"Caleb?"

"Yes, babe?"

"Pinch me again."

"Why?"

"Because I still think I must be dreaming."

XXXXX

Chapter 1 – Ten weeks later…

XXXXX

The key turned in the lock, and a 'click' later, the heavy door to the loft fell open. Hanna and Caleb strode inside, both trailing large suitcases behind them.

The minute that they stepped inside their apartment, they were greeted by festoons, Chinese lanterns, and a wall-to-wall banner, all traces of the party that had been thrown at the Radley Hotel three weeks previous, which had been brought to the loft for the newlyweds to see the moment that they returned from their honeymoon.

"So, let me get this straight. I've only been on vacation for three weeks, and you guys manage to lose two pages of software script? How the hell could you lose something like that? You're supposed to back up everything online," Caleb spoke harshly as he walked across the living room towards their bedroom. Changing his mind, he let go of his suitcase in the middle of the living room and turned to walk over to his work space in the alcove of their apartment. Listening to his business partner with his phone tucked between his head and his shoulder, he jotted down some notes on a random piece of paper, scoffing every so often at the things that he was being told.

Hanna had stopped by their refrigerator and taken out a bottle of water. Taking occasional sips, she looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish the unsettling conversation that seemingly foreshadowed the fact that she'd be all alone for the next couple of hours. Whoever Caleb was talking to on the other end of the phone had it coming. The furrows on his forehead became visibly deeper, and Hanna knew that he was about to get really mad. She'd seen those furrows a lot over the course of the past few months, though amazingly not during their honeymoon, which had now, clearly, come to an end. Over the past three weeks, Caleb had managed to stay away from his phone like he had promised he would, even though he was in the middle of his most important business deal with Lucas.

"Server breakdown?" Caleb yelled into his phone, "Does Lucas know anything about that?" He motioned to Hanna that he'd be done in a moment, whilst still listening to his partner's voice. "Alright, have you located the trouble spot?" Checking his watch, he continued, "Okay, call Henry and Garner. It's almost eight now, but I can be there in thirty minutes." He hung up and sighed deeply. "Fuck! I'm so sorry, babe. You know I wouldn't do this right now if it weren't an emergency, but the purchase agreement is supposed to be signed on Friday and the guys screwed up big time."

"No, it's okay. Really," Hanna told him sincerely. She knew how important this business deal was – it would finally balance out their financial status after Hanna's own business with Lucas had turned out to be a fraud, so she had nothing to complain about. They'd had three whole weeks to themselves, basking in the glow of finally being husband and wife. "I can unpack our stuff and do some laundry. Maybe one of the girls will want to come over," She tried in an attempt to assure him that she'd be fine on her own for the evening.

"You sure? I mean it's kind of sudden," Caleb looked concerned. He really didn't want to leave her there alone when they had made plans to look at their wedding pictures – which Aria had promised to upload to their online wedding album whilst they were gone – together.

But when he saw Hanna's reassuring nod, he crossed the distance between them and put his arms around her. Putting the water bottle down on the kitchen island, Hanna returned the hug and snuggled into the nape of his neck. He smelled so good. Even after traveling back home for the past couple of hours, he still had remnants of salt water and sunscreen on his skin from their last hours on the beach that morning.

Despite mourning the speed at which their honeymoon had gone by, Hanna also realized that it had been the best three weeks of her life.

Except for that stomach bug during their second week. That, she could have done without.

But all in all, it had given her back some sense of normalcy after being tormented by A.D.'s board game for weeks, and after having to grapple with the fallout of A.D.'s vile motives.

"Hanna?" Caleb's voice shook her out of the daydream that she'd been in, and Hanna pulled back from their embrace to look at him. "I know that reality has hit home sooner than we thought it would, but I promise I'll make this quick."

Again, she nodded her approval, and they brought their lips together in a sweet kiss. "Wait up for me?" He asked with silent plea in his eyes, and Hanna couldn't help but smile at his attempt to give her something to look forward to.

"Yeah, sure," She nodded with a tentative smile playing at the corners of her mouth; Caleb instantly felt a little relieved.

He kissed her again, and then went to grab his backpack before heading out the door. Hanna looked after him, gazing longingly until he was out of her sight. After three weeks of spending every minute of every day with Caleb, she felt a strange kind of loneliness as soon as the door had closed behind him.

After standing in the same spot for a moment or to, simply trying to get used to her new-found freedom, she strolled over to their kitchen counter, where their friends had laid out all of the mail that had arrived during their vacation. Hanna skimmed through the heap of unopened letters, acknowledging the fact that all of her bills were now addressed to 'Mrs. Hanna Rivers'. Another smile, which spread until the dimples on her cheeks appeared, flashed across her face.

Mrs. Rivers.

Even though this was what all of the hotel staff had been calling her, she still hadn't had the chance to get used to reading her new last name on paper. She loved seeing it written on official letters and documents, as well as all of the wedding cards that had arrived during the weeks after their elopement wedding…

… and after their vow renewal three weeks ago, which they had celebrated with friends and family.

It had happened sooner than they had expected, but she couldn't have pictured a more beautiful ceremony. It wasn't Paris, it wasn't a secluded beach somewhere in Hawaii, but it was them. After having made it out of A.D.'s 'endgame' alive, and after Spencer's mother had saved Hanna from going to prison for killing Rollins, that was all she needed.

