A/N: Okaaaaayyy, the new episode gave me all the feels, there was SO MUCH HALEB and it was SO DAMN CUTE!
I had to write this one shot. I KNEW the car scene was a dream because so much didn't make sense about it to me, and I'm trying to convey that in this at the beginning, I hope it worked! Anyway, we saw Hanna waking up all panicked and then showing up at Caleb's door all panicked, (totally can't work out if he's got an apartment or if he's staying at the Radley, hence my vagueness), and I watched the scene and I knew I had to write this. The missing scene. I hope you guys like it, if you're a follower of NLYG, I'll be writing the first two chapters for the next part tomorrow and should have it finished Saturdaaaaay! I'm just plotting what to do :)
Hanna was walking down the street with the girls and Caleb discussing Noel. She wasn't entirely sure why they where walking down the middle of the street, and talking about A related things right out in the open where anywhere could see or hear them. They'd taken Spencer's car to the storm cellar….hadn't they? So why hadn't they come back in it? She shook her head, focusing in on the conversation. She was convinced Noel was A. He'd written the exact same thing on the back of Ezra's damn car. Alison was telling them right now that he'd pushed a girl down the freaking stairs at at a frat party and gotten away with it because his parents paid the girl off. The guy was shady. Always had been, plus he had the cash to fund his...A-ness. He had been spying on Alison for Charlotte. He was mixed up in everything somehow. It had to be him. There was nothing trustworthy about him. He was Uber A and she didn't understand why the others couldn't see that, why they kept debating who was behind what when it was so obvious. They where arguing over whether or not he was any kind of A….wasting time when he was the most obvious person. Like she'd said…no story with him in it had a happy ending.
"Exactly why we shouldn't be arguing about whether Noel is A, AD, Uber A or whatever. God. I can't believe you guys" Hanna finally snapped in response to Spencer's comment, unable to contain her anger and frustration. Why did no-one listen to her? Why where they ignoring what was right in front of them? Noel got away with everything…where they going to let him get away with this too? She stormed off across the street and away from her friends, she couldn't stand to be around them any longer, in that moment. As she stormed off she noticed how quiet it all was. No people. No cars. Strange. It wasn't that late…..was it? She actually couldn't remember what the time was. She heard someone following her and knew who it was before he reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Hey" he said gently.
"Don't" Hanna whirled to face him, breaking his light hold on her arm. "When are they going to realise that Noel Khan is the one that we're after?" she demanded.
"They just want to be certain okay?" Caleb tried to reason, "Mary and Jenna are still out there"
"Oh come on. How much more proof do we need, than the words 'I see you' being written on our car outside of the storm cellar? Those where the exact words written on Ezra's car at Camp Mona" she laid out the evidence.
"I know okay, I get it, it's just that-"
"You don't believe me either" she couldn't believe it. Caleb was supposed to believe her. Caleb was supposed to be on her side.
"Look we have to be completely positive before we do anything rash"
"Well I am. And by now if you're not…I don't know what's going to change your mind" she turned and walked away. She was done with this conversation. No-one ever believed her. It looked like she was on her own. Why couldn't they just trust her for once, she was supposed to be their friend but nothing she ever said mattered. Not even Caleb believed her. So fine. He could go and run off with the others, debate until the sun came up. She was going to do what she had to, to prove that Noel was Uber A.
"Hanna-" Caleb started as he followed her. He was cut off by the sound of a car starting, breaking the silence of the night violently, and bright headlights illuminating the both of them. They both turned in the direction it came from, squinting in the harsh light and watched as a car started to speed towards them. Hanna froze up.
"Hanna look out!" Caleb shouted and he shoved her out of the way. She hit the ground hard, her hands and her hip taking most of the hit and she heard a dull impact and squealing brakes. She slowly turned around, and there he was. Noel Khan. Sitting in the car that had sped right at them and he…he smiled right at her. Hanna tore her eyes away from him, to Caleb…who was lying in the road. He wasn't moving. He was completely still….he…he wasn't breathing. She couldn't think….she couldn't tear her eyes away. It was her worst nightmare come to life. Caleb…dead…because of her. She screamed.
She was still screaming when she jolted awake. Flipping on to her back. She heaved in ragged breaths. It had felt so…so….real. Alison had told them on the way back everything about Noel…spying on her for Charlotte, pushing that girl…his parents buying her off. But they'd been in the car and driving back, not walking across the square. It wasn't real. It was just a dream. A nightmare. She heaved in breath after breath, trying to calm down, bringing her hands to her face. She knew Noel was Uber A. The others still had doubts. But Hanna knew. She had to make them believe her or just like in her nightmare someone could get hurt. She couldn't get the image of Noels wide smile out of her mind. She'd been angry they hadn't believed her…that he hadn't believed her and then Noel had done such an A thing…he'd tried to run her over but Caleb had pushed her out of the way to save her. It was such a Caleb thing to do. He would always save her. Always make sure she was safe. She didn't think that had changed. He had broken up with Spencer, because he still had feelings for her. They'd had a heart to heart while he was decoding…he's seen her lack of a ring. She didn't know what was going on with them but he cared, cared enough to be hit by a car to protect her. It was all too real, scarily real...real enough that she was in a genuine panic, and no amount of calming breaths would work.
