we're all stories in the end

• my ao3 is here (username wafflesofdoom if the one day the link doesn’t work)

Aaron can’t help but feel grateful that their bedroom isn’t upstairs, as he makes his way through the creaking old farmhouse, doing his best not to make too much noise. It felt like a stark contrast to the modern renovation of the Mill, the way the farmhouse creaked, and groaned, as though it had something to say about the life being lived inside of it.

Maybe it did. Aaron was sure there were generations of crotchety old Sugden spirits stuck in the walls, horrified at the thought one of their own was playing house with another man.

It made it all the more satisfying, really.

Blindly, Aaron undressed, not wanting to turn the light on and disturb a fitfully sleeping Robert.

He had been away at a scrap run, and hadn’t been due to come back until the next day, a planned stopover in Birmingham for the night - but Aaron had hit Birmingham, and the thought of checking into his room at the Premier Inn he’d booked had felt like the most miserable prospect of all time, so he’d stopped at a services for an energy drink and he’d kept on driving.

Some people - including his mum, sometimes - might say Aaron and Robert had become concerningly co-dependent, but Aaron didn’t really care. He’d nearly lost Robert so many times, in so many horrible ways, that he felt like being co-dependent was the only reasonable response.

Gently, Aaron peeled back his side of the duvet, rousing Robert, despite how quiet he was trying to be.

“Aaron?” Robert mumbled sleepily, confusion evident in his tone.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Aaron replied softly, sliding into bed. Robert was all over him in an instant, warm body pressed against Aaron’s cold one.

“You weren’t due back until tomorrow,” Robert said hoarsely, his grip on Aaron’s waist tight. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping too deeply, which wasn’t entirely unusual for Robert nowadays.

“I wanted to wake up with you,” Aaron found himself saying.

It was cheesy, really - a bit over-the-top and romantic, for two o’clock in the morning, but it was the truth. Aaron savoured every morning he got to wake up with an armful of Robert Sugden now, because he’d gone far too long without getting to do it.

Robert burrowed his face in the crook of Aaron’s neck, mumbling something incoherent.

“Go back to sleep,” Aaron hummed, pressing a kiss to the crown of Robert’s head. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

“You know, I’m happy to help.”

Aaron couldn’t help but smile to himself as he heard Robert speak, the mirth in his husband’s voice reassurance that he wasn’t about to walk into an argument. As he made his way across the field, Robert and Seb came into view, their very determined ten-year-old holding tightly to a fence-post.

Seb glared up at Robert, the feisty look in his face all Aaron, in moment’s like this. He didn’t like being told what he could, and couldn’t do - it was the first thing they’d learned about their son when Angela had allowed visitation, when they began that slow road to bringing their child home.

“It’s not heavy,” Seb huffed out, the strain in his voice giving away the fact that wasn’t entirely the truth. “I’m stronger than I look, you know!”

The expression on Robert’s face was nothing but affection as he hummed his agreement. “You’re very strong,” he agreed, the early autumn wind whipping at his hair, giving Robert that tustled, out in the fresh air kind of look like Aaron was sure could make the cover of a farming magazine if someone else was to see.

Robert Sugden, poster-child for what it meant to be a sexy farmer.

“But,” Robert continued. “I can’t lift those posts on my own. I need help to,” he said, and Aaron couldn’t help but be struck by how naturally parenting seemed to come to Robert.

He had seen it, all those years ago now, with the gentle - but firm - hand that Robert had when it came to Liv, but it was another thing entirely to see it again, and not only rely on the memory of it.

The baby stage had been hard, for Robert - but this, with an older kid, one not too far off the age Liv had been when they’d taken her in, that seemed to come naturally.

Seb gave his dad a curious look. “You do?”

Robert nodded. “That’s why we’ve got Matty, and Serena, and Mack, on the farm,” he explained. “I can’t do it all by myself. I need to ask for help a lot of the time too.”

Aaron decided it was time to make himself known. “He asks me for help all the time,” he hummed, letting Robert pull him in for a quick kiss. He’d left early on a scrap run, and so hadn’t had the chance to even say good morning before he’d been on the road.

