A Love That Will Last - Chapter 8

After the night on the bridge Betty ran straight to her new apartment, and the next day she called in sick just incase Daniel tried to pop by her office. Then came the weekend where Betty still did not leave her house. After three days of doing nothing but being depressed Betty decided it was time to do what most people do after a breakup; bury themselves in their work. After about a week of not seeing Daniel at work Betty gathered up the courage to go down to his office and see if he was still there, he was not. His assistant told her she hadn't seen him since he left to meet her on the bridge. Betty didn't know why she was surprised, she had told him to go but she guessed a part of her had hoped he would've stayed no matter what she said. She told herself this was a good thing. They were too happy anyways, that's how you know she was in bad shape. Betty Suarez believed there was such a thing as too happy.

Christina had offered to visit for a while and help her cope but Betty had insisted that time on her own would be good for her. What she didn't realize was that she would be alone and awake all the time. She heard Daniel's voice in her head explaining how he couldn't sleep without someone else in the bed after Molly died and Betty knew that pain now more than ever. Most nights she had horrible nightmares that she was back on the bridge with Daniel except it wasn't a bridge it was the deck of a pirate ship and she was Black Betty and he was the prisoner she ordered to have walk the plank. She always woke up at the same point in her dream, right after she pushes Daniel off and watches him fall into the water, the minute he hits the water her eyes open. The other side of the bed felt like ice and Betty silently cursed herself for getting use to Daniel and his abundantly warm body temperature.

The worst part of it all is that for years Betty and Daniel were nothing more than friends. He wasn't in her dreams every night, or her bed. She didn't wake up to find him making her breakfast or reading the paper and she certainly never craved to feel his arms wrapped around her or his kiss. All of that happened because they took a chance on love, and a part of her wished they had never kissed on her steps that fateful day. As Betty finally drifted off to sleep one night she thought about what life might've been like if they hadn't.

"Daniel, I don't know what I feel. But I do know that I've missed having you in my life and if we go down that road, there's no turning back. We've always been really close, that can get confusing for anyone. I just know that I don't want to lose you again." Betty said as she stood up. Daniel let out a huff before giving her a smile and saying

"You're probably right, as usual. I promise you're not going to lose me okay. You mean too much to me for me to let that ever happen … again." Daniel said as he pulled her in for a hug. Betty squeezed him like her life depended on it. She felt uneasy, but knew that they were doing the right thing. They both pulled away, while still holding onto each other.

"You okay?" he asked

"I have you back in my life, I'm great."

"Good, well I guess I should get going. You probably have an early morning tomorrow."

"Well why don't you stop by, you can bring that resume. You do still want to stay in London, don't you?"

"Of course, I think I just need to find the right magazine for me. Go on a little journey of discovery, that's what this trip was about after all."

"Good, well goodnight Daniel." Betty said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled away and Daniel turned and went back to the car and as Betty went upstairs he drove away.

The next day Betty got a surprise when Daniel decided to come visit her office.

"Wow this is a great office." he said as he walked in.

"Hey Daniel, what are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing, I just had some time to kill before my interview."

"Really? Where are you interviewing?"

"Around the corner at the Staples, they're looking for a new assistant manager."

"Daniel that's crazy, do you want me to set up an interview with Mr. Dunne?"

"I thought about that, but after last night I don't think it's a good idea for us to work in the same building."

"What? Why?"

"Well I have feelings for you Betty that you just don't reciprocate. I don't think that working with you so close would be very productive for me."

"Okay well, if that's how you feel."

"Great thanks, well wish me luck." Daniel said as he left to go to his interview.

After that Betty didn't see Daniel again for a few months. When she did run into him next it was on the street. She almost didn't recognize him, he had on a Staples polo shirt and these big bulky glasses.

"Betty what a pleasant surprise."

"Daniel, you have glasses."

"Yeah my friend Tom from work helped me pick them out, do you like them?"

"They're great. So how are things at your new job?"

"Oh their great, I mean I couldn't afford to stay at my hotel on an Assistant Managers salary so Tom's letting me stay in his garage. It get's a little cold but I don't mind."

"Daniel if you need a warmer place to stay you could always stay with me?"

"No thanks Betty, besides wouldn't that be a little weird. I mean I'm not totally over you turning me down."

"I just said I thought we should not chance it and just stay friends, I never wanted you to end up in a job you're too good for, living in some guy named Tom's garage."

"It's okay Betty, I'm happy with my life this way."

"Well good, um I'm glad I ran into you Daniel because I'll be leaving soon to go back to New York. My dad's getting married to Elena this Saturday and Hilda's pregnant, expecting any day now."

"Oh Betty that's great, you know it's funny I have some news too."

"Tell me."

"I'm engaged."

"What?"

"Yeah her name's Natalia, oh here she comes now."

