Guest: Thank you! We're working towards that, I promise!

Boris Yeltsin: Thank you! Honestly, I am, too, but I thought Caleb definitely seemed like more of a dog person!

DuncneyLoveOfMyLife: That would be fun, wouldn't it?! Unfortunately, that's not the direction I decided to take this story, but if there was an -A in this world, that would definitely be a strong possibility! It's definitely what Boring Jordan deserves, for standing in the way of our OTP! Spencer's the worst, but I think she redeems herself just a little in this chapter. Let me know once you've read it if you agree. And thank you! I definitely think it's waaaayyyyy better than the disgusting, revulsive, horrifying one in the show!

PrettyLittleAshwee11: So sorry! I don't mean to be giving you anxiety! But I'd be willing to bet a lot of money you're going to like the ending, so please don't let it stress you out too much! Haleb forever and ever and ever!

"Hey, do you wanna get takeout for dinner?" Caleb asked Hanna one night, a couple of weeks later, while they were hanging out at his house. "We can do Chinese, if you want. I know you love their soup dumplings and walnut shrimp."

Hanna looked up at him from her position on the couch, Brody resting across her lap.

"I'm actually not really hungry," she told him. "You can get whatever you want."

Caleb was truly shocked. Hanna always wanted to eat.

"Uh, are you feeling okay?" he asked dramatically. "You are always hungry. I don't think I've ever seen you turn down food before."

She laughed, but her heart wasn't in it.

"I know, but I'm just feeling really nauseous, actually," she replied.

"Well, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, coming to sit down next to her.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's nothing," she reassured him. "But thanks for looking out for me," she said, kissing his cheek as he reached out to pull her into his arms, curling up into the corner of the couch together.

So Caleb just ordered himself a pizza, and they stayed curled up on the couch watching Gossip Girl re-runs (Hanna's choice, of course.)

About an hour later, though, Hanna suddenly bolted up out of Caleb's arms, off of the couch, her hand over her mouth, running to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Han!" Caleb cried out, running after her. "Hanna, are you okay?" he asked, knocking on the door.

"Do not come in here, Caleb!" he heard her reply. Caleb seeing her throw up once was more than enough; if she put him through it again, she worried that he would never want to have sex with her again.

But the door was unlocked, so Caleb went in anyway, immediately catching sight of Hanna on the floor, hunched over the toilet bowl. He sat down next to her, holding her hair away from her face and rubbing her back soothingly.

Once she had emptied the contents of her stomach, she flushed the toilet and sat back against the tub, drained.

"I told you not to come in," she told him, a small smile on her face. In all honesty, she appreciated having him here with her.

"Well, I wasn't going to let you puke your guts out all alone," he replied, his description making her cringe. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I feel better now. It must have just been a bug or food poisoning or something."

He helped her stand up, pouring her some mouthwash so she could get the acidic taste out of her mouth.

He placed a soft kiss against the back of her head as she rinsed, before she turned to face him.

He opened the bathroom door, and as she took a step forward, she suddenly keeled over in pain.

"Shit," she groaned, clutching her side.

"Han?" Caleb questioned, panic in his voice.

He picked her up with ease, carrying her back over to the couch. He laid her down, before placing a hand against her forehead. He was even more panicked when he felt how hot she was.

"Shit, Han, you're burning up," he told her. "I'm taking you to the emergency room."

"Caleb, no," she pleaded with him, her eyes shining with tears. She hated hospitals. She always had, ever since she was little. She hated the smell, she hated how white they were, she hated the negative energy that they always seemed to have. She squeezed his hand as she murmured, "Please, no," again.

"Baby, I am so sorry, but I have to," he told her gently, but with finality, kissing her forehead. "You're too important to me." He couldn't take any chances with her. He would rather go and have it be nothing, than not go and risk there being something seriously wrong with her.

She whimpered in protest as he picked her up again and carried her out to his Jeep.

