The next morning Robert woke up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He then looked to his side and saw that his husband was lying on his back with his hand resting on his tummy as he slept. He rolled onto his side and propped himself up using his elbow as he lovingly watched as Aaron slept.
Aaron stirred from his sleep and slowly opened his eyes and saw that Robert was looking at him.
"Morning my angel" Robert smiled.
"Morning handsome" Aaron smiled.
"How did you sleep?" Robert asked.
"I slept great" Aaron answered as he rubbed his eyes.
"Good. You feeling less stressed now?" Robert as he stroked Aaron's chest with the tips of his fingers.
"Yeah, I can relax now" Aaron smirked.
"I'm glad. I don't like it when you're unhappy" Robert said in a soft voice.
"Thank you for staying with me last night" Aaron said with sadness in his eyes.
"No problem. Are you okay? About what happened last night I mean" Robert sat up and looked at Aaron.
"Yeah, I don't think that guy meant to scare me like that. He was pretty drunk himself, but thanks for looking out for me" Aaron looked up at Robert.
"Well it's my job to look after you. Because I'd be a rubbish husband if I didn't" Robert smiled before he leaned over Aaron and kissed him passionately.
"You're in a good mood" Aaron breathed into the kiss.
"Being in bed does that to me" Robert said before he pulled back and looked at Aaron.
"We can't at the moment. I have to get to work before Adam kills me" Aaron sighed.
"Shall I call social services and ask them to put us on the list to adopt?" Robert asked.
"Are you sure that you want to. It's a big deal, if you don't want to just tell me. I won't be angry at you" Aaron hesitated because he wanted to be a father more than anything.
"I want to adopt, I want to be a dad and I want you to be happy. I've wanted to ask you about adopting, but as usual I mucked up" Robert rolled his eyes.
"Thank you" Aaron smiled before he pulled Robert into another kiss.
They kissed and hugged for a few minutes before Aaron reluctantly got out of bed and had a shower. Robert was in bed with his laptop on when Aaron walked back in.
Aaron walked over to Robert and looked over his shoulder at the laptop screen. A smile crossed his face as he finds himself staring at a picture of him and Robert on their wedding day, Robert was smiling at the camera whilst Aaron had his arms wrapped round Robert's waist from behind, his cheek meant on Robert's shoulder with a happy smile on his face.
"This is my favourite", Robert says as he brings another one up, this time the picture is of him and Aaron kissing.
Aaron went red in the face, "You sure know how to make me embarrassed, don't you?" he laughs as he turned around so Robert could not see his rosy cheeks.
Robert puts his laptop down and stands up, wrapping his arms around Aaron's waist and whispering into his ear, "and that's a bad thing?"
"No", Aaron shakes his head, "But now I really want you."
Robert laughs, "Then we both feel the same!"
Aaron turned around and planted a long, deep kiss on Robert's lips. Robert kissed him back, holding his husband close, and doesn't notice when an email pops up onto his screen. They both pull away.
"I'll call social services and tell them that we want to adopt", Robert said, looking slightly sad that their kiss ended so soon.
Aaron nodded, "I'll make us some breakfast, how does waffles sound?"
Robert smirked, "You know just how to cheer me up!"
Aaron walked into the kitchen and began to prepare some breakfast for him and Robert. During this time he can hear the faint voice of his husband on the phone, though he can't make out what he's saying. Once Aaron is done he takes the two plates of waffles into the living room and put them down on the table. Robert came in seconds later looking very pleased.
"Why do you look so happy?" Aaron asks suspiciously as he began to eat.
"No reason", Robert shook his head as he sat down at the table.
"Seriously" Aaron said as he stops eating, "You're creeping me out now, what us it?"
Robert looked up at Aaron, "They want us to come down to the orphanage at lunch time, there's a kid down there who they think is perfect for us!"
Aaron lunged across the table and began to hug his husband. "I love you!" he said, his voice full of happiness.
"Heh", Robert chuckled, "Love ya too".
