"Tensions Rising"
WRITTEN BY DAYNE DINNING
~This fanfic follows on the next day after Accepting Fate
# Disclaimer – I do not own Emmerdale or any of the characters
Nearly there...
All four of them looked on in awe at their lodge in White Cross Bay, it was sunny for this early in the year. "How the hell did you lot afford this?" Aaron asked.
"We just did!" Adam grinned. "Anyway, I've got dibs on the biggest room!" he smiled widely and ran up the ramp and onto the decking of the lodge and tried to open the door. He sighed.
"Yeah love..." Chas smiled sarcastically. "I've got the key"
Aaron chuckled and shook his head. "Looks like I have the biggest room then mate!"
"Oh alright then" he smirked. "I was obviously gunna give it you anyway"
"Yep I know you were..." Chas replied as she stood behind the chair as Aaron made his way up the slope, she was always terrified it would tip back.
"You alright love?" Chas asked once Aaron was on the flat and she let him roam, with Aaron after giving him the key.
Jackson was silent most of the journey, always looked deep in thought, she didn't blame him though, he was probably savouring the memories, and she knew that because she was too. He nodded. "Yeah...he looks happy almost..." he smiled as he watched on.
Chas smiled. "I'll never forget that smile..."
"Me either..." Jackson rummaged into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "I-I've had this a while..."
Jackson's voice caught Chas' attention again and she looked at him then down at the box he was holding and she had tears immediately. "Oh Jackson..."
Jackson smiled fondly down at the box. "I think I'm going to ask him, not because of the situation...but because I love him and I want to...I dunno..." he sighed. "If and when he does want to go...then I can say he was mine..."
"He will always be yours whether you ask or not" she replied with a smile.
"Are you two coming or what?" Aaron yelled. "You have to take a look at this! It's huge!" Aaron enthused.
Chas smiled. "Come on...Yes love we're coming!"
After they had all settled in and Aaron had positioned himself in between two sofas, in the open plan living room and kitchen, it had large windows from the floor to the ceiling on the far side overlooking the lake. "I booked us a table for tonight, a nice restaurant apparently...nearby" Chas told them all.
"Looking forward to it" Adam smiled.
"Uhh..." Jackson looked around at Aaron. "Wanna go for a sight see?" he asked.
Aaron nodded. "Sure" he moved himself backwards and made way for the door that Jackson had held open for him. "Thankyou" he winked as he moved outside.
Chas gave Jackson a wink. "Good luck"
Jackson bowed his head slightly and left closing the door behind him.
Adam frowned. "Am I missing something?" he asked.
"Jackson's got something to ask him" she said with a smile.
"Ahh right" he replied, thinking nothing of it then he stood up. "I'm gunna go get showered and ready for later before they come back" he smiled.
"No worries" Chas replied as she walked to the fridge and took a Bacardi breezer, popped the lid off and stuck a straw in it and sat reading her magazine while occasionally admiring the view from the large windows.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Jackson asked as he referred to the orange-pink sunset over the lake.
Aaron breathed in the cool air and nodded. "Yeah...it is" he smiled slightly.
Jackson walked in front of him. "I'm sorry I've been so quiet handsome"
Aaron shook it off. "It's alright, it's understandable..."
Jackson leaned down on one knee. He'd done that a lot so Aaron didn't think anything of it and he looked on at the view, while Jackson took out the box. He saw something out of the corner of his eye and he looked down at the open box, with a plain gold wedding band in the middle of it.
Aaron was taken aback and he flashed a smile then frowned at Jackson. "Jackson?" he asked, his voice choked.
Jackson smiled. "I'm not doing this because of our current situation, or to change your mind... I'm doing this because I love you so much...so...Aaron Livesy..." Jackson began to feel the lump in his throat restricting his speech. "Will you marry me?" he asked.
Tears fell from Aaron's eyes. "I'm not going to be around much longer..."
Jackson nodded as he cleared his throat. "I know...I just want to be yours forever"
"You always will be silly but I don't want to give you false hope because it won't happen" Aaron told him.
Jackson lowered his head. "I know Aaron, and I know it's just a piece of paper but..." he sighed and fell silent and then he let out a chuckle as he remembered. "Just say yes..." he asked and looked up at his boyfriend again.
Aaron smirked. "That song was playing before we made love for the first time in Paddy's, I was so nervous before we kissed, I was shaking like a leaf in fact and I can imagine I would be now...I will marry you Jackson Walsh...of course I will"
Jackson's teary eyes sparkled as he smiled and he leaned up and kissed Aaron passionately before he placed the ring on his finger. "I'll always love you Aaron..."
Aaron smiled. "And I'll love you and I'll wait for you..."
Jackson fell sad. "Let's get back eh? Get you bathed and ready for tonight..."
