A/N: And, here it is. The sequel to 40 Days And Counting… That said…the same rules apply: This is still my story. I'm just sharing it with you. Regardless, you guys have been so sweet, I'm not worried!

I can't promise it'll be updated at the same rank as 40 Days was. It most definitely won't be so frequently as it was in the end, because while I have this going now, I also have Lost That War up now, along with Heartbeat, and all 3 will demand my attention! Anyhow…READ ON.

Also, the story picks up 3 MONTHS LATER. This was planned before it was announced that season 3 of PLL was picking up on Labor day weekend. (At least, that's the rumour I heard/saw….I could be wrong.)

Say Anything

Chapter 1

I Stand Here Holding Up The Roof
Cause It's Easier Than Telling The Truth

Aria let out a sigh as she stuffed the last of her school supplies into her trunk. She was headed over to the Rosewood to drop off her supplies into her locker. School was starting tomorrow, and she'd had yet to get over to it and drop off her supplies.

The last three months had been a whirlwind. She'd spent the two weeks promised with Ezra in New York, and then they had come back for several weeks, before she had taken off to Florida for a week with her parents. It seemed that within a few mere moments, summer had completely flown by. She had a lot of great memories from it, but a part of her was glad to be going back to school. Going back to school meant that soon enough she'd be eighteen. Once she was 18, the whole world was wide open for she and Ezra.

She pulled her keys from her pocket and rounded the drivers seat door. She settled in the drivers seat and started the car after pulling on her seatbelt. Her tentativeness with driving and just being in a car in general had faded a bit over the course of the last few months, though she could still clearly remember the first time Ezra had driven after getting his new car when they had returned to Rosewood in June.

"Are you sure you're pleased with this car?" Aria asked. It was a small, green Mazda jeep. "I mean you are going to be stuck with it for the next five to ten years."

Ezra chuckled, shaking his head at her. "There's more room in it. Why? Are you not pleased with it?"

She shrugged, staring at it from the outside with crossed arms. Adriana had dropped them off the lot an hour earlier and Ezra had insisted he was going to find the right car that day. He'd already signed the paperwork while Aria had gone next door and gotten herself a shake from dairy queen. When she had returned, he had been walking out, holding a new set of keys.

She ran a hand through her hair. The heat was sweltering, and she desperately wanted to get into a cool place. "Can we go then?"

Ezra chuckled. He leaned over and kissed her temple before walking around the car. "Sure."

Aria opened the passenger door and stepped up inside of the jeep. She pulled her seatbelt on and then looked over at Ezra. He'd already pulled his door shut and just seemed to be sitting there.

"Ezra?"

She watched as the expression on his face changed to one she was sure she had never seen before. Tears filled his eyes, and he genuinely looked terrified.

"I don't know if I can do this," he said thickly. He gulped and bit the inside of his cheek. "I still have stitches. I- My wrist is broken. I don't know…"

Aria reached a hand over and rested it on his cast, turning in her seat to face him. "Just take a breath. It's going to be okay."

Ezra looked up at her, and held her gaze for several long minutes, while Aria conveyed pure and honest emotion towards him. Finally he nodded and reached out to turn the key in he ignition. He moved to back the car out of the space, but just barely after pressing on the gas, the car slammed to a stop as the brakes kicked in. Aria slammed back against the seat and winced, but she was familiar with his need to do that. She understood why he needed to be sure.

She pulled up to Rosewood High School a few minutes later and parked her car in student parking before rounding the car and gathering her school supplies. She then headed for the doors. The parking lot, and the school for that matter, were relatively empty, except for a few lights on here and there.

She headed straight to her locker and then emptied the contents of her bags into her locker. She had gotten several removable shelves and placed them inside, settling her notebooks on top of them before she stood up and closed her locker. She turned around and looked around the empty halls.

Memories from the final weeks of the previous school year flooded her head. She remembered being shoved into lockers like it had just been the day before. She had a scar on her forehead to remind her of the day that all those girls had ganged up on her in the hallway.

Aria settled outside of starbucks with a cup of coffee. It was her first day back in Rosewood, and she was still getting used to being able to go places without constantly worrying that she needed to look over her shoulder because A might be right there watching. The cops had found Maya's 'lair' a few days after she had left for New York, and from what Aria had heard, it had been rather creepy.

