Daniel and Betty were well over the Atlantic. Betty was tightly wound – mainly because she was so anxious to see her family. She couldn't concentrate enough to read and there was no way she was going to be able to sleep.
"I can't wait to see everyone. I hope they like the presents I got. It's really hard to buy presents for people when you haven't been around…you know? Justin's taste changes so much and I never know what new music he's listening to…besides what's "in" in New York may not exactly be what's "in" in London."
Daniel just smiled and nodded.
"So Hilda, Bobby and Justin are going to the Talercio's for Boxing Day which means that they'll be coming to your mom's with us on Christmas day." She reached over and stole a couple of his peanuts.
"That's good." Daniel commented.
"Yeah…I know. Having everyone together will be sooo great." She was beaming.
Daniel chuckled. She might act like she'd had too many lattes when she was like this, but she certainly was adorable.
"You know it's probably snowing in New York." Betty looked across Daniel and out the window like she could see New York if she tried hard enough. "It's probably not staying on the ground but I love when it snows. It'll be colder than London…but not nearly as wet. And the cold is not so bad when you're inside cuddled up." She smiled sweetly.
"Yeah. It'll be nice to snuggle into a warm bed together on a cold, snowy winter evening won't it?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Betty looked mortified – she just realized what Daniel was thinking.
"What? What did I say?" Daniel was clearly in the dark about something.
"Daniel…you're not expecting to sleep with me…at Papi's…are you?" She was treading lightly.
"Well…no…I guess not." He lied. The truth was he hadn't given it much thought at all. When he'd thought of their first Christmas together this year, he'd thought of daytime or evening activities – shopping together at Sak's and Macy's, the annual New Years Eve party his mother had planned, and Christmas Eve at the Suarez house. He hadn't really thought about the nights. If he was honest he hadn't really considered not sleeping at the Suarez house. They were such a loving family and the house was so welcoming – not like the icy mansion he'd grown up in. He suddenly wished he'd kept his apartment when the lease had come up a couple of months ago.
She saw right through him and felt the need to explain. "You know we can't sleep together at Papi's, right? I mean…Papi's a little "old school". I don't think he'd like the idea of us sleeping in the same bed. To be honest I just assumed you'd be staying at your mom's." She was apologetic.
Daniel wondered if Ignacio Suarez was really as "old school" as Betty thought or if she was just uncomfortable with the idea herself. He vaguely recalled Hilda's "friend" or whatever…Justin's father…sitting at the breakfast table in very little more than Hilda's robe when he'd slept in Betty's bed after the Sophia incident. Clearly he'd stayed over and there wasn't a spare bed in the house that night. Of course, Betty and Hilda were two very different sisters and Hilda probably didn't worry about her father's opinion of her sleeping arrangement whereas Betty most definitely would.
Could this day get any worse? Daniel wondered. Up at…no before, actually…the crack of dawn to take an economy class seat back to New York where he would be separated from Betty for two weeks. Sure he'd see her but they would almost invariably be with other people and he would certainly miss her warm body next to him in the nights.
"Maybe I could stay in Hilda's old room." Daniel ventured. Even the Suarez house without Betty in the same bed would be better than the mansion. Tyler was still staying at his mom's so that meant awkward conversation over breakfast - not something he relished. Not only that, but Alexis would be arriving in a few days and that meant the conversation would become less awkward…more antagonistic.
"Really?" Betty was surprised Daniel wanted to stay at her family's house so much. "Wait…are you so desperate to stay in Queens because you want to avoid the whole Tyler and Alexis thing at your mom's?" Nothing got past Betty. How did she know him so well?
"Do I really have to answer that?" Daniel asked.
"Ok. You can stay a couple of nights at Papi's but you really need to spend some time with your family, Daniel." He hated when she looked at him that way. Of course she was right, but it was easy for her to say – her family was normal.
"Are you going to watch the movie?" Daniel changed the subject.
"Nope. I think I'm going to read a little." She pulled out her book. Daniel doubted she would be able to concentrate on it for very long.
Daniel put on the earphones and settled back to watch the movie. The next thing he knew he was waking up. He looked around slightly dazed trying to recall where he was…right…airplane…New York…two weeks not sleeping with Betty. His bad mood came back almost immediately. He noticed Betty chatting amiably with a rather tall bald gentleman on the other side of the aisle. She was joking and smiling in her very characteristic way but something about the guy made Daniel uneasy. Maybe it was the way he leered at Betty over his round wire glasses. Not in an obvious way, but like he was checking her out or something. Daniel had been an expert at subtly checking out women – he could recognize it anywhere. And a couple of times he looked over his shoulder at Daniel in a somewhat creepy manner.
When there was a lull in her conversation Daniel leaned in and quietly whispered "Who's your friend?"
"His name is Glen." Betty answered. "He's an investment banker from New York."
"Hmm." Daniel said without much enthusiasm. "Is he trying to pick you up?" Daniel wasn't subtle.
"What! Of course not. Not all men are like that Daniel." Betty almost laughed at him for thinking that way.
