Okay so this chapter… it's dark, really dark. It has violence (including that of a sexual nature), very strong language and references to drug use. So if it's going to upset you, don't read.

This chapter is upsetting but it's pivotal. I worked hard on it and hopefully you guys enjoy it. But do consider all the above warnings!

Ezra dropped Spencer off at her New York apartment before he drove Aria and himself back to the hotel where they had been staying.

"So…what now?" Aria asked him, as they came to the junction at the different buildings of the hotel where they would have to split up to go to their rooms.

"We go to bed," Ezra said, although he knew this was not what she meant. She didn't mean immediately, she meant long-term. What was going to happen now that Gary suspected they were romantically linked?

"That's not what I mean Ezra."

"I know."

"I guess we can talk about this in the morning," she said suppressing a yawn, "I'm tired."

"Goodnight Aria, I love you," Ezra said, and without waiting for a reply turned and walked in the direction of his suite.

"I love you too Ezra," Aria murmured under her breath watching him go.

….

"Well isn't that sweet?"

A shadowy figure suddenly appeared from the darkness, and as she saw Gary's face eerily illuminated by the synthetic light of the hotel lampposts, Aria felt as though she was trapped in an old black and white thriller.

Gary menacingly stepped closer to her,

"He doesn't really love you; you know that right?" he said, leering at her, "Nobody loves you Aria, nobody loves the real you. They couldn't love you, if they had seen what you've done."

"I have people who love me Gary," Aria said defiantly, "Unlike you, you're just a bully."

"Ooh poor little baby Aria!" he cooed mockingly, "Big Gary is bullying her! Aw the poor baby!"

His voice changed back to its normal cold tone,

"Please Aria, leave out the sympathy act. Everyone knows you still love me, but I don't love you. Never have, never will," he stated, "You're fun to play with, and so easy to manipulate. But love you? I couldn't."

He stepped close to her so that he was pressed up against her front, he wrapped an arm around her waist so that she was fixed in her current stance and suddenly Aria became aware of just how isolated they were in this area of the hotel grounds.

Gary leant down to look at her directly in the eye, and she cringed as his hot breath hit her face.

"I've seen you give a seventy year old a blowjob because I promised you a line of cocaine at the end of it. I've seen you fuck six men in one night and then vomit all over yourself. I've seen you screw a married woman whilst being videoed purely for my entertainment. I've seen you try to steal me away from my family."

Each accusation was like a bullet to her chest, and Aria was reduced to tears by the end. It was true, all true.

"You see Aria, how could anyone love you? You're disgusting, you disgust me. You made me want you, you little whore homewrecker," Gary spat at her.

Aria found the bravery to look him in the eye, she shook her head and sobbed,

"That's not true Gary."

Gary wrapped his free hand around her throat and backed Aria into the cold, white wall. She tried to scream but his hand muffled any sound that might have left her mouth.

"Are you calling me a liar, slut?" he spat, "I was going to let you go, but might as well give you something to show your little teacher boyfriend how much of a whore you are."

Gary began to bite at the exposed skin along her neck, whilst he fumbled with his belt.

No, Aria thought, I will not let this happen again. And so she fought him; she kicked and scratched and struggled. But Aria, with her petite stature was no match for his six foot strong build, and he soon restrained her.

"Aw how adorable," he said, yanking her top down so violently that it ripped, "Are you trying to save yourself for Mr Fitz. I have to say Aria, it's a bit cliché, your obsession with authority figures. Don't worry baby, you can call me "sir" whilst I fuck you."

Aria cried out in anguish as he pulled up her skirt, she could feel bruises forming on her skin. She just wanted him to let her go. Just as she was bracing herself for the worst part of Gary's attack, she suddenly was released.

Gary had clearly been pushed aside and was trying to regain his balance. Ezra stood facing him, Aria had never seen him look this angry.

"Don't fucking touch her ever again," Ezra growled at Gary, offering Aria a hand.

Gary re-buckled his belt and sneered at Ezra,

"She likes it rough Fitz, surely you know that? But clearly you don't know much about our Aria, otherwise you wouldn't be professing your love for the little whore," Gary said.

"Don't call her that!" Ezra said.

Gary tried to step closer to them, but surprising even herself, Aria shoved him away. It was surprisingly effective, as Gary was dazed from the force of Ezra's intervention and he backed off from them.

