All recognizable Covenant characters, places, and events belong to Sony Pictures and its affiliates. I am making no money from this endeavor. As for any original content: Any likeness, similarities, and resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, and events are unintentional and purely coincidental.
Unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own. Please feel free to contact me if anyone wishes to Beta for me.
Again, Hannah found herself lying on her bed trying to control the chaos that Tyler brought upon her. Normally she'd fear disorder but the heady lust that filled her brain seemed addictive. Tyler was addictive. She wasn't about to give him up because the desire that filled her was new and foreign.
That time, her friend was online and she was able to immediately report what happened.
Instead of the standard greeting, Hannah dove right in.
"I almost lost my virginity in the front seat of a Hummer."
Alissa's eyes bugged out shocked at the news.
"Wha...?" she falsely began the question several times but could not articulate her thoughts.
"Yeah, I know exactly how you're feeling. I don't really know what happened. First we're having a nice dinner and I apologized for the OCD porn organizing thing, which he was really cool about by the by, and then it suddenly turns into this flirting contest. And I kiss him right in restaurant."
"What? You kissed him first?"
"Yeah."
"Dude, that is so boss."
"I know! The rest of the dinner kind of goes like that. We're flirting and touching; we park in the student parking lot and I just attack his face with mine."
Hannah stopped to let Alissa gasp and imagine the scenario.
"And I'm like writhing on top of him like a harlot in one of your stories."
"They aren't harlots. They're heroines with a penchant for sexy adventures."
Hannah paused her story to momentarily look at Alissa bewildered, not knowing what the difference was but then dismissed it as one of her friend forays into the illogical.
"Anyway, we're kissing and our hands are all over each other. Seriously, if he started to take things off; I wouldn't have stopped him."
"Then what happened?"
"He fucking pulled a gentleman act."
"Bummer."
"Yeah. So we stop and I open my eyes, his are black so I'm hallucinating again. And that makes me think of my mother."
"Gross."
"Not like that jerk. I was thinking about how close I was having sex and how he didn't know about my schizophrenia. And that made me think of what my mom did to my dad and how fucked up that whole thing was. Then I started to argue with myself, non-schizophrenic arguing, about how it's none of his business. That he's into this and it's his own fault that he didn't ask questions. The other less selfish part of me said that he should have the option to choose or not to choose to sleep with someone who has issues. Like if my dad knew about my mom then perhaps he could have avoided the whole mess and would have been a lot happier."
"That's heavy stuff Hannah."
"So I stopped and made up something about I've never done this before..."
"But you haven't."
"Yeah he doens't know that I don't care. Anyway, I said I wasn't ready for it and in truth I am kind of glad we stopped. I'm not on any type of contraceptive and if he had any condoms then I wouldn't be able to use them."
"Right, you have that latex allergy."
"Yeah so I definitely avoided a possible catastrophic event. It'd be my worst fears coming true; becoming my mother."
"So besides the whole hallucination and possibly repeating history, it was like totally awesome?"
"Yes, oh my God it was the most amazing thing ever. Wahhh why can't we control our reproductive system with our minds and why do I have ethical quandaries?" Hannah whined.
"Aww...were you able gauge his, you know; long-sword?" Alissa asked with a naughty grin, wanting to get to the juicy parts.
Hannah laughed at her friend's question and they spent the rest of the night gossiping.
The next week, Hannah and Tyler spent as much time together as they could. She made exceptions to her routine to accommodate him and his friends. She didn't quite understand their conversations at times and she tried to keep up as best she could but there was a gaping dissonance between their worlds.
Despite the chasm in personal hobbies and likes, she still had a great time with Tyler. She did have some lingering guilt about her wondering eyes towards Reid and Pogue but her friends assured her that simply looking was nothing to be ashamed about.
"Hannah, you're being courted not neutered. If he didn't want his girlfriends having side fantasies about his friends then he needs to get uglier male comrades."
She couldn't argue Alissa's logic but wanting Tyler's friends with the same fervor she wanted him felt unseemly. Especially since one of them had a girlfriend and the other had a reputation that pierced even the contained world of TaG. Neither were appropriate male suitors but that still didn't stop her heart from racing in their presence or how hot her skin felt when their eyes were on her.
