Previously:
"Oh my God" the both whispered, both for different reasons
"Ezra, is that you son?" Mark Fitzgerald said, cranking his head to try and depict the person whom he thought was his son
"Dad? What are you doing here?" he said standing up to shake his hand before for the third time that night, hugging someone
'Oh my God' thought Aria, the man standing before her looked exactly like her boyfriend only more aged and surprisingly, more buff
"I came to town for business, i was thinking about calling you before i left but speak of the devil, you're here"
"Here i am" after a pregnant pause, Ezra turned from his father and pulled Aria up off the couch "dad, this is my girlfriend Aria Montgomery, Aria this is my dad Mark Fitzgerald"
Fitzgerald? That's another thing she's bringing up later.
"So nice to meet you Sir" she smiled politely shaking his hand
"Please, call me Mark" he smirked resembling his son more and more
"Mark" Aria said whilst cheeks grew red
What the hell was happening
"What are you two doing here?"
"Oh um Aria and I are out on a quadruple date with her friends"
"Right. Like you ever do that… Oh you're serious aren't you? Okay then, this is awkward isn't it" he chuckled nervously
"Dad"
"Right. Well I should get going and let you two get back to doing whatever you were doing. Ezra, nice to see you again son. Aria, such a pleasure to meet you darling, would you two like to come up to New York soon for brunch? Ezra hasn't come up lately and this is the perfect opportunity to meet this little lady" and with that she lifted her spare hand and softly kisses it, a blush forming on her cheeks
"Sounds good, i'll call you. Bye" Ezra rushed hoping to end this immediately.
"That was -"
"Sorry" he apologised
"No, don't be."
"Who was that fine piece of ass?" Hanna asked walking up behind the two
"HANNA" Ezra shouted, feeling more comfortable around her and the rest of the group as the night continued, no longer seeing them as purely his students and vice versa
"Ezra's dad" Aria murmured
"Um dilf much?"
"I know" Aria whispered still in a daze, unaware of what she just said and its affect
"Aria!" Ezra almost shouted. What the?
"What?"
"You just called my dad a dilf. Are you serious right now?"
"Did i?"
"Yes" he said, eyes wide open in shock
"OKAY i'm sorry but you two look almost exactly the same and if you looked like that at his age i wouldn't be disappointed"
"That's it, you're coming with me" he dragged her out of the VIP area and to the back of the club
"Where are we going?"
Without another moment he spun them, pinned her to the wall and kissed her ferociously
"Ezra? What?"
"You just called my dad a dilf" he said with disgust "and i'm going to get that out of your head.. asap" he mutters against her neck
"Uh huh"
"Guys look at Ezra and Aria go. Damn" Hanna whistled from the other side of the room eyeing the pair grossly cute at the back who were so into their moment of passion that they forgot they were in a room full of people
"Do i look okay?" Aria questioned for the millionth time at Ezra's aparment
"Babe you look fine. Perfect."
"Are you sure because i could probably -"
"No it's perfect. In the car. Now."
"Fine but if something doesn't suit i'm blaming you" she teased
The car ride was filled with small talk until they reached the sign telling them how much further would need to be travelled
"Okay so there are some things you need to know about my family that you don't already. You know my parents are divorced but this lunch is pretty unconventional. It happens once a month and all the Fitzgerald's get together; aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole lot including both my parents and siblings even though we don't all get along, everything is as civil as possible at lunch so hopefully nothing goes wrong today."
"Fitzgerald huh"
"That whole speech and you caught that?"
"Ezra" she demanded
"When i left New York, i wanted to leave everything there. I wanted a fresh start in Rosewood and by cutting half my name off, i could do that. Listen, my family would rather pay people to do things for them than do it themselves and i wasn't okay with that. I didn't grow up with my parents guiding me and showing me what to do. My dad was always off on business and having affairs, my mom was spending all his money while having her own relationships meanwhile my brother and i were left with nannies until we were able to fend for ourselves."
