NOTE: Hi haleb fans! I'm back after all these years to give this story the end it deserves. I will be posting new chapters during the following weeks. If it's been long since you read this story, I recommend that you take the time to re-read it from chapter one, just like I did before going back to writing (I didn't remember half the things even though I wrote it myself LOL). I hope you are still there. Let me know what you think about this update! And I promise you will love the following chapters.
/
Two weeks later.
Hanna is down in the basement at her mother's house. She and Ashley have been cleaning it up during the weekend, setting things aside to donate for charity, throwing away broken objects they didn't know why they kept in the first place, in order to make room and make that part of the house useful again.
The last two weeks have been going very well for her. The talk she and Caleb had that night at her place helped to clear the air and from there on, everything just flowed better between them knowing where the other was coming from, knowing each other's fears and desires. And the night after their talk, Caleb had her over for dinner and gave her a key to his house to prove to her that it was more than okay for her to keep showing up at his place unannounced. Hanna also has been acting more relaxed on every other aspect of her life, she hasn't had another panic attack because she just didn't put herself in any other situation that could made her anxious. She confronted Mona about the ideas she had been putting into Caleb's head and made it clear that she wouldn't move to New York with her.
Now it's Monday morning and Hanna is setting up her sewing machine on an old table there in the basement. She is excited because she found some fabric in one of the boxes that her friends got back from Jordan's apartment in New York. She doesn't even remember what was she planning to do with that fine piece of fabric when she bought it a year ago, but the moment she got it out of the box the previous day, it inspired her to make a new design and she's stayed up late putting it down on her sketchbook. Normally, it works the other way around, she designs something first and then buys the materials to make the dress, but what happened to her last night was spontaneous, the idea just came up and her creativity flowed. Now she is ready to start bringing that idea to life. It's been so long since last time she made a dress that it feels just as exciting as the first time she ever did it.
She starts to work on the fabric with a smile on her face.
/
Later.
Caleb is working in his office at the Radley when he starts to feel hungry and after checking the time and seeing that it's almost lunch time, he texts Hanna. They've been having lunch together most of the days for the last two weeks.
Caleb: Hey! Are you on your way? I'm hungry already.
Hanna is still working on the dress when she gets his text.
Hanna: Hey babe! Sorry, I've been busy with something and time just flew. Go get lunch. I'll see you later.
She doesn't want him to know what she has been up to for the last hours, firstly because it's been so long since last time she made a dress that it could end up being a mediocre work that she ends up hating afterwards, and secondly, she doesn't want him to keep insisting on giving her money to start her own business. She won't accept it.
He is intrigued about what could keep Hanna so entertained, but things are going so well between them that he just lets it go.
Caleb: Ok, see you later babe.
Hanna only replays with a red heart emoji and gets back to her task.
Caleb gets up from his chair and decides to go out for lunch and get some fresh air. Fall has arrived and it has started to be cooler outside, so he grabs his zip-up hoodie and leaves.
On his way to The Brew where he is planning to grab a sandwich, Caleb ends up in the middle of some police chase. Two men run past him on the sidewalk and one of them even hits him a little, making him spin on his axis. That's when he gets to see the two cops that are running after them. One of them is Toby.
Caleb watches all them turn to the right and loses sight of them. Only a few seconds later, he hears some gun shots.
He rushes over there without second hesitation.
He finds Toby lying on the ground. His partner is holding one of the men they were chasing against the ground and he is calling for backup.
Caleb approaches Toby and gets to see that he's been shot. He's bleeding from somewhere under his bulletproof vest.
Toby looks terrified. "I don't wanna die"
Caleb "You will be fine" he says while kneeling down next to him. Even though he doesn't know it for sure, he just wants to calm him down.
Caleb finds the wound and starts to apply pressure on it in order to keep Toby from losing too much blood.
Toby's partner lets them now that an ambulance is already on its way.
Toby "I don't wanna die, Caleb… I have to be there for Spencer and the baby" he repeats.
Caleb "You won't die, Toby" He doesn't know what else to say, he just keeps his hands pressing on his wound.
Toby closes his eyes for a moment and Caleb panics.
Caleb "Hey, look at me!" he instructs him right away.
Toby looks at him. "Don't call Spencer… I don't want her to-" he stops talking and gasps for air.
Caleb "Don't close your eyes, stay with me" he can tell that Toby is having trouble breathing now and it worries him more, but he keeps talking to him as they wait for the ambulance.
