I've tried to follow canon as much as possible with this story, but note that I have a selective memory at times. Especially when it comes to anything that happened in season 6!

Enjoy!

ONE

"Humphrey! Or should I say 'Gossip Girl?!' What are we doing? Where are we going?"

Blair huffed in annoyance. She crossed her arms and stared out the window, desperately trying to gather clues from the route they were following as the town car Dan had procured zipped across the Tappan Zee bridge, the Hudson River flowing beneath.

Dan affectionately shook his head.

It had been seven long years since he revealed himself as the infamous mystery blogger who had tormented the Upper East Side. He still regretted coming forward, for those past seven years he'd endured endless ridicule.

Seven long years.

But that ridicule was starting to wane.

And Dan Humphrey was beginning to reemerge.

One thing he hadn't regretted was Blair's renewed respect for him. Yes, initially she was pissed. She was, surprisingly, the only one out of their group who really was. But as the years passed, the more intrigued she became. At the occasional gala, function, or charity benefit, when Serena and Chuck were otherwise occupied, she would briefly question him on just how he was able to pull it off.

Those interrogations evolved into more.

One evening in early Fall, Dan and Blair found themselves alone at a party. Indulging...

Chuck had been out of the country, and Serena had darted home in a taxi much earlier after spilling red wine all down her Chanel gown.

They stood outside on a balcony of a Manhattan penthouse, sipping champagne and reminiscing about their adventures in Cornwall, where they'd gone to investigate Juliet Sharp.

"So let me see if I have this correct," Blair began, trying her best not to slur her words. She wasn't full blown drunk, but she was definitely tipsy. And she was starting to let her guard down...

"You pretended to ask yourself about Juliet's whereabouts while sitting on my bedroom floor? And then you pretended to be surprised when you sent an email back to...yourself?"

Reconciling how Dan could have possibly published so many tips, all while looking surprised when receiving blasts along with the rest of the gang was completely confounding.

"You're downright diabolical, Humphrey." Blair hiccuped, then licked her lips as she ran an index finger along the inside of his lapel.

As he watched her fingers drift, Dan felt something stirring inside him that he hadn't felt in years.

And that's when he knew. Marrying Serena had been a mistake.

Because he was still in love with Blair.

He had been lying to himself.

And lying to Serena.

Dan had tried and failed to win Blair back multiple times before ultimately reuniting with Serena. Even though theoretically Blair had dumped him for Chuck, Chuck and Blair hadn't gotten back together right away. Turns out Chuck had set some personal goals he'd set for himself that he needed to accomplish before he could even think about being with Blair.

It perplexed Dan that she was willing to wait for him; that she was willing to sacrifice her happiness for his. And do it repeatedly.

Dan initially saw Chuck's need to conquer his daddy issues as a small window of opportunity to get her back. He loved her unconditionally. He wanted to be with her every day.

Unlike Chuck, apparently.

Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards.

Especially after that unfortunate sex tape leaked...

Before it leaked, Dan had been attempting to work through his anger towards Serena. The sex tape happened because she tricked him into sleeping with her months earlier to get revenge on Blair-seducing him on the bar at the Campbell Apartment; recording their liaison on her phone.

It was beyond humiliating.

And once Blair found out about it, she reverted back to her old ways; treating him like some sort of leprosy afflicted peasant.

Dan realized he needed to save face and regroup-perhaps get a little revenge himself.

He'd been working on a series of exposes on his Upper East Side cohorts for "Vanity Fair." And when it came time to write Serena's chapter, he found himself gravitating towards her again, the two having bonded after being universally shunned when the recording leaked. Yes, it was her fault, but after spending some time together, Dan began to feel a bit nostalgic. Serena was the reason, after all, that he'd become infatuated with the Upper East Side in the first place.

He ultimately decided that getting back together with her seemed like the best option. But there were still some misgivings on his part. On both of their parts, really.

It even took them six years to get down the aisle.

But now, merely one year after the wedding, Blair was standing before him, shimmering in a red gown reminiscent of the one she'd worn when he kissed her on Valentine's day years earlier.

He would have kissed her right there on that balcony. He knew she wanted him to. The curve of her lips beckoned him. But he put on the brakes, because the last thing he needed was someone sending Chuck or Serena a text or a picture of how flirtatious Blair was being with him.

And how Dan was completely encouraging it...

So he left the party.

But not before making plans to see her again...

The next few weeks Dan and Blair met in secret. They staged run-ins throughout parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. They texted like crazy. Some texts were deep and serious in tone. Others were silly and fleeting. Poems, movie quotes... It was thrilling.

And then one day he kissed her.

And the next time they met, she kissed him.

And they knew it was pointless to try and deny it.

So now here they were. On the verge of something completely depraved. And leaving Manhattan in the rearview mirror. The timing was perfect. Chuck had taken Henry to Dubai. At least that's where Blair thought they were. Serena was in Montecito with Lily.

Nothing was in their way now.

"Where are we going?" Dan repeated, teasing Blair. He reached for her hand. "Now that's a surprise." Dan leaned in, his lips a whisper away from Blair's as she continued to gaze out the window. A hint of a smile crept upon her face as he watched her.

"Just sit back and relax. I know that's difficult for you."

Blair turned toward him, her doe eyes blinking up at Dan's.

"Do you think what we're doing is wrong?" she asked sincerely, biting her lip.

The truth was, Chuck had been cheating on her off and on for years. He still had a thing for nannies it would seem. There was no concrete evidence that Serena had ever cheated on Dan, but she never seemed to leave her flirtatious ways behind her. And it still irked him that she'd strung him along all those years ago, throwing every man she ever dated in his face in some form or fashion.

"I can't answer that, Blair. All I know is..." Her delicate fingers traced the curve of his mouth. He in turn lightly kissed her fingertips, bringing them around to caress his face.

Blair couldn't help herself. She leaned in to kiss him, stretching her arms out to completely engulf his neck. She pulled at his hair, forcing his body closer to her. His mouth opened slightly to deepen the kiss.

After a few seconds Blair pulled back slowly, breathless. She pursed her lips together and exhaled.

Dan looked at her with hooded eyes. "...I want you."