6 Weeks sober

Step 2: We believe that we must turn elsewhere for help

In the aftermath of Ezra's panic attack, it came out that what he had truly meant and, ultimately, could not articulate at that time was that it was not during the day that Ezra needed Aria close by. The days were always fine. He found that he was able to, more often than not, distract himself with chores and, slowly but surely, taking on more of his previous duties as owner of the brewery. It was the evenings when the sun began to set and life began to slow down when the problems came. The darkness began to suffocate as the town around him grew quieter by the minute. It was then that the voices of addiction came out to play and the liquor store started to call his name. The nights were always the worst, when the black seeped in through the cold of the window panes and the emptiness of the bed began to scream memories of years were the moments that Ezra found himself most needing Aria, needed to be able to her close and remind himself that she was there, alive, and okay.

Their days became pretty routine soon after that. Ezra, who always had been the early riser of the two, would wake up and make breakfast for the two of them and Aria would sit and eat with him before heading out the door on her way to Philly for the day. Coffee shops knew her well in the city, she spent a lot of time there parked in front of her computer doing phone interviews and working on her next novel from which she'd already received an advance. Fridays, she guest lectured at the University of Pennsylvania, more to get out of the house and keep tensions from rising than anything else. She would return home either to an already cooked meal or baring takeout herself. It wasn't the ideal situation for the business owner or writer, but they didn't mind.

It had been a little over a month and this day to day routine had already become normal life to the two. Aria was scrolling through Instagram on her phone as Bride of Frankenstein played on the television. Her attention was called towards Ezra as he came from the shower, his old t-shirt already sporting a few drops of water from his hair. He walked around the couch and casually picked up her sprawled out legs, taking a seat beneath before placing them down in his lap.

The kiss from that first night still had not been talked about, or repeated, and Aria couldn't even be sure that Ezra remembered it in the first place. However, as the days passed by, the occasional touching became frequent cuddling and these days they seemed to be touching every time the other was around.

"My mom called," Aria stated, glancing over the top of her phone at Ezra.

Ezra nodded once, "Oh, I thought I heard you on the phone. How is she doing?"

Aria hit the side button on her phone and carelessly dropped her phone between herself and the cushion. "She's good. She thought she saw me walking into the brewery the other day."

A flash of anxiety covered Ezra's face, "What did you say?"

"That she probably just saw someone that looked like me." Ezra looked relieved, but Aria wasn't finished. "Ezra, my parents are starting to ask questions. Why I cancelled the book tour, what I'm doing now… It's getting harder and harder to find answers that satisfy them"

"You know I don't want people to know," Ezra nearly snapped, but Aria leaning forward and setting her hand on top of his calmed him immediately.

"People already knew. You broke a chair in Hanna's mom's hotel."

"We live in a town where admitting you have a problem causes more gossip than anything else, you know it better than anyone." Ezra immediately regretted his words, but Aria didn't even seem to hear them.

Aria rubbed her thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. "Just let me tell my parents, that's all I ask. They won't say anything to anyone else." The lack of a response spoke for itself, so Aria looked him directly in the eyes. "What are you so afraid of, really?"

Breaking eye contact, Ezra halfheartedly stared at the TV screen. A moment passed before he said anything. "What if I fail? What if people know I'm trying to get better then I fall off the wagon and they know?"

"That's not failing. Failing is never even trying. And if you do relapse, I'll still be here for you. You'll still mean the world to me. That's not going to change that. If people talk, they talk. Take my word for it, you'll still survive." The final words took a lighter, playful tone and Ezra chuckled a little bit, looking back at Aria.

Still, he sat in silence for a little until making a vague decision. "Soon, I promise." Pulling his hand from underneath, he switched the positions and took her hand this time, "Have I said thank you yet?"

Aria couldn't contain the smile that spread over her lips, "Everyday, Ezra."

Without hesitation, Ezra dove in and planted a kiss on her lips, from which she immediately pulled away from out of surprise. Ezra began to lean back, already forming the words of an apology, but Aria's returning kiss suffocated the words before they even had a chance to live.

The heat of the moment intensified with each passing second. Six weeks of nothing had really built up fast and suddenly, Ezra was guiding her down onto the couch. His hand moved towards the hem of her t-shirt when suddenly, he stopped.

For a split second, Aria thought he had hesitated from second-guessing until she suddenly realized that his entire body had gone limp. "Ezra?!" Aria panicked, shaking his shoulder. It was no longer just his shoulder shaking, though, his entire body began to jerk as if by extreme electrocution. Unpinning herself from underneath his convulsing body, Aria rolled off the couch, and smacked her head on the coffee table on the way down. "Ezra!" She tried again, realizing with a sickening feeling in her stomach that her phone was on the other side of him and his was nowhere to be seen.

"Help!" Aria screamed as she leaped onto her feet and tore through the apartment door. Her feet pounded down the stairs in the brew. "Help! Somebody call 911!" Multiple customers had their phones pinned to their ear before even a heartbeat could pass.

"Aria?!"

She turned at the sound of her name, coming face to face with her mother. An icy cold feeling ran through her veins, but all she could say was, "Ezra's having a seizure." True to her selfless character, Ella followed Aria up the stairs without a word. Even when she noticed the signs of two people living in a shared space for quite some time, Ella ignored it and rushed to hold Ezra as still as possible so as to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself.

The paramedics came in shortly after and Aria was glad for it because she was too much of a wreck to have helped Ella much. After a quick explanation of what had happened, it became clear that Aria, as neither family nor an emergency contact, would not be allowed in the ambulance. A minor fight broke out over this until Ella shushed her and offered to drive Aria herself.

As the shock and urgency of the situation slowly began to die off in the car ride, Ella took the opportunity to ask about the elephant in the room. "How long have you been staying with Ezra, Aria?"

