Title - Not Flesh and Bone (10-10)

Author - TSAM

Spoilers - Up to 2X13, and possible references to those thereafter

Pairings (Not necessarily romantic) - The Non-Judging Breakfast Club, The Van der Bass Children, C/S, C/B, light L/R N/V

Chapter notes:

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

Disclaimer: Puh-lease. Dont even joke about it.

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A/N Final chapter! This is exciting! Well, I wanna put the note at the top, so I don't wreck the flow of the end of the story. I need to know if I should write other stories in this 'Verse. I have some ideas, some one shots and maybe a sequel or two. But unless some one is going to read them, I'm not writing them.

so...I haven't relpied to anyones reviews- not because I'm lazy or anything, I just don't really know what to say. It was AMAZING the amount of reviews I got. Some were beautiful and made me really excited. A few were...not so nice. Not that I can't take critis, but...I felt a little attacked by a few of you. I'm sorry you don't like the turn the story took, but it is MY story. I happen to ship C/S. That's life. It is what it is, you know? That being said, I said right in the very first chapter how this was all gonna go down.

Upwards and on wards!

Anyway, please enjoy this last instalment of Not Flesh and Bone! Don't forget to review!

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Chuck stared at her for a long moment, in shock. As quickly as those words had fallen out of her mouth, he was up and across the room. Grabbing her arm and the back of her head, he pulled her in for a deep kiss.

The moment his mouth covered hers, she had her answer.

Serena's hands went up slowly, grabbing his shoulders, and gently pushing him away. "No, Chuck, stop."

He does. Without contest. He looks at her expectantly. Neither her hand, nor his move from each other arms. She puts on a small sad smile.

"We can't do this." She sighs. "You love Blair."

Chuck frowns, a little thrown. "I…But I lo-"

"I know, I know!" She stops him before he says something to her, she know he will regret.

At least, if he said it right then he would.

"I love you too! But we both know that…it's not like this." Her head shakes as her hand runs down his arm, rubbing softly before dropping to her side. "Its not the kind of love that…It's different. You need to go to Blair. Right now. Tell her everything. She deserves to know."

He's quiet for a moment as a half smile sides on to his face. She lets out a sigh of relief. He uses his grip to pull her closer and places a kiss on her forehead. They soak up the moment before he lets her go and walks out the door.

A lone tear runs down Serenas face. What has she done?

She wrecked Blair.

She kissed Chuck.

She ruined everything.

It had all been so good. Her, Erik and Chuck had all been getting along. They were getting through things together.

They all had something they had never been a part of before.

They've never really had a family before.

And she wrecked it.

Blair had to go confuse her and her head got so confused in everything that had been going on. She was highly emotional.

Now she was horrified with herself. She just couldn't keep good things. She had the oddest habit of ruining everything good that had ever happened to her.

Dan.

Blair.

And now this. The only family she had ever know.

She couldn't think about this now. Think about it hurt.

Serena just didn't want to hurt anymore.

She makes her way to the kitchen and pulls open the freezer door. There's not much. They haven't been food shopping. There was a frozen ham, however.

Cooking. That would work. If she cooks, she'll be busy. If she's busy, she can't think. If she can't think…

Cooking is a really good idea.

By the time Erik finally gets home, the kitchen is a mess.

There is a ham in the oven. On the stove was a pot full of corn. And in the corner near the garbage was Serena. Peeling potatoes.

"What are you doing?"

"Cooking." Her answer was short, as she was focused on her potato.

"I can see that." He picks up a spoon, before sitting it back down. "But why?"

"I just…" She looks up at her brother, lost. "Christmas dinner. We never had one. We should have Christmas you know?"

He nods slowly. Asking where Chuck had run off to suddenly sounds like a bad thing to bring up, so he pick up the phone.

"Then I guess we'll need some backup."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where's the food?" Nate bellows as he enters the apartment. Vanessa giggled, hitting him across the stomach.

Erik hobbled towards the door.

"You made it!"

"Yeah." Nate hung both their coats in the closet. "How is she?"

"She's…You should probably look for yourself."

Nate left Vanessa with Erik and headed to the kitchen. Serena was cooking up a storm.

"Smells good, S."

Her head shot up in surprise and a small smile graced her lips. "Nate! You made it?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" He laughed as Serena went back to work on whipping the potatoes. He sighed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm cooking. What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're kicking the crap out of those spuds." He pulls the bowl away from her as if protecting them, with a pout on his face. "What'd they ever do to you?"

"Nate…Give me back the potatoes." She threatened him with the masher.

"Will do." He started. "As soon as you tell me what's wrong."

"Nothings wrong."