"Ezra" Aria said, this time with more compassion
"It's okay, really, our nanny Jenna was actually a very nice lady" he laughed
As they pulled up into the large Fitzgerald estate, Ezra grew increasingly nervous, he had never brought anyone home for this lunch before while Aria came to terms with this newfound information
The Fitzgerald gates opened slowly in front of the car seating the couple, Aria gasped at not only the size of the house, but the looks of it. The gardens were filled with neatly groomed bushes and hedges, a wonderful array of colourful plants, statues lined the pathway
"One more time. If you chat with my uncle James, make conversation about how you love the Dodgers even though you don't, aunt Sarah would love if you mentioned that you are a foodie and if you so happened to invite her out one day, don't speak about anything you don't want to. Stay away from my cousins Andy and Jessica, you should be okay with the rest, except my mom, stay away from her" he rambled "Here we go" he mumbled as he grasped Aria's petite hand in his own and knocked on the large wooden door
"Ezra, darling, you look amazing, come give aunt Karen a hug"
'Ahhh' Aria thought. 'So this must be the lady that helped raise Ezra and his siblings growing up'
Ezra had mentioned to her that his aunt Karen was from his dad's side and married his uncle Keith and has two children; Lucas and Lily who are 18 years of age apart. Karen was the most level-headed one out of them all and is the 'bestest family member' which caused Aria to laugh at the fact her boyfriend is an English teacher and uses the term 'bestest'
"You must be the Aria that Ezra can't stop talking about"
"And you must be the famous aunt Karen that Ezra can't stop talking about" and embraced each other in a hug as if they had known each other for more than a few minutes
"Come inside, everyone's here already except Lucas and Brooke, they're coming soon with Noah and the twins, they're at the doctors and Lucas is the ever so doting husband and father" she laughed with a glint in her eyes showing how proud she is
As they walked through the Fitzgerald estate, Aria was floored. Ezra's family didn't have money, they had money. The walls were lined up with well known paintings and furniture that would probably cost a fortune, ceilings hung down lights that would probably cost more than her house by the looks of them
One by one, Aria was introduced to Ezra's family who surprisingly were welcoming, especially Mark which Ezra wasn't too happy about. That infamous Fitzgerald smirk which Ezra had inherited could melt Aria's heart in a second and leave her putty. Diane on the other hand was weary and distant like expected and was followed closely by her seemingly side puppy also known as Ezra's cousin, Jessica without Andy who was unable to make it
Right when they were about to be seated at the large, narrow table, the front door bell rang signalling a new family member, Wesley Fitzgerald sauntered into the room explaining that he had misplaced his key as he greeted his relatives but was intrigued by the unfamiliar face seated beside his brother
"Wesley Fitzgerald. Nice to meet you, beautiful. What's a sweetie like you doing here?" He flirted and received a laugh from the occupants except his brother
"Wes this is Aria, my girlfriend. Aria, this is Wes, my brother" he grimaced
"Aria. Wow such a lyrical name"
"Yeah well let's go sit down" Ezra huffed and stomped off with Aria hot on his tail
"Ezra, will you wait up. EZRA!" she whisper-shouted only to be met with Ezra's firm body and she instantly stopped and turned causing Aria to run into him and stumble backwards. His mood suddenly deteriorated as he realised he almost harmed his girlfriend and immediately began to apologise but she was having none of it "It's okay let's just go and eat okay" she fake smiled leaving him more saddened
Dinner was well and truly underway when the sound of children running and laughing filtered through the air followed by a males voice shouting at them to stop. Suddenly Karen rose from her seat and smirked just in time to be tackled with hugs from her grandchildren Davis and Grace who Aria thought were dressed impeccably for what seemed to be three-year old twins and dawdling behind them, an eight-year old Noah
After saying their hellos and neither parent appearing from the direction the children came from, the question was raised as to where their elders were
"Mommy had to get something from the car and made Daddy carry the heavy presents for everyone from Christmas time" and with that the children burst into fits of laughter, there was something about them that Aria couldn't put her finger on
"So the famous Lucas Scott finally decided to grace us with his presence. Where's that wife of yours ah?" Mark said
Could it be? But how?
"I'm right here, don't get your panties in a twist old-man" a very familiar raspy voice laughed
"Brooke?" Aria questioned
"Aria? What are you doing here?" Brooke asked as she pulled Aria into a hug that was brief due to Brooke's 7 month pregnant stomach
"How do you know each other?"
"What is happening?"
"Ezra what's happening"
Were all questions thrown around the dinner table
"I'm here with Ezra actually. He's my boyfriend" Aria explained still confused as to the situation "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since mom's funeral"
This time Brooke turned to address the family and told them to join them in the lounge room as the children continued to feed
"How do you two know each other may we ask?" Keith, Karen's husband asked
"Before she got married, Victoria was a Montgomery like Aria here, meaning that her dad is my mom's younger brother and her mom was my aunt. God rest her soul."
Suddenly all eyes were sympathetic and on Aria which made her feel uncomfortable
"Well what are you doing here then?" Aria asked
"Lucas is Karen's son"
"Why haven't i seen you in so long?"
By this point the conversation was purely Aria and Brooke with Ezra listening by her side, everyone else was lost in their own
"You were too young to even remember this let alone be told it. You probably just know i got pregnant at 16. Victoria and Richard found out that i got pregnant in junior year with Noah and basically paid me not to tell anyone since i didn't want to get an abortion which they weren't too happy about." Brooke sighed, still affected by the incident
"Luke and i surprisingly stayed together and moved to New York after graduation. I started Clothes Over Bros, which might i add looks amazing on you" Brooke laughed and felt Aria's classy jumper getting lost in her fashion sense "and Luke published his first book"
"That doesn't explain why you never kept in touch with me. I mean, you were like my big sister and even though i only saw you a few times in the year until you just stopped calling and texting me all together" she sighed and Brooke nodded in guilt and settled into Lucas' chest who entered the conversation and greeted Ezra
"Ezra!" Brooke mildly shouted suddenly remembering his presence
"What?" He asked confused
"How could you not tell us you were seeing someone?"
