Thank you to all my readers – the response to this fic was better than I ever expected! Hopefully you'll all stick with me on this journey – I'm quite excited about it! And as requested, we have a bit more SB and CB in this chapter (I just can't get enough of them - guess who is going to feature in my next chapter for my other fic?).
Also, my fellow Serenate lovers, how about we give our boy Nate props for sacrificing his career-making story to help save Serena in Monday's episode?! Wonder if she'll ever know that sacrifice that he made for her?
Again, I don't own anything.
Chapter 2: Happy Birthday Serena
June 24th, 2021
"Mrs. Archibald, I think I found the item you were asking about."
The young man stopped abruptly at the scene he stumbled upon – three women in a silent stare-off. You could cut the tension with a knife. His eyes darted between the three of them, unsure of who would be the friendliest. Nervously, he cleared his throat and muttered, "Excuse me."
Blair looked up at the salesman, her best friend, and finally Ellen. Taking pity on the young man, she decided to come to his rescue. "Thomas, is it?" and he nodded wordlessly. Blair took a step in his direction, extended her arm to gently touch his elbow, and continued, "I was hoping that you could help me with a pair Brian Atwood sandals I was looking at earlier."
"Of course Mrs. Bass," he stuttered. "It would be my pleasure. I'm sure Mrs. Archibald can wait a few minutes."
When Thomas started walking towards the shoes, Blair quickly turned around so that she was face-to-face with Ellen. With a pointed glare that sent many people away in tears, Blair calmly spoke. "If you ever speak to Serena or myself in the manner in which you just did, I will make sure that you are not welcome anywhere in Hamptons or the Upper East Side."
Noting the hatred dripping in Blair's voice, Serena softly touched her arm to try to calm her and whispered, "Blair," but Blair simply shook her head from side-to-side and pushed her away without even looking at her. Serena knew that meant to let her be, to not interfere. Watch out Ellen!
Blair then took a step closer to the woman and raised her finger, her voice laced with contempt as she threatened, "If I ever hear you mention my son again I will make sure that you live to regret it. I will make sure that your husband knows exactly the type of person you really are. A conniving and manipulative bitch," Blair paused and let out a low, evil-sounding laugh as she took in Ellen's appearance from head to toe, "with absolutely no sense of style. I can see right through your desperate attempt to be accepted. From your Herve Leger dress that doesn't fit you properly, to your Jimmy Choo sandals from two years ago. It's pathetic really. Now if you'll excuse me I have better things to do with my time than speak to you."
Ellen shifted uneasily on her feet, as she tried to appear unaffected by Blair's words even though they obviously hit close to home.
Blair then directed her attention to Serena, "I'm going to look at those sandals. Are you coming?"
"I'll catch up to you in a minute. I just need to have a word with our dear Ellen here."
"Oh, this ought to be good," Ellen said sarcastically.
"OK, have fun." But before walking away, Blair leaned in close to Serena and uttered, "If you need me, I'll be just over there."
Serena shook her head and whispered back, "Don't worry about me. I've got this one."
Serena then turned her attention back to Ellen, who was standing there with her hand perched on her hip. "So, what do you have to say to me now Serena?"
"Since this seems to be taking a while to sink in, I'm going to spell it out for you," Serena replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I stopped running away a long time ago. I'm here to stay. There is nothing that you can do to change that."
"We'll see about that," taunted Ellen.
"I realize that you hate me, and believe me the feeling is mutual, but you need to leave my friends and family alone. Your stalker-like tendencies are tiresome."
"I don't know what you are talking about," Ellen pleaded ignorance.
"Oh, please," scoffed Serena. "Don't you dare try to act innocent with me. You know exactly who I'm talking about."
"You mean your precious All-judging Breakfast Club," mocked Ellen.
"It's the NON-judging Breakfast Club," Serena corrected her. "Seriously, you need to let go of your petty jealousy. Nate, Blair, Chuck and myself have been the best of friends for most of our lives. Nothing, and no one, will ever change that."
Talking about her life-long friends made Serena think about the last time it was just the FOUR of them together.
