Disclaimer: Don't own em, just write about em.

A/N: Your reviews for the last chapter REALLY blew me away...so glad you were pleased with the Detty love! Sorry for the delay!

Matt Hartley stepped off the private plane, the humid air from the already steamy Manhattan summer morning greeting him as he stepped onto the jet bridge.

"Thanks for flying with us Mr. Marshall. Enjoy your stay in New York," one of the flight attendants smiled at him. He nodded courteously back at her, tucking his ticket into his suit had taken Matt some time to adjust to being called Mr. Marshall. Derek Marshall to be precise…he'd been Derek for eight long months…entirely too long for his liking. But it had been essential for his safety.

Before boarding that fateful flight to Botswana on that early January morning, he'd been unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It'd been a high-profile case, some convicted drug-dealers turned killers had broken out of prison and finished the job they'd started. Matt had seen everything, and that certainly wasn't good.

Before he knew it, he was sitting in some FBI office listening to them explain why entering the witness protection program was 'absolutely necessary' for the safety of not only himself, but those around him.

He was told it wouldn't be a lengthy stay, that they'd catch the culprit fairly quickly due to the number of leads and description of the guy. So Matt had waited patiently, living in the small apartment they'd leased him in Washington and working as a bank manager.

One month had turned into two, winter to spring and spring to summer. After a while, he'd resigned himself to the fact that no one would ever call him Matt Hartley again, that he was destined to be Derek Marshall for the rest of his life.

Then came the call a couple of weeks ago- news that it was over, that the man who'd put a hit out on him had been murdered and his life was no longer in jeopardy. It seemed surreal, he couldn't quite grasp it at first, but here he was, finally back home. He let out a sigh, rolling the compact luggage behind him and shielding his eyes from the blazing July heat. The government had already contacted his parents and told them exactly what had been going on, that there only son was alive and well. Better that way than showing up on their doorstep, he reasoned, grinning to himself.

He sighed in relief as the town car pulled up to the curb and his mother and father stepped out. The joy and elation on their faces mirrored his emotion as he was wrapped up in hugs, feeling his mother's fresh tears on his face. He climbed into the backseat with the two of them, talking briefly about life as Derek Marshall and the stark contrast it held to his real life.

It really put things into perspective, helped him to see how great of a life he lived and how he missed it terribly. With that statement, an image of Betty ran through Matt's head as it had so many times in the last 8 months. Except this time, it wasn't filled with what ifs and a longing in his heart to see her again.

This time, his heart soared at the thought of seeing her again, of telling her how much he loved and missed her.

This time, nothing would tear them apart.

Betty opened her eyes slowly, instantly comforted by the feeling of Daniel's arm resting securely around her torso. A small grin tugged at her lips as she turned around to face him. She lifted her eyebrows in surprise when she met his eyes, wide awake and focused on her.

"Morning," Daniel grinned at her.

"Good morning. How long have you been awake?" she wondered.

"Not too long," he glided his hand up her bare arm, eliciting goosebumps on her flesh. "How'd you sleep?" Daniel rested his palm on her cheek, admiring how beautiful she looked, her long brown locks cascading over the pillow. She blushed faintly at the intense look in his eyes, knowing she would've felt weak in the knees had she been standing. "Good," Betty grinned, a hint of the shyness she used to possess evident as ever.

"You're blushing," he smiled, making her giggle.

"Well…that's what happens when you look at me like that," she said pointedly.

"Like what?" he was curious, watching as she let out a sigh, snuggling a bit closer to him.

"Like I'm the most amazing, captivating thing you've ever laid eyes on," Betty explained, "it makes me feel…oh I don't know…" she searched for the right words. "Warm and fuzzy."

Daniel chuckled at the description she'd chosen and she started laughing as well. "Don't make fun," she hit his shoulder.

"Well it's really your fault for looking so beautiful in the morning. So if I get lost in you and forget other people are around, you can't blame me," he interlaced his fingers with hers, bringing her hand to his lips.

"That's how you made me feel last night. Like I was the only woman on Earth," Betty admitted truthfully, her tone more serious than before.

"That's how I felt too," he reflected, watching the smile on her face get bigger, "I mean...besides the whole woman part," Daniel corrected himself.

She snuggled in closer to him, pressing her lips against his. He grinned against her kiss as she pulled him on top of her, their legs getting tangled in the cotton sheets. Betty glided her hand along his spine, and he pulled away from their heated kiss, letting out a ragged breath. She smiled up at him, tracing his jawline, resisting the urge to laugh at the brown hair in disarray on his head.

