Hi, everyone! (Or whoever reads this...) I'm BeautifulDirtyFitch or you can call me BDF. Here's my first attempt at a Naomily story and I really hope it's good because they're my OTP and it would crush me if I ruined them for myself and you. XD The name Halfway Home is taken from a song that's a part of Gen 2's soundtrack which I love and I thought it fit here. (Gen 2 runs my life. 3) There are a few characters from the other Gens thrown in too...and I've basically gone full fan girl and included my favourites who would fit. . Also, I have never worked in a News Station and so I don't know exaaaaaaaactly what goes on but I've done my research and I hope it's not too bad.
Anyway! Let's get on with it! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Skins...but it owns me... *melts from the feels*
Naomi
There's no feeling more enchanting than being behind after hours. Like if you stay behind after school when hardly anyone is around, or staying in a pub after last orders with your friends or moments like this. I was in my office with the door cracked open, the blinds on the windows were drawn and my desk lamp was lighting my notes. I adored my work and I put everything into it, it's why I was here most nights, I guess some people might call it 'burning the midnight oil'.
Going over my notes from my last report and preparing ideas for my next, I scribbled away. I worked at Halfway Home News (Or HHN) , one of London's leading media broadcasts. It was popular, in my opinion, because of our fresh new vision and the influence of our producers. Tony Stonem was a visionary; he and his sister Effy had started the company from scratch and made it what it was. They showed that young people could do everything the older generation could, I always saw it as a type of rebellion, and I loved that. Tony was in charge, Effy was his support and ever since they'd hired Mini McGuinness a few years ago, the broadcast had reached new heights.
My name is Naomi Campbell, I'm 24 and working as a reporter is my passion. I'd started here when the broadcast was just taking off, I couldn't say how proud I was to have made a difference to this company, not that I was always so receptive of the idea.
"No, Ef. There's no way." I shook my head, expecting her to drop the idea straight away, I should have known better.
Effy just looked at me over the cocktail she was drinking, her legs crossed, one arm leaning on the bar we were sat at, looking as enigmatic and sexy as usual, "Naomi, if I didn't think you could do this, I wouldn't have asked you."
That's true, Effy did have an uncanny sense for these things, I'd learnt that throughout the last 5 years I'd known her. College and university wouldn't have been the same without Effy Stonem. "You know your shit, I get that." I said, sipping on a vodka lemonade, "But I took Politics and Law…I don't know the first thing about reporting."
"Then you'll learn." She assured me with a shrug, glancing around the club at the several men looking over in our direct, well her direction. It looked like she was weighing up her options.
"Ef…" I began, not sure where I was going with it.
"Nai," She looked back at me, "We're fresh out of university and this is a job offer, an actual job. I know you're thinking of that. Don't be a tit about this."
I scoffed, "I'm not being a tit!" I didn't look around to see who had heard my little outburst, "I want to go into politics, I want to make a difference."
"I've heard this speech so many times…" She commented, she seemed to locate some suitable guy, her eyebrow quirking in that particular way it did when she was intrigued. She looked back at me, "Trust me. Give this a go and you won't be disappointed." She downed her drink and licked her lips. "And you'll make a difference." She slipped off of her seat lithely and floated across the room.
I sat there for a while, I was used to Effy going off when we went out, it didn't bother me. I was too busy thinking things over. She was right; I would be stupid to turn down a job, wouldn't I? And a new experience wouldn't hurt. Maybe, just this once, I could take a chance. People have called me stubborn…which is just a bunch of horse sh- okay, maybe I am...
I looked over at Effy, she wasn't dancing with the guy I'd seen eyeing her; she'd seemingly walked straight past him, now dancing with a slightly shorter, dark haired girl. It wasn't too uncommon to see Ef dancing with a girl who took her fancy. She saw me looking over and looked straight back at me, her arms draped around the girl's shoulders as they danced closely. I knew she sensed what I was thinking so I gave her an almost imperceptible nod from across the room. I'll do it.
She smirked back at me in a way that said was there really a question you would? She focused on the girl then, moving her hands down to her waist and pulling their hips flush against one another before kissing her. The men around them looked torn between jealousy and gratification. I chuckled into my drink; I guess Effy Stonem always gets her girl.
