A/n: RL has been hectic and doesn't look like it will calm down much over the next few weeks, but I will keep posting as and when I can. Thank you to all who are following and favoriting. Please read and review if you have the time and inclination.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Chapter 4
"…It was that day at the Guggenheim that I realised I was in love with Betty."
"So tell her Daniel. When tonight is over and Christmas Day dawns you get on that phone and you tell her. Promise me?"
"Rosa, what's happening, where are you going?"
"Promise me." Her voice was distant and he could see his living room opening up below him. "Please Daniel?"
"I promise." He shouted out as his feet hit with the carpeted floor, "I promise." He said, his head in his hands as he thought about how much of a coward he had been.
"You made a promise to me too, not so long ago." Daniel turned on the spot, "you promised that you would never ever forget me."
"Molly? What are you doing here?"
"I'm your ghost of Christmas present, Daniel."
"So, you're to be my next torturer, huh? My dad really has it in for me, doesn't he?"
She sighed. "Stop making everything about yourself for a change." Molly's eyes were wide with anger, "where has the man I fell in love with gone?" She said, a tear rolling down over her pallid cheek. "There was a time when you thought of others before yourself. Admittedly that was all down to Betty but over the past few years, without her influence I might add, you've just gone downhill, Daniel; step by lonely step."
"Ok, I thought we'd established that I'm in love with Betty, I made a promise to Rosa to call her and tell her."
"Do you think that's enough, a promise to Betty's mother? What hope do you have in securing her love for you if you're a shadow of the man that I knew, let alone the man you became after my passing?"
"So, what?" He shrugged, "you're going to help me remember the man I was by showing me the man I became? I get it, ok?" He'd reached his tipping point, the anger evident in his voice and his eyes, a cold stare fixed upon his wife's face. "We don't have to waste the next hour by going over old ground."
"But we do Daniel; your anger towards me only proves that we have to."
He crossed the distance between them, "Molly, I'm angry for lots of reasons." He was calmer now, "for not being able to take care of you, for not making you have the treatment."
She placed a finger to his lips in order to silence him. "Daniel, treatment or not I would still be dead." She rested her hand against his forehead, images of Molly lying in a hospital bed receiving invasive treatments, the sickness she suffered afterwards, the hair loss, the pain of watching her golden locks grow back very slowly into a short bob before she was hit with the news that this time the cancer had not been successfully pushed back into remission.
"How much longer would we have had?" He asked, with sadness in his voice.
"About six months."
Tears brimmed at his eyelids, "I'd have lost you anyway."
She leant up placing a kiss to his lips, "yes, we just weren't meant to be for the long haul." She brightened a little, "I consider myself to be your stepping stone to a better life."
"How is this a better life? Without you, I'm no-one."
"That's not true, Daniel, you will always be someone to those that love you. In my own small way, I have to thank you, for every day that you showed up at my tree in the garden of remembrance or took out my ashes and held on to me. You have kept your promise to me, you have never forgotten me. I just hoped that one day you would bring someone else with you."
"Like Betty?" He swallowed at the lump in his throat as she nodded her answer.
"She has been a great comfort to you, I've seen her. All those nights she spent with you, her arm around you, holding on so tightly in order that you didn't share my fate. She'd make sure that you were fed, got you to go to some bereavement groups, she really was your friend through all of this."
"I ended up getting involved with a cult." He let out.
"I know, I prayed that you would see what was going on but in the end it was Betty that got you out and made you see sense."
"I thought I'd see you again, thought I'd be able to hold you and kiss you."
"Daniel, I'm gone. The next time you'll see me will be when you pass over too. And I will be your constant companion unless ..."
"Unless?" he said glumly.
"Well, that's for you to decide. The next few hours will hopefully help with that." She smiled. "You kissed Betty, you know?"
"When?" He smiled.
"The night you thought you saw me."
"Yeah, I know. Got her eyebrow or something."
Molly laughed, "so that's what she told you, huh?" She smiled, "better kissing Betty than Natalie though, I suppose."
"I guess. Wait, what are you not telling me?"
