Disclaimer: I don't own Skins...but Christmas has just gone, think they'll let me have it? Nor do I own the summary - curtosey of Delta Goodrem (Running Away).

Author Note: Thanks for all the reviews and for reading. This is the final chapter, it's been fun to write and I hope you enjoy the ending. Please review, you'll make a writer very happy. :-)

Summary: "No longer know the girl inside, the stranger in my mind."

Title: Running Nowhere

When they arrived at the bar by the river Katie couldn't see Cook anywhere. The only person visible was JJ, stood against a wall with his hands wrapped around the sides of his head. Katie sighed, wished that Cook was there too as Emily dragged her towards JJ.

'It's okay J, we're here now,' Emily called out, slowly placing a hand on his shoulder until he looked up, smiling into her eyes.

'Cook and Freddie and Cook and Freddie,' he stuttered, trying to get his words out.

'Where's Cook?' Katie asked, impatiently. She couldn't be doing with him getting locked on again, she just needed to know where Cook was.

'They, they, Cook told Freddie, he told Freddie the baby might not have been his, that it could have been Cook's and then Freddie hit him and, and,' JJ drifted off.

'What?' Emily gasped, turning around to Katie.

Katie looked at her apprehensively. She couldn't speak, couldn't confirm the truth for fear of what Emily would say. But she didn't need to speak, her expression had already given her away and if anyone could read her, it was Emily.

'Where are they now?' Katie snapped, staring around the darkened pathway. 'For fuck's sake JJ, just tell us where Cook is.'

'Over there,' JJ's hand reached out, pointing towards the waters edge where Katie noticed a silhouette of Cook come into view. She hadn't seen him before, it had been too dark. But now she knew he was there, it was difficult not to notice him.

'Cook?' Katie called out, walking towards him, her pace speeding up as she reached his side.

A sniffling sound was all Katie could hear, followed by silence. She stayed back for a moment, watching him sat on the railing, a cigarette in his hand.

'Babe?' she whispered, reaching forwards, resting a hand on his shoulder.

'Fuck off.'

Katie let out a breath, tried to stop the tears that threatened to surface. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to let Cook's idiotic self win.

'Cook, please don't be like this, don't be a total fuckwit.'

'That's all I am though, ain't it?' Cook muttered, flicking his cigarette into the water before turning to face her. 'That's all I ever am.'

'No, that's not true,' Katie tried, wanted to reach out and touch his arm again, but feared a further rejection.

'I fuck up, it's what I do. I fucked this up, d'ain't I? I didn't even wanna be a fucking dad.'

'No you're not, you're not a fuck up,' Katie assured him, stepping forwards again as her hand reached out to his back. 'Don't talk like that, you're well better than that.'

'I ain't worth nothing babe, so what does it matter?'

He rose to his feet, standing on a rung of the railings, wobbling as he stared out across the river. Katie felt her heart skip a beat. She was scared, she didn't know why, he was just standing there. It wasn't anything to be scared about.

'What are you going to do?'

'Thinking about going for a swim,' he sighed, holding his arms out to steady himself as he continued to look forwards, staring out at the dark water.

'Are you fucking serious? Cook, it's December, you'll freeze to death.'

'Like anyone gives a shit. I ain't got no family, I ain't got nobody.'

Katie couldn't stop the tears anymore, tried to brush them away as she stared at Cook's back.

'It doesn't need to be like this,' she cried out. 'You don't need to feel like this; you've got JJ and me. Please.'

'I ain't got nobody babe, nobody gives a fucking shit 'bout me. Nobody loves Cook, not like they should.'

Katie couldn't speak, words caught in her throat, mixed in with tears that couldn't seem to work their way from her throat. She gasped for breath, her whole body shaking as Cook jumped into the murky water below. She screamed out, choking on tears. It was only water, she told herself, tried to tell herself that water wouldn't kill him, that he'd be okay.

'Fucking hell,' Emily shouted, coming up beside Katie, JJ behind her.

'Oh my giddy aunt, what are we going to do? I can't swim, not good enough, not enough to get him. What are we going to do? Oh my giddy aunt. Oh my giddy, giddy aunt.'

Pressing her hands against her face, Katie tried to calm down. But she couldn't. She just stared at the water, watching Cook splashing about like he was having fun. Her legs were shaking, her knees threatening to stop working. She sobbed turning to Emily, begging her to do something.

'For fuck's sake,' Emily cried out, pulling off her shoes before jumping into the water after him.

The only thing Katie had wanted was for someone to save him, for someone to pull him out of the water. But as Emily jumped in her heart began to race, her fears of what could happen to Emily now that she was in the water too. She cried out, turning to JJ, shouting at him to call an ambulance or something. He nodded, walking away as he fumbled for the phone in his pocket.

'Emily!' Katie cried out, the splashing eventually stopping, the water turning suddenly silent.

A pair of hands appeared on the edge of the wall, clinging to the stone. Katie jumped forwards, a huge smile reaching her lips as she caught sight of Emily's drenched upper body.

'Help me get him out,' Emily called out, forcing a complaining Cook onto the side. He eventually gave in, allowed Katie to drag him onto the walkway as Emily pulled herself out.

Cook started to cough, spluttering as he admitted defeat, laying back against the cold, stone floor. Katie watched as he took a number of deep breaths. Emily appears beside her, a small smile creeping onto her face.

'Think you need to tell him something, don't you?'

'Are you okay?' Katie asked, Emily nodded. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you.'

Emily shrugged, 'Guess I've never been his biggest fan.'

Katie nodded, felt Emily's hand gently squeeze her own. She pulled away, kneeling down on the floor beside Cook until she could wrap her arms around him.

'You fucking idiot,' she cried out.

Cook seemed to resist again, still wasn't willing to give up his fight as he sat up. 'What the fuck did you do that for?'

'Don't be such a dim twat,' Katie sighed. 'You're a fucking idiot, you could have killed yourself.'

'Shoulda let me drown.'

'No.'

'What the fuck do you care anyway?' Cook snapped, trying to get up, but Katie didn't let go.

'I care about you Cook, what you did for me when I was pregnant. You're well not as bad as people make you out to be. I want to be with you. We'd be good together.'

She didn't expect Cook to feel the same way, she knew he wasn't like that. He was an idiot when it came to women, but that didn't stop her wanting to try. She'd never seen him look as broken as she had that night, which only made her feelings more clear.

'Are you fucking mental? Why'd anyone wanna care 'bout a loser like me?'

'You're not a loser Cook, stop being such a sap, it doesn't suit you. You're Cook, you're a cock, but I love you.'

Katie felt his arms wrap around her, allowing her to push her face against his wet t-shirt. She settled into his arms, sitting perfectly between them, not caring that her clothes were growing damp. She'd been with many guys, had them hold her and kiss her, but she'd never really fitted before. She rested a hand on his cheek, stroking the water from his face as she leant in and kissed him square on the lips.

'Guess we could give it a try,' Cook grinned, pulling her closer as they kissed again.

THE END!

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