So, here I sat, two years later, loving my work, surrounded by co-workers who were like family and feeling on top of the world.
"You're still here?" A voice asked me. I looked up from my notes to see one of my favourite faces. Short curled hair, recently dyed blonde (I sometimes conceitedly wondered if it was my influence, nah, it couldn't be.) hazel eyes and that disarming grin, Franky Fitzgerald.
"This isn't my house?" I asked, looking around and then turning back to grin at her in a resigned way, "I'm so unobservant sometimes…"
"Lucky for you, I can observe enough for the both of us." She chuckled, walking over and standing in front of the desk, "Now, get out." She inclined her head to the door, "When there's only me and JJ left in the building you know it's time to go." Franky was the station's head News Writer and JJ was the Broadcast Technician, without them, everything would fall apart.
"What if I told you I was having a whale of a time?" I ventured, playing with the pen in my hand and twirling it around my fingers.
"No." She replied simply.
"What if I reminded you of the seniority I have over you?" I grinned.
She walked around and pulled my chair out, spinning me around to face her, "And what if I reminded you that…" She looked at me blankly for a moment, my grin widened, "Just get out, Campbell!" She said, tugging me out of my seat and grinning too despite herself.
"Alright, alright…Jesus…" I whined, patting down my pencil skirt and fitted jacket before gathering my notes and bag. "You're getting too big for your boots, you know."
"I've just gotten to know what's best for you." She corrected, walking out of the office and turning back to me, "Like eight hours of sleep, for example. I'm not dealing with you in the morning when you're grumpy as fuck."
"Awwh," I put on a baby voice, walking out and holding the palm of my hand to the back of her hair, "Always looking out for me."
She laughed and batted my hand away, "Fuck off."
I turned and locked the door to my office before looking back at her, we began to walk along, "Need a lift home?"
She paused and thought about it, "Yeah, that'd be great. I don't fancy walking this late."
"As if I'd let you." I said as we descended the stairwell, "I'll take you home to your fancy palace."
She rolled her eyes with a grin, "You act as if you're flat isn't as nice as mine."
I swiped my key card and held the door open for her as we walked out to the car park, "I just think it's nice that your dads make sure you have the best of the best." I really did love Franky's dads, they and my mum got on like a house on fire. And Kieran was there too…but he had me.
She huffed, "I can take care of myself." We walked around each side of the car and got in.
"Oh, believe me, I know." I started the car and smiled as it hummed into life, "Nobody fucks with Fitzgerald."
We drove along and chatted idly. It was crazy how close we'd gotten since meeting a year ago when she joined the team. And spooky how close Geoff, Jeff and Gina were, we were like a big family…though the elders were constantly trying to play match maker…
"Naomi, darling, doesn't Franky here have the most adorable smile?" Gina would ask me in what she hoped was a nonchalant way.
I'd look at Franky and appraise her, "Dazzling." I'd agree, and we'd go back to whatever it was we were doing.
"Franky, dear." Geoff would say as Franky and I treated them to dinner, "Isn't Naomi the most beautiful creature you've ever seen, just look at her." Of course, I'd blush and look down at the compliment.
"Couldn't agree more, dad." Franky would beam, winking at me before going back to her food.
Then they were less subtle, "You two are perfect for one another!" Jeff implored as we sat in Gina's house back in Bristol, which Geoff and Jeff though was just darling. Kieran was there, but he knew the drill, he knew what our answer would be.
"No." Franks and I replied in exasperation.
"Just because we get on well doesn't mean we're made for each other." Franky put on a mocking tone.
"Exactly. So…please…please just stop trying to play cupid." I asked them all. Franky and I got up to leave the room.
"Yeah, or you're all grounded." Franky tossed in, grinning at me as we walked out.
"That's right!" I seconded.
I pulled up in front of Franky's building and she turned to look at me, "We both need to blow off some steam."
"I like my steam, being steamy works for me." I countered, turning off the engine and looking at her.
Franky just looked at me, "We're going out soon, alright?"
I bit the inside of my cheek for a moment. If I went out with her then that would surely be enough to tide her over for a few weeks… "Alright, Franks."
"Yeah?" She beamed as I agreed. Damn that girl, there was no refusing her. She was able to manipulate me just as well as Effy…though in a different way.