It was nearly an hour later now, and Caleb was pacing around the waiting room. He had called the E.R. from the car, so Hanna had been whisked away as soon as they arrived. His heart broke at the terrified look on her face as they rolled her off.

He was completely freaking out now. He felt sick to his stomach as he worried about her. He didn't know what he would do if something happened to her. She was way too important to him now to even imagine the possibility.

When he arrived, they had mistaken him for "Mr. Hobart," and he had to explain that he wasn't her husband, but "just a friend." Because he wasn't family, they wouldn't tell him anything, so he had no idea what was even going on. He begged them to tell him something, anything, but they told him that they legally could not, but reassured him that they had already reached out to Hanna's emergency contacts.

He didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to do something, so he took out his cell phone and dialed a number he never thought he would.

"Um, hello?" Caleb heard Spencer's confused voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi," he said tentatively. "It's Caleb."

"Yeah. I know." They had each others' numbers from him and Toby being friends, and working on Veronica's campaign, but it's not like they just called each other to talk, so Spencer figured there must be something serious going on for Caleb to call her. She just wasn't sure if it was related to the campaign or to a certain unfaithful blonde. "What's going on?"

"It's Hanna. We were just hanging out, and then she started throwing up, and then she got these pains in her stomach, and I'm pretty sure she had a fever, too," he rushed out. "So I brought her to the E.R."

"Oh my gosh," Spencer replied worriedly. "How is she now?"

"I don't know. They won't let me see her, they won't even tell me anything, since I'm not family. I didn't know who else to call."

"Look, Caleb," Spencer began, debating what to say next. She really didn't want to be involved in whatever what was going on between them. But Hanna's health was more important than any fight they had had, even if Spencer seriously disagreed with the choices she was making. So she just said, "Thanks for letting me know. I'll be right there."

Spencer came rushing in to the waiting room to find Caleb still pacing restlessly. His hair was disheveled, as though he had been anxiously running his hand through it over and over again. He also had a tense expression on his face; overall, he looked a wreck.

So, despite everything, including the way Spencer felt about his and Hanna's relationship, she just had to pull him into a hug as she approached him.

When she pulled away, though, she went back to her normal, straight-to-the-point self.

"I called Jordan on my way here," she informed him. "Her mom, too. They're her emergency contacts, so they already knew. They're both on their way now." It felt like another jab to his heart. Of course her husband was her emergency contact, but it just served as another reminder that despite the fact that she was the most important person in his life, he didn't even make the list for hers.

"They still won't tell me anything," Caleb told her, and Spencer could hear the pain and emotion in his voice. "This is all my fault. I should have brought her in as soon as she started complaining that she felt nauseous. She wouldn't even eat anything - I should have known something was up."

"Caleb, this is not your fault," Spencer argued. "Nausea's pretty common - you couldn't have known something was seriously wrong just based on that."

He knew she was right, but he still felt guilty. He should have been able to do more to protect her.

"You should go," she told him.

He started to protest, but Spencer cut him off.

"Caleb, if you care about her at all, you will leave. If you're still here when everyone starts showing up, people are going to ask questions, then your secret's out, and you could destroy her life."

He felt equal parts angry and hurt that Spencer could suggest people finding out about him and Hanna would "destroy her life." Sure, her marriage, maybe, but certainly not her entire life.

He knew that she had a point, though, as much as he hated to admit it. He knew Hanna would be furious if she came out of surgery, or woke up, or whatever, to find out that their affair was common knowledge.

But that didn't make it any easier for him to just walk away, when he was terrified for Hanna.

"Spencer," he said desperately, willing her with his eyes to understand just how much Hanna means to him.

And she did. It was at this moment, seeing how worried he was about her best friend, how much of a mess he was, how much it was tearing him apart, that she realized. She realized that what she had previously thought was just a meaningless fling, a result of Hanna being horny and lonely and impulsive, and Caleb taking advantage of that, was so much more than that. He actually really cared about her, and she guessed now that Hanna's feelings for him were just as strong. Of course, she should have known better all along. Hanna didn't do meaningless or casual. She put her whole heart into everything she did.

