A/N: I totally meant to have this posted last night, but I was dealing with a very cranky 10 month old and then decided it'd be a good thing to take sinus medication before editing this...that wasn't my best idea;) So here I am, presenting this to you!
I want to take a moment to ask you all to forgive the cheesiness/geekiness/totally ridiculousness towards the end of this chapter, but when I asked what you guys wanted to see happen in this story, I got the usual requests for more Naomily, one cheeky request for a Katie/Thomas hook up( You know who you are!)...but one person requested a song, and I'm not gonna lie, the thought intrigued me;)
I'm sincerely sorry for the formatting I used and it might make it a bit hard to read, so if Disney songs are not your thing, skip over that part...you'll know when it's coming, so keep an eye out for it;)
So alexberkley, as you requested...I hope you enjoy it:)
I also wanna give a shout out to Dacookiemontsa... I really wish you had an account or log in so I can thank you properly;)
All mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: I do not own Skins, The Beauty and the Beast or the lyrics used in this chapter!
Chapter 6- Be Our Guest
It took Emily longer than usual to get ready for the night out. She had a feeling something big was going to happen, and she wanted to be prepared for anything.
After she got off the phone with Naomi yesterday, she raced home because she was half an hour late for dinner. Emily was in such a good mood that it didn't even bother her when her mum had a go at her for being late.
After dinner, later that evening, she was sitting in her room when someone knocked at the door.
"Come in."
Katie poked her head through the open door. "Do you have a minute?"
Emily sighed as she put down the brush she had been running through her hair. "Kay, if you're gonna try and talk me out of go-," Katie cut her off before she could say anymore.
"No, I've realised you're right. I just wanted to say...," She paused, as if she was having a hard time getting the words out. And in truth she was. Katie swallowed a few times, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, yeah?"
Emily blinked in surprise. Katie had never apologised for anything, so this caught her off guard.
"Don't look at me like that!" Katie said, as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I may not always do it, but I know how to admit that I've been wrong." She said sulkily.
"Sorry, Katie. It's just you never have before." Emily watched as her cheeks turned pink. "Look, let's put it behind us, yeah? Lets just go and have a good time tomorrow night."
"Yeah, alright, but I just wanna clear the air about something first." Katie went and sat next to Emily. "About Freddie. I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. Sometimes I just get the feeling that you wish I wasn't your sister, ya know? It's always him you run to, and I just feel left out." She looked so defeated. Emily felt her heart shutter, as she saw her sister at her most vulnerable.
"Katie, I'm sorry if I've made you feel that way. It wasn't intentional. After everything happened with Court-,"
"Bitch!" Katie interrupted with a sneer.
"As I was saying," she smirked. "You acted different toward me." Katie started to protest, but Emily stopped her. "It's true, Katie. Freddie was there for me when it seemed like you couldn't be arsed."
"I did go a bit mental, but you were changing too. I didn't know how to deal with it." Tears formed in her eyes as she turned away from Emily.
"Listen, why don't we try to start again? I'll try to let you in a bit more."
Katie gave her a small smile and nodded. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. Do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?"
Emily smiled at her. Katie sounded so insecure, it reminded her of when they were younger. "That sounds nice."
So now, here she was, trying to decide what to wear tonight. She spent the day with Katie and she felt they were making a move in the right direction. Freddie had called to let her know that he was going to pick up Panda and JJ and then head to get her and Katie.
Katie was waiting on her for a change. She was nervous about tonight. She wanted to make a good impression. Emily knew from talking with Naomi the other night, that there were going to be more than just them tonight, so she didn't want to be an embarrassment to their hosts. She was debating on what shirt to wear, when she heard Katie outside her door.
"Come in!" She answered. "Katie, I need your help!"
The older twin smiled back at Emily and went right to her closet. She waited nervously, as her sister rooted around in there, for what felt like ages, before coming back out with a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a white vest top, along with a dark blue blazer to go over top of it. "This is the best I could come up with, lezza!" She smiled brightly at Emily.
"Nice." Emily said sarcastically, scrunching her face up and sticking out her tongue at her sister. "Actually, this could work. Not too butch, just girly enough." She appraised Katie's choice. "Thanks Kay."
"No problem, just hurry up yeah? Freddie just got here, so we're ready."
Forty five minutes later, they had finally reached the Campbell residence. Freddie made one last turn down the longest driveway any of them had ever seen, and came up to a high black wrought iron gate. Freddie reached out and pushed a button on the security pad, and then waited for a response.
"Yes?" Came the tinny sounding voice through the speaker.
"Yeah, we're here to see Naomi Campbell." He stated.
"Can I have you name please?"
"Um, Freddie McClair, Katie and Emily Fitch, Pandora Moon and JJ Jones." There was a pause after that.
