A/N: School has filled my head with all kinds of "interesting" stuff and demands that I write papers left, right and center. That unfortunately leads to extremely irregular updates, because I can't seem to find the time to write something that's not school related. Or I'm too fed up with writing when I do... Anyways, I'm sure this isn't what you're here to read, so without further delay, here's the next chapter. Enjoy. (Almost forgot, this type of writing, means flashbacks.)

Chapter 10: Tell me you're staying.

Empty… empty, empty, empty. She scoffed slightly, her eyes staring at the empty seat beside her, tracing random shapes onto it with her fingertips. Doubt was flaring in her mind, bursts of memories overwhelming her every now and then. The only indication of it, was the way her hand would stop moving for a while, only to move stutteringly into another random shape moments later. Sighing, she looked up and out the window instead, watching clouds swirl gently underneath her. The colours seemed to morph, white like snow in one instant, thundering grey the next, she hoped that didn't mean there would be turbulence. She chuckled weakly at her own thoughts, she'd had enough emotional turbulence in the last few weeks to last her a lifetime. Not to mention all the crap she had gone through before that.

"I'll stay, throw them off the scent."

The words echoed in her head, replaying over and over until they had lost their meaning. This had been what she wanted, hadn't it? Some time alone? She leant against the window, feeling the vibrations of the plane shake lose the rest of the conversation.

"You know it's the only way this will work, this will give you a few extra days. You can bury him in peace, without wondering if there's going to be an attack. Without wondering if this is the day another one of you dies." She could see the sincerity in her eyes as she spoke the words with conviction. "This is my way of making it up to you, or at least starting to."

"And what if I told you that you didn't have to do this?" She murmured quietly.

"I'd tell you that you were lying." Again, that conviction made Naomi falter a bit, made her really look at the other girl. Emily took it the wrong way of course, launching into another explanation. "I know I said I wouldn't leave your side, but don't you see? This is my way of protecting you." Her words were pleading now and Naomi knew she had no choice but to agree.

"But who will protect you?" She whispered to the clouds, not really seeing them. She had changed her mind a million times before she got on the plane and now it was too late to do anything about it. Katie had tried convincing Emily not to stay, of course, but Emily was stubborn. It was one of the things Naomi didn't know if she should be grateful for, or not. If Emily hadn't been so stubborn, she would have probably left, she would have given up on trying to get Naomi to forgive her.

Truth was, Naomi had no real anger towards her anymore, it was just a matter of getting Emily to see that too. She thought she had started that process when she was clinging to Emily, crying her eyes out, finally breaking down, but she wasn't sure Emily saw it like that. Perhaps Emily thought that she had simply broken down near the closest available person. She shook her head at the thought, another memory jumping to the front of her mind.

"This is ridiculous! Tell her! Tell her she should just stick to the plan and go with you two!" Katie was furious, eyes menacing as she stared at Naomi. Naomi shook her head slightly, averting her own eyes. Katie rounded on Emily, grabbing her shoulders. "Don't do this… Emily, please." Her tone changed completely, all traces of anger gone.

"I have to." Emily simply answered, grabbing Katie's hands. "You go with Effy and get James, alright? Tell him… Tell him everything. Ok? Naomi and Cook will follow you in a couple of days and I'll be a few days behind them again."

"But…" Katie answered. "What if..?"

"You can't think like that Katie." Effy intervened. "Emily is going to be fine. She's just staying to send an e-mail. I'll admit that I would have preferred that we all stick together, but this is ultimately her choice. And since Naomi doesn't seem to mind…"

"I don't like it either." Naomi interrupted. "I don't like it at all, it's not up to me though. Not anymore."

She was almost oblivious to Cook sliding in to the seat next to her, lost in the way Emily had looked at her in that moment. The mixture of sadness, love, regret and gratitude had been so very plain to see, she hadn't been able to hold those eyes for too long, had to look away after mere seconds. Cook tugged her towards him, hugging her close.

