A massive thanks to ashley62197 and Hannah for reviewing the last chapter :)

"Ezra, what are you doing here?" Ella asked.

"There's something I need to talk to you about." He replied.

"Of course, come in." Ella said, moving away from the door. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"No thanks." Ezra answered as they both made their way to the living room. Ella took a seat on the couch and motioned for Ezra to sit beside her. He hesitated, knowing Aria wanted both her parents there. He didn't want her to be put through telling them twice. "Umm... is Aria at home?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's upstairs doing homework." She said before walking to the bottom of the stairs to shout up to her daughter. "Aria, sweetie can you come here for a minute? Mr Fitz wants to talk to us."

Aria came downstairs followed by Byron who had heard his wife and figured if it concerned Aria then both parents should be a part of the discussion. He took a seat next to Ella and Aria sat on her other side on the arm of the couch.

Ezra stood in from of them nervously. All eyes were on him waiting for an explanation. He looked to Aria for support but found that she was unable to meet his eyes for she was focused on the hem of her shirt. She fiddled with it nervously, well aware of what he was about to say and the repercussions it could have.

"I wanted to clarify something." He started. "We wanted to tell you something important." Ezra froze, a lump in his throat, as big as the pile of essays he had building up to mark, was forming. Aria looked up and met his eyes, giving him the ounce of strength he needed to say what needed to be said. "I'm in love with your daughter. I love Aria."

He was met with a stunned silence. No one knew how to react to this information. Aria noticed that her mom had reached over to hold on to Byron. This must've shocked her pretty bad if she was turning to him for support after everything she'd learned today.

Aria walked up to stand by Ezra, hoping to plead their case. "We met before school started." She started to explain.

"Mike, you should go back upstairs." Ella said with she saw him coming in to the room.

"I wanted you to know that this happened before Aria was assigned to my class." Ezra told them.

"What do you mean before she was assigned to your class?" Byron asked.

"She wasn't my student...then."

"She wasn't your student then?" He asked, shocked.

"This can't be true." Ella said, equally as shocked as her husband.

"It is. Really." Aria replied. "I love him."

"This was going on... this happened while you were her teacher?" Ella asked.

She had had enough. Her daughter wasn't in love with her teacher. There was no way. Before Ezra had a chance to reply, she froze the room so that she could talk to Aria properly without Ezra and Byron interrupting and influencing her.

"Right, you need to tell me what's going on right now." She said firmly.

"Mom! You can't just freeze them."

"Well it looks like I just did. You'd better start talking young lady."

"It's true. I do love him, more than I've loved anyone before. Please if you don't trust him at least trust that." Aria pleaded.

"You sound like you expect me to be ok with this. Aria, he's your teacher."

"Like you're one to talk." She replied harshly.

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ella asked.

"You can't go judging me for falling in love with Ezra after what Leo told me!"

"And what did Leo tell you exactly?" Ella questioned, although it was clear she was really starting to lose her temper. "Oh, forget it. Leo!" She called, hoping to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. In amongst everything else going on in her mind, Ella figured this must be what 'A' had meant in that text earlier.

Leo orbed in to the room. "What?" He asked Ella before having a chance to survey the frozen room. "What happened here?"

"I told mom about me and Ezra." Aria explained.

"I cannot believe you knew and you didn't tell me." Ella shouted at her ex-husband.

"He only found out today." Aria said in his defence, not wanting Leo to be dragged in to this any more than he had to be.

Ella seemed to be having none of it though. "What did you tell her about me?" She asked him, hands poised in a position Leo knew meant she was considering blowing him up.

"Just that you should understand what she's going through better than most." He replied as calmly as possible. "We've experience forbidden love and we've overcome all the obstacles thrown at us that would've prevented us from getting married. If Aria really is in love with Ezra then shouldn't she have your support above everyone else's to get her through what people throw at her?" He argued.

Ella put her hands down and Leo relaxed slightly.

"I'm not done with either of you but Leo you need to go now. I need to talk to Ezra and Byron about this." She said. Leo orbed out and both Ella and Aria moved back in to position. "Aria I am not in any way ok with this but Leo has made his point and you should know I'll take it in to consideration but for now..." She said before cutting herself off by unfreezing the room.

"Yes." Ezra replied, in response to Ella's earlier question.

"Do you understand what you're saying?" Byron asked.

"Yes I do." He said, although his confidence was wavering. The look in Ella's eyes alone would've been enough to scare anyone who didn't know her off.

