Grave

Disclaimer - Emmerdale & its characters are not mine, they belong to ITV

A/N - First of 30 oneshots I plan on writing before I go back to Uni, wish me luck! :)

At first they didn't know where it was that he went every night. Every night without fail Aaron would sneak out of Smithy and disappear until the early hours of the morning, until he had to get ready for work. Paddy didn't know where it was that he went, he wanted to know. He worried. He half suspected that he would go to some bar, get blind drunk then pass out. He knew the mechanic was coping with Jackson's death. He hadn't even begun to grieve. Paddy wanted him to grieve.

After one week of having Aaron sneak out at night and sneak back in in the morning Paddy finally shared the news with a worried Chas "Where is he going?" she exclaimed, worried that he could be in jeopardy of being locked up if he put a foot wrong. He was after all on bail for murdering his boyfriend.

"I don't know" Paddy informed her because really he had no clue. He thought about following him once a couple of nights back but he thought better of it, knowing that if Aaron caught him he would not be pleased. He guessed wherever he was and whatever he was doing was helping him come to terms with losing Jackson. "Maybe he's with her?" Chas suggested, referring to Hazel. She still blamed the woman for making Aaron do it, it was her fault. She was sure of it but Aaron was very protective over the older woman and she knew why, for Jackson. It was at the funeral that she finally realised just how much the two men had obviously loved each other. She could tell from watching the video message from Jackson to Aaron that the lad had been crazy about her son and quite clearly Aaron felt the same. He had done what had been asked of him, to make Jackson happy he had helped end his life and in the process he had more than likely ended his own too.

"I... I don't think so" Paddy stuttered, he was pretty sure Aaron was keeping his distance from Hazel as stipulated in the conditions of his bail. He knew if Hazel needed him though that Aaron would be there in a second but he had a feeling that wasn't where he was sneaking off to every night. No, he had no idea where it was that he was going.

After their discussion Chas suggested that Paddy quietly broach the subject with the teenager, to see if he could find out anything. When asked by Paddy why she couldn't be the one to ask Chas had merely rolled her eyes, as if Aaron would tell her! Never in a million years! No, it would have to be Paddy if they stood any chance of getting information from him.

It took Paddy a further two days and a quick chat with Adam to see what he knew before he gathered up the courage to ask. It was another early morning, he was in the kitchen when Aaron came walking in through the front door. He tried to make for the stairs but Paddy had been waiting and managed to corner him before he could disappear "Where were you?"

Aaron had merely given him one of his stares, a blank look on his face which Paddy took to mean that he wasn't about to be giving out any information on where exactly it was he was spending the nights.

"I need to get ready for work"

Paddy shook his head. The mechanic needed to start talking, he needed help. He couldn't deal with the loss of Jackson on his own, no matter how hard he tried. "Aaron, where have you been disappearing to at night?"

"Out" the mechanic barked, this time instead of asking he pushed the vet out of the way and made his own way upstairs into his bedroom. Paddy didn't call out or follow; it wouldn't have been a good idea. He had obviously pushed too far as it was.

After the disaster that was him finding out information Paddy passed the buck onto Adam convinced that if he wouldn't talk to him he would talk to his best friend. Adam was his last hope but what Paddy didn't count on was Adam's stupidity, the boy was extremely stupid and couldn't help but put his foot in it which was shown when he himself found Aaron sitting outside the cafe lost in his won world.

"Alright mate?" Adam asked, sitting into the empty seat opposite the mechanic. Aaron's reply was a nod, as he stared into his coffee mug. He wasn't really in the mood for a chat "How you feeling?"

"How'd you think?" the mechanic bit out, harshly. Too harsh he thought but he couldn't care enough to apologise, it was Adam. Adam knew what he was like

"Fancy doing something tonight?"

Aaron shook his head

"We haven't been out on the town in ages"

Aaron shot him a look "Oh!" he snapped "I'm sorry that my boyfriend dying has ruined your partying plans!"

Adam winced at his less than tactful words "I didn't mean that mate, you just need to stop thinking about it. Get out for a few nights, drink"

"I drink" Aaron says and it's true, every night he drinks.

"Are you seeing someone?" Adam asks which, two seconds after the words had left his lip he wished he hadn't said. It set Aaron off. He pushed the chair back, jumping to his feet, Adam too and they were in each other's face, squaring up. Adam merely ready to defend himself again Aaron he wouldn't he throwing the first punch, he's the one with the stupid mouth. "What did you just say to me?" the mechanic ground out between clenched teeth. His fists were clenching, his breathing was getting heavier. He was getting angry. How dare Adam suggest something like that? Seeing someone else? As if!

Chas, who had stepped out to collect glasses runs over to stop the confrontation, pulling her son back or at least trying but he's too busy glaring and ranting at Adam. Asking how he could ask something like that. He knew how he felt about Jackson and just because he wasn't there didn't mean he was about to jump into bed with someone else "Aaron calm down" Chas demands, pulling him.

"I'm sorry!" Adam says quickly "It just slipped out, I know you wouldn't... I know you aren't"

"Just do one Adam!" Chas yells at him and a dejected Adam walks away, leaving Chas to try and calm the raging fires he had set off within Aaron.

Chas turns to her son, holds him tries to hold him at least only to be shrugged off. "Leave me alone Mum!" he snapped, pulling away from her and marching down Main Street. She watches him, wondering where he's going. Expecting him to go off towards the garage but at the bottom of the road he turns right instead of left and she knows where he's going. He's going to one of the only people she had ever known that could stop Aaron from doing something stupid. He was going to see Jackson.

