CHAPTER 14:

Wilhelmina was still fuming when she got into her apartment with Marc. She was covered in dirt from head to toe.

"Shit! Motherfucker! Jesus! Sh-"

"Willie! Calm down."

"How can I be calm, Marc? That was fucking humiliating. I was pushed into an open grave." Wilhelmina said irritably as she leaned onto Marc, limping towards the sofa.

"Fools! I said it once, I've said it a thousand times, no one pushes Wilhelmina into an open grave! Hold on, you have a spider in your hair. I got it."

"And that Son-of-a-bitch didn't do a damn thing. He just stood there."

"Willie, I'm sorry."

"I always feared that this day could be a possibility. I can't believe this. And Daniel stood there like a fucking deer caught in the headlights." Her blackberry rang and she looked at the screen and it was who she assumed was calling.

"What do you want, Daniel?"

"Willie, I'm so, so, so sorry about what happened with my mother and Alexis."

"Is that all?"

"Wils, please you have to believe me when I say…"

"If that is all, goodbye."

'Willie, we have a problem."

"No, we don't."

"I meant here at Mode."

"You're at Mode?"

"Yeah. There was a virus. It wiped out the magazine."

"The issue that was supposed to ship tonight?"

"Not just this month's issue, the entire magazine is gone."

"So what are you telling me for? It's not like I work there anymore."

"About that…"

"Have a lovely afternoon, Daniel."

'Wilhelmina, please. We need to put out an issue."

"What about Alexis? Your editors? Let them help you."

"Alexis suggests that we give up. But I don't want to. I want to do this for Dad."

"That's very touching, Daniel. Sadly I'm no longer employed by Meade Publications, so I cannot offer my services. Good afternoon."

"Wilhelmina, please. I need you." As she was about to hang up Bradford's words played over and over. "Take care of Daniel." Those were his words and she promised to do just that.

"Okay."

"Oh thank you! You have no idea…"

"I'm not doing this for you. First of all call everybody, every department."

"Actually Betty called everyone she could think of and they are already here. Just come and…"

"I'm not coming over there. We're gonna do this over the phone. Take it or leave it."

"Oh, okay."

30 minutes later:

"Hey, Wiilie. It's me again, look this is hopeless. There's no one…we can't possibly do this. We don't even have a cover."

"Yes you can. Is Sheila there?"

"Yes"

"Is veronica there?"

"Yes."

"Good. You have Betty and other capable assistants there. About the cover, can you get hold of Desouza?"

"Betty's been trying to reach him."

"What about advertising?"

"We've recovered most the advertising according to Alexis."

"Okay, that leaves 83 pages of content to fill before we…you can ship. Now check with Christina if she has anything left from the Prada shoot. And throw in a book review to fill the pages."

"Book review?"

"Yes. Ask Betty to do it, she's a reader. Get her to write at least 500 words on the last book she read. Get someone to write on food. Preferably Italian. Now what about printers?"

"I just got word that the latest he could push the run of the issue is 2:00 am."

"Was the guy in charge Arthur Kaplan?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're in luck because he's a total asshole and he's a pervert. Send a good looking staff member to the printers to distract him, entice him, seduce him, anything. Get someone to take care of the 'what's hot' section."

"Okay thanks, but we still need a cover."

"What about Desouza?"

"He's on flight to Australia and we can't get the negatives. Cameron Ashlock is in rehab. We're screwed. I can't do this, look I think it's time to accept that I'm no Bradford Meade and I never will be."

"You're right, you're not. You're Daniel Meade and it's about time you do you. Stop trying to please your father. It's time for a blank slate. Hey I just got an idea…how about Bradford?"

"What?"

"Make him the cover. It would be an excellent tribute since Mode is the flagship of Meade Publications. Make it black and it should be a fold out."

"Oh thank you, Wilhelmina. Thank you so much. Thanks to you I believe Issue 4-1-2 is about to ship."

