The Most Twisted of Us is nearly ready, but for now have a look at this story.

Also, please follow me on Twitter to receive updates and previews, and to give me suggestions for my stories. My username is redonesie.

This is a series of one-shots about potential relationships that could emerge from the offspring of our Upper East Siders. This first one celebrates Blerena mainly, but you can see elements of Dan in his child.

We'll talk more at the bottom, for now enjoy!

1

Dan and Serena's daughter ~ Chuck and Blair's son.

She was 5 years old and he was 10 when it begun.

Catherine Humphrey (just Catherine, she hated when people gave her nicknames) was beginning kindergarten. She had mixed feelings. She was excited to make new friends, but she was also afraid that she wouldn't fit in with everybody.

However, her fears hadn't lasted very long, because once she had been placed on a table in the class, she had met Adriana Lifton.

Adriana seemed to already know that she was nervous, telling her not to worry, and that she would be her friend. So Catherine had given her a huge sunny smile and hugged her.

And they were instantly attached at the hip.

One day, when Catherine was waiting with Adriana in line to play hop-scotch, she swore she could feel eyes on her. She turned her head slightly to see Henry Bass watching her from his throne (the library stairs), surrounded by his 5th grade followers. She smiled at him, and he winked back at her, but still maintained his regal posture.

"Who is that?" Adriana asked when she noticed the exchange.

"He's Henry" Catherine explained.

"You know a fifth grader" Adriana said, her eyes bugging out of her head in awe.

Catherine just shrugged, not seeing the big deal. Henry was Henry. He always had been.

"I think he's calling you over" she whispered, and Catherine glanced over at him.

Henry was motioning to her with a casually elegant wave that only a son of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf could perform.

Catherine slowly walked toward him, ducking and bobbing around the various balls and kids running around in her path. Once she reached him, he waved off his minions and they dispersed immediately, leaving the two of them alone.

"Hello" Catherine chirped with a grin, and he immediately relaxed from his intimidating countenance, smiling back at her.

"How's kindergarten treating you?" Henry asked intently.

"I love it. This week we learnt the 'oo' sound" Catherine said excitedly. She couldn't wait to be able to read, already trying to practice at home with her father's books. Her mother always said that she never met a word that she didn't like, like her daddy.

He chuckled, then rolled his eyes almost condescendingly at her.

Catherine narrowed her brown eyes at him. "Just you watch, I'll be finishing books before you in no time," she said smugly.

"We'll see about that Humphrey" he retorted, but couldn't help but smile a little at the blonde.

Catherine put her hands behind her back and rocked to and fro on her heels for a bit. She wondered why Henry had even called her over. Aside from the occasional wave, they rarely spoke at school, and he was never really at home when she and her mother visited, always having a party or hanging out with his friends.

As if he read her mind, he suddenly asked "Why are you hanging around with that Lifton girl?"

Catherine blinked. "She's my best friend!" She exclaimed, as though it was obvious.

He appeared to purse his lips and bite the inside of his cheek disapprovingly.

"She's nice!" Catherine continued, now getting annoyed.

"She's a Lifton. Her mother has lied and stolen from people. She's also my mother's fashion rival" Henry pointed out crossly.

"So what? She's not like that. Adriana is my best friend, and she's a good person" she cried.

"There is no such thing as a good person around here. There is such a thing as caring about people, however, and as someone who cares, I'm warning you about her" Henry said firmly, looking her right in the eye.

Catherine swallowed, but stuck her chin up stubbornly. "Who I am friends with is none of your business" she snapped, before storming away from him.

Who did Henry Bass think he was?

There was nothing wrong with seeing the good in people.

A few weeks later, a series of theft incidents had happened in her class. Somebody had been stealing crayons and pencils from the students in the class. Catherine had been practicing her handwriting when the teacher called her to the front of the room, and Adriana was standing with her.

Catherine briefly wondered excitedly if she was about get an award for reading and writing ahead of everyone else, before she saw the displeased look on the teacher's face and gulped.

"Catherine, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" the teacher asked sternly.

Catherine already felt tears stinging her eyes. She hadn't done anything wrong but the glare she was getting made her feel like she was going to get into trouble anyway.

"I-I don't think so" she said, her bottom lip trembling.

"You've been stealing your classmates items haven't you?" the teacher asked knowingly.

Catherine's brown eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly. She was so overwhelmed by her need to deny the accusation that she could barely speak.

"N-no" she stuttered.

"Please stop lying Catherine, I saw you" Adriana said, blinking her eyes in mock-sadness as a show for the teacher.

"Wha-at? No!" Catherine cried, not believing that her best friend was doing this. There must have been a mistake.

"We're going to have to see the principal to sort this out, come along girls" the teacher said, walking them out. Once they reached the corridor, they heard a door slam open from another classroom. They heard the 5th grade teacher yell. "Henry Bass! Get back here at once!"

Henry appeared in the hallway, looking around frantically until he spotted Catherine and strode over to them.

He noticed that Catherine was in tears and stopped for a moment in front of her. "Are you okay?"

She looked down at her feet, wiping her tears furiously as they kept falling against her will. Henry simply put a supportive hand on her shoulder before turning to speak to the teacher.

"I have found your thief" Henry proclaimed, as though he was in some detective movie. He held up his phone, and played a video. It was of Adriana alone in the classroom, snooping through the students desks and taking their crayons and pencils. The teacher looked from the phone to Adriana incredulously.

"How could you do this? Why would you do this?" Catherine yelled, getting the jist of what had happened. She was not one to lose her temper, but when it came to school, it was personal for her.

"I-I..I had no choice" Adriana cried. "I didn't want to get in trouble, and I thought you would understand."

Catherine just shook her head angrily at her. When the clip ended, the teacher rubbed her temples Lily Bass-style and sighed.

"Henry Bass, you know that you aren't allowed to have a phone at school. However, thank you for the truth. Please escort Catherine back to class while I take Adriana to the principal" the teacher said, walking away with Adriana and taking his phone with her.

"My life is on that phone" Henry muttered half-jokingly to Catherine, turning to her when she didn't reply. She looked lost in a world of anger as she stared after Adriana and the teacher, clenching and unclenching her fists. Henry could tell she was partially angry at herself as well.

