A/N: I don't own Ugly Betty. I adore my reviewers. I think that's about all I can say.


60.

"How did we get here?" Betty Suarez asked her boss/best friend/boyfriend Daniel Meade. The two were curled up together on his couch while watching a movie. They'd been on a several dates but the complete comfort in their current position was still a bit unusual.

"Umm, well, you leaned against me so I wrapped my arm around your shoulders to make you more comfortable. And then you climbed into my lap and I don't know why you did that."

"You looked comfortable."

"You like me," he said. "Admit it. You really like me a whole lot."

"Oh, you're a good friend."

"Betty, let's be serious here. We're using the terms boyfriend and girlfriend right now. Let's just all be honest here. Things in this relationship are pretty serious."

"I am sitting in your lap."

He smiled. "No, I think that we both have pretty strong feelings for one another here."

"Are you trying to tell me that you like me?"

"I think I'm trying to tell you that I love you."

Betty gasped and looked at her boyfriend. "Did you really say that or am I delusional?"

He shook his head and laughed. "I said it. I just told you that I love you."

"Daniel," she breathed; she never would have expected him to be the first one to say those three all-important words first.

"You could say something," he said, removing her from his lap and looking into her eyes. "This is kind of an important moment in our relationship."

"I don't know what to say," she told him, surprised at the coldness in his usually bright blue eyes.

"You could tell me that you feel the same way or you could tell me to go jump off the Empire State Building because you don't feel the same way," he replied, an edge of anger creeping into his voice.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," she said. "I just never expected you to be the one to say that first. I've thought about it before but this wasn't how it went in my mind. I was always the one who said it first."

"Do you want to rewrite the script and do this over so it fits in with your dreams or whatever?"

"No!" she said. "I'm just surprised and a little taken back. I do love you but I just never expected you to tell me before I told you."

"So is it a bad thing that I told you first?"

Betty looked at her boyfriend. "No, it's not. I do love you and I'm glad you told me. I was just surprised. Daniel," she said sadly, taking his hand. "I love you. I want to be with you. I'm sorry; I screwed up."

He nodded. "I love you, Betty. And I know I'm not necessarily the type of guy people expect to do these kinds of things. But I like you and you matter to me. I love you and you matter to me. You're very important to me, Betty, and I don't want to lose you."

"You've really changed a lot in the past few years."

"Is that a good thing?"

She nodded. "I'm just surprised. You were never the type of person who would do this kind of thing. You used to be afraid to talk about your feelings and always screwing random women."

"Well, I grew up somewhere along the way."

"I'm glad," she said. "Because you grew up and now I get to be with you; I'm one lucky girl."

"I think I'm a lot luckier than you are. I get you; you're stuck with me. I'm not sure why you like me or care about me."

"Umm, you're an amazing man who treats me well and is respectful of my family. You're one of the best and most genuine human beings I know. I think I'm pretty lucky to have you."

He kissed her cheek. "You're amazing."


61.

"So your mom has the kids until Sunday?" Betty asked her husband when she walked into his office around lunchtime one Friday in early summer when they'd been married for close to twenty years.

"And we have the house on Martha's Vineyard all to ourselves," he replied. "And we can leave whenever we want."

"Umm, now works for me," she told him. "Can we just go now?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm ready."

"Okay, let's go," she said, running to the door. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this weekend. I need three days with no children or work or anything except you, me, and the beach."

"That sounds amazing," he said, as he stood up and followed her to the door. "That really sounds like the best idea I've heard in ages."

"I love being a mom but there are just days when I want to get away," Betty told Daniel on their brief flight to Martha's Vineyard. "I need some peace and quiet."

"I just need time with you when no one will walk in and ask me to do their homework."

His wife smiled. "I know what you mean. I feel like I spend more time helping our kids with their homework than I do with you."

"You're the one who wanted to go back to work once Vivianna started school."

"I love working and I love being a mom, but sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"Why?" Daniel asked. "Why are you losing your mind?"

"I'm feeling overwhelmed," she replied. "I'm working all the time and Sarah just moved away to school. William is so busy and he's growing up so fast. Lucas is just ridiculous; being his parent confuses me and makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Nikolas always has something going on. And Vivianna is so precocious and she's growing up so fast. I just feel like I'm missing all of it because I'm always working."

"Honey, you're home by six every night and you always make dinner. You're a great mom."

"But I'm missing out on things."

