Quill (3)

Since Tom's return, there have been more moments that were missing from the show. So, I've written this one-shot to fill some gaps from his most recent stint.

Following the events of episode 7620 (after Aaron sees Tom and David together)

Aaron tried to distract himself from thinking about Tom and David by focusing on his run with Mishti. However, the fact that Aaron was lagging caught Mishti's attention, so she decided that they should take a break, and she led him over to a bench in the park. Aaron was half annoyed and half grateful for the respite, but took the opportunity to use the bench to perform some lunges.

Mishti put her right foot onto the bench and stretched out to reach it, "So, how are you feeling about David and Tom?" she asked as casually as she could

Aaron rolled his eyes, "Never better" he replied sarcastically, "Why?"

"You still seem kind of bitter about it" Mishti noted, "And I was hoping that the run might have helped with the whole jealousy thing"

Aaron looked unconvinced, "That's a nice thought, but I doubt that exercise can help with this situation"

"I beg to differ" Mishti remarked before swapping legs, "But who are you jealous of? David or Tom?"

Aaron considered this for a few moments before shrugging, "Both, I guess"

"Yeah, I kind of know about your history with David" she began "And I picked up on something between you and Tom the other week at Harold's"

Aaron nodded, "Tom asked me if I wanted to give our relationship another go after he came back, and I was considering it" Aaron explained, "But I turned him down because I thought that I might still have had a chance with David. Ironic, right?"

Mishti grimaced, "That sucks"

"Big time" Aaron sighed, "And the universe clearly hates me because now Tom and David are seeing each other"

"The universe doesn't hate you" Mishti insisted as she used the bench for some thigh toner stretches, "It's just a case of bad timing"

Aaron scoffed bitterly, "Yep, it always comes down to timing, doesn't it?"

Mishti nodded in agreement, "So, what's the story with you and Tom?

Aaron let out a breath before he began to copy Mishti, "It's complicated"

"I guessed" she scoffed, "When it comes to love, it's almost always complicated, so give me the goss"

Aaron paused as he tried to figure out where he should begin, "You know Sonya used to be the Mayor, right?"

Mishti nodded but was confused as to how that was relevant to Aaron and Tom, "Yeah, why?"

"I was her assistant at the beginning of last year, and back then the Quill Group wanted to build a second tower for the hotel in the complex" Aaron began, "It was down to Sonya to decide whether or not to approve it, and Tom was put in charge of the whole development"

"Oh yeah, I heard that there was an explosion at Lassiter's last year caused by Tom's step-mum" Mishti recalled, "Toadie was trapped in one of the rooms, and a couple of people died because of it"

Aaron nodded uncomfortably, that whole experience being one that he didn't enjoy thinking about, "Yeah, that wasn't exactly Tom's fault but he used me to get the council's approval" Aaron explained, "He showed an interest in me, took me on expensive dates, bought me new clothes, all so that he could manipulate me into getting him access to confidential information about the development"

Mishti stopped to stare at Aaron in revulsion, "That's horrible"

"Well, I'm angrier at myself than at him" Aaron admitted as he collapsed onto the bench, "I was so naïve, he was too good to be true and I should have realised what was going on"

"Don't blame yourself, Tom set out to do all that stuff" Mishti argued as she joined him, "Sometimes it's easy to fall for people, especially if they can pull the wool over your eyes"

"He did that alright, until I managed to catch him out" Aaron responded, "I noticed that he'd doctored a really important report in his favour, so I exposed what he had been doing, but it came at a cost to my job. Sonya fired me, and she had every right to"

"I'm sorry" Mishti replied sympathetically, "It sucks to get fired, especially after doing the right thing"

"But I'd done the wrong thing until it was almost too late, so I don't blame her" Aaron countered before glancing at her briefly, "It gets worse though"

Mishti was surprised, "Really?" she asked, wondering how much worse it could get

Aaron nodded, "Tom and I got into a fight in the hotel's underground car-park over all the stuff that he did" he began, "I knocked him out and left him there before the explosion. Afterwards, his ID badge was found under the rubble in the car-park, but his body hadn't been found"

"Woah" Mishti breathed

"Soon after, I started receiving texts from an unknown number, saying that they knew what I had done to Tom and demanding money in return for their silence" Aaron continued, "Turns out it was Tom, who'd escaped from the car-park before the explosion"

"That's sick" Mishti spat in disgust before considering this, "Wait, so how come you were considering giving him another chance after all of that? Does he still have some kind of hold over you?"

