A/N:Alright…I know I said that the next chapter would be the last, and I totally meant it, but…well, Naomi and Emily had things to say and then Mandy just had to stick her nose into it…

I'm not gonna lie, my beautiful peeps, shits about to get really real! A lot is happening in this chapter...

Massive shout outs to everyone who reviewed last chapter: MsWitsEnd, Crevette, TheAeacusProject, NegroAmigo, FufuTheFallenAngel, Michelle1017 and Guests. One guest in particular left one of the greatest reviews I've received and I just wanted to say thank you. It meant a lot that one such as you, who's probably read every story in the Skins FF archive, not only read my story but reviewed as well. Also to everyone who has been reading and sticking with me and to all the new followers:)

You guys are seriously the best!

I want to quickly shout out to all the authors who've left us…it's been an absolute pleasure that you guys gave us a glimpse of your talent.

Disclaimer: Skins is not mine…The Beauty and The Beast is not mine…but if they were?

Chapter 31: …Will Always Haunt Me

Naomi refused to turn around, promised herself she wouldn't show Emily her tears. Didn't want to let Emily see how much her refusal to tell her what was wrong had hurt. She kept walking, even when she could hear Emily behind her, calling her name.

She wanted this night to end suddenly, but she knew that she had to check on her guests, so Naomi started to make her way to the ballroom. She was almost at the side door when Emily finally caught up with her.

"Naomi, wait. Please?" Emily pleaded with her, not missing the catch in her voice as tears threatened to spill.

"What, Emily? What more could you possibly say or better yet, not say?" Naomi snapped back at her, still not turning around to look at her.

"Look, this isn't easy for me, Naoms. You have to understand that."

"But it's easy for me to be in love with you? Do you think it's easy for me to sleep with you every night knowing that you don't feel the same?" Naomi asked, finally turning around, but she missed the look in Emily's eyes, and continued. "Don't you understand that I've literally given you everything, every piece of me is yours, Emily! Everything I am is yours and you still doubt me, I just thought...,"

"I know that." Emily said as Naomi trailed off. "Please believe me when I say I know that and I know it's hard for you, but I'm twenty years old, Naomi! That's a lot to ask of me."

Naomi shook her head sadly. "But it's not really. Age is just a number that you're using as an excuse! It didn't have to be complicated or hard...it just had to be! Don't you see? I've given you the most important thing I could give you."

Emily sighed loudly. "I told you I didn't want you to give me your company-,"

"My heart, Ems." Naomi said, disappointment evident in her voice. "I've given it to you and all you had to do was be you...it's yours and you still guard yourself against me."

Emily didn't know exactly how to respond and the silence stretched out between them as their pulses flared up, pulsating back and forth.

"I've never felt like this, ever." Naomi told her but suddenly felt like she was beating her head against a rock. "Even if there was no curse, I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same, Ems and that's a big deal for me. I don't know how many times I can tell you I love you or how to keep coming up with ways to prove it to you. I'm tired, Emily, so tired of being me and living this life...I just want this to end."

Emily watched as Naomi turned back to the door and turned the knob, pushing it open.

'Seriously?' She admonished herself. 'Why is it so hard to tell her how I feel?'

"I've told you from the start, that if this is all that was between us, that was fine...I meant that, Ems, I still do. But I thought you cared enough to let me know when things were bothering you, and when you shut me out like this, it hurts," Naomi told her, unable to keep her promise to herself as she turned back around, "it hurts worse than anything I've ever felt before."

Emily's tears flowed freely now as she heard the defeat and the emptiness in Naomi's voice. "I'm sorry, Naoms...,"

Naomi wiped at the tears that still fell from her eyes and tried to smile, but it was sad and heartbreaking. "Me too, Ems." She said softly, as she turned to go find her mum. "Me too."

"Listen to me, I've given you every bit of information that you need. Now I suggest that you send officers right now!" Kieran growled into the phone as the dispatcher on the other end continued to give him a hard time. "Listen here you little shite! Complaints have been filed for months! Multiple complaints as a matter of fact, and yet she has been able to evade you lot and enter my home!"

