Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last conversation. You are all wonderful. Look, updates coming at a regular speed.

Please note that thanks to the five-hour time difference between London and Manhattan this time of year, this chapter begins a few hours before the end of the last with AB chapter, even if it seems an hour or two later. I considered switching the order, but I wanted to get back to Marc and Jade sooner.

This chapter is close to the original version, but I'd did trim some fat and reworded some things to make things clearer. I also cut some of the sexual content because it messed with the flow. Although, I didn't take all of it out.

Chapter 18: So, About Last Weekend

"Little William is getting so cute. I can't believe he is 16 months old already. I think he said my name." Betty told her boyfriend excitedly as they exited Christina's hotel room.

They had no choice but to leave dinner early when Christina's assistant/nanny called midway through to inform the designer that baby William would not go to sleep or even stop crying. Candy got to stay behind to enjoy the chocolate mousse that Betty had been craving all day, which was completely unfair. However, spending time with the chubby cheeked little boy who stopped crying the moment his mommy stepped into the room balanced things out.

"He's a lot cuter now that I am not under the impression that he was daddy's replacement child with the devil." Daniel thought William was cute before, but just didn't say anything because of the Wilhelmina thing.

Betty knew Daniel wanted to be a father badly. Daniel was a natural kid person as evidenced by his behavior around Justin and DJ. He even offered to help her raise Matt's child when she thought she was pregnant last December (bullet dodged there). He's even helping Marc with his custody battle (she was pleasantly surprised to find that out and not just because she had some petty desire to see Jody suffer for what she did).

But she should not have been surprised that Daniel already had the names of various lawyers ready to go to help Marc. Back in January when she found out about the Marc situation, she found various web pages on adoption bookmarked on his computer. Betty originally assumed that he was being so supportive of Amanda because he wanted to adopt the baby himself if she wasn't ready. Maybe do some sort of open adoption.

Of course, that was before she knew that there was a small possibility that the baby could be Daniel's child. Or more accurately put the actual pieces together and let common sense take over. She remembered walking in on Daniel reading Oh F$#%, I Got Someone Pregnant in Amanda's living room when he was spending so much time there, when Amanda and Daniel were pretending to be together. She just wasn't willing before to really put the pieces together.

Amanda and Daniel's relationship was anything but pretend, considering they did have sex together in the Bahamas after Betty went back to Matt because she was scared. Although now she is aware that was a comfort thing between friends, best friends. It's obvious that Amanda now had the best friend baton. They gravitated toward each other because she hurt them both.

"You can't blame an innocent child for who their parents are." She said out loud wondering if the statement only pertained to little William. "By the way, have you spoken to Tyler today?" Betty asked, aware this was a sensitive subject simply because Daniel was Cal Hartley's child. Yet, it was still less complicated than anything Amanda related.

"Was that your way of telling me that I need to stop being mad at Tyler, because it was not his fault that my mom fell victim to the Hartley charm or that the condom broke? That must be a family trait." Daniel asked looking at her.

"Pretty much. Answer my question?" Betty said giving him a tiny kiss on the lips once she realized nobody was around.

"He called while Christina was showing you the cute little things that she designed for baby William as part of her new children's collection that I know you're planning to give to Marc and possibly Amanda as baby presents. Unfortunately, I was too busy watching you go absolutely crazy over baby William to pick up the phone." Even she knew that was an excuse. According to Mrs. Meade and Amanda, Daniel didn't go to see Tyler in rehab unless he was forced by someone like Amanda. Betty usually could only get him to call Tyler under duress now. They did have an interesting conversation Saturday as he, Matt, and Tyler bonded over the mess that Alexis senior and Brianna got everyone into.

The brothers probably would have had more sympathy for Alexis if Daniel told everyone how sick she really was, but Alexis wanted to break the news in person, which was her right. That still did not prevent things from deteriorating quickly, once they started talking about the latest rumors in the press about Daniel being the real father of Amanda's baby started by Victoria Hartley herself.

Despite everything Victoria Hartley did to her when she was dating Matt, Betty couldn't believe how cruel the woman was being to Amanda. She was even sabotaging Amanda's new business, which was why the aspiring stylist was working as Monique's personal assistant/stylist.

