stated proud of her achievement.

"I'm sure I will!" stated Henry excitedly returning his attention to the fast passing image outside of his window.

"Come on love, if you don't hurry we will be late!"

"It's just a children's birthday party…its ok if we get there ten minutes after." Serena excused herself, shouting from the bathroom.

Dan passed downstairs waiting for his wife to get ready. Going to this party after what had almost happened between him and Blair brought more anxiety to him that he wished for. He could almost describe himself as a nervous wreck, but he was sure he would be able to pull his best relaxed persona and survive the day. Yes, he would share his attention with Henry and Serena, mix with some of the other guests if necessary, but he would not let himself alone with Blair. He was sure he would be able to control himself, he was not an animal after all, but somewhere on the back of his mind, a powerful voice advised against any alone time.

"Tell me again why there is a possibility of you being called for a job?" Dan asked trying to divert himself from his own thoughts.

"I told you already," Serena said making an appearance at the top of the stairs, while fixing her hearings, "there has been a mistake, and I was booked for today. My assistant is trying to postpone the shooting for tomorrow, but so far there has been neither a yes nor a no." Serena finished as she went down the last step. "Ready?"

"As I will ever be," Dan said as he laid a soft peck on her lips. "Let's go"

They exited the building and were greeted by their driver. Dan wanted to drive them to the party but in case Serena had to leave for the shoot, the driver would be there since she was not the most talented driver. Dan just hoped that in case she had to leave it would be at an acceptable time for him to leave without her. He did not want to think how awkward it would be for him to be there without his wife, with his awareness of Blair so vivid. He still hated her, that hadn't changed, but somewhere deep inside of him he still had hope that that Blair that he saw while working for W and the woman she tried to become after, were still somewhere in her. It wouldn't change anything thou, their story was over, she had made sure of that.

Absent mindedly he let out a sigh that didn't go unnoticed to Serena. She replied by placing her hand over his on his lap and by flashing her signature smile.

"It will be so much fun!" She assured him as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, until you have to leave!"

"If I have to leave!" Serena corrected. "Besides that Nate will be there, and it is not like you and Blair haven't improved your relationship."

"What do you mean with that?" Dan asked suddenly scared that she had some suspicions, but yet again, there was nothing for her to be suspicious about.

"It just seems that you guys don't…er…aren't so repulsed by each other's presence lately, which is quite refreshing since she is my best friend and you are my husband." Serena said as she lurched herself to grab his arm and snuggle herself against it.

"Yes, I guess we are walking towards civilized together. But don't get your hopes so up high…I still don't like her very much."

"Better than hate!" Serena flashed another smile at him and he kissed her on the lips as if he was trying to prove himself of something.

"I love you!" he said softly.

Serena looked at him straight in the eyes and kissed him deeply. That interaction brought a huge sense of rightness to him. She was right…Serena was right for him, his perfect match. He had heard Blair refer to herself and Chuck as inevitable before, and he always thought it was stupid, but right now that was how he felt towards his relationship with Serena. What Dan was not aware of was that the intensity of that feeling had been magnified by his unpronounced doubts about his feelings towards Blair; or maybe was but insisted on denying it.

They arrived to the party.

A big collection of very expensive cars decorated the parking lot as a sign of the luxury fest that would follow. As they passed through the reception, where they were greeted by a smiley face, they were welcome by an additional staff member that escorted them to the area were the welcome committee had been set. Of course that had been a demand from Blair. If he could recall she had compared the lack of a welcome committee to a pagan celebration. He rolled his eyes at the memory, and arm in arm with Serena he directed them to a small area where Blair was surrounded by what could be compared to adult version of minions. She spotted them and a bright smile spread across her face.

"Serena…Humphrey!" She announced a little bit too loud while she waved her hand, and excusing herself, she started to walk in their direction. Serena went ahead, and inevitably both friends collided with a hug. "I'm so happy that you are here! One more minute with them and I would lose my mind. Oh, how I need my best friend for social events!" Blair stated dramatically.

"Glad to be here B" Serena said with a smile. "How is it going?"

