About two nights after my mom and Mike decided that it was safe to go back to Rosewood, Ezra and I were getting ready for bed. It was about eleven o'clock on a warm, humid night, and we had been watching an old movie on the television in our living room prior to glancing at the clock and realizing how late it was getting.

As I looked over at Ezra, I realized that he had fallen asleep and I was the only one awake in the house. I laughed to myself and wrapped my slender arm around his shoulders and began trying to gently wake him up so we could head to the bedroom and get some much needed rest. As soon as he opened his eyes, I smiled and ran my hand down his stubble covered cheek and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I guess I'm not the only one who can't make it through Chinatown." I whispered as he slowly began to wake up.

"Hang on," he began, still trying to shake off sleep,"I'll be more charming when I'm fully awake."

"I think you're charming all the time, my handsome husband." I replied in a seductive tone. He smirked back at me and pulled me in closer to his chest.

"Thank you, my beautiful wife." He whispered before kissing me passionately. We both smiled as we broke our intense lip lock. I ran my fingers through his messy hair and he moved closer to me. He looked down at my stomach and grinned again.

"You know," He began,"I sometimes have to sit and think for a minute just to wrap my head around the fact that I'm married to the woman of my dreams."

"I know what you mean. I sometimes can't comprehend that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with the man I love. And that I'm going to have his baby in a couple months." I replied with a chuckle. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

"Mmm...okay." He uttered, obviously exhausted. I giggled and he stood up. He took me by the hand and pulled me up off the couch. "What's so funny?"

"You when you're tired. It's actually really hilarious. But to be fair, me when my blood sugar drops is much worse." I answered, wrapping my arms around his neck and him putting his hands on my hips. "Seriously. I look like Spencer does when she hasn't had her coffee yet."

"I bet you don't look that bad. If it's even possible for you to look less than stunning."

"Okay, Mr. Fitz. It's time for bed."

"Yes, ma'am."

As we walked hand in hand to our bedroom, he wrapped his arm around my midsection and kissed me. I kissed him back, and although he was exhausted, he still managed to love me right; and that's something that even my mother now understood, because she had seen us as a couple while she and Mike stayed here. I mean, she teased me about it plenty. But, I knew she was happy for me.

Soon, we were laying in bed and kissing each other good night. And as soon as I turned the lights off, we both fell asleep.

However, at about one o'clock in the morning, I woke up after realizing that Ezra was trying to gently wake me. I turned over to see him with a pen and notepad, frantically writing something down. I smiled and put my hand on his thigh.

"Another late night epiphany?" I asked after he finished writing whatever it was he had come up with in his sleep.

"This one might actually be a good one." He replied, taking my hand in his. I raised an eyebrow in suspicion and he laughed. I sat up and he looked at me with a sparkle in his eyes, making me wonder what the heck was going on inside his head.

"What is it?"

"I mean, I want to write it. But, I need a second voice." He said, making me grow even more curious about what his epiphany that was obviously so important that he had to wake me up was.

"And that means what?"

"Aria, I want to write this book with you. I want to write about us: our love through hardships and arguments. About how important honesty is. And I can't do it without you."

I was shocked. Since when did Ezra Fitz want to write anything other than fabulist material? The last time we had a book discussion, I had to withhold myself from storming out of his apartment. Okay, maybe it was more of an apologetic monologue from him than a discussion. And it wasn't in his apartment. We were in a cabin. Either way, that night has bad connotations for me when it comes to our relationship. But, that's not what matters; what matters is that we managed to make up and forgive each other. We moved past it. And that's when I realized why he wanted to write a book with me.

Flashback - Spring Break, 2011

We sat silently in each other's arms on the love seat in his buddy's cabin watching an old Turner Classic movie late one spring night. It was cold outside still, as winter in Pennsylvania had decided to stay for longer than planned, and the fireplace was alive with crackling embers flying from the intense flames.

It was so romantic. The entirety of that night was a memory that would stay with me forever, but not in the way I had hoped when my husband announced that we were taking a glamping trip after noticing how I was beginning to grow stir crazy.

