When the court was dismissed for the day Aaron didn't want to move from the court room. He knew his mum had seen the pictures of him, of what Darrel had done to him. The mass of purple bruises and hand marks had long since faded but he didn't want to listen to his mother's hysterics of it all. He'd never felt so open and exposed as he sat in court while everyone was shown pictures of his thighs where Darrel had grabbed him, his lower back and sides where he'd been slammed into walls or cars, other parts of his body that had been marred with Darrel's violence. He had made sure to keep his eyes fixed on the floor. He didn't want to look up and see the reactions on people's faces, the disgust and pity. Least of all the look on his mother's or Uncle's face as they watched the slideshow that Harrison had placed together. Jackson had been the only person who he had allowed to see the extent of what Darrel had done to him. Now he was going to face them all.

"Aaron love!" Chas cried out as she saw Aaron enter the corridor on his crutches. Before giving him a chance she launched herself at him and pulled the teen into a hug whilst she tried to hold back the tears.

"Mum, don't." Aaron told her trying to pull away from her.

"I'm sorry kid." Chas sniffed before letting him go and turning her back to him. He didn't need to see her in the state she was in. She needed to stay strong for him.

"Come on Chas, why don't we just go over here for a bit." Hazel excused as she grabbed hold of Chas's shoulders and guided her towards the women's toilets to calm her down.

"Jesus Aaron!" Cain fumed who had been pacing about the corridors. "What the hell did that pervert do to you!"

"I didn't let him do that to me!" Aaron shouted at his uncle. It had sounded to him as if his Uncle had been accusing him of allowing Darrel to do that to him. He'd tried to fight him off! He really had.

"No I didn't me-." Cain started to shoot back at him before Paddy interrupted.

"Please, this isn't the place to really discuss this." Paddy told them both placing a hand on Cain's shoulder. "Aaron, Cain didn't mean it in the way it sounded. He's just a little. . .upset by it all."

Paddy had earned himself a glare from Cain before he began to pace away from them. He longed to get himself within a couple of meters of Darrel.

"Can we just go home now, please." Aaron asked. He just wanted to go home and go to bed.

"Yeah, come on." Jackson said wanting to do the same.

Nobody had said a word during the journey back. Aaron and Jackson had taken Paddy's offer of taking them home while Hazel went with Chas and Cain in his Uncle's car. Aaron was pleased to find that he wouldn't have to put up with him mother all the way home. He could only imagine the questions and hate that would spill from her mouth over Darrel. That was the least that he wanted. Jackson and Paddy had remained quite all the way home, feeling it was best not to say anything. Everyone was tired from the day's events and they needed time to absorb it all. Unfortunately for Aaron the only shelter he could get from his mother was the journey home. She was waiting for him to arrive home as she sat in the Kitchen of Smithy Cottage with Hazel. Cain had gone home, Chas had muttered something about his Uncle needing headspace when Paddy asked where he had gone.

"Tea?" Chas asked calmed down from earlier outburst but still near to the edge of crying once more.

Aaron just stared back at her. "No." He said before heading for the stairs.

He knew what she was going to do, make them all tea and try to bring what happened in court today up. He didn't want that. He wanted to forget about it. But that wasn't going to happen now that she had seen those pictures!

"Aaron!" He heard his mother cry after him. "I just want to talk to you!"

"Leave him Chas, let him be for a bit." Paddy told her as he stared after Aaron himself.

"No Paddy, I need to talk to him." Chas cried. "I want to know what that pervert done to him!"

Jackson managed to slip out of the room unnoticed as Hazel and Paddy tried to get Chas not to go after son. It was the least that anybody wanted. He found Aaron perched on the edge of their bed, tugging at his tie.

"It will all be over before you know it." Jackson told him. He knew Aaron was going to be upset after today's events in court. There was no doubt about it. Who would want their half-naked bruised and marked selves shown to an entire court and family?

Aaron scoffed. "You sure about that?" He fired back at him. "Because she's not going to forget!"

"Maybe she won't in time, just like you won't." Jackson told him. "But you'll learn to put it to the back of your mind."

Aaron scoffed again. "She's gonna want to know everything!"

"She won't."

"You sure?" Aaron sneered. "She's Chas."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "She cares about you, that's all."

"Then why can't she shut up?" Aaron roared.

"Because she's upset, she's hurting because her baby was harmed and she couldn't do anything to protect him." Jackson explained. He knew a little how Chas felt. She hadn't been able to protect her son and that's exactly what Jackson hadn't been able to do. He hadn't been able to protect Aaron from those bruises and violent attacks.

Aaron lulled into silence before firing back at him again. "You saw Cain! He was disgusted!"

"And rightly so!" Jackson shot back at him.

"He couldn't even bare to look at me!" Aaron shouted at Jackson. He didn't want this. He didn't want his mother to be crying over him or his Uncle so disgusted by it all he couldn't even look at him.

Jackson sighed as he took a seat beside Aaron on the bed. "He's hurt too."

Aaron scoffed again.

"He is. He may not seem to be the kind of man effected by all of this but he is." Jackson told him. "Cain care's about you an awful lot."

"Then why can't he look at me?" Aaron rounded on him.

"I don't know." Jackson admitted. "Maybe it's because he can't bare to think what you've been through."

"Bullshit." Aaron snapped before getting to his feet.

"Where you going?" Jackson asked, suddenly.

"For a shower, then bed."

"It's not even eight yet!"

"I'm tired." Aaron told him before leaving it at that.

He wasn't going to argue with him. Aaron was upset and rightly so. But going to bed this early wasn't healthy.

A/N – Another update! I do believe this is the 2nd one in two days. Thank you for all the kind reviews and feedback and such like, you're all awesome!