A/N: This is my first Ugly Betty fic. Hope you enjoy!
Somebody Sweet To Talk To
Betty walked up to Daniel's desk, arms laden with folders and notes for her boss. She briefed him on each item as she placed them on his desk, mentally checking them off in her head as she went along.
"Sheila from creative said they need to know by 5:00 if you like the designs they've chosen," Betty said, placing the portfolio on the desk. "The features editor has his piece finished, but he's asking for another twenty minutes to edit. The food editor's piece is finished and should be sitting in your inbox. And…your mother called and wants to let you know that she's scheduled dinner for you, her, and Alexis at 7:00 tonight."
"But I have a date tonight."
Betty nodded. "She said if you said that to remind you that she went through ten hours of labor to bring you into this world and that just a few months ago she was in jail and-"
"Alright, I'll go to dinner," Daniel interrupted. "Anything else?"
"Yes," Betty sad decisively. Daniel looked up at her, waiting for whatever came next, but she was oddly silent.
"Betty?"
She took a deep breath and quickly said, "My high school reunion is this Sunday and since those four years were possibly the worst of my entire life, I need to go there prepared and with guns blazing-"
"Guns blazing?"
"Yes," she said. "Guns blazing."
"Okay, what does this have to do with me?"
Betty paused again, and then timidly said, "I need you to come with me?"
He stared at her. "You need me to go with you to your high school reunion?"
"Yes."
He laughed in disbelief. "Betty, come on."
"No, you don't understand," she pressed. "Those four years were terrible. The kids in my grade, and every other grade actually, were awful. They were really awful, Daniel."
"Okay," he said slowly. "I still don't know what I have to do with this."
"For once, I want them to talk about me and have it not be something bad," Betty said, her voice softer than usual. "I don't want to be the butt of a joke and have to laugh along so they won't see how much it hurts. I want to show them how far I've come. I want to prove it."
"You work at Mode," Daniel told her. "You have the life that all of them are probably dreaming about."
"Okay, I'm an assistant at Mode," Betty said. "Let's be honest, that's not that exciting unless you're Justin. And besides, they'd never believe me."
"Why not?"
"Believe me," she said, voice despondent. "They just wouldn't."
"So, you want me there to give your story weight?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. "And, you know, you're not awful to look at."
He gaped at her. "You want to use me for my looks?"
"No!" she said immediately. "Well, yes, actually. Maybe just a little. But I swear it's mostly for the other thing!"
"Why do you care what these other people think, anyway?" he asked. "This doesn't seem like you at all. I mean, you've dealt with worse here. I bet no one's as mean as Amanda at your high school."
"It's different," she said, trying to explain something that just made sense to her. "Amanda and Mark and all the other people here are like a completely different breed than me. They only use skim milk in their coffee and gag at the thought of bread. Not being accepted by them isn't that difficult because we're so different. But in high school, we were all Queens kids. To be rejected by them?"
Daniel shook his head. He didn't know what was more ridiculous, the fact that Betty was asking this or that he was seriously considering saying yes.
"I'd go as your boss," Daniel clarified, glancing up at her. When Betty saw that he was somewhat on board she nodded fervently and said, "Yes, of course. What else would I expect?"
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he murmured as Betty clasped her hands in front of her chest and enthused, "Thank you so much Daniel! You have no idea how much this means to me!"
"What time should I pick you up?"
"Four thirty," she told him with a decisive nod.
"Alright," Daniel said, forcing a grin. "I'll, uh, pick you up then."
She gave him one more brilliant smile before turning and walking out of his office. He glanced down at his desk and murmured, "What have I gotten myself into?"
Betty sat in front of the mirror, Hilda behind her working on her hair. Betty had told her very firmly that she wanted something sophisticated, and not the usual get-ups that Hilda did for her clients, to which Hilda responded, "What is more sophisticated than a perm, Betty?"
Betty convinced her to do a simple chignon at the nape of her neck, and then let Hilda curl a few pieces at the front. She didn't know how she felt about that at first, but it ended up looking nice. All there was left was makeup and then slipping into her dress. Hilda helped with the make-up, too, grudgingly opting out of the red lip that she repeatedly tried to put on Betty.
"Look at you," Hilda cooed when the fussing and dressing was complete. "You are gorgeous."
"You think?" Betty asked, peering at herself in the mirror. She'd picked out a dress from the closet at Mode to wear. Christina had helped and found her a dress in a larger size that a designer had accidentally sent. It was a sleeveless black lace with a full skirt that went mid-calf. Christina loaned her a pair of red Jimmy Choos for a pop of color, and Betty admired them in the mirror.
