Games

by pLei4fun

Games are the norm for our favorite NJBC: Love games, war games, etc. But it's senior year and that just means that the stakes are even higher. Sequel to the Queen and her Dark Knight can Blair, Serena, Chuck, and Nate make it to the end of their high school careers unscathed and together? We'll find out. Chair always, but the rest is up in the air.

2. The White Party

Chapter 2: The White Party

"Damn that Mother-Chucker!" Blair exclaimed as both she and Serena left their latest stop of the late morning, smoothies in hand. After the dinner the previous night, Blair just needed some major retail therapy and a venting session with her best friend about the current problem in her life. Not to mention that she wanted hear about Serena's date with that lifeguard. "Ugh! He- he's totally right. James likes me more than just a friend. I don't even know how this happened. To be honest I don't even like him that much."

"Thank you. I was waiting for that," Serena sighed in relief before taking a sip from her cup, listening as Blair went on, purposefully refusing to think about what she saw the previous night. She knew she would have to say something soon and she had even tried to call Nate earlier, but she was in no rush to do it.

"I only spent so much time with him these past few weeks because Chuck was gone, and as much as I love daddy and Roman, they were too busy with the vineyard to keep my mind occupied. So when James approached me at that museum and I found out that he was coming to the states at the end of the season, I figured that he could distract me for a little bit and I could have a contact for a favor later," Blair shrugged to herself as she looked down at her cup, "Little did I know that I was so convincing that James actually thinks that he has a shot."

"Oh, B., I'm so sorry, but is he really that bad?" Serena asked as she looked at her friend sympathetically, "He sounds like he's a great guy from what you've told me about him at tea yesterday. Remember? Smart and fun?"

Blair sighed softly as she reflected more on her time with James before, "He's boring! Don't get me wrong I enjoy talking about me and my likes, but would it kill him to contribute to the conversation a bit more?"

"Okay, well what are you going to do then?" Serena asked.

"Well I agreed to go bike riding with him later on today, so I figured that I'll tell him the truth. I'm not interest in him as more than a friend and that I love Chuck," Blair nodded to herself as she turned towards Serena, "I mean the last thing I want to do is hurt him, but, if he leaves me no choice, I won't hesitate to do it. I've grown to enjoy having a tolerable amount of drama in my love life. Speaking of which, how was your date?"

Reference to Serena's night, forced her to remember what she saw on her way home in the lifeguard's car. Something that she was sure she wasn't supposed to have seen or known, but explained so much. Serena sighed as she mentally cleared her head of the secret she found out as she began to head inside another store, "After a few hours with that guy, I needed lifesaving, not guarding."

Blair smiled softly at her best friend as she followed after, "Baby steps, Ma Cheri. Baby steps."

xoxo

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Serena and Blair, Chuck and Nate were busy spending their own morning together up the same street. "I have to say, Nathaniel, I was surprised that you called earlier, you seemed to be quite busy since I've gotten back," Chuck spoke as the boys walked out of the local Starbucks with their iced coffees in hand.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty crazy summer," Nate responded with a shrug as the duo crossed the street, "Speaking of summer, how are things going with Blair?"

"They've been going well. Despite our short time apart this past month, we're still going strong even though she brought home a stowaway who would like to think otherwise," Chuck smirked at the thought.

"What is with you and new people?" Nate asked with a chuckle.

"Excuse me for being picky in regards to the company I keep," Chuck defended himself, "Besides there's something off about the guy. I just can't put my finger on it, but I can smell deception a mile away."

Nate shook his head at his friend, "Are you sure it's not because of the fact that he's interested in Blair that's causing your instant mistrust?"

"No, it just states that he had great taste," Chuck smirked before changing the subject, "By the way, Archibald, now that the summer's over, I can tell you I never believed any of the talk that you hit it with my sis."

Before Nate could respond though, Blair and Serena stepped out of the store they were just about to pass by. The girls stood in surprise as Chuck approached his girlfriend with a ready grin, "Good morning, Waldorf. Just the one I wanted to speak to."

"I'm not surprised, Bass. You did sleep alone last night," Blair quipped back without breaking her stride.

Chuck wrapped his arm around Blair's shoulders as he led her away from their blonde counterparts to speak with her privately, "The only reason I could come up with for my girlfriend to choose to sleep elsewhere is because she was angry that she was wrong and I was right."

Blair rolled her eyes in frustration, "Really?"

"Yes, really. And we both know that I am, and what needs to be done to fix it," Chuck paused, satisfied with their distance from the others, and turned towards her. "Although I have to admit I'm surprised that your Princeton man is nowhere to be found this morning. He should know that absence in his case will make you forget, not make your heart grow fonder."

Blair frowned in confusion, "James goes to Georgetown. And I'm meeting him later for a bike ride and to talk."

Chuck slowly shook his head, distinctly remembering that the stowaway said he went to Princeton while Chuck was talking to him while Blair was inside getting ready for dinner, "That's odd since he told me that it was Princeton while you were busy getting ready for dinner last night."

Blair sighed and shrugged lightly, "Well then you must have misheard. He's always going on and on about his crew division and his eating club. It's Georgetown all the way, but enough about that. By the end of the day, I will have made my feelings towards James very clear."

"Which is?" Chuck asked for clarification as he put conflict of information he acquired to the back of his mind for later and grinned at Blair, taking her hand in his.

"That I'm only interested in friendship and that I'm very happy and in love with my cocky, drunk of a boyfriend," Blair teased with a smirk of her own.

"Well it's nice to know that I'm loved," Chuck responded before leaning towards her and kisses her lips lightly.

Blair felt her smile grow more genuine as the kiss continued on while a little bit further up the sidewalk, Serena had pulled Nate towards her, "Nate, why didn't you call me back this morning?"

Nate quickly glanced over to his best friend and ex-girlfriend to be sure that they weren't overheard, "I can't talk about that here."

"When you told me that your secret girlfriend was older I thought you meant college. Not to mention, Catherine's married," Serena hissed. The visual of Nate running out into the middle of the street in only his boxers and sandals, clothes in hand as Serena's date almost hit him with his car flashed in her mind. At first she didn't know what was going on or why he was in the position, but then she looked toward the house where he came from and saw Catherine greeting her husband with words that sounded like "You're back early" and the scene became very clear as she watched her childhood friend run off down the street without a word.

"Catherine ended it with me last night," Nate explained softly, obviously not too happy about the development.

Serena looked at him in shock, "What? Tell me."

