Note at the end. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

"Ms. Blair, you look radiant. I thought you come back from wilderness with rats in hair and ruined complexion but I was wrong. You be belle of the ball." Dorota beams at me in the mirror after she's finished zipping up my dress.

I scan my appearance, the color of my collar-adorned pale pink lace Self-Portrait dress highlights the tan I got while on the trip. My strappy Alexandre Birman black velvet sandals make my lightly tanned legs look far longer than they are and I must say, Dorota is right. Perhaps the trip wasn't a total waste. I smile at her, "Thanks, Dorota."

Aaron was true to his word and got nearly everything ready all by himself with the help of Dorota and a few other staff he employed. I barely had to lift a finger although I tried.

"We go down to party now? Guests should be arriving any minute and then Mr. Cyrus and Mrs. Eleanor will be here one hour after that." Dorota gestures for me to follow her out of my room.

I walk down the stairs seeing that it appears someone has already arrived. I expected all of the guests would be 50 and over but judging by the lack of grey in his dark hair and his tall and lean frame, I think perhaps I was wrong. I feel a flutter of anticipation, wondering who the mystery guy is.

As I descend the final steps, he turns and my breath halts. I am rendered paralyzed at the very sight of him. No, I think to myself. I am hallucinating. This has got to be a hallucination. My eyes register Aaron turning and saying something, his muffled voice calls out, "Blair, finally! Look who made it!"

It's true then. Dan Humphrey is in my apartment. Not in Pennsylvania where he should be. But here, in my apartment. Except, his hair looks trimmed and he is wearing a well-tailored suit in a dove grey hue that's stylish, too stylish for someone from Brooklyn. I march straight for him and with no preamble, I say, "What are you doing here?"

"Fancy seeing you here, Blair." Dan says smiling at me, easily.

"Right? What a coincidence that I should be here in my own apartment at a party hosted in honor of my parents?" I shoot back incredulously.

"Blair," Aaron says placatingly. "Sorry, I told him he could come. I guess I should have asked."

I morph my expression into one of polite graciousness and force a smile. "You know what? It's fine. Actually, it's great you are here, Dan. The more the merrier, right? Let's just keep the board games and tent stakes away from us and I'm sure we will be fine, right Dan?"

"Right," He says, skeptically. Before he can say anything else, the doorbell rings. I'm about to go answer it when Aaron excuses him and makes his way over to it before I can. Just when I was thinking he was a better brother than I thought he not only invites Dan but then proceeds to leave me alone with him.

"By the way," I begin, remembering yet another thing he's done to annoy me besides being present. "Thank you for the heads up that Cat was picked up by Aaron. That was fun being informed that my pet wasn't where I thought she was and having a mild panic attack thinking she had been stolen."

Dan winces, "Sorry, I meant to tell you. I just never got the chance."

"I'm sure you did." I smile tightly. "Anyways, I am off to get a drink. Spending an evening with a bunch of over-the-hill'ers will require it."

"Blair, be a good host and offer to get him a drink." I turn around and glare at Aaron.

"He's your guest, get him a drink yourself." I shoot back. "Besides, I'm not sure Dan would trust a drink poured by me anyways. I wouldn't at least."

"She's right. I'm better off getting it myself, I'll follow you to the bar, Blair." He trails behind me as I lead the way to the bar cart in the kitchen. Having him join me wasn't exactly what I had in mind but clearly he missed that I was ditching him with the drink excuse before.

"Personally, I suggest the hard stuff since like I said before we are about to be surrounded by the eldest of Manhattan's elite which means too much perfume, wet kisses on the cheek, and attempts at setting us up with their 'very eligible' niece or nephew." I instruct him as pouring myself a gin and tonic.

"Sounds like my type of party." He says sarcastically, smiling at me. Once we have our drinks we return to the living room. There are about 15 people in total now and Aaron is standing by the front door greeting people like a dutiful host.

"How's your hand?" Dan asks me as we hang back in the corner, trying to avoid having to make small talk with strangers.

"Fine, I guess." I raise my palm and survey it even though it's hidden beneath a butterfly-shaped bandage.

"Checking out Blair's battle scar? I still haven't gotten to see it myself." Aaron joins us, allowing his aunt to take over greeting guests for a bit.

"He doesn't need to check it out. He saw the live show of it happening." I say.

Aaron leans in to survey it closer, the stitches visible through the bandage. "Oh, sick. That really is bad. Man, what did you let happen to my sister?" He says to Dan.