"Don't give me that look. I really did not want to get into another family argument in front of Christina and her nanny/assistant. He probably called me to tell me how Amanda's doctor's appointment this afternoon went any way. If I'm doing the conversion right, she should be out of the doctor's office by now. Personally, I'm surprised I don't have a sonogram picture waiting in my inbox." Daniel joked. "I hope it's a girl."

Again, there was that excitement with a hint of sadness underneath. Being the person that knew Daniel better than anyone else in the universe, Betty knows the real reason he's angry at Alexis was that his sister who never really wanted children had two because of her own negligence and Daniel was still without a child of his own. (And let's not even start on Marc being a father first because that will cause all sorts of strange reactions.)

"We'll know soon enough. For all our sakes, I hope it will be a little boy because I don't think we can deal with Amanda junior and Marc already has a daughter. I feel like the pair would want one of each. I'm surprised by the lack of ultrasound pictures as well. Actually, I'm surprised she didn't text message us during her doctor's appointment." Betty told him as they made their way to the elevators.

"I'm a little worried about that too. I'll call her when we get to the house. I hope she is not back to being in denial about being pregnant again." Daniel mumbled that part under his breath, so low that she barely heard him.

"What?" Betty asked him in confusion, not completely understanding what he meant. Amanda seemed very happy about being pregnant. It was all she talked about.

"Amanda didn't handle finding out she was pregnant very well. According to my mom, it took her, Gio, and Monique 2 hours just to convince her to take the test. When it came up positive, she spent most of that night crying although that may have something to do with Matt breaking up with her the day before. It was not an enjoyable time for her." Betty didn't know about. As far as she knew, Matt and Amanda were together the entire time he was in Africa. She had a feeling there was a lot she didn't know about.

"No more talk of Amanda or baby things. I want to enjoy a few minutes with my girlfriend." He said pulling her down on one of the couches in the public seating area by the elevators. "Did you like your surprise?"

"I love it." She told him happily with a quick peck on the lips. "I just wish we were not leaving for New York on Wednesday afternoon. I would love to spend more time with her." Betty said with a sigh as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I know." He said kissing her on the cheek as he ran one hand through her hair. "That is where the other part of the surprise comes in. Mode UK signed an exclusive deal with the hottest new designer in the region to feature all her new collections for the next two years. Christina will be back at the end of August to shoot the winter collection." Betty let out a completely unladylike scream of joy at that, causing the older lady passing by to look at her strangely. She quickly covered her mouth, which caused Daniel to start giggling.

"I knew you would love that." He said just before capturing her mouth in a just barely appropriate for public kiss again. Why did she wait so long for this? She was already addicted to kissing him.

"How was your first day with Becks? If he did anything stupid like try to proposition you, I will cut off his balls." He asked her once the kiss ended, much too soon for her taste, but they were in public.

"What is it with you and castration? You threatened Matt the same way." She joked.

"It's a guy thing and Matt deserved it. Even though I will never tell Amanda this, I think he was a complete ass for sleeping with her just days after he broke up with you when he knew that he was leaving the country for six months. Then he broke up with her because of blatant lies from Megan without even bothering to verify. What he did to her was worse than anything I did at the peak of my player phase. He knew that she loved him, and he still treated her like crap." Daniel said angrily. Obviously, Daniel hated her ex-boyfriend for reasons unrelated to her and the fact that they share a brother.

"I thought we were not going to talk about Amanda and anything related to that." She said not wanting to have a Matt related argument for any reason in public.

"Sorry." Daniel gave her an apology kiss. "Is my old friend a model employee?" He asked just as he pulled away.

"Yes, I was skeptical when he first told me Saturday that he was my new photographer. However, I realized I had nothing to worry about when he showed up to the London Hub offices wearing a suit and behaving completely professionally. He did not even flirt with Betsy. He was nice to me. That was a little weird. I'm glad you showed me his portfolio this weekend." When she said this, she noticed a tiny frown form on Daniel's face.

"That's good. I can understand why you were skeptical. If I didn't know him my entire life, I wouldn't believe that he had this completely different side to him." Daniel told her.

"I guess I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. I hate when people do that to me." Daniel looked sheepish as she said this.

