THE WOOING OF DANIEL MEADE

Disclaimer: I do not own any part, character, overall plot or ideas of Ugly Betty. I do not make money with this story which is done solely for my own fun.

A/N: Hi all. Just a small warning: I am a French Canadian, thus my first language is not English…any destruction of the beautiful Shakespeare language is my own fault. I did this pretty fast I guess I was inspired…and I've been out of the fanfiction writing for a good while …so I don't have a beta. I hope it's not too bad. Thanks for your understanding.

First: Make him kiss you

Betty was angry…life was not being good for her this week at all. Walking furiously down the Manhattan street, after work without caring where she was heading, she could only replay over an over in her head theses horrible scenes.

First, she had discovered Walter kissing passionately a girl in that café where she had decided to go on a whim to get a hot chocolate in order to warm her up in that frigid February morning. Fury had been enough to keep her warm after that and the chocolate ended up on the two lovers heads, satisfyingly ending up the embrace. Of course she had broken up with him…that was the second time he had cheated on her after all. Besides she was already thinking about letting go of the relationship, so it was not so much that she was hurt he didn't loved her, she was hurt that he would rather cheat then tell her it was over.

Then, her heart set to pursue Henry at work with a vengeance; she had discovered that he already had a girlfriend!! A beautiful, charming, smart, young girl from back home…who came in town as a surprise for valentine's day. Great, just great! How could the guy flirt and hit on her when he had such a paragon of a girlfriend already?! Wait…maybe she had read him wrong? Maybe she had been dreaming things that were not really there? That wouldn't be the first time. She was so clueless when it came to relationship. But even Daniel had told her that he thought Henry was interested by the looks he was sending her way. And after all, Daniel was the expert on that kind of things, if he said so, then it was probably true…but Henry was the last guy she could think of who would play on the emotions of a girl. Maybe he wasn't sure about his feelings toward her or his girlfriend, maybe, just maybe she still had a chance… Growling with frustration, Betty tried to firmly squash the hope trying to worm it's way up her heart. That was enough, enough of false hope, of crazy dreams, of believing that people could see more in her than what meet the eyes. It was never going to happens. "Face it Betty, she thought, the world is not a good place for people who are different, if you don't want to be alone, you better downgrade your expectations and your dreams, because theses are never going to become true. Men will always see you as their best friend, good old reliable, no-nonsense, solid Betty who can take care of everything in a minute, but never as a passionate lover." She wondered what could be worst: falling in love and believing that this time was the real one and discovering she was wrong after years and two kids, or going on alone, refusing ever to believe that love could happen and becoming a bitter old bat.

Trying valiantly to keep her depressing circling thoughts at bay, she turned her mind back to Mode, that usually gave her comfort and a thrill of self confidence…but not today. No, today, thoughts of Mode just made her spirit sink lower. She sighed, she was no longer angry… now she felt just…defeated. Mode didn't mean Daniel and Amanda and Cristina anymore…no, now Mode meant Daniel and Alexis…and that was an altogether different ballgame. Sure the staff used to look her down, to dismiss her as non important, to sometime be cruel but there had always being a feeling of excitement to her job. There was always something new to learn, some big name of fashion or a new collection sending waves of excitement throughout the magazine. There was always something or other going on, deadlines to meet, last minutes disasters to mop up, Daniel to keep out of trouble….it was endless, it was crazy, it was fun…and it was no longer her problem. Oh she still had her job…kind of. She was back at being nothing else but a secretary, taking phone calls and typing letters. The mood in all the departments was cautious and serious, almost fearful, and Daniel… well, Daniel no longer looked at her as his assistant. Alexis was always there, and it was her who took the decisions with Daniel now, her who stayed for late night work sessions, her who got Daniel's ears. To keep the peace after the near riots that her sudden appearance had created, and to keep the business going, Alexis and Daniel had come to an agreement of sort…to work together. That was great in theory, but in reality, Alexis gave her the creep. She was Daniel's brother turned sister and knew him well, well enough that Daniel didn't seem to need Betty anymore as a friend and that was really depressing. That gorgeous woman was doing more than just giving her the usual pitying, dismissing look Betty usually got…there was a malicious and calculating glint in her eyes the Betty didn't like one bit. She could not even see Daniel alone anymore…Alexis was always there, playing interference in a subtle way, so subtle that there was nothing that Betty could really complain about. Daniel was all over himself with happiness at working hand in hand with his long lost "brother", and in the eyes of everyone Alexis was the soul of understanding and cooperation. Still, if the atmosphere at work was any indication, the whole staff was feeling out of sort, tiptoeing around, waiting for things to either explode or cool down by itself.

