A/N: I am so so so so so sorry and that doesn't even begin to cover it. Full rights to hate me go into effect now (I really hope that you wouldn't though, so that you read this chapter :)) More at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Pretty Little Liars or the characters mentioned here.
On account of her jumpiness and pure reflex, Hanna let out a bloodcurdling scream—even though she recognized his voice—that made Caleb's heart skip a beat. He swiftly followed the source of the scream, only to find Hanna where she'd been for the past few hours, in the living room. She was breathing like she'd just run a marathon in July; her hair was everywhere, mascara was smudged all over her face, and the dress she was still wearing was crumpled and stained, quite reflective of her mood.
Thank God. She was safe, just terrified.
"Hanna, baby." Seeing his concerned face made her break out into a new round of crying, this time in relief though. It was the fourth time she'd cried that night; Caleb was the only person that she wanted right now, and she was aching for him. He knew based on her friend's texts that something was terribly, terribly wrong. Way past a simple girl fight between two friends, but he'd let her explain. Another telltale sign were the numerous police cars and paramedics scattered all over Rosewood.
He ran to her instantly and easily picked her up, setting her back down on his lap once he'd sat, and stroked her hair, trying to quiet her. Her helpless whimpers were shattering his heart, chipping it down until there was nothing left but little pieces. Hanna buried her face into his chest, taking shallow breaths and basking in the smell, the feeling, the mere presence of him. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe, everything's okay." He knew that was far from the truth, everything was most certainly not okay. Caleb could feel her trembling in every part of her body, his warm body offering nothing of help. She wasn't cold. She was scared.
Once she'd somewhat calmed, Hanna looked up at him with glimmering cerulean eyes and breathed in wonder, "How did you know?"
He sighed, holding her closer as if his arms would shelter her from everything bad in the world and trying to numb his own pain from seeing her in this misery."You have some amazing friends."
Nodding into his chest, Hanna inhaled and exhaled deeply to try to steady her breathing. Once she'd significantly relaxed, Caleb decided that he needed to ask the question if he was going to be taking care of her for the next while. Hesitantly, he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "What happened?"
She stiffened at the question, sucking in a breath. He noticed instantly, seeing as she was still resting in his arms, and he just calmly shushed her again and rubbed her back soothingly.
"I... she... you were always right." She shook her head slightly, still in a slight state of disbelief. "Mona wasn't good. She was... Mona was A."
It was the first time she'd admitted it to someone other than herself, and the words felt foreign coming out of her mouth. Caleb still wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but he'd overheard some of Hanna's hushed conversations with her friends, and 'A' had been a common topic. They'd always spoken about A in a frightened manner and often glanced around repeatedly, as if someone were to pop out of the walls and attack them. Maybe they weren't so far off.
He looked at her curiously, wordlessly asking her to clarify. No matter what exactly the title of A included, Caleb was beyond livid with Mona for causing Hanna this much pain. He was sure that if he said something, anything, right now, it would come out harshly. His fists clenched and Hanna noticed, but she was too busy sorting through her scattered thoughts to really care.
She took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly. She knew she should probably start from the beginning, and that they'd be here a while. But Hanna also knew that as long as she was in his arms, she was okay. Caleb, the bad boy with a soft side for his girlfriend, was her safe haven. She looked down at the ground and decided exactly where she needed to begin to have it make sense and be coherent. "It all started with Alison." He recognized the name of her former friend, given that she had told him snippets of information about the deceased girl before. "She was the best friend ever, but she was also... she made my life miserable at times. And it wasn't just me. She did things to all of us." Caleb wondered what 'things' she meant exactly, but he let her continue without asking too many unnecessary questions.
"After she.. died, my friends and I sort of drifted apart. Actually, really drifted apart. Aria moved to Iceland and Spencer, Emily and I would smile at each other in the halls, but things were awkward and different. It was like, it was like Alison was the glue holding us together, and when she was gone, we fell apart." This surprised Caleb, it seemed to him that Hanna and her friends had been best friends since, well, forever. They were so close and so important to each other that he couldn't even imagine them being apart for more than a few days. Hanna looked far away, like she was really revisiting those times. "And, um, when.. when her body was found, we kind of reconnected. Of course things were still uncomfortable, but there were moments when it felt like we'd never stopped being friends. So, at her funeral, we all sat together." She paused, and something shifted in her expression, her eyes being more guarded. "That was when we got out first A text," she whispered, looking a combination of hurt and frightened. "A... A made us miserable. At first we thought it was Alison herself, because this A person knew things that only she could, until we ruled that out because, well, she was dead. Gone. There was no way." She shuddered, and his grip tightened on her slightly. He was listening intently to every word that left her mouth, intrigued and disgusted.
"Obviously, we knew that it wasn't her, but what we didn't know was how this person knew so many personal details about us. It was creepy, like something you see in a horror movie. For a while, I think I tried to convince myself that someone was actually going to yell, "Cut!" and then this nightmare would all be over." On the last word, her voice cracked and she emitted something resembling both a sob and a laugh. It hit Caleb like an arrow straight to the heart. She was in so much pain and there was next to nothing he could do about it.
