Chapter 26

Daniel returned sporting an old Harvard sweatpants and white woolen knit sweater combo, and found some extras that he hoped would fit Betty, and although they were a little snug in some places (which he didn't mind one bit) she was happy to have some warm clothes again. They stayed by the fire for about another hour cuddling on the couch listening to the music, talking quite comfortably about trivial things and laughing together when Daniel noticed Betty was beginning to nod off once again, leaning into his shoulder. By then they had let the fire die out, so the room was beginning to get a drafty chill again. He gently reached forward for the remote to turn off the speakers on the coffee table and managed to do so without disturbing her too much. He looked back at her with her mouth slightly open as the tiniest beginning of a snore escaped her and tried to suppress his giggle. He realized how tired he was as well, and decided on his next move. He would have to carry her upstairs. It wasn't a question of if he could carry her, but rather could he do it without waking her up? He slipped out from underneath her weight as gently as he could and stood up in front of her between the couch and the coffee table and then bent down to pick her up, sliding his arm underneath her knees and supporting her shoulders with his other while leaning her into him. She gave a small jolt as she woke up enough to realize she was being moved, but simply smiled up at him when she figured out what was going on and wrapped her arms around his neck. He couldn't help smiling down at her, finding her adorable when she was like this. He liked this tired Betty much more than when she was stressed and became grouchy.

He looked around a little to make sure the pathway was clear, and started making his way slowly around the furniture towards the door. Thankfully he remembered to grab socks for them earlier, remembering how cold the floors were when he left the first time and gave himself a mental pat on the back at this moment as he stepped into the hallway, although he didn't account for how slippery socks could be on a marble surface and focused on his steps. Finally he reached the foyer again and began to climb the stairs, one at a time. When he reached the top he had to readjust her so that her head wasn't hanging back but against him, and headed towards his old bedroom. He giggled to himself thinking it made him feel like a teenager again, sneaking a girl into his bedroom without anyone finding out. He managed to fumble around with the doorknob and eventually opened it, wincing at the creaking the colossal wooden door made. With one eye open he looked down at her hoping it hadn't been too loud and she mumbled something and snuggled into him a little more. He walked over to the bed and laid her down gently, and slowly took her glasses off and placed them on the nightstand, then pulled the covers over her while he took a moment to look at her, brushed the hair out her face, and placed a kiss to her forehead before he went around the opposite side of the bed. He climbed in and snuggled up behind her, pulling her in close and wrapping his arm around her waist, kissing her once more on the temple, then let his eyes close as the sound of the wind and snowfall just outside the French doors leading onto a balcony and the warmth of her lulled him to sleep, hoping beyond hope that when he awoke it wouldn't all turn out to be a dream.

xxx

Sunbeams streamed in through the curtains of the French doors, promising that today might turn out to be much more pleasant weather wise as the winter storm had dissipated in the early hours just before dawn. Betty woke first and momentarily didn't know where she was, not recognizing the room, but looking beside her she found Daniel sleeping soundly as he still had his arm wrapped around her but their legs were overlapped and she found him to be adorable as his mouth was wide open and she could detect faint snores as well. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek then looked around the room more, seeing her glasses to the side. She put them on and began to take in the room, noticing old pictures of a very young Daniel Meade with various friends and family. Sports memorabilia was splattered across portions of the wall, and over in the corner she could see a desk with books piled up and an old cork board with notes, pictures, and various sentimental collectibles pinned to it. This was definitely Daniel Meade's childhood bedroom and she couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. She had never been here, and she certainly had never seen this room. She stifled a laugh as she remembered that night Daniel had gotten horribly drunk that one Thanksgiving and she put him up in her room so she could keep an eye on him, 'Little Mermaid' bedding and all, and wondered if at that point either of them could have imagined being here now. She knew they couldn't and wouldn't have then, but was pleasantly content with the turn of events now.

