Wilhelmina sat at her desk, clicking the mouse on her computer, waiting for the clock to strike 2:00 pm. She and Daniel were supposed to have a company meeting with Hartley at 12:30, but at the last minute he had decided to postpone it until the afternoon so he could have "a nice, long lunch with Claire".
"Just find something to do until we get back, Wilhelmina. Can't be that hard to find a way to rearrange your schedule til then," he'd said, Claire by his side, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Sure thing; you know me-team player!" she said, punctuating the sentence with a fake smile. "I hope your hair falls out with every bite of carbs you take," she thought to herself, watching them go. But she decided she would be a team player today; she'd kept busy for the last hour and a half on the recently renovated Chanel website, charging every whimsical purchase to the company credit card. "Of course I was hard at work while you were gone, Cal," she muttered to herself, "you greasy last-season ass." There was a knock on her door and she looked up.
"Cal and…my mom are back Wilhelmina," Daniel said, pausing before he said the words 'my mom'. Wilhelmina knew he was upset with her; ever since he'd figured out about their relationship. "What a dense," she thought, staring at him, "I've known for months."
"Fine; let's go and see your mom and her boy toy, and watch as they shoot down our every decision. Gee, maybe they'll even want to put vampires on the cover again!" she smirked as she walked past him. He rolled his eyes.
"Look, Wilhelmina, I'm not sure why you even bother knocking me down when you know I hate this as much as you. If this was a parallel universe in which you possessed the capability to feel any human emotion, or even had blood in your veins instead of anti-freeze, this might be a moment in which we could consider banding together for the greater good of the company."
He stopped in front of the office where Cal and Claire were waiting, and looked at Wilhelmina, waiting for some sort of reaction. He received only her typical eye roll as she curled her otherwise lovely mouth into what might've once been a smile. "Let's see; you want me…to team up with you…and work together like we're freaking Thelma and Louise?" She paused for effect. "How about tonight, after we call in our votes to American Idol?" she said, as she pushed open the glass door. He sighed heavily, kicking himself for thinking that might actually work, and followed her with great reluctance.
The meeting was a complete drag. All Cal seemed capable of doing was proposing idiotic ideas-"How about the Desperate Housewives on the cover"-while Claire nodded emphatically at his every suggestion.
"Desperate Housewives?! Is this guy for real?" thought Daniel, dismayed. He looked beside himself at Wilhelmina, who was gapping in shocked silence.
"They're on every magazine" Cal said, smiling his Colgate toothpaste smile.
"Which is why using them would be a completely redundant idea, hair plugs," Wilhelmina muttered under her breath. Daniel suppressed the urge to giggle to himself when he heard Cal call his name.
"Would you like to add anything, son?" he asked, looking at Daniel challengingly. Daniel could tell from the look in his eye that Cal had seen him grinning and decided this was a perfect moment to single him out. Everyone turned to look at him.
"I told you not to call me son," he said quietly, locking eyes with Cal. Cal laughed heartily. "Is that all you have to contribute? Why do you and her-" he motioned to Wilhelmina-"even bother showing up? All you've done since I arrived is treat me with contempt, and as a result of your kindergarten-level dislike for me, you've only caused dissension between me, you and your mother. Isn't it time you started working as hard as your father so you could prove you're not just Daddy's Little Boy?"
Wilhelmina looked at Daniel, who was completely white. His normally soft blue eyes were dark and cold, almost as though Cal's words had erased any feeling. She had to admit she sort of felt bad for him; the times her father reprimanded her were in private. She couldn't imagine being told off by your mother's boyfriend in front of everyone like a five year-old in elementary school. Slowly, Daniel rose from his seat, his knuckles white as he balled his hands into fists and rested them upon the table. He leaned toward Cal.
"You don't know the slightest thing about me." He turned to face Claire. "Why don't you tell him how Wilhelmina and I busted our wallets to save this company when it was falling in our faces?" He turned back to Cal. "When you can give up your Barbie beach house in Malibu and your foreign imported tanning oils, then we'll talk-son," he sneered, as he shoved open the door and walked out. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity. Then, Wilhelmina rose from her chair, looking directly at Claire, who had blanched white from embarrassment.
"What's wrong, Claire? Can't keep a tight leash on your boyfriend?" She turned and left and walked straight toward Daniel's office. She decided maybe it was time to take him up on his offer. "We'll see who'll come out of this breathing" she thought as she opened his door.
Daniel was standing at the window, staring grimly onto the street 40 floors below him. "I accept" came the sudden voice from behind. He spun around to find Wilhelmina walking toward him, stopping beside him at the window. He stared at her blankly for a moment before raising an eyebrow.
"Why?" he asked suspiciously. He couldn't get the image of her dismissal of him out of his mind, and tried to read her eyes to see if he could find a motive.
