Epilogue
Five Years Later
Serena was absolutely glowing as she entered her fifth month of pregnancy.
"William, come downstairs right now." She shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Her three-year-old son had recently passed the 'terrible-twos' stage, but he was still up to mischievous. He was worse whenever he was with his older cousin Henry Bass, but he was such a great little boy – he had a big, compassionate heart who loved playing sports and dressing well, much like his father.
"William Charles Archibald! Get your bottom downstairs right now or you lose your TV rights for a week." Immediately she heard footsteps racing down the stairs and stood up straight in front of his mother.
"Why is the baby's room in a big mess and where are all the toys and gifts that were for the new baby?" She crossed her arms and looked down at her nervous son with a stern look on his face. He looked at his feet refusing to answer, and as Serena was about to speak again, Nate entered the penthouse from the elevator.
"Hi Honey! How are – oh, what's going on?" He walked over to stand next to Serena and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"I found the baby nursery in a complete mess a few minutes ago – I know I haven't been in there all day nor has the maid. All the gifts and toys are not in the room and it's just a complete mess." Nate looked at his wife, and she was not happy. Early on during the first pregnancy, they swore never to be like their parents – they were going to be strict but fair and spoil them with love and attention that they lacked when they were children. They weren't however, going to spoil their kids with materialistic things or have a 24-hour nanny.
Once Serena and Nate settled as a married couple, Serena opened her own event planning business and immediately signed Blair up as her first and forever customer. Her cooking skills were best left to her family to enjoy those moments of food, love and happiness. She managed to sign ten clients in the first two weeks of the business opening and has been receiving plenty of media attention. She has done a few magazine photo shoot and interviews but she took some time off at the end of the third trimester of her first pregnancy. Her pregnancy had been smooth sailing the first time, and this second pregnancy made no difference. Nate bent down to his son and looked at his son.
"Will, did you hide the baby's toys and presents?"
"No…" Will responded and looked at his feet.
"Will…" Nate pressed on, "you know that lying is a bad thing to do. So, tell me the truth now, and your mother won't punish you." He looked up at his wife who did not look pleased about Will not getting punished.
"I hid the toys and presents in the pantry room, and I only made the room messy because I don't want another baby." He whispered. Nate stood up and looked at Serena who was in shock, but her eyes showed a hint of guilt. Serene bent down and hugged her son.
"Oh Will, just because we are having another baby, that doesn't mean we will love you any less. We will love you just as much as the new baby. We will still do the things that you want to do with you." She kissed his cheek. He nodded.
"I'm sorry, mommy. I'm sorry, daddy. I'll put the toys and presents back in the room." He said in defeat. Nate ruffled his hair and smiled.
"Good boy, now go upstairs and do it. Your mother will come up and help you clean the nursery once I finish talking with her." Will nodded and slowly walked up the stairs. Once Will was out of sight, Nate pulled Serena into an embrace and rained her face full of kisses causing Serena to giggle.
"Nate! Stop! Will is upstairs." She slapped his shoulder playfully.
"Sorry, it's just I love my wife so much." He grinned. She smiled and kissed his lips hard.
"How was work?"
"The Mayoral office is busy now that it's an election year. The Spectator is still running smoothly and from all reports, your business is making lots of money." He smiled.
"That's great news, my darling. Are you excited?"
"I am actually – the polls have me leading by a couple points against the opposition. It seems the public is happy with how I have been doing so far."
"Of course they are Nate, you've been focusing on those who need help – the poor, the unemployed, the weak."
"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, baby. Your dedication to physically helping charities is so admirable, and you have taught me so much." He said tenderly.
"We're a good team, aren't we?" She grinned. Serena kissed her husband again before walking upstairs to the nursery.
"Serena, do you know how many times I've had to buy Henry new clothes? That husband and son of yours HAD to get my son into muddy soccer." Blair was furious at Henry for again ruining the clothes that he wore after training as he decided to go and play more soccer in the muddy training field in his Armani Junior clothes.
"Oh come on Blair, he's a ten-year-old boy, what else is he supposes to do? What else is he meant to do at his age? Be a mini Chuck?"
"Mom! Stop it, I'm not a baby anymore."
"Yes, I expect him to be a gentle son like his father. No Henry, you'll always be my baby. Now, go get upstairs and have a bath, and while you're at it, help Will too." Serena stood up after undressing Will who raced up behind Henry – it was obvious to all the parents that Will saw Henry as his Idol.
"Where's Scarlett, Blair?" Blair had a three-year-old daughter who was every bit like Blair, except had the temperament of Chuck which was to everyone's relief, as Blair was the most dramatic and evil genius of the foursome.
"Mother and Cyrus took her out for the day – she wanted to buy her some clothes for the winter coming up. I've been so busy with the new fashion line, that I haven't been able to shop for the winter."
"Ooh! What is the new fashion line? You haven't even told me about it!" Serena and Blair walked into the sitting room where there were some tea and macarons sitting on the coffee table.
"It is our very first maternity line and I want you to be the face of it!" Blair announced excitedly. Serena squealed in excitement and clapped her hands.
"I would love to Blair! Can I see the designs?" At that moment, Chuck and Nate walked into the Waldorf/Bass apartment and greeted their wives before walking upstairs to check on the boys.