"Come on," he said, throwing his arm around her shoulders and leading her back to the classroom. "It was rookie mistake, don't worry about it."

Catherine cheered up a little at that, glad that he wasn't saying "I told you so" when he had every right to. When they were just outside of her classroom, it hit her that Henry had just completely saved her.

"Thank you" Catherine said softly, digging her shoe into the ground and feeling bashful all of a sudden.

She looked up to see him grinning at her. "Anytime, Cat" he replied, nudging his shoulder against hers as he walked off.

Catherine wasn't sure how long she stood there blushing and smiling from ear to ear. She didn't like nicknames, but Cat sounded okay coming from him.

Spectacular, even.

That had been the beginning of Catherine's crush on Henry.

And what a painful crush it was for her.

She was too shy to approach him at school. He was always surrounded by his older friends and seemed so intimidating. Catherine began to find herself sitting alone and just watching him secretively, sometimes even writing down things that she noticed about him once she knew how to write.

Until she entered the first grade and he left for middle school, that was.

Catherine then became desperate for excuses to go over his house with her mother, however she found that the majority of the time he wasn't home anyway.

And what would she even say to him? She would become tongue-tied in his presence, like on Thanksgiving.

"So what has the Cat been up to?" He had said as he helped himself to the turkey.

She had just blinked at him and felt her face heat up, so alarmed by the fact that he was speaking to her that she was speechless. He crinkled his eyebrows at her when she just stared, but then shook his head and smiled as though he didn't mind. She was saved by her mother asking Henry how school was going.

However, later that night as she sat in bed while her mother brushed her hair, she knew that her mother had intentionally jumped to her rescue at dinner because she had noticed Catherine's strange behavior.

"You know, if you like a boy, you should talk to them" she said with a smile.

Catherine had frozen for a moment, before somewhat recovering. "Wha-at? Boys are gross Mommy" she said with a nervous laugh.

"Whatever you say sweetie" Serena said with a laugh, then cuddled her daughter close and whispered to her. "You're a smart little 5 year old with so many clever thoughts. It would be cruel not to share them with people."

She pressed a kiss to her forehead and tucked her under the blankets. Just before she turned the light off at the door, her mother turned to look at her over her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid to go after what you want. Your Daddy wasn't" she said with a wink.

Catherine lay awake that night thinking about what her mother had said. Maybe she was right in a lot of ways, but she was also incredibly wrong. Henry was 5 years older than her. He thought she was a baby, and there would never be a way to pull him away from that knowledge long enough for him to grow to like her back.

For an almost-six year old, Catherine Humphrey had a bleak, wise-beyond-her-years outlook on the world.

After she had that moment of clarity, she withdrew herself from everything and everyone except her parents, not really caring if she had friends or not. The only thing she focused on was her writing and reading.

It was a confusing and lonely childhood for her, because sometimes she knew that there was this bright, friendly person inside of her that could make friends with anyone. But the last time she had a best friend, they had betrayed her. By the time she had reached middle school, she had become a bitter cynic with no friends and a torturous crush on the only person who might understand; Henry.

She had been typing away at her laptop one afternoon, cloaked in the darkness of her room, when her mother marched in and opened the curtains to brighten the room up.

"Mom" Catherine groaned, covering her eyes at the brightness.

"That's enough living like a hermit for one day. We're going shopping with Blair" Serena announced, hands on hips that were unfairly slender for a mother.

"I hate shopping" she complained.

"One does not simply hate shopping" her mother said, placing a hand to her forehead in imitation of the Lord of the Rings character.

Catherine had to laugh despite her desire to cringe. Her mother had recently discovered memes, which she found embarrassingly out-dated.

Serena smiled back at her, and Catherine sighed, rolling her eyes and carrying herself to her closet to get ready to shop.

When Catherine got to the store, she got the shock of her life. As they approached Blair, she saw a now taller, adolescent and even more attractive Henry carrying bags of clothes that his mother had already bought, but unlike most teenage boys, he seemed to be pleased to be there. In an act of pure instinct, she hid behind a rack of dresses, leaving her mother to walk up to them without noticing her disappearance.

She heard her mother greet them.

"I thought you were bringing Catherine" Blair said.

"I am! She's right...here" Serena drifted off when she realized her daughter was missing. The three of them looked further back to see Catherine awkwardly failing to properly hide behind the clothes. She stepped out sheepishly and walked up them, wanting to die right then and there.

"Hello sweetie" Blair said with a smile, and Henry just smirked at her.

Catherine could barely look at them as she sulkily replied. "Hi."

"Shall we?" Henry said in his now deep voice to the women, marching forward so that they could move on to the next store. The mothers laughed and followed the charming boy, and Catherine just trailed behind them quietly.

On their way, Catherine's attention was caught by a bookstore. She naturally gravitated towards it, forgetting the others for a bit and entering the store.

She was flicking through a book when somebody whispered in her ear "hello kitten" causing her to drop the book in shock. Catherine whirled around and looked up to see Henry grinning at her. She looked at the ground instantly, her heart pounding in her chest. He picked up the book for her and looked at the cover.

"The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins. You are such a boy" he said loudly with a patronizing look.

She rolled her eyes at him instantly, because if there was one thing that nobody could intimidate her with, it was literature. She noticed the bookstore bag in his hand. "What are you reading then?"

He smirked and pulled it out.

"The Unbearable Lightness of Being? You are such a girl" Catherine retorted, but to her surprise he chuckled a little. She swallowed at the sound, looking anywhere but at him.

"Come on, they sent me to get you" Henry said, before leading her to the store. On the way, they broke out into a discussion about great literature. Well, it was more of a heated argument. It was the first time in so long that Catherine had felt comfortable to talk around someone other than her parents. She couldn't believe it was with Henry, the one who in a lot of ways was the cause of her reservedness.

Once they got to the store, Henry sat in a chair talking to his mother while her mother bombarded her with dresses to try on. Catherine sighed and picked one of the ones that somewhat interested her and slumped into the change room.