"I'm happy that Natalie at least got you to talk to me, that night up on the top of that building after you'd gone swimming with her. But Daniel, what were you thinking?"
"She was a friend."
"She was using you to get what she wanted. Had Betty not shown up at my place I think you'd be worrying about much more than a simple kiss to say good bye to me with." She giggled.
"You mean … with Natalie?" He face was incredulous.
"Oh yeah," she pressed her lips together before rolling her eyes. "But Betty saved the day."
"I thought I was kissing you, those drugs were powerful."
"Well, when you get a chance to talk to Betty again, ask her about the kiss. She may have been smaller than me but you did not kiss her eyebrow, or forehead or anything else in that general vicinity."
His eyes shone, "oh. So I kissed her on the mouth?" He smirked, "no wonder she covered it up."
"Exactly, a classic Betty technique." She took his hand, "now we need to get on. So many shadows to show you and so little time."
"Ok," he said, "I'm ready." Their surroundings faded much the same as they had done when he had taken Rosa's hand for the first time. As the swirling stopped they were standing in the entranceway of Claire's office.
"So what are you going to do now? She's been gone two months, Daniel. You tell me that you love her and yet you're adamant that you're not going to follow her." Claire was to the point as usual.
"I don't know. My work is here, mom. She is in London. That's it."
"This isn't technically the present, Molly."
"No, it's not. But it's the moment."
"What moment?" He asked, his brow furrowed.
"The moment ugly Daniel reared his head." He looked back at the scene of mother and son about ready to take up arms before quickly looking back at Molly. "Watch, let's see if we can decide when exactly," she smiled.
"Daniel, you have the world at your feet, you do not need to hide behind your job here at Mode. If it were me I'd be handing the reins over to Wilhelmina and jumping on the next plane out of here."
"Well you're not me," Daniel shouted, "back off."
Claire sighed, getting up from her seat and moving around her desk to stand in front of him. She placed her hands on his crossed arms and looked into his eyes. "Daniel, for whatever the reason, that girl loves you too. But it is so far ingrained within her that she is as blind to it as you were. She needs something to bring it to the fore. Someone to bring it out of her. She needs you."
"Look, mom. I don't know what you're trying to do here but there is no way that Betty loves me," he watched his mother's head drop and shake from side to side. "If she did, she'd have stayed."
"What for, Daniel?" Claire shouted, "for you to take another four years to pluck up the courage to tell her, by which time she'd be regretting not taking Dunne's offer and would probably be resenting you as well. Don't you see what she's done? She's played her hand; she's expecting you to take the next step."
"How could you know that?"
"Because I've done it too." Claire said, her eyes glazing. "Why do you think I went into 'therapy' for a year to have Tyler? I was hoping Cal would see sense, would change his mind but he didn't. So I told him that I'd had an abortion, had started drinking again and had to go back to rehab. It was the most miserable twelve months of my life. Not only was I alone and pregnant, carrying my child to term and having him completely on my own but I then had to give him up. How on earth do you think I felt? And Betty is the same."
"Mom, this is different," he was shaking his head, the memories of finding out Tyler was his half-brother still raw. "Betty is all about her career. That's all she damn well thinks about. Her move to London wasn't to call my bluff; it was to make her move up the publishing ladder. Not me, not a possible future for us, but her damned work."
"And there we have it." Molly mused.
"That's hardly fair. Betty is all about her career."
"And why not, Daniel? What else does she have? After all, you weren't there to hold her hand or offer her the support she wanted from you when she needed it the most. She tried so many times to tell you, but she just couldn't do it. Either you beat her to it when she was just about to tell you with your annoying 'me first' attitude, or she tried to pick a moment to see you and you'd have to go out or fudge up your dinner reservation with her. There was always something to stop her."
"But she could've come to me at any time and told me, we'd have talked about it."
"Would you though?"
"Yes, I mean I'd have been hurt but we could have sorted it out. It's just I had to find out she was going from a mass email."
"Which Marc instigated, one last parting gift as he was finally going to be seeing the back of her and he could make his mark on the magazine. He knew what it would do to you both. I just don't think he realised how far it would push you."
