A/N: Sorry it's been so long since the last update! I went back to work full time after a month off, it took some getting used to and I'm working on 5 fics at the moment so been trying to catch up on them all. I should be able to get back to regular updates soon. Once again a big thanks to everyone who's still reading and for all the awesome reviews!

"Morning sleeping beauty." Effy smirked as the back door of the Jeep opened and Katie climbed out. Her dark purple curls were flat to her head from sleeping and her eyes were tired and unfocused. She pulled her hair back and tied it up as she took a seat beside Effy and the small camping stove that she had set up at the side of the road. "Tea?" She tipped the pan of boiling water that she was heating on the stove in to two cups and handed one to Katie.
"Thanks." She mumbled, still half asleep. It was a cold September morning and October was creeping around the corner. She was thankful for the hot tea to warm her up. "Eugh, what is this?" She pulled a face as she actually tasted the 'tea' Effy had offered her.
"We don't have any tea bags, or milk…"
"So it's hot water?" Katie grumbled, but carried on drinking it regardless. She needed something to take the chill off. As warm as the car had been the night before, especially with Effy snuggled up to her, the morning was much colder and the thick rain clouds were still lumbering overhead, threatening to spill open once again.
"Hot water andsugar." Effy laughed as Katie rolled her eyes and placed her chin on the older girl's shoulder. She wrapped a protective arm around the smaller girl as she drank her own improvised tea.

It was still early but Effy was keen to get driving again, she felt far too exposed on the side of the motorway. She knew all too well how vulnerable parked cars could be; she'd hijacked enough of them. They would probably need to find some petrol soon too, or commandeer another car. Something fast and shiny would probably suit them best, but a sports car wouldn't do them much good in Exmoor Park, they'd need something that could tackle the rural roads, especially with how much rain had fallen. "You really know how to spoil a girl." Katie picked up the unopened packet of Digestive biscuits at Effy's feet and helped herself to a handful.
"I'd take you out for dinner but the service in restaurants isn't what it used to be." Effy took a biscuit for herself and nibbled on it as she stared up the road, keeping a wary eye out for approaching cars. She turned her head and caught Katie's cheek to give her a quick peck. "We should get going. We need to find some fuel." She stood up and stretched her long legs before offering a hand to help Katie up. They packed everything up and got back in to the Jeep just as the first few drops of rain started to fall. Within the hour the rain was thick and heavy again and Effy drove in silence as she concentrated on the road. Katie was grateful for the peace and quiet as she stared out at the road. With everything that had been going on she had a lot to think about. Not least what was going on between her and Effy.

She knew they would have to talk things out properly once Naomi and Emily were safe, but for the time being she was happy just letting everything go. She had never really imagined herself in a relationship with another woman, and if she allowed herself to stop and think about her attraction to Effy she would probably end up freaking herself out; the last thing she needed was to hurt Effy when she was doing so much to help her. She slipped her hand over the other girl's on top of the gear stick and smiled as Effy's lips curled up in a genuine smile. Her smile wavered as they spotted two cars in the distance, racing neck and neck along the road. Had speed limits still existed the other cars would have been breaking them twice over as they raced through the small village on the edge of Exmoor Park.

Her eyes narrowed on the cars as one of them swerved to the left, clipping the one that was slightly in front. The driver struggled to keep the car on the road as it was rammed over and over. "What are you doing?" Katie snapped as Effy slammed her foot on the break. She put a hand on the back of Katie's seat as she looked over her shoulder and kicked the Jeep in to reverse. "Don't stop, that could be anybody!" She could hear a note of panic in Katie's voice and her hand found the smaller girl's again as she gave it a squeeze.
"Trust me." She pulled the car up one of the small side streets. She had no intention to be on the road when the cars passed. There was a caravan parked in the middle of the road behind them, so if the other cars stopped in front of them they would be blocked in, Effy was taking quite a risk in stopping. Katie's hand hovered over the door handle as she waited with baited breath for the cars to pass, praying they hadn't spotted the Jeep before Effy had reversed up the street.

