Chapter 20: Where did I go Wrong?

Izzy and Danny hadn't been able to visit Aria but Aimee had managed to let them see her for a few minutes through the glass doors. It wasn't the same but at least they got to see for themselves that she was okay and it put them at ease for a little while. They willing left the hospital with their parents and Aimee promised them that they'd be able to visit Aria once she was moved out of the ICU.

Aaron was discharged a day later. He spent whatever time he could at Aria's bedside, hoping and praying that she would wake up soon. He only went home to shower, change and spend some time with his son, whom he hadn't seen in a few days.

"How has he been?" He asked Jessica, once he got home.

"Quiet." She answered. "How's Aria?"

Hotch sighed. "She's stable but still unconscious. The doctors aren't sure when she'll wake up and it's already been almost two days."

"And how are you?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I'm fine, Jess."

"Right." She said unconvincingly. "Jack's in his room." She said then walked to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.

He nodded. "Thank you for staying with him." He said sincerely.

She turned around and leaned against the kitchen counter. "He's my nephew, Aaron. I'll always be there for him."

"I know. I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you do for him. For us."

She nodded. "You're family, Aaron." She replied simply. "And as your family, I say this with love but you look like crap." She told him, referring to the bags under his eyes and the bruises on his face. "And I don't care how much you say you're fine because I know you're not. I mean, how can you be after everything that's happened?"

"Jess..." He started but stopped when Jack came out of his room. "Hey, buddy."

Jack's smile faded and his bottom lip quivered when he took in his father's appearance.

"Hey, no. Don't cry, Jack." He said as he moved closer to his son. "It's okay. I'm okay." He promised as he pulled Jack in for a hug.

"What hap...happened?" He croaked out as the tears fell.

"I just go into some trouble on my last case, but I don't want you to worry, okay? I'm alright. I promise." He said as he wiped away his son's tears.

Jack nodded but still didn't look convinced.

"Hey. I don't have to go into work until later so why don't we hang out today. Just you and me. What do you say?"

"What about school?" He asked.

"I think it would be fine if you missed a day. I'll give your teacher a call to explain."

Jack nodded again. "Okay."

"Alright. You go pick out some books, games and movies and then we'll decide what to do. I just need to take a quick shower."

"Okay, Daddy." Jack agreed then ran back to his room.

"Are you going to tell him about Aria?" Jessica asked.

Aaron sighed. "I guess I eventually have to. He'll probably ask about her and I don't want to lie to him. He's so young though. I'm worried he might not understand it all."

"I think you're not given him enough credit. Yes, he's young but he's a smart kid. He knows something's up."

Aaron frowned. "Has he said anything to you?"

"No but when he woke up this morning he said he wasn't feeling well. So, I checked his temperature and it was normal. There's nothing physically wrong with him. I think he just wanted to stay home in case you came back."

Aaron sighed then shook his head. "I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to be a parent to two kids. It's like your stress levels are doubled. On the one hand, I'm worried about Aria. When or if she'll ever wake up. And if she does, how will all of this affect her? I've only known about her for a month but when I saw her all bruised and bloodied... I couldn't breathe, Jess." He shook his head again.

"And then there's Jack, who I haven't seen in almost three days even though we've been in the same city the entire time."

"That wasn't your fault. You were in the hospital for two of those days." She reasoned.

"I should've excused myself from this case the moment I knew Aria was involved."

"No one expected you to do that, Aaron. Your daughter was in danger."

"Still. I should've known better."

"Maybe. But you can't change any of that now. Jack knows you love him and whenever you're not with him you're out there saving lives and stopping bad guys." She told him. "And I'm sure Aria knows the same thing."

Aaron finally managed to find a quiet corridor in the hospital. He took his cell phone out of his pocket, scrolling through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for. Without much thought, he pressed the call button.

"Hello?" The familiar voice answered after three rings.

He smiled faintly. "Hey, Mom." He greeted.

"Aaron? Are you all right?" Carolyn Hotchner asked her son.

"I'm fine, Mom." He lied.

"Baby, if you were fine, you wouldn't be calling me at this hour."

He checked his watch and saw that it was almost 11pm. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise it was so late." He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Is Jack okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. Jack and I are both fine. I promise." He assured her.

"Okay. So, what's on your mind?"

Aaron sighed. "I really didn't want to tell you this over the phone..." He paused. "Things have been so crazy the past couple months. I probably should have made an effort to tell you sooner, I just thought I had more time and now everything's a mess..." He rambled.

