A/N: Hello everyone! How are we doing this fine evening/morning/day/night? I know, I suck at this writing shit and updating. But I am doing my best, I promise.

First off, I need to apologize to anyone who lives or works in/for Haringey Council housing...I merely used them for the story, and whilst I did do research and the part about a council selling to foreign investors is true, it wasn't this council that did that, as far as I know. So again, I don't mean to offend anyone.

Also, if you are not reading Walls, by MsWitsEnd, you need to fix that right away! It's not the fluffiest bunny of Naomily stories, at least not yet, but if you are a fan of literature and a fucking awesome story, check it out. and if you do and love it/like it/have questions about it, give her a shout out. I'm more than positive she'll make it worth our while...I'm just saying.

Alright, so now that I've plugged her story, lets move on, shall we...To the kidnapper, holding MsWitsEnd's brain hostage, I have met your demands in a somewhat timely manner and fully expect the release of my bff...Thank you, Marsupial

Disclaimer: Skins, not mine

Chapter 8: The Vengeful Ghost

The work site was quiet at six a.m., as Emily walked through the obstacles of lumber and shingles. She wanted the peace and solitude after the last week of chaos. Georgina left the night before, thankfully, after the longest week of Emily's life. After last weekend, and what a weekend that was, Georgie was glued to Emily's side when the redhead wasn't at work, and Emily knew that she knew something was up. Thankfully, she had convinced her girlfriend not to come to the site whilst they were filming, but that didn't help for after a hard day's work when Georgie attached herself to Emily's side.

She walked to the far end of the garden, setting her toolbox on the floor, and started going through it, cleaning and rearranging. They had finished the second house and were starting on the third one, and she had wanted a little bit of "me time" before the rest of the crew turned up.

She had no idea what she was doing with herself, but that was nothing new. Emily's world had been turned upside down since she had started dating Felicity all those years ago and it had never been normal since.

Her stomach lurched at the thought of her first girlfriend, the way it always did when she would think about her. You'd think after almost ten years, the sick knot of fear would never present itself anymore, but Emily knew better. She knew that by not dealing properly with what had happened, she would never get over it completely.

Emily quickly changed her thoughts from Felicity to Georgina and groaned loudly.

That was a mess that needed to be cleaned up in a hurry, but fuck if Emily could find the balls to do it. It was true what she had told Effy last week, and as much as Georgie tried, Emily just couldn't drum up the energy to fall into the other girl's trap. She'd like to think she'd learned her lesson with Felicity, but Emily knew that wasn't it. It was because she didn't care enough about the woman to give a fuck. But she knew that eventually, she would have to break up with Georgina, that was for certain.

Emily checked the time on her mobile and knew she didn't have much longer alone, so she dug out her list of materials and started double checking that they had everything. It was a process that didn't require much thinking, and it usually helped clear her mind. She was in the middle of counting Sheetrock, when Emily heard footsteps crunching up the pavement and she sighed quietly.

"Alright, Ems?"

Emily jumped as Naomi's voice sounded around her, seeming to echo in the early morning.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Naomi stated quickly as she watched Emily shake, nervously. "Are you okay, babe?"

Emily looked up, noticing how close the other girl was, and blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm fine…sorry." She replied, ducking her head again.

Naomi eyed her up sceptically. "Are you sure? You seem…tense."

Emily blushed deeply, because every time Naomi had said that phrase over the last week, it was usually muttered quietly with a smirk and usually led to the two of them making out somewhere privately. The new level of concern in Naomi's voice made Emily uncomfortable.

"I-I…um…good, fine. I'm fine." She stated quickly and hurriedly went back to taking inventory. "We're going to need to get hold of our supplier. They shorted us a bundle of Sheetrock." Emily said, double checking her numbers, as Naomi stood close, taking stock of her.

Emily knew if she turned around, she'd a look on Naomi's face and felt sad. She didn't want that look from Naomi. The kind of look that she got from Katie and Dad, the ones that Cook would send her way on occasion. That look of concern mixed with pity. Emily hated that look and she absolutely did not want that from Naomi.

"Can you not look at me like that, please?" Emily asked without turning around.

