Have We Met Before? - Chapter 1
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DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV
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For my friend Iggy: an imagining of her idea
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It was a chilly December night. Aaron wanted to snuggle by the fire with his husband but, as usual, Robert had other plans. Victoria had bought tickets for herself, Adam, Robert and Aaron to go to a theatre in Hotten that evening. Aaron had sulked about it in his usual way as he had no interest in seeing a clairvoyant performing his act on stage. To Aaron, it was all a con and a waste of time, but Robert insisted that they could not let down his little sister as she had paid for the tickets. Aaron had even suggested that he could give his ticket to Liv but she had refused to go. So, it seemed he would have to attend and make the most of it.
They met up at Adam and Vic's house. Vic took one look at Aaron and could see that he was not really interested in going to the theatre, "Crack a smile, laughing boy!" she said, sarcastically, "You really should be grateful for a free trip to the Alhambra."
Aaron tried to enter into the spirit of things, "I don't mind a freebie: I just wish it could have been to see a Christmas gig...or even a pantomime."
Adam had to laugh, "A panto? You?" he looked at Aaron in disbelief. "How old are you now?"
Aaron sneered, "Alright, sarky! I bet you're only going to this freak show because 'her indoors' has decreed it."
There was the sound of Pete's taxi horn outside and Robert took charge, "Right, the cab's here. Stop bickering you lot and let's get going."
On arrival at the theatre, Aaron and Robert found that Vic had obtained tickets for front row seats. They had a perfect, close-up view of the clairvoyant, known as 'Mystic Marvin'. Marvin was slim, dark-haired and was wearing a dark blue suit which had sparkles in the material. He quickly introduced a companion on stage, named 'Steve Stargazer', who was a hypnotist.
Aaron had a little chortle over the names. He guessed that both men really had ordinary names like Smith and Jones. He found their stage names hilarious.
About fifteen minutes into the act, after Marvin had participated in some banter with the audience and surprised one or two by correctly identifying their occupations, he asked for volunteers to go up on stage for the next part of the show. Unsurprisingly, no-one in the audience made a move so Steve left the stage and walked down to the front row. Seeing Aaron and Robert sitting there, he invited them to accompany him onto the stage. The couple looked at each other and shrugged, but decided that it might be fun.
Marvin explained that Steve was going to hypnotise them and they were sat down on two chairs. Aaron, his bravado never far from the surface, started to protest that he would be resistant to hypnotism and, as he was speaking, his voice suddenly trailed off and he went very quiet and looked as if he had fallen asleep. Robert was a little concerned for his husband but Marvin assured him that he was fine. Robert was then hypnotised in the same way.
Marvin explained that the two men were being 'regressed' and would remember past lives. Steve asked Aaron what he could see.
Aaron opened his eyes. He looked around but did not seem to be seeing the interior of the theatre, "The kitchen at the cottage," he said, quietly.
"What cottage?"
"At Stonebridge Point."
"Are you there alone?" Steve asked.
"No, Rod is outside getting the coal in for the fire."
"Rod? Who's he?"
"He's my...er..." Aaron hesitated, "...friend."
"I see," Steve turned his attention to Robert, "and where are you at the moment?"
Robert opened his eyes but had the same glazed look as Aaron, "In the woods with Archie."
"Archie?"
"We came here together to get away...he's special. It's lovely in these woods, away from the rest of the world. I wish we could stay here forever."
Steve brought them out of the hypnosis and they returned to their seats. Victoria and Adam looked at them a bit quizzically but said nothing.
It was in the taxi on the way home that Adam brought up the subject of Robert and Aaron's hypnotism, "So guys, who are Rod and Archie?"
"What?" Aaron looked completely confused.
"You were saying that Rod was your friend and you were at Stonebridge Point," Adam said as he looked at his best mate, "and Robert said he was with Archie."
"What are you on about?" it was Robert's turn to look confused.
Victoria studied their blank expressions, "You really don't know what you said when you were under the influence, do you?"
"This is weird," Aaron did not like mysteries, "Why would we mention people we don't know and places we've never heard of?" he looked at Robert, "Unless you know someone called Archie and you're keeping it from me?"
"No," Robert emphatically denied it, "I don't know anyone by that name, or a place called Stonebridge Point. But they did say we were being regressed and would remember stuff from a past life. Maybe whoever I had become knew someone called Archie?"
Aaron shivered, "It's all a bit spooky. I'll probably have nightmares now!"
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That night, Aaron did not have a nightmare, but he did have a very strange, vivid dream. He was on a battlefield and could hear heavy fighting going on nearby. The noise of gunfire was all around, as were mud, blood and bullets. Suddenly, in an instant, he had moved to a hospital and someone resembling Robert was looking down at him. It could easily have been Robert, yet Aaron knew that it was not his husband. Something was different, yet he knew that this was still the love of his life. It was a jumble, like many dreams, but Aaron could remember it all clearly when he woke up. It unnerved him.
