A/N: This is my first Ugly Betty fic. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter Two
Betty stood outside of what was supposed to be the perfect location for her perfect birthday dinner, fondue doggy bag clutched in her hands. Her supposedly perfect boyfriend was nowhere to be found. There was little doubt in Betty's mind that Charlie was behind this. She'd seen the silent determination in the redhead's eyes when she'd gone there earlier. That girl was going to steal Henry back if it was the last thing she did.
A black town car pulled up beside her and the back window rolled down. Daniel's head leaned out of the window, his gaze perplexed as he asked, "Betty, what are you doing standing out here by yourself?"
"That's a very good question, Daniel," Betty said, adding a sigh unintentionally. "I was supposed to have dinner with Henry, but…"
"You didn't hear?"
Her brows scrunched together. "Hear what?"
"I, uh, heard Amanda telling that Gio guy something about Henry having to go to the doctor's office. It was something about Charlie."
Betty rolled her eyes, shoulders sagging. "Of course it was. Well, so much for my special birthday dinner."
Daniel's eyes widened and he murmured, "Your birthday. That was today, wasn't it?"
Betty sighed, nodding her head. "Yes, it was."
He winced. "And you spent it all day at the office?"
"Uh huh. Henry and I were supposed to spend the weekend together. We were going to have a little couple's trip, and then Charlie showed up and predictably ruined everything."
Daniel was silent for a moment and then asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Just some fondue," she said, raising the doggy bag. Daniel's head disappeared as he leaned forward and said something to the driver. A moment later the door swung open and he stepped out, looking every bit a fashion editor in his blue suit and pink shirt.
"Daniel, what are you doing?" Betty asked in confusion. Behind him the town car pulled away. "Hey! Daniel, your car!"
"I don't need it right now" he said, buttoning his jacket. "Right now, I am taking you our for your birthday."
"You are?"
"Is this where you were going?" he asked, nodding his head toward the trendy restaurant behind her. She nodded and he strode past her into the restaurant's entrance. She hurried behind him.
"Daniel, you really don't have to do this. Besides, they said they were really booked."
"I'm Daniel Meade," he reminded her. "A restaurant is never too booked for me." She smirked at his arrogance, shaking her head. "And I do have to do this," he said, voice turning serious. "You were at the office all day and I didn't mention your birthday once. And you kept trying to give me hints-"
"It's fine," she said. "You were busy."
"I'm your friend," he said simply. "I should have remembered your birthday."
She smiled softly. "Alright then. Dinner sounds good."
His face brightened and he went over to the hostess. Betty could tell the woman remembered her from earlier, but she had the tact not to say anything. Betty didn't know if that had to do with the pedigree of the restaurant or the pedigree of the man with her. Regardless, Betty was happy not to be reminded of her unsuccessful birthday dinner. Within a moment the hostess had found them a table. As they were led out to the patio Daniel leaned in and whispered, "I told you."
Betty ordered another round of fondue, and her and Daniel dipped bread in it as they chatted amicably. After a sip of wine, Daniel said, "I'm surprised Henry didn't try to call you on your cell phone about tonight."
"Oh, I think he did," Betty said after a moment, realizing what the contents of that earlier message she'd gotten from him probably said.
"You think?"
Betty reached down into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Daniel's eyes widened at the sight of the heavily bedazzled cell phone.
"Justin's birthday gift to me unfortunately did a real number on my phone's reception. Henry left me a message and it was pretty garbled. I guess I missed the real point of the message."
"I can see why," Daniel said. "That is one bedazzled cell phone."
"It is," Betty agreed. She glanced at her nephew's handiwork. "He actually did a pretty good job. Except for, you know, the whole me not being able to make out any of my calls."
Daniel shrugged. "Yeah, except for that."
She laughed, taking another bite of fondue. "So, how are you and Renee? Has she forgiven you yet?"
"I don't know. I'm hoping my gift worked."
"I'm sure it did," she assured him. "If nothing else, that gift was very well wrapped."
Daniel grinned, but it faltered as he remembered Betty's over-exuberant reaction to his handing it to her. "You thought that was for you, didn't' you?"
Betty glanced up at him from her plate. "For me? What – no, I didn't! I…" He gave her a look. "Okay, fine. I thought it was for me."
"I feel like an idiot."
"Don't," she said. "It's fine. Really."
