Before I start profusely apologising for taking so long to update, Skins: Fire… OH MY FUCKING GOD! Am I right? I won't say what happens in case some of you haven't yet seen it, but seriously, just oh my god.

Anyway, guys, oh man, I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update again. Firstly I would like to thank you all for the kind reviews for the last chapter. It's so lovely knowing that I have all of your love and support, and I really appreciate that you're all telling me to not stress out about updating this fic. Even though it's really nice to hear that you're not all pressuring me, I still feel so bad for taken so long to update when I used to do it quite frequently. I've been so distracted recently with work, going out with friends, family life and stuff that are going on at home. My brother moved away last week and I've always been really close to him so it's been quite hard to deal with so I haven't really been in the right frame of mind to do any writing.

I am trying to get back up to how I was before, the only problem with not writing for a while is that you get out of the routine and writers block becomes quite persistent, though over the past few days I have written quite a bit so hopefully it won't be long before I get back into it! I love you all so much for being so patient with me; I promise that I will not give up on this story, even if there are times when I don't update for a while.

If any of you have tumblr and want to follow me, send me your URL in a message and I will definitely follow you! :)

However, I shall now shut up and allow you to actually read this chapter; I've kept you all waiting for long enough so I won't keep you for any longer. I really hope that you like it and I will try to update as soon as I can!

Chapter 14

Naomi's POV

I lit the fag that dangled from between my lips the moment I exited the studio. Another round of interviews was finally out of the way and I was feeling cranky. Early morning starts had never been something that I handled well, I had never been a morning person and that hadn't changed even as I got older and it was the only downfall with this job. There was nothing worse than dragging yourself out of bed to go and answer tons of questions that you had already answered like a hundred times before.

I couldn't complain though, all I needed was an endless supply of strong coffee and a hit of nicotine and I was good to go. I would choose this any day over a job like Emily's. I admired the red head for sticking the job out even though she detested being there. The fact that she was putting her responsibilities first over her own self-satisfaction showed just how mature she was, not many teenagers would do that.

I felt as though I was making some sort of progress with Emily but it was hard to be sure. I could read her actions and emotions when we were together but being apart made it difficult to establish what she was feeling. I couldn't ask her upfront about it either, I knew it would only result in her closing off further.

From what I had gathered, her family and home life were touchy subjects, one that she tended avoiding. I had come to assume that she must have had a difficult childhood but I was unsure as to what could have made her become so distant with the people around her. I could only hope that one day she would find a way to open up to someone, whether or not it would be me, didn't matter. I didn't like the thought of her keeping it locked inside, I saw what it did to Effy and there was no way that I wanted to watch Emily self destruct in the same way.

I crushed the butt of my cigarette on the ground as Effy made her way towards me, holding two steaming cups and wearing a knowing smirk. I grinned in delight when she handed one to me and I took a large sip, not even caring that it burned my mouth because it tasted so good. I murmured my appreciation against the cup and sighed contently.

Cook and Freddie soon joined us with their own coffees and the three of them lit their cigarettes. The temptation of nicotine was too much to handle, and another cigarette was soon placed between my lips and I quickly drew more nicotine into my body.

"Better?" Effy asked knowingly as I took another mouthful of the caffeinated liquid.

"Much better, thanks." I smiled at my friend.

"I need some fookin' whisky in this to wake me up." Cook grumbled, sipping his coffee before taking a pull on his fag. He was possibly worse than me when it came to early mornings.

"You're beginning to sound like an alcoholic, mate." Freddie chuckled.

"Probably." Cook muttered in reply. Freddie patted his shoulder almost sympathetically.

"He's always sounded like an alcoholic." Effy teased the grumpy boy. She had never been one to complain about getting up early but then again, it was hard to tell if anything really affected the mysterious brunette.

"Fuck you, Eff." Cook smirked into his cup.

"Already have." She replied nonchalantly without hesitation, causing Cook to choke on his drink in surprise.

"Dirty bitch." I chuckled and shook my head.

We laughed together and the mood seemed to lift, laughter was one of the things that always got us through a rough time. This job – regardless of how much we loved it – could easily become stressful at times and it was easy to quickly snap and take it out on one another, we had many of times. The good thing with us all having been friends for so long meant that we knew how one another worked. There were moments when we needed our own space but most of the time, we just needed to laugh together to get us through a stressful occasion. Working with the people who love and care for you made it all worth it in the long run.