I rested my head on his chest and tried to keep at least some of my attention on the movie as I listened intently to his rhythmic heart beat, and his arms remained crossed over my stomach. He was already protecting our child, even while trying to resist the temptation of sleep.

"I love you." He muttered. His voice was rich with weary and exhaustion, but he didn't care. He still wanted to make sure that I knew that he loved me.

"I love you, too." I replied as I turned my chin up slightly to meet his gaze while he looked down at me, the woman he loved with all his heart. "And as much as I'm absolutely loving An Affair to Remember, we should probably try and get some sleep."

"I agree." He yawned, reaching for the television remote to turn the power off. Once he did so, we both stood up and shared a kiss. After we released from each other's tight embrace, he placed another gentle kiss on my forehead and I smiled. "I'm going to lock up outside. I'll meet you in bed."

After I nodded and he stepped out the door, I began to make my way to the queen sized bed in the corner. As I did so, however, a book which had previously sat unperturbed on the coffee table fell to the floor as I brushed by it; and when it fell, it also happened to open.

I picked it up and was preparing to put it back on the table when I noticed something about the front translucent page. I flipped past the first four pages of the book all about barbecuing (of all things), and saw something I could never forget.

The book was hollowed out; and in the hole carved out of the pages was a packet of papers of what looked to be research or highly detailed information. I set the book down and picked up the incredibly thick packet of papers in my hand before removing the clip which held the pages together. After I set it aside, I read the first page of the manuscript.

It seemed pretty innocent at first. A couple notes scrawled onto the paper in Ezra's familiar messy handwriting and a few coffee stains caused by late nights working on this enigma of a secret. But, I recognized a couple of the names he had used.

Alison DiLaurentis.

Darren Wilden.

Jenna Marshall.

Melissa Hastings.

Aria Montgomery.

This wasn't just any book. This was a book about us. My family; my friends. Our secrets.

The Jenna Thing.

My father's affair.

Everything.

A million thoughts raced through my mind as I read the first couple sentences of his novel. And then my jaw dropped to the floor in awe. There, on the page, was a shocking twist to the story that is our lives.

"Ezra and...Alison? What the hell is this? Why would he write this?" I managed to ask myself in a harsh whisper. At this moment, I half expected tears to begin falling down my cheeks; but they didn't. I was too shocked to do anything.

The manuscript had obviously been left untouched for awhile, seeing as the dust had collected on the laminated cover of the book. But, that didn't make me any less upset.

As the door shut and he walked back into the cabin, he froze as I turned my head to look at him. I set the book down calmly as ever on the coffee table and stared at him emotionlessly. I could practically see his heart sink inside his chest as he realized what I had seen, and although I was pissed as hell at him, it pained me to see that look on his face.

Truth be told, I was relieved. That may sound weird, seeing as the situation isn't one that would typically bring relief to a emotional pregnant woman. But, it's true. It definitely could've been worse. Be that as it may, I still felt completely betrayed.

"Well, you certainly have a way with words." I said as I traced my finger around the sharp corners of the paper.

"Aria, I promise I can explain everything. If you'll listen. I know you're probably mad as hell, and-"

"Mad doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about this AND you right now." I sharply replied, cutting him off rudely. Honestly, he deserved that, though. "I can't run very fast, so feel free to use that to your advantage; but you should also know that I took tae kwon do for a year."

"You have three minutes." I added hastily.

"I know what you're thinking, but I didn't hurt Alison." He began, approaching me like I was a feral animal or something. That was a smart move, in my opinion; I was mad, and I didn't know what to do.

"That's not what I was thinking. I know you didn't hurt her."

"So," He said, exhaling deeply,"you've read it."

"Bits and pieces. A few paragraphs."

"I am so sorry, Aria."

"I know." I replied, deeply emphasizing every word.

"Alison and I dated for three months during the summer of '09. When she went missing, I..."

"Felt obligated to find her? We all did."

"After realizing that she might actually be gone, I felt like I needed to solve the case. I needed to assuage the fears the community was holding onto. And that's why I started teaching at Rosewood. I wanted to be the reporter who did anything for the job, and I thought it'd be easy." He explained, a certain agony in his voice. I was tempted to hug him, but I resisted. "But then...you."

