The Beauty With In the Beast

by marsupial1974

It's been over four years since Naomi was cursed for being a cold hearted spoiled rich kid. She and her family have been doing everything they can to break the curse, with no luck. Enter Emily Fitch. With time fast running out, Naomi will have to overcome her pride and her fear to grasp her one chance at happiness and possibly, a chance to break the curse.

33. Chapter 32 Till The End

A/N: Hello everyone...so this is it. I feel sad, but excited all at once!

I apologize for the length of this chapter and the quality of this chapter. I really wanted to give these guys a big ending, so let me know how I did. Also, as I've said before, I do a lot of research for this story...hours and hours of research...and sometimes, I just have to go with a little bit of embellishment every now and then...

so, with that in mind, I may have been overly dramatic in some parts...hospitals, ambulances, the hereafter, witchcraft...I did my best to make it as realistic as possible.

Disclaimer: oh fuck it! I don't own it nor will I ever own it...but it's been fun playing with it ;D

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Chapter 32: Till the End

Naomi watched silently, shaking with anger and fear, as Mandy kept pacing back and forth in front them. She was angry at herself for what happened to Effy and that Mandy could sneak in after all the precautions they had taken. She was scared because Mandy didn't even blink before she shot Effy. It would be nothing for her to hurt Emily. Indecision wreaked havoc on her overly guilty mind, as Naomi tried to find a way to save Emily.

Mandy interrupted her musings when she turned back to Emily and started talking again.

"You see, Emsy...I was looking for you, was gonna try talking sense into you," Mandy stated, so calmly that it made the hairs on the back of Naomi's neck stand up, "show you that it was me you should be with. I've got charm, brains and looks," she said with a snort, "I'm quite the catch, you know."

Emily's breathing had been erratic, her fear on top of Naomi's fear along with the pulses, was throwing her system into overdrive. She couldn't think properly, couldn't respond at all to Mandy's ramblings. And the gun that Mandy held was always aimed at either her or Naomi when she wasn't pacing.

But Mandy's last statement snapped her back to reality. "Excuse me? You're a catch? Is that what you've been told?" Emily asked incredulously, her mind telling her to keep her mouth shut, but she snorted in disbelief. "You're having fucking laugh, right?" She glared at the brunette. "Is that what they told you when you attacked that girl in high school when she turned you down for a date? Or did they tell you that when the one teacher in your sixth form filed harassment charges against you?"

Mandy's eyes widened at Emily's knowledge.

"Thought mummy and daddy hid that info, didn't ya? You're not a catch...," Emily kept going.

"Shut up, Emily!" Mandy replied, almost quietly.

"...you're a fucking mental head case, Mandy! You wanna know why Naomi's the one I sleep with every night?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Mandy said louder this time, but Emily was sick of being afraid.

"Ems...please stop." Naomi whispered fiercely, trying to get her girlfriend's attention.

"...it's because she's kind and caring and gentle! She loves me! Can you honestly say that? No you can't, because to you, I'm just a point you have to prove! I'm not the reason you lost everything, you are!" Emily stated, out of breath and almost overwhelmed by the pulses that she and Naomi shared. "I feel nothing when I look at you, Mandy, nothing but pity and contempt."

Mandy's head dropped and her shoulders sagged in defeat, as Emily finished her rant. The room was silent and Naomi stood at attention, ready to make a move if anything happened. It seemed that Mandy was ready to admit defeat, but one last surge of rage ripped through her as she stood up straight.

"That's too bad you feel that way, Emily," Mandy said as she brought the gun up slowly, pointing it right at Emily, "because she's sure as fuck not gonna end up with a happy ever after!" She said nodding toward Naomi.

Naomi jumped into action, pushing Emily as hard as she could, just as Mandy pulled the trigger, and another loud gunshot filled the room and a searing pain tore through her chest, unlike anything she had ever experienced.

It was like something out of a movie, as everything around Naomi slowed down, as if time was coming to a stop. She saw the fear in Emily's eyes as she dropped to her knees. Watched as the rest of the guests started running for the exits. Naomi could hear sounds all around her, but they were distorted and sounded like her head was under water and she couldn't make out any words. The pain from her chest combined with the pulses as they started to hurt overwhelmed her as she tried to focus.

"NAOMI!" Emily cried out desperately and crawled over to where Naomi had dropped to her knees before falling sideways. "Oh my god, babes! Can you hear me? NAOMI!"

Naomi couldn't respond, wasn't able to, as she kept her eyes on Mandy, who was laughing and holding the gun up in front her. She was afraid that Mandy was going to try to shoot Emily again, but a weird sound filtered through her mind and she watched Mandy slowly lower the gun.

She knew she wouldn't last long as her eyelids started to feel too heavy and a darkness was creeping in. But Naomi had one last thing to do before she allowed the dark to claim her.

With all the energy she had left, she looked up at Emily. "I'm sorry, Ems...," Her voice was hoarse and it almost hurt to talk, "I'm not gonna be able to hold out till S-September," she coughed and could feel the warm liquid seep from her mouth.

Emily was crying, as she held Naomi close. There were so many tears and she couldn't stop, even though they were blurring her vision and she couldn't see Naomi clearly through them. "Shush...you're gonna be fine, babes...you've just gotta b-be brave. Stay with me, Naoms!" She cried out as Naomi's eyes started closing. "Please, just stay with me."

"I love you, Emily." It was quiet, but Emily heard it, as Naomi forced her eyes open once again. "I can't die and not tell you one last time. I love you with all my heart and soul and I'd give anything to stay with you." Naomi told her and felt a final wave of darkness urging her to close her eyes.

---

The shot had been fired as Millie, Alicia and Alice hurried to surround Mandy and they knew that they would only get one chance to stop her and prayed to whoever was listening, that Naomi was okay.

Millie watched as her nieces got into position, and they formed a triangle around Mandy. They were going to attempt the most challenging task of casting a spell without the use of props, which she was sure could be done, because Alicia and Alice along with her would make them the most powerful trinity of their coven.

"I hope this works!" Millie whispered to herself as she nodded to her nieces. She cast one last look at Naomi, who was down and bleeding, and Emily, who was trying in vain to get her to wake up and Mandy, as she started to bring the gun up again as she laughed in glee.

"I bind you left, I bind you right, I bind you now, stay out of my sight!" Millie called out loudly, so that Alicia and Alice could hear the words. She knew it wasn't exactly the right spell for what they needed, but it was close enough to do the job and slow the girl down enough to stop her. "I bind you day, I bind you night, I bind you now, with all my might! By the power of Hecate, so mote it be!"

Alice and Alicia nodded slightly to let Millie know they knew what they had to say. They all focused on Mandy and called upon all the power they possessed and started to chant.

"I bind you left, I bind you right, I bind you now, stay out of my sight! I bind you day, I bind you night, I bind you now, with all my might! By the power of Hecate, so mote it be!"

Mandy's hands started to visibly shake as she tried to hold the gun up and Millie knew it was working, as she felt her power gather deep within and she knew it was the same for her nieces as well. She knew it was dangerous for them to try this spell without preparation and tools, but she couldn't stand aside and not try.

Millie's knees started to weaken as her power started to wane just a little bit and soon the rest of her nieces and grandnieces had gathered around them, adding their voices to the spell when they too noticed her weakening state.

"I bind you left, I bind you right, I bind you now, stay out of my sight! I bind you day, I bind you night, I bind you now, with all my might! By the power of Hecate, so mote it be!" They chanted, feeling the energy pass through them as they watched Mandy start to fight to stay on her feet.

Millie saw the gun drop from Mandy's hand, as if it was a lead weight she couldn't hold anymore, bouncing a few feet and she almost sighed in relief, but held it back. They repeated it three more times, and Gina and Jenna rushed over to Emily as she held a fallen Naomi. Millie was satisfied when Mandy merely stood there, in the centre of the ballroom, unable to move at all and looking confused and hoped the spell lasted long enough for the police to arrive.

She knew she had used a lot of power when she felt her legs give out on her and she went to her knees and knew there would be nothing else for her to give tonight. But that was okay, because she did what she could do for her family, no matter how new they were.

---

Jamie came rushing into the room, followed by Freddie, Rob, Kieran and the security team and he watched as Brandon grabbed ahold of Mandy. He was angry at what had happened and he felt useless as he saw Naomi lying in Emily's lap. He knew that Effy had been hurt and Cook was with Thomas as they waited for an ambulance. He felt inadequate and scared. He watched as Brandon tried to take her away, unable to focus on Naomi and Emily until he was sure that Mandy was gone.

As Brandon was leading her out, Mandy remembered the gun as they got closer to where it had bounced after falling from her hand, everyone forgetting it in the shuffle to help poor little Emily and her dying lover, so once she was close enough to it, Mandy pushed as hard as she could against Brandon before kneeing him in the groin and she scrambled for the weapon when he dropped.

Mandy wrapped her fingers around the butt of the gun and stood, pointing it randomly and thought for sure she'd be able to get control of the situation again, but she underestimated James Fitch.

He had been watching closely and when he saw what she was doing, he ran straight at her and tackled her to the floor, the force hard enough to knock the gun from her hand and send it flying across the room. He used his body to hold her down as she glared up at him. James had never hated anyone in his life the way he hated this girl.

