A.N

Hello, I'm Kate. This is my first ever Fanfiction and I'm a little nervous about posting it. Obviously, I'm a massive Ezria shipper, so I've written this one-shot to fill the lack of Ezria scenes we've been receiving so far this season. Also, I'd like to thank one of my best friends, Emily, for encouraging me to write this. Enjoy! :)

The small town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania could seem impossibly small sometimes; everyone was neighbours, and secrets had a way of getting around like the common cold. But lately Rosewood had appeared to be anything but small, in fact it seemed to be achingly huge.

Aria Montgomery had always hated that her hometown was a place you couldn't hide from anyone in, especially after she had caught Byron, her father, cheating on her mom with one of his students. Whenever her family had gone out to dinner, they would always run into Meredith, and it seemed almost like a punishment for keeping her father's affair a secret from her mother. Whenever such situations came around, Byron would always look the other way when his daughter gave him a questioning look.

Now Aria would give anything for Rosewood to feel small again. It had been three weeks since she and Ezra had agreed to end their three year relationship, and Aria hadn't once heard from her former lover/English teacher nor had she seen him except for in school, where he had returned to work as a supply teacher. They wouldn't acknowledge each other; if Aria ever saw him in the hallway, she'd simply turn around and find another way to class, Ezra always looking pained as she turned her back on him.

She knew she'd hurt him. She knew that she was the one to give up on their seemingly endless love. But she had thought that Ezra would at least try to call her, or to speak to her after class. To ask her how she was coping. Maybe she was being selfish, but she needed someone - she needed him. Every night Aria dreaded going to bed; it would take hours for her to find sleep, and most nights she ended up crying herself there.

If only Malcolm wasn't in the equation. Why did he have to ruin everything? They had everything planned out; after Aria's graduation, the pair would spend the summer together, maybe even sneaking away to Spencer's lake house for a weekend or two. But when Ezra found out about Malcolm, everything became about him. Nothing was right anymore. Except now that Aria had left Ezra, now that she was on her own, all she felt was pain in everything she did. But how could she show her face to Ezra after what she'd done to him?

Saturday morning Aria lay in her bed after a night of tossing, turning and not much sleep at all. She was completely exhausted, but she knew if she spent the day wallowing in bed she'd feel even worse about herself.

A car pulled up outside the house and she peered out the window. Spencer, Emily and Hanna got out of Emily's blue Toyota and walked up to the Montgomery's front porch.

After a few minutes, she heard the girls clumping up the stairs and knocking on her bedroom door. "Come in," she called.

The three girls entered the room, Spencer carrying four coffees and Emily beaming her radiant smile as Hanna looked around in disgust at the mess of Aria's bedroom. "Well you've had a lot of takeout the past week," Hanna said, picking up the empty containers lying around Aria's desk and placing them in the bin.

"Nice to see you too." Aria breathed heavily. She was NOT in the mood for jokes today. Hibernating didn't sound like a bad idea right now.

"We bring coffee and good spirits!" Spencer smiled and came over to Aria's bed. Her smile faded when she saw the dark circles under Aria's eyes from lack of sleep. Spencer looked up at the other two girls who gathered close, realising that Aria was feeling a lot worse than she was letting on in the single sentenced texts they'd all been receiving over the past three weeks.

"How are you doing?" Emily asked, slipping onto the bed beside Spencer.

Aria played with the edge of comforter, not making eye contact with Emily or the rest of her friends. "I'm okay," she lied, although she was pretty sure the others caught on as her voice conveniently cracked on the second syllable.

"Hey," Spencer put an arm around Aria's petite frame and pulled her close. "You don't have to pretend around us, right girls?"

"Right." Hanna and Emily said in unison. By now all four girls were at the head of Aria's queen sized bed and were wrapped in each other's embrace. Aria buried her face into Spencer's arm as she let a fresh set of tears roll down her rosy cheeks.

"You can talk to us, if you want?" Hanna stroked Aria's hair in a kind gesture.

