Pretty Little Liars 1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Aria smiled as she stole a glance at the man in the drivers seat. As usual he took her breath away. Ezra Fitz, her boyfriend for a year today, former English teacher, and love of her life, looked over at Aria and her favorite boyish grin formed on his face as he realized Aria was looking at him. Today was the first time since the masquerade ball, and the revealing of –A the mysterious stalker that had been stalking and ruining Aria and her friends lives, they were out in public.

Once school ended for the year they spent the whole summer together besides the week Aria was in Florida with her family. They mostly spent time in Philly at the beach, or going out to dinner because going completely public in Rosewood was difficult. It was a small town and people were extremely quick to judge. Also they were still trying to warm Aria's parents to the idea of them as a couple, Ella was warmed up finally and allowed them to see each other during the summer, but they are still keeping it a secret from Byron ever since he ruined Ezra's job. This was a difficult task but Ella helped, a lot.

Today was their one-year anniversary. They made it finally after all the hiding and sneaking around and fighting they came out on top and made it through a tough year. Ezra wanted to surprise Aria so she had no idea where they were going.

"Ezra are we almost there yet?" Aria asked dying to know where he was taking her.

"Yup pulling in now." He replied with a laugh as they pulled into where they first met a year ago, Snookers, the Hollis bar.

"What are we doing here?" Aria asked confused, she knew where they were but wouldn't people question them if they saw people they noticed?

"I thought we could recreate the date." Ezra said looking over at Aria waiting to see his girlfriend's reaction.

"I wouldn't really call it a date, we ended the night in the bathroom" Aria whispered seductively at Ezra as they walked hand in hand to the bar.

"And are you complaining?" Ezra said with a hint of sneakiness in his voice as he wrapped his hand around Aria's waist.

"Not at all Mr. Fitz" Aria replied with a smile as she leaned her head against Ezra's chest.

They make there way into Snookers; the difference is they come in together this time, not alone. Aria looks around and smiles she realizes she doesn't care who see's or what people say because the only person she cares about is right next to her.

Ezra led them into a booth and orders two cheeseburgers for them once the waitress walks over. "I guess they kind of owe you a cheeseburger since you kind of got distracted last time and never got it" Ezra says remembering how they ended up making out on the sink before the Bartender had time to give Aria her cheeseburger.

The rest of the meal went by quick as they made small talk and laughed and ate. Once they were done eating and paid Ezra told Aria he needed to run to the bathroom to pee quickly. An idea crossed Aria's mind. After Ezra walked in she followed him and found him leaning against the sink with a smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"So you caught on" He smiled happily realizing his plan had worked. He hosted Aria up on to the sink. She pulled him in and kissed him hungrily. A sense of Déjà vu swept over Aria as she felt Ezra's lips on her own. She could smell his cinnamon and pinecone scent mixed with the cologne she bought him as a surprise and taste the left over scotch on his lips. A year later and she still felt the electricity and butterflies she got every time Ezra kissed her. About twenty minutes later Aria's phone rung, pulling her back to reality and saw Spencer's name light up on her phone. Ezra pulled back hearing the noise as well. "Time out" Aria whispered into his lips before answering her phone.

"Hey Spence, What's up?" "Can you come to the grill for like an hour? I need to talk to you about something, Emily and Hanna are on there way" Spencer answered, sounding with a tone Aria couldn't quite tell if it was happy or scared. "Sure, I'll be write there" Aria replied.

"Everything ok babe?" Ezra asked after Aria put away her phone. "Yeah but would you be able to drop me off at the grill for like an hour Spencer needs to talk to me" "Not at all…only if you promise to come over after." Ezra answered without hesitation. "Do you really think I would leave you now if I thought I wasn't going to see you the rest of the day" Aria answered with playfulness as she leaned in for another kiss before hopping off the sink.

About ten minutes later, Ezra had pulled up in front of The Grill. Aria saw Spencer, Hanna and Emily waiting outside for Aria. "Hey Mr. Fitz" The girls said in unison as they noticed his car. "Hey girls" Ezra replied with a smile on his face, he remembered how he thought it would be weird if Aria's friends knew about them, but it had been the exact opposite they seemed to support them and help them out as much as possible and Ezra was thankful for that.

Aria was starting to get out of the car as Ezra grabbed her hand. He leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss, which made her friends go CRAZY. Aria got out laughing before he pulled away he realized he forgot something. "Aria! Come here for a minute" He said. She made her way to the window and he said in a voice loud enough that people around them would be able to here "I love you." The biggest smile spread across the petite girls face as she pulled him for a kiss and whispered "I love you too, I'll call you as soon as I'm done."

Aria walked into The Grill and spotted her friends they had just sat down at a table closest to the door. "I will never get over how hot you and Fitz are." Hanna said as Aria sat down and blushed at Hanna's comment. "Seriously, I'm surprised we were even able to pull you two off each other for an hour" Emily added in. Aria laughed and looked at her friends she was about to make a comment, when Spencer and jumped in. "Wait today's your one year anniversary isn't it!" Aria smiled and nodded her head and commented, "Yes so would you like to tell me what's going on so I can get back to Ezra!" "My mom wants Jason to move in with us." Spencer said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Aria could tell she wasn't sure how to react about this. Ever since Spencer found out Jason was her half-brother, things around the Hastings's house have been rather awkward. "Why would she do that? He has a home." Emily asked in confusion. "Well she thinks that he should stay with us because he is apart of this family now and his parents don't live with him anyway." Spencer said staring down at her napkin. "Well what did he say?" Aria asked. "He said yes." Spencer whispered so low the girls had to strain their ears just to hear her.

An hour later the girls were walking out of the grill and had finally managed to calm Spencer down and assure her everything is going to be ok. "Can one of you drop me of at Ezra's?" Aria asked remembering she didn't have a car with her. "Sure, it's on the way home anyways" Hanna replied, remembering when Aria had taken them to Ezra's apartment to go through Ali's stuff one more time.

