Chapter 7:

Without waiting for an invitation, Dianne let herself in. She walked straight towards the couch, stopping in front of Aria and Malcolm.

"Hello, Mrs. Fitzgerald." Aria said cautiously, while Malcolm only stared at her.

"Get out." Dianne said, pointing to the door.

"No. She's not going anywhere. This is my apartment, mother." Ezra said, trying to keep his anger in check.

Dianne sighed. "You were so much better with Jackie. I can't believe you let her go."

"Jackie?! She's a heartless bi- woman!" Ezra said, catching himself before he swore in front of his seven-year-old son.

"Hey Malcolm, let's go to the store and pick up some stuff for dinner." Aria said. She didn't want to leave Ezra to deal with his mother alone, but she couldn't let Malcolm witness this.

"Okay." Malcolm put his hand in hers and they started to walk towards the door. Ezra mouthed a quick thank-you to his girlfriend and she squeezed his arm reassuringly before leaving.

"Where's Maggie? Does she know her son's being left alone with a teenager?" Mrs. Fitzgerald smirked when Aria stopped in the doorway. Aria was about to respond but Malcolm tugged on her arm and they left.

"What is your problem?! Why can't you just accept the fact that Aria's a part of my life?" Ezra said angrily.

"I'm not going to stand by and watch her ruin you." Dianne replied.

"I love her." Ezra said, firmly.

"Oh yes! It's all about love, isn't it? Only, in this love story, you're the only one who's going to get hurt. She'll get off with a tap on her wrist, but you'll end up in an orange jumpsuit." Dianne replied.

"It would be worth it. And she's been through just as much crap as I have, yet she's still committed to our relationship." Ezra said, pointedly.

"But there isn't nearly as much of a risk for her as there is for you. Do you really think that if the roles were switched, she'd still be here?" Dianne asked.

"Yeah, I do." Ezra said.

"Then you're stupider than I thought. She's a TEENAGER! Girls like her are selfish, dumb and-"

"Don't you DARE say another word about Aria!" Ezra said, angrily. "I love her and she's not going anywhere. Now, if that's all, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have better things to do than hear my mother verbally abuse the woman I love."

"Actually, there was another reason why I came here." Mrs. Fitzgerald said.

Ezra sighed. "What?"

"I'm selling Maggie's house." Dianne said, smirking.

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Ezra said, shocked. "How can you even DO that?!"

"Simple. The house was bought under my name and I've been paying for it. The house is mine, and I'm choosing to sell it." Mrs. Fitzgerald said simply.

Ezra stared at her incredulously. "See, you do things like this, yet you still wonder why I want nothing to do with you."

His mother's expression hardened. "No, you left your family because you blood relations mean nothing to you."

"Right, because you do." Ezra said, his voice oozing sarcasm.

"I will not stand here and be insulted by my own son!" Dianne said, angrily.

"Nobody's asking you to stay. The door's right there." Ezra said coldly. He went to the front door and opened it, waiting for his mother to leave.

"This isn't the last you've seen of me." Dianne promised as she left.

Ezra slammed the door and went straight to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of scotch. He was about to poor himself some when he remembered that his son would be home soon, so instead he texted Aria, telling her that it was safe for her to bring Malcolm home. While he waited for them, he thought about whether or not he should tell Maggie about the house. He didn't want to worry her in case his mother was bluffing but he didn't want to keep her in the dark in case his mother was serious.

LATER:

"So why did your mom come here? Because I'm pretty sure my presence was an added bonus for her." Aria said, snuggling into Ezra shoulder. Malcolm had fallen asleep a little while ago.

"She wanted to tell me that she was selling Maggie's house." Ezra said, angrily.

"SHE WHAT?!" Aria shrieked, causing Malcolm to stir and she clamped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry" she whispered.

"And I don't know whether or not to tell Maggie. Because, if my mom's bluffing, I don't want to scare her, but if my mom's serious, I don't want Maggie to be left in the dark." Ezra explained, miserable.

Aria took his hand. "Maybe you should tell her. No offense, but I wouldn't put it past your mom to do something like that, and it's better if Maggie knows sooner rather than later."

"Maybe you're right. I'll talk to her tomorrow morning." Ezra sighed. He was not looking forward to that. "Could you watch Malcolm tomorrow, when I go?"

"Sure." Aria squeezed his hand. "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine." she smiled reassuringly.

Ezra smiled back and kissed her forehead. "You're the best."

"I know." she replied, teasingly.

Ezra shook his head at her. "Your humbleness is one of the many things I love about you." he teased.

"Why, thank you." Aria laughed, as she tilted her head up to kiss him.

Anybody else worried about Dianne's threat before leaving? Don't for get to review :)