"Aria, wake up."

The petite brunette groaned, her chin sliding off her hand as she snapped awake. She wanted to kick herself as she realized she was curled up on the couch in she and Ezra's house, dozing off and probably grinning like an idiot as she fell further into a wonderland that definitely didn't involve her husband.

He stood over her now, holding a basket of fresh, folded laundry. The smallest of frowns was creasing his face, and she could read in his eyes that he was worried about something.

She stretched out her back and put on a neutral face, her wedding ring feeling awfully tight around her finger all of a sudden. "What is it, babe?"

"Don't "babe" me," said Ezra. He snatched one of Aria's shirts from the basket and tossed it onto her lap. "Explain this to me."

Aria stared confusedly at the garment, trying to place what he was talking about.

He sighed. "The lipstick on the collar, Aria! And don't tell me it's yours, either. I checked and you don't even have that shade."

Aria's throat restricted as she pinched the shirt between her fingers and lifted it up to eye level. The lipstick was a pale pink, and brought back a surge of memories that left Aria a little breathless.

"Is it Spencer's?" Ezra plowed on, a vein in his forehead pulsing with each second she didn't respond. "You two have been spending an awful lot of time together lately."

The laugh that bubbled from her throat was forced and uncomfortable. "We're friends, Ezra. We've always spent a lot of time together. And Spencer needs me to be there for her."

Ezra pinched the bridge of his nose and sunk into the opposite end of the couch. "I understand you two have been through a lot together, I do. I was there for most of it. But these sleepovers you're having are too much. Aria, you're coming in at odd hours, and you're so… distant all the time, and now this lipstick on your shirt. It can't be normal."

Aria wrung her hands in her lap. "No, it's not. I just…"

"What?" prompted Ezra. "Please, enlighten me. Because I can't think of many good explanations for this, Aria."

"Well…" Aria took a deep breath, and she felt the words ready to flow over. She looked Ezra dead in the eye, making sure he got every syllable. "I'm in love with her."

Ezra's mouth bobbed like a goldfish's for a second. "In love?"

Aria nodded, her throat closing at Ezra's distraught face, tears ready to spill down her cheeks. Her voice was a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Are you sure?"

She furrowed her brow. "What?"

"Are you sure you're in love with her?"

"Yes. Absolutely." Aria shook her head, attempting to stir some kind of explanation that he could accept, but she was choking on her guilt and heartbreak, the lack of oxygen muddling her words. "It's like…when I kiss her...it's like when I used to kiss you."

"Used to." He clenched his jaw, and Aria winced. "And you couldn't have figured this out before you married me?"

"I thought I loved you, Ezra!" her voice raised to a shout as warm tears finally flooded her cheeks, and she could barely breathe through it all, struggling to control her emotions. "But these past few months have been so hard. I–I can't be with you if I don't feel alive!"

With no warning other than a twisting of his features, Ezra shot up from the couch, the laundry basket tumbling off his lap and to the floor. "What does that even mean, Aria?"

She stood up too, throwing the lipstick-stained shirt to the floor with as much force as possible, red-hot anger bubbling to the surface. "It means you're not enough for me anymore, Ezra!"

He ran shaking hands through his hair. "I can change, then. You could have told me how you were feeling in the first place and we could have worked it out, like we always do! For better or worse, remember?"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, Ezra." She swallowed thickly. "But I don't think I can get past this. An–and you shouldn't have to change for me."

Her heart lurched when she saw his eyes glisten, turn red, his lip trembling, and it was everything she hadn't wanted. But his voice was even as he spoke, rational. "So it's over then? That's it?"

"Yeah," she whispered, afraid of how weak her voice would sound. "It is."

Ezra turned his back to her, composing himself, and she took the time to do the same.

"Did you sleep with her?"

Aria's eyes darted toward him, seeing how he wasn't even looking back at her, and the entirety of the guilt she'd been holding at bay crashed into her, making her knees wobble. She couldn't bring herself to answer him, and he took her silence as her response, his shoulders visibly tensing.

