A Change of Heart
By Mary
Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty or any of the characters used. They belong to ABC, Silent H Productions, Reveille, etc. I am borrowing them only for the purpose and entertainment of this story.
A/N: This story is written in three POV's: Charlie's, Henry's and Betty's. This story takes place about 4 months after the episode "East Side Story". This is my first attempt at a song fic, so bear with me. Hope you like it and if you do, please read and review. Song lyrics will be in italics, hopefully. Thanks to the ladies at IC and chat for the ideas for the story and for Teri for suggesting the title.
The song in Charlie's chapter is "Stranger in my Arms", sung by Patsy Cline.
Charlie (Stranger in My Arms)
Tho' you try you can't conceal it
love has only brought us storms
I can see your eyes revealin'
You're a stranger in my arms
I'm sitting here, alone in my apartment in Tucson, hearing the old Patsy Cline song running through my head as I hold my phone in my hands. My mom loves Patsy Cline, her throaty tear-laden voice reverberates through my head as that particular songs seems quite fitting to the present mess I've gotten myself into.
Well myself, Henry and this innocent baby.
I take a deep breath and dial the number I've memorized, scared and nervous all of a sudden. The phone picks up after two rings and the voice on the other end sounds despondent.
"Hello."
"Henry?" I ask.
"Charlie. Is everything all right?" His voice asks.
"Henry, I need to talk to you. It's not an emergency or anything with the baby, but can you come over as soon as possible?" I ask, trying to convey assurance in my voice that everything actually IS all right.
"I can be there in about an hour." Henry says, "You sound different. Are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine Henry." I manage to say. Henry promises to be here in a little while as we disconnect. I put the phone on the coffee table as I lace my fingers over my stomach. I'm just beginning to get a little baby bump and I can't get over the fact that there's a tiny little life growing inside of me. I'm so terribly scared what the next few months will bring, but I know that the time has come to be honest with everyone, starting with Henry.
Say goodbye to our romancing
we have lost the flame that warms
tho' I hold you while we're dancing
You're a stranger in my arms
Forty-five minutes later, I hear a knock at my door. I check the peephole to find Henry standing on my doorstep. I unlock the door and let him inside. He still looks as handsome as ever, but I can't think about that right now. I walk over to my couch and sit down as Henry takes a seat in the chair opposite the couch. He looks at me expectantly.
"Thanks for coming so quickly." I say to him.
"Charlie, you're starting to worry me. What's going on? Is everything all right with..." Henry motions towards my stomach.
"Yes, Henry. The baby's fine." I say. I look at him, taking in his drawn face, his shadowed eyes, the posture of a man who's sadness is overwhelming him. I look down at my hands folded in my lap, struggling to find the words I need to tell him.
"Charlie?" Henry asks.
"Henry I have something to tell you." I start, "Something I should have told you months ago, but I was scared. Scared about the baby and scared of..." I stop as the lump in my throat seems impassable. I try to swallow as Henry looks at me.
"Scared of...?" He asks.
"Of losing you." I say quietly. Henry looks down at my floor for a moment. He slowly raises his head and I can see from here all the pain in his eyes that I have caused. I really thought all those months ago that once I got Henry back to Tucson things would be better, and Henry and I would find that spark, that connection that we once had. I couldn't have been more wrong. Henry's not mine anymore, he hasn't been for a long time. And now I'm holding him here with an unborn child that isn't even his. Tears fill my eyes as I look over to Henry.
"Charlie...I'm here for you and the baby. That's not going to change." Henry says. I shake my head at him sadly.
"Yes it is." I say firmly, "I'm going to set things right finally." I look over at Henry, his eyes full of questions; questions I hope I can answer without losing him as a friend. I take a deep breath and look him squarely in the eyes.
"Henry, the baby? It's not yours." I say. Silence descends over my apartment and the words seem to hang in the air like the pungent odor of something rotten. Henry looks at me in disbelief for what seems like an eternity, his brows knitted together in confusion. Finally, he clears his throat and his eyes flash behind his glasses.
"I...don't understand Charlie...if it's not mine, then who..." Henry tries.
"Gabe." I whisper.
"Who?!" Henry asks.
"Gabe Farkas." I say, looking at Henry.
"Gabe...Betty's DENTIST!" Henry says, standing up and pacing in front of the couch, "When...why...Charlie??"
