Hello beautiful people and welcome back! As promised, I've written a brand new chapter for this story and I'm very excited to share it (for anyone who may possibly be reading). I have thought long and hard about where I want to take this story and I'll just say this... things are about to get very interesting, and very intense. A lot of questions will be answered, as well as opening up new conversations which will lead to more questions being answered further down the line. I hope you're all ready, because shit is about to get real. Anyways, here is chapter 12. See you on the other side! xx

A special welcome back and shout out to Kilylou for the review on my update post! This chapter is for you :)

Recovery: Chapter 12

Emily

Have you ever felt like your whole life has been turned upside down? Have you ever felt that way more than once? My mind was spinning with the information Cook just gave me, and I felt like I might explode. Sophia's brother Matt, who helped me find out the answers behind Sophia's death and had led me to learn that Naomi had cheated on me with his sister, had escaped from prison. Not only that, but he's going after Naomi with a vengeance. I felt like all of the oxygen in my chest had evaporated, and the air surrounding me had completely disappeared, rendering my lungs useless.

"Emilio?" Cook asked, leaning over and waving his hand in front of my face, attempting to catch my eye. His voice broke me out of my thoughts and I realized I had been staring into space.

My lungs had finally found their strength as my brain switched back on. I sucked in a deep breath and held it, closing my eyes in the process. I gave myself a few seconds to regain composure before I slowly released the air my body was holding onto, and opened my eyes to meet Cook's worried gaze.

Remain calm Emily, just remain fucking calm.

"Red?" Cook asked again, his voice laced with concern.

I looked down at the table separating us and saw two shots of tequila sitting on the tray in front of me. I reached out and took them both in quick succession. I grimaced at the burning sensation in my throat. I could feel my body start to relax, my mind slowly following suit. I looked back up at Cook, who was anxiously waiting for me to respond.

"I think I'm going to need another round" I said to him.

Cook chuckled nervously "You got it babes" he said as he got up from the booth slowly "Be right back, yeah?" he put his hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him and nodded, reassuring him that I would be alright waiting for him.

I watched as Cook made his way over to the bar and leaned against it, pulling out his phone and tapped away on it while he waited for the bartender.

Panic started to settle as I quickly realized I needed to warn Naomi. I pulled my phone out of my jeans and scrolled through my contacts list and landed on her name. I pressed dial and brought it up to my ear, praying that she would answer.

It rang once, and I hoped she was still safe at home, watching telly with Effy.

It rang twice, and my mind started spinning at the possibility that Matt may have already found her.

It rang a third time, and I felt tears start to form in my eyes.

Please Naomi, for the love of God, please answer.

Halfway through the fourth ring, I got her voicemail and my heart sank. Fuck.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cook walking back over with a full tray of drinks. I wasted no time and brought my phone down to my lap, quickly typing out a message: Naomi, where are you? Please call me back as soon as you see this. E xx

I hit send just as Cook carefully placed the tray down on the table and resumed his seat in the booth across from me. He picked up two shot glasses, and handed one over to me, which I gladly took from him. He shot me a weak smile and raised his shot glass across the table. I met him halfway with my own shot and gently tapped our glasses together before promptly throwing the harsh liquid down my throat. I shuddered at the taste, coughing slightly. Cook set his now empty shot glass down on the table and picked up a pint from the tray and started to silently sip from it, clearly giving me time to relax and process the new information.

I looked back down at the phone sitting on my lap, void of any new notifications.

Come on Naomi, where the fuck are you?

Naomi

"Hey, I knew I'd run into you somewhere. It's been awhile, I didn't mean to stare"

The familiar sounding song softly came through the speakers.

"I heard she's nothing like me, I'm sure she'll make you happy. But don't you, don't you smile at me and ask me how I've been"

I found myself bobbing my head up and down to the relaxing melody as the tempo slowly picked up.

Don't you say you've missed me if you don't want me again. You don't know how much I feel I love you still so why don't you, don't you?"

I was just about an hour outside of London when the sound of my ringtone pulled me away from the alluring voice coming through the car speakers. I turned the knob on the stereo down and reached my arm over to search the passenger seat for my phone, keeping my right hand on the steering wheel and holding my eyes on the road in front of me. My left hand finally gripped onto the buzzing device and I carefully brought it up to my line of sight as the screen flashed an all too familiar name: Emily.

