I know, I know... I'm late... though it's hardly an appointment...

Work has kept me off the laptop as my eyes can't take the strain after a full day in front of a bloody computer. I apologize sincerely to all my readers for keeping you waiting.

marsupial1974 has been nudging me to continue plugging away at the chapter.. so give her some love...

also tigertrap has been breathing life into the fandom.. show her some love too. It isn't easy diving in and she's done so splendidly.

I know we feel like the fandom is dying but with every movie any of our kids are in, it gives Skins a boost. Keep the show and the fandom in your hearts.

This one is a little shorter than others but I wanted to get something up and running.. much love to you all.

Chapter 35

Cook was sitting in his wheelchair staring out the window. It has been a week since he'd moved in with Effy. Or rather was moved in. She'd not given him a choice. He'd tried protesting about not needing a caretaker and she'd merely glared at him silently once. After that, every time he opened his mouth to offer an alternative to him moving in, she would poke him in a bruised spot. There were a lot of bruised spots. He'd finally given up. He'd not bothered to shave during his entire hospital stay and had developed a good beard. It was scruffy as he hadn't tended to it. He was also in dire need of a haircut.

He could smell dinner cooking. He smiled at the thought of a domestic Effy. He hadn't even considered she ate real food. It was Effy. To him that was as mysterious as the galaxy. He heard the bedroom door open and turned to watch her walk in with a set of clippers in hand. "I swear you look dangerous no matter what you 'ave in yer hands." She rasied an eyebrow and plugged the clippers into the wall. He smiled and turned the wheelchair to face her. It would be a while yet before he would be able to move about on his own. It made him feel impotent. He would have months of recuperation and physical therapy for his leg. "What's a matter? Not liking the shaggy dog look on me?"

"I like it just fine." She wheeled his chair around and locked it in place. She put on a 1" guard and turned on the clippers. A soft buzzing filled the room. "Just think it's easier to talk to you if I have something in my hands."

"I've got something you can put in yer hand..." He snickered.

"Cook." It was a bit of a warning. He closed his mouth and felt her start to use the clippers against his head. She was two passes in when she started to talk. "I met up with Jameson's driver a few weeks ago." She'd had one hand on his shoulder and gripped him when she felt him start to turn his head. "You'll fuck up the haircut. Don't move."

"You fuckin' say shit like that and expect me to not move..."

"Yes. I do." He finally grunted and she took a breath. She passed the machine over his head and could see the hair falling. "I needed answers Cook. Answers no one could give me."

"And that fucker could?"

"Yes." Effy brushed the hair off his head and his shoulders. "He's Jameson's brother."

"You're fuckin' jokin."

"I'm not. Long story, not worth my time. But he obviously knows Jameson. His intentions." Effy continued clipping away as she waited for him to take it in, waited for him to be ready to hear her.

"So you met up..."

"Yes..."

"And?"

"We went for a pint."

"What the fuck?" She clipped the top of his ear. "Ow! Fuck.."

"I told you not to move." She stepped back and turned off the clippers. She crossed her arms and was staring at him. The fury in his eyes was almost intoxicating. She wanted to smile but didn't. Cook knew she could handle herself in most occasions but he never ceased to get protective. And, while juvenile and sometimes maddening, it was a turn on for her when he got like that.

"You went for a fuckin' drink with that bastard Effy. You can't expect me to not react." She shrugged. "No. You can't do that. You can't do the shoulder thing.. you met with him... he's a piece of..."

"Yes, I met with him. Yes, I went to a pub with him." She met his eyes. "I'm my own person Cook. I'm not stupid. I'm not reckless. I took a calculated risk. It's in the past. It obviously didn't do any harm so shut up, turn around and let me finish." His jaw was set and he looked about to argue but turned around. She let out another breath and started cutting his hair again. "So we went for a drink..."

They sat in a booth in the back. She'd never noticed the pub before, not that she could possibly know all of them in the city. But it was surprising that it had been close by, fairly busy and she'd not noticed it. Hiding in plain sight. She was sitting with her arms crossed as he ordered two pints. The waitress was older. She'd smiled at the two of them but it was clear she wasn't looking at them. Like she was used to seeing and not seeing the patrons. Effy would make it a point to never come here again.

Edison sat watching her and casting glances around. He was smooth. She'd give him credit for that. It appeared totally effortless for him to see everything and give the air of complete apathy. The glasses were set before them and the waitress disappeared. He took a long pull from his and licked his lips.

"Make it a habit do you?" Her voice was low but it wasn't shy.

"What?"

"Drinking before dwelling into your brother's shit." He let out a chuckle and shook his head.

"I don't dwell in his shit. I barely drink. I don't do drugs. Smoking's about my only real vice. And only because it doesn't alter my consciousness."

"And it gives you an excuse to step out... survey the scene from a different perspective."

