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Aaron wasn’t sure at what point he decided to go. He had been thinking about it for months, to the point where he had planned it out to the last detail. But then there was the matter of Amy, who had been staying in Hannah’s apartment and definitely needed adult supervision, and that he didn’t actually know where Hannah was. He suspected Amy knew, but the teenager kept her mouth shut. Every time he thought about pulling out his phone and calling her, he thought better of it, for months and months and months. And then the one time he did, he found that the number no longer belonged to her.
Then he remembered the one person he knew who could find anyone on earth if he put his mind to it, so he called him.
“Chuck?”
“Aaron? It’s been a while.”
“It’s nice to hear from you, Chuck. Listen, I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything for you. What’s up?” Aaron paused. Could he ask him to do this? Did he want to ask her to do this? And then he pictured Hannah’s face, her broad, white smile, framed by her long brown hair and her eyes that saw everything.
“I need you to find someone.” Chuck sighed.
“Aaron-“
“Please.”
“Aaron, I’ve looked for her, but she’s smart. She doesn’t want to be found.” Aaron nodded. He had expected as much.
“Thanks anyway, Chuck.” He hung up and fell backwards on the sofa in his empty apartment. Oh, well. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. In the meantime, he could get through the stuff he had to do at home. And he would start with the massive pile of junk mail that had collected on the kitchen counter.
Halfway through the stack of bills and catalogs, Aaron came across an unassuming cream-colored envelope. It was nicer, heavier paper than most mail, he noticed. And then he flipped it over and saw the scrawled, loopy handwriting he had struggled to decipher on a thousand reports, that had signed a half-dozen birthday and Christmas cards that he had received from twenty different countries. It was Hannah, he saw her in her writing, in his own name and address. His hands shook as he opened the envelope and unfolded the heavy white paper.
Aaron , it read,
I haven’t heard from you in a while. Which is admittedly my fault. Anyway, I know you hate to get sappy, but I miss you. I miss everyone, but it seems like every day I see something and I think, “that would make Aaron smile”. I miss your smile, Aaron. I’m just writing to say merry Christmas, I guess, to you and Amy. I won’t be back for the holidays, so I find myself having plenty of time to write this letter and more in between glasses of wine alone on my fire escape. I've seem to have forgotten how to sleep.
There’s a Chinese proverb my mother taught me when I was young. 情人眼里出西施, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I agree with it, Sweden is certainly beautiful this time of year. Give my love to everyone, and I’ll see you when I do. Hopefully soon, if you know me as well as I think you do.
Much love from Stockholm, Hannah.
Aaron read the letter, and re-read it, and then re-read it again.
“Am I reading into this?” He asked himself silently. But there was no one on earth he knew better than Hannah, and there was no one who knew him better than her. He got up and practically ran to his home office. He pulled out the legal pad he had been so fond of writing notes out on in his early days. “If I know you as well as I think that I do.” “Much love from Stockholm.” It was a message if he had ever seen one, and he had seen dozens.
Aaron had a suitcase out from under the bed and packed within five minutes. He grabbed his passport from the kitchen drawer, his car keys and wallet, and was out the door in ten minutes. There weren’t many flights to Stockholm, but he found one, and ten hours later he stepped off the plane in Sweden. That was when he promptly realized he didn’t know how to find Hannah and he didn’t speak a word of Swedish. He called the one person who could help him, once again.
“Chuck,” he answered, yawning. “Aaron, it’s two in the morning.”
“In Stockholm, it’s eight o’clock.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Wait, Aaron, are you in Sweden right now?”
“Yes, and as a matter of fact, so is Hannah. Chuck, I need you to find her. Look for a driver’s license, employment records, whatever you can to find her address.”
“Fine. Give me twenty minutes. I’ll call you back.” She called back almost exactly twenty minutes later.
“So, Hannah was working as a trauma counselor for a month or so, but her records ended about a month and a half ago. I did manage to get a home address, though.” Aaron listened and scrawled down the address on his legal pad.