"He was too busy with getting acclimated for us to really talk, but at least he doesn't call me names behind my back like all my other employees. We're supposed to meet tomorrow to talk about his first major project for the magazine. I have so much to do tomorrow." Betty said with a sigh as she got up from the couch and Daniel followed behind her to the elevator.

"I know. The only way your boss would agree to let you go to the wedding was if you did press in New York Thursday and Friday. Everything will be fine. I can even pack for you if you want. There are a few items in the Mode closet that would look wonderful on you." Daniel said giving her a wicked look as he pushed the button for the elevator.

"If you pack for me, I'm going to end up with mostly uncomfortable underwear and tops that show off way too much cleavage." Considering the expression on Daniel's face, he was probably envisioning what she would look like in that outfit.

"You forgot to include short skirts that almost show off your barely their underwear for easy access," Daniel joked. "I promise to behave. You will look very professional." Considering the way he was looking at her, Betty doubted his sincerity. He was licking his lips.

"I don't trust you. I think I finally figured out why you like women's fashion so much. You enjoy dressing us up too much." She smirked at him.

"Just you." He said as he bent down to kiss her just as the elevator doors started to open. She quickly pulled away from him as they left. Just because their relationship was now public didn't mean that she wanted pictures of the two of them making out in an elevator all over the place tomorrow morning. She didn't say another word until they were safely in the car heading back home. At some point they were going to have to get their driver's license over here, but for now she is enjoying the use of the car service.

"The press will be the least of my worries in New York. In addition to all the interviews before the award show, Lindsey is having me meet with a few possible international advertisers' and he is taking me to a few business meetings. I'm not going to have time to have fun with you. Other than the wedding Saturday, this is going to be a business trip." Betty sighed.

"I'm not surprised." Betty knew Daniel wanted to say more, but he didn't. Instead, she heard Daniel's cell tell them he has a voicemail.

"That's weird. I did not hear it ring." Daniel said opening his phone to play the message. At the same time, Betty's phone made the exact same noise.

"We were in an elevator and then an underground parking area." He tells her, and that makes sense.

"It's Amanda, and the message is 5 minutes long. Messages can be that long?" Betty asked with a quizzical look.

"Yes, actually. Did your dad ever tell you about that one time I left a 4-minute declaration of my love for you on your home answering machine?" Daniel asked just as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"No. When did this happen?"

"Last summer, it was the night after I spread most of Molly's ashes. I was drunk and upset. Your father was kind enough to delete the message." Betty was sure he started playing Amanda's message just so she would not ask him any more questions. Why did she have a feeling that that thing happened more than once?

Daniel's plan worked and what she heard would instantly distract her to the point where she did not ask any questions about Daniel's early declaration of love. Throughout the entire message, Amanda was crying hysterically. She was not even this bad when her dog died. The only words Betty could make out were twins, asshole boyfriend, and mommy bitch. This was not good.

56 hours earlier

"I don't understand why you didn't tell me that you could be the father of Amanda's baby." Betty said, as she stepped inside their home. She stayed completely silent on the ride back from the Mode offices. That was mostly so the driver would not hear this extremely private conversation. She was angry and a part of her felt like she was going through the whole Henry fiasco again. This was 1000 times worse because she knew she couldn't survive without Daniel for more than a week or two at a time.

"Because, it was highly unlikely and it wasn't like I lied to you. I told you, I really did sleep with Amanda in the Bahamas because I was upset that you went back to Matt after you kissed me. We also slept with each other a couple more times, but most of the time we would end up watching movies and hanging out."

"Really?" Betty asked skeptically.

"Yes. I needed a friend and you weren't there. You were practically living with Matt by that point. Can you really be mad at me for sleeping with Amanda when you were in a relationship with someone else?" Daniel asked her angrily.

"No." She said regretfully as she sat on the couch. Her decision to use Matt to keep herself away from Daniel was the biggest regret of her life. Now it was biting her in the butt.

"Does it make you feel better to know that Amanda stopped sleeping with me before Christmas because I called her your name in bed?" Amanda told her about this, yet when Daniel said that, it meant more to her.

"A little bit." Betty responded with a smile.