Aaron hated those mornings, when he missed out on the slow, giggly breakfasts with his husband, and son. He liked the life they had built on the farm, and he never liked to miss out on any of it, not when the school holidays were almost over, and the novelty of having Seb under their feet all day, everyday, was about to be replaced by a busy year at Hotten Primary.

“Hi, dad,” Seb beamed, and it never got less exciting to hear the word ‘dad’ coming from their bright, brilliant son. It had taken a while for Seb to feel comfortable calling Robert dad, and longer for him to settle on wanting to call Aaron the same, and so Aaron would never take it for granted.

“Hey, kid,” Aaron grinned, running a hand through Seb’s already messy hair.

He needed a haircut before he went back to school, but for now, the sun-bleached blonde hair was a mirror image to Robert’s own, and once again, Aaron was struck by the thought of what an utter fucking delight it was to get a mini Robert to love on top of Robert himself.

“So,” Robert fixed Seb with a serious look, arm never leaving Aaron’s waist. “Are you going to let us help you so we can get this fence fixed in time for tea, or do you want to keep struggling?”

Seb huffed out a breath, clearly tempted by the thought of an eye-roll before he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from Issac, and one they were determined to put a stop too.

“I’d like some help, please,” Seb finally relented, and the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose made him look more like Robert than ever - even if the refusal to accept help was a straight shared by Aaron and Robert equally, and one Seb was always going to end up inheriting.

Aaron pressed a kiss to the corner of Robert’s mouth, grinning at his son. “What do you say we get this fence built extra quick, and we convince your dad to drive to Hotten to pick up Chinese?” he offered, keeping his voice low, because he liked to spoil his kid - sue him.

Seb glanced over to the trailer where Robert was rooting for tools, and grinned. “It’s a deal, dad.”

Aaron can’t help but feel grateful that their bedroom isn’t upstairs, as he makes his way through the creaking old farmhouse, doing his best not to make too much noise. It felt like a stark contrast to the modern renovation of the Mill, the way the farmhouse creaked, and groaned, as though it had something to say about the life being lived inside of it.

Maybe it did. Aaron was sure there were generations of crotchety old Sugden spirits stuck in the walls, horrified at the thought one of their own was playing house with another man.

It made it all the more satisfying, really.

Blindly, Aaron undressed, not wanting to turn the light on and disturb a fitfully sleeping Robert.

He had been away at a scrap run, and hadn’t been due to come back until the next day, a planned stopover in Birmingham for the night - but Aaron had hit Birmingham, and the thought of checking into his room at the Premier Inn he’d booked had felt like the most miserable prospect of all time, so he’d stopped at a services for an energy drink and he’d kept on driving.

Some people - including his mum, sometimes - might say Aaron and Robert had become concerningly co-dependent, but Aaron didn’t really care. He’d nearly lost Robert so many times, in so many horrible ways, that he felt like being co-dependent was the only reasonable response.

Gently, Aaron peeled back his side of the duvet, rousing Robert, despite how quiet he was trying to be.

“Aaron?” Robert mumbled sleepily, confusion evident in his tone.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Aaron replied softly, sliding into bed. Robert was all over him in an instant, warm body pressed against Aaron’s cold one.

“You weren’t due back until tomorrow,” Robert said hoarsely, his grip on Aaron’s waist tight. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping too deeply, which wasn’t entirely unusual for Robert nowadays.

“I wanted to wake up with you,” Aaron found himself saying.

It was cheesy, really - a bit over-the-top and romantic, for two o’clock in the morning, but it was the truth. Aaron savoured every morning he got to wake up with an armful of Robert Sugden now, because he’d gone far too long without getting to do it.

Robert burrowed his face in the crook of Aaron’s neck, mumbling something incoherent.

“Go back to sleep,” Aaron hummed, pressing a kiss to the crown of Robert’s head. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

The days are getting shorter, leaves are dropping from trees and it’s time to write something spooky! The rules are simple: pick as many items from the lists below as you want and write an Emmerdale fic.

