It's been a while but I'm back and I will finish this story. The epilogue means too much to me to never get posted. (yes I've already written it)

Now this isn't a massively Haleb centric, but there is a bit of a plot reveal at the end so hang on til the end. Not as dark as the last chap - that was very much Caleb reacting to the situation and regressing to past patterns of behaviour.

Anyway... enjoy...

XII

On Monday morning Hanna found herself idly doodling in her Maths class. Mr Pang was going on and on about the sine rule and she really didn't care - plus she was still trying to recover from Saturday night. Her and Caleb had disappeared from the party and snuck into his house at 3am before they'd stayed up until the early hours of the morning having more than a little fun with each other. She remembered waking up, curled in Caleb's body as they both heard the front door slam as the Ackard's had gone off to Church. They'd known they had another hour to themselves then, and well… She almost blushed at the thought as her mind drifted off, but she forcibly pulled herself together as a piece of paper was slammed down in front of her.

"Hanna," She looked up to find Mr Pang stood in front of her. "I'd care more about your daydreaming if you hadn't done so well," She glanced at the pop quiz they'd had last lesson to see the letter A written in red and circled twice for emphasis at the top of the page. "Well done," He sent her a smile, "Keep it up."

"Thanks," She murmured, grabbing the paper to glance over it just to check the marks were right.

"Hey," She turned to her right as Sean began to talk to her. "How'd you do?" He asked, both of them pausing as the bell rang.

"Pretty well for me," Hanna held up the paper for him to see.

"Congrats," He smiled, "I know how much your Dad gets on your case about this stuff."

"Yeah," She swallowed, "He'll be happy I guess."

"Guess we've both got to say thanks to Caleb for sorting us out," He chuckled, waiting for her to pack up her bag before he began to walk with her out of the classroom.

She smiled genuinely at him, "He's been great," She agreed, "I guess I should say thanks," She said quietly, "For letting me still get some of your brother in our break up."

"Don't worry about it," He nudged her shoulder, happy that they seemed to be able to have a normal conversation again. He missed having Hanna as his friend. "You know Penny keeps asking how long he's gonna be around."

"Yeah?" She asked timidly as they headed towards her locker.

"I keep telling Mom she's getting too attached but then she just has this look on her face which means I know they want to keep him around," He couldn't help but roll his eyes as he smiled.

"You think they're going to adopt him?"

"Well he's 18 in March, but I think they want to give him a forever home, you know?" He looked at her, "Mom has a soft spot for trouble teenagers," He added, "Anyway," He shook his head, "I should get to class."

Hanna was quiet as she processed what he was saying, before she suddenly found her voice as he began to walk away, "Hey Sean," She called after him, making him stop in his tracks and turn towards her, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," He sent her a questioning smile, "Why?"

"It's nothing," She shook her head, "Ben just said on Saturday that you've been skipping training. I know how much football means to you and I don't want you to mess up your chance of getting into college."

"It's just a few sessions," He blew her off, "Everything's fine," He said reassuringly, before glancing at his watch, "I gotta get to class," He muttered, "Mrs. Handelson is a bitch on timekeeping."

"Yeah," She agreed quietly, shooting him a wave before he ran off. She knew Sean - he didn't just skip a few sessions. Everything was not fine. But she hardly had any time to think about it before the bell rang again telling her she was late for her next class. She forewent her notebook from her locker and practically ran down the hallway, clinging onto a pillar as she reached a corner before she almost screamed as she came face to face to Caleb. "Why do you always do that?" She asked, catching her breath as he glanced over his shoulder before grabbing her waist. "Caleb?" She demanded as he began to walk her backwards down the now empty corridor. "I have Biology," She attempted feably as she felt her back hit something hard.

"Shh," He hushed, checking both ways again before he opened a door and guided her inside, pulling it shut behind them, "I tell you that vein twitches way too much."

"Which vein?" She harrumphed, running her hand to her forehead.

"That one," He grinned, kissing her forehead gently.

"Well if you stopped suddenly appearing out of the blue it wouldn't."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as he grinned at her.

