AshBenzoLove: He loves her so much, and this is so hard for him! We're getting there, I promise! Not too much longer! And yes, OF COURSE they're going to have a happy ending! Do you really think I'd accept anything less for my OTP?! We just have to get over a few unhappy hurdles first. And oh my gosh, THANK YOU! That literally means so much to me!

Boris Yeltsin: Of course! Although, we are very quickly approaching the end of this story. I had originally planned on it being 22 chapters, but have decided to add two more, including an epilogue, so, if I can get my shit together and finish those two additional chapters, that still means we only have 6 chapters left after this one. :(

DuncneyLoveOfMyLife: She'll make it up all the way eventually! I've gotta be honest, we do have to make him a little sad. Okay, a lot sad. But that's only temporary, and then, he'll be super super super happy, I promise! And haha, TRUE! They couldn't care less about Spencer's approval! Other people's approval, though...Well, you'll see.

hahahaleb: THANK YOU! Not too much longer until we can FINALLY be rid of Boring Jordan, I promise! Spencer and Toby will come around! They just need to understand how much Haleb loves each other, and how good they are together first.

Enjoy!

Caleb had just fallen asleep when he heard the creak of his bedroom door, waking him up. He opened his eyes slightly, but couldn't see much of anything in the dark room.

He heard a soft rustling noise as, unbeknownst to him, Hanna took off her dress and slipped into one of his T-shirts.

"Han?" he asked sleepily as he felt the mattress move as she sat down on the bed next to him.

"Um, exactly how many women do you have sneaking into your bed late at night?" Hanna retorted, much more awake than he was.

"Just a few others," he mumbled groggily, a little more awake now. "C'mere," he encouraged, his voice thick from sleep, reaching for her, and pulling her body closer to his, so she was lying down next to him now.

"Mmm, hi," she sighed contently as she kissed him softly.

"I thought you had that thing with the girls tonight?" he questioned, barely able to make out her features in the dark, despite the fact that their faces were just inches apart. He hadn't expected Hanna this evening, since she had told him that she, Spencer, Emily, Aria, and Samara would be attending Jason DiLaurentis's photography exhibition in Philly, and spending the night at a nearby hotel. They didn't have girls' nights like they used to, now that most of them were married with jobs and busy lives.

"Well, we went to the exhibit, and then we were leaving to go for drinks at this new bar downtown with Jason and some of his photographer friends, and I just realized I'd rather be here with you," she explained. She already felt like they didn't get enough time together, what with the sneaking around, and not being able to see each other when Jordan was home, so she didn't like giving up time with him.

"I thought you were really excited about this," Caleb replied, feeling guilty that he had gotten in the middle of Hanna's time with her friends.

"I was," Hanna confirmed. "And I'm glad I went to Jason's thing, and I'm glad I got to see the girls, but Spencer kept making all these snarky comments about us, and about you, and...I don't know. I just wanted to come home to you. I sleep better when you're holding me, anyway," she murmured, stroking his cheek tenderly.

He felt his heart clench at her words; she missed him just as much as he missed her when they were apart.

He pulled her closer, and she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat until they both drifted off.

Caleb had been up for a little while, had already taken Brody on his walk, when Hanna rolled out of bed, and went and found them in the kitchen.

It had been several weeks since Hanna's sudden illness and surgery, and things were pretty much back to normal now. Jordan had taken off again almost as soon as Hanna had recovered, but Hanna didn't mind. It gave her more time to be with Caleb. Like last night. Of course, if Jordan had been home, there was a pretty good chance Hanna would have bailed on girls' night to spend the night at Caleb's anyway.

"Good morning, Brody!" Hanna said to the golden retriever, kneeling down by him and scratching behind his ears.

"And good morning, handsome," she greeted Caleb, standing back up and giving him a long, lingering kiss.

"It is a good morning, isn't it?" Caleb agreed, gazing at her adoringly as she pulled away.

"Wow, you're in a good mood today," she observed, laughing, as she picked up his mug of coffee and took a sip.

"Well, I got to wake up to your beautiful face this morning, when I wasn't expecting to, and then you just kissed me like that, so I don't see how I could not be in a good mood," he told her, making her smile. She seriously didn't know when he had gotten so sweet, he just was now.

"But in bad news, I didn't pick up anything for breakfast today, so all I can offer you is cereal. Pebbles or puffs?" he asked her, holding up two containers of cereal.

"Mmm, surprise me," she told him, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his torso, pressing kisses against his bare shoulder as he poured out a bowl of cereal for her.

She shot him a sweet smile as he handed her the bowl, before going and sitting down at his small table, him following behind her.

