Greetings all. Thank you for each and every review you have posted. I love the positive feedback. I will understand if you don't like this chapter too much. I've never been in Aria and Ezra's situation (obviously) so it was hard to write it. I hope you will continue to stick with this story though. I apoligize in advance for any typos.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars.

Here is chapter nine.

"Fitz" he stated simply. "My daddy is named Ezra Fitz."

And as she took notice of the look on her mother's face she mentally kicked herself for keeping such a secret. She watched as her mother stood up and looked her in the eye. Her face was a mixture of emotions: hurt, confusion, and anger being just a few of them.

Then when Ella finally managed to speak only one sentence came out of her mouth. "I knew Jake looked like someone I've seen before."

Ella quickly found the closest unoccupied chair and took a seat. There was so much going on around her. Between Byron's mishap and the bombshell she had just seconds ago learned about her daughter, Ella firmly believed that if she didn't take a seat soon there was a very real possibility that she might faint.

Ella still couldn't quite believe what she had just learned. Not only was her only daughter back in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, but she was back in town with a child. And that wasn't the half of it; she was back in Rosewood with a son whose father was Ezra Fitz who had been Aria's English teacher during her junior year of high school and a colleague of Ella's during her time as a teacher at Rosewood. Ella had reason to be lost.

"Aria." She spoke as she took a long gaze in her daughter's direction. "What the hell? So I take it this was the real reason you didn't come back in town for four years."

Aria only nodded in response. She knew her mother had a right to be angry and upset but deep down she hoped that someway somehow things would eventually work out.

"I see. I must say it is very brave of you to keep Jake after what that man did to you."

"What do you mean what that man did to me? Aria interrupted. She was beginning to grow confused and anger overtook her.

"After he forced you into sleeping with him." Ella answered obviously.

"Forced me? He didn't force me into anything mom."

At this Ella stood up from her seat, finally being able to gain her composure and her balance. "What exactly are you trying to say Aria?" Ella growled

"Uh mom you might want to sit back down for this."

Ella shook her head. "No actually I would prefer to remain standing, but I'm quite interested in what you have to say."

It was the moment of truth and Aria wished that she could be standing anywhere else other than at this spot directly in front of her mom at the moment. Aria took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Mom, Ezra and I were together for two years. I met him at Snookers the day we came home from Iceland."

"Excuse me. I'm not sure I h-heard you correctly. Did you just tell me you dated your teacher for two years?"

Aria responded with a soft nod. "Mmhmm. Uh yes." She mumbled.

"Aria that's illegal. Not to mention disturbing, in fact if I wanted to I could call the cops right now and have the police send him to jail. Ar-."

Before Ella had a chance to continue her statement Aria interrupted her. "Well technically we didn't have sex until the night of my graduation. I was eighteen."

"I don't care about technicalities Aria. What you and Mr. Fitz did is wrong. It's very, very wrong." Ella spoke. Aria was just a tad thankful that they were in public since Ella wasn't exactly able to raise her voice in the waiting room of a hospital.

"I know that mom. Believe me I do. But you and I both know that you can't exactly help who you love. The heart wants what it wants. And if it is any inclination we tried to stay away from each other but I couldn't do that, Mom it was too hard."

Ella sucked in a heavy breath and she listened to her daughter attempt to rationalize the secret love affair she had with her high school English teacher. She was silent for what seemed like hours before her eyes wandered to Jake and after a moment back up to Aria. "I-I'd like to speak with him if you don't mind."

Aria let out a gasp. "W-with Ezra?"

"With Mr, Fitz." Ella stated simply.

"Could you please at least call him Ezra?"

Aria took a brief moment to ponder the question. "I'll see."

Aria dug through her purse for a few moments before she finally found what she was looking for. She quickly pulled out her phone and slid the screen to unlock. She then turned her gaze to her mother. "Mom, could you watch Jake while I'm on the phone?"

