JASON HAD WANTED TO GO ON A RIDE, that night and Grace joined alongside him. The two of them had been at his house watching tv when he suddenly decided it was time for a change of scenery.

"Jason," Grace sighed, reaching over the console to grasp at his fidgeting hand. Her warm hand enveloped his cold one and he sighed, turning to his fiancé. "What's wrong?"

"We're just making a quick stop, don't worry." He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss gently to it as he rounded another corner into a neighborhood. Grace's hair was messed up but nonetheless she was happy to be with Jason again– until she noticed where they were slowing down near. Jason pulled out his phone, texting someone quickly before putting his phone away. 

"Hey, what's up?" Aria Montgomery asked shyly as she approached the vehicle, noticing Hanna's older sister lounging in the car beside Jason.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Jason sighed, looking at the young girl outside the car. "Look. I said some things after the funeral that I probably should have kept to myself."

"I thought that you felt better knowing that Ian had–" Aria asked hesitantly, looking towards the blonde girl who was looking bored at her phone. 

"Well, so did I, but I don't want people getting the wrong idea, you know?"

"I won't say a word. And plus, the way you handled things with my brother I kind of owe you one, heh. I have to get back. We're, uh folding programs for the fashion show."

Grace Marin turned from her phone, eyebrows raised. "Good, I'm in charge of the show with Jessica, don't mess anything up."

"Ah. My mom gets in tomorrow. One final speech before she steps down from the board." Jason commented lightly, squeezing Grace's hand within his own, sometimes the bitchy side of Grace needed taming. 

"I thought Jessica DiLaurentis was the board." Aria asked, wondering why the sudden change from Mrs. DiLaurentis. 

"She only joined because of my sister. Ali lived for that fashion show." Sentimentality dripped from his voice and both Grace and Aria felt the shift in mood.

"I should go." Aria said softly, pushing away from the convertible. "Bye, Grace." Aria called out as Jason revved the engine and put the car in reverse. All the dark haired girl saw was the blonde girl waving as the two disappeared into the night.

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"Oh, they've made some nice changes to the menu, haven't they? Hanna, what are you gonna order?"

"Ahem, um Chinese chicken salad." Hanna told her with a smile.

"Alison's favorite."

"You must be really happy that Jason's moved back." Spencer brought up, trying to change the subject.

"Happy? I don't even think of that as our house anymore."

"Actually, we all thought Jason moving back was kind of odd."

"Jason came into family money and it's his choice what to do with it. Especially since he's gotten engaged–"

"What?" The girls around the table stared wide eyed at the older woman, shocked.

"Yes, Hanna, didn't you know?" Jessica asked the blonde girl, confused. 

"N-No, why would I?" 

"Because he proposed to Grace, silly." Jessica told her with a wide smile. She sighed, looking around at the teenage girls. "He definitely marches to his own drummer. Both my kids do. Did." There was a brief silence around the table and Jessica DiLaurentis cleared her throat, standing up quickly. "You know what? I was gonna wait until after lunch but now I'm thinking, 'Why wait?'"

"She picked these out." Emily said quietly.

"She did. And it's a shame that she won't get to wear them. You know, I gave so much away so fast. Ali's father thought it would help me. But there were certain things that I just couldn't. When I heard that the four of you were doing the show, I thought: 'Wouldn't it be nice if Ali's dream could be realized at least by her best friends?'"

"Um, I don't really know what you're asking." Spencer told Mrs. DiLaurentis.

Aria spoke softly, not wanting to ruin the mood. "Mrs. DiLaurentis are you asking us to wear these?"

"In the fashion show?" Emily clarified.

"Ali would've loved it." Jessica sighed, smiling at the girls surrounding her. "It's the four of you that are keeping her memory alive. Please, say yes."

This lunch had gotten even more interesting.

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     IT WAS QUIET OUTSIDE WHEN JASON DILAURENTIS decided to speak up, disturbing the peace between him and Aria Montgomery. It was the next day outside of the school where Jason and Aria sat outside the high school cafeteria.

"Where was this one taken?" Jason asked Aria, watching her flip through pictures on her computer. He had decided to meet with her at the high school and prep the slideshow. Jason appreciated how the four younger girls had wanted to help, well that probably wasn't true, but still. The additional help and thought did count. He sat beside Aria, watching pictures of his younger sister pass by and he bit his lip as he recalled certain memories with each new photo. 

"I'm not sure. Maybe at the Hastings' lake house." Aria mused at the photo that was on the screen.

"Cool." Jason replied softly. He turned towards the younger girl, "did my mother ask you to do this?"

"What? No," Aria looked startled but relaxed with a sigh. "Yeah, kind of." She admitted to the attractive blond. "Why?"

Jason stretched his arms out and muttered, "Just seems like something she would do." And it was. If Aria had thought Alison had been the only sneaky, manipulative person in Rosewood, she didn't know the DiLaurentis family like Jason did.

"This was, um, taken the day she got back from your grandma's in Georgia.

She came straight to Emily's." Aria bit her lip, glancing at Jason nervously.

"Use it. She looks happy there." Jason sighed, staring at the picture of his sister. He missed her.

"She went straight home after Emily's to get dinner and then change clothes before Spencer's party in the barn."

"Okay." Jason frowned slightly, what was Aria getting at?

"I was worried that if we used any pictures from the day she disappeared, that--

"I don't think anyone but you guys will know that." Jason interrupted Aria, turning to her. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Really? What about your mom or you?" Aria asked.

"I don't remember anything from that day." Jason told her honestly.

"No. I know that you said that, but I guess I just figured since it was your last meal as a family that—"

"Aria, why am I here?" Jason was slowly getting mad. He didn't like being accused of anything, he had enough of that in his teen years, he didn't want anymore of it.

"I thought you'd be sensitive to anything that might be a little difficult for your mom." Aria tried to explain but it only aggravated Jason further.

"My mother and I live on different planets," he scoffed.

"No, I get it. But you must have some memory of that day." Aria slowed down, staring at Jason as if he would spill secrets.

"I don't, okay? Only the next day when I was questioned by the police. And you know, this is starting to feel a lot like that." "Why are you accusing me all of a sudden?"

"No, I'm not."

"What exactly is it you're looking for?" Jason asked her in disbelief. Why did she think she had the right to know what he thought? She didn't know him. "Do you think–"

"I'm sorry. This was probably a bad idea." Aria whispered, she liked Jason–– a lot–– and didn't want to make him upset with her. It was a stupid high school crush– he was engaged after all. 

"You're right. It was." Jason sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. 

"Jason—" Jason stood up at Aria's voice, he needed to get out of here before he got angry.

"Don't sweat it, okay?" Jason turned to her, frown in place. "We all learn from our mistakes. I just won't make this one again." He continued walking and didn't look back.

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a short filler to show the rift forming between aria and jason!