OK Now that Pretty Little Liars is over until Summer, I can focus! LOL Not to mention I'm done with school until May 29th and I want this story FINISHED by then. I've also decided this will be the last chapter to follow as closely to the episode it corresponds to, it's literally taken me this long to figure it out and I just can't go where I want to go and follow the show exactly like I wanted to. I've written and re-written this chapter probably a hundred times, literally and still was unhappy with the outcome. So I'm going to try something a little different. I'll still include one or two pivotal scenes from each episode, but I just can't watch and re-watch every episode like I had intended. It's driving me crazy! So. Emily and Spencer have each seen Aria with Elliot… time for Hanna to get into the mix.
Monday morning came peering through Aria's window before she knew it and she slowly forced herself out of that last layer of sleep. She stretched and pushed back the covers as her mind went over the details of the previous weekend. Saturday had truly been amazing; she hadn't wanted it to end. And the day before had been a calm, lazy Sunday home with her family. She and Elliot had spent much of the warm late-September morning in the back yard finger painting and playing with Mike and his remote control helicopter. And today would be the day that Aria made some changes, she had decided. She got herself dressed and ready to go in almost record time. As soon as Mike called out to her that he was ready, she kissed Elliot goodbye and took them both to school. She was on a mission this morning.
Operation: Transfer out of Ezra Fitz's class.
When she stepped into the counseling office, she was greeted with the warm smile of Mrs. Holstein, the head counselor at Rosewood day.
"What can I do for you, Miss Montgomery?" She asked cheerfully.
"I'd like to transfer out of my AP English class." Aria's voice quivered slightly as she said the words out loud. She'd thought about it the entire day before, and had decided that the only way she and Ezra would get some clarity on their situation was if she distanced herself. She didn't like it, at all. But sitting in his classroom, with him looking at her the way he did and not knowing whether those looks actually meant something? It was torture. Maybe if they weren't around each other for a while, they could both think clearly.
"Alright," Mrs. Holstein, opened a drawer on her filing cabinet and quickly located the proper file folder, pulling out a blank transfer form. "I'll need you to fill this out and have your instructor sign it and then bring it back and we'll review it. The sooner you can get it back to us the quicker we can get the transfer started."
"Thanks." Aria accepted the form and looked it over as she left the office. Looking over the form, she saw the question she hadn't yet found a response to. "Reason for transfer request?". It wasn't as if she could write "We can't date if I'm in his class," or "He has to make up his mind whether or not he wants to be in mine and my son's life, so I'd rather not have to see him every day if the answer is no." She found a bench in the hallway and sat down, filling out the other areas of the form first. Name. Address. Phone number. Student ID number. Class to transfer out of. Class to transfer into. After everything was finished, she came back to her reason. After several minutes, she finally decided the most diplomatic way to explain the situation was to simple say they had a conflict of interest, so she wrote it down and headed towards the English hallway.
As she came around one corner, she saw Ezra coming around another. He had a pen in his hand and his eyes were focused on a sheet of paper that he had in front of him. This was a part of him that Aria adored; he loved the work he was doing, he loved teaching. She was sure he was taking a second look at an essay the class had written the week prior, assuring himself that the grade he had given was fair. He really was a great teacher. In spite of the fact that this was only his first teaching job he was an incredible teacher. If anything, that just made things harder for Aria. She would truly miss AP English, her sanctuary from all of the things in life she shouldn't have to deal with at only sixteen.
"Can I talk to you?" She blurted out when she saw him lifting his eyes to the hallway in front of him. He tucked the binder and the essay under his arm and grinned hopefully.
"Yeah, of course."
"I'd like to transfer out of your class." It was best to just get it out there, no point in dragging it out. His face dropped as her words sunk in and it almost broke her heart to see the sadness now looming in his eyes. He looked away for a moment, glancing around him at the few others wandering the halls.
"Can you come inside for a minute, please?" He asked, pleading with her. The sadness in his eyes gave way in his voice, and Aria was taken aback for a moment.
"Yeah." She whispered, turning from him and walking to classroom 236, opening the door and letting herself in. She walked to his desk, keeping her eyes forward until she heard him close the door behind them.
