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It starts as a normal day.
Normal morning, normal lunch break, normal afternoon. There’s nothing out of the ordinary.
Then at 3:30pm, the phone rings.
*
“Robert, I swear if you do that one more time – ” Aaron grabs the paper ball Robert had thrown at his head and lobs it right back at him.
“Stop ignoring me, then!” Aaron shouldn’t find the whine in his husband’s voice endearing, he really shouldn’t.
“I told you, I’m busy. Haven’t you got spreadsheets to play with or something?”
“Five minutes, come on,” Robert rises from his desk and saunters towards Aaron’s, eyebrows raised enticingly. His phone rings on the desk behind him.
“You not gonna get that?”
“They can leave a message.”
Robert perches himself on the edge of Aaron’s desk and cocks his head to the side. “You know you’ll give in eventually, I’m too irresistible.”
“You're too something, I won’t say what – ”
Aaron’s cut off by the sound of his own phone ringing. Ignoring Robert’s protests, he pulls it out of his pocket and pauses when he sees the screen.
“It’s Seb’s school.”
He accepts the call and sticks it on speakerphone.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Aaron Sugden-Dingle?”
“Yeah, speaking?”
“Hi, this is Miss Rundle, Seb’s teacher. We met at parent’s evening?”
“Er, yeah, hi.” They didn’t often get calls from Seb’s school, Rebecca had always made it clear to them that was primarily her territory. “Is everything okay?”
“Mr Sugden-Dingle – ”
“Aaron’s fine. Robert’s here, too.”
“Hi, this is Robert speaking,” Robert adds, frowning down at the phone.
“Oh good, hello again, Robert.”
“What’s going on?
“I’m calling because Seb didn’t come into school today. And we’re having trouble contacting his mother or her partner.”
“Sorry, what? What d’you mean you’re having trouble contacting them?”
“Miss White didn’t drop him off this morning like she usually does, and it's the end of the school day but we still haven't received a call to say he’d be absent. We’ve tried calling both her and her partner, Mr Barton, several times – mobile and landline – but we can’t get through to either of them. May I ask, is Seb with you?”
“No, he’s… he’s not with us.”
Aaron exchanges a look with Robert, whose face is already turning pale.
“I see.” The concern that had already been in the teacher’s tone when she’d first spoken seems to increase. “And you haven’t heard anything from Miss White or Mr Barton? Anything regarding Seb’s current whereabouts?”
“No… ” A flicker of anxiety ignites in the pit of Aaron’s stomach, hot and prickly.
“Of course, we’re aware of Miss White’s situation,” Miss Rundle says delicately, using the term everyone in Seb’s life tended to stick to when describing his mother’s brain damage. “There could be a perfectly innocent explanation. But, well… we do need to contact the police when something like this happens. If it’s convenient, I think it might be best if you both make your way here – ”
They’re out of the door before she’s finished speaking.
*
Robert breaks just about every speed limit they hit on the route to Liverpool, clutching the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip while Aaron tries calling Rebecca and Ross over and over again, to no avail, the phone shaking slightly in his hands.
“What if they’ve taken off with him, gone abroad or something?” Robert says at one point, worrying his bottom lip.
Aaron swallows thickly. “We don’t know that.”
“They could be in Spain or France or – or Australia by now for all we know.”
“Hey, slow down,” Aaron says firmly, even as the same fear, one he’s had ever since Rebecca first took Seb to Liverpool, looms in the back of his mind. “It’s like the school said, there could be a totally innocent explanation. Maybe they’ve all got the same stomach bug and they’re asleep at home. Maybe – maybe they’ve just taken him on holiday and Rebecca’s forgotten to let the school know.”
“What, in the middle of term?”
“You know what they can be like, they don’t exactly keep on top of this stuff. I know you’re scared, I am too. But just… don’t panic yet, alright?”
Robert remains silent, jaw clenched. Aaron reaches for his hand and gives it a squeeze.
“Oi, you with me?”
Robert eventually gives him a short nod in return, but his foot pushes harder on the accelerator.
“It might be okay by the time we get there.”
*
It’s not okay by the time they get there.
As they burst through the doors to Seb’s primary school, there are two police officers in the reception, along with Miss Rundle and a woman Aaron recognises as the school's headteacher.
“Oh, you’re here,” Miss Rundle breathes a small sigh of relief.
One of the police officers offers out a hand to shake. “You’re Sebastian’s father and step-father?”
Robert nods quickly. “Yeah, I’m Robert and this is my husband, Aaron.”
“I’m PC Hardy and this is PC Fraser, the school called us about doing a welfare check.”
“So what’s going on? Have you heard anything?”
Miss Rundle shakes her head apologetically. “I’ve tried calling both Ross and Rebecca several more times since speaking to you, still no answer.”
The headteacher steps forward. “Why don’t we all sit down? Would either of you like a cup of tea?”
“No, I’d like to know where my son is,” Robert snaps at him, and Aaron knows his rudeness is a mask for the fear that's threatening to consume him.
