Chapter Synopsis: Cheesy fluff piece between Jason and his sisters
~~~ Chapter 9 – Alison's Big News ~~~
Jason woke up after only a couple hours of sleep, sitting up on the side of his bed dragging his fingers roughly through the long blonde locks. Having Aria back had reawakened all the feelingS he had tried to ignore when he had been unable to find her and the anger he had felt at Charlotte for her part in splitting them up. Today was too important to his family for him to let that anger resurface.
Charlotte wasn't the only one to blame, his parents were a big part of the reason Charlotte had turned out the way she had. Truthfully the fathers in his life, whether it was his biological father Peter Hastings who still treated him like garbage or the one who raised him, Ken DiLaurentis who had been unwilling to except that Charlie was not the perfect son and had locked away his child because of this, were far from role models. Wayne Fields had been an amazing father, excepting Emily for who she was simply because he loved his daughter and Byron Montgomery was a good father, despite cheating on his wife, he had still been a loving father. If Peter Hastings or Ken DiLaurentis had been even a quarter as loving toward Charlie or himself, things could have turned out differently.
But, he knew he was to blame as well. He should have let Aria explain instead of pushing her away and saying the things he had said to her. He had told her to disappear and until they needed her for Charlie and the court had located her she had done exactly as he asked. Aria in her need to protect him, had realized the insecurity to exploit after the accident, fear of his death making her ruthless. If only she would have known that A/Charlie had been bluffing.
Every time he fell asleep his dreams would pick up where they left off and then in his dream he would remember seeing her with Ezra Fitz from that hospital room and he would feel that anger and hurt all over again, he would push her away telling her to leave him alone and that he wished she would disappear and right before his eyes she would vanish. He was alone stumbling around in a fog looking for her, screaming her name until he'd wake in a cold sweat and remember what had happened yesterday and feel a glimmer of hope. He's replay holding her in his arms and kissing her again and her response over in his mind. He believed she had to feel something for him. She couldn't respond to him like that and another man, this AJ guy, be the love of her life.
Jason heard a knock on his door, knowing it was just Ali he told her to come on in. "Hey Jas, are you okay?" she didn't want to tell him she heard him talking in his sleep last night. It had broken her heart, because he sounded so broken and alone. As much as she loved Charlie, Ali loved Jason too and hearing him had reminded Alison of everything their sister had done to them, especially Jason, in her quest to have them to herself.
The girls hadn't done anything to deserve Cece's wrath. Sure, they had lost trust in her, but today Ali could admit that she had done a lot to lose their trust. Even as she sat on trial for Mona's murder, they started believing in her again tried to find ways to prove her innocence. They all showed up to court every day in support of her except for Hanna who shortly after her trial began was arrested and in jail awaiting trial as her accomplice. Charlotte had made sure of that. Unlike her friends, Ken did deserve Charlotte's anger, but Ali didn't want him dead, he was her dad and unlike Charlotte and Jason he had always doted on Ali so she had a lot of good memories of both her parents.
"Yeah, I'll be okay, we just got to get through this and see what the board has to say."
"What do you think Aria's going to say?" She asked her brother leaning her head against his shoulder.
He put his arm around his sister's shoulder hugging her to his side, "I don't have a clue Ali." He told her truthfully.
"So how was it seeing Aria again?" she asked, looking at her brother still worried about him. After Charlotte sabotaged the elevator and he disappeaed from the hospital Jason got into some trouble and ended back up in treatment soon after. After everything that happened with Charlotte, Aria had tried so many times and she wouldn't let her or Spencer tell him, she thought that if he refused to talk to her it meant he didn't love her enough and that he never would. Spencer and Arian had told her and the other girls about the threats against Toby and against Jason a couple weeks after Toby's accident, Emily had been so angry when she though Spencer had been playing a game with Toby's heart and there had been a rift in the group until then.
"I'll survive." He told her with a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes.
Alison sighed, "I never apologized for not saying anything about the texts Charlotte sent Aria. After Spencer and aria told us what was going on we just wanted to protect you in any way we could. I started to so many times, but Imwas afraid A would find out I told you and hurt you. If I would have, maybe you and Aria could have figured out something." Jason gave her a sad smile and just nodded, there were so many things that could have been done differently.
Ali knew that Spencer, tired of how he was treating Aria, had told him about the test messages Aria had received threatening his life, she also knew that she had told Jason the real reason Aria had been with Ezra that night, but she didn't know if he knew everything that had happened, and even though it could affect what he said to the parole board he needed to know everything that happened that night and why Aria had gone the lengths she had to end their relationship.