XOXOXOXOXO
June 27th, 2014
Serena must have looked at her clock at least 10 times in the last 15 minutes. It was now 1pm and Blair still wasn't here. She was supposed to arrive at noon, and she had already texted Serena that her plane had landed, so she didn't understand what the hold-up was. Maybe it was traffic – LA was notorious for it. Still, it wasn't like Blair to be late. However, just as Serena was about to phone Blair, she heard her doorbell chime. Serena immediately jumped up from the sofa and dashed to the door. Upon opening the door, she was engulfed by a smaller pair of arms.
"Happy Birthday Serena!" Blair shouted as she tightened her grip on her best friend.
"Oh, B, I'm so excited that you're here. I've missed you," and she dropped her arms to look at her friend. That's when she noticed that she wasn't alone. "And thank you for bringing Chuck with you," a hint of a question in her voice as she moved to hug Chuck.
"Happy Birthday Sis," Chuck muttered in his signature husky voice.
That's when Serena saw him. Well, she couldn't exactly see him because he was standing by an enormous wall of balloons, but she knew it was him. They hadn't spoken since the night of his birthday party. Sure they had texted back and forth a few times, but they hadn't talked. Not about what Serena had said. She assumed he had forgotten their conversation because nothing had changed. He was still engaged, and from what Blair had told her, they were planning to get married the following Spring.
Serena's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her BFF's voice, "And Nate. Actually, that's why we're so late. Nate insisted on stopping by some cheap florist to get you balloons."
"Hey, I'm right here!" chirped Nate as he wrestled from behind the balloons. "Well, now that the surprise is ruined, Happy Birthday Serena." Nate finally broke free from the balloons and moved forward to embrace Serena. She couldn't help but laugh as the two of them tried to navigate around the balloons for a hug.
"What's with all the balloons Nate?" chuckled Serena as she was bumped in the head by a couple of them as she moved to the side of Nate so that she could see him, Blair and Chuck.
"Twenty-three balloons to mark your 23nd birthday," Nate answered as if it made perfect sense.
"Obviously," replied Serena because it did make perfect sense to Serena. It was fun and it was so Nate. This was her Nate. No matter whom they were with, they would always have a connection. It was unbreakable.
"Well, come in and get comfy," Serena gestured to the main room of the beach house. When Nate entered the main room, all the balloons floated up and covered the ceiling.
"This is so crazy! I was only expecting B but this is such a great surprise. Still, I only picked up enough food for the two of us and we have spa reservations for tomorrow."
"Don't worry about the boys. They're going golfing or doing something equally manly tomorrow. As for food, there's always take-out so we'll be fine," Blair reassured Serena. "Besides, I thought it would be nice for the four of us to get together. The Non-judging Breakfast Club."
At this comment by Blair, Chuck couldn't help the smile that took over his face as he pretended to mock her by rolling his eyes. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder a little tighter and pulled her closer to him. Chuck then kissed her on the temple and whispered in Blair's ear, "Go ahead, perfect opportunity."
Both Nate and Serena were immune to these tiny shows of affection between their best friends by now, so they were unphased by the scene whereas many would still be shocked. It had gotten to the point that they would be surprised if they weren't all over each other.
Blair turned to look Chuck in the eyes and gently nodded, a silent communication between the two of them. She then turned back to Serena and Nate and nervously continued, "Also, I figured this would be the last time it would just be the four of us together. Soon we're going to have a new member in the group."
Serena gulped. She knew what Blair was implying and she knew that Blair dreaded Nate's upcoming nuptials almost as much as she did. So she stated what she assumed Blair was trying to say.
"Yeah, I know. Nate's getting married, so soon Ellen will be part of the bunch." Serena tried to keep the hurt from her voice. It's not like she and Nate had been even close to getting back together. It just felt like another opportunity at potential happiness that she just let pass her by.
"Actually," Chuck interrupted. "That's not who Blair was talking about."
Slowly Chuck moved his hand so that it was resting on Blair's abdomen and he gently started rubbing circles. Blair looked down and smiled. Then she brought her hand to join Chuck's in its place. That's when the other two in the room got a clue.
"Oh my God," Nate exclaimed. "You guys are having a baby!"
"Blair!" squealed Serena as she launched herself at her best friend.
As the two girls rocked and hugged and cried, Nate got up, extended his hand to Chuck, and pulled him into a manly hug.
"Well, that explains why Blair was feeling sick in the car. I knew there was nothing wrong with the eggs on the flight," joked Nate as he moved to embrace Blair while Serena squeezed her arms around her brother and continued to cry.
