I'm baaack! And another couple is coming into play; It's Ezria time, y'all (Note to self: do not use 'y'all' ever again. Bow ties are cool. Speaking in dialect is not)! Once again, I'm blown away by your reviews and very pleased to see that so many of you enjoyed my attempt to write Paily. I swear, doing any of the couples justice on here is hard work. So, here's my response to what you had to say:

JosieCarter: I KNOW, RIGHT? All I want is for Lindsay Shaw to become a regular, for Paily to stay together for all eternity, and maybe an entire episode where everyone dresses up in do-rags. Is that too much to ask?! And here's that new chapter for you, so I hope you're satisfied! And I'm one of your favorites already? That means so much to me! I haven't been a creative writer in quite a few years, so don't be surprised if my work isn't as graceful as some of the other authors on here, but thank you for your kind words!

ILAK: Well, get used to my updating speed, because I've just finished writing Chapter 6, meaning that the daily updates shouldn't stop for a while! The jumps between couples will be a recurring style, but we'll eventually reach a point where you get bits of multiple couples in a chapter as a response to something that affects everyone in the house. You like my characterization? *in Southern drawl* Why, little ol' me? Again, I need to be reminded that I'm not supposed to speak in a dialect! The point is, I'm so glad that you think that!

treaane: What this world needs most of all is the image of Tyler Blackburn with a tribal tattoo and a muscle shirt. Just give me a moment to catch my breath after picturing that...

ShadowsontheMoon: Well, I'm not Maya's biggest fan, but she was definitely onto something when she said that Emily would make a wonderful Cleopatra in her past life. I'm making you enjoy fluff? IT CAN BE DONE, BYSTANDERS! TAKE NOTES BEFORE SHE MURDERS EVERYONE I LOVE! And the next one is sitting just under the disclaimer, just so you know! Daily updates are going to be fairly regular for me, if I can keep up my promise to write a chapter a day while also editing the finished chapter from the day before. And like I said to ILAK, I'm intending to keep the couples in groups for the whole story, but there will be jumps between the sets and eventually interaction between them after everyone's in the house for a bit of time.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own PLL.

Oh. I forgot a disclaimer in the last chapter. Whoops. So, without further ado...

Ch 3
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ezra asked the question as he clutched his coat tightly to his body. Aria simply rolled her eyes and continued to dig under the doormat for the key.

"Aria, did Spencer even give you permission to go in the house?"

Aria finally located the set of polished keys and snatched them quickly. She straightened up to face Ezra and pressed her finger to his lips.

"Ezra, Spencer isn't even going out for Halloween, and we just need the box set. I remember exactly where I left it, anyway, somewhere on the shelf close to the television."

"Why did you leave it here anyway?"

Aria shrugged. "Team Sparia movie night. I think it was a month or two ago?" She turned the key until she heard a distinct click. "Ok, we're in!" Aria pulled the handle and daintily plucked the doormat up by its corner and dropped the keys underneath.

"Aria, you can't just drop the keys like that!" Ezra started to panic and compulsively picked up the mat to adjust the pesky pieces of metal. "It's no wonder Spencer can tell when you're lying to her, with the pretty weak attempts you're making to cover your tracks!"

Aria studied her boyfriend. "When did you become so experienced in covering your tracks?" At Ezra's flustered expression, the pixie giggled. "I'm kidding, Ezra! We don't lie to each other." On cue, she pulled him in for a heady kiss. "For example, my honesty is compelling me to tell you that your costume is very sexy. Whatever they taught you about French literature at Hollis is working."

Ezra proudly smoothed down his coat, impeccably made to resemble the uniform of a French Inspector during the early nineteenth century. Of course, it was Aria's idea that he dress up as one of the most interesting characters of the time – Inspector Javert from the Victor Hugo novel 'Les Misérables.' Aria had decided to go as a different icon. In fact, she decided on an icon of cinema, Audrey Hepburn. Her black turtleneck fit to accentuate her small waist, and she actually had a good excuse to wear high-heeled boots so that she could almost reach the gamine's 5'7" frame.

Determined more than ever to make it back to Ezra's apartment to spend a night watching Hitchcock classics and feeding each other sweets, Aria strutted into the lake house with Ezra only a few paces behind.

Almost immediately, Aria ducked into the display room, which held rows upon rows of stately portraits dating back to the Hastings family's arrival in the United States. Also spread about (albeit in an organized way) were framed degrees, newspaper articles, and finally a set of shelves holding every movie you could name.

Ezra stood dumbstruck in the doorway while Aria began to search. She darted to the shelf nearest to the floor, only needing to bend down an inch or two, as Ezra ran his hands over a framed copy of a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

"Ezra? Do you want to... Got it!" Aria smirked as she surfaced with the recognizable package. Ezra, however, was still hovering over a wall of newspapers. "What are you doing?" Aria's cool breath tickled his neck as she stepped comfortingly close to him.

In response, Ezra removed the framed story and showed it to Aria. The headline was disturbing enough, boldly announcing "INVESTIGATION OF HASTINGS MURDER RESOLVED. POLICE SENTENCE SPENCER HASTINGS FOR CRIME"

Aria gasped. "What the –?"