"What do you mean?"
"Your attitude, Daniel. Quite frankly, it stinks." She took his hand and the morning's almost meeting opened up in front of him. "How about this?"
He watched the events of the morning's meeting unfurl before him, the way he'd spoken to Amanda, her resignation, the photograph of Betty that he couldn't bring himself to burn, the confrontation with his mother. He watched his mother pick up the gloves and the photograph that he'd carelessly thrown into the trash. "Why did she take them?"
"Why does your mother do anything?" Molly asked him, her mouth smirking as she cocked an eyebrow. She moved her head and hands in a gesture to get him to think about it. "Well?" She smiled.
"Because she loves me?" Daniel asked, his eyes searching Molly's face for clues.
"Well, yes, of course she does, like any mother loves her children. But that's not quite what I was getting at. Think about it Daniel, she's picked up a picture of Betty that you just didn't have the nerve to burn and a pair of gloves that Betty gave you as a gift."
He thought about it for a little while. "I'm sorry Molly; I just don't get the connection."
"Daniel, she doesn't want you to lose Betty completely, after all she isn't dead." He winced at Molly's remark. "But as far as she's concerned you're losing it, big time. So your throwing away those items is like another nail in the coffin to her. She doesn't want you to have any regrets, so she's keeping those things just in case you didn't really mean to throw them away."
"I don't have any regrets!" He shot out mercilessly.
"Really?" Molly stood her ground, her hands on her hips. "That isn't the impression you gave Rosa."
He let out a breath, "ok, so I regret walking away from Betty when I signed her release, I regret not answering her telephone calls and emails and texts, and I …" He dropped his gaze to the floor.
"Yes?" Molly's voice was soft but encouraging, her hands resting delicately on his shoulders.
Moist eyes sought out hers, "I regret watching from the sidelines, whilst she danced with Amanda and Marc, when in fact I should've been the one dancing with her, talking to her, encouraging her, telling her that I would visit her. Giving her the opportunity to lead her own life but also some hope of a possible future with me in whatever capacity she needed from me, friend or lover."
Molly nodded, "you know you can still have that." Her hand touched his and once the office had faded away they were stood in the hallway of the Meade mansion. "We are now caught up, Daniel. The shadows you will now watch are from earlier on this evening, just about the same time as you were getting numbers from girls and trying to score with that prostitute."
"In my defence, I didn't know she was a hooker until I was confronted by her pimp."
"Daniel, it was the fact you were attempting to go back to your old ways that would really shock everyone. What would your mother say? Or Alexis? They were both so proud of you when you stopped sleeping around with just any woman that had a pulse. And what would Betty think if she knew?"
"She's in London! Jeez, will you give me a break?" The scene panned around. He saw his mother standing in front of a towering spruce pine, admiring the decorations that he recognized. Gone were the trains and the sparkling crystals, instead there were glittering homemade decorations, Hilda's baby ornament, the stockings with everyone's name on them, including his own.
"Justin, you are a marvel. Hilda, you must be so proud of him."
Hilda nodded, mussing up Justin's hair, "I am Mrs Meade, he never stops amazing me."
"Nor me," Ignacio added, walking over to Claire with a couple of drinks, "tonic water for the lady."
"Shame I can't handle the gin any longer," Claire deadpanned, as the gathered Suarez's laughed. "This is so much better than a Christmas where I have little control. I'm glad that Betty came up with the idea of you all coming over and sharing tonight with me so that you'll all be here to help out tomorrow as a united front against my son. I can see why Daniel got so much pleasure out of spending that time with you all, helping you decorate the tree and feeling part of a family."
"Let's just hope this all works then," Hilda exclaimed, as the doorbell rang, "do you think that's Betty?" She practically ran for the large double doors and opened up one side. "Oh my God, could you get any more beautiful?" She rushed outside folding her arms around her sister.
Daniel licked his lips in anticipation of seeing Betty. He couldn't believe she was actually in New York and he was going to see her tomorrow. "Where is she?"
"Patience, Daniel." Molly sighed. "Not that you haven't seen her already today."