"I understand where you're coming from," Ezra said, feigning a tone that Aria was sure he thought was more appropriate for a teacher. "I just wish you could stay in the class."
"This isn't an easy decision." Aria said firmly. He was looking at her that way again. Like she hung the moon or something and she wondered if that was what he was seeing when she was looking at him. "But I feel like this is the right thing to do."
"I can keep my feelings in check."
"I can't!" Saying it out loud, she realized, was so different than keeping it in her head. She couldn't keep these feelings to herself anymore. She couldn't notfall in love this incredible guy standing in front of her. She just couldn't. "And even if I could, I don't want to and I shouldn't have to. It's too hard to sit in this room every day and call you Mr. Fitz. I can't pretend like I don't know you. And not that I want you to decide now or pressure you if you're not ready, but I can't sit here and listen to you lecture about Scout Finch while I'm wondering whether Elliot scared you off or not."
She could see how these words were affecting him. The look in his eyes was pure frustration. Had he been scared off? They hadn't spoken the day before… had A been right? Was he over-thinking things just like she was right now?
"So, will you sign it?" She held the sheet of paper out to him tentatively. He took it, his eyes cast downward as he smoothed it over the binder he held in his arm.
"Are you sure?" He asked, bringing his eyes level with her and keeping them there. She hated those eyes. How could he look at her that way and not see that transferring classes was the best choice for them? She lost herself as she stared into his eyes. Eyes that had so many questions that she just couldn't answer for him.
"Yeah, I'm sure." She nodded, finally, watching as he signed the paper. She was making the right decision, she knew, but it still felt as though someone had shoved their hand down her throat, blocking her air passage and making her want to dry heave until it stopped hurting. When he handed her back the paper, she looked at him and hoped he could see that this was killing her, too. "Thank you."
As she left the classroom, she could feel her heart beginning to constrict in her chest. After only a mere 3 steps, she knew she needed to sit down. She stumbled over her own feet for a few moments until she reached a bench across the hall from the classroom. She laid her transfer request down beside her and laid her hand over her chest, willing the ache she felt dull.
She had just turned the form in and was making her way to the junior locker hallway when an announcement was made on the intercom.
"Will the following students please come to the Principal's Office: Emily Fields, Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings and Hanna Marin."
Almost as if it had been planned, she, Emily and Hanna had been the only three students left in the hallway, and they were joined by Spencer in a mere moment. As they began to walk together, Aria's phone beeped. Assuming it be Ezra or her mother, she rolled her eyes as she dug into her bag to retrieve it. She stopped in her tracks when she saw who the sender was.
"Wait!" She called after the others, who all turned and stepped towards her. "It's from A." Hanna and Spencer leaned over either of her shoulders while Emily looked over Spencer's.
"Dead girls walking. –A."
The four shared a look of terror before continuing to the principal's office. They each hung their heads in silence as they rounded the corner of the hallway and to the staircase, heading down to the first floor. Aria knew this had to be about Alison. Had they found new clues as to who murdered her? Would the police share that kind of information with the four of them? Were they that high on the priority list? The questions swimming through Aria's head clouded her every thought for the next seven seconds. The eighth second? Well, that was taken over by Detective Wilden, who stood with his arms crossed and a look that said he wasn't here with good news and he wasn't playing games.
"Hello, ladies." He greeted them, opening the door to the office and gestured for them to come inside. "I'm going to need to ask you some more questions."
*PLL*
At lunch, the four girls sat together in silence. They had invited Jenna to sit with them out of guilt and the moment the blind girl had taken her seat, they hadn't uttered a word. Aria's eyes flitted back and forth between her three friends, hoping one of them would make some sort of conversation and save her from having to break the silence. When it became apparent to her that that wasn't going to happen, Aria excused herself and headed out to the court yard. Every day before lunch, she phoned into the daycare center to check in on Elliot. She hated having to say that she was Ella, but at least this way she could know how his day was going with his new group of playmates. She dialed the number and listened as the phone rang one, two, three times before being picked up.
"Appleseed Daycare, how can I help you?"
"Hi, this is Ella Montgomery. My son Elliot is in the ages one to two classroom with Miss Lucy, I was just calling to see how he was doing?"
