A/N: Hi everyone. So I've decided that this is the final chapter in this first dabble into Chenry and HD. I've got a few new ideas about these two and along this backstory that I'd like to build on so there will be another fic out soon. Thank you so SO much to everyone for the interest and the reviews. I had a lot of fun with this story and it's great to see there's scope for Chenry in FF too :)


TOO GOOD AT GOODBYES

I'm never gonna let you close to me

Even though you mean the most to me

'Cause every time I open up, it hurts…

I'm much too good at goodbyes

The Beat Goes On

Henry Hart is stuck. Well, not really stuck but there's something kinda heavy leaning against him on his good side at the moment which makes it hard to shift. Ugh. Okay, there we go! Wait…What the - ?!

He looks down at the sleeping girl with the crazy curls who's almost but not quite drooling onto his hospital gown sleeve. He breathes in her faint coconut hibiscus goodness and tries not to move too much. Which is not that hard considering the three cracked ribs and a serious concussion.

His parents had finally left for home. It was awful having to lie to them about how he ended up here but then when they heard from the police that the Reaper and his gang had kidnapped Charlotte as a means of negotiating his get away from the country and she'd called Henry for help, he went to get her and "the rest is history".

Or so, that's how Piper put it. Thank God for his quick thinking, feisty sister. She had been made to stay put in Swellview when the team had come down to the docks to help him save Charlotte. She had called Schwoz to come back for the memory erasing gun so that the Reaper and his men could be zapped. They had to use it on a few of the first on the scene medics and police as well.

So far, so good. Henry almost wanted to let out a sigh of relief but he knew that the danger was far from over. With this job and the double life thing, it was always going to be there. The never-ending threat looming over him and everything he tried to keep safe. Trying to shift slightly so he can put his arm around her proper, he moves closer.

"Charlotte…" he whispers into her hair.

"I almost lost you…I'm so sorry I wasn't able to protect you".

He closes his eyes, feeling the pain take over his body again when he hears her exasperated, very Charlotte like sigh. It's the best sound ever right now.

"Ugh. Henreeeee", she groans as she turns onto her side and props herself up so she's looking down at him.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" he takes a moment to look over her bruised and blackened eyes, the bandage over her wrists and tape above her left ear. She's almost smiling but for the bemused snort and the eye roll.

"Oh you know, I'm doing great!" she quips while moving back to lie down. Still facing him.

"It's not your fault you know," she tells him.

Silence.

"Henry?"

"…"

"Henry!"

"Okay! Yeah! I mean…Okay. But-"

"No buts! Stop blaming yourself. I'm fine. Well…I mean, I'm okay. Seriously. Look…You're Kid Danger. This is what you signed up for and I kinda did too when I came on board."

He signs and shakes his now pounding head.

"I'm supposed to protect people. Especially…Especially the ones I lov-"

"Ooookaaaay that's enough teen angst for one day! Sorry lovebirds, I'm here to check your meds Henry. How's your pain scale right now?" a nurse name tagged Sarah bustles in and checks Henry's chart, eyeing him up.

Charlotte sits up as he grabs her arm to stop her from leaving. Groaning at the effort, he turns towards the nurse.

"Uh no…I'm good…It only hurts a little."

One look at Henry's face, Charlotte can tell he's lying. He's in quite a lot of pain actually.

"Can I stay with him?" she asks Sarah.

The nurse shakes her head and smiles kindly at both of them.

"Sorry hun. He's due for some painkillers now and you could both use more sleep. How about I come get you in a couple of hours when he's up okay?"

Charlotte nods and touches his arm as the drip starts to work its magic and he relaxes his hold on her. Her curls are the last thing he sees before his eyes begin to close.


A month later….

Henry's up and about at home. His ribs are slowly healing but like the doctor says, he can't stay in bed all day long. He's been cleared for classes the following week but no super hero duties with Ray for now. Jasper and TJ have come over to visit so they're all playing video games and he's sitting up in his dad's favourite arm chair because it's more comfortable.

The front door opens and Piper and Charlotte walk in with Summer carrying pizza boxes and ice cream.

"Dinner's on the table!" Piper yells unnecessarily. It's not like they didn't see them coming in but then again, it's Piper. TJ stops scrolling through the game menu and watches Summer walk by him carrying the ice cream.

"Yo! Concentrate!" Henry teases, throwing a cushion at his head.

TJ sits back down and rolls his eyes.

"So you gonna introduce your boy TJ to Charlotte's roommate or what?" he grins at Henry.

Henry is about to reply when he hears his name. He watches Charlotte calling over her shoulder that she's getting his pizza and she'll bring it over to him. She's brought his favourite kind. Supreme with extra cheese and a thin crust. He rolls his eyes at her as she swipes an olive off his slice as she smiles at him. She knows he hates when she does that with his pizza. But she also knows he doesn't really hate it when she does it.

