A voicemail and a visit

What If Ezra left Aria a voicemail in 4x10?

Aria sat there in the loud and crowded gym that was starting to smell of sweat and watched as Jake competed in his match. It may have seemed like she was paying attention to him however she was not. Her mind was far too busy thinking about Ezra. It had been so long since they had last spoken. Why is he calling me? Was something wrong? Had something happened to him? These and another million thoughts flew around in Aria's head and she didn't know the answer to any of them. Should I have answered his call? Aria wondered, just then her phone vibrated in her pocket and she hoped it wasn't Ezra calling as she didn't know if she should of answered the first time around. She didn't want to make the decision again.

Gently pulling her phone from her pocket she could see it wasn't Ezra calling her, it was her phone alerting her that she had a voicemail waiting to be opened. Aria let out a breath she didn't know she was holding but sucked it back in once she saw the voicemail was from Ezra. Should I listen to it? She wondered. The question was answered for there and then when Jake appeared at her side with a smile on his face as he had just won his match. Aria placed her phone into her pocket and thought no more about it and carried on with her date with Jake.

Just over an hour and a half later Aria arrived home to be greeted by her dad.

"Hi Honey, did you have a good time?" He asked her. He knew she had gone out with Jake and couldn't be happier at the fact it wasn't Ezra she was dating anymore. Byron always asked her how her dates had gone when she went out with Jake but he never had with Ezra and it bugged Aria to no end.

"It was fine" She replied as she walked upstairs. Once in her room she lied on her bed feeling overly exhausted when her phone started digging into her. Aria took her phone out of her pocket and saw she still had Ezra's voicemail to listen to and decided that there was no better time than the present and clicked listen whilst lifting her phone to her ear.

The phone was silent for a few seconds till she heard Ezra let out a shaky breath. "Aria" He breathed out. He sounded strange to Aria like maybe he'd been crying. Aria instantly sat up in her bed all of a sudden feeling a lot more awake. "I know I shouldn't be calling but..." he began to say but had to take a moment to catch his breath. He's defiantly upset. Aria thought listening to him take a breath and waiting for him to speak again. "I need you" he chocked out, his voice breaking, then letting out a small sob and hanging up ending the voicemail. It took a few seconds for Aria to register what she had just heard. He needed her. Just like she had when she called him at the police station, he was there for her then and she knew she needed to be there for him now. Without thinking or hesitating Aria grabbed her overnight bag (she kept one handy just in case) and rummaged around her top drawer for her key to Ezra's apartment just in case she needed it. She then took a quick glance around her room making sure there was nothing she has missed and make her was down the stairs taking Byron by surprise.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" He asked her whilst rising from his seat on the couch.

"No time to explain, I'll be home tomorrow, don't worry about me" Aria said whilst making her way to the front door and exiting the house before Byron had a chance to respond to his daughter leaving in the middle of the night in a slight panic. Once out of the house Aria quickly made her way to her car and drove to Ezra's. She ran several stop signs on the way there but didn't care the slightest. It had been over two hours since Ezra left her the voicemail and she didn't know what state she would find him in and had no idea what had happened to get him so emotional.

Once she pulled up at his apartment complex she made her way straight inside not worrying about if anyone saw her as it was past midnight on a school night. She made her way straight to his apartment door and didn't even bother knocking as she used her key for quickness. If he was asleep she didn't want to wake him. The apartment was rather dark, the only light coming from the television and the window that was displaying the moon and stars beautifully. It took her a few moments to spot where Ezra was. He was on the couch and she could tell by how his shoulders were situated that something was clearly wrong. "Ezra?" she said softly as she placed her bag on the floor and her keys on the side table. He didn't respond to her calling his name so she tried again. "Ezra?" she said softly, this time she got a reaction and he turned his head slightly. "Aria" He exclaimed in a whisper and turned his head fully. She was glad he had responded to her and turned around fully but now she was aware of how bad the situation was. She could see his puffy red eyes signalling he'd been crying for quite some time. She could see his hair was a mess, most likely due to him raking his hands through it many times and she could see that his tie was pulled loose with the top button of his shirt undone. He looked the picture of a broken man and her heart went out to him. "What happened?" She asked him as she walked closer to him. He took his gaze off her and went back to his previous position of staring blankly at the wall in front of him and she saw a tear slide down his cheek. She moved around the couch and sat next to him. Once she was sat down on the couch she could smell the whiskey on him and could see the over half empty bottle on the table. "Ezra, talk to me" she said looking at him and his blank expression.

"I….M..,,S.." he couldn't get the words out. He downed the whiskey he had in his hands and leaned forward to place his glass on the table in front of him and without warning put his head in his hands and began to cry. Seeing him like this broke Aria's heart into a million pieces. She'd seen Ezra upset but not like this. Never like this.

