A/N: I don't own Ugly Betty. But I love my reviewers. Please come them coming. Oh and I just thought I'd throw this out there; I'm pretty sure that Marc and Amanda really do like Betty despite what they say and do. After all they did miss her when she was gone.

Thanksgiving was Daniel and Betty's first hurdle. Claire wanted to go to France for a week to see Alexis and DJ and she wanted Daniel to come with her. Betty didn't want to go anyway except home to Jackson Heights and spend the holiday with her family. "I don't want to go away for a week and come back to find out that something has happened to you or the baby," Daniel told his best friend.

"Go to France," she told him. "My dad and Hilda can take care of me. You can call me daily if you want. But go see your sister and your nephew; you need the vacation and the time with them. Go be the cool American uncle. I'll enjoy a traditional American Thanksgiving a la casa Suarez."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "You really think you'll be fine?"

"If anything goes wrong, we'll call you and let you know. Go to France and enjoy every moment of it. And bring me back something kitschy and get the baby something amazing."

He smiled. "I will. And if anything goes wrong with the baby, you have to call me and let me know right away."

"Yes, Papa Bear," Betty replied running her fingers through Daniel's hair. "You need a haircut."

"Before or after France?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't care. Just do it soon. Your hair is getting too shaggy."

Thanksgiving went by smoothly for both Daniel and Betty. He had a great time with his nephew. And he didn't fight with Alexis very much. His mother stayed sober the whole time. And Alexis and Claire only fought three times during the whole visit. All in all, it was a very successful Meade family event. Betty spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with her family. And it was wonderful. Justin and Hilda went out to take advantage of the early morning shopping bargains on Friday. Ignacio cooked amazing meals every day and even managed to teach his younger daughter a few more things in the kitchen. "And I'm pretty sure I gained twenty pounds in three days," Betty told Daniel when he got home Sunday night.

"You don't look like you've gained twenty pounds," he told her.

"You're just saying that."

He shook his head. "You're still your cute, little, adorable self. I can tell you're pregnant but you're cute."

"Thanks," she said. "How was France?"

"DJ is doing wonderfully and I think living with his grandparents really is the best decision. It keeps him away from the dysfunctional Meades of New York. He only has to deal with his father who is now a woman but lives a few hours away and isn't a part of his daily life."

"That sounds like a good life for a thirteen year old boy."

"I think it is. But how is our baby?"

She smiled. "She's growing and developing likes and dislikes about food. She doesn't like hamburgers or fish. I get heartburn from both of those."

"That must come from Jesse," Daniel teased.

Betty laughed. "It's not from me. I love a big juicy burger."

"I know. Doesn't she know that Daddy's specialty is burgers?"

She smiled upon hearing him call himself "Daddy" before saying, "I don't think so. And I don't think she cares about you. She's a spoiled rotten little baby living off whatever I give her."

"We'll have to cure her of that habit after she's born."

"That will be your job. I'm going to have enough on my hands with breast-feeding and diaper changes. You can discipline her."

Daniel smiled. "I can discipline a kid. I'm actually pretty good at it."

"I know; I remember when you used to discipline DJ. You took a while to get used to it but once you get comfortable with it, you were good at it. You're going to be an amazing dad to this baby."

"And you'll be an amazing mom."

"You know, Daniel; I'm actually starting to enjoy being pregnant," Betty told Daniel one day about a week before Christmas. She was about five and a half months pregnant at that point and sitting on the couch wearing pajamas and fluffy slippers while watching Arsenic and Old Lace.

Daniel was sitting next to Betty on the couch and also wearing his pajamas. He had a pair of black-framed reading glasses perched on his nose and he was looking over the Mode book for the June issue. He smiled at her. "You just like it because I spoil you rotten all the time and give you whatever you want."

"Maybe," she said. "But I also like the feeling of having a baby in my belly. It's like having a little friend who is with me all the time. Sometimes I just talk to her and tell her what I'm thinking or what's going on in my life. I try out various names on her and see what I think of them. Yesterday, her name was Daniela but today it's Susanna."

"How does the little lady like these names?"

"I don't think she liked Susanna very much," Betty replied leaning against Daniel's chest. "She was kicking me ridiculously all day."

"She never kicks me," Daniel said as he put his hand on Betty's belly.

"She respects her daddy," the mother-to-be replied. "She only kicks her mommy, never daddy."

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "Well, I think she kicks you because she loves you. And I want to know if our baby loves me."

