A/N: I started to think about writing Skins fanfic and I said to myself, I said "Self. Start small. Don't go too overboard with the AU ideas. You want people to like you." I guess this just monumentally shows that I never, ever listen to myself. That being said, I have never written Skins fanfic before in my life. I only hope my love for them on screen translates onto the page and I do them justice. This is un-beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Reviews are welcome, constructive criticism is always fun. Haters to the left. Flames will immediately be rolled up into fireballs and thrown back at their writers.

Bit of a trigger warning for this first chapter: physical attack and near rape. It's the only time it happens in this story and it's not very graphic but I felt like I should put this in here just in case.+

This is filed under "Romance" and "Mystery" but its also Humor, Drama, and a healthy splash of Supernatural. You've been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Skins. If I did Emily Fitch would be in every episode ever for the rest of eternity.

The club was stifling; too hot and too sweaty by half, with too many pervy guys and handsy drunks. Naomi had really only agreed to come for the band, but they had given over to the DJ almost an hour ago. She'd lost the guy she came here with and had no particular urge to find him again.

Fuck it, she thought grumpily. She downed her next shot, left money on the bar, and headed for outside. Her journey to the door was uneventful, mostly because her scowl kept away any pricks who got it in their heads to approach her. She smiled at the bouncer though. He went to her college and always had a big, genuine smile for everyone. She was pretty sure his name was Thomas.

"Hello, hello," he let people in with a wave and a smile. He grinned when he saw her. "You are leaving. Be safe, yes? Would you like a cab?"

"No thank you, Thomas," she said, carefully quashing her annoyance at the insinuation that she couldn't take care of herself. Chrissake, Naomi, he's only being nice. "See you on Monday."

He didn't look too happy but he had work to do. Naomi slipped past him without another word and into the night. It was much better outside. The air was cleaner and fresh, crisp with the smell of rain from the storm earlier in the day. Cold, though. The girls in the line were complaining loudly while their boyfriends ignored them. Naomi had a feeling Thomas was letting the most scantily clad in not because he was being pervy, but to prevent an outbreak of hypothermia. She smirked at the thought.

She was all set to head home when she saw them on the curb, smoking and laughing and obviously waiting for Thomas to come out and notice them. Naomi knew them from Roundview. Of course she did, the six of them were inseparable at the college and not a little bit notorious. More than once Naomi had caught herself looking across the hall or in a classroom and envying them, not for their popularity, but for their closeness.

Oh boo hoo, a little voice in the back of her mind said scathingly. You're a loner! You like being a loner, remember? Get over yourself, Campbell.

Still she found herself watching them for a few more seconds. Party boy Cook was laughing loudly about something. As she watched he reached out and ruffled shy little JJ's hair. JJ made a face and shoved the hand away but he was smiling. The quirky girl she thought was called Panda stood on her tiptoes and tried to see the front of the line, her mouth moving the whole time. She seemed to be talking to Effy Stonem, who was beautiful and enigmatic and as always slowly working away on a cigarette. Skater Freddie shrugged off his jacket and placed it around Effy's shoulders. She gave him a small smile and kissed him affectionately on the cheek.

Then Effy turned around and locked eyes with Naomi. Two wildly different shades of blue waged war momentarily.

Fuck! she broke and looked away first. Effy's knowing glare unnerved her. Way to be creepy, Naomi, she thought. She fought the embarrassment that was threatening to creep up. Stare at them like a weirdo for a little longer why don't you.

She doubled back to the front of the line, still angry with herself, and caught Thomas' eye.

"Your friends are here," she told him quickly.

Thomas motioned for another bouncer to take his place and was about to say something to her. Naomi left before the words finished forming on his lips. She was done with interaction and good deeds for the night. Done with people, full stop. She had to pass the five of them on the corner on the way home. She did it without making eye contact, keeping her gaze glued to the pavement and nowhere else.

Once she was out of their sight she fumbled around in the pocket of her jeans for her mobile and flipped it open. A missed call from her Mum; she called home and left a message when it rang through. And, just for good measure so she wouldn't walk in on something a daughter should never walk in on (again), she sent off a text.