"I know," she told him simply, gently. "I promise, I will call you as soon as I hear anything. But right now, you need to leave. Jordan will be here soon, and you cannot be here when he gets here."

She took in the devastated look on his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. And she was. She actually really liked Caleb. And if it wasn't for Jordan, she could totally see Caleb and Hanna together. She had known Hanna practically her entire life, had put up with her craziness for years, and Caleb seemed like he would actually be able to keep up with her antics in a way that Jordan had never quite been able to. But Hanna had promised herself to Jordan, until death do them part, so, because of that, Spencer couldn't support this relationship.

A couple of hours later, Caleb was at home, still worried sick about Hanna, unable to sit still, when his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered immediately, as soon as he saw Spencer's name on the Caller I.D. "Is she okay?" he asked desperately.

"So apparently, it was appendicitis," Spencer informed him calmly. "Her appendix was inflamed, but they managed to catch it before it ruptured. She just got out of surgery, and the doctors say she's doing really well. They haven't let anyone in to see her yet, though."

Caleb sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god," he breathed out. "I've been going out of my mind here. I'm so glad she's okay."

"Me, too," Spencer agreed quietly.

"And...thank you, Spencer," Caleb said hesitantly. "For letting me know. I really appreciate it. I know how you feel about Hanna and I, but I really do care about her."

"Hanna and me," Spencer corrected, ignoring everything else he said. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea and think that this was her giving them her approval.

Caleb chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Can you do me one more favor?" he asked her nervously. When she didn't reply, he continued. "When they let you in to see Hanna, just let her know I'm thinking of her? Please?"

Spencer sighed, pausing before answering. She really didn't want to be in the middle of this relationship, but she also knew that, despite her best efforts to stay out of it, she kind of already was involved.

"Yeah. I can do that."

By the time they finally let Spencer in to see Hanna, Jordan, Ashley, and Tom were already in the room. Jordan and Ashley were both running around like crazy, checking up on Hanna, asking if she needed anything, asking how they could help her, and Hanna was sick of the attention already.

As soon as she saw Spencer walk into the room, she knew she needed to use this opportunity to get rid of them for a little while.

"You know what I could really use right now?" she said to Jordan. "My favorite blanket. You know, the gray leopard Barefoot Dreams one in the living room?"

"You want me to go home to get you a blanket?" Jordan questioned, not seeming too enthusiastic about the idea.

"Would you mind?" she asked sweetly. In all honesty, she just wanted him gone for a little while. She needed some space from him already. She wasn't used to him giving her this much attention, and it was suffocating her.

"Not at all," he assured her. "I'll be back in a jiffy," he told her, kissing her forehead before he left.

"And Mom, Dad, why don't you guys go get some coffee or snacks or something?" she suggested to her parents.

"Hanna, I really don't feel comfortable leaving you," Ashley said dubiously. "You just got out of surgery."

"Spencer will be here with me," Hanna reminded her mother. "And if anything happens, there's a nurse just a few steps away."

Ashley still didn't look as though she liked the idea, but she agreed to leave for a few minutes anyway.

"So..." Hanna trailed off once she and Spencer were finally alone.

"So how are you feeling?" Spencer asked, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed.

"Okay, I guess," Hanna replied. "I mean, I can tell that I've just had my stomach cut open, but the pain meds are definitely helping."

"I talked to Caleb," Spencer informed Hanna, and Spencer could tell how surprised Hanna was by the look on her face. "I told him how your surgery went. He was really worried about you, Han. He wanted me to let you know that he's thinking about you."

"Well, that's sweet," Hanna attempted to sound casual, but she could feel her heart flutter. She knew he cared about her, of course she did. But it still felt good to hear.

They were both silent for a few seconds as Spencer considered what to say next.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she finally came out with.

"Tell you what?" Hanna questioned, confused.

