Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or these characters. Peyton is mine though. Not written for money, only enjoyment.
Here is the final chapter. I hope you have enjoyed this story.
Jason was sitting in Ella and Zack's living room nervous as all get out. He had no idea why, they both know he loves Aria and Peyton, but something about asking was making him nervous. Ever since he was 20 he had been in love with Aria and had always wanted a life with her. Now he had the means to make a life and support her and their daughter.
Ella sat on the couch watching Jason. He looked to be having some sort of argument with himself. Both she and Zack knew what he was there to ask. Neither of them were going to tell him no. Jason wanted to marry Aria and make them a real family. It was admirable considering everything that had happened between them. It had been 5 months since Aria had walked back into his life and he discovered that they had a daughter. Peyton was so much like her mother that it was scary, but her distinct feature was her bright greens eyes that mirrored Jason's.
"Jason." Ella said snapping his out of his trance.
"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous." Jason said looking at the two people who were going to be family.
"It's okay Jason. You should have seen me when I asked Aria and Mike if I could marry their Mom. I sweated through my shirt." Zack said with a laugh easing the tension in the room.
"I want to ask Aria to marry me. I want us to be a family on paper. I know we don't need it, but this way I can put them both on my insurance and…" Jason started to ramble.
"Jason we both understand." Ella said calmly. She was doing her best to not break down and cry.
"I would like you both if you would be okay if I asked Aria to marry me." Jason finally said.
"Yes." They both said.
"Thank you." He replied looking relieved.
"How are you going to ask?" Ella commented curious.
"We are going to the park tomorrow for a picnic and I'm going to forget something in the car on purpose and have Aria go get it. When she comes back I'm going to be on one knee and have Peyton be holding the ring. Patrick is going to catch it all on film and the girls already know to be there. You two may come also if you would like." Jason explained.
"Jason that sounds wonderful." Zack said rubbing his wife's back as she finally teared up.
"She will love that Jason." Ella said through tears.
Hugs were exchanged as Jason left and headed home to get ready for the next day.
Jason, Aria and Peyton all went to the park for their picnic. Peyton picked out a spot far from the parking lot under a tear. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and light breeze. Zack had baked them some muffins and they had picked up some sandwiches on their way to the park. After arriving they spent some time on the playground and feeding the ducks and then they ate.
"Jason where are the plates?" Aria asked looking around.
"Oh I must have forgotten them in the car. They wouldn't fit in the basket." He explained looking inside the full basket.
"It's okay. I'll go get them." Aria said kissing his cheek and getting up, "Peyton do you want to come with me?"
"No. I stay with Daddy." Peyton responded climbing into Jason's lap.
"Okay I'll be right back." Aria replied smiling at the two most important people in her life.
As soon as Aria was out of earshot, "You ready Peyton?" Jason asked.
"Yeah!" she exclaimed clapping her hands.
"Okay let's get set up. Here is Mommy's ring. Don't take it out okay." Jason said putting Aria's engagement ring in her hands.
Spencer, Hanna, Caleb, Toby, Ella and Zack all waited for the proposal. Stewart, the photographer that Jason hired, was waiting with them and when they saw Aria walk away he went and got set up. He snapped a picture of Jason helping Peyton get ready. When he saw Aria walking back he snapped a picture of her looking completely clueless that her life was about to change. The girls couldn't wait to see Aria's reaction. They knew she was going to cry. Ella was already in tears seeing Jason and Peyton getting ready.
Aria walked to the car and got the paper plates and headed back to the picnic. When she got close she could see that both Jason and Peyton had shifted positions as she got closer she could see Jason was down on one knee. Stopping a couple feet from them, "Mommy will you marry Daddy?" Peyton asked holding a ring out to her. Aria's mouth dropped and so did the plates. Jason stood up as she nodded afraid to talk. He wrapped his arms around her and they kissed. Peyton grabbed a hold of their legs. Jason picked her up and they each kissed her on the cheek.
Stewart caught every moment of the proposal on film and stepped out of the tree line. The girls and Aria's parents came out also. Aria was in full on tears looking at her left hand. She couldn't believe that she was going to marry Jason. It was something she had always dreamed about.
