Aria
I sat there crying and screaming Ezra's name over and over again, and Wesley came over and knelt next to me, rolling his brother over onto his back. He felt for a pulse and then put his hand right next to Ezra's nose and mouth.
"He's alive," Wesley told me. "There's a pulse, and he's still breathing."
"Why won't he wake up?" I sobbed, unwilling to move from my spot next to him.
"I don't know," he said, pulling out his phone. "I'm calling an ambulance."
For the first time, I looked next to us. Elijah was lying there dead in a pool of his own blood. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to be how this ended. He was supposed to live out a long life behind bars, knowing that he had utterly failed in trying to destroy our lives. But I had no doubts about it. Ezra had saved my life, and maybe Wesley's, by killing Elijah.
"You need to get the police here too," I said through my tears. "There's also the matter of the dead man in Ezra's living room who looks exactly like him."
"I know." Wesley gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.
I tried to calm myself and catch my breath. Ezra was alive for now, even though he was unresponsive. He was breathing and he had a pulse. I had to hold on to that. There was nothing else I could do right now. But I still couldn't make myself get up off the floor or let go of him. Paramedics arrived within five minutes, and Wesley had to pull me away from Ezra kicking and screaming.
"Aria, you need to let them do their job," he said quietly, catching me in a bear hug. "Let them try to save Ezra's life."
The paramedics got Ezra up onto a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his face and wheeled him out of the apartment. Detective Holbrook and Lieutenant Tanner walked in the door a minute later, along with the crime scene team. I couldn't deal with this right now. Not while I didn't know if the love of my life would ever wake up again.
"Can you two tell me what happened here?" Holbrook asked, walking up to me and Wesley.
"Do we have to do this now?" Wesley asked him. "That's my brother and Aria's boyfriend they just took out of here on a stretcher, and that's my other brother lying there on the floor."
"I'm sorry," Holbrook said. "I know this is hard, but yes, we do need to do this now."
I tried to calm my sobs so I could give a statement and get the hell out of here. All I wanted was to go to the hospital and wait for news about Ezra. But Wesley took a deep breath and spoke before I could.
"The man lying on the floor? His name is Elijah Fitzgerald. He's Ezra's identical twin brother, and since we were small children, he has done unimaginable things to make both Ezra's life and mine a living hell. When he was twelve, our parents had him committed to a mental hospital, but he was released on his and Ezra's eighteenth birthday. Since then, his goal in life has been to destroy Ezra's. Ezra ended up in this town and shortened his last name trying to keep Elijah from finding him. But Elijah did find him, and he spent months doing research on Ezra's life and everyone in it so that he could take Ezra prisoner and make him watch while he hurt everyone Ezra cared about. Ezra bought a cabin about an hour and a half north of here, and Elijah found that cabin and held Ezra there in a cellar under the floor with barely any food or water for about two and a half weeks before Aria found him there. Aria called me, and as soon as it was safe, I went and got Ezra out of the cellar. We all came here today to try to trap Elijah and call you guys to have him arrested. But before we could do that, he tried to kill Aria. Ezra used what little strength he had left and killed Elijah to stop him from killing Aria, and he passed out on the floor just seconds later."
"Miss Montgomery?" Holbrook asked. "Is that what happened?"
"Yes," I sobbed. "Elijah manipulated his way into a relationship with me, posing as Ezra. He knew how I felt about Ezra and used my feelings to manipulate me into doing pretty much whatever he wanted. He…he got me to break up with the guy I was seeing to be with him and got me into his bed by playing on my feelings for Ezra. I realized something wasn't right with the way he was acting, and when he took me out to the cabin Wesley just told you about, I heard something underneath the floor. Both times we went out there. So this past weekend, I waited until he was asleep and I went down to the cellar. I found Ezra there, and Ezra asked me to keep playing along with the ruse for my safety. He told me that Elijah would hurt me if he figured out that I knew he wasn't Ezra. So I did, but as soon as I had a chance, I got away and I called Wesley to come and break his brother out of the cellar. That happened on Sunday night. Last night, the three of us decided to come here today and trap Elijah so he couldn't leave, and then call you. But before we could make the call, Elijah tried to kill me. I stabbed him in the stomach with a knife I'd been holding just in case I needed it, but he kept coming for me and grabbed me from behind as I was trying to get to the bathroom to lock myself in. I got out of his hold, and Wesley tried to put himself between me and Elijah, but Elijah kept coming at us. If Ezra hadn't slit his throat, I would be dead right now."
