Life in London or Something New Redux Chapter 1

Forgive me dear reader for this introduction before we start our story, but I wanted to let you know that this story is essentially an updated version of my first Ugly Betty fanfiction called "Something New". I wanted to rewrite certain parts and add scenes that I felt were missing in the original version and do my best to do this wonderful show and characters justice, with creative license of course. With the untimely passing of the show's creator Silvio Horta, it is unfortunately very unlikely that we will ever see an official update for these characters, and we will have to satisfy ourselves with writing our own version. As Silvio said, it is up to the viewer to decide what happened after the curtains closed and we saw the "Ugly" fade away, the possibilities are endless. With that in mind, I decided in order to practice my writing skills and sharpen those tools as well as let out my more frivolous creative side that I would take the time to do this story right and give it a real finish that I would have loved to see on the screen. So if you're reading this after having read that original story you'll find much of it redundant, however this will begin before our original story did, and will most likely serve as the continuation and eventual finale. So if you're willing to go on this journey with me again or are reading for the first time I humbly welcome you to "Life in London" an Ugly Betty Detty fanfiction by yours truly. As always, I do not own the rights to this show or these characters except those created for this story. This is purely for entertainment and kicks. Please feel free to leave me a review! I love to hear from any readers who would take the time to let me know their thoughts. It encourages me and lets me know what you would like to read and see happen in this little story of mine. I hope you enjoy! Much love to you all.

Betty couldn't believe it. Things had been moving at such a fast pace lately that it was hard to tell which way was right side up. Life in London certainly was exciting, and different, and terrifying in a way, but she met every single challenge head on. There were some issues at first, such as her flat not being ready and having to stay at the hotel for longer than she wanted to, but after the first month passed she was settled in and thriving. She had even begun to make friends, as well as connecting with old ones. Christina had already visited twice. She had even dared to go out on a date with a rather cute guy she met at the coffee shop near the hotel she had been staying at. She met him for a movie and it could have gone better to say the least. By the end of the night they decided they would not like to try it again. She had overthought it as usual and let her nerves and worries take over and laid it all out for him, the recent move, the stresses of the job, and after her second drink at the pub after the film (she had been determined to loosen up and relax) she ended up on the subject of Daniel and Mode and all the drama involved. By the time she realized how much she had told this relative stranger, the poor guy was completely freaked out, and that's when she pulled herself together and called it a night, apologizing profusely to the man.

She found a new coffee shop to frequent called Lawson's. It was near her new office so it worked out great, and she enjoyed talking to the owners, a lovely Scottish couple named Abigail and Jacob. They were a bit older than her, but something about them comforted Betty. After her disastrous first entrance to the place (coffee was spilled, pastries flew in the air, and a small child was immediately comforted by Betty) the clumsy American girl stole their hearts and before long the two women talked like they had known each other their whole lives. It helped to have a friend that didn't know anything about her past other than what she told them because it offered a fresh perspective for her, and Jacob was a sweet but quiet soul. She appreciated his calming presence, and found that for how much Abi liked to talk, it suited them for Jacob to remain the stoic gentle one. Betty liked them immensely.

Slowly she found her place within her new office. She had to do a little leg work to prove to them that this novice American actually knew what she was doing, and with Mr. Dunne's support she was able to rally the troops behind her after a few bumps in the road. Within a matter of a couple weeks she was well liked and more than that respected, simply because she showed them what she could do, and her obviously infectious radiant personality shined. She could win over almost anyone, without even really trying. It proved to be a valuable tool when asking someone ten years your senior to do a task for you. There was a definite learning curve, but she had mastered it quickly and now that she was just starting to reach her full stride in such a new place, the last thing she expected was to see Daniel Meade show up in Trafalgar Square as if he had been waiting for her, let alone for him to say he would be around for a while then ask her to dinner. What does he want? She hated how harsh the thought was, she didn't dislike his being here, but despite his seemingly sound reasoning, it felt like there was a piece missing. The puzzle wasn't complete, but she couldn't find the missing piece.

