He's just returned from a job interview in Philadelphia; one that he didn't tell Hanna about. As far as she knows, he's been working extra-hard to protect his company from cyber crimes, but in reality, he's been working towards their move to Rosewood. If he gets this job, or any of the others he's been trying to, they'll be set. They can move back to Rosewood, they'll have trustworthy friends and family around, and the only real sacrifice they'll have to make is the city life; even though they both love Manhattan, it's a fair exchange.
Hanna's on the couch, watching Project Runway. There's a plate of brownies in her lap, but it's relatively untouched. She decided after two bites that she wasn't actually craving brownies, but she doesn't want to throw them away. She might want some later, when she thinks she's craving something else. She's so wrapped up in the program on the television (and all of her thoughts surrounding it) that she doesn't hear the front door open, or the footsteps leading from it to the living room, or see Caleb peeking at her from the arch until he clears his throat. "Babe, you're back!" she exclaims, getting up from the couch and running to embrace him. She's noticed an increase in the amount of time he was spending at work, and even though he told her time and time again that he was working to keep the bad guys out, she always felt lonesome when he was away. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like if he was gone for days at a time; she's glad she turned down his idea to move back to Rosewood now.
"How was your day?" he asks, lifting her up and spinning her around, much to her dismay. It was cute a few months ago when she wasn't pregnant, but now it just makes her dizzy. "It was a day," she replies once he sets her down and she regains her balance. "Was Baby Rivers good for you?" He's looking down at her tummy now. He knows she hasn't felt sick in a while, but he still has to ask. Just in case. Hanna shrugs. "Your child's indecisive." She gestures towards the plate that's now sitting on the coffee table, and then looks back at him. "They spent all afternoon trying to convince me that I wanted brownies, and then changed their mind as soon as I made some."
Caleb smirks at that, but switches to a more neutral expression when he sees the look of annoyance on his girlfriend's face. "Well, what are you craving now, baby?" The blonde thinks for a moment. "I could go for a chocolate milkshake." She hopes this craving will last until she actually gets to eat. She doesn't want to be wasteful. "Our usual place then?" She nods. The last time they were there was the day they first found out she was pregnant, and she hadn't even ordered anything. "I'll go get ready." And with that, she's headed down the hall towards their room. Caleb starts to follow her, but his ringtone interrupts him. One look at the Caller ID sends him toward the kitchen instead; he doesn't want Hanna to overhear this.
It's been a full twenty minutes since he hung up the phone, and he's buzzing. He wants to tell Hanna the news right away, but he figures it would be better for him to wait until dinner. It'll make their burger joint date much more special. He's tapping his foot and glancing down at his watch as if he's in a twentieth-century sitcom. "Han, come on!" He enters the room to find her curled up on the bed in an old t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts. Something tells him they won't be going out to eat tonight after all. He limps over to the bed and sits on the edge of the side closest to her. "What's wrong?" he asks, running his fingers through her beautiful blonde waves. She shakes her head and buries her face in the pillow, not wanting to talk. He takes the cue, and moves his hand down to rub her back instead. That's enough to get a quick peek out of her, and he takes that as a cue to try talking to her again. "Han, if you're not feeling well..." She reaches for his hand to stop the motion. She loves it when he rubs her back, but she's just not in the mood to be touched right now. "Stop." Her tone is abrupt, but there's a shakiness to it. Either she's about to cry, or she already has. "Alright, fine," he says, getting up to limp out of the room. He really does want to talk to her about this, but it has to be on her accord; not his. "Wait." She's sitting up now, and he can see her face again, better than he was able to before. Now, he knows she's been crying.
There's a silence between them, and then she says something under her breath. "What?" he questions, moving closer that he can hear her better. There's a sigh, and then she repeats herself. "I need new jeans." He looks at her for a moment, trying to process what she's just said, but then it clicks. She can practically see the light bulb turn on in his head, and something about his facial expression sends her face right back to the pillow. "We can go shopping if you want to," he informs, eyes drifting over to the disheveled mound of clothing on the floor. His first thought is to start cleaning it up for her, but his leg says otherwise. "What's that gonna do? I'm gonna need another pair in a couple of weeks anyway." He goes back to the bed, sitting in the same spot he had been before. "And we'll buy you some then too."
