Ugly Betty
It Takes A Village
Disclaimer: I do not own and am not affiliated with Ugly Betty in anyway.
Chapter Fourteen: Colours
"She's going to pick magenta for the bridesmaids dresses, isn't she?" Amanda asked, screwing her face up.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Christina replied. "You wont be a bridesmaid anyway. She has the Stepford Wives in-training for that."
"Actually, I think she'll keep her job. At least until they have children," Betty chipped in. She took a long sip of her coke to mask whatever emotion would decide to show on her face.
"Who cares about that?" Amanda asked. "I just want to talk about the dresses. Who do you think will design them? She'd have to have a Vera Wang gown because she just would but who'll design the bridesmaids?"
"Actually, I may know the answer to that one," Christina said proudly.
"You've been holding out on us?" Amanda cried. Christina shrugged and Betty grinned, as she often did when she watched her friends. They amused her endlessly. "So, spill!"
"She may or may not have asked yours truly to come up with a few designs," Christina answered.
"No way!" Amanda said gleefully. She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand. "Was I right about the colour? And any idea who they're going to be?"
"You were," Christina answered. "And a few names were mentioned but like you said, they were all Stepford's in-training."
"At least it's not teal," Betty said when Amanda groaned. "Remember when there was that time when every single bridesmaid was in teal?"
"I'm only upset because I have this awesome magenta dress that I wanted to wear to the wedding," she explained. She pouted. "It isn't fair!"
"Oh, love. We'll find you something fabulous to wear," Christina replied.
"Guys, they haven't even set a date yet. I mean who knows if they even will. Ashley has been spending a lot of time in London lately and Daniel is so busy at MODE. Who knows when it will happen?" Betty said. Christina and Amanda exchanged looks and then watched Betty closely. "Besides, she'll probably change her mind about the colour of the dresses and you'll get to wear your fabulous magenta dress."
"Uh, Betty, love?" Christina asked. "What's wrong?"
"What? There's nothing wrong," she replied. "Why would something be wrong?"
"I don't know except that you just basically said that Daniel and Ashley weren't going to get married," Amanda said. She and Christina continued to scrutinise her face.
"No I didnt," Betty scoffed. "I said they weren't going to set a date. It wont always be busy, you know."
"Is this because of Owen?" Amanda asked as gently as she could. "I bet he'd marry you if you went back to him."
"He wont because he thinks I'm in love with Daniel," Betty sighed. She let her head fall on the table with a bang. "Ow."
"Did you just say that Owen thinks you're in love with Daniel?" Christina asked. She and Amanda scooted their chairs as close to Betty as possible.
"Maybe the cafeteria isn't the best place to be talking about this," Betty said.
"She has a point," Amanda agreed. "Closet?"
"Yes. Let's go," Christina said. The three of them stood up and made their way quickly into the Closet. There were a few fashion assistants drooling over the shoes but Christina kicked them out in her blunt, brutal fashion. They took a seat on an over-sized red ottoman with Betty squished in between her two friends.
"Spill," Amanda demanded.
"When we broke-up it wasn't because things had just run their course," Betty sighed. Christina and Amanda nodded knowingly. When you were as in love with a woman as Owen was with Betty you didn't let them go over something so stupid. "Owen broke-up with me because I couldn't choose him over Daniel. How could I? Daniel is my best friend and he's Sybella's father."
"Maybe you want him to be more than that," Christina suggested softly. "And Owen knew that."
Betty laughed and shook her head, "Christina, he's just my best friend and it's going to stay like that."
"I didn't say he wasn't your best friend. I just said that maybe you wanted him to be more," Christina repeated. "You are very close so its only natural."
"We're all very close but you two don't want him to be more," Betty argued.
"I'm his sister," Amanda reminded her.
"And I'm Scottish," Christina said as if it explained everything. She shrugged. "I couldn't think of anything to say."
"So what if I do want something more to happen?" Betty asked. Both Amanda and Christina looked relieved that had given up the farce. The farce that they had seen right through anyway. "It is never going to happen. He's marrying Ashley now and that's all there is to it."
"Hey, there's a chance that the wedding wont happen. You said it yourself," Christina cried, turning cheerleader.
"Ooh, you and Daniel could get married and have a spring wedding and I can wear my dress," Amanda clapped. She thought about it for a second. "At least I can wear it if we find one for Christina since we will be bridesmaids."
"Oh I bet we could find a really sweet dress for Sybella!" Christina said with glee.
"Guys!" Betty yelled as her two friends talked over the top of her. She stood up and held both her hands in the air."GUYS!"
They stopped and looked up at her.
"Yes?" Christina asked.
"There is a slight problem here with all of your plans," Betty said. They looked at her, confused. "It's only a slight problem, of course, but it's still a problem. You see, Daniel and I aren't getting married."