"Hi, Mrs. Montgomery! If you'll hold for just a second I can get Miss Lucy on the phone to give you an update."
"Thanks." Aria looked around herself anxiously, making sure no one was within earshot.
"Miss Lucy speaking."
"Hey, this is Mrs. Montgomery." Aria said quickly. She'd been calling every day for almost a month now, and she still found herself getting nervous of being caught pretending to be Ella. "How's Elliot doing?"
"He's great, today!" Miss Lucy laughed into the phone. Aria was sure all of the teachers thought her mother was crazy, calling every day, but she couldn't help it. She hated not knowing whether Elliot was ok there without her. She hated not being in control of her son's environment or being able to protect him from the other children. "He's opening up so much today. Usually we have to practically beg him to play with the other kids, today he's just a little social butterfly."
"Really?" Aria choked out? She knew he wasn't used to being around so many children his own age, but she never thought it would take him so long to warm up to the others. "So he's playing nicely? He's not holed up in the book corner by himself?"
"Nope. He seems to really be enjoying playing with the others."
"That's such good news." Aria tried to contain her excitement, but it was difficult. It hurt her heart to know that although he was well-behaved, Elliot wasn't making friends right off the bat. To hear that he was playing with other kids took that hurt away. "Well, I've got to get going back to work, but thank you for updating me. I'm sure I seem like a complete psycho calling every day."
"Not at all, Mrs. Montgomery!" Miss Lucy assured her. "It's been a while since you've had a toddler, and I know you never had to put Aria or Mike in daycare. It's perfectly understandable."
"Alright, well, thank you. I'll see you this afternoon when I pick him up."
"Have a nice day, Mrs. Montgomery." Aria smiled softly into the phone as she pressed the end call button, pressing the phone to her chest.
"Aria?" she whipped her head around to see Spencer standing several feet away. "Are you ok? You look like you're going to cry."
"I'm fine." Aria replied defensively, shaking the emotions from her eyes. "Just stressed about the Wilden thing, that's all."
"Who were you talking to just now?"
"Oh… um," Aria rattled her brain for an explanation as to who she could be talking to in the middle of the day. "My mom texted me earlier asking if I could pick up Elliot after school. I was just calling the daycare to let them know."
"Elliot?" The name sounded foreign coming from Spencer's mouth, and Aria could tell that Spencer thought the same thing by the tone she used.
"Yeah. My…" Aria fumbled over her words, reminding herself that slipping on her lie was not an option. "Uh, little brother. The one my mom had while we were in Iceland."
"So the rumors are true?" Spencer asked incredulously. "I can't believe you didn't just tell me. No wonder we never go to your house anymore. I didn't even realize your mom could still have kids."
"Well after Elliot she can't." Aria snapped. Spencer raised her eyebrows at the outburst and Aria could tell that she'd possibly said too much. "Sorry, Spence, but a lot of people have been asking about it. Well, people that have seen him around town with my mom. Let's just go back inside, ok?"
"Why haven't I heard about Elliot before?" Spencer asked skeptically. "You've been back for three weeks already, why is this the first I'm hearing about you having a baby brother?"
"When was I supposed to tell you?" Aria shrugged. She wasn't lying about that, even if she did tell her friends the truth, how do you drop a bomb like that on people you hadn't seen or spoken to for three years? "It's not really lunchtime conversation. 'Oh, my parents were having problems so they had another baby to fix them', isn't something you bring up over Mystery Meat Monday, Spence."
"We've seen each other outside of school!" Spencer protested.
"Not at my house!" Aria argued. Spencer wasn't stupid, and Aria could see the wheels in her head shifting gears. "Every time we've hung out it's either at your place or out in town. The only person who's bothered to just stop by is Emily."
The two stared each other down intensely, each willing the other to make the next move. Any sign of weakness would tip Spencer off and it just wasn't the right time yet. She could feel her palms beginning to sweat as they sat clenched at her sides. In her head she heard her own heart pounding at the idea of being found out before she was able to warn her parents. Spencer narrowed her eyes suspiciously, the taller girl's eyes turning a bit watery as she refused to blink. Hours could have passed by before Spencer finally rolled her eyes and rolled her neck. Aria knew she wasn't completely off the hook when Spencer finally suggested they head back inside, but she was grateful that her friend wasn't questioning her on the subject anymore.
