Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Ugly Betty...or 'It's a Wonderful Life'.
Sorry for the delay...thanks for reading! Thanks for all the story alerts and favorites...I appreciate it!
Daniel stepped on to the balcony outside his old office in the Meade Building, the cold December wind whipping around him.
"We don't wanna be late for our own engagement party do we?"
"I'm sure they'd understand..."
He laughed cynically, as a memory of Betty came to him.
That seemed like forever ago. Well it was, really. They were much younger then, nothing but the future in front of them and lots of happiness to look forward to. A lot of good that did him now. Without the company his father had built and he'd worked so hard to sustain, Daniel would become what he feared most: a failure.
He didn't even spend time with his kids anymore. He hated seeing tears in his girls eyes, especially when it was because of him. The last few months had been a series of disappointments, one after another. When it came down to it, he still couldn't do anything right.
Daniel glanced down at the streets below, small snowflakes falling down one after another, each becoming engulfed by the wind, carried away.
Tears filled his eyes as a thought occurred to him. It'd be so easy to just let it all go, fly away into the wind with the falling snow.
He closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath...
"Help!" a voice startled him. It seemed to be coming from the other side of the ledge. Daniel hurried over to where the voice came from.
"Help!" the young woman yelled again. Daniel peered over the side, realizing she was clinging to the edge of the balcony for dear life.
"Oh my God. Okay I'm gonna help you," Daniel kneeled down, anchoring himself so he wouldn't fall with her. "Okay, grab my hand, you can do it. Just hold on to me!" he saw the fear in her eyes as she found the courage to grab a hold of him.
Daniel pulled with the majority of this weight, taking hold of her other hand in the process. With one final pull, he was finally able to bring her back onto solid ground.
He collapsed in fatigue, glancing over at her. She was an average build, fair-skinned black woman he didn't recognize. Maybe she worked at one of the magazines, he surmised, standing to his feet and helping her do the same. How she'd gotten on this balcony was a mystery to him.
"Thank you," she said breathlessly, looking up at him.
"How'd you...what were you doing out here?" Daniel wondered, too tired, too exasperated to feel cold.
"Just getting some fresh air. I slipped...thank God you were out here," she told him. Daniel raised an eyebrow. The balcony seemed empty when he'd come out a few moments ago. Something was up with this girl, he just wasn't sure what.
"You slipped? Off the balcony?" he was skeptical, but trying not to be judgmental. She nodded, rubbing her gloved hands together.
"Are you sure that's what happened?" Daniel called her bluff, the look in her brown eyes weren't convincing. She was terrified.
"You were gonna jump, weren't you? Then you changed your mind," he said, watching her shake her head.
"No. I jumped to save you," her voice changed, as did the scared look in her eyes.
Daniel felt his heart leap in his chest. "What?"
"Daniel, you were the one that was going to jump. I did what I did to save your life."
Daniel narrowed his gaze, shaking his head. "What are you talking about?"
The young woman gave him a small grin and let out a sigh. "You were the one thinking about jumping. If you hadn't have heard me scream for help, what would you have done?"
He swallowed hard, looking into her eyes. She had a sense of calm about her, it was starting to scare him. "I wasn't actually going to do it...although..." he trailed off.
"Although what?" she wondered.
"Everyone would be a lot better off without me. My wife, my kids...and pretty soon there won't be a company that needs me," Daniel shrugged helplessly.
"You really think so, huh?" she asked him again, raising an eyebrow.
"Who are you anyway? How do you know my name?" he eyed her suspiciously.
She grinned, extending her right hand. "My name's Gabrielle. Nice to finally meet you, Daniel."
Daniel shook her hand reluctantly, albeit briefly. This girl wasn't working with a full deck of cards. Of course she recognized him. They were at the Meade building and his name was Daniel Meade. Certainly she'd gotten a glimpse of him before.
"Nice to finally meet me? Okay, what's this really all about? Seriously," he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pea coat, the snowfall getting heavier.
"This is about you, Daniel. I'm your guardian angel. Well, AS2 actually," Gabrielle corrected herself. Daniel rested a gloved hand under his chin. Why was he still talking to her?
"AS2?" he asked with a smirk on his face, slightly amused.
"Angel, 2nd class. I don't have my wings just yet. That's where you come in," she smiled.
Daniel nodded in understanding, "oh of course. So you're my guardian angel. From...let me guess- heaven? And you're here to help me."
"Yes. That's exactly right. Now we're getting somewhere."
He shook his head, "this is insane. Why am I even talking to you?"
Gabrielle shrugged, still wearing a smile. "It's not everyday you get to meet your guardian angel. I've watched you grow up from a baby into the man standing in front of me. You've lived quite an amazing life, Daniel. Why would you throw it all away because of money?"
Daniel took a deep breath, gazing out at the city lights. "It's not just the money. It's everything. Everyone would be better off if I'd never been born."
"You sure about that?" she questioned.
"I'm pretty positive," he replied. Gabrielle looked at the tears that had filled his eyes. She looked up to the skies, a small thought occurring to her. "It just might work," she said to herself, his attention moving back to her.
"What'd you say?" he asked.
"Okay then, you've never been born," she said simply.
Daniel looked at her dumbfounded. "Excuse me?"
"You've never been born. You don't exist," Gabrielle explained, watching him frown.
"Look, it's been nice talking with you Gabrielle. You take care of yourself," Daniel nodded in her direction, just wanting to get out of there.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm going home," he said apprehensively.
"Daniel, you don't have a home, remember? You were never born," she stressed to him. He studied her face, rolling his eyes and turning around, headed toward the exit.
Maybe getting her wings was going be harder than she thought.
What happens when Daniel sees what the world is like without him in it? (That would be creepy and kind of cool to see, I think).
Stay Tuned! Hope those of you who haven't seen the movie are enjoying the story thus far :o) As always, review please...even if it's just one word. Thanks!