Blair and her parents were preoccupied gathering around the piano as Henry masterfully played Baby, It's Cold Outside and soaked up his family's praise.

Chuck, although he was proudly watching his eldest enjoy the attention, was shaken from his reverie by their maid, Martine, alerting him that they had a visitor.

Back in New York, Chuck and Blair were all too familiar with the unannounced drop-in, even on the holidays; however, since they had moved to Paris that had become something of a rarity. The only people who stopped by here were any of Blair's parents and the occasional visit from Jenny Humphrey when design inspiration struck and she needed to bounce some concepts off her boss.

So it was really rather shocking when Chuck made his way into the entry hall and was greeted by none other than his sister.

"Joyeux Noël," Serena greeted enthusiastically as she lifted two magnums of Dom Perignon. "Wow, Chuck, don't look so happy to see me!"

It must have been a night of rarities, because Chuck was rendered speechless by the appearance of his sister in his home. Sure, she had visited two times before, but those times were meticulously planned out between Serena and Blair - itineraries synced to everyone's calendars, great preparations made ahead of time, none of which had happened this time around.

"Sis, Merry Christmas," he finally responded as he moved to place a brotherly kiss on Serena's cheek before giving her a hug. "Forgive me, you were the absolute last person I expected to see in my doorway tonight. Shouldn't you be - "

"Eating waffles and chili and singing carols 'round the ol' banjo in some wannabe Williamsburg loft that we all know is really in Dumbo?," Blair cut in.

"Exactly," Chuck agreed as his wife moved in to hug her best friend.

"Not that I'm not ecstatic to have you with us… It's just that you never even mentioned the possibility of you joining us," Blair continued. "Where is Humphrey anyway? Insisting on carrying the bags himself because of that big chip on his shoulder?"

"Maybe if he were here on this continent he would be…" Serena trailed off.

"S? What's going on?," Blair gently prodded.

"Well, the only thing Dan gifted me this year was divorce papers, so I got dressed, called an Uber and got on the first flight to Charles De Gaulle," Serena offered, as if it were the most normal thing to do.

"Son of a bitch," Chuck muttered as he pulled out his phone and immediately shot off a text to his legal team - there was no way he'd let his sister sign off on some papers likely drafted in Brooklyn.

Blair rushed in and hugged her friend tightly.

"I'm so sorry, S, but honestly, this is the best gift he's given you in all the time you've been together," Blair attempted to deliver empathetically but couldn't help but come across in her usual matter of fact tone.

"It's okay, really. I feel kinda relieved, if I'm being honest. Let's not let this bring down the mood," she responded. "And, hey, I brought your favorite Dom! If anyone would be by my side to celebrate my first divorce, I'd think it would be you!"

"Now you're talking," Chuck said with his signature smirk. "How about we head inside - there are three young boys who I think will be very excited to see their favorite aunt, and in the meantime, I'll have Martine pop these open."

"I love the sound of that!" Serena eagerly accepted.

Xoxoxoxoxox

Making their way into the family room, Serena was enthusiastically greeted by a cacophonus symphony of excitement and surprise from her nephews, as well as Blair's parents.

As the adults backed off so the boys could properly welcome their favorite aunt, Chuck and Blair quickly brought them up to speed. It was quickly evident that the wheels were turning in both Harold's and Cyrus' heads, but nodding and murmuring. They agreed that all further discussions would take place tomorrow so that everyone could enjoy the holiday.

Once they settled in, Martine returned wheeling in a cart with freshly poured Tiffany Audubon coupes accompanied by the bottles of Dom on ice.

The night carried on with many, many drinks imbibed and three-fourths of the NJBC recalling countless memories from their lives together long after the children and Blair's parents went to bed.

"Wait, wait," Serena interjected. "Do you remember the year that Lily decided to spend Christmas in Australia with Klaus with a K?"

"You mean the year Bart spent it in Palm Springs with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover?," Chuck countered.

"No, no," Blair added. "You mean the year that you two tricked me into smoking pot before dessert!"

The three friends were lost in a fit of laughter, unable to get over the ridiculousness of it all.

"Ooooh! That was SO much fun, B!," Serena insisted. "Why don't we recreate that right now? C'mon Chuck, you must have something we can smoke!"

"Afraid not, Sis," Chuck raised his hands in defense. "I've slowed down in my old age."

"Boo! You're no fun anymore," she slurred.

"Well that's not true," Blair deviously responded. "Chuck and I have lots of fun."

"Mmmm, that's right darling," Chuck smarmed as he pulled her into his lap on the couch. "How about we go have some fun right now?"

