Ezra's POV
After a long and tiring day at work, I pull into my cozy house in the suburbs of Rosewood. A smile spreads across my face when I walk through the front door and see my wife Aria Fitz sleeping soundly on the couch.
Aria is eight months pregnant, and she will be bringing a baby girl into the world this October. I couldn't be more excited about having a little Aria to love and protect. Even in the late stages of pregnancy, my wife couldn't be more beautiful, and I love the maternal glow that radiates her body.
Against my better judgement, I take a seat next to Aria on the couch and stroke her dark hair softly. Within seconds her hazel eyes flutter open, and I scold myself for waking Aria from her deep slumber. This pregnancy has been especially tiring for Aria, and I know she's struggling to catch up on sleep.
"I'm sorry princess, I didn't mean to wake you." I tell her apologetically.
"No, I'm glad you did. There is a four-year old boy running around here somewhere, and I don't even want to think about the trouble he could have gotten into while I was napping." Aria says with a chuckle.
At that moment, a shrill scream rings out in the two-story house. Aria and I look at each other with concerned expressions our faces, and we both sprint to where the screaming is coming from. (Well I sprint, but it's kind of hard for a woman who's eight months pregnant to move quickly.)
The screams lead us to our master bathroom, and Aria and I gasp when we see our four-year old son Ethan with shaving cream all over his face.
"Baby what happened? And why is there shaving scream all over your face?" Aria asks as she scoops our son into her arms.
I want to remind my wife that she shouldn't be holding the little boy while she's pregnant and delicate, but I know Aria would simply roll her eyes at me.
"I always see Daddy putting it on in the morning, and then he scrapes it off with his little toy. I tried doing it too, and the toy bit me." Ethan says as he points to my razor which is laying on the bathroom floor.
"It didn't bite you sweetheart, Daddy's razor just gave you a little cut." Aria says as she stares at the microscopic nick on our son's left cheek.
"Let me get this straight, you tried to shave your hairless face?" I ask my son amused.
Ethan nods his head slowly before burying his face into his mother's chest. He is such a momma's boy, and part of me thinks he's blowing this way out of proportion to get Aria's attention.
"Ethan, you should never play with anything without asking me or Daddy first. Some of the things that adults use aren't safe for little boys." Aria tells our son as she wipes the shaving cream off his face.
"But I want to be a big boy, just like Daddy." Ethan says as he stares at me with his big blue eyes.
I smile when Ethan says this. Even though he's only four, Ethan is my pride and joy and I couldn't love him more. My wife always says that he looks like a smaller version of me, but I see so much of Aria in Ethan. He shares her gentle, loving nature, and he has her adorable little nose.
"I know you want to be like Daddy, but don't grow up to fast." Aria says before placing a soft kiss on the boy's forehead.
As soon as Aria says this, Ethan begins to cry even harder. He loves all the attention that Aria is giving him, and he knows that she won't stop fussing over him if he continues to cry.
"Does it sting Ethan?" Aria asks the four-year old gently.
"Yes Momma." Ethan says with a sniffle.
"Ezra, we should take him to the hospital! He might need stitches." Aria tells me seriously.
I scoff at Aria's words. I don't even think that the razor broke the kid's skin, but she's ready to call an ambulance.
"No hospital Mommy! I no like shots." Ethan says with a shutter.
"I don't like shots." I say correcting him.
"Ezra I don't want his face to scar..." Aria starts to say.
"Momma, what's a scar?" Ethan asks interrupting his concerned mother.
"It's a mark that forms on your skin after you get a boo-boo like yours." Aria tells the boy.
"How long does the scar last?" Ethan asks her curiously.
"Scars last forever, they don't even go away." Aria mutters.
Ethan responds by grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it up to reveal the gunshot wound I got nearly seven years ago. Aria shutters at the sight of the mark, and I know how much she hates being reminded of that night.
"Is this a scar?" Ethan asks as he points to my purplish mark.
I stare into my wife's beautiful hazel eyes, and give my son a small nod.
"How did you get it Daddy?" Ethan asks me curiously.
The little boy's question causes Aria to start crying hysterically. She's already emotional because of her pregnancy, and I call tell that discussing the sensitive topic is pushing her over the edge.
"Mommy, why are you sad?" Ethan asks as his voice softens.
"I just hate the idea of Daddy getting boo-boos. Sometimes when someone who you love gets hurt, you feel the pain too." Aria says with a sniffle.
"Like how you cried when I fell off a tree and broke my arm?" Ethan asks his mother.
