A/N: Bit of a longer chapter this time, covers chapters 6 & 7 of TDL. Once again thanks to everyone who's reading this and TDL and for encouraging me to continue with both.

For the second day in a row I wake up with a pounding headache and a girl sleeping beside me in my bed. It's not just any girl though, it's Naomi Campbell; the one girl in the whole of fucking Bristol that's supposed to be off limits to me. My sister's ex. The girl I've had a crush on since I was fourteen. I lie on my side, watching her sleep and trying to decide what the fuck I'm going to do. Six years is a long fucking time to deny yourself something and if last night was a onetime thing then I sure as hell made the most of it. We were up half the night and I'm fucking exhausted. I can't sleep though. I've been wide awake since the moment I woke up, just watching her sleep. She's still naked and I can see the scratch marks on her back where the blanket has fallen away from her. The marks I made on her. If she wakes up and catches me staring at her she's going to think I'm some kind of fucking pervert or something; but like I said, six years is a long fucking time.

I hear the front door open and close and check the clock by my bed. It's almost 6am and Effy's only just stumbling through the door now. "Fuck sake." I mutter as I hear her crashing about in the kitchen. The last thing I need is her trying to use the oven and setting the place on fire. I press my lips to Naomi's cheek before I climb out of bed and pull on some clothes. If I stay in bed any longer I'm probably going to wake her up anyway.

I find Effy in the kitchen attempting to open a tin of beans with an ice cream scoop. She looks fucking wasted. God I hate it when she goes out with Cook. She always comes home in a state. I roll my eyes as I take the scoop away from her and toss it back in the drawer. "Oi!" She grumbles and she fucking reeks of drink, weed and god knows what else. I shove her down on to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and set about making her something to eat. I make us some coffee too, to sober her up and to keep me awake. "You're up early." Effy points out as I put a plate of beans on toast down in front of her and take a seat beside her with my coffee.

"Yeah…Naomi's in my bed." There's no point in lying about it, it's not like I'm going to be able to bundle Naomi out of the flat without Effy knowing about it.
"Really? And what's she doing in there?" She asks in a sing-song voice and she's even more annoying when she's drunk.
"What the fuck do you think she's doing?" I snap back as I nurse my coffee, wishing it was something stronger.
"You fucked her then? Feeling better?"
"What do you think?" I feel worse than ever. That's the worst thing about getting exactly what you want. One night of great sex and now I'm going to have a lifetime of not being able to look my sister in the eye. Me and Ems haven't really been on speaking terms for a while, not since she caught me in bed with Effy and kicked off about finding out I'm not as straight as I like people to think I am; but she's still my flesh and blood and I'd never want to see her hurt.

Then there's Naomi. What the fuck am I meant to say to her? Oh yeah, by the way babes, I know you're still mad for my sister, and I've been a right cow to you, but I've fancied the fuck out of you for years. God she's going to think I'm fucking pathetic!
"Did you talk to her?" Effy seems to be sobering up as she munches on a slice of toast and stares at me like I'm on trial.
"Fuck no!" And I never will! I'm not having her looking down on me, or fucking worse, pitying me. It was just a shag, a onetime drunken thing that isn't going to happen again. Naomi will fuck off back to London and Emily will never find out. "Don't you dare tell her anything Eff! It's fucking private! Don't even tell her you saw me! Just go to bed."

I grab my car keys and storm out of the flat. I can't stay there with Naomi asleep in my bed; I can't be around when she wakes up. So I head over to the only place I can go at this time of morning. The advantage of having friends with kids is that they're guaranteed to be up at the crack of dawn, so when I text Lara to tell her I'm heading over she has a cup of tea ready for me by the time I get there. "No offence sweetie, but you look like hell."
"Thanks." I grumble as we take a seat in her living room and Albert happily sits down to play with the toys littered all over the floor. She's right of course; I literally climbed out of bed and pulled some clothes on. I'm not even wearing socks. "I've been up half the night."
"Really? What's his or her name?" Lara smirks at me, she knows me all too well.

"Naomi." I admit with a sigh and her eyes widen. "I'm so fu-fudged." I stop myself from swearing in front of Albert. Lara knows all about what happened with Emily and Naomi, though she doesn't really know either of them. Emily only comes back to Bristol during the holidays and this is the first time Naomi's been back in two years.
"Katie, she's your sister's ex!"
"I know, I know!" I didn't come over for a lecture. I know I screwed up; I don't need anyone else telling me that. "I just couldn't help it! She kissed me the other night and I just couldn't get it out of my head…I invited her over last night and we…" I look down at Albert and I'm so not finishing that sentence in front of him.
"So did she stay over? Have you talked to her?"