She took a drink from her frappaccino and looked around as people seemed to pass her by. She still needed to get over to Retta's and see what she could do about getting her job back. After the accident, she had never gone back, which was less than responsible.

"Aria?"

She turned her head, furrowing her brow at the sound of the familiar voice. Why would she want to talk to her?

Gina Ryan waltzed up, carrying several shopping bags filled with things from Hobby Lobby. Clearly stocking up on dorm room purchases. She seemed to force a smile as she walked over to Aria's table and sat down on the seat next to Aria's.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Aria gulped. Could she really say no? Could she say yes? She wasn't sure either way. She just nodded instead.

Gina settled her bags on the ground and folded her hands in her lap. Whatever it was that she had to say was clearly serious to her.

"I um… I heard- No. I saw, about your car accident with Mr. Fitz on the news. I heard what happened. I just- I wanted to apologize for what I- what me and my friends did to you in the hallway. It wasn't right, and…" She trailed off and shook her head, looking down at the ground.

Aria wanted to take the high road. She wanted to take her apology, which seemed to be genuine, and just let the girl go. But she couldn't; not after all she hand Ezra had been through.

"I wish I could just tell you good riddance and leave it that, but I honestly can't. The last two months of my life were pure hell, and school should've been a reprieve from all that I was dealing with at home. But instead you and your friends made me honestly wish I was dead. I couldn't go home. I couldn't come to school. Where else was I supposed to go? I mean, aren't you aware of the fact that people are capable of actually being in love with each other?

I've never felt so guilty as I did those six weeks. I honestly felt entirely alone, and by the time you and your friends actually beat me up, its really sickening to me that I have to tell you that I felt like I deserved what happened. I was genuinely made to feel like a bad person, because I loved someone and it was away from the 'norm'."

"I-"

Aria shook her head, cutting her off. "I don't want to hear anymore from you. I honestly don't want to hear anything else. I just want you to leave, and I never want to have to hear from you again."

The older girl stared her down for several minutes before finally nodding. She stood up and walked away, leaving Aria to enjoy her coffee in peace.

She exhaled a sigh as she made her way back to the student parking lot. She was supposed to have done this with Spencer, Hanna, and Emily, but Spencer was going to be catching a train from Philadelphia back to Rosewood in the morning, and Hanna and Emily both had plans with their significant others.

Aria didn't entirely mind. When she was living with Ezra she had spent more than her fair share of time passing things up to spend time with he or Adriana instead. She'd been guilty of that for a good part of the summer as well. Over the past three months, she and Adriana had grown closer and closer. Friday night seemed to become a ritualistic date night for she, Ezra, Adriana and Hardy. Almost every week without fail, they met up somewhere and shared dinner and conversation. It was something that Aria thoroughly enjoyed.

As if on cue, her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, and smiled at the picture that showed up on her screen. She tapped it and the text message opened.

Can we meet tonight?
-Adriana

Aria sent back a quick reply, alerting her that she was going to stop by the apartment and that she would call her when she was leaving so that they could meet up. She tucked her phone back into her pocket as she walked up to her car. She bucked in and started the car before backing out of her space. She paid little attention to anything else besides the road and the minimal traffic she seemed to come across as she headed through town. She knew that Hollis had already started back up, but seeing that it was Labor Day, no one was actually there.

The drive to the apartment was short, and as she pulled up to it, she spotted lights on in the bedroom. Her heart throbbed and began to beat faster. Every time she was here lately, she desperately missed living with him.

Her choice to move back home had been a culmination of fear and the need to fix things with her parents. As much as she loved Ezra, she genuinely didn't want to lose her parents. And, as she was constantly being reminded of by her new therapist, you only ever get one set of parents. Regardless of how many good people came into her life, they were never going to be able to replace the fact that her parents had raised her for most of her life.

Ezra seemed to be okay with her choice when she had told him about it. After all, he'd been he one who had pushed her towards trying to fix her relationship with her parents if it was possible. They had struggled somewhat; mostly within the fact that he loved her and wanted her to be careful, but Aria didn't quite know how to do that. She had always been the kind of person that would dive head first into a burning inferno and risk being burned just to see if there was a good outcome.

She pushed her car door open and got out, grabbing her bag. It made her sad that on her one-year anniversary, she'd had yet to see Ezra, but she was hoping to make up for that with a few hours alone before she left to meet up with Adriana.