"You're not allowed to look at me like that in school," She murmured, dumping her bag on the floor before she wrapped her arms around his neck, unable to resist touching him, being close to him. She'd instantly forgotten about Sean the moment she saw him; he was all-consuming.

"Like what?" He asked, his hands stroking her waist.

"Like you're about to jump me," She whispered, "In the janitor's closet."

"But I am about to jump you," He whispered back, dropping his nose down to nudge hers.

"Caleb..."

He said nothing, pulling her closer to him as he let his lips meet hers, pushing hard as he walked them back against them shelves that were against one side. She kissed him back - there wasn't a part of her body that told her not to - pulling on the roots of his hair as she felt his tongue brush against her lips.

"Mmm," He moaned, bringing a hand up to cup her jaw as he tilted his head to the side.

"Caleb," She bit her lip as she smiled, pulling back from him for a moment.

"What?" He teased her.

"Nothing," She conceded, throwing her arms around him tighter and pushing her mouth up onto his again, smiling against his mouth as they both let their tongues meet. He was the best kisser she'd ever had the privilege of having - sure, there hadn't been that many but the way he could send tingles throughout her whole body she knew wasn't the usual make out experience.

He entertained her mouth for a few more minutes before he pulled back, smirking as she fort to catch her breath a bit, "What are you doing this weekend?" He murmured, looking down at her with a suddenly tender look on his face.

"I don't know," She whispered, looping her fingers on the top of his belt hole.

"You wanna run away with me?"

She stared at him before letting out a small laugh in disbelief when he said nothing, "Caleb..."

"I'm serious," He broke out into a smile, "I was thinking we could head to New York for a couple of days."

She slapped him playfully, "That's not running away," She shook her head up at him. "What's in New York?"

"Well," He reached up to tuck a strand of her short hair behind her ear, "I know Parsons are having an open day."

"I—"

"But I'm pretty sure you know that too."

"Is that why you want to go? Or is it something else?" She pushed him. After the party on Saturday, she hadn't yet plucked up the courage to ask him about Ben Coogan's implication that he was involved in dealing drugs in Rosewood.

"I think it's important for you," He said evasively, ghosting his thumb along her jawline. "I want you to go after what makes you happy," He added, "Not your Dad."

She softened, finding herself leaning into him more, "At the moment it feels like I'm happy wherever you are," She found the words tumbling out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. "Sorry," She immediately muttered, dropping her head.

"Why you saying sorry?" He whispered, "That's how you feel."

"I know," She grimaced slightly, "I just don't want you to feel awkward."

"Why would I feel awkward?"

She shrugged a little, glancing up to look him in the eye.

"Pretty sure you're making me feel the same way."

She let herself smile, connecting their lips gently before she pulled back slightly, "Don't forget about Penny too," She reminded him.

"Oh yeah," He rolled his eyes jokingly, "I love it every time she strolls into my room unannounced and asks what I'm doing."

"You know you do," She teased him, simply enjoying his smile as he looked down at her. "Caleb..." She eventually murmured quietly, hip lips pursing as he sensed something serious about to come out of her mouth.

"What's wrong?" He said tenderly, cupping her cheeks gently. It scared him how much he worried about her, cared about her.

Who's Kennedy?

It was on the tip of her tongue. Who was the person behind the other name that was permanently etched on his skin?

"What?" He pushed her, sensing her hesitation.

She sighed quietly, chickening out. She didn't have the guts to push him on it right now… it would have to wait for another time. But she could see him looking at her expectantly. She knew there was only one thing she could say, "Let's run away to New York."

After making sure he and Hanna snuck back out into the school halls like nothing had happened, Caleb spent most of the day with his mind wandering to the weekend. He'd lived in New York for a short time when he was younger – when he'd been naïve enough to think that fostering could turn into forever – and this would be the first time he'd be going back.

He'd almost promised himself he'd never enjoy the city again, but he knew he cared enough about Hanna to want her to simply experience it, to be able to imagine her leaving Rosewood for somewhere where she actually wanted to be. It was scaring him how much he wanted to do just for her.

