Thank you for betaing, Jennathehaler, Atramea, and illbehisangel10! So I know the last few episodes were intense and they made Zack a bad guy just after in this story, he and Ella had started to date. I'm just going along with the canon story, and I haven't really reached season 5 yet...so yes, Ella will still date Zack and he will propose but he'll be gradually evil (but not so anyone notices) until he makes his move on Hanna just before their wedding.

If the sun shuts down and decided not to shine no more (decided not to shine no more)

I would still have you, you, you ,you, you, you, you

If we see the last day and they say we gotta go to war...to war

I'll be fighting with you you you you you

Because it's us against the world

As soon as Hanna left the bathroom, she came face to face with an angry Travis.

"Why were you spending so much time in there?" he demanded.

She chewed on her bottom lip gently. "I'm sorry, I just had to go. Also, I was reapplying my makeup. Oh...Aria's mom needs my help with something." Hanna waved at Ella.

"You're here with me. Don't go anyplace, it's rude. I'm not into a girl who takes every chance to get away from me."

Hanna sighed heavily. "Travis, I'm gonna talk to Aria's mom. I'll see you at school." She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"How dare you! You're leading me on!"

She tugged out of his tight grasp. "You have to let me go. I feel trapped and I can't breathe."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Hanna, save that for acting class."

"I'm not acting. Look, I apologize if you thought I wanted to be more than friends, but let's face it, you rushed me into a relationship with you!"

"I'm not slow, and you shouldn't be either."

"I don't like fast boys," Hanna muttered. "You have to understand..."

"Don't break my heart like this!"

"I'm not trying to! You're the one who-"

"Shut your goddamn mouth, you filthy slut! Is that what you do, huh, make men fall head over heels for you, and then dump them a day later?"

"No," Hanna whispered shakily. She backed away from him. "Stop it, please. You're making a scene! People are looking!"

"I don't care!" Travis growled. "I'm really mad at you!"

"Hey, back off!" a voice commanded. Hanna looked up and she was so shocked when she saw who the voice belonged to.

"Caleb?"

"Who else would it be? This guy bothering you?"

Hanna nodded and she gulped. "Yeah."

"Go to hell, you goddamn bitch!" Travis hollered as Caleb forced him out of the restaurant. Hanna covered her face in shame. She was happy that Caleb had returned, yet she needed the truth about Ravenswood. She wanted to know why he still cared for her if he cheated on her. He had made Travis leave, since he could see that she wasn't happy or safe with Travis and that was evidence that he thought her well-being mattered. She was angry with him, but she was grateful that he'd gotten Travis out of her hair.

"I would have helped, but it looks like Caleb got to Travis before I did. Do you guys want to talk things out or...?" Ella trailed off.

"I do...and I'll ask him, since he's coming over here." As soon as Caleb joined Hanna and Ella, she started asking him why he never called her.

"Hanna, let's not do this here..."

"No, I need answers!"

"I know that! I came back because I couldn't handle being without you. I missed you too much."

"That doesn't explain why you didn't contact me after our last phone call."

"You hung up on me, and I thought you didn't want me to bug you again, so I left you alone."

"Yeah, because you cheated on me!"

"Many things happened in Ravenswood, but being unfaithful wasn't one of them."

"It looks like you both received mixed signals from each other," Ella interrupted them.

They nodded. "Well, at least you're back," Hanna said gratefully.

"Yeah...so how long have you been dating Travis?"

"Just a few days...but you need to know I'm not actually into him or anything."

"So it was a fling?"

"Yeah, like you had with Miranda."

"I didn't even hold her hand or cuddle with her, Hanna! My heart is only with you."

She smiled and then felt awkward with Ella standing right there. "Um...we should go home now."

"Do you need a ride somewhere, Caleb?" Ella asked.

"No, ma'am, it's okay, I have an apartment I can walk to."

"I insist...it's too late at night to be out by yourself."

"You could get robbed," Hanna chimed in.

Caleb thought about it for a minute and then sighed. "Okay, then, if it's really not a problem or out of your way or something."

"It's my pleasure," Ella told him. "By the way, you may call me Ella. Just please don't call me ma'am."

"Sorry. Ella."

"Thank you."