Betty sighed again and looked around…it was slowly getting dark and her wandering feet had got her in Queens near her home, but she really didn't feel like going there on a Friday night to watch TV while her beautiful sister went out for one party or another, with a nephew who knew fashion better than she did and a father who was in trouble with emigration. She needed something to keep her mind away from endless problems, something that could make her feel wanted and in, something that would help her forget everything that was wrong. She uneasily eyed the blinking neon sign of a bar on the other side of the street. Daniel used to say that a few drinks might help her relax and loosen up a bit, maybe he was right. It was not her usual way of dealing with things, but her usual ways have deserted her this week, staying hopeful and in control was beyond her, she needed something more powerful than that. Besides, she had enough of being the one always keeping everything from collapsing, the strong, reliable sort, even tempered, mild mannered…she wanted to be wild, even for a little while. So what if she stopped trying to be there for everything and everyone for a few hours, would that be so bad? Especially since there wasn't really anyone to be there for, right now. With a determined stride, she crossed the street and squaring her shoulders, she entered the bar.

The ringing of his cell phone woke up Daniel from deep sleep, that and the nudging of the red hair beauty by his side.

" C'mon sweetheart, can you please either take the call or throw the phone out the windows?" came the sweet complaint in a deep throat seductive growl on the other side of the bed.

"Huh…yeah, right" he answered with a rasp voice, groping to find the phone in the pocket of his jacket, crumpled in a heap on the floor near the bed.

"Daniel Meade" he finally slurred sleepily in the phone.

"DANIEL MEADE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER!? WHERE IS SHE?" a voice shouted in his ear, making him wince and distance the phone from his head.

"What? Who is this?" Daniel asked confused.

"It's Hilda you moron, and you better tell Betty to come right home! I know she is with you working on something, it's always your fault when she is late!"

"Whoa there! Whoa!" Daniel glanced at the small digital clock near the bed and saw that it was almost three in the morning. "I didn't see your sister after 5:00 pm when she went back home. I told her to have a good weekend. We're not working on anything together right now." He stopped for a beat then sat up in the bed. "Are you saying she didn't go home?"

"Oh my God! Yeah…she didn't show up for dinner so dad and I kept her a portion warm and waited for her. I just woke up on the sofa but she's still not here. I tried her cell phone but it's not answering. I must have left half a dozen messages on her voice mail already. It's not like her not to call when she is late! You are sure she didn't tell you something about where she was going? Did she met with somebody, had a date, talked about a reunion, a friend she was going to see…anything?"

"No, I'm sorry, she just said "Bye" like every night. And I don't know anything about her personal life."

"Oh…I thought you were friends…It's true she doesn't talk about work as much as she used to…" She took a breath before continuing, "Okay, look, I'm sorry I woke you with this and shouted at you. Since she is not with you, there is nothing you can do. I'll keep calling her and I'll take a look around, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Bye"

The phone went dead before Daniel could do anything about it. He was well awake now and wondering where Betty could be and why she was not talking about work anymore at home. He tried to remember everything that she had told him this week to get a clue of her whereabouts and came up empty of anything but work related chatter. That made him frown in confusion. That could not be right, he was sure that there was at least a moment in the week where there had been more than just work talk between him and his assistant…but the more he thought it over the more he realized that Alexis had been there all the time and that there had been no moment to talk alone with Betty. That was strange, he used to talk to her all the time about nothing and everything, and he used to know immediately when something wasn't right with her. Now he could not even remember what her mood was when she said goodbye for the weekend. Her sister was right, it was not like her to disappear like that and not call, she was the responsible one. She was either very upset and not wanting to talk to anyone or having so much fun she forgot everything else or being in danger…none of the possibilities were very reassuring. If she was upset, he should have seen it and made sure she was okay, talked to her or something. If she was on her way to having a lot of fun, he should have see it in the way she dressed…well, ok maybe not in the way she dressed, but by her smile, her demeanor…friends should know that kind of stuff…right? Betty and him were friends, that's what she said…good friends even…right. He was her friend but he had no clue as to what happened to her this week. He knew that this friend stuff with Betty was going to be more complicated then he originally thought. Still, she have saved his butt more than once, guess like this might be pay back time to be a good friend to her too. And he was a little worried…no much but…well, no one who knew Betty could believe she was out at three in the morning without telling anyone about it.

He slithered out of bed quietly and got dressed, careful not to wake up his companion. Good thing he was not in his apartment, now he had a reason to go before morning and a chance to check around to see if he could find Betty.

His limo was waiting in front of the apartment building, he told his chauffeur to take him to queens slowly, in case he was to catch a sign of Betty on the street, while trying to puzzle where she could have gone. He called her on her cell phone but got her voice mail immediately.

"Betty…it's Daniel. It's 3:00 AM, Hilda woke me up because you never got home…she is really worried about you, nobody knows where you are. Come on, pick the phone, take your messages….and please call me as soon as you do...okay? Bye."

Suddenly, he saw something….there in the window of that bar…

"Stop the car!" he shouted. The limo immediately parked and Daniel was out running to the other side of the street where he could see trough the big window of the bar a visibly veerrrry drunk Betty, dancing and smiling surrounded by a group of laughing men.

Daniel was seething and almost carrying Betty down the street toward her house. He had to half wrestle her out of a gaggle of drunk guys who didn't want her to go, pay her, rather large, bill and tow her outside over her shrieks of denial. He was not amused, at all.

