Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl or its characters.
Chapter 17: A Family Affair
Juliet peeked outside of her bedroom door in the loft making sure the cost was clear. Dan had left for class, Ben was at work, and she really didn't give a shit where Blair or Serena was. She couldn't waste any more time. She needed to act now. Juliet picked up her phone and dialed Chuck's number.
"Chuck. It's Juliet."
"How are things in the city front?"
"Falling into place, but I need assistance."
"Name it."
"Dan has called Lily for help in acquiring an internship. Can you make sure the only one Lily can find for Dan is at W with Blair?"
"You want Dan and Blair to have an internship together?"
"What better way to have them at each other's throats? You know how much that internship means to Blair. If she and Dan have to compete things will get heated."
"I'll see it done."
"Thank you. You will be back home in no time."
Juliet hung up pleased with herself. She had only been in the loft 20 minutes before Dan and Blair had given her an opportunity to sabotage. The only thing she had to watch for was Blair. Juliet knew that Blair never let her guard down when she suspected a plot in the works, and last night Blair had been poking around. That was something Juliet couldn't risk. No she would distract Blair with Dan at W, and then she would take aim at Serena and her brother.
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Blair felt a little overwhelmed. She started her internship at W tomorrow and she couldn't find the exact right outfit.
"Serena!"
Serena came walking through her and Blair's joint bathroom into Blair's room.
"You bellowed?" She laughed.
"I need your advice! I want to look sophisticated and elegant, but give the appearance of a young thriving future business woman. Which outfit says that to you?" Blair pointed to her bed. Serena got up and walked over taking in each outfit.
"Well, the first outfit is too elegant. The second is too business woman, but I really like this third one."
Blair sighed in relief.
"Good! I like that one too. Thanks S." Blair beamed.
"Anytime." Serena smiled plopping down on Blair's chair across from her bed. "So where is Dan?"
"Oh he has a meeting with his Bio professor and then he was going over to Rufus and Lily's to see if she was able to find him an internship." Blair answered while matching shoes with her official 'first day at W' outfit.
"B." Serena laughed. "You really need to relax. You will be your perfect self tomorrow."
Blair froze what she was doing and looked at Serena, then back at the 10 pairs of shoes on the bed around her outfit.
"You're right. I might be over dramatizing this." Blair laughed.
Serena's eyebrows shot up surprised.
"Did you just admit that I was right?" Serena asked in disbelief.
Blair rolled her eyes.
"I have admitted you were right before." She sighed.
"Yeah but that's usually after you deny it ten times before."
Blair knew Serena had a point and threw her hands up in defeat.
"Well I can be over the top at times, so I'm just trying to be a little more…"
"Mellow?" Serena answered for Blair.
"I prefer the word relaxed." Blair corrected.
"Call it whatever you want but I do believe that Dan has had a mellowing effect on you." Serena smirked.
Instead of denying it like Serena thought Blair would, Blair just laughed.
"I hate to keep admitting that you're right S, but with Dan, the things that use to bother me just don't anymore. He can be so deep and views things so much more differently than I do."
"He opens your eyes?" Serena asked sweetly.
"Yes. I mean of course I have opened his eyes a bit, especially with his wardrobe. I am proud to say that he hasn't bought another flannel shirt while we have been dating."
They both laughed at that.
"It's good. I'm glad to see you so happy B—and mellow! Never thought I would see the day!" Serena teased.
"I have had mellow moments before Dan Humphrey." Blair defended.
"Like when?" Serena challenged.
"Well… I…" Blair started thinking.
"Exactly." Serena laughed.
"I will think of it later." Blair smirked.
Serena rolled her eyes and got up off the chair and headed towards the bathroom.
"Well since I have successfully assisted you in your dilemma, I am off to meet Ben. He gets off work soon."
"Serena?" Blair started making Serena turn back around.
"Yeah?" Serena asked from the bathroom doorway.
"I…I just wanted to apologize for the other night at Dan's. I really didn't mean for you and Ben to walk in on Dan and I with Juliet. I know that you would expect that from me, but I really didn't intend…"
"B. It's okay." Serena smiled reassuringly.
"No it's not. I know that this all kind of happened fast, and even though you have moved on, it's difficult to see your best friend and ex-boyfriend together." Blair explained.
Serena sighed and leaned up against the door frame.