Ella drove to Caleb to his place while he gave her directions to it. Hanna sat in the passenger seat to avoid awkward silences with Caleb. Then, Ella took Hanna home. They hugged each other good night and Hanna didn't feel like herself as she walked into her house. The whole night was pretty much a blur. The next day, she saw Caleb again at school. He was taking exit exams and he sat with everyone at lunch. Hanna was between him and Emily at the table.

"So…Caleb's back," Hanna said.

"It's weird being here again," Caleb told the group in a somber tone.

"When did you return, man? We missed you!" Toby exclaimed.

"Last night," Caleb muttered in the same grave voice. "Look, I don't think I'll stay in school. It's just not the same anymore."

Hanna let out a short laugh. "Caleb, you have to go to school…or someone has to homeschool you…how will you get a job?"

"Is that beer on your breath?" Spencer asked accusingly.

"What happened to you? You cut your hair," Emily pointed out.

"If you want to drink, that's fine…but you're our friend…and we don't want you to spiral out of control or anything," Paige told him.

"Things change," was all Caleb said before he got up and walked away. He threw his tray in the garbage, which made a loud bang. Hanna was just as stunned as her friends were.

"Hanna, you know him the best. Why don't you go talk to him…maybe give him some kisses to cheer him up," Aria suggested.

"I don't think he wants that. Something big must have happened in Ravenswood, and I don't think it's that he cheated on me. He said the town was cursed. At first, I thought he was making excuses for his distant behavior, but now…he seems so traumatized."

"Wait, you thought he cheated on you…with that girl you asked him to help?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, it was a stupid theory. Ravenswood is a creepy town, and I should've known better…maybe the curse literally wouldn't let him leave…or call me back when I hung up on him."

"Okay, you guys have to talk things out," Spencer said.

"I'll go to the Brew and see if he's there…and if not, his apartment. He may want to be left alone, but I know he'll talk to me if it's just the two of us. He's not the chattiest person right now, but I can try to get through to him."

Aria smiled at Hanna. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

Hanna drove to the Brew and parked in the lot outside. She strolled in through the doors and looked around for Caleb. There was no sign of him.

"Hey, shouldn't you be at school?" Zack asked her.

She glanced at the clock. "Oh, I better get back. Lunch is over by now. I was just looking for someone, but I guess he's not here. See you later."

"Bye!"

Hanna returned to school to find it quiet. She hoped she wasn't late for sixth period. She rushed into her classroom and sat down. During a break, she asked Ella to help Caleb, and Ella said she would.

Caleb must have been at his apartment, and she decided to go there after school. He didn't seem to want company, so they sat in silence together, him on his couch and she in his chair. He was drinking beer and she was eating chips. The television was on, and the only words spoken between the two of them was when Caleb told her he was pissed off at the world.

"I don't know how to respond to that if you won't talk about your Ravenswood experience."

"Han…just enjoy the movie, okay? It takes you away from reality. So does food and beer. Want a drink?"

"Sure, maybe a little."

He poured her a glass and she took a few gulps. "I can't have too much, and neither can you. They'd kick us out of school."

"I quit school, remember?"

Hanna rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "Right. That is not smart. I really shouldn't be doing this…I have homework."

"I wouldn't mind if Ella homeschooled me or something…or I could go to Montecito with my own mother."

Hanna's heart slowed down in her chest, "No, you can't just show up for like eighteen hours only to disappear again. When you decided to stay in Ravenswood, it broke me. You can't give a child a cookie and then take it away from them." She wrapped her arms around her middle and took quivering breaths. "Please…if you want to visit your mom, you can, anytime…but just know that if you don't actually live here, my heart will shatter like it did last time. I know I asked you to help Miranda, but I didn't ask you to stay there. Something stopped you, I know…but nothing is out to get you in this town. You're safe here. You got shot, yes, but you survived. You're safer here than you are in Ravenswood, and I already told you that! I'll let you go anywhere you want since I love and respect you. You returned to Rosewood, to me, so I know that means something. It means you were always mine."

"Yeah, but everything's different here."

"No kidding. Even I've changed."

"You never did. You're still the same beautiful girl that I fell in love with."

They had gotten closer now, and his hands were over hers. She wanted this so badly for such a long time now, and her heart was swelling a million times its size. She promised herself to tell him about Wilden if he explained what went down in Ravenswood. He pulled her in for a hug and their foreheads and noses were nearly touching. All that was left was their lips. Hanna could feel his breath warming her face, and she closed her eyes.