To her surprise, he didn't yell, but the way he nodded his head in acceptance cowed her just the same. It was as if he was trying to justify their separation in his head by throwing all the blame on her, by telling himself she was always going to end up being unfaithful. And it was well-deserved; she'd hurt him so much over the years. But that one motion was still like a slap in the face.

"I'll go to the courthouse tomorrow and get the paperwork."

Aria nodded, running the backs of her hands across her cheeks and sniffling before she realized he couldn't see her. "O-okay."

Then she darted swiftly past him, heading toward the door so she could give him time to grieve. But with her hand turning the doorknob and her desperate intent to escape flooding her bones, Ezra called out to her.

"Aria?"

And she turned back, wondering if he was going to finally scream at her or insult her or any of the numerous other things she felt she deserved. All he did was look at the floor, muttering his request with the flat tone of a ghost:

"Leave the ring."

Her whole body was trembling with the effort of holding in tears when she finally reached the apartment, and Aria quickly let herself in with the spare key Spencer had given to her. Spencer was on the couch with a dangerously tilting bowl of popcorn in her lap, socked feet propped on the coffee table and head thrown back in sleep. Admittedly, it was late, but she knew Spencer wouldn't mind being woken up.

Gingerly, she shook Spencer's shoulder, and the other girl blinked up at her, startled. Her eyes relaxed as she registered Aria's presence and she set the popcorn aside to make room.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

It was after such a plaintive question that Aria finally burst into tears, and Spencer wasted no time pulling her down and onto her lap, where she merely held her. Loud, ugly sobs slipped past her lips as she clung like a child to Spencer's waist, buried her face into her shoulder.

"Ezra found out," she whimpered, several minutes later, after Spencer had managed to rock her into a state of calmness.

A finger curled under her chin, tilted her tear-streaked face up, and Spencer looked firmly but sweetly into her eyes.

"It's gonna be okay," she said, voice soft and reassuring. "It is okay. It had to happen eventually, right?"

Aria was nodding even before she completely registered what Spencer had said, exhausted from crying and nearly half-asleep.

Spencer's grip on her chin transformed to a gentle caress of the cheek, fingers gliding steadily under her eyes to brush away the tears. Then she leaned down and pressed several kisses on her other cheek, lips brushing her skin. Her nose nuzzled Aria's before she pulled back.

It was moments like these that Aria loved, that showed this tender side to Spencer that she'd never really experienced before the start of their relationship. The girl had supported each of them, helped them stand when they needed it, and they'd try to bear her weight in return. They knew she loved them by her words, but she was never one to linger too long in hugs, still rigid and subdued in her expressions of love like she'd always been.

Aria needed that kind of structure, really. She needed a tempered personality to keep her emotions from flaring out of control, needed strength to be available if she couldn't do something on her own. And Spencer provided that support nicely. But it was only because she was raised like that.

Spencer kept her emotions in check because she was used to it, but she had an infinitely big heart. It was starved of affection, though, evident in the way she clung onto Aria like a lifeline at times. Toby had loved her like she needed to be loved, but his tendencies to leave, to abandon her at bumps in the road, was their downfall. So Aria was willing to pick up the pieces, already in the habit of sticking by Spencer's side, and she had more than enough love to satisfy her girlfriend's malnourished heart.

It was a mutual thing, how they each gave and got something in return.

"You're tired, Aria," whispered Spencer, as the petite girl's eyes got noticeably heavy. She pulled her tighter to her chest and propped her feet up again, letting her chin fall to the top of Aria's head. "I'll worry about things until you can takeover in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Aria mumbled, being dragged down into a warm, comforting darkness and surrendering her burden to Spencer for a little while.

Six Months Later

Aria walked down the stairs in front of the courthouse feeling lighter than she had upon entering. Her simple, sophisticated dress brushed her knees, the light breeze in the air comforting, but her heels were utterly killing her feet. She took those off right on the busy sidewalk, lest she continue on with them and ended up chucking them into the street.