“And that’s what we’re trying to find out, Robert,” PC Fraser officer says placatingly. “So just to confirm, you haven’t heard anything from Miss White or Mr Barton today, either?”
Aaron shakes his head. “No, nothing. We've tried calling them but no answer.”
“When was the last time you spoke with either of them? Or had contact with Seb?”
“Er, last weekend, they let him FaceTime us and – ”
There’s a bang behind them and a disheveled-looking Ross is suddenly walking through the doors. He stops short when he sees the group staring at him with wide eyes.
“What’s goin’ on?”
“Barton!” Robert barks, like he’s about two seconds from shoving Ross into the door and beating an explanation out of him. Aaron wraps a hand around his elbow, just in case. “Where the hell is Seb?”
Ross blinks at him, nonplussed. “What the hell you on about? Where’s Bex?”
Something in Aaron’s stomach drops like a stone. Ross is a shitty liar, he always has been. He doesn’t know any more than they do.
“Mr Barton.” PC Hardy looks at Ross intently. “Sebastian didn’t turn up for school today, and his teachers have been unable to contact you or Miss White in regards to his whereabouts. You can understand this is a cause for concern. Can you tell us they are?”
Ross stares at her, jaw hanging open.
“What? Er… I dunno.”
“You don’t know,” PC Hardy says slowly, frowning. “You live with both of them, didn’t you see them this morning?"
“No, I went out with a mate after work last night, ended up stayin’ over at his place. Phone was dead, I couldn’t charge it ’til I got home, I only saw all the missed calls from you lot about ten minutes ago.”
“So you haven’t seen Sebastian and you haven’t spoken to Miss White today? Not at all?”
“No, I tried ringing her on my way ’ere but she's not picking up.
“Join the bloody club,” Aaron mutters.
“She weren’t there when I nipped back to the flat, neither was Seb. But… ” Ross hesitates.
“But what?”
“Some of Bex’s stuff was missin’. Clothes, makeup, that kinda stuff.”
“Were any of Seb’s belongings missing, too?”
Robert’s arm shakes under Aaron’s hand and he tightens his grip.
“Nope, not that I could see.”
“Has she said anything to you? Anything about going away somewhere? We’ve been told about her condition – her brain damage, that is. Has anything in her behaviour been a cause for concern recently?”
“Ehm… ” Ross hesitates again, eyes darting to Robert and Aaron nervously. “Suppose she has been a bit… all over the place lately, yeah.”
“All over the place?”
“Yeah, getting confused, just forgetting stuff more. Not always knowing what day it is, what she’s meant to be doing, that kind of thing. It’s not a big deal.”
“For how long?”
“Few weeks, maybe?”
“A few weeks?” Aaron snaps before he can stop himself. “And you didn’t think to mention it to us?”
“None of your business, is it?” Ross scowls, full of his usual arrogance that Aaron would love to punch right off his face.
“If it affects Seb, then yeah, I’d say it is, Barton.”
“And you left him alone with her?” Robert says incredulously. “What, so you could go out on the lash?”
“Christ’s sake, back off would ya? I don’t have to explain myself to – ”
“So to be clear,” PC Fraser cuts Ross off firmly. “Miss White’s mental health has been deteriorating for several weeks, and you haven’t informed the school, any medical professionals, or Seb’s other parents. And – up until a few minutes ago – you’ve made no attempt to contact her since last night. Is that right?”
The glare on Ross’s face drops, and he shuffles his feet uncomfortably.
“Well… yeah. Pretty much.”
“We’d best start making up for lost time, then.”
*
They go with the police to Ross and Rebecca’s flat.
“Ross is right, all his stuff’s still here,” Robert comes out of Seb’s room, his stuffed giraffe clutched tightly in his hands. “His favourite teddy is still – ” he snaps his mouth shut, lips pressed into a hard line.
“I told you,” Ross mutters.
PC Fraser comes out of the master bedroom. “It does seem like some of Rebecca’s belongings have recently been taken. Can you think of anywhere she might’ve gone? Or who she might be with?”
“Nowhere,” Ross shrugs. “She’s not mentioned holidays or anythin’, none that I can think of.”
“Well, we’ll see if we can track her phone and then – ”
They’re interrupted by the shrill chime of Ross’s ringtone and he quickly digs it out of his pocket.
“It’s her!”
Everyone crowds around the phone, and PC Hardy tells Ross to answer on speakerphone.
“Bex? That you?”
“Yeah, hi, it’s me,” Rebecca replies, her voice light and airy. “Sorry to call so late, I only landed about an hour ago, and the taxi to the hotel took forever.”
“…Landed? Babe, where are you?”
“Madrid. I know it’s a bit last-minute, but the girls from school – the ones you met last year – invited me along last night for a long weekend and I thought, why not? I tried calling you this morning but you weren’t answering.”
“I – ” Ross glances at PC Hardy, who gestures for him to continue the conversation. “You’re in Madrid? Right now?”