"Well, I love you even if little Miss Daniela-Susanna doesn't love you," Betty said.

"You love me?" he asked.

"Well, sure, of course I love you," she told him. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I love you too," he said.

"Does this mean that we're together now?" she asked looking up into his bright blue eyes.

He cocked his head and shrugged. "I guess so."

"Okay," she replied. "Now what do we do?"

"Well, I could kiss you."

Betty looked up at Daniel and smiled. "That might be nice."

He put his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer to him. And he finally kissed her the way that he'd wanted to do so for the past three months ever since the first kiss. When they pulled apart, Betty looked at Daniel and he smiled. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," he told her.

"And how was it?"

He grinned. "It was amazing. We really should do that more often."

"Are we a couple now?" she asked.

He nodded. "I think we are. Well, we are for real now. We were already an official couple; now it's just real, if that makes any sense at all."

"It doesn't make any sense but I'm glad we're together," she replied with a warm smile as she leaned against his chest. "I think you're probably one of the more important people in my life."

"I know you're one of the most important people in my life," he replied wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I'm not quite sure what I would do without you."

"You'd make it."

"Yeah but I'm happier having you in my life."

Betty smiled. "That's my goal. I just want to help you be a better person. I just want to be a better person."

He kissed her nose. "This is going to sound horribly cheesy but you make me a better person. Having you and this baby in my life makes me want to do something more than just be a hopeless playboy or another womanizing Meade patriarch. I want to prove that I'm worthy of you and little Daniela-Susanna-Gabriella."

"Gabriella?" she asked. "I've never used that one."

"I just thought it was pretty. It's a beautiful name and it kind of fits in with the Daniela theme; it's old-fashioned and has a Hispanic sound to it. And you don't have to name your daughter after me. Just give her the Meade last name and I'll be satisfied."

Betty smiled. "I like the name Gabriella. It's very pretty. We should put it on the list."

"We have a list?"

"No, but if you get me a piece of paper, I'll make one."

"Why can't you get one?"

"Because I'm tired," she replied.

"Your laptop is sitting right in front of us."

"You're lazy, Daniel Meade."

"Well, so are you, Betty Suarez."

"You have all your work things in your lap right now; you've got to have pen and paper in that pile on your lap."

"And your laptop is right in front of us."

She sighed and tossed her hair. "Fine, I'll be the bigger person here. After all, I have the bigger belly."

As Betty grabbed her laptop, Daniel shook his head. "I still weigh more than you do. And I'm pretty sure I always will."

She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "But proportionately, my belly is bigger than yours."

"Honey, I have a carefully sculpted six-pack. It's pretty much a flat stomach."

"I don't think I've ever had one of those," she said patting her round belly. "And I'm certainly not going to have one again for a while."

He shook his head and stroked her belly. "You really are a cute pregnant woman and we both know this belly is just the baby. You're pregnant, not fat."

She shook her head. "I know but sometimes I feel like people are judging me when I eat and stuff like that."

"I don't judge you. I know you're pregnant. So stop being so self-conscious. I think you're gorgeous and that's all that should matter to you."

"If you say so," she reluctantly agreed but she smiled as he started stroking her belly.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" he asked, changing the subject suddenly.

"Going to my dad's house," she replied. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure. My mom is going to France to see Alexis."

"You should go with her."

"But I don't want to leave you alone."

"Daniel, I'm a big girl. I'll be with Papi, Hilda, and Justin. And I'll have the baby. I'll be fine."

"But I want to spend Christmas with you and the baby."

She looked up at him as he continued, "We each spent Thanksgiving with our own families; I went to France and saw Alexis and DJ then. I spent a week with them. Now I want to spend some time with my daughter and her mother."

Betty smiled. "If you want to, I'm sure my dad would be glad to have you."

"I need to do this. I need to be a better father than Bradford. And I'm not sure how much Meade family bonding I can handle in one year. I'd rather spend time with my girlfriend and our baby."

"Our baby," she repeated. "I'm your girlfriend?"

He nodded. "If you want to be my girlfriend, then you've got it."

She grinned. "You're an amazing man."

"Well, you're a better woman and I don't deserve you or this baby."

"I think you just got really lucky. And I think I got lucky with you. You're going to be an amazing dad to this baby."

He smiled and pulled her closer to him. "I'm really looking forward to having this baby. It's going to be great."

One morning shortly after that evening, Daniel told Betty that he would be late for work because he had a doctor's appointment. "What?" she asked. "When did this happen?"

