A/N 1: This might come as a surprise to you all because I know I normally take a lot longer to update, but hopefully it's a good surprise! Here is the final chapter of this fic. I have an important exam coming up and I wanted to get this finished before then so it wasn't plaguing my mind. I can't thank enough everybody who's reviewed/commented/alerted/favourited etc. over the duration of this fic, because you guys never fail to put a smile on my face. Thank you of course so much to Céline, who has been there every step of the way with this fic and helped me immeasurably, and also to Rach, Rose, Julian, Alyssa and the rest of my fellow Dairlings on Tumblr, all of whom I love and adore. I own nothing as ever, and I would so love to hear your reviews. Stay tuned for another A/N at the end of this chapter!

"I swear I don't usually eat these for breakfast. Well, not every day, anyway," Blair affirmed, flashing a smile at Dan before she delicately took a bite from a bright green macaron. Dan chuckled and reached into the paper bag he was holding in one arm to pull out a still warm pain au chocolat, which he then proceeded to bite into eagerly. It still wasn't quite light yet and the streets of Paris were reasonably empty as he and Blair walked side by side en route to the train station, slowed down slightly by having to juggle carrying their bags and eating at the same time.

"Hey, I'm not judging," Dan told Blair between bites, "By the way, did I mention what an inspired idea it was to stop by at a bakery? I can't imagine what they serve on the airplane will be half as good as this. I wish I could take these back home with me for my dad and my sister to try them."

"I thought I was meant to be the snob about flying," Blair pointed out, playfully raising her eyebrows at Dan. He laughed again and acknowledged her comment with a 'Touché', after which Blair found herself just watching him for a moment or two out of the corner of her eye before she spoke again. "Are they going to be there to meet you at the airport when you arrive home?" she asked, "Your dad and your sister, I mean."

"Dad said he'd be there. My sister's at home at the moment too so she might come along. If I'm lucky," Dan replied, explaining further when Blair shot him an inquisitive look, "No, I'm kidding. We actually get along really well now. We always have done, I guess, apart from one period in high school where she…well, she got a little fixated with the idea of being popular and the two of us didn't exactly see eye to eye."

"When you're a teenage girl it can seem like the most important thing sometimes. Especially in the US," Blair noted, "And I'm guessing not having her mom around probably didn't help things."

"No, it didn't," Dan remarked with a sigh before glancing at Blair, "How did your mom take it? I mean, when you…"

"…told her I was pregnant?" Blair finished for him, shaking her head, "Not very well. Oh, she paid for me to have the abortion and made sure everything was dealt with quietly and under the radar, but she…she never looked at me the same after that. I guess that's why when everything blew up I didn't even hesitate to ask Daddy if I could come live with him. I still go visit her sometimes in the holidays and she comes here sometimes on business and stops by to see me, but it's like she's…part of some other world that I left behind a long time ago."

"You don't miss the US?" Dan asked, helping himself to one of the pastries this time out of the bag from the bakery.

"I miss the US all the time," Blair admitted with a small smile, "It's the really dumb things I miss, too. Like how the waiters and waitresses in restaurants always smile at you, even though I know they're only after a good tip." Dan laughed and nodded. "But whenever I go see my mom I'm always reminded of all the things I like about living here. People here are more relaxed, I think, maybe more at ease with themselves. They seem more inclined to enjoy each day as it comes. But then sometimes I miss the atmosphere back in the US, you know? That surrounding sense of ambition and drive," Blair continued, "I guess in the end I feel like no matter where I live there'll always be something missing."

"You're not the only one who feels that way, trust me," Dan said, "You know, I dreamed of going to an Ivy League college for most of my life. My dad sacrificed a lot to make it happen and I appreciate so much having the opportunity to study there, I really do. I figure I should be happy, right? I keep getting told that I'm young, that I've got the whole world at my feet. But all I end up doing is feeling bad because despite all of that that I can't help but want something else, something more, and I'm not even sure what it is."

"You told me on the train you were looking for inspiration," Blair remarked, turning her head to glance at Dan momentarily.

"I thought I was," Dan replied softly.

Blair fell silent, running her tongue over her bottom lip momentarily and tasting the last of the macaron she'd eaten not long before. She hoisted her bag further up on her shoulder as she and Dan crossed the street, and then nodded her head towards the building they were approaching. "This is it," she told him, "Gare du Nord."

"Already?" Dan questioned, looking slightly surprised, "I didn't realise we were so close."

"Neither did I," Blair admitted quietly.

"I liked the other train station better," Dan said, "What was it called? Gare de Lyon?"

"Not bad, Humphrey," Blair remarked with a small smile, "I'm not a huge fan of the new part they've added to this place, but they're both very nice train stations."

