The New Kid in Town

CHAPTER ONE

A/N: This story will be featuring several songs I feel really "set the mood" for what is going on at various points in the action. The first, is a song I've used for inspiration for a 2-shot previously. This will be a fairly short story, so will likely get pretty steamy quickly. Hope you enjoy!

I Never Told You-Colbie Caillat

watch?v=_YtzsUdSC_I

Let Her Go-Passenger

watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA

As much as she loved the idea of moving back home, so she could see her family again and her friends, there were some things about returning to New York that scared the hell out of Betty.

When she tried to share her concerns with her friend, all she received was a "Tftt! Don't be daft, luv! You know how to avoid certain people. Just don't go anywhere near places HE might frequent. You'll surely be safe enough. You have no reason to run around in the same circles as he does nowadays, right?"

"You're right, of course. Well, except for...Marc, maybe. But he's the Creative Director at Vogue now, so it's not like he and the Meades kept in touch, I'm sure!"

"Vogue, really? Sacrilege! He defected to the enemy? The little traitor! I never trusted him! Especially when he wanted to give me a massage when I was preggers!"

Betty burst out laughing,"Sorry! I just had a visual of Marc, giving YOU a massage when you were pregnant!"

"Don't laugh, darlin'! He always creeped me out a bit, that one! Is it creeped or crept? Anyway, I felt like a bloody prisoner during that whole surrogacy nightmare!"

"Sorry!"

"No worries! I suppose I'll have to come and pay you a visit now, since you've accepted the job at The New Yorker! Just don't forget yer old friends here in the UK, eh?"

"Never!" She hugged her friend.

"Now, go, before I try and stop you. Just when I get used to my best friend being around, now we have to say goodbye again! It isn't fair!"

"I'm going to miss you, too, Christina!"

"Call me when you get there."

"I'll be sure….I will." Betty tried not to cry, but it was no use. She flashed back to a similar conversation with HIM years ago, when he first arrived in London and teased her about not showing up at her farewell party (she later found out that he had actually been there, but had been afraid to ruin her fun.)

Why did things never work out how you want them to or hope they will, she wondered? Even after all this time, she still thought about the man quite often.

Not that she was complaining. Things HAD worked out for her. career-wise, at least. Now, after reaching so many of her goals at Dunne, she had accepted the position her one-time idol/mentor-turned rival/betrayer had recently vacated, due to maternal demands. Jody Papadakis was retiring from The New Yorker to spend more time with her daughter.

She had eventually admitted to Marc that he was in fact, the girl's father, quite the shocking revelation. Although he pursued full custody, Jody fought him in court and the judge had made them both compromise; by way of shared custody.

Marc and his husband Cliff would get to raise Marc's daughter, Michelle during most weekends and summers and split holidays. Jody was allowed to keep the girl during the weekdays and she had used her planned retirement to convince the judge that she would be better able to spend more time with her daughter than Marc.

It turned out that Marc was in fact, the one who had insisted Jody recommend Betty take her place when she first told him she was stepping down from her position at The New Yorker. He had then called Betty and told her the whole story (she of course, pretended that Justin hadn't already told her about Marc's "love child" with her former enemy).

"I told her I would agree to weekends IF and ONLY IF she did two things; first, she actually DID retire, instead of pawning off MY daughter to some idiotic nanny to ignore while she continued to work and SECOND, she had to do the right thing after all this time and give you back the job she stole from you in the first place! You're welcome!"

"Are you going to sing now?"

"OOH! Bitchy Betty! I like! But I'm serious. This is a genuine offer. That nephew of yours is always going on about how much he misses you and how much you miss your whole family, blah, blah, blah. So, here's your chance to come and do things right. And who knows, maybe you'll even meet a real lover or something. Surely, you've gone through all the dweeby British boys by now!"

"Justin told you that Sam and I broke up, didn't he? By the way, wow, Marc! I'm impressed. You actually called Justin my NEPHEW instead of my son!"

"Haha! Whatevs, Chimichanga!"

"Seriously, Marc! If you call me THAT stupid nickname of yours or...furry one or Burrito Girl...any of your racially insensitive crap…"

"There's SO many to choose from-how about Tornado Girl?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Sorry, sweetie! Listen, Cliff is trying to quiet down Diddeyay. We're so excited that Michelle will finally get to know her baby brother! So, anyway, Suarez, are you in or are you out?"

"I'm IN, of course!"

"Good! You'll be getting a call from Jody's boss within the next few days. You might want to just stick with saying she knew you from being your mentor back in the day at YETI! No sense in telling anyone I basically blackmailed her. Besides, you're more than qualified. I'd say, since you should have had her job to begin with, this is just karma's way of biting her in the ass! And if it helps a...friend-ish, so be it!"

