A/N: The usual apologies apply for the horrendous, over a month delay on this. August was INSANE; it was been wedding season, so my weekends were taken up with smiling and making endless small talk with people that don't even have a comprehension of fandoms or fanfic. Le sigh. Oh well, on with the show.

So, after a couple of you mentioned an interest in seeing an M rated section following chapter 7, I have posted it under its own title in the appropriate section. Those of you not choosing to read it will not miss out on any plot; this chapter runs straight on from the same day, and only about an hour after chapter 7.

P.s If anybody fancies beta-ing this perhaps it'd help me to bounce ideas of someone. Anyhow, let me know.

I hope that makes sense. Enjoy.

As they lay, curled beneath the comforter, Christian voiced the question that had been nagging him for the past day or so.

"What're we gonna do?" Aaron shrugged drowsily, blonde hair fanning out across the pillow.

"We don't have to do anything right now, do we? Unless you wanted to go again?"

Christian tutted.

"No, pervert, I meant 'where do we go next?'. You can't pretend it didn't happen. If you wanna get mad, get mad or something; just don't lie to me about it."

Aaron was quiet for a moment, before he turned to face Christian, hand trailing lightly over the hairs on his chest as he looked at him thoughtfully.

"I just…there's no point getting into it again, is there?"

Christian wanted more than anything to agree, to say that if it upset him they didn't even have to think about it. Sweeping problems under the rug hadn't done them much good so far, though, and he pressed the matter as gently as he could.

"She reached out, though, didn't she?"

Aaron winced, and when he leaned over to kiss Christian into silence. They both recognised a diversionary tactic when they saw one.

The next day Christian woke with a renewed sense of purpose. Waking up an hour earlier than he usually would have, he went for a run, relishing the quiet of a city that was still rousing itself for the day. When he arrived back, a bemused Aaron was just getting into the shower, so Christian turned on the radio and hummed along as he put last night's dishes away and prepared eggs for breakfast.

"I'm not complaining or anything, but what's with the productive thing you got going on this morning?"

Christian turned and smiled at Aaron, water still beading on his shoulders where he'd missed a spot whilst drying.

"I'm just feeling good, actually. Something's changing, you know?"

Aaron nodded uncertainly and shook his head as he walked to the bedroom. Try as he might, last night's conversation kept looping in his head, and he shut his eyes against the sound of Christian's hesitant voice asking what they ought to do, because Aaron was darned if he knew.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Christian hollering from the kitchen.

"Breakfast's up!"

Taking a deep breath in, Aaron straightened his tie and left the room, grinning at Christian's out of tune singing as he served up. They ate in companionable silence, and Aaron placed his hand gently on Christian's knee when he'd finished. Christian looked inordinately pleased at this initiated affection, and Aaron could have kicked himself for letting it get to the point where such a small thing was seen as a reward.

After breakfast, Aaron tied up the laces on his shoes, frowning at a speck of dirt that refused to rub off. Accepting the coat Christian handed him with a soft smile, he checked his reflection and walked to the door. Hearing the soft throat-clearing behind him, he turned and kissed Christian firmly on the mouth, not caring that the door was open and anybody could be walking past.

"Have a good day." Christian murmured after a moment against his mouth, and Aaron nodded.

"You too. Thanks for breakfast. And hey, I was, uh, wondering about maybe looking at going back to church. Not that one," he said, at the look of alarm on Christian's face, "but maybe somewhere different. I don't know. Maybe you were right; perhaps it would do me some good to reconnect. Maybe."

Christian pulled back and studied him carefully.

"If that's what you need to do then yeah, knock yourself out. I'll see you later."

Aaron nodded, pressed a last kiss to Christian's lips and started the walk to work, leaving Christian staring after his retreating figure.

The office closed early that day in order for the heating to be fixed. Aaron graciously declined an offer to go and catch an early lunch from the local vegan restaurant with the others and struck out on his own to get a breath of fresh air. He'd walked for thirty minutes on auto-pilot before he realised he had no idea where he was headed, so he slowed down to take in the surroundings.

This was definitely a part of town he'd never been to before, and he frowned. Why had he come this way? He usually went to the park or the green outside the hospital if he needed alone time, but his mind had other designs today, apparently.

He went into the store on the street corner to pick up a bottle of water and stood outside for a moment, drinking deeply from the bottle. Just down the road a flash of colour caught his eye, and he walked toward it, his curiosity piqued.

The Hope's Light Community Church was a cheery-looking building, with fresh white paint and several windows containing bright pictures obviously painted by children.

A middle-aged woman poked her head out of the green door, emptying a small vase of dirty water into the drain. She caught sight of him and smiled.

"Hello." She called, and automatically Aaron grinned back and nodded his head. She looked at him for another moment and opened the door wider. "Are you looking for something?"

Now there's a question.

"Oh, I, uh. I just…"

The lady brushed her hair back from her face and straightened her shirt, holding out her hand toward him. Aaron walked forward and shook it, and the scent of a perfume so reminiscent of his mother's triggered that awful, heavy ache all over again.

"I'm Carol," she said, and it had been so very long since anybody had looked at him without casting a judgemental eye over his body, his personality, that in that moment he almost blurted everything out.

"Aaron." He finally murmured, and she smiled at him widely.

"Well, Aaron, did you want to come inside? We're just cleaning up after the day-care kids, but we always have time for new friends."

The hall was modest, but clean and full of artwork. A girl, probably aged about nineteen, was sweeping scrap paper into a pile with a purple broom, humming to herself as she went.

"Amanda, this is Aaron." Carol called, and the girl turned round, gave him a grin and carried on with her task. No questions asked, no suspicious glances. Carol rolled her eyes and shook her head fondly. "Teenagers, huh? Nothing to say to anybody."

