AN: Hello to you all! I hope you liked the previous chapter, because I already have this one ready. I wasn't sure if I should post it so early, but between yesterday and today my creativity has been going to the max so much that I had the urge to start writing and finish this chapter in only two days. Which could mean two things: Either this is an excellent chapter or it's a really bad one.

I'm hoping for the latest obviously, but even with the chance that I could be making a huge mistake, I'm gonna take the risk.

So without any further delays, here it is, and as always, enjoy your reading.

CHAPTER 11

EMILY'S POV

I wake up in a jolt, sweating profusely and feeling my heart beating as if it were to explode at any second. I look around, trying to understand where I am. Oh, that's right, Naomi's house. Which means last night wasn't just a bad dream…

I feel my mouth dry, so I decide to go downstairs to grab a glass of water, even though I have no clue where the kitchen is. As I reach the end of the stairs, I try to walk through the hallway without making too much noise and see if I can make it to the kitchen.

"What are you doing Emily?" I almost jump of scare when I hear her voice.

"Hell Naomi!" I turn around to face her, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I say trying to speak as low as I can.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if you need anything." She says with a low and sweet voice.

"Yeah, I was looking for the kitchen to grab some water. My mouth is a bit dry." I try to explain.

"Ok, it's just this way." She says entering the room and turning the light on.

"Let's just try to make as less noise as possible." Naomi says to me while filling a glass with water. She then turns to me and sets it on the table, "You don't need to be standing there Em, sit down and make yourself at home."

I smile meekly at her and sit down, taking the glass of water in my hands and drinking it. She approaches me with a worried look, "You ok? You are looking very pale. More than usual that is."

"I'm really peachy. Just had a nightmare and woke up in sweat, nothing much." I say full of sarcasm.

She sits on the chair next to mine, "I'm sorry you had to found that the way you did." I hear compassion on her voice.

"What? That my father is sending a friend of mine to death?" I scoff bitterly, "At least now I know I'm the daughter of a mercenary. Great isn't it? Just fucking wonderful…" My voice breaks at this point and I feel tears forming in my eyes. Naomi gets closer and pulls me to her chest, holding me while I cry, "Why does he have to do this? My fucking family…"

"Shh, I'm here Ems, you're not alone. It's ok, let it all out." She says kissing my head softly as my grip around her waist gets stronger. I feel as if I let her go, something bad will happen to me.

"I'm so sorry…" I say trying to speak between sobs. Then I feel her lifting my head gently to face her, "Em, don't think for a second that you have anything to do with it. You are not your father. You are Emily, you are my friend Emily ok? Never forget that."

I nod weakly and retreat to her chest again, starting to calm down a bit.

"Never compare yourself to your father Em, you're a beautiful person. You don't deserve it." She says whispering softly, calming me down to the point that I gradually end up falling asleep in her arms. This time, I had a much more peaceful sleep than before. Because in my dreams there was Naomi, protecting me. With her by my side, I felt like I could face all the things that haunted me.

NAOMI'S POV

Emily eventually fell asleep in my arms and she looked so peaceful that I would never forgive myself if I woke her up, so trying to take her upstairs was a bit risky. I decided to lift her up and take her to my room instead since it's the closest to the kitchen. Once I got there, I tried to gently lay her on the bed without disturbing her sleep, and as soon as I did it, her body instantly relaxed onto the bed. I reached for the bedspread and a duvet and put them over her. Seeing her peaceful like this made me smile and after I made sure she was ok, I decided to leave the room.

"Naoms…" I turn back, "Don't leave me here, please…" She pleads with a hoarse voice.

"I'm right next door Em." I say softly approaching her and kneeling in front of her. I can't help but caress her beautiful red head, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Could you lay in bed with me?" She asks lowly looking me straight in the eye. Again, I'm really not able to say no to her sad puppy eyes.

"Ok, I will." I say getting up and going to lay on the other side of my bed. I reach for the duvet and cover myself adjusting my body into a comfortable position, at the same time trying to let some space between me and Emily. After a few seconds I close my eyes and start to feel sleep coming to me, but I open my eyes again when I feel her getting closer to me, trying to put her arm around my waist. I instinctively put my own arms around her, pulling her closer to me.

"I'm here, you're not alone Ems." I say calmly, running my hands up and down her back, gently. I feel her nod and relax into my body, "Sleep tight beautiful. Tomorrow is another day."

It makes me so relieved to feel her peacefully sleeping that I eventually fall asleep as well. I guess in the end, we all need one another.