Cook, James and Rob watched as Kieran harassed the Bristol police until he was connected to the chief. Cook had run into Rob and Kieran as they were stepping back into the ballroom and quickly explained the situation. Rob had wanted to tell Jenna and Gina straight away, but Kieran felt it would be best to get the police there as quick as possible.

After a few brief words, the chief assured Kieran that they would indeed be sending officers out to the Campbell residence immediately.

"Fucking hell, that was rough!" Kieran exclaimed as he put down the phone. "Have we found her yet?"

Cook shook his head. The security team had been all over outside searching for Mandy because that's were Dutch had told them she was, but had come up empty.

"Naw, Brandon says there's nothing outside, so I've had them start a search inside." Cook informed them. "She had to have found another way back in, because she didn't come back through the kitchens. Thelma's beating herself up over this." He finished quietly.

Kieran nodded along with Cook, racking his brain. "She's not to blame, son. Thelma's never laid eyes on Mandy and Charley never dealt with the catering company." He explained, then he scrubbed his face with his hands, feeling worn out. "We've gotta find the girls...I've got to tell Gina and Rob's gotta tell Jenna. We can't hide this from them."

"But we can't find anyone!" Jamie exclaimed, feeling useless. "We looked all over for mum and Gina, but it's like everyone has disappeared!"

"Calm down, Jamie...we'll find them." Rob comforted his son. "They're probably in Gina's office still?"

Kieran was about to answer when Cook held a hand to stop him, as his radio crackled to life in his ear.

"Mr Cook, do you copy?"

"This is Cook, what's the news?"

"We've got a breach in the north study. It looks like someone entered the house in here, but I don't know where they went."

"Alright, search along the hallway...that'll lead to the main stairs, I'm on my way." Cook informed the security guard. "Alright, I'll go check this out and you guys go find the ladies."

"I'm coming with you!" Jamie stated, leaving no room for argument. "She's my sister and I'm not gonna just sit here and wait for that psycho to pop up!"

"Let's go then!" Cook said as he led the way, leaving Kieran and Rob to find their wives.

Mandy stood under the main stairs, as Naomi and Emily continued to argue, and if she had been anyone else, she would have been moved by the level of emotion Naomi displayed. But she wasn't anyone else and she just found the blonde pathetic and embarrassing.

Once Naomi went back into the ballroom, Emily stood in the hallway like a loser. It made Mandy wonder what she ever saw in the redhead to begin with. It was disgraceful to watch her as she tried to dry her eyes and fortify herself to step back in the room.

'I should just kill Emily now and let Naomi suffer until her time is up. She doesn't have long anyway.' Mandy almost laughed at the thought, but checked herself.

All those closest to Emily had caused her nothing but trouble for months. They all gathered around Emily and protected her, making Mandy look like a complete fool! And she wanted them all to pay for what she'd been through. She watched Emily follow Naomi into the large room and with her mind made up she waited for the right moment to slip into the ballroom and make herself known.

"This way!"

Mandy heard the irritating voice of James Cook coming from the front of the stairs and almost panicked, but tucked herself it the space under the staircase.

"I'm gonna check up here first. Ems and Naomi might be in their special place!" Jamie stated, thinking about the hall cupboard he knew they liked to frequent on occasion. "I'll be right behind you!"

"Make it quick, lad!"

"Mr Cook? We found a rucksack in the hallway, just down a way from the study." A tinny voice informed Cook. "I think she's armed, sir."

"Any sign of Mandy?"

"No, sir."

"Hang tight, I'll be there in a few minutes." Cook told him, stepping under the stairs and turning toward the hallway underneath them.

She knew that they were looking for her now and whatever was left of her sanity snapped as Cook rounded the corner under the stairs and turned to walk down the hallway she had just come from.