"You think you've won, but I'll never make it to the police station," Mandy sneered at him, "I doubt they'll even be able to hold me long enough to get me in the back of the police car! I'm too smart for you guys. I've gotten away before and this time is no different."

Jamie gave her words serious consideration, and knowing that for months she had eluded them at every turn and decided. "Yeah, you're probably right…," he said thoughtfully, "I should do something about that, shouldn't I?" He said as he drew back a fist and hoped that his dad wouldn't be mad at him for hitting a girl. "This is for Naomi and Emily, you fuckingcunt!"

Mandy's eye widened as Jamie let his fist fly and once it connected, her world went black.

---

"I'm fine, don't fuss!" Millie snapped as her family rushed around her and helped her up. She unsteadily walked toward Emily and Naomi, as Naomi was using her last breath to profess her love to the tiny redhead. Her heart broke into small pieces as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. A sobbing Gina was being held by Jenna, who was crying just as hard as they both knelt next to the girls. Kieran looked positively torn as he knelt with his wife.

"Emily, love...listen to me!" Millie waited until Emily looked up at her, before speaking again, knowing that she needed to push the girl. "You can save her!"

"How? She's gone...," Emily said through her tears, not caring that she had no idea who this woman was. "She's d-dea-,"

Millie sighed deeply and loudly, and had to reign in her frustration. "She's not, lass...I can feel her still here, but she doesn't have much time, Emily," she explained as quickly as she could, "you have the power to break the curse!"

"I don't! Sophia said there's no way to break it!" Emily cried out in anger.

"Are you in love with her?"

Emily stared up at the old woman as if she was crazy. "That's no-,"

Millie cut her off. "We don't have time for this, Emily! Do you love her? It's a simple question!"

Emily couldn't bring herself to tell this stranger the truth, so she nodded.

"You have to tell her you love her! You must say the words, love. That's the only way to break the curse because, by the Goddess, you are a Child of Gemini!" Millie told her, just as angry as something unexplainable passed through Emily's eyes. "Now, are you going to fix what your cousin did? Or do you want waste what's left of Naomi's time by arguing with me?"

---

"Naomi...,"

The world was black.

"Naomi...it's time...,"

She had never known black to be so...black.

"Naomi!"

The darkness surrounded her completely, as she lay there alone and frightened, and shivering from a bone deep cold and a pain in her chest. She could hear someone calling to her, a familiar voice, but she couldn't place it at all.

"Naomi, I need you to wake up now." The voice pleaded with her.

"Where am I?" Naomi asked, her voice small and unsure.

"Naomi...open your eyes."

Naomi was about to say something else when she heard crying and another, more familiar voice, pleading with her to wake up.

"Naomi, please wake up and stay with me!"

"Emily...," she whispered, knowing that she had done something incredibly stupid and had hurt Emily again. "I'm sorry, Ems...,"

"Naomi, open your eyes!" The unfamiliar voice commanded, but not in a totally unpleasant way. "C'mon, there's a good girl...you don't have much time to waste, I'm afraid, so...,"

Suddenly, the voice clicked in Naomi's mind and she felt a new kind of fear as she struggled to open her eyes. Light filtered through her long lashes, as she slowly cracked her lids open, causing her to blink rapidly for a few seconds.

"There we are." The voice cooed, not mockingly, but gently.

Naomi could only stare as her eyes finally focused on the person the voice belonged to. "Ashley?" It came out as a whisper, but it echoed around them. "You're dead."

Ashley Daniels smiled as recognition registered in Naomi's eyes. "Stating the obvious there, Nai. I'm glad to see you didn't forget me, but then again, how could you when you're covered in my scars?"

"They do tend to leave a lasting impression...," Naomi said, but her voice was so hoarse and she coughed to clear it. Suddenly she was struck by a current of electricity flowing through her, more intense than ever before. "Fuck!"

Ashley watched as Naomi recovered. "I never thought I'd see the day when Naomi Campbell sacrificed herself for someone else."

"Where am I?" Naomi asked as she took in the girl before her. The familiar scars that Naomi saw every time she looked in the mirror were prominent on the young girl's face. "What happened?"

"You became the girl I always knew could be." Ashley responded with a sad smile. "But...,"

Naomi narrowed her gaze at the girl as she trailed off. "But what?" She asked as she felt blood bubble up in the back of her throat, making her gag on the metallic taste of it. "Did something happen to Emily?" She was desperate to find out if Emily was alright and the fact that she was talking to a dead girl didn't deter her from that.

"Is it strange that I'm jealous?" Ashley asked, her head cocked to the side, thinking how it should have been her that Naomi cared for this much.

Naomi rolled her eyes and shook her head, as she attempted to stand. "I don't really think that's the point at all, Ashley, do you?" She snapped.

"If you had cared for me a fraction of what you care for her, we wouldn't be in this position, would we?" Ashley snapped back, no longer the shy sick girl that Naomi knew from school.

"A mutual friend of ours tells me that's not true in the slightest." Naomi retorted, feeling the need to defend herself. Even if the whole thing was happening in her mind. "I've been told all about you, Ashley and whilst I didn't help the situation with what I did, I can't feel guilty for it anymore."

Ashley was about to respond when a bright light off to the side distracted them both.

"You're not helping, Ashley!" Suddenly, Naomi felt twelve all over again, as her father's voice sounded around them.

"Dad?" Naomi faced the apparition that stepped from the light and her heart felt like it was breaking, as she felt tears stream down her face.

"Hello, my angel." Gareth Campbell stood before Naomi and smiled at her although she could tell it didn't reach his eyes. "Seems as if you've gotten yourself into a bit of a pickle, love."

Naomi fell into his arms and he caught her. "I'm so sorry, Dad." She cried.

"Shush, it's alright, my sweet little girl." He comforted her as best as he could as she let her tears flow.

After a few minutes, Naomi pulled away from Gareth and wiped her eyes. "Am I dead?" she asked simply, making him laugh.

"Not if you don't want to be, angel. This is what you'd call limbo, but most of us call it the Otherworld." He told her.

"It's where the souls of those who have unfinished tasks dwell." Ashley added from behind Naomi.

"What do you mean?"

Gareth looked at Naomi and smiled again. "There's really no time to explain, Naomi. Your mind is trying so hard to figure this all out, but you're missing the bigger picture."

"Naomi...please...wake up. I...you!" It was faint, barely a whisper, but Gareth heard it loud and clear. Naomi was only catching bits and pieces. She knew it was Emily, but she couldn't make out all the words. What she did understand was the pulses that she shared with Emily were starting to go into overdrive, it was distracting her from her father. "I...so much, so you have...,".

Ashley rolled her eyes. "She's going to remain stuck here if she won't start paying attention!"

"You're still not helping, Ashley!" Gareth said then looked back at Naomi. "Naomi! Stop thinking and listen."

"I don't understand." Naomi said shaking her head as another surge went through her. "What's going on?"

"You shouldn't be here, love." Gareth told her straight out. "Ashley and I don't even belong here any longer, but we didn't want you to be here alone...," he wondered if he was wasting time, but if his daughter was just like he remembered, she would need a reason for what was happening, "I'm here because of you and your mum, I had to make for sure you both knew the truth about what happened to me."

Naomi started to tear up again, but she held them back. "And why are you here? Is it because of me too?" She asked Ashley, who scoffed.

"Hardly, Nai...," Ashley told her with a smirk, "while I do feel bad about what Sophia did to you, it's not you I'm looking after."

Naomi thought about her answer and realisation dawned quickly. "You're here because of Sophia!"

"I love you, damn it...,"

"Can't you hear her?" Ashley asked, frustrated as Naomi stared blankly around her, trying to find the source of the voice. "Yes, alright! It's because of Sophia that I'm stuck here, but she's done the right thing, Naomi, so now it's time for me to move on. But if you don't wake up and listen to her, you're going to be stuck here! So be brave and wake up!"

Naomi was getting more and more confused because she swore she could hear Emily speaking instead of Ashley.

"Ashley, I think it's time for you to go." Gareth told Ashley.

"Fine, I'm sorry I lost my temper and I'm sorry I yelled." Ashley told Naomi, with a sad smile, before giving her a quick hug. "I'm glad you became a better person, Nai."

Naomi and Gareth watched as Ashley turned and started walking away, but before she left completely, she turned back to Naomi.

"Um, would you...," she looked embarrassed but didn't let that stop her, "could you please, just...if you just wake up, tell Sophia that I'm proud of her?" Naomi agreed and Ashley's smile brightened. "Thanks, Nai." She disappeared leaving Naomi and Gareth alone.

"Where'd she go?" Naomi asked.

"She crossed over." Gareth stated simply. "Naomi, you don't belong here. You aren't meant to be here."

"I know. I'm not supposed to die until September, but Mandy was going to hurt Emily," Naomi explained and the pain she felt, knowing that she would never see Emily was almost overwhelming, "I had to do something to st-,"

Gareth took a hold of Naomi's shoulders and gave her a little shake. "No! What I mean is, you're not supposed to be here for a long, long time, Nai."

