A/N: I do not own the cast of Pretty Little Liars nor do I own the rights to Carrie Underwood's song 'Temporary Home.' If I did own Pretty Little Liars, Caleb would be shirtless way more often ;)
Summary: Hanna wakes up on a Saturday morning to something she never expected.
A yawn escaped full lips as Hanna Marin sat up while rubbing at her azure blue eyes, blinking against the sun that was coming in through her curtains. The clock on her bedside table read nine a.m and she groaned, finding it too early to be functioning on a Saturday morning. Stretching, she slid out from beneath her sheets, listening carefully for any sign of Caleb being within the house or her mom moving about.
Bare feet touching down on cold hard wood floors she shivered, shuffling down the stairs and to the kitchen, looking around for any sign of human life other than herself. Near sparkling, everything was in typical order and a piece of notebook paper was stuck to the fridge. Rolling her eyes as she picked it up, she scanned the familiar handwriting belonging to her mother.
Hanna,
Got called out on a business trip and won't be home for a few days. Behave and NO PARTIES.
Love,
Mom (P.S I don't want you spending time alone with that Caleb boy, something's off about him)
Crumpling the note she tossed it into the waste basket, pausing at the sound of soft guitar strums coming from somewhere within the house. Curious, she followed the noise, coming to a stop outside the basement door. Turning the door knob she took a seat on the top stair, peering down just in time to see Caleb sitting on the couch strumming an old acoustic. Listening to the tune she was surprised at how beautiful the scene before her was. Fingers flying over the arm of the guitar, hitting certain frets and chords, Caleb sat shirtless and exotic in appearance. For once he wasn't wearing his grey beanie, chocolate colored locks in a casual disarray around his face. Her jaw dropped once he opened his mouth and began to sing.
Little boy, 6 years old
A little too used to bein' alone.
Another new mom and dad, another school,
Another house that'll never be home.
When people ask him how he likes this place...
He looks up and says, with a smile upon his face,
"This is my temporary home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is my
Temporary Home."
Hanna felt her heart break, knowing the song was so far about his stint in the numerous foster homes he'd passed through before he had made it to Rosewood. He hadn't said much about his past and hearing him sing this song made her wonder what horrors Caleb had seen so far. The next verse began and she laid her elbows on her knees, watching him perform in what he thought was solidarity.
Young mom on her own.
She needs a little help, got nowhere to go.
She's lookin' for a job, lookin' for a way out,
Because a half-way house will never be a home.
At night she whispers to her baby girl,
"Someday we'll find our place here in this world."
"This is our temporary home.
It's not where we belong.
Windows and rooms that we're passin' through.
This is just a stop, on the way to where we're going.
I'm not afraid because I know this is our
Temporary Home."
This song in itself seemed to be about the hardships people face on a regular basis, how people's time on Earth was only temporary to what they could find in the afterlife. Easing down the next few steps she made sure to stay out of view, leaning against the railing as tears welled in her eyes. Who cares if she was the 'oh so fabulous' Hanna Marin, Rosewood Day royalty? She was still Hanna Marin, the human being with human emotions.
Old man, hospital bed,
The room is filled with people he loves.
And he whispers don't cry for me,
I'll see you all someday.
He looks up and says, "I can see God's face."
"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong.
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.
This was just a stop,on the way to where I'm going.
I'm not afraid because I know... this was
My temporary home."
This is our temporary home.
Taking the rest of the stairs as carefully as possible, she stepped towards Caleb, noticing how he just kept looking at the luggage in the corner. Swiping at the tears that had escaped her, she cleared her throat.
"That was… that was really beautiful Caleb," she whispered.
He looked up sharply, brown eyes seeking hers. "How much did you hear?" he demanded, setting the guitar aside with a frown.
A flush colored flawless skin. "The entire song. I didn't know you could play," she shrugged pathetically, her sentence sounding more like a question.
"Well now you know." Caleb stood, raising his arms to stretch.
Hanna blushed harder, watching his muscles ripple beneath tanned skin. Why hadn't she noticed before that he was so good looking? Tugging her robe closed further she brushed strands of blonde hair out from before her eyes. Following him as he crossed to his belongings for a shirt, she began to fold his bedding, ignoring his protests. Offering him breakfast, she grinned when he asked to make something for the two. A bowl of cereal later Hanna decided that, just maybe it was time to get ready to face the day.
She'd gotten halfway out of the kitchen before running back to see Caleb washing the dishes. Colliding with him she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, memories from their moment in the shower flashing behind closed eyes.
"For what it's worth Caleb, I'm glad that you're here and I wouldn't mind if Rosewood became your permanent home," she smiled.
Pulling away she took the stairs two at a time, gathering clothes from her room before traipsing to her bathroom, leaning against the closed door with a grin. Maybe having him around would be better than she thought it would.
Reviews would be appreciated, tell me what you think? :)