"Slow down, Honey. You're not making any sense." She told him. "What should you have told me?"

"I have a daughter." He blurted out.

He was met with silence then:

"Aaron Elliot Hotchner! You better have a very good reason for waiting this long to tell me I have another grandbaby." She scolded.

He didn't know if it was his mother's stern voice that caused it but he felt the little resolve that he had slip away as he finally broke down. All the emotions he kept bottled up, came pouring out as he told her everything. How he and Aria met, how he only found out about her 16 years later, how they had bonded. He ended with how she landed up in the hospital after she was kidnapped and tortured, and that it was two days later but she still hadn't woken up yet.

Carrie listened intently, her heart breaking as she heard her usually strong and stoic son, recount the events of the past few weeks, more recently the past few days, in a shaky voice filled with tears.

"God, Mom, she's such a great kid. Smart, kind, humble, beautiful." He paused then shook his head. "I'm just scared that when she does eventually wake up, she won't be that same person." He admitted.

"Oh, Aaron. I don't know what to say."

"Are you disappointed in me?" He asked softly.

"What? No, honey. Of course not." She assured him. "This was not your fault, son. Do you hear me?" She told him.

He nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I'll book a flight to DC early tomorrow morning." She told him.

"Mom, no. You don't have to come all the way out here."

"Aaron, you just told me that I have a sixteen-year-old granddaughter. I want to meet her. And I want to see with my own eyes if my boy is really okay."

"You really shouldn't be travelling alone, Mom."

"Are you calling your mother old, young man?"

He smiled faintly as he pictured her standing with her hand on her hip and a raised eyebrow aimed in his direction. "Of course not."

"Good. I'll see you soon, baby. Hang in there, okay? I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye." He said as he ended the call. He sighed, then slid down the wall he was leaning against, feeling as if some of the weight on his shoulders had lessened.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there on the cold floor, cell phone clutched firmly in his hand as he felt another presence next to him. They sat in silence for a while until she spoke.

"I was wondering where you were. Are you okay?" She asked.

"I called my mom." He said, not answering her question. "I told her everything."

Aimee nodded slowly. "Okay. How did she take it?"

"Well, there was some yelling and I got full named, but other than that..." He shrugged. "She wants to meet Aria."

"Aaron..."

"I know. The timing could not be worse. I probably shouldn't have called her."

"Hey, no. It's fine. You had to tell her sooner or later." She told him. "When does she get here?"

"Depends on when she can get a flight. But probably no later than tomorrow afternoon." He answered then stood up, and held his hand out for her so she could get up. She accepted, gratefully.

"How did you know I needed a boost?" She asked as she smoothed out her pants.

"I didn't. I was just being a gentleman." He said with a small smile. "I'm gonna go sit with Aria." He told her then walked away.

She sat alone on a bench in the park. The weather was nice and she could feel the warmth of the sun on her bare arms and legs. She inhaled the fresh air and smiled at how calm and peaceful it was.

"Hello Aria." A familiar voice greeted.

She turned her head to the side. The smile she had on her face fell as her eyes widened.

"Lilly?" She asked, incredulously. "How..." She swallowed. "How are you here right now?'

The blonde shrugged. "No idea." She said nonchalantly.

Aria frowned. "Am I dead?"

"Not quite, but whether you remain that way is up to you."

Aria shook her head. "What does that even mean? And where are we?"

Lilly shrugged again. "Look around."

Aria sighed. "We're in a park." She stated as she looked around. "One of the parks we used to go to when we were little."

Lilly nodded. "But why this park?" She asked. "What makes it more special than the others?"

"I don't know, Lilly. It's just a park." Aria said frustratingly.

"Look again." She said simply.

Aria sighed the looked around again. The park was fairly busy but not too overcrowded so it was probably an early Saturday morning. She saw two girls, one blonde, one brunette, run towards the swings as their mothers followed closely behind them. She realised that those two girls were herself and Lilly when they were about six years old.

She continued watching them. "It's the park we went to after our moms gave us those friendship rings for our birthdays." She said when she noticed it. "You said it made our friendship official."

Lilly nodded. "I did."

Aria shook her head. "I still don't understand why we're here." She told Lilly.

"We're here because this is where your subconscious mind brought you." Lilly explained.

Aria still looked confused.

