DISCLAIMER: "Ugly Betty" is copyrighted to ABC Studios. I retain rights to the plot, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

AUTHOR: Beatrice Benedick

SYNOPSIS: A friendly social gathering, just like any other, could be the perfect stage for the cruel games of destiny that join and separate the lives of humans, unaware players, to his capricious will. Betty, Gio, Daniel and Matt in Manhattan.

JUST ANY OTHER NIGHT

He was wearing a casual outfit. Something he grabbed quickly from the closet without putting too much thought about it. Not that he usually gave a lot of thought when hanging out with the guys. And yet, this friend of his wasn’t exactly just one of “the guys”. To be on the safe side he wore black: black shoes, black belt, black tshirt, black pants. Everything matched his eyes and his carefully combed long hair. A silver chain shone across his tanned neck while a bracelet of the same material hugged his right wrist.

His friend had promised him that it was a casual low-class bar. And he was determined to cut his finger if he let him pay everything this time. He had his pride. He didn’t like owing men favors and he already owed him a lot. He took the day net sales of the deli and fed his wallet. He also had his credit card ready. He never knew what to expect when he was around this friend of his.

Gio Rossi could already predict that was going to be a hideous night. He wasted precious minutes at the entrance. The porter was reluctant to let him in and he refused to believe he was guest to notorious Manhattan bachelor Daniel Meade. So Gio had to cash his way through, there was not use to argue with a man twice his size. But after he stepped inside the place and walked himself around the lounge, he wasn’t sure if he wasn’t still wasting his time. “Casual low-class bar my ass” Gio thought making his way through a mixture of expensive fragrances, soft silk, brand suits that Gio couldn’t name and blinding glitter of real diamonds --because those had to be real diamonds.

He was resigned. He was going to be the only one in that room with Queens dirt stuck in his boots tonight.

“What the hell!” he thought. “I might as well stay. Daniel had invited me to even worse places than this one”. He glanced at the stage where a guy was singing a melancholic song. “Maybe not worse than this one”.

But he still felt the need of spending a guy’s night out that involved something else than dominoes, cheap beer and latin music. Maybe get wasted. It had been wise of him not to bring his van to Manhattan so he could call a cab anytime and return back in any physical or mental state. Or maybe he could bring a girl to continue the night in his apartment. Or maybe not, he let the thought trail off, those girls surely seemed expensive.

He finally spotted him. He was sitting alone at a nice spot, as expected. Daniel Meade was elegantly dressed. No matter how casual he wore, he always looked fashionable, but it was expected from the editor-in-chief of one of the most famous fashion magazine in New York. Not only his clothes, but his body displayed the beauty of generations of Meades. He had an easygoing expression and a smile beautifully craved in his face, yet there was something in his blue eyes that whispered tears of a saddened soul. Gio knew those eyes, the eyes of a man that life had stolen something precious and irreplaceable. Gio felt the call for duty and ate all the discomfort for the awful taste Daniel had for bars. His hand greeted the one that was welcoming him effusively.

“Have you been here long, Daniel? I hope not. What the hell is this place?”

Daniel pointed at the back of the room. “See that guy? He sang last year at one of Mode’s parties. He’s been quite a success after that. Meade Music division is taking care of him, now”.

“And you just had to punish your ears out of charity? You pay his bills, you don’t have to listen to his crap” Gio mocked as he took a sit on the nearest couch.

“He’s not that bad”.

Gio looked back to the direction of the stage. He knew the guy. He had seen him a few times. He might have talent in his voice but it didn’t mean he had to like him.

“Besides, he’s kind of cute”.

Daniel laughed at the expression that formed in Gio’s face after he just said that: he was so expressive. Gio was not the most typical sample of the people Daniel got used to hang around with. Not that the heir of the Meade empire had many friends for himself, and he certainly didn’t have many friends like Gio. Daniel quickly explained: “I used to tease Betty with that. She used to have a crush on him. I think they went out a couple of times, or so”.

Gio scoffed for response and rested his back on the smooth surface of the leather seat.

“You’re not going to ask about her?” Daniel continued.

“Have I ever asked you about her before?”

“Well, if you don’t want her. Then I’ll have her” Daniel teased for a while and drank from his glass.

“Betty is not your type”, Gio’s gravely voice pierced the air in a dry tone.

“She could be”.

Gio said nothing. His mind got lost in thoughts as the melancholic song penetrated his ears and unwanted memories resurged from deep inside of him as if they were dormant and suddenly wanted to dance to the beat of the music.

Daniel perceived the change on his friend’s countenance. “I was only kidding”.

“You could be right,” Gio said looking right at him.

“It was a joke,” Daniel placed his hands on the table in front of them surprised at the sudden seriousness in Gio's stare.

“No. I guess you are right. You know, one day, the one you least expect it, Daniel Meade, you will find yourself inside her eyes and discover the woman she really is. And then…”

Daniel frowned. “Then…?”

“Then I’ll have to sort you out” Gio said with a cocky smile in his lips releasing the tension from the air.

Daniel’s handsome laugh got mixed to the sounds surrounding them as a more lively music started playing.

“Yeah, just like you did with Henry”.

“Hey, man!”

“Will you take her away from me like you did to him?” Daniel hit the table with his knuckles. “I’m not him, you know? You might be up for a real battle with me.”

“Knock it off. I didn’t steal her away from ‘Egg Salad’. She came to me, she gave herself to me”.

Daniel secretly smiled at Gio’s choice of words. He gave so much without thinking twice before speaking what was on his mind. He really liked that guy. It was a shame the way things happened between him and his young assistant.