"She's a big girl, Blondie. She can take care of herself." He always knew what to say to her, it never failed to amaze her. She wondered, not for the first time, what his life would have looked like if she hadn't found him when she did. If he had never even met her mother. Maybe he'd be just the same, but he had a weird way of getting himself in trouble. Nothing major, just stupid things like hitting on the wrong women, selling drugs to the wrong people and some rather questionable tastes in tattoos. She'd personally stopped him when they were around 15-16 from getting a rather hideous one. She grinned slightly at the memory.

"I know." She answered sleepily. She hadn't really slept much since that night with Emily. It seemed to be the norm these days, next to no sleep for long periods of time. The last few nights had been different though. First Emily had gone back to her and Katie's room, so she could spend some time with her before Katie went home with JJ, Panda and Effy. Emily had then chosen to stay in her old room, making it virtually impossible for Naomi to actually sleep. It was insane, but she had become used to being able to wake up in the middle of the night and make sure that Emily was there. She wasn't sure how she was going to sleep when Emily would be in a different continent all together.

"You sort things out with her before we left?" Cook murmured, squeezing her closer.

"Sort of." Naomi answered. "I mean, we need to get to know each other again. Take it slow and all that shit." She scoffed. "Fucking useless, if you ask me." Cook grinned at her.

"You just wanna go straight to the shagging part, right?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, she did do this thing with her tongue…" Naomi grinned back. She didn't feel the need to explain things further. Cook had been with her since the moment she figured out she was gay, had been there through all her previous relationships, or whatever they had been. He already knew that she usually slept with women first and asked questions later. Sometimes it had worked out fine, other times she had very nearly ended up with psycho stalkers following her around. "But I guess I should try the "adult" approach." She rolled her eyes.

"My Naomi, all grown up." Cook mocked, fake wiping a tear from his cheek. "I'm so fucking proud!" He grabbed her in a bear hug, nearly cutting off her air supply.

"Get off me, you pillock." Naomi slapped his arms, trying to get him to let go of her.

"You love me." He grinned, letting go of her.

"Unfortunately, you're right." She grinned back, feeling much better than she did before he came and sat down next to her. She felt like everything would be alright for once. It was a very strange feeling.

-C.S-

She watched them through the window, cigarette hanging limply from her hand. The moon hung low in the sky, illuminating the things the streetlights didn't. They seemed happy to be together, all of them, but she couldn't take it anymore. It had been too long since she had been alone, completely alone. She stared longingly across the road, wondering if she had to let the others know where she was going or not.

They were still missing Emily, she was somewhere in New York, deflecting attention away from the group. The strain on Katie was beginning to show, especially since Emily had called earlier with the news that she was being followed all of a sudden. She flicked the ash off her cigarette, before taking another drag. She wasn't too worried though, Emily could take care of herself. She glanced up and down the street, dropping the cigarette on the ground in front of her, stepping on it as she crossed the street. The others would figure out where she went anyways, and she had her phone if they needed to get a hold of her.

A quiet calm washed over her as soon as she entered the cemetery. She took her time, slowly making her way towards the middle of it. The gravel crunched softly under her feet, adding to the calming effect she was feeling. She never knew why that sound seemed to comfort her, make her feel safe, but just knew that it did. Her eyes glided over various headstones, stopping when something resonated in her head. It could be as simple as a name, or maybe the shape of the stone, possibly the dates on them, but something about them caught her eyes.

Time stopped being important, her mind lost in times that had long since passed. She imagined worlds and people that had been gone from quite some time. It could have been an hour, maybe more, maybe less, that she had stood there. She was vaguely aware that someone was coming up behind her, knowing that it was more than likely someone she knew that was looking for her. She still shoved her hand under her coat, letting rest over the gun she hid there. She preferred her shotgun to be honest, but that was slightly harder to conceal. It could be done, but guns were just easier to deal with.

The footsteps came closer. She cocked her head slightly to her side, noting the pace, the rhythm to them. She smiled softly, hand coming back out from under her coat. She knew that walk, she knew that voice huffing out a few choice swearwords. Reassured, she turned her full attention back to the headstone in front of her.

"There you are!" Katie sounded a bit out of breath, maybe a bit relieved. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I know." Effy replied, not looking at her.