"The doctor believes Amanda got pregnant in January, at least a month after we stopped sleeping together." Daniel said trying to reassure Betty, but he was failing miserably because Betty was still terrified.

"Doctors can be wrong sometimes. Hilda had a false period when she got pregnant with Justin." Betty pointed out.

"That's true." Daniel sighed.

"So why hasn't Amanda got a DNA test yet?"

"Because Amanda has been reading way too many pregnancy articles, she does not want to get one until after the baby is born especially given the unlikelihood that I'm the father. Unlike her and Matt, we used a condom every time and she was taking her birth control properly. That didn't happen with Matt due to the lost weekend." And unfortunately, Betty knew all about the details of that lost weekend from Amanda. Too many details really.

"I'm not going to force her to have the DNA test now. Especially because Amanda is worried about having a miscarriage due to listening to your sister and Monique recount their pregnancy war stories. Things went so badly with Monique, she had to have a hysterectomy. Amanda doesn't want to do anything that can increase the probability of a miscarriage even a little bit." Betty remembered how broken Hilda was when she lost the baby last year. She didn't want Amanda to go through that.

"It doesn't matter I've essentially been told by Amanda that I'm going to be Uncle Daniel no matter what." Daniel said that part angrily not even looking at her.

"What does that mean?" Betty asked him.

"Amanda wants to raise the baby with Matt." Daniel said softly.

"But what if it's not his kid? What if Matt leaves her? He is good at that. "Betty said slightly annoyed.

"Then Amanda is going to end up a single parent, and that's going to be her choice. Look, I'm not Henry. So, get that out of your head. I chose you, I want you. I moved to another country for you." Daniel told her.

"I'm not thinking about Henry." Betty responded with voice raised.

"Liar. I know you too well. You're thinking about the situation. You are afraid I'm just going to leave you in four months if it turns out this baby's mine. I am not leaving you. I'm just going to be the cool uncle who lives in London and visits every couple months. I'm also going to send lots of presents, but that's going to happen regardless." She could easily see the pain on his face as he said this.

"You're just going to abandon your child? That's not who you are Daniel. I know you way too well to believe that." She always knew Daniel was a good person inside. He stayed by Molly's side through cancer for God's sake. He wouldn't leave Amanda behind. She was going to lose him again and that thought scared the hell out of her more than Henry moving to Arizona ever did.

"We'll cross that bridge if we get there if there's even a bridge to cross in the first place. Considering Victoria Hartley is dragging Amanda through the mud in New York, she may be willing to move to another country. She has been essentially blacklisted by Matt's mom. No one will hire her." Betty was so wrapped up in her panic about what happened last time that she did not even hear Daniel's words.

"I don't want to wait four months to find out that you're leaving me." Betty said on the verge of tears.

"You're not even listening. You have this in your head that things are going to end up exactly like last time. This isn't like last time. There is something called joint custody. If Jody and Marc can work something out, we can as well. Amanda is not Charlie. She is not going to keep me away from my child out of some petty vendetta. You know that's what happened last time." She knew Daniel had a point.

"I know Amanda is not like that. I just don't see how you can stay with me in London and be a fulltime father with Amanda in New York." Betty said stating her fear.

"Are you saying that this is an either-or proposition?" He asks looking at her.

"I don't know."

"I love you. If I thought you would say yes, we would be at Tiffany's right now choosing your engagement ring. I want to grow old with you. I want to have children with you." Daniel said sitting down next to her.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for that right now. I need to focus on my career. This is just not the right time for children." She said before realizing what she really said.

"It's a little too late for that. We already have joint custody of DJ and Justin will be living with us for a month in August. Congratulations, you are the proud mother of two teenagers and the world hasn't fallen apart. What are you so afraid of?" Daniel asked.

"That's different." She said realizing it really wasn't, but she wasn't going to lose this battle.

"No, it's not. You have it in your mind that you can either be a wife and mother or have a fabulous career, but you can't have both. You're wrong though. You have been doing both since DJ showed up on our doorstep. You're a good mom and good EIC." Daniel said stroking her cheek.

"Hilda couldn't." Betty almost screamed pulling away from his touch.