"No, it's not like that" Aaron insisted, "After Julie was sent to prison, Tom was left to look after his little brother with no money, it forced him to grow up and take responsibility. He'd changed a lot because of it, and I softened towards him and kind of helped him with it, and I guess we grew closer."

Mishti nodded in understanding, "Then what happened?"

"He helped me get a job working for Toadie, and we got back together" Aaron replied, "Well, we did for about a week until he decided to sell Lassiter's and move to Dubai with his sister"

Mishti glanced to the ground, "That's kind of sad"

Aaron nodded sadly, "Yeah, just as I'd learnt to trust him again, he abandoned me" he muttered before shaking his head in exasperation, "God, I sound so ridiculous, especially being prepared to give him a third chance after everything that happened"

"It's not ridiculous" Mishti assured him, "You still have feelings for him to some extent, he's proven that he's changed, so it's understandable that you'd be tempted to give it another go"

Aaron gazed at his friend helplessly, "I don't know how I feel anymore" he breathed, "I thought I did, I thought I had feelings for David and that they were reciprocated, but obviously not now that he and Tom are together"

"You don't know that" Mishti argued, "He could still have feelings for you, but could be using Tom to make you jealous"

"Well, it worked" Aaron grumbled before shaking his head, "Actually, no. David's not like that, he's the most honourable guy I know, he'd never use anyone"

"If you say so" Mishti shrugged

"I do" Aaron insisted resolutely before sighing, "You know, I regretted pushing him away a couple of months ago when I should have followed my heart, and this has just rubbed salt into the wound"

"I can imagine" Mishti murmured, "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing" Aaron replied firmly, "For one thing, I wouldn't even know what to do. And, even if I did, it's not my place to interfere"

"So, you're just going to sit and sulk until they break up?" Mishti asked

Aaron shrugged, then glanced at her in confusion, "You mean 'if' they break up?"

"No, 'until'" Mishti repeated, "Considering what you've just told me, that relationship is doomed, so it's only a matter of time before they end it"

Aaron sighed, "Even if you're right, I'm still not getting involved" he pointed out, "This is between the two of them, we need to stay out of it"

"Then can we do something besides angsting over your love-life?" Mishti suggested, "Like finishing the run we started"

"Gladly" Aaron breathed before standing up, "It's your job to help me get Tom and David out of my head"

"Challenge accepted" Mishti replied before sprinting ahead. Aaron let out a deep breath before catching up to her. He was in desperate need of a distraction, and exercise was the most effective thing he could do to take his mind off what was going on between David and Tom.

Following the events of episode 7624 (shortly after David and Tom start dating)

Glancing around the table during their family meal, David couldn't believe how his luck had changed. Having spent thirty years not knowing who his father was and being in denial about his true sexuality, David still had to pinch himself that he had a proper relationship with his real dad, and had a boyfriend as well. Sitting with Leo, Paul, Amy and Jimmy at The Waterhole for dinner, David relished the thought that this was his family.

Leo's voice interrupted David's thoughts, "So David, you and Tom are 'official' now, right? How's it all going?" he asked pointedly with a slightly smug expression, and David knew that Leo was trying to wind Paul up.

David swallowed as he noticed Paul's shocked face, "Uh, we've talked about this already" he muttered before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth to stop himself from saying too much. Although he didn't know the details of the Quill family, David knew enough to realise that Paul wouldn't be happy about his relationship with Tom.

