Immediately after his conversation with Amanda, Daniel knew he needed to talk to Betty. She'd been trying to call him for two days now but he hadn't been answering. Should he call her now? No. He decided he really needed to see her face to face despite the torrential downpour that had started outside.

He was about to call a cab when the doorbell rang. Who on earth would be out in all that rain?

"Betty!" He was stunned when he opened the door.

She was drenched. Her hair was slick and flat to her head and her clothes were soaking. The water was literally dripping off of her.

Betty was not very impressed. "If you would answer your freaking phone I wouldn't have to come out in weather like this." Daniel noticed she sounded a lot like Hilda when she was angry. Betty sneezed. Then she walked past him not waiting for an invitation.

"We need to talk, Daniel."

"Yeah. I know."

She shivered and sneezed again. Daniel realized she was freezing and needed to change.

"Just wait here for a minute." He said. He went to his closet and pulled out some cozy clean sweat pants and a sweat shirt. They would be way too big but at least they were dry. He grabbed a towel from the linen closet and went back out.

"Here..." He said tossing her the clothes and towel. "You need to get out of those wet things first."

When she came back she was already feeling a little warmer…both physically and emotionally. He had let her in the house at least. He hadn't sent her back out in the rain or even called her a cab to take her home immediately. At least they were going to have a chance to talk.

Daniel had put the fire on and made her a cup of tea while she was changing. That was another good sign.

He was sitting on the end of the sofa. She sat across the room in the recliner – symbolic of the distance she felt between them. She held the mug of tea between her two palms, warming her hands, and she took a sip before she spoke.

"You broke our deal." She said in a tone that was half angry, half sad.

Daniel looked up at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

She clarified her statement. "You said you wouldn't shut me out, no matter how upset you were."

"Actually, the deal was I wouldn't shut out the world." Daniel looked at her sheepishly.

Her expression told him that she was not very impressed with his attempt at finding loop holes.

She continued speaking "If we're going to do this…" she gestured back and forth between them. "and make it work…then you can't go hiding away, skulking like a child because you're upset about something. We need to talk about it."

"I thought we did talk about it. You decided you were going to see Matt. I decided I didn't want to hang around waiting to be your second choice." He was starting to get angry again.

"Daniel…it's not…you're not…" How could she make him understand? "It was never about choosing between you and Matt."

"Wasn't it? Didn't you want to see him to figure out if you were still in love with him?"

Betty looked at him; he looked so young, so vulnerable, so hurt. She hated that he thought that.

"Not exactly. I needed to see him so I could put the past behind me. So I could sort out my feelings for you…no regrets."

He looked up and his eyes locked hers. "And so did you?...sort out your feelings." There was some hope in his voice.

She nodded and stood up, placing her mug on the coffee table. She walked over to the sofa and sat down beside him. She looked up into his eyes. Those eyes that could make her swoon and melt if he looked at her the right way…not the way he was looking right now, muddied with anger and confusion.

"I love you Daniel…I'm in love with you. I don't want to be with anyone else. I don't want to be anywhere but here…with you."

Daniel's heart softened. She had finally said it. He had waited so long to hear her say it. He'd begun to think - especially over the past few days - that maybe she never would.

He brushed her wet hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He needed to say something. "Betty, I'm so sorry I got so angry. I just felt like I was loosing you and I couldn't do anything about it. I felt like I couldn't compete with Matt…you loved him so much and I didn't know how you felt about me…"

Betty interrupted him. "Daniel, I did love Matt…but that was a long time ago. So much has happened since then."

"I know. And I also know that the love we've felt for people in the past doesn't diminish the love we feel for each other now." Betty looked at him curiously.

"You're not talking about Matt anymore are you?"

"Betty…I don't want you to feel like you're living in Molly's shadow."

Betty was confused. Why would he think she did? "I don't." She said sincerely.

"You don't?"

"No. I know how much you loved Molly. Anyone could see that. And I know it hasn't been a huge amount of time since…" She didn't finish the sentence…like it would hurt him too much if she actually said it.

"…since she died." Daniel finished it for her.

"Yeah. But I know you, Daniel. And I know you wouldn't be here…with me…if you weren't sure you were ready to move on."

Daniel was astounded once again. Betty's sensitivity and her insight never ceased to amaze him.

"I am ready. I think we both need to put the past behind us. Not an easy task when we know each other the way we do"

"You're telling me." She agreed taking a big breath.

