To see disclaimer, see chapter one.

Serendipity

"I'm telling you, you haven't lived until you've seen Vertigo." I said as someone slammed into my right side. Marc and I were making our way through the hustle and bustle that was New York. It was a rare event, being together in the sunlight. With completely conflicting schedules (actually, just Marc's unpredictable one), we had only ever seen each other during the night or not at all. This was our first conversation in a few days since...since that morning.

Marc groaned, "Honestly, Cliff, did you have a life before me?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I happen to be completely serious." he replied, perfectly mimicking an offended expression.

I smiled, "Just because I have a love of movies that were made before 1970 doesn't mean I don't have a life."

"I'm sure." he replied as the sunlight streamed across our faces.

"I'm sorry, I just don't particularly enjoy squeezing myself into a suit to mingle with people who probably spend more time, I don't know, gazing upon their perfection in the mirror than actually breathing."

We turned onto Fifth Avenue, weaving in and out between the late afternoon foot traffic and the numerous street vendors peppering the sides of the sidewalks.

"Cliff," Marc said, "that's why I got you the girdle, remember?"

Turning my head, I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

I shook my head, "It's nothing. You wanna grab an early dinner or something, before the movie?"

Somehow, I had agreed to see a showing of a mystery movie Marc had picked. He had ignored my questions as to what it was, which made me incredibly nervous for my first evening off in three weeks.

Marc nodded, "Sure, but can we go to Del Rio's?"

"Oh no, you picked the movie, I pick the restaurant." I replied as we came to a corner stoplight.

"But Cliff, your choices always have lot of..." he waved his hands, grimacing.

"...fat? Calories? Food?" I finished for him.

He lowered his hands, "You know that's not what I meant."

I smiled innocently at him as the light changed.

"So what place is it?" he asked.

I shook my head, still smiling, "It's a surprise, follow me." I said, taking his hand as we crossed the street.

...

We stood in front of the hidden eating establishment for a few moments hands still intertwined, gazing upon its sheer size alone.

"What is this place?" Marc asked, a little timidly, even though the name was right in front of his face.

I laughed, squeezing his hand, "Come on."

We squeezed our way through the door, barely fitting due to the size of the line waiting at the front counter.

As we waited for what seemed like a great deal of time in silence, I turned to Marc, feeling the need to explain my reasoning for selecting the place, "I come here all the time, even though the space is extremely limited, and the food is much too expensive to my salary, it's my place, you know?"

"What makes it so special?" he asked, not a hint of sarcasm or an edge, it was a genuine question.

I bit my lip, looking at the ceiling for a few moments as I contemplated my answer. Turning my attention back to him, I was somewhat caught off guard by his expression. I couldn't quite place what exactly it was.

"Well," I said, looking away again, "I originally came in because the name intrigued me. Serendipity. It means when something great is discovered, while looking for something else entirely. It just spoke to me, you know? That something great can occur when you least expect it."

Biting my lip again, I turned my face back to him. Instead of seeing a confused and somewhat amused face, he was staring intently at me. His dark chocolate-brown eyes locked on mine for what seemed like hours.

"Next!" a voice yelled, startling us out of our silent reverie. I had had no idea we were so close to the front of the line.

We ordered, Marc with some prompting from me to actually order food, and finally found a table towards the back of the restaurant after what seemed like days of searching.

Sitting down and unwrapping my hot dog, one of Serendipity's specialties, I continued to look at my date with curiosity, unable to shake the nagging feeling that I couldn't place it.

He was concentrating extremely hard on his Pasta Salad du Jour, eyes down, stabbing each individual ringlet of pasta with the utmost care.

After minutes of silence, I set my hot dog down on its wrapper, and glared at him.

"What is your problem?" I demanded.

Marc looked up, mid-chew, "What?"

"What?" I replied, incredulous, "You haven't spoken a word to me since we walked in here, what's the matter with you?"

He shook his head, and looked down again, "Nothing's wrong, I just...don't feel like talking right now, okay?"

"Marc," I said, reaching out and lifting his chin with my index finger, "you always feel like talking. Did I do something?"

He shook his head again, "No, not you. Well, not you exactly..."

"Then what?"

Marc looked up at me again, his eyes locked on mine, "Tell me the meaning of serendipity again."

"Why?" I asked, truly confused.

Biting his lip, Marc said, "Just do it, please."

I took a deep breath, "Finding something fortunate, when looking for something else entirely." I stated, looking at him still.

Setting down his fork and rubbing his neck, he broke his gaze, "I...Cliff, when I was...looking for...Gus...I...I...found you."

I was stunned, I had missed the most obvious point of my story, and it's relation to my life. My attention to details had obviously slipped. I sat there in silence, my eyes trained on him still, still amazed at the coincidence. No, not coincidence, it had to be something else, something...

"Cliff?" Marc interrupted my silent contemplation softly, as he laid an uncertain hand on top of mine.

I looked up at him, smiling as I had when I'd woken up that one, crucial morning, expecting him to be gone, not a trace of him left. But he had been there, right next to me, just as I'd hoped.

"You did, I'm...I'm glad, you did, Marc."

Marc bit his lip again, and smiled a big, toothy grin. HIS grin, that I already loved so much. I didn't think everything, even the flaws of one person, could still be so adorable.

Without thinking, I leaned over the table, capturing his unaware lips in a kiss.

Realizing what I had done, I began to pull away, but to my surprise, I felt him pull back, his lips responding to mine as my heart gave a little leap of joy.

...We didn't make the movie that night.

A/N: Hello readers! I figures that since Ugly Betty is on hiatus I'd use that time to write this before the storyline is forgotten about completely. I hope that even though they aren't together everyone will still read, because I absolutely LOVE writing this story. So, please click that little button and review! Thanks a bunch!