"Yeah." I agreed with a roll of my eyes. "Now get out of my car." I added playfully.
She chuckled and we exchanged our goodnights before Franky left the car and walked into the building. I watched until she wasn't in sight anymore and then set off for my own flat. Neither of us lived too far away from work or each other, something I was very thankful for. There had been so many times when both of us needed one another; I really would be a wreck if it weren't for her and Effy.
You might be wondering why me and Franky aren't together. For one, Franky likes guys, a lot. She likes girls too but believe me, she's a sucker for the bad boy. When they get too bad I step in though. Then there's the usual thing, we're best friends. Who wants to fuck up a perfectly good friendship with something as complicated as a relationship? You may have guessed the last thing…I don't really do relationships.
Yeah, I'm up for a shag here and there, something that satisfies the sexual animal that dwells within me (she's in there, I promise) and that may seem immature but it was just how I worked. I just had to switch on the charm and, most of the time, the girls were lining up. I feel like I'm giving statistics now, 9 out of 10 women would recommend shagging Naomi Campbell to a friend.
I rolled up to my building, stowing my car in the garage before heading upstairs. Going out with Franky would be fun, she'd be less worried about me, I'd get a much needed release, everybody wins.
I had to remember to thank Franks for sending me home; I would have definitely been knackered otherwise when I walked into work the next day.
I walked through the newsroom, now full of life and chatter; heading to Meeting Room A like I did every weekday.
"Alright, Naomikins?" A familiar jovial voice asked me. "Where we off today then?"
Bloody Cook, never feels the morning drag like I do. I looked at him despondently, "You have no idea?"
"'Course not, babe. Gotta live in the moment, gives me surprise every day, dun it?" He asked rhetorically as we walked to the meeting room. Cook was my camera man, mine in the sense that I didn't trust anyone else with filming me and he didn't want to work with any other reporter. He told me once, "It's my job to film a fit bird all day, it's fucking mint. All I ever wanted. If I wasn't doing this I'd probably be filming pornos." I then told him he was too talented for pornos. It was just his excuse, he and I were so close and though he'd tried on many occasions to get into my pants, we respected one another. We were each other's rocks.
Mini tottered along just then, our producer, looking at herself in a hand mirror but still managing to navigate perfectly around the desks that lay in her path.
"McGuinness!" Cook greeted her. She snapped her mirror shut and walked over to us, sporting her movie star smile.
"Alright, freakshow?" She winked at him. Mini had this way of taking everything Cook said in her stride, they may well have shagged in the past but I really wasn't interested on keeping a record of Cook's tally in the office. She looked at me then, "Naomi, your spot yesterday." She looked as if she couldn't contain her praise, "C'est magnifique! When they say you own the screen, they know what they're talking about."
"Who's 'they'?" I inquired with a bemused look.
"Oh, just about everyone." She pressed on. I thought Mini was a very talented woman, but she did talk a load of shit sometimes.
The three of us walked into the meeting room just as yesterday's broadcast was finishing up on the big screen.
"I'm Michelle Stonem. Thanks for watching, take care." Michelle winked on screen, though currently, she was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm telling you, that wink is too cheesy, Gracie." Mini observed, taking her usual seat at the large table next to Grace, our News Director.
"Well, Michelle and I like it." Grace smiled serenely, "It's intimate. The viewer connects with Michelle; they already know her and see her every day. People will want to think the wink is just for them."
"I wouldn't mind getting a wink from Michelle." Cook muttered to me. I grinned as we took our seats, I had to agree, Michelle was extremely beautiful. It was fine for us to think it as long as Tony didn't get wind of it, he really did love his wife completely.
"Did we have a few audio glitches last night, Thomas?" Mini asked, taking a sip of the coffee that was usually there for her in the mornings. Everyone around the table was a senior staff member, it didn't matter what their role was, we were the ones people came to and looked up to.
"Yes, I'm afraid so." Thomas, our Audio Engineer said apologetically. "Unavoidable unfortunately, but things were back on track straight away."
"It was my fault, Mini!" Pandora readily admitted, "I was just watching Tommo work and I ended up tripping over a wire, mega stupid." Panda was our weather girl, or Broadcast Meteorologist as JJ implored her to refer to herself as. It was perfect for her, no matter what the weather, that girl was a ray of sunshine in herself.