The ambulance gets there only five minutes later, five minutes that seem like a lifetime to Caleb. The paramedics finally get Toby in the ambulance and Caleb gets in too. He rides with them to the hospital. Toby doesn't say another word, but Caleb can see that he is still conscious and it is surely a good sign.
When they get to the ER, after examining Toby, the doctors let Caleb know that Toby will be fine. He had trouble breathing because even though the vest he was wearing stopped most of the shots, they were at the height of his lungs and the impacts caused some bruising, like if those shots he received where like punches. And the only shot that actually reached his body appears not to have affected vital organs, but they still need to take him to surgery to take the bullet out and stop the bleeding.
A nurse shows Caleb to the restrooms so he can go wash out Toby's blood from his hands.
When he goes back, some other officers from the Rosewood police department have shown up there to learn more about Toby's condition as well.
Caleb takes the opportunity to call Hanna.
Hanna "Hey! You got bored having lunch alone?" she answers the call while going through her stuff in one of the boxes, she's looking for the perfect zipper for the dress she is making.
Caleb "Han… I'm with Toby at the hospital. He's-"
Hanna "What? At the hospital?" she interrupts him. "You two had a fight or something?" That's the first that comes to her mind because Caleb and Toby haven't talked to each other in weeks and she can't think of any other reason why the two of them could have ended up in a hospital.
Caleb "No, Han… of course not" he pauses and sights. "He is okay, but he got shot"
Hanna "Toby got shot? How?"
Caleb "At work… he is okay now, he's having surgery. They just took him to the OR"
Hanna "So he will be fine?"
Caleb "Yeah… for what the doctors told me his life isn't at risk"
Hanna "Thank god" she says relieved. "How did you end up there? Did Spencer call you? How is she?"
Caleb "No, Han. She doesn't even know. I happened to be there by chance when all this happened, it was just a few blocks away from the Brew. I'm calling you so you can go and let her know about it"
Hanna "Oh god" she just says, knowing that it will probably be one of the hardest things she will ever have to do in her life. "Okay, I'll go right now… I don't want her to find out by someone else"
Caleb "Yeah… go talk to her. She must be Toby's emergency contact, I asked one of Toby's colleagues here not to call her just yet, but someone else could"
Hanna "Okay, I'm on my way. Bye" she ends the call right away to leave.
/
Hanna gets to Spencer's house. She knows she is there because she has been working from home for the last days. She parks her car and rushes to the front door.
Spencer is on the phone when she answers the door. Hanna freaks for a moment thinking that maybe someone just called her to let her know about Toby, but very soon she realizes she is just talking to her mother about her sister Melissa and so she relaxes a bit.
She follows Spencer to her office at home where Spencer sits back at her desk. Hanna is just too anxious to have seat as well so she stays there standing waiting for Spencer to end her call. But Spencer gestures her to sit on the chair across her desk.
Hanna shakes her head no. "I need to talk to you, Spence" she whispers. "It's urgent" she adds.
Spencer nods at her. "Mom, I'll have to call you back. Something came up" she says while standing up from her chair. "Okay, see you tomorrow" she ends the call and looks at Hanna right away because she has noticed now her worried face. "What's up, Han?"
Hanna "Okay… don't freak out. Toby is all right but he was shot" She says right away.
Spencer only stares at her shocked.
Hanna "Come on, you have to come with me" She says again. "We need to get to the hospital, he is having surgery" she grabs Spencer's hand and leads her to the living room.
Spencer "He got shot?" she asks confused.
Hanna "Yeah, I don't know the details" she answers while taking Spencer's purse. "Here, put your phone inside and let's go"
Spencer "Is he okay?" she freaks out now. It took her a little while to process the information that Hanna gave her, but now she's getting that Toby got shot. One of her worse nightmares came true. She bursts into tears now. "Oh my god, Hanna. I knew this would happen"
Hanna pulls her into a hug. "Don't worry, Spence. Caleb is there with him. I talked to him on the phone and he told me Toby would be fine"
Spencer pulls away from Hanna's embrace. "Let's go" she grabs her purse from Hanna's hand and heads to the door.
Hanna grabs Spencer's keys and closes the front door once they are outside.
Spencer heads for her car but Hanna rushes to her. "I'll drive you" resting her hand on her shoulders Hanna leads her to her own car instead.
Spencer is a mess of tears and doesn't say a word during the drive. Once they get to the hospital she gets out of the car before Hanna has the chance to park properly, so she gets inside alone and heads to the ER.
