Hey! Super sorry for the long wait! I just came back from Spring Break, and stupidly assumed that I had already published this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I, for one, felt a little iffy when I read over this chapter again, so tell me how it goes!

"If you take one more thing, you're going to break," Dan said with an amused glint in his eye.

"Wrong again, Humphrey. Waldorf's don't break. We excel in everything, even if it means having to lose an arm!" Blair said exasperatingly, as she balanced four Giuseppe Zanotti shoeboxes on one arm and a heavy stack of documents on another. "At least let me help you, " Dan said as he seized the shoeboxes from her grasp and ignored her stubborn glare.

"Fine, but Epperley's looking for you."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, someone misspelled 'Balenciaga' on the W blog again?"

"Close," Blair said, letting a smirk spread across her lips.

"Ahh…it definitely has to be 'Olivier Theyskens,' then. His name always did confuse me."

Blair laughed. "Leave it to Brooklyn to mix up high fashion terminology. But no, they misspelled your name in the blog, actually," Blair said in amusement.
"So unless you want to be called Don for the rest of your internship, I'd talk to Epperley," Blair said teasingly, as she unloaded the documents on one of the contributor's desks.

"'Don Humphrey,' huh? Glad to know they appreciate my work here," Dan mused with a sarcastic grin on his face, before taking off to find their supervisor.

Blair had been interning at W for a week now. Though she had never really forsaken the idea of pursuing a career in fashion, mostly due to her mother's insistence, she was ultimately surprised at how easy everything came to her while interning at W Magazine.

Growing up, she simply assumed that her eagerness to get her hands on new issues of Vogue and Vanity Fair way before the printing release date was a minor interest on her part.

Little did she know that it would only take seven days at a major publication for her to realize that her attachment to fashion was more than just mere interest; it was her creative outlet, her calling in life.

And she had Dan Humphrey of all people to thank for that. If Dan had not shown up at her apartment a week ago, she might have still been wallowing in self-pity, under heaps of Columbia readings and assignments, relying purely on Serena and Dorota for moral support.

However, she now found herself capable of standing on her own two feet, a state of mind that she had been pining for ever since that fateful night at the hospital with Chuck.

Blair quickly shook away her thoughts, forbidding herself from thinking about him. She hated how weak and vulnerable she had become, so she reminded herself time and again that she was Blair Waldorf, and it would take more than just Chuck Bass to destroy her.

Blair felt her Blackberry vibrate in her pocket, suddenly grateful for the distraction. She picked it up and placed it against her ear.

"BLAIR!" Serena screamed on the other end of the phone, making Blair jump.

"What? Are you OK? Are you hurt?" Blair asked in alarm, suddenly anticipating the worst.

"I am perfect, actually. You know what's not perfect? You and Dan! My ex-boyfriend! Dating! Like a couple! ON GOSSIP GIRL!" Serena rambled hysterically.

Blair's mouth fell slightly agape, even though a part of her albeit small had been expecting this conversation for a week now.

"You can't be serious, right?"

"Well, Gossip Girl does have a knack of being right when it comes to these things! I swear, Ben and I are gone for one week and then YOU and DAN just hook up like—"

"S, I am not in a relationship with Humphrey!" Blair said quickly. "If I were, hell would be frozen by now."

"So you guys just happened to hug passionately on a sidewalk one day? In daylight?" Serena asked in disbelief.

"Please, you did that with him on a regular basis for two years!"

"Yes, when we were D-A-T-I-N-G! So you two are dating then, aren't you? Oh my God, this can't be happening! Do you know how weird this is?" Serena's voice cried out against the outward sound of honking cars and pedestrians.

"Weirder than dating your stepbrother, who, by the way, shares an actual sibling with you?" Blair retorted.

"BLAIR! Just tell me right now. Are you dating Dan Humphrey?"

"I am not dating Dan, Serena! That's gross! And not to mention, social suicide! No offense…"

"None taken. So what's with the Gossip Girl blast then? Why were you two even hugging?"

"We were celebrating, S! We got the Adrienne Gold interview. And I'm sorry if for one short moment I lost complete sense and hugged the guy," Blair replied dryly as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Serena said quietly, as the news finally settled in. "I'm sorry, B. It was just…so unsettling. And with Ben saying that you showed up at the loft last night to watch a movie with Dan, I just—I don't know. It's weird! You're Blair—you're my best friend and I love you!"

"And Dan's our friend, whom you decide to sporadically love from time to time," Blair shot back judgingly.

"It's not like that, B…" Serena trailed off, suddenly feeling the urge to bite her lip. She shook her head and sighed, "Anyway, I'm just relieved. What are you doing right now?"

Blair narrowed her eyes, but even she knew this was not the time and place to discuss where Serena and Dan currently stood.

She sighed and let her best friend change the subject. "Sorting through reject-garments. You should see all the last-season stuff they have lying around in their closet, S."

Serena giggled on the other side of the phone. "Well, that's why they have you. They're clearly in need of a good eye."

"Comme ci, comme ça. Wanna have lunch today?" Blair drawled.

"YES. I haven't seen my best friend in what feels like years—of course, I want to have lunch with you today! I'm thinking spicy tuna rolls at Geisha? Unless you want to go to the Waverley for, like, the hundredth time?"

"Actually, Humphrey's treating. He thinks I haven't lived since I haven't tried this sandwich with…pork…and cheese…or something like that. Regardless, we're going to Café Habana," Blair said casually, as she organized row after row of garment bags.

"You want to have lunch with Dan?" Serena asked slowly.

"Well, he is treating. Bear in mind that this isn't exactly lunch at the Ritz, but he's from Brooklyn and he owes me for saving his ass last week."

"This is SO weird," Serena blurted out.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Dan! Eating pork sandwiches! Together! I don't even know which scenario sounds more implausible!" Serena exclaimed, her voice suddenly rising.

"Hey, you always wanted us to get along!" Blair said defensively.

"I know, I know," Serena groaned, as she closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine, OK. Let's have lunch together. You, me, and my quasi-stepbrother/ex-lover and your glorified new BFF!" Serena exclaimed teasingly before putting the phone down.

Blair smirked, before whipping out her cell phone once more to text Dan.

Lunch at the Café, right? S is coming.

She was not particularly fond of watching Dan being swept away by her best friend's charm, but Blair rarely ever got to see Serena lately, and she couldn't think of better people to spend the day with.

Her phone buzzed and she instantly knew it was Dan.

Great. C u in the closet in 10. –D

Blair sighed and lazily tied her brown curls in a bun. She had a number of things to do before her break, from organizing the outfits for tomorrow's shoot to confirming the guest list for next week's event at the Met.

She rested her back against the hard, solid, white wall of the W closet and closed her eyes for a moment.

She didn't even bother to lift her eyes, when she heard the closet doors swing open.

"Jesus, you're quick," She exclaimed lazily.

"Blair."

A chill instantly ran down Blair's spine, when she heard the familiar voice.

"What are you d-doing here?" She said in a shaky voice, as she staggered to get up.

Chuck was facing her now, with an earnest expression on his face.

It had been nearly a month of absolutely no contact with Chuck, but a part of her still melted at the sight of him.

Her eyes narrowed at the modest bouquet of peonies in his left hand; and Blair couldn't help but notice how his suit fit immaculately against his masculine frame, hitting her with what felt like Déjà vu.

"I had to see you," was all Chuck said, as he held her gaze solemnly.

And just like that, Blair suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked away from her lungs.