Hey everyone,
I have been awol for far too long, but it doesn't mean I have forgotten about this story. I had spent a while focusing n finishing my Meric fiction. And then the new haf season started and I doubt there's any Haleb fan out there who has no thing to say about the shit this storyline tunred out to be. Being 28 Years old I remember an old storyline of a show called Beverly Hills 90210, where a simple love triangle happened. Brenda - Dylan - Kelly. I don't want PLL to go down this path. But enough with my ranting, you all know what I'm talking about.
What you guys need to know is that I have a couple of new chapters already written for this fic. However I needed a break from writing so I won't be doing it until mid February. Also Katie worked out very hard to rewrite some of the paragraphs of this chapter in order to keep the storyline in one piece. Katie I can't thank you enough for it. Also I think we're going to have only a few more chapters to go for this story and then I promise I will finally focus on AC which I almost deleted twice, Katie being the reason why it's still up. So thank you Katie, again. Anyway I hope you guys like this chapter and that you let me know what you think of the new surprises added to it.
Nico.
Hanna waited with Abby for Caleb to finish his conversation with Mac. She had seen Lindsay storm out of the building and Danny following her. For a moment she wondered what could've possibly gone wrong for her friend to act that way. Her thoughts were interrupted when Caleb walked in the room.
However, before she could say a word to Caleb a petite, dark haired woman walked inside the room followed by a tall, dark man in his late teens or early twenties. She froze in her spot, watching the petite woman walk over to Caleb. "Mom, James, what are you guys doing here?" Caleb smiled softly, looking down at his mother before hugging his brother.
-"I tried to talk her out of coming here when you called last night and said Hanna finally showed up but she refused to listen to me." James shook his head a little before turning around and noticing Hanna and Abby. "Emma? Abby? What are you two doing here?" Hanna groaned. Of all the things possible...
-"Emma, sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Claudia went over and hugged Hanna. Abby raised her eyes up from her drawings and when she spotted James she jumped, running directly into his arms. He picked her up laughing, spinning her around while Caleb frowned at the scene.
-"It's complicated. Bottom line is I found my family and who I am. My real name is Hanna Marin and I'm the same girl your son dated back in high school." Claudia laughed in disbelief hearing Hanna's words. "Claudia, I swear I'm not joking. But perhaps we should take this somewhere more private? I'm sick and tired of having all my family reunions in a police station."
-"I think it's a great idea. I want some answers about how you guys met and when." Caleb headed over to James. "You mind handing my daughter over? I'd like to hold her." James smiled, handing Abby to Caleb. She buried her face in his neck while Caleb carried her away with James following. Mac got out of his office at that moment and frowned at the scene.
-"Dad we're going to go out for dinner. Why don't you come with us? Help us sort out this mess?" Hanna pleaded with him. Over the years she had gotten the chance to know how Claudia felt about her and she needed someone to support her in case the woman beside her decided to go on a murder rampage.
-"Sure, just let me grab my coat. Perhaps you should call your mother and ask her to join us?" Mac had met Claudia at a police fundraiser years ago in California and they had gotten along very well. He, however, knew better than to get into an open argument with her. "Okay, ladies let's head to dinner."
Claudia followed them silently, her mind spinning. Hanna's disappearance five years before had been the reason for numerous conflicts between her and Caleb. She had hoped that in time her son would be able to move on from waiting for her to come back home and to make a life for himself outside Rosewood.
While she and Hanna had never met back when Caleb and she were dating, she had respected the girl for making Caleb give her a second chance. She, however, was reluctant to approve of their relationship given the fact that Hanna had such a troublesome high school experience. To Claudia, Hanna's absence had been a chance for a new beginning for her son. One he stubbornly refused to take.
After Hanna was released from the hospital following her accident, Mac contacted Claudia, who was opening a new restaurant in New York with her husband William, and asked about getting Hanna a job there. Hanna had worked there as much as she could, helping prepare the restaurant for opening, until Abby was born. Although Claudia lived in California with her family, she traveled to New York often to oversee the opening and Hanna worked closely with her to make sure things ran smoothly. Claudia became like a mother figure to Hanna, giving her advice and invaluable support throughout the pregnancy and sharing her words of wisdom about raising children.
Claudia and William were the ones to inspire Hanna to open up her own restaurant with her lottery money after Abby turned a year old. The two visited Hanna often in New York to help her with all the paperwork and everything she needed for the opening and many times they brought James with them while their other son, Clay, attended boarding school in Europe. Abby really took to James and the two of them became very close and he would sometimes babysit Abby while Hanna and his parents were working. James recently moved to New York to start his first year of college and helps Hanna manage her second restaurant when he's not in class. These people had become like family to Hanna and she was worried that they would change their minds about her now that they knew that she really was.
-"Claudia, I'm sorry. I know you never really approved of me dating Caleb back when we were in high school. I'm sorry how things turned out." Hanna took a place near Abby at the table. She watched bemusedly how her daughter had decided she would sit in Caleb's lap instead of a chair.