"Your sister got pregnant at 16 by a guy that ran the other way screaming. Even then, she still had a wonderful support system. You are 26 with an excellent job and a partner who will not leave you. More importantly, I will not let what I want get in the way of your dreams. It's not the same." She didn't know how to respond to that. Last year when she was panicking about being possibly pregnant with Matt's child, her biggest fear was that he would leave her. She knew Daniel was not Matt.

"I need a moment. I can't deal with this right now." Daniel said as he got off the couch to grab his keys from the counter.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she quickly followed behind him.

"Out for a very long walk to somewhere not here. I can't deal with this. You need to get over your various insecurities quickly because even without the condom breaking or a DNA test proving that Amanda's baby is my child, permanent parenthood maybe just around the corner. I can't do it alone." His voice was hard, but she knew he was on the verge of tears.

"What are you talking about?" Betty asked in puzzlement.

"Alex is sick." He said using his sister's original name.

"I know that. I was there when she told DJ. I even heard her explain to your mother why she was in New York last week."

"She didn't tell DJ everything. She didn't even tell me everything. She's dying." Daniel said, not looking at her. He has not sounded like this since the day Molly died.

"What?" She said in gaping mouth shock.

"I know you did a lot of research on everything last night, so you should know this was a possibility." She did know that it was a possibility, but part of her didn't think it was that bad.

"Alexis is not responding to treatment as well as the doctors would like. My sister didn't tell me that. Briana did this afternoon. According to her doctor in France, if she doesn't get a heart transplant soon she won't be around to see Alexis junior start first grade. That's why she was in the States looking for a few more options from Jordan's mom and others. They're hopeful, but there may not be many other options. She has an appointment at NIH later this week."

"I didn't think it was that bad." Betty said reaching for him, but he pulled away. He was crying by now. Daniel cries so rarely that it was shocking for Betty to see him like this.

"Alexis isn't known for sharing. This is not the time to be giving me an ultimatum because you are scared about something that has not even happened yet. I need you. I can't do this by myself. I am fucking terrified of what's going to happen and I need you." Daniel said before slamming the door behind him.

She called his name, but he didn't turn around. She considered following him, but she knew Daniel well enough by this point to know that he needed time to cool off. A quick phone call 10 minutes later to the bartender that already liked her, told her that Daniel was at his new favorite bar a few blocks away drowning his sorrow in beer and pub food. She decided it was best to leave him there until the bartender called her back 2 hours later telling her to pick up her boyfriend. He wasn't completely drunk, but he kept bursting into tears, talking about dying family members.

She had a feeling if she showed up there right now, more yelling would occur. That would not be good. At this point Betty was not even sure her presence would do any good. Daniel needed time to cool down and 2 hours usually was never enough.

However, she could not leave him there. She hated dealing with drunk Daniel because usually too much was said. She thought she was done with that after she stopped being his assistant. Now she was the girlfriend, which meant more dealing with stupid Daniel tricks that she will put up with because she loves him. She could always have Candy deal with it now. After the scene at her apartment yesterday, Betty didn't want to impose on her anymore then she already has.

Daniel also needed a friend and that was no longer in her job description. Usually that was Amanda's job now, but she was currently in New York dodging the press. Alexis was also out of the question because their relationship was never that good in the first place. That left only one person to call even though she really didn't want to.

It took her 15 minutes to find his phone number in Daniel's cell phone. Betty discovered that after she called him and heard Shape of My Heart play in the living room. His choice of ring tone made her a little less angry.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Betty quickly dialed the number. She really hoped that she did not interrupt him in the middle of one of his 'dates'.

"Hello." She heard him say quickly.

"Hi Becks, this is Betty." She said into the phone not entirely sure how to start this conversation.

"I would ask why you are calling but I already know. I guess Lindsey told you that I was your fresh staff photographer." Betty was so focused on Daniel that she wasn't really paying attention, otherwise she would have reacted to his words.

"No, I had a fight with Daniel and he is currently hiding in the bar down the street. The bartender just called me to come get him. Wait, Lindsey hired you for the London hub?" She asked skeptically once her mind started working again. Moments like these made her wonder why she came to London in the first place. Things would be so much simpler if she stayed in New York.