"But I met you on my way to one of them," Dan pointed out, "And I'm going to have to say goodbye to you at the other."

The two of them made their way into the not yet busy train station and Blair stood to one side when Dan walked up to buy his ticket to the airport, ostensibly on standby in case he needed any help with translation. Even if Dan had been tying himself up in knots trying to speak French, however, Blair probably wouldn't have noticed. Her gaze appeared to be fixated on a spot on the wall opposite her but her thoughts were most definitely elsewhere. She had a lot to think about, and she knew she was running out of time to think about it. Rationally, she kept telling herself that nothing had changed since she and Dan had met on the train the day before. She was still an American living and studying in Paris, Dan was still a Yale student with a dad and a sister waiting for him back home. They were still the same people leading the same lives, and the only thing that was different was that they had shared a night together. A night was just a night, she reasoned, not any kind of grounds to build anything on. With that in mind, the most sensible thing to do would be to let it go and keep it as a memory. But then, as hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was about to lose something.

She smiled a little at Dan when he returned with his tickets and remained quiet as they made their way to where the train was due to arrive, using her Navigo pass to allow her to get onto the platform with him. It didn't take them long to find a couple of chairs and they sat down heavily together, with nothing to do but wait for the train that would cause them to go their separate ways. Blair found her eyes kept darting towards the nearest clock and the minutes felt as if they were ticking away far too fast.

"You'll be OK to get back home, right?" Dan asked Blair, leaning forward slightly in his seat as one of his feet tapped against the floor, "You have enough cash for a cab back to your place? Or someone to come get you?"

Blair couldn't help but smile a little. She knew Dan had to be aware by now that money certainly wasn't an issue for her, yet he seemed concerned for her even so. "I'll be fine," she assured him, "I'll probably be fast asleep in my bed by the time you're checking in for your flight."

"Good," Dan said, smiling back at Blair, "Do you have a busy day today?"

"Not that busy. I'm supposed to be meeting a friend for lunch, but I might call and ask her to reschedule depending on how tired I am," Blair replied, "She's nice, but she's just requires a lot of…patience to deal with and I might not have the energy for it today."

"I have a friend who's a bit like that," Dan remarked, "He's a cool guy, for the most part, but sometimes you just…"

"Dan," Blair interrupted, her expression falling serious as she turned towards him in her seat. She took his hand in both of hers and Dan knew immediately she no longer wanted make small talk about the day ahead. "Dan, I…" Blair began, but before she could get out the next part of her sentence something in the distance caught her eye, "Your train is arriving."

Dan turned to glance over his shoulder and his lips parted momentarily as he watched a small train get bigger and bigger on its approached their platform. He could do nothing but remain silent for a few moments, his feet feeling like they had suddenly turned to lead. Dan watched as Blair slowly stood to her feet, letting go of his hand only to subsequently offer up one of hers to help him up. He took it gratefully and, once he was standing, also took her other hand as they stood facing each other on the platform.

"Well, I guess this really is it," Dan spoke up, trying to force a smile as he added jokingly, "No more hotel rooms for us to escape real time in."

"I wish there were," Blair replied quietly.

"I know…last time you didn't want me to say anything because you thought it would make it harder," Dan said, "But I just want to tell you that I…that you…God, I can't even find the words to do justice to…"

"I want to see you again too," Blair blurted out, and for a moment Dan could only blink at her, uncertain if he'd actually heard what he thought he'd heard.

"You do?" he breathed, looking at her in disbelief.

"Of course I do, you idiot," Blair told him, a smile slowly appearing on her face, "I just…I don't know what I was thinking. I was…confused and I didn't want the memory of last night to be ruined, but right now I feel like the only thing that could ruin it would be if this ended up being the last time I ever saw you. I have no idea how or if we could make this work, either, but you're right. We're going to regret it if we don't at least give it a shot."

"Oh, thank God," Dan uttered, right before leaning forwards and crashing his lips against Blair's in a kiss. He could feel her smiling against his mouth as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him while train pulled up beside them at the platform.

"How are we going to do this?" he breathed as he pulled away, "Where do you want us to meet? I can try to come back here. I mean, I'm not exactly sure how, but I can…"

"No, don't be ridiculous. I'll come to the US. I tend to go back every now and then to see my mom, anyway," Blair replied, her gaze darting worriedly between Dan and the train, "How…how far away from New York City are you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Dan said, looking at Blair with a furrowed brow and a disbelieving smile, "I live in New York."

"What are you talking about?" Blair breathed.