"I'm glad I could help." And then she hung up

Several hours later Daniel knocked on her door. Surprisingly as mad she was she let him in.

"Hey" Daniel leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head away "What?"

"Daniel we have to stop this."

"What?...Why?"

"Because…I can't do this. I don't think this is going to work."

"Wilhelmina, where is this coming from?"

"I don't know if you're aware but I was fired today and pushed into an open grave by your mother."

"Willie…"

"And you didn't to a damn thing."

"I'm sorry, Wils. I thought we were fine, you were just helping me come up with an entire Mode issue over the phone."

"I did that because I care about Mode, Daniel. I was and I'm still mad at you."

"Wilhelmina you're talking like I betrayed you."

"No, no, no, no" She laughed mirthlessly "To betray someone, you have to do something. You didn't do shit. You just stood there."

"What did you want me to do? Huh? Defend you against my mother and Alexis?"

"Yes!"

"Oh and say what? That we've been sleeping together since you broke things off with my dad and my heart would break my little girlfriend is fired?"

"No, you idiot. A simple 'She's the best creative director and Mode would suffer without her' would be nice. If I recall I was the first person you called when some virus wiped out the entire magazine!"

"I know, I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry babe. It's just…everything was happening so fast. I mean not too long ago, you were engaged to my dad and we jumped into bed an hour after you called off the wedding." Daniel moved towards her and grabbed her and kissed her hard and she responded with the same force but pulled away

"You're right." She said with a whisper

"What?"

"We moved into this…thing way too fast."

"But we already had feelings for each other and you know that."

"I think we should…take a br-…no I think we should break up."

"Wilhelmina c'mon. Couples fight, please don't do this."

"Let's stop this before one of us gets deeply hurt."

"Look you want me to fight for you against Alexis and get you reinstated? Then I'll do it."

"If you really wanted me back at Mode you would've done that hours ago without being told when Alexis and your mom were voting me out. All you want is a whore to come home to and fuck when you get off from work. I'd say you're relieved that I got fired."

"Wils, please you know that's not true."

"No, Daniel. You and I…we can't possibly work. Let's just stay friends."

"So we went from friends to fucking each other and now you want us to go back to being friends? No thank you."

"Then...just go. Before I lose my temper." He saw a vein forming on her forehead and backed away.

"Wilhelmina…"

"Get out! Now!" He made his way out of the apartment and she slammed and locked the door behind him. As Willie walked down the hallway she wiped away a few stray tears.

Daniel leaned against her door and felt tears stinging his eyes. He turned to knock again but something stopped him, he didn't want to piss her off anymore. However he whispered something he's been fixing to tell her for a while

"But…I love you."

Two weeks later:

Some time had passed since Wilhelmina's unforgettable departure (humiliating firing) from Mode. During the past two weeks she had been keeping herself busy with a new project and if executed just right, Mode magazine would be put to shame. She was working on it with Marc in her home office.

"So Willie, when do you think Slater magazine will see the light of day?"

"I'm not sure, Marc. But six months tops."

"Six months?"

"Marc, this is not a magazine issue. This is a new magazine. We need a publisher, offices, finances…"

"I don't think we have a problem in that department, Willie. I'm looking at your finances her and I gotta say…nice."

"We need competent staff, Marc. We are going to need a fashion editor, features editor, style and beauty editor, photo editor, associate designer, and more plus their assistants. I'm not going to throw all my money into this magazine."

"Can't or won't?" She finally averted her eyes from her computer and faced him away

"What the hell are you talking about, Marcus?"

"I mean…maybe you don't wanna invest your all into Slater because…maybe you're not over Mode yet."

"That is a crock of shit."

"Willie, I, of all people know how much blood and sweat you put into that magazine. You put together an entire issue during a blizzard back in 2003. You care about Mode, you don't just move on from something like that."

"Mode magazine can kiss my ass for all I care. I'm moving on with my life."

"Can I say one more thing?"

"Can I stop you?"