A waiter finally came to their table interrupting the playful conversation and immediately turned to Daniel waiting for orders.

“Give us another round of the same and… you want something, Gio?”

“Get me a beer, please”.

The waiter then turned to him and looked at him with a hint of disapproval in his stare.

“We don’t serve beer here, sir”.

Gio frowned at his comment and answered him back in the same snobby tone.

“Then what kind of place are you running here?” he then spoke to himself with a lower tone “No beer! For heaven’s sake!”

“I’m sorry, sir. Can I get you anything else?” his expressive stare seemed to be saying ‘that suites your type of taste?’

“A large Flaming Shocker, with Cuban rum, no garnish”.

The guy left and Gio was definitely sure he forgot to bring Luck with him when he dressed up for that night.

“You have no taste for bars, do you? You just pick a bad one after the other. Come on! After this round, let me take you somewhere else. I know this place will cheer us up”.

“Let me take care of some business first. Just sit for a moment. We’ll be out in any minute”. Then he continued refusing to let go of their previous conversation. “You know, Gio. I’ve known Betty for a while and she’s not the best when it comes to handling men. She has such a poor judgment that she might really end up with me. You know? I pity her”.

“Drop the subject, will you? I haven’t got the slight droplet of alcohol in my system and I didn’t come here to talk about a woman like preppy boys”.

“You’ll have to find a way to get over that eventually”.

“I am way over that” Gio said, slightly offended.

“Ah! Right on time. Here comes my business!”

A beautiful red-haired girl with a glittering and dangerously short dress that revealed a pair of astonishing legs came to their table.

“Allow me to introduce you to Janice”. He turned to the beautiful girl who smiled charmingly at Gio after the usual interchange of mutual courtesy.

The waiter returned wearing an apologetic expression plastered in his face and, to his surprise, turned to Gio.

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid the bartender doesn’t know any Flaming Shocker, sir”.

Gio let his hands fall loudly on top of the table.

“That does it! Let me go to the bar myself”.

Janice giggled at Gio’s sudden behavior and followed him with the corner of her eyes until he got lost in the crowd on the direction of the bar. It didn’t took too long when they saw him returned followed by the waiter carrying three different colorful drinks.

“They’re on the house” he said in a casual tone.

“Try these ones.” Gio said “This is for the beautiful lady, here”.

She thanked him and drank from the cocktail glass. She approved with her delicious smile. “This is really good. Daniel, this is really good”.

Gio held her stare for a second or two, she had really beautiful amber eyes, he blew the fire on top of his drink and took a slow sip. “I had to teach the bartender a lesson or two but I guess he got them mildly right”.

The girl awarded him with another smile. “Impressive!” she said leaning into Gio, winking at him and gently touching his right arm. He just laughed and kept drinking.

Suddenly a new set of lively music sounded in the background. Janice jumped in her seat unexpectedly.

“Oh! Let’s dance this one!” she said leaning even closer to Gio taking hold of his strong arms completely with both her hands in a pleading manner. “Daniel told me you could dance”.

Gio looked into Daniel’s direction half surprised, half amused.

“You know I have two left feet. I don’t mind”. Daniel responded. To this, Gio rose from his seat and helped her get out of the table. “Just, don’t go stealing my girl like you did to Henry”.

“For the last time, I didn’t steal her from anybody” Gio shouted back as he led the girl to the little dance floor.

Daniel saw them dance together through the glass he was holding in his hand. He thought it would have been wiser to have called Gracey instead. But he didn’t have much time to think because, as if it was a cue from a theatre play, his light colored eyes spotted a kaleidoscopic mix of colors jumping against the people of the crowded room and approach straight to his table calling his name until she stopped in front of him.

“I can’t believe you made me follow you all the way to this place. Here are the keys to your apartment that you left in the office”.

“Betty! What would I do without you!” Daniel thanked and bid her to sit with him. Betty noticed the glasses in the table. Daniel wasn’t alone. She wasn’t feeling like sitting between two slim and empty headed specimens of Daniel’s taste for women that night.

“Maybe not. Matt is nearby and we sort of have a date”

“Your boyfriend. Why don’t you invite him in and sit with us for a while?”

“For the tenth time, he’s not my boyfriend, Daniel. We’re just in an exploratory phase. I can’t let this interfere with my career, I can’t afford falling for… and you are not listening to anything I am saying right now”.

“Actually, no” Daniel quickly admitted. “But, come on! There’s someone here I’m sure you’ll like to meet. You know you have nothing to do tonight. And it would please me a lot if you stayed with us for a while.”

“Fine. But just for half an hour”. She wasn’t going to put Daniel down, not after the situation he’s been through. She sighed and took out her scarf and her big coat and placed it on the back of the nearest chair. Her hair was a complete mess. The night was windy and she had to walk the few blocks that separated this place from Mode offices.

Then the familiar sound of her mobile rang inside her colorful purse. “Matt! What? Where am I? With Daniel. Yes, that same place I told you about. No, you don’t have to come. I’m not going to stay too long, anyway…”

Her voice faltered as she spotted the circle of people surrounding a pair of dancers just several meters in front of her: a handsome young man and a beautifully dressed woman making display of the most exquisite dancing skills across the room.

Her heart recognized him immediately and she felt her body freeze in that very same spot as her eyes drank from the vision that was in front of her.

A voice from across the line brought her back to reality.

“Matt?” she said without taking her eyes out of the dance floor, her shaky voice came out of her lips with urgency. “Please come. Yes. Come. Right now. As soon as you can, please”.

BACK TO GIO ROSSI LAND

CHAPTER TWO