A/N: Here's a little (not really) Christmas story I whipped up! I would like to thank and dedicate this story to my friend Romione4Life because she is just so awesome and so in love with Spezra. (Sorry, girl, the cat's out of the bag.) And by Spezra, I mean the friendship kind. Anyway, to my bestie and all my readers, I hope you enjoy this story and have a very merry Christmas tomorrow and eat lots of cookies and food and binge on as many reruns of PLL as you want because it's Christmas and you can!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

"Yeah, I understand." At her tiny apartment in New York, Aria Montgomery peeped through the curtains at the small flurry of snow sprinkling outside. "Really, don't worry about it, Ezra, it's just Christmas Eve. We can spend it together next year." Strutting to the kitchen, she was about to pour herself another large cup of coffee when she caught sight of Ezra's bottle of scotch on the counter and poured herself a glass of that instead. "Mm-hmm," she mumbled while downing it and cringing. Her throat burned, but she needed it to survive the day. "We're all packed to go to Rosewood tomorrow. You'll be back by then, right? Okay, good. Uh-huh. See you tomorrow. Love you. Bye."

Stabbing at her phone's "End Call" button, Aria slapped it on the counter next to her emptied glass of scotch and rubbed her aching forehead. Last week Ezra had gone to Columbus to meet with an editor for a book he was writing—a book he wouldn't even let her read a snippet of. Now he was snowed in at the airport and wouldn't make it back until tomorrow afternoon.

After refilling her glass with more scotch (it was Ezra's prized bottle, but screw him for leaving her alone), she let out a pent-up groan and flopped on the couch, ready to waste the day away.

…

"Did she believe it? Are we set?"

Ezra Fitz flipped his old-style phone closed (last year Aria had gotten him an iPhone, but even with her enthusiasm about the gadget Ezra didn't understand it at all) and smiled weakly at Spencer. He could sense the negative energy coming from Aria's end of the call, as much as she tried to hide it with her voice—but Ezra knew when she was covering up how she truly felt. After five years of dating a person, one is bound to pick up their habits and traits.

"Yeah, she bought it. A little bit too much, actually."

Spencer Hastings took her eyes off the snowy road for a millisecond so that she could give Ezra the I-know-Aria-best look. "So she's giving you the cold shoulder. She won't be after you surprise her tonight. In fact, she might be all over you. Expect no personal space or sleep tonight."

Ezra sent her an alarming look that said, I don't even want to know how you know that. Instead, he cleared his throat to break the tension and said, "By the way, thank you so much for driving out here. If I'd stayed there and waited for the flight, I would have never gotten out of Columbus in time for tonight."

"It's no problem. We're friends, right? Ever since Aria's mom thought you and I were sluttin' it up together?"

Again, Ezra was baffled. "Um, yeah…"

Spencer sighed. "Those were the old days, though. Remember how complicated everything was? I'm glad we're all settled. You followed Aria to New York, Toby and I moved to Philadelphia…"

"How is Toby?" Ezra asked politely. Whatever it took to get as far away from another awkward conversation as possible.

"His business is doing great. Some rich guy from Canada just hired him for a project. He's leaving the day after Christmas for a couple of weeks."

"Two weeks?" Being away from Aria for a week had felt like a year. "Aren't you going to miss him?"

"Of course! I'm going to miss him like crazy. But I'm spending a week in New York with you guys, so Aria has already bought the cartons of ice cream. They're hiding in your freezer."

Well, that explained a lot. A day before he left, Ezra opened the freezer and was met by four cartons of chunky monkey taking up all the space. He just assumed it was Aria's time of month and she'd bought out the store for comfort reasons. He knew better than to ask after the one time she'd exploded on him about his "prying" and then flung a spoon at him. And then a pillow. And then the entire carton…

"Anyway, I'd rather not talk about it. How was your trip?"

"It went…well. I'm not sure whether the editor liked the story or not. It's pretty controversial."

Spencer squirmed in her seat excitedly. "Oh! I bet I can guess what it's about! It's about you…"

"Don't say it."

"…and Aria!" Spencer finished proudly and went back to concentrating on the road.

"Actually, it's about you and Toby and you're crazy antics."

Spencer almost slammed on the brakes. "What?"

Finally, Ezra got the laugh. "I'm just kidding. You're right."

"Of course I'm right," Spencer scoffed. "But aw, I'm right? That's so sweet! One time Toby wrote me a story and it was so cheesy, but I loved it anyway. Then I told him he was better off building me things."

