A/N: First off, my reviewers are fantastic (gathers everyone into a hug and squeezes)! Seriously though, you guys are the reason I write, so many thanks for taking the time to read my long-winded crack-fics :D Here's the next chapter…it's a bit long, too.

When the phone rang, Betty brightly turned on the bedside lamp, propped herself up on some pillows, and answered, despite the fact that it was 4 am.

"Hello?" she said innocently.

"Hey, baby-doll," came a deep, rich male voice over the other end. "What're you wearing?"

Betty smothered a giggle. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't tolerate obscene phone calls under any circumstances. If you must, I'll turn you over to Halston, and you can say your dirties to him," she explained primly. She passed the phone to Halston, who absently licked the receiver.

Betty put it back up to her ear. "Happy now? Got it all out of your system?"

"You know," Daniel sighed over the line, "The purpose of phone sex is that you're the one licking the receiver instead of an old dog with dementia and gastrointestinal issues that had better not be on my side of the bed, by the way."

"I got lonely," Betty said defensively, "and I owe Amanda for getting us those opera tickets. But…"

Daniel could practically hear her chewing in her luscious bottom lip. "I miss you," she finished simply. "You are coming back tomorrow at five, right? No more delays?"

Daniel's heart had officially been tugged in a million different directions at the hope in her voice. "Yes, love," he said softly, fingering the velvet box in his hands. "And I'm bringing you back something. Something I promised you. It'll make any skank that was ever mean to you jealous," he finished, knowing perfectly well what an un-Betty-like motivation that was.

There was a silence on the other end while she processed this. "As long as it doesn't look like something Wilhelmina Slater would wear on her bony old finger after procuring it from some old geezer she got Marc to off with arsenic."

Daniel laughed. "Damn, looks like I'll have to spend some more time scouring Paris. Didn't know your standards in jewelry were so exacting, Ms. Suarez-soon-to-be-Meade."

Betty almost melted into her pillows. Daniel had fabulous taste in jewelry.

"So, did that get you in the mood?" Daniel asked hopefully. Before she could answer, he had lowered his voice an octave. "Let's try this again, Mrs. Meade. What are you wearing?"

"My pajamas with the dancing frogs. It's sexy stuff, really," she said flatly. "Look, I'm not having international phone sex with you for so many reasons, not least of which is that I think our call's been intercepted by some Japanese businessmen."

Daniel chuckled. "Prude. I'll have to break you of that when I get back."

Betty snorted. "We'll see," she said, lovingly exasperated.

Daniel grew quiet. "You're lonely?" he asked, concerned.

Betty smiled. "Oh, I'm just being melodramatic. It's my right, seeing as my fiancé's shooting over the Atlantic in a metal tube with wings."

"Otherwise known as a plane," Daniel grinned. "Don't worry, babe, in case of a crash, I'll just use Alexis's inflated ego as a floatation device."

"Don't joke," she said, her voice soft and strained.

"Betty, I'll be fine. I'll see you in no time at all, and then we'll both put on something black and sexy and go to the awards ceremony, where we'll hobnob with the most obnoxious people on God's green earth and then head back home and totally do it."

"Nice to see you have a plan." She nuzzled the receiver as if it were his cheek. "Goodnight, Daniel, I love you."

Daniel, across the Atlantic, did the same. "Love you, too, sweetheart. Get some sleep." He sat holding the phone even after he heard the receiver click.

Alexis was standing in the doorway grinning from ear-to-ear, and for a moment his brother Alex stood there before him, begging to get pounded. She made a kissy face. "Ooooh, Betty, I luuuuurve you, sweetheart."

"Oh, shut up, ass-face. You're lucky you're a girl now," he snapped tossing the phone at her.

As he lay back on the bed, he couldn't hide his grin. He was marrying her. And she loved him. And he loved her. And their families loved each other, or at the very least weren't taking out hits on each other, and Mr. Suarez had given his blessing. Believe it or not.

Flashback

"Mr. Suarez, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Ignacio looked at him calmly. "Go ahead."

Daniel fiddled with his fork, which he was still clutching despite the fact that they'd moved to the living room. "Well, sir, I kind of…asked Betty to marry me and she said "yes" and then started crying but she was happy, I swear, but I promised her I'd ask you because it's really important to us both…"

"I said 'go ahead,' didn't I?" Ignacio was smiling warmly now, and if Daniel weren't about to pee his pants, he'd have stopped babbling and noted how very like her father Betty was.

"Oh, I, uh, thought you meant, like, to go ahead and tell you what was…okay." Daniel hung his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ignacio was laughing his ass off.

"Hilda, mija, you owe me a twenty," he called. He leaned forward and patted him on the cheek. "Man, watching you sweat it out over dinner was better than the Superbowl. We were taking bets on when you'd ask. Hilda said two hours from now, but I knew you'd either crack or pass out by now."

Daniel heard rather than saw the telltale jangling of bracelets that signified Hilda's arrival into the living room. "Oh, my God, Daniel, breathe. Honey, breathe." She slapped his back. "Betty, get in here, your fiance's about to die!" she called merrily.

Daniel finally looked up to see Justin; the frail boy's arms were crossed and his hip was cocked. "Betty's wearing ivory," he said at last before practically skipping off.

/End flashback

Betty heard a knock at the door at 5:30 pm.

She'd just broken her third brush on her thick black hair, which curled like Shirley frigging Temple's when wet. Daniel was the only one who could bring any order to it.

She wrapped a towel around her head and one around her body and pulled open the door. Before she could even squeal with delight, Daniel picked her up and spun her around. He then tipped her backward and kissed her senseless, ending with a big dramatic smack. It was like the finale of a Broadway musical or something.

Betty, now dizzy and flushed and happy, breathed dazedly, "You're back."

"You noticed. Me and my little friend, here." He got down on one knee and presented her with the little box. Cracking it open, it revealed a pink princess-cut diamond that suited her perfectly…not too flashy but just quirky and beautiful enough to be uniquely her.

Betty normally liked to think of herself as the anti-Mode Girl. This meant that snubbing materialism came along with that territory. But, deep down, she had to admit she loved nice things, especially when they were shiny and pink and sparkly, and came from Paris in lovely black velvet boxes which were being held by a gloriously hot heir-scion to a publishing empire.

Well, she could enjoy this immensely. She wasn't catatonic.

Daniel smiled up at her with that little cheeky half-smile he'd perfected. "So, you like it?"

In response, Betty leaped into his arms, bowling him over, even as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Daniel found himself flat on his back, with Betty straddling him in her soft, fluffy towels, looking like an Egyptian princess in her towel-headdress and admiring her ring, clutching it to her like a little magpie.

It wasn't the worst place in the world to be.

Next chapter will have more nitty-gritty, I promise. And Travis will make his triumphant return. Bombshells will be dropped. And there will be much Dettyness to be had. But in the meantime, please review!