"Aaron!" Robert ran to his car and got in "Hold on Aaron, I'm coming baby." Robert said as he quickly did up his seat belt and started the engine. He sped off down the road to the woods whilst the whole time he kept the call going. He approached the forest and pulled up beside the trees. He jumped out of his car and ran into the woods to find his husband. He ran through the woods for a while before started to grow dark. Robert stopped and looked around at his surrounding "Aaron!" he yelled but there was no answer "AARON!" he yelled again but nothing came of it. He continued to run through the woods until he came to an opening in the path. He ran his hand through his hair as he worried about Aaron, but then he looked down at the ground... tyre marks. He looked towards where the marks leaded and then he ran forwards, using the new trail as his guild. After the sky had turned dark blue Robert realised that the tyre marks in the dirt had come to a halt. He looked around the maze of trees before something on the ground behind a tree caught his eye "Aaron?" Robert ran over to the tree and found Aaron bound and unconscious on the ground. "Oh my god!" Robert crouched down next to his husband and rolled him onto his back. Robert gasped when he saw that Aaron had scratches all over his face and a black eye, Robert hesitated before he placed two fingers on the side of his husband's neck to find out if Aaron had a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found a pulse "Oh baby, who did this to you?" Robert started to cry.
Aaron slowly opened his eyes and scrambled as he tried to get away from the man who was next to him "No! Leave me alone! Don't hurt me!" Aaron yelled as he moved away and closed his eyes as he pulled his knees up and hid his face.
"Aaron it's me. It's Robert" Robert said as he wiped away his tears.
Aaron slowly looked up from his knees "R- Robert?" Aaron asked.
"Yeah it's me. It's your Robert" Robert said as he slowly moved closer to Aaron and raised a hand to touch him. He husband shuddered when he placed a hand on his shoulder so Robert lifted his hand away. Aaron then relaxed a little so Robert moved closer and started to tear off the duct tape that was around his husband's ankles "What happened to you babe? I was so worried" Robert said as he tore the tape off of Aaron's wrists. He then looked at his husband and saw the fear and the pain in his eyes, Robert placed a hand on Aaron's right cheek "Who did this to you?" Robert asked.
"I don't know" Aaron choked on his tears.
Robert pulled Aaron into a hug and rocked him from side to side "You're alright now, I'm here baby. I'm here" Robert cooed.
"I thought that I was going to die. They kept hitting me and kicking me, it felt like it lasted for hours" Aaron sobbed into his husband's chest.
Robert stroked Aaron's ruffled hair "Sshh I won't let anyone touch you ever again. I'm gonna look after you".
"They had a baseball bat, a crowbar and a brick. They hit me a lot. My back hurts so much" Aaron cried.
Robert looked down at Aaron's back and lifted up his hoodie and shirt. He saw multiple purple bruises and scratches all over his husband's back. He let go of Aaron's clothes and just held him "Where else does it hurt?" he asked.
"My chest, my tummy and my legs. I got cuts on my arms as well because I tried to cover me head" Aaron answered as he clung onto Robert.
Robert let go of Aaron "Let me see". He said.
Aaron rolled up his shirt so that Robert could see all of the bruises that covered his chest and torso. He then rolled up his sleeves and showed him the cuts. "I know who sent them" Aaron said.
Robert gently grasped hold of Aaron's wrists and looked at the cuts "Who?" he asked.
"Chrissie White" Aaron answered.
Robert looked up at Aaron "What?"
"I didn't take the warning so I got punished. They said that they were going to make me back off of you. Chrissie's got what she wanted hasn't she?" Aaron asked as his crying ceased.
"No she hasn't, I'm never going to leave you. I'm gonna fight to keep you safe. I won't let her get away with this" Robert answered.
Aaron looked up at Robert "But what if they come back?" he asked.
"I won't let them hurt you. Nobody will ever hurt you again" Robert answered; he then helped Aaron to his feet and acted like a crutch for him to walk.
Aaron managed to walk for a few minutes but then he became dizzy and his knees buckled "Robert!"
"It's alright, can you walk?" Robert asked as he held his husband up.
"No, my legs hurt. It hurts when I walk" Aaron answered.
"Alright. Put your arms around my neck" Robert said.
Aaron wrapped his arms around Robert's neck and his husband scooped him up into his arms. Robert then started to walk back to his car whilst carrying Aaron. The younger man kept one arm around Robert's neck but let the other one fall so that he was resting his hand on Robert's chest. Once they were back at the car Robert helped Aaron in he then walked around to the driver's side and got in. He drove Aaron back home and helped him into their home. He lied Aaron down on the sofa and he sat next to him.
"We should call the police" Robert said.
"There's no point. I have no proof" Aaron said in a sad voice.
"I'm not letting her get away with this" Robert said with a clear angry tone in his voice.
"You can't do anything. We just have to move on" Aaron said as he rested his head on Robert's lap.
"I'm not just gonna sit back and let Chrissie get away with making arrangements for some men to beat you up, just because she want me back" Robert said as he stroked Aaron's hair.
"You don't have to, just don't try to create evidence, I almost lost you because of that" Aaron said as he snuggled into Robert.
"You will never lose me. I'll always be here with you" Robert said as he started to cry.
Aaron looked up and saw the tears streaming down his husband's cheeks "Please don't cry babe" Aaron said as he slowly pushed himself up and hugged Robert.
Robert hugged his husband "You didn't deserve to be tortured like that" he sobbed.
Aaron also started to cry "I'm alright now".
