Title: Adaptation Mode Style

This is the sequel to Gossip Mode Style.

Summary: Everything is changing.

Can Betty and Daniel deal with going from friends to lovers? Can they survive working for competing publishers in a brand new city? Can Amanda and Matt handle becoming parents? Can Marc really change his commitment phobic ways? Can he get back what he once loss? Can he adjust to life at Mode without Wilhelmina? Can Wilhelmina really be happy without making other people miserable? Can Monique function without playing matchmaker? Can they all really survive Betty being in London?

Pairings: D/BS, MH/ATS, W/C, J/A, H/BT, G/OC, M/T to become M/C

Rating: Eventually M for language and sexual situations in later chapters

This story takes place in the Gossip Universe. The major differences will be summarized in the next chapter. The biggest difference is Amanda and Matt got together before he left for Africa resulting in a much shorter A/D relationship and a MH/ATS pregnancy.

If part one of the prologues looks familiar that's because it is. In honor of Earth Day, I am recycling an old story. The prologue is a re-edited version of the story Confessions of a Frustrated Mode assistant. It has been reworked to fit the Gossip Universe. Although I will admit it is very different than the original story.

Feedback always appreciated. Please review

Disclaimer: I do not own Ugly Betty or any other version of the show. This is just a way to release a lot of stress and not cry over the cancellation.

Prologue Part I: Drunken Honesty

June 13, 2009 12:22 AM

Marc sat in a trendy bar in a hotel nursing his fourth whiskey of the evening. He had been sitting there ever since he ditched Amanda an hour ago. She tried to be there for him but it wasn't working. She was his best friend but sometimes she didn't get it. He couldn't deal with false comfort right now.

It was already close to midnight, but he did not care. So far he avoided four phone calls from Amanda, three from Betty, and one from his evil backstabbing boss the wicked bitch of the Upper East Side. He was in no mood for pity tonight.

Finding out you lost your dream job in the fashion industry to somebody who thought Jimmy Choo was a type of candy would drive anybody straight to the bottle. The realization that it was your own fault because you were too afraid to try something new was another thing entirely.

Normally he was not one for hard liquor preferring a Chocolate Martini or a Screaming Orgasm. Neither of those would improve his mood on this night. Today was a hard liquor kind of day. If only he could find a "Screaming Orgasm" that was not in a glass, maybe he would not be drowning his sorrows in hard liquor.

There has not been much of that recently. He didn't have the time for anything substantial nor did he want to. At least that's what he told himself.

What happened with Jodie definitely did not count. He was trying to repress what he did with his YEIT instructor. Unfortunately, there was not enough alcohol in Manhattan for that.

He was hurt and angry with both Wilhelmina and Daniel. He was angry with himself for believing Wilhelmina cared about anything but herself. He didn't resent Betty at all. That is a lie. He hates her a little.

He knew she worked hard and was brilliant at what she did. He worked just as hard and was stuck. She would make a wonderful editor at a magazine that did not focus on fashion. She was the only person in the world who could miss match designer clothing in a way that made them so grossly unfashionable. She didn't even want to write for a fashion magazine.

If it were anyone else, he would scream up and down that the person got the job over him because she/he applied on his or her back. (Although she was sure Megan and Jacqueline were already spreading that rumor around as he tried not to cry into his Glass. He may join them once he was sober anyway. Just because he doesn't believe it doesn't mean he won't gossip about it.)

Betty would never do anything like that. Even if Daniel finally got a clue and realized he only married Molly because she was a Betty clone, nothing would come of it. Betty is just too good of a person to get a position by sleeping with the boss, even if she is in love with him. Why does she have to be so good? He really hated her sometimes.

After finishing his fourth shot of the night and receiving another phone call from the evil one, he realized he should probably go find his master. She probably needed to fit him for a new choke collar.

Instead, he ordered another shot. He could not take Wilhelmina's fake words. She went too far this time. He was tired of advancing Wilhelmina's career while she placed his career on a sacrificial altar.

He wondered if Wilhelmina ever really intended to give him the editor position. Maybe it was just a ploy to get him to stay. The diva probably did not want to break in a new assistant. She knew he wanted to stay at Mode and she dangled the perfect carrot in front of him. Again, Wilhelmina only cared about Wilhelmina. He should know that by now.

