Disclaimer: I don't own PLL.

I haven't decided if I'm going to do an epilogue or leave it open for a sequel later... either way, it won't be up for a while I don't think.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Here." I say without looking Ezra's way.

"What's this?" His tone is sceptical, his eyes staring at the object now in his hands.

"Seriously?" I ask monotone.

"Well no, I know what it is obviously." Annoyance laced in his tone.

"Great. How about a gold star?" I ask with heavy sarcasm.

"Aria? Why am I holding a baseball mask?" Ezra shakes his head in confusion as he waves the mask in my face.

"I don't know why are you?" I ask back, a smirk on my face.

"Aria, come on." I shot Ezra a look, and he rolls his eyes releasing a sigh of frustration.

"Fine. Why did you give me a baseball mask?" His eyes bore into mine.

"And while we're at it, why are you being so difficult?" He asks, exasperation seeping into his tone.

"The baseball mask if for protection." I completely ignore his second question, looking up to my house, picturing my family sitting in peace.

"What?" I roll my eyes at Ezra's confusion.

"I said I would get you a baseball mask when we were going to come clean to my parents. Here it is." I motion to the object sitting tightly in his hand before taking a step towards the house.

"And?" Ezra asks patiently, halting my movements.

"And what? For God's sake Ezra, let's hurry this disaster up." I snap at him.

"Why are you being so difficult today? Please tell me, baby." I feel my reserve disappearing at his soothing tone.

"That's why, baby." I yell in response, tears springing to my eyes.

"I don't understand." Ezra takes a step forward to console me, but I pull away.

"You're making me tell my parents about us, and that's like relationship suicide! They won't let us see each other-"

"You're an adult, they can't stop you." Ezra's response is quick.

"But they can threaten your career, and you know that I'd give you up in a second before I ruin your life. And when they break us up, you won't call me 'baby' anymore. You'll call some other girl 'baby', and then one day you'll have a baby with her. Instead of me. All the promises you made yesterday will mean nothing in 10 minutes time." I only stop my spiel when I feel the saltiness of my tears in my mouth.

"So that's why I'm being so difficult, to try and stretch out our time together and to try and give you time to realise how horrible this idea is." I look up unto Ezra's shocked eyes as he closes the distance between us, cradling me into his chest.

"Oh baby." Ezra sighs into my hair before leaving a tender kiss on my head.

"Don't call me that." I mumble into his strong chest.

"Baby I love you. More than anything. There will never be some other woman to call baby, there will be no breaking us apart either." I feel my tears soak his shirt at his sweet words.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I tell him, my voice full of grief.

"I'm not. I don't care of your parents threaten my career. Go right ahead. Because you're mine, and I'm yours. And that's just how it is." He tells me sincerely.

I look up to meet his eyes, and his thumbs gently wipe my tears away.

"And one day I will ask you to marry me, and we'll have a baby together. I promise." He leans down and places a gentle and loving kiss on my lips, reassuring me of my worries.

"I love you, sorry for my freak out." I rub my nose against his gently before kissing him again.

"I love you too, and look forward to many more freak outs during the rest of our life together." His reply makes my heart swell and his lips claim mine once more.

"Alright, let's get this over with." I nod my head towards the house before taking off toward it, dragging Ezra behind me.

I halt by the front door, biting my lip while trying to build my courage.

"Aria?" Ezra asks tentatively.

"Yea?" I ask without casting my eyes in his direction.

"You know you have to open the door right?" He asks as I roll my eyes and turn to see the smirk plastered on his handsome face.

"Shut up." I tell him seriously before looking back towards the door and placing my hand on the handle.

"I'm just, calming myself down a little. I'm nervous." I take a deep breath, letting a small smile grace my face as I feel Ezra hand squeeze mine gently in support.

"Ok, are you ready?" I ask rhetorically while opening the door.

"Oh hey honey, how are you?" my head automatically turns to the sound of mums voice, she's sitting in the lounge room with an open book in her lap.

I take a step into the room, my hand still entwined with Ezra's and I watch as her gaze lands on our entwined hands.

"Um, mum can we talk? There's something I need to tell you." I stutter and stumble through my perfectly rehearsed line fearing my mother's reaction.

"About what sweetie?" I narrow my eyes at my mum's sweet tone.

Ok, I'm officially confused.

"Um there isn't an easy way to say this but..." I trail off looking to Ezra for assistance.

"You're dating your professor." She fills in with a smirk on her face.

"Uh, well. Yea. Wait, you knew?" I blink at my mum in shock.

This can't be my mother, what the hell is going on?

"Of course I knew, I'm your mother after all. And I'm not stupid." She gets off the couch and crosses the room to us.

"I don't understand." My voice is low and unsure.

"I had my suspicions. Why do you think I was torturing you? That dinner confirmed my suspicions. And was hilarious." She laughs as she looks at the two of us.

"Mrs. Montgomery, I don't really know what to say but thank you I suppose." Ezra's grateful tone flows across the room.

"Call me Ella." She smiles at us once more.

"Quit the smiling already. Why aren't you yelling?" I narrow my eyes at my mum suspiciously.

"Well let's just say like mother like daughter." She tells me softly.

"Wait. You dated your college professor?" I ask shocked by the revelation.

"What? Do you think it was wrong?" She smirks and laughs at the irony.

