Author's Note: I've been thinking of writing this story for a while now. I know where I want it to go, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to take it there. Therefore, if this is a story that you'd like to see more of, feel free to let me know, because I'd love to continue this. Considering this is the prologue, I will continue, but I need to know what you think! Happy reading, lovies!

Disclaimer: I don't own or have anything to do with the Pretty Little Liars franchise. I've met Sara Shepard (wonderful! Simply amazing woman!), but that's as far as that goes. I'll just leave it all to Sara and Marlene, they haven't disappointed me yet.

Prologue

-:-

"Candlelight, she adores candles and candlelight. It also sets the perfect mood for anything intimate, and that's the way it was in the FRIENDS episode." Hanna rambled through the receiver.

Ezra chuckled slightly, looking around the apartment he and his girlfriend, Aria shared. A display of candles, 47 as Spencer had so meticulously counted, set the dim room aglow with their lively flames."Candles, got it. Anything else you'd like to remember before you called me for the eighth time? Because she'll be here soon and I'd like to be sane when she walks in."

"Uh...nothing I can think of. Just, don't choke, or make anything too corny. No one likes a corny proposal."

"Aria loves anything corny, as long as it's from me," he chuckled "Now I seriously have to go- one of the candles is melting the frame holding Aria's favorite picture of us. Thank you for all the help, Han, and thank Em and Spencer as well."

"Alright, I will."

Hanna, Emily and Spencer had been secretly planning this proposal for weeks. It had all started when a re-run of friends came on while they were in bed, and Aria commented nonchalantly about how romantic and unexpected it was when Chandler found Monica in their apartment with the candles everywhere, ready to propose. Almost instantly, he took the hint. Or what he supposed had been a hint. As Hanna had told him that he would 'know the hint as soon as it rolled off her tongue.' The next day, he found himself sitting on one of the many couches in Starbucks with the three girls, revealing the proposal idea.

Flashback

Hanna was still groggy. Most likely from a long night of love making with Caleb. She nearly nodded off as soon as she sat down in the chair opposite Ezra. Spencer was just as crusty-eyed as Hanna, if not more. She gulped down her venti mocha she was holding in one arm while simultaneously rocking seven month old Phoebe Cavanaugh with her other. Emily however, had been bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, hair in a damp pony tail from a morning round of laps.

"You have to recreate it," Emily had insisted, taking a long slurp of her frappucino.

Ezra sheepishly looked down to his lap, fiddling with the cardboard around his cup. "No, you can't out-do the Mondler proposal. It has to be the exact one. Aria would die!" Hanna exclaimed a little too loud for just the four of them to hear. Everyone in the cafe shot her odd looks. She hung her head, "You know what I meant..."

Spencer set Phoebe gently back into her carrier, sitting back and lifting her legs to where she was sitting on top of them in the chair "Well, you should at least make her her favorite meal. Cook her something familiar, possibly something from one of your favorite dates. And, yeah, I agree with the candles. Set the mood so it's not awkward when you spring it on her." Ezra looked up at Spencer.

"Who said I'd spring it on her, I think I'm capable of romantic timing," he stated "and this is Aria we're talking about, I don't want it to be too run-of-the mill for her, she deserves to be swept off her feet."

And with that, the night was set. He was going to sweep her off her feet and then live happily ever after.

Ezra said his goodbyes to Hanna and Caleb, hit the end call button and tossed the phone in a kitchen drawer, shutting it. There was too much to be done before Aria got there. The French take-out was warm in the oven and B26 was queued on the stereo. It was going to go off without a hitch. He was going to propose.

…And then it hit him, he hadn't thought to ask for Ella and Byron's blessing. Shit.

Ezra hesitated, pulling the phone back out of the drawer and powering it up again. He started to dial their home number, then paused. It wasn't like back when Aria was in high school, they'd become better acquainted over the years, he'd even began to bond with Mike over some stuff. But it also wasn't like they didn't like to imagine their only daughter with someone her age, who they had trusted her to date either.

Knowing it was better to get it over with, he finished dialing the number on the keypad, taking a few deep breaths before pressing the call button.

One ring

Two rings

Three ri-

"Aria?" Ella's voice answered him.

"Ah, nope. Ezra," He nervously replied.

He heard soft chuckling at from the other end, wondering if it was a good sign or not. "How are you, Ezra?" she asked sweetly.

"I'm doing very well, thank you for asking, Mrs. Montgomery. And how are you on this lovely day?" there was a desperately awkward silence to follow, Ezra curse himself for his lame reply.

Ella was the one to break it, "My you're awfully polite this evening, and very straight forward. If you're calling about what I think you are, I'll hand the phone over to Byron," his heart sank. "But, if it's any consolation, you have a yes from me."

He felt a little better about her American Idol-esque answer, but she was the Paula Abdul in this whole situation, and he needed Simon's answer more. Suddenly there was static caused by the movement of the phone. Another short silence. "Ezra? What can I do for you?"

"You might already have me figured out, so I'll just get to it-"

"You want my permission to ask my daughter to marry you. Am I right?" Ezra choked on his own breath.

