A/N: hello my beautiful peeps! Sorry for the delay...no excuses... I honestly would've had this posted three days ago, but FFN seems to hate the iOS 8 and seeing as how I do all of this on my phone, it's been driving me insane!
all errors/typos are mine, unless you see a MNaomi or LNaomi in there somewhere, then I'm totally blaming Siri for that shit!
Disclaimer: I HATE PEOPLE WHO FEEL THEY DON'T NEED TO BATHE! I mean, seriously people! Especially if you're going out to run errands, like say...going to the tobacco store! Please take a shower with soap and everything! Oh, and I don't own Skins or The Beauty and The Beast, but if you can spot the movie reference in here besides the obvious, you'll get to be my new best friend;)
Chapter 12: Patterns and a Date
Cook stood in front of everyone, not quite sure of how to start. He held in his hand copies of security reports from almost a dozen branches of Campbell Corporation.
"Well, James? I hope you have a good enough reason for dragging us all in here." Gina was more than a touch upset at the interruption.
Cook blushed under Gina gaze. "I do, Gina." He held up the reports. "Over the past couple of months, we've had small security breaches at some of our research facilities." Gasps went through the room as Cook released that information. "I've also been looking for Mandy Bhatnagar for that same amount of time, with sightings of her, but nothing more."
"What are you saying, Cook?" Naomi asked, a small sliver of fear rushing along side her sudden anger. She sat next to Katie and Emily, and she felt the red head tense up next to her.
Everyone watched as he laid a map on the table. "Here are the locations of our home facilities that have been affected. The first one in Belfast, then a jump to Glasgow and Edinburgh." He ran his finger along the map, showing the cities where Campbell Corp. had businesses. "Following the timeline, the next one was in Brighton, then Portsmouth and Plymouth."
"So how many locations altogether?" Effy asked, eyes on the map.
"Ten so far."
"Ten!" Gina exclaimed, shocked at the number. "How did this happen?"
Cook winced at the tone of Gina's voice. "Well, calm down Gina, the breaches were slight, too small to draw attention on a corporate scale. It's been dumpster diving mainly."
Katie and Emily had stayed quiet, but now the older twin was confused. "Dumpster diving? What the fuck does that mean?"
"That just means someone is looking for information." Cook explained. "Like I say, it's nothing damaging, but someone's looking for something, and they're zigzagging across the country looking for it."
"And what does this have to do with Mandy?" Emily spoke, fear clear in her voice.
Naomi wanted to put her arm around the red head, but after dropping the bomb on her this afternoon, she didn't feel as if she had a right to do that, so she stayed still.
"Reports have come in from my contact, every time there's a sighting of Mandy, and she's been spotted in every city where Campbell Corp. has had security breaches." Cook told the room, keeping his eyes locked with Emily's, making sure she was okay. "I'm not saying it's a for sure thing, but it's got to be more than a coincidence, no?"
"So, let's just say it is Mandy. What would she be looking for?" Effy spoke up, questions running through her mind. "What would she have to gain?"
Cook sat down, not wanting to add to the paranoia, but he knew he had to. "I don't know, but that's not all...," he trailed off.
"What? What more could there possibly be?" Naomi huffed out, fearing the reason behind the security breaches. "Isn't that enough?"
Cook sadly shook his head as he pulled out another map. "These blue stars here," he said, pointing to a number of them, "indicate a Fitch Fitness."
Katie and Emily gasped, as they saw that there was a location in every city that Mandy had been sighted in, as well as a Campbell Corp. office.
"But mum and dad haven't mentioned anything wrong." Emily said, scared of what this could mean.
"And they wouldn't if they didn't know what to look for. Dumpster diving is easy to overlook, unless you're looking for it." Cook stated. "Who handles your network?"
Katie shook her head, because she didn't know, but then Emily spoke up. "Mum and dad use a company in London to handle the web and network services, I'm not for sure who actually does it though."
"I'll get ahold of your parents. I'd like to get someone outside of both our companies to go through both systems, but I'm still trying to find a reputable technician."
Emily looked as if she wanted to say something, but was undecided about what to actually say.
"Spit it out, Emily." Gina smiled at the girl, encouraging her to say what was on her mind.
Emily blushed as she felt everyone looking at her. "Well, I may know of someone who could do it."
Cook's eyes lit up and a smile broke out on his face. "Yeah? Who?" He was more than a bit excited by this.
Emily took a deep breath, fearing that Cook would laugh her off.
"C'mon, Emilio, spit it out, yeah? Who'd ya have in mind?" Cook questioned again.
"It's, um...well...JJ." She stated simply.
Cook and Kieran exchanged a look that was eighty percent disbelief and twenty percent amused.
"What qualifies JJ for something like this?" Naomi turned to look at her, and couldn't help the feelings that she had, as Emily sat there looking adorable.
"JJ has been accepted at Oxford, Computer Sciences. It's what he does. His brain is basically a computer itself, so...," she explained, but trailed off as she caught sight of Cook grinning like an idiot.
"Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" He asked, getting up to pace back and forth, as Emily nodded.
"What are you talking about, Cook?" Effy asked, slightly frustrated. She didn't understand what was going and she hated that feeling. She kept looking back and forth between Cook and Emily, hoping one of them would be able to explain soon.
"Why didn't I realise this before?" He asked himself out loud, unaware of the glances that were thrown at him. "I should have known!"
"James!" Gina's voice cut through his internal berating. "Explain yourself, please. Now."
Cook sat down quickly, reaching for his laptop and rapidly started looking for something. When he found it, he spun the laptop around so everyone could see it.
"2006. During one of the worst times the British and U.S. Forces had encountered to date, they lost all Internet communication, something was interfering it. At first, they couldn't figure out what was going on, so for three days we endured a communications blackout." Cook told them, as he remembered.
"I remember that." Gina said to Kieran, as he sat grimly.
"Aye, so do I. What does this have to do with Mr Jones?" Kieran asked impatiently.