"That you and Caleb are, actually, like,...in love, or something," she said awkwardly. "I thought you guys were just...fooling around," she added under her breath.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hanna said, forcing a laugh. Was it that obvious? She had thought they had been doing a pretty good job at hiding the feelings they both obviously had for each other, but maybe she was wrong. "We are just fooling around. We're just...having fun."

Hanna knew she was lying, and she knew Spencer would be able to tell, too. Sure, it had started out as just "fun," but she knew it had been way more than that for a long time now.

"Come on, Han," Spencer chided. "Caleb was freaking out earlier. You should have seen him. That was not the reaction of someone you're just 'having fun' with. He's crazy about you, Han."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Hanna said defensively. "Did I let it go too far? Yeah, probably. It was supposed to be just fun!" she cried. "I don't know exactly when that changed," she admitted quietly.

"So, we know how he feels about you," Spencer began. "But how do you feel about him?"

Hanna hesitated.

"Look, I didn't mean to fall for him. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. But now...I can't lose him, Spence," she finally whispered.

Spencer sighed, throwing her head back. This is exactly what she had been afraid of as soon as she realized how real Caleb's feelings for Hanna were.

"God, Hanna, what were you thinking?" Spencer cried.

"I wasn't thinking!" Hanna admitted. "I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did! I was just so attracted to him, ya know?" she asked rhetorically. "So I slept with him. And then it just kept happening. It's like I couldn't stop having sex with him. And then we started hanging out more, like, actually spending time together, not just having sex. And I realized he was different than I thought at first," she said, unable to fight the smile as she thought about the brunette. "He's had a really hard life, Spencer. He just needed someone to open up to, someone to be there for him, and stick with him."

Spencer couldn't believe what she was hearing. Leave it to Hanna to justify having an affair because he's "had a hard life."

"Well, I'm sorry he's had such a hard life, I really am!" Spencer exclaimed. "And you're right - I'm sure he does need someone by his side. But that can't be you, Hanna! You already have a husband! And a pretty great one, at that!"

"I know!" Hanna cried. "But he's so different from Jordan! He makes me...feel things I've never felt before."

"Is that some kind of innuendo?" Spencer asked, a disgusted look on her face.

"No!" Hanna exclaimed. "Although, it could be applied to that, too, I suppose," she said, smirking.

"Ew, Hanna! I do not want to hear about this!"

"Seriously, Spence, you would not believe how big his-"

"Hanna!" Spencer cut her off, horrified.

"Heart is," Hanna finished innocently, smirking at the brunette. It felt good to joke around with her best friend again.

But she was suddenly serious again as she remembered the gravity of the situation she had gotten herself into.

"Look, Spence, I know it's wrong. But it doesn't feel wrong, ya know? Being with Caleb feels so right, really. He's amazing. He is so good to me. He's sweet and he's considerate and he's gentle and he does the sweetest things for me. Like, he makes me breakfast. And he fills my gas. And he lets me control the radio, or pick the movie. I know they're just the little things, but... Jordan doesn't do those things for me," Hanna admitted.

Spencer groaned. "This!" she exclaimed. "This is exactly why you should never have gotten involved with Caleb in the first place! I know you, Hanna! I was there for all of your relationships through high school and college. You fall hard, and you fall fast! You don't do the casual sex thing! You've never done the casual sex thing! At least, not more than once." Hanna had done one-night stands, sure, but as soon as she saw the guy a second time, she'd start planning their future together. "How could you seriously think things with Caleb would be any different? You had to know that you were going to fall for him! How could you be so stupid, Hanna?"

Spencer knew she was being harsh, but she also knew that Hanna had a great marriage, and she didn't want to see her throw that away.

"I don't know," Hanna said softly. And she just looked so sad, so defeated, so hopeless, that, despite how frustrated Spencer was with her right now, she couldn't stop herself from leaning over and pulling her in to a tight embrace.

When she pulled back, though, she knew she needed to get back to the matter at hand, as much as Hanna clearly didn't want to talk about it. She needed tough love right now, and that's what Spencer was going to give her.