"That night after the accident Ezra was half carrying Aria in, I don't know that she could have made it otherwise Jason." He looked at her his gaze intense, "so all the clingy stuff wasn't just a show for you. Charlotte sent Aria a text before Emily or one of us even had a chance. She was told that since she hadn't cut the cord so it had been done for her. She sent a picture of you lying on the elevator floor and you looked dead. Ezra told Emily that Aria had lost it and it was several minutes later, before Emily could call her to tell her you were on the way to the hospital. After that phone call Charlotte sent a text to Aria telling her that it was her final warning. Fear gave Aria the courage to use Ezra as Spencer had used Wren to protect Toby. Ezra had no idea what was going on, he was just being a friend to Aria. I don't know about Ezra, but Aria was completely over him before she even started dating you."
Spencer had never told Jason any of that, just that Charlie had threatened him. If she had he didn't know what he would have done to Charlotte. When he seen Ali's nervous look he told her, "I am angry with Charlie, but I still want her to have a chance for a real life, it will just be something we have to work through Ali. Thanks for telling me everything." He hugged his sister again kissing the top of her head before lying his cheek against it.
An hour later Spencer showed up and they cooked breakfast together and ate. Jason looked between his half-sisters and was thankful that he had them in his life, hopefully he would get a chance to know Charlie again not as the brother his parents had convinced him was his imaginary friend, or the not so great girl-friend, that thought still made him sick, or the psycho stalker, but as his sister.
Spencer thought that they should go over what they were going to say to the parole board, and Jason could only smirk, Spencer always wanted everything planned, Ali bumped her shoulder into Spencer. "Let's just enjoy being together Spence," Ali told her, "this may the last time it's just the three of us." As she said this she used her left hand to pick up her coffee cup.
Earlier there had been nothing on that hand, but now there was a shining diamond ring. It wasn't a huge diamond, it was the ring that a young police officer could afford. Spencer and Jason noticed the ring at the same time and their mouths fell open and eyes widened in surprise. Jason was the first to recover pulling his youngest sister up in a bear hug. He felt bad for Emily, but he had been seeing the way things had been going with Ali and Lorenzo for the last year or so when he would be home, and when he wasn't, Lorenzo's name would be peppered throughout phone calls and texts.
Lorenzo had been good for Alison. After he broke up with her the first time they dated for stealing his entry key for evidence lockup, she started falling back to her old ways; manipulating, using and bullying everyone in her way including her friends. It wasn't until she was arrested for Mona's murder that she really began to change. Last year Lorenzo and Ali had run into each other and got to know each other again and became friends. Once again, he talked her into helping with the youth group at church and eventually they started dating.
She loved Emily, but Lorenzo made her happy. Alison didn't want to hurt her, but she had fallen in love with Lorenzo and he was a genuinely good guy. Even though the ring was not the fanciest or largest diamond Alison was very proud of it and the man that had bought it for her.
"Ali that's great!" Jason said genuinely happy for her.
"Yeah, " Spencer said finally regaining her composure, "So, when did this happen?" she said trying to be excited for Ali, but she worried about Emily. Spencer had always thought Emily and Ali would work out their problems and end up together, but maybe she had been wrong. Alison seemed to be very sure of her decision to marry Lorenzo. "And what about all your talk yesterday at lunch about staying single and concentrating on your family and yourself."
"Last night over dinner." Alison giggled, "He got the ring yesterday, he was planning on doing something very special, but he couldn't wait and I don't know, but when he got down on one knee in the middle of the Apple Grille it felt special. And suddenly I knew that I wanted to be with him any doubts I had were gone. I love Emily, Spence, I always will, but it never seemed to feel completely like we were meant to be together no matter how much she and I tried or how much you guys wanted it. Lorenzo makes me feel complete." Alison wasn't stupid she knew Spencer and Hanna would be disappointed, and that Emily would be hurt. But, she and Emily had changed over the years and the feelings were not as strong as they once seemed. It wasn't just her it was Emily too. Alison believed they were hanging onto a memory rather than facing reality and letting go. Last night when Lorenzo asked her to marry him she decided to let go of the memory and reach for the future and she felt like a weight had been lifted. "You're the first to know."
After Ali's announcement, the girls discussed plans for an engagement party and wedding plans with Jason contributing only occasionally since it wasn't his thing. He was happy for Alison and Lorenzo, but he did envy him marrying the girl that he loved. If he wouldn't have been so stubborn five years ago, he and Aria might be married by now, maybe expecting their first child he thought sadly. Jason nodded occasionally to show he was listening as his sisters discussed idea, but he was thinking about what could have been.
Notes: I know some will wonder why I put Ali with Lorenzo, they barely had any chemistry but I think with the right actor Ali and Lorenzo would have been a really great pairing and truthfully, I need the pairing for my plot device this is after all a Jaria not and Edison fanfic. What do you think?
Thanks for reading.
GrimLi
P.S. I was revising this when I heard about Tom Petty, RIP and I am leaving you with this