She got out of bed slowly, carefully detangling their legs and slipped a little as she landed, but saved herself and started walking around in search of the bathroom. First she accidentally opened a closet and fought the urge to rifle through it, but found it on the second try. She looked around the room and began to think that a shower sounded nice, but groaned at remembering that her bag was in another room and they hadn't made it to the point of him showing her to it, although things had turned out much more pleasantly. Still, she didn't have her bag and didn't have a clue which room it would be in. When she walked back out she saw Daniel standing by the French doors, pulling back on the curtains with a furrow to his brow.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully, sounding much more like her old self and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. He turned to engulf her in a hug and kissed the top of her head

"Good morning." He said sounding very pleased.

"What were you looking at?" she ventured to ask, looking towards the doors but the curtains blocked the view to the outside once more.

"The snow. I think we got a lot more than we thought we would. Look." He pulled back the curtain and showed her the view of the balcony. Any furniture that was out there was invisible under what looked like a mountain of snow piled on top of it, engulfing the whole area in at least a foot of snow if not more, more being most likely. Icicles hung off the railings and doorways giving it an almost picturesque look, but as pretty as it was this wasn't necessarily a good thing and Daniel had been standing there looking at it wondering for the first and only time if coming here had been a good idea, so far away from her family and the hospital. If they could get out, how far would they even be able to go?

"Oh, wow. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's beautiful! But this could be bad!" she vocalized his thoughts exactly.

"Maybe it isn't as bad as we think? Looks like you finally got your blizzard!" he said in a hopeful tone trying to keep the mood light.

She scrunched her nose, but smiled at his memory of their meeting on the Brooklyn Bridge after a night of snails, pizza, and karaoke. As much as she loved this time with Daniel, she still wanted to be with her family and to see her father. Her brow furrowed at that thought.

"We'll figure out how to get back to the hospital, even if it takes a little longer than we would like." He reassured her. She nodded. At least he seemed to understand. It did make her feel a little better about the situation. Plus what if she hadn't come with him? She would have been up all night overthinking about him on top of everything else, and honestly these few precious hours of sleep she had been able to get in a real bed, being held by him? Well, it was the best sleep she'd been able to get in months.

"I know we will. First though, do you know where my bag is? I'd like to take a shower, if that's alright?"

"Yeah! Of course, I'll go get it. Why don't you go ahead in and I'll set something out?"

"Sounds good!" she patted him on the shoulder is appreciation. She turned around and started heading away but turned back to look at him with a questioning look, causing him to raise his eyebrow in response. "Maybe you could join me?" she smiled flirtatiously at him and he could only look back with a bit of shock but mostly awe at her.

"Sounds good." He said, with a low tone that sent shivers down her spine. This would be a good morning.

After a lovely shower that actually did have more to do with washing up than other activities, such as Daniel tenderly washing her hair, they were rather warm so Daniel opted for boxers and his robe which he wore open, (really the boxers were only for modesty's sake not to mention the house still had a definite chill in the air), while Betty slipped into her new silk one she found at Mode. They also discovered they were quite hungry and decided to go see what they could find in the kitchen.

Daniel started a pot of coffee for the two of them and searched for something to make. The fridge didn't offer much but he hoped the cupboard would have something they could eat. He found some oatmeal and looked over to the basket of fruit on the island. It would have to do. Betty agreed and poured a couple mugs of coffee for them, knowing exactly how he liked it after all this time, and handed it to him as he leaned back against the counter while the oatmeal cooked. After it was ready he brought down two bowls and they each picked which toppings they would like on it, and he cut up some apple slices to share. They took their food over to the small table in the corner next to a large window and walnut hutch holding some fine china inside and looked out over the lawn shining in the morning light. Daniel reached over to the newspaper placed there for him by Ernest. It had already been read once but he didn't mind and started thumbing through the pages as Betty scooted her chair over and rested her legs on top of his lap as she leaned back happily eating and watching the snow birds try to forage for food. She could see a few birdhouses off by the tree line and watched as they darted back and forth from foliage to their potential food. Daniel idly rubbed circles on her legs, running his hand up and down. They looked content and perfectly comfortable with one another. They were definitely in the afterglow period, but something about this felt so right, as if this could become a new routine.