Naomi frowned, confused about everything that she had witnessed in the past...ten? Twenty minutes? Time lost all sense of meaning since Mandy pulled the trigger. "But the curse? Emily can't break it and I-I'm not sure she even felt the same for me even if she could've-,"

Gareth cut her off again, knowing he was running out of time. "Naomi, look...you don't have much longer. Just believe me when I say that you have a choice to make here, love." Naomi kept her eyes on her father, afraid that he would disappear if she stopped looking at him, even for a minute. "You can choose to stay or you can choose to open your eyes and come back."

Naomi saw his mouth moving, but it was Emily's voice she heard. She shook her head, so sure that she was losing her mind. "What did you say?" She asked him, and heard him sigh.

"I said come back to me, I love you Naomi. Don't you see? I need you here with me because I lov- I love you, Naomi Campbell!"

"Emily?" Naomi's gaze wavered, hearing the desperation, as Emily's voice started to become louder and the pulses started to become more painful. "Dad? Did loving Mum feel like this? Did it feel like holding a live wire and hoping it never stops?" She asked him, still trying to focus on Emily.

Gareth smiled as Naomi asked the question. He knew that she was starting to listen and that made him happy. "Aww, love," he gave her another hug and kissed the top of her head, "loving your Mum was like breathing super oxygenated air. She made everything come alive and wonderful."

"But what if she hadn't loved you back?" Naomi asked absently, feeling a tremendous amount of comfort in her father's arms. "How did you know she loved you back?"

"Naomi, love...," He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes, "it was the little things. The way she put up with me, the small touches, the way her eyes would light up when I smiled at her...the little things that everyone else overlooks. That's how you know. But the main thing is to listen, listen with your heart as well as your ears, because if you don't, you miss something special."

Naomi started feeling a pull, and every time she heard Emily cry for her, the pull got stronger. "I don't want to leave her, Dad. I love her too much to leave her."

"I know, baby girl." Gareth said softly. "So you know what you must do, Nai."

The pull turned into a buzzing, becoming so loud that she couldn't hear him. "What?" She asked looking up at him and he repeated what he said, but Naomi still couldn't hear him. The buzzing that she heard started to become more electrifying and she could feel it getting stronger as each second passed, until the sound disappeared leaving behind the electrical pulses in her body.

"Naomi, listen to me! You can't stay where you are, do you hear me? I need you here. You said if there was any way possible for you to stay you would, so I'm giving you a way! I love you, Naomi...," Naomi could hear Emily loud and clear now, now that the buzzing had stopped and she heard the tears that she was crying and the pain that Emily was feeling.

"How do I go back?" Naomi asked her father, turning to look at him but he wasn't there. "Dad?" No answer, causing her to panic. "Dad? Where are you?" She turned around, frantically searching for Gareth. She finally saw him, faintly as he walked away, and she called out to him again. "Dad? Please, tell me what to do?"

Gareth stopped and slowly turned around, smiling the whole time. "You know exactly what you have to do, my angel. You should wake up, take this second chance and hold onto that girl as tight as you can, because nothing in life is guaranteed. You've got to make the most of it." He started to turn around to leave but he stopped. "Can you do me a favour, love?" Naomi nodded but stayed silent. "Can you tell your Mum that I love her and that I'm extremely happy that she was able to find love again? All I've ever wanted was for you both to be happy, Naomi." Naomi nodded, her own tears threatening to fall again, and it took all her willpower to let him walk away. "Goodbye my love." He threw over his shoulder.

She sat on the floor, staring into the empty space where her father had been and let the tears come at last. "Goodbye, Dad." She whispered sadly into the air.

Naomi sat for what seemed like hours, feeling sorry for herself, until she heard Emily again. This time it was slightly louder. She dried her face and listened with her heart.

"P-please, Naoms…I love you too, yeah? Please come back to me."

"Emily!" Naomi called out and winced as her words echoed back to her. "Fuck this! I've gotta get out of here." She stated to the empty space, as she stood up, determined to get back to Emily.

She was about to call out again when she felt what felt like a rain drops hit her face and as she reached up to wipe it away, a bolt of electricity hit her hard, forcing her to her knees.

"EMILY!" Naomi managed to shout out once more as she slipped back into the dark.

---

"She's still in there, Emily. Keep trying, lass!" Millie urged the younger twin.

Emily had been telling Naomi for the last ten minutes that she loved her and nothing was happening.

"I'm sorry if I'm having trouble believing you at the moment!" Emily snapped out, anger and heartbreak battling each other, as she cradled Naomi close to her. "I've fucking ruined everything and no matter how many times you tell me that I can bring her back won't make it better, alright!"

"You listen to me, little miss!" Millie snapped right back, eyes flashing dangerously. "I don't have the time right at this moment to explain everything to you! But you mark my words, when this is all over, you and I will have a sit down and nice long chat about it!" Emily was about to say something when Millie threw up her hands and stopped her before she could utter a sound. "I'm telling you this one last time, you are a Child of Gemini, and by the Goddess, not even a bullet can stop a spell like the True Love spell! The reason why it's not working, is because you're focused on the possibility of her being dead!" Gina gasped out loud and started sobbing again forcing Millie to think more about the words she was saying. "Listen, Emily…you have to focus on how you feel. How your heart feels, yeah? What does she mean to you?"

Emily didn't even need to give it much though as she let the words tumble out of her mouth. "She means everything to me."

Millie smiled as she felt the air around her shift and pulse along with what she was sure was the pulses that flowed between Emily and Naomi. "There you go, love…mean the words, yeah? Give them truth and breath them in and out, because you're running out of time." Millie said, gentler this time, giving Emily pas much confidence as she could.

Emily stared down at Naomi and swallowed her tears. 'If I never cry again, I'd be okay with that!' She thought to herself as she gathered her strength.

"Naomi!" She said after taking a deep breath, but the way the blonde looked in her arms made her choke up, so she stopped to collect herself.

"Naomi, open your eyes." Emily began pleading with her. "Naomi, please wake up and stay with me!"

"Naomi, please. You have to wake up, because I love you!" Emily cried out, meaning every word."I love you so much and I know I've been a fool for so long, so you have to open your eyes so I can tell you how sorry I am."

Naomi twitched in Emily's arms and she gasped loudly. 'Maybe the old woman was right?' Emily thought as she focused all she had on her girlfriend.

"I love you, damn it! You can't leave me here all alone! Wake up and be with me, please."

Emily looked over at Gina and her mum, then back up to Millie, who urged her to keep going.

"Naomi, you've taught me so much about love…you've done everything to protect me and keep me safe, that I just want the chance to show you how much I appreciate you, babes. So be brave and wake up now!" Emily knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying again, but she powered through her emotions and stayed focused on Naomi, even as the electricity coursing through her kicked up, spiking almost violently and Naomi kept moving, but she was so pale and the scars on her face stood out starkly, pinkish against white. "I'm sorry I lost my temper and I'm sorry I yelled. You were right, you have given me everything, and I know I seemed ungrateful, but it's not true! I promise it's not true...You've helped me became a better person, less lonely so could you please, just wake up."

Emily heard boots slapping on the ballroom floor and looked up. Paramedics came rushing in and she watched as her dad led them to Effy and she knew she wouldn't have much longer before they came for Naomi.

"Naoms, listen…you need to open your eyes and come back to me, okay? Because they're going to take you from me and I can't let them, so come back to me, I love you Naomi. Don't you see? I need you here with me because I lov- I love you, Naomi Campbell!"

"Keep going, Emily." Alicia said quietly, from where she stood behind Millie. She had been paying attention to Naomi the whole time and noticed the way her body was shaking and the way her eyes were moving, as if she was having a bad dream. "It's working!"

"Naomi, listen to me! You can't stay where you are, do you hear me? I need you here. You said if there was any way possible for you to stay you would, so I'm giving you a way! I love you, Naomi...," her tears flowed freely now, dripping from her face like rain as she pleaded one last time. "P-please, Naoms…I love you too, yeah? Please come back to me."

"Ma'am, we need to look at her now." One of the paramedics knelt next to Emily and spoke quietly.

"No! Not yet!" She sobbed pulling Naomi closer to her, unaware that she had cried all over the blonde as she held on to her.

The paramedic looked sympathetic and simply backed away and waited.

"C'mon, Naoms…I'm begging you to open your eyes. Give me…just give me a fucking chance to make it right, please?" She cried hard as she pushed the words past the lump that was forming in her throat.

Her parents along with Naomi's watched, feeling helpless, not knowing what to do or how to even begin to help, as Freddie, Jamie, JJ and Lara, as well as Panda and Thomas, crowded around them all.

Emily sat for a few seconds, but then felt a surge of pure electricity rush through her body as if she had touched a bare live wire and she stiffened up. She fought the urge to close her eyes and slip into the darkness that she could see around the edges of her peripheral vision, because she didn't want to not be able to see Naomi anymore, but then Naomi started to stiffen up in her arms as well.

"What's happening?" Jenna asked, as they all watched as Emily's eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped over Naomi, who had still been cradled against her. "Millie? What's going on?" She asked, her voice conveying her fear.

Millie was about to tell Jenna that she didn't know, when Alicia gasped and pointed at Naomi. "It worked! Look, Aunt Millie! It worked!"

Gina looked at Alicia as if she had just grown another head. "How can you say that?" She growled out, angry at the glee she heard. "My daughter and her girlfriend," she pointed to the girls as they lay tangled together on the floor, "…there's something wrong with them and you're excited by that?"