"Clever again." His eyes stayed on her for the most part but he was still scanning between blinks it seemed.

"What's he want with us?" She had her hand on the glass and could feel the condensation on her fingers. He looked at her eyes. She shuddered. She could really see a coldness underneath.

"With the lot of you? I'm not sure. You're about the only one with any skill set he could use." He drank again. "You're not drinking." She put the glass to her lips and took a sip. He smiled. "Look... you don't want to be here. I won't force you. But I don't want to talk about my brother. You can't force me." He sat back. "You can leave when you like. I'll drink your beer." She kept her eyes on him and drank half her pint in one go.

"I've drank. Talk." She knew indulging him likely wasn't the smartest thing but she wanted to know about his brother. She needed to know. Were they safe? You know you're not.

"You want to know how long he plans on holding shit over your heads."

"For starters that would be delightful." She knew he'd called her bluff but she wanted this to be over sooner than later. "I also want to know why he set up the whole therapy thing for Emily. What's he gaining from that? Is he using the doctor to get into her head?"

"No." He looked down at his glass. "He set that up cause he feels responsible."

"Responsible?"

"Yeah... Laura... he was responsible for her. And he.. he failed."

"Responsible how?"

"She belonged to him."

"How middle ages."

Edison laughed. "Not exactly but it was... unusual. For the first few years, it was very co-dependent. He seemed to need her as much as she him. It was not what my father wanted for him, what he expected. But he'd allowed it to an extent. He didn't want to push him further than Jameson could handle and still keep him under his thumb. He knew there was a... sexual component to their relationship and wanted to know very little about that."

"Thought the apple wouldn't fall far from the rotten tree."

"My father.. he's not depraved."

"But your brother is." He finished his beer and waved for another round.

"I won't claim to understand him... or his needs." He stopped talking until the new round was brought over. Effy hadn't finished hers but drank more of it as the fresh one was placed in front of her. "After the fourth year, Jameson started distancing himself from her. He understood his urges better than most and knew they couldn't continue. She wanted something that was beyond him. He set her up. Nice flat, some seed money. He'd put her through school before that. She was good at what she did. Fashion... design."

"You really tell an exciting tale."

"I didn't think you wanted to be entertained. I thought you wanted answers."

"I do but I don't want a sob story. I'm not feeling empathy for him or whatever emotion you think is warranted.. why is he responsible and for what?"

"Like I said, she belonged to him. He knew... we all did... that she was mentally unwell when he finally broke it off. But he insisted she was ok, that she had her career. And he kept playing it off as she was in control. When he met Emily... he'd realized that he'd done someone harm by leaving Laura to her own devices. She had gone mental."

Effy shook her head. "Realized she'd gone mental? That's bullshit. Your brother isn't stupid. He had to have seen she wasn't right before that. And why would he care about Emily? What Laura was doing to her."

"I told you I don't claim to know what's in his head. I'm telling you what happened. You want to know what's in his head, ask him." They looked at each other without flinching. Edison looked away first. Effy saw it as a small victory. "Jameson… He tried shoehorning his way between Laura and Emily.. put a bit of distance between the two. Thought that would be enough. But it didn't work as he expected."

"And he killed her."

"Jesus.." Edison looked around. "Fucking watch what you say."

"No one's looking this way.. like at all... Thinking you're high enough on a food chain.."

"Doesn't mean no one's listening."

"Fine." She replied and rolled her eyes at him. He reached out and took one of her wrists in his hand. She sat up straight and felt that chill up her spine. "Let go."

"This isn't a game Effy." His voice was calm and steady. It wasn't menacing but it wasn't inviting either. "People here would gut you for less information. There are some who would love nothing else than to get anything on my brother. And not a one would even flinch at the thought of hurting you."

"Cops included?" She wanted to pull her wrist out of his grasp but didn't want to seem cowardly, or hint at the depth of her discomfort. No matter how nice or peaceful by comparison he seemed, Edison was Jameson's brother.

"They're the least of our worries frankly." He kept his eyes on hers. "You need to focus on keeping my brother, and to an extent me, on good terms."

"I'd like you to remove your hand." She was thrilled that her voice was as cold as his eyes. To her surprise, he let her go.

"Look… I don't have any skin in this. You get hurt, your mates get hurt…" He shrugged. "I'd feel a mild bit of remorse but it wouldn't last and I certainly wouldn't lose much sleep. Keep that in mind."

"So why are you here?"

"Because you asked and I had nothing else to do."

"Really?"

"No." He finished his pint. "I need you out of his life as much as you want him out of yours. Having you… well mostly Emily… in his constant panorama is a detriment to having him balanced. And to do what we do… he needs all of his senses."

"So keep him away."

"I plan on it… but you need to keep her away from him."

"Not a problem."

