My thanks to Sylvain for the beta work.

Runaway

Part 34

2 a.m. and only now were they going to bed. Cold and world-weary, they snuggled up together, Micah wrapping his arms tightly around Aaron, the younger man melting against him.

"You ok?" Micah asked. Aaron had been conspicuously quiet on the journey home. Tonight had obviously proved a bit of an eye-opener and like for most people involved in helping the homeless, seeing it first-hand for the very first time, it had had an emotional effect on him.

"Yeah, fine," Aaron insisted, even though he knew Micah wouldn't believe him, not for one second.

"No, you're not," Micah stated, he knew Aaron needed to talk about what he'd witnessed, and needed a push in the right direction. "It lingers, doesn't it? The feeling of disbelief, of utter helplessness… even when you're doing something positive like handing out the hot soup and blankets."

"It's never enough, is it?" Aaron began to speak his troubled thoughts aloud, "No matter what you do, it's never going to be enough." He'd quickly realised that tonight and had felt guilty knowing he had a home to go to, a warm bed and someone's arms to fall asleep in.

"No. But doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing at all."

"Yeah." Of course it was. He hadn't realised how big a problem it was, and it had been yet another reminder of just how very lucky he was. When Phil, one of the volunteers, had rung Monday morning to say his wife was ill, that he couldn't help out this week, he had jumped at the chance of taking his place. Not that he'd been wanting to do his bit for the needy, no, it was more to do with him keeping an eye on Micah. After what the Bishop had told him, he worried about his involvement in this particular church-led scheme. Where Micah was concerned, it involved a lot more than giving out hot meals and advice. It seemed Micah was on a one-man mission to prevent the most vulnerable from being used and abused. Aaron hadn't seen anything to trouble him where Micah was concerned tonight, it had all seemed straightforward and hassle-free. He knew that wasn't always the case and that was why he wanted to be there.

Micah hadn't seemed at all enthusiastic about him going, had assured him that he could easily find another volunteer, saying he should keep their bed warm instead. But he'd been insistent and his determination had won out. He hadn't given any thought to what he would be doing tonight, he hadn't thought past keeping Micah safe, but that had quickly changed.

He'd slept rough himself, quite recently and a few times when he was supposedly living with his dad, when he'd kicked off or was in some sort of trouble and was avoiding going home to face the music. He'd naively thought he knew what it was like to not have a roof over his head, and he did to a point, but his experiences were nothing compared to the people he'd met tonight, and he'd been moved by what he saw, by their plight. So much so, his feelings were now bubbling to the surface. "I always had a place to go, I was never really alone, there were people I could turn to, I was just too stubborn, too proud, but mostly too blind to see that… but those people, those kids tonight... they really don't have anyone."

"No, a lot of them don't have anyone to turn to, but there are some like you who just don't realise they're not alone. But whatever the case, it's important someone like us talks to them, that we do all we can to help them before they get involved with the wrong kind of people, those who just want to take advantage of them."

"If I hadn't met you that day, I... I'd have ended up like those kids we saw tonight. I'd already turned my hand to stealing. If I was cold enough, hungry enough, I suppose I'd do just about anything to get warm, to put some food in my belly." He didn't want to believe that but knew it was true. He didn't want to think about the lengths he would have gone to in such a situation and so quickly moved the conversation on. "What did you think when you first saw me? Did you know then just how much I needed help?" They'd never had this conversation, not in any great depth and suddenly he was curious about what had been going through Micah's mind at the time.

"I was in need of some help myself, remember?" His car had broken down in the middle of nowhere and his mobile was out of charge. It was raining and cold and his day had already been a long and difficult one, it was the last thing he'd needed. "To be honest, my first thought was a selfish one, I saw you and all I could think was 'I hope he knows his way around a car engine' and you did! I couldn't believe my luck... and in more ways than one! I kept having a sneaky look at you while you were working on the..."

"Not a pretty sight!" Aaron interrupted, embarrassed by the memory, "I needed a bath, a change of clothes..."

"True." Micah laughed, he hadn't failed to notice that Aaron had looked more than a little unkempt. Still, he'd seen past that, "But I saw something in those blue eyes, and I don't mean the sadness that was languishing there or the pain. There was something else there and it was calling to me. And I know that sounds stupid but I don't know how else to describe how it made me feel. I just knew I had to hold on to you, that I couldn't let you go."