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

Aria furrowed her eyebrows, "I was stabbed." She remembered as she placed her hand on her stomach. She looked down, expecting to see blood and a knife sticking out of her but the yellow sundress she had on was clean.

Lilly nodded. "What else do you remember?"

"Aaron was there. He found me." She paused. "I don't remember what happened after that. It's pretty hazy but I know there was another girl there with me, Stephany." Aria gasped. "She was hurt really badly. Is she okay?"

Lilly bit her lip. "I don't know, Aria."

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Aria spoke.

"I wouldn't have gotten away if it wasn't for her. She saved my life, you know?"

Lilly nodded.

"I guess the two of you have that in common." Aria said then looked over to Lilly.

Lilly shrugged, choosing not to say anything.

"Why'd you do it?" Aria asked. "Why did you push me out of the way?"

"Aria..." Lilly sighed. "I'm not here to talk about that."

"But you're here. So, you might as well tell me."

"I guess I owed you one. God knows you've helped me out more times than I can count." Lilly mused then sighed. "I wish I could tell you that I was trying to be heroic but the truth is..." She shook her head. "It was a reflex."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't thinking, Ari. I saw the car then I saw you and I just tried to push you away from it." She tried to explain. "You know me. When have I ever thought anything through? Impulsive was my middle name."

"Yeah." Aria replied with a half-smile as she thought back to the times when Lilly would do or say something without thinking and it usually landed her in big trouble.

"What? Not the answer you were looking for?" Lilly asked after a minute of silence.

"Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting." She answered.

"Well, I'd do it again if I had to. I don't regret what I did. And you..." She said, grabbing onto Aria's hand. "You need to stop feeling guilty over what happened. It wasn't you fault."

"How do you know I feel guilty?"

"Because I know you, Aria Isabella Marano." Lilly said simply. "Or is it Hotchner now?" She asked with a smirk.

"What?"

"Oh, come on! Don't play dumb. I know who Aaron is." She said. "Tell me about him."

"He's pretty great, Lil." She said with a smile. "I'm sorry." She apologised when she saw the sad smile on Lilly's face.

Lilly shook her head. "Don't be. It's not your fault my dad's an asshole."

"It's not your fault either."

"I know. Stop making this about me. I'm here to help you."

"Help me with what exactly?" Aria asked.

"Finding the light, I guess." She shrugged. "You can't stay here forever; you know? No matter how nice it is. You have to go back eventually."

"What if I don't wanna go back?"

"You don't mean that, Ari. You have a lot to live for."

"And you didn't?!" Aria shot back. "You were twelve, Lilly."

"I know, but..."

"This isn't about you, it's about me. I get it." She said annoyed. "It's just, what I went through..." She paused then shook her head. "It was terrifying, Lilly."

"First, I had my head bashed in, then I was kidnapped, tied up, punched, kicked and cut repeatedly. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I was stabbed, too." She described in detail. "Right here." She said, placing her hand on her abdomen. "How am I supposed to survive all that?"

"You will." Lilly told her confidently. "You're strong, Ari. Much stronger than I ever was."

Aria shook her head. "No, I'm not." She said softly then stood up from the bench and walked away.

Lilly got up and followed her. "Yeah. You are. And that's what's gonna help you get through this."

"You don't know that." She said as she turned around.

"I do. And so does every other person in your life." Lilly told her. "Your mom and dad, Daniel, your grandparents, your uncle Matt, Danny, Izzy and all your other friends." She listed. "You have such a huge support system, Ari. How do you think they'd feel if you just decided to give up and not fight?"

Aria's eyes filled with tears. Lilly was right. Of course, she was right. Aria turned around, not wanting Lilly to see her cry.

"I just don't wanna lose you again." Aria said softly.

"I'll always be with you, Ari." She said as she grabbed her hand, turning her around to face her. "Right here." She said, placing her hand on the left side of Aria's chest. "And it looks like you've been carrying me around all this time, anyway." She said as she fingered the ring on Aria's finger.

"My mom had it resized. I used to wear it on a chain around my neck because it had gotten too small."

"You mean like this?" Lilly asked as she pulled down her collar to reveal a silver chain around her neck with an identical ring hanging from it.

Aria smiled. "Yeah." She nodded. Her smile then faded. "I miss you." She said teary eyed.

"Hey, come on. No tears." Lilly told her as she wiped away a stray tear before pulling Aria into a hug.