"Right Mr McClair. Please drive through." The voice said, as the gates opened.
As they drove up to the house, which was another mile from the gate, Katie and Panda sat in the back seat with their mouths hanging open. Naomi's house, was actually, a small castle. Emily was impressed, to say the least. And Freddie let out a whistle as it came into view.
"Man, I knew they were rich, but I didn't expect this!" JJ stated. "This place is massive!"
"Nobody do anything to embarrass us, yeah?" Katie snapped out of her house envy, eyeing the rest of the group.
Emily felt seriously underdressed, as she got out of the car she tugged on her blazer. She knew she looked alright. She took the extra time to do her hair so it fell down her back and curled slightly at the ends. She felt confident and sure of herself.
'Oh, who am I kidding?' She thought to herself, 'I'm shitting bricks right now!'
The rest of the group was talking amongst themselves as they followed the path up to the front of the house. They all stood on the front steps, looking like street urchins that had just popped out of a Dickinson novel.
They felt out of place.
That was until the front door swung open to reveal Effy Stonem standing there, wearing a pair of ripped skinny jeans, an old t-shirt that had seen better days and she was sporting the "just fucked, backwards through the hedge" hair. Amazingly enough, she pulled it off.
Her eyes lit up when she saw them all at the door. "I was beginning to think you guys got lost." She said, smirking at them.
"I think we did! About mile back down the road." Freddie stated, causing Effy to laugh.
"Cute. I'm glad you all made it." She glanced over the rest of the group. "If you'll follow me, we're back this way." She gestured to a room down the long hall in front of them.
One by one, they all followed the brunette. Katie was right behind her, enchanted by the decor of the place.
"This place is whizzer!" Panda almost shouted, causing Katie to glare back at her. "Sorry." She said, ducking her head.
"No need to apologise Panda," Effy turned to look back at the bouncy blonde, giving her a small smile. "We thought that too, the first time we came here."
"When was that?" Katie asked, curiosity clear in her voice.
Effy stopped to think about her answer. "Cook and I were eleven at the time. We were floored by the size of this place. I mean could you imagine growing up here?" She asked them, watching them all shake their heads. "Cook and I grew up in the city, so we always had something to do and someone to do it with, but Naomi was the only child around for miles."
"So, did you grow up poor?" JJ asked. Emily and Effy chuckled and the rest of them just looked as if he had just kicked a small child.
"Sorry about him," Katie began to explain, "you know that filter that people have to stop them from saying inappropriate things?" Effy nodded slightly at her, with her smirk in place. "Well, JJ don't have one of those."
The group burst out in laughter, as JJ sputtered an apology while Effy giggled. "I'm so... S-sorry... I.. I...didn't mean-"
"JJ!" Effy called out, bringing him to a stop.
He looked around to his friends. "I got locked on again, didn't I?" It was confirmed by all of their heads nodding. He blushed a bright pink.
"It's alright." Effy said, looking JJ in the eye. "To answer your question, no. Cook's mum was a famous artist and my father owned a plastics supply company, with distributors around the world. So we both came from a more privileged background." She explained.
Emily stayed strangely silent throughout the exchange. She was filing these facts away in her brain. It's what she did, she would learn everything she could about things that interested her, and right now, everything about Naomi Campbell interested her.
As Effy kept up the flow of conversation, answering everyone's questions, they neared a room at the end of the hallway. Someone let out a bark of laughter on the other side of the door, causing Effy to roll her eyes.
"I'll apologise right now for anything that Cook may do or say later." She said with a smirk.
"Can't be any worse than Emsy here!" Freddie quipped, earning an elbow in the ribs from Emily.
"That was one time! Can't you just let it go?" Emily glared at her best friend and then at her sister when she started laughing.
"Afraid not, Emily. That was well fucked up, that night!" Katie said in a sing-song voice, catching Effy's eye.
"That was a top night, though!" Freddie stated, as the rest of them agreed.
"Maybe one day you'll tell me all about it?" Effy asked, as she pushed open the door. She led them all into a large two level room, with high vaulted ceilings. There was a grand staircase at the end of the space that led up to the second level. There was a bar that ran along the west wall, complete with two bartenders, and sofas and chairs placed almost in the middle of the room. "This used to be the ballroom, once upon a time, but we've converted it into our own personal playroom." The brunette explained, pride in her voice, as everyone looked around.
Emily was taking in the elegance of it all, noticing a stage that was set up across from the bar, but it was the floor that drew her attention.
It was all hardwood flooring, showing that it was indeed, a ballroom at one time, but the design that had been laid into the flooring itself was intricate and beautiful. Celtic knots were inlaid throughout the floor, starting along the edges of the room, flowing and twisting together, coming in to the centre of the room to form the Celtic Tree of Life. It was one of the most beautiful things Emily had ever seen.
