Title: "Snowflakes in January"

TV Show: "Ugly Betty"

Ship: "The Boss & the Butterfly"

Disclaimer: A one-of-a-kind cast... would love to have come up with this perfect mix ;) As always, not mine.

Summary: Snowflakes, spicy cider & the January Spread

A/N: No Spoilers - Post Sofia/MYW... I find this friendship perfectly adorable! He treats her like the confidant he never had...and she just works her magic with everything that comes her way (although gets carried away sometimes!)... it makes me sad she never has any luck with relationships... but when you're close to a boss like that... who can blame a girl?! ;)

Chapter One

(Snowed Under)

...

He watched transfixed as she brought the steaming mug to full pink lips, closing her eyes in blissful appreciation. She let the hot spicy scent drift about her, melting the ice crystals forming on her snowflaked curls and face. Her puffy blue coat wrapped snug around her trim body, effectively keeping out the cold and... his wayward thoughts. He smiled depreciatingly, trenchcoat whipping about his Armani suited legs as a cool breeze danced on his spine before darting off to surprise other unsuspecting folks.

Beaming her star-studded-1000-watt smile in his direction, he quickly ducked his head, brushing at his hair in the pretense of clearing the ever present flakes clinging to his shaggy mane. Darting a look back in her direction, he caught her bemused smile, eyes twinkling merrily as if in silent amusement.

"Care to share the joke?" his typically mellow voice sounded gruff even to his ears. Dammit! Why couldn't he ever just relax around her any more?

Busying himself in paying for their much needed warming brews, he thanked the street-side vendor with a hearty handshake and motioned for his cute, persistant assistant to fall in step with him. Her persistence was endearing... legendary, even... she was always trying to get people to better themselves... especially him.. due to their close contact. Hence the subtle reasoning for their late night stroll 'to go over new ideas and improve on the old', in her words. Although he was of the old adage... "If it aint broke...don't fix it!" he found it hard to resist any sort of ingenuity she thought up for him. A slight smile broke over his face, crinkling the edges of flashing blue eyes as they lit on his ingenuity walking contentedly beside him.

The icy winter streets were a jumble of snowpiled sidewalks, brightly-coloured lights, hushed shoppers bundled up to face the cold for some last minute shopping, and beautifully-crafted window displays depicting the various seasonal activities one would like to partake in, if one had the time to do so... which unfortunately... they did not.

A wistful sigh teased his ear as they passed a particularly detailed window scene: tiny skiers were careening down a miniture mountainside with a doll-sized chalet nestled halfway down the slopes, the tiny cabin windows flickering merrily to the tune "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" As they watched the skiers get on to the tiny chairlift for another run, a new melody filled the air, "I'm dreaming of a white christmas..." Glancing back to the finely-detailed chalet, he could swear he saw two tiny figures silhouetted in front of a roaring fire before disappearing from sight.

He turned to Betty, wanting to say something entertaining to break the dreamy spell tugging at something buried deep inside him, but the words lodged in his throat. Her dark eyes seemed to be swirling with in molten chocolate hue, lit by a flame from within, her body swaying in time to the same melody the minture couple had; mug all but forgotten in her rapture.

Heart pounding in cadence to the breaths that seemed to be forced from his lungs, Daniel fought the sudden tension swirling in his viens... 'What was he thinking?' Clenching his fists rythmically, he turned back in disgust, eyes blind to the exuberantly cheerful scene in front on him, mind still capturing the small display of unhidden appreciation... 'if only he...'

'If only... what?' He cleared his throat taking a much needed slug of spiced brew before turning again. This time she was smiling uncertainly, he drank in her beauty like a moth to a flame, a blush tinging her cheeks an even brighter pink than even the cool night's air. She tempted him like no woman had ever, slipped past all the barriers he had erected to guard the heart battered by a dysfunctional family. Raising a matching-gloved hand to brush back the thick curls behind an ear, he realized rather belatedly that his intense gaze had been fixed on her for longer than employer-employee relationships demanded it...