"I scheduled it about a week ago," he replied. "It's nothing big. I just have a quick check-up. I'll be in to work right afterwards. I promise you that I'll be there by lunch; I should be there by ten or ten-thirty. We can have lunch together. I just want to go in for a quick check-up."

She looked up at him with concerned eyes. "Are you sure that you're fine?"

He nodded. "I just haven't been to the doctor in the while and I figure I should take care of myself. I'm going to walk my daughter down the aisle at her wedding."

Betty kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "You're amazing."

"And I'm going to live to be a grandpa. I plan on being an amazing grandfather."

"First you have to become a father."

He put his hand on her belly and smiled. "I'm working on that one now. Now I need to get to my appointment and you need to get to work. I'll see you at lunch."

He kissed her cheek and they walked out to the elevator together.

At twelve o'clock, Daniel looked up to see his girlfriend standing in the doorway to his office. "Are you ready for lunch?" she asked.

He nodded before clicking "send" on his email to his mother and sister. Then he stood up and grabbed his suit jacket and a folder off his desk. "Let's go. I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" she asked him as they walked to the elevator.

"Everything is fine, Betty."

"Are you going to dump me?" she asked as they stepped inside of the elevator.

As the door closed, he laughed. "No, I just have some news for you from my appointment. And I'll give it to you when we get to the restaurant. I don't want you to worry about it."

"So now will you tell me what all of this is about?" Betty asked after the hostess seated them at the restaurant.

He smiled. "I went to see my dad's cardiologist this morning. Ever since I found out that you were pregnant, I've wondered about my heart; I've wondered if his heart condition was genetic and what my chances of having it are."

"And what did he say?"

"I have the same heart condition that my dad has. And Alexis probably has it too."

"But you seem fine."

He smiled and squeezed her hand as he watched worry flood her eyes. "Betty, I am fine right now. But I need to keep working out and make an effort to eat healthier and watch my blood pressure and cholesterol."

"You're in your thirties; you're young and healthy."

"And we thought my dad was fine. But now we know," he told her. "So I can take better care of myself. Dr. Barnes gave me a couple of prescriptions and some dietary restrictions. And I'm going to do everything I can to take care of myself. I'm going to be around for you, for our daughter, and for any other children we might have in the future every step of the way."

She bit her lower lip. "You're doing this for the baby."

He nodded. "I'm doing this for the people I love. I told you this morning; I'm going to walk Gabriella-Daniela-Marie down the aisle when she gets married."

Betty squeezed his hand and smiled. "You really are more than I could have ever hoped for. You're a dream come true."

He laughed. "I'm just trying to do the best thing for you and our daughter."

"You really are going to be an amazing dad."

"You'll be a better mother."

She laughed. "We'll see how that works out once Gabriella-Rosa-Daniela is actually here."

"So that's her name today?"

Betty nodded. "I really like Gabriella. I think it might suit her personality very well. But I'm not sure about a middle name yet."

"Well, we do have a few more months to figure everything out. But you have to admit that Gabriella Suarez-Meade has as good ring to it."

"I like it a lot."

"And we could call her Gabby or Ella," he mentioned.

She smiled. "Somehow I worry about calling a baby Gabby. It seems like you're just asking for the world's most talkative child."

"Or maybe it will be an ironic nickname."

"Daniel, she's going to be related to Hilda. It's impossible for her to have a quiet personality. We Suarez women are not known for our silent submission."

"I've noticed," her boyfriend teased with a smile. "But sometimes I find that kind of sexy. Life is better when you have someone to give you a different perspective on things."

She laughed. "We've had our fair share of arguments over the past few years, haven't we?"

"We have. But it's been good for us."

"I still hate it when you're sarcastic."

Daniel grinned. "I know. But sometimes you really need me to remind you that I'm smart."

She laughed and shook her hair. "Oh I know that you're smart. I just don't always like your ideas."

He made a face and stuck out his lower lip. "But I'm your boyfriend and before that I was your boss. And now I'm Gabriella-Rosa-Daniela's father."

"But you make fun of me."

"There are definitely times when you deserve it. I kind of knew that Jesse was a jerk. But I've learned that I have to let you make your own mistakes. However hard it might be for me to stand back and watch as jerks break my girl's heart, I had to do it sometimes. But I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not going to stand back and watch Henry or Gio or Jesse or Walter rip your heart out anymore. I care about you and I'm sick of cleaning up after them."

"I remember when you told me that I was stupid for dating Henry when I knew that he was leaving at the end."