"What?" He asked.
"You nearly ran her over on your way to Union Square; she was just coming out of her apartment building."
"That was her?" He watched Molly nod. If only he'd been watching what he was doing.
"Hilda, bring her inside before she catches her death." Ignacio stepped further towards the door but barely held his spot as his youngest daughter rushed inside, dropped her overnight bag and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What is all this for, you saw me earlier on?"
"For about two seconds when you were having a respite from Elena and I had to go home to pack for tonight."
"Oh my God." Daniel's mouth dropped open, Hilda was right; she was even more beautiful than when she had left if it was at all possible. He walked closer to her, walking around her and her father, taking in the sight of her. Her glasses were gone, so he assumed that she was now wearing contacts, the dark chocolate of her iris' sparkling with the delight she obviously felt from seeing her family. Her make-up, although still subtle, highlighted her cheek bones, made her lips look plump and gave her a warm glow that he'd never noticed before. "She's mesmerizing." He managed, as he continued his assessment of her, berating himself for missing out on meeting with her earlier on.
"Papi, oh I've missed you." Betty stood back, her eyes brimming with tears, her megawatt smile on full blast as Justin hugged her too.
Justin held her at arms length, "well, London definitely agrees with you AB, you look incredible."
"Thank you Justin," she pulled off her coat and hat, peeling off leather gloves and the scarf that she'd coiled around her neck in order to brace herself against the snowy conditions in New York. "The weather is slightly kinder than here; mostly grey but not as cold."
Daniel couldn't keep his eyes off her. Now that her outerwear had been removed he could appraise the curves that she had seemingly grown into over the time since they'd been apart. She was no longer the girl that hid herself away under layers of clothing until she'd found her confidence; he remembered back to the dress she'd worn the day he'd signed her paperwork. She had started to understand her body then but now, some two years later, she definitely knew what to do to get the best out of it, even in skinny black pants and a long pearl grey, cashmere turtle neck sweater. She had a body that a lot of women would die for and she was sexy as hell. Even the beautiful dark locks of her hair that had been knotted behind her in a simple bun at the base of her neck, each strand glistening in the light as the last snowflakes melted, made him want to reach out and pull her into his arms, just to have her close to him, to fold her into his frame, to see just how well they fit together, before pulling at the simple ribbon and allowing the espresso tresses of her hair to fall down her back, his hands stroking through it as he covered her mouth with his own.
"Earth to Daniel," Molly laughed before teasing him, "I think it's a good thing I am dead. I would never have stood a chance once you'd seen little Betty all grown up."
"Huh?" He asked, somewhat giddy from his daydream. "Molly, I would never have …"
She put her hands up in order to stop him talking. "I know." She paused, "you would've divorced me first."
"Molly, that isn't fair."
"I know that too." She looked away, "but I think we both know that I could never have competed with Betty in the long run. She is everything to you, Daniel, has everything you need. You're two halves of the same heart."
Daniel rushed back to her, his hands on her arms, "look at me." He said, before gripping more firmly and shaking her. "Molly, I loved you with everything that I had to give you. I never kept anything back from you. You made my heart sing and my palms sweat. I can't possibly say for sure that had you still lived then I wouldn't have felt that way about Betty too, but I know I would never have left you."
"Daniel, I have seen my fate wrapped up in so many different ways. Especially those where I've lived for many more years than I actually did, but it always ends up the same, no matter what happens. You always leave me. Betty is too formidable an opponent. She is your best friend, through thick and thin and all it takes, every time, is just one kiss. Whatever the situation, and wherever you are, it's that first kiss you share that makes you both weak. There is no one for you but her, and no one for her but you. No one can compete on either side."
"I don't believe that," Daniel said, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "I can't believe I'd hurt you like that."
"You don't mean to. It just occurs." She plastered a smile across her face, "come on, let's see what happens next."
Claire took Betty's outdoor clothing away from her before Betty brushed the hair from out of her eyes. "Hi Claire."
Claire smiled, bringing Betty into her warm embrace. "Hello, darling. How are you?"