Nate shrugged, "It was supposed to be just a summer fling while her husband was away on business overseas. Now that he's back, it's over."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're not seeing Catherine anymore. We can talk about it later," Serena responded with a feeling of relief, but still not a hundred percent sure that she got the entire story and planned to get it later when they were alone.

Serena was then joined by Blair and the two continued on with their shopping, leaving the guys behind to their continued plans of the day leading up the white party later. Chuck was busy still contemplating about what school James claimed to be going to as he walked with Nate down the street. He was sure that he heard him say he went to Princeton and if he did then James was lying. And if he was lying about something as unimportant as what school he goes to, what else could he be lying about? Chuck quickly dialed his brother's cell phone, knowing that the question of what was said and what was heard will be rectified quickly. "Eric, it's me. You were at dinner last night. What college does Blair's stowaway go to?"

At the confirmation that James told them that he went to Princeton, Chuck glanced at Nate who rolled his eyes and shook his head at Chuck's antics as Chuck continued on with his phone call, "Yeah, well, that's not what he told Blair. Do some research, junior. I'm in the mood to be proven right once again."

Chuck smirked as he hung up and walked with Nate to head on to their morning plans while Eric did some grunt work for him in regards to James. He knew there was something about the guy that was off, and the lie about where he goes to school gave him the perfect excuse to dig into the guy's background a bit more.

xoxo

A few hours later, Chuck, Nate, and Eric were to be found in the backyard of the Van Der Bass Hampton home playing croquet and catching up a bit more. Chuck knew that Blair was currently biking with James before she set him straight on where the two stood so he knew that she wouldn't be home anytime soon. This left him plenty of time to gain the information that he wanted to know about James' background as well as bonding with his brothers after spending so much time away from them this summer.

After a couple of rounds, Chuck considered it time to get down to business, "So, Eric, tell me what you found on Blair's new friend."

Eric looked up after hitting the ball with his mallet, surprised that Chuck was able to hold off on asking before now about what Eric found, but then again he was Chuck Bass, when it mattered most, he could be one of the most patient man on the Upper East Side, "So not only did James Schiller not go to Princeton, he also didn't go to Georgetown. In fact, I couldn't find a record of him at any of the big schools."

Chuck smirked to himself as he watched Eric took his turn, he knew something wasn't right about that guy as Nate asked the younger Van Der Woodsen, "Since when did you become Sherlock Holmes?"

Eric just looked at the guy that was like a surrogate older brother to him and said nothing before turning his attention back to Chuck, "So you think that James is-"

"An untalented Mr. Ripley?" Chuck responded before preparing to take his turn in the game as he continued to explain, "If you want entrée to the upper class, there's no easier mark than grieving woman. But in Blair's case, her grief was erased the second she returned home. All she needs is proof that he isn't who he says he is and she'll drop him." Chuck smirked as he looked off into the distance as he took out his phone, "I think it's time to call in the big guns."

Eric shook his head as he watched Chuck dial a number and lifted it to his ear, speaking with authority as he moved away from them, "Mike, I need a background check on a James Schiller…"

Surprised, Eric spoke aloud, "He's got a P.I. on speed dial."

All Nate could do was shrug before the guys were interrupted by a voice yelling in the distance, "Nate!"

Eric and Nate turned towards the back door of the house and saw that it was Serena and she did not look happy. "I know that face. That face is not your friend," Eric warned as he quickly left the scene, not wanting to be a witness to what was sure to come. He needed to mentally prepare for this white party tonight anyway.

"My grandmother just informed me you told her I'm going to be your date at the white party this evening?" Serena accused him as she stopped in front of him.

Nate sighed, knowing that he was caught, but wanted to be the one to tell her instead of her hearing it from someone else. Before he could respond, Serena continued on, "If things are really over with Catherine, then why do I still need to be your cover? Huh?"

Nate pressed his lips together and looked down at the ground, he knew if Serena was going to go along with his plan he would need to tell her everything. And now was as good a time as any.

xoxo

Meanwhile, Blair was busy following through on her own plan with James. The two had been biking for about half an hour and it had become more and more obvious that James was far more interested in Blair than she was to him. It got to the point that Blair had to set him straight quickly before he did something that would make things even more awkward then they would be.

"James…" she started gently as they walked their bikes down the path, "The past month have been exactly what I needed them to be."

"Me too," he agreed, making Blair all the more nervous as he continued, "And there's something that I have-"

"Me first," Blair interrupted quickly, "I was upset when we first met in France. I was missing my boyfriend, whom I love, along with all my other friends here so much that when you approached me at that museum I was desperate for a friend. And I want to thank you for being such a good friend."

James smiled and nodded, albeit a bit forced as he responded, "I am grateful for your friendship too, Blair. Without you, I wouldn't be looking as forward to this upcoming party tonight. It can be very overwhelming to be surrounded by people you don't know at a social engagement and it helps to have a hostess as generous as yourself to help me."

Blair smiled, feeling as if James understood her clearly and nodded, "And I look forward to introducing you to everyone tonight, you never know when having a good contact can help you when you return to Georgetown next month."

James simply nodded and the two continued on with their ride back to the Van Der Bass' house so Blair could change for the night with plans to meet James at the party later since Chuck was escorting her. Blair was grateful that everyone was on the same page and she didn't have to worry about James trying anything later. She considered that after the white party tonight she should give the guy a bit of space, maybe arrange for him a date or two. The last thing Blair needed was someone pining for her.

xoxo

After Serena demanded an explanation from him about his actions, Nate led her further into the backyard by the fountains so they could talk in private, "Look, I know I shouldn't have used you again after our conversation this morning."

Serena rubbed her forehead as the pieces began to form a bigger picture as she glanced over at him, "You have feelings for her, don't you?"

Nate was surprised that she was able to figure it and all he could do was nod quietly as the two continued on with their walk. It was some time later before Serena spoke again, "Let's just be honest about why you want to go tonight: You want to check out the competition."

Nate looked over at Serena and forcefully replied, "No."

Serena just gave him a look that said she wasn't buying his denial before scoffing. Nate quickly tried to give his explanation, "I just- I want to see her and her husband together…just once."

Serena spoke slowly as if Nate were five years old, "Yeah, that's called checking out the competition, which is stupid and potentially dangerous, Nate."

Nate looked away as he nodded softly, knowing that she was right, but unable to help how he felt and Serena saw it. Nate did not have a good poker face and with all her personal feelings up in the air about Dan, she could understand probably better than most that as much as a person didn't want to have feelings for someone or wanted to let someone go, it's not always that easy.