Seeing all those police officers there lets her know that she is at the right place and after taking a quick look around she spots Caleb sitting on a chair and approaches him right away.
Spencer "How is he?" she asks still crying her eyes out.
Caleb takes his eyes from his phone to her and stands up right away. "Chill, Spence" he pulls her into a hug. "He will be fine" his calm tone of voice calms Spencer a little. "He is still in surgery. They took the bullet out and stopped the bleeding… they are just closing him up. He is fine"
Caleb's words finally make her relax and she rests her head on Caleb's shoulder, relaxing in his embrace, but she just can't stop crying.
Hanna gets there too and gives Caleb a slight smile. She loves seeing him comforting her best friend. She knows he is very good at it.
Spencer pulls away from Caleb's hug a few seconds later and wipes her tears.
Hanna "So? Any news?" she asks now.
Caleb "The surgery went well. He will be fine"
Hanna nods and wraps her arm around Spencer's shoulders. "Let's sit down"
Spencer nods and they have seat on the chairs there aside.
Hanna takes her phone and texts Emily and Alison letting them know about what happened. She knows they will want to be there for Spencer too. Aria and Ezra are in Europe. After Aria's miscarriage they decided to go on the trip they had planned anyway, assuming it would help them to get over that heartbreaking experience. So Hanna doesn't contact them just yet. They don't need to learn about Toby's situation right away, there's nothing they could do and he will be fine anyway.
Caleb "Can I get you something, Spence? A glass of water maybe?" he is standing before them.
Spencer only shakes her head no.
Caleb "Okay. Just let me know if you need anything"
Spencer "I'm starting to hate this freaking hospital" she sighs. "It seems like we all end up here every few weeks. It just makes me wonder who is gonna get hurt next"
She is right, they ended up there after Hanna's kidnaping some weeks ago, then again when Aria had the miscarriage and there they are again now.
Hanna takes her hand. "No one else will get hurt. Next time we all end up here again will be to meet that cute baby of yours" she smiles at her kindly.
Spencer tries to smile back at her but her smile turns into a pout because she gets emotional again.
Half an hour later a doctor shows up there and so the guys and Toby's colleagues gather together to hear the news. Toby has been taken to a recovery room and he will wake up soon. They allow Spencer to go see him.
Spencer turns to Caleb and Hanna. "Would you guys come with me?"
Caleb "Sure"
Spencer "Thank you… it makes me anxious seeing him hurt"
Hanna grabs her by her arm. "Let's go, Spence"
They go into Toby's room with Spencer. She starts to cry again at seeing him lying there in the bed, his torso all bandaged. She goes sit down on a chair next to him and holds his hand.
Hanna and Caleb just stand there on one side of the room.
Hanna "Thank you for what you did for them" she whispers to Caleb while taking his hand.
Caleb only shoots her a little smile at her in response.
A little while after, Toby's father shows up there to see his son. He was Toby's emergency contact after all. Hanna approaches Spencer and lets her know that they will be in the waiting room, there are many people in the room already.
She and Caleb find Emily and Alison there.
Emily "Is he awake already?"
Hanna "Not yet"
Emily "But he will be fine, right?"
Caleb "Yes, he will be fine" he says while having seat.
Alison "Thank god" she just says and they all fall silent.
Hanna goes sit next to Caleb and takes his hand again.
Toby's father shows up there after a while to let them know that Toby has woken up from the anesthesia and that he seems very well. Then he approaches Caleb and lets him know that his son asked about him and wanted to see him, so Caleb goes back to Toby's room with him.
Spencer decides to give the guys some space so she goes back to the waiting room. After greeting and thanking Alison and Emily for being there too, she sits next to Hanna.
Spencer "I love Caleb" she says and smiles at her.
Hanna chuckles. "I know, I love him too"
Spencer "He is so kind" she says still smiling. "Toby told me he was there for him"
Hanna "Yeah… I don't know the details, but he just happened to be there by chance and of course he wouldn't leave Toby alone"
Spencer "Yes… Toby didn't give me many details either, he is recovering and can't talk too much yet, but it meant a lot to him… I'm happy because I'm sure they'll get along well again after this"
Hanna "Uh huh… I miss hanging up all together"
Spencer "Well… I'm not getting back together with Toby for now, so…"
Hanna "Oh, right… I forgot about it"
Alison "Come on, Spence… give him a break, he almost died today"
Spencer "What happened today just proved my point"
Alison "If everyone thought like you, there would be no cops"
Spencer doesn't respond to that. She knows Alison is right.