"Better for seeing my family here, it was a good idea wasn't it?" she noticed Claire nodding in agreement before looking over to the tree, "I guess they helped out with the decorating?"
"Justin has been truly wonderful, it's amazing what you can do with popsicle sticks, glue and glitter. And I love the cranberry and popcorn garlands, absolute genius."
Betty's eyebrows rose, leaning forward to sniff Claire's glass. "Are you sure there's no liquor in this drink?"
"Nothing other than tonic water, mija. I poured it myself."
"And what are you on, Papi? I hope that's not coffee?"
"Betty, please. You're home one minute and already you're nagging your Papi?" Ignacio shook his head as he wandered back towards the kitchen.
Betty sighed, "I better say I'm sorry. I guess I picked up a little too much English sarcasm and wit whilst I've been in London."
"No, I'll do it." Hilda suggested, "come on, Justin. Let's go and see if we can get grandpa cheered up."
"Subtle as ever, Hilda!" Betty called out after the retreating form of her sister. "I guess you want to speak to me, Claire?"
"I do." Claire said, her hand on Betty's arm as she walked towards the drawing room. Once inside she closed the door behind them before taking a seat on the dark red leather couch in front of the fireplace, the hearth filled with a roaring fire. "Betty, over the years we've become solid friends, haven't we?"
"Yes, of course." Betty answered.
"So, you'd tell me anything?"
"Most things, I guess. I've always tried to be totally open with you, especially when you've visited and we've had those frank discussions about boyfriends."
"And is there anyone special?"
Betty smiled, taking Claire's hands in her own. "You already know the answer to that, Claire."
"Good." Claire watched Betty's eyebrows furrow, "I don't mean 'good', for you." Claire sighed. "There is one question I've always wanted to ask you but have been too afraid to ask."
"Why?"
"Betty, I love you as if you were my own daughter. The things that you've done for me and my family have gone far above and beyond, and for that I will always be grateful. But I worry about you, the same as you father and sister do. Hilda is right, you grow more and more beautiful every time I see you, but to what cost? I truly hope that you're not turning into a workaholic. You're young, enigmatic, stunning and sexy and I'm sure there must be plenty of men wanting to take you out and romance you?"
"Not really."
"Oh, I don't believe that for one second." Claire shook her head. "There must be someone?"
"No, there isn't. I'm not interested. I'm here now anyway, there was hardly any point embarking on a long term relationship when I was coming back home."
"And we have our new venture to think about?"
"Yes." A lone tear dropped onto their joined hands. "Besides I could never seem to make a friendship work in London, let alone a romantic relationship. I just seemed to spend night after night in my dreary flat, watching TV and contemplating my next move. All alone. Christina was miles away in Scotland, you were here. I missed my family and I …"
"Yes, Betty?" Claire's hand cupped Betty's cheek, "tell me."
"I missed Daniel, so much."
Daniel watched his mother smile.
"I know. That was the question I always wanted to ask but was afraid to. Do you have feelings for him?" She watched the younger woman nod her head, "I thought so. Do you love him, Betty, do you love my son?"
"Yes," Betty cried, "I love him."
Daniel struggled to keep upright; he's knees buckling under him as he heard Betty say those three little words out loud, and to his mother of all people. "I don't understand."
Molly knelt down, "what's not to understand, Daniel? Betty is in love with you."
How could she possibly be in love with him, they hadn't seen or spoken to each other in nearly two years and now she was making this astonishing declaration. "But why would she wait until now?"
"Well, let me see," Molly began, raising a finger each time she 'marked off a reason', "you thought that by burning her release it would give her a reason to stay; you said you couldn't live without her and then made some excuse about the company needing her; your mother indicated to her that losing her was very difficult for you; you let her get on a plane to England without speaking to her or seeing her; she left broken hearted because she wasn't sure of her feelings for you; she kept herself working over the last few years instead of making friends and perhaps finding someone else she could love because she could never let you go like you did her. Does that about sum it up? You were her constant Daniel and she could never do enough for you. You only had to click your fingers and she was there, by your side, helping you out. You made a massive impression on her, you became the best of friends and then you let her down. But Betty, being Betty, is far too forgiving and instead of becoming bitter and twisted because you never contacted her," Molly's fingers dug deep under his collar bone as she pushed him, he winced; "she slowly began to see things from your point of view and started to consider your mother's words a lot more closely. And what made it worse was that every time your mother went to visit Betty, they always ended up talking about you."