"Exactly like that baby." Aria says as she ruffles his thick, dark curls.
"Daddy, you never told me how you got your scar!" Ethan reminds me.
I watch Aria closely to see if she'll give me a signal. I don't want to say anything that might upset her, and I don't think she wants our son to know about the many horrors that she experienced in high school.
"Ezra, he's old enough now." Aria tells me softly.
I let out a nervous sigh and run my fingers through my messy curls. I have no idea how I'm suppose to tell a four-year old about how a monster tried to hurt his mommy.
"Aria, why don't you lay down while I tuck Ethan into bed?" I suggest.
"Okay love." Aria says before leaving the bathroom.
"Daddy I don't want to go to bed, and I don't want Mommy to leave." Ethan says with a pout.
"We're not going to bed yet buddy. I just have a long bedtime story to tell you." I say as I pick Ethan up and carry him to his Toy-Story themed bedroom.
"I want Mommy to tell me a story! She does it better than you." Ethan says as I tuck him into his bed.
"I know, but I'm going to tell you about how I got my scar." I tell the boy.
"Really Daddy?" Ethan asks as his face lights up.
"Really Ethan." I say with a chuckle.
"Did your weird toy bite you, or did you fall off a tree?" Ethan asks me curiously.
"Neither, but I wish it were that simple." I say with a heavy sigh.
"What happened Daddy?" Ethan asks he rests his head on my chest.
"Do you know what a gun is?" I ask Ethan softly.
"Yes, Mommy says guns are bad!" Ethan exclaims.
"They are bad, and I took a gunshot right there." I say as I lift up my shirt and point to my scar.
"Someone gunned you?" Ethan asks as his eyes grow wide with shock.
"Shot me, and yes." I say with a nod.
Tears begin to form in Ethan's eyes, and I can tell that the idea of someone hurting me upsets him very much.
"Don't cry buddy, I'm okay now." I tell him gently.
"Did it hurt?" Ethan asks as he stares at the scar.
"No, it happened so quickly that I didn't even feel it." I say as I think back to that horrific night.
"You should have run away Daddy." Ethan says with a sniffle.
"No, if I had run away someone who I love more than anything would have gotten hurt." I say with a shutter.
"Who?" Ethan asks me.
"Mommy." I say in almost a whisper.
"Someone shot Mommy too?" Ethan asks as a fresh batch of tears begin to form in his eyes.
"No, and I thank God everyday that she didn't get hurt like I did." I tell the boy truthfully.
"Daddy, why did someone shoot you?" Ethan asks me softly.
"There was a horrible man who wanted to hurt Mommy and your three aunties. I got a text message from the man, telling me to come to New York or he'd kill your mother. I got to New York and found them on a roof, where the man was pointing a gun at her." I say with a shutter.
"What did you do?" Ethan asks through his tears.
"The only thing I could do in that situation. I stepped in front of Mommy and took the bullet for her." I say as tears begin to form in my eyes.
"Daddy you're crying!" Ethan says with a shocked expression on his face.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I say as I try to hold back tears.
"Daddy you never cry." Ethan says as he tries to comprehend the situation.
"I looked into your mother's eyes, and my heart broke when I saw how scared she was. I knew at that moment that I couldn't let her die, I loved her too much to let that man kill her." I say with a sniffle.
"Why would anyone want to hurt Mommy? She's the nicest person in the world, and she's great at giving hugs and kisses." Ethan says with a puzzled look in his face.
"There are some very bad people in this world son, and I wish I could shield you and Mommy from them but unfortunately I can't." I say with a sad smile.
"Thank you for keeping Mommy safe." Ethan tells me gratefully.
"It was my honor." I say with a chuckle.
"I'll never be as brave as you are Daddy." Ethan says sadly.
"Yes you will, I promise. When you get older and fall in love, you'll do whatever it takes to protect the lucky girl." I tell my son truthfully.
"Really?" Ethan asks me skeptically.
"Really, but don't grow up and be a jerk like your Daddy." I say with a sigh.
"You're not a jerk Daddy! You saved Mommy's life, and you give me lots of candy when she's not home." Ethan reminds me.
"I know, but I gave your mother a scar." I say as I avoid looking into my son's eyes.
"You shot Mommy?" Ethan asks me furiously.
"No, but I did something just as bad." I say ashamed.
"What?" Ethan asks me curiously.
"I broke her heart." I say in a barely audible whisper.
"How did you do that?" Ethan asks me confused.
"I lied and kept secrets from Mommy for a long time, and it devastated her when she found out the truth." I mutter.
