Hanna and Caleb are in Ashley's home office, sitting on one of the couches. Ashley sits down on the opposite couch, she has an old magazine in her hands.
Ashley "I wanna show you something" goes through the pages of the magazine until she finally finds what she was looking for
Hanna and Caleb just stare at her expectantly.
Ashley "Here" she hands the open magazine to Hanna.
Hanna and Caleb take a look at it. There are some pictures of her mom and herself published in those pages. It's a photo shoot and they both are smiling happily to the camera.
Ashley "Those pictures were published as a special for Mother's Day… there are other celebrities with their children on the following pages, it was a big photo shoot. You were only two years old when we did it, so you might not remember it because you were too little"
Hanna shakes her head "I had no idea about this"
Ashley "What I want to show you is that there was a time, a short one, when your dad and I didn't mind to let everyone know you… we were so proud of our little beautiful girl, you were so funny, smart, sparky… I used to take you with me everywhere I went, photo shoots, charity events, some TV shows where I was invited, everywhere"
Hanna "I don't remember anything of that"
Ashley "Of course not… I stopped doing it a few months before you turned three. Your dad and I had to take that decision, that was when we started to preserve you from the media"
Hanna "Why?"
Ashley "We were treating complicated stuff on the news at that time, it was about some corrupt politicians and some connections they had with a drug ring, we had a lot of information and it turned somewhat dangerous, we started to receive some threats and pressures from many sides, so we just decided to stop exposing you to the press and we tried to give you just a normal life, I kept taking you with me to the TV Studios sometimes, because all the people that worked with your dad and I already knew you and it was safe, but that was all… and then you started growing up and you didn't like dealing with my fame, and all the people recognizing me everywhere I went, so it just kept that way and you seemed to be okay with it"
Hanna "Wow… I had no idea… I just assumed it had always been that way"
Ashley "No, it wasn't… I just didn't want to leave you at home with a nanny most of the time, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with you, so it seemed okay to take you with me everywhere, and I didn't mind if you appeared on TV or magazines because you were there with me… but I was young at that time and there were a lot of things I had to learn over the time, and becoming aware of how dangerous it could be that much of exposition to the press to a little girl like you was one of those things… one day, you went to the store with Mary and she came back all worried because some people had recognized you although I was not even there with you and they started to ask her to take some pictures with you, and it was only two days before your dad and some of the people working at the news started to receive some telephone threats and I also received a threatening letter myself… and although that letter didn't even mention anything about you, we decided it was enough"
Hanna "Why are you telling me all that now?"
Ashley "Because everything will change now that you played Emma and although we could keep you anonymous despite that if you wanted, it would be pointless because you are dating Caleb and you are gonna be in the public eye anyway in a few weeks… I know you are already aware of that, I don't have to explain it to you, but I just want you to be sure and to understand it before we do anything, because I have been working all day long on what I consider is the best way to start showing you as my daughter again and If you decide to do this, then you will have to be careful with anything you do from now on, because although you have decided you won't play any role again or do any press interview, people will know who you are, and anything you do could affect Caleb or myself" she says, staring at her
Hanna "Of course I know, mom… I'm sure of this. Besides, I don't have any other option, I mean, I can't stop being your daughter and I'm not planning on leaving Caleb either"
Ashley just nods, she already knew what would be Hanna's decision "That same goes to you, Caleb… you both have to be careful" she says looking at both of them this time
Caleb nods.
Ashley "You can no longer ask for a normal life, you have to be careful every time you go out, especially when you do it separately, you have to be careful not to be photographed in any confusing situation. People love gossiping, they will make up a lot of things, so it's important to have a talkative relationship if you want to make it work, and keep things clear when it comes to how much you will let people know about your lives and how much you will keep for yourselves in private, especially you Caleb… you will have to learn a lot of things over the time, just like I had to, but you can come to me anytime and I'll be happy to help"
Caleb gives her a smile "Thank you, Ashley"
Ashley "There's a lot of bad people in the television industry, just like John, people who only cares about their own interests and they are capable of anything in order to get what they want. But they are only a minority, hopefully, you won't have to deal with another John"
Hanna "I know mom, can't you just go right to the point and tell me what have you been working on since this morning?"
Ashley "Okay, right" she says and takes a tablet where she opens her letter "It's not published yet, okay? It's just a draft, I kept my promise and I want you to read it before publishing it on Facebook" she says and hands her the tablet
Hanna takes it and starts reading. It's a letter where Ashley has written a few words about how proud she is of Hanna, some anecdotes from her childhood, and other nice things. And at some point, over the end of the letter, she makes a brief mention about her upcoming participation on "Twenty-something" before she ends the letter repeating once more how proud she is of her and everything she has achieved on her own so far.
Hanna finishes reading the letter and looks up at Ashley, with her eyes a little glassy.
Ashley "We can make some changes if you want, and I was planning on posting it with an old picture of us, but Caleb suggested to add another one more recent, would you like to pick that one yourself?"
Hanna gets up from the couch where she is sitting next to Caleb and goes sit next to her mom.