"It wasn't my fault." Dan replies defensively.

Aaron turns to me and I reaffirm Dan's statement. "Scheme gone wrong." I say simply.

"Of course it was." Aaron says, shaking his head. "Your guys' turn to greet guests now by the way." He walks off to get a drink before we can even object.

"Duty calls," Dan points us toward the doorway and after just 5 minutes of greeting the guests I'm relieved for Dan's presence. I mean, most of these people are seriously old. I attribute it to Cyrus' age since most of my mother's friends are only in their 50s. We manage to sneak back away as soon as Aaron returns.

"How much longer until they get here?" Dan asks me as I refill my drink at the bar cart. I glance at the antique clock on the wall.

Dan's imminent reply is cut off as Dorota begins shaking my arm to get my attention. "Ms. Blair! Ms. Blair! Doorman just rang to say they are coming. Hide! Hide!" She suddenly shoves us into the coat closet and shuts the door.

"What the hell?" I exclaim as we are submerged in darkness. I am acutely aware of the fact that I am literally pressed against Dan in a tiny closet that's barely 4 feet wide. I go to reach for the doorhandle but Dan's hand catches mine, stopping me.

"You can't go out yet, didn't you hear her? Your mom and Cyrus are coming up. Do you want the surprise they discover to be us arguing in the hallways or their closest friends and family screaming Surprise as tradition states?"

"The latter can't possibly happen since you're here and I'd hardly include you in the realm of close friends and family." I glare at him even though he can't see me. "Besides, it's my apartment they'll expect me to be waiting to receive them. So I should go out and you should stay in here."

"Why so you can lock me in from the outside and leave me here for dead?" Dan shoots back.

"That's actually not a bad idea. Thanks, for the suggestion." I let out a breath. "Ugh, there's like zero oxygen in here. Stop breathing so heavily you're taking up my air." I jab him in the side. "And don't stand so close to me, you're invading my personal space."

"In case you hadn't noticed there's nowhere else to stand."

"How about somewhere far far away from here? Like Pennsylvania for example? I'm sure Melanie has some really spacious closets she would love to give you a tour of." I can't bite back the edge to my tone and I hate how jealous I sound.

"I wouldn't know. I didn't go." Dan says earnestly.

I can't help but feel a swell of relief even though I wish his words didn't affect me. I try to think of how to respond. Think of something witty, I tell myself. But before I can I hear the elevator ping and the closet door is flung open. All at once a chorus of "Surprise!" bursts out and I step out the closet with a plastered on smile.

I don't get the chance to resume my unfinished conversation with Dan until an hour or two later when I'm standing in my old bedroom. I came up desperate to get away from all the questions of "What happened?" about me and Carter and all the pitying looks.

Just as I'm sitting at the end of the bed, contemplating how awry this summer has gone, I look up and see Dan in my doorway. Perfect timing, I think to myself.

"Aaron said you might be up here." He says, still standing at the threshold.

"Not the best hiding place I guess. Came to drag me back to the party?" I exhale in dismay.

"No, actually. I came to talk. Can I come in?" The hopeful look he gives me makes my stomach flip over and nod.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I say looking up at him as he stands a safe distance away.

"I thought we should maybe get back to our conversation earlier, in the closet." He clarifies.

"Ah, because it was off to such a great start." I remark with a wry smile.

"But maybe this time we can talk without trading insult and injury?"

"No promise. But I'll try." I decide it'll be easier to talk to him if I don't have to look at him so I gesture for him to sit down next to me. He sits on the opposite end beside me and clasps his hands. I can't help but ask the question I've been wondering this whole, endless day. "So why aren't you in Pennsylvania? Choosing to spend your Saturday in a room full of WASPs instead with a sorority girl who's practically begging for it seems like an odd choice to put it lightly. In fact, I bet you're regretting that right about now."

"Begging for it?" Dan scoffs and I glance over to see his furrowed brow. "Anyways I thought we agreed to have a ceasefire."

"Fine, you're right." I let out a breath. "In fact, I was thinking there might be a way to make it a little easier to do that."

"Which is?" Dan asks after the silence stretches with my procrastination.

I steel myself, knowing exactly what I need to say next for what feels like the first time. "I realized that I haven't always been very nice to you, or at all. But you've always been more than kind to me and I want to change that. I know what a mess the last two weeks were but let's face it, it's not like we're never going to see each other again. So for the sake of everyone around us and ourselves I guess, I was hoping we could start over."