“Yes, it’s just for a couple of days. Is Seb alright, has he had a nice day with you?”
The silence that rings through the living room is deafening, and Aaron has to press a fist to his mouth as nausea surges through his body. Ross blinks at the phone, baffled.
“Seb’s – Seb’s not with you?”
“No, of course not, I left him with you, silly!”
“Bex... Seb’s not with me.”
There’s a short silence on the other end.
“What?” Rebecca’s laugh tinkles down the line, the gravity of the situation flying right over her head. She’s still not getting it. “Yes he is, I left him with you this morning.”
Both police officers raise questioning eyebrows at Ross at that, and he shakes his head at them rapidly, something that looks like panic finally starting to creep into his face. “No, babe, you didn’t. I haven’t seen you all day!”
“No, I know that, but I dropped him off at your work. I took him in myself.”
“But I wasn’t there, Bex, I don’t work mornings. You know I don’t work mornings.”
Rebecca’s silent again, until she eventually makes a soft noise of confusion. Before she has a chance to reply, PC Hardy takes charge by grabbing the phone from Ross. She starts speaking urgently to Rebecca, explaining the situation. The penny finally begins to drop for her, and she starts stammering with increasing distress, voice wobbling the way it always used to when her memory loss was bad. She hasn’t sounded like that in years, not since Seb was a baby.
PC Fraser approaches Ross.
“We need to go to your place of work,” he says, as serious as Aaron's seen him look since they met. “Now.”
*
As PC Hardy drives them all to the restaurant where Ross works, PC Fraser turns to the backseat and hits him with further questions.
“So you’re what, a waiter? Chef?”
“Barman.”
“Rebecca said she dropped Sebastian off there… this is a normal thing for her to do?”
Ross squirms under Aaron and Robert’s hard stares, suddenly looking like he’d rather be anywhere other than squashed next to them in the back of a police car.
“Sometimes – never on a weekday before, though. Not when he’s meant to be in school.”
“So what, he sits in the restaurant while you work?”
“At the bar usually. I get him a coke and he does his homework or draws, stuff like that, y'know?”
Aaron frowns. “So what’s Rebecca doing while you have him? It’s not like she works.”
“It’s just when she needs time to herself,” Ross retorts, defences flying up.
“Time to herself, are you kidding me? Time to do what?”
“I dunno, she just needs a break now and then! He gets a bit much for her sometimes, that’s all.”
“A bit much? He’s good as gold, what the hell are you on about?”
PC Fraser glances at Aaron and Robert. “I take it you two weren’t aware of this part of Sebastian’s routine?”
They shake their heads vehemently. PC Fraser nods and writes something down in his notebook.
*
There’s no sign of Seb at the restaurant. None of the staff have seen him at all, but the manager readily agrees to take them through the back to check the CCTV.
There’s an outside camera fixed on the entrance to the restaurant, and another just inside it. It takes a bit of time, the security guard stopping and starting the footage as he flicks through the morning. Then, they get something, Robert jabbing his finger towards the screen showing the camera on the street.
“There, that’s them!”
Just before 10 o’clock in the morning, a taxi pulls up outside the restaurant and a woman and small boy climb out – Robert’s right, it is them. The taxi doesn’t move, staying parked with the engine running.
Onscreen, Rebecca takes Seb by the hand and leads him into the restaurant. On the indoor camera, they can see her say something and kiss him on the head, before disappearing back through the door again. The outside camera shows her hurrying back into the taxi without Seb, and being driven off into the traffic.
Inside the restaurant, Seb stands alone in the entrance until he’s approached by a woman who looks like a waitress, who crouches down and speaks to him. They have a brief conversation, before the waitress stands back up, says something else to Seb, and walks away. As soon as her back is turned, Seb darts back out onto the street.
The outside camera shows him stopping in his tracks, staring at the spot where the taxi had been. He looks to his left and his right, turning slowly on the spot. The footage is too grainy to make out Seb’s expression, but Aaron can tell he’s surprised, uncertain. After lingering outside the restaurant for a moment, he starts walking along the pavement until he vanishes out of the frame.
“No,” Robert breathes. “Where’s he gone? Is there another camera?”
“I’m sorry, that’s the only one we have outside,” the manager says apologetically. “I’ll call Kat – that was her talking to him in the footage – and ask her what was going on there.”
Aaron barely notices her, her voice fading into the background as he stares at the busy street on the screen, at the last spot Seb had been in before he’s vanished.
“Aaron… ” Robert’s voice is faint and trembling beside him. “Aaron, he’s – he’s – ”
“I know,” he whispers back.
Their son is officially missing.
*
As soon as they finish viewing the CCTV, both PC Hardy and Fraser start speaking urgently into their radios, and the place is soon a flurry of activity. Alerts are sent out, other police officers are being called to start searching, the taxi is being tracked down, and calls are made to access CCTV from all over the city centre.
