Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed the last chapter. Thank you to everybody who volunteered to be my beta. Cocodiva328 graciously looked over this chapter. Your support always helps me stay focused through computers that breakdown and all the other things that can go wrong when writing a story. Sorry, for the long lag between updates. It was a combination of finishing up one story and then my computer getting sick and going into the shop for a week to get a brand new hard drive. Starfleet Family Values is now done after three very long years. I am sticking to my four stories or less rule now. I'm also going to try to updates stories in a normal rotation, unless I get really blocked. So hopefully I'll be able to update about once every three weeks (sooner, if I can get back to writing two chapters in a weekend).

This chapter takes place about two weeks after the last one.

Chapter 11: Sympathy for and Advice from the Supposed Devil.

Faye Somers hated being sick. Actually, she hated being weak or at least perceived as weak. Wilhelmina couldn't get back from Zürich fast enough when she heard about the heart attack. According to Marisol, during her acting tenure as EIC, Wilhelmina completely got rid of everything planned for the May issue, with the assistance of her brand-new minion, Carlo Medina (that she poached from Isabella). Faye was well aware of the fact that Wilhelmina wanted her out by whatever means necessary. The bitch probably thought the heart attack was a gift from God, to provide her with the perfect opportunity to take over. Really, it was her own fault for training the woman so well. Wanda, the daughter of her congressmen friend, was always ambitious but Wilhelmina, was the type of person who would literally crawl over a dead body to get what she wanted because that's what Faye taught her. The student was trying to become the master or maybe the student was tired of being under the master.

Wilhelmina wanted her out permanently and she obviously did not believe she could earn Faye's job by being the best acting EIC ever. According to Jamie, Wilhelmina was trying very hard at the moment to become Bradford's brand-new fuck toy. Apparently, Wilhelmina was under the impression that Faye became the youngest and longest running EIC of Mode magazine simply because she gave good head. She was good at what she did and not just in the bedroom. The then, 70 year old fashion magazine, was falling apart when she took over and Faye made it great once more.

Pre-heart attack, she would have cared about her former lover screwing around with someone else. Post heart attack, it didn't seem to matter anymore. Wilhelmina Slater could have Bradford. Both people were heartless individuals, who cared only about themselves. Wilhelmina pretended that her daughter did not exist and well, Faye saw firsthand what Bradford did to both Daniel and Alex. They were perfect for each other.

Her feelings for Bradford were starting to dissipate, now that she really saw him and she couldn't believe that she let herself be used for so long. The man couldn't even be bothered to send her a get well card, let alone see her in person. Even Clara sent flowers, even if the card said, the only proof that she actually had a heart was that she had a heart attack. The only thing Faye got from her former lover and employer of nearly two decades was a call from his assistant asking when she would be well enough to return to work. That made her resolve to never go back to Bradford; it was over for good this time.

She was supposed to stay out for eight weeks but she didn't have time for that. It's been two weeks and Wilhelmina was already trying to take over the most important thing in her life and that was definitely not Bradford Meade. As Faye stated earlier, Wilhelmina could have Bradford (as much as anybody could have Bradford), but Mode was hers. A little heart attack wasn't going to keep her from her magazine.

Some would say that she was just as heartless as Bradford and Wilhelmina but she did care about other things, chief among them was her Mode. (Which Wilhelmina will only get control of when she was dead and in the ground.) The other thing was her daughter, who was currently avoiding her. She hasn't spoken to Amanda since she ran out of her hospital room 16 days ago. She could understand. There was a reason why she was planning to never tell Amanda. She knew the twenty something would hate her for her choice and would never want to speak with her again.

She expected cold indifference but she didn't get that. The week that she was in the hospital, Amanda had her chubby little friend, bring Faye designer bathrobes, trashy romance novels (which were a secret guilty pleasure of hers), and updates on how Wilhelmina was destroying her magazine. Considering that Faye was a major contributing factor to why Betty's boyfriend was dealing with his lush of a mother in France, instead of spending time with her, it made Faye very aware that she was only doing this for her friend's sake. Betty seemed so nice that she was sure that Bradford would eat the younger woman alive if he knew that she was pregnant with his grandchild. (Of course, when Betty somehow managed to get the Book from Wilhelmina, she wonders if the girl could survive after all.) Yet, Faye did not believe that niceness would be enough to make Betty spend time with her without a push from Amanda.

