AN- This is my most ambitious project to date-Not only am I trying a slightly different writing style here but I have never been comfortable with original characters and this story has at least two major original characters, but ultimately it is a Dan/Blair story. However, a major part of this story would be in flashbacks-mostly Dan's memory.

One thing to remember though is that whatever has happened in cannon has happened in this story as well, except that Blair is not pregnant. I hate that story line and have decided not to use it. Yes, she has a daughter but that comes about later.

As always, If you can read this legibly, you have my beta bsloths to thank.

Disclaimer- Disclaimed!

"Show me a Hero and I will write you a tragedy…"

F.Scott Fitzgerald

She waited a second before stretching her hand out to knock at the door. This moment; with her hand poised at the rustic blue-grey door, was the first that she felt truly worried in the last four months. What if she had made the wrong decision? What if these people didn't want to see her? What if she had traveled three thousand miles only to have her questions unanswered?

But she was her father's daughter and if there was one thing she was not going to do today was go back to France without at least meeting the man she had come all this way for. Patting the old, tattered copy of her favorite book in her bag, she squared her shoulders and tapped lightly on the door.

A man, a much younger, handsome man than she had been expecting answered the heavy door, "Um. Can I help you Miss?"

Paige blinked. Maybe she had the wrong address. She looked down at the note she had hurriedly scribbled down minutes before taking her flight, "Is this 455 Water Street?" She asked, her English tinted with a slight accent.

"Uh...Huh," the guy nodded in an affirmative, "are you looking for someone?"

This probably had been a bad idea after all. If she had had any sense she would have listened to Nana and Jean and dropped the crazy hunt for Daniel Humphrey she had embarked on. It was that and more that had made her decide to leave Monaco and come to New York. "Daniel Humphrey," she answered hesitantly, "I'm looking for Mr. Daniel Humphrey."

The guy in front of her smiled, two tiny dimples forming on either cheek, "You're at the right place then; he isn't here though."

"Oh…" Paige looked disappointed, "perhaps, I should come back later then." Thanking him for his time, she turned to walk down the steps.

"Or…you could wait for him inside. He should be in anytime soon."

She weighed the offer in her head and finally took it. She was here; it was now or never anyway.

The dimpled guy led her in, rapidly apologizing for the state of the room as she entered. He was studying and hadn't been expecting company and something else along the lines. Paige listened with one ear, her senses already taking in her surroundings with a critical eye she had been told she had taken both from her mother and her grandmother. This is where he lived, she thought. This is where he worked probably…Wrote those words which had helped her carry through all her high school…Had given her a purpose when four months ago she had felt that nothing again would matter anymore to her.

"Miss? Miss?" a hand on her shoulder brought her back to her surroundings.

"Paige." She answered automatically, "My name is Paige Grimaldi"

" Andrew Vanderwoodsen." He offered a hand out to her. Paige looked slightly taken aback at his forwardness, but took his hand never the less, her fingers only briefly touching his before she casually let it drop and handed her coat to him instead.

Slightly surprised and embarrassed at her coldness, Andrew raised an eyebrow at her. Shrugging, he hung her coat neatly and shoved his hands back into his pockets, "Are you his agent?"

"What? No. Why would you think so?"

He shrugged again, "Thought not. You look too young to be one. It's just that he never gets too many visitors. It's usually just agents or publicists. He isn't exactly Mr. Social Magnet, you know."

Paige smiled a little, something about the way he wrote had always told her that he was a bit of a loner. She found herself thrilled at being able to get his personality traits down. "I'm …" she paused, not sure how best to explain, "a fan."

"A fan?" The man looked at her incredulously, "Uncle Dan actually has one of those?"

"Uncle Dan? You're his nephew?"

"Uh...Huh!" the guy says, explaining how his father was step brothers with Dan, "who did you think I was? His son?"

"No, "Paige shook her head, "Google told me that he has no children, I thought," a deep crimson shade had started to colour her cheeks, "I thought you were his house help."

In spite of himself and not offended in the least, Andrew found himself chuckling. He had never been mistaken for a house help before and there was something about this girl which he found intriguing. She was clearly foreign. French, he suspected by her accent. He wondered what it was that had made her travel all the way to Brooklyn. Somehow he had trouble accepting anyone doing that just on a whim. It was impractical, not to mention bloody expensive to most people.

She tried apologizing for her mistake, which he dismissed, "Frankly, with the way you're dressed, one couldn't really blame me for the mistake," she explained.

He laughed out at that. He definitely didn't dress cheap. He knew that and if this girl thought his casual yet designer jeans for a quiet afternoon in weren't good enough he couldn't wait for her to see Dan in one of his plaids, "You have never really met Uncle Dan have you?"

She shook her head, "Never."

"And yet here you are all the way from France, I presume. The man must be a great writer after all"

"Oui," She replied and took out a worn out book from her bag and tenderly handed it to him. It was a copy of one of Dan's early books, Water Stains, and from the looks of it, it clearly had been read over and over again. Several of the pages were ear marked and as he turned to one of them he saw that there were also small little notes in the margins.

"I have read it seventeen times."