"I'm getting to that." Cook tapped a few more keys on the laptop, bringing up another news article. "It was discovered that a group of insurgents, intent on building back up, had planted viruses in the military networks of both the British and U.S., causing the blackout and resulting in mass casualties for our troops."
"And...what does this matter, Cook?" Naomi really needed to know.
"Well, neither government could figure out how to remove the viruses...,"
"Cook! Get to the fucking point!" Naomi had lost her patience, and snapped at him. "Please?" She added quietly, trying to soften the harsh words.
"Little twelve year old Jerry Jonah, hacked into the British and U.S. networks, found three hundred and twelve viruses, all designed to keep the troops from communicating between unit to unit and the world outside Afghanistan, and removed each one of them!" He finished with glee, the smile on his face going from ear to ear.
Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy.
"You're telling me, that an eleven year old cracked into not one, but two government networks? Be serious, Cook!" Kieran felt they were wasting time, when they should be looking for someone reputable to do the work they needed.
"He's telling the truth." Emily stated quietly. "That was JJ."
"But...why? What would he gain from that? He was eleven!" Naomi wondered, looking at Emily for an answer.
"His dad." Emily replied. "His dad was stationed there, his unit was sent in to help with any evacuations. JJ was devastated when his dad missed their nightly phone call and by the second day of the blackout, JJ knew something was wrong and he's very good with computers, so he started checking around. The third day, I was at his house watching him sit at his computer and muttering to himself, he was locked on and I couldn't bring him out of it, so I sat there watching...," Emily paused, knowing that what she was about to say could get her trouble.
"Emsy, just tell them." Katie quietly urged her sister. "If you want him to do this, they need to know."
The others sat, waiting patiently, while Emily gathered up her courage.
"You have to understand, we aren't supposed to talk about it. Like, ever...,"
"What happened Emily?" Gina was very interested, along with everyone else at the table.
"I remember his mum coming into the room. She was very nervous, well, more so than usual. Then these men in uniform came into the room, but they just stood there and watched JJ, who was off in his own little world." She stopped to take a breath before going on. "Forever it seemed like that we waited, the uniforms all whispering to each other, JJ muttering uncontrollably to himself and his fingers flying across the keyboard, his mum wringing her hands, tears streaming down her face...it was...intense. I mean, we were twelve for christ's sake!" She paused, looking around the table. "But finally, JJ stopped talking to himself, and slowing started coming round, when one of the men's mobile went off and he stepped out of the room. When he came back in, he had a smile on his face. The next thing I know, my parents showed up and we were shipped to Whitehall."
"They arrested you?" Effy was shocked at the thought of two eleven year old kids being apprehended by the MoD.
"No...not really. They had to take us in, right? Because JJ did hack into two government networks, so they had to find out how he did that, when all of their highly trained IT staff couldn't figure it out. My parents and JJ's mum had to sign paperwork, agreeing to keep this confidential and JJ walked away with an unconditional acceptance to Oxford."
Emily finished, at the time that drinks were brought in. She leaned forward and grabbed the glass in front of her, downing half the glass in one go.
"Holy shite!" Kieran breathed out, mild admiration in his voice.
"But how did he do it?" Naomi asked, always the sceptic.
"I don't know. We don't talk about it, at all." Emily stated. "It's confidential and classified. I know it's hard to believe. I hardly believe it myself and I was there! But he's really good."
Emily trailed off, looking at everyone else, settling on Kieran. He looked as if he was about to reject the very idea of it, when he finally sighed and sat up straighter.
"Call him. We'll have a nice sit down talk, go over what we need and see what we see."
Cook let out a holler, causing the four girls to jump. "Fuckin' top notch, Kieran! I'm pretty sure we won't be disappointed."
He scrambled out of the room, leaving everyone else to wonder what drug he had taken.
"Well, that was...interesting." Gina stated dryly, earning a chuckle from Emily. "Is there anything else?" She asked looking at the rest of the kids. "No? Then if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to the office." She said as she scooted her chair away from the table.
"I'll ride with you, love. I've got that meeting with the bloke from the Paris office in an hour." Kieran started to follow her out of the room. "Emily? Call your friend, invite him round tonight."
Emily nodded, watching the two leave.
"So...Emily Fitch, super hacker...it's got a ring to it." Effy said, smirking.
Emily blushed as Katie and Naomi started laughing. "I'm good, but I'm not that good." She muttered feeling embarrassed, as she looked over to Naomi, trying to gauge her reaction.
The blonde was deep in thought. It was written all over her face, and Emily couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking.
They all sat in silence for a bit, until finally Naomi spoke.
"Why don't you call Freddie and have them all come over tonight." She said.
"Why?"
"Because they're your friends, Ems. It's been awhile since you've seen them, and I know you've not invited them over once since you've been here." Naomi stated, wanting to do something nice for Emily. "I think after today, you could use some down time, don't you?"
Emily was surprised, to say the least. Yeah, she knew that her friends had been there before, but she also knew how Naomi valued her privacy, which was why she hadn't invited them over before, even though Naomi had told her she could.
"Yeah, we'll have a nice dinner followed by a night in." Effy stated, cheerfully. "It'll be fun after the last couple weeks we've had."
"Yeah, sounds good, doesn't it Emsy?" Katie agreed, smiling at her sister, ready to let off a bit of steam.
Emily chuckled, it seemed as if she was outnumbered. "Fine, I'll call JJ and Freddie." The others clapped and cheered, mocking the red head. "Fuck off." She muttered, as she stood up and went to make her calls.
"Naomi?" Emily stepped into Naomi's room, very aware of the last time she had and the mess that turned out to be, so she stood inside the door. There was no way in hell she was walking in any further. "Naoms, you in here?"
"Fuck! Shit! Yeah, I'm in here." Naomi's voice came from the en-suite. "Would it be possible for you to get my mum or Effy?"