"I do have a gift for you, though," he said, perking up. "It's already at your house. I dropped it off a few weeks ago in case I forgot."
"You remembered you'd forget?" Betty asked with a grin. Daniel considered that for a moment and replied, "That's a strange way to put it, but yeah. I remembered I'd forget."
"That's very sweet of you."
Daniel laughed. "If you say so."
"I can't decide," Betty said.
"Come on, just pick one."
"But there are so many!" she enthused, gazing down at the dessert options. "How can I just pick one?"
Daniel laughed, leaning back in his seat. "Then pick two."
Betty placed the menu down on the table and said, "Daniel, be serious. I can't pick two."
"Why not? It's your birthday. Besides, I'm paying and I say you can pick two."
"You know, I can pay my half of the bill," Betty said. Ever since he'd told her the dinner would be a part of her birthday gift, she kept trying to convince him to let her pay her share. Just like the last four times she'd tried, Daniel was having none of it.
"I know you can," Daniel said slowly. "But that would defeat the purpose of this being a gift."
"Fine," Betty relented. "But I'm not getting two desserts. That's just excessive." She read through the choices. "What are you getting again?"
"Tiramisu," he told her.
"Uh huh," she replied absentmindedly, scanning the choices again. After another deep breath Daniel took the menu from her and said, "Okay, that's it. I'm just choosing for you."
"What? Daniel!"
"I promise to pick something you like," he assured her. "And you can veto my pick if you don't want it."
"Why don't I just pick myself then?"
"Oh, like what you've been trying to do for the past ten minutes? I think the waitress is starting to think you can't read."
"Fair enough," she relented.
"Okay," Daniel said slowly, looking through the menu. "Apple crostada?"
"Daniel," she said, giving him a look. "I'm allergic to apples."
"You are?"
"Remember that time Amanda switched my hot chocolate with cider and my throat closed up. I was rolled out on a gurney while Mark told me that maybe my throat closing up was a blessing in disguise."
"Oh right," Daniel said, cheeks coloring. "I…I knew that."
"Sure," she said drily. "Next choice that won't kill me, please."
"Okay, um, flourless chocolate cake."
"How do you make cake without flour?"
"I don't know," he returned. "Do I look like Martha Stewart to you? It's good, though. My mother would always order some in for our birthdays growing up. That cake is one of the fonder memories of my childhood."
"Okay. Flourless chocolate cake it is."
The waitress came and Daniel ordered for both of them. He also ordered them both espressos, and she almost stopped him because espresso at this time of night would keep her up for hours, but she decided that she didn't care. A birthday was a day for celebrating, and now she'd have a few more hours to celebrate. It didn't take long for the desserts to come out and Daniel watched her closely as she took a bite of the cake.
"You're making me feel like a circus freak with all that staring," she said, peering at him over her forkful of cake.
"I just want to see if I chose right. Come on, try it."
"Okay," she said, grinning slightly before putting the bite in her mouth. Her eyes widened as the chocolate flavors exploded in her mouth. She'd thought her dad's chocolate cake had been good growing up, but this was something else entirely. The cake was light and dense at the same time, the chocolate the perfect level of sweetness. She glanced back at Daniel and the expectant look on his face nearly made her laugh.
"Well?" he asked.
"You chose well, Daniel," she said, grinning at the look of triumph on his face. "Very well, indeed."
"Thank you for a wonderful birthday dinner," Betty said, glancing over at Daniel in the back of his town car. He grinned, nodding his head.
"It was my pleasure, Betty. This is the type of birthday you deserve."
She nodded, a shadow passing over her face for a moment. He read into her silence easily and said, "But you wish you were spending it with Henry."
"Daniel, that's not-"
"I get it," he said, laughing slightly. "And I wish you were, too. I think it sucks that he isn't here with you. He should be."
"He's going to be a father, Daniel," Betty said, trying to be reasonable about it all. That was the only way she could get through it. "That comes first."
"It still isn't fair."
Betty paused, her gaze turning down to her lap. "No," she admitted. "It isn't."
They pulled up in front of her house and she grinned when she caught a glimpse of birthday decorations through the front window. Daniel followed her gaze and said, "It looks like the party isn't over."
"You should come in," she said, turning toward him.
"No, I-"
"You said you had a gift in there for me, didn't you?" she pressed. "Don't you want to see me open it?"
Daniel grinned, shaking his head. "Sure, why not."
