Caleb was losing his mind. He'd stepped in to the shower for 10 minutes. Ten. And in that time Hanna had pulled a Houdini and disappeared. He knew something was wrong. Ever since the bar….she'd been acting odd, acting strange. She wasn't herself. Yeah well, that's pretty obvious right now isn't it Caleb? He thought to himself. Hanna had struggled with being alone ever since they got her back, she'd struggled with going anywhere by herself. She always needed Caleb there but he left the room for a few minutes, and she'd left. Gone. He had no idea where. Well….that wasn't entirely true. He was just hoping she hadn't actually gone after Noel. Something was wrong, it was like she'd snapped. All of her fears…it's like she'd switched them off, they where less than whatever it was she was feeling. Rage. A need for revenge. Whatever it was. He'd be a lot prouder of the fact she'd overcome those fears if there wasn't a high possibility she was acting out a scene from Dexter right then. He paced. He couldn't go after her, she'd taken the car. She'd also taken the hammer, and the rope. Okay…so…she can't really kill him with a hammer…I mean she could but I don't think Hanna's the bludgeon someone to death type…I hope. Damnit Hanna, where are you!? He pulled out his cell, his finger hovering over Mona's contact. Then he shook himself, and pulled up Hanna's. Tried to call again. She sent him to voicemail. He resisted the urge to throw his phone at the wall. He should have known better than to leave her alone, he'd just…he'd just thought she might need some space. To think. But he should have known better, he should have known something was wrong. You've failed once again Caleb. Good job.
He didn't know how long he sat there waiting, but eventually he heard the sound of their car pulling in to the parking lot. Heard the key in the lock. He looked up as Hanna walked through the door. She didn't look hurt…but she did look..not like herself.
"Where the hell have you been?! I've been going out of my mind, for days you can't go out at night by yourself, you're too scared, and then suddenly I decide to take a shower and you decide it's the perfect time to go for a night time drive? I'm not stupid Hanna, what did you do?" he resisted the urge to shout at her, he spoke low. His worry turning to anger. She swallowed and he looked at her expectantly. She said something, but she spoke too fast, the words running together. He frowned.
"What?"
"Noel Khan is tied up in the trunk" she said. Caleb blinked at her. I misheard that right? Tell me I misheard that.
"You have got to be kidding me" he said. She just stared back at him. The look in her eyes…she looked surprised. Surprised that she'd done it….a little bit scared…but also triumphant. Caleb shook his head, and walked past her, heading towards the car. He stood in front of the trunk, and looked down at it. Please let it be empty. He thought, before he popped the trunk…..and stared. Dammit Hanna.
"I told you."
"How did you even get him in there?"
"I don't know, adrenalin rush? Like when mom's develop super strength and lift cars off babies and stuff" she said innocently. Caleb looked at her skeptically.
"Sure Hanna." he shook his head again. Right…so, this is happening. Hanna just abducted Noel Khan. "We should put him back wherever you found him" Caleb said firmly. Great, now I sound like I'm talking about a stray dog.
"No. No Caleb we can't. We have to do this. We need to get solid proof that he's AD. We need to take a DNA sample and get it tested, because if we can prove he's Mary's other kid, then he has to be AD!" Hanna said, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Hanna he could be AD whether or not he's Mary's kid it won't prove anything, you know that right?"
"Yes. Which is why we're going to get a confession too. It's the only thing that he won't be able to wriggle out of. The only thing." Caleb sighed. He could hear the determination in her voice, and she wasn't cowering in Noels presence. She'd made it all the way out to confront him in the dark. By herself. He was a little bit proud of her, even though he knew he really shouldn't be.
"Fine. I guess we're going rogue….well roguer" Caleb said. "Help me get him inside".
And that's how Caleb found himself in a seedy motel room, with an unconscious Noel Khan tied to a chair and gagged with duct tape. Caleb sat in the other chair, behind the camera, watching Noel with a sharp eye.
"How hard did you hit him?" Caleb said incredulously, checking his watch. He hadn't come round the entire time and they'd been staring at him for the past half hour. Well…Caleb had. Hanna had been pacing and staring and pacing and staring. Like she was working herself up to something. Caleb didn't want to contemplate what.
"I don't know….I just….swung and…do you think….do you think I hit him too hard? Do you think I….I….." Caleb rolled his eyes.
"No Hanna, you didn't suddenly develop super strength and hit him so hard he's in a coma. He keeps groaning so he's obviously fine. Well…aside from his current predicament." Caleb said calmly. Hanna resumed pacing.
"We don't have time to waste Caleb. Mona texted me. The girls aren't buying whatever she's selling them anymore. They think I've been kidnapped by Noel or something, they called the cops."
"As if I'd let you get kidnapped" Caleb scoffed. "What do they think happened to me?"
"Apparently they think you went off looking for me" Caleb raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
"And they think I got kidnapped too?" Caleb asked. Hanna just shrugged and wouldn't look him in the eye. As if. "Fine, whatever. We have limited time. And we have to be careful, the cops are going to be looking for you and Noel" Caleb stated, "And apparently I'm not important enough to be included" he muttered the last part.
