AN: Hello lovely readers! I hope you're all well. So, here's a new chapter and I'm sorry I took so long to publish it but it's been really hard to write and even more to LIKE what I end up writing. Either way I decided to give it a go and post it, I hope you'll like it, if that's not the feel free to leave a honest review. After all I can only grow as a writer with the opinion of my readers.

As always I thank you all who view, review, follow and favourite my beloved piece of work. It's extremely important to have you with me.

Now that's all settled, enjoy your reading :)

CHAPTER 17

NAOMI'S POV

I wake up early in the morning, it's still dark outside. I look to my right and see my red headed beauty sleeping, her face one of peacefulness. I smile at seeing her like this, although it pains me not being able to maintain her in this state. Because once she wakes up, she has to return to the awful reality I have put her in. If I had never appeared in her life she wouldn't be suffering like this, because she would have never met any of us, she wouldn't have to worry about any of this.

I get up trying to make as less noise as I can and walk into the bathroom. My face is heavy with sleep and I'm practically dragging myself around the room. I glance at Emily and notice the sheets are not covering her frame anymore, so I reach out and cover her again, gently running my fingers through her soft skin.

She frowns a bit and moans something incomprehensible, probably about what she's dreaming. I sigh and step away, going out of the room into the hallway.

I make my way to another door and knock carefully, opening it and seeing light coming from the inside.

"Hey there." I say to Cook, as I walk into his room sitting beside him on the sofa.

"You woke up early blondie." He says smiling, watching some of those crappy programs which are only on at this time.

"So did you." I shrug at him and yawn, "God, it's too fricking early."

"You're telling me." He looks at me, "I didn't even fall asleep."

I frown at hearing that, "You should rest Cookie, you're going through a lot of stress, your body's not gonna take it."

"I know that." He sighs, "But every time I try to, all my thoughts start to mix inside my head keeping me from falling asleep."

"I understand." I reach for his hand, holding it in mine and he smiles softly at me.

"How are things between you and red?" Cook asks me.

"Red?" I look at him confused, "Oh, you mean Emily?"

"Yeah, you seem to be getting quite close."

"Yes, she's amazing." I advert my gaze from his, "More than I deserve actually." I add almost whispering.

"What do you mean?" He asks looking straight at me, "You're one of the best people I know!"

"That's not the point." I sigh deeply, "I'm afraid I might be called to duty as well."

"No, no shit. That can't happen…" Cook says shaking his head.

"What if it does? I mean, it's perfectly possible. You know I am at the right age and I've already perfected my gift very well!" I say stressing out.

"Calm down, we don't know that yet alright?" He says resting his hands on my shoulders, "We'll just wait and see if you receive any letter. If that does happen, we'll deal with it then."

"It would break Emily's heart. I can't do that to her." My voice is breaking at this point, "It would be best if I hadn't entered her life at all."

"Naomi, just listen to me." He says with a straight face, "I don't know Emily very well yet, but I can see the way she looks at you, like you're made of pure gold."

I snort at him, "Only you to make me laugh Cook. It shows that much eh?"

He nods with a smug look, "It's written all over her face." He says smirking, "And in yours too."

"I bet it is." I smile at the mention of it, "I'm pretty much head over heels for her."

"I'm happy for you. You just focus on that and forget about the rest alright?"

"Ok Cookie, I'll try to." I say and rest my head on his shoulder, "I missed being with you like this."

"You just can't resist the Cookie Monster charms." He says grinning and I slap him lightly on the leg, making him laugh.

We stay like this for a moment, watching some rerun of "The Price is Right". I will never understand why they show these kind of programs at this damn hour. As if someone would get up on purpose just to watch it.

"Naomi, I've been thinking about something." He says breaking the silence between us.

"Oh, do tell." I say without taking my eyes from the telly.

"I think we should give a concert."

I move my head from his shoulder and look at him surprised, "You're serious? With all that's going on, do you think it's a good idea?"

Cook looks at me with a determined look, "That's exactly my point. We need something to keep our minds off shitty things."

I ponder about it for a couple of seconds, "Well it does make sense."

"Then let's do it! Me, you and Nathan, we haven't done it for a while now."

I nod in agreement, "Alright, find us a place and it's settled."

"Consider it done blondie." He grins at me.

Suddenly a lightbulb goes on in my head, "I just had the best idea ever." I say excitedly to Cook.

"Yeah?"

"I want to take Emily on a date and I think I can make the concert as being part of it."

"That's brilliant! I'm glad that you don't take out after your hair." He says with a provoking smile.

I give him a fake smile, "I'm gonna let that one slip, but only because you had an awesome idea."

"Alright! So, how are you gonna do it?" Cook asks me with enthusiasm.

"I don't know…" I think for a moment, "She likes to be outdoors, surrounded by nature."

"Ok so that's a hint. What else?"

"Ah! I got it, fireworks!" I say grinning, "While we have dinner."

"How the hell are you gonna be able to do that?"

"I was thinking that maybe you could give me a hand? Talk with a guy who might know another guy who can get me fireworks?" I ask him with my best puppy eyes.