"I just..." Aria sobbed, trying to hold back, never one to draw attention to her personal problems. "It hurts so much." She choked up as the tears continued to barrel down her face. Screw holding back, a girl needs to let go once in awhile, she thought.

It pained Spencer, Hanna and Emily to see their best friend genuinely hurt so much, normally Aria was so stubborn about keeping her pain to herself that they rarely experienced a situation like this. The girls continued to comfort Aria with their kind words, and some not so kind bashings from Hanna claiming that she was going to "smack Ezra so hard he won't see tomorrow." with which she only got disapproving looks from Emily and Spencer and another eruption of sobs from the fragile Aria.

"It wasn't even his fault. It was all me, I broke it off. I hurt him so much and now he hates me. He hates me!" She wailed, worrying the other girls that Aria was in need of psychiatric care.

Eventually, the girls curled up on the bed and ended up watching "Friends With Benefits", a personal favourite of Hanna's. They gushed over Justin Timberlake's manliness and turned green with envy for the fact Mila Kunis was kissing the face off him, except for Emily, she was the other way around. As the girls were flurrying over Justin's abs, Emily was admiring Mila's fit body, which made even Aria crack a smile at how her fearless her friend was.

Once the movie was over, the girls sat in Aria's room simply keeping her company, doing anything to keep her mind off a certain hot English teacher.

"Lets go to a club," Spencer said abruptly.

"What?" The others cried simultaneously.

Spencer stood up and walked across to the desk where Aria's laptop sat. "It'll be fun. We all still have our fake ID's from that insane frat party Alison brought us to, and it'll help take Aria's mind off...you know. Besides, when was the last time we did something all together as a group?"

The girls were silent, Hanna and Emily's eyes boring into Spencer, and Aria went back to fiddling with the comforter.

Emily shifted. "I don't think Aria's really up for-"

"No," Aria interrupted. "No, I think I am." She couldn't help that a grin was forming on her face. This would be just the right kind of activity to take her mind off Ezra.

Three hours later, Aria was beginning to regret her decision as she sorted through the mass of clothes in her closet. She had absolutely nothing to wear. Well, in actual fact, she had plenty of stylish dresses and cute shirts, but none that could qualify to a "club's" standard.

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and dialled Hanna's number. After explaining her situation, Hanna almost squealed. "Absolutely not. You are coming to this club with us even if it means I have to drag you there. I'll be over immediately to work my magic in the wardrobe department." Hanna hung up abruptly, not giving Aria much say in the matter.

It was only a matter of minutes before Hanna was up in Aria's room for the second time that day, and this time Aria looked even more helpless and aggravated than she had earlier. "Come on! Stop with this gloom and doom," Hanna said, pulling her friend into an embrace.

"Hey, Han," Aria smiled, and made a promise to herself that if she was to go tonight, she wouldn't spoil it for the others by inflicting her depressive mood onto them. They didn't deserve it; they'd been nothing but supportive and kind to Aria.

A half hour later, Aria was dressed in a little black minidress, her brunette locks had been pulled to the side and cascaded gently down her shoulder, and her makeup soft and flirty. Hanna had worked wonders, and Aria had to give credit to her friend for making her look more awake and alive than she had in weeks. She had on a pair of her own edgy heels, the only thing that Hanna had let Aria compromise on, but the look fitted together perfectly.

The girls were scheduled to hop on the train to Philadelphia around 6:30pm, so Aria and Hanna made their way to the station where they'd meet the other girls. Although morally nervous, Aria was actually feeling pretty good about herself; it hadn't just been her mother who was grinning with pride when her daughter left the Montgomery household, Aria had been feeling that exact same way about herself for actually getting out of bed. This was a huge step for her, and she could see this being a night that could help her recover for the better.

After the tediously long train journey, the group finally arrived in the city. Spencer had been stressing to the girls exactly how they should act in order to get into such a high end club, which made for an even more worried Emily.

Aria often admired Emily for the bold choices she made, however the tall brunette could often be wary about unfamiliar and technically illegal activities such as this.

