A/N: And delivered as promised! Sound off in the reviews!
Blair gulped nervously as the cab came to a halt in front of Victrola. She handed him two hundred-dollar bills and told him to keep the change. As she climbed out of the cab, she took a moment to ease her nerves and commanded herself not to think back to the fateful night that changed everything. As if on cue, a familiar voice whispered into her ear, blowing a soft breath at her as he spoke.
"Just like the old times, huh B?"
Blair spun around to find herself face to face with Chuck Bass, looking as smug as ever. She waved her hand at him, as if to shoo him away. She straightened her coat and took a step back. "I'm here strictly for business, Chuck. And may I remind you that I am very happily in a relationship with Seth right now. But of course – the concept of a relationship would be completely foreign to a savage like you." She turned away from him, her heart thumping furiously against her chest.
"You didn't seem to mind my savage ways when we were in the limo driving away from this very spot," Chuck reminded her with a coy smile.
She narrowed her eyes at him and pushed her way into the burlesque bar, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her react to his provocation. "Serena? Serena, where are you?" she called as she looked frantically from table to table in search of her friend. Finally, she found a drunken, limp Serena, collapsed on top of a table, with Nate trying to wipe her face with a damp towel. The sight of the two of them together still caused Blair's heart to ache a little bit, and she looked away briefly to contain herself. Nate looked up at Blair with Chuck standing behind her, and looked a little broken himself.
"Aw, you started the party without us," Chuck complained sarcastically.
"And the prodigal ex-girlfriend returns," Nate responded, throwing the towel aside. "Are we all supposed to kiss and make up now, just because you came back after skipping town for a few months?" he asked in a bitter tone.
Blair took a step forward, pleading with Nate. She couldn't get over how beautiful he still looked, even though she knew he was still furious with her. "Look, Nate. I know you're still mad, but I'm – we're – here for Serena. Is she okay?" She took a few quick steps towards her, trying to retrieve her best friend from his arms.
"You didn't seem too concerned about her when you left," Nate shot back at her, pulling Serena away.
Blair balled her fists in frustration. "It wasn't about her! Nor you. Nor you," she added, turning to Chuck Bass. "I left because I wanted a clean slate – a fresh start. People aren't too forgiving around here, if you know what I mean," she said in a low voice.
"Yeah well, should have thought about that before you slept with my best friend." Nate didn't seem ready to reconcile any time soon.
"To be fair, you two weren't actually together when it happened," Chuck cut in, surprisingly at her defense.
"You stay out of this. Why are you even here, anyway?" Nate spat at Chuck. "Enjoying the show?"
"Nate, will you just let us help? The three of us have been friends with Serena for like, ever, and we just want to know what happened to her!" Blair waited for Nate's expression to soften, then took a seat next to the two of them. "I saw Georgina at Dan's place earlier today. Was it her? She said they broke up. I thought everything was good with them."
Nate clenched and unclenched his jaw. "She – Georgina – showed up in the middle of nowhere and Serena started to hang out with her again. Georgina must have something over her, 'cus it seems that she just can't say no to that girl. Anyway, Dan hasn't been too happy with Serena getting back to her partying ways, and the two of them called it quits."
"You conveniently left out the part where you have been spending a lot of time with Serena as well, Nathaniel. I mean, you must admit that it worked out pretty well for you now that Georgina has taken the Humphrey boy out of Serena's hands," Chuck pointed out, looking meaningfully at Nate.
"Hey, I was just trying to be a good friend," Nate protested, looking over at Serena with concern.
"Funny, that's what Georgina said about Dan," Blair commented under her breath.
Nate grew annoyed. "Look, Blair. After you left, Serena has been trying to stick it out all on her own. Her mom is dating this guy's dad, of all people, and Eric's been with his new boyfriend. She has nobody. If you can't understand that, then I guess we have nothing to talk about." He paused, throwing another angry look at Blair. "Not that I owe you any explanations or anything."
Blair sighed. "Nate, it's okay if you still have feelings for Serena. I've moved on. And I'd get it if you did, too. Especially since technically, you've never really moved on from her in the first place," she added graciously, but with sincerity. She put her hand on Nate's shoulder. "Look, you just get her home and run her a warm bath until she comes around. Lily's worried sick about her – or as worried as Lily could be about her kids. Me and this Basshole here will get the bitch and make sure she stays out of S's life for good," she said, throwing a look at Chuck, who had now crossed his arms with his trademark arrogant look on his face.
