Think of The Firefly

Hi guys! Thanks for your reviews! I truly appreciate them! THANK YOU! :) ok, so this chapter, I would say, is probably the most important chapter in the entire story. This is the one time you will get inside Betty's head for a while. I really had no intention of having Betty's thoughts in this chapter, so you should be happy...because things will become very... let's just say, unexpected. lol and you will need this chapter to understand.

Hope you enjoy it! :)

For entertainment only! :P

Chapter 25

A Touch of MODE

Week 2, day 1 of Daniel being in Tucson

Betty was at home fiddling with the pen in her hand. She watched how the pen wove through her fingers as she played with it. Every now and then she started chewing on the pen cap. She looked up at her laptop screen and stared at it for a few moments. She stayed in this morning trying to clear her mind and focus. Right now, she couldn't focus. Her mind was racing. And she tried with everything in her not to go where her mind always went. She needed this time away from everyone, especially a certain someone, who she chose to blur out at the moment. She sighed. Not helping. And probably wasn't helping at all that she was looking at a picture of that someone at a certain moment in the past that she chose to forget. She couldn't help it, though. She smiled looking at that picture. She didn't know who even took that picture. She wanted to thank and punch whoever took that picture. It was because of that picture she wondered if she made the right decision about being here. And it was because of that picture, that she started to think of him differently. Well, not solely because of that picture; it just so happened that there was photographic evidence of what she chose to ignore.

She sighed. She missed MODE. If someone told her two years ago that she would miss MODE when she was gone she probably would have laughed at them. Especially the first week she worked there. Everyone was so mean, and rude, and superficial, including Daniel, but now she loved them all. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss them. She missed Marc and Amanda teasing her and making fun of her clothes. She missed wondering what Wilhelmina had planned up her sleeve next. She missed Christina being there when she needed advice. Major advice! She missed getting Daniel his coffee and bagel. Something so simple, yet fulfilling somehow. She missed being there. She dared glance up at her computer screen again. Just as her eyes were about to make contact, she moved her finger along the pad to quickly make it go away and return to normal screen. She let out a breath and leaned back in her chair. She saw the wallpaper on her computer and smiled. It was the one time Marc and Amanda were semi-nice to her. It was right before she left. They snuck up on her and forcing a MODIE to snap a picture of the three of them. Of course Marc and Amanda pretended that she just so happened to get in the middle of the picture when they were taking it. She missed them. She picked up her phone...

"Hello, MODE Magazine, how can I direct your call?" the voice on the other end said.

"Amanda! Hi, it's Betty!" Betty said cheerily.

"Betty! My Mexican MODIE!" Amanda said excitedly. Then she frantically apologized "I'm so sorry that I blabbed to Daniel. I felt so bad. It's just I was kind of um… I will deny this if you ever bring it up…but I was sad that you were leaving and Daniel said he was really happy for you when you were walking on the stage for the fashion show, and I got upset and told him. I don't know, Betty. I'm so sorry. I hope you don't hate me." Betty sat on the other end of the phone shocked at Amanda's confession.

"Umm…wow, Amanda. It's ok, though. I forgive you. I mean, everything turned out for the best." Amanda connected Betty to video chat on her computer. Betty accepted the session happily. She saw Amanda's beautiful face grace her screen. She missed her. Amanda waved at the screen continuing to talk. "I don't know about that, Betty, but if everything is good on your end then I guess."

"What do you mean, Amanda?"

"Well Daniel…He's been gone for a week now. Alexis wouldn't tell us where he went. She said he was on some vacation. I wonder where he is" Amanda said looking at her nails and taking a sip of her wine.

"Actually, he's uh…he's here." Amanda spit out her wine, her eyes getting big in surprise "What? Daniel's there?" She paused for a moment, and then had a thought "oo, Betty, that hunk of man candy wants you." She gave the screen a flirting wink.

"WHAT? Amanda, what are you talking about?" Betty laughed in shock "Daniel is just visiting me."

"Uh-huh, sure Betty... You can tell yourself that all you want, but we all saw him here at MODE moping around the whole first week you were gone."

