Chapter 12

[Author's Note: This is the last chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing! I enjoyed writing this one, but it was a challenging one taking the characters through the motions, but I am pleased with it and I hope you all are too! Hope this inspires some more Daniel/Wilhelmina stories out there! XO]

It had been several weeks since Daniel had last seen Wilhelmina. The only contact he had with her was a few work emails that she sporadically sent responses to. On that fateful night when Daniel parted with her at Connor's will reading, that same evening she sent Claire an email that she was taking some time away, but Wilhelmina hadn't specified exactly how much. The unanswered questions were driving Daniel crazy. He was worried sick. He missed her. He wanted nothing more than to see her, to be there for her and support her. He knew the grieving motions she must have been going through, and with her personality to suppress and carry on, it scared Daniel even more. Would she be a different woman when she returned? Would she even return to him? The same woman he had fallen for, or would he have to let her go?

It was just around nine in the evening and Daniel found himself wandering the empty halls and offices of Mode. He roamed around thinking about the various memories over the years he had with her, the good, the bad and the ugly. He thought about the man he was when he first walked through the halls of Mode as a naïve, chauvinistic rich-boy, who had every advantage given to him. He had worked for nothing, sweated over nothing and even if he did, he would booze his stresses away or abuse any of life's pleasures. He lived on the edge of chaos in those years and cared about no one but himself, that was until he crossed paths with Wilhelmina. She was an unexpected teacher in his life. In a reverse deal of fate, her trying to tear apart his family, bring him down in the boardroom, and humiliate him made Daniel realize how important his family's legacy was, how much he cared about the people who stood loyal to him like Betty and his mother in the epic battles with this woman. Through her tough run with Daniel, Wilhelmina managed to open his mind, challenge him and because of her, he found his stride, and found himself as a man. Every step of the journey that brought them together he now saw that she had meant more to him than he let himself believe. Most people meet in some twist of fate, fall in love, grow from that love and eventually end up together.

But they weren't most people.

Their journey needed to happen in these extraordinary circumstances because they were extraordinary people, each with a pile of baggage that all became too heavy to carry anymore. Daniel and Wilhelmina found one another, and found in each other, something so powerful and undeniable that eventually hate turned into respect, respect to sympathy, sympathy to friendship, and because of that friendship came protection, tenderness and in his case, love.

Daniel turned the corner and made his way through the door to Wilhelmina's office. He scanned it in its desolation. She was everywhere in this room, from the impeccable décor to the rigidness of its order. He walked over to her chair and sat in it, willing himself to feel like he was a little closer to her. Daniel's face was long and tired. He ran his hand down his face and exhaled a deep breath that he was carrying in the pit of his stomach all day. He couldn't tell anyone the thoughts running through his head and how heavy his heart felt. He was tired trying to keep all afloat at Mode, all the while with his partner missing, and consequently having no answers about the woman he cared for. He had to keep it together and stay strong for Wilhelmina and not let her down at Mode like he promised her. He had to fight through his demons without her and learn how to cope and manage without her there.. In that he knew he would come out the other side stronger, slyer and more controlled. But at times it was harder than he would have ever imagined.

Daniel in his state of exhaustion rubbed his eyes and felt immediate relief as he carried so much tension in his head. He kept his hand over his eyes and sat there for a few moments lost in his thoughts, not hearing the approaching footsteps.

"Daniel?"

"Hey Mom." He sounded so defeated to Claire's ears.

"What are you doing in here honey?"

"Why are you still here mom?"

"I have a late dinner with Cal so I just stuck around to do some work. Are you ok?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, so what are you doing in Wilhelmina's office?"

"Thinking."

"About…?"

No answer came out of Daniel. Claire watched his profile obviously stressing about something and she had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with the woman who had vacated that particular office.

"Daniel, talk to me. I'm worried about you."

"There's no point, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"You're off to a dinner, just leave me alone. Its not that big a deal." Daniel turned his chair round to face the window as he monotonously drawled out the words in a low unfeeling tone. He shut down to the thought of his mother picking the man who was on his way to taking his company away from him. He was still angry to some extent with Claire for fraternizing with Cal and complicating the business of his family's legacy.

"It sounds to me like it is…" Claire offered baiting him. She had an idea what this was about but she needed Daniel to open up to her with his defenses down.

Claire reached for her mobile and rang Cal. "Cal darling, I am going to be a little late for dinner…. Just order me the filet mignon and I should be there before it arrives….ok….no, just talking to Daniel about Mode business, I caught him on my way out…uh huh, I'll fill you in at dinner…ok see you soon. Ok Daniel, we have some time, you want to talk?"