She suddenly had such a bad feeling and a creeping feeling of dread. Was this a warning? Was Caleb in danger? If she didn't get the others to believe Noel was Uber A would something happen to him? Would Noel target them? Try to shut her up? Or was Caleb in danger right now? Was he safe? Was he…had he been hurt, is that what her dream was trying to tell her? She'd read somewhere all about dreams and their meanings and as she tried and failed to fight off the panic the nightmare had left her in she acted without thinking, thoughts going blank in her panic. She rushed out of bed, fighting out of the blankets that had wrapped around her as she'd tossed and turned, and she rushed to where her phone was charging.
She picked it up, fumbled with it and eventually dialled, trying to calm her breathing. It rang and rang….no answer. Now she really started to panic. The dream….the dream was a warning…Caleb was in trouble….he wasn't answering…maybe he couldn't answer…maybe he was…he was….she hit dial again and this time she heard the click of someone picking up the other end after a couple of rings.
"Hello?" Said a sleepy, familiar voice.
"Caleb?" Hanna cried, barely letting him finish his greeting.
"Hanna? What's wrong? It's…it's…does that say 5am...or is it 6?" she could practically hear him squinting.
"Are you okay?" she rushed out.
"Huh?"
"Are you okay? You…you're okay right?"
"Uuuhh…I think so?"
"You…you didn't answer..you haven't been hit by a car or…or…or…" she shuddered as the image came back to her. It was like revenge…karma for what she'd done to Rollins.
"Hanna I'm fine. I've been asleep until you called and woke me…that's why I didn't answer the first time" she could hear him becoming more alert in the tone of his voice. "Hanna what's going on?"
"I…I….." she could barely get words out through her panicked breathing.
"Hanna calm down. Calm down and tell me what's wrong" He said gently. She breathed in and out a couple of times, Caleb waiting patiently on the other end. She swallowed.
"I…I had a dream. A nightmare. We where all walking in town…you, me, the girls. We where arguing about Noel..whether or not he was A and I thought he was but…no-one believed me and I got upset and I walked off and you followed me and you didn't believe me either and…and…and…then a car came at us and you pushed me out of the way and it hit you and you…you..you where dead and Noel was smiling and I…I…it was so real and I thought…I thought…" Hanna trailed off as she started crying. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Caleb. Things hadn't been great between them the last few years, but she still loved him. She loved him so much. But this…this was why she couldn't…couldn't be with him again, not right now. It was too dangerous. Something like her dream…it could really happen. She sniffled.
"Han. I'm fine. I promise you. Nothing bad has happened to me. I've been in bed all night."
"Are you sure?" she said, she felt…unsettled, she couldn't get the images from the nightmare out of her head. Caleb must have sensed it, or maybe he just knew her that well, even after all this time.
"Look, why don't you come over? You can see how fine I am for yourself" he said with a chuckle, and Hanna joined in tearfully.
"I'll be there soon" she said.
"Okay. See you" he said and hung up.
Hanna tossed the phone on her bed and got dressed quickly. Throwing on whatever she could find. She dragged a brush through her hair and washed the tears from her face. Caleb had said he was fine but Hanna still felt shaken, she still felt like something was...wrong...off. She wouldn't believe it until she'd seen him. She drove over to his as fast as she could, and practically ran up to his door. Knocking on it impatiently. The door opened…and there he was. Caleb…looking like his usual…unharmed self. She rushed through the door and he frowned at her in concern as he closed it behind her.
"So you're fine? Really fine?" She asked, her breaths coming a little bit fast from her sprint to him from the car. Caleb watched her in concern. She'd really worked herself up.
"I'm fine" he said with a slight chuckle.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying Hanna's concern for him. He just didn't like seeing her so worked up. But she was kinda cute when she was worrying about him. She'd sounded so freaked out when he'd answered her call, and then she was crying, he hated it when she cried and it was all because she was concerned for him. Scared for him. He'd broken up with Spencer because he was confused but….he knew he loved Hanna. Still loved her. He just hadn't known what to do about it, but he could't be with Spencer when he didn't feel the same way about her as she did about him…when he loved someone else, but then he'd seen Hanna's ring finger, with no ring and he'd felt hope. He still had a chance, maybe she felt the same way as him...maybe she couldn't be with Jordan because she still loved him. He hadn't fought for her..he'd let her push him away and he hadn't been there for her after everything she'd been through but he wanted to make it up to her, and he just needed the chance. Hanna's concern for him, just proved how much she still cared about him, and made him hope that chance was pretty close.
"Really?" she said, still a little panicked.
"Fine" he said with finality, resting his hands on her shoulders, to get her to stand still and really look at him. To believe him. He wasn't sure who initiated it. If he'd used his grip on her shoulders to pull her, or if she'd reached for him, but suddenly she had her arms wrapped around him, and his arms where wrapped tightly around her. It felt good. To hold Hanna again. To comfort her again. To just…be with her again. He gave her a light squeeze, and he could feel her hands gripping his back tightly. He didn't want the hug to end. He'd missed this..missed her….missed them.