It didn't seem to deter him from attack, in fact he rashly pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed a trembling hand at them.

"What names would you like me to call her Ezra? A Coke-addict, homewrecker, little bitch, my slut? They're all true, she even likes me to call her that last one when I fuck her. I feel sorry for you Fitz, she's only good for fucking, and even that she's not very good at. She's just an unlovable, worthless whore."

Despite the outstretched gun that that he held, following this statement Ezra and Aria both moved towards Gary with fists outstretched, Ezra got there first and punched the older man, he sent an already dazed Gary flying back onto the concrete ground. He landed with a sickening thud. Aria noticed a great flood of crimson liquid spill from Gary's head, and his pupils dilated so that his grey eyes were almost completely black.

For a moment Aria and Ezra stared at the figure of Gary sprawled out on the hard concrete floor. It was Aria who broke the silence,

"Is he… Is he dead?" she asked.

"I…I…don't know," Ezra stammered.

Aria knelt beside her former lover's lifeless body and checked for a pulse. She gasped at how cold he was already, there were no signs of life.

"He's gone," she stated, "Fuck Ezra we killed him.""I killed him, you had nothing to do with it," Ezra said.

"Yes I did, I was about to hit him too. It would have been me, you just got there first. We're both guilty."

"Never mind that now. What do we do Aria?"

"Do you trust me Ezra?"

"Yes."

"Then let me make one phone call."

…..

Fifteen minutes later, a sleepy looking Spencer pulled up to the carpark of the hotel where Aria awaited her dressed in a hotel towelling robe.

"There had better be a good reason for you calling me here at 2am," Spencer said.

"You need to come see," Aria replied her face grim.

After Spencer parked her car, Aria led her to the sight of the incident. It took a lot to shock Spencer these days but she gasped aloud as she saw the body sprawled out on the tarmac. She gingerly stepped around the streams of blood which were threatening to turn the entire pavement red.

"What have you done?" she finally asked looking at Aria.

"It was me," Ezra muttered, staring at the blood-stained paving, "I killed him, not her."

"What are you going to do?"

"That's why I called you," Aria said, "I thought you know being a…"

"A lawyer?" Spencer interrupted incredulously, "I don't commit crimes Aria; I stand in court and talk about them. I don't know what to do with a body! And now you've dragged me into this fucking mess."

They just stood there looking at each other for a moment.

"Fuck," Ezra ran his hand through his hair, "Let's deal with this in the morning just let someone find his body. We can't hide the fact he's dead. Let's go inside I need a drink."

Aria and Spencer nodded grimly.

…..

Soon Aria announced she was going to bed and left Ezra and Spencer drinking solemnly in armchairs in the hotel. Finally Spencer plucked up the courage to ask Ezra what she'd been wanting to since she saw Gary's body.

"How did it happen?" she asked, "How did you do it?"

"It wasn't deliberate if that's what you're implying. I said goodbye to Aria, and we went our separate ways. When I got back to my hotel room I realised I still had her phone and decided to go give it back. Thank god I did. He…he had a gun Spencer. When I headed back the way I came. I found him attacking Aria… raping her. I pulled him off her, and he fell pretty hard. He was sort of dazed, then he started saying the worst insults you can think of. Aria shoved him and he sorted of stumbled and then pulled a gun, I think he was stoned because he couldn't point it straight. And he kept going with his insults. Not even thinking about the gun I flew at him and so did Aria. I got there first. It was just one punch I swear, but he must have been weak on his feet so he fell backwards."

"And he split his head open," Spencer finished.

"Yeah," said Ezra, taking a sip of his whiskey, "And he was dead."

…..

Spencer evidently wasn't in a fit state to drive so she decided to take up Aria's offer of staying in her hotel room. Aria had gone to bed some time ago, and so Spencer had expected her to be sound asleep when she opened the door to her hotel suite. Instead Aria was wide awake perched on her bed in fluffy pyjamas reading "Jane Eyre".

"You're still up?" Spencer asked her, shutting the door.

"Yeah I couldn't sleep," Aria said smiling (although it didn't reach her tired eyes), "I hope you don't mind sharing my king size. There's a clean pair of pyjamas there if you want them?"