-"Sorry for what? The way Caleb told me you were not at fault for what happened five years ago. Sure, I didn't like you two dating but that was me being concerned about my child's welfare. However, I'm not going to blame you for what a lunatic did to you." Claudia smiled softly at Hanna. "Relax. I'm not going to bite your head off. I do believe I'm too young to be called Grandma, but I'll live."
-"Huh? Say what?" Both James and Caleb were perplexed. They had been ready to hear their mom explode and start yelling at Hanna and she had just shrugged things off without a second thought. "Why are you so generous?" Caleb shook his head in disbelief.
-"Honey, I've been trying to make you come over to New York for years. Remember how I kept trying to set you up on a date with one of my former coworkers and you kept saying no? Well this is the said coworker. And you Em... I mean Hanna. I've been encouraging you for years to go out and experience dating but you just remained focused on Abby. I was a lousy mom back when I was 18. Jamie and I didn't have things half as bad as you two did, but we screwed up a lot more. You had no past, no family, no memories, but you fought thrice as hard as I ever did to make that little girl happy. So no I'm not going to cause a scene. I'm still annoyed that I can't take credit for playing matchmaker with you two but as far as I'm concerned you're already a member of our family no matter what happens next."
A sigh of relief escaped everybody sitting at the table. Hanna was thankful to hear Claudia's reaction and that her thoughts regarding Hanna hadn't changed. She knew that Claudia sometimes had a temper from the few times they had butted heads while working together and when she let that temper out, it wasn't pretty. She grateful that Claudia was so calm, especially in public.
-"Why Miranda?" James' random question made both Hanna and Caleb turn their heads to him. "Why did you call her Abigail Miranda? Sorry, it is just a question I have always wanted to ask but never did." Caleb turned to look at Hanna and she shook her head at him slightly. He quickly understood there was a part of the story she would tell him later when they were alone.
-"I liked the names so I went with them. Abigail Miranda Taylor Marin that's a mouthful." Hanna laughed a little.
-"Rivers. Abigail Miranda Taylor Marin-Rivers. There's no way my child won't wear my name." Hanna sighed, realizing that she and Caleb would have so much to discuss. For one, she loved living in New York and Abby had her friends there. Hanna felt unsure what to say. She was used to being the only one that got to decide what was best for Abby, but she couldn't deny Caleb his rights.
-"Taylor Rivers. Since I'm a Taylor now, maybe it would be for the best for her to have those last names." She smiled at Caleb while Abby suddenly decided she wanted to explore the restaurant. James got up and walked away following her just as Ashley and Ted walked inside the restaurant.
Spencer turned in her sleep, crying. Her mind was set on remembering the night that Hanna had escaped the dollhouse and the events leading to it. She gave a small, terrified "Hanna!" making Toby jump in his seat. He had taken over staying with her while she was sleeping. He had insisted that the Hastings go home.
-"Spencer, what's wrong? You're safe now. It's okay." He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her tightly against him. Spencer shook as she cried against his shoulder. Toby continued to soothe her, letting her cry and kissing her forehead. He held her until she fell asleep again. He quickly took a place near her on the hospital bed and keeping her in his arms he fell into a dreamless sleep.
Stella smiled when she received the DNA results from the test she had been doing after the check up on Hanna's house. They had searched every room in the house until they finally had a long thread of blonde hair inside Abby's room that didn't belong to Hanna or Abby since both of them had darker hair.
Once they found it she ran it through the police database and was shocked to see what those results brought on. Not only was their mysterious burglar a woman but she was also someone that the Rosewood PD had already had the pleasure of talking to in the past. Grinning, she texted Mac to let him know of the new turn of events in the investigation.
Jessie looked over the bank statements of some of the people involved in the case and made notes. She had been reading them for hours, comparing them to the growing timeline that she had in her office. She was so absorbed in her readings that she missed out completely when Don knocked on her office door.
-"Jess? Have you eaten anything at all today?" Don walked inside, trying not to be so overprotective with her. It was one of the reasons she had decided to move from New York after being shot protecting one of their witnesses. She looked up from the papers, startled, at him.
-"Sorry, I was deeply emerged inside these papers. And no I haven't. I suppose I should go pick something up from the vending machine." She answered, reading again through her pages, she stopped when she spotted something that didn't quite fit. "Don? Come take a look at this." She handed him the paper and watched him read it.
-"You're kidding?" Don picked up several papers and read them before turning to look at her. "Shit. So who gets to tell Hanna about this? Mac?" He rubbed his head, understanding now just why Rosewood PD had failed to solve the case. It was a fucking labyrinth trying to solve it.
-"For now, no one. Not until we have some confirmation. We'll tell them both then. Come on, let's get something to eat." Jesse took his hand and they walked outside the room, locking it behind them. The sudden turn of events was an interesting development to say the least...