Thanks so much for the reviews, you all keep saying update soon, or now, well here's some more!

I have updated sooo much today, but the next 2 weeks I'm going to be pretty busy during the day. If I manage to write some in bed on my mobile then I may have some posted up by the morning, if not then it'll be until the evening before I properly post. I'm literally out of the house during the day for the next 10 days straight. Thank God for evenings! But travelling means writing it on my mobile, so I'll hopefully get a few updates up not long after getting home.

Disclaimer: I don't own Skins...would Skins bring back Naomily for a third time? (Sadly probably not :-( )

The laces felt tight around her ankles as she finished tying them in place. She stood up and felt oddly taller, but unsteady on the skates. She followed Katie, Howard and Emily onto the ice and watched them skate off, like pros in comparison to Naomi, as she carefully rested her feet on the slippy surface, clinging tightly to the barrier. The circuit looked daunting, but with the safety of the barrier under her clutch, she set off, sliding around as best as she could.

"Come on slow coach," Emily shouted from behind her, slowing down as she twisted her body and skated backwards in front of her.

Naomi bit her lip, "Show off,"

"You look like you've never done this before, let go of the barrier!"

"That's because I haven't done it before and there is no way I'm not holding on tight," Naomi tried to smile, but she was scared she'd fall over.

-

Emily stopped and Naomi let her slight glides slow so that she could stop in front of her. They were staring into each others eyes as though they were in the middle of a showdown, Emily's lips curled into a smile and Naomi still clutched the barrier like a float in water.

"Do you trust me?" Emily whispered, holding her hands out for Naomi to take.

The question was simple, but Naomi couldn't help process is more deeply than she should have. Trust was something that had never been a problem between them, until the end of their relationship. Naomi used to love how much she could trust Emily to keep her secrets, to keep her safe and most importantly to have a relationship. They were slowly rebuilding a friendship and though it was a slow process Naomi knew the one thing she never doubted was her trust.

"Course," she muttered, resting one hand into Emily's, then slowly letting her other hand move away from the barrier and into Emily's other hand.

It was a sense of freedom, the ability to slide along the ice without holding on to the barrier. Her whole life she'd spent clutching to the side; scared of taking that first step with Emily, scared of letting herself go through fear of the unknown. But now she was stood with her hands gripping Emily's, the one person who had always supported her, who had always let her be free in the safety of her own hands. Naomi sighed, wondering what it meant to still trust Emily more than she'd trusted anyone in her life.

*

Katie and Howard finally relieved Emily of her service, much to Naomi's disappointment. She didn't feel quite as safe with her arms linking Katie and Howard's. But as they moved around the circuit she felt at ease, it wasn't as good as trusting them entirely, but it was the best she could do and it felt pretty good.

"Hey Carrot Top," Katie called out, Naomi frowned, about to say something when Howard answered.

"What Ms Scarlet?"

"Are you staying at mine tonight or what?"

"Only if you'll cook me something special,"

Katie paused, "Like what?"

"My favourite meal."

"Not another curry," Katie complained, her voice sounding more humoured than serious.

"Please, pretty please! I'll bring all the stuff, but you gotta put it together. You know you're better at cooking."

Katie considered her answer, "Alright, but only if you bring ice cream for dessert."

"Deal."

-

Naomi looked between them a look of curiosity on her face. She'd seen Katie with her tongue down men's throats, she'd seen her in compromising positions in clubs, she'd even seen her stood with her hands down a man's trousers in the middle of Tesco. But she had never seen her talk to one about something other than sex. It was difficult to avoid the laughter that fell from her lips, prompting a confused expressions from the happy couple.

"So when's the wedding?" she asked, erupting in laughter. After the initial shock, Katie and Howard joined in.

"What's so funny?" Emily asked, skating up behind them.

"Your friend here seems to think Howie and I are ready for marriage."

Emily laughed, the soft crackling laugh Naomi had heard so many times. It was like music to her ears, until a shrill scream overshadowed it and the four of them turned to see someone lay on the ice, the ice seeping with a diluted shade of red.

"Oh gosh," Katie gasped,

Sickness rose up inside of Naomi's throat, she reached out to steady herself, not caring that she had clutched Howard's arm tightly. Then she was falling, her mind cloudy as her legs turned to jelly and her eyes rolled backwards. The ice felt cold under her skin, clinging to her side as she lay there, barely conscious of events around her. She could hear voices, Emily and Katie shouting, talking, she couldn't tell what they were saying. Then something, someone was helping her to her feet and pulling her away from the cold.

*

Warmth passed through her veins replacing every inch of frostiness with a healthy glow. Her eyes were watery and her mouth was dry, she felt dazed and confused. Three faces looked down at her from around the table that they were all sat at.

"Naomi? Naomi are you okay?" Emily was asking, a worried tone in her voice.

Naomi nodded, "I need, a drink."

Howard passed her a plastic cup filled with water and she gulped it down thirstily. "We were worried,"

Emily stood up and crouched down beside her, looking up into her eyes. Naomi still felt confused, wondering what Emily was doing there, so close to her. For a moment she thought they were still together, until her mind was invaded by images, memories. It hurt to think, so she let her head rest in her hands.

"We should probably get you home," Emily muttered, placing a hand caringly on Naomi's cheek.

Katie and Howard helped her out of the skates then helped her to stand up, letting her rest her weight on their shoulders as she stumbled out of the skating rink, "Lets go back to our place, you shouldn't be alone."

AN: Thank you for reading, it's been enjoyable to write so much today and have so many reviews so quickly. Unfortunately it might not be quite so frequent this week, but I should get a post up each day (maybe more than one?).

Please leave a review! It's the best gift you can give me in return for reading of the story!