A/N: Here is where things start to really change and somewhat drift from the show. Hopefully you guys like it. Please give me some feedback. Thanks!
When Aria got home her mother was still in the kitchen and her dad out of sight. Passing the box across the table to her Aria went to make a swift exit upstairs.
"Honey?" Ella called to her daughter. Silently groaning, Aria spun around facing her mother. "I'm sorry I had you keep a secret from your father."
Aria stayed silent unsure of what to say.
"Sweetie, I just-"
"Mom?" Aria asked, "Can we just drop this? I really don't feel like going over what you said and what really happened." Ella's body sighed and she nodded. Taking that ask her escape, Aria turned and went back upstairs.
Hiding in her room, Aria laid back on her bed and thought about 'A' again. Were Hanna, Emily and Spencer really right about Jason? What about Jenna and Garret? Everything felt like it was weighing her down – everything except that kiss. What she was slowly feeling for Jason was something good, she knew it. But how could she prove it to her friends?
"Aria? Honey," her father said shaking her awake. It was now around 6pm, dark, and raining like crazy. "We are going to try and get on the road now. We want to try and beat the rain that is supposed to follow us."
"Okay, yea sure," Aria said still trying to wake up. Getting up from her bed, she moved some hair from her face and stood up.
"You don't have to get up Aria. We just thought you might like to know we would be leaving," her father said watching her.
"No, its okay. I'm up now anyways. How's Mike?"
Byron's demeanor changed a bit, going stiff for a few seconds before answering "the same."
Sighing, Aria and her father walked downstairs, meeting Ella and Mike in the kitchen with their bags packed. Hugs and kisses went around, along with a small talk to Mike from Aria to be careful and talk lots. They left quickly after that, getting on the road with the bad weather.
*Buzz buzz* went Aria's phone from her purse. Walking over to it, she pulled it out and saw a text from unknown. Letting the pit in her stomach drop, she opened it. Home alone so quick? Now the games can really begin –A
Arai felt panicked and sick at the same time. She was scared like a two year old and she dashed around the house making sure all of the doors and windows were locked. How did 'A' know that so fast? Was she being watched right now? Would 'A' be making a move tonight?
Where are you guys? Aria texted her friends. Hoping for some company, she paced around her kitchen area waiting for a response.
Hanna texted the first and the fastest. Out with Caleb tonight. Need something?
With my dad at dinner. Want to join? Emily said.
Spencer's message, being the longest and most concerned said Visiting sis in Phili. Be back for school tomorrow tho. Why? You Okay? Frustrated with the answers, she hit reply, saying how she was just curious and not to worry. She would see them tomorrow morning in the courtyard.
After shutting her phone, Aria stood there trying to calm her nerves. No one was in the house except for her; all of the windows were locked and she was safe. It worked for a few seconds. The quick pep talk even got her to walk to the couch and snuggle up with a blanket. The TV was turned on and Aria felt a bit more confidence in herself. She could do this – she was strong. But when she heard a big bang coming from the upstairs, she halted and listened again.
Her heart was hammering in her chest, her ears straining to hear a noise. Cowering under the blanket a bit, she waited for something else to scare her. Click. The power had just gone out and now Aria was ready to die of a heart attack. Fear had gripped her body, forcing her to stay planted on the couch.
Bang. Eyes widening, Aria took that as her cue to leave. Someone was in her house and someone had cut the power. 'A' was coming for her now – she needed to run. Jumping from the couch, Aria ran to get her shoes, coat purse, and flung open the door.
Jason would have almost been knocked down if it wasn't for both of their quick reflexes. He had caught her shoulders just in time as Aria skidded to a stop when she noticed him on her front porch.
"Aria? You okay?" Jason asked loudly as the wind and rain was blowing like crazy.
"What are you doing here?" She asked back, staring at him with clear fright.
"I was coming to see you. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked her, stepping back to see if she had been injured. The look on her face was something he wasn't used to seeing. She always put on a brave face, many times with him, but now it was just a look of terror – pure fright. "The power has gone out around the block. I was wondering if it happened to you to," he explained calmly.
"Yea it's out here too," she responded, shivering at the rainy cold.
"Come on," He said guiding her carefully back into her own house.
Jumping back, Aria immediately protested. "No!" Surprised for a quick second, Jason looked to her for a reason. Fear covered her face again and Jason was now extremely worried. "Why not? What is it?"
Gripping his forearms, she turned back slightly to look at the home and recoiled back in fear. "I think someone is in the house." Her voice became a lot softer and she stepped closer to Jason looking for protection. Wrapping his arms around his girl, Jason held Aria tight and peered into the place from the position on the porch.