Despite Reid's reputation, he was flirtatious with her but he never crossed the line onto fully hitting on her. He seemed to be keeping his distance which confused her. Her friends were confused as well but hypothesized that some people were just naturally playful and that it didn't necessarily mean anything. She felt that perhaps she was being narcissistic but her intuition told her that Reid meant his double entendres and his body language open to her.
Pogue on the other hand seemed to be hostile and disliked her presence. She felt as if he was tense around her and resented her intrusion into their circle of friends. She had tried to be as cordial and affable but he responded with taciturn quips and cold silence. She had asked Tyler what his friend's deal was but he glazed over the issue. Even Pogue's girlfriend had noticed something and had publicly confronted her boyfriend about his icy demeanor. He shrugged off the inquiry and continued to be silent during their socialization.
She shrugged off Pogue's stand offish nature and rationalized that she couldn't please everyone. She was enjoying Tyler's company and figured she'd win over his friends later.
They stood in Perry woods at two in the morning in the middle of December, dressed in their warmest jackets and a thermos full of hot chocolate.
They had a fold out bench they sat in together under a blanket.
"So what are we doing out in the middle of the woods in December?" Tyler said as his teeth chattered and his breath condensed in the air.
"I was planning on sacrificing you to my pagan god to gain power to bend the universe to my will" Hannah said with a calm that worried Tyler.
It wasn't until she smiled that he relaxed and knew she was kidding. He didn't get mad; he just leaned over and kissed her sweetly.
"We're waiting for the Geminids, a meteor shower that come around this time of year. We might leave soon though because of all the light pollution. I don't think we're going to see much of anything. I was hoping we'd be far enough into the woods to see them more clearly. It's a lot better than DC but I don't think it's dark enough to see much. Sorry I dragged you out here."
"No, I'm right where I want to be," he said as he snuggled closer to her and stole another kiss.
Tyler looked to the sky and thought it was plenty dark enough but he trusted that Hannah knew what she was talking about. Even though it was freezing cold and they were middle of the woods, he liked being so close to her and how excited she was about this outing. She had talked about it all day and it was the astronomical event of the month. So he looked to the direction the town of Ipswich lie and sent out his powers. Suddenly the forest went from a soft glow of public lighting to stark darkness, the only thing illuminating were the glittering stars from above.
"Wow, did the town lights go down?"
"Yeah I think they did, our good luck right?"
"Or a transformer blew but I didn't see a flash or anything. Do you think we should be worried?"
"Naw, it's an old town. These things happen. I think we should stay here and see the shower."
As if by magic, as soon as Tyler spoke the meteor show shot across the sky. The cosmic debris from the 3200 Phaethon danced across the sky.
Tyler thought how the meteors blazed through the darkness, bursting into light and faded away was pretty and neat but he was enchanted with Hannah. He had never seen anyone look at anything with such fascination and appreciation as he saw her look at the sky. The witch was completely entranced and had such wonder, he wished he liked anything as half of much as she loved the miracles of nature and he told her as much,
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"How do you find such things so incredible? It's not just the meteors, it's everything. You seem to be able to find awe in everything around us."
She grinned at his question and it wasn't the first time she'd been asked.
"Do you know who Carl Sagan is?"
"No."
"He was a world renowned astrophysicist. If I wasn't studying botany, I'd be studying the nature of our cosmos. He wasn't just brilliant but he inspired others to be excited about science. He wanted to get the masses engaged in their universe and not just passively accept facts forced fed to them. He once said 'Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known' and that really resonated with me. He didn't want people to have a fear of the unknown, he wanted to inspire curiosity. I guess that's why I look at everything the way I do; I'm curious about how it works and I can't wait to find out."
"I think you're amazing," he said with utmost honesty.
"You flatter me Mr. Simms."
"No I mean it," he said, making her look at him; wanting her to know he was being sincere.
"I think you're amazing. It's not just the way you look at the world but how you interact in it. It's like you got it all figured out while the rest of us struggle to even figure out what to do today."
She contemplated what he said and she wanted to comfort his insecurity about the direction of his life. She wanted to tell him that part of the reason she had tackled her passion so ardently was because she felt she was on borrowed time. With her schizophrenia, she was a ticking time bomb of going into total psychosis and her future was bound for white padded walls.
