A/N: Greetings...

This will probably be my last post to this story this year, so enjoy it thoroughly. This chapter also contains a Cigarette Warning™ (Or a Class S smut rating), so use it wisely.

On with it, then...

Disclaimer: I do not own skins. Buffer. Any and all typos are not my fault. I swear.


(Naomi POV)

(Friday night)

Friday nights... The night at the end of the working week, when everybody is fed up with whatever nine-to-five slog people in normal jobs have to put up with. One thing I'll say about my job, and Effy's, is that it's never boring. Seriously, how can selling sex toys, much less testing them be boring?

Anyway.

Effy had dragged me out to a club, as per her frequent ritual of getting us both completely fucked on alcohol and the occasional tab of E, or the odd spliff hidden in her bra. My day at work had been normal for a Friday, with Emily and I catching up on the requisite paperwork, and comparing notes. You'd think it odd to compare notes on how pleasurable a sex toy is, but like I told Emily when she first started at TI, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. She was still having a bit of trouble with the overuse of descriptive words in her appraisals, and I was patiently teaching her how to be more brief. They were appraisals, not erotic novels. I'm fairly sure that girl could honestly make a decent living writing smut for lesbian porn mags.

Effy had sent me to the bar, while she went out for a cigarette.

"Three shots of vodka each, right Naoms?"

"Yeah, yeah... Just you go off and enjoy your coffin nail..."

She smirked, and dissolved into the crowd, leaving me to make my way to the bar. While I was waiting, I caught a flash of red in the corner of my eye, and turned in the direction of it, scanning the crowd. My eyes landed on Emily, who was across the room. I smiled to myself, as my heart did a little flip inside my chest. Emily turned to her left, and another girl came up beside her, beginning to dance with her. I raised my eyebrow, and watched as the girl leaned in and locked lips with Emily. The hairs raised on the back of my neck, as I felt something inside start to burn that I hadn't felt before. I found myself confused, and suddenly angry that someone else had their hands on her.

It didn't make any sense to me, because Emily and I weren't anything other than workmates who worked an odd job, and slept with each other in an extra-curricular sense.

But still, it made me angry.

The bartender placed six shot glasses in front of me. I my confusion and apparent anger, I drank three of them very quickly. Guess I was getting fucked off my head quicker than expected tonight, then?

"Hey, slow down...wait for me." Effy said, as she came up to stand next to me.

I ignored her and got the bartender's attention again. "Can I get three more of those?" I asked, handing over a tenner. The bartender nodded and poured out the shots. I sank one, before Effy stopped me.

"Naoms. What is it?"

I turned back to the crowd, and Effy followed my line of sight to where Emily and the mystery girl were mid-snog.

"Isn't that-"

"Yeah. It's Emily." I said, my voice thick with something between anger and hurt.

Effy looked at me carefully. "Oh."

"Oh what?"

"What exactly is it with you and her?" Effy asked.

I shrugged.

"C'mon, Naoms... Truth."

I sighed and hung my head. "It's not so professional anymore. I don't think I can stop it, there is just something about her."

"Oh." Effy said. "Jealousy, then."

"Is that what this feeling is?"

"What feeling?"

"Like I want to go over there and punch the other girl in the nose and tell her Emily is mine." I said.

"But she's not yours."

"I know! That's what's so fucking stupid, Eff! She and I... Christ, we work together, but it's more than just shagging each other for science and a paycheck. I care about her, Eff."

"Like you did with Sophia?"

I shook my head. "She's nothing like Sophia. She left town without a fucking word, and I've not even heard from her. Emily wouldn't be like that... She'd explain it to me at least."

"It's not just work with her, though, is it? It's not just sex."

I shook my head again. "No. It was...but it isn't anymore."

"So, you finally fall for someone, and it's someone you work with? Well done, Naomi." Effy smirked.

"Oh, fuck off. She's not ready to be with anyone, and I don't know if I ever will be."

"But you're still fucking her." Effy stated. "And not just as part of your job."

"I know, I know." I conceded.

"Right." Effy said before downing her three shots. "Leave it to me. I'll distract the girl she's with, the rest is up to you. Talk to her about it, because if you don't sort it, it's going to make the situation worse." She added, before wandering off.

