DISCLAIMER: Gossip Girl and its characters are the property of Cecily von Ziegesar and Warner Bros. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: Through Ep. 1.03

My Sister’s Keeper
By Dane

 

Sunday morning…

Serena's plan had been to head over to Blair's and sweep her away for an early brunch and a day of shopping. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law and Blair's mother, Eleanor had other plans when she returned home from Europe unexpectedly and demanded Blair spend the day with her. Serena's cell phone was filled with frustrated text messages indicating just how unwelcome Eleanor's return was to her daughter.

Serena found herself fighting an almost impossible urge to storm the Waldorf gates and abscond with Blair. Lily had looked at her with peculiar concern when an especially boisterous laugh escaped as she imagined herself as a white knight riding to Blair's rescue.

With Blair unavailable Serena bit the bullet and spent part of the day with Dan and let him know they could be friends, but only friends. He had been disappointed, but he was a good guy and let her off the hook without drama or a lot of questions. They parted ways at the coffee shop he was so fond of. When she realized that there was a plenty of light left in her suddenly free day, she hailed a cab.


"Serena?" Eric snapped his chopsticks open and closed in rapid succession directly in his sister's line of sight. "Earth to Serena…"

Her head snapped around and she found herself struggling to focus on her brother's face. "Wh…"

"Where are you? You keep fading out on me. Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so distracted." Her eyes slid away from him. "I've got a test tomorrow and pre-calculus is breaking my brain."

He speared a plump tiger prawn and looked at her skeptically. "I won't break." At her confused look, he continued, "You can talk to me; I'm not so weak or messed up that I can't be here for you."

"Eric. No, I've never thought you were weak." He looked unconvinced.

She reached across the table and picked up a container of chow mien. "Do you want some of this?"

"No thanks," he managed around a mouthful of sweet and sour chicken, "and don't think I can't see you trying to distract me."

She smiled at his perceptiveness. "You're right." She turned to more fully face him. "It stays between us?"

"You know it does." He answered with absolute sincerity.

Serena leaned toward her brother and grinned when he mirrored her actions. "It's Blair."

"Damnit. What has she done now?" He spun away from Serena and began pacing the small confines of "his" room. "I warned her before she went up last night that she better not upset you."

Serena smiled fondly at her brother's natural tendency to protect her. "Eric."

He turned towards her and pointed a finger at her chest. "No, I swear, Serena if she's done something else to hurt you or to try to mess up your life."

"Eric!" She tried to catch his eye, but he was too distracted.

"You know," he said warming up to the idea swirling in his brain, "she's not the only one that can be a bad…"

"We kissed." She barely refrained from shouting.

"Ass…wait." He stopped pacing and faced his sibling, "What did you say?"

"I said, we kissed."

"Blair? You…and Blair?" He sat down. "Did a dare get out of hand?" He looked slightly bewildered.

"Yes. Yes." The pink on her skin deepened. "And no. I didn't kiss her on a dare."

"Blair Waldorf? Five-four, brown hair, brown eyes – your best friend since forever? That Blair?"

"Yes. The one and only." She tried for nonchalance and failed miserably. Serena met the expectant eyes of her brother and then reached across the small table and grasped his hand. "Eric, you can't say anything."

"No, I wouldn't." He squeezed her hand in an effort to be reassuring. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I've been able to gauge your interactions with her based solely on your moods since you've been back." He pushed the carton he had been eating from away.

Eric studied his sister as she stood abruptly. The nervous energy radiating from her slender frame was palpable. "You said you kissed. Can I assume she kissed you back?" He was unable to resist adding at the blush rising on her skin. "Wow, must have been a hell of a kiss."

"Yeah, it was." She ducked her head and long blonde hair partially obscured her features.

"Okay, you need to start at the beginning." He pinned her with a look that only a younger brother could muster.

Serena leaned back against his dresser and told him about the events of the very recent past. She avoided details that would have squicked him out. She didn't share how right Blair's mouth felt against hers or how her guts had clenched when Blair's upper body had draped over hers in her bed.

And even though she knew it would give him limitless ammunition for future teasing, she did tell him about falling asleep on Blair.

He smirked at her, "Very impressive, sis. Well, except for last part." He ducked a flying chopstick. He sobered and asked gently, "Are you in love with her?"

Serena replied in a near whisper, fearful of tempting fate by voicing her feelings, "I'm crazy about her, Eric."

"She feels the same?"

She chewed nervously at her bottom lip. "I don't know. It's so new. I was kissing her less than twenty-four hours ago and now that I'm not with her…" She blew out a frustrated breath. "I'm scared she's going to get spooked and, " she couldn't finish the thought around the lump in her throat.

"And break your heart."

She felt tears sting her eyes. "Yeah."

Eric crossed the room and pulled Serena into a hug. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

She squeezed him back. "S'okay. I was thinking it whether you said it or not."

He released her and took a step back. "Go see her."

"I told you, Eleanor came home last night and she's stuck there."

"So," he smiled mischievously, "if you can't bust her out, break in."

The End

Return to Gossip Girl Fiction

Return to Main Page