Kat – the waitress – is brought in within minutes. Looking nervous and distressed, she explains to the police that when she’d walked over to Seb, he’d asked for Ross. When she’d told him that Ross wasn’t working, he’d said that his mummy must've made a mistake but it was okay because she was just outside. Kat gone to check the rota to see if Ross was meant to be there, but when she’d returned, Seb had disappeared. She’d assumed he’d left with Rebecca.
“I tried ringing Ross after,” she says tearfully, voice trembling. “But it went straight to voicemail. I'm so sorry, I should’ve mentioned it to someone but I really thought he’d be with his mum, it didn’t occur to me that she would’ve just dumped him there.”
It’s not long before a woman about Robert’s age is striding through the door and introducing herself as DS Kirby.
“I’m going to do everything I can to help you find your son,” she says, tucking her dark hair behind her ears and fixing them with a no-nonsense expression. “The first 24 hours are the most crucial, so we need to work as fast as we can for Sebastian.”
She questions them all, making Ross take her through his last interactions with Rebecca and Seb, and asking the same of Aaron and Robert, as well as questions about their custody arrangements.
“Ross, it would be helpful if you could make a list of locations in the city that might be of significance, any places that Sebastian may go. Parks, museums, shops, cafes – anywhere you can think of.”
A policeman passes Ross a pen and piece of paper.
“Now, do any of you have a decent photo of Seb? I'll get a copy circulated to my team and we can start showing people in the area.”
Ross shakes his head, muttering that he doesn’t have one on him, but Robert’s already fumbling with his wallet and pulling one out of it.
“It’s not the best.” His hands shake as he passes it over. “His hair’s a bit longer than that now.”
DS Kirby nods, her serious expression briefly broken by a kind smile. “I’ll make a note.”
“So what now?” Aaron asks, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice as he jiggles his leg up and down. He’s thrumming with anxious energy, desperate to do something. Anything. “We just start looking for him?”
“We have several officers out searching the city, if you’ll just come back to the police station – ”
“No, no way,” Robert interjects, already getting to his feet. “We can’t just do nothing, we need to be out there helping. We need to find him.”
Aaron nods and stands, too, shoulder to shoulder with Robert. “Sorry, but we ain’t sitting around waiting.”
DS Kirby casts an appraising gaze over them, before nodding. “Alright. The more people searching, the better.”
Ross raises his head, putting the pen down hesitantly. “Should – should I – ”
“I think you’ve done enough.” Robert snarls.
“Mr Barton,” DS Kirby holds up a hand. “It’d be best if you return to your flat. An officer will escort you there and stay with you. Just in case Sebastian finds his way back there.”
She turns back to Aaron and Robert, gives them her number, and tells them to start looking.
*
They search everywhere. Every place on Ross’s list, every restaurant chain they know Seb likes, every place they’ve ever been with him when they’ve come for a day trip.
Evening turns to night, and the more time that passes, the closer Robert comes to falling apart. Aaron can see his panic and desperation rising with each dead end, his face white as a sheet and his hair sticking in every direction as runs his hands through it over and over again.
He watches with concern as Robert collapses on a bench after a scan of yet another playground turns up empty.
“He’s – he’s not here, Aaron. What if we don’t – I can’t – ”
Robert’s eyes swim with tears, shoulders shaking.
“No, hey,” Aaron murmurs, dropping down next to him. “We’ll find him, okay? We will, Robert, we just have to keep going.”
“It’s dark now, it’s getting colder and he’ll be – he’ll be hungry and scared and… ” Robert trails off, burying his face in his hands.
“That’s why we need to keep looking, yeah?”
“What if someone’s taken him?” Robert’s close to hyperventilating now, breath hitching in short, sharp gasps. “What if they saw him alone and just snatched – ”
“Robert, stop!” Aaron grabs Robert’s face and gently twists it face him. “Hey, I need you to breathe, okay?”
Robert’s head drops to Aaron’s shoulder, breaths hitching and coming out in short, sharp bursts against his neck.
“He’s six, Aaron,” Robert’s croak is muffled against his coat. “He’s only six.”
Aaron doesn’t know how to do this. Any time they’ve been afraid, any crisis they’ve faced; Gordon’s trial, their crash in the quarry, every Liv-related disaster… Robert’s always been the strong one. Robert’s the one who keeps it together – keeps Aaron together – and takes charge, coming up with a plan and reassuring him that everything will be okay, that they’ll find a way through, somehow.
Aaron, on the other hand… Aaron’s the one to let his emotions bubble up inside him and spill to the surface. He’s always ruled with his heart, not his head, it's just how he's wired. He doesn’t know how to be any other way.
And right now, his heart’s telling him to fall apart along with Robert, to scream and cry and go out of his fucking mind with terror. It’s all he wants to do.
But then, as he listens to Robert sob quietly in his ear and feels hot tears splash on his neck, another part of his heart, the part that belongs to his family, tells him something different. His husband is breaking down next to him and his son is somewhere out there, lost and alone. Maybe in danger. Right now, it doesn’t matter what Aaron wants or how he’s feeling. Right now, he needs to be the strong one. He doesn’t have a choice.
