Thanks so much for all of the reviews! :) It took me a little longer to write this chapter, but it's finally finished . . .

P.S. For those of you wondering about "Analysis of a Budding Romance", I apologize for not updating it in a while. It's been hard for me to juggle multiple long-term fics recently. I promise I will start writing on it again once I finish this story. (Probably in 2-3 weeks to be safe, but maybe sooner.) I'm glad you're still interested in it! :)

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Daniel sat in his ratty old robe leftover from college and absently stared at the TV, unable to make a decision. According to Marc, who kept harassing him and sending him evil texts, Betty was leaving in two days. Should he apologize to her and beg her to take him back or should he let her go home to London? He loved her – more than anything, he knew that now. But he wasn't sure he was what she really needed. He was still a little over a year behind when it came to catching up with the rest of the world. And he had no clue of what their romantic relationship had been like. How could he expect Betty to spend the rest of her life with him, if he couldn't remember their life together? How could he ever explain to his child that he didn't know when he fell in love with his or her mother? Although not being in his child's life at all was worse, wasn't it? And this was all based on if Betty would forgive him at all. She had done it so many times in the past, but this was the worst – at least that he could recall. He had no clue what was the right thing to do . . .

"Losing your memory is no excuse for being a total prick," Alexis entered their mother's living room.

"I hope DJ doesn't hear all the crap that comes out of your mouth," Daniel retorted, changing the subject.

"And I hope Mom doesn't put up with all the crap that's on her floor," she fired back, gazing at the disarray of wrappers, pizza boxes, containers of Chinese, and bits of chips and cookies around him in disgust.

"Stella's coming in about twenty minutes – she'll take care of it," he replied, nonchalantly.

"If I were Stella, I'd quit," Alexis said, slamming her Burberry weekend bag on the only empty spot on the floor.

Daniel snorted.

"And for your information, DJ's staying with a friend this weekend. You're sounding like Dad, already. So why don't you get off your scrawny, mopey, lazy ass and talk to the mother of your child?" she glared at her younger brother.

"Maybe because she's better off without me," he replied, flipping the channel on the 60" flat panel in attempt to avoid the conversation.

"Bullshit," Alexis argued, snatching the remote and turning the TV off. "You're afraid of rejection. There's a chance Betty will turn you down and you're not man enough to risk it. You don't have the balls to convince her you're in it for the long haul. Jesus, Danny – grow a pair!"

"Shut up, Alex! Since when have you ever known a damn thing about relationships?" Daniel scoffed.

"I never said I did . . . Our family's not the best example – look at Mom and Dad. They only managed to get it right again when Dad was dying. And I've haven't had a relationship that's lasted more than three months – neither had you. But don't you see what you have now?" she pointed out.

He ran his hand over his unshaven face and in his unwashed, disheveled hair, preparing for another lecture.

"Daniel, you've found someone who is smart and funny and is willing to accept you for who you are. Do you have any idea how much I'd kill for that? Betty has supported you through every milestone and every skeleton that came out of your closet within the past five years. She really loves you. I was skeptical of you two at the beginning, but not because of Betty. I thought you were too shallow to appreciate someone like that. You proved me wrong," she told him.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I can't remember – I can't be this 'new Daniel' she married . . . I don't know all the moments we shared as a couple . . . I don't know our life in London . . . I don't even know when I fell in love with her the first time. How am I supposed to compete with my past? How can I be the perfect husband and father?" Daniel worried.

"You don't. You be the best that you can be right now - that's all you can do. And if Betty knows you as well as I think she does, she realized a looong time ago that you're far from perfect –" Alexis smirked.

Daniel scowled.

"But I doubt she cares. She just wants you to be there, Danny – not out of guilt or obligation, but because you want to be. And I know, deep down, you do. The ball's in your court, little brother. Don't screw this up," she advised, swatting him on the back of the head before going to the kitchen.

"And take a shower - you smell like a freakin' jock strap!" she yelled.