EMILY'S POV

I feel light entering the room and I start to open my eyes. As I do it, I see a blonde and beautiful woman facing me, still asleep. That's right, she ended up staying with me until I fell asleep, I remember now. She's so peaceful, I don't want to disturb her, but I can't help and reach for her fringe to tuck it behind her ear. As I do so, she stirs a bit and furrows her eyebrows. I smile at her cute expression as she starts to open her eyes.

"Hm… Is it morning already?" She asks with a groggy voice.

"Yeah, how did you sleep?" I ask noticing the huskiness of my own voice.

"I still am…" She moans covering her face with the duvet and I chuckle at that.

She peeks from under her cover, "Don't laugh at me. I can be a real big pain in the ass in the morning."

"Fine you cranky." I say getting under the covers with her, "I'll join you under here then." I smile playfully at her.

She looks at me with worry, "How are you feeling Em?" And touches my arm, running her hand up and down slowly.

"Better, I guess." I look away from her, "Thank you Naoms, for putting up with me yesterday." I say feeling ashamed.

She moves her head to follow my gaze and smiles kindly, "Don't say that. You needed someone and I was there."

I still can't look her in the eye, so she puts her hand on my cheek, "Hey, look at me." And I do.

"I did it because I wanted to, ok? You deserve to be treated well." She says kissing my forehead.

I feel my heart beating quickly and my stomach fluttering, I have an urge I can't quite name. All I know is that I want to be closer to Naomi, to feel her closer to me. Physically, but I don't know why? Or how?

I gulp nervously, "I really like when you act like that with me." I say with a low voice.

She seems confused, "What do you mean?"

"I… I don't know." I think for a couple of seconds, "I like it when you hold me and… When you kiss me, like you did just now."

She's looking at me with an expression that I can't decipher. She's probably thinking that I sounded like an idiot. Shit.

"I like it too…" She says blushing, "When we are together like this, I mean." And gestures between us.

I stare at her in disbelief, I certainly wasn't expecting an answer like that, but I try to continue the conversation, "What do you think it means?"

She ponders for a bit, "I don't know. I feel a need to be closer to you." And says lowering her voice, "But… I'm always afraid I'm overstepping your boundaries."

"Oh… Well I could tell you if you were."

She nods, "Sounds fair to me."

Silence falls between us and we just stay in bed looking into each other's eyes. She retreats her hand from my arm and I immediately miss her touch, so I decide to grab her hand, "Don't."

She looks at me confused, until I put her hand back on my arm, "Don't stop. I like to feel your touch on me."

"I see. Come closer to me then." She says grabbing me by the waist gently and pulling me closer to her, our faces just inches apart. I feel my face reddening and getting hot.

"You know how beautiful you look when you blush like that?"

I smile shyly, "Says the girl with the amazingly beautiful azure eyes…" I say in a low and husky voice.

"Your voice gives me shivers…" She says lowly.

"Is that a bad thing?" I ask almost in a whisper.

"No, it makes me want to…" She says getting closer and looking down at my lips.

I can't help but look at hers too and as we both lean into each other and our lips touch, my eyes close immediately and I feel such a delicate softness that I never want to let go of her. It seems like we were always like this, it feels familiar. We kiss one, two, three times, and then suddenly she stops, leaving me longing for more.

"Why did you stop?" I ask almost whining.

"Because I am afraid of doing this against your will…" She explains in a week voice.

"You aren't." I say, kissing her again, softly, "You would never do anything like that."

"Ok. I just don't want to push you into anything Emily." She looks at me with worry, "I know you've never been with anyone like this…"

"Shh, it's ok." I say tracing her beautiful soft lips with my finger, "I want this." And move my hand to caress her cheek.

She grabs it and kisses my palm, looking at me softly, "You will tell me if it's too much alright?"

"Yeah." I say kissing her again, "We have a deal."

"Let's seal it then." She says raising her eyebrows playfully and kissing me more passionately this time. Well, I guess I finally have the answer I was looking for. Emily Fitch, for the first time in your young life, you've fallen for someone. And that someone "just" happens to be a girl.

"Em…" Naomi says after we part from each other, "We should get up. We have been here for a while now."

"Yeah you're right. Besides, I want to check on Cassie, to see if she's ok." I say playing with a blonde lock of her hair.

"Ok honey, let's go then." She says getting up from the bed and I do the same, walking to the door.

"Ah before I forget. There's a bathroom here just down the hallway and there's another upstairs. Feel free to use them anytime you'd like."

