- Set after 5x03 - Aria has begun to look to Ezra as a source of comfort again as she deals with the aftermath of killing Shana. She's started to come over to his apartment in the evenings to talk, about Shana, A, or just in general. They aren't back together yet, but they are friends, and Aria has begun to start trusting Ezra again.

※※ Always※※

Aria walked up the stairs, heading towards the apartment she knew all too well, her fingers fidgeting as she rounded the corner. She lifted her gaze from the floor to look at his door, only to be met with a surprising sight. Silently, she hurried back to the corner, peeking out from beside it at the scene that was unfolding. Alison stood in front of 3B, knocked twice before the door swung open to reveal Ezra.

"Alison?" Ezra questioned, confusion quickly filling his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see how you're doing, is that a crime?" she replied, an air of superiority to her voice.

Clearing his throat, Ezra stated in a calm voice, "Well thank you for that, I am doing fine."

Alison took her time in answering, choosing to respond with a question. "How's Aria?" Ezra glanced down at his shoes, his eyes displaying the pain he refused to admit. "I only ask because I know she's had a difficult time… adjusting. I assumed she had turned to you as a source of comfort, am I wrong?"

From behind the corner, Aria watched quietly as Ezra lifted his gaze to meet hers, his face blank of emotion as he coldly said, "Well if that's all…"

She chuckled slightly before saying, "You know, we had a connection, Ezra. Even though I had lied about my age, the connection was still there, and I'll bet it's still here now-"

She was cut off as Ezra stated simply, "No Alison."

"No?" she asked, as if challenging him to change his answer. "Care to elaborate? I thought an English teacher would have a larger vocabulary."

Meeting her gaze, Ezra, using all his self-control to keep his voice from wavering, replied, "I'm in love with Aria."

"You are in love with her? You used the present tense," Alison pointed out.

"Was, am, will be, always," Ezra whispered, his voice catching on the last word.

"You know, always is quite a long time."

"I am perfectly aware of how long always is, Alison."

"You know she isn't ever going to forgive you for what you did, not enough to trust you at that level again," Alison stated, cocking her head at an angle that made it seem as though she were looking down on him, when in fact she had to tilt her chin up to meet his gaze.

"Well," Ezra replied softly, his voice wavering slightly, "I hope you are wrong about that, but whether or not she forgives me, whether or not she ever wants to look at me as more than a friend again, I can promise you that I will always love her."

"I hope you know what you're promising," Alison said, shaking her head slightly.

"I do," Ezra said assuredly, closing the door behind her as she turned to walk away. As Alison rounded the corner, she was shocked to see Aria standing there, her face a mixture of fury and an emotion Alison couldn't quite distinguish.

"Aria?"

"Go," Aria muttered through clenched teeth, her eyes downcast.

"Ar-"

"Now," Aria put as much force behind the three letter word as she could, raising her eyes to meet Alison's, a smoldering fire barely contained beneath her hazel orbs. With one last glance, Alison turned on her heel and made her way down the stairs. Taking a deep breath, Aria walked the remaining few feet to his door, raising her fist and knocking three times, lowering her hand as she heard footsteps approaching.

"Alison, please j-" Ezra exclaimed as he swung open the door, stopping mid-sentence once he realized it was Aria. "Aria… I'm sorry, I thought you were Alison, she was here just a minute ago…" he rambled, a slight panic entering his voice.

"It's okay, I saw her," Aria said calmly, making an attempt to conceal her emotions.

"Oh… um… would you like to come in?" Ezra stuttered, opening the door wider and stepping aside as he gestured into his apartment. Smiling, Aria walked through, turning to face him as he shut the door, a slight smile etched on her face. "What?" Ezra asked playfully as he noticed Aria's smile. Her smile growing wider, Aria walked towards him, talking his hand in hers before raising her other hand to brush over his cheek. He sucked in a deep breath at her touch, his eyes widening with hope as she glanced up at him.

"Always is quite a long time, you know," Aria whispered, her lips now inches from his. Ezra stared at her in shock before she leaned in, closing the remaining distance as she gently pressed her lips against his. She pulled away, resting her forehead against his, opening her eyes to see a smile stretched over his face, his eyes displaying pure joy. He leaned forward slightly, stopping as their lips barely brushed, allowing Aria to make the final decision. After a moment's consideration, she recaptured his lips with hers, moving both her hands to tangle in his hair as he wrapped his around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

After what seemed like ages, they pulled apart for air, rubbing their noses together in an eskimo kiss as they smiled against each other, their breaths steadying out into the same rhythm. They leaned back in for another kiss, their tongues slowly entangling as they opened their mouths, breathing each other in for the first time in too long. Eventually they were forced to break again, resting their foreheads together as Aria whispered, "I love you too. Always."