“Right, listen to me,” he pushes his forehead against Robert’s, thumbs swiping his tears away. “We will find Seb, okay? He can’t have gone far. He’s out here somewhere, we just have to track him down, whatever it takes. And we don’t stop until we do, because we always take care of our own. Yeah?”
Robert blinks at him for a moment, before taking a deep breath and nodding slowly, wild hair brushing against Aaron’s equally-messy curls.
“Whatever it takes.”
*
They decide to split up in the end. Once Aaron’s sure that Robert’s not about to fall apart again, he agrees that separating to cover more ground – at least for a couple of hours – can only be a good thing. They each pick an area, and having some sort of plan seems to ground Robert, gives him something to focus on.
“Keep checking in, though, yeah?” He’d said before they parted ways.
“Course. You too.” Aaron had kissed him gently, squeezed his hands, and said goodbye.
Now he finds himself speed-walking through the city centre, looking around every corner and through every window, showing his own photo of Seb to people at any chance he gets.
He comes to a busy crossroads and glances up at a tall post displaying a collection of different signs, most of them pointing out tourist destinations they’ve already checked. His eyes drift to one with a simple image of a train on it, indicating the direction to Lime Street Station.
Aaron’s about to move on, when a sudden memory stops him in his tracks.
Two weeks earlier
“Right, that’s your lot,” Aaron flips Seb's latest bedtime book shut and puts it back on the bookcase. “Time for lights out.”
Seb lets out a small whine but doesn’t argue, snuggling down into his pillow. “Okay.”
Aaron pads around the room, picking up a few bits and pieces from the floor and moving them to the chest of drawers by the window. He pauses when he spots a drawing already lying there and picks it up.
“Cool train, mate,” he smiles, bringing it over to Seb’s bed and perching on the edge. “I like the stripes. You drew this today?”
Seb nods, smiling bashfully. “That’s me, you and Daddy,” he says, pointing at the three stick figures – two large and one small – in the windows of the bright blue and green train he’d drawn with his crayons. “You can have it if you want?”
“It's going straight on the fridge, I'll show Dad when he gets home.”
“I like it when you come get me on the train,” Seb says around a wide yawn. “More than in the car.”
On the morning they were supposed to pick Seb up for this latest visit, Aaron’s car had conked out on the driveway and Robert’s was already in for its MOT, so they’d had to take the train into Liverpool instead. Ross had dropped Seb off at the station to meet them (grumbling about the inconvenience the whole time), and the three of them had come back to Emmerdale via the next train to Leeds. Seb had loved it.
“Yeah? Why’s that, then?
“I like the station, it's huuuge.” Seb throws his arms widely apart to demonstrate his point. “All the different trains and the people who blow the whistles. And I like the big board with all the different places on it, it's cool. And they have a McDonald’s.”
“Fair enough,” Aaron chuckles. They had gotten Seb some chicken nuggets – something Rebecca rarely allowed – at the station as soon as Ross had left.
He rises from the bed and heads to Seb’s wardrobe, opening the doors and poking his head in briefly, before closing them again. “Alright, I’ve checked for monsters, but they’re all scared of me. You’re set for the night.”
Seb grins and nods, snuggling down with his toy giraffe. He doesn’t really believe in monsters in his room anymore, but they’d started doing it when he was three (Robert tells the “monsters” in no uncertain terms that they’re trespassing and need to leave before he calls the police, while Aaron settles for simply intimidating them into disappearing) and the habit stuck. It’s been part of their bedtime routine ever since.
Aaron presses a kiss to Seb’s head and tucks his duvet up to his chin.
“G’night, sweet boy. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Na-night.”
Aaron makes his way to the door, train drawing in his hand, but as he goes to flick the light switch, Seb’s voice pipes up again.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, mate?”
“Can you and Dad come on the train again, next time you visit? So I can meet you at the station?”
“I’m sure we can manage that.”
Aaron stares at the train on the sign, hardly daring to hope. It had to be worth a shot.
He starts running as fast as his legs can carry him.
*
There’s some hustle and bustle in the station but it’s not too busy, rush hour having long-since passed. It’s easy for Aaron to dart around travellers, feet pounding loudly on the marble floor. He sprints under the domed glass ceiling, chest heaving as he turns this way and that in search of even a glimpse of familiar blond hair.
Please be here, please be here, please please please please –
Then he sees him.
His son is sat on a metal bench in front of one of the departures boards with his hands folded in his lap, short legs dangling as he stares up at the screen. Aaron swears his heart stops beating.
“SEB!”
Seb jumps at the sound – as do a few other people in the vicinity – and whips his head up to look around, searching to see where the voice came from. Even at a distance, Aaron can see the look of relief on his face when he finally spots him, and he’s quickly sliding off the bench and dashing in Aaron’s direction.
