Aria's POV
Usually when I'm gone, I stay gone for up to twenty-four hours. This time, however, I find it in myself to recover much sooner. I glance over at my alarm clock and sigh when I realize that it's six o'clock in the morning and Ezra isn't by my side. He must still be angry about our argument. I'm tired of fighting, and now is as good of a time as ever to make amends with my husband and son.
I get out of bed and make my way to the living room, where Ezra is sleeping soundly on the couch. I don't want to wake him, but I cannot go another minute without speaking to Ezra. I scotch towards the sleeping man and plant a soft kiss on his forehead. My husband's blue eyes flutter open, and his pale lips curl into a smile.
"You're awake." Ezra says as he pulls me close to him.
"I'm so sorry." I say, unable to think of a better response.
"What are you sorry for?" Ezra asks as he furrows his brow in confusion.
"For everything. I don't want to fight with you anymore, Ezra. I love you, and I need you." I say as tears begin to form in my eyes.
"Honey, I'm sorry too. I love you more than anything in the world, and I'm not going anywhere." Ezra whispers before pulling me close to him and pressing his lips against mine.
I kiss Ezra back, and for half a second everything is absolutely perfect. I forget that my little girl was raped and that I got into a terrible fight with my son. All that seems to matter is that I have Ezra by my side. Then reality hits me, and I realize that all of it matters.
"I've been thinking a lot about Hope and our situation. If it were up to me, we'd tell her the truth about Nick and the room. However, I've decided that this decision should be completely in your hands. This is your truth to tell, and if you're not ready to tell it, I support your decision." Ezra says as he breaks the heated kiss.
"Thank you, Ezra. That means the world to me. You have no idea." I say as I stare into his piercing blue eyes.
"You don't have to thank me, Aria. We're a team, and I'll always be there for you." My husband says as he grabs a loose piece of hair and tucks it behind my ear.
"Where are our beautiful children?" I ask Ezra softly.
"Hope is upstairs sleeping and Gregory is back at Penn." Ezra says after thinking about it for a minute.
"P-Penn? Gregory said he wanted to stick around for a few days." I say as my eyes grow wide with shock.
"Yeah, I heard that too. The kid must have had a change of heart because he left last night before dinner. Hope said he was stressed out about a paper or something like that." Ezra says with a nonchalant shrug.
"Oh Ezra..." I say as I burst into tears.
"Sweetheart, don't cry. Gregory will be back here soon! Don't worry about it!" Ezra exclaims as he begins to rub my back.
"You don't understand, Ezra. Gregory left because of me. Yesterday when you were at your mom's house we got into a terrible fight." I say through my heavy sobs.
"You are Gregory got into a fight?" Ezra asks in disbelief.
"Yes." I say with a sad nod.
"B-But you two never fight. I know you sometimes butt heads with Hope, but never Gregory. What happened?" Ezra asks with concern in his voice.
"I think he had a conversation with Miranda about Hope, and now he seems to think that we should tell her the truth. I was so stressed out and angry about our fight, that I completely snapped at him. Gregory told me that he never expected me to shut him out, and that I hurt him more than Nick ever did..." I say as I begin to cry ever harder if that's humanly possible.
"Sh-sh, don't cry. This is hard on Gregory too, Aria. Hope is his baby sister, and you how close they are. Gregory is obviously trying to find ways to cope, and fighting with you probably made him even more upset. He didn't mean those things, Aria. Gregory loves you more than anything in the world." Ezra says as he envelopes me in a hug.
"I need to see him, Ezra. I cannot stand the idea of my little boy sitting in his dorm room and thinking that I'm angry with him. I need to make things right." I say as I wipe away my tears.
"Aria, it's six o'clock in the morning. Gregory is probably sounds asleep, and I don't want you driving all the way to the city while you're this upset." Ezra says as his tone turns serious.
"W-Well I can't just wait around the house all day. I'll go crazy!" I exclaim.
"Why don't you go for a run around the neighborhood? Isn't that what you always do to clear your mind?" Ezra asks a rests a hand on my shoulder.
"Yes, but I couldn't possibly do that this morning. I can't leave Hope again, Ezra." I say as my tone turns serious.
"Aria, Hope will be fine. She'll probably sleep for another two hours and surely you'll be back by the time she wakes up. Even if you're not, I'll be here. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of her while you're gone, honey." Ezra tells me.
"I don't know Ezra..." I start to ramble.
"Go, Aria. You need to do something for yourself." Ezra says, obviously trying to persuade me.
Maybe I should go for a run. If I clear my mind, I'll be able to deal with this situation better. I need to be the best mother possible for Hope's sake.