A knock on the door stopped them from going in for the kiss. Caleb quickly stood up and opened his door. Hanna swore under her breath. "Ella! Nice to see you!"

Ella looked around the messy apartment. "Did I interrupt anything?"

Caleb turned off the television set. "Sorta, but that's okay. I apologize for the clutter."

Ella stepped over an empty bottle of beer. "Hanna asked me to help you out, so here I am. Do you want to do any of my assignments?"

"School's boring…you could homeschool me if you really wanted to."

"I'll leave you two to talk. I'm going to the Brew to do my homework. My mom is at work and I don't like being by myself." Hanna picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She grinned at them and walked out of his apartment. Maybe that was a sign, she thought. They were just starting to reconnect. They couldn't kiss, not quite yet. It had been too long and they had to open up to each other before being intimate.

Hanna sat down on the Brew's couch and got her books and pencil out. She started to do some biology homework when she sensed the cushion next to her move. She jumped and looked up, only to face Aria's father. He was holding a large muffin.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Montgomery, you scared me."

"I'm sorry about that. Do you want to split a muffin? It's too big for just me to eat."

Hanna put the books on the low table. "Sure. Thank you." She faked a smile to be polite. She didn't respect him after what he did to his daughter and ex wife. He was the reason that their family was split.

"You know, every time I look at you, I think I'm seeing Alison. You're the spitting image of her. Then I think, no, that's not possible, she's been dead for a year or so. It's just Hanna."

Hanna shrugged and chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, well, my hair is...was...shorter than hers." Every time she glanced up at him, he was staring at her and looking too interested in what she was saying, even when she used the wrong tense. It was almost like he was gawking. "That's the only difference. I can see how people would mix us up." She frowned and took a bite of her half of the muffin. A few crumbs landed on her lap, and she brushed them off. Noticing the closeness of their legs, she shifted uncomfortably away from him. She kept her non-busy hand on her jiggling knee. She hated that the couch was so small that if two people sat together, their thighs would almost touch. She would love to be on the couch with Caleb, Ella, or any of her girlfriends, but nobody else.

"So, how did you turn into this statuesque beauty in your sophomore year?"

Hanna bit her tongue by mistake, so hard that it stung. "Excuse me?" She nearly choked swallowing down her next bite.

"Hey, it's just a question. I'm wondering...what did you do to make yourself so...okay, let me put it this way, if I was about twenty-five years younger, I'd date you. Or...if you were just a year or two older, would you go for me, huh? I wouldn't even mind starting now." Byron winked at her and she dropped her muffin. He licked his lips and stared at her. "What do you say?"

She tried to get up, but it was like she was stuck there. Quickly she said, "I need to do my homework..." She started to hyperventilate as his hand came towards her shoulder. She knew what would happen next.

"Caleb, you really should stay in school or be homeschooled," Ella was trying to encourage him as they walked into the Brew.

"No, I don't want to do anything like that. I can't concentrate because of what happened in Ravenswood!" he argued back. "I know you and Hanna care about my education, and that's really nice and all-"

"Your wife!" Hanna shouted through gasps. She squirmed and fought back tears.

"Ex wife," Byron muttered. He rested his arm on the top of the couch behind her. "Don't be nervous. She doesn't care who I like."

"Caleb," Hanna squeaked.

That's a little too close for comfort!" Caleb snapped. He pulled Hanna to her feet and she tripped over her books.

"Relax, I'm messing with her. Aria's other blonde friend wouldn't have minded."

Ella gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. She stepped back from her ex husband when he stood up. He walked past Ella, and she stiffened.

"You're shaking," Caleb whispered to Hanna, who was breathing heavily. His voice turned hard when he threatened Byron, "If I ever see you around here again, I'll punch your brains out, you fucking douchebag!"

Byron shook his head. "Don't speak like that, young man. You have no reason to be so harsh." He went up to Zack. "You gotta be ten years younger for that shit to work!"

"Too damn old, pal," Zack answered him, and both men snickered as Byron left the Brew.

Ella sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. Hanna tried to join her, but she couldn't quite get a grip on herself. She fell on the couch as Caleb guided her down to sit next to Ella.

"Your hands are trembling," Ella noticed aloud.

"I know," Hanna said weakly. "He-he was creeping on me." She hugged Ella and grabbed Caleb's hand. "Thank you for coming when you did."

"You're welcome," Caleb responded.

"Honey, did he touch you?" Ella asked.