"_On my way see you soon xoxo-Aria" _She quickly sent Ezra a text alerting him that she was on her way. As Hanna was driving towards Ezra's apartment they passed a new building that read "**The Brew." **Curious, the girls pulled over and looked at the window. A new coffee, hangout shop was opening next week. Finally, another places to go in Rosewood rather than just The Grill, which after a while becomes too familiar.

Aria thanked Hanna as she left the car and started making her way up to Ezra's apartment. She tried to ignore Hanna as she screamed out the window "Remember to use protection! We don't need a little baby Fitz walking around just yet." Aria couldn't help but smile, it was good to see that Hanna could still have fun and joke around because she knew she was still hurting about finding out Mona was –A.

Once Aria grabbed the key from under the mat and opened the door she was speechless. Ezra had lit candles around the room and was standing and waiting to greet her with a smile. "What's this about?" Aria questioned, Ezra wasn't always the romantic one, he had his moments but he was more of a kiss in the rain type of boyfriend, which made her love him even more. But this was different he only went out for special occasions like getting a limo for their first date, or unmasking her at the masquerade ball, or even showing up at Jason's to get her. "What? A boyfriend can't be romantic to his girlfriend on their one-year anniversary" Ezra answered pretending to be hurt, but failing to hide the smile that formed on his face. Before Aria could respond he made his way over to her and scooped her up and carried her over to the couch.

As he set her down on his lap, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a long black satin box. "Aria Rose Montgomery, this past year has been the best year of my life, even though we have had our ups and downs we came out on top which proves we can take on the world together, and with every day that goes by I fall deeper and deeper in love with you if that's even possible and when we're together I don't care about anyone else but you and I can't wait to show you off to the world, I love you so much" As he concluded his speech to her, he went into the box and pulled out a sterling silver necklace with a heart that had _Forever _engraved on the front.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Ezra, it's beautiful, thank you I love it and I love you" Aria said as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Which in her case, was that he had taken her breath away once again. She let him put the necklace around her neck before she jumped on him and gave him a chaste kiss. She straddled him as he picked her up and brought her onto the bed.

The chaste kiss turned into a make-out session, Aria opened her mouth as Ezra slipped his tongue fighting for dominance, their mouths stayed glued to each other until Aria's phone started violently ringing. At first the couple ignored it but after whoever was trying to reach Aria called the fifth time she got up annoyed and looked at who was calling her. It was Ella.

"Mom what's up" Aria said confused. Her mom knew where she was, so why was she calling? "Your dad knows and he want you home and don't bring Ezra, your dads mad and I wouldn't want to but him in jeopardy like when you first told us" Ella said quickly before hanging up. Aria knew this wasn't good so she gave Ezra a quick kiss before explaining the situation. As usual Ezra was nervous and made her promise to call him afterwards with an update.

Aria drove home as fast as possible anticipating what would happen once she arrived home. As she pulled into her driveway she started getting butterflies in her stomach, not the kind she got when Ezra kissed her but the kind she used to get when she got texts from –A, butterflies filled with fear. This could either end well or end in another fight and Aria storming out, which was most likely, the outcome.

As she walked into the living room she saw her dad with a glass of scotch and look in his eyes that could kill. Ella was sitting on the leather couch across the room where both her parents sat the day she told them she was in love with Ezra. Her mom gave her a sympathetic look that basically said good luck. The silence was awkward for a while before anyone said something.

"Would you like to tell me what's going on" Byron spoke up, his voice rose as he spoke the last word. Aria looked down at her thumbs and started spinning her skull ring, which had become a habit she developed when she was nervous. "I'm still seeing Ezra" Aria mumbled, she figured if she got to the point this might end quicker and hopefully with less drama. "What do you mean your still seeing him, I thought I made it pretty clear in March that you guys weren't allowed to see each other, Ella how do you fit in with all of this?"

"Well as you know when I went to Ezra's apartment after I saw how upset Aria was about the possibility of Ezra moving to New Orleans, I started trying to understand what they had, which trust me took a while, Aria was getting impatient with me so I had her invite Ezra over for dinner and I got to see them as a couple and I realized their love was real, it was something we used to have before Meredith, and to be honest I've never seen her so happy and natural when she's with him, and he was the same exact way, he was still the same Ezra Fitz who we adored before we found out, their in love Byron, as much as we don't want to believe it they are, and who are we to take that away from Aria just because it doesn't look right?" Ella concluded, Aria smiled she loved hearing her mom stand up to Byron like that. "Why didn't you tell me about them Ella, and now this man has manipulated you as well into believing he loves our daughter? I'm sorry but I can't just stand by and watch you ruin your life." Byron shouting at Ella then turning his attention towards Aria, all the color in his face has been replaced by a deep shade of red. "Please give us a chance let us show you we're in love, let me show you this is real" Aria pleads.

"I do NOT want that man in my house let alone near you, this conversation is over go up to your room Aria" Byron states, this reminds Aria of the night they told her parents the first time and they sent her to her room. She started making her way up the stairs when she realized she'd rather go back to Ezra's than her room. She wasn't a baby anymore and her father had to realize that.

She went into Mike's room, thankfully he wasn't home, and although he didn't mind her and Ezra he would've been upset to hear mom and dad fighting again. Mike's window was a little difficult to get down, since it was a four-foot jump and she was only five-one. As she made the jump and walked towards her car she felt a pain of guiltiness as she watched Byron yelling at Ella from the window, this was all her fault. Part of her wanted to run and defend her mom, but that would cause to many questions on why and how she got outside in the first place.

By the time she reached Ezra's apartment door Aria's face was streaked in tears, not only over the fact that she couldn't understand her father's stubbornness given past circumstances, but the over the guilt she felt over her mother by forcing her into this situation again. Aria knocked on the door with all the energy she had left, which wasn't a lot. Ezra opened up the door almost immediately it was clear he had been nervously waiting to hear from Aria, due to the messy hair that had taken over his usually calm neat hair, it was as if he ran his fingers through the black hair over a million of times.

"Aria" was all he could manage to say, he hated seeing her upset especially when it came to dealing with her family because he knew there was nothing he could do besides be there for her and comfort her. He let Aria in and as soon as they were safely inside his apartment he wrapped his arms around her small torso. Ezra brought them over to the couch and let Aria snuggle up against him. He wouldn't ask questions just yet, he couldn't it was clear this hadn't ended well.

