A/N: I'm back:) Sorry about the wait, but I've been a bit stuck on my stories, and that makes me sad:(

The title and the inspiration for this chapter comes from the song "Hello My Old Heart" by The Oh Hellos- if you get the chance, I highly recommend you check it out...It just reached out to me when I heard it.

errors and typos are my fault;)

Disclaimer: Skins owns me, but I don't own Skins

Chapter 16: Hello My Old Heart

Spring was ending slowly, but soon Summer would drift in calmly. Naomi sat out on the balcony, enjoying the soft breeze that blew across the green fields that she had always known.

When she was younger, Naomi would have been up with the sun, running barefoot across those fields, playing pirate queen or pretending she was a faery princess. Her father would come out later in the day, and they would play football, and then her mum would come down to where they rested, with a picnic basket full of their favourites. That's where they would stay until the sun set. Together, as a family.

Even when Cook and Effy entered the picture. It was as if Cook and Effy had always been a part of their family, Gina and Gareth accepting them with ease.

But the picnics stopped when Gareth left, and Naomi started drifting away from them. Gina always tried to get them together, but once Naomi started seeing Chelsea, it only got harder, until Gina just quit trying.

Naomi heard the house start to wake up, and she smiled as she heard Katie yelling for Emily and Gina calling out that breakfast was ready, and she felt her heart warm at the thought of her family. Once again, Gina had taken in two strangers and made them feel at home, all because Naomi needed them.

"What you thinking about?"

The sound of Emily's husky voice broke through Naomi's thoughts, causing her to jump.

"Fucking Christ, Emily!" Naomi clutched her chest where she felt her heart beating fast. "Knock much?"

Emily was laughing as she sat in the chair next to Naomi, trying to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, Naoms, but I did knock. You just didn't hear it."

Naomi watched the red head closely, feeling warm all over again, but for an entirely different reason, as Emily's face flushed with laughter. "Are you done?" She asked, trying to keep an air of indignation going strong, but knew she was failing, as she felt her lips turn up into a smile. "Fucker."

"I'm sorry, Naomi, but you were so...so...deep in thought." Emily knew she'd never be able to describe what she saw when she stepped through the double doors leading to the balcony and found the blonde sitting there, with a crooked smile on her face. "I'm sorry."

Now Naomi laughed out loud as well. "No you're not! Don't pretend you are."

Emily held her hands up in surrender and slumped back into the chair, content to sit here with Naomi in silence.

It had been a few weeks since Sophia had turned up and delivered her news about Mandy and the curse, and Naomi decided that they would start working from the house at all times. JJ was closing in on Mandy's whereabouts, even though she was turning out to be a cagey fucker, but that just made him more determined. It also meant that Naomi couldn't spend any time with Emily alone, and that was starting to bother her.

It was honestly starting to bother Emily as well, because she craved alone time spent with Naomi, even if she didn't quite understand what that meant.

"How would you like to invite your family over for the weekend?" Naomi asked out of the blue.

"What?"

Naomi looked sheepishly at Emily, making sure to hold her gaze. "Its just been a while since you've seen your parents and a few weeks since James has been here...you and Katie must miss them, so...,"

Emily felt her heart break and yet start beating all at the same time, as she spun Naomi's words around her head. Yes, she did miss her parents, quite a lot, actually, but she never would have expected Naomi to know that. Emily felt a monumental shift inside her, as she nodded. "Yeah...um," her voice was huskier than normal, slightly breaking, "Yes, that would be lovely, if...if you don't mind."

"This weekend?" Emily nodded again, and Naomi smiled.

"Your mum actually sent me up, ya know." Emily did her best to swallow the emotions that were threatening to choke her, as she smiled shyly at the blonde. "Breakfast is ready."

"Okay. Shall we?" Naomi stood up and held out her hand for the red head to take.

Emily slipped her hand into Naomi's and felt the ever present pulses intensify, as Naomi gripped her hand gently, pulling her onto her feet. She couldn't stop the words that started to fall from her mouth anymore than she could stop a hurricane.

"Got out with me tonight?"

Naomi knew this was huge, because she had always been the one asking, with Emily saying yes or no, but this time? This time was Emily's request, Emily's desire. Naomi tucked her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought about what had just happened, feeling like she was twelve again, running barefoot across the fields, carefree and happy.

"We don't have to leave the house even, just...dinner, alone? A movie? Or we could just forget I asked and go on about our day?" Emily was rambling, she knew she was, but Naomi's silence made her feel nervous and almost foolish, and when she felt like that, she babbled.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I said yes." Naomi giggled at the twin, as she stood there in shock. "But do you think we could make it through breakfast first, because we've got a lot to do today, so..." Naomi asked, still holding Emily's hand and headed out the door.

Emily didn't say anything. She could only smile as she followed Naomi out of the room and down to the dining room, shaking her head at the blonde's cheek.