"Well, that's good enough for me," he said. "Lieutenant Tanner?"
"Yes," she agreed. "We'll compare this man's fingerprints to the ones Mr. Fitz has on file as an educator, and if that checks out, we won't be charging Mr. Fitz with anything. We can rule this a justifiable homicide. I'm so sorry for you both."
"Thank you," Wesley said. "Is there anything else you need, or can Aria and I go to the hospital now?"
"No, that's all for now," Tanner said. "We'll let you know if we need anything else. Thank you."
"Come on, Aria," Wesley said quietly. "Let's get out of here."
Wesley and I walked outside to find my three best friends standing there waiting for me. As soon as they saw us come out, they ran up to me and caught me in a group hug.
"Aria," Spencer said. "Oh, my God. We saw them bring Ezra out on the stretcher and take him in the ambulance. What's going on? Is he alive?"
"I don't know," I sobbed, trying again to catch my breath. "I don't know. He killed Elijah to protect me and he passed out not even five seconds later. He had a pulse and he was breathing, but he wasn't waking up. I don't know what happened."
"Shh," Emily tried to soothe me. "Come on. Let us take you two to the hospital. Neither one of you should be driving right now."
"Let's go," Hanna said. "I'm driving."
We all walked to Hanna's car, and Wesley got in the front seat next to her. Spencer and Emily sat on either side of me in the backseat as Hanna made the short drive to the hospital. When we got there, Wesley went to try to get an update. So far, nothing. We didn't know anything.
Wesley gave me and my friends some time alone so I could talk to them and tell them what happened. Everything that happened. Every little detail of what I had been through since Halloween night. And they sat there and let me sob for hours. This had been the final straw. I could file being manipulated and raped and what Elijah had done to Ezra away in the back of my mind until everything was over. But Ezra passing out unconscious on the floor and being unresponsive? When I added that to everything else I was already repressing, I couldn't deal anymore.
"Oh, Aria," Spencer said when I was done. "I just…I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry."
"There's nothing you can say," I sniffled. "I know everyone says it isn't the victim's fault, but I feel like this is. If I'd just been a little smarter, I would have figured this out sooner and I would never have let him get me into bed."
"Aria, stop it," Emily said. "It's not your fault. This is nobody's fault but Elijah's. He made the choice to do this to Ezra and to you. He made the choice to manipulate you and play on your feelings for Ezra. That is not your fault. The fact that you love Ezra and that was what you were thinking about is not your fault. I can guarantee you Ezra didn't blame you. Jesus. I can't even imagine what was going through his head while Elijah made him listen to and watch that. Poor guy. That had to be worse than starving to death."
"And I thought I had guy trouble," Hanna said. "Oh, my God. But Emily's right. You can't blame yourself for this, Aria."
I let out a little chuckle. That was Hanna, love her or hate her.
"Aria, it's going to take time for you to come to terms with this and really process it," Spencer told me. "And that's okay. But please try to hear what we're saying when we tell you that you can't blame yourself. You'll drive yourself crazy with the 'what ifs' and trying to figure out if you could have done something different. The fact is, you did something extraordinary. You were Ezra's hero when you got him out of there. And then he was yours when he stopped Elijah from killing you. You saved his life, and then he saved yours. And that's what people who love each other do. They save each other."
I smiled. That was true.
I couldn't tell how much later it was when Wesley walked up to us. I knew it was dark outside and had been for a while.
"Aria," he said quietly. "He's awake. And he's asking for you."
I turned to look at my friends.
"Go on," Hanna said. "We're not going anywhere. We'll be here when you're done."
I got up and went with Wesley.
