Author's Note: Spur of the moment thing. I haven't even read it through so I'm sorry if this story doesn't make any sense lol. Just in case, this takes place two years from now, after Dan has just graduated and Serena has one year left. lol Tell me if the story makes any sense or is any good. I'm not sure if this is going to be a one shot or if I want to continue it.

To say it was all consuming would be wildly inaccurate. It wasn't that I felt the same way about her after all these years and everything that happened. It was that I couldn't change how I felt. There were 8 million people living in this small patch of land called New York and in all of this 8 million people I only wanted one. And I don't think you realize what that means. That's 10 times more people than you'll ever meet in your life time. That's everyone you know, that's everyone you've ever loved, cared for, trusted, betrayed, betrayed you, laughed at one of your jokes, smiled at you, or just had a conversation. And to me, she was all that… in one.

The worst part is, I had my chance. I had several and as hard as I tried I wasn't strong enough for her. I couldn't be the man that she needed. I wasn't meant for her but I know in my heart that she was meant for me. Destiny is a cruel master. So that's it… that's—

A deep sigh came out of his mouth as his words just stopped. This is garbage, he thought to himself. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. Part of him wanted to believe that the moment he reopens his eyes, the epilogue would be complete. He opened his eyes, yet it was the same as before. He just sat there, the laptop sitting in front of him, mocking him. Ctrl+S. I'll finish it later, he thought to himself.

Just he closed the document the sound of heels triggered Dan's attention. He looked over from the dining table to find Serena walking in. He quickly closed the lid and greeted her as to turn her attention from his computer.

"Hey Serena, what are you doing here?" Dan said casually, as he always did.

"My mom lives here, what are you doing here?" Serena replied with a question of her own.

"I was looking for my dad. I wanted to say goodbye to him and Lily before I left for LA this afternoon." Dan replied. "I have a meeting with my publisher."

"Wow." Serena said in her usual impressed voice. "So what's next for the great Dan Humphrey? A sequel to Inside?"

"Well… Nah, actually I was just working on something." Dan replied. "My publisher wants me to write an epilogue to Inside for the two year anniversary edition."

"Sounds amazing." Serena replied.

"Yeah, yeah, it would be… if I could write the damn thing." Dan said with a sigh of defeat.

"Wait, I thought Inside already had an epilogue." Serena inquired.

"Oh, so you did read it." Dan teased.

"You know I've read everything you've ever written." Serena said.

"Yeah, I know. And let me tell you that I really appreciate it. Other than Vanessa, I've never really let anyone read my drafts before." Dan said absent mindedly.

"So why are you writing this second epilogue?" Serena asked. "Something the publisher wanted?"

"Well… it's been two years and Vanessa basically stole the manuscript from out under my nose." Dan stopped for a second and looked directly into Serena's eyes. "It just wasn't done. I didn't get to finish it the way I wanted to. Besides, it's been two years. I just graduated. This chapter of my life is closed. And I think… the book deserves a proper ending."

There was a long pause between them.

"Who knows, maybe I just needed the closure." Dan said with a bit of frustration in his voice. "Things are… different now, now that…"

"What?" Serena asked earnestly.

"Nothing. They are just different. If I figure it out, I'll let you know. Anyways, I gotta get going. I have a flight to catch. Tell my dad and Lily that I came by and that I'll send for my stuff." Dan said as he stood up and grabbed his bag.

"Your stuff? Where are you going?" Serena asked.

"To LA…" Dan replied confused.

"Yeah, but I thought that was just to meet with your publisher. Why do you need your stuff?" Serena asked.

Dan paused for a moment. "I'm moving there. It's closer to my publisher, I've got a bunch of contacts out there and meeting with them over Skype just isn't the same as sitting down and having a proper—"

"Wait, what about Rufus, how does he feel about this?" Serena cut him off.

"He's happy about it, he's coming out to visit me next week." Dan replied.

"What about Jenny and Eric?" Serena kept asking.

"They're in college… Serena what's this about?" Dan asked.

Serena looked away as she always did in hard situations. She was never good at dealing with unexpected turn of events.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Serena asked.

"Tell you? I did tell you. I've been out there for the last week. I just came back to tie up some loose ends here. You know—"

Serena interrupted again. "Yeah, but I thought that was just a business trip. I didn't think you were…"

"Serena, is there something you want to say to me?" Dan asked.

There was another pause. Serena slowly turned her head away trying not to seem upset. And indeed she wasn't exactly upset, she was just caught off guard. She didn't realize how this news was going to affect her. She didn't want to ask him to stay, no, that would be too much. And she wanted most of all for him to be happy and fulfilled and what circumstance initially brought his book to be published, everything turned out well in the end for him. And who was she to ask him not to be happy?

"Serena?" Dan said again.

Dan sighed and grabbed her hand. Her eyes immediately darted and stared right into his, almost as if it was the first time.

"I'll be back for your graduation." Dan said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." He smiled at her.

She knew that she needed to respond with a smile and quick. But it was just hard for her. They hadn't been together in 4 years and she didn't even really know how she felt about him. She had treated him so unfairly in the past, she just couldn't ask him to sacrifice anything more on behalf of her. So with that pressed to the front of her thought process she mustered up a smile.