"I'm not going to lie Blair, it was hard to see you and Dan being together like that, but I did much worse to you with Nate." Serena frowned.
"S, that was a different time and place." Blair tried to reason.
"Maybe but it's the same situation in a way." Serena sighed.
"Yeah but we have come so far in our friendship." Blair smiled.
"We have." Serena smiled back. "Just know that no matter what happens B, you are my best friend, and always will be. I think we have proved to each other, over the years, that we find our way back to each other."
Blair walked over and hugged Serena.
"We always do." Blair agreed. "Now go meet your parolee."
Serena grinned and gave Blair one final squeeze before exiting. Just then there was a knock at Blair's door.
"Yes Dorota?" She assumed looking up to find Dan opening the door. "Humphrey. You're early. Could this be an effect I'm starting to have on you?" She teased.
"Let's just say you threating to take away bedroom privileges is a very good motivator." He laughed.
"And note to self—it works!" Blair exclaimed sarcastically looking at him with a grin. Dan laughed again and took off his jacket throwing it on the bed, before pulling Blair into his arms.
"And what do you think you are doing?" She teased pulling back from him slightly.
"I was 10 minutes early! Don't I get a reward?" Dan smirked.
"Well maybe one." She smirked leaning up and kissing him gently, "Or two." She sighed brushing her lips more firmly against his.
"Blair? "
Blair and Dan spun around started to see Eleanor Waldorf standing in the doorway.
"Mom!" Blair shouted surprised, pushing herself out of Dan's arms. "Dorota and I weren't expecting you and Cyrus until 5. How was your flight?"
Eleanor eyed the two of them up, and ignored her daughter's attempts to change the subject and walked up to Dan, while a nervous Blair watched.
"Dan Humphrey right? Jenny's brother?" Eleanor asked.
"Yeah. Welcome home." Dan smiled nervously.
Eleanor looked between Dan and Blair for a moment thinking.
"Thank you Dan. You will be joining us for dinner? Cyrus will be wanting to meet you." Eleanor hinted.
Dan looked at Blair who was nodding yes.
"Wouldn't miss it." Dan answered.
"Great. I'll tell Dorota to set an extra place at the table." Eleanor smiled. "It's nice to finally meet the mystery guy Blair." Eleanor smirked at her daughter before turning down the hallway and shouting for Dorota.
Dan turned and grinned at Blair.
"You talked to your mom about me?"
"Well yes, I might have mentioned about you once or twice before she caught on. It was one of the ways I finally realized that I like you." Blair smiled leaning back into Dan's arms. "I just didn't want her to meet you that way, but it went better than I thought."
"Oh? And has that happened before?" Dan asked.
"Well not exactly but once in high school she did catch Chuck up here, and let's just say she threw him out."
Dan laughed at the image of Chuck Bass being thrown out by Eleanor Waldorf.
"Then I feel honored that I was given an invitation to dinner instead." Dan smiled
"You better!" Blair laughed. Dan bent down and gave Blair a quick kiss.
"So when do I get to take you over to Rufus and Lily's?" Dan grinned. Blair looked at him in utter shock.
"You want to take me to meet your parents?" She asked surprised. Dan panicked a little by her reaction.
"Well only if you want to! I mean you don't have to if you…"
"Dan. I would love too!" Blair beamed. Dan sighed a breath of relief.
"What about next week? We sometimes still do game nights. I haven't been going lately but..." Dan hesitated.
"Sounds perfect." Blair smiled. Dan smiled back and pulled her into another kiss, but then pulled back.
"Dan?" Blair asked confused.
"Well you may not want to meet my parents or have me to dinner after I tell you about the internship Lily was able to get for me." Dan frowned.
"What? Why?" Blair asked concerned.
"Lily was only able to get me an internship at W."
Blair looked up at Dan, her eyes wide in shock.
"What? Dan we would be competing for the same position!"
"I know! I know!" Dan sighed running his hand down his face. "I told Lily no."
Blair was more shocked by that. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Dan. Call Lily right now and tell her you are taking it." She ordered. It was Dan's turn to be shocked.
"What? Blair?"
"You need an internship and it would be selfish of me to tell you not to take this opportunity. Besides, we would get to spend more time together." Blair shrugged trying to be positive. Dan pulled Blair into his arms and kissed her hard. She pulled back a little winded. "What was that for?"
