Jason, Aria and Bella, got back to Jason's house half an hour later. They had let Toby and Spencer deal with Ezra. Bella was their one and only priority now. Taking Bella straight in to the house, Jason put her in his bed while Aria went to get her some pjs from her room. Jason kicked off his shoes after dressing Bella and lay in bed while Bella cuddled up to him. Aria came back from upstairs after making Bella some strawberry and cream waffles.

"Can we watch a movie?" Bella asked quietly as Aria sat down on the edge of Jason's bed.

"What movie?" Aria asked, handing Jason the plate of waffles.

"Daddy, do you have my Brave dvd?"

"I think so.. I'll go and get it from downstairs." Jason put the plate of waffles on his bedside table and removed his arms from around Bella.

"No Daddy. Stay." Bella pulled on Jason's top. "Can Mommy get it?"

"It's in the living room in the first dvd box of the pile.." Jason told Aria as he looked over to her and settled back in bed with Bella.

"Okay.." Aria left the room again.

"How are you feeling?" Jason asked kissing his daughter's head.

"Tired, I guess.." Bella sighed.

"Just tired?" Jason questioned. He knew she had to be feeling more than just tiredness.

"I was so scared today Daddy.." Bella's voice broke when she spoke.

"Hey, hey, I know, I would have been too." Jason ran his hands over his daughter's hair. "Your Mommy and I were so scared too. But you're here with us now
and you're not going anywhere that's all that matters." Jason kissed Bella's head again.

"Promise me I don't have to live with Mommy anymore."

"You don't have to ever live with Ezra anymore. I think your Mommy will want to buy her own home after today."

"Can't she stay with us?"

"I don't know.."

Aria entered the room again with the dvd Bella wanted. "Mommy, are you going to move house?"

"What? Why?"

"Ezra's stole me today. You shouldn't stay in that house with him Mommy. He's dangerous."

"This is something I need to talk to your Daddy about. You needn't worry about where I'll stay sweetie." Aria put the dvd in Jason's large tv. "Didn't you want
your waffles?" Aria asked, pointing to the plate which hadn't moved from Jason's bedside.

"I'll have them now." Bella told Aria.

Jason sat up with Bella and handed her the plate of waffles. Aria went back to the same spot she was sitting on before getting the dvd. She turned around to
look at Jason during the introduction to the film. He looked at her and gestured for her to sit next to them at the head of the bed. They all sat quietly as they watched the film on Jason's tv. Bella fell asleep halfway through the movie, tucking her in, Jason and Aria left her in the bed to sleep without them interrupting her.


Aria sat at the kitchen table while Jason made her a coffee. "Once Toby and Spencer call me to say what's going on with Fitz, I'm calling Garrett. There's no way in hell, I'm letting him get away with what he did today."

"Jason.."

"No, Aria! Jesus! Why are you still insistent on defending him? Have you completely forgot what we went through today? What your 'perfect' boyfriend made our daughter go through?'"

"Of course not! This day will haunt me for the rest of my life! I'm defending him because the man I was in love with is ill. He had no control over what he was doing. The Ezra I knew, all those years ago, would never dare to kidnap a child."

"But he did. He kidnapped our daughter. Your daughter and mine. You must be crazy, if you expect me to feel anything but hatred towards him." Jason handed Aria her mug of coffee.

"Jason, prison won't be any use to him. He needs to go and get help. Professional help. If we get the police involved, his disorder might get even worse. Please let me handle this, okay?"

"How do you plan on handling it, Aria?" Jason placed his hands on the kitchen table as he waited for Aria's answer.

"I don't know.."

"You don't know?" Jason stood up taller.

"It's too much pressure!"

"Then let somebody who knows what they're doing handle him."

"Who?"

"Wren Kingston, that doctor..." Jason placed his hands on his hips.

"No way."

"He's a doctor, Aria. Why wouldn't you want him to help?" Jason asked walking around the kitchen as Aria stayed seated.

"There's history with Wren and us girls and I don't feel very comfortable having him help Ezra." Her head and eyes following Jason's movements.

"You won't feel comfortable having anyone help Ezra, cause you're a fixer, you want to fix people, but you need to realise that sometimes you can't do that alone."

Aria sighed and sipped her coffee.

"Until something is done about Ezra. Bella is staying with me. Whether it be for two weeks or two years. She won't be staying at that house ever again." Jason told Aria, coming to sit down next to her.

"I get that." Aria replied still sipping on her coffee.

"Did you want to go and look at apartments for you to rent tomorrow?"

Aria looked at Jason. "Why would I need to do that?"

"You're going to continue staying at your townhouse? The townhouse you share with Fitz?"