"I would if they were here, but your mum is still at the office and Effy and Katie went into the city." Emily responded, as she took a seat in Naomi's lounge area.
"Damn it!" Naomi cursed through the door.
Emily was suddenly torn between staying put or running in to see if something was wrong. She did the safe thing and stayed seated. She could hear Naomi sigh through the door.
"Emily? I hate to ask this of you, but...would you mind helping me?" Naomi had peeked her head out the door, and pleaded silently with her eyes.
"Um, sure." Emily stood up and walked into the small room, stepping over to her. "Whatdya need?"
Naomi was nervous and slightly embarrassed. Only her mum or Effy ever helped her if she had troubles, but she was desperate. "I need to clean the cut on my back and I can't reach it. Would you be able to...," She trailed off as Emily stepped up behind her and reached to grab the sponge that was sitting in the basin of the sink.
Emily was nervous to say the least, and she noticed her hands shaking as she brought the sponge up and gently started to clean the cut. "Does it still hurt?" She asked quietly.
Naomi felt her breath on her back and couldn't help the shiver than ran through her. "No, it's healing quiet nicely. I didn't even really notice it until the paramedic pointed it out."
"How could you not have known?" Emily asked in disbelief. "I felt every tiny cut that I got that night, not to mention the tear in my shoulder. I was almost afraid that Jared was gonna send me back to hospital." She stated, cringing at the thought.
Naomi chuckled at the mini-rant, remembering how Emily worried about that very thing when Jared showed up a couple of days later to check her out. "After the pain of Sophia's curse, nothing really measures up to that, so...,"
"Oh, shit! Sorry, Naoms. I wasn't thinking." Emily dropped her hand away from Naomi's back as she chastised herself for being insensitive.
Naomi turned to look at her. "Ems, it's fine."
"No, I wasn't thinking...and I shouldn't have said that." She was getting worked up. To be fair, the whole day seemed surreal, and Emily was having a hard time trying to wrap her mind around everything, and now she was standing in front of a half-naked Naomi, which was making it hard for her to breathe.
"Emily, please calm down." Naomi said firmly. "You're about ready to hyperventilate." She reached out placing a hand on Emily's arm, making sure to hold on to the towel she covering her. "I've had a long time to come to terms with what's happened to me, Ems."
Emily thought about her words. Could it really be that easy for her? "How the fuck are you so calm about all of this?"
Naomi shrugged her shoulders. "Like I said, I've had years to come to terms with my fate. I don't dwell on it anymore." She stated, turning back around so that Emily could finish cleaning her wound.
It took the red head a few more minutes to collect herself. When she felt ready, Emily went back to staring at Naomi's naked back and gently washing the cut. They stayed silent, each of them afraid to disturb the calm that descended upon them. Once Emily was finished, she reached for the bandage that was sitting on the countertop, gently placing it over the injured part of Naomi's back. She felt Naomi shudder as she ran her fingers around the bandage making sure it adhered to the skin.
"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Emily asked, thinking that was the case.
Naomi felt herself blush at the innocent question, so she shook her head. "No." She said simply and quietly, wondering if Emily would be able to tell how much she liked her. "It's just been awhile since...anyone besides my mum or Effy...well, you know."
Emily smiled at the look on Naomi's face. It was a mixture of embarrassed and nervous, making her look adorable. "Sorry." She replied, not sounding sorry at all. Naomi gave her a frustrated look, making Emily laugh.
"Cheeky." The blonde muttered, trying sound angry, but she couldn't prevent the smile that broke out on her face.
Emily laughed again, but backed away holding her hands up. "Alright, this time I'm sorry. I shouldn't tease you." She couldn't stop the giggles that escaped, but she didn't want to push her luck, so she tried her best. "Do you need anything else?" She asked as Naomi turned around once more to look at her.
The blonde had a large roll of gauze in her hand. "Would you mind?" She asked, holding it up so that Emily could see what she meant.
Emily suddenly stopped giggling, as the thought of what Naomi was asking her to do hit her. She gulped audibly and nodded, knowing she'd not be able to speak without stuttering.
Naomi handed her the roll and stood there waiting. She could see the indecision in Emily's eyes, and smirked. "Problem, Ems?" She asked sweetly, bringing Emily back from wherever she had drifted off to.
"Yeah...um, no problem." She took the roll of gauze and reached around Naomi, trying to wrap the bandaging around her chest without touching her. "Uh, Naoms?"
"Yes?"
"Could you hold the end and grab the roll when I wrap it around?"
Naomi giggled, hearing the shakiness in Emily's husky voice. "Sure." She grabbed the end that Emily was holding and held it against herself.
It took about ten minutes once Emily stopped hesitating.
"There you go." Emily stepped back to give herself some room to breathe properly. "I'll just wait for you out there." She said, pointing toward the lounge.
"Sure, I'll be a few moments."
'Get a fucking grip, Emily!' She reprimanded herself. 'It's not like anything can come from flirting with her!'
Emily was sitting in one of the chairs, mentally berating herself for what she felt was inappropriate behaviour, when Naomi came out of the en-suite, dressed in her usual long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. She couldn't help but watch the red head for a few moments.
"Emily?" Naomi called out, but Emily just sat there. "Emily!"
"What?"
"You alright? Seems like you spaced out on me."
Emily ducked her head, feeling even more stupid. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Naomi knew it was best to change the subject, as the colour of Emily's face was closely resembling the colour of her hair. "So, did you get ahold of Freddie and JJ?"
"Oh, yeah." Emily had forgotten why she had even come to see Naomi in the first place. "They can't make it tonight. Freddie has a job he's working on and JJ had something going on with his parents."
Naomi felt disappointed because, oddly enough, she had looked forward to the night Effy was planning. "Oh. That'll put a damper on Effy and Katie's plans."
"I told them to come tomorrow, if that's alright?" Emily told her.
Naomi nodded, pretty sure that, that would be fine with Kieran. "Yeah, that sounds good."
