Don't Look Back – Chapter 5

-O-

DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV.

5th April, 2012: as every 'Aarson' fan will know, the excellent actor, Danny Miller, is leaving the soap. I would like to thank both Danny Miller and Marc Silcock (Jackson) for playing the characters of Aaron and Jackson in such a brilliant way; they have entered our hearts and minds! My stories are a tribute to their talent and I wish both of them all the best; and good luck for the future.

And now: the final chapter...

-O-

"What the...!" Aaron nearly dropped the bottle of milk that he was carrying.

"Eden, what the hell do you think you're playing at?" Jackson jumped back from Eden and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

Eden did not answer; he looked away from Jackson to a pair of blue eyes staring at him, identical to his own.

"That's what I'd like to know!" Aaron was livid.

"I'm sorry!" Eden said, "I just thought..."

"What? That you could make a pass at my boyfriend while I was out of the way?" Aaron looked ready to explode!

"I'd better go!" Eden made for the door.

"Yeah...DO ONE!" Aaron shouted.

After Eden hurried out, Aaron looked at Jackson, "So! What was going on?"

"He made a pass at me!" Jackson was still shocked, "It came out of nowhere! One minute, he was helping me move the washing machine and the next; he pounced on me!"

"You fancy him, don't ya!" Aaron looked hurt.

"NO!" Jackson protested, "He's a good-looking lad and all that, but I'm not interested. You know I've only got eyes for you!"

"Come off it! I've seen the way you look at him! I bet you WOULD have done it...if I hadn't come back when I did!"

"Aaron, listen babe! You know that I love you and would never do that to you! Yeah, I've looked at him; but only because I find it fascinating how much he reminds me of you! Why would I want a substitute when I've got the real deal?"

"I don't know if you're telling me the truth!" Aaron's old insecurities were threatening to resurface.

"Aaron! Don't let Eden spoil what we've got here!"

"What we've got?" Aaron still looked annoyed, "Trust; that's what I thought we'd got, now I don't know. Maybe it was a mistake; moving in together!"

Aaron put the milk down and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Jackson asked.

"Out!" was Aaron's curt reply as he walked out of the door.

"Aaron!" Jackson wished his boyfriend would stay and talk, but he knew that Aaron would need his own space for a while.

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Chas had noticed that Aaron and Eden seemed to be giving each other a wide berth and she wondered if something had happened between them; but she knew that neither of her sons were going to open up to her unless they wanted to, so she decided to be patient and wait until they felt like telling her what the problem was.

Aaron was in the back room of the Woolpack when Eden happened to walk in. Eden said nothing, but looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights! Aaron sneered; his new-found affection for his brother had completely vanished and he felt, once again, that he had been let down by a family member.

"Oi you!" Aaron shouted as Eden turned to leave, "Keep away from Jackson, do you hear?"

Eden regained his composure after his unexpected encounter with Aaron and he decided to fight back, "I can't help it if your boyfriend fancies the pants off me!"

Aaron snapped, "You what? Why would he fancy you when he's got me? You're just a low-life little stripper who sells his body to dirty old men!"

"It's not like that!" Eden defended himself, "I'm not a whore! I don't take money from guys to let them sleep with me!"

"I don't believe you! You're nothing but a skanky little tramp! I bet your step-father didn't rape you! Was he like all the others? Pay you to get it up you, did he?"

"No, Aaron!" Eden protested, "He raped me! I told you!"

"Why should I believe anything you say? You won't go to the police about it; that's because there's nothing to tell, I bet!"

Eden's tears started again, but Aaron was unmoved this time.

"Don't start with your crocodile tears, either!" Aaron shouted, "You've lied your way into my mum's life...and mine!"

Suddenly, Chas appeared, "What's going on? It sounds like world war three out here?"

"Ask him!" Aaron pointed the finger at his younger brother.

Eden was weeping and Chas moved to comfort him, "Don't, Aaron, can't you see he's upset?"

"Yeah, he can turn on the waterworks when it suits! He's a liar!" Aaron stormed out.

"Aaron, come back here!" Chas shouted after her eldest son, but she knew that she was wasting her time.

Chas tried to calm Eden down, "What was all that about?"