They made small talk as she ate, Caleb watching her the whole time.

He felt like he appreciated her even more now, after he had been so worried he was going to lose her.

"Okay, why are you looking at me like that?" she finally asked him, confused by his dopey smile. "Do I have something on my face?" She brushed at her cheek self-consciously.

"No, you look perfect," he told her. "You always look perfect. And that's why I just enjoy looking at you." She smiled softly in return, wondering again how he had become so incredibly sweet, grabbing his hand and holding it on his lap.

"I'm gonna go let Brody outside while you finish up," he told her a couple of minutes later, kissing the top of her head as he stood up.

While he was outside watching Brody run around, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Hanna called out, not even thinking twice about it. She spent so much time here, the thought that she shouldn't be answering the door of the guy she was having an affair with never even crossed her mind.

Caleb realized her mistake, and rushed inside, calling out objections to her, but he was too late. Hanna had already opened the front door, to reveal a dark-haired, middle-aged woman on his doorstep.

"I probably shouldn't be answering your door, should I?" Hanna realized, turning to face Caleb, giving him a guilty look.

"Yeah," he agreed, walking towards the entrance of his home. "Probably not."

"Hi, Mom," he greeted the woman on his doorstep.

Hanna's eyes widened as he said this. Shit. His mom?

"Hello, sweetheart," she replied, smiling, her eyes flitting to Hanna briefly. "Can I come in?"

"Um, yeah, sure," he agreed, stepping aside to let her in, wrapping his arm around Hanna to pull her to the side with him. "You should have called, though." He and his mother didn't exactly have the closest of relationships, given their history, and he didn't appreciate it when she just dropped by.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I just got in and I really wanted to see you," she told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I didn't realize you would have company. I wasn't aware you were seeing anybody," she said, looking at Hanna curiously.

"Uh, yeah, this is Hanna," he said nervously, resting his hand on her lower back. He really hadn't planned on introducing his married girlfriend to his desperate-for-him-to-settle-down mother. "Han, this is my mother, Claudia."

"Well, hello, Hanna, it's so nice to meet you," Claudia said warmly, shaking Hanna's hand.

"It's really nice to meet you, too, Mrs. – " Hanna started.

"Dawson," Claudia filled in for her. "But you can just call me Claudia."

Hanna smiled warmly back at Claudia, before she felt Caleb run his hand gently down her back, settling on her butt subtly.

"Uh, babe?" he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You should probably go put on some pants."

Hanna turned bright red as she remembered she was only wearing one of Caleb's T-shirts. Luckily, it was over-sized enough on her that it hung lower than her panties, but she still couldn't believe she was meeting her boyfriend's mother with no pants on.

"I'll be right back!" she whispered back, rushing off to his bedroom, Caleb smiling softly to himself as he watched her.

Caleb invited his mother to sit down on one of the armchairs in his living room, while he sat down on the couch opposite.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked awkwardly. "Coffee or tea or water – "

"I'm fine, thank you," she interrupted him. "So you didn't tell me you were seeing anybody," she told him accusingly, getting straight to the point.

"Well, things with Hanna are…complicated," he said uncomfortably. That was certainly one way to put it.

Claudia was about to say something else when Hanna returned, now wearing a pair of Caleb's sweatpants, handing Caleb a T-shirt as well to throw on over his bare upper half.

"Thanks, babe," he murmured to her as she sat down next to him on the couch, pulling the shirt over his head.

"So, Hanna, tell me about yourself," Claudia requested. Caleb had never let her meet any of the girls he was seeing, and she was excited to finally meet a girl that Caleb seemed so interested in.

"Well, I've lived in Rosewood my whole life, except for the four years in New Haven while I was at Yale." Claudia looked impressed at the fact that Hanna had attended an Ivy League, when she hadn't even been able to convince her own son to go to community college.

"Oh, so you're beautiful and smart?" Claudia asked, making Hanna laugh modestly. "An Ivy League education must have opened a lot of doors for you, so what do you do now?"

Hanna hesitated. She couldn't exactly tell her boyfriend's mother that her primary role was "trophy wife."

"Um, I work with a lot of different charities and organizations," she eventually settled on.

"Oh my gosh, so you're beautiful, smart, and generous?" Claudia corrected herself, even more impressed now. "You better snatch this one up, Caleb," Claudia demanded her son.

Hanna and Caleb both laughed uncomfortably. This was getting into dangerous territory.

"So how did you two meet?" Claudia asked, oblivious to the tension she had just caused.

