A/N: And moving right along:) I love you all! Call this a belated Christmas gift if you will:)

Disclaimer: Any and all typos are mine and I don't own Skins or The Santa Claus 2

Chapter 3: Telling the Truth

Emily and Katie had joined the group on their nights out. It turned out that Katie was a blast to be around. Emily...not so much. The closer it got to Christmas Day, the worse she got. But as long as she wasn't drinking, she was fine.

Her and Naomi would spend the days together, talking about their families, their jobs, Naomi only told Emily she worked in manufacturing, but they would talk about anything, really. It turns out that Emily's dad, Rob had gone to the same Uni that her, Fred's and Cook went to. Cook had even shared a class with the man. Emily's family own a gym outside of London, and her mum and dad ran it, while she, Katie and their brother James had all worked there at some point in time, but Emily was now a school teacher, shaping young minds and moulding the future.

Naomi knew she was going to have to eventually bring up the subject of Christmas, but she was dreading it.

The blonde had been round to their flat on a couple of occasions, which happened to coincidentally be a couple blocks away from her house, to spend time with the younger twin, learning what made her happy, what made her tick.

She had used up a bit of her Christmas magic making sure Emily didn't get too sad when they all went clubbing, which JJ had words with her about.

"Naomi! You need to reserve your magic to be able to get you back to the Pole!" JJ had admonished her one night as they stepped into the club with an already drunk Emily.

"C'mon, Jay, I've only only used a bit of it. Hardly a blip, really." Naomi pouted. "And let's face it, she really deserves a special time, doesn't she?"

"That may be, but you need to cool it down." JJ said as he dug in his pocket for something. "It's a good thing this arrived today!" He exclaimed as he pulled out an ordinary looking watch. "Here, put this on." He thrust the watch at her.

"Why are you giving me this? What is it?"

"It'll measure how much magic you have left. You drain your magic every time you perform a miracle."

Naomi smiled at him as she fastened the watch around her wrist. "Smart thinking, Jay."

She was glancing at the watch as she was about to leave her place to head round Emily's, when her mobile went off. She smiled when she saw Emily's name on the screen. "Hello, Ems."

"Hey you." Naomi could hear the smile in the red head's voice. "Listen, I know we were suppose to meet up, but I've been roped into supervising Saturday detention."

"Um, Ems...you teach seven year olds, what kind of hijinks could seven year olds pull off to earn detention?" Naomi asked dryly, causing the red head to giggle.

"Well, it's actually high school students. One of the teachers called in sick, so my friend, who happens to be the headmistress, called me because I'm a qualified high school teacher as well. Same district, basically same school and all that." Emily explained. "I'm really sorry, but can I take a raincheck."

Naomi thought about it for a few moments. "How 'bout I join you?"

"What? You wanna spend the morning watching kids scrap graffiti off of public buildings?" Emily was surprised by the offer.

"No, not really, but I do wanna spend the morning with you, so...," Naomi felt like a cheesy git. She actually felt herself blush and was thankful that Emily couldn't see her right now. "If you don't want me to g-,"

"No! I'd love the stimulating company, so I'll pick you up in about five minutes."

"Okay, I'll be ready." Naomi said, ending the call with a smile.

"So this is what detention looks like?" Naomi stood next to Emily, watching as a group of fifteen year olds scrapped paint off a community centre wall.

"Are you trying to tell me you never served detention? Were you a goody two shoes?" Emily laughed, as she watched the blonde blush.

"No, I was not a goody two shoes...," Naomi looked and caught the grin on her face. "I just felt that studying was a better use of my time, that's all." She pouted. Actually she had served detention once, but in her day, that consisted of being cooped up with other trouble makers on a Saturday morning doing schoolwork. But she couldn't very well tell that to Emily, because schools stopped doing that in in the late 80's.

"A studious child, oh how I wish all students were like that." Emily replied, wistfully.

"Yeah, I was a teachers dream." Naomi said as she rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, I had big plans of getting out of here, going abroad, travelling. I was gonna be a big shot lawyer or a political journalist, or...something. A good education factored into those plans, ya know?"

