A/N: I know, I know. I'm not updating as regularly as I used to. But it's quality, not quantity, and I really hope you enjoy the quality of this chapter, given the amount of angst involved. Love you all! :)

Damnit.

It was 6:40 in the morning, and Blair had been woken up by a text message from Luke.

Miss u & c u at skool today! And another one: Cant wait 2 smack dat ass.

Blair groaned. It had only been a little over a week since Blair had first agreed to start seeing Luke, and Blair was already dying to kick him to the curb. He always seemed to be calling and messaging at the most inopportune of times – or, all the time, for that matter – and today was just another one of those days. She only had 20 more minutes until her alarm would go off, prompting her to start her day. It was surprising how disgustingly clingy Luke was, considering he was supposed to be some tough jock, but Blair tended to have that kind of effect on boys. She decided not to try to fall back asleep, and sat up from her bed.

All in all, things were going pretty smoothly for Blair in Newport. Ever since she had successfully cut ties with he-who-shall-not-be-named, Blair felt herself slowly returning to her former glory. Blair retrieved her binder from her Bottega tote bag (because God forbid Blair Waldorf use an actual backpack at school!) to leaf through the information of her most eligible minions. Recruitment was always such a headache, and things were tougher now that Blair was building her army from scratch. Her cell phone beeped again.

Cum 2 pick u up?

Okay, so Luke was no poet, but Blair had to admit that dating him had its benefits. While he was no Nate Archibald or Chuck Bass, his reputation and status at Harbor was good enough to secure Blair a permanent spot as the new It-girl. Anyone who dared to mock her sense of style before was now dying to be gifted with an Eleanor Waldorf original, and Blair reveled in the attention. She had been afraid after Gossip Girl had aired out her dirty laundry that her reputation would be tarnished forever. She quickly texted Luke (a grammatically correct message) to ask him to wait for her at school. As flattered as she was at the attention, she really couldn't stand his cheesy attempts to get into her pants. The thought led her back to you-know-who's courageous confrontation towards Luke the other night, which had almost gotten him killed. Blair looked at her cell phone thoughtfully and considered giving him a call to ask how he was doing, but almost immediately decided against it. Don't let it get to you, Blair told herself. She had promised that she would have no more boy drama until she had a new kingdom to reign over, and she was going to see to it that it happens.

At school, Seth endured one of the worst weeks ever, now that both Summer and Blair were actively ignoring him. It was bad enough that Blair's lookalikes seemed to be popping up in every corner of Harbor and were taking over the school, but Seth was more annoyed at the fact that his attempt to save Blair from the dark side had failed miserably, and had probably ruined his chances with Summer for good. Today, he was sitting down for lunch with Ryan, discussing his doomed love life. Marissa had chosen to side with Summer for the week, and Ryan was left with no other option but to listen to Seth ramble on about his demise.

"Just look at those two," Seth complained with a subdued voice. As usual, Seth had chosen a table that was conveniently close to Blair, just so he could keep an eye on her. "I mean, there must be something wrong with that girl's eyes or something. What could she possibly see in him?"

"Uh…he's rich, built, athletic, popular, plays water polo and is physically attractive?" Ryan suggested in a bored tone. He was really getting sick of Seth's constant lapses of neuroses.

"Do you think he's attractive? Because I don't know…I think he kind of has a weird nose. And his hair has this, unhealthy glow to it, as if there's something unnatural about it," Seth remarked skeptically, examining Luke's features. "Do you think there's something wrong with his shampoo?"

Ryan gave Seth a strange look. "Sooo…let's stop talking about those two. What's going on with you and Summer?" Ryan asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, Summer and I, we're kind of taking things slow right now. You know, just taking it easy. No biggie," Seth answered, trying to sound as unfazed as possible.

"So it's over?" Ryan guessed without looking up at him.

Seth decided to change the subject. "Forget about me and Summer for a moment. I mean, we're meant to be. We'll work it out. Let's talk about Bluke, here. Now that's a serious issue that warrants at least a 2-hour discussion. Would you like to speak first, Ryan?"

"Bluke? What's Bluke?" Ryan asked in a tired voice.

"Bluke. Blair and Luke. C'mon, get with the program!" Seth explained impatiently. "I just have this gut feeling that she's not really happy with him. I mean, look at her! That's not how she smiles after I crack a joke."

"It's not about you, Seth," Ryan pointed out, glancing at Blair, who actually happened to be laughing hysterically alongside with Luke.

"Oh, but I have good reasons to think that it is. And I wouldn't want that. No, no. What kind of horrible person would I be if I just sat here and let this poor girl destroy her life just for the sake of getting my attention? That wouldn't be right. And you know what, Ryan?" Seth said suddenly, as if having made up his mind. "I'm not gonna let it happen. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"Seth. Hate to break it to you, man, but you do not want to go there right now," Ryan replied earnestly. He felt that he had the responsibility to dismantle this ticking time bomb.

