Disclaimer: I do not own Skins...like that was even in question? Any typos/grammatical errors are all mine.
Chapter 5: Breaking Down The Walls
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Freddie asked as he opened the door to find Emily and Katie standing there. "Shouldn't you be off somewhere breaking someone else's heart?"
Emily instantly felt a pain in her heart at Freddie's words, suddenly regretting her actions even more. "I didn't...I mean...I'm sor-,"
"Cut the shit, Freds, she really sorry, yeah?" Katie cut in to stop Emily's stuttering. "Where's Naomi?" She pushed her way past him into the house, dragging Emily with her.
"I have no fucking clue where she is, she left here hours ago." Freddie came to stand in front of the twins, stopping their progress through the house. "I won't let you hurt her again!"
Katie was about to have a go at when a voice reached them from the top of the stairs. "Calm down, Freddie." Effy's voice brimmed with confidence and strength, and a smile stretched across her face as she saw the twins. "Hey, Katie." She stepped of the last step and stood in front of them. "Hello, Emily."
The younger twin looked up, expecting to see the contempt in Effy's eyes as Freddie had, but she was met with sympathy and understanding.
"You've got questions, yeah?" Effy asked, making Emily nod. "Well, you're in luck today, because I have answers and no time to play the mysterious one, so how about we have a cuppa?"
Effy ushered them into the kitchen, as Lara was getting the kettle ready. As Katie and Emily sat, Panda, Thomas, JJ and Freddie took seats as well, while Effy sat at the head of the table.
Everyone was quiet as Lara prepared the tea and brought it to the table. Once she sat next to JJ, Katie couldn't take the tension anymore.
"What the hell is going on?" The older twin asked, huffily.
"Do you want the short story or the long story?" Effy smirked at her, raising an eyebrow in question.
"I think my sister deserves the truth, don't you?"
"JJ?" Effy gestured to him that he should explain.
It took JJ thirty minutes to explain things to the twins, with Katie asking questions along the way. Once he was done, Katie looked around the table at them all. Emily was strangely silent.
"So...let me get this straight!" The older twin was doing her best to keep everything in line, and to also not laugh her arse off. "Naomi is Santa Claus, Panda is the Easter Bunny, Thomo is the Tooth Fairy...am I getting this right?" She asked, earning nods. "Freddie is the Sandman and Effy is Mother Nature?"
"Yup, you've got it." JJ smiled at her. "There are a couple of others, but that's it in a nut shell."
"What about Cook?" Katie was curious.
"What about Cook?" JJ asked, confused at the question.
"Well, I'm assuming he's one of your lot, am I right?" Katie watched as everyone nodded. "So who is he? I only ask because I'm curious...he's not something lame, like a hob, is he?"
Effy smirked at the question, not really expecting the older twin know what a hob was. "You'd almost think that, wouldn't you? But no, Cook is...more central in the assembly."
Emily glanced up at the sound in Effy's voice and she looked at Katie.
"What does that mean?" She pleaded with the brunette.
"Cook is Cupid." Freddie huffed, crossing his arms in front of him. "I don't understand why we're wasting time with her?" He looked to Effy.
"Because, Freddie, she's important!" Effy showed annoyance for the first time ever, causing everyone around the table to feel a slight frisson of something in the air, almost electric.
"What do you mean I'm important?" Emily asked.
"What she means is," Lara interjected, knowing that things could get a bit out of control if Effy and Freddie had there way, "you're important to Naomi."
"I don't understand how. Let's just say I believe all of this, one hundred percent in everything, why me?" Emily was beyond frustrated now and bordered on believing she was insane, even though Katie was sitting next to her, eating this stuff up.
Effy sighed deeply, feeling the need for a strong drink. "Because you're her soulmate."
Emily's eyes widened and Katie gasped, but then in true twin fashion they both asked "what?" at the same time.
Effy had to stop herself from laughing, and she started explaining everything to them.
When she was done, Emily was about to ask one of the million questions running around her mind, but a loud crash from upstairs got everyone's attention.
Panda jumped and nervously fidgeted. "Blooming hell! What was that?"