There could be another reason. Maybe she felt guilty for being the catalyst that triggered Faye's heart attack. It was her pregnancy test that sent Faye over the edge and resulted in giving Wilhelmina the perfect opportunity to take over her magazine. However, for Betty to feel guilty she would have to know about the entire situation with Amanda. She's not sure Amanda told Betty this.

After a week, her cardiologist finally allowed her to come home. Her house was clean of everything she was not allowed to have and her fridge was filled with heart healthy food. She assumed it was Marisol until the woman told her otherwise. Amanda was the one who arranged everything. Amanda even took care of Halston during Faye's hospital stay. That's not something a person that absolutely hates you would do. But when she tried to call Amanda to talk to her about this, she got her voicemail. Faye was too afraid to actually leave a message.

Betty was still coming by with dinner daily. Today, she actually came by with the Book, confirming in her mind that she needed to be back in the office tomorrow, if she could help it. It was obvious to Faye that she's only doing this because Amanda asked her to do so.

"You don't have to be here. I don't even know why you're here. I think I said two words to you before…" she doesn't finish. They both know she was talking about the heart attack.

"Amanda is a friend and she asked me to come by. Wilhelmina has her really busy." That excuse was laughable. Wilhelmina has already demoted Amanda back to her job as the Mode receptionist.

"Don't lie, darling. You're not good at it," Faye said directly. "She's avoiding me."

"She is not really avoiding you. She is worried about you but she is not ready to talk to you yet. Amanda thinks you gave her up for the sake of your career. That is essentially what her parents told her last weekend," Faye closed her eyes a moment, not surprised that was what they told her. That's what she wanted them to think.

"I take that you know my biggest secret. Amanda must be a good friend," Faye said as she took a bite of the salmon dish Betty brought to her. It tasted okay, although she wasn't much for eating. She preferred to get most of her calories in liquid form.

"She says we're not friends but she comes by a lot. Although, she did break my glasses," Betty said, pausing as she pushed up her new more stylish frames on her face.

"She was doing you a favor," Faye mumbled under breath.

"Amanda did not exactly tell me. She kind of broke down when she saw the adoption pamphlets that my sister brought over. I mean…" the young woman said, trying to backtrack her words but it was already too late. Betty already gave too much away. If this woman was trying to keep this pregnancy a secret, she was already doing a horrible job.

"You vomited on my designer slippers. I am well aware you're carrying the next heir to the Meade Empire." A panic look fell across Betty's face. "No, I haven't said anything to Bradford. We are not exactly on speaking terms right now," Faye said bitterly.

"He's not on speaking terms with a lot of people." The young one mumbled under breath.

"Bradford is a wonderful businessman and a horrible human being." If it was anyone but this sweet naïve little girl, she would mention the fact that Faye had sex with a married man for more than two decades. However, Betty said nothing.

"Nobody knows yet except for Jamie, Amanda, my sister, and Jordan." Betty said looking up at the wall.

"Is that because you're still trying to figure out what to do?" Faye asked gently, remembering those panic filled days after she found out she was carrying Amanda.

"I'm keeping the baby," she said firmly.

"They're still adoption, even if your future child will hate you after she finds out," Faye told her without eye contact.

"Amanda doesn't hate you," Betty said, trying to be reassuring. "She's just trying to figure out how to process everything. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"No, she hates me." Faye said, closing her eyes. Sometimes, she hated herself, for what she did.

"Did you really give her up for your career?" Betty asked tentatively.

"You're too young to realize this, but the world is not black and white. Nothing is ever that simple. I was never the type of person who should raise a child. I took too many drugs and fucked all the wrong people. I did not exactly have a family that would help out. She was better off with the Tannins. I told Amanda this except for the part about the lack of family." Faye said keeping her voice neutral.

"I'm not sure I am the type of person who should raise a child either. I'm an almost 21 year old intern who is not even through college yet. My sister is pissed and keeps saying I told you so every 20 minutes. My father is going to kill me, if I ever get brave enough to tell him. He was so disappointed when my sister got pregnant at 16. I was supposed to know better than that but apparently I had no idea that you could get pregnant without penetration." Faye raised an eyebrow at that comment. "I don't even know how to tell Daniel. He's supposed to be back in a week." The young girl's voice was tinged with panic.