"So now what'll we do tonight?" Emily asked, smiling at the blonde.
"Well, we could still have an evening in or...," Naomi suggested, but that's not what she wanted to do, "I could take you out?"
The request was so quiet, that Emily almost missed it. Almost.
"You wanna take me out?" The fluttering in her stomach that started when she was helping Naomi, upped in intensity.
"Unless you don't want to...forget I said anything." Naomi lowered her gazed, embarrassed now for having asked, knowing that she basically dropped a huge secret on the red heads shoulders earlier.
"No...wait...um, shit!"
"I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that, it's just I like spending time with you. You make it easy to be myself and I know I've dumped a load of shit on you today and I totally understand if you don't wan-,"
"Naomi!" Emily said forcefully, causing Naomi to close her mouth with an audible clicking of her jaw. "You're rambling, do you know that?" Naomi nodded, making the red head chuckle at her. "I think I'd like to go out with you."
Naomi's jaw dropped in shock. She never really expected Emily to say yes, so she was kind of flustered. "Really?" She asked in disbelief.
"Yes, really." Emily smiled at her.
"Great...um, how about...seven? I'll make reservations and we'll go out." Naomi was fumbling, she knew it, but she couldn't help it. It had been ages since she'd been out with anyone and she had never done a proper date before. 'Is this a date?' She asked herself. 'What if Emily doesn't want it to be a date?'
"It's a date." Emily replied with a smile, breaking Naomi out of her thoughts. "I'm gonna go, so...I'll see you later?"
Naomi nodded, stunned at the turn of events. Granted it was just dinner, but to Naomi, this was huge. This was bigger than huge and she knew without a doubt that she was gonna fuck it up somehow.
"Oh, fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Naomi was starting to panic now and she couldn't help it.
She was lost in thought that she didn't hear the knock at her door or Cook calling out her name.
"Oi, Blondie!" He said as he came in and wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned that something had happened.
"I asked her out!" Naomi was almost hysterical now.
Cook wasn't sure he heard her correctly. "You did what?"
"Emily. I asked Emily out. On a date! Like a real date date! Oh god, what have I done?" She asked herself as Cook looked on in amusement. "I don't know what to do!" She turned to Cook, a fear-stricken look on her face. "What do I do?"
"Whoa, calm yer tits, Blondie! After everything Red's been through today, what could possibly go wrong?" Cook asked, forcing Naomi to think about the question. "I take it she said yes?" Naomi nodded her head. Cook thought about her predicament, because she was bricking it right now. "Okay, here's what you do. You're gonna call Michelle, have her close the restaurant for the night. It's gonna be nice and quiet, where the two of you can talk and spend time together."
"And then what?" Naomi asked, very unsure of herself.
Cook laughed out loud at her. "Jesus, girl! You act like you've never been on a date before." He said laughing, until he caught the scared look on her face. "Yer kidding me, right? You've been with a shit load of girls, are you seriously telling me you've never taken a single one of them out on a date?" Naomi shook her head, embarrassed and ashamed, making Cook laugh harder.
"Cook, I need fucking help here!" Naomi whined. "If you're just gonna laugh at me, get the fuck out."
He stopped and dried his eyes. "I'm sorry, Nai, but I'm truly shocked." He grinned at her, trying to hold in another laugh. "Alright, I'm stopping, see?" He stood up straighter, putting a serious look on his face.
Naomi paced around the room for a bit, as Cook waited patiently. "What should I do on this date?"
"Just be yourself, Naomikins! You're a great person to be around, once you get past your defences, so show that to her."
Naomi was oddly impressed with Cook's advice. "Alright, yeah...I can do that." She slowed her pacing and took a seat. "Are you sure dinner is the right thing to do?"
Cook grinned again at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. "I'm sure, Naomi. Dinner is the perfect thing to do, yeah? Listen, I'll call Effy, have her talk to Michelle. Don't worry, we'll sort it out." Cook told as he reached over, wrapping her in his arms again.
She brought her arms around his waist, loving her best friend more than ever. "Thanks, Cook."
He kissed the top of her head and pulled away. "You're welcome, Blondie." He smiled at her before turning toward the door.
Emily paced back and forth in her room watching the clock. It was going on five-thirty and she couldn't pick out an outfit, so now she was waiting on Katie to come to her room. If there was one thing she loved about her sister, it was the ability to always know the right thing to wear to make an impression, which oddly enough was what Emily wanted to do.
"C'mon, Katie! Where the fuck are you?" She said aloud, starting to get antsy. She was about to text her sister again, when there was a knock on the door.
Emily moved quickly to the door, throwing it open. "Thank fuck!" She exclaimed, coming face to face with Effy. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were Katie." Emily said sheepishly, staring past the brunette.
"I figured as much. I was with her when you called, but she's helping Campbell get ready, so I'm here to offer my services." Effy stated calmly, with her trademark smirk in place. "I hope you don't mind?"
"Oh...um, no...I guess it's fine."
"Good, because I was about ready to strangle Naomi, so really you're helping me avoid a murder charge." Effy smiled at her, as Emily broke out laughing. "So what's the problem?"
Emily and Effy delved into the task of finding the perfect outfit. Effy had quite the eye for fashion, so that twenty minutes later, Emily was dressed in a sheer dark blue blouse with a black vest underneath, dark leggings and a mid-thigh black and blue kilted skirt. She had given her hair a bit of curl, and it fell in waves, framing her face. Effy stood back as Emily came out of the en suite and admired their handy work.
"Holy fuck, Emily! If I had known you'd look this hot, I woulda asked you out myself." The brunette exclaimed, admiration clearly in her voice. "Campbell's not gonna know what's hit her."
Emily looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a naughty schoolgirl, all of sudden feeling self-conscious. "You don't think it's a bit much? I feel like I'm trying too hard."