Hanna "I had a talk with Toby a few weeks ago. He was planning to quit his job, but they were in the middle of some investigation and he wanted to be there to figure this case out before leaving"
Spencer "Seriously?"
Hanna nods. "Yeah… I didn't tell you because he asked me not to and I just thought it was something you should figure out yourselves as a couple, so I didn't want to meddle. I think what happened today must have something to do with it"
Spencer "Why are you telling me this now, then?"
Hanna "Because I want you two to get back together already"
Caleb shows up back there. "He wants you back in there, Spence"
Spencer stands up from her seat. "Go home guys, Toby is much better now and his father is staying the night with him. I'll stay a little longer and then I'll leave too"
Emily "You sure, Spence?"
Spencer "Yeah… go home. Thanks for coming" she shoots them a little smile and then she looks at Caleb. "Specially you, thanks for being there"
Caleb places his hand on her shoulder and gives her a squeeze there. "Call me if you need anything"
Hanna "Here, Spence" she hands her car keys to her. "Have my car. I'll leave with Caleb"
Spencer smiles at her and takes the keys. "Thanks for going get me. I'm glad it was you the one who told me what happened"
Hanna only hugs her.
/
Caleb "Wanna go grab something for dinner? To the grille maybe?" he asks her once they get in his car.
Hanna "Yeah… I would like that" she takes her phone to text Aria now. She wants to let her know about Toby so she can text Spencer at least. "It will be nice to end this awful day a little better" she adds.
Caleb "Yeah" he agrees with her.
/
Caleb "I'm starving… I never got to have lunch today" he tells her after ordering their food at the Apple Rose Grille.
Hanna "Oh, right… so how was it? You haven't told me yet"
Caleb sighs. "Well, it wasn't nice" he purses his lips. "I was just walking to The Brew and these two guys, Toby and the other cop ran past me. Then I lost sight of them but I heard the shooting so I had to go see and I found Toby already on the ground. It was so scary, Han. He kept saying he didn't want to die"
Hanna stares at him with a very sad look on her face.
Caleb "He was worried about Spencer and the baby"
Hanna sighs. "I'm so glad he is fine"
Caleb "Yeah, me too"
Mona suddenly approaches their table. They didn't even see her coming. "Han! How are you doing?" she greets her with a smile on her face, then she turns to Caleb and greets him as well. "Hi, Caleb"
Hanna and Caleb look at each other. They can't believe what is happening. Last time Hanna saw Mona they had a huge fight because Hanna was pretty pissed off after she caused problems between her and Caleb about all the moving-to-New-York thing. She didn't like that she went talk to Caleb behind her back and made him think things that weren't true. She also made it clear that she wouldn't go to that job interview she got for her in New York, she told her she didn't want her to speak to Caleb ever again and she also told her that she didn't want to hear back from her for a while. And now there she is, all smiley, like if nothing had happened.
Hanna "Hi, Mona" she greets her back coldly and stares at her.
Mona "I'm leaving for New York this weekend… I thought maybe we could hang out before I left"
Hanna "I don't think so, Mona"
Mona "Come on, Han… you can't be still mad at me" she smiles at her.
Hanna keeps staring at her without saying a word.
A waiter approaches Mona and hands her a package. "Here is your order, Miss"
Mona takes the package and looks back to Hanna. "Well, we will talk later" she smiles at both of them again. "See you around, guys" she greets them excitedly and finally leaves.
Caleb "What the hell?" she asks Hanna, because she obviously told him about everything she told Mona.
Hanna "She must be off her meds… I'll talk to her mom tomorrow" she sighs.
Caleb gets now why everyone says Mona is a looney.
Hanna "Anyway… have you talk to my mom yet?"
Caleb told Hanna that he would quit his job at the Radley after finishing setting up the whole new security system that he has been working on. He wants to start his own business there in Rosewood providing security systems for different companies, but he wants Ashley to know that he will keep giving technical support to the Radley.
Caleb "Not yet… I was planning on telling her today but after what happened with Toby I never got back to work. She might fire me before I have the chance to quit" he jokes.
Hanna laughs.
She gets a text from Spencer: Hi, Han. I just left your car at your place. My mom is staying with me tonight. Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow.
/
Caleb "Your place or mine?" He asks when they get in his car after leaving the grille.