From beauty ejections to blackmailing surrogate mothers, Marc did everything she asked of him. He should have been in jail 1000 times over because of some things he has done in her name. Yet he did them anyway for her sake. She was his own personal idol and he would do anything for her.

She never said thank you. She never gave him anything other than adequate on his employee evaluation. A lesser person would have turned state's evidence against the wicked Bitch of the Upper Eastside long ago. A stronger person than him would stand up to Wilhelmina, but that wasn't him. One of these days she will just self-destruct and he will watch her powerless to do anything.

If the entire evening had not been humiliating enough, the cherry on top was the presence of his ex-boyfriend Cliff. He was a reminder of how his own fears kept him from something great. So caught up in preparing for his new job that he did not accept for the sake of Wilhelmina the heartless, he was unaware that his ex-boyfriend was nominated in the best cover category for his photography.

He was completely shocked to see him at the ceremony. His date for the evening surprisingly enough was fashion designer Briana West-Hartley. She was the super rich designer aunt of Betty's Boy Toy, even though she was only nine years older than Matt.

He always admired Briana because she was one of the few women that could tell Wilhelmina Slater off and lived to tell about it. She stopped advertising in Mode in June of 2006 just to prove a point. Adding insult to injury, she started advertising in Player when diversity conscious Monique Osborn took over. Briana West-Hartley was one of the most brilliant business minds in the fashion industry. Then again she was a Hartley.

If it were any other ex-boyfriend, he would not be jealous. However, he remembered a conversation with Cliff after he discovered a photograph of an ex girlfriend in Cliff's apartment. Cliff told him that he loved people not gender. Therefore, it could be possible that his ex went to the dark side again. To make Marc's evening, complete his ex-boyfriend's "date" was now sitting next to him at the bar in the hotel sipping a mango Margarita, Betty's favorite drink. Cliff was just another thing he let slip away. He needed another drink.

"Can I please have another one? This time may be a scotch"

"Are you drinking liquor like water because of a stupid guy or some other reason?" Briana asked as she continued to drink her beverage.

"If only it were a guy. Unfortunately, it is some other reason. How did you know would be a guy?" Marc replied, taking the drink from the bartender.

"We met before when you were the assistant for Wilhelmina Slater. You spent half the photo shoot hitting on the models."

"One of the few perks of my horrible job as one of Wilhelmina's flying monkeys."

"You're still her assistant? I didn't think anybody could take working for her for five years without spending time in a psychiatric ward." She said with a laugh.

"Unfortunately, yes. The only reason I'm not in a straitjacket is because I couldn't find one with a designer label." Marc said with a bitter laugh as he took another drink of the scotch.

"Maybe I should look into that. I could design an entire line for individuals with mental illness who still want to be fashionable."

"Maybe Wilhelmina can be your model. I would love to put her in a straitjacket. It would be ironic considering what she did to her sister." Did he really say that out loud? He really did love Wilhelmina; there were just some days when he wanted to strangle her. If something were to happen to her he would be devastated.

"What did she do to her sister?"

"She had me switch her sister's psychiatric medication with fat blocker to trigger a psychotic break. I probably should not have said that. Too much liquor after being stabbed in the back by your boss tends to loosen lips."

"Briana, the car will be here in 15 minutes. I called Mo's cell phone, but could not get an answer. According to one of the waiters, Mo ran out of here quickly without saying a word to ..." He stopped speaking when he notice Marc. He and Cliff stood there looking at each other in shock.

"Hello Mr. St Paul. I was just speaking with your lovely date for the evening. I did not know you switched back to the female side of things." Marc said in a very cold voice.

"After what happened you do not exactly have a right to be upset Mr. St James." Cliff answered pointing out how silly the last name thing was.

"He is the Marc." She said in a way that told him she knew way too much about him. Neither man responded to her. "I am going to let you two talk to each other, as I call Mo again. Just so you know, I came here as Cliff's escort because my friend was nominated in the best men's magazine category but she left before she accepted her award. Also, I never miss an occasion to torture my half-brother." Briana said as she left the bar.