"I bet my dad made his famous cupcakes, too," Betty said excitedly, climbing messily out of the town car. "You haven't lived until you've had one of my dad's cupcakes!"
They walked into the house and Betty clapped excitedly as her family yelled, "Surprise!"
"You guys didn't have to do this," Betty said, hugging her family.
"We wanted to, hija," Ignacio said, kissing his daughter's cheek. "It's not every day your turn twenty four."
"Betty better have not been at the office all this time," Hilda said to Daniel, all attitude and intimidation in her tight pants and big hair. Daniel shook his head and said, "No, we were out for dinner."
"You two went out?" Hilda asked, glancing between them. Betty hoped he wouldn't tell them about the whole Henry debacle, and she was relieved when he said, "I figured I owed my assistant some dinner after making her work all day."
"And it was a very good dinner," Betty piped in. "Dad, did you know you can make cake without flour?"
Betty went off with Ignacio into the kitchen and Hilda came closer to Daniel. She noticed the way his gaze was toward the kitchen and said, "It was nice of you to take Betty out for her birthday."
Daniel's attention turned toward her and he said, "I told you, she deserved a nice birthday."
"You heard about Henry, then?" Hilda said knowingly. Daniel nodded and Hilda shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if she'd be better of without him."
"Without Henry?"
"Lately he's done more bad than good, if you ask me."
Daniel didn't know what to say, and luckily he didn't have to say anything at all as Betty came bounding out of the kitchen and beckoned for him. He excused himself from Hilda who was giving him a look heavy with something he didn't understand. Ignacio was sitting at the kitchen table and offered him a cupcake.
"I do have to warn you," Ignacio said, handing one over. "This may ruin all other cupcakes for you."
"My dad gave me your gift," Betty said, holding the rectangular box in her hands. Daniel looked at the familiar package. He'd wrapped it himself, as the usual person to do the wrapping was the gift recipient.
"Well, open it," Ignacio said, almost looking as eager as Betty. Daniel watched as Betty carefully opened the gift. He noticed she was careful not to rip any of the paper. She slid the gift out upside down and turned it over. She didn't say anything for a moment, her fingers gingerly holding the frame. It held a variety of pictures from the Alternative Runway Show that her and Daniel had hosted a few months back. There were pictures of the collection and then a few of her on the runway. Her eyes lingered on a picture of the two of them smiling at the camera. His arm is around her shoulders and she's smiling wide.
"I had Alexis help me make it," Daniel said, filling the silence. "She's into all this arts and crafts stuff now."
"Daniel, it's beautiful," Betty said, looking up at him.
"Thanks. You're…you're not going to cry are you?"
She wiped under the glasses and warbled, "No."
He laughed as she stood up and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Having her so close, he breathed in the familiar scents of vanilla and cinnamon. After a moment she pulled away, readjusting her glasses in the way she always does when she's trying to get a hold of her emotions.
There was a knock on the front door and Betty heard Hilda open it and then Henry's voice came through. Betty glanced up at Daniel, her eyes brightening. He gave her a small smile and then she was off into the living room. Daniel stayed in the kitchen, gazing down at the most personal gift he'd ever given someone. Ignacio wordlessly pushed another cupcake toward him.
Daniel gathered his things some time later and told Betty that he was leaving. Her and Henry were wrapped up in each other, but she pulled away to give Daniel a quick hug.
"Thanks again for your gift, Daniel. It really means a lot to me."
"You're welcome. Happy birthday, Betty."
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, something he hadn't done before, but it felt right for the occasion. Betty reacted a little to it, her eyes changing just a bit. She recovered quickly, though, and gave him a small wave good bye. He walked outside to wait for the town car when he heard the door open behind him. He turned around, expecting to see Betty, but instead it was Hilda.
"Did I forget something?" he asked.
"No," she said, leaning against the front step railing. "It's only four weeks more, you know."
"Excuse me?"
"Four weeks, you idiot. Then you can tell her how you feel."
He blinked rapidly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The town car pulled up, but his attention was fully on the small Latina in front of him. Hilda grinned and said, "Your car's here."
He glanced back at the car, feeling as if his mind were pulling through molasses. His thoughts hadn't moved this slow since he was in the hospital after his and Alexis' accident.
"Good night, Daniel," Hilda said, sashaying back into the house. The door closed and he murmured, "Good night, Hilda."
A/N: Feedback, please!