Hanna "Mine… Chocolate is there and I have to feed him"
Caleb "Okay, your place then" he says while starting the car. "You never told me what kept you so busy today for you to stand me up at lunch"
Hanna smiles. "I'm not telling you for now"
Caleb "Mmh… what's all the mystery about?"
Hanna chuckles. "Nothing… it's not that important anyway"
Caleb "So just tell me"
Hanna "Why do you need to know everything about my life?" she says playfully.
Caleb laughs. "Please, if it were the other way around and I were hiding something from you, you would be dying to know too. You would drive me nuts until I told you"
Hanna laughs too. "Yes, you are right. But I'm not hiding it from you, I'm just not telling you for now"
Caleb "Fine" he just gives up.
He parks at Hanna's and they go inside the house.
Chocolate shows up at the front door with his bowl in his mouth.
Hanna "I'm sorry I made you wait, baby" she grabs his bowl from his mouth and heads to the kitchen to fill it with dog food.
Caleb and Chocolate follow her.
Hanna "You are staying the night, right?" she asks Caleb while placing Chocolate's bowl on the floor for him to go eat.
Caleb "Is that an invitation?" he asks while approaching her.
Hanna "Yes, it is" she smiles at him and wraps her arms around his neck.
Caleb's hands go straight to her face with the clear intention of starting a kiss.
Hanna "I can't believe we went through an entire day and we haven't kissed yet" she says and starts the kiss herself.
Caleb smiles. "Well, we have the entire night to catch up" he says against her lips and kisses her back.
Hanna breaks the kiss after a little while. "We will catch up tomorrow, It's been a long day… I'm pretty tired" she kisses his chin before letting go of him.
/
Hanna gets in her bedroom after her skin-care routine and after turning the lights off she gets in bed with Caleb.
Caleb "So are you joining me for lunch tomorrow?" he asks her on purpose while she grabs his arm and takes it to her waist for him to spoon her.
Hanna smiles. "I'll be busy working on my project"
Caleb "You are still not telling me about it?" he whispers into her ear, insisting in a playful mood.
Hanna turns around to face him, she can barely see him in the dark but she grabs his face in her hands and starts a kiss.
Caleb "Thought you were tired" he points out but still starts to kiss her back.
Hanna "Thought you wanted to catch up with the kissing"
Caleb laughs. "I think you are just trying to shush me with a kiss"
Hanna smiles in his lips but doesn't answer, she only captures his bottom lip again to resume the kissing.
But Caleb keeps talking. "You really want to keep it a secret. Now I'm just more intrigued"
Hanna pulls a little away and smiles amused. "Okay, wanna know? I'm just having an affair" she jokes.
Caleb only smiles and decides to leave her alone already. They are truly doing so well that he lets it go. He looks for her mouth again.
They kiss for a few more minutes until Hanna ends the kissing with a tender peck and turns back around for him to spoon her.
Caleb "Night, Han"
Hanna "Night, baby"
/
The morning after Caleb gets up early and takes a shower. Then goes back to Hanna's bedroom to get a clean shirt and underwear from his drawer. Yes, he has his own drawer in her closet since a week ago and it makes him really happy, like every step forward they take in their relationship. They are just little things that none of them have experienced before, since it's the first time they both are in a sane, pure and very adult relationship, so those little things mean a lot.
Hanna "See you later, babe" he tells him from her bed still half asleep.
Caleb approaches her and kisses her cheek before leaving her bedroom.
/
Hanna only stays in bed for a little longer because thinking of going back to working on her new design really excites her and gives her a very good reason to get up early.
She texts Spencer to check on her and Toby while making some coffee and then goes straight down the basement still wearing her nightie.
Without realizing, Hanna spends the entire day down there. She finishes the dress she has been working on a little after noon, but she is so happy with the result of her hard work that she barely goes up to the kitchen to eat something and let Chocolate out to the backyard and then goes back downstairs to put down on her sketchbook some other ideas that pop into her head.
It's the afternoon when she finally decides she's worked enough. Her back is starting to hurt and her sight is tired because of the bad lightening in the basement. She goes get Chocolate back inside and she is about to go upstairs to finally take a shower when Ashley arrives home.
Ashley "Hanna, what are you doing still in your nightie?" she asks after shutting the front door.
Hanna smiles widely. "I've something to show you, mom" she only responds and rushes back to the basement to go get the dress.
