Ezra's eyes slowly flutter open. he's surrounded by various beeping sounds and everything's extremely white. There's the smell of overused hand sanitizer that makes your eyes water with every breath you take. His weakened state made it almost impossible for him to turn his head toward Aria. She stared at him with a soft expression. Ezra's mouth turned up at the corners in an attempt to smile.

"Why are you here?" He managed the small phrase in a raspy voice.

"Why wouldn't I be? Ezra, I mean our whole relationship may have been a lie and you were a total jerk but after almost three years together I think I should try to care that you got shot in the stomach protecting me." Aria's eyes were glazed with tears. Ezra's hand reached for hers and she didn't pull away nor did she reach back.

"I don't care if I tell you a million times and you still don't believe me. Aria, I love you. I may have lied about a lot of things but I've never, ever lied about my feelings for you." Ezra's chest moved up and down violently as he tried to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Aria wrapped her arms around Ezra and sat on the edge of his bed. He slid his arm under her back and placed his hand on her waist.

"It's okay, I deserve it. I realize now how lucky I am to have you in my life." As if to say she understood Aria placed her lips on his forehead.

"We can talk about this later. How are you feeling? And don't say 'fine' because a bullet went through your stomach and you collapsed, so you are not fine." The corners of his mouth turned slightly upward again.

"Well, I'm just glad you're here. Plus, I could use like a whole truck full of food because this IV is doing nothing for me."

Aria laughed at his charisma, then her eyes filled with tears again. "What's wrong?"

"Ezra, you don't know what I saw. You almost died trying to save me after I told you to leave Rosewood forever and trashed your apartment. Do you even understand how much guilt I have right now?"

"Listen to me, you had nothing to do with this. I lied to you for four years. If you weren't going to punish me someone had to. So don't you dare feel an ounce of guilt, okay?" Aria's head bobbed up and down as Ezra wiped her tears. "Everything's okay, and if you still want this, we've gotten through harder things." Her head rested next to his on the pillow. His arm stayed wrapped around her as she quickly drifted off to sleep. Ezra softly kissed her forehead.

His mind reeled with the thoughts that haunted him as he fell weak in the knees earlier. When A was pulling the trigger he didn't care that he may die but could only think of the unresolved conflict between him and Aria. His love for her was as real as love got but she still hadn't been convinced. If he went down now he would never know if the girls were saved, he would never know if Aria would find out the truth. All he could think to do is have his final words be "I'm sorry" and he wasn't even sure if he managed that. After he fell everything was a blur except Aria's ear-numbing screams as the pain took over and slowly forced his eyes shut. Ezra had touched her face gently just to feel that soft, innocent complexion he had kissed so many times before. He could only think that would be the last time he would ever see his one true love again. Against all odds, there he lay with nothing but slight pain in his stomach. Ezra Fitz was alive. He was there for Aria when she thought he wouldn't be, but there they lay on that hospital bed. Having her next to him meant the world to Ezra because she was his world and always would be.