He understood the full meaning behind that. There were so many things he wished Betty didn't know about his past…but she did. He couldn't do anything about that. At least she knew he had changed – he took comfort in that.

Betty had something to add, her tone had changed. "But this thing you do…shutting me out when you're angry or upset. It has to stop. We'll never survive if it doesn't."

"I know. I'm sorry Betty."

She hadn't finished. "It won't be easy you know. We're going to argue once in a while and we're going to get angry and want to shut each other out…" She recognized her own tendency as well. "But if we love each other we'll have to fight that urge to just run and hide." Her tone was urgent, pleading "We need to promise this to each other…and keep it. I really want us to work, Daniel. I really love you."

Daniel was moved by her honesty. "I really want us to work too Betty…more than you can imagine."

He lifted her chin up to look into his eyes. "Betty…" He looked deeper, like he was looking into her soul. He needed her to know this - to feel this. "I've never loved anyone the way I love you."

That was the look...she absolutely melted. He bent down and kissed her. It was slow and soft but so full of meaning. She kissed him back with fervor placing her hands on the back of his neck. He pulled away quickly.

"What?" She asked. Something was obviously wrong.

"Your hands are freezing." He smiled down at her.

"It's not just my hands." She admitted. She'd been ignoring how cold she was while they were talking but now there was no denying it.

He got up and came back with a blanket. "Let's warm up for a few minutes." He suggested, snuggling under the blanket beside her and flicking on the television.

Betty looked at him like he had two heads.

"What?" He asked her. What on earth had he done now?

"Daniel...I just told you that I love you. I don't know if you think much of it, but in my world that's a pretty monumental realization."

"Ok..." He still didn't get it.

"I don't want to watch tv." She said taking the remote out of his hand and turning the tv off. She looked at him seductively. He was starting to get it.

"Oh…so what do you want to do then?" He feigned ignorance.

She pushed him back against the cushions and kissed him hard. Her boldness startled him at first but then filled him with excitement. He began to respond intensely. She placed her hand under his sweater and he jumped, pulling back quickly.

"Ok Betty…I'm not kidding…those are blocks of ice." He said seriously, referring to her hands.

"You are such a baby." She teased.

"Maybe we could make out and you could just keep your hands to yourself?" He suggested questioningly.

She laughed at him. "Like that would be any fun."

"So what do we do? I can't stand those ice burgs anywhere near vital pieces of equipment." He joked.

"I am kind of chilled." She admitted shivering again. "Even the tea didn't help. Maybe I could have a warm shower?" She suggested a little more seriously. The cold rain had soaked through everything and despite the tea, fire and blanket she still felt shivery. She didn't want to get sick.

"That's probably a good idea."

Betty let the warm water fall over top of her…it felt so good. She hadn't realized how cold she was until she had climbed into the hot shower. She heard a knock on the door and then it opened a crack.

"Betty…"

"Daniel!" She panicked…what was he doing?

"Relax Betty." Daniel chuckled. "I wasn't coming in." He paused for a second "unless…"

"What do you want Daniel?" She asked quickly.

Daniel smiled, amused by her bashfulness. "I just wanted to let you know there's a hairdryer underneath the sink."

"Ok. Thanks."

When she got out of the shower she put Daniel's sweats back on. Her own clothes were still soaking wet and she knew they wouldn't be dry for a while.

While she was drying her hair she pondered why she had been so jumpy when Daniel had opened the door. She loved him – she knew for certain now. And he definitely loved her. She needed to relax a little more.

Daniel was sitting on the sofa reading a book when Betty came out of the bathroom. He looked up and smiled when he heard her.

"Warmer?"

"Definitely." She curled up next to him. "What are you reading?"

"Oh…It's called Emotional Branding. It's just a book on branding and creating brand identities. It's about the emotional component that helps create a credible connection between products and consumers on both a personal and holistic level."

She raised her eyebrows.

"What?" He asked - she was looking at him funny.

"You're really sexy when you're smart." She said matter-of-factly.

"Sexy eh? You think I'm sexy?" He put the book down on the coffee table and turned toward her.

"Add some glasses and you might just be irresistible." She teased.

He grabbed hers off of her head and put them on the coffee table too.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"They just get in the way." He said pulling her close and kissing her hungrily. She kissed him back with the intensity she felt. They made out for several minutes. When they finally came up for some air Betty looked into his eyes and whispered shyly "I want to stay."

