A/N: Well...how bout that new episode? Haleb being all adorable! Although I'm still pissed Caleb STILL doesn't know about Hanna yet! Hello...prime opportunity missed to show him what a tit he's been! Also, I'm not entirely unconvinced that Hanna wasn't calling Mona? Like maybe Mona offered her the use of wherever? What's you guys thoughts on who Hanna was talking to on the phone!? What's the deal with the..uh...well...deal? :')
Anywaaaaay, things are getting tricky for me writing this because I have no idea what the show is up to and I'm like...uh...uuuh...*guesses* *prays I'm right* so hold tight! It's either guess or wait until next episodes aired to finish this weeks chapters! I figure you'd rather I guess!
I'm still working away on my other multi chap, but this one usually takes up most of my time, because once I've written it I'm like YAAAAY break, and then it's time for the next four chapters SO, the oneshots I've said I'll do...I will be doing, but they'll probably be in time for the mid season hiatus, if that's okay! I've got some oneshots planned for 7x07 and 7x08 too :) And yes...some of the beginning of this is quite similar to my oneshot, because I wrote both at the same time! shhhh!
Hanna was walking down the street with the girls and Caleb, sticking as close to Caleb as she could, unwilling to let him out of her sight after what had happened at the cellar. She wanted him close. Wanted the sense of security he offered. She'd hated being locked in that car without him there with her, kind of selfish of her, but she felt safer when Caleb was there, and if he'd been in the car with her, she might have been calmer. More helpful. Maybe even been able to come up with a way out. She wasn't really participating in the discussion the girls where having because as far as she was concerned…there was no discussion to be had. Noel was A. He had to be. He'd written the same thing on Ezra's car, he was shady and he always had been. He was just so damn…A.
He stole the file from Toby, he was mixed up with Jenna who was mixed up with Rollins or Archer or whoever he was. That meant...that meant that Maybe Rollins wasn't the one who'd kidnapped her. Maybe Rollins wasn't the one who'd...who'd tortured her. Maybe it was Noel and he'd passed the information about Charlotte on to Rollins. Or maybe it had been both of them taking turns to torture her. She didn't know. But Noel was always right in the middle of everything, connected to everyone and Hanna didn't hesitate to point that out to them all. She was convinced Noel was A and nothing was going to change her mind, to her...it all made sense. She had all the evidence she needed. Alison was telling them right now that he'd pushed a girl down the freaking stairs at at a frat party and gotten away with it because his parents paid the girl off. The guy was shady, always had been and she'd keep on saying it until someone listened to her. He had been spying on Alison for Charlotte. The same Charlotte who had locked them up in the dollhouse. If he was involved with Charlotte, he could have known about the Dollhouse. Known and not done anything to help them.
He was always involved. It had to be him. There was nothing trustworthy about him, not anymore. He was Uber A and she didn't understand why the others couldn't see that, why they kept debating who was behind what when it was so obvious. He had to be the one who'd burned them out of the cellar…he was probably Mary's other kid. They where wasting time, arguing over whether or not he was any kind of A….he clearly was. Like she'd said…no story with him in it had a happy ending.
"Exactly why we shouldn't be arguing about whether Noel is A, AD, Uber A or whatever. God. I can't believe you guys" Hanna finally snapped in response to Spencer's comment, interrupting the discussion. The discussion they shouldn't even be having. Why did no-one listen to her? Why where they ignoring what was right in front of them? Noel got away with everything…where they going to let him get away with this too? She stormed off across the street and away from her friends, she couldn't stand to be around them any longer, they where wasting time looking for A's in all the wrong places. She didn't understand why they weren't jumping on all the evidence that Noel was A. Didn't understand why she was alone in this. He wasn't a friend of theirs. He'd never treated them all that great. They should have no loyalty to him to make this into a damn debate.
Hanna heard someone following her and knew who it was before he reached out and gently grabbed her arm, bringing her to a stop. Only one person would bother to follow her.