"Tone wants us to head back in once we're finished, says he has a few things to tell us." Effy rolled her eyes and I smirked in return. The Stonem siblings had a habit of being annoyingly cryptic.

"He's probably just going to tell us the same shit that we've heard a thousand times." Freddie grumbled, looking put off by the idea of having to go back into the studio rooms.

"Most likely, but we best go and see what the big boss wants." I said as I crushed the butt of my cigarette once more before making my way back up the steps towards the studio with the others in tow.

We carried on up to the second floor where we had held the interviews for the new writers. It was strange to think about how much time had passed and how much had changed since that fateful day. The rest of the gang including Tony were patiently waiting as we quickly took our seats. Tony smiled at us and clasped his hands together on top of the table before him.

"Right, so now that you're all here, I wanted to let you all know that the interviews have gone brilliantly and will be aired within the next couple of days. The companies and reporters seem pleased with the information that we have been able to offer. We've also received some feedback from fans regarding the introducing of Emily and TJ to the team, a few have expressed their concerns for the show due to the concept of having new writers in case the show changes, but we all know that they have nothing to worry about and we'll show that to them soon enough. Everybody's excited for season two and what we've got in store for the characters, so everything's going well. You should all be pleased." Tony spoke as he flicked through the sheets of paper in front of him. We all nodded and smiled at each other.

"Freddie, you have an interview scheduled for next week with Attitude, to talk about what it's like to play a gay character in the show. Effy, Naomi, you two also have an interview scheduled with Diva to talk about your characters and they'll probably try to dig into your personal life as your sexuality's are no secret to the public, so be prepared. A promotional photo shoot will be scheduled within the next few weeks for the new season, I'm not sure when or where it will commence but I'll let you all know as soon as I do.

It's now less than twelve weeks until the new season is aired, and five weeks until we release a teaser trailer. We need to get in as many interviews, photo shoots and promotions within the next month or so as we can because once we start writing; we are going to be on a tight schedule so I want you all to be prepared. It is going to be a stressful time but I am positive that it will all be worth it in the end."

We all nodded in understanding; there was no need for words. We had been preparing ourselves for this for a long time. We had hoped for years that Behind The Mask would become more than a wishful idea, I could still remember the days where we would spend hours on end writing parts of the script and shooting some of the scenes on basic video recorders.

I had never expected us to come this far, it had been nothing but a dream once upon a time. We had worked so hard through the stress, the arguments, the tears and we had come out on top, becoming so much more than what we could have ever possibly hoped for. This was our life now, so if we had to endure a stressful time to make our show as successful as possible, so be it.

Tony glanced at each of us with a bright smile on his face, his eyes twinkling with happiness. I couldn't help but reciprocate it. He had supported us right from the beginning, he had told us that we had something special going on and we needed to take it further. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be sat here right at this moment. He was the one who had pushed our script onto several directors and producers; he put in the hours of research to find us nothing but the best. He had fought to become our manager and I wouldn't want it to be anybody else, not just because he was a close friend and Effy's older brother, but because he knew what he was doing and he did it well.

I could see the pride that resided within his cerulean coloured eyes but he would never say it out loud, he didn't have to. Both Tony and Effy had a way of saying and showing how they felt through silence, it was all said through their eyes. Heart felt moments made the Stonem siblings uncomfortable but we were okay with that because words didn't always have to be spoken for them to be heard.

"Anyway, I'll let you all know as soon as possible if anymore interviews are to be scheduled. Also, and I think this might excite you all, Chris and I have been thinking about bringing Emily and TJ's official start date forward, the sooner that we can get them writing with us, the better."

My eyes bulged upon hearing this and a delighted grin pulled up on my lips before I had a chance to stop it.

"Are you serious? Emily will be ecstatic; she's dying to leave that shitty job she's in." I exclaimed with far too much excitement but I couldn't contain it, even if it initiated a smirk from every angle.

"I'm sure that's not the only reason." Freddie teased.

"Shut the fuck up." I flipped him off without even bothering to glance in his direction. I quickly realised that I probably should have kept my mouth shut.

"A bit defensive there, Naoms." Effy soon joined in with a smug tone to her voice.

"You can shut up, too." I fixed her with an intense glare but it didn't faze the brunette as she simply continued to smirk at me.

"You wanna muff dive with Red, we all know it babe and I can't say I blame ya. I'd so get on that if she weren't a lezza." Cook waggled his tongue suggestively. He was lucky that he was sat a few seats away from me or I certainly would have smacked him.

