A/N: Wow! I'm so happy that everyone likes it! This chapter is kind of like holding a treat just out a dog's reach and just when the dog thinks it's going to get exactly what it wants; it's snatched away!

WARNING: Brief language because Nate gets PISSED at Serena.

DISCLAIMER:::::: I DON"T OWN GOSSIP GIRL (oops! I forgot this on the other chapters!)

Green With Envy 3.0- Christmas

By: Nellbell222

Serena was not hiding.

Hiding was for the fearful, vulnerable and weak. You would hide from something you are afraid of. She liked to call what she was doing…hibernation. Serena, like a bear, was simply keeping herself safe from the New York City elements. One is being a bubbly blonde, another being the Upper's East Side's signature stud, the next being her best friend and last being the love of Serena's life.

Staying inside her hotel room insured that she would not have to see any of the "elements" and/or participate in any party, social gathering, or family dinner that her mother so willingly planned these days. Sure, Serena missed shopping and eating non-room service meals but she was perfectly intent with being inside if it meant that she would never have to see any of those "happy" people ever again.

In mid-December, 3 weeks into hibernation, Serena was painting her nails a vibrant shade of pink. It was something that reminded her of the old days when she and Blair were actually best friends. Even if that was more than ten years ago.

It was between her second and third toe when her phone rang. Serena usually left her phone to go to voicemail during the past couple hibernation weeks but maybe some Christmas spirit made her look at the caller ID and that was when she saw Dan Humphrey's name shining in the pale light coming from the bedside lamp.

She sprang across her bed to pick up the phone and as a result, smearing her freshly painted left foot all over her freshly washed comforter.

"Hello?" Serena tried to wipe some of the neon color off the plain, beige bed that was hotel property but in turn, smudged more polish with her even more newly painted right foot.

"Hey Serena! It's Dan. Where have you been these last couple weeks? Decided to go along with the forest animals and hibernate?"

Serena laughed and her mind drifted from how she was going to dispose of the evidence of pure desperation to how similar Dan and she actually were. How could they not end up when they were so perfect for each other?

"Something like that. So, what were you calling about?" She tried to seem aloof and uninterested; as if she had something better to do when she secretly just wanted to hear his voice again.

"Well, firstly, Lily wanted to tell you that Christmas is going to be at the penthouse. And with that, Blair wants to have Christmas at…well, just like Thanksgiving."

Serena smirked. Dan didn't know whether to call it Blair's house or their house. No matter how much that made Serena happy, she was curious and she pursued the matter.

"Huh? Where did we have Thanksgiving again?" Serena figured she was being a little cruel by pushing Dan into a corner and making him confront his doubts but she wanted to know what he considered their relationship to be. Or if the place he was living in was really his home.

"Blair's latest project. Also referred to as the Waldorf penthouse." He deflected it so well that Dan almost had Serena fooled into thinking that is exactly what he called it but she knew better. She knew him better. And because they knew each other so well, could it be easy to fall back into their relationship once this Blair-thing was over? Their relationship sin the on and off again nature that is.

"That sounds good to me. Who is going to be going? Is it like a party or just family?"

Dan cleared his throat. "Uh, just family I think. I know Eleanor and Cyrus are coming from London just before Christmas Eve and same with Howard and Roman. Then our parents, you, Nate and his mother, if she decides she wants to. And then I'm thinking Chuck and whoever date he chooses to bring."

Serena noticed one tiny detail that Dan wanted her to overlook.

"Dan, why aren't you and Jenny on that list? Did something happen?"

He sighed. Something happened. "Uh, Jenny wasn't on it to begin with. She had planned going up to see our mom in Hudson anyways. But, I on the other hand…yeah, I'm a new addition. Blair thought it would be best for me to not be there."

"Why? What happened?" Serena propped herself against her headboard and wiggled her toes in excitement. How did Dan not get invited to Christmas Eve at his own house?

"Blair didn't tell you? Well, Blair and I got into an argument…no, I'm lying; it was a full blown battle. Like Blair crying and throwing tissue boxes at me kind of fight."

Serena gave her most convincing sigh of sadness and then said with all the care and concern laced into her voice, "Tell me everything."

"So, I have a work trip that I have to go on soon. Blair knew about it and it was only going to be for a week. But, now, my boss wants me to go for a little longer. He really loved my cultural pieces I did before and wants me to go on a two year stay in Europe and send him interesting articles. And I would have said no, I have to stay here but the New Yorker called yesterday and said that they wanted to do a whole, twenty page spread on me, my books and my travels."

Serena guessed that this is why Dan was so hesitant about saying that the Waldorf penthouse was his home; he didn't know how much longer it would be. Blair was a smart girl and knew how important this would be to Dan's career as an author and writer but couldn't bear to let him leave for two years. She almost laughed, thinking that this was the stuff right out of one of Dan's popular books.

"Blair wants me to stay and I don't know if I can. The New Yorker representative said that after the spread, he couldn't understand why his boss would say no to place me on staff as a junior editor or even editor."

That was Dan's dream. To be a writer and to work for the New Yorker. He already has one down and the other is just brushing his finger tips. And Blair holding him back was not a good sign for their relationship. This made Serena tingle with anticipation. She knew Dan lov…liked Blair a lot but this was more important. This was his career.

"Oh, Dan, how can you pass it up? I mean, c'mon, it's the New Yorker!"

He snorted and Serena beamed. This was just like old times when they used to sit around his loft or anywhere and just talk about anything. Just because they could.

"I know Serena, but I love her."

The words cut through her like a knife but she needed to keep it together. Serena could only do that with one thought in her mind; if Blair kept Dan from this, he would never forgive her.

"She thinks that I'm going to run off with some Russian bride even though I told her I'm not going to Russia. Or some blonde, Swedish Olympian swimmer or something stupid . And that's how the real battle began…Serena, I just don't know what I'm going to do."