It was a swishy looking royal blue dress that felt midway down her thighs and highlighted her long, skinny legs. Catherine hated how lanky her height made her look. Her mother's height made her look statuesque and beautiful, whereas Catherine felt awkward, like she hadn't grown into it at all.

"Come on Catherine, how long does it take?" Serena called out.

She opened the change room door and stepped out, scratching her elbow uncomfortably and staring at the ground before looking up at her mother. Serena had a huge grin on her face as she started at her daughter.

"Oh you look stunning, Catherine" Blair commented with a wistful smile, then turned to her son who was watching from his chair. "Doesn't she look stunning, sweetie?"

Henry had a lopsided smile on his face as he looked at her, before shrugging and turning away. Catherine practically bolted back into the dressing room after that, completely uncomfortable with the attention and disheartened by Henry's lack of a reaction. What she hadn't heard was Henry murmur back to his mother "she always does."

When Catherine had gotten home that day, it was the first time she realized that Henry could also be her friend, if she tried.

But he was never really around for her to do that. When she moved into middle school he was in high-school, and when she moved into high-school he had really disappeared from her life to attend Yale.

Catherine Humphrey had her heart broken at age 14.

It was around the time that she had discovered that her father had been Gossip Girl, and her mother his muse. When she read about the kinds of things her mother had done, she felt many things. Firstly it was shock, then it was pressure to either become her or not become her. It was then that she had met the Baizen brothers, twins from the grade above hers. They showed her a world where you didn't have to care about anything, and she gladly embraced it. It was through them that Catherine Humphrey realized she a weakness for any brand of champagne, and found herself surrounded by drug-addicts instead of real friends.

However, by the time she was nearing the end of senior year, she had gotten over all of them. She was lost and confused yet again, because sometimes Catherine swore that there was this party girl inside of her that could jump out when provoked, but she had this know-it-all brain inside of her that told her she was above all that. It explained why she hadn't had sex, or even a boyfriend.

Perhaps a part of her was still holding on to some fantasy about a certain brunette.

Even so, Catherine was still a withdrawn person, and she could be a loner when she wanted to be.

It was prom night and Catherine wasn't going. She was going to curl up in bed with Thackeray. After all, Catherine had been named after his first main character because her father was such a huge fanatic.

Not that she blamed him. Thackeray was the only person who made her laugh sometimes.

She had read the first chapter when her mother called her downstairs. Thinking that it would just be her parents in the living room, she wandered downstairs in her huge jumper that she wore as a dress and her hair in a messed, haphazard bun.

"What is it mother?" Catherine said slightly impatiently as she wandered into the room.

But of course, when she reached their living room, Blair and Chuck were seated with them, accompanied by Henry who had been visiting for the weekend.

"Catherine" Blair said with an elegant smile. It was Henry's smile.

Chuck just smirked at Catherine, but his eyes were warm in greeting. She could swear that she hadn't ever seen that man look sad.

Then Henry spoke.

"Cat" he said with grin as he appraised her. He was 21 and beautiful. Still wearing his hair to a length just short of needing a hair cut, but now a fully grown man. Butterflies erupted in her stomach wildly.

Oh God.

She had a total Ginny Weasley moment where her eyes widened and she froze. Catherine was lucky that she didn't back out of the room like the red-head had.

She was saved by Blair who narrowed her eyes at her. "And what's this I hear about you not going to prom?"

"Blair," Serena said in a warning tone.

Catherine looked down at the ground for a moment and then shrugged. She didn't really expect anyone to understand.

"No one to go with" she muttered in explanation. It was more like there wasn't anyone that she wanted to go with.

"Well, that's easily sorted. Henry here can take you. He doesn't leave to go back to New Haven until the morning" Blair ordered, still ever the Queen B.

Catherine's throat went dry and her hands felt clammy at the thought. A whole night with the object of her unending desire. The thought alone was too nerve-wracking for her.

"I-uh..don't have a dress" she quickly said, trying to make any excuse.

Blair knitted her eyebrows together. "I own a fashion company and your aunt is one of the designers. I'll have Dorota run to the atelier and pick up an original" she said firmly.

Catherine blinked. The woman was wretched.

"Excuse me" Catherine said in a small voice, leaving the room. Serena got up to follow her, but Dan stopped her.

"Let me," he said gently, and Serena nodded with a smile.

Catherine sat on her bed with her legs bent so her knees were tucked below her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs.

Her father appeared at the door, knocking on the frame lightly.

"I'm not going" Catherine said stubbornly.

He sighed and walked in to sit next to her on the bed.

"Catherine, you're as beautiful as mother. But you have my eyes, which means we always see things similarly" Dan said with a smile at his daughter.

"So you understand that I don't want to go?" Catherine asked quietly.

"No, for once I don't understand. Those parties were where the greatest moments of my life occurred, and they will happen to you too" he insisted, and she looked down. Her eyes burned a little and a lump grew in her throat, she wasn't sure why.

He tipped her chin up so she had no choice but to look at him.

"I like Henry. I trust him. So you're allowed to go to prom with him if you want" he said, as though she had just asked his permission. He grinned at her playfully, and she sighed and grinned helplessly back.

Dan walked back into the living room 5 minutes later.

"She's in. Your turn now" he said to the women.

Roughly an hour later, after primping and pulling and a delivery from the atelier, Catherine was ready. Her mother embarrassingly waited with the camera at the bottom of the stairs, along with the others. Henry was dressed in a classy black suit that had been brought for him, his thick hair slicked back as he waited at the foot of the stairs.

Oh God, this is so clichéd, Catherine remembered thinking as she descended the stairs. She was in a long black glittering gown, and her blonde hair had been styled to the side in a fish plait. Her make up was minimal because she insisted on it, just a little mascara, blush in her cheeks and shimmer on her lips. She hated looking overdone.

She looked anywhere but at Henry when she walked down the stairs. She didn't how how she would react if she did. He probably thought she was the saddest thing ever, not having a date to prom.

"Oh Henry, doesn't she look stunning?" Blair whispered to her son.

"She always does" he whispered back, not taking his eyes off her as he smiled.

Catherine approached her father with a nervous look. "How do I look?"

