Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite.

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MONACO MURDER MYSTERY?

We know B loves a classic but we didn't think she'd cast herself in an Agatha Christie novel. Of course she isn't actually dead, just in hospital, but we hear that somebody pushed her, and if we're looking for suspects in our experience she should search for someone shifty. Meanwhile looks as if S and N have reconciled irreconcilable differences although as we Upper East Siders know those two are like a pendulum one way swinging to head-over-heels-love and the next to horrific heartache hotel. And as for Chuck Bass, alas looks as if this Bass has been netted by the Court's, and they cast their net pretty wide too because little E got caught up too. Trying times call for trying harder, and thank goodness we have Juliet to keep everything in order, she's sent G to Jesus Jail, and has whipped the Minions back into order, although we're left wondering what she gets out of all this? She might like the City, she might even love New York but once you have a taste of power we find you can't seem to let go,

You know you love me,

Xoxo Gossip Girl

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In a Hospital you should feel safe, secure and as if you are far from harm. Unfortunately Blair Waldorf felt nothing like that, she didn't have her trademark composure – that had been rudely shaken after she'd been pushed down the stairs by an upstart from a Germanic principality that she was quite certain she and everyone else on the Upper East Side had never heard of – despite taking Geography AP she wasn't even sure where…wherever it was Marie-Charlotte came from was, except that it was in Europe and probably entirely subsumed by Germany or Austria or Switzerland or any number of countries that had Germanic influences, for all she knew it might even be north of Monaco in Alsace or one of the other border provinces.

She turned her head and felt a stab of panic hear heart-rate shooting up suddenly on the monitor which was watching over both her and her unborn child, Blair wasn't sure whether she or the baby or both were the target of the push. All she knew was that the girl sat quite innocently to her right on a chair, quietly knitting (although Blair couldn't figure out why the girl was knitting, it wasn't as if anyone would be fooled by her knitting, maybe she was planning to stab Blair with one of the needles) had tried to kill her and had very nearly succeeded had it not been for the grace with which Blair had conducted herself in the fall she might be dead, somehow she had remained controlled and poised even on the cusp of death.

"Hello Blair," Marie-Charlotte greeted in her unusually soft Germanic-spiced accent, "how are you feeling? I hope you are well – that fall was such a terrible accident, you just slipped on that water at the top of the stairs while we were talking, just think you might have broken your neck or lost the baby: that would have been such a tragedy."

"What do you want," Blair retorted indignantly, "attempt two on my life? Do I qualify for being assassinated yet or is it still murder if the psychopath is a Royal and I'm just the fiancé of the Prince of Monaco?" Blair knew that would set Marie-Charlotte's blood-boiling, "Because we are going to be married Marie, me and Louis, in a Church, with the world's media focused entirely upon us – and I'm going to make damn sure I get more than 2 Billion viewers worldwide, the entire planet is going to come together to see me walk down the aisle in a stunning dress and marry the most eligible bachelor in the world. And you're going to have a front-row seat as my Lady-in-Waiting and see me marry him, and then I'll have you quietly packed of to Lichtenstein or whatever insignificant little pathetic palace you came from, and you'll fade into oblivion."

"I'm glad to hear you're feeling better," she said as if she hadn't even heard the conversation although Blair knew her words had landed hard upon her, it was more perfect than she could have hoped for, "please be assured that my condolences are with you for what has happened."

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"So you didn't fly to be at Blair's side because…?" Lily asked as she perused a rack of dresses that had been brought to the Apartment specially – she knew exactly what kind of look she wanted for her attendance of an upcoming Society Ball: her first real one since she had ended her House Arrest and she had to admit she was excited, she wanted something that didn't explicitly state that she was back loud and proudly, but one that would also inform those deluded fools that had tried to keep her seat warm for her while she was gone that she was back and would quietly resume all her roles.

"Because," Serena sighed, it wasn't as if she was actively avoiding flying to be at her friend's side, "Dorota told me that Blair thinks my classes at Colombia are more important, she wants me to concentrate on focusing upon the issues between myself and Nate and…and she's already got enough people waiting on her…between Eleanor, Cyrus and her Dad…she has enough New York Society…basically I think she doesn't want me there in case it reminds people in all the wrong places just where she came from."

"Oh," Lily said soothingly, in that very supportive motherly way that Serena knew a little too well for someone that was only in their Second Year of College, "darling I'm sure it isn't that – Blair is proud of where she came from and I doubt that she'd shut you out for something as petty as ensuring her social advancement at Court…but maybe she makes some good points – how are your classes at Colombia?"

College. Serena's least favourite topic. It was a world away from the constrictions and dreariness of Constance, that was for sure, but somehow she felt as if she should have been challenged more…as if she should be not exactly doing worse in classes but fighting to stay on top…something she'd never had to do. If she was being brutally honest she'd just breezed through High School where others had worked themselves to the bone in order to maintain an A average. Serena had barely kept to a B average and she'd wound up at one of the best Colleges in the Country.