"Thank you, Marc! I'm touched! You have no idea what this means to me! And by the way, congratulations on your adoption AND winning partial custody of Michelle! That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!"

"Good, sure. Listen, I've got to go now. Just don't say anything to Amanda. She'd probably think I should have recommended her for the job or something. But we both know, as sweet as she is, she's not really qualified. Besides, she's quite happy being the little missus lately. I still can't believe she had twins! So much for that dimestore psychic I hired to find her father who told her she wasn't able to conceive! I guess you get what you pay for!"

"I never knew that. Some psychic told Amanda she couldn't have children? That's terrible!"

"Yeah, well, especially when it turned out not to even be remotely true!

The woman was probably drunk; who knows? Okay, now I really gotta go! Goodbye."

When Betty had hung up the phone, it had only been a few hours before she "got the call" from Jody's supervisor that her old mentor had given her a glowing (if somewhat coerced) recommendation and the job was hers if she wanted it.

After what seemed like no time at all, she had given her notice at Dunne and either sold, shipped, packed or given away all the worldly possessions that tied her to her personal and professional life in the UK.

Betty's recent breakup with her live-in boyfriend of four years had been much easier to handle than she expected. Although at times there had been the mention of the L word and at first, Betty had high hopes for her new relationship, it now all suddenly seemed like so much smoke and mirrors. How had she actually LIVED with the man for four whole years and now...it seemed like just...someone she "used to know"? How was that possible?

But it was. And she could honestly say, she had no regrets. Even when she first entered the relationship, there had been this nagging voice in the back of her brain telling her it wouldn't last forever. Now she wished she had listened to that voice. It would have given her back four wasted years of her life.

All things her sister reminded her (and Christina, as well as several of her friends at work who took her out to get good and drunk when she told them of breaking up with Sam).

As hard as he tried, Daniel Meade found he couldn't stop watching the woman whose presence had caught his eye. He only had a fleeting peripheral glimpse of her from a distance, but her mannerisms, posture and form reminded him of someone from his distant past, someone who he had tried unsuccessfully to forget over the years.

Once she crossed the street, and disappeared into the crowd, he hurried across, jaywalking and almost getting run over in the process, searching somewhat frantically for her for several minutes, but it was no use. She was quite short and seemed to suddenly vanish into thin air.

He finally gave up, and reluctantly ended up riding the elevator up to his office, closing his eyes for a moment, and imagining what might have transpired, had the mystery girl really been who he thought she was and he had been lucky enough to actually catch up to her.

Chances were, it was only his vivid imagination. The last he heard, the woman herself was an ocean away and living with some...guy, some accountant or something. Not THAT one at least, but she clearly had a type and it sure as hell wasn't him!

Besides, what did he even care who she was with, anyway? That part of his life was over. The woman no longer had a hold on him. He had walked away and he had no regrets. She left, he followed, he put himself out there, but nothing happened. End of story. At least, that's what he told himself.

Most of the time in life, there was no happy ending, even for good people. Why would he think he deserved one? This wasn't some romantic comedy. His "love life" had always been a disaster, just like his family. He had HER in his life just long enough to realize how lucky he was to know her, but it was done now.

He wasn't the one for her. And now...he heard she was with some other man. She had been for years. They were most likely married or at least engaged by now. He knew they were living together.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost! Did you have that weird dream you told me about where Dad was wearing a Hawaiian shirt again? You really should lay off the Scotch late at night, little brother!"

"NO! I just...nothing! Never mind. Can we just get to work, here? I have a four o'clock dentist appointment."

"Ouch! Hey, you're the one who's half an hour late! Don't get all pissy with me, Danny boy!"

"Cut out the "Danny shit, ALEX, will you?"

"HEY! Both of you, knock off the sibling rivalry routine, will you? Let's get this done and then you can go back to your own job and AlexIS and I can get back to ours, okay, DANIEL? Does that sound like a plan?"

"Fine! She started it!"

"What are you, five? SHE STARTED IT! I can't believe you said that, DUMBASS!"

Tyler rolled his eyes, "I swear, you two almost make me glad I was raised thinking I was an only child! Will you both please shut the hell up? I got zero sleep last night, thanks to Shay and Sierra! Do you think maybe...for my sake, you could try to get along and do this?"

Alexis and Daniel both smiled, and shrugged, "Sure, buddy! No problem-o! We were just goofing around! Trust me, if Alexis was really MAD at me, she'd be a LOT louder!"

"Shut up! But...actually, Tyler, dumbass there is right! We're not REALLY fighting. We're just messing around. I know he's a giant pain in the ass, but...he's my baby brother. I still...you know; love him and all that shit!"

"Gee, thanks, Sis! You're melting my itty bitty heart with all your corniness! But, yeah, ditto! I...you know, love her, too. Whatever! She's my sister! Unfortunately! So, I'm stuck with her."