"Eff! EFF!" I called after her, but the music was so bloody loud, the bass was pounding through my chest, so her hearing me was frankly impossible.

Christ. I watched, as my best friend made her way through the crowd, fixing her eyes on the girl opposite Emily as the two of them danced with each other. The other girl slid her hand down Emily's back, and pulled her closer. There was an uncomfortable feeling of confusion, and definite anger welling in the pit of my stomach. Effy was near them, waiting for her moment to strike. She waited until the other girl had decided to take a moment to turn in a circle and Effy took her hand and pulled her close to her, whispering in her ear. The crowd was so dense that Emily didn't notice at first, and I managed to make my way quickly enough to stand behind her, moving with the crowd. I was so relieved to be next to her, I didn't think, the first thing I did was slide my arms around her waist and pull her close and begin to dance with her.

Her hands covered mine as we moved, and her fingers traced over mine in an uncertain manner. I pulled her closer, hoping she wouldn't be mad when she found out it was me, but then also unable to release her from me, hoping my embrace didn't make her panic and clock me one by accident. I released my hold a little, and she turned in my arms, her eyes growing wide with surprise. "Naomi?" She said in disbelief, though I barely heard her over the throb of the bass from the club's sound system.

I nodded, and did the next thing that came to my mind, which was to lean in and kiss her slowly. My lips met hers, and she pulled herself closer to me again, and I took the hint, wrapping my arms tighter around her, gently pushing my tongue between her lips as we swayed to the melody around us. Emily broke the kiss first, and looked at me with a curious expression. She reached down and took my hand, leading me though the club and out into the street.

"Did you not want to stay?" I asked, as she began to walk down the street. I quickly fell into step beside her.

"No... I was getting bored." Emily said.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself with whoever that girl was..." I said, a little sarcastically.

"Don't, Naomi." She said, stopping and turning to face me. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" I asked.

"Get possessive on me. That's not what we are, and you know it." Emily said, her voice wavering a little. She started walking again, and I began to walk after her.

"What are we then, Emily? If it's not just sex then what the fuck are we doing?" I asked.

"I don't know, Naomi!" She replied. "Can't things ever be complicated? Can't I just like shagging you?"

"I like shagging you too... But Emily, I... Christ." I said, stopping in my tracks. I had a sudden realisation that Effy had been right, I was jealous. I sighed, deeply, leaning against a low wall. "Ems, I'm sorry. I admit it... I got jealous seeing you with someone else. I saw you kissing her, and I didn't like it one bit. It made me angry." I said.

"Naomi..."

"I know... You're not ready for anything. But Emily... I can't help the way I feel about you. I'm not even sure what that is, but I know it's more than just friendship... I've grown to care for you a lot, hun. I want to be something more to you, when you're ready. I can't promise I'll be any good at it, but the least I can do is try."

Emily looked up at me, and shut her eyes in an expression that echoed frustration. She opened her eyes again and tears slipped down her cheeks. "You make me want you so much...it hurts." She croaked, her voice thick with emotion.

I reached up and ran my thumbs through the tracks of her tears, rubbing her cheeks dry. "I want you too, Emily. Not just as someone to shag for science, profit, or whatever. Not as just a casual screw to scratch an itch. I think I want to be the person who you wake up next to every day."

"Naomi...please, baby...don't..." Emily whispered, as she started to cry. I pulled her close to me and she buried her head in my chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I said, softly stroking her hair. "I didn't want to upset you, I just... I feel so much more for you than just friendship."

She lifted her head from my chest and shook it slightly. She reached up behind my neck and pulled my lips down to hers, kissing them deeply. It was a desperate, but lingering kiss, and I felt Emily pull my body closer to hers.

Once we had separated, Emily slid her hand into mine, and began to lead me down the street. She didn't say anything and I didn't ask, and soon enough were re standing at the door to her flat, and she was fumbling with the key in the door. Her hands were shaking so much, I held then between my own to steady them, looking her in the eyes. I waited, until her fingers stopped shaking. "Better?" I asked, softly.