"Mind-numbing," she murmured, "okay maybe it's not that bad," she said smiling awkwardly at her mother who had given her a, you're not being honest are you look, "it just doesn't feel the same without Blair…Juliet's in one of my classes though so that's pretty cool," Lily gave her a sceptical look, "so she might have spent half of last year trying to ruin my life because she thought I ruined her brother's life and then driven a massive wedge between us…it's water under the bridge, I mean aren't things better now anyway?"

"Of course they are," Lily scoffed, laughing at the same time, "well for the record I think that Nathaniel is the perfect gentleman and I would be very pleased to see you two…take things further this time than you did last time."

"Mom," Serena said, mock-hitting her on the arm and giggling like a teenage Schoolgirl, "I doubt that marriage is really on the horizon for either of us…how are you dealing with what happened with Carol anyway…we haven't talked about that in a while?"

It was as though Serena had caused the ground to open up and swallow Lily whole, she was frozen before her and suddenly her composure was broken, she wasn't crying, she wasn't angry she just seemed off balance, uncertain – as though she was teetering on the precipice of a bottomless chasm and she wasn't sure whether she might better off at the bottom of it in pieces than she was whole on the brink of destruction.

"I'm in the process of acknowledging something that I have been deliberately avoiding since I was a teenager Serena," she said, dabbing at her eye to swat away a rebellious tear that had somehow broken her complete freeze on emotion or admitting she had them, "that my sister is a manipulative, lying bitch who has never and will never like me nor will she acknowledge what a hypocrisy her life has become. I'm not exactly a Saint Serena and I will never pretend to be that, nor will I pretend to be the perfect mother but your Aunt Carol…she got everything that is bad about our family and just amplified it, and as for your Grandmother," Lily laughed, an odd contrast to her melancholy disposition, "she's writing Carol and Charlie out of her will Serena, when she dies everything will go to me, you and Eric."

Serena froze, "Wait Charlie too?"

Lily nodded, "She can't be sure that Carol won't simply funnel the money into an account of her own choice, let's just…I think…Serena we have to move away from Carol and Charlie now, forget about them if that's the only way that you can accept what is happening, because they do not want to be a part of our family and the way that Carol is acting…she doesn't get to play both sides of the coin Serena, she can't be distant and at the same time close to us."

"Carol I understand but Charlie…shouldn't we be reaching out to her?" Serena quizzed.

"No," Lily replied more definitely before, "Serena I would appreciate it if for me you stopped talking about this…we have to move forward, Eric is going before a Court in a few days…with luck I can get him out on parole but…I got a call from the Admissions Tutor this morning…they're revoking his place Serena. So I need you to not focus on some distant relations who don't care about you and I need you to focus on our family, understood?"

Somehow Serena found herself lulled into nodding.

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"So you're facing trial for-"

"-conspiracy to blackmail." Eric finished.

"And I'm-"

"-going for your first fashion job interview at Dianne Von Furstenberg," Jenny gave him a scornful look, "sorry DVF, I forgot you've gone all high fashion on me." He winked mischievously and she hit him playfully on his arm, locking hers with his as they strolled aimlessly through Central Park, enjoying the warm fall afternoon.

Jenny paused and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You shouldn't worry E, those jurors are gonna see that you're completely innocent and you'll walk away, worst case picking up trash off the street for a couple of months and then back to," she paused, she'd been about to say College and she bit her lip, Eric had definitely heard her pause, "and then you head on to even better things."

Though she didn't like to admit it she was worried about him and concerned for his well-being…and it went above and beyond the step-sisterly role, not that she was criticizing Serena…Serena was trying to be the perfect daughter, granddaughter, niece, best-friend and step-sister for just about everyone…if Jenny took on Eric and making sure he was doing fine as her responsibility she might go someway toward bridging the vast gulf between the two of them that she readily acknowledged she had invested a great deal of time in widening and inflaming. She should be strong and positive but the doubt within her was sapping at her resolve, sapping at her belief in her resolve that Eric would pull through this trial and come out the other side. She didn't give a crap about what happened to Chuck, he'd pulled Eric into this ridiculous scheme whether Eric realized it or not and that had somehow tainted Eric, though she couldn't define how. This was not Eric's fault in the slightest. This was completely on Chuck.

Eric shrugged and looked up the sun, hanging lazily in the sky, streams of light slicing through spaces in the branches and the leaves casting silhouettes of the big, leafy trees on the ground, "I think that's what I'm going to miss the most, the fresh air…cooped up in prison."

"You are not going to prison," Jenny dismissed definitively, "your Mom didn't and she…basically lied to a Court…all you did was…make out with someone's son – and he was very cute…he just happened to be married…and the Court will realize how innocent it was and that it was love…and then Chuck will go to jail and we'll spend all our time together…well…when you come back for the holidays…I mean if you do I guess…"

Eric laughed at that, "You know nothing would keep me from the lights of the Upper East Side at Christmas or for New Year," he was grinning for the first time in days, showing real joy instead of a flicker of happiness extinguished between a torrent of sadness and foreboding, "but Jenny you know that it wasn't completely innocent…I mean I was doing it to trap him at first…I just fell in love along the way. And now I'm paying for my sins…whatever happens…it will be the right thing. Would you come see me?"