"Touching, dumbass!"

Daniel grinned, holding his crotch, "Aww...did I get you right in the nads? Oops, sorry! I forgot, you don't..."

"Have any? Yeah, cause that never gets old, jackass! Yuck it up! You have a real chip on your shoulder today! Really, what gives? You're even more delightfully UNwitty and annoying than usual!"

"She's right, Daniel. There IS something going on with you. Why are you being so...snippy? I'm the one who's sleep deprived here and you're acting like...I don't know, like you did when you first…"

Alexis suddenly smiled, pointing her finger at her one brother and nodding at the younger, "That's it, Tyler! Exactly! He's acting just like he did when he first got back from England! All...mopey and shit! What's wrong, Danny?

Did some girl remind you of Betty again? I swear, if you tell me one more time about that damn letter you wrote to her in the Hundredth Anniversary issue and how she never even mentioned it...I'm going to literally scream!

And let me guess...you saw her again? She's gone, dude! And she's NOT coming back! She's got some James Bond wannabe, you told me, right? Some British guy she's living with there? So, get over it! MOVE ON! She has! Not that you really ever had anything to move on from, anyway. She had you so far in the friend zone, you never knew what hit you 'til it was too late! Poor Danny!"

"You really are an asshole, sometimes, Alexis!"

"I know. Deal with it. Here. Sign on the dotted line, and then we can go back to working! You can go back to your advertising "job"!"

"You're so full of shit! Why do you ALWAYS have to do the fucking air quotes like that? I'm a GOOD advertiser, and you know it!"

"I do. You are. I admit it. Okay? You've gotten us SO many new clients, it's kept things going when they were looking really bad! I meant WE, as in all three of us. I know you work, too. Just because you're not working at Mode, doesn't mean you aren't still a head of Meade Publications.

You have no idea what all the new ad sales YOU generated has done to breathe new life into all our magazines, Dann...Daniel! I know you saved this company. Are you happy now? Geez! Don't get your pantie...um, don't be like that. Wow, you really are being sensitive, aren't you? Are you sure something isn't wrong?'

He sighed deeply, looking away, then nodded, running his hand through his hair, "It happened again! I...thought I saw her. This time, I SWORE it was her! I guess you're right; I do need help! Why can't I just...get over her? She's just...I can't...seem to move forward! What the hell is wrong with me?"

Tyler shook his head at his half-sister and put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, pulling him into a hug, "Nothing! Nothing's wrong with you, Daniel. You just fell in love, that's all. It happens to the best of us.

And when things don't work out, it hurts like a fresh wound. You did the whole serial dating again and found it lost its appeal. You tried throwing yourself into your work. Are you interested in...babysitting?"

"What? Seriously? When? Tonight?"

Alexis laughed, "Good one, Tyler! I knew you were acting too nice! Just trying to get Danny boy here to babysit the rugrats so you can spend quality time with the Missus, huh?"

Tyler grinned, "Maybe. Did it work? Please? Mandy and I haven't been able to..."

Daniel held up his hand, "Spare me the details! Fine! I'll do it. This one time! Don't expect this to be a regular thing, though! Fun Uncle Daniel did his share of hanging out with DJ over the years. Trust me, I really love all my nieces and nephew, but…I'm not…I can't babysit all the time."

"Sure, I know. Thanks a million, Daniel! I really appreciate this! I'll go call Amanda right now and let her know. Thanks again!" Tyler hugged him as Alexis laughed, shaking her head, "Sucker! He already asked me and I begged off. Have you ever tried to watch those two all night before? They NEVER sleep! You're going to be up all night with twins! And NOT in a good way! I'm talking two little babies, screaming all night long, keeping you awake! And again, NOT in the way you used to have girls keeping you awake-just...crying! NONSTOP!"

Tyler rolled his eyes, "HEY! Don't freak him out-okay? DJ wasn't a baby when you became his parent! You didn't have to deal with this stuff. It's not going to last forever! It just feels like it is right now."

Daniel laughed, "It's fine. I can handle it. I won't wimp out on you, I promise."

After finishing up at the office and heading home to change, Daniel knocked on the door of his brother and sister-in-law's townhome, to be greeted by Amanda. She looked lovely, dressed in a short dress and with her hair up.

She was wearing makeup and was fully accessorized. She smiled gratefully, reaching up to hug him, "You came! Awesome! Thanks, Daniel! WE NEED this… SO much, you have no idea! You're a real lifesaver! I swear, every time Tyler and I try to have sex, one of the girls starts crying and that gets the other one crying and then my damn girls start leaking! It's gross! You're so lucky you don't have boobs that are...basically just milk machines! I feel like a cow!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow, looking amused at his sister-in-law, "Now when you said 'girls' the second time there, you meant your boobs, right? See, I totally got that! I KNEW you were my sister! Don't worry, I got this! Go, enjoy my half-brother. Have your way with him at some sleazy motel, Amanda! But I hope you left bottles. Cause if the babies are hungry, I'm no good to them!" he patted his chest, grinning.