"No, I don't think you do because if you did you wouldn't be standing here. You wouldn't dare!" She replied, raising her voice as she moved towards him.

"Mom!" Aria warned, sensing that she was about to do something she'd regret that could expose them as witches. From years fighting demons, Ella had learned to resolve conflict by vanquishing them and that had been her life for years. Yet here she was and she was facing a bigger threat than even the Source in her eyes: someone who was taking away her daughter, someone who should know better. Aria might love him but there is no way she would believe that his intentions were truly honourable without a great deal of proof.

"You know what? I can't deal with this right now." Ella said, the day's events catching up with her. "Aria and Mike I want you to go upstairs."

"But mom..." Aria started to protest.

"Now." She said firmly. She didn't raise her voice but there was something in her tone that made them obey straight away. "I think you should leave before anyone says or does something they'll regret." She said to Ezra. While it wasn't a direct threat, her meaning was pretty clear.

Ezra made his way silently to the door. He opened it to let himself out and came face to face with Phoebe and Paige. Walking past them without a word, he drove straight back to his apartment.

"What happened here? You could cut the tension in this room with a knife." Phoebe commented.

"It's not your concern." Byron replied shortly. Ella mouthed to them that she'd tell them later. Besides, she needed her sisters' support after the day she'd had so what she told them was none of Byron's business. "We need to talk about this, Ella."

"I know we do but not now. Everyone needs a chance to cool off. We'll talk tomorrow after school."

"You think I'm letting Aria go to school knowing that he's there too?" Byron asked.

"I won't let anything happen. Aria doesn't have Ezra's class tomorrow anyway so there's no reason for her to see him." Byron was about to argue back when Ella cut him off. "I'm perfectly capable of looking after my own daughter. Now I'll be up in the attic with Phoebe and Paige. Please don't disturb us, we have some sister issues to work through." She said before marching up the stairs to the attic. Phoebe and Paige followed suit, hoping to get some answers about what had happened in the half hour or so they'd been away.

"What was going on back there, Piper?" Phoebe asked once they were in the privacy of the attic. "Is everything ok?"

"Aria seems to think she's in a relationship with her teacher."

"What? Was he that cute guy that just left?" Paige asked.

"Not helping." Ella muttered. "And yes. He came here tonight to tell us. She says she'd in love with him."

"But he's her teacher." Paige said.

"And that's what's got you so confused." Phoebe pointed out. Ella sighed, sitting back on the couch and nodding her head. "You don't like that she's seeing him but you know what it's like to be in her position."

"Exactly. And now it seems like Leo's told her about us so she thinks she's got me on her side with all this."

"What about Byron?" Phoebe asked as she sat next to her sister.

"Well you saw what he was like just now. He's feeling as angry and betrayed as I am. The only difference is I feel guilty about it because it's exactly what the Elders were like to me and Leo."

"You should go and talk to her. Explain your side of this and help her understand where you're coming from." Phoebe suggested.

"But you've also got to listen to what she has to say." Paige added.

"I don't think I can deal with all this now." Ella admitted. "Not with everything else going on in my life at the moment. Sometimes I wish I could just lead a normal life. No demons, no Whitelighters who try and turn my daughter against me, no men ruining every aspect of my life..."

"We all wish for that last one some days." Paige remarked.

"Leo isn't trying to turn Aria against you. He wants to protect you both and he thinks that you being open and honest with each other is the way to do it. I've got to say I agree with him." Phoebe said.

"I guess you're right." Ella sighed. "I'm glad you're both here tonight." She commented with a small smile. Phoebe leaned over to give her older sister a hug and it wasn't long before Paige joined in as well.

"And I'm so happy I've found you both." Paige smiled. "Even though you're probably putting my life in danger." She joked.

"Not funny." Ella replied.

"I just wish Prue, mom and Grams were here too." Phoebe said. "They'd know how to help with all of this."

Ella suddenly backed out of the hug. "That's it!" She exclaimed.

"What is?" Phoebe asked.

"That's how we can vanquish the Source."

"Ok you've lost me." Paige admitted.

"We use the power of our ancestors. We know the power of three isn't strong enough but what if we draw on the power of the Halliwell line?"

"We can use our ancestor's magic to make us strong enough to vanquish him!" Phoebe finished for her.

"Exactly. We should start working on a spell." Ella decided.

"How do we even know this will work?" Paige asked.

"We don't but if it doesn't we'll orb out and try something else." Ella said, suddenly feeling a bit lighter as the weight of the Source became less of a burden. She stood up and went to find a pen and some paper for them to work on. "We need a spell."

