Thank you so much reading and for the reviews! :) I won't keep you in suspense any longer, lol . . .
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"Nooooo! Daniel you can't leave me. Baby, pleeaaase . . . I love you so much . . ." Betty cried, as her heart shattered into a million pieces. "
You BITCH! How could you do this? Daniel's innocent – h-he's your brother for god's sake!" she lashed out at Fey's daughter.
"Not anymore . . . pretty soon, he'll be fertilizer," the wretched woman coldly cracked.
"You'll pay for this – I swear!" Betty threatened.
"Keep telling yourself that, sweetie. But as you can tell – nothing will bring back the man you loved. Just like nothing will bring back my mother," the blonde harshly stated, leaving Betty to sob over Daniel until she was hoarse.
"Daaaanniel . . . . noooooo . . . noooooo . . ." she hopelessly wept.
"Hey . . . Betty, it's okay," she felt someone with a soothing voice trying to pull her away from Daniel.
"No, it's NOT okay! Get the hell off me! Nothing will ever be okay again!" she screamed, struggling to stay with her fiancé.
"Baby, wake up," Daniel tried to calm Betty from her nightmare.
She finally opened her eyes to discover Daniel alive and right beside her.
"Daniel? But you – y-you were . . ." she trailed off as tears of uncertainty streamed down her face.
"Shhh . . . Come here . . . Baby, I'm right here . . . I'm not going anywhere," Daniel promised, holding Betty close as he stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Daniel asked, after Betty quieted down.
She meekly shook her head, sniffling.
"Maybe later," she said, wanting to tell him but too shaken to rehash everything at the moment.
"Okay," he understood, kissing her cheek. "Here . . ." he said, throwing her his sweater and pulling on his jeans. "I know exactly what'll take your mind off of it . . ." Daniel grinned.
"What?" Betty curiously asked, putting his sweater on.
"The new 'Call of Duty'," he answered, dragging her out of bed.
"Babe, no. No guns – please. I-I can't take it right now," she protested.
"Okay. Sorry, I just thought shooting virtual bad guys would relieve some stress," he apologized. "How about 'Super Mario'? It's fun and takes you back to being a kid, right?" he suggested, picking it out of the shelf filled with games and movies.
Betty hesitated, unsure whether any game was going to be a big enough distraction.
"Come on, I'll even let you be Mario this time . . ." he coaxed, handing her a controller.
". . . Okay," she caved, figuring it couldn't hurt to try.
"Babe – watch out for that mushroom! Don't just stand there – jump! Betty!" Daniel anxiously yelled.
"That turtle guy came out of nowhere – I didn't have a chance to jump! I'm trying! Sorry, I'm not as good at this as you are . . ." she sighed as she continued to fight off yet another animated enemy.
"Yes . . . you are. You kicked that crazy dragon's ass the last time we played and took us to the highest level I've ever gotten on this thing," he reminded her, pausing the game.
"You're right - I'm just preoccupied . . . and hungry," she half-smiled.
"Well, then I will go get us some breakfast . . . and a new distraction," he briefly kissed her lips, a mysterious twinkle in his eyes.
"What are you up to?" Betty eagerly perked up.
"Let's just say there's someone in this room who hasn't received her Christmas present yet," Daniel winked.
"Now strip!" he held out his hands.
"Excuse me?" she said, confused.
"I need my shirt back . . . unless you expect me to go out in 10-below weather like this. And honestly, not even football teams are worth it," he admitted.
"You were one of those guys with the painted chests in the freezing cold?" she giggled, disbelievingly.
Daniel sheepishly cringed.
"Well, I guess I'm not too surprised . . . with Beckett Scott as your friend," she rolled her eyes and threw him his shirt.
"Hey, be nice – he's in the wedding party," he playfully warned, catching it.
"And will probably hit on every straight woman there, including the bridesmaids – two of whom are married and one who's in a committed relationship," she scoffed, searching for her clothes.
"Betty . . . don't you think you're over-exaggerating a little?" he says.
"Fifty bucks says he hits on Alexis," she confidently challenged.
"Really?" he chortled.
"Didn't you?" she teased, pulling her top over her head.