The four walked along the busy street, filled with fussy people who were making their way home from work. Aria could sense Emily's tense aura, and apparently Hanna could too. "Would you quit worrying so much, Em? You're making doubt my ability to get us in here," Hanna huffed.

"I'm only worried that my mom will find out I'm doing something that is practically illegal. I mean, look what she did to Maya and she isn't even her own kid!" Emily stressed.

Hanna stopped short. "Oh come on! It's not as if she's going to march into the club, drag you home and ship you off to juvie for having a good time."

Aria coughed uncomfortably, and looked towards Spencer. "Yeah, she probably would," they said in unison.

Emily sighed.

"No offence!" Aria added, realising that their previous comment sounded a little mean.

The tension relaxed and the girls continued walking through the streets of Philadelphia towards the club. Spencer kept going through the routine they were to carry out if they were refused entry first time, which made Aria doubt herself completely. She didn't particularly look like a child, but her colossal five feet and two inches didn't exactly help the matter.

It turned out getting into the club was a breeze. When the bulky doorman had any ambiguity, Hanna simply turned her body this way and that and that soon gained a perverted smile off the sleazy man who then let them into the club quicker than Spencer could calculate polynomial algerithms.

Half an hour later, Emily and Hanna were sitting beside a group of girls who attended U-Penn, and Aria and Spencer stood in the line for the bar. Spencer swayed to the music as she watched over at the group of girls her friends had acquainted. Aria could tell Spencer was dying to get over there and talk to those college girls. U-Penn was Spencer's dream school, and to be able to make friends with people who attended - and who could possibly bring many connections - was too good an opportunity to miss.

"Go on over, I'll be fine," Aria offered.

Spencer looked at her and shook her head.

Aria's eyes widened. "Spence, I'll be fine. I am capable of buying four drinks, you know?"

"I know, but -" Spencer started.

"No buts! Off you go and talk your way into into your dream school!" Aria smiled at her best friend, and watched her walk away sheepishly. She was happy to be alone anyway, and the music wasn't too bad either.

The line for the bar took only a short time to diffuse, and eventually Aria was sitting on a fancy purple stool which complemented the bright violet colour of the pretty bartender's outfit. She was busy pouring drinks for the couple sitting adjacent to Aria, and she seemed cheerful and happy as she danced her way around the bar to a version of Lana Del Rey's "Diet Mountain Dew" Aria hadn't heard before.

"What can I get for you?" The bartender smiled, and Aria took notice that the girl couldn't be all that much older than herself, maybe early twenties, or according to Aria's fake ID, the same age.

"I'll have four Jack and Cokes, please," Aria replied, and she couldn't help but adopt the girl's upbeat energy.

"Coming right up," she said, heading over to prepare the order. "Have you been left to buy the first round then?"

"You could say that," Aria said, not feeling comfortable discussing the whole drinks situation in fear of being caught out for underage drinking.

The girl laughed. "Happens to me all the time, I know how you feel! I give in too easily, and I don't know if thats a good thing or a bad thing yet."

Aria pursed her lips, contemplating an answer when four glasses were placed in front of her. Aria took out her wallet and paid for the order, and began to get up. "Thank you," she said to the bartender, "and I think its a good thing. To give in easily. It can cause you to hurt people less."

The girl gave Aria a questioning look. "You sound like you speak from experience?"

Aria sighed. "It's a long story."

"I have time. I'm here until two," the bartender said, tying her long blonde hair into a ponytail.

Aria soon found out the bartenders name was Emily, oddly enough, and that she had moved to Philadelphia last year from Canada. Aria somehow found herself telling her new friend about the situation with Ezra. Of course, Aria had missed out the whole 'teacher' part, but even if she had told Emily that, she seemed the kind of person that probably wouldn't have cared about age differences or the fact that it was illegal, anyway. Emily knew exactly what to say, and where to console Aria as she told her story. She even pointed out that Aria was not selfish for wanting Ezra to call her, even after she'd hurt him. That was what all girls would want, especially from someone who they've been totally and utterly committed to.