"So, what gave it away? My inability to complete a sentence without stuttering?" he chuckled, even more nervous than before. Byron joined in the laugh.

"No, Ella's already writing the announcement for the paper." Ezra gave an enormous sigh of relief. "U, I guess this is where I remind you how I feel about the two of you being together, but I don't have much to say except that I'm very happy that she found someone who can love her as much as I."

Ezra grinned, reaching up and putting a hand to his forehead in elating relief. "So, that's a yes?"

Byron sighed, giving one last laugh, "Absolutely, welcome to the family, Ezra."

-:-

Ezra eyed the bottle of Jack Daniels on the liquor shelf, wondering whether a few shots would calm his nerves. He could celebrate the approval of Byron, then again, he's not his smartest when he's buzzed. Thankfully, he decided against it, knowing it would only make the situation worse. After all, you only get one chance for a proper proposal.

He paced nervously back and forth, the black velvet material of the ring box burning a hole in his pocket. Should he get down on one knee, reenact the whole scene? Maybe he should just cut to the chase, not beat around the bush of obviousness, like he had with her parents. Would she even say yes? All the thoughts running through his brain were starting to clutter it until it was completely stuck.

The jingle of her keys in the lock shook him harshly, leaving his feet glued to the middle of the apartment floor. He heard the creak of the front door down the hall. Holy shit, she's early.

-:-

Aria dropped her keys into the bowl on the decorative table next to the coat closet. She sounded eager, kicking her heels off and shoving them with one foot under the table. It was unnervingly quiet in their apartment. Usually when she got home, she could here him typing up lessons on the laptop or the television would be on in his office. Tonight it was just...quiet.

She took in a deep breath, "Babe? Ezra, where are you?" She called before rounding the corner, only to be stopped dead in her tracks by the sight before her. "Oh, my God."

"Aria," he began from his position, down on one knee "When I was twenty-two, I had my heart broken. No, I had my heart pulled out of my chest, torn to pieces and stomped on. And I never thought that I'd ever be able to feel the same again. I thought I could never be me again, or that I'd ever be able to give someone love, better yet get any back. I was dead inside. And then one day, I skipped town to apply for a job. When I got it, it felt like maybe a little piece of me was handed back. Yes, I was still absolutely shattered, but it gave me a little hope. And I hadn't thought I'd ever get that. But then, one humid night in September, I took myself out for a drink, maybe see if I could pick a girl up. Low and behold, the most beautiful girl ended up sitting just a few stools away." By now, Aria was in tears. "...and this girl, okay you, turned out to be the light at the end of the tunnel. The hope that I needed to put myself back together. You put my heart back together, ever so carefully, and with many difficulties, but you did. And I know that my life would never be the same without you."

He reached for her hands, "You are...it, for me, Aria. My everything. I would be nowhere without you," he tried to ignore the unsettling look on Aria's face, so he went on "You are my sun, stars, moon and world. And I will do my very best to love you for the rest of time, if you'll have me. So, Aria Marie, would you do me the immense honor of being my wife?" he closed his eyes tightly, reaching inside the pocket for the ring box. He'd wanted to wait until she said yes to open it.

A sob erupted from Aria's mouth, which caught him off guard. It wasn't a good sob.

"Someone wants to produce my screenplay!" she cried.

She was now sobbing harshly, shaking her head and sending mixed signals every which way. This obviously wasn't a good sign.

There wasn't much he could think to do but get up off the floor and comfort her, "That's amazing, babe! I'm so proud of you," she wasn't growing any happier with this. He backed away, cupping her face in his hands, "What's...what's wrong, baby?"

"I accepted the offer, and I'm so happy, but..." she took another breath "I have to leave, for England. Tonight." she continued, her body wracking up and down in loud sobs. "I want to marry you! So much, I really do. But, this opportunity...it changes things. I'm just not sure it's the right time. I mean-"

"You should go," he said, surprising himself by this statement. Aria began to pull away, muttering an "okay."

Stopping her from leaving, Ezra pulled her back in, "To England, I think you should take this offer, and go. It's your dream, Aria."

"You're my dream," she whimpered.

He kissed the top of her head dearly, letting his now flowing tears fall on top of her dark waves, "I'll always be right here, waiting. I'm not going anywhere."

She buried her face in his shoulder, still shaky, "But, your proposal, I want to marry you." She lifted her head from his shoulder and tenderly reached for his face, lowering it down to hers and kissing him hungrily, taking in his scent, the way it felt as he moaned through the kiss, the way their eyes met half way through.

Ezra finally pulled away after a minute of nearly making out, "Is this a yes?" He asked, deviously. She laughed a little at this, and a whole planet's worth of a load was lifted off of his shoulders.

She looks up at my, wiping her eyes. "Oh, this is a hell yes!"

He pulled her into an embrace, squeezing her tightly. "I'll never let you go."

Seconds later, Aria's phone beeped, pulling their hug apart. Sighing, she opened the message, expecting it to be Hanna, but she was in for a little bigger than that...

Awe, I hear church bells ringing! Congrats, bitch.

You better hope they're for a wedding and not for a funeral.

-A

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XO,

Tay.