Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Ugly Betty...or 'It's a Wonderful Life'.
Your reviews are awesome...thanks everybody!
"Where are we going?" Daniel walked beside Gabrielle, dodging the crowd that was doing last minute holiday shopping.
"Up the street here…she works at one of the medical offices," she replied. Daniel frowned. Betty doing anything medical didn't sound right.
"She's a secretary," Gabrielle must've read his thoughts.
"A what?"
Gabrielle stopped in front of one of the buildings. "She should be getting off any minute," she told him, stepping aside.
Daniel's heart was racing. Surely Betty would clear this up…she always made everything okay.
He didn't recognize her at first...because the woman he saw wasn't the Betty he knew. There wasn't any light in her eyes, no radiant smile, and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun.
"Betty?" he said more to himself, watching as she started her way through the crowd. "Betty," Daniel said louder this time, taking a few steps and lightly touching her arm.
She spun around on her heel, clutching her purse and looking up at him. He was hopeful, desperate to see anything. A look of recognition, a smile, a hug. But nothing.
"Yes?" she looked perplexed, eyeing the tall handsome man in front of her. Daniel's eyes raked over her. She looked worn down, exhausted with bags under her eyes, and something else he never liked to see… sadness.
"You don't know me?" he swallowed hard over the lump in his throat.
She shook her head, "umm…no. I'm sorry… I've got to go," she said in a small voice, quickly turning away from him.
"Wait," He reached for her again, she moved away from him, glancing at him confused.
"I'm Daniel. Remember? It's me Betty! It's Daniel," he grabbed her shoulders forcefully, looking deep into the eyes that were so familiar to him. "This isn't you Betty. You're a writer, a brilliant writer," he said, as she stared blankly up at him.
"We have four beautiful children- Isabella, Brendan, Caleb, and Liliana. Lily- she looks just like you…she has your spirit. And the boys…they're as stubborn as me," he felt himself losing his resolve as tears sprung to the surface.
"You're a wonderful mother, Betty. I don't tell you enough but you're amazing. I'm your husband. We live at 3738 Winchester boulevard- you have to remember!"
She frowned, struggling to get out of his grip. "I don't know you!"
He brought his lips to hers frantically and she pushed away from him, "Please get off of me! Help!" Betty cried out in desperation, finally breaking away from him as bystanders watched the scene unfold.
"Betty, wait!" he walked briskly after her on the poorly shoveled sidewalk. She glanced behind her worriedly, trying to stay ahead of him.
"Let her go Daniel," Gabrielle grabbed his arm. Daniel's dejected gaze followed the unfamiliar woman as she hurriedly walked away from him, disappearing into the crowd.
"I don't- she doesn't… know me," tears streamed down his face as he cried silently.
"Don't you see? Betty never got the job at Mode because Bradford never needed to hire her to help you do your job. You weren't there to help Ignacio's immigration status, and Wilhelmina couldn't bribe someone she'd never met, so he wasn't ever able to come back to the states. All she needed was a push in the right direction…but she never got it. Betty settled for a job as a secretary to help with the rent and never got a chance to live her dream. She's a very selfless individual...but I'm telling you something you already know," Gabrielle explained.
"Betty and Walter married…she got pregnant soon after. She never quite realized the confident, intelligent young woman she could be, so she settled for her first boyfriend, thinking that was her only chance at love. Of course he wasn't any good to her in the end…he left her about ten years ago. Now she's got two mouths to feed and only one source of income-"
"I can't listen to this…" Daniel moved away from her.
"I know it's hard to listen to…but it's what happened."
"When it comes down to it, money can always be replaced. It's all those other little things that can't," Gabrielle stuffed her hands in her coat pockets, observing the somber man in front of her.
"Daniel don't you see...you really had a wonderful life." The words hit him hard then, as he stared at her hopelessly.
"I can't deal with this…I want everything to go back to how it was…" he broke down, collapsing on a nearby bench.
"I just want to live again, Gabrielle. Please...I wanna live again," Daniel cried, head in his hands.
I knew I could've written this chapter as Betty being extremely happy or extremely sad and kind of lonely. I wanted to parallel with the movie, so I wrote her in the way I did, kind of a timid person that never came out of her shell and never got the necessary push to be all she could be.
I forgot all the details of Ignacio's immigration issues, but mentioned it for dramatic effect.
Also, I didn't want to make it seem like being a secretary is a bad thing (clearly it's not), but for the Betty that Daniel knows, its a far cry from the businesswoman she's become.
I always appreciate feedback, next chapter up likely next Monday after my exam. Thanks for reading.