Hours passed and Aria had long drowned down the four drinks she had gotten for her friends. She and bartender Emily had been talking about everything from guys, to the state of some of the club goers dresses, and Aria was having the most fun she'd had in weeks. None of her friends had come looking for her, so she had decided to not bother looking for them, either.

Although Emily was on the job, when Aria ordered a round of shots, they did them together and celebrated to being powerful, free women. "Don't you think it's just hilarious that one of my best friends, who I'm here with tonight, is called Emily? And you're name is Emily too! Isn't that just fabulous?" Aria giggled at her new discovery. She wasn't used to this much alcohol and it was messing with her head and making her say odd things.

"It's pretty cool, I guess. Her mom has great taste," Emily teased, her canadian accent showing through.

Aria sipped at the last of her sixth drink of the night, and Emily began to realise how quickly the alcohol was affecting Aria.

"Can I have another, please?" Aria asked, her voice beginning to slur, as she fished in her purse for some money.

"I don't think thats such a great idea, sweetie. You've already had a fair amount," Emily said, not wanting her new friend to get hurt.

"I am not drunk," Aria protested as she wobbled down from the stool. The high heeled shoes she was wearing definitely weren't helping keep her balance, and Emily was sure the tiny girl was going to collapse onto the floor in a heap.

"Hold on a second!" Emily cried, and hopped over the bar to where Aria stood wobbling. Aria clung to Emily and they both erupted in a fit of giggles.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little tipsy," Aria admitted, as she straightened her dress out and fixed her hair self consciously.

Emily began to lead Aria to the centre of the dance floor, where they had last seen Spencer, Emily and Hanna but they were nowhere to be found. Indecisive of what to do, Emily decided it would be best to take Aria back to the bar and wait for her friends to come and find her.

"I need the bathroom," Aria stated, and began to wobble her way through the crowds of conversing and dancing people, towards the restroom. She locked herself in a stall and began humming the tune of her and Ezra's favourite song: 'Happiness' by The Fray.

"But you are gone, not for good but for now.

Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good."

She sang one particular lyric in her enchanting, beautiful voice as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"You have a wonderful voice," Emily whispered from behind the door of the stall.

Aria sniffed and slumped down to the floor, curling into a tiny ball of sadness.

"You really miss him, huh?"

"Yes," croaked Aria. She stood up in such a rush that she almost lost her balance again, and unlocked the toilet stall door. "I have to go tell him I'm sorry."

"Woah, wait!" Emily cried while Aria walked out of the bathroom. She followed Aria along a hallway - which clearly stated "Staff Only" - all the way to the fire door at the back of the building.

"How do I get to the train station from here?" Aria slurred, as she pulled up google maps onto her cell phone.

"No way, you are not going on a public train like this. I'm calling you a cab."

Aria sat down against the wall, frustrated and still on a high from the alcohol buzzing through her veins. Ten minutes later, she and her new friend Emily were in a cab on their way back to the merry town of Rosewood.

*Spencer's POV*

It was passed 11pm when Spencer realised where she was and that she hadn't seen her friends for almost the entire night. She was sat in a booth in the club with two girls and a guy who attended U-Penn, and she was hearing hundreds of interesting stories as the junior students reminisced about their freshman year. She'd originally been hanging out with some others from the university, along with Hanna and Emily, but they had all disappeared many drinks ago. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Aria the whole night, which now began to worry her.

"Where are you?" Spencer texted Aria.

She listened in on the group conversation, but couldn't completely concentrate until she heard back from her best friend. She was so tiny and vulnerable right now, Spencer could see how much she was hurting by just looking at the small girl. God, why had she not gone and found Aria sooner? If anything were to happen to Aria, Spencer would never forgive herself.

Just then, Spencer received a text from Aria.

"On way bsck to Roseyood" It read.

By the careless typing, Spencer could tell Aria was drunk even through text, which was not a good sign.

"WHO ARE YOU WITH?" Spencer texted back frantically.