She walked up to the door and let herself in. She heard him call out from the bedroom, asking who had just walked in.

"It's me," she said as she walked over to the open doorway and peered inside. Ezra looked up at her and dropped a pen onto a memo pad he had lying open in front of him. He leaned back in his seat and folded his hands across his stomach. His cast was set to come off in just under two weeks.

"Hey." He murmured. "What's up?"

Aria shrugged. She walked over to him and he pushed his chair back. She sat down in his lap and draped her arm around his shoulders. Ezra looped his right arm around her waist and smiled up at her.

"Not much," she replied. "I just missed you. We didn't get to see each other today. That's not right."

Ezra chuckled. "Well you go back to school tomorrow, and I've already got to start preparing for the first test of the semester."

"I know, but it wasn't like this last year," she pouted. She exhaled a sigh. "I just want to spend a little time with you."

Ezra nodded. He tilted her chin towards him and kissed her chastely. Aria ran her fingers into his hair and kissed him back. Very quickly, the situation seemed to take a turn, and her fingers moved towards the buttons on the midnight blue button-down dress shirt he was wearing. Her lips moved towards his neck and Ezra lifted his head up, granting her access.

Even so, after a few seconds, he had to move his hands up to hers and pull them down. He moved her off his lap and stood up, though not for the reasons Aria was assuming. When she advanced towards him, he took a step back. Aria furrowed her brow at him and stood there for a moment before attempting to take another step towards him. Yet again, Ezra stepped back. She folded her arms over her chest at him.

"What's going on with you?" She asked, slightly frustrated.

Ezra shook his head, turning to walk out of the room. She followed after him and quickly grabbed his arm as they entered the sitting room. Ezra shook his head at her.

"Aria, don't."

She shook her head again. "What the hell is going on, Ezra? What's changed all of a sudden?"

He clenched his hands into fists as he stood here before her with a disgruntled look on his face. He was just as displeased as she was. He breathed several angered breaths and then finally spoke.

"What's changed is I'm not here for you to come and sleep with when you decide it's worth your time, and then to toss to the side when you realize there's something better to do!"

His words stung. She opened her mouth to say something in reply, but she honestly didn't know what to say. Did he really think that's all he was to her? That he was just someone for her to come and screw when she wanted a lay, and that the rest of the time she tossed him to the side of the road?

"Wh…" She paused, shaking her head. "How long have you felt this way?"

Ezra shook his head, clearly trying to keep his emotions at bay. It honestly scared her seeing him this upset. She'd only ever seen him get this angry with Jackie, and he'd most definitely never looked at her the way he was now.

"A while," he admitted, attempting to take on a calmer tone. He clenched and unclenched his fists, shaking his head. "It seems that the only time you're around here is when it's convenient for you or when you want to sleep together. I knew that if you moved back home you wouldn't be here every day, but god-damn, Aria. Everything I was scared of seeing happened has."

She gulped. She knew exactly what he was talking about when he said that. She knew he meant that he felt like her parents were controlling their relationship. That he felt like she was playing right into what they wanted, and giving them the upper-hand. She didn't feel that way, but she had bailed on him quite a few times recently.

"What about Friday night?" She said when she finally found her words. "The faculty party that the whole department was invited to with their significant others?"

Ezra nodded. He'd been waiting for this to be brought up. There had in fact been a faculty party. Both Byron and Ella had attended. Ezra, however, had told Aria that plans had changed and that he wasn't able to bring her. He was willing to openly admit that he lied, because he had. He was angry. He was sick and tired of constantly feeling like he was being pushed to the side and thought of last. Things had been alright for a while after they had come back from New York. He saw Aria almost every day through the middle of July. But after she had gone to Florida with her family at the end of July, things had changed. Suddenly she was with them all the time. She was always calling him, saying that she had to move her plans around. But it was never because he parents told her she 'couldn't' go. No, instead, they were always conveniently planning something that they 'needed' her to attend, or something where someone 'desperately wanted' to see her at.

And just like that, he was so easily placed on the backburner. It had become more and more frequent in the last few months, and it was making him sick to his stomach. When had he suddenly stopped mattering to her? There had been a time when they moved heaven and earth for each other. When they would have died for each other. A part of him struggled to believe that had only been twelve short weeks earlier.

Tears began to roll down Aria's cheeks as she folded her arms across her chest, and his heart shattered just that easily. He didn't want to hurt her. The last thing he wanted was to see her cry. And yet she was standing right in front of him doing just that.

