Chapter 15: I'm Gonna Stand by you

Danny tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the bell to ring, barely paying attention to his History teacher going on and on about some war that happened hundreds of years ago. It was nearing the end of the second period and there was still no sign of Aria. He was officially worried.

She should've been here already. He thought.

After what seemed like forever the period finally ended and Danny was the first one out the door. As he made his way to his locker, he pulled out his phone and saw that there were no new messages. He dialed Aria's number again but it went straight to voicemail. He sighed then shoved his phone back into his pocket. He was a few steps away from his locker when he ran into Izzy.

"Hey. Have you heard from Aria yet?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "No. I was hoping you did."

"Not since she sent me that text earlier. She said she was running late but it's been over an hour already. She's not replying to any of my texts."

"Mine either." Izzy said.

"And her phone keeps going straight to voicemail." He sighed. "Do you think something happened to her?" He asked worriedly.

"Don't jump to any conclusions." She replied, slightly annoyed. "She did say she was gonna be late."

"Yeah, by like 20 minutes. Not over an hour."

"Maybe she got held up. Her bus could've broken down. Or maybe there was an accident on the highway and she's stuck in traffic." She reasoned.

"Maybe." He said, unconvinced. "I just have a bad feeling about this." He told her.

She frowned. "You do know that Gia's your twin and not Aria, right? Pretty sure that spidey twin sense thing doesn't apply to her."

He shook his head. "Yeah, whatever Izzy. Look, I have a free period before lunch. I think I'm gonna head over to the manor to find out what's going on."

"Yeah. That's a good idea." She agreed. "I'd go with you but I have PE and I can't afford to skip another class or else Simmons will fail me." She told him. "Keep me posted, though?" She asked as she grabbed her gym bag from her locker.

He nodded. "Have fun with Simmons." He called out as she rushed off towards the gym but not without giving him the finger first.

He shook his head, not feeling the least bit offended by Izzy's gesture. It was nothing new. Grabbing his backpack and car keys, he shut his locker then made his way to the school's parking lot, eager to find out what was keeping Aria from school.

Aimee made her way up the staircase, ignoring the looks she got from the BAU team. They probably heard everything she just told Aaron but she didn't care. She needed to say her piece since she didn't really have a choice in dealing with what would happen to Aria.

Opening the door to the first room on the right, she slowly walked inside, closing it behind her. The scent of Aria's perfume hit her nose as she looked around the room. It was mostly tidy except for a few clothing items scattered around and the bed was unmade, which made sense considering the fact that Aria was running late. She wouldn't have left her room in that state if otherwise.

She picked up Aria's favorite grey hoodie, which had previously been hers. She made her way over to the bed and sat down, clutching the hoodie tightly to chest as she inhaled the familiar scent of her daughter.

Please let her be okay. She prayed. Please let her come back to me safely.

"How're you holding up?" Dave asked as he walked back into the dining room.

Hotch still stood in the same position, hands braced on the table with his head down.

"Aaron?" Dave called when he didn't get a response.

Hotch looked up. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

Rossi nodded. "I just wanted to know how you were doing."

Aaron took a deep breath then released it slowly. "Honestly, Dave? I have no idea." He said as his eyes landed on a photo of Aria on a nearby table.

"You know what she said to me the last time we spoke two days ago?"

Dave shook his head. "What?"

"She told me to be careful." He said then ran a hand through his hair. "I should've said it back."

"This isn't your fault, Aaron." He told him. "You couldn't have prevented this. Aria was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was nothing but bad timing."

"I know. It's just..." He paused. "How do I do my job knowing what's going to happen to her and not having any control over it?"

Dave looked at him, not knowing what to say.

He shook his head. "You heard Aimee. What if I'm wrong about the Unsub? Our profile says that he targets green-eyed brunettes who are also college freshman." He took a breath. "Aria has dark hair, but her eyes are hazel. And she's a high school junior."

"What are you saying?" Dave asked.

"There has to be something else these girls have in common besides physical features. Why else would he take her? She only partially fit his type."

"Maybe he was afraid she would ID him." Dave reasoned.

"Yeah. But why take her? He could've just killed her." He said with a grimace when he mentioned the word killed.

"I don't know, Aaron." He sighed. "But we'll figure it out. We always do." He told him. "You weren't wrong. The Unsub's going to hurt her either way. You were just trying to minimize it."