Dan, for the first time in his life, was speechless. He looked like he was trying not to cry in an attempt to hold on to his masculinity.

"Oh my God, my daughter is a woman" he said in a tone of awe.

"Dad, you can just tell me I look nice instead of turning this into a sermon on the passage of time" Catherine said, rolling her eyes and grinning.

"You look like...your mother" Dan continued, still sounding incredulous.

Catherine smiled. "Thanks," she said quietly, and he kissed her on the forehead.

"Take a photo of us, Dan!" Serena exclaimed, shoving the camera in his hands and wrapping her arms around her daughter, beaming.

Dan grinned as he stared at his blondes together, smiling back at him for the photo. He felt his heart sink as he realized that soon he would be losing his little girl to college, and then eventually whoever she fell in love with. No.

Henry cleared his throat, stepping forward. "You ready, Cat?" he said.

Catherine still couldn't look at him as she nodded, blushing furiously. Damn it, she was sick of being shy all the time. Why couldn't she just be like her mother? Judging from what she had read on the Gossip Girl site, her mother had been charismatic, charming every man she met.

Tonight was going to be different, Catherine thought. She was going to end this cycle of not being able to speak to Henry. Perhaps the only way to get past her crush on him was to face him dead on.

Her mother snapped a few pictures of them walking towards the elevator, and soon they were on their way in Henry's father's limo.

Catherine wrung her hands together in her lap nervously as they sat silently. She glanced up at him from beneath her eyelashes, and was surprised to find him looking at her intently. It caused her to look back down at her hands instantly.

"I'm sorry, this probably wasn't how you wanted to spend your visit home" she mumbled, feeling pathetic.

He just shrugged to show that he didn't mind. Catherine found herself nodding her head to cover her nerves. After she realized she had been doing that for nearly a whole minute, she froze and looked up at him. His lips were pressed together tightly as though he was trying not to laugh, but his eyes weren't making fun of her. Well they were, but she didn't feel patronized, not when they looked so warm. It was just...good-natured and relaxing for a moment. She breathed out from her nose, closing her eyes as she smiled and broke into a quiet laugh.

He chuckled deeply for a moment, then bit his lip and stared at her with that inquisitive look again.

Oh wow, he looks great doing that, Catherine thought.

"What?" She asked playfully, feeling more comfortable now.

"Nothing" he said back, just as childishly. "It's just...I was wondering why you didn't want to go to prom in the first place?"

She blinked. "Like I said. No one to go with."

"Please, someone who looks like you can't have that excuse."

Catherine barely had time to die inside from his compliment, before she realized that they had arrived. After stepping out from the limo, he offered her his arm and she took it, hoping he didn't notice her hand trembling as it tucked itself into his warmth.

They entered the ballroom, and immediately people began to stare. Henry Bass had ruled this kingdom once before, and he was infamous. Catherine caught the looks of envy from the girls as they stared at her Waldorf original dress and the man on her arm, and she hated it. She didn't enjoy looking like the girl who got everything handed to her, even when she refused it. It was so far from the truth, and she worked hard for everything she wanted. Yes, Henry was her partner for prom, but it would never be more than that. This was just a stolen chance of sorts.

She swallowed, feeling uncomfortable again.

"Come on, let's dance" Henry whispered in her ear, causing goosebumps to appear along her skin.

He pulled her to the dance floor just as a slow song began.

Oh my God, I don't know if I can do this, Catherine thought as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked a spot over his shoulder as she placed her arms around his neck. Breathe, just breathe.

His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer, and she nearly passed out. She felt him rubbing his thumbs on her back almost soothingly, and strangely it caused her to relax. She brazenly laid her head on his chest as they swayed.

Catherine couldn't believe she did that, but he didn't seem to mind. She wasn't sure how many songs they went through dancing like that, but soon the event was nearly over. They had arrived half way through, so her prom had been a short and simple one.

But her father had been right, it was one of the greatest moments of her life.

They didn't speak the whole night, but it didn't feel strange. Just comfortable and natural, and for the first time ever, Catherine allowed herself to wonder a little about Henry. A sliver of hope even rose within her.

He entwined their fingers as he walked her to the limo, and she leaned her head against his shoulder almost dreamily.

Neither of them commented on the fact that they continued to hold hands as they sat in the limo on the way home, just sitting in relaxed silence. Catherine felt so at peace that she drifted off to sleep.

The last thing that she remembered was a pair of strong arms placing her in her bed.

She could swear that she felt a light kiss on her forehead, and heard the words "Goodnight, Cat." But perhaps it had been a dream.

The next morning, Henry had returned to Yale.

And Catherine would have been devastated, had she not been following him there for college in a few months.

Yale had a great writing program. Her father had wanted to go there at some point in his life but never got to.

She was going to go for him, but she was also going for herself. Catherine wanted to read and write for the rest of her life. It was her passion and her escape.

Catherine's parents had come with her to help her get settled in her room. She wanted to stay in the dorms and find her own way. Her mother had given her a spine-crushing hug before getting into the car.

Her father glanced around at the campus almost wistfully before looking at Catherine. "Enjoy" he said, hugging her even tighter than her mother and giving her a long, meaningful look that said everything he felt. She smiled softly back at him.

"Bye Daddy" she said, before hopping up the steps and entering the building.

As Dan watched her do this, a watery smile broke out across his face. It felt like yesterday that she had said the same thing before entering her kindergarten class.

His wife honked the horn, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Come on, you cry-baby!" Serena called out, followed by her 4-year old laugh.

Dan grinned at her, shaking his head and walking over to the car.

Catherine settled into Yale much more easily than school. People at college weren't trying to scheme against her, as much as that was hard to believe. It was a world away from the Upper East Side, and everyone here was like her. They wanted to learn, and to become great intellectuals.

She still hadn't seen Henry for the first month, which deeply upset her. Shouldn't he at least have checked up on her as a family friend? As someone who cared?

However, one day when she was sitting on a bench in the park area and reading, somebody whispered in her ear "hello, kitten."

Catherine dropped the book in her hand. She knew that voice from anywhere.