"For loving me enough to share W with me." Dan answered.
"Well I do love you Dan Humphrey."
"I love you Blair. I really honestly love you." Dan beamed making Blair blush. She leaned up and brushed her lips against his sincerely and reached into Dan's pocket pulling out his cell phone.
"Call Lily."
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"So Dan, Blair told me that you are a writer!" Cyrus beamed taking a bite of his steak. "I would love to read something of yours!"
"I would really like that, Sir." Dan smiled.
Dinner with Eleanor and Cyrus Rose was turning out to be easier than Dan had originally thought. Dan so far liked Cyrus a lot and found him to be incredibly funny, even making Eleanor laugh, something Dan wasn't used to seeing, but also found himself liking.
"Oh Dan call me Cyrus!" Cyrus demanded sincerely.
"Dan? How is Jenny these days?" Eleanor asked politely.
"She is good. She is living with our mom now."
"I had heard that. I was disappointed to hear that she had left Manhattan. The girl has talent. You make sure to tell her that if she ever wants to come back I would love to take her on again."
Dan felt more than saw Blair shift uncomfortably in her seat next to him.
"Thank you Mrs. Ro…"
"Call me Eleanor, Dan."
"Thank you Eleanor. I'll make sure she knows." Dan smiled.
The rest of the dinner conversation included classic novels, Cyrus and Eleanor's stay in Paris, and finally Dan and Blair's internship's at W.
"You both are going to be interning there?" Eleanor asked slightly confused.
"It's a long story mom, but it's just the way it turned out, and I couldn't be happier about it." Blair smiled looking at Dan, taking his hand in hers under the table. Eleanor's eyebrow's shot up in surprise at her daughters comment.
"Congratulations to both of you!" Cyrus smiled raising his glass. Eleanor, Dan, and Blair raised there glasses to Cyrus toast.
Dan couldn't help but notice Eleanor smiling slightly at Blair.
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Dan was pleasantly surprised to find that Cyrus and Blair were closer than she let on. He was currently watching them goof off in the kitchen, while helping Dorota clean up the kitchen. Cyrus made a comment that sent Blair into a fit of laughter. Dan laughed to himself, and was suddenly started to find Eleanor appear next to him.
"That was one of the reason's I married him." Eleanor smiled watching with Dan. "He gets Blair. Sometimes more than I do." She laughed.
"He has a talent. I don't think I can even get her to laugh like that." Dan smiled.
"You have more of a positive effect on my daughter than you think Dan." Eleanor sighed smiling.
"Well if you're talking about the internship at W, she got that all on her own."
"Oh no not that, I know Blair is capable of that. Please she is my daughter." Eleanor laughed. "No what I'm talking about is her. She seems so much happier since when Cyrus and I left. I was worried about her after Chuck, but I'm happy to see that you are part of her life now Dan."
Dan just looked at Eleanor completely baffled and completely honored.
"Honestly Eleanor, Blair really saved me. I'm fortunate to have her." Dan smiled. Eleanor reached up and rubbed Dan's back and then gave him a quick hug. Dan found the sudden act of compassion to be out of character for her, but suddenly realized that she was letting him see a side of her that only family and friends were allowed to see. He turned to see Cyrus and Blair watching them smiling.
"Come on." Eleanor laughed seeing Cyrus and Blair as well, "We better get over there before they start on the cheesecake without us!"
Eleanor pulled Dan with her and for the next hour they all stood around the kitchen digging into the cheesecake dessert Dorota had made them, and sipped the French coffee Cyrus had found in Paris. Dan nearly laughed himself to tears when Blair retold the story about Cyrus out scheming her. Even when Serena and Ben came into the kitchen for some dessert, Dan found himself completely comfortable with Blair's family, and found himself falling a little more in love with her because of it. Maybe working at W with Blair would bring them closer as well. Only time would tell, and at the moment, Dan couldn't wait.
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So a lot happened I know! I know that Blair may be coming off a little too nice, but I really feel that Dan will have a softening effect on her and maybe she will inspire Dan in return. Anyway! Next chapter Dan and Blair start W! What will happen? Will Dan knowingly betray Blair? How will Juliet get him to do it? And how will she get between Ben and Serena? Thank you for reading guys! The reviews are appreciated and bring a smile to my face. Thank you too for your comments about my family!