"Because, Cal is an ass, your mom is putty in his hands, and it looks like we're both losing our ground. If we have to share the position of Editor-in-Chief we better damn well be able to run our company the way we want to."
"Our company?" Daniel asked, shocked that Wilhelmina even knew the correct usage for the word 'our'.
"Well it sure as hell isn't theirs!" she said angrily. "Look, I'm not saying I even like you, respect you, care if you die tomorrow, or want anything to do with you outside of this little deal."
"Ditto" Daniel said.
"But we can't let our…dislike... keep us from making the right decisions for the good of our company. So, are you in?" she asked, extending a small, yet decisive hand. Daniel looked at it for a moment, trying to decide whether he should try to enter into a verbal contract with the woman who had spent years undermining him as he had undermined her.
"Oh for God's sakes, Daniel, it's not going to bite you!" she hissed. "Shake!" she barked at him like a puppy. He looked into her large, blue eyes and sucked in a breath before he extended his hand. "Good boy" Wilhelmina said condescendingly. She tried to pull her hand away when Daniel suddenly tightened his grip. She turned to say something but stopped at the sight of his eyes, still dark and cold. "If you do anything to deceive me in any way, I promise you'll go down with me. Count on that." He slowly released her hand. She stared at him, shocked at how Cal's tirade had created a man who possessed not only much more back bone than 2 hours ago, but also the determination to take Hartley out. She turned to face him, and said softly, "I may dislike you, Daniel, but I hate Hartley. And if you think that I would rather ride a bus to Congress with him than you, than you might want to reassess your perception of me."
She slowly walked out of his office and into hers. She realized that seeing Daniel stick up for himself had changed the way she looked at him too. No longer did she see him as her menial. For the first time in the four years that she'd known him, she actually felt respect for him.
Wilhelmina stepped out of her car onto the sidewalk in front of Mode and into the sunlight. Her large Chanel glasses reflected the silver towering skyscraper as she smoothed the front of her black fur coat. She'd slicked her hair back into a ponytail and carefully chosen every article of clothing that ended up on her body. She wanted to look like she was set to destroy. She wanted Cal and Claire to know she meant business, even if they had no idea exactly what business she and Daniel were up to. She tightened her grip on her black leather purse and was about to go inside when she caught sight of Daniel exiting his car. He too donned a black trench coat and a black briefcase, and his jaw was set in a grim expression of determination. He looked like the Terminator in a business suit. She made her way toward him.
"So what's our plan of action?" she said as he looked up, noticing her for the first time. She looked good.
"We have a winter-themed photo shoot lined up in a few weeks, right? Well, as far as Cal knows, the appointment to go and hand-select the models is two days from now. Too bad I forgot to tell him I moved it to tomorrow." Though he didn't smile, she could tell he was pleased with himself. Before she had a chance to open her mouth, he added, "Oh, and I also made sure that this would be the final selection. The agency wants to fly the girls out the day after tomorrow to Bermuda, so whoever we choose is who stays." Wilhelmina raised her eyebrow. "Impressive," she said. "Who knew you possessed the ability to think hard enough to come up with something like that?" Daniel stared at her for a moment, trying to decipher whether that meant she had a better idea or if that was just her offhanded way of trying to say something that could pass as a compliment in Wilhelmina World. When she didn't continue, he figured he'd take it as an attempt at kindness. But he wasn't about to let her walk out unscathed.
"You know, Wilhelmina, there's no need for you to be jealous. If you spent half as much time thinking as you do in front of the mirror, you might've thought of that yourself."
"How clever, capitalizing on my joke" she said in her usual monotone. In spite of their little pre-game spat, they entered the building together and marched toward the elevator. Suddenly Wilhelmina spoke up.
"Hey Boy-Wonder" she said as the elevator doors closed. Daniel snickered in spite of himself.
"What?"
"We have to make sure that we check with the Desperate Housewives about the cover. Cal rang this morning saying that since he and Claire were going to be in late today, it was up to us to make sure everything was going smoothly for the photo shoot on Thursday. You know, follow-up on the photographers, caterers…" she paused for a moment and a tiny smirk formed on her lips. Daniel knew she was on the verge of something ruthless and waited patiently. "…make sure the cast is all getting along." She looked at him and removed her sunglasses. He caught the glimmer in her eyes and knew exactly where she was going. "Right, absolutely," he continued for her, "can't have a cover shoot with four divas who hate each other. That might just spoil everything." "Right," she said as the elevator doors opened, "we'll have to be on top of this so that we can make sure everything goes smoothly. You know how women get when they read a tabloid and find out one of their co-stars has been, shall we say, less than kind in her assessment of her friends."
Daniel and Wilhelmina spent all morning working hard. They made sure Suzuki Saint James got word of what Eva Longoria said about Teri Hatcher-or, at least, what he thought she'd said.
