Something to Believe in
By: pottersweetie

Author's Note: I wrote this after the season one finale, as the prologue of a new story. Though, I'm going to leave it standing alone for now. It was written for the wonderful Blair/Dan moment that was in that episode, and how it gave hope to all the Dair fans out there. It's AU, obviously. Hope you all like it! Enjoy, Read, Review!

WARNING: I didn't use completely direct dialogue from the season finale, I pretty much rewrote it, but going along the same lines, with an exception or two.

"Blair."

The number that had appeared on the tiny screen was one that she didn't know, but she had answered, thinking it might be Chuck or Serena or her even her mother, calling on someone else's phone. The voice, however, sounded strangely familiar. In the split second between his saying her name, and the next thing he said, she tried to place his voice to a face or a name. Her brain filed through clients, staff, and friends of her parents, people she knew from school, tennis, or from the Yale club. She wondered if she had met the owner of this deep voice on one of her outings with Serena or Isabel. Briefly, she thought it might just be a wrong number, but she was sure that she knew the voice. But who is it? she wondered.

"It's Dan."

She faltered for a minute, nearly blurting out, 'Dan who?' But then her brain clicked. Dan Humphrey. Cabbage Patch. Serena's (ex?) boyfriend.

Recovering, Blair sat up straighter at her vanity table, putting down her lip gloss, edging a smirk onto her face, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Cabbage Patch..."

"Yeah," he said shortly, almost wishing he hadn't called her at all. "Listen Blair-"

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" she rolled her eyes a little.

Dan sighed, "I don't believe I'm actually saying this, but I need your help."

"Do you?" she worked at keeping the surprise out of her voice, trying to sound smug and condescending.

"Yeah," he paused. "It's about Sar- Georgina. And Serena."

Dan sighed, feeling desperate and confused. If anyone could help him, it was Blair. She was the one who would have all the answers, who would know everything and then some, who would be willing to plot and to sift through problems to find the revenge and the answer. Obviously he was pissed. He had been, essentially, seduced and lied to by Georgina, and he couldn't help feeling embarrassed and angry for that. How had he fallen so easily for her 'Aw shucks!' facade? How had he let this girl get between Serena and him? However it had happened, it had happened, and he wanted this girl to get what was coming to her. Blair, he knew, could help him here. When he couldn't even think straight, she would be able to clearly navigate her way around this, and think of something good and nasty. Or bad and nasty, depending on how you were looking at it.

Shaking his head, he said, "I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can help me."

"Finally realized my potential, Humphrey?" she teased.

Dan had no time for joking, or even for properly arguing right now, so he said, "Blair. I'm serious."

"Oh Humphrey, don't be such a killjoy," she said, realizing, for the first time, just how serious and agitated he sounded. "Come over, we'll work something out."

The elevator opened onto the neat, marble foyer and Dan cautiously walked in. He felt extremely self-conscious entering the penthouse without someone beside him, without an intention to find Serena, without anyone really knowing, with the purpose of talking to Blair. Glancing at the beautiful chandelier overhead and the lavish arrangement of flowers on the oak table in the center of the hall, he nervously smoothed the lap of his pant legs, second-guessing himself, wondering if he had made the right decision after all. Before he could run, or even turn around, a short, uniformed maid entered the foyer through a corridor. Dorota; Dan had seen her before, heard her name from Serena. His heart twisted. Serena. He tried to give the maid a small smile.

"You are Mr. Dan?" Dorota prompted, speaking in a stilted accent.

He nodded, "Yes, I'm looking for-"

"That's all right Dorota, I've got it from here," Blair said, appearing at the top of the landing.

The maid nodded as Blair began walking down the stairs, and then disappeared into a living room area. Dan watched, his palms going sweaty, shaking a little, as the petite, suddenly-unfamiliar, brunette descended the steps languidly. He realized just how awkward and strange this whole meeting was, and probably would be, and took a deep breath. Blair was dressed in a red shirt with white heart-shaped polka dots all over it, with a green cardigan draped over her shoulders. Dan couldn't figure out her choice of attire and he found himself trying to figure out why she would wear it at all. His history of listening to his sister or mother talk about fashion consisted of what colors and patterns matched. He wasn't an expert, but he felt like Blair was disregarding said rules. He stared at her for a moment, then almost jumped when he remembered that he wasn't there to question her style, he was there to get back at Georgina.