But Seth was relentless. "Why not? You really don't think that all this is because of me? For getting back at me for going out with Summer?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But if you ask me, she looks pretty happy right now," Ryan answered. They both looked over at Blair, who was sitting on top of a cafeteria table, waiting for a younger girl to fetch her a cup of chai tea while the rest of her minions huddled around her. He took a deep breath. "Look, Seth. You can talk to her if you want. But just be ready for what happens after, that's all I'm saying."

"What happens after? You mean after she's free from Darth Vader? She'll be herself again. And then she can stop wearing those ridiculous headbands and barking orders at everybody," Seth said, curling his upper lip in disgust.

"Yes, and come running back to you, right?" Seth tried to protest, but Ryan cut him off. "Come on, Seth. You know how this works. Do you like Summer or do you like Blair? You can't have them both."

"I've already told you, Ryan, there is no me and Blair. Blair is just my friend – or used to be my friend – someone that I care – used to care about. I just don't want to see her get hurt," said Seth unconvincingly, slouching into his seat.

"And I don't want to see you get hurt – by either Summer or Blair when they rip your head off for messing around with both of them. Make your choice, man." Ryan patted Seth on the back, then left him alone to brood in his thoughts. She watched Blair continue to consult her binder, sifting through her recruits one by one, and wondered whether what Ryan said actually had any truth to it. Was he just being selfish? Could it be that Blair was happy with Luke? He decided to find out for himself tonight, and fix all of this once and for all.

Seth showed up at Blair's door that night, hoping to have a real heart-to-heart talk with her to make her change her mind about Luke. As usual, Dorota came to the door within seconds, as if knowing he would stop by.

"Mr. Seth, how good to see you!" Dorota greeted him warmly, giving him a hug. Seth was taken aback with this sudden display of friendliness, and patted the housekeeper gently on the back.

"Thanks, Dorota! Um, is Blair here?" he asked, hands deep in his pockets. He had a lot on his mind about what he was planning to say.

"Ms. Blair in her room. She managing list of good and mediocre girls at school. I worried she back to old Ms. Blair again," Dorota said, almost apologetically. Seth wondered for a moment what "old Ms. Blair" actually referred to, but tentatively stepped away from Dorota and headed upstairs instead.

When he found her, she was indeed going through her binder of potential recruits, just as Dorota had said. Seth found it rather amusing that someone could spend so much of their energy on finding themselves a suitable group of friends, and stood there for a while, watching her eyebrows furrow in concentration. For a second, he considered retreating and leaving her alone in her world as she was; she looked rather content in her new throne.

Blair was instantly distracted by Seth's shuffling at the door. "Who's there? Dorota?" she asked, sitting upright in her lace nightgown. Seth suddenly realized what she was wearing and blushed a little in spite of himself. Blair noticed him lurking in the shadows, and her voice trembled a little when she spoke. "Cohen? What are you doing here…" She regained her composure, adding, " – again?"

"Blair, I just want to talk. Can we just talk, please?" Seth pleaded, stepping into her room.

"What is there to talk about? I thought I made it clear that we were never speak to each other again. That's the third time you've broken our pact now." Blair wondered briefly why her words sounded like they were from a Victorian novel – so dramatic and full of angst. She shook her head. "Please go. I'll have to tell Dorota to be careful of the sort of ruffians she's letting in here nowadays." She turned away from him, waiting for his next move, pretending not to care.

"So you really don't want to hear what I have to say?" Seth asked, stepping closer to her. Blair could feel him stepping into a space that was a little too close for comfort. She commanded herself to keep calm, and stared directly back into his eyes.

"No."

"Do you want to know what happened between me and Summer?" he offered again, stepping closer still.

"No." Blair's voice came out sounding much weaker than she'd intended.

"I don't think things are working out for us," Seth began, sitting down next to her. He contemplated taking her hand, but that didn't work out so well the last time he tried, so he decided against it. He sat so close to her that they were almost touching, but not quite. It was as if an invisible shield with a powerful magnetic force had drawn them closer and closer, but at the same time, keeping them apart.

"Oh yeah?" Blair replied, trying not to care. "And why's that?"

"I think she was…kind of surprised, and upset at how much attention I paid to you…and Luke," Seth answered honestly. Blair's heart skipped a beat. She kept completely still and waited for him to finish. "I was surprised, too." Blair swallowed hard, still remaining quite. They were so close to each other that she could almost smell what he had for dinner. And was that…alcohol? Seth's voice snapped her focus back to the present. "I want you back, Blair."

Blair's heart stopped beating altogether. "What?"

"I want to be friends again. Me and you, Blair. We make such a great team. I know you have all these little worshippers now, but they're not us. You're like a robot when you're with them. You sit there and give orders, and pretend that you enjoy who you are, but you don't. You're miserable." Seth decided to go for it and take her hands after all. "Forget Luke and those girls, okay? You don't need any of that. Can we just be friends again, Blair? Please, just be friends?"

