AN- Finally, I have this chapter up.
Hope you'll all like it.
Thanks to bsloths for her never faltering patience with my carelessness.
He cuts himself at least three times while shaving that morning.
The first is because he decides to get up way too early after a late night spent over a Thomas Hardy novel and the razor cuts too close to his chin because he barely has his eyes open while looking at himself in the mirror. The second time, he is too busy thinking that Blair would kill him if he turns up at her party with a gash on his face and the third is when he is trying to decide why in the hell is he thinking about Blair Waldorf this early in the day?
Finally, it takes him putting his arms square on the basin and looking at himself intently in the mirror, 'This isn't that big a deal, man. Another 31st of December and yet another New Year's Eve!'
Except…
I refuse to be seen with you in that ridiculously long tie and flannels…..
Does that mean he has to show up there with her? Him and her, as in together?
Is this a date?
The thought is still creepy but apparently he does not barf at it anymore.
Finally, it takes him several deep thinking moments to decide that since Blair is hosting the party the safest route is to go to the party alone and see how things progress from there. A date or not a date could well be decided while they are on course with it.
He runs into Tom Sheppard on the subway and is appropriately uncomfortable when the other guy decides to be absolutely upfront to him about Charlotte Wilkins.
"I mean, she was so cool before. You know, the ginger hair, the unique and original sense of fashion, the pierced nipple…"
"Excuse me!" Dan pretends to sneeze, while Sheppard continues uninterrupted, "It's like she had an artist inside her and now it has been taken over by some blonde, hair band wearing alien."
Dan nods in sympathy, not in a position to offer more.
"I really liked her, Dan, and I think I still do but I don't recognize her anymore."
Doesn't he know? Hasn't he seen Blair take Charlotte and alter her personality inside out and make her a miniature version of herself? Hasn't he himself been a party to it?
"Waldorf?" He calls from behind her and she finds herself chuckling slightly when she turns around to look at him, "Although I don't fancy the scars on your face Cabbage Patch, I'll admit that you do clean up nice."
He mutters a thank you at her and she is a little chary to notice that he seems uncomfortable about something, "Spill Humphrey."
He opens his mouth but then deciding against bringing up the plight of Tom Sheppard at the moment, in the middle of a champagne sipping party she has so carefully thrown, he shuts it, tugging instead at his collar in mock irritation, "This thing." He says, "It's just very stuffy."
She punches him lightly on the arm, "Shut up Cabbage Patch. The blazer suits you just fine."
"Did you just pay me two compliments within a minute, Blair?"
"No." She blinks at him, "I just…" She looks determinedly at him, "It's probably all beyond you but you should know that sometimes superb fashion sense like that can be a little stuffy. It's about time you learn to deal with it."
"Yeah well, you could have done worse," he says and she follows his eyes to where Chuck Bass is making his grand entrance, "You could have dressed me in a Chuck Bass purple."
She laughs a bit, "I wouldn't dare. Nobody can pull off purple like Chuck does."
He nods his head in agreement, "I should know. I did give his eyes some shades of it before."
He is glad that he can make her laugh now, that they have come to this position where it is all right to talk about the days of Constance and Jude and not immediately get into an argument. Don't get him wrong, he absolutely enjoys the banter they share but he has been looking more and more forward towards the little chuckles that interrupt these banters once in a while.
His good mood, however, disappears immediately as Chuck Bass approaches him at the bar as he waits for a drink, "Who's that?"
He turns around to look and the sight leaves his jaw hanging. She has invited him? After the fact that she had almost killed him for the Gossip Girl blast, she is now ready to be seen with him publically? Well, at least that answers his dilemma, this was not their date. Finding his voice back he answers, "That is Richard Clampton," he answers dryly, "English Professor at NYU."
"Ah!" Chuck says in his typical way, "He's British I presume." And then more to himself than to Dan, "So, this is her new game plan."
Dan wants to tell him that he doesn't think that this is a game, that he's afraid that she genuinely likes Clampton. He also wants to tell someone that he doesn't trust the professor one bit and is afraid that Blair is going to get very hurt by the time this ends.