A cushion hits him across the face.

"Now who needs to concentrate?!" TJ and Jasper laugh as Henry gives them the middle finger.


A few hours later, everyone leaves for the movies. TJ, in his quest to get to know Summer better has convinced everyone to go to the late showing of Hereditary. Henry isn't even sure why Jasper is going as he is terrified of horror movies but he thinks TJ begged him to and he's too good a friend to say no.

He's feeling a bit tired and sore so he opted to stay. Charlotte, who was driving back to Stanford the next day with Summer offered to help tidy up and hang out with him for a bit. With his parents away for the weekend and everyone gone, there's finally peace and quiet.

Charlotte had spent an extra week in Swellview before going back to her college but she had been home every weekend since then. Mostly to hang out with him and she'd been seeing a counsellor. He hoped she was okay. Not just okay in a physical sense but mentally…emotionally. That twinge of guilt was back. He still couldn't shake it off. They'd talked. They talked every day. He always asked her how she was. But still.

"Hen? I've made some tea. You want some? " her voice cuts through his thoughts.

Nodding, he watches as she makes up two cups and brings them over to where he's sitting on the sofa.

"So…You're leaving tomorrow?" he asks. Duh! You know that already doofus, he thinks.

She nods slowly and then looks at him. Her eyes narrow as she studies him.

"Yeah I am. But..Um…So I've been talking with my parents and my academic advisor at college and..I've decided that I'm going to move back home for a while. I think that I ne-"

Henry gets up immediately, ignoring the twinge of pain in his chest.

"This is my fault! I was supposed to protect you! My job is to look out for you. See, if I hadn't gotten you involved you would never have been kidnapped and now throwing away your future or not wanting to-"

"Hold up! I'm not dropping out of college. I'm still going to do my degree but…I'm going to study at Swellview U and then go back to med school. I think the team needs me. And..I need the team. So…I am going back to Stanford – to get my stuff and then I'll be back. It's the right thing for me. Right now. The bio-chem engineering program here is highly rated so it's gonna be fine. Please. Sit".

He sits back down and looks at her. He knows she's not done talking yet so he waits.

"Now, I need you to listen to me. Stop..blaming yourself for what happened. I am not broken. Yes, I got hurt and it may be some time before…I feel 'okay' again, but I'm gonna be fine. And you know what? Stuff will happen. That's your life now. That's our life. So you need to stop it. You did everything you could and more. And you did what you had to do. Okay? You do take care and protect us. And me. You. Do."

He looks at her and she smiles up at him.

Letting out a deep breath he didn't realise he had been holding in he nods.

"So you want in again on Team Man and Danger?" he teases her.

Rolling her eyes Charlotte moves closer towards him and slaps his arm.

"Boy please. Y'all were lost without me! Plus Ray and Schwoz kinda already asked me to come back if I was staying so…"

He grins and then clears his throat before looking back at her as she sips her tea.

"Soooo where does that leave…us? As in not 'us' the team but us like you and me…Sorry. This is…Not the time is it?"

His nervousness is kinda very hot, she thinks as she watches his dark brown eyes and the way he drums his hands on his knees. Waiting for her.

Okay girl. Be cool.

She shrugs and grins back.

"I think…That we have a lot of time to talk about 'us' now. If that's something you want to do, I mean..If you want to..Um..Yeah", her voice trails off.

Shit. Nervousness is fucking contagious.

"Yeah, I want to. So…okay then", he nods as he grins, pulling her towards him and they sit like that for a long time.

Contented silence ensues. Then.

"Henry?"

"Hmmm?" he muses into her hair.

"You're the best hero".

He laughs and nudges her.

"Well Charlotte, you're my hero. For reals".

Charlotte's laughing too hard to answer so she just swats his arm and leans into his hug.


They are passed out on the sofa asleep and curled up against each other when the others return from the cinema a few hours later. Piper's loud voice is enough to wake them up as she walks by them to get a drink.

"Thank God they're wearing clothes! No one needs to see my brother shirtless. One horror movie per night is enough for me hahaha!"

Mortified, Henry gets up quickly and moves towards the kitchen, making some excuse about needing water. He can hear everyone chuckling all the way from over there. It's embarrassing as hell but still bloody funny at the same time too.

Eventually his eyes find Charlotte and she's standing there laughing and looking back at him, wearing his hoodie.

And right there is that smile. The one he vainly likes to think is a special one just for him. And this time, he just knows that it is.

This is his life. It might not be perfect.

But it's pretty damn good.

THE END


A/N: Thanks for reading and the interest. I will write more on this pairing and HD. Stay tuned for another fic centred around them soon. Much love from IslandGem xx