Jason couldn't believe how smoothly the proposal had gone. Earlier that day he had asked Peyton if she wanted to ask the question. She had been more than okay with that idea. She was their little girl and he wanted her to be involved as much as possible.
As the congrats went around Aria saw movement. Straining her eyes she could see that it was Ezra and he had a gun. Slowly he raised it and Aria ran to stop him from doing something he would ultimately regret. The shot broke through the calm air at the park. Peyton screamed at the noise as Jason spun and saw Aria falling to the ground. Zack grabbed Peyton and took off to his and Ella's car with her right on his heels. Peyton was screaming and fighting to get back to her Mom. Putting her in the car Zack peeled out of the parking lot and back to their house. Ella was beyond worried about Aria, but she knew that both Aria and Jason would want Peyton protected.
Jason felt like the world was moving in slow motion. He got to Aria before she hit the ground and laid her down. Putting pressure on the blood that was starting to pool on her shirt he tried to keep himself in check but couldn't help the tears that were coming. "Stay with me, Aria. Stay with me." He kept saying. Applying more pressure he stared into her eyes and noticed that she was having a hard time keeping them open, "No Aria stay with me. Don't close your eyes." He cried.
Spencer had her phone out as soon as the shot sounded. Hanna was sitting on Aria's other side holding her hand. She couldn't control the onslaught of tears either. Both Caleb and Toby had taken down Ezra and were waiting for the police and ambulance. The other people at the park were starting to gather around, but Spencer and Stewart were keeping everyone back.
When the ambulance arrived they loaded Aria up right away. Jason rode with them handing Caleb his keys. He was past the point of functioning. Right now his only concern was Aria. Watching the ambulance take her friend away was the breaking point for Spencer. She broke down in Toby's arms. None of them knew what to do besides go to the hospital. The police said they would talk to them there.
Once at the hospital Aria was taken away from Jason and into surgery. He was sitting in the waiting room trying to keep from falling apart. When the others arrived he couldn't keep it together and crumpled into Spencer. The two siblings just cried together. No one in the hospital questioned what was going on. Jason couldn't believe that he was finally going to have his dream come true and now it may never happen.
Ezra had been taken away at the scene. The police talked to everyone who had been around to see what happened and found out they had plenty of witnesses. When he got to the police station he just sat in the interrogation room with a smile on his face. Now he'll never have her, he kept thinking, if I can't have you can't either DiLaurentis. Finally the police came into question him.
"Why did you shoot Ms. Montgomery?" the cop asked.
"She ran away from me 5 months ago." Ezra replied calmly.
"So you shot her?"
"Well it didn't seem fair that DiLaurentis could have her if I couldn't. I gave up everything that for that little bitch and she runs to him and gets herself knocked up and comes back to me expecting me to raise his bastard child." Ezra said smirking, "And then she runs away and goes back to him. No. No one runs out on me."
"What do you mean you gave up everything for her?" the cop questioned.
"We started sleeping together when she was a sophomore in high school and I was her teacher. I gave up my job at Rosewood High so we could pursue a real relationship, but then I got bored with her."
"You had sexual relations with a minor who was also your student." The cop said sounding disgusted.
"Yes, but to be honest she wasn't very good in bed. Very inexperienced."
"We're done for now. Take him to booking and then a cell." The cop said standing up.
Walking out of the room the cop ran into Veronica Hastings. "I'm guessing you want to represent the guy?" he said in a snide tone.
"No. Prosecute. The woman he shot is one of my daughter's best friends." Veronica said in a stern tone. "I was just coming to see what I would be working with."
"A sick bastard." The cop said walking away.
After they had gotten Peyton to sleep Ella and Zack took her with them to the hospital. Walking up they saw Caleb and Toby standing out trying to keep it together themselves. "Jason's inside. He's having a really hard time." Caleb said finally breaking down. Ella wrapped her arms around the man and gave him a tight hug. The next few hours were going to be hard on all of them. Once inside they found Spencer, Jason and Hanna. Jason came straight to Ella, she sat down in a chair and Jason settled on the ground at her feet with his head in her lap. He didn't cry just kept muttering, "I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to follow us. I can't lose her. I can't. I just can't." Ella didn't say anything; she just ran her hand through his hair.