"No. Whatever it is you're planning to do, I want to be there when it happens. I want to get her myself," Nate muttered through his teeth, his crystal clear blue eyes sparkling with determination.
Blair sighed. "Fine. Chuck – you take her home and help us stall Lily. We don't want her to ask too many questions, considering we still don't know what Georgina has up her sleeve. Me and Nate will go find Georgina and take her out. We'll be back before you know it," Blair assured him. Chuck shrugged as Nate and Blair struggled underneath Serena's weight and lifted her up.
Nate draped Serena's limp, lifeless arm over Chuck's shoulder and glared at him threateningly. "Don't get any ideas, you creep."
Chuck furrowed his eyebrows at him. "She's going to be my stepsister in a few weeks. That would be incest," he shot back at him.
Blair rolled her eyes. "Like that would ever stop you," she retorted, sharing a knowing smile with Nate. She smiled to herself as Nate and Chuck lifted Serena into Chuck's limo together. It was almost just like the old times again, and a pang of nostalgia hit her in the pit of her stomach.
Nate released Serena's body and looked back at her, his eyes looking at her inquiringly. "You coming, Waldorf?"
Blair's eyes met his and nodded. "Let's get the bitch."
"According to Gossip Girl, she and Dan were spotted here about fifteen minutes ago," Blair reported, looking up from her cell phone. She watched Nate's serious expression as they made their way into Central Park. She couldn't help but remember all the times they had spent there, walking arm in arm and feeding the ducks. She sighed. "Do you remember this? This used to be our place. What happened to us, Nate?" she wondered aloud.
Nate raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, let's see. I cheated on you with your best friend, then you slept with my best friend after breaking up with me for an hour, then you slept with me, and then you left. So…I think that pretty much sums it all up," he replied, jamming his hands into his pockets.
"Why are you so angry? Had it ever occurred to you that I did what I did because I was so tired of playing second fiddle to Serena? Even when we were together – it was all about Serena for you. I'm not blind, you know," Blair pointed out, tired of being made to feel guilty. "Plus, you can be mad at me all you want, but you should at least cut Chuck some slack. You know he feels horrible – you're his only friend, and as much as he is a total monster, you two really need to work things out." Nate kept silent and turned the other way. The two of them walked in silence until Blair saw Georgina and Dan, sitting on top of a rock by the pond. Blair marched right up to them.
"Georgina! You can give up the act. I'm back now. And I know exactly who you are, and how you are. What have you been doing to Serena?" Blair demanded.
Georgina and Dan both rose to their feet as Nate approached them. Dan grew agitated as soon as he caught sight of Nate. "What is he doing here? I thought you were having fun with my girlfriend. Sorry – ex-girlfriend," he emphasized through his teeth. He looked as if he were ready to charge full-force at Nate.
"Relax, Humphrey. We're here to get you your girlfriend back. Georgina, a word please? In private?" She gave Georgina her best threatening smile until she finally relented and stepped aside with her, away from Dan.
"What do you want, Blair? Don't you see? He trusts me. I won. You and Serena lost. Deal with it," she informed her haughtily.
"No, I think you should deal with the fact that I've called your parents and they're coming down here to collect you as we speak," Blair responded lightly, flashing Georgina her phone to reveal her recent call list.
"You wouldn't dare," Georgina seethed, struggling to keep her voice low. "Plus, if they come, I'd have to tell Dan all about Serena's dirty secrets. You know – the partying, the drugs, the affairs. I'll bet poor innocent Humphrey would love to hear about that," Georgina taunted.
Blair frowned. "That's it? That's all you had on her? Dan knows exactly what kind of girl Serena was before they got together. That's not going to make him walk away," she answered in disbelief.
"Yeah well, you and I know that, but Serena doesn't. She thinks that the moment he realizes she's not the girl that he's placed on the pedestal, he'd fall instantly out of love with her. How sweet, and not to mention utterly tragic," Georgina moaned phonily.
"That may scare her, but it doesn't scare me. I'm calling your parents again and telling them exactly what you've done. You'd be lucky if you get any less than three years in Jesus camp," Blair said to her, placing her phone to her ear.