Serena sighed as she realized what she was considering as Nate agreed, "Yeah, you're right."

"But…since I've been stupid and dangerous in the past," Serena found herself saying out loud, "I…I'm not one to talk, am I? It was probably going to be an uneventful evening anyway."

The two chuckled together at the truth of the statement. Serena looked at Nate, the guy who has always had a special place in her heart since they were small, and wanted to help him try and move forward, "Pick me up at 5?"

Nate nodded with a smile and pulled Serena into a hug of thanks, even during times like these when she didn't agree with what he was doing she was always there for him. As he watched her walk off towards the house to get changed for the party he smiled to himself maybe it was a good thing that Dan and Serena broke up, he admitted to himself that he missed having these one on one times with his friend.

Sometimes the stars align for two old friends to come together. But sometimes they align for two old flames to totally combust. Wonder what the sky holds for S. tonight: Friendship or Fireworks?

xoxo

The White party was in full swing by the time Blair and Chuck had made their entrance and they were in their element. Blair was socializing with the most influential people of the Upper East Side, while Chuck was engaging in business talk with a few colleagues of his father who wished to congratulate him on the success of Victrola as well as Bart's marriage. The wedding was months ago, but that did not stop the underlings from mentioning it at least once per setting. With the business talk over with, Chuck found himself spending most of his attention on his girlfriend beside him. When he came to pick her up after setting Mike to task on his new assignment, he was genuinely speechless at the sight before him. She looked exquisite and as pure as she was a year ago. The deception only resulted in Chuck's body responding to the need to get her dirty right then and there.

He remembered that Blair smirked at him as if she could read his mind and simply responded with a soft, "Later," before kissing his cheek affectionately and walking out to their waiting limo with Chuck looking after her with great longing. Later indeed. As far as Chuck was concerned, later was now; after the present company made their excuses to greet someone else at the party, he leaned towards Blair to whisper into her ear with a smirk, "Have I told you how much I love you in white? Something about the color puts out this façade of purity on you that I just can't wait to violate."

Blair smirked at his words, loving the attention he was giving her as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, "Violate, hmm?" she whispered to him as she turned her head towards him, "Maybe I can be persuaded to be ravaged…"

"You know that no one can ravage you as well as I can," Chuck quipped as he pulled her body back until it was flushed against him, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked around the party, "Imagine. All of these people have no idea that you, Blair Waldorf, are a siren in disguise and behind closed doors…a hellcat."

Blair slowly turned towards her boyfriend, resting her hands on his shoulders as she teased, "What are you insinuating, Bass? That I'm not as perfect as I portray myself to be?"

"I would never think of insinuating that you are anything other than perfect, Waldorf," Chuck responded with his signature smirk as he slowly slid his hands down to her hips and down to her thighs, "You are perfect in every way."

Blair's breath caught, but before she could continue on with this game of words, the couple were interrupted, "Blair, there you are."

Blair forced a smile on her face as the two turned towards the newcomer while Chuck proceeded to glare at the interruption. Blair responded politely even though she was just as annoyed as Chuck with the interruption, "James. So glad that you made it. I was surprised that I didn't see you when we arrived."

"I just arrived myself," James explained with a smile, "Shall we begin with these introductions?"

Blair glanced over at Chuck, but before she could say anything, Chuck responded for her, "Go ahead. We'll finish our conversation later."

Blair smiled softly and kissed him briefly before taking James offered arms and reluctantly left to make the rounds, while Chuck watched on as he mingled, waiting for a call to let his suspicions be realized.

xoxo

Inside, Nate and Serena had been busy making their own rounds. Serena, being the social butterfly that she was, was floating from person to person with a bright smile as Nate stood on the sidelines, never taking his eyes off of Catherine in the distance with her husband. Nate had to admit to himself that the couple looked good together and the husband wasn't nearly as off putting as most husbands on the Upper East Side, granted the guy apparently was from England if what he overheard while making his rounds were correct.

Catherine was putting up quite a good façade of the happy housewife and if it wasn't for the fact that she kept glancing in Nate's direction covertly that Nate would have believed that he didn't have a chance of getting her to change her mind about them being finished. He knew he was playing with fire and that the consequences would be big if they were to get caught, but after spending an entire summer with Catherine, Nate had developed feelings for her. She was fun and creative and he wasn't going to lie, the sex was phenomenal. But maybe Nate was kidding himself. Catherine was the kind of woman that usually stuck with her decision; Maybe Nate was just forming into a masochist standing here as he watched her from a distance.

At the sound of her laugh across the way, Nate was over being front and center of the supposed "happy couple" and moved over by Serena to lead her out of the sound and out by the pool so they could get a refill on their drinks. Serena seemed to understand and didn't protest as he purposely led them so that they walked by Catherine. Before they could get to the bar, the pair was stopped by a group of girls who wanted to say hi to Serena. Nate turned slightly as he caught sight of Catherine walking towards him and kept a calm face as she hissed at him, "Trying to ruin my marriage?" before she walked off.

Nate frowned at the implication not understanding as the group dispersed, leaving him and Serena alone. "Get me drunk?" Nate begged his friend.

Serena nodded her head firmly before taking his arm and leading him to the bar inside in the opposite direction of where Catherine went as she answered, "Absolutely." It was definitely going to be a long night and it was much too soon to be making their excuses to leave since the party had just gotten started. So the only option left was to get good and drunk and try to not make too big of a fool of himself.

xoxo

After introducing James to a few people here and there and gaining a drink for her efforts, Blair was once again finding herself walking alone and bored with her companion. She was barely paying attention as he prattled on and on about something or other while all she wanted to do was find her boyfriend and find a dark corner to make up for their time apart for the last month.

"…what I wanted to talk to you earlier is that my feelings for you have deepened, and I-," were the words that Blair heard when she tuned back into the conversation as the two walked. When did that happen?! When did the conversation switch from eating club at Georgetown to him, once again, talking about his supposed feelings for her? This was getting ridiculous and she really needed to make herself clearer; she thought she did that earlier when they were biking but it appears that Blair had to go into bitch mode. This is what happens when she tries to be nice. Blair sighed turned towards James to cut him off only to be distracted by Chuck across the way smirking at her as he silently asked to come and rescue her, resulting in her smiling back with a slight rolling of her eyes as she shook her head a little at him.