She screamed as the sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air and would have been out of the car had Effy still not been holding on to her hand in a vice like grip. The cars had crashed and the front car that had been getting rammed had gone straight in to the side of the house on the corner of the street. Effy shifted down lower in her seat and Katie copied her, peeking over the dashboard as the mangled door of the front car was kicked open. They could hear shouting from the other car as a young man crawled out of the wreck of the first one. Effy gasped and by the time the three men from the other car had reached the struggling young man she was out of the Jeep, her shotgun in her hand and her pistol tucked in to her jeans. "Fuck! Effy?" Katie hissed, trying not to draw the attention of the three men who had begun kicking the teenager from the front car. The young black man looked in a bad way, like he'd already been beaten before the crash, but as far as Katie was concerned he wasn't either of their problems. Effy had other ideas though as she fired a shot off in to the air.

The three men stopped dead in their tracks and stared wide eyed at the slip of a girl who was standing in front of them with two loaded weapons and a very pissed off expression. One of them reached for a gun at his side and she shot him without hesitation, sinking a bullet and a load of buckshot in to his thigh. He screamed as he dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. His two friends made no attempt to move as they watched her like she was some kind of venomous snake, ready to strike again. Katie raced to her side, pulling her own gun as she stood beside Effy. Unlike the other girl she was practically shaking though. Effy barely batted an eyelid as the man on the ground screamed blue murder at her. The oldest of the three men held up his hands in surrender as he took a step towards her. Effy fired off a shot again, this time taking a chunk out of the tarmac in front of his feet and stopping him from taking another.

"You should have kept running, bitch!" The one that had been shot sneered at Katie, showing his blackened nicotine stained teeth. Effy pumped the shotgun again, getting ready to shoot him.
"And you should shut the fuck up." Effy shot back just as viciously. Her tone softened as she nodded towards Katie. "Help Thomas in to the Jeep. Please?" Katie warily watched the four men in front of her. She presumed the one on the floor, that Effy was risking their lives for, was Thomas. She slowly inched forward as the young man pushed himself up to his knees. He looked in a bad way. His left eye was swollen shut and the blood from his popped nose was all down the front of his t-shirt and jeans. The other men's eyes were glued to Katie as she tucked her gun in to the back of her pants and bent down to wrap an arm around Thomas' waist.
"Ah, Katie, you are truly an angel." His thick accent and swollen lip made it hard to understand him, but Katie heard her name loud and clear. Effy hadn't called her by name, so there was no way he could know it.
"How do you know my name?"
"Not really the time luv." Effy snapped a little harshly, kicking the smaller girl in to action. She helped Thomas to his unsteady feet and practically dragged him over to the Jeep. Effy covered their backs and started walking backwards towards the Jeep herself.

Katie laid Thomas down in the back of the Jeep, on top of the sleeping bags she and Effy had slept on and climbed in to the driver's seat. Effy had left the engine running so Katie was able to inch the car forward for Effy to climb in on the passenger side. She hung out of the window with the shotgun still trained on the three men. They didn't look happy about losing Thomas and Effy didn't particularly want them following them, so as Katie gunned the engine she shot out the tires on the car they had chased Thomas in. They heard the sound of gunfire following them as they raced up the road and out of the village. It was more of a desperate attempt to save face rather than actually hit them.

Katie's heart was pounding in her chest as she drove as fast as she could handle, throwing looks in the rear view mirror to check on Effy. She was in the back with Thomas, cradling him in her arms. They were clearly close and Katie felt her stomach twisting in envy. "Katie, the road!" Effy snapped as Katie's gaze lingered in the mirror for too long. She looked back just in time to see a heard of sheep blocking the road. She slammed her foot on the brake and the car went skidding to a halt just short of a broken fence.
"F-fuck." Katie sighed out, her hands shaking as they gripped the wheel. She turned round in her chair, her eyes narrowing on the pair in the back. "What the hell's going on Effy? You could have got us fucking killed!"
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't just leave Thomas-"
"Who the fuck is Thomas? And how does he know my name?" Katie felt a stirring of her old personality returning as she snapped at Effy.

