Author's note: I want to thank all my reviewers so much for their kindness! You guys make me blush like a schoolgirl ;)

Ch. 7: A-w-k-w-a-r-d!

When your morning kicks off with a 5 am phone call from the man whose fiancé you'd unwittingly stole last night, it's a safe bet things were about to get hairy. Daniel had fully expected to get his face smashed in by Bianchi, but, no, he just wanted Daniel to make the arrangements to have the company jet take him back to New York. His engagement with Betty was off, Vincent told him, but, like a true professional, he would remain a Mode photographer. The meeting had been very civil, if a bit understandably cold (well, sub-zero actually) and the two men even managed to shake hands.

Vincent paused to look back at Daniel. "Look, I don't know how much she's told you about what went down between us last night—and I'll leave that up to her, so never ask me, Meade. But just so you know, I can't give you two my blessing yet, if ever. I wish I could do that, be the bigger man for her happiness, but as of right now it's just not gonna happen. I'm also not gonna waste breath asking you to take care of her because I know you will. You always…" Vincent drew in a shuddering breath and disappeared into the inky night to wait for the jet before Daniel could reply that he was sorry for his part, if any, that he'd played in the shit storm that was last night's debacle. He had a sinking feeling that he'd been an absent yet essential key player in the Vincent/Betty Implosion of '07.

By 9 am, Vincent Bianchi was gone, and Daniel had long since crawled back into bed beside Betty. Vince needn't have told Daniel the status of his and Betty's engagement. Last night, Betty had drifted back from the woods like a sleepwalker, dried tears on her cheeks, but with a more pensive than heartbroken expression on her lovely, unique little face. Of course, Daniel had been waiting up for her in his now infamous Cabin 13. When she'd knocked on his door, he'd known it was her.

"It's over," she'd said needlessly, for he'd known that from the first clear view of her face. But then, his sweet Betty always did have a habit of stating the obvious. She'd moved silently past him, padded over to his bed, and wordlessly crawled in. He'd promptly gotten in beside her (clothes still intact, of course, all very annoyingly proper) and just held her until the 5 am Wake-Up Call of Doom and Justifiably Pissed Ex-Fiancés of Betty Suarez. He wondered if they made a ring-tone for that.

When Daniel and Betty emerged from Cabin 13 that morning, rumpled and with their respective hair sticking out in all different directions, naturally they met Marc, Amanda and Becks. Marc and Amanda were delighted beyond the telling of it. They snickered, looked at each other, and declared "AWKWARD!" in perfect unison. Linking arms, they pranced down the hall to the dining quarters for a breakfast of diet pills and fat-free yogurt (to be puked up immediately, of course.)

Betty, who up until this point had been as zombified as she'd been last night, watched Marc and Mandy's retreating figures slink down the hall for a moment, looked up at Daniel with puffy eyes, and simply stated, "It is SO on." She then shuffled off down the hall in her puppy slippers. Daniel, relieved at seeing the only sign of life in her since approximately 8 pm the previous night, muttered with a smirk, "Let slip the dogs of war, Marc and Mandy."

Becks, who had not even bothered to hide the fact that he'd been ogling Betty's butt as she left, clapped an arm around Daniel and said, with his usual subtle tact, "Dude, did you tap that? NICE. I must say, I'm a little jealous. Not really my type, that one, but like I always say, it's the innocent, sweet, virginal-looking ones that you gotta look out for. Man, I'll bet she can put it on ya like a…"

Oh, spectacular, Daniel thought, rolling his eyes as Becks rambled on in his particular amiable brand of profanity. He would not have Becks sniffing at her heels after everything that had happened with Bianchi. Furthermore, he was even surprised at how rapidly pissed he was getting hearing what Becks was saying in relation to Betty. Must not hit Becks, must not hit Becks, oh, what the hell... and with that, Daniel turned and knocked Becks for a loop in more ways than one.

"Ow, man, what the hell was that for?! Not cool, you crazy joker…" Becks cried from the floor, perplexed.

"Next time, you'll be carrying your teeth in a baggie," Daniel smirked and walked off. He knew Becks wouldn't really take it personally or hold it against him, and sure enough, within a few seconds, Becks was back striding beside him and yakking on about his sex-capades with some random model last night. Becks was not as stupid as he sometimes appeared to be, and Daniel was pleased to note that he seemed to have gotten it through his thick skull not to talk about Betty that way anymore.

Daniel always felt vaguely guilty when he interacted with Becks. Hell, not long ago he was Becks, bragging about his many conquests and objectifying women as shamelessly as Becks had just been objectifying Betty. Not that he was a choir-boy now, but at least he was aware now of the consequences of his womanizing ways. He let Beck's voice blessedly become background noise and continued toward the dining quarters, as usual gravitating toward Betty.

This is shaping up to be one long-ass fic, and I'm enjoying every minute of writing it. I'm going for a more "realistic" progression of D/B's relationship, 'cause we all know it'll take FOREVER on the actual show. Besides, I take sadistic pleasure in torturing you guys;) As usual, I crave any thoughts and/or suggestions, so please review!