"No way!" he squealed into the phone. Wilhelmina pulled it from her ear and smirked at Daniel, who had heard the cry of glee all the way across the room. "Wait a second, Slater. Why are you telling me this? Are you making this up? This totally sounds like something you would come up with," said Suzuki, suspicion creeping into his voice.
"I already told you; I was at a restaurant last night and Longoria was seated right behind me. She probably would've gotten away with her little slip had someone a little…kinder…been sitting nearby. Besides, after the disasters you've been reporting on that you laughably call 'gossip' or 'breaking news', I figured I could use this opportunity to be the bearer of bad news…well, in your case, I suppose it's good news" Wilhelmina said slyly. She knew St. James better than that; he'd dive headfirst into a can of gossip even if he saw a worm peeking out of it. What a sucker.
"Well, either way it's fabulous! There's nothing I love more than a cat fight between two Botox-addicted divas. Ciao!" he said and hung up. Wilhelmina looked at Daniel as she replaced the phone on the hook. "So how did I do?" she asked, obviously more than pleased with herself. "Very nice" he replied. He eyed her for a moment, watching her sip her glass of champagne as she walked around her desk and seated herself in her chair. He couldn't figure Wilhelmina out; was this really the same woman he was always griping with?
"What?" Her annoyed voice suddenly burst through his thoughts. He'd been so engrossed with trying to figure her out he'd forgotten to stop staring. He smiled slowly. "Are they having another parade in Daniel Land?" she asked, wondering why the hell he was grinning at her.
"It's just that I can't figure you out, Wilhelmina" he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking closer to her desk.
"What are you talking about? Figure out what? This isn't math class, Meade."
"No, I mean…" he paused, trying to make sense of what he did want to say. "Don't you think it's a little odd that whenever we're forced into a situation together, we always get along okay? I mean remember when we were on that boat?"
"Oh, right," Wilhelmina said, rolling her eyes, "the date from Hell."
"Well it might've gone better if you hadn't lied."
"Six foot-four?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Okay, right. But remember how we worked together to get the boat back to land and how we talked on the way back home, walking down the street? Or when we had to take the bus to go to Congress; we had dinner together and we didn't kill each other. We were actually honest with each other, Wilhelmina. We had an honest conversation. And then when you used all your resources to help me keep Mode afloat…"
They stared at each other in silence for a while. Finally, Wilhelmina spoke up.
"What do you want me to say Daniel? That secretly, deep down, we have an unconscious desire to be best friends? I helped save Meade for my son…" She trailed off, and then recomposed herself, "the boy I thought was my son. Anyway, why are you going off on this little tangent?"
Daniel sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and cocking his head to the side. He paused for a moment, and then spoke quietly. "I just think that we've been hating each other for a little too long. I mean, in the beginning, of course I hated you-you deserved it; going out with my dad just so you could get your hands on the company. And the first day I met you, I resented you so much that when you shook my hand, I would've grabbed your arm right there and tossed you out the window-"
"Gee, that just makes me all warm inside," Wilhelmina said sardonically. "Keep it up, and they'll find your cold, dead body on the floor of my office with a Manolo Blahnik imprint on your back."
Daniel couldn't help but grin as he looked at her, watching as her eyes burn in annoyance. Were her face not so beautiful, he might've thought he was looking at Satan. He looked down at his hands and fidgeted his fingers nervously. "All I know is…in spite of everything that's happened between us, I know that you're a vital asset to this company. In all honesty, if you weren't here to compete with, I might not have sharpened up and gotten serious about this job." He looked back at her. She was staring at him with an expression he'd never seen on her face before. Not because it was one of kindness, but because it wasn't the usual half-smirking "I'm-better-than-you" look he'd come to expect from her. She turned from him and put down her champagne glass. "Well, look at that. Daniel Meade is waxing philosophical." She got up from her chair and smoothed her silky navy blue dress. "I hope you're not expecting anything in return," she said, putting both hands on her hips as she stood before him, eyebrow cocked, grin in place. He looked up at her and laughed as he got up from his chair. "Expecting a kind word out of you would be like lighting yourself on fire and expecting it not to hurt-either way you're set up for failure."
"Oh, clever" she sighed as she walked past him toward the elevator. She stepped inside and he followed. They were silent a few seconds before Daniel spoke.
"So that was a nice bonding-"
"Shut up you putty-faced pansy."
"Alright," Daniel said with a snicker, "I'll just cherish these moments silently by myself."
"Oh, God" Wilhelmina groaned as she rolled her eyes and stepped out of the elevator, proceeding toward her car. Suddenly she turned. "When are we heading to the modeling agency tomorrow?"
"8 a.m. sharp; they don't like tardiness."