Hanna shook her head no. "It was just weird. He was just saying…that I was sexy. He wanted me as his next girlfriend."

Ella looked like she wanted to puke, and Caleb had a dark expression on his face.

"I have this strong urge to kill him, but I won't. He's not even worth it," Caleb said.

Hanna felt so special that she was invited to Alison's house to sleep over by herself. Alison had never treated her this well before. After watching movies and eating junk food, they were trading secrets while making each other over and Hanna shyly admitted that she and Mike shared a kiss.

Alison laughed. "That's not a secret. That's hot. You're a cradle robber!"

"I know…but don't tell Aria…please."

"I won't, don't worry. You do know, that, he wasn't really in love with you. Boys at that age will kiss anybody with a vagina and boobs. It's stupid, but it's true."

Hanna looked down. She was now feeling very dumb and pathetic. "He said I was pretty."

"He only feels sorry for you. In time, though, you'll be actually a total babe…like me! All you have to do is lose the pounds."

Hanna sniffled. She wasn't even aware that she was crying, and she wiped her tears away. "It seems like that'll never happen."

"Oh, don't say that. Of course it will." Alison smiled craftily. "Have you ever kissed an older boy…or a man?"

"No. Eeewww!"

"Hanna, sweetie, you have a lot to learn. You can't limit yourself to…junior high school aged boys." Alison wrinkled her nose. "I'll tell you something…I'll never tell the other girls. You have to swear you'll never spill this."

"Um, okay, what is it?"

Alison smeared bright red lipstick on Hanna's mouth. "They'd totally freak. Spencer would be judgmental, Emily would be hurt…she thinks I love her or something…and Aria would be so grossed out that she'd commit murder on herself and me…and that can't happen. You're the most vulnerable and soft spoken of our clique, which is why I decided that the safest person to talk about this with, is you." She pressed her hands on Hanna's knees and whispered, "Mr. Montgomery is cute…I know he's old…but if you really look at him closely, he could pass for twenty-something. He's a powerful man." She giggled and batted her eyes.

Hanna nearly stabbed Alison in the eye with her eyeliner pencil. "That's disgusting! How could you say that? Think of what it would do to Aria and Mrs. Montgomery!"

"Oh my god, Hanna, take a chill pill! I won't actually act on my feelings."

"Whatever you say, Lolita." Hanna put down the eyeliner pencil, since her hands couldn't seem to work at the moment.

"Better than Hefty Hanna! I expected you to be more understanding of my feelings!"

"You're fourteen!" Hanna almost shrieked.

"I'm also a human being. You made out with a twelve year old, did I think you were bad for it?"

"I never said that. My smooch with Mike is nothing compared to your crush on Aria's father!" The pitch of her voice was so high that Alison clapped her hand over Hanna's mouth.

"Shut up, you'll wake my parents and Jason."

"How could you expect me to be calm about this?" Hanna asked. "It's not everyday that a teenager likes a middle aged guy. That's like…a backwards pedophile."

"Yeah, well…aside from that, most married couples divorce in their forties, just think of your parents. It's perfect timing, Ella moves out of his life, and I move in."

"Don't say that, Aria's parents are perfectly happy together! My dad was a jerk for leaving my mom the way he did. Mr. Montgomery would never go for you because he has his wife. Besides…it's illegal! You could get him in jail!"

"Yeah, well he needs a change. Ella's gears are getting creaky and she wears a scarf to hide her wrinkly neck. I wouldn't be surprised if she's highlighting her hair to cover the gray strands."

"You're being very rude right now. She's like, thirty-seven…and she's so nice and sweet to us. She's like, my favorite mom…after my mom, of course."

"She has a really hot husband. I want to suck his huge dick."

"You keep those sick fantasies to yourself, Alison DiLaurentis."

Alison ignored Hanna and tried on a lingerie set. "Do you think Byron would like me in this outfit?"

Hanna pretended to gag and throw up all over the floor. "I can't come over if you're going to act like this. I'll tell Aria not to invite you over to her house anymore. I won't tell her why, though."

Alison pouted. "Don't knock it til you try it!" She licked her lips.

"You look like you want to have sex with your own reflection!" Hanna cried. "You remind me of-of some low-class whore!"

"If you ever dare to judge me about my feelings for Byron again, or tell Aria about this, I'll spread the word that you and Mike hooked up and he grabbed your big, fat breasts. That's what I'll do, Hanna, I swear to God."