At the sound of a sigh from James, Blair turned her full attention to him with a slight furrow of her brow in confusion on what was it that he had an annoyance with before he simply walked past her out of the cabana and into the yard. Blair frowned as she turned and went after him, signaling to Chuck to give her a minute before she returned to his side.

When she finally reached him she asked with her best patient tone, "What's wrong?"

James sighed and turned towards her with his hands in his pockets, "It's just that…I know you were saying earlier how much of a friend I am to you, but I have to admit that I feel something more towards you." Before Blair could say anything though, James continued on, "I know that you explained that you were in love with your boyfriend, but I had hoped that I could change your mind. But just now while I was trying to find the right words to tell you, I realized that I didn't even have your full attention. Even with you standing beside me you were with him, and it makes me wonder: do you even like me? Or was I just something to kill time with until you returned home to a guy that left you for a whole month to gallivant around the world?"

Blair was offended at his description of Chuck and quickly focused on that part of the question, "First of all, he didn't leave me to go gallivanting around the world. He went to spend time with his brother and his father; something that I even encouraged."

James scoffed, "No wonder you despise "Charade". It hits too close to home."

"You don't understand. Chuck loves me, and I love him. And for you to insinuate that that isn't true, just to make yourself feel better about the fact that I'm not interested in you, is wrong," Blair retorted and decided to just let this whole thing go, "I admit that I did use you, okay? I was killing time until I got back home, and I honestly thought I did like you as a friend, but during this time we've spent together made me realize that you're kind of boring."

"Am I?" James asked, "Or are you just too interested in yourself to get to know me? I can't believe I was so stupid. Excuse me." With that James turned and left Blair standing there, shocked at his audacity to judge her even a little bit.

It was then that Chuck decided to make his presence known and walked over to stand beside his girlfriend as the stowaway stalked off in a huff. He'd overheard everything and he had to admit that he was relieved that the guy was gone. He wrapped his arm around Blair's waist as he spoke, "You really know how to hurt people. I admire you for it."

Blair scoffed and shook her head, "I'm just glad that it's over. What he thinks of me and you is irrelevant." Blair turned towards Chuck and smiled at him, "Now, Bass I do believe that I am in need of a drink."

"Allow me to accommodate you, my queen," Chuck smirked as he steered her inside with his arm still around her waist as they walked together, unable to shake the feeling that they hadn't quite seen the last of the supposed "James".

xoxo

Serena led Nate through the throng of people surrounding them, trying to come up with a way to cheer him up. She had to admit that, with the exception of Nate's situation, she was genuinely having a good time at the white party. With her locking herself away for most of the summer and thinking about Dan she missed her friends and getting out and socializing. Maybe she will be okay once school started again and she had to see Dan on a regular basis, if not she'd at least have Blair to help her with a better distraction then eating take out and watching TV all night.

Serena glanced over at her friend at the sound of his sigh, she had successfully got him a few drinks since the last encounter with Catherine and she figured that he would do well with a bit of walking around, but it didn't seem like it was helping him to lighten his mood. She smiled affectionately at her dear friend as she gave his arm a gentle squeeze, "Come on. Cheer, Charlie."

Before Nate could respond, Serena sighed as she saw they were about to pass the object of Nate's depression and purposely looked in the opposite direction as they passed, catching that Catherine had whispered something into Nate's ear as she passed which made him even more down than he already was. Serena watched the older woman walk away quickly and refused to remain silent as she asked him, "What did she just say to you?"

Nate scoffed as the two continued to walk, "She just asked me what I'm still doing here."

"Oh, that's it," Serena said firmly, just over Catherine's passive aggressive tactics, "She's officially not invited to book club next summer."

Nate ignored her as he shook his head and frowned after the woman in question, "I don't even know what I was thinking."

Serena shrugged as the came to the top of the garden row and pulled him to a stop as she tried to console him, "No, don't feel bad. Look, it's her fault for getting things started with you in the first place."

"I know, but it was stupid," Nate responded with a sigh as he turned towards her, "I just wish I could make her feel as badly as I feel right now."

Serena stood there for a moment suddenly inspired by a genius idea to help. Catherine was spending so much time appearing to be happy with her husband while alternating between that and hissing at Nate to leave, it was obvious that she was keeping a close eye on him and Serena knew the perfect way to make her react. "You totally can," she said softly as she smiled at Nate as he turned towards her.

Nate smiled at her in confusion as she stepped towards him and held the back of his neck, which was the only heads up he received as Serena took his lips with hers and proceeded to work her magic. Nate responded back to the kiss between friends, making it look as real as possible to their audience around them before the two broke the kiss with a laugh at how ridiculous they were. It reminded Serena about how easy it was to be around Nate and how he was usually all for her crazy ideas for fun and would follow through on them with her. After Blair, Nate had always been her best friend and for a while there, with the whole him being in love with her and that she took his virginity two years ago while he was still seeing Blair, she feared that they would never get back to how it used to be.

As the pair looked around, Serena froze at what must be a mirage. The guy that was standing just to their right was none other than Dan and the look on his face definitely proved that he had been standing there for a while to witness the entire exchange. Serena didn't know what to think or how to react, let alone know why he was even here after a whole summer of silence.

"Of course," Dan said with a shrug as if he shouldn't have been surprised at what he just witnessed and turned to walk away.

Spotted: Serena and Nate in a massive display of P.D.A...and that's exactly what Dan Humphrey is: Pretty Damn Angry

At Nate's encouragement, Serena quickly walked after her ex-boyfriend to at least gain some answers as well as to explain what just happened. Of course it would happen to her that the second that she decided to let the thought of them go; Dan would decide then to come back. It was just her luck. Serena held her dress up as she made her way after him, calling out, "No, no, no, Dan, Dan, wait."

"No, thank you," Dan responded, not even pausing in his stride.

Serena quickly picked up her pace and continued to try to give her explanation, "No, I-I didn't expect to see you. You- You completely surprised me. I-"

"Well, I have to say you didn't," Dan retorted, still on the move, "Nate, huh? I guess even bad history repeats itself."

Serena was hurt at his insinuation but she kept trying, wanting answers, "No, it- it's not what it looks like."

Dan quickly turned towards her just before he was about to make it inside asking with a tone of judgment, "Let me guess: there's an explanation?"

"Yes. Of course," Serena answered with hesitation, "I was just trying to help him make someone jealous."

"Who?" Dan asked as if it was any of his business.

Serena paused, knowing it wasn't her secret to tell and knew how Dan would react as she reluctant answered, "Well, I-I can't say."

