Back by popular demand and I needed to write something where I don't want to punch Ezra in the face every five seconds like I do on the show right now. PLL is frustrating me like crazy and this story is my way of dealing with that.

Enjoy!

She was back in the dollhouse, in her room, or what looked like her room. Unlike her room at her house, this place didn't have real windows and the closet was just a brick wall. There were no pictures of her friends or family or of Ezra around her. This was nothing like her home. She was curled up in a ball in her bed, too scared to sleep because when she was asleep, she wasn't in control. Images flashed through her head of things that Charles had made her do. Waking up day with most of her hair cut off … having to choose which of the girls would get food or water or tortured. There were days when she refused to do what he wanted so she was the one who went without food or water. She hadn't seen or heard any of the other girls in what felt like days.

In all reality, she didn't know how many days she had been by herself.

She knew the lights the filtered in the windows was fake, for all she knew they had kept her awake for days on end or making her sleep more often making it seem like more days had gone past.

Aria wondered if she was ever going to get out of this place. She wondered if she was ever going to fix this situation with Ezra.

She had been thinking alot about him to get her through the long endless days. All she wanted was to tell him how stupid she was being when she said she wanted to be single when she went to college. She wanted to be back safe in his arms with her head tucked under his chin, with his strong arms wrapped around her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door to her room slowly opening. She backed herself up closer to the wall, drawing the blankets closer to her. Her worst fear was met when a figure walked in wearing a black hoodie and a mask.

She instantly started hyper ventilating as the figure got closer and closer …

"Don't come near me …. Please …. Please …. Leave me alone!"

"Aria ….. ARIA …"

Aria jumped and quickly looked around. It took her a few moments to realize she wasn't in the dollhouse, it was all just a dream and that she was safe. She was in the hospital with her parents and Ezra, looking scared at her sudden reaction. Her parents were at the end of the bed, holding onto each other while Ezra sat on the edge of the right side of the bed. He had come for her and saved her and gotten her back home. She looked up at him and she could see in his eyes that all he wanted to do was hold her hand and take away all the hurt that she had been through and she wished she could let him. All she wanted to do was finally be able to tell someone everything and start to put this nightmare behind her, but another part of her wanted to protect Ezra and her parents from the horrors that had been her life for the past three weeks.

"You're safe .. you're in the hospital … no one is coming for you." Ezra said to her, barely above a whisper as if not to scare her.

Silence filled the room as Aria tried to decide what she wanted to do.

"Mom, dad …." Aria called out to them. They quickly made their way to her side, her mom grabbing her hand, tracing small circles on the back of her hand.

"What do you need sweetheart?" Byron said.

"Do you think I could have a few minutes with Ezra?"

Ella and Byron looked over to Ezra, who looked just as shocked as they felt.

"Of course sweetheart. We'll be right outside." Ella said before her and Byron made their way out of the room.

Ezra and Aria were silent for awhile. Ezra, giving Aria the time she needed to figure out how she wanted to continue. Aria was curled up into a ball at the top of the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were straight ahead, not being able to look Ezra in the eyes for fear of breaking down. She couldn't do that yet. She had to get this out.

"How are you doing?" Ezra said.

"I have no idea … Every time I try to sleep or close my eyes I see things. Things that I feel like I will never be able to forget. I don't know how I am ever going to get over this. When I do fall asleep, it's like it's so real, it's like i'm right back there."

"I don't know what to say to make you feel better." Ezra softly said as moved closer to her on the bed.

Aria slowly unclenched and moved her hand to the bed. Ezra grabbed her small hand in both of his. She took a few deep breaths and finally met his gaze. The two shared a smile.

Byron and Ella kept a close watch on their daughter from outside. Her and Ezra weren't talking but he was holding her hand and smiling, something they hadn't seen from her since they walked into her room.

"It's like I am happy that she's happy, but I wish we were the ones to be able to help her." Byron spoke quietly.

"We will be able to help her." Ella responded, "This is going to be a group effort to get everything back to some kind of normal. If him being here and getting her to open up is what it takes to start the process then, i'm all for it." The two shared a smile.

"How is she doing?" Veronica said from behind them as she walked up with two cups of coffee.

"Thank you. She's doing okay. She just woke up from a nightmare. She asked to talk to just Ezra but seems to be doing okay." Ella said turning to look back at Aria and Ezra in the room. She could see that Aria was talking to him now. Tear were running down both of their faces.

"He's amazing with her. Seeing how hard him, Caleb and Toby have been working the past few weeks. I had heard the rumors but never thought they were true, never thought it was her. I think I am still trying to wrap my head around the two of them." Veronica said.

"Believe me … we are still trying to do that and we've known for almost a year now but he had been such a help over the last few weeks, it's helping the idea." Ella answered.

"You guys are okay with them?" Veronica questioned.

"When we first found out, we were not happy, not one bit. There was yelling and fighting. Mike actually punched him so I wouldn't." Byron said.

"Was she the reason he left Rosewood to go to Hollis?"

"Yep and I am kinda ashamed to admit now that I was the reason he lost his job at Hollis. I thought he was bad for her, now … I just want her healthy and happy, if that is with him then … okay."

"How's Spencer?" Ella inquired.

"She won't sleep, at all and she won't let anyone near her except Toby. We are trying to avoid giving her any sleepaid or opiads given her past issues but the doctors are starting to get worried so we might not have any choice." Veronica said with a sigh.