Ashley doesn't really know what to expect, because when it comes to Hanna it could be anything. She just goes to the kitchen and waits for Hanna there.
Hanna "Here" she says with a big smile on her face and places the dress on the kitchen countertop.
Ashley "What a beautiful dress, Hanna! Did you get it at the mall? You have to tell me where. Ted and I are going to this event next week and I need to get a nice dress"
Hanna "I made it myself, mom" she says very proudly.
Ashley "Really?" she smiles happily too. "You got back to designing?" she grabs the dress and starts to examine it more carefully now that she knows Hanna made it. "It's very nice, Hanna. So stylish but still so elegant" she adds.
Hanna "So you like it?"
Ashley "I love it"
Hanna smiles even wider. "It's yours then. Keep it"
Ashley "Oh, no. I can't take it. It's yours"
Hanna "Come on, mom. I want you to have it. I wasn't planning on making a dress anyway, it just happened"
Ashley "How's that?"
Hanna "I just found the fabric and I kind of got inspired" she shrugs.
Ashley "Well, you should keep doing it"
Hanna "Yeah… I have to get a job first. They never called me back from that store at the mall"
Ashley "You don't need to get a job, Han. This should be your job, this is clearly your passion" she points to the dress.
Hanna smiles again, but this time it's a slight smile. "Yes, but I would need a lot of money to start making dresses for a living… so I guess I'll just keep doing it for fun for now and then I'll see"
Ashley "Han, you prepared yourself for this and you are so good at it. I'll give you the money you need. That's not a problem"
Hanna "No, mom. I won't take your money. Caleb tried to give me money too. If I ever start a business making dresses, it will be with my own money"
Ashely "Why? I want to do this for you. Really, money is not a problem. I have savings and I want to support you in this"
Hanna "I can't take your money, mom. It would be a lot of pressure"
Ashley "Why? I am your mother. I'll still love you the same if you lose all my money" she jokes.
Hanna doesn't reply, so Ashley gets serious again and keeps insisting.
Ashley "Are you afraid of failing maybe? Because I'm sure you won't. You are so talented, Hanna"
Hanna "I'm good at designing, mom… I'm not so good at businesses, money, budgets and stuff. You know it"
Ashley "Well, make a business plan then. Work seriously on it"
Hanna is starting to really consider Ashley's offer.
Ashley "Let me give you the money you need. Consider it as a payment for this beautiful dress you just gave me" she smiles at Hanna and stares at her expectantly.
Hanna laughs. "It would be the most expensive dress in the world" she jokes.
Ashley "Well, it's worth it"
Hanna "I don't know, mom…"
Ashley "Okay, think of it, sweetie" She approaches Hanna and places her hand on her face to caress her cheek. "I just love you so much. Maybe when you have your own children you will understand. You'll get why I want to do this for you. I just want you to be happy, and helping you meet your goals makes me happy"
Ashley turns around and exits the kitchen with her new dress in her hands, leaving Hanna feeling emotional after hearing her loving words, and really considering her offer. Ashley truly loved the dress the moment she laid eyes on it, but she loved it even more after learning that Hanna made it.
/
Hanna parks her car at Spencer's and remains in there to read a text she got from Caleb while she was driving.
Caleb: Hey! I just got home. Wanna come over?
Chocolate starts to scratch one of the rear doors of the car, asking to be let out.
Hanna "Just a minute, baby" she says to the impatient dog in her backseat and texts Caleb back: I'm having dinner at Spencer's babe. I'm coming over later and I'll stay the night with you :)"
She finally gets out of the car and lets Chocolate out as well. And of course, he rushes toward Caleb's.
Hanna "No, Chocolate! Come back here! We are coming to Spencer's" she calls for him but it's pointless because the dog is already at Caleb's front door.
Hanna has no other option than going ring Caleb's doorbell instead.
Caleb "Hey, you!" he smiles at Hanna and moves to the side to let them in.
But only Chocolate goes inside.
Hanna "I'm having dinner at Spencer's, babe" she explains to him realizing he hasn't read her text yet. "I just texted you back"
Caleb "Oh… okay"
Hanna "I'm coming over later, okay? I'll stay the night"
Caleb only nods.
Hanna smiles at him and can't help stealing a brief kiss from him before leaving.
Caleb "Don't take too long" he yells at her when she is a few feet away.
Hanna turns to shoot him another smile and then goes on her way to Spencer's.
/
Hanna "So, how are you doing?" she asks her friend while setting the table.