"Have you missed one of Nik's soccer games yet?"

"No," she replied.

"Then what are you missing?"

Betty shrugged. "I don't know. But I feel like I'm missing something. I just don't know what."

"Do you miss me?"

"Who are you?"

"I don't know. But we share a bed."

"Hmm, you look vaguely like my husband."

"That's very interesting. You're married?"

"I married this guy named Daniel Meade about twenty years ago."

"I hear he's quite the stud."

"He's okay. He has amazing blue eyes. But sometimes he's a little egotistical."

"I'm not a fan of egotistical guys. You should dump him and we'll get together. It'll be better for both of us."

"Really, why do you say that?"

"Well, I'm married to this Latina spitfire who just never stops going."

"Oh, sorry, I can't help you. I'm probably just as much of a Latin spitfire as your wife," Betty told her husband with a teasing glint in her eye.

"Oh well, this has been fun. Maybe I'll run into you again sometime."

"I'll be in my husband's cottage on Martha's Vineyard all weekend. Come to the back door if you want to play."


62.

"Mom, you've been married for twenty-five years," Sarah Meade told her mother as she helped set up for her parents' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. "How does that make you feel?"

"Like an old woman," her mother replied. "I've been married to an amazing man for twenty-five years. And sometimes that feels like more than a lifetime and other times it feels like it's been less than an hour. I've loved Daniel and I've hated him. I've wanted to kill your father at times but in the end I realize that he is the greatest man in my world. I love him more than I could ever imagine and he makes me a better person."

"When did you know that you wanted to marry him?"

Betty smiled. "We'd been dating for about six or seven months and we were watching a movie. I can't remember what movie it was but it was a Disney movie with a cutesy story and cheerful songs and a happy ending; it might have been Mulan. I was being very snuggly and happy over it; I loved watching Disney movies with your father. And at some point, he said that he wanted to watch movies like this with his children someday. When he said that, I knew that this man, this Daniel Meade was the man with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life."

"That's cute," Sarah said. "How much longer was it before you two actually got married?"

"About another two and a half years, we dated for another year and a half before we got engaged and then it was another year before we got married."

"That's kind of crazy."

"How long have you been dating Logan?"

Sarah paused for a minute. "We've been together for about three years."

"And when are you getting married?"

The daughter shrugged. "Point taken, Mom," she replied.

Betty smiled at her daughter. "I'm not pressuring you to get married. I was twenty-eight when I got married."

"How did you know that you were ready to get married?"

"Well, we'd been dating for a while and then we moved in together. I had gotten up to being Editor in Chief at Mode. Your father was more than financially settled with the Meade family fortune. I realized that we were both adult enough and responsible enough to make the commitment for be husband and wife until death did us part."

"But where did love fit into all of it?"

"We loved each other. And I think this was also the point when I realized that I loved your father more than I'd ever loved anyone before in my life. I loved him and I loved him in a different way than I'd ever loved anyone before. I learned self-sacrificial love from my relationship with your father. And I learned what love was even more when you and your siblings were born. I learned what love was and how to love by getting married and becoming a mother."

Sarah nodded. "How will I know when I'm ready to get married?"

"I can't explain it to you. But you'll just know." Betty looked at her oldest child. "Do you want to marry Logan?"

"I feel like people expect us to get married because we've been together for so long."

"That's not what I asked you," her mother replied. "Sarah, if Logan asked you to marry him, would you say yes out of a feeling of duty or comfort or would you do so out of a genuine love for him and a desire to spend the rest of your life with him?"

The twenty-three-year-old looked at her mother and thought for a while. "You don't have to answer right away," Betty told her daughter. "But I want you to think about it. I married your father because I loved him and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I don't know if or when Logan will ask you to marry him but don't do it until you're prepared to give him your life, all of your life until you die."

"Is that what you did with Dad?"

Betty nodded. "I gave your father all of myself and he gave me all of himself. We share our lives, our thoughts, our feelings, our bank accounts, our children, and everything else in our world. We became a married couple and we didn't lose our identities when we joined our two selves together. Rather, we found ourselves more completely in joining our lives and selves."

Sarah looked at her mother. "You guys really have something special. Most people don't have relationships like that anymore."

"I know," her mother replied. "That's why divorce is so common in our world. But here's the thing; your father and I have been really lucky in having each other. We have found our perfect mate. We have five wonderful children. Our families support us. It's really been an amazing twenty-five years."