"Me? Wasn't I just a character in your novel or a source of information? Wasn't that what all of us were to you?"

"It started out that way. I didn't think I would ever be able to think of anyone in this town as anything but means to an end. Especially after Alison told me about Spencer, Hanna, Emily and-"

"Me? Yeah; I know what she probably said about me. To her, I was the 'fun-sized pixie goth with pink hair and a temper'. What's your point?"

"Everything changed after Homecoming. When I finally realized that I was falling for you. Six months later, when I bought the ring, I had completely forgotten about the book. I knew that Alison had manipulated me into taking her way of thinking and adopting it as my own. I knew that none of you were anything like she said you were. Those stories she told, were twists on the truth. What I believed was merely her truth."

"Alison definitely loved being a fabulist." I added, wiping tears from my own eyes.

"When Ali lied, I believed her. When she told me that someone was evil, I stayed away. After I finally came to my senses and broke from her spell, I knew. I knew that I wanted to wake up next to you everyday of my life and start a family with you and love you way longer than anyone else."

"That's strange." I said.

"What is? If you need a punching bag, feel free to use me. I deserve more than a few blows to the face after all the lies I told you and your friends and family."

"I don't want to hit you, Ezra. I mean, I probably should, but I won't. I'm actually pretty relieved."

"Okay, if there's one word I didn't think I'd hear from you tonight, it's that one."

"Did Mona offer you a spot on the A-Team? Before they got her?"

"Wait. How did you-"

"Because she offered me the same deal." I huffed, falling back into the couch. "When I began noticing your...sketchiness."

"Huh. And here I was thinking that I was being discreet."

"Ezra, you have a camera in your hallway that beeps every time I walk by. I waved a couple times...as a joke." I replied, snickering to myself.

"I forgot about that one. It's always been a little...neurotic."

"Like you?"

"Look, I get it if you're still pissed as hell at me. I can call a cab if you don't want to stay here." He said apologetically.

"Just answer one more thing for me. Please." I replied hastily, knowing that I had to ask him this, even though I hated having to.

"Anything." He said.

"Were you 'A'? Even for a minute, were you 'A'?"

"Aria..."

"Please just answer the question. I need to know."

"No. I mean, I don't think so. I don't think she thought I could do it. As far as I know, I was just the middle man. Mona blackmailed me, and-"

"Oh my god. You're Boardshorts, aren't you?" I exclaimed suddenly. He stared at me, obviously startled, and I just stared back.

"Yes. Yes, that was me. At least, that was the pseudonym Ali hid me under in her stories. I paid Mona for information, but she said she needed more. So, I did some sleuthing and came across something she wanted. Some medical records for a friend of hers. Then, she let me off the hook. Aria, I know you're pissed at me. I can have someone drive you home if you don't want to stay."

"I'm not too thrilled with you, but I'm not pissed anymore. At least, I don't think I am. And trust me, if there's anything we need to learn how to do before we seal the deal, it's how to deal with bombshells like this one." I replied reassuringly. He smiled and cautiously put his hand on mine.

"Aria, Dr. Phil wouldn't even take us on."

"We all have baggage. And I said 'yes' knowing, or at least thinking that I knew, all that would come with marrying you. And I stand by that decision."

"I'm gonna be sleeping on the couch tonight, aren't I?"

"Consider it a favor. When I'm mad, I subconsciously kick in my sleep."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. We're okay, aren't we?"

"Always."

(Back to the Present)

"You're serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Where would we even begin?"

"That night in the cabin. When you first found out about the book."

"Really?"

"I want this to be honest. And I need your help."

"Uh huh."

"So, does that mean you're in?"

"Ezra, I'm totally in. Let's do it!"

He then grinned and kissed me. After making out for awhile, I held his hand in mine and looked deep into his eyes.

"I love you." I whispered with a smile.

"I love you, too." He replied, taking my hand and bringing it over to my slightly showing belly.