*PLL*
Aria left the counselor's office after lunch with her head down. It wasn't as if she were disappointed to be staying in Ezra's class, she really did enjoy the class, it just made everything that much more complicated. She could see in his eyes that his feelings for her were genuine, and she hoped and prayed that were enough for him to choose to be a part of hers and Elliot's life. But still, knowing that she had to sit there in his classroom every day if he chose not to be? It was truly torture. The bell had already rung so she knew there would be no slipping into class undetected, he would definitely see her and she mentally prepared herself.
She saw Mona step into class and was somewhat thankful that she wasn't the only student tardy. If she walked fast enough, Mona would still be making her grand entrance and she would be able to make her way in without everyone's eyes on her. Her classmates weren't stupid; she knew that some of them could see the way she and Ezra looked at each other. More than once she'd been sent into an internal panic when she realized they'd been caught making eye contact for just a moment too long. It worried her constantly to think that at any moment one of them could accuse him of the worst and he could end up in trouble. Thankfully that hadn't happened yet, but if it did…
Aria shook the idea from her mind as she stepped into the classroom, placing the denied transfer request on his desk and walking down the row of desks to her seat in one fluid movement. Perhaps, she told herself, if she didn't make eye contact she could avoid him for a just a little longer. She pulled out her copy of To Kill a Mockingbird and opened up to the chapter they were currently on. She was left with her thoughts for only a moment or two before temptation got the better of her, pulling her chin up and drawing her eyes to meet Ezra's. She swore she could stare into those baby blues for hours, days even, and never tire of it. It was really as if they were staring into one another's soul and it was unnerving to say the least.
Ezra's gaze was intense, and it was almost as if she could read his mind. There was hope, there was an uncertainty of what this meant, exactly, but she could see the answer to her questions in his eyes. He would choose her, when he was ready. She wouldn't force him or rush him, but she knew that on his own terms they would be together and it sent a shiver down her spine. Staying in AP English wouldn't be so bad after all.
*PLL*
After school had let out, Aria had a couple hours to herself before her mother would be home from picking Elliot at daycare, so she headed to Rosewood Library to get in some quiet study time. She loved the smell of books that had had the life read out of them. The quiet of people reading, writing and studying was just so calming to her. Anywhere that books were, she felt at home. As she stepped through the front doors of the building, she noted that there was a Help Wanted sign at the front desk and an idea occurred to her.
"Hey, Mrs. Tomlinson." Aria greeted the older woman who had been the head librarian for as long as she could remember.
"Aria!" Mrs. Tomlinson exclaimed in a hushed tone, drawing a smile from Aria. "I didn't realize you were back in town! How was Iceland?"
"Amazing? To put it in words." Aria felt her smile growing even wider and wished for a moment that she was still in Iceland with Elliot. "How have you been?"
"I'm just fine, thank you." She reached out and gave Aria's shoulder a light squeeze before returning to the books she had been checking back in. "We did lose a couple of staff members recently, though. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who'd like to tutor here after school would you?"
"Tutor the little kids?"
"Yes, we've gotten so many sign ups for the program this school year and we are so understaffed."
"I'll do it." Aria offered without hesitation. Instantly her mind began reeling with the possibilities. If she had a job, she could go on independent study and still have the same amount of time with Elliot while making money on her own. As long as the school approved it, that was. And if she could just prove to her parents that she could work and go to school and take care of Elliot, maybe they would start allowing her to tell people the truth about him. "When can I start?"
"Slow down there, Aria." Mrs. Tomlinson laughed lightly as she pulled open a drawer and pulled out an application. "Since you're still a student I'll need you to fill out this form and have your school approve it. The program doesn't actually start until next week, so I will need it back by then. Do you really think you can handle going to work and school, Aria?"
"Absolutely." Aria knew it was possible. She'd done independent study on her own for an entire year and still worked part-time in a foreign country while taking care of Elliot. Doing so in her own hometown while Elliot was in daycare anyway would not be a problem, and she was determined to prove as much.