"I wish I didn't have to give these back," Betty said, twisting her ankle this way and that way to show off the shoe.
"Me neither since we're the same size shoe," Hilda said. "But hey, at least you get to keep the dress. A nice black dress like that, you're set for weddings and funerals for the next five years."
Betty grinned, turning around to look at the way the back of the dress dipped.
"It's nice of Daniel to go with you," Hilda said. "What's this going to cost you?"
"Nothing," Betty said. "He's doing it because he's my friend." Hilda arched one of her expertly crafted eyebrows. "And I gave him my sob story."
Hilda smirked. "Now that sounds more like it."
"Sob story or not, it's true," Betty held.
"Betty, I know you think that bringing Daniel will make everything different tonight, but just be careful."
"What do you mean be careful?"
"There are always people who aren't going to be nice," Hilda said softly. "I just don't want you to get hurt tonight if things don't go the way you think they will."
"I'm not worried about any of that, Hilda."
"Betty-"
"And my expectations aren't too high," she told her firmly. "I know better than to do that with these people."
There was a knock on the door and Betty jumped a little, rushing toward the mirror to give herself one last glance. Hilda rolled her eyes and grabbed her arm.
"You look fine, Betty. Let's go answer the door."
Betty walked slowly down the stairs, wondering how she was going to spend an entire night in these shoes. They looked good, though. She even had to admit that, and fashion was never her forte. She opened the door and Daniel took in her outfit, his eyes widening.
"Betty, you look…"
"Thanks," she said, blushing. "You look nice, too." She noticed his red tie and grinned. "Hey, look, we match!"
Daniel chuckled. "Well, look at that."
"You two don't stay out too late now," Hilda said, playing the parent. She looked at Daniel and joked, "No funny business."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
They walked out to the town car and Daniel opened the door for her. Betty scooted in, the lace catching a bit on the seat as she attempted to move over.
"Sorry," she said. "This dress isn't the best for scooting."
"It's fine," Daniel said, slipping in beside her. "You really do look amazing. The people at this reunion won't know what hit them."
Betty grinned. "Thank you. And thanks for going with me. I got an email about the caterer. The one they were going to use just gave a whole bunch of people food poisoning, so they switched over to Rosangelo's. Much better pick, if you ask me. Their beef sandwiches are like a revelation."
Daniel smiled tightly. "Good to know. So, what reunion is this? How many years out?"
"Seven," Betty said, as if a seven year reunion was completely normal.
"Seven?" he said. "Isn't that a little…strange?"
Betty shrugged. "Lourdes always did it this way. They've never given a reason, but I'm pretty sure it's because whoever was in charge so many years ago mixed up 25th anniversary with being 25 years old. So, now you get a seven year anniversary!"
"That makes sense," Daniel said carefully. "Sort of."
"It's a bit off," Betty admitted. "But, that's about half of Queens. We're all a little off here."
Daniel smirked. "I think you could say the same about Mode."
Betty considered this for a moment and grinned. "You're right. Maybe Queens and Mode aren't that different, after all."
The reunion was held in a mid-sized banquet hall with decorations that clearly came from the local party store. Cheap streamers were thrown up haphazardly in a design that Daniel assumed was intentional. He could just imagine Justin's reaction to all of this. There'd be a click of a tongue and quick shake of the head, disapproval radiating from every gesture. When he glanced down at Betty he could already see that she was anxious.
"Betty?"
"See that girl over there?," Betty said, inclining her head toward a leggy brunette over by the food. "That's Tina Santiro. She stole my clothes during swim unit and I had to spend all day in a boy's gym uniform."
"Betty-"
"And next to her is John Wagner," Betty continued, voice devoid of its usual character. "He asked me to Homecoming my sophomore year as a joke. I didn't know it was a joke until I sat in my living room all night in my dress waiting for him to pick me up."
"They sound like jerks," Daniel said.
"You know what, we don't have to do this," Betty said, already turning toward where they entered. He caught her arm and stopped her.
"Hey, hold on," Daniel said.
"I can't do this," Betty said, shaking her head. "And then dragging you here? It's pathetic. I'm pathetic."
"You are not pathetic," he told her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Now, I think you mentioned something about some good beef sandwiches?"
Betty nodded. "The best in Queens."
"Well, then what are we waiting for?"