"Well, we are friends." That was a legitimate reason for a friend to be upset that another friend was moving to another state.

"Ya, ya, whatever... You two are ridiculous. Anyways, I miss you, Betty. It's kind of quiet here after you left. Marc and I miss picking on you." She said nostalgically, still with a hint of sarcasm.

"Gee, thanks."

"You always brought a smile and laugh to our faces." Betty rolled her eyes. "Speaking of Marc, where is he?" Betty asked. Marc ended up right next to Amanda. "Betty!"

"Hi Marc! Did you get that picture I sent you?"

"Oh my God! I died laughing! I can't believe you saw that. I showed it to Willi and she smacked it out of my hand." He started laughing.

Betty laughed. "I knew you would enjoy that. I still have the pineapple. I'm afraid to eat it." Betty laughed making Marc and Amanda laugh. They looked at the screen for a moment. Betty smiled. "I miss you guys, too."

"Who said anything about missing you?" Marc said looking at the camera with a telling smile. Betty just smiled. "I just know."

"So, did you and Daniel get married yet?" Marc asked randomly.

"WHAT?" Betty asked shocked. "Oh come on, we all know that Daniel left to see you. Alexis tried to say he went on 'vacation', oh please. Interesting time to take a vacation don't you think?" Marc said sitting in the chair next to Amanda.

"Ugh, guys, we're just...friends. He's just visiting me." She looked down and then back at the screen.

"Mhhmm" they both said. "She's totally in denial" Amanda said looking at Marc. "Daniel couldn't be more obvious." He said looking to Amanda. "Do you know I saw him at his desk looking like hell the day after Betty left?"

"Oo how do you think he'll propose to her?" Amanda said looking at Marc. If Betty wasn't sitting in her chair, she probably would have fallen to the floor from the shock of what Amanda said. "Aw and they'll make cute babies..." Betty was sitting there mouth agape in complete shock of what they were saying. "...with Daniel's eyes and Betty's skin."

"Let's pray to God they don't have her hideous teeth." Marc added. If Betty's eyes got any bigger she would probably be able to see God himself.

"GUYS! I'm still here." Betty said in a slight panic.

They both looked at the camera. "Hi" and continued talking like nothing happened. Betty rolled her eyes.

How could Marc and Amanda say that she thought? Where was all that coming from? Sure, maybe she chose to ignore the way Daniel looked at her, how calm and sincere his blue eyes were, how sweet he was to her, that beautiful smile her shot her every time he looked at her, how she got butterflies every time he said something sweet to her, all the nice things that he did for her, how her heart raced whenever she stared at him too long, and how gentle his touch was on her skin, and oh God, not again; she needed to stop. She just shrugged it off to being because she was spending so much time with Daniel. Ya, ya, that's it; maybe she needed to spend less time with him...but, she just couldn't. She could probably just spend more time with Henry...when he had time. She knew better than that though. It had nothing to do with Henry...maybe at first it did. She sighed. She would give herself a week. That was when Daniel was leaving. She would be able to make her decision then. She suddenly felt saddened that he would be leaving in a week. She realized how empty it would feel to be here without him. At this point she already knew there could be nothing with Henry. There was just no connection anymore. She knew he loved her. She loved him. Of course she did, but he was just too busy with other things. She didn't blame him for any of it. Their relationship, if she really looked at it from the beginning, had no real potential to begin with.

"Hellooo, Betty!" Amanda's voice called. Betty looked up. "Where are you?" Amanda asked looking at her with her eyebrow raised in curiosity. Amanda and Marc both watched her noticing how her face turned from a smile that gradually increased in brightness to a slight frown. Marc leaned over to Amanda and whispered something. Betty heard him though, saying "I think she's thinking about Daniel."

Marc was so smart. She never understood why he followed Wilhelmina around. He probably got a kick out of being bossed around by her, though. She shook her head. "Sorry, guys, I was just thinking about work." She lied. Ugh, now, she really did need to think about work.

"Oh, I heard that Christina was making designs for some major event...in Tucson?" Marc said pryingly. "Does that have to do with you?" he asked curiously. "Yes, guys, she's helping me. It was actually all Daniel's idea to contact Christina. I didn't even think to."