The younger girl looked down at her lap, she was still wearing her baby blue pajama pants. She sniffed back the tears-induced runny nose and sighed a little, "About a month."

"A month?!" Ella cried, looking briefly from the road towards her daughter. "And you didn't tell us? Are you having money problems?"

"No, mom, I'm fine." Aria assured, knowing in her gut where this conversation would end and deciding to get it over with now in the privacy of the car. "Ezra's drinking got really bad and he's started recovery."

Again, Ella glanced at her daughter, "What do you mean? What does this have to do with you?"

"He just can't be alone. If he's alone it gets to be too much and he drinks." Aria looked out the window as the still familiar town passed by. Ezra's words came back to her, about seeing her on every street corner. In the state of uncertainty, all she could see was him, the memories they shared together. A sob fell from her mouth and she felt herself saying something to her mom that she had not yet been able to admit to herself. "And I don't mind because I need him, too."

The hospital parking lot was nearly empty, as it tended to be in Rosewood, and Ella found a spot easily. Once the car was in park, Ella pulled her daughter in closer to her for a hug and Aria felt as though she were ten once more. When the two broke apart, Ella slid a piece of hair behind Aria's ear and wiped away a stray tear. "Have I ever told you how much I regret my reaction that first day Ezra Fitz stood before your father and I and professed his love for you?" Aria let out a lone chuckle, but shook her head no as she wiped her cheek dry. "Your dad, too. We thought that-I don't know what we thought anymore. That he was taking advantage of you… Horrible things. The longer it went on, though, the more we could tell that that wasn't the case. In fact it was pretty clear he wasn't just any boyfriend to you either. There was something real there."

Barely containing a smile, Aria said, "You know I met him before school even started that year?" A look containing surprise and confusion passed over Ella's face and Aria laughed despite the circumstances. "I… had a fake ID and I was at this bar grabbing a burger and he was a couple seats down. We ended up making out in the bathroom and I honestly thought I would never see him again. Then school started."

The silence made it seem as though Ella was having a hard time processing the story until she exclaimed, "You had a fake ID?!" Her only response was her daughter laughing as she climbed out of the car. During the walk to the hospital entrance, the grim feeling fell down over the two again and conversation ceased.

Inside, the receptionist informed the two that Ezra had been checked in already and that the doctor would let her know when she would be able to see him. It only took 20 minutes, but still the time dragged on.

Room 203 was a nice, single room with a wonderful view of the town. Ezra was already awake on the bed, propped up by pillows and dressed in a hospital gown. IVs poured drugs into his veins and a machine echoed his heartbeats back to him. At the foot of his bed a tall, grey haired Doctor stood before him speaking from the chart in his hands. At the sight of Aria and Ella, he stopped.

"Hi there, I'm Dr. Williamson." His greeting was open ended and obviously expectant of a return.

"I'm Aria, and this is my mom, Ella." Aria glanced furtively at Ezra from his place on the bed, not sure what else to say.

Then the dreaded question she had been avoiding in the first place, "How are you related to Mr. Fitz, here?"

Distracted by the title and trying to keep in the laugh boiling up, Ezra began to speak, "She's my-"

"Girlfriend," Aria interjected. "I'm his girlfriend." She had sensed his own hesitancy towards the question and knew he wouldn't feel comfortable using that classification without her approval.

"Ah," the doctor nodded, returning his attention to the charts in hand. Either he didn't notice the awkward exchange or he'd chosen to ignore it. "Well, as I was saying, it seems as though the seizure is merely a response to alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, there is no telling if there will be another episode, or how many more, for that matter."

Aria sat down in the chair beside the bed and set her hand on top of Ezra's. "Is there at least any kind of medication you can give him?"

"Most seizures brought on by heavy drinking rarely become a frequent occurrence. My suggestion would be to wait it out, be prepared and if another one does occur then we will look at the possibility of medication. I would like to hold you overnight for observation." The doctor waited for Ezra's nod and then excused himself from the room.

Ella also made a move to leave, but Ezra called after her. "Wait, Mrs. Montgomery, please." She turned back to the bed, and Ezra continued. "I just wanted you to know that I'm in AA, and I'm six weeks sober. It's not much, yet, but I will get better."

"Six weeks is amazing, Ezra. Keep up the good work." She cast a smile, muttered something about waiting in the hall and took her leave.

With the room to themselves, Aria asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Ezra stated. "Glad you're here."

"Ezra-," Aria stopped herself. The words had stopped in her throat, caught on a gasp as her stomach clenched and tears filled her eyes. She'd kept herself from saying the words for so long that now, it felt as though they were erupting from her. "I love you. I love you so much. I can't keep pretending like we're just really good friends living together or… I love you Ezra and I want to be able to say it to you everyday."

Leaning forward in his bed, Ezra placed a gentle kiss on Aria's lips, "I love you, too."

"I spent the last seven years of my life trying to convince myself I didn't still love you. Trying to convince myself you weren't the only person I could ever see myself with. It's you, it'll always be you." Ezra set his hand on the side of Aria's face and she stopped talking for just a moment.

Chuckling, he said, "Aria, if you let me, I will be here everyday. I'm not going anywhere." A small smile played over her lips. "I will never stop loving you."

That night, Aria fell asleep talking to Ezra until two in the morning, their hands interlaced and her head on the fresh sheets.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Thank you for the amazing response to this story. Honestly, I had no idea I would be continuing it from a oneshot. This story will go for a total of 13 chapters, including the prologue, the remaining 12 telling the tale of Ezra making his way through the 12 steps.

The rest of the liars will be introduced back in in the next chapter. If there are any specific pairings you want to see, comment them in the reviews and I will do my best to include them!