They got in line for food and then got themselves each a beef sandwich. Betty's was loaded with marinara sauce, and she was relieved that she'd worn black. She bit into the sandwich and felt some of her nerves melt away as she chewed. That was a damn good sandwich. What she saw over her sandwich made her stiffen.
"What is it?" Daniel asked, noticing the change in her demeanor. She looked troubled, and Betty Suarez never looked troubled when she was eating.
"Ricky Castellano," Betty breathed out. Even after seven years, the sight of him still made her go all tingly.
"Okay, I need a little more than that."
"I was in love with him for two years," Betty said slowly, reverently almost. "In love from afar, of course. He barely knew I existed."
Daniel studied this Ricky Castellano that had Betty in such a dither. He wasn't much to write home about. He was wearing an ill-fitting grey suit with a red shirt underneath. He had dark wavy hair that was clearly styled with some sort of product. There was nothing remarkable about him that Daniel could see.
"Was there, uh, anything about him that made you like him?" Daniel asked.
"He used to call me Suarez," Betty said dreamily. When Daniel didn't say anything she glanced up at him and said, "It was really sexy when he said it. Believe me."
"Sure. I, uh, believe you."
"Well well, look at what we have here," a short blonde said, sashaying over to Daniel and Betty. "Betty Suarez staring at Ricky Castellano from across the room. It really is like we're right back at Lourdes."
Betty seemed to shrink an entire foot as she faced this woman and said, "Sharon, hi."
Sharon cast her another look before glancing up at Daniel and cooing, "Now, I don't remember you from Lourdes." She extended a manicured hand. "Sharon Gambori."
Two other women approached, eyes darting between Daniel and Betty. He thought to himself that it was akin to sharks circling a wounded seal. In this case Betty was definitely that wounded seal, visibly shrinking when the three set their smirking gazes on her. Daniel thought of that girl who'd yelled at him more times than he could count at his desk. She was nowhere to be found in this cheap banquet hall, and it bothered him. He was accustomed to seeing the strong Betty Suarez, and this woman next to him was barely recognizable. Making a quick decision, he slipped his free arm around Betty's waist. She looked up at him in confusion and he gave her a small nod.
"I'm Daniel Meade," he said, voice loud and booming. He sounded eerily like his father there, but he pushed that thought aside. "I'm Betty's boyfriend."
He felt Betty's physical reaction as she instinctively pulled away from him, but he tightened his grasp on her waist.
"Her boyfriend?" Sharon said, voice difficult to read. There was a note of disbelief and grudging admiration.
"Yep," he said. He glanced down at Betty who looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Going on how long, Betty?"
"Two years," she stammered, going with how long she'd been at Mode. "Going on two years."
"Wow," Sharon said. "I'm surprised we haven't heard about it. Queens is a small community, you know. Everyone hears everything."
"I guess we just don't spend that much time in Queens," Daniel said.
"Right," Betty said, gaining steam. He could practically feel her rise in confidence beside him. "We usually spend our time in New York. It's closer to the office."
"The office? So you two work together?"
Betty nodded. "We work at Mode."
"Like the magazine?" one of the others breathed out.
"Uh huh," Betty said, a grin plastered on her face again. Daniel recognized that grin; it was the one she used on Amanda and Mark.
"So, what do you two do there?"
Betty let Daniel go first, and for good reason. He glanced between the three women and said, "I'm editor and chief."
There was a beat of silence, broken only by one of them murmuring, "You're shitting me."
"How about you Betty?" Sharon asked.
"I'm his assistant," Betty said without hesitation. Daniel immediately jumped in and said, "You write pieces for the magazine, too. Betty wrote a really great book review for the last issue."
"So, you're his assistant," Sharon said. "Doesn't that, like, make your relationship taboo?"
Daniel shrugged. "My mother owns Mode and absolutely loves Betty. So, I think we'll be fine."
Betty beamed. "Just fine."
The three women nodded amongst themselves, faces falling as they realized they really had nothing belittling left to say. Taking advantage of the silence, Betty asked, "So, what are you guys up to now?"
Sharon frowned. "I think I see someone I need to talk to."
"Me too," the other two murmured. They were gone before Betty could get an answer to her question, but if Betty were being honest she didn't need one. She turned toward Daniel, grinning wide.
"That was the greatest thing ever!"
He laughed. "I'm happy you're happy."