"No you don't! You give me that!" Georgina reached out for Blair's phone indignantly, and the two of them struggled for the phone.
"Ow! Let – go of me!" Blair shrieked, using all her strength to fling free from Georgina's grasp. Blair shook her wrist – hard – which sent Georgina off balance and plunging right into the pond. The impact made a huge splash, sending both Dan and Nate running over in alarm.
"Blair! You didn't have to push her into the pond, you know," Nate exclaimed, running a hand through his hair as Georgina thankfully surfaced.
"You know, you're insane!" Dan yelled at her, rushing to Georgina's rescue. But to his surprise, she waded her way to the other side of the pond, avoiding Dan's desperate attempts to help her.
"Toodle-loo, Georgie! Say hi to Jesus for me!" Blair called out behind her, holding back her laughter.
"Blair, what is wrong with you? Why do people like you and Serena always act as if you run the world?" Dan asked furiously. He was so angry he looked as if we would explode.
"You don't know anything, Humphrey. I suggest you keep your nose out of all this business – it's a little too grown-up for you. You should be thankful we've gotten rid of that insect for you. It was a matter of time before she sucked up your soul. Now you can go back to Serena where you belong and tell her how sorry you were for spending so much time with that snitch," she said, smiling at him and feeling pleased.
"Do you even hear yourself, Blair? You think you did something good? I don't care what Georgina did – whatever it is, she didn't deserve getting shoved into a pond in the middle of Central Park. And as for Serena – I think it's up to me to decide whether or not we're right for each other. I'm not going to go running back to her just because you commanded me to be with her. You know nothing about our relationship. Why don't you just go back to the O.C.? No one wants you here, anyway. I'm sure I'm speaking for both Nate and myself when I say that," Dan shot at her angrily. He knew he was going a bit overboard, but Blair's haughtiness always infuriated him, and it did so especially now, after the longest two weeks of Dan's life.
"Fine," Blair retorted, her nose in the air. "Serena would be better off with someone like Nate, anyway. People like Waldorfs and van der Woodsens are accustomed to caviar, not canned tuna. You two have nothing in common. You don't understand our world. You have no idea what it's like to be part of Manhattan's greatest elites. It's your banality and her drive to fit into your perfectly unspectacular world that's put her in this mess in the first place. If I were you, I'd just let her go," she advised him, speaking mostly out of anger now. No one dares to speak to Blair Waldorf in that manner – especially not a low-life like Dan Humphrey. She was proud of herself for not getting soft after all that time spent with Seth.
Seth – she finally remembered that she had left him all alone, probably wandering down the streets of Manhattan, with no clue where to go, or where she was. She was just about to reach for her phone when she realized that Seth was standing just ten feet away from her – and that he had just heard every single word that she had uttered to Dan. She looked at him, then at Nate, and then back at Dan. This was going to take a whole lot of explaining.
"Blair," he greeted her, stepping closer towards them now. He turned to Nate, looking him over from head to toe. "And you must be Nate," he held out his hand in greeting, "Seth Cohen. Nice to finally meet you."
Blair swallowed hard. "Um, Nate. This is Seth – my…uh – my…"
"Friend. Her friend from Newport," Seth answered for her, not bothering to wait for her to finish stammering. She looked up at him with a look that was a mixture of shame and curiosity.
Nate looked at the two of them in understanding. "So listen, I'm gonna head back. I think you and Serena could use some time alone. I'll be at The Empire if you're looking for me. There's a few things I have to work out there…if you know what I mean," Nate said to Blair. Blair met his eyes and nodded. The two of them shared an awkward hug, then Nate turned to leave.
"Was nice meeting you, man," Nate said to Seth, saluting at him. He walked away from them and disappeared down the path.
"What a stellar guy!" Seth said in an overly enthusiastic voice.
"And that's my cue," Dan said. "Listen Blair, I will talk to Serena when I'm ready. But maybe you're right. Maybe we're just from two different worlds." He walked away from the two of them, leaving just Seth and Blair, and the ducks.
"So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?" Seth asked Blair, a little angrily. He was tired of being left out in the dark, and was particularly unpleased that Blair had ditched him to spend an entire afternoon with her ex-boyfriend, who looked no less gorgeous than a friggin' supermodel.