'Damn, societal rules any how!' He grimaced inwardly at the rediculous pleasure he felt at being the cause of the tell-tale gesture... any minute now he was going to be beating his chest or howling to the moon! Only thing was certain: he was not the man for her, one of her 'happily-ever-afters' he spied in her eyes on a daily basis... he didn't... couldn't... deserve her.

Self-conciously Betty took a quick sip and as the spiced liquid poured over her tongue, she let out a heartfelt sigh, "Mmmm... this sure is great cider, Daniel... thank you! Guess we better get moving though, we have lots of ideas to pull together for the January issue by next week when it goes to print! Speaking of ideas, how about-" and without warning they were off!

Thrusting her arm through his, she all but dragged him from the dream-inducing window scene, chatting like a magpie about any and everything they came upon. He stole secret glances at his young friend... very young, he reminded himself firmly... impossibly young and naive to the big bad world... although she had surprised him with her brand of expertise a time or two.

Shaking his head as if to clear his mind of his musings, he realized she had been gesturing to something to her right with her mug, nearly losing the last of her mulled drink in the process. Following her general direction, he saw the almost completely hidden entrance beckoning them to venture into a quiet 'Nocturne' alley. Always one for an adventure, he furitively glance around and darted into the narrow street motioning for her to follow his leading. Giving chase down the unknown corridor,

Betty giggled as her generally sophisticated boss put on a brilliant "spy" act, scanning the area as thoroughly as any James Bond, overturning every object that seized his interest. Purely for her benefit, he posed at the end of the alley blowing on his "gun" grinning rakishly and raising an eyebrow dangerously for added effect. He didn't know what made him act this way, but it felt good. Letting her tinkling laughter wash over his jaded frame made the world seem that much brighter... that much

'Bettyier'... he smiled thinking that it was too bad you couldn't market that phrase... or her for that matter!

Looking over his shoulder, his arms dropped slowly and her giggles melted away as they drank in the winter wonderland spread out before them. Ice crystals seemed to hang from every trellis, giving the eves the illusion of a grand snow castle.

Balconies were piled high under burgeoning snowdrifts, some of the windows completely covered by the mountainous snowcaps. It seemed to him that thousands of tiny snow faeries danced in the night sky beneath the moon, the snowflakes and the twinkling heavens. The sigh of utter peace sounded quietly, barely registering, yet sent chills up and down his spine.

Completely untouched, the vast park land seemed flanked only by the icy shoreline of the lazy river, lights reflecting on the water from the bridge several leagues away. Streetlights bathed the property and grand parlimentary buildings in subdued mellow dress.

"It's perfect..." her husky voice barely sounded over the muted bustle of the holiday traffic outside their moonlit haven, but this too was soon forgotten as her infectious enthusiasm got the better of her, "Daniel! Th-this has to be the most perfect place for the January Shoot!...'Mix Business with Pleasure'... remember?! The heading you picked out to... and I quote, 'Boost the love felt in this city!' A nice way of saying... spend more money on the pricey fashion-forward items we will be showcasing in this month's catalogue, if you ask me! But it's absolutely incredible and... so... pristine! I can't believ-" her sentence never quite finishing as she gasped in shock, her feet dangling several inches off the ground. Looking up quickly into twinkling blue eyes, her own smile widened as her boss suddenly spun her around head tipped back laughing raucously while all she could do was hold on for dear life. A giggle burst from her lips and she joined in, the merry sound dancing on the night air... 'he certainly did things his way,' she thought happily sharing in his exuberant pleasure.

"YOU are incredible!" his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, the white nearly blinding her, then without warning or thought he kissed her throughly and heart-stoppingly, the seconds freezing as if suspended by an unseen hand. All at once, Daniel paused letting his feral gaze take in the her throughly disheveled state before enticingly lowering his shell-shocked assistant to the ground, bodies barely a hair's breadth apart, chests heaving with exertion. Tensing rigidly with the unfamiliar intimacy, Betty held her breath, tucking away her lower lip unknowingly sensual, her large brown eyes facinated by the inner turmoil she saw in the hardening of his jaw line... among other places, she thought wonderingly... feeling more than a little on the wicked side. Quickly, he stepped back as if to take her hand... and just like the little boy he often was, he raced with her back down the secluded alleyway.