"By the way, tell Toby that Aria and I love the bookshelf he made for us. It arrived early and it's already stocked up."

"Did you get the matching picture frames for the wall?"

"Yes, Aria loves them. She says they're too beautiful to hold any of our faces."

"Good. Because I made them."

…

At ten thirty that morning, Hanna and Emily were sleeping in when Hanna's cell started to ring, blaring "Blurred Lines." Groaning, Emily rolled over and mumbled, "I thought you were never going to listen to that song again! It's offensive and sexist!"

"Sorry for my guilty pleasures!" Hanna replied in a grumbly voice before picking it up. "Hello?" she sighed into the phone.

"Hey Han, it's Spence."

"Spencer!" Hanna exclaimed as she flung out of bed. "Where are you? You got up at, like, two in the morning! Emily and I have been…" Well, to think of it, they had just fallen back asleep unconcerned. "…so worried!"

"I went to pick up Ezra at the airport in Columbus."

"Wait, you drove eight freakin' hours for Fitz?" Hanna squinted her eyes suspiciously. "Spence, is there something you want to tell us?"

"He asked me for a favor!" Spencer protested. "And now we're asking you for one."

Hanna rolled her eyes and studied the perfectly manicured nails on her left hand. "Fine, what is it?"

"We need you to get Aria out of the apartment today. Ezra doesn't want her to mope or, because we're planning a surprise for tonight, get drunk. He's driving right now but has left me two basic, I repeat, basic instructions: One, get her dolled up for a dinner at the Ritz tonight and two, grab the jewelry box hidden in his underwear drawer. Wait." There were some muffled, inaudible sounds, and Hanna assumed Spencer had covered the phone with her hand. "Sorry, I meant sock drawer. Wait, I thought you and Aria shared a sock drawer." She directed the words to Ezra, but this time Hanna could hear them. "No? Okay then." Dropping her voice to a whisper, Spencer quickly added, "He's joking, it really is in his underwear drawer. Oh no, he heard me. Gotta go! Do those things! Bye!" There was a laugh and Ezra's voice grumbling, "Give me the phone," then the line went dead.

Speechless, Hanna placed her iPhone on the nightstand, picked up a pillow, and threw it at Emily, who was curled up in the twin-sized bed next to Hanna's. "Emily, get up!" she yelled. "Fitzy's planning a proposal and our help is required."

Emily's body jerked under the covers so that she was sitting upwards. "What?" she shrieked. "A proposal? Oh my God! Paige was right!"

Back in Rosewood, where Paige was spending Christmas Eve with her family, Paige had called up Emily yesterday and asked how her day was. "Oh, the usual. We went last-minute Christmas shopping and got our nails done. Hanna keeps using her baby voice whenever Caleb calls, and Spencer is constantly checking up on Toby. Aria's a bit bummed that Ezra isn't back, though."

"Maybe he's planning something huge," Paige suggested, though it was in a light, joking tone. "Like a proposal or something."

"Aria just turned twenty-one, Paige. He's probably going to wait until she sobers up, which we all know won't be until next year," Emily kidded back. Neither had taken it seriously.

"Now get your butt up, Emily Fields!" Hanna tugged the covers off Emily, whose eyes were still round from shock. "We've got all day to spend with our little girl before we send her off into Fitzy's hunky arms!" Emily gave her a sour look. "What? If Spencer can joke about him, why can't I?"

…

Back on the road, Spencer and Ezra were playing a serious game of I Spy.

"I spy with my little eye…something gray."

"Spencer."

"What?"

"There are twenty gray cars in front of me."

Spencer turned around in her seat. "And behind you."

"So how am I supposed to play along?"

"Well, which one am I looking at?"

Ezra sighed. "This is going to be a long drive."

Spencer's phone started to ring and she grabbed Ezra's arm with the grip of an iron hawk. "Oh, look!" she squealed. "It's Toby!" When she answered her phone, she let go of Ezra's arm, and Ezra rubbed his new bruise stingily. "Toby! Hi, how are you? Yeah, I'm just here in the car with Ezra." She slapped Ezra's arm in the same spot. "Toby says hi." All of a sudden her eyes shifted uncomfortably between Ezra and the road and she mumbled, "No, I'm not staring at his eyes. I thought we were never going to mention that again. Gosh, I say he has nice eyes once and you hold it over my head. But hey, you have nice eyes and nice abs."