"Sounds like a plan Mr Livesy" Aaron commented.
"You know I like the sound of that"
"So you should" Aaron chuckled as they made their way back.
Several hours later they all arrived back stuffed from their meal and of course with additional celebrations to add to the mix they were all a little tired as they relaxed on the sofa and Aaron stopped himself into what seemed his usual position in between both sofas.
"I've had a good day" Aaron admitted. "Probably the best ever..." he smiled at his drunken fiancé.
"I'm so happy for you love..." Chas told him.
But Aaron continued. "Which is why this makes it harder because the subject isn't one any of you will like...I've been thinking about how to do it..."
They all sighed.
"No...Please just listen it is important...we have to be organised!"
Jackson became agitated, the amounts of alcohol he had consumed while celebrating was escalating his agitation.
"I want it to be peaceful..." he went on. "The only option I could think of was drugs..."
"Drugs?" Adam asked. "How do we get hold of lethal drugs that will kill you?" he snapped.
Aaron scrunched his face. "Just get loads, mix them up...add water...there we go..."
"And it's that simple is it?" Chas snapped.
"No of course not, mum please!" he begged.
Jackson let out a huge sigh and he jumped up from the sofa and quickly moved to Aaron, unclipped his safety straps and lifted him up. "There we go eh? Just like that? How can you even be thinking about this right now, me and you just got engaged, you've just pretending to want to while deep inside all you've thought about all day is how to do it!" Jackson screamed in his face as he held his limp body up.
Chas was already trying to pull him back and so was Adam but Jackson's stance was firm and strong, now Chas tried to get in the middle.
"You wanna die yeah! Let's go then...strap you in your chair, take you down the boardwalk and push you off I'm pretty sure the chair will weigh you down till you get what you want!"
Aaron moved his head to the side, flippantly. "Go on then"
"Don't tempt me!" he screamed again. "Or will a pillow do? Because right now Aaron I swear to god I will do that myself!" he screamed in rage.
"Get off him!" Chas let out a long drawn out scream as she managed to push Jackson off him and he fell onto the sofa as she held her baby in her arms and kissed his head numerous times. "It's alright Aaron...it's alright..." she whispered. He was now numb and was staring at the carpet as Chas placed him back in his chair.
"And you!" Jackson pointed at Adam. "This could have all been stopped if you'd told me sooner!" he stood, his fists clenched tightly as his knuckles were white.
"I told you the next day Jackson!" Adam defended himself. "How was one day going to make a difference! Oh you gunna hit me...?" Adam stepped forward his arms held outwards as he did. "Go on then, you can try it mate but it won't make you feel any better! We're all in the same boat...Aaron wants to die, and there's nothing any of us can do...visits here and there, nights out...how will it change his mind eh?" Adam turned to Chas. "I mean let's face it... It hasn't and it won't because inside he'll always feel the pain he's in...And I'm his best mate and I'm going to help him whether or not either of you two like it or not!" Adam yelled and then began to cry as he stepped back away from Jackson.
Jackson broke down too and tears silently ran down both mother and son' faces. "I said I'd help and I'm sticking to my decision" Chas reconfirmed it.
"I can't handle this..." Jackson sobbed and he got up and ran out. Anywhere, he didn't care he just could not be in that lodge.
"Jackson!" Chas shouted after him to no avail.
"I'm so sorry..." Aaron sobbed and rested his head on his mothers shoulder.
"Shh...relax son...we know.."
"I'll go and find him...It doesn't have to be this way" Adam told them and left the lodge in search for Jackson.
Adam found him a while later perched on a rock close to the water. He approached slowly, but his footsteps were heard on the pebbled shore. "I've been looking everywhere mate...look I'm sorry for going off like that, I was out of order"
Jackson shook his head. "No you weren't Adam and you don't have anything to be sorry for, I was the one out of order, I can't believe I did that..." he covered his mouth with his hands. "I've gone and done it now haven't I? He's not gunna wanna see me again..."
"Ahh don't think like that...come on its freezing out here...let's go back and we'll find out...me and you together..."
Jackson stood up, turned around and nodded at Adam and they walked back together.
"How you doing now?" Chas asked.
Aaron curled his lips and shook his head. "I love you all...Paddy...he won't be happy with any of you..."
"When we tell him, you're right he won't be but he will in time when he realises...we can't tell him until after we've helped you...we can't risk too many people knowing" she told her son.
"I know...but...when we get home...that's when it'll be happening..."
"What about your engagement...?" Chas frowned, forcing herself to keep her tears at bay.
"Like he said...it's just a piece of paper...but I do love him don't get me wrong...it's just...it's time now and I'm sorry mum I really am...but I'll always be around" he smiled.
"You better be..." she chuckled as she sniffled then kissed his forehead.
TBC...