"Uhhh- i- umm- well" he stuttered
"Did you know we were related?" Aria asked, deciding that she and Brooke could have some fun doubling up on Ezra
"No- what- i-"
"We're just kidding" Aria and Brooke said simultaneously, laughed and then hugged leaving their partners confused
"Lucas. You remember Aria right?"
"Of course. How could i forget the pre-teen girl that punched me when we first broke up. Come here Million Dollar Baby" he smirked
"I told you to stop calling me that" she whined and caused the others to laugh at her
"Okay wait. So Brooke and Aria are cousins. Aria punched Lucas. Lucas is my cousin and married Brooke. Me and Aria aren't related right?" Ezra asked
"You're lucky you're an English teacher. No honey we're not related. I mean we are, but through marriage and not by blood. But distance. Right?" Aria asked getting a little confused herself
"Right"
"So Ezzy-boo, how did you meet little Muhammad Ali" Lucas laughed and dodged Aria's fist "Settle down Tyson"
"You do realise that even though i'm only a few years younger than you and you're a giant, i can still beat you up, right Scott?"
"Calm it Mayweather" Ezra joined in but instead of a first, he just got an Aria nestling her head into his chest from embarrassment "Aria was actually my student at Rosewood High a few years ago"
"Ezra, man…"
"No, no it wasn't like that, i swear. We only started dating in October last year, isn't that right babe? I'm actually her brother Mike's teacher at the moment and she always used to flirt with me when she would make my coffee at the Brew you know? and i was a little stunned at how much of a stud i was and then she couldn't resist me on PT night, i just can't help how good i look sometimes"
"Sure, that's exactly right" they laughed at her eyebrow raising at his statement
"Come on. Let me introduce you to the twins and to Noah again and you can tell me all about Mikey" Brooke laughed after attempting to stand up with her pregnant stomach and dragged Aria out of the room leaving the boys alone
Later that night the family were snuggled together watching Aladdin while Ezra's mother and cousin Jessica had left in a huff, Grace struggling to stay awake in Aria's embrace and Davis already asleep in Brooke's arms having missed their afternoon nap
Brooke and Aria reaquainted themselves and were pleased to know that even though many years had passed, not many things had changed
It turns out that Brooke and Lucas eloped in college and years later welcomed the twins and didn't let the entire family know, but kept it quiet during Ella's funeral when Brooke decided to return to Rosewood the year prior for the sake of peace and no drama in Brooke's side of the family, as far as they knew, the only time she was pregnant was in her Junior year of high school
It turns out Karen had taken her mother's maiden name after her parent's divorce, then becoming Karen Roe and gave Lucas his father's last name making him a Scott which is why Aria couldn't figure out the connection between families. This left Aria and Ezra feeling a lot closer
Faring everyone goodbye with the hopes of seeing them again, Aria and Ezra made a quick stop at the market before heading to their hotel room. Feeling a bit devious, Ezra left Aria in the junk food aisle to snatch something from another aisle
"Aria?"
Oh no. She knew that voice
"Noel. Hey what are you doing here?"
"I moved here remember"
"Oh yeah" she fake laughed nervously "how's your job going?"
"It's great actually. I'm on a break right now so i thought i'd come by and get some food. The question should be what are you doing here?" He laughed
"Oh you know, just catching up with some family" technically she wasn't lying
"I haven't seen you in a while, did you want to go grab some lunch before you leave? How have you been Ari?" He asked feeling like he connected to her but really she cringed, hating that nickname
"Um -" she was cut off by Ezra who walked up behind Noel with condoms, whipped cream and chocolate syrup in his hands
"For dessert" he smirked but his face fell when he noticed who was standing accompanying Aria "oh um.." he stuttered attempting to shield the items but failing miserably
Noel stood there trying to keep his calm but lost it when he spotted the items in Ezra's hands and pieced together the situation. He laughed sardonically
"So the first time at the Brew you two were together weren't you? You played me for such a fool and i was right the whole time" his voice raising more as the sentence went on drawing attention
"Noel no" she tried
"No Aria. You no." And with that he left the two astonished and reeling from that moment
The car ride back to the hotel was silent and awkward, not one word was said the entire time
As they exited the elevator and went to open their room door, Ezra again apologised for his actions fearing that he just ruined his relationship but Aria silenced him with her lips and pushed him back towards the bed.
He was confused for a moment before attempting to address the situation "Aria?" but all she did was reach over to the items purchase from the store and grinned trying to imitate Ezra's smirk
"Time for dessert"
A/N: i absolutely love OTH don't judge, so i decided to crossover with it bc Brooke and Aria could be related since Victoria is a Montgomery too so eh and also bc Brooke and Lucas are meant to be together and have two boys and a girl including the baby from the pregnancy scare in season 1
i don't know how far Philadelphia is from NY so if it's really far in real life, pretend that they're close together for this
Leave suggestions if you want to see something specific
* Re uploaded bc i realised i said Ella was a Montgomery which was wrong :/