"Yeah thanks. Just like the high school sleepovers huh?" Spencer said.

"Uh-huh," replied Aria, "Dead bodies and all."

Spencer giggled despite herself and Aria joined in.

"Oh my god I'm so going to hell," she said.

...

Spencer went and changed into her borrowed pyjamas which were comfy if a bit small. She sat on the other side of the huge bed facing her friend, whose face was contemplative.

"You know I am sorry he's dead," Aria said laying her head down in the pillow, "I did love him… even if he never loved me."

"Really?" Spencer asked skeptically, "For what reason? The rapes, the embezzlement, the manipulation, the adultery? Yeah Aria I can really see the beauty of your love."

Aria was silent for a moment and then turned to Spencer, with tears in her eyes.

"Don't patronize me Spencer, it was beautiful to me. I was a fool and I know that now, I was such a fool and I believed every word of it," she said her voice shaking slightly. Spencer said nothing, but simply raised her well maintained brows in disbelief. Aria noticed and continued with slight anger,

"Have you ever meet anyone who completely enchants you, Spencer? Well I was so taken in by Gary when I first met him. I remember the day I met him; I had dropped out of college and was struggling to make my rent. I had been singing in a few seedy bars to make ends meet. Then one day some other girl dropped out of this show in a posh bar called Ryello's last minute and I was asked to fill in. I did my set, and then hung out in the bar afterwards. I remember I couldn't afford to even buy a soft drink in that bar. Next thing I know this tall, good-looking man in a gorgeous suit swaggers up to me, kisses my hand, and asks to buy me a drink. He told me he thought my set was "utterly enchanting". He said his name was Gary and that he was a music scout. He gave me his card. I remember how his eyes dazzled me, and how his brief touch of my hand sent electricity through me. I told him I would consider calling him, but we both knew I would."

Spencer looked at Aria, but Aria didn't make eye contact with her. She was lost in her own story now, Spencer wondered if her old friend even realised she was still there.

"I called him the next day, and told him I wanted to accept his offer. I didn't even really know what his offer was, all I knew was that the answer was yes. Next thing I know I'm signing a contract. Then he flew me to New York, and called the best stylists and I got made over. For no particular reason except to "treat me", he said that "beautiful jewels deserved to be polished". I was flattered by that, he was devastatingly handsome. I could hardly bear to be in the same room as him the sexual tension was so great. I'd never had that, not even with Ezra; that inability to talk to someone without flushing red, and feeling nervous and aroused at the same time. I was wearing the most expensive clothes I'd ever seen that first day, but they all ended up on the floor of his office. My god, the first time we fucked… I've never felt anything like it, he was so dominant, I…"

Spencer cleared her throat, not particularly wanting to hear a pornographic description of her former best friend's first sex with her married manager,

"Is this really relevant?" she asked Aria, interrupting the woman's flow of words.

Aria looked sheepish,

"I guess not… but I suppose the point is… there were warning signs. I mean sorry to embarrass you but I was used to being the one to initiate sex. Not with Gary, he was almost too domineering. He was too domineering. I started recording music and our relationship flourished. Sometimes he would call me in the middle of the night and then drive in a Porsche to some rooftop hot-tub where we'd drink a thousand dollar champagne and have sex looking over New York. Can you not see why I was utterly infatuated? Then one day at the launch of my first single, I told him I knew he was married and that it was over. But then he sat me down and tenderly explained that he and his wife couldn't stand each other anymore, but she wouldn't agree to a divorce because she was Catholic. He said they had come to an agreement that they could date whoever they wanted, and essentially their marriage was over. I remember he looked down at the floor in shame, and told me I was the only one he wanted and that he wished he could marry me. Can you imagine that I believed him? I believed he loved me, and so I kissed him. He kissed me back, and began to undress me. I pulled away, I was only 19 I was too young to be the mistress of a man in his forties. I didn't want to sleep with him anymore. But he held me down and did it anyway. Afterwards he held me and stroked my hair and told me I was beautiful and that he only wanted me, and eventually I stopped crying. I was upset at the time, but I mean I didn't consider it rape, I mean I started the touching so I thought it was my own fault. But it was rape, I guess?"

