Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update! I was on a week-long trip visiting friends. Updates will be prompt from now on, especially if you take the time to review. :) In fact, the next chapter—in which the fab four return to New York—should be up sometime tomorrow.

She Tells Her Love

She tell her love while half asleep,

In the dark hours,

With half-words whispered low:

As Earth stirs in her winter sleep

And puts out grass and flowers

Despite the snow,

Despite the falling snow.

-

-- Robert Ranke Graves

**

It had been two weeks, now, since Dan had found Blair in the bathroom. After a long time she had relaxed against him, and Dan had started to think about getting her to bed before the others got home. She had finally stopped crying, and then she had suddenly looked up at him.

"Dan, please promise me you won't tell Serena or Nate."

Dan stiffened. "Blair—"

"Please."

"Serena, at least, deserves to know—"

"I couldn't stand it if she did," Blair sniffed. "It's bad enough that you know."

"She just wants to help you get better."

"She'll flip out," asserted Blair. "and I just can't deal with it right now. I really can't…"

"I don't know Blair, I don't really feel comfortable—"

"Please," she repeated. "Don't make me beg."

"You're already begging," he pointed out, somewhat unfeelingly. Blair glared at him. "Don't make me go all Serena Van Der Woodsen on your ass, Humphrey."

"What are you talking about?"

"She can throw some mean punches when she's drunk."

"I guess I woudn't want to be on the receiving end of one of those."

She had giggled a little through her tears, and that made him feel a little better. "Fine," he said after a moment, against his better judgment. "I promise." She had closed her eyes and sighed in relief.

He had lifted her in his arms and carried her to her bed; she had fallen asleep with his arm around her, tears starring her lashes so that they glittered in the dark room. It was a troubled, light sleep, and she murmured several words and broken phrases. Dan struggled to hear, and though he could not make out very much, he was sure he heard the name "Chuck" pronounced more than once. He sighed and after several minutes extricated himself and got out of bed as quietly as he could. He had to be ready to lie to Serena and Nate when they returned. Just as he took a step away from the bed, Blair, still asleep, clutched his arm convulsively, and whispered,

"No, Chuck, don't leave…not again." her eyelids fluttered. "Please."

"Shh, Blair, it's ok."

"I'm cold," she whispered. "Is it still snowing?"

Dan, surprised by the odd question, placed a hand to her forehead; she was feverish.

"I'm always…so cold," she muttered, half-conscious. Dan drew another blanket up to her chin, though it was perfectly warm in the heated house.

He waited for her to lapse back into a deeper sleep, and then leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead before leaving.

**

"Dan?"

Dan looked up, shocked out of his reverie. Serena plopped down beside him on the sofa and twirled a strand of golden hair absentmindedly with her finger.

"I've been thinking," she said worriedly, "Blair hasn't been Queen Bee for a while now, and since that whole episode with Chuck right before we came to France somehow made it onto Gossip Girl's radar…"

"It did?" asked Dan, shocked. "She overheard what Chuck said to her?" As the realization began to sink in, Serena observed an expression of mingled horror and pity dawn on his countenance. She realized with some surprise that it was quickly turning to something like fury.

"Gossip Girl has no right to do this to her," he said as his eyes darkened. "Did she take pictures and post them or something? I will hunt down that malicious little bitch and put her stalking days to an end forever. Just wait 'til I get my hands on her, I'll wring her filthy little neck—"

"Dan," interrupted Serena, shocked, "come on. It's Gossip Girl we're talking about. You can't really be surprised."

Dan was still fuming, so Serena put her hand over his clenched fist and opened it slowly, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"I thought you knew," she said, "but then again you don't check Gossip Girl as much as Nate and I do. Part of the reason I wanted Blair to come here was so she could stay away from it for a while. She still has no idea that the whole Upper East Side saw Chuck humiliate her like that."

"Did she take pictures?" he asked shortly.

"More like streaming video," said Serena sadly.

Dan got to his feet suddenly and paced around the room, withdrawing Serena's hand from his.

"How do you know this?"

Serena looked down at her hands in her lap. "I've been sneaking into an internet café to keep track of things," she said. "It's pretty bad. You know how those girls are; they're totally unsympathetic, evil—" she rubbed her temples and sighed. "I think it's as bad as it was when the whole Chuck and Nate thing happened and she almost left the country."

Dan had still been pacing, but he stopped suddenly, and turned to look at Serena. Something suddenly clicked.

"You had this in mind when you agreed to my plan," he said.

"Yes," nodded Serena. "It's the best way I can think of to deal with her negative social status. We can restore her position."

"I'm not sure she even wants to be Queen Bee anymore."

"Sure she does," Serena said. "It's always been really important to her."

"After what happened with Chuck—"

"You didn't see her after he came back, when she tried to join that old women's social club, how she went on about how being admitted could help her build a new life—"

"She didn't join the club, did she?" Dan was annoyed.

"That's true," Serena admitted. "But Chuck's out of the picture and I think she wants her old life back."

"That's ridiculous," said Dan, still in a bad mood since his revelation about Gossip Girl. "She's not as superficial as you make her out to be."

"I didn't say she was superficial!" Serena was offended. She stood up, placed her hands on her hips.

"Since when are you a better judge of Blair's psychology than I am?" She demanded. "When did you two become such good friends? You barely know her! You didn't even like her—"

"I know her quite well," Dan asserted. "I think I know her well enough to state confidently that she no longer cares about her former posse at school."

Serena shook her head.

"You really don't get it, Dan. She's moving on; she's not hung up on Chuck as much as she used to be. When the dust settles and everything's back to normal, she'll be the old Blair again, and she'll want the same things she used to before Chuck drove her half insane."

She pointed out the window, where Dan saw Nate and Blair walking back from the grocery store; Nate was carrying the bags and laughing at something Blair had said—she stumbled, and he eagerly reached out to catch her elbow and then link her arm with his.

"You see," said Serena, smiling.

"What is this?" Dan stared at her. "When did you decide to play matchmaker and—"

"I haven't done anything!" Serena protested. "I just predicted this might happen naturally. She's always loved Nate, you know, her entire life—and Nate was just starting to reciprocate when that whole fiasco with Chuck happened."

Dan shook his head, flustered, and opened his mouth to respond—but Nate and Blair had reached the front door and were now inside, and he had to keep his retort for later.

"Hello Serena, Humphrey," said Blair brightly, "We bought pasta. Humphrey will have to cook, he's the only one of us with any knowledge of cooking, since he's too poor to keep a chef." Nate chuckled and leaned forward to take her coat from her; she batted her eyes at him.

I guess Serena's not completely delusional, Dan thought to himself. She's wrong but she didn't see Blair that night in the bathroom…she doesn't realize Blair's just pretending.

"Fine," he said, "I'll make dinner." He took the shopping bags from Nate resignedly and headed to the kitchen.