She stood up quickly, striding over to the woman, ready to unleash a fury few had ever witnessed, when Millie cried out. "She's right! Look!"

Everyone around the young couple glanced down, looking for whatever it was that was drawing Millie's attention.

"I don't see what you're talking about?" Freddie asked, as he scrutinised the scene before him.

Gina cried out in excitement. "The scars!" She got back down on her knees and scooted closer to her daughter. "They're disappearing!" She stated, pulling Jenna down with her.

Rob and Kieran stood behind their wives and watched in fascination, as one by one, the scars on Naomi's face started to fade away.

"Sir, we need to get that young lady to hospital if we're going to have any chance to save her." The paramedic came over and pleaded with Kieran.

He was just about to reply when suddenly a flash of light filled the room and the air around them crackled with an energy so intense, that he could see Emily's and Naomi's hair lift slightly because of it. It was like someone had set a giant plasma energy ball in the room, and the teacher that was still inside of Kieran was impressed by it.

The feeling was intensifying until a crack sounded in the air and everyone around Naomi and Emily was forced back almost violently, leaving only them in the centre of the room.

Jenna and Gina tried to scramble back over to the pair, but it was like a wall had been placed around the girls, stopping anyone from touching them. The two paramedics that had been waiting for Naomi were stunned, as they too tried to reach them.

"Millie, please tell me what's happening?" Gina and Jenna both begged her as Naomi and Emily started to convulse and looked to be in pain, but no matter how hard they tried to get closer to their daughters, they were stuck frantically trying to find a way.

"Gina, you and Jenna need to calm down, please." Millie worked her way back over to them after sorting herself out from the wave of energy that passed through the room.

"How do you expect me to do that? Look at them?" Gina asked forcefully. "My daughter needs medical attention!"

Millie did look at the two girls, but she also knew that the spell had to run its course. "She'll get it, Gina, I promise you, she will. But we must let the curse finish itself, okay? You need to trust me on this." She looked around the room and noticed for the first time that it was empty, except for the girls' families and realised the police had finally arrived.

There was another wave of energy, not as violent as before, but enough to make them stagger back a few steps and another burst of light.

"Now what's happened?" Jenna asked, exasperated as she saw Naomi settle first, followed by Emily. If anyone didn't know better, one would think they were merely asleep, they both looked so serene and worry free.

Millie stood up and slowly walked over to the girls, as Gina and everyone else watched. When she reached them, she gestured to Gina. "It's almost finished."

They all scrambled then to get to Naomi and Emily as the paramedics rolled a couple of gurneys towards them.

"Naomi? Love, can you hear me?" Gina was frantic, whilst Jenna did the same with Emily.

"Ma'am, we need to take her now." The paramedic told Gina and she nodded, allowing them both to get to work.

Rob and Kieran gathered their wives up and gently moved them out of the way, so the two men could set to work checking over Emily and Naomi preparing them both for a trip to hospital.

"Naomi? My name is Lou. Can you hear me?" The paramedic asked, after they cleared Emily first and got her on a gurney, and then started checking Naomi's vitals. He pried open her eye lids and checked for any activity from her pupils.

"Lou, she's lost a lot of blood and her vitals are low." The other guy stated. "I don't think she's gonna make it."

Lou glared at his partner as Gina cried out again at the words he said. "That's why they don't pay you to make those calls, Dan." He snapped out as he saw Naomi's pupils react to the light. "Because if they did, you'd know that she's still got a chance, you fucking wanker! Let's get her up and on her way. Didn't they teach you about etiquette and patients families, you tosser?" He lowered his voice, making sure that only his partner heard him, as he noticed Kieran tightened his hold on Gina as the two men worked quickly to get their daughter on the gurney and strap her down for transport. "Grab Emily and let's move!" Lou glared at Dan, making sure to use her name, as he rushed to get Naomi to the ambulance. Lou didn't get more than ten feet away from Emily when another energy surge forced him back and he landed with a thud next to Dan.

They scrambled to stand back up when Emily bolted straight up and cried out, "NAOMI!" and Naomi started to fight against her restraints, and the machine Lou had her hooked to started beeping like crazy.

Emily dropped down from the gurney, falling straight to the floor, but got back up and stumbled over to her girlfriend. Once she was close enough, Naomi calmed down, drawing confused looks from the two paramedics.

"Emily?" The blonde called out from the stretcher, before he eyes popped open and looked around frantically, searching for something.

"What the fuck is going on?" Dan asked, more to himself than anyone else, as Emily tried to climb up with Naomi.

Naomi smiled at the sight of the redhead, but it didn't last long, as her eyes rolled back in her head again and she slipped under.

"Doesn't matter, mate! Let's get them to the rig now!" Lou shouted as Naomi's monitor flatlined and he rushed both girls out of the room, followed by Gina, Jenna, Rob and Kieran.

---

"Katie?" Effy's voice was low, and her throat felt like she hadn't had a drink in days, but she was scared as she looked around. She was in the back of an ambulance, that much she knew.

"Effy, babes?" Katie sounded scared, and that further scared Effy. "Hey, she's awake!"

Effy heard someone scramble around the back of the rig, and then she saw a face looming in front of her. "Hey, Effy," a young woman smiled down at her, as she checked the IV, adjusting the flow, "my name is Alex. How are you feeling?"

Effy looked past Alex and saw Katie, feeling reassured that she wasn't alone. "I feel like I've been shot." She stated, causing Alex to chuckle.

"Yeah, it seems you have been-," Alex was cut off when a groan sounded out from the other side of the Sprinter. She quickly turned around, and Effy caught a glimpse of Cook laying on another stretcher.

"Cook? What-," Effy tried to find out what had happened, but the pain in her shoulder flared up when she tried to move.

"Stay still, babes." Katie said from in front of her when she hissed in pain.

"What happened to Cook?" Effy asked, a bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Cook will be fine, Effy…I promise." Alex told her as she turned back around. "We're just gonna get you both booked in for a nice stay at our finest hospital."

Effy grimaced. "You say that like it's a good thing and I should be excited about it."

Alex laughed at the deadpanned delivery and glanced up at Katie. "Is she always like this?"

"Always." Katie told her, smiling down at Effy, allowing herself to relax. "Obviously she's going to be fine, yeah?"

"Well, the trauma team will evaluate the damage when we get there, but I'm pretty sure she'll pull through." Alex told Katie, who started crying tears of relief. "But just keep in mind, there could be internal injuries, yeah?"

Katie nodded, and Effy smiled up at her, but she couldn't relax until she knew what had happened to Cook.

"Excuse me." Effy got their attention. "What happened to Cook?"

Katie looked down at her hands nervously and swallowed a few times before answering. "Mandy got to him before she even made it into the ballroom, babes." She said quietly, glancing over at her friend as he lay on the stretcher. Katie had never seen Cook look so broken, but at that moment, that's the only way she could describe what she was seeing. A broken man. "Jamie found him…Mandy had stabbed him and left him for dead…," she trailed off, choking back a sob.

"Hey, Katie. Look at me!" Effy said, and Katie turned to look back at her girlfriend. "Focus on me, okay? Cookie'll be fine, he's strong, that one is…he won't stay down for too long." Effy told her and Katie fell just a little bit more in love with her. "Now, tell me what happened after I passed out. And Katie, I mean everything. Don't hold back because I'm hurt, yeah?"

Katie took a deep breath to steady herself and told Effy everything she knew, about how Naomi was shot, Millie and her family stopped Mandy long enough until help arrived and how Jamie had stopped her from getting away. She then went on to explain how Jamie had found Cook lying in a pool of his own blood and the. She told Effy how she forced her way onto the overcrowded ambulance.

"I was scared, I was!" Alex confirmed when Effy raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend. "Poor Johno up front almost wet himself when she threatened to tear off his family jewels if he didn't step aside and let her onboard!"

Katie knew she was blushing as Effy smirked up at her. "I'm sorry babes, but I had to come with you." She said quietly, her lisp more pronounced. "I didn't want you to be alone."

It was quiet in the ambulance, other than the constant beeping from Cook's machine and the sound of the siren as they drove through the streets of Bath, down Combe Park toward the RUH A&E. When the rig pulled into the bay, the back door swung open, revealing a young man dressed in the standard uniform of a triage nurse.

"Fucking hell, Alex!" The newcomer growled at her. "You do realise you're well above the load limit!"

Alex scoffed as she unlatched Effy's stretcher. "Excuse me, David, but we had a bit more of an emergency than we first thought, yeah? I had to improvise, you twat!" She snapped at him as Johno told Katie to stay seated and came to help. "And I'd like to remind you," she stepped out quickly, pulling Effy out with her, as Johno pushed, "that you aren't my boss and just because we shagged once and I hated it, doesn't give the right to tell me how to do my job! Now, are we ready to get to work? Because you've got another rig about to pull in!"

David blushed and scowled at Alex, but nodded.

"Good! Elizabeth Stonem, 24-year-old female, gunshot wound to the shoulder. Vitals are good and she's alert and stable." Alex said getting to the business at hand as she passed Effy off and her and her partner jumped back into the truck. "James Cook, 24-year-old male, multiple stab wounds to the posterior shoulder, first stab wound in between the 3rd and the 4th posterior ribs, possible fractures. As you can see by the weapon still in his back, the second stab wound is between the 5th and the 6th ribs, with certain puncture of the upper lobe, he's coughed up blood. He's also got facial wounds," Alex pointed out, "broken mandible, possible fracture to the zygomatic bone, broken nose and damage to the frontal bone as well."