Other than that there are no rules! Include whichever characters and ships you want. While the themes are inspired by horror, you can twist and interpret them how you like. Want to write a vampire romance? Go for it! Smut in an abandoned theme park? Why not? You just need to incorporate one or more of the themes below.

Housekeeping: post on 29th-31st October, use the tag #emmerdalespooktacular and and post to the Emmerdale Halloween Spooktacular 2026 collection.

Can't decide? Click here for theme randomisation!

Just to reiterate you can use these themes however you want. You can use one per fic or combine them. You can use themes from different categories or the same one (i.e. zombies & laboratory or vampires & werewolves).

Theme 1: Monsters

Vampires | Werewolves | Ghosts | Demons | Sirens | Zombies/Undead | Banshees | Witches | Aliens | Grim Reaper | Serial Killers | Cryptids | Clowns | Haunted dolls

Theme 2: Settings

Haunted house | The vastness of space | Forest/woods | Laboratory | Abandoned theme park | Halloween party | Graveyards | On the road | Castles/manors | Caves/catacombs/tunnels | Suburbs | Campsite

Theme 3: Tropes & Sub-Genres

“You know, I’m happy to help.”

Aaron couldn’t help but smile to himself as he heard Robert speak, the mirth in his husband’s voice reassurance that he wasn’t about to walk into an argument. As he made his way across the field, Robert and Seb came into view, their very determined ten-year-old holding tightly to a fence-post.

Seb glared up at Robert, the feisty look in his face all Aaron, in moment’s like this. He didn’t like being told what he could, and couldn’t do - it was the first thing they’d learned about their son when Angela had allowed visitation, when they began that slow road to bringing their child home.

“It’s not heavy,” Seb huffed out, the strain in his voice giving away the fact that wasn’t entirely the truth. “I’m stronger than I look, you know!”

The expression on Robert’s face was nothing but affection as he hummed his agreement. “You’re very strong,” he agreed, the early autumn wind whipping at his hair, giving Robert that tustled, out in the fresh air kind of look like Aaron was sure could make the cover of a farming magazine if someone else was to see.

Robert Sugden, poster-child for what it meant to be a sexy farmer.

“But,” Robert continued. “I can’t lift those posts on my own. I need help to,” he said, and Aaron couldn’t help but be struck by how naturally parenting seemed to come to Robert.

He had seen it, all those years ago now, with the gentle - but firm - hand that Robert had when it came to Liv, but it was another thing entirely to see it again, and not only rely on the memory of it.

The baby stage had been hard, for Robert - but this, with an older kid, one not too far off the age Liv had been when they’d taken her in, that seemed to come naturally.

Seb gave his dad a curious look. “You do?”

Robert nodded. “That’s why we’ve got Matty, and Serena, and Mack, on the farm,” he explained. “I can’t do it all by myself. I need to ask for help a lot of the time too.”

Aaron decided it was time to make himself known. “He asks me for help all the time,” he hummed, letting Robert pull him in for a quick kiss. He’d left early on a scrap run, and so hadn’t had the chance to even say good morning before he’d been on the road.

Aaron hated those mornings, when he missed out on the slow, giggly breakfasts with his husband, and son. He liked the life they had built on the farm, and he never liked to miss out on any of it, not when the school holidays were almost over, and the novelty of having Seb under their feet all day, everyday, was about to be replaced by a busy year at Hotten Primary.

“Hi, dad,” Seb beamed, and it never got less exciting to hear the word ‘dad’ coming from their bright, brilliant son. It had taken a while for Seb to feel comfortable calling Robert dad, and longer for him to settle on wanting to call Aaron the same, and so Aaron would never take it for granted.

“Hey, kid,” Aaron grinned, running a hand through Seb’s already messy hair.

He needed a haircut before he went back to school, but for now, the sun-bleached blonde hair was a mirror image to Robert’s own, and once again, Aaron was struck by the thought of what an utter fucking delight it was to get a mini Robert to love on top of Robert himself.

“So,” Robert fixed Seb with a serious look, arm never leaving Aaron’s waist. “Are you going to let us help you so we can get this fence fixed in time for tea, or do you want to keep struggling?”

