AUTHOR'S NOTE.

While in mourning for the death of SKINS, my emotions became a cocktail of sorrow, horror and anger at the ambiguity of it all. However, through this lamentation, two songs came to the forefront of my mind. Of course, I do not own the rights; they belong to Mumford and Sons and Birdy. But I just wanted to share with you the inspiration behind this story and hope that will help you join the dots together behind my reasoning for what takes place. I would recommend listening to the following tracks while reading to add some dimension. I'm hoping this will provide you with the closure that we are all missing.

(FOR COOK) MUMFORD AND SONS – DUSTBOWL DANCE

The young man stands on the edge of his porch.

The days were short and the father was gone.

There was no one in the town and no one in the field.

This dusty barren land had given all it could yield.

I've been kicked off my land at the age of sixteen,

And I have no idea where else my heart could have been.

I placed all my trust at the foot of this hill,

And now I am sure my heart can never be still.

So collect your courage and collect your horse,

And pray you never feel this same kind of remorse.

Seal my heart and break my pride.

I've nowhere to stand and now nowhere to hide.

Align my heart - my body - my mind

To face what I've done and do my time.

Well you are my accuser, now look in my face.

Your oppression reeks of your greed and disgrace.

So one man has and another has not.

How can you love what it is you have got?

When you took it all from the weak hands of the poor?

Liars and thieves you know not what is in store.

There will come a time I will look in your eye,

You will pray to the God that you've always denied.

Then I'll go out back and I'll get my gun.

I'll say, "You haven't met me, I am the only son."

Well, yes sir - yes sir - yes, it was me.

I know what I've done, 'cause I know what I've seen.

I went out back and I got my gun

I said, "You haven't met me, I am the only son."

I believe that these words sum up Cook's journey perfectly. From dysfunctional beginnings, to an uncomfortably dark youth, into a bleak and lonely future. This song is all about acceptance, responsibility and redemption – three key ingredients that have contributed to his story. He has learned so much and seen so much along the way and yet, while he is on the run in RISE, he admits that he cannot escape the pasts. Cook graced the screen as a character we loved to loathe. He appeared to completely lack remorse; careless with his actions with no thought for the consequences and damage to another's feelings. He seemed to have his own best interests at heart. However, what we have learned while watching this undeniably amazing character develop, is that he has more heart and soul than the rest of them put together. Previously, Cook shied away from his genuine being through insecurity, fear of rejection and a lack of self-love. Everyone he has ever cared about has shit on him or left him. His parents have neglected him, the love of his life has pushed him away, his friends have turned their backs – and in the end, his best friend in the entire world suffers an ill fate and dies at the hands of a psychopath. I think the final scenes of RISE were really clever as Emma's death significantly references back to Freddie's last moments. With this fic, not only did I want to fill in the blanks, but I wanted to show Cook's progression into becoming a man. A man that no longer wants to live in the darkness; a man that knows what must become of him; a man that has finally accepted who he is.

(FOR EFFY) BIRDY – PEOPLE HELP THE PEOPLE

God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts.

Guess he kissed the girls and made them cry,

Those hard-faced queens of misadventure.

God knows what is hiding in those weak and sunken lives.

Fiery throngs of muted angels,

Giving love but getting nothing back.

People help the people

And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it.

People help the people

And nothing will drag you down.

Oh and if I had a brain,

I'd be cold as a stone and rich as a fool

That turned all those good hearts away.

God knows what is hiding in this world of little consequence.

Behind the tears, inside the lies,

A thousand slowly dying sunsets.

God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts.

Guess the loneliness came knocking

No one needs to be alone.

The one element of FIRE that really astonished me was Effy's lack of growth. Sure, the aesthetics had changed – leather and studs traded in for sexy, satin gowns – but throughout the episode, Effy was constantly trying to be something she was not. She is not a numerical genius, nor a ball-busting businesswoman. I wanted to explore this throughout the fic. Effy is so desperate to escape her past and forget the pain and suffering she has endured, but in the process is ever more the cold and empty vessel she has always been. Everything about her new life is on the exterior, nothing internal has changed. She's still self-indulgent, still selfish with her emotions and still manages to hurt everybody around her. She is unable to be there for Naomi in her time of need and consistently manipulates Dominic for her own gain. I wanted to exhibit the reasons behind this throughout this story, as they are inherent parts of Effy's character. It is only within the final moments of FIRE that Effy actually steps up to the mark and accepts what she has done to everybody around her. As always, she was so easily seduced by the dominant authority figure (as she was with Freddie) and she is constantly seeking out the safety of having somebody look after her – as her parents were unable to. She became Jake's playmate and ultimately, was rejected and used for the umpteenth time. Effy's life seemed to have become a viscious circle of games that constantly tested self-worth. This all ends when she puts the truth and her own morality before love and lust, which I think is a defining point for her character. It took a lot of baby steps to get there, but I'd like to believe that what I have written post-RISE when she gets into the cab actually defines the woman she has become now and where her heart has always been – in the right place.