"So far is going good! A lot of the attendees already arrived, so soon I will be relinquished from my duties as a welcoming-hostess." Blair said with a hint of humour in her voice. Acknowledging Dan's presence, Blair turned her attention to him and she felt a cold shiver rushing up her spine. "Nate is by the horse tracks. There is where the bar is located." She graced him with her knowledge of the party.

"Thank you, but I know my way around this party already…I sort of helped planning it." He said being a little bit ruder than he wished he had. In fact he didn't intended to be rude at all, however it felt like some defence mechanism in him had been triggered by the sight and awareness of her.

"Just trying to be helpful Humphrey" Blair spat back not hiding displeasure in her tone.

"And I appreciate it." Dan said trying to redeem himself and at the same time, completely annoyed by her. "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have to first attend to the birthday boy and then to my best friend."

Dan proceeded with leaving the two friends alone but before he did so, he kissed Serena one more time on the lips and only after that did he make an exit. That earned him an intense look from Blair that went quite unnoticed to Serena, but not to Dan. As he walked away he kept on replaying it over and over on his mind. That look that Blair had just given him had been so full of something that he was not sure if he had seen it correctly or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He had seen hurt in her eyes. Damn her! Now this would be another piece to torment him on this day…and most likely for the ones to come.

"Dan!" a little voice shouted from a far and Dan didn't even need to think about who had projected it, because soon enough the image of the young boy appeared in front of him.

"Hey there champ!" Dan stated with his brightest smile on his face as he placed a hand on top of the boy's head. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you!"

"Serena has your gift; I think you are going to like this one!" Dan incited curiosity on the birthday boy.

"What is it?" Henry asked curiously.

"Now, if I told you it would ruin the surprise!"

"You are the worst!" Henry said in a very Blair like manner, with humour on his voice bringing a laugh out from Dan.

"How do you like the party?"

"It is awesome!" Henry proclaimed as all of the sudden some other kid shouted his name, and Dan saw the boy's body change with anticipation to join his friends.

"Go…and have fun!" Dan said as he gave the boy a soft push on his shoulder.

"Thanks." Henry concluded the conversation and ran away to join the horde of children.

Dan inhaled heavily and took a moment to scan the place. Long white and blue stripes had been laid as a provider of shadow. According to Blair, white tents were way too common and she wished not to be associated with anything less than the epitome of the Upper East Side Standard. Spotting a group of adults engaged into some cheerful conversation, Dan recognized his best friend in their middle and decided that some mingling was in order. He was greeted by Nate with a big smile and a pat on the back. The grudge from what had been done in the past had been forgotten easily by both of them, and they had resumed their friendship. Since then, they had assured their place as each other's best friend and never again had they had a fight. Nate was a good influence on Dan's life. He was a counsellor in all the matters referring to the life as an Upper East Sider, but he had also been there to help him keep part of his essence alive and as such, Nate had been partly responsible for Dan keeping that outsider charm to him.

Dan mingled with the adults at the party gracefully. He truly had gone from the shy, awkward kid to a perfect blend in this world. Blair couldn't help but to notice this from a far, as she greeted the guests and handled a little brochure with the activities. Since Serena and Dan had arrived, she had been painfully aware of his presence. First he had been rude to her and that annoyed her at no end, but now she found herself wondering as for the whys behind his behaviour. They had had their doses of bickering at each other, but now she thought that they were moving past it again. He just confused her, in so many ways. At this point a phone rang near her, and she noticed her best friend excusing herself away to take the call. She then turned her attention to Dan again, and noted mentally that this could not be healthy.