"Uh, yes she did and no I didn't. She's still asleep in my bed. I just walked out when Eff got home… I mean what am I meant to say to her? She's going to think I'm a right freak!"
"Since when has Katie Fudging Fitch ever cared what other people think?" She smiles at me as she takes my hand and I feel tears welling up in my eyes.
"I care what she thinks Lara…I…I…" I don't finish as Lara pulls me in for a hug and holds me as I sob in to her shoulder. Albert leaves the toy cars he's been ramming together and tugs at my leg.

"Why crying Katie?" I wipe at my eyes and bend down to scoop the little boy up in to my arms.
"No reason kiddo." I ruffle his mop of blonde curls and force a smile.
"Aunt Katie is just a little upset baby, why don't you go draw her a pretty picture to cheer her up?" Lara picks him up and puts him back down on the floor. She hates me petting him up all the time; but I can't help it, the little guy has me wrapped around his finger and between me and Cook I don't know who spoils him the most.

"So what are you going to do?" Lara quizzes once Albert has gone back to playing. I've been asking myself that since I woke up this morning.
"I'll do what I do best." I hold my head up high and wipe away the last of my tears. "I'll be a…B-I-T-C-H." If it's one thing I'm good at it is pissing Naomi Campbell off.

I spend the morning at Lara's and only go home after lunch, when I'm certain Naomi will be gone. Except when Lara and I get to my front door it opens and Naomi's standing there staring at me. I'm not sure whether she'll try and bring up what happened last night in front of Lara, so I play dumb and hope she'll play along as I wrinkle my nose at her. "You look fucking shit…next time you have a bender with Effy and Cook try showering afterwards." She actually doesn't look bad for being hungover. Her soft blue eyes look dazed and she's been biting her lip since the door opened. Then my words hit her and her eyes narrow on me as she sticks her middle finger up at me.
"Go fuck yourself Katie." I'd rather fuck her; Again.

"JJ and I are having everyone over for dinner tomorrow night if you'd like to come Naomi?" Lara pipes up, trying to dissolve the tension and I'm glad I've already declined her invitation to dinner tomorrow.
"Sorry Lara, I've got plans with mum tomorrow. Maybe next time."
"You should come. You've never tasted anything like Lara's cooking." Effy smirks as she comes up behind the blonde and looks straight at me. I don't like the idea of Naomi being left alone with Effy and Lara so I'm glad when she insists she can't and leaves with barely a glance my way.

"You know for two people who were up all night fucking you two sure are cranky." Effy smirks at me, knowing full well I will have already filled Lara in on what's going on. I roll my eyes at her as I slump on to the sofa with a face like thunder.
"Maybe you should talk to her Katie?" Lara goes for the diplomatic approach likes she's trying to coax Albert to go to bed. Well I'm not a toddler and I can make my own decisions.
"Maybe both of you should just forget about it, yeah?" I'm not talking to Naomi and I'm not talking about her full stop. She'll be back in London in a few weeks and out of my hair, then everything will go back to normal; and maybe in about twenty years I'll be able to look my sister in the eye again. Maybe.


The next morning I finish my shoot early and give myself the rest of the day off, that's one of the perks of being self-employed. I decide to take my mind off everything that's going on by taking Albert out to the park, except when I ring Lara to let her know I find out Albert's with JJ at the pub; with Cook and Naomi. I've already offered to take him though so I can't take it back, which is why I once again find myself facing the last person I want to see. The three of them are sitting at a picnic table in the beer garden when I pull up in my car and Cook whistles when I get out. "What do you think then Naoms? Seven, eight?"I know exactly what the prick is talking about; he tries to play the rating game with me all the time.

"Fuck off Cook. I'm a fucking ten and you know it!" His face splits with a grin as he howls at me.
"Well you know Katie-kins I've yet to see the goods so I can't exactly give top marks now can I?" He looks at me like he's eyeing up some slut in a club and I'm tempted to slap the smirk off his face. I turn my attention to Albert instead and scoop the laughing little boy out of his father's arms. It's funny how good JJ is at being a dad, ever since Lara's ex died he's been raising Albert as his own and it's pretty amazing how well he copes with a baby. Albert's been good for him too, helping to bring him out of his shell and giving him something to focus on and stop him from getting locked on so much.

