Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the show mentioned in the following story.

CHAPTER 1:

Atlantis Resort, Bahamas was where the essential Mode staff was for the swimsuit photo shoot. The few who were lucky enough to be part of it were in the magnificent island, juggling work and leisure time, with Daniel being their leader in the slacking department. He was among those who were having more fun than actually doing their job. He spent his entire time sampling the island's best cocktails and let Wilhelmina handle everything since it was her last issue. He wanted to let her go out with a bang, at least that's what he told himself. The truth was, he wanted the issue to be the best it could possibly be, because with him as sole Editor-in-Chief, it could easily be the last best selling Mode issue.

He sat at the bar having a cocktail sulking from his little embarrassing situation that occurred almost an hour ago. The reason he even went to the Bahamas was to get his groove back, an endeavor that didn't seem to go so well. He thought the Bahamas would be the place to start the healing process, however that set him back and he was overwhelmed with the guilt of cheating on Molly's memory. Another issue was Wilhelmina. After all these years, she decided to leave and she wasn't just leaving, she leaving him high and dry. Not that he would admit it to her but this time, he needed her more than ever. The Editor-in-Chief and CEO duties were relying entirely upon him this time. There was no Alexis, and no Wilhelmina. With him in charge of Mode, it would only be a matter of time before his father's legacy crumbled. Maybe it was time he talked to a professional.

As he was contemplating seeing a real therapist when he went back to New York, his worst nightmare made its way towards him.

"Hi" She greeted almost inaudibly as she sat on the only empty bar stool right next to his. He rolled his eyes, not really in the mood to deal with the dragon lady.

"What are you doing here? Came to pick on me with another cult joke, Wilhelmina?"

"No, this is the only seat available." She stated coolly. He glanced around the bar, it really was packed.

"Oh…sorry."

"No need to apologize. Sitting next to you isn't exactly the highlight of my day, either." She signaled to the bartender "Excuse me? May I have a Yellow Bird, please?"

"Yes ma'am…coming right up." The courteous waiter replied

"Wow…You're capable of saying 'please'?" Daniel joked

"I'm never rude bartenders and waiters. Never mess with someone who handles your food. You know I'm not a monster, Daniel…it's just you who makes me appear so and the rest of 'Team Daniel.'" Daniel sniggered

"You could have fooled me."

"Shut up." She snapped causing him to chuckle

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah, right" She said scoffing

"I'm serious, Wilhelmina."

"Of course you are." She replied with a cynical tone "Look, Daniel I know what kind of a person you and the rest of the world think I am. And I'm not the person people miss they're gone. And believe it or not, I'm fine with it. It makes goodbyes much less awkward for me." She simply said. They sat there having their drinks quietly for a while.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Daniel asked out of the blue

"I don't know."

"You don't have a plan?" She shook her head "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. Now enough about me…what are you going to do?" She asked, changing the subject

"About what?"

"About your erectile dysfunction." She said smirking before taking a sip of her drink

"What? You…you know?"

"Marc is a competent assistant but he lacks subtlety, especially when it comes to Amanda, whom I believe doesn't know the meaning of the word."

"Does everybody know?"

"I don't know." She shrugged as if it was nothing

"Look, it's not erectile dysfunction. I…I just…Molly was on my mind, that's all. Maybe if I try again…maybe…"

"Stop it, Daniel"

"Sorry, you don't need me boring you about my sex life. But you're the one who brought it up."

"I meant stop THIS."

"What?"

"Using sex to disguise your pain. You haven't dealt with Molly's death, Daniel. You joined that cult and they brain washed and drugged you. And now that the drugs are out of your system, the real you is back you and you're back to square one and it hurts like hell."

"You don't know how I feel." He retorted before draining the last of his drink. He was pissed at her comparison of Molly's death and Connor's. The bastard died because he embezzled and got involved with the wrong people and got his ass killed.

"Trust me, I do."