A few hours after Aria was brought in the doctor came out to a worried family. "Montgomery family?" he questioned looking at the group.
Jason jumped up to his feet, "How is she?"
"Right now she is in a coma. The bullet came very close to her heart. She had some internal bleeding but we got that under control very quickly. Her recovery is all based on how long she is this coma." The doctor explained.
"Will she come out of the coma?" Spencer asked crying.
"All signs say yes she will come out of it, but we can't be positive."
"Oh God." Caleb whispered looking at Jason who was about to lose it all over again.
"Can we see her?" Zack asked for everyone.
"Yes. She is in room 315."
"Thanks doctor." Zack said ending the conversation with a handshake.
The elevator ride up the third floor was silent except for Hanna and Spencer trying to regain some control over their tears. Jason wasn't even trying to stop his, they were just pouring down his face. Ella was nuzzled against his side and crying just as hard. Zack was holding Peyton who at that moment was oblivious to the fact that something was wrong.
Walking towards Aria's room took the group quite a while. The girl weren't sure they could go in and see her. Jason just walked right in and moved a chair right up to her bed side, sat down, put his arm across her middle and put his head on the bed and cried. Ella stood on the other side and smoothed Aria's hair down and kissed her head while crying. She couldn't believe that she and Jason had gotten their lives together only to have something like this come along and possibly take it away from them. Spencer and Hanna both stood at the end of the bed in Toby and Caleb's arms. Neither of them knew what to say. Spencer looked at Jason who looked completely destroyed. She knew that when Ali had disappeared it had been hard but this could make him completely shut out everyone.
Finding a doctor Spencer asked, "Is it okay if my brother stays with her tonight?"
"That's not a policy we allow mam." The doctor replied.
"Please. They just got engaged before Aria was shot. Please he really needs to be near her tonight." Spencer said trying to keep her voice calm and collected.
The doctor looked in the room and instantly found Jason and nodded, "I'll make a note in her chart. I'll put down that he can stay up to three nights a week. Will that work?"
"Yes." The group said in unison waking up Peyton.
Looking around the room Peyton didn't know what to make of all of the sad faces and tears. Finally her eyes landed on the bed and Aria, "Mommy?" she cried and struggled to get out of Zack's arms. He got up and set her on the bed, "Mommy wake up." She commanded crawling towards. "Mommy, Mommy." She said her tears coming harder. Seeing Jason she picked up his hand and he looked at her with tears streaming down his face, "Daddy, what wrong?" she asked holding his hand. He didn't answer just squeezed her hand and laid his head back down. "Mommy got hurt sweetheart." Ella explained, "Would like to give Mommy a good night kiss?" Peyton nodded and let Ella pick her up, leaning down she kissed Aria's head, "Get better Mommy. Daddy upset." She said loudly. For the first time in hours smiles were shared around the room. Jason even lifted his head and smiled at Peyton. Standing up he walked around the bed and kissed her on the head.
Not wanting to be away from Peyton the other four decided to stay at Ella and Zack's. They were more than okay to have the company. When they got home there was a message from Mike saying he was coming home. Hanna and Spencer slept in Aria's old room with Peyton. Caleb and Toby crashed in Mike's room. Sitting on their bed Ella just broke down. Zack gently laid her down and held her close because he knew nothing was going to take this pain away. Ella snuggled against her loving husband and cried herself to sleep.
The nurses at the hospital brought Jason a blanket and a pillow. They could all see the love on his face and how worried he was that he was going to lose the woman in the bed. All throughout the night they could hear him whispering to her that she couldn't leave him, they were just beginning their lives together, he wasn't ready to lose her, Peyton needed her Mom, he needed her. Keeping his arm tight across Aria's middle Jason felt like he was hanging onto his life line, his last chance at happiness. She had always been a bright spot in his life and now he was facing complete darkness.
