Author's Note : So, in the episode Betty's Wait Problem, Betty told Gio she was 23 and in Don't Ask Don't Tell last season, she told Marc she was 22 - so somewhere between those two epsiodes, Betty had a birthday. This is a special request fan fic for my friend Ginger over at instant-connection to write a Henry/Betty fic about her birthday...so this takes place after Season 1 but before Season 2 starts and has kind of a different twist on Henry coming back to New York.

As usual, all of my thanks goes to my friends at instant connection where all the cool kids hang out. Also, thanks to everyone who reads and reviews my fan fiction. All of you are my inspiration.

Chapter 1

Betty walked into the office on Monday morning well rested from the weekend but not really her usual self. It had only been three weeks since Henry left and as hard as she tried to move on, whenever she came to the office, every hallway and every elevator ride reminded her of him.

Christina and Daniel had been great, trying to get her mind off things. Daniel had given her some extra writing assignments for the magazine and Christina had gone with her to the movies a couple of times. Of course being at home on the weekends had helped because she didn't really have any memories of Henry there.

As the elevator doors opened, Betty looked at her watch. She was early, as usual. As she walked to her office she approached the reception desk where a delivery guy stood. He turned and looked at her.

"Thank God. Can you sign for a delivery ?"

Betty smiled.

"Of course, follow me."

Betty walked past him and heard him following behind. When she got to her desk she stowed her purse in her desk drawer and turned on her computer. She turned around and gasped. In the delivery guy's hand was an exquisite glass vase filled with pink Gerber daisies.

"Um, who is the delivery for ?"

The guy sat the vase down on her desk and flipped over his clipboard.

"Betty Suarez."

"Oh my."

The guy handed her the clipboard and pointed to a line for her signature. She signed quickly, smiled at him and he left.

She picked up the vase and moved it to the other side of her desk. She fished around in the blooms and finally found a card. She opened it and read :

Happy Birthday Week

She turned the card over but there was no signature. She quickly walked around the corner to see if she could see the delivery guy but he was long gone.

She furrowed her brow. Birthday week. She reached over and looked at her desk calendar. Hmmm. It was her birthday week. Her birthday was Friday. Things had been so crazy the last couple of weeks she hadn't even thought about it. And, oddly no one in her family had mentioned it. Although, they usually just had dinner at home and spent the evening together so there really wasn't much planning involved. They had all been through a lot recently so that was probably just as well.

She sat the card back down on her desk and looked at the flowers. They were beautiful. She couldn't help but smile. Daniel probably saw her birthday written on her calendar with all her smiles and flowers. He really had been trying hard to cheer her up lately.

Maybe this should be the week she tried to put the past in the past and move forward. After all, it was her birthday week. She sat down at her desk and logged into her computer pulling up today's to do list and her latest writing assignment.

Daniel came in about an hour later, he stopped by her desk and picked up a folder he had for him sitting on the corner of her desk. His 'today' folder she called it. She always put information for all of his appointments in there, any mail that had come in, phone messages and sometimes a cartoon that always made him laugh.

"Morning, Betty."

He started to walk into his office and then noticed the flowers and paused.

"Wow, nice flowers."

She smiled up at him. It was a smile he hadn't seen in awhile.

"Thank you."

"Is today a special day, did I miss something ?"

She laughed. Something else he hadn't heard lately.

"Come on Daniel, I know they are from you."

He looked confused.

"Look Betty, I may not remember many things, but if I had sent you flowers, I would remember, and I didn't. Should I have ?"

Now it was her turn to look confused.

"No, no you shouldn't have. I thought maybe you were……nevermind."

"Was there a card ?"

"Yeah, it wasn't signed."

"What did it say ?"

She didn't really want to tell him.

"It said Happy Birthday Week."

"Is today your birthday ?"

She shook her head.

"Oh, no, it's Friday."

"Well, maybe you have an admirer. What kind of flowers are those anyway ?"

She gazed back at the beautiful flowers on her desk.

"They are pink Gerber daisies, my favorite."

"They suit you."

She smiled back at him.

"Thanks, maybe my dad sent them or Hilda."