Eden was thinking on his feet; he wanted to keep his mother on his side, "Aaron's upset because he found out that Jackson fancies me!"

"What?"

"Yeah!" Eden lied through his teeth, "He made a pass at me at their house!"

Chas could not believe it; Jackson and Aaron seemed so solid, "That's not like Jackson," she said.

"Maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do!" Eden replied and, when Chas wasn't looking, a smirk appeared on his face.

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Aaron turned up at Dale Head, looking the worse for wear. It was several hours since he had caught Eden kissing Jackson. After his subsequent row with Eden at the Woolpack, he had gone for a long walk. He was not sure where he had been; he had ignored all the fields and woods that he had traipsed through on the way; his mind had been racing and his only thought had been his relationship with Jackson. He had calmed down now and realised that Jackson would never cheat on him; it was not in his nature to be devious!

Jackson was relieved when Aaron finally appeared, he smiled when he first saw him and spoke, "I was hoping you'd be home soon; I'm making us some supper!"

Aaron was slightly taken aback; Jackson seemed to be acting as if nothing had happened! "Supper?" he said, open-mouthed.

"Yeah! I didn't want to cook anything until I knew you were ready!"

Aaron guessed that Jackson was attempting to shrug off the incident with Eden, but it was still replaying in his head, "It's no use ignoring what happened earlier!"

"I know!" Jackson realised that they would have to talk about it; it had become the 'elephant in the room', "But there's really nothing else to say; it was one kiss and Eden instigated it. I didn't want it! Mind you, even your mother thinks I'm a two-timing scumbag!"

"My mother? What's she got to do with it?"

"Chas came round earlier. Seems Eden has been telling tales to her; making out that I came on to him! She gave me a right mouthful! I protested my innocence but she seems to be siding with your toe-rag of a brother!"

"Yeah!" Aaron said wistfully, "She does seem to be under his spell! All he has to do is go crying to mummy and she cuddles him and tells him everything will be alright!"

"It really was him that made a pass at me, you know," Jackson was still uncertain whether Aaron believed him, "I really do love you, you know; and I always will. I don't want some little cock-tease like him to split us up," he looked at Aaron apologetically, "Sorry, I know he's your brother, but he's trouble with a capital T."

"Yeah!" Aaron had done a lot of thinking and the scales had fallen from his eyes, "I know!"

Jackson sensed that Aaron was coming round to his way of thinking and crossed the room to give Aaron a hug, "I'm not interested in Eden, or anyone else! You're the only one for me!"

Aaron looked into Jackson's big brown eyes...eyes that confirmed their honesty and loyalty. He realised that his jealousy was misplaced and he kissed Jackson.

"Your lips are the only ones I want to feel on mine!" Jackson breathed a sigh of relief as he held his forehead against Aaron's; he knew now that his boyfriend still trusted him.

"It's late," Aaron said softly as he took Jackson's hand, "let's get to bed!"

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Days later, Aaron and Jackson had put the incident with Eden behind them and had settled back into a stable routine. They were happy in Dale Head; having their own space to do whatever they pleased. Aaron steered clear of the Woolpack though, he did not want to bump into Eden and, because she was still siding with him, he did not want to talk to his mother either. Chas had tried to make contact and had even got Paddy to call round on her behalf, but all to no avail. However Paddy, at least, did appear to believe Aaron and Jackson's version of events.

The following Tuesday, Aaron arrived home from the garage to find Jackson already there.

"You're home early!" Aaron said as he kissed his boyfriend in greeting.

"Aaron, I've got some bad news!" Jackson looked upset.

Aaron sat next to him on the sofa and put a comforting arm around his shoulders, "What's up, babe?"

"The construction company I was working for have gone bust! I'm out of a job! I don't know how we'll be able to afford the rent on this place...not with just your wages coming in!"

"You'll soon find something else," Aaron tried to reassure his partner; "builders are usually in big demand!"

"That's just it!" Jackson replied, "There's a lot of unemployed construction workers out there at the moment. It could take a while to find more work!"

Just then the phone rang and Jackson answered it, "Hi Mum! Yeah, I'm fine...yes, Aaron's fine too."

Aaron signalled to Jackson, indicating that he was heading for the shower and left his boyfriend to have a conversation with Hazel in private.