"You know how I told you what Mona and I used to do together for fun?" she asked sheepishly, ashamed of her old ways of shoplifting. Caleb nodded, rubbing circles on her hand with his thumb to reassure her that she was a completely different person now. "A knew. Well, Mona knew, since she was my partner in crime. That was the first thing she terrorized me about and, once I actually got caught, I realized that I had to stop." Hanna swallowed hard, picking through memories to choose the important ones to share. "And remember my mom's 'unauthorized loan' from the bank? You... you know how you screwed up Aria's mom's car for me because I was freaking out about it during detention?" Caleb felt a slight smile tug at the corners of his lips as he murmured an agreement. Within one of their very first conversations, Hanna had already gotten Caleb wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger. He would have never admitted to that before, but now it was simply a fact. He wasn't exactly sure how the two were linked but Hanna delved straight into an explanation. "A blackmailed me. If I... outed Aria and Ezra, I earned cash. I went home that night and my mom was so sad and reminiscent, I couldn't possibly turn down an offer to benefit her. At that point, if I lost her, I lost everything. Also, I could only imagine what A would do if I didn't follow her commands," Hanna felt a shudder pass through her body as she sniffed.
Instead of continuing her confessions related to A, Hanna took a moment to reflect on the beginning of her slightly dysfunctional relationship with Caleb. "I was such a bitch to you," she murmured, nuzzling into him. If someone had told her when they'd first met that they'd end up like this—every single one of each of their walls crumbled to bits because of the other; so completely and irrevocably in love—she'd have died of laughter and probably called them into Radley.
"I was an ass to you," he said, chuckling in spite of himself. "It was only fair that you return the favor." They shared a momentary look and, in that instant, she was able to forget everything. Hanna could literally get lost in his mocha orbs for hours.
His eyes reminded her of something and a smile formed despite her miserable expression. "Remember when I pepper-sprayed you with hairspray?" she asked, amused. It had been an instinct to protect both herself and Aria, and for that Caleb was glad.
His eyes couldn't agree though. They practically stung with the memory. "It was light hold," he mocked, using her own words. It elicited a laugh from Hanna. A genuine, beautiful laugh that filled his heart with so much joy that Caleb thought he may spontaneously combust. It was the first sign of happiness she had shown since he'd returned from California for her.
"How about the time that I showed up at your front door to meet your mom, unannounced?" Caleb thought aloud, contributing to the pile of memories they were creating.
Hanna smiled lightly. "I was so pissed at you. Some sort of warning would have been nice, maybe a sticky note or a billboard?" she teased, staring up at him. For now, all speak of Mona and A was forgotten. For now, all that mattered was the two of them and the memories they shared.
"Our shower," he said simply, causing Hanna to laugh melodiously like she hadn't laughed ever before. "You're quite the straightforward girl, if I do say so myself." She glanced up at him, her expression still tinged with the slight embarrassment of the memory.
Almost as if it were a reflex, Hanna's thumb flew to the small tattoo on his hip. The miniature bluebird was symbolic, a humble reminder of his traveling all over the country. He'd gotten it on a whim when he'd turned 16, a rebellious and thoughtless act. He'd finally found his home and Hanna absolutely adored the tattoo after he'd told her it reminded him of her striking blue eyes. What he hadn't told her, what she hoped to be true, was that she herself reminded him of the essence of the bluebird.
The helper bird, it was often called. Hanna would do anything to help anyone in distress, even when she was drowning in her own despair. Despite the risks, she was always willing.
"You never did get that tattoo removed like you said you would," she whispered, an undertone of teasing evident in the comment.
They both knew that she would be upset if he did. The changed meaning of the tattoo meant so much to them both. "And I never will," he countered, leaving the conversation at that. Caleb could feel his girlfriend's breathing begin to slow and she was clearly fighting to keep her eyes open. He began to hum a song she recognized somewhere in the back of her mind as she dozed off.
Just before she drifted into a deep sleep, exhausted by the events of the night and her lack of sleep the previous night, her mind matched lyrics in time to his tune.
I won't let these little things slip
Out of my mouth
But if I do, oh it's you
It's you they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things
Hanna was more than honored that he'd listened to One Direction just for her. His hold tightened slightly on her, keeping her close for fear of losing her, before his tune slowed and quieted and they both fell asleep, comforted into silence by the other one's love.
Hello! I'm aware that this is my first update in a while, and I'm sorry. Also, if this sucks, it's because it's two in the morning here. Or if it's not properly proofread. C'est la vie.
Thank you thank you thank you to OTHSBERKB, lostinthemusicx11, Anonymous, PLL fan, Lizzie, A and Lady. Your reviews helped me to realize that I really should try to squeeze another chapter out of myself and not leave the story unfinished (as with my others...)
If you enjoyed, please review! If you hated it, please review and tell me why you hated it ;) No, but seriously.
Love y'all! xo Prettylittlefan aka Rosie