Jessica Andrews paced back and forth in front of the Café Expresso, waiting. Always waiting. She hated waiting, but she knew if she left, Mandy wouldn't be very happy. Although, she was becoming increasingly sick of Mandy lately as well, but Jess knew there was nothing she could do about it right at this moment.

She did not agree with Mandy about the attack on Emily Fitch, but she couldn't stop her friend, so Jess went along with it, if only to keep her from getting into too much trouble. She had seen a side of her friend that scared her and now Jess was in too deep to back out now.

Looking at her phone once again for the time, Jess could feel her anger starting to rise. She could be at home right now or better yet, at her boyfriends house. She was just about to leave, when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye.

"You're looking angry this morning, Jess." Mandy stated as she sauntered up to her friend. "Is there a problem?"

Jess hated that tone of voice, that sickly sweet tone of voice that Mandy used to get what she wanted from people. "You know that there is, Mandy! You need to stop doing this."

"Doing what?" Mandy asked, reaching for the door to the café. "Are you coming?" She asked before stepping inside, leaving Jess outside to make up her mind.

Of course Jess followed her, she almost didn't have a choice. She knew Mandy would make her life miserable if she didn't. She didn't fail to notice the smile on Mandy's face when Jess sat at the table with her. "Mandy, it's only a matter of time before the police catch up with you." She stated, getting straight to the point. "I can't keep helping you anymore."

Mandy's gaze narrowed as she leaned on the table. "Oh, yes you can and you will." The taller girl growled at her, but then quickly switched her attitude. "So, that Sophia slag was no help at all. I thought for sure she would be." Mandy said, as if she was having a normal conversation with her BFF.

"I told you she was a long shot." Jess sighed. "What did you want to meet me for?"

"Is it so wrong to want to hang out with my friend? I've been on the road for months, Jess! I miss home and Emily is so close, I can feel it." Mandy scoffed.

Jess rolled her eyes at the girl. "You make it sound like you're the victim here, Mandy!"

Mandy didn't respond as the waitress came to take their order, but once the woman left them alone, her eyes turned back to Jess, flashing hatred.

"None of this would've happened if Emily had just stayed with me!" She said through clenched teeth.

Jess was fed up with Mandy and the whole situation. "She was never with you, Mandy! When are you going to get that through your head? You're seriously twisted, aren't you?" She asked, although she knew the answer and she also knew that Mandy wouldn't see it, so she stood up and dug through her purse, pulling out a handful of money, throwing it on the table. "Don't worry, Mandy, your food's on me."

As she started to leave, Mandy called out to her. "Jess? Don't walk away from me!"

"I can't do this anymore, Mandy. You're on your own now." Jess said from the door.

"You wouldn't want your parents to find out about last year, would you? Just think of how disappointed they'd be if they knew their precious daughter ran down a man while she was driving drunk." Mandy said, sneering at her. Jess hung her head as she thought about that night.

Her and Mandy and a couple of their friends had been out drinking, sneaking into clubs, having a good time until they were on their way home. Mandy had Jess drop off the other girls first, and as Jess drove toward Mandy's house, a man had been walking down the road. At first Jess didn't see him, as she swerved down the road, until it was too late.

Jess was terrified of what would happen to her, but Mandy made her get back in the car as she pulled the scared girl away from the dead body. That night changed everything between Mandy and Jess, because Mandy covered it up, telling Jess that no one knew what had happened except the two of them. But it gave Mandy power over Jess, a power that she had been abusing ever since.

"I've already told them, Mandy." Jess stated, feeling a weight lift off of her shoulders.

"Like fuck you did. You're too much of a coward to tell them." Mandy scoffed at her, but felt a panic race through her as she saw the truth in the other girls eyes. She saw her tool slip away from her.

"Believe what you want, Mandy, you always do anyway, so this shouldn't be any different. But the fact of the matter is, I did tell them and I'm turning myself in." Jess was about to walk out the door, but she stopped and turned to look back at her friend. "Good luck, Mandy. I've got a feeling you're going to need it."

Mandy watched in anger as Jess left the café. What the hell was she suppose to do now? Without Jess, how was she going to find Emily? Her mind was reeling from what had just happened and without even thinking, Mandy scooped up the money Jess had thrown on the table and ran out of the café.

Jess walked to the carpark on shaking legs. She felt free finally. Free from Mandy's control.

She unlocked her car and slid into the drivers seat and waited a few moments before pulling out her mobile. Jess found the number she needed and waited.

"Hello?"

Jess sighed. "I'm ready." she said simply.

"Miss Andrews?"

"Yes, Mr Cook, it's me." Jess stated again. "I'm ready to meet with you now."

"You're doing the right thing, Miss Andrews," Cook's voice came soothingly from the other end, "I'll be in my office in about twenty minutes, we can meet there."

Jess looked out the windscreen. "Well, it'll take me some time to get to Bristol, I'm in Taunton, so...,"

"That's alright. I'll see you when you get here."

