Hello everybody! Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews and feedback you've been giving me, and thank you so much for continuing to read this. Updates may be a bit sporadic from now until November-ish really, since I've got quite a lot of essays and assignments and tests coming up and that has to be my priority.

This chapter has a little bit of everything - cute stuff, sad stuff, sentimental stuff, gushy stuff. Little bit of Emily, little bit of Effy, even a teeny tiny bit of Freddie, and a Christmas tree.

I don't own Skins or the characters, but this story is based on true events.

Chapter 11: Finality

As I'd predicted, later that night I lay in bed unable to fall asleep because Emily wasn't next to me. It was almost two in the morning and calling her just to hear her voice would have been a bit ridiculous but I was desperate. I'd even tried to lay pillows down next to me that were roughly her size but it made no difference.

Emily Fitch was my crack and I was going through withdrawals.

My cell phone started to ring, vibrating my whole nightstand. I picked it up and checked the caller ID – Emily.

"Hello?" I sounded far too excited.

"Naomi, I can't sleep," she said, sounding tired and exasperating.

"I can't either," I said, trying to hide the smile that was currently taking over my face from showing up in my words. "I miss you, darling."

"I miss you too. I tried sleeping next to some pillows so that it would be like I was sleeping next to you and I still couldn't fall asleep," she said, making me laugh.

"I did the same thing."

She sighed. "What are we gonna do?"

"I dunno. Maybe we could try talking to each other until we both fall asleep?"

Emily agreed, both of us obviously not wanting to admit that we were a bit too attached to each other for our own good. And thus, Emily and I ended up talking about chocolate for an hour before finally dozing off. I didn't sleep anywhere near as well as I do when I sleep next to Emily, but every once in a while I'd hear her snoring while I slept and it made me feel comfortable. Horribly pathetic, but comfortable.

The next morning, I woke up next to a dead mobile. Of course I'd expected it, and was a bit grateful for it since I had some last minute editing to do on my Toronto article before submitting it to my boss later that day. It was my last article due before the holidays, and since I'd finished it up by half past two, I decided to head into town and get some last minute shopping done for Christmas. It was only a few days away now and I still hadn't even bought my tree yet.

It was the first year I was going to have my own tree, and I'd bought all the ornaments and tree toppers while I was in Canada at a shop that only sells Christmas decorations all year long. I thought that was a bit odd – people could just pop in there in July to pick up some tinsel if they needed. But regardless, it was nice to go in there around Christmas and find so many cute little things to buy.

I ended up running into Effy and Freddie at the Christmas tree lot, and convinced Eff to come over and help me decorate my tree. I invited Freddie as well but he had some last minute photo editing to do before his deadline tomorrow, which I understood all too well. I promised him that I'd take good care of Effy and try to cook her some dinner.

From the second I saw Eff at the lot, I knew something was wrong. I'd only just seen her yesterday but something had already changed and made her upset. In a way, I was glad that Freddie couldn't come that afternoon. I needed to figure out what was going on with Eff.

"Spill it," I said, getting straight to the point the second I shut the door to my apartment.

And then Effy started crying.

"I'm late!" She sobbed, burying her face in her hands as I pulled her against me and held her tightly. I'd never seen Effy so emotional; fuck I couldn't even remember the last time I'd seen her cry.

I have to explain the reason behind what I said next. I know that every girl should automatically know what "I'm late" means but, what with being a lesbian, it's been a very long time since I've had to worry about that sort of thing. So I stupidly assumed she had missed her own deadline of some sort.

"Eff, it's alright to miss a deadline every once in a while," I said, shushing her and running my hands through her hair in an effort to comfort her.

She looked up at me completely dumbstruck, tears still fresh in her eyes.

"Naomi, I know it's been a really long time since you've been near a dick, so I'm not going to hold this against you, you fucking idiot. I don't mean I missed a fucking deadline, I mean I'm 10 days late for my period!"

You know those moments in your life where you feel everything change and all you can do is completely blank out and stare? You aren't even staring at anything in particular, you're just staring, maybe even with your mouth hanging open. Maybe you stand there for only a few seconds, maybe you stand there for a few minutes, but regardless, you know everything in your life has just changed and god damn it respect must be paid.

"I need to sit down," I said, staring down at Effy in complete shock, acting as though I was the one who could be pregnant. She took my hand gently and guided me towards the couch before sitting down next to me and staring at the wall as I was currently doing.

In a way, it was kind of like I'd just found out I was pregnant. I didn't even know for sure if Effy was pregnant, but fuck, I felt everything she felt. She was like a sister to me, even closer than that. She must have been scared because I was definitely scared. I snapped out of it and grabbed her hand tightly.

"We need to go to Asda's and get some tests," I said quietly, worried that bringing up the word "test" would freak Effy out. Tests made it all final. If she wasn't pregnant, well hooray. If she was pregnant, well god only knows what would happen. Effy was nowhere near ready to be a mum. Effy didn't even really want to be a mum. She was only 24 and while she and Freddie made end's meet, they only barely did that. There was no way they could support a baby.

"Naoms," she said quietly, staring at me until I looked at her and saw just how sure she was of whatever she was going to say next. "If I am...pregnant," she said, barely able to get the word out. "I want an abortion."

Her eyes were sad and pleading so I squeezed her hand tightly.

"I'll always be there for you and accept any decision you make, Eff," I hugged her close to me. She'd done exactly that for me, and I had to do the same for her. I may not have understood why she'd want an abortion, I may not have understood how she even managed to get pregnant since she'd always been on birth control and took other precautions as well.

But I understood that she needed me, and I'd be there for her. Always.

I promise, Effy will explain more in the next chapter and will give reasons why she's chosen... well, what she's chosen.

Thank you for reading and please let me know what you thought in a review :)