Aaron runs even faster, and it’s only seconds before he’s grabbing Seb around the waist and swooping him up in his arms, squeezing him as tightly as he can without hurting him.
“Oh my god, Seb, thank god. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Seb shakes his head into Aaron’s shoulder. He’s starting to cry, so Aaron clutches him even closer, cupping a hand on the back of his small head.
“I g-got lost,” he hiccups, hands clinging to Aaron’s coat collar.
“I know, mate, I know,” Aaron soothes, tries to keep his voice calm even though he wants to start crying too, he wants to bawl his fucking eyes out. “God, we’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“M’sorry.”
“Shh, no, it’s alright. It’s not your fault, you don’t have to be sorry. Dad and me were just worried about you, we didn’t know where you were.”
“Mummy t-took me to Ross’s work but he w-wasn’t there,” Seb cries, breath hitching. “I thought she was outside but then I couldn’t find her and – ”
Aaron shushes him again, rubbing a hand up and down his shivering back. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m here now, you’re okay.”
“Is Dad here, too?”
Shit, Robert.
He takes one hand off Seb to fumble for his phone and press it to his ear. It rings just once before Robert answers.
“Aaron?”
“I’ve got him.”
There’s a long pause.
“…You’ve got him?” His voice is a strangled whisper.
“Yeah, he’s right here with me, I found him, he’s fine. Bit shaken, but fine. He’s okay, Rob.”
There’s a choked sound down the line followed by a few shuddering breaths. He can picture Robert’s face crumpling with relief.
“Hang on a sec, I’ll stick you on speaker.” Aaron taps the screen and holds it toward Seb. “Seb, Dad’s on the phone.”
Seb’s gripping it instantly, leaning closer. “Dad?”
“Hey, you.” It’s incredible how quickly Robert’s voice slip into dad-mode, soft and reassuring, even as Aaron can hear the faint tremors behind it. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, but I'm really tired now. Can I come home with you and Daddy?”
“Course you can, we're taking you home right now. Aaron, where are you?”
“Lime Street Station. Should I – ”
“No, stay there, I’m on my way. I love you.”
“Love you, too. See you soon.”
After hanging up, Aaron puts Seb down so he can take his own coat off and wrap it around his son’s shoulders.
“There, that’s better. Why’re train stations always so freezing, eh?” Seb shrugs, flapping the too-long sleeves in front of him. “Dad’s gonna come meet us, then we can all go home, alright?”
Seb just wraps his arms back around Aaron’s neck so he can pick him up again.
“God, you must be starving. McDonald’s while we wait?”
Seb’s face finally lights up at that and he nods enthusiastically, so Aaron buys him a Happy Meal and sits them down on a bench. Seb munches his way through his food, occasionally letting Aaron have a bite, and they watch the trains go by.
“I tried to find a policeman,” Seb tries to explain around a mouthful of chips. “’Cause that’s what you and my teachers say I should do if I got lost. I looked for ages but I couldn’t see any. So I looked for a police station instead but I couldn’t find one and I was scared to ask anyone because I’m not supposed to speak to strangers and – ”
He starts getting upset again, eyes welling with a fresh round of tears, and Aaron immediately pulls him into his lap.
“Oh mate,” he murmurs, tucking Seb under his chin. “You’ve had a day, haven’t you?”
“I walked and w-walked and then I found the train station an’ I thought m-maybe – maybe you and Daddy might come and find me. You might come on the train, like you said you would. So I decided to stay here.”
Aaron closes his eyes and presses his face to Seb’s hair, silently thanking anyone who might be listening that he and his son both had the same idea.
“Well, you were right. I’m here aren’t I?” He grins down at Seb, who manages to grin back even through his tears. “That was really clever of you, kid.”
It’s only a few more minutes before Robert comes flying into the station with a couple of police officers close behind him, eyes darting all over the place as he searches for them. Aaron jumps to his feet.
“Robert, over here!”
Their gaze locks for just a brief second before Robert’s falls down to Seb, who’s already wriggling in Aaron’s arms until he lets him down to the floor.
Robert sinks to his knees as Seb runs to him and crashes into his chest. As Aaron makes his way over, he sees Robert’s eyes squeeze shut and he tangles a hand in Seb’s hair, swaying them from side to side as he whispers into Seb’s ear. They’re getting a few stares from passers by but neither of them notice a thing, and the police are quick to move any onlookers along.
Aaron crouches down and wraps his arms around the pair of them as best he can. The three of them stay like that on the dirty station floor until one of the police officers, who Aaron now notices is PC Fraser, clears his throat.
“Let’s get you lot out of the cold,” he says gently. “They’ve cleared one of the waiting rooms for you to sit in until DS Kirby gets here, it's probably comfier than the floor, eh?”
They’re taken to one of the warm first class waiting rooms and sink into the chairs.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not hurt or anything?” Robert asks, settling Seb in his lap and wrapping his arms around him. Aaron has a feeling it’ll be some time before he lets him go again.