"Then if I'm so bad, why does she have those particular feelings for me?" He smirked until Molly's hand grabbed his chin, her fingernails digging into the skin.
"Because you mother, along with Amanda and anyone else she's been in contact with, has lied to her."
"Why would they do that?" He asked fearfully, his eyes suddenly becoming wider as Molly forcefully grabbed him and pinned him up against the wall.
"Why do you think?" Molly spat. "They knew that if they told her about the way you have been behaving, she would more than likely drop everything and come back here to help you rather than get on with her own life. She deserves to have something of her own instead of picking up your pieces and dealing with them for you. Everyone has been protecting her." She let him go, turning her back on him and allowing him to sort himself out.
After straightening out his shirt he walked back over to Molly looking her squarely in the eye. "I guess I do something stupid then?"
She looked at him quizzically, "if you mean that the reason why I am here is to show you how you treat Betty in the future, then yes, you do. Don't forget though Daniel, these visions of tomorrow and beyond are not yet fixed, they are just the most accurate display of events based on the odds as they were before you seeing your father. These events can still be changed." She took his hand, Christmas day dawned, and he saw himself splayed out across his bed, sleeping off the hangover that he'd sunk himself into once he'd returned home from the bar.
Daniel's head pounded as the banging on his front door became feverishly insistent. What was going on? "Go away." He shouted out.
"Can't do that." He heard Becks shout. "And I'm sure you'd rather it be me kicking your butt than Alexis."
That would be all he needed. He fell of the bed unceremoniously and crawled the distance to the hallway before edging himself upright against the doorframe. "Shit." He shouted out as he stubbed his toe trying to open the door, hopping backwards as the door slammed against the wall and Becks stepped inside.
"Jesus, Daniel. You sure can't hold your liquor like you used to." He said, peering at his friend before making his way past him and towards the kitchen. "I hope you've got coffee?"
"Somewhere." He muttered, before realising that he needed to get to the bathroom quickly and empty the contents of his stomach down the toilet. "Shit." He exclaimed, as he leant back against the wall, his head in his hands.
Becks appeared in the doorway, "shit," he flushed the toilet. "What were you drinking?" He crouched down, his hands on Daniel's shoulders as he watched his friend carefully, "and what were you thinking?"
"I don't know, Becks." Daniel shook his head. "I just wanted to get rid of her."
"Who, Betty? You saw her?"
"No, I meant metaphorically. I was trying to block her out of my memories."
"Hell, Daniel. How many times did you have to watch your mom do that and see that it didn't work for her either by drinking herself stupid?" Becks sat with his legs crossed on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. "Look, your mom has really worked hard towards today, she wants everything to be perfect and for everyone that cares about you to be there for you. We'll help you buddy, ok? But you need to stop with the 'poor me's' and get over yourself. You messed up, you still love her."
"No, I don't," Daniel cut in.
Becks smiled. "You don't have to believe it but you do. No amount of denying it is going to take the truth away, Daniel. You love her and you want her. You still have a chance to make things better."
"How?"
"She's here, in New York. You have a shot at getting her back."
"I do?" Daniel grinned.
"You do. Now, I'm going to fix you some breakfast and lots of coffee and you're going to get cleaned up and find something to wear. Then I'm going to take you over to Claire's for dinner. Ok?"
"Ok." Daniel said, starting the shower and stripping himself of his underwear. This would be his one and only chance so he needed to get things straight. He dressed in dark denim jeans and a black shirt, a thick v-neck pullover completing the look before he walked back out into the living area. "Do I pass muster?" He said.
"Well, you certainly smell better." Becks smirked. "You'll do. Here get this down you."
He sat at the breakfast bar, making a start on the large mug of coffee Becks had poured for him. He made a face as it was so strong but it made him think more clearly, so it had to be good. He made a start on the breakfast but found he didn't have the stomach for it. "What time is it?"