Hanna "I don't wanna make any changes, it's perfect. And yes, I would love to pick a picture of us. Thank you, mom" she says and hugs her
Ashley "I'm glad you liked it, baby" she says, hugging her back "Everything I wrote is just what I really think, I'm so proud of you, Hanna"
Hanna "I think I already know which picture I want… there's a good one from last Christmas Eve" she says when they pull away from the hug
Ashley "Okay, send me that one then… we need to publish my letter today… that's what Sarah and I talked about, we need to anticipate John"
Hanna "You told her everything?"
Ashley "Not everything, but I did tell her most of it. I only omitted the issue of the safe because that's something Caleb and Alison should tell her, in case they wanted, of course… But I was going to mention "Twenty-something" in my letter, I needed to let her know about all that has been going on with John to explain her why I decided to intervene"
Hanna "Mom! You didn't have to do that! I don't want you to fight my fights, you didn't have to talk about all that with Sarah, it wasn't necessary and I'm an adult, I don't need my mom to deal with my problems" she says as she stands up and goes back sit next to Caleb
Caleb "Your mom was just trying to help, Han… and John is not just your problem, it's your mom's, it's mine, it's Olivia's, Alison's and he is even Sarah's problem too… I was gonna go talk to her on Monday, and I was planning on telling her everything anyway. In fact, I'll tell her about the safe"
Ashley "Caleb is right, Hanna… besides, I don't care if you are an adult, I'm your mom and I'll always be there for you no matter how all grown up you are. Look, with this simple post on my Facebook page, we are not only anticipating John, we are starting to give you a positive public image, you won't have to do any press interview to get that, and it will make everything so much easier when you and Caleb decide to make your relationship public"
Hanna "Fine"
Ashley "Okay, now go send me that picture of us"
Hanna looks at Caleb and then she looks back at her mom "Mom… you think we can wait until tomorrow to publish your letter?"
Ashley "Well, as I said, Sarah and I agreed it would be good to do it as soon as possible, why?"
Hanna takes Caleb's hand "Because Caleb and I wanted to go out tonight and it will be so much harder to keep a low profile if people start recognizing me as well, can we wait until tomorrow before we make the bomb explode?"
Ashley "I guess I can post it tomorrow first thing in the morning, I don't think it will make much difference"
Hanna "Thank you" she says to her mom and then she looks at Caleb "Do you still want to take me out tonight?"
Caleb "Of course I want to" he squeezes their joined hands and presses a tender kiss on her cheek "I've got something in mind, just let me go make a call" he stands up and leaves Ashley's office
Hanna "Shit, I love him so much" she says smiling and sits back
Ashley chuckles "I have to admit I really like him"
Hanna "I told you so, you just needed to get to know him"
/
That evening.
Caleb is sitting on the couch in the living room, he is waiting on Hanna as he uses his phone.
Hanna "Hey" she says, coming down the stairs
Caleb looks up at her "Hey" he says back, with a huge smile on his face, seeing how stunning she looks
Hanna is wearing a very simple white short dress and a pair of heels that make her legs look endless. Caleb stands up from the couch and walks toward the stairs wondering if he will be capable of waiting until the end of their date to rip that dress out of her body. He extends his arm and offers his hand to her, and Hanna takes his hand as she takes the last three steps down.
Caleb "You are so pretty"
Hanna gives him a smile.
Caleb "May I kiss you? Or I'll end up looking like a freaking clown?" he asks, since she is wearing an intense red lipstick and he doesn't want it to end up spread all around his mouth. He places his hands on each side of her waist
Hanna laughs and rests her arms on his shoulders "It's a long-lasting matte lipstick, there's no problem as long as it's a soft kiss" she says and starts a gentle kiss
Caleb pulls away some seconds later and takes a look at her lips, they still look perfect, which means he has nothing to worry about.
Hanna "Told you so" she smiles and pecks his lips once more
Caleb "Okay, we better get going or we are gonna end up skipping the dinner part of our date" he says, taking her hand again
/
Hanna and Caleb are in one of Ashley's cars, Caleb is the one who is driving. He parks the car and then he looks at Hanna, she is absent-minded while looking out the window. There's a lot of people passing by the street, so he knows why she must be worried about.
Caleb "We can get out of the car separately if you want, just like we did at the airport"
Hanna turns to look at him "No, it's okay… let's go"
Caleb "Are you sure?"
Hanna nods "This is our night"
Caleb grins "Let's go then"
/
They walk toward the restaurant, it seems a really nice place, a fancy one, but when they get there, Caleb takes her hand and leads her into an alley instead of the front door.
Hanna "Where are you taking me?"
Caleb "You'll see"
They stand in front of a door and Caleb knocks on it. A man opens the door a few seconds later.
Man "Good evening, sir, you must be Caleb"
Caleb "Yes, I am. Good evening" he says and they shake hands
Man "I'm Richard, Mr. Forbes let me know you would come, please, follow me"
Hanna and Caleb follows him in. Richard leads them through the huge kitchen where a lot of people is working, then they go through a hallway that leads them to a door. Richard opens the door and there's a long staircase. They go upstairs and when they get to the top, there's another door that Richard opens for them as well.