The other girl seemed unfazed; as though she was used to Katie's temper tantrums. She opened a bottle of water and held it to Thomas' lips. He took a few uncertain sips and then took hold of the bottle for himself. "Apologies, Katie. I am Thomas. So nice to meet you." The young man winced as he forced out every word and Katie felt like an utter bitch for shouting. She climbed in to the back with them and helped Effy to ease Thomas' three jackets off to check him for other wounds. She blushed as Thomas smiled up at her sleepily. He'd taken quite a beating for letting Emily and Naomi go and adrenaline alone had kept him going in his escape. "You are very beautiful, just like Emily." She felt her heart do a back flip as he spoke about her twin.
"You've met Ems?"

He nodded up at her as Effy eased his head down on to a rolled up sleeping bag. "That is why they beat me. They wanted to turn her in to some bad people, but I would not allow it. I let Naomi take her…"
"Naomi found her?" Katie jumped on his words and she felt tears stinging in her eyes as she realised they were both safe. She wished Thomas was a little more lucid as his eyes began to close. She wanted to hear everything; to know how he knew Emily, when he'd last seen her, where she and Naomi had gone… but he was out of it before she could ask him any more questions. Effy draped a blanket over him before climbing out of the back. She pulled out a fag from her packet and lit it with a shaking hand.

"They're safe." She breathed out a cloud of smoke, mimicking Katie's grin. "Naomi will get her home. When Thomas wakes up we'll ask him which way they went. Knowing Naomi she'll probably have her home by now!"
"I hope so." Katie sighed as she leant in to Effy and draped her arms around the other girl's neck. Effy tossed her cigarette away and wrapped her arms around her. If anyone could get the youngest twin back to the farm it was Naomi Campbell.


Naomi opened her eyes and then instantly closed them again as a wave of nausea washed over her and the room spun in front of her. She tried again, opening them slower, and gave herself time to adjust before she opened them fully. She was met with the garish flowery curtains she had fallen asleep staring at and remembered exactly where she was. The sun was low in the sky outside and she realised she had slept most of the day; so much for her plan to wake up early and drive back to the farm. Her body felt on fire and she kicked the covers away as she rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them.

She paused as her wrist moved with ease and as she turned her head to look for Emily she found an empty bed beside her. Emily wasn't the only thing missing, the metal cuff that had spent a day around her wrist was gone too. Panic washed over her as she realised Emily could have left her hours ago. If she'd decided to make a run for it she could be anywhere. "Emily!" She tried to shout, but the words were like sandpaper cutting her throat. She put her feet down on the floor and tried to stand. Her head was still pounding and the room was spinning, so after only a few steps she crashed to the floor.

She heard footsteps racing up the stairs. "Naomi!" Small hands wrapped around her and helped her back in to the bed. She lay on her back, staring up at Emily with glassy, unfocused eyes. She'd thought she'd left her. With the handcuffs off she had thought Emily would run. The redhead picked up a bottle of water from the bedside table and cupped the back of the blonde's head to help her drink it. Naomi took a long drink, coughing and spluttering as she tried to take too much and almost choked. "Easy, easy." Emily used the back of her sleeve to wipe her chin and helped her back down on to the bed. "Your fever's broken, but you still need to stay in bed and get some rest. I think you have flu. Normal flu." She added as Naomi's eyes widened.

"I thought…" She mumbled, her eyes already closing over as Emily sat beside her, running a hand through her hair. "I thought you'd left…what happened to the cuffs?" She saw a blush creeping over Emily's cheeks and watched as she pulled out a small metal key from her pocket.
"I didn't lose it…I just…I wanted to believe you Naomi. With the cuffs on I could trust you." She put the key on the table beside the water bottle and the discarded cuffs. She lay down beside Naomi, facing her and resting her head on her hands. "So why did you take them off?"

The blonde felt a little bare without Emily chained to her wrist. She had to admit she understood her thinking, she had felt reassured knowing Emily couldn't stray too far. "I needed to pee." Emily giggled and despite her state Naomi managed to crack a smile.
"We should get on the road before it gets dark…" Naomi tried to sit up again but Emily was too quick for her. She gently pushed her back down and draped the covers back of her.
"I can't drive, and you can barely walk. We can wait one more night." Emily bit at her lip nervously as she lay back down beside her. "Until you're feeling better." Naomi wasn't quite sure they could wait another night. She knew Katie well and she didn't think she'd just be hanging back waiting for Naomi to come home; that was if they had even gotten away from Henham Hall. She needed to know her family was safe.

