AN: I only just started shipping this pairing. I always loved Wren and Spencer as a couple, but as soon as Hanna and Wren were thrown together I was inspired by their chemistry. Ironically, Hanna is my least favourite Liar. Anyway, sorry this first chapter is so short. I promise they will get longer! I just needed to set up a little tension... I hope you enjoy. ;)
Hanna couldn't stop her foot from tapping. She usually wasn't one to suffer nervous tics, but this was an unprecedented level of nerve-racking. She glanced at the clock. 7:34. They were late. She wiped her palms on her jeans, instantly regretting it after noticing the moistness they left. She quickly reviewed her cards- "…needs the comfort of familiar surroundings…" "…will suffer a relapse of symptoms with no support…" . Her heart raced. Her words, so painstakingly thought out, looked stupid. Childish. Unsubstantiated.
The cue cards landed on the floor in a flurry.
Hanna held her head in her hands. Mona was relying on her, and she didn't even know it. And Caleb- he would kill her if he knew she was here, doing everything she could to make sure Mona stayed in Rosewood. She still ached for Caleb. She missed him so intensely. But, she couldn't just walk away from a lifetime of friendship with Mona. Mona needed her. She needed Mona. The more Hanna thought of it, the more her heart sunk. Whatever made her think she could do this?
Wren had told her that opinion was valuable. She could make this happen. The board was more likely to listen to the friend than the professional. She could change their minds.
She thought of Wren.
His sweet smile.
The concern in his eyes.
Oh, his eyes.
She shook her head. What was she doing? She looked up again to the clock. 7:42. The hallway smelled like hand sanitizer and fresh paint. She stood up, and the door opened beside her.
"Hanna?" a gentle voice motioned to her.
She didn't turn to look. She couldn't move. Fear enveloped her.
A hand settled on her arm. Her eyes moved to it. There was a little scar on one of his knuckles. The hand slowly moved down to meet hers, and before she knew what was happening, she had been spun around.
They were eye to eye.
"Hanna," Wren whispered.
"I can't do this," She answered, quickly.
"Hanna. You can do this. You have to do this. For Mona," Wren insisted, giving her hand a delicate squeeze. His face looked anxious, but his eyes were confident.
Hanna sighed. "No, Wren. I can't do this. I'm not Spencer! I can't sit in front of a table full of crotchety old men with suits and briefcases, and tell them that they're wrong. I can't make myself sound serious and professional, or like I even know what I'm talking about!"
Wren let out a chuckle, and tucked Hanna's hair behind her ear. "What you don't realize, Hanna Marin," he said, maintaining steadfast eye contact, "is that you're a force to be reckoned with. I've never met a girl with such strength, or sheer willpower." He smiled, and added, "Or who's so outspoken."
"There's a difference between outspoken and well spoken, Wren," Hanna replied. She did feel better, though. She had to credit Wren with that- he gave a mean pep talk.
"Anyways, thanks," Hanna smiled.
Wren pulled her into a hug. His warmth comforted her, and she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. He smelled good- like leather and coffee and Christmas. She breathed him in. As Hanna felt Wren's hands lightly stroke her back, she became more aware of his body around hers. Strong, hard, powerful. It occurred to her that if he wanted to, he could make it impossible for her to escape this. He could suppress her. He could snare her in this embrace for eternity. And then it occurred to her, that maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
Just as she thought it, she snapped back to the situation at hand. She pushed Wren away, a little more roughly than necessary. He looked slightly taken aback, so Hanna waved toward the doorway, where 3 members of the board of the Radley Mental Institution sat, awaiting her testimony.
"We should go in," she muttered, embarrassed about where she had let her mind wander.
Wren nodded, and then leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Time to show them who's boss." He smirked and walked back into the office.
Hanna shivered, still feeling Wren's lips on her skin. She then straightened herself, and strode into the room where Mona's fate would be sealed.