"It was after my birthday party. I ran into him one day when I was getting material for my jewelry. We went to lunch and he asked me if I thought there was something between you and Betty. I knew he'd seen what I'd seen since that night, that you and Betty had feelings for each other." I said.
"Charlie..." Henry said, "I never acted on my feelings out of respect for you and at the time, I didn't know Betty had feelings for me like that either."
"I know Henry." I say, and I did know. I knew Henry had never cheated on me and kept his feelings for Betty hidden from everyone, especially Betty and I. How I wish now he hadn't. If only I hadn't been so blind back then, we wouldn't even have to be having this conversation.
"So why are you telling me about Gabe Farkas now Charlie?" Henry asks me.
"Because I've seen the way you've been since we got off the plane." I say, "You're not the Henry I've always known anymore. You're separated from the one you love and it's slowly killing you. I realize I've been incredibly selfish and cruel to lead you on this long about the baby. I was jealous and scared and I knew you'd do the right thing by this baby. I just didn't take into consideration the price you'd pay to be an honorable man." I sighed as I sat back on the couch, drained from being so completely honest for the first time in a long time.
Henry stops pacing and comes over and sits down on the opposite end of the couch. He looks at me for a long while, then sighs and rubs his eyes. He looks...
unsure of what to say or do next.
"Henry, this" I motion towards my stomach "Isn't your problem anymore. I can only say I'm sorry for deceiving you and taking you away from your life in New York. Please don't waste any more time here. Go back to your job and get the woman that you really love back. She deserves to be happy." I finish.
"So what are you going to do now?" Henry asks, "Are you going to call Gabe and let him know?" I nod at Henry slowly.
"I think that's the best thing to do right now." I say, "Let him make his own decisions about what would be best for the baby."
Henry moves closer to me on the couch. He reaches over and covers one of my hands with his. I expected him to be furious and to walk out of my life forever, but instead he looks at me kindly. There is no pity in his look as he smiles a crooked smile at me.
"Charlie, I'm so sorry too. I never wanted things to turn out the way they have. Even though the baby isn't mine, I want you to be happy. Even if things don't work out with Gabe, I want you to know that I forgive you for everything that's happened. That doesn't mean that I'm not mad at you, but I just need some time. After I get back to New York and get things settled, I want you to keep in touch, let me know how you are." Henry said, lightly squeezing my hand. I nod as I try to keep from crying in front of Henry. Henry lets go of my hand and walks towards the door.
"I'm going to see about booking a flight back to New York."Henry says, looking back at me.
"Let me give you a ride to the airport. It's the least I can do." I say. Henry nods and closes the door behind him. I wait until I'm sure he's gone, then give in to the tears I've been trying to hold back for so long.
Every story has an ending
This is where our story ends
Please don't hurt me by pretending
For lovers never can be friends
Two days later, I'm standing at Tucson International Airport with Henry, waiting for his plane back to New York. As I had promised him, I called Gabe and told him about the baby. He'd been surprised, but he sounded pleased. He was arranging his schedule to come out here for a visit. I look up at the flight departure times as Henry grabs his carry-on.
"They're going to be calling my flight soon." Henry says, looking down at me.
"Henry, tell Betty...tell her I'm so sorry." I say as a lump forms in my throat. Henry drops his bag and pulls me into a hug.
"Hey, it's going to be all right Charlie." Henry says, rubbing my back, "Betty will understand. I promise you that. It's just going to hurt for a while." I nod against Henry's chest as he holds me for a moment. After a few moments Henry releases me and picks up his bag again. I hear the announcement that Henry's flight to New York is ready to board. Henry smiles down at me as I try to compose myself.
"Take care of yourself and the baby Charlie." Henry says, "And if you ever need anything..."
"I won't call you." I say with a laugh. Henry smiles at me and shakes his head.
"No, I told you I want you to keep in touch. I just need...Betty and I will both just need time." Henry said softly. I nod at him as he walks towards his gate. I watch as he pulls out his ticket and hands it to the agent at the gate. As she hands it back to him, I see him raise his hand and wave in farewell. I wave back quickly and watch as he disappears down the ramp.
Thru the years your love will haunt me
and I'll dream about your arms
Still I know you'll never want me
You're a stranger in my arms