Once she felt Ezra's arm around her she just collapsed, everything she was feeling just fell out of her. "I-I-I j-just don't get it" Aria mumbled into his chest. "Shhh" Ezra whispered into her hair as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. The crying continued for a while and occasionally she would mutter words that came out muffled like "How can say those things when he doesn't know" and "Ship him out of the country" and Ezra's favorite which was "I love you so much." Eventually when the crying stopped he looked down hoping she would explain what happened, but instead he found her fast asleep on his lap.

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**This chapter is a little longer than the others, let me know what you think and if I should keep writing your reviews mean the world to me thanks xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It was still dark out when Aria woke up she realized she was in Ezra's bed. She looked around still a little groggy and confused from her peaceful sleep. Then it hit her, she remembered the fight with her father and sneaking out. She felt Ezra move as he realized Aria was up. He tightened his grip around her waist as she snuggled into him.

"Hey your up" Ezra said, she could tell he had a smile glued on his face without having to look at him. "Yea, I'm confused has my mom called? Do they know I'm here? Are they mad?" Aria fired out the questions that had filled her mind. "Shh, I called your mom she knows you're here and your dad thinks your staying at Spencer's." Ezra said trying to calm her down.

Aria sighed, it was back to lying again. It wasn't that she mind it, ever since she got back to Iceland and the –A messages started and her relationship with Ezra developed, lying to the people she cared about most had become a second nature. But it was better than hurting the people she loved, so if lying to her father again would allow her to still see Ezra, than she would have to go along with it because she couldn't imagine a world without him.

Hoping to lighten the mood and avoid talking about her father again, Aria smiled and turned to Ezra and said, "So that means we have the whole night together?" "Mhm and it's only eight thirty" Ezra said brushing a piece of hair off Aria's face. Aria wanted to end the anniversary on a happy note, so with that she leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Ezra's lips.

Ezra knew what she was hinting at, and he couldn't agree with her thoughts more. He turned the gentle kiss into a kiss with more passion and intensity, they shifted positions so he was on top of her, this time without any phone interruptions by parents or friends they were able to resume where they had left off in the bar and on his bed earlier. They helped shed each other's clothes, laughing when Ezra's shirt got stuck on his head. "Well that was romantic" Ezra mumbled jokingly as he pulled the shirt of his head and threw it aimlessly. Aria laughed and pulled his head back down to meet hers. Their hands intertwined as they made love.

As Ezra looked down at the girl that had fallen asleep again in his arms and thought how different being with was than being with Jackie. Jackie had never been able to make him feel this happy, and whenever they did cross the boundary in their relationship it had always felt forced, but being with Aria was the exact opposite, when he was with her he felt happy and whole and whenever they slept together it never felt forced or awkward, they felt as one and closer to each other.

The next time Aria woke up it was light out, she glanced over at Ezra's clock and it read _Seven Thirty Eight. _Careful not to wake her boyfriend sleeping next to her she got up and grabbed one of Ezra's Hollis sweatshirts and threw it on. She went to the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine; while the coffee was going she grabbed two bowls and poured the Special K Ezra had sitting on the top of his fridge in and added milk and slices of banana. She knew Ezra loved when she cooked for him since it was one of his weak sides.

Ezra's eyes shot open, as he smelt the familiar scent that got him through each day, coffee. He smiled as he saw Aria in his sweatshirt preparing the coffee and breakfast. Instead of getting up right away he watched and admired her and realized how much he loves her being here, his thoughts drifted as the thought about what it would be like living together and starting a family, having little kids running around that shared their traits. He knew it would be a while for this to happen, but he would wait he couldn't imagine being with anyone else.

Aria noticed Ezra was awake and brought over the food, they had to eat rather quickly because Aria needed to get to Rosewood High for senior registration day, she couldn't believe she was only a senior, the things she had experienced in one year made her feel much older and mature. She quickly sent a text to her mom asking her to bring a change of clothes for school because Hannah would defiantly make a comment if she saw Aria in the same clothes, that was Hannah's strong suit, fashion and Aria would have to be crazy if she thought she could get away with it.

Ezra gave Aria a quick kiss before she headed out the door, still wearing his Hollis sweatshirt, which in his mind made her look even sexier than usual. When Aria was almost out the door she remembered today was Ezra's first day at South High in Philly. "Good luck today, they'll love you I promise call me later and tell me how it goes, love you!" Aria said before exiting the apartment.

Once she pulled up to the familiar building she suddenly realized how much she was going to miss summer. The building was all but welcoming. As she pulled into her usual spot she noticed her friends standing by the door looking around, most likely for her since she was running late. "Hey guys" Aria said as she approached them. All three of them looked her up and down and smiled.

"Nice shirt Mrs. Fitz" Spencer said in a seductive voice. Aria blushed, and started biting on her nails. "Whoa what's that on your neck" Hannah pointed out, at first Aria thought that Ezra had left a "mark" from last night, but then suddenly realized she still had her new necklace on that her friends had yet to see. "Just a gift Ezra got me" Aria said playing with the heart on it. Her friends gingerly lifted the necklace, trying to get a better look at it. "Aw it says E.F & A.M on the back that's so romantic" Emily said as she flipped the heart back to the _Forever _side. Aria looked at the other side and was speechless she hadn't seen the engraved initials on the back, which made her love it even more.

As the girls finally made their way inside the building they stopped short, a wave of confusion and fear washed over them. Standing at the registration table was Mona.

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**Thank you so much for the reviews so far! Hoping to get some more but still going to keep writing, this chapter had less drama in it let me know if you like it more with or without more drama, I decided to throw Mona back in..read and review and let me know what you think! xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Frozen in their tracks the girls look at each other. There she was, leaning over the table registering for her classes this year. It didn't make sense, she is supposed to be locked up in Radley Sanitarium and even if she was out she wasn't supposed to come back. But there she was, it was clear she was still drained but she was dressed in her typical clothes wearing a smile that could fool anyone, as if the –A incident never happened, the only difference is that Mona now wore a metal anklet which meant she was under house arrest, and being she was here in school meant she was allowed to attend school then return home right away.