"That's what I want," the daughter told her mother. "I want to look back at my life and know that I didn't make a mistake."

"Can you have that with Logan?"

"I think I can."


63.

That evening, the Meade family had a large dinner party for their friends and family to celebrate Daniel and Betty's twenty-fifth anniversary. Christina McKinney had designed a gorgeous silver dress for Betty to wear and Becks Scott was running around with his camera taking pictures of the happy guests and the beaming hosts. Sarah was there with Logan. William had brought his current girlfriend, Caitlyn, with him as his date. Lucas was there with his girlfriend, Beth, who was very blonde and very stupid. Nikolas, at seventeen, did not bring a date but was busy spending time with many family friends. And his fifteen-year-old sister, Vivianna, was doing the same thing. "It's more fun this way," she told her older sister. "I like having fun and being independent."

Sarah smiled at her younger sister. "That's good at your age. When you get older, you'll have plenty of time for seriousness and commitment. You're fifteen years old; enjoy yourself tonight."

"And don't do anything that I wouldn't approve of," William told Vivianna. "I've got my eyes on you."

"And so do I," Nikolas added. "We're watching you, little munchkin. So don't step out of line."

"Keep your eyes on Lucas," the youngest Meade replied. "I think his hands are stepping into a whole new territory."

Will and Nik both looked over to see their nineteen-year-old brother his hands up the back of his girlfriend's short dress. "Can Mom and Dad see them?" Sarah asked.

William looked around the room. "They're talking to Grandma Claire."

"Then go deal with Lucas. It's going to piss Mom and Dad off majorly if he's doing this in public."

William nodded and went over to deal with his younger brother. Sarah shook her head. "I hate Lucas's ridiculous sex-mania."

"Aunt Alexis says that Dad used to be just like that when he was younger," Vivianna said.

"He was," Sarah admitted. "Mom has told me stories about when she first started working for him. But that doesn't change anything. Lucas is absolutely ridiculous. Dad grew up and so can Lucas."

"So give him time," the younger Meade child said.

Her older sister shook her head. "Dad caused his parents problems when he was younger. And Lucas is doing the same thing now. I'm sick of it. I don't think Aunt Alexis cared about what Dad did when he was a kid but I do care about what Lucas does. And I think you guys do too. I know Will cares. And I think we need to do something to help our brother."

"I'm just a kid," Vivianna replied. "I can't do anything."

Nik shrugged. "I don't know what we can do. But somebody had to wake Lucas up before he screws something or someone up."

"A few too many members of this family have gone to jail. I'm not going to let my dumbass brother screw anything else up for this family. I don't know what to do or how to do it. But I'm going to figure it out."

"About thirty years ago, my father hired Betty Suarez to work as the assistant to the new Editor in Chief of Mode magazine," Alexis Meade began her pre-dinner toast. "Bradford Meade's goal in hiring her was to keep his son, Daniel, focused on his job. He wanted his son to keep his head focused on the magazine business rather than just screwing his assistant all the time. Well, Bradford died several years ago and didn't get to see how that one worked out. But I don't think it worked out exactly the way he wanted it to."

The crowd laughed and Daniel squeezed his wife's hand as his sister continued, "The Daniel Meade that Betty Suarez met over thirty years ago was an asshole who deserved to have his ass handed to him. And the confused poor little rich playboy met the girl from the Bronx who had a heart of gold and a desire to change the world. And I don't know if she changed the world but she definitely changed her boss. And somewhere along the way, first friendship and then love entered the picture. Over the past thirty years, I've watched my brother and Betty grow together. I'm constantly amazed by the love and respect that they have together. And I love watching the way they work together. They make each other better and they encourage one another. And I'm always both amused and inspired by the way they protect each other. They have given so much to be together but I also see them being rewarded by their life together. They do amazing things, especially together. I'm continually amazed by their love for each other and for their family. They make time for each other, for their children, for their friends, and for their careers. They're two of the most driven people I've ever met. And they're two of the most successful and happy people I've ever met. And I'm proud to be a part of their family and their lives. To Betty and Daniel," she said, raising her champagne glass high.