Seb huffed out a breath, clearly tempted by the thought of an eye-roll before he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from Issac, and one they were determined to put a stop too.

“I’d like some help, please,” Seb finally relented, and the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose made him look more like Robert than ever - even if the refusal to accept help was a straight shared by Aaron and Robert equally, and one Seb was always going to end up inheriting.

Aaron pressed a kiss to the corner of Robert’s mouth, grinning at his son. “What do you say we get this fence built extra quick, and we convince your dad to drive to Hotten to pick up Chinese?” he offered, keeping his voice low, because he liked to spoil his kid - sue him.

Seb glanced over to the trailer where Robert was rooting for tools, and grinned. “It’s a deal, dad.”

Aaron can’t help but feel grateful that their bedroom isn’t upstairs, as he makes his way through the creaking old farmhouse, doing his best not to make too much noise. It felt like a stark contrast to the modern renovation of the Mill, the way the farmhouse creaked, and groaned, as though it had something to say about the life being lived inside of it.

Maybe it did. Aaron was sure there were generations of crotchety old Sugden spirits stuck in the walls, horrified at the thought one of their own was playing house with another man.

It made it all the more satisfying, really.

Blindly, Aaron undressed, not wanting to turn the light on and disturb a fitfully sleeping Robert.

He had been away at a scrap run, and hadn’t been due to come back until the next day, a planned stopover in Birmingham for the night - but Aaron had hit Birmingham, and the thought of checking into his room at the Premier Inn he’d booked had felt like the most miserable prospect of all time, so he’d stopped at a services for an energy drink and he’d kept on driving.

Some people - including his mum, sometimes - might say Aaron and Robert had become concerningly co-dependent, but Aaron didn’t really care. He’d nearly lost Robert so many times, in so many horrible ways, that he felt like being co-dependent was the only reasonable response.

Gently, Aaron peeled back his side of the duvet, rousing Robert, despite how quiet he was trying to be.

“Aaron?” Robert mumbled sleepily, confusion evident in his tone.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Aaron replied softly, sliding into bed. Robert was all over him in an instant, warm body pressed against Aaron’s cold one.

“You weren’t due back until tomorrow,” Robert said hoarsely, his grip on Aaron’s waist tight. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping too deeply, which wasn’t entirely unusual for Robert nowadays.

“I wanted to wake up with you,” Aaron found himself saying.

It was cheesy, really - a bit over-the-top and romantic, for two o’clock in the morning, but it was the truth. Aaron savoured every morning he got to wake up with an armful of Robert Sugden now, because he’d gone far too long without getting to do it.

Robert burrowed his face in the crook of Aaron’s neck, mumbling something incoherent.

“Go back to sleep,” Aaron hummed, pressing a kiss to the crown of Robert’s head. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

“You know, I’m happy to help.”

Aaron couldn’t help but smile to himself as he heard Robert speak, the mirth in his husband’s voice reassurance that he wasn’t about to walk into an argument. As he made his way across the field, Robert and Seb came into view, their very determined ten-year-old holding tightly to a fence-post.

Seb glared up at Robert, the feisty look in his face all Aaron, in moment’s like this. He didn’t like being told what he could, and couldn’t do - it was the first thing they’d learned about their son when Angela had allowed visitation, when they began that slow road to bringing their child home.

“It’s not heavy,” Seb huffed out, the strain in his voice giving away the fact that wasn’t entirely the truth. “I’m stronger than I look, you know!”

The expression on Robert’s face was nothing but affection as he hummed his agreement. “You’re very strong,” he agreed, the early autumn wind whipping at his hair, giving Robert that tustled, out in the fresh air kind of look like Aaron was sure could make the cover of a farming magazine if someone else was to see.

Robert Sugden, poster-child for what it meant to be a sexy farmer.

“But,” Robert continued. “I can’t lift those posts on my own. I need help to,” he said, and Aaron couldn’t help but be struck by how naturally parenting seemed to come to Robert.

He had seen it, all those years ago now, with the gentle - but firm - hand that Robert had when it came to Liv, but it was another thing entirely to see it again, and not only rely on the memory of it.