Daniel rolled his eyes and slumped back in his seat. Cheeto and Kung Pao-stained shirt or not, he was unwilling to give Alexis the satisfaction of obeying her command – at least until after she left.

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Six days, twenty-two hours, and forty-seven minutes had gone by since Betty and Daniel had had their blow-up in the park. Counting time was something she had picked up while staying at the hospital. It wasn't the greatest habit to acquire – especially when what you were waiting for never came.

No calls, no texts, no emails, no visits from Daniel - only a random stranger from a delivery service to drop off her belongings. He could have been hit by a bus or lying in an alley and she wouldn't have known – well, not personally anyway. She was sure that Suzuki, Perez, and TMZ would announce it to the entire world if it happened, but that was beside the point.

Betty realized she was also at fault, and was perfectly capable of contacting him, but what would the point be? It was time to face the facts: Daniel had no desire to be a part of her life anymore. He didn't love her and his memory of their relationship wasn't coming back. She needed to pick up the pieces and go back to London, be strong for her child – the only true piece of Daniel she had left.

Of course, that city wasn't free of reminders either; it was full of them. Their house, their flat, Daisy and Sparky, all of his clothes and cologne, even his shampoo. Going back to BAM wouldn't be the same either. The only comfort was knowing she would have the opportunity to move on without bumping into him and his new fling one day. The mere thought of it made her cringe in disgust. However, it was bound to happen if she stayed in New York long enough. Nope. London, while painful, would be far more tolerable in that respect.

She padded into the kitchen to search for something to eat, when there was a knock at the door. Her family had gone out for lunch and a movie, but she told them that she needed to pack. Truthfully, she didn't feel like faking smiles and getting excited over a gut-wrenching plot when she still had her own drama looming over her head. She opened up the door, assuming they were back and didn't feel like searching for their keys, when she saw nothing but a large stuffed dog, jean-clad male legs and black Chuck Taylors.

"Shouldn't you be anywhere else?" she retorted, snatching the plush dog from him.

"Why would you say that?" Daniel asked, half-surprised she wasn't jumping into his arms, the other half knowing she had every right to be insanely pissed at his lackluster attempt to make things right again.

Betty rolled her eyes.

"Given that you returned my IPad and phone via courier, I assumed you had no intentions of having anything to do with me," she replied.

"I wanted to give you some space . . . I think we both needed it," he explained.

"If you came here to ask for an annulment, I'm already looking into it," Betty coldly stated, leaving the door open but not inviting him in.

Daniel's face fell. He wasn't expecting her to cut all ties with him so fast. But he could tell from her eyes, there was more to it than she was letting on.

She plopped the stuffed animal on the floor and walked into the living room.

"Is that want you want?" he carefully asked, following her.

"God, Daniel! You don't know me at all! I never wanted any of this!" she snapped.

"Then what is it – what do you want, Betty? I'm not a mind-reader!" Daniel shouted in frustration.

"I want you, okay!" Betty admitted. "You're all I've ever wanted," her voice quieted.

Daniel reached his hand out to touch her, but Betty instantly resisted.

"Don't! I don't need your damn sympathy! And I don't need you to 'try'! This clearly isn't working and we both need to face it. You aren't ready to have a wife and child, and I can't stay here forever on the chance that you will someday," she told him, attempting to maintain her composure.

"Betty, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't make up for anything I did – or didn't do - but I am. I was an idiot and selfish and insensitive – a complete and total jackass . . . I shouldn't have said those things, but I freaked out. I've been overwhelmed with so many changes since I got out of the coma and that was my breaking point. But I realized something while we've been apart . . . I-I love you and I don't want to lose you," Daniel confessed.

"Don't say that! You don't mean it – not the way I need you to. Just go, Daniel! You'll be free to get on with the life you really want," Betty insisted, pushing him toward the door.

"No! My life means nothing without you in it, Betty. I'm not leaving!" he stood his ground.

"Get out, Daniel!" she yelled, shoving him further into the entry. "You're just saying what you think I want to hear – not how you really feel,"

Daniel grabbed ahold of her arms, not tight enough to hurt her but enough to keep her from throwing him out.

