I do not own anything PLL related.

Belongs to Sara Shepard and Freeform.

Reviews much appreciated!

I slowly open my eyes and see through my blurry vision that it's now daylight. I have no idea where I am so I start to look around and see that I'm in a white room. I look to my right and see a window and a three seat sofa under it. Looking at the window blinds me for a second from the sun shining through it so I look away and see that across the room are some chairs. Then to my left is the main door and a door to the bathroom.

There's a sound of beeping that comes to my ears and I look over to see a heart rate machine. What is going on? I think to myself as I raise my hands to rub my sleepy eyes. I flinch a bit when I touch my left eye, it feels sore.

"Hey."

I look towards the door to see someone standing in the doorway, but I can't process who it is since I'm not wearing my glasses. I do recognize the voice though, "Ezra?" I say, but hear that my voice is muffled.

My heart starts to race, the machine goes crazy and my breathing gets fast as something comes back to me. "Mmmm!" I see myself tied to a chair not able to talk.

"It's okay." Ezra says, but when I look it's Mona walking closer.

I start to sit up and try to get away, but pain shoots up from my ribs. I feel my arm get grabbed lightly as I shake my head. "Don't hurt me. I didn't mean to." My muffled voice comes and I watch as Mona gives me a sad look.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Mona says with Ezra's voice. "I would never hurt you." The softness in his voice calms me down a bit and in the matter of seconds Mona's face disappears and Ezra turns back to himself.

"She's not dead." I take off the mask but he tries to get me to put it back on, "I heard them say she was alive."

His soft concerned eyes watch me and he sits on the bed. "She's in jail."

"She'll get out. She'll get me."

He shakes his head and puts his hand on my shoulder, I'm starting to shake. "She won't." He readjusts the bed a bit for me so that I won't be completely laying down and has me sit back against a pillow. "Everything will be fine."

I watch him for a few minutes. His eyes are looking at me so calm that it calms me down. "What are you doing here?" I ask, still feeling very tired and weak.

He smiles a bit and hands me my glasses. "Checking to see how you are."

I look at the broken lens and then put them on. "But if my aunt and uncle see you they'll kick you out."

"Maybe, but I'm your friend. They can't keep me from seeing you." He hands me a cup of Jell-O. "Thought maybe you'd be hungry."

I smile. "Still looking out for me as always." I grab it weakly from him and start to eat.

He nods. "Of course. Once I came into your life I felt like you were my responsibility, especially since the accident."His eyes get a little sad now and I have a feeling I know what he's thinking.

For a second I flash back to the day of the accident, his face coming into view as I watched him bend down in the broken glass outside of our car. How weird would it have been if he wasn't the one to intervene? How different would my life have been if someone else would have saved me that day, or worse... if he wasn't there would anyone have come for me at all?

I slightly smile at him, "You know I appreciate you being there for me right? Started out a bit rocky, and the middle was a bit chaotic once I found out about you and Ria, but now everything is good. I wouldn't change that."

He smiles, "I'm happy that we were able to get to this place. I will protect you, no matter what. I feel like I owe it to your parents to do so. Sadly, I wasn't here for you this time."

"It's not your fault. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Well I'm glad you are okay."

I slightly smile. Am I okay though? Because it may look like it, but I sure as hell don't feel it. Is what I want to tell him, but I rather not worry the guy. So instead I say, "Wait…weren't you out of town?" He got fired from Hollis and had been staying at his parent's house till he could figure things out. That's why Aria was watching it.

"Yea, but I kind of couldn't stay away from Aria. I surprised her at the dance last night."

"You did?" I start smiling. "Damn, Fitz. You're a rebel."

He slightly smiles. "I just couldn't stay away from her for long." Then his eyes widen. "Oh, before I forget." He grabs his bag and takes something out. "I was at Barnes and Noble's before I left yesterday and guess who I ran into…literally."

"The Pope?"

He laughs. "No, but good guess."

"Then who?"

He turns what he has in his hand to me and my eyes light up in excitement. "No way." I say weakly, grabbing the photograph from him and I can't even talk for a second. "This…this is for me?" He nods. "You met Rick Riordan?"

In case any of you have been hiding under a rock for as long as the Percy Jackson books have been around then let me tell you. He is the author of the books and is freaking amazing. I cannot believe he got me an autographed picture of him.

"How did you get him to sign this?"

"He was there for a signing session while I was grabbing Starbucks before I left yesterday. I bumped into him while coming out of the bathroom."

"Lucky run in."

He laughs. "Yea, I commented on his writing technique when I recognized who he was and he asked if I was a writer. I told him I kind of was but I was only published online and did poems. He asked for my name and when I told him he said he knew who I was and loved the ones he's read. He thought I could go far and offered to help me. So he gave me his email and asked if there was anything I need to just ask. Guess what I asked?"

"The autograph." I smile. "Nice call."

He shrugs "Didn't want to lose the opportunity."

"What are you doing here?"

We both look over to the door and see Uncle Byron, Aunt Ella, Mike and Aria all at the door. Aria's face is pale as she sees him sitting on the bed. Her eyes look a little red too, like she'd been crying.

"Get out." Uncle Byron says.

