Chapter Text
Aaron could feel the tension in the room, much of it came from Robert.
Aaron had a bond with Robert, but that didn't mean he knew Robert. What he did know, was what had been said around the village throughout the years, it wasn't much and it wasn't flattering.
The only one who had been somewhat positive about Robert, when his name was brought up, was Victoria and even she, had hardly ever mentioned him.
Aaron knew that they had both been at Andy and Katie's first wedding, he knew now, that thay had seen eachother in the village, when he was a kis and vissiting his mother.
He knew which emotions Robert was more or less controlled by and whih emotions were more frequent. But that was all Aaron knew about Robert, he didn't know Robert in person or as a person.
.
When Paddy had asked them, Robert and the older woman, Delta, to come at visit, Aaron was equally excited and nervous, scared even, he could tell that Robert had felt the same way.
They had agreed for them to come by the woolpack the next day.
What Aaron hadn't expected, was that Chas had overheard a phonecall Paddy had made to Aaron, one he stupidly had made outside in the streets, when they had arrived back and aaron had quickly dissapeared to his room in the woolpack.
Chas had been determined to find out what the phonecall was about and hadn't given up. Paddy gave in and had told her that Aaron met his bond and that he was stopping by the next day.
Aaron hadn't hidden how angry he was at Paddy and the whole evening Aaron had ignored any call from Paddy.
Luckily Paddy hadn't mentioned that is was Robert sugden she was going to have sitting around her kitchen table.
.
Now here they were, all five of them sitting in the bak room of the woolpack, sitting in silence, waiting for Chas to digest the information.
-"It had to be flaming sugden!" Chas gave Robert and Aaron an angry look, with hints of disapointment.
-"Come off it mom!" Chas looked at her son, ready tofire back at him.
-"It's not like it's a choice, is it? It just happens, so stop it."
Chas huffed, "and sorry,who are you again?" She said looking at Delta.
-"I'm a friend of Roberts." Delta said smiling.
-"Didn't know you were able to have friends." Chas smirked.
-"We've known eachother almost since his Bond broke through."
They all looked at Delta, including Robert, who smiled at her.
-"Him and his wife.."
-"Ex wife." Robert interrupted and Delta continued:
-" and his ex-father in law, came to me for.. guidence, I guess you can call it that."
-"Why you?" Paddy asked.
-"It's my job, it's what I do... well except Robert didn't want the guidience and help I usually offer."
-"And what's that?" Chas asked harshly, still not able to wrap her head around the fact that her sons bond was with, Robert Sugden.
Robert had looked sure of himself, arrogant even, he had since he walked in to the back room, but Aaron was able to see more that what Robert was putting out there.
Robert's eyes was looking apologetic at Aaron, as he answered Chas's question.
-"I didn't want it.. I had a fiance, who then became my wife, I didn't need anything else."
-"He wanted help with, how he could deal and cope with it all, both him and Chrissie."
-"So now you're here, worming your way in, eventhough you chose someone else and even got professionel help to do so." Chas said angrily.
-"Same a me then." Aaron said simply and Paddy nodded in agreement.
Chas looked at Aaron and was about to say something, when she was interrupted by Paddy.
-"Aaron got sick, he, he ignored it, I guess ignored you, completely, did the same thing happen to you?"
Delta huffed, she knew that Robert had experienced the same and she answered for him: "Yes it did, he was being an idiot." Robert shook his head slightly at her blunt answer, eventhough, he knew she was right.
-"I'm still an expert of sort, in this field, so if you." Delta said, looking at Aaron, "or the both of you, need my help, please don't hesitate." She finished, sliding a little piece of paper, with her number on it, across the table towards Aaron. Aaron looked at the paper but didn't pick it up.
-"I do have to admit, that throughout all of my years, working with bonds, that yours was and still is, a little mystery." Delta was talking as if Aaron and Robert, were the only two people in the room, she kept looking back and forth between the two men.
-"How is that?" Paddy asked, disturbing the little bubble Delta had created for Aaron and Robert. "Is it because it's a complete bond?"
-"Partly yes.The Bond of two, is always a bit more unique, special, and there are unknown things about that type of bond, due to it being so rare." Delta smiled at Robert, she knew he still hated it, when she called it, the bond of two, instead of a complete bond.
-"I believe that the fact that Aaron and Robert have met before, and that they have met before both of them had reached the age of 18, have had a great impact on their bond, and made it that more special."
Chas looked at Robert, trying to remember where and how they could have met.
Aaron and Robert stole smiling glanses, while Chas and Paddy, tried to figure out where they could have met.
With his eyes still on Robert, Aaron answered the question he knew was causing annoyance for his mother.
-"Katie and Andy's wedding.. the first one."
Chas let out a sigh, -"you were only a kis then, how.." Chas said and looked at Delta.