"Get a grip," He muttered to himself as he pushed open the door to the Ackard's home. He could tell Helen was home by her car out front and he wasn't surprised when he heard a rush of steps heading straight towards him to find out who was walking through the door.

"Caleb!" Penny shrieked excitedly, throwing herself at him as if it had been days since they'd last seen each other.

"Hey P," He chuckled, hugging her tightly with one arm as he dumped his bag at the bottom of the stairs.

"Caleb?" Helen called from the kitchen, "Sweetheart, is that you?"

"Yeah," He yelled back, reminding himself silently to not get too used to the term of endearment. Helen and Jonathan had gone out of their way to make him feel at home since he'd first arrived, but he knew that was their job - he had to remind himself there was nothing else too it too often for his liking. He'd built up walls for a reason.

"Come on," Penny tugged on his hand, pulling him down towards the kitchen where she'd clearly abandoned her Mom, "It's so exciting Caleb!"

"What is?" He asked as Helen came into view.

"We're making brownies!"

"Wow," He took in the mixing bowl Helen had out on the countertop with a recipe book propped up on a book holder in front of her.

"It's a Monday," Helen reminded him, "We always need something naughty on a Monday."

He relaxed and smiled at her, taking a seat on one of the bar stools as Penny ditched him to head back to her perch on the other side where she was clearly helping from. "Penny," He grabbed her attention again, prompting her to look up at him adoringly, expectantly, "Don't get the egg shell in it, okay?"

"I promise I won't." She nodded vigorously, "They're gonna be so yummy!" She clapped her hands excitedly, taking a bowl of flour from Helen and pouring it into the bigger mixing bowl. "I'm going to make a special one for you Caleb."

"Thanks," He grinned.

"And we can eat it together and play horsies."

"I… can't wait," He shared a look with Helen.

"I know it's your favourite and it's my favourite too," She told him, "The Mommy horsie loves you so much."

"What a privilege," Helen shook her head knowingly in his direction, "What if Caleb wants to eat his special brownie by himself?" She challenged her daughter, brushing her hair behind her ear.

Penny stopped her mixing, turning her head to look at Helen as if she was an alien, "Best friends share Mommy."

"Best friends, eh? What happened to Sean?"

"Caleb is more fun," Penny said nonchalantly, pouring in the sugar Helen passed to her.

"Sure am," He agreed, stealing a chocolate chip from a bowl that was laid out and popping it into his mouth.

"And Sean is always talking on the phone," She added casually, "He's boring."

"Right," Helen rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to say something else when the ringing of her phone cut them off. She excused herself silently, heading down the hallway to take the call once she saw the caller ID.

Caleb stood and moved round to the other side, watching over Penny closely before he gently cupped her hands in his and helped her crack the eggs. He took the shells from her and left her to stir the mixture together as he went to dump them in the bin, just as Helen came back in with a fraught look on her face, "John's car won't start," She said worriedly, "Caleb, do you mind if I go down to the Church to help him?"

"No," He shrugged his shoulders, "We can finish the brownies."

"Thank you," She squeezed his arm as she moved past him to grab her coat. "Penny, be good for Caleb, okay?"

"I will," The little girl said distractedly.

"We'll be fine," Caleb reassured her, sensing her reticence to leave. If only a broken down car was the worst thing most people had to face on a Monday, he thought to himself.

"Okay," Helen agreed, leaning down to kiss Penny on the cheek before she did to the same to Caleb on her way out. "Love you," She yelled halfway down the hallway.

"Love you!" Penny yelled back out of habit, turning to look at Caleb expectantly.

"What?" He frowned.

"You've got to say it," She ditched her mixing spoon and stood up taller, propping her hands on her hip.

"Say what?"

"Say you love us," She tilted her heard at him as if she were already a teenager. "It's what we're 'sposed to say."

He rolled his eyes at her but he knew she wouldn't give up until she heard what she wanted, and so a sarcastic, "Love you," left his mouth. "Now you gonna let me taste this thing or what?" He asked, grabbing a spoon and shoving it straight into the mixture, before shoveling it into his mouth.