"Jesus! What the fuck happened to them?" David asked as he took Cook and started to wheel him in the hospital.

"Don't forget, you've got another one coming in!" Alex shouted at him, as he ran down the hall and she stayed at the nurses' station and began her paperwork.

After ten minutes, Alex was finished filling out paperwork when Katie stepped up to her.

"Excuse me, but can you explain to me, in simple terms, what's happened to my girlfriend and our friend?" Katie asked quietly, a huge knot of fear forming in the pit of her stomach.

---

Lou sat back on the heels of his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow, before turning his attention to Naomi's monitor.

The weak, but steady, beep was like music to his ears as Dan drove toward the RUH.

He had rushed the girls out of the house and loaded them up as fast as he could and then him and Dan settled Emily on the bench so that he could do what was needed to get Naomi's heart started again after she had flatlined.

"How close are we?" Lou asked his partner, as Emily groaned. He turned to check on her and noticed she was still out.

"Almost there." Dan replied from the front.

"Naomi?" Emily asked quietly, opening her eyes and Lou scooted closer to her.

"Shh, she's right here, love…," he told her before she could get worked up, as her eyes drifted over to the blonde, "she's stable right now, but…,"

Emily started crying because she heard the doubt in his voice. That, along with something she couldn't quite figure out, told her brain that Naomi wasn't going to make it.

Lou felt bad, something he'd never had to deal with before, as he watched Emily cry. "Here, give me your hand." He said as he gently unlatched the straps and pulled Naomi's out and then placed it into Emily's. "I'm breaking the rules by doing that, but what the hell, right?" He told her as he smiled. "Just make sure to hold tight, love. We'll be there soon."

Emily tightened her grip on Naomi's hand and closed her eyes again, feeling herself falling into sleep. Just before she did though, she figured out what was wrong.

"I can't feel the pulses anymore." She whispered, but before Lou could ask her what she meant, Emily was asleep once more.

---

"Alright. He's stable enough to remove the knife."

Nurses scurried between the two A&E trauma rooms, whilst two doctors worked on Cook and Naomi.

"I heard that a girl did this to him." A nurse said. "And shot the girl that came in with him and another one, as well." She nodded her head toward the other partitioned room where Naomi had been taken.

"Do you think we could just not gossip about our patients?" The doctor in charge asked as he wrapped his fingers around the knife handle. "What do you say to keeping ourselves focused on the job at hand?"

"Sorry, Doctor." She had the decency to look chastened, as she went about cleaning Cook's face.

"Thank you," he said shortly, turning attention back to the young man in front of him, "I'm going to pull the blade out and as soon as I do, you're going to pack it full with the gauze, yeah?" Another nurse nodded to let him know she heard, keeping her eyes on the handle of the knife. "Here we go!"

Cook's machines started beeping loudly as the doctor extracted the knife and the nurse packed the open wound, but soon quieted back down.

"Should we roll him over to check out the rest of the damage?" The nurse asked.

"We can do whilst we're waiting for them to take him into surgery." The doctor agreed and they gently rolled Cook onto his back, making sure to keep an eye on his monitor. "We won't have long, ladies. Let's get him cleaned up as best as we can before blood fills his lung."

After another ten minutes, a surgical team came to rush him to surgery, leaving the trauma team to hope for the best and watch as they also wheeled the blonde out and up to her own operating room.

---

Alex instantly felt guilty, because she had forgotten that the smaller girl was with them. "I'm sorry, ma'am…it's best that you wait for the doctor, yeah?"

"No," Katie stated, shaking her head, "I'm asking you, okay? Woman to woman?"

Alex shifted from foot to foot, suddenly uncomfortable under Katie's intense gaze. "We're not supposed to talk to family or friends, it's against protocol, but…," she paused and looked around, then she checked her watch and noticed she was due a break, "fuck it! Wanna grab a disgusting cup of vending machine coffee?" Alex asked, nodding down the hall.

Katie thought about the offer. "Effy will be a while in there, yeah?" She asked and Alex told her yes. "Sure, why not?"

Alex led the way to the waiting room and when they both were settled, she explained everything about Effy's and Cook's injuries. It took a bit of time, but Katie finally understood.

"What about Naomi?" Katie asked, desperate to find out anything on her, because she had watched as they brought her in, but they took her away just as quickly as soon as they had her stabilised.

Alex shook her head. "I don't know anything about her."

Katie couldn't help the tears that started to fall.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened, yeah?" Alex said as she stood up, her break over.

Katie sent her a sad smile. "Yeah, thanks…,"

"I'll be around if you need to talk." Alex told her, earning a small nod from Katie. "I'd better get back to work. See ya."

Alex left, leaving a scared Katie alone in the waiting room. But it wasn't long until her parents and Naomi's parents arrived, followed by Freddie and Panda and the rest of the gang. She even noticed when Sophia's family arrived, filling up the small room to almost full.

She looked around at the faces of her family and friends, and knew the hardest part was about to happen.

No one spoke as they sat and waited.

---

Emily sat next to Effy, as the brunette lay quietly in her bed after coming back down from the surgical floor and recovery, crying. It had been a few hours since she had woken up and spoken to the doctor that had looked her over. Technically, there was nothing wrong with her. Unless you counted the guilt she felt over what had happened.

Effy would be laid up for a while, as well as Cook, who had come out of surgery a bit ago and now rested in the recovery. But there had been no word on Naomi and without the pulses between them, Emily had a feeling that Naomi was gone.

"Hope isn't lost."

Emily jumped and bit back the scream that threatened to come out, as Millie stepped into the room and spoke.

"I'm sorry, child." Millie apologised as she sat next to Emily. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What do you want?" Emily asked, frustration evident in her voice. "Who are you anyway?"

"She's your great-great-aunt." Effy answered in a quiet tone. "On your mum's side…that makes you a Child of Gemini."

"You're awake!" Emily stated pointlessly, but the relief was overwhelming, as she reached out to grasp her hand.

Effy smirked. "Stating the obvious there, Ems." She said as she looked around the room.

"Katie is in with Gina and Kieran, talking to Cook's doctor." Millie told her, smiling as she did so, but then turned back to Emily. "And yes, I'm your aunt…we'll forget the semantics for now, shall we?"

"You told me I could save Naomi," Emily said in a watery voice, "you lied."

Millie didn't take offence to the charge, but she did feel the need to explain. "I have nothing to gain by lying to you, Emily. You did save her, from the curse. You broke it and that should tell you how much you saved her."

"But she's gone!" Emily snapped out, her emotions too much to contain.

"You don't know that, Emily." Millie said quietly.

"I don't feel the pulses and nobody will answer my questions! Mum and Gina have been avoiding me and even Katie's had trouble looking me in the eye!"

"Emily, calm down, yeah?" Effy placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"I can't!" She surged up out of her chair and started to pace. "I had the power all along to break the curse and I blew it, Effy! I feel useless and insignificant! I brought Mandy into the house, she was only there because of me and you and Cook are hurt because of it and Naomi's dea-,"

"She's not dead!" Millie cut her off. "Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself for five minutes!" Emily and Effy both looked shocked at the outburst from the older woman, but she wouldn't apologise. "Please sit down, Emily?"

Emily gave the request some serious thought before finally doing as she was asked.

"Listen…she's still in surgery. As long as the curse was unbroken, death would not have stood a chance. The True Love spell is a powerful spell all on its own, but add Dark Magic into the mix, nothing would've killed that girl." Millie explained, feeling extremely tired after the last week and especially the ball. "But I didn't lie to you before and I'm not about to start now."

Effy struggled to sit up and winced in pain, but waved Emily back when the twin started to get up and help her. "What do you know?"

"I know that Cook is stable. Katie's been checking in on you both since you came up here and Cook came out of surgery." Millie stated.

"What about Naomi?" Effy asked, calmly.

Millie was about to answer when Gina walked in, followed by Katie.

"Effy!"

Effy's eyes lit up at the sight of the older twin and she braced herself when Katie came around the side of her bed, but Katie hugged her gently, not wanting to cause any more pain on her girlfriend. "Hey, you. How long was I out for?" She asked the older twin.

"Not long. They gave you some awesome painkillers in triage, your words not mine, then up to surgery and they moved you in here…a couples of hours ago? Maybe a bit longer?"

Gina couldn't stop herself from getting emotional as she stared at Effy lying there. "I thought I'd lost you all." She sobbed out as she came to stand next to Emily, afraid to hug Effy.

"C'mere, Gina." Effy waved her over with her good arm, noticing the woman hesitate. "Seriously, Gina, I'll be fine, so give me a hug, yeah?"

Emily watched as Naomi's mum scooped Effy into a hug. Whilst the scene in front of her was tender, she couldn't stop the fear that crept in, because there was still no mention of Naomi.

"You're thinking too hard, Emily." Millie stated quietly, watching her niece. "That's the problem with you young kids today, you have no patience and you always, always, assume the worst!"

Gina looked back at Emily, and saw the tears. "She's right, you know."