"Fine" Wilhelmina sighed as she dumped her bag onto the leather seat of her black Mercedes. She slid into the car and the driver took off. She watched Daniel's car in the rear-view mirror as it followed behind her, then turned and disappeared into the night. She thought back to their conversation earlier. Why had she been so nice? Why was he so nice? What was wrong with them? The two people who seemed destined to despise each other from the beginning actually did get on okay. Suddenly the car pulled to a stop. She looked out the window and realized she was home. She stepped onto the sidewalk and looked up at her apartment building; beautiful, towering, the most popular place to live in all of New York. She'd selected it for exactly those reasons. She made her way to the elevator and seconds later was on her floor. She opened the door to her apartment. It was the same as always, large, immaculate, lavishly decorated-and quiet, the silence so sharp it could pierce her ear drums. She dropped her things onto the carpet beside the couch and made her way toward the glass-encased fireplace, the flames shooting up toward the ceiling as if in greeting, acknowledgement of her presence. She realized then that the fire was the only thing there to acknowledge her. The place she'd picked for its loveliness always seemed less so at night. She hated it; she hated being at home, away from her work, away from the only thing that could serve as a distraction from loneliness. As she sat down on the sofa she realized why she hated the gossips and journalists most. They wrote about her like they knew her, fleshing out her persona with words like 'ice queen', 'diva', and 'nightmare in heels'. They wrote so confidently from what was really just a third person perspective of what little they were allowed to glimpse. They'd never been in her home at night, when she was all alone, faced every night with her demons. They assumed the party kept going for people like her, that friends were always on hand, ready at the drop of a pin. They never knew that she was more of a danger to herself than others, that the nasty things she said where at the end of the day just that, things that tomorrow would be long forgotten. She almost wished that the people who feared her could see her now, sitting alone in an enormous room, in front of an enormous fireplace, staring into space as if the thoughts had taken hold of her. She knew now why she'd decided to live there; not because it was pretty, she was barely home enough to remember how it looked. Rather, it was because it was large, and she thought filling a big place with big things would make it less obvious to her that it was empty. Empty like people assumed she was. Sometimes she wished she could be Wilhelmina Slater all the time. She wished that woman wasn't just a craftily created persona, used to deflect all suspicion that her life was anything but perfect, was as she always pretended. She realized that the older she got, the harder it was to cling to Wilhelmina.
When Daniel pulled up to the curb of the Baxter Modeling Agency, he found Wilhelmina already there. She had been about to enter the building when she saw his car. She turned around and slowly made her way toward him as he got out, straightening his jacket as he closed the car door with his briefcase. He looked up at her, her big blue eyes regarding him in the way they always did, without much expression. He always wondered what went through her mind, what she was thinking about as she watched him fumble with his jacket, juggling a cell phone in one hand and briefcase in the other.
"How many girls do we need for the photo shoot?" she asked finally, assuming her usual disinterested face.
"Uh, about 6 or 7; Cal wants it to be a pretty large spread."
"Okay."
They stood in front of each other for a few seconds, studying each other, trying to read each other's thoughts. Wilhelmina suddenly turned. "Come on then, we won't get the job done out here." He followed; she always did that, cutting people off when they got too close or looked too long. He wondered why she hid from people, as if she were too ashamed to share her real self with the outside world. But before he could dwell on the 'whys' of her demeanor, they were met by a short but brusque looking little man. He was no more than 5 feet, and was decked completely in black, down to the spiky hair and shades. In spite of his height, Daniel could see he was about 50, and had the look of someone who smoked too much when confronted with a stressful situation. The man spoke first.
"Daniel Meade and Wilhelmina Slater," he said in a nasally voice, the words coming out more like a statement than a question, "follow me the girls are ready." He turned and led them into a large white room filled with mannequins, fabric samples, and mock ups. There on one end sat a firm couch, white as snow, against an enormous glass window that allowed the morning sun to stream through. Daniel and Wilhelmina walked across the white tiles and seated themselves. For nearly two hours, Daniel and Wilhelmina were in full control. They picked, as Daniel said, 6 or 7 out of the 30 they saw; they discussed whether to shoot in a studio or on location ("Location; if this thing is gonna take up 20 pages in Mode I want them in the coldest place possible" said Wilhelmina); and they selected 50 different outfits from various designers who had sent pieces from their winter lines, hoping to grace the pages of Mode. With everything done, the little man led them out of the office.
"You understand this is final; you can't change your minds about the girls since they're leaving-"
"Yes, what we've selected today is exactly what will be in Mode, detail for detail" Wilhelmina said, cutting him off.
The man nodded, turned, and left. Wilhelmina spun around on her stilettos and made her way to her car.
"So that went pretty great huh?" Daniel said gamely, trying to make conversation.