"Hey" he said gently.
"Don't" Hanna whirled to face him, she couldn't contain her anger. After everything…she just couldn't. Because Noel had to have been working with Rollins too, which meant…he was at least partially if not fully to blame for what happened to her in the barn, whether it was him or Rollins doing it or he just knew about it or orchestrated it all...whatever. Pushing that girl was probably like a gateway drug to him, one day he's pushing girls down the stairs...the next he's helping lock them in dollhouses or barns and torturing them. It was probably how he kept himself entertained. "When are they going to realise that Noel Khan is the one that we're after?" she said with frustration.
"They just want to be certain okay?" Caleb tried to reason, "Mary and Jenna are still out there" Hanna couldn't believe it. Caleb was supposed to be on her side…he was supposed to believe her. But clearly he felt the same as everyone else.
"Oh come on. How much more proof do we need, than the words 'I see you' being written on our car outside of the storm cellar? Those where the exact words written on Ezra's car at Camp Mona" Hanna would remember that, because it was one of the details stuck in her head when she'd been mown down by a damn car. Besides, she highly doubted Jenna was capable of doing it. Unless she was being fake blind again...maybe she should test her?
"I know okay, I get it, it's just that-" Hanna's heart twanged. He didn't believe her. He really didn't. He probably thought she was crazy and overreacting again. Like she had with the whole "Rollins is still alive" thing. They probably all did. Poor broken Hanna, jumping to conclusions because she was so damn paranoid after being tortured in a barn.
"You don't believe me either" she said, failing to mask the hurt in her voice.
"Look we have to be completely positive before we do anything rash" Caleb said gently. She didn't want to hear it.
"Well I am. And by now if you're not…I don't know what's going to change your mind" she turned and walked away. She was done with this conversation. No-one ever believed her, not even Caleb, the one person who was supposed to. Why couldn't they just trust her for once, she was supposed to be their friend but nothing she ever said mattered. So fine. She was going to do what she had to to prove that Noel was Uber A, if she didn't matter so much then no-one would care if she did. She was done letting people mess with her, letting people get away with it. She was going to end this…take back control of her life.
"Hanna-" Caleb started as he followed her. He was cut off by the sound of a car starting a little way up the street, breaking the silence of the night. Bright headlights illuminated them and Hanna flinched at the sudden bright light. They both turned in the direction it came from, squinting in to the glare of the headlights and watched as a car started to speed towards them. Hanna couldn't move…she could only watch, frozen.
"Hanna look out!" Caleb shouted and he shoved her out of the way with enough force to send her sprawling on to the street and out of harms way. She hit the ground hard, scraping her palms and she dimly heard a dull impact, crunching metal and squealing brakes. She gathered her bearings and then slowly turned her head to look behind her….and there he was. Noel Khan. Sitting in the car that had sped right at them and he…he smiled right at her. Hanna stared at his smug face for a few moments, hating him more than she'd ever hated anyone before…except for maybe Rollins. Hanna finally tore her eyes away from him and scanned the area for Caleb. It took her a moment to spot him. He was lying on his back on the road. His eyes where closed. He wasn't moving. He was completely still…his chest…he wasn't breathing. Hanna registered the words "Caleb" and "Dead" as they floated across her thoughts…and then she screamed. It was her worst nightmare come to life. Caleb…dead….because of her. Because of A. She didn't think…she just opened her mouth and screamed.
She was still screaming when she jolted awake. She heaved in ragged breaths. It had felt so…so real...
Once AD's message had been delivered, whatever malfunction the car had, was undone. The locks had clicked open and Hanna had bolted out of the car and in to Caleb's waiting arms, burying her face in his chest as he comforted her. She'd refused to get back in to the car after what had happened, and no-one else had really wanted to get back in either, so it had been decided that Spencer would go back and get her car in the morning and they'd all walk home. She'd walked next to Caleb, tightly gripping his hand, on edge being out in the dark even with a group, and they'd discussed the possibility of Noel being Uber A, just like in her nightmare. It had felt wrong discussing A things so openly when anyone could hear them but she'd been too shaken up to question it at the time.