"We need to wake him up" Hanna said decisively.
"And how are we going to do that? Rise and shine Noel, time for you to confess all your sins?" Caleb asked skeptically. Hanna shook her head, and Caleb watched as she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. He tilted his head to the side and followed her with his eyes as she stalked towards Noel. Hanna ripped the tape off Noels mouth viciously.
"Wake up bitch" Hanna snapped, then shoved his shoulder when he didn't do as she commanded. Caleb raised an eyebrow.
"Really Hanna?"
"What? Wasn't it threatening enough?" Hanna asked worriedly, before sighing and shaking her head. "You do it, you're good at threatening people!" Caleb chuckled.
"Um thanks. But this is your show. Do what you need to do." Caleb said, settling back in to his chair. He knew Hanna wouldn't really hurt Noel, he was curious to see what she would do. She was still scared of Noel, but with Noel tied up and Caleb at her back….she was the one with all the power against him, and it seemed to be boosting her confidence. Maybe it would prove to be cathartic to some extent.
"Don't say anything. I need Noel to take this seriously and he won't if you keep joking around Caleb" Hanna said. Caleb held his hands up defensively.
"Wow, sorry. I just don't know what the etiquette is for abduction" He said with a smirk.
"Like that, you need to stop doing that. Noel won't say anything if he thinks we're amateurs just having a friendly sit down. He needs to be scared." Hanna said firmly. Caleb mimed zipping his lips and held his arms out in a 'go on then' gesture. Hanna walked over to the table and started the camera up, before picking up the knife from the table. Caleb wanted to make a comment, but he refrained. He'd already asked her snarkily if she'd picked a big enough knife. I mean….c'mon. But he figured it made Hanna feel safe so he'd let it go pretty fast. The couple that abducts and interrogates together...He watched as she unsheathed it.
Hanna stared at the knife. There's no going back after this. She glanced to the side at Noel. The person who'd kept her in the barn. She was more and more sure of that fact. It was him. He'd done those things to her. He'd treated her like an animal. This was her chance. She could prove everything if she could get him to talk. She'd be the one that made sure he was locked up. Trapped. With no escape. She'd make sure he paid for what he did. He wouldn't get away with it. It was like she'd been in a haze, like she had when she hit Rollins. She hadn't really come back to herself until she'd had to walk in to the room and tell Caleb she'd kidnapped Noel. She could see how badly she'd worried him, and she hadn't thought about the dark…her fears while she'd been so focused on what she had to do. But her hands had started to shake as she'd pulled in to the motel, and she was glad Caleb hadn't seen her practically sprint for the door. She knew he didn't agree with this, but it was already done, and he knew she needed to do this. So he'd support her. Like he always did. Hanna stared at the blade, unable to look at Noel any longer. She caught her reflection in it…saw the haunted look in her eyes. He'd put that look there….it was him….
"Please, open the door! You can't leave me in here! I'm begging you! PLEASE!" Banging her hands on the door so hard, it hurt. Over and over. Splinters digging in to her palms. Desperate to get out. Terrified. The dark creeping in, feeling cold all over, feeling the cold settling in to her bones. Hearing sounds but not being able to see where they where coming from. Needing to get out. But being trapped.
Hanna mentally shook herself, coming back to the room and found Caleb had come up behind her. Caleb had seen the look on her face, and he'd known she'd gone back to the barn. Silently, he'd gotten up from his seat, and walked over to her slowly. He didn't want to startle her but she was completely oblivious to his presence. When she looked around at him, finally snapping out of it and noticing him, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Then he let go, and took a step back, so he was standing back behind the camera. Hanna stalked over to Noel, knife in hand. She needed him to be afraid when he woke up. She needed him to know how she'd felt.
"This is your chance to tell me the truth, just admit it" She said evenly. "Admit your AD" she snapped when he didn't answer. Noel just groaned, she gave his shoulder another shove in frustration. Unsure if he was just pretending. She swallowed and steeled herself.
"Fine." she grabbed hold of his hair. She didn't want to enjoy this, but a part of her was. A part of her felt like she was taking herself back, taking control back, taking her life back. This Noel wasn't the terrifying monster that had kept her locked in the barn. The one that had tortured her. This Noel was pathetic. She gave a sharp tug on his hair, pulling his head up. "We'll do it my way" she said coldly. She stared at him for a moment, then brought the knife up to his neck. I want you to be afraid Noel. She glided the knife along his neck, not with enough pressure to break the skin, but just enough for him to feel it there. No reaction. She let his head drop. Wow I guess he's really out of it. Maybe I shouldn't have hit him so hard? Caleb could be wrong, maybe I just don't know my own strength. She babbled internally. Just do it Hanna. This is man who kept you locked up like an animal. Who doused you in water and then hit you over and over again with a cattle prod. Just do it. You're not even really hurting him. You just need a little bit of blood. He did all of that to you, why are you balking at making him hurt too. Just do it…
She felt the burns and marks on her back flare up, as if reminding her of Noels crimes, and without thinking she slashed the knife across his thigh quickly and just a little bit viciously. She stared at the bloody knife. Unable to look away. She'd made him bleed. She'd hurt him.