"I hate when you do that." Katie muttered, coming up fully beside her. Effy watched from the corner of her eye as she looked curiously at the headstone they were standing in front of.

"Do what?" Effy asked, already knowing the answer. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, the air seemed cleaner here somehow.

"That whole little "know it all" routine. So not cute, Eff. In fact it's bloody annoying and just a teeny, tiny bit infuriating." Effy smirked slightly at that, turning a bit more towards Katie. Katie was smiling, taking the sting out of her words completely, she shifted even closer, letting their arms brush together. "What are you doing here, anyways? Thought you had enough of the place for one day."

"I like cemeteries." Effy offered with a shrug. Katie rolled her eyes at her, Effy idly thought that she had been spending a little too much time with Naomi lately. The message of the eye-roll was clear though, and she knew she had to elaborate. She sighed, taking in another breath, before starting. "They feel calm, specially at this time of night. I don't like funerals, hate them actually, but what sane person actually like those?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Cemeteries though, they're different."

"They are?" Katie asked softly, sounding a bit afraid that Effy would stop talking to her, or that she'd break the mood if she raised her voice.

"Yeah, they are." Effy stated, not really explaining the difference, but opting to go straight to what she thought of cemeteries. She figured that once she explained that, it would all become clear. "Like I said, they feel calm. Regardless of how people rush around, how they always seem to be in a hurry, they always slow when they come through those gates." She tilted her head towards the entrance. "I like that the air seems fresher here, like I can breathe properly. And then there are these…" She pointed to the headstone in front of them. "They fascinate me, makes me imagine the lives they led, wonder who they were." She reached out, gently tracing the faded lettering on the stone. "If they ever were loved." She added under her breath, she wasn't sure Katie could hear her, wasn't sure she had even wanted her to hear.

"I don't know…" Katie answered, making Effy retract her hand and turn more towards her. "Cemeteries just gives me the creeps. And that it's all dark… Not really making it better." Katie was looking around, a small frown on her face. "You never know what's around you, who's watching you." Effy noted the small shiver that seemed to flow through her as she spoke and smiled slightly to herself.

"Who knew? The fearless Katie Fitch, afraid of ghosts." She chuckled, using Katie's real name for once. She was currently going under some pretentious hyphened last name that just sounded ridiculous.

"Am not!" Katie answered indignantly, her voice cracking minutely, betraying the lie. Effy let her smile grow bigger. "Oh, shut up." Katie grumbled when she looked up and saw the amusement on Effy's face. "It's just… Emily used to tell these horrible ghost stories to James when we were kids. He loved them, of course, demanded a new story every night. And since he more or less slept in our room, I had to listen to every last one." She trailed off, staring out across the cemetery, obviously lost in a memory. Effy couldn't help studying her, eyes tracing Katie's features in the pale moonlight. She was simply breath-taking, Effy felt her heart clench almost painfully in her chest. "Anyways…" Katie continued, completely oblivious to breaking the spell Effy had been under. "Almost all the stories took place in cemeteries."

Effy cleared her throat, trying to work some moisture back in her mouth, before letting her gaze sweep over the multitude of monuments. Monuments that spoke of various fates, good or bad. She looked back at Katie, finding her studying as intently as she herself had been studying her just seconds ago. Suddenly Effy wanted nothing more than to show her, to make her truly see, the wonders of the place they were in.

"Come." She said, reaching out and taking Katie's hand. Katie looked down at their joined hands, smiling softly. In that moment, it didn't matter that they had already slept together, or that they had held hands more times than Effy could count. It felt like the first time, there was butterflies and warmth and Effy wondered why she hadn't noticed that before.

"Where are we going?" Katie asked as Effy started walking.

"I'm going to show you what I see." Effy answered, hoping Katie knew that she never let people in like this. Hoping she knew how special this was. "I want to make you see… Will you come with me?" She stopped, wanting to make sure that it was alright. She looked back over her shoulder, the smile Katie sent her was radiant. Effy felt herself relax slightly, smiling softly back.

"Of course I will." Katie answered, sounding like it was the most obvious answer in the world. Effy squeezed her hand lightly, before they continued to walk towards the middle of the cemetery.