Mandy grabbed the knife from where she tucked it in her boot and brought it up high as Cook passed in front of her. She brought it down swiftly right in his back just below his shoulder blade once, pullingit out quickly, oblivious to the spray of blood on her face and clothes, then thrusting it in again and felt a satisfying feeling as he crumpled to the floor, writhing in agony.

"Enough is enough, Mr Cook." Mandy sneered as she bent down and twisted the knife, watching as his eyes rolled back into his head. "All your efforts to protect Emsy are wasted and all for nothing. You know why?" She asked him as he fought to keep awake against the searing pain. "Because I'm smarter than you all and now each and every one of you will pay! Emily should have realised that she should've been with me! And to be completely honest, I've come too far to get caught now!"

Cook drew in a shallow breath and fought the wave of blackness that threatened to overtake him. "Fuck you, you fucking cunt! As if you'll ever get close enough t-to...," he coughed up blood as his throat filled with the red liquid, but he kept taunting her, "...lay a finger on her! You're nothing but a spoilt slag throwing a tantrum!" He spat at her.

She laughed at him. "I don't need to get close to her. In fact, I don't want to get anywhere near her now that she's let that Campbell bitch touch her! No, no, no...I've got other plans for Emily." She said as she stood up, leaving the knife in his back. Mandy brought her foot back, swinging it with everything she had and kicked him as hard as she could in the face with a resounding thud, leaving him unconscious.

She waited for a few seconds to make sure he was out and then drug his body into the darkness of the alcove under the stairs, but she knew she didn't have long until Emily's fucked up brother came along, so she left him not quite hidden but not totally noticeable.

"Too bad you won't be around to see what I've got planned, it's gonna be brilliant." She whispered to the out cold Cook, leaving him and checking that the coast was clear before she slipped into the ballroom.

Naomi walked through the crowd, looking for her mum or Jenna, anyone one really, but she found no one. All around her, family and friends and business associates partied alongside Emily's family and friends, but she didn't see anyone she was actually looking for.

She looked around at all the smiling happy faces and wondered how things had gone tits up.

"Naomi, what's wrong?" Franky asked as she saw her cousin walking aimlessly through the ballroom, a panicked look on her face.

Naomi looked up and saw her uncles and Franky and felt relief rush through her. "Thank god! I was beginning to think everyone I knew had left."

"What's wrong, love?" Uncle Geoff asked, concerned.

Naomi shook her head and put a smile on her face. "Have you seen mum or Jenna? I'm tired, the night has taken its toll on me...it's getting to be too much, but I wanna let them know I'm going to my room."

"I haven't, Nai...actually, I haven't seen any of them for quite some time now." Geoff told her, curious as to where everyone went now that it was pointed out.

"Emily!" Franky called out, smiling as the younger twin came up behind Naomi, but she missed the way Naomi closed her eyes and ducked her head with a sigh. "Freddie's been looking for you two for ages. Where've you been?" She asked with a smirk.

"Hey, Franks...we were...," Emily didn't finish as she saw the way Naomi's shoulders tensed as her presence became known. "Naomi? Please talk to me." She pleaded quietly.

"Later, Ems, I'm tired." Naomi told her, as she turned slightly. "I just want to say goodnight to our parents and thank them for all their help and go to bed." She explained, getting ready to leave.

Franky watched the small exchange between the two of them and noticed the strain. She was debating on whether to call them out on it or not when she heard Gina call out to Naomi from across the room.

Gina and Jenna rushed over to them, followed by Kieran and Rob, as well as Katie and Effy.

"Where've you been?" Gina asked, nervously, scanning the room. "Never mind that, we've got a problem-," She stated quickly, but then was silenced just as quickly.

"EMILY FITCH!"

Naomi stopped next to Effy and Katie, as Mandy's voice rang out loud across the room, causing the room to go silent and Emily froze in mid-step as she started to follow her girlfriend. She knew this was it, as her name echoed around her, everything that Naomi had been afraid of was happening.

Mandy had finally found her.