Ella nodded. "I guess now is as good a time as any to meet my grandson. C'mon buddy." She said as she grabbed Jake's hand away from Aria and led him to a seat in the corner of the waiting room.

Aria on the other hand was a nervous wreck. She had no idea what her mom was thinking or what she and Ezra were going to discuss. She found her way to a silent hallway and dialed Ezra's familiar number. He picked up on the second ring,

"Hello?'

"Hey it's me." Aria began. "Do you mind coming up to the hospital?"

"Is it your dad?" He responded . "Is it bad? Do you need me to come get Jake?"

"To answer your questions, no, no, no and uh…no. My mom's up here and let me just say "the cat is out of the bag."

Ezra was silent for a moment. "W-what do you mean?"

"My mom obviously knows about Jake because he is here with me but that's not it. She also knows that you're his dad and that we were together."

"Shit. Aria, what the hell? How did you manage to let all of that slip in the matter of like thirty minutes?"

This time it was Aria who was silent. "S-she asked Jake who his daddy is and of course him being the honest little boy he is told her."

"Holy crap."

"Anyway" Aria responded quickly. "My mom wants to talk to you."

"Shit. I-I'm on my way." And with that the call was over and Aria was left alone to imagine the scene that would soon unfold in just a matter of time. She couldn't help but hope things didn't get to bad.

Twenty minutes later Ezra hesitantly made his way through the revolving doors of the Rosewood Memorial Hospital. He immediately spotted Aria standing alone in the hallway. He glanced at her and her eyes said it all. She was scared to death. She met his gaze and for a brief moment the two were completely still. That is, until Aria's eyes wandered in a different direction. Ezra followed her gaze and he immediately wished he hadn't. Sitting in the corner of the waiting room where Aria had left them was Ella and Jake.

"Are you coming Aria?" he asked softly.

"Uh no. I think I'm better off here for now."

Ezra began to walk slowly in Ella's direction and he was spotted by the two of them instantly. Ella sent him a glare like one he had never seen before. Jake on the other hand got up from his chair and raced into his father's arms. "Hey daddy. Why you here?"

"Hey buddy." He whispered as he placed a kiss to his son's head. "I've got to talk to your grandma Ella."

"Yeah I think she's waiting for you.' Jake responded as he turned his face in her direction. Ezra simply nodded.

"Why don't you go see your mommy buddy?" Ezra pleaded as he sat his son on the ground.

"No. I want to see you."

"But Jake" Ezra begged.

"Please daddy?"

Ezra nodded once more. "Okay pal. But I'm sure in a minute you are going to have to go see mommy."

Ezra took the last few steps in Ella's direction with Jake attached at his hip. He gulped when he saw the expression that was plastered on Ella's face.

"Hi, Mrs. Montgomery." Ella stated nervously.

"Grandma Ella this is my daddy."

Ella nodded. "I know that buddy. Can you go see your mom while I talk to him for a moment?"

Jake groaned but agreed. Ezra stood him on the ground softly and the two adults watched as Jake ran up to Aria. When they both knew he was safe beside her Ezra turned his attention back to Ella. "Look before you say anything let me just say that I'm not some creepy pedophile who forced Aria to have a relationship with me."

Ella nodded. "That's what Aria told me. I do not agree with what the two of you did. For goodness sake she was sixteen when you met her if I did my math correctly. You have better judgment than that I would think?"

Ezra sighed and took a seat. He was thankful that the waiting room was now completely empty or he wouldn't have felt the least bit comfortable having this conversation in the middle of a hospital.

"Y-yes I do." He stammered nervously. "But when I met her I wasn't aware that she was my student."

"So that's your excuse?"

Ezra sighed. He began to realize he was fighting a losing battle with Aria's mother.

'Look Mrs. Montgomery- Before Ezra could get a word out Ella stopped him.

"Please just call me Ella."

