The overwhelming sound of rain hitting the apartment complex is all Aria can hear as she lies alone in the well-worn grey bedding. She shivers and pulls Ezra's comforter closer around her, trying to hold in her body heat. Slowly, her eyes begin to close and she feels herself drifting off to sleep. Images of Ella and Byron and Mike fill her head. She sees her friends and she sees herself with Ezra. She also sees a chocolate fondue fountain and a field of flying puppies who fly towards her, trying to lick her face.

A sudden buzz jolts her awake and she sits up, her head spinning from the speed. She looks over at her phone which is illuminating the once pitch black apartment. Taking a deep breath of anticipation, she grabs her phone and opens the message.

A teacher should know better than to shower during a thunder storm. Kisses, -A

"What?" Aria asks the empty room. The room is lit up by a flash of lightening and almost immediately a loud crack of thunder permeates the room. She hears Ezra shout from the bathroom and clumsily jumps out of the bed, rushing to the bathroom. "Ezra," she calls, knocking loudly on the door and then shoving herself in with all of the force she could muster.

"Sorry," he laughs, pulling the curtain back and blushing as he grins. "I almost slipped on a bar of soap." As he notices her face, his smile slackens. "What, did I wake you up?"

Aria shakes her head and grabs his arm, tugging a dripping Ezra from the shower. "You can't shower while there's lightening going on out there, are you kidding me?" Disregarding his wetness, Aria wraps her arms around him and inhales.

"I'm...sorry?" Ezra says, hugging her tightly. "I didn't really notice the storm."

"You could die!" Aria shouts, stepping back.

"Aria, are you okay? What brought this on?" Ezra wraps a towel around his waist and reaches into the shower to turn the water off.

"A texted me," she says quietly. "She killed Wilden last week; she's obviously not afraid of hurting people."

"And you thought she was going to electrocute me in the shower?" Ezra raises and eyebrow.

"Hey, my concern is legitimate. She's killed people, Ezra, and she's gotten away with it." Aria widens her eyes and bites her thumbnail.

Ezra nods, his smile fading further. "I know, I'm sorry." He steps forward and reaches his arms around Aria's waist and resting his forehead on hers. "But I'm all right. It's okay."

Aria closes her eyes and breathes in, his scent calming her screaming nerves. She wraps her hands around his neck and pulls his mouth to hers. She kisses him and he kisses back, strong and hard. His lips lead hers open and closed; his tongue slowly dipping in and out of her mouth. Their kiss's rhythm reverberates inside their bodies and they pull each other closer. Ezra lifts Aria onto the sink counter just as a crash echoes from the other side of the apartment.

Aria's grip loosens and her hands find their way into Ezra's. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure." Ezra wanders into the hall and flips a light on.

The window by his desk is wide open, rain falling on the floor. Some of the desk doors are carelessly open as well, but nothing else appears to have been tampered with. "Ezra," Aria says, "you don't think this was A, do you?"

Ezra walks to the window and pushes it closed. After locking it he turns around to look at Aria. "A did text you right before you left the room, right? She made you come check on me."

Aria walks over to the desk and scans for an obvious clue. "There are papers all over the floor—how are we supposed to know what she took?" Aria asks. She reaches for the nearest paper but it's soaked and tears in her hand. "Did you have anything important hidden in here?" Ezra's silence causes Aria to look up from the mess of papers. He's retreated to the bed and is holding a small rectangle of paper. "What's that?" she asks.

He holds it out to her, wordlessly. Aria takes it. A photo of Malcolm and Ezra and been scratched at with a pin, leaving Ezra's face white. On the bottom ask mommy who my real dad is is written in red ink. Aria flips the paper over. Kisses, -A

"Oh my God." Ezra scratches the back of his head and looks down at his lap.

"I'm sure it's a lie. Of course Malcolm is yours, I—" Aria starts.

"I know he's my son!" Ezra says, his voice tense. "I know he is, of course he is. A has gone too far, Aria. A can't touch my son." His voice cracks and he looks back up at her, his eyes red.

Aria nods and walks over to him, joining him on the bed. "I know." He takes her hand and wraps an arm around her. "We'll figure it out."

Ezra takes her face in his hand and kisses her lips. "Let me...get some pants," he says, finally. "Then we can go to sleep."

"Okay," she says, holding his hand until their arms can no longer reach. Ezra walks back into the bathroom for his clothes and just as he leaves the room, Aria's phone buzzes.

Want to know who the real dad is? Kisses, -A