"I think you're in much better shape than you think. Your family is angry because they actually care about you. Both of my parents were gone by that point and I wasn't speaking to my sister for most of the eighties. Also unlike me, you didn't get pregnant because you were so high you forgot to use a condom. I needed a detective to figure out who got me pregnant and I still couldn't bring myself to tell him about what happened." Betty tried to interrupt her but Faye already knew what she was going to ask. "Just so that you know, there's no way Amanda could be your honey bear's sister because Bradford did not start stringing me along for another two years." As she said those words, she really did feel like a fool. She was ashamed at all the stupid things she did to get Bradford to leave Claire and he never did. Instead, he just found new women to fuck around with. Bradford Meade made a fool of her and he was going to pay because no one made a fool of Faye Somers.

"I'm sorry," Betty said almost sounding genuine.

"What are you apologizing for?" Faye spat out.

"I'm trying to be nice," Betty replied defensively.

"That's your problem. Most people don't respond to nice. I'm anything but nice. In my business, nice people end up with a Prada heel in their back. If you want to keep your baby safe from Bradford Meade, you will keep that in mind. You're not some famous model like the last person your boyfriend got pregnant or a famous athlete like Alex's girlfriend. Bradford could easily make you disappear if you don't do what he wants." Faye told her sternly as she realized that helping this girl may be the only way to get Amanda to speak to her again.

"What are you talking about?" Betty asked confused.

"Don't worry. Your boyfriend didn't know." Faye said, trying to reassure the young girl. There was something about her that made Faye want to be slightly less abrasive (other than the fact that she knew she needed Betty on her side).

"Didn't know what?" Betty asked again.

"That Daniel knocked up his model girlfriend during his summer in Paris when you were probably still in the middle of your New Kids on the Block phase," she said smirking.

"You're lying. She would have said something. Daniel hasn't mentioned anything about her having a kid and he went to meet with her two weeks ago." Faye smile to herself. Maybe God still cared about her after all and this was his way of paying her back for the heart attack. She was going to use this for her revenge. She was going to make sure Bradford's family never forgave him for his many sins including fucking around on his wife with someone other than her. They say nothing is more dangerous than a woman scorned and Bradford is going to learn that firsthand.

"Probably because Bradford made her sign a nondisclosure agreement. The only thing that man cares about is appearances and illegitimate grandchildren from women who don't meet his strict standards are problematic in his mind." With those words, Faye began to tell her the complete truth about the entire messy situation in France including her own part and what happened. She didn't need to lie because sometimes the truth is better.

"Why are you telling me this?" Betty asked, obviously wary of her.

"Because, maybe, I don't want that for you."

"I thought you told me you're not a nice person. I don't think you're that altruistic." She shot back. There was definitely hope for this one.

"I'm not. I want my daughter to actually speak to me," She said voicing the one justification that Betty would not find morally unacceptable. "You need to convince her that I'm not this horrible person that she thinks I am."

"I'm not so sure of that. I mean you have been sleeping with a married man for the last two decades." Faye smirked at that.

"Maybe there is hope for you. You seem like you trust everybody but you don't," Faye replied with a smirk.

"I'm from Queens." That explained so much, Faye thought to herself.

"So was I, once upon a time. You and I have a lot in common. I know you're the reason why Amanda passed the tiara test. Even at Mode, we know about the great Betty. You have potential. I don't want to see you waste it."

"By having Daniel's child?" Betty asked worriedly.

"By thinking you have to choose," Faye shot back trying to keep her voice neutral. "I couldn't be Amanda's mother and be the EIC of a fashion magazine, that was only a few months from closing, if I couldn't turn things around. Maybe I chose the wrong thing but I still chose. It's not the same world now. Maybe, I don't want to see you end up like me."

"So you are going to help me become you?" she asked skeptically.

"I'm going to help you become you and you will help me get my daughter back." Those motives were partially true.

"I can't make Amanda do something that she doesn't want to do. I'm not even sure if I trust you right now." Betty replied doubtingly. It was better than a no.