"Well, then, as long as the school gives you permission, you'll be working Monday through Friday from two to six, when they elementary children get out of school." The librarian handed Aria a pamphlet with information regarding the after school tutoring program that they offered as well as her responsibilities as a tutor. "You're sure this isn't any imposition Aria?"
"Of course not, work study looks great on college applications." Aria reassured her, looking over the paperwork and grinning to herself. "And, now that I'm driving and everything I think it'll feel better to know I pay for my own expenses. I'll get these back to you tomorrow, Mrs. Tomlinson."
"Alright, dear. You have a nice afternoon. Tell your mother to stop by!"
"I will!" Aria said over her shoulder as she left the library with an extra pep to her step. If she could get the school to approve it, she would be making enough money to pay for Elliot's daycare and basic essentials. Not much else, but she wasn't doing this for herself or for monetary gain, she was doing this for her son.
As she continued on her drive home, she went over her pending schedule in her mind. If she did a half day through independent study, she would be able to get out of French and Pre-Calculus lectures. French wasn't a concern for her, but she knew that she would need to get her own tutor in order to keep up with Pre-Calc. Pulling into the drive way, she dialed Spencer's number.
"Hey, Spence," Aria said when she heard Spencer answer the phone. "Do you think you can come over tonight? I need some help with our homework from Mr. Gilardi's class."
"Yeah, sure." Spencer replied awkwardly. "We're having dinner with Melissa and her fiancé tonight but I can come over after?"
"That'd be great." Aria breathed a sigh of relief. She felt terrible for shutting Spencer out earlier, but there was no way she would be able to take on this job without help. "Thank you so much, Spence. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, no problem." Spencer disconnected before Aria could even get out the word 'goodbye.'
Aria spread her books out on her desk and then pulled out her daily planner to see what exactly her assignments were for that night. For American History, read pages 67-80 and answer review questions 1-9. For Chemistry she had to have the table of elements memorized by Friday for an exam as well do the vocabulary sheets for chapter 7. Third period she had gym. In English Ezra had assigned them a five-page character analysis on any one character in the book, due by the end of the day Thursday. Unlike many of the other students, she'd chosen someone a little less prominent; she had chosen to write her paper on Calpurnia. In her French 5-6 class she had a list of 30 new verbs that she had to conjugate and then use each conjugation in a sentence. And for Pre-Calculus she had 27 problems to solve for the current chapter. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was only 3:30. Her mother wouldn't be off work and home with Elliot for at least another 2 hours. If she started right away, she could finish most of her homework and even get dinner started before then. She would show her parents that she could handle this.
*PLL*
As Aria and her family sat in the dining room eating dinner and discussing their day, she felt conflicted over how exactly she should bring up the job opportunity and possibly taking Pre-Calculus and American History through independent study. She had straight A's so far, and she'd gotten nothing but excellent grades doing independent study in Iceland. Aria looked at Elliot, who was trying to twirl his spaghetti the way everyone else was and she couldn't help but laugh. He truly was the most precious little boy, and he deserved to have everything. She knew that she had to do this, for Elliot.
"So I saw Mrs. Tomlinson at the library today." She glanced first at her father then her mother, lingering on Ella more so than Byron. "She was happy to see me."
"That's good." Byron said, smiling at his daughter. "I know you miss volunteering over there, maybe now that we're settled back in you can start doing that again."
"I think that is a great idea." Ella agreed eagerly.
"Well, actually…" Aria paused, waiting for both of her parents' eyes to focus on her. "She offered me a job as part of the tutoring program they have. I think I'm going to do it."
Ella and Byron looked at each other for a few minutes, worrying Aria. She looked at Elliot who was just oblivious to all of the tension that had just been created. Smiling, she reached over and ruffled his hair.
"Hey!" Elliot squealed pushing her hands away.
"Aria." She snapped her attention back to her parents when Ella finally spoke. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You've just started back at a regular school. I know we've asked a lot of you in terms of Elliot, but we're doing this to benefit you. I think taking on a job, too, is going to set you back quite a bit."
"No. No, it won't." Aria argued, pleadingly. "I can do it, I know I can. It's only four hours a day, and as long as the school approves it I can take French and Pre-Calc through independent study. The only thing I'll really need help with is math, and Spencer can help me. Plus it will look good to colleges."