"Bryon..." Ezra says.

"Get out." He repeats more forcefully.

"Uncle Byron, stop." I weakly start to sit up, but with the mixture of my ribs and being tired it exhausts me pretty quickly so I have to lay back again.

He looks at me with anger in his eyes from Ezra being here. All I can see though is when Mona stared at me like that and I lose my train of thought for a second. Then the machine starts to fast pace my pulse.

They all look at it. "Jessie." Ezra says, looking at me in concern.

"Ezra, get out." Uncle Bryon says again.

I know I need to relax so I do my best not to think about it. "He's my friend. He has a right to be here."

"Jessie I'm sorry, but he's not allowed to be around my daughter."

"It's okay." Ezra says to me as he gets up from my bed. He leans in to help me put the mask back on because my breathing is acting up and then kisses me on the cheek. "Get some rest." He smiles at me and then walks to the door, squeezing awkwardly between Uncle Bryon and Aunt Ella.

I close my eyes in exhaustion and frustration for a second. When I open them again Aria, Mike and their parents are walking over to me. Mike's face is pale from what seems like fear, Aria still looks upset, Uncle Byron is mad and Aunt Ella has her concerned face.

Aria sits on the bed when she gets to me and grabs my hand. "Hey."

I take a deep breath. "Hi." I say muffled.

Uncle Byron puts his hand on top of my head and I close my eyes to his touch, feeling him kiss the top of my head. "I'm sorry."

"What's that?" Mike asks when he sits on the bed on the other side of Aria and points to the photo I still have in my hands.

For a second I hesitate, but then I hand it to him.

He grabs it and turns it where he can see the picture. His eyebrow goes up. "Who is this?"

"Rick Riordan." The mask fogs up as I say that.

"Rick Riordan? Like the Rick Riordan." Aria asks and I nod. "Holy shit!"

"Aria, language." Her mom says.

"Mom, I'm sorry but this is the author of the Percy Jackson books. He's one of the most famous authors."

Her dad walks over behind her and looks at the photo."Who gave you this?"

I glare at him for a second. Then weakly get out. "Ezra."

His eyes soften. "Ezra?"

I nod. "Mhm."

"Ezra Fitz." He adds.

"Byron, there is only one Ezra we all know. Can you not have her talk more than she needs to, look how exhausted she is."

"Sorry, Jellybean." He gets quiet for a second. "You hungry, kiddo?"

I shake my head, pointing over to the empty Jell-O cup.

"Just finished it?"

I slowly nod.

"Okay. Well I'm going to get some coffee. Anyone want anything?"

"Can I go to the vending machine?" Mike asks.

"Mike. It's lunch time, real food."

He sighs. "Fine. Then I'll go with you."

"I'll come with you too." Aunt Ella says. "Aria?"

"I'll just have a salad and water."

"Okay." Aunt Ella says. "We'll be right back then." She follows Mike and Uncle Byron to the door, but before she leaves she turns back to me. She has that look as if I wouldn't be here when she gets back, then heads out the door.

I close my eyes again. I'm really having a hard time keeping them open since I woke up. Then I hear Aria's voice, it sounds far away at first so I don't really react.

"Jessie." She says again.

I slowly open them and look at her as she puts the autographed photo on the nightstand by my bed.

"How are you?"

How am I? I think to myself as I watch her. Scared. I feel like hiding in my room for the rest of my life. I look over at the door. When she gets out she'll get me. Is what I wanted to say, but I can't.

"Jessie?" She says, putting her hand on my knee to get my attention.

I hear her, but yet I don't. I'm still staring at the door when I start muttering as if I can't control myself. "Don't whine." I can just see the mask fogging up on my nose. "Don't whine. Whine and get hurt. Whine and get taped. Spiders, no more spiders."

She takes off the mask from my face and watches me for a few seconds, as if trying to hear what I'm saying. "Hey." I slightly hear her whisper and she touches my arm.

I flinch so bad that I almost knock over the machine that I'm attached to.

"You're okay. Talk to me."

My eyes start to water and my body starts to shake as I mutter the same words over and over. Then I look down at my hands and I see her move a bit closer from the corner of my eyes. She brings her hand to my face and lifts up my chin to look at her. Her eyes are now tearing and she doesn't hesitate to sit up against the pillows of the bed with me.

She pulls me into a side hug, wrapping both of her arms around my body to hold me. "I'm so sorry, Jessie." She says and now I can hear her trying not to cry. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Don't whine." I say a little louder, tears filling in my eyes more.

"What did she do to you."

"Spiders."

"Jessie." I feel her chest shake the way it does when you're crying.

Finally snapping out of it I lean my head on her arm and hold on to it a bit tight. She tightens up her grip on me and I start crying. "Don't let her get me, Ria."

"I won't. I promise I won't let her get you again." She lays her head on mine. "I shouldn't have just left. I should have went inside with you to make sure you were okay since we thought someone would be after you, but I didn't. It was stupid."

"Don't blame yourself." I take a deep breath and start to shake again as I think back to what happened.

"Shh." She says and starts to rock me in place.

I can't help but close my eyes. I'm so exhausted and her doing that sooths me, making me fall asleep in no time.