Hold our bodies close, for me…

Serena spent the majority of the plane ride staring straight ahead of her. She found the car her mum had sent to Queens as soon as she grabbed her luggage. It was well past midnight when she got to Blair's apartment.

Apparently, Nate had moved into the spare room and using the key Blair had given her the day she had bought the place, Serena quietly pushed open the door. She crept down the dimly-lit hallway and reached what she remembered as the spare bedroom.

She stood staring at the door. Wait. What the fuck was she doing? Creeping into his bedroom like some kind of stalker? What if his fiancé was sleeping with him? Alas, her need to see him, physically see him that is, not the manifestation of him she kept hidden in her mind, won over and she gently opened the door and tip-toed into the room.

There he was. Sleeping. She hadn't seen him in four years. She felt her breath catch in her throat... still beautiful. Serena van der Woodsen, who had always had men staring at her, stared in awe at the sleeping frame of Nathaniel Archibald.

After a few moments, she realized how crazy she would look if someone walked in on her right now. What if Blair or Chuck got up to go to the bathroom. Had she closed the door behind her? Suddenly anxious she turned and moved quickly towards the door, hoping for a speedy exit. "Argh!" Serena moaned as she stubbed her foot on the corner of the door. "Shit shit shit shit" She mumbled under her breath, hobbling as fast as she could through the door whilst trying to nurse her throbbing toe.

"Serena?"

She froze. Fuck. The pain in her foot was immediately forgotten. At that exact moment, Serena contemplated many things. Running away being one of the more prominant voices screaming out in her mind. But, she wasn't a teenager anymore, she had grown up, or so she'd like to think. Slowly, she turned to face him.

Serena had forgotten that Nate slept in boxers. And only boxers.

"Hey Nate." She whispered, her head lowered.

He had been sitting up in his bed, but was now on his feet walking towards her. Quite quickly too. "Serena. What are you-"

Serena was going to stand there and answer all his questions. But his eyes were still as deep and dark and intense as they had always been. And when they looked at her, they were still filled with the same passion, lust and the most overpowering, love.

So, she did the one thing she had been wanting to do for four excruciatingly long years. She kissed him.

What surprised her was when he kissed her back. She pulled away to look into his eyes again. "Nate, I'm-"

He put a finger up to her, now, swollen lips. He allowed himself to take her in. All of her. The four-years older Serena. She had changed but she was still as beautiful as ever. He knew he was supposed to be getting married, but his mouth on Serena's was all he wanted right now. He slid his hands down onto her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

'This is why I came home,' Serena thought to herself as she moved her hands over Nate's stomach, chest and shoulders, exploring the skin she hadn't touched in so long.

Nate pulled her closer to him, and ran a hand through her soft, luscious hair. He pulled back and touched her face, before kissing her again. And in that moment she knew. This was the man she was going to marry. Fiancé or not, she was going to end up with Nate Archibald. She could feel it.

Nate knew it too. He told himself he would try and do the right thing. He would try his hardest to go through with it with Naomi. But he knew that he could never love anyone but Serena.

But this was not who he was raised to be. And eventually, he felt compelled to try and do the right thing. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her.

"Jesus Serena." He sighed frustratedly, running a hand through his mess of golden brown hair, "I'm engaged."

"I know."

"I can't do this." He took a step back.

"I missed you Nate."

"Serena, I haven't seen you in four years. Why the hell did you just pack up for Europe? I missed you then. I needed you then."

"Needed me?" She asked with tear filled eyes.

Nate sighed. "I need you more now."

With those words, Serena broke down. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. Nate sat her on his bed.

"It's gonna be okay Serena." She just kept crying. And apologizing. Nate couldn't think of anything else to do but lay them both down in his bed. His heart tore when he noticed how perfectly she fit in his arms. Two ex-lovers reunited, so perfect and yet so tragically flawed. Nate took a breath, clearing his head of all the protests and simply acted on his heart holding onto Serena for dear life, until they both fell asleep.