A/N: Okay, I'm the worst updater ever. Sorry about that...
Summary: When the unexpected happens, the one man Betty pushed away ends up being the one she needed all along.
Takes place after the events of "Back in her Place", so early January 2010. Hilda doesn't lose the baby in my story (I thought that was so random...)
Daniel walked up the steps of the Suarez home, light music and laughter finding his ears as he rang the doorbell. He clutched Hilda and Bobby's engagement gift in his left hand, hoping they liked it. It was actually kind of a combo baby/engagement present. He'd never even been into the baby section of a store before, let alone bought anything for anyone. Betty had made some suggestions of course, but he still looked lost wondering around. The door swung open, discontinuing any previous thoughts.
"Hey Daniel come on in," Justin smiled, taking his gift and sitting it on the decorative table.
"Thanks Justin. It looks great in here," Daniel said. "You like it? I toned it down a little from my original concept but my mom deserves only the best," he shrugged. "There's plenty of food in the kitchen if you're hungry. And Grandpa's making drinks," Justin told them as the doorbell rang again.
"Great…thanks," Daniel thanked him as he walked into the living room. "Daniel, hey," Ignacio tore himself away from a few guests. "Hey Mr. Suarez," he grinned at the older gentleman.
"Would you like some empanadas?" Ignacio held a tray up for him to see. Daniel's stomach was suddenly growling. He'd gotten a taste of some Betty made, and was curious to see how tasteful the original recipe was."Yes please," Daniel grabbed a couple.
"Hmm…these are amazing," he savored the bite.
"Glad you like em," Ignacio sat the tray aside. "Daniel, I really wanna thank you for being there for Betty these past few months. You've been a great friend to her."
"You don't have to thank me for that. I've lost count of the number of times she's done the same for me," he replied honestly.
"Well…just know that we all appreciate it. I know Betty does too," he said, hearing the phone ring. "Oh…excuse me," he hurried to pick up the receiver.
Daniel walked into the cozy kitchen, where Bobby was handing out mojitos. "Hey you two. Congratulations," he greeted them.
"Thanks Daniel," Hilda smiled, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek. "How've you been?"
Daniel grinned, glancing at her protruding belly. "I've been good. You look great. How're you feeling?"
"Thanks. I'm good…only eight weeks to go! She's a kicker," Hilda rubbed her stomach affectionately.
"That's because we've got a soccer star on our hands," Bobby said, handing a drink to Daniel.
"Umm, excuse me…she's gonna be a dancer," Hilda held up a finger matter-of-factly.
"Why are you so against our girl being an athlete? It's only natural that she follows in my footsteps," Bobby grinned, winking at Hilda.
"Yeah, we've already had this discussion. You can tell he likes to argue," she smirked.
Daniel shook his head at the two of them, realizing that they may in fact be the perfect couple. He quickly scanned the room again, realizing he hadn't spotted Betty anywhere. "Hey umm…where's Betty? I didn't see her when I came in," Daniel sipped his drink.
"Oh. I dunno. I thought she ran upstairs for something," Hilda shrugged, knowing the worried look in Daniel's eyes all too well.
"Okay. I'll try to see what she's up to," he excused himself, turning to go upstairs but pausing when something caught his eye. Daniel made his way out the back door when he noticed a familiar figure in the backyard. He closed the screen door behind him, startling her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," he told Betty, who was sitting on the back porch.
"It's okay," she forced a grin. Daniel made his way down the steps, sitting beside her.
"You know you're missing all the fun right?" he asked.
Betty sighed, "I guess I just needed some alone time," she said. "I took your advice on the baby gift…picking one was harder than I thought it would be," he smirked, watching her trace the rim of her cup with an index finger.
"Really? You're like a baby whiz," she made a light-hearted attempt at a joke, glancing up at him briefly and only letting the light catch her eyes for a moment. It didn't take a genius to know she'd been crying. Daniel knew the minute he'd heard her voice...he hated seeing her so broken apart.
Daniel let out a breath he'd been holding and gazed at her. "What's on your mind, Betty?" He studied her intently, watching her shake her head dismissively. "It's nothing. Just the usual pity party. I don't want to bring your mood down," she turned to him.
"You won't. Just tell me," Daniel probed. Betty shifted on the small step, bringing the cup to her lips.
"I was thinking about last year at this time. Matt and I had been dating for a few weeks, and everything just seemed so right. He was such a good person," she told him.
"This party…Bobby and Hilda are so perfect together and… it just- reminded me of what I didn't have. And everyone kept glancing at me with this look in their eyes, feeling sorry for me. I just needed some fresh air," Betty admitted.
"That's understandable," he replied.
"Daniel, do you believe in angels?"
He turned his gaze to her, the question catching him off guard. "If you asked me this before my father died, I would've told you no. I've always been a skeptic about angels being with us and everything, but...I don't know. Something about the whole experience made me think differently. I haven't told anyone this, but sometimes I talk to my dad when I'm alone," Daniel told her.
"You do?" she was surprised. He nodded, "yeah. I tell him about work most of the time. How everyone's doing. How much he's missed. It sounds silly...but it makes me feel better."
"Have you tried to talk to Matt?" Daniel asked after a few moments of silence. Betty's tearful gaze swept across his, "no. I've thought about it, but I can never do it."
"Well why don't we try now?" he asked. She shrugged.
"Come on, Betty. It's just you and me. It might make you feel better," she found his blue gaze convincing this time.
"Okay. Umm," she glanced up towards the moonlit sky. "Hey...you already know who it is. These last few months I've really been trying to sort my emotions out. I know I'm not responsible for what happened, but part of me can't help but wonder what would've happened if I'd never inspired you to find your true passion. If I had just let things be…you never would've even thought of Botswana, let alone try to go there," she shook her head with remorse. "I just don't understand why you were taken from us. I know there's a reason for everything, but I don't get this. Maybe I never will," tears were rolling freely down her cheeks now.
Daniel put an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. "I miss you more everyday. Just when I think I'm getting better, I move back three steps. It's hard but I know I'll get through this. I just wanted to say I miss you, Matt. You'll always be in my heart," she let out a small sob, crying as Daniel pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Daniel felt her lean into him, and lightly leaned his head against hers as he whispered soothing words in her ear.
She pulled away from him after a few minutes, her moist eyes meeting his as she sat more upright. "Sorry I messed your shirt up," Betty patted the wetness of his polo. He stroked her tears away with his thumbs.
"It's just a shirt," she gave a small grin at his.
"Thanks for...you know. Just being here. Thanks for being you," she told him sincerely, feeling her trembling hands encircled by his.
"I wouldn't be me without you."
Daniel's words hit her as a spring breeze swept through the backyard. She removed her hands from his and wrapped her light shawl around her.
"Maybe we should go back inside. It's getting a little chilly," he suggested, watching her nod and stand. He followed her inside, watching as Betty put on her best smile.
"Hey...there you are. You okay?" Hilda gave her little sister a small hug. Betty glanced back to where Daniel stood chatting with Bobby near the backdoor, meeting his concerned gaze for a millisecond.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
yeah, sorry if this seems like a weird ending point, but I didn't want to go any further with this chapter...hope you liked!
~Thanks for the reviews, you guys are the best~