Naomi frowned as she heard the irritation in that husky voice, and even though she knew she hadn't done anything wrong, she felt guilty. "I'm sorry," she replied, trying to keep the hurt out of her own voice, "I'll get hold of the supplier as soon as they open. Is there anything else?"

Emily felt her heart lurch when the iciness that had not been present since the first week of filming settled back in Naomi's voice. She hated that tone and hated that it was once again directed at her. "I'm…," Emily choked on the thick lump that had formed in her throat, because Naomi didn't deserve any of her mental mood swings, "Naomi…I'm sorry."

Naomi merely cocked her, analysing the myriad of emotions drifting across Emily's face. "What are you sorry for exactly, Ems?"

Emily blinked at the question. She had expected a huff or a scowl or a glare, but what she got was genuine curiosity. It took her a few minutes to come up with an answer as the blonde waited patiently. "For being me, I guess?" She stated with a shrug, turning back to her list. "I didn't mean to sound so…,"

"Pissy?" Naomi supplied when Emily faltered.

Emily rolled her eyes, grimacing in self-loathing. "Yeah, pissy. It's just…I don't know how to do this."

Naomi took a moment to gather her thoughts, crossing her arms in front of her, leaning her hip against a bundle of lumber. She knew that Emily had issues, that much had been obvious to Naomi the longer she spent in the smaller girl's company, but the thing that shocked her the most was that she wanted to know what those issues were and how could she help to fix them.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Ems, I'm not an expert either." Naomi said, her lips twisting into a small smile. "This is new to me…I've never been so intrigued by someone, like…ever, yeah?"

"Why?" Emily asked to cover up her shock at that. "And why me?" She added in disbelief.

Naomi laughed, not quite sure she understood. "Why not you?" She asked, her laughter fading and her heart thudding painfully as she realised that Emily truly thought she wasn't worth anyone's time. "Don't you realise how great you are?"

Emily scoffed at that. "I'm not great, Naoms, I'm a fucking mess who's great at pretending." She said sadly, shaking her head.

"Who hurt you, Ems?" She asked, honestly wanting to know.

The redhead shook her head again, dismissing the question and Naomi was about to press the issue when voices sounded from around the front of the house, indicating that it was time to shelve the discussion for the moment.

Once the workday began, Naomi and Emily were so busy that there was no time for continued discussions or sneaky, sexy alone moments. There were get to know me sessions with the new family and Emily to prepare for, and Naomi spent a good couple of hours hunting down the missing bundle of Sheetrock before they could film those, Effy was busy ordering supplies for the next project and it seemed as if Katie had adopted Gina, as the two of them went about handling the interior design. It was all a little bit hectic and backwards, but they made it work.

But it didn't stop Naomi from wondering about Emily as she watched her from across the work site and even though she was wondering about Emily's issues, it didn't stop the longing to be with her that Naomi felt deep inside.

Gina followed along with Katie, checking furniture and appliance stores, loving every minute of it. She hadn't felt this useful in years. And Katie was an absolute pleasure, Gina discovered. The girl was smart as a whip, bold as hell and surprisingly sweet under her rough exterior.

Katie had explained how her dad had started the business when he was younger before she and Emily were even born and had built it up over the years. She found out both Katie and Emily held degrees in architecture but had been impressed when she found out that both girls had done a double major at university. Gina had also pressed gently about the girls' mother, and found herself heartbroken and proud at the same time. She wanted to smother them both with a mother's love and shake their father's hand for raising two bright and intelligent daughters.

Once everything had been ordered for the job and delivery times had been scheduled, Katie suggested lunch before going back to the site. They ended up at the same café where they first met, and after a quick word with the cameraman that had been following them all morning, he said he had enough footage for the day and would see them back at the site. That left Katie and Gina alone to enjoy their lunch.

"I don't know how you've gotten used to that?" Gina said as she looked at the menu the waiter brought when he brought their drinks. "I hated it when Kieran stuck one in my face every time I turned around."

"What?"

Gina gestured toward the window, to where the young man had walked off to. "The cameras everywhere. My late husband used to take pictures of me and Naomi all the time. Then when Naomi went of to the States for school, it got worse. He was like the damned paparazzi."