Spencer sighs. "Where should I start?" she asks while getting the food from the oven.
Hanna "You and Toby, maybe?"
Spencer "I'd rather talk about it later… I won't be able to take a bite otherwise. Let's talk about you… you are obviously doing great with Caleb, so any other thing to tell me?" she asks as they sit at the table.
Hanna "Yes, actually…" she smiles. "I've got some news. And now that you ask, I'm even going to need your help with something"
Spencer "Really? Tell me" she says while grabbing Hanna's plate to serve her some food.
Hanna "Well… I want to start making dresses… like a little business maybe? I mean I want to do it for a living but I'm borrowing the money from my mom so I want to keep it simple and low risk."
Spencer "That's awesome, Han!" she says excited. "What can I help you with? I'm so in"
Hanna "I need to make a business plan and I obviously suck at it, so there's where you and that beautiful smart brain of yours come in" she grins.
Spencer chuckles. "Okay, me and my brain will be happy to help" she hands Hanna her plate.
Hanna "Great!... Just one little detail. I haven't told anyone about this. Not even Caleb. So please let's just keep it between us at least until I'm sure about this… I mean, I didn't even tell my mom I would take the money she offered me. I want to know how much money we are talking about first and how much time it would take me to pay her back"
Spencer "Sure. I'm not telling anyone"
They keep talking about Hanna's new project over dinner. And she also shows Spencer pictures of the dress she just finished earlier that day. And later, after loading the dishwasher, Spencer pours Hanna a glass of wine and they go to the living room to hang out there. They sit down on the couch.
Hanna "Wanna talk about you and Toby now? I mean, I don't want to push you, but If you want to talk to someone I'm here"
Spencer "Yeah… I mean, there´s not much to say anyway. We are obviously getting along better because he almost died and it got me thinking a lot…" she rests back on the couch. "But I don't know… it's not like we are just going back together because of what happened yesterday. Of course that almost losing him forever made me realize that I don't want a life without him, but we still need to figure things out. We are still on a break, but unlike three days ago when we were closer to breaking up for good than getting back together, now I see some hope for us"
Hanna nods. "I think you just need to give it some more time" she tells her sympathetically.
Spencer "Yeah, I know… It's just that I have this little time bomb ticking in here" she places her hand on her belly. "I mean it's not like we are getting back together because of the baby. It wouldn't be right… but I'd like to go through all these pregnancy things with him. I can't imagine going through labor and giving birth without him"
Hanna "Yeah… I get you" she reaches out and takes Spencer's hand. "I'm sure you'll figure things out by then. But even if not, he still will be there for you"
Spencer "Uh huh" she sighs. "I know he will, it wouldn't be the same as really being together, but he will be there no matter what. We still love each other after all"
Hanna "Then you are definitely getting back together soon" she gives Spencer a little smile.
Spencer smiles back at her. She finds Hanna kind of cute wanting her and Toby to get back together already. "Sometimes just love isn't enough"
Hanna "I know… but if there's still love, there's hope" she takes a sip of wine.
Spencer "Tell me more about that conversation you two had. He really told you he would leave the police?"
Hanna "Yes. He told me he wanted to quit his job after what happened to me. He felt disappointed because they did nothing for me. But then they assigned him to this case and he decided to stay for a while longer. That's all I know. I swear"
Spencer nods. "I don't want him to quit his job because of me anyway. I know he joined the police because he wanted to help people because he loves to help and that's one of the reasons why I fell in love with him in the first place. And I know I wasn't being rational when I got mad at him for working at night"
Hanna "So? What happened then?"
Spencer "We had been having some issues since last year more or less… they started as little issues like communication problems, leaving things unsaid not to argue… and things got better for a while after we found out about the pregnancy but then we went back to all that and we started to have fights and we said some hurtful things, it all got bigger and before we knew it, we were already miles away from each other" she takes her hand away from Hanna's and takes both her hands to wipe a few tears on her cheeks.
Hanna "But you looked so happy together. I didn't see it coming"
Spencer "You weren't here, Han"
Hanna nods.
Spencer "And we got along well when we hanged out with you and the guys" she looks at Hanna's glass of wine. "I'd kill for some wine right now" she smiles slightly.
Hanna leaves the glass on the coffee table and gets closer to Spencer. "I promise everything will get better, Spence" she pulls her friend into a hug.