"Ella, I know what Aria and I did was a hundred kinds of wrong. Trust me I know that. I tried to end it, to stay away even but that obviously didn't work out,"

"Obviously" Ella stammered.

"Look, if you're going to call the cops and try to have me sent to jail just do it now because there isn't anything that I can say to change your mind about the situation."

Ella pondered Ezra's statement for a moment. "You're just going to give up that easy?"

Ezra shook his head. "No I would never give up on her or Jake. Hell I just found out days ago that I had a son and I don't want to lose him just when I'm beginning to get to know him but there isn't much I can do to change your opinion."

Ella furrowed her brow at Ezra's statement and a confused expression crossed her face. "Wait. You just found out about Jake too?"

Ezra answered with a nod and a glance over in Aria's direction. "Yep, Monday afternoon."

Ella paused for a moment to think. She had no idea what to say next. Here she sat in the empty waiting room of a hospital speaking with Ezra Fitz, her grandson's father and though she knew deep down that what he and Aria did was awful, part of her thought Ezra sounded like a genuine guy who still had feelings for her daughter. But then again part of her thought he was a creep for dating a sixteen year old all those years ago. "I'm not going to have you sent to jail Ezra. Why you ask? Because I can't Aria was eighteen, she was an adult in the eyes of the law. "

Ezra let out a breath he hadn't been aware that he was holding in as he listened to Ella speak. "I wouldn't anyway because despite the fact that what the two of you did was wrong on so many levels Aria pointed something out to me earlier and I keep hearing her voice in my head. You can't help who you love. Besides there isn't much I could do about it now. She's twenty two years old." Ella let out a sigh. "Besides it looks like Jake adores you."

Ezra was silent for a few moments as he comprehended the words that Ella spoke. " I love him too."

"I know."

Ezra turned his gaze to Aria who was engrossed in a game of what appeared to be tic tac toe with Jake. A small smile formed on his lips as he watched the scene and then he quickly turned his attention back to Ella.

"Don't let me regret this Ezra." She said simply. He responded with a nod

Aria slowly made her way over to the two of them when she suspected that It was safe to do so. "Mom, I really am sorry you had to find out like this. Hell part of me is sorry it happened at all. Well actually I'm not because then I wouldn't have Jake. But you understand what I'm getting at."

Aria nodded skeptically.

"You aren't taking him away are you?" Aria softly spoke as she glanced over at Ezra who was in the midst of picking up Jake.

"No I'm not Aria. No matter how much I hate what the two of you did I can't have him arrested because there's Jake to think about."

"T-thank you mom."

"Don't thank me. When you said you can't help who you love you were right. I mean I took your father back after he did practically the same thing you did."

And then as Ella spoke her eyes ventured far away. Aria turned her head to follow her mother's stare and was surprised to see her father walking in their direction with a tall blonde doctor walking beside him. Byron had his arm sitting in a large blue sling and bandages covering the various scrapes that had cut through his skin. Upon seeing Aria his expression turned to shock and Aria began to feel that all too familiar nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. When they finally arrived, Dr. Gregg informed Ella that Byron's arm was indeed broken and that he would need to take a series of pain medications. When the doctor said his goodbyes Byron finally spoke. "A-Aria what are you doing here?"

Aria was a second away from speaking when her father's eyes caught sight of Ezra and Jake. "Better yet, what the hell is he doing here? A-and w-who is that?" he said staring at the boy in Ezra's arms.

Ella sighed as she inched closer to her husband's side. "It's a long story Byron. But that's your grandson."

Okay there is chapter nine. I figured that was a decent enough place to end the chapter. I'm so very sorry if you all think that Ella's reaction and her talk with Ezra were extremely unrealistic. You can throw virtual tomatoes at me if you would like. But truth be told I love Ezra too much to have him thrown in jail. That's my excuse for Ella's reaction but don't be fooled she isn't too thrilled with the situation. I hope you will still read. Please review. No flames though.