After a few hours Aaron and Robert arrived at the orphanage. Robert was wearing jeans, a light blue shirt and a blazer whilst Aaron was wearing black jeans and a dark green long sleeved top. They slowly exhaled as they walked into the orphanage and met the social worker at the reception.
"Hi, I'm Julia" The woman held out her hand.
"I'm Aaron" Aaron said as he shook her hand.
Julia then turned to Robert and held her hand out.
"I'm Robert" Robert shook her hand.
"It's lovely to meet you both. If you would follow me so that we can discuss your request to adopt" Julia led Aaron and Robert to a room and they sat down. "So you want to adopt?" she started.
"Yeah" Robert answered "We've both wanted to be fathers for a long time".
"Are you aware that these children must go to a stable home, because the majority of them come from troubled backgrounds" Julia asked.
"Yes, we are aware of that" Aaron answered.
"Very good, the child that we have matched to you is a six nearly seven year old girl and her name is Alyssa. You do have the right to know why she was placed in care" Julia nodded.
"Why was she taken into care?" Robert asked.
"Her mother and her mother's boyfriend are drug addicts who used to physically abuse her. She was beaten by her mother and was locked in a cupboard when she was taken into care" Julia explained.
Aaron went quiet and Robert looked at him "You okay Aaron?" he asked.
"Yeah" Aaron looked at Julia "I know what it's like to go through something like that".
"What do you mean?" Julia asked.
"I was repeatedly abused by my dad when I was a child" Aaron answered as Robert held his hand.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Did you ever inform the police?" Julia asked.
"No, I hid it. I only told Robert what happened to me two years ago" Aaron admitted.
"You should have some understanding of her situation then" Julia nodded. "Do both of you have a stable job?"
"I own my own business that Robert invested in" Aaron answered.
"Can you provide a stable home for a child and will she be able to get to access to a local school?" Julia asked as she wrote down Aaron's previous response.
"We do own our own house and we live near a school that is outside the village where we live" Robert answered.
"Do either of you have any prior convictions?" Julia asked.
"I was arrested for prevention of the cause of justice but the charges were dropped" Robert admitted.
"I received community service for punching a guy and I was arrested for contempt to commit murder but the charges were dropped" Aaron admitted.
"Well thank you for being honest with me. You both seem as perfect candidates for adoption. So would you like to meet Alyssa?" Julia asked with a smile.
"That would be great" Robert smiled.
They stood up and walked to another room, they looked through the window and saw a little girl with long brown hair that was draped over her shoulders. She was wearing black leggings with a patterned dress that was a plain blacktop whilst the shirt was a floral print. She was also wearing a ribbon in the back of her hair. As soon as they saw her Aaron and Robert loved her, it all became real to them. They were going to adopt this child.
"Do you want to meet her?" Julia asked.
"You go babe. You'll probably understand her better" Robert nudged Aaron with his shoulder.
"What do I say to her?" Aaron asked.
"Once you're in there you'll know exactly what to say" Julia smiled before she opened the door for Aaron.
"Wish me luck" Aaron walked towards the door.
"Good luck babe" Robert smiled.
"Alyssa" Julia called "This is Aaron. He wants to meet you" Julia said as Mr Dingle walked in and she shut the door.
Aaron slowly exhaled before he walked over and sat on one of the chairs "Hi Alyssa. My name's Aaron, you can call me that if you want".
Alyssa didn't say anything she just carried on painting.
Aaron understood that Alyssa would be nervous around people after what she had been through so he did not ask her to say hello to him. "Do you like to paint?" Aaron asked as he looked at what what Alyssa was painting "You're very good. My husband Robert couldn't paint a daisy if his life depended on it".
Meanwhile Robert smiled at Aaron's comment about him "That's true. Aaron's a far better painter than me".
"I can see that you like the colour blue. That's Robert's favourite colour as well. He's always wearing something blue, my favourite colour is green but I wear black a lot" Aaron smiled at Alyssa. "I live in a village, me and Robert live in a big house. If you like us and you want to come to stay for a few days you can pick which room you want. We also have a really big garden for you to play in" Aaron said in a soft voice. "What's your favourite meal?" Aaron asked.