"Maybe. Well, I'll be in my office, send in my nine o'clock when he gets here."

"Okay."

Daniel went into his office and Betty looked at the flowers one more time and went back to work.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Dad, Hilda, Justin………I'm home."

Betty walked into the house and tossed her purse on the stairs and took off her coat. After she removed her boots, she walked into the living room. Ignacio came out of the kitchen.

"Welcome home, mi hija, how was work ?"

"Uh, it was good actually. Thanks for the flowers."

She followed him into the kitchen where he looked up from his dinner preparations.

"Flowers ? I didn't send you flowers."

Betty looked confused.

"Really ?"

"You got flowers ?"

Betty was deep in thought but replied.

"Yeah, I thought they were from Daniel at first and he said no so I just assumed they were from you guys. Pink Gerber daisies, who else would know those are my favorites ?"

"I don't know, but speaking of your birthday, what are we doing for dinner Friday ?"

"Umm, enchiladas ?"

She smiled.

"You got it."

"Thanks, Dad. I'm going to go change clothes and I'll be down to help."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning Betty was up and ready for work as usual. She had slept better last night that she had in weeks. Not one single dream of Henry. In some ways it was sad because those dreams were always so good but maybe this was a sign that she was getting over him and that was good too.

Her father was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and having a bagel when she walked in. She was used to him being up scrambling eggs and frying bacon.

"Morning, Dad."

"Morning. Sit down, have a bagel."

Betty took a seat and grabbed an onion bagel from an open box on the table.

"Where did these come from ?"

"Someone delivered them about 10 minutes ago. These and some donuts, orange juice and milk. There is a card."

He handed her an envelope and her name was written on the outside. She looked up at him confused.

"Milk or orange juice ?"

"Um, orange juice and coffee, please."

She turned the envelope over in her hands.

"Open it."

She looked up at him and then opened the card. On the front was a purple butterfly and inside was a hand-written note.

Happy Birthday Week

She turned the card over and on the back were five facts about butterflies. She smiled, then frowned. This reminded her of Henry. A coincidence ? She hoped so because surely he was not doing this. He did know when her birthday was but he wouldn't want to hurt her by reminding her he was gone.

She shook the thought from her mind and looked up at her father who had just set a mug of coffee in front of her.

"Who's it from ?"

"It doesn't say. The same as the flowers. It just says Happy Birthday Week."

"An admirer ?"

Betty shrugged.

"Whoever it is, they know a lot about me. Maybe I should be concerned."

Ignacio looked at his youngest daughter. She had been through so much in the last month and he worried about her. He wanted to be mad at Henry for leaving her but isn't that exactly why he had been angry at Santos all those years. Back then Santos hadn't stepped up and taken responsibility for his child and it took years for Ignacio to get over that. Now, Henry was doing the right thing but it was hard to not be angry when the right thing hurt his baby girl.

"I don't know, the gifts seem tame so far. Just keep your eyes open."

They ate breakfast and Betty left for work.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On Wednesday morning, the same delivery guy that brought the flowers on Monday was there to deliver another gift. Inside a small box was a gift card to the ice cream shop around the corner from the office. This time the card said more :

Happy Birthday Week – Sundaes for Two

She called Christina who had been filled in on the mysterious gifts the day before and they decided to forgo their usual trip to the cafeteria and have sundaes for lunch instead.

As they walked Christina grilled Betty.

"Maybe it is that new sandwich guy, Gio ?"

Betty shook her head.

"No, we're friends and really only that because we grew up in the same part of town. I think he has a girlfriend anyway. He's not my type."

"And, you are sure it is not Daniel ?"

"He says no, and to be honest, he's just not this forward thinking."

"Right, right….well, has anyone else new been talking to you or have you seen anyone hovering around."

"No, but I haven't been looking. And, this person knows me…..knows where I live. I don't know Christina. To be honest it all screams Henry, but why would he do this ? He made a point of telling me that he wouldn't try to keep in touch so that it would be easier on me."

"You're right, it doesn't seem like something he would do."

They stopped in front of the ice cream shop before going in.