She couldn't decide which was worse, Aria being alone on a late night train with alcohol influenced thoughts, or Aria taking some random guy home to Rosewood with her to try and get over Ezra. Either way, it was going to be a bad situation and Spencer knew that she would be partly to blame. They should've all stuck together in the first place.

Spencer's phone beeped again.

"Em"

Spencer relaxed instantly. If her two friends were together, they'd most likely be okay; everything would work out fine. That meant that Hanna must still have been at the club, so Spencer told her U-Penn friends 'Goodbye' and went to round up the blonde party girl.

*Ezra's POV*

Ezra sat in his downtown Rosewood apartment watching a French movie which happened to be a favourite of Aria's and his due to the artsy, European plot. This was the first time he'd watched it alone since Aria had left him, and he couldn't concentrate on the movie one bit. Ezra couldn't laugh at the parts of the film the couple used to; he could barely even smirk. Without Aria, this movie meant nothing to him.

He eventually turned the movie off and made his way over to the fridge to get a drink. It was the same routine he'd been following every night: watch movie, order dinner (Thai chicken, usually), watch another movie, sleep. He did the same thing each night except Wednesday's, his one night with Malcolm. That was usually a good distraction for Ezra; his son liked to keep him busy in all sorts of ways, including practicing karate with his father.

However, it seemed Ezra wasn't the only person who was having trouble getting over Aria. When Ezra had gone to meet Malcolm without Aria two weeks ago, it had pained him to see the disappointment on his son's face. When he'd tried to explain to Malcolm that Aria wouldn't be coming out with them for a 'while', the seven year old child's face had warped into a sea of confusion and he had trouble accepting it. Last week when Malcolm had asked the same question, Ezra had lied, telling him Aria was busy with her friends. Ezra didn't know how to tell his son that neither of them would be seeing Aria intentionally anytime soon, he couldn't face the questions from Maggie, either.

It hit Ezra then that not only was he lying to his son, he was actually lying to himself, too. He needed to accept the fact that he and Aria couldn't be together, no matter how much they seemed to be right for each other. He had pushed her too far, no seventeen year old girl should have to deal with her substantially older boyfriend having a seven year old son. It was in everyone's best interest that they finish their relationship.

Ezra opened the fridge and reached to pull a bottle of water from the pack, which was propped next to the fluffy lime which Aria had once insisted he threw out. He stared at it for a moment, remembering the times when they were happy, before Malcolm had come and brought the gifts of joy and pain. He felt a tear escape from his watery eyes and roll down his cheek, but soon swatted it off. He needed to get himself together, he was a grown man. He just didn't understand how things could've gone from being exceptionally great, to an absolute mess in the space of weeks.

Ezra sighed, and made his way over to the bedroom area of the apartment, but not before noticing the sound of a commotion in the hallway. Once at the door, he looked through the looking hole to find nothing but the still, undisturbed hallway he would have expected for 12:30 am. But still he heard a voice. It was a female, and sounded achingly familiar. He opened the door and checked the walls adjacent to it, and his eyes landed on a girl with long brunette hair standing with her back to him.

It was Aria. He could smell the sweet scent of her favourite fragrance - a scent he had memorised for those long, painful nights alone - from where he was standing. "What are you doing here?"

At first, Aria didn't turn around. Ezra knew she'd heard him; her stance suddenly became still and her head perked up slightly. He breathed heavily, a wave of anxiety suddenly washing over him as he ran through the many scenarios in his head that could possibly unfold right now. But he certainly had not expected to encounter what was coming for him.

"I came to tell you," Aria began. She turned around to face Ezra, losing her balance in the process. "that I'm sorry."

She steadied herself on the wall and straightened out her dress.

Realisation set into Ezra's head. He'd never seen Aria so intoxicated by alcohol before, and he knew for a fact that she would've never done such a stupid thing like this if she was still with him. "Are you drunk?" he asked, his voice tightening with concern.