On the other side of the party, Dan started to move himself away from the crowd. He was comfortable in their middle but there was too much that he could take, and he found himself needing to excuse himself for a moment, to have some privacy with his thoughts. A memory of a Blair uncovering a rain coat ran to his mind, and he found himself cursing for allowing those memories to come crawling back at him. He considered himself to be a fair reasoning person, so he began to try to logic his way out of it. Serena had been his first love, they had been too young and failed at putting some prejudices aside. After that they had fallen in and out of love as if there had been an unsure ending to their love story. He had had some side-track romances, but nothing that had had a strong grip over his heart, which only came along Blair Waldorf. He had hated her at the beginning; she represented everything that he condemned in the world of the rich and powerful. But somewhere along the years he started to realise that there was much more to her; she was fragile, intelligent, determinate…she became a different person on his eyes. He felt in love with her and it was not the teenager love anymore, it was mature and strong, or so he thought. She had crushed his heart and after that he had deleted all the good judgements that he had made of her, and saw her as just that evil dictator that she was as a teen. At some point Serena crawled back to his heart, and he had welcomed her love knowing that she was his best shot at happiness. He loved his wife, but he also loved her best friend. He never had stopped loving her; he had just deluded himself with ideas of hate. There it was…his personal vision of enlightenment. His eyes searched for her, as if the sight of Blair was all he needed. He spotted her at the same place he had last seen her, and he noticed Serena looking at her direction.

"I'm so sorry B," Serena began to explain; "My assistant didn't manage to re-schedule the shooting. I have to go. "She finished with a genuine sad expression.

"It's alright S, I understand!"

"I promise I will be back as soon as possible. If all goes well in three hours I should be able to return" Serena promised giving her best friend a goodbye kiss on the cheek. And with that, Serena moved past to the parking lot where her driver waited for her. "Can you please let Dan know? I will text him nevertheless." Serena shouted from a far before she was completely gone.

Blair sighed, her new task weighting over her shoulders. She wanted nothing but distance from Humphrey; she was scared of what might happen if she allowed herself to get closer. She would greet the last guests, and then move her way into the party, spot him, tell him that Serena had left and mingle with the rest of the guests. It was a sound plan.

The staff member that was at the entrance walked towards Blair to inform her that the last people on the guest's list had just arrived. Blair greeted this information with pleasure; she was tired of the welcoming part and wished to join the festivities as soon as possible. She welcomed the last guests the same way she had welcomed everyone before, maybe just cutting down a little bit on the pleasantries. She left with them smiling and making small talk. As she approached the crowed she was intersected by several of the invitees that wanted to congratulate her for the party. She smiled and thanked, but inside she just wanted to move past them and check on her son.

That came eventually after several "thank you" and "I hope you are having a good time". She spotted her son smiling brightly as he was settled on the back of a pony. He noticed Blair and waved at her enthusiastically, she replied by waiving back and flashing him her best smile. In the corner of her eye she noticed a figure moving away to a more secluded area. Letting her curiosity win she diverted her attention to the sight just to notice that the guest that was moving away from the crowd was Dan.

Remembering about her friend's request, she decided to follow him to inform him that Serena had left for the shooting and that would be the end of it. He was going in the direction of what seemed to be a little horse stable, most likely just used for storage. She followed him without being noticed, also due to the fact that she was moving a little too far behind him. He entered. Blair rushed her pace unintentionally, eager to enter too for some reason unknown to her.

She entered softly, trying not to startle him with her presence. She noticed his presence at the bottom by a little window. He looked so charming with his hair gelled back, sunglasses hanging at the collar of his polo shirt from Ralph Lauren. He had gone a long way from that Brooklyn boy. She found herself walking in his direction with the consuming thought of him. She was very aware of his presence and there was something intoxicating about it that was clouding her judgement.

He eventually noticed that he was not the only one in that stable. He moved towards the spot where he thought the person might be just to startle Blair that had suddenly stopped where she was.

"What are you doing here?" He asked straightening himself up and starting to move in her direction.

"I just had to tell you that Serena was indeed called for that photo shoot. She supposes she will be back in about three hours" Blair said trying to break the spell that was luring her to him, but failing miserably at it.

When they came to their senses, they were mere inches apart and found that distance unacceptable but neither could find the strength to take that one last step.

"Are you enjoying the party?" She asked sounded weaker than she ever intended.

"Very much!" He stated without moving his eyes from her.

