A/N: I'll consider carrying on to the end of 7A rather than the upcoming episode, but I might have to change the pace because I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up :')
It had been easy for Hanna to 'find' her moms' key card, and once that had been obtained it hadn't taken them long to head up to Jenna's room. After tapping on the door to make sure no-one was there, they cautiously opened the door, both peering around it to scope out the room and it's lack of occupants. Once they'd made sure no-one was in there, they hurried inside, quickly shutting the door behind them. Splitting up, they quickly started to pull open drawers and cupboard doors, it didn't take them long to check every single one in the place.
"Empty…they're all empty" Mona said frustrated, double checking nearby drawers for hidden compartments. Hanna nodded, but she was peering around the room. If I had something valuable I wanted to hide…where would I put it? I'd want to keep it close….Hanna's eyes strayed to the bed. On a hunch she strode over to it, getting down on to her hands and knees to peer under it. Jackpot! Hanna could see a case of some kind, and without hesitation she reached under and grabbed it, pulling it out from under the bed.
"Mona, I found something!" she called quietly, as she started to check it over. Dammit, it can't be opened without a key. Hanna sighed in frustration. "It's big enough for a laptop but…we need a key" Mona turned to answer her but caught sight of the door. She froze.
"Hanna. Someone's turning the door handle….."
"It's probably just Jenna, she can't see us"
"No. But she can hear us. Besides…what if it's not her, what if it's…"
"AD" Hanna breathed, pushing the case back under the bed. Hanna pushed down the rising swell of panic and grabbed the nearest weapon to hand. A lamp. Mona armed herself with the ice bucket. The two of them huddled behind the door, eyes glued to the handle as it turned. The door slowly started to open. The two of them raised their weapons ready to strike…
"Caleb!?" Hanna and Mona cried at the same time and he spun to face them, letting the door close behind him. He took in Hanna and Mona….and their weapons.
"Haven't we been here before Hanna?" he smirked. With a pink furry lamp Hanna?! the memory echoed through her thoughts and Hanna smiled. "What did you think that was going to do?" Caleb gestured at Mona's ice bucket.
"What are you doing here?" Mona demanded.
"I was going to ask you the same thing" He turned to Hanna. "Your mom hired me to beef up the hotel security, I saw you come in. Is this to do with Sara?"
"Em saw something on Jenna's laptop that could link back to AD. It might explain what happened to Sarah" Caleb nodded. "But more importantly…when did this happen?" Hanna gestured at him and the room. Caleb shrugged.
"I needed the money, I blew most of my savings not too long ago, and it's not like it's hard. I wanted some cash so I could help out with bills and food and…whatever"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well I only found out earlier, and you where pretty pre-occupied. I was going to tell you later" Hanna nodded.
"Happy first day?" she offered.
"Thanks" Caleb chuckled, "so did you find the laptop?"
"No…maybe…I don't know. I found this" Hanna went back over to the bed, and pulled the lockbox back out. "It looks big enough to have a laptop in? But we need a key and there's nothing here. Jenna must have it on her" Caleb looked at Hanna thoughtfully. She was outside. She was with Mona so she wasn't alone, but she was still outside. She had something to focus on, other than all the awful things that had happened to her. She seemed to be coping well with it all and if she wanted to help….he wouldn't be able to stop her. Clearly.
"I know a way to get the key. But I'll need your help" he said, smiling when Hanna perked up at the words 'need your help'. Caleb didn't want to jinx it…but he could see Hanna slowly coming back to herself. Bit by bit.
All Hanna had had to do was set Jenna up with a free Spa Day. It hadn't been hard, but Hanna still felt a pleasant buzz at finally being able to help, no matter how small. She'd texted Spencer tell her what was going on, and how she thought they where close to the laptop. Spencer had gotten to the Radley in record time, briefly filling them in on her trip to the hospital. Getting the key had been easy and with Caleb playing masseuse and ready to warn them if Jenna left her spa day early, the girls set off back to Jenna's suite. Hanna made a beeline for the lockbox, slotting the key in the lock and twisting eagerly. She opened the lid and shoved down the stab of disappointment.
"No laptop. Just papers" she sighed.
"It may not be the laptop, but it could still be something vital" Spencer pointed out as Mona started to take photos of the pages on her phone. Hanna smiled at Spencer gratefully for the reassurance. They hadn't been photographing long before they heard the sound of a keycard being inserted into the slot of the door. It couldn't be Jenna...Caleb would have warned them. They grabbed everything and threw themselves under the bed, shoving the papers back in the lockbox and re-locking it. Returning it to it's position. The girls lay side by side, barely daring to breathe. This could be AD…..this could be them. Hanna felt on edge, and it wasn't just the possibility of coming face to face with AD. She was in a dark, enclosed space and it wasn't sitting well. She felt Mona link their arms in solidarity and comfort and she made an effort to control her breathing. They watched the door open, and a pair of boots make their way across the floor. The boots stopped in front of the bed and a ratty file was tossed to the floor making Hanna jump slightly. Hanna held her breath as a hand reached down and grabbed the lockbox, hauling it out and unlocking it. The file was placed inside and the lockbox was secured and returned to its hiding place before Hanna could even begin to get a proper look at it. Now leave. Now leave. Please leave. Hanna chanted, mentally. Desperately trying to keep her brain from taking her back to the barn and the darkness.