Katie shrugged, with a smile. "I like the attention if I'm honest. Although, Emily's having troubles with it." She added absently, whilst she perused the menu, drawing Gina's attention.

"Why's that?" The older woman asked, as the waiter came over and asked if they were ready to order.

They both ordered something light and handed the menus back to the young man, and once he was gone, Gina asked again.

"So why is Emily having a tough time with the cameras? Surely, she knew the deal when you were hired for the job, yes?"

Katie nodded as she sipped her drink. "Of course, but Emily's not really one for the spotlight." She explained.

Gina nodded, having noticed the hesitation in the younger twin at times, but she also noticed the looks that would pass between Emily and her daughter, so she decided some motherly investigating was needed.

"So, what's going on between Emily and my daughter?"

Katie almost choked on her drink, taking a moment to make sure she didn't spit it back out, before addressing the question. "W-what, um," Katie coughed to clear her throat, "what do you mean?"

Gina laughed, as Katie tried to act professionally. "You're as cute as button, love, but I'm not blind. I can tell that something has happened, Naomi is an open book sometimes. But what I want to know is what's happening between them now?"

Katie was torn because she wanted to remain loyal to Emily, but there was something so warm and inviting about Gina, something that just made you want to tell her everything.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want, love," Gina said quietly, placing her over Katie's and squeezing it gently, "but I think if I knew the whole picture, it might help."

Katie sighed deeply. "They had a moment, back when we first met."

"A moment?" Gina merely raised an eyebrow, not unlike Naomi, and chuckled. "Is that what you kids are calling it these days?"

Katie laughed, and Gina smiled, breaking the ice around the subject and after their food was served, Katie explained everything she knew, hoping Gina wouldn't judge Emily for cheating on her girlfriend, but she realised that she had nothing to worry about because Gina was easily one of the least judgemental people she had ever met. And Gina sat and listened, asking questions when she needed something clarified and as Katie spoke, she began to get a little better understanding of who Emily was and how she affected Naomi.

"Can I ask you something more personal? And you may or may not answer, but it's something I'm curious about." Gina took a sip from her drink, waiting for Katie to acquiesce, which she did with a small nod of her head. "What happened to Emily?"

"What? I don'-,"

Gina was quick to brush off Katie's automatic denial. "It's not hard to see if you're looking and trust me, love, people are going to be looking. It's going to be unavoidable once the show starts to air and when that happens, you and Emily will be thrust into the spotlight, whether you like it or not and people will dig for any scrape of information they can find, good or bad. So, with all that being said, who hurt Emily and why?"

As Gina's words sunk in, Katie realised that she was right. Once they were on air, it would be open season on them and if there was one thing Emily craved more than a mousy girlfriend, who didn't ask for too much, it was her privacy about what had happened when she was younger.

"Fuck." Katie muttered as she slumped forward, resting her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands. "If the press finds out about that, it'll kill her. I've gotta talk to Emily."

Gina took pity on the girl because she could see that the thought distressed her. "It's probably time to get back anyway, yes?"

Katie nodded as they stood, threw some money on the table and headed out, catching a bus. Gina didn't push for any more conversation as they sat in silence, which was a good thing because Katie was wondering and worrying about Emily.

'What did I drag Emily into?' Katie thought to herself as guilt flooded her, as she stared out the window, at the passing scenery.

It wasn't until later in the day, that Naomi started to get an inkling of Emily's issues.

They had waited to film the interview segments with the family until Naomi had received a promise that the missing bundle of Sheetrock would be delivered by the end of the workday. So, with Thomas filming, Naomi sat down and watched as Emily started talking intimately with the family.

"So, Kenneth," Emily started off the interview with a smile, "could you tell us a little bit about yours and Julia's background?"

Kenneth and Julia Hammond had lived with his two children on an estate in Wood Green, until the council demolished it with a promise to rebuild better flats, but come to find out, all the available units were sold to foreign investors, driving the rates up.

"I met Julia about three years after my first wife passed away," Kenneth started, hesitantly, "and it was like love at first sight." He said with a loving smile, as he glanced in his wife's direction. "She had just come out of a bad relationship…," he trailed off as if he couldn't believe he had just said that out loud.