Daniel sighed, not sure to where even to begin.

"Before you go off the rails, what I'm going to tell you, I don't want to hear resistance, I don't want to hear a lecture, and I don't want you to get upset. Ok?"

"Ok."

"I've fallen for Wilhelmina. And I am beside myself with how I feel about all of this."

"I know."

"What?!" Daniel spun around in the chair to meet his mother's eyes in shock. Claire just looked at him with a sympathetic smile on her lips. Even in the dimness Daniel's blue eyes glowed with animation of shock.

"I saw the two of you."

"When?"

"The day we broke the news to her, weeks ago. I saw you two in your office that evening and heard everything."

"And you didn't say anything? Why?"

"I didn't say anything because it wasn't my place. I don't like it, not one shred, but you two have seemed to have found some comfort in one another and considering you have been to hell and back with one another and Molly and Connor, I can certainly see how it happened."

"You have no idea mom…"

"But I am worried that when she builds her armor back again, you will get hurt…bad. I worry for you Daniel more than anything. I know how much anger and resentment you must still be carrying after Molly…"

"That's the thing mom, Wilhelmina has helped me work through most of it. I feel like myself again to some extent, I guess a version of my old self is better way to say it. She's soulful when you least expect it. There is so much more to her than the hard, steel faced, fearless force that we know, in my case once knew. I understand her better now, why she did what she did over the years. Trust me mom, what I have seen in her the last few weeks when I returned, I never would have imagined. She is …she is… I can't even explain it…she needs me mom, and I need her."

"Well, I don't know what to say. Have you spoken to her since her leave and told her how you feel?"

"No, I don't know where she is or if she's ok? I mean want to give her space and not push it with her and be too clingy but I'm worried sick."

"Send her note. See how she responds. If she cares for you like you say, she will not want to put you through hell of your own thoughts. Explain to her what you just told me."

"I don't know mom…"

"Whatever this is with her, wouldn't you want to know where you stand? And move on with your life, whatever the outcome is. She has a lot on her plate right now but if she cares for you like you say, she will put your mind at ease."

"You're right. Thank you for listening."

Claire nodded and stood up ready to make her way to the door and leave. There was one more question that she couldn't quite put the pieces together.

"One more thing son…"

"What's that?"

"A few weeks ago, the day we broke the news to Wilhelmina, I stayed back after you left. As you may recall you were pretty beat up. You remember that?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well Wilhelmina had a bruise on her face too…do you know anything about that? I mean I just find it strange that both of you came to the office on the same day with battle wounds. Coincidence?" Claire's eyebrows shot up, questioningly.

"No, it wasn't." Daniel's eyes went to the transparency of the glass desk. "I don't want to infringe on her privacy, but lets just say I was there when only seconds mattered for Wilhelmina and she was there when things could have gone severely wrong in my life."

"Sounds intense. What really happened to you? Was it really a bar fight?"

The silence confirmed that Daniel wasn't ready to talk about it.

"Ok, may be another time…" Claire threw her hands in the air and stalked over to her son. Claire was slightly relieved to see the signs of her caring and level headed Daniel come back. Claire turned Wilhelmina's chair for him to face her and she put a motherly hand to Daniel's face to will him to look at her. "Call her, she may need to hear your voice if she is battling something, and if you two are really bonded over the events of the last few months, something tells me I'm right."

"Thanks Mom." Daniel stood and embraced his mother, grateful for the love she showed him, knowing how opposed she must have been to the idea of him and Wilhelmina in a relationship. He knew that these were the first few steps in healing their relationship after the months of darkness and strain.

That evening Daniel took a scolding hot shower, trying to purge the stress and tension his muscles had been carrying. He had gone to the gym after his talk with his mother and tried to focus his energy and build up his gall to reach for his mobile to call the woman he loved. Every time he tried he put the phone down, his fear playing games with his bravado, afraid of the woman who would meet him on the other end. The steam filled his lungs causing his chest to feel heavier, adding more proverbial weight to his heart.

Now close to midnight he sat on his sofa, clad in the same flannel pants he wore in the Hamptons all those weeks ago. As he ran his hands nervously along his thighs, he couldn't help but think of that weekend with her. He reached for his phone and dialed her number. Hearing the first ring caused him to spring to his feet beginning the steady pace around his living room.

As he paced closer to his front entrance he could hear an echo of a ringing phone and voices in the hallway. He was concentrating so hard on what he was going to say to her that he ignored the background noises and just willed himself to focus.

He got her voicemail. He decided to leave her a message and not hang up.