Paul put down his cutlery, "Am I wrong to hope that there are multiple gay guys named Tom in Erinsborough? And that your Tom isn't Tom Quill?"

David shook his head, "No, it is Tom Quill" he murmured

Paul sighed, "Look, David, I don't want to interfere-"

Amy snorted, "That makes a change" she interjected

Paul glared at her before returning to David, "But you shouldn't get involved with him"

"I don't see why not" David argued, "He's a good guy, he's charming, funny, gorgeous-"

"Each to their own" Amy muttered

"I really like him" David continued, "Besides, didn't you say a few weeks ago that you hoped to be proven wrong?"

"About Will, who I didn't really know" Paul argued, "But I know Tom, I know his family, I know what he's capable of; I've experienced it first-hand, and I don't want you dating him"

"Do you know how dramatic you sound?" Leo chuckled

"I'm not being dramatic, I'm being serious" Paul countered before looking at David, "I just want to look out for you"

"I appreciate that, I really do" David began earnestly, "But I am capable of making my own decisions based on my own judgement-"

"What about Will?" Paul argued, "You thought he was a good guy, and look what happened there"

David mulled this over, "Ok, so I was wrong about him" he agreed, "But I'm still getting used to this part of my life, of course I'm going to make some mistakes. But I don't need people holding my hand or fighting my battles for me"

"We're just worried, that's all" Amy pointed out

"But you've been encouraging me to go out with him" David argued

"Really?" Paul asked in annoyance, "Is that true?"

"I can't exactly stop him from dating someone" Amy retorted before glancing at Leo awkwardly, "And you can't help who you have feelings for, can you?"

"But why encourage him to date the guy who ruined my life?" Paul complained

"And again with sounding dramatic" Leo sighed, still quite enjoying his father's reaction

"What exactly has he done wrong?" David asked suspiciously

"I used to own Lassiter's and I lived in the penthouse for a while until the Quill Group took over and kicked me out" Paul explained

"Admittedly, dad had done some dodgy things" Amy interjected, "It's not like they kicked him out for no reason"

"Ok, so I've made some mistakes" Paul admitted reluctantly, "But at least I never blackmailed the Mayor or blew up a building" he lied

"Hang on, Tom did that?" David asked in horror

"Well, it was his step-mum, Julie, who blew up Lassiter's last year" Paul explained, "But Tom did blackmail Sonya"

David was quite curious as to why Tom would blackmail Sonya, but he didn't want to ask because it was likely that he would receive a biased version of events from Paul. There was also a part of David that didn't want to know exactly what happened because otherwise he might not be able to get past it, and it would ruin his relationship with Tom.

Instead, David took a deep breath, "Look, Tom did some bad stuff, I get it. But we all make mistakes" David began, "And he's not like that anymore, he's a decent guy, you should give him another chance, get to know him"

"He's right" Amy agreed cautiously, "Tom really helped me out the last time he was in town, and since he's been back, it's like that hotel stuff never happened"

"Probably because he's so ashamed of his role in it that he wants to pretend it never happened" Paul snarked

"Well, I haven't spent much time with him myself, but from what I can tell, he's not as bad as you make him out to be" Leo added, determined to get a reaction out of Paul

"And now you're all ganging up on me" Paul muttered before sarcastically adding, "Jimmy, are you going to join the 'Pro-Tom Quill' team as well?"

Jimmy shrugged, "I don't even know who it is you're talking about" he admitted casually before taking a bite of his food

"Tom is Archie's older brother" Amy reminded him before shaking her head as she remembered the havoc he caused, "Although, that doesn't really help the argument"

"Well, Archie's a tool" Jimmy replied, much to Paul's satisfaction, "But if you say that Tom's a good guy, then it doesn't matter what his family's like"

"Wise words from my son there" Amy pointed out as Paul scowled

"Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Tom taking the motel away from you?" Leo began facetiously, "I doubt it, he's got other things to focus on, like David"

Paul sighed, realising that he wasn't going to win this argument, "I guess if you lot approve of him, then it can't hurt to give him the benefit of the doubt" he began before firmly adding, "But this is his last chance; he's caused a lot of trouble around here, so if he does anything dodgy again then that's it, you understand?"