"Why is everything a conversation with you, Daniel?" she asked exasperated. He looked in her clear blue eyes, almost too stunned to reply.
"What are you talking about, yesterday we got on-"
"Yes, yesterday, Daniel, not today; we don't have to connect on a whole new level everyday like we're marking some sort of grand occasion." She was about to get into her car when he spoke up.
"You know, Wilhelmina, one of these days, you're going to get tired of running." She turned to look at him, but he was already headed toward his car. She watched him throw his suitcase on the seat and drive off. She slowly sank into hers and closed the door. She didn't have to ask or wonder what he meant. She already knew.
The elevator door dinged and she stepped onto the floor, her stilettos announcing her presence to interns who fled at the scent of her perfume. She made her way to her office and tried to focus on her work. She spent the day trying to listen to Marc's verbal diarrhea, as he went on and on about things that might've usually caught her attention but today only made her want to choke him; she didn't hear Cal when he popped his head through the door and announced he and Claire were doing whatever wherever. She felt like she wasn't in her body anymore, like she was observing Wilhelmina at her desk, doing her work. And all because Daniel had said something stupid on the wrong day.
At last the office floor emptied out. People stopped clamoring and finally went home. She was so relieved when Marc finally left, saying something about a hot date with "some gorgeous hottie whose name I totally don't remember." She watched him hop out of the office like a gay bunny rabbit on steroids, leaning back in her seat and sighing wearily. She stared straight ahead, not really thinking of anything, not feeling anything, except no desire to go anywhere. She was so absorbed in her own world she didn't hear Daniel's footsteps. He was shrugging on his coat when he noticed her office light was still on. He turned around and stared at her, taken aback by the fact that she was just…sitting. Still. In the four years they'd worked together he'd never seen her not racing around, not doing something; her mind was always on, always producing some new idea or thought. He realized she hadn't seen him, and decided he wouldn't make his presence known. This was the first time he'd ever had the chance to study her, to really look at her. He'd never gotten the opportunity to look at her long enough to really see her; she'd always catch him and cut him off, saying something like, "You might want to retrain your eyeballs to look at women who are actually in your league, Daniel." He was usually too embarrassed to tell her that he hadn't been checking her out (yes, she was gorgeous, but that was the old Daniel), so he would just heave an annoyed sigh and walk off.
But tonight she hadn't noticed him.
As he watched her, he realized that he wasn't just trying to watch her facial movements or her posture. He was trying to see inside of her, to see if he could glimpse the person hiding beneath the perfectly coiffed hair and pricey outfits. He wondered how far she'd really buried Wanda-how could you really bury yourself?
He was shocked when she broke the silence.
"You're too damn tall to be invisible, Daniel." She sighed heavily, and then cocked her head in his direction. He sighed, then lowered his head and made his way into her office. He stopped in her doorway and raised his eyes to meet hers. It was too late-she was gone again.
"Why the hell were you standing out there watching me? Since when do my private moments become your public viewing party?"
He paused before he spoke. "We have to go to Cal's house tonight. He called and said he wanted to see us there."
Wilhelmina rolled her eyes. "I don't have time to visit your crusty stepfather to-be." She was desperate to find something that would make him angry, to stop him from trying to get to know or understand her. She pushed her seat back and got up, grabbing her coat and purse and walking toward the door. Suddenly Daniel stepped directly in her path, his eyes glowering down at her.
"He said it's about our positions in the company."
She stopped cold, looking up at him, trying to decipher his expression. Did he know what Cal wanted? Were they going to be out of work tomorrow? Before she could open her mouth, he turned and made his way to the elevator. She hesitated, and then slowly followed.
They pulled up to Cal's lavish apartment. The chilly autumn air that greeted them seemed only to add to the ominous feeling that hovered over them. Daniel got out of his town car and looked over at Wilhelmina, who was staring up at Cal's apartment with an expression that almost bordered on worry. He understood; he hadn't felt good when he'd picked up the phone, only to hear Cal's smug voice on the other end, asking him and Wilhelmina to come over to his house like they were old friends waiting to have a party. The whole way here all he could think about was how much he'd come to love working at Mode, how much he'd grown up and matured because of the experience and the people he'd met. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to tie Cal to a large piece of iron and throw his body into the river, watch him reach his stupid hands up for help that would never come. He shook his head, trying to stop himself from thinking the hateful thoughts that he knew he shouldn't have, and made his way through the lobby toward the elevator, Wilhelmina in tow. They rode up to the 13th floor in silence, both knowing that they shared each other's fears and feelings, but too proud to admit it. As the silver doors slid open, Daniel heard Wilhelmina suck in a deep breath.