"Well, you just have to do what your heart tells you to do. Whatever that may be. It's your life Dan. You are going to have to live with the choices." Serena could almost feel him nodding through the phone. She had to admit that those were not her words but a line from her favorite soap opera.

"Thanks Serena. I know what I need to do. I'll see you at Christmas. If my dad calls you, tell him I took a trip."

"Hey! Where are you going for ten days?"

"I have something I have to do in Hudson. But I have to make two pit stops along the way. Bye Serena."

He hung up the phone before she could even say goodbye.

The holidays this time around were much more enjoyable than last. Maybe it was because she knew that Dan was going to break up with Blair, but this time it was very fun. Blair and she could talk without Serena wanting to cut off Blair's hair or maybe that was due to the fact that Blair was more drunk than Chuck at last year's New Year's Eve party where he told Serena that he boobs were lopsided. Blair avenged Serena when she told Chuck's date that he hated all types of animals and that the dog he had was really just a rental. He used animals to get in her pants.

She was a veterinarian.

Everyone mixed and mingled except for one, lonely Upper East Sider. Nathaniel Archibald sat on the end table in the parlor, even after being scolded by Blair multiple times, and he was moping. Serena watched him as he stared into his glass of bourbon as if it had all the answers to his clearly visible problems.

"Hi. You've been kind of a Scrooge this Christmas Eve."

Nate's lips twitched from a frown to a twisted grimace that made him look as if he was chewing on a lime. Serena couldn't understand why. He must know that she was just kidding; they always used to kid around with each other.

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't be too happy either if your girlfriend you love isn't here to spend Christmas Eve with you after your dad just came to your apartment saying that he needed some money so he could be 'high as the angels' on Christmas. Jen is my only comfort when it comes to my dad and she's not here. So, excuse me if I'm crushing the mood a bit."

Serena was not good at sympathy when it came to Nate. That was mostly because he never really needed cheering up. He was always the one that was 'high as the angels' or in a good mood because that was just who Nate Archibald was. Nate was never deep or really in touch with his feelings so he never expressed them much and Serena liked that. But, tonight he just openly spread them all out on the table. Had she missed Nate growing up?

"I'm really sorry Nate…"

"Serena, just stop." His voice was angry; not something Serena had ever really seen. Sure he had been mad before but never like he was now.

"As much as I appreciate the damn pity party, you really have no idea what is going on with my family. My dad almost OD'd on meth the other day. He probably will die soon if I can't get him to another rehab place. My mother is having a fucking mid-life crisis and wants to open a bakery and I have to be the one who heads up the financing. Not that I'm trying to get my Dartmouth law degree or anything on top working for my grandfather to pay off my father's debt to the company."

"So, Miss I-Can't-Get-Over-Dan-Humphrey, I don't want your fucking sympathy."

He sighed and looked away from Serena. God, he knew! Nate really did grow up.

"I didn't know you knew."

He laughed, but in the way Dan used to do when he was mad at her. It sounded so foreign coming from Nate's lips.

"That's all you got from that? Typical Serena. Only cares about herself." Nate made a move to get off the end table when the elevator doors opened up to show Dan in the flesh. Nate sank back down. He slowly raised his glass.

"Well, here is to Serena van der Woodsen getting everything she wants. Like that is something new."

Serena looked to Blair, who was chatting with her mother, turned to see why everyone stopped talking. Serena saw her eyes grow sad and slightly angry.

"Humphrey. I thought you were in Hudson."

"I was. But then I had to come here because I've decided to go to Europe and do the article for my magazine and the New Yorker."

Serena's heart jumped to her throat. Wow, Nate was right; he was breaking up with her.

"Oh. So this needed to be said in front of everyone? On Christmas Eve? Couldn't it have waited Humphrey?"

Dan nodded. "Yes this needed to be said in front of everyone. Yes on Christmas Eve. And no it couldn't wait. Two years is a long time Blair for a long distance relationship."

"Please, Dan, you're embarrassing me. Can't we just do this outside?"

"No, Blair, we need to do it right here."

This was finally happening. Dan was breaking up with Blair. And in enough time, she and Dan could finally be a couple. A wounded Humphrey always came back to Serena no matter what. Then later they could get married and have children. Serena could barely contain her excitement.

That's when Dan fell to the floor.

"Blair Cornelia Waldorf,"

Get up Dan! What is he doing? Did he drop something? Is he alright?

"Will you marry me?"

Boom! The shot that surely could have been heard all over the Upper East Side, New York City, the state, the country, the world! Serena was watching her happy ending with Blair in her spot.

Blair's eyes were full of tears, from the earlier embarrassment and fear but now, tears of joy were spilling across Blair's porcelain skin.

"I know it's only been a year and a half Blair but I've known since we were sophomores in college that I loved you. And I wouldn't have proposed so early; I would have waited the appropriate three years like you said you wanted but I know you are worried that I'm going to leave you if I go to Europe. So I wanted to show you that I'm not going anywhere.

Blair nodded. "Humphrey, did you ask my dads?"

"I did. I spent a lovely few days in both London and France."

"Then yes, Humphrey! A million times over!"

The room applauded and there wasn't a dry eye, including Serena's.

And that's when Nate Archibald leaned over the space between the couch where Serena was sitting and she saw how happy he looked to hear this terrible news. Didn't Serena deserve to have someone on her side?

"I guess there is a new toast. To the future Mrs. Daniel Randolph Humphrey."

Review?

XOXO Nellbell222

Okay, personally I loved angry Nate. Very hot. And I loved him being angry at Serena for not being his friend and not being a good friend to Blair or Dan. All in all, I thought this was one hell of a chapter on my part.

Tell me what you think!