Emily was suddenly curious, because while they had spent an immense amount of time together over the last few days, the blonde never really went into detail about her job.

"So I know you've told me you're in manufacturing, but what does that actually mean? What exactly do you make?"

Naomi knew the question was coming, she had been so vague when she was telling Emily what she did and it was only matter of time before the red head would want details.

As it was so long ago with fifteen year old Emily, Naomi opted to be delicate, but truthful. "I head the largest facility that manufactures Christmas toys." She explained, and waited for the fallout, which Naomi didn't have to wait long for.

"Are you fucking for real?" Emily asked her, anger lacing her voice, as her chocolate eyes narrowed at her. "Millions of jobs out there, and that's what you've chosen to do? Christmas is the worst holiday in the world and you help feed the mass delusion...you help lie to children!"

Naomi stood there and watched Emily walk away from her before her legs moved on their own.

"Emily!" The red head kept walking. "Emily, wait!" Naomi called out, feeling relief when the she stopped. Naomi came up behind the smaller girl, placing her hands on Emily's shoulders and turned her around.

"Why?" Emily asked in a small voice.

"Because I enjoy it. Trust me, it's not how I saw my life playing out, that's for sure, but when I see the smiles of children, opening up the gifts I gave to them, it's...' Naomi paused, trying to think of the right words, "it's almost magical."

Emily shrugged off the hands holding her and walked a few steps away. "I don't find anything magical about a holiday that perpetuates materialistic greed."

"Why do you hate it so much?" Naomi asked quietly.

"I just told you."

Naomi shook her head. "No, that's not a real reason and you know it."

"I just do." Emily scoffed, feeling uncomfortable suddenly.

"But why? There has to be a reason, Emily. No one just hates Christmas." Naomi pointed out.

Emily didn't like feeling pushed and she was about to have a go at the blonde, when a little girl about five, ran up to Naomi.

Naomi didn't notice her at first, but then she felt a tugging at her coat. When she looked down, she saw bright blue eyes staring into hers, and she couldn't help but smile. "Hello sweetheart, what can I do for you?" Naomi asked as she knelt down, knowing that children and anyone who believed in Santa would only see her as jolly old Kris Kringle.

The little girl looked back at her shyly. "I've been a very good girl this year."

Naomi nodded, still smiling. "You've been a very good girl indeed, Stephanie. So I think it's safe to say that that Princess Anna doll you've asked for will be under the tree come Christmas morning." The look of pure joy on Stephanie's face was something that Naomi would never get tired of seeing.

"Stephanie! There you are, oh my god, I turned around for a second and you were gone." A frantic looking woman rushed over. "I'm so sorry about her."

"It's no problem at all." Naomi told the worried mother, as she grasped Stephanie's hand and pulled her away.

"Thank you." Stephanie called out, before disappearing.

Naomi smiled at the girl, then looked down at the watch on her hand, grimaced as another two units of magic slipped away from her dwindling supply. "You really cost me, Stephanie." Naomi whispered to herself.

As the blonde stood up and turned around, she saw Emily regarding her with curiosity. Naomi wanted to continue their conversation, but every time she would try, Emily would switch the subject so Naomi had no choice but to let it go for now.

They spent the rest of the day together, keeping it simple and uncomplicated. The more time Naomi spent with the tiny red head, the more she felt for her. It was strange and confusing and if there wasn't so much riding on her, Naomi would've run away screaming, because she didn't really know how to deal with what she was feeling.

At the end of the day, Naomi had went to Emily's place, where they continued spending time together. Naomi noticed it was nearing one in the morning, when Emily couldn't quite cover a yawn, so she decided to go.

"I had a really great time today." Naomi told her shyly as Emily walked her to the door.

"I did too, which is surprising, because detention is never fun." Emily replied with a smirk. "Do you think...," Emily blushed as she became embarrassed, " by what she was about to ask.

"Do I think what?" Naomi pushed.

"I want to kiss you," Emily's face turned even redder, as she ducked her head, "would that be...okay?"

"Guess what?" Naomi asked, causing Emily's eyes to find hers. "I'd like to kiss you too."