"Why do you want a job so badly?" Byron asked, the accusatory tone in his voice not well hidden from Aria's ears. She silently thanked God that Mike wasn't here for this.
"Because, I want to be able to provide my son with the things he needs." She said coolly. "I know everyone is supposed to believe that he's yours, because you think you're protecting me. But people are going to find out eventually and then what? I need people to see that just because I did something stupid doesn't mean I'm not a responsible parent. I can't keep hiding him forever. I know that you're still ashamed of me, but I'm notashamed of him."
"We're not ashamed of you, Aria." Ella reached over the coffee table to place a hand on Aria's forearm, but Aria pulled her arm back into her lap.
"You aren't, Mom, but Dad is." Byron looked away at that. There was no denying it, really. He loved her, she knew, and he loved Elliot in his own way. But even after all of this time he still hadn't forgiven her for her mistake even though she'd pretty much forgiven him for his. Elliot had stopped playing with his food by now and was looking between the three of them with a boggled expression. "I don't like fighting in front of him, and I'm not trying to, but please let me do this for him. In only two years I'll be out of high school and I'm going to have to do this completely on my own."
"Don't be ridiculous." Byron laughed. "How will you explain taking your almost four-year-old brother with you away to college?"
"You are not keeping him while I'm away at college. There is no way. I'll stay in town and attend Hollis if I have to but when I get out of high school everyone will know he's mine." Aria insisted. She knew she sounded ungrateful, speaking to her parents with the tone she was using, but wasn't it enough for them to martyr themselves now? Did she really have to put up this front for the rest of her life? "I really appreciate that you guys are doing this for me now, but it can't be like this forever."
The silence that filled the room was eerie and downright creepy. Her mother looked as though she were going to cry and her father just looked angry. She could see that her words were sinking in, and she wondered if now had been the right time to take a stand, if perhaps she should have waited until she had the school's approval for work study or something.
"Do you want the people in this town to talk about us that way?" Byron finally said. "Do you want people to say the things that they're going to say about you? About your mother and I? And what about Elliot? And Mike? Have you thought at all about how the truth is going to affect this entire family?"
"Byron." Ella warned, but her husband was not deterred.
"What are you going to tell them when people ask who Elliot's father is, hm?" Byron raised his brow at her, as if to say 'See, I bet I've got you with that.'.
Aria could feel the blood rushing from her face. In two years she hadn't once considered ever seeing Elliot's father again, much less having to reveal his identity. She had meant it when she told Ezra that it was best for all parties involved if no one ever knew.
"I'll tell them the same thing that I've said a hundred times over to the two of you; that it's none of their business." Aria said, her voice quivering.
"None of their business?" Byron released a humorless laugh, shaking his head at his daughter's naivety. "Well, let me tell you something, Aria; you tell people it's none of their business and they're going to label you as a slut. Assume that you simply don't know who it is. Spread rumors that you simply put outfor any and all."
"Byron!" Ella snapped, causing Elliot to start and his bottom lip to tremble.
"Ella, she is being completely unreasonable!" Byron argued. "We've given her every opportunity to come clean about who the hell that boy's father is and she'd rather tell the world it's nobody's business. We've given her the teenage parent dream. Allowed her to be a normal teenager again by taking Elliot as our own and she wants to be ungrateful and act like this?"
"Like what?" Aria said evenly, pulling Elliot from his high chair and holding him closely to her chest. "Like a mother who wants to do her best to provide for her child? Because I don't know if you've realized it yet, Dad, but I am a mother - his mother. And I never asked you to do all of this. This was something you came up with."
"It's something you went along with." Byron said flatly.
"Well, what else was I supposed to do? You've never tried to cover up the fact that I ruined your life by doing what I did." Aria ran her fingers through her son's hair gently. There was venom in her words, though her voice remained calm. "Whose reputation are you more concerned about protecting, mine or yours? I know I hurt you, both of you, when you found out I was pregnant, but Elliot is MY son and I've been nothing but the best parent I can be. I get excellent grades and I'm trying to better myself as a mother by getting a job and still you're ashamed of me. I wish every day that I had waited because I HATE the idea of you guys taking care of him and paying for everything, but you keep holding it over my head that I ruined everything for this family when I got pregnant. It is what it is, Dad. I can't take it back, and I would never because my son is anything but a mistake. Besides, how is me taking a job any different than me volunteering?"