Hotch nodded. "I should probably go check on Aimee."

"I'll do that. You just take a break. Go get some air or something." He told him.

He sighed then nodded. "Okay."

Aimee wasn't sure how long she stayed sitting there before she heard a faint knock on the door. She got up to open it, expecting to see Aaron, but was surprised to see DavId Rossi instead.

"You mind if I come in?" He asked softly.

She bit her lip then shook her head, opening the door wider for him to pass through.

"Thank you." He said politely then walked further into the room, looking around the open space.

"I'm sorry. She's usually not this messy." She told him as she started picking up the scattered clothing and shoes lying around.

"Don't worry about it." He told her as he waved his hand dismissively. "This is a really great room." He said as he looked around.

Aimee made her way over to the bed, smoothing out the duvet cover. "Yeah. My parents went a little overboard." She said as she picked up a pillow laying on the floor and placed it back onto the bed. "With her being their first grandkid and all."

"They must be very proud of her." He guessed.

She nodded. "We all are." She said as she felt herself tear up again.

"Her shoe collections' pretty impressive." He said, hoping to distract her.

"Yeah." She smiled slightly. "That would be my fault." She shook her head. "It's a shared habit. One I fully support."

They were silent for a while. Aimee sat down on the bed while Dave opted to sit on a nearby chair.

"How are you dealing with all this?" He asked softly.

She looked down at the hoodie in her lap, running her hands over it. "I don't know." She shook her head. "It doesn't feel real."

He nodded in understanding. "Can I ask you something?"

She looked up at him then nodded.

"Earlier, you mentioned that Aria's been through a lot. Were you just talking about today or was there something else you were referring to?" He asked her.

Aimee bit the inside of her cheek, not knowing if she should tell him.

Dave noticed her hesitation. "We need to know as much about Aria as possible. It could help us with the case."

She ran a hand through her hair then sighed. "There is something you need to know. But I should probably tell you with Aaron and the rest of your team. It's not something I want to repeat."

He nodded. "Okay. Whenever you're ready."

The team, minus Hotch, was standing outside the dining area, talking quietly amongst themselves when Dave and Aimee came back downstairs.

Aimee walked straight into the room, knowing Hotch was still there as Dave got the rest of the team to follow them back.

Aaron stopped pacing as soon as Aimee walked into the room. "You okay?" He asked as he noticed her puffy eyes. But before she could answer the rest of the team made their way inside.

She nodded. "There's something else you need to know about Aria." She told him.

He nodded. "Sit." He motioned to the chair in front if him.

She shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm fine." She said as she remained standing, taking a deep breath before she started.

"A little over four years ago, Aria was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD." She said, pausing to let that piece of information sink in.

"That would explain the panic attack." Reid mentioned.

Aimee nodded.

"What caused it?" Prentiss asked.

"Her best friend was killed."

"You mean Lilly?" Aaron asked.

Aimee looked at him, surprised. "She told you about Lilly?"

He nodded. "That night when she was sick and I stayed with her, she had a nightmare and mentioned the name in her sleep. She didn't tell me much, just that Lilly was her best friend and that she died in a car accident." He told her.

"A car accident." Aimee repeated as she ran a hand over her face. "Is that what she told you?"

Aaron nodded then frowned.

"Lilly didn't die in a car accident, Aaron." She sighed. "She was killed in a hit and run. Aria was with her when it happened. She saw everything."

The room was silent as they all took in what Aimee had just said.

"Oh. Poor baby." Garcia said softly as she felt herself tear up. Morgan was immediately at her side, rubbing her back gently.

The rest had equally shocked and sad faces. But Hotch looked almost heartbroken.

He cleared his throat. "What happened?" He asked her softly.

She turned to face him then started telling him the whole story.

"They were walking home from dance practice one afternoon. It wasn't anything unusual. They were twelve and wanted that bit of independence and Lilly didn't stay too far away from the studio so her mom and I agreed as long as the two of them stuck together at all times."

"They were crossing the street when a car came speeding down the road and hit them both but Lilly took the brunt of the impact. Aria was lucky she just got away with a bruised hip, fractured wrist and multiple cuts and bruises on her arms and legs. Lilly on the other hand..." She sighed. "Massive head trauma, fractured spine and internal bleeding. She didn't stand a chance."

"Aria was inconsolable. Medics had to pry her away from Lilly's body. It was awful." She explained sadly.