"Freddie!"
"Looks like Cupid's returned." Katie said, dryly as they heard him bounding down the stairs.
"Cook!" Freddie called out to him, and soon he stepped into the kitchen and looked around.
"Oh, thank fuck!" He panted from the run. "Shit's gettin' real, people!"
"Whoa, slow down!" Effy commanded. "Start from the beginning and go from there."
Cook told them how he heard Hamish plotting against Naomi, and how they had Kieran and Gina tied up, and how Naomi couldn't cross over.
"It's a right mess, Effs," Cook stated sadly, "but I figure we go back and help Naomi get in and nip this in the bud!"
"Uh, Cook, where's Naomi now?" Freddie asked, suddenly realising that she wasn't there.
"She wouldn't leave!"
"Whatdya mean she wouldn't leave?" Freddie got in his face, the stress of the situation getting to him.
"Calm yer tits, Freds! She wouldn't leave her mum up there under the control of an elf gone crazy!" Cook snapped back.
"Are you fucking serious right now?" Katie asked, finally grasping how ludicrous this all sounded. "Elves gone wild?"
"It's best if you see for yourself, Katiekins." Cook told her, grinning like a crazy person himself. "So, whatdya say? Who's with me?"
He stood looking from Effy to Freddie to Thomas, JJ and Panda.
"Count me in!" Panda replied. "I'm next on the list if she goes down, so...,"
"I'm with Panda." Thomas stated firmly, smiling at his girlfriend.
"Well, you know JJ and I are in." Lara responded with an almost snooty attitude. "Hamish has been a pest from the moment he came to the Pole, so it'll be nice to see him taken down a few pegs."
JJ nodded with her, calculating plans in his head. "We should have stayed at home while Naomi did this...," he said quietly.
"You couldn't have known this would happen, Jay." Effy smiled at him, setting him at ease, earning a smile of gratitude from Lara. "Well, you know I'm in. If he thinks I'm going to let him slid into the role of Santa Claus, he's got another thing coming."
Freddie and Cook stared at Effy in surprise. They had never seen her show this much emotion about anything, and it was throwing them off a bit.
"Freds? How bout it, my old friend?" Cook looked expectantly at him, afraid he was pissed off enough to say no.
The taller boys face softened as a smile played across his lips, turning into a smirk. "Cook, do you really think I'd let you and Nai handle this yourselves?"
"Yeah!" Cook shouted, jumping up and down and grabbing Freddie by the shoulder, shaking him. "I knew you'd help, you soppy fucker!" The next thing Cook did shocked the twins. He grabbed Freddie's face and planted a kiss smack on his lips. "I fuckin' love ya, man!"
Freddie pulled away laughing, because he knew it was true. Cook loved him and Naomi more than anyone else in the world and would literally do anything for them.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Freddie said before turning serious again. "So how are we gonna do this?"
JJ stepped forward. "I have a plan."
Effy smiled. "Of course you do, JJ. Let's hear it."
"It's actually quite simple, we just need to get Naomi inside the Pole. Hamish is almost all talk, he's never had the full support of the elves before, so if we can get her inside, let them see that she hasn't given up...,"
Thomas looked thoughtful for a moment before voicing one important fact. "That won't change the fact that Christmas Eve is upon us."
"No, you're right, Thomo, but Naomi's gonna appeal to the Powers That Be, ask for an extension, another year perhaps and th-,"
"There can be no extension." Effy stated sadly, but with a finality that was clear.
Cooks anger flared up. "How can you say that? You have no faith in anything, do ya, princess? You love playing with people and you don't fuckin' care who gets hurt!"
"Cook." Freddie quietly warned, placing a hand on Cooks arm, which was immediately shrugged off. "Leave it, mate."
"No I won't leave it!" He turned back to Effy. "Naomi is your friend! We've all tried to be your friend, Effy, but you won't let us in, so you know what? Fuck you and the storm you rode in on! We don't need you!"
Effy took every bit of Cooks anger, every word of it, and calmly waited until he was done. "Are you finished?" She asked in that same calm voice.