"I... I like... pizza" Alyssa said quietly.
Robert's and Julia's eyes widened when they heard Alyssa speak.
"Wow, she's never spoken to someone when she's met them for the first time before" Julia stated.
"Aaron's really good with children. He understands them more than most people I know" Robert smiled.
"She didn't speak to any of the workers here for a month when she first arrived, she didn't say more than one word to me for three months" Julia smiled.
"He's my angel" Robert said as he watched Aaron through the window.
Aaron looked around the room and saw some pictures of animals on the wall "What's your favourite animal. Mine's the wolf" Aaron pointed at the picture of the wolf.
Alyssa looked up and walked over to the wall, she pointed at the picture of the tiger and then she stood there for a minute.
"Tigers are cool aren't they?" Aaron was trying to make Alyssa feel more comfortable and more relaxed. "What books do you like to read? I used to love the Cat in the hat when I was little".
"I like reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings" Alyssa answered.
"The Lord of the Rings is one of my favourite films" Aaron smiled.
"D-do you like Disney?" Alyssa asked.
"I love Disney, especially Oliver and company I also like The jungle book" Aaron answered.
"I like Pinocchio and Pocahontas" Alyssa gave Aaron a shy smile.
"You're a very pretty little girl. Just like a little princess" Aaron commented and Alyssa's smile grew.
"What sports do you like?" Alyssa asked.
"I like football. What's your favourite sport?" Aaron asked.
"I like football and rounders" Alyssa replied as she sat next to Aaron.
"What's your favourite song?" Aaron asked.
"You are beautiful by James Blunt. What's yours?" Alyssa asked.
"Hero by Enrique lglesias" Aaron smiled.
"What do you love most in the whole wide world?" Alyssa asked.
Aaron thought for a minute "My Husband Robert, my family and my friends".
"What's Robert like?" Alyssa asked.
Aaron bit the skin as he thought "He's very smart, very protective, very caring and very funny".
"He sounds ok" Alyssa nodded.
The door then opened and one of the carers walked in "It's time to go to your maths lesson Alyssa".
"When will I see you again?" Alyssa asked.
"When do you want to see me again?" Aaron asked as he stood up.
"Can you come back tomorrow? I get lonely here" Alyssa looked sad.
"Tell you what, if you ever want to talk to me or you want me to visit you just ask someone who works here to call me. I'll be always answer. Day or night" Aaron smiled.
"Okay" Alyssa nodded before she walked out of the room.
Aaron also walked out of the room and Robert hugged him. "You're very good with her".
"She didn't make it easy" Aaron hugged Robert back
"She's never said as much as one sentence to anyone before. She must like you" Julia said.
Aaron pulled away from Robert and he looked at the social worker "Really? She seemed a nervous. Did I do everything right?"
"You did everything perfectly. I just need to talk to a few people who would talk to me about you both and whether or not they think you are good enough people to adopt" Julia explained.
"Okay. Thank you for seeing us" Robert smiled.
"You can come back tomorrow and see her again if you want" Julia said.
"Would that be okay?" Aaron asked.
"Yeah, you can if you want. Let's say two o'clock, is that alright for you?" Julia asked.
"That's perfect for us" Aaron smiled.
"I'll call you when I need to have some interviews with some people that you know" Julia smiled before she said goodbye to Robert and Aaron and they went home.
"That went better than expected" Robert said as they walked into their home.
"I know, I didn't expect her to say a word to me" Aaron smiled as he walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.
"Do you want to go to the Woolpack and tell your mum?" Robert leaned on the back of the sofa and smiled at Aaron.
"Yeah, do you want me to call Cain and get him to tell everyone to meet at the pub for a family meeting?" Aaron asked.
"Yes, I'll call Vic and tell her to get Andy to come" Robert smiled and kissed Aaron.
Robert then called Victoria and told her to tell Andy to meet them at the Woolpack. Aaron called Cain and he said that he would get everyone at the pub for the family meeting. Aaron and Robert drove to the village and walked into the back of the Woolpack. They walked into the backroom and saw all of their family there.
