A/N: I am continuing this story after a LONGGGGG time. Hopefully, I will finish it this time around. Don't know how many more chapters. Definitely at least three to five more.
Thank you so much for the reviews the past chapters have received. Hope you enjoy this one too! I do not own Gossip Girl or any characters.
Just in: Golden Boy N finally accepting his legacy as a Vanderbilt. S and V walking behind, but from the looks of it, it will be S standing with him as the reporters surround him. Why doesn't V look truly happy for her boyfriend? And don't S and N look fabulous together?
-xoxo, Gossip Girl
William Vanderbilt made his way to Nate and Serena. "You ready for this?" He asked Nate. Nate nodded, smiling as Serena touched his arm in encouragement. His mom came and hugged him, whispering words of pride.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us. As you know it's tradition in our family to be officially introduced to the world at eighteen. Telling them about our family's rich history in the country's politics and our intention to continue the legacy." William told the crowd, primarily the reporters. "I introduce to you, my grandson, Nate Archibald, and Serena Van der Woodsen, his childhood best friend."
Nate and Serena walked to the center of the room, Nate's family clapping for them and the reporters soon gathered in a circle around.
"Mr. Archibald, what are your plans after graduating high school?" A reporter asked.
"Well, I just found out that I got accepted into Columbia University. I am still awaiting decisions from a few more universities, but will probably major in Business Analytics or Pre-Law." Nate responded, confidently. Vanessa was almost shocked at his response, as it proved what Serena told her a while back to be true.
Reporters asked him a few more questions, and a couple about their friendship, which made Vanessa clearly uncomfortable. What made her even more uneasy was the swift and confident manner in which both of them responded and without losing a sweat were able to make the whole thing look so easy.
Finally, William stood up, an engraved jacket in hand, and walked towards them. He opened the jacket and presented it to the crowd before handing it to Serena, who held it up for Nate to wear comfortably.
They got a few more portraits clicked: of Nate alone, him and Serena, and of them with Anne and William. Vanessa was upset Nate didn't bother inviting her for any pictures, but was even more upset at the fact that Serena was by his side for almost all of them. As the ceremony came to an end the reporters left. Nate saw Vanessa slipping out without saying a word and excused himself to follow her.
"Vanessa, Vanessa wait up." Nate called out as he walked behind her.
"What Nate!" Vanessa snapped.
"Is something wrong?" Nate asked confused.
"Yes, Nate. You just had this whole ceremony, which for reasons beyond me you totally enjoyed having. And in it, not once did you bother including me." Vanessa half-shouted.
"Vanessa, I told you why I couldn't include you. It's the New York Times and Washington Post feature. Politicians all over the country read it. In a few years after our relationship has been going on for more than a few weeks, I'll definitely want you with me. But it's too soon now. This is a huge deal for my family." Nate defended.
"But why did you have to do it? I thought you were happy in New York with me, away from all this."
"Coming here I realized how much I missed this. You know almost every summer the four of us came here at least for two weeks. Playing with my cousins, swimming in the pool, dinners with the entire family, and functions we used to sneak out of. Those are some of my best memories growing up. I need you to understand this." Nate pleaded.
Vanessa nodded, clearly still not happy.
The next day, Blair, Chuck, and a few other family members arrived. Of them, was Matt Vanderbilt and his wife Emily, the eldest of the cousins. Nate and Serena were standing outside the house waiting for their friends when they saw Matt's limo pull up.
"Matt, what a surprise!" Nate exclaimed. "Emily, how have you been doing?" He asked as he kissed her cheek. Serena also greeted the couple.
"Grandfather called. Apparently, we were the only ones missing from today's soiree. So we took the jet here." Matt responded.
"That's great man!" Nate exclaimed. Just then they saw Chuck and Blair's limo pull up behind them and the two got out. The six greeted each other and then headed inside. Nate saw Vanessa and called for her to join them. Blair could not hide her disdained look and gave her a tight smile.
"Matt, Emily, this is my girlfriend, Vanessa." Nate introduced them. "Vanessa, Matt is my eldest cousin, and his wife, Emily."
"Wait, aren't you and Serena dating?" Matt asked. When he first saw Serena waiting with Nate outside, he had thought that the two had begun dating and was pleased at the fact. Hearing this, Blair smiled and shared a look with Chuck. Matt was always aiming for Nate and Serena to be together. It used to bother her a lot when she was with Nate, but now she was sure she found an ally in her mission.
"No, we are just friends," Nate said.
"Oh, I see," Matt said, clearly disappointed. "Nice to meet you" He turned to Vanessa politely.
Matt and Nate walked off while the others went to their rooms to settle in. "I am sorry for Grandfather's lack of support during the past few months."