"Come on, I'll check it out."
"No!" she said again, still very fearful. "Please don't Jason, I don't want to be in this house right now, please," she said evidently shaken up by whatever went on. With the puppy/doe eyes look he was giving her, Jason couldn't help but give in. Telling Aria to lock the front door and come with him, she did just that and they ran through the rain back to his car again.
He took her to his house surprisingly. Aria didn't really think about where they would end up going, but she was glad it was his place. Unbuckling herself from the car, she met Jason and slipped her hand in his as he waited for her. He unlocked the front door with his keys, bringing Aria into his work in progress, hoping she would like it.
The house had changed dramatically from before. It was partly hard to see since the lights were out and they were in the 7pm stormy darkness, but from what she could tell, it was beautiful. The place may have carried the same look on the outside from years ago, but the inside had been redone completely. The house Ali used to brag about being so open, clean and minimal had now become a true home. Although there really wasn't much furniture, things around or color to the wall, the woodwork and craftsmanship Jason had done to change the place was unbelievable.
Everything seemed so much closer together and well knit. The spaciousness of it all was still there but it also carried a vibe of peace and safety. It was exactly what Aria loved about the place. It may not have been perfect, but it sure seemed close.
Twirling all around, with Jason's hand still in hers she opened her mouth to speak. "You really changed this place," she stated in amazement. "Do you like it?" he asked hesitantly back to her.
"I love it," she said gazing back down from the ceilings to him. "You did an amazing job."
"Thank you," he said, observing her like usual. After the few seconds of silence, filled with meaningful stares and loving touches, Jason broke the quiet and dragged her further into his house.
The kitchen was almost all redone, with a few hints of what had used to be. She recognized the similar layout to when Ali was still around, along with where he placed his things, like the silverware or candles in the drawers and cabinets.
Pulling out some matches, Aria watched as Jason swiped the stick against the book and a spark of fire raised to life. The light of the fire reflected on his face, making him look even more gorgeous than he already was. The way the warmth spread from the tiny little flame or the way that Jason handled the tiny wooden stick itself seemed so gentle. Lighting the wicks of numerous candles he had lit to burn, he blew out the match and turned back to Aria.
"Thank you for taking me here," Aria said softly as she looked at the dancing flame of the candle. A tiny drip of wax had started to melt from the long dipped candle and she enjoyed watching it roll down.
"Not that I mind," Jason said in his smooth voice, "but will you tell me what happened before you swung the door open? And maybe where your parents or Mike are?"
Aria gave a flat lined smile to his words. Her family…Mike…she was supposed to be fine home alone. I mean for heavens sakes it was only maybe three or four days they would be gone at the most and she couldn't even handle one. She was eighteen; she should have been able to handle it. But instead her paranoia about 'A' was starting to show and soon she would be labeled as crazy.
Jason waited patiently for Aria to answer, but he could see how farther and farther she was getting into some internal discussion with herself. So to snap her out of it, he called her name. "Aria?"
Finding it to have worked, her eyes came back to life and she glanced up at him. "My parents took Mike to New Jersey to see this psychologist. They aren't going to be home for the next few days."
"So they left you all alone?" he asked surprised. Aria shrugged, focusing back on the candle. "I would have had to miss school to go with them and make up a bunch of things when I got back. It wasn't really worth it to go. And, they need to focus on Mike, not the both of us."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason wondered, slightly hurt Aria wasn't really opening up or talking to him at all.
"I just found out today. It slipped my mind to let you know when I saw you and the drug store, and when I came home, I fell back asleep and was woke up when they were ready to leave."
Jason studied her answer for a little while; making sure every bit of it was believable. "Are you hungry?"
Surprised by the question, Aria looked up at him and gave a small smile. "That's the next question you want to ask?"
"Oh, I have more, I just figured you would probably give me some more details if I fed you," he said lightly, leaning forward between the candles as he teased her.
"Can we get a pizza?" she asked.
"Sure," he smiled, quickly kissing her forehead then walking off to get the menu and phone. Taken back for a second, Aria warmed towards the quick gesture, liking that he did that.
"What do you want on the pizza?" he wondered holding the menu.
Happily content with the situation she was in, she wiggled on the bar stool she had been sitting on and thought about her answer. "I'll take anything…except green peppers, anchovies and mushrooms."
"Ham and olives sound good to you?" Jason asked her, looking up at the menu to see her smiling. He liked that look a lot better on her.
"Perfect."