Then it was Becks's turn. "Twenty-six years ago, Daniel told me he was going to ask Betty to marry him. I asked him why. Why did he want to commit himself to one woman for the rest of his life? And he told me because she was his life; he was nothing without her. I couldn't understand that; Betty was a great girl but she was still just a girl. I remember telling Daniel that I couldn't understand why he would want to subject himself to the miseries of marriage. And he laughed at me and told me that he loved her. And over the past twenty-five years, I've learned something about love and life from watching these two. I've known Daniel since he was five years old and I've never seen him happier than he is when he's with Betty. That might sound sappy but he really is happier with her. And he is a better person when he's with her. He might not be as much fun to me but he's a better person. He's a devoted husband and a loving father. And Betty; well, she's the best woman I've ever known. She is a wonderful wife and mother. She really is, in my opinion, the woman who has everything. To Betty and Daniel, may the next twenty-five years be even more amazing than the first twenty-five!"

And then Hilda took the microphone. "Twenty-five years ago, my younger sister married Daniel Meade. The night before the wedding, I was talking with my father and I asked him if he was sad to see Betty get married and leave him. And he said no; he wasn't losing Betty but rather gaining Daniel as a son. At the time I didn't really get what he was saying but over time I really grew to understand that. Daniel became a part of our family completely. He became a son to my father until the very end. He became a brother and an uncle. And yet, my sister also became a part of the Meade family. They really make it work for both families. They have really worked to make their marriage work and to make of their lives one life. They really love each other and their family. And it shows in the way that they relate to each other and to people around them. It's not all about them. And that's why this party is perfect. It's probably the first time in twenty-five years that there has been something that is completely and totally just all about Daniel and Betty. I'm very proud of you two and I wish you all the best in the future."

"No more speeches," Daniel Meade said after his sister-in-law's toast. "I'm sick of hearing all these good things about myself. Can we just get to the good part and eat dinner?"

The crowd laughed and his wife took the microphone from him. "We really would like to thank everyone who came tonight. And we are grateful for what our families and friends have said about us and done for us. But if Daniel is hungry, then let's eat dinner. We can talk more later in the evening."

"I know my parents don't want to hear people singing their praises anymore this evening," William Meade said after dinner. "But my siblings and I really don't care. We want to talk about our parents a little bit more. After all, this is their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and we think that's pretty impressive. None of us would be here if it weren't for them. And we want to thank them for all that they've done for us."

"This morning, I was talking to my mom about marriage and family. And I basically asked her what the secret to the success of her marriage was," Sarah said.

"And how did Logan feel about that?" Justin yelled out.

Daniel and Betty both looked at their daughter's long-time boyfriend who was smiling. "I didn't know she'd been talking to her mom about that kind of stuff," he replied.

Sarah blushed but continued. "My mom told me something interesting. She told me that there have been times when she's wanted to kill my dad and felt like she hated him."

"Are you sure you should be sharing this?" Justin interjected.

"Oh shut up!" Daniel told his nephew. "I've known all of this for years."

"But," Sarah continued. "She loves my dad when all is said and done. And she said it's about loving him more than she loves herself and putting him above of her wants and needs."

"And when I asked my dad about it," William said. "He told me it was about realizing that he wasn't the most important person in the world. He said that you couldn't be selfish and make a marriage work long-term. He also told me that as a parent, you can never be selfish; you always have to put your children ahead of yourself. And it's not always easy. Dad also told me that marriage is never easy but in the end, the work is worth it."

"We've realized that our parents have given us an amazing example of what marriage and love can and should be," Nikolas said. "And we're very grateful for that example. We hope that we can someday have what they have found in each other."

"We wanted to get you an amazing present," Vivianna added.

"But we realized that we're all really kind of poor," Nikolas admitted. "But you guys have done so much for us, so we really wanted to give you something to say thank you for everything."

"So we started talking to people," Vivianna said, taking the microphone from her brother. "We started with family and friends. And then Sarah even found some stuff from Mode with some help from people like Aunt Christina and Becks."

"We also asked people to share their favorite memories of you two," Lucas said blandly. The look on his face blatantly told the guests that he was less than excited about this gift for his parents.

"We even got some video footage," Sarah said. "So Mom and Dad, we put together a special tribute to you guys and the amazing power of your relationship. We thought about showing it tonight but apparently Dad wouldn't like it."

"Nope," Daniel announced. "I'm done with things like that. You can show it to me later.""

"So we're just giving you guys the DVD that we put together," Nikolas said. "And you can watch it whenever you're ready."

"Thank you," Betty told her children. "We really do appreciate it."

"And we will watch it later," Daniel said before hugging each of his children.