"Sorry." She apologised, squeezing Lilly back.

"It's okay. I just hate seeing you cry." She said rubbing Aria's back.

They pulled apart a few minutes later, wiping their wet faces. Aria gasped out as her heart felt like it had been jolted, causing her to drop to her knees.

"Aria?" Lilly's eyes widened as she knelt down next to Aria.

"Lilly..." She gasped out. "What's happening to me?" Aria asked as she clutched her chest.

"You're waking up. It's time for you to go back."

Aria shook her head. "No, no. I can't go back yet. I don't wanna leave you. Lilly, please." She pleaded.

"I'm where I need to be. You aren't." Lilly told her as she gripped Aria's arms. "Look at me."

Aria looked up at her. "It's okay. Go back to your family, Ari."

"It hurts, Lilly." She whimpered.

"I know. It means you're still alive." She held onto Aria as they both collapsed to the ground in a sitting position. "It'll get better. I promise."

"Thank you." She wheezed out as it got harder and harder for her to breathe. "For saving my life. Again."

"Ti Amo, Ari." Lilly said softly. "Until we meet again."

Aria's eyes fluttered closed. "Ti Amo, Lil." She whispered as she finally drifted off.

The first thing she noticed was a soft beeping sound and something warm wrapped around her hand. Her body felt heavy and she tried to open her eyes but they weren't listening to her brain. All she could do was squeeze the hand wrapped around her own.

Aaron was fast sleep, his head resting on his folded arms on the edge of the bed, while his hand clutched Aria's.

He was roused from his unplanned nap as he felt something tighten around his hand. At first he thought he had imagined it, but then he felt it again. He sat up straighter, ignoring the stiffness in his neck and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Aria." He said then squeezed her hand back. "Aria, can you hear me?" He asked as he scanned her face. Her eyes remained closed but they were moving back and forth like she was trying to open them.

"Come on. Open your eyes." He told her.

Her eyelids flickered a few seconds later, slowly opened then closed again.

"Almost there. Let me see those eyes." He coached.

About thirty seconds later, they opened again. She blinked a few times, trying to clear the blurriness from her eyes. Her head hurt and her mouth was dry. She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name.

"Lilly?" She asked in a whisper, her eyes unfocused.

Aaron frowned. "No sweetheart, it's me." He told her gently as he waited for her to make eye contact with him.

She looked around the room before her eyes landed on him, realisation evident in them. "It wasn't real." She whispered then closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. It wasn't real. It was just a dream. She realised sadly.

"What wasn't real, Aria?" He asked when she opened her eyes again.

She shook her head then looked back at him. "What..." She started then cleared her throat when her voice came out raspy.

Aaron moved to the side table and poured her some water. He placed a straw in the cup then brought it up to her mouth. "Here. Take small sips." He told her.

She did what she was told then wet her lips with her tongue. "Thank you." She said softly. Her eyes scanned his face, noticing the healing cuts and bruises he had. "What happened to you?" She asked concerned.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." He assured her. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." She admitted.

"I should go get your doctor."

"Wait." She said as she grabbed his arm. "Don't leave. Please."

He nodded. "Okay." He said then sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'll stay." He said then pressed the call button. One of the nurses came in a few seconds later.

"Everything okay?" She asked then looked over his shoulder and saw that Aria was awake. She smiled. "I'll page Dr Grey." She told him.

He nodded. "Thank you. Can you page Dr Marano as well?"

She nodded then left the room.

"Hey. It's okay." He soothed Aria when he noticed her heart rate increase. "I'm right here." He grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly and moved a lock of hair that fallen in her face behind her ear.

She calmed down after a few minutes, right before the door slid open.

"Aria?"

Her eyes moved from Aaron to the person standing at the door. She was wearing jeans and a hoodie, her hair piled high on top of her head in a messy bun and she was wearing no make-up. Judging from the bags under her eyes, it was obvious that she hadn't slept much in days.

Aria swallowed the lump in her throat. "Hey, Mama." She croaked out.

Aaron moved away from the bed as Aimee made her way over to Aria. She sat down on the edge, gently placing both hands on Aria's cheeks. "Oh, Tesoro." She whispered then pulled Aria in for a hug, trying her best not to squeeze too hard.

Aaron saw Aria wince slightly as she wrapped her arms around her mother.