"That's not true. Honest, Betty. I love you," he adamantly conveyed.

Betty struggled to free herself.

"Let me go!" she half-heartedly protested, tears of frustration trickling down her face.

He didn't back down; determination set in his eyes.

"I love your persistence . . . I love your beauty . . . I love your intelligence . . . I love the way you care for your family . . . I love how you drive me crazy – both literally and figuratively . . . I love that I could stare into your beautiful brown eyes forever . . . that I could spend hours with you and never say a word, but it'd never feel awkward . . . I love how when we kiss I get so lost in that moment I forget everything else – I know that's probably not something a guy should admit, but it's true. You're the only woman who's done that to me," he confessed.

With every admission, he felt her stiffened body gradually relax against him as her resistance slowly diminished.

"Daniel, please don't," she begged.

Her heart was giving in, but her mind continued to fight him – refusing to allow herself to be hurt once more. He began to kiss away the tears that ran down her cheeks, his voice softer, gentler as he spoke.

"I love how you always stand by me no matter how badly I screw up . . . I'm kinda hoping you'll keep doing that right now . . . I know I didn't act that way before, but the more I thought about it the more I love that there's a tiny life growing inside of you that we created . . . I couldn't think of a better mother for my child than you. I love you, Betty. Please tell me you'll give me another chance, and I promise I won't let you down," Daniel desperately groveled.

Betty silently contemplated her decision. Here was the man she loved, standing vulnerably before her, asking her to forgive him. Despite all of her fears and all of her reservations, it was impossible for her to turn him away. She believed he was sincere and that his intentions were true. It was all she needed from him at that moment.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Ok?" he perked up, not quite sure he had heard her correctly.

She nodded.

Daniel grinned and held Betty close. He'd never been so grateful in his life for all of the simple things he'd once taken for granted. As he pulled back, he cradled her face in his hands, his thumbs lightly brushing against her cheeks. He closed the remaining space between them, drawing his lips to hers in a slow, ardent kiss. Their foreheads met as they caught their breath, both experiencing a sense of relief.

"I will admit it's funny that I fathered a child and I don't even remember how it happened – well I know how, but –I mean, I don't remember what it was like with us -" he mused.

Betty put a finger to his lips and slyly smiled.

"I think I know of a way we can fix that . . ." she flirted.

"Really?" he playfully smirked.

"Mmm-hmm," she said, shutting the front door and leading him upstairs.

They stumbled into her bedroom, ripping each other's clothes off in a desperate need. But even as Daniel slammed her against the door, his hands and lips in places that made her lose all train of thought, she somehow managed to lock it. The last thing she needed was for her family to walk in on them.

Betty pulled his t-shirt off and ran her fingers over his bare, muscular chest, nostalgic about how long it had been since she was able to be this close with him. She gently caressed his scar, the memory of the shooting still leaving physical and mental marks on him. But she smiled, knowing they were truly getting past it. She earnestly captured his lips, thankful he was there and alive. When they parted to breathe, his eyes met hers as if he knew what she was thinking.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too," she smiled, kissing him again.

After removing her last article of clothing, Daniel stopped and stared at her in awe.

"What?" she asked, perplexed, and a little apprehensive, realizing it was the first time he'd remembered seeing her naked.

Maybe he didn't feel the same . . . maybe his mind hadn't gotten to the point where he could see past the models and their stick-figured bodies . . . Fortunately, he proceeded to ease her fears.

"You. You're so beautiful . . . so perfect – I can't believe you're mine," he admired her, then looked down at her slightly swollen belly, lovingly bringing his hands over the round bump and softly placing his lips on it. "Or this baby,"

Betty beamed, tears of joy in her eyes as she lifted his chin back up to face her. He kissed her with a loving passion that soon turned heated. She seductively toyed with the band of his boxers, slowly sliding them down as she ran her hands over his ass, before crawling onto the bed. Daniel followed without any more encouragement needed, leaving no inch of her body unattended.