Emily was finally grasping how serious they were treating this and her logical brain kicked in. "Stop! Both of you just stop it right now!" Her eyes were blazing as she looked back and forth between Cook and Effy "If Naomi's in trouble, do you honestly think arguing is helping her? Now, how about you all stop acting like my seven year old students and start acting like grown ups!"
Effy smirked at her, while Cook looked at her sheepishly.
"You're right, Emily."
"Sorry, Emilio...it's just, Naomi means a lot to me and Freddie and believe it or not, becoming Santa Claus has been the best thing to happen to her."
"I get it, Cook, I really do, but you acting like a child isn't helping."
Katie smiled at her sister. Emily really couldn't help herself, always the teacher, the mediator. "So what the fuck are we waiting for?" She waited for an answer as everyone apart from Emily stared at her stunned.
"You wanna help?" Lara voiced the question all of her friends were thinking.
"Why not?"
"No...it's just, well...I didn't expect you to." Lara stumbled through her explanation, blushing.
"Look, I know it's hard to believe, but I really like Naomi, yeah? She was fun to hang out with and she made my holiday-depressed sister happy and less of a mardy bitch, so yeah, I'm gonna help." Katie explained, hands on her hips, ignoring Emily's blush, glaring at all of the legendary figures, daring them to tell her no.
After a few tense moments, Effy broke the tension. "I think that's a brilliant idea, Katie. So how about we go?"
As everyone started moving, Emily hesitated for a moment as she remembered what Effy had said earlier.
"Don't think about it now, Emily. You'll only drive yourself crazy until you talk to Naomi about it." Effy stated simply, reading the young girls mind. "C'mon, let me show you a world of wonder."
Emily rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Yeah, sure." She replied sceptically, but nevertheless followed everyone else into the lounge. It wasn't until she came to a stop next to her sister that a thought came to her. "Um...guys? How are we supposed to get there?"
Cook laughed as he stepped next to Katie, wrapping an arm around the older twins waist. "Magic! Hold on, Katiekins." He told her, winking at Emily.
Before she could say anything, Katie and Cook disappeared. "What the fuck?" She watched as Panda and Thomas went next and then Lara and JJ, leaving her standing with Freddie and Effy, who were both smiling at her.
"You still don't fully believe yet, Emily, but you will." Freddie said as he nodded at her and flashed out of the room.
"And then there were two." Effy chuckled. "Are you ready?"
Emily turned to find Effy looking at her expectantly. She swallowed the small fear of the unknown that had formed in her stomach and nodded.
Effy stepped up to her, wrapped her arm around her waist and smiled down at her. "You really need to hold on tight." Emily did as instructed, gripping the brunette so tightly that if Effy needed to actually breath to live, she'd probably die from lack of oxygen. "And off we go." Effy told her, before they too disappeared from the room.
"I told you that I didn't want to be disturbed!" Hamish whined as the young cocky elf stood in front of him.
"Trust me, Hamish, you're gonna want to see this."
"Whatever!" Hamish stood up from Naomi's desk and followed the elf out. "This had better be good."
The two elves followed along a hallway that led to Naomi's private rooms. Hamish looked around and planned what he was going to do with the space once he was Santa. The younger elf, Alaric, stopped in front of the wall and smiled at Hamish before opening a hidden door. Hamish stood there waiting for the light from the hallway to reveal what was inside.
Alaric led him down another hallway, opening the door at the end and flicked on the lights, walking past shelves on both sides, before coming to a stop.
His eyes widened when he saw Santa Claus sitting in the corner, tied to a chair, out cold. He laughed out loud, as he stepped closer to the human. "This is really great!" He looked over at Alaric. "We just need to keep her here until tomorrow and then I'll be Santa!"
Alaric smiled with pride, glad he was able to work his way up. "Yes, you will be, but I feel that a token like this deserves a reward, don't you?"
Hamish was so high on his power trip, that he didn't even care that the young elf was trying to get something out of him. "You're absolutely right. What do you want?"
"I think head elf will be a decent reward."
"Done! Come with me and we'll make it official."