"No." She shook her head and tried to sit up again. She caught Emily's hands as she tried to push her back down, but with the world still spinning she lost her balance and somehow ended up lying half on top of the younger twin. She felt Emily's breathing hitch as her eyes dropped to her lips. "We should…the others…" Her head was aching and she was struggling to focus with Emily lying underneath her. Luckily Emily was more focused as she slipped out from under her.
"They'll still be there tomorrow. I found a van. I've been loading it up with supplies from the village, so we'll be all set to go in the morning, ok? I'll find you some food and then you can get back to sleep."

"No. I want to get up." She shook her head again. She'd slept the day away, she needed to get out bed and stretch her legs. Emily rolled her eyes as she helped her up out of bed.
"Do you ever do anything you're told?" She teased as she slipped an arm around the taller girl's waist. Naomi let herself slump in to Emily as she helped her down the stairs. They went back in to the main bar where they'd ate their supper the previous night and Emily eased her down in front of the fire. There were cushions scattered all over the floor and the fire was already roaring, suggesting Emily had been in front of it when she'd heard Naomi falling upstairs. There was another bottle of whisky by the fire and Naomi reached for it, earning a scowl from the younger girl.

"Not for you." She chided as she put it out of her reach. She went over to the bar and came back with another bottle of water. "I'll go make us some food, you must be starved." Naomi nodded, though she didn't actually feel that hungry she wanted Emily to think she was on the mend, so when she came back with her arms full of packets and tins Naomi forced herself to eat as much as she could.

"I found these too." Emily handed over a tub of pills and Naomi's eyes struggled to focus on the small print on the label. They were antibiotics and there was only a few left inside. "These make good trade." Antibiotics were hard to come by in a world where the National Health Service was a distant memory and most of the world's doctors had contracted the flu first.
"Never mind trade. You're taking them!" Emily snapped sternly and took the tub back off her to take two pills out. She watched her to make sure she took them before she pocketed the pill tub again. Naomi carried on sipping at the water after the pills were gone. She hated the taste of antibiotics and always had. Her mother had used to have to force them down her when she was younger.

The antibiotics started to take the edge off though and after an hour she felt a lot more level headed sitting in front of the fire with Emily beside her. Her fever had definitely passed, but her body still ached and her head felt like she had cotton wool stuffed in her ears. Emily lay down on the floor beside her, nursing the bottle of whisky she had taken away from Naomi. "You drink a lot." Naomi observed, her illness making her tongue looser than it would usually be.
"Stops the nightmares." Emily shrugged, unable to look her in the eye. Her expression was haunted and Naomi had never seen her look more like Katie. It seemed the younger twin was as broken as Katie had been when Naomi had found her. "I see that gun jamming every night." She swallowed hard and Naomi couldn't help stop herself from lying down beside her and draping a protective arm over her.

"The nightmares stop. Eventually." Katie had woken her up screaming every night for a month solid when she had first joined them, but over time she'd started to sleep through the night. There was still the odd night when she would wake up to find Katie curled up beside her in bed, but that had become habit rather than need. The thought of waking up beside Emily sent a heat soaring through the blonde that had nothing to do with the flu. "It helps being on the farm. It's miles away from anybody else. You can't even find the road that leads to it unless you're looking for it..."
"Sounds good." Emily mumbled, her voice came out sounding tired and gruff. "We should go to bed."
"Sounds good." Naomi repeated the other girl's words, her lips hovering close to Emily's ear. With the warm fire at her back and Emily in front of her she was quite content to lie there all night; but she knew from experience how uncomfortable and cranky she would be in the morning if she slept on the floor.

She followed Emily up the stairs to the room they had shared the night before and it was only as Emily pulled her jumper over her head and slipped under the covers that she realised they didn't actually need to share a bed with the cuffs off. She climbed in to bed regardless and if Emily had come to the same conclusion she didn't share it. The smaller girl lay in front of her, pulling Naomi's arm over her stomach and mimicking the way they had slept the previous day. Naomi buried her face in the crook of Emily's neck and her lips grazed against the soft skin there. "Goodnight Ems." The smaller girl turned her head slightly and caught Naomi's lips with her own.
"'Night, Naoms."