Aaron sat in his bedroom, racing toy cars up and down his carpet as he sat on his floor trying to block out the sounds of his parent arguing downstairs. He had woken to the sound of raised voices downstairs and it hadn't been the first time. His parents argued a lot, whether they knew about him hearing them argue or not, they always tried to pretend that everything was fine between them when he was around. He didn't like them arguing, it scared him so that was why he hadn't gone downstairs yet for breakfast, even though his tummy had started rumbling a while back.

He stopped whizzing his favourite blue car, to pause and strain his ears to listen if his parents had stopped arguing. Everything was quiet. He remained still for a little while longer, in case the angry voice started again and he was too loud to hear. They didn't, he humped when his bedroom door opened and his mum walked in looking flustered.

"Morning birthday boy." Chas greeted, staying in the doorway. "I've got your favourite breakfast waiting downstairs."

"Cocoa pops?" Aaron beamed, jumping to his feet. He was hungry.

"Of course." Chas smiled. "Come on then kid." She said, gesturing for him to go downstairs.

Aaron hadn't even reached the bottom stair when the front door slammed closed behind his dad without a single good bye, let alone a birthday greeting.

"Where's daddy gone?" Aaron asked his mother, curious to know why and where his dad had disappeared to. He needed to be back in time to see the magic magician later on. He couldn't miss that!

"Who knows kiddo." Chas told him, ruffling his hair. "Just pray for his sake, that he's back in time for this afternoon." She added quietly unheard by her four year old.

Gordon wasn't back before the end of the morning or even mid afternoon, when the party was in mid flow. Chas was thankful that she wasn't left to handle fourteen young children and a party on her own. Her cousin Charity and good friend Jamie had arrived to help her. She had met Jamie a good six months ago, whilst taking Aaron to play school. She was another working mum just like Chas who did not get on with the other mums who lived in the area and took pride on being married non working mothers. They had formed an alliance over girly nights and coffee. It also helped that Aaron and Jamie's son, Dylan, were good friends.

They were all stood in the kitchen, sipping on tea and coffee and nibbling on the left over party food as they chatted away while the party remained in full swing in the other room. The children's party entertainer that Charity had booked was a hit with the children, able to keep their attention for hours with the many tricks and games he had planned. She was happy to leave the magician to it, only popping her head round the door once in a while to double check on how good the children were being.

"Typical Gordon leaving you to it all." Charity commented. She had never liked the man, right from day one she had made her judgement on the man. She had been disappointed to hear that Chas had fallen pregnant with his child roughly four years ago. "Why did he walk out this time for?" She asked, interested to hear his excuse this time.

"God knows!" Chas sighed, sipping on her tea. "I told him he needed to pull his weight more, instead of going out for a drink straight after work and not returning home till late at night when Aaron's already in bed. Plus not booking so many business trips! Do you know what he said to me?"

"What?" Jamie asked. She had been through all this with her ex husband.

"That he was entitled to a drink after work, after working so hard to keep our home. And the business trips were what his boss booked him on." Chastity informed them, not believing a word. "I work as well, I pay for this house as well! I don't have to go out almost every night for a drink after work. No I come home and take care after Aaron which should be a joint responsibility, he is his son! As for those business trips . . . bullshit."

"And once again he's not here to help you. Down the pub with his mates most probably." Jamie said, knowing all too well what some men could be like.

"I don't know why you don't leave him. He's not father material." Charity told her cousin bluntly.

Chas gave Charity a look, she had heard it all before from her brother about leaving him. But she didn't want to do that. "I can't leave him."

"Why because of Aaron?" Jaime asked. "I left Mark a few years back and Dylan's fine. Best choice I ever made."

"Yeah I know that but. . ." Chas sighed.

"But what?" Charity questioned.

"I just want Aaron to have a normal set up. One that I never had." Chas told them truthfully. She also knew that it wasn't as simple as leaving Gordon. There was a child involved and despite Gordon not showing much of a interest now, as soon as she gave him a hint that she was leaving him and taking their son with him she knew he would kick up a fuss. He would never let her take their son away from him. Besides if he didn't, his family would make it hard for her.

"Sure, you two arguing all the time is the perfect family set up." Charity deadpanned.

"Not all the time." Chas protested. "We're just going through a rough patch. It will pass."

"Sure" Jamie and Charity scoffed together.