David nodded, "That was very big of you, thank you" he responded with a smile, "How about I call him later and suggest that we meet up sometime? Just the three of us having a causal drink, that's all"

Paul considered this, "If that's what you want, then sure" he replied reluctantly, "Now, can we talk about something other than the Quill's?"

"Agreed" Jimmy added, receiving a nudge from his mum. David chuckled, pleased that Paul was coming around to the idea of him dating Tom. He didn't like how Leo brought up the subject just to annoy their dad, but it was a conversation that they had needed to have for a while. David hoped that Paul would approve of their relationship, and that they would get along, even just for a few casual drinks. David didn't like causing conflicts, especially within his family, but he knew that there needed to be some compromise in order to make other people happy, which is what his dad was doing, and David was extremely grateful for it.

Later that night, David called Tom to find out when he was available to have a drink with Paul.

"Paul wants the three of us to have a drink together?" Tom clarified dubiously

David was prepared for that reaction, "Yep, that's what I said" he replied nervously

"Why do I get the feeling that this wasn't his idea?" Tom asked

David hesitated, "Ok, I may have suggested it"

Tom snorted, "And what did it take for you to persuade him?"

"It took myself, Leo, Amy and Jimmy ganging up on him to convince him that you're not as bad as he thinks" David admitted awkwardly

Tom sniggered, "That's kind of sweet" he replied wistfully, "It's nice to have people on my side for once"

"I know you've had it tough, and I know that dad isn't exactly helping matters by holding everything over your head" David began, "But he will come around to the idea of us, and he might even learn to forgive and forget"

"I wouldn't bet on it" Tom retorted, "I mean, I haven't been able to forgive and forget what happened yet, and Paul's situation was way worse than mine"

"He's been through a lot, but he's not heartless" David assured him, "The fact that he's agreed to this shows that there's some progress, and maybe this can be the start of some kind of peace between you"

"Maybe" Tom mused, "Anyway, my schedule is pretty packed over the next few days, but I'll let you know if I can make some time next week, if that's ok?"

"Yeah, there's no rush" David replied casually, hopeful that they would have plenty of time in the future to make plans

"At least Paul will be happy, it'll give him some more time to psyche himself up" Tom muttered

"Don't be so dramatic" David sighed, "I'm sure he can manage to be civil towards you for a few hours"

"I'll hold you to that" Tom teased, "Look, I'd better go, but I'll get back to you about when I'm available as soon as I can"

"Ok, thanks" David breathed, "Talk soon"

"Yep, goodnight" Tom replied before hanging up.

David let out a deep breath when the call ended and hoped that he had been right about Paul. It hadn't been easy to convince his dad to give Tom another chance, and David wasn't sure how Paul was going to behave around Tom despite Paul agreeing to have a casual drink with him. David prayed that it wouldn't be too awkward between them, because he wouldn't know how to deal with it if things went awry or if either of the relationships were tarnished as a result.

During episode 7629 (at the housewarming party)

Aaron watched David rifling through the bucket of beers, checking the labels as he did. They had barely spoken to each other since the night at the Back-Lane bar, and definitely not since Aaron had found out that David and Tom were seeing each other. Aaron hadn't known what to say to him: did David even know about his history with Tom? It would seem a strange thing not to mention, but neither of them had said anything about it, and would David still be dating Tom if he knew about their past relationship? Aaron felt the need to investigate further, and at least attempt to ease the awkwardness between them.

