Author's note: There is always hope, and I can't personally resolve myself to think everything is finished after the end of Skins Fire, so I wrote this to have a better ending, because I feels like it was not closure at all... Also, English is not my native langage (I'm French), so there are probably mistakes I haven't seen.
Anyway, I hope you'd like reading it.

Disclaimers: Nothing to me, and if it wasn't the case, I would certainly not write Skins Fire like that.

Emily felt like she was running against the time. The past days had been nothing but a perpetual race against minutes elapsing, against upcoming death and eyes fulled of pity because her twenty-one girlfriend was dying on an hospital bed for three months. She had heard the whispers from the nurses, looking at her compassionately, asking her how she was feeling and Emily was absolutely unable to answer something because she simply didn't know what to say. She was overwhelmed by a whirwind of contradictory feelings: fear, anger, despair and a tiny bit of hope, a stupid feeling that Naomi, with her help, her love, her presence could find the strength to fight that cancer which was slowly eating her up. She knew it was pointless, Effy had insisted when she had finally decided to call her and tell the awful truth it was terminal, there was no time but nevertheless, Emily continued to have that part of her heart saying it was not over, they could overcome illness like other terrible things that happened to them the previous years.

When the photographer entered the room the first time, she had sobbed in Naomi's arms during hours, and it was her girlfriend who had conforted her, while she was the one suffering hell from her cancer. Naomi had repeated a million times she was sorry for hurting her, for not telling her the truth because she didn't want Emily to drop everything she had built in New York for her, she wanted the best for her, and the best was not waiting in an hospital bedroom with nothing to do apart crying. Emily had eventually answered that her work didn't mattered for her, Naomi was important, she was her everything, and she would have prefered crying in a room with her than being unable to do it. Naomi had looked at her and simply asked: "Are you sure?" and Emily had just nodded before kissing her girl. They didn't need big words, they were just Emily and Naomi, and it was all that mattered.

The day after, Emily called Gina, and it was witout any possible doubt the worst thing she had to do in all her life. Explaining to a cheerful Gina who was in Ireland with her long-term boyfriend her only daughter was diagnosed with terminal cancer, hearing the heavy and endless silence after and the terribly soft sobs through the phone was like being punched in the chest with all the strengh of a boxing champion. Gina had said nothing, but less than twelve hours later she was here, with a serenity Emily was far from to feel but it was Gina Campbell, who had decided as always to be optimistic and tried to decorate the room for Christmas and the New Year, despite the protests of Naomi, who stated:

"It's not because I have a fucking cancer that I can't have a word on the decoration of my own bedroom, for Christ's sake!".

Gina had just said : "But love, it's important to have a good spirit in a room, it helps, plus I followed the recommendation of an Chinese friend on the Feng Sui energy and it could really be benefic for you, it's a natural way to harmonize the different flows and..."

Naomi had just rolled her eyes at that speech, and for a second, Emily had completely forgotten where she was. In fact, it was as if she was still the previous year, hearing happily her girlfriend and her mother arguing about Gina odd ideas and Naomi too rational mind while she was decorating their Christmas tree and waiting to open their gifts. But the voice of a nurse annoucing Naomi's daily check-up brutally brought Emily in the present, where there was no Christmas tree or gifts, just analyzes and medications.

If she was honnest, Gina was a breath of fresh air. Her eternal smile and cheerfulness, even in the worst situations, was a beacon in the storm, a constant reminder she was not alone, it was not finished and Naomi herself was happier with the comforting presence of her mother. Gina was their rock, and even the nurses seemed to admire her courage and her strength to face the most horrible thing for a mother. Sadness and resignation had never been in her vocabulary and she constantly told Emily she had to be strong for Naomi to show her all was not lost, there was some things worth figthing for, like her family and the love of her life, all the amazing things she could have forgotten briefly alone in this room, with just a distraugh Effy for company.

After Gina, Emily had called her boss to clarify her situation, because when she tought about it, a "I need to go, I... Naomi is... Everything is so fucked up! No, don't fucking try to stop me or I swear to God I will kill you right now!" was clearly not a complete explanation. Henry had been very comprehensive, more she had expected and told her to stay all the time she needed, that love was far more important than work and he understood, her wife was diagnosed with cancer too, three years ago. Emily had thanked him and promised to keep abreast of developments. When she told Naomi her work was not longer a concern, she saw relief written on her girfriend face: Naomi didn't want to destroy her future, even if Emily had repeated that Naomi was her future. In fact, Emily loved to see the guilt leaving her girlfriend more than the reassurance of keeping her job. Without any other exterior worries, Naomi could focused on fighting for them, for a little bit time together.

The last person she had called was Katie. Her twin sister was now a fashion designer who began to have a little reputation and their link was still strong. She had accepted her relationship with Naomi and the two girls had become good friends with the same love than before for witty remarks and endless arguments about the supremacy of floral or leopard print. When Emily decided to go to New York for her internship, Katie was the first one to know and to tell her Naomi would support her because she was "heal over heels in love with you Em, she would jump from the third floor if you asked her to, so don't be a pussy, go tell her and have the shag of your life for being a successful photographer!" And in view of the evening that followed, Emily wondered if Katie was not psychic, Effy influence probably.

