Pretty Little Liars: 16 & Pregnant (Sequel)

No Escape From Reality

Later That Evening
Aria's Pov

I watch my teary-eyed daughters from across the table, having failed keeping my own eyes dry as of a few minutes ago. Ezra doesn't look far off from joining us, his face pinched and pale. No one has said a word for at least a minute, although after everything Piper told us, I'm not surprised we're all speechless. Ever since I found out I was first pregnant way back in high school, my number one fear is that my psycho stalker would target my kids. Now here we are, twelve years later, my fear a reality when I foolishly thought we were done with that nightmare.

"Maybe we should just get out of town for a bit," Ezra blurts out suddenly "I-I know that's not a permanent fix, but maybe the headspace will help us figure out what to do next. It sure as hell can't hurt."

"Hell is a bad word Daddy." Stella tells Ezra, her face sullen and her voice quiet.

"That doesn't matter right now," He answers "Bad words are better than bad situations."

If this was any other day, Ezra would've poked fun at how Stella swore while telling him not to. But today, I'd expect nothing more than the indirect answer he gave her.

"Where should we go?" I ask, the desolate sound of my voice almost shocking me "A-and what about work? Exams are coming up, this isn't really an ideal time for you to suddenly leave."

"This whole situation isn't ideal." Ezra replies, his voice almost harsh "But we're gonna do what we have to do."

I just nod, the lump in my throat somehow growing larger. I look down at my hand resting on my bump, briefly wondering what our lives will be like when these babies make their entrance into the world. I thought I knew; I had everything planned out perfectly, from the little outfits they'll wear home to the first meal we'll eat as a family of six once we're back from the hospital. But now, nothing is guaranteed.

"Let's go in another room and talk for a minute," I say to Ezra, glancing at our kids' innocent faces and not wanting to scare them any more than they already are.

"No," Piper butts in "Anything you have to say you can say in front of me and Stella." Ezra and I exchange a glance, coming to an agreement without using words.

"That makes sense, given the circumstances." I nod "I was going to say that maybe we should all go somewhere, the Rivers', the Fields', Spencer and Toby. All of us, just to be safe."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." He answers, his eyes fixed on the table "But where?"

"I don't know, just somewhere we can all be together. I feel like we're stronger in numbers." I reply.

"Auntie Spencer's cabin!" Stella blurts.

"Auntie Spencer doesn't have a...oh you mean Auntie Spencer's aunts cabin!" I correct.

"Yeah, that one." Stella nods "The one we went to a couple summers ago."

"I'll call her." I say, suddenly feeling a little hopeful.

After I get off the phone with Spencer and we talk it over with everyone else, we start packing our bags for the cabin. As I throw armfuls of clothes into a suitcase, I start to consider the possibility that maybe we'll be okay. Or maybe I just hope that we'll be. Either way, in a scenario like this, a little hope can go a long way.

Once I finish packing my own bag, I hurry down the hall to check on the girls and see how they're coming along. Ezra is already with Stella, and she clings tightly to him as she cries so hard almost no noise comes out. I take a step into the room, making eye contact with Ezra as I do. As much as I want to comfort Stella as well, I know that Ezra's got this one, and given the current circumstances, it would be wise for me to get on with other things we need to do in preparation to leave. So, I turn away from the sound of my eight-year-old in hysterics, resisting the urge to rush into the room and scoop her into my arms.

"Hey Pipey," My voice comes out as barely a whisper. I stand in her bedroom doorway, watching her as she sits on the floor and shoves clothes into a backpack "Need help with anything?"

"No," She answers quickly, wiping her eye. I walk further into the room and sit down next to my daughter on the floor as gracefully as I can with my ever-growing bump.

"We're gonna be okay Piper," I tell her promisingly "I know you're really stressing about this, but that's supposed to my job." I try and crack a smile, but it ends up coming out as more of a grimace "What I'm trying to say is, your Dad and I will deal with this, and I don't want you or your sister worrying."

"But how can I not worry?" She cries, looking up at me with tear stained cheeks. I pull her into my arms, trying to hold my own tears back.

"You accept that this is out of your power now, and even though I know that might not make you any less afraid, you can at least trust that Dad and I are going to keep you and Stella safe. Same with your Aunties and Uncles, all of us are in this together."

A slightly doubtful sounding "Okay." Is all she answers with.

By the time we load everything into the car—after a brief goodbye to our house without knowing when we'll be back—Piper and Stella are so beyond exhausted that they fall asleep before we even get off our street, Gatsby curled up between them. I don't feel far behind them, but I want to stay awake to keep Ezra company as he drives.

"What're you thinking about?" He asks suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Take a wild guess." I reply, a sad smile on my face.

"Well I have a pretty good idea," He answers "But I mean what are you thinking about specifically."

"I'm trying to focus on the good," I start after a pregnant pause "That even though this situation isn't ideal, we're all together and okay. I'm scared, a-and still in shock that this is happening, but I wanna try and stay positive. Especially for the girls' sake."

"Yeah," Ezra glances at our sleeping daughters "I don't know how we're gonna do it, but we're gonna keep our family safe, I promise."

"Ezra?" I blurt nervously.

"Yeah?" He replies, looking at me with soft eyes.

"What if we don't figure out how to get rid of V before the babies are born?" I place a hand on my bump "I'm not expected to be able to carry them any longer than six more weeks, and that's if we're lucky. For all we know it could be sooner, and I don't want to bring two babies into the world with everything that's going on." He stays quiet for a moment, and when he does finally say something, I don't end up feeling any less unsettled than before.

"We'll figure it out."