When Serena was recovered enough to talk, she started pestering the Basses with questions. "How far along are you?" "When are you due?" "Do you know if the baby is a boy or a girl?"
For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, the four friends lounged around Serena's beach house, shifting between the living room, the kitchen, and the back patio. They reminisced about the past and talked about the future. They indulged in birthday cake and laughed as Serena opened her birthday gifts. After take-out Thai for dinner (Blair had a craving for Panang curry), everyone settled on the couches in front of the TV to watch a movie - Nate actually suggested watching 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' to which the girls readily agreed. Chuck and Blair nestled together on one sofa, leaving Serena and Nate sitting together on the other. Sure, there was a cushy oversized chair available but neither Serena nor Nate made any effort to move from their positions on the couch.
About halfway through the movie, Blair had fallen asleep on Chuck's lap. Both the trip and the pregnancy had taken its toll on her and she was exhausted. He kindly excused the two of them and carried Blair bridal-style into their room for the night.
That left Nate and Serena alone in the living room. No one stirred as the movie continued to play. When the film ended neither was tired. In lieu of another movie, the two old friends decided to relocate to the patio for drinks. A walk on the beach followed more than a few glasses of champagne, after which Serena and Nate stumbled back into the living room. Nate had the brilliant idea to build a blanket fort while Serena got a container of ice cream for them to share. Burrowing inside the fort with Nate, Serena selected play all on the 'Arrested Development' DVD and the two of them laughed hysterically at the TV screen as they ate their Chubby Hubby ice cream.
An hour later, snuggled up in the pillows and blankets next to Nate, Serena could feel sleep starting to take over – the alcohol and the lateness of the hour having their effects. She rolled her head onto its side so that she could look at Nate, who was still watching the TV. In a hushed voice, Serena spoke. "You know, I'm going to miss this Nate. When you get married we're never going to have nights like this again."
Nate turned his head so that he could see Serena. "I'm not going anywhere Serena. I'll still be here," he said reassuringly.
"Yeah, but it won't be the same," sighed Serena, shaking her head. She then let out a big yawn and nuzzled her head in the pillow.
Nate finally got up the courage to approach the subject he'd been wanting to talk to Serena about but avoiding all night – her words to him at his birthday party. It's the reason he jumped at the chance to come to LA when Blair suggested it. He needed to talk to Serena and this way she wouldn't be able to dodge him.
"Serena," Nate started slowly but gained courage and momentum as he spoke. "Did you really mean what you said at my birthday party? About us getting another chance? About a future us? Because I would be lying if I said I don't think about it too. In fact, I love the idea of you and I raising our kids with Chuck and Blair, even though they have a head start on us." Nate chuckled at this because he really did think it would be so much fun to see their kids playing together like the four of them had. He then became more serious, "And I know this probably makes me a horrible person, but if you just gave me a sign that we could have a chance then I would end things with Ellen tomorrow. So what do you say S?"
Nothing. Nate's speech was met with silence. Nate couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. So he gently prodded, "Serena?"
That's when he heard it - the unmistakable sound of Serena snoring. The girl was out like a light. All Nate could do was shake his head at that and say, "We just have the best timing, don't we Serena?" Then he settled in for sleep.
And that's how their best friends found them in the morning, asleep on the living room floor with a pile of pillows and blankets all around them.
The rest of the weekend flew by the fearless foursome. Saturday the girls spent a much-needed day at the spa, while the guys played a round of golf in Beverly Hills. Chuck kept it secret and didn't comment when Nate insisted on stopping by the UCLA campus to check out the law school on the way back to Serena's place. That night was a grand dinner out for the four old friends. And Sunday was a gloriously catered brunch before Blair, Nate, and Chuck had to leave to catch their plane back to the UES.
Needless to say, Nate and Serena never got another moment alone together that weekend.
XOXOXOXOXO
June 24th, 2021
Ellen's annoying voice jarred Serena from her memory.
"You honestly think I'm jealous of you?" scoffed Ellen. "I don't see anything that you have that I could possibly want."
A/N: Still no word from the GG writers and they're almost done filming. It's sad because I know that 'Nellen' could have been epic!
Many thanks to those of you who reviewed: SnowedUnderNJ, Nica, Maryl, Emily, Trosev, BikerChick101, jackyxoxo, and SNlove. Your words mean the world to me and encouraged me to write more!