"I honestly thought I'd never get my daughter back. She barely talked or ate. Whatever sleep she did get was interrupted by nightmares. Lilly's death hit us all pretty hard. I'd watched her grow up with Aria. The two of them were inseparable."

"It took Aria a really long time to deal with what had happened. I got her back eventually but she was never the same again. That kind of loss, it changes you. I never wanted her to have to go though something like that."

"Aria told me later on that Lilly pushed her out of the way. That's why she wasn't injured as badly. She saved her life and Aria carried around a lot of guilt because of that. She probably still does."

"What happened to the driver?" JJ asked.

"Police caught him a couple days later. He got a 10 year sentence for vehicular manslaughter." She shook her head. "It should've been at least 15, but he had a good lawyer." She answered, clearly upset about the whole thing. "But he's not important right now. Aria is. I'm worried that this might all be too much for her."

"We get it, Aimee. We're doing everything we can to find her as quickly as possible." Rossi told her.

She nodded. "I know. I just can't stand waiting around doing nothing." She complained.

Then the door bell rang.

"You expecting anyone?" Hotch asked.

Aimee shook her head. "No." She answered then made her way to the front door. She opened it without checking who it was.

"Danny." She said, surprised. "Hey, shouldn't you be in school?"

"I have a free period then lunch." He explained. "Is Aria here? She didn't show up for school. Is she sick?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Uhm, no."

"Then where is she?" He asked then looked over her shoulder, seeing a group of people with badges and guns. The bad feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach got worse. "What's going on, Doc?"

She sighed, stepping out onto the front porch, closing the door behind her.

"Over here." She told him as they both moved further away until they were shielded by a tree.

She took a deep breath then told him that Aria had been kidnapped on her way to school that morning.

He stared at her in shock. "No, that can't be." He shook his head in disbelief as he leaned back against the wall. "Are you sure?" He asked softly.

Aimee nodded. "Yeah. That's why there are agents here."

He felt his chest tighten. "They're gonna find her, right?"

"They're doing everything they can." She told him.

He turned away from her, running a hand through his hair. "God, I can't believe this is happening."

Aimee placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing his back gently. "I know." She sighed. "Me too."

Danny's body started trembling as he thought about never seeing Aria again.

"Hey." Aimee said as she noticed this. "Come here." She told him as she pulled him into a hug, rubbing circles onto his back.

He accepted the hug, burying his face into the crook of her neck as he struggled to hold back his tears. Aimee had always been like a second mom to him and he felt as comfortable around her as her did with his own mother.

"I'm sorry." He said when he eventually pulled away from her. "I didn't even ask how you were doing."

She shrugged. "I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly showing that he wasn't buying her act.

"Really, Danny." She told him.

He nodded, deciding to drop it. At least for now.

"What can I do?" He asked, instead.

She half-smiled, clearly touched by his thoughtfulness. "There's not much anyone can do right now." She told him as she sat down on the pouch swing. He followed then took a seat next to her.

"There has to be something I can do."

"Go back to school." She told him.

He shook his head. "I can't. I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Not without knowing that Aria's okay."

"I don't want you to get into any trouble."

"Doc..."

"Danny, please." She pleaded.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll go." He relented. "But only so I can tell Izzy and the rest of the guys what's going on before they see it on the news."

She nodded. "I appreciate that, kiddo." She said as she cupped his cheek.

He offered her a small smile. "And I'm calling my mom. You shouldn't be here alone."

"I'm not alone..." She started but was cut off.

"Those agents don't count. You barely know them." He told her as he dialled his mom's number.

Aimee sat back as she listened to the one sided conversation.

"She'll be here in 10 minutes." He told her.

"It's at least a 20 minute drive from the hospital to here." She pointed out.

He grinned. "You have seen her drive, right? Pretty sure she was a NASCAR driver in her past life." He joked.

She smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded, sitting back down next to her. "She's not really at the hospital. She took the day off." He confessed. "So, she'll probably be here in 5 minutes."

She nodded, secretly glad that Rachel was coming over. She really needed her friend right now.

"So, who's the kid?" Morgan asked after Aimee closed the front door, leading Danny out of their sight.

Hotch shook his head. "I don't know."

"Boyfriend maybe?" JJ suggested.

"No. Aria doesn't have one." He paused. "Did Aimee call him Danny?" He asked.

"Yeah." Dave answered.