Julia blushed a bit but took pity on her husband. "I was in an abusive marriage, and I was so…broken and had felt…," Julia trailed off, searching for just the right word to describe how she felt, "…unworthy, I guess you'd say." Emily's heart constricted as she listened to Julia speak, but she merely nodded, encouraging the woman to go on. "When I met Kenny, I was so scared of being with anyone ever again."

"I wore her down with my charm, I did." Kenneth grinned, as he leant over and kissed his wife's cheek.

Julia laughed, a beautiful sound that touched Kenneth, Emily, and Naomi, because it was real. Not the forced laugh of someone dealing with a painful past having to be remembered, but the joyful laugh of a woman who was stronger for having gone through what she went through. "Pestered is more like it, but yes…he did wear me down and showed me that I could trust him to love me. And when I found out he had children?" Julia's smile got even brighter, as she glanced over at the two young girls sitting with Effy and JJ. "That was the icing on the cake, because I can't have children of my own because of what happened with my first husband," Emily quietly gasped at that information, causing Naomi to cast a worried glance at her, but Julia kept on going, "so here I was, in the middle of this little family, that was trying to get through every day and they just…made a place for me. It was wonderful." Julia exclaimed, finishing with a smile.

"When the Haringey Council sold out and demolished the estate, I took a job with the crew rebuilding, hoping to be able to secure a housing unit, and we were devastated when we found out that they had all been sold, months before they were even completed." Kenneth explained, barely containing his displeasure.

Emily was still reeling from Julia's admission, trying hard to keep up with the two of them. She knew there were more questions she needed to ask, but couldn't get past what she had heard. She could feel herself start to shake, as she noticed three sets of eyes on her and felt her stomach clench and roil, almost violently, and knew she needed to get away as soon as possible.

"Emily, are you alright?" Naomi asked, after having witnessed the extreme change. She had stepped close enough for Emily to hear the whispered question. "You don't look too good."

Emily felt like crying, as Naomi stood there and looked down on her, again with pity in her eyes. "Don't look at me like that, Naomi," she tried to sound angry because she was angry, but it wasn't Naomi's fault that she was a freak, "please, don't look at me like that. I just need a minute, okay? I'll be right back." Emily stood up and headed into the trailer that had been set up for their office on-site.

She didn't even look back as she closed the door behind her and stepped into the tiny bathroom, and expelled the contents of her stomach into the loo. Once that was done, the tears came. And wasn't that just the way it always seemed to go? It was like every time Emily turned around, she was reminded of Felicity. Every fucking time! She sobbed loudly, as her body shook because she was reminded of a secret so huge, that not even Katie knew.

Emily was so lost in her own misery, that she didn't hear the gentle knocking, and had been thinking she was grateful that Katie was out with Gina still because she really couldn't bear the mothering that her sister would no doubt administer.

"Emily?"

Emily tensed up and sighed as Naomi's voice sounded through the trailer. Of course, Naomi was going to follow her, wasn't she? Irritation flowed through her as she thought of why Naomi followed her.

"Emily? Are you okay?" Naomi asked softly, from her spot right outside the door.

"Go away, Naoms. I'm not in the mood for a quickie!" Emily snapped out tearfully, falling into her defence mode of pushing people away.

Naomi stood outside the bathroom and quietly sniffed back the sudden tears that Emily's words brought out. That comment stung, it truly did, but Naomi could tell that something was wrong and she was concerned. "Please don't be like that, Ems. I didn't come in here for that and I think you'd know that if you really wanted to."

The sobs grew louder from inside the tiny room and Naomi wanted to be in there, comforting the younger twin. She tried the doorknob and breathed a sigh of relief when it turned freely, allowing her to stick her head around the door.

"Oh, Emily…," Naomi whispered as she took in the sight of Emily, practically lying on the floor, tears streaming down her face, "babes, please tell me what's wrong?" She asked as she sat down next to the redhead and scooped her up, wrapping her arms around Emily's seemingly fragile body and tried her best to soothe her.

Emily felt the arms around her and tensed, hating the claustrophobic feeling. She struggled against Naomi. "Let me go." She spat out as if Naomi was an enemy she needed to get away from and she started pushing at the blonde, trying to release her hold.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Ems…," Naomi pleaded with her, not knowing where this sudden need to comfort came from but feeling as if she would lose any chance at all with Emily if she let go.