"Caleb!" She yelled.

"Here," He passed her a spoon.

"I'm only allowed to lick the bowl when Mommy's here."

"Your Mom will never know," He reassured her, taking another spoonful. "Mmm," He exaggerated, "It's delicious, I think I'm going to eat it all."

"No," Penny cried, throwing herself at the brown goo. "I need some."

"You try it whilst I go and grab a special ingredient from upstairs," He told her, "We're going to make two batches."

"Okay," She muttered distractedly, trying not to get it around her mouth as she loaded a spoon up and guided it towards her face.

"Stay here," Caleb murmured, glancing at her one final time before he raced up to his room and grabbed the bottle of canna-oil he had stashed in one of the bags he'd never unpacked. He'd got given the stuff in his old foster home where one of the older boys would cook hash brownies regularly and told him he needed to get on it. The opportunity had never presented itself… until now.

"Caleb?" He heard Penny calling for him, so he rushed back downstairs, heading straight for her to see what the problem was.

"What's up?" He asked, placing the bottle on the side.

"I feel sick," She whimpered.

"Shit," He mumbled, looking down at the half-empty bowl. "Come here," He lifted her up and carried her over to the sink to wash her face, "Have some water," He poured her a glass, "And let's just put a movie on or something," He mumbled, settling her on the sofa with Moana playing on the screen before he headed back to the countertop to assess the damage.

If he quickly whipped up another batch with his canna-oil and said they were for his friends at school, no one would ever ask, he thought to himself. So he did, trying to follow the recipe in front of him as well as he could, but using his own special ingredient rather than the vegetable oil specified on the page. He shoved two different tins in the oven and did his best to wash up and hide any evidence of what had happened whilst the brownies cooked for half an hour. He didn't know how long Helen and Jonathan, or Sean for that matter, would be, but he was grateful when he was able to let the brownies cool and cut them up before they got back, wrapping his batch up in cling film and taking them upstairs to hide in his room.

Penny had almost fallen asleep, but he found himself settling down with her anyway once he was sure no one would figure out what he'd done, to finish watching the film. She crawled onto his lap, leaning back against his chest with a heavy sigh.

"Caleb," She started.

He sensed a question coming that he wasn't going to like, "Yes?"

"Who is Lucas?"

"Lucas?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion as she craned her head to look up at him.

"He goes to school."

"I'm gonna need some more info," Caleb muttered, "I don't have a lot of friends at school P."

"Sean likes him," She said casually.

"Then he's probably on the football team or something."

"Oh."

"Why are you asking about him?"

"Sean says his name a lot."

"Maybe they're doing a project together," He shrugged, "Like me and Hanna."

"Hanny," Penelope scooted down to run over to one of her toy figures in the corner, "She looks like Rapunzel," She held up the plastic doll that had flowing blonde hair.

"I guess she does."

"Do you like her?" Penny tilted her head at him.

"Yeah," Caleb nodded, "She's nice."

"Mommy says she's beautiful and Sean's silly 'cos he doesn't talk to her anymore."

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow.

"But I told Mommy that you talk to her instead and she said that was good that you had a friend."

"Nice," He folded his arms across his chest, letting out a wry smile. "So what else do I need to know about this Lucas kid you're asking about? You want me to find out who he is?" He was quickly realizing Penny was the biggest eves dropper and gossip in the house.

Penny opened her mouth to speak when his banged up iPhone began to vibrate on the side. "Who is it?" She changed tack excitedly, "Is it Hanna?" She asked, jumping up and down at his feet.

"How did you know?" He narrowed his eyes playfully at her. "Let's say hi," He accepted the FaceTime request, his camera pointing straight at Penny.

"Hanny!" She yelled, "It's me."

"Hi P," Hanna smiled, waving as Caleb flipped the camera and held it in front of Penelope's face so that she could see her.

"We made brownies," She told her eagerly, "And I ate from the bowl, but don't tell Mommy."

"I won't," Hanna promised.

"This is my dolly," She held up her toy, "I told Caleb it's beautiful like you."

