Hi, everyone. First off, I want to apologise for taking so incredibly long to get this next chapter up! I've received so many reviews and messages and I just couldn't respond to them all. Your response to this story is overwhelming, and I feel really guilty about leaving you in the lurch for so long. But February and March were so incredibly busy at work, and because I run my own business, I had to put that first. And my hubby's been ill the last few weeks, and with the stress of work and that, I haven't had time OR felt like writing. But then on Saturday morning I woke up feeling inspired (I had an Ezria dream...oooh) and I sat down and knocked out two chapters. So here you are; I hope you enjoy them!
PS - seven weeks till PLL is back on! I'm so excited I could cry.
CHAPTER 25 ONE MORE SECRET
"Is this the stupidest thing we've ever done?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, it's right up there with blinding Jenna in a fire," Hanna retorted. "Relax, Em. It'll be fine."
"I'm just saying, this isn't the safest thing for Aria to be doing, and maybe we should be looking out for her instead of letting her do crazy stuff-"
"Emily? Calm down, I'm fine," came Aria's voice from above. "Now stop talking or someone will hear you. And hold the ladder still!"
Emily sighed and braced herself firmly against the foot of the ladder, and five seconds later Aria's feet appeared by her head. Spencer held out her hand to help her, and Aria jumped off neatly and easily.
"See? Easy as pie," Aria said, grinning. Emily heaved a sigh of relief.
"I was just so scared you'd fall and hurt the baby," she explained. "Pregnant people are just not supposed to be climbing down ladders from their bedroom windows in the middle of the night."
"It's nine-thirty, Em," Hanna pointed out.
"Well, whatever! It's dark and it's a garden ladder, and probably not the safest in the world," Emily retorted.
"Hey, that's my ladder you're talking about," Spencer retorted, pretending to be offended.
"Guys. Can we just get going, please?" Aria demanded. "I don't want to be gone too long."
"Okay. So here's the plan," Spencer said, taking charge. "We leave the ladder here on the ground so no one spots it leaning against your window. Everyone come back to my house, and Aria, you take my car to Mr Fi – Ezra's. When you come back, leave my car at my house and we'll all walk back here and get you safely up again. Okay?"
"Perfect," Aria said, smiling. "You guys are the best."
"Yeah yeah, we know. Just be back here by eleven-thirty at the latest, all right?" Hanna said. "My mom's been giving me uphill about being home before midnight."
"I promise," Aria said solemnly. "Did I mention you guys are the greatest?"
"Not in the last ten seconds," Spencer replied.
##++##
Fifteen minutes later, Aria knocked on the door of Ezra's apartment. He opened it almost immediately.
"Wow, that was fast," Aria commented.
"I couldn't wait to see you," Ezra replied, pulling her inside with his good arm and kicking the door closed behind him, and then leaning down to kiss her. "I missed you so much."
"You do know you saw me at lunchtime today," Aria replied, smiling, pushing some stray hair out of his eyes.
"In hospital time, that's at least three days," Ezra sighed, sinking down onto the sofa, leaving space for Aria to curl up beside him. "I can't tell you how great it is to be home."
Aria snuggled against him. "I'm just so glad you're here, safe at home. When I think about how bad it could have been –"
"Ssh," Ezra said, kissing her on the forehead. "Don't think about that. It's over now, and I'm okay. We're all okay, and I want you to concentrate on that."
Aria nodded, and Ezra reached his right arm down and placed it on her belly. "I know I can't come, but when is your next doctor's appointment?" he asked suddenly.
"Next week Friday, actually. My Mom's coming with me – at least, I guess she still is – but I wish it was you instead."
"Oh God, so do I," Ezra replied. "I knew I'd have to miss out on all this stuff once your parents found out, but it kind of sucks."
"I know. And Ezra – there's something else we need to decide."
"What's that?"
"The doctor said we can find out the baby's sex at this next scan," Aria replied, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. "And we've never discussed that. Do you want to know? Or do you want to be surprised?"
"Wow, I don't know," Ezra said, shifting so he could look down at Aria. "I can't believe it, but I've never even given a thought to whether I wanted to know or not. What do you want?"
"I don't know either," Aria confessed. "But it's just…if we do find out, I don't want to do it without you. I want us to find out together."