A sharp catcall whistle cut through the air as Aria swung her shoes over her shoulder, holding on by the straps, and heat flashed across her face. Spencer was leaning against the passenger side of her car a few paces away, that damn cheeky grin on her face that Aria had seen way too many times. (Of course, she loved it, but she'd never admit that to Spencer.) Aria greeted her with a playful shove of the shoulder and an irritated glare, but Spencer was having none of it, grabbing her around the waist and connecting their lips in a kiss that loosened all the remaining tension in her body.

When they broke apart, Spencer's gaze softened, hands rubbing Aria's back right where she needed. "How'd it go?"

Today was her last court hearing with Ezra regarding their divorce. They'd filled out all the paperwork months ago, no lawyers involved, and had managed to part pretty amicably, though she could tell Ezra was still rightfully upset. Hopefully he'd get some peace soon, as he'd put their quaint little house up for sale and was planning to move out to New York to be with Nicole as soon as everything was over.

Aria was glad he'd have someone to talk to, like she had Spencer. The other girl had been by her side through all of it, offering her suggestions on how to go about the divorce process, managing to sweep her off her feet during the long waiting period, then waiting for her with a shoulder massage after every court hearing was over and done with. They'd become attached at the hip, and Aria wasn't willing to give that up for a long while.

"Fine," she said, letting out a breath. "It went fine. I'm glad it's over. Feet are killing me, though."

Spencer grinned. "I see that. You know, I could loan you a pair of oxfords if you want. They're pretty comfortable."

Aria couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the idea. "I'd rather admire them on you, Spence. And anyway you're feet are way bigger than mine. They're, like, gargantuan."

"I take offense," scoffed Spencer. Then she turned and opened the passenger side door of the car, gesturing gracefully for Aria to get in. "Anyway, enough about feet. I believe we have an important date with a hot bath to get to."

Aria quirked an eyebrow, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "We?"

"Yes, we," affirmed Spencer, dipping forward to kiss her on the forehead. Then she squinted. "Or, should I say, oui. Either answers your question."

"Have I told you you're a dork before?"

Immediately, Spencer straightened, as intimidating as a drill sergeant. "Get in the damn car, Montgomery. I've got big feet but I've also got a height advantage."

Aria huffed, stubbornly staying put and draping her arms around the back of Spencer's neck, heels clacking together. "Well, I know some self defense."

"Well, I don't think you're equipped to deal with me."

"Is that a threat?"

"Not exactly." Spencer shrugged, the epitome of nonchalance, but her eyes glistened dangerously. "But I could think up a few situations to test out that theory… if you're into that kind of thing."

"I might be." She winked. "I mean, I've had quite a few bad experiences with handcuffs, but with a harmless dork like you… I'm willing to see how it goes." With a smirk, Aria slid into the car, shouting before Spencer could close the door, "Not that you're not a sexy dork!"

She could practically hear Spencer roll her eyes, but spotted the satisfied grin pulling at the corner of her mouth as she made her way around the front of the car.

Once Spencer was settled behind the wheel and turning the keys, she leaned over the center console to smack a kiss on Aria's temple, shooting her a wink. "Relax, babe."

Aria sighed and slumped down a bit in her seat, emotionally spent after the whole ordeal, but still managing a smile at the future she was imagining. Of course, Ezra was still floating in the back of her mind, might be for awhile. She glanced briefly over at the courthouse, and that's when she spotted him descending the stairs, phone pressed to his ear, black hair ruffled slightly by the wind. The prince of her dreams, that she'd given up for a long-lasting reality.

The car started to move, and, as they passed, Aria rolled down the window and gave a timid wave, which Ezra hesitantly returned.

He didn't glance at the car again, though she watched him get smaller and smaller in the side mirror until Spencer's hand slipped into hers, offering comfort.

Aria felt the absence of Ezra's ring on her finger, but she didn't need it anymore, happy with the smooth—if slightly clammy—hand holding her own. It was familiar, natural, how Spencer's thumb brushed her knuckles, something she'd always done.

And something Aria hoped she'd do forever.

A/N: There we go. I don't know where the *wink, wink* *nudge, nudge* bantering came from, but I didn't have the heart to delete it, so I hope it sent all kinds of images flooding your brain, if you know what I mean. Heh, heh. (I'm so sorry what's wrong with me oh my god) Well... aannnyywaaaay...

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