"How did you know that?" he asked, his eyes widening with shock and embarrassment.
"I have my sources . . . But back to our wager – 25 more says Becks knowingly hits on her," she gambled, buttoning her jeans.
"Oh, come on, Betty. That's low. What happened to your open mind and positive attitude – seeing the good in everyone?" he asked.
"If Becks is anything like he was the last time I saw him, I'll be $75 richer," she smirked.
"But if he's lucky enough to find a smart, sassy, kind-hearted, gorgeous woman like I have, then you'll be in the hole and choking down feathers," he grinned, relishing the thought of it.
"Mmmm . . . we'll see," she sealed their bet with a kiss, refusing to back down.
"So what do you want me to get?" Daniel asked, getting back to the original topic.
"Do you really have to go?" she pleaded.
"Babe, as much as I would love to play video games and stare at your naked body all day, we've gotta eat. And . . . I can't wait any longer to give you your present," he smiled, nuzzling against her cheek.
"Daniel, I'm scared," Betty admitted.
"Of what – my gift?" he teased.
"No . . . of what could happen to you while you're gone," she explained.
"Betty, Ryan's going to be with me the whole time. He's a professional – not to mention a really big dude. I'll be fine," Daniel assured her.
"He's not invincible . . ." she said, unsure.
"Is this about your dream? Because you seemed fine when we were in New York – well as fine as anyone's expected to be," Daniel assumed, leading her back to the couch.
The images of her nightmare vividly flashed back in her mind, causing her to shudder. She inhaled a deep breath and prepared to rehash the horrid dream.
"I-I woke up and you were gone . . . Ryan and Colin were at the foot of the stairs - knocked-out and drugged . . . and you had been brutally abused and were tied-up and gagged . . . with a gun to your head," she said, her voice wavering as she hugged her knees.
"Wow . . . by whom?" he wondered.
"By one of her thugs – Fey's daughter," Betty elaborated.
"Amanda?" Daniel said in disbelief.
"No . . . not Amanda – your half-sister," she corrected him.
"Wait – you dreamed that my dad and Fey Somers actually did have a kid?" he shook his head.
"But it gets worse – she wanted to kill you to get back at your mom . . . I tried to stop her – I tried so hard . . ." she began to cry again. "I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry, baby . . ." she broke down.
"Hey . . . Babe, you have nothing to be sorry for – it was just a dream," Daniel reassured her, wiping away her tears.
"I know, but it was so real. And what if something else does happen? What if you do have a crazy half-sister out there? It makes sense when you think about it," she maintained.
"I don't know, Betty. I think the creative writer in you is kicking in," Daniel skeptically disagreed.
"Daniel, I know it's a long-shot and I know you're trying everything not to blurt out that I'm a lunatic for even slightly believing it could be true, but why would this pop into my head out of nowhere? Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something," Betty analyzed.
"You're not a lunatic . . . maybe a little too imaginative sometimes – but you're not a lunatic," he chuckled.
"Hey!" she lightly jabbed him. He briefly kissed her lips in an apology then took a moment to process her theory.
"It would explain everything . . ." he admitted.
"Exactly! The sabotage of the holiday issue with Fey's famous sleigh ride, the explosion at the printer, and we know it was a woman because of the earrings and lipstick - it all fits," she said.
"Yeah . . . except for the part where I have a long-lost sister," he agreed. "You have a long lost brother – stranger things have happened," she pointed out.
"I guess – I mean my dad did have an affair with Fey, so it wouldn't be impossible if they had had a secret child out of it . . ." he conceded.
"They even had a hidden sex room – so my guess is there were plenty of opportunities for 'accidents' to happen," Betty added.
"They had a what?" Daniel said, shocked.
"A sex room – behind The Closet in MODE, there was a hidden room with a bed and a ton of Fey's belongings, toys . . . That's where Amanda found her diary," she told him.
"Why didn't I ever know about this?" he asked, irritated.
"I don't know . . . it just never came up. What was I supposed to do – slip it in over a cup of coffee? 'Hey, Daniel? By the way, did you know your dad and Fey Somers had their own private sex lair?'" she defended herself.