"I will explain everything. But first, I have to head back to Serena's to see if she's okay. We found her passed out in a bar and our friend just took her home." She paused, unsure of whether Chuck had vacated the grounds yet. "Do you mind waiting for me back at the hotel? It'll only be a minute."
"You know what, Blair? Actually, I do mind," Seth replied, fully exasperated now. "I've been wandering around in Central Park for hours now, wondering when you were finally going to call me, only to find you with your ex-boyfriend, shoving some random girl into a pond. The last thing I want to do is to wait for you to rescue your so-called friend who was too sloppy to take care of herself, getting drunk in broad daylight. That's real classy, Blair. I'm sorry, maybe it's different on the Upper East Side, but that's just not how I roll. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to enjoy the rest of my Memorial Day weekend – back at home." He reached into his pocket to pass her her credit card. "You can have this back. I can afford my own expenses here, actually. If you haven't noticed, my grandfather is pretty much the richest man in Orange County. But of course, to you, I'm still canned tuna." He practically spat the words at her.
"I wasn't talking about you!" Blair protested in a shrill voice. She was already exhausted at the events of the day, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was yet another boy who was angry at her for no apparent reason. "God, why are you making things so difficult?"
"Blair, I hate it here. Congratulations – I don't know how it was even possible, but you've managed to make New York City pretty much the worst place on the planet for me right now. I want to go home, Blair. Now are you coming with me or not?" Seth asked firmly but gently.
Blair crossed her arms defensively. "I came here for Serena. I'm not going to leave without making sure that she's okay. She needs me!" Blair insisted. She didn't know why Seth was acting like such an immature brat. This weekend of all weekends, she needed his understanding. "And I need you," she finally added, hoping that last remark would soften him up.
"Alright then. You have fun with your so-called friends. I'm sorry, Blair. But I'm going home. I'll see you when you get back, okay? I'll have the concierge send the luggage over to Serena's place," he told her calmly, ready to part from her.
Blair was shocked at his nerve. "Seth Cohen. If you walk away from me and fly back on your own, I will never speak to you again when I get back," she said to him with harshly. Her tone backfired. Seth shook his head at her.
"You know, Blair? Fine. Since you insist on choosing these insane friends of yours over me, then I guess I'll have nothing to say to you when you get back either," he replied, his eyes piercing ruthlessly into hers.
"Fine. Walk away, Cohen. I'll enjoy a perfectly blissful weekend on the Upper East Side. It'll be your loss, going back to that hellhole you call a home. Don't say I didn't warn you," Blair said snootily.
"And don't say I didn't offer you a chance to explain yourself. Actually, I think what you said to your friend…enemy – whatever – back there was right. Some people are just too different from each other for things to work out. I didn't believe you when you said that back then, but I've seen it with my own eyes today. This is your life, and I'm not welcome here," Seth said, as a sort of summary. His heart ached as he said the words, but he was too tired to even understand what he was saying.
"Are you…" Blair stammered, "are you breaking up with me?" Blair demanded, the question sounding more like a threat than an inquiry.
Seth paused and took a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah I guess I am. I'm done fighting for you, Blair. I'm always fighting for you. You need to decide whether you want to be with me or not. If this – if you and me – is really what you want, then you have to let go of this ridiculous past of yours. If not," Seth continued, taking another deep breath, "if not, I would be really, really sad, but I would also feel that maybe it's for the best."
Blair couldn't hear anything except for the sound of Chuck's taunting words in her head, from the time that she had bumped into him in Newport. One of these days, it's all going to catch up to you. Even if I did promise not to say anything…you can't hide from who you truly are, Blair. You know it deep inside your heart. That's what made you and me so good together – we're both so dark and twisted. He's going to see through all of this one day and realize just who you really are.
And he was right. All that it took was a short trip to the Upper East Side, and Seth had already had enough of the real Blair. Maybe Serena knew what she was doing when she pushed Dan away. Maybe letting go while it was still early on was better than being thrown off the pedestal and cracking her skull open in the process.
She swallowed hard to fight back her tears. "Yeah, you're right," she said softly. "Maybe it's for the best."
Then she turned around, not giving him a chance to be the first to walk away, tears streaming down her face all the way to Serena's penthouse, where she collapsed into her best friend's arms as they sobbed together until the skies grew as dark as their heavy hearts.