"She mentioned a Danny on the video feed. He's her best friend." Reid told them.

He nodded. "She mentioned the name before. I just assumed that Danny was a girl."

"Well, he's clearly not." Emily mumbled as Aimee and Danny made their way back inside.

"Hey." Aimee said as she noticed the team standing in the foyer, looking expectantly at her and Danny. "Er, everyone this is Danny Evans. He's Aria's best friend." She told them as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Danny, these are Agents Rossi, Jareau, Prentiss, Morgan, Hotchner, Technical Analyst Garcia and Doctor Reid." Aimee introduced. "They're from the BAU."

Danny nodded politely as he was introduced to each member. He's eyes lingered on Hotch for a moment before he moved his gaze to the rest of the team. "Hi." He simply greeted.

They acknowledged his greeting, taking in his appearance. He was tall and lean with broad shoulders that seemed tense. His dark blonde hair was slightly tousled and there was worry in his light green eyes. It was evident that Aimee had told him about Aria.

"I was just filling Danny in on what's been going on." She confirmed.

"I'm gonna run to the restroom real quick." He told Aimee, feeling a little uneasy as everyone stared at him. "Excuse me." He said then made his way upstairs.

"How'd he take it?" Hotch asked.

"A lot better than I did." She said with a sad smile. "I don't think it sunk in yet. Excuse me." She said then made her way into the kitchen.

He nodded then watched her leave the room. "We should probably head out." He said as he faced the team. "Check if Metro needs any help with the tip line." The team nodded then took off.

Dave pulled Hotch aside. "I think you should stay."

"What? No." He shook his head.

"Hotch, there isn't anything else you can do right now. The team and I can handle it ." He assured him. "Stay here with Aimee. At least until her fiancé gets here."

He sighed then nodded. "Fine. I'll stay."

"Can I stay, too?" Garcia asked from behind them. "I can easily run any searches I need to do from here."

"Yeah. Sure." Hotch told her.

She nodded then made her way into the dining room where her laptop was set up.

"I'll keep you updated." Rossi told him then left.

Aaron nodded, closing the door behind him then went to look for Aimee.

Aaron made his way up the stairs in his search for Aimee and noticed that Aria's bedroom door was slightly ajar. Figuring that was where she was, he slowly made his way inside and was surprised to see Danny sitting at the window seat instead of Aimee.

"I'm sorry. I thought Aimee might be in here." Aaron said.

Danny looked up at him, not at all perturbed by the interruption. "You might wanna try the back porch. I saw her walk out there a couple minutes ago." He told him.

Aaron nodded, taking in Danny's appearance. He looked sad and distraught. It was obvious that he cared about Aria and was worried about her. He felt as if he should say something to comfort him but found himself at a loss for words.

"I thought coming up here would help me figure out what I could do to help but I got nothing." Danny spoke softly, while looking out of the window. He turned his head back towards Hotch who still stood by the door with an understanding look on his face.

"She looks like you." He told Hotch as he studied his face. "I thought she looked a lot like Aimee but she looks more like you. I always wondered where she got her eyes from."

"She told you about me." Hotch stated more than asked.

"That you're her father? Yes." He nodded. "Although, this is not the way I imagined meeting you for the first time."

Hotch smiled slightly, moving towards Danny then sat down on Aria's bed. "Me too."

They remained silent for a few minute before Hotch spoke again.

"How did she seem the last time you saw her?" He asked.

Danny shrugged. "She was fine. She was Aria, you know?" He said, simply. "I mean, she was a little stressed out about the showcase. She didn't have to be though. Everything was going really well. I think it was just nerves." He reasoned.

"It's coming up soon, right?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. Less than a month away. We wouldn't have gotten as far as we did without her." He shook his head. "I don't know how I'm supposed to tell Izzy and the others."

Aaron nodded. "I know how that feels. It wasn't easy telling Aimee."

The room was silent again as they both got lost in their own thoughts.

"She was really excited about you being in her life and having a little brother. I could see it on her face when she told me." Danny told him.

"The night she found out about you, she ended up at my house. I didn't know it at the time. She was really out of it so I couldn't really get much out of her. She couldn't even remember how she got there. I was worried. I'd never seen her so distraught before."

Hotch nodded, remembering the look on Aria's face that night.

"The next morning, she wanted to pretend that nothing happened. But I couldn't just let it go."