Jess agreed and hung up and then started the car. She knew she was doing the right thing, because Mandy needed to be stopped before someone got hurt again. Although, knowing it was the right thing didn't stop the nerves that she felt, until she turned on to the M5 and headed toward Bristol.

"So what are you planning for tonight?" Katie asked as she swept into Emily's office.

Emily was agitated by the disruption, but quickly recovered. She knew that Katie was getting a bit stir crazy being stuck at the house and that always made her a touch more annoying than usual.

"What?"

Katie flopped down into a chair and sighed. "A little birdy told me that you asked out Naomi. So I was just curious as to what you had planned."

Emily felt herself blush. Why she thought she'd be able to keep this from Katie was beyond her. "If you must know, I'm planning a dinner in the maze garden, so...does that sound alright?" She asked, unsure of herself.

"Sounds fine, why?"

Emily shrugged, "It's just, Naomi has always planned our dates, ya know? She has always come up with the best ideas and I just figured since we're stuck here, it'd be a nice way to spend some time together."

Katie laughed at how nervous Emily was. "I don't know why you're worried, Emsy. I'm pretty sure that if you sat in front of Campbell and just stared at her she'd have a great time. Don't worry about it, just relax and it'll be fine."

Emily laughed along with her sister. "I highly doubt that, but...thanks, Kay." She said, going back to the paperwork in front of her.

Katie looked on, interested to know what Emily was doing. "What's that?"

Emily glanced up again, before shifting in her seat. "Gina sent over some reports on projects Naomi's father had been working on before he disappeared. I'm going through them to see if I can get a better idea of what he had planned. You know, who he was working with and what they were looking for, so I can pinpoint where they might have gone exactly."

Katie sat there with a confused look on her face. "What are you doing that for, Emsy?"

Emily sat up straighter in her chair as she thought about why she was doing it. "For Naomi."

"That's it? That's the only reason why?" Katie asked, not really believing her. "C'mon Emily, what's the real reason?"

"Really, Katie." Emily insisted. "She thinks her father left her and Gina and that's where her fear of getting close to anyone kicks in. Naomi doesn't believe for one second that something may have happened to him."

"But from what Effy tells me, he was a devoted family man." Katie said, feeling a sadness for Naomi.

Emily nodded in agreement. "Gina and Naomi say the same. It's just that...Gina is certain that something happened to him, while Naomi believes he just took off. I want to find out what happened to him, one way or the other, for Naomi, I think it's the best way I can repay her for protecting me."

"So what have you found out so far?" Katie asked, oddly intrigued. "Do you need some help?"

Emily smiled at her, knowing that while she was good at research, it wasn't Katie's favourite thing to do, so she was surprised at the request. They spent the rest of the afternoon going over everything Gina had sent her, Katie marking up possible leads and Emily making a detailed time line.

Katie put her pen down and noticed the time. "Fuck, Ems! It's almost time for date."

"Shit! C'mon, you can give me a hand getting ready."

While Katie was helping Emily, Effy was doing her best to calm Naomi down.

"For fucks sake, Nai! Stop it." Effy spit out, exasperatedly. "You're driving me crazy with your pacing!"

"I'm sorry, Effy." Naomi sat down next to the brunette, and tried to calm her nerves. "A lot of it is Emily." She stated quietly.

Effy cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"She's nervous about tonight, and it intensifies the pulses. I can feel her nervousness." Naomi explained, as she stared out the window across the fields. "Something's different about tonight and I can't figure out what."

"I'm sure it's nothing, Naomi...just have fun." Effy told her, as Naomi sat up from where she was slouched on the sofa, causing Effy to look at her strangely. "What's wrong?"

"She's on her way."

"How can you know that?" Effy asked, smirking at her friend.

Naomi looked over and grinned at Effy. "The pulses. They change with her moods now for some reason. She's still feeling nervous, but now it's mixed with excitement."

Effy sat there with a genuine smile on her face, as Naomi started to fidget in her seat. "It's wonderful to see you like this."

Naomi stopped playing with the hem of her shirt to stare at Effy. "Like what?"

"Open. Like you're ready to take on the world." Effy told her. "You don't even see it, do you? It's almost like...,"

"I'm in love." Naomi finished for her.

"Yeah, like you're in...," the penny finally dropped as Effy understood, "you're in love?"

Naomi smiled, as she felt a blush work its way up her face. "Yeah." She said dreamily, making Effy snort with laughter because it was totally unlike her.

"Oh. My. God! I never thought I'd see the day...when did this happen?" Effy asked, excitement filling her.

Naomi shrugged in response, then thought better of it. "A while ago. It was the second time I asked her out. It kinda just...hit me, ya know?"

Effy was so excited about Naomi and she was about to ask her more, but she noticed Naomi's body tense slightly, and then heard a knock on the door. She chuckled as Naomi stayed rooted to her spot on the sofa. "Allow me to get that." She stated dryly, standing up and making her way over to let Emily in.