Serena offered a few gagging noises in response, but that didn't stop the couple from bidding her goodnight and making their way to their suite.

Xoxoxoxoxox

After finishing off the last of her champagne, and then another glass to empty the bottle for good measure, Serena padded down the hallway to the guest room that was unofficially hers. As expected, Blair had had Martine lay out a freshly pressed set of silk pajamas and the fluffiest robe with the signature Bass B embroidered on the front breast pocket. She'd never admit it, because she fully knew that it was ridiculous that her brother and best friend had signature pajamas and robes stocked for any guest, but Serena really did love that these were always ready for her.

Before climbing into bed, she decided she needed a sweet midnight snack in order to fall asleep so she quietly made her way to the kitchen. Although she had arrived after dessert, she knew there were bound to be leftovers and she was definitely not let down. Opening the fridge she began to weigh her options; macarons - Blair would surely take her out for some tomorrow when she not-so-subtly pumps her for more details about the divorce, pumpkin pie - Harold was in town, so it would definitely be top tier quality, eclairs - solely here for Chuck and she's not willing to deal with his whining about one being missing in the morning, or creme brulee - ah yes, that would hit the spot!

Perched on the counter in her drunken haze, Serena was enjoying each delectable bite of the creme brulee and almost missed the sound of someone entering the room. As she craned her neck to see who it was, she could not have been more thrilled to see Nate rounding the corner and making a bee-line for the fridge. She watched quietly as he moved through the dark kitchen, grabbed himself a beer and turned to lean on the counter where she was sitting.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, handsome," Serena cheekily crooned.

Nate was shaken from his reverie and nearly jumped 3 feet in the air. In that split second, Serena decided to let the alcohol coursing through her veins take the lead as she wrapped her legs around Nate to pull him closer and leaned in for a heated kiss. He granted her tongue access to his mouth, momentarily lost in the moment, before coming to his senses and pushing her back.

"Whoa, Serena, I didn't know you were here," Nate blurted out.

"Merry Christmas, Nate!," she smarmed before pointing up. "I was just making good use of the mistletoe Blair has hung throughout the house. Plus, I thought we could have a little fun like the old days!"

"I - uh - S, listen," he stumbled over his words. "You're married."

"Not really," she retorted. "Humphrey gifted me with fresh divorce papers this Christmas, so technically I can do whatever I want!"

"He what?!"

Serena simply shrugged it off and leaned in for part two, but Nate unwound her legs from his waist and stepped back.

"I'm dating someone, Serena. I'm really sorry about what's going on with Dan, but I just can't do this right now," he attempted to let her down easily, placing a tender kiss on her cheek before mumbling something about jet lag and presumably taking his beer back to his room.

For her part, Serena was completely stunned. Not only had Nate just turned her down, but he also dropped a real bomb on her by announcing he had a girlfriend. Everyone knew that Nate would never settle down unless it was with Serena, and here she was offering herself to him on a silver platter only to be informed that he had finally moved on?! With a frustrated huff, she finished her treat before trudging back to bed to think about what her life had become and how it had led her to this moment. She would certainly be grilling Blair about this tomorrow.

Xoxoxoxoxox

"Do. That. Again," Blair demanded breathily.

Chuck couldn't help but laugh into the crux of her neck and shoulder. After all these years, she was still as insatiable and demanding as ever.

"I have, several times already, my love," he reminded her, punctuating the reminder with a playful bite to her shoulder.

Rolling over and pulling his wife close to him, always feeling possessive of her even in their private moments, Chuck couldn't be more content. However as a few moments passed, he could just feel the energy thrumming through his wife's body.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Hmmm?," she coyly responded.

"About Serena and Humphrey. I know it's bothering you."

"It is, but why? This is what we wanted. It's what we knew would happen. I just can't believe the nerve of him doing it on Christmas Day!"

"I know, darling. But rest assured, the Bass Industries legal team will have a busy Boxing Day ahead of them. I already sent out the warning text as soon as she showed up and they're prepared to meet with your fathers as well. He won't get a single penny out of her, I promise."

"And that dreadful apartment in Brooklyn Heights. It must go and he must not see a penny from that either."

"Of course."

"Perhaps we can banish him to Hudson. It certainly did a world of good for J. Maybe it'll be the reality check he needs."

"Now you're thinking, kitten. Do you feel better?"

"I do."

"Then that's all that matters. Good night, Mrs. Bass. I love you."

"Good night, Chuck. Merry Christmas. I love you."

And with that, they drifted off to sleep knowing that tomorrow would be day one of their next war.