He dropped his arm from her waist and she happily took a large bite of her sandwich. Daniel glanced toward where the three wicked witches had departed and he saw them all gossiping in a circle. One of them went off to another cluster and the whispering started again, glances almost immediately coming their way. Daniel shook his head.
"You were right," he said. "These people are terrible. How did you come from all of this?"
Betty smirked. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."
"You should."
"So, what do you think about the sandwiches?" she asked, taking another bite of hers.
"A revelation," he said, echoing what she had said earlier. She grinned in return.
"So, you aren't going to believe this," Daniel began, glancing over Betty's shoulder. They were on the dance floor, dusting off their dancing skills. He'd had lessons growing up, and he learned that Betty had, too, for what she called her quinciñera. He didn't totally understand what that was, but he understood it involved big dresses and cake.
"Believe what?" she asked, glancing up at him.
"That kid you were in love with for two years can't take his eyes off of you."
"Ricky Castellano?" Betty said loudly, twisting in his arms. Daniel laughed and said, "Yes. Ricky Castellano."
"What type of look?"
"A, 'I wish I was the one dancing with her' look," Daniel said. She grinned tucking her chin to her chest. He laughed and said, "Come on, Betty. Own it."
"I am!" she said. "I'm owning it!"
He laughed again. "Good. Because, you know, you're just as good as any of these people."
"You know, they're not as scary anymore." She glanced up at him again. "Thank you for coming here with me tonight. You being here…"
"You're welcome," he said with a soft smile. "This has actually ended up being a lot of fun."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he said. "The look on those women's faces…" he trailed off. "My God, this must be how Wilhelmina feels practically all the time."
Betty considered that for a moment. "Yeah, but we only have one good scam. Imagine having to come up with her level of scheming. It must be exhausting."
"Yeah, that much evil doesn't come easily."
The song changed and Betty's eyes brightened as she tapped his back excitedly.
"I love this song!"
"Gangsta Paradise? Seriously?"
"Don't mock," she told him. "When I was in high school, this song was very popular."
He smirked. "I'm sure it was."
"You're still mocking!"
"I'm sorry," he said, all feigned sincerity, because come on, it was Gangsta Paradise. Betty grinned up at him, and he was struck with the incomprehensible thought that just two years ago he didn't know this person in front of him. She wasn't a part of his life then, and that was such a funny thought because now he didn't really understand a life that didn't include her.
He saw the three witches from earlier gawking at them from the side of the dance floor, and he felt like showing off. Dropping his mouth to her ear he murmured, "Let's dust off those dancing lessons, Betty."
Before she could even nod he had taken off, sweeping them around the floor like they were at a ball, and she was Cinderella and he was Prince Charming. She laughed because the dancing was so out of place with the tacky banquet hall and 90's rap music, but she was having fun and that was all she cared about. For the grand finale Daniel sent her into a dramatic dip, and when she came back up her face was flushed, nose almost brushing his. They'd never been this close before, and she felt something stir in her stomach when his gaze darted to her lips.
Another couple bumped into them and the moment was broken. Daniel laughed slightly, distancing himself from her slightly. She did the same, all too aware of the way his hands were still on her waist.
"I think I've had enough dancing," Betty said quickly, stepping out of his grip. He let her go and said, "Yeah, me too."
They drove back to Betty's house in the town car, both of them silent. Betty stole a glance at him, her stomach flipping in that way that was so strange yet familiar. She'd felt this before. It'd been there with Henry and Gio. It'd even made a brief appearance with Walter. But now, Daniel?
She forced her gaze back out the window. This was no time to go and catch feelings. Their relationship was strictly in the friend zone. She had no right, or reason, to think it would venture anywhere further. But then he said her name, and the sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine. She glanced over at him, struck by the hesitant look in his eyes.
"You're really quiet," he noted. "You're almost never quiet."
"Just thinking about stuff."
"What stuff?"
The exact stuff was the shape of his lips and how they would feel pressed against hers, but she thought that was better kept to herself.
"Tonight ended up being pretty fantastic," she said. "I wanted so badly to impress them, but I didn't really believe that I could. Even bringing you, I was sure they'd see right through it. But they didn't. They believed it."
"There's nothing for them to see through," Daniel told her. "You're a valuable part of Mode, and you did that all on your own. You should be proud of yourself."
She grinned. "Thank you, Daniel. I think our little ruse helped, though."
He laughed. "Yeah, I guess it did. Sorry to have just thrown that at you. I just saw an opportunity and went for it."
