It was the first Monday morning where Dan felt some hint of excitement, opposed to dreading the day before it even began. The last time he'd walked into the gates of St Judes and Constance he'd been nobody, invisible to everyone aside from his younger sister and a handful of teachers. Today was different. He entered the quad and almost everyone's eyes landed on him. He'd been spotted with the most popular group in school at the Kiss On The Lips party and then was seen drunkenly roaming the streets of Manhattan with them the following night. Rumour had it that he was Serena's new boyfriend and naturally an abundance of gossip blasts rose.

"Hey man," Nate said as he walked up beside Dan, not looking nearly as happy as he did the other night. Dan presumed it was because he wasn't stoned but couldn't help notice how tired and worn out Nate looked. He tried to remain calm and keep the fact he'd had Nate's girlfriend on her back last night out of his mind.

"Rough night?" Dan attempted to grin, walking side by side with his new lacrosse-playing friend.

The two took a seat at an empty table, far enough away so that no one could listen in to their conversation. Sitting across from Nate, Dan watched him frustratingly push his manbangs to the side of his face and take in a deep breath.

"I think I really screwed things up with Blair. Like, for good."

Sirens went off in Dan's brain. He hated how happy hearing that made him and he hated how he had to lie to his new friend. For whatever reason, Dan genuinely liked Nate and he didn't enjoy how much he enjoyed this guy's girlfriend. It was messed up. His only option was to remain silent and stay as impartial as he could.

"Something happened and I don't think, no, I know she'll never forgive me. I really don't deserve her forgiveness at all. I just—I just wish that I… I don't know." Nate bit his lip. It was as if he wasn't really talking to Dan, he just needed someone to listen. He trusted Dan; it was in his nature to not hold up walls between him and those he liked. This trust made him more comfortable exposing himself to a guy he barely knew.

As perceptive as they come, Dan understood where Nate was going. He had to have cheated. What never crossed Dan's mind was that Nate would have cheated on Blair with her best friend. In this moment, he assumed some freshmen had dangled her body in front of Nate and he had a 'weak' moment. The thought made him feel a little less guilty about everything that had happened between him and Blair.

"Did… did you cheat on Blair?"

Nate's lips didn't move and the silence he let on cleared up any assumptions that Dan had made before asking the question. He had no idea how he was supposed to comfort Nate, the guy who was still maybe dating the girl that he himself maybe wanted to date. Oddly enough, Dan's mind wasn't exactly focused on Nate. He drifted his attention to Blair, unable to imagine how hurt she must have been. Dan nervously rubbed his lips together, looking for an excuse to leave and go find her.

Meanwhile, Blair Waldorf sat on the MET steps, looking down on Kati, Is and Penelope. She crossed her legs, licking the straw of her juice smoothie before rolling her eyes at something Kati had said. Sinking back into her 'Queen B' status was a means of taking her mind off the obvious. The crueller she was, the easier it was to pretend like she didn't see Nate having sex with Serena.

"I can't wait to see your dress for cotillion, Blair," Penelope said in almost a snide voice, tossing her hair to the side, "I'm sure you and Nate will be the best looking couple there."

There it was, the first reminder and dagger to her chest. Cotillion had completely escaped her mind. How could she attend and not have Nate on her arm? Since freshmen year, all she could think about was how Nate Archibald was going to be the perfect escort. She'd accepted no alternative.

With that thought on her mind, it became clear that no matter how much Blair attested to loving Nate, the status the two shared meant a lot more to her than her emotions. That didn't downsize how much he'd hurt her by sleeping with Serena, however it certainly proved her feelings for Dan to be far more real and genuine.

"Of course we will be."

Blair had gone the entire day without even making eye contact with Nate. He hadn't tried approaching her, given how she hadn't responded to the dozens of voicemails and texts he left her. Thankfully, Serena had made the appropriate decision to be weak and hide away from Constance that day.

Afternoon homeroom concluded and the halls of the schools became empty shortly after. Dan had stayed behind to receive results back for an English assignment from his teacher. It had been possibly the only good thing that had come of today. Having to pretend to not care that Nate betrayed Blair definitely was the hardest.

"See you tomorrow, Mr Morrison," Dan said, waving his teacher goodbye as he turned around the corner.

As he began to walk toward his locker, he spotted the same brunette he couldn't stop thinking about slip into the girls' bathroom. With no hesitation, he followed her lead and entered.

In front of the mirror he saw Blair stand, patting her face down and taking in soft breaths.

He didn't ask if she was okay. He already knew the answer. He could feel every bit of sadness that ran through her body. The connection they had extended beyond physically enjoying each other's bodies and he couldn't ignore it. Instead he took a few steps closer to her and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her back into him.

She placed one of her hands on his, gently pushing herself back into him and shutting her eyes. His closeness and scent put her at ease and she clung onto it with all the strength she had left.

"Nate told me what happened," he said, unsure of how to bring up the fact he knew. "I'm sorry, Blair."

"You don't need to be sorry about anything, Dan." Blair looked at the mirror directly in front of her and held eye contact with him. "I know this might strike you as strange, but I don't really want to talk about what happened. I've spent all day pretending that I'm okay. I'd rather just be with someone who actually makes me feel okay."

She slowly twisted her body around to face him, moving both her hands onto his chest. This wasn't just some rebound to make her forget that her boyfriend had sex with her best friend, it was a wakeup call that she had been only faking every ounce of happiness until now. Every bone in her body was telling her to let go and feel something.

At the same time, Dan and Blair wrapped their arms around each other and embraced in a warm hug. He clutched onto her tiny body, pulling her into him and transferring the warmth from his chest to her. She daintily nuzzled her head against his chest and cherished the comfort he brought her.

As they both pulled back, Blair began to gently play with his tie, twirling it around her fingers before she looked up at him. He reached down and held onto her hand. Neither knew what this was or where it was going to go, but it was clear their relationship had only just begun.

"I think I'm going to end things with Nate for good," she said firmly, "I need to. For me."

What Dan only partially realized was how much courage Blair needed to do that. Throwing everything she had with Nate away was a big deal to her. It felt like a lifetime and all the memories were about to be left behind, with no future to develop anymore. Her dream to be with him at Yale was never going to happen or that they'd marry and she'd be Blair Archibald someday.

"Do whatever you need to do. Whatever happens, I'll be here for you. I promise."

A small smile played on the end of Blair's lip. It was real. She nodded before standing on her tiptoes to place a small, tender kiss on Dan's lips. Her hand gently cupped his cheek, squeezing it before lowering herself back down.

"Thank you, Humphrey."

Finding out about Nate and Serena's affair seemed to be Blair's slope down in the pits of misery. Everything from here on out had to be good, right? She truly believed that the worst was over and her agony was behind her. Maybe she didn't need to go out of her way to get revenge. Maybe the best revenge would be moving on and just maybe getting the happiness she deserved.

I am really anxious to write more, because I have already written certain things I want to include in further chapters. I know this was kind of a bland chapter but I will make it up to you with COTILLION. You guys saw that, right? That'll be coming either next chapter or the one after. Both will be coming very soon, either way. I just felt like writing an intimate Dan/Blair moment before diving head first into a pool of drama.