"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?" He asked with a sigh.

"Honestly, yes. You are a fashion photographer. You are a good fashion photographer, but you're still a fashion photographer. Lindsey said that the inexperienced staff photojournalist just finished up a year-long tour in Afghanistan." Betty told him skeptically. That information was the only reason why she was okay with hiring Benjamin Bennett even though she was not involved in the selection process at all.

"I'll take that as a compliment. I also spent two months in Haiti after the earthquake. I like taking pictures. I'm good at it and it has nothing to do with my Daddy or his company." He told her.

"You also enjoy models and partying." Betty shot back not in a mood to have this conversation.

"So did your boyfriend at one time. People change. I suggest you stop insulting me if you want me to get your boyfriend. I assume that's why you called?" Becks asked.

"Mostly. He can also use a friend right now and I have just been officially moved to the girlfriend category. Things will just get tense again if I show up and there's also a 50% chance that I might be followed by the press." Betty said honestly realizing for the first time how her relationship with Daniel has really changed. She wasn't the best friend anymore.

"What did you two fight about?" He asked.

"I don't need to tell you that. It's personal." Betty told him annoyed.

"I'm going to need more details before I go talk to him like why Daniel ran away in the first place." She knew he was right, but she was reluctant to give him the information. She and Becks never had a very good relationship. They've barely talked to one another in the past. She wasn't sure if she was ready to trust him with something so personal, but he was her only option right now.

"He didn't run away, he's just cooling down." She said defending her boyfriend.

"Most likely with vast quantities of alcohol." Becks mumbled under his breath.

"Fine." Betty said giving up. "It wasn't just one thing, but several, including the girl he may have got pregnant." It would be up to Daniel to tell him more.

"What? He cheated on you? Asshole." He asked her almost angrily. She was surprised by this. She thought Becks would be happy about a possible breakup considering his initial reaction when he found out that they were together.

"No. We have only been together since right before you got here. It's complicated."

"Seriously? I figured it would happen long before then." Becks commented.

"Unfortunately, I was afraid of my feelings for Daniel. I ended up hooking up with my ex-boyfriend last November, even though I was already in love with Daniel by that point. In response, Daniel slept with Amanda to get back at me. Then again, maybe it could have been a rebound thing after Molly. He keeps changing his story, so I don't know what was going on. In February, Amanda ended up pregnant." Betty said trying to condense the crazy situation into just a few lines.

"So, Daniel finely knocked up that receptionist he was sleeping around with before you two became the best of 'friends'. That's why you are pissed?" He asked, and Betty felt offended.

"Not exactly. Amanda is my friend too. She realized Daniel was in love with someone else and ended it in December."

"Even the ditzy receptionist figured it out before you two." Becks mumbled into the phone so quietly that Betty barely heard him.

"Amanda is not ditzy. She is just a little eccentric. She is a good person." Betty said defensively, imagining the incredulous look she would be receiving if this conversation occurred in person.

"In January, I broke up with Matt because he was moving to Africa to do volunteer work. It was supposedly mutual. What I did not know was he really broke up with me because he was in love with Amanda and had a three day sex marathon with her before he left the country where Amanda forgot to take her birth control pills for three days."

Okay so she was slightly dishonest with why Matt broke up with her, but Becks did not need to know that Matt figured out the she was only with him to stay away from Daniel. That was one thing she did not want to talk about.

"You are defending her even though she slept with your boyfriend right after you broke up after sleeping with the guy you have actually been in love with? Shouldn't you be bashing her?" Betty did not realize how absurd the situation sounded until Becks voiced everything out loud.

"No, Amanda is still my friend. I told you the situation was complicated." She said sighing. That was an understatement. This whole thing sounded like a plot line from her dad's favorite telenovela.

With a sigh she told Becks everything that happened in the Bahamas as well as the kiss that led to her running back to Matt because she was absolutely terrified of everything she felt for her best friend after kissing Daniel. She also told him about her cheating on Matt in December with Daniel at Monique's winter spectacular as well as Matt cheating on her with Amanda. Apparently, Daniel must have told him some stuff when he and Daniel went out for drinks previously because he didn't seem that surprised.