Aria's face fell. She began to turn away from him, hanging her head in shame. Just as Ezra was about to call on her to come back, she stopped.

"I can't do this anymore," she choked, tears beginning to form in her beautiful, hazel doe eyes. "I just...I can't."

Ezra's heart shattered. He had done this to her. He had never once seen Aria so broken. He had ultimately driven his beautiful girlfriend into this fragile, broken state, and for that he felt completely and utterly guilty.

"I thought I'd see you everywhere; maybe downtown at the grille if we were both picking up takeout, or at the mall in your favourite bookshop." Aria bit her lip, giving up trying to wipe the tears away from her makeup-stained cheeks. "I told myself that it was for the best, me not seeing you. I convinced myself that you could move on, you have a whole life with your spur of the moment son."

Ezra stared at her in a trance, remembering the pain and difficulty Aria went through trying to hide Malcolm's existence. He couldn't bare to think about the tearful voicemails she'd left him while he was away meeting his son. He should have been there for her, he should have replied to her messages. He should have made time for her. Aria was the first person he had ever felt this passionate about, and he'd known she would be the one and only person to receive his dedicated love since day one when they met at Snookers bar. Jolts of electricity traveled through Ezra whenever Aria was with him, and her smile was the last thing he wanted to see at night and the first thing he wanted to see in the morning as he awakened, for the rest of his life. Aria was his family, he just hadn't completely realised it until now.

"I don't know how to be me without you, Ezra. I made a mistake, a terrible, awful mistake." Aria's words began to slur, which caught Ezra's attention and pulled him out of his daze. "I understand that maybe you can't forgive me for hurting you, but I can't go on without you being a part of my life. I need you, Ezra."

She erupted into a mess of tears and sobs, reminding Ezra of her delicate state. He closed the distance between them, and hesitated slightly before engulfing her in his strong, welcoming arms. He slid their bodies onto the cold, stone floor and rocked her back and forth, his lips finding the tip of her forehead and pressing gently into it, an all too familiar position. He inhaled her delicious scent, and lay his face into her forehead. Aria groaned through the sobs, and scooted closer to Ezra.

"Kiss me," she whispered, almost unsure of what his answer would be.

Alarm bells went off in Ezra's head. This couldn't be a good idea. He was supposed to be the responsible adult, and here he was with an emotional, drunk teengager in his arms. But this teenager was his Aria, someone who he cared for endlessly, he would risk his own life for her. "Are you sure?" he asked her, ignoring the responsibility.

"Yes," she breathed heavily. "I'm sure."

Ezra caressed Aria's face carefully, and soon their lips found each other and were back to their passionate, yet gentle ways. His hands slid down her petite frame, and a groan escaped his lips. Oh, how he'd missed her. How could he have ever let Aria leave him? She literally was the light to his life.

With a what felt like a one-million tonne weight lifted off his soldiers, Ezra lifted an almost sleeping Aria from the floor and carried her into his apartment and tucked her into bed. He watched as she relaxed under the memorable covers of their 'Sacred Ground', her face the pinnacle of cuteness as her eyes fluttered closed. "I love you," Aria whispered, before burying her face into the mass of pillows and falling into a deep slumber.

Ezra smiled at the beautiful woman who lay before him. "I love you too, Aria. So much."

*Spencer's POV*

Although not entirely sober, Spencer happened to be the least drunk out of her two best friends, which was why when she had found Hanna - and Emily had been with her - she knew it was not just a hallucination as a side effect of the alcohol. Emily had been taken aback by Spencer's rudeness when she'd been asked "What the hell are you still doing here?". But, after Spencer's panicked explanation, Emily had soon understood that her being here meant that Aria had traveled back to Rosewood by herself, most likely not in her right state of mind.

"We need to call her parents!" Spencer cried frantically. Knowing Aria was really alone out there, and anything could have happened to her by now, Spencer was on the verge of ripping her hair out.

"Are you stupid? No way! Mrs Montgomery is our teacher, she knows our moms!" Hanna finally jumped in, the first time she'd spoken since Spencer had met up with the others.