"So why did we all have to be called for this meeting?" Charity asked in a very bored voice.
"You might need to sit down for this" Robert said.
Chas, Debbie and Victoria sat on the sofa whilst Lisa, Belle, Moira and Adam sat around the table. Andy was stood in the kitchen with Zak and Sam.
"So what's this about?" Andy asked.
"Me and Aaron have been talking about how we both feel and what we both want" Robert started but he was interrupted by Chas.
"You're not getting divorced are you? I swear to god Sugden. If you've hurt him in anyway I'll kill you" Chas quickly stood up.
"What! No, no nothing like that" Aaron said.
Chas calmed down and sat down again.
"You all know about the emails we've been getting from Chrissie and that it has been hard for both of us" Robert said as he held Aaron's hand.
"Will you just get to the point already!" Cain shouted.
"We're adopting a child" Aaron smiled.
"Wait what?! You're not pulling my leg or anything are you?" Chas asked.
"Nope, we're thinking about adopting a six year old little girl" Robert smiled.
"Yay! I'm gonna be a grandma!" Chas jumped to her feet and hugged Aaron and Robert.
"Mum" Aaron scrunched up his face.
"Currently struggling to breath" Robert said
"Yeah join the club. Mum, can you let go of us please? I'm too young and good looking to die" Aaron joked.
Chas pulled back from the hug and ran into the pub "I'm gonna be a grandma!" She shouted.
Aaron, Cain and Adam all looked around the door and saw Chas running out of the doors. Everyone ran to the window and they watched as Chas ran down the road shouting that she was going to be a grandmother. Aaron and Robert looked at each other and smiled, but then Victoria hugged Robert and he laughed. Paddy then went outside and brought Chas back so that Aaron and Robert could finish talking.
"Mum, Victoria, Paddy and Adam could you talk to the social worker in an interview for us please?" Aaron asked.
"Of course we will" Paddy smiled.
After they had all talked for a few minutes they walked into the pub all had a drink to celebrate. Robert and Aaron then went home.
"Today has been eventful" Robert smiled as he and Aaron walked into their kitchen.
"You can say that again" Aaron smiled as he grabbed a drink of water.
"You okay?" Robert asked.
"Yeah, why d'you ask?" Aaron sipped his drink.
"Because you told the social worker about what you went through. I'm just worried that this whole thing is gonna get to much for you to handle" Robert walked over to Aaron.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. This is what we both want isn't it?" Aaron asked.
Robert cupped Aaron's face in his hands "I want this more than anything. You mean everything to me and so will that little girl."
"Good" Aaron put his drink on the side and he hugged Robert "you don't need to worry about me though".
"I never stop worrying about you" Robert said as he nuzzled into Aaron's neck.
That night they had steak for dinner before Aaron went to have a shower whilst Robert finished off some work. He ignored the email that Chrissie had sent him and he got on with his work before he went upstairs to find Aaron.
Robert heard the water of the shower and he slowly opened the door and walked in. He smirked when he saw that Aaron was still in the shower and had not noticed him. "Hello sexy" Robert said as he leaned against the wall of the bathroom.
Aaron quickly turned around and saw that Robert was smirking at him "I should really start locking the door".
"I'd rather that you didn't" Robert let his eyes role over Aaron's figure.
"And why is that?" Aaron smirked.
"Because... I like seeing you" Robert smirked.
"There's not much to see" Aaron raised his eyebrows.
Robert walked towards the shower and opened the door "I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that one" he said as he took his shoes and jacket off.
"What are you doing Rob?" Aaron gave a half smile.
"Getting into the shower with my very sexy husband" Robert smirked.
"You're crazy" Aaron smirked.
"Only you can do that to me" Robert grabbed Aaron's hips and pulled him close.
Aaron had his hands on Robert's chest and he could see his big pecks through the damp shirt "So I drive you crazy?" Aaron looked Robert up and down before he focused his gaze on his lips.
"I'm crazy about you" Robert said before he started at Aaron's lips.
"How crazy are you about me?" Aaron breathed into the kiss as he unbuttoned Robert's shirt.