-C.S-

The streets were packed, the perfect place to lose someone and still she hadn't managed to yet. She could feel eyes crawling all over her, like tiny little spiders walking up and down her spine. The window in front of her was just a generic shop window, nothing fancy at all, but to anyone looking she was studying what was in it intently. She could practically hear Naomi's voice in her head, telling her that to read a street, she should use any reflective surface around her. At this angle, the window was damn near perfect.

She had spotted her tail several blocks ago. He seemed oblivious to that fact though, the way he was casually leaning against a cart a little further up the street. As far as tails went, he was perfect for the job. A non-descript looking man, nothing suspicious about him really, except for the fact that he had followed her from the subway station. She hadn't tried to shake him yet, curious to find out if there were more people following her. Assessing the street, she came to the conclusion that he was alone. Grabbing the phone from her pocket, she casually started walking again. She hit a button on her speed dial, the call went through in seconds.

"It's me." She cast a glance around under the guise of crossing the street, her eyes slid over him, making sure he was still there. "I've got company."

"Same as before?" The voice on the other end washed over her, soothing her, and she could feel some of the tension in her shoulders ease slightly.

"Looks like it." She answered easily, heading towards a coffee shop she knew was around the corner from where she was. "How'd things go on your end?"

"Katie and Effy picked up James just 30 minutes ago, I was just about to call you. They're on their way to what Effy has dubbed the safe house." There was a chuckle on the other end. "I swear she thinks she's in some kind of spy movie sometimes."

"So you're on your way too?" She walked through the coffee shop, smiling at one of the employees as she walked past him on her way to the backdoor. It was why she liked this place, the double entrance served her purposes quite nicely.

"Yeah, we just have some things to take care of, and we're on our way too." Emily stopped to let an old lady in to the shop, holding the door open for her. "We're setting up an account for Thommo's family." Naomi offered on the other end. "JJ is tracking down his personal accounts as we speak, so we can transfer them to their names."

"That's wonderful, Naomi." Emily murmured as she disappeared down a nearly empty alleyway, heading for the nearest subway station. "I'm sure it'll be greatly appreciated."

"It was Panda's idea really, she said he was still sending money home for them. I just thought that things might be tough if the money stopped coming. Besides… It's the least I can do." She sounded sad, Emily wished she was already there so that she could touch her. Or maybe so she could hit the back of her head and tell her it wasn't her fault.

"I thought we'd sorted this." She said instead, letting some of her annoyance shine through. "Now, listen to me and you better listen good. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault. OK? So stop blaming yourself. The guy that's responsible is behind bars, the guy who shot Thommo is dead and you did everything you could."

"I know." Naomi sighed, falling silent. Emily let her have a minute, using the time to scan her surroundings. No one seemed to be following her this time, she walked into a relatively quiet store to make sure.

"Hang on a sec." She told Naomi, lowering her phone and addressing a clerk. "Excuse me, there's this creepy guy that's been following me around, he just can't seem to take a hint. Do you by any chance have a backdoor I could slip out of?" She smiled apologetically at him, trembling slightly, playing the scared little victim. It was a ruse that had gotten her out of a few tight spots before, she hoped it would work here too. The clerks eyebrows rose as he took in the story, she had to work not to smirk at his predictability. That would have probably ruined the image of a scared little woman, running from some big bad man.

"Of course!" He exclaimed. "Just follow me and I'll walk you out." He ushered her past a storage room and out to a door at the back. "Here you go." He smiled, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Thank you so much." She battered her eyelashes at him, smiling demurely. "If he comes looking…"

"You were never here." He promised, blushing as she leant in and kissed his cheek.

"You're the best." She beamed. The smile slid right off the moment she turned her back on him, lifting her phone back up to her ear. "You still there, Naoms?"

"Trading up, are we?" Emily swore she could hear the teasing glint in Naomi's eyes. "I don't blame you, he sounded quite helpful."

"Yes, clearly I will choose a pimply, blushing schoolboy over you. Who wouldn't?" She crossed yet another street, casting a watchful eye around.