Ezra rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long drive indeed.

…

By eleven thirty, Aria was still a sullen lump on the couch, and she knew Hanna was coming to her door before Hanna had even knocked. The heels were what gave her away.

"Aria!" Hanna trilled as she knocked on the door. Aria pulled a pillow onto her face. "Answer the door!"

Sighing, Aria got up from the couch and unlocked the door. "It's open," she called back with much less energy than Hanna.

"Hey!" Hanna greeted her with a hug along with Emily. "What are you doing?"

"Just sitting here," Aria replied honestly. "Drinking a glass of scotch."

"Oh no," Hanna scolded her and took the bottle and the glass away to the kitchen. "You are hopping in the shower, getting dressed, and taking to the streets."

"Why?" Aria moaned. She really wasn't in the mood for a shopping spree.

"Because today we're having a girls' day!" she squealed, and she winked at Emily. "Now, up! Shoo! To the bathroom!"

"Jeez, Hanna." Aria had never been herded like a sheep before into her own bathroom. "You're so controlling!"

"And you need to get out of this stuffy apartment," she retorted before closing the door. For a minute Emily and Hanna just stood in silence, but when they heard the water running they attacked the dresser.

"Spencer said the sock drawer," Hanna said, "but I really just want to take a teeny peek at that other drawer…"

"Hanna!" Emily exclaimed, disgusted.

Ignoring Emily, she peered through the top drawer and wrinkled her nose. "I don't think this is Ezra's," she said slowly as her brain processed the sight. Shuddering, she shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "There is no way I'm going to ever get that image out of my head. That was, like, Victoria's Secret explicit."

"Karma," Emily snickered. "And I thought you owned plenty of lingerie from Victoria's Secret."

"That doesn't mean I want to see Aria's!" She cringed. "It's like catching your parents acting all young and gross."

Emily laughed and continued shifting through the socks. Eventually her hand brushed against something fuzzy and hard. "I think I found it."

"Ooh, let me see!" Hanna cried, shoving Emily aside and holding the precious box in her hand. "Hey!" Emily yelled grumpily.

Opening it, Hanna's excitement was burned out like water being thrown at the flames.

"What?" Emily asked apprehensively.

"It's just a necklace," Hanna explained, then displayed it so that she could see.

"Hanna." Emily gave her the is-this-another-one-of-your-overreactions look. "Did Spencer ever say there was a ring in here?"

"No…," Hanna uttered.

Shaking her head, Emily studied the necklace. It was a rather large locket with beautiful engraved designs surrounded something in the middle. "B-twenty-six?" Emily whispered. Hanna was about to say something back when the sound of the water running in the bathroom turned off and they practically jumped out of their skin.

Aria stepped out in a robe, her hair hidden in a swirled pile of towel on her head. "Where are we going today?"

Hanna slid the box into her purse nonchalantly and smiled broadly at her morose friend. "We are chilling in the city," she said, "and then tonight we're going out to a fancy dinner."

"Wow, that seems…expensive," Aria pointed out.

"It is." Hanna laughed nervously. "But we're worth it!"

When Aria just shrugged her shoulders and headed to the kitchen, Hanna leaned over and whispered to Emily, "Do you think she suspects anything? Gosh, I can't look at her the same after what I saw." However, Emily didn't have time to answer because Hanna caught sight of Aria about to take another shot of scotch. "Aria, put that down!" she whined. "We're going to be drinking so much wine tonight!"

…

At six o'clock, Spencer parked in front of an apartment complex. "That was so exhausting," she said while getting out of the car. "I hate New York traffic."

"At least we made it back before eight," Ezra pointed out positively.

"True," Spencer agreed.

"Now, I'm going up to change. Call Hanna and Emily to see if everything's set up?"

"Of course." Spencer pulled out her trusty phone. "I can't wait for Aria's reaction!"

Ezra shoved his hands in his pocket nervously. "Yeah. Me neither." With that, he turned on his heels and entered the building.

…

When the cab pulled in front of the Ritz, Aria looked out the window and gaped. "Han, this place is crazy expensive!" she sputtered. "And it's Christmas Eve! So many people are clambering in to eat here!"

"Calm down, Aria, we have a reservation." Hanna stepped out of the cab, somehow managing to balance on the six-inch stilettos. "Plus, you look so pretty, that I'm sure the waiter will give you a table at the drop of a hat and drool over you the whole time."

