AARON & JACKSON

-1912: The Aftermath-

"Because I Can"

Surprisingly Jackson was drifting off, and had heard nothing until Adam shouted for him. He frowned and jumped out of bed, he sounded worried from the sound of it. He quickly flung the bedroom door open and squinted because of the bright light in the hallway; he looked at Adam at the other end of it. "What? What's wrong?"

"It's Aaron…mate…h-he got your clothes from the bathroom and went through your pockets to double check for anything before he put them in the washing bag…he…" Adam sighed, he felt sad too, something much worse had happened and he had no idea what. "He found those loose notes of money you said were taken when you were attacked…"

Jackson closed his eyes and lowered his head. He'd forgotten about the money, he hadn't been thinking straight after the rape, the thought of throwing the money as a cover did enter his mind but for some reason he didn't get rid of it. He'd not realised until Adam told him.

"A-And now Aaron's gone out chasing some guy in the patch black woods Jackson, he thought he heard footsteps before…"

"What?! No…h-he he's not safe!" Jackson told him in a hurry as he walked to the door and grabbed his own jacket and began to put his shoes on.

"A-and when he opened the door he must have been there cause I heard another set of footsteps before Aaron even moved, w-what are you doing?"

"I'm going to get Aaron"

"You have no idea where he is Jackson!"

"Tough! I have to find him he's not safe"

Adam sighed. "Well you're not going alone"

"Fine but just hurry up" Jackson told him as he opened the door and stood looking out into the darkness.

….

"We've been out here for an hour Jackson; I haven't heard or seen a thing"

Jackson nodded. "I know that"

"And in the past hour you haven't said a word and to be honest I'm not very happy at the minute, what the hell happened Jackson? What did he do to you?"

"Nothing alright, forget it, I'll be fine"

"No Jackson!" Adam began to raise his voice. "I won't forget it, you are my family and it might not look like it but I'm worried about you, I want to help"

"You can't!" Jackson bit back.

"No, you're right I can't, you won't talk! Both of you are falling apart, Aaron's ran out in a rage after this guy, who has done something to you that you won't tell me about! So NO! Jackson I can't help you or Aaron unless you speak up!" he shouted but instantly regretted his outburst.

….

Aaron stopped against a tree in the darkness, out of breath and struggling for air. He had no idea how long he'd been running for. He was bowled over in agony as his lungs and muscles in his legs burned. He sharply looked to his side when he heard leaves crunching but further back from his limited field of view, his eyes had adjusted and the moon light helped but still it wasn't a lot that helped. Aaron swallowed hard. "Who's there?"

The eerie laughter sounded again as a figure came into view. Aaron quickly stepped away. "I-I want to know what you did to him" he bravely uttered the words.

"I-I watched you both since you arrived, two men…hmmm…then I thought I had to do something about that"

"And what exactly did you do?"

"Oh you know, taught him a lesson…" the man replied as he stepped forward, the moonlight through the trees slowly revealed his face.

Aaron grimaced. The man was pale, a long scar was etched into his left cheek, his eyes were big, his hair long, messy and certainly not clean, the man overall was unkempt and dirty. "What did you do?" Aaron asked nervously with a raise of his voice, he was scared to death.

"T-the way you walked hand in hand earlier, the conversations you had, it's sick!" the man edged closer making Aaron move further back a lot quicker. "A-And to put your lips on his!" the man grimaced.

"I don't live in the same world as you, to me, to us… to our family and friends it's normal"

In response to Aaron's words the man lunged forward with his hand outstretched to grab him but Aaron kept moving. "A-alright…m-mate just relax yeah…I don't think you're well"

The man began to laugh. "That's what they all say; it's what he said after I was done"

Aaron's eyes narrowed at him. "They all say? Done? Done what? What the hell did you do to my boyfriend?"

Outraged, the man swung for Aaron and his fist connected with his cheekbone and knocked him to the ground. Aaron winced in pain and tried to get his bearings but he couldn't, the man had his feet either side of his body, the next thing Aaron knew the man was leaning down and tugging at his t-shirt. He tried to wriggle away but the man's hand gripped tightly around Aaron's neck, choking him as he ran his free hand over Aaron's flat smooth stomach. "GET OFF" Aaron croaked as he struggled to free himself. In that split second, his question was answered, he knew what the man had done to Jackson and now he himself was in danger.