When he called to figure out where they should go to dinner he sounded nervous to her, but she chose to ignore it. She suggested an Italian place she had discovered recently. It had a very relaxed and family friendly atmosphere. It was decidedly neutral, but it reminded her of the place they went that night they ran from the paparazzi, ate pizza, and sang karaoke. The memory made her smile. "You're better than any Model". The words rang through her mind as she remembered the bridge afterwards. Suddenly her stomach flipped and she wasn't sure why. It was so subtle, but it was there. What the hell was that? They decided to meet at his hotel at seven and go to dinner from there. When they hung up she found herself staring out her office windows, losing track of time. She blushed when she realized she has spent a solid fifteen minutes thinking about Daniel and everything they had been through. It seemed like years had passed since that phone call she made from her going away party, "…you're not here..." she had told him on the voicemail, and she hadn't heard a word from him since he signed her release. Yet, here he was, in London of all places. What did that mean?

Of course she was happy to see her friend, but she was still very hurt by his actions. He had apologized in a way by admitting to her that he had been wrong, in only the way that he could by not actually saying the words "I'm sorry", but by joking with her to try and get back on her good side. She hated how quickly it worked, having even joked in return that he could be her assistant, although it wasn't the worst idea if he really was serious about sticking around. It could be a good way to get his footing before deciding what his next move would be. Seeing him in person had relieved some part of the pain she was feeling. Knowing he made that kind of effort, even if he did end up leaving soon, meant more to her than she cared to admit. As the work day came to a close she found herself becoming slightly nervous, but the reason why eluded her. This was Daniel, what did she have to be nervous about? She gathered her things and began the familiar trek to her new flat. She needed to change before meeting Daniel at his hotel. He had offered to come and pick her up, but she wanted to head home first.

She sent a quick message to Hilda and debated on telling her about Daniel, but decided to wait preferring to see what this evening would bring before being bombarded with questions from her sister she wouldn't know the answers to. She took a quick shower and pulled out a forest green dress with cap sleeves that wrapped around the bodice, and hugged her curves down to her knees. She liked it because it looked great, and the material made it look far more casual than the cut would usually be used for, but it was actually extremely comfortable, and as an added bonus was quite warm. She paired it with her black pumps, and a black handbag with gold details, and added a gold bracelet and matching necklace. She curled her hair into waves wearing it down, and finished off the look with neutral makeup, but added a pop of red lipstick just for fun. She smiled at herself in the mirror before putting on her coat and black beret. She locked the door behind her and pulled out her phone sending Daniel a quick text saying she was leaving and would be there soon. He quickly replied, and she thought he seemed excited because he used three exclamation points and added a smiley face. She laughed at that and put her phone away.

She found herself becoming more nervous the closer she came to the hotel. She didn't understand it. She couldn't help it, her heart rate was slowly increasing and she could feel the blush warming her cheeks, even her palms were becoming clammy. It didn't make sense. Why am I so nervous? It's just Daniel!

"Betty!" Daniel was waving to her from under the awning over the entrance to the hotel. He was wearing his long coat, but she could see underneath he had on a crisp white button up shirt, which he left slightly open at the neck, casual black slacks and black loafers. He had a red scarf draped around his neck, but his cheeks were blushing from the cold wind coming down the street. He was most definitely excited to see her. She couldn't help but smile at his exuberant welcome. When she finally reached him he wrapped her in a hug and she couldn't help but to melt into it, letting him hold her for a few seconds longer.

"Hi Daniel." She said as they let each other go.

"Hi. You look great!"

"Awe, thank you. So do you." She smiled at him, and he smiled down at her, the blush on his cheeks deepening slightly.

"Thank you."

"I gotta say, nice hotel." She tried to whistle, and felt very flustered. She felt like it was her first week at Mode again. Why did everything seem so difficult all of the sudden?

"Yeah, I guess." he shrugged and tried to sound cool, but he felt nervous too. He cleared his throat. "So are you ready to go?"

"Yeah! It's just a few minutes this way, we can walk there."

"Great! You said you've tried this place before? Any recommendations?"

"Yes, it's delicious. It's all really good, but I liked their lasagna the best."

"Mmm, that sounds good. Shall we?"

She took his offered arm and smiled up at him, "We shall."

They walked arm in arm down the street towards the little Italian place. Neither would admit how nervous they were to the other. This would be an interesting meal to say the least.

Well, what did you think? :)