"Okay, but I'll only be gone for an hour." I say before kissing Ezra's forehead and hurrying upstairs so I can change into my running clothes.
Line Break
I'm out of shape. I've only been running for about ten minutes, and I already feel winded. I really should run more. I've been so busy with work and my family that I haven't had much time to run over the past few weeks. At least I get the opportunity now. I let out a startled shriek when I feel someone tap my shoulder. What if... No!
"Aria Fitzgerald, how are you dealing with this tragedy?" I hear a female voice say.
I turn around and gasp when I see a news reporter standing in front of me. She has a team of about twelve and they are filming me. They are filming me without my consent...
"Leave before I call the police!" I exclaim furiously.
"How is Hope doing? I can only imagine how difficult this must be for your family. Especially after..." The woman starts to ramble.
"What did you say?" I ask, cutting the woman off mid sentence.
"I was starting to express my sympathy and condolences. What a tragedy this is. Especially after what happened to you years ago, Mrs. Fitzgerald." The reporter says as she shakes her head slowly.
Absolute furry overtakes my tiny body. How dare they? How dare they come up to me on the street and mention my past? What if Hope had been with me? Wait... Maybe Ezra and Gregory have a point after all.
"How dare you!" I scream furiously.
"Excuse me?" The woman asks as she furrows her brow in confusion.
"How dare you approach me on the street and ask me personal questions about my family. We have enough going on without you bottom feeding scums tracking our each and every move. Go to hell!" I should before yanking the woman's microphone out of her hand and chucking it to the ground.
Before her or the crew members can respond, I turn around and begin to sprint towards my house. I don't feel winded at all anymore. I can't focus on my fatigue. The only think I can focus on is getting home to my baby girl.
Ezra's POV
Just like her mother, Hope loves blueberry pancakes. Since my daughter has been feeling so down lately, I thought I'd make Hope her favorite breakfast. To my dismay, Hope has barely touched the pancakes I made her. Instead, she sits across from me at the kitchen table looking as depressed as ever.
"Do those not taste good, sweetheart?" I ask her curiously.
"I'm just not hungry. That's anyways, Dad." Hope mutters before pushing the full plate of pancakes towards the middle of the table.
"No problem, honey. It seems like you're having kind of a tough morning." I say as I stare into my daughter's hazel eyes.
"It's just- Why did Mom have to leave? Usually she comes and talks to me after she's been gone for a while. Did I do something wrong?" Hope asks as tears begin to well up in her eyes.
"Of course you didn't do anything wrong, honey. Your mother wanted to stay with you, but I practically kicked her out of the house. I thought she needed some fresh air." I say as I grab Hope's hand and give it a gentle squeeze.
"I wish you hadn't done that, Daddy." Hope says as she shakes her head slowly.
"Why? Is everything okay?" I ask as my eyes grow wide with shock.
"I-I didn't sleep at all last night. The nightmares kept me up... I just needed her this morning." Hope says with a sniffle.
"I'm so sorry, Hope. If I had known I wouldn't have asked her to get out of the house for a few hours. I just thought- I thought I'd be able to manage you on my own. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? Do you want to talk to me about some of the nightmares?" I ask my daughter gently.
"That's okay, Daddy." Hope says as she begins to shake her head vigorously.
"Why not, Hope? You used to tell me everything you know." I say with a sad smile.
"But this is different. It's... Awkward." Hope says with an involuntary shutter.
"I get it. I'm your father and you feel uncomfortable talking about what happened with me." I say with a breathy sigh.
"I just don't want to upset you." Hope says as she avoids looking into my blue eyes.
"I don't care if it upsets me, Hope. The only person in the world I care about right now is you." I say as I grab her hand and give it a gentle squeeze.
"Did you know that I kissed him? I kissed him willfully." Hope says as her voice cracks nervously.
"Yes. Your mother told me that part." I tell her softly.
"Owen was my first kiss. Before him no one had ever wanted to kiss me. Maybe that's why I was so eager to get in the back of his car. It's my fault, Daddy. It's all my fault." Hope says as she bursts into tears.
Her words nearly break my heart in two. How many times have I heard Aria say those exact same words? How many times have I watched my poor wife beat herself up over something that wasn't her fault? Now I have to watch my baby girl suffer through the exact same thing.
"Don't say that, Hope. It wasn't your fault. That boy took advantage of you." I say as my tone turns serious.
"I was so confused, Daddy. At first I thought it was his fingers, but then I realized his hands were by his side. It hurt so much. I thought he was going to break me somehow." Hope says with an involuntary shutter.
"Honey, I know it hurt. The girl's first time always hurts and the fact that your first time was rape probably made it significantly worse. I'm so sorry you had to endure so much pain, baby girl." I say as tears begin to form in my eyes.