She nodded, and reached for the key and turned it, opening the door and pulling me inside, closing it behind us. She pulled me through the flat, in the direction other bedroom, fumbling at my clothing, which I automatically gave her a hand with, as well as beginning to remove her own. By the time we reached the foot of Emily's bed, we were down to our underwear, Emily unclipped my bra and slid the straps off my shoulders, before her fingers slid down my sides and into the waistband of my knickers, peeling the fabric off my skin and slipping them down my thighs. I gently pushed her backwards, and she fell backwards onto the bed. She looked up at me with eyes filled with lust and I quickly lay on top of her and pushed her bra up over her tits, paying particular attention to her nipples with my lips, tongue and teeth. I already knew how sensitive they were, and seeing as no one else knew this little secret of hers, I considered myself privileged.

A soft groan left her throat and her fingers gripped my shoulders, and I began to kiss down her stomach, reaching up to pinch her nipples once between my fingers before trailing my fingertips down to the waistband of her underwear, pulling them down her toned thighs. Once they were off, I pushed open her knees and began leaving soft kisses up her thighs. I placed my hand flat on her stomach as I got closer to her folds, inhaling the scent of her, then slipping my tongue between her outer lips. She gave a sharp intake of breath and her back arched, pushing her closer to me. I flicked my tongue at the space where her folds met, feeling the swell of her clit underneath. Her hand reached into my hair and gripped on, and I spread her open, beginning to lick and nibble at her clit.

Her hips rocked towards me more insistently, her breathing becoming more shallow. I began to flick my tongue faster against her clit and without hesitation pushed two of my fingers up inside her heat, earning a loud moan for my troubles. Both her hands were in my hair now, gripping more firmly as I pleasured her with my mouth and fingers.

"Oh shit... Ohhhh Christ, Naomi...oh please..." Emily moaned incoherently.

Please indeed. I sucked her clit between my lips and curved my fingers inside her, and she thrashed under me, the huskiness in her voice cutting out half of the loud groan that broke free of her throat. Her body stiffened as her orgasm gripped her, and I slowed the motions of my fingers and tongue as she came down from the space of pleasure. Her hand drifted down to my shoulder and made to pull me upward, and out of instinct I crawled up her body, leaving soft kisses all the way up her skin. She pulled me into her arms and crashed her lips against my own, tasting her own essence on my lips in a slow, lazy kiss.

We said nothing for a very long time, just laying there with my head on her chest and her fingers tracing back and forth across my shoulders. I had a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach, one of uncertainty about what was going to happen next.

"So..." I said, finally about to ask a question I was dreading an answer to. "...what now?"

I looked up at Emily, who stroked her fingers through my fringe. "What do you mean 'what now'?"

I sighed. "Have we ruined it?"

"God, I hope not." Emily sighed. "I like you, I'm attracted to you, I'm not ready to be with someone, but I can't seem to be without you..." She said. "Why do you have to make me fall for you?"

"I'm sorry."

"But you are for me, too." She said. "Aren't you? That's why you came to me at the club."

I closed my eyes and sighed, "I don't know what it's like to fall in love, Emily. It's never happened to me before. But I know you mean much more to me than just a friend." I said.

"I know." Emily replied. "So do you to me. I tried to stop it happening, but it was impossible. It's just too strong."

I kissed her shoulder softly. "I don't want to hurt you, Emily. If this is too much for you..."

"It isn't so far... I just... I don't see myself sleeping with anyone else right now, but I just... Don't want to make a commitment, you know?"

"But if you did..."

"If I did, I'd be with you. But I just can't right now. It doesn't feel right. But I'm definitely not just using you for sex, Naoms. I don't think I ever really was."

"Me neither." I replied.

Emily sighed and kissed the top of my head. "What a pair we make... Someone who's never been in a relationship and someone who is wary of them, trying to figure out what they are to each other."

"What a right pair indeed." I laughed.

We laid there a few moments, just enjoying the feel of each other. "So, Naomi..."

"Mmm?" I said, looking up into her eyes.

"I think it's my turn to show you how much I want you..." She smirked, rolling us both over and straddling my hips.

And show me she did...


A/N#2: So...still not saying the three words, but almost...it's in the air hovering like little tweeting birds...

Ah, dear.

More next year for this tale...happy new year everyone!

Until next time,

~GN~ xo