Hannah felt like she was understood for the first time in her life about her passion for knowledge. She kissed Tyler deeply and it felt different than the ones before. It still held the same heady lust and electric feeling but there was something more; something that hadn't been there before. It was new, exciting, and slightly terrifying because she had no name for such a profound feeling but in that instant she made a decision.
Under the shining stars and the blazing meteors she felt as if they were giving them a special blessing, Hannah decided she would tell Tyler her secret. She would reveal something that very few people knew about outside of her family and hope that he showed the same compassion and kindness he had before.
She felt ready to not only give him her body but to give herself and she understood why some people waited to give into their physical desires. The new feeling that she couldn't name that welled up in her as she continued to kiss him and run her fingers through his hair felt better than anything she had felt before. It wasn't just a physical sensation that titillated her and had her begging for more. It was a deeper connection she had read and been told about but never thought she'd feel for herself.
"I think you're amazing too Tyler."
"Not like you are. I'm only doing well now because of your tutoring."
"I'm not talking about school. I'm talking about how kind and patient you are. Those are rare traits in people. I've gone to schools with hundreds of so called 'gifted' students but there's a coldness to a lot of them. A void they have that they try to fill with awards and recognition that they'll do whatever it takes to be the smartest person around. But you, you don't pressure me to have sex and you make me feel normal even when I'm being totally neurotic. You're very comfortable and confident in your world and in your body without being cocky. You don't feel like you have to prove something and you succeed anyway. That's something I envy."
Tyler's heart skipped a beat and he was touched at her words. No one had ever complimented him on his abilities, especially in the shadow of the other brothers and he felt for the first time that he really stood out for something. He kissed her again because he had no words for how much she said meant to him.
She broke the kiss and smiled at him with an expression Tyler couldn't quite decipher. He couldn't bring himself to break the perfect moment and held her close as they admired the burning sky.
She snuggled deeper into him for warmth and pondered how to tell him the next night her secret. She felt an inexplicable calmness and a confidence that he would not turn her away. She knew with the utmost certainty she was not going to be a virgin for much longer.
The next day Hannah spent in a whirlwind of preparation. She had told her best friends and after twenty minutes of disbelief and "Oh my Gods" repeated over and over they were finally able to be excited for her.
Jayne was ever the cautious one and told her lists upon lists of what she must do before hand; most notably get a physician's appointment to be put on birth control.
"What if he says he doesn't want to be with me?" she asked, wondering if it was too soon and presumptuous to plan the appointment.
"Then you cancel the appointment and I steal his identity then rack up insane charges to his name therefore ruining his credit score."
Hannah smiled because she had the best friends in the world.
"Besides you need to make the appointment now or you might not be seen for weeks. Doctor appointments fill up fast, at least I'm assuming gynecologists are as busy as regular doctors, and I don't want you going to Planned Parenthood."
"What's wrong with Planned Parenthood?"
"Nothing, PP is a great organization that helps women all over the country but the stark truth is that they aren't usually in the best neighborhoods and it's more trouble than it's worth to wait so long for an appointment when you have actual insurance. Go to a regular doctor, not one that is probably overworked and trying to rush you through."
Hannah heeded her friend's advice and the earliest appointment she could get was during her Christmas break. It was a week and a half away and although it would delay being with Tyler, it would be worth it to not completely destroy their lives with an unwanted pregnancy.
The group of friends ate lunch in the mess hall, the boys took the time to do homework haphazardly at the last minute at another table, while the girls gaggled on about this or that.
While there was a reprieve in the daily gossip, Hannah asked Sarah something that she had been wondering for a while.
"So Sarah…does Caleb actually exist or is he your 'boyfriend from Canada?'" she asked jokingly but honestly wondering when she would meet the illustrious and elusive Caleb Danvers.
"What!" Sarah said with a laugh, surprised Hannah would ask such a thing. "Boyfriend from Canada? What does that even mean?"
"It's what nerds usually say when they want to seem like they're sexually desirable but cannot produce a physical mate. So they explain their partner's absence by stating they're from Canada."
"People really do that?"
Hannah nodded in the affirmative as she ate her fries.
"OK, well he's real he's just been a ghost lately because of finals. He's under a lot of stress with school and swimming plus he doesn't live in the dorms."
"Oh, that explains a lot. I thought maybe Pogue told him I was weird and he didn't want to meet me."
