Forgive? Possibly. Forget? Never.
This is based on the Season Five premiere so if you haven't seen the episode it might contain a few spoilers.
"Spencer, how can I help you?" Ella Montgomery's first response when Spencer Hastings called her was fear. Why else would her teenage daughter's friend call if something wasn't going on with Aria? It surely wasn't just to chat about the weather.
"I need to tell you something. I also need you to keep this between us. Please. And until you agree to that I can't tell you what I need to tell you." Spencer said, still steeling herself for this conversation. If she could define what a strange phone call was, she'd use this one as an example.
From the other end of the phone, Ella slightly chewed on her lip. She could get into a lot of trouble with the question that she was just asked. "But if it in any way puts someone in danger, it would be my responsibility to tell." Ella spoke somewhat slowly, her teacher side starting to show.
"Mrs. Montgomery, I need you to trust me. You can't tell anyone. If you have questions, I'm sure Aria can answer them when she gets back." Spencer hit her forehead after she realized what she had just said and she already knew what Ella's next question would be.
"Where is Aria? I thought you girls were at Hanna's."
Spencer was already out on a limb and there was no way back so she didn't try to make up an excuse. "We're not. But before I can tell you where we are, I need to tell you a story. And before I can tell you a story, I need you to promise not to say anything. To anyone."
Ella sighed, not wanting to agree but knowing that it was necessary to find out her daughter's whereabouts. "I promise. But I do expect a really good story as well as an open conversation with Aria."
Now that that was done, Spencer just had to find a way to tell her story without giving too much away about A or that involvement. Sure Shana was dead, but Spencer had a feeling that they weren't done with A. "And I have one other thing that I need you to promise as well."
The English teacher let out a long breath, already knowing that she most likely would not like this story and from the tone of Spencer's voice she figured that it might not have that happy of an ending. "What is it?"
"Don't get mad at Aria. You have no idea how much she's been through."
Ella laughed slightly but there was no humor in it. "That's what concerns me."
Spencer took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was coming next. She swore that once this was over Aria would owe her big time. "We kind of all lied to you big time about that night in New York."
Somehow, that really didn't surprise Mrs. Montgomery. She could tell by looking in Aria's eyes that something else had happened. "Go on."
"I'm just going to tell it straight so please hear me out." Here went nothing. "Okay so we went to New York to meet Ali. She was telling us about what happened that night that she went missing, but what she said is irrelevant. We were in a restaurant and then we heard something. We went downstairs and then someone shot the window and it shattered. We ran upstairs and locked ourselves in a room but the black covered person shot the lock and came in so we went to the fire escape. Then we were on the roof.
"There was no way off. Emily thought about jumping but it was insane and we would have died. But we were about to die anyway because the black-clad figure was pointing her gun at us. That's when Mr. Fitz came in. He-"
She was cut off as Ella asked a question. "Ezra was there? Why?"
"He came onto the roof just before the other person did."
"Why?" Ella's mind was reeling. What Spencer was now telling her was the polar opposite of what Aria had said.
"We think he was following the person because he knew that she wanted to hurt Ali. The gun was pointed at us and she was about to shoot and we about to die and then Ezra jumped in. They fought and eventually Ezra knocked her over and she dropped the gun and then Hanna grabbed it but in the process Ezra got shot, which is why he's in the hospital."
"Slow down a little Spencer. Take a breath."
She did as obeyed and then continued. "That's the gist of it. Well, not all but what you need to know for this story. But the point being that Ezra risked his life for us. Well it was actually more for Aria than any of us, but he still almost died saving us. Without him Ali would have been dead and most likely the rest of us too."
Spencer paused, waiting for Mrs. Montgomery to say something, but Mrs. Montgomery didn't know what to say. She hadn't known that they were anywhere near the roof that night. She certainly didn't know that her daughter had almost gotten shot. Spencer's 'story' had left her speechless.
Hearing this and getting slightly worried, Spencer continued. "I don't know exactly how much you know concerning what went on between Aria and Ezra, but he really is sorry for what happened, and he almost died to prove it."
"Where's Aria?" the stunned mother asked. Someone wanted to kill Ali and they were willing to kill anyone else who got in the way. If it weren't for Ezra she would have lost her little girl.
"Aria and I are in New York. She's asleep in his arms right now." Spencer quickly went on before Ella could object. "I know we were supposed to stay in Rosewood, but Aria is sleeping peacefully for the first time since that night. Her nights have been riddled with nightmare after nightmare and she's finally getting some sleep. I would apologize for bringing her here, but she needs it so I don't."
"How long have you been there?"
"Since this afternoon."
Mrs. Montgomery had a lot of things going through her head at that point: worry for Aria, gratitude for Ezra, concern about the person who shot him, anger at the lies, and the list could go on.
Ella slowly sat down on the couch to process things a little better. Aria was in New York asleep in the arms of the person who had broke her heart only a week or two ago. She had seen how devastated and hurt Aria was because of him, and now she snuck out to see him. But he had saved her life for which she would be eternally grateful. "Can I talk to him?"
Spencer hadn't seen that coming. "You're not going to yell at me for bringing her here? It's ok, I can take it. Really. I'm used to yelling actually; it's happened quite a bit lately at my house."
"I'm not going to yell at you, Spencer. That is your parent's responsibility when they deem it necessary. But I still want to talk to him."
Still Spencer was hesitant but finally she agreed. "Alright, I'll go give him my phone." She made her way through the wide hospital hallways. During the conversation she had wandered without giving any thought to where she was going and now she was lost. "It'll be a minute. I have to find my way back there."
"While you are will you tell me what happened after that? I heard about that girl dying that used to live here. Is there any connection?"
Spencer raised her eyebrows, surprised that she didn't know Shana's name as it had been all over every newspaper and news station in Rosewood. "Shana was the one on the roof. She was the one that shot Ezra. She hated Ali for something that happened to someone she loved. She was going to kill her and all of us. Had Aria not been there we would all have died, but you already know that part."
The more Spencer talked, the more Ella got absolutely scared out of her mind. As a parent, her primary goal was to keep her children safe. Yet in a single night her daughter and her friends had almost been killed twice. That didn't seem like very good parenting to her. "Thanks for telling me, Spencer. And thank you for caring so much about Aria."
"Aria would do the same for me in a heartbeat. We're team Sparia."
"What do you mean by that?" Ella hadn't heard that term used before.
Spencer smiled slightly, "Nothing. I'm here now just let me get him." She stepped inside to find them in the same position as they had been when she had left. "Mr. Fitz, she wants to talk to you."
His eyebrows shot up and he looked like a deer in the headlights for a moment. "Is it her mom?"
Spencer nodded and handed the phone to him. He looked completely terrified as he lifted the phone to his ear and said hello. Spencer then stepped back out of the room. Her work here was done.
In the waiting area Noel was watching some football game on his phone and Wesley was gone. She slumped into an orange chair and thought about what had just happened. She had disobeyed Alison DiLaurentis. For the first time in forever, she hadn't let Ali control her life. And it felt good.
"That must have been awkward." Noel commented after a minute.
"Tell me about it."
Okay, I don't know if you know, but it is extremely difficult to write a conversation between a liar and a different liar's mom. It's just a different dynamic and something that isn't seen on the show that often. I know this chapter didn't have Ezria but the next one will. Please continue to review; that's really what makes this story worth writing:)