"Most certainly not! This is a very huge thing here, Emily! I don't wanna put any pressure on you or anything, but...," Effy paused, trying to decide if she should tell this to the red head or not.
"But what?" Emily pushed.
Effy sighed, then took a seat on the sofa. "What I'm about to tell you stays between us, got it?" Emily nodded, taking a seat next to her. "Naomi's never been on a real date."
"Never?" Emily asked, shocked at the info.
"Never." Effy pulled out her mobile, checking to see how much time they had until Emily had to leave, before going on. "She was more of the "chase 'em til you get 'em" kind of girl, ya know? But this here? Her asking you out? That's huge for her, Emily, and just to let you know, she'll probably freak out more than a little bit, but don't let that put you off."
Emily thought about what Naomi told her this afternoon along with what Effy just said. 'Holy shit, this really is a lot of pressure!' She thought to herself. "What if she doesn't like me? What if she's just asked me out because of the curse?" Her voice sounded small in her ears and she suddenly felt insecure, because really, how could she tell? How would she be able to know the difference?
Effy waited a few moments before answering. "Naomi doesn't believe in that part of the curse."
"She told you that too?"
"No."
"Then how do you know that?" Emily practically pleaded with her for the answer.
Effy smirked again, giving her that mysterious look, before giving Emily what she asked for. "Because, she doesn't believe in love, not that kind of love anyway. Naomi hasn't believed in true love since she was about fourteen, that's why she doesn't believe that part of the curse."
Emily didn't know whether to be angry, shocked or sad at what Effy just told her. "So why did she ask me out then?"
"Seriously?"
"What? It's a legit question. After what you just told me, why would she even waste her time?"
Effy shook her head at her. "Because she likes you." It was said so simply, that it stunned the red head. Effy took another glance at her mobile and noticed the time. "Shit! We'd better get you downstairs before she freaks out and starts thinking you've changed your mind."
Forty-five minutes of silence later, once Emily got over seeing a done up Naomi, the car pulled into the restaurant car park. Charley got out and opened the door for them.
Naomi, who was nervous and tongue-tied, looked over to Emily. "We're here, are you ready?" She had her hand stretched out, waiting for Emily.
The younger twin, who was just as nervous but also excited, especially after Katie was done with the blonde, nodded and reached for Naomi's hand. She helped Emily out of the car, and they both stood there for a few minutes to steady themselves.
"Are you alright with this?" Emily asked, knowing how much Naomi hated crowds. "I would have been happy staying at the house, ya know? I don't like the thought of you making yourself uncomfortable on my account."
Naomi smiled at her, as she felt her heart speed up. She took Emily's hand and draped it over her arm. "I'll be fine, Ems. I want you to be able to relax and enjoy yourself, yeah?" Naomi replied, as they stepped into the building.
Michelle came out of the kitchen as they walked in. "Hey guys." She smiled at them. "I've got a table all set up for you, if you'll follow me."
"Thanks for doing this, Michelle." Naomi told her, as she led Emily through the empty restaurant, coming to a table that was in the middle of the room, adorned with candles.
"Anytime, Nai, you know that." She replied with a smile, as she watched Naomi pull out a chair for Emily. Once the blonde was seated, Michelle lit the candles, then took the bottle of wine that was chilling in an ice bucket and filled their glasses. "I hope you both enjoy tonight." She said before leaving them alone.
"Why is the place so empty?" Emily asked, taking a sip of her wine.
"Because I hate crowds, but I really wanted to take you out." Naomi replied with a grin, causing Emily to smile and blush. "If we had stayed at the house, the family would've been lurking around every corner checking on me, and I didn't want that. I just wanted it to be us."
Emily ducked her head, feeling her face get hotter. "That's kinda sweet, Naoms."
They both fell silent again, Emily because she was trying hard to process everything and Naomi because she didn't have a clue what she was doing. It was enough to drive Emily crazy, so she cleared her throat gaining Naomi's attention and she attempted to break the sudden tension that was starting to settle around them.
"So where did you pop off to this morning?" Emily asked.
Naomi looked sheepish. "Oh, well...every year Ahsley's parents have a graveside memorial on her birthday."
"Wow." Emily breathed out, barely making it a whisper. "I'm surprised that you would go to that." A frown creased her forehead, as Naomi watched her. "Isn't that hard for you to do?"
Naomi took a drink from the glass in front of her. "It's very hard."
Emily cocked her head to the side in confusion. "So...why do you go?"
"Sophia requires it. Every year since the beginning, she's demanded that I go."
"I don't like her." Emily said so simply, it was almost childlike, causing Naomi to laugh out loud. "Well, I don't!" she muttered, picking up her wine and taking a sip.
"Trust me, I didn't at first, either, but over the years, I've come to realise that she's not a bad person. She was a heartbroken teenager. Ashley was her soulmate and I destroyed that. If you reverse the situation, and say it was you...what would you have done?" Naomi shrugged at her statement, "I'm pretty sure, had our roles been switched, I would have done the same."
Emily contemplated that. "Maybe, but doesn't it seem a bit extreme?"
Naomi smiled. "Definitely, but to be fair, I really was a bitch back then. I don't think anything less would've worked, ya know."
"I guess not...you are pretty stubborn." Emily said dryly.
"Jesus, Emily...don't hold back, yeah?" Naomi said while laughing. "I saw her today."
Emily's eyes snapped up, locking on Naomi's. "Sophia? Really? I got the impression that you haven't seen her at all since the curse started."
"I haven't. Today was the first time." Naomi told her.
"So why today? Was it because of the memorial? Wouldn't you see her every year at that?" She had a ton of questions running around her head.
Naomi shook her head, setting her glass down. "No, she's never made an appearance before, despite being invited every year. She told me it was too hard to go through. But today, she said it felt different."
Emily was about to ask more, but just then, Michelle and another young woman came out of the kitchen, carrying trays loaded with food.
"Here you two go." Michelle stated, setting her tray on the table next to them.