Richard "I'll send one of the waiters to take your order" he says as he moves to the side to let them go through the door
Caleb "Thank you" he says and leads Hanna through the door, still holding her hand
They go out to a rooftop terrace. It's a very nice place, well decorated with plants, warm white fairy lights and some exterior lamps, there's a bar on one of the sides and a sitting area. On the other side, there's only one table set for two.
Hanna "This is awesome" she says, taking a look around
Caleb smiles seeing how happy she looks. Hanna releases his hand and approaches the balustrade that encloses the rooftop.
Hanna "This is so great, look at this view, babe" she says excited
Caleb approaches her and he wraps his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind her back. Hanna places her hands on his arms.
There is an amazing view of New York City that keeps them silent for a few minutes. At some point, he takes her hair to the side and places a long noisy kiss on her neck, making her smile.
Hanna turns around, still between his arms and she places her hands on his chest "This is just so perfect, thank you"
Caleb keeps one arm around her waist and he takes his other hand to her face, he leans in and kisses her lips tenderly.
Caleb "Let's go see what to order"
Hanna nods "I'm starving"
Caleb chuckles "I thought so"
Hanna "Hey!" she says smiling as they approach the table
They sit at the table and take the menus.
/
Some minutes later, Hanna and Caleb are eating dinner while chatting.
Hanna "So, who is Mr. Forbes?"
Caleb "He is Ian's father, he is the owner of this place and he also owns some other restaurants besides the business he shares with my dad… I just gave him a call and I briefly explained our situation to him and asked if he had a place that weren't too exposed so we could have dinner without any worries"
Hanna "Well, he certainly got it very right, this is perfect"
Caleb nods.
Hanna "You know you can go see your dad tomorrow if you want, you don't have to stay with me all the time"
Caleb "This trip is all about you, I can go see my dad next time… besides, we only have got a few hours tomorrow before I take my plane back to LA, of course I'll stay with you"
Hanna gives him a smile.
Hanna "We did it great today when John called you, I think we are such a very good team" she says a few seconds later
Caleb smiles "Yes, we are… making him believe we weren't together was a very good idea of yours… I should have never let you out of this in the first place" he says being serious now
Hanna "We are in this together now, that's all that matters... and I have to admit that although I'm not okay with the whole thing about John's safe, we wouldn't have gotten our pictures if it weren't for what you and Alison did"
Caleb "Well, hopefully, this all will end tomorrow with your mom's letter"
Hanna nods "I hope so"
Caleb "How long are you planning on staying here in New York?"
Hanna shrugs "I don't know… it depends of how things turn out these following days… a couple of weeks, or maybe a little longer, but no more than a month, I hope"
Caleb purses his lips, but he doesn't say anything.
Hanna "Hey, I'll come back as soon as can, I promise… besides, I need to get a job or I'll go crazy"
Caleb "Maybe I can give you a hand with that, Zack's sister is a costume designer, she got me the audition for the show, I can give her a call and ask her if-"
Hanna interrupts him "Hey, It's okay, I'll figure something out when I'm back"
Caleb "Let me help you, I'm the reason you no longer have a job"
Hanna "No, you aren't. I already told you, it was my decision… besides, yesterday, when I went talk to Sarah, she told me I could get back to work at the show anytime I wanted, but I won't"
Caleb "Why not? It was awesome working together"
Hanna "Yes, it was, at first and as long as you didn't have a scene with Alison"
Caleb "We already talked about that, Han… you have nothing to worry about"
Hanna "I know babe, but it's still awkward and I'll never be fine with that, I just hate it… that day when you shot your first sex scene was awful for both of us"
Caleb "Yes, but it was because we were broken up, we are in a good place now"
Hanna "She was almost naked and all over you, Caleb… I'd rather not to know when you shoot that kind of scenes… and that will be impossible even if I work at the office, so, I'll look for another job and you are gonna go do your work every day and I won't even know when you shoot those scenes"
Caleb "Come on, Han… you can't just not get back at the shootings because of that… we can make it work"
Hanna "Put yourself in my place, Caleb… would you like to see me on top of another guy in a bed, with no top on?"
Caleb shakes his head.
Hanna "It's something really awful to see, even if you know it's just fiction… Besides, I have some other reasons, I just think that looking for a new job is the best I can do"
Caleb "Fine, if that's what you want, then I'll support you… just let me help you, I can talk to Zack's sister"
Hanna nods "Okay"
Caleb gives her a smile "How is your food, babe?"
Hanna "Delicious" she smiles back and takes a sip of wine "Yours?"
Caleb "Same"
Hanna "You know what? My mom said she likes you today" she says, smiling
Caleb "Really?" he answers, smiling too
Hi! I'm just going to say that their date continues in the next chapter and that I didn't forget about Hanna's payback :)
I'm so excited about PLL's summer finale! HALEEEEB! Finally! I can't wait!