Finding out that Mona was –A had been the hardest for Hannah, so seeing her today messed up her normal state of mind, and before the girls could stop her she was making her way up to Mona to confront her about her return to Rosewood. "What are you doing here?" Hannah said trying to keep her voice as even as she could, but it was clear this was a hard task for her. By now the girls had followed Hannah and were anticipating Mona's answer.

"Hannah I missed you so much! How have you been?" Mona said in a cheery voice, and then whispered, "Have you gained weight? Those Pig cupcakes I made you ate really went to your thighs, woops" Aria stepped in front of her friend because she knew this was too much for Hannah to handle. "You need to go…NOW, I'm not even sure why your back hear because it is clear you are MESSED up in the head, leave my friends and I alone especially Hannah, the games over Mona" Aria spat out with as much force as her little body could produce. "Oh Aria, the games have only just begun" Mona replied with a sly smile on her face as she walked away.

Aria turned around and saw she wasn't the only one who was terrified by Mona's last words. They knew there was more to the –A team, and Mona may have had a personality disorder but she didn't have the constitution for murder, even though the messages had stopped for six months and the girls tried to put the –A mystery behind them, in their minds they knew it wasn't over and Mona's last words portrayed what they had been fearing ever since the night of the masquerade ball.

Once they got to the bathroom, Hannah broke down all the emotions she had buried broke out of her and she just fell apart. No one really knew what to say since they didn't lose their best friend and find out she had been secretly stalking them all year, and even hit her with a car. But Aria and Spencer let Emily try comforting her because she lost Maya, her girlfriend, the night –A was revealed and even though she has recovered and is doing a lot better than she was earlier in the summer, she was the only one who could really understand Hannah's pain.

Aria pulled out her phone and quickly texted Ezra, he knew about –A and because he is the one person in Aria's life she can fully trust, at first she was scared to tell him, thinking he might judge her and because she was afraid the other members of the –A team would try going after him. So she tried to keep it very vague and mainly focused on that Mona was –A and had been torturing them, she left out the other members part and didn't mention Ali's killer because she knew it could still be dangerous. _Just saw Mona, she's back she came up to talk to us…I'll explain more later have an amazing first day love you xx –Aria. _About three minutes later her phone buzzed, her friends looked up with scared looks but she brushed them off and told them it was just Ezra. The text read _Please be safe, let me know if you want me to get you or if you want to leave you can go to my apartment with your friends, I don't care just be careful she is messed up and I don't need you getting her…Text me later Love you-Ezra. _Aria looked over at her friends, they were in no state to go back to school so she told them they could go to Ezra's apartment for the day.

Within twenty minutes Aria was grabbing the key from underneath the doormat at apartment **3B **and letting her friends inside to what has become her second home. They got settled on the couch, hugging each other, a comfortable silence lingered in the room before Aria spoke up. "We can't let her/them control our lives anymore guys, Mona won't try anything because she is already being watched by the cops intensely and we lasted six months without hearing from –A" The other girls quickly nodded in agreement and the mood in the room lightened.

Changing the topic, Spencer turned to Emily and said "Em, I never got to ask you about the house building you did in Haiti, how was it?" "It was good, it got my mind off everything going on here which was helpful and when it got boring Hannah never failed to send me pictures of her and Caleb in cooking class" Emily replied with a laugh, lightly hitting Hannah on the arm. This made Hannah smile and gladly added into the new conversation that didn't revolve around Mona. "I missed you! I couldn't stand another minute listening to Spencer talk about her classes at Hollis and I barely ever saw Aria but when I did she was always taking picture" Hannah giggled. Aria smiled she was glad Hannah was laughing.

By the time Ezra got home the girls had left and Aria was planning to surprise Ezra for dinner. She had set the table, lit candles, opened a bottle of wine and cooked Fettuccini for him to celebrate his first day at the new job. Plus she was trying to stall going home because she knew she would have to go back home tonight, she didn't have any clothes and she couldn't avoid her father for that long, and she misses Mike and her mother.

Ezra walked in, pulling Aria out of her train of thought, he walked over with a smile revealing he was happy and surprised she was here. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they had to break apart for air she pulled back and whispered "Hey", while she began loosing his tie. "How was your first day?" Aria asked, hoping it went well. "Good the school is nice, colleges were welcoming and the students seemed fine" Ezra answered happily, he was glad he liked this job and didn't have to move out of Rosewood. "I'm glad it went well, there are no distractions I have to worry about at this new school do I?" Aria asked semi jokingly. Ezra laughed "Nope the only distraction and love of my life is sitting right here" he said as kissed her lightly on the lips.

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**Hii everyone! Theres not as much Ezria as I like in this chapter but I wanted to go somewhere with the whole -A thing! next chapter will have more Ezria I promise! :D thanks to all the reviews! Hoping to get more! Thank you all so much! xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"Seriously can you just move in and cook for me 24/7?" Ezra said as scooped up the last of the Fettuccini Aria made for dinner. Aria laughed as she brought both their plates to the dishwasher and glasses to the sink. Aria felt time arms wrap around her waist as she cleaned the last of the wine out of the glasses. With a smile, she turned towards him, still with her hands in the sink, and leaned in to what he thought was a kiss but instead brought her hands forward to his face, soaking him with left over bubbles that had formed when she was cleaning the glasses out. "Oh it's on," Ezra said reaching behind her, cupping a handful of water before dumping it onto his girlfriend's head.

Five minutes later they were both soaked, Aria threw on one of Ezra's shirts because the dress she previously had on looked like she had gone swimming. Once they were snuggled on the couch, Aria sitting in Ezra's lap as his arms were wrapped comfortably around her waist, Ezra's phone rang; he answered it with confusion with who would be calling him. "Hello?" He answered more as a question than a general greeting. Aria wasn't sure who was on the other line, so she waited patiently, toying with collar on the Hollis tee he had put on after their water fight. She couldn't the voice on the other hand and all she heard from Ezra was a "Mhm" or a "yea I'm good." Finally he concluded the conversation with the mysterious phone person by saying "yeah that's fine see you soon."