I thought about answering, my heart yearning to hear the husky voice awaiting me on the other side of the line. I let my phone ring until the screen turned black. With a heavy sigh, I gently dropped my phone into the cup holder in the center console.

I hadn't spoken to Emily since she left the hospital after my encounter with Mini.

Mini didn't intimidate me at the slightest, but I felt that it was best to not contact Emily for while. Mostly because I feared that Mini would intercept our conversation somehow and find out that Emily had kissed me. I had no idea how much of Mini's bullshit that Emily has put up with, but if their Cafeteria interaction was anything to go off of, I didn't want to risk putting Emily in any more physical danger.

Thinking back to that day made my blood boil. The sound of Mini's hand crossing Emily's face is something I fear I'll never erase from my memory. What's worse is that Emily just stood there and took it. The once fiery Fitch, who didn't stand down from a fight, didn't even raise her voice. Part of me feels like it's my fault. I fucked her up so badly, fucked up the trust she had once again restored in me after everything with Sophia, that I drove her into the arms of an abusive and narcissitic sociopath.

I heard my phone buzz again, quickly followed by a text tone. Without taking my eyes off the road, I reached down and picked up the phone and held it in front of me over the steering wheel.

Naomi, where are you? Please call me back as soon as you see this. E xx

I let out another sigh and dropped my phone back down into its designated holding place. As much as I was dying to speak to Emily, the last hour of my drive had been occupied with another ghost from my past.

I was over halfway to Bristol and my mind had been racing at all the possibilities for why Cook would suddenly be out of prison. Surely he hadn't served his time yet? The judge had said he had the possibility of early release on good behavior, but I hardly doubt that two years was nearly enough time served for justifiable homicide, evasion of law enforcement, and possession/distribution of illegal Class A drugs. Both curiosity and concern for my old friend had gotten the better of me and now I was well on my way back to where it all began.

The rest of my drive was dark as the sun had set well after I passed through Reading. I thought about Cook and nervously anticipated his reasoning for asking me to meet with him. I thought about Effy, and even though I left her in good hands with Katie, I was worried about leaving her side so soon after being released from the hospital. When I asked if I could borrow her car to take to Bristol to "visit my mum", I expected a full blown interrogation. Instead she simply smiled at me and told me to say hi to Gina for her as she happily resumed watching telly with Katie. I assumed she was too doped out on the pain meds she had been taking to question my abrupt plans to leave for Bristol, thanking every higher power of the universe that I didn't have to come clean about actually going to meet up with Cook.

Effy hadn't spoken to Cook since we told her about Freddie that fateful night Cook had shown up at my house. She initially flipped out and said Cook had been lying, refusing to believe that the therapist who she believed to have helped her, murdered her boyfriend. She had locked herself in her room that night and didn't speak to or see anyone for weeks, until the news of Freddie's and John Foster's death had been broadcasted across England. Cook eventually turned himself in, and pleaded self defense. He was still in a huge amount of trouble for escaping prison in the first place, but the judge had gone easy on him since he revealed information that led to a whole investigation on John Foster and his unlawful ways of practicing psychiatry.

I pulled onto the street corner across from the Fishpond Tavern and placed the car in park. I looked out the passenger window and saw the faint glow of lights coming from inside the pub. I took a moment to mentally prepare myself and decided to grab my phone from where it still sat idly in the cup holder.

10:05 pm

I took one more deep breath, releasing it slowly and got out of the car, locking it behind me. Well, here goes nothing.

Emily

"I'm sorry but I'm just thinking of the right words to say, I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. But if you wait around awhile I'll make you fall for me. I promise, I promise you"

I rolled my eyes at the song Cook had chosen on the Jukebox as it came blasting through the pub speakers. I had grown anxious waiting to hear from Naomi and Cook had picked up on the fact that I was nervous. He reassured me that Naomi was safe for now and decided to distract me by filling me in on his time in the slammer. He told me he had made a few "friends" in his cell block who were from all around Bristol. One guy, Jack, had been sentenced to fifteen years for pushing his stepdad down the stairs of his flat when he was only thirteen years old because he was abusing his mother. Needless to say, his stepdad was no longer around. Another man named Leo was sentenced to seven years for dealing drugs to minors at clubs throughout Bristol, I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of that.

