Chapter 3

Ezra was determined to find answers and when he is determined to find answers he does everything in his power to get the answers he needs. He quickly ordered another coffee and headed straight for Ella Mongomery's. It didn't take him long to get to her house, after all he practically knew everywhere Aria had been in this town. It sounds stalkerish and he knew that, but what he had done, he done to protect her and he hoped deep down that she realized that especially after New York. Pulling into the driveway he got out and began to walk up the stairs when something across the street caught his eye. It was Aria she was walking up the steps of the house across the street with her friends and their gaggle of kids. He quickly ducked behind a pole on the front porch hiding from their possible stares.

"What are you fifteen?" A deep voice asked from the doorway and Ezra quickly turned to see Mike Montgomery standing there.

"I-uhh just didn't want to be seen" He said nervously to Mike. The pair hadn't seen each other since well before the shooting in New York and things had always remained awkward between the two.

"What are you doing here anyway? Aria's house is across the street." He said pointing out the obvious to Ezra.

"I actually came to see your mother. I had some questions about her curriculum she plans on teaching this year."

"What are you her boss?" Mike scoffed as he led him into the living room. "I will go get her she is upstairs getting a room together for her granddaughter."

"Lilia is here?" Ezra asked perking up just a bit. For some reason that little girl made an impact on him, probably because of the fact that she was Aria's daughter.

"How do you know about Lilia?" Mike asked confused as they had kept her a secret from him for eight years.

"I saw Aria and her in the coffee shop in town. Is she going to come over?"

"Most likely so, Aria normally only allows visits in California so mom is beyond excited to have her over here."

"California?"

"Yea California in San Francisco where Aria has been living for the past eight years."

Mike rolled his eyes and went upstairs leaving Ezra to his own thoughts. Of course she had gone to San Francisco he thought as he paced the living room. That was his favorite city, the city the two had talked about running away to together. He had gone to that city many times over the past eight years and he had never thought that Aria would have been there. Aria was supposed to be gone to a school overseas in England, she was supposed to be living out her dream in the city of literature and art, not living in San Francisco raising a child. It was all beginning to take its toll when Ella finally walked into the room.

"Hello Ezra. Mike said you needed to speak with me about my curriculum for the year?" She asked with a knowing voice. She knew why Ezra was there and she gestured for him to sit across from her on the couch. As she sat down across from him she took out her phone sending a quick text to someone.

"You know why I am here Ella."

"I was wondering how long it would take you before you showed up" She said as she took the coffee from him. "Thank you"

"Ella, I need answers you have them."

"I cannot promise you any answers Ezra, but I can try."

"Why did she leave?" He asked knowing this answer was probably one of the only ones he could actually get an answer out of Ella.

"She needed space. She said she needed to get away and no one could know where she really was. So we came up with a lie that she was at a school in England studying literature."

"Where was she?"

"We bought her a small bungalow in a subdivision of San Francisco. She went to college there and started teaching at a local high school there once she graduated." Teaching of course she was teaching other people her love of literature Ezra thought.

"When did she get pregnant?"

"I cannot tell you that Ezra. Only Aria can tell you that, she has made it clear to us that you are not to get answers like that from us."

"Us? Who else knows everything?" Ezra asked knowing the answer in his mind already.

"Me of course, her brother, her father, and the girls. We have known since the start. They are the ones who got Aria to San Francisco. Spencer and Hanna drove with her in her car and Emily and Alison followed in the truck with all her stuff in it."

"How long after New York did she leave?" He asked knowing the full truth was already out there so there was no use in lying any more about their whereabouts anymore from that night.

"The plan was two weeks, but she couldn't leave until after the sale was final so it was more like four weeks."

"She was still here when I got back?" He was in utter shock. He had been told she had been gone for two weeks before he had gotten back to town.

"Yes and she hid in this house the whole time with only minor trips to Hanna's or Spencer's."

"Why did she hide from me? Why?" He asked more to himself then to Ella in reality.