"About…Daniel. Don't you think you were a little too hard on him? I mean he's been calling for the past week. Claire is just angry and Alexis is…well she's a back stabbing bitch."

"Your point, Marc."

"Let it go. I don't wanna say the wrong thing."

"Marc! Just say what you want to say."

"Don't you think maybe you used what happened with Claire and Alexis as way to push Daniel away? Maybe you're scared that maybe you…you lo-" He stopped himself upon seeing the expression on her face. He cleared his throat nervously "Maybe you have really strong feelings for him and you got scared." He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that she wasn't going to slap him

"You know Marc that's really…uh…really absurd." She said grimacing

"Willie, are you okay?" She shot up from her chair and rushed out of the room. Of course Marc followed her and found her in the bathroom praying to the porcelain God. When she was done she didn't say a word, she just retrieved her toothbrush and proceeded to brush her teeth. When she returned to her office Marc tried again

"Willie are you okay? I mean you just…"

"I know what I just did, Marc. I was there. And to answer your question, yes I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because yesterday when I came in I heard retching noises."

"I'm pretty sure it's just some virus due to stress and it'll go away soon."

It didn't go away. Instead it had gotten worse. A few days later, she found herself impatiently waiting for the doctor to tell her what the hell was wrong with her. She hoped the man would just come in and give her something to cure whatever she had so she could get out of there. While still waiting her phone rang, it was Marc.

"Hello, Marc."

"Hello, I'm in your apartment you're not here."

'I'm at the doctor's office right now."

"Oh I just wanted to tell you that I RSVP'd to the cancer benefit, Betsey Johnson wants to have lunch and your accountant called…"

"Hold on, Marc." She stopped him without hanging up when the doctor returned to the room.

"What took you so long? I have places that I have to be."

"I'm sorry Ms. Slater. I have your results."

"Oh, okay. So what's the problem? Is it a virus, a bug, or…"

"Don't worry, it's good news."

"How is it good news? I have been feeling like crap for almost a week now."

"That's what I'm getting at Ms. Slater. Congratulations, you're pregnant." Marc gasped over the phone before she even had the chance to react. She quickly disconnected the call.

"Uh…You were saying?"

"You're pregnant. Although it's impossible determine the exact day of conception, I'd say you're about seven weeks along."

"That's impossible. I can't possibly be pregnant." She argued

"Ms. Slater you are still at a child bearing age, I assure you…"

"No, what I meant was, that's impossible because I had my period about a week or maybe two weeks after I 'conceived'."

"That's normal, it's called implantation bleeding. It usually occurs between 6 and 12 days after the egg is fertilized. You probably had mistaken the bleeding for a menstrual period. The symptoms you described indicate early signs pregnancy and your blood test results confirmed it and the nausea was morning sick-" The doctor became concerned as he watched the color drain from her face

"Ms. Slater?" She stared at the doctor in horror

"Shitmotherfuckershitsonofabitch"

"Perhaps an ultrasound can help clear things up. Would you like an ultrasound performed?"

"PLEASE."

Marc called out her name as he entered the apartment after running a few of her errands. He found Wilhelmina in the kitchen, just sitting on her island drumming her fingernails on the counter looking like she had just seen a ghost.

"Hey, Willie."

"Marc"

"I thought I should check in on you. So what did the doctor say?" She remained silent staring at the sonogram picture

"Marc I know you heard everything over the phone. I heard your loud and dramatic gasp. I'm pregnant, Marc." She spoke in a voice that she didn't even recognize

"Willie...How?"

"I had sex, Marc. That's usually how it happens." She replied sarcastically

"Willie? You're knocked up."

"I know. I've had the symptoms before but I just...it didn't cross my mind…or maybe I was in denial. I don't know." She slid the sonogram picture across the counter

"How old is it?...Her?...he or she?...I mean how far along are you?"

"7 weeks." Marc did the math in his head

"Oh. Who's the...father?"