"Hey, Jal. I haven't seen you in a while." Naomi said to the other woman.
"Yeah, I've been pretty busy with Chris and the baby, so I've taken some time off work, but when Michelle asked me to help out tonight and why? Well, I just couldn't pass that opportunity up." She said with a cheeky smile, which got bigger when Naomi blushed. "Hello. I'm Jal." She turned to Emily.
"Hello, I'm Emily. It's a pleasure to meet you." The younger twin said, shaking Jal's hand.
"So, Emily...a little birdy told me that Italian food is your absolute favourite, so...," Jal turned around to the tray she set down and grabbed two plates, "tonight I'm gonna start you off with stuffed mushrooms, fresh bruschetta with toasted ciabatta bread, and a caprese flatbread."
"Oh my god, this all smells delicious!" Emily's mouth started watering at the sight of the food.
Jal smiled at her. "Thank you. The main course is stuffed chicken Marsala and will be out shortly." She told them and went back into the kitchen, leaving Michelle standing there.
"Would you guys like a top up?" She asked, holding the bottle of wine. When they both said yes, she filled their glasses and followed Jal into the kitchen.
Emily and Naomi talked about work, discussing new directions to take the project in, laughing at silly things they've said or done over the years. They were halfway through the antipasti, when Jal came out of the kitchen again with their dinner.
With a smile, Jal set their plates in front of them. "Thank you." Emily told her.
"You're most welcome. Please, enjoy."
Naomi looked across the table, catching Emily in the candlelight, and it took her breath away. "You are really beautiful, do you know that?"
"Stop, please...I can't take this many compliments in one night." Emily replied, trying hard to keep the blushing to a minimum.
"I'm serious," Naomi smiled at her, "but maybe you're right. I should probably save the rest for when I'm being too stubborn."
Emily laughed, as she tucked into her meal. After taking the first bite, she moaned in pleasure. "Fuck me, this is gorgeous!" She exclaimed, causing Naomi to flood with desire.
"Um, yeah...Jal studied at the top culinary school in Italy. That's why I asked her to cook tonight." Naomi explained, as her stomach continued to flutter in nervous excitement.
They both eat in silence for a bit, enjoying their food, when Emily put her fork down and looked at Naomi.
"What's the matter, Ems?"
"I'd like to ask you something, without you getting mad at me for it, and I really don't want it to ruin the evening." Emily said quietly.
Naomi could only sit there, not really knowing if she wanted the younger girl to ask her question, but suddenly knowing that she would never deny Emily anything, so she nodded. "Go ahead and ask anything."
Emily could tell by the look on Naomi's face that this was going to be a big deal. This was a big deal. She was allowing Emily to go somewhere no one else had ever been for a long time. Naomi was allowing her behind her carefully built walls. Now Emily could only hope she could tread softly, so that the blonde didn't close the gates again.
She waited a beat, then took the first step. "What happened to your father?" Emily asked as she held her breath.
Naomi tensed at the unexpected question, that familiar rage that accompanied any talk of her father spreading through her body. But looking into Emily's eyes, she saw honest curiosity, so she took a few deep breaths, letting each one out slowly, before answering.
"I don't know." She said, sadness in her voice.
"Naoms, if this is too hard, just tell me, yeah? I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me."
"It is hard, I'm not gonna lie, but I don't wanna keep anything from you. If we're going to be friends, I don't want any secrets." She smiled at Emily, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. "He was the one always doing the traveling for the company, while Mum stayed at home with me."
Emily listened intently, saving her questions for after Naomi was done.
"He came home one day, and as we sat down to dinner, he told us about this new product that he was looking to start manufacturing. He was the one that started pushing for us to head toward the pharmaceutical division, so he was always on the lookout for new things to help with that." Naomi explained. "He said he'd be gone for two weeks, flying to Indonesia to talk to a doctor who had discovered a root that helped cure some common illnesses. He was very excited about the possibility of expanding the doctors research on this root."
Naomi lost herself for a moment as she remembered back to that time in her life, and Emily let her. She didn't want to push Naomi to open up, Emily wanted her to open up on her own. So she sat and waited and was rewarded when Naomi seemsd to remember were she was.
"Sorry. It's just...been a long time." Naomi said sheepishly, prompting Emily to reach over and grasp her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"It's alright, Naomi. Please take your time."
Another couple of deep breaths, in and out, and Naomi found herself ready to go on.
"He flew out in the morning. Mum and I took him to the airport, where he kissed us both goodbye, told us he loved us and gave us both a hug before getting on the plane. That first week was just like every other time he'd been away, he called us everyday and I know he would talk to mum about the doctor and his research project. They were both excited by the prospect of this new medical discovery, ya know?" Naomi paused for a moment to take another drink, then they both started eating again, now that she was more comfortable talking about it, it just felt like a normal conversation to her.
"I can imagine it would have been huge, don't you? That would have been a major find." Emily pointed out.
"I know that now, but I didn't understand it back then."
"So what happened?"
"I know that his calls started becoming increasingly short and then came the day when we didn't get a phone call at all. Mum was worried of course, but I think she chalked it up to no service. But then there was no call the next and the day after that. I cried the whole time and mum panicked. She called the Indonesian authorities to report him missing, she contacted the British Consulate in Jakarta, but they found no trace of him. For months Mum sent people looking for him, until it turned into a year."
Naomi stopped again, looking to see if Emily showed any reaction, but found concern. No pity or scorn, just a genuine look of concern.
"Go on, please?" Emily requested.
"Well you know how things like this work, Emily. They look to the spouse first. Were they fighting? Did they have a disagreement over the company? It didn't help that my father had a five million pound life insuracne policy in place for both of them, plus a trust fund set aside for me, which ironically I come into in a couple of years." Naomi stated, totally forgetting about that until now, and finding it funny. "People start talking then, as well. Friends of my fathers started coming out of the woodwork, spouting off to every major media outlet about how he had been planning to leave my mum and start a new life...shit like that."