"You know that's probably never going to happen, right?" Ezra said. "I can't come with you to the doctor's, and, well, I'm definitely not going to be able to be there when the baby's born, so either way, you're going to know first."
"This completely sucks," Aria said sadly.
"Okay, that's enough of everything sucking for one night," Ezra declared, rousing himself. "You didn't come here for us to sit and cry over what can't be helped. I don't know if you're hungry, but I've ordered a giant bacon and banana pizza which should be here in the next few minutes, and we are going to eat that and have fun like a normal couple, before you have to be back. How did you manage to get out, anyhow?"
"The girls sneaked me out," Aria replied, carefully omitting the ladder part. Ezra didn't need to be freaked out by that for no reason. "My mom doesn't know, of course."
"Just be careful, okay? The more suspicious things you do, the more your mother will be watching."
"I think that's another thing that sucks, and should therefore not be talked about," Aria declared.
"I can't argue with that," Ezra said laughing. There was a knock at the door. "That must be our pizza. Would you mind? My wallet's on the kitchen counter over there."
"Of course", Aria said, jumping up. She grabbed the wallet and opened the door. "Hi….oh."
"Well, hello, Elizabeth," said Mrs Fitz.
"Oh…I'm sorry, we thought you were the pizza guy," Aria said confusedly. "I thought you'd left."
"I did. May I come in now?"
"Oh – yes, of course." Aria opened the door for Ezra's mother to come in, trying to position her body behind it.
Ezra clambered up from the sofa. "Mom? What are you doing back here? Is everything okay?"
"Of course, Ezra. I was halfway to the airport when I realized I'd left one of my bags behind, that's all. There's still plenty of time till check-in, so I decided to come back and get it. I must not have seen it behind – oh, there it is!" She pointed to a smallish carry-on bag peeking out from behind the sofa.
"Oh…well, that's good," Ezra said. "I'm sorry I didn't notice it before, or I'd have called you."
"Don't be silly, clearly you had other things on your mind," Mrs Fitz said, raising an eyebrow at Aria, who was standing behind the counter, trying to hide her tummy.
Mrs Fitz looked from Aria to Ezra and back again.
"So when were you planning on telling me?"
Era's mouth went dry. "Tell you what?"
"Oh, for goodness' sakes! Get out from behind that counter, Elizabeth."
Aria, white as a sheet, exchanged glances with Ezra, who nodded. It was all over now.
Aria came over to them, and Mrs Fitz looked critically at her belly.
"How far along are you?" she demanded.
"Twenty weeks," Aria said nervously.
"Uhuh. And when exactly, were you planning on telling me I'm going to be a grandmother?" Rachel Fitz demanded, wheeling round to face her son.
"You're not, mother." Ezra said steadily. Behind his mother, he could see Aria mouthing "what?" at him.
"I'm not? Do you mean to tell me that this baby isn't yours? That you're seeing a woman who is pregnant with another man's child?" his mother gasped.
"Mother, just listen, it's not –"
"Are you married?" Mrs Fitz demanded of Aria. "Are you cheating on someone with my son? Are you two-" she paused with distaste "-having an AFFAIR?"
"Mother, stop. You've got it all wrong. The baby's mine," Ezra said desperately.
"Really? The baby's yours? But I'm not going to be a grandmother? Tell me how you've worked that one out, Ezra."
"You're not going to be a grandmother because…Elizabeth is giving the baby up for adoption." Well, that had been the plan until recently, so why not?
Ezra's mother looked at him through narrowed eyes. "The hell she is," she said finally.
"Yes, she is," Ezra said firmly. "I'm sorry, mother, but that's not your decision."
"Do you mean to tell me that my first grandchild, the first in the next generation of Fitzes, is going to be raised by strangers, never to be seen again?" Rachel gasped.
"Exactly that. I'm sorry, mother, but this is why we didn't tell you."
"You were just going to have a baby and give it away and forget about it, is that what you're saying?" Mrs Fitz said coldly.
"Of course not! But Elizabeth and I – we can't keep this baby."
"Why not?" Mrs Fitz demanded, turning around to Aria, directing the question at her.
"It's complicated," she said, unable to think of anything else.
"Oh, well, that makes it all okay then! Best reason ever for giving away your baby!"