They looked at one another and smiled, again not needing words to express what the other was thinking or feeling. Before she knew it Betty was even closer and the two were sharing another tender kiss across the breakfast table. Too lost in their own bubble, they didn't notice the commotion down in the foyer, or the footsteps and shouts as someone came barreling down the hallway towards the kitchen. They were only shocked out of their shared moment when Betty could hear Bobby's voice shouting loudly

"Oh no, not this again! Why am I always walking in on people kissing? I'm starting to feel like Ignacio. Maybe I should be wearing a bell. You guys really didn't hear me coming? How big is this place anyway?" He stood there smiling at the two and Betty had quickly moved away from Daniel straightening her robe and glasses, while Daniel quickly tied his robe closed and sheepishly looked up at Bobby who had walked over to them grabbing an apple slice off the plate and popping it in his mouth smirking while he looked back and forth between them.

"I'm so sorry, sir! I tried to stop him. He says he knows you." Ernest said meekly.

"Hey man! It's fine, Ernest! This is Bobby, Betty's brother in law." Daniel explained, smiling at the older man who seemed relieved. "Thank you." Daniel said kindly, dismissing him from the room.

"Bobby! What are you doing here/" Betty asked, quite flustered.

"Hilda sent me! She was afraid with the snow that you might not be able to make it in one of those town cars so she sent me with the truck. She's been calling you." He tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I haven't checked my phone yet this morning." She tried to suppress her blush, she had left it in her bag while they showered and never thought to check it. She wasn't angry with herself, but did feel guilty that she never thought of it.

"I can tell." He joked in return, and shot Daniel a knowing look and winked at him.

"Well, then I guess we should get dressed." Daniel managed to say without bursting into laughter. He stood up and collected their dishes to place them in the sink. Mainly it was to cover his big grin and try to contain his giggling. This was pretty funny, he thought. It wasn't like her dad had walked in on them. He might have been embarrassed then, but with Bobby? No, this was just funny to him.

"Yeah, that would be good." Bobby said. Betty couldn't say anything. She wasn't necessarily embarrassed, she just didn't expect to be seen like this with him, especially when things were very new, and by Bobby no less! She would be able to laugh about it later, but right now she was simply flustered. She tried not to, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed at her sister. She's the one who encouraged her last night, and then she sends Bobby in? This was definitely a planned move. Hilda wanted intel. Bobby can't keep a secret with her.

A little while later Daniel is back downstairs grabbing their coats, and went to meet Bobby in the foyer while they waited for Betty to come down. He had opted for comfort again so simply put on a pair of jeans and another dark wine colored knit sweater.

"Hey thanks for picking us up man. It's actually not a bad idea."

"Oh, it's no problem, really." Bobby assured him, then took on a more quiet manner looking at Daniel. "Besides, and never tell anyone I said this, every now and again it's nice to get some space. I mean I love them, but right now Hilda's crawling up the wall with worry and I just needed some breathing room." He admitted. The two got along well, though they didn't really know each other. They felt like they could trust one another, and could definitely relate both being so close to the Suarez family.

"I can imagine." Daniel smirked, thinking back to some of those late nights in London, Betty worrying about the Magazine launch, everything really.

Bobby leaned in and almost whispered to him while nudging his arm "Looks, like you finally got that promotion, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe. I mean…" Daniel paused, not sure if he should say more, but he looked at Bobby who seemed interested in what he had to say and he felt like he could talk to him. Bobby really was a good guy, Hilda was so lucky to have found him again, Daniel thought. He wanted what they had. "I mean don't get me wrong this is great! I've wanted this for a long time now, but this is so new that I'm not sure what it all means, and I really don't want to screw this up. Plus we have our jobs to consider. I mean she's my boss! It isn't exactly a professional relationship now, so I can't really keep working as her assistant. If this would ever get out, it could really mess some things up. This isn't Mode. So if she really does promote me now, it will look like favoritism, or worse. And if I ask for one, it will look like I manipulated her or even blackmail. I would never do that, but that's how it could look! She's worked too hard to let something like this derail everything she's accomplished. I could never forgive myself! I…" he looked over to Bobby who was looking at him with a face that said 'you're over thinking this'.