"Aria." Ella raised the volume of her voice just enough to bring the room to silence.
She was shocked that her mother was now speaking to her in that demeaning tone. If anything, Ella had always been sympathetic about Aria's situation. They'd had many talks over the last two years, bonded together as two mothers. How Ella could see that it didn't break her daughter's heart to deny her own child, she couldn't understand. Aria only wished that her mother would stand up to her father about it. Something had shifted in Ella since returning to America and Aria drew blood on her tongue every day to keep herself from telling her mother the truth.
"You know we are only doing this to protect you and to do what is best for Elliot." Ella stated. "We want you both to have a very full life, that's why we're allowing you to go back to school and be a teenager, like everyone else."
"I'm not everyone else, Mom!" Aria shouted, gently placing a hand over Elliot's ear to protect him from her angry words. "How is taking my child away from me and not letting me take care of him protecting me?"
"Aria, you are so much better than…" Ella paused, and Aria knew her mother was searching for a polite way to describe 'a girl who got knocked up before starting high school'. "You're better than this situation. It's not ideal, by any means, but we want you to reach your full potential. You're not going to get there with a baby holding you back, sweetheart."
"Elliot doesn't hold me back." Aria was stunned that her mother would even think that. "He's the reason I do everything that I do. I don't get and go to school every morning or get good grades for me, I do that for him. It's been hard, but he has never held me back. As a mother I don't even know how you could say that."
Ella's eyes watered and she left the room with her hand over her mouth. Aria knew she wasn't being fair, her mother had been nothing if not supportive since finding out about Aria's pregnancy, but it still didn't seem right that she could say those things about Elliot.
"Stop being a brat, Aria." Byron pushed away from the table and rose to his feet. "You want the job? Take it. But I'll tell you this: you wouldn't be able to make it a week with Elliot on your own. "
"I did it for a year and a half." Aria also rose from the table, shifting Elliot to her hip. "You didn't even hold him until he was three months old, wouldn't call him your grandson. You probably felt guilty because while you were forcing me to take care of my 'mistake' on my own, you were also forcing me to cover yours."
Byron's face visibly fell and Aria knew that although she was stooping low, she'd struck just the right nerve.
"Yeah, I admit that I made a dumb choice by having sex when I did and getting pregnant but at least I owned up to it. I don't know if you realize this, Dad, but it has been killing me. For more than two years you've made me lie to my own mother, and now you're making me lie to everyone else. I may look bad for a having had a baby at fifteen, but you're the one making me lie about it. What does that say about you?"
Aria held Elliot close and moved past Byron up the stairs to her bedroom. She could hear her father calling after her, but ignored him. She wouldn't let him win this battle. Even if the only person she was fighting was him, she would not give up the fight for her son.
"Hey, Buddy, you ok?"
"Ya." Elliot yawned and snuggled closer into her chest as Aria sat down at the edge of her bed.
"Want Mama to sing to you, baby?" Elliot didn't say anything in response, just nodded his head as his eyes began to droop. Aria softly began to pat his back, creating a rhythm for her song to help lull him to sleep soundly.
"This is a story about Elliot
His Mama sent him out to buy bread,
But Elliot didn't feel like walking,
He wished that he could fly instead, and he said:
If I were a bird I could fly to the store
Fly to the store, fly to the store
If I were a bird I could fly to the store
Fly to the store for my Mama."
By the time Aria had finished the first chorus, Elliot was snoring in her arms. She whispered 'I love yous' to him as she carried him across the hall into his bedroom and laid him down. Checking the time on her phone, she figured Spencer would be arriving any minute so she gave Elliot a kiss to his forehead and turned on his nightlight before exiting the bedroom, leaving his door open just an inch or so.
"Hey." Aria whipped her hair around when she heard Mike whispering. "What's going on?"
"What are you talking about? Nothing's going on." After everything that had been going on in her life and between herself and her parents, she knew Mike didn't always get the attention he deserved and she had promised herself long ago that she would protect her brother from the problems within her family.