"I'm gonna go check up on Cook." Emily said. She didn't want to argue anymore with a woman she didn't know and she most definitely didn't want that look of pity that Gina was giving her.

"Emily, wait!" Katie called out to her as she opened the door.

"No, Katie…," Emily choked back another sob, "you don't get it, do you?" She turned to look at them all, but addressed her sister. "You get to sit here with your girlfriend and know that she's going to be okay, you get to be happy. I don't, so it's probably for the best if I just…take a moment for myself, clear my head a bit."

She didn't wait for a response, didn't really care for one, to be honest. Emily left the room and rushed down the corridor, past the nurses' station, taking the stairs down and straight out of the hospital, ending up in the A&E bay.

Emily stopped walking when everything got to be too much and placed her back against the side of the building. Thoughts of the night ran through her mind and when she thought about Naomi getting shot, her legs gave out and she slid down until she was sitting on the ground. She put her head in her hands and gave in to her emotions, not caring that her sobs echoed loudly around her.

---

"Heart rate is steady…pulse is good. We're good to close her up." The surgery team let out a collective sigh as the doctor in charge made the call.

Olivia Donahue had been a surgeon for a long time now and she was very good at her chosen field, but she had been sweating the whole time she had been operating on Naomi. Partly because the girl's father was sitting up in the theatre, watching every move she made, and partly because one little slip from her would've ended the young woman's life, and that was something Olivia refused to have on her record.

Naomi Campbell was a lucky girl, Olivia had thought to herself for the hundredth time. The bullet fired by Mandy had barely missed her heart, nicking the left pulmonary veins and made a mess of the tissue and lung, finally lodging in a rib bone. It had taken all of Olivia's skills as a surgeon to navigate through the carnage inside Naomi's chest to find the damn thing. The initial CT scan didn't show all the damage to the lung and veins, so she had been surprised when they got in there.

Naomi had lost an insane amount of blood though and that alone was what kept stopping Naomi's heart. It's what had Olivia scared. If she hadn't been careful with those veins, she would've damaged them beyond repair. They had to start the long procedure of bypassing the left lung to repair it and the veins once she removed the bullet which was a slow process in itself.

Now, hours later, a nurse handed her a suture kit after they had accounted for every piece of equipment they had used, right down to the gauze pads. Once she got the okay, Olivia prepared to close the gaping holes in Naomi's body.

Silence filled the room as everyone, except for one nurse, left her alone. She found a peace in the silence. When she first started as a surgeon, she hated the after-operation talk, so she would send everyone away so she could work in peace. It had caused her a lot of trouble in the beginning of her career, but after stellar results, they learnt to leave her be.

"Alright, Naomi. It's just you and me now, love." Olivia whispered, looked up and nodded at Kieran and then started to stitch her up.

---

"Katie, what's wrong? Did something happen to Effy or Cook?"

Emily jumped at the question from a stranger and she looked up. She couldn't even be bothered to be embarrassed or angry at the mix up. "Wrong twin. I'm Emily." She stated her usual response flatly, hoping the girl would go away.

"Oh, shit…sorry…I thought you were Katie. I'm Alex, I brought Effy and Cook in." Alex crouched down in front of her and introduced herself. "Are they alright?"

Emily scoffed, but nodded. "They're going to be alright. Effy's already awake."

Alex took in the girl's ragged state. "That's great then, yeah? Why the tears?" She asked lightly, trying to cheer up the distraught girl in front of her.

"Look, Alex…you seem really nice, but I'd just like to be alone, yeah? My whole world has fallen down around me and I just want some peace and quiet!" Emily told her, aware of the fact that she was yet again, talking to a stranger about her life.

Alex took no offence, but she also didn't feel the need to coddle her. "It sounds like you're mourning someone." She stated, cocking her head to the side, deciding that this could only be about the other patient that was brought in. "This is about Naomi, isn't it?"

The shock registered in Emily's eyes. "How do you know-,"

"Katie asked me about her condition when we got here tonight," Alex shrugged, as if it was no big deal, "so it was a guess. Look, after we drop you off at triage, we're supposed to forget about you and move on to the next emergency. But I'll let you in on a secret," Alex explained, earning Emily's interest, "this one has us all on edge."

This shocked Emily. It's not like they were anything special. "I don't get it...," she trailed off, unsure of her thoughts, and Alex smiled at her.

"It's not every day that we get to say we didn't have one death on our shift." Alex looked out toward the street, as she started to explain. "Me and Lou? We're usually called out for extreme casualties. Your mate…Cook? That blow he took to the head was a bad one, and the knife in his lung could've killed him." Alex told Emily, pausing to stare at her hands before going on. "You're friend, Naomi-,"

"My girlfriend." Emily corrected her, her voice small and scared. "Naomi's my girlfriend."

Alex gave her an appraising look, then a small smile. "Right. Well then, your girlfriend should have died right there at the house, but she didn't! She made it to hospital and into surgery. That's rare for us, like I said, so we've become a bit invested in those three."

Emily was quiet as she thought over what Alex had told her.

"I'm not saying it's all peaches and cream up there, but you can't break down now." Alex said, standing up. "I'm off duty now, so I thought I'd pop up and check on Katie and Effy. See how they're doing, ya know?" Emily nodded absently, still trying to organise the pieces of the whole night into something that made sense, and Alex started to head into the hospital, giving her the space that she desired. "Hey, just to let you know, news spreads pretty fast in there," Alex said nodding toward the hospital, "and last I heard, your Naomi was holding her own and fighting pretty hard on the operating table. Just in case you were wondering."

Emily felt her heart rate pick up speed as she watched the girl leave her. What was she trying to say? Was Naomi going to pull through? Is that what she meant? Or did she mean that Naomi had given up? So many questions were racing through her mind, that she couldn't relax at all. She stood up and decided to walk, heading toward Combe Park. She only took a few steps when she noticed that the sun was starting to rise, a testament to how long they had actually been there. So, she sat on a rock, watching as the light filtered through the clouds until she could see the sun peek over the houses, letting her mind relive the last six months as well as the last several hours.

---

Gina stood across the street and watched as the sun poured its light over Emily's face and felt a surge of pride along with a surge of annoyance. She knew that to anyone else, it looked like Emily was giving up, but Gina knew better.

She saw the tears make tracks down the younger twin's face as she followed the shadows that danced on the street and knew that Emily was beating herself up over what happened. Well, she wouldn't allow it! Gina wasn't lying when she told Jenna how different her family was because of Emily, and she refused to let the girl wallow any longer.

"All this time, you've been fighting what you felt…and all this time you had the power to change things." Gina called from her spot against a lamp post. "That's a lot of weight to carry around on your shoulders, isn't it?"

Emily tensed as she heard her voice and waited for the screaming that she was sure would follow. "I'm sorry, Gina."

"For what, love?" Gina asked as she pushed away from the post and made her way across the street to where Emily was sitting, taking a seat on the rock next to her.

"I've been a coward this whole time." Emily said quietly.

Gina shook her head. "Nonsense, dear. Don't you know how brave you are?" She asked and Emily finally brought her eyes up to meet Gina's. "It's true and I won't have you or anyone say different! When Mandy put you in the hospital, all those months ago and Naomi brought you home, you didn't have to stay. You could've turned right around and left, but you didn't. When Naomi showed you her true self and you did take off, when she brought you back and explained about the curse, you could've called the mental ward and had her put away, but you didn't…you were brave enough to stick it out and stay," Gina told her, needing to get to the heart of the matter, "so many times you could've left my daughter, but you were strong enough to get to know her, get past her walls andy you were brace enough to love her, even if you weren't sure of your feelings. When we were told there was no way to break the curse, you could've left, Emily, but you stayed. You might not have said it out loud but your actions told Naomi that you loved her."

"But I waited too long to tell her. I was afraid that she'd end up hurt and regret being with me." Emily said, her voice shaky but thankfully tear free. "I never wanted her to regret me."

Gina shook her head and gave a small laugh as she wrapped Emily up in a hug. "Oh, you silly girl!" She exclaimed as she tightened her hold. "You're the one thing that Naomi's never, ever regretted. Don't you know that?"

Emily knew she had to get the truth off her chest, so she freed herself from Gina's arms and looked her right in the eye. "We fought."

Gina blinked, not sure she heard correctly. "What?"

"Last night. Naomi and I argued…before we got back to the ballroom." Emily looked down at her hands, picking at her fingernails in a nervous gesture. "They were right on the tip of my tongue, those three little words that would have fixed things, but I couldn't bring myself to say them. I didn't want her to think I was just saying it and not meaning it because of the heat of the moment…," Emily felt herself blush as she spoke and Gina understood what she meant, "I wanted to wait for the right moment, but Naomi knew something was wrong…we argued…but instead of just telling her how much I loved her…I brought up the curse and she brought up Mandy. It was bad. Like I said…I've been a coward."

Gina took a few moments to think about what Emily had just told her. It explained a lot about why Emily felt so guilty, but Gina didn't want her to spend any more time on something Emily had never had any control over.

