tampered | (no subject)

When; Evening, June 1st
Rating; PG
Characters; Blair

theserenashow
Summary; going home for her had always meant going back to Serena.
Log;

Blair only had with her one oversized satchel. The rest of her clothes she had left behind at Faith's or thrown away for some lucky beggar. Some of them were things she would never wear again, like those metal studded boots or that sequined minidress. Some of them smelled of smoke or alcohol or even blood. Some of them were simply last season. The few she had thought to salvage were mostly for nostalgia. She desperately needed to shop, she thought, and was glad to know that this time she could go with Serena instead of alone.

This was good, she thought. Things were looking up. She could deal with this. Serena would always be around to help her, and Nate too. She would grow up and out of this horrible phase. Money and fame and status were all well and good, but they meant nothing without people to share them with. Blair Waldorf could be good ~~and maybe then she would finally be deserving of love~~.

Dropping the satchel to the ground, she took a deep breath before knocking twice.

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It was worth it. The words repeated in her head over and over like a mantra. She wasn't trying to make herself believe – she already did. Anything was worth it to get Blair back, to make sure her best friend was safe. Still, she needed to remind herself. Arthur was an absolute and completely unexpected mess. Who knew what her close friends thought, they already questioned her friendship with Blair enough as it was. It was worth it, it was worth it, it was worth it.

Serena dropped her device instantly when she heard the knock. It tumbled to the floor, forgotten, as she stepped over a few fallen couch pillows and stumbled toward the door. The door swung open mere seconds after Blair had knocked and as soon as she saw her best friend standing over the threshold, Serena stopped reciting. She didn't need any more reminding than this.

Without question, Serena wrapped her arms around Blair. It might have been too tight, too constricted, too – it didn't matter. This hug was long overdue. "I'm so glad you're back."

The hug took her by surprise.

Of course she expected some enthusiasm from her best friend about her coming home, but she also half-expected scolding. She remembered how sad and angry she was when Serena vanished from her life without so much as a note, and how betrayed she had felt when her best friend just suddenly appeared again as if nothing was wrong. Blair's reasons for disappearing were for worse intentions than Serena's, she knew this, and her best friend had every right to turn her away at the door.

But this was Serena. Tall, shining Serena who really could do no wrong, at least in Blair's eyes. Never again, she thought. Never never again. For all the mess that was her life up until now, there has always been one golden thread through it all, the silver lining on her clouds. She could not remember and she would never want to imagine a life without Serena. They have always faced everything together. Even when she loses everything else, she knew she would always have her best friend.

Hesitantly, Blair placed her arms around Serena in return, leaning her head on the other girl's shoulder. "S," she choked, and that one syllable said everything that she would ever need to say.

Serena nodded into Blair's hair, squeezing a little tighter. She wasn't a vengeful person, not when she could help it. With Blair there was no question. They could have their petty fights and arguments and cat fights in the least appropriate of locations but nothing could stand between them if one was in trouble. Serena's awareness was fully focused on Blair and how to make life easier for her. There was no room for the grudge any one else would be harboring.

"Come on," she said, steering Blair into the penthouse and toward the living room. She lifted Blair's minimal luggage and followed her best friend through the apartment.