Author's note: Ok, so this is my first piece of fanfiction ever. It's a two-shot which may be expanded into a multi-chapter fic if there's interest (both from me and any potential readers). This is set in the year 2009 dealing with a more grown-up Daniel and Betty. But be warned: this is an AU. So you should probably leave any ideas about events that happened on the actual show at the door. Because chances are, it didn't happen in this universe or if it did, it occurred in a completely different context. Case in point, Daniel Jr. and Tyler do not exist in this universe. If after all this you still want to give this ficlet a try, then thanks in advance for taking the time and I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm simply borrowing these characters for my own creative exercise.

Special mention: To TMadison, who inspired me to give my own writing a shot. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

1

"So I guess that's it."

Daniel stood in the doorway, clutching the Harvard sweater he'd left at Molly's apartment some months ago and kept forgetting to take home with him. She smiled softly.

"I hope you'll be happy Daniel. I hope you find what you're looking for," She said sincerely.

"Yeah, you too. Goodbye Molly," He kissed her cheek, gave her one last smile and then left the apartment.

The town car was waiting for him and Daniel slipped into the backseat feeling pensive.

Nine months they'd been together.

It had been his longest relationship and certainly his most serious. He'd really liked Molly and he didn't regret the time they'd had together, but after eight months when it started to feel as though the relationship had run its course, Daniel had realized that while he liked Molly a lot, respected and even admired her, he wasn't in love with her.

After that revelation he'd known he'd have to say something soon. They were getting to the point where they'd need to have a conversation about their future together and he didn't think it would be fair to lead her on when he didn't see things going any further. But it had still taken him a whole month more to find the courage to have that conversation.

Molly had not seemed very surprised by his confession, though she was still more than a bit hurt. But she'd wanted him to be happy.

"I do love you Daniel," She'd said, "but that's not your fault. Just because I wanted this doesn't mean you have to be with me. And if you're worried that I'll be miserable, yes, I will be. I'll feel very bad and it will hurt, a lot. But life doesn't stop, does it Daniel?"

She'd started crying then and he'd hugged her. They'd given each other space for a few days and then he'd come to finally say goodbye and at last remembered to take his sweater with him.

As the town car carried him away from the home of his now ex-girlfriend, Daniel's thoughts turned to a different woman.

It had been nine months since he'd really seen Betty and properly talked to her. He wasn't sure how it had happened. Life he supposed.

Two weeks after he and Molly got together, Betty had landed a position as a features editor for New World. It was still a Meade Publication but one that was closer to the kind of magazine journalism Betty was really interested in. Her new position kept her very busy and they no longer saw each other every day, but Betty still made the effort to catch up with Daniel every week.

However, he'd been a little wrapped up in his new relationship and hadn't paid much attention to anything else. The weeks went by and it was only when, while looking for post-its in his desk, he stumbled across the magic, good luck stone she'd brought him back from Mexico that it occurred to Daniel: he hadn't seen or heard from Betty in six months and she'd stopped leaving him messages inviting him to coffee or lunch. So he'd headed up to her office on the 30th floor only to find that she was out on assignment and would be gone for the week.

That had been his one effort to get in touch with Betty. A week or so later, he'd missed a call from her and made a mental note to call her back. But then it had been Molly's birthday and he'd gotten caught up planning a special surprise for her, so he forgot again and never actually got around to calling Betty back. She hadn't attempted to reach him again either.

One afternoon, about two months ago, he'd been out picking up some wine for dinner with Molly when he'd spotted Betty leaving the pharmacy a few stores down. She'd seemed in such a hurry that he doubted she'd seen him and by the time he wanted to call out to her, she was gone. Not long after that he'd had his revelation about his relationship with Molly, and as he agonized over how to break things off with her, he found himself wishing that he had Betty to talk to, to ask for advice.

He'd muddled through on his own but he'd become acutely aware of the fact that he missed Betty. Now, as he sat on his own in the town car, that feeling returned.

Suddenly the thought of returning to his empty loft apartment wasn't very appealing. He didn't regret ending things with Molly, but he didn't really feel like being alone right now either. Daniel had never really done well being alone. His long list of bed mates was testimony to that. But he was done doing that. What he wanted was a friend - his best friend.

Now that he actually had a chance to think about it, he realized how much he actually missed Betty. It seemed strange that he hadn't noticed it before. She was always such a strong, profound presence in his life. And he wanted that presence now.

Daniel pressed the intercom button for the driver and politely asked him to a set a course for Jackson Heights, Queens.

It had started raining by the time he arrived in Queens. The first thing he noticed was the number of people.

There seemed to be a lot of activity at the Suarez house but it wasn't noisy. If anything, it seemed eerily quiet and sombre. Two adjectives he'd never really associated with Betty and her warm, colourful family. Wearing his Harvard sweater now, Daniel slipped the hood on against the rain as he stood on the sidewalk outside the Suarez house, watching. In drips and drabs the people all seemed to come from the same place before they headed inside Betty's family home.

Then he saw her.

She was walking on her own, coming from the same direction as the others, and dressed in a black knit dress instead of her usual brightly coloured combinations.

"Betty!" Daniel called out.

She startled at the sound of his voice and lost her hold on the umbrella she was carrying at the precise moment that a strong gust of wind chose to whip around her, carrying the umbrella away.

Betty stood in the rain as though frozen, raven tresses tangled by the wind and beginning to stick to her face, her pretty crescent mouth in a grim line, like an executioner or saint. And as her shocked gaze met his, Daniel saw in her usually bright eyes, a deep sadness.