"What happened to him?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
"The doctors say he was severely malnourished and basically on death's door," Wesley said. "And Ezra told me himself that he had a feeling he was dying, but making sure you were safe was more important to him than saving himself. He literally used the last ounce of strength he had killing Elijah. If paramedics hadn't gotten him here when they did, he probably wouldn't have made it. He's going to be here for at least a week, probably two, just so the doctors can make sure he gets the nutrients he needs to survive. Right now he's got an IV and a feeding tube because his stomach won't be able to handle solid food for at least three or four days."
"And his ankle?"
"It's actually a little higher up than his ankle. His fibula is completely broken right above the joint. He'll be in a cast for at least four months. I'm going to stick around for a while to help out."
Something Wesley had said stood out to me. Ezra had had a feeling he was dying, but he was more concerned about making sure I was safe. How long had he had that feeling?
"When did he tell you that he had a feeling he was dying?" I asked.
He sighed. "After I checked us into the hotel the night I got him. I was pleading with him to let me take him to a hospital and he kept refusing. I finally asked him why, and that was when he told me. I'm so sorry, Aria. I wanted to tell you, but he made me swear not to say anything."
I wanted to be mad at him. I really did. I wanted to be mad at both of them. But I couldn't be mad at Wesley for honoring his brother's wishes. And Ezra? He was alive. How could I be mad at him when he was alive?
"He's such an idiot," I said, starting to cry again. "Why wouldn't he tell me? Why would he risk his life like that? And refuse to get medical attention?"
"I think love makes us all do crazy things," Wesley told me, stopping at the beginning of a hall. "And I've literally never met anyone who loved another person as much as Ezra loves you. Don't be too hard on him. He's right down there, fourth door on your left. You guys don't need an audience. I'll be out in the waiting room."
Ezra
I heard Wesley and Aria talking down the hall, but I couldn't make out anything they were saying. She'd be in here soon, thank God. They had only let Wesley back at first, because he was family. He'd had to strong-arm the doctors into letting her back here since we weren't related. He'd done that even without my asking; he knew she was the only person I wanted to see right now. I knew I was going to have to deal with some wrath from her for risking my life the way I had, but I could handle that. She was safe and that was what mattered. I could deal with her anger, which I was sure would be short-lived, as a trade-off for that any day of the week.
I really hadn't planned on killing Elijah. But when he'd kept going after Aria, even after she'd stabbed him and fought her way out of his grasp, I'd realized there was no other way. He was going to keep trying to kill her unless someone killed him first. He wanted to see me suffer, and he was furious at her for playing him the way she had. I could tell he was mad that someone had outsmarted him, and the fact that it was a teenage girl just made it worse. So, while it wasn't the way I had wanted things to go, I had no regrets.
Speaking of Aria stabbing Elijah and fighting her way out of his grasp…God, was I proud of her. She had been so brave. Ever since she'd found me in that cellar. Not many people, let alone many seventeen-year-old girls, would have handled the impossible situation Aria had found herself in half as well as she did. Her experiences with A had put her in some pretty insane, and sometimes life-threatening, situations, but she'd never dealt with stakes this high before. But it was almost like it didn't even register with her. She'd just done what she had to do to save and protect me, just like she'd done what she had to do to protect the people she loved from A.
Aria walked in the room with tears in her eyes, and I could tell from looking at her face that she'd been crying for quite a while. Probably since I'd passed out on the floor, however long ago that had been. At least several hours.
"Ezra," she said, running up to me.
She hugged me gently, and I could tell she was trying not to disturb any of the many wires and tubes that were attached to me. I squeezed her as tight as I could and kissed the side of her head. I felt more tears wet my hospital gown.
"I told you not to scare me like that again," she sniffled.
I chuckled quietly. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. You're safe, and that's what matters to me more than anything else. Even my own life."
Aria pulled back to look at me.
"How could you be so stupid? How could you know you were dying and refuse to go to the hospital?"
I took a deep breath; this was the moment of truth.
"I honestly didn't know if they could help me," I told her. "I thought I was beyond help. And if I came in here and died while Elijah was still out there… I couldn't die knowing that you were still in danger, Aria. I'm sorry. I just couldn't do it."