"And you didn't." Aaron breathed, awed by that simple truth. Micah had succeeded where everyone else had failed, he'd stopped him from running from what scared him, from what haunted him, he'd stopped him from running from himself.

"And I never will." Micah whispered, sealing his promise with a tender kiss.

/

Wednesday and Aaron was getting into his car and setting off to college. It was a dry but bitterly cold December morning and when he spotted a familiar figure waiting at a nearby bus stop, he somewhat reluctantly pulled the car over and called out through his now open passenger window, "Where you heading?"

Milly hesitantly stepped over towards him, seemingly as reluctant as he was to get into a conversation, "Just into town, it's alright the bus will be here in a minute."

Aaron doubted that, they were never on time, but even if it was true, he wouldn't feel happy leaving Milly standing there in the cold even if things were still a little difficult between them, "Me too, so come on, get in."

With Milly now settled beside him, he eased back into the traffic, long moments of awkward silence followed. Aaron had found himself completely tongue-tied, there was plenty he could be saying to Milly even if it was just discussing the weather, but it just wouldn't come. He'd had every intention of calling at hers with the hanky she'd given him, but as each day passed, it had proved a little harder to do so. Stupid, really, they'd done the hardest bit, they'd broken down the huge wall that had stood between them, had a heart-to-heart, it should have been plain sailing from then on but it wasn't proving the case and he didn't understand why.

Thankfully, Milly broke into the silence, "I don't usually go to town on a Wednesday but there's a new shop opened and I couldn't wait to have a look around, start my Christmas shopping. Is that where you're heading?"

"No..." Christmas! The word reverberated around Aaron's head. He hadn't given that any thought, not even when Micah had mentioned he was going to be especially busy over the next few weeks. Muppet that he was, it hadn't clicked with him as to why. He could be so dense at times, he was going to have to make more of an effort. ".. I've got college this morning."

"Oh, what is it you do there?"

"I'm doing an automotive course, you know, repairs, engineering."

"And you're liking the course?"

"Yeah." He did, now his zest for life was back, his love for anything mechanical had returned too, so much so he'd just got himself a place on another, more advanced course, one that was due to start in the new year. He was determined to end up with a good job and the means of making a healthy living. He wasn't sure if he should go into such detail with Milly, he didn't know if she was actually interested in his life or just making polite conversation. He could, if he was in the mood, talk forever on the subject to someone he knew shared his interest, but he didn't for one minute believe Milly did and he didn't want to prattle on and bore her to tears just for the sake of keeping the conversation going.

"That explains how you were able to get Mabel up and running again."

"I did what I could. But she's on her last legs," Aaron explained woefully, grimacing to himself as he realised he'd just referred to Micah's dearly loved heap of junk as 'she'… just like he had a habit of doing!

"I see it's parked outside the Vicarage again, I take it it's Reverend James' turn to oversee the homeless run?"

It was a simple question but it had been laced with concern, like Milly already knew the answer and didn't like it one little bit.

"Yeah, we've been out the last two nights."

"You went with him?"

Milly sounded surprised, didn't she think him capable of doing something to help those less fortunate than himself? He was instantly on the defensive, but managed to keep his tone even when replying, "Yeah, I'll be going with him every night." Micah didn't know that yet though, as far as he was concerned he was just helping out this week.

"I'm so relieved to hear that…"

Milly's voice trailed off and Aaron could only guess it was because she was wary of letting slip something that she shouldn't. He knew what too and wanted her to know he was aware of what had gone on, "The Bishop told me that Micah was warned off, that someone smashed the vicarage windows…"

"I was so scared for him and then the following week, he was... " Milly again bit back on her words, they were tripping too easily off her tongue, she was letting her emotions rule her head and when she did that, she tended to overstep the mark, be seen as interfering rather than concerned.

"I know about the beating, too." That had to be what was on Milly's mind.

"Yes, of course you do, he would tell you, you two being so close."