"Clearly." Naomi agreed, with a smile in her voice.

"I lost my tail." Emily concluded out loud, changing the mood from playful to serious in an instant.

"Good. There's a plane waiting to take you home… Well, can't promise it will actually wait for you, but it leaves in about 3 hours. Call me again if you can't make it for some reason and we'll sort something else for you."

"Shouldn't be a problem, just need to pick up my suitcase from Grand Central Station and get to the airport." Emily answered, calculating how long it would take her. She looked up at the street sign. "I'm just two blocks away from the station now."

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem then." Naomi fell silent for a minute. "I'm glad you're on your way back." She admitted softly. "I… I've… umm… missed you." Emily clutched her phone with both hands, trying to swallow the sudden lump in her throat so she could answer. "Right… I should probably go. Cook just came through the door. See you soon." She sounded defeated, Emily frowned, before stopping dead in the middle of the street. She realised that Naomi had taken her nonverbal reply to mean that she didn't feel the same way.

"Wait!" She shouted desperately at her phone, making a number of the people around her look at her rather curiously.

"I'm still here." Naomi answered. "No need to make me go deaf." She joked, Emily could tell her heart wasn't really in it though.

"Right." She said sheepishly. "I just wanted to say that I… Well… I miss you too. I just thought you should know."

-C.S-

She watched her from across the street, hidden behind a corner. Her eyes scanned the area every now and then, but they always returned to the woman across the street. She could hear her mother's voice in her head, telling her that even though it looked like there was nothing amiss, didn't mean that it was always so. Figuring that it wouldn't be fair to keep the other waiting, she made her way across to the other side and slid up behind her.

"Looking for someone?" She murmured almost directly in her ear, grinning when she saw the tension drain from the other woman. She loved being able to do that.

"Not anymore." The reply came swiftly, followed by the other woman leaning into her ever so slightly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to call me with the address, not show up like this."

"Are you complaining?" She teased.

"Maybe I am. Maybe I wanted to find my own way." The words were contradicted by the way a hand sought out her own, tugging her closer, not that there had been much space between them to begin with. "I missed you."

"So I've heard." She replied playfully, squeezing the hand in her own lightly. "I like what you've done with your hair, by the way." She emphasised her point by burying her nose in it, placing a small kiss against a temple. "It suits you." Emily finally turned around, smiling up at her.

"Thought it would make me easier to follow around." She shrugged. "Besides, I like red." Naomi watched the grin on her face and couldn't help grinning back. Actually, she didn't think she had stopped grinning since she had laid eyes on her.

"I'm sure it did." She answered, raising her hand and sweeping Emily's bangs out of her eyes. "We should get going, Cook's around the corner with the car." Emily nodded at her, eyes sparkling, she looked happy. Naomi tore her eyes away reluctantly and stepped out of the impromptu embrace. She hadn't planned for that to happen, but she didn't regret that it did. Truth was that Emily always felt damned near perfect when she was in her arms. Hell, the entire world seemed damned near perfect in those moments. It was something she had feared initially and especially when Emily came back, but now… Now it felt like that was the feeling she was supposed to have. She couldn't bring herself to let go of Emily's hand.

"We should get going then." Emily answered, reaching for her suitcase, Naomi beat her to it.

"I'll take that." She murmured, lifting the suitcase easily. "Come on." She continued before Emily had a chance to object. "Cook might get antsy and decide we've been kidnapped or something." She grinned, leading Emily back across the street, walking purposefully towards where she had left Cook and the car.

"You know, you don't have to carry my suitcase." Emily sounded amused, Naomi turned her head towards her and saw the smirk on her face. She raised an eyebrow at her, cocking her head to the side.

"Why? Did you want to carry it?" She asked. "Cause you're more than welcome to." She stopped, placing the suitcase on the ground with a smirk of her own. Again, amusement flashed across Emily's face.

"No, what I meant was that it has wheels." Emily laughed.