"Mr Campbell had that put in when Naomi was born." Effy explained, leaning in to whisper the information to her. "Naomi wanted to have it ripped out and replaced, but Gina forbid it."
"Why would she want to destroy something so beautiful?" Emily asked, horrified that this piece of artwork could've been destroyed.
Effy suddenly had a sheepish look on her face, something that looked out of place on the brunette. "That's a long story, and one that you'll have to ask Naomi." She replied quietly.
"Fair enough. Sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Emily said.
"No, it's alright, but there are some things that only Naomi knows the answers to." Effy told her, with a smile. "C'mon, let's catch up with everyone."
When Emily turned around, she saw Cook right away, standing with a small group of people. Effy led them over to where he was standing and when he saw them, his smile grew ten times bigger.
"Right! You guys made it!" He grabbed Emily and Katie into a hug. "Now the fun can begin!"
"Hey, Cook." Freddie greeted him and found himself squeezed into a hug as well.
"Alright JJ, Panda." Cook greeted everyone. "Come on and meet the group."
They followed him as he introduced them to everyone. There where about ten other people there, mostly work colleagues. Cook was just about done, when he came to a taller dark-skinned gentleman and a small, petite blonde. "Guys, this is Thomas, and this lovely lass is Lara."
Thomas and Lara smiled at everyone and said hello, but two things happened that Katie, Emily and Effy saw, that no one else did. The first thing was the way Panda and JJ stared at Thomas and Lara. It was like watching the sun rise for the first time, as it brightened up the dark sky. It was a beautiful thing to behold, to tell the truth, and the three girls watched in silence.
The second thing was slowly inching her way through a door at the back of the room, to the side of the staircase. Emily's heart sped up just bit at the sight of the tall blonde. Naomi stood against the wall, in the shadows. She looked scared, to be honest.
'One wrong move and she'll bolt.' Emily thought to herself, as she sideways glanced at Effy, who had thought the same thing.
Effy turned toward the twins and pulled them away from the group. "I need to let you know about Naomi." She whispered. "She has a hard time dealing with new people. So, please don't let anything she may say or do, put you off."
Katie looked to Emily, to see if she understood what Effy meant by that, but Emily shook her head at her.
Effy walked over to Naomi, and the smaller girls watched her lean in to whisper something into the blonde's ear. The twins turned back toward Freddie and the rest of their group, leaving Effy and Naomi on their own.
"I don't know if I can do this, Ef." Naomi was nervously looking around the room when Effy came over to her.
"Of course you can. You already know everyone here." Effy stated firmly.
"You're right. I know you're right, but it doesn't make it any less daunting." Naomi hung her head and sighed. "Fine! Lets do this. I need a drink."
Effy smirked. "That's my girl!" She led the blonde over toward the bar, grabbing the bartenders attention.
"Ma'am?" He asked.
"Can I get a vodka and Red Bull?" Naomi leaned herself against the bar. "So what do you think?"
Effy eyed her friend, before turning to the man behind the bar. "Can I have a whisky sour, please Nathan?" He nodded at her and gave her a wink. She smirked at him, then turned back to Naomi. "I think we're in for a very eventful night."
Naomi grinned at the brunette. "I meant about the twins. What do you think?"
Effy looked thoughtful, as she grabbed her drink, taking a sip. "What did you feel when you walked into the room?"
The blonde turned around and watched the newcomers standing with Cook. "To be honest, I knew as soon as they drove through the gate." She said truthfully. "It wasn't like the night of the ball, it wasn't as strong, but it was there."
"I felt the same. I'm telling you, Nai, one of those girls is the one." Effy stated, with a nod in the direction of Emily and Katie. "Now we have to find out which one it is."
"So now what?" Naomi asked, although she already knew the answer.
Effy's eyes twinkled as she looked at her. "Let's go mingle." With that, she pushed away from the bar, and not waiting for Naomi, headed toward their destiny.
"I thought as much!" Naomi muttered to herself as she followed.
Emily stood and listened to Freddie and Cook talk about football. Panda and JJ were talking with Thomas and Lara, and Katie had gone to talk to one of the guys they met. She felt out of place, and she didn't like the feeling. She was about to follow Freddie and Cook, when she heard Effy come up next to her.
"You look bored." She said with a frown. "Are you not having a good time?"
Emily chuckled at the brunette. "Well, we did just get here. So the night is still young."
Effy smiled at the smaller girl. "Come on, let's get you a drink." Emily's eyes lit up and the smile she threw out was blinding. Effy was shocked at the intensity of it, and shook her head to clear her mind. As she turned around, she saw that Naomi was almost standing by them. "Naomi, come and say hello."