"Daniel and Betty, it's so cool that you guys have been married for twenty-five years," Lucas's girlfriend told them eagerly. "It's just so cute and sweet and romantic."

"Thanks, Beth," Daniel replied while biting back a desire to tell her to please call him "Mr. Meade" instead of treating him like a friend or equal.

"I really hope that when Lucas and I get married we can be married forever just like you two. You're such a cute old couple."

"I'm only fifty-three," Betty whispered her husband's ear as they walked away from Beth and her tittering about her hopes to marry her boyfriend.

"Oh, then you're ancient," Daniel replied. "And I'm sixty-two, which makes me practically dead."

"So what does that make your mother?"

He smiled at his wife. "Don't even ask."


64.

"Grandpa Daniel, why don't you live near me?" five-year-old Daniela Meade asked her grandfather. Daniela was Nikolas Meade's daughter and she lived in Germany with her parents and her three siblings. Every year, Nikolas and his wife brought their four children to New York for Christmas and for one month in the summer.

Daniel Meade was now 85 years old. He had been married for forty-eight years and he had five children and twenty-one grandchildren. He walked with a cane and he knew he was old. "I've lived in New York my whole life," he told Daniela. "And this is where most of my family is. And this is where your Grandma Betty lives."

"But I live in Germany! You should come there."

"But my doctors live in New York. And when you're an old man like me, you have to live near your doctors."

"We have doctors in Germany."

"I know, Danni," he said. "But I'm an old man and I can't travel much anymore."

"Are you going to die?" Nathan, Danni's seven-year-old brother, asked.

His grandfather shrugged. "Well, Nathan, we're all going to die someday."

"But when will you die?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know."

"Will Grandma Betty die?" the little boy asked.

His grandfather nodded. "She will someday."

"I don't want you two to die," Danni sobbed.

"I didn't say that it would be soon. I just said that it would happen someday."

"Our dog died," Nathan told his grandfather.

"And I cried."

"I know," Daniel told his grandchildren. "Your dad told me."

"Did your dog ever die?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," his grandfather replied. "I've lost a few dogs. You have to remember that I'm eighty-five years old."

"Are you older than God?"

"No, I'm not."

"Are you sure?" Danni asked.

"Yes, I'm very sure."

"You look like you could be older than God," she replied.

"Grandma, are you sure that Grandpa isn't older than God?" Nathan asked his grandmother who had just entered the room.

Betty smiled. "Nathan, sweetie, I'm very sure that your grandfather is younger than God. I've known people who were older than he is."

"Like who?"

"Your great-grandmother who was Grandpa's mother," she replied.

"Grandpa had a mother?" Danni asked. "I didn't know that old people had parents."

"Even old people have to come from somewhere," Daniel told his granddaughter.

"Did you know that Mommy and Daddy might make us move to America for Daddy's job?" Nathan suddenly asked.

"They were talking to us about it yesterday," Betty replied.

"And Daddy has to go to another city to talk to people about it."

"So we're going to stay here with you but Mommy is going with him," Danni informed her grandparents. "They have to find a new house. I like your house. Can we come live with you?"

"Our house isn't big enough for your family," Betty replied. After Claire Meade died, Betty and Daniel had sold their house and moved into a two-bedroom apartment in New York near the Meade Publications building. "We only have two bedrooms. When your parents go to Los Angeles, only Danni and Abby are staying here with us. Stevie is going with your parents and Nathan is going to stay with Aunt Sarah and her family."

"I like Aunt Sarah. She makes good cookies."

"Betty, I'm getting old," Daniel told his wife that night.

"You've told me that a thousand times since we got married."

"Honey, I'm eighty-five years old. I'm not going to live much longer. And I've had a good long life. I'm ready to go whenever."

"And then I'll be alone," she replied.

"You'll have our children and grandchildren."

"But I won't have you. I haven't lived a day without you in probably fifty years."

"We really did make one life out of our two lives."

"We were together even when we were apart."

Daniel kissed his wife's cheek. "I love you more than words could ever explain."

"And I you," she replied. "Just keep an eye on me when you leave me. Will you promise me that?"

He nodded. "I'll always watch you and protect you as best I can. I told your father I would do that and I'm not going to break that promise."

"And I told your father I'd take care of you."

"Well, Mrs. Meade, I'd say we've both done a good job of keeping our promises."


A/N: Please review! And I don't have eight chapters left. I just have about six more ideas for these little episodes left. That should be about two more chapters/updates.