Betty turned around to see what could only be described as a 40 year old train wreck dressed like a hooker.

"Daniel darlink, who this is?" her voice sounded like gravel in a driveway and her breath smelled like alcohol and cigarettes.

"Natalia this is Betty, Betty this is my Natalia." Betty cringed as Daniel put his arm around her.

"How did you two meet?" Betty asked trying to be as polite as possible.

"Well I was walking to work and she fell into my arms. It's been amazing ever since. Normally I wouldn't be getting married so quickly but if Natalia doesn't get married soon they'll send her back to Russia. And when you love someone you don't send them away, right Betty?"

"Right, okay no not alright. Daniel you deserve better than a minimum wage job, sleeping in a cold garage and some green card marriage to what I can only assume is a low class hooker."

"What do you expect Betty, you turned me down, pushed me away. Who knows we might have even been soul mates but you didn't wanna take that chance. Well I found someone who really loves me and wants to be with me." Daniel pulled Natalia in for a kiss as Betty tried to not throw up in her mouth.

"No Daniel I do love you! I do want to be with you!"

"Oh please, in what universe would Betty Suarez and Daniel Meade end up together?"

"The right one." Betty heard a familiar voice say from behind her and when she turned around she saw no one other than herself. Before Betty could speak her other self pushed her and now it was Betty falling, and Daniel wasn't around to catch her.

Betty woke up to the sound of her alarm clock as well as her own screams, it had all been a dream. What hadn't been a dream is that Daniel had wanted to stay and be with her and instead of being flattered she had told him to leave. Betty all of a sudden felt like she was going to be sick, she ran to her bathroom and threw up in the toilet. After a while she finally started to feel better. She needed to go to the doctor because this had been happening all week. Every night she would have a nightmare about Daniel and then throw up, maybe the doctor could give her something for her nerves. She washed up, got dressed and went into the kitchen all of a sudden feeling hungry but she lost her appetite however when she looked at her calendar and saw what day it was. She had been so upset over Daniel she didn't even realize that two weeks had come and gone. Today was what would have been their one year anniversary, suddenly Betty felt sick all over again.

Betty felt worse when she left the doctor, apparently her condition had no treatment and she would have to just push through it. All of a sudden Betty thought she saw Daniel walking across the street, but upon closer inspection realized it wasn't him. This would happen about a dozen more times that day, Betty was beginning to feel haunted. She decided that night that she needed to talk to someone, so she took out her phone and called the people she always knew she could turn to, her family.

"Hello." Hilda's voice echoed through the phone after a few rings.

"Hi Hilda, its Betty."

"Oh hey, how are you doing?"

"I've been better."

"Are you still upset about Daniel?"

"Yes, I had another nightmare last night."

"Good you deserve it."

"Hilda!"

"What? You throw a perfectly good, scratch that a great guy like Daniel who loved you to the curb and you want sympathy from me."

"I did what I thought was best for him."

"And who are you to say what's best for him?"

"You know surprisingly this isn't making me feel any better."

"Look all I'm saying is you made your bed and now you have to sleep in it."

"I wish I could sleep, so how's the baby?"

"She's good, oh she is so cute I swear she is the cutest baby I have ever seen."

"Hey I take offense to that!" Betty heard Justin yell in the background.

"Anyways, Betty what are you gonna do? You can't keep living like this?"

"Well do you think I should try and move on?"

"Hell no I think you need to come over here and get your man!"

Betty knew Hilda was right, Daniel had taken a chance and followed her all the way to London, this time it was her turn. She hung up with Hilda and grabbed her coat and ran out into the street. She tried to find a taxi but was out of luck. As she roamed the streets trying to find a way to the airport a thought suddenly dawned on her, what if Daniel didn't want her back? What if he was just as heartbroken as she was and decided that he was better off without her. Betty's feet stopped running and she looked around laughing at where she had ended up. She was back in the square where it had all started a year ago, but it looked so much bigger now that the square was desolate. Betty couldn't keep it together any longer and she collapsed by the fountains where she had first bumped into Daniel. As she sat crying by the fountain Betty hadn't noticed that she had sat next to a homeless man's perch.

"Aye! What's all this then?" he said in a thick accent Betty could barely understand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir, I didn't realize anyone else was here."

"Is you cryin' lass?"

"Yes I am."

"Beg me pardon, but do you mind if I ask why?"

"Because I pushed the man I love away and now I don't know if he'll even want me back."

"That's the funny thing about love that is, if it's true it always finds its way back around."

Betty smiled at the man's kind words.

"Thank you, here this is for you. I'm sorry I don't have more to give." Betty said as she gave the man whatever she could from her purse.

"Bless you miss, I hope it all works out for you and your mate." The man said before getting up and walking away.