Emily took in the way the blonde was dressed. She had on a pair of black jeans, a tight long sleeve cotton shirt, also black and a pair of red Vans that looked worn and comfy. Her blonde hair was long and hung around her face in waves.
"Hello again, Emily. How are you?"
"I'm fine. And you?" Emily said, amusement in her voice, her eyes taking in the blonde before her, the way her blue eyes burned with an almost cold fire, the scars she had seen, hidden under her mask the night of the ball, were clear to see now. Emily kept her face neutral, as she gazed at the blonde.
Naomi felt herself blush. Effy nudged her in the ribs when she didn't answer right away and she flinched. "Um, yeah...I'm good." She was starting to feel pressure under Emily's gaze. It almost felt as if she could see into her soul. "I spoke with your solicitor this morning."
Emily grimaced at the thought of it. "I'm really sorry about that, I tried asking if we really needed to involve you, b-, " Naomi stopped her before she could finish.
"I already told you it was no big deal." She said. "I'm glad I could help." She looked between Effy and Emily with a small smile.
"Let's go and get a drink." Effy interjected, because she knew Naomi would just freeze up if she didn't do something. "We'll keep Emily entertained won't we, Naomi?"
Naomi shook herself out of the daze she was in, and caught Emily's smirk. It was hard for her to deal with the buzzing that was coursing through her body. "Uh, yeah, but let me go say hello to the others first." She said quickly.
"Oh, okay." The Emily replied quietly, watching the two girls in front of her, as they held a conversation with their eyes.
"Hurry back Naomi." Effy locked eyes with the blonde before she turned away and headed over toward Cook. Effy turned back to Emily with a look the younger girl couldn't read. "Remember what I said? Don't let whatever Naomi does get to you." With that, the brunette headed toward the bar.
Emily was confused, with the mixed signals coming from both Effy and Naomi, but she followed the brunette. She definitely needed a drink.
Naomi looked around the room at the newcomers. She found it amazing that Emily's friends fit so easily into her small group of friends and acquaintances. But then again, she knew that Emily and Katie both had that type of personality, that ensured that they would always fit in, no matter where they were. Naomi envied them that.
She slowly made her way over to Cook, who looked to be in a heated discussion about football with Freddie. She was apprehensive as she stood next to them because she really hadn't spent much time with the taller guy at the ball, but as Cook caught her eye, he gave her his trademark smile and she felt a bit better.
"Hiya, Blondie!" He said, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "Effy borin' ya already?" He asked with a smirk.
She glanced at Freddie then back to Cook with a small smile. "No, I just thought I should say hello."
"Well that's perfect!" He said. "You remember Freddie, right?"
She looked at the tall young man standing in front of her and nodded. "Hello again. Thank you for coming."
His smile stretched wide. "No, thank you for inviting us. This is great." Naomi studied him for a few seconds. He was the type of guy that she would have crushed to pieces before the curse, JJ as well, but that was then and this was now.
She didn't feel the need to play with this boy, like she would have back then. He was kind, she could see it in his eyes as he stood there talking with her and Cook. What really made her like him, was that he noticed her scars, but didn't say a word about it or act any differently toward her. He made her feel comfortable. Like Emily did.
"Alright there, Blondie?" Cook brought her back to reality. His eyes were tracking her face for signs of distress.
"Yeah, I'm fine Cookie. I'm going to say hello to Thomas and Lara." Her friend nodded as she headed off toward her other friends, leaving the two guys to continue their talk.
Lara watched the blonde make her way over toward them, so she placed her hand on Thomas's arm. When he looked at her, she indicated to Naomi. They had been talking with Pandora and JJ, and Lara was really surprised when she saw the blonde coming over to them. Naomi didn't "do" people. If Thomas was concerned, he didn't show it.
"Hello Naomi." She smiled at her boss. Actually that didn't seem right to Lara. Naomi didn't feel like her boss, over the last two years she has come to regard the reclusive blonde as a friend.
"Hi Lara. Thomas." Naomi smiled at them before turning to Pandora and JJ. She kept her smile in place when she saw the other blonde and the boy look at her. Lara felt Naomi tense up and saw the reason, when she glanced at the other two. Pandora's eyes were wide as she looked at the taller blonde and JJ looked as if he was trying to say something, but was unsure of what to say. She placed her hand on the small of Naomi's back to comfort her.
"Have you met Naomi?" Lara asked them, trying to defuse the situation, but failing to do so when she saw JJ about to launch into a question, which Naomi noticed as well causing her to stiffen up even more. Lara was about to pull the tall blonde away, when out of nowhere, the older Fitch twin appeared beside them.
"For fucks sake, JJ! Do you have to act like a complete nutcase?" This brought the boy out of his head and back to the real world. She also drew their attention away from Naomi and squarely onto to JJ. "You're acting as if you've never seen a girl before." She continued to rant at him, while glancing at Naomi.