Seb shakes his head and accepts the remnants of the Happy Meal that Aaron passes to him.
“Mummy left without me,” he say in a small, hurt voice that damn near breaks Aaron’s heart. “Where did she go?”
Robert hesitates before answering carefully.
“You know how Mummy… forgets things sometimes?” Seb hums, vaguely aware that Rebecca’s memory isn’t always great. “Well, she’s finding it really hard to remember things at the moment, and it makes her confused. She didn’t mean to leave you, I promise, it was just a silly mistake. I’m sure she’s sorry.”
“So you’re gonna come home with us now,” Aaron can’t help adding, squeezing Seb’s shoulder. He doesn’t care what the police say and he cares even less what Rebecca and Ross say, there’s no way they’re not taking Seb with them tonight. “Is that alright?”
“Yeah,” Seb perks up at that, mouth curling into a small smile. “Can I play with Isaac tomorrow?”
“Course you can. He’ll be made up to see you.”
“And can I have a hot chocolate in the cafe?”
“With extra marshmallows if you ask Nicola nicely,” Robert huffs a laugh. “So how’d you end up at the station, then?”
“He was waiting for us, apparently,” Aaron says, mouth curling into a smile. “Hoped we’d come on the train and get him.”
“Like last time,” Seb adds. “And Daddy did!”
“Well I didn’t exactly get here by train.” Now that he's finally had a chance to sit down and rest, Aaron can feel the ache in his legs from spending the night sprinting what felt like the length of Liverpool. “But I did come and get you, so you were in the right spot.”
“I thought about just getting the train to come to you instead,” Seb says thoughtfully, popping the last chip in his mouth. “But I didn’t have money for a ticket.”
Robert lets out a slow breath and clutches a hand to his chest. He looks like he’s having a mild heart attack at the thought.
“Well, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it?” Aaron says quickly, squeezing Robert’s thigh.
Seb simply yawns, neck beginning to droop. Robert shifts him in his arms and tells him to just close his eyes, cradling him the way he used to when he was much smaller.
By the time DS Kirby appears in the doorway, Seb's out like a light.
When she sits across from them, Aaron quietly explains his brainwave about the train station, and how he found Seb alone but unharmed. She murmurs instructions to one of the police officers at the door, telling them to inform all necessary parties that the search is over and they can stand down. She then turns back to Aaron and Robert.
“I'll need to ask Seb some questions about what happened this morning – ”
“Can that not wait?” Robert asks, his voice hushed but leaving no room for argument, rocking Seb when he stirs at the rumble of his voice. “He’s exhausted, he’s been scared and alone all day… he’s not up for any of that stuff right now.”
“We just want to get him home,” Aaron adds quietly. “That’s all he wants, too. Please.”
DS Kirby nods gently. “Of course, I understand. Take him home tonight, and I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
“What about Rebecca? And Ross?” Aaron doesn’t want to even think about them, doesn’t even want to say their names after the day they’ve had, but he has to ask.
“Try not to worry about that for now.”
“But what if they want him back? You can’t leave him with them, not after this.”
“Miss White is currently being police-escorted back to the UK, the authorities won’t be letting Seb back into her care anytime soon, for her own sake as well as his. Depending on what medical professionals say, the best she can hope for at the moment is a supervised visit. And as she and Mr Barton aren’t married and they never secured any kind of parental order, he has no legal rights to Seb, not without her.”
“So that means…”
“For the foreseeable future, the best thing for Seb is to remain in your care. Of course, social services will contact you soon about the new arrangement, just as a formality,” DS Kirby says, before smiling at them. “But you’re his parents, there’s no reason why he won’t be perfectly safe and content with you both. Now, is there anything else I can do for you tonight?”
Aaron glances at Robert, who shrugs.
“Maybe just a lift to their flat? Our car’s still there and we could do with getting some of his things.”
“I’ll have one of my officers drive you there now,” she rises and begins to make her way out.
“Thanks,” Aaron calls after. “For all your help.”
“No thanks necessary. You’re the one who found him, after all.”
*
Aaron barges his way past Ross into the flat, barely acknowledging him as he strides down the hall to Seb’s room. He’s come in alone, Robert and Seb waiting outside by the car.
“Oi, what’s going on?” Ross calls after him.
“I’m just here to get Seb’s stuff. We’re taking him home.”
He grabs the first backpack he sees and starts shoving stuff into it, making a beeline for the toys he knows Seb loves the most.
“He’s – he’s okay, then?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you.”
“Can I see – ”
“Not a chance in hell. You're not going anywhere near 'im.”
“You can’t do that,” Ross bites back, grabbing Aaron’s arm.
“After the shit you’ve pulled,” Aaron wrenches his arm out of Ross’s grasp and keeps packing. “I can do whatever the hell I like.”