They smiled at each other, as Naomi bent down and placed her lips against Emily's. It was gentle and sweet, an exploration of lips, until Naomi ran her tongue over Emily's bottom lip, asking for entrance which Emily granted immediately.

What started out as a chaste goodnight kiss, turned into a heated make out session at Emily's front door, as hands started grabbing and feeling other body parts, so she tried to drag Naomi back into the lounge so they could continue, but the blonde was adamant about leaving it for the night.

"Next time we can make out on the couch like teenagers." Naomi said with a wink, giving her one more quick kiss. "Goodnight, Ems."

Emily sighed. She knew Naomi was right, but she couldn't help it if it felt so good to kiss and hold the blonde. "Goodnight, Naoms." And she watched as Naomi walked down the path and headed home.

Emily herself was confused as well. She realised she could easily spend a huge amount of time with Naomi, and it didn't matter that she had only known the blonde for almost a week, Emily felt at peace with her.

She also had a sense of familiarity that she couldn't shake. She had asked Katie about it, but her advice had been to not question it and shag the life out of the blonde.

Good advice normally, but Emily felt like this was more than just a chance to get a leg up, it felt more like the beginning of something special.

Emily hadn't seen Naomi in a couple of days, because her mum requested family time, which usually turned into her mum insisting that Emily wasn't gay and she should find a good man to settle down with.

She had managed to escape, but the damage was done, as her anger toward her mum, the holiday season and the fact that she had a faculty Christmas party to go to, all compounded into a very cranky Emily.

She was looking for her coat and gloves when she heard a knock on the door.

"I swear to god, if it's carolers, I will go insane!" She stated as she walked down the hall to open the door.

"Hello, Emily." Naomi stood on the other side of the door, smiling at her.

"What are you doing here?" Emily asked, surprised. "How did you even know I'd be home?"

"I felt like seeing you, so I took a chance." Naomi stated casually, as she stepped through the door. The truth was, she had felt that Emily was upset and had used a bit of her magic to find out where she was. "Fancy going out to dinner?"

Emily could slowly feel the anger seeping out of her just by standing next to the blonde.

"I'd really love to, Naoms, but I can't." Emily told her.

Naomi cast her eyes down, feeling a bit silly for showing up. "You've got another date?"

"What?" Emily was shocked at the question. She had only been spending time with Naomi, in fact, Naomi was the only person she'd been thinking about for a week. "Why would you think that?"

Naomi looked up and gestured toward her. "It looks like you're headed out and you're looking rather beautiful, so...,"

"Oh, no. I mean, yes, I'm going out but it's not a date." Emily replied, trying to assure her. She made a disgusted face. "It's my faculty Christmas do, and I'm required to be there, seeing as I organised it."

Naomi looked relieved and didn't bother to disguise it, making Emily smile.

"Would you like some company?" Naomi asked, hope lacing her voice. "It'll be fun, we'll make snarky comments about everyone."

Emily laughed. That was another thing about Naomi. She had the ability to make her laugh, and around Christmas time, that was rare.

"I'd love some company. I'd be bored to tears otherwise."

"Jesus, Ems." Naomi looked around the room.

"What?"

"I thought you said this was a Christmas party?" Naomi scoffed. "I've seen better parties at political conventions." She quipped.

Emily didn't take offense. She didn't feel she was qualified to organise the damn thing, but yet for the last three years, they cajoled her into it. "I don't know what they expect of me." Emily told her, as she too, looked around.

All the other teachers and their partners where standing in individual groups, barely talking and looking bored as hell.

"A little holiday cheer wouldn't go amiss, Emily. I mean, I know you hate the season and all, but not everyone else feels that way."

Emily narrowed her eyes at the blonde, crossed her arms in front of her. "And what would you have done differently?" She challenged Naomi.

Naomi caught the annoyed look Emily sent her way, as she looked around. The party was being held in the auditorium and Naomi saw a stage at the end of the room, and an idea hit her.