"I guess it probably was a touchy subject . . . I know this is stupid, but it makes me even more pissed at him. He spent all those years judging me and scolding me for 'improper' work ethics and he couldn't even keep it in his pants 'til he got to a hotel or Fey's apartment – he had a room built," Daniel clenched his fists.
"Daniel, calm down before you do something you'll regret. I know how angry you must be at your father's hypocrisy. But you can't let it consume you. Besides, aren't you glad you stopped your player ways? I think your dad was right, he just thought he was the exception to his own rule," she told him.
"I know . . . Say I do have a sister out there – how would we even go about proving it?" Daniel considered.
"I doubt the police would help, since there's no evidence that A – she exists, and B – that she's connected with these crimes . . . But what about a private investigator? They'd probably have some way of searching birth records or something, right?" Betty suggested.
"That's a great idea – if she does exist, we'd know and could at least go from there," Daniel said.
"So you're really going with me on this?" she timidly asked.
"I'm not saying it's not insane, but we're not getting any other leads so what do we have to lose?" he said.
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"Hey, baby, I'm back," Daniel called, with a coffee holder and a bag of bagels in his hands.
"Oh, thank god you're okay!" Betty put the remote down and rushed over to greet him, throwing her arms around him.
"I told you I'd be fine," he smiled and pecked the top of her head, before carefully maneuvering the food down on the bar as she continued to hold him tight.
"I know, I just worry about you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you . . ." she said, still clinging to him.
"That will never happen," Daniel promised, rubbing the small of her back.
After a few minutes, Betty lifted her head from his chest, puzzled.
"What's that noise? You'd better go check on Colin and Ryan!" she panicked, hearing banging and whimpering sounds.
"Oh, they're fine – trust me. But there are a couple of little guys I'd like you to meet . . ." Daniel said, going out into the hallway.
He came back with two Cavalier King Charles spaniel puppies with red and green bows around their necks; one was Blenheim and the other tri-colored.
"Merry Christmas, Betty," he grinned, seeing the expression on her face.
"Oh my god . . . Daniel, they're adorable!" she exclaimed, half-crying as she picked the Blenheim one up.
"I knew you always wanted a dog and I read two are better than one, so I figured we could each have one," he shrugged.
"Papi insisted they were too much trouble and responsibility . . . Thank you!" she beamed, trying to control the squirming puppy in her arms.
"Wow, he's feisty," she giggled as he let out a small yip.
"Maybe we should call him Sparky?" Daniel suggested.
"Sparky . . . it's perfect," she smiled and traded puppies with him. "If I had a girl puppy, I always wanted to name her Princess Daisy, since I loved daisies and knew I'd love her even more," she remembered, as the sweet tri-colored puppy licked her fingers with its butterfly tongue.
"Wasn't that your code name that one time?" Daniel vaguely recalled.
"It stuck with me," she innocently shrugged. Daniel chuckled.
"Daisy's a great name," he agreed. "But if she's going to have a title, Sparky here says he's of equal royalty," Daniel joked.
"Of course he is – he's a prince . . . and so are you," Betty said, giving Daniel a soft loving kiss, before the puppies began to lick their faces. They both laughed, pressing their foreheads together.
"Hey, can't you see I'm trying to have some private time with my girl?" Daniel teased the puppies.
"I don't think they get the concept – do you, babies? No – you guys just want all of our attention," Betty said, cuddling with both Daisy and Sparky. "So what made you decide to get this breed?" she smiled, petting both dogs.
"Well, they are the same breed an English king made famous – which I thought was fitting, since we're now in London. But I also read that they aren't extremely active dogs – and I figured that was good since we don't have a ton of time to take them to the park every day," he explained.
"Good choice – because they're the most adorable puppies I've ever seen," she grinned.
"I'm glad you're happy. Come on, let's eat before everything gets cold," Daniel suggested, kissing her temple.
"Do you have their crates? We probably shouldn't let them run around without keeping a close eye on them. Oh – and they'll need puppy food and beds and training pads and collars and treats and some chew toys -" Betty rambled.
"Baby, relax. Everything's out in the hallway – including your other gifts," he deviously smiled.
"There's more?" she says, surprised.