"If it is him, I don't want to know. It would just hurt more when it all stopped. I'm just going to enjoy the gifts and keep moving forward."

"Good girl."

They went inside and ordered their sundaes, sat down and enjoyed.

At the coffee shop across the street, a man sat at a table just slightly away from the windows and watched the two women. He had known she would invite Christina to go with her. He smiled as he watched her laugh and talk with her hands while they ate their sundaes. He had missed that smile. So radiant, like sunshine. He couldn't help but smile back. It was now or never he decided. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed.

"Mr. Suarez, it's Henry Grubstick. I'm back in New York and I need to see you. Can I come over this afternoon to talk ?"

"Henry ? I am surprised to hear from you. You're back in New York ? Does Betty know ?"

"No sir, she doesn't. I'd like to talk to you before I see her."

"You're the one sending the gifts."

Henry smiled.

"Yes, sir."

"You can come over anytime, Hilda won't be home until four and Justin is at theatre day camp until three."

"Perfect. I am just finishing lunch and then I will be there."

"I'll see you then."

Henry hung up the phone and smiled. He watched the two women across the street finish their sundaes and leave. He walked outside as they rounded the corner and hailed a cab.

Ignacio hung up the phone in shock. Henry was back in New York. Why and for how long ? Ignacio was kind of glad he was coming to see him before he saw Betty. There was no way Ignacio was going to let him hurt his daughter again and he would make that clear when he saw him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back at her desk, Betty went through the afternoon mail. She looked up when she saw Daniel coming around the corner to his office. He had been in a offsite meeting all morning.

He stopped at her desk and picked up his folder for the day.

"How was your sundae ?"

"How did you……you are sending the gifts."

"Relax, I saw Christina on my way upstairs, she told me. I am not sending the gifts."

She frowned.

"Oh."

"You wish I was ?"

"Well, it's just, everything about them makes me think Henry is sending them, but I just can't imagine he would do that when he said he wouldn't stay in touch to make it easier on me. If it was you, then I would know it wasn't him."

Daniel smiled in understanding.

"We can pretend they are from me."

She laughed.

"It's okay, thanks. And, the sundaes were yummy, thanks for asking."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Henry arrived at the Suarez house around one-thirty and Ignacio invited him in. They sat on the couch and Ignacio listened as Henry told him his story. If Ignacio had thought Betty had been through a lot in the last month, it was nothing compared to what Henry had just gone through.

When they were done talking the two men stood and shook hands. Ignacio felt compelled at the last minute to pull Henry into a fatherly hug and Henry was relieved that their conversation had gone so well. As Henry pulled back, he spoke again.

"So, I still have my apartment in the city which I had not given up the lease on and I have spoken to my old boss at MODE. My position is still open and he will hold it until I am ready to come back. He isn't saying anything to anyone in the office because I didn't want it to get back to Daniel and ultimately Betty."

"It sounds like you have everything taken care of."

Henry lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"The easy stuff. Now comes the hard part. I really hurt her and there is no guarantee she'll be willing to give me another chance."

"You just have to talk to her like you talked to me. She will understand."

"I hope so."

Henry looked down and then up, adjusting his glasses.

"I know it sounds crazy since we never really even had a proper date but, I love her. I'm not giving up without a fight."

Ignacio smiled and patted Henry's shoulder.

"I know, son, I know."

Henry smiled.

"So, at this point, I'd like to keep this conversation and my presence here in New York between you and I."

"Of course, I won't say a thing to Betty, Hilda or Justin. You have my word."

"This should all be resolved by this weekend, at least I'll know how much of a fight I have on my hands by then."

He looked down at his watch.

"I better get going before your grandson gets home. I appreciate you giving me the chance to explain everything. I'm sure I was not your favorite person when I left."

Ignacio laughed.

"I must admit, I tried to hate you for Betty's sake. But, she would have none of it and she was right. You did the responsible thing, Henry. As much as it hurt Betty, I know it also hurt you but it was the admirable thing to do."

Henry smiled.

"Thank you."

The two men shook hands again, and Henry left.

-- to be continued --