Guess who's back?! :D Fortunately for you guys, I was able to do a LOT of writing while I was gone since I had my phone with me, and I'm gonna be able to update more frequently now hopefully! Here's the next chapter, and it's not as action packed as some of the chapters to come, but it does lead to some juicy stuff. AND I was able to incorporate MY favorite male character into it ;) Hope you enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

Spencer stepped out of the supermarket and back onto the streets of Rosewood with arms loaded with bags of groceries. Aria had left to go have dinner with her mom and brother, so Spencer decided that, since chances were she wouldn't be having a family get together any time soon, she would get dinner for herself. She had been living on Lean Cuisines for the past week, and she was ready for something different, so she loaded her bags of vegetables and one lone rotisserie chicken into her passenger seat eagerly as she got ready to head home to prepare it all. Just as she was slamming the door and getting ready to circle the car to the driver's side, she heard someone calling her name.

"Spencer!"

She whipped around, and to her surprise, Ezra came running toward her.

"Oh! Hi… Ezra," Spencer said warily, still deciding on whether she should call him by his first name or not.

"I heard about the fire," he said, catching his breath a little. "Are you guys okay? I know it happened a couple weeks ago, but Aria hasn't been answering any of my calls and-"

"Yeah, we're fine now," Spencer nodded her head, before adding, "And she's fine, too."

"She is?" He said, his blue eyes lighting up with relief at the news.

"Well, as fine as she can be," Spencer admitted. "She's healed and everything but… I don't know if she'll be okay for a long time."

Ezra's face fell. "Spencer, what happened? Did it have to do with me? She just broke up with me out of nowhere, and-"

"I know it might seem that way, but it wasn't out of nowhere!" Spencer snapped. "She was doing it to protect you, Ezra. Okay? She loves you so much, and she would do anything to be with you right now, but she can't. For now, you should really just focus on your new family."

Ezra was disoriented for a second. "Protect me? Why-"

"Long story," Spencer cut him off.

At that moment, something in Ezra snapped. He was tired of people keeping secrets from him. He stepped forward and said quietly, "I've got time. Try me."

Spencer studied Ezra. He looked so lost, and so desperate for a way to understand everything that was happening. He wanted to protect Aria just as much as she wanted to protect him.

Aria's going to kill me for this, Spencer thought to herself, yet she sighed as she pressed the "lock" button on her car keys and turned back to Ezra. "Fine. Let's go."

"Go where?" Ezra asked, confused.

"Somewhere away from here," she answered as she started walking. He followed quickly, still completely lost. "Why do we-"

"Don't question it," she said curtly. "You want answers, I'm gonna give them to you. But it's going to take longer, and it's DEFINITELY going to be riskier, than you might think."

Aria got out of her car at Louis's house to pick up Mike and take him to the apartment for dinner. She was about to walk up to the door when she heard someone call her name.

"Aria!"

She turned around to see Toby running toward her, and a small part of her felt scared. Did they find out about Ali's plan finally? As much as she wanted to find out more, she was scared for what Ali had planned, as well as for how they were going to take her down. Aria didn't want to die, but she didn't want to hurt Ali either. If she got hurt, who would take care of that little girl?

With all of these thoughts swirling in her head, she could only manage to squeak out, "H-hi, Toby. What... What are you doing here?"

"I was just in the neighborhood," he shrugged. "Taking a walk to clear my head."

"Oh, I see," Aria said, and took note of the fact that he was wearing a plaid button down and jeans, a stark difference from the black hoodie that he was wearing at the motel. Suddenly Toby walked closer and leaned in secretively.

"We haven't found out more yet," he whispered, "but we might be getting closer."

"What has she said?"

"She's not giving away details," he explained, "but she says that she'll let us in on more closer to the day she decides to put it all in action."

Aria shivered at the thought of this. "How are we going to be able to stop her with so little time?" she asked uneasily.

"I don't know," Toby said honestly. "But we'll think of something, okay?"

Aria nodded, and then looked up at Toby, surveying him. She thought of all that Spencer had to go through because of what he did; all that he had put her through. She knew Spencer hadn't forgiven him, but still trusted him with this. And deep down, Aria could see that Spencer still had deep feelings for him. Aria, on the other hand, was still a little shaky about even trusting him.

"Toby," she finally said, and he looked up at the mention of his name.

Aria took a deep breath, then began. "You claim to be on our side now, and if that's true I'm really glad that you're trying to help. But you need to understand that Spencer is still really hurting after what you did."

Toby nodded. "I know. I've never been more sorry about anything in my life. I love her, Aria."

"Well that's great," Aria responded, "but that doesn't change things. If you want her back, you're going to have to do whatever you can to stop this for us." She then shakily took a step forward up to Toby, who towered over her greatly still. "A-and if you even think about hurting her again, I will make you sorry. That's a promise I'll keep. Do you understand me?"

Toby looked down at Aria in shock that she was threatening him like this, but he noticed how scared she was. She was looking up at him with terror in her eyes, and yet she was going out of her way to protect Spencer, despite her fear. That was something he admired, even if he wished she wasn't still afraid of him.

We both want to protect Spencer, he thought to himself. If I want to end this for the both of them, I need to work harder to find out what it is that could hurt them.

After a minute, he nodded his head carefully. "I understand," he said. "I'll prove to you that I'm on your side, okay? I won't let anything hurt you girls again."

Before Aria could respond, Mike walked out of the house, a duffle bag in hand. He stared at Toby suspiciously, as Toby was still known to be "bad news" in Rosewood, but Aria mouthed that it was okay. Mike started to walk down the front steps to the house, and Aria turned back to Toby.

"Well, I better go."

"I'll let you know when I find out more, okay?"

"Thank you," Aria said gratefully. Before she could turn around and walk to her car, she turned around one last time. "I'm... so sorry about what Ali made you do a few years ago. That was completely wrong, and if I had known that she blackmailed you like that-"

"Aria, it's okay," Toby reassured. "It wasn't your fault, or that of any of the girls. I just wish it hadn't taken so long for me to realize it."

Aria chewed on her bottom lip, then looked up at Toby once more. "Spencer loves you, too, you know."

And with that, she walked over to her car, with a confused Mike in the passenger seat, started the engine, and backed out of the driveway. Toby stood there and watched her drive away as he whispered, "I know."

You read right ladies and gentlemen. Ezra is OFFICIALLY IN THIS STORY! Which means, you guessed it, EZRIA! Told ya to be patient ;) looks like it pays off after all!