Just Betty - Chapter 16
Title: Just Betty - 16
Fandom: Ugly Betty
Pairing: Daniel/Betty
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Is she really just Betty, or could she be something more?
Daniel had somehow found his way back to his apartment that night through the haze that clouded his head. He remembered politely refusing to eat dinner with the Suarez family after they had adamantly insisted that he stay, then he had wandered around Queens and Manhattan for who knows how long, and then suddenly he was opening the door to his loft. Daniel stepped in and looked around at the dark, silent, empty room. He let out a deep sigh and slammed the door shut behind him. He had never felt so alone in his life. In times like these he would have called Betty in a heartbeat, but this time he couldn’t, and so he was lost. And miserable. And sick of himself.
Daniel shrugged his coat off and let it fall to the floor. He glanced down at it, knowing that he should hang it up before it got wrinkled, but he just didn’t have the strength to care. Instead, he walked over to his refrigerator to look for some comfort food. He groaned when he discovered that his fridge was practically bare save for a carton of yogurt that was three months old. Daniel thought for a moment, then shrugged and mumbled, “Eh, why not?” He grabbed the yogurt and got a spoon and headed over to his TV. Sitting on top of his DVD player was some movie that Betty had lent to him when he was trying to woo Sofia. She had said that Beaches was the ultimate chick flick and having it would show Sofia that he could be a sensitive guy. How a movie about beaches could show his sensitive side he had no clue. Well, if ever there was a time for a sappy old chick flick, this was it. He stuck the movie in and plopped down on the couch. He opened his three-month-old yogurt and shoved a spoonful into his mouth as the opening scene of Beaches started to play. Daniel’s throat closed up as soon as the sour substance hit his tongue and he instantly spit it back into the carton. “Blech! Ack!” He tried to wipe the taste off of his tongue and he ran to the sink to gargle some water. Then he sat back down on the couch and huffed at the fact that he was even incompetent at being depressed. How was he supposed to binge-eat his sorrows away when all he had was sour yogurt?
…………………………………………………….
Daniel was sniffling and wiping his eyes with his sleeve half way through the movie when he heard a knock on his door. He glanced at his watch and confusion flooded his face as he wondered who would show up at his apartment at 10:30 at night. He paused Beaches and grabbed a tissue on his way to the door. He quickly blew his nose and threw the tissue in the trash, then opened his door. His mouth fell open and he forgot how to breathe for a moment when his eyes were met with the sight of Betty. She was back in her normal attire and was holding her coat in her arms and smiling at him nervously.
“Hi, Daniel!” she said brightly.
Daniel stood there with his hand still on the doorknob and his eyes wide and intent on the woman before him. “Hhhh…” Daniel swallowed and fought hard to get his tongue to work. “Hhhh…umm…hi.”
Betty laughed softly and said, “My dad told me that you were acting weird after I left. I wanted to come and check on you to make sure you were okay.” Betty eyed him closer and gasped, “Oh my god, have you been crying, Daniel?”
Daniel stepped back and looked away from her hawk-like gaze as he protested, “No! No! Of course not! Why would I be crying?”
Betty stepped into the apartment and closed the door, then threw her coat and purse on a table as she closed in on Daniel. “I know when you’re lying, Daniel Meade, so you might as well admit that you’ve been crying.”
Daniel continued to inch away from Betty and his voice got higher as he said, “What? You’re crazy, you know that?”
Betty stopped in her tracks and she put her hands on her hips as she looked at him with narrowed eyes. Daniel licked his lips as he felt himself starting to crack under her scrutinizing glare. Then he saw Betty’s eyes drift towards the television and a crooked smile appeared on her lips. She looked back at Daniel and said with a pleased smile, “So, you’ve finally gotten around to watching Beaches, huh?”
Daniel let out a laugh and said, “Okay, fine, you caught me. Just don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”
Betty smiled at him slyly and said, “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t say a word. I’ll just send out a company memo.”
Daniel laughed again and shook his head. He raised his eyebrow and lightly said, “I’ll just have to fire you then.”
Betty chuckled and replied, “No you won’t.”
“Yeah? What makes you so sure about that?”
“I’m too irresistible. You’d miss me so much you wouldn’t get any work done.”
Daniel smiled appreciatively at Betty and said, “You’re right. I could never survive without you.”
“Of course you could. You don’t give yourself enough credit, Daniel.”
“Neither do you, Betty. You’re amazing.”
Betty blushed and looked down at her hands.
“So…how was your date with Henry?” Daniel asked. He really must love torturing himself.
“It was good,” Betty said with a small smile. “He’s sweet. I really like him.”
Daniel nodded his head, and without looking at her, said, “Great.”
“Yeah…” Betty said softly, “Great.”
Daniel looked into Betty’s eyes and he could tell that something was troubling her. Betty didn’t come to Daniel very often with her problems, so he decided not to push her. If she wanted to tell him, she would.
“So,” Betty said. “Has Hillary gotten sick yet?”
“What?” Daniel asked, completely confused.
Betty pointed to the TV and said, “On the movie, is she sick yet?”
“Whoa, wait, the rich one gets sick?” said an incredulous Daniel.
Betty rolled her eyes and laughed at Daniel, then grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the couch as she said, “Come on, this movie is better when you watch it with a friend.”
Daniel smiled when his nose caught that familiar rose scent of her shampoo as she sat down next to him. And when she cried almost as hard as he did at the remaining scenes of Beaches, and she laid her head on his shoulder, her soft hand in his, he didn’t feel so alone anymore.