Aaron felt a pang of annoyance, Micah hadn't told him willingly, he'd had to prise it out of him and only after the Bishop had hinted at there having been an actual assault on Micah. Aaron was certain he'd still be in the dark about it all if Bishop Peters hadn't visited that day and shared his concerns for Micah. This latest exchange with Milly, her obvious concern, had unsettled him, and after flicking on the indicator, Aaron stopped the car at the side of the road, he couldn't concentrate on the morning traffic and say what he needed to Milly.

"I'm worried about him. That's why I'm going with him." A few minutes back, he didn't know what to say to her, felt uneasy in her company, but now he found himself opening up to Milly again… why? Was it because he didn't want to unburden himself over the phone to Paddy? Because he wasn't close enough to any of the lads in college to share his concerns? No, it was simply because he knew he could…

/

Mabel had been playing up and he'd spent all of Friday morning fixing her. He'd been late for college because of her! A typical 'she' Aaron had mused, demanding attention and getting it! Aaron didn't suppose any woman would agree with that definition, not that he dared put it to any woman he knew… but one woman it did sum up nicely was his mother! She was high maintenance, too.

Thankfully, Mabel was behaving herself tonight, so far she hadn't needed anymore tinkering with, she… 'it' had got them safely into the city and he was now walking around what he could only describe as a meeting place for drunks, a large group of men at least he thought they were all men, it was hard to tell under all the grime and layers of tatty clothes. One in particular had caught his eye, with his straggly grey hair and beady eyes; he'd reminded him of his granddad, Shadrach. The two of them had never really been close, Shadrach had never had any time for him, he preferred booze over just about everything, and it was alcohol that had killed him in the end. He hadn't felt much grief on his passing, and he couldn't say he missed him. Well, in all honesty, he hadn't really liked the man, especially after he'd made his feelings on him being gay so obvious. It had hurt and he'd never forgiven him for the pain it had caused, for the total lack of support when he'd needed it the most. He couldn't let that resentment continue though, he certainly couldn't let it affect the way he saw these men and this one man in particular. Ignoring the stench, the stomach-churning mix of drink and body odour, he pressed a mug of steaming chicken broth into the old man's hand, then wrapped a blanket around his bony shoulders, telling him where the nearest night shelter could be found. There were facilities there, hot water, soap, even a change of clothes. As good as all that sounded to him, Aaron knew the contents of a bottle held a damn site more appeal to the other man, it certainly had to his granddad!

As he made his way back over to Mabel, Aaron looked around for Micah, five nights in; he was still watching him like a hawk. He spotted his boyfriend talking to someone he assumed was another volunteer; he had to be since he had a wad of leaflets in his hand, information and advice their team was giving out. But the two men seemed to be arguing, alarm bells started to ring and he made to go over to them. That's when the older man turned around and Aaron could clearly see a dog collar around his neck. Two vicars arguing? No. He must have got it wrong! He looked on, eyes glued to the two men, they were definitely arguing, their postures, their gestures proof of that. What should he do? Break up the 'fight'? He was about to do just that when Micah suddenly turned his back on the other man, striding away, obviously wanting to put some distance between the two of them. Aaron took off after him, catching up with him he asked, "What was that all about?"

"A difference of opinion," Micah stated, anger still clearly visible on his face.

"About what?" Aaron suddenly had a very uneasy feeling about whatever it was Micah wasn't telling him.

"Not here, we'll talk about it later, I promise."

"Ok." So it was something he should know about. But Micah was right, this wasn't the time or the place, it was going to have to wait, they had things to do.

They and the two other members of their team clambered back into Mabel. With Micah at the wheel, they had moved on to another area known to be frequented by the homeless, this one nearer the city centre, nearer the bright lights and the nightlife. It was mostly young people at this location, and he'd been shocked by how young some of them looked to be. There were a couple of new faces tonight; at least, he couldn't remember seeing them on previous nights. Distracted by his thoughts and his ministrations, he forgot all about Micah for a little while. When he did remember him, when he thought to check on him, his gaze had darted wildly around the dimly lit waste ground. Micah was some distance away, again talking to someone he didn't know, a man Aaron didn't like the look of, a man he instinctively knew was trouble. They didn't look to be having a normal conversation either. The stranger was in his boyfriend's face, had invaded his personal space, and Micah's stance was equally as challenging... he was squared up to the muscle-bound heavy, eyeing him fearlessly. Aaron broke into a run, sensing things were about to turn physical between the two men.

TBC