"Ah alright Naomikins, I'll see what I can go." He says grinning at me.

"Thanks Cookie. Well I should be going, to check on Emily."

"Yeah I agree. You shouldn't let that fine bird alone in bed."

"Hey watch it!" I say playfully and turn to leave.

Once I reach my room I open the door slowly and get in, making my way to my side of the bed.

"Hey…" I hear the husky voice I love so much and smile at her sleepy face.

"Hi…" I say laying down, "I'm sorry I woke you up." And trace her cute little nose with my fingertip.

"Hm… You didn't." She says twitching it and closing her eyes, sighing.

I kiss her forehead and she opens her eyes, "Where did you go?" She asks me with her chocolate orbs full of curiosity.

"I was in Cook's room and we stayed there talking for a while." I smile and gently run my fingers through her hair, "Have you always had red hair?"

"No, it began to change colours as I got older. My parents told me it was natural in my family, it seems it's related with my gift."

I sigh resting my palm on her cheek, and bite my lip before asking, "Do you have any idea of what it is?"

"I'm not sure…" Emily purses her lips thinking and I can't help but smile at how cute she looks.

"A while ago my father asked me the same thing, and at the time I only told him that I was starting to feel stronger, physically."

"That's a start. But there's more to it?"

She nods, "That same day I told Cassie that besides the increased strength, I also had been able to sort of communicate with a bird."

I am taken aback for a moment, "A bird?!"

"Yeah…" She blushes, "I knew it was just my imagination."

"No, no!" I smile and rest my hand on her arm, "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Ok so I have that one, although I'm still not convinced about it, especially due to the fact that it hasn't happened lately."

"Which means you only realized the enhanced strength then?"

"Yes and I think it showed last time I went home."

"When you went and talked to your father about the War?"

She nods, "Remember the slap he gave me?"

I touch her cheek lightly, "How could I ever forget…"

Emily gives me a small smile and holds my hand in hers, "After he did it, I tried to attack him."

I look at her eyes wide-open, "You did?"

She nods, "I felt a rage inside of me like I had never felt before. All I saw was red and all I wanted was to hit him."

"So you lunged at him?"

"Yes, but he stopped me obviously. He's much stronger than I am and ended up throwing me on the floor."

"He did what?!" I say raising my voice and sitting up against the bed frame.

"Calm down Naoms! You're gonna wake up the whole neighbourhood."

"Sorry." I sigh, "It's just that it pains me not having been there to protect you."

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself." She says frowning.

"I'm not saying you're not! I'm just saying I wanted to be there."

Emily looks at me with a sad face without saying any more words. The room suddenly filled with a sombre mood, and she ends up looking away from me.

"Em... I didn't mean to snap at you." I say, my voice full of regret, "I just… I feel so impotent when it comes to protect you."

"Why?" She asks, sitting next to me and looking straight into my eyes, "Why do you care so much?"

"How could I not? You're an amazing person." I look at her like it was the most obvious thing, "It had been so long since I had a special connection with another person, but when you appeared in my life that suddenly changed." She's biting her lip and I take it as a sign to go on.

"Now, all I want is to spend time with you and protect you from all that is wrong in this World."

Emily's looking down and I don't know what else I can say, I'm starting to give up but she speaks, "Besides Cassie, I've… I've never had anyone feeling that way about me." She says in a low voice, lifting her head again to look at me, "And I'm the same towards you. I too want to spend every day with you."

I smile at her like a Cheshire cat, "You do?"

She grabs the back of my neck and pulls me into her lips, kissing me slowly, "Does this prove it?" She asks cheekily when we pull apart.

Now it's my turn to kiss her, but more fervently, "Yes." I stop to catch my breath and smile against her lips.

She brushes her nose against mine and smiles, "Good." Emily says and rests her head on my shoulder.

I hold her hand in mine, tracing small circles on her smooth skin with my thumb and we stay comfortable in silence.

"Naomi?"

"Yeah?" I ask her, stopping my movements.

She goes quiet and I can tell she's pondering about saying something.

"Have you ever been with anyone before?" The question catches me by surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"In terms of intimacy?" She says only above a whisper.

"Oh, sexually?" She nods against my shoulder and I answer her "Yes, I have."

At hearing my answer she lifts her head of my shoulder, "Seriously?"

"Yes." I say and see a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Is that a problem?"

"No, I just never thought about it. I know you're more experienced than me, at least you seem to be."

"Em that doesn't matter anymore. It was a long time ago."

"Were they important to you?"

I breathe in and out slowly, I think I'm not gonna like where this is going, "She was, yes."

"It was also a girl?" She asks surprised and I shrug my shoulders, "What's the news Emily? I think it's pretty obvious."

"To you it may be nothing new, but it is to me. I never thought two people of the same gender could be together."

"Then what have we been doing until now?" I ask a bit annoyed.

"I didn't mean to upset you Naoms." I cringe at her use of a nickname, suddenly it doesn't sound so good.

"I'm just trying to get my head around this. It's not easy when you've been raised to believe that it's something wrong and ugly." She says trying to defend herself.