Hanna turns her head so that she's facing him. "And I'll grow out of them." Tonight is the first time in years that she had trouble fitting into clothes that were already in her closet, and she knows it's only gonna get worse as the pregnancy progresses. And while she knows this is something that's natural (or temporary), she's still frustrated; not with the clothes or herself. Just the situation. Caleb is speechless. He doesn't know how to console her without sounding cliche, but he also doesn't want her to take his silence as carelessness. So, he kicks his shoes off and gets into bed with the blonde, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close as soon as he gets the change. She's crying again, and she's getting his shirt wet, but he doesn't care. "Han—" He pauses, trying to phrase what he's saying properly. "Han, you're having our baby." The sniffling stops, but they both know that's not the end of this.
"I know, Caleb," she says bitterly, trying to pull away from him. "Let me finish. You're having our baby, and I know weight gain is a difficult thing for you, but— But I'll never not think you're beautiful." He's grazing cliche territory, so he tries to steer himself in another direction. "You'll survive this. Your mom went through this exact same thing, and look at her. You have good genetics in your favour." Her attempts to leave him continue, and he finally lets her go. "You don't understand." She gets up from the bed, and starts to walk out of the room. She's thankful for his words of encouragement, but he's completely missing the mark. "Where are you going?" he questions, sitting up. "Somewhere else. I don't wanna talk about this anymore." He has so many great points, but she's not in the mood right now. Caleb sighs, but doesn't protest. If she wants her space, she can have it. He reclines on the bed, hoping to close his eyes for just a moment.
A moment turns into two hours; he figures that out pretty quickly. His hair is messy, and he has some dried drool running down the side of mouth. He rolls over, and is surprised not to have Hanna by his side. That's when he remembers the conversation they had early. Carefully, he gets up from the bed and heads toward the living room. He pauses in the archway that separates the living room from the hallway when he sees that she's asleep. She looks so peaceful. He wants to pick her up and carry her to their bedroom so that she can get a proper, more comfortable sleep, but his leg isn't fully healed yet and he knows his limitations. So, he goes back to their bedroom. The pile of clothes that she left behind is still sitting on the hardwood, so he picks up each and every garment and puts it back where it's supposed to go. Then, he moves to his own chest of drawers to find some pajamas to put on; he had fallen asleep in the clothes he had worn to the interview and was planning to wear tonight, and even though they weren't uncomfortable, he wouldn't fall asleep in them again. As he opens his sock drawer, his eyes fall upon a little black box. The little black box. He's anxiously awaiting the day when he'll be able to show Hanna what's inside of it, but he knows it's coming soon.
Meanwhile, a set of crystal blue eyes flutter open in a dark room. Their owner yawns, stretching her body out on the couch, and rubs her eyes before sitting up. She doesn't know how long she's been asleep, but she's hoping it hasn't been too long. Her sleep schedule has suffered enough throughout these past few months. She begins to search for her phone, only to realize she left it back in the bedroom. Cue the groan; she doesn't want to get up again, but everything she wants right now is down the hall. Her phone, her bed, Caleb. Especially Caleb. She feels bad for having brushed him off earlier, but she wasn't in the mood for any discussions. Not about this, at least. Letting out another yawn, she gets up from the couch and starts back toward their bedroom.
He hastily hides the ring and closes the drawer when he hears footsteps coming from the living room. He doesn't want to spoil the surprise for her, and tonight just doesn't feel like the right time. Besides, he has other things to share with her. Bigger things. The blonde enters the room, only to be greeted by a sing-songy, "Look who's awake!" from Caleb. "How long was I asleep?" she questions, glancing toward the alarm clock on his bedside table. "Two hours, give or take a couple of minutes." She rubs the back of her neck. It feels a bit stiff from her time on the couch. First chance she gets, she's getting rid of it and replacing it with something more comfortable. "How are you feeling? Better, I hope?" She brushes that question off. She's still feeling frustrated, but she doesn't want to hear the pep talk again. "It's too late to go out to eat, but do you wanna whip something up here? I'm thinking brownies and chocolate ice cream... with hot chocolate."
He chuckles and she starts to blush. "Baby really likes chocolate, huh?" he comments, looking down at her tummy again. He's looking for a bump this time, but he doesn't see it. "Baby loves chocolate. Baby's just picky about how they get their fill." Hanna's cheeks are still pink, but she's laughing along with him. "Come on, let's get some."
Author's note: This chapter's got a really short feel to it, even though it's 2k+ words long and took me almost two weeks to finish (Thanks Marlene). I hope that's okay though! As always, let me know what you think.