"You ready to do this?" she asked quietly. He didn't look at her; they were both too busy staring at the door to Cal's apartment, knowing that when they opened it they would regret it. They were both afraid. Daniel could feel the tension hovering in the air like a thick fog, feeling as though the thickness of it were in his lungs. They both stepped out of the elevator together and slowly walked up to Cal's door. They rang the bell, and a few seconds later were greeted by a small, thin girl who ushered them inside. They made their way down the foyer to the living room. Seated on a blood red loveseat was Cal, holding a glass of brandy. He was smirking up at them, knowing he had the upper hand. Wilhelmina stared at his face, all the while imaging all the many ways that she would like to kill him. Suddenly, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that forced her to break eye contact with Cal. She looked up, and her mouth dropped at the sight of the person walking into the living room.
Claire.
She looked at Wilhelmina, her face tense, her mouth set in grim determination. Wilhelmina turned to Daniel. He was staring at his mom, his bright blue eyes looking like those of a little boy caught in confusion. They both turned back to Cal.
"So glad you two could make it tonight" he said, raising his brandy in a sort of sickening toast. He extended his hand toward the other end of the room. "Please," he said, gesturing toward a large sofa a few feet from him, "sit down, make yourself at home." Both Wilhelmina and Daniel slowly turned, staring at the sofa for a few moments before they made their way toward it and sat down. Wilhelmina removed her dark coat and smoothed her green cashmere dress, her hair dancing down her back. Daniel looked at her; she looked so petite compared to the dark room and the massive brick fireplace that burned on their right. As he removed his coat, he realized they probably both looked kind of pathetic, trying to put on brave faces to conceal what was obvious to Cal. He looked up at his mom who was resting her hand on the back of Cal's chair. It made him want to cry.
"You know, sometime people do things they regret" Cal said, breaking the silence. He paused before he continued. "Little kids always do; getting into the cookie jar when mommy and daddy tell them no, running into the street. So of course they're punished-they have to be." He stopped again, relishing in the way Daniel and Wilhelmina were sitting tensely in front of him. "But how to punish two adults; adults who, in petty competition with their superiors-"he gestured to himself and Claire"-go behind our backs and decide to break the rules. Did you really think the Baxter Modeling Agency would approve the ideas of two editors without checking with the man whose investment in your magazine kept it from sinking?"
Wilhelmina let out a short quick breath. "Damn," thought Daniel, "how could I not realize Cal would find out? How could I be dumb enough to think we could get away with this unharmed?"
Cal placed his brandy on the nightstand beside his chair. "So, after much thought, we've come to a decision." He pulled a small stack of papers from the drawer of the nightstand and placed them on the coffee table. "You have two options, Daniel."
Daniel glared at him. Damn him; he was putting both his and Wilhelmina' futures on Daniel's back, and there was nothing Daniel could do but hear him out.
"There was talk of firing both of you, but since you're Claire's son, I've decided that you can stay, out of respect to her. Wilhelmina will be leaving either way."
Daniel looked at Wilhelmina. She was staring dead at Cal, all color completely gone from her face. Daniel looked back at Cal. "What a liar. He's letting me stay because he knows I won't have the heart to go behind their backs again, not like Wilhelmina. So he's offing her and making it look like a generous decision made out of love for my mom. I could kill this guy" Daniel fumed silently. He looked up at his mother. She was looking at him with a sad expression, sad but firm. Daniel knew he had screwed up and there was no hiding behind mommy now.
"You can stay on with us, and play nice, or you can leave with Wilhelmina. Either way, we're going to end this here and now" Cal said shortly.
Daniel looked down at the contract before him. He realized that Cal had cleverly drawn up a deal that would keep him on without any say. He'd end up being like the sail to a ship, flapping hopelessly in the breeze while Cal piloted the company wherever he wanted. He looked back at Cal.
"It's been a pleasure" he said icily, grabbing his coat and getting up from his seat. Claire's eyes widened with surprise.
"Daniel, are you serious? You're going to give up your job for a woman who has been nothing but cruel to you for years?!"
Daniel looked down at Wilhelmina, who was looking back at him, shock and disbelief written all over her beautiful face. He turned back to his mom.
"Sorry mom. Over the last couple of years I've come to realize that Wilhelmina is a viable asset to Mode. She helped me keep it from sinking 'til Cal took over, and she puts in more hours than any of us are willing to. I can't afford to keep my position and pretend like I know as much as she does. She climbed her way to the top, and she's more qualified than me. I was handed a job and I'm still learning how to find my way around. I can't watch her lose everything and turn my back like you two can." He looked down at Wilhelmina. "Let's go" he said quietly, and he waited till she'd grabbed her things before heading out of the door.
They both stood silently in the hallway, waiting for the elevator to open up. It finally did, and they stepped inside, still somewhat crippled by shock. Daniel closed his eyes and lowered his head wearily.