"Maybe I wanted to impress you with my carrying skills." Naomi answered, chuckling along with Emily. It felt nice to be able to laugh together like this. It didn't hurt that Emily was fucking gorgeous when she laughed, or that the sound sent shivers down her back. Naomi couldn't think of a sound that was more perfect, except for maybe… She shook her head slightly, dispelling the images that popped into her head. Images of Emily writing underneath her, moaning her name. She swallowed, grabbing the suitcase again and tugging slightly on Emily's hand to get her moving again.

"Well, consider me impressed." Emily answered when her laughter died down. The mirth still heavy in her voice. Naomi just smiled back at her and shook her head.

They continued in silence, it felt comfortable for once. Naomi caught herself staring at Emily's profile and forced herself to look away, opting to scan their surroundings instead. It was unlikely that Emily had been followed back to London, but being careful had never hurt anyone. She turned down an alley, leading Emily along. She drew them to a stop when they rounded the corner, the street they were on was deserted. She hadn't wanted to say it out loud, but part of why she was carrying the suitcase and not wheeling it, was for more stealth. Emily opened her mouth to say something, but Naomi silenced her with a look and motioned her to stay put. She sat the suitcase down, letting go of Emily's hand too and fished a handheld mirror out of her pocket, making sure the alley was as empty as when they had walked down it. Satisfied that it was, she made her way back to Emily.

"We good?" Emily asked as soon as they were moving again.

"Yeah, just wanted to make sure no one was following, that's all." Naomi downplayed the bad feeling in her gut, the small knot in her stomach saying there was more to Emily being followed around in New York then just making sure she was still in town. She saw the small frown on Emily's face and knew that she hadn't really been successful in hiding it completely.

"Who do you think it is?" Emily asked, she didn't have to explain what she meant, Naomi knew what she was asking.

"Could be anyone." She answered. "I really have no idea." It was true, she really didn't, but she had her suspicions. Her and Cook had discussed it at length when they first found out Emily and Katie had been hired to find out all kinds of stuff about them. The fact that it was Cook that was the initial target, had been the number one thing that baffled them. It complicated everything really. They were ghosts in the underworld, but everyone that mattered knew that they came as a package deal. That alluded to someone that wasn't necessarily affiliated with the crime world. Or someone that had been in jail. Or maybe someone who had been in hiding. The last option had sparked a slight hope that it was her dad that was looking for her, but the threat to Emily's brother didn't fit what she knew about him. Her dad would never drag innocent people in to this. There was still that little spark of a hope, it was unlikely, but it just wouldn't extinguish.

"There you are!" Cook's voice brought her out of her head, she grinned at him as he swooped Emily into his arms, twirling her around. Emily let out some strangled, half-choked noises in response.

"Put her down before you make her hurl, Cook."

"Oops, sorry." Cook answered sheepishly. "It's just that you've been a right stroppy cow lately and I wanted to express my joy that Emilio is here to sort you out." He grinned wolfishly at her.

"Shut up and make yourself useful for once." She grinned back at him as she showed the suitcase at him. "Be a good boy and put this in the back." He mock saluted her, before scrambling to comply.

"Stroppy cow, huh?" Emily asked, eyes twinkling.

"Oh yes, the worst kind." Cook answered. "So glad you've come to sort her out, we were beginning to consider tying her up in the closet or something." He laughed when Naomi gave him the finger in response.

"I'll sort her out, Cook, don't worry about it." Emily declared, grinning.

"If you're both quite done..?" Naomi grumbled good-naturedly, rolling her eyes, holding the door open for Emily to climb into the car. Emily grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly in thanks and got in. Naomi went around, thumping Cook on the back as he heaved the suitcase into the trunk, getting in on the other side. Cook took the wheel moments later.

"How does it feel to be home, Red?" He asked as he pulled out.

"Wonderful." Emily answered as she looked at Naomi. "It feels wonderful." Naomi met her eyes and got the feeling that she wasn't just talking about being back in England. She silently extended her hand towards Emily, smiling back when the action caused Emily to smile shyly at her, entwining their fingers. It really did feel wonderful.

-C.S-

If you find mistakes, it's just cause it's 6 in the morning and they've probably escaped my attention...

Right, you all know what to do down here, or do I need to give you directions? *grins*