“Thanks, Chuck. Go back to bed.”
“I’ll talk to you later. Preferably when the sun’s up.”
Aaron caught a cab to the address Chuck had given him, but when he talked to the landlord, he found out-
“Sorry, she left almost two months ago,” the landlord said in strongly accented English. Aaron nodded and turned to leave, but the landlord cleared his throat. “Wait. You wouldn’t happen to be, ah, Aaron Shore?”
“Yes, that’s me.” The landlord nodded and reached behind the building’s front desk. He pulled out an envelope, the same heavy cream-colored paper with messy blue ink across it.
“She left this for you.” Aaron took the letter and read it in the cab back to the airport.
Aaron,
I’m sorry I missed you. I don’t know if my letter got lost in the mail or if you let it get caught up in that awful stack of mail you always let pile up in your kitchen. Either way, I’ve found that it wasn’t just DC I couldn’t stay in. I can’t seem to stay anywhere for too long. But again, you know me too well, so you know what I’m doing. See you soon, Aaron.
Much love from Singapore, Hannah.
Aaron folded the letter and slipped it into his breast pocket, right alongside the first one. So, Singapore. Well, Aaron had saved well from early in his life, including his airline miles, and he had always wanted to travel the world. Besides, he had a three week leave in place.
The more Aaron thought about it, the more he realized he would do this forever if he had to. He wouldn’t leave the White House behind, of course, but if he had to keep chasing Hannah through letters and airplanes, he would do it. There was a time when he would have denied that, and when he would have denied feeling anything for Hannah other than friendship and perhaps a strong sense of family. But he felt that family bond with Seth, with Hannah, with Lyor, with Kendra and the President. With Hannah, there was something more. Something he hadn’t realized until too late. That something had taken over him, made him sick with love and the pain of not knowing how to find it. Before Hannah, he hadn’t understood the term ‘lovesick’. But there was no other word to describe the feeling he felt now, that grew with every hour on the plane. He was closer now, he felt it. He would find her.
He always did.
One seventeen hour flight later, the flight touched down in Singapore, and once again, Aaron called Chuck.
“Where are you now?” He asked without bothering to greet him.
“Singapore. What time is it there?”
“Nine o’clock. A.M. You’re good. Twenty minutes?”
“Sounds good.”
Twenty minutes passed and this time, Aaron had to call Chuck.
“Chuck? What’s taking so long?”
“It seems like Hannah didn’t work for whatever amount of time she was there. I’m looking into hotel records now, and... got it!”
An hour later, Aaron found Hannah’s hotel, and just like Stockholm, found her gone, with another letter in her place.
Aaron,
We have to stop meeting like this. Or rather, not meeting like this. I’ve only been here for about a week, and I don’t think I’ll stay any longer. It’s fine here, a little too hot for my tastes. The food here’s great, just my type. You should really try their laksa. If you’re reading this, I’ll see you in the next spot.
Much love from Athens, Hannah.
“Damn it, Hannah, can’t you just date your letters?” He muttered. “Back to the airport, then.” To Greece it was. Another fifteen hour flight. Aaron’s legs were cramping and he hadn’t had a steady sleep in almost three days now. He didn’t know what time it was in Greece or in DC when he called Chuck, but she picked up anyway.
“Where?”
“Athens. Twenty minutes?”
“Twenty minutes, be right back.”
As Aaron walked the crowded city streets of Athens, staring up at the Parthenon, he thought about how little he had seen. He never had a chance to travel the world, he realized. That was always more Hannah’s speed. He loved this, seeing the world through her eyes. It was like being with her. He could almost hear her cracking jokes and reciting facts, probably in her best imitation of Chuck, which wasn’t particularly good.
This time, Aaron found just what he expected. A letter. He had grown to like the letters. Not as much as he would’ve liked to find her, but he liked the way she smudged the ink as she wrote and made the lines a little too long when she crossed her Ts. He wasn’t Chuck, he knew next to nothing about handwriting analysis, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know her from her writing.