"Ezra I know this is hard for you, but trust me whatever happened Aria had her reasons. Just promise me one thing ok?" He looked up at her from his gaze that had drifted over to a picture of Aria and Lilia. It must not have been taken long ago. They had been standing in front of Cinderella's castle in California and Aria looked completely happy in the picture. "Promise me not to get mad at her too much, let her speak and explain things before you get angry. I know the two of you are still madly in love with each other and remember that when you speak with her."

"I promise Ella." He stood up and walked towards the door. He stopped when he got to it and turned towards Ella. "One more question Ella."

"What is it?"

"Did she ever speak of me?"

"When she did it was for brief moments and only fondly. She never got over you. She tried to, but it never work hell she is practically a born again virgin!" Ellla said with a laugh which was met with a quizzical stare from Ezra. "She hasn't been with anyone since you Ezra. A date here or there, but her heart always belonged to you."

He nodded and headed out the front door to his car. Just as he was reaching his car three kids ran from across the street. He recognized them all as they ran towards him. One was Lilia, Aria's daughter, and the two others were Spencer and Hanna's respectively, to his knowledge they were eight as well because he remembers the talk about town when the two became pregnant shortly after his return from New York. A Hastings pregnant at 18, but no one was shocked by Hanna's pregnancy. Ezra shook his head at the silly thoughts of old gossip and opened his door.

"Who are you?" the boy piped up, very Spencer like.

"His name is Ezra Fitz. He is my mom's friend from town. I guess they knew each other from when he taught at the high school" Lilia said matter of factly as if knowing it was something special. "He was mom's favorite teacher!" She added on at the end and Ezra just smiled his blue eyes twinkling almost the same as Lilia's he thought. No it couldn't be he said to himself and pushed those thoughts out of his head.

"What are you guys doing over here?" He asked as he looked up across the street and saw Aria and the other girls on the front porch staring at the interaction. He could see Emily's hand softly restraining Aria from running over to them.

"Grandma texted mom saying she made cookies and wanted us to come over and get some."

"Well go get them. I smelled them and they smelt like my favorite brownie chocolate chip."

"Brownie chocolate chip is my favorite too!" Lilia exclaimed with a smile and excited look to her face. She just beamed up at Ezra when she spoke and Ezra couldn't help, but beam back at her. Something about this small girl made him completely happy.

"Well go get some I know they will go quick with your uncle in there"

"Come on guys. Uncle Mike will eat them before we get a chance."

Lilia grabbed the other two and ran up the stairs with them and into the house. Ezra just stared after them for a moment smiling, a smile he couldn't just kick since seeing the little girl and Aria. He shook his head once again and turned back to his car, but he could feel the stares from across the street and turned to look at them. They were all there Hanna, Emily, Aria, Alison, and Spencer all standing there staring at him. All of them stood there staring at him until Ezra could not take it any longer and crossed the street to them.

"May I help you girls?" He asked, but he only looked at Aria.

"What were you doing at Aria's mom's house?" Alison asked for the group, always the leader she was.

"I had to ask her a few questions that I needed answers to" He answered her while still looking solely at Aria.

"Did you get the answers you wanted?" Spencer asked side stepping to be beside Aria in case of anything.

"No for the most part. She answered some, not all of them. She told me I had to look elsewhere for my answers." He answered once again staring directly into Aria's eyes. She stared back to, she just couldn't look away she never could when he was around. "I should go I have a lot to do before tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What is tomorrow?" Aria asked hoping he would not give the answer she knew was coming anyway.

"School starts at Rosewood High of course" He said with a smile and nod to Aria. "I will see you there. Your classroom is my old classroom."

"You teach there still? The school district said you didn't teach at Rosewood High anymore."

"I don't teach there" He said with a smirk as he stepped a little closer to Aria, an excuse to just take in her scent for just a moment. "I am the principal"

Thank you all for the reviews. Honestly I did not think any one was going to read this anyway. I also plan to post a new chapter every Thursday so keep a look out on Thursdays (: Note that some things change so some weeks it might be Fridays, but I do have up to chapter 8 written now.