"Hi Willie, its me. It's Friday the 28th actually it's almost Saturday. Anyway, I'm just calling to tell you I'm thinking about you. I haven't stopped since you left Mode. I miss you. It's amazing all the things going through my head, just call me or message me, I just need to know you are ok. I…I…I love you. Goodnight, wherever you are."

Daniel dropped to his couch in defeat. What the hell did he just do? He was supposed to check in on her, not leave her a confession on voicemail! It was like his lips were possessed, he couldn't help himself. The words were battling in his throat and he willed them out and as soon as the words left his mouth he wanted nothing more than to take them back.

He covered his face in his hands in his nervously started to rub his skin in his anxiety.

Within seconds his phone came to life… a text message.

"Open the door Daniel."

Daniel sprung to his feet and he whipped the door open to find the woman he had just confessed a piece of his heart to, actually scratch that, confessed to her voicemail. He stood there paralyzed and she with a small self satisfied smirk. Her eyes scanned his toned bare chest and her desire was apparent in her eyes after all these weeks. Unsure what to make of the look on her face, Daniel swallowed hard.

"So you love me?" She drawled with that eyebrow arched to the heavens.

"So you got my message?"

"No, actually I heard you through the door."

"You'd think in a luxury condo they wouldn't use such cheap materials for doors. I will write my super a vial note tomorrow morning. Imagine if it was top secret information someone heard?"

"Daniel…its Brooklyn! Besides you're avoiding my question."

"Where the hell have you been Wilhelmina?"

"Are you going to invite me in or are we going to do this with all your neighbors in ear shot considering the doors are as thin as paper."

He moved out of the threshold and invited her in. She was wearing a leather jacket with a black fox fur collar, black tight slacks and Christian Louboutin boots reaching her knee. As she passed him her scent caused Daniel to reach for her with all the pent up energy and feelings of not seeing her for weeks. He needed to feel if anything had changed, if she felt the same as he did.

Daniel pushed her gently against the back of the door and pressed his body into Wilhelmina. He looked down into her eyes with soul penetrating stare before he brought his lips to hers. He could see her chest rise in anticipation and his breath became unsteady. Daniel was sure his heartbeat was visible through his masculine bare chest. When his lips met hers it was like no time had passed. Daniel deepened the kiss the moment he felt her respond with a soft moan. The kiss made him feel like the earth crumbled beneath him, like nothing was the same again. As their passionate exchange continued he knew he had to separate from her before his self-control ran out.

Wilhelmina's eyes fluttered open and she found Daniel's blue soulful stare. He held her in place and ran his thumb across her lips as her lipstick smudged around the perimeter of her mouth.

She lightly offered, "You should see the mess on your face. I don't think that shade of red works on you Daniel. You should stick to a spring palette." She chuckled and wiped the red gloss off his face. She smiled at him with the most genuine heart-stopping smile. He grabbed her hand she used to clean up the mess on his face, and kissed the inside of her palm and her hand, down to her wrist.

"Tell me again Daniel." She drawled seductively, willing the man in front of her to say the words she needed to hear, the words she wanted to hear from the man she loved.

"I love you Wilhelmina."

"Ok, well thanks, it's been a slice …" She shrugged her shoulders and pretended like she was going to leave turning around and reaching for the knob.

"Hold it! What the hell was that!?" Daniel's hand went to the door and slammed it shut as she slightly got the door off the hinges. She started laughing at his reaction, he was so demanding and shell shocked. She figured she would play with him for a little while so the atmosphere didn't get to serious.

"What?" She turned to look over her shoulder wide-eyed an innocent.

"You make me put my heart on the line and you waltz out of here without another word! Plant your butt on that couch Wilhelmina we need to talk!" Daniel pointed behind him his tone very short and annoyed.

"So bossy..." She baited him and started making her way to the couch.

"This is not funny!"

"Yes, it is! You getting your manly panties in a twist and locked up in a place I don't want to know about."

"Willie!"

"Kiss me again!" She turned and pressed herself to his chest, clutching her red nails to his skin on his chest and tilting her head up and closing her eyes a la a 1940s movie.

"Ok easy there, Scarlett O'hara! Talk first."

"Ugh! Fine!" Wilhelmina rolled her eyes to the sky as she removed her jacket and tossed it on the decorative chair beside the sofa along with her small clutch as she sat down on watching Daniel's cool stride to sit beside her. Daniel sat at the edge turning his attention to her waiting for an explanation, his arms nervously leaning on his thighs as his hands met together.

"So, where the hell have you been all these weeks?"

"Well…I've been in the Caymans, The Bahamas, Switzerland, Paris and Queens." Wilhelmina said nonchalantly.

"Doing what?"

"Carrying out Connor's wishes."

"Oh."