They were so close she could smell him. And he smelled good. If she hadn't her eyes locked on his, she would have closed them to take in the scent fully. But his eyes were so piercing, and so daring that she didn't dare to divert from them. Neither could take it anymore. They needed to feel each other, to hold, to kiss, and to be connected again; yet none was brave enough to make that move. It was as if giving in would proclaim one of them as the loser of an un-existing game. Dan flinched but immediately lost his nerve. Her heart skipped a beat with anticipation and without thinking she proceeded.

"Are you going to make your move or what?" She asked him daring. The dejá-vu sense of her question was all he needed to break the barrier that stubbornly had been held up to keep them apart.

His lips came crashing into hers, as his hands pushed her body against his by her waist. She stood still in shock, but as soon as his lips on hers started to feel real she gave in and kissed him back. Her arms rested on his neck, her chest pressed against his and his hands warming her lower back. It was a shy kiss at first, like lovers that were craving each other but were mesmerised by the touch of lips alone. Soon enough they wanted more, and knowing exactly when the other was ready, their tongues began to play a sensual dance for domination. Her body felt so warm against his, and he felt the presence of clothes irritating. He worked his way under her blouse and allowed his hands to explore her back, intensifying the kiss with the touch of skins. Their breath began to be cut short and they knew that they would have to break from that kiss soon enough.

As the lack of air became unbearable they broke the kiss and moved away from each other with their chests panting heavily. None could speak. None could quite process what had just happened, with all its intensity and chemistry. They just stood there, with their chests still panting as they inhaled deeply, welcoming the fresh air in their lungs. Their gazes crossed and with that their eyes were again locked. His eyes were intense with desire, and he knew that hers told no different tale than his. He didn't know what to say to her, he couldn't find any words because she occupied every corner of his mind at this point. She looked at him hungrily and at that point he knew that it was no time for words. They simultaneously moved towards the other, their bodies colliding with fervour as their lips found again their way to the others. His hands held her face close to his, as they kissed passionately. His touch was awakening every nerve in her body, and she found herself craving for more. She wanted to feel their skins, their warm bodies against each other's…hell! She wanted to feel all of him.

His arousal made itself noticeable and Blair could help but to smile against his lips. She let her hands room his chest, to find its way to his neck. It was a battle to feel as much as possible from the other. They were overwhelmed by the sensation, by the awakening of feelings that it was to be so close to the other…and they wanted more. She tugged at the end of his polo shirt and removed it with ease. As the collar passed through his head, he looked deep into her eyes and dove in for another kiss. She felt cold shivers down her spine as his hands started to make their way down the buttons of her blouse. When he finished unbuttoning them, he moved his hands to her shoulders and with side movements; he helped the blouse to fall down her shoulders. Blair made her way out of her blouse with energy, and as soon as she got rid of it, she crashed her body against him in another desperate make-out session.

Eventually they needed to get a fresh loaf of air. They stood again, gasping for air as they had for already quite a few times. She looked at him with his bare chest rising up and down in the most enticing of ways.

"This is just wrong." He said softly in between inhalations. His voice brought her back from her reverie with his naked chest. She limited herself to give him a confused look, and when she saw what it seemed to be regret on his face she couldn't help but to feel hurt. They had shared a clear moment of passion, and she could not lie and say it didn't mean anything, because it had. It had meant too much to her. But the image of him, standing bare chest in front of her, still recovering a regular breathing pattern, with a hand covering his eyes, she knew that the moment was gone.

Embarrassed, she grabbed her blouse from the ground and began to adjust herself. He just looked at her with a mix of regret for stopping it and regret for doing it plastered on his face. It just looked like he was having an inner fight over this.

"I hope you enjoy the party!" Blair said, gaining his attention to her one more time, and to her alone. His movements warned that he was going to say something, but fearing whatever he might have to say; Blair moved her hand up in a stop sign and exited the stable without any more words.

A/n: I hope you liked it J

Before I conclude this chapter there is something I wanted to share. First I would like to thank you all for the wonderful review. It really brings a smile to my face to read them! However there is one particularly that I would like to mention: Magnus57, your latest review…no words for it! It was truly one of the most beautiful things anyone said about my "work". You made my day with it…thank you very much for that.

- patricia