"Your "friends" with a fashion designer now, you hate fashion?" Marc put emphasize on the word friend.

"We have known each other since I was in college. B is different. For one thing, she designs clothing for the Mode girl who isn't a size -2."

They stayed silent for a few moments. Finally, Marc broke the silence. "Congratulations on winning the award for best cover."

"Thank you. So what have you been up to lately?" Marc knew it was a weak attempt at small talk, but he was just happy that Cliff was still speaking to him.

"Being Wilhelmina's flunky and believing the dilution the she sees me as anything other than her personal slave. Currently I am stuck at a dead end job with no chance of ever getting out. Betty gets the job I want because Daniel is in love with her. You know the usual. I did get into YEIT." He said trying to accentuate the positive.

"I remember you were spending so much time on the project, congratulations." He almost sounded gracious.

"Thank you for letting me use the photographs for the mock magazine even after we broke up."

"I wasn't going to jeopardize your career just because we broke up."

"Thank you for caring about someone other than yourself. You are the only one besides Amanda. Can I please have another scotch?" He wasn't drunk enough to make nice with his ex.

"How many of those have you had tonight?" He almost sounded concern when he asked the question.

"This will be the seventh one."

"Maybe that should be the last one. You never could hold your liquor very well. You always do stupid things when you're drunk." The last part was said in a whisper that Marc still heard.

"Such as telling Wilhelmina's sister how Wilhelmina really acquire the sperm for her almost Meade baby or how I screwed up our relationship by fucking someone else."

"I wasn't going to bring that up."

"Why not, I think about it every time I pass by that guy's apartment. I live in that building now that Miss I-stole-your-job moved back to Queens. I took over her apartment with Mandy." Marc said as he brought the drink to his lips.

"I don't want you to do something you'll regret again." Cliff said taking the shot from Marc's hand.

"Already did that and I was stone cold sober at the time. I got a job offer to be a Junior Editor at Vogue."

"That's wonderful," Marc could tell that despite everything Cliff was genuinely happy.

"I didn't take the job. I almost took the job, but Wilhelmina promised me a similar position at Mode."

"You have worked there a very long time. I can understand why you would decide to stay."

"Except I didn't get the new editor job, Betty did. Which is why I am sitting here drinking scotch with my ex-boyfriend who I let get away because I was too scared." He wasn't sure if he was too afraid to move on from Mode or Wilhelmina.

"You also lost your chance at Vogue because you were too afraid to step outside your comfort zone. This is what you did with us and now you are doing it again with your career. You need to stop being afraid of change."

"It's too late for Vogue, they've already filled the position was someone else. It is too late for us as well?" It was not a statement this time, rather a question.

"That position has already been filled by someone else as well." Cliff said as he let Marc take the shot.

"I guess it happens." Marc said finishing his seventh drink of the night.

"That doesn't mean that the next time you should keep yourself from taking advantage of a great opportunity. Promise me that the next time you're offered a great career opportunity you won't let Wilhelmina or anyone else, including yourself, keep you from taking it."

"I promise," Marc said as he suddenly became sick. Maybe he should have stopped at six drinks.

"Just because we're not together doesn't mean you can't call me occasionally. I think we can be friends at this point." He wasn't so sure he was ready for that.

"I thought you burned my picture in effigy." He joked.

"After I sent back that girdle and left a few nasty messages with Amanda I got over it. I do not hate you as much as I did in the beginning. Besides Briana is also an ex and we are friends now."

"I never got any of that until a month and a half ago. Amanda is very overprotective. I think I am going to be Sick." Marc said as he ran from the bar to the nearest men's room, leaving behind a very confused Cliff.

The next morning, Marc wakes up to Amanda giving him a bottled of water and some Tylenol. He tries not to think about how much he missed his ex boyfriend. He wondered if Cliff was the one who brought him home last night. When he saw the cab receipt he knows that it was Amanda that brought him home last night

He tried not to think about the fact that Amanda will probably be the only constant in his life. He also tried not to think about how he was completely stuck in his current situation. He also tried not to think about how it really was his own fault. Nothing will change unless he changed it. Did he really want things to change?