"No, you aren't," Ashley's voice said from behind them. Betty froze and then slowly turned around to find the petite blonde standing a few feet behind them, hands on hips and a steely glare on her face. "I am."
"Yes, you are. That is exactly what I was saying," Betty explained.
"In fact we were just discussing the colours of the bridesmaids dresses," Christina interjected.
"Magenta is such a popular colour at the moment and it flatters just about everybody," Amanda added. They both stood protectively behind Betty. "But then again you may want a more traditional colour like pale yellow or dark green. And I hear charcoal is the new thing. Ooh, how classy would that be."
"Why were you discussing my dresses?" Ashley asked, still glaring at Betty.
"Actually, we weren't discussing your dresses," Betty ad-libbed. "We were discussing weddings in general and the trends of colours and then you and Daniel's wedding came up."
"Why did you say that you and Daniel weren't getting married then?" Ashley asked, still steely.
"Because they aren't," Christina offered feebly. She could practically feel Amanda rolling her eyes.
"Someone congratulated her on her engagement by mistake," Amanda fibbed.
"It's true and I told them Daniel and I weren't getting married and that you were but I was so upset about that I had to tell the girls," Betty added. Ashley looked as if she didn't want to believe them but it was hard not to believe everything Betty said.
"Hey, can I see the ring?" Amanda asked, moving the focus off Betty and their hasty cover-up. She stalked towards Ashley in the way that only Amanda could. Ashley held her hand out for the petite blonde and let her coo over it. It was impressive. A single two-carat solitaire diamond encased in platinum. "It's massive. It must have cost a fortune."
"It did. I'm always so scared about losing it. Daniel would kill me," she said.
"It's insured," Betty said. "I took it over the evaluators myself."
"You've already seen it?" Ashley asked.
"What? Oh, no. I just took the box. I never opened it," Betty back-pedalled. She had been tempted but she knew it would just upset her that it would be gracing the finger of an advertising executive instead of her own assistant's hand. "I haven't seen it til now but its lovely."
"Thank you," Ashley beamed. It seemed that the crisis was averted. Ashley looked at it and sighed happily. "I am so happy."
"Good for you," Betty said, somehow keeping her voice upbeat. "Anyway, I should probably get back to work. I have three months worth of expense reports to go over. I'll see you, Ashley."
"Hey Betty, I actually wanted to ask you something first," Ashley said.
"Sure. Anything," Betty smiled.
"I would be really honoured if Sybella could be my flower-girl. I thought it would be really nice since I'm going to be her step-mother in some strange way," she asked.
"Absolutely. Of course. I bet she would love to," Betty readily agreed. "Daniel has her tomorrow night so why don't you ask her about it then?"
"Sounds great. I will. Thank you so much, Betty," Ashley replied. "Will you tell Daniel I'm sorry I couldnt come and see him? I'm in a bit of a rush but I just wanted to talk to Christina about the bridesmaid dresses. We're thinking of a spring wedding."
"Lovely," Betty answered. She smiled at the group of women one last time and then hurried out of the Closet and back to her desk.
"A spring wedding?" Amanda asked.
"At least she doesn't want magenta dresses," Betty pointed out.
"True," Amanda agreed. She slammed a stack of orange folders onto Betty's desk. "Daniel asked me to give you these."
"I am going to be here all night," Betty groaned.
"He also told me to tell you to go home," Amanda said. "Come on. Let's go get dinner at Theo's. If we use Daniel's name we can get a table."
"I cant. I have to go pick Belle up from pre-school and then I am taking her home and putting her straight to bed. School makes her so tired."
"Can I come?" Amanda asked.
"Sure. I just have to put these on Daniel's desk," Betty said pointing at the pile of expense reports. "I'll meet you at your desk."
"Come on, Belle," Betty called. "It's bedtime."
"Can Aunty Manda tuck me in, Mama?" Sybella asked. She yawned and began to twirl her hair around her finger.
"Sure, sweetie. Come give Mama a kiss first," Betty said. Sybella went over to the her mother and stood on her tip-toes. Betty smiled and met her halfway. Sybella was the sweetest kid in the world. She copied everything that the adults did and it was sometimes hilarious. Once Daniel had asked her for a chip and she had declined only to hold the packet over her head in an attempt to take it out of his reach. Daniel laughed so hard he couldn't even take a chip from the packet. Betty kissed Sybella on the cheek and let her kiss her back. "Sleep tight, sweetheart."
"Don't let the bed bugs bite," she answered. She toddled over to Amanda and laced her hand with her aunts. Amanda tucked her in and after reading the first five pages of a book, Sybella was fast asleep.