Aaron,
I stayed three weeks this time. I hoped you would get here sooner. I would have loved to show you the Acropolis and the Parthenon and taken you to all the temples and museums. I highly recommend you take some time to check them out. Of course, depending on how far behind you are, maybe you don’t have time. I’ve seem to have forgotten your face. I hope you find me, still. Please find me, Aaron.
Much love from Mumbai, Hannah.
“Fuck it, Hannah, why do you have to move across the continent?” He asked it as if she could answer. The letters were something, but they weren’t her. He had to find her, the real her, not just these damn letters. The next step on that trip was India.
Aaron would chase Hannah to the ends of the world.
“Aaron, so help me god, please tell me you’re getting closer,” Chuck said as soon as he picked up the phone.
“I think so. At least, I hope so. I’m in Mumbai. She’s only two weeks ahead of me now, so she can’t have gone far. Check hotel records, Chuck.”
“On it.” This time, Aaron didn’t even bother hanging up the phone. He was content to listen to him type and hum quietly to himself. “Hey, Aaron?”
“Yeah?”
“You really like Hannah, huh?” He hesitated. Because he did, didn’t he? Why else would be crossing the world to find her?
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Good. Cause if you ever hurt her, I will destroy you, and I’m sure Hannah wouldn’t like that. So find her and bring her back.”
Aaron grinned. Trust Chuck to give him the shovel talk now. “I’ll see what I can do. What do you have for me?”
“Well, I have her address where she stayed for the last two weeks.”
“So she’s still here.” Aaron let out a sigh of relief.
“Well, maybe. She checked out this morning.” Aaron got in a cab and told the driver to step on it.
“Damn it!” Aaron restrained the urge to punch a wall. She had left two hours ago, the hotel manager told him, and handed him another letter.
Aaron,
Damn it. I thought I left enough time. I hope you see me. I hope I see you before Christmas. Although I can’t blame you if you decide to give up and go back home. If you do, I’ll see you when I do. I’ll keep this letter short, and I’m not sure how many more I’ll write if you don’t catch up soon. But I hope you know I’m not trying to abandon you, and if you find me, I’ll be the happiest I’ve been in years. Also, tell Chuck thank you. I’m sure there’s no way you’ve found me without him. Much love from, well, where would I disappear to? You know me, Aaron. You know me too well.
At that moment, Aaron knew exactly where she was. Just one more sixteen hour flight away.
Aaron had always liked Paris. Hannah had always liked Paris, actually, and Aaron liked Hannah. The truth was that Aaron didn’t much care about where he was.
“Chuck-“
“Paris?”
“Yes, how did you-?”
“Please. I know Hannah. Anyway, she hasn’t been here long enough for me to know where she is-“
“That’s fine. I know. I just called to tell you she says thank you. And so do I.”
“Hannah’s my best friend. I’d do anything for her. Go get the girl, Aaron.”
“Thanks, Chuck.” Aaron knew exactly where she was. She didn’t often talk about Paris, but when she did, she talked about the view she loved, when she could see the Eiffel Tower and the Seine from the same window. He bought a map from a newsstand and sat down to mark it off. A drizzling rain had begun to fall, but he hardly noticed. He didn’t have Chuck’s geographical profiling skills, but he could mark off the area that could see both the river and the tower. Then all he had to do was find the apartment buildings in that area. As a matter of fact, there were only three. Only one had Hannah, or rather one of her aliases, in their records.
It was late and pouring rain by the time Aaron arrived. He scanned the buzzer in the dim, foggy light of the street lamps. She would use her own name this time. She had no reason to hide. So he found the button next to the name Wells and relief washed over him as he pushed it. And it was at that moment that he realized he had no idea what to say. But he didn’t have time to think about it because the intercom buzzed.
“Qu'est-ce?” It was French, but it was her. Aaron had to hold in a half-gasp-half-sob. “Qu'est-ce?” She repeated.