"Hey little man, are you coming with auntie Katie?" He giggles up at me as he tugs on my chain and JJ fusses over his carry bag, ensuring everything I'll need is packed inside; knowing JJ there's probably a full first aid kit inside along with some emergency flares.
"Lara's expecting him at four o'clock and she said to say she's not happy you're not coming for dinner."
"Sorry JJ. I've got to go to this party last night. I've got a meeting lined up with a pretty major player. If I get the contract I'm going to Milan for..."I stop talking as I realise who I'm talking to, between the three of them Naomi probably has the most interest in fashion, and that really is saying something. "Anyway, I'll drop him off when I bring Effy over. Come on Albert, let's go to the park and play on the swings, yeah?"As I carry Albert back to my car I hear Cook trying to goad Naomi. "What about it Naoms? I'd do her…give off it! You would though!" Naomi's too softly spoken for me to catch watch she says back to him, but I catch her looking my way as the three of them head back in. I turn my back and refuse to acknowledge her as I fasten Albert in to his car seat. By the time I'm finished she's gone and I can stop holding my breath.

I'm glad JJ didn't mind me taking Albert for the day. It's nice to be able to spend the afternoon with an infant that is incapable of judging you or looking down on you. I don't have to put on a front with Albert or pretend to be something I'm not, because this little boy loves me no matter what and in his eyes I'm like a superhero; and that is the greatest feeling in the world. I'm never going to have kids of my own and I don't expect Emily will be popping babies out any time soon so I dote on Albert; probably a little too much if I'm honest. Lara hates me spoiling him but he's going to be starting nursery next year and I'm trying to make the most of the time I can get with him now. Lara appreciates the help too. It's hard work raising a toddler when you're only twenty years old and you don't have any family to help you. That could easily have been me if that hobbit I was seeing back in college had actually got me pregnant.

We spend the afternoon in the park and then I get him a new colouring book and some sweets for after his tea before I take him back to Lara a little after four. Once he's been fed JJ bribes him in to the bath with the promise of the sweets I bought him and a bed time story from his daddy, leaving me and Lara to catch up over a cuppa as she prepares what she's cooking for the others tonight. "You sure you can't make it tonight?" Lara tries again but it's no use. I hate missing out on spending time with her and the others, but I really need to land this Milan contract tonight…and ok, maybe it has a little bit to do with the fact that Naomi's coming over too.
"Sorry babes, I can't get out of this meeting.
"Really? What if Naomi wasn't coming?" She teases. I roll my eyes at her, though unlike Effy she knows not to push it too far.
"Then I'd still have this meeting. It's a pretty big opportunity and I need to take it."
"Will Effy be ok by herself for the weekend? I can drop in on her if you want?"

I've been thinking about that. I hate leaving Effy alone at the best of times, but this time of year is the worst; so I'm going to ask Naomi to stay over in the flat with her. She might as well be useful to me for something and if it's not going to be in the way I really want her then I'm going to have to settle for using her to babysit Effy for me. I reassure Lara that I've got it covered, if it's one thing I'm good at it's getting people to do what I want. It shouldn't be too hard to talk Naomi in to living in my flat with Effy for the weekend, though it does mean I'm actually going to have to talk to her though.

I leave Lara and JJ's with plenty of time to go home and get ready and after promising Effy I'll pick her up later I fly back out the door to meet my manager and the client who is looking for a photographer to do a shoot for him in Malan. The meeting is some posh restaurant in town and I'm glad my manager Sean is footing the bill. We run through the concept with the client, Sean shows him some of my work and we generally have a pissing contest as we negotiate the price and other finer details. It's a long night made even longer by the fact that I haven't been drinking, so by the time I drive over to Lara's to pick Effy up I'm really not in the mood for games.