Fandom: Ugly Betty
Pairing: Daniel/Betty
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Is she really just Betty, or could she be something more?
Daniel had somehow found his way back to his apartment that night through the haze that clouded his head. He remembered politely refusing to eat dinner with the Suarez family after they had adamantly insisted that he stay, then he had wandered around Queens and Manhattan for who knows how long, and then suddenly he was opening the door to his loft. Daniel stepped in and looked around at the dark, silent, empty room. He let out a deep sigh and slammed the door shut behind him. He had never felt so alone in his life. In times like these he would have called Betty in a heartbeat, but this time he couldn’t, and so he was lost. And miserable. And sick of himself.
Daniel shrugged his coat off and let it fall to the floor. He glanced down at it, knowing that he should hang it up before it got wrinkled, but he just didn’t have the strength to care. Instead, he walked over to his refrigerator to look for some comfort food. He groaned when he discovered that his fridge was practically bare save for a carton of yogurt that was three months old. Daniel thought for a moment, then shrugged and mumbled, “Eh, why not?” He grabbed the yogurt and got a spoon and headed over to his TV. Sitting on top of his DVD player was some movie that Betty had lent to him when he was trying to woo Sofia. She had said that Beaches was the ultimate chick flick and having it would show Sofia that he could be a sensitive guy. How a movie about beaches could show his sensitive side he had no clue. Well, if ever there was a time for a sappy old chick flick, this was it. He stuck the movie in and plopped down on the couch. He opened his three-month-old yogurt and shoved a spoonful into his mouth as the opening scene of Beaches started to play. Daniel’s throat closed up as soon as the sour substance hit his tongue and he instantly spit it back into the carton. “Blech! Ack!” He tried to wipe the taste off of his tongue and he ran to the sink to gargle some water. Then he sat back down on the couch and huffed at the fact that he was even incompetent at being depressed. How was he supposed to binge-eat his sorrows away when all he had was sour yogurt?
…………………………………………………….
Daniel was sniffling and wiping his eyes with his sleeve half way through the movie when he heard a knock on his door. He glanced at his watch and confusion flooded his face as he wondered who would show up at his apartment at 10:30 at night. He paused Beaches and grabbed a tissue on his way to the door. He quickly blew his nose and threw the tissue in the trash, then opened his door. His mouth fell open and he forgot how to breathe for a moment when his eyes were met with the sight of Betty. She was back in her normal attire and was holding her coat in her arms and smiling at him nervously.
“Hi, Daniel!” she said brightly.
Daniel stood there with his hand still on the doorknob and his eyes wide and intent on the woman before him. “Hhhh…” Daniel swallowed and fought hard to get his tongue to work. “Hhhh…umm…hi.”
Betty laughed softly and said, “My dad told me that you were acting weird after I left. I wanted to come and check on you to make sure you were okay.” Betty eyed him closer and gasped, “Oh my god, have you been crying, Daniel?”
Daniel stepped back and looked away from her hawk-like gaze as he protested, “No! No! Of course not! Why would I be crying?”
Betty stepped into the apartment and closed the door, then threw her coat and purse on a table as she closed in on Daniel. “I know when you’re lying, Daniel Meade, so you might as well admit that you’ve been crying.”
Daniel continued to inch away from Betty and his voice got higher as he said, “What? You’re crazy, you know that?”
Betty stopped in her tracks and she put her hands on her hips as she looked at him with narrowed eyes. Daniel licked his lips as he felt himself starting to crack under her scrutinizing glare. Then he saw Betty’s eyes drift towards the television and a crooked smile appeared on her lips. She looked back at Daniel and said with a pleased smile, “So, you’ve finally gotten around to watching Beaches, huh?”
Daniel let out a laugh and said, “Okay, fine, you caught me. Just don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”
Betty smiled at him slyly and said, “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t say a word. I’ll just send out a company memo.”
Daniel laughed again and shook his head. He raised his eyebrow and lightly said, “I’ll just have to fire you then.”
Betty chuckled and replied, “No you won’t.”
“Yeah? What makes you so sure about that?”
“I’m too irresistible. You’d miss me so much you wouldn’t get any work done.”
Daniel smiled appreciatively at Betty and said, “You’re right. I could never survive without you.”
“Of course you could. You don’t give yourself enough credit, Daniel.”
“Neither do you, Betty. You’re amazing.”
Betty blushed and looked down at her hands.
“So…how was your date with Henry?” Daniel asked. He really must love torturing himself.
“It was good,” Betty said with a small smile. “He’s sweet. I really like him.”
Daniel nodded his head, and without looking at her, said, “Great.”
“Yeah…” Betty said softly, “Great.”
Daniel looked into Betty’s eyes and he could tell that something was troubling her. Betty didn’t come to Daniel very often with her problems, so he decided not to push her. If she wanted to tell him, she would.
“So,” Betty said. “Has Hillary gotten sick yet?”
“What?” Daniel asked, completely confused.
Betty pointed to the TV and said, “On the movie, is she sick yet?”
“Whoa, wait, the rich one gets sick?” said an incredulous Daniel.
Betty rolled her eyes and laughed at Daniel, then grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the couch as she said, “Come on, this movie is better when you watch it with a friend.”
Daniel smiled when his nose caught that familiar rose scent of her shampoo as she sat down next to him. And when she cried almost as hard as he did at the remaining scenes of Beaches, and she laid her head on his shoulder, her soft hand in his, he didn’t feel so alone anymore.