"What? You're not weird, why would Pogue tell him that?" Kate asked.
"Well a lot of the time I feel like Pogue doesn't like me; like he glowers at me sometimes."
Kate stumbled over a response as she couldn't deny Hannah's observation. She had noticed something off with her boyfriend as well and in his tight lipped fashion wouldn't admit to anything. She was getting that odd feeling that he was keeping something from her, something she felt a lot in their relationship. She didn't think Pogue actively disliked the new girl but she could see where Hannah would get the idea.
"No he just gets into these moods sometimes. He's been all silent and glowery to me too. Not sure what his issue is but it's not just you," Kate explained.
"It's alright if he doesn't like me. I know that my constant babbling on in my-what has been described to me as-'over analytical and verbose' speech patterns can be off putting."
"No I think he's just being all pissy and he'll get over it soon. Are you coming to Nicky's tonight?" Kate asked to change the subject.
"I wasn't planning on it."
"You should! Food and drinks are half off because it's the last weekend before finals and winter break."
"Yeah, plus you'll finally get to meet Caleb. He promised to hang out with us tonight and stop being such a hermit. It's my last free weekend before finals and then I go back to Boston for winter break. Come on, you've got to come." Sarah pleaded.
Tyler had described Nicky's to Hannah once and she thought it was one of the last places she'd ever want to be. A dive bar that catered to minors did not seem like the ideal local teen hangout but it was the place to be according to her fellow TaG students. She didn't think it'd hurt to go out of her comfort zone and she had heard Tyler talk of it fondly so she agreed to meet them there.
"Excellent. You'll have a great time. There's music, food, dancing, and pool. I'm sure you'll find something you like."
Hannah politely smiled but she wondered how she could sneak into the comic book store a few shops down.
Later that evening…
Tyler and Hannah lounged in his room as he got ready to go out. He was surprised that she had agreed to go to a place like Nicky's as it didn't seem her scene but she assured him that she was a willing participant. He appreciated that she was going as he wanted to hang out with his friends before the hellish week of finals.
"I still can't believe no one in TaG has to do finals," he commented as he gelled his hair. He looked to her in the reflection of the bathroom mirror; she lay on his bed reading a magazine.
"Yeah being super smart is awesome. The professors have so much better things to do, like publish their own stuff so they just have us either test out early or turn in a paper. It's glorious. No trying to cram months of learning into one night for one test then to promptly forget it as soon as it's over," she teased.
Tyler turned around and looked at her with a playfully menacing smile and rushed to her side as he bombarded her with tickles.
"Oh yeah? If you're so smart how come you're so weak against tickles?"
"Gargalesis…is an involuntary reaction to…heavy touch and therefore no real…defense against it…and what doesn't my intelligence have to do with being susceptible to tickling?" she gasped through laughter and as she tried to squirm away. It was only a half involved effort as she always seemed to want him touching her and she liked the playfulness of it all.
Tyler had stopped her resistance by gently waffling their fingers and restraining her to the bed. He dipped his head and kissed her as he couldn't resist the urge any longer.
She enjoyed the comfort of the bed and the weight of him above her but she realized the position they were in. There was way too much temptation to take things further and she had her revelation all figured out and it didn't include to make love before they went out.
Hannah had decided that she would make an appearance at Nicky's for an hour, two at most and then ask Tyler to take her home because she wouldn't "feel well." She'd then invite him up to her room and that's when she'd reveal her condition and hopefully he'd be as fond of her as she is of him and not let it scare him off.
She ended the kiss and gently touched his face, memorizing the contours and how beautiful he looked to her. She idly wondered if he had his own deep secret he was afraid to tell her. Maybe he had his own condition that he was afraid to let her in on but would if she took the first step.
"What time are the guys coming over?"
"Well I kicked Reid out to give us some privacy so he's probably with Pogue. I think Caleb's with them too so they're probably meet us here when they're done getting ready and then we'll all walk to the parking lot to meet Kate and Sarah."
"Sounds like a good plan."
She only hoped that things went off without a hitch because she wanted to get Nicky's over with as soon as possible.
Tyler had reluctantly gotten off of the bed and continued to finish getting ready.
Hannah suddenly felt a presence in the air that she had not felt in full force since moving to Ipswich. The hair on the back of her neck and arms stood on end and her instinct told her there was someone at the door.