"Daniel-"
"Please, Wilhelmina, don't start in on me, okay? I don't need to hear from you that what I did was stupid; I don't need to hear how I'm as spineless as a jellyfish…let's just drop it, okay?" Daniel said exasperatedly. He kept on staring at his shoes, his heart lodged in his throat.
Wilhelmina sighed loudly as she tugged her gloves onto her slender hands. She turned to look at him and didn't say anything until he looked at her.
"I was going to say thank you, Daniel."
He stared blankly at her, not noticing that the elevator doors had opened until she walked away. He quickly threw his scarf around his neck and followed her into the night. She was headed pretty quickly toward her car.
"Wilhelmina!" he called out, stopping just behind her.
She paused, and then whirled on her heel to meet his gaze. She remained silent and he realized she was waiting for him to say something.
"I'm sorry we didn't get to know each other a little better" he said in earnest. He knew she would probably laugh and tell him it was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard, and that he should be writing cheesy greeting cards for Hallmark so he could at least make money with the stupid mess he said. He waited for the monotone that would deliver the insult.
"At least it didn't end too badly between us" she said softly. He looked into her eyes, and for the first time in a long time he saw that she was being sincere. They looked at each other for a minute before she broke eye contact and said, "We probably want to get to the office early tomorrow so we can clean out our offices and avoid everyone else."
Daniel sucked in a quick breath. "Yeah, yeah," he said quickly, "God only knows how Marc and Betty are going to react and I'd like to avoid that in an office filled with nosy interns."
"Right" she said smiling. She turned and threw her purse in the car. She slid into the seat and turned back to him.
"How about 6:00? That should be early enough."
"Yeah, I'll see you there."
She nodded and closed the door, and he watched her town car drive off into the night.
She was right about 6:00 am being early enough. The office windows were letting in the slightest slivers of dawn stream onto the tile floors, but aside from that, everything was empty. He stepped off the elevator and made his way toward his office, noticing the light in hers was already on. He dropped his things onto the couch in front of his desk and looked up at her through the glass door that connected their offices. She was shoving files into a plastic bin, and he noticed she'd gotten one particularly large janitor to help her move her things. He made his way to his desk and slid the few things he owned into a large cardboard box. He was just sealing it with duct tape when he heard a knock on his door.
"You want some help with that?" Wilhelmina asked, gesturing toward the gruff looking guy behind her. He was big enough to be a body double for a T-Rex.
"Yeah, thanks" he said, stepping back from the box as the burly guy lifted it into his arms.
"His car's the one right next to mine" Wilhelmina instructed him as he walked past. She looked around Daniel's office, rubbing her hands together. The place was empty, except for the desk, couches, and flat screen TV that had been there before he'd taken up residence. She slowly lowered herself onto the slender white sofa, crossing her legs and looking up at him.
"Where are you going to go from here?" she asked quietly. He knew what she meant. This job had been his first and only job since his father handed it to him, and he didn't have the impressive resume that she had under her belt.
"I don't know," he said honestly, shrugging his shoulders and shoving his hands in his pockets, "I never thought I'd not have this job. When my father passed it on to me, I sort of figured this was it. I never thought I'd see this day" he said, referring to their current joblessness. She nodded and lowered her head. "What about you?" he asked.
"I don't know either" she said, staring out the window. "I guess like you I've been kidding myself, thinking that somehow I'd always be marching down these halls striking fear into people's hearts."
Daniel let out a soft laugh. "Well, you did your share of that" he said, smiling at her. She didn't meet his gaze, her eyes fixated on the dawn that was fast approaching. "Yeah, I guess I did leave something of a legacy" she said softly.
He caught his breath, realizing how hard this must be on her. Even though they'd always antagonized each other, he knew she loved her job. Before he could say anything, she jumped to her feet.
"Well, that's enough small talk. We should probably head out before this place gets crowded."
He nodded, grabbed his things, and left his office. He waited as she went to hers to collect her coat and jacket. They stepped into the elevator and waited until it released them onto the ground floor. They headed toward the revolving glass door, their shoes announcing their presence to an otherwise empty room.
"Wilhelmina" Daniel blurted out suddenly. She turned, and though she'd already cocked an eyebrow, she couldn't conceal the sadness in her eyes.
"What Daniel?" she asked quietly, obviously wanting desperately to leave so that she wouldn't have to stand any longer in the building that housed the office that was no longer hers. He stepped closer to her, so that he was standing directly before her, eye-to-eye. He drew in a nervous breath…
…and then gently hugged her.