Hamish pulled the door to the room shut, leaving Naomi in the dark once again. What he hadn't known was she had woken up groggy a half hour earlier and her head felt like it was three sizes too big. She was disorientated, but then it became clear the minute she heard Alaric and Hamish talking outside.
Naomi shut her eyes and dropped her head back down just as the door opened. She felt nauseous throughout the elves' entire exchange, but kept up the ruse of being passed out still, and that was hard to do, because she wanted to stand up and thump them both a couple of times for being twats!
She didn't know what to do now. Naomi was helpless tied up and she knew she couldn't scream out, because anyone that would help her was tied up too. She sat in the dark stash closet and for the third time since becoming Santa, she cried.
"Holy shitting hell, it's bloody freezing here!" Katie cried out as Cook let go of her.
"What part of "North Pole" did you not understand, sweetheart?" Cook quipped as he looked around for Naomi. "Naomi?"
Panda and Thomas where next to show up, followed by Lara, JJ and Freddie
"Where is she?" Freddie as Cook, looking around. "I thought you said she was here."
"She was. I left her right here!" Cook said, pointing to the spot where he last saw his friend. "Maybe she got in." He muttered to himself, while everyone else looked around.
Effy showed up with Emily to find the rest of the group standing around. "What's wrong?"
"Naomi's not here." Cook answered, still wondering where she could've gone.
"And you're sure she was here, right here?" Effy asked again, pointing to the spot they were on.
"Yes, damn it! I know where she was, what I don't fucking know is where she is now!"
"Alright, calm down, yeah? We'll find her, she can't have gone far." Effy replied, as if she was trying to placate a five year old.
"Um, Cook?"
Effy and Cook turned at the sound of Emily's voice, who had started looking around for Naomi as soon as Effy let her go. What she found was the sign of a struggle.
"What is it, Emsy?" Katie asked, stepping next to her twin.
"I think something might have happened to her." Emily pointed to the spot that clearly showed four sets of footprints.
"Fuck! Alright, everyone, listen up! I think they might have Naomi inside, so we're gonna have to get in quietly and find her." Cook spoke to them like he was an army general and they were his troops. "Low and slow, people! Keep in mind that any elf you come across walking around is part of Hamish's crew...take them out quietly."
"Jesus!" Freddie muttered under his breath. "Don't you think that's going a bit overboard, Cook?"
"No! You'll see once we're in there, yeah? So let's go!" Cook grabbed Katie again and flashed out.
Everyone else followed suit, except for Effy and Emily.
"What the hell, Effy? Let's go!" The red head pleaded with Effy, who hadn't moved, wanting to get inside to see what was going on.
"Why?"
Emily was taken back by the question, confusion written on her face. "What?"
"You heard me. Why is it so important to you?" Effy crossed her arms in front of her, wanting to get to the heart of the matter. "I'm not trying to knock you back, but seriously, what does Naomi mean to you?"
Emily stopped the protest that was right on the tip of her tongue. What did Naomi mean to her? Hadn't she been asking herself that very same question for the last few days? Especially after last night? Why was it so important that she help find her? A million questions that could be asked of her, and yet only one answer.
She was completely in love with Naomi.
The force of the realisation hit her hard, almost as if she had been physically struck by some unseen hand. Emily staggered back a few steps, finding it hard to breath.
Effy watched the mortal pale, stagger and then fall to her knees in the snow. "Emily? Are you alright?" She asked suddenly nervous that something was seriously wrong with her. Effy bent down and placed her hands on the smaller girl. "Emily?"
"I love her! That's what she means to me, okay? I love the way she smiles, how it starts out crooked and slowly spreads across her face and I adore the way she bites her lip when she's nervous. I love the way she's clearly an adult, but she has a childish side to her that makes you want to act that way too! I love the way she's innocent and confident all at the same time and she's not afraid to argue with me to get her point across. I love her and I can't walk away without at least telling her that!" Emily practically shouted out as Effy got down to her level.
Effy merely stared at the girl as she knelt there, panting after her verbal vomit and smirked down at her. "So what are we waiting for then?"