Spencer "I hope so" she hugs Hanna back. "Thanks for being here"
Hanna "I love you"
They keep talking about random things for hours. At some point they even go back to talking about Hanna's project and start to discuss some of the details they need to figure out to come out with a good business plan.
It's 2 a.m. and Hanna feels so tired already. She can't stop thinking about Caleb's bed. But she feels bad about leaving Spencer alone and that's the only reason why she is still there. Luckily for her, suddenly the doorbell rings.
Hanna "Are you expecting someone?" she asks confused because it's just too late.
Spencer "Nope" she says while standing up from the couch. "Caleb, maybe?"
Hanna "Yeah, it could be him. I told him I would go to his place when I left here" she stands up as well and follows Spencer to the front door.
Spencer "Oh, it's Toby" she says a little surprised after taking a look through the peephole.
Hanna gives her a smile.
Spencer "Hey" she greets him after opening the door.
Toby "Hey, Spence"
Spencer opens the door wider and Toby gets to see Hanna in there too.
Toby "Oh, so you have company"
Hanna "Hey, Tob"
Toby nods at Hanna and looks back at Spencer. "I'm sorry I just got worried because I texted you hours ago and… never mind. You are fine"
Spencer "Yeah, I'm sorry I was with Han and I didn't pay attention to my phone"
Toby only nods and turns around to leave.
Spencer "Wait" she stops him. "You drove all the way here? You aren't supposed to be driving yet. You just got out from the hospital this afternoon, Toby"
Toby only stares at her.
Spencer "Come in... we were just having some wine" she moves to the side to let him in. "Well, actually only Han was having wine"
Toby smiles and goes inside.
Hanna "So how are you feeling Toby?" she asks as they get back in the living room and she goes sit in a chair this time.
Toby "It hurts like hell" he replies while flopping down on the couch. "But I just survived a fucking shooting so I guess I couldn't be better" he jokes.
Spencer "You should be more careful. You shouldn't have drove here" she scolds him while heading for the kitchen.
Hanna "I'm glad you are fine" she shoots him a kind smile and takes her glass to finish the wine in it.
Toby "Thank you, Han"
Hanna places the glass back on the coffee table. "Wanna me to leave you alone with Spencer?"
Toby "Well… it's not like I want to kick you out… but I could use some time alone with her right now"
Hanna only smiles in response.
Spencer gets back to the living room with another glass and the wine bottle. She pours Toby some wine. "Only half a glass for you. I'm not sure you can drink alcohol" she hands him the glass. "Want more wine, Han?"
Hanna "No, thanks. I actually have to leave. Caleb must be waiting for me" she stands up and grabs her purse.
Spencer walks her to the door.
Hanna "Good night, Spence"
Spencer "Let's talk tomorrow, maybe we can start working on that business plan, okay?"
Hanna "Yeah, I'll text you. Take care"
Spencer "You too, Han. See you"
/
Hanna lets herself into Caleb's house. It's the first time she ever uses the key he gave to her. All the lights are off so she uses the light on her phone to make her way upstairs. She finds Chocolate sleeping in his bed there on the hallway next to the door of Caleb's bedroom and she can't help making a stop there. She kneels down next to the dog bed.
Hanna "Hey baby" she whispers and Chocolate immediately exposes his tummy asking for some caresses.
Hanna strokes Chocolate's tummy for a little while and then places a kiss on the side of his snout before standing up. She enters Caleb's room being extremely careful not make any noise. She knows it's too late and he has to go to work early.
She takes her clothes off and even though she knows Caleb is so tidy and his room is always so clean, she just leaves her clothes there on the floor because it's half past two in the morning and she won't just take the time to fold her clothes and put them away.
Wearing only her underwear she finally gets in bed and as soon as her head touches the pillow, Caleb turns around to her.
Caleb "Hey" he whispers half asleep.
Hanna "Hi, baby. I'm sorry I woke you up" she says softly.
Caleb rests his head on her chest and wraps his arm around her like if her body were his pillow. His cheek crushed against one of her breasts.
Caleb "You took too long"
Hanna "I know… I'm here now" she wraps her arms around him and rests one of her hands on his head to caress his hair. "Go back to sleep"
Caleb feels so good being held by Hanna that he tries to stay awake for a little longer but ends up back asleep only a few minutes later.
Hanna "I'm having lunch with you tomorrow" she tells him after a while, not knowing he's back asleep but she realizes about it when she gets no answer.
She keeps caressing his hair until she falls asleep too.