"Poor Gina! How the hell do you deal with something like that?" Emily wondered out loud, feeling a tremendous amount of respect for the older woman.
"The only way she knew how. By getting on with things and not dwelling on the past. She did have a daughter to raise and a multi-million pound company to run. Once she was cleared of any wrong doing, and even though she knew that he would never leave her, she was urged by the company solicitors to petition for a dissalution of marriage. It was rough on her at first, taking over full control of the company plus having to deal with me, as I was starting the Campbell Bitch phase by then." Naomi told her, shaking her head as she thought about it all.
"Why didn't she have him declared deceased, if that's what she felt? That...that is what she felt, right?"
Naomi nodded her head. "Of course she did, Ems. She loved him, she was so convinced that something had happened to him, but she didn't want the insurance money. She refused to even consider taking it, that's why the solicitors had her sign what they did. Then she only had to wait six months to have full control of the company, because it was in both their names."
"Damn, Naomi...that's...,"
"Heartbreaking? Sad? Terrible?" Naomi prodded, a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Yeah, all those things, but most of all...insightful." Emily told her, earning a shocked look from Naomi. "It explains so much, Naoms, think about it. Do you think something happened to your father?"
"Yeah, I think he met someone else and left us without a thought!" Naomi could still get angry about it after all these years. "My mum waited for fucking ever for him to come home, but I knew he never would!"
"And that proves my point, Naomi. I bet your first line of defence was built up then and there! Those walls you've built around yourself to keep you safe? Your dad was you first heartbreak!" Emily exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Then comes along Chelsea, someone you felt you could let in, because you weren't as well protected then. You didn't know she'd hurt you, but when she did...,"
Naomi thought about what Emily was saying, and it made a shit ton of sense. "I get your point, and you're probably right. But it doesn't change the fact, does it?"
Emily frowned at her. "What fact?"
"I turned into a bad person and someone died because of me, Emily. I can't change that and I can't change this curse."
"No, you're right, you can't change that, but you changed you," Emily said as she looked into Naomi's eyes, "and isn't that better in the long run? When you think about everything you've done in the time you've been cursed? Why, that's more than what most people do in their whole lives!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Naomi couldn't believe how well Emily was taking everything that had been thrown at her today. The petite red head amazed her. "How about we finish dinner? I've got a surprise for later."
"Oh really?" Emily raised one delicate eyebrow at her, interested in what the blonde had planned. "Do I get a hint?"
Naomi grinned at her, shaking her head. "Nope! You'll have to wait for it, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it."
"We'll see, Naoms, we'll see." She replied, tucking back into her food.
They spent another hour at the restaurant finishing their food and their wine, laughing and joking with each other. Emily had discovered more about Naomi in those last few hours, than she had in the couple of months living with her. The blonde was charming, funny and smart. Emily was continuely surprised but the wide range of topics they found to talk about. When you got past Naomi's snarky personality, she was the most kind person Emily had ever met, and for the first time since she had found out about the curse and Naomi's belief that it wouldn't be broken, she wished things were different.
Michelle and Jal bid them goodnight as they got ready to leave, and Emily thanked them for a lovely dinner, while Naomi vowed to do something really nice for them. They stepped out to find Charley waiting with the car.
"Good evening, ladies?" He asked, once he was back in the car and the girl were settled.
Naomi looked over at Emily and smiled. "Yeah, Charley, it was a good evening." She told him, as Emily blushed.
Charley smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to tell Aunt Thelma how things went. The staff all new about the curse, even though it wasn't common knowledge, but you can't live or work there without knowing about it. He was glad that Miss Campbell was enjoying herself. "So...off to the next destination, then?" He watched the blonde through the rearview mirror and saw her nod her head. "Right then, off we go." He said cheerfully.
The twenty minute ride was much more pleasant for Naomi and Emily than earlier. They were deep into a discussion about politics and the differences between Great Britan and the U.S., when Charley annouced that they had arrived.
They stood in front of a nightclub. Not just any nightclub, but the hottest nightclub in Bristol. Emily knew it to be that, because Katie had been trying to get them on the guest list for over a year with no luck.
"C'mon, Ems." Naomi grabbed her attention. "They're waiting."
"Who's waiting?" Emily asked, curious as to who she was talking about, but looked over at the queue and frowned.
"Emily, if you keep frowning like that, your gonna have worry lines." Naomi quipped.
"Sorry, but do you think we'll even get in? I mean...look at that line." Emily gestured with a wave of her hand and Naomi chuckled. "What's so funny?"
"We're not going in that way, c'mon." Naomi stated, reaching for Emily's hand, linking their fingers together as they bypassed the line of people glaring at them. "Alright, Zeke?" She greeted the guy on the door.
"Miss Campbell." He gave her a slight nod. "He's inside waiting for you."
"Thanks, Zeke." She replied as they stepped through the door.
Once they entered the club, Emily was blown away. The club was comprised of three levels, a dance floor and bar on each level. Each floor offered something different, and Emily was undecided on what she wanted to focus on.
Naomi watched the wonder and joy spread across the red head's face, feeling proud that she was able to do that, able to put that smile on Emily's face. She glanced down as she felt her hand being squeezed and noticed that their fingers were still locked together.
'Maybe I'm not so bad at this after all.' Naomi thought to herself.
"Which floor are we going to?" Emily leaned in close and spoke into Naomi's ear, so she could be heard over the music.
Naomi had to take a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. Being that close to the red head made her heart beat faster. "Uh...we're going up." Naomi replied, pointing toward the top floor, where she knew there would be a quiet VIP room waiting for them. "Let's go, yeah?"
Just as they were about to start up the stairs, a fight broke out close to them. Emily yelped as one guy was thrown into her, almost knocking her down. Naomi hurriedly grabbed the guy off of her and shoved him away, as two security guys came over.