"We're working on Veronica Hastings' campaign together," Caleb answered quickly, eager to change the subject. "Hanna's doing all the PR and social media and everything."

"Oh, very nice," Claudia commented. "So you work together, too? You must get to spend so much time together then."

Way more time than they should have, yet, at the same time, not nearly enough.

The conversation flowed easily from there, Hanna asking Claudia about her life in Montecito, Claudia telling Hanna about Caleb as a toddler, but both of them deliberately avoiding bringing up the years in between.

Claudia seemed super impressed by Hanna, and liked her more and more as the conversation continued.

"So my first time spending the night over here – I didn't even know Caleb had a dog – and I wake up to this 70-pound ball of fur climbing all over me," Hanna laughed, Claudia joining in. "But Caleb was right; he's the sweetest boy, and we're the best of friends now, right Brody?" Hanna cooed, leaning over to pet Brody who had just come back in the house, almost as though he had heard them talking about him.

Hanna was confused as she saw Claudia's face freeze, until she looked down and realized that she was petting Brody with her left hand, her large diamond on full display. She had been wearing it last night, of course, and had completely forgotten to take it off when she got to Caleb's.

She quickly retracted her hand, tucking it under her leg and out of view, as though that would make Claudia forget what she saw. She and Caleb exchanged a nervous glance.

After that, things were tense and conversation was forced, until Claudia stood up, and said, "I really should get going. Hanna, can you give Caleb and me a moment alone?"

"Yeah, of course," Hanna agreed, standing up. "It was really nice meeting you."

"You as well, dear," Claudia replied, but her smile was tight.

Hanna walked out the back door, knowing Brody would follow her, as Claudia and Caleb made their way to the front door.

"Well, it was good seeing you, Mom, but you should probably call first next time," he told his mother, hoping she would get the hint and leave. She didn't.

"Caleb, I was so excited to see you finally getting serious about a girl. You, who never seems to want to see a girl more than once, finally having a girlfriend. I was really hoping you were finally growing up and getting ready to settle down."

Caleb didn't respond. He didn't know how to.

"And Hanna seemed so perfect, and you two seemed so perfect together. She's so sweet and you guys get along so well, and I was so hopeful." She gave him a disappointed look.

"But she's married, Caleb?" she exclaimed. "Just when I was beginning to think you were done fooling around and ready to grow up, I find out you're just sleeping around with married women now?"

"Look, it's not like that, Mom," he argued, finally speaking up. "I told you, things are complicated."

"Yes, and I see what that means now. It means you are wasting your time with someone you will never actually end up with, when you could be out there looking for something real. Someone who's available."

"Look, it's fine," Caleb stated. "Don't worry about me. You're right. Hanna and I are just having fun. I know that. Maybe I don't even care about finding a wife, and this is what I want to do," he snapped at her.

"Caleb, this is a really bad idea," she warned her son. "You are just going to get hurt."

"Oh, because now you're so worried about me getting hurt, right? You haven't been here for most of my life, you don't get to waltz in and act like Mother of the Year now, telling me what to do. I am an adult, and I have been taking care of myself for a long time now. I'll be fine," he spat at her.

"Caleb, I know I am not Mother of the Year," she argued. "And I know I've made a lot of mistakes. But I love you, so much, and I just want to protect you."

"Maybe I needed you to protect me when I was eight, when you weren't there to do it, but I don't need it now," he told her angrily. Clearly, he still harbored a lot of resentment towards his mother for walking out on him when he was little. "I think you should go now."

"Well, I'd really like to see you again while I'm in town. Let's meet up for lunch. Does tomorrow work for you?"

"Probably not," he dismissed her. He really didn't need his mother continuing to tell him what was best for him.

"Well, I'll text you. I really hope you change your mind. I love you, Caleb," she told him honestly.

He just muttered something incomprehensible under his breath as he closed the door behind her.

He went and found Hanna and Brody in the backyard. He made his way over to Hanna and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, finding her hands and tangling their fingers together. His argument with his mother had brought up a lot of unresolved feelings for him, and he was feeling pretty worked up right now, and he knew just having Hanna in his arms would help to calm him down. They stood like that for a while, Caleb's chin resting on the top of her head, as they watched Brody in silence.

Finally, she turned around in his arms, facing him.

"This is all my fault!" she exclaimed. "I'm so stupid! I always take my rings off when I'm with you, I don't even know what I was thinking, I just totally forgot! I am so dumb! I ruined everything!"

"Hanna, stop," he told her. "You're not stupid. It's not a big deal."

"How is it not a big deal, Caleb?" she exclaimed. "She knows I'm married, and she hates me now!" she cried.