Making the quick call, expecting the delivery in about 20-30 minutes because of the storm, Jason led Aria towards the living room couch, easily getting settled on it.
The two of them were wrapped up in each other – Jason laying back against the couch with Aria laying her back against his chest in between his jean claded legs. They seemed comfy and in content as he ran his fingers up and down her right arm as their hands were entwined with the left. A warm blanket was also set on top of Aria to keep her cozy but it was more of the fact that she was lying with Jason that made it feel like that.
"What are we?" she wondered in the silence. Stretching her neck to look up at him, Aria found Jason already looking down to her. "What do you mean?" he wondered.
"Are we friends? Or more than that, because we never really went over it. It kind of just…happened."
"I like that, don't you? That it just happened…" He was referring to their sudden kiss near the park that one night; they had become something more than just Jason and Aria after that.
"Yea, of course I do, I just…"
"Aria," Jason said cutting off to wherever she was leading to. "We can be whatever you want us to be."
Those words put Aria into a silence and Jason was hoping they would become a couple. After kissing Aria like he did and with her being so responsive back, he knew if he was going to be put back in the friends zone he was going to have a hell of a hard time.
Even now, the little moments, like holding what he considered to be 'his girl' was heaven itself. He couldn't ask for a better time with a more beautiful woman. She was perfect and he wanted her to be his.
"I want there to be an 'us'," she said quietly as she played with his hand. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Why would that be bad?" he wondered, sounding almost offended by her words.
"Oh its not. I mean, I wasn't trying to sound like a total bitch, I just-…is it right? Since you're Ali's brother and I was her friend. Is it weird?"
Aria also thought about how her friends didn't really like Jason. They had so much to be suspicious around him for – she didn't blame her friends about that. But Aria felt safe with him. He was about the only person who could make her feel that way without knowing about 'A'.
"I think that if this is something we both want, Ali shouldn't be the one who holds us back," his voice stated breaking her thoughts. "She's gone and I think that happiness for you and me – or for you at least, was what she would have wanted."
Aria chuckled a bit at that last part and snuggled closer towards him. "I think she would have wanted you to have been happy too," she murmured. Even with that odd sibling ship the two had, Ali did love her brother – she would just never admit that.
So they were a couple then. This talk they were having made it seem official. Part of her really like that, it was warming to the part where Jason was hers, to forever keep her safe. But another part was scared. Going back over her thoughts about her friends, she wondered what they would say if they saw her now. Would they really understand? What would they do if and when they found out?
"So we're good?" Jason asked her, as she stayed silent, thinking against his chest.
"Do we get to tell people about us?" she wondered. Thinking back to Ezra, she didn't want to do that again, especially if she was with Jason now. It was wrong to hide a relationship and she wanted more.
"Why wouldn't not?" he asked, being extremely confused. Eyes widening, Aria realized she didn't know about the whole Ezra thing.
"Oh I um…"
Jason studied the girl in his arms for a few seconds, wondering why she was suddenly very nervous. "Aria?"
"I dated Mr. Fitz," she blurted out. Eyebrows shooting up, he raised himself on his elbow a bit and stared in her eyes.
"Your old English teacher?"
Sitting up some more, she set her hands in her lap and fiddled with them. "I didn't know him like that when we first met." Aria began blushing hard. Taking a deep breath, she began explaining the whole story to Jason – how her and Ezra actually met in a pub when she got home from Iceland, how he thought she was a college student, and then finding out how he was actually her teacher. She tried to explain how she tried to let him go. She even put in a transfer from his class but it was denied and they were stuck with each other. The torment from the passion they felt was something that drew them together in the end, but it was the sneaking around and hiding what they had that broke them up.
Biting her lip after Aria was done, she waited for Jason to say something. He seemed to be frozen, now sitting up with her in his lap thinking this all over.
"Well, besides sneaking around to date your English teacher, I can safely say we won't have to do that."
Eyes widening again, she felt pure relief and happiness. Grinning, she turned to him and planted a kiss to his lip. The excitement she felt was running through her like a drug and he happily took the kiss from her, steering her closer towards him.
"Are you sure you aren't mad at me for this?" Aria asked breathlessly, referring back to Ezra.
"Are you still dating him?" Jason asked, obviously knowing the answer. "No." Aria rolled her eyes.
"And you don't have feelings for him anymore right?"
Aria shook her head and glanced from his lips back to his eyes, "if you remember, I was the one that broke up with him."
"Then I'm fine with it, because you're mine," he said leaning forward and bringing his lips back on hers. Smiling into the kiss, she enjoyed those words, kissing him with fiery again.