Hanna started panting and she wiped some damp hair back from her forehead. "I need to call Aria," she excused herself. She ran to her car with her books in her backpack. She locked her doors and dialed Aria's number.

"Hey, Hanna, what's new?"

"This may seem like a really strange question…but what did your parents think of Alison?"

"My mom thought Alison was entitled, but my dad never expressed any thoughts about her."

"Alison told me something…I've kept it inside me for so long…but you should know. She liked him."

"Liked who?"

Hanna felt queasy as she said the next few phrases. "Your dad. Alison wanted to…to…you know…"

"Okay, I don't need to know any more. God, I am so glad she never pursued him. She would've really embarrassed herself. He wouldn't even so much as flirt with underaged girls."

"Actually, he just did tonight…he made a pass at me."

"Are you high right now?"

"He did, Aria!"

"God…you are just like Alison!" Aria grumbled. "You know, this is something I would expect her to do!" she yelled. She might as well have kicked Hanna in the stomach and cut into her heart.

"I didn't do anything! I was just sitting there," Hanna struggled to say through her tears, but Aria wouldn't listen to her. She hung up on Hanna.

When Hanna came up to Caleb and Ella in the Brew, she claimed that she was too tired to eat and she just wanted to sleep. Hanna drove straight home and dived into her bed. She felt her mom kiss her on her cheek. She started crying, and her mom hugged her tightly. They stayed that way until the next morning, when Hanna had to go to school. She caught up to both Emily and Spencer after choir class and told them what she told Aria, minus Alison being sexually attracted to Byron.

"Hanna, maybe you were just out of it and took it the wrong way," Spencer said. "You have been kind of…off…lately."

"Em?" Hanna bit her lip. Her already-ripped heart couldn't take the pain anymore.

"You should have left the place," Emily told her. "When Nate started being creepy-"

"I was frozen in my spot and having a fucking panic attack!" Hanna screamed at them. She gave them both the finger and stormed off. She had no idea how her broken heart could beat so fast. It was like a train ran over her, crushed her with its weight, ten thousand billion times.

She didn't deserve them anyway, she thought to herself. She was better off without them. If they wanted to be bitches, let them be. She had Caleb and Ella. They knew the real story. She just wished her friends could believe her.

The rest of the school day dragged on tortuously. "Fuck me," she repeated inside her head. "I'm a screwed up little shit. I should have never gone in there." She ate lunch with Caleb and skipped the rest of school.

The next day, before school, she went inside a bathroom stall to sob her lungs out. She screamed and pounded on the door. She slid down the side of the stall and cried so much that snot got into her mouth and she couldn't breathe all that well because her saliva was blocking her airways. She didn't have a toothbrush and she wanted to vomit, so she stuck her finger all the way into her mouth, so far that she coughed. She coughed even harder until some phlegm came out. She jammed her fist into her stomach until it hurt. She lifted her shirt and saw that a bruise was starting to form.

"I know Hanna is in a funk, but why would she accuse my dad of doing something like that?" she overheard Aria ask from outside. She clamped her mouth shut and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"She doesn't always make the best decisions...sometimes she's pretty damn stupid...she waited until it was too late!"

"Yeah, Emily, you handled your traumatic situation a lot better. Hanna's probably the one who was too friendly...she's too naive for her own good! I mean, the only reason my dad flirted with Meredith was because she went after him...she would kiss his cheek at a college party or whatever...that's what Hanna did. Then she made up a story to make herself seem oh, so innocent!"

Don't say a word! Hanna kept reminding herself. Don't move one single muscle!

"She's a carbon copy of Alison!" Spencer shouted. "Don't you guys get it? She's trying to be Alison...same hair, same clothes, same attitude...did you know that she flipped Emily and I off yesterday? She completely shunned us...you have every right to be mad at her, Aria."

"She told me that Alison had a sexual interest in my father...I think she said that to test my reaction. She's the one with the...ugh, attraction. Alison's dead, though, so let's just blame her! Then, Hanna dropped the bomb."

She gasped in pain and went to abuse herself even more until someone called out her name.

Um...remind anyone of 5x05-5x08? Haha I couldn't resist! Thank you for reading and reviewing, feyhazelle, britneymartina, brittany08forever, ImaginaryGirlxx, Guest, and Jennathehaler! Comments are much appreciated! :)