"I apologise, I didn't mean to be rude." JJ sputtered as he tried his best to compose himself. Panda's eyes were starting to go back to normal size, as Thomas grabbed her attention away from Naomi. Lara took the opportunity to do the same with JJ, leaving Naomi with Katie.
The older twin watched the blonde, as she struggled to get herself under control.
"Sorry about them. They didn't mean anything." Katie explained. "JJ has problems dealing with new people and Panda's a bit naïve." She stood closer to the blonde and watched her visibly relax.
"I'm just not used to that kind of attention." Naomi replied. "I don't get out much."
Katie chuckled at the revelation from the other girl. "You don't say?" She said dryly. "Why is that, do you think?"
Naomi cocked her eyebrow, giving Katie a pointed look. "Okay, I get it."
Katie and Naomi were interrupted from further conversation by laughter from across the room. Two pairs of eyes followed the sound to Effy and Emily, who were talking with the guy behind the bar.
"Holy fuck! He's well fit, isn't he?" Katie stated. Naomi only stared at Emily and didn't quite hear the older twin. "Hello! Earth to Naomi?"
Naomi almost jumped as Katie reached out, placing her hand on Naomi's shoulder and gently shook her.
"Sorry, did you say something?" The blonde asked, causing Katie to laugh herself.
"Do you always disappear mentally like that?" Katie asked, thoughtfully.
Naomi was embarrassed to be caught at it. "Sometimes it's for the best." Came her reply.
"Right!" Katie said, sardonically. Laughter once again came across the room, bringing Naomi's attention back to Effy and Emily. "C'mon, let's see what they're getting up to." Katie said when she noticed that all the blonde's attention was focused on her sister. The brunette decided she'd better keep an eye on Naomi.
Naomi was a mystery to Katie. The brunette couldn't figure her out and that scared her a little bit. The last thing Emily needed was another freak attaching herself to the redhead.
The two girls made their way over to the bar, watching Effy and Emily talking. As Katie got closer, she could hear the story her sister was telling to the tall brunette.
"Emily!" Katie was horrified, and it came through in her voice, causing Emily to guiltily glance at her sister. "You promised that you would never mention that again!"
"I'm sorry Kay, it was just too good to pass up." Emily smirked, knowing her sister was pissed off, but not really caring all that much.
"Fuck you, lezza!"
"Aw, Katiekins, don't be like that. I didn't tell her about the you ended up nak-," Katie hurriedly covered Emily's mouth with her hand.
"What ever happened to it being a twin fucking secret?" Katie snapped at her. "Who else have you told about that?"
Emily giggled under Katie's hand, as the younger twin's eyes scanned toward Effy and Naomi, gauging their reactions to Katie's display. She mumbled something incoherent, forcing Katie to remove her hand.
"What?"
"I said no one. I've never told anyone, I swear." Emily replied. "Sorry about that." She glanced to the other girls. "Old habits, ya know?"
"Of course." The amusement in Effy's voice was clear. "Sibling rivalry. That's something I can understand."
Naomi wondered what was going through her friend's head right now. She knew that Effy hadn't seen her brother since shortly after the curse. It was just easier to cut all ties at the time, but looking back on it now, Naomi couldn't tell any more if that was true.
The one good thing that came from being cursed was the fact that she had her mum and step dad there with her. Effy and Cook both had given up their families, not that that bothered them, but they never looked back. Never asked out loud, what if. So many things the two of them have given up for her and she didn't know if she'd ever be able to repay them for what they did.
Naomi tagged along with the other three for the rest of the night, laughing at the twins' antics, learning as much as she could about them both. She was amazed that Effy seemed more open around them, especially Katie, even though it really shouldn't be a surprise. Effy had told her she had a feeling about the Fitch twins.
"So Naomi, can I ask you a question?" Naomi looked up and noticed that Emily was sitting next to her, while everyone else was on the other side of the room, basically leaving them alone, which caused Naomi a slight bit of panic. She tried to swallow, because her throat felt suddenly dry. "You can, but I might not answer."
"Hmm, Effy said the same thing to me the other day." Emily told her. "What's that all about?"
"Is that your question? Because if it is, it isn't a very good one." Naomi smirked as Emily's jaw dropped.
The younger twin started to giggle at the blonde, bringing a smile to Naomi's face.
"No, that wasn't my question." She replied, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, I was, um...curious about, well...your accident?"
Naomi stiffened at the mention of her "accident". She remembered back when she was first cursed, that's the story her mother came up with for the press and the public. She hated the fact that she had to live this kind of life, and just wanted to stay out of the public's eye. She tried to convince her mum to say she had died, but Gina had been so appalled at the thought of saying such a thing, that she refused to talk to Naomi until she realised that her mum was right.