"I shouldn't have said that."

"But you were right," she said. "I got hurt in the end."

He nodded. "I know. But it still wasn't my place to tell you how to live your life. Look at my past. I'm no one to talk."

"But you were always there for me. And you cared about me."

Daniel smiled. "You're my best friend; I'm not sure where I would be without you."

Betty looked at him and her mind flashed back to other moments with this man over the past four years.

"You're better than any model." That had been when they'd been standing on the Brooklyn Bridge staring out at the world.

"You're beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She'd been so interested in Jesse back then and she hadn't seen what had been right in front of her. Daniel had been holding her in his arms while she sobbed over finding Jesse kissing Amanda. If only she'd looked up and seen how much he loved her.

Christmas Eve, Betty and Daniel went over to her dad's house to help decorate the tree and get ready for the next day. They were planning on spending the night so they could open presents with the rest of the Suarez family the next morning. "My dad is probably going to let us sleep together in my old room," Betty told Daniel as they got ready to over to her dad's house.

"We haven't done that yet."

She put his hands on her belly and smiled. "Then where did Gabriella-Maria-Isabella come from?"

He nodded. "Okay, we can share the bed. But you have to share the covers."

"I'm keeping the Little Mermaid comforter all to myself. You just make fun of it."

Daniel smiled. "You're twenty-five years old. Why are you still sleeping under Ariel and Sebastian?"

She slugged him. "I'm pregnant. You can criticize me after I give birth to Gabriella-Maria-Isabella."

"I have to wait three and a half more months to criticize you? That's boring, Betty."

"But I'm your crazy hormonal girlfriend."

He kissed her cheek. "And I love you. I'll take the craziness and the hormonal insanity. I'll take the tears with the laughter."

"You're too good for me," she replied.

"You're only saying that. We both know that you're too good for me."

"Daniel Meade, how many single men do you know who would offer to help a friend out and take all paternal responsibility for that women's child? You were New York's most eligible bachelor and then you start dating Ugly Betty and claiming to be the father of her own unborn child. You give up your life for Ugly Betty."

Daniel sighed. "Please stop calling yourself that. I think you're beautiful."

"But why did you do it? Why are you offering to be the baby's father? And why do you think I'm beautiful?"

He took her hands in his and squeezed them emphatically. "I care about you. I love you. And I care about your baby. My one and only motive here is my love for you and for Gabriella-Maria-Isabella. And I want you to believe me; I need you to believe me."

She kissed both of his hands. "I do, Daniel. I do believe you. But I'm so used to the idea that I'm ugly."

"You're beautiful. I don't know how to prove that to you but I think you're absolutely beautiful. You're a beautiful pregnant woman, even more beautiful now than you were before."

Christmas at la Casa Suarez was wonderful for all involved parties. Justin received new tap shoes, several new musicals on DVD, and clothes. Hilda had things for her salon as well as clothes and jewelry. Ignacio had mostly new cooking things. And Betty and Daniel had things for their baby as well as new maternity clothes for Betty. "It's more fun to shop for the baby than to figure out what to get you two," Hilda told her sister. "But Justin thinks it is fun to buy you cute maternity clothes."

"I can finally change your wardrobe," he said. "It might only be for a few months, but it's still fun. And when your baby is born, I'm going to make sure she's the most fashionable baby ever."

Betty smiled. "Don't start bedazzling onesies for her just yet. I'm not quite sure I need my daughter decked out in sequins an hour after birth. In fact, I'm positive that I want to keep her dressed simply. And her father is the Editor in Chief of Mode. This baby will be very well-dressed."

"We already have gifts pouring in from various designers and family connections," Daniel said. "And I'm pretty sure the Mode staff plans on keeping the baby's wardrobe well-stocked."

"But I like bedazzling things," Justin protested. "It makes it more glamorous."

"You want glamorous?" his aunt asked. "Alexis sent us a diamond-encrusted rattle when she found out that I was pregnant."

"What's a baby going to do with a diamond-encrusted rattle?" Ignacio asked.

"It's a result of my family having too much money to throw around," Daniel replied.

"We're never going to let her actually use it," Betty said. "We'll probably just use it as a decoration."

"Or put it in a bank safe someplace," her boyfriend replied. "Or we could sell it. She'll never actually need it and it's kind of stupid."

"But it was a present from her aunt Alexis."

Daniel sighed. "I don't care. We're not keeping that thing. Our daughter does not need it."

Betty smiled. Daniel really was changing.

A/N: Please review!