A/N: This story has been brewing in my head since watching 6x01 on Tuesday. Let me just say "feels!" I was definitely on the edge of my seat and I'm so glad the girls are no longer being held prisoner. However, I am a bit concerned about what happened to them while they were prisoners in their rooms. No matter. Time for my HALEB one-shot!
I'm going to point something out before I begin. Since I obviously don't know what's going to happen in 6x02, let's just ignore what happens for the sake of this story. I have to have a few tender moments in-between episodes lol
Disclaimer: I do not own the hit ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars; but if I did, we all would have known who A was by at least season two, and there would DEFINITELY be a lot more Haleb scenes.
"Every time you hold me, hold me like this is the last time. Every time you kiss me, kiss me like you'll never see me again…"
-Alicia Keys, "Never See Me Again"
Hanna's POV
My shoes thudded against the concrete floor beneath me as I did my best to hurry out of the burning cavern. The flames were out of control a few halls behind me and the others, but the smoke seemed to be running right alongside us. My eyes were burning with tears, my legs felt sore, and my lungs ached so bad it hurt to breathe. At this point, I couldn't tell if it was from the fire or my recent three weeks of torture.
Ignoring my pain, I wrapped my arm tighter around Mona's waist to help Aria support her as we made our way through the darkened halls. I could barely make out the forms of Spencer and Emily running in front of us as we neared the vaulted door, and as the smoke intensified, they disappeared from my sight completely. I called out their names, but inhaled a mouthful of smoke instead and immediately began hacking. My vision blurred and I slumped over to the side. I could feel Mona's weak arms grab onto me to keep me from hitting the floor.
"Hanna, come on. We're almost out." She said, her voice terrified and small like that of a young child. I looked up at her through the smoke and could see her mascara running down her cheeks- that horrible blonde wig a matted mess on top of her head. I nodded once before regaining my balance and helping her and Aria through the hall once more.
I coughed a few more times, and for a split second, I felt myself fading out of consciousness. That's when I heard it- a voice. A very distinct voice at that. One that warmed my heart and was able to bring a smile to my face no matter what kind of hell I faced throughout the day. A voice that lulled me to sleep at night. A voice that could pronounce my name in all sorts of vocal ranges. A voice that delivered the words I love you to me on a daily basis. I had missed that voice for so long that it seemed foreign at first, but when I heard it shouting my name in desperation somewhere up ahead, I knew it wasn't a dream.
"Oh my God, Hanna!"
"It's stuck, Alli!"
I could hear the sound of a door shaking just a few feet in front of me and just like magic, the smoke cleared away and my lungs were greeted with a fresh breath of air. I let out a slew of coughs and released Mona as I fell to my knees. The ground was wet, almost as though it had rained recently. I could feel tears sliding down my soot-covered cheeks as I gasped for breath, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably with sobs. We made it out. After a grueling month of torture, we had finally made it out of A's lair.
Suddenly finding strength, I stood onto two shaky legs and looked around the clearing. It was dark, but there were flashlights illuminating the entire area thanks to the group of officers that had come to our rescue. I looked around and could see Aria clinging onto Ezra, her lips quivering as he whispered soothing words into her ear, his hand cupping the back of her head as he ran his fingers through her hair. Spencer and Toby were across the clearing. I could hear Toby making a fuss as he tried to look her over for any signs of injury. Mona was sitting on the ground near the door, her legs curled up to her chest as she rocked herself back and forth while an officer checked her over. To my surprise, Alison was also here, embracing Emily as she tried to calm her down.
I frowned and looked around the clearing. Had I imagined that voice? Was it all in my head? Did he even know that I was missing, that I was now alright?
Suddenly, I spied someone standing a few feet in front of me. They were looking around with a look of panic on their face as they ran a hand through their hair. I burst into tears and suddenly found that the strength in my legs had returned. I stood to my feet and ran to him. I could see the relief on his face as he saw me coming. He caught me in his arms and wrapped them around me tight, squeezing me as though he were terrified I was going to disappear. I couldn't stop my pain-filled cries. My voice was shaking and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to calm myself down; but the minute I heard his voice, I felt that I was safe for the first time in weeks.
"Hanna, baby it's alright. Ssh, calm down. I'm here now, it's okay."
I leaned back and looked up into his eyes and could see that he was holding back his own tears for my sake. I cupped his cheek and sighed in relief that he didn't disappear. He was real. Caleb was really here.
"Don't ever let me go." I begged him.
"Never." He said, his voice shaking, as he pulled me close once again.
"Guys, we've found another girl down here!" An officer shouted.