Blair flung away from his grasp, irritated and flustered. She wasn't sure what she was more bothered by: his reoccurring reliance on the term "friends", or his back-handed insult that she was basically soulless when she was herself, as Queen Bee. She was angry most of all, because it had dawned on her that Seth Cohen had no idea who she was and who he had been dealing with this entire time. He still had this vision of her as a lost, vulnerable girl who needed to be picked up and adopted, like an abandoned puppy. The idea made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I may like who I am when I'm with them?" Blair asked plainly, stepping away from Seth. "You say you want to be friends, but all I hear is you judging me. You may call them my worshippers, but at least they don't tell me what I should and should not wear." There was a bitterness to her voice.

"Really, Blair? You like who you are when you're with them? Well if that's true, you're more shallow than I thought," Seth replied with a whine. "Blair, you're not the type of girl who would date some guy just to be popular. It's not the Blair Waldorf I know."

Blair wanted to close her hands around her ears at the sound of disappointment in Seth's voice. She hated being judged, especially by those who hadn't even taken the time to get to know her. He had no right. "Then maybe you don't know the real Blair Waldorf. This is who I am. I live to be Queen, and I refuse to be ashamed of it. If you really feel so uncomfortable with the way I am, it just goes to show how little you knew about me in the first place, and how right we were to decide not to be friends."

"God, Blair! Why do you have to make things so difficult? Look, whatever I did you make you upset, I'm sorry, okay? What do I have to do to get you back?" Seth was desperate, and things were, as always, not going the way he had pictured it in his head.

"Get me back? What, get me back? You keep coming to find me, defending me against Luke, saying all this crap about wanting to be friends, and about us. Do you even hear yourself, Cohen? What us? One moment you're all like, Summer this, Summer that, oh I just have to be with Summer, she's the girl of my dreams, blah blah blah! And the next moment, you're here – in my room, and – What do you want, Seth? Just – WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Blair was screaming now. She hated to be like this, but she couldn't contain her frustration at Seth's indecisiveness. She hated feeling vulnerable, and she had left herself open and defenseless so often when she was with him. Don't cry, DON'T CRY! she shouted in her head, but it was no use.

Seth watched Blair, tears flowing down her face now, and observed the hurt that was showing through her eyes. He thought back to the way Summer had looked after he had confronted Luke in front of her at the diner, and finally admitted to himself what Ryan had been telling him all along. He took a step back. "Nothing, Blair. There's nothing I want. I'm sorry I came to disturb you tonight. I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?" He turned around immediately, afraid to touch, or even look at her for a moment more, for fear that she would collapse in front of him. He couldn't believe what a complete asshole he was. Worse than Luke, he told himself. Worse than Darth Vader himself. He walked straight out of her room and out of her house, without even saying goodbye to Dorota, and drove home in complete silence, unable to think at all.

Blair watched Seth as he walked out of her room, and waited until he was gone to collapse onto her bed, breaking into heart-wrenching sobs. She cried until her heart hurt, until her head hurt, and cried until she could feel her eyes swelling up, and she was no longer able to breathe. Dorota, hearing the distress of her mistress, quickly ran to her rescue, holding her in her arms while Blair bawled helplessly in her embrace. In all her years of attending after Blair, she had only seen her like this once – when her father had left Blair and her mom to be with a male model. After that incident, she had watched Blair's heart harden into stone, and nothing – not even the breakup with Nate Archibald – had seemed to affect her much since then. Blair cried all the tears she had been holding back since Serena had left, cried for the way Nate had lied to her and humiliated her by giving up his virginity to none other than her very best friend, cried for the way Nate kept her around even though she knew deep inside that he had already given his heart to Serena. She cried, at her own stupidity for letting Chuck Bass catch her at a vulnerable moment, for continuing to make the wrong decisions every moment since then, and at her naivety that she would be able to forget that any of it had ever happened and that she could return to her fairytale with Nate. And she cried now, for her wishful thinking that running away would solve all her problems, that she'd be able to run away from who she actually was – the Blair Waldorf that she herself, despised most of all.

When Blair finally finished crying, Dorota had drawn her a bath and prepared a couple of ice packs and teabags to ease her swollen eyes. Blair glanced at the effort that Dorota had made to restore Blair back to her factory settings, but decided instead that there was something else she wanted to do. She got dressed quickly, throwing on nothing but a coat over her nightgown, gathered her keys, and drove.

Ten minutes later, she arrived at the door of a boy who was totally unaware that she was coming to look for him. She rang his doorbell and waited silently for someone to come to the door. The door opened, and without a word, Blair leapt into the arms of the astonished boy, kissing him hard to silence any words that may have been coming out of his mouth. The boy responded gratefully, relishing Blair's soft lips and tongue, and pulling her with him upstairs. Blair tore off her coat, revealing her sexy nightgown, and parked herself firmly in his bed, waiting for the boy's reaction. The boy did not hesitate for a moment before taking off his shirt and climbing on top of her, kissing her eagerly, from her forehead, to her mouth, then her neck.

Afraid that she would change her mind if he asked, Luke then proceeded to kiss her lower and lower. They disappeared under the covers as Blair gave herself to him. Blair closed her eyes as it happened, trying to erase all the words that Seth had said to her that night, erase all the horrible things that have happened within the past few months. There was no turning back now, Blair told herself, as she fell deep into the night.