"Look, I know it's wrong Spencer," she began. "But he's really important to me," she whispered. "At this point, I honestly can't imagine my life without him. And I don't want to."

"Hanna," she started gently. "What you're doing isn't right, and it isn't fair."

"I know that!" Hanna said defensively. She was so sick of having to defend herself. "Jordan-"

"It's not just Jordan I'm worried about," Spencer cut her off.

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked quietly, but she had a pretty good idea of where Spencer was going with this.

"Hanna. Caleb is crazy about you," she reiterated. "You can deny it all you want, but you know that that man is completely and totally in love with you. And I think it's safe to assume you feel the same way about him."

"Don't say that, Spencer!" Hanna spat at her. Hanna wanted to believe that, as long as their feelings weren't spoken aloud, then they weren't true. Spencer wasn't allowed to just come and ruin that. "You don't get to just waltz in here and tell us how we feel - we're handling it!"

"Lying about your feelings is not 'handling' it!" Spencer exclaimed, rolling her eyes in frustration. "You're both just going to get hurt."

When Hanna looked like she was about to argue, Spencer cut her off. "When this, whatever it is between the two of you, ends - and, as much as you don't want to think about it, Han, it's going to end eventually; this can't go on forever - you are going to crush him."

Hanna's eyes filled with tears at the thought of hurting Caleb, about causing him any pain or unhappiness at all. She cared about him, so much, but she knew perfectly well that, at some point, that just wouldn't be enough anymore. For either of them.

"And I'm guessing it's not going to feel too good for you, either, Han."

Once Caleb was feeling a bit better and more confident that Hanna was doing well and would be okay, he decided to go see Toby.

He had been keeping his distance lately, afraid of running into Spencer there, after how uncomfortable things had been between them since she found out about him and Hanna. But he knew she obviously wouldn't be there now, since she was still at the hospital with Hanna.

"Hey, man," Caleb greeted as he stood on the doorstep of Toby and Spencer's home, Toby peering out at him through the screen door. Looking back, he probably should have called or texted first, but it had been a long day, a rough day, and he wasn't exactly thinking clearly.

"Hey, Caleb, what's up?" Toby asked, opening the door to let him in the house.

"Just thought I'd check in," he replied casually. "It's been a while since we hung out."

"Yeah, yeah, for sure. Well, make yourself comfortable," Toby told him, gesturing to the sectional. "You want a beer or something?"

"Sure, that sounds great, thanks," Caleb said appreciatively as Toby went to the kitchen before reappearing with a beer for each of them.

"So, what's up?" Toby cut right to the chase. He had known Caleb for a long time, and he never just dropped by unexpectedly. "Is this about Hanna? Because I don't think I have any updates you don't already know."

Caleb looked at Toby, confused. Did he know?

"Uh, what do you mean?" he feigned ignorance.

"Look, man, I know about you two," he confirmed. "Spencer came home freaking out one night and told me all about it. She's been so mad at her since then, but when she found out what happened today, she was just so worried about her, so I think their friendship will survive it," he said with a knowing smile.

Caleb just nodded as he listened. He was never worried about that. He could tell, just from the way Hanna talked about them, how close she was to all of her friends.

"How are you doing, though?" he asked Caleb. "You were the one that was with her, right? That must have been pretty scary."

"Scary" was an understatement. It was the most terrified he had ever been in his life. He was so worried about her, so worried about what he would do if something happened to her. He was so relieved it was all over with and he could breathe again.

"Yeah, it was rough," he replied. "And it just happened so suddenly. One minute she was fine, and then she started saying she was nauseous, and before I knew it, she was throwing up and her face was on fire." He shuddered as he remembered it, remembered how terrified he had been for her.

"So what exactly is going on between you two?" Toby probed. Sure, he had talked to Hanna about it at her birthday party, but she hadn't really revealed much of anything. "Spencer didn't really give details, just kept going on about how stupid Hanna is, how reckless and impulsive and irresponsible she is. No offense," he added quickly.