Aimee pulled back after a minute, placing her hand back on Aria's cheek. She lightly ran her finger over the bruise on her daughter's cheekbone.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling? Are you in any pain? How bad is it?" She asked rapidly, the doctor in her coming out. The door slid open again.

"I believe I should be asking her that." Dr Grey said as she stepped further into the room.

Aimee stood up from her seat on the bed to face her colleague. "Give me a break, Mer. She's my daughter."

"Fair enough. But she's my patient." Dr Grey stated as she made her way over to the bed. "Hello, Aria."

"Hi, Dr Grey." Aria greeted.

"It's good to see you awake. You had us all worried there for a second."

Aria frowned, looking over to her parents for an explanation.

"You've been unconscious for almost three days." Dr Grey cleared up.

Her eyes widened. "What?" She exclaimed. "Wait, what day is it?"

"It's Wednesday, sweetheart." Aaron told her gently. "Wednesday morning."

Aria shook her head slightly. Had that much time really passed by? She couldn't believe she had missed almost a week. "How?" She asked.

"Your body went through a major trauma, Aria. It's not uncommon to be out as long as you were. You needed the rest."

She nodded, still surprised by how much time had gone by and a little scared that she didn't remember what had happened during those few days.

"I'm gonna check your vitals, do a quick examination of your injuries and ask you a couple questions, okay?"

Aria nodded. "What are my injuries exactly?" She asked.

"Well, where does it hurt?"

Aria swallowed. "Uhm, everywhere." She admitted softly.

"Baby, you should've said something sooner." Aimee told her. "How bad is it? Scale of one to ten."

Aria's eyes moved over to Aaron, silently pleading for him to do something.

"Aimee, let Dr Grey do her job." He told her, gently touching her arm and guiding her away from the bed.

Dr Grey briefly ran through the list of injuries: Concussion, bruised/cracked ribs, multiple cuts and bruises, stitches and the abdominal stab wound, which was the most serious.

"As your mom previously asked, how bad is the pain? One being not bad and 10 being extremely bad." She asked.

"Six or seven." She answered with a shrug.

"You have to pick one, Aria." Meredith told her. "It's either one or the other."

Aria bit her lip. "Seven." She said softly.

Dr Grey nodded. "I promise I'll be quick. Then we'll get you started on some stronger pain meds. Okay?"

Aria nodded

Dr Grey grabbed Aria's chart, making a few notes as she went ahead checking her blood pressure, temperature and heart rate.

"Alright. Your vitals look good." She said then pulled out a penlight. "Follow the light with your eyes." She instructed.

Aria winced slightly when the light first hit her eyes but eventually adjusted as Dr Grey checked her pupils then went on to examine her cuts and bruises. Aria gritted her teeth, not wanting to show that every touch caused her pain.

As soon as Dr Grey reached her abdomen, Aria flinched. "Sorry." Meredith apologised. "I need to check your incision and ribs."

Aria hesitated, her eyes moving over to where her parents stood.

"I can ask them to leave if you want." Meredith told her softly.

Aria nodded slowly.

"Okay." She said with a small smile, squeezing Aria's uninjured hand then turned around. "I'm going to need you two to step out for a few minutes."

"What? Why?" Aimee asked.

"So, I can examine my patient further." Dr Grey explained.

Aaron looked over to Aria. She looked uncomfortable, in pain and exhausted.

"Aimee, let's just go, okay? We'll come back when Dr Grey's finished."

Aimee's gaze moved over to Aria, who stared blankly ahead. She shook her head slightly then left the room without a word.

Aaron walked over to Aria. "Hey." He said softly to get her attention.

She slowly turned her head towards him. Biting the inside of her cheek, she willed away the tears she felt forming in her eyes.

"We'll be right outside if you need us." He told her then placed a kiss to her forehead. "Okay?"

She nodded then watched him walk away, closing the door behind him.

"What do you say we get this over with, huh?" Meredith told her.

Aria nodded. "Yes, please." She answered as she laid back down on the bed, letting Meredith poke and prod her abdomen. She gritted her teeth as tears slowly made their way down her cheeks.

"I thought you quit." She heard from behind her as she lit a cigarette then took a puff. She glanced behind her.

"Piss off, Karev." She said, shooting him a death glare.

"You're upset so I'll let that slide." He told her as he moved closer, leaning against the wall opposite her.

It had been nearly half an hour since she'd left Aria's hospital room. She left the floor before Aaron could catch up with her. She wondered around until she ended up outside, cigarette and lighter in hand that she had gotten from a fellow smoker.

