Title: "Como Fue"
Author: pineappleminivan.
Synopsis: A year later, Daniel reflects at Christmastime. A "what-if" soon to be made an Alternate Universe by new episodes.
Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Ugly Betty, I'm just borrowing the characters.
A note about the Chapter titles: does anyone know from what song those lyrics are taken? It's probably one of my favorite songs of all time, hands down.
-------------------------------------
The next few days at work were more strained than they had ever been between Betty and Daniel. What had once been a partnership had devolved into a traditional boss-secretary dynamic.
Daniel would ask for something, and Betty complied without question.
Daniel knew that the quality of the magazine had suffered without her input. It was still good, and it was even improving as Daniel had finally gotten the hang of his job, but he knew it wasn't anywhere near how good it could be, if Betty would only offer her suggestions like she used to.
"Coffee?" Betty said, bringing in a tray. "The designers will be here in a few minutes and I took the liberty of getting some vegan snacks and organic free trade coffee."
"Oh, thanks," Daniel said, "you can just set it over there," he said, pointing at the small table in his office. Betty set the table down and walked back to her desk.
The problem with this office, Daniel thought, was the glass everywhere. It was like working in a fishbowl. It gave him the unfortunate ability to watch Betty with her unaware.
His eyes drifted from the rather boring dossier in front of him to the young woman at the desk. He saw Betty hunched in front of her computer, balancing a pencil on her fingers. She appeared listless, bored.
Daniel pressed the button on his phone. "Betty, could you come in here please?" he said.
What excuse are you going to think of this time? His brain mocked him.
"Betty," Daniel said, "you know next week is Christmas. I was wondering if you would be requesting any extra vacation time?"
You called her in here for this? His mind said, real smooth there, buddy.
Betty appeared perplexed by the question.
"Why would I need extra time off?" she asked.
"Well, with the holidays and all, I thought it was time to spend with your family, and since your father—"
"Daniel," Betty said sharply, "I would ask you to not bring that up here at the office—"
Daniel stopped himself, horrified at what he had said.
"Right, I'm sorry Betty." He picked up papers and started rifling through them; to save what little face he had left.
"That's all, thank you," he said. Betty walked back to her desk and resumed her slumped position. If anything, she looked smaller than before.
Daniel thought that Sofia had broken his heart. It wasn't the first time, but it surely had been the worst.
The worst before this moment, he thought, this has to be the worse feeling in the world. He felt sick.
He grabbed his jacket.
"I'm going out of the office for a while," he said, brushing past Betty's desk. "I'll be back before 4, so wait up."
"Right," Betty said.
-----------------------------
Daniel returned to the office and spent the rest of the day approving proofs of the magazine. They had managed to meet their deadline, and the Christmas edition of the magazine was headed to the printers on the other side of the river that evening. Daniel had let everyone go home early in reward for getting the work done before deadline.
At 6, Betty came into his office.
"Is there anything else you need before I leave?" Betty said.
Daniel jumped, startled by Betty's entrance. He had been concentrating on a large book on his desk.
"Betty," Daniel said, "I check around with some of my friends and found a lawyer that specializes in Immigration law. He's really good. I explained the situation—without using names, of course—and he said he could have your father out in days. He gave me this big book to look through, I mean, he sounds really good—" He looked at Betty, who had dropped her notebook.
"What are you doing?" Betty said, tears forming in her eyes. "What did I ever do to you?"
She ran out of the office, choking back a sob.
Daniel jumped up from his desk and went after her. Betty turned a corner and ran into the women's bathroom. Daniel hesitated only for a moment, and then followed her in there.
It seemed as if the whole building was deserted. Daniel followed the sound of her voice to one of the sinks. She gripped the edge of the counter as if holding onto the edge of the world.
"Betty," Daniel said, "I'm just trying to help—"
"Why?" Betty said, "What makes you think we even want your help?"
Daniel was silent, unable to come up with anything coherent to say.
"I mean, I don't know. I just—it's just that, well, I mean, that time Mr. Suarez was kind to me, when I was still seeing Sofia and I was hung over. Do you remember that Christmas?"
Betty didn't look at him, but shook her head.
"Yeah," she said. "I remember. But Daniel, that—that's in the past—"
"But—but I want to help," Daniel said. "I didn't realize because Sofia had me spun all around."
"No, actually she didn't" Betty said, looking at him. "You did, Daniel. You were the one that always had to be chasing somebody. You always had to be on the hunt."
"And now," she said, her voice breaking, "now you're alone for a Christmas, you're bored, or lonely, or something, and you think you can just attach yourself like a leech to my family, when—"
She stopped, and pulled her arms to her chest. Tears were falling fast down her face.
"I don't understand why you have to mess with us. Why at Christmas?" she asked.
The bathroom was silent.
"Betty, please," Daniel said, pleading. "Please let me help."
"I'm not trying to get anything out of you, and I'm not expecting a Christmas invitation. But—your father is a good man, and if I can help a good man keep his family together, then that's what I want to do." He said, pleading.
Betty's posture relaxed some as Daniel spoke.
"Okay," she said, "but we have to have a contract. I'll borrow the money for this lawyer now, but we're going to pay you back—"
"No, that's not what I meant," Daniel said.
"I know," Betty said, "but that's the condition that I'm willing to accept."
Daniel sighed, defeated. "Fine. I have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow. He can meet us at the jail."
"Us?" Betty said. "I thought that—"
"Just this first time," Daniel said. "And then I'm staying out of it," he said. Betty nodded, apparently satisfied with the bargain.
"Daniel," Betty said, "thank you. I mean, that taxi a few weeks ago, and now this," she said. She hugged Daniel, whose heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
"No problem," Daniel said, holding Betty tight. "It's no problem at all."
As far as Daniel was concerned, this moment, holding Betty—this was Heaven.