Robert also had a vivid dream. He was with Aaron in a forest, yet he did not know this place and Aaron was different. He was clean-shaven, but it was more than that. Aaron had lighter hair, a kind of dark brown with a red tinge, but he still had his piercing blue eyes. He knew that he was the most special person in the world to him. Robert also remembered his dream after waking and, like Aaron: he was also unnerved by it.
They ate their breakfast almost in silence. Finally, as he finished his corn flakes, Robert could not stand the suspense any longer, "Come on: tell me what's on your mind."
Aaron was about to reply with a smart remark but he had come to realise that Robert knew him so well, "It's like this: I had the strangest dream last night."
"So did I," Robert replied, which led them to recount their dreams to each other.
"Do you think this has something to do with being hypnotised?" Aaron asked.
"I don't remember what I said at the time, when we were on stage," Robert took Aaron's hands in his own, "but I think it could be. Although I knew it was you in my dream, I wanted to call you Archie. How weird is that?"
"When you were looking down at me, I knew it was you...and yet it wasn't you. I wish we'd never gone to that rotten place. I'm going mad!"
"No you're not," Robert stroked Aaron's hands, "unless I am too. That hypnosis has messed with our heads. Let's just forget all about it and put it behind us, shall we? It's just a load of mumbo-jumbo anyway."
Aaron decided to take Robert's advice and do just that.
However, the next night he had another dream which was just as vivid as the first one. This time, he was on a train, in a compartment of an old-fashioned carriage, with Robert sitting opposite him. At least it looked like Robert. He was smartly dressed in period costume. His fair hair was long and floppy, cut neatly round his ears and with a side parting. He smiled at Aaron and Aaron smiled back. They appeared to be travelling somewhere together. Aaron looked down at the soldier's uniform that he was wearing: it felt a little itchy and he scratched his thigh subconsciously.
Aaron could hear the whistle blowing on the steam locomotive that was hauling their train. He looked out of the window at the valley below as they crossed over a viaduct. He did not know where they were going, but he knew that he belonged with the love of his life and everything was fine as long as Robert was there. But, his name was not Robert! He was a spitting image, despite his hairstyle and attire, but Aaron knew that it was not Robert...it was...Roderick. Yes, Doctor Roderick Sugden: that was his name and, because he was his lover, he shortened the name to Rod.
Aaron came to with a start. It was still dark and he looked at the clock: 3am.
"Are you okay, babe?" Robert's voice soothed him a little in the gloom.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Aaron yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"Were you having another dream?"
"Yeah, but it was different this time," Aaron explained, "we were on a train...well, when I say we, I mean I was on a train with your twin. His name is Roderick, I don't know how, but I somehow know that now. He was dressed in really old clothes."
"What? Rags you mean?"
"No," Aaron explained, "I mean old as in old-fashioned, but very smart: and I was wearing a uniform."
"Oooh, I like a man in uniform," Robert joked.
"Shut up, you Muppet," Aaron chuckled, "I think I was dressed as a soldier."
"Where were we going?" Robert was intrigued.
"I don't know," Aaron replied, "I woke up before we had arrived anywhere, but I had a feeling..."
"What?" Robert wanted Aaron to continue, but could tell that he was hesitant.
"Well," Aaron reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, which made Robert squint with the sudden bright light, "I had a feeling we were heading for Stonebridge Point. But that's stupid: I've never heard of it! I've probably got that name on my mind after Adam mentioned it."
"That's strange," Robert said.
"What is?"
"Well, when you woke up, I roused because you shouted something, but I was dreaming too. You were there, standing on a station platform. I think you were in a soldier's uniform, actually. I was coming to meet you and I knew we had arranged to meet and catch a train. Maybe it's the one we were on in your dream."
"Oh great," Aaron groaned, "we're dreaming in sync now!"
Robert laughed, "I can't even have a dream to myself."
"Robert."
"What, babe?"
"I'm scared."
Robert swept Aaron into his arms and cuddled him, "There's nothing to be scared of: they're only dreams."
"But, isn't it a bit spooky to be having the same dream? I don't like it...it's not, well, normal."
Robert jumped out of bed, "I tell you what, I'll get that road atlas from downstairs."
"What for?"
"I want to find out where Stonebridge Point is."
Aaron was going to tell Robert to come back to bed, but he knew that his husband was like a dog with a bone when he was determined to do something, so he saved his breath. Soon, Robert returned and climbed back into bed, clutching the atlas. He looked up the name and turned to the relevant page. "Ah, there it is." He pointed to a spot on the map.
"That's in Northumberland," Aaron said.
"I'm glad you took geography at school," Robert was being his sarcastic best.
Aaron gave him a disdainful look, "But, I've never been anywhere near there."
"I think we should have a little trip out tomorrow: I'm always up for exploring new places."
Aaron did not look too sure, "I don't know. It still all feels a bit creepy to me."
"Where's your spirit of adventure? There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Yeah," Aaron found solace in Robert's calming influence, "I'm just being daft. Let's get back to sleep."
They kissed and then settled down as Aaron turned off the light again.