She reached over to press a small switch on the wall, and a light flickered on in a tiny kitchen behind her.

"Tea? Coffee?" she offered, and Aaron, in spite of himself, couldn't help but give in.

"A coffee would be great. Just milk, no sugar. Thanks."

Carol bustled about the kitchen, spooning coffee into mugs and boiling the kettle in the corner.

"I don't know about you, but I am beat. Those kids just never stop. Ever. I had one trying to stick a paintbrush up his nose for a half hour today. I swear, it's a good thing I love children."

Aaron hummed in agreement and took a moment to study Carol covertly. Her face was free of the lines he'd seen on his mother last time he saw her, and she looked genuinely…peaceful. He pushed away the feeling of envy that rose in him and smiled as she turned to hand him a bright, spotted mug of coffee.

"It's only instant, I'm afraid, but it's better than nothing, I guess. Come and have a sit for a while."

Obediently he followed her, and she pulled up two chairs, nodding at one. He settled himself in to it with a soft sigh, and she leant back, hands wrapped around her drink, watching him thoughtfully.

"So, Aaron, do you live around here?"

"Yes, ma'am, just twenty minutes away."

"With your parents? Girlfriend? Wife?"

Aaron looked down at his hands and breathed out steadily through his nose. Now was not the time to lie, he knew that, but the temptation to just dismiss Christian as a flatmate was dangling right there in front of him.

Be a man.

"Uh, no, no. I live with my…my boyfriend." He said, ears going pink as he continued staring down at the fabric of his trousers covering his knees. There was a pause, and Aaron was just getting ready to make his excuses to leave, when a hand reached out and squeezed one of his hands tightly.

"Wanna talk about it?" Carole asked gently, and he looked up at her.

"So, where's Aaron tonight? He meeting you after your shift?"

"I dunno. He was talking about maybe going to church, so who knows, right?"

"What d'you mean?"

Christian shrugged and carried on stacking the glasses. Andrew stared at him for a moment before he rolled his eyes and flicked Christian hard in the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Christian said, scowling.

"Being an idiot. I know what you're thinking. You think that just because he went back to church he's suddenly gonna crawl back into the closet."

Christian blushed and opened his mouth to protest, shutting it again when Andrew raised an eyebrow at him.

"I know it's stupid, okay. I just…I feel like, what if he goes and talks to someone who starts telling him all over again that he's wrong, and needs to change or he won't go to heaven or whatever? He's only just starting to be okay with everything that's happened, and I don't…"

"Want him to decide he could have it easier another way?" Andrew finished for him.

Traci wandered out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a bar towel.

"God, I hate this place." She grumbled, and Christian snorted while Andrew sighed dramatically.

"You know, if I had a dollar for every time you cussed this place, or the city, or even the state of California, I'd be a freaking millionaire by now."

She stuck her tongue out at him and threw the bar towel at the back of Christian's head.

"Between you freaking out that lover-boy's gonna go all fire and brimstone on your ass and this diva here saying how much she hates us, I think I might just go home and drink a bottle of vodka and slit my wrists while listening to Janet Jackson." Andrew proclaimed, folding his arms and glaring at Christian.

"Be my guest. It'd stop you bitching all the time." She said coolly, and Christian raked his fingers through the air, growling, while Andrew looked outraged.

"Children, please." Lila sighed, fingers pressed to her temples as she leaned out of her office.

They all mumbled apologies and went back to tidying up, snickering and taunting each other now and then. When the door to the restaurant went, Christian automatically straighted up.

"We're closed, sorry! We open again at midday."

The figure that emerged round the corner grinned at him.

"Even if I've come in to pick up one of the bar staff?"

Christian beamed, untying his apron and dropping it on the laundry pile.

"Well, ladies," he said to the others, grinning, "I think this is my ride. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You're in a good mood. Church that great, huh?"

"Yeah, I really feel like I've seen the light, you know? There's some great people there and some really hot women."

Christian was almost sure he was joking, but he snuck a quick look at Aaron, just in case. Aaron caught him looking and smirked, shaking his head.

"You're ridiculous, you know that?"

Christian felt his face heat a little and grinned sheepishly.

"Hey, c'mon, you can hardly blame me. Last time the religion card got pulled on us I was told you were dead." The instant he said it he kicked himself for talking about it so flippantly. Aaron's face dropped and he pursed his lips tight.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"

Aaron stopped suddenly, reaching for Christian's hand and pulling him round to face him.

"Listen to me, alright? You…you saved me. I would still be living a lie if it weren't for you. There is nothing that could make me stop loving you. Nothing at all, so please, don't think that just because I'm investigating a new church that that means I'm leaving you. Because it doesn't."

Christian huffed out an embarrassed breath and hung his head.

"I know you think I'm being stupid…"

"No, I don't. Let's face it; things haven't exactly been easy for us, have they? But I gotta say, it's definitely getting better. Now c'mon," he said, squeezing Christian's hand before turning to walk away. "I'm taking you out to eat."

Christian stared after him, heart thudding. A guy that promised to never stop loving him, wasn't an asshole, took him out to dinner and was great in bed? Somebody up there was either having a cosmic joke at his expense, or delivering some sort of past-life karma, because little moments like this made all the bad shit seem like water under the bridge.

Aaron stopped after a few paces and looked at him in amusement.

"Uh, are you coming? I'm starving."

Blinking, Christian nodded and walked toward Aaron, who held a hand out to him. Grasping it firmly, Christian twined their fingers together and added this little step forward to his list of memories that nobody could ever take away from him.

A/N: If you enjoyed this, please review – it's great to know what you're all thinking.