Taking a deep breath, Aaron cautiously approached David, who was holding a couple of beers, "Hey, great party"

David looked up at him, "Hey, thanks" he replied with a slightly strained smile as he placed the beers down on the table, "I'm glad you're enjoying it"

"Yeah" Aaron nodded before looking around the room, "It feels like ages ago that Paul lived here, it's nice that he's got it back now"

"Yeah, it was a shame about what happened" David agreed before clicking his fingers, "Oh, I heard that you worked as dad's bodyguard a while ago, and that he let you live here with him for a bit"

Aaron nodded uncomfortably, "Yeah, I wasn't so proud of that job" he admitted before muttering, "Or many of my jobs for that matter"

David looked confused for a moment before looking apprehensive, "Are you talking about your dancing?"

Aaron shrugged, "Amongst other things, yeah"

"Well, for the record, I'm sorry about what happened on 'Frigay'" David began earnestly, "I know things were really weird after that night, and I don't feel like we've had a proper chance to clear the air"

"It's ok" Aaron replied dismissively, "It was a stressful night, and you being there was a bit of a surprise, to say the least"

"Yeah, it wasn't really my scene" David responded coyly, "I mean, the Back-Lane Bar is pretty cool, but I didn't like the atmosphere that much"

"That's ok, it's not for everyone" Aaron assured him, "And since we're apologising, I'm sorry for running out on you that night, that was really rude of me. And I'm sorry about all the stuff that happened with Will, I shouldn't have acted the way I did"

"Don't worry about it. I didn't handle it very well myself, I was kind of a jerk towards you and I shouldn't have been" David apologised before smiling contentedly, "Anyway, I'm over that now, over Will. I've found someone better"

Aaron nodded, preparing to tell David about his history with Tom, "Yeah, about that…" he began hesitantly, but was interrupted by Tom himself.

"Hey, I was wondering where you'd got to" Tom began as he approached

"Ah, speak of the devil" David chuckled as he handed Tom a bottle of beer

Tom took the drink but looked suspicious, "You were talking about me?"

David nodded, "All good, obviously" he grinned as he squeezed Tom's shoulder

"Obviously" Tom retorted before noticing Aaron, "Hey stranger, don't I get a 'hello'?"

"Oh, hey" Aaron began as cheerfully as he could muster, before glancing between David and Tom, "Um, we'll catch up later, alright? I promise" he assured the taller man before making his escape as quickly and subtly as possible

David watched after Aaron in confusion before turning back to Tom, "You know Aaron?"

Tom blinked at him with a slight smirk, "Yeah, we used to date" he told David as though this was common knowledge, which it wasn't for David.

David was not only annoyed by Tom's blasé attitude, but also found himself feeling jealous and insecure. Just one look at Aaron proved that Tom had settled for less by being with David. David panicked: was Tom comparing them to each other? How could David possibly live up to those expectations? Did Tom know about his history with Aaron? How could David have not known that his boyfriend had dated the guy who he'd been crazy about for months? And why was this situation so complicated?

David swallowed as he tried to slow his racing heart, "Uh, could you just excuse me for a minute?" he asked, "There's something I need to talk to Amy and Leo about"

"Family stuff?" Tom enquired before taking a sip of his beer

"Something like that, yeah" David replied uncertainly before rushing off to find his siblings. He felt bad about leaving his boyfriend alone, especially with his ex in the same vicinity, but David was desperate to get to the bottom of this predicament as quickly as possible.

Following the events of episode 7634 (after Xanthe is sent home from the Hospital)

Aaron was trying to clear his head of all the mayhem from the past week. However, he realised that no amount of running could ever help him with his feelings for David, nor could they help his business prospects. He pushed himself harder as he drew nearer to the park in the hope of forgetting about his problems. But all it succeeded in doing was tiring him out and making himself feel worse. He decided to make his way over to the rotunda for a rest, though he spotted Xanthe sitting there on her own as he got nearer. Aaron considered turning away and giving her some space, especially after everything she had been through with Finn. However, Aaron could empathise with her situation, which made him realise that the girl could use some company and a friendly ear instead of being stuck in her own head.