"Who was that?" Aria asked puzzled. "I…Uh…It was…" Ezra stuttered out, clearly nervous on telling Aria. "My mom" He finally spit out. Ezra's parents were divorced and got divorced when he was younger, which was why he was able to help Aria when her parents had hit a rough patch in their marriage when Ella found out about Meredith. Ezra rarely brought up his parents though. "Oh what did she want?" Aria asked, still confused why Ezra was nervous. "Her and Michael are coming in and they want to get dinner, would you like to come?" Ezra said, his mother knew he was seeing someone and she knew Aria was sixteen, but since her son was happy she didn't object, but Ezra was still nervous for Aria to meet his parents.

"I'd love to, does she know about us?" Aria asked. "She knows your sixteen, she knows I was your teacher, the only thing she doesn't know is how long we've been seeing each other which is fine, she wants to go to some restaurant in Philly tomorrow night do you think you can get away" Ezra responded, happy Aria was finally going to meet the only other important woman in his life. "And your brother…?" Aria added, she was trying to get the information she would need to make sure this went well. "He's known about us for a while, when I went to New York after losing the job here he's the one that convinced me to come surprise you at the dance, he may be younger but that kid knows me better than I know myself" Ezra's brother was a few years younger than him, he was starting his senior year in collage this year at NYU. Aria has heard of Ezra's brother before, Ezra always talked highly of him and it was clear they were extremely close.

Aria finally decided it was time to head home, as much as she was dreading it she needed new clothes. She was debating whether or not she should wear Ezra's shirt home, but then decided against it, wanted to avoid as much drama in her household as possible. She kissed Ezra goodbye, she pressed her lips to his and quickly he slipped his tongue into her mouth, fighting for dominance. Aria pulled back before this turned into another heated make out session and promised she'd see him tomorrow and that she would come over before dinner.

Once she pulled into the driveway, she noticed both cars were home which meant both her parents and Mike were home. Family Reunion, just what she needed. She used her key to get in, she made it to her room and changed out of her clothes that were still wet from the fight before her mom walked in. "Hey sweetie, I talked to your dad, he's still not giving up this fight, I'm sorry I tried." Ella sounded exhausted. "Its fine mom don't worry about it I don't need you fighting with dad over it, speaking of Ezra he wants me to meet his mom and brother tomorrow in Philly can I PLEASE go" Aria exclaimed, her face lighting up as usual when she spoke of Ezra. Ella sighed, this was a big deal and she couldn't say no to her daughter who just put on her signature puppy dogface look she used whenever she wanted something really bad. "Fine, but you have to be home by 11" Ella said before walking out. "Love you!" She screamed after her mom.

It wasn't until later that night when she sitting in her bed that the nerves hit her. She was meeting Ezra's mom for the first time. What if she didn't like her? This woman could very much be her mother-in-law in the future. What if acted immature to her standings? What if she made Ezra end things with her? What if she didn't look good enough? Question after question fired through Aria's mind, predicting the worst events that could take place. Not knowing what else to do, she kept texting Ezra with stupid questions that popped up in her mind, Ezra on the other hand could tell how nervous Aria was for meeting his mom, and to calm her down texted her "_She's going to love you as much as I love you, just be your normal amazing self, now go to sleep beautiful, call me in the morning love you-Ezra" _

And with that peace of mind, Aria fell asleep anticipating the day.

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**Hey guys! trying to update as much as possible! I probably won't be able to update tomorrow but i should have another chapter up on saturday(: keep reading thanks so much for the reviews so far keep them coming! xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Aria woke up from a sudden nightmare that felt so real with tears staining her pillow. She had been out to dinner with Ezra and his family, then her father walked in and pulled her up and made her leave and was yelling at her calling Ezra all these names, his mom sat there crying and his brother sat there with fear. Then his mother started yelling things like "I hate you", "your not allowed to see my son", "you life destroyer" and other things that made Aria sick inside.

Thankful it was just a dream, Aria let out a heavy breathe. She glanced at her alarm clock, it was only three AM. She wouldn't be able to fall back asleep so she turned on her lamp and pulled out her book, might as well write now since she hadn't had the time lately. Looking back into her notebook, the last time she had written in it was the day she met Ezra. She reread the words she had written.

_I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, I don't usually do this_

_ His lips against mine, nothing I've ever felt before_

_ Awake for the first time in a while, will we meet again?_

_ It felt right; I still feel the left-over-scotch lips _

_ Butterflies still race through my stomach…_

Aria smiled, thinking how far they had come in a year and how much there is still left for them to conquer. She knew Ezra was it; it didn't get better than him. Normally she didn't believe in soul mates but Ezra gave her a reason to believe, and as cheesy as it sounds it was completely true.

Aria woke up, she didn't remember falling asleep, she looked down and had her notebook open she never got to write in it, which meant she fell asleep before she got the chance. She glanced at her clock, "_11:35" _The numbers read. She got up and immediately called Hannah. Hannah would be able to help her pick out the perfect outfit for tonight, fashion was her middle name. "Hey Han can you come over ASAP it's an emergency" Aria said into the phone, without questions Hannah agreed and was over by 12:30.

"What's going on?" A worried Hannah asked as s he walked into Aria's room. "I'm meeting Ezra's mom and brother and I don't know what to wear and I need you help," Aria said in one breath. "Oh My God! Mr. Fitz is introducing you to his family? When are the wedding invitation's coming" Hannah said laughing. "Not Funny, I'm nervous as it is, are you going to help me or not" Aria replied. "Fine, Fine let's see what we're working with here," Hannah said walking over to Aria's closet.

Calling Hannah had its pro's and con's. The positive side was that by five o'clock she was dressed, ready and looked fabulous. Hannah had decided on a strapless dress that came up to her mid-thigh, so it wasn't too short and not too long. Since it was starting to get colder at night Aria wore a cover just in case, but it went with the outfit so it was good. And to top it off, she had a pair of heels that complimented her legs and were comfortable, yet still made her look tall. Hannah had also taken the time and done her hair and makeup for her. The only con about having Hannah was that she kept making jokes about her and Ezra, and most of them were inappropriate, yet still funny.