"Oh, hi." The red head looked confused, as Effy stood in front of her. "Is...Naomi ready?"

"Yeah. She's been ready for a while." Effy stated, as she watched Emily fidget nervously. 'Interesting.' She thought as she opened the door wider. "C'mon in."

Emily followed the brunette deeper into Naomi's room. "So what do you two crazy kids have planned for this evening." Effy asked with a smirk as they stood in front of Naomi.

Emily didn't hear the question. She couldn't because her heart was pounding so loud and fast, it blocked out anything else, except Naomi. Naomi, who stood upon seeing Emily enter the room. Naomi, who looked effortlessly gorgeous in her black skinny jeans and a form fitting, long sleeved, black cotton shirt. Emily's heartbeat changed from its fast rhythm into a pleasant cadence.

Na-o-mi. Na-o-mi. Na-o-mi. Over and over, the new rhythm beat.

"Um...Emily?" Naomi felt another shift in the pulses, but couldn't tell what caused it. "Ems?" She tried getting the twin's attention, but she had zoned out.

"Emily!" Effy nudged the red head, and had the pleasure of watching her blush deeply.

"Fuck." Emily whispered under her breath. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" She blinked as if to clear her head.

Effy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Never mind. How about you two go and have fun. I'm gonna go find Katie." She left them standing there.

"Bye, Eff." Emily said watching her leave, and then turned back to Naomi. "So, um...you ready?"

Naomi smiled at Emily. "Yeah, all set."

They walked out of the room and made their way down the hall in silence, content to share each other's space and not make things awkward. It wasn't until Emily led Naomi through the first floor and through the kitchen to the back door, that the blonde started to wonder what they were going to do.

"So what did you plan for us, Ems?" Naomi asked her.

Emily smiled widely at her. "C'mon, Naoms, this way." She gestured toward the garden, and took off, leaving Naomi to follow her.

They walked in a comfortable silence that neither one of them were ready to break, content to throw glances at each other, until they got to the maze. Emily stopped at one entrance and turned to look at Naomi.

"Alright, here's the deal," Emily smiled up at Naomi, "there's a surprise waiting somewhere in that maze. You're going to go in this entrance and I'm going in that one," she pointed to the other entrance, "the first one to find it, wins."

Naomi stood there in confusion. "Wins what?"

Emily smirked at the adorable look on her face. "That's a surprise." She replied quietly as she started to walk away.

"But that's no fair, Ems!" Naomi whined. "You know where it's at!"

Emily shook her head. "No I don't. Only one person knows, and that's Charley." She explained and kept walking until she reached her entrance.

Naomi watched the red head come to a stop a good distance away, and waited anxiously. For what, she wasn't quite sure, but waiting nonetheless. Emily looked up at her, and both of them just stared for a few moments, until a smile spread across Emily's face.

"Is this really necessary?" Naomi shouted over to Emily. "I mean, can't we just walk in there together?"

"C'mon, Naoms! Where's your sense of adventure?" Emily laughed as Naomi rolled her eyes at the question. "Trust me, yeah?"

"Fine!" Naomi gave in, knowing deep down that she would always do whatever Emily asked of her. "So, it's a race, right?"

"Yup! And remember, it could be anywhere in the maze, so keep your eyes open." Emily smiled at her cheekily. "On your mark...get set...GO!"

Both girls took off running, twisting through the maze. Naomi could hear Emily's laughter over the hedges, causing her to feel a happiness she hadn't felt in a long time. But while Emily had taken a liking to the maze garden, she had barely scratched the surface of the hedge maze itself, not really knowing how twisted it really was, which was evident when Naomi heard the red head cursing colourfully from somewhere inside the labyrinth.

"Give it up, Ems!" Naomi shouted out as she ran along, laughing. "I've been playing in here a lot longer than you."

Emily came to another dead end, as she heard Naomi shouting to her, but when Naomi's laughter floated through the air, Emily felt her heart speed up. That's what she had been hoping for. In the time that she's known Naomi, Emily had never heard her laugh like that and the sound of it, the beauty of it, the pure joy it held, made Emily stop running just so she could enjoy it.

She heard Naomi swear, and she smiled. 'Came across a dead end yourself, I see.' The thought pushed Emily to start running again.

The whole maze stretched out across the backside of the estate, built by Naomi's great-grandfather for his wife at the turn of the century, with almost two kilometres of pathway, it twisted and turned unusually, and if you weren't paying attention, you could get lost inside. Naomi's father had added the maze garden and put lockable gates up, per Gina's request, when a six year old Naomi got lost inside and ended up falling asleep in a tree tunnel.

Naomi had thought about opening up the hedge maze to the public, with the proceeds going to conservation research, but she hadn't talked about it with her mum about it yet.