They struggled for a couple of minutes before all the fight seemed to leave the redhead and she allowed Naomi to hold her. Emily sat in Naomi's lap and shed her tears of grief and self-pity, keeping her own arms wrapped around herself, as if Naomi was going to hurt her somehow and she needed to protect herself. She didn't want Naomi to see this, to see her like this, she wanted Naomi to see the Emily she first met in London.

"Please tell me how to help you? Tell me what's wrong?" Naomi begged again, but Emily shook her head against her chest.

"No. I can't, Naomi." Emily muttered.

"Can't or won't?" Naomi asked quietly, not expecting the stab of hurt as Emily kept things from her.

Emily scoffed. "Is there a difference?"

"I guess not, cos it all means the same thing to you, doesn't it?" Naomi was getting testy, she could hear it in her own voice but suddenly didn't have the power to reign it in.

Emily's brain warned her of the tone of Naomi's voice, and normally she would just ignore it and walk away, but she knew that Naomi wouldn't allow that. "I need to get up." Emily stated quickly as she scrambled to stand.

Naomi didn't stop her, merely loosened her hold, watched as Emily left the room and then sighed in relief when she didn't hear the redhead leave the trailer. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then stood up, following Emily.

"Emily, I need to know what's going on and I think I need to know right now." Naomi demanded, putting a touch of professionalism in her voice.

Emily misunderstood the tone and only heard anger. "You can't talk to me like this." She muttered, hating the sound of weakness in her voice. This is why she can't let Naomi in. Because she's dangerous. Naomi had the power to knock down every wall she had ever built up since Felicity and that scared Emily to her core.

"I can't talk to you like this? What, like a boss? Or like a human being? C'mon, Ems, which is it?" Naomi was gearing up for a fight now, having dealt with diva stars before, she was pretty capable of handling herself, but she didn't see Emily like that, as a diva. She had never seen Emily as anything other than someone special and she wasn't sure she cared for this Emily. "You just ran out, during an interview, leaving the couple sitting there, wondering what happened. Because that's so professional!"

Emily cringed with each word. "Stop."

"Why?" Naomi asked, unaware that she was almost yelling now. "Why should I stop reprimanding my employee?"

"Please stop, Naoms…,"

"Don't you Naoms me, Emily! You don't get to Naoms me when you've just basically told me that I don't have a right to know what's going on!" She said, taking a few steps toward the redhead, not knowing the signs that something wasn't right, as Emily shrunk in on herself and the tears came back.

Emily felt for sure that a blow would arrive soon, so she made herself as small as possible to minimise Naomi's target. She felt as if her body was weighted down and she couldn't move. She could feel her heart start pounding and hear the blood rush in her ears, as the room started to spin around her, as Naomi continued talking, but Emily blocked her out, intent on protecting herself.

Deep down she knew what was happening, she wasn't stupid. It had happened enough with Felicity that Emily had recognised the signs, but Naomi didn't know that. And the voices inside Emily's head didn't help as they kept telling her what a waste of space she was, and that she should just give up now and go home. Run back to Georgina, because she was safe and would never hurt her.

The voices were always the worst, Emily thought to herself as the icy sweat started to form on her face, which brought more shaking. Those voices nagged at her until she was convinced that she was nothing, less than nothing. Soon Naomi's voice disappeared altogether, leaving Emily with only the sound of her past raging in her mind. Like a vengeful ghost coming back to haunt her.

"Fee…please?" Emily choked the words out quietly, as if someone had a hand around her throat, cutting off her oxygen. She didn't hear or see Naomi anymore, instead Emily saw Felicity, the way her face would turn ugly when she was displeased and heard the icy calmness of Felicity's voice. It was painful to be slapped with this spectre from her past and Emily could do nothing to stop the panic attack.

Naomi didn't hear the plea, didn't hear the name that wasn't hers, didn't hear the gasping sound as Emily struggled to take a breath. She wasn't even looking at Emily as she continued her tirade. "I can't believe I've gotta work with another fucking princess! You know, Effy promised me that this time things would be different, but they're not! Not really, are they? I think the least you could do is be professional! Go back out the and finish the interviews at least!"