"Good night, bunny," Amanda whispered. She leaned down and kissed her 'neices' forehead and tenderly pushed a fine tendril of her hair back. After making sure everything was in order, Amanda rejoined Betty on the couch.
"She went down quickly," Betty noted.
"She was gone after five pages," Amanda agreed. "She really is zonked after pre-school, isn't she?"
"Yep. It's good for me but. I get a little me-time," Betty said. "Hey, Mandy?"
"Yeah."
"Do you ever think about having children of your own?" Betty asked. Amanda reached for the tub of ice-cream on the coffee table and stuck her spoon into it.
"Sometimes," she admitted. "Maybe if I found the right man. But then I think about the crazy world I would be bringing them into. I have problems, you know, and it doesn't seem right to drag another human being into it."
"I think that when someone grows up with something, it's normal to them," Betty mused. "Sybella knows that Daniel isnt her real father but it doesnt bother her calling him that."
"Sybella is the exception to everything but," Amanda sighed.
"You know how much you love me kid?" Betty asked. Amanda nodded."When you have your own, its like that but one thousand times stronger. And you know how you feel like you would throw yourself in front of a train to save her? That instinct is so much bigger when they're yours too. I think you'd be a great mum. You aren't the same spoiled, conceited Amanda you used to be."
"You thought I was spoiled and conceited?" she joked. She sighed. "Sometimes I think time has run out for me. I'm not getting any younger and good men are hard to come by."
"You don't need a good man, You need the right man and I promise that someday he will come," Betty said. "And when he does he'll sweep you off your feet and you'll be married and having babies before you know it. At least, it should happen like that."
"You worried about Daniel and Ashley?" Amanda asked.
"Yes but I hate myself for it. I kind of feel like I have no right. Part of me wants to go over there right now and tell him not to marry her and to marry me instead but another part of me thinks that this is how its supposed to be."
"This isn't how its supposed to be," Amanda said. "I think deep-down Daniel knows it too. Its just that its so deep-down right now that he hasn't realised it yet. Did that even make sense?"
"I dont know if you did but I understood what you were trying to say," Betty replied. She sighed and flicked on the television. "Anyway, enough talk about stupid men. Let's watch a movie."
They put 'Grease' on and sang-along to every song. When it got to the race scene, Amanda became very quiet.
"Penny for your thoughts," Betty said.
"Do you really think I'll find the right guy, get married and have babies?" Amanda asked. Her voice was quiet and it was very surreal for Betty to see her so vulnerable and with her guard so far down.
"Yes," she answered simply.
"Because I have trouble seeing it happen but I have no trouble seeing you and Daniel together and it really makes me mad that you two are so perfect for each other and you have a chance to be together but neither of you will do anything about it," she steamrolled. "I think you need to tell him that you love him, Betty."
"I cant do that, Amanda," she whispered. "He's about to marry another woman."
"So you'd rather wait until after he marries her?" Amanda asked. "This isn't like you. The Betty I know gets what she wants, no matter what. He might love Ashley but she is all wrong for him and you know it. Do the right thing, Betty. For all of your sakes."
Daniel's apartment was very quiet. The only noise came from the television which was on but not really being watched. Ashley had fallen asleep cuddled up to Daniel and he found himself watching her. She was a very beautiful, very capable, very strong woman. After her initial reservations she had accepted Sybella and his extended family warmly. At least as warmly as a woman whose job it was to bust balls and make truckloads of money for her clients. She was quite perfect, he thought but maybe not perfect for him. Maybe he needed a wife who would be home when he finished work instead of one who poured herself into bed sometimes a few hours after him. Maybe it was traditional and a little old-fashioned or chauvinistic but maybe it was what he needed and Ashley couldn't give him that. They hadn't even been able to set a date for the wedding because work had been so hectic for both of them.
His eyes travelled down to the massive diamond on her finger. It had cost him a pretty penny but it was worth it. He had seen a ring that Betty would have loved. A diamond in the shape of a heart on a simple thin white gold band. It was a little gaudy but it was romantic and very Betty. He had stared at it for a long time and had even considered buying it just as a gift for her but he had eventually moved on and found one for Ashley. In the dark and with his eyes unfocused, Ashley's hand almost looked like Betty's and her diamond looked a little less round and a little more heart-shaped. He was right. The ring would have been perfect for her.
The realisation hit him in the gut like a knife.
Owen had broken up with Betty because she could not choose him over Daniel. And Ashley had been very quick in accepting his rather hasty and, for lack of a better word, crap, spur-of-the-moment proposal. She did not normally take anything less than perfection. It was almost as if she had played him to get him to ask a question he wasn't sure he wanted to ask and then she had answered him before he could explain his words. She needed him married, or at the very least engaged, to her so that she wouldn't lose him to someone else.
Someone else he had just realised he was in love with. Someone else like Betty.