She sighed and hugged me again. "I love you. And I honestly don't have the energy left to be mad at you. I'm just so exhausted and so relieved you're alive."
"I love you too," I told her, kissing her hair. "More than anything. And I'm glad you're too exhausted to be mad at me. Because there's something very important I need to tell you and I really don't want to say it while you're upset."
"What's that?" she asked, pulling back to look at me.
I reached out to put my hand on her cheek. "How proud I am of you."
Aria chuckled uncomfortably and looked down. I tilted her chin up so she would look at me.
"I'm serious," I said. "Do you know how brave you are? Not many people, let alone many teenage girls, would have handled the impossible situation you got thrown into half as well as you did. I honestly can't say for sure that I would have been able to do what you did if I'd been in your shoes."
"I'm not brave," she sniffled, pulling up a chair so she could sit down and taking my hand in both of hers. "I was completely terrified. My heart has been in my throat basically since Friday night. Well, except for last night. Last night was the only time since I found you down there that I actually felt safe."
"Being brave doesn't mean you don't feel fear," I told her. "It means you fight through the fear. If you weren't scared, you would be him."
"I did what I had to do. I didn't have a choice."
"Exactly. Face it, Aria. You're not going to win this argument."
She snorted quietly, but didn't say anything. We just sat (well, I laid) there in comfortable silence for a minute before I realized how I could get my point across to her. With a quote that I knew she knew. Because I'd taught it. I'd actually dedicated an entire day to this quote with her class last year. At the time, I hadn't had a clue how much Aria and her friends had needed that lesson. But something had told me to put emphasis on this particular quote, so I had.
"Can I be an English teacher for a second?" I asked.
Aria smiled for the first time since she'd been in this room.
"I don't think I could stop you from being an English teacher if I tried," she said, laughing a little. "It's who you are. What book are you going to quote?"
I chuckled and brought her hand up to my lips for a kiss. She certainly knew me well.
"Actually, one I believe you're quite familiar with," I told her. "To Kill a Mockingbird. 'I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.'"
"'It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what,'" she finished, and the smile got bigger. "I remember the day you taught that. I could have sworn you were reading my mind that day. Okay, you win."
Aria stood up halfway and kissed me. She tried to back off after a few seconds, treating me like I was made of glass, but that wasn't nearly enough. I pulled her back in.
Right then, in that moment, I had an epiphany. There was not a doubt in my mind that we belonged together. For the rest of our lives. I realized that I'd known it all along. From the moment I'd known I was in love with her, we had been a foregone conclusion. I'd been a little worried about what would happen when she went to college, but I wasn't now. Because, now that there was no one after me anymore, I could follow my heart rather than my survival instincts. And my heart told me that home was wherever she was. I could get a job as a high school teacher or college professor anywhere. And I did have some savings to get me through until I found another job. What mattered was that I was with her. As long as she wanted me in her life, which I hoped was for the rest of it, I would be there.
Thank God Wesley was going to be here for a little while until I was well enough that he felt comfortable leaving me alone, because I realized I would need his help with something. Picking out a ring. And getting to the store to purchase it, for that matter. I knew it was insane. Her parents would never approve. But, by the time she graduated, she would be eighteen. Which meant they couldn't say anything. It felt wrong asking her to marry me without asking her father, but I also didn't want to diminish her choice in the matter. And I wasn't going to rush the actual wedding. I just wanted her (and her family) to know that I was serious about us before we left Rosewood.
"Look, I know they're going to kick you out of here soon, but just promise me you're not going to spend tonight alone," I said when I broke the kiss a minute later. "I don't want you waking up alone if you have nightmares. I wish you could stay here, but I know the doctors will never go for it."
Aria smiled. "I'm sure one of my friends will let me stay over. If they all haven't planned on making a slumber party out of it already. They're still out in the waiting room waiting for me right now."
I smiled too. Those girls were pretty remarkable. They'd helped us today without a second thought, and I knew they cared about Aria almost as much as I did. The bond the four of them shared was something I'd never had with any of my friends. Really, the only people I'd ever had that kind of connection with were Aria and Wesley. I wondered how much she had told them.