Naomi's voice thundered through the tiny trailer, making it feel like it was shrinking in size. Emily gasped for air like someone had thrown her into a box and closed the lid. Her vision was hazy and she couldn't see straight.

She whimpered now. "Please, F…Felicity…please stop?" She cried out a little louder, as she begged.

Naomi was about to yell again but wanted to look Emily in the eyes as she drove her point home, so she turned around and froze, finally hearing the words coming out of Emily's mouth, on a repeated loop, like a broken record player.

"Please stop, Felicity!"

Naomi didn't know whether to cradle the girl in front of her or call an ambulance, as every part of her cried out for Emily. She had never seen anyone look so lost and broken and it seriously was doing strange things to her insides and she had to stop herself from gathering Emily up in her as she crawled closer to her.

She was reaching for her mobile when she heard Katie yelling for Emily outside the trailer, and sounding urgent to boot, so she scrambled up and over to the door.

"Katie! In here, quick!" Naomi shouted out, and went back in, followed by Katie, Gina, and Effy.

Katie walked in and took one look at her sister curled up in a ball on the floor, mumbling Felicity's name and almost went on a rampage, but as she turned to scream at Naomi, she saw concern in those blue eyes and knew that whatever had happened wasn't really her fault.

Effy gasped loudly as she stepped in behind Gina. "What the fuck?" She whispered, to no one in particular.

Katie didn't have time to waste as Emily laid there, so she slipped off her heels and crawl down along the floor until she reached Emily and gently, ever so gently, she eased the redhead up and into her arms and started soothing her.

"Shush…it's alright, Emsy…I've got you, you're alright. Breathe, Emsy…breathe." Katie spoke softly, and ran her hand through those red locks and up and down Emily's back, speaking the whole time. "It's alright, Emsy…Felicity's gone and she's never coming back, yeah? Remember? She can never hurt you again, I promise."

"Effy, love, why don't we call it a day, yeah?" Gina ushered the brunette out, giving the other girls space, and Effy agreed. They had worked most of the day anyway, so it wasn't like they were going to be short on time. Naomi informed her mother with a look that she was staying, and Gina smiled and nodded as she left.

Naomi watched as Katie cuddled with Emily and felt like an arsehole because she didn't know what had happened and she didn't know what to do. When it looked like Emily had calmed down enough, Naomi was able to get Katie's attention.

"What's going on, Kay?" Naomi asked softly so as not to disturb Emily, waiting for an answer from the older twin. "What happened to her?"

Katie looked up from her sister and wiped away her own tears, and sighed loudly. "I don't know what happened to her, I wasn't here." She replied, meekly. "Maybe this was too much for her, I shouldn't have pushed her into this. She didn't even want this gig, ya know? It was me that wanted it, wanted to make a big name for ourselves. But Emily's been content to keep her head down and live and work quietly."

"This wasn't your fault, Katie." Naomi said simply, shaking her head at her own insensitivity. "Look, something happened, we were doing the interviews with the family and…I don't know, she just started…she didn't look right, yeah?" Naomi was frustrated because she was scared, and being scared for someone else was a relatively new concept that Emily had released in her. "She stormed off in the middle of it and then had a go at me for calling her out on it…then I don't know…she just…," Naomi stood up to pace as she ranted, running her hands through her hair, until she heard Emily whimpering so she stopped and sat down next to the sisters, whilst Katie soothed Emily again, "what's wrong with her, Katie? Is she alright?" Her voice broke then, after running out of steam, she finally allowed her emotions to rise up and get the best of her and fuck if she wasn't on the verge of tears.

Katie felt like the world was on her shoulders and she felt tired. "I just need to get her home, yeah?"

Naomi shook her head, "Don't you do that to me." She whispered harshly, aware of the still shaking Emily. "I'm not some random on the street, Kay…we work together, okay? This is not something we can bury underneath a smile!"

"Look, there is no point in talking at this moment," Katie snapped back at her, just as quietly, "I realise this needs to be discussed but I'm not saying a fucking thing without talking it over with Emily, because believe it or not, it's not my fucking story to tell you! So, if you would be so kind and go get Cook."

