A/N: Firstly let me say that as soon as I post this I will be replying to last week's reviews. I decided to the epilogue first rather than delay things further. It's very short but it says everything I wanted to say. It's almost 3 years since I started writing this and it's finally finished. The Dair fandom is very special to me. It got me writing again for the first time in years and it's full of amazing, supportive people. Many people have asked about my future plans in fanfiction and the truth is I'm still not sure. There may be a couple of one-shots in the Eight Years On universe, as there are a few things I'd like to explore, but only if I write anything I consider good enough. There are also some pairings outside of Gossip Girl that I'd love to try writing for but again it depends on inspiration. However I can't see another major Dair work in the offing for the simple reason that I don't have an appropriate idea. I would never say never but right now it's unlikely. In my heart Dan, Blair and Emily have their happily ever after and that would make it hard to write a new story from scratch. In a few moments I'll be changing the status of this story to complete and I'm ashamed to say that the thought of it almost makes me cry. Thank-you one last time to everyone who has taken the time to write such wonderful things. I'll miss you a lot.

Epilogue – 6 months later

Dan and Blair had set a date for their wedding in June, only 6 months after his proposal. Neither had wanted a long engagement but it had never felt rushed. As soon as they had returned to London they had started planning. In the end they had decided that neither of them belonged in New York any longer. It had been wonderful to go back and visit, and their next trip was already planned, but their life was in London now.

Now as Blair thought back she realised it was actually less than a year since Dan Humphrey had come back into her life. It was unbelievable now to think that if she had chosen another apartment she might never have met him again. She actually felt a shiver pass through her at the thought. He and Emily had filled up every aspect of her life and the thought of being without them now was inconceivable.

There was no denying the fact that she had been to hell and back before he had arrived at her door less than a year ago. However the truth was that if she had to go through it all again to get to this point then she would. It had been worth every single second.

She came back to the present when she realised that she had arrived at her destination.

"Are you ready sweetheart?" her father asked.

She found that words failed her because she had never been more ready for anything in her life. A simple 'yes' didn't seem sufficient so she merely nodded and allowed her father and Cyrus to help her from the car.

She took a moment to straighten her dress. Serena had made a special trip to London to go dress shopping with her and Melissa. She had chosen something that a few years ago she would have passed over without a second glance, completely captured by its simple beauty. It had been the first dress she had tried on. At Serena and Melissa's prompting she had tried on many others with fuller skirts, more sparkle or yards and yards of netting. None of them had been right. This had been her dress right from the start; plain white with a slightly flared, floor length skirt and just some touches of detail at the waist. It had fitted her perfectly and as a result hadn't needed any of the embellishments found on other dresses. It was completely right for her and she felt wonderful in it.

Waiting at the entrance to the gardens she and Dan had chosen for the ceremony were Serena and Melissa with Emily clinging to Serena's hand. Dan's daughter had been so excited when she had been asked to be the flower girl and the smile on her face right now was unmistakable. In a few weeks time they expected to get through the paperwork that would make their family official but Blair already knew that she and Emily belonged to each other. They didn't need a piece of paper to tell them that.

She squeezed Serena and Melissa's hands with a smile, finding herself once more unable to speak, and pulled Emily into a quick hug as she whispered to her how beautiful she looked. Then the three of them made their way down the aisle leaving Blair with just her father and Cyrus. As each of them took one of her arms she took a moment to give them both a kiss on the cheek as the music started once more.

As soon as she turned the corner she saw Dan waiting for her. He turned and smiled and in that minute she realised how much she had missed him. They had decided to spend the night before their wedding apart but at various points last night she had wondered if that had been a mistake. Now however the waiting was over.

Eric was acting as his best man once more and she gave her future brother in law a quick smile before she looked back at Dan. She was vaguely aware of the smiling faces of their friends and families around them and the warmth of the sunshine on her face but she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

When she finally reached him her father and Cyrus both made their way to their seats and Dan took her hand in his. She immediately entwined their fingers as she had done so often in the past.

The next part of the ceremony passed in a blur and then they reached their vows. This was the part of the wedding that she had actually been slightly nervous about. There was no denying that Dan was good with words and she had been concerned that she wouldn't be able to express herself as clearly as she wanted.

Dan spoke first and as soon as he turned towards her and started speaking she forgot her nerves.

"Blair, when you came back into my life I was lost. With endless patience you helped me to live again. You held me when I cried and made me understand that I was allowed to laugh. You have a strength and determination that I have never encountered in anyone else and you understand me like no-one else does. Every time I see you I realise all over again how lucky I am to have you in my life. I love you so much and I promise to spend the rest of my life making you happy."

Blair blinked back a few tears before she spoke.

"Dan, I didn't realise it but I've been waiting for you for my whole life. You see the real me, the parts of me that no-one else sees. You give me courage that I never knew I had and you make me feel loved in a way that no-one else ever has. For a long time I felt as if there was a part of me missing but it isn't missing anymore. I love you and I promise to love you for the rest of my life."

As the formal words finished off the ceremony Blair was waiting for the moment when she could kiss her husband. As they were pronounced man and wife her lips were immediately on his and she was only vaguely aware of the clapping and cheering of their family and friends. She felt utterly complete.

Much later, when the meal and the speeches were over, she finally found herself sitting in the corner of the reception with her husband. The two of them were alone for the first time that evening. The whole reception had been a whirlwind. Blair and Dan had been surrounded by people for practically every minute as everyone had wanted to pass on their congratulations.

Now she slumped tiredly against Dan as they watched the evening wind down. Her hand immediately found its place in his and she felt a glow of happiness as she observed everyone she cared about.

Serena had fallen asleep with Nate's arm around her at the other side of the room. She was in the early stages of pregnancy and was constantly exhausted. There was a small smile on her face and Nate looked as contented as she had ever seen him.

Her eyes sought out Emily and she grinned as she caught sight of her dancing with Chuck. Never had she thought that Chuck Bass would finally be brought into line by an eight year old girl but it turned out that he was still absolutely unable to say no to her.

Melissa and Jay were dancing with smiles on their faces and Eric and Mark were talking animatedly with Jenny. Blair had been so happy for Dan when they had received the acceptance from his sister and she had come for a short and very successful visit before the wedding. It seemed that Dan finally had his sister back.

Now her husband reached over and turned her face towards his for a soft, warm kiss. She returned it with all the emotion of the day. The kiss ended but she smiled tiredly as Dan pulled her even closer.

"So how to you feel Mrs Humphrey?" he asked simply.

She took one more look round the room at all the people who meant the most to her in the world and felt the warmth of her husband's hand in hers.

"Happy," she said.