“Look, it was a stupid mistake, an accident. This weren’t our fault – ”
“Maybe it wasn’t Rebecca’s fault,” Aaron mutters, because however much he might dislike her, it wasn’t, not entirely. “She’s not well. You, on the other hand – ”
“I care about the kid! Mate, come on – ”
“I am not your mate,” Aaron hisses, throwing Seb’s clothes down on the bed and spinning around to face him. “I’ve never been your mate, so don’t even try it. If you really cared about him, you would’ve made Rebecca get help. You wouldn’t have let things get this bad, you would’ve told us what was going on. You wouldn’t have left him alone with her.”
He takes a step towards Ross, getting in his face, and drops his voice to a low growl, aware that a police officer is still stationed in the living room.
“The only reason I’m not killing you with my bare hands is because there’s a load of coppers outside and I need to get Seb home. Away from you.”
Aaron doesn’t wait to see a reaction, turning back to the bed and cramming the last few things into the bags – crayons, books, trainers, anything he thinks Seb might want. Once they’re full to the brim, he hoists them over his shoulders, grabs anything else he can carry and exits the room, making sure to roughly bump into Ross on his way out.
He leaves the flat without a backwards glance, not stopping until he reaches the car where Robert’s stood holding Seb.
“Hey, look who I’ve got,” he holds the stuffed giraffe out to Seb, who just smiles sleepily and grabs it from him.
“Home?” Robert asks, opening the car door and easing Seb inside.
“Home.”
*
Aaron drives them back to Emmerdale, letting Robert sit with Seb on the backseat. His eyes flick to their reflection in the rearview mirror every other minute, watching Robert stare at their little boy as though he might disappear again if he takes his eyes off him.
Seb sleeps soundly the whole way, well and truly done in by his “adventure”, as he’d called it during their ride to Ross and Rebecca's flat. Aaron wishes he could think of it that way, instead of the living nightmare it had actually been.
It’s well after midnight by the time they make it home, the village street deserted and cloaked in darkness. Aaron pulls into the Mill’s driveway and turns off the engine, before twisting to face the backseat.
“We’re here,” he says softly. Robert jumps at his voice, looking around blearily like he’s just noticed his surroundings. “Come on, bed.”
Robert takes Seb into the house and Aaron grabs the bags before following them. Seb’s entirely pliant in their arms as they take him upstairs and change him into a fresh pair of pyjamas.
“You wanna sleep in our bed tonight?” Aaron asks as he holds Seb’s toothbrush out to him. “Or in your own room?”
“Yours,” Seb mumbles around the toothbrush, barely able to keep his eyes open despite his nap in the car. He’s clearly still exhausted, and when he’s done in the bathroom Aaron doesn’t hesitate to lift him up and carry him to their room where Robert’s already waiting.
The three of them collapse under the covers, Seb and his giraffe nestled between Aaron and Robert, and he’s fallen back to sleep within minutes. He doesn’t even last long enough for them to check the wardrobe for monsters. They stare at each other over his head.
“Not how I thought the day would end when I woke up this morning,” Robert whispers, looking a little stunned.
He’s not wrong. As Aaron looks down at Seb in the darkness of their bedroom, the events of the the last few hours seem more surreal than he can put into words.
“I’m knackered,” is what he settles for instead.
“Me too, but I’m still too wired to sleep,” Robert huffs and scrubs his eyes. “DS Kirby’s probably gonna ring us at the crack of dawn, as well.”
“The sooner Seb talks to her, the better, I guess. Gets it out of the way.”
Seb snuffles against Aaron’s chest, entirely oblivious to their conversation.
“I hope she doesn’t have to ask him too many questions. I don’t want him having to think about today any more than he has to.”
“Well we’ll be there the whole time, won’t we? She seemed pretty understanding, hopefully she’ll just double-check a few things with him. Then when she’s gone, he can just focus on the fact that he gets to have a few days off school.”
“Shit, school,” Robert slaps a palm to his forehead, looking stressed again. “We need to speak to his teachers tomorrow, let them know what’s going on. Then sort out a place for him at one of the schools here so he doesn't fall behind or miss – ”
“Rob,” Aaron reaches across Seb to lay a hand on Robert’s arm. “It’s literally the middle of the night. Let’s just focus on the fact that he’s home and safe for now, yeah?”
“Thanks to you,” Robert says softly, hand dropping to intertwine with Aaron’s. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“It was a lucky guess, I'm just glad I remembered what he'd told me about the train station.”
“I don’t just mean you finding him. I mean you keeping it together – keeping me together all night. I was a mess, next-to useless.”
“Oi, no you weren’t. You helped the police, you had that photo of him, you were out there looking right along with me.”
“I would’ve fallen apart if you hadn’t been there,” Robert whispers, squeezing his hand. “Thank you.”
“You’ve done it for me enough times,” Aaron swallows around the lump in his throat, the events of the day finally threatening to overwhelm him now that he’d finally slowed down and let himself relax. “Warning you now, though, the adrenaline's wearing off. I’ll probably have a bit of a breakdown about all this sometime tomorrow.”
“Got it,” Robert quirks a half-smile at him. “I’ll be ready.”