"You make my head spin and my heart skip" Robert answered as he took his shirt off.
As they kissed they heard shout come from downstairs. "ROBERT!"
Aaron and Robert broke the kiss and Robert stepped out of the shower as Aaron turned it off. "Is it just me that heard Chrissie White shout my name?" Robert asked.
"I heard it too" Aaron said as he wrapped a towel around his waist.
"Robert Jacob Sugden!" Chrissie shouted.
"Put my pyjamas on!" Aaron threw Robert some pyjamas to cover up with.
"Thanks babe" Robert quickly took off his wet clothes and put the dry ones on. He then walked out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him so that Aaron had some privacy. Robert walked downstairs and saw his ex wife stood at the bottom of the staircase "What the hell are you doing in my house Chrissie?" Robert snapped.
"We need to talk" Chrissie bluntly answered.
"How did you even get in here?" Robert asked.
"I nicked the key out of Victoria's bag when she wasn't looking" Chrissie answered.
"Get out of my house" Robert said as he tried to stay calm.
"You didn't reply to my email" Chrissie stated.
"Oh you mean the one where you'd threatened me and Aaron? Oh wait... that's every god damn email!" Robert snapped.
"Don't over react. You ruined my life! You had an affair with a man, you told everyone about who shot my dad and you stole my house!" Chrissie shouted.
"It was your sister who exposed Lachlan as Lawrence's shooter to the village. As for Home farm... me and my husband bought this house. You ruined my brother's life and you're trying to ruin mine and Aaron's lives. Well it's not gonna happen, I won't let hurt him" Robert said in a firm voice.
"I could take away everything you love by the drop of a hat" Chrissie snarled.
"I won't let you do that" Aaron said from the top of the stairs.
Robert looked over his shoulder and saw that his husband was wearing some pyjamas as he walked down the stairs and came to stand at his side.
"This has nothing to do with you. So why don't you go and scrap a car or even better why don't you steal one. You could be just like your psycho uncle Cain. Beat up a few people and con a confession out of a man for committing a crime that happened years ago! I'd get divorced from this snake if I were you!" Chrissie snapped at Aaron.
"I'm not my uncle though, he beat Gordon to protect me and to get revenge on him for what that pervert did to me. My uncle has done bad things in his time but he's a good man. As for Robert... he's the most amazing person I know, he's stood at my side ever since I told him. I will not let you destroy my marriage". Aaron stubbornly said.
"I'm close though aren't I? Did you like the picture I sent you? A little trip down memorylane. How old were you Aaron? Gordon said that you were twelve in the picture. It looked like you had a rough day, broken leg, bruises, cuts and scratches. You looked like you had been through hell. Tell me, were you a naughty boy again?" Chrissie grinned evilly at Aaron.
"Shut up Chrissie. Aaron doesn't deserve to be spoken to like that by a self-centred former upper class bitch like you!" Robert raised his voice.
Aaron placed his hand on Robert's chest to calm him down "It's okay Rob. You're right Chrissie, I was put through hell. I was practically living in hell. How did you even get that picture?"
"I paid a little visit to your father in prison. He seemed like a very pleasant man" Chrissie answered.
"He knows how to tell a good lie. He's done it enough times, fortunately a jury could see straight through his lies. So if you'd be so kind as to leave my house." Aaron walked Chrissie over to the door as well as the fact that he had a fake smile on his face. "Oh before I forget, If you see Gordon Livesy again tell him that that I said... FUCK OFF!" Aaron shouted before he slammed the door shut and locked it.
"She stole Vic's key. She could get in if she wanted to" Robert said as he walked over to his husband and placed a hand on his back.
"Chrissie was right about the fact that I could be like Cain. But..." Aaron turned around and looked at Robert "I don't steal cars" he lifted his arm and smirked as he showed Robert the key.
"Why you sneaky little grease monkey" Robert smirked.
"Someone interrupts my fun time with my husband and they might get their pick pocketed" Aaron said as he put the key on the cabinet that was behind him.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Robert asked.
