Destiny - Chapter 3

-O-

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

-O-

"Hi, love," Chas greeted Aaron as he entered the back room of the Woolpack at lunchtime.

"Is Robert upstairs?" Aaron asked, not waiting for a reply but heading for the door straight away.

"You've only been apart for five minutes: can't you keep your hands off each other for longer than that?" Chas was being sarcastic, which did not surprise Aaron in the slightest.

"He rang me," Aaron paused at the door to the stairs and looked at his mum, "said he'd got some news about Woodbine."

"Yes, I know," Chas wore an enigmatic smile.

Aaron had a quizzical look on his face, "What do you know?"

"I think I'd better let Robert tell you," Chas replied, "I don't want to steal his thunder."

Aaron rolled his eyes in his usual fashion, "Why do you always have to talk in riddles."

"I don't," Chas said, defensively, "but I know something now that I didn't know yesterday and it concerns Woodbine Cottage...but, go and see Robert, he'll explain."

Aaron bounded up the stairs to the bedroom and found Robert lying on the bed.

"You okay?" Aaron had a concerned look on his face.

"Yes, babe, my leg was a bit sore so I thought I'd rest it for a bit. But, I'm more than okay, actually," Robert had one of the broadest grins on his face that Aaron had ever seen.

"You're doing it now," Aaron said.

"Doing what?"

"Keeping me in suspense, that's what. My mum's being all secretive about something and, apparently, you're in on it."

"Okay, wait for it...we're the new owners of Woodbine Cottage!"

Aaron vaulted onto the bed and hugged his boyfriend.

"Oi! Mind the leg!" Robert shouted.

"Sorry, babe," Aaron was excited, "but, why did you tell my mum before telling me?"

"Well, actually, it was her that told me that the other buyer had pulled out."

Aaron was confused, "But, how would she know that? Did the estate agent tell her?"

Robert almost felt like prolonging the agony. Aaron was like a lost puppy at times like this and Robert found him adorable when he could not comprehend something and had a blank expression on his handsome face, but he decided to put his boyfriend out of his misery.

"Your mum got a call from her mum, Faith I think she said. Anyway, it turns out that her mum was the one who was trying to buy Woodbine. When Chas told her mum that it was us bidding against her, she dropped out as you're her grandson and she didn't want to stand in your way...well...in our way."

"Blimey!" Aaron was taken aback, "We've been in a bidding war with my own gran!"

"Yeah, small world, eh? I might have known it would be one of your relatives when I heard the name Dingle! What's she like?"

"I don't really know her that well," Aaron replied, "I remember seeing her once when I was a kid. She seemed a bit brassy and gobby: I think she was sozzled half the time."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Robert had a smirk playing around his lips, "I wouldn't expect anything less from your mum's mum!"

"If you're going to have a pop at my family, I'm going," Aaron went to get up but Robert grabbed his arm.

"I can't complain," Robert looked into Aaron's heart-stopping blue eyes, "she's dropped out to make it easier for us to buy our love nest, plus she gave birth to your mum and so that eventually gave me you. So I've got a lot to thank her for."

Aaron smiled at his lover, his slight annoyance at Robert's mocking of the Dingles had completely evaporated, "You're a right old softie at times, ain't ya?"

Aaron kissed Robert and then they just looked at each other.

"Don't ever tell anyone," Robert giggled, "or I'll have to kill ya."

"You don't fool me," Aaron cupped his right hand around Robert's left cheek, "I know you wouldn't hurt me."

Robert turned serious, "No...I wouldn't...I'd never harm a hair on your head."

They kissed again, more passionately than before.

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Chas was downstairs when Aaron and Robert appeared the next morning. Robert's injuries were healing slowly and he decided that he wanted to share breakfast with his family, rather than have a solitary meal in his bedroom.

"So," Chas said as she buttered some toast, "when are you moving into Woodbine?"

"As soon as all the legals are sorted," Robert replied, "it shouldn't take long as it's a cash sale and vacant possession."

Chas looked at Aaron, "It's just that your gran was asking me as she wants to come and stay for a bit. I told her she can have your room once it's vacant, until she finds a place of her own. But she can't move in until you move out."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Robert chuckled, "we've blocked her from buying the house and now that we've got it, we're blocking her from moving in here."

"I can't say I'm looking forward to it. We were never really what you'd call close, but she's family."

Chas smiled at Aaron, "She pulled out of buying Woodbine as soon as she knew you were after it. She hadn't realised she was bidding against her grandson, all she knew was that she was up against someone called Sugden. There was no way that she could have known that she was in competition with her grandson's fella. She's got a lot to catch up on, that's why she wants to come back to the village."

Aaron looked pensive, "Maybe we could find her somewhere else to live. What about the apartments at Mill Cottage?"

Chas loved the way Aaron always looked out for his family, even a relative that he hardly knew, "Don't worry, love, we can sort that out when she does finally get here," Chas then looked at Robert, "I bet you could have done without Faith scuppering your plans over Woodbine, you might have got it cheaper if she hadn't bid against you."

"No worries," Robert replied, "we ended up paying less than the asking price anyway."