He was shocked that he was hugging her. He didn't even have time to really consider his decision to make body contact with her, and as he held her he was wondering how long it would take for her to shove him off of her and get the burly guy to stuff him into the trunk of his town car and drive it into the river. His body was completely rigid and tense, and it took him a moment to realize that she'd actually lightly placed her hands on his back, and that she was actually hugging him too. He couldn't believe it; she was actually hugging someone-him-something that, up until that moment, he'd never seen her do and almost believed she didn't know how to do. They stood there for a few seconds, quietly comforting each other, not saying a word. He pulled back slowly, realizing that their drivers were waiting on them. He looked into her eyes and was surprised to see a trace of vulnerability.
"Good luck, Daniel" she said, smiling up at him and crossing her arms.
"This isn't the end for us, Wilhelmina. We can still do things. We can move on from Mode and make a different future. We don't have to fade into obscurity just because we're not where we thought we'd be."
"No offense, Daniel, but 'Player Magazine' isn't quite the magazine I imagined would carry me to my grave."
Daniel laughed. "I'm not talking about 'Player', Wilhelmina; I'd like to think I've graduated from that. But there's gotta be something else for us in store. There's no way I'm going into retirement at age 33." He paused. "If there's one thing I learned from Molly, it's that our time here is fleeting, and if we're gonna go, we might as well go out singing."
Wilhelmina looked up at Daniel, thinking carefully about what he was saying. She had to admit he was right. She certainly had no plans to be forgotten, and she was nowhere near ready to retire. She wasn't Claire for God's sakes.
"So, you want me to pair up with you and start our own magazine?" she asked quizzically.
"I'm not talking about a magazine, Wilhelmina. I'm talking about a book."
"A book?"
Daniel grinned at her. "What would be more popular on the bestseller list than a book about our time at Mode?"
Wilhelmina stared at Daniel for a moment, then threw her head back and laughed. "Everyone writes books these days, Daniel. I may be jobless, but I'm not tacky."
Daniel shifted in his place and smiled. "I know, I was kidding. But I'm serious about not giving up."
"There'll be no need for that" came a voice from behind them.
Daniel and Wilhelmina turned to find Claire standing a few feet from them. They'd been so absorbed in their conversation, they hadn't noticed that she's snuck in through one of the other doors.
"What are you doing here mom?" Daniel asked suspiciously.
She sighed and came closer, smiling at them. "I've dropped Cal; he is no longer a part of my life or this company."
Daniel and Wilhelmina looked at each other in shock. "Mom, what about his investment? We're gonna sink without his money!"
Claire shook her head solemnly. "Times will be tough, Daniel, but we can pull through. We always have." She looked tenderly at him. "If you're willing to come back, I'd be glad to have you."
Daniel looked at her for a moment. "I'm not coming back without Wilhelmina" he said firmly, standing beside her. Daniel turned to look at Wilhelmina. She turned her face toward him, and he saw the faintest trace of a smile on her lips. Claire stood staring at them, her mouth gaping open in shock. "When did they become best friends?" she thought incredulously. "Is this a recent occurrence, or have I always been alone in my hate for Wilhelmina?" She thought carefully about her son's word. He was right, she had to admit that. For all the rockiness of the past, not only between them and Wilhelmina, but between her and Daniel as well, she realized that they'd all changed. She was trying to atone for her poor decisions as a parent, and Wilhelmina and Daniel were trying to put the past in the past and start anew. And it wasn't like Wilhelmina was the only one scheming. They'd all done their share of backstabbing and selfish deeds.
"Well how about it, Claire?" Wilhelmina's voice broke Claire from her daze. She looked to find that Wilhelmina's hand was extended toward hers, in a sort of reconciliatory gesture. Claire looked at Wilhelmina's face, and for the first time she couldn't detect any noticeable rancor. They may never be close, but she felt they could do alright in a work place.
"Alright" Claire replied, and slowly put her hand in Wilhelmina's. They shook briefly and then Claire straightened herself. "I suppose you'll want to get your things. We've got a budget to work on upstairs." She smiled at them, then turned and made her way toward the elevator. Wilhelmina motioned for the burly guy to take their stuff back upstairs. Daniel looked down at Wilhelmina and offered her his arm. "You ready to do this?" he asked, grinning at her like a boy on Christmas. She cocked an eyebrow and paused for a moment, looking down at the arm he was offering her. She sighed and linked hers in his. "Why not?" she said quietly and they looked at each other for a moment before heading toward the elevator.
"Could this be a repeat of our earlier bonding moment-"
"Shut up, Daniel" Wilhelmina said, dragging him into the elevator. As they stepped inside, she tightened her grip on his arm. He turned to her in surprise.
"If you tell anyone that I touched you I'll-"
"Relax, Wilhelmina. That's just between us" he said, winking down at her before reaching out to press the button for their floor.
"Well good" she said, trying to sound authoritative even though she was smirking at him. They looked at each other again for a moment, and then shyly looked at the floor. As the elevator doors slid closed, Daniel realized she hadn't removed her arm from his.
He smiled.