She stood in the centre of the ballroom, blood splattered on the uniform she wore and a maniacal sneer on her face, as the guests parted to let her walk through.

"Now that I've finally got your attention, I think it's time we talk about a few things, don't you?" Mandy said condescendingly, as if Emily was a petulant child who had misbehaved. "First of all," she walked closer to the younger twin, calmly, "I am not a freak!"

Naomi and Emily were both shocked by her words.

"How did you-,"

"Shut up, Campbell!" Mandy growled at Naomi, cutting her off. "I'm talking now! For fucking months I've been hiding and keeping quiet and now it's my turn!" She glanced back at Emily, who was still standing still, glaring at her. "Seriously, it was bad enough when you rejected me, but for her?" Mandy gestured to Naomi, who started moving toward Emily. "You turned me down to fuck her? I didn't think you were desperate, Emily, but I see you were. I mean, look at her! She's a monster and yet you chose her over me? She thinks a witch has cursed her and you say I'm the freak? She obviously needs serious mental help or...," Mandy reached behind her back and pulled out the gun she had tucked away, pointing it straight at Naomi, "or she needs to be taken care of." A collective gasp was heard around the room, as the guests started to quickly get out of the way.

"Mandy, please-," Gina tried to placate the young girl, but Mandy once again growled out.

"STOP!" She shouted, silencing Gina mid-plea. "What part of my turn to talk now did you not understand? I'm sick of hiding from you people...you sit here and judge me and protect that bitch," Mandy gestured to Emily with the gun that was held loosely in her hand, "I've lost my family, who've completely cut me off by the way, I've lost my friends...everything is gone because of you, Emily! Do you care about that?"

Emily listened as Mandy's rant became more menacing and desperate.

"I'm fucking talking to you, you slut!" Mandy screamed at Emily, making her jump. "Do you even care that I'm alone and have nothing? Oh wait...what was it you said...I'm not important!" Mandy laughed and it sent a sickening feeling running through Emily.

'This is what Naomi was protecting you from!' Emily thought to herself as Mandy's laugh bounced off the walls of the ballroom and she effectively isolated Emily from her family. 'How the fuck am I going to get out of this?'

Jamie stepped off the last step and rounded the corner to go under the staircase. He was disappointed that he didn't find Emily and Naomi, thought for sure they would've been there.

He was deep in thought as he walked and didn't see the crumpled body in the hallway entrance until he tripped over it.

"What the fuck?" He turned and squinted from the spot on the floor and tried to make out what he had fallen over. It wasn't until he crawled over to it that he realised what, or rather who, it was. "Cook?" He called out desperately and went to roll him over, when he felt wetness under his hand. Jamie quickly pulled his mobile out and turned on the flashlight, pointing it at Cook. "Fuck me sideways!" He exclaimed as he saw the knife protruding from Cook's back. "Cook, mate," he started calling, after he noticed that he was breathing, shallow breaths, but breathing, "c'mon, Cookie, wake up!"

Nothing happened and Jamie felt like screaming, but then he remembered the radio Cook had been carrying with him all night. He gently turned Cook's head, pulling out the earpiece as far as it would go so he could put it in his ear, and then found the mic tucked under the cuff of his sleeve. "Yes!" Jamie whispered, keeping an eye on Cook for any movement. "Hey, is anyone out there? This is Jamie Fitch and Cook's been hurt really bad." He said urgently into the device and waited.

"Mr Fitch, this is Brandon," the tinny voice sounded over the radio and Jamie sighed with relief, "where are you at?"

"We're at the bottom of the main stairs, at the start of the hallway," Jamie told him quickly, as he looked around, "...there's an alcove under the stairs!"

"We are on our way, Mr Fitch. Can you describe Mr Cook's injuries?" Brandon asked, only to keep the boy calm.

Jamie shined the light from his mobile over Cook again, taking in every detail. "Yeah...um...there's a wicked looking knife stuck deep in his shoulder...there's blood everywhere...and...uh...it looks like someone tried to smash his face in."