"Can I talk to her?" Caleb interrupted, looking at Penny expectantly until she handed the phone over, "We need to talk about our school project."

"Fine," She huffed, lingering at his feet until he walked down the hallway a little and left her to play.

"Don't be mean," Hanna chastised him teasingly.

"Trust me, she's the mean one."

"Oh yeah, forcing you to make brownies is so mean," She rolled her eyes. "Anyway," She smiled at him, forcing his heart to stop beating for a minute, "I just wanted to tell you I told my parents I was staying at Ali's all weekend."

"Cool," He nodded, forcing himself to remember to breath. Sometimes he forgot how beautiful she was until it suddenly hit him.

"So… New York is still okay."

"Great," He sent her a small smile, "I need to think of what I'm telling Helen."

"I thought you didn't care?"

"I didn't… I don't." For some reason, he felt like he didn't want to betray their trust more than he already had, especially when he was skipping out on school on the Friday so that they could go straight to the city. If his social worker found out he'd probably be straight in her car and onto his next place. Right now, that seemed like the worst thing that could happen.

"Hey," Hanna grabbed his attention again, "Is everything okay?" That was the second time she'd asked that question today and she hoped the guy in front of her would be a little more honest about everything than the first.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about P," He glanced down the hallway, "She mentioned this guy called Lucas today," He frowned, "Said Sean talks to him all the time."

Hanna adjusted her glasses on her nose, "Lucas Gottesman," She agreed, "He goes to Church with Sean. Sometimes they had this thing at lunch together."

"Right…"

"Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't," He shrugged it off, "Anyway I should go and make sure Penny hasn't eaten all the brownies."

"Okay," Hanna agreed, sensing his mind running, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," He nodded, instantly feeling bad that he hadn't given her enough attention, "Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?" He lowered his voice, not missing the blush that graced her cheeks.

"I think so," She hid her smile.

"Call me after dinner," He made her promise, "And not from your bathroom."

"Promise," She whispered, shooting him one final smile before they disconnected their video call and he made his way back to the lounge area where Penelope was scrambling up onto the sofa to watch the last part of the film.

"You said I could talk to her again," She pouted unhappily.

"Hanna had to go," He told her, "Her dinner was ready."

"I'm not hungry."

"I'm not surprised," He shook his head, taking a seat next to her. "You got anything else to moan about or is that it?"

"You're mean," She stuck her tongue out at him.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, "You sound just like Hanna."

"Do you like her?" She asked, suddenly looking up at him imploringly.

"Of course I like her," He agreed.

"Do you want to kiss her?" She giggled to herself.

"Penny…"

"You want to kiss her Caleb!" She shrieked, collapsing back on the sofa.

"I do not," He tried pathetically.

"You like Hanna," She teased him, poking him in the stomach with her foot as she laughed, "And Sean likes Lucas."

"That's right," He decided to try a different angle, "We're all friends who like each other."

"No," She shook her head, still giggling, "You want to kiss Hanna and Sean wants to kiss Lucas."

"Sean wants to kiss Lucas?" His voice dropped, and she nodded as she quietened down, turning her body so that she could rest against his side again.

"How do you know that Penny?"

"Sean talks loudly."

"On what?" He pushed her.

"Shh," She suddenly shushed him, climbing down again to get closer to the TV as the final scene played, "It's the end," She said as Caleb heard the front door open and close, followed by Helen and Jonathan's greeting.

He groaned to himself, running a hand down his face as he closed his eyes. He needed to find out more about his foster brother. And right now, until he knew more, he wasn't going to tell Hanna anything about it. She was in a good place – he'd taken her there for god's sake – he wasn't about to let her ex-boyfriend and his potential love life get into her psyche again. No, he'd protect her from any hurt she might feel, even if it mean evading the truth.

He narrowed his eyes on Penny.

He needed to speak to a certain six-year-old. Alone.

Well... let me know what you think. Something tells me we'll be in New York next finding out a little bit about Caleb's past and Hanna's future. Review my loves if you will, it means a lot xoxo