"I beg to differ. Connor left you by choice. He only died about 2 weeks ago, long after you broke up. It's not the same thing."

"I wasn't talking about Connor."

"You weren't?...Then who were you…" She looked down, trying to conceal her expression from Daniel. However she was too late as Daniel caught her softening and he could have sworn he saw some emotion on her face. She took a deep breath before letting her guard down. She drained the last of her drink and slammed the glass back down.

"Come with me." She instructed and he complied. She led him away from the crowd and they continued to walk in an awkward silence. The action was awkward to Daniel in particular as he had no idea where Wilhelmina was taking him or what she was going to do him. It definitely wasn't what he was thinking, for sure. Wilhelmina Slater would never touch him. So he assumed that she was taking him to a private place where she could give him some pep talk, something that's been Betty's job for almost four years.

They continued to walk in silence until their walk led them to the beach by which time Daniel noticed that she was a little nervous. Wilhelmina Slater wasn't one to get nervous, something was up. It finally hit him. Maybe she was going to smooth talk him into getting her reinstated. Wilhelmina felt her stomach tighten and then sighed before speaking.

"Years ago, when I was younger, during my modeling days, when I was still a rookie at Mode, I started seeing someone. And 7 months into the relationship we tied the knot and almost exactly nine months later, we had a baby. A son."

"You have a son?" Asked Daniel, eyes narrowing

"No" She answered exhaling in a shaky breath before continuing "Everything was going great. My career was at its highest point, so was his. We were happy. And then one night, he was driving home with our son from his mother's…They were involved in a car accident and…" She left the rest to his imagination as she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. It still stung like a knife.

"Wilhelmina, I'm so sorry."

"I was at a Mode party. Fey was celebrating her 120th issue as Editor-in-Chief and suddenly at the party I had this feeling…I just wanted to head home and I did. Shortly after I got home there was a knock on the door and two policemen told me that I needed to go to the morgue to identify the bodies of my husband and 8 month old baby."

"Both of them? They both di-…both of them?" Daniel managed to stammer

"Yeah. I…uh…I was never the same after that."

"Oh, my God. Wilhelmina I had no idea."

"Well, it's not something I talk about. In fact I never talk about it."

"Then, why now?"

"Because…I did the same thing you were going to do. I thought sex with strangers would help me get over the pain I was feeling. But the truth is, after the wave of orgasm is over, you feel as empty as you did before."

"But…"

"I know it seems easy."

"What seems easy?"

"I told you, I've been there before. You think by going back to the person you were before you met the person who changed your life, you will hurt less."

"Well, Betty said going back to my old life might be therapeutic."

"Therapeutic? Are you shitting me? Tell me…how many spouses has Betty lost?" Daniel's gaze fell to the ground and didn't provide an answer "I thought so."

"But…it's too hard. How can I…"

"Go to therapy, Daniel. Real therapy this time. I've seen you these past couple of weeks, staying late at the office, punching people…it's not healthy."

"Wilhelmina…"

"You should try to deal with your grief instead of trying to replace it. I see what you're doing and it's dangerous, trust me. I recognize it from myself. And believe me, it's difficult to go back."

"Is that how you became…" He trailed off. She didn't offer a response right away, however when she turned to face him, she had a pissed expression on her face.

"You know what, you're an asshole. I'm trying to help you here. I'm not leading you astray. For once I have no secret agenda. This is not a scheme, I'm trying to save your ass from yourself…and all you can do is turn this shit around on me. Well, fuck you!"

"Wilhelmina, wh-…what…what's wrong? I was just…" Daniel stammered, shocked by her abrupt outburst.

"I…uh…I have to go." She said in a quiet and hesitant tone. She turned and stormed off leaving him flabbergasted. He failed to understand her sudden anger as she was the one to bring up the subject.