"Are you kidding? No I hate orange clothes," Jenny smirked mischievously this time, "fine I'll come see you…might give me some tips on how not to design jumpsuits…or orange anything…not that I ever would! I'm sure that'll go down a treat with the Socialites working at the Office…an entire collection based on…prison chique!"

"Are you prepared if it happens…I mean you have accepted I might go away right?" Eric quizzed, entirely serious now as they stopped their progress again, in the shade of a vast, ancient emerald-leaved evergreen tree.

Jenny looked anywhere but directly into his eyes, "Sure."

"Jenny you know that I might be going to prison…they have a pretty good case to put me there anyway you know?"

"Well they can't E…they can't...I…I won't let them."

Eric cupped her hands in his and looked away from her, towards the superstructure of Manhattan in the distance, the rising spear-shaped towers streaking for the sky, "We've been friends and then fallen out so many times now…I just…if things don't go the way we want Jenny you have to be careful about hanging around with me…dirt rubs off easily here…basically…just maybe you shouldn't come see me in Prison."

"You aren't going to prison," she said indignantly and then caught sight of his look, he looked disappointed, "but," he looked more contented now, "if somehow they end up finding you guilty then I don't give a crap about what anyone thinks Eric, you're my step-brother and more importantly you're my best-friend, I'm not gonna forget about you just to try and get further in New York. I've tried to please the Upper East Side for too long, now I'm just gonna do what I want, you understand?"

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Anywhere else coffee shared between friends is a simple, innocent procedure. On the Upper East Side it's anything but – there are coffee dates about forming allegiances, coffee dates about creating conspiracies or masterminding marriages, although we think that the coffee shared between S and Juliet must have gone cold, or maybe that's just the atmosphere?

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"Thank you for getting rid of Georgina…with all my family drama I just…needed time to think, otherwise I'd have taken her out myself…I have a lot of history of fighting with Georgina…and eventually winning…somehow," Serena paused and giggled, "I'm rambling aren't I?"

"A little bit," Juliet replied smirking, she sipped from her enormous coffee mug, she cast her head up to look around the coffee shop, "it just feels so strange to be back in New York after a little time away…sometimes you forget that there's a world beyond Manhattan…or at least I used to."

"Yeah I guess we have our own little world here," Serena said musing over so many things at the same time that it almost made her head hurt, "so you said you had things to discuss?"

"I did didn't I?" Juliet asked rhetorically smiling. "Manhattan does seem really small after you really see the world…or at least some of it…like I did in Europe or you did…well whenever you go on a Vacation. But why have the world when you can dominate the only place that really matters? I mean with the access I have as Queen I can have any position I want in the City, meet all the right people and open up channels of communication with the most important people in Society, in short I'd be pretty much set if I just stayed in Manhattan and stayed on the throne."

Serena laughed uncertainly, unsure where Juliet was going with this faintly dictatorial-sounding rant, "I'm not sure what B would have to say about that."

"The beauty of that Serena is that Blair is in Monaco, and whether you've come to accept it or not she's going to stay there and someone's going to have to take over the throne," Juliet smiled in a sweet but menacing fashion, "she'll leave you behind once she's having dinner with the French President one night, the Prince of Dubai the next or partying at Polo with the Princesses of the world, she's going to make you and everyone else here insignificant very quickly. I mean what's the point of being a Society Heiress in New York, when you can be a Royal Princess on the world stage?"

Serena put her coffee down and frowned, "Where are you going with this?"

"If I want to be Queen I have to move quickly," Juliet said and suddenly it dawned upon Serena, she was playing witness to a coup, as yet bloodless though she doubted it would be long before Juliet drew out her knives, "admittedly persuading the little Minions to back me was difficult but then I looked into their personal lives and well…you Upper East Siders have a tendency to hang dirty laundry out to dry – Dan's expose was just the tip of the iceberg. Only problem with you Serena was that I wasn't sure exactly how to get the dirt on you.

"And then it occurred to me once Blair offered me the position and I decided I wanted the throne for myself, the only way to get to know Serena is to play friend to her, and if that fails make something up – it isn't as if anyone's going to disprove the fact is it?"

"What did you do?" Serena asked, feeling her rage rising, "Juliet, my brother is awaiting trial, so is my stepbrother, my best friend was nearly murdered, my boyfriend and I are…in a rough patch and we don't know how to get out of it, Dan is living like a hermit in Brooklyn…and you pick now of all times to stage a Palace coup?"

"Don't you remember," she said picking up her purse and standing up primly, "I'm sure I told you my timing is impeccable?"

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Russia was found ripe for revolution in the midst of a war, so what better time to sneak up on S than when she's embattled against the bad, the very bad and the ugly – by which we mean the state of her family affairs? When Julius Caesar made powerful enemies he wound up dead, stabbed in the back. Let's hope that the letter is the only coincidence Juliet…or let's not…after all the only thing we love more than the cause of the conflict, is the course of the war,

Xoxo Gossip Girl

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Hope you liked Chapter 7,

Reviews and responses welcomed and appreciated!

Chapter 8 up soonish,

Acrobat

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