At Five Thirty Aria was in the car. Hannah had offered to drive her but she said she'd rather have her car. She pulled up to Ezra's apartment, all of the fears she had the previous night had turned into excitement. When she got to his apartment he opened the door with anticipation and it was clear he was excited. Before pulling her into a kiss he glanced over her and a smile spread on his face. "Wow" was all he could manage to say. Aria looked gorgeous, her hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, and she had a glowing natural look and simply took his breath away.

Pulling him out of his thoughts on admiration for his girlfriend, he felt her soft lips against his. He wrapped his arms around Aria's waist pulling her closer to get rid of the distance between them. Aria tangled her newly manicured fingers into his hair and moaned into his lips as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. They made their way to the couch, trying to keep contact without bumping into things. Laughing, as they finally made it to his couch, Ezra checked his watch, they had thirty minutes before they needed to head to Philly and that was plenty of time for him and Aria.

A half an hour later, Aria and Ezra were heading out the door, still trying to catch their breaths from the heated make-out session that had just taken place. Aria looked in the mirror to make sure her hair and makeup was still glowing. After quickly applying some more lipstick, they headed to his car.

It was an hour drive to Philly; most of the car ride was filled with a comfortable silence with occasional small talk and the buzz of the radio in the background. Once they pulled up to the small restaurant, they noticed two figures outside which Aria presumed was Ezra's family. Aria's heart started to race as they pulled into a spot. Ezra came over and opened the door for her and took her hand as they embarked toward his mother and brother. As they reached the two figures, Ezra still kept Aria's hand in his.

"Ezra Hi! And you must be Aria, I've heard so much about you I'm so glad to finally get the honor to meet you" Ezra's mom beamed. Aria smiled she seemed sweet. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Fitz" Aria replied still smiling. "Please call me Elizabeth," she said. Aria then took notice to Ezra's brother who was deciding beside his mom smiling. "Michael, Aria, Aria, Michael" Ezra did the honors of introducing them. "Hey I've heard so much about you so glad to finally meet you" Aria said attempting to make the first move. He moved forward and smiled, "Yeah you too, and your even prettier in person than Ezra said" Michael said laughing, punching Ezra lightly in the arm, Aria blushed. "Oh hush Michael, lets go inside before we lose our table."

The Four of them made their way inside and grabbed a table near the window. Most of the nervousness Aria had felt early started slipping away as she talked to Elizabeth and Michael and began feeling more comfortable around them. She couldn't help to realize how similar Michael and Ezra were, which explained on how well they got along. "So how long have you been seeing each other?" Elizabeth asked the couple. "A little over a year" Ezra answered with a smile reaching for Aria's hand. Aria returned the smile, squeezing his hand lightly.

Dinner passed by smoothly, and from Aria's point of view, things went well with Elizabeth and Michael, considering they wanted to meet up again soon. It wasn't till the end when Michael announced what they really arranged this dinner for. "Are you going to tell them yet?" Elizabeth asked Michael. "Fine, I'm starting grad school at Hollis this semester, I wanted to surprise you" Michael said and smiled. Ezra's face lit up, the thought of having his brother, and best friend just miles away was exciting, it would give them a chance to re-bond and it would give him a chance to get to know Aria better.

"That's amazing, do you need a place to stay?" Ezra asked hesitantly, as much as he wanted his brother to room with him he thought it might be awkward if Aria decided to stay at his place over night, which she did often. "Nah, I'll either rent an apartment or stay in the dorms" Michael said casually, he assumed Aria stayed at Ezra's most nights and he didn't want to be a cock block. While they were discussing Michael's move to Rosewood, no one seemed to notice Elizabeth pay the check. "Alright let's go," she said, starting to stand up.

"Thank you so much for dinner" Aria said, grabbing her coat and standing up. The four of them made there way out the restaurant. It was still relatively early but Elizabeth was tired from the trip so decided to head out. Since Michael didn't have any of his stuff he went with her, he would be starting school next week so they would see him soon. "It was so nice to finally meet you Aria, I hope we can do this again! And Ezra make sure you take good care of her, she's a keeper" Elizabeth said with a smile before getting into her car. "Ezra, Aria see you guys soon" Michael said before hopping into the front seat.

The couple waved goodbye and got into Ezra's car. "So how'd I do?" Aria asked Ezra, she thought it went well but she didn't know Ezra's mother like he did. "Actually amazing, she LOVES you, and that's hard to get coming from my mother, I didn't tell you this before because I didn't want to make you nervous but she's hard to get approval from, for example she hated Jackie the moment she met her, but she actually loved you, you were amazing like usual" Ezra said smiling, his mother was tough ever since the divorce she had trouble letting people into her life, and at first Ezra feared she was faking her affection towards Aria but then Ezra saw something he only saw when she talked to close friends or family, her smile, not just a friendly smile but a warm smile, and Ezra knew Aria had won her over.

It was only Ten O'clock when they reached Ezra's apartment, which meant she had an hour to them-selves before curfew. Aria has never been much of a drinker, but after tonight her nerves were worked up to such a height, it would feel good to let loose a little. At first when she went for the bottle of Grey Goose Ezra had, he stopped her reminding her she had to go home. About five minutes later, she had convinced her mom she was going to stay at Spencer's so she can help her out since she had been stressed lately over Melissa getting closer and closer to her due date. She felt bad about lying to Ella but it wouldn't have ended well if she knew what she was really up to.

Reaching back for the bottle, she grabbed two shot glasses out for them. "Aria, I'm not sure if this is such a good idea, your still underage and…" before he could finish Aria stopped him, "Ezra, I'm responsible, I'm not driving, and this isn't the first time I've drank" she finished with a sly smile. She went over and grabbed his hands, "It'll be fun I promise, you wanted to be a normal couple, and this is what normal couples do" she knew that was all she had to say to convince him.