"I just walked in, Mom and Dad wouldn't even look at me." Mike said, shifting his weight from one foot to another uneasily. "What happened while I was gone?"
"Nothing, Mike. You don't need to worry." Aria reached up and hugged him firmly. She felt horrible hiding things from her brother, but he didn't deserve the broken family she'd created by having a baby. "We were just arguing about what we're always arguing about. They'll be over it by tomorrow, I promise."
"Are you sure?" Mike returned the hug, a sense of security overcoming him in his sister's arms. "Mom's crying and Dad just looks royally pissed off. More than I've seen him since…"
"Since we left for Iceland?" Aria supplied. It was true, neither she nor her brother could imagine seeing Byron angrier than he had been the first few months they spent in the foreign country. Mike only nodded in response. "Yeah, well… same subject, new chapter."
Aria pulled away, walking back into her room with Mike following close behind.
"Do you wish you could take it back?" Mike asked. The question caught Aria completely off guard. She and Mike had shared many talks throughout the past two years, and had grown very close, but he'd never once questioned whether she regretted her son. "I mean, I love Elliot. And I love you, Sis, but don't you ever look at all of this and wonder 'what if'?"
Aria bit her lip, her eyes cast downward as she nodded. "All the time."
"Really?"
"Well, yeah." Aria sat at the edge of her bed, gesturing for Mike to join her. When he finally did, she turned her body so that her right leg was tucked under her and she was facing him completely. "I love Elliot more than I knew I could ever love anyone or anything. There isn't a single thing in this world I wouldn't do for him. And I have never regretted my decision to keep him, but I do wonder. I wonder if I had just waited ten, fifteen years would he be the same Elliot? And I wonder if I hadn't gotten pregnant would Dad and I still hate each other on our best days? But then I look at my son and he's just… he's perfect. And he's mine. When he's scared or sad or hurt, I'm the one he comes to for comfort. I'm the one he cries for when he goes to bed at night and the one he looks for when he wakes up in the morning. Being somebody's mother, being their everything… It just doesn't get better than that."
"So you're happy you had a baby when you did?" Mike scrunched his eyebrows. He was nearing fifteen now himself and he couldn't imagine having a child in his wildest dreams.
"Not exactly." Aria giggled. "But I'm so happy that he is who he is. And he wouldn't be that little boy if he hadn't been born when he was. I do wish I had been older, so that we wouldn't have to deal with all this, but like I told Dad: it is what it is. And I love my son. Just promise you won't have one anytime soon, please?"
"Believe me, NOT going to be a problem!" Mike readily agreed, gripping Aria's shoulder for just a moment before getting up and heading down the hall to his own bedroom.
*PLL*
A few hours later, after Spencer and Aria had both completed the night's assignment for Pre-Calc, the two friends sat leaning against Aria's bed in companionable silence for a while. Each could sense that the other was stressing over something, but knew to leave well enough alone for the time being. They sat, not uttering a sound to one another for over an hour before a soft knock came to Aria's door. Before Aria could answer, the door pushed open to reveal a, now awake, whimpering Elliot.
"Hey, Buddy." Aria said softly, opening her arms for him to fall into. "You have a bad dream?"
"Ya." Elliot rubbed his eyes, exhaustion still wreaking havoc on his body. When he finally realized that his mother was not alone, he pointed his index finger to Spencer. "Who?"
"This is Spencer." Aria said, also pointing to her friend. "Spencer, this is Elliot."
"Hi, Elliot." Spencer reached out and shook to boy's handing, drawing a smile from him as he laid his head down on Aria's shoulder. Spencer surveyed the toddler for a few moments, taking notice of his features. Though they were drooping, she could see he had the same large eyes as Aria. He had her nose, her chin, her hair color. "He looks so much like you… but he clearly didn't get your eyes."
"Yeah, I know." Aria smiled, a small blush reaching the apples of her cheeks. It didn't go unnoticed that Spencer was seeing what most people did, except for his eye color Elliot truly was a living, breathing clone of herself. "He must get them from my dad. Recessive genes or something."
"Yeah. Or something." Spencer drew her response out long enough for Aria to know she just wasn't buying it. It definitely wouldn't be easy to keep this from her.