'I'd better get on that.' She thought to herself as she came up against another hedge wall. She cursed out loud again, as she passed through a tunnel only to come to another wall. Whatever Emily had planned, she really hoped it was worth it, as she backtracked and took the second route.

Naomi knew she was nearing the back of the maze, when twenty minutes later, she came to another, smaller garden. She stopped at the entrance, as memories flooded her mind, memories of a long ago time that was happier and more carefree.

The smaller garden was another one of her fathers' add-ons, for Gina. It was a place were the full moon would shine and light up the garden. Gareth had added lounge chairs, a canopy and a fire pit off to the side, and in the centre lay a sculpted patch of grass in the shape of a heart. Naomi knew her mum still came out here, so she could care for the different flowers and plants that grew along the hedges, and as she stood there, reeling from the thoughts in her head she could see that Gina had been there recently.

"How long have you been there?"

Emily's question brought Naomi out of her head, as she focused on the red head across the garden, at the other entrance. When Naomi looked around she gasped at what was in the centre of the grass.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked as she moved closer to the blonde, suddenly afraid that she had done something wrong. "Naoms?"

Naomi shook her head. "Um, sorry...it's just...I haven't been in here for ages." She was blushing in embarrassment, she could even imagine the white marks on her face from the scars.

Emily felt bad for making Naomi uncomfortable, which she clearly was. "It's shit, isn't it? I'm sorry, Naomi. I just wanted to do something fun and have a quiet dinner." She knew she was one heartbeat away from crying, but she couldn't help it.

Naomi quickly noticed the blanket that was spread out, along with a basket of food, all set up next to the fire that was burning, which was a good thing, because the sun was starting to set and the air was getting colder. "No, Ems, it's lovely." She hurried to assure Emily. "Actually, it's perfect."

Emily glanced up at her shyly. "Really?"

Naomi smiled down at her, took a step closer and leant down to give her a chaste kiss. "Really. Now, since I won, where's my prize?" She asked brightly, wanting to lighten the mood and wipe the frown off Emily's face.

Emily pulled away with a smile, as she led Naomi over to the blanket. "Ta-da!" She exclaimed, throwing out her arms, as Naomi laughed. "I thought, where could we go to get a bit of privacy,and then it hit me this afternoon. Although, when I asked Charley to set this up, I figured he'd set everything up in the big garden." She explained as they took a seat and Emily started fishing through the basket that Thelma had made up for them. "I honestly didn't even know this was here."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Naomi said as she watched Emily closely. "My father added this for my mum. I remember they would come out here and spend hours talking and laughing by the fire."

"It's lovely...," Emily said with a smile, as she glanced at Naomi before looking away quickly, "it's a lovely place."

"It is." Naomi replied, quietly. "So what have we got there?" She asked, nodding toward the food. "I'm starving."

With Naomi's words, both girls set about devouring the meal that was prepared for them, talking about their day and anything else that came to mind. It was so easy to be in Emily's company. She didn't expect anything and Naomi found that refreshing, even after the last few months.

As they finished their dinner, Emily laid back on her elbows and stared at the sky, while Naomi watched her. Emily knew she was being watched and she reveled in the pleasure she felt, knowing that she had Naomi's undivided attention.

"Ems?"

"Hmm?"

Naomi sat up and turned toward the red head. "What do you plan to do when this is all over?"

Emily opened her eyes and looked over. "What do you mean? When what's all over with?"

"Well, I have no doubt that we'll find Mandy soon and you'll be able to go home." Naomi said with a hint of sadness that Emily felt as well. "When that happens, what'll you do?"

Emily suddenly felt the urge to cry, because she'd been so caught up in just being here, with Naomi, and she didn't know how she was going to go back after this. "I don't...I don't really know, to be honest, Naoms."

Naomi heard Emily's voice break and felt bad for bringing up Mandy. "Shit! I'm sorry, Ems. I shouldn't have brought her up...I'm such a tit!"

"No...it's not that. She doesn't scare me anymore, now she's just a pain in the arse!"

"What is it then?"

"Nothing." Emily replied, shaking her head. "It's stupid."

Naomi scooted closer to th red head, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I wouldn't think it's stupid, Emily. You know you can tell me anything."

Emily stared up at her in amazement, gazing intently into those blue eyes that always seemed to paralyse her on the spot, yet freeing her from her normal boring life. Those terribly expressive eyes that told Emily a lot about the woman behind them. Like right now, they told Emily that Naomi desired her.

She watched in fascination as Naomi's eyes darkened, as they looked into her plain brown eyes and then dropped down to her lips befor snapping back up again. Emily made up her mind quickly as she threw a leg over both of Naomi's, straddling her, causing Naomi to gasp when Emily reached up and wrapped both hands into the soft blonde hair, pulling her into a passionate kiss.

Naomi couldn't help the moan that escaped her throat, as Emily used her weight to grind into her. Pleasurable bolts of electricity shot throughout her body when Emily did that on top of taking the kiss deeper.