"Wait right there." She command, as she left Emily and walked around to enter the backstage. She walked out onto the stage with confidence and watched as Emily came toward the front of the crowd. "Hi. My name's Naomi and my friend Emily has tasked me with getting this party off to a great start."

Emily cocked her head, wondering what the other girl was up to.

"Let's really kick it into gear by passing out the Secret Santa presents! So how 'bout everyone come on-,"

Emily rushed up to the stage and grabbed Naomi's attention, cutting her off. "Naomi, we don't actually have any Secret Santa presents. It's not something we normally do."

"Really? Oh, well...," Naomi stood back up and addressed the crowd again. "Miss Fitch just informed me that we don't have any presents, so...," She trailed off as she stepped backstage, "I guess I'll just have to take this bag of presents with me."

She was dragging a large bag across the stage, acting as if she was leaving, when she stopped suddenly.

"Or, we could take a peak inside and see what we've got here?" Naomi smiled at the teachers. She opened the bag and pulled out a present, reading the tag. "Looks like we've got one here for...Stephen. Where's Stephen?" The lacrosse coach stepped through the crowd and walked to the stage. Naomi smiled as she handed him the package. "Here you go."

She watched him open it up, look at it and smile. "It's a Rock 'em Sock 'em Robot! Thanks! I always wanted one of these!"

Emily watched in fascination as her adult coworkers transformed into kids, because every time Naomi called another name, another long ago wanted present was handed out.

Naomi pulled out another, smaller present and turned over the passing out of the gifts to one of the teachers, and she jumped down off the stage. She made her way over to where Emily was standing.

"This one has your name on it."

"I don't want it." Emily stated bluntly, looking at it as if it would bite her. "Give it to someone else."

"It's not for anyone else, it's for you." Naomi said quietly, pleading with her. "Please take it?"

Emily didn't move a muscle, but the look on Naomi's face was weakening her defences. She couldn't take it anymore. "Fine! Give it to me."

Naomi smiled brightly, as she handed it over to the red head. Emily held the small package in her hand, unsure of what to do with it.

"Well, go on and open it." Naomi coaxed her, confident that she would love the gift.

Emily decided that she would open it, not wanting to be the one to wipe the smile off Naomi's face, so she gingerly started picking at the wrapping paper slowly. She could see the blonde fidget as she shifted from foot to foot, and Emily smiled at her, enjoying keeping the blonde on edge.

"C'mon, Ems, just rip it open!"

She found an ornately designed wooden box under the wrapping, and that in itself was beautiful. It had a latch on it, which Emily flicked open and she lifted the lid. The first feeling Emily had was anger as she looked at the gift inside the box. She looked up at a smiling Naomi, then back down.

Inside the box was a delicate sterling silver necklace, with a pendant attached to it. The design on the pendant was old, older than anything Emily had ever seen before.

Well, actually, she had seen it before.

"Where did you get this?" She asked the blonde.

"It's for you."

"But where did you get it?" Emily asked again, fear mixing with the anger.

Naomi's face fell. "You don't like it?" She asked, sadly.

"Why can't you answer me?" Emily demanded. "It's a simple question, Naomi."

"But nothing's simple, is it?" Naomi stated, feeling Emily's emotions as strongly as she felt her own. "Maybe I should go, yeah? I think my mates were going out tonight with Katie, so I think I'll meet up with them."

She turned and walked away, feeling like she was leaving her heart behind her.

Emily had thrown the necklace away when she was fifteen. Naomi knew she did, because as soon as it hit the trash bin it automatically returned back to Naomi at the Pole. She didn't know why, but she carried it with her ever since.

The necklace was the gift that Naomi had made for fifteen year old Emily. Back then, she had put a little bit of magic in it so Emily wouldn't feel the heartbreak she was feeling so badly, and just before she gave it back to the red head tonight, she placed a large chunk of her magic inside the pendant, so that Emily would always have a bit of Christmas cheer with her.

Naomi was about to leave the school when she heard her name being called.

"I'm sorry, Emily." She apologised, without turning around.

"It was Katie, right? She's had it all this time?"

"No, it wasn't Katie."