Alison had told them all about Noel…about the incident with the girl at the party and how his parents had made it go away. How he'd been spying on Alison for Charlotte. Hanna had been processing all of the information. She'd told the others she thought it was Noel…but they hadn't all agreed. When Hanna had shown signs of getting worked up about it, Caleb had said goodbye to the others, wrapped his arm around her and hurried her away, trying to soothe her as they walked. She knew he didn't like it when she got upset, but she couldn't help it. No-one was listening to her. They'd made it back to the apartment in record time and once inside, they'd settled down on the couch, Hanna wrapped in Caleb's arms, perched in his lap. He'd filled Mona in on everything that had happened, she hadn't said anything either way about Noel, Hanna wasn't sure if it was because she wanted time to process everything and come to her own conclusions or because she'd dated him and was struggling to reconcile the two Noels, although he hadn't been that good a boyfriend, if Hanna's memory served. Hanna had been so exhausted she didn't care and she really didn't want to argue with Mona. She hadn't pressed Caleb for an answer either. An argument with him...finding out he didn't believe her either..that would hurt more than anyone else. So she figured she was better of not knowing for now. She couldn't stop herself from hoping he'd believe her. When she'd kept quiet throughout the conversation and struggled to keep her eyes open, they'd said goodnight to Mona and headed to bed. She'd fallen asleep wrapped in Caleb's arms, feeling safe if not altogether comforted, thoughts of Noel and A plaguing her, and then…the nightmare.
Caleb jolted awake at Hanna's scream, momentarily disorientated at the sudden awakening, but when he heard Hanna's ragged breathing he'd immediately sat up and reached for her...only to find Hanna already ahead of him, throwing herself in to his arms and wrapping her arms around him tightly. He was momentarily stunned, before quickly putting his arms around her.
"Han? Han what is it?" he said with concern. She was shaking, badly.
"I…I…I had a nightmare and it was so…so real..I thought…I thought…" Hanna's head was buried in his chest, and he had to tilt his head down to hear what she was saying. Her arms had a surprisingly strong grip as she squeezed him, and he pulled her a little closer to him. Unsettled at her behaviour, she was hugging him as if...as if...he couldn't put his finger on it.
"It's okay Han, it was just a nightmare….it wasn't real, whatever it was" Caleb assumed it was a nightmare about the Barn or what had happened that evening, or about killing Rollins. Hanna had a lot of fuel for nightmares and none of it was going to go away easily, this wasn't the first time she'd woken up screaming from a nightmare, he and Mona had an understanding that he would try to help her first, calm her down and comfort her, after all, he was the one who had the most success at it, and if he wasn't enough, then he'd get Mona. The first time Mona had stayed and Hanna had a nightmare, Mona had come rushing in with a baseball bat and Hanna had freaked out at the sudden intrusion, not realising at first that it was Mona. Caleb hadn't wanted any repeats of that. He wished he could make it all go away for Hanna, the nightmares, everything she was feeling...struggling with, but all he could do was be there for her, calm her down, and listen to her when she wanted to talk. "Was it Rollins?" he asked quietly.
"N-no" Hanna said. Caleb waited for her to continue, but after a few moments of silence he decided to prompt her again. He figured it was better for her to talk about it all…get it out in the open, so she wasn't internalising everything. "So what was it about?" he asked. Hanna started to cry. Caleb resisted the urge to panic. He hated it when Hanna cried, and even more so when he made her cry. "Han don't cry, if you don't want to talk about it you don't have to" Caleb said quickly, rubbing her back.
"N-no, it's not that…it's…the nightmare it…it…you died. I-I-I-I thought I'd lost you" Caleb held her tighter.
"It wasn't real Han, I'm right here okay? I'm not going anywhere, you'll never lose me." he murmured.