"Fair enough." I say before leaning in for a hug.

"Thanks mum. And for the record I don't want to know any details." I tell her pulling away as she opens her mouth to no doubt give me details.

"Fine, fine. I get it." She puts her hands up in surrender and wonders into the kitchen.

"But trust me, you're gonna want to know! It could help with breaking the news to your father." She shouts from the kitchen.

Well I guess I don't need to ask.

My dad doesn't know.

And oh god. My dad must have been her professor. Yuck.

What is it with my dad and inappropriate relationships?

His student and then his teachers assistant?

I roll my eyes and try to focus back on the task at hand.

"Wow." Ezra breaths out in relief and I turn to smile at him in disbelief.

"Yea. But you're still gonna need that baseball mask for my dad." I nod towards the mask in his hands before reaching up and meeting his lips in a long kiss.

"You know making out right there is just begging for dad to find out." I pull away from Ezra and roll my eyes at my brother.

"Whatever Mike." I tell him as Ezra stands there gobsmacked.

"Wait, he knows?" Ezra asks trying to catch up.

"Of course. Subtlety isn't Aria's strong point." I shoot daggers at my brother as he steps off the bottom step and moves closer toward us.

"I know right." Ezra laughs with my brother and I turn my annoyed glare to him, silencing him immediately.

"Oh I know that look too well. I give it to your father all the time." My mum says as she enters the room.
"What do you give me all the time?" My dad asks from halfway up the stairs, eyeing us all.

"You know; the look." Mum replies easily.

"Aria was just giving it to Ezra." Mikes fills dad in on some blanks and I hold my breath awaiting dad's response.

"Why would Aria be giving her Professor that look? And why are her arms around his waist?" Dad's tone is questioning and angry.

"You might want to put that on now." I tell Ezra motioning towards the mask.

"Mr Montgomery, I'm in love with your daughter." Ezra tells my dad with sincerity, not missing a beat.

Well crap.

He didn't even give me time to soften him up.

"Why do we even pay our cable bill?" Mike asks, leaning against the wall smirking.

"Would you like some popcorn to go with the show?" I ask Mike sarcastically.

"Thanks sis, that'd be awesome."

"I was being sarcastic. Now go away." We hold each other's stare before he retreats into the lounge room and takes a seat.

Oh yea, like that's any better.

"You what?" My father explodes and is suddenly in front of us.

"Byron, honey. Just calm down and we can talk about this." Mum steps between us and tries to defuse the situation.

God I hope she can handle this whole thing. Otherwise we're screwed.

And not the good kind.

"Calm down? How am I meant to calm down? He's her Professor. It's just wrong." He shoots Ezra a disgusted look and mums expression changes instantly.

God, are all men stupid?

"Excuse me? Are we wrong too then?" Mum fires back, anger in her tone.

"No of course not honey. This has nothing to do with us." Dad replies instantly. His worries on placating mum for the time being, and off Ezra's and my 'inappropriate' relationship.

The answer is yes. All men are stupid.

"Really? Good then. Because if I recall correctly you were my Professor, so the situation is exactly the same. So get over it already. Or you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Ok? Great. Who's hungry?"

We all stare at my mum in shocked silence as she retreats to the kitchen.

I cautiously follow behind her, leaving Ezra to brave my father alone.

Well not alone, he has Mile.

Yea, like that's any better.

I walk in the kitchen to find mum rummaging around in the fridge.

"Mum?" I ask quietly.

"Yea honey?" She shuts the fridge and leans against it.

"Why are you so ok with Ezra and I? I mean I know you and dad were in the same situation, which by the way is just weird and creepy... but. I kind of forgot my point, thinking about you two is just gross. Blah." She laughs at my little rant before encasing me in a hug.

"Because when we told my parents, they didn't accept it at all and they tried to drive us apart. And you know what happened?" She asks while playing with a strand of my hair.

"What?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"It just drove me away from them and into your father's arms more. True love can't be broken up Aria, and I'm not going to risk losing my baby girl. If you truly love him, then I won't stand in your way." Mum places a gently kiss on my forehead before looking me in the eyes.

"Thanks mum." I try to blink back the tears threatening to spill over my eyes.

"You really love him don't you?" Mum asks quietly.

"I really do. More than anything." I tell her just as quietly.

"Good, I'm glad. I know you've been so against the idea of love for years and I was so hoping that would change before it was too late."

I lean forward for another hug and I don't pull away until I feel my dad's hand on my shoulder.

"Aria, I'm not going to lie and say I approve or like this but I'm going to try and accept this. Because I've seen what happens if I don't. And I don't want that for us." I pull my dad into the hug as well, thankful for the turnout of events.

"Wait a minute. So that's what that disaster of a dinner was the other week Ella. You planned it all." He questions my mum and she just smirks at him.

I kiss them both on the cheek before leaving them alone in the kitchen to find Ezra.

I walk into the lounge room to see him sitting next to Mike on the couch. I smile down at him before squeezing myself down on the couch between them.

"I love you." I tell him quietly looking up into his beautiful blue eyes.

"I love you too, baby." He whispers in reply, leaning down to attach our lips in a gentle kiss.

I smile against his lips, knowing he is going to keep all the promises he made.

Because he loves me.

And I love him.

Forever.

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