"Naomi?" Emily's voice was quiet and close, causing the blonde to tense up again. "I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it, I was just curious." The smaller girl said shyly, turning her head away as Naomi's eyes locked into hers.
"Maybe another time, yeah?" Naomi stated, a hardness in her eyes and her voice. "It's not something I feel comfortable talking about with someone I've only just met."
Emily felt her face heat up. 'I am such an idiot!' She thought to herself. "Um...sure."
Naomi saw her blush and heard the embarrassment in her voice. She mentally scolded herself for how harsh she answered. She didn't know how to apologise to the smaller girl. Emily confused her. She was smart enough to admit that, and she didn't know how to act around her. Naomi stood up suddenly, feeling the need to get away from the redhead. "I need another drink, do you want one?" She asked, businesslike as if she was talking to one of her employees. She saw the hurt flash through Emily's eyes and Naomi internally cursed herself for being the cause of it.
Emily shook her head slightly. "No, I'm good for now." She said quietly, standing up herself. "I'm gonna go talk with Freddie and Cook."
Naomi watched her as she turned and walked away from her, feeling her heart beat rapidly in her chest. 'Fuck!' She cried out in her head, sitting back down. 'Am I gonna always watch people walk away from me?' She didn't move. She was unable to make a motion at all. Naomi felt as if she'd already fucked things up, and that seriously made her feel hopeless.
"What the fuck, Campbell?" Naomi was startled by the voice coming from inside her head. "I told you it wouldn't be so easy, didn't I?"
She closed her eyes and sighed, as Sophia's voice rang throughout her head. "Leave me alone, Sophia. You know this is hard enough as it is, so I don't need you hanging in my mind all night!" She whispered, looking around to make sure no one was watching her, because that's really all she needed right at this moment.
The other girl's laugh echoed through her mind, causing Naomi to flinch at the sound.
"Alright, I'll leave you alone, but I just wanted to remind you abo-',"
"There's no need for that. I know what's coming up, Sophia." Naomi said with another sigh. "You've not let me forget in four years, what makes you think I'm gonna forget now?"
"Touché, Campbell, touché." Sophia chuckled. "Well, I'll let you get back to it. I'd love to stay around, it looks like Cookie's bringing out the karaoke machine." This time she laughed, when Naomi groaned loudly as she watched Cook and and Effy set up the equipment. "Talk to you later, Campbell."
The silence in her head was almost deafening, as she stood up and made her way to the bar, finally getting a drink. She glanced back over at Cook, who was now joined by JJ and Freddie, as they struggled to set everything up.
"Are they fucking serious?" Naomi was interrupted from her thoughts by Katie.
"Unfortunately, yes." Naomi said, a small smile on her lips. "It's his secret passion."
"What? Acting like an idiot?" Katie scoffed, before turning around to order herself a drink.
"No, singing. Oddly enough, Cook loves to sing, so we let him indulge every once in a while." Naomi explained, taking a drink of her vodka.
Katie turned back to look at Cook. He did look a bit giddy at the moment, kind of like a kid on Christmas morning. "Hmm, he does look pretty happy." Katie mused, grabbing her glass and turning back to the blonde.
Naomi could feel her skin prickle, knew that the brunette was staring at her, but she bit back the sarcastic remark that was on the tip of her tongue, not wanting a repeat of what happened with Emily. Although, Naomi knew the older twin could give as good as she got, but still didn't want to chance it.
"She's naturally curious."
"What?" The statement floored the blonde, coming totally out of the blue. She looked at Katie, surprised.
"Emily? She didn't mean to pry, she's just a very inquisitive person." Katie didn't know why she was explaining to the blonde, but she had seen the hurt look on Emily's face a little while ago and while her first instinct was to yell, but Emily asked her to leave it be. "She's not a mean person, so whatever she said to you...," Katie trailed off, not sure of what to say next.
"I hurt her feelings, I know that." Naomi stated, not really sure how to continue, only knowing that she had to, for her family's sake. "I don't deal well with people, new people especially and I'm sorry for that."
"It's not really me you have to apologise to it, is it?" Katie gave her a pointed look, before glancing over to where Emily was standing with Effy and Cook.
"Yeah, that's a good thought in theory, but I don't know how." Naomi replied, confusing the older twin.
"Here's a thought...you walk up to her and say, "I'm sorry I was a cunt!"... and see how that goes." Katie stated with a touch of sarcasm, causing the blonde to chuckle slightly.
Naomi was on the verge of answering her, when Cook's voice boomed out of the PA system.