“It’s Aaron.” There was a pause, and then-
“Aaron? Oh my god, Aaron?”
“It’s me, Hannah,” he replied, and he found that he was crying just a little bit. His tears mixed with the rain that had now drenched his face, and for that matter the rest of him.
“Hold on.” Something buzzed and the door unlocked. Aaron heaved his bag over his shoulder and sprinted up the stairs, disregarding the elevator entirely. He ran up ten flights of stairs and down to the end of the hall, panting and trailing water behind him. He pounded on her door, knowing he was being too loud and frankly not caring. As he began to knock again, the door swung open and his fist hit empty air, and behind that empty air there was Hannah, staring up at him in slack-jawed silence. And Aaron still didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. He just kissed her. His hands were on her face, her hands were on his back, and he was steadily dripping rainwater onto the hardwood floors.
“You found me,” she said at last as she broke the kiss.
“I’m one of the best, Hannah. Did you think I wouldn’t?” He asked, still cupping her face in his hands.
“Not for a second. Although I got a little worried there in Athens for a minute.”
“Please. Also, I had Chuck track your employment and hotel records.”
“Hmm. Very smart.” She stepped aside to allow him in. Her apartment was filled with boxes. She had arrived mere hours before him.
“I was so close to getting you in India.”
“I know. But I’m glad it was here.” She took his hand and tugged him through the near-empty apartment.
“Hannah? Where are we going?”
“Fire escape.” She crawled through the open window and helped him through. The rain soaked her down in less than a minute, but she didn’t seem to mind. From the fire escape, the Eiffel Tower was lit up in a golden spire, and the reflection danced across the Seine. He could see why she liked it so much.
“Aaron-“
“Hannah-“ They both laughed, and it came unbearably easily, as if they had never been apart.
“You go first.”
“I need to tell you something. I need to tell you why I came across the world to find you.” He turned around so that his back was facing her. He didn’t think he could do this if he had to look into her eyes. “Hannah Wells, I love you. And I didn’t realize it until you were gone. Which, I’ll admit, was stupid of me. It was stupid of me to ever let you go.
“Yeah, it really was.”
“Hey, can you-? Thanks. Anyway, like I was saying before I was so very rudely interrupted, I found you, and I’ll find you ten more times if I have to because this is a few times in a lifetime type of love. And not being with you makes me feel sick. And I came across the world to find you.”
“You said that.”
“Well, I’m running out of things to say, so can you just kiss me and shut me up please?” Hannah put a hand on his shoulder and leaned over his shoulder. He had to crane his neck, but she kissed him.
“I love you, Aaron Shore,” she said between kisses.
“Oh, thank god.” He looked down at her positively drenched clothes. “You’re going to catch a cold.”
“So are you. Give me your bag, I’ll toss the stuff in the dryer, and you can hop in the shower.” Aaron stammered incoherently. “Please. I’m not proposing anything indecent. But you’ve been chasing me for almost four days. You need a shower.” Aaron shook his head, spraying water everywhere.
“In a minute. First, promise me you’ll have all your stuff unpacked by Christmas. You deserve Christmas.”
“Yes, coach.”
“Second... promise me you’ll let me stay for Christmas. So you’re not alone.” Hannah’s brows furrowed.
“What about the others?”
“They’ll survive without me for a few days.” Hannah bit her lip.
“Or... what if I came home with you? What if I came back to DC and spent Christmas with you and Amy and the guys?” Aaron felt his eyes start to water again.
“You would do that? I thought you wanted to escape D.C.”
“I do. Kind of. I wanted to escape because I thought there wasn’t anything for me there. But that was dumb. I have you. I have our friends. So I don’t know that I’ll be back right away, but I’ll come back for Christmas.”
Aaron threw his arms around Hannah in an uncharacteristic burst of excitement. Then again, he couldn’t help it.
“Hey, Aaron?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. I never thought I’d have anyone who would cross the world to find me.”
“As long as you keep running, I’ll keep chasing.”