"Well, I mean, I live in New Haven when I'm at college, obviously, but otherwise I live in New York," Dan explained, "My dad's house is in Brooklyn. It's where I go back every time for the holidays."

"I can't believe you…I grew up in New York," Blair said, her hands absently running over Dan's arms, "My mom lives there with my stepfather. It's where I went to school."

"This is crazy. How did we not realise this sooner?" Dan remarked, letting out a laugh, "OK, so what's your favourite place to go in the city?"

"Umm…oh God," Blair said, biting on her lower lip in thought for a moment before she looked at Dan and declared, "The Met."

"Of course it is," Dan replied, a grin seemingly permanently etched onto his face, "Alright, so, let's say...when? A year from now?"

"A year's too long," Blair said, shaking her head, "Six months?"

"Four months," Dan suggested, "It'll be July, I'll be done with finals and hopefully you'll be done at school?"

"Four months," Blair agreed, nodding her head as she smiled back at him, "I'll meet you in four months on the steps of the Met. What time?"

"9 AM? I'm sorry, is that too early? I know you have to fly in and everything," Dan said, "I just want…I want us to be able to spend the whole day together, and…"

"9 AM it is. I'll fly in the night before," Blair responded, the smile on her face only broadening, "You'd better be there."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Dan affirmed.

"You really need to work on those terrible clichés if you're going to be a writer, Humphrey," Blair teased, pulling Dan in for another kiss just as he grinned at her. Her arms wound around his neck and she had to will herself to break apart from him in order to look at the clock again.

"You have to go," Blair breathed, "That train is going to leave without you."

"I know, I know," Dan muttered, pressing another quick kiss to her lips, "Good luck with everything, OK? With your life, with school… I'll be imagining you getting amazing grades and being nothing short of very happy while I'm counting down the days until we can meet in New York."

"You too," Blair responded, "And look, I may never have met Vanessa, but I can tell you for certain that she isn't worth being miserable over. You deserve to be happy."

Dan couldn't help but smile at Blair again. He felt his heart pound in his chest as he turned to look at the train, then at her again one more time. "Goodbye, Blair," he said.

"Goodbye, Dan," Blair replied. Her arms had loosened temporarily, but she wrapped them securely around him once again as he drew her into a tight hug. His nose buried into her neck, catching a whiff of what she had told him in passing was Chanel No. 5, and her hand ran gently through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Dan wasn't sure how he managed to pull himself away from Blair, or how his feet seemed to board the train of their own accord. As he stepped onto it, he turned around to see Blair smiling at him only a few moments before the doors closed and blocked his view. He felt his stomach lurch as the train began to move, and he deposited his luggage before quickly moving to find a seat. Fortunate enough to find a chair by the window, as Dan sat down he saw a brunette figure in an outfit he recognised still standing on the platform, watching his train go. His eyes remained focused on her until her features were no longer discernible and she was nothing more than a speck in the distance. Now that she was no longer there he could almost write her off as a daydream, as a delusion, but all he had to do was close his eyes as he leant his head back against his seat and she was there. He could see her face, he could hear her voice, he could smell her perfume, he could taste her lips, he could feel her skin against his. He felt as if he wanted to write it all down right at that moment so that he would never forget. She was so very real and she was becoming nothing but a memory, but in a few months' time she would be his reality again.

In the ideal movie of Blair Waldorf's life, she had pictured many different scenarios for how she might meet someone, but was certain she never could have imagined the events that had occurred since she'd boarded the train from Lyon to Paris. She'd never pictured the twist in her movie where she would up a conversation with a guy who turned out to be from her home city, no less, and that the hours they would spend together would be unlike anything she had ever experienced. She had watched Dan's train until it was completely gone and stood on the platform for a few minutes after in silence, feeling a strange sense of longing, before she'd turned and headed towards the exit. Once she'd settled herself down in a cab and given the driver her address, she leant back against her seat and got her music player out of her bag to switch it on. It was still on Cyndi Lauper, which she realised was the last thing she'd been listening to.

No one can move me the way that you do.

Nothing erases the feeling between me and you.

She definitely hadn't anticipated this turn of events, but she already knew how the next part of the movie would go. She would meet Dan in July on the steps of the Met in her beloved home of New York City, and the two of them would find out together whether or not that would be their story's end. For some reason, though, Blair suspected it would be a wonderful beginning.

A/N 2: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the ending. The small announcement I'd like to make (which some people know or may have guessed already) is that I've decided to do a sequel to this fic! The movie I based it on, Before Sunrise, has a sequel called Before Sunset, so naturally it will be based on that. I probably won't start it for a little while yet because as I said I have an important exam coming up, but I hope to see you all again when I do. Until then! XOXO