"She doesn't hate you," he argued. But he had to wonder why she cared so much about what his mother thought of her. She didn't really need her approval, since it's not like their relationship could ever actually go anywhere. Right?

The next day, Caleb gave in and decided to go to lunch with his mother. He knew he had said some pretty harsh things to her, and he also knew she wasn't in Rosewood very often. He knew he and his mother would never be super close, but that didn't mean he wanted to ruin the only relationship he did have with any of his blood relatives. He still hadn't really decided what to do about his father, and hadn't seen him since their disastrous dinner.

"Caleb! Over here!" he heard her call out from a table at The Grille as he walked through the door.

"Hi, Mom," he said, sitting down across from her and grabbing the menu.

They made small talk for a while, and then their food came quickly, and he hoped that meant she wouldn't get a chance to venture into any uncomfortable territory.

And then the waiter came and cleared their empty plates, and she went exactly where he was hoping she wouldn't.

"Look, Caleb, about yesterday – " she started.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he interrupted.

"Caleb, we have to talk about it," she argued.

"I agreed to come to lunch with you, not a therapy session," he said harshly.

"I'm just worried about you," she told him gently.

He didn't reply. He really didn't want to talk about this with her.

"Caleb, I am just trying to protect you," she promised him. "And I am warning you, that you are going to get your heart broken."

"Mom, look. I know she's married. I am perfectly aware of that. I've known it since the beginning. We're just fooling around. Nothing more." But it sounded false even to his own ears.

"Caleb," she began quietly. "I saw the way you were looking at her. The way you were...touching her." She paused for a beat, hesitating before she asked, "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

She gave him a sympathetic, encouraging look, but he just looked away, staring at the wall behind her.

"Caleb, I am trying to help here. But you need to talk to me," she encouraged.

He didn't say anything for a while, but he knew she wasn't giving up.

"I don't know what to do," he finally said, meeting his mother's eye. "I love her with everything that I am," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "I would do anything for her. But she's not even mine."

"Oh, Caleb," she breathed out. This was even worse than she had imagined. She could tell that he was crazy about her, but she was hoping she had gotten to him before it had gone this far. "This is what I was worried about," she told him gently.

So he gave in and told her the whole story. Starting with the first time they met, and their first couple of weeks working together. How he had pushed her away and acted like a jerk because he could tell she was special and he was worried about getting too close to her. About their amazing first time together (Well, he left out the details of this one, but she got the gist). About how they started spending more and more time together, and he continued to fall harder for her the better he got to know her. He told her about Jordan, and their history. About how much it hurt him to see her and Jordan together. He told her about Hanna's privileged upbringing, and how she was destined for a life like the one she currently had. He told her about how, despite being rich and spoiled, she was kind, and sweet, and generous, and selfless.

When he finished, Claudia sighed. "Only you. Leave it to you to finally fall head-over-heels for a girl, and she's unavailable." She laughed ironically.

"I don't know what to do!" he groaned.

"Here's what you need to do," Claudia said gently. "You need to end it. Now. Before you get even more attached. It'll just get more difficult the longer you wait."

He looked at his mother, confused. Had she not heard everything he had just said about how incredible Hanna was?

"I can't do that," he argued. "I love her. More than anything."

She grabbed his hand. "I know you do, honey. But, unfortunately, she's married. She's settled down already. With someone else. And, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you want her, she's never going to give that up."

How could she say that? She didn't even know Hanna, didn't know anything about their relationship.

"You don't know that," he countered. "She might." He had to believe that he - that what they shared - meant as much to Hanna as it did to him.

"Oh, Caleb," she said again, giving him a sympathetic look. "I know women like Hanna. They're all over the place in Montecito. Even if she loves you, too, she'll never sacrifice her lifestyle for you. It's all she's ever known. She won't give that up. She's too used to it. She doesn't know anything else. I'm sorry, Caleb, but she'll never leave her husband. I know that's harsh, but it's the truth. I just want you to be prepared."

"You may know women like Hanna, but you don't know her," he shot back. "I can't lose her," he murmured, shaking his head.

"Oh, sweetie," Claudia said as gently as possible. "Don't you understand? She's not yours to lose."

His mother was wrong about Hanna. She had to be.

But she was right about one thing: he couldn't keep doing this. He loved Hanna way too much to only have half of her. He wanted all of her. He wanted to be with her for real.

He knew how special what he and Hanna shared was. Now he just needed to make sure she saw that, too.

We're getting to the climax, people! Make sure you come back next Sunday so you don't miss the next chapter! Please review!