"I know a few tricks. I've pulled a few tricks on you a few time" Aaron answered.
"I know that. Hang on, have you ever pick pocketed me?" Robert placed his hands on his hips.
"Maybe. You should be more aware of the people you socialise with" Aaron smiled.
"Do you wanna watch a movie upstairs? I reckon that we need some time when we can just relax" Robert said as he placed his hands on Aaron's waist.
"Alright, but I'm picking the movie" Aaron said as he placed his hands on Robert's forearms and rubbed them.
"Agreed, but only if I can snuggle up to you" Robert smiled.
"I'm not gonna abject to that" Aaron smiled before he kissed Robert.
They made sure that all of the doors and windows were locked, before they walked upstairs and got into bed. Robert was lying in bed watching as Aaron put the DVD.
"So what are we going to watch?" he asked.
Aaron wore a wicked smirk on his face "Nightmare on Elmstreet. Or I could go round to Marlon's and borrow April's old My Little pony DVD to watch".
As much as horror movies scared Robert he wanted to seem brave, he also knew that there was no escape from this because Aaron would just hold him down "No I can watch a horror movie".
"Alright tough lad" Aaron walked over and got into bed with Robert.
"Erm, Aaron?" Robert said when he thought about how scared he was of horror movies.
"Yeah Robert" Aaron looked at his husband.
"Can you hold me please?" Robert asked.
"Come here" Aaron smiled as he held up one arm.
Robert moved closer to his husband and rested his head on Aaron's chest. "Thank you babe" Robert kissed Aaron's chest.
"No problem. Tell me if you get too scared and I'll turn it off" Aaron put his arm around Robert and kissed his head as the movie started.
When it came to the scariest part of the movie Robert covered his eyes with his hands. He could hear Aaron giggling beside him "It's not funny, you meanie!" Robert said in a strop.
A moment passed before Aaron prodded Robert's shoulder "The scary scene is over now" he said.
Robert removed his hands from his eyes and looked up. But instead of his husband's beautiful face, he saw Freddy Kruger next to him. Robert let out a shriek and quickly moved away before he dived his head into his pillow where he sobbed long and hard.
"Oh, baby, did I scare you?" Aaron's voice came to Robert's ears.
Robert looked up from his pillow, a small smile grew on his face, "You sneaky little grease monkey!"
"You okay?" Aaron smirked.
"No, you know that I scare easily with horror movies" Robert cried.
"Aww come'ere Rob" Aaron put his hand on Robert's back and his husband hugged him. "I'm sorry for scaring you" Aaron stroked Robert's hair "Can you forgive me?"
"You're forgiven" Robert sobbed into Aaron's chest.
Aaron paused the movie before he kissed the top of Robert's head "Would you like to watch something else?" Aaron asked his husband.
Robert nods as he wipes his tears away with the back of his hand in such a way that reminds Aaron of a child.
"What would you like to watch?" Aaron asked as he turned the movie off.
There was a pause before Robert answers, "Could we watch Finding Nemo?"
Aaron laughs, "A Disney movie?" he turns to face Robert "You're really a big softie aren't ya?"
"Oh come on!" Robert whined "It's got talking animals and is really funny!"
Aaron holds up his hand and wipes away his tears of laughter "Okay, okay" Aaron put the movie on and then got back into bed.
Robert rested his head on Aaron's shoulder and smiled up at him "You're the best husband ever"
Aaron smirks down at him "I know" Aaron nods at Robert as if to say 'Carry on'.
"I love you more than anything. You mean the world to me" Robert smiled.
"I love you too. Even if you are a scaredy cat" Aaron chuckled.
Robert gave Aaron a light punch on the upper arm "Hey! I can be brave!" he argued.
"Keep telling yourself that handsome" Aaron smiled as he kissed Robert's forehead just as the movie started.
"I'm gonna get you back for that" Robert sulked.
"Nah I don't scare. Plus I know that you like it when I hold you like this" Aaron said as he stroked Robert's biceps with his thumb.
"Why do you always have to be right?" Robert smiled as he snuggled into Aaron.