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"All these years, I think I've been doing it wrong . . . because that was amazing!" Daniel kissed her temple as they lay in her old bed.

"I bet you use that line with all the girls," she giggled.

"Nope - just you. I'm serious, Betty. This must be what it's like when you're with someone you're truly in love with, because I've never felt so connected . . . so in sync with anyone else," he said, brushing a lock of hair away from her face.

"Me neither. I missed this . . . I missed you so much . . . I thought I'd lost you," she said, pulling him against her, kissing the space between his neck and shoulder.

Daniel hesitated a little.

"Betty . . . I'm not the same guy you married. Most of the memories are gone – I might never gain them back. If you have any regrets, tell me – I'll understand if you want out. I can't guarantee that that Daniel – your Daniel - will be found again," he delicately warned her.

"Baby, you are my Daniel – memory or no memory. We can make new ones," she assured him as she took his hand. "I promised to love you for better and for worse and I do. As long as I know that you love me and will stand by me, we can get through anything. But you can't freak out on me again – not like that. I can't afford to go through an unstable relationship when a child is at stake. So you have to promise me you're in this for real. And if you ever have doubts – talk to me. Because, most of the time, I'm just as scared as you are,"

"I promise," he vowed. "And I think it's probably time to go home,"

Betty curiously looked at him.

"You mean your mother's?" she assumed.

"No, London. Maybe going there will stir up some memories for me. Regardless, I swore to myself the night of your party that I wouldn't hold you back from your dreams. I've already broken it by keeping you here for almost two months. It's time to start our life together – or go back to it or – never mind –" Daniel explained.

"Did you just mention my party? So you remember? Wait – how could you remember it – you never even showed up?" she said, confused.

"I guess I do . . . I was there – you just didn't see me. I remember hiding in the conference room and watching you through the glass doors. You were so happy and excited, dancing with everyone; you didn't seem to notice me. I couldn't ruin it for you, so I left . . . went to that pizza joint we ate at that one night and sang really drunk karaoke until they threw me out," he recalled.

"You never told me that before," she looked at him adoringly.

"It wasn't one of the finest moments in my life," he shrugged, sheepishly. "But I'm sure I've had worse,"

"Yeah . . ." she teased.

"Hey – what happened to comforting me?" he protested.

Betty giggled.

"Sorry – you asked . . ." she smirked. "So, remembering that moment . . . did you realize you were in love with me yet or were you in denial?"

Daniel paused in thought, trying to assess that point in time. While looking back, he began to remember so many more things without any effort – her asking him to Hilda's wedding, jealousy over Henry, his revelation during Hilda's speech, dancing with her, their first kiss in the rain, burning his hand on her release form . . . everything flooded back into his mind at warp speed. He shot up, a shocked look on his face.

"I-I remember – everything before London . . . I think it's back," he felt a gigantic grin form on his face.

"Are you serious? Daniel, this is incredible!" Betty exclaimed, giving him one of her signature hugs.

"I don't know why it happened just now, but I think maybe feeling the weight and guilt of trying to remember lifted off of me had something to do with it. Truly believing I didn't have to prove anything to you – that you would love me either way – took the pressure away. And maybe going to London will trigger more memories. It's only a theory, but it could work. Regardless, we have responsibilities there, a baby to get ready for, and two dogs who I don't remember meeting . . . it's time," he decided.

"I never said it, but I'm sorry. I never meant to put pressure on you – I tried not to. But I guess I didn't try hard enough. I should have given you more space . . . time alone to figure things out . . . but I was afraid of losing you. And I told you too soon about the baby. I thought we had grown close enough for you to handle it. Obviously it was too much at once. When you flipped out, I should have been more understanding and not have taken it so personally. But instead, I pushed you away and almost out of my life. If you hadn't shown up today . . ." she trailed off.

"Hey . . . don't even think about that. We're not perfect, babe – we've both made mistakes. The important thing is that we're here now, and I plan on staying with you 'til we're old and gray," he assured her.

"Me, too," she sighed contentedly, snuggling close to him, genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.