She whipped around to see Henry grinning down at her, dressed unusually laid-back, in a white button up top with rolled up sleeves, and trousers.

"Where have you been?"

It came out before she could stop herself. Not subtle at all, Catherine she thought, hitting herself on the head inwardly.

"Paris" he said simply, but with a gleam in his eye that showed Catherine just how much he loved the city. "I went on exchange."

She nodded, and then eyed the book in his hand.

When he saw where she was looking, he held the book up. "Fitzgerald. You're in my spot by the way" he said, walking around and sitting next to her. He crossed his leg over his knee elegantly.

"Your spot?"

"Perfect balance of sunlight and shade. Picturesque view of campus. It's my reading spot" he said.

Catherine rolled her eyes. Control freak, much.

"I don't see your name on it" she said quietly with a smile.

He seemed to pause and stare at her for a moment. Henry looked right into her eyes, and she had to look away before she blushed.

"I suppose I could share it with you" he finally said, like the true power addict he was.

She giggled and shook her head, turning back to her book. Henry smiled at her, his look lingering before he opened his own book.

And that was how it began.

They would meet at that spot each day and read together between breaks. Sometimes they would discuss what they were reading, often arguing to the point where she wanted to throw her book at him. Other times they would sit in comfortable silence and read. Catherine couldn't remember a time when she had felt this happy...this connected with someone who wasn't related to her.

Catherine and Henry continued this way for almost a month. She often wondered why he never seemed to hang out with anyone but her. At home, he had always been at the center of the social ring. But then again, Yale was so different to the city. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to affect him negatively. He almost looked...serene when they sat together.

She was also confused about how he felt towards her, especially after prom. Catherine worried that maybe she had built the magical night up in her head. He could very well only see her as a friend, or a companion. Her heart ached at that thought, but there was a desperate part of her that would cling to anything he would give her, even friendship.

But did friends put their arms behind you on benches, sometimes even twirling their fingers in your hair? Catherine thought. He would sometimes even lean a little closer, and she wouldn't be able to focus on her book, dizzy from his aroma.

The worst part was that he seemed completely unaware of the effect he had on her. It took all she had in her not to gaze at him too long, and even then, she would steal glances at him. She couldn't help it, he was so...sexy, with his thickly lashed, dark eyes and pale complexion, and the most kissable looking lips you ever saw.

That was another thing. She still hadn't had sex with anybody, or even really kissed a boy. Catherine didn't care how that made her seem.

Sex, to her, was like art, and you don't rush art.

Was it so crazy that she wanted to know without a doubt that whoever she ended up with was different? That they would be able to know that they were different, and meant something to her? She didn't think so.

The more she got to spend time with Henry, the more she knew that he wasn't some silly school-girl fantasy or crush anymore. They had a real bond that had always been there.

College was supposedly a time for experimentation, but she hadn't felt like doing anything with anyone...except him. When he would run his fingers through his dark locks, she would burn with jealousy, wanting to be the one to do it.

But he wouldn't ever show a huge, obvious sign that he felt the same way. It drove her insane.

One day, when they were in the middle of a debate about a film that they had both recently seen, a tall blonde guy with greenish-blue eyes interrupted them.

"Hi, I was just wondering if you guys wanted to come to this party our fraternity are hosting" he said with a pearly-white grin, handing them a flyer.

"Excuse me, were you raised in a barn? We were in the middle of a conversation" Henry snapped rudely, narrowing his eyes.

"Henry!" Catherine exclaimed in shock, and then tried to apologize to the boy.

The boy just smiled good-naturedly. "It's cool, hope to see you and your...boyfriend there?"

"He's not-"

"She's not-"

"We're not."

The boy smirked. "In that case, I'm Murphy. Hope to see you there...?" He said, waiting for her name.

"Catherine" she said with a small smile.

"Catherine," he murmured, then winked at her. "Later."

She turned back to see Henry glaring at Murphy's retreating figure.

"What's with you?" Catherine asked.

"Nothing, he was just annoying. What kind of name is Murphy anyway?" Henry muttered, rolling his eyes. She glanced down at the flier in her hand, and he noticed."You're not seriously considering going, are you?"

"Well, I don't really know anyone on campus. Maybe we should go?" Catherine said nervously, because to her it sounded a lot like she was asking him out.

He paused for a moment, then pursued his lips. "A frat party? It's so...pedestrian."

"It might be fun" she said, glancing at Murphy and his jock-looking friends. Murphy saw her and waved, and she gave an awkward little wave back.

When she looked back at Henry, he looked annoyed.

"I'll pass" he said dryly, before getting up and leaving her alone without another word.

Catherine felt confused and upset by his weird behavior. But if he was going to act like a spoiled brat, then she was going to let him.

The party was a mistake.

For starters she had somehow convinced herself to wear a gold, Serena-esque number that she in no way felt comfortable in. Second of all, she went alone and as a result knew no one there.

She had been about to leave when Murphy approached her.

"You came" he said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, but I'm actually just going to leave" she said, turning to go.

He grabbed her shoulder. "Wait, at least let me buy you a drink. I invited you after all" he insisted. Catherine stared at him a little, because there was no denying that he was good-looking, if you liked the pretty boy, jock type. He was no Henry, but he was still handsome and really nice.

What was the worst that could happen? She could use a drink anyway.

"Sure" she replied quietly.

He led her over to the bar and got her a tequila shot. It was not her signature glass of champagne, but it would do.

Not having drunk much since her early years of high-school, Catherine already felt light-headed.

"Dance with me" he said, pulling her along to the dance floor, and she just went with it.

Murphy spun her around and around until she began to feel dizzy.

"Stop" she mumbled, when she nearly tripped.

"Sorry, sorry" he said, chuckling tipsily. He then tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and leaned in. Catherine moved back, realizing what he was trying to do, but he would just push forward. He followed her as she started to walk backwards in an attempt to escape, until she collided with a hard chest. She looked behind her to see Henry, his jaw set in a firm lock as he looked down at her.

"Get your coat, we're leaving" he said quietly.

When she just blinked at him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along to the coat check table.

He crossed his arms impatiently as he waited for her, and then practically yanked her along with him until they reached his dorm room. She was in a tipsy, confused daze until that moment.