Half an hour later, a spruced-up Aaron appeared downstairs and saw Jackson preparing tea in the kitchen. He walked up behind his lover and put his arms around his waist from behind.

"What's for tea?" Aaron enquired.

"Egg salad," Jackson replied.

"On a health kick, are we?" Aaron chuckled, "What, no chips?"

Jackson rolled his eyes skyward and Aaron knew the face he was pulling; without even being able to see!

"Anyway," Aaron continued, "How was Hazel?"

"You'll never guess what! She's getting married...to a Spanish bloke!"

"So, she's met someone out in Spain then?" Aaron sounded surprised.

"Yeah!" Jackson twisted around in Aaron's arms to face him, "and you won't believe this; he runs a construction business out there! I told mum that I'm redundant and she said this Carlos, that's her fella's name, will give me a job out there! What do you think?"

Aaron was stunned; he had never in a million years expected this announcement, "Spain? You can't go to Spain!"

"Why not?"

"I don't want us to split up! I'd never see you!"

"You'd come with me, wouldn't you?"

"But, my job's here! I can't go, can I?"

"Well," Jackson continued, "you can have a job in Spain, if you want it. Carlos' brother owns a car dealership out there and he's looking for a mechanic!"

"But I don't speak Spanish!"

"You wouldn't need to!" Jackson was trying hard to sell the idea to Aaron, "Most of the customers in the garage are ex-pats; there's virtually a whole community of them where my mum lives. She said there's always room for English speaking people and you can just about speak English!" Jackson was being his usual sarcastic self.

"Oi, you!" Aaron playfully punched Jackson's arm.

"Come on, it will be a fresh start for both of us!"

"But, where will we live?" Aaron was thinking of all the practicalities.

"My mum and Carlos have plenty of spare room at their villa and she said we're welcome to stay as long as we like! She wants us to go to the wedding anyway!"

Aaron had run out of excuses not to go. He thought about the situation with Eden and his mother; he did not have a reason to stay in the village now and it tipped the balance for him, "OK, let's do it!" he said.

"Really? Are you sure?" Jackson was amazed that Aaron had decided so quickly.

"I just said, didn't I?" Aaron replied, cheekily.

Jackson kissed Aaron passionately; he loved the very bones of him.

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A couple of weeks later, on their last night in Emmerdale village, Aaron and Jackson said their goodbyes to family and friends in the Woolpack. Jackson virtually had to drag Aaron to the pub but, fortunately, Eden was not in attendance that evening and Chas had the evening off, so she was not behind the bar. She did, however, appear at one point and asked Aaron to go with her into the back room for a quiet chat.

They sat on the settee, side by side, neither of them knowing what to say. Then, Chas broke the silence, "I'm sorry you're going! I'm really going to miss you!"

"You haven't seen me for ages!" Aaron had lost none of his sarcasm.

"I know, but I did always know that you were in the village! Listen love, I want you to know that Eden has admitted that Jackson wasn't at fault and it was him that made the pass at Jackson. I'm sorry; I should have believed you."

"So, have you told him to pack his bags?" Aaron asked, hopefully.

"No! I can't do that! I told him off, good and proper, but he made a mistake and, God knows, I've made a few of them myself in my time! Come to that, so have you!"

"Fair point!" Aaron conceded, "But I still don't trust him, I'm sorry!"

"I hope you'll understand that I can't give up on my son, not again! I won't give up on either of you...I'm always here for you, you know that, don't you!"

"Just watch him; that's all I'm saying. Come here!" Aaron embraced his mother.

"You take care of yourself, yeah?" Chas wiped away a tear.

"I've got Jackson to do that!" Aaron replied.

"Yeah! He's a good'un! You want to hold on to him!"

"I will!" Aaron said with a smile, as he headed out of the door.

Jackson was talking to Paddy and Adam when Aaron reappeared in the bar.

"I've got something to tell you!" Aaron addressed Jackson.

"What?" Jackson asked.

"Eden admitted to my mum that it was him that came on to you! She told me to tell you that she's sorry!"

"I'm glad you've made your peace with her," Jackson smiled lovingly at his boyfriend, "I'd hate for you to part on bad terms!"

Aaron smiled, he had a shot at a new life; and with the man he loved by his side...who could ask for more?