Naomi pulled Emily out of the way, wrapping her arms around the petite girl, making sure to keep her away from the fight. She could feel Emily shaking and she looked down in concern, remembering the night Emily was attacked.
"I've got ya, Ems. I'm right here." She said soothingly as Emily wrapped her own arms around Naomi's waist.
They waited a few more minutes, until another security guy came over to them. "Miss Campbell, he sent me to get you and bring you up."
Naomi nodded and led Emily after the big man, up the two flights of stairs and back to the private room. The guy knocked on the door before opening it and gesturing the girls inside.
Emily was shocked to find Cook, Effy and Katie sitting inside. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked as she sat down next to her sister.
"What? You think we were gonna stay home while you were out having fun? Not bloody likely!" Katie scoffed as Effy and Cook laughed. "Still looking hot, Campbell."
Emily smirked as she watched Naomi, while everyone else laughed. She decided to have mercy on the blonde. "Wanna go dance?" Emily asked her, as she glanced out the window, to the dance floor.
Naomi followed her live of sight, and realised there were a lot of people out there. "Maybe later? Why don't you guys go." she replied, feeling anxious. "Go on and enjoy yourself, you deserve some fun."
"C'mon, Emsy." Katie and Effy stood and waited for her, as Emily debated about going with her sister or staying with her date.
Naomi could see her struggling to decide what to do. "Please go, Ems. I can see you want to."
"You'll dance with me later?" Emily asked shyly.
"I promise, I will dance with you later."
"She promises, Emilio. I'll clear the top floor in a little bit and you two can dance all you want." Cook told her, taking a drink from the bottle in his hand, earning a confused glance from Emly. He couldn't help but laugh at her look, she was really adorable. She leaned forward, and he knew she was about to ask him what he meant. "I own the club." He told her with a smile.
Now everything made sense to Emily. Effy co-owned the restaurant and Cook owned the club, and both places gave Naomi to hang out and relax, whilst still offering protection and privacy. She smiled at Cook and Naomi, before standing up and joining Effy and Katie.
"Dance?" She asked them both, earning smiles.
"Fuck yeah!" Katie stated as they left the room.
Naomi watched them pass in front of the window, knowing that they wouldn't be able to see her, as it was a mirror on the otherside. She smiled as she thought about how good the night had been going.
"S'all good then, Blondie?" Cook asked, and Naomi let out an exaggerated sigh before laughing.
"It has been good. Great, in fact." Naomi told him. "She's so...," she trailed off looking for the right way to describe Emily.
"Beautiful? Smart? Sexy as fuck?" Cook howled his trademark laugh, catching the look in Naomi's eyes, as she nudged him gently with her shoulder.
"All of the above, alright?" She grinned. "But it's more than that, Cook. She basically took everything that was thrown at her today and rationalised it all. She didn't freak out. She's still here." Naomi was actually surprised by that.
"I'm glad you had a nice night. Now, go get a drink and let's get fuckin' mental!" Cook told her.
Awhile later, Cook cleared the third floor of almost everyone so it wasn't so crowded, which allowed Naomi to relax and come out of the VIP room. She found herself with Emily wrapped around her as they danced with Katie and Effy, and then Cook when he finally made it back. It was an unusual feeling for Naomi, she usually sat in the room, watching through the window, but she was genuinely having fun and she knew it was all down to Emily Fitch.
They all drank and danced until closing time. So at the end of the night, Charley drove them back home, and Naomi walked Emily to her room, as it was proper date etiquette, and with a giggle, Emily let her.
"Thank you, Naoms. I had a really lovely time tonight." Emily told her as they stood outside her door.
"Thank you for agreeing to come out. I'm glad you had a good time."
Emily looked up at her, smiled a small smile. "It was more than a good time, Naoms. It was beautiful." Emily stated, stepping closer to the blonde and reaching her hands up to Naomi's shoulders to steady herself as she stood on her tiptoes and leaned in placing her lips on Naomi's.
It was gentle and quick, a chaste touching of lips, but Emily lingered, revelling in the sweet feeling of the kiss, aware that it was the best kiss she had ever had. Naomi was the first to pull away, because she knew that if they kept going, she'd never be able to control herself.
Emily sighed in content as she stepped back, leaning against her door, her hand resting on the doorknob. "Fuck!" Emily whispered to herself, hoping that Naomi didn't hear her, but after glancing up and seeing the blonde grinning down at her, Emily knew she had.
"I'm gonna let you get some sleep, yeah?" Naomi told her with a smile, as she turned and started making her way to her own room. Before getting too far, Naomi looked back and quietly called out to Emily.
"Yeah?" The red head paused in the doorway.
"I had a really great time tonight too, which hasn't happened in a very long time, so...thank you."
Emily smiled brightly. "Goodnight, Naoms."
"Goodnight, Ems." With that, Emily went into her room, closing the door softly, leaving Naomi standing in the hallway, smiling like an idiot.
Later that night, as they both lay sleeping, each of them where lost in their own dreams.
Dreams filled with promises and hope, but also bittersweet heartbreak.
"I don't care what they told you, Jess! There's not a fucking thing they can do to me, so let them look all they want!" Mandy screamed into the phone. Right now, Jess was her link to what was going on, but the girl was getting nervous. She had been picked up by the authorities after the attack on Emily, but Mandy was having her doubts about trusting her.
"All I'm saying is you might wanna turn yourself in, Mandy."
Mandy slammed down the phone, effectively shutting the girl up. She'd be damned if she was turning herself in. Nobody could prove anything anyway, and besides, she was on a mission.
She was getting closer to finding Emily Fitch and nothing was going to stand in her way.
A/N: Well, did anybody get the Disney movie reference? I'll give you a hint...two characters...closely related? Anyone? Anyone?
if none of you got it, you should all go and watch the Beauty and the Beast!
anywaaays, sorry for the length...if you hated it or liked it, let me know:) oh, and if you guys see any errors, please review or pm me and let me know...thanks:)
Love to all,
Soupy