They would work out together in the courtyard everyday, ate meals together, traded books, and made a pact that the three of them would stick together against anyone who tried to fuck with them. It was kind of sad, but I think Cook missed them based on the way he spoke about them. He told me he felt bad about deserting them, but his need to get out and warn Naomi about her impending danger was more important, rightfully so. As disappointed as I am in Cook for breaking out of prison AGAIN, which I'm still not sure how he managed to do so (he conveniently chose not to share that bit of information with me), my heart was enormously full at the fact that he decided to risk his life to save Naomi. He really did care about her.

I hadn't realized how close they had gotten after everything with Sophia. Then again, I shut Naomi out almost completely which didn't leave her many options of people to confide in about everything she was going through at the time. Cook understood, he had told me that they shared the guilt of practically sending a girl to her untimely grave. They were in it together, and after he beat the fuck out of that Shanky kid at a party and stood on trial, he willingly took all the blame for dealing Sophia MDMA.

"Yo, Ems" Cook's voice pulled me out of my thoughts once again.

"I'm headed to the pisser, you good here?" he asked.

"I think I'll be okay Cookie, thank you" I replied to him.

He cracked a grin at me and drunkenly made his way to the toilets. I found it sweet that he always made sure I would be okay before leaving me on my own.

I looked around the pub and reminisced on the memories of college. The alcohol had definitely done it's job and had allowed my mind and body to calm down significantly. I thought about my first time here, for Cook's birthday, and how awkward and uncomfortable I felt until Naomi showed up. I thought about Keith's weekly pub quizzes, and how I managed to rope Naomi into coming with me before we were officially together. I remembered our last day of college, reading out our GCSE scores and celebrating after a tough, long, and emotional year. Little did I know then, that would be the last time I ever saw Freddie.

I wondered how Effy was holding up, even though I knew she was in great hands with Naomi and my sister. I reached for my phone, longing to hear my sister's voice, when suddenly Cook's voice boomed throughout the pub.

"BLONDIE!" Cook bellowed from across the room.

I quickly snapped my head around to look back towards the front door following his voice, and I felt my heart start to beat through my ribcage. Cook had his arms wrapped around the frame of none other than Naomi fucking Campbell, whose legs were dangling above the ground as he spun her around a few times before setting her down.

I turned around in the booth and reached for my drink, finishing the rest of my pint in one swift gulp.

"Fuck me, it's good to see you Naomikins" I heard Cook say "Although, I 'spose you ain't really a blondie no more"

Naomi's laughter filled the air, my heart started to race faster.

"It's good to see you too Cook, two years in prison has really done wonders for you" she quipped.

"So it has blondie, so it has. I bet you're wonderin' why I've asked you to meet me at our old stomping grounds?"

"The thought occurred, yeah" She replied sarcastically.

Oh Naomi, how I've missed your wit.

"Well!" Cook exclaimed "Allow me to escort you to our finest booth the Fishpond Tavern has to offer"

Fuck. They were coming over. I wondered if Cook had purposefully planned on bringing us together on the same night, and if the reason he assured me that Naomi was safe was because he knew she was on her way here. Was that who he was texting on his phone earlier?

"Oh, and I have a surprise for you" I practically heard the grin in Cook's voice.

I shifted in my seat as I heard their footsteps approach, quickly fixing my hair. Subtle, Emily.

"Emily?" Naomi asked incredulously.

I'm not sure if it was the liquid courage, or the fact that I was so relieved to see that Naomi was safe, but my body acted before my brain could catch up as I leaped up from the booth and enveloped Naomi into my arms.

"Tada!" Cook practically shouted, gesturing with both of his arms stuck out like he had just performed a magic trick.

I felt Naomi's body stiffen from the contact initially, but immediately relaxed into the embrace and put her arms around my shoulders.

"Cook" Naomi said somewhat sternly "What the fuck is going on? Is she drunk?"

I pulled back from Naomi, who was eyeing our table of numerous empty shot and pint glasses. She turned her head back towards me and I met her shocked gaze, suddenly drowning in her icy blue eyes. I held up my index finger and thumb, keeping them an inch apart, squinting ever so slightly.