"Start over?" Dan echoes in surprise.

I nod, "You know, forget all about what happened at the retreat and start from the beginning." To demonstrate, I stretch out my hand through the distance between us. "I'm Blair Waldorf, you must be Dan. Aaron has told me so much about you."

He stares at my hand, not taking it and I feel more and more idiotic by the second. So much for my gesture. I drop my hand swiftly and give him a sharp look. "Or not. Sorry for making an effort." I exhale sharply and rise up from the bed. As I'm mid-storm off when his voice halts me.

"I don't want to start over and I don't want to forget what happened between us. I should have told you that the first time but I didn't. And there's a lot actually that I should have told you that maybe would have made a difference. You asked why I'm here and not in Pennsylvania, Blair, and that's why. To say all the unsaid things."

I turn slowly, not believing my ears and I see he's standing now, just a few feet away from me.

My eyes search his face desperately, trying to read between the lines. But I don't know what he means so I stay silent, waiting.

"I already told you.. Some of it I suppose. That from the moment I met you I had a thing for you. It started out as a crush because what else could it be? I was either too young for you so by default off your radar or you were engaged. Even if I could find a way to make you notice me, there was no opportunity." He looks away for a moment. "Until you called off the engagement. Everything changed when I found out. Suddenly you weren't the dream girl I always wanted but could never have, you were available. So I decided I was going to make my move because I didn't want to miss my chance, even if it was a little soon. It was I think a month after or so when you were moving into your new place. Do you remember that day?" He looks at me expectantly.

"Sort of, I think." I try to trace back to that day but still draw a blank so Dan continues.

"Aaron was supposed to help you but forgot so I stepped in. I wasn't going to do anything dramatic, I just was going to ask you to get coffee with me sometime. We had finished moving up the last of your things and I had worked up my nerve to ask you. But right as I was about to…"

I interrupt him, the memory finally returning to me. My hands fly to my face, shielding myself. "Oh god, I cried didn't I? I think I blocked out that memory because it was so embarrassing but I totally had a meltdown."

Dan winces, "To put it lightly, yes. So obviously I realized you were in no place to be asked out, even if it was just to coffee, and you were far too vulnerable. I'd feel so selfish. So instead I sat with you for a bit until you told me you'd be fine and that I'd helped enough."

"Did I even say thank you?" I pray that I did.

"You did, you were really gracious. You even dropped off a case of really nice craft beers the next day and a thank you note." Dan informs me and I feel relieved.

"So why didn't you do anything after that?" I say confused, from what he said it sounded like he was just going to wait a bit.

"It was something you said while you were upset. I realized once and for all that I would never have you." Dan says with a pained expression on his face.

My eyes widen, "Do I want to know?"

"You said, 'Look what my life has become. What kind of a loser has to have their brother's roommate help them move in?' It was the final blow. That's all I was to you and all I would ever be."

I furrow my brow in confusion. "That doesn't sound that bad, I don't get it."

"It became so clear that all I was to you was no more than Aaron's roommate and best friend. I just was someone that happened to be there and I was totally inconsequential to you."

I shake my head adamantly. "That's not how I meant it." I remember now exactly how I was feeling that day. "I thought you pitied me and that's why you were helping. Besides, my world had sort of just fallen apart as you knew given you were a witness. Didn't I deserve a bit of a break for what I said?"

I feel frustration build up as I realize that all that stood between me and him having a real chance a minor blip in the wake of my broken engagement. How could he give up so easily? I feel entirely skeptical of his supposed enduring crush. If he really cared at all, he would've tried again.

"It was more like I saw that if it wasn't a breakup that was the current obstacle, it would be something else. You were a girl from the Upper East Side and I was a guy from Brooklyn. We were fundamentally different and even if you were single and ready to date again, I would be the last person you'd want."

"You don't know that." I object.

"Either way, Blair, you were a pipe dream and I needed to move on. So I decided I would finally do just that. That year, I spent Thanksgiving with my family and avoided being home if Aaron mentioned you would be stopping by our apartment which was hardly ever. Then, I signed up for the retreat thinking it was the perfect final step to move on. I would do the most un-Blair Waldorf activity possible and meet a girl that was the opposite of you, fall in love, and forget all about-" He halts before beginning again. "My feelings for you. But then I found out you were going on the retreat and for the first time in almost a year, I let myself wonder if the cards weren't stacked against us."