"How much do they know about what happened?" I asked her.
"Everything," she told me. "I told them everything. I kind of had a mental breakdown when you passed out and I had to get it all out. They're the best friends in the entire world. They just let me cry and get it all out. Told me the same thing you did. And I'm starting to hear it, but it'll take a while for me to stop blaming myself."
Well, this was progress. At least a little bit of progress. I'd take it.
"I know," I said, stroking her cheek. "It's going to be a long process. And that's okay."
Just then, a nurse came in.
"I'm sorry, hon, but he really needs to rest," she said. "You can take a minute to say goodbye, but I do need to ask you to leave."
"I understand. I'll be out in a minute," Aria said, then turned back to me. "I'll be back tomorrow. Is it okay if I bring my friends for a little bit?"
"If they'll let them in, absolutely. I want to thank them for what they did," I told her.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," she said, giving me another quick kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too," I said.
I had an ache in my chest that felt like my heart was physically breaking as I watched Aria walk out the door. I hadn't even realized watching someone leave a room could hurt so much.
Aria
Two weeks later, Wesley and I had picked Ezra up from the hospital and we were trying to help him up the stairs to his apartment on his crutches. If I'd thought helping him up the stairs in a homemade splint was hard, this was ten times more so. He was like a three hundred pound gorilla with these stupid crutches.
"Okay, babe, I think I'm just going to get you a wheelchair," I told him when we made it up the first flight of stairs after an hour.
"And then do what to get him up the next flight of stairs?" Wesley chuckled. "Seriously, dude, your apartment could not be in a worse spot for someone with a broken ankle."
"Not to mention someone with almost no strength who's also on painkillers that make him loopy," I added.
"Yeah, yeah, rub it in, you two," Ezra panted, rolling his eyes as he leaned against the wall to rest. "Jeez, with friends like you, who needs enemies?"
"Keep that up and you'll be doing the next flight by yourself," Wesley said.
"Yeah, whatever," Ezra muttered, crutching his way up to the next flight of stairs. "Come on, let's just get this over with."
"Wait a minute," I said. "I have an idea. Ezra, give me your crutches."
"What?" he said, looking at me like I had three heads.
"What are you thinking, Aria?" Wesley asked.
"We just do what we did when he was in the splint," I explained. "He puts all his weight on you while he puts his good foot on each step, then I help keep him steady as he gets his bad foot up."
"Ezra?" Wesley asked. "What do you think?"
"It's worth a shot," he sighed. "Clearly hopping up the stairs on these crutches isn't going so well."
"No joke," I said. "Next time you have a doctor's appointment, I'm calling Toby to come help us. Now, give me your crutches and lean on Wes for a minute so I can put them at the top of the stairs for you."
Ezra handed me his crutches and gave me a quick kiss before I ran up the stairs to set the crutches against the wall and put down the three bags I was carrying. Then I went back down. And this went much faster than him hopping on the crutches had. Now that he was on prescription painkillers and his broken leg was supported by about five pounds of plaster, he wasn't in excruciating pain as we did this. It only took fifteen minutes for us to get him up the second flight of stairs and he wasn't out of breath at the end of it.
When we got into the apartment, Wesley helped Ezra get situated in bed and I started getting out all of the stuff the hospital had sent home with him. He was still on a few different medicines and some vitamin supplements to ensure he was getting all the necessary nutrients. He'd probably have to take at least a couple of different pills for the rest of his life because of all of this. But that was a small price to pay, as long as he was alive and well.
"Okay, do you need anything else, Ezra?" Wesley asked.
"No, not right now," he sighed. "God, I hate being so dependent."
"All right, then. I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said, turning to leave.
"Bye, Wes," I said as he shut the door behind him.
Ezra looked confused; I chuckled.
"I'm playing nurse tonight," I told him. "Wes got a hotel room so we could have some time to ourselves. As long as you're okay with that. I can always get him back here if you prefer starting the uncomfortable living situation you're going to be in for the next couple of months a night early."
The confused expression turned into a huge grin.