Daniel hadn't heard her properly; he was still slightly dazed from making out. "What?"

"I want to stay…tonight. Can I stay?" She asked nervously.

He heard her that time and sat up. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel pressured…"

She cut him off. "I'm sure. I love you Daniel and I want to spend the night with you." There was no ambiguity there. "Besides…"she added playfully "my clothes are soaking wet and there is no way I cou…"

Daniel kissed her, interrupting her quip. "Too much talking." He said.

When Daniel awoke in the early hours of the morning, he thought the whole thing had been a dream. Then he rolled over and saw Betty. He propped himself up on his elbow and watched her sleep for a second. It hadn't been a dream; here she was - and last night she had told him that she was in love with him. He had never felt this way about another human being in his life.

He lightly kissed her bare shoulder and snuggled back under the covers, placing his arm around her.

"Mmm…" she stirred, her eyes opening. "What time is it?"

"It's really early. Go back to sleep." Daniel whispered. He kissed the side of her neck. She rolled over to look at him and he propped himself up again. For a few moments they just looked at each other, not saying a word. Daniel was tracing her arm with his finger.

Betty spoke first, slightly shy. "That was…really nice." She said meaning it as a compliment.

"Nice?" Daniel feigned offense. "Not mind blowing, not fabulous?" He had a smirk on his face. "I guess I'm just going to have to try harder next time." Betty quivered excitedly at the idea of next time.

She had thought she would be self-conscious or insecure when she made love to Daniel the first time – after all, he was Daniel Meade. He'd once been New York's most notorious player; the Don Juan of the fashion world. She knew he wasn't that guy anymore but that didn't erase all his…experience. But she hadn't been insecure. She had just let herself escape into the moment – if Daniel wanted her, as imperfect and awkward as she was, then who was she to argue. The entire time he had made her feel beautiful and loved, and safe.

But now…in the first light of the morning with him lying beside her in his bed – his body so close, his touch so electric – she suddenly felt very shy.

She snuggled deeper under the covers.

"Are you cold?" Daniel misread her action.

"No, not really." She wasn't sure what to say.

Somehow Daniel sensed it without her saying anything. Or maybe he didn't, maybe he just spoke what he was feeling at the moment but in any case what he said next put her mind at ease.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered looking into her eyes.

"Daniel…" Betty started to protest.

"Why do you do that?" He could tell that she was about to disagree. "Why don't you know how beautiful you are?" He wasn't angry, just sincerely wondering.

Betty collected her thoughts before answering. "I guess I've never thought of myself as beautiful…you know? I mean…growing up I learned that I had some really great qualities but looks were never part of that. I guess I resigned myself to the fact that I was never going to be gorgeous so I might as well focus on the parts of myself that I did like and not worry about the rest."

"Well I like all your parts." Daniel said suggestively. Then he added more seriously "But I want you to know that you are beautiful. I also think you are bright…" he kissed her cheek. "you're witty…you're sweet…" he kissed her nose first and then her jaw line "and you are very, very sexy." He whispered the last part into her ear and a thrill went through Betty's entire body. Then he kissed her lips hungrily.

When he pulled back he could see she was pensive.

"What?" He asked her.

"Do you think we had a "vibe"?" She asked him.

Daniel looked confused "What do you mean?"

Betty tried to clarify her question. "Matt said that he wasn't surprised we were together because we always had this "vibe"."

Daniel reflected for a minute before answering thoughtfully. "I don't know. I don't really know when I started to fall in love with you - there wasn't an exact moment. I guess I've always known how amazing you are. And I've always admired your ability to persevere regardless of how life was trying to keep you down at some points. Your opinion has always been the one I've valued the most. And you have this ability to keep me afloat when all I feel like doing is giving up and sinking. Maybe Matt could sense that. Maybe that's the "vibe" he's talking about."

"Maybe." She was touched by Daniel's openness and satisfied by his answer.

She started to sit up. "What time is it anyway? " She asked as if she intended to get out of bed.

"Betty, it's only quarter to six. I know you have a ton of get up and go but I was hoping to stay in bed a little later than that on a Saturday morning."

"I know." She said apologetically. "But I'm not tired anymore."

"Who said anything about sleeping?" Daniel said suggestively, pulling her back into bed.

She giggled. "Well, I guess I should give you a chance to upgrade from "nice"." She teased.