"Why not?" Dan asked obviously getting more frustrated, "Oh, well, I'm sure you can't tell me that either."

Serena just sighed, not understanding why he insists on focusing on the who of the situation, "No, I can't, but that's not the point."

"No, that's exactly the point," Dan retorted, "It can never just be a simple answer with you. It can't just be "I kissed Nate." It has to be "I kissed Nate because someone I can't name needed to see it for a reason I can't explain." It's the same drama, different city."

Serena listened as he ranted, not even knowing how to set things right. It was as if he didn't even know her and that all those months together, despite how they ended, he couldn't trust her. That when she said that she couldn't tell him something it was because it wasn't her secret to tell. She learned her lesson the last time she confided in him about Blair's pregnancy scare and her relationship with Chuck. Jenny ended up overhearing and telling Gossip Girl and she almost lost her best friend because she couldn't keep her confidence. As much as she may have loved Dan…he had left and Blair, Nate and even Chuck were still there in the end when things got bad.

Serena turned her attention to Dan as he was confronted before he headed inside by two girls holding drinks and gave him a familiar condescending smile on their faces. "Hi. What are you doing here?" Dan asked, sounding a bit nervous.

"I came with a date. I'm glad I did…," the first girl responded.

"Because since I know her date, the two of us got to meet," the second girl finished.

Serena frowned in confusion as she continued to listen, not having a clue about where this was going or how these two knew Dan. The first girl began to talk again, "Yeah, and then we got to talking, and we figured out that the other night at Jeremiah Harris' reading, when you were making out with me…"

"You were supposed to be with me," the second girl finished as she put her hand on hip.

Serena was surprised at this little development and felt any guilt that she had felt at the sight of Dan accusing her and judging her for what she just did to help Nate melt completely away. She simply crossed her arms over her chest and watched the fireworks about to go off. She had to work hard to refrain from laughing out loud as the two girls dumped their drinks all over Dan's jacket with an insincere "Oops" before leaving him there.

Serena cleared her throat as he slowly turned towards her. She waved her hand up to stop him from speaking as she closed her eyes with a smile, "No, wait. No, no, let me guess: You can explain?"

The two shared a look, Dan of complete embarrassment and Serena with a slight look of satisfaction before she motioned him inside to help clean him up. It turned out that he was wearing her grandfather's jacket and Serena, more than anyone, knew that her grandmother didn't keep things that belonged to her late husband just lying around.

xoxo

After watching Serena and Dan head inside to clean him up, Nate lost sight of Catherine. But by this time it was a moot point, he had already resigned to himself that it was over and by this point he just wanted to go back to his family home and get drunk and wallow alone. With a plan made, he headed inside to wait for Serena to be finished with Dan so he could say his goodbyes. He figured it was the least he could do since he was now the current source of her drama. To be honest, he didn't really understand why Dan was so quick to jump to conclusions about him and Serena, especially after having dated her for all of last year, granted when he first met Dan he was sort of pursuing Serena, but Nate had moved well past that.

Nate sighed and just leaned on a nearby wall as he waited. It didn't matter anyway; he thought Dan was okay and seemed to have brought out the best in Serena last year and she seemed to be genuinely happy during their time together. He figured there was quite a bit of unresolved issues between them with the way they broke up and the way Serena had been spending her summer decompressing over it, Nate hoped that she was about to get some closer and be the happy person that she had always been.

It was amazing how much can change in a year. This time last year, Nate was dating Blair while harboring a secret about him losing his virginity to Serena the previous year. Looking back he could admit that he didn't treat Blair the way she deserved as his girlfriend of many years and was even happy for her and Chuck now. When he first found out about them he was a dick, and he was man enough to admit it. It just blew his mind that Chuck of all people was genuinely in a relationship and with Blair Waldorf nonetheless! In the beginning he kind of hoped that it was just a brief affair and that the pair wouldn't last, but as he actually watched the two interact and saw how happy both of them made each other, he realized that they were a better fit than even he originally thought.

He could even laugh now at the memory of Blair scolding and yelling at him when that Gossip girl blast was posted about Blair's pregnancy scare because she was right. He was just looking for a reason to fault Chuck, but his brother needed and it didn't matter. Plus they took it a lot better when they found out that he was seeing Vanessa. Maybe they understood that it was just a phase since it barely lasted a month before the two parted ways.

While he continued to ponder and wait, Nate felt a hand pull on his shoulder from around the corner from where he stood, pulling him into the shadows. He was surprised and hopeful to find that it was Catherine, "Catherine. What are you doing?"

"Why did you kiss Serena?" she asked bluntly.

"You said we were through," Nate responded, knowing that Catherine had no right to be demanding answers from him.

Catherine scoffed in disbelief, "I can't believe that you would try to make me jealous in front of my husband and our friends."

Nate found himself asking without thinking, "Well, did it work?"

Catherine gave him a long look before responding, "Completely."

She quickly pulled him towards her and the pair went back into the new habits they had formed over the summer and quickly moved into a nearby unoccupied room, shutting the door behind them with no one the wiser. Nate didn't know where this was going after this rendezvous. He figured that this would be their last time before the two went their separate ways for good, and he would be okay with that. He couldn't even let himself hope that the affair would continue. After a moment he just decided to stop thinking and enjoy the moment with her and see what would happen when the time came.

xoxo

Meanwhile down the hall and in the kitchen, Serena was focusing her whole attention on attempting to salvage her grandfather's jacket while Dan just stood there beside her watching on silently. To say that she was angry at him was putting it lightly. Dan's rant from earlier was still circulating in her head. The things he said about her and then it turned out that he was off doing a lot worse things than she did during their time apart. It just hurt. But, what made her so angry was that he would have continued on and never would have owned up for his faults if he didn't get caught by those two girls in front of her.

"So I…," Dan sighed before continuing on, "I-I went a little overboard."

"A little?" Serena angrily asked, continuing to focus her attention on the jacket in front of her.

"Yeah. It's true, I did," Dan responded nervously as he leaned onto the countertop, "And I hate that I'm even able to say this, but that's, um, that's not the first time something like that has happened."

Serena paused and just looked at him briefly, so many things running through her mind at what he was insinuating. It was very eye-opening how much had changed over a course of a year. That Dan used to be this shy, adorable, rambling guy and now after their break up it turned into this womanizer. Serena didn't say anything out loud but she found it to be a bit of a turn off for her. The last thing she wanted to do was date a version of Chuck Bass.

