Gregory's POV
When my eyes open, it's still dark outside. I hate the dark, so I cuddle close to my mommy. Wait, where is Mommy? Her side of the bed is empty, and I'm all alone.
I get out of bed and run to the bathroom, but she isn't there. I walk over to the door that Nick and Mommy sometimes use, and stare at it. I've never been outside of the room, but I know you need to use the door to leave.
I don't want to leave the room, but what if Mommy needs me to rescue her? I'll be just like the superheroes in my books who save the princess and live happily ever after. I reach for the metal handle that Nick uses to open the door, but it doesn't open. I try again, but the door stays closed.
How come Nick can open the door but I can't? Where do Mommy and Nick go after they leave the room? Do they go to the beach, or maybe Disneyland? I always thought those places only exist on TV.
If the beach and Disneyland exist outside of the TV, do the dungeons and fire pits exist too? What if Nick took Mommy there?
I start to cry, and bang on the door with my fists. If Mommy isn't in the room with me, how will she protect me from evil monsters? How will I protect her from evil monsters?
I scream and cry, but Mommy doesn't come for me. What if she never comes back? I'd be stuck in this room all alone.
Aria's POV
"Good morning beautiful." I hear a raspy voice say.
My hazel eyes flutter open, and I realize that I'm laying in bed with Nick. The details of last night flood into my brain, and I let out a tired yawn.
"I'm sorry I woke you up, but I have to leave for work." Nick says with an apologetic smile.
I nod before crawling out of bed with Nick. He pins my hands behind my back roughly, and leads me into the long hallway.
We approach the room, and he unlocks the door before pushing me inside the prison. Seconds after I'm inside of the room, he slams the door and locks it.
A startled gasp escapes from my lips when I see Gregory, who is fast asleep on the hard floor. I scoop the child into my arms before tucking him into bed, and laying down next to him.
I use this opportunity to admire the child that Ezra and I brought into this world. Gregory's thumb rests between his two lips, and his eyes are sealed shut. He looks so peaceful in his sleep, and part of me wishes he could stay in this state if oblivion forever.
My wish doesn't come true, and as soon as Gregory's eyes open, he begins to sob hysterically.
"M-Mommy." Gregory cries before wrapping his little arms around me.
"Honey why are you so upset? Did you have a scary dream?" I ask with worry in my voice.
"I woke up and you weren't here. I cried and cried, but you didn't come back for me. I thought that maybe Nick took you to a dungeon, or a pit of fire." Gregory says through his heavy sobs.
The though of Gregory being scared and alone breaks my heart, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from crying.
"It's okay sweetheart, Mommy just decide to spend the night with Nick." I say trying to sooth the boy.
Gregory goes from sad to angry in less than a spilt second, and I don't know what caused this change in attitude.
"You slept with Nick instead of me?" Gregory asks as his eyes grow wide with furry.
"Honey you have to understand..." I start to say.
"You're suppose to keep me safe from monsters! You promised you would Mommy!" Gregory says through his heavy sobs.
"I was keeping you safe." I say as my voice softens.
"No you weren't! You were with Nick instead of me, and a giant purple monster with sharp teeth came inside to eat me." Gregory mutters.
My son's words cause me to smile, he has his daddy's imagination.
"Gregory, I was just down the hall. If any monster came into the room, I could have gotten to you in a second." I assure him.
"Why didn't you come when I was crying?" Gregory asks as he stares at me with his big blue eyes.
If I had heard Gregory crying, I would have left Nick at that moment. I probably didn't hear him since I was sound asleep.
"I'm so sorry Gregory." I say in response.
Gregory huffs before turning his back to me and burying his head underneath his pillow.
"Gregory..." I start to say.
"Don't talk to me Mommy, I'm gone today." Gregory tells me seriously.
I let out a heavy sigh before wrapping my arms around Gregory and pulling him in for a long hug.
"I hate you." Gregory says as he pushes me away from him.
As soon as he says this, a fresh batch of tears form in my eyes. Gregory has every right to hate me, it's my fault he's stuck in this prison. I do everything I can to compensate for his loss, but nothing I do will ever be enough. What will Gregory think of me when he's old enough to understand what he's missing? He'll probably hate me even more than he already does.
I scurry out of the bed before going into the bathroom and locking the door behind me. As soon as I'm out of Gregory's sight, I begin to sob. To prevent the five year-old from hearing, I turn on the bath faucet to drown out the sound of my crying. After, I take off my clothes and lay in the warm bath water.
How easy would it be for me to fall asleep, and drown in the bathtub? I'd never have to see Nick again, or live with the guilt and pain that consumes me. The only thing that keeps me from escaping this miserable life is the little boy who is laying a few feet away from me. If I died, Nick wouldn't take care of him. He'd probably kill Gregory on the spot, and he'd never get to meet Ezra or live in the real world. I would never let that happen, I love my son way too much.