Xanthe was pulled out of her own reverie by Aaron calling out, "It's a nice day for it"

"What?" she questioned in confusion

"Spending time outdoors" Aaron replied as he approached her, "I know it's getting cooler, but it's good to make the most of the sun while it's out"

"Are we seriously talking about the weather?" Xanthe sighed, "Is this what my life has become?"

Aaron shrugged, "It's called 'small talk', everyone does it"

Xanthe rolled her eyes, "Or you just don't know what to say to me"

"I've never held back with you before, have I?" Aaron smirked

"There aren't many people who have" Xanthe countered, "But now they're all looking at me like I'm a lost puppy"

"Well, what are you?" Aaron asked

Xanthe considered this, "I guess I am kind of a lost puppy"

"You don't have to be" Aaron replied

"After everything that happened with Finn, I don't know what to think anymore, or how to feel" Xanthe admitted

Aaron sat down next to her, "That's understandable, he manipulated you"

"But he's out of my life, I should be able to move on" Xanthe lamented, "And now, my placement at the Hospital is over before it's even begun because of something that wasn't even my fault"

Just Xanthe mentioning the hospital made Aaron's heart skip a beat. He clearly wasn't over David if he was reacting so strongly to anything related to the doctor.

"I'm sorry to hear that" Aaron murmured

"Well, Karl didn't seem sorry when he sent me home" Xanthe spat before putting her head into her hands, "It's like everything in my life is falling apart"

"It might feel like that now, but it won't last forever" Aaron began as he gently squeezed her shoulder, "Once you've got your power back, you might be able to look at this with a different perspective"

Xanthe looked up at him dubiously, "I don't know, how can ever trust my own judgement again?"

"You will" he assured her gently, "It might take a while, but you'll get your confidence back"

Xanthe narrowed her eyes at him, "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've been where you are" Aaron replied before mulling this over, "Well, not exactly. I don't want to compare myself to you – because our situations were so different – but Tom really did a number on me last year"

Xanthe realised what he was talking about, "You mean when you were working for Sonya?"

Aaron nodded, "I was feeling pretty vulnerable after Nate cut me off" he explained, "So, it was easy for Tom to manipulate me to get what he wanted: the council's approval for the development"

"Like Finn manipulated me so that he could get back with Elly, and be the principle of Erinsborough High" Xanthe muttered, noticing the similarities between their situations.

Aaron shrugged, "You had connections, he took advantage of that, and he took advantage of your good-nature" he pointed out, "Back then, Tom told me this sob-story about his family, he took me on expensive dates and spoiled me with presents, and I didn't even realise what was going on until it was too late"

Xanthe looked regretful, "I'm sorry"

"You have nothing to apologise for" Aaron argued firmly, "None of what I went through, or even what you went through, is your fault"

"Well, the thing with Finn was my fault for being too trusting" Xanthe insisted

"You didn't ask Finn to do that stuff" Aaron responded, "He set out to take advantage of you, you did nothing wrong"

"Except for lying to everyone about him" Xanthe countered

"But that was because of him" Aaron pointed out, "Like I said, you can look at it with a different perspective. He doesn't have you under his spell anymore, so you can see the effect he had on you. You wouldn't have lied to those people of your own free will, Finn made you do that without you even realising it"

"Then why do I feel like an idiot?" she asked sadly

"You're not an idiot, but maybe you're still trying to process it, trying to make sense of what you went through" Aaron suggested, "People called me an idiot over what happened with Tom, and they were kind of right"

Xanthe opened her mouth to disagree, but Aaron continued, "Unlike you, I'm an adult, I was supposed to be professional, but I was already crossing a line before Tom had even started using me" he explained, "But like you, I was too trusting, which isn't our fault, but it can be a dangerous quality"

Xanthe nodded, "Yeah, it is" she murmured bitterly before studying him carefully, "Thank you"

Aaron looked surprised, "What for?"