Chas looked at Robert and could see that he was sincere, "You know, you're not as bad as you're painted. I would have moved heaven and earth at one time to keep you away from my son. But, you've changed."

Robert looked at Aaron with affection in his eyes, "That's all down to Aaron. He's a good person, he's decent, honest, loyal...the best man I've ever met...and I hope some of that has rubbed off onto me."

"I think it has," Chas smiled, "you are not a nasty person, Robert, not deep down."

"Thanks Chas, but I've done things in the past that I'm not proud of. I'm trying to change for Aaron, he deserves a good man in his life and that's what I'm trying to become."

It warmed Chas' heart that Robert was doing all he could to change: for Aaron's sake. She knew that her son loved Robert dearly and could find happiness with him.

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A fortnight passed and Aaron and Robert, along with Liv, moved into Woodbine Cottage. Robert had healed nicely from his wounds and he was able to take part in the removal.

Adam and Victoria also helped them to move their belongings from the Woolpack. Liv tried to be at her irritating best as they were packing their stuff away, poking fun at Robert's CD collection and telling Aaron that his boyfriend was an 'old fogie' whose music tastes were rooted in the nineteen-eighties. But, Robert took it all in good heart, he knew that Liv was only teasing and he was overjoyed that he and Aaron were moving into a place of their own. They had shared Aaron's old bedroom at the Woolpack for a long time, but Aaron always complained that it was too crowded and there was usually a queue for the bathroom. They had only once tried to make love in the shower and that had been quickly halted by Charity opening the door at a crucial moment. Any time that they shared the bathroom from that moment on, they made sure the door was locked, but Aaron still felt inhibited after nearly being caught in the act, so there had not been a repeat performance in the shower, even though Robert had tried his utmost to persuade Aaron to share one with him. Now, none of that mattered. The only person who could possibly catch them in the bathroom at Woodbine Cottage was Liv and she was very discreet. She loved her big brother and knew how important his privacy was to him, so she was not likely to interrupt their intimate moments. In any case, she had also come to love Robert: she could see how much he meant to Aaron: so she behaved herself for both their sakes.

On their first night in their new abode, Aaron and Robert lay cuddled together in their new bed. They had bought new furniture together which had helped to set a seal on their relationship, not only had they purchased a new house together, but had furnished it to both their tastes.

Robert stared into Aaron's blue eyes, "Well, we've made it."

"Yeah," Aaron replied, taking comfort from feeling Robert's warm, naked body against his own, "our very own house...our space. Do you know, this is the first house I've lived in that I can actually say is MY house!"

"You can't say that, even now. This is OUR house!" Robert was being pedantic.

Aaron chuckled, "You know what I mean! I've always lived in a house which belonged to someone else."

"How many houses have you lived in? In the village I mean."

"Let's see," Aaron counted them on the fingers of one hand, "Smithy Cottage, Dale Head, The Woolpack..and now, this place."

"Are you going for a record?" Robert smirked, "I don't suppose you'll be satisfied until you've occupied every house in Emmerdale."

"Right now, I just want to live right here...with you."

Robert kissed Aaron on the lips. He finally had everything he'd ever wanted. He knew now that money and power were transitory things, but Aaron's love would last him a lifetime. He rolled on top of Aaron, his weight forcing Aaron down on his back into their comfortable new mattress.

"I can't believe how happy you've made me, Aaron, I love you so much. You are my world now and I know I'll never want anything or anyone else."

Aaron pulled Robert's head towards his own so that their lips could lock. When they came up for air, Aaron gazed into Robert's blue eyes, which shone with affection, just for him.

"Robert, I'm not very good with words: I think it sounds soppy...but, I do love you and I hope you know I always will."

"I know," Robert replied breathlessly, before passionately kissing Aaron again.

They did not get a lot of sleep on that first night in their new abode!

Woodbine Cottage was small and cosy and Aaron and Robert felt that they had made the right decision to buy it. It would make the perfect little home for them. Liv and Robert had bonded and they soon became a proper little family. Liv knew how much her big brother loved Robert, so she made herself scarce whenever she knew that they wanted some time alone. She would either go out with her friends, or go round to Vic and Adam's where she had an open invitation to visit anytime she liked. Also, sometimes she would visit Chas at the Woolpack, or even just stay in her room at home with her music playing.

Just a week after they moved in, the three of them were having breakfast together when the postman delivered some letters. There were two cards wishing them well in their new home and they were laughing and smiling as they shared the opening of the envelopes together. Robert picked up an envelope which was addressed solely to him and, as he looked at the piece of paper that he had pulled out, his smile evaporated. Aaron noticed his swift mood change.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"This!" Robert handed the paper to his lover.

Aaron could not believe it. Glued to the paper were snippets of words cut from a newspaper, which read "You survived last time...but next time, you DIE!"

Aaron's blood ran cold, he immediately grabbed the envelope to see if there were any clues as to where it had been posted, but there were no postmarks: just a typed label on the front addressed to 'Robert Sugden, Woodbine Cottage, Emmerdale'.

"This must have been hand-delivered," Aaron said, "I shouldn't think the postman brought it as it obviously hasn't come through the post."

Robert had turned pale. He had hoped for a new start, but someone from his past still knew where to find him and he suddenly felt very vulnerable.