"Will you please tell me what happened last night?" He asked gently as they sat down at the kitchen counter.

Aria shook her head. "I 'm fine, Danny. "

"Aria, you showed up here in the middle of the night, soaking wet, bleeding and nearly catatonic. There's nothing fine about that." He stressed. "Please, just tell me what happened."

"I can't. At least not right now. My head's all over the place." She told him as she ran a hand through her hair , wincing slightly as it rubbed against the cut on her bandaged hand.

He sighed. "Fine." He agreed. "But will you at least tell me what happened to your hand?"

She bit her lip. "I cut it on a piece of broken glass from a photo frame I accidentally broke ." She explained.

He nodded, realising she was telling the truth. At least about how she cut her hand. But he had a feeling there was more to it. Deciding to drop it for now, he watched as she poked at her scrambled eggs on her plate, making no move to eat it.

"I can make you something else if you don't want that." He told her.

"No, it's okay. I don't really have much of an appetite."

"Aria..." He started but was cut off.

"Danny, please just drop it." She pleaded then got up. "We're gonna be late for school if we don't leave now. I still have to go home, change and get my bag." She told him, then made her way out the kitchen towards the front door.

"I didn't know what to do. But I knew that if I pushed her too hard, she'd shut me out completely." He sighed then shook his head. "So, I waited until she was ready."

Hotch nodded. "You're a good friend, Danny."

Danny smiled, sadly. "Aria's a pretty good friend, too." He said. "She always puts others before herself and sometimes she forgets to look out for herself as well."

Aaron nodded in understanding. He knew exactly what Danny meant. "I know."

Danny frowned. "What do you mean?"

He explained that Aria wasn't the intended target and she was trying to stop another girl from being taken by calling for help.

"But she got taken instead." He finished.

Hotch nodded.

Danny leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "This is so messed up." He said with a sigh.

Aaron let out a sigh of his own. He couldn't agree more.

Aimee sat on the steps leading up to the back porch as she overlooked the pool area. She thought going outside to get some fresh air would help clear her head but it didn't seem to be working. She took a deep breath then slowly exhaled it.

I really need a cigarette right now. She thought.

She hadn't had one in years. It was an unhealthy habit she picked up when she was a teenager. As a doctor, she knew that. But she couldn't help but crave it whenever she was stressed. She stayed outside for a few more minutes before she gave up and made her way back inside.

As she passed the dining room, she heard soft tapping on a keyboard. Frowning, she stepped back into the room and saw Garcia as she sat at the table, typing on her laptop.

"Hey. I thought everyone left." She told Penelope.

"They did. Well, except me and Hotch. I think he was looking for you, by the way."

Aimee nodded. "What are you doing?" She asked as she saw how busy Garcia was.

"Gathering as much info as I can on all these girls. Hotch has a hunch that there's something else they have in common besides the obvious. So, I'm hoping that I find something to back that up." She informed her.

Aimee nodded, taking a seat next to Garcia. The room was quiet for a while as Aimee leaned her head back against the chair. She was exhausted but couldn't bring herself to lie down and rest.

"Tell me about her." Penelope said, suddenly as she stopped typing and turned to face Aimee. "Tell me about Aria."

Aimee turned her head towards Garcia. "She's..." Aimee sighed. "She's my everything." She shook her head. "I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. I always thought I got lucky with her. She's such a good kid. I was a hell-raiser when I was her age." She said with a small smile.

"I see she loves to dance. I was watching a few of her videos online. She's really good." Penelope told her.

Aimee nodded. "Yeah." She said as she teared up slightly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Penelope told her sincerely.

Aimee shook her head. "I'm okay. It's just been a really crappy day so far."

The doorbell rang as Aaron and Danny made their way downstairs.

"I got it." Danny called out as he saw Aimee make her way out of the dining room. He opened the door, revealing his mom, Rachel.

"Hey Mom." He said as she pulled him into a hug.

"What's going on, baby?" She asked him.

When Danny failed to give her an answer, she turned towards Aimee.

"Aimee?"

"It's Aria. She's missing."

After filing Rachel in on what was going on, Aimee finally gave in to the exhaustion she was feeling and fell asleep on Aria's bed.

Rachel made her way back downstairs to find Hotch pacing in the foyer. He stopped when he saw her.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Finally asleep. She's exhausted." She told him. "Did Danny leave?"

Hotch nodded. "Yeah. He said he needed to talk to Izzy."