"Y-You're crying." Hope says as her eyes grow wide with shock.
I just hate the thought of someone doing those things to you. It makes me sick." I say as I shake my head in disgust.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you. Now you're upset because of me!" Hope exclaims.
"Darling, that is absolutely untrue. Nothing you've done has upset me. It's his actions that are causing me pain. Besides, I'd rather know the truth than be left in the dark about what happened. I have a wild imagination, Hope. All weekend I've been thinking of the worst things he could have possibly done to you." I say with a shutter.
"How could it be any worse?" Hope asks with a puzzled expression on her face.
"You don't want to know, sweetheart. I'm just so happy that you're safe with me. Nothing will ever happen to you while you're close to me. Ever since you were a little girl I've wished I could glue you to me. I just wish I was capable of keeping you safe every second of everyday." I confess.
"I know you do." Hope says as she stares into my blue eyes.
Before I can respond, Aria bursts into the kitchen. Tears are pouring out of her hazel eyes and she looks as though she's just committed murder. What's going on here? Aria hasn't looked this frantic since we visited Hope in the hospital. I thought she was finally starting to feel better.
"Mommy, you're back. Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?" Hope asks with panic in her voice.
"Come to me, darling." Aria says as her tone turns serious.
Hope nods before springing to her feet and walking over to Aria. My wife responds by wrapping her arms around Hope and holding her so tightly that I doubt she can breathe. Hope begins to sob into her mother's chest but Aria merely shushes her.
"Don't cry, beautiful. You haven't done anything wrong since we brought you home from the hospital fourteen years ago. You are the most pure and perfect thing in my life, so please don't think that you've ever done anything to upset me." Aria says as she begins to rub Hope's back gently.
"But Mommy..." Hope starts to ramble.
"But nothing, Hope. You're absolutely perfect and I love you more than anything in the entire world. Go upstairs to your room. I'll be up there in a few minutes and we can have a talk." Aria instructs.
"W-Why do I have to go upstairs?" Hope asks as she furrows her brow in confusion.
"Because I need to have a serious talk with your father. Please go." Aria begs with desperation in her voice.
Hope looks disappointed but she finally nods her head and hurries upstairs to her bedroom. Perfect. Now it's just me and Aria, and I can ask her what the hell is going on here. Why did she send Hope out? This must be serious.
"Aria, is everything okay? Why did you make Hope leave?" I ask with concern in my voice.
Aria doesn't say a word. Instead she hurries over to the kitchen table and takes a seat on my lap. She runs her fingers through my hair before throwing her arms around me and kissing my forehead softly.
"You were so right, Ezra. We have to tell Hope the truth as soon as possible." Aria says as she stares into my blue eyes.
"What's with the change of heart?" I ask as my eyes grow wide with shock.
"While I was running, a group of reporters came up to me. They started asked me questions." Aria says with an involuntary shutter.
"What kinds of questions?" I ask her gently.
"Personal questions. You know, ones about Nick and the room. The entire time I kept asking myself what would have happened if I had brought Hope along with me. Ezra, if she finds out from the reporters she'll be absolutely devastated. We've kept her sheltered for years, but one of these days someone is going to pop her little bubble." Aria says with a breathy sigh.
"You don't have to convince me, Aria. We're on the same side of this argument now. I think we need to tell Hope, but I don't know how we're going to break the truth to her." I confess.
"I do. I have the perfect way to tell Hope about our family's past. But Ezra... It might seem crazy at first. I just-I just need you to trust me completely." Aria says as her tone turns serious.
"Of course I trust you, Aria. I've trusted you since the first day I saw you at that bar." I tell my wife.
"Perfect." Aria mutters before leaning into me and whispering her entire plan. By the time she's done, I'm in complete shock. Why would Aria want to tell Hope in such an impersonal way?
"Are you crazy?" I ask as I pull away from my wife.
"You said you trusted me." Aria says with hurt in her voice.
"I do, but this is ludicrous. We can't do that to her, Aria." I say as I shake my head slowly.
"We have to, Ezra. It's the only way I'll be able to get this off my chest. Please just trust me. Trust me even more than you ever had before." Aria begs with desperation I her voice.
"Darling, I couldn't trust you even more if I tried. If you feel so strongly about this, we'll do it your way. Frankly, I don't have another alternative." I say with a sigh of defeat.
"You won't regret this, Ezra." Aria murmurs before throwing her arms around me while I silently pray that she is right.
AN: Did you like this chapters? What did you think of the Aria and Ezra scenes and the Ezra and Hope scene? How will Aria tell Hope? Please review and tell me your thoughts. Thanks for reading and have a nice Christmas.