"Look, I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but you guys can figure this out. I don't know what the rules are like over there, but there's got to be a solution. Besides, you love her don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." Daniel said softly.

"And she loves you." He said it more like a statement than a question. "That's all you really need to know for now, right?" he patted him on the back of his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. It did actually help. Daniel had made some friends in England, but he had been missing this kind of men's talk. He didn't seem to have that with any of his new friends, them being more like acquaintances than true friends. Bobby already felt like a brother, if he dared to let himself hope that far into the future.

"I guess you're right." Daniel agreed, feeling a little better after getting all of that off of his chest.

"And hey, who says you have to say anything right now? I mean as far as anyone knows, you two came here to work last night, right? Nobody else needs to know until you guys are ready. I won't say anything to Hilda if you promise not to either." Bobby offered. Daniel thought about it for a second, and although he was pretty sure Bobby would still end up telling Hilda, it would at least delay it and give them a chance to figure out how they were going to start telling people. He needed to talk to Betty first before anything else.

"Thanks, and don't worry, you're secret is safe with me." He winked back at Bobby and the two shared a deep belly chuckle. "Thanks" Bobby replied still smiling ear to ear.

"Hilda! I already told you, Bobby is fine! I can see him! He's standing right here in front of me!" Betty was walking down the stairs with the phone held to her ear. She was trying to calm her down, but was failing miserably. Hilda was convinced Bobby must have crashed or froze to death on his way over since it took so long to hear anything from them. "Yes he's in one piece! Hilda. Hilda. Hilda! Here, talk to your wife." Betty handed Bobby the phone and Bobby started trying to reassure her that he was fine and told her to stop freaking out. They would be on their way soon.

Betty looked to Daniel who was watching her with a bemused smile spread across his lips. He held out her coat and helped her put it on, and he brushed the hair out from beneath the collar. While Bobby's back was turned he snuck in a quick kiss as she turned around to face him again and brought her hand up his lips to kiss her knuckles. "You look great." He said so that only she could hear. She was wearing one of the dresses she had picked out, but added a sweater she had found in Daniel's closet and had some of her more classically Betty high socks on. She wasn't going to take the chance at freezing her legs off if they did manage to get stuck on their way back to Queens, or if they ended up walking any part of the journey.

"Thank you. So do you." He eyed him up and down in approval and winked when she looked back up at him, causing him to giggle again. She loved that sound. It made him seem much younger when he did, and she had discovered that as enthusiastic as he was about this new dynamic and as confident as he was in that department, when she flirted with him it was like he couldn't believe it and he became the shy one, acting like a school girl who just received a compliment from her crush. She had never imagined she would be able to do that to him, but she could and she relished this newfound power of hers.

Once Bobby managed to get off the phone he handed it back to Betty and asked if they were ready to go, they nodded and headed out the door. They climbed in the truck and Daniel helped Betty climb up as she was just a little too short to manage the task all on her own, much to her chagrin. Betty sat up front with Bobby and Daniel was in the back seat as they headed towards the hospital, looking out the windows and thinking how beautiful the snow made everything seem. Or at least Betty was watching the scenery, Daniel mainly watched her, smiling the whole way.

Well my darlings, it isn't much but I have the next couple chapters planned. I'm debating on just how much drama I want to add into the mix and am deciding which route I would like to go to get there. What did you think? Read and review is essential! Feedback is much appreciated. I know not much happened plot wise in this chapter, but I like writing these smaller moments between them. I hope you do too. Mwah! xXxXx Oh, and Happy New Year!