"It's not that I don't want you to be happy," he told her. He had to force the words past the thick knot forming in his throat. "I understand that you love your parents. I love that you want things to be right with them again, but I honestly don't believe that they really care whether this relationship works out in the end or not. I genuinely believe they'd rather see you with someone else, and they're doing everything they can to see this slowly come apart at the seams."

He didn't say it out loud, but the words they're doing a pretty damn good job of it too, ran through his head as they stood there.

"So what do you want me to do?" She cried. "Leave home again? Tell my parents I hate them again? Go right back to where we were in May? Back to being beat up in school and having my parents tell me that they want nothing to do with me?"

Ezra shook his head. Tears finally made their way over his eyelids, and several fell as he blinked. "I don't know what I'm saying, Aria. Other than the fact that it seems pretty clear that this relationship isn't a priority to you anymore."

-
What happened to the plans we made
And that contagious smile upon your face
It's all begun to fade…
-

Aria slumped down into a stool at the grill next to Adriana. She had long since wiped the tears from her face and pulled herself together since leaving the apartment. She desperately needed her older 'sister's opinion. That was exactly what Adriana had become to her in the last few months.

The older girl walked up to her a moment later and, in her natural mood, she squealed happily as she hugged Aria and exchanged hellos with her. She settled in the seat next to her and flipped through a menu for a moment before letting a waitress take their order. They both ordered cokes.

"Why so glum, gummy bear?" Adriana asked.

Aria chuckled at the mention of Adriana's nickname for her. "I…." She shook her head, looking over at Adriana. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be totally honest with me."

Adriana nodded. "Of course. What's up?"

Aria sucked in a deep breath. "Do you think that I've let my parents take control of my relationship with Ezra? That they've gotten the upper hand?"

Adriana sighed. "You talked with Ezra?"

Aria nodded. "He told you about all of this?"

Adriana nodded as well, reaching out and placing a hand over Aria's. "He's hurt, Aria. And I'd be lying to you if I said no to your question. I totally understand why you're doing everything you're doing, but I do agree with Ezra. He's been pushed out of the center of your world, and it's not because of school or something else that actually demands attention. It's because, in a very conniving way, your parents have managed to take control of the situation and put you in a position where, unfortunately, your relationship is teetering on an edge."

Tears filled Aria's eyes again and she whimpered. Adriana wouldn't lie to her. She knew she wouldn't. And if the last few months hadn't actually happened, she would probably be sitting in that stool, denying to herself what she was being told by her best friend and boyfriend. She'd deny it with every fiber of her being that her parents would do something so callous and cruel. But these were the same parents who had done nothing when she'd been beaten up at school. They were the same parents who had kicked her out of their home. They were the same parents who hadn't woken up to what they were doing to her until she'd been nearly killed by two people who barely knew her.

"I don't know if I can give them another chance," she finally said, letting her eyes rise back up to meet Adriana's. "If I leave gain, I don't know if I can give them another chance to make things right. After this…"

Adriana leaned forward and hugged Aria. The waitress settled their sodas in front of them and walked away. She pulled away a moment later and took a drink from her soda.

"You do what's right for you," Adriana told her. "Whether that's staying at home, or going back to your parents house and packing your bags again. Don't let anyone else's emotions guide your decision. I've seen you do it before, and I know that if push comes to shove and you have to leave home, that you will, and you'll persevere. I believe in you, Aria. I believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to, and I honestly believe that whatever choice you make, it'll be the right one."

Aria forced a watery smile. "Thanks."

The two of them sat together for a few minutes longer, and discussed small talk. Before long, Adriana had gulped down her soda and muttered something about having to get home to study. It was only after she had walked out of the grill that Aria realized the older girl had probably had something she wanted to talk about. She made a mental note to text her later and ask her what it was that she had needed to speak about.

She made her way back to her parents house with her plan very clear in mind. Once she actually arrived there, she wasted no time heading up to her room. It was as if she had rewound four months, and it was April again as she pulled duffel bags out of her closet and began to fill them. Only half her wardrobe was actually at her parents house, and she was grateful for that. It meant there was less to pack.

She wasn't sure if her parents knew what she was doing, or if they even cared. They hadn't stopped her when she'd breezed through the house and up the stairs without a word.

