Ugly Betty

It Takes A Village

A/N: Yes, I am bad. I haven't updated in ages. I just haven't been inspired by this lately but you all deserve an update. I'm sorry if its cliche but its hard not to write these kinds of chapters as cliche. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Ugly Betty in anyway.

Chapter Sixteen: Heart

"Sybella, get your little butt over here," Betty yelled across the play-area of Sybella's pre-school. The little girl stopped and seeing that Daniel was standing there with her mother, she careened over and launched herself into Daniel's arms.

"Daddy!" she squealed. He swung her up into his arms and nuzzled her nose.

"Don't I get a hello?" Betty asked in mock-anger. "You saw Daddy this morning but you haven't seen me since yesterday."

Sybella whispered something into Daniel's ear and he grinned before putting her down on the ground. Betty placed her 'Tinkerbell' backpack on her shoulders and took her hand. The three of them walked out of the school and climbed into a waiting town car.

"Mummy, what's for dinner?" Sybella asked. Betty rolled her eye good-naturedly. Sybella was always, always hungry.

"Daddy and I thought we'd go out for dinner. Chinese maybe," she answered.

"Chinese is special occasion but," she replied.

"We have something to celebrate," Daniel answered. He met Betty's eyes over Sybella's head and they grinned at each other.

"Yep," Betty agreed, not breaking contact. "Something very special."

"So, Belle, we have something to ask you," Betty said. She knew that Sybella liked the fact that Betty spoke to her before making big decisions. It made her feel grown-up and important. Her daughter nodded seriously and both Betty and Daniel hid smiles. "We were wondering how you felt about you and me moving into Daddy's apartment."

"Forever?" Sybella asked, her eyes wide in excitement.

"Forever and ever," Daniel parroted.

"Yay, yay, yay, yay!" she squealed. She stood up on her chair excitedly and bounced up and down.

"Shh," Betty cried half-heartedly. She made Sybella sit back down and then turned to Daniel and put on a serious voice. "She doesn't seem really into the idea. does she?"

"No, I thought she'd be a little bit more excited," Daniel replied. He shrugged. "It's okay. It was just an idea."

"Nooo," she cried. "I want to. I want to."

"Okay, okay. Calm down," Betty chuckled. She smoothed Sybella's hair and wiped some sauce off her face with a napkin. "I'm glad you're happy about it because we are going to be moving in very soon."

"Like tonight?" she asked excitedly.

"We're going to be staying there tonight but we wont move in until the weekend which means you have to be very good and do everything I ask you to do. I am going to be very busy because I have to pack everything up to move it out, okay, so that means you aren't going to have all of your stuff for a week or so," Betty explained. "You will get it all back when we unpack at Daddy's."

"Okay," she said, nodding seriously. She yawned and Daniel checked the time.

"I think it's past your bedtime, munchkin," he said. She shook her head emphatically but Daniel and Betty knew better. "Let's finish our dinner quickly and then we'll go home."

"Home," Betty repeated, unable to stop the grin she had been sporting all afternoon, the mega-watt, bright, beaming smile they had both been smiling since they had finally confessed their feelings for each other. No work had been done all afternoon and it seemed that the entire MODE staff had been holding a collective breath that had finally been released. Stick-thin models were seeing actually eating carbs, people were polite and someone even smiled. It was a miracle... all the things were miracles.

And so Betty and Sybella moved into Daniel's apartment. Furniture was fought over. Would they keep Daniel's couch or use Betty's because it matched the colour of the walls better? Betty won that fight but Daniel had the final say over the television and his monster-sized, should-be-in-a-movie-theatre screen stayed exactly where it was. Not that she minded. Orlando Bloom was just that much cuter when he was splayed across a massive screen.

The three fell into a routine. Daniel and Betty took turns putting Sybella to bed at night and getting her up and ready in the morning. Whoever wasnt getting the boisterous young girl ready would attempt to prepare breakfast, though more often than not it was grabbed from McDonald's on the way to school. After dropping Sybella off, they flew to the office where things weren't really all that different except that Daniel and Betty were a lot more touchy-feely than before. Occasionally, they would find themselves distracted and simply watching the other person. In the grand scheme of things, what the world really thought of Prada and Dior didnt really matter and the only thing that did was how they felt about each other.

Betty was still joined to Amanda and Christina's collective hip. That would never change. They were best friends and always would be. All it meant was that now instead of retreating back to Betty's tiny apartment, they had full access to Daniel's massive place and all the trims and features his building had. A private rooftop spa and swimming pool, a gym and a doorman who knew them all by name. Yes, things were idyllic at least at first but then came the arguments over whether or not Daniel had to put the seat back down, over who was in-charge of dinner, over who was responsible for groceries, over where to keep the butter (Daniel said fridge, Betty said cupboard), over who got the most bathroom time. Then came the grumpiness and the sleeplessness and the petty arguing and the whinging Betty whom Christina and Amanda had to listen to grumble about her boyfriend and boss all day until they said enough was enough! It had taken Betty and Daniel years to get together and her friends would be damned if they were going to let them throw the relationship they had fought for away over some common complaints. Betty had been spared the horrors of a live-in relationship before now but she was going to have to learn to deal with it if she was going to spend the rest of her life with Daniel, they had said. Betty had been sheepish and even though she was slightly disappointed that her ideas of a relationship were skewed and wrong, she decided then and there to make a massive effort. If her and Daniel were going to end, it would not be because they didnt have enough milk for their morning coffee.