"I want our daughter to read the book when we're done and know what real love is." I said as I looked down at both our hands which rested on my stomach. He turned my chin up so I was looking at him and kissed me again.

"And she will. We'll raise her right. She'll know what real honesty and loyalty are, and she'll grow up in a loving home with parents who love her to the moon and back." He assured, his hands cupping my face and his lips close to mine. Those same lips curved into a smile and he placed another gentle kiss on my own lips.

Then, my phone unexpectedly rang; and when I answered it, I became as pale as one would when they had seen a ghost. The voice on the other end was shaking with both fear and anticipation, and it was almost too much to reach back into my memory to find a way to recognize such a long lost feeling. It was the voice of a woman; my age, maybe a bit older. And I recognized it almost immediately.

"Aria?" The woman asked, obviously incredibly nervous. So was I, to be perfectly honest.

"Who-who is this?" I replied, my voice shaking as much as hers.

"You know who I am, Aria. I don't have much time. I need to see you...and the others...now."

"Where are you? Have you called them?" I asked hastily as I recognized the need in her voice.

"New York City, in the Fitzgerald Theatre. I can't call the others; their phones are shut off. Please hurry."

"Yeah, of course. I'll be there as soon as I can. Please don't do anything until we get there. Bye."

After I hung up, I was left with the sound of silence and my own labored breathing.

"Aria?" Ezra asked with a tinge of fear lingering in his voice. "Aria, what's wrong?"

"This can't be real." I managed, a flood of thoughts running through my brain. I could barely sit up straight, as I had a headache and my heart ached with want and anxiety.

"Who was that?" He asked, his hand making it's way over to my back and soothingly rubbing it in a circular motion. I stared at him and set my phone down slowly.

"Alison is alive. And she needs us." I said, a look of anticipation taking over my features. His mouth gaped open widely out of shock, which I completely understood.

"What do you mean she's alive? Where is she?"

"She just called me. She's in New York City; at the Fitzgerald Theatre. We have to go." I said as I hopped out of bed and began getting dressed.

"Aria, please wait. I understand why you need to go, but can we please talk about this. If you're going, I'm going with you."

I knew it was pointless to argue with him, so I just nodded. I mean, I understood why he was scared of letting his pregnant wife wander willingly into the Big Apple to track down a friend who was thought to be dead for the past couple years; but I needed to go.

For once in our friendship, Alison DiLaurentis legitimately needed me.

Author's Note: Hello, my forgiving and lovely readers...I am so sorry for being M.I.A for so long! It's a long story, so I'll spare you the details. But, I wanted to make this chapter special and set it apart from most of the other chapters in "MC:AEF". I hope you enjoyed it, and as always, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on both the current flow of events and the flashback included in this chapter.

Just to clarify, the events in the flashback occurred somewhere between chapter 14 and chapter 15. So, Ezria was still engaged; they just hadn't tied the knot yet :)

AND OY VEY! Can you believe last night's episode of Pretty Little Liars?! God, if I had to choose one of the Liars to go completely rogue, I probably would've chosen Spencer! NOT MY BABY HANNA BANANA. And unfortunately for us Ezria fans, Jaria (re: Jason and Aria involved ROMANTICALLY) is on the rise. And I'm not dissing any ships! I think all ships are wonderful sources of comfort, drama and suspense for ALL fans. But, being the hardcore Ezria shipper that I am, I have to side with Ezria on this one ;)

What do you think'll happen next chapter? Okay, it's pretty obvious from the storyline I've chosen to explore, but STILL! Leave your thoughts and opinions in a review, and I'll try and reply and/or grant your wishes as soon as possible (I will take requests for scenes, by the way; I just don't make promises I can't keep...).

Lastly, I am SUPER excited to announce a new fan-fiction I am currently in the process of writing should be out very soon! Yes, it'll be primarily Ezria (with various other couples such as Haleb, Emison and possibly some Wrencer or Spardy). Why? BECAUSE WHY NOT! It's a pretty washed out and overused plot line, but I'm having a blast working on it so far, so who the hell cares! Whoop!

Thank you so much for reading! ILYA!

Kisses,

Delaney R. L.