"Liar."

"I'm not a liar."

"Nope. Just sometimes stupid and dangerous."

Serena smiled and half rolled her eyes. "Sometimes."

"Tell me."

"I screwed up." She bit her lip. "If I tell you, you can't say anything to anyone, okay?"

"Scouts honour."

"You were never a scout."

"That's not the point." He faux-glared at her. She sighed.

Starting with Blair coming into the apartment, she told him the entire sorted tale. When she was finished Nate nodded in understanding.

Right before he burst out laughing.

"You kissed Chuck?" He couldn't breathe. "Blairs' Chuck?"

"Nate! I feel bad enou-"

"You girls really don't know the meaning of 'sharing', do you?" He cracked himself up, so much so his ribs hurt.

"Nathaniel!" She half-shouted sternly.

"No, way!" Nate tried to attempt to appear serious, never fully wiping with grin off his face. "I have to know…Was he a better kisser than me?"

Serena let out a screech before coming after him the potato masher. He ran out of the room laughing. She was only stopped by the sound of the stove buzzing.

She was taking the ham out of the oven when Vanessa entered.

"Nate didn't feel safe coming back in."

"So he sent you instead?" Serena shook her head. "That's a great boyfriend you've got there."

"I think I'll keep him." They shared a smile. "How's dinner coming?"

"Almost done! Give the veggies another five or ten minutes and we should be set."

"Anything I can do?"

"You could…set the table." She motioned to the dishes she had sat out. "And tell Nate it's safe to come back. I need him to slice up the ham while I dish everything else."

She laughs picking up the dishes. "Will do."

As Vanessa leaves the room Serena busies herself with dishing the potatoes in to a bowl, before turning to the corn. She hears the door open behind her.

"Can you also-" She trails off when she sees it is not, in fact, Nate or Vanessa as she had been expecting, but both Chuck and Blair. The smile that had been maiking its way to her face, fell to the floor quickly. Her stomach tightened.

What should she do?

The answer was made for her, when Blair released Chucks hand a flew into Serenas arms.

"I am so sorry."

"Blair, I…"

Both their arms tightened around each other. Why was it when ever they fought it felt like the end of the world, but when they made up, it felt like a warm wind passing over you?

"I don't know what you did…" Blair whispered into her ear. "But thank you." She ran her hand over Serena's hair. "I thought…I thought you loved him?"

"I do." Serena answered honestly, and aloud.

Blair pulls away, almost abruptly. Her body went tense. Serena grabs her hand, holding tight.

"He's my brother." She shrugs, smiling at Chuck, who winks back. Instantly Blair melts, and hold Serena hand back.

Chuck moves forward quickly, kissing Serena on the cheek.

"Love you too sis."

He grabbed the bowl from beside her and headed back out the door. Serena's mouth was on the floor as she turned to look at Blair. She laughs throwing her hands in the air.

"I know, right? He said it to me three time already! Its crazy!"

The girls laugh, finishing up what's left to do in the kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Finally, all the food was plated and the ham was sliced. Everyone pulled up a seat on a couch or a chair.

Vanessa and Nate shared a chair, while Chuck, Blair and Erik made themselves cozy on the couch. Serena sat in a chair, pulling her legs up underneath her, comfortably. She rested her plate on her knees.

Chatter fills the room as she takes in the scene. Her friends are all laughing at something Erik said.

It's in this moment she realizes this is it.

These people. Her friends…No, her family. These are the people she is going love most until the day she leaves this world.

Erik. The person who meant the most to her in the world. Her brother by blood. Her first love.

Blair. Her best friend. Her confidant. Her sister by choice.

Chuck. Yes, she loved him. They had been friends once. She had loved him then, but they had drifted apart. Serena thinks, that even when she hated him, she may have loved him, just a little. Her brother by marriage.

Nate. Her best guy friend. He made her laugh. He'd made her cry. Her brother by chance.

Vanessa. The girl who's ass she could kick in Guitar Hero.

Life with this family…It's gonna be crazy.

Sometimes it'll be hard.

But most of the time, they'll be happy.

Because when it comes down to it., deep down into the nitty gritty, it's all about two things.

Love.

Sacrifice.

Both they had and had done for each other, for no other reason, that that they loved on another. The forever, deep down, tucked away completely in the depths of your heart kinda love.

The kind that never went away.

It was the kind of love they had all shown they weren't afraid to have for each other.

They need each other in a way only a family does.

Serena smiles, as tear fill her eyes. From across the room, Chuck catches her eye. His look asks her if she's okay.

Her smile gets larger as she nods.

She's more than okay.

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons [family].

~Johann Schiller