I scoffed. "Cook, you'd get on just about anything as long as it had a hole for you to put it in."

Cook threw his head back and laughed loudly; the sound filled the quiet room and overpowered the sniggers that came from the others.

"You didn't deny it though." He grinned cheekily and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment because well, how the fuck was I supposed to deny something that was so obviously true?

"She's going red, which means it's true!" Lara exclaimed, pointing at me after I had stayed silent for a few seconds too long as she and the others burst out laughing.

I covered my face with my hands and groaned. The only problem with spending all of your time with the same people over many years was that they were able to read me easier than an open book with a large, bold print. It was impossible to hide how I was feeling when they knew me better than I knew myself.

"I hate you all." I grumbled, sighing at the sound of their increased laughter.

"Alright, enough of teasing Naomi for being so obvious about wanting to bang Emily, we can hardly blame her." Tony winked in my direction and I cursed myself under my breath for apparently being so obvious about my feelings for Emily.

I growled in frustration. "Get fucked."

"I think you need to, Blondie." Cook cackled, high-fiving Freddie who was practically doubled over laughing.

I scowled fiercely, my cheeks burning with intensity as I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. Teasing your friends was fun until you were the one on the receiving end, I would have to keep that in mind from now on.

"If this is just a meeting for you guys to take the piss out of me, then can I at least fucking leave?" I snapped once their laughter had quietened slightly. I wasn't annoyed by their incessant teasing, I had grown accustomed to it years ago. In fact, there was a part of me that wanted to smile and laugh along with them because the sound of my friend's laughter was simply contagious. However, I knew that it wouldn't end any time soon unless I began to show that I was getting irritable, otherwise this could go on all day long.

"Okay, let's stop before she starts fucking pouting." I stuck my middle finger up at Tony, causing him to stop and chuckle again. "But as I was saying, we are going to make a decision soon about Emily and TJ. However, even though we have them to write with us, I don't want to see you guys slacking. This is still your story and your characters, I don't want any of you to lose your connection with them so make sure that you keep up with your own ideas and the writing, and work with the girls to create something new and fucking awesome. Is that understood?"

Once again, we all nodded in unison. "Good, now get the fuck out of here before I force you all to do my boring fucking job of filling out paperwork."

With that, we all quickly jumped to our feet, said goodbye and were out of the door in a flash before Tony had a chance to change his mind. Despite the ripping that I had just endured, I had to admit that I was in a fucking awesome mood. The thought of Emily working with us sooner than we had expected made me feel both nervous and excited. I couldn't wait to see her reaction when she received the news; I could imagine the way that her eyes would widen in disbelief but a delighted grin would pull up on her small, plump lips. Her surprised expression was nothing less than perfect.

"I can't remember the last time that I saw you smile this much, it's kind of nauseating." Effy suddenly appeared by my side, successfully scaring me out of my Emily filled day dream.

"Yeah well, I have a reason to be happy." I replied with a casual shrug of my shoulders, although I should have known better than to try and fool the brunette.

"Does that reason happen to be a cute, petite red head, by any chance?" She asked with a cheeky smirk. I rolled my eyes but I couldn't help but grin.

"Shut up. Does yours happen to be a fit girl with black and purple hair?" I fired back quickly, referring to TJ. Effy's eyes widened slightly but the expression was gone before I even had the chance to point it out. If I hadn't been looking, I surely would have missed it.

"I don't know, you'll have to introduce me." She winked at me and I scoffed, shaking my head.

"You're full of shit, Stonem." I chuckled at the smirking brunette.

"I love you too, Campbell." She cooed and I smacked her arm playfully.

"I never said I love you!"

"You didn't have to, now come on, that boring fucking meeting has put me in the mood to get monumentally fucked up." Effy linked her arm through mine and began to drag me towards the exit of the studio, and I couldn't help but eagerly oblige.

The rest of the week passed by agonisingly slow, and by the time Friday afternoon arrived, I was practically bouncing on the spot in anticipation for Emily to arrive. I had received a text a little under twenty minutes ago saying that she was on her way, but I knew that the traffic would be rough around this time and therefore resulted in me having to wait for longer than I would have liked.

TJ was already here, having arrived a few hours ago and was enjoying her time watching a movie with a name that I couldn't remember, whilst sitting awfully close to Effy on the sofa. I had watched the pair for a while and had taken note of how often they glanced at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Their legs were tangled together and their hands were placed inches apart.

