Thanks for all your reviews! I hope you like this. We're almost at the end...
The scream never left Blair's throat.
There was ringing in her ears, she was vaguely aware of hands and elbows and legs making some form of contact with her, but she couldn't think of anything but Dan.
When her vision swam into focus she saw the figure of Chuck, dropping a gun to the floor. Her eyes traveled to find the figure of Dan.
He had been roped into a chair, and his body hung limp.
"Dan!"
She faintly heard calls of her name. When she reached Dan's body, she screamed. Chuck had shot him in the chest.
Nononononononono–
Clutching onto him as tight as she could, she screamed and let the tears soak through his already blood soaked shirt.
All that happened next was a blur.
She remembered ambulances arriving and pulling Dan away on a stretcher. Someone giving her an oxygen mask to calm down. Climbing in the ambulance with Dan. Holding his limp hand all the way to the hospital. She had to sit in an emergency room for what seemed like hours, her leg on edge, her hands writhing together. The doctor came in the room after an eternity. Blair couldn't read his expression.
She was up like a shot, but her legs felt weak. She headed straight for the doctor.
"Is he okay? Is he alive? Tell me!" Her voice started shaking.
The doctor looked at the ground. Blair felt her heart sinking. No, please–
"He's alive."
Blair felt as if the world had just been lifted off her shoulders. He was alive. Oh god, he was alive–
"He's still unconscious."
Serena was at her side, grabbing her hand. Nate was right behind her. The three followed the doctor into a medical ward, where Dan was lying in a bed. There were tubes and pumps and bandages. Blair felt tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Dan..."
She took a chair by his bed and grabbed his hand.
She vowed to herself that she wouldn't let go before he woke up.
.
.
.
3 days passed and still not a peep from Dan. Rufus and Jenny had flown back and were spending every minute by his bedside with Blair. Serena, Nate, and Lily were occasional visitors as well as the odd pop in by Alessandra.
Blair was exhausted, and so worried about him. The doctors had said he was in a stable condition.
When everyone else had gone home, she tried talking to him.
"Dan," she said quietly.
She stared at his chest. His slow breathing, deep, and even. His chest rises and falls. Up and down, up and down.
"Dan, I love you."
Up and down.
"I wish I never had to leave you."
Up and down.
She sighed. She might as well say the thing that has burdened her for the past week.
"Dan, when Chuck drew me back into his viscious circle, I knew that I would become the person that I was before with him. And I didn't like that person. He drew out the worst in me. You were the only person to bring out the light. I want that person back, Dan. I love you and all that you do. And..." she took a deep breath. "I was the one who told Rose to break your heart. Not Chuck. I told her to tell you that she cheated."
She looked up from her hands and caught Dan staring at her, eyes wide open.
"Blair," he croaked.
"Dan!" she shrieked, throwing herself on him in a giant hug.
"Blair... hey... look, I'm okay."
Blair managed a small smile and sat back in her chair, not letting go of his hand.
Dan frowned for a moment. "So, is what you said true?"
"You... you heard it?"
He nodded. "It was you... who told Rose to tell me?"
She put her hand over her mouth as the tears started flowing full pace. She gave a nod.
"Blair..."
Then she was sobbing. It wasn't pretty sobbing. It was the ugly sobbing, the kind where your nose runs and your eyes are red and it doesn't stop.
"Dan..." she gasped in between sobs, "I thought you were dead."
Dan's eyes started getting watery too. "I'm not. I'm sorry for being so gullible."
Blair actually laughed. "Gullible? Dan, you were being a protective brother. If I had a brother or a sister, I would do the same."
Dan gave a weak smile and kissed her hand.
"You've been here every day?"
"I haven't left your side."
"Blair, I forgive you."
She smiled and gave him a small kiss. He smiled and they sat there, holding hands.
.
.
.
"Careful!" Blair said to Nate, who was pushing Dan's wheelchair.
"Look," Dan started, "I don't know why you had to have me in this wheelchair. I can walk fine..."
"Shh," Blair cut him off. "You will sit in that wheelchair. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
Dan grinned. "Nate, I think we need to stage an intervention."
"Agreed."
Suddenly, Dan jumped out of his wheelchair, and him and Nate wreslted Blair into it, her writhing and kicking underneath.
"We need to keep you in there for your own safety Blair."
Nate and Dan grinned at each other and started running, pushing Blair down the sidewalk, and into Central Park where they ran as fast as they could and pushed her down a hill, her still in the wheelchair. They laughed as she screamed and held on for dear life. When she slowed down, she angrily stood out of the wheelchair and pushed a still-laughing Nate and Dan into a giant mud puddle.
"Waldorf! What was that for?" Nate yelled, playing innocent.
"Yeah, if you're gonna do that, we obviously have to pull you down too..." and before Blair knew it she was covered in mud, and Dan was tickling her.
"Aaaaaah! No, Dan! Stop!"
An "Oh my god!" interrupted them. They looked up to see Serena standing over them, hands on her hips.
"Oh, Serena," Nate coughed, and got up.
Then they were all in the mud.
Dan leaned in for a kiss from Blair. "I love you," he said.
"I love you more."
They were kissing in the mud, when an "ew!" interrupted them. Nate pulled Dan off Blair and they got in a bro fight, wrestling in the mud. Serena and Blair were just giggling and watching them.
"Are you glad you're with Dan?" Serena asked Blair, as the two boys fought.
"I couldn't imagine it any other way."
Serena smiled.
.
.
.
"Blair! The bags are packed! Can you stop spending so much time in the bathroom, for god's sake."
Blair entered the living room of the loft, looking annoyed. "Dan, you don't understand. It takes a while to look at least a bit lovable."
Dan smiled and took her in his arms. "You're always lovable. I just love you so much that I have to put some of my love in the fridge and make room for more."
Blair giggled and kissed him. Cupping his face in her hands, she said quietly, "sometimes it's hard to believe that you're a writer. Now come on, we're going to miss our flight!"
Dan smiled and grabbed his small suitcase. He eyed Blair's three large suitcases and sighed.
Blair giggled. "I'll get the chaffeur to help us."
Dan smiled. "I'm sure he'll love that."
"Bien sûr, il le fera. Etes-vous prêt à parler français avec moi tout l'été?"*
"What?"
Blair laughed. "You're gonna be awful in France."
"I'll have you to teach me."
"Okay. Deal. But you're gonna have to pay me."
Dan mock sighed. "How much do you want?"
"Oh I don't want money. I want favours."
"Favours?" Dan said seductively.
"Oh yes."
Dan started kissing her hungrily.
"Oy!" came a gruff voice from the doorway.
Dan reluctantly pulled away and turned toward the voice to see the chauffeur standing, all three of Blair's bags in tow. "Are we going or what?"
"Yep, sure. Let's go."
"Allons-y!"**
"Sure. Come on, Miss Frenchy Blair."
"Miss Frenchy Blair? Really?"
"I have writer's .. block?"
They laughed and walked out of the loft, hand in hand, ready to begin their new adventure.
The End
Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
French translations:
*Of course he will. Are you ready to speak French with me all summer?
** Let's go!