Mini frowned, she really had difficulty settling for less than perfection, it was both a good and bad thing. With Effy being more of the laid back genius with ideas flowing without her even trying, Mini was more the general, she would make sure everything turned out exactly as Effy envisaged. "We'll have to make sure the wires are properly taped then wont we?"
Franky was sat next to me, scribbling away and taking notes on anything that would need to be brought up later. She did it even before the meeting officially started, she was a sweetheart. When she finally looked up from it I threw her a smile which she returned.
Effy walked in along with JJ who was telling her of his latest ideas to improve the productivity of the Broadcast, they were surely genius. I looked at the both of them as they talked, Jay rambling on and Effy hardly saying anything. Both geniuses in such different ways. JJ took his seat next to Franky and he began to regale her with his ideas, I just hoped she could comprehend them like Effy seemed to do. The younger Stonem raised her eyebrows to me in greeting as she took her seat, the right hand to the head of the table, where Tony sat. I instantly knew something was wrong as soon as her eyes had met mine, Effy was very fucking difficult to figure out but, by now, I was in tune with her. Her eyes…they were one of the most expressive things about her, and today, they carried a sadness. I'd need to talk to her once the meeting was over.
There was chatter for the few minutes that remained until 9am, and then, just like every morning in the newsroom, Tony and Michelle Stonem walked into the room and they looked fucking glorious doing it. I swear, sometimes having Michelle, Tony and Effy sat opposite me each morning was too much for my fragile heart to bear.
"Good morning, all." Tony said, keeping his eyes fixed to his coffee as he sipped it. Usually Tony's hypnotising eyes scanned the room as he said this, was something up? I was probably reading too much into it, just like I usually did. We all mumbled assorted greetings.
Grace chimed in, "Tony, I'd like to introduce a topic for discussion. Michelle's wink. Some people…" She looked pointedly at Mini whose eyes hit the ceiling, "think the wink is too much."
"The wink isn't too much, the wink stays." Michelle grinned conspiratorially at Grace who looked very proud of herself. Michelle had a way of making everyone in the office feel special.
"We actually have a lot of things to go over today, Grace but thanks for that." Tony gave her a genuine smile before looking back at his notes. His shoulders seemed to droop; Michelle placed a delicate hand there and rubbed gently. What the fuck was going on with the Stonems today? "First thing, we're going to be having a few new additions to the team. They're charismatic, adorable and sassy all at the same time. To cap it off, they're twins."
"Get in!" Cook celebrated, causing most of us to fall into laughter, I nudged him affectionately.
"Which team will they join?" Mini asked, curious.
"Reporting." Tony looked to me, "One's popular culture and the other's a fashion correspondent. Will you show them the ropes, Nai?"
I gave him a salute, "Since when can't you count on me?"
"Great." He grinned, his eyes drifted over to his sister, whom hadn't said a word…of course she was a woman of little words usually but she would definitely have offered something at this moment normally. Effy just sat, leant back in her chair, eyes on the skyline view the window presented, early morning dreariness as usual. Tony sighed and looked to his wife, she gave him a smile that looked almost reassuring, he turned to us again.
I think the others around the table were starting to sense something wrong now. "What's wrong, Tony?" Franky asked on our behalf, her pen finally at a standstill.
Tony looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath before he spoke, looking up, "Michelle and I have some news."
"You're pregnant!" Grace jumped to conclusions…literally jumped, she was out of her seat. "Congratulations!"
"Grace…" I said, she looked at me and I gestured for her to sit back down with the kindest expression I could muster. She did so, not looking a jot sheepish, just waiting for Tony to speak again.
"We've been offered new jobs." Tony came out with it. There was a heart stopping moment when my eyes immediately fell on Effy. There was no way she was leaving me. "In America." He added. My stomach was doing flips of terror.
"Who?" Panda asked, she was looking at Effy too, she loved her as well. Effy was looking determinedly out of the window.
"Me and Chelle." He answered, pacifying Panda and myself. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"When?" JJ asked, breaking the silence.
"Three weeks from now." Tony admitted.
That was when Effy got up and left the room.
And that was the first chapter! Please don't be too harsh...although constructive criticism is welcome. xD I hope you guys want me to update, please tell me so in the reviews!
~BDF