"It's alright," she said. "I mean, you make a pretty good fake boyfriend."
"Yeah?"
"Definitely," she said with a decisive nod. "You definitely rank in the top five or ten."
"Top five or ten, huh?"
She grinned, nodding her head exuberantly. "Without a doubt."
They were laughing and one of the curled pieces of hair dipped in front of her face. The laughter caught in Betty's throat when Daniel reached forward and gently tucked the piece of hair behind her ear. His eyes widened and she could see he was just as surprised by his action as she was. There was a moment where they both stared at each other, words lost. One of the town car's tires dipped into a pot hole and Betty careened toward Daniel from the momentum of the car. His hand found her waist instinctively and then they were nose-to-nose again, just like before on the dance floor. Except this time they were alone. There was no wayward couple to crash into them and break the moment.
Her eyes darted to his lips, and she wanted him to kiss her. As ridiculous of a notion as it was, she wanted his mouth against hers, and she wanted it bad. But Betty had her fair share of rejection, and she couldn't chance having that with Daniel. He had become the one person she could really rely upon on in her life, and she didn't want to let some stupid back of the limo moment ruin that. Just as she had decided to shift back he shifted forward and his mouth found hers.
Despite their close proximity the kiss took Betty by surprise, and it took her a moment before she tentatively kissed him back. His hand found its way to the curve of her jaw and as he kissed her soundly Betty understood perfectly why he was one of New York's most sought after bachelors. Her mind was muddled, and she had an inkling she should pull away, but his mouth felt so good against hers and his fingers were kneading into her side. She didn't really know how long they went on, but then the car stopped and she came crashing back down to reality.
"Oh my God," she breathed out, fingers covering her mouth lightly.
"Betty," Daniel said, voice concerned. "I'm sorry?"
"You are?" she said, eyes wide.
"No!" Daniel said immediately, hands flying up. "I mean…should I be?"
"I don't know," Betty admitted. What had they just been doing? They were Betty Suarez and Daniel Meade – assistant and boss. Assistant and bosses did not make out in the back of limos, at least they didn't. She was supposed to represent the anti-hookup-assistant. Now they were necking in the back of a limo like a bunch of horny teenagers?
"This must have been what high school was like for everyone else," Betty murmured.
"We can just forget this happened," Daniel offered, eager to get to some resolution that she agreed with. It was the easy route, and she knew it.
"Yeah," Betty said, nodding. "We can forget about it."
"Okay," Daniel said, mirroring her nod. They were like a bunch of bobble heads back there. "We can forget about it."
Betty nodded again. There was a beat of silence and then she blurted out, "I don't wan to forget it."
"You don't?" Daniel asked, relief evident in his voice.
"No," she said, smiling softly. "But I don't know what that means, really. Or what this means."
He laughed a bit. "Me neither." He reached forward and tucked the piece of hair behind her ear again. "But I want to find out."
She smiled softly, but it dimmed when a thought occurred to her. "Oh my God, I'm betraying your father."
"Betty-"
"I'm betraying your dead father. And he's already come back and haunted me once."
Daniel gave her a strange look. "He what?"
"I don't think I can handle seeing him in a Hawaiian shirt again. It was really disturbing."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Betty sighed. "Daniel, he hired me so this exact situation wouldn't happen."
Daniel shook his head. "Not this situation, Betty. This is different. You are different."
"I bet you say that to all the girls," Betty said in a small voice.
"Yeah," Daniel admitted. She gave him a look and he remedied with, "But I mean it this time."
"I should head inside," Betty said, glancing out the window toward her house. This whole situation was beginning to be too much for her sitting in the back of the town car with him so close. She needed space to think.
"Of course, yeah, I'll just…"
He opened the door and scooted out. She stepped out and when she glanced back she was surprised to find him still standing there. She went to ask him what he was doing and he stepped forward, winding one arm around her waist as he gave her one last kiss. It was a short one, and when he was finished she stumbled backwards. He had this little grin on his face and murmured, "See you tomorrow, Betty."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
He slipped back into the cab and she forced herself to turn around and not watch him drive away. She walked up to the front door, and before she could open it Hilda was standing at the open doorway, grabbing Betty's arm and tugging her into the house.
"Ow! What are you doing?" Betty said loudly.
"Did I just see you and your boss out there having a major kissing moment?" Hilda demanded.
"Um…"
Hilda's eyes widened. "Oh, you better have some stories for me!"
A/N: This was a total fluffball. Hope you enjoyed it!