"Before you ask, yes I am ok, I just needed my time with everything to sort everything out. Thank you for giving me my space Daniel." Daniel nodded and brought his hand to hers resting on her thigh.

She gave his hand a small squeeze and brought her lips to his ear and kissed it tenderly and then whispered, "I have something for you Daniel. It might help you understand a little bit more where I was and why I was gone for so long. Hand me my clutch." Daniel reached for it as she ran her hand over his bare back, the smell of his skin irresistible to her. Daniel shuttered feeling the softness of her fingers on his skin again.

Wilhelmina handed Daniel the letter from Connor and asked him to read it. At first glance, Daniel looked up and said honorably, "Willie, this is for you…maybe you should keep it just for you…"

"No, I want you to read it."

Daniel started scanning the etched words on the thick paper. His eyes started to widen as he got to the part of the letter about the Meade monies and he looked back to Wilhelmina who was sitting coolly in her spot with her eyebrows to the heavens and a smile on her face at Daniel's reaction.

"So does this mean…?"

"I have it all. Connor invested it in high-risk investments so what he spent he made back up quickly. I had to travel around to cash them out and make sure I took the legal precautions to make sure I didn't draw attention to myself. That's why I was gone Daniel. We can be free of Hartley first thing Monday morning. Everything goes back to how it used to be…"

"I hope not everything…" He looked at her hopefully.

"No, I take it back, not everything, too many scars and wounds to ever say that. Maybe I should say business as usual. You and I own Meade Publications once again."

"How about that? Connor did right by you in the end." Daniel noted thoughtfully.

"Yes he did. He loved me very much. I finally got the answers I waited for months for. Keep reading…"

Daniel read the most tender part of the letter and his eyes willed him to read the words over and over again for Connor's final wishes for the woman they both loved. Connor wanted her to move on and find love again. Daniel put the letter down and turned to face Wilhelmina with his full attention and said, "How do you feel after all of this?"

"Well, in my time away I went through many motions. I went through some that were common and easily waned to the surface, rage, denial, bargaining, solitude, exhaustion and then some of which I have not felt since I was a child like, grief, sadness, vulnerability. I buried the man I loved very deeply for a portion of my life, and with him went the dreams of what I once wanted. Once you go through that you can't help but change, as you know very well know. You can't help but question your life and what the rest of your story may become. Everything is fleeting, more desolately beautiful." Daniel could see her eyes fill with pools of tears, but none of them fell. Wilhelmina continued, "I was so consumed by that love that I didn't see what I needed, I saw what I once wanted. My ego took a beating, my heart was drowned in sorrow until I realized that the love that Connor wrote in his final letter to me, I already found in you. My light in that all consuming darkness was you Daniel, already in front of me. I have faith again and found my strength in myself to believe that I can live again not as the same woman, but a changed woman. Since you returned back to New York after Molly, I can't understand why we went through these trying times, but I realized that this winding road and the dance we have done over the years around each other was preparation to truly understand and face anything in our way. You protect me from myself and from harm and I guide you and put you in check. We can be unstoppable together Daniel. It's undeniable. We are enough of two different people to fill in the cracks when the world tries to tear and break us. You have yet to fail me, even though I may have failed you over the years, yet you love me. If that's not true love… I don't know what is."

"No you never failed me Wilhelmina. You were too busy on the opposite side for the first few years. In the time you joined me on my side of the street, you have willed me to find a similar strength. I faced my demons and came out the other side as a better man. You taught me patience again, you taught me how to have faith in people again and how to find it in the most unlikely places. You taught me how to love again, truly and wholly Wilhelmina." Daniel took her hand and kissed it.

"Can you imagine my surprise and shell shock when I realized that I had feelings for Daniel Meade?" She made joking big eyes and grimaced. Daniel looked at her and laughed, she was still dramatic and sarcastic to no end. He knew her heart opened to him, but her mouth would still be the same force and he was secretly pleased that part of her wouldn't change.

"Ok you made your point! So how do you feel about me? I want you to say it to me."

"Well Daniel, I love you, very much."

"So does this mean you're going to be nice to me at work on Monday since you looooove me?" he teased her as he swung her legs to rest on his thighs.

Daniel leaned in and brought his lips to hers before she had a chance to respond. Wilhelmina mumbled against Daniel's lips, "Not a chance Meade!"

That night, the two unlikely lovers united once again. In the most unlikely of circumstances finding their way back to one another, against all the odds, Daniel and Wilhelmina took the road up the hill that found them now both at the top of that impossible hill, ready to take on the cold word together. Daniel and Wilhelmina saw no darkness, no hopelessness because they had one another for the next road ahead, no hill too tall, too steep, too impossible.

THE END