Blair approached him and stopped walking, nearly bouncing on her heels, allowing that smirk he knew so well to grace her lips, "Good to see you, Cabbage Patch," she said, almost mockingly.

He gave her a slight nod.

It was strange, standing in her penthouse like this, planning on plotting with her, talking to her, asking her for help. After knowing her as Serena's best friend for years, and knowing her as a vial, tyrannical bitch for months, it was as if he was placing a person to the face, the name, and the persona. In the deep crevices of his mind, Blair had never been an actual person. Like meeting someone for the first time, Blair Waldorf came hurtling into his world like a comet or a shooting star. He realized he didn't know her, had been judging her from too far; it was like he was looking at her for the first time.

There's a person behind that porcelain face, he told himself.

Rolling her eyes at Dan's seriousness, Blair simply said, "Come on," and turned, leading him down the hall. She walked in a clipped way, the heels of her flats thudding against the tile of the corridor. But Dan's gait was distracted and cautious, and he took his time walking, his pace stalled by the sight of pictures symmetrically hung along the walls of the hall. Pictures of a young Blair and her mother, smiling, standing with a well-dressed man. Dan guessed that the man must be Blair's father. Squinting at the portrait, he wondered if he could see the secrets, the lies, the confusion and possible pain, behind Harold Waldorf's eyes; as if things like that could be captured and detected with a camera.

Because Blair's upbringing had been steeped in lessons on propriety, manners, and etiquette, she went through a few cabinets and scoured the refrigerator upon entering the kitchen. She was surprised and annoyed to find that the only real food they had in the house was a tin of caviar, canned soup, expired milk, and a box of stale Triscuits.

Dan stood hesitantly in the doorway, looking around the vast space of tile, granite, bleached paint, and stainless steel. Blair turned around, a sour look on her face, "I'd offer you something to eat, but my mom's been in Paris for the past week and the only thing we have right now is a box of Triscuits."

"That's okay," Dan shrugged. "When you're from Brooklyn you learn to go hungry for long periods of time," he mocked her, almost forgetting about Georgina and Serena.

She squinted, giving him a sarcastic 'ha ha' smirk.

He waved it off, "I'm not hungry anyway- Thanks."

"Fine. Let's go to the dining room and we'll figure this out," she walked through a swinging door, and into an elaborately decorated dining room, ready to plot and scheme.

It seemed like an interminable amount of time passed before the ringing stopped.

"Hey, it's Sarah-"

"Voicemail," Dan said quickly to Blair, who was sitting closer than she had ever been to him before, listening as best she could.

Over the course of their plotting, where Dan had, surprisingly, talked to Blair about Georgina's wedging herself into his and Serena's relationship, and how he wanted to get back at her, he had quickly grown comfortable with the femme-tyrant. It was nearly a shock to him, because he hadn't even been this comfortable with Serena after their first few dates. But, for all the hatred he had felt for Blair in the past few months, he was slowly discovering that she wasn't so bad, especially when she was so willing to help him- even if it was for her own desire to get back at Georgina as well.

Blair nodded, gesturing for him to continue, "Like we talked about."

Following the message-beep, Dan allowed the preplanned lies to fall from his lips, "Hey, it's Dan. I'm sorry about this morning, it was all pretty crazy- but, after you left Serena and I got into a huge fight and I'm not exactly sure where we stand as of now," he glanced at Blair, who was nodding and smiling slightly, satisfied. He continued, "She said a bunch of stuff that- well, I'm not sure if I can believe any of it, but I do know that I want to see you."

Blair was impressed with Dan's lying ability. She had taken him for the morally-upright boy from Brooklyn. But he was surprising her, left and right. Not only was he a born-liar, he also dressed better than she had assumed, and smelled wonderful, like a boy ought to smell- not too much cologne, but not any body odor. Because she was sitting in such a close proximity to him, she could discern that he smelled of Ivory soap and body spray.

"So-uh- call me back when you get a chance," he finished saying, and quickly hung up the phone.

Blair beamed, "Who knew you had it in you, Humphrey." she shook her head, as if she couldn't believe it. "You are a natural at lying!"