"Of course. Stop by the studio next week and we should have the designs made already. I'm not debuting it anytime soon yet."
"I will be there next Wednesday after my meeting at the Plaza with one of my clients." Serena pulled out her thick diary planner and began writing down her plans for Wednesday. Once the boys had finished bathing, the two families went out to their local Italian restaurant where they had dinner; they decided that every fortnight, both families would have dinner at somewhere low key and family friendly and every other weekend it would only be their parents going out.
Over the next few months, Serena was glowing with her current pregnancy but was still extremely busy, much to her husband's dismay, she continued to plan parties and weddings, however never attended them when asked. She was never extremely stressed and her blood pressure was relatively stable. Now free of cancer, it had been a long time coming for Serena to get to where she was now. Years of being the Upper East Side's it girl under the constant spotlight, to controversial Gossip Girl posts, to leaving the Upper East Side for a good five years where she had to go through cancer without her family and friends and returning back to New York and going through all of that again. She was now a successful event planner living in a big penthouse overlooking Central Park with her successful husband who is the love of her life and her children. Never did she imagine that she would live till now with everything that she wanted. If she could thank God for anything, it would be for opportunities that she was given since she left the Upper East Side ten years ago.
Serena felt something happening in her stomach, and looked down to see the puddle of water on the floor tile… her water broke.
"Blair!" She shouted and groaned in pain as she felt her first contraction. She winced in pain as Blair rushed from the kitchen to help her best friend.
"Are you in labour? How far are your contractions?" Dorota followed from behind with Scarlett in her hands.
"My water broke – they are about five minutes apart from each other." She groaned in pain from the next contraction.
"Where is your baby bag?" Blair whipped out her phone and began activating the phone tree as she and Dorota helped Serena downstairs and into the cab to the hospital. By the time they got to the hospital, Blair ran to the counter looking dishevelled.
"My best friend has gone into labour. I called from the cab earlier requesting the biggest private birthing suite." The nurse attendant looked at her with a bored expression,
"We have no private birthing suites available, you're going to have to use a semi-private room or wait." She looked back down at her papers and Blair was fuming.
"Listen here, you insolent girl, my best friend is in labour having her second baby – one that she nearly lost, now you get us that room or I will make sure you never work again." The nurse looked back at her again unfazed by Blair's threats and insults.
"Is that supposed to be a threat? You're not getting that private suite; you're just going to have to settle for something less. You should've left your face Prada bag at home." Blair gasped.
"You little bitch! My Prada bag is not fake! Do you know who I am? I am –"
"Blair?" A woman in her mid-thirties approached the two women and Blair sighed with relief. Blair looked at the nurse and smirked.
"Serena is in labour. Her contractions are about five minutes apart. She's in pain, and really worried something might happen with the baby."
"Blair!?" She turned her head to see her husband and best friend racing over to the table with Nate's security standing two feet away.
"Nate!" Serena cried from behind. Her husband looked at his wife who was in pain and fought back a laugh seeing Dorota's face in pain from Serena's hand grip. He raced over to his wife to take over from Dorota and coach her through her birthing.
"It's good to see you two again." The older nurse looked at the bewildered younger nurse, "Get these two into birthing suite 2 now." Blair held her hand up.
"There is no way this girl is going near us. She denied us our request and insulted me numerous times. She was completely rude and disrespectful." Chuck chuckled quietly – only Blair would have that sort of treatment from regular people. The nurse took a sharp breath and turned to the younger nurse.
"What is wrong with you, Brittney? You've only been here for a month and you're already insulting Blair Waldorf-Bass? The wife of Chuck Bass? If her best friend is in labour, it means that Serena Archibald – the wife of New York Mayor is in labour." She spoke harshly. She turned to the Bass woman and apologised.
"It won't happen again, Blair. I will personally see to Serena needs. Now, how is Henry?" The older woman walked from behind the desk with her clipboard and walked with Blair towards the birthing suite, where Serena and Nate were taken.
Ten hours of painful labour later, Serena had brought a healthy Hope Summer Archibald into the world.
"Oh Nate, she is perfect." Serena cooed at the baby in her arms. Nate kissed his wife's temple and caressed the newborn's cheek with his finger.
"Just like our son. I'm so proud of you baby." Serena looked up and kissed him. Their moment was interrupted with Blair walked in with Chuck holding Scarlett, Henry and Will walking in together.
"Come here son, meet your new baby sister." Nate waved Will over who was bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Serena, she is beautiful!" Serena smiled at her best friend. One by one, the family showed up – Erik came in first with Lily and Rufus following behind. Anne and Cyrus walked in with Dorota and baby Scarlett holding bunches of flowers and balloons.
"Well done sis. I assume that her godparents are us, I hope?" Chuck grinned.
"Of course, who else would I choose aside from you and Blair. My favourite people in the world are all here in one room."
"Meet Hope Summer Archibald, everyone." Serena smiled as she handed over her daughter to Blair and Chuck.
And the Upper East Side's non-judging breakfast club lived happily ever after!
The End! Thank you for sticking with me! - especially to anyone who read the first original and have come back to the newly reconstructed version :)
Please be on the look out for future Serenate fics - there is already one long-shot that has been posted!