"I am more than okay with that," he said. "Which of your friends is your alibi this evening?"
"Actually, my mom. I told her I was bringing you home from the hospital and that Wes and I were going to take turns staying here so we could help you out for a little while. And because you're an invalid right now, she was fine with it. On nights I'm here, we're just going to tell my dad I'm with her. She's agreed to do conference calls with my dad to make it seem like I'm there."
"Who is that woman and what has she done with Ella Montgomery?" Ezra chuckled.
I laughed and got into bed next to him. "I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth."
"Probably smart," he said, pulling me in for a kiss.
Twenty minutes later, Ezra and I were still going at it, and he pulled me over on top of him so he didn't have to twist in an awkward position anymore. He'd been almost too careful not to let his hands wander anywhere that might make me uncomfortable, and he avoided direct skin-on-skin contact. I could tell he was worried about triggering any unpleasant memories.
But those memories were the last thing on my mind right now. Almost losing Ezra had thrown me for a loop, and the only thing I cared about right now was that he was here with me. Not quite in one piece yet and a little worse for the wear, but he was alive. And, finally, he was back home where he belonged.
"I love you, Aria" he whispered when I stopped for a second to catch my breath.
I smiled; I would never get tired of hearing him say that. Even after all this time, sometimes it still boggled my mind. In theory, we were absolutely wrong. But theory wasn't everything. Because the reality was that we couldn't have been more right. We belonged together, and though plenty of things had threatened to tear us apart and some had almost succeeded, we were still here.
"I love you too," I told him, and bent down to kiss him again.
I was shocked and a little nervous when the urge to take this further came over me. Not that we'd had much opportunity, but even during the one time that we had, I'd been too scared to do anything other than kiss him since…well, since everything. I wasn't sure if today was the time for this, though. I wasn't sure if he was up for it. I'd let him be the first to make a move. He would eventually, if this went on long enough and he wanted more.
Just as that thought came to my mind, Ezra reached his hand up the back of my shirt. It must have been subconscious, because he froze and immediately pulled it out.
"Hey," I whispered. "It's okay. Go ahead."
He looked me right in the eyes, putting a hand on my cheek so I wouldn't look away.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," I told him. "I'm sure."
"Okay," he said. "If you change your mind, no matter when it is, just say the word."
"I will," I promised. "Are you sure you're up for this?"
"I'm good," he assured me. "They gave me the good drugs, remember?"
We both chuckled, and he pulled me back down for another kiss before going to take my shirt off. Then he sat up and scooted backwards so he could lean against the wall, pulling me with him and bringing his lips back to mine. I gasped a little as he undid my bra, and he pulled back for a second.
"Still okay?" he asked, kissing the tip of my nose.
I nodded and kissed him again as he slowly pulled my bra down my arms and dropped it on the floor, and then I pulled his t-shirt off. For a second, I froze. He was still so thin; I could see the outline of his ribs. He was much better than he had been, but still. It reminded me of what we had been through. It wasn't crippling and it didn't come accompanied by flashbacks, but it was there.
"What is it?" he asked. "Do you need to stop?"
"No, I'm still okay," I told him.
"You don't look okay. Talk to me, Aria. Tell me what's wrong."
I took a deep breath. It was scary sometimes how easily he could read my mind. It was one of the reasons I knew we were right together, but it did make it difficult to keep anything from him.
"You're still so thin," I said, barely louder than a whisper, unable to look away from the outline of his rib cage on his chest.
"Hey," he said softly, lifting my chin so I would look at his face. "I'm fine. I promise. I'm just worried about you."
"Don't be. I'm good. Really. The only person I'm thinking about right now is you."
He smiled and pulled me back in for another kiss. And as our activities progressed, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of absolute certainty. Not just about this, but about him. About us. Ezra and I belonged together, for the rest of our lives. I didn't know how that would work with me going to college, but we would figure it out when the time came. We still had a while. There was something about the way he was acting right now, too. It was different, but good different. There was more intensity, more passion. If anything, this was more right now than it ever had been. I couldn't explain it. But some things, like our relationship, just defied explanation.