Aaron gasped for air, he couldn't breathe he had to do something, anything to get him off him. Quickly he lifted his legs and forced a kick to the stranger's stomach which effectively flung him back. Aaron got to his knees and got his breath back.

…

Needing a break, Adam and Jackson sat in what looked like an open area. "He told me not to come out here, to wait till the sun came up…and what's he gone and done?"

Jackson sighed. "Circumstances changed; you know what Aaron gets like"

"That's what I'm scared of Jackson; please I know you're hurting I can tell. What did he do?"

Jackson blew out a deep breath and began "He raped me Adam. He raped me"

Adam's eyes widened in horror "H-he…raped you?" he felt sick.

Jackson nodded and dropped his head in his hands and sobbed

"Oh Jackson I'm so sorry" Adam told him as he put his arms around him and held him close.

"No, no don't be" he told him as the tears continued to run down his face. "I've never felt pain quite like it, I-it was a violation, an attack because of what I am, it has to be…b-but why would he do that then? It doesn't make sense"

Adam placed his arm around him and pulled him close. "Like you said maybe? Teach you a lesson"

"But by fucking me?"

"The fact you didn't want it aswell…"

….

Aaron got to his feet and stormed over to the stranger and grabbed him by the collar with his fist ready. "You are unwell! You hurt the best thing that has ever happened to me, what do you think I'm going to do?" Aaron screamed in a blind rage. That blind rage was overheard by Adam and Jackson and they were quickly on their way.

The man laughed. "You can't hurt me, you aren't in control, you're weak…I'm in control"

"No, you almost were…unlike my boyfriend you didn't catch me off guard"

The man cocked his head sideways and looked up at Aaron. "And what if you hadn't of kicked me away?"

Aaron clenched his jaw and bared his teeth. "I would have stopped you one way or the other!"

"Unlikely, I'd have had you pinned down, raping you and hurting you in the process" Aaron's angered expression worsened by the second. "Making you pay for what you are, a perverted sick human being!" he yelled in Aaron's face.

"What does that make you then?!" Aaron screamed and punched him in the face. "No one hurts him! No one! Do you hear me?!" he repeatedly asked as he landed blow by blow to his face.

The man laughed. "But I already have" he shrugged his shoulders. "He might think twice about touching you again, cleanse him, rid him of those twisted thoughts of wanting a man! Wanting to have sex with you" he told Aaron and laughed again. "I did it because I could, same for women who've come round these parts, because I can. Your sick boyfriend deserved it!"

Aaron punched him hard several times after his pathetic speech and found something to the side of him and he reached and grabbed it, a bulky round heavy branch, he held it in the air. "I-I swear to god I'll use it!"

The man laughed and got to his feet and stood face to face with Aaron. "What? You going to kill me?" he asked.

Aaron stepped back so he could if he had to get enough swing to whack him. "If I have too"

"You won't"

Aaron swallowed hard. "I've done it before; trust me I will do it again if necessary"

"You? A little thing like you…you killed someone? Funny" he scoffed. "Your boyfriend couldn't fight me off but you could…and he's much stronger"

"He was at a disadvantage"

"It was very easy"

Aaron remembered the last time he was as angry as he was then and that was the night he killed Carl.

He was struggling, he wanted so much to wipe that smug, disgusting grin from the psycho's face but something was stopping him, for now at least. "From behind I bet…yeah that's easy, that's a coward's way!"

"Either way I got what I wanted though didn't I? I pleasured myself and damaged him in the process, do you want damaged goods Aaron?" the man was stepping closer but Aaron was stood frozen as tears ran down his face. "It's not just been you inside him now…I bet that makes you want to throw up"

Aaron scowled as he remained staring at nothing, tears still falling.

"I imagine your little break away has been ruined"

Aaron scraped his tongue across his teeth and came out of his stare and glared at him. "I'd love to say no to make you feel like you haven't got what you wanted but yes you have ruined it, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life making his life alright for him, he didn't deserve this" he hissed angrily. "He didn't ask for it, a-and you well you probably didn't ask to be a psycho…I was too once, I didn't ask for it either but there's a significant difference between us, I only hurt myself physically and emotionally which yes inadvertently hurt my loved ones but I didn't phys-" he stopped and sighed, no he did physically hurt one of them.

The man grinned. "Quite similar really then I gather?"