"Mr Fitch, is he breathing?"

"Yes...slow and shallow, but breathing!"

"Alright, I see you up ahead, I'll be right there." Brandon told him as he saw the light from Jamie's mobile.

"It's gonna be alright, Cook. You just hang in there." Jamie whispered as he waited, hoping that Emily was alright.

Freddie and JJ, who split with Panda, Thomas and Lara, hoping to cover more ground in the search for Emily and Naomi, had stepped back into the ballroom and quietly worked their way over to where Panda and Lara were. Gina and Jenna stood with Rob and Kieran as they all watched the scene in front of them.

"What the fuck did we miss?" Freddie asked quietly, eyes wide as he watched Mandy waving her gun around.

"Looks like we're too late." JJ stated the obvious. "Where's Thomas?"

"He went to call the police. He didn't know if Cook had done it yet or not." Panda explained in an unusually hushed and serious tone. "Where's Cook and Jamie?"

Freddie looked around, but didn't see either one of them. "I'm not sure. But they'll be here soon." Freddie said, trying to calm his friend, as he kept an eye out for Cook as well as watching Emily and Naomi closely.

Naomi forgot everyone in the room except for Emily and Mandy. She quickly looked at the redhead and seeing the fear on her face, as their pulses changed their rhythm, made Naomi start to move slowly. She took a few more steps trying to get closer to Emily, hoping to put herself between her and Mandy.

"Don't you fucking move!" Mandy swung the gun so it now pointed at Naomi.

"What do you want from me, Mandy?" Emily said as calmly as she could, hoping to get the girl's focus back on her and off Naomi. "How about we go somewhere quiet and talk?"

"Don't patronise me, Emily!" Mandy told her. "You know, I could've given you a better life...," she stated as she looked around the ballroom, keeping the gun pointed at Naomi, "we were so good together and you've fucking ruined it!"

Effy could see that Mandy's mind had finally cracked. "No, Mandy, you ruined it." She said quietly, as she stepped in front of Naomi.

"Effy, what the fuck are you doing?" Katie whispered frantically, as her heart lurched in her throat. "Get back here!"

"It's alright, Katie." Effy whispered back, giving her a small smile.

"Please, Effs-,"

Effy shook her head and kept her gaze on Mandy. "You didn't lose Emily to Naomi, because you never had her in the first place. Why don't you put the gun down, Mandy and I'm sure we can sort all of this out."

Mandy's rage bubbled over at being interrupted again and the contempt she could hear in Effy's tone pushed her to point the gun at the brunette and quickly fire a shot. Mandy's eyes lit up with a maniacal gleam and she smiled as she watched a bright red splotch form where the bullet went in.

"Mandy, stop!" Naomi and Emily shouted in unison, both of them holding out their hands in front of them, pleading with her.

"EFFY!" Katie screamed, reaching out as Effy spun around and fell to the floor. The tears instantly sprang into her eyes as she watched blood start pouring from the wound in her shoulder. "What the fuck did you do?" She yelled at Mandy.

"Shut up, Katie or you'll be next!" Mandy snarled at the older twin before looking back to Emily. "This could've been avoided! Everything that's happened and everything that's about to happen is all your fault, Emily! All of it!"

They all looked at each other, a heavy tension filling the air, as Katie, Gina and Jenna did their best to staunch the flow of blood from Effy's wound. Mandy didn't notice though, because she was blinded by that all consuming rage.

"I was nice to you! And you thought you were better than me! Couldn't be bothered to give me the time day, could you? No. And then you had the audacity to press charges against me! ME? But you let this...this fucking beast put her hands all over you?"

Emily, who had been frozen by fear since Mandy shot Effy, knew she had to try to do something. "Mandy...please...I'm sorry if you thought there was more between us, that was never my intention, but a couple of dates doesn't mean a relationship."

