Bryon Montgomery held the front door open for his daughter and her on and off boyfriend. A few years ago, he would have never imagined letting this man under his roof. His relationship with Ezra was always one of resentment mixed with a little bit of admiration. While so much of him wanted any one else for his daughter, a big part of him knew that no one else would be better for her than Ezra. In fact, taking off a few years from Ezra's age, Byron would have been thrilled at the pairing.

When Aria first broke up with Ezra, Bryon was elated. She was away from the older man, and finally spending more time at home, she was in alot of ways, becoming his little girl again. But the smugness of winning the war with Ezra was starting to lose it's victory glow quickly. Aria was upset, different, and when she brought Jake around, Byron could see that she was far from in love. Jake seemed like an alright kid, him and Aria seemed to get along, but the sparkle that was his Aria was dimmer. Heartaches seemed to take there time, wheather you filled your life with someone new or not. In his silent observation of Aria, he never really stopped to think about how Ezra might be doing, or how much that even mattered to him.

Being a small town was both a blessing and a curse for Rosewood. You always knew the people around you, even when you would rather not. Byron would always remember the day he first saw Ezra Fitz drunk. He was meeting with some colleagues at a bar near the Hollis Campus. He saw Ezra and a friend as soon as they walked in. Ezra was obvioulsy distraught, and his friend was doing his best to distract him with alcohol, and within a few rounds he had rounded up a few girls to keep them company. Byron observed Ezra's behavior switch from uninterested, to a flirtatious lush pretty quickly. What took Byron by surprise was how he felt about it. Seeing Ezra upset, was upsetting to him, and seeing other women flirt with Ezra felt wrong. When things looked like one of the women might be leaving with Ezra, Byron found himself trying to put an end to the situation.

Walking up to the younger group of people, Byron cleared his throat loudly and asked Ezra if he could talk to him. Ezra looked up at Bryon with wide eyes. "Well just when I thought my day was improving, here comes my arch nemesis" Ezra drunkenly chuckled. "What can I do for you Mr. Montgomery?" Ezra asked him blankly. " I want to drive you home, make sure you don't do something you'd regret" Bryon answered. Ezra laughed out loud. " Since when do you care what I'm doing? Aria's gone, I'm out of your life, you can stay out of mine." Ezra voice was harsh with resentment. " Well Ezra I'm smart enough to know that we are far from done with eachother just yet, and I'm pretty sure this is not something you really want me to watch go down".

Ezra paused and looked over to the blonde he was considering leaving with. She was cute, but Byron did have a point, if he and Aria ever did get back together, Byron would hang on to the image of Ezra hooking up with some barfly. " Sure, I guess I do need a ride. Ladies, I'll leave you in the very capable hands of Dr. Kingston here." Wren just smiled and shook his head at Ezra. Every since he first befriended Ezra in this very bar, they had become become very good friends. "Ezra, where are you going?" The blonde protested. " Well, looks like I'll be heading home, the professor over here, is really killing my buzz, I'm sure I'll see you around" Ezra winked at her. "Alright Casanova, let's get going" Byron cut in, annoyed at the situation he involved himself in. " I'll text you later" Wren smiled to Ezra, and then turned his attention back to the two girls, he now had to himself. Ezra nodded his head and followed the older man out the door.

After a few blocks, noticing that Ezra looked deep in thought Byron felt like maybe he should try to talk some sense into him. " You alright over there?" he asked. "Do you what Aria's doing right now?" Ezra asked quietly. "She's probaly with Jake, he probaly holding her, playing with her hair... It's all I can think about when I'm alone. I'm going crazy..." Byron breathed in deeply, he understood exactly what Ezra was feeling. Even though he cheated, and he caused his divorse, seeing Ella with Zach, stabbed him in the heart. He tried to hide it, but it was the worst thing that ever happened to him. Knowing that Ella would want another man, was not something that he would ever be prepared for.

"Well as far as I know, she's off with the girls." Byron offered. "It's funny that your trying to stop me from hooking up with some girl, when Aria is probaly off doing God knows what, with that guy" Ezra said as his face crinkled up in disgust. "Ezra, I wouldn't get yourself to worked up over this guy, Aria is obviously trying to fill her time, and he's not something any of us are taking seriously." Byron offered. "Well I do, we just broke up, she told me she still loved me, and the next thing you know she's off with this Jake in a matter of days!" Ezra's anger and alcohol starting to control his mouth. "The only thing I can tell you is to hold yourself together. Your not this person you seem to be turning into. You could only make things worse with this behavior." Byron warned. "I'm not one of your students Bryon, I'm a big boy, and I can let myself fall apart if I choose too." "Well, your also a parent, and you don't get the luxury of becoming a total lush, and one of those girls could get pregnant. That's the last thing you need." Ezra didn't respond as Bryon pulled up to his apartment. "Thanks for the ride" Ezra quietly said as he got out of the car and entered his apartment complex.

Now over a year later here was Ezra Fitz, staying in his home, in his daughter's room no less. As usual Bryon was both aggrevated and relieved by the younger man's presence. "Thanks" Ezra offered nervously as he entered the home. "Well it's the least your arch nemesis could do" Bryon smiled at him. Ezra's cheeks flused red. "What's that about?" Aria asked seeing that Ezra was taken off guard. "Nothing, just having a little fun with my future son in law" Bryon offered as he shut the door. "This is going to be along week" he thought to himself.