Aaron nodded. "Still, it's completely different from what you go around doing, you're sick and you need help"

Quickly he punched Aaron again but it didn't knock him down this time just back, he quickly regained his balance. "I've had enough of this! You messed with the wrong bloke!" he growled and he swung the thick, heavy branch at him.

The man groaned in pain as it struck his ribs.

"You stay away from us! Stay the hell away or I will kill you!"

The man clutched at his ribs as he laughed and watched as Aaron got in his face. "Hurt does it? Good" he spat. "Stay away from us, if you don't" his breathing was heavy and trembling. "I will kill you"

"Do you think some words from a little kid like you are going to stop me?"

"I might be a kid in your eyes mate but I'm one hot headed, out of control lunatic when I want to be, and I advise you don't push me"

"What? Like this?" the man hissed and immediately Aaron was bowled over wincing in pain as the man had grabbed his balls and was increasing pressure quickly.

Aaron was red in the face; the veins in his neck were bulging. God it hurt!

"See that's the thing with pants like that, they're loose, easy to get too…I-I bet you've turned some heads? Another man's perhaps besides your boyfriend…I wouldn't blame them"

"Yeah, but that was a much more pleasurable experience" he told him quietly. "This is not" he told him.

"You're a tease Aaron"

Those words, they tipped him, he raised the piece of wood again and tightened his grip which caused his grazed knuckles from the punches to sting as the skin was being stretched, and he began to swing it.

"NO!" Jackson yelled and ran over. "AARON!"

Aaron suddenly stopped what he was doing and watched Jackson running toward him. He breathed a sigh of relief but he wasn't letting that sick man get away with what he had done to Jackson. He swung the wood again at speed, Aaron screamed in anger as he let it impact him, a loud crack could be heard and the man screamed in agony. Aaron kept hitting him, smashing the man's kneecaps and legs in the process.

"Aaron!"Jackson screamed. "Stop!"

"NO! Not after what he's done to you!"

"But I'm fine!" he sighed, Aaron was slipping further away, he walked over and pushed Aaron away, holding him tightly in his arms as he did so.

Adam walked over and looked down at the man, he was still conscious. "You got away with it lightly"

The man couldn't speak, the pain was too much.

Aaron turned around in Jackson's arms and hugged him tightly and he cried. "I'm sorry he hurt you, I-I should have come with you"

Jackson held Aaron's face in his hands and looked him in the eye. "No, don't think like that, don't even blame yourself, I went alone, I thought it was fine, that this place was deserted…I-I should have told you…b-but I couldn't Aaron"

Aaron nodded.

"Come on we're heading back" Jackson told him and turned back and walked over to Adam. He handed Aaron over to Adam and told him he'd catch up. When the lads were out of earshot Jackson knelt down in front of the man, teardrops hung on the verge of falling from his eyes.

"Now you know the pain I feel from what you've done to me, thing is your broken legs will heal, I'm not so sure if I will, you aren't fit to be alive, and Aaron, well…he would have killed you, did he tell you he's done it before?" the man nodded. "You underestimated him then, and you might think you've won for now because I will be uneasy with him, I won't want to be touched, and no, those scars will never go away but my insecurities and uneasiness will not last forever, so in the long run, what did you achieve really? I still love him and I will make love to him again…so" Jackson moved even closer to him and his tears fell. "You did this for nothing" he said through gritted teeth then he got to his feet and quickly and angrily he got his own revenge by kicking him in the face, knocking him unconscious. It disgusted Jackson as he walked away, that, that scum would wake up and live another day.

….

It was the early hours of the morning when all three of them arrived back at the cabin. Aaron was silent, coming down from the almighty adrenaline rush he had likely experienced. Jackson locked the door behind them and smiled slightly at Adam as he watched him walk Aaron through to the living area. Adam was always a tower of strength, the voice of reason, maybe things would have turned out differently before Aaron's accident if he'd been around, it made him wonder.

He followed them through and stopped when he saw Aaron looking at him with big teary eyes. He looked so sad. "Are you okay?" Aaron asked.

That question broke him down, the sadness, care and love in which it was asked. He sobbed and shrugged his shoulders. Aaron then quickly got off the sofa and hugged him. "It will be, I promise"

Jackson buried his head in Aaron's shoulder and stood crying in his arms.

TBC…