Naomi reeled back as the waves of anger and despair rolled off of Katie and she sighed deeply, knowing she was being dismissed. There was nothing she could do except as she was asked, so she stood up slowly, not wanting to spook Emily any more than she already had, and left the trailer.

She didn't have to search for Cook because he was rushing toward the trailer as she came out, a look on his face that she had never seen before, and she felt chills.

"Wot the fuck 'appened?" He asked her when he saw her.

Naomi shook her head. "I don't know, we were arguing an-,"

Cook's eyes widened and his nostrils flared. "You did this?" He roared, taking a step closer to her, and Naomi could say that she was honestly scared.

"Whoa! Hold on, Cook." Freddie grabbed Cook before he could actually lunge at her. "It's probably not wise to kill the boss, yeah?" He said, trying to make light of the moment to ease the tension.

"I didn't…know, okay? I didn't know!" Naomi exclaimed as she took a step back, holding her hands up and out to protect herself if need be. "Katie needs you." She told him and made her way over to her mum and Effy.

Almost everyone else had cleared the work site, leaving Effy, Naomi, and Gina, along with Freddie, JJ, Thomas, and Cook. Naomi stood off to the side and kept playing the whole thing back in her mind, wondering if there was something she could've done differently. She didn't hear JJ until he spoke.

"It's called a panic attack, Naomi." JJ clarified quietly. "From the sounds of it, that is. I didn't witness it, so I can't say for sure."

Naomi stared at him as if he had grown another head. "What?"

JJ noticed the confusion on Naomi's face and felt bad. "I'm sorry…it's just, I heard you talking with Cook. Emily suffers from anxiety." He explained softly.

Naomi staggered back as if JJ had just punched her in the gut. "She does?" There was still so much about Emily that she didn't know, Naomi knew that, but this actually blew her mind. "How can that be? She's so…so…," she trailed off, unable to find words. "How come you know this and I don't?" Jealousy ripped through Naomi as she glared at JJ.

JJ merely smiled a sad smile. "She didn't tell me, Nai," he assured her, as they heard the trailer door open, "I just recognise the signs. I suffered from panic attacks when I was younger."

They watched as Cook carried Emily out of the trailer, as if she weighed nothing, and headed toward the Fitch company truck. Katie followed behind them and looked tired. JJ went to gather his equipment, leaving Naomi alone to watch as Effy spoke quietly with Katie. The older twin nodded and accepted a hug from Effy, followed by one from Gina. Naomi smiled at that because leave it to Gina to be a comforter. She was a natural born nurturer, Gina was, and Naomi was suddenly grateful that she was here.

"There's a meeting in two hours at Katie's and Emily's flat." Effy informed her as she made her way over. "Cook is taking them home, and I told Katie that we'd give them a bit of time, but this has to be dealt with tonight, Nai. I would say it's only for the show, but we both know I'd be lying."

Naomi nodded, silently. She didn't have words to say. Until she knew exactly what was going on, she had no plan of attack. And Naomi hated that. She sighed deeply and followed Effy and sat quietly in the car, whilst her mum and Effy discussed the meeting.

'If Emily had a panic attack, what was said that caused her to freak in the first place?' Naomi asked herself, as she went over and over the interview in her head until she remembered what Julia had told them.

"You alright, love?" Gina asked, from her spot in the front, when she heard the distressed gasp from the blonde.

"What?"

"Are you alright?" Gina asked again, concern crossing her face.

Naomi, shook her head to clear the thoughts in her head. "No…yeah, I'm fine." She contradicted herself and blushed, feeling like she was nine years old and getting caught in the biscuit tin. "It's nothing, Mum."

Gina raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Are you sure, because you're crying, dear."

Naomi brushed a hand across her face and felt the evidence as her mum turned back around. But she didn't reply, content to stare out the window and pass the time until the meeting.

A/N: Chapter 9 should be up soon...ish. I actually had to split chapter 8 in half.

Poor Emily. Now lets see if Naomi will step up and show Emily what true love means...

Thank you to everyone who reads/reviews, it does boost the ego.

Marci