"Four thirty."
"Shit. I was meant to be there for midday."
"You've been given a reprieve as long as you at least make it tonight. And you need an overnight bag."
Daniel watched on as he and Molly were transported to the mansion's summer house. Soft Christmas music was playing; nutmeg, cinnamon, orange and cranberry scents filled the air from the candles that glowed from within their holders. Poinsettia's, Christmas Cacti and roses had been placed around the room in a vain effort to make it more festive but nothing held his attention more than the fact that the vision of himself was sat next to the woman that he thought he may never have the chance to see again.
Daniel took Betty's hand in his, his fingers caressing the delicate surface of her skin, his mouth meeting the back of it once he'd brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. He noticed her blush; her eyes breaking contact with his momentarily as she turned to look at her glass, sitting on the edge of the table next to the loveseat. "Betty?"
She turned back, her breath hitching in her throat as she watched his silent appraisal of her. They were no longer friends but were now on the cusp of something greater, something special and romantic. Her other hand found his cheek and gently caressed the stubble with her fingertips that she could just feel making an appearance, her tongue skimming over her dry lips as she gulped back the lump in her throat.
He could no longer help himself, his hand now letting hers go as he found his way to the nape of her neck , her hands now resting on his chest as he pulled her closer to him, his nose resting against hers, his mouth merely millimetres away from hers. "Betty?" He whispered.
She smiled, her eyes closing in anticipation for his kiss, which came suddenly and passionately. "I've wanted this for so long," he said quickly before returning to plunder her mouth, his tongue duelling with hers as the headiness of their kiss almost took the life from them both.
As they broke apart, they were panting. "Daniel, please don't let me go again."
"I won't," he promised her, scooping her up into his arms and walking her into the bedroom. He kicked the door to before placing her gently on the counterpane. Not for one second did he take his eyes from her, watching her as closely as she was watching him.
Before long another exhilarating kiss had sent them into overdrive, each helping to shed the other of their clothing, both anxious to unite and be as one as they made love for the first time. It was over quickly but their overture lasted the rest of the night as they took their time in exploration of each other and sheer joy at finally being together. And as the morning awoke on the day after Christmas, they lay wrapped up in each other, talking and kissing, watching the sun bathe the winter landscape in its golden glow; each secretly hoping that they could stay like that forever, neither wanting to leave and break the spell, not even for the briefest of moments.
"It's so sad this has to end." Molly remarked, her voice cracking."
Daniel's brows furrowed, "How could this possibly end?" Molly took his hand and the summer house once again became his office. "What are we doing back here?"
"I said no. There is no way I'm ever going to compromise on this one Wilhelmina. She has to go."
"She's the best features editor we have!"
"And not so long ago it would've been you saying that she had to go. Since you and Connor have been living in each other's pockets, it's like you've had you're head in a puddle or something."
"It's hardly a sacking offence, Daniel?"
"Knock, knock." Betty popped her head around the door, "am I ok to take my boyfriend to lunch?"
"Yes, come in Betty. This meeting is over." Willi headed for the door, "perhaps you can make him see reason. It's only post it notes, Daniel."
"Only post-it notes, this week. And what next?" Betty gave Daniel a quizzical look as he continued on his rant, "a ream of paper, a laptop, the Meade fortune?"
Betty shut the door, before walking over to Daniel. "What's wrong, honey?"
"I just can't stand it when people take us for granted."
"Who?" She asked, following him over to where he now stood by the window. She snaked her hands around his waist from behind, her head resting against his back.
"Cindy Taylor."
"The features editor? What did she do? Take some post-it notes home?"
"Yeah."
"Daniel," she walked around him to stand in front of him, his angry eyes still picking out familiar points in the city's skyline. "It's just some stationery. I used to take stuff home all of the time seeing as I used to work at home. What's so different here?"
"It's the principal of the thing Betty. And seeing as I'm now joint CEO with my mom, I need to make sure that no-one thinks they can get away with stuff like that, no matter how small."