It had been so long since Naomi had been with anyone, before the curse, and the way Emily was moving on top of her, she was pretty sure of what the red head wanted. But she doubted herself. Naomi felt as if she was about to explode as fear crept into her mind as she tried to pull way from Emily.

Emily felt the shift in Naomi as she pulled away, but she wasn't about to let her go just yet, so she followed Naomi's mouth with her own. "Wait...don't stop." She murmured against Naomi's lips. "Don't go anywhere."

Naomi's mind was screaming at her to run, telling her she wasn't good enough for Emily, but her heart was telling her to stay put. In the end, she broke away from Emily's lips, reluctantly.

"Ems...wait...," Naomi pushed Emily far enough away from her so that she could look up into those brown eyes with the green rings in the iris.

"Did...did I do something wrong?" Emily asked in a voice so small that Naomi wanted to kiss her again, but she didn't.

"No, Ems...you're perfect." Naomi clarified with a smile.

"But you don't want me like that?"

Naomi didn't like insecure Emily, it made her feel wrong inside, like she was physically hurting the red head.

"Emily, look at me." Naomi waited until those eyes were on her once again, this time searching hers, looking for something. "I want you like that, okay? I've never wanted anything more, but I'm scared."

Emily was surprised by that and she knew it showed on her face. But before she could ask her about it, Naomi rushed on.

"I haven't been with anyone since this happened," she made a sweeping gesture with her hand, indicating the curse, "and I feel you deserve better than someone like me."

"Whatdya mean, "someone like you"?" Emily sat back and asked, using her fingers to make air qoutes, slightly agitated that Naomi would say such a thing. "What's wrong with you?"

Naomi sighed as she rested her hands on Emily's hips, still feeling the pulses race through her. "You know what's wrong with me, Ems. I'm moody, and bitchy... I can be seriously insensitive at times...oh, and I'm cursed to die in a few months." She tried like hell to sound flippant about it, but she couldn't help the pain that thought brought her. "I don't think I'm enough for you, Emily."

"What is it, exactly, that you think I need, Naomi?" Emily questioned, determined to find out what was going through her mind.

"You need someone who can give you everything you need for as long as possible." Naomi stated firmly, sure of herself.

Emily understood exactly what Naomi was trying to say, but she knew she had to dig deeper into who Naomi was. This wasn't just about Emily anymore, it was about Naomi as well, and it was time that the blonde knew that.

"What about what you need, Naoms?" Emily pulled herself closer to Naomi, back to where she was before Naomi pushed her away, placing a hand on her shoulder and cupping Naomi's cheek with the other one, making for sure she didn't look away. "What about what you want?"

Naomi looked lost for a moment as Emily started grinding against her again.

With a smirk, Emily leant down and nipped at Naomi's lips again. "What do you want Naoms?" She asked in that husky voice, the one that had been doing wonderful things to Naomi's senses for the past few months. "Tell me what you want." Emily snuck her hands down and felt under Naomi's shirt, feeling the hot skin that was underneath, effectively breaking down the last wall around Naomi.

Naomi surged up and forward, wrapping her arms around the red head and pushed her onto her back. She was tired of playing it safe, of hiding behind her scars and her curse. She wanted to feel Emily underneath her, even if it was just once, to know how it felt to be inside the small red head and watch as she reached her climax. "I want you, Ems." She growled out as the beast inside of her was unleashed. "You're the only thing I want."

Emily giggled at the feral sound of Naomi's voice. "Good. Now will you kiss me again please, because right now, at this moment, I want you too." She pleaded with the blonde.

Naomi did more than kiss her, as her fingers worked to undo the buttons on Emily's shirt, traveling across the flawless skin she found as she slowly peeled the short away from Emily's body. When she came to the dark blue bra, she gently brushed the back of her fingers across Emily's right nipple.

"Fuck, Naoms!" Emily moaned out. And moaned again when Naomi pulled the cup down and traced around the nipple with her tongue, before taking it into her mouth and sucking it, causing Emily to grind down harder against Naomi, trying to get as much friction as she could before Naomi once again pulled away from her. "No, Naomi! Don't stop, please don't stop!" She begged, but Naomil had a plan.

"Patience, Ems." Naomi told her as she reached down to the waistband of Emily's jeans, undoing the button and pulling down the zipper. Once that task was complete, Naomi got up on her knees and started tugging at Emily's clothing, relieving her of her bra and jeans.

She was rewarded greatly as she took in every inch of Emily's body, which Naomi could see was vibrating.

"My god, you're beautiful, Emily." Naomi's words came out breathlessly, almost reverently, and smiled as she saw Emily blush in the firelight. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I've never had anyone tell me, no...Katie was always the beautiful one." Emily replied as she felt pinned down under the weight of Naomi's gaze.