Becks just listened and asked appropriate questions as she covered the more recent stuff involving dying sisters and tabloid journalism. She even went on a rant about how everyone treated her badly at her new job as well has despised her. He agreed with her that Lindsey should have talked to her about hiring him.

Becks didn't judge, which was a good thing. Betty really hasn't had a chance to talk to anybody about this entire mess, which is the only logical explanation for her confiding in Becks. Amanda was too involved and would most likely start breaking down in tears at any moment. She felt guilty as was evidenced by her breaking down in tears during the middle of the video conference. Marc was too busy with his new job as well his new daughter that he just found out about. Even if he wasn't too close to Amanda to be objective, she couldn't put anything else on him. Jade had to come first right now.

The situation was similar with Mrs. Meade except she was busy with Tyler and this mess with Alexis. She didn't even know how sick her daughter really was. That was going to become messy very quickly.

Her family was also out of the question. Justin was too young. Her sister was currently moving into her brand-new apartment with her brand-new husband and would tell her that she was being completely silly anyway. Her father may try to kill Daniel if he finds out what's going on. She is not calling him.

Unfortunately, Christina was also not an option because she was busy with her new business and her family. They only texted a few times over the last few weeks. Monique was more of a Daniel friend then her friend, so she was also out. Betty hasn't made any new friends here. She was still getting to know the other ladies of Mode UK and didn't know any of them well enough for this type of conversation.

"I can't believe it took both of you four years to figure out that you were head over feet for each other." Becks said quietly once she was done.

"What do you mean by that?" Betty asked him in confusion. There is no way that he could have known. If there was anyone who was as clueless as she was, it would have to be Becks. At least she hoped so. He was gone before things really started to change between her and Daniel.

"I knew something was going to happen between you two eventually as soon as Daniel began to look past the braces and the eccentric fashion sense. Three years ago, we were at a club together surrounded by scantily clad women who had no trouble being another conquest and Daniel couldn't stop looking at you. You were looking at him the exact same way. It was already starting even back then." He told her.

"That's not possible." She said in a near whisper. It could not have been so obvious back then.

"Yes, it was. Before he met you, he was my best friend. Then you arrived and changed everything. Little by little, you took that place. You were never just his assistant. I don't think you were ever just his friend either. It was always different between you two. Then Bradford died, and I saw that Daniel was more upset about you leaving him then his father dying. We were there with his father in ICU and he couldn't stop talking about how mad he was at you because of what you did to him. Hours later, I saw you standing there holding his hand as he mourned." Becks said, on the verge of tears as he recounted this.

"That's when I knew Daniel didn't need me anymore because he had you. You had completely taken over his heart by that point. I decided to take the correspondence job with National Explorer a few days later. He didn't need me anymore. I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to explore scantily clad tribal life in the most remote parts of South America. Instead I ended up in Afghanistan, but it was good in the long run." Okay that last part sounded like the Becks she knew and tolerated.

"That wasn't true. I didn't take your place. He did miss you." She told him honestly.

"Maybe, but not like he missed you. Daniel would never move to another country for me. We have barely e-mailed each other over the last two years; then again, I was in a part of the world where e-mail service is a little sketchy. I didn't even know he married someone else." She could detect irritation in his voice.

"He was busy, and the wedding was kind of sudden. They were barely married for a month anyway when she died. He probably thought that you saw it on the news." She told him in Daniel's defense.

"Even now you're making excuses for him when you're mad at him." Becks sighed.

"I'm not mad. I'm just…" Betty had no idea how to even finish that sentence.

"You're scared that he's going to leave you. Maybe a part of you is wondering if you made the right decision in coming to London in the first place. I can already tell that this job is not what you thought it was going to be. If you were still in New York, you wouldn't have to worry about Daniel choosing the baby over you and moving back." Becks told her.

"Maybe," She said honestly after a long pause.

"You don't have to worry about that. As I already said, he already moved to another country for you. He obviously knew about the possibility that the baby was his and still moved to London. He already made his choice." She never thought about that point until it was said aloud.

Then she thought about what Daniel said. Amanda decided that he would just be Uncle Daniel no matter what. She already knew that Amanda was the one who pushed Daniel to move to London to be with her.