Zack thought he was the first person awake the next morning until he walked downstairs and found Spencer crying on the couch. Walking over he sat down beside her. Spencer just looked at him and laid her head against his shoulder and cried.
"She has to make it through this. She has to." She cried.
"She will. Aria is a fighter." Zack replied trying to reassure her.
"Jason won't be able to handle losing her." She said fighting back more tears, "I can't watch him fall apart. He won't…"
Not having a response he just tightened his arm around her shoulders. Soon Spencer had cried herself back to sleep. He figured she had been up most of the night worrying about Jason. If last night had been any indication Zack knew that Spencer was right, Jason would lose everything if Aria didn't make it out of this. His love for her was what kept him going. Peyton wouldn't just lose her Mom she would also lose her Dad. Laying Spencer down Zack hoped that Aria would be stronger than this coma and would come out of it soon.
Ashley Marin, Veronica Hastings and Pam Fields all stopped by in the afternoon to see if there was anything they could do. Veronica told everyone she was going to be working with the prosecution to put Ezra away. All of them agreed that he needed life behind bars. Ella didn't say much beside thank you. She kept checking on Peyton who was playing in the living room. A while after the other Moms arrived Peyton came into the kitchen, "We going to see Mommy and Daddy?" she asked looking around.
Picking her up, "You want to go see Mommy and Daddy?" Ella asked. Peyton just nodded her head and laid it against Ella's chest. Holding her close they decided to go see Aria and Jason. Ashley, Veronica and Pam all said they would take care of everything around the house.
Mike arrived as everyone was walking out of the house. Joining his Mom and Zack they all went to the hospital. When they arrived they just walked up to Aria's room. Jason was sitting by her side running his hands through her hair. It looked like he hadn't slept at all the night before. Ella set Peyton down and she ran to Jason who picked her up and held her close. Spencer was glad to see him recognize his daughter. Jason was holding her so tight that "Daddy hurt." Peyton squeaked. "I'm sorry Peyton." Jason said loosening his grip. "What's wrong with Mommy?" she said crawling onto the bed and laying head on Aria's stomach. "She got really bad boo boo." Jason explained. Peyton took that explanation with no questions. Mike walked over and gave Jason a hug. The two stood in their embrace for several moments. Neither of them was ready to think about losing Aria. As the group stood around the bed each of them thought about the years when she had been with Ezra and none of them had had any contact with her.
Aria was in her coma for six weeks. Spencer would come by the hospital every day to check on her but also on Jason. He had barely left the hospital and when he did it was to spend time with Peyton. They were even staying with Ella and Zack. She knew that Jason cried a lot and talked to Aria constantly. The nurses would tell her that they heard him saying he couldn't lose her, they had only begun their lives together, Peyton needed her Mom, he needed her, she wasn't allowed to leave him yet. Everyone's hearts were breaking because Jason was struggling so much. They all knew that the two of them should be planning their wedding.
Veronica and the prosecution had a good chance of getting Ezra life in prison without parole. He had charges of sexual relations with a minor, sexual relations with a student, and attempted murder. The trial was set to begin soon and all of them wanted to see him go away, but most of all they wanted him to be able to never hurt Aria again.
Spencer was sitting in Aria's hospital room typing away on her computer. Jason was fast asleep with his head against Aria's body. She knew that was where he wanted to be all the time. Not paying attention she didn't notice Aria open her eyes. When she heard coughing she looked up.
"Aria." She exclaimed, setting her computer down she ran to her friends bed side.
"Thirsty." Aria said in a raspy voice.
Quickly Spencer got her pitcher and filled the cup with water. Holding the cup she helped Aria take a nice long drink.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I've been better, but I'm not in much pain." Aria said looking at Jason sleeping, "How long has he been here?" she asked running her hands through his hair lovingly.
"Every day. He even sleeps here some nights. Aria I have never seen him in so much pain." Spencer explained.
"I'm so sorry." Aria started to cry.
Wrapping her arms around her friend, "This is not your fault. You were trying to stop Ezra not get yourself shot." She said in tender tone, "Jason just couldn't handle the thought of losing you."