At the announcement, Katie remained silent during long minutes. Then, she uttered : "What are you gonna do?"

"I 'm going to stay with her, what do you want for me to do?"

"I don't know it's just... Fuck I don't know what to say. Is it... Is there something to try ?"

"Doctors told her it was terminal."

"Shit!" She paused for a second and continued: "Do you want me to tell the parents?"

Emily thought about it for a moment and finally replied: "Just tell them she is sick. I don't want them here."

"Okay. Be brave Em, she needs you." said finally Katie, echoing Effy last words.

Emily replied softly: "I know." and went into the room she had not left for days, sat down the chair near Naomi' bed and stroked gently the hair of her asleep girlfriend. Naomi seemed peaceful, her chest rising and falling to the rhythm of her breathing. Even though she was pale and weak, to Emily, she would always be the most beautiful girl in the world and a fucking cancer could never change that. The brunette climbed carefully and curled up against her lover and whispered a soft "I love you." before falling asleep, lulled by Naomi's snores.

And here she was, the day after, out for a coffee. Suddenly she heard a too familiar voice yelling "Ems!" in the empty corridor and just after that, she felt two arms tightening her strongly. Her twin was here and was wrapping her in a big Fitch hug. Stunned, Emily managed to utter: "What are you doing here, Katie? I mean, you have your office and your new collection is about to come out."

She was cut by her sister who replied :

"Come on Em, my almost sister-in-law is a fucking hospital and you thought I would stay in Bristol without doing anything? No fucking way! Plus Naomi needs someone to kick her ass and yell at her to let a stupid mass of sick cells nearly tear you guys apart."

And with that, simply, Katie entered the room, followed quickly by Emily. When Naomi saw Katie, she almost spit out the drink of water she tried to swallow. With her usual smirk, the older twin said:

"Charming as usual, Campbell, it's good to see you too."

"But how do you know ? And... ?" finally replied an astonished Naomi, facing a smiling Gina.

"Emily told me and I'm here 'cause you need family and, it's hard for me to believe it even after all this years, but you are part of my family, so I'm going to stay a little."

The second later, Katie was almost suffocated by a terribly emotive Gina, who kept repeating it was wonderful of her to be here with them, and the look of the twin was funny enough to cause the first laugh Naomi for weeks, well more a cough but still. At the sound, everybody turned to her and a visibly surprised Naomi asked:

"What?"

With tears in her eyes, Emily replied:

"Nothing" before kissing softly her girlfriend. Maybe Naomi was dying, but at least they were able to make her smile and laugh, feel her loved, and it was something too beautiful to be ignored.

The next days, they decided, mostly because Gina kept ranting about it, to organize a late Christmas. Katie managed to bring a bottle of wine in the room by picking up a rather good-looking doctor. When Naomi asked her mother to look in the drawer of her dresser and Gina came out a carefully wrapped package, Emily almost missed stop breathing, while her girlfriend explained she had asked a month ago Effy to buy this little thing for Em, because she couldn't afford something better and she was stucked in her bed. In the verge of tears, Emily tore the paper to discover a t-shirt with written in a brilliant red "Forever my lobster". A sheepish looking Naomi kept rambling on how it was a shitty gift only to be silenced by a pair of lips who kissed her because to Emily, it was the best Christmas present ever, it was their private jock since the summer they got together and Naomi really amazed her. Even with a cancer, she still was the most wonderful girlfriend she could ever dream of.

Finally, they broke away, only to realize Katie and Gina had left them alone. Emily held her own gift to Naomi and opened it for her: it was a portfolio with all the photos of their good time since the infamous Love Ball. Months ago, she began to ask people photos for it and their friends, families and even their former teacher Doug had helped her with this, bringing memories of their happy and less happy times, of them walking hand in hand out of the ball, of them partying, of them apart, of them reunited, of them making silly moves on the background of their Uni's pictures and funny faces. It was their story, and fate had a really bad sense of humour to make sound this gift as a goodbye one. Emily looked to Naomi to see silent tears running across her face while she was turning pages with a trembling hand. They locked eyes and a simultaneous "I love you" echoed in the room.

Outside, Katie and Gina was waiting patiently, giving the two girls some privacy. After two minutes of silence, the younger woman eventually spoke:

"Do you think there is any hope?"

It was killing her to see her sister and Naomi, biterness seizing her with a strengh she had difficulties to countain. Evreything they had built during years was about to go up to smoke and she couldn't take it, she needed somebody to tell her things would be ok. She had tought she would be Emily's bridesmaid, the "Auntie Katie" of the children she would have with Naomi and without warning, all these dreams were vanishing.

"I want to believe it. I need to Katie. I know what doctors said but until my daughter stop breathing, I will continue to hope. It's probably stupid, yes and I don't care." replied Gina after a while.

"It's not stupid." Katie reassured her, placing a comforting hand on the shoulder of Gina.

"Yeah. Now, the real battle could begins. Regardless of the outcome, they will not be alone to face it."