Naomi needed to touch that skin in front of her, and as Emily's words sank into her fevered brain, she wanted to show Emily how beautiful she really was. So she slowly started to run her fingers all over Emily's body, learning it, committing every spot that drew out a moan or gasp to memory for future use.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Naomi ran her hands down to Emily's centre, running her fingers through the slick folds, to feel how wet Emily was, surprising Naomi. "Jesus, Ems." Naomi whispered before pushing one finger deep into Emily, causing her to moan out again.

"Please, Naomi...I'm about to explode here."

Naomi started a rhythm that would ensure to build Emily's pleasure up, but not quickly so she came too soon. In, out, pause...in, out, pause...Naomi kept up that agonising pace, as Emily's hips started to lift up, trying to get Naomi to go faster.

It may have been years since Naomi had slept with anyone, but she discovered that certain skills never disappeared, as she added a second finger and a curl of those fingers after the pause before she pulled out. She kept on eye on Emily's face as she pushed the red head closer to the edge, and when Naomi saw that something else was needed to give Emily a nudge, she waited until she could see those brown eyes in the firelight and when she knew she had Emily's attention, Naomi dipped her head down and placed her lips around the little bundles of nerves that would tip Emily over to the other side, and gently sucked on it.

"OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD!" Emily screamed as she felt herself spiral out of control. She thrashed about as Naomi tried to hold her in place, but it was no use. Her climax hit her full force when she felt Naomi's lips touch her and she knew she was lost in a moment of pleasure.

Naomi kept her fingers inside Emily, helping her come back down, but the red head couldn't help but notice the electric pulses that had sped up along with the beating of her heart as they too started to slow down as well. But not only that, the cadence of the pulses had changed, and Emily couldn't figure out why. She pushed that thought out of her head, as her body finally relaxed and Naomi gave her sensitive clit one last lash of her tongue before she kissed her way back up to Emily's lips, kissing her as if it was the last time they would ever kiss.

When Naomi pulled away so she could breath, she smiled down at the blissed out Emily. "So much for a quiet dinner for two, Ems." Naomi commented with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, her husky voice sounding far away and dreamlike.

The blonde couldn't help the laugh that sounded out. "I'm pretty sure the whole family heard you inside the house." She laughed again as Emily's eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Was I that loud?" She asked meekly, afraid that she had made a fool of herself.

"Well, you were pretty loud, although I may be aggregating a little." Naomi said as Emily burried her head in the crook of Naomi's neck. She wrapped her arms around Emily tighter, holding her close, feeling the Emily's skin rippled under her hands, leaving goosebumps, as she laid on her side. "You cold?"

Emily shook her head. "No...I think you've taken care of that."

"Whatdya mean?" Naomi asked, confused at the words.

"Really?" Emily pulled away, leaning up on her elbows and stared down at the blonde. "Jesus, Naoms, you had me overheated with a look, and once you touched me, I was seriously about to catch fire."

"You're teasing me now, aren't you?"

Emily snuggled back down by Naomi's side, and giggled at her. "Hardly, Naomi...I don't know about you, but once those fucking pulses kicked up a notch, it was like throwing petrol onto the flames."

Naomi felt a sense of pride at Emily's words, but also understanding about the pulses. She was lost in her thoughts as her own heart rate and pulses calmed down, but the sound of Emily yawning brought her back to the present. "Are you falling asleep on me, Fitch?" Naomi asked, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

"Sorry, Naoms, but you wore me out properly." Emily replied, with a sheepish smile.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have made sure I got mine first." Naomi smirked into the darkness that was starting to surround them as the fire died down low. She knew Emily would hear the challenge in her voice and rise to it.

Sure enough, Emily quickly rolled them over so that she was lying against Naomi, pinning her down. "Something's wrong with this picture...," Emily said, seriously. Naomi started to sit up so she could figure out what was wrong, but Emily held her down and ran her hand across the front of Naomi's shirt. "You're wearing to many clothes, Campbell."

Emily started making an attempt to undress Naomi, while she tried her best to cover herself. "Wait, Emily...," Naomi started to protest, drawing Emily's eyes up to hers in question.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked quietly, as she once again straddled Naomi's legs.

"It's...can I lay on my stomach?"

It was asked in such a small voice, something Emily never would have associated with the blonde, and her heart broke.

"You've never showed anyone, have you?" She asked, knowing that Naomi would understand the question.

Naomi shook her head, before answering out loud. "Not since it happened, and then it was only Mum and Effy. Not even Cook or Kieran have seen the whole thing. And whenever I've needed help, I've already got most of it covered."

"Let me see, Naomi, please?" Emily asked, knowing that how they went from here depended on this moment.

"They're ugly, Ems...and you shouldn't have to see them." Naomi felt tears stinging her eyes as she held her shirt down, while Emily tried pulling it up. "They're not all healed and they're bandaged...trust me, gauze is not as sexy as you thin-,"

"Stop! They're a part of you, Naoms...and I want to get to know all of you, so...please let me see them?" Emily asked quietly.