"I, uh…," Dan started after Serena went back to attempting to scrubbing out the stains on the jacket, "I haven't been able to get you out of my head all summer."

Serena found herself pausing in her ministrations again as she took in his words; that while she was sitting around grieving their lost relationship, he was possibly grieving the loss of them too? "I was hoping when I saw you," Dan continued on, "I would know that we did the right thing, but I-I don't feel that way."

Serena refrained from saying that it wasn't her decision that they broke up, it was his. She was more than willing to forgive and forget about his unfaithfulness with Georgina because she figured she drove him to it and it wasn't as if they loved each other any less and she figured that, with time, they would be able to move past it. But Dan didn't agree and didn't want that. So to hear him say these wonderful things to her now, it felt like her silent wish for the entire summer had come true.

She looked up at him allowing the hope to grow in her heart as he continued to talk, "I don't feel that way at all."

Serena did her best to not show her happiness at his words and looked down at the jacket on the counter, "Um…Can we not talk about this right now? Um, right now I just need to make sure my grandfather's suit from the '70s isn't ruined forever…"

"Yeah," Dan agreed softly beside her.

Serena realized what she said and what she was looking at as she continued on with a frown, "More than it already was by being my grandfather's suit from the '70s."

The two laughed and the tension eased considerably from earlier. "I miss that little laugh of yours," Dan spoke softly.

Serena couldn't help but feel her smile grow at his words as she looked at him. He was saying all the right things and it was like a dream to her. A dream she wanted to be real. "Shh, just…shh," she laughed softly.

Okay," Dan said softly as he held her hand in his. They just looked at each other and did what they'd both been dreaming of for the bulk of their summer apart and just kissed. And it was like they were never apart. It was everything right in Serena's world and she couldn't stop smiling after they broke apart. Dan sighed as he smiled back before saying, "Let's get out of here. You wanna get out of here?"

Serena beamed happily as she nodded, laughing, "Yes. I just have to say good-bye to, um, a few dozen people first." She explained as slowly headed out to the party, not letting go of his hand as she hoped that he was okay with waiting. "Um, do you want to-,"

"Yeah, I'll meet you at the beach," Dan offered, "I'll wait there."

"Okay," Serena responded as she turned away and headed out to say her good-byes in a daze. She was on cloud nine as she realized that she and Dan were really going to get back together. It would be like the summer never happened and they could continue on as they were before their split only better than ever.

xoxo

Outside, Chuck and Blair were busy people watching on the sidelines with glasses in hand. As much as Blair loved to be the center of attention, she understood the merits of being on the sidelines watching the masses mingle. How else was one supposed to acquire secrets outside of getting people drunk in order for them to spill? Fortunately for her, Chuck was the best partner in people watching. Very few things got pass Blair Waldorf, but nothing got pass Chuck Bass, and if it did, it didn't last for long.

Blair sighed softly as she shook her head, "I can't believe Elise had the nerve to wear that. It's like she learned nothing over the summer."

Chuck looked in the direction Blair was indicating and silently agreed before adding his own two cents, "Maybe she was too busy frolicking with her sister's boyfriend to have time to develop taste."

Blair gasped in shock and delight as she turned towards Chuck, "No."

"Yes," Chuck responded with a smirk as he continued on, "But unbeknownst to the either of them, he's very much keeping it in the family with their mother."

"Ew," Blair responded with a look of disgust before filing the bit of information away for later use as Chuck nodded.

"There's something we need to discuss," Chuck said before he took a sip from his signature glass of scotch.

"Oh?" Blair asked, not taking her eyes off of the crowd in front of her, but weary of the topic of the conversation.

"I'm sure you caught the sight of a certain Humphrey coming in with Celia?" Chuck asked, clarifying that he wasn't referring to the younger Humphrey currently schmoozing with the upper crust of the fashion industry with the thanks of Eric.

Blair pressed her lips together before responding, "I did. Imagine my surprise that Celia Rhodes of all people was secretly shipping for Dan and Serena's reconciliation, especially after that whole mess with Cotillion."

Chuck released a laugh as he nodded in agreement, "I wouldn't be surprised if Humphrey found himself back into the fold by the end of the day, but I would be if they manage beyond a month, if that long."

"Really? And why, may I ask, do you think it's going to be so short lived?" Blair asked, intrigued.

"With Serena, it runs with the whole finally getting what you've craved after so long only to realize it wasn't as great as you envisioned it to be," Chuck explained, "They'll reunite without talking about the source of their break up and that in turn will make them break up."

Blair nodded in agreement at Chuck's prediction before adding in her own, "But, knowing Serena as well as we do, she's a person of habit. She has a tendency to make the same error over and over. So what we need to do, as people who love her and want her happy, is when she makes the realization that they're not as good a fit now as they may have been in the past is to find a way to cement that decision."

Chuck pursed his lips as he thought on her suggestion, "And when that time comes, we'll be ready."

Blair gave her boyfriend a smirk, knowing that he was already forming together a clean scheme to help their friend when the time came. Unfortunately the couple were interrupted by James, "Blair, can I talk to you briefly, alone?"

Blair sighed before glancing over at her boyfriend just as his cell phone started to ring; he nodded as he saw who was calling and excused himself from the pair to take the call as Blair turned towards James, "Yes?"

"I wanted to say that you were right and that I am sorry," James began, "With our talk earlier, I heard you…I guess I just wasn't really hearing what you were saying and all I could think was that you deserved better than Chuck without even taking the time to get to know him. I hope that you accept my apology."

Blair sighed softly before she spoke, "I'll accept your apology if you'll accept mine. You were right too. I used you to get through the summer. I didn't need you to be interesting so I didn't really listen when you talked."

At the sight of James' smile of acceptance, Blair smiled back. She was a schemer, but she made it a point to never be a liar and at least her and James were moving forward as genuine friends.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Chuck was answering his phone as he watched his girlfriend and "James" from a distance, "Just in time. What's the dirt on non-James Schiller?" The answer was something that Chuck had never expected. It took a lot to surprise him and this definitely went up there as a surprise. After he hung up the phone he looked in the direction of his girlfriend and felt that familiar feeling of fear; the genuine fear of losing her to someone else that was everything that she had dreamed of for her future.