She ripped her arm from his.

"What do you think you're doing?" Catherine cried incredulously.

"I think I'm saving your ass from that wasted Neanderthal" Henry retorted.

"What? We were just dancing, you drama queen. Why does that even matter to you?" she exclaimed, waving her hands up in the air in emphasis.

"Because, you're mine!"

And he gave her a bruising kiss, gripping her shoulders in frustration. Henry didn't stop for a whole minute, and once she got over the shock of her life, she melted into their passionate lip-lock, tangling her fingers in his hair tightly.

Her heart raced.

There was no time to think.

He pulled her into his room as they ran their hands over each others bodies, kissing hungrily.

Oh God, she remembered thinking.

Clothes were ripped off in a desperate need for skin to skin contact.

She shivered as he licked and bit her like his favorite macaroon.

This was real.

They were naked and tumbling onto the bed. She gasped loudly when he entered her.

This was really, real.

He made love to her wildly, over and over again like a never-ending hurricane.

No words were spoken, until the pleasure became too much for her and she would sigh, "Oh Henry."

He would chuckle adoringly, covering her mouth with his and holding her closer.

It was a whole new world after that.

Catherine felt like a real woman. Henry had introduced her to her sexuality, and she discovered everything that was erotic to her.

And she was desperately and madly in love, and she knew he was too from the look in his eyes and the way he touched her so tenderly, during and after he had made her feel all those wonderful things underneath the sheets.

They stayed together for months, making love every day and spending every moment they could together like they couldn't bear to be apart. None of their parents knew what was going on between them, like it was their own exciting secret in a world far away from them. She was in pure bliss, and life was in technicolor. It was scary how dramatically things had changed, but for once she didn't feel like reflecting on it. There was no need to sit and ponder how she had gone from being tortuously in love to happily.

Oh, it was all so amazing. Even the way they opened up to each other, usually after making love.

"Sometimes, I feel incredibly disconnected, really uncomfortable in my own skin. Like I was born at the wrong time and I belong in another era" Henry had once mumbled lazily as they lay naked on their sides facing each other, the sheet only covering their bottom halves and leaving their torso's exposed. Their legs were entwined as they pressed their bodies up against each other, hands roaming affectionately.

"I don't feel like I belong anywhere" Catherine whispered back.

He held her hands up to his lips and kissed them.

"You belong with me."

One day, when she was nearing the end of her first year, they were sitting up in her bed. She had been leaning her head against his shoulder and listening to him read out one of her love poems about him. At first she had been mortified when he had found them, but she eased when he had shown her just how much he had appreciated them when he took her on her desk, the floor, and eventually her bed.

His voice was deep and rumbling as he recited her own words, turning her on something fierce. Catherine began to press seductive kisses along the side of his head, when she felt him pull away. She hadn't even realized that he had stopped talking.

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked.

"Nothing" he said shortly, getting up from the bed.

"Henry" she said in a small voice. He turned back to look at her and seemed to soften immediately.

"It's just...my whole life I've known that I want to be a lawyer. It's been my dream ever since I knew that two of my grandfathers were lawyers" Henry explained.

Catherine smiled. "And? You've already been accepted by one of the best law firms in New York for next year. What's the problem?"

"I didn't plan you" he said with a tender smile, sitting back down on the bed with her and entwining their fingers. "I'll miss you too much."

Her heart fluttered. "We can call and write. I can visit, you can visit."

Henry looked to ponder it for a moment, before sighing. She felt cold fear stab at her heart at the look in his eyes.

No.

"You're breaking up with me" she squeaked, and his eyes jumped up in panic at her words.

"Catherine, I-" he tried to say.

"Why? Do you not...feel the same way anymore?" she asked shakily, feeling herself hyperventilate.

"It's not that, don't even dare think that! It's just...I don't know how to be what I want to be and figure us out at the same time. Think about it, do you know yourself outside of me?" He said brokenly, cupping her cheek as his eyes pleading with her to see the truth.

"That's mighty presumptuous of you, Henry" she said coldly, but inside she was already starting to understand and it was breaking her heart. Henry used his mind, and so did she. It was partially why she fell in love with him.

He was right. The majority of her struggles and her great experiences and hangups had been all about him. Was that all she was? Did she not have the potential for more? She loved Henry, but she hated that thought.

How long would their love even last if she didn't know or trust in herself? It was the only real shot they had.

As though Henry knew that she had almost come to terms with it in her inner struggle, he gave her a watery smile. "Please don't fall in love with anyone else" he whispered, not even half-jokingly as he embraced her tightly, possessively.

"How could I?" Catherine said back, her voice cracking. She kissed her shoulder lovingly and clung to him.

They stayed in that position for a long time. Eventually, he got dressed in his clothes slowly, pressing a long, bittersweet kiss to her lips before leaving the room completely.

As soon as the door shut behind him, she fell apart.

She fell apart for more than a few months. Catherine was withdrawn for a while, lonely again. She stayed away from the city for the next year, afraid that she would run into him. She didn't know where that would lead her.

But eventually she found herself. Her inspiration had come when she found out from the news that Henry had won his first case, and she threw herself into her writing. She completed internships, and met all these prominent literary figures who led her into the world of writing. Catherine went on dates, but they never progressed into much. She barely remembered even kissing any of them.

One weekend, her parents were visiting her. She sat in between them on a bench, their bench.

"So you got that wonderful shot with The Times, I've never been so proud" her father said, wrapping his arm around her and giving it a squeeze.

Catherine nodded with a small smile. Her career had been bouncing off, with editors demanding to have her write for them after she had won a series of newspaper competitions. At some point Catherine had gotten started on that thing called a future and stopped procrastinating over a broken heart. Her college degree was ending in just over a year, but she didn't feel anxious or afraid.

This world at Yale had been amazing, and it had taught her so many things that would arm her against things she could face in any city. Knowledge had been the main weapon of choice, and logic would act as a guide. Experience had helped her gain these powers.

"I was hoping that you might consider coming back to the city. You know that Nate has the Spectator as a day-to-day job for you" her mother said, her eyes hopeful. She had missed her little girl so much, wanting to be able to brush her hair for her again.