The baby stage had been hard, for Robert - but this, with an older kid, one not too far off the age Liv had been when they’d taken her in, that seemed to come naturally.

Seb gave his dad a curious look. “You do?”

Robert nodded. “That’s why we’ve got Matty, and Serena, and Mack, on the farm,” he explained. “I can’t do it all by myself. I need to ask for help a lot of the time too.”

Aaron decided it was time to make himself known. “He asks me for help all the time,” he hummed, letting Robert pull him in for a quick kiss. He’d left early on a scrap run, and so hadn’t had the chance to even say good morning before he’d been on the road.

Aaron hated those mornings, when he missed out on the slow, giggly breakfasts with his husband, and son. He liked the life they had built on the farm, and he never liked to miss out on any of it, not when the school holidays were almost over, and the novelty of having Seb under their feet all day, everyday, was about to be replaced by a busy year at Hotten Primary.

“Hi, dad,” Seb beamed, and it never got less exciting to hear the word ‘dad’ coming from their bright, brilliant son. It had taken a while for Seb to feel comfortable calling Robert dad, and longer for him to settle on wanting to call Aaron the same, and so Aaron would never take it for granted.

“Hey, kid,” Aaron grinned, running a hand through Seb’s already messy hair.

He needed a haircut before he went back to school, but for now, the sun-bleached blonde hair was a mirror image to Robert’s own, and once again, Aaron was struck by the thought of what an utter fucking delight it was to get a mini Robert to love on top of Robert himself.

“So,” Robert fixed Seb with a serious look, arm never leaving Aaron’s waist. “Are you going to let us help you so we can get this fence fixed in time for tea, or do you want to keep struggling?”

Seb huffed out a breath, clearly tempted by the thought of an eye-roll before he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from Issac, and one they were determined to put a stop too.

“I’d like some help, please,” Seb finally relented, and the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose made him look more like Robert than ever - even if the refusal to accept help was a straight shared by Aaron and Robert equally, and one Seb was always going to end up inheriting.

Aaron pressed a kiss to the corner of Robert’s mouth, grinning at his son. “What do you say we get this fence built extra quick, and we convince your dad to drive to Hotten to pick up Chinese?” he offered, keeping his voice low, because he liked to spoil his kid - sue him.

Seb glanced over to the trailer where Robert was rooting for tools, and grinned. “It’s a deal, dad.”

Aaron can’t help but feel grateful that their bedroom isn’t upstairs, as he makes his way through the creaking old farmhouse, doing his best not to make too much noise. It felt like a stark contrast to the modern renovation of the Mill, the way the farmhouse creaked, and groaned, as though it had something to say about the life being lived inside of it.

Maybe it did. Aaron was sure there were generations of crotchety old Sugden spirits stuck in the walls, horrified at the thought one of their own was playing house with another man.

It made it all the more satisfying, really.

Blindly, Aaron undressed, not wanting to turn the light on and disturb a fitfully sleeping Robert.

He had been away at a scrap run, and hadn’t been due to come back until the next day, a planned stopover in Birmingham for the night - but Aaron had hit Birmingham, and the thought of checking into his room at the Premier Inn he’d booked had felt like the most miserable prospect of all time, so he’d stopped at a services for an energy drink and he’d kept on driving.

Some people - including his mum, sometimes - might say Aaron and Robert had become concerningly co-dependent, but Aaron didn’t really care. He’d nearly lost Robert so many times, in so many horrible ways, that he felt like being co-dependent was the only reasonable response.

Gently, Aaron peeled back his side of the duvet, rousing Robert, despite how quiet he was trying to be.

“Aaron?” Robert mumbled sleepily, confusion evident in his tone.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Aaron replied softly, sliding into bed. Robert was all over him in an instant, warm body pressed against Aaron’s cold one.

“You weren’t due back until tomorrow,” Robert said hoarsely, his grip on Aaron’s waist tight. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping too deeply, which wasn’t entirely unusual for Robert nowadays.

“I wanted to wake up with you,” Aaron found himself saying.