And that was that.

Daniel and Betty had been together for seven blessed months when she found herself sitting at home alone on a rare and wonderful afternoon off. She sat at the kitchen bench staring at a blue velvet box that was screaming 'Open me.' Of course the fact that she knew Daniel hadn't meant to leave it there for her to see just made it harder to stay away from it. Her hand hovered over it and one of her fingers grazed the smooth velvet but she quickly pulled her hand away. Whatever it was, she wasnt meant to see it. She pushed herself away from the bench but then curiosity got the better of her and she reached over and picked the box up. She was staring at it, her eyes glazed and wild. What harm would it do if she peeked? Daniel would never know, right? She began to pry the box open, slowly and silently but just as it lifted a little, the door swung open. She quickly dropped the box and raced over to the lounge which she pounced on. She picked up the nearest magazine and began to flip through it.

"You looked, didnt you?" Daniel accused, glancing from the bench to the back of the lounge. Betty sat up and peered over the couch. His hands quickly closed over the box and he pocketed it.

"I did not look," she proclaimed. "As if I would. What were you doing leaving it there for me to see anyway?"

"I didn't leave it there for you to see," he argued. "I thought it was in my pocket. Great. Now my surprise is ruined."

Betty stood up and walked over to him. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his forehead, "I didn't look, silly. I was going to but I didn't."

"Do you promise you didnt look?" he asked, looking down at her. She nodded and he visibly relaxed, the worried crease in his forehead disappearing. He kissed her deeply on the lips and then kissed her once on the forehead before pulling away. "I'm cooking you dinner tonight."

"Really?" she asked, trailing him to the bedroom. She perched on the end of the bed and waited for him as he went into the walk-in robe to change. "What are you cooking? And where is my kid?"

"Belle is with Christina and Amanda. I think they were going bowling or something like that," he answered. "And I am cooking you fettucine carbonara, mostly because I cant cook anything else."

"I love your fettucine," Betty said excitedly. Her stomach grumbled and she looked sheepish.

"You hungry, little lady?" Daniel teased. He crawled onto the bed next to her and growled like a tiger before pushing her onto her back and kissed her neck and her face.

"Daniel," she squealed, wiggling around. She tried to get out of his grasp but he was stronger than she was.

"You know you wont get away from me, you know," he whispered into her ear. She sighed and relaxed. "I kind of like you like this."

"I'm sure you do," Betty sighed.

"Can dinner wait?" he purred.

"Are you going to show me what's in the box?" she asked. He chuckled and kissed her full on the lips. "Don't kiss me. Answer me."

"I guess dinner can't wait then," Daniel sighed. He kissed her again and moved so that he was lying down next to her. "You really want to know what's in the box?"

"Is it for me?" she asked coyly.

"Yes, it's for you," he replied. He sat up and reached into the bedside table for the box. "This isn't quite how I imagined it but I guess its kind of fitting for us. Nothing has exactly

been functional for us so far."

"How you imagined what?" Betty asked.

"Would you stop asking questions?" Daniel sighed. Betty mouthed 'sorry.' Daniel nodded and then he opened the box to find a ring with a heart-shaped diamond. Betty gasped and tears grew in her eyes. Daniel inhaled and reached out to take Betty's hand. "Betty, I have loved you for so many years and even though it took me so long to admit it ever since I did, I cant stop imagining you as my wife. I saw this ring in the shop when I was buying Ashley's ring and it took all I could not to buy it for you but I didn't and I wish I had. We wasted so much time and I wish we hadn't because you have had my heart since the first day we met. At first, it was pride and then it seemed like it was too late for us but if I had known how much I would love you or how much I would want you, I would have told you how I felt so long ago. You make me so happy and you make me complete. So I regret not buying the ring sooner, I regret not asking you sooner but I'll regret it more if you don't say yes tonight. I love you, Betty Suarez, and I know we will be happy together so will you marry me?"

"Of course I'll marry you," Betty gasped. She leaned forward and kissed Daniel, tears falling from her eyes. "I love you so much, Daniel."

He prised the ring out of the box and slipped it on Betty's finger. She held her hand out in front of her and stared at it, taking in every glint.

"Do you like it?" Daniel asked hopefully and nervously.

"I love it," she answered. Daniel let out a sigh of relief and Betty giggled. "I cant believe you were more worried about me liking the ring that saying yes. Feeling confident, huh?"

"Well, the ring did cost a lot," Daniel shrugged. Betty smiled and moved closer to Daniel.

"You know I love you so, so much, right? And I am going to be the best wife in the whole world because you are going to be the best husband. You are the best man I know and you make me so happy. I can't imagine loving anyone else as much as I love you and I can't see myself marrying anybody but you," Betty gushed.

"Plus I'm good-looking," Daniel added.

"Yes, plus you're good-looking. Hey, soon-to-be-husband?" Betty asked.

"Hmm," he answered.

"Kiss me," she whispered. And he did. Again and again... and then once more for good measure.