"But you can talk to her. Talk to Daniel and once you do, you will realize that I am your only hope of protecting the child that you're carrying from a man who has screwed over a lot of people, including myself." After that, Betty quickly left the apartment, leaving Faye alone with her salmon dinner.

Daniel really didn't think his entire life would come down to the words on a sheet of paper. Yet, here he was in his hotel room with the results of the DNA test in his hands unable to open the envelope. He still wasn't sure what he wanted the results to be.

Daniel has been to Lucy's house three times since the revelation that his father really was an absolute ass who was sure it was in his own best interest to keep DJ's existence a secret from both his possible fathers. He was a good kid who was holding up remarkably under the circumstances. Daniel wanted to ask Betty for tips on how to help DJ get through this but he couldn't figure out how to explain what was going on without telling her the entire messy situation.

For the last couple of weeks, they have mostly talked about his meetings in Paris and the revelation that Amanda was the unfortunate spawn of Satan herself. Daniel was really glad that he was too obsessed with Betty to even consider taking Amanda up on her offer, when his mother suggested that he take a DNA test to make sure Amanda was not his sister. His father paid to have DJ disappear; he could see the man convincing Faye to give up Amanda by dangling the EIC position in front of her.

Daniel found it odd that he was more freaked out over the possibility that Amanda could be his sister then finding out DJ was his son. Finding out he had a new sibling, especially a sister, would change everything. No matter what the test said, he was going to have to raise DJ when the inevitable happened. The idea did not scare him as much as it should have. He wasn't so sure what Betty's opinion would be.

Every time he mentioned kids in the last two weeks, she would freak out. That may have something to do with Jordan's pregnancy. Between the morning sickness and having to contend with Bradford's lawyers, anyone would be terrified of having a Meade child.

Daniel's lawyers said it would be easier if DJ was his biologically (at this point, he's pretty sure DJ must be a relative of some sort because he acts too much like Daniel and Alex for it to make sense otherwise). Lucy was planning to sign custody over to him regardless (thus proving how bad her other options were in his mind) but it would be harder for her parents to fight him if he was the biological father.

Of course, they wouldn't be fighting him for DJ's best interests but rather a share of the hefty trust fund that Bradford left for his only grandchild. Lucy didn't touch a penny of it. She invested heavily in tech stocks and had the good sense to get out before the bubble burst. DJ's trust fund was probably healthier than his but that was mostly because Daniel went through a lot of it very quickly before his girlfriend showed him the wonders of things like Target and Grocery shopping.

He was worried about the upcoming custody fight. He already had his horrible reputation working against him, along with the fact that he was the epitome of bachelorhood. Being the uncle, instead of the father, would make the custody situation more problematic. His lawyer was already suggesting marriage, if the DNA test points to Alex being the father. His response was to laugh in the guy's face. Maybe, if he actually picked up his phone 11 years ago, he would have did that but that was before Betty and she was the only person he would ever consider marrying. He didn't love Lucy, even if DJ already had his heart.

Compared to what he feels now for Betty, he's pretty sure he never did.

Then there's the fact that, if Alex turned out to be DJ's father, that meant that not only is his mom terminally ill but his father committed suicide only a little more than two months beforehand. Fortunately, because of Bradford, the world at large still believed it was a skiing accident. That was the only thing Daniel was grateful to Bradford for. He would never tell DJ the truth, especially if the man turned out to be his father and not just his uncle.

What worried him the most was Betty's reaction. If he was DJ's father, will Betty see him as if he were that guy who completely fucked over her sister? It would hurt him if Betty saw him that way. Then there was the fact that regardless of what the DNA tests said, he was going to have to stay in France indefinitely. At a minimum, he would have to stay until the custody situation was straightened out. The lawyers said that it would be easier if he was in the country.

Then there was the fact that he didn't want to uproot DJ from his life, if he didn't have to. Claudette already told him he would have a place at Mode Paris, if he wanted one. That would probably require him to remember all the French that he forgot in the last 10 years, not that he knew much to begin with. He did have an eye for style and Claudette argued that was more important than being able to speak the language.

He wasn't sure if Betty would want to do a long distance thing. This month has been hard enough. Surprisingly, he hasn't been tempted by the models but he was worried about Betty. She was 20 years old. She had more important things to do than play happy family with a 31 year old man raising a 10 year old. She was a beautiful woman, who could have any guy, now that she saw her true value.