But Chuck Bass is hardly the guy he is going to have a heart to heart with.
His drink arrives and he gets up to excuse himself when Chuck continues, "Daniel, take this advice because one, you're never going to get it from me again and two, because I will never again be this nice to you."
Dan stops and waits for the other man to continue, "We're a messed up lot but we know how and what we're doing." He turns around to look at Dan squarely in the eye, "and if you think that you will ever understand any of this then you're sadly mistaken. So keep away."
He doesn't know if what Chuck Bass just said to him is advice or a threat but he knows one thing; that it is probably too late to revert back. He is neck deep into the catastrophe that is the UES and whether he's doing it now out of the promise he made to Serena and Nate or because he genuinely cares, he is going to look out for Blair Waldorf.
As the night comes to an end Blair finds herself blissfully happy. There are another thirty minutes to go before the year closes and she already knows that the new one is going to be full of new surprises.
For one, it turns out that Richard Clampton is a classy dancer as well. She happily twirls in his arms and lets her eyes roam the crowd in the room as she does so. This has to be one of the best parties she has ever thrown. The decision to make her not yet official relationship with Richard public had been a good one. Several cameras have already clicked and almost everyone wants to know all the juicy details. It does not matter to her anymore that Gossip Girl thinks an NYU professor is beneath her. Richard has positively made an impression tonight with his charm and besides an NYU professor was far better than an NYU student.
She turns her eyes to the other corner where Chuck Bass is his usual, chatting up one of the hired helps by the bar…Why does he ever bother talking with them anyway? She knows him well, it's not like he cares either way. There is also Nate Archibald there, quietly nursing a drink as his brow creases together in a frown. Oh Nate! Ever the confused one, here she is presenting him with a custom made chance at love in the form of Charlotte Wilkins and he would rather try and look all tortured by the counter.
Speaking of which, Blair turns her head once more to find where Charlotte has disappeared to. She would have to teach her more Lacrosse or something to keep Nate entertained if things were to go as planned. Maybe it was time to teach her to seduce an Archibald. That ought to keep Nate entertained. Her eyes finally catch her on the other side of the room, quietly standing, looking absolutely out of place, while almost everyone around her dances.
She almost feels sorry for the girl but before she can make anything of the guilt, she notices Dan Humphrey walking towards Charlotte and asking her to dance.
Blair smiles, surprisingly enough Dan was becoming one of her favorite allies.
He decides that it's quite enough as the tempo of the music changes to a much slower, more romantic beat and he excuses himself from Charlotte to get back to the bar. He is there right now trying to decide if it is wise to drown in alcohol just because he doesn't approve of the way Clampton holds Blair while they slow dance, or that Chuck Bass has just given him a pep talk of sorts he has no intention of following, or that Nate keeps throwing him dirty looks once in a while because apparently he had coerced him to date his cousin.
What mess!
"Mr. Humphrey."
Great, just what he needs, "Professor Clampton." Dan mutters a greeting in return and even though he knows that this is not really his place and Blair would really really not be happy if she ever got the wind of it, he has never had an off switch to his rambling, so it's without much preamble that he faces Clampton upfront and confronts him, "What are your intentions with Blair….Sir?"
The older man smiles and Dan can't believe how he hasn't noticed the spite behind the gesture before, "My intentions with Ms. Waldorf are none of your concern Mr. Humphrey."
"If it concerns Blair then it concerns me," Dan tells him, "And if…" He trails off; he is just about to tell the professor that if he hurts Blair he would personally make sure that he gets hurt in return. What surprises him though is that he actually means it.
"Oh! Don't be such a prude Mr. Humphrey, " Clampton calls out as Dan turns around to go, deciding that graceful passiveness was the better option at the moment, "We could always share her."
That does it, a rage quite unnatural to him boils inside him as Dan lowers his drink back on the counter and turns around.
And just as the clock chimes midnight and the room around them explodes into jubilations, he raises his fist and punches his English professor squarely in the nose.
AN- So? How was it? The next chapter should have more on Clampton and the consequences of hitting a professor. Do review?