"Alright lads and ladies!" Cook, who was loud to begin with but doubly so with a mic in hand, shouted out. It's a good thing the room they were in was rather large. "I'd say it's time to really get this party started, yeah?"
Naomi groaned again at his words, causing Katie to giggle this time.
"Wanna grab our drinks and head on over there?" The older twin asked her.
She could see Naomi thinking about, and was about to make one her usual bitchy comments, when the blonde answered her.
"Fuck it, why not, yeah?" Naomi ordered two more drinks, one for her and one for Emily, while Katie ordered another drink as well, before they walked over to where the others were sitting.
Cook and Effy stood on the stage as everyone else found seats and settled down to enjoy the show. The brunette queued up the song that Cook requested, and knew she was going to get roped into singing with him, but oddly enough, she didn't mind.
"Okay, I'm gonna start off with one of my favourite songs, in honour of our new friends here tonight" Cook said, signalling to Effy, who tapped a few keys on the laptop before coming to stand by him, picking up her own mic. "Hope you all enjoy it." He stated with a grin, as he looked out at Naomi, and saw her shaking her head at him.
The blonde was sitting on one of the sofas with Katie and Emily, embarrassment all over her face.
When the first few notes came out of the speakers, Naomi groaned in shame, while everyone else chuckled.
Looking at Cook, with his rough edges and hard exterior, you would think his favourite song would be something by Motörhead, Anthrax or even Megadeath, but you would be sorely mistaken.
Cook had a very secret love of Disney films, something that had earned him a lot of teasing from Naomi and Effy in the past, but he didn't care. So it was no surprise to Naomi when the opening strains of "Be Our Guest" played. He had pointed out on several occasions how similar their situation mirrored the fairy tale to a T.
"What the fuck?" Katie looked over at Naomi, who saw disbelief and amusement mixed together on the older twin's face. "This is some kind of joke, right?" She scoffed, her lisp more pronounced than normal.
"Nope." Naomi sighed out, shrinking down into her seat, feeling her face heat up, scolding herself for blushing, knowing that the scars on her face were probably standing out more clearly than before.
Emily couldn't help the laugh that came out as Cook's deep, rich tone came through the speakers, complete with the French accent.
"Ma chere, Mademoiselle. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight.
And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents - your dinner!"
Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the test
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie
And we'll provide the rest
Soup du jour
Hot hors d'oeuvres
Why, we only live to serve
Try the gray stuff
It's delicious!
Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!
They can sing, they can dance
After all, Miss, this is France
And a dinner here is never second best
Go on, unfold your menu
Take a glance and then you'll
Be our guest
Oui, our guest
Be our guest!
Beef ragout
Cheese souffle
Pie and pudding "en flambe"
Effy joined him on the next part, and she watched as Naomi smirked at her. She didn't care though. It made Cook happy, so she was going with the flow.
We'll prepare and serve with flair
A culinary cabaret!
You're alone
And you're scared
But the banquet's all prepared
No one's gloomy or complaining
While the flatware's entertaining
We tell jokes!
I do tricks
With my fellow candlesticks
"They should take this act on the road." Emily deadpan.
Naomi laughed out loud at her, causing everyone to look at them. It must have been a strange thing for most of them to hear, given the way Lara and Thomas both sat there with their mouths open in shock. She didn't care though. Emily made her laugh and that hadn't really happened in a long time, and fuck if it didn't feel good.
The blonde looked over at the red head and her sister, seeing matching smirks on their faces and the pulsing that had been present throughout her body since they arrived just upped its intensity.
Cook was strangely enough, gliding gracefully on the stage, while Effy merely stood in the centre, swaying along to the music. Emily was actually mesmerised by the two of them up there.
"Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!" Cook and Effy sang out, with flair.
Cook stood at the edge of the stage, looking forlorn and dejected and continued singing.
"Life it so unnerving
For a servant who's not serving
He's not whole without a soul to wait upon
Ahh those good ol' days when we were useful
Suddenly those good ol' days are gone
10 years we've been rusting
Needing so much more than dusting
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skill
Most days we just lay around the castle
Flabby, fat and lazy you walked in and oopsie daisy"
Cook grinned at Emily and Katie, making them laugh and Naomi decided that hearing Emily laugh was the best thing in the world. She was entranced by the younger twin, as she kept glancing over at her, that she almost missed Effy's solo.
"It's a guest! It's a guest!
Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed!
Wine's been poured and thank the Lord
I've had the napkins freshly pressed
With dessert, she'll want tea
And my dear that's fine with me
While the cups do their soft-shoein'
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing
I'll get warm, piping hot
Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot?
Clean it up! We want the company impressed"
By this time, Panda, Lara and a couple of the others had joined in on the chorus.
'We've got a lot to do!'
Effy smiled out at them all, before adding her voice again for a solo.
'Is it one lump or two?