"Yeah, it was tough. Serena, Blair, and Chuck helped a lot. But I am glad it's over" Nate sighed.
"Where did you live the time your house was seized."
"Umm, it was first at Dan's place. He's or was a friend. After that, Serena took me in." Nate said and proceeded to tell his cousin all that happened in the past few months.
Soon everyone began getting ready for the ball that evening. The girls had all gathered in a large room with multiple vanities and huge mirrors. They all had beautiful ball gowns and exquisite jewelry. Vanessa couldn't help but feel out of place here. She barely knew the brands and people the rest were talking about. She knew she had to convince Nate to leave this world behind.
Soon all of them headed downstairs to the ballroom. Nate and Chuck greeted Blair, Serena, and Vanessa as they entered. Serena saw her mom and Eric so excused herself to go greet them. Chuck and Blair also went to greet Eleanor and Cyrus. Rufus, Dan and Jenny had also accompanied Lily and Eric.
"You look beautiful," Nate told Vanessa.
"Thank you, it's a bit much though," Vanessa said.
"What do you mean?" Nate asked. Vanessa's gown and jewelry were the lightest among all the girls. He didn't care about it a lot, but he knew his family would have something to say about it.
"This.." she said pointing to herself. "And all this..." she waved her hand all around.
"I know it can seem a lot. But you'll get used to it." Nate responded.
"I don't want to get used to all, Nate. And I will always be an outsider here. How much ever time I spend, Serena and Blair will always have connections to your family I'll never have."
"You need to make an effort Vanessa. It didn't happen overnight for them either."
"But why? Why does this have to be part of our lives? Why can't we just go back to New York?" Vanessa pleaded.
"We had this conversation yesterday. I like being with my family. And this IS my family Vanessa. You'll have to accept it at some point." Nate said and walked away towards Serena, Lily and Eric. Rufus, Dan and Jenny were in a separate huddle, clearly seeming out of place.
"Hey Lily, Eric." Nate greeted them. "Serena, can I steal you for a minute?" Serena nodded and walked off with Nate. They headed to the bar and ordered themselves drinks while Nate told her about his conversation with Vanessa.
"I can understand, Nate. It was a constant argument with Dan when we were dating. I can't say for Vanessa, but with Dan, it seemed that he momentarily pretended to understand while going back to the same thought a while later."
"That's exactly what's happening." Nate agreed.
"What's happening?" Matt asked as he joined them.
Nate reluctantly told his cousin about his conversation with Vanessa. Matt thought for a moment and then said, "The situation is what it is, brother. She will never truly be a part of our world and you know it. It's wrong and difficult, but it is true. And don't take this the wrong way, in the long run, we need someone who understands all this by our side."
Nate gulped down his Scotch, knowing deep down that his brother was right. There had been a few who got engaged or even married to people from outside society, but very few of those were ever successful. Nate and Serena went to join Chuck and Blair for some time before Nate went back to Vanessa.
After dinner, couples began dancing in the center of the room. Blair convinced Chuck to dance with her and dragged him too. Nate offered his hand to Vanessa and the two also started dancing. For Nate, the moves came naturally. He had been doing it since childhood. Vanessa on the other hand was fumbling in Nate's arms. When she almost collided with someone else, Nate sighed and gave up. He didn't want to blame Vanessa, but all that his cousin told him was true. He went to the bar again, and Serena joined him.
"That bad, huh?" She asked as she saw him drown another glass of Scotch.
"It's like, she is trying, but it's not good enough. And it makes me horrible to suddenly expect her to know it all, " Nate sighed. "But, I guess I just want to dance without someone stepping on my toes." He chuckled.
"Well, I would offer you a dance, but I don't know how she would feel about that." Serena said. She had seen the way Vanessa looked at her since the previous day and knew that their friendship bothered her.
"A dance would be great. Let me worry about Vanessa. I'll explain it to her later," Nate said and he offered his hand to her. Serena smiled and accepted. The two made their way to the center of the dance floor and began dancing. It was as if they had been dancing with each other since forever.
Blair and Chuck had finished their dance and had moved to the side. Matthew and Elizabeth made their way to them.
"Why are these two not together? When I found out you and Nate had broken up, I was sure that these two would finally come to their senses." Matthew asked.
"Ugh, trust me. If I had it my way, these two would be dating and no one from Brooklyn would be in our sights." Blair remarked.
"She does not look happy about them dancing together," Eli said, and the group turned to Vanessa.
"Let's see what she will think about these two being on Gossip Girl," Chuck smirked and snapped a picture of the two blondes. Almost instantly their phones pinged with a Gossip Girl blast. Vanessa checked her phone and could not hide her disdain. In the picture, Nate was whispering something to Serena and she was laughing. Looking at it, everyone would assume that the two were dating.