Andrew whistled slightly under his breath. The number didn't surprise him that much. Hell, he had read Harry Potter ten times after all. It was the slight catch in her voice which made him start. There was rawness to it and it made him think that there was much more to her being here than she let on. Stifling his curiosity, he half joked, "I'm afraid to ask how many times have you read his first one. Inside, was it?"

"Not as good trust me. I stopped reading it after the fifth time; there was so much drama in it that it seemed like a fantasy most of the times."

Andrew chuckled lightly;clearly, she had no idea how much of it was true; and handed the book carefully back to her. Deciding that he needed to do something to occupy himself before he let his naturally curious mind wonder and he asked this peculiar, not to mention breathtakingly beautiful stranger questions she didn't want to answer to, he asked her if she would like some coffee.

"That would be nice." She said gratefully, "I'm severely jet legged at the moment."

He looked at her strangely, "Did you land today?"

Paige replied that in fact she had and knowing the answer with a certainty he had no claim over, Andrew asked her where her luggage was. He knew it like he knew that the sun rose in the east that she had come to Brooklyn straight from the airport.

"It's in the hallway." She replied a little sheepishly. It wasn't like the thought about checking into a hotel first had even crossed her mind before she had boarded her flight. And to think that New York had long favoured in her top destination list. But this time she couldn't bother herself to think about anything else. So, it had been JFK, a cab and a Brooklyn loft for her. For the first time in all her seventeen years she had made an unplanned move, "You know what, I should leave. Maybe I'll drop in tomorrow."

No. no." Andrew stopped her, "you're here. At least meet him before you go. Make yourself comfortable. I'll go get your luggage in," he said before stepping out.

A little bemused and more than a little curious he returned with her four bags. Perhaps she had plans to stay in America for a long time. But then knowing his Aunts he would say that some women just packed that way. Expecting to find her in the living room couch or maybe the kitchen counter, he is slightly surprised to find her standing in the middle of the room which he occupies these days. There is a look of shock mixed with disdain on her face as she looked around her. The next words from her mouth though only made him laugh.

"There is a garage door in the middle of this room!"

To say that Dan has had a terrible day would be putting the things in their most understated level. He had had a horrible day. Like the kind which was giving him a headache now.

All he needed right now was a stiff drink and perhaps then he could process through the rest of the day. Smiling wryly, Dan remembered how he had often rebuked Chuck for drinking in the middle of the day. These days he couldn't seem to care less.

He opened the door to his house, thanking his lucky starts that he only had Andrew for company. Today was not the day he wanted to deal with anybody else and Andrew was really a blessing. Calm and composed, he carried the kind disposition of both his fathers and when Eric had called Dan from London asking him to take in his son while he completed his medical degree at NYU, Dan had readily agreed. Not that it had gone very well with either Lily or Serena who couldn't understand why Eric would send his son to Brooklyn instead of The Upper East Side. But Dan had been grateful for the company in the young boy. With a wry sense of humor and an easy charm, Andrew was not just a favorite with the entire clan he also played a great buffer when the things across the bridge became a bit strained.

And they had been a bit strained for the past fifteen years…Especially with Serena.

"Uncle Dan? I'm glad you're back…"

"Just a second Andy," Dan cut him off, "I need a drink first."

The young man looked at him in mild irritation; he was used to it by now, "It's two in the afternoon."

"Doesn't matter. Don't care," Dan said, pouring himself a neat peg of whiskey and taking it down in one gulp, "I'm coming back from your Grandmother's place."

"Aunt Jenny still there?"

"And Serena is afraid that there is no sign of her going back," Dan informed, which earned him a knowing smile from his nephew. Twenty years had passed or not, the two women still did not get along and it was no secret to anyone. "Anyway, what is that you were telling me?"

Andrew nodded, "Yeah? There's someone to see you."

Dan looked around his living room, "To see me? Where? There's no one here."

"Ummm…She's asleep on my bed. She was jet lagged."

"Oh!" Dan said, shaking his head, "if you were bringing a girl home Andrew, you should have just told me. Why bother with the whole thing about staying home to study for a test? I would have gladly stayed at Lily's place," he paused, thinking it over, "or perhaps booked myself at a hotel."

"No..." Andrew quickly explained, "She really is here to see you. She…"

"Hi!" they are interrupted by a voice from behind.

It's like Dan had seen a ghost. A vision. Slowly, he set his glass down. The hair, the set of her mouth, the porcelain white skin…The way there was an air of superiority, even when she looked uncertain.

There was no mistaking her.

"Hello." The girl at the doorway said again, she swallowed a bit, "I think you knew my mother."

Letting out a breath Dan did not he was holding, he looked at Andrew and then back at the young girl in front of him. Half of him wanted to dismiss it as a very bad dream, half of him couldn't believe how happy he was that he was seeing her here.

Clearing his throat, Dan finally rested his eyes on his very curious nephew, "Andrew, I believe we are in the presence of a Princess…"

Andrew looked from one stunned figure to another and not having anything else to cut the tension with said, "Do I bow?"

AN- If there are any confusions as to who is who, please let me know. There are hopefully many more chapters to come and things should become clearer as the story unfolds.

I really hope you like it. I am as nervous as I'm excited about it! Please review, I need all kinds of help and suggestions for this one.