"But it felt real Caleb. It was like earlier tonight…but..but I got angry because no-one would believe me about Noel being Uber A, and I stormed off and…and..you followed me and we argued because you didn't believe me either, and then…then…this car, it came out of nowhere and….and…and you pushed me out of the way and that's such a Caleb thing to do, protect me and get hurt instead and…and…I turned around and Noel was driving and he smiled at me and you where on the ground and…and…and you where just lying there….you weren't moving….you weren't breathing, you where dead Caleb and it was all my fault. A killed you, because of me. It was like..like revenge or karma or something for when I…I….when I hit Rollins…." Hanna sobbed in to his chest.
"I believe you Han, I'm always on your side okay? If you think Noel is A, then I believe you. The others need a little more convincing but I believe you, I promise." Hanna nodded in to his chest. Caleb couldn't deny that he'd protect Hanna. If a car was speeding at them he would push her out of the way. It didn't matter the situation, he would always protect Hanna, always save her. "I'll always protect you Hanna, that it isn't going to change. I can't let you get hurt, because when you get hurt...it breaks me Han."
"You can't Caleb..you..you care about me too much and…and one day you'll die because of it. You'll…you'll…"
"Hanna. There's no such thing as caring too much okay? I love you. I'm allowed to care, there's no limit to how much I can care about you. I don't want you to ever get hurt again, not after what you've been through. I'd rather get hurt than see you in pain. I just want to make sure you're safe. If it makes you feel better, if there's ever a car speeding at us, instead of pushing you, I'll tackle you, then we can be both be safe, okay?" Caleb tried to lighten the mood.
"O-o-okay" Hanna said shakily, "But that goes for everything okay? You can't..you can't get hurt, I don't...I can't-"
"Okay" Caleb promised, cutting her off before she could upset herself even more.
"Just…please don't die" Hanna said softly.
"I won't. I won't leave you Han. I'd never leave you." Caleb promised, kissing her head. He had no intention of ever leaving her again, in any capacity. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe, and he'd always be there to keep her safe. Hanna suddenly stiffened.
"I read about dreams-"
"Seriously Hanna, I'm going to block anything with internet from letting you on Wikipedia" Caleb interrupted. She slapped him on the chest.
"Let me finish, this is serious. I read about dreams and…and what they mean. What if ….what if this is a warning? What if it's telling me that if I can't get the others to believe me about Noel..someone's going to get hurt?"
"Hanna-"
"What if…what if the dream comes true if they don't believe me…what if it's you. What if…what if the dreams trying to tell me that you're in danger? That something's going to happen to you? What if Noel's going to…to target you to get me to leave him alone? To stop me from trying to expose him? What if…what if….what if he's going to kill you? What if…." she babbled.
"Hanna" Caleb said firmly. "I don't think you've suddenly developed the skill of premonition overnight, this isn't an episode of Charmed." Caleb said with a chuckle.
"You watch Charmed?" Hanna was distracted momentarily by the prospect.
"Not the point" Caleb flushed. "The point is…it was just a nightmare. A nightmare caused by you worrying about Noel being A. It didn't mean anything" Hanna didn't look convinced.
"Are you sure? Are you sure you're fine?"
"Yes Hanna, I'm fine" he said firmly.
"Really fine?" Caleb smirked.
"Yeah, I'm really fine"
"That's not what I meant!" she slapped his arm this time.
"I know" he said teasingly. "Hanna. I've been in bed all night. With you. Nothing's happened to me. I'm good" She nodded, letting out a sigh and Caleb hugged her tighter, settling them back down in bed. Before drifting off to sleep he sent Mona a quick text, knowing full well she'd be awake and waiting to see if she was needed. He figured she'd be up early enough to have time to complete his request. It was seconds before he got a reply. He smiled and snuggled his face in to Hanna's neck, closing his eyes, and drifting off to sleep inhaling the unique smell that was Hanna. His home.