Title: Happiness isn't on the Menu

Character: Blair, Serena, Chuck, & Nate

Summary: This AU fic takes place in the mist of great animosity between Blair and Serena. After a mysterious betrayal the two have ended their friendship and now are enemies. Blair is the newly formed Queen of Constance after dethroning Serena after their fall out. Serena has been unceremoniously kicked out of her kingdom and forced to be an outsider looking in on the life she once had with the people she still loves.

So my inspiration for this story was a video called The Virgin Suicides: A Gossip Girl Trailer. For Blair, I focused on the more manipulative, controlling parts of her personality from season one. Serena's character is more her post pilot party girl persona, heavily inspired by how she acted during her estrangement with Blair in season two. I used early season three combined with some season one for the devilish hotel heir, Chuck Bass. Nate is his lost, confused, brooding self from season one who is trying to find meaning in a world full of deception and betrayal. I hope you enjoy.

"Mystery and Beauty,

Questions You Never Answer,

Moment You Never Forget

Haunt You

Just Like Life"

Chapter 1: Alone

Serena sat alone at The Palace bar nursing a martini while contemplating how everything in her life had gotten so screwed up. She had tried to be the perfect girlfriend, the loyal best friend and she'd held it together for so long, but as the most infamous blogger of the Upper East Side once said "no matter how hard you try, you can't keep a bad girl down". And that's what she was. She was a mess, 'Hurricane Serena' destroying everything in her path. And what did she have to show for all her hard work? Not a damn thing, which was evident because of the fact she sat here…alone.

"I'll have to tell my parents their hotel is serving minors." Serena turned to see her once good friend, Chuck Bass, take a seat next to her. "What are you doing here S?"

He asked. Serena couldn't help, but smile. It had been so long since any of them -apart from the aforementioned blogger- had called her that.

"I was bored, and your hotel makes the strongest martini's."

"You know you shouldn't be here."

"Because of my age?" Serena asked arching her dark blonde eyebrow at him.

"Because if she found out you were here she'd kill you, and probably me."

"Well, I've moved past caring what she thinks of me."

"No you haven't." Chuck smirked. "You never will, none of us will ever cease trying to appease her.

"Well I'm done. She doesn't want to hear anything I have to say, and I'm tired feeling bad."

"You guys are supposed to be best friends."

"That hasn't been true for a while."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Mine! Everything's my fault. I'm the screw up! I'm the mess…" Serena said in exasperation.

"You're the drunk that should get home before she makes a scene and gets Gossip Girl's attention." Chuck cut in.

"I have been drinking on an empty stomach." Serena exhaled. "If I recall you have the keys to the kitchen of this place."

"Come on." Chuck sighed helping Serena up. She didn't miss how his hand drifted the to an inappropriate lowness on her back.

"Here, a grilled cheese with truffle oil. Your favorite." Chuck handed her the sandwich.

"However can I thank you?" Serena said in feigned innocence. Their eyes locked with the excitement of the forbidden. Chuck broke the gaze first taking a step back from her. "Finish your sandwich and I'll get you a car."

"Do you really want me to leave?" Serena said reaching out to grab his tie. She tugged him closer.

"Your drunk and clearly not thinking straight."

"I'm thinking in perfect clarity."

"Then you should know she would actually kill you if…"

"If I finished what we've been dancing around since we were thirteen. You two broke up if memory serves."

"We always break up."

"Exactly, your relationship is just a string of one night stands. What's wrong with adding another notch on your belt while she parades around the Upper East Side like a spoiled princess? Don't pretend your not thinking about it...us right now."

Chuck looked at her, his eyes dark with lust and residual anger from the most recent break up. "Clear out you guys. The kitchen is closing early tonight." Chuck called to the staff. It took a couple minutes, but soon it was just them alone together. There lips pressed together roughly as lust consumed them. This didn't mean anything they both knew that. They didn't bother fully undressing; there were no romantic embraces or tender touches, that wasn't what this was about. This was about escaping from the loneliness, the emptiness, if only for a little while.

Serena's locker shut so fast she had to jerk her hands away before the tin door smashed them.

"Jesus Christ!" Serena exclaimed in agitation. She looked up and saw who had snuck up on her, it was Blair of course. The girl was like a ninja in stilettos. Blair stood across from her, her patented glare in place as Kati and Is flanking each of her sides. "Blair, Tweeedle D, Tweedle nose job. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I heard you slept with Chuck last night." Blair said in uncharacteristic bluntness. Serena was taken aback for a moment before she collected herself.