"I was with Mer when she got the page that Aria was awake. You must be so relieved." He told her.

She took another drag, welcoming the burning sensation she felt in her chest. "I'd be even more relieved if I could see her for more than five minutes."

"What are you talking about?" He asked with a frown.

She sighed in irritation. "She kicked me out, Alex! That's what." She exclaimed.

"She didn't kick you out, Aimee." He told her. "She just didn't want you there while she was being examined."

"She was missing for two days and unconscious for three days after. I wanted to be there for her. Why didn't she want me there?" She asked then sat down on a nearby bench.

Alex followed her, sitting down on the opposite side. "I won't pretend to know anything about parenting. But I do work with kids. Sick and injured. I've noticed that they tend to put on a brave face for their parents even though they're scared because they don't wanna worry them."

"What's your point?"

"Did you ever think that maybe Aria was trying to protect you?"

"Protect me? I'm her mother. It's my job to protect her." She told him.

"Just think about it. Does it sound like something Aria would do? You know her better than anyone."

Aimee bit her lip. She stood up, putting the cigarette out then sighed. "Yeah. It does." She admitted then realised that Alex was right. It was exactly the type of thing Aria would do. She always put others before herself and Aimee felt bad for being upset with her for that.

Alex saw the realisation on her face. His lips twitched into a smile. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Marano." He told her.

She looked up at him. "Yeah. I do." She said then moved past him.

"Grab a shower first." He told her.

She stopped then sniffed her hoodie. "Yeah. I probably should." She turned to walk away but stopped. "Hey, Alex?" She called out.

He turned to face her, still staying seated on the bench. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." She told him. He nodded then watched her walk back to the hospital entrance.

Aaron made his way back into Aria's hospital room once Dr Grey had finished. He had taken the time to call Dave to inform him that Aria had woken up, promising to keep him updated on her condition. He learnt that the team was still working on the case but had gotten no further leads. He was frustrated that they were no closer to finding Myers but he was glad that Aria was finally awake and seemed to be doing okay, considering.

He took in the sight of her. She looked so small and fragile on the hospital bed, covered in cuts and bruises. Her arm was slung across her stomach, over the stab wound that had nearly killed her, as she stared blankly out of the window.

"Hey." He greeted softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "How are you doing?" He asked.

She turned her head towards him and he saw that her eyes were red and puffy. It was obvious that she'd been crying.

She shrugged. "Been better. Pain meds should be kicking in soon though."

"Good." He nodded. "Do you need anything?"

She shook her head. "No." She paused." Mom's mad I asked Dr Grey to tell you to leave, isn't she?"

"No. Aria. Why would you think that?" He asked.

"Cause she's not here." She answered softly.

"Hey." He said. "Look at me." She did as he said. "Your mom just needed some air. She'll be back."

Aria nodded then yawned.

"You should try to sleep." He told her as he stood up.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked.

"Of course, I will." He replied as he settled down next to her. "As long as you need." He placed his arm around her shoulders as she moved her head to rest on his chest. He absent-mindedly ran his hand up and down her arm as he listened to her breathing even out.

"Aaron?" Aria said his name so softly he almost missed it.

"Hmm." He answered.

She was quiet for a while he thought she had fallen asleep.

"Stephany's dead, isn't she?" Aria said softly.

Aaron tightened the hold he had on her. "Yes, she is." He said regretfully. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." ." He told her as he felt her shake in his arms.

Aria swallowed the lump in her throat as she struggled to hold back tears. She gripped his shirt. "No, no, no." She muttered as she sobbed, her tears wetting her father's sweater.

Aaron felt his eyes sting as he felt Aria's tears soak through his shirt. His heart broke as he listened to her sniff and whimper. He could only imagine what her and Stephany had been through together. By her reaction to Stephany's death, it was clear that the two of them had bonded while they were being held captive.

"She saved my life." Aria said brokenly, confirming Aaron's thoughts.

"Shh..." He told her, kissing the top of her head while running a hand through her hair. "It's gonna be okay. Just get some sleep, sweetheart." He told her soothingly. It wasn't long until she fell into a peaceful sleep, leaving Aaron wide awake wondering if things would ever really be okay again.

"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, Somewhere along all the bitterness, And I could've stayed up with you all night. Had I known how to save a life..." The Fray - How to save a life