Emily was standing right behind Naomi, willing her to turn around and slowly she did. "Have you been following me?"

"No. Not really."

"All those presents in there? How did you know?" Emily was almost pleading with the blonde now.

"I just do."

"That's it? You just know?" Emily asked in disbelief. "Look, if you're just going to lie, maybe you should leave."

Naomi sighed at her words. She knew that Emily was upset, but she had the ability to hurt Naomi with her words. "I'm not lying. Can't you just...can't you just trust me?"

"You know what, Naoms, I thought you were different...special, but you're just like everyone else." Emily's anger was showing, but she didn't care. "You made me feel something for you and all you've done is play me for a fool."

"That's not true, Ems!" Naomi was angry now too. "I've tried to get to know you, because I feel something for you too, but whenever I try to show you the real me, you push me away!"

"I've done no such thing!"

"You wanna know about my job? You wanna know how I knew about the presents? About the necklace?" Naomi was breathless, as she gestured toward Emily's hand where she was still clutching the gift.

"That's all I've ever ask for is honesty!" Emily stated just as heatedly. "But if that's out of the que-,"

"I AM SANTA CLAUS!"

Emily's jaw closed with an audible click as Naomi's words rang throughout the hallway. She looked as if Naomi had slapped her.

"It's true. I've been Santa Claus for thirty years. Now you know, does that make you happy?"

Emily's look turned frosty and when she spoke, Naomi felt a chill run through her "You're right, Naomi, you'd better go." She turned to go back into the auditorium. "It'd be best if you didn't come around anymore."

Naomi felt her heart break right then. "But, Ems, jus-,"

"We're too different, Naomi and I don't see this going anywhere, so...just, please leave me alone?" Emily started walking away again, but turned to look back at the dejected blonde. "Just one question...how did you get that necklace?"

There wasn't a need for deflection anymore, it was over, Naomi knew, so she was totally honest. "It came back to me when you threw it away. I made it specially for you when you were fifteen."

"Hmm...nice story." Emily turned and walked away.

Effy paced back and forth in front of Kieran. She hadn't been back to Bristol since that morning Naomi showed up with Emily. She had been searching for answers about Emily and that search had led her to Kieran.

The old man stroked his beard as he watched the young legendary figure pace. "What's on your mind, lass?"

"I'm just wondering why my mother never told Naomi the truth, or you for that matter?" Effy asked frustrated. "She had a right to know, don't you think?"

"Aye, she did, but your mum thought she wouldn't have been able to deal with it properly. I mean, look at how she reacted when we told her!"

Effy shook her head. "You still should have told her. She may have handled the situation better if you had."

"We couldn't tell her, Effy! That's not how it works and you know that!" Kieran was losing his temper. He didn't like being questioned by the young girl. "If you would pay more attention to your duties, you'd know this stuff!"

"But Emily is her soulmate! Naomi's always questioned why she was able to see her true form, and it hurt her that she couldn't make teenage Emily happy!" Effy argued.

"You don't think I know that! That's why the powers that be told her there where other plans for her." Kieran roared, causing Gina to run into the room.

"What's going on here?" The older Campbell asked, looking between the two.

"Nothing! Just this young upstart thinking she knows more than me!" Kieran scoffed. "Effy, Naomi has to learn this on her own. Trust me, if I could tell her, I would."

"So now what?" Effy asked, still trying to find a way to help.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, Effy. Keep making sure Naomi doesn't freak out. Keep helping her."

Kieran was about to say something else, when one of the elves came running into the office.

"Father Time, we've got a problem!"

"What now?"

"Hamish is stirring up trouble, saying how we have to take steps to preserve Christmas." Thalmus was Naomi's most loyal elf, while Hamish was her worst critic. "He doesn't believe she can do it, so he's trying to start a riot!"

"Fecking hell!" Kieran cried out. "Why does this shite always happen to me? Effy, get back and tell the others, and for Gods sake, make sure Naomi doesn't fuck up!"

A/N: and another one down...thoughts? Feelings? Let me know what you think...hit the review button and a leave me a note:)

probably one one or two more in this one, so...,

Marci:-)