He didn't think her moving to France was a possibility either. She still had another year of school. Also unlike him, she was actually close to her family and he was not sure if she would be willing to move across an ocean for some guy that she hasn't even been dating for two months yet. Maybe if he actually gave her the ring that he found in a French boutique shop a couple of days ago but she wasn't ready for it. He wasn't ready for it. He only got the ring because it reminded him too much of Betty to just let it sit there.

So, if everything was going to change regardless of what the test actually said, why was he still afraid to actually open the envelope? The results of the DNA test arrived 30 minutes ago and he has been locked inside his room ever since. Yet, he has not looked at the results. Let's just say, he was grateful for his phone to ring, for reasons other than the fact it was Betty calling him.

"Did you just finish dropping off dinner to Satan?" he asked after her initial hello. "I don't know why you're doing that. I don't think she eats actual food, just the blood of the innocent." Daniel was not exactly happy that his girlfriend has been spending quality time with the woman who destroyed his parents' marriage. Oh, who is he kidding, his father destroyed his parents' marriage and Faye Somers was just one of the women that he screwed, both literally and figuratively.

"Amanda asked me to. The woman just had a heart attack," she answered simply.

"You're too nice sometimes. It's difficult for me to be sympathetic to the woman who purposely rubbed her affair with my father in my mother's face for decades. Thanks to her, I have to have a DNA test once I get back to make sure Amanda is not my sister." Daniel said with annoyance.

"Would it make you feel better, if I told you Faye said, that she didn't start sleeping with your dad for another two years and she really hates him right now?" Betty told him in a sweet voice.

"Thank you, God." Daniel said looking up at the sky before coming back to reality. "How much does she hate my father?" Daniel asked.

"Enough to tell me this crazy story about your father blackmailing Lucy into keeping the fact that you got her pregnant a secret." That revelation actually caused him to drop his phone.

"Shit," of all the ways that Betty could have found out about this, he didn't expect Faye Somers of all people to tell Betty the truth. Why the hell did he listen to Marcy?

"Daniel, what are you not telling me?" Betty asked, after Daniel stayed silent for too long.

"Faye's story is not that farfetched and she probably knows more about what happened then I actually do. In addition to finding out my ex-girlfriend is extremely ill and cheated on me with my brother, I found out that she got pregnant when we were together." That's when he recounted everything that has happened over the last few days.

"That's consistent with what Faye told me. Although, in her version of events she was the one who convinced Lucy to take the deal." He rolled his eyes at that part because he just doesn't believe it. Faye is not a nice person.

"Why did she tell you this, other than to get back at my father?" Daniel asked warily. Faye Somers does nothing unless it benefits her. The word altruistic is not even in her vocabulary.

"She wants me to help her with Amanda." Betty explained. Although, that doesn't mean that what she wants is necessarily an evil thing.

"So I assume you got a DNA test?" Betty asked after things became too silent.

"The test results arrived about 45 minutes ago. I just haven't been able to bring myself to open the results." He told her honestly.

"What happens if DJ is your son?" Betty questioned. It was a question that he has been asking himself many times over the last few days.

"The same thing that happens if he's just my nephew, I will take care of him. You know I don't like your sister because she hates me but I feel sorry for her. That guy that got her pregnant was a complete asshole for not wanting to be in Justin's life. I don't want to be the guy who flakes out on his kids. And if it turns out he's Alex's son, I have to step up."

"You're a good person, Daniel." Betty said, as her voice broke, as if she was about to cry. "If something happened to Hilda, I would do the same thing."

"That's why I have to do this." In his mind, if he doesn't do this, he will never be worth Betty's time.

"So, if nothing is going to change regardless, why are you so afraid to open the envelope?" Betty asked him pointedly.

"I don't know, I'm just scared. I wish you were here with me." This would be so much easier if he wasn't alone.

"Me too. Maybe it's best if you treat it like a band aid," Betty suggested.

"You're right," Daniel said as he just open the envelope. A lone tear quickly rolled down his cheek as he read the results.

"It says that I am DJ's father," Daniel told her with a shaky voice and for the first time during the course of their relationship, he truly lied to her. DJ was going to be his son no matter what, what did DNA matter? DJ needed a living father anyway.

To be continued.

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