It was bloody cute, if I was being honest. They appeared to be completely comfortable with one another and I couldn't resist thinking that they would make a sweet couple if this were to develop into anything more. I liked TJ, if she were to get with Effy, I would straight up approve. All I hoped for was that Effy would know how to handle a relationship now that she was older.

The brunette avoided relationships back in college and stuck to meaningless flings with both boys and girls. After watching her parent's marriage fall apart, she believed that love and relationships were pointless. At least with a one night stand, she didn't have the risk of getting hurt but she had stopped doing that a long time ago when she nearly caused the group to fall apart. She had slept with both Cook and Freddie during college, which caused them to constantly fight for her affection and attention. There was a time when we thought that it would never end and the friendship between the three of them would be lost, but once Effy realised that she was tearing the group apart by being so careless, she quickly put an end to it and refused to be anything more than friends with the two boys. It had been tense for a while but they eventually got over it and once they did, the strength of their friendship began to grow back until it was even stronger than before. Nothing had come between us after that, but it would be nice to see if TJ could tame the brunette's heart.

I was staring aimlessly at the TV, lost in my own thoughts when there was a gentle knock at the door. My stomach flipped inside of me and I practically leapt off of the sofa, startling the rest of the gang who were engrossed by the movie.

"Sorry, Emily's here." I could barely contain the smile that threatened to split my face in half as I bounded towards the front door with possibly too much enthusiasm. I didn't care, I had been eagerly looking forward to the red head's company for so long that every passing minute felt like forever.

After opening the front door, I had to remind myself to breathe as I took in the beautiful sight of Emily Fitch before me. How somebody could look so beautiful, adorable and sexy all at once was beyond me but she made it look effortless. Even in a grey zip up jacket, dark wash skinny jeans and a pair of beat up navy vans, Emily was by far the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on.

"Hey." I greeted her somewhat breathlessly and I silently cursed myself for sounding so flustered by the mere sight of her, but I suddenly stopped caring when a bright smile pulled up on her lips as I stepped aside to allow her to enter.

"Hey yourself." God, it was unreal what the sound of that husky voice could do to me; I don't think I could ever get used to it. It wasn't right that somebody could look and sound this good.

I quickly closed the door and wrapped an arm around Emily's small waist, pulling her in for a hug. I internally sighed with happiness the moment that I felt her body pressed against my own, smiling uncontrollably when I felt her nuzzle her face into my chest and tighten her grip.

"How was the traffic?" I asked softly once we broke apart. Emily smiled and brushed a lock of red hair away from her face.

"It's London, it was shit." She replied in a cocky tone, making me realise just how much of a stupid question it was to ask.

I shrugged it off, returning her grin before heading back through into the living room. The movie had just ended and everyone looked up as we entered, greeting Emily in synchronisation. The red head looked pleased with their reaction and happily greeted them back, causing me to grin at the sight of the content smile on her face.

"Emily, would you like to watch a movie with us? Naomi might actually pay attention now that you're here." Effy managed to offer nicely and tease me all at once. I glared hard at the brunette, feeling my cheeks burn as Emily smirked at me.

"I was paying attention!" I fired back defensively.

"Yeah, so what was the movie about?" She countered, trapping me completely.

I gaped at my all knowing best friend, feeling my face flare with embarrassment. Of course I didn't know what it was about, it was hard to pay attention when there had been a certain red head playing on my mind.

I scowled at the amused faces of my friends. "Oh just shut the fuck up and put the damn movie on." I threw myself down on the sofa with a huff.

Emily chuckled lightly. "I guess that answers your question for me, but yes, I would like that."

She smiled at Effy before sitting down beside me, patting my knee in a patronising manor. I turned my glare on her but she kept her gaze forward, though there was a hint of a smirk pulling up on the corner of her lips.

"Stop fucking grinning." I nudged Emily playfully and she giggled. The sound instantly made me smile.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to distract you." She winked at me, not sounding sorry at all.

"I suppose I can forgive you for being distracting."

"Cheeky." She giggled again and elbowed me lightly.

We settled back into the sofa whilst the others ran around to bring in more snacks and drinks. Once the lights were turned off, casting us all into darkness and we had a bag of popcorn and bottles of beer between us, Effy started the movie.

Paranormal Activity, I had never seen it before and from what I had heard, I had to admit that I was feeling a little nervous. I hated films that made me jump constantly and I could feel my heart start pounding right from the beginning. The only comforting thing was the warmth of Emily's body from where she was pressed against my side. If she was at all nervous, she didn't show it.