"What? You didn't think I'd let you show me up, did you?" he teased.
"Daniel . . . this isn't a contest. You know I wouldn't care if you got me anything, as long as I have you," Betty told him.
"Okay . . . well I'll just take these little guys back . . ." he messed with her.
"Don't you dare!" she giggled, lightly smacking him. "You and my new babies," she added, kissing the tops of the puppies' heads before putting them in their crates. "You're impossible – you knew what I meant," she grumbled, tugging him closer to her by his sweater.
"But that's why you love me," he flirted.
"I love you in spite of it," she corrected him, her hand cupping the back of his neck, pulling him down to meet her lips. "So what are these other gifts?" she asked, taking her coffee and a bagel.
"You'll see . . ." he mysteriously answered.
"You're no fun . . ." she pouted, taking a bite of her bagel. "So were you able to find a PI?" she wondered.
"Yeah, I called around and finally got ahold of Wilhelmina. I told her everything that's happened. It turns out her father knows this guy who'll start searching after New Year's," Daniel told her.
"You asked Wilhelmina Slater for help and she actually gave it to you?" Betty said, practically spitting out her mint mocha latte.
Daniel nodded.
"Of course I had to tell her it was in her best interest if we find something. And she proceeded to tell me I was a 'damn idiot for believing that delusional, run-of-the-mill fiancée of mine', but she said it was my money to 'throw in the incinerator' and gave me his number," he rolled his eyes and finished his bagel.
"Well at least she didn't refer to me as hideous this time – that's a couple of steps up," Betty cracked.
"Come on, Betty. You know how shallow she is. Besides you're far from average – you're gorgeous," he reminded her.
"I think you're a little biased . . . but if you believe it, that's all I need," she shyly smiled, affectionately bumping him as they sit on the bar stools.
"It's the truth," he maintained.
Even after all the time they had been together, he still managed to make her blush.
"You know I love you," she smiled.
"Always," he returned the smile, when the puppies began to whine. "I think they're tired of being cooped up," he chuckled. "Why don't you let them out, while I go get the rest of the stuff in the hallway?" he suggested, putting down his coffee.
"Okay," she agreed, letting Daisy and Sparky out of their cages. They scurried out to explore the room.
"What's that?" she asked observing the stainless steel frying pan with a red bow on it.
"It's part of your next present," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Really? 'Cause I thought maybe it was something I could use in the future – you know, in case I ever got extremely pissed at you," she teased.
"Maybe I'd better return this . . ." he laughed, grabbing it. Betty took the pan back from him.
"Nope. So . . . is it a new kitchen?" she guessed.
"Maybe . . . and maybe there's something else to go along with it . . ." he conspicuously responded.
"What?" she asked.
"You see the brand?" he pointed to the tag.
"Yeah . . ." she said
"Let's just say we're going to get private cooking lessons from a certain celebrity," he smiled.
"Rachael Ray? Shut up!" Betty excitedly shoved him. Daniel grinned.
"Yeah, turns out she wants to do a few episodes in London and I got her to give us some lessons while she's here . . . Of course, there is one tiny catch – nah – you probably won't go for it . . ." he dismissed.
"What? What's the catch? Come on, Daniel – tell me!" she started poking him for an answer.
"Ow! Okay – we have to make a guest appearance on one of her episodes," he couldn't contain his smile any longer.
"She wants us on her show? SHUT UP!" she squealed, jumping up and down, then jumping on him.
"That's the reaction I was waiting for!" Daniel chuckled.
"Really? Are you sure it wasn't this one?" she said, giving him a kiss that left him completely breathless.
"Th-that was even better," he stuttered.
"Thank you," she grinned.
"You're welcome, baby. I just hope your father doesn't kill me – you know, since this is his thing," Daniel worried.
"Oh, he'll be glad to foist me off on someone else. He gave up on me being a successful cook a long time ago," she laughed.
He chuckled.
"You know, there's a whole set of cookware out there – think it's safe to bring it in, now?" he joked.
"Daniel?" she asked, slightly perturbed.
"Yeah?" he asked, feigning innocence.
"Shut up," she smiled, kissing him again before the two puppies demanded their attention once more.