Aria burst into another fit of laughter as Ezra made a funny face at her. They were both piss drunk and had finished the bottle in under an hour. She was sitting on his lap now and had to hold on to his shirt to keep her upright from falling over in laughter. Ezra smiled, even though she was beyond gone she was still beautiful and funny and amazing. He leaned in and kissed her lips. They still had a faint taste of Vodka on them but he didn't mind. She kissed him back with full force. Drunken sex usually wasn't something Ezra or Aria did but they wanted each other too much at the moment to stop. Thankfully Ezra had begun to sober up so once all their clothes were off he reached to the bed stand and pulled out a condom from the drawer. Aria pulled Ezra's lips back to hers feverishly and pulled the covers over them.

Aria woke up the next morning with a wicked hangover. She glanced at Ezra sleeping soundly beside her; his arms were wrapped around her waist holding her close. She couldn't think of a more perfect moment, well maybe it would be more perfect if she didn't have a pounding headache that grew by the minute. She glanced at her phone, _7:00, _it read, perfect she still had time to run home and grab a change of clothes before school. All of a sudden Aria's phone buzzed. One new text message.

_Well that's not Spencer is it? _

_I'm back; Hope you had a nice summer_

_Ready for a senior year you won't ever forget?_

_XOXO_

_-A_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Ezra woke up and saw Aria in the kitchen hovering over a pot of coffee. She didn't realize he was awake yet, so he sat up a little and rested his hands behind his head watching his amazing girlfriend. He couldn't believe she was all his. She turned around while Ezra was deep in thought.

Even though she was still shaking from the text she had just received she couldn't let Ezra know because it could potentially putting him in danger. She forced a smile when she saw he was awake staring at her. Right now she had to wipe everything that had just happened and not let her boyfriend see through her façade. She walked over to the bed carrying to cups of steaming hot coffee, put them on the nightstand and jumped on top of Ezra.

"Good Morning Baby" Aria said as cool and collected as possible as she planted a kiss on Ezra's nose. "I love waking up to you here, can't you just stay over every night?" Ezra said with a smile and gave Aria a peck on the lips. She smiled but Ezra could tell it was distant, something was bothering her he realized it the minute she tried to fool him with a fake smile, but now was certain of it. Suddenly he got extremely worried on what could damper the mood of his normally peppy girlfriend.

"Alright drop the act what's bothering you?" Ezra said as he brushed a strand of hair that fell before Aria's eye. Her eyes dropped, not wanting to meet Ezra's gaze. Part of her wanted to smile; she really couldn't fool him could she? He knew her better than she knew herself, he was it, and it didn't get any better than that. But the other part of her knew now there was no way out of this, either she could lie like usually or tell him the truth and risk putting him in danger. Before he got suspicious she decided to keep from telling him about –A at least until she talked to her friends first.

Aria let out an exasperated sigh, "It's nothing I was just thinking about Mona, and what she said yesterday and I started thinking about that night, and I just feel like now that she's back I'm not going to be safe anymore." "Your still safe Aria" Ezra replied as he stroked her leg in a comforting way, he didn't think that was all that was bothering Aria but he decided to drop it. Ezra reached over and grabbed the coffee that had started to become lukewarm.

Taking a sip, he glanced up at Aria, "Do you want to skip school and stay here, normally I wouldn't suggest it but you look shaken up and I hate seeing you like this" Ezra said in a sincere heart that made Aria's heart melt. She loved how caring and protecting he was, and she hated lying to him but she needed to keep him safe and if –A was really back, she knew what they were capable of.

Aria shook her head, she needed to go to school and talk with her friends about what she had received and if wondered if they had gotten a text as well. Aria knew this could all be another –A joke that they had been getting ever since Rosewood found out, but thinking back to what Mona said about the –A Team, she was almost positive this was real and –A was back.

Getting up from the bed, Aria made her way over to get changed since she already was going to be late. As she was about the get out of the pajamas she was wearing, Ezra came up behind her and picked her up by the waist and threw her back on the bed with him. Nibbling on her ear, he growled "Five more minutes." Laughing, Aria tried to get up but his grip tightened and he flipped them so he was pinning her down with both hands. "Ezra I need to get ready for school, and YOU need to get ready for your job." Knowing she was right, Ezra let out a sigh of defeat and got up, but not before planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

Once they managed to get ready, the couple shared a long goodbye kiss before getting into separate cars. " I love you" Ezra called out across the parking lot. "I love you too, I'll call you later" Aria replied before opening the drivers seat.

Aria pulled up to school, she noticed her friends shared the same expression she shared this morning. Fear. "I'm guessing you guys got one too." Aria said after parking the car and walking up to her best friends. None of them responded which means they all had.

They didn't have to say anything else to know they were all thinking the same thing. This was far from over and this was going to be a long year.

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**So sorry I haven't been able to update! It's been a crazy week with finals coming up. This isn't that long but I just wanted to get something up since its been a while, I'm going to keep going with the story, so please review(: xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Do you think this is a joke, or that –A really is back?" Emily asked worried. "Emily, obviously this is a joke, Mona wouldn't be stupid enough to send messages again especially if she knows we know its her." Spencer said getting annoyed. "But what about what Mona said to you in the car about the –A team? The text I got sounded a lot likes –A, what if this was real?" Emily fired back not willing to give up her point. "It's over, there is no –A team and this was a fake, -A is gone" Spencer said warily, which confirmed she wasn't so sure herself if this was real or not.

Hoping to try and solve things, Aria jumped in and said, "Did your texts say something obvious, or something that –A would find out, meaning you only told someone else or no one?" This time Hanna was the one to speak up. "The text I got was about my mom and money, no one could've known." The girls glanced back and forth, "I got mine this morning, the text was pretty specific, -A knew I was at Ezra's and that I used Spencer as my alibi." Aria said looking at Spencer. "Thanks for letting me know" Spencer said sarcastically. "Well it was like ten o'clock and I wanted to get drunk and I didn't want to go home" Aria replied. This time all her friends looked at her, Aria wasn't the one to get drunk; they left that to Hanna…and Emily after Maya died.