"What is it?"

Daniel gazed down at her, letting out a sigh. "Nothing, it's just…I don't want to ruin this."

"What do you mean?" she was taken aback.

"Well…I kind of have a habit of rushing into relationships…I mean, I know what we did last night skipped a few steps but…" he shifted his weight off of her, propping himself up on his elbow. "I just want us to be on the same page with everything. I want to get it right this time," he explained, sliding his thumb against her collarbone.

"I understand," she grinned at him. "I want that too."

He smirked, feeling his heart swell in contentment. "Good, because there's something I need to tell y-" he said, eyes darting to the ringing telephone on her nightstand. She cringed, giving it a quick glance.

"It's okay, answer it," he told her.

"Sorry. Hold that thought," Betty leaned over, picking the phone up off of the cradle, recognizing Hilda's cell on the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Betty? What's wrong with your cell?"

"Morning to you too sis. I must've left it in the other room. What's up?" she answered.

"Umm…so you're still in bed?" Hilda replied, her voice sounding weary. Betty frowned at this.

"Yeah, I just woke up a while ago. Why? Is it the baby? Is something wrong?" Betty stifled a yawn.

"No it's not me. It's…you're not going to believe me…this is crazy," Hilda said.

"What's crazy? What are talking about?" Betty sat up, Daniel staring at her curiously.

"It's- turn it on headline news," Betty heard Hilda sigh exasperated. Whatever this was, it must've been a big deal.

"Okay. Hold on," she slid out of Daniel's embrace and out of bed, his mischievous blue eyes glued to her as she grabbed her robe. She walked into the living area as she secured it around her, picking the remote up.

"Sit down first Betty," Hilda advised.

"Uhh…okay. Now you're scaring me," Betty finally found the channel she was searching for and nearly dropped the phone.

"Matt Hartley, former editor of Mode magazine and son of business mogul Cal Hartley, is indeed alive. It seems as if Mr. Hartley was involved in something dangerous and has spent the last several months in the Federal Witness Protection Program and arrived back home just this morning. Mr. Hartley was believed to have perished in a plane bound for Africa in mid-January. Only the plane's wreckage had been recovered up to this point. The Hartleys are planning a small news conference tomorrow afternoon. We'll be reporting live from there with a full report. Back to you, Jen."

"Betty? Are you there? Are you okay?" Hilda asked on the other end. Betty felt the tears fill her eyes, and she cleared her throat. This couldn't be happening.

"I'm still here," she answered, biting her lip. "I uh…thanks for- for letting me…know," Betty told her absently.

"Betty, I'm here if you need me okay?" Hilda reminded her.

"Okay. Okay. I'll talk to you later," she said, turning towards her room, hearing his footsteps.

"Hey...is everything okay with Hilda?" Daniel wondered groggily. He stopped in his tracks, a feeling of dread taking over his senses when he saw the look in her eyes.

"What's the matter?" he frowned, instantly waking up a bit more. His gaze fell on the TV and the images on the screen. He stood still next to the couch, immobile for a few seconds as the news sunk in.

"Oh. Oh," Daniel ran a hand over his face, letting out a sigh. He sat down next to her, feeling like he'd just gotten the wind knocked out of him. He closed his eyes and opened them again, the words on the screen running through his mind over and over.

Daniel looked at Betty, her teary gaze focused on the floor. "Hey," he said gently, covering her hand with his, "are you okay?"

Betty glanced back at him, a warm tear rolling down her cheek. "I don't know," she shrugged, "this doesn't seem real. All this time he…I can't believe this..." She shook her head in disbelief, standing from the couch and rubbing her temples.

He couldn't believe it either.

It'd taken almost seven weeks to get her to smile again, to really smile. Two and and half months until he heard a genuine laugh escape from her lips. Three months for her to really accept that sometimes terrible things happened without explanation.

Somewhere along the way, Daniel had stopped denying the fact that they were just Daniel and Betty: boss and former assistant, best friends, confidants. He'd fallen in love with her. Now that he'd accepted it, he couldn't remember a time when he didn't feel this way, it was such a part of him now.

So where did they go from here? The man who'd unknowingly drawn them together could just as easily tear apart what they'd found. This changed everything.

-

Okay, don't hate me, but this was the plan all along. I like a bit of drama...don't worry though, you know I'm a hardcore shipper. Please review! Thanks for reading and sorry again about the delay, I'm just really really busy. I'll update as soon as I can!