Naomi knew in that moment that she'd never be able to deny Emily anything. Sure, she had maybe thought that once or twice over the past few months, but now she knew that if Emily asked her to crawl on her hands and knees to London, Naomi wouldn't even question it...she'd just do it. That was an awful lot of power for one girl to have.

Emily was waiting patiently for Naomi to decide what she wanted to do, but she didn't miss the rush of emotions swirling in her eyes, as they reflected the moon's light, bathing them in a bluish white hue now that the fire had died down somewhat.

"I'm afraid." Naomi said simply, showing Emily more than she had ever allowed anyone to see before. "I'm scared that you'll walk away if I show you, can you understand that?"

Emily thought about it for a few seconds, before nodded her head. "Yeah, Naoms, I can...but you can't make that decision for me. That's a choice I have to make for myself, can you understand that?" She placed her hands on Naomi's cheeks, so she could look into those blues eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. "I'm a big girl now, Naomi. You can trust me with this."

Naomi did trust Emily, had trusted her almost from the beginning, she knew that now. So, with a deep sigh and a nod, she sat back and allowed Emily to grab the hem of her shirt and pull it over her head.

Once Emily did that, she quickly discarded Naomi's jeans and knickers, leaving the blonde almost naked except for the bandages around her torso. Emily's eyes traced over every bit of skin she could see, followed by her finger, as she started to trace each individual scar with her fingertip.

Naomi had closed her eyes tight so she couldn't see the disgust that she was sure Emily would be feeling, so Emily took her time looking. She wanted to make sure she remembered everything about this moment.

Emily knew how important this was, not just for her, but for Naomi as well. This was Naomi opening herself fully, allowing Emily behind her walls. For Emily, this was a monumental shift in their relationship, but she was suddenly excited to be find out whatever that meant.

"There are so many of them." Emily breathed out, as she continued to trace each one.

Naomi tensed up, waiting for the second when Emily left her alone, but that second never came. She gasped out as she felt Emily's lips on her, as the red head started to kiss each healed scar she came across.

The sensations those kisses caused were unlike any other Naomi had ever felt, as Emily worked her lips all over Naomi's body.

'I can't believe she's still here.' Naomi thought to herself, as she slowly cracked one eye open. When she saw that she wasn't dreaming and that Emily was still very much there, she opened her other eye and watched the red head.

When Emily got closer to her belly finding a particularly ticklish spot, Naomi moaned, causing the red head to look up at her with a cheeky smile. "I'll come back to that spot later."

"Fuck Ems, what are you doing to me?"

Emily chuckled. "I'm gonna make you feel good, Naoms." She replied with a sexy smirk, leaning up to give Naomi a quick kiss before sliding her body back down to finish placing kisses on each scar. "I think you're well overdue for that, don't you?"

Naomi could only nod, as Emily moved lower, reaching down with her hand and feeling Naomi's wetness.

"I also think it's time I return the favour...so, are you ready, Naoms?" Emily's hands had started making paths along Naomi's skin, so it took a few moments for the blonde to form words.

"Oh god yes, Ems...I'm more than ready." Naomi told her as her body started vibrating, much like Emily's had earlier, and the pulses sped up with her heartbeat. "I'm ready."

Emily's smile almost rivalled the moonlight as she gazed at the woman before her. She was going to make sure Naomi got as much pleasure out of tonight as she could. Emily was going to prove to Naomi that she could trust her, that Emily wouldn't hurt her or run away.

Emily didn't know exactly what she was feeling, she didn't think it was anywhere close to the L-word, that thought actually scared her a bit, but Emily really wanted to be the one to show Naomi that someone wanted to be with her.

Without any more words, Emily spent hours making sure Naomi knew how beautiful she was, even with the scars.

Later as Naomi laid in Emily's arms asleep, she stared up at the night sky, stargazing and grateful for the extra blankets Charley had set out for them. Emily was a bit cold, but she didn't want to disturb the blonde, so she just covered them both up and snuggled down, allowing herself to smile as sleep started to overtake her.

"Ems?" Naomi stirred, wondering where she was.

"Shush...I'm right here." Emily said, tightening her arms around the blonde.

"I thought it was a dream." Naomi's voice was full of sleep, as she burrowed back into Emily with a yawn.

"Not a dream, Naoms...now just go back to sleep." Emily told her and soon heard Naomi's light snoring.

'Definitely not a dream.' Emily thought as closed her eyes again, this time falling into one of the best sleeps she'd ever had.

A/N: Alright peeps, if you're still with me this far, I thank you ever so much:) You seriously don't know how much it's appreciated.

Also, I know I'm behind in reading some of the awesome stories on here, and I promise I'll get to it as soon as I can...read and review;)

and lastly, tell me what you all thought of this chapter, please? It has been one of the hardest ones to write and I'm very curious to know what y'all think...so...yeah:)

Love to each and every one of you:)

Marci