Title: Snuggling Charles Dickens

Pairing: Daniel/Betty

Rating: K+ (or PG)

Summary: Daniel Meade is having an awful day, but can his assistant help turn things around?

Timeline: AU; Takes place in late January 2007 - sometime after the episode "In or Out" but before "I'm Coming Out".

Disclaimer: I'm sorry to say that I neither own the show nor any of its characters.

A/N: This is my first "Ugly Betty" fic. (In fact, this is my first fan fic ever.) So, I'm hoping it's not too rough around the edges. It'll most probably take me a while to be just as good as the other UB writers out there, so please bear with me. In any case, I hope you all enjoy:)

Chapter 1

I cannot believe this is happening. What a way to start Monday morning!

Betty ran past her bed and towards her dresser. Quickly, she took her brush and ran it through her thick black hair, while eyeing the top of her bureau. The minute she spotted her signature "B" necklace, she picked it up and quickly clasped it around her neck. As she grabbed her watch and wound it around her wrist, she caught sight of its face and gasped. It was officially 7:35 a.m.

In a rush, Betty moved to the edge of her uncharacteristically messy bed – something she was willing to overlook at the moment – in order to put on her shoes. While fumbling with the straps, she mused over what Daniel would say to her once she made it into the office. My God, I am so late. Daniel is going to kill me!

As quickly as she could without tripping, Betty ran down the stairs to the kitchen to grab some last minute breakfast. In her mad dash around the dining room, she completely missed seeing Hilda holding her coffee cup and bumped right into her. Hilda gasped in horror as the warm liquid sloshed from her mug onto her shirt.

"¡Aye mija! You really need to watch where you're going!" exclaimed Hilda, as she placed her coffee cup on the dining table.

Upon seeing Hilda's shirt covered in coffee, Betty's eyes widened in shock. "God, Hilda. I'm so sorry! Hold on – let me get a towel." Betty immediately ran to the kitchen and grabbed the first towel rag that she could find.

Hilda continued to regard Betty with annoyance as she stood in the dining room, waiting for a towel. "Betty, what is the matter with you this morning?"

Betty's expression went from apologetic to surprise at hearing her sister's query. "I'm really late, Hilda! Don't you realize what time it is?" She marched over and pointed to her watch as she spoke. "I need to make it into the office before Daniel arrives at around 8 a.m. And guess what? It's 7:45!"

Without waiting for a response, Betty handed the towel to her sister and rushed back into the kitchen to grab a banana from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table. She expected her explanation to elicit the same kind of panic in Hilda that she herself was experiencing, but instead, Hilda waved her hand nonchalantly.

"Betty, relax. It's not like you don't have a good reason. What do you expect? Power outages happen from time to time. We're not the only ones in Jackson Heights who were affected. And you're probably not the only one who's going to be late to work. Just tell Daniel what happened."

Betty continued to talk to her sister from the kitchen as she poured some orange juice and gulped it quickly. "Hilda, you know that I hate making excuses, even if they are legitimate. And it's easy for you to relax. You don't have to be at work until 9:00 today."

Hilda picked up her half-filled coffee cup and followed Betty into the kitchen. "Okay. So, you'll probably end up arriving a few minutes late. I mean, how hard is it for Daniel to find the coffee and bagels for himself?"

Betty glanced at her sister and shook her head as she washed her glass in the kitchen sink. "No, it's not just that. There's a lot more at stake today. Actually, this week is pretty important. Mode is featuring Charlize Theron on the cover of March's issue. So, we need to put the finishing touch on every single detail of her photo shoot before next Monday rolls around. Daniel told me last Friday that he wanted me to come in and help him get an early start today."

"Oh my God! Did you say Charlize? How awesome is that? She's absolutely FABULOUS!" exclaimed Justin, as he appeared at the entrance of the kitchen. He paused in thought before slowly approaching Betty. "Wow. Aunt Betty, do you think I could – "

"Justin! I know what you're going to say. Don't even think about asking your Aunt Betty to take you to Mode! You know you have to be at school." Hilda put her hands on her hips and gave her son a knowing look.

In return, Justin rolled his eyes slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it was just a thought."

Biting her lip, Betty looked back at Hilda before turning to face Justin with a wistful gaze. She gave him a look that expressed her regret at having to deny him his wish – a look he understood quite well. In return, Justin nodded and gave her a tiny smile, indicating to his aunt that he wouldn't be terribly heartbroken.

Suddenly, Betty looked down at her watch and remembered the lateness of the hour. It was two minutes to eight. "Oh, the time! Okay – well I'm off!" She continued to talk hurriedly as she walked over to the front door, grabbed her bag, and squeezed into her puffy, powder blue coat. "I'll try to be home in time for dinner by 6:00, but you never know considering today's schedule. I'll call home if I'm delayed, okay? Bye!"

"Betty, you're already leaving? Did you eat any breakfast?"

Betty was halfway through the door when she heard her father's concerned voice call out to her. She stopped dead in her tracks, and turned around just in time to see him descending the stairs.

"Yeah, dad. Don't worry, I ate something." She quickly walked over to him and pecked him on the cheek. "I'm really late. I'll see you tonight. Love you! Bye!"

"Okay," replied Ignacio, shaking his head. Between Betty's time at work and her time with the family, she hardly spares a moment to herself, he thought. He really wanted to talk to her about the dangers of stretching herself too thin, but he knew that was not the time. Instead, he smiled at her and resigned himself to wishing her well. "I love you, too. Have a good day."

With that, Betty looked back at him with a quick smile and was out the door. Rushing down the steps and onto the sidewalk, Betty let out a deep sigh as she mentally calculated the amount of time it would take to make it to Manhattan. This is going to be one long day, she thought worriedly. But it can't possibly get any worse…