"We may have had a few drinks waitin' for you to get here, yeah" Cook said sheepishly, looking down to the ground.

Naomi let out a small chuckle "Not that it isn't great to see you and all, but what are you doing here?" she asked me.

"Maybe it's best if we sit down, yeah?" Cook said, suddenly sounding more serious "I'll go grab us some more drinks"

Cook took off and headed back towards the bar as Naomi and I sat down in the booth together.

I glanced over at Naomi, who was staring back at me expectantly with her arms crossed.

"Hi" was all I managed to say.

"Hi?" She said back, a small smile forming on her lips.

God those lips were going to be the death of me, I really should've paced myself with those drinks. I blame Cook for begging me to keep up with him and scaring the shit out of me with his dreadful news.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you" I said quietly, looking down at the table.

Naomi sighed heavily "I know, I'm sorry"

We both sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence. I wasn't sure how I was going to approach the subject I so desperately wanted to ask her about when Cook arrived back at the table with more shots and pints.

"Alright ladies?" He said nervously as he joined us in the booth "I 'spose you're both wonderin' why I've asked you here"

"Again, the thought occurred Cook, yes" Naomi said, sounding slightly annoyed as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

I let out a small chuckle and reached for my pint, sipping slowly and letting the conversation unfold before me.

Cook took a swig of his pint and threw his shot back before taking a deep breath and looked straight at Naomi "Blondie…" he started slowly. I could feel my heart rate start to pick up again at his uneasiness.

Naomi threw her hands up in the air "Cook for fucks sake! Out with it already"

I could tell she was nervous about what he was about to say.

"You're in danger" He said quickly.

Naomi tensed up immediately "what exactly do you mean… by danger?" Her voice trembling.

I could see Cook struggling, it was almost like he didn't want to say it, fearful of the reality of this situation and how it would change Naomi's life forever.

"Sophia's brother, Matt" Cook started "He was being held in the same prison as me after what he did to your mum's house and he escaped a few weeks ago"

I saw the color drain out of Naomi's face, and I've never seen her look so shocked in my life.

"Shit" she breathed out, and reached for her shot on the table and threw it back "Fuck!" she exclaimed, covering her face with her hands.

As if things couldn't get any worse, my phone buzzed several times in my pocket, alerting me of a new message. I pulled it out and looked at the name on the lit up screen. Fuck.

Three new messages from Mini.

I looked up to Cook and Naomi, who were staring at me with uncertainty and concern in their eyes. I quickly excused myself from the table with the excuse of needing to go to the loo and hastily made my way to the toilets. I entered the all too familiar room and hesitantly unlocked my phone, bringing the unread messages to life before my eyes.

Em, where are you? M xx

Srsly babes, where did you go off to?

Come home soon, we need to talk.

Christ, as if things weren't bad enough already. Luckily, Mini was out with some coworkers when Cook arrived earlier but I hadn't told her I wouldn't be home tonight before I left, let alone going all the way out to sodding Bristol with an escaped convict. My head was spinning from the excessive amount of alcohol I had consumed and thought it best if I went outside to get some fresh air.

I quietly made my way out into the pub and peeked around the corner to look across to where Cook and Naomi were sitting. They seemed to be discussing the issue at large, and probably wouldn't notice if I slipped outside. I made my way to the front door in a flash and looked back as I shut it behind me to make sure they didn't spot me. There seemed to be no sign that I was caught and I walked over to the street corner and leaned against the pub wall, letting out a heavy sigh.

I wondered how Naomi was going to navigate the news, and deal with the aftermath of this giant atomic bomb that had unexpectedly been dropped on her. I wanted nothing more to be inside comforting her, to protect her from the danger that lurked in the streets. My thoughts got dragged back to Mini. As much as I hated to admit it, there was a part of me that still loved her. She was a welcome distraction in the time I needed it most. She wasn't always such a bitch. When we first met, she was so sweet and her immediate interest in me was flattering and I couldn't help but fall for her, or at least fall for the attention she very much wanted to give me. It took my mind off the one person I had always reserved space in my heart for, even in the months following our break up.