Caleb loosened his hold so we could both look towards the doorway. We waited for almost five whole minutes until the paramedics came out of the building with a girl lying on a stretcher. Coincidentally, she was dressed in the same yellow top that both Mona and Alison were currently wearing, her hair a matted, blonde mess. They lifted her up into the ambulance and immediately began to look her over.
"Her name is Sarah Harvey." Toby said, informing me and the others of the girl's identity.
"She lived in Portland." Emily said, cluing all of us in. "She went missing right around the same time Ali did."
"Has she been down there that whole time?" I wondered, my voice sounding hoarse.
We all exchanged looks, but none of us really knew what to say. By the looks of it, Sarah had been down there for a while pretending to be Alison just as Mona had. She was probably the first prop in A's show. Just thinking of A, Charles, or whoever the creep was made my head hurt.
I suddenly felt like I was floating and a loud ringing sounded in my ears. The last thing I remember before my vision faded out to black was hearing Caleb shouting my name.
Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep…
What the hell was that noise? As my senses slowly began to fade back in one-by-one, I realized that I was lying in a hospital bed. My whole body hurt like hell and from the looks of it, I was in pretty bad shape. There were bandages visible on both my arms alongside several bruises and cuts. I tried to sit up, but found it to be a painful struggle as the tube connected to my I.V. shifted.
"You're finally awake." A voice called out to me. I looked to my right and smiled at the sight of Ezra sitting in a chair next to a second bed in the room. I leaned forward and winced, but smiled at the sight of a sleeping Aria resting in the bed.
"How long was I out for?" I asked, my voice a groggy mess.
"Two days." Ezra sighed. "You girls have all been out for a while. The smoke inhalation and injuries you sustained were pretty intense. Spencer's been up since yesterday and Emily woke up about an hour ago. They're staying down the hall."
"What about Aria?" I asked, suddenly worried for my friend.
"Aria's fine." He said with a sigh. "She's got a few broken ribs, but she'll manage. She was awake when we brought her to the hospital, but she's been in and out since then. You actually just missed her."
I nodded before studying Ezra closely. He had bags beneath his eyes and to my dismay, he was wearing the same clothes I'd seen him in the night we had been rescued.
"Ezra, why don't you run home for a bit and get some rest. I know you probably haven't left the hospital." I said.
Ezra shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to focus on anything else. I am a little hungry though. I'll just run down to the cafeteria and see what options I have to choose from. I'll be back soon."
"If they have anything covered in frosting, please be a pal and bring me something." I said, trying my best to sound happy.
He nodded and stood to leave. Just as he prepared to make his way out of the room, the door swung open. I turned and smiled at the sight of Caleb standing in the doorway with an adorable teddy bear in his hand. He obviously hadn't left the hospital either by the looks of it. He looked so tired and defeated, but his face lit up when he saw me smiling at him.
"You're awake." He said, sounding relieved. I nodded and gave Ezra a small wave as he made his way out of the room.
"Yeah, I'm awake." I said as my smile slowly fell. I could only imagine how scared Caleb must have been while I was being held captive. Not knowing whether or not the person you love is still alive and breathing is a whole other level of torture compared to the physical abuse I suffered through.
Caleb approached me slowly and set the bear down on the table beside my bed. He then stole Ezra's chair and scooted closer to me. He reached a hand out and instinctively, I jerked mine away. For a split second, I could see the hurt in his eyes and I turned my head away.
"I'm sorry." I said. "I don't know why I did that."
"I do." He said, his voice sounding reassuring. "Andrew really put you and the others through hell. I can't even begin to imagine what happened to you down there. Just thinking about it makes me want to find Andrew and kill him for touching you."
"Can we, not talk about A please?" I begged him, my voice just barely above a whisper.
I was answered with silence. I turned my head and saw Caleb staring at me, a stoic expression on his face. He sighed before running a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry." He said after a while. "I should have been more…considerate of your feelings. Let's talk about something else."
I shook my head before reaching a hand out shakily to grab hold of his. I sighed with relief, no longer afraid to hold his hand and he laid his free hand on top of mine.
"I don't want to think about the past or the future." I said, my eyes filling with tears. "Right now, I just want you to hold me and promise me you'll never leave me. Being away from you made me realize how much I need you in my life."
Caleb smiled softly before standing to take a seat beside me on the bed. I curled up against him and looked up into his eyes with a smile. He gently cupped my cheek and for a second, I expected myself to flinch or jerk away; but his hand against my cheek felt right and I leaned up to kiss him; and in that moment, I put everything I had into that one kiss because I was happy that I was with Caleb and scared that he would disappear and I'd find myself back in that replication of my room.
We broke apart and I rested my ahead against his chest. Things were going to be different from now on, but as long as Caleb and I are together, I know everything will be okay.
A/N: Review!