"Alright, thanks Naoms." I smile and go upstairs, knocking on Cassie's door, "Cass, can I come in?"

"Of course Emsy, come on in." I hear her voice calling from the inside and I open the door.

"Hey, good morning." I say to her who is sitting with her back resting against the bedframe.

"Morning. Come sit next to me honey." She says patting the space next to her.

I go and sit mimicking her position, "How did you sleep?" I ask looking at her.

"Fine." She shrugs her shoulders, "Considering the situation from yesterday."

"Yeah…" I say and looking down at my hands on my lap.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sweetie, I was just trying to protect you."

I look at her again, "How could you? I would eventually find out the truth."

"I don't know… I guess I had the naïve idea that by not telling you, it wouldn't become reality, so that way you wouldn't suffer." My cousin says with sadness.

"So you kept it all to yourself." I put my hand over hers, caressing it, "You had to deal with it alone. I can't even imagine the pain you must have been feeling."

"I had to Em. Because I was afraid that if I said it out loud, it would become a real thing, and I didn't want that."

Tears start falling down her face, "I couldn't stand the fact that our family was going to send the people I love to war." I reach for her face and wipe away the tears, at the same time feeling my own eyes watering, "I know Cass, this all thing feels like a bad dream to me. It's like the family I've known my entire life suddenly changed into one that I would despise."

"What are we going to do?" I ask her, almost desperately.

She sniffs and looks at me, "Honestly, I don't know. The decisions are made, we can't do anything to change that."

I look at her sadly, and feel a rush of fear starting to run through my veins, because after all these years with Cassie by my side, it's the first time I hear her sound so hopeless. She's suffering so much, and I feel so impotent because I can't make it go away. There's only one thing I can do, that I have to do. I'm going home and speak with my father, even if it's the hardest thing I have to do right now, but I can't just sit still and watch him send the people I care about to their death. I have to be brave now, for Cassie, Cook and all the others getting caught up in this hurtful decision.

I get up suddenly and wipe the tears from my own face, "Cassie, we can't stay here doing nothing while our family gives this kind of orders." I say determined grabbing my clothes from the night before.

"What are you doing?" She asks getting up.

I turn to her, "I'm putting my clothes on, and then I'm going home to talk with my father."

"What? Emily you can't do that!" She pleads grabbing my forearm.

"Cassie please let go of my arm." I say and look at her sternly, "I need to do this."

"He's not going to listen to you!"

"Yeah, well, I guess I'll just have to find that out by myself." I answer coldly leaving the room and going downstairs as fast as I can, trying to go out the front door without Naomi noticing me. But as I get outside I realize that my plans are ruined as soon as I see her leaning next to her bike.

"Going somewhere hun?" She asks with a tone I can't quite understand.

"I…" I think of lying but I know it's useless, "I'm going home. To talk with my father." I say coldly, "And you're not gonna stop me."

She scoffs, "Who said I would?" And asks grabbing a helmet from her bike and giving it to me.

I look at her confused, "Why are you giving me this?"

Naomi looks at me with a smug look, "Let's just say the walls on this house are thin, and you and Cassie didn't exactly speak in low voices."

"I still don't understand. If you heard our talk then you have even more reasons to stop me from going."

"Emily, listen." She says sighing deeply, "I'm no one to judge your decisions, so if it's what you wanna do, I won't get in the way."

"Ok, but that still doesn't explain why you were here waiting and are now giving me your helmet."

She shrugs her shoulders and says smirking, "I said I wouldn't get in your way, but I never said that I wouldn't help you. Besides, I don't want you to go alone."

I can't resist giving her a big smile, "I see. Well shall we go then?"

"Of course my lady, your carriage awaits." She says motioning for me to get up on the bike as she did the same.

I snort at her sentence, "Only you to make me laugh at a time like this Naoms."

"Yeah well I try." She says turning the engine on, "You already know the drill beautiful, just hang tight."

"With great pleasure." I say smiling holding on to her waist as much as I can.

"Ok, give me all you got "Babe"! Our passenger here is on a hurry."

I slap her thigh in a playful manner, "Just drive already silly."

And she does just that, entering the road that will eventually leads us to my house. While we ride I feel anxiety and fear rushing through me once again, but this time is easier to fight them back, because this time I'm not alone. I have Naomi by my side and that fact only gives me half the courage I need to face my father.

AN: Ok this is it. Let me know what you think with a review. I'll give my attention to each one of them, good or bad. So don't be shy ;)