For someone who usually knows everything Effy is pretty oblivious to this when she offers Naomi a lift home. The blonde's eyes widen and she tries to insist that she can just get the bus home, but Effy doesn't let it drop and I end up with Naomi sitting behind me in the car. "Actually I'm really tired, can you drop me off first?" Effy flashes those big blue eyes like the request is totally innocent and I grumble under my breath at her cheap shot to get me alone with the very last person in the world that I want to be alone with right now. When Effy gets out it leaves the blonde sitting in the back. She keeps her eyes on her hands as she fidgets nervously and the tension in the car is thick enough to cut a knife.
"Get in the front then. I'm not your fucking chauffer!" I snap at her, tired and pissed off with Effy. She scowls at me as she undoes her seatbelt and gets in to the front. I drive a Mini Cooper, which means there isn't a lot of space up front so her knee is practically pressing against mine the entire drive back to her house. For once Naomi Campbell manages to keep her mouth shut and I couldn't be happier about it when we pull up outside her house. I wait for her to get out, but she doesn't move. I eventually snap at her, trying to come across as bitchy as possible as I'm terrified she's going to bring up the other night.
"What?"

"So we're just going to pretend the other night didn't happen?" She finally blurts out, no longer able to keep her mouth shut. She seems just as on edge as I am and she's looking at me like I'm about to bite her head off. I should. I should shout my mouth off at her until she gets pissed off and gets out of my car. It would be so easy; I've practically got a degree in pissing Naomi off; but I just can't bring myself to do it. It's harder to put up an act with her after what happened the other night, that's why I've been hoping to avoid her. I just can't do it anymore. I can't. Instead I sit with my hands on the wheel, gripping it so hard that my knuckles start to go white as I stare out the windscreen; looking anywhere but at her.

"What do you want me to say Naomi? I was drunk ok?" It's the oldest excuse in the book, but I'm praying she buys it.
"Why?" No such luck then.
"Because I was tired and upset, ok? I spend every fucking day looking after Effy, looking out for signs she's going to go mental again, or watching Albert so Lara and JJ can have some time together. I was upset Naomi, I lost Freddie too and I miss him! But I can't cry or kick off about it. I just have to get on with it, for Effy's sake...sometimes...sometimes I just feel like I'm going to break. I just needed...needed someone, ok?" I fucking hate how bad my lisp gets when I'm upset, it's a weakness, just like the tears that are stinging at my eyes, and I don't want the girl sitting beside me to see me as weak. I don't want her pity.

"So you called me?"
"Don't fucking flatter yourself Campbell." I try to laugh but I choke on a sob. She's smart and far too curious for her own damn good; so I kick up my bitchiness and try to blame it on her. "I wanted to fucking kick off with you about kissing me...then when you showed up I just...I just needed a release, you know? Scratch an itch." She winces at my choice of words; Effy's words. I've got a horrible feeling that Effy's been talking to her, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. I'll have words with her when I get home.
"Well if you ever need someone-" She looks up at me with those big blue eyes and she really needs to stop being nice to me.

"Dream on Campbell, that was a once in a fucking lifetime event so make the most of it perv!" Irritation flashes over her face and I know I'm finally getting somewhere.
"I meant if you need to talk. Someone to talk to." She' gritting her teeth and doing her best to keep her tone level, even though I'm doing everything I can to piss her off. A couple of years ago she wouldn't have cared if I needed someone to talk to, she wouldn't have offered me a shoulder to cry on and she sure as hell wouldn't have kissed me.
"Why? Why would you do anything for me?" I just can't get my head around everything that's happened this past week. None of it makes sense.

"Why would you do anything for Eff?" She shrugs at me, and I don't think she can honestly answer that question herself. "We might not have been friends back then, and I know you hated me but-"
"I didn't hate you." I'm supposed to be making her think exactly that, but somehow sitting here with her I just can't bring myself to lie. "After you and Ems got together I didn't really mind you so much..." Until she hurt Emily; She cheated on my sister and I'm supposed to hate her for it like everyone else. Except I don't, and even back then I didn't. It's sick and I know it makes me a terrible person, but when I found out what was going on that day at the BBQ, when my family and my entire world was breaking apart around me, a tiny part of me hoped that they would split up; that'd I'd get my chance with Naomi.

"You know where I am if you need me...to, you know, talk or whatever." That same hope sparks up inside of me again as she offers me a shoulder to cry on. I hadn't expected her to be so nice to me. I thought she'd be kicking off about what happened between us, screaming it was a mistake and begging me not to tell Emily; but she's not. She's different now, two years away at uni really has changed her, but not in a bad way. I think I'm falling in love with her all over again.
"Thanks." I manage a smile as she gets out of the car and I have to make sure my hands are still gripping the steering wheel so I can't do something stupid like grab her and try to kiss her; that doesn't stop my mouth from doing something stupid though and my lips move before I can stop them, "Oh, and Naomi? We were friends… Sort of."