A/N Thanks for the reviews it made my night! And got me through the first day of my Senior year!

Two

Aria went to her old English class room, she smiled at the teachers whom she passed welcoming her to the staff. She passed the teacher's lounge. Ezra was making coffee. She went in on instinct. "I'm…sorry," she tried.

Ezra turned around. "You don't need to apologize, Aria," he stated, using his teacher tone on her.

"Don't use the teacher voice on me Ezra. I'm not your student. I'm your colleague." She shifted her weight, from foot to foot. "Listen everything that's happened is in the past. I don't know what all I can say to make it right by you, or by myself. I'm willing to try. I can't teach here knowing my superior hates me because I ran out on him at seventeen."

Ezra saw the girl at the bar standing in front of him, not his student, not his new colleague. He saw his Aria. "I can't hate you Ms. Montgomery."

"Okay. Mr. Fitz," she said, feeling like they'd come to some sort of an agreement.

"Aria how about we have dinner tonight? To catch up," Ezra offered, the coffee maker dinged. "Coffee?"

"After my night, yes. After my morning, yes. After this whole weird conversation, totally. Dinner? How about my apartment? I'm dying to try out the kitchen," she said.

Ezra poured her, her coffee. "I'm looking forward to teaching with you Aria. You were a brilliant student, with an interesting take on things. I can't wait to see your teaching style."

"Thank you Ezra," she said, taking the coffee from him. "For everything." She walked out before he could make her elaborate on that statement.

Oh crap, he thought, I'm not getting involved with one of my colleagues. Funny I said that exact same thing when she was my student. DAMN IT.

Aria walked down the familiar halls. She spotted her old locker, and smiled. The school was becoming a familiar ghost, she was remembering the things she needed to. All the good things she'd forgotten. She thought of Emily's swimming, Spencer being the control freak and THAT kid, Hanna going from the quiet girl to the fashionista with her own clothing line, and she thought of herself the rebel without a proper cause. The girl who'd fallen in love with her English teacher, and ended up being an English teacher herself. Oh Irony you are a cruel lover, she thought.

She remembered the familiar smells, and sights. For a minute she thought she was a student again. Nope Aria you're the one giving the assignments now.

She went into her new class room, Mr. Fitz's old one. He'd chosen a new room across the hall for the next year. "I'm teaching in the same room that inspired me to teach," she whispered, setting her coffee down on her desk in the front of the room. She sat in his chair – her chair. It felt right.

Mrs. Hardman, her freshman Math teacher came in. "I heard you were teaching."

Aria smiled, "I am. It feels official."

"Aria if you need anything just come knock on my door. I'm always here." Mrs. Hardman had been her favorite math teacher ever.

"Thank you Mrs. Hardman," Aria said.

"You're not a student anymore Aria. It's Nancy," Mrs. Hardman said.

Mrs. Hardman was right she wasn't a student anymore. She was a grown woman. A teacher in fact with her first love across the hall, at home and at school.

"You're right Nancy I'm not a student anymore," Aria said, with a grin on her face that Mrs. Hardman knew all too well.

"Be easy on whoever he is. Some men can't handle teachers," Nancy stated.

Aria watched Ezra walk to his room. "Yeah teachers can't handle teachers."

Aria stopped by Ali's grave. She put her hand on the stone. "Hey Ali," she greeted. Her cell phone beeped. Her heart stopped. No way in hell, she thought.

Where are you? – Ezra

She pressed the talk button. "Hello Ezra," she greeted when he answered.

"Where are you?"

"I went to visit Ali."

"I look like an idiot standing outside of your apartment," he stated, "Especially since I'm holding wine, and dessert."

"Hmmm the ways that can be taken Mr. Fitz. There's a key under my rug, let yourself in. It's a private staff meeting with wine if that makes you feel better."

"It doesn't."

"I'll be home in ten okay?"

"Okay Aria."

She hung up. Her phone lit up, she had text.

Have fun tonight don't let the past come and bite you on the butt – Emily

She blew a kiss at Ali's grave. "'That's immortality my darlings.' Funny thing is Ali I like getting older. Things you couldn't have when you were younger you can have now."

She went back to her car with a new sense of satisfaction.

Ezra looked around her apartment. Was the woman the same as the girl? He'd asked himself that question over the years. He studied pictures, art work, her bookshelves filled with Austen to McEwan, then her manuscripts. Finally he stopped at the shelves of music and movies. Both had a different taste than the rest of the place. They felt more alive. The fire in her he'd been attracted to in the bar.

Aria came in, swearing like a sailor. "Stupid thing on the - damn my toe!" She was hopping on one foot. The box had jumped out in front of her.

Ezra turned around. "What happened?" He realized how ridiculous she looked jumping on one foot.

"The statue in the box is like forty pounds I tripped over it," Aria said, "You'd think in college with crazy messy roommates I'd learn to avoid things. Apparently not."

He chuckled. "Sit down. The coffee should be done soon."

Aria went to the couch. She took off her boot and examined her tow. It was turning purple. "Lovely."

He went to the kitchen and doctored his coffee with sugar, but left hers alone. "Aria welcome home."

She sighed. "Hmmm. Shouldn't that have been said while you were hyperventilating this morning Ezra?"

He chuckled. "You might be right."

She limped her way to the kitchen. "So what did you bring for dessert? I never thought I'd ask that question with a straight face."

"Boston Cream, I thought it'd be more relaxed than anything else. Aria, can I be open with you?" He made eye contact with her as she stirred her black coffee.

"Sure. Just let me say two things first. I missed you, I regret not telling you where I was going, your letter Senior year was beautiful, I still have it. Secondly, I did what was best in my mind at the time. You couldn't have a relationship with a student. Even a former student. Even now it would look wrong in some ways," she stated.

"What do you mean 'look wrong' Aria?"

"I mean how exactly would I introduce you to my parents? 'Oh hey mom and dad remember Ezra Fitz my high school English teacher yeah we're dating now.' Their heads would explode. Hell my head would explode by association," she stated.

"Aria breathe. Let me speak now."

She nodded. "Okay," she mouthed. She didn't know how any of this would work, hell when the first affair had been clarified, it made her choice of going away after she finished school easier.

"Aria I'm allowed one mistake a school year. I didn't make one that first year. Not with you, not with my teaching. That first year was perfect. Don't ruin it with analysis," he said.

She kissed his cheek. "I don't think this was a good idea."

He kissed her, gently. "Define 'good'."

Lack of will power, something she definitely knew when it came to Ezra Fitz. She kissed him back just as gently. "I can't do this Ezra," she whispered.

He looked at her. "Aria, I am in love with you and will still be in love with you."

She knew in that instant that Ezra and her were the type of people that could only fall in love once and stay in love with that person forever.