Catherine bit her lip in thought. She did miss her parents, but there was that other nagging thing on her conscience.

"I need a job that I worked hard to get, not one that was handed to me. It's just not...right" she said, but clutched her mothers arm to show her sincerity.

Serena nodded sadly, understanding why she felt that way. Had she herself not been reminded of that fact every day of her life?

It was Dan that spoke up however.

"Catherine, hear us out for a moment. You are a success. I mean, you have all these things now that you slaved yourself over to achieve. Nate doesn't just take anyone, it's a serious business and he's dying to have you. I mean, three articles in Vanity Fair before the age of 21? Editors practically kissing your feet in their need to have you write for them? You beat your old man by far" he said with a chuckle, but it was a good-natured talk. The pride was all in his eyes.

Serena smiled at her husband, then held her daughters hand. "There's nothing wrong with embracing who you are. It's something that I learnt when I wasn't that much older than you."

Catherine took her parents words in and nodded. They made a lot of sense, and they filled her with a pride that she hadn't really felt so strongly before. Perhaps Catherine was learning to love herself a little, or at least understand who she was.

But there was still Henry to think about. Catherine would no doubt have to see him again. Would he want to see her right when his career had also just been taking off? When she read all about the cases he was winning, she had teared up with happiness for him. It was strange how Catherine had always felt inferior to him because of her age, but now they had become...equals. The numbers didn't matter anymore because they were both adults now, both people with a future.

As they were walking back to the car, Serena clung onto her daughters arm and slowed her down a bit so they could talk privately. Dan walked ahead of them.

"There's someone, isn't there?" Serena said knowingly.

Catherine blinked. "How do you know?"

"I'm a mother, we know these things" Serena said with a smile. "Do I know him?"

Catherine hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Please don't guess names, and I'll tell you what you need to know" she said quickly before her mother's excited look could stretch too far.

"Fine" Serena said, rolling her eyes but smiling anyway. They had never really talked boys, aside from that time when Catherine was six.

"I...fell in love" Catherine said slowly at first, then spitting the rest out really quickly.

Her mother's eyebrows raised expressively. Botox still hadn't happened. "How much in love?"

"Like Dan Humphrey and Serena Van der Woodsen in love" she mumbled.

Serena grinned wildly. "Not Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf in love?"

Catherine chuckled a little. "Maybe, for him. Have you ever felt that unbreakable, mythological tie with another human?"

Her mother stared at her pensively for a moment, but she didn't look to be thinking about whether or not she had. It was whether or not she wanted to divulge it. "Yes I have, and not just with your father. Blair has been my companion for longer than anyone else in my life" she finally admitted.

Catherine nodded. "Did you ever feel as though they might of...let you go?"

Serena, sighed and looking away from her daughter, into the distance. "Yes I did, more than once. And it broke me more than anyone could understand. But they always came back to me, and even if they hadn't, I eventually became strong enough to be able to be alone too. It's funny how loss stops happening to you once you find that strength."

That had been hard for Serena to say, but it may have been her most important moment as a mother, showing Catherine that she could be vulnerable, and weak. And it was probably the best thing that Catherine had ever learnt, and she didn't learn it from Yale.

When she waved her parents goodbye that afternoon, she knew she was ready for home. Catherine had always been ready, because she still called the Upper East Side her home, she just had never realized it.

When Catherine graduated and returned home, there was a dinner party waiting for her in true Upper East side fashion.

Everyone was there, from her Grandpa Rufus to her Uncle Eric. This was her family, and she was sorry that she had been hiding away from them for so long. Catherine missed them.

She missed Nate, who to this day was still the object of every girl in her high-school class's desires.

She missed her cool and rebellious Aunt Jenny, who inspired her in so many ways.

She missed her funny Grandpa Rufus and how they were the only ones in the family with the same taste in music.

She missed her doting Grandma Lily, and how she would never really change and didn't seem to care about it.

She missed her uniquely sane Uncle Eric being that light at the end of the Upper East side tunnel.

Catherine realized how much she had missed Chuck and Blair too. They could both be intimidating, and borderline sexually inappropriate for old people and not very discreet about it. But they were fiercely loyal, not just to each other but to this entire family that they all shared. They also looked like a pair from another era, and that had always made them fascinating to her.

Another era.

Staring at his parents had made Catherine looked around to see if Henry was there, finding him absent. She tried not to let her heart sink too heavily as she sat down between her parents.

About half way through the entrees Henry stumbled in.

She hoped her fork didn't clatter too obviously against her plate.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. The meeting ran late and my client just doesn't know what he's doing with his life. Honestly, businessmen these days are what's keeping me in a job" Henry said breathlessly, rolling his eyes and sitting down.

In between his parents.

In the seat across from hers.

It looked like an arranged marriage scene from some movie.

"Hey" Nate, Blair and Chuck chorused in response to Henry's jab about businessmen.

Henry just threw his hands up in the air and reached for his fork. It was then that he looked up and locked eyes with her. It was subtle, but his eyes widened fractionally. She, on the other hand, swallowed and stared at him unblinkingly, not being one to easily mask her emotions. He looked...good. Better than good. Henry Bass looked possibly more deliciously dark and handsome than the last time they had seen each other. He looked so legitimate in his suit for work and his slicked back hair. But his large, expressive eyes held an aura of sadness in them. Her heart jumped. Maybe he had really missed her?

"Cat" he said hoarsely, but only she seemed to notice it.

"Henry" she replied quietly, before looking back down at her plate and shoveling food into her mouth to keep from talking.

However when she looked back up, she caught her Uncle Eric staring at the both of them in wonder.

Somehow, he had just figured it out. Her eyes connected with his and begged him not to comment. His blue eyes softened in understanding and he smiled to let her know it was okay. He could keep a secret.

They managed to all get through the rest of the meal in peace.

They all laughed when Grandpa Rufus told stories about Dan and Jenny in their youth.

"Remember that time when Dan had his first guy friend, other than Cedric of course" Jenny said giggling, and the rest of the table snorted in laughter.

