I've written all of the points of views and will be uploading them within the next couple of weeks. Please enjoy. Many thanks again to those that have reviewed.

Chapter IX

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Alexis? Did something happen at work?" A dark head emerged from the kitchen, carefully wiping dirty hands upon a plain apron.

"No, no." A perfectly manicured hand, free of the calluses symbolizing physical labor, gently waved away worries. "Betty forgot 'The Book,' and they're all busy with getting the issue out by deadline, so I volunteered to pick it up."

"Ah, thank God. I was worried for a second. Betty usually hides The Book in her room so Justin won't find it."

Alexis Meade gave a wry smile. The first word out of a Meade's mouth if an unexpected visitor called would have been what was wrong with the magazine. Love and kindness was the norm and not the exception in this household. She proceeded to obtain the Holy Grail of the fashion world, but her eye was distracted by the handmade knick knacks scattered around the kitchen. Each one was created by loving children gifted towards a beloved father and grandfather.

"This must feel like another world to you," her companion noted, gauging her lost look.

"Maybe because it is."

There were no butlers to open doors, no sleek and modern furniture tastefully positioned in spacious rooms. Everything was in disarray, the family members too busy supporting themselves and each other in their various occupations to keep the place tidy, but goodness knows they tried. With Alexis, a simple order to the maid would have left the household spotless. However, there were some benefits to the house in Queens. Reminders of the Suarezes' past in Mexico adorned the walls in simple landscape paintings. A hand decorated vase with silk flowers guarded one corner of the mantel, and a crocheted blanket was thrown on the back of the couch. In this household there was no open bottle of scotch constantly being diminished, or scathing silence interspaced with treacherous words zipping in the air. This house was full of love and joy.

Blue eyes met brown in sudden understanding. "This must have been what you felt like when you entered Mode for the first time."

A soft chuckle met her ears. "Yes, to give Betty her lunch. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. It's not often when even the female models are taller than I am."

"Well 'Alice,' the fashion industry is definitely another world, but Betty loves it there."

Frown lines creased a dark face already lined and weathered with age. Alexis had touched upon something that had been troubling a normally serene soul.

"Betty almost got eaten alive there. Her stubbornness is the only thing that got her through it."

"You wished that she never set foot in Mode Magazine."

"Half of me wished that she would have settled down with Walter, taken the safer route."

"Oh? Stuck in Queens with a husband in a minimum wage job? Taking care of a houseful of kids?"

"It's not so bad." Such was life across the tracks.

"But it's not for Betty. She took a chance to be who she wanted to be."

Her companion nodded knowingly. Betty was too much of a firecracker to be contained. Instead of a bright and shining star, she would have been a dying ember, glowing faintly until at last her tenacity was extinguished into the dark. A dark eyebrow rose in acknowledgement, "But I guess you would know."

Alexis colored faintly. Life had been difficult for the most part under Bradford Meade's reign. She had been trapped in a man's body, slowly suffocating under the responsibilities and façade of her regimented life. It was through her own courage that allowed her to take the leap to turn into her true self. She had never realized how much Betty was risking by even applying for the personal assistant job. It was expected for woman in her neighborhood to just settle down and raise a family. No job required.

"But you're glad now, for Betty. That she did what she did. You're... proud of her." Alexis ventured timidly, a complete opposite of her assertive personality.

Her audience smiled clear evidence of the answer lighting up his entire face. The smile fell off however, upon seeing Alexis's hungry look. This was not the only Meade starving for parental attention.

If this was how the rich and famous treated their children, "Alice" wanted no part of the lifestyle. If Betty got too involved in this life, well, now was the time to address it.

"I am proud of Betty, but I'm still her father." Ignacio Suarez stated. Even though his daughter was an adult, she would always be his baby. She was entranced by this alien world, but he could never understand it, and when he didn't understand, he would find an answer straight from the source. "I'm sure you can see what's between Betty and Daniel."

Alexis made a word of protest, but Ignacio cut her off. "Don't try and deny it. Everyone can clearly see what's between the two of them." He made a momentary pause, "Well, except the two of them, of course."

A beautiful smile graced her lips. There was something obliviously between the pair for some time now.

"But I fear for her. How can I protect Betty from a world I don't even understand?" Ignacio sighed and, as it was in his nature, he puttered around the kitchen setting nervous hands busy cooking. He reached for a tried and true recipe he and Rosa always used to soothe their troubled worries.

Alexis watched his hands as he set a saucepan upon the stove. Now it was the elder Meade sibling's turn to frown. What could she say? She knew well the dangers of what could happen to Betty, what had already happened to her own family. Wait, maybe that was it. Maybe she could do this.

"Ignacio, how did you teach Betty and Hilda not to touch a hot stove?"

The older man's head swiveled towards hers in confusion. "What?" At Alexis' pointed look, he answered her question, though he did not fully understand. His hands continued to mix ingredients automatically as he turned his mind back to the past. "With Hilda, I only needed to tell her that the stove was hot, and not to touch it when it was on. She listened to me." He gave a wry chuckle. "Of course that only went so far. Santos and Justin are evidence of that."

Alexis gave a lighthearted laugh. Girls and bad boys were an inevitable combination. She probably bedded a few airheads as "bad boy Alex," and now she was attracted to them. What a strange world.

"Betty of course, had to touch the hot stove, and once she knew the consequences and we patched her up, she never touched another one again. She always had to test her boundaries and get hurt though."

The pretty Meade nodded sagely. "Well, think of us like Betty. We Meades have always touched the hot stove because no one told us we couldn't."

And it was true. Committing affairs, insider trading, backstabbing one's own family, no one ever told the rich and famous they couldn't do that. Everyone turned a blind eye until they went a step too far and the Meade family nearly fractured into broken pieces. That was until Betty began pushing back, making them what they should be, what they could be, putting them back together.

She rested an unblemished hand against his worn ones. "We can tell her not to touch the hot stove because the Meades have been through practically everything the world can throw at us. Hopefully she'll listen to what we've experienced but when she gets into trouble (and you know she will), we can patch her up together."

Ignacio considered her suggestion placing his eyes upon their joined hands. The Meades and the Suarezes taking care of Betty together? They all loved the girl, that was for certain, but surely all of Betty's problems were caused by the Meades! It would be easier to be rid of them all. He slipped his hand from beneath hers, putting the finishing touches upon the liquid. He poured his concoction into two mugs.

Yes, by getting rid of the Meades, he would be rid of Betty's problems, but he would be rid of her happiness too. Ignacio Suarez would never do that to his daughter, no matter how much pain it might bring. He would trust this family to guide him through Wonderland.

"Thank you Alexis. That makes me feel better about her and Daniel." He gave her a genuine smile. "Now we'll just have to see how long it takes them to realize it." The elder man handed her a steaming cup, "Here, take this with you."

He turned back to his own, and with a stammering voice, he proposed, "You know that Daniel and I talk sometimes. If you ever need an ear, I'm always here to listen. The house is too quiet sometimes."

Alexis smelled the sweetness emanating from the liquid, hot chocolate.

She mentally counted the calories in this one small mug.

She thought of the ridicule everyone had for "Ugly Betty" and her strange family.

She counted how long she would have to run to burn off the fat from the drink.

She imagined what the tabloids would say if they found out she was taking advice from a former cook.

Alexis took a sip of the sweet beverage. It tasted of cinnamon, chocolate, acceptance, and love.

"Thank you Ignacio. I'll be happy to take you up on your offer."

Please review,

Grignard