Disclaimer: Not mine...but today is Christmas day, so who's got Skins wrapped up for me? Anyone?

Author Note: This was written for a special person in my life, hope this makes today a little more merry.

Sleigh Bells Ring

Chapter One

'Fucking sleigh bells,' Katie snapped the moment they entered the shop.

Everywhere they went appeared to be covered in Christmas decorations or had carols belting out for the whole of Bristol to hear. The general shopping experience felt Christmassy and Emily couldn't be happier. She loved the time of year; the nippy temperatures demanding she wear gloves, the atmosphere of people rushing around in the hope of buying presents for the people they loved. Even if half of them grunted and groaned, whilst the other half stopped randomly in the middle of shopping aisles, she still found joy in the act of celebrating Christmas with each and every stranger she met.

'I told you to stay at home,' Emily snapped back, not really meaning her tone.

'Fuck off.'

'I keep trying to, but you keep following me,' Emily laughed, goading Katie.

There had always been an assumption that twins like the same things; that they love to dress alike and even have the same memories. Sure, Emily shared Katie's DNA and most of their childhood involved the same pets, activities and friends. But really, they were pretty dissimilar. For instance, where Emily loved all things Christmassy, Katie loathed them. For the last few years their family and friends nicknamed her The Grinch.

'I still haven't got a present for mum or James. Are you going to help me or not?'

'I said I'd help and I will,' Emily reminded her, pushing open the department store door and leading them towards the gift section.

'See,' Katie groaned twenty minutes later. 'There's nothing mum would like in here.'

'There's plenty of things Katie, you just said no to all of my suggestions.'

'That's because they're crap, yeah?' Katie sighed. 'Why would mum want a new hairdryer?'

'Because she complains daily about the one she has.'

'And don't even get me started on that scarf and glove set.'

'She's always saying she needs to get herself a scarf that she'll actually wear.'

Emily attempted not to laugh at her sister. Everything she'd suggested had been shot down. Every time she came up with a reason why Katie should buy something, Katie came up with several less plausible reasons why she shouldn't. She tried her best not to laugh though. Katie's mood wasn't her own doing, it wasn't anybody's doing, unless you counted the big guy. Emily knew that, she thought about it every single day, she didn't want to think about it because every time she did, it reminded her of another difference between them.

'What do you suggest?'

'I don't know,' Katie whined, getting frustrated with the zip on her bag. 'Fucking thing won't close.'

'Katie,' Emily whispered, resting a hand on Katie's arm. She stopped, their eyes met for a moment. 'It's okay.'

'No it's not, it never fucking will be.'

She walked away, made sure there was a safe distance between them before she turned around in her usual huff.

'You coming them?'

They left the shop and walked down the high street. Emily stayed at a distance, she waited for her sister to slow down and return to her side in her own time.

'It was a pretty good hairdryer,' she muttered when Emily finally came up beside her. 'We'll get it on the way back to the bus, yeah?'

'Okay,' Emily smiled, warily.

They kept walking until they arrived at the toy shop. Ten minutes inside and they came away with a model car, similar to one James enjoyed building and painting the year before.

'I don't think he'll be impressed with this,' Katie mumbled as they wandered down the street.

'He'll fucking hate it,' Emily replied honestly, grinning at her sister's puzzled expression. 'Pop a card in informing him there's a copy of FHM under his pillow, he'll forget all about it.'

They spent the next hour sat in a coffee shop drinking Gingerbread lattes and sharing a chocolate muffin. It reminded Emily of the years they spent Christmas shopping with their dad. Every year, on the last weekend before Christmas they'd go into Bristol buy presents for their mother and stop by a café for a drink and a special treat, before heading home. Neither of them had intentionally discussed going to a café, especially not that café, yet neither of them mentioned the tradition until they'd already sat down.

'Every year I complain about this fucking café and we end up here,' Katie moaned, placing her mug of coffee on the table between them.

'You chose it.'

'I didn't, you did.'

Emily raised an eyebrow, 'I guess it's nice coming back here, when was the last time we came?'

'Seven years ago, when we were thirteen.'

'Wow.'

'Don't go all sentimental on me,' Katie snapped.

'Fuck off,' Emily replied with a grin on her face.

'Do you have to be so rude?'

'Ha,' Emily gasped. 'Do you have to be so moody?'

When the words fell from Emily's lips they didn't disappear into the abyss, they hovered between them in a harsh silence. Katie's head dropped, her eyes focused on the steam rising from her mug.

'Sorry,' Emily whispered, not knowing where to look.

'Yeah,' Katie replied, nonchalantly.

No matter how much Katie tried to hide her pain, there was no ridding the shadow in her eyes. She used to shine; her eyes once had a glint in them that made her look as though she was smiling even when she smirked. Now her face looked older, her usually perfectly preened skin was dry and appeared almost unkempt. Her eyes not only turned downwards in sadness but also due to the large bags.

The atmosphere was sliced apart by the ringing of a phone, Emily stared at Katie anticipating the imminent call that she assumed was some boy Katie was currently seeing, though she hadn't mentioned anymore.

'You can fucking answer it or what?' Katie screeched, staring back at her.

'It's not my,' she began, confused by the unfamiliar ringtone.