Spencer felt sick, "Yes Aria, that's rape," she said, her voice shaking

"Yeah well, it got slowly worse from then on. But I didn't really notice it, like I mean I never until recently believed it could be classed as "abuse". But he would be rough with me, he'd pressure me into doing things I didn't want to do, I mean that video…" Aria trailed off' "Maybe I did consent to Gary whoring me out to his business partners, he had me so drugged up I can hardly remember."

She laughed bitterly and turned to Spencer,

I bet you think I'm pathetic. Don't you?" she asked her former friend.

"No Aria… for God's sake I mean I wish you'd have just ran from him the moment he laid his hands on you. But I understand why you felt compelled to stay with him…" Spencer said slowly, propping herself up on her elbows so that she faced Aria.

Aria raised her brows, "I wish I'd got away sooner too, Spence. He's properly screwed me up."

"…Spencer, I don't know why seeing as you hate me. But I'm already telling you things I haven't told anyone, not even Ezra. So I guess I'm going to tell you something, it would totally freak Ezra out… But it's not just Gary anymore, it's me, I've changed… Ezra thinks that everything I've done over the past few years was purely due to Gary. But I've done things I'm not proud of, I've changed Spence…"

Aria took a deep breath and continued,

"Ezra thinks the body image issues, and the promiscuity were forced on me by Gary, but in reality that's me now. Those things have become my coping mechanism. Fuck, I'm an addict Spencer, Ezra thinks the drugs and alcohol are recreational, but they're not. I can't stop, I'm addicted," Aria let out a breathy sarcastic laugh, "I'm so screwed up, aren't I?"

Spencer really looked at her best friend, for possibly the first time in five years. More than anything Spencer wanted to tell Aria was she was perfect and flawless, and decidedly not screwed up. However that would be lying; the girl lying beside her was broken. Now that Spencer examined her she could see vivid scratches, bruises and bites on her fake-tanned skin, presumably from her altercation with Gary earlier that day. Aria was thin; far, far too thin. Her makeup was smeared black down her face, and her nose was slightly bleeding with a white residue on it.

So instead of denying it to Aria, Spencer wrapped her arms around the other young woman, and whispered,

"I'm so sorry Aria."

Aria lost count of how long she and her best friend sat there, clinging to each other, as though making up for all the lost years of hugs. Despite her current situation, Aria felt more content than she could remember as she embraced Spencer. It was such a relief to be reconciled with her best friend.

With a new calm, Aria pulled away from her, looked her directly in the eye, and said;

"Hopefully this will help you understand what I'm about to do next. I'm going to take control of my own and be the hero for a change. I going to save Ezra from my mess."

As Spencer looked at Aria, she realised exactly what she meant. Aria was going to take the fall for Ezra killing Gary. She was going to confess to a crime she didn't commit.

"Aria, no you can't do that. You'll go to jail," Spencer said gripping her friend's wrist.

Aria tugged her wrist away,

"Spence it's better this way. I can plead self-defence. We have all that evidence of Gary abusing me, a jury would believe that. Whereas with Ezra he just looks like he's a jealous lover, a jury would never believe him," she said firmly.

As much as it irked Spencer, she recognized the truth in Aria's sentiment from all her legal experience. She tried a different tact.

"But Aria that would still mean up to 5 years in jail, you've just reconciled with your family. It would kill them if you went to prison," she said.

"But Spencer it would kill me if I was to keep living this life," Aria said her voice shaking, "I need to get clean, I can do that in jail. My family want me alive, and if that's to happen I need to give up the drugs."

Spencer looked down at her nails,

"I'm scared for you Aria," she murmured.

Aria lifted Spencer's chin with her hand so that she could meet her eyes,

"I'm scared too Spencer, but I've got to do this. For myself, for Ezra, for my family," she said solemnly.

Suddenly Spencer enveloped her best friend in a huge hug, her tears dripped down Aria's shoulder as she rested her head there.

"I love you Aria," she murmured simply.

Aria stroked her friend's hair, and despite the tragedy of the situation, felt overwhelmed with joy, it seemed as though Spencer had finally forgiven her.

"I love you too Spencer, thank you for supporting me," she said.

Spencer sat back up, "I'll drive you to the precinct tomorrow."

I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm quite proud of it, although it was tough writing the darker elements. Let me know what you think! As you can probably tell we're approaching the conclusion pretty soon so give me some feedback and I might just make last minute changes!