"Ew," Aria giggled as she assisted Emily out. Hanna had gone full out with Aria's appearance: smoky eyes, two coats of mascara, concealer, blush, lipstick (not lip gloss; that was too sticky), curled hair, and a crimped, flowing, ankle-length dress with matching peach heels. She definitely wanted Mr. Fitz to swoon.

"This place is packed," Aria commented as they entered the restaurant. The trio caught the eyes of a few single men, and they even received a whistle.

Hanna's eyes wandered the room, and they lit up when they caught sight of Spencer hiding pretty well at the bathroom entrance. Spencer had called thirty minutes ago saying everything was set and to look for her in the throng of people. Gulping, Hanna pushed Aria through the crowd. "Em and I are just going to stop at the bathroom real quick. Do you mind getting the table?"

Aria shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure." In front of the women's bathroom, Spencer's hands clamped over her mouth anxiously.

Emily and Hanna rushed to Spencer's side and attempted to peer over the crowd. "Is she going? I can't see her," Emily said.

"But you're the tallest, Em," Hanna huffed.

"Oh, wait! I just saw her round the corner."

Pulling her friends in for a hug, Spencer led them out the front doors. "I think our job here is done."

"Aw, we're not going to watch?" Hanna asked, disappointed.

"Hanna!" Emily and Spencer exclaimed at the same time. "I don't want to know what dirty talk goes on between them when they think they're alone," Emily said.

Hanna thought about it for a second. "Ew."

"Exactly," Spencer laughed, tugging Hanna farther away from the Ritz. "Or do you want Aria to draw a picture for you tomorrow?"

"After what I saw tonight," Hanna began, and Emily, being the only one who understood the joke, rolled her eyes, "I think I'm going to pass."

…

"Hi, I have a reservation." Aria practically had to yell over the crowd just to be heard. "It might be under Marin."

The waiter checked the book and grinned. "Yes, right this way. You have the roof reservation."

The roof? Aria thought, surprised. What kind of crazy friendship dinner is this?

Strangely enough, the waiter didn't even show her up the steps that led to the top, or even hand her a menu. "Everything is settled up top," he said cryptically, then disappeared in the throng.

Aria was officially confused. What in the world was happening? Reluctantly she stepped through the door at the top of the steps and poked her head through the crack. There was a table with a lit candle as the centerpiece, and two meals were already waiting to be devoured.

Slowly Aria approached the table, admiring the night sky and pulling her wrap closer around her shoulders. It was oddly warm for Christmas in New York, but there was still a slight chill in the air. She wondered why there were only two plates and chairs, but what piqued her curiosity the most was the jewelry box sitting unopened on the table.

Reaching for it, Aria delicately opened the top. Inside was a silver locket, and her heart began to pound as her finger traced the engraving. B-26.

Stepping out from the shadows, Ezra finally made his presence known. "No matter how hard I try," Ezra reiterated the words from their first dance almost five years ago. "I can't stay away from you."

Stunned speechless, Aria's mouth gaped open. Dropping the box on the table, she didn't say anything but instead just ran into his waiting arms. "You're here!"

As soon as Aria was in his embrace, Ezra felt the heaviness lift from around him. Ezra tightened his grip around her tiny shoulders and kissed the top of her head. She giggled, and he realized how much he missed that sound. "I've missed you so much, Aria."

Aria pulled back, but still had her arms around his neck. She had the largest, happiest smile plastered on her face and the green in her hazel eyes seeped through—Ezra recognized the color change as the sign of love and joy. "But…how?"

"Spencer drove out to Columbus to get me," he explained, swirling a strand of her hair around his finger. "But can I tell you the whole story later? I really just want to kiss you right now."

Aria raised an eyebrow and moved closer to Ezra so that their bodies were touching. "Since when have you been so blunt about your wishes, Mr. Fitz?"

"Since I've been away from you for so long," he replied, then wasted no more time in waiting. Gently he pecked her lips, and Aria sighed, her forehead touching his.

"It was only for a week," she whispered before he pulled her in for a longer, deeper kiss.

He brushed his nose against hers. "Well, it felt like a lot longer than that."

After one more drawn-out kiss, Aria pulled back. "I think our food is getting cold."

"And I'm starving," Ezra said, breaking the romantic moment.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's eat!" Plopping down on the nearest chair, her hand slipped out of his.