It was another week before they found out just where it was that Aaron would sneak off to every night and it didn't come from Aaron, didn't come from Paddy following him. No, it came from a very unexpected source.

Chas and Paddy had been at the end of the bar, deep in conversation with Laurel had asked if she could join them. They had agreed, wondering what it was that she wanted. She had a look on her face, Chas sighed and asked "What's he done now?"

Laurel was quick to shake her head "Nothing" she assures the two of them "It's just..."

"Just what?" Chas asks, worried

"Did you know that Aaron's been sleeping at Jackson's grave?"

Chas and Paddy's eyes widen. No, they did not know that but how neither of them worked it out when it was quite clearly the only place Aaron could have been gone boggled them both.

"No" Paddy said quickly "We didn't know, we wondered where he was going every night though"

Laurel smiles sympathetically "I don't know how long he's been doing it. I just saw him this morning, first time I've been out that early, has he been doing it for a while?"

"He's been disappearing at night for the past three weeks or so" Paddy explains "comes back early in the morning. We didn't know where he was going"

"He's with Jackson" Laurel tells him "I won't tell anyone, not even Ashley but it's getting colder now, he should think about stopping"

"Thanks Laurel" Paddy says thanking her for putting their minds at ease somewhat. Now they knew where he was going every night but what they didn't know was how to talk to him about it. He clearly couldn't stand to be away from Jackson for too long. Was it healthy to be sleeping at the grave of your dead boyfriend? Probably not and Paddy and Chas had no clue what to do about it?

"What are we going to do?" Chas asked and all Paddy could do was shrug.

Xxx

After that first night, the night of the funeral Aaron found himself continually back at the grave. Once it was dark, night time. The time when he and Jackson would have been in bed together, before the accident, the time when he would be watching Jackson sleep in his bed in Dale Head Aaron made his way to the cemetery. He didn't want him to be alone, he couldn't stand the thought of Jackson all alone. He couldn't leave him. Every night, he would leave Smithy. A four pack in hand and make the short trip to the cemetery. No one ever saw him and honestly, he couldn't have cared if they did. It was where he wanted to be, with Jackson.

He thought it would just be a for a couple of nights, until he got used to it but after the first couple of nights he found he couldn't leave him, he couldn't leave him alone. He needed to be there as much as Jackson needed him there. Jackson was the only person he could talk to and that's exactly what he did. He talked to him, about his fears for the court case, how much he missed him. He told Jackson everything and eventually his eyes would close and he'd fall asleep. He was pretty sure that if he wasn't sleeping that the grave of his boyfriend, he wouldn't be able to sleep. Sleeping next to Jackson made him feel calm, it put him at peace.

He knew people were worried, his Mum and Paddy mostly but they didn't have to be. He was fine. He just couldn't leave Jackson alone; if the roles were reversed he was sure Jackson wouldn't leave him alone either.

It wasn't as if he was doing anything wrong. He still managed to get to work every morning. He just spent his nights with Jackson.

He was aware of something, someone else and his eyes snapped open to find the concerned face of his Mother standing over him. He frowned, how did she know where he was? Pushing himself into a sitting position he glared at her "What do you want?"

"What are you doing Aaron?"

"I was trying to sleep" he informed her "but you've put a stop to that"

"Here?" she asks looking around

"Why not here?" he barks at her "It's where Jackson is"

"Son..."

"Don't Mum" he snaps again only this time he jumps to his feet, gathering the empty beer cans and dropping them into a carrier bag. "You can't keep sleeping here Aaron"

"Why not?"

"It's not healthy"

He knew that. He wasn't stupid. He knew that people would think that but how did he leave Jackson alone?

"I don't want him to be alone Mum" he told her, his voice breaking "He can't be alone. I promised him I'd never leave him"

"Come here" she said, pulling him to her and for the first time since the funeral Aaron broke down in her arms, crying. "I miss him Mum"

She knew that, she could see it when she looked into his eyes. "How about we get you back to Smithy eh? You must be freezing" she says after his crying finally subsides. "He's not there love, he's with you isn't he? That's just a bit of ground. Wherever you are that's where Jackson is"

Aaron didn't believe in that crap but found himself asking "You think?"

"I think if it's possible Jackson will be with you every second of every day. He loved you didn't he?"

" I loved him" Aaron says "I love him, I still love him. It hurts so much"

"I don't know if that'll go away" she tells him honestly "But I know you can't keep sleeping out here, it's getting cold Aaron. Jackson wouldn't want you getting ill because of him, would he?"

Aaron shakes his head, no, Jackson wouldn't want that.

"Will you stop it?"

Looking at the grave Aaron shrugs, he doesn't know if he can stop it. He needs to feel close to Jackson and he feels that here "I'll try" he tells her and allows her to pull him away.

He did try and that night he did end up sleeping at the grave but the night after he didn't. Chas checked every night to see if he was there and for the first week, he was there four of out of seven nights, it carried out like that for a while but slowly the amount of nights he spend my the grave decreased. She didn't know why they decreased, maybe he was dealing with them but the day the court case started she asked why he had stopped and he said

"I needed him to get used to me not being there incase I get sent down"

Chas didn't know what to say to that.

Xxx

A/N - LIKE IT? LOVE IT? WANT ME TO WRITE MORE ONE SHOTS? LET ME KNOW! REVIEW PLEASE! :)