"Thanks?" Dan smirked.

"She's totally calling back," she pointed out.

He shook his head a little, "I don't know if I can do this- I'm not used to all this plotting and scheming-"

"Don't worry, virgin, I'll talk you through it," she rolled her eyes a little, as if his naivete disgusted her.

He was about to give her an acidic retort, but the phone rang. Blair's pouty smile returned, and she bounced a little in her seat.

She nodded toward the phone, "Show time."

Taking a deep breath, Dan answered the phone, "Hello?"

Georgina's calculated voice washed through the phone, and Blair leaned an inch closer to hear, "Hi. I just got your message."

"Yeah- I'm sorry about this morning," he said, thinking about the words Blair and he had already chosen for his dialogue. "It was incredibly awkward."

In response, Georgina said, "Yeah, it really was."

"Last night really changed things for me," he said, a slight inkling of truth, seeping into already ordained words. He could feel Blair looking at him, confused, but he continued, "I think I want to end things with Serena- I know I do," he said quickly. "Will you meet me?"

The silence over the phone seemed to last longer than was necessary. Blair was almost sure that Georgina had hung up. To hear a trace of a breath or a sigh, she leaned her ear closer to the phone, her head touching Dan's slightly. Neither of them moved- Neither of them cared. They waited.

Finally, her voice edged onto the phone again, "Our spot in the park, by the pond?"

Blair nodded, Dan said, "I'll see you there," and he hung up.

Clapping her hands slightly, Blair smiled and shook her head, "You amaze me, Humphrey, you really do."

"Again, thanks- I think," he smiled a little.

"All that stuff about 'last night' was genius," she pointed out coyly. "Anything you want to tell me, maybe?"

Dan glanced at her, shaking his head, nervous under her searching eyes, "Nope- Just- Just born to lie, like you said."

She nodded, sending him a glance that suggested her suspicions.

He swallowed.

"I can smell liars, you know," she said bitterly.

Dan didn't think, but he shot back, "Could you sniff out Nate and Serena when they lied to you?"

She stiffened beside him, pulling back slightly.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I don't know why I said- I'm just- I'm really on-edge right now."

Blair nodded slowly, staring at him, "You're a good liar, Dan, but you're not that good," she said. "What happened last night? Did you and Georgina have sex?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business-"

"Um, hello, I'm helping you get back at the bitch," she pointed out. "We're way past what's my business and what isn't."

Dan didn't say anything, only stared at her. Why should he tell Blair what happened between himself and Georgina? It wasn't any of her business. She would probably tell Serena, although he wasn't sure if he wanted to be with her anymore. Serena had lied to him, had allowed Georgina to get imbedded into his life- He wouldn't have done what he did with Georgina if he hadn't been dissatisfied with his situation with Serena. He shook his head.

She knew he was lying anyway, so he said, "I didn't sleep with Georgina- but it was pretty close." Before she could say anything in return, he continued, "I wasn't sure where Serena and I stood and I was angry and confused-" he cut himself off. "I just don't know."

"Why do you want to get back at Georgina then?" Blair asked.

"Because she screwed everything up for me," he shook his head, putting his phone down on the table. "I wouldn't be questioning my love for Serena if Georgina hadn't interfered."

She nodded, "Well, the bitch will get what's coming to her."

"Good," Dan said, nodding, faltering, unsure and confused. "And thank you- I appreciate this."

Blair smirked, "I'm in this for the just rewards."

He nodded again, and before he knew it, they were plunged into silence. Neither said anything. Blair gazed at Dan, but he looked down at his twitching fingers. When he felt her eyes on him, he looked up. Their eyes met, but neither said anything yet. Minutes passed, and in the silence, something shifted between them. Blair didn't know Dan very well; she knew that he was a boy from Brooklyn who smelled good, a boy who was genuinely good and actually cared about people, he was handsome and funny and smart, and she felt surprisingly and suddenly drawn to him. Dan didn't know who Blair was either, other than the problems everyone knew of: gay father, dealt with parent's rocky relationship, was betrayed by her best friend and boyfriend, and channeled all of her anger into getting back at those that had wronged her in the social hierarchy of the city they lived in; besides all of this, he knew, for some unfathomable reason, he felt an invisible pull towards her.