"Really? Well did he ask if we're together?" Daniel asked.
Betty just looked at him dumbfounded; she didn't answer him. She didn't have to - Daniel could read her expression. He grinned with a smug look on his face.
"So? It just came up in conversation." Betty defended.
"Betty, don't be so naïve. Men don't ask your status unless they want to pick you up. Trust me…I know."
"You don't pick someone up on an airplane." Betty argued.
Daniel just gave her a look. She stared at him stunned for a minute realizing that his look also meant: trust him…he knew. She shook her head, slightly annoyed with him for possibly being right.
"Well, whatever…" Betty said, determined to finish her conversation with the man. "He's worked for some pretty famous people, although he won't give me too many details – confidentiality or something. He has also done some work for charitable organizations though…you know when someone dies and leaves a large estate gift to their favourite charity? There could be a human interest story in that. I'm going to try to see if I can find out more."
"Great. Just remember who you got on the plane with." He joked. Then he added "I'm going to see if I can find out what Wilhelmena's been up to." He picked up the Christmas edition of Mode that Betty had bought for him.
Several hours later, when the plane finally arrived at JFK, Daniel was extremely thankful the trip was over. Between the economy seats he wasn't really used to and the creepy dude who had become Betty's new friend, he wasn't sure how much more he could take.
Hilda and Bobby were waiting for them after they cleared customs. Betty and Hilda screamed the moment they saw each other and they ran to give each other a big hug, clearly oblivious to the hundreds of other people in the airport. Daniel and Bobby shook hands.
"Oh my god…I missed you so much, Betty." Hilda was talking as she hugged Betty from side to side.
"I missed you too, Hilda." They pulled back from each other a little but sill held onto each other's arms.
"You have to tell me all about London and your big shot magazine."
"I brought the latest issue." Betty was excited. She hadn't sent them the new issue yet because she had wanted to share it in person.
"Let me see it." Hilda begged.
"I'll have to find it in my luggage. I'll show you after supper."
"Papi's been cooking for two days." Hilda said. "I don't know the last time I saw him this excited."
Betty finally remembered that she hadn't yet greeted Bobby. She let go of Hilda's arms and threw her own around him.
"Bobby, it's so great to see you."
"It's great to see you too, Chipmunk." Bobby said. Daniel smiled; he loved that nickname for Betty but he somehow knew that Bobby was the only one who was ever going to be able to get away with calling her that.
"Daniel, it's nice to have you home." Hilda warmly gave him a hug. "You guys must be wiped. We should get you to Papi's so you can rest before supper."
When they arrived at the Suarez house, Betty gave her dad and Justin huge hugs that lasted about five minutes each.
"Daniel…It's nice to see you." Ignacio greeted him, shaking his hand warmly.
Daniel helped Betty take her suitcase upstairs. He'd been quiet the entire car ride. Betty could tell he was still in his funk. She walked into her room behind him and closed the door.
"You have been in a mood all day." She said bluntly. "What's up with you?"
Daniel sat down like a pouty child on the edge of the bed.
"Do you realize that we haven't spent more than four consecutive nights apart since our first night together?"
Betty cocked her head to the side and smiled. She hadn't realized that. It was really sweet that he had.
"It's only two weeks…and we're not apart the whole time. We're just not sleeping in the same bed." He nodded unenthusiastically. Betty continued "Surely this isn't just about the sleeping arrangements. Something else is bugging you. Is it your family?"
"I guess."
She pulled him up to his feet and wrapped her arms around his waist. He immediately felt some of his bad mood melt away.
"Look Daniel, I know how stressed out your family can make you sometimes." She was thinking particularly about Alexis. "I'll tell you what…I'll come and stay at your mom's for a couple of nights with you - to act as a buffer. Would that help a little?"
"You would do that?"
"Of course I would. I love you Daniel. I can do that for you."
Daniel knew she was throwing him a bone. He immediately felt a little guilty. After all, he had Betty to himself the entire time they were in London and now when they came back to New York for a short visit he was going to snatch her away from her family. Why…because he was too much of a wimp to face his family on his own?
"I have a better idea." He said. "You let me stay here…with you…" he indicated her room "for six nights of our vacation and you don't have to come with me to my mom's at all."
She smiled at his negotiation. She could tell he was starting to feel better. "How about, I let you stay for four nights in Hilda's old room?" She was playing hardball.
Daniel sighed. "Ok…deal." He agreed reluctantly. "But I'm going to split the nights up a bit so I don't have to endure all "the crazy" in one long stretch."
She laughed. She grabbed his hand and they went downstairs.
"Where did you guys disappear to?" Hilda asked suspiciously.
"Just having a little talk." Betty smiled at Daniel. "I'm going to see if Papi needs any help."
Daniel sat down with Bobby, Justin and Hilda in the living room while Betty went into the kitchen.
"Do you need any help, Papi?"
"No. I think everything is under control, Mija. It sure is nice to have you home."
