Coming Home

What would have happened when Lucas went to find Caleb and bring him home to Rosewood?

This is what I like to think happened...

Bright lights blurred his vision each time a car passed him by, he was already tired but Lucas continued the long dark stretch of road toward his destination where ever that may be.

He didn't know where he was going or how he was going to find him, part of him wished he wasn't even doing this. What benefit would he gain from this? Probably nothing. Would she like him any more or less knowing it was he who would bought happiness back into her life? Probably not.

And yet Lucas still felt Hanna deserved to be happy.

She had been the only girl in school to take notice of his whole existence, day in and day out he passed through the halls without a care since nobody cared about him or his achievements, except for his parents.

For years Lucas watched groups of students sign each others year books, wishing their friends best of luck or laugh at an outrageous comment only their circle of friends would understand.

And yet...there was Lucas year after year passing through the school invisible to all.

That was until he met Hanna at a Real Love Waits meeting.

He was invisible there too. He hated those meetings and hated sexercise even more. Hanna made him laugh sparking a confidence in Lucas he'd always had just never showed.

More cars passed him by when Lucas started seeing the lights of a small town on the horizon. Rubbing his hand down his cheek Lucas looked at his watch. It was well after midnight and he needed to rest, at the same time he also needed to get to Caleb before he got all the way to Arizona.

Pulling into the first gas station Lucas filled his car with gas and went to the rest room to freshen up. Wandering inside the gas station Lucas grabbed a bottle of water for the remainder of the trip. After paying for his things it wasn't long before he was back on the road. Lucas didn't have to travel too far when he seen a bus up ahead still traveling along to its destination.

It was another forty minutes driving until the bus finally pulled to the side of the road for a bathroom break. Lucas pulled to the side of the rest stop, a cloud of dust blowing from behind his car. Stepping from the car he waited for the other passengers to exit, he could see from the window Caleb was still inside.

He wasn't sure if he would even know who he was, or how he knew him and for that fact why he was there. He stepped inside the bus to find Caleb resting his head against the window, staring at the darkness outside.

Caleb turned his head in his direction when Lucas said.

" Caleb Rivers..." He looked down at him.

" Who's asking? " Caleb said.

" Lucas Gottesman…." He introduced himself offering a customary handshake. "I've come to take you back to Rosewood...there's someone there who needs you."

" If you're talking about who I think you are….she made her decision, I cant force her to do anything she doesn't want to ".

" So that's it..." He dropped his hands beside his body. "You're just going to leave? Without saying goodbye?".

Caleb stood from his seat, resting his arm on the seat in front of him & eye balled Lucas.

" I gave her friend a letter….to give to Hanna...that said everything I was trying to say. Everything she wouldn't let me say ".

Lucas laughed and shook his head.

" Do you really think Mona gave that letter to Hanna?"

" Well yeah...that's what she said she'd do. Why do you know something I dont? ".

Again Lucas shook his head at how naive Caleb was to believe Mona would ever gave that letter to Hanna. He grabbed Caleb's bag from the seat and went to walk down the aisle when Caleb grabbed his arm.

" Where do you think you're going with my things?" He firmly held Lucas in the aisle.

" Back to Rosewood... You need to go and tell Hanna what you wrote. She deserves that much, no in fact she deserves more then just a letter." Lucas dropped his bag back on the seat.

Caleb knew he was right. God, he'd tried every way to contact Hanna but she refused to take his calls, she would stay away from the house because she knew if given the chance her mother would let Caleb inside, her mother had developed a soft spot for Caleb.

Caleb didn't want to give up on Hanna, he really did love her with everything he had. , He never felt like he belonged to any family until he bonded with the Marins.

Although un-conventional at first, Caleb grew on Hanna and eventually her mother. They no longer saw him as a danger rather they saw him for who he was...or so Hanna had thought.

" And what am I going to say to her huh? " He asked. Walking down the aisle Lucas called out over his shoulder.

" That's for you to figure out on the ride back. If you're coming? " He exited the bus.

Caleb followed Lucas but stopped at the bottom step and wondered, Was he doing the right thing going back to Rosewood? Should he continue the search for his mother? For all he knew his mother could have been trying to find him too, it was a long stretch but who knew what life may bring.

For now though...his left his heart in Rosewood.

As they began their journey back home Caleb stared out the window, wondering why this guy he barely knew was being so kind. Why was he doing this & how was he going to benefit from it.

" Why are you doing this? " He turned to face Lucas.

Lucas answered honestly even if it seemed unbelievable, he swallowed his pride and looked at Caleb.

" Because Hanna deserves to be happy ". It was raw but the honest to god truth.

Caleb smiled at the thought of seeing her face again, how happy she'd be when she would find out he was there to stay. An hour later Lucas pulled into a cheap motel on the side of the road. He couldn't drive any longer & there was no way he was letting Caleb drive his car whether he had a license or not.

Once inside their room Lucas fell asleep immediately, Caleb though was wide awake. He didn't have a clue what he was going to say to Hanna or what he was going to do, or how she would react. Would she push him away again or would she welcome him back?

A million possible conversations & scenarios ran through his mind, but the one thing that made his heart race was the thought of seeing her again. He'd had girlfriends before but never to the standard Hanna was. She was everything every other girl wasn't. She insulted him with her witty comebacks & wasn't afraid to stand up for herself but...she could be just as easily broken down.

He was there for her when she needed someone, comforting her on the stairwell when she fought with Aria. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her against his chest her tears soaking his shirt, but Caleb didn't mind. He didn't say or do anything. He just held her for as long as she needed to be held.

He knew the moment she kissed him in her kitchen, things had changed. They both turned a corner. Never had either of them had felt anything like this. It was new, exciting and scary, but at the same time it felt right. Their first night together they shared their not so humble experiences giving them some common ground, showing neither of them were perfect.

Under all that confidence and charm were two people with equally heartbreaking backgrounds, his more so then hers. He was abandoned at a young age, moved from home to home and now a child of the state - which ever state that was - like a wanderer. A nomad. Someone searching for a place to really call home, a place to ground his feet and feel like he belonged not just where ever Children's Services could place him.

With each memory Caleb relived, his eyes fell a little heavier until he slipped into a peaceful sleep. The next morning Lucas was dressed and ready to go by the time Caleb woke. The sun beamed brightly through the windows, rolling out of bed Caleb flicked his hair back and rubbed his eyes. He thought that maybe…just maybe Lucas had opened the curtains on purpose.

" I got coffee..." He said placing them down on the table.

" Thanks...I'll go freshen up so we can leave ".

Lucas grabbed his bag and headed out, before he closed the door he called out.

" I'll be waiting in the car ". Lucas hoped that Caleb had come to his senses and would make a half decent attempt to try and win Hanna back. He wasn't taking this trip for nothing, unusual as it was Lucas wanted only the best for Hanna. Although he still harbored a crush for her, he'd put that aside to make her happy again, seeing her happy made him happy.

On the inside though, that was another story.

It crushed him he wasn't the one making her happy, having to hide his true feelings for her. He couldn't fight for a relationship, he wouldn't get to hold her, kiss her soft lips, or wrap his hands around her body or take her on dates.

He could make her just as happy as Caleb ever could if given the chance. But not this time around. He didn't stand a chance as long as Caleb was around. Swallowing his bitterness, Lucas started the car as Caleb threw his bags in the back.

Sitting in the front seat with their coffee, they began the journey back to Rosewood where Caleb could make things right with Hanna.