"Emily, sometimes in a relationship, things get said and done…hurtful things and not so hurtful things. Wonderful things and sad things. It's just something that must be dealt with in a relationship. It doesn't make you a coward because you felt you were protecting Naomi." Gina told her, trying to make Emily see that she did nothing wrong. "Look, what happened last night was bad, extremely bad, but it's over. All of it. The curse is broken and Mandy is gone. I'm not going to lie…I've never been more scared than I was last night, watching her point that gun at you all, but Naomi's been fighting, Emily." Gina replied after a few minutes. "She's decided that she's not done yet, so you've got a chance to apologise."

"What?" Emily looked Gina in the eyes again, looking for a hint of a lie as Alex's words came back to her.

"We weren't keeping you in the dark on purpose, I'd never do that to you, love. Kieran's been allowed to sit in theatre, he's on the hospital board and he's been sending your father updates on the surgery." Gina explained quickly. "Your parents felt it was best to hold off on telling you anything just yet-,"

"Why would they do that?" Emily asked, outraged at her mum and dad.

Gina knew this would enrage the younger twin, was prepared for it even. "Because they didn't want you to get your hopes up, Emily. They didn't want you to work yourself into an anxiety attack until we knew for sure what was going to happen."

"What are you saying? You're out here telling me about it now, so what…is she d-," Emily couldn't even bring herself to say it again.

Gina couldn't help the tears that started to fall, as she witnessed the hope that Emily had. "She's been moved to recovery and the doctor is due in to explain how everything went." She told Emily, as she started crying again. "I figured you'd want to be there when she does, yeah?"

Emily nodded and hugged Gina again, nearly squeezing the life out of the woman, so Gina stood them both up and they walked back to the hospital. She knew it was going to be rough on her and Naomi for awhile, but the beautiful part was they would get through it together.

---

"Good morning, Emily."

Emily was sat at the side of Naomi's bed, with her head laying on the bed and Naomi's hand clasped in hers. The nurse's greeting had brought her out of a fitful sleep.

"Morning." Emily said through a yawn, whilst blinking as the nurse opened the blinds, allowing the sunshine to filter into the room. "What time is it?"

The nurse looked at her watch and smiled. "It's a little bit after seven. Sorry to wake you, dear." She apologised sheepishly. "I'm just doing my rounds before shift change."

Emily sat up straight and stretched, working out the kinks that sleeping hunched over had produced, all the while keeping hold of Naomi's hand. The nurse watched out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself. "That's alright. I need to be up anyway."

It had been four days since Naomi's surgery and she had yet to wake up. Dr Donahue assured them that the operation was a success, but now Naomi's body needed time. So Emily had been staying at the hospital, grabbing bits of sleep here and there, never more than a couple of hours at a time for fear of missing the moment when Naomi would open her eyes.

They had become the talk of the entire hospital, Emily and Naomi, lovers fated to be together, the nurses all cooed to each other during shift changes. All of them wishing their husbands and boyfriends would treat them with as much care and love as Emily was giving to Naomi. If they only knew the truth, Effy had remarked on more than one occasion, smirking at the passing nurses as they glimpsed into the room through the door with smiles on their faces.

Jenna had been worried at first, thinking it was unhealthy for Emily to spend so much time closed up in Naomi's room and tried to talk Emily into going home for a few hours, but Gina and Rob had talked her around. And it's not as if she had been entirely on her own. Emily had had visits from Freddie, Panda and Thomas. JJ and Lara had stopped by, together and a couple of times just Lara, for business reasons. Franky and her dads had stopped in, as well as daily visits from Gina and Jenna. And of course Katie and Effy.

"The doctor will be in shortly, Emily." The nurse said as she checked Naomi's IV and heart monitor.

Emily smiled at her. "Thank you. I'm going to pop into the loo while you're here, I won't be very long."

"Take your time, love."

Emily slipped into the en suite and shut the door, leaning back against it, taking a deep breath. She'd felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes when she had woken up to find Naomi still asleep and she had fought the urge to let them spill. She refused to cry in front of another stranger, but in the silence of the bathroom Emily could let one or two of them slip.

She used the toilet quickly and moved to wash her hands. When she looked into the mirror to wipe her face, Emily was shocked at the face staring back at her. Her eyes were dull and she had black circles under them. She looked an absolute mess and she was almost ashamed that that's what her family and friends had seen when they came to visit.

Taking a few minutes to tidy up, she started splashing cold water on her face and running her fingers through her hair. When she was done, she looked at herself again.

"It'll have to do, Emily." She whispered to herself and then opened the door.

When she stepped out of the en suite, she gasped. Sitting in her chair next to Naomi's bed was James Cook, crying as he took in the sight of his best mate.

"Cook, oh my…," she trailed off as she rushed over to him, barely stopping herself from crushing him into a Fitch hug. She looked at him. Looked at his face, taking in every cut and stitch. His arm in right arm strapped to his torso, in what Emily could only describe as looking like a half straightjacket. And she could tell that his nose had been broken, because of the dressing on his nose. This man had been hurt because he tried to protect her.

"Hey, Red." He said as he wiped his eyes and gingerly stood up, wrapping his good arm around her and squeezing gently. He kissed the top of her head before releasing her. "Effy says you haven't left this place since we got here and not for nothing, babes, you look like microwaved shit."

Emily laughed at the inappropriate statement, because that meant that Cook was going to be alright. "I've had better days, Cookie." She said fondly. "It looks like you have too, yeah?"

"She broke my nose. And now I've gotta sound like a bloody moppet for the next week!" He stated as he reached up to gently feel the plaster.

Emily watched and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "When did they let you start getting up?"

Cook grinned. "They didn't, did they? Threatened to restrain me if I tried to get up again," he told her and she giggled until his grin disappeared as he looked back down at Naomi, "but I had to come and see you two, didn't I? I'm sorry I let this happen, Emily." He stated, his voice thick with emotion.

He had been confined for the past four days and let the guilt of not stopping Mandy eat away at him. His mind took all the information that Effy, Katie and Jamie had given him and twisted it until he could only imagine the worst. Naomi close to dead and Emily wasted away to nothing as she clung to her last bit of hope. That's what his mind kept telling him.

"Don't you dare, Cook!" Emily warned harshly, startling him. "Don't you dare let her make you feel guilty! She did this, not you, not me…not any of us, okay? She did! And she doesn't get to take anything else away from us."

"It won't be easy to forget, Red." Cook told her as he sat back down.

"Try really, really hard."

Cook laughed and felt a piece of himself shift back into place. "I'll do my best. So, what's up with Sleeping Beauty here?"

Emily spent the next hour with Cook, talking when it was necessary, and sitting in silence when it wasn't. A while later, Dr Donahue came in and assured her again that everything was fine and playfully admonished Cook for being out of his room.

"I'll let it slide this time and not tell your doctor." Olivia told him as she made some notes in Naomi's chart.

A knock at the door had Cook flinching. "I think they've found me." He whispered so only Emily could hear and he braced himself for a verbal lashing from the ward nurse, but when he turned to see who it was, he was struck speechless.

"Hey, Emily."

Emily smiled as Alex stepped into the room. "Hey. I didn't know you were working today?"

Alex laughed as she glanced down at her uniform. "I just got off shift. Lou had a family thing last night, so I said I'd cover for him. Just thought I'd pop up and see how you've been." She explained, smiling at the twin.

She had started stopping in when she was on shift, in between calls, because she knew Emily refused to leave. Katie had been a little concerned, afraid of her being here by herself, so Alex had promised to check up her, to make sure she wasn't going crazy with worry.

"Right…don't think I don't know that Katie asked you to check up on me." Emily glared at her, but she couldn't hold it for long. She was about to say something else, when Cook coughed next her. "You alright?"

He shook his head and mumbled, "Nothing." And Emily would swear that he was blushing.

Alex was watching with interest, as Cook and Emily stared at each other for a couple of tense seconds, until Emily smiled.

"Alex Keenan, have you met James Cook?" Emily asked and Alex's eyes widened.

"Cook? As in "Cookie" Cook?" She asked unable to envision that this was the man she had transported to the hospital four days ago.

Cook looked at her suspiciously. "Yeah…do I... I'm sorry, but…have we met before?" He asked, unsure.

Alex laughed, a clear sound that did something strange to Cook's insides. "Sort of…but the last time I saw you, you had a knife sticking out of you."

Cook looked confused and Alex kept smiling and Emily could see that he was trying his best to figure it out and she took pity on him. "She brought you here, Cook. She's an EMT."

"You're an angel, love!" Cook stated as he realised that this woman helped save his life.

Alex blushed at the compliment. "Just doing my job, that's all."

"So modest!" Cook told her, giving her his brightest smile, which caused Alex to blush harder.

It was a sweet moment, one that Emily was enjoying, because in all the time she'd known Cook, she had never seen him blush and didn't it just feel good to smile a real smile for once? It had felt like ages since she had smiled last and she wanted to hold on to that feeling for a bit.

"James Cook!" An elderly woman strode into the room, hands on her hips and glared as Cook cowered in his seat. "What did I tell you would happen if you tried to get up again?"

"I just wanted to see my friends, that's all!" He stated quickly, looking like a young boy. "It's not like I escaped the hospital!"

"Rules are rules for a reason, young man! And I'll not have anyone breaking them." The ward nurse was scary, as she glared hard at Cook.

"Can I please have five more minutes? That's all I ask and I'll be right back to my own bed." He begged, giving he a pleading look.