I step out of the bathtub and put on my clothes before leaving the bathroom and walking over to the couch. I sit there for a minute, and pretend that I'm anyone but myself.
My mood changes when I feel a warm body pressed up against mine. Gregory crawls into my arms before giving me a soft kiss on the forehead.
"Mommy, I don't hate you." He says softly.
"I know." I say before ruffling his curly brown hair.
"I'm happy you're back." Gregory tells me.
"I am too." I tell Gregory truthfully.
All of the sudden, I feel pretty lucky to be myself.
Line Break
"And they lived happily ever after." Gregory reads before shutting one of his children's books.
"Good job baby." I say with a proud smile.
"Thanks Mommy." Gregory says as his little face lights up.
"I should start dinner. How does a cheese sandwich sound?" I ask him.
"Delicious!" Gregory exclaims.
I chuckle before entering the kitchen area of the room and starting Gregory's sandwich. My heart sinks in my chest when the doorknob to our room begins to turn. This can only mean one thing, Nick is home from work.
"I'm home!" Nick says as he enters the room.
"Hi honey." I say as I force a smile.
"I don't have time to talk, but I got you the stuff you asked for." Nick says before walking over to me and shoving a bag into my arms.
"Thanks." I say before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
"This stuff cost me a fortune, so you better enjoy it." Nick mutters as he storms out of the room and locks the door behind him.
I look through the stuff and smile when I see a new box of pads. I take them out of the bag and rush to the bathroom before I can see what else he bought me. When I renter the room, Gregory is standing over the bag and looking through a thick book.
"What do you have there?" I ask him curiously.
"Nick bought you a new book." Gregory says as he looks up at me.
"That was nice of him." I mutter to myself.
"Mommy, what is Ezra's last name?" Gregory asks me suddenly.
"Fitz." I say as I stare at him with a puzzled look on my face.
"I didn't know Ezra writes books." Gregory says with excitement in his voice.
"What on Earth are you taking about?" I ask him confused.
Gregory responds by running over to where I am standing and handing me the new book. My throat goes dry when I read the cover page of the book. It's titled "Meet Me After Class" and it's by Ezra Fitz. Did he really write a book about me?
I turn the book over and see a picture of the love of my life, who I haven't seen in five and a half years. Ezra still has the same piercing blue eyes, and curly brown hair. Before I can stop myself, I burst into tears.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" Gregory asks with panic in his voice.
"Gregory, do you see this man?" I ask as I point to the picture of Ezra.
"Yes Mommy." Gregory says with a small nod.
"It's Ezra, and he's your father." I say as I begin to sob even harder if that's humanly possible.
Gregory stares at the picture for a minute, before he begins to cry along with me.
"I have a Daddy?" Gregory asks me in disbelief.
I nod my head before pulling Gregory close to me and kissing his forehead repeatedly.
"Why isn't he here with us?" Gregory asks me through his tears.
Gregory's question causes my heart to stop for half a second. How am I going to explain this to a five-year old.
"It doesn't matter honey. All that matters is that he loves you more than anything in the world." I say as I stroke my son's cheek.
"How do you love someone who you don't know?" Gregory asks me with confusion in his voice.
I want to tell Gregory about all the times Ezra laid by me while I was pregnant with him, and kissed my round stomach. I want to tell Gregory that Ezra used to whisper, "I love you" to him every chance he got. I wonder if Gregory would recognize Ezra's voice if he heard it again. Most importantly, I want to tell Gregory that Ezra is the most loving man I've ever met, and he would have done anything to hold his son at least once. This kind of love is impossible to describe, and you can only understand its power if you've witnessed it first hand.
"You're young, and there are things about the world that you don't understand." I tell the boy truthfully.
Gregory doesn't ask me anymore questions. Instead he takes the book from me and stares at the picture of Ezra.
"You look just like him." I say before pressing my thumb over the picture of Ezra.
"Do you miss him Mommy?" Gregory asks me suddenly.
I give my son a small nod before pulling him in for a long hug. Gregory takes a seat on my lap and opens the book to the dedication page.
"For my beautiful wife and our baby boy. I love you Aria, wherever you are." -Ezra Fitz
After all these years, Ezra still hasn't given up on me. Ezra promised he'd always love me, but sometimes I have my doubts. It would be so easy for Ezra to meet a beautiful woman, and forget all about me. Now I remember why I fell in love with Ezra in the first place; he's the most loyal and passionate man on the planet. If there's any hope of me and Gregory being rescued, that hope lies in Ezra. He'll find a way back to us if it's the last thing he does.
"Did you read that Mommy? Ezra loves you!" Gregory exclaims.
"And I love him baby, so much." I say as I read and reread the words.
What did you think? How will Gregory act now that he knows Ezra is his father? How will the book affect Aria? I'll post the next chapter on monday if I get 40 reviews. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day :)