I sigh and soften my voice, "I can understand that, but try to see it from my side. I had to build up a defence against those type of arguments, so I end up easily snapping anytime I have to deal with it that type of mentality." She looks at me sadly but I go on, "And you're making it extremely hard, due to the fact that you're the person I am with right now."

"I'm trying to change ok? Otherwise why would I be here with you?"

"I don't know, to defy your father?" I say bitterly.

"My father?! He doesn't even know I'm here with you."

"Well he will eventually find out won't he?"

Emily sighs and gets up from the bed, "It's too early for this talk. I just woke up I don't wanna fight with you." She says with a hoarse voice and goes into the bathroom, closing the door on me.

"Fuck's sake Naomi…" I mutter to myself and go to the door, "Emily?" I ask and knock twice, not receiving any answer.

I sigh deeply, "I'm sorry Em… I didn't mean to be harsh on you."

"Then why did you?" I hear her muffled voice from inside, "I've already got enough of that with my dad, but thank you." She says bitterly.

"Will you open the door, please? Let me explain?" I plead to her and hear her sigh on the other end, opening the door.

"Fine, be my guest." She says and steps into the room, sitting on the bed, and I stand in front of her.

I bite my lip nervously, trying to find the right words, "It's hard for me to talk about this. I mean, about the person I was with before."

She looks down at her feet, "Go on, I'm listening."

I step closer and sit on the ground in front of her, searching for her eyes, "My relationship with her wasn't easy. Throughout the entirety of it we lived in fear." She's looking at me now with a frown on her beautiful face.

"Being with a girl you know? People looked down at us, specially her family. They didn't approve of us as a couple, and they saw me as someone who had turned their daughter into a monstrosity." My voice is shaky as I try to hold back my tears.

Emily extends her hand for me to take, and I hold on to her without even thinking twice, giving her a small smile.

She sits down in front of me and takes both my hands in hers and I close my eyes at feeling their warmth, "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened then?"

I look her directly in the eyes, the ones I've come to love so much, "She disappeared."

She looks at me puzzled, "Disappeared? I don't understand."

I let out a deep breath, "One day she was there, the next she wasn't. I called and she didn't answer, I went to her house and they weren't there anymore."

After saying that I advert my gaze from hers, "I tried to reach her a few more times after, I went to search for her around her place and surroundings. But it was all in vain, it was as if she and her family were never part of my life. She was gone and there was nothing I could do to change that. I decided to stop trying, and eventually my feelings for her subsided and my pain went away."

"Naomi, I'm so sorry." Emily says and hugs me tightly, and I hold on to her waist strongly, "I had no idea." She says looking at me sadly.

I smile and take a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her small ear, "It's ok beautiful, you had no way to know."

She takes my hand and links our fingers together, "Do you still think of her?"

I sigh and bite my lip, "I do, but only as a distant memory. I no longer wish for her to show up on my life at any time." And shrug my shoulders, "Now I have you and only want you, that's all that matters to me."

Emily grins at me like a little child on a candy store and I laugh at seeing her happy like this.

"Why are you laughing at me?" She asks pouting. Like I said, an authentic child.

"Because I like it when you smile at me like that. It's great to see you happy."

"Aww, you're such a big softy." Emily says teasing me and I poke her on her side, "Shut up!"

We both laugh while playing and teasing each other, and as we begin to calm down I'm not able to look away from her. Her gaze is burning like a flame which I don't want to lose sight.

"Me and the guys are gonna give another concert." I blurt out and earn a surprised look from her.

"Really? That's awesome! When?" She asks smiling with enthusiasm.

"Hm… That I don't know yet. I still have to talk with Nathan and I also have to wait for Cook to find us a place."

"So in a million years from now?" Emily asks with a playful tone.

"Well I sure hope not, I don't want our date to take that long to happen."

"Our date eh?" She's smirking at me now, raising her eyebrows.

I bite my lip embarrassed, "Yeah… You were not supposed to know that."

"Why?" She looks at me with a puzzled look and I feel a blush creeping at my face, "Because I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It still is, I don't know what's going to happen."

"You've got a point there." I ponder for a couple of seconds, "Alright, no problem. That's just a small part of it."

"There's gonna be more then?" She asks with shiny eyes and I give a small chuckle, "Of course! What kind of romantic do you take me for?"

"If I had to guess, one of the cheesiest ones that exist."

I roll my eyes and smirk at her, "Just like you fancy them, lucky me."

She smirks back and looks at me seductively, "Lucky you, but I can always show you how much."

After that remark she cups my face and leans in to touch my lips with her soft ones, and my grip on her waist becomes stronger. She deepens it by opening her mouth and I gladly grant her entrance, letting our tongues dance together igniting a fire within my core and I feel myself getting wetter every minute that passes.

Before it becomes too hard to contain ourselves, we part for some air and stay with our foreheads leaned into each other.

For her I can hold back and wait for the right time, because after all, Emily is the right person.

AN: And that's it. You already know the drill, opinions=reviews :)