Caleb chuckled. "It's okay. That's probably what a lot of people would think of her, if they compared me to Jordan. I know it doesn't make sense, but…." he trailed off. "Spencer doesn't really have the details to give you anyway." As far as he knew, Spencer just thought they were hooking up, keeping it casual.

"Sooo….?" Toby encouraged. Sure, he was friends with Hanna and Jordan through Spencer, but he and Caleb had been friends for a lot longer, and he wanted to be there for his friend.

"So, what do you wanna know?" Caleb asked.

"Well, how did it start?"

"How it always starts, I guess. Rich wife feels neglected by her husband, turns to the bad boy with a checkered past," Caleb said dramatically, make Toby laugh.

"So, is that all it is then? You guys are just…hooking up?"

Caleb looked at Toby pointedly, afraid to actually say it out loud.

"Oh," Toby said simply. "So you, like, actually really like her?" That could explain why Hanna had gotten so defensive when they had talked about it.

Caleb considered how to respond. He didn't know how much he wanted to tell Toby, but, he knew he could trust him, and it would be nice to finally be able to open up to someone about everything he was feeling for Hanna.

"I'm crazy about her," he finally admitted. "She's…like no one I've ever met before. She's impulsive and she's spoiled, and she drives me crazy half the time, but she keeps me on my toes, and she makes things interesting. She's amazing." He smiled to himself as he thought about his favorite blonde.

"Wow," was all Toby said.

"I know it's crazy," Caleb said quickly. "And ridiculous, and stupid. I know she's married, and I know I shouldn't be feeling like this, but I can't help it. She's just….my favorite person to be around. I know that if I was smart, I would have broken things off a long time ago, but I just didn't want to. And now it's too late. I think I'm in way too deep now."

"Wow," Toby said again. "Do you know if…Do you think she feels the same way?" He had seen Hanna and Jordan together on many occasions, and he thought Jordan was a nice enough guy, and from what he had heard from Spencer, they had a pretty perfect marriage (until this of course), but he had never really seen that spark between them before. Not like the way Caleb was lighting up as he talked about her now.

"I think she does," he admitted nervously. "I mean, we've never talked about it or anything, for...obvious reasons, but I really think she does. I was really fucked up the other night, just dealing with family stuff," he started, not wanting to go into detail about the situation with his father. "And I called Hanna, and she was at dinner with...him, but I told her I needed her, and she came, without even questioning it. She just came. Because I asked her to. It just meant a lot, ya know?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea, though?" Toby asked gently.

"Of course it's not a good idea. It's a fucking terrible idea," he laughed humorlessly. "But, at this point, I just can't lose her. It sucks, having to be with her like this, in secret, sneaking around, lying to everyone, but it's better than not being with her at all."

Toby nodded, taking it all in.

"I obviously know you a lot better than I know Jordan, so I don't know if this is a fair assessment, but I feel like you could be really good for her. Don't get me wrong, Jordan's a good guy, but, I mean, you know Hanna - apparently, better than I do, now - she's outgoing, she's spontaneous, she's fun to be around, and he's just always struck me as kind of uptight." Caleb nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, thinking back to the few interactions he had had with the guy. "I feel like you guys would just...fit together better, I guess."

Caleb smiled, appreciating the support from his friend.

"But," Toby added quickly, remembering how quickly Hanna had come to the defense of her marriage. "She's always seemed happy with him. Happy with her life. So just...be careful, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt."

Caleb nodded as he listened to Toby's advice. But he knew it was too little, too late. There was no chance that losing her now wouldn't completely and totally shatter his heart.

So Hanna and Caleb are opening up to Spencer and Toby about what they're feeling for each other... The Haleb feelings are REAL. And they're both finally acknowledging it. Toby seems kind of supportive, but Spencer, not as much...

Also, I know nothing about appendicitis, so I'm not really sure how this would go down, but I wanted to include Caleb being all protective of Hanna, so I went with a serious, but not too serious, illness.

Please review! :)