"Han… Hanna, honey, wake up…"

Hanna's eyes fluttered open, to be met with solely darkness. She could feel the tiled floor still against her lower back and legs, but her head and shoulders were propped up on something. Something soft.

"Wha…" Hanna rasped, voice still heavy with sleep.

"Shh," The voice cooed gently, stroking tangled blonde hair away from the dazed girl's face.

That voice. That voice sounded so, so familiar to her. But she was still sleepy and couldn't put together the pieces. Once her eyes had adjusted to the dark a little bit better though, she gazed up directly into piercing blue eyes. She swore she was seeing a ghost.

"Oh my –" Hanna cut her own sentence short as she bolted up, flinging herself onto Alison, onto her Alison. "Alison," She sobbed into the girl's neck. "I knew you were alive. I knew it."

Hanna clung to Alison for dear life, squeezing her tightly and burying her face against her neck. She didn't even notice that the other blonde was crying as well at first, since her own face was already wet with tears.

"I'm so sorry for not being there for you, Hanna," Alison whispered, subconsciously rocking them both back and forth in the slightest of ways.

Hanna sharply sobbed when she heard Alison say her name – it had truly been something she missed hearing. She was just wrapped up in the familiar scent and the familiar voice and her senses were swarming with nothing but Alison DiLaurentis. "Where have you been?" She finally managed to choke out, curling herself up against the taller girl.

"I had to stay away so all of us would be safer," Alison explained, voice soft as she stroked her fingers through the short blonde locks of her friend. "But after I heard your voicemail last night, I had to see you."

Hanna immediately pulled her face back from Alison's neck, meeting watery blue eyes that were so similar to her own. "You…you listened to my voicemails?" She asked, voice barely above a whisper.

A sad smile appeared on Alison's lips as she slowly nodded. "They broke my heart, Han. But I listened to every single one of them. I had to make sure my voicemail box had enough room for your new messages. Plus, I missed your voice too," She paused for a long moment, lovingly gazing into her friend's eyes. "That last message though…" Alison trailed off, looking away from clouded blue eyes. "I knew I needed to take care of you when I heard it."

Hanna swallowed past the lump in her throat, still trying to process everything. Her best friend was back and she had to many questions for her. But she couldn't utter a single word. All she ever wanted was to be taken care of by Alison.

"I'm sorry I broke my promise." Alison could see the shame in Hanna's eyes when she finally spoke again, and she was quick to hush her.

"Don't apologize," Alison murmured, shifting slightly so Hanna was fully sitting on her lap. She cradled her as if she were a small, injured animal. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I told you I'd always be there for you. But I wasn't when you needed me the most."

Hanna was quick to protest as she reached for Alison's hand, grasping it firmly in her own. "If leaving kept you safe, then don't apologize for that. I just wish you would've told me you were alive."

Alison steadily held her gaze towards cobalt blue eyes, before glancing down to the hand that was interlocked with her own. "You know, I thought you'd forget about me eventually," She paused, gently smiling as she leaned down just far enough for her lips to touch Hanna's forehead in a feather light kiss. "But your voice was always there for me when I wanted to be reminded of home. Thank you for your messages."

Hanna's heart hammered away in her chest and her breath hitched in her throat at the feeling of Alison's soft, full lips against her skin. "I could never forget about you," She whispered, leaning into her touch.

"I know that now," Alison whispered back, a smirk playing across her lips. It wasn't a smirk of superiority or of malice. She was just proud that she held such a special place in Hanna's heart. After a moment, she gently patted Hanna's thigh. "Okay, let's get up now. I'm going to make us breakfast."

Hanna obliged; she would've done anything Alison had asked of her in that moment. But shortly after she stood, a hesitant look passed over her face. "Ali…" She looked at her friend, biting her lip uncertaintly.

"No buts, Han. You are absolutely gorgeous and eating breakfast is not going to change that," Alison firmly stated, gripping Hanna's shoulders and staring into her eyes sternly.

Hanna was sure that she felt her heart come alive and flutter in her chest. As sad as she knew it sounded, all she ever wanted was approval from Alison. "You…you think I'm gorgeous?" Her voice was still soft as she blinked back tears.

"Oh sweetheart," Alison's voice was heavy with regret. "You've always been breathtaking. You definitely always given me a run for my money." She knew she never should have made fun of Hanna's weight. But at the time, she had genuinely thought she was doing what was best for her. She didn't know she was contributing to a surfacing eating disorder. But when she found out, she'd promptly put a stop the whole thing, making Hanna promise to never do it again, and to come to her if she felt the urge to.

Hanna fell against Alison's chest in a heap, snaking her arms around her neck and into a tight hug. She didn't comment on what the taller blonde had said, but Alison knew her words had affected her – they always did.

Alison loosely wrapped her arms around Hanna's waist, relishing in the hug. She'd missed human contact and the fact that the hug came from that particular girl just made it even better. "Breakfast," She then gently reminded Hanna after a few minutes, taking her hand and leading her down to the kitchen. She knew Mrs. Marin was at work, so they'd have the house to themselves.

Hanna was so caught up on being with Alison that she forgot she'd been missing for the past two years. All she wanted to do was just be close to her. She didn't want to start asking any questions yet, in fear she'd lose the tender moment they were sharing.