Normally she wouldn't be so rude as to answer someone else's door, especially since no one had knocked, but she felt the need to go to the entrance to Tyler and Reid's dorm.
She opened the door and a dark haired student, hand raised as if he were about to knock stood in front of her. They stood silently, appraising each other; an unknown familiarity passed through them even though they had never met.
Tyler saw the exchange and he worried about how Caleb would react to finally meeting Hannah. The eldest Son was the only one of them that was Ascended and he assumed that would make a difference. Tyler wondered if Reid or Pogue warned Caleb not to touch her.
The witch and the Ascended warlock were still in their staring contest, unmoved and both were held captivated by the other. The ugly head of jealously appeared and bile rose in Tyler's throat as he did not like the way they looked at each other. Despite Caleb's insistence that he remain faithful to his girlfriend, the searing look he gave Hannah stated otherwise.
There was something going on between them without words but from the sudden change in their air, their magic was reacting with each other and it was potent. They weren't even touching and the air was charged; affecting the electronics in the room as they flickered and became distorted.
Hannah looked at Caleb and knew he was the male she saw talking with Reid the first week she came to Spencer. She thought it was a bit ironic that the four guys she had lusted for instantly all knew each other and were a tight knit group.
Concerned crept into her chest as she saw Caleb's dark circles and overall tired look. Despite his run down appearance he was still one of the most beautiful men she had ever met and she was mesmerized by his dark eyes that looked straight into her. She felt naked and vulnerable under his gaze and he had a sense of danger surrounding him. There was something that seemed to be barely contained within him and he was on the edge of losing control. She felt the contradictory feelings of wanting to run away and run to him at the same time.
"Hey, Tyler! Are you done being such a woman and ready to go?" Reid's loud voice broke through the spell and Hannah remembered where she was.
The blonde and Pogue stood behind Caleb, all looking terribly handsome in their own unique way. Tyler stood behind her and she felt surrounded by a presence she couldn't name. There was an almost tangible energy permeating through the air and Hannah briefly wondered if Ipswich was experiencing some sort of ionization that would explain the phenomena going on around her.
"Hey guys. Caleb, this is Hannah. Hannah, Caleb," Tyler politely introduced the two as he placed a hand on her hip.
Caleb's eyes narrowed in on the subtle claim Tyler was making and an irrational anger filled him at the casual touch. He pushed down his irritation, knowing he was being illogical and had no right to those feelings. He gave a strained smile and said hello.
Hannah usually made a move to shake people's hand when introduced but she read his body language and felt he was closing himself off, much like Pogue. She also didn't trust herself to respond as she felt feverish. Her legs felt weak and she wondered if she'd be able to walk properly; she wondered if they could tell how their presence was affecting her and guilt bit at her because she was supposed to be with Tyler. They hadn't made anything official and she didn't mind that; but she knew that there were some things that were assumed and it was best to err on the side of caution.
She didn't understand how she could want someone so badly and what it was about Caleb that drew her to him but she knew she'd have to get it under control. She wanted to be with Tyler but she couldn't deny the pull she felt to all of them, particularly Caleb even though she just met him. Her clothes started to feel stifling and her skin itched, desperate for his hands on her to give her relief. She wasn't sure if she could make it through a night out.
The five of them walked down the deserted hall, very few students stayed on campus the last weekend before finals and most haunted the library. She decided to stay closer to Tyler, doing her best to remind herself who she was with and to distance herself from Caleb.
They walked silently; the only noise they head was the clicking of Hannah's heels as she strode unsteadily along. Alissa had finally brow beat her into getting "proper" shoes but with their height she wobbled now and then. She didn't think that they would be so unconducive to walking and never thought to practice in them. They were starting to pinch the toes of her feet and she knew that they'd be aching by the night was over. She wasn't sure why she let Alissa talk her into it but at the time "showing off her legs and causing her chest and butt to protrude" seemed like a good enough reason to get a pair of heels.
Hannah had been so busy trying to walk in a straight line she didn't notice that the group had stopped to let two rushing freshmen run past them. She had collided into Caleb and on her unsteady feet started to fall.
Caleb had instinctively turned around and went to catch the falling Hannah, his hands grabbing onto her bare arms.
There was no shock between them, no slight elevation of their heart beat, no instant lust that made them ache for more.