"My hand's so cold now," Ezra complained jokingly as he took the seat in front of her.

Aria picked up her fork and stabbed it at the food. "After this delicious French vegan dinner, I'm sure we can spend the rest of the night keeping warm."

Ezra had so many ideas to respond to that, but for the sake of the moment he kept his mouth shut.

"Mmmm," Aria muttered with food in her mouth. "Have you tried this? It's a bit cold, but the flavor is still so…"

At that moment for Ezra, everything seemed to slow down and become silent. Ezra thought, probably with a goofy smile on his face, how beautiful she looked that night, and how passionate she was rambling about food. He also thought about how a relationship like theirs had lasted despite the many obstacles. And now that all those hurdles had been jumped, she was all his.

"Ezra?" Aria's voice broke Ezra out of his trance. "Hey, you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Ezra responded, face flushing. "I'm just so glad I'm back."

Aria grinned widely and reached across the table to lace her fingers with his. "Me too," she said, brushing her thumb across the back of his hand before pulling away. "So, what's with the locket?" she asked while taking a bite of the cuisine. Even if it was the second bite it was still like heaven in her mouth.

Putting her fork down, Aria held the piece of jewelry in her hands while Ezra replied, "I just thought, Hey, five years is a long time, so why not get her something from the day we—"

Aria cracked open the locket and instantly gasped. An object had fallen in her lap. She picked it up with her fingers, her eyes started brimming with tears, and she stopped breathing. It was a ring.

When Aria looked up to meet Ezra's eyes, his heart stopped. Oh no, Ezra thought, his heart racing. She saw the ring, now she's crying. Should I even ask her, or just put it off as a promise ring or something?

"T-that," he stammered, working up the courage, "is something I was going to ask you tonight." She looked so freaked out, Ezra's heart jumped in his chest and he rambled while poking at his plate, "Well, you know, you're graduating next year and we can wait till then, heck, I'll even wait ten years, but I think I'll be a bit too old by then—"

"Ezra," Aria cut him off, and wiped a tear with the back of her hand. "Yes."

Ezra had prepared himself for if she said no, but he was utterly dumbfounded when she said yes. "Y-yes?" he stuttered. It's like he couldn't understand the word and what it meant.

"Yes, I'll marry you." Ezra blinked at her. "I mean, this is what you're asking me…" Her eyes reflected so much hope. "…right?"

Dumbfounded, Ezra just nodded his head and smiled at her. She scooted her chair over next to his. With his thumb he wiped away a stray tear on her cheek, then took the ring from her hands. He barely had the small, delicate object on her finger before she flung her arms around him in a tight hug.

"My dad's going to kill you," she mumbled in his ear, not loosening her grip.

"I know," Ezra whispered. "But I'll fight him off, even if it means to the death."

Aria giggled and snuggled into his shoulder, shutting her eyes for a few seconds of peace. "Please don't die before we get married."

Married. Ezra liked the sound of that.

Taking ahold of her hand, Ezra reached down next to his chair. Aria propped her chin up on his shoulder to get a better view of what he was doing. "There's one more surprise…" Ezra pulled out a manila folder from a bag Aria hadn't noticed before and handed it to her. "It's the manuscript for my novel."

To Aria's disappointment, she had to let go of Ezra's hand and take her head off his shoulder in order to read it. Flipping the page, she saw that there was a dedication.

To Aria, my B-26. It's a number, it's a song, it's a girl… You were the one who convinced me that the life I had planned was nothing compared to the life that was waiting for me.

Sniffling, Aria didn't dab away her tears this time. When Ezra's thumb brushed them away, she looked at him and smiled guiltily. "And all I got you was a Snookers coaster from the day we met and the diary I kept as a teenager."

"You also said yes to a very special question," Ezra reassured her, looking at her adoringly and playing with the ring on her left hand. He brushed aside a piece of loose hair from her face and gave her the same boyish smile she fell in love with. "Merry Christmas, Aria."

Though the kiss wasn't rough and passionate, it sealed a promise like very few of their past kisses had. It was very much like the kiss they shared at their first public dance: slow, sweet, and gentle. So their love story wasn't perfect—in fact, it was anything but—but they could strive for it to have a happy ending.

And they had their whole lives together to figure it out.

Yeah, if you couldn't tell I didn't really know how to end this story. I hope it was what y'all were expecting, though, a happy ending and such.