"But you want to fire her for that? That's a bit petty, Daniel. Surely you can think of some other kind of punishment than that. She'll be snapped up by Vogue or Elle if you let her go."
"Let them, they can deal with her thieving from now on instead of me." Daniel sneered. "And whilst we're on the subject," he looked down at Betty. "We can't finance your magazine."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." Daniel looked over the Molly. "What am I doing?"
"What you always do, Daniel, since you lost Betty anyway. You've become ugly." She turned her head back as the scene started playing again.
Betty shook her head, "what do you mean? Claire and I discussed everything before I came back home from London. Daniel she said that you had more than enough money to help me get started."
"I don't know where she got that idea from but we haven't. And there is no way that I'm going to put my money on the line for some hack magazine that no-one this side of the Atlantic will want to read."
She pulled away from him, backed up around the desk in order to distance herself. "Hack magazine?" She whimpered.
"Betty, don't try the waterworks on with me, this is business. My dad would never have agreed to this so what makes you think I should?"
"My dad? What the hell? I've turned into my dad?" He watched Molly shrug, "and I'm going to lose Betty again." Daniel started shaking, his fists clenching as he continued to watch.
"Well, I had hoped that you didn't see me as some kind of Sophia Reyes character. I thought you liked my work?"
"I did," he picked up a copy of the London Enquirer, "but this is pap."
"I was appealing to a different audience, and a British audience at that, I might add." A lone tear escaped over her cheek. "What happened to you Daniel? Where has the man I fell in love with gone too? You would never have spoken to me like this a couple of years ago."
"A lot of water has passed under that bridge."
"No, Daniel, don't do this," Daniel wandered over to his other self, wanting to grab hold of himself and shake him violently but he couldn't take a hold of himself, his hands went straight through the vision as if it was mist. He turned to see Betty's face, her hands clenched over her mouth as the tears ran down over her cheeks.
"Yeah, you're right. I thought that I could just forgive and forget what everyone had told me about you. And I also thought that I could marry you. That we could make each other happy but we can't. I can't stand aside and watch you do this to yourself."
"Betty, if this is about your magazine? I mean, why wouldn't it be? You're all about your career and work anyway, aren't you?"
She shook her head, "this has nothing to do with work. This is to do with you and me and how much I love you. And I can't bear to be near you."
Daniel rushed around the desk, his hands on her arms holding her fast, "you can't leave. You need me. We'll rethink the concept, and then maybe we can talk about the budget."
"I don't need your money." She shook him off as she shouted at him, turning on her heal and heading for the door. She opened it, allowing it to bang against the wall before turning back to him, "all I ever wanted was you." And then she was gone.
"Betty, don't leave me again." Daniel held his hand over his heart, before turning back to himself. "Go after her, you fool. Don't let her go again." But his other self just stood there looking at the open doorway before taking his seat back at his desk and picking up his work from where he'd left off. "I'm an idiot."
He felt Molly's hand on his shoulder, "this is only a vision, Daniel. This doesn't have to happen. It all depends on you."
He placed a hand over hers and pulled it against his cheek, his face still bewildered, "I can change this?"
"Yes." She nodded, as once again he felt the sensation of falling back to earth. "It's not too late to change anything that hasn't already happened. You just have to believe in yourself and make it happen." Her voice was almost a whisper.
"Thank you, Molly," he said to the void above him as he sat on the couch in his living room and eyed the clock. It was nearly three and the final of the three ghosts was due any minute. He closed his eyes as fatigue took over, wishing that he had been subjected to enough and he could sleep peacefully for a few hours before having to go to his mother's.
He sighed, "come on then? Where are you ghost of Christmas yet to come? I could really do with getting this over with."
"Look what we have here? The Editor in Chief of Mode and heir apparent of Meade, now that your sister has moved to France anyway. Can't say I approve of all of your changes to my magazine, Daniel, but I'm glad that Willi didn't get overall control, she just didn't deserve it after everything that happened with Bradford."
He looked across to the woman in black, her white hair as smooth a sheet of glass and dark glasses covering half of her face. "Fey Sommers. Thanks Dad."