I take in his words, my mind reeling. Then, I say the first thing that comes to mind. "Then why did you turn me down?"

Dan frowns, "I didn't turn you down."

"Yes, you did." I say bitterly. "You said and I quote, 'No, we can't. Don't make me go into the specifics as to when exactly you said it."

Suddenly, a frustrated look crosses Dan's face and he looks angry with me. "Have you not been paying attention at all to what I've been saying? Blair, I've wanted you for the past 5 years. The last thing I wanted was to 'have fun.'"

My brow creases. "What do you mean?"

"'Stop worrying and just have fun' was what you said to me." He looks me dead in the eye, voice grave. "I hadn't spent that long wanting you just to have you for one night."

I feel a chill spread over me and my skin prickles at his words. My voice drops, so it's soft and low. I'm almost afraid to speak, "Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"How could I tell you then? How could I tell the girl who didn't even know my last name the week before that I had been in love with her from the moment I met her? Besides we were drunk and you already looked so mad at me."

"You should have told me." I repeat, staring down at my hands. I force myself to look at him. "That wasn't some alcohol influenced encounter. The moment I kissed you that second night at the retreat, it was like a switch flicked and I realized how blind I had been all along. I wanted you, Dan, before the alcohol, afterward, even when we were fighting on that stupid hike. I just thought you didn't want me back." His expression softens but mine doesn't as a thought strikes me. "What about Melanie?"

"What about her?" He says, not seeing the point.

"If you wanted me so badly why did you spend the rest of the trip flirting with her and even agree to go to her cabin with her."

"I didn't flirt with her." Dan says adamantly. "But you did write me off. What else was I supposed to do? She asked me to partner up with her and I said yes because I had no one else. I had a feeling she might like me but unless I knew for certain I didn't feel a need to make things awkward by rejecting her."

"So you led her on instead?" I say, an edge to my voice.

"I didn't mean to. And to be honest, I wanted to like her. I wanted to pretend you didn't exist and like I wasn't still pining after you so I tried to like her. But I couldn't, it was always you on my mind."

"Did you go to Pennsylvania? Or almost go? Like, did you start driving there?" I ask in a rush. I don't know why but this seems to matter to me immensely.

He looks me fiercely in the eye and says steadily, "The second you left that retreat, I realized I could never go and the only place I wanted to be was with you. I packed up my things and started driving to the city without a backwards glance."

"Do you still want me? Even now?" I don't care if I sound pathetic or desperate, I have to know.

"Even now." He doesn't look away.

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until I feel it rush out of me. Unbidden, I lean forward and meet my lips to mine. I kiss him in a desperate daze, my hands reach up to his chest and I feel his lips kiss me back just as urgently. Time freezes as I get lost in the moment, my head swirling with his declaration, the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire life. Including Carter's proposal. Then, I realize I need to say something too.

"I'm sorry. For not seeing you and for not letting you show me how you felt." I shake my head. "I suppose I could have handled things at the retreat a little better."

Dan nods solemnly, "I suppose. It might have made things a little easier, to say the least. Maybe you wouldn't have ended up with this." He reaches for my hand and inspects the covered wound. "I hate that you got hurt because of our fight."

"Don't blame yourself," I say adamantly. "I'll admit when I'm wrong and that scheme was so so wrong. I mean, it's lucky I guess that all it amounted to was this. But on the brightside, having two scars makes me look so much more badass than returning from that granola paradise scarless and refreshed."

Dan laughs, "No one needs to know how you actually got them anyways."

"Exactly." I nod and smile back. "Glad we agree on that. Shall we start concocting the cover story?"

"Maybe later," Dan says coyly, leaning in.

I feel his hand cup my cheek as our lips meet and I tighten my grip on his shirt in response. I need more than this, I realize and just as my hands begin to trail to the lapel of his jacket, about to push it off him until the sound of the door halts my action.

"Blair, your mom and my dad want to open their-" Aaron stops midsentence. "Fuck, just going to pretend I didn't see that."

I look over to see a hand over his eyes and him backing out of the room.

Dan and I pull away briskly. "Shit, sorry, man." Dan begins to say.

I laugh instead, "Oh Aaron, you are so hypocritical. Do you even know how many times I have walked in or almost walked in on you in a far worse state?" I roll my eyes. "We're right behind you so we can do the presents now."

I turn back and reach for Dan's hand, "Coming?"

