A/N: I got nothing. Enjoy. Definitely not an ending.

xoxo Gia

"Do you like it?" Blair's eyes are big, expectant. Her smile is too pretty for him not to smile back at her. She stands in his doorway in the dim light of the evening.

He slept with Blair Waldorf and the world didn't come crashing down. Instead, it led to the most genuine friendship he'd ever had. Serena was gone, chasing after her father. Vanessa had shut him out completely after he confessed his indiscretion (never mentioning who it was that he slept with), and Nate was mourning the loss of Serena with Chuck's little black book.

If the universe was trying to tell them something, Dan was receiving the message loud and clear.

"How?" He asks, slightly speechless, "Why did you do this?"

Resting in front of Blair's legs is a beautiful 48" x 36" painting of the legendary singer-songwriter, Lauryn Hill. The colors vibrate on the canvas, gold contrasted by black, reds mingling with deep orchids and blues.

"Your birthday is coming up," she says softly. Repeats, "Do you like it?"

Dan takes a deep breath and stares at the painting, feeling his eyes well up with moisture. He can't find his words, so he just nods, and nods, and nods. He recalls their conversation when he gave her a history lesson on hip-hop as a genre and how Lauryn Hill changed the game with her easy flow and smoky voice. He had been certain that she wasn't even listening to him.

He finally finds his voice and says, "Blair, it's amazing."

Blair grins, seemingly pleased with herself. He doesn't dare ask the price.

"Soooo," she starts, moving the painting against the wall, "Are you going to invite me in?"

Dan wants to smack himself in the head, "Yeah. Yes," he nods, "Of course."

Blair strolls carefully into the loft, but his eyes are still on the painting. He tries to remember the last time someone gave him such a thoughtful present. Probably Vanessa getting his story published in the New Yorker.

He stares at Lauryn Hill's glimmering eyes and his chest swells, feeling very content with his life at that moment. He looks over his shoulder at Blair, flipping through Details at the counter and he moves to be close to her.

Without thinking, he grabs her face and tilts it up to meet his, pressing his mouth against hers hastily. He's tentative at first, waiting for her to shove him away. But she doesn't. She smiles against his lips and places a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down to deepen the kiss.

Meanwhile, Dan's hands are all over the place. His fingers get tangled in her hair as he stands between her legs and he has a lot of emotions that he doesn't quite know what to do with, so he just keeps his eyes closed and lets his tongue sweep along her bottom lip.

When they finally separate, Blair looks up at him, a little breathless, and asks, "What was that for?"

Dan says, simply, "Thank you."

xx

A siren blaring outside snaps Dan into focus and he stares at the blank computer screen in front of him.Risa's article in W had caused her new screenplay to get picked up by a production company, leaving Dan to feel a bit pathetic for how little he'd accomplished in the past year. His twenty year old girlfriend was on her third movie and he hadn't even started his sequel to Inside. He was lacking inspiration, considerably, since the first book had been based on his own life and relationships, and now all of those relationships were over.

Carter had asked Blair to marry him, a story that came out of nowhere and caused Dan to shatter his coffee mug in the kitchen of their old house. He had been pushing and pushing Blair to get more serious in her relationship with Carter and now she had halo set diamond ring on her finger. Why had he done that? Why did he push so fucking hard for something that he never wanted in the first place. What a cruel joke the universe was playing on him.

Risa had been bothering him to look over her first draft of Inside's screenplay, but he wasn't ready to face those memories just yet. The painting of Lauryn Hill still sits in his office, to the right of his bookshelf. He had meant to throw it away two years ago, when they separated. Then he decided to sell it for a decent profit, but when the buyer came to pick it up, Dan sent him away. Later, he found himself cradling a bottle of whiskey at his desk, trying to remember what it felt like not to be in love with Blair.

Their bags were all packed and Dan was ready for California, ready to get away from New York and all the drama that came with it. He was also ready to see Serena, who had become one of his closest confidants over the past few years. Somehow, distance seemed to bring them closer.

His cell phone starts vibrating and Dan picks it up to see Blair Waldorf's name flashing across the screen. He throws his phone in one of his desk drawers makes another attempt to start writing.