"I can't even wrap my head around what could have happened to them that would scare her that bad." Byron sighed.

"I think it is going to be a long time before we fully understand what happened to them. We may not ever understand." Ella signed, laying her hand on Veronica's arm as a show of support.

"One of the physiatrist was telling me that it is very possible that the girls will pick one person to latch onto and that will be the one person they talk to. She said that we should encourage it, that it might be the best way for us to understand." Veronica added.

"Have you heard about any of the other girls? Are they having the same reactions?" Byron asked.

"Hannah has been asleep since shortly after Ashley was allowed to see her but would only go to sleep if Caleb was actually in the bed with her. Emily has been talking to her mom and facetiming her dad. The army isn't giving him leave to come see her but they are letting him call alot. Last time I checked she was asleep. Mona and her mom have basically been talking non stop since she got here. They have the other girl that was found with them up on the psych floor so I haven't seen or heard anything about her. I have been walking around checking in on everyone since Peter and I even being in the room seems to upset Spencer."

"That's just right now. Give her some time to decompress and eventually … she'll talk."

"I know. I am going to go check on her. I hope Aria starts to feel better."

"Thanks. Give our love to Spencer."

"I will." Veronica said before heading back down the hall to Spencer's room.

Back in the room, it has been silent. Both Aria and Ezra taking comfort in the moment in their physical contact, even if it was just the two of them holding hands. Aria was trying to sort out her thoughts to be able to begin to try to explain everything that she has gone through.

"When we were down there …. Charles kept us in rooms that were copies of our rooms at home. Right after we were taken, we woke up in our beds, not sure at all how we got there." Aria paused as the tears began to flow. Ezra moved so he was closer to her but kept his distance and a tight hold on her hands. "We were kept in our rooms for days on end, not being able to see each other at all after the first few days. We had tried to escape after Charles made us plan that stupid prom. He kept us locked outside for days without any food or water. After that we didn't see each other until just a few days before we finally got out. We would be brought out of the room one by one and forced to choose one of us to not get water or food or torture. If we didn't choose one, none of them would get anything. Every night, there was three minutes when the generator that powered the bunker, would shut down. One night, we finally had enough. We set fire to Charles room of horrors or memories or whatever. That's what caused the smoke." She paused again, this time both had tears running down their faces. "I remember when we were running towards the doors, I could hear your voice and all I wanted to do was break down the doors to get to you. When I finally saw you, I didn't know what to think. While we were in there, I would just lay in that bed wondering if I would ever get to see you again, would I ever get to lay with you again or get to tell you how stupid I had been acting the last few weeks. Being down there made me realize how much," Aria voice got caught for a moment, not quite sure how to continue. She looked up at Ezra and almost lost it. "How much I can't live without you." That was all it took for Ezra to close the distance between them and for Aria to completely break down. He gathered her into his arms, her entire body fit in his lap and he hugged her close as she sobbed into his chest.

After a few moments Ezra moved them so he was leaning back on the bed with his legs extended with Aria still in his lap. Ezra could see Byron and Ella looking concerned from the window. He mouthed to them that she was okay. They smiled back at him.

"What do we do now?" Aria asked not moving except tilting her head to look Ezra in the eye.

"We move forward at whatever pace you need. Aria, I will be anything you need me to be, just know I love you so much."

"I can't promise that the next few months or years are going to be easy but after all of this … it made me realize how much I need you in my life and by my side. I love you."

Aria turned herself around and wrapped her arms around Ezra's neck before finally kissing him. Both had tears streaming down their faces after emotions flowed between the two of them. Their mouths only separated when one of them needed air. Neither one of them wanted to let go of each other. After being apart for so long, neither one of them wanted to lose the comfort that the other one brought.

Ella and Byron smiled at each other from the other side of the glass window.

"Guess we don't have to worry about him going anywhere …. Think you can handle him as your son-in-law someday?" Ella said with a laugh.

"We still hopefully have a long long time until that happens but in like 5 …. 10 years … yea …. I would be okay with it. I may not have liked him in the beginning but I can't deny how much he loves her."

"I never thought I would hear you say that."

"I never thought I say it."

Aria and Ezra separated and leaned their foreheads together as they caught their breaths. They rearranged themselves so that Ezra was laying down with Aria laying besides him curled up in his side with her head on his chest. He had his arms wrapped protectively around her.

"How about you get some sleep? I'm not going anywhere."

"Yea …. Ezra …. I love you. Thanks for bringing me home."

"You know there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. I love you too."

He looked down at her to give her a kiss and she was already asleep. He placed a quick kiss on the top of her head before settling into the bed and closing his eyes to get some sleep himself.

That was how Ella and Byron found them once they made their way back into the room. Ezra was already fast asleep and Aria had a death grip on his shirt.

"At least they both are getting some good sleep. I could use some of that." Ella said as she sat down on the cot that the nurses had placed at the far end of the room.

"I think knowing that she is taken care of, we can finally get some sleep and start to put all of this behind us." Byron said as he laid down next to her. "Love you Ella."

"Love you too Byron."

Within moments they were asleep, the peace of knowing their daughter was safe, and loved, enough to let them get sound sleep for the first time in what felt like weeks.

I don't know if I will continue this. Depends on if I get inspiration or if I need a distraction because the new episodes continue to be as bad as they have been. Just wanted to thank everyone for your kind words on this story and my other story One Year Later. I am working on that story next now that I got this one out of my head.

Thanks and please review!