"I mean it. She doesn't answer his calls. Or texts."

"What about the therapist's office?" Effy didn't want another repeat encounter.

"They've different therapists." She shook her head. "I've got authority to speak to his doctor on Jameson's behalf. I'll see they're scheduled on opposite times." She nodded.

"So that's it?"

"I guess so." He sat back in his chair. "You with Cook?"

"What business is that of yours?"

"Just seeing if I have competition."

Effy laughed. "Full of yourself."

"Perhaps but it crossed your mind." There was a pause in the conversation. Their eyes playing some game of chicken even as she stood. She stood by him as he stayed in his chair. She leaned down.

"There was never any competition." She whispered in his ear. "Cook wins… every time." She walked out without even looking back at him.

"So that's it? That's all that happened?"

"What did you expect?" Effy turned off the clippers and put them aside. She started brushing the hair off Cook's shoulders. He shrugged. "Were you expecting me to drop to my knees and…"

"No.. absolutely not.. I just.. I don't know." He was looking at his lap. She put her fingers under his chin and brought his face to look at her.

"Jealous?"

"I don't know… maybe."

"Don't be." Effy smiled and pulled off her shirt. "I think you need a bath to get rid off all the hair." She wheeled his chair around as a wide smile appeared on Cook's lips.

..

The day had come and Emily was beside herself. She had looked through her wardrobe, freshly bought by James much to her initial annoyance. She knew he had money thanks to their deceased sister. But because of the source of the money, she'd not wanted any of it. He argued that it should be put to good use. After a couple of rounds where he proved as stubborn every Fitch before them, she relented.

In truth, she was secretly happy about the freedoms he was indulging her in. She'd had clothes, and other frivolities before but they weren't given freely. She'd had to earn them one way or another. James wanted nothing from her other than Emily to be herself. Something she wasn't entirely sure about. But he encouraged and cheered her on nonetheless. They were learning who the other person was and it was a good feeling. To know she wasn't alone. She sighed and looked around at the mess.

She couldn't understand how she could have gone through the entire set of clothes and found nothing that felt right. She finally sat cross legged on the floor and stared at the empty closet, at the bed covered in discarded outfits. At some point, she'd found her mobile and was staring at it when her brother walked in.

"Whoa. What happened? Did your closet spew? Cause really sis... this is... whoa." He waved his hand at the bed and plopped down beside her. She looked at him.

"I was trying on things to wear. Naomi is..."

"Yes, taking you out tonight. We have talked about this. Multiple times." He smiled and leaned back on his hands as he stretched out. "So your closet..."

"Nothing is right."

"I see. If you're asking for a go at more shopping, we can. You've a few hours yet I think..."

"No. James..." She sighed. "I didn't say it to get you to spend more money. I don't... I don't want that. It's just.. nothing looks right."

"Hmm... I made you try things on when we went shopping. It all looked great." He nudged her with his shoulder. It was something he was getting used to. She was the elder sibling but he was constantly feeling wiser. He knew it was more so because she was still getting her bearings being fairly autonomous after a lifetime of being in Katie's shadow. He'd had the opportunity to form himself. Emily hadn't. She'd been stunted in her growth. "Ems… you're worrying for zero reason."

"Right. I'm worrying for nothing… it's only the girl I've dreamed of…" She put the phone down. "I don't think this was a good idea. I mean really… a date? Who am I kidding James? I'm not some schoolgirl. What the hell was I.."

He took her hand in his and smiled. " You were thinking you wanted a do over. Nothing wrong with that Emily. You missed out on a lot. There's nothing wrong with trying to get some of that."

"But a date? I was mad asking for that."

"Everyone has second thoughts about all sorts of crap. That's all this is. You aren't wrong for wanting a second chance or a third or a fourth... you love her."

"What if she doesn't…"

"Please... one look at that girl and it's plain obvious she's just as moony over you. Now, you need to take a breath and make a decision." He nodded at the clothes. "At least what color… then let ol'Britney take over." They both giggled at that.

"Only you James…" He stood up and pulled her to her feet. He began going through the clothes.

"I was a good drag queen I'll have you know."

"So your friend said." She reminded him of the man in women's clothes who'd approached them at the mall. Approach was an understatement. He practically pounced on her younger brother as they'd been standing by the fitting rooms in one store. After some hugging and laughing, James had explained that a year during uni he'd been exploring his feminine side.

"Sheila was always jealous that I had better legs." He pulled out a blue top and looked at it. "Yeah… this one." He started pulling at the pile of clothes. "I know we got you some black jeans that would look great with the top."

"James." He ignored her. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach and hear the doubts in her head. "James."

"I'm not listening if you're going to go on about cancelling. You're not cancelling. This was not a dumb idea. End of. Now get in the shower so we have enough time to do your hair."