Alex stepped in. "I'll bring him back, Janet. He hasn't had a real chance to see his friends since everything happened, it wouldn't hurt to allow him five minutes, would it?"

The nurse thought over the request. "Five minutes, Alex, that's it! He's not properly healed enough to go gallivanting all over the place, so wheel him back. Do I make myself clear?" She asked Alex and then turned to Cook, getting yeses from them both.

Satisfied, she left the room and silence filled the space, until Emily's laughter from seeing Cook cower like that, spilled out. Soon Alex joined in and then eventually Cook started as well. It was fine that he was the cause of their laughter, Cook reasoned, because he and Emily deserved to laugh after everything they're been through.

After a few more seconds of laughter, the three of them settled down.

"Well, I guess my five minutes is up." Cook stated sadly, casting a glance at Naomi, before smiling at Emily. "I'd best get back before Nurse Ratchet comes looking for me again."

Alex stood up. "Wait there! I'll grab a wheelchair, yeah?" She waited for a nod from Cook and left the room.

"She seems nice." Cook stated as he watched her walk down the hall, trying to sound nonchalant about it.

"Aww, does Cookie have a crush?" Emily smirked as yet again, Cook blushed. "She is pretty nice. She's been checking up on me, although I'm pretty sure Katie asked her to."

Cook grinned. "Yeah, I'm sure she did. How lucky is Effy that she got to go home already?" He pointed out, then looked serious again. "So it's true then?"

Emily looked confused at the sudden question. "What's true?"

"The curse?" Cook asked quietly. "Effy and Katie said you broke the curse and since we've been able to survive without being stuck with each other, it must be true."

"To be honest Cook, I never gave it a thought since Naomi came out of surgery." She looked at Naomi and smiled. "Other things on my mind and all…,"

He watched Emily watching Naomi and he felt his heart tug. "I guess. If it means anything, I knew from the start that you'd be good for her." He told her as he stood up, turning his attention to Alex, who had been standing in the doorway. Before he got in the waiting wheelchair, he bent down and kissed the top of Emily's head. "She'll wake up soon, Red."

"Yeah."

"Alright, my angel! Take me back to the nurse from hell!" He smirked at Alex, lowering himself in to the chair. "Maybe you could give me a sponge bath later?" Cook asked, ever the optimistic one.

Emily listened to the sound of Alex's laughter as they walked down the hallway, and Cook kept being Cook. She turned her attention back to Naomi, scooting her chair as close as she could, and took her hand again.

She felt another surge of sadness and became angry with herself. "Naomi…I'm trying to be strong here, but it's hard." She said to Naomi, feeling the need to break the silence of the room. "Your mum is due to stop by soon. I think my mum as well…I think that's what she said, but I can't seem to keep things in order…my mind has other things to worry about, ya know?" She chuckled to herself. "I wish you'd wake up, Naoms. Dr Donahue said that your body is healing, and I believe her, but my heart is telling me something different."

Emily stopped talking and stood up. She refused to give in to the despair that was threatening to close in on her. She walked over to the window and looked outside at the sunshine and at all the people walking to and from the hospital.

"I just wished you were awake so that we could talk about normal stuff, like the video game," she spoke louder, as if Naomi was listening, "or about how Cook has a crush on the paramedic, Alex… or maybe talk about how Katie is planning to take Effy away on holiday once she's better…," Emily choked up then, unable to hold back the tears any longer, "I want to take you away on holiday, Naoms! If you just wake up, we can plan it and it'll be good! I promise, it'll be good."

"How about we talk about September now?"

Emily's heart stopped as the words came from behind her, hoarse and cracking. "Naomi?" Emily asked, almost believing it was just her imagination, but she turned slowly. "You're awake?"

Naomi blinked against the sun, but forced herself to keep her eyes open as Emily stood perfectly still. "It seems that way, babes…," she started coughing because her throat was so dry, causing pain in her chest and the monitors to go off.

"Naoms! Fuck, babes…are you okay?" Emily rushed over to her, wondering what she should do. "Help! I need help in here!" She shouted as loud as she could as Naomi cried out in pain.

Nurses came running and she could her someone shouting for the doctor, but Emily's attention was on Naomi as she tried to bear the pain she was in, as tears ran down her face.

"Relax, Naomi. Don't tense up, babes." Emily tried to comfort her, until a nurse grabbed her and pulled her away. "What? Get the fuck off me!" She shouted at the woman dragging her out of the room.

"I'm sorry, but you can't be in here right now!" The nurse told her forcefully, as Naomi's doctor rushed past them. "You'll just have to wait, I'm sorry." The woman gave her a sympathetic look before turning around and shutting the door behind her.

Emily watched through the window as Dr Donahue injected something into Naomi's IV and the nurses tried to hold Naomi still without hurting her and it was just too much for Emily to handle at the moment. She ended up sitting on the floor and letting her tears come at last.

"Emily? What's wrong?" Katie saw her as she and Effy exited the lift and rushed over and knelt next to her, but Emily couldn't answer.

Effy watch the sisters for a moment and then looked into Naomi's room. "Naomi woke up?" She asked, as she watched a nurse lift a cup to Naomi's lips, allowing her to drink. Effy saw the doctor heading toward the door and she stepped back.

"Emily?" Olivia stuck her head out the door, looked down at her and smiled. "She's fine. Well, as fine as she can be at the moment. I promise."

"Really? I thought…," Emily trailed off, because she really had thought the worst, and Katie wrapped her into a hug, trying to comfort her, "I thought…she looked to be in so much pain."

Olivia nodded. "She was and still is, but that's to be expected with her injuries. Why don't you come back in. She's asking for you. I'll explain everything to both of you."

"Okay." Emily said as she stood up, wiped the tears from her face and follow Olivia. "Are you guys coming?" She turned back to Katie and Effy.

"You go ahead, Emsy." Katie told her with a smile.

"Yeah, we're gonna go call Gina and let her know Naomi's awake, yeah?" Effy said as she reached down and linked her hand with Katie's. "You give you two a bit of privacy before the family shows up, maybe go check on Cook."

Emily smiled gratefully. "Thank you." She told them and quickly turned back, heading into the room.

Effy smiled as she watched the younger twin lean down and gently kissed Naomi, careful not to hurt her, then she smiled down at Katie.

"Let's go, my love." Katie said sweetly, sounding happy.

Effy's heart swelled at Katie's words as they walked down the hall back to the lifts. She had a very good feeling that today was going to be a great day.

---

"How are you feeling, babes?" Emily asked as she watched Naomi yawn shortly after everyone left.

Gina and Kieran had arrived shortly after the doctor left the room, followed by Jenna and Rob, so Emily and Naomi barely had a moment alone. There had been times when Naomi would drift into sleep, but Emily didn't let that worry her, especially after talking with Olivia earlier.

Naomi gave a slight nod and a small smile. "Yeah…it's just my mum usually wears me out with her hovering, but now it's worse."

Emily chuckled. "You leave your mum alone!" Emily exclaimed playfully. "She's been scared, same as me, so she's allowed to hover."

"Yeah…I know." Naomi said softly, then decided to change the subject. "So…," she trailed off, checking to see she had Emily's attention, "you love me?"

Emily could feel herself blush, but she refused to run away from the conversation. Not this time. "Yeah…I do." She said quietly. "I love you so much, Naoms and I wanted to tell you, so many times I almost let it slip…but I didn't. And it seems stupid now why I never said it."

"Because we thought the curse couldn't be broken." Naomi told her and Emily nodded her head.

"I didn't want you to…," Emily felt stupid now. Her reasons that had sounded so adult-like days ago were immature and childish sounding to her now.

Seeing Emily's distress made Naomi want to hug her, but she knew she really couldn't. "Ems, don't." She pleaded.

"Don't what?"

"Don't stress about what you didn't say…or rather when you didn't say it," Naomi smiled at her through another yawn, feeling fatigue set in, "what matters is that you did say it, babes. I heard it all…when I was…right after Mandy-,"

"Don't say her name, please?" Emily suppressed a shudder at the thought of the girl. "And this is not me trying to ignore her this time, or forget what's happened. Just…rest for now, okay?" She said, brushing blonde hair behind Naomi's ear.

Naomi took the opportunity to nuzzle her cheek in Emily's hand and sighed. "Alright, Ems. Will you stay with me?" She asked, her voice sounding small.

Emily smiled back at her and kissed her, enjoying the feel of Naomi's lips, thinking how it had felt like a life time since she'd last kissed them. "Babes, if you think you'll ever get rid of me now, you'd better think again. Because this?" Emily gestured between the two of them and smiled bigger. "This is forever."

Naomi's smile lit up her eyes at Emily's words and her heart sped up enough to show on the monitor, making Emily laugh. But when she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Emily was still there and she knew she'd have a lifetime with her.

And in the end, that's all you could really hope for, wasn't it? Someone who stood by you and shared your life with you? Someone who made you challenge yourself to be better? To make you want to be better? Someone who could make you happy, even when you were fighting?

Naomi knew that she had found that with Emily, that and so much more and she was looking forward to planning their life together.

Forever suddenly seemed like the greatest thing.

---

Alright my peeps, there is a short epilogue coming your way...soon:) very very very soon.

Review and tell me what you thought? was it worth the wait?