"You're right." She said hating to say those words to him. "I am being so stupid."

"Tell that to Daniel once I drop him back off at your house." Becks said ending the call.

Of course, she wouldn't see Daniel for three more hours after Becks brings him back to the house completely drunk, but that was beside the point. Even she will admit that drunk Daniel is easier to deal with when she was perfectly OK with him feeling her up. Drunk Daniel was always touchy . At least now she was okay with the touching. He also says some interesting things when he was drunk. Tonight, he apologized sort of.

"I'm sorry I may have got Mandy pregnant." Daniel said to her as he literally fell onto their bed.

"It's okay. We'll talk about it later." Betty said as she sat on the bed to help Daniel undress. She preferred never to talk about it again.

"I don't like fighting with you." Daniel said as he tried to take off his shirt. After a few uncoordinated seconds she did it for him.

"I don't either." She said as she undid his pants. Even completely drunk he was still half hard as he kissed her. He was also by her calculations, 30 seconds from falling over unconscious.

"I wish it was few." He said becoming less coherent by the second.

"What do you wish was me?" She asked, thinking she knew what he said

"Few should be pregnant. Pregnancy ballets are sexy. You're sexy. Wanna make you cum." She wanted to tell him that now was not the time to talk about that, but he was probably too drunk to even remember or pronounce some of the words correctly.

"Want you to have my need baby. I can stay home. Can't lose you." She didn't completely understand what he said except for the last part.

"I'm not leaving." She said as she kissed him on the forehead before pulling away momentarily.

"You said you wouldn't leave." Daniel said pulling her back down.

"I'm not. I am just getting more comfortable."

"Stay with me."

"Okay." She said falling next to him.

xxx

The Present

She knew Daniel was instantly worried when he heard Amanda's message. So was she. It became complete panic when neither of them could get a hold of Amanda the entire way home. Even worse, both of Marc's cell phones were going to voicemail.

"You don't think she lost the baby?" Daniel asked, as the car left the two in front of the house that was reporter free. Betty wondered about that herself.

"I don't think she would have left a voice mail if that was the case. I think Matt probably broke up with her because he decided to take care of orphans in Nepal or something like that." Betty said only half joking.

After listening to the message three more times, she is almost sure Amanda's anger was directed at Matt because apparently, he didn't love her and was running away again.

"If he left her, I am going to kill him. You might as well contact the lawyers now." Daniel said just as he put the key in the door for their house. Part of her believes that he was serious.

At times like these, distraction was the best course of action. This involved her pushing him against the door as soon as they walked inside. Their mouths were fused instantly. Within seconds, she felt him pressed hard against her thigh. Good thing DJ would be spending the night at the hotel with his mom and sister.

"I'd rather not. I prefer that our first time was not a conjugal visit." She whispered against his neck as she felt her skirt be unzipped and fall to the floor.

"Very true. I could take care of that right now though."

"Let's just relax. Amanda will call back in a little bit." She said just as she felt Daniel removing her top and the light suddenly came on.

"So, therefore my 15-year-old walked in on you two having sex in the kitchen. Betty, I had no idea that you were this adventurous. Do you realize there's a five-year-old sleeping on your couch?" Betty completely froze as she heard the voice.

"Your sister just walked in on us?" She asked not looking at anybody.

"Yes." Daniel quickly said as he helped her put her clothes back on.

"Her daughter is sleeping on the couch 10 feet away on top of her mom?" She asked again not looking at anyone.

"So is DJ." Daniel added. How could she not notice that?

"Oh god." She whispered into Daniel's shoulder. She had the sudden urge to crawl under various pieces of furniture.

Instead, she was having coffee with the witnesses to the crime a few minutes later as Brianna went off on her former sister-in-law. Apparently, that's why they were waiting for the couple in the living room. The good news is Amanda's babies are fine. She's having twins, but they're okay. Even if Amanda is panicking about it.

Not as good news, Brianna's nephew and Betty's ex-boyfriend is a moron. Betty is so glad the pregnancy test turned out negative last Christmas. In addition, Matt's mother is evil. At least now she understood why Amanda was hysterical on the phone earlier. Now they just had to figure out what to do about it. It was going to be a long night.

To be continued