Dan just stabbed at his food and rolled his eyes, but he eased off and chuckled when Serena caught his eye and smiled at him.

"Who was his first guy friend?" Nate asked.

"You, sweetie" Jenny said.

Everyone at the table chorused in a mocking "aw" at them and laughed again.

Catherine had been spooning chocolate mousse into her mouth and enjoying it thoroughly when she felt a familiar gaze on her. Henry's dark eyes were hungrily following her mouth's movements along the spoon. She stared at him as she licked the corner of her mouth, secretly enjoying teasing him a little, but doing a great job of playing dumb.

Or so she thought.

Catherine felt a cool leather rub up against the inside of her leg slowly, and she knew it was him. She bit her lip as her eyes widened in warning. He just flickered his eyebrows up flirtatiously, a little playful smile on his lips.

Suddenly he stopped and jumped up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to make a quick phone call."

"Henry, we said no leaving dinner for phone calls" Blair complained.

"Well, I'm not leaving dinner, mother. I'm leaving dessert" Henry said before sauntering out of the room and leaving everyone to chuckle at him.

"I don't know where he gets it" Blair said incredulously, and her husband smirked at her knowingly. His wife still never got nearly enough credit for her wit.

Catherine barely registered any of this however, sitting there in a daze for a minute before excusing herself to the bathroom.

She didn't go to the bathroom however, she went straight to her room. Her safe little island for whenever everything else felt too much.

However, when she entered the room, an arm grabbed her from the side and shut the door behind her. Henry slammed her against the door, kissing her hungrily. The door rattled loudly behind them as he rocked his body into hers. She moaned in delight instantly.

God, he kissed even more divinely than she remembered.

Catherine just managed to hear footsteps approaching the door, lost in a world of pleasure. She quickly locked it, but it didn't stop her mother from calling out.

"Catherine, are you okay?" she asked.

Henry held her hands up between their chests as they looked into each others eyes, grinning as they tried not to laugh, like two naughty children about to get caught.

"I'm fine mother, just changing out of these painful heels" Catherine replied.

"Need any help choosing a new pair?" Serena asked.

Henry cupped her bottom and began to suckle her neck, pressing his hardness into her soft body, causing a moan to rise up in her throat. "Oh...um no thanks Mom, I've got it" she replied in a breathy voice.

Catherine waited until she heard her mothers footsteps become faint before she clutched at Henry. She knew he could get fairly loud when they were together.

"What if they hear?" she asked as he lifted up her skirt.

He caught her eyes and she shivered at the black look of lust in them. "I don't care" he whispered wildly with a smirk.

And so he took her against the door, and Catherine tried to muffle her moans as best as she could by biting his neck. It was a poor effort on her part, and no effort on his.

They wandered back downstairs a few moments later, after fixing up their clothes and removing the signs of their mind-blowing encounter.

However, there seemed to be little point.

When they entered the room it was deadly quiet, and Catherine's eyes locked on her mother first to see if she had noticed anything.

Oh she had definitely noticed, and she looked like the cat who ate the canary, but had supportive grip on her husband's arm.

It was then that she looked at her father, who looked torn between wanting to murder Henry and wanting to throw up.

She gulped.

Catherine glanced at Blair, and tried not to laugh. Her doe eyes were wide and glazed over as she seemed to be in a state of shock. It was probably the moment when she really realized that her baby wasn't exactly, well, a baby. Catherine looked at Chuck who, despite rubbing his wife's back soothingly, had a little smirk of pride on his face.

That was the thing that caused Catherine to shudder in embarrassment.

"If you could give us a moment of privacy" Chuck announced to the others in the room. They all quickly made excuses, leaving Henry and Catherine alone with their parents.

It was silent for a long moment, and Catherine found herself looking up to the sky and asking why in her head. She was bordering on hyperventilating, when she felt Henry slip his hand into hers and entwine their fingers. His thumbs rubbed across her hands, soothing her.

"Why don't you tell us how long this has been going on?" Chuck asked gently, the only one who didn't seem to be about to judge.

Catherine opened and closed her mouth. What could she say? Since she was 5 years old?

"I've loved Henry since I was 5 years old" she admitted boldly. Well, apparently she could say that. It swelled up in her, and she was sick of shying away all the time. Instead of totally ruining her, it felt wonderful and exhilarating to admit it. There was the romantic in her, the one that had been dying to break free without her brain weighing her down her whole life. But her brain wasn't even protesting this time, it told her she was right, especially when Henry squeezed her hand and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her on the top of her head lovingly.

"Catherine is the love of my life" Henry said, nuzzling his face into her hair.

Oh wow.

She knew that he loved her, but it didn't make it any less wonderful when he said it out loud.

Catherine didn't know why or how, but her father's countenance seemed to soften when he heard them say that, and Blair seemed to finally wake up from her catatonic state and smile at them. Like love had made everything simple.

"This is the guy you were telling me about?" Serena asked, practically beaming. She glanced over at her best friend who looked up at her and grinned. It was perfect, it was so perfect.

Catherine nodded, leaning into Henry.

"You're happy then?" Dan asked his daughter. "He makes you happy?"

"Yes Daddy, so happy" she replied with all the sincerity in her heart. Her father nodded in acceptance, smiling at his daughter.

Blair and Serena ripped Catherine away after that to grill her for all the details, like the two women had never grown up from the teenage girls they were in high school.

Catherine didn't know what would happen next, but when she looked over at Henry who was talking to his father, she knew it would be okay.

She swore she heard him murmur something about a ring.

Spectacular, even.

Well there you have it! I don't want to sound conceited, but I feel like this is the best thing I've ever written when you compare it to my other stories. A few things to explain:

1. I named Derena's daughter Catherine after Thackeray's first story. (You know Dan would do something like that). I also think it's cute because Henry in a way got to have a Cat (ties in with Blair's Audrey obsession) and I got to use the "kitten" line (Chuck would be proud of his son).

2. Poppy Lifton. Hated her so I made her a mother who didn't know the father. So that's why Adriana's last name was Lifton.

I might try Nenny and Chair's children next, but I'll take suggestions too.

I love long, detailed reviews. Hint, hint.