"Speaking of that…"Betty started. "I was wondering if – while we're back in New York – it would be alright if Daniel stayed here for a couple of nights?"
Ignacio raised his eyebrows and Betty added "In Hilda's room."
"He doesn't want to stay with his family?"
"Well…it's just that his family can be a little…overwhelming sometimes. And he's probably going to need a break from it once in a while."
Ignacio smiled knowingly. "Daniel's always welcome here Mija, you know that."
"Thanks Papi." She kissed him on the cheek.
Betty went back out to the living room where the rest of the crowd was talking. Somehow they were on the topic of Bobby's family and they seemed to be filling Daniel in.
"Bobby's practically related to the entire borough of Queens." Justin said.
"Not the whole borough…" Bobby corrected. "Just the upper east side."
"Whatever…" Justin said.
"It's how his family gets their…reputation." Hilda added emphasizing the word "reputation".
"For the last time Hilda, we are not part of…the mob." He whispered the last part like he was afraid ears would hear.
Daniel recalled a threat Hilda once made about Bobby "knowing people" and he chuckled.
"We just have a big family…and we're close…that's all." Bobby insisted. He turned to Betty as she walked in. "Help me out here, Chipmunk."
"I'm staying out of it." Betty laughed. She changed the subject. "So who's coming for dinner?"
"Daniel's mom, Tyler, Amanda and maybe Marc." Hilda answered.
Daniel immediately realized he would probably not be staying at the Suarez house tonight. An entire carload of people would be heading back into the city after supper and he knew his mother would be expecting him to be with them.
The doorbell rang and Betty went to answer it.
"Betty!" Amanda came bounding in and gave her a big hug. "I missed your sweet, little, brown face."
"I missed you too Amanda." Betty said smiling.
"Do you like my dress? It's your new flag." Amanda did a twirl. She was wearing a white and red dress with a white eagle emblem. "The colours look great on me, don't you think?"
"Uh…Amanda…that's the flag of Poland." Betty said cautiously.
"Poland…Holland, same thing."
"But I'm working in…" Betty shook her head. "Never mind."
Marc was next.
"Betty." He said reservedly.
"Marc! It's so good to see you." She threw her arms around him. Marc grimaced a little.
"Of course it is." He replied. He pulled back and looked at her and her outfit. "And look at you dressed like the world has gone monochromatic. Don't they sell clothes with hideous, clashing patterns in England?"
She ignored his comment.
"Mrs. Meade!" Betty let go of Marc and gave Claire Meade a hug.
"Betty…aww…you look terrific." Claire said sincerely. She'd long ago given up trying to get Betty to call her Claire. "It's so nice to have you home. Where's Daniel?" She said looking around. She spotted him in the living room.
"Daniel!" Claire went over to give her son a hug. "I've missed you so much. It looks like London is treating you well." She said complimenting him.
"Hi Mom. Yeah. I'm growing pretty fond of it." He smiled at Betty. Claire noticed the glance between the two and grinned.
Tyler was the last to enter.
"Hi Betty, I guess you're happy to be back to see your family." He said politely.
"You have no idea how glad." She gave him a big grin. "Come on in…make yourself at home." Betty said warmly. "I think Papi has dinner ready."
"I do indeed, everybody." Ignacio came into the room in his apron and oven mitts. "We don't have enough seats at the table so everyone can dish and then grab a seat where they can find one."
They spent the time over dinner chatting about what was happening at Mode and how Betty's magazine was coming along. Amanda shared some gossip about the celebrities she'd been styling.
After dinner Betty pulled out the magazine she'd found in her luggage and showed it to Hilda. Marc was sitting beside Hilda and made some backhanded compliment about how writing about the reprobates, rejects and outcasts of the world is so much more suited to Betty than fashion and style ever were.
When the evening was over, Daniel did decide to go into Manhattan to stay at his mom's house. Betty and Daniel were standing on the front step saying good night. Claire and Tyler had already left in one car but Marc and Amanda were in the second town car waiting.
"Could they hurry up already? It's freezing in here." Marc complained.
"We could just close the door, you know." Amanda reached over him and shut the door.
Amanda studied Daniel and Betty from the car. "They are totally doing it three or four times a week." She said nonchalantly and she snapped her gum.
"How do you know that?" Marc asked looking disgusted.
"I can tell…it's a gift." She snapped her gum again. A thought occurred to her. "Oh my god…do you think they're living together? They could totally be living together and no one would know."
"Ugh. Can you imagine: generic cotton and polyester blends hanging in the same closet as Armani and Versace?" Marc shivered. "It's bad enough they have to touch when those two" he waved his hand dismissively in the general direction of Daniel and Betty "co-mingle…or… whatever." He looked like he was trying desperately not to picture anything like it.
Daniel took a step toward Betty and Betty leaned in for a kiss. Amanda saw what was about to transpire over Marc's shoulder.
"Look away, Marc!" She warned him.
"What?..." Marc was oblivious and looked out the window. "Awwgk." He said disgustedly and then he gagged a little.