She rolled her eyes, pointing to the kitchen, "Breast milk is in the fridge, smart ass. Heat it up, but not too hot. TYLER! Daniel's here! Let's GO! You're on the clock, hot stuff!"

Daniel laughed, as he saw his brother appear, holding up a finger as he quietly crept out of the nursery, "SHH! Sweetie, hush! I just got Sierra down! Hey, Daniel! Really appreciate it, dude! Thanks again!"

"No problem! Have a good time. Don't get her pregnant again!"

"Haha! And by the way, We're going to a nice restaurant first. We haven't eaten out in a month. Then we're spending the night at The Four Seasons. Oh, Sweetie, you need to change. You have spitup on your dress."

"SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT!"

While Amanda went and changed, Tyler continued pointing out the list to Daniel, "All the numbers are on the fridge. I even ordered you a pizza from Delfino's at eight o-clock. There's nothing in the house but breast milk and cereal.

We'll do some grocery shopping before we come home tomorrow, but I didn't want you to starve. You really are a lifesa…" he started to pull him into a hug, but Daniel laughed, turning Tyler around and shoving him out the door.

"Lifesaver! Yeah, I know. Enjoy your night of freedom. I can deal. I got television and I'll call Delfino's and order a bottle of wine to go with my pizza, just in case I don't feel like breast milk quite compliments pepperoni. Now, get out of here, before I change my mind!"

He turned and waved, then peaked into the nursery to see both babies sound asleep. He smiled, and took a deep breath. This was going to be fun! No problem-o! He had this!

Three hours later, he woke up, hearing pounding on the door and muffled cries coming from the next room. He also felt the novacaine starting to wear off his tooth. He put his hand to his cheek. His filling at the dentist had taken quite a bit longer than he expected and still throbbed. What a crap day! First, he had been chasing ghosts, then he had to go to the dentist, and now he got stuck babysitting all night! His life seriously sucked right now!

"HANG ON! I'm on my way!" he yelled out, then fished for his wallet to get the tip. He had paid for the wine on his credit card over the phone, but had cash to give the guy, so he didn't have to go to the liquor store at night, holding two babies!

As he started to eat his pizza, it became obvious that his tooth wasn't doing well with eating, so he opened the wine and drank a few glasses to dull the pain, when the babies cries started getting too loud to ignore.

He picked up little Shay and held her close, patting her back and rocking her softly, "Hey, sweetie! Don't cry! It's okay. Come on, you want a little snack with me? My treat! Well, your mom's treat, actually. But I'll warm it up for you. I have pizza and you have...breast milk, I have a nice little spot, right here on the couch.

We can watch Fast and Furious together. If you play your cards right, I might even let you burp over my shoulder or in my lap. Then, I'll do the thing you like and blow kisses on your belly. Doesn't that sound like fun, honey?"

After he had alternated feeding and burping, then changing both girls, just as he got them both put to sleep and went back into the living room to take some aspirin for his now completely throbbing tooth, he wearily rose, to hear both girls wailing simultaneously. "CRAP! Damn you, Alexis! You cursed me!"

He hated to call for help, but with his own pain, he decided to divide and conquer and reinforcements seemed the best course of action, "Hey, Mom! Sorry to bother you, but…"

"Let me guess, Tyler suckered you into babysitting and now you're in over your head?"

"I'm fine! It's just...I had to go to the dentist today and got a filling, so it really hurts! I was hoping you might have…"

"Better drugs? Perhaps! I have guests right now. I'll be there as soon as possible. Can you hang on? If the twins are driving you bonkers in the meantime, try the Gummy Bear Song and find their 'binkies'! Both work wonders for the little darlings!"

"Sorry, 'Gummy Bear? What's that? Okay, never mind, I'll look it up on YouTube or something. But what the hell is a binkie?"

"A pacifier! They're probably in the fridge or on their nightstands somewhere in the nursery."

"Okay, thanks, Mom! I'll see you soon."

As usual, his mother was right. He found the blessed pacifiers, and along with playing the "Gummy Bear Song" they seemed to calm down both girls and lull them to sleep. He didn't see how; the song was annoyingly cheerful and was driving him to go drink. As he stretched out on the couch, he heard the doorbell ring and practically fell on the floor, then managed to stub his toe on the coffee table on his way to the door, but he was afraid that the sound of the doorbell would wake up his charges.

He rushed over to open the door, hopping on one foot, holding his sore jaw, and cursing, "What the hell? I just got them back to sleep...Marc, what are you doing here? BETTY? What are uh...HI!"