Half an hour later, they arrived back at Smithy Cottage. Jackson had followed them back in his van. He'd wanted to take Aaron home himself, enable him to get some alone time with Aaron. He needed to get him to open up, talk about what happened in court and outside court. But that hadn't happened. It had been a more sensible idea for Aaron to go in Cain's car; it was a lot more comfortable journey for him if he were to go in his Uncle's car. So instead Aaron had climbed into the front of Cain's car, whilst the others did the same. Neither of them had mentioned Darrel's sweet family gathering on the steps of the court house.
"I'll make us all some lunch." Chas announced as she unbuttoned her coat and slung it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs in Smithy Cottage.
"No you're all right Chas, I'll do that." Paddy insisted trying to stop her.
"No I want to." Chas argued. "Cheese and pickle sandwiches?" She offered already un-twisting the neck of the bread packet.
Paddy grinned. "Let me help then." He told her opening the fridge.
As Paddy and Chas made themselves busy in the kitchen Aaron and Jackson went into the living room to get out of their way. They both sat down on the same sofa, opposite the T.V. Both of them stared at the images flickering on the screen as they struggled to speak to one other. The atmosphere between them was still a little strained. After all they had had two huge arguments in a few days between each other.
"Are you going to tell Harrison about Darrel's family threatening you?" Jackson asked out of the blue as he thought about it some more. It was unacceptable. Surely they couldn't get away with that.
"They didn't threaten me." Aaron corrected him.
"Didn't they? From where I was standing, they did?" Jackson argued him.
"Well they didn't." Aaron said, leaving it that.
"Whatever. They still tried to intimidate you either way. You need to tell Harrison." Jackson told him, both were unaware of Cain standing by the doorway. "They can't get away with that. You need to stop letting people push you around."
"They weren't pushing me around!" Aaron snapped. "No one does!-"
Before Jackson got the chance to answer him back with a full blown retort Cain interrupted them.
"Did I just hear you say that Darrel's family threatened Aaron?" Cain asked, already knowing the answer.
Aaron closed his eyes. He didn't need this. He could do with out his psycho of an Uncle going on a revengeful rampage against Darrel's family. Jackson had opened his big fat mouth.
"Don't do anything stupid." Jackson warned the older raven haired man. Cain was exactly like Aaron in many aspects. It was something Aaron would do going after them.
"Who said I would do anything stupid." Cain said slyly already thinking up a plan to get back at them. Nobody threatened any member of the Dingle clan, if they knew what was good for them. The Kendall's had been nothing but trouble, they needed to be a taught a lesson. He'd had a enough of them.
Jackson rolled his eyes. "Because it's you." Jackson shot back.
"Who's doing something stupid?" Chas chirped up as she popped her head round the door, bread knife in hand, smeared with butter and pickle.
"Nothing for you to worry about sis." Cain quickly answered her.
"Cain's going to go after Darrel's family." Jackson admitted to her. If anybody had a slight chance of keeping Cain in line, that was Chas.
"You what! Why!" Chas shrieked a little shocked as to why her brother would do such a stupid thing as that.
"Because he's stupid." Aaron muttered.
Cain shot his nephew a deathly glare. "Watch it."
"Whatever." Aaron mumbled growing tired of it all.
"Can somebody answer me!" Chas called out, waving the butter knife around.
Aaron quickly shot his head round to Jackson, pleading with him to keep his mouth shut. His mother wouldn't let it drop if she found out about Darrel's mother and his sister and brothers.
Jackson shared Aaron a look to say that he was really sorry for what he was about to say. He wouldn't have if he didn't need to. "Darrel's family threatened Aaron earlier, out on the steps at court."
"What?" Chas growled her temper kicking in.
"They tried to get him to retract his statement, with draw all charges if he knew what was good for him." Jackson admitted, he looked over to Aaron to see if he hated him for telling his mother right then but all he could see was that the teen had his eyes closed, Obviously waiting for his mother to blow up.
"Who on earth do they think they are?" Chas fumed. "Have you told Harrison?" She demanded from Aaron, a little more tact than her brother.
Aaron shook his shoulders.
"Why not! You've got to!" Chas shouted at him.
"I will, later." Aaron sighed.
"Best you do, if not I'll be calling up later to check that you have." She promised before going back into the kitchen muttering threats towards Darrel's family under her breath.
Cain and Charity stayed until after lunch before they needed to go to work. Jackson was in no rush to leave, having packed in his work for the day. He still needed to call his employer and explain why he'd left mid-day, but right now Aaron was more important. They had yet to have some time when it was just them alone. He'd hoped that when Cain and Charity left for work that they'd have the place to themselves, but Paddy had stuck around, fussing like an old woman. He'd finally gotten the message when Aaron shot him glare for the tenth time almost threatening him to back off before he disappeared into the surgery. However, ten minutes later Hazel had followed, arriving home from the cafe. She'd then come into the lounge wanting an account of the court case herself.