The party continued through the afternoon with no show from Gordon. Aaron's dad stayed away from the party, not even having the grace to show up on his son's birthday. The magician kept the kids entertained throughout the party, which Chas was thankful about. She didn't think she had the energy to deal with fourteen children bored or restless. They heard no peep from any of the children from the next room as the magician performed his show and played a few games. Apart from, from Aaron, who had won a game and wanted to show his dad the prize he had won. He had crazed his mum asking her when his dad would be back, not satisfied with the answer he was given. It had taken Charity stepping in and bribing him, to go back and join the party.

When the party had been over a good couple of hour, everything been cleared up and the magician long since packed up and left, Gordon returned home. The three women were sat in the lounge, together on the sofa worn out from the afternoon, drinking wine and chatting away while Aaron and Dylan played upstairs. The older man walked through the front door and wondered into the lounge, stopping just past the doorway.

"Oh look what the cat dragged in." Charity announced when she caught Gordon back.

"Don't start Charity, this is my home." Gordon sneered he was never a fan of Chastity's family.

"Nice to see that you were here for your son's birthday party. Oh- hang on! You weren't were you?" Chas threw at her partner. She was disgusted with him. He had let their son down on his birthday, leaving her to deal with a distraught boy when he hadn't seen his dad throughout the party.

"Hes not worth it Chas." Jamie said.

"Where is he?" Gordon asked, noticing Aaron not around.

"He's upstairs playing with Dylan." Chas told him.

Gordon turned to walk out the room and head for the stairs but was stopped by Charity.

"Where do you think you're going?" Charity exclaimed. She wasn't going to let him get away with how he had treated her younger cousin. She deserved better than that. "You still haven't apologised to Chas yet!"

"There's nothing to apologise for-." Gordon let her know. As far as he was aware she was the one who was constantly nagging him.

"Oh yes there is! You left her to hold your son's birthday party, to clear up and look after your son." Jamie attacked. "Nevermind she might want help from her partner and Aaron would want his dad around on his birthday."

"She coped." Gordon said coldly.

"Coped? Only because she had to!" Charity scoffed.

"It would be nice if you were there to help from time to time." Chas put in.

"Don't start on that again." Gordon warned.

"You don't do anything!" Chas snapped, she was at the end of her tether with him.

"Whatever." Gordon sighed, he could not be bothered to go through it all again. He had heard it once that day.

"Oh no you don't-!"

Upstairs Aaron stopped playing with Dylan and listened to the noise downstairs. His dad was back and they were arguing again. It didn't seem to bother Dylan who continued to move the robot and superman, made them fights in the air. The arguing began to get louder and louder. Leaving Dylan to continued crashing the robot into the floor, Aaron got up and wondered downstairs. He remained on the fourth step, peering through the gap the stair railings, as he watched his dad and mum argue. Why were they arguing this time? They were so angry. His mum was upset; tears ran down her face as she screamed at his dad, who only shouted back. They needed to stop. He was sick of them arguing all the time.

"Stop!" He suddenly screamed, startling himself.

All adults turned to the voice on the stairs. He didn't like how angry they all looked. It scared him. Quickly getting to his feet he burst up the stairs and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door as hard as he could behind him and desperately tried to reach for the lock, that was impossibly high to reach.

"Aaron?!" He heard his mum call after him, followed by footsteps up the stairs.

Giving up on trying to reach the lock, Aaron placed his hands on the door and put all his weight against it, ready for when they tried to get in.

"Aaron?" Chas called again, trying the bathroom door. "Aaron let me in." She told him, pushing the door but finding resistance. She knew that Aaron was on the other side preventing her from coming in, but she didn't want to push too hard in case she hurt him. "Aaron love, I'm not angry with you." She assured him. She had seen how scared he had looked as he had run up the stairs. No kid should see their parents argue.

"Promise?" Aaron demanded.

"Promise." Chas said softly.

Slowly the door began to open and a set of sad baby blue eyes poked round the door through the small gap before the little boy stepped aside and allowed his mother inside.

"Come here kid." Chas said, leaning down and pulling the boy in for a hug when she got inside the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, helping to block out the sounds of Charity laying a new one into Gordon for upsetting their son.

"Why are you and daddy arguing?" Aaron sniffled, confused.

"Because we're just a little bit angry with each other." Chas answered truthfully. She couldn't lie to him.

"Are you going to go away?" Aaron asked. He had his auntie Charity telling his mother to leave his dad on many occasions.

"No, I'm not." Charity told him. "I would never leave you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

A/n- This is a rather pathetic update, I'm sorry. I was rather stuck with events for Aaron's fourth birthday. I have many more planned for his other ages. Just this one proved to be tricky.