Walking back to his hotel room, he just couldn't get what Wilhelmina told him out of his mind. She walked away from him before he could ask further. He saw how her face became uneasy when he started questioning her about why she revealed such a secret and then suddenly exploded. Her answer was that she was trying to help him. But why would Wilhelmina want to help him? Didn't she love it when he was depressed and miserable? She jabbed on him about being rescued from a cult in front of the staff a few days ago, embarrassing him. 'Then why would the same woman want to…that's it!' His train of thought stopped as he realized something "That bitch!" He exclaimed out loud "She could have been lying…she could have made that up!"

He rushed into his suite and darted toward his luggage and frantically searched for his laptop. He flipped it open and powered it up, and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for it to boot. He thought about how she quit her job and has no future plans. Was that bullshit sob story a way to gain his sympathy and make him give her her job back? He couldn't help thinking that Wilhelmina was probably playing him. But he reasoned that she wouldn't stoop that low, but again nothing is ever too low when dealing with Wilhelmina Slater. As soon as the Google page came up, he typed the words Wilhelmina Slater. Son. Car accident. For a major celebrity like her, that information was bound to come up and surely there would be tons of articles on any person in her superstardom at the time who went through such a horrible tragedy.

As he expected the search engine to provide no result of such an event in her life, his brows quirked as a number of newspaper articles dating back to 1992 appeared on the monitor. He clicked on one of the several articles, with the most attention grabbing headline

Wilhelmina Slater Loses Husband and Son in Hit and run

Wilhelmina Slater's husband, Christian Shuttleworth and their 8-month-old son, Jude Shuttleworth were killed in a horrific car crash after being struck by a black 1989 Ford Bronco on Saturday evening. The accident occurred at about 8:50 PM and the father and baby were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are still looking for the vehicle that caused the accident.

Authorities say that according to witnesses, the Ford Bronco was driving dangerously and then collided with the red 1990 Acura NSX sending it off an overpass. The Bronco then reversed, almost colliding with another vehicle and then sped away. The first officers at the scene say that the driver was wearing a seatbelt and the baby was secured in a car seat when the crash occurred. However, the impact was so immense that medical experts concluded that the father and son died instantaneously. According to reports, Wilhelmina was rushed to the hospital shortly after hearing the news.

The couple's publicist released the following statement "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the deaths of Christian and Jude Shuttleworth. Both the Slater and the Shuttleworth families are deeply distraught by the tragic loss of the two people that were dear to them and to Miss Slater's heart. I can't even begin to express the devastation that has struck Miss Slater right now, which is why we ask the press for privacy in respect to the bereaved Wilhelmina and to the rest of the family."

The supermodel and the photographer had been married for 18 months and were together for more than 2 years. Their son was only 8 months old when their lives were tragically cut short….

"Oh, my God." Daniel exclaimed as he stopped reading, as the article went deeper into graphic details, especially with the graphic pictures of the car wreck. "This is why she's so cold hearted." He whispered

The next morning Wilhelmina sat on the beach snacking on a cheese burger, watching the beautiful island waters. She sat there trying to formulate the next chapter of her life. The truth is, she was happy that she didn't get the job at Isabella. Mode was the only magazine she ever wanted to provide her services to. While she sat there, at peace with the entire world, she was startled by Daniel's voice.

"Wilhelmina?"

"Daniel" She acknowledged him. He walked over and sat next to her.

"Are you…are you eating a cheeseburger?"

"Shut up" She snapped jokingly. They both chuckled softly

"It's a…lovely, sunny day out isn't it?" He spoke again

"What's going on, Daniel?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're talking about the weather. That means there's something more serious you want to talk about."

"Okay, you got me…I kind of want to talk about Meade." She sighed. She was expecting this conversation sooner or later.

"You want to buy me out?" She asked still staring ahead

"No, I want you to come back." She certainly wasn't expecting that. A look of confusion and disbelief spread across her face as she faced him.

"Did you go to the bar before you came down here?" She questioned with her signature eyebrow raise

"What? Why?"