Betty regained some strength and started to walk around again till she found herself at the steps where Daniel had first asked her out. She sat down, feeling the tears well up again. She placed her head in her hands, took a deep breath and when she looked up to wiped the tears out of her eyes her heart stopped when she saw what looked like another Daniel ghost. Except this time the ghost was looking right back at her. It really was Daniel, he was standing across the square at the top of the other set of stairs walking towards her.

"Betty?" she heard his voice say.

"Daniel?" Betty said as she made her way down to him. She practically flew down the steps not caring for a second about her own safety. She ran until the middle of the space between staircases with Daniel stopping just a foot away from her. She wanted to leap right into his arms but held back, unsure of what his reaction would be. Instead she simply stood there, heart racing like never before. She searched in his eyes for a sign of what to do, and it looked like he was doing the same. They stared at each other for a minute before Betty finally gathered up the strength to speak,

"I thought you were in New York."

"I was."

"I was on my way to the airport you know, I was going to follow you this time."

"Guess I beat you to it."

"Daniel I'm sorry, I'm sorry I pushed you away and I'm sorry I told you to take that job. I love you and I miss you and I don't know how but we are going to make long distance work, I promise."

"Betty, I didn't take the job."

"You didn't?"
"No, after you left me on the bridge I called Mr. Dunne and turned him down."

"But you just said you were in New York."

"I went to go visit my mom and give you some space. I thought that's what you needed after everything."

"Oh," Betty said, letting her tears flow freely.

"Hey, hey. Come here." Daniel said pulling Betty into his chest. She welcomed the embrace and felt a release of emotion just wash over her.

"I'm so sorry Daniel." she said in barely a whisper.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, you thought you were protecting me. No one's ever broken up with me because they thought it was what was best for me."

"I was wrong, you wanted to stay for me and no ones ever done that before. I guess I'm just not use to it."

"Well get use to it, you will always come first with me." Daniel said as he wiped her tears away.

"I just feel so stupid, if I would've just left well enough alone we would be celebrating our anniversary right now."

"Who says we're not?"

"Daniel remember; there was a bridge and I said 'Daniel I'm breaking up with you'"

"I never agreed to that."

"What?"

"You're not getting rid of me that easily." Daniel said as he pulled Betty close and gave her a kiss that paled in comparison to all others that came before it. They kissed until neither one of them could breath and they had to pull away, resting their foreheads together.

"Happy Anniversary Betty."

"Happy Anniversary Daniel."

Betty and Daniel made their way back up the steps and sat down in the spot they had the year before.

"So now what? Daniel asked.

"Well I'm gonna move back in."

"Do you need me to get you out of your lease?"

"I didn't sign one. I guess a part of me knew this was going to be a temporary arrangement."

"Great so we move you back in and I promise I won't complain."

"Good." Betty said as she snuggled into Daniel's side.

"Anything else?"

"I'm pregnant." Betty said as she pulled away from Daniel's side and sat looking straight at him.

"What?" Daniel asked almost while laughing, like he thought she was joking with him.

"I went to the doctor today and it turns out the reason I've been getting sick every morning is because I'm pregnant. Surprise!" Betty said trying to soften the blow.

"Betty are you serious?"

Betty just nodded in response. Daniel stood up with a blank stare on his face as Betty stood preparing for his reaction. After a while she got concerned.

"Daniel, are you in there?"

"You're pregnant."

"Yes."

Finally Daniel looked at Betty and the biggest smile took over his face. He grabbed her and picked her up and spun her around all while kissing her.

"This is the best news I've ever heard in my life!" he said putting her down.

"So you're happy?"

"Yes I'm happy! I'm gonna be a dad!" Daniel yelled out causing Betty to laugh. He knelt down and started talking to Betty's stomach.

"Hi baby, I'm your dad. I've known about you for two seconds and I already love you. And I love you too." Daniel said giving Betty another kiss.

The happy couple went back to their apartment and 'celebrated' being reunited after what felt like the longest two weeks for either one of them. After they were done they just laid in each others arms, enjoying that they were back and better than ever.

"You don't think we hurt him right?"

"No Daniel we didn't hurt him, and who says it's gonna be a him anyways."

"I don't care what it is as long as it's happy and healthy."

"Good, oh I missed this. You don't realize how cold it get's at night here."

"Well I'm happy to play the role of personal human space heater again. Hey I've been meaning to ask you did you get a haircut while I was away cause it looks different."

Betty sat up and gave Daniel a look.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Daniel I've had this haircut for a month, and you just noticed it now?"

"I'm sorry is their anyway I can make it up to you."

Betty decided that she didn't want to waste time being angry so she simply said.

"Just promise me you'll never leave me, again."

"You don't even have to ask." Daniel said as he pulled Betty close and they both drifted off into the best night's sleep either one of them ever had.