He entwines his hand in mind and gives me a smile that makes me feel lit up from within.

Thanksgiving

3 Months Later

As the doors to the penthouse open, Dan squeezes my hand once before we step into the penthouse. The smell of pumpkin pie trails in with us as we head for the kitchen.

"Oh good, the pies!" Eleanor says as soon as she spots us.

"Good to see you too mother," I say, smiling and leaning in to hug her.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Dan says, greeting my mother and hugging her. Then he turns to me, "Shall we go check out this year's seating arrangements?"

I nod and follow him into the dining room. We scan the table looking for our adjacent namecards but find mine 4 spots away from his on the opposite side. I wrinkle my nose, "What the hell mom?" I say even though she can't hear me.

In response, Dan takes my card and swaps it with the one besides his. "Much better," He smiles satisfactorily.

Just as he does so, Eleanor enters the dining room. I round on her, "Mother, why didn't you seat us together?"

"Thanksgiving is all about traditions darling, how could I let the opportunity for my favorite one pass me by? I knew Dan would take care of it." She smiles at him, knowingly.

"What can I say?" He says, with a grin. "Old habits die hard."

"I'm glad they do," I say reaching for his hand and squeezing it. "That's one tradition I hope never ends."

As soon as my mother has left the room again, I lean in and start kissing Dan. We're interrupted though moments later when I hear Aaron's voice.

"Remember the days when I used to be able to walk into a room and not see the two of you at it again?" He says, turning around and heading back into the kitchen.

"That happens way too often." I roll my eyes, shaking my head.

"Maybe it doesn't have to." Dan says after Aaron is gone.

I turn and look at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, maybe there's a way we can stop being interrupted by Aaron."

I stare blankly, still not getting it. "What would that be? Kick him out of his own apartment and even go so far as to banish him from New York City? Because that's the only way I see that happening."

"Nothing that extreme." Dan laughs.

"Well, then what?"

Dan exhales, "Okay clearly you don't understand what I'm getting at even though I thought it was more romantic to be subtle I guess I need to spell it out."

"Please," I say, more confused than ever.

"I was trying to ask you to move in with me. In a place of our own." He says looking hopefully at me.

"Oh," I say feeling stupid and wishing I had caught onto his sweet implication. I feel my a familiar flutter and nod. "But only as a means to give us more privacy?" I can't hide the disappointed note in my voice.

"Of course not," Dan says, smiling. "That just would be a bonus."

"Are you sure it's not too soon?" I ask skeptically even though all I want to do is say yes and start looking for apartments right now.

"I think there's no such thing as too soon when it comes to you. I already spent 5 years in love with you, I am more than certain that if you being engaged to someone else didn't dissuade me, living with you certainly won't. Besides if we survived sharing a cabin in basically what was your personal hell, I am pretty sure we can survive sharing an apartment."

"I wouldn't say the retreat was my personal hell." I say defensively.

Dan gives me a look.

"Okay maybe a little," I amend. "But it had its moments and it helped get us together." I step in closer to him, feeling his warmth against me.

"So?" Dan asks.

"Yes." I say with absolute certainty before leaning in and pressing a smile to his lips. "So now what?"

"Well, now that that's sorted maybe we should go enjoy our first real Thanksgiving together." He says, grabbing my hand to lead the way.

"What might that be like?" I ask following him out of the dining room.

"For starters, you'll actually notice me-"

"I always noticed me."

"Properly notice me." Dan amends. "And I won't have to vie for your attention all night."

"But I like when you vie for my attention." I give him a playful smile.

"Fine, I'll still vie for your attention but you'll vie for mine too." He says with a wry grin.

"Deal." I feel a glow of happiness, true sustainable happiness, that I haven't felt in a long time, or perhaps ever. I give him one more glance and add a kiss for a good measure since after all, I know that this feeling is because of him before I step through the double doors of the kitchen.

END :)

Thank you so much for reading this story! Sorry this final update was a bit delayed. I always get stuck on perfecting the last chapter and end up rewriting it multiple times. I knew how I wanted it to end but I also knew it wasn't quite ready yet so I didn't want to rush it. Thank you for your patience!

I'll be continuing writing Dair with my latest story, The Bridesmaid and The Journalist, which is a 27 Dresses AU story. After that, I am thinking of writing a Dan and Blair story set during Season 1. Thank you again for reading and especially to those of you who continue to read each new story I post, it means the world! I greatly appreciate it!