He thought the fear was well and truly gone when Nate gave his blessings and Blair had made her promise to him at Cotillion last year. But it seemed that it was there all along, waiting for something to reawaken it. He continued to look over at his girlfriend as he realized that "James" was playing his identity card at that very moment. It was the reason why he wanted to talk to Blair alone and all Chuck could do was have faith and wait for Blair to come back to him still wanting only him, Chuck Bass.

"I'm afraid there's something else that I need to tell you," James said softly.

Blair frowned in confusion, "What?"

"Um, it's what I was trying to tell you earlier before I said those horrible things to you," James explained carefully to the point that Blair began to grow a bit weary, "I haven't been completely honest with you."

At his pause, Blair was seriously losing her patience as she demanded, "Okay, spill it."

"I don't go to Georgetown or Princeton," he explained as he gently took her hand in his, "or any school for that matter. I'm afraid I slipped up on that detail."

Now Blair was really getting scared; who is this person that she brought into her world and into her life? It was when James started to speak again with a British accent that Blair was finally able to get some kind of answers, "My name…is Marcus Beaton. I'm British…and a Lord."

"What?" Blair asked in complete surprise, not expecting this at all as she tried to wrap her mind around this big revelation. How was it that out of all the guys that could have approached her that day a month ago, she would attract an actual Lord? "Well, why didn't you tell me before?" Blair asked the most obvious of questions.

"Well, most women I meet only like me for my title," Marcus explained, "I vowed the next time to pretend to be a common American and see what happened."

Blair raised her brows in surprise at his explanation, still not sure what to say or how to respond as he continued on, "But after a couple of days with you, I was afraid if I told you the truth, you'd hate me for lying in the first place."

"No, not quite, my Lord," Blair responded with a smile. This could definitely work for her; imagine the circles he was a part of back in England, not to mention the fact that he was royalty. Blair always prided herself on having good foreign relations and to have a Lord as a dear friend would definitely up her status amongst the masses. But first she had to get them on the same page if they had any hopes of having a genuine friendship, "Um, the title is great and all, but what I'd like more than anything is a little honesty for a change…from both of us."

Marcus nodded before taking her hand in his, "When you told me I was boring before?" Blair nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed at her blunt words as he continued, "No one ever tells me things like that. I liked it." Blair released a brief laugh as he continued on, "How about we, you, me and Chuck, go for some dinner and get to know each other genuinely. A clean slate if you will?"

Blair felt her smile grow at the mention of Chuck and the fact that Ja-Marcus appeared to be genuine in them all starting over as friends, she couldn't find a reason to turn him down, "I think that sounds like a lovely idea."

Marcus smiled with pleasure, "Great! I'll go get my car and I'll meet you both out front?"

Blair nodded and waved as he walked off before she turned to go find Chuck to tell him of the new plans for the remainder of their evening. Luckily it didn't take her long to find him, but when she did he didn't look too happy. "Chuck?"

Chuck gently took her hand in his, "I assume that "James" has revealed his big secret from the look on your face?"

"He did and I'm sure you've had Mike tell you. Can you believe that he's a Lord?" Blair asked in excitement.

"Honestly? I'm not surprised that you attracted one; it shows that he has good taste," Chuck responded.

"He does, doesn't he?" She asked teasingly, "He has offered to take both of us to dinner so we can get to genuinely get to know him and begin this friendship again."

Chuck pressed his lips together, not surprised on the offer, "Why don't you go ahead and go to dinner? I think I've had my fill of playing nice with others."

Blair frowned as they reached the front entrance, pulling him towards her, "Chuck what's wrong?"

Chuck sighed softly, deciding to just be honest like he promised all those months ago when they told everyone that they were a couple, "Look, I know that you've always had this fantasy growing up of your ideal husband, and, before it was Nate, it was always a prince or someone with a title. And here is this guy that seems to be everything that you want…"

"So, what? Are you saying I should be with him rather than you?" Blair asked, seeing where he was going with this speech.

"I'm saying that I made the wrong decision before at Cotillion not trusting you to choose me over your previous dream of your future, and I don't want to make that same mistake again now," Chuck explained as he took a step closer to her, "I worried throughout our summer together and I admit…I was scared."

"Scared? Scared of what?" Blair asked.

"I was, and still am, scared that if we spent the whole summer together, just us…you'd see…me," Chuck spoke softly, wanting to stop, but knowing that he needed to finish what he was saying, "And I was never more relieved than the moment that you walked through my suite door to accompany me to the airport because what I fear even more was that I may not have shown up."

Blair pressed her lips together as she listened to his words before she responded, "Well. We did it. We survived the entire summer and I'm still here with you."

Chuck nodded softly before he pulled Blair even closer, resting his forehead against hers as he whispered, "Please don't leave with him. Stay with me tonight."

Blair sighed as she let her eyes drift close briefly before she opened them, her decision already made as she asked, "Why? Give me a reason, and "I'm Chuck Bass" doesn't count."

"Because I don't want you to," Chuck responded softly.

Blair shook her head gently, "Not good enough."

"What else is there that you need from me?" Chuck asked, willing to do or say anything to keep her with him. Maybe if she chose him tonight, he can relax and have hope that she'll continue to choose him in the future.

Blair looked him in the eye as if he should know the answer to make her stay, "The true reason, I should stay right where I am and not get in the car with anyone else. Three words. Eight letters. Say it, and I'm yours."

Chuck felt a smile grow on his face at her worlds and couldn't help the shy look that was very un-Chuck-like come over his face as he looked down at her hands before looking back into her brown eyes, "I love you."

Blair returned his smile as she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck as she whispered, "Thank you. That's all I needed to hear. I love you, Chuck Bass. All of the dreams and fantasies that I've had in the past are just that, childish fantasies. I may have loved Nate, but I've never felt the way that I feel about you before. You are everything that I could hope for in an equal partner."

Chuck sighed in relief and ran his nose along with hers before he kissed her lips slowly, feeling the butterflies from long before run ramped inside of him. She was the only one who understood him, just like he was the only one that understood her. And knowing her, he knew that being upfront with his insecurities in regards to them would go a long way in keeping her rather than silently brooding and eventually losing her because he lashed out at her.

Blair slowly broke the kiss, happy with the new, new plan of the evening of reconnecting with Chuck just as Marcus drove up in his car to pick them up. Blair turned towards him with a smile, "Marcus, unfortunately we're going to have to reschedule on that dinner. Chuck reminded me that we already have plans for the night."

Marcus nodded graciously in understanding, "Of course. We'll definitely do it later on in the week."

"Definitely," Blair agreed just as Arthur drove up with perfect timing with Chuck's limo.