It was an exothermic explosion that burned the air around them. A wave of energy bust outwards, Hannah and Caleb the epicenter. It knocked the other Sons off their feet and a surge of power they had never known pulsed through them. Tiny bolts of white hot electricity danced over their skin and they feared the power they had never felt before.
Tyler was dazed for a moment but when he got his bearing he saw that Pogue and Reid were just as affected and their eyes had looked like an abyss of black oil. He quickly looked around to make sure no one had witnessed the event and saw that hallway was uninhabited.
His relief was short lived as a seething hatred enveloped him at the sight of Caleb and Hannah.
The warlock had her pinned against the wall and caught her in a ravenous kiss. Her lets wrapped around his waist and her hands running through his hair, mewling sounds of pleasure emanating from her throat. Caleb hands here not idle as they ran the length of her long legs, desperate to touch her.
Tyler stood motionless at the unbridled passion but the black rage that grew inside him become too much to ignore. A rational part of his mind also noted the two ripping at each other's clothes and that it was very possible the two teens were about to fully express their passion, not caring where they were or who saw them.
Hannah was of a single thought and that was to have Caleb in her. She couldn't remember her growing feelings for Tyler or that she was in the middle of the dorm hallways; her only consciousness revolved around the dark haired teen and how good it felt with his hands on her. His kisses left her hungry for more and she tore at his clothes, intent on feeling all of him. She didn't care that his eyes were black and every rational thought possessed were absent. All that remained was her body screaming how right it was to be with Caleb.
As sudden as the onslaught of ardor enveloped her mind it was gone when Caleb was forcibly detached from her. At first her body protested at the lost of contact, feeling as if she had come from perfect warmth to an ice cold wasteland. It felt wrong and almost painful to be parted but the longer she had no contact with Caleb the clearer her thoughts became.
Dread soon filled her confused mind as she quickly filled in the blanks. She saw that all four boys had black eyes and that Tyler held a struggling Caleb. Her worst fears were coming true as she assumed that her schizophrenia had gotten out of control and she had done the unthinkable; she had attacked someone and she was filled with shame.
Pogue and Reid were still trembling from the burst of power and dared not touch Hannah, as they were afraid of a similar reaction to Caleb's. Hannah mistook their actions as a fear for her because she had done something insane.
Tears fell freely from her eyes as she saw her future coming to an end at Spencer and perhaps altogether if she were sent away. Her lungs felt like they were in a vice grip and an abrupt feeling of drowning occurred; she tried to take deep breaths but her body wouldn't allow her and she knew she was having a panic attack.
"Oh God…I'm sorry…" was all she was able to gasp out as she ran away from the scene, certain that Tyler or any of them would never want to speak to her again.
Tyler had seen Hannah run away in a panic and he called out to her,
"Hannah!"
But she was already out of sight and he still had a struggling Caleb, who was bent on chasing after the witch.
The eldest son was still mindless with need and sent out a wave of power to unseat Tyler and pursue the witch. It shocked them that he would use his powers out in the open as he was the most responsible of them but they quickly recovered, knowing that they couldn't let him get to Hannah.
Caleb easily overpowered them with a wave of his hand but they didn't let up on their assault. As Pogue and Tyler continued to distract him, trying futilely to stop him; Reid quickly thought and grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and a quick blow to the head incapacitated Caleb.
They all stared at their unconscious brother and a slight panic arose in Tyler and Pogue, unsure of what to do. Reid assessed the situation and took control,
"Tyler, go find Hannah and make sure she's alright. Pogue, help me take Caleb out the back way and hopefully no one sees us. Try to keep your eyes downcast because we don't need people freaking out."
The two had quickly followed orders, grateful that the blonde had a level head in a crisis.
"Well there goes a wild night out at Nicky's," Reid said pithily as they dragged their friend through the halls and out the back door.
"Jesus, what the hell are we going to tell the girls?" Pogue asked.
"I don't know man, lets get him to his house and deal with it later."
"What about all the damage to the hallway? Half of the lockers are caved in and there's broken glass everywhere."
"Pogue, it's not important right now! They'll probably think some Spencer kids got too drunk and rowdy. We need to get the hell out of here."
Pogue let the issue go, afraid for his friend and hoping they could get to Caleb's house safely.