"So which one of you told her?" Serena asked in accusation to Kati and Is. When they were her loyal minions they always had the gossip on her enemies with in seconds of the scandal occurring. They never hesitated to share such gossip, which had really been where all the trouble started. It was their fault really. Both of the girls just smiled up at her with wicked gleams in their eyes. "How quickly the loyalty dissipates."

"We like to back a winning horse." Kati said with a devious smirk.

"Its kind of ironic, you preaching about loyalty." Blair bit.

"I heard you guys aren't even together." Serena responded as she flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder, faking nonchalance.

"We aren't. For now." Blair said.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't think they still existed."

"Like you could hurt me. You were just another rebound fuck he used to try to get over me. You used to call his one night stands pathetic white trash. I guess you were right."

"You turned on me, so don't act like I owe you any loyalty when you prance around Constance with my minions."

"You brought this on yourself. I had agreed to amicable. I let you have to the society pages, the bars, the clubs…"

"Let me?"

"The embarrassment of being known as the whore of Manhattan." Blair continued. "But Constance is my turf now, and I won't let you make a fool of me here."

"Oh honey you do that all on your own."

"If you want a war. You can have one."

"Look, I'm sorry ok, but you guys are broken up."

"We're always broken up…until we're back together. Stay away from him, or I will make you into the biggest social pariah in Constance history. You know I can do it."

"I have no doubt. I'll stay away from Chuck. It was a drunken mistake. Enjoy your crown…while you still have it. I heard Penelope's been forming a lot of new friendships lately."

"Penelope's a nobody."

"So were you, until I made you some one worth gossiping about."

"Yeah, lets talk about all the things you've done for me, or to me. All that gossip you so kindly procured for me." Blair saw the hurt that flashed across Serena's face.

"The day you learn to forgive and forget will be the day hell freezes over." Serena said bitterly.

"And the day you learn to keep your big mouth…and your knees shut, pigs will fly." Blair countered.

"Its nice to know your wit is still intact even though your soul has fled the premises."

"Good Bye Serena." Blair turned to leave, but stopped, turning her head back to Serena. "Nate gets home tomorrow." Blair could hear the sharp intake of breath from the blonde. "Stay away from him too. I think you've put him through enough. All of us really."

"If he wants to see me, you can't keep us apart."

"Trust me, he doesn't want anything to do with you." Blair walked off, her minions trailing closely behind. Serena slumped against her locker as she heard the ten-minute bell ring. She knew the fact that everything had gotten this bad was her fault. She'd caused it all, but she still wished that they could all just forget the events of last September. She had been trying to for the last three months.

"Can you believe him?" Blair hissed to Kati as she starred down at Chuck from her seat on the steps. He was leaning against a wall in the ally getting high with a bunch of boys from St. Judes. "Is he trying to humiliate me?"

"I hope Serena gave him herpes." Kati said as she glared down at her queen's ex.

"Serena totally has herpes!" Isobel giggled, Kati soon joining in. Blair rolled her eyes at the girls acting like silly little children.

"Ugh I can't believe him!" Blair yelled before beginning to march down the steps. Kati and Is stood up to follow her "Stay here." Blair ordered with out a second glance to the pair.

"Leave." Was all she uttered to his surrounders, her glare took care of the rest. When the last of the burnouts had scattered she turned to him. "Is it your goal to humiliate me? Are you trying to punish me? Do you hate me?"

"Don't be dramatic Blair." Chuck said as he stubbed out his joint.

"Dramatic?" Blair asked in disbelief. "How dare you? You've done a lot of terrible things, but this is by far the worst!"

"Oh now, we both know that's not true."

"How could you sleep with her? She is my sworn enemy."

"Calm down. You don't want the public to see their flawless Queen losing her cool."

"I don't care what they think." Blair said, her eyes tearing up. "After everything we've been through. After all the things she's done, how could you betray me with her of all people!"

"I'm sorry." Chuck said in honest sincerity, he reached out to touch her, but she slapped his hand away.

"I don't care that you're sorry."

"Look, you made it perfectly clear when you dumped me that what I do no longer concerns you."

"You know that's not true. Everything you do concerns me!"

"Because I'm a liability. A new money embarrassment." Chuck scoffed beginning to walk away.

"You know that's not the reason."

"Then please enlighten me." Chuck said turning back to look at her. Blair tried to say the words, but in the cloud of her embarrassment and anger she couldn't voice them. Seeing that she wasn't going to admit that she still wanted him, Chuck's face turned cold and stoic. "Forget it Blair." Chuck pulled out his phone to call Arthur to pick him up. He didn't feel like dealing with the trivialities of school today.

"Because I still love you." Blair whispered to herself as he walked away. Blair stood there in the courtyard starring at his retreating figure, alone.

Reviews please!