"Quick! Take handfuls of snow from the edge to cover our tracks! We dont want anyone to find this place... tomorrow night we need to have everything in place for the photo shoot!" Dropping her mittened-hand as swiftly as he had taken it, he bent low to cover their tracks to the left of the once tranquil alley. Seconds later, a puff of snow hit her cheek, jolting her to her sense as she stared uncomprehendingly at the cause of all her confusion. Bemusedly, Betty stooped on 'auto-pilot' to aid to the protection of their 'top-secret' location, pondering the intense display of affection. Blindly following her great leader's orders, she tried to forget the 'topsy-turvy' feelings tumbling inside her.

It wasnt as if she'd never been kissed before, she admonished herself sternly, it was just that... it... it was Daniel! 'But Daniel never does anything simply or in ways that make sense anyway... so this... this thing... is just another one of his... idiosyncrasies!' The "so-there" was not tacked on, but it easily could have as she straightened her back outwardly firming her resolve against such wayward thoughts. Sneaking a glace at his beaming face, she missed the tell-tale, deer-in-the-headlights look he sported when something was causing him extreme amounts of stress, as his face was ducked low, still administering snow to their tracks.

Once the gruelling task was complete, her Dr. Jykel turned Mr. Hyde boss put her arm back through his and blithly carried on down the street, strolling at a leisurely pace as though he had not a care in the world. Tipping her head to once side to discreetly study the face of the handsome playboy... Betty struggled to bring her breath under control, wondering why now of all the times and places, he had decided to 'kiss her' and then... act as if nothing had ever happened! 'Men!' she thought frustratingly, '...who could understand 'em?!'

'Dont think... Just dont think!" Daniel's brain repeated the mantra like a prayer until his emotions took over... colour, jubliation, fear, exhiliration, consternation, and ultimately... desperation filtered through his rioting mind. 'After all those warnings, numbskull! You do the exact thing you never even should have thought about... let alone ACT on!'

Keeping his trademark grin on his face, he continued feigning oblivion to the incredible... no, 'phenomenal' kiss they had just participated in, tension keeping a firm grip on his rigid frame as every movement his sweet assistant made was magnified in his body ten-fold. A groan nearly left him as he remembered the way she suddenly clung to his body as if he was her only lifeline in the world... 'Well she was flying in the air, so no wonder,' he thought smugly, a wry grin creasing his face. But even with the constant flow of chatter he dilligently kept up, he couldn't help but brood on the new prickly awareness he felt with every breath she took. Forcing his brain to relax the tension that threatened to overwhelm his better judgement, Daniel drug in a ragged breath, releasing it slowly and soundlessly, feeling a small flare of satisfaction as a fraction of his tension melted away.

Biting her lip in concentration, Betty quietly offered her opinion all the while trying to sort her questions and thoughts into some semblance of order. Finally coming up with a solution that made sense, she filed away the exuberant display under "Daniel-like Behavior" - just showing enthusiasm over a good find for the Magazine... sometimes one just had to show it on the outside. Satisfied, she returned to her happy self, now adding a few ideas of her own and discounting those of his that didn't make good sense- business or otherwise.

Sensing the change in her, Daniel waited apprehensively for the explosion that usually resulted when he screwed up royally. After one second... then two... he looked down nervously at his bubbly employee, wondering if he had dreamt up the entire scene. Seeming completely unconcerned, or unawares of his inner turmoil, Daniel let go of the breath he had unknowingly been holding. The sharp awareness continued to twist in his stomach, like a giant 'albatros' had currently taken up permanent residence, the sensation definitely not to his liking... 'must be the holidays,' he thought nodding to himself, '...never suited me much anyway.' Shrugging off the tingling sensation of her arm wrapped through his, he lead them back to where his driver was patiently waiting.

'Well... at least it's one thing off her 'To-Do' list,' he thought depreciatingly... sometimes he wondered who 'really' was the boss- him or his keeper... but most days he really didn't want to know... just in case.

...Madamoiselle 'Butterfly' just doing her thing... mmmm.. those cold nights are heating up! Stay tuned for more 'advances' of the Meade... I mean, in the Mode Industry ;)