"How come I never see Mommy's scar like I see yours?" Ethan asks me curiously.
"Do you remember how Mommy told you that scars never go away?" I ask Ethan.
"Yes." He says with a nod.
"Well she's right, scars never completely heal. You can hide scars though, and make yourself and the people around you forget that they even exist. I have a shirt to cover my scar, but you can still see it sometimes. Mommy's scar is in her heart, so it's easier to hide but more painful to have." I say thoughtfully.
"Poor Mommy!" Ethan exclaims.
"Don't worry too much about her buddy, the scar only hurts Mommy sometimes." I assure him.
"Please don't give Mommy anymore scars." Ethan begs.
"I won't, I couldn't." I tell the boy truthfully.
"Is Mommy happy?" Ethan asks me concerned.
"Oh yes, she's very happy. She loves her job, and I'm pretty sure she loves me too, but most importantly she loves you." I say as I pull the boy in for a long hug.
"I'm glad she's happy." Ethan tells me.
At that moment, we hear Aria knock on the bedroom door.
"Come in babe." I call out to her.
Aria enters the bedroom, and takes a seat next to us on Ethan's bed.
"Did you two men have a nice talk?" Aria asks us curiously.
"A very nice talk." I say as I give my son a smile.
A startled gasp escapes from my lips when Ethan yanks off Aria's shirt, and stares at her swollen breasts.
"Ethan, what are you doing?" Aria asks as she covers her chest self-consciously.
"I want to see your scar to make sure it's not too big. It probably isn't though, because all I can see is girl boobs." Ethan tells his mom.
"What are you taking about? I don't have any scars Ethan." Aria says as she stares at our little boy with a concerned expression on her face.
"Yes you do! Daddy told me that your heart is scarred." Ethan says as he wraps his arms around her.
"Ezra, what in the world did you tell our son?" Aria asks me.
"I just told him that I broke your heart, and that it still hurts sometimes." I tell my wife gently.
"No, it really doesn't. That happened years ago, and I try not to think about all the stupid things we did when we were young." Aria says with a small laugh.
"I still feel guilty about hurting you though." I tell my wife truthfully.
"Don't, you've made me the luckiest and happiest woman on the planet. My scar doesn't exist anymore, it's completely healed." Aria says as she wraps her arms around me.
"Mommy, you said that scars don't heal." Ethan reminds her.
"Evidently I was wrong. Some scars heal with time, and others heal when the people around you give you lots of love." Aria says with a smile.
"Will Daddy's scar ever heal?" Ethan asks Aria curiously.
"I hope not." Aria says as she shakes her head slowly.
"Why? I've always been self-conscious about it." I say with a blush.
"Are you kidding? I love that scar so much! Every time I have a bad day at work, or I'm unsure about something, all I have to do is look down, and I'm reminded of how much you love me." Aria says as she bends down and kisses the mark above my hip.
"I'd kiss the spot where your scar use to be, but that would be inappropriate to do in front of our son." I say with a goofy smile.
"Really Ezra?" Aria asks with an eye roll.
"I love you though." I say as I pull Aria close to me.
"I love you too." Aria says as she presses her lips against mine.
"Ewwwwwwwwww!" Ethan shouts to remind of us his presence.
"Sorry honey." Aria says with a small laugh.
"Mommy, I think I have a scar too. You need to kiss it so I feel better." Ethan says as he points to the small cut on his cheek.
Aria responds by leaning into Ethan and giving his cheek a kiss.
"Is that better baby boy?" Aria asks him.
"No, I need more kisses." Ethan says as he shakes his head vigorously.
Aria chuckles before kissing the boy's cheek several times.
"I'm sure it's all better now." Aria says after she finishes kissing our son.
"Thank you Mommy." Ethan says as his face lights up.
"You know what else helps a scar heal?" I ask my son with a mischievous smile.
"What?" Ethan asks me curiously.
"Chocolate ice cream!" I exclaim.
"Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!" Ethan shouts as he begins to bounce on his bed.
"Ezra, let's not give him sugar right before bed." Aria says as she glares at me angrily.
"Come on Aria, he's been such a good listener." I tell my wife.
"Fine, Ethan you may have one small scoop." Aria says with a defeated sigh.
I kiss Aria's forehead while Ethan cheers happily.
"I don't need the scar to remind me of how much I love you." I whisper to Aria.
"I know." Aria says before leaning in for a passionate kiss.
What did you think? I randomly thought of this and decided to turn it into a one-shot. Thanks for reading, and please review :)