This is as far as he gets:

If I never fall in love again then that will be fine.

xx

Dan and Risa arrive in California and Serena is beaming. Her white smile, a contrast against her dark tan. He had always felt that Serena belonged on the West Coast. She runs at him in a full sprint and Dan barely has time to put his bags down before she's in his arms.

Dan feels a little bit like crying.

It's different, being around Serena without Blair. Even before he and Blair became friends, he spent the majority of his relationship with Serena with Blair in the background, like an annoying mosquito flying at his ear and insulting his shoes.

"When is the last time you visited? After Ella was born?" Serena asks, as they walk out of the airport and are bombarded by palm trees.

Dan smiles. "Sounds about right."

They get to Serena's condo and it doesn't look much different from the last time Dan was here. He puts their bags in the guest bedroom and notices a framed picture on the dresser. Blair in her white gown, hair in an intricate bun with a vail on top. She's got her lips pressed against his jaw as he grins at the camera. Dan throws it in the back of the top drawer and sighs. The guest room had been designed specifically for Dan and Blair Humphrey. He's sure their wedding invitation is hanging on one of the many white walls in Serena's house.

As the day goes on, Serena treats Risa like an afterthought. She completely disregards Risa's fear of raw fish and insists they get sushi for dinner. At the restaurant, she orders Risa a gin and tonic, Blair's usual drink, and laughs it off as an old habit. She subjects them to story after story about Blair and Ella's last visit to the condo. Dan waits for her to "trip up" and call Risa B.

When they return to the condo and Risa goes to bed, Dan makes his way to the kitchen and finds Serena sitting at her computer with a glass of white wine. When she notices him, her eyes light up and she shuts the laptop.

"Can't sleep?" She asks, tilting her head, innocent.

Dan loves and hates her in equal measure.

"Cut the bullshit," he grabs a stool and sits down. "Why do you hate my girlfriend?"

Serena's brow furrows and she smiles. "I don't hate her…at all."

He sighs. "You're acting like Blair and I never divorced and Risa is my new mistress."

Serena laughs, but she looks down. A deep breath escapes her before she meets Dan's eyes again.

She says, "That's kind of how it feels."

Dan pours his own glass of wine and sits back down, uncomfortable in the heavy silence of the kitchen.

"Elaborate," he tells her.

"I think she is very nice," Serena starts, with a sip of wine, "and very pretty. But it just sort of seems like you're wasting time with her. You and Blair were so good together and you were so happy. You used to look at her like she was the reason the sun came up every day. And I just…" she takes a breath, "I don't think you will ever feel that way, about anyone else. Blair will always be the ending of every book you ever write. The Upper East Side is not your home. But Blair is."

Dan buries his head in his hands and he doesn't bother arguing with her because most everything she said is true. But he really likes Risa, doesn't he? Or is he just so tired of being alone and thinking about Blair that he forced himself into a new relationship to ease the pain.

"It wasn't always good, you know," he says finally, to break the silence. "Our marriage."

Serena smiles, her eyes sympathetic, and a bit sad. "I know."

xx

The rest of the trip runs smoothly, but Dan can feel himself pulling away from Risa without even trying. She can feel it too, because she constantly asks if he's okay, if he's feeling alright, what's on his mind. Dan can't come up with a solid answer.

When they get back to New York he takes Risa home and travels straight to Blair's office at W, not sure what he's looking for and very unsure what he wants.

She doesn't look especially pleased to see him, hand on her hip as she stands behind her desk. He can spot the ring from her doorway.

"There you are. You've been dodging my calls," she starts, "You know we have a child together, right? You can't just stop answering your phone because you're crabby or bitter."

Dan looks down, laughs softly and steps closer to her desk. "I am neither."

This seems to set Blair off more, because she moves around the desk and walks up to him. He half expects her to stand on her tip toes to be at his height.

"Then what's your excuse?" She asks.

Dan smiles, a little amused, and crashes his mouth against hers, his beautiful, annoying, selfish, selfless ex-wife who won't let him shake her no matter how hard he tries.

Blair shoves him back, breathless. "What was that for?"

"I needed to know if I still felt the same," Dan says, still a bit dazed.

Her eyes widen, but she catches herself, tries to look unfazed and asks, "And?"