The three of them peered out from under the bed as the boots moved away, towards the phone. Their eyes widened in shock and they all exchanged glances as they saw the face of the intruder. Noel Khan. Noel dialled a number…a doctor…and delivered what sounded an awful lot like a threat. They exchanged glances again, each trying to work out what Noel's involvement was…why he was with Jenna….what he was calling a doctor for. Noel put the phone down and paused a moment. The girls held their breath. He lashed out with his foot, viciously kicking a stool with a bang and Hanna flinched as memories of the Barn…a fist viciously hitting the wood over and over, played throughout her mind. Mona's grip on her arm tightened and Spencer carefully placed a comforting hand on Hannas shoulder. Noel exited the room and the girls released a collective sigh of relief. Hanna scrambled out from under the bed. Glad to be free of the darkness and the confining space, taking deep breaths.
"What the hell?" Mona asked the room. Spencer shook her head and Hanna looked longingly at the door.
"We'd better get those photos to Caleb" she said quietly, edging towards the door. Eager to be out of the room. Spencer made a move towards the lockbox.
"We need to photograph the rest and hello...that was Mary's Radley file!" Spencer protested. Hanna was shaken and she just wanted to get out….to go to Caleb. As if on cue, Hanna's text alert sounded.
"It's Caleb…Jenna's on the move, we need to go" Hanna said, trying to hide her relief. She'd wanted to help, and she knew this was important. But after that spell under the bed….she was feeling fragile. She felt ridiculous. It was a bed…or the underneath. Nothing scary. Nothing terrifying. Yet it had shoved her back to the Barn, and been made worse by Noel's sudden violent outburst. Memories where crowding in on Hanna and she figured she'd pushed herself enough today. She wanted to retreat back to her apartment with Caleb and Mona. Spencer looked longingly at the lockbox.
"Now Spencer" Mona commanded, studying Hanna and the way she was wringing her hands. Mona opened the door and ushered Hanna out, who went gratefully in to the hall, Spencer reluctantly trailing along after her, checking the images on her phone.
"Guys these are in code" Spencer said with a frown.
"Let me see" Mona said, taking Spencer's phone and studying the screen.
"I'll air stream them so you guys can get a better look." Spencer said, tapping at her phone.
"Leave it with us, Caleb and I should be able to crack this between us" Mona said confidently, handing Spencer back her phone.
"I guess I'll leave you guys to it and head back to the hospital" Spencer sounded put out.
"Sorry, but it'll only take the two of us...if that. We'll let you know when we have something" Mona said, not sounding sorry at all. Spencer turned to Hanna and offered her a quick hug, before heading off. Hanna and Mona headed down to the bar to wait for Caleb. After half an hour, Hanna started to get twitchy.
"Where is he? Do you think something happened to him? What if…what if…what if…"
"Han. He was keeping an eye on Jenna. She's blind. On the off chance she noticed him…I'm sure even he could take her" Mona sneered.
"Mona I'm serious" Hanna said, wringing her hands. Mona sighed.
"I know Han, he'll be fine, he always is" Mona said reassuringly. Hanna nodded but wasn't convinced. She didn't like having Caleb out of reach…she felt safer with him nearby. Rollins may be gone but AD was still out there. Add to that everything else Hanna was dealing with…she needed Caleb. Badly. She was happy he'd found some work to do, but she'd also been….disappointed. At least until he'd told her on the way to stealing Jenna's key that it was a one time thing and he could handle the rest from the apartment. She'd felt ashamed for being so relieved. Just because she struggled to get out of the apartment, didn't mean that Caleb had to be locked in there with her. She'd done good today. After last night's melt down she'd….come to a decision. Her friends needed her. She couldn't let them down. So she would try her hardest to overcome the aftereffects of what she'd been through. It wouldn't be easy. She'd managed it today. But it was daylight. Plus she'd been with Aria and then Mona. If she had really wanted to be brave…to push herself…she'd have come alone. But even with the girls by her side, it had still been hard. She'd felt a nervous energy, an itchy feeling on her back. She'd had to repeat her mantra over and over to block out the negative thoughts that would have plagued her. It had been a struggle. The incident with Noel in the room had triggered some unpleasant memories and she was definitely done for the day. She knew it was silly to be worried about Caleb, he could handle himself and this was a hotel, there where cameras everywhere…but someone had killed Sara despite all that. She knew she wouldn't feel truly safe until Caleb was with her. She finally saw him approaching from the elevators on her hundredth scan of the room.
"Caleb!" Hanna called, and he quickened his pace.
"Hey, did you get what you needed?" he asked. Hanna didn't reply, she just threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"I was so worried!"
"She thought you'd been given a beat down by a blind girl" Mona snickered.
"Seriously Hanna?" Caleb turned back to her, but when he saw the look on Hanna's face he sobered up. "Han, I'm fine. I was just finishing something up for your mom's security and signing out. I'm sorry, I should have texted you or called, I didn't think it would take so long" he rubbed her back.
"It's okay, I'm just being stupid" she mumbled.
"No, you're not. Besides, I like it when you worry about me" Caleb whispered. Hanna flushed.
"Alright lovebirds, home time. Caleb has some codes to help me decipher" Mona said, starting to head out. Hanna took Caleb's hand and started to follow. Caleb looked down at their joined hands and smiled to himself, before tightening his grip on Hanna.