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.
Note: Chapter 5! Wow. We're over half-way done now. Here we go! Thank you if you are still reading. I don't expect comments, but if you like it, please let me know. Happy New Year everyone!
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Dinner, by Daniel's estimation, was fantastic. He was stuffed, having has fill of quesadilla and Christmas cookies. He stayed after dinner and volunteered to help finish the dishes. He and Justin dried the dishes and put them away.
As they were working, Justin peppered Daniel with questions about the celebrities he had met, what the clubs were like, and if Ms. Spears really was as big of a tramp as everyone thought.
"I've never met her, actually," Daniel said. "I saw her perform once at a club, but it was purely by accident, I swear."
"Right," Justin said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, everybody liked 'Toxic.'"
Daniel laughed. He was having fun. The house was warm, and Justin had made his decorations even more elaborate than in years past, making the house a joy to be in. Probably to get his mind off Ignacio, Daniel thought to himself.
After the dishes were done, the two boys went into the living room, where Hilda and Betty were watching television. Betty was curled up on the corner of the couch, while Hilda controlled the remote from the lounge chair.
"Mom!" Justin wailed when he saw the screen, "Don't make us watch this!"
"What?" Hilda said, "It's educational."
"Mom," Justin said, "its Charlie Brown's Christmas special."
"Hey!" Hilda said playfully, "I've watched this every year since I can remember, and I'm not about to break with tradition now."
Justin resigned himself to defeat, pulling out scissors and white paper and commencing the business of making intricate snowflakes on the floor.
Daniel stood for a minute in the doorframe, watching the Suarez family. He felt that same warmth in his chest, the same feeling he got when he saw the family in the car, or when Betty hugged him.
He loved that feeling.
"Well," Justin said, breaking Daniel's thoughts, "are you sitting down or not?"
Daniel jumped, startled at the question. "I mean, if it's okay," he said.
"Of course," Hilda said with a wave of her hand. "Now sshh. This is my favorite part."
Daniel settled on the opposite end of the couch from Betty, who appeared to be asleep.
He turned his attention to the screen, where Charlie had just brought home the little, unsightly tree.
Hilda was right, Daniel thought, he had seen this off-and-on nearly his entire life as well. He sighed, kicking off his shoes.
"Hey Justin," Daniel said, "Do you have any extra scissors and paper?"
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The problem with Christmas movies is that you watch them so many times that they become familiar to you, as if they are a part of your own family Christmas.With this familiarity comes comfort—and oftentimes, in fact, most times, falling asleep partway through the movie.
Daniel had made several snowflakes that he thought were pretty good (though they did not rivaled Justin's for intricacy or aesthetic value), and after setting the scissors aside, he had closed his eyes to rest—just for a minute.
He woke up momentarily when he felt a warm weight on his shoulder, on his chest. But he was drowsy with sleep from the warm house, the couch and the cookies, the good food and the long day and Daniel merely leaned into the weight and fell asleep again.
Daniel woke early, slightly disoriented. He looked around him and recognized the Suarez abode.
He looked down to see Betty sprawled across him. She must have shifted in her sleep.
Daniel froze, not wanting to wake her. He raised his arms and put them around Betty, gently.
You are an idiot, his brain said. She's going to wake up.
But she didn't, and merely sighed in her sleep.
Daniel leaned back into the couch, holding Betty. He tried to stay awake, to remember the moment, but he soon fell back asleep.
When he awoke again, he was cold. Betty was no longer on the couch, in his arms. He could smell breakfast cooking.
He walked out to see Betty, Hilda and Justin at the table.
"Breakfast?" Hilda asked. Daniel nodded.
It was nice to sit at the Suarez table again, Daniel thought.
Don't get too cozy, his brain said.
He looked at Betty, who smiled but quickly looked away. Daniel thought he saw her blush.
"Well," Justin said, "I still think that it would have been better to go with a Rudolph theme rather than just Santa. I mean, come on—everyone could tell that her decorations were from last year."
Hilda looked at Daniel, exasperated. "You try and take a kid to see some Christmas lights around town, and the next thing you know you know, a critic is born."
"Hey!" Justin said, laughing.
Daniel took a seat next to Betty. Justin handed him a plate and the serving spoon for the eggs. Daniel sat and listened as Hilda and Justin went back-and-forth. The news was on the radio, in the background.
Betty didn't say much during breakfast.
"Do you have big plans for tomorrow?" Justin asked. "Because I heard that Moby is having this thing at his loft, and from what the papers say it's going to be awesome."
Daniel looked confused.
"What's tomorrow?" Daniel asked.
All three Suarezes stared at him.
"Christmas Eve is tomorrow," Hilda said.
"Oh," Daniel said. "Um, no, I hadn't really thought that much about it."
"Well, you can just come back here tomorrow then, too!" Justin said. "Can he Mom?"
Hilda looked at Betty, who was picking at her breakfast.
"I'm not the only one who lives in this house," Hilda said. "It's up to Betty."
Betty appeared frozen. She sputtered for a moment. "Well, I mean, I don't know, I guess if all your other plans fall through and you don't have anything else, I mean—"
"I don't have anything else to do," Daniel said, looking at Betty intently.
Justin and Hilda shared a look over the table. Justin made a silent motion as if he was going to faint. His mother smiled and tried to glare at her son.
"Sure, I mean, yeah," Betty said, "you're always welcome here."
"Great! Daniel said, a little too loudly, a little too quickly. "Um, right," he said.
"Well," he said, pulling back from the table, "I better get going. Have to make sure the, um, stove isn't on at home. I'll see everyone tomorrow, I'll just let myself out," Daniel said all in one big rush, tripping backwards over a chair and stumbling to the door.
Hilda and Justin were respectfully silent long enough for Daniel to get out the door, and then collapsed into laughter. Justin actually fell out of his chair.
"What?" Betty said.