As it was, she had her bags entirely packed a few minutes later, and she picked up all four of them from the floor, juggling two on each shoulder. She made her way out of her room, only to be stopped by her brother in the hallway. He looked slightly surprised; but less surprised than she actually expected him to be.

"Leaving again?" He asked sorrowfully.

"Mike-"

He shook his head. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Aria. I always figured this was temporary. It was too easy for mom and dad to play with you and Ezra. I just hoped that they'd stop before you figured it out."

Aria gulped. She didn't want to leave like this, but she couldn't leave herself open and vulnerable to these games. "This doesn't change anything with us?"

Mike shook his head again. "We're still okay. Just…call, okay? Let me know you're safe?"

Her little brother was wise beyond his years, and she was so grateful for it. She leaned forward to hug him, and she welcomed his arms as they wrapped around her as well. Moments later though, the sentimental moment was over, and he had walked into his room. Remembering what she was doing, Aria made her way to the stairs and then bounded down them, with her sights set on the front door. She was just approaching it when she heard her name uttered from her mother's lips. She turned around, dropping two bags to the floor. She wasn't going to suffer a pulled muscle because her parents wanted to argue.

"You're leaving." The words were simple enough for Ella to utter, and Aria wasn't taken aback by the lack of surprise in them.

Her bottom lip trembled as she stared at her mother angrily. Her line of vision moved to her father as he came to stand in next to Ella. This really was like repeating last semester all over again. He and Ezra had signed on to teach a year-long course together, along with their own classes. Her mother would be teaching her AP senior English class.

"How could you," She said, deflecting her mother's question. "You know how I feel about Ezra, and you knew how I felt about everything when I agreed to come home. How could you do this to us?"

Her parents were without answers, and it wasn't good enough for her. She didn't bother to wait for them to try and stop her a second time. She picked up her bags from the floor and then opened the door. As she moved to step through the doorway, she looked back at them for a brief moment.

"I'm not coming back this time," she said with absolute certainty. "And don't be surprised this time when you get a letter in the mail. I'm done."

With that, she stepped out of the house and slammed the door shut behind her.

-
You know I miss you
You know I wish you missed me too
-

By the time she reached the apartment, it was pouring outside. She'd crawled across town in the rain, too fearful to dive faster than a few miles an hour. She didn't mind driving at a regular pace in any other weather, but rain and snow were things she had yet to conquer since the car accident.

As it was, she was soaked by the time she found herself standing on the doorstep knocking for Ezra to let her in. When he finally opened the door, he just stared at her for several long moments. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was, and she didn't know what to say to him. There weren't any words of encouragement or anything else she could say to make this situation better.

Finally, he stepped out of the doorway and granted her access, taking two of her bags for her. He carried them into the bedroom and settled them on the floor before coming back out to the sitting room. Aria ducked into the bathroom long enough to slip out of her wet clothes and pull on the bathrobe she'd left there before she returned to the sitting room. Ezra sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to him. She walked over and sat down next to him.

"What happened?" He asked.

Aria shook her head, not bothering to hold the tears in any longer. "How was I so blind to it, Ezra? I…."

She continued to shake her head, unable to find the words that seemed to sum up how she really felt. He cradled her into his arms and rocked back and forth, attempting to soothe her, though he let her continue to cry until she didn't have anything left in her to give.

"I didn't want to believe they'd do those things," she murmured after a while. "I thought after everything that happened…"

"Me too," he said as he pressed his lips to her temple. "I honestly believed your parents would do the right thing. Its why I waited so long to say anything."

Aria nodded. She finally lifted her head up to look at him. Ezra smiled sorrowfully at her and reached his hands up to brush the tears off her face.

"What do we do now?" She asked softly.

Ezra shook his head, shrugging. "The whole world is wide open. Whatever feels right to you will be the right thing. Don't let anyone change your mind for you. Make your choice entirely on what feels right to you."

Aria chuckled. "Did you talk to Adriana?"

Ezra shrugged. "Maybe." He took her hands in his own and squeezed them gently. "My point is, let your heart guide you. Don't let what may or may not happen be what causes you to decide. Just make your choice based on what your needs are. Everything else will fall into place."

Aria nodded, taking a deep breath. She stared down at a random spot on the floor. With no fear, and entire faith in herself, the next words out of her mouth were clear. "I need to call my lawyer in the morning."