Mandy started laughing again. "I don't give a fuck what your intentions were! Now all of you shut the fuck up and let me think!" She said as the need to move took over and she started pacing back and forth, mumbling to herself.

Rob, who had stayed silent even though his heart was about to pound out of his chest as Mandy pointed a gun at his daughters, stood over Effy. He bent down and scooped her up as gently as he could, warning Katie to be quiet with a look, casting a quick glance at Mandy.

"Shh...," he whispered as Effy whimpered in pain, "I've got you, love...we'll just get you out of here, yeah?" She nodded as he carried her to the back of the ballroom, not wanting to be too far away from Emily and Naomi. Katie and everyone else followed behind him as he headed to one of the settees along the wall. It took a few minutes because the room still had a fair amount of guests, but once he reached the sofa, Rob placed Effy down.

Tara, Alicia and Sophia had followed them and knew they could help.

"Let me in there." Tara said, pushing past Jenna and Gina. "I'm a nurse." Katie looked at the woman through her tears, and nodded.

"Here, Aunt Tara." Sophia handed over the cloth napkins she had grabbed from one of the food tables. "It looks likes the bullet went through."

Tara nodded as she looked Effy over. "I need something to clean the wound with, a bottle of vodka, maybe?" Sophia ran to grab a couple of the bottles from the bar.

"It'll be alright, Katie...you'll see." Alicia told her, earning a smile from Gina and Jenna. "Tara's very good at her job, yeah?" She informed them as Tara set about cleaning Effy's wound.

While she worked, Freddie came over, followed by Millie. "Has anyone seen Cook or Jamie?" He asked quietly, but the urgency was not lost in the whisper, as he scanned the faces of everyone left in the ballroom and not finding either one of them.

Gina's eyes widened and she glanced at Jenna, who looked just as scared.

"N-no...not...," Jenna replied when a sudden thought hit her, "Mandy was covered in blood...you don't think?" she left the question hanging in the air like a bad smell.

Gina wouldn't hear of it and she was quick to answer. "I'm sure they're fine, Jen. Freddie can slip out and look for them. They've got to be here somewhere. You'll do that, right Freddie?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be back." He slipped out of the room as Jenna and Gina watched him go.

"We've got to do something before she hurts anyone else!" Jenna stated as if it wasn't obvious, but she was scared for her children and Naomi.

"The police are supposed to be on their way." Rob told her, but an idea popped into his head. "What if we try to come up behind her and take her out?"

"I don't know, Rob," Jenna thought about it, "if she sees anyone, I'm sure she'll start shooting at random."

"What do you want me to do, stand here wringing my hands while some mad woman is pointing a gun at our daughter?" He asked harshly, more scared than he'd ever been before. "I've got to try something, love, she's my little girl!"

"I agree." Kieran said from beside Rob.

Jenna looked into her husband's eyes, noticed fear and the determination and relented. "Alright, but please...just, please be careful." She told him, a shakiness to her voice.

Rob bent down to kiss Jenna, but before he could leave, Gina grabbed his arm to stop him and Kieran.

"Your best option is to go out this door," she gestured behind her and then she pointed to Mandy, "and take the hallway around to the main stairs. You'll come in right behind her." Rob nodded, and as he sent one last glance to Katie and Effy, Gina pulled Kieran in for a kiss. "Don't do anything stupid, love."

"I'll do my best, love." He replied and then turned, following Rob and hoped to God they could stop Mandy.

Once they were gone, Millie turned to Gina and Jenna. "I can help."

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked, forgetting the most important thing about her new found family.

Millie cocked her head and quirked an eyebrow. "Love, you forget who we are." She said, looking around the room quickly. "Alicia? Go grab Alice and meet me over by Naomi. I've got a spell that might buy us some time." With that, she left the group and started to mentally prepare for the biggest spell she had ever cast.

A/N: So, I'm hoping to have the final (yes, the final...don't roll your eyes...) chapter up in the next day or two...hopefully no later than Friday...

In the mean time, let me know what you thought, yeah?

love you all,

Marci