"Because you must be drunk to suggest something like that." She replied, causing a him to chortle

"Well, I'm not drunk. I came here for a walk to think it through. I didn't even think I was going to find you here."

"Are you sure that this hasn't got anything to do with the fact that after our talk yesterday, you went back to your suite to Google me, found out that my story is legit and you want give me my job back out of sympathy?"

"No"

"Daniel" She said in a warning tone

"Okay, I Googled your story. But I'm not doing this out of sympathy…Wilhelmina, I will never do anything for you out of sympathy."

"That's good to hear. But maybe I shouldn't come back. I don't think Hartley and your mother will be pleased."

"Wilhelmina, I'm not going to beg."

"Good, because I don't want you to."

"But I am going to say one thing…Mode needs you. You know when my mother told me you were leaving, she was so happy…"

"There's a shocker." She muttered

"But I wasn't. I got scared because I'm still a mess and the best creative director and Editor-in-Chief in the entire magazine publishing industry was leaving and the magazine is gonna go to shit."

"I know." She said under her breath

"Then why'd you leave?"

"It's…uh… a personal and complicated matter."

"Look, if it's Hartley and my mom you're worried about, I'll back you."

"You'll what?"

"I'll support you, Wilhelmina. You're still an owner of Meade and I'm sure we can find something in those bylaws that we…well YOU wrote and I disagreed with most…" They chuckled "We can find something that can get you back."

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why do you want me back at Meade? After everything I've done?"

"You know Wilhelmina, Molly and I weren't together very long. In fact I didn't get to know her as well as I would have loved to. But her illness taught me something very important, that you shouldn't live on what was and what could be."

"I see. So in a way you are giving me the benefit of the doubt?"

"Yeah, I guess so. You know Molly confessed to me that when we first got together that she felt threatened by my sexual past. But then she decided to let go of her fears and gave me a chance."

"I see."

"So can we work together as equal partners this time?"

"Of course."

"Can I trust you?"

"That's up to you. You once said trusting me would be a rookie mistake. I can't make you trust me. But I'm not gonna let you down…intentionally. You have my word."

"That's good enough for me."

A comfortable silence fell between them as they stared ahead and watched the sea, engulfed in their thoughts. However Daniel decided to voice his

"So…how soon is too soon?"

"Huh?"

"I mean to move on…start having sex or starting relationships. How soon is too soon?"

"It's different for everybody, Daniel. But let me tell you this if you still yell 'Honey, I'm home.' when you get home from work; When you reach over to her side of the bed when you wake up in the morning…you know, before your mind registers reality?...it's too soon."

"I think I get it. So when did you get over it?" Her gaze averted from his eyes and back to the sea

"I don't want to scare you, Daniel."

"Okay, but when did you start… you know with other guys?"

"It was too soon."

"I don't mean to pry, Wilhelmina but how soon?"

"I still had the white tan line on my ring finger."

"Oh" Was all he managed to utter

"And after all the sex was over I would feel extremely guilty, like I cheated on him."

"Molly and I weren't married long enough for me to be spotting a ring tan line." He said lowly. She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder, an action that caused him to have a shiver running through him.

"Daniel I know you think…" Before she could say what she was going to, her eyes darted to the figure in the water. She was sure she was hallucinating and craned her neck and Daniel did the same, obviously seeing exactly what she was seeing. As if on cue, the pair rose to their feet as the figure emerged from the crystal blue waters. He got closer and closer and it was him. The one and only, Connor Owens.

Wilhelmina's facial expression which was soft the entire time that she was talking to Daniel changed to motionless. She watched him as he walked towards them as if he was on slow motion. His glistening body which under different circumstances would have made her go weak in the knees actually made her green about the gills, especially with the Speedos. He approached the pair wearing that charming smile of his, eyes fixated on Wilhelmina's.

"Willie" He said with a smile that was accompanied by an apologetic gaze. He turned to Daniel whose face was bright shade of pink "Daniel"