Chuck smirked at Arthur's timing and made a mental note to give his faithful driver a little end of summer bonus in his check as he escorted Blair over to the car after she said her good-byes to the "Lord". After helping her get into the car, Chuck glanced over at Marcus and paused briefly at the look of calculation on his face before he climbed in after Blair. The look alone proved to Chuck that Marcus was far from finished with his pursuit of Blair and Chuck was more than up for the fight to keep what was his. He wasn't Nate Archibald who didn't know what he had until he lost it, and Chuck Bass was not one to lose what is most important to him to some pretentious Lord. If it was a war Marcus wanted, it was going to be a war that he was going to lose.

xoxo

The party was winding down and people were saying their good-byes to all their society friends for the season. If Nate were to talk to his mother she would have deemed the party a great success if she were here, but Anne Archibald hadn't been to any society gatherings in months since Howard fled the country. Nate didn't know why his parents came to mind. Maybe it was because this party and the people in it were what made up the world that the couple used to try so hard to be a part of. That it would be in this setting that Nate would see them put on the show of being happy; so much like Catherine's façade from earlier stirred something inside of him at the sight.

This world he lived in was full of people pretending. Pretending to be something they weren't, pretending to be someone they weren't. But at the end of the day the people would go home with their masks fully in place when they left to face their reality when their drivers would shut the doors to their cars. Nate would admit that he would pretend too. He did it while he was with Blair and he did it even now to put on the façade that despite the things going on with his family that he was fine, but only a select few know what was really going on.

To live in this life you have to develop a thick skin to survive. Some, like Blair and Chuck, are able to do it with grace and ease; while others, like himself and Serena, stumble at the most important moments when they needed to be strong. Nate guessed that's why the foursome was always so close. Nate and Serena reminded Chuck and Blair that it wasn't necessarily a weakness to be kind to others, and Chuck and Blair reminded them that people can't always be trusted to do what was right when it counted and were willing to be strong for them when they faltered. Nate realized how grateful he was to them over the summer for this trait. Even though they were all off doing their own things, Nate had no doubt that if he truly needed them they would drop it all to help, just like they all did with Serena just before Lily's wedding.

Nate was interrupted from his musings as Catherine walked by, dropping a napkin in front of him with a sly smile. Nate couldn't help but to return the smile as he watched her go before he picked up the napkin and read the message

The Merai Hotel

Friday noon

Nate chuckled to himself, more than up for what this path that he was on would take him. Whether it was trouble or not he knew that he could count on those he called his family, his real family, to be there to get him out of trouble. And, probably for the first time in a while, he felt safe with that knowledge in mind.

Meanwhile, on the beach, Serena was having similar thoughts to the way her world worked. She had sent a text to Blair about her and Dan to which Blair immediately called back and inquired about if Serena was sure that this was the right choice for her. After Serena said it was and how much she missed Dan this summer, Blair, very uncharacteristically, backed off and said she'd be supportive, well as supportive as Blair Waldorf could be about Serena dating someone from Brooklyn who had hurt her best friend. Serena couldn't help but smile at her brunette counterpart; Blair was nothing if not loyal to those she claimed as her friends. Despite their occasional butting of heads, the pair were sisters for life and at the end of the day they want nothing but for the other to be happy.

As Serena saw the bonfire in the distance and the boy that had stolen her heart a little under a year ago sitting there waiting for her as he flipped through his notebook, she paused for a moment and just observed. She may not have mentioned it to Blair on the phone but Blair asking if this was what she really wanted made Serena hesitate in her answer. The thoughts that were swimming through her head after Dan was confronted with those two girls as well as the thought of her maybe being able to survive beyond the painful break up she experienced while she was trying her best to cheer up Nate came to the forefront of her mind and made her question on if this was the best choice for her.

Serena was also reminded of the reason why the couple broke up in the first place. When Dan mentioned that it was a joint decision for them to break up she recalled how her initial response was that it was more his decision than hers. That she was the one that was willing to try and move forward together despite him cheating on her with Georgina and her not being as completely honest as she could have been about her past. Through all of those hurdles, at the time, Serena knew that she still wanted to be with him, but Dan didn't. Dan was the one that decided that she, or rather they, weren't worth it

It was then that Dan noticed her presence and smiled at her softly the same way that he used to when they were happily dating. It made Serena want even more to forget about all of their problems for now and just go back to the good part about them. So that's exactly what Serena Van Der Woodsen did. She just enjoyed the moment of being back with the guy she loved and who loved her back as she walked towards his side by the fire. They would deal with all the rest later, but for tonight they were together, the same wish that Serena had made so many times for the past three months.

As he pulled her closer to him, the fireworks display from the party started going off in the distance, capturing their attention completely. The night was truly perfect and Serena felt as if she were dreaming as she rested her head on his chest, never wanting this moment to end.

They say that summer love is fleeting, but sometimes what starts as a fling can lead to the real thing. A simple trip to the beach could be all it takes to clear our heads and open our hearts and write a new ending to an old story.

There are those who got burned by the heat. They just want to forget and start over…

While there are others who want each moment to last forever.

But everyone can agree on one thing: Tans fade, highlights go dark, and we all get sick of sand in our shoes.

But the end of summer is the beginning of a new season, so we find ourselves looking to the future.

You ain't seen nothing yet.

xoxo,

Gossip Girl

A/N: First off I have to say thank you to all of my returning and new readers! I'm so happy with all the feedback for the first chapter. I was having a hard time finding my groove to get back into writing and your positive feedback has encouraged and motivated me to keep going on with this story.

Now I know that I missed my self-appointed deadline to post this chapter by like a week, but I hope, with 12k words and about 23 pages according to Microsoft word, that I made it worth the wait along with my most sincere apologies. I have begun to start working and my shows on tv are starting to come back on and Big Brother just finished it's probably worst season ever! Plus, I just had such a hard time with this chapter and getting the mind frame right to write about Nate, the show didn't give me much inspiration for him and I'm sad to say that he doesn't get much by way of plotlines in the show and I hope to change that with my story.

Second: What did you think of the white party? Did you love it or did you hate it? As you can see I've been keeping it close to canon, but don't worry I do plan on going off of its course as the story progresses. Do you think Chuck should still be worried about James/Marcus? And how about Serena and Dan? Any thoughts on Serena's pov? I'd love to hear it all!

I hope to post the next chapter in a couple weeks with more revelations and fun to be had!

Lots of love to you all!

-Plei4fun