Emily's eyes popped in disbelief at the nerve of the woman in front of her. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Tut tut, Emily...watch the language." Effy laughed out loud as she grabbed ahold of Emily and flashed into a large room full of machines and conveyor belts, workbenches and tools.
The flash took Emily's breath away, but it only took her a minute to get her bearings as she took in the room. "Where are we?" She whispered, feeling the need for silence.
"This is the manufacturing studio." Effy glanced over to see her studying everything. "This is where Naomi and the elves makes the toys. It should be full and loud right now."
Effy was more than a bit disturbed by the quietness of the Pole. In all the years she had been coming here, she had never experienced anything quite like this.
"I didn't expect it to be so quiet." Effy said quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them. "Come on. Let's look around."
Effy led Emily through a series of corridors, stopping at each door and peeking through windows to see what was on the other side. After twenty minutes of searching, they found nothing.
"What the hell is going on here, Effy?" Emily wanted answers.
"I don't know. This is one of the most liveliest places on Earth, but Hamish must really have this place locked down. There's no way a North Pole elf would forgo their duties...," Effy trailed off, deep in thought, "that's it!"
"Have you gone crazy?" Emily saw the happy look on Effy's face and wondered about the girls sanity.
Effy shook her head violently. "No, but I know how Hamish plans on becoming Santa! C'mon, we've gotta find the others."
Effy grabbed Emily's hand and shut her eyes. She took them to a couple of rooms, looking for something, but Emily didn't know what, until they flashed into a large storeroom full of presents.
"Finally!" Effy stated before using her powers to locate the others and found Cook and Freddie together. She flashed into Cooks room without a word to Emily.
"I know what's going to happen!" She stated before anyone could say anything else. "And I've got a plan to stop Hamish!"
"Thomo, don't go in there yet! Let's get Freddie and Cook first." Panda said nervously.
Thomas and Pandora found Kieran, Gina and all the elves still loyal to Naomi, tied up and locked in a storage room. Thomas had stuck his head in and counted twenty elves guarding them all.
"Panda, we don't have time to wait. Naomi is running out of time, my love, so we need to act fast, yes?"
Thomas was about to sneak into the room when he heard a scuffle behind him. He turned and found everyone standing there. He breathed a sigh of relief before explaining what was inside the room.
Effy told them Hamish's plan and how he intended to take over. Once everyone was up to speed, they all started slipping into the room silently, one at a time, taking out Hamish's elves.
"Thank Christ you finally showed up!" Kieran stated, obvious anger in his voice, as Effy and Panda went around undoing the magical rope binding them. "Where's Naomi?" He asked looking around.
"We thought she was in here with you." Freddie replied, feeling uneasy. "You haven't seen her?"
"Of course I haven't seen her, you daft twat!" He roared as he stood up, shaking the last of the rope from around his ankles. "I wouldn't have asked!"
"Calm down, Kieran." Gina interjected, knowing he was on the verge of blowing up. "Where was she?"
"Cook left her at the barrier, because she couldn't cross it." JJ told him as he finished placing all the rebel elves under a deep sleep.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE COULDN'T CROSS IT?" Kieran finally blew after being humiliated by Hamish.
JJ physically cowered in front of Father Time. "She...well...she...couldn't...cross...," he started stuttering, feeling his face flush and he started sweating.
"JJ, love, you're getting locked on." Lara came up to him, placing a hand on his cheek, effectively calming him down. "Deep breath."
JJ took a few deep breaths before turning back to Kieran. "She used all of her magic and only had enough to get to the Pole, but not enough to cross the barrier." He explained, calmly, feeling pride that he had accomplished that much.
Emily and Katie were watching things with interest. Emily paying close attention to the older man and JJ.
"How did she use all of her magic?" Gina asked with the patience of a saint.
JJ, afraid to answer knowing that Kieran wouldn't take it very well, glanced at Emily quickly. "Well, she used it on...,"
"Spit it out, boy!"
"Stop, Kieran!" Effy's voice carrying a hint of steel in it. "Naomi used it on the locket that she gave to Emily."