With a lack of motivation to start unpacking all by herself, Hanna sat down on the couch. She pulled an unaddressed envelope from the stash of mail – it looked like somebody had personally delivered it to their home. With her curiosity piqued, she tore it open, and a single picture printed on real photo paper and a hand-written note slipped out. She turned the photo around in her hand, and a single tear of happiness trailed down her cheek.

She quickly unfolded the note, and instantly recognized Aria's neat handwriting.

Hey guys!

I hope you had the best honeymoon ever.

Sorry, I haven't had the time to finish work on your wedding album, but I've been so busy with our own wedding . I promise I'll have it all finished by the end of the week. I'm sending you this photo as a preview of what's to come, it's my favorite! Just wanted you to see it as soon as you got home. Text me when you're back!

Love, Aria.

Hanna chuckled at the fact that all of their friends had taken their previous warning about not answering texts or calls during their vacation seriously. Instead of texting her, Aria had actually opted to write a letter, which was to be opened upon their return.

The letter and the photo had stirred up a wave of happy memories for Hanna.

She couldn't remember the last time that she had gotten a hand-written letter, other than those originating from A. or A.D. But, upon seeing the picture, she instantly knew the reason for which her friend had wanted for them to see it as soon as possible.

She remembered the exact moment during which Aria had discreetly pointed her camera at them. It was a candid photo, and in it, Hanna and Caleb could be seen standing in a quiet corner of the Radley Hotel during their wedding reception. The couple stood with their arms wrapped around each other, foreheads resting against one another's, their gazes locked.

In a moment of complete intimacy, secluded from the rest of the crowd at the party, Caleb had given her his wedding present; a voucher for a five-star hotel, plus two plane tickets to Aruba. He had taken care of every detail, getting Hanna's friends to reorganize her appointments behind her back so that they could leave the next day, all the while helping to keep it the – as he called it – last secret that he ever intended to keep from her.

At first, she had chided him for spending that amount of money, especially when she didn't know where he could have gotten it from in the first place.

But then, deeply touched and overjoyed, Hanna had felt at a loss for words and had simply sunk into his arms without any further questions. The day had been full of surprises already, including the sparkly diamond ring that Caleb had presented her with during their vow recital. The ring had the shortest, yet to her, the most perfect declaration of love engraved on the inside – 1105 forever.

After Hanna had learned that her business with Lucas was not going to happen, Caleb had made arrangements to sell some shares that he'd been holding back for emergencies. Giving Hanna a real wedding ring, a real wedding reception, and a well-deserved honeymoon had felt like the kind of emergency that he'd been saving up for. After all, he had promised to make her the happiest woman ever.

With everything that he had already done for her during their marriage, he had clearly managed to abide by his wedding vows.

Their honeymoon had been no exception, on any level. She smiled inwardly, thinking about the luxury of freedom that had come with getting rid of A.D. once and for all, which they had enjoyed to the full during those three weeks; not to mention the lazy days spent on beaches, or in bed.

Sitting on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table, she stuck her arm out, and looked at her wedding band with a tinge of incredulity.

Hanna still couldn't believe her luck. She was now Mrs. Rivers. Mrs. Caleb Rivers. If someone had told her three months ago that she'd be married by the middle of January, she would have laughed at them.

It had all happened so quickly; Caleb's sudden proposal in front of her unsuspecting mother, their impromptu makeshift ring exchange in a tent to celebrate their engagement, and their hasty formal wedding ceremony in front of the Justice of the Peace.

The original reason for which Caleb had rushed them into getting married – so that they'd have a legal argument at hand – had since proven redundant. The shock of A.D.'s reveal was long forgotten, her fate sealed ever since. No-one would ever dare to threaten Hanna or any of her friends again.

But, during all of that ordeal, Hanna and Caleb's love for each other had only gotten stronger. And so, Caleb hadn't wasted any time before arranging a second wedding. They had recited their vows in front of Pastor Ted, and exchanged a new pair of rings before having a full-blown – all expenses paid, compliments of Ashley Marin and Claudia Dawson – wedding party with all of their loved ones. Aria had volunteered to act as their official wedding photographer, Spencer had helped with the invitations, and Alison had helped with decorating the Radley, though Emily had watched her every move. She had been concerned that she'd carry things that were too heavy for her, or that she'd stumble whilst standing on the ladder – Hanna had learned this when she had taken Alison to her OB/GYN appointment during Emily's field trip with Rosewood High's swim team.

The wedding had felt like a dream come true, especially after three long years of misery without Caleb in her life.

Hanna looked at the picture one last time before getting up from the couch, and placing it in a picture frame on their end table. Her fingers lingered on the silver frame for a moment before they swiped across the surface of the cool glass. For a split second, they seemed to dwell on a spot somewhere in the middle of the picture. But then Hanna let go of it, and walked over to their bedroom, picking up one of their suitcases on the way.

The photo had been a welcome home gift that they had received upon returning to their everyday lives after weeks of pure bliss.

She couldn't wait to see the rest of their wedding pictures.

But above all, she couldn't wait to give Caleb her wedding present later that week.

to be continued…

Welcome to my follow-up story. I know this was a rather short chapter, but just so you know, chapter 2 and 3 are already finished, too. If you liked this, please leave a review. Zip

Thanks to Jenna for proofreading. You're a doll!