"Daniel, she wined, what are you doing? I was having fun for once! Let go of me!" She drunkenly wrenched her arm out of his hand, almost losing her footing and ending sprawled on the sidewalk…she got her balance back only with the help of a nearby wall.

He swirled around to face her with all of his anger storming to get out.

"What the hell were you thinking? Hilda his half hysterical with worry, she got me out of bed and worried too…and I find you in a bar, getting drunk, ready to get raped by a gang! Didn't you think to call your sister or your father? You're cell phone is closed, didn't you think of checking for messages? What is wrong with you?!!!"

Using the wall to try and keep her balance, Betty could only look at him with shock before reacting. "Ooooh…look who's talking! Or Hilda…God…it's okay for both of you to go and get drunk and…and get laid…" she burped and sailed on, "…but when I try to have a little bit of fun, to be around people who even for a few hours thinks I'm great and funny and cute and who actually wants to be with me, then I'm that bad person and…and you shout at me!"

Her eyes filling with unshed tears, she gulped and tried a few steps with the help of the ever dutiful wall at her side. " Nobody wants me, Walter cheated on me, Henry already got a great girlfriend, Hilda have a son who adores her and you, " she wriggled her index under his nose complete with a frown and a stare, "you have you're great, wonderful brother, now sister with you…or is it a brother inside the body of a sister?" She thought for a moment, " No maybe it's more accurate to say it was a sister imprisoned in the body of a brother then killed by a helicopter and reborn as an evil supermodel with the secret agenda of turning you into a copy of your father…or something…"

Between his clenched teeth, Daniel could only growl "Alexis is not evil, nor a supermodel! Besides we're not talking about her or me but about YOUR inexcusable behavior tonight!"

"Inexcusable! Inexcusable! What is so inexcusable about wanting a little bit of love? A little bit of a kiss, a little bit of the illusion that I'm beautiful! I want that too! I have a right for that too! Like you're not right out of one of your lady love's bed!!" In her angered, passionate tirade, she tethered dangerously out of the supporting help of the wall and almost fell at Daniel 's feet.

Catching her before she fell on her face, he roughly righted her and backed her up on the wall behind her. He was beyond angry now, what right had she of sending his own sex life back in his face. She scared him tonight, he just saved her from her own folly on the nick of time, she was courting disaster in that bar. But instead of thanking him, she was accusing him…of what?…Of being a men?

Speaking slowly, he whispered in her ear, "So, that was what is was all about, wasn't it? You're wallowing in self pity because you don't have a boyfriend and your hormones are running wild. Well, if it's kisses you want, maybe I can help you with that. Being your friend and everything…"

Looking in her big, round, dazed eyes behind the red glasses, he approached his lips to hers, and slowly caressed them with the expertise of a real life play-boy. She didn't stand a chance. As soon as he sensed her relax and accept the embrace, he asked for entrance and went for the kill, with all of his anger to back him up. But he was not ready for the wave of emotion that came with her responding to the kiss. It crashed on him like a tidal wave and washed out everything he ever knew of kissing. Nothing in his life has ever prepared him for a moment like this. Even with Sophia, maybe especially with Sophia, there was never emotions coming from the woman involved in his relationships. The difference was staggering. He cared about her, she cared about him, he knew that. It wasn't love, but boy, did even that little bit made kissing a whole lot better!

He couldn't help himself, he glued the length of his body against hers and deepened the kiss as much as could be done without merging their two bodies into one. When he came out for air, his hands shaking, his heart beating an hundred mile a minute, her words slapped him back into reality with a bang.

"God, I'm sooo pathetic, I don't know how you can put up with me. I disgust even myself!" She slowly started to bang her head on the wall behind her.

"What? Stop that, will you?! Daniel took her head in his hands to stop her from hurting herself…it seemed it was his night for doing so. " What are you about now, Betty?"

She sighed a huge sigh and with annoyance plainly inscribed in her voice, answered, "Walter was not my first boyfriend you know, I mean I have been kissed by a number of different guys over the years, of course it's nowhere as much as the number of girls you've kissed, no even close, but still I'm no a green girl without any experience, you know." She babbled very fast to a perplexed Daniel, trying to follow all of the obscure explanation. Before he could prompt her to continue, she did so:

"Here I am, drunk, getting my boss so mad at me that he has to kiss me to shut me up…and, of all the rotten luck, it turns out to be the best, most incredible kiss I have ever experienced in my life! So the secret of a good kiss for Betty Suarez is to get drunk and get the guy pissed! Good thing I won't remember a thing in the morning.."

Daniel could do nothing but grin. Looked like he was not the only one moved by that one in a million kiss! He was almost glad there was a good chance she would not remember anything, he would have to think about this one.

In the meantime, he better get her home, she was swaying dangerously against him, if his experience was any good about drunken behavior, and he could have a master degree in the field if any existed, she was about to get sick and then pass out. He would rather the first was not on him and the latter happened not to far from her bed.

He grinned again as he helped her down the street toward the nearest trash can….