My my my, a sight to behold. Our favourite blondes dancing like there is no tomorrow. V, how does it feel like being a second thought for N?
Vanessa was about to make her way to interrupt them, when a teenage girl lost her balance and ran into Serena, causing her to trip. Thankfully Nate caught her before she fell, but Serena twisted her ankle in the process.
"My ankle. Shit!" Serena exclaimed as Nate held her up. Blair and Chuck made their way to them. Nate picked her up in his arms and the four made their way out of the ballroom. Lily stopped Chuck and asked him what had happened, and then Lily and Rufus followed them out as well. Vanessa was not happy seeing Nate carry Serena like that and went behind the group with Dan.
Nate laid Serena on his bed and slightly lifted her dress to inspect her ankle. Just then, a maid came in with the first aid kit, as instructed by Matt. Blair quickly took the pain relief spray and applied it all over her ankle and Nate bandaged it up for her.
"Serena, do you want any pain meds?" Lily asked her daughter.
"No, mom. I think the bandage should be enough." Serena replied.
"We will take amazing care of each other when we all live together for college," Nate smiled. "We have so much practice"
"Umm... what?" Lile asked. Nate flinched, having forgotten that Lily did not know about the group's Columbia plan yet.
"Mom, I told you that I got into Columbia, right? Well, Nate and Blair did too. We were thinking about getting an apartment and staying together. I know Brown has been the plan, and we all have other options, but being in the city with them also feels very safe and exciting, you know."
"First of all, Nate, Blair congratulations on your acceptance! Serena, Columbia is an excellent school. Just because I went to Brown, doesn't mean you need to as well. If you think that Columbia is the better fit for you, you have my full support. Just do it for yourself, and no one else." Lily smiled. Deep down she would also want her daughter to be closer to her for another four years. "And as for living with two boys, if it were anyone other than Nate or Chuck, I would not be keen on it. But knowing these boys since childhood, you have my permission for that as well."
Serena was shocked, but Lily had mellowed in the past year and she did go against the expectation to look out for Serena.
"What? Lily, you can't. Don't you know what kind of men Nate and Chuck are?" Dan told from behind. That got him deathly looks from all of the NJBC. He did not want Serena to stay with then, especially Nate. He still had feelings for her and wanted to get back with her. But if she was staying with the other three, that would not happen.
"Yes, I do, Dan. And I know that they would never hurt Serena or let anything happen to her," Lily responded.
"But Lily, allowing your daughter to live with two men she isn't related to..." Rufus said in support of his son.
"Rufus, please don't tell me how to parent my kids. I have adopted Chuck, so technically they are half-siblings. And Nate has been around for far longer than anyone in Serena's life. That's all I'm hearing from you in the matter. Kids, let me know if you all decide to stay in the city. I'll get you in touch with my realtor. Serena, do you want to come home with us tonight, or would you prefer to stay here?"
"Mom..." Serena said, almost taken aback by Lily's response to Rufus. "I think I'll stay here. My leg should feel better by the morning and I really don't want to make the journey back into the city right now. You don't mind, Nate right?"
"Of course not. I wouldn't have you anywhere else." Nate smiled.
"Okay then, Serena call me if you need anything." Lily kissed her daughter on the cheek and left the room. Rufus wet with her.
"Nate, she seriously cannot stay in your room." Vanessa protested.
"Yes, she can. Vanessa, she hurt her ankle. I am not making her stay alone." Nate replied
"And she just HAS to stay with you, doesn't she?" Vanessa remarked. "Nate, I am going back to the city. You stay here with her."
"Vanessa..." Nate began, but he knew that in the long run, the two were very different. "I am sorry, and I wish things were different. But, I guess we are two very different people wanting different futures."
"I guess that's it. Just know, that this life, having everything served to you on a platter, won't make you happy."
"Maybe it won't. But being on this journey with my bestfriends, certainly will." Nate retorted. With that Vanessa left the room, hoping to go back with Rufus and Lily.
"You can leave too, Humphrey. No one needs you here." Blair said, wanting to finally get rid of him.
"Serena, you can't stay with them. They are horrible people." Dan pleaded.
"And what Dan, I should live with you?" Serena laughed. "They are my people. Whatever we do, we do together. The good, and the bad. You will never understand this, will you" Serena just shook her head. 'Please leave."
Dan looked disappointed and took a few steps back to leave the room and Chuck promptly shut the door to his face. Nate asked Anne to get the maid to set up a room for Blair and Chuck to spend the night at the Vanderbilt mansion. Matt and Eli came by to check on Serena and were inwardly happy when they found out about Nate and Vanessa's break up.