Ezra summarized the case details after one quick glance. "It looks like Spencer's great-great-grandfather was found guilty of murdering his wife."

Aria tilted her head, her eyes still wide open. She unthinkingly snatched the paper from Ezra's hands and scanned the details diligently. "Eleanor Hastings, née Spalding... One year ago at the time of this publishing... Cause of death determined to be loss of blood from stab wound to the stomach... Mr. Hastings plead insanity to no avail, claimed verbatim in court that 'she will always be there, in that damned house' and was sentenced to death, but refused to stop repeating the curious phrase..."

Ezra reclaimed the newspaper from her hands. "Aria, do you know what this means?"

"That Spencer's grandkids are at risk of inheriting a mental illness or five?"

"It means... that there could be a spirit haunting this lake house." Ezra took Aria's hands in his own. "Right under our noses!"
"Ezra, you can't be serious." Aria crossed her arms sternly. "And I thought that I was the young one in this relationship."

Ezra shook his head. "No, I'm not that naïve. I was referring to metaphorical spirits." He began to pace around the room. "Do you know how much history could be in this house? How many stories there are, probably lying around for someone to discover and –"

"Publish!" Aria clapped her hands together. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Ezra proudly grinned. "If you're thinking that a night spent at a lake house researching the twisted history of the Hastings family could make for an interesting piece, we've never been more in sync."

Aria smiled back at him. How special would this Halloween be, she thought, with a night spent together in a lake house while spitballing ideas for the next Great American Novel? It could be almost romantic, with Aria herself contributing to the process. And he would have to thank her somehow. Preferably out of his uniform...

Aria blushed at the last thought and spun around to replace the newspaper. As she crouched down to arrange it once more, her eyes fell onto the picture that she somehow had missed before. The picture was of the long-deceased Eleanor Hastings, as evidenced by the caption underneath, but Aria was taken aback by the depiction.

She held the article up for Ezra to see. "Look familiar?"

He too, did a double take. "She looks just like –"

"Like Spencer." Aria stared at the picture again. "Well... if Spencer was blonde or something."

"And had a natural affinity for millinery."

Aria snickered at her boyfriend's comment. "Well, she does indulge in a cloche every now and then. But it's kind of ironic, how she got her looks from her great-great-grandmother, and the name from her great-great-grandfather."

She looked back only to see that Ezra had stumbled upon a well-hidden set of boxes and luggage bags in the closet. "Aria, take a look!"

Aria wandered over to see that he had been pouring over assorted clothes, books, papers, and other knickknacks that had to be about a century old. Just as she stepped to Ezra's side, a strong chill hit her square at her back and she harshly shivered.

Looking up from the piles of clothes he had been going through, Ezra gave her a concerned face. He extended his arms, which held a long scarlet trench coat that he had plucked out of the pile, to her withering frame.

"Here you go. You look pretty cold."

"Really? I wasn't aware!" Aria playfully snapped at her boyfriend and lightly smacked his arm. Before she could gratefully take the coat, she paused at the bright red color. Her mind wandered to a different coat of a similar shade. She stood back in protest, arms still crossed. "No, thanks. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? It's not going to get any warmer tonight." Ezra cocked his eyebrow. "When's the last time someone checked the heater in this house? 1988?" Again, he pushed the offensive garment to her, and Aria knew better than to leave him guessing why she was reluctant to take it. With slightly stiff movements, she finally put on the red coat.

Ezra obliviously jumped up and began to leave the room, with the antiques still scattered around. "C'mon. I think I saw some old family pictures peeking out by the den, if you're up for it."

"The only thing I'm NOT up for is another red coat after tonight," Aria muttered under her breath.

"What?"

Aria froze. "Nothing. I just... um... thought about a few pseudonyms for Spencer's family members."

"Oh, we can talk all about that after we dig a little deeper." Ezra cheerfully grinned. "You know, to get some more insight on the family's origins and all that." He extended his arm. "Shall we?"

"In a minute, Inspector. I just need to string together a few syllables for Spencer's fake name." Aria, still discomforted by the heinous coat, attempted to heat herself up even more by tucking her hair underneath the convenient hood.

"Spencer the first? Or your Spencer?"

"I was thinking both. Something unisex, like Dylan or Payton."

Ezra laughed heartily and made his way to the dining room across the narrow hall as Aria collected her thoughts and decided that 'Taylor' would work just fine. Aria finalized the name as she debated whether or not to clean up the heirlooms, but resolved to leave them for now. She soon left the display room to join Ezra, but she had no idea that the few minutes she spent were plenty of time for another pair to enter the house.

Who's in the house now? Well, your options are limited seeing as how there are only four couples in the story, so keep in mind that you've got a one-in-four chance of guessing correctly. And Aria's wearing a Red Coat! So for those of you paying attention at home, that cannot possibly end well... The next chapter will be up tomorrow, so pour your pretty little hearts out to me in the reviews or in my PM inbox. Fingers crossed I'll respond!