"So then, tell me, what happened?" Hazel asked sitting down the vacant sofa.
Aaron rolled his eyes and sighed. He was sick of going over and over what had happened. He grabbed his crutches and left the woman. He couldn't be bothered to waste his breath in telling her he didn't want to repeat it all for the sixth time.
"What's up with him?" Hazel huffed as Aaron headed up the stairs.
Jackson shook his head. "I think he's tired."
Hazel nodded her head in understanding by jumping onto the next topic in hand. "So I take it you two are back together?" She asked.
Jackson grinned and shook his head slightly. "I don't know."
"Oh, you must know!" Hazel exclaimed.
"I honestly don't mum. We still argued the other day. There's still stuff unsaid between us." Jackson clarified.
"And, move on. Get over it." She told him bluntly.
Jackson laughed. "I wish it were that easy."
"It is." Hazel sighed. "You're just a bloke and making it seem way more complicated that it really is."
"Is that so." Jackson continued to laugh.
"It is." Hazel smiled. "Now get up those stairs and see him. I'm cooking dinner and you're staying."
"But I-." Jackson tried to protest. He wasn't sure if that were such a great idea.
"No! Go on!" Hazel exclaimed beginning to shoo him towards the stairs. "Go!"
Jackson had no choice but to go upstairs. He wasn't about to argue with his mother.
He knocked on Aaron's door once and walked in. The teen was sitting on the edge of his bed, changing his shirt. He'd already ditched his suit trousers for his more comfortable tracksuit bottoms.
"Comfortable?" Jackson teased as he took in Aaron's appearance. The younger man had ditched his suit on the floor, not exactly where Paddy would be pleased to find it.
Aaron nodded. He'd gone back into his quiet mood.
"Let's just hope Cain isn't hunting down Darrel's family right about now." He joked, hoping it would get the teen joking around. Usually Aaron was all for a little banter that was aimed towards Cain.
"And you think that's funny?" Aaron snapped.
"No I don't." Jackson said quickly. Bad move.
"Good." Aaron snapped.
"You okay?" Jackson asked for the millionth time that day. Something was off with Aaron.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He shot back.
It was like Aaron was picking for a fight.
"I'm not going to argue with you." Jackson told him before it all go out of hand. He knew from experience Aaron often let things spiral out of control. He didn't want to argue with him any more.
Aaron scoffed, trying to annoy Jackson.
"It's not going to work Aaron." Jackson told him.
"What's not going to work?"
"This." Jackson sighed. "I'm not going to fight you Aaron."
Again, Aaron scoffed. "too good for it are you? Little Jackson thinks he better than-."
"Aaron!" Jackson warned. He wasn't going to let him do this again. He kenw what he was doing and he wasn't going to let it happen. Aaron was trying to push him away and both time's he'd allowed that to happen. Well no more. He wasn't going anywhere and they're weren't going to fight. "Don't do this."
"Do what?" Aaron shouted at him. He was sick of it all. He was angry and he didn't know why. He didn't want to be angry anymore.
"Aaron, it's okay to be upset, annoyed, angry. . ." Jackson assured him.
"You're the expect now." Aaron scoffed.
"No, but I can help." Jackson told him. "Just let me in there." He said jabbing a finger lightly into Aaron's temple. "Please."
Aaron shook his head. Frustrated tears, threatening to fall. No he didn't want to. He didn't want Jackson to know what was going on in there, in his head. It was a mess and it was dark and frightening. He didn't want to submit Jackson to what thoughts ran through his head.
"Just tell me why you're angry." Jackson asked. "You were okay downstairs, on the way home."
Aaron shook his head. No he wasn't. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread hanging over him as he left the court room. He'd been ignoring it, shoving it to the back of his head, along with the gut twisting anxiousness and sheer terror that plagued him. He'd managed to, until he'd been on his own, outside the court. His walls had come down and all those feels of Dread and terror had flooded in with full force. They'd amplified when he'd found himself surrounded by Darrel's family. He'd begun to panic. He'd managed to rein it in to a extent by now it was all there. He was tired and it was all too much.
"I just . . ." Aaron started.
"Just what?"
"I'm scared."
A/N – argh I dont' even know if this makes any sense. I'm incredibly tired but I wanted to give you guys an update. I don't know whether that was a good things or not in the sake of this fanfic. I sure hope so. Hope you can forgive, I wanted to get it done before I crack on with my essays that are deadlined for tomorrow. Thank you for great reviews and such like!