"No you're not Aaron. You're badly hurt, baby" Robert was very careful when he hugged Aaron so that he did not hurt him.
"The cuts and bruises will heal. I just need to know that you still love me, even when I look like this" Aaron said as he cried into Robert's shoulder.
"I love you no matter what. I always have and I always will, you're my beautiful husband and I will make all of this better for you. Chrissie White will pay for what she has done" Robert promised as he held Aaron.
After a while Robert made Aaron something to eat and watched him as he tucked into the hot meal in front of him. Robert sat next to Aaron and stroked his hair as he ate, after he had eaten Robert helped Aaron up the stairs and into the bathroom, Robert helped him undress and slowly lowered him into the bath. Robert rolled up his sleeves and started to wash the mud and the blood off of Aaron as he sat in silence just staring at the bathwater. Robert washed Aaron hair and then lifted him out of the bath. He acted like a crutch for his husband as they walked into their bedroom and they got ready for bed. They lied down in the bed but Robert noticed that Aaron was distancing himself by not lying against him or even facing him for that matter. Robert pulled the duvet over his husband and kissed his cheek.
"Good night baby. I love you" Robert whispered.
"I love you too" Aaron replied.
Robert did not spoon against Aaron so instead he lied down on his side so that he was looking at Aaron's back. Aaron would never admit it but he was in a lot of pain and he was not alright. But Robert knew how much pain Aaron was in. He remembered how much it hurt when Gordon kidnapped him. Robert lay awake for a long time because he could not stop about how injured his husband was. Aaron then started to twitch in his sleep as a nightmare invaded his mind. Robert then heard the sound of his husband moaning in pain as he tossed and turned in his sleep.
"Babe?" Robert sat up and looked down at Aaron. The sound of pain and fear echoed as he moaned and whimpered in his slumber "You okay Hun?" Robert asked even though it was a question that was answered by how Aaron was unconsciously acting in his sleep.
"No, stop. Please no!" Aaron begged.
Robert recognised that Aaron was having a nightmare, he had not had them for a while so Robert expected Aaron to wake up and leap into his arms "You're alright babe, just wake up" Robert said.
"STOP! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Aaron yelled as his movements became more and more volatile.
Robert grabbed Aaron's wrists in hopes of preventing Aaron from injuring himself "It's alright Aaron. Just wake up" he said softly. He wrestled with the younger man who was unknowingly fighting back with all of his strength.
Aaron suddenly opened his eyes and his blood instantly turned to ice. His eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness of the room so all he saw was a shadow in the place of Robert. At the time he did not hear Robert's soothing voice but that of one of his abductors, all commonsense disappeared and the only two things that came into his mind was that Robert was gone and that he had to protect himself. "No!" Aaron screamed.
For some unknown reason Aaron did not hear his husband's words of comfort but instead the words that were spoken by a more sinister tongue "We're going to hurt you Aaron. We're going to destroy every inch of you. We're going to kill you" said the imaginary voice.
"NNOOO!" Aaron screamed before he kicked at the man in front of him.
"ARGH!" Robert cried out as his husband's foot connected with his stomach. He let go of Aaron's wrists and fell onto the bed as he withered around in agony. Aaron then jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room "Aaron!" Robert winced as he watched his husband run like his life was in the balance.
Aaron sprinted down the stairs and ran to the door. He did not realise that he had accidently kicked Robert so he still thought that his tormentor was in his house "Robert! Robert where are you!" Aaron yelled.
Robert forgot about his pain when he heard Aaron scream, he ran out of their room and down the stairs "Aaron I'm right here" Robert said as he clutched his stomach and walked over to Aaron.
"There's someone in the house. He said that they were going to hurt me again and he said that they were going to kill me" Aaron said in a panic.
"What are you talking about? Who said that they were going to kill you?" Robert asked, he could feel himself growing agitated at Aaron. He was angry at his husband for hurting him. So he did not realise that Aaron had acted out of pure and utter fear.
"The man who took me. He was in our room; he said that he was going to destroy every inch of me. You have to call the police before he gets us!" Aaron answered as he looked around in a panic
Robert could not hold in his anger anymore "What the hell Aaron! Are you insane? There's no one h..." Robert then saw the look of terror and confusion in Aaron's eyes. He looked like a lost puppy that had just been given a bone but was just being kicked over and over again. He had just realised that Aaron had acted like he did because he was scared and that he did not know that it had been him and not his husband's attacker. Robert let go of his stomach and quickly walked over to Aaron and pulled him into a hug "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. There's no one here babe. You kicked me because you thought that I was the man who took you. I'm sorry for shouting at you" Robert explained.
The realisation suddenly hit Aaron and he burst into tears "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he cried as Robert held him.
"Sshh it's okay baby, it's okay. I understand now. Sshh" He cooed in Aaron ear as he placed a hand on the back of Aaron head and held him close.
"Did I hurt you?" Aaron asked.
"A bit. But I understand why" Robert soothed but Aaron just cried harder.
"I'm so sorry Robert. I didn't know that it was you" Aaron sobbed.
"I know Aaron, I know. I'm not angry at you" Robert soothed. Aaron continued to cry as Robert held him and cooed in his ear to calm him. They then walked back up to bed and Robert held Aaron close as his husband lay in bed facing him but curled up and looking down at Robert's chest as he cried. Robert held his husband and stroked his hair "It's alright baby, it's alright" he soothed as Aaron cried before eventually falling asleep. Robert did not let go of Aaron, he now knew that Aaron had not only been physically destroyed... but he had been emotionally destroyed too. And he could not bear the fact that Aaron was so vulnerable.