Night was a bust. Be home in ten. xNx

"Hey baby girl."

The voice was sleazy and came from one of the two guys sitting on a low wall nearby. They were smoking and drinking, and the one who had spoken was watching her with narrow shifty eyes.

She ignored them steadfastly.

"Hey. Hey!"

The sound of shuffling behind her, and a rough hand grabbed her arm.

"Is impolite to not answer somebody when they're talkin' to you, girlie." The man with the shifty eyes whipped her around. His friend was still on the wall. As Naomi looked at him he took a swig of his beer and winked.

The fear came suddenly and settled like ice in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm not interested," she told him. For a ridiculous moment she felt proud of how steady she kept her voice.

"No need to be rude," Shifty-Eyes said. "I was just bein' nice. Wasn't I just bein' nice, Leeds?" He didn't let go of her arm.

"Mikes was just being nice," the man on the wall, Leeds, agreed. Though Mikes was the one holding her, it was Leeds with his calm smirk and his cold eyes that scared her.

"Let me go," she demanded, but her voice shook horribly.

Mikes smiled. "Just having some fun, babes, relax-"

"I said do it now!" she shrieked. When he still didn't move she reached around and jabbed her thumbnail into the soft part of the inside of his wrist.

Mikes yelped sharply and cradled his injured hand. He looked pissed but he retreated back to the wall. "Psycho bitch!"

Leeds was laughing, but his eyes were bright with something she didn't want to think about. She crossed the street quickly, leaving Leeds and his horrible laughter echoing behind.

She made it three buildings. She hadn't even heard him but suddenly Leeds was behind her, grabbing her roughly, hiking up her tee to run a hand over her stomach. She opened her mouth to scream and he clamped his free hand down, muffling her cries.

Naomi thought she had been scared before. But this, this pure helplessness, this was true fear.

It barely registered when he pulled her into a nearby alley. Distantly she could hear Mikes laughing and, even more distantly, the thump of the music. Her mind screamed with fear, but one thought broke through. The club. The club, the club, the club. It was only around the corner. So close. Help was so close.

Her train of thought was shattered when he threw her against the wall and down to the concrete. For a moment his presence was gone and Naomi could breathe. She opened her mouth for the most important scream of her life and it was smothered out of her when he pressed his body weight on her again.

Noise erupted at the end of the alley and Leeds froze above her. Naomi kicked, then. Kicked and punched and scratched. She twisted her head around to look towards the noise and her blossoming hope popped. A stray dog had knocked over a trash bin. Leeds grunted and started pawing at her clothes.

Naomi upped her fight again but he was bigger, stronger, and she was losing strength. She bit his hand when he tried to take off her tee and he smacked her so hard her head swam.

She was so disoriented she didn't even notice when his weight was suddenly yanked away. All she knew was that she could breathe freely again, and breathe she did. Great, shuddering breaths that held the hysteria at bay, but she was still too weak with fear to move.

Her hearing came back next, and the greatest noise she'd ever heard was Leeds bellowing in pain. She looked for her savior and found the stray dog.

It was small and thin, and it had Leeds by the arm and was dragging him away for her. Its angry snarls rumbled up and down alley. Leeds twisted to try and punch at it, and Naomi finally - finally - filled the air with her scream. The murmurs of voices from the club paused, and then picked up again, and Naomi almost cried.

Run, her mind urged. Jesus Christ, run!

Naomi found her feet at last. Behind her the dog yelped painfully. She didn't have to stop to know that her little defender had been taken out. She reached the opening of the alley.

Her hair was yanked back with force, and she yelled again. This time it was louder. It had more strength. It traveled. He threw her to the ground and her head smacked onto the street with a wet thud. Immediately the world went fuzzy and indistinct.

She saw the dog then. It was cowering and bleeding behind a box. It took a step towards her and its front leg collapsed underneath it. No more help there. The urge to cry and scream grew, but the feelings lodged in her chest. The dog looked at her, whimpered, and then threw its head back and howled for all it was worth. There. That was all the help that was coming from there. The thumping from the club sounded like thunder now.