An hour into the movie, I had already jumped several times and was now clinging onto Emily's hand for dear life. Panda and Lara had screamed at parts which had scared us all more than the actual scene. I had even heard both Freddie and Cook mutter a curse under their breath. My legs were tangled through Emily's and her arm was around my waist. I had felt her jump a few times but she didn't seem nearly as scared as I felt, she simply chuckled and held me closer to her body, which in the end made it all worth it.

I could feel her warmth all around me. Everywhere that I turned my head, I inhaled her comforting scent. The light from the TV reflected upon her delicate features and I was amazed by her beauty every single time that I glanced at her. It was strange how one decision had brought this girl into my life and now I couldn't imagine not having her around. She was a part of us now, a part of me and that was how I wanted it to stay. I snuggled closer to her body, enjoying the feeling of her arms around me as I nestled my head into the crook of her neck, preparing myself to endure the rest of this movie.

Once it was over, I was the first to jump up and turn the lights back on. I sighed as the light suddenly washed over us, feeling less freaked out now that we were out of the darkness. I reclaimed my place on the sofa beside Emily, sitting as close to her as I possibly could without actually sitting on top of her.

"Don't ever fucking make me watch something like that again, okay?" I said sternly to Effy, who now appeared to be much closer to TJ than what she was at the start of the film.

Effy – once again – smirked at me. "It wasn't all that bad, Naoms. At least you weren't alone." Her eyes flickered briefly to Emily before returning to me and then it hit me; she had picked that movie on purpose, knowing that I didn't like jumpy films just so that I could get close to Emily. I didn't know whether to thank or slap the sneaky bitch.

"Whatever. Who wants a drink? I know I could fucking do with one."

My question was answered with a chorus of agreement so I rolled my eyes and stood up once again, about to make my way towards the kitchen when Emily suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled herself up.

"I'll help." She smiled sweetly and I was tongue tied for a moment so I nodded my head dumbly and quickly exited the room without glancing towards my friends, I knew what I would see if I did.

Going straight towards the fridge, I pulled out several bottles of beer and placed them on the counter before grabbing the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels. I wiggled the bottle at Emily and she reached for it, grinning approvingly.

"Are you really that scared that you need to start on the strong stuff?" She asked almost disbelievingly, but the playful look in her eyes told me that she was only teasing. I smirked as I reached up to grab some glasses from the top cabinet.

"Actually, I know how much you like it so I thought you'd prefer it, but I can always put it back." I reached for the bottle but Emily quickly held it close to her body, wrapping her arms around it protectively.

"I'm sorry, I take it back!" She squeaked as I made another attempt to grab the bottle. I chuckled, taking a step closer towards the red head and wrapped my arms around the back of her neck, smirking down at her.

"You better watch it or I might not be so nice next time." I warned her and Emily nodded her head vigorously.

The sound of our laughter filled the kitchen until it quietened down and we were both left staring into each other's eyes. My heart pounded within my chest, spurred on by our close proximity. I couldn't remember ever feeling this content before but there was something about Emily that made me feel both comfortable and on edge at the same time. She was a mystery, something that was so beautiful and unexpected.

"I'm glad you're here." I whispered softly, bringing my hand back to gently stroke her face.

Emily smiled genuinely, closing her eyes as she leaned against my touch. I leaned in and pressed my lips gently against hers, feeling my heart tingle at the contact. I pulled back after a few seconds and slipped my hand into her small one.

"So am I." She replied quietly before pulling me back towards the living room. I think I would have followed her anywhere.

There we have it guys, finally another chapter up. I will try as hard as I can to get writing the next one but as I've said before; I'm not sure how long it will take. I'm so caught up in my life right now, but I will try and make time for my writing so I don't disappoint you beautiful people. I really hope that you all like this chapter; I had to add in some happy Naomily times as we unfortunately didn't have any from Skins Fire. Please review and let me know what you think, your comments mean the world to me!

Chapter 15 – Emily

She made me feel as though everything was worth it, as long as she was by my side. That was what scared me the most, there was no guarantee that she would always be there and now that she was here, I didn't think I could handle it if she left. I had tried to overcome my fears, I had tried not to think about them but it was always there beneath the surface. Naomi had me trapped; she had me wrapped up in a web that I couldn't break out off. I was powerless to resist, even if I had wanted to.