"It's complicated..."

"I'm so done." Jason sighed, getting up and walking out of the kitchen.

Jason shook his head at Aria's idiocity, she wanted to stay living with the man that kidnapped their daughter and could have killed them all if he wished. He had no idea why she was still fixated on staying with Ezra. Walking into his office, he turned on his laptop to answer any of his business related emails. Just as he was about to sit down, the doorbell rang. Walking out tiredly, he didn't bother to look through the peephole and opened the door. Toby and Spencer were standing there, looking sympathetic. Even though Bella was unharmed, they both knew that the terror she went through will be with her for a long time, as well as with Jason and Aria.

"We drove Ezra back to his house. His wound wasn't bad enough for him to be kept in hospital overnight." Toby told Jason as they walked through the foyer.

"What did he tell the doctor?"

"I made up a story for him to tell them and he went along with it. He was accidentally shot while 'a friend' was cleaning his gun."

"Glad he didn't snitch."

"Is Bella sleeping?" Spencer asked as they all entered the kitchen.

"Yeah, I just hope she sleeps well tonight. I don't want her to be having nightmares about today..." Jason said.

Spencer hugged Aria before sitting down at the kitchen table with her. "I'm assuming you're staying here tonight? Did you need a spare change of clothes?" Spencer asked wrapping an arm around Aria's shoulders and leaning her head against hers.

"Jason still has some of my clothes here, so I'm fine." Aria smiled.

"I thought you were going back home?" Jason asked from across the other side of the kitchen where he was pouring him and Toby a glass of whisky each.

Aria rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to leave my daughter after a day like this. And I will be going home in a few days."

"You're going back to live with Ezra?" Toby asked as he looked at Spencer who was equally bewildered.

"Just until we can figure out what's wrong and what sort of treatment he'll need to make himself better."

"He doesn't deserve anything from you." Spencer told Aria pulling away to look at her best friend and sister in law.

"Spence, I've already heard this from Jason. I'm going back to help, not to be his lover, I just want to make sure he's okay before I cut him out of my life. So, please would you both stop fighting me on this?" Aria asked looking at Jason before turning back to Spencer. "I know what I'm going to do."


Spencer and Toby went back home two hours later and Jason and Aria decided to head up to bed. Today had been an emotional strain on them and an early night was needed. With Bella, still feeling low and fragile, Aria stayed for two more days before heading home to Ezra, to once and for all sort his life out. She'd spent a few hours planning on what she needed to do. Before leaving Jason's house, he gave it one more try to convince Aria to not go back. Standing at the front door Aria rummaged through her handbag trying to find her car keys.

"Do you know where I put my car keys?" Aria asked frustratedly.

Jason simply shook his head to say no, but he did know as they were in the back pocket of his jeans. He'd grabbed and hid them to prolong Aria's return to Ezra.

Aria sighed and leaned up against the door frame. "What? Just say it? I know there's something on your mind."

"Just stay here. I have plenty of your clothes, you have your car, your daughter, mom and brother are here. Why go back there where you'll just have Ezra?"

"Jason, I swear you never listen to me.." Aria had told Jason the night before that she'd definitely be returning to Rosewood.

"I do listen to you, Aria. I know you said you'd come back but when? Three weeks time? Or one year?"

"I'll be back as soon as Ezra is on medication or in hospital or wherever he needs to be." Aria stood taller and stepped forward towards Jason. Placing her hands on Jason's cheeks, Aria looked deeply into his sea green eyes. "I promise that I'll be back." Aria told him softly, moving her hands from his face to rest on his chest.

Not taking his eyes away from Aria's, Jason put his hand into his back pocket and handed Aria her keys. "You know he's not your responsibility anymore right?"

"I know." Aria kissed Jason on the cheek and then walked to her car in his driveway.


Pulling up into her own driveway, forty minutes later, she got out of her car and quietly closed the door. Taking a deep breath when she got to the front door, she slowly unlocked the door and stepped into the place she was once so happy to be in. There were happy memories created here but now she just couldn't seem to find any source of happiness from being there.

"Aria?" Ezra looked down the stairs to the front door. His eyes were black from a lack of sleep, his skin was pale and he had a dressing on his right leg. "I didn't think you'd come back."

"Can you come down so that we can talk?" Aria put her car keys on the key holder and went to sit in the lounge.

She waited for Ezra to join her, she knew he'd be a while as his leg was probably too painful to walk on. She wanted to help him down the stairs and into the lounge but deep down she knew she couldn't otherwise she might start to develop feelings for him again. Feelings which would force her to love Ezra again, and force her to stay with him, and feel sorry for him.