Blair watched as Dan's eyes lingered on her full, pink lips.

What is happening exactly? she asked herself, because she wasn't sure if she understood it at all. And Dan wasn't sure why he stared at her lips, other than the fact that they looked so unbelievably inviting. His stomach dropped and he tried to think straight, but it felt like the world around him was spinning. Blair was feeling the same reaction, with her brain feeling light and delirious. She couldn't put her thoughts together properly, she was only conscious of Dan, staring hungrily at her mouth. But he knew he couldn't do what he wanted to do, he was already too deep in drama to do this too. He loved Serena, he was sure he did, and he had already screwed up with Georgina- he couldn't kiss Blair on top of it all.

Dan tried to shake himself out of his trance, saying, "Maybe we should go and meet Georgina- Don't want her to leave or anything. Do you think she'll fall for it? I mean, what if she shows up and I can't get her to the spot and she leaves? Or what if she sees her parents and runs? I don't know if I'm a good enough actor for this. Do you think this was a good idea at all?" he continued rambling, words falling over themselves to get out of his throat before he could even hold them back. He was trying to break the tension between them, but Blair was now staring at his lips, and he couldn't quite comprehend what was actually going on.

"Hey, Cabbage Patch," Blair murmured deliriously. "You talk too much."

With those words they fell into silence again, and then, unconsciously, they both leaned forward, until their lips brushed against one another. Somewhere in both of their brains, they were being told to pull away, to run, but instead, the kiss deepened. No thoughts passed through Blair or Dan's minds as their mouths fell open and their bodies leaned toward one another. Dan cupped Blair's face in both his hands, relishing the feel of her soft skin against his. She reached up and ran a hand over his hair, tugging and combing it with her fingers, causing Dan to move closer to her.

It wasn't until they had to break apart for air, their breathing harsh and ragged, when they looked at each other, that they actually realized what had happened- what was happening between them. And by then, what was done, was done, and they couldn't take it back.

The ride over to Central Park was awkwardly silent. They didn't speak as they parted ways, about to execute their parts of the plan. When they met and began to walk through the park, Dan spoke to Georgina with as much patience as he could muster, but when he was near enough to the designated spot, he got straight to the point. It left a bitter taste in his mouth when he mentioned Serena, but he went through with it all the same. He didn't feign his confusion completely, but he listened to Georgina play the 'poor me' card without punching anyone. And then, when Blair appeared, all pride and manipulative grace, he marveled at how she could seem so unfazed by their kiss. Her voice was honey-smooth as she cooed and pretended to care about Georgina. And when her parents were introduced, Dan saw the fear in her eyes, and he was glad. But Blair met his gaze, and he couldn't stand it anymore, so he turned and left.

At the wedding, Dan told Serena the truth, that he had nearly slept with Georgina, but he didn't tell her about Blair. And then, when she said it was okay, that they could still be together, he told her the truth.

"Maybe I don't want to get back together."

It hurt him, to see the pain in her eyes, but it was better than if she found out later on about what he had done with Blair- and that he was sure he had feelings for her as well. He was too confused, too guilty to stay with Serena, and he knew she didn't deserve any of the confusion he would harbor if they got back together. But he danced with her, he didn't let go when they swayed for the photographer, if only to have something to match up to Blair, dancing with Chuck.

And Blair was so easily back in Chuck's arms, after a romantic speech made for her benefit, masked as words of wisdom and love for his father. She thought about Dan as she kissed Chuck, and again when she made witty banter with him. She wasn't usually so easy to forgive, but it would be simpler to date Chuck, the polar opposite of Dan, in order to forget what had happened. And she ignored the truth, through the end of the reception, when she tried to sleep that night, and again, a week later, when she packed and joked with Serena before leaving for Tuscany with Chuck. She didn't feel guilty about what had happened, because she was so easily pushing it from her mind completely, as if it didn't matter, as if it hadn't ever happened.

The summer descended upon them, and it seemed, to everyone, that the world was slowing down, so, it was easy to think, or to forget, about what had happened.

Author's Note: Well there you go! Hope you liked it! Maybe there will be another chapter one day. Though that's it for now. Reviewing is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading it.