"Come here" she said as she opened her arms and pulled him closer to her. He placed his head on her shoulder and placed his hands around her waist whilst he continued to cry. She held him close to her just like he had done for her countless of times before.

In an attempt to comfort him she stroked his hair and rubbed his back and see seemed to succeed as his cries began to weaken.

"Maggie lied" he said softly, so softly he didn't think she heard him

"What about" Aria asked as she remained stoking his hair and back.

"Malcolm" Ezra whispered back then taking in a shaky breath just like he had done on the voicemail he had left her hours ago.

"What about him?" She asked and he griped her tighter.

"He's not my son" Ezra chocked out and began to cry once more, although not as heavy this time.

"Ezra I'm so sorry" Aria said she too held onto him tighter and he held onto her for dear life afraid she was going to vanish any second. That this was just a dream. "It's gonna be okay" she told him and at her words he pulled back and began wiping tears from his face.

"No it's not. I have nothing. I gave up everything important to me, all for a lie she had me believing. I lost you because of her" He said anger and frustration both present in his voice.

"Hey" Aria said as she placed her hands on his face firmly, one hand on each cheek and began wiping away his tears with the pads of her thumbs. "I'm right here" she told him looking deeply into his eyes.

Before she knew it Ezra was kissing her with all the passion, lust and longing he had built up since they had broken up. Much to Aria's surprise she began kissing him back. Once again before she knew it her back was firmly on the couch and Ezra was above her. He made a move for her shirt but she stopped him placing her hands on top of his and breaking the kiss to speak.

"Ezra wait, we can't…I'm dating someone" she told him and he stopped to look at her and couldn't help but feel disappointed at the fact she had moved on.

"So?" He replied kissing her again and making a move for her shirt once more.

Ezra didn't count himself as a selfish or jealous man but right now he wanted Aria all to himself.

"So" she said pulling back from the kiss and placing her hands back on his to stop them roaming any higher. "This means I'm cheating on him"

"And that bothers you?" Ezra asked her.

"Not as much as it should" She answered honestly. It worried her how little she really cared about cheating on Jake with Ezra. "But we shouldn't do this Ezra" she told him. Right now he couldn't see why they shouldn't. "Give me one good reason why not" he said looking her straight in her eyes and removing his hands from her waist and her scrunched up shirt.

"I'll give you three" she told him. "One you are my teacher. Again! And this could get you suspended if not fired. Two you are in a very vulnerable place right now. You've just lost the son you fell in love with and care deeply for. And three you've drank quite a lot tonight" Aria told him. All of her reasons were valid but he didn't want to hear any of them.

"So that means I can't make a decision for myself" He said pissed off at Aria. It wasn't her fault he was just so confused with everything right now and the only thing he knew for certain was that he wanted her and she's turning him down.

"I didn't say that" she told him in an equally pissed off tone and they both moved into a sitting position on the couch.

"But that's what you meant" He snapped back instantly regretting it. He shifted his body to face her. "I'm sorry" he told her gently then took her hands in his and began to speak. "Aria, I know what your thinking but I am capable of making my own decisions right now and right now all I want is you. I have done since you broke up with me." He told her as a few tears escaped his eyes and hers welled up.

"I know but..." she began but was cut off.

"Don't think, just do" he told her as he leaned closer to her so his lips were only centimetres away from hers. He gave her a second to think. This was going to be her choice. It had to be.

Within seconds her lips were attacking his with as much power if not more than they had just minutes before. She moved to straddle his sitting form to get closer to him as he deepened the kiss. They stayed like this for quite a few moments until they were forced to break apart for oxygen. They looked at each other before Aria gave Ezra a slight nod and he did the same before their lips attached once again. Once their lips were back on each others he picked her up by the thighs earning a small yelp from Aria as her grip tighten around his neck. Never once breaking the kiss Ezra carried her to his bed. He placed her gently down on the bed still keeping his mouth locked with hers. He manoeuvred himself on top of her careful not to put too much of his weight on her as she was only tiny. Once in a comfortable position Aria let go of her grip on his neck and their hands found each other. Her right and his left as they laced together above Aria's head. Just like the first time she was in this position on his bed Aria got butterflies in her stomach and could tell right now that Ezra truly loves her. Once again they took a moment to breathe and Aria unlaced her fingers from Ezra's and placed both her hands on his face, just like she had already done once before tonight.

"I love you" She told Ezra with a spark in her eyes that Ezra matched once she had spoken the words.

"I love you too" He told her as he began kissing her again.

Not another word was spoken that night. None were needed. Even though neither of them knew what this meant and weather or not this made them a couple didn't matter right now. All they cared about was this moment. This was all they needed, each other. They would deal with the consequences of their actions tomorrow as right now they were going to enjoy every last second of what was happening and the time that they were spending together whilst hoping the sun never comes up and bursts the bubble they have placed themselves in.

A/N Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed it, please review and sorry for any mistakes.