Author Notes : This fan fiction is a sister-fic of Betty's Little Secret. The two fics are independent but were written with the suggestion of writing a story about Betty wearing pleather in the first episode. My fic, Henry's Little Secret, is from Henry's point of view and has him finding the pics. The other fic, Betty's Little Secret is from her point of view and her trying to keep the pics from Henry.
As usual my thanks to all of my muses at the IC Henry Betty chat room where we talk HB every night….and where I am inspired to write something every day.
Story Assumptions I guess this would be considered AU-alternate universe - it starts right before 'Fake Plastic Snow' and in this story there is NO CHARLIE, she never shows up and does not exist. Also, the downfall of the Walter and Betty relationship is moved up. Enjoy and please review.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chapter 3Henry spent the rest of the day Saturday working on the audit. Daniel was right, the second business plan that Betty had done was brilliant. He couldn't find anything out of place in the expenses for issue number one and he made notes accordingly. He still hadn't destroyed the pictures yet. He pulled them from the folder and looked at them. He felt like a voyeur with some secret insight into another life of Betty Suarez. He needed to get rid of the pictures before Betty got there. It was cold enough outside to light a fire in the fireplace, so he did.
He stood there with the pictures in hand and tossed each one into the fireplace. He watched as the pictures burned. The last one in his hand was his favorite. It was a head shot mainly, her lips were red and eyes sparkled in what he now knew was probably anger and frustration at her boss. He could see the zipper on the top at her throat and the opening that revealed the creamy white skin of her exposed flesh. As he sat back in oversized leather chair in front of the fire looking at this last picture he leaned his head back and his mind began to wander.
"Henry."
He looked up and saw Betty standing in front if him.
"Betty."
She was wearing a long black overcoat that went to the floor. He blinked his eyes as he saw the tips of silver boots peeking from underneath. He looked back up at her face and she smiled.
"Hi."
"Ummm, hi. What are you doing here ?"
She frowned, almost pouted, so unlike her.
"I can leave if you want."
"No ! Stay."
He watched her undo the belt at her waist and slowly open the coat revealing the faux leather outfit that had been haunting his dreams all week. All he could do was stare. She held the coat out to him.
"Take my coat ?"
He jumped from the chair and grabbed the coat from her quickly taking it to the hall closet. When he turned around, she was gone. He looked around the room but she was not there. Damn. He knew this was just a dream. He had woken up.
"Henry."
He spun around and saw her standing in the doorway to his bedroom. He smiled. If this was a dream, he was going to take full advantage of it. He walked toward her. As he approached she backed into the room and he kept walking until she had backed into the wall on the far side of the room. He walked right up to her and put his hands on either side of her head pressing his body into hers. His lips went to her neck and he started kissing her which elicited a deep moan from her throat. He smiled into her neck and continued his assault until he was making his way to the exposed skin of her chest. She moved her fingers to his hair, as he tasted every inch that he could get his mouth on.
"Henry…..Henry……"
Henry awoke to a knock at the door.
"Henry…..are you in there ?"
He sat up in the chair and looked down at the picture in his hand.
"Crap."
"Henry ?"
He scrambled up from the chair and looked at his watch, six o'clock.
"Just a minute. I'll be right there."
He tossed the negatives into the fire and then looked at the picture in his hand. He ran to his bedroom and stuck the picture upside-down into his nightstand drawer next to his bed. He came back into the living room and called out to her.
"Betty, one more minute. I'll be right there."
He gathered up the papers on his desk and stuck them into the folders and straightened everything back up. Finally he walked to the door and opened it with a smile.
She smiled at him.
"Hi. I am so sorry. I fell asleep in front of the fire and …. nevermind. Anyway, I am sorry. Come in."
He backed up and motioned for her to enter the apartment. She came in slowly, looking around. His apartment was nice, very simple and clean. He had a leather sofa and chair around the fireplace and a large TV in one corner. The floorplan was open so she could also see the kitchen area, a dining table and makeshift office area near the windows. There were two doors on the other end of the room she assumed for a bathroom and his bedroom.
"This is nice."
"Thank you. Can I take your coat ?"
For a minute, his mind drifted back to his dream but he quickly shook that from his thoughts and smiled at her.
"Yes, please."
She was wearing her usual layers, but tonight she was wearing some casual knit pants with her sweater and some snow boots. She smoothed her sweater down and straightened her hair. He took her coat and scarf and hung it in the closet. He watched as she took off her boots revealing a brightly colored pair or fluffy socks. He came back and she smiled weakly.
"So, come on in, sit down."
They walked to the living area and Betty sat on the sofa. Henry sat across from her in the chair. He looked quickly at the fireplace to make sure everything had burned. It had.
They looked at each other and he smiled, she looked down at her hands.
"Listen…..", they both said at once and then laughed.
Henry looked her.
"You go ahead."
"I just wanted to apologize again for Hilda. She thinks she is looking out for my best interest and she sometimes forgets I can make decisions on my own and that I know what it best for me. I would have called you last night if I had be given your message."
"It's okay really. It's nice to have someone looking out for you."
"Most of the time it is."
Henry looked at her. It seemed she had more to say.
"Well, the movie starts in a bit, why don't we order something for dinner."
"Okay."
Henry got his stack of take-out menus and soon they decided on pizza. Henry got the phone from his room and when he came back out, Betty was standing at his desk.
She looked up when he came in the room.
"Is this something for work ?"
"Yeah, I am auditing the first two issues of MODE when Daniel took over."
Betty was flipping through the unused photos from the initial campaign with a frown on her face so he continued.
"I saw your revised business plan for that issue, it was brilliant."
"Thanks. It almost didn't happen. I quit the day these pictures were taken."
Henry knew all of this but let her continue.
"Daniel wasn't very happy about having me for his assistant and he did everything to get me to quit. He finally succeeded this day. He had me stand in for one of the models wearing some skimpy too-small for me faux leather outfit. It was humiliating. I think it was black and yellow or something. I finally walked out."
"Black and red."
Henry regretted the words the minute they were out. She jerked her head toward him.
"What did you say ?"
"Nothing. It was nothing. The pizza is ordered, do you want something to drink ?"
He started to walk toward the living room but she turned to face him and held his arm keeping him in place.
"You said black and red, and you were right, the outfit was black and red. How did you know…..oh my God. Did you see those pictures ?"
Her face went as red as the outfit he so vividly remembered.
"Betty……"
She turned and walked back to the living room. He followed her trying to explain.
"Betty……they were in with the files for the issue. I destroyed them and the negatives."
She was putting her boots back on and heading for the closet when he took her by the arm and turned her to face him. She was crying and she was angry.
"They were so hideous you had to burn them, great."
She pulled from his grip and opened the closet door retrieving her coat and scarf. She hastily put them on backing away from Henry as he tried to help her.
"Betty, no, you looked beautiful, your eyes, your lips, your…….Betty, everything about you……is beautiful. I just thought you wouldn't want them in the files. Daniel told me what happened, he told me to destroy them. Betty, please……"
She twirled around and stared at him.
"I thought you were different. I thought you……I broke up with Walter last night. I don't love him anymore and I decided I needed to move on with my life, move on with new people, maybe even…..you. But, you are like everyone else, only looking at the outside. Goodnight Henry, enjoy the pizza and the movie."
She turned and headed out the door before he could even respond, slamming it behind her.
He stood in silence staring at the door.
What had just happened here ?