"Everything" Xanthe replied, "For helping me see things differently"

"You did that yourself" Aaron pointed out

Xanthe glanced away, "I also remember how you helped me after I stole Tom's money last year, even though that was my fault"

"Hey, Tom was the one who stole the money from Julie in the first place then left it in a hotel room, that's not your fault" he argued, "There had been a massive explosion, you guys thought he was dead, of course you'd take ten thousand dollars if it was just lying around in a supposed dead man's room"

Xanthe was bemused, "Would you have done it?"

"In a heartbeat, especially now when I could really use the money" Aaron replied casually before noticing Xanthe's surprised expression, "Hey, Tom even thought that I had done it, and it would have been sweet revenge for everything he did to me"

Xanthe considered this, "Hang on, if you're still bitter about it, then why did you get back together with him?"

"He changed a lot after Julie was sent to prison, he was looking after Archie with no money, I can only imagine what that's like" Aaron explained, "But that time, he was the vulnerable one, and I wanted to help him, so I guess we grew closer again, for real"

"And this time?" Xanthe prompted

Aaron sighed, "This time it's a mess"

Xanthe nodded, "Yeah, I heard that he's with David"

"Not anymore, it's kind of complicated" Aaron replied wearily, "In fact, I'm staying out of both of their lives, it's not something I can deal with right now"

"I know the feeling" Xanthe agreed grimly

Inspired, Aaron glanced at her, "So, why don't you join me?"

Xanthe looked confused, "For a run?"

Aaron nodded, "Well, why else do you think I'm dressed like this?" he asked, gesturing to his jogging attire.

Xanthe shrugged, "You could have been trying out a new style"

Aaron scoffed, "My current style is perfectly fine, I'll have you know"

"Sure" she murmured before shaking her head, "Look, thanks for the offer, but I'm not much of a runner"

"Well, we don't have to run" Aaron responded, "What about something like yoga, Zumba, or Pilates?"

Xanthe shook her head again, "Not today, thanks" she declined, "Maybe some other time"

"How about coming back to mine?" Aaron offered

Xanthe looked surprised, "Wow, you must be really desperate for some company"

Aaron rolled his eyes "It's not just that" he claimed, "It might be good for both of us to have a distraction, that's all"

Noticing Xanthe's more interested expression, Aaron added, "We can pig out on junk food and ice-cream, and watch some trashy telly" he suggested, "Take our minds off the real world for a while"

Xanthe smiled, "That does sound awesome" she admitted, "But pretty unhealthy considering you're an exercise freak"

Aaron looked offended, "I am not a freak" he argued, "It just means I have to exercise harder tomorrow to work it off, that's all"

"As long as you're ok with that" Xanthe replied uncertainly, "I don't want to impose on your fitness regime"

"I insist" Aaron replied as he stood up, "As long as you don't mind the possibility of my brothers being around as well"

Xanthe pretended to consider this seriously, "Hmmm, spending time with the hottest family on the street?" she mused, "I think I'll be ok"

Aaron laughed and offered a hand to help Xanthe stand up, "In that case, you should let Sheila know where you are"

"We literally live next door" Xanthe pointed out as she got to her feet

"I know, but if Sheila doesn't know about it then she might freak out" Aaron began, "And I don't want to be on the receiving end of one of your gran's tirades"

"Yeah, good point" Xanthe chuckled as she took out her mobile phone to text Sheila. She linked her other arm around one of Aaron's as they made their way back to Ramsay Street together.

Thanks for reading! I know that Tom barely appeared in this one-shot, but it was more about conversations regarding him rather than scenes involving him. I also realise that there's some repetition in the dialogue regarding Tom using Aaron at the beginning of 2016, but it annoyed me that the show seemed to forget about it. As always, if anyone has any ideas for one-shots, then please let me know. In the meantime, reviews are always welcome!