-"the short answer to that is, people with a bond is born with it, before the age of 18, the bond is idle , it's becomes active when both reach the age of 18."
Robert had sat in silence, letting what Aaron had said sink in. -"They got marriedm again?!"
-"Yes." Chas said. -"And you shut it and stay well away from them. They are good together." She said warningly to Robert.
-"Hmf, if you say so." Robert replied. Aaron could see now, the arrogant man Robert also was.
Aaron had only had the feelings, but never really seen them in person, he could live with feeling it from Robert, he had so far, but seeing it in action he found that difficult.
All of them had questions they wanted to be answered, but that had to wait.
They were interrupted by Diane and Victoria bursting throug the door, clearly not knowing what was happening and who was there.
Victoria and Diane stopped, both looking confused, then shocked when they saw Robert.
-"RObert?" Vic said. - "WHat are you doing here?" She said and almost jumped in Robert's arms, not giving him a chance to answer her. Robert was on his feet, his arms tight, yet still reluctantly around his sister.
-"You missed me." Robert said smiling, not letting it sound like a question.
Diane walked towards hom and gave him a hug and a quiziall look.
Aron could see that Robert was happy seing them again, but he could also feel the underlining sadness within Robert.
-"What's going on here?" Vic asked. Aaron and Robert looked at eachother, both hoping that Chas wouldn't say anything.
Robert kicked Delta under the table, hoping she could come up with something, before Chas opened her mouth.
-"Ow... oh, uhm... Hi, I'm Delta, a friend of Robert's and I needed a lift in this direction, and .. we stopped, here and.. I hurt my ankle and.."
-"Paddy helped, he was there.. when she Twisted her ankle." Aaron finished for her.
-"That's nice of you Paddy." Diane said and turned her eyes back to Robert. -"Are you staying?" She said hopefully and carefully.
-"No" Robert said firmly. "Delta here need to go and rest her ankle and I'm here ride so.. maybe a later day."
-"Oh." Vic said sadly. "I've missed you.. and you're finally here, I hope..." Vic didn't finish her sentence and turned to leave, Diane turned in Vic's direction, both clearly disapointed.
Delta punched Robert on his upper arm.
-"Ow!" It wasn't just Robert who had voiced the pain he felt at the punch.
Aaron was sitting rubbing his upper arm and Robert was doing the same.
Delta chuckled, clearly amused about how it was already so clear and visible, that their bond was growing stronger when they were in close proximity to eachother.
PAddy and Chas looked baffled, neither of them aware that Aaron and Robert was able to feel even a punch like that, from a woman well over 50.
-"I'll make sure we'll be here tomorrow, so you can catch up, I promise." Delta said, smiling at Diane and Vic and then she turned her head warningly to Robert. Delta knew, even without introduction, who the two women was, Robert had told her about them, and his former life in the village, she knew that he hadn't told everything, but she never pushed him to tell more than he was willing to. It had taken a long tome for Robert to open up about his family, about Diane and Victoria.
Robert kept quiet and looked down at the table.
He wanted to get out of there, old feelings was returning, old memories.
He didn't like it, and it was made worse by knowing that, he could fool them all, he could make them believe he was fine being here and that he was fine with Delta arranging for them to come back in a few days. well that was it, it wasn't all he could fool. Not Aaron, he knew Aaron could feel everything, he couldn't hide, he couldn't pretend, because the emotions was deep inside of him, and only Aaron had acces to that.
Robert was pulled away from his thought by Vic hugging him and saying she'll cook for them when they came back in a few days.
Robert shook his head, he really didn't want this. Diane said her godbyes too, and Robert ignored Aaron, didn't look in his direction. Robert sat back down on his chair. Still not saying anything.
-"We could meet up tomrrow." Delta said to Robert and Aaron.
-"What time?" Chas asked. -"No.. you're not coming." Aaron said. Robert dared to look at Aaron and Chas.
-"Come on love.. I.." - "No." Aaron said sternly. Robert smiled, somehow he found himself intriuged at the way they were so blunt with one another and how stubborn they both were.
-"Fine... weren't you leaving?" Chas said to Robert.
-"Yes we were.. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
Delta scrawled on another small piece of torn off paper and handed it to Aaron. -"my address, neutral ground and a little away from, this." She said tilting her head slightly in the direction of Chas and Paddy.
Aaron smiled "Good."
Aaron walked both of them out the back door, Paddy and Chas still in the dining room.
When Aaron walked in again, Chas and Paddy wanted to talk more. He stood still for a little while and then turned towards the stairs.
-"See ya." He said and started to walk up the stairs.
-"Where you going? we want to talk a bit more."
-"I know... and that's why I'm going."
-"Going were?" Paddy asked.
-"For a run." Aaron dissapeared up the stairs.