Five and a Half Years Later
Aria's POV
"You're so beautiful." My captor Nick says as he carries me to his bed.
I shutter as he places me on the center of his bed and crawls on top of me. He takes off all my clothes before thrusting himself inside of me. I use to cry when he did this to me, but I'm so use to it now that I hardly feel anything.
"Tell me how much you love me." He mutters as he picks up his speed.
"I love you so much." I say with no emotion.
Nick moans before releasing himself inside of me. After he's finished, Nick pulls me close to him and kisses my forehead.
"C-can I go back to Gregory now?" I ask him softly.
"God dammit Aria!" He screams before slapping me across the face forcefully.
The slap immediately causes my cheek to sting, and tears to pour out of my eyes.
"What was that for?" I ask as I clutch my swelling cheek.
"You're so ungrateful! I'm the one who takes care of you and your son, and if I wasn't so kind he'd have been dead after you pushed him out!" Nick reminds me.
Flashback
I've been in this room for months, and I still haven't heard from the police or Ezra. I think about my husband everyday, and I wonder if he every thinks of me. Nick always tells me that Ezra doesn't matter, and that he's part of a past that doesn't exist any more.
The only thing I have to remember Ezra is the little boy growing inside of my womb. I feel so lonely here, and I can't wait until he's born.
As I'm thinking this, I begin to feel sharp pains coming from my abdominal area. Seconds later my water breaks, and I cry out in pain.
"What's wrong?" Nick asks as he sprints into the room.
"The baby is coming." I say in a barely audible whisper.
"Okay, take care of it." Nick says with a shrug.
"Take care of it? How am I suppose to take of it?" I scream furiously.
"I don't know, spread your legs apart and push." Nick says with no emotion.
"Please take me to a hospital." I beg.
"Absolutely not! Someone might find us out." Nick hisses.
"Please Nick! This hurts so much, and I don't know if I can do this on my own." I say as I try to keep the tears from falling.
"We don't have any other options." Nick says as he takes a seat next to me.
It's been hours since I went into labor, and the pain is almost unbearable. The contractions get worse, and I know it's time to push. Ezra took me to a birthing class before Nick abducted me, and luckily I remember some of the breathing exercises they taught us.
I let out a shrill scream as I push with all my might, and the sound of a baby crying fills the room. Nick takes the baby in his arms and cuts my umbilical cord, and it makes me sick that Ezra isn't here to cut the cord.
"Can I hold him?" I ask Nick softly.
"No, I'm taking care of him before you become too attached." Nick says cooly.
"What do you mean take care of him?" I ask as my eyes grow wide with fear.
"I don't want to support a baby who's not mine." Nick says with a shrug.
"You're going to kill him?" I ask as my mouth goes dry.
"I'm sorry Aria." Nick says with no emotion.
"No, don't do this! You've already taken everything from me, don't take my baby too!" I scream hysterically.
"That's just the problem Aria. You don't love me like I want you to, and I'm afraid that this baby will be a distraction. He might remind you of your old life, and I can't have that." Nick tells me seriously.
"I do love you Nick! I love you more than I've ever loved anyone." I lie.
The words leave a sour taste in my mouth, but I need to save my son.
"More than you love your old husband?" Nick asks me softly.
"Yes, so much more." I say as I stare at the ground.
"As long as you don't let this baby change your feeling for me, I guess you can keep him." Nick says as he shoves the crying baby in my arms.
"Thank you so much!" I say as relief fills my body.
"I'm going to start dinner." Nick says as he storms out of the room.
I stare down at the little boy in my arms and my heart instantly melts. He has his daddy's blue eyes, and his beautiful bone structure.
Even though I'm stuck in this room with a monster and I'm far away from my husband, I've never felt happier in my life. Ezra and I created this precious child, and now he's mine to love and protect. The only thing that makes this moment less than perfect is that Ezra isn't here to share it with me.
"Gregory Ezra Fitz, I love you so much." I say as I kiss the baby's forehead and cradle him close to me.
Gregory's cries begin to soften, and soon he is sound asleep in my arms. For the first time since I've been in this prison, I don't feel so alone anymore.
End Of Flashback
"Why don't you want to stay with me?" Nick asks interrupting my thoughts.
"You know I want to stay with you, but Gregory gets scared when I'm gone." I tell him truthfully.
"Why do you love him so much?" Nick asks me softly.
"He's my child." I tell Nick.
"You love him in a way that you'll never love me!" Nick says in frustration.
"That's not true..." I start to say.
"Save it Aria! I'm going to fix this problem, we're going to have a baby together." Nick says with a smile.
"W-we are?" I ask as I try to keep tears from forming in my eyes.
The thought of having Nick's child makes me sick to my stomach. It isn't that I wouldn't love the child, and it's not his or her fault that their dad is a monster. My biggest concern with this arrangement is Gregory, how would he feel about having a little brother or sister?
"What do you think of the idea?" Nick asks me aggressively.
"It's a great idea." I mutter.
"Good, we'll start tomorrow night." Nick says as he pushes me off the bed.