"Oh no you don't, missy. Me and Paige will work on the spell. You have your own family drama to deal with." Phoebe instructed.

"I don't think now is the best time. I'll talk to her about it later." She decided, not wanting to get in to a big confrontation again. She'd had enough arguments for one evening.

Meanwhile, Aria was setting out the candles she'd grabbed from the attic in her room. She lit the sage stick and recited the spell she'd copied from the Book of Shadows earlier.

"Beloved spirit Alison, I seek your guidance,

I ask that you commune with me and move amongst us."

Aria took a step back, frowning when nothing happened. She tried saying the spell a couple more times but was having no luck.

She'd wanted to talk to Alison for a while and found the spell to summon a spirit the day before while searching through the Book in the attic. Now that her secrets were all out, she knew Ali was the only one who could really help her. She always knew how to deal with the fallout from secrets and had a talent from making everything work in her favour. Aria felt she could really use some of her best friend's guidance here. She probably would have done this even without the events of the evening though. Since her body has been found the ache of missing her had only grown stronger. She felt she'd break if she couldn't hear her voice again and see her now she knew how to do it. The only problem was that it wasn't working. Why wasn't the spell working? Maybe she wasn't powerful enough and she needed the power of three to make it work, Aria reasoned. She quickly dismissed this idea though, not wanting to talk to her mom right now after she'd thrown Ezra out.

The thing that made Aria the most angry about how her parents had reacted was that she felt they were both being hypocritical for judging her. Her dad had been having an affair with his own student, making him not all that different from Ezra and, from what Leo had told her, her mom had had forbidden relationships with more species than she would ever admit. Add to that the fact that Phoebe had once told her she'd been an advocate for her marriage to an upper-level demon and Aria was really struggling to understand why she had such a problem with Ezra.

Instead of summoning Alison, which clearly wasn't working for her, Aria decided to try and talk to Prue. She'd been so understanding earlier that Aria hoped she'd be able to shed some light on her situation. If not, then maybe she'd at least try and reason with her mom about it.

"Hear these words, hear my cry

Spirit from the other side

Come to me, I summon thee

Cross now the Great Divide."

Prue now stood in front of Aria in her bedroom where there was just an empty space moments previously. This was something that Aria doubted she'd ever get used to.

"Aria, is everything ok?" She asked kindly, stepping out of the circle of candles on the floor of her niece's bedroom.

"Not really." Aria admitted. "Mom's really upset."

"Did she get a chance to talk to Byron?"

"I don't know but that's not what I'm talking about."

Prue looked confused as she noticed the tears glistening in Aria's eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. Her expression turned to one of concern, both for her sister and her niece, as she led the young girl to her bed and sat down next to her.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Prue suggested.

Aria did as she was told, telling Prue about how she met Ezra and how they got together before explaining the events that led to her telling her mom about their relationship. Prue listened quietly, hoping to hear Aria's side of the story completely before she made any judgement on Ezra. From the way she was acting, it seemed as if no one had given her a chance to explain what happened. It was clear that the young girl was in love and, from the sounds of it, Ezra had equally strong feelings for her. He treated her really well, better than guys her own age would, and was putting his entire career on the line for her. The similarities between their relationship and Piper and Leo's in the early stages rung loud and clear in Prue's opinion. She had half a mind to go up and try and talk some sense into her sister straight away, if she wasn't aware of how fragile both women were feeling right now. Aria needed her and Piper shouldn't have to deal with any more stress right now, especially after Aria explained how and why Phoebe and Paige were staying with them.

Once Aria had finished catching Prue up on everything that had happened in the few hours since they'd seen each other, she decided to ask the other question that was burning on her mind.

"Prue, is there any reason why I wouldn't be able to summon Alison's spirit?" She started tentatively.

"Does your mom know about this?" Prue asked and Aria shook her head. "Well I don't see why you shouldn't be able to. If you were able to summon me that's not so different from summoning a mortal's spirit."

"So I should be able to do it?" Aria clarified.

"Yes, I think so. Do you want me to try with you?"

"Ok." She agreed. The pair recited the spell from the sheet of paper Aria had written it down on earlier. They watched patiently to see if anything would happen and Aria was hit by a fresh wave of disappointment at not being able to see her friend when nothing happened.

"The only reason I can think of that she wouldn't come down is if she wasn't a spirit."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked. "I mean she could be a bitch at times but she wasn't a demon. She still had a soul."

"Unless she isn't on the spirit plane." Prue pointed out.

"I don't understand."

"I think your friend might still be alive."