Emily gasped as she heard that, as every head turned to her, making her feel like a deer caught in the headlights.
Freddie looked even angrier, while Cook had a look of pride, Thomo and Panda looked confused and Kieran looked fit to be tied...again. But it was Gina's face that Emily concentrated on, because she looked happy and pleased as punch, as the older woman sized up the petite red head.
Emily felt as if she was under a microscope and couldn't help but squirm and shuffle her feet.
"Hello, dear. I'm Gina, Naomi's mum." She rushed over to the girl, noticing how uncomfortable she looked. "Welcome to the North Pole. And who's this?" Gina asked as she glanced over to Katie.
"Hello, I'm Katie and this is my sister Emily."
"Hello." Gina responded with a smile. "Well, aren't you two just as cute as a button?"
"So you're telling me, that Naomi gave up all her magic? Well that's just fecking lovely!" Kieran ran his fingers through his unkempt hair in frustration, ignoring Gina's gushing. "Now what are we supposed to do? Naomi's missing and has no magic, Hamish is about to take over and we're left twiddling our thumbs!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Kieran." Effy smiled at him.
"Christmas is on the verge of disappearing!" His practically shouted, his hands flailing wildly. "Even if Naomi was to be found in time, there's no presents to deliver!"
"Oh, but there are presents. Hamish has been storing them away, hiding them, so that when the time comes and Naomi's nowhere to be found, he can slip into the role of Santa and deliver them. That's how he's planning to take over." Effy explained excitedly, her eyes gleaming in triumph. "What he's not counting on is us. Emily and I found all the presents, so now we just need to find Naomi, fulfil the clause and voilà!"
Thalmus came running over. "Have you checked all the storerooms and supply closets?"
"Pretty much." Cook told him, looking for confirmation from everyone else.
"Well, what about her secret stash closet?" He asked, not knowing if anyone else knew about it.
"What are you talking about, mate? What secret stash closet?" Freddie asked, looking down on the elf, thinking he was crazy.
Thalmus shook his head in disgust. "Look, I know you're a busy guy, both of you are, but she's your best mate and you don't know about the secret stash she had?"
"Thalmus, how about you take us to this closet if you know where it is, yeah?" Effy said, knowing that he would do whatever she asked him to do.
Sure enough, after leaving JJ and Lara to take control of the elves, Thalmus led the rest of them deep into Naomi's private quarters, always on the lookout for Hamish or any other elves that stood with him.
They came up to her office and heard muffled voices on the other side of the closed door. Thalmus stopped, holding up his hand to warn Effy and the rest of them, and they scooted closer to hear better.
"I'm telling you, there are humans inside the barrier!" One of the voices stated, clearly panicked.
Thalmus looked back and whispered to the group. "That's Alaric."
"You're being paranoid, lad! Humans cannot get through the barrier." Hamish responded. "Settle down. This will all be over shortly and the Pole will go back to who it belongs to!"
"I don't like it, Hamish." Alaric said, still feeling uneasy. "Something just don't feel right."
"Come on, guys, it's just down this way." Thalmus ushered them past the door.
"Guys, I'm gonna hang back here and see what's going on." Effy told them before going back and standing next to the office door. "Go on and find Naomi."
"I'll stay with you." Katie stated leaving no room for arguments. "Naomi's my friend too, so...,"
Effy smiled at her and they watched everyone else head down the hallway, before settling back by the door to listen.
"So what do you think is gonna happen?" Katie asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them.
"Hopefully, they'll find Naomi and then we can deal with Hamish." Effy stated, giving her answer some thought, before a smirk graced her features again. "Whatever happens, prepare for fireworks, because Kieran is a very impatient man."
One thing Effy knew for sure. By the time her and Kieran were done with that elf, he'll be begging to shine a leprechaun's boots.
Alright, so this was suppose to be the last chapter, but I had to split it in half...so I'll be posting the other half soon, oddly enough, it's not quite finished yet:)
But have no fear, I shall be posting an update for the other two stories in a day or two, just a couple of quick ones to get back into it, yeah?
Marci:)