She curled into a ball and covered her head with her hands as Leeds loomed menacingly. He was hurt, and angry, and he was ready to kill her. He had just knelt down and grabbed the front of her tee when she realized the sound she thought was thunder wasn't the club at all. It was footsteps racing up the street towards where she was.

The burst of adrenaline hit like wildfire and she started screaming. "HERE." Leeds lunged forward to shut her up again. "HERE!" He raised his arm to hit her again but someone grabbed him around the shoulders and dragged him off of her. Whoever it was they were pissed and the sound of fighting increased.

Someone touched her arm and Naomi recoiled violently. The urge to cry grew stronger, and she didn't know how much longer she could hold off the tears. Her eyes screwed closed with the effort to keep them at bay.

"Naomi, no. It's okay. It's okay, it's us. You're going to be all right now." The voice was vaguely familiar but far away, like something out of a dream. The owner of the voice brushed her hair back. "It's okay, Naomi. Cook's got him. He's not going anywhere."

Cook? She opened her eyes and looked towards the noise. The party boy wasn't laughing anymore. Whenever she had ever seen him he had been laughing, but now his face was violent. A study in rage. Leeds was pinned beneath him and didn't look like he was going to move anywhere anytime soon.

Leeds locked eyes with her and smirked. She shrank back and Cook knocked Leeds' head into the ground. "I wouldn't do that," Cook snarled. "She says the word and I beat you so bloody you'll wish I killed you instead. Fookin' bastard."

He was dead serious. Naomi had never seen someone so angry in her defense. A little of the fear went away; then Leeds looked at her again and she shuddered.

Arms surrounded her and held her tight. "Naomi, don't look at him."

She fought through the fog in her mind to look at who was hugging her. Effy Stonem was smiling at her, and it wasn't even one of her mysterious 'Fuck-you-I'm-fit-and-mysterious' smiles.

"How - what - I don t -" The disorientation was almost too much and the back of her head throbbed with every beat of her heart.

"We were standing on the corner, remember?" Effy explained quietly. There was more scuffling going on behind them. Naomi had the distinct feeling that Effy was trying to distract her. "When Thomas came out to get us we heard you scream. We almost couldn't find you, but the dog startled howling."

"Not," she tried to shake her head, but the side to side motions just sent the world tilting again. "How do you know my name?"

Effy stared at her for a long moment, then her face morphed from worry to relief. If she was anyone other than Effy Stonem, she probably would have laughed. "You're not as invisible as you like to believe you are."

The noises she kept hearing behind them morphed into sirens and Effy moved out of the way for the paramedics. Through all the following lights and voices, Naomi heard only one thing clearly: a soft whimper. She was already up on the stretcher and being hauled into the back of the ambulance but she threw her arms out to stop them from moving.

"Effy!" The brunette appeared at her side as if she had never left. Naomi focused, really focused on Effy's face. "The dog-"

Thomas was already moving before she had finished talking. He knelt down in front of the boxes and started talking in a low, soothing voice. For a second she panicked because she couldn't understand him, but then realized he was speaking French, murmuring and coaxing the little thing out. The dog limped over and allowed him to pick it up and place it carefully on the stretcher next to her.

The closest paramedic looked shocked. "You can't do that."

"That dog saved her life," Effy said simply. She stared at him until he crumbled under the power of her glare and nodded. They loaded the stretcher, dog and all, into the ambulance.

When the doors closed, Naomi finally let herself pass out.

So that's chapter one! God, I hope it wasn't complete shit. Was it complete shit? Anyway, you're probably asking 'But wait, FS! Wherever is Emily?' And to that I say (tacky mysterious voice) good question...

Using music to convey messages a lot in this story. The title of the story is from "Fireflies" by Owl City. The title of the chapter is from "All I Ever Wanted" by Basshunter and if you really want to know how I wrote the alley scene hop on up and listen to "Damaged" by Plumb, which is what I was listening to when I wrote it.

Till next time, cheers! ~FS