Pretty Little Liars: The Beginning {Episodes 1-10} (REVISED)

9. Ella 🎨

Ella and Byron Montgomery were alone in the house, still surrounded by mountains of cardboard boxes filled to the brim with random bits and pieces of their old lives. It was a wonder that she was able to remember where every little thing belonged from the coffee table in the living room to the bits and bobs that scattered across the counters and hung up on the walls. She was currently digging through a box for a pair of wine glasses that the Montgomery family was given as a wedding gift. They were only ever really used for special occasions, and coming home after a year definitely seemed like one of them.

Byron was in the living room attempting to open a bottle of wine they had bought on the way home. It felt nice to have a night all to themselves, even if it was while they were surrounded by cardboard boxes. They were back home and about to crack open a bottle of wine. Ella smiled as her eyes fell upon exactly what it was she had been looking for. "Found them!" she cried as she extracted the two wine glasses from the cardboard box they had been hiding in.

Ella carried them into the living room where Byron was still attempting to pull the cork out of the wine bottle they had bought. She set the glasses down on the coffee table in front of the brown faux leather couch. The house surrounding them was full of great memories. Aria and Mike had both grown up here, and that in itself was a beautiful memory. From every step they took to every heartbreak, they had lived in this house and called it home for their whole lives. Ella was just glad that they were finally home. "Look what else I found," Ella said as she reached into yet another box that was sitting on the coffee table.

She pulled out a small puppet of a pig with a hole in the bottom to put your hand in. Aria used to play with it all the time when she was younger. It had been a gift from her father after he came back from a short trip to Germany. She had always treasured it, gave it a name and everything. The puppet was named Pigtunia, and Byron recognised it in an instant.

"Oh, she used to drag that thing everywhere," he said. Ella laughed as memories of Aria having tea parties with the puppet flashed through her mind and she teased her husband with the puppet. Byron poured her a glass of wine, smiling along with her. "I think you're happy to be back."

"Aren't you?"

Byron shrugged and handed Ella the filled wine glass, careful not to spill the drink onto the wooden floors. "I haven't decided yet," he said.

Ella sighed and shook her head. "You and Aria are so much alike," she said as they sat on the couch. "I don't think she's happy to be home either."

Aria had seemed kind of distant ever since they had gotten back from Iceland. It wasn't like her to spend so much time in her room. Ella had just assumed that the shock of being back in Rosewood after so long was getting to her, but she thought that it should've worn off by now. She had gone back to school, but Ella hadn't heard her talk about any of the group of girls she used to hang around with.

Byron poured himself a glass of wine as Ella placed the puppet on the coffee table in front of them. "I know it was like a vacation from our real lives, but I felt like we really bonded while we were away," he said, placing the bottle back on the table.

"Well, we had to connect. We didn't know anybody else," Ella said.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason why they stayed so connected to one another. The energy in their family had just gotten so much better once they got away from all the craziness of Rosewood at the time. With Alison's disappearance and the cops questioning Aria and her friends, going to Iceland was a welcomed reprieve. Iceland had been a beautiful country, and Ella could tell that her family really enjoyed being there. They went on family trips, saw amazing things that were unimaginably gorgeous, and they had grown closer than ever before.

"I don't wanna lose that," Byron said.

Ella tilted her head. "Are you really worried that we will?"

"It's just easy for stuff to get in the way," he answered, taking a sip from his glass of wine.

That was a strange comment. Byron had never said anything about losing his family before. They had always been a happy family, not to mention close. They always spent time together, and they told each other everything. There was no reason that their family would stop being that way that she could think of. "What do you mean?" she asked. "What kind of stuff?"

Byron hesitated for a moment and glanced at Aria's puppet. "You know, I'm really surprised she brought that with us," he said, avoiding the question. Ella was quick to notice his dodge.

"Well, she loves it because you gave it to her," Ella said. "What kind of stuff could get in the way of us?"

Ella was persistent, she always had been. Byron had once confessed to her that that was one of the traits that had made him fall in love. She always wanted to make her family happy, and she would stop at nothing to achieve that. If she wanted to know the answer to something, she would find out no matter what. That's exactly what she intended to do now.

"No, nothing. Nothing, you know me," Byron said. "I just get a little overly obsessed with work, that's all. We're good, Ella. It's all good."

They leaned back on the couch, and Ella rested her head on his chest while he wrapped his arm around her. Byron did seem to have a slight obsession with his work sometimes. Byron taught Art History at the local community college, and he had a particular habit of working late and going in early. It was a routine that Ella had grown accustomed to before they moved away. A big part of her was hoping that it wouldn't get back to that this time.

"I drove past Alison's house today," Ella sighed. "It's definitely something I haven't missed."

Byron took a deep breath. "Oh, God. A year later," he said. "Imagine what that poor family is going through."

"I can't," Ella said. "I don't ever want to imagine. If anything ever happened to you—"

"Nothing is gonna happen," Byron said, giving his wife a reassuring squeeze. "We are safe. We're together, and we're home."

Ella was suddenly even happier that they were. Byron kissed her forehead and they spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company, something that they hadn't been able to do in a long time. Home was finally starting to feel like home again.