Aaron wasn't much company all afternoon. The bad mood that had descended upon the teen since the phone call from the police had left the whole of the house feeling the effects. Jackson hadn't stayed in the same room with Aaron for long when he returned from talking to Paddy. As soon as he had walked back into the living room the younger man had snapped his head off when he walked in front of the TV to sit down and again when he tried to talk to him once more. When his mother arrived home from working in the café he was happy to have somebody else to keep him company. He'd helped her that evening to make the dinner again, since moving in it had become her job to make sure everyone ate for dinner seeing as she was the only one didn't just stick ready made food in the oven.

"Has your mum called round today?" Hazel asked Aaron as they sat down in the living room after Dinner. Usually he would have gone upstairs to be alone due to the mood he was in, but seeing as it would have taken so much effort to do so he couldn't. So he was stuck downstairs with everyone else.

Aaron shook his head slightly. Not feeling in the mood to talk. He hated being the moody one, always known for being miserable or so unpredictable when it came to his temper. He did try! That's what got to him. He did try to keep happy, not let things get to him. He wished he could be like Jackson in the respect. But he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. It was like telling him to have green eyes when he had blue. It was impossible unless faking it. He didn't know why or how, but the phone call from the police had put a sudden dampener on his mood. It just changed like a click of a finger, just like that.

"She'll most probably be over later then." Hazel commented as she sat beside Paddy. "Haven't seen so much of her since the last couple of days!"

"I don't think she is calling round at all today." Paddy interrupted. "Something about Carl . . ."

"Oh that's a shame." Hazel sighed. "Oh well, expect we'll see her tomorrow."

Aaron let out an exasperated breath and let his head fall backwards onto the sofa cushion behind him. That he didn't want! The only good news he'd received all day was that she wasn't coming over to make sure he'd taken his medication correctly, that he hadn't been doing anything to endanger himself, making sure that Clyde was well trained not to jump up and that he didn't do so much as breath without her checking it was okay for him to do so! It was overbearing.

"I was thinking. . . that maybe tomorrow, she could stay for Sunday dinner." Hazel announced ignoring Aaron. "I practically cook enough for the whole village anyway."

"Sounds great." Paddy chatted back to her.

"I'm going to bed!" Aaron announced as he reached for his crutches. He wasn't going to sit downstairs and listen to them whiter on, all night.

He didn't know how, but Jackson had obviously heard him from wherever he had been at the time and came hurtling down the stairs ready to walk behind Aaron as he climbed up. They'd sorted the arrangement out the first night he'd been back since being in hospital for the operation and it had come in handy a couple of times, when they'd some not so close misses. It made his arms ache a lot and put a lot of strain on them hauling his body up each step without any rest. Aaron may be used to pushing car wheels around and lifting heavy car parts, but being reliant on the strength of his arms to get him around was something knew to him. Luckily Paddy or Jackson had been behind him when he nearly went so they caught him just in time.

"I thought maybe tomorrow, we could go out somewhere." Jackson suggested as they laid down on the bed, still fully clothed. It was far too early to go to bed yet.

"Like where?" Aaron scoffed. There wasn't much he could do now. He couldn't walk far. He couldn't sit down anywhere without causing a tripping hazard for anybody. Plus people always felt the need to stare.

"I don't know." Jackson sighed. "You pick. I'll ask Paddy if we can borrow his car, easier for you to get into than the van."

He did want to go out. All he'd been doing was sitting round Smithy Cottage all week. He'd went to The Woolpack once and that had been it for him. He couldn't go to work at all, and wouldn't be returning for quite some time. Cain hadn't been too pleased when he'd called him up to explain everything to him. He'd mouthed off about taking Clyde with him to work before telling him they'd cope without him until he returned. When? He didn't know.

"I was thinking maybe we could just go watch a movie. . . Or we could go to Bar west." Jackson said as he thought of ideas where to go, places that didn't involve a lot of walking. "What do you think? You can decide."

"Wherever, I don't care." Aaron told him as stretched his arms above his head. He hoped the aching in his arms was going to stop, if not he was just going to stay in bed for the next six months and not walk if he needed to use the crutches everywhere he went.

Seeing his opportunity in front of him, Jackson decided to test out Paddy's comment he remembered from earlier. It was hard to resist such an easy target laid out beside him. He was going to see if Paddy was right about what he told him.

With Aaron still stretching his arms out above his head, cracking the bones in his knuckles and fingers as well, Jackson rolled onto his side and sprung onto his knees, creeping his hands out to the sides of Aaron's ribcage before he began to lightly trace quick patterns along the teen's clothed skin. He could feel Aaron tense underneath him. Whether it was because he felt uncomfortable by the touch or because he really was ticklish, Jackson would just have to wait and see.

"Jackson . . . don't." Aaron warned. He didn't want to be responsible for his actions.

Jackson however, just had a mischievous glint in his eye as he ignored Aaron's warning. Continuing to dance his fingers up Aaron's sides and then down against to his waist, putting a little more into it each time.