For you, our guest!'
All of Naomi's work colleagues had joined in with Panda and JJ as they shouted out.
'She's our guest!'
Effy laughing out loud now at them all, but mostly at Naomi and the Fitch twins, as they sat there, staring as if everyone else had lost their minds. Cook, Effy and everyone else kept singing, as Emily leaned over her sister and looked at the blonde.
"He really gets into this, yeah?" The red head spoke up, so she could be heard over everyone else.
This question made Katie giggle, because she saw Naomi squirm at the thought of Emily talking to her.
The older girl sat up straight and leaned toward Emily, bringing her face within inches of the younger twin's. "Cook doesn't do anything halfway. It's all or nothing with him." Naomi explained, keeping her eyes locked with Emily's.
The look on Cook's face as he danced around the stage was absolutely priceless to Naomi, to see the joy he was having was worth every ounce of embarrassment she felt tonight. He was bouncing the closer he was getting to the last verse of the song.
'Our command is your request
It's been years since we've had anybody here
And we're obsessed
With your meal, with your ease
Yes, indeed, we aim to please
While the candlelight's still glowing
Let us help you,
We'll keep going
Course by course, one by one
'Til you shout, "Enough! I'm done!"
Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest
Tonight you'll prop your feet up
But for now, let's eat up'
Effy and the rest of the group joined in on the last bit.
'Be our guest! Be our guest!
Be our guest!
Please, be our guest!'
Katie and Emily stood and applauded them, joined by the rest of their group along with Naomi's employees, Naomi could look around her in amazement.
Cook and Effy took a bow, with Cook wiping the sweat of his brow.
"Alright, I need a drink! Which one of you is gonna try and top that?" Cook asked, causing a small riot as everyone else scrambled to get up there first.
Emily watched as Effy and Cook headed to the bar, and slowly made her way over to them.
"Very interesting song choice." The red head smiled, as Cook chugged his drink down. "I'd never would have pegged you for a Disney fan."
He howled out a laugh, as Effy giggled.
"I'm a man of mystery and hidden depth." He stated with a gleam in his eyes, turning to order another pint. "You know what we need right now?" He asked the two girls standing with him, as he looked around the room, catching Naomi's eye.
"What's that? Another song?" Effy asked sweetly, causing the red head to laugh at them. "I don't know if we could contain ourselves long enough for that."
Cook grinned at her, feeling a surge of brotherly love for the brunette, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Naomi start heading their way, followed by the older twin. "No, you dozy twat! We need shots!" He shouted out, as Naomi and Katie got close enough to hear, earning a groan from both Effy and Naomi.
Nothing ever ended well with Cook and shots.
Emily and her friends opted not to spend the night, even though Effy and Cook both tried to persuade them to. JJ ended up driving them home, as he was the only one who hadn't had anything to drink.
So it was around three in the morning as Naomi, Effy and Cook watched them drive away. As soon as the car left the grounds, the pulsating that all three of them felt all night slowed down and eventually came to a stop.
"I fucked up." Naomi stated quietly, as she watched taillights drive down the road.
"Naw, you didn't fuck up, Blondie." Cook told her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a slight squeeze. "You did just fine, yeah?"
"Emily didn't really talk to me at all the rest of the night." She pointed out.
"That may be, Nai, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of you all night." Effy told her. "She felt as if she crossed a line, and didn't want to push it."
"Yeah, maybe, but...," Naomi trailed off, afraid that she really had fucked it all up.
"But what? What did you expect, Nai? For her to fall madly in love with you?" Effy smirked at her, watching the blonde scuff her shoes along the ground, a nervous habit of hers. "And let's not forget, it might not be Emily. It may be Katie who's our curse breaker."
Naomi shook her head at Effy's statement. "I don't know Ef. I think it's Emily, I feel the pulses more when I'm around her. I mean, I feel them around Katie too, but with Emily it's stronger."
"Are you sure that's just not wishful thinking, Blondie?" Cook asked quietly, giving her shoulder one more squeeze, then turning toward the house. "I'm headed to bed."
"Night, Cook." Naomi and Effy called out in sync.
"C'mon, Nai, let's get inside. I'm freezing my tits off out here." Effy said as she led Naomi back inside.
No matter what Effy and Cook said, Naomi was convinced that she just screwed up her one chance to break this fucking curse. She just couldn't work out if she was more upset about that or because she thought Emily wouldn't want to see her again.
I know it's cheesy, but I seriously couldn't help myself! It was requested, and I love a challenge;)
Please review and let me know if you hated it, liked it, skipped over it...yada, yada, yada... you all know the drill!
Until next time, I hope you all have a great day/great evening and if Easter is your thing, hope you have an awesome one:)
Love and hugs to you all
Marci :-)