Emily and Spencer booth looked at her slack jawed. "Aria could be alone in a big city she's not completely familiar with, and all you're worried about is getting in trouble? What's the worst that could happen? You'll get your allowance cut?" Spencer snapped at her friend.

Hanna sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to win this argument. "Okay, You're right. But at least call her cell first before you involve her parents. You never know, she might be safe and home already."

"Okay, I'll try it."

Spencer, Emily and Hanna all crowded around Spencer's cell phone as they pressed the dial button on Aria's number. The dial tone rang for what seemed to be an age before the phone was finally answered.

"Spencer?" Someone answered, although it wasn't at all who any of the girls would have expected. They looked at each other, eyes wide in shock.

"Ezra?" They all cried in unison.

"Yes. Listen, Aria-"

"Is she with you?" Spencer practically shouted into the speaker, her shoulders tensing.

"Yes, she's here. I'm guessing you didn't know that?"

Relief flooded over all three girls, and each relaxed knowing their friend was in safe hands for now. "We didn't. How long has she been with you?" Emily asked.

"About half an hour. She came here in quite a state. A girl called Emily who works at a club in Philadelphia just stopped by to return Aria's phone. She made sure Aria got here okay. What-"

"Wait, what did you say her name was?" Spencer interrupted, thinking back to when she'd read Aria's text saying she was with 'Em'.

"The bartender? Emily. But what were you guys doing in Philly anyway? Were you drinking?" Ezra's tone was firm now, his inner-teacher coming through.

"We took Aria out to have a good time. She's barely left her bedroom in weeks she's so caught up about you. She really loves you, I hope you know that." Hanna said, still keeping her options open about what she's said earlier. If he hurt Aria, he was as good as dead meat to her.

Spencer was busy trying to put two and two together when it suddenly hit her. She hadn't seen Aria all night because she had been drowning her sorrows to some bartender, who just happened to have the same name as their best friend to confuse everything. Aria must have been completely wasted, especially sitting next to a bar all night, she'd have had no shortage of beverages. And of course drunken Aria would have gone for the obvious answer when she was telling Spencer who she was with, anyone would in that state. Oh well, the main thing was that this 'Emily' took care of their best friend, when the girls should have. They'd all have to apologise to Aria tomorrow for neglecting her on what was supposed to be a special night.

Ezra continued. "I love your friend more than any of you can imagine. When I saw her standing out there earlier in such a broken state, my heart almost shattered into a hundred pieces. But the main thing is that Aria is safe and sound now. Even though it happened in a messed up - and illegal - way, I'm grateful Aria came here tonight, and that is thanks to you guys. How can I make this up to you?"

The three girls looked at each other and grinned. "Maybe by not mentioning the fact that we're at a club in Philly to our parents?" Spencer suggested.

Ezra chuckled in a way which made the girls realise how Aria had fallen for him. "Just this once then, I guess. Goodbye girls, get home safely."

Spencer placed her phone in her purse, and the three girls linked arms and made their way to the main road to catch a cab home after their eventful night. In the end they had done some good for Aria, afterall.

*Aria's POV*

Aria was awoken the next morning by a loud pounding noise filling her ears, which she soon realised was coming from the painful headache she had. She opened her eyes groggily, squinting against the bright light from the window adjacent to the bed. She shifted her body to stretch her sore limbs, but stiffened when her foot grazed someone's leg. She panicked for a moment, but was soon comforted by a familiar spicy, inviting scent.

She peered through half-open eyes, unsure whether it was a dream or reality. Sure enough, she was curled up against Ezra Fitz, her teacher, carer and true love. She lay still and watched Ezra sleeping as she became exposed to cloudy memories from the night before. So much had happened in such little time, and she couldn't be more thankful for it. She leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Ezra's nose and then curled up into his arms, where she felt safest. Finally, she was home again, and hopefully she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

Thank you so much for reading, it really means a lot. Reviews and comments are always welcomed as I know my writing is far from perfect! Thanks again, Kate :)