"Peyton?"
"She's okay. She misses her Mommy. Ella and Zack bring her by almost every day to see you. That is the only time there is light in Jason's eyes."
Aria just squeezed her friends hand and stared at Jason. Gently she tugged at his hair.
Jason could hear talking but he just pushed it out of his head. The nurses usually talked to whoever was in Aria's room with him. When he felt someone tugging his hair he got annoyed.
Sitting up, "Knock it…" he stopped when he saw that Aria's eyes were open. "Aria." He whispered. Aria just started to cry. Jason cupped her face and kissed her deeply not caring that Spencer was standing right there. He felt Aria's hands curl around his t shirt. Pulling away he just looked into her eyes, "I thought I was going to lose you." He whispered rubbing her cheek as if he couldn't believe it.
"I'm sorry. I just saw him and…"
"All that matters is that you're okay." Jason said stopping her. Aria didn't need to feel any guilt. She had done everything to keep Peyton, her friends, family and him safe from Ezra.
Ella came in holding Peyton who when she saw that Aria was awake squealed, "Mommy!" Quickly she was on the bed and crawling towards her momma. Aria just pulled her daughter close and hugged her tight. Reaching out she grabbed Jason's arms and put them around the two of them. Ella and Spencer smiled at the sight. Their family was together again.
Hanna, Caleb, Toby and Zack all arrived within minutes of each other. All of them gave Aria's hugs and wishes. Soon there were no more tears in the room only smiles. For the first time in weeks everything felt like it was going to be okay. That night Jason went home to his house with Peyton. They slept in their own beds knowing that Aria was okay.
Sitting in the hospital Aria couldn't help but think about her wedding. The more she thought about the more she wanted to buck the traditional route. She didn't need a big fancy wedding. Being married in hers and Jason's back yard surrounded by their family and friends was more than enough. Yes she wanted a dress but something short and fun. Drifting off to sleep she decided she wanted to marry Jason as soon as possible. They had already missed out on so much.
Three days after Aria woke up she was being released. Everyone had decided that waiting another six weeks for her and Jason to be married was long enough. The day after she was released she went shopping with her Mom, Spencer and Hanna. They found a knee length white dress with a straight neck line and open back. It was beautiful and simple, everything Aria envisioned for her wedding. Spencer and Hanna found sapphire blue dresses that were tea length and strapless. They looked amazing in them. All of them decided that flats would be the best way to go. Aria's flats were sapphire blue while the girls would wear silver ones.
It felt like Aria had just said yes to Jason on the day of their wedding. Everyone was smiling and mingling around. She was upstairs in their bed room. Spencer and Hanna had insisted that Jason not see her until she came down the aisle. Jessica and Kenneth DiLaurentis came into town and were happy to see their oldest child marry the woman of his dreams and meet their granddaughter. Byron Montgomery had sent his regrets; he and Meredith were dealing with a teething baby and couldn't make the trip. Emily had sent her regrets that her job was to demanding for her to leave; she did wish them the best though.
Peyton was soon skipping down the aisle towards her Dad and forgetting to drop her flowers as she went. Spencer and Hanna followed with Mike and Toby. The only person left was Aria. When she stepped out of the house with Zack, Jason felt his heart stop. She looked absolutely stunning. When she finally reached him he took her hands in his and couldn't wait to hear the preacher say you may now kiss the bride. Both Aria and Jason had decided to forgo writing their own vows and went traditional in that sense. Before he knew it the preacher told Jason he could kiss his bride. Looking into her eyes he cupped her face and kissed her deeply. Pulling away the now married couple faced their friends and family to see tears streaming down everyone's faces.
Epilogue:
Six months after Jason and Aria were married they found out they were pregnant again. Both could hardly contain their happiness. Peyton was even excited to have a younger sibling. Spencer and Toby were also expecting. Hanna was getting ready to open a boutique on the main strip. Ezra had been put away for life without parole.
The past was in the past. Jason and Aria never talked about the years they weren't together and to look at them you would never guess that they hadn't dated their whole lives and then gotten married.