I wince when I fall on the hard ground and land smack on my hip. I can already feel a bruise beginning to form.
I limp to the bedroom that I share with Gregory, and rush over to the five year-old when I hear him crying softly.
"Greg what's wrong?" I ask as I cradle the boy in my arms.
"I-I h-had a s-scary d-d-dream Mommy." Gregory says through his heavy sobs.
"Do you want to tell me about the dream?" I ask him softly.
"You died, and left me alone for a trillion years! Then I woke up and you weren't here, so I though the dream came true." Gregory says as he sobs into my chest.
"Oh baby, I'm right here." I say as I stroke his dark curly hair.
"Why do you always leave me in the middle of the night? I get so lonely Mommy." Gregory says with a sniffle.
"If it were up to me I'd stay with you forever, but I need to spend time with Nick." I tell him apologetically.
"I understand." Gregory says as he avoids eye contact.
Gregory is so much like his father that it feels like I'm holding a ghost. The little boy is so sensitive, and he always thinks of me before himself. He also shares Ezra's great love for reading and story telling.
"Gregory, can I ask you a question?" I ask him with a heavy sigh.
"Sure Mommy." Gregory says as he stares up at me with his piercing blue eyes.
"How would you feel if Mommy had a baby?" I ask him gently.
"But I'm your baby." Gregory reminds me.
"I know and you'll always be my baby, but how would you feel if I had another baby?" I ask as I hold my breath.
"Would that make you happy?" Gregory asks me.
"We're not talking about me, we're talking about you." I tell my son.
"What if you have the baby and decide you don't want me anymore?" Gregory asks as his chin quivers nervously.
"That could never happen! You know that I love you more than anything in the world!" I exclaim.
"I wouldn't be upset if you had another baby." Gregory says after thinking about it for a minute.
"You'd be such an amazing brother, and maybe you wouldn't be so lonely when I have to spend time with Nick if you had a baby in here with you." I say with a slight smile.
"Mommy how do you make a baby?" Gregory asks me suddenly.
"We can talk about that when you're older." I say with a chuckle.
"Will I ever be a daddy." Gregory asks me curiously.
I'm taken aback by my son's words. My biggest fear is that no one will ever find us, and Gregory will be stuck in this room until I die. I want Gregory to escape from this prison, and live a full and happy life.
"I hope so baby." I say as tears begin to form in my eyes.
"But Mommy, I don't know any girls except for you." Gregory says with a frown.
"Gregory I want you to look at me." I tell my son seriously.
Gregory nods and stares into my hazel eyes.
"I promise that one day you'll get out of here, meet a nice girl, fall in love, and live happily ever after. You'll get a taste of freedom and independence, and you'll know what it really means to live." I say trying to convince him and myself.
"Mommy I don't want to leave! I love it here!" Gregory exclaims.
"I know, but you've been here since the day you were born. You don't know any better." I say to him.
"What could be better than our room? I get to spend all day playing with you, listening to your stories, and learning how to read." Gregory says with a wide smile.
I respond by pulling Gregory closer to me and kissing his forehead repeatedly.
"If I left, I would never see you again." Gregory says sadly.
"No, I would go with you." I tell him.
"Wouldn't you stay with Nick?" Gregory asks with a puzzled look on his face.
"Absolutely not." I say as I shake my head vigorously.
"But you love Nick! I hear you tell him all the time." Gregory reminds me.
Of course I don't love Nick! He kidnapped me, took my away from Ezra, and destroyed Gregory's childhood. I have to keep telling Nick that I love him because if I don't Gregory might get hurt.
"If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell Nick?" I ask my son.
"Yes Mommy." He says as he nods his head.
"There's a man out there who I love even more." I whisper to him.
"More than me?" Gregory asks me softly.
"No, I don't love anyone more than you! But I love him so much, and I think about him almost everyday." I say to the boy.
"Will I ever meet him Mommy?" Gregory asks me.
"I really hope so baby boy." I tell him truthfully.
"What's his name?" Gregory asks me.
"Ezra." I mutter.
I haven't said his name in over five years, and it feels nice to say it again.
"Why did you leave Ezra?" My son asks me curiously.
My son's words cause me to burst into tears. This boy doesn't know his own father, and it's all my fault. Ezra always told me not to go on walks alone, but I never listened to him.
"I'm so sorry Gregory." I say through my heavy sobs.
"Oh no! I made you cry Mommy!" Gregory says as tears begin to form in his eyes.
"No you didn't, you're the light in my life. Why don't you get some sleep?" I ask as I pull the sheets over his small body.
"I love you Mommy." Gregory says before closing his tired eyes.
"I love you too." I say with a sniffle.
I spend the rest of the night crying, and watching my son sleep. If things had turned out differently, he would be sleeping between me and his father.
What did you think? Do you like the relationship between Aria and Gregory, and do you like the direction I'm taking? How will thinks unravel now that Gregory knows about Ezra? Will Aria get pregnant, and how would that affect her situation? Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed :)