Chapter One: Mama, I'm Coming Home

'Hey, thank you for believing in me,' she said, her hand gripping the side of the counter.

'How could I not?' he asked her, not expecting an answer back. She smiled, understanding. (Gossip Girl, Season 4, Episode 10 'Gaslit')

He grabbed her hand, holding it as tightly as he could. That was it. This was their time to be, his time to have her, and he knew that she wanted to have him too. He led her to the door and opened it, but she pulled him back.

'Wait, Dan...' she let go of his hand, and his heart skipped a beat. Was she having second thoughts about this? Why was she reconsidering? It killed her to do it; she saw that what she had just done affected him, and she didn't want to hurt him. But she needed to know. 'What will this mean, for us?' she asked, her eyes focusing on some random dent in the floor of the loft.

Please let it mean something, they both thought, but none had the courage to say it. 'Well, Serena, it doesn't have to mean anything,' he responded, although every word cut his throat as it came out. He didn't mean that; he wanted it to mean something, but what if Serena didn't want the same thing? He saw her close her eyes, her shoulders rising as she sighed. You're the one I came to kiss, she told him at the hospital, and he saw how wrong he had been. He was so utterly oblivious to the fact that the beautiful young woman he fell in love with at that party so many years ago, and whom he had loved ever since, was, after all the things that happened between them, in love with him again. So he took her hand in his, his thumb slowly caressing the back of it. 'Unless, you want it to mean something,' he finally said, and she looked up again, her eyes locking on his. 'Serena, I...'

But he couldn't finish, as he was interrupted by the voice of a woman at the bottom of the staircase to the loft. 'I'm sure they're up there,' she said. It was Lily. Serena froze for a moment, and then hid her face in her hands, defeated. But he had different plans.

'Hey, shh, come with me,' he whispered, and slowly shut the door of the loft, carefully, so it didn't make a sound as it closed. Even though he had always hated the countless flights of stairs that led to the loft, for the first time in his life, Dan couldn't be happier that they existed. It gave them time. 'Come, we'll take the emergency stairs outside my bedroom window,' he indicated, and pulled Serena by her hand again, in the direction of his room. He let her go first, watching her as she smoothly crawled through the frame, and then he followed. Before they managed to run, he heard Lily call Serena from the front door.

'We did it,' Serena sighed as she sat in the not so luxuriant seat of the bus. She felt relief; it felt good to just turn your back on all the mess, on everyone who caused you misery, and just be happy. And, even better, she had her man by her side. She rested her head on his shoulder, as she had many times before, and felt at home. It was so comfortable between them, that she didn't even realise when she took her hand in his, and interlocked their fingers together. She watched from the corner of her eye how he lifted their joined hands and brought them to his lips, kissing the tops of her fingers. The gesture was so simple, and yet it meant so much for her. The butterflies in her stomach agitated even more when he brought their hands on his lap, only to rest his head on top of hers. They sat like that, no worries, no discussions, just being with each other, as the bus carried them to their new beginning.

'Is there any available accommodation that we could possibly rent for...a week, or two?' Dan asked the tall man at the Hampstead Information Centre desk. 'This is a little seaside town in North Carolina; I mean, how busy can it be?'

'Well, sir, you'd be surprised by the number of visitors we've had this past month,' he informed him, as he typed something into his computer. 'Ah, we do have something. It's our only option for just two people, and within a tighter budget.' He looked Dan up and down. 'I can see you're travelling lightly,' he added suggestively. 'We can offer this small apartment in a block not too far away from here. It's a good neighbourhood, and it's also quite close to the beach. We can make you an offer of 45$ per night. What do you think?'

Dan looked at Serena, who just nodded. 'We'll take it,' he said.

'Excellent! How long will you rent it for?'

'Two weeks,' Dan decided.

'Three weeks,' Serena corrected.

'Are you sure?' Dan whispered, while the man, now slightly confused, amended the information.

'Yes.'

'There's only a double bed,' Serena announced as they examined their house for the following three weeks.

Although he wanted too, he realised it was too soon for them to share a bed. 'It's okay, I'll just sleep on the couch,' he muttered, avoiding her eyes.

She was avoiding his. She had to admit she was disappointed in his answer. She hoped they would share. Maybe it was too soon... 'Are you sure? We can take it in turns,' she offered, but he declined.

Later that evening, they walked together on the beach. They didn't speak; the only sound was the soft crash of the waves on the shore, and the faint noise of their feet sinking in the sand. They held hands as they walked, and it wasn't something they necessarily had to plan. It felt natural, as if it couldn't be any other way. Dan knew he was finally holding her again; she was the only girl he allowed to take his heart and do as she pleased with it. Every time she hurt him, every time she broke his heart, she would also be the one to mend it. He loved her, and he knew she loved him. And that was enough to carry him through all of the times when it hurt. Serena let go of his hand, slowly walking towards the water, stopping where the waves disappeared into the sand. He just stood there and watched her; her tall, beautiful figure was perfectly lit by the rays of the moon, her long blond hair gently blown in the breeze of the warm evening. She looked breathtaking, and he could feel himself falling in love with her even more, which he had never thought possible.

He started walking towards her, approaching her slowly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she could feel his muscular chest pressing against her back. His chin dug into her shoulder, but he didn't hurt her; the movement made that moment so perfect. She leant into his embrace, and she felt protected and safe. He made her feel special; that was something he had always done, and she loved that feeling. They both remembered; moments of love and passion, times that would never be forgotten by either. Nobody's ever looked at me the way you just did, she said to him once, many moons ago. That night she saw something in his eyes, something she had never seen before in the many men that slept with her. His eyes shone with love, and she realised that, even though he might not have known it at the time, he loved her. And she felt safe.

All he thought about was another night...that eventful yet perfect night, when they shared their first kiss. It was the first time Dan had felt the pressure of the different social classes. After all, she was the Serena van der Woodsen, the It-Girl socialite of the Upper East Side, and he was only Dan Humphrey from Brooklyn. All he wanted to do was impress her, and he let his judgement cloud his mind. He thought that what she would have expected from him would be what she was used with; luxury, town cars and 5-star restaurants. But he was only to learn how wrong he was; how happy and carefree she looked in the little pool hall in Brooklyn, where she could be just Serena, a teenage girl. He learned so much about her, but everything he discovered about the beautiful blond would only make him fall deeper for her. He remembered the song she picked, one that he would have never thought to play for her, and, inspired by the moment, he started singing it softly in her ear.

'Times have changed and times are strange,
Here I come, but I ain't the same,
Mama, I'm coming home.
Times gone by seems to be,
You could have been a better friend to me,
Mama, I'm coming home.'

They started swaying, side to side, as he sang to her, making her remember. She gripped his arms, holding them tighter against her waist, letting him know she did.

'You took me in and you drove me out,
Yeah, you had me hypnotized.
Lost and found and turned around,
By the fire in your eyes.

You made me cry, you told me lies,
But I can't stand to say goodbye,
Mama, I'm Coming Home.
I could be right, I could be wrong,
It hurts so bad, it's been so long,
Mama, I'm coming home.

Selfish love, yeah, we're both alone,
The ride before the fall.
But I'm gonna take this heart of stone,
I just got to have it all.
I've seen your face a hundred times,
Everyday we've been apart.
I don't care about the sunshine, yeah,
'Cause Mama, Mama, I'm coming home,
I'm coming home.'

Once he stopped singing, she twisted in his arms, so that she faced him. He saw little drops of water glistening like crystals on her cheek, and he brushed the tip of his nose over them, wiping them away.

Serena smiled. 'The song fits,' she laughed, but her eyes stared at their feet. 'I can't believe you remembered,' she muttered, her voice breaking slightly when she spoke.

Of course he remembered. Every second spent with her was so special to him, he could never forget. 'The song is catchy,' he joked, getting a giggle out of her. 'Serena, I don't think you have any idea what you meant to me. Being with you was what I wanted for a long time, so when I had the chance, I made the most of it. I allowed my heart to grow just so that it coped with the enormous love I felt for you, and after all the fights, and the gossip, and the mess that kept breaking us up, I think I never stopped. You will always be the one I will want, the one I will need and the one I will love. And I don't know if you still feel this way about me, although the fact we are here right now is encouraging me to think that you do, but no matter what your heart tells you, my heart will always be yours,' he vowed, and moved one hand to the side of her face, cupping her soft cheek and bringing her eyes back to his. He saw the tears again, and wiped them away with his thumb. 'Serena, don't cry,' he soothed, smoothing her gorgeous hair. 'Did I make you upset?' he asked, unsure of the reasons for her response. He was so happy right now; he finally held her again, and it seemed that everything was going to be good between them. Wasn't she feeling the same?

She couldn't speak. All of her emotions washed over her, overwhelming her. She was happy, more than happy, even; she just didn't have any energy to express it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to hold her again. She didn't cry anymore, the tears drying up as the present caught up with her. She held onto him as tightly as she could, and he was happy to envelop her in his arms. Without thinking, she turned her head so that her lips had access to his neck, and she placed a soft kiss there, breathing in his scent. Dan felt the corners of his lips rise, as his heart beat increased more than ever. He stroke her back gently, as she pulled away, only to bring her face closer to his. She was smiling too, and that small, insignificant moment between them restarted their relationship. He pressed his lips to her forehead, telling himself they had to take this slow. They couldn't mess up again; this time, there were going to be together forever, as she promised him a long time ago. She was thinking the same thing, as they walked together, hand in hand, back to their apartment.

'I came to wish you good night,' Dan said as he entered the bedroom where Serena slept. She laid in the bed, hidden underneath her covers, but he noticed what she was wearing. It reminded him of the old times. 'You know, I did pack one of Jenny's old pyjamas for you. You don't have to wear one of my shirts. You won't be comfortable in it,' he muttered, as he sat beside her.

'No, I prefer this,' she admitted. 'Unless you don't want me to wear it.'

'I'd love for you to wear it,' he said, and her face lit up. 'Good night, Serena,' he whispered, and leant over to kiss her cheek. She pressed her palm to his face, smoothing her thumb over his jaw.

Just before he left the room, Serena stopped him. 'Dan,' she whispered, and he turned around to look at her. Her eyes avoided him again, and it upset him how often she did that. He missed the old, confident, bubbly Serena, and it angered him how much the recent events had affected her. He somehow blamed himself; he put pressure on her, made her choose, but he knew, although he had no proof of it yet, that what happened at the Saints and Sinners Party, and most importantly after, was not Serena's fault. He trusted her, and he knew how much she needed that someone to believe in her. He was her rock, the only one who had showed her unconditional trust and support whenever she needed it, and for him, when he couldn't be her boyfriend, that was enough involvement to keep her close to him.

'Yeah?' he encouraged.

'Would you...umm...mind sleeping here tonight, maybe? I...I just don't want to be alone right now,' she confessed.

Dan tried to stop himself from smiling and bursting with happiness at the same time. 'Of course,' he said, and walked over to the bed, lying down next to her. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Serena rested her head on his chest, wrapping her arm around him, keeping him close. He snaked his arms around her waist too, keeping her safe, secretly wishing he could have protected her from the damaging life on the Upper East Side.

A/N: It was pretty damn hard to write in the third person, but I hope it was good enough for you to like it. Originally, it was supposed to be a one-piece, but I might continue it, because I kind of have some ideas. Review and tell me what you think! xx