That was when the vibration on the side of her thigh became more noticeable. Emily reached down between the chair and her coat to find a phone, probably accidentally left by its owner. She glanced at the unknown number on the screen.

'Answer it,' Katie demanded, staring at Emily.

'No, it's not mine,' she responded once the call had ended.

'You're such a fucking wimp.'

'Because I wouldn't answer a stranger's phone?'

As if on cue the phone began to vibrate and ring once more, that same number flashing up on screen. Katie snatched it away from her and pressed a couple of buttons before holding it up to her ear.

'Hello,' she began, listening carefully to the person on the other end. 'Actually love, I think you left it in the café by McDonalds, so don't fucking accuse me of stealing your phone.'

'Katie!' Emily reprimanded, disapproving of her blatant rudeness.

'See you soon,' Katie ended the call then began playing with the phone.

'What are you doing?'

'Finding out who this Naomi person is.'

'Who is Naomi?'

'Are you fucking stupid? It's the person whose phone this is; she's coming to pick it up.'

'No need to be so fucking rude about it,' Emily rolled her eyes. 'And stop snooping; it's not your phone.'

Katie ignored her, much to Emily's annoyance. The way Katie's eyebrows creased in concentration told her not to bother trying any harder than she already had. Instead she drank her coffee and nibbled on her half of the blueberry muffin.

'What's that gay magazine you always buy?'

'Diva?' Emily checked.

'Yeah. She's got an app.'

'What?'

'Naomi, she's got Diva on her iPhone.'

Suddenly her attention piqued; she leant forwards and tried to take a look at the phone in Katie's hands.

'Now you're interested?' Katie asked. 'Just because you think she's gay.'

'She has Diva on her iPhone, of course she's gay, or bi at the very least.'

'Is there some sort of lesbian code?' Katie asked, raising an eyebrow. 'Everyone reads Diva and owns Imagine You and Me.'

'Me and You.'

'Whatever.'

'It's not a code, it's just, there's not many films or TV shows or magazines for gay girls.'

'So I'm right, she's gay?'

'How am I supposed to know?'

Their conversation was interrupted by a tall blonde woman looking fraught as she approached the table. Her lip was tucked neatly under a tooth and she clung to a bag resting on her shoulder.

'Are you Naomi?' Katie asked, handing the phone discreetly to Emily as they both stood up.

'Yeah,' the blonde mumbled, looking rushed. 'You got my phone?'

'Emily has it,' Katie informed her as Emily handed it over.

'Oh Christ, you'll never know how unbelievably thankful I am. This phone is my fucking life. I don't know how I'll repay you. Three months of work is on this thing.'

'Err, you're welcome.'

'Are you gay?'

'Katie!'

'What?' Katie shrugged. 'I asked a question, she doesn't need to answer.'

'Bit personal, isn't it?'

'It's alright, I'm not gay,' Naomi smiled.

Emily's heart sank. She hadn't expected her to be anything special; she hadn't really expected anything at all. But the moment she saw Naomi, her knees grew weak. Her blonde hair was tied neatly into plaits, her blue eyes shining in her direction. She was gorgeous. The disappointment she felt knowing Naomi wasn't gay surprised her. In all of the fuss, Emily almost missed her next words.

'But I'm not straight either.'

'Ah,' Katie grinned. 'Then how about a date?'

'Sorry,' Naomi muttered, looking the older twin up and down. 'You're not really my type.'

'Not for me,' Katie shouted, offended. 'I'm not fucking queer.'

'Ignore her,' Emily mumbled, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

Sometimes Katie's insensitivity really annoyed her. Not only did she come across quite rude but her choice of words made her appear a little homophobic too. She knew Katie better than anyone, but strangers judge people by what they say.

'She's as straight as any straight man,' she assured Naomi, in order to divert the conversation away from the dangerous direction it was headed. 'I'm the one who's gay.'

'Don't make excuses for me Emily, you always do that.'

'Just shut up Katie, for once. Don't call people fucking queer and I won't have to.'

'It's fine,' Naomi said, staring at her feet. 'Really.'

'So do you want to go on a date with my sister or not?'

'Well,' Naomi began. 'That depends.'

'On what?' Katie asked. 'She's fucking gay. What more could you want?'

'Just because she likes girls too doesn't mean she likes every girl that ever lived,' Emily snapped.

'Fuck off, I'm not stupid.'

'Then don't act stupid.'

'It's okay. It depends on if your sister would like to,' Naomi smiled, looking at Katie.

'Well?' Katie requested, staring at Emily as though all that mattered was her response.

'I'd like that,' Emily smiled, looking to Naomi coyly.

The last time she had a relationship had been almost a year ago. Her girlfriend at the time had broken her heart when she went back to an old boyfriend. She knew from the start that Alice's relationship had ended suddenly and that a lot of things had never been resolved. They reached a place where Emily had begun to fall in love with her around the same time that Will came back into her life. That being her only real relationship really shattered her confidence. She couldn't blame Katie setting her up; she'd never have asked her by herself.

'Here, put your number in this,' Naomi handed over her phone, which Emily took hastily. 'Promise I won't leave it in another café.'

Please review and have a very Merry Christmas :)