Dan then kissed her gently on the forehead and left. She stood there, completely silent and motionless for what seemed like an eternity. Finally her strength gave way and she collapsed onto the chair that Dan had been sitting at at the dinner table. She put her hand on the cool glass surface, she flattened her hand onto the glass and let the cold of the glass emanate and cool her hand. But there was a certain heat that grazed across her hand. It wasn't the glass. It was the fan of the laptop that Dan had left behind.

She sat there, staring at it, thinking about him. For whatever reason, completely unknown to her, she opened the lid of the laptop. The screen booted up and an image of Hemmingway greeted her. Oh Dan, she thought, he was so predictable. Her first inclination was to turn off the computer and try to catch up to him to return it. But then she remembered that he was in the middle of writing something. He opened up the Recently Opened Documents folder and found a file called .

She opened it.

He had just reached his gate when he realized that he forgot the laptop at the penthouse. Fuck, he thought to himself. He reached for his cellphone and dialed the penthouse number. It rang and it continued to ring until that annoying voicemail message came up. He hit end as fast as he could. He couldn't tolerate that annoying message Rufus and Lily made the whole family record. Dan thought for a second. Eric was in South Africa for an exchange program, and Jenny was probably still at work. He then quickly dialed Serena, please still be there, he thought to himself.

There was a ring, then another, then another. But the third one was different. It wasn't coming from the earpiece. It was… here, in the airport. He turned his head and there she was standing there, like the first time he laid eyes on her. She had that signature Serena expression on her face. In one hand she held her phone as it rang. He just looked at her without saying a single word. She replied to his silence in kind. She dropped her phone into her coat pocket. She slowly approached him. Their eyes locked yet neither of them could muster up a single word to say.

She handed him his laptop.

"Thank you!" Dan finally managed to say, relieved that he wasn't going to miss his flight.

But as her hand retracted from the laptop it grazed his. Electricity shot through his entire being and his eyes immediately locked onto hers again. And it was at that exact moment, that look in her eye, he knew… that she had read it.

A kiss. A passionate all-consuming kiss landed right on his lips. Gently, soft, and warm, as he had only faint memories of in his dreams, now all reignited, all-powerful and uncontrollable. Her arms embraced him around his neck, her eyes closed as if she wanted to be dreaming. Without words, without need for words, she acted in the blind hope that he would understand all that she wanted him to know but just couldn't say. She wasn't great with words, but even he understood that some things just couldn't be said. This couldn't be said.

She took her time, she felt his lips and the memories came rushing back and she let them linger in her mind. She was scared. She knew she had screwed up, she had treated Dan terribly in the last few years, she wasn't afraid of what Dan was going say, she knew what Dan was going to say. She was afraid of what she was going to do to him. She didn't want to hurt him anymore. She was afraid of herself.

"Don't go." She whispered in her softest most delicate voice.

"Don't go." She softly repeated.

"You read it…" Dan said.

"Dan…" She said in her a concerned voice. "You can't… you can't just write these things about me and not expect me to react. What was your plan, if you ran away to LA that I wouldn't confront you? Dan. You can't just write this amazing love letter to me and expect me to…"

"What?" Dan asked.

"to… to not love you." Serena answered.

"I… I've never asked you to love me Serena." Dan replied.

"Why not?" Serena asked. "Why haven't you? I would've said yes, I would've always said yes. You know this."

"I do." Dan confirmed.

"Then why?" Serena asked with tears in her eyes.

Dan paused for a second and looked away from her to collect his thoughts and to muster his words.

"Serena, it's been four years and as much as I've tried, I can't stop…" Dan stopped.

"Say it." Serena commanded as the tears continued roll down her cheek. "Say it!"

"I can't stop… loving you." Dan finally said. "But I don't want you to love me."

Serena was stunned, her mouth opened but she had no words.

"4 years is a long time. I've seen you date guy after guy, movie stars, artists, musicians, athletes." Dan explained.

"Dan, those are just—" Serena tried to say.

"No Serena. That's your future. There's someone out there, who is tall, and handsome, and smart, and funny, and loving, and who will give his entire being to you." Dan said.

Serena looked down. Dan managed a smile. He lifted her head by her chin and whispered:

"You deserve better than me."

Slap. A hardest slap he had ever experienced. It reminded him of the time when Serena found out about him and Ms. Carr in senior year. Only it was about ten times as hard as that. He was stunned, he had never seen Serena so angry, he frankly didn't think she was capable of such anger. But before he could collect his thoughts she grabbed him by his hair and pointed his face at her. There he was greeted by a menacing scowl unlike any he had ever seen on Serena's face before.

"Don't ever say that again!" She growled at him.

He was speechless and frankly his face hurt.

"Yeah you're right." Serena's voice trembled. "There's someone out there, who is tall, and handsome, and smart, and funny, and loving, and who has already given me his entire being. And he's trying to take it back right now."

She paused again trying to keep her voice from sounding too much like she's crying.

"But I won't let him." Serena said as her voice finally broke into a sorrowful cry.

She paused again and finally managed to say: "I do deserve a man who is all of those things. I always have. But that man… is standing right in front of me."

Her hands traveled down to his and their fingers intertwined just like the first time, in the cab after the Kiss on the Lips party.

She leaned over and whispered to him: "We either sink or swim."

She paused right in front of his lips.

"I choose to swim."