"Right." She paused. "Agent Hotchner, what are the chances of you finding Aria within the next 24 hours?" She asked him.

"Every effort is being made to find Aria as soon as possible, Dr. Evans." He told her.

"That's not what I asked you, Agent Hotchner." She said as she folded her arms over her chest. "Just tell me the truth. Don't sugarcoat anything. I'm a psychiatrist. I can read behavior just as well as you can."

Hotch sighed then nodded. He observed the petite blonde. She was a lot shorter than him but it didn't make her seem any less intimidating. He could see how her and Aimee could be friends. They had similar personalities.

"Not great." He told her finally. "The leads we have is a start but it could take days to pan out. All we can really do is wait and hope that someone who knows anything about this Unsub will come forward."

"And if that doesn't happen?"

He shook his head slightly. "I'm trying not to think about that." He admitted. "Someone out there knows him. I have to believe that."

Danny made it back to school just as break started so finding Izzy would take a while. As he rushed through the crowded halls, he nearly collided with his twin.

"Whoa, Bro. Where's the fire?" She asked him as she placed her hands on his upper arms to steady herself.

"You seen Izzy?" He asked her.

"No, but we're meeting at the bleachers..." She trailed off as he made his way past her. "Danny?" She called out then followed closely behind him, wondering why he was looking for Izzy.

Danny impatiently made his way through the crowds of people towards the back of the school where the bleachers were located. He's eyes scanned the area before he saw Izzy's head of dark messy curls. She immediately spotted him and left her seat, walking towards him.

"Hey. Did you find out what happened to Aria?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Danny!" Gia called out as she caught up with her brother. "What's going on?"

Danny glanced at her. "It's about Aria." He said then glanced back at Izzy.

"She's fine, right?" She asked him.

Danny hesitated as both Gia and Izzy stared at him, waiting for an answer. He shook his head. "No, Izzy. She isn't."

Izzy frowned. "What do you mean? What happened?" She asked. "Danny?" She said when he didn't reply.

"Give him a chance, Iz." Gia told her as she noticed the look on Danny's face.

"Aria..." He paused then cleared his throat. "Aria was abducted on her way to school this morning." He told her.

Izzy huffed. "Nice try, Danny." She said annoyed, thinking he was playing a prank on her.

"I don't think he's kidding, Izzy." Gia told her as she observed the sombre look on her brother's face.

"Of course he is. You're just messing with me, right Danny?" She told him.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I wouldn't joke about something like this."

The expression on Izzy's face changed from annoyance to shock when she realised that Danny wasn't kidding. She shook her head in disbelief. "How..." She paused as she cleared her throat. "How is that even possible? I just saw her yesterday. She was fine. I don't understand..."

Gia and Danny looked at each other as Izzy rambled on.

"Izzy..." Danny said as he reached out towards her.

Izzy pulled away from her. "I'm fine." She insisted. "I just... I need to go." She said as she took a step back then turned around and walked away.

"Izzy, wait." Gia called out as she started to follow her but was stopped when someone behind her called out her name.

"G, come on. We're about to start." One of Gia's cheerleader friends said.

"I'll be right there." She called back then turned towards Danny. "I'm sorry. We have a meeting." She explained.

He nodded in understanding. "It's okay."

"Danny, I..." She paused, not really knowing what to say. So, she pulled him into a tight hug instead. "She's gonna be okay." She whispered to him as she rubbed his back. Danny nodded against her shoulder, squeezing her tighter. "Aria's a lot tougher than she looks." She told him.

"I know." He said as he pulled away from her.

"I'll try to make this as short as possible." She told him, referring to the meeting.

"Okay." He nodded. "Can you get a ride home with one of the girls?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Just make sure Izzy's okay." She told him as she heard her name being called again. "I gotta go. Love you."

"Love you, too." He said, then watched as she made her way towards the squad.

Danny sighed. He didn't think he could be the bearer of bad news again. He still had to tell the rest of their friends. But first, he needed to find Izzy. He ran a hand through his hair then headed in the direction that Izzy took off. It was going to be a long day...

"I'll be your eyes 'til yours can shine, And I'll be your arms, I'll be your steady satellite, And when you can't rise, well, I'll crawl with you on hands and knees, 'Cause I... I'm gonna stand by you, Even if we're breaking down, we can find a way to break through, Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you, Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you..." Stand By You - Rachel Platten