"Did dinner go that bad?" Emily asked while giggling, "Oh yeah how was dinner" Hanna and Spencer said once they remembered Aria was meeting Ezra's mom for the first time. "NO! It actually went very well, Ezra even said she liked me a lot." Aria said smugly. "Yeah so why did you get drunk?" Spencer asked, still confused. "It was just for fun! Don't tell me you guys never got drunk with your boyfriends/girlfriends before." Aria said defending her case. The girls laughed and shook their heads.

The day went by quick and soon Aria was home sitting at her desk with her journal out. She had just began writing when her mother walked in. "I'm going out on a date night with your dad tonight, we'll be home by eleven thirty…" Ella said with a smile. Aria returned the smile knowing that her mom was giving her permission to see Ezra till then, she'd have to come home or her dad would get suspicious but Aria was grateful Ella was being fair about all of this and trying to understand them, yet still allowing them to see each other.

Aria knocked on Ezra's door, a bag of Chinese food in her hand. She hadn't told him she was coming over, she wanted to surprise him. When she walked in he was sitting at his desk grading papers. She laughed; he'd only had this job for a few days and was already grading papers. Trying to be as quiet as possible she set the food down and made her way over to Ezra.

Aria wrapped her arms around his waist and planted a kiss on neck. Ezra had seen her come in but it was clear she was trying to surprise him so he went along with it. He smiled and said, "Hey babe, what are you doing here?" "Well my parents are on a date night, and my mom gave me permission to come here till eleven-ish" Aria smiled, for the first time realizing she was at Ezra's apartment without having to use an alibi.

Aria and Ezra finished the food Aria brought over before it got cold and was soon snuggled on the couch watching a movie, yet again. "I love you" Ezra whispered to Aria as he played with the necklace he had given her for their anniversary.

Like usual, the couple had dozed off before the movie was over, in each other's arms. Aria woke up at the sound of a door opening, she was sure she was awake but when Ali walked through the door she didn't know what to think.

Careful not to wake up Ezra, Aria whispered "Ali? Is that you? What are you doing here?" "Cute apartment, ooo and this must be Ezra, He is HOT, good choice Aria… you know I had a feeling you'd end up in a illegal relationship somehow, was your dad mad when he found out you were dating a teacher? I mean given the circumstances he can't be mad…father like daughter, that's the saying right?" Ali said as she glanced around the apartment moving closer to Aria. Aria sat there, still in sleeping Ezra's arms flabbergasted.

"How did you, why are you, wait what, did you know about Mona? Where have you been, I thought you were dead." Was all Arias seemed to get out; confusion was painted on her face. _Ali's dead, she can't be hear I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming_. Aria kept repeating to herself but it all seemed so real. "Of course I knew about Mona, that dork would've done anything to become popular, but Aria it's not over, there is still so much you don't know, I should go they're waiting for me outside" Ali said before leaving.

Aria didn't even get to ask her what she meant before she was gone, what did she mean, "they were waiting for her" who were they, and was it really "not over?" Aria closed her eyes hoping to try to figure what had just happened out. It seemed like only minutes after closing her eyes that she felt Ezra's lips against her forehead, alerting her to wake up. "Mmm what time is it?" Aria asked Ezra groggily. " A quarter to eleven, I guess we fell asleep again" Ezra replied with a chuckle.

All of a sudden the memories started flooding back into Aria, she couldn't tell if Ali being there was a dream or reality, it had all seemed so real. Ezra noticed a change in his girlfriend's face, an expression that worried him darkened over face. "What's wrong?" Ezra said. "Its just that, your going to think I'm crazy but…" Aria stopped, afraid to go on, Ezra would think she was crazy if she told him she was pretty sure her dead best friend was standing in his kitchen before. "Aria, I already think your crazy but that just makes me love you even more" Ezra said, switching their positions so they were facing each other with Aria's feet draped across Ezra's lap. "No I mean Mona crazy…" Aria insisted, Ezra didn't buy it though.

"So tell me, what's wrong?" Ezra said, curious to why Aria was afraid to tell him, he didn't think this had to do with –A because Aria's phone was still resting on the table and she wasn't glancing over at it every two seconds like she normally did when it came to talking about –A. Ezra picked up all the little things about Aria, that most people wouldn't see, and she did the same for him, it was another reason they knew they were soul mates, they knew each other better than anyone else.

"Ok so I could have sworn, before you woke me up Ali was in the apartment talking to me about –A and how it isn't over and that she liked your apartment, and that people were outside waiting for her. I know she's dead, I was at her funeral and everything but it just seemed so real and…" Aria spoke with intense speed, she had almost spilled that her friends also got visits from Ali also but she didn't want to put Ezra in any more danger than she possibly could have just put him in. "Breathe, It's ok, your still safe Aria" Ezra said looking into her eyes, rubbing her calf in a calming way that relaxed Aria and allowed her to get a minute and recuperate. "And what?" Ezra asked, remembering she had stopped mid-sentence. "And it just felt so real, I know you probably think I'm crazy but I could have sworn she was here" Aria said glancing at Ezra. "I don't think your crazy" Ezra said pushing Aria's hair behind her ear. Aria let out a sigh of relief, "That makes one of us" Aria said smiling, she still thought she was crazy.

Aria pushed her way up from the couch and grabbed her things, she had a curfew to make, and she wasn't going to be late especially since her mom had given her permission to come to Ezra's she wasn't going to take advantage of that and neither was Ezra. "I love you" Ezra said smiling into Aria's lips as she kissed him goodbye. "I love you more than you can ever imagine" Aria said removing her tangled fingers from Ezra's hair.

Once she reached her car she pulled out her phone and sent a text to all three girls alerting them she needed to talk and to meet her at her place to sleep over, there was no way Aria was going to sleep tonight, but she'd rather have her friends there if she couldn't have Ezra.

By the time she got home her friends were parked outside, and Ella and Byron weren't home yet. Aria let them into the house and shut the door before saying anything. Once the door was firmly shut Aria turned to her friends and said uncertainty "Ali came for a visit tonight." And with that the pointless chatter stopped between the girls and they and looked at Aria.

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**So sorry I haven't been able to update sooner! Its been crazy with tests and everything please bare with me the story's not over yet! please Read and Review and let me know what you think, Sorry again for the late update! xx**


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