"Mother, calm down. Giving the baby up is the best decision for everyone, and it's a decision we've made together, so please, can you just accept that and forget about it?" Ezra said, heatedly.
"I feel like I don't even know you," she said, shaking her head. "The son I raised would never just give away his own child like this."
"Yes, well, you don't exactly know me, do you, Mother?" Ezra retorted, hurt. "Let's face it, I've barely seen you twice a year since I was twelve. That's half my life. So I don't think you actually get the right to come in here and tell me what's best for MY child."
Mrs Fitz drew back, stung, and Aria looked in shock at Ezra. She'd never seen him look like that at someone; so coldly, with such a hard expression. Also, she still wasn't certain what was going on. Of course, it would be easier if Mrs Fitz thought that there wasn't going to be a grandchild in her future, because otherwise she would have expected to be there for birthdays and Christmases and visits, and there was just no way that could happen, since Aria's parents had no idea of her involvement. But if they told her the truth – well, Aria barely knew the woman, but she had a shrewd idea that Ezra's mother would always do exactly what SHE wanted, and consequences be damned. And they couldn't let someone like that in on their secret. Clearly Ezra had come to the same conclusions, so here he was, not only lying to his mother, but also hurting her, to make sure she never found out their secret.
"Well. If that's the way you feel, I'd better be on my way, then," Mrs Fitz said, her head held high. She pulled her bag out from behind the sofa. "I'm sorry I disturbed you while you were sick."
"Mother, don't be like that," Ezra said desperately. "Look, I'm sorry. But all the same, we've made our decision about the baby."
"What baby?" Mrs Fitz asked, coldly. "Goodbye, Ezra. Elizabeth." She slung her bag over her shoulder and opened the door.
"Mother, please wait!"
"Pizza delivery for… E. Fitz?" At the most inopportune moment, the pizza delivery guy had arrived.
"It's for them," Mrs Fitz said, nodding her head back inside. "And their complicated situation."
"Um, okay?" said the delivery guy, looking confused.
"Ezra, shouldn't we go after her?" Aria said, worried. "You can't leave it like this."
"Yes, I can, and I have," Ezra said, wearily. "I only told her the truth. It's her own fault if she doesn't like it."
"But Ezra, she's your mother," Aria protested.
"Whom I barely ever see. And right now I need to make sure that you're protected – you and the baby. You're more family to me than she'll ever be."
"Um, excuse me? The pizza's 28.50". The delivery guy was still standing there uncertainly, holding out the box.
"Oh shit, sorry," Ezra said. "Where's my-"
"I've got it, love," said Aria, who was still clutching the wallet, as she had been ever since she'd opened the door to Ezra's mother. She pulled out some notes and gave them to the delivery guy. "There you go, okay, byebye now."
"Um, thanks," the poor guy said, still looking a bit bewildered as she closed the door in his face.
Aria went over to where Ezra had sunk down onto the sofa. "Are you okay?"
"Actually, I have no idea," he confessed, looking up at Aria. "I just needed her to stop asking questions. Getting her out of here was the most important thing."
"But Ezra, she's your mother, and she IS going to be this baby's grandmother. We are keeping the baby, so she'll have to find out eventually."
"She can find out when everyone else does, once you're out of high school," Ezra said firmly. "I hardly ever see her as it is, and the baby won't be living here anyway, so she's hardly likely to find out until we're ready to tell her. If she hadn't walked in her unannounced and seen your bump, she would still be happily ignorant."
"Yes but the point is, she's NOT now," Aria argued. "What's she going to say when she meets her two-year-old grandchild in two year's time, and we have to tell her we lied to her the whole time?"
"IF she's even speaking to me, by then we'll be able to explain why we lied. But Aria, you and our baby are my first consideration here. I'm keeping you safe. And yes, myself too. I couldn't trust my mother not to screw this up. It's hard enough as it is."
"I just don't want you to screw up your relationship with her on account of me," Aria said, snuggling up next to him again.
"I barely have one to screw up," Ezra said wryly. "Okay, look, if it makes you feel better I'll give her a call in a few days and try and smooth things over. But I don't want you to worry about this. Or anything. All I need you to do is look after our baby for us, and we'll take the rest as it comes. Okay?"
"Okay," Aria said, relaxing on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too."