It was cheesy, really - a bit over-the-top and romantic, for two o’clock in the morning, but it was the truth. Aaron savoured every morning he got to wake up with an armful of Robert Sugden now, because he’d gone far too long without getting to do it.

Robert burrowed his face in the crook of Aaron’s neck, mumbling something incoherent.

“Go back to sleep,” Aaron hummed, pressing a kiss to the crown of Robert’s head. “I’ll be here in the morning.”

“You know, I’m happy to help.”

Aaron couldn’t help but smile to himself as he heard Robert speak, the mirth in his husband’s voice reassurance that he wasn’t about to walk into an argument. As he made his way across the field, Robert and Seb came into view, their very determined ten-year-old holding tightly to a fence-post.

Seb glared up at Robert, the feisty look in his face all Aaron, in moment’s like this. He didn’t like being told what he could, and couldn’t do - it was the first thing they’d learned about their son when Angela had allowed visitation, when they began that slow road to bringing their child home.

“It’s not heavy,” Seb huffed out, the strain in his voice giving away the fact that wasn’t entirely the truth. “I’m stronger than I look, you know!”

The expression on Robert’s face was nothing but affection as he hummed his agreement. “You’re very strong,” he agreed, the early autumn wind whipping at his hair, giving Robert that tustled, out in the fresh air kind of look like Aaron was sure could make the cover of a farming magazine if someone else was to see.

Robert Sugden, poster-child for what it meant to be a sexy farmer.

“But,” Robert continued. “I can’t lift those posts on my own. I need help to,” he said, and Aaron couldn’t help but be struck by how naturally parenting seemed to come to Robert.

He had seen it, all those years ago now, with the gentle - but firm - hand that Robert had when it came to Liv, but it was another thing entirely to see it again, and not only rely on the memory of it.

The baby stage had been hard, for Robert - but this, with an older kid, one not too far off the age Liv had been when they’d taken her in, that seemed to come naturally.

Seb gave his dad a curious look. “You do?”

Robert nodded. “That’s why we’ve got Matty, and Serena, and Mack, on the farm,” he explained. “I can’t do it all by myself. I need to ask for help a lot of the time too.”

Aaron decided it was time to make himself known. “He asks me for help all the time,” he hummed, letting Robert pull him in for a quick kiss. He’d left early on a scrap run, and so hadn’t had the chance to even say good morning before he’d been on the road.

Aaron hated those mornings, when he missed out on the slow, giggly breakfasts with his husband, and son. He liked the life they had built on the farm, and he never liked to miss out on any of it, not when the school holidays were almost over, and the novelty of having Seb under their feet all day, everyday, was about to be replaced by a busy year at Hotten Primary.

“Hi, dad,” Seb beamed, and it never got less exciting to hear the word ‘dad’ coming from their bright, brilliant son. It had taken a while for Seb to feel comfortable calling Robert dad, and longer for him to settle on wanting to call Aaron the same, and so Aaron would never take it for granted.

“Hey, kid,” Aaron grinned, running a hand through Seb’s already messy hair.

He needed a haircut before he went back to school, but for now, the sun-bleached blonde hair was a mirror image to Robert’s own, and once again, Aaron was struck by the thought of what an utter fucking delight it was to get a mini Robert to love on top of Robert himself.

“So,” Robert fixed Seb with a serious look, arm never leaving Aaron’s waist. “Are you going to let us help you so we can get this fence fixed in time for tea, or do you want to keep struggling?”

Seb huffed out a breath, clearly tempted by the thought of an eye-roll before he decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from Issac, and one they were determined to put a stop too.

“I’d like some help, please,” Seb finally relented, and the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose made him look more like Robert than ever - even if the refusal to accept help was a straight shared by Aaron and Robert equally, and one Seb was always going to end up inheriting.

Aaron pressed a kiss to the corner of Robert’s mouth, grinning at his son. “What do you say we get this fence built extra quick, and we convince your dad to drive to Hotten to pick up Chinese?” he offered, keeping his voice low, because he liked to spoil his kid - sue him.

Seb glanced over to the trailer where Robert was rooting for tools, and grinned. “It’s a deal, dad.”