"Jackson!" Aaron's breath hitched as he began to squirm. He couldn't stop the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. This was so childish!

Again, Jackson continued to ignore him. He was enjoying the effect he was having on the teen who was starting to squirm a lot more, trying to wriggle out from underneath Jackson's touch. Lucky for him, he wasn't ticklish so Aaron would have no luck trying to get back at him.

"Please. . . Jackson- stop." Aaron laughed breathy as he felt Jackson tickle him.

Aaron's stomach was starting to hurt and he was finding it hard to catch a breath between laughing and pleading with Jackson to stop. Again, he didn't know why or how, but his mood just changed. He snapped from being content (as content as you could be when your being tickled) to suddenly being filled with a feeling of dread and disgust as he begged and begged Jackson to stop. He wasn't pleading nicely now, half heartedly meaning it as he enjoyed being touched by his boyfriend. He was begging for it to stop. He didn't like it.

"Jackson!" Aaron begged. "Stop."

"I will, when you ask me nicely." Jackson teased as Aaron struggled to get away. He wasn't aware of the sudden change in Aaron, about the new effect he was having on him.

"Stop it!" Aaron shouted. "Please." He added desperately when the older man suddenly stopped and looked at him.

His face dropped when he saw the look of pure terror on Aarons face. He could see tears beginning to form the younger man's face as he laid beneath him. He'd done that. He'd caused that. He'd triggered some awful memory inside Aaron once again and he felt sick for doing. Why hadn't he been more careful? Why hadn't he been watching carefully? "Aaron. . . I'm so sorry." Jackson rushed as he looked down at him, unsure whether to comfortingly stroke a hand along his arm or not.

"S'okay." Aaron mumbled trying to keep his composure. He still felt the need to keep up appearances. He tried to busy himself with slowly tugging his t-shirt back down after being rumpled a bit from wriggling around.

"No, it's not okay Aaron." Jackson corrected him. "I should never make you feel like that. What I did was wrong."

"It's okay Jackson, you didn't mean to." Aaron assured him. He knew the older man never meant to make him feel what Darrel had. His intentions were good and true. Unlike Darrel who had every intention of getting what he wanted at any cost.

"I'm so sorry Aaron." Jackson apologized again, moving further to the side of the bed to give the teen some space.

"I'm fine Jackson." Aaron said reaching out a hand to grab Jackson's arm. He didn't want Jackson to feel as though he'd caused him to feel unsettled. It wasn't him. It was Darrel. It was his fault he felt like and it sure as hell wasn't because Jackson was tickling him. He didn't want the older man to feel as though it was his fault that the feelings of sickness and disgust had clawed their way to the forefront again, he was going to have to learn to put them right to the back out of the way.

"Sure?" Jackson asked as he allowed Aaron to guide him closer.

Aaron nodded his head. "Yes!"

Jackson laid down next to Aaron and carefully slipped an arm around his waist as he watched Aaron's face for any sense of unease. "Tell me what you're feeling." Jackson said as he hugged the teen.

Aaron raised and eyebrow and looked at Jackson.

"I mean it Aaron, tell me what you're feeling. I want to know." Jackson said again not breaking eye contact.

Aaron shook his head. "No."

"Aaron."

"You wouldn't want to know."

"I do, that's why I'm asking." Jackson told him. "I want to know what's going on up here. . ." he said as he placed his hand on the top of Aaron's head for a second. "So I can help you deal with what's going on in here." He added as he prodded Aaron in the ribs.

Aaron laughed at Jackson's stupidity, following where he placed his hand on his head and then prodded him in the front with his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it now. . . –but maybe later. I'll tell you." Aaron told him. "No making any promises."

"Hmm. . ." Jackson debated. "I'll hold you to that."

"Sure you will." Aaron laughed.

The two of them laid on the bed for a while, content to just be in each others company. Carefully thinking about what had just happened, each of them over analyzing the situation after assuring one and other they were completely okay with it all. Jackson lied bedside Aaron going over and over his actions, replaying the scene in his head to pick out any moment that stood out to him to show that Aaron wasn't playing anymore. He was kicking himself for not noticing, for just ignoring the panicked teen underneath him. Aaron however was no better. Thinking and rethinking of ways he could have tried and tried to brush off the unwelcome feelings inside of him. He could have just 'grinned and bared it', acting as though he was okay with it and pretended to laugh along. But a rush of panic had suddenly burst through the surface overwhelming him and throwing images of Darrel on top of him as he tried to push them away. He'd screwed up again. Just as they playing and having light hearted fun, he'd brought his troubles to the table and brought the whole thing down. Now they laid in silence, both their minds do over time.

A/N – Ah! Thank you for such positive and great feedback! It's incredibly helpful to know what you guys think and little hints and ideas and such like, give me so much to run with. I struggled to write about the tickling part. How can you describe being tickled, about from your stomach hurting? Have no idea, but I hope I carried it with justice! Hope you enjoyed it!