Marc and Amanda both looked at each other for a second and smiled. "Betty, you know Daniel is always so sweet to you. You don't even have to tell him what you're thinking. He just somehow knows" Amanda said looking at her with a genuine smile. Betty found herself smiling despite trying to deny it. She knew that was true. She really loved that about her relationship with Daniel. She remembered when he took care of her after almost drowning. She never had to say anything. That is what made her realize how...how right...she stopped herself before she could go on that thought. "Yeah, I know" Betty replied simply.

"MARC!" Wilhelmina's voice called from the back. His eyes bugged out. He turned and saw Wilhelmina standing there with her arms folded across her chest. "Sorry, Willi" he said apologetically standing up from the chair. Wilhelmina looked at the screen. "Is that Betty?" she asked, her voice sounding somewhat...happy. Betty smiled and waved "Hi Wilhelmina"

She cleared her throat. "Things are not so colorful with you around, Suarez. This is what a fashion magazine looks like!" she tried to say to be serious, a somewhat sly smile tugging at her lips. Betty laughed. "Thanks Wilhelmina."

"Yes, yes, now I need my workers to actually work. Since you've gone, no one seems to get anything done." Betty looked at her surprised. She took that as a compliment. She didn't really know how to respond to that though. "I'm sorry. It was nice seeing you. I miss you guys. I guess I'll talk to you later." She said sadly.

"Good day, Betty" Wilhelmina walked off, glancing back with a small smile.

"Bye Betty...I miss you" Amanda said trying to keep her eyes from expressing sadness.

"I will deny this if you ever repeat it, but I miss you, too, Betty" Marc said with a smirk. Betty smiled feeling the tears in her eyes. "Me too. Bye guys" she clicked the sign-out button and felt the tears slide down. She knew she wouldn't be able to stay here. Especially, since she already knew there could be nothing more than friendship with Henry. And if Daniel left, what would she stay back for. She wasn't going to tell him that, yet. She will decide everything by the end of the week. The screensaver came on again. She smiled looking at that picture. She could just see that moment in her head again.

Betty had just had the experience of a lifetime. Betty Suarez actually became a model for a few moments. She would have never imagined that. When the show was over and almost everyone left, she saw Daniel waiting for her at the bottom of the runway. When she saw him, she smiled, and when he noticed that she was running over to him saying his name happily, he smiled brightly.

Now, looking back at that moment, Betty had a thousand butterflies. Daniel waiting for her and smiling at her like that and her running to him.

As Betty made it to the edge, Daniel had grabbed her around her waist bringing her down to the bottom and spun her around once. "I'm so happy for you, Betty. You were great up there" he said happily as he pulled away from her, his hands still around her waist.

The moment itself was purely innocent, but now, she couldn't help but feel her body tingle at the gesture.

"Thank you, Daniel. I can't believe I did that." She said in surprise at herself. "Well, you looked great, Betty." his smile was so bright and genuine, so filled with light. "Thank you" she hugged him thankfully.

There were still a few people around taking everything down and cleaning up. Marc and Amanda came over and told Betty that she actually looked like she belonged at MODE for a change. She took that as a compliment from them. Then not long after Claire came up telling Betty that she looked beautiful. Betty had thanked her for being so kind to her. Now, she remembered who took the picture. It was Claire. How did she forget that? Ugh, of course it was her. She really knew how to take a picture. Now she remembered how that picture happened. Claire had told them they made a great team. It was then that Daniel's arm was around her back and they were both looking at each other with a truly happy smile on their face in agreement. Sure it would seem as a simple happy moment between two friends, but the more Betty looked at the picture the more she could see the depth in their facial expressions and their eyes. It was that that made Betty feel butterflies. It was the way that Daniel was looking at her that made her heart race.

She smiled and shut her laptop. She leaned back in her chair fiddling with her pen again. She really needed to focus.

AN: I know I torture you guys with that picture for a while. hahah :P I think this chapter says everything you guys need to know for a while. ;D