Things moved quickly, and she eventually moved into the flat that I shared with Katie, much to Katie's dismay. Katie always had it out for anyone who intimidated her, or anyone who had captured my attention long enough to pull me away from her. It reminded me of her initial dislike for Naomi. After the night at Freddie's shed, and Naomi's heartfelt declaration of love, Katie found it in her heart to forgive Naomi too. I actually think she came to sort of love her in a way. She knew how happy Naomi made me, in the end and after everything that had happened between us, Katie only ever wanted me to be happy. She knew how destroyed I was after I left Naomi, so when I met Mini and my once lost smile slowly started returning to my face in the days following, Katie saw that I was happy and seemed to be moving on and that was enough for her to agree to let Mini move in.

But now I'm here back in Bristol where I met the love of my life, who just so happens to suddenly be back in my life and sitting only meters away from my reach inside. Seeing Naomi again, and being back in my hometown, has brought forth a plethora of memories. Some bad, but mostly good ones. I can't say I've forgiven her transgressions, but something about her presence in my life is magnetic. I've always been drawn to her and I can't seem to fully pull myself away from her, no matter what I do. She's always been my end game.

I can't say for sure if I ever truly loved Mini. She's been the only thing that really kept me from going over the edge in such a fragile time of my life (besides Katie) and in a way, I loved her for saving me from falling into the abyss. But right now, as I fidget with my phone in my hands in an attempt to call her, I've never been so afraid to hear her voice.

I stare at the lit up screen in front of me, my thumb hovering over the dial button, when I see a woman approaching me out of the corner of my eye.

She saunters over and I look up as she stops just a few feet away from me. She's tall, thin yet toned, with long blonde hair and has a sweet, shy smile on her face.

"Pardon me? Do you have a light?" she asks me in a soft voice, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her jacket pocket "I seem to have lost mine".

"Sure" I reply, smiling shyly at her. I've always been a sucker for blondes.

I reach into my jean pocket, and pull out a blue Bic lighter and hold it out for her. She grazes my hand, somewhat intentionally, as she takes it from me and lights up the cigarette that is already placed in her mouth. She leans back against the wall beside me, inhaling deeply before exhaling the smoke into the cold air. She looks me up and down and I can't tell if she's checking me out or examining me. The shivers sent down my spine are unnerving, then again it could just be the chill from the Autumn evening.

She takes out her pack of cigarettes again and holds them in her hand, extending it towards me.

"Smoke?" she asks.

"No thanks" I reply politely, holding my hand up "I gave up years ago and can't stand the smell now"

She nods once and stares back out at the street "Thought you could use one, you looked stressed as shit"

I chuckle nervously, deciding if I should go back inside or excuse myself to call Mini before she speaks again.

"You carry a lighter around for arson purposes then?"

To be honest, I got used to carrying a lighter with me at all times when Naomi and I were together. The amount of lighters that girl lost on a daily basis was insurmountable. Keeping a lighter in my pocket sort of became a comfort to me, and a strange habit I have yet to break out of. Funny, it hadn't really crossed my mind until now.

"Something like that" I say instead, attempting to keep the conversation light.

She looks over at me again "What's your name?"

"Emily"

She nods again slowly before she stubs her now finished cigarette on the sidewalk and turns to me and extends her hand.

"I'm Rebecca"

I take her hand and shake it lightly, giving her a polite smile, which she returns tenfold.

"Well Emily, can I buy you a drink?" she laughs as she adds "You do drink right?"

"I do, but to be honest I think I've had more than enough tonight. Thank you though"

I start to feel uncomfortable and I suddenly crave to be close to Naomi again, hoping that Rebecca will take the hint and leave. Unfortunately she doesn't and her demeanor changes slightly.

"We could just go back to mine?"

Her bluntness stuns me momentarily, and I'm even slightly flattered. Yet I feel an uneasiness wash over me at the prospect that this girl might not take no for an answer, so I go for the easy cop out.

"I...I have a girlfriend, she… she's actually waiting for me to ring her" I manage to stutter out.

For a split second I think about Naomi, silently praying she will notice I've been gone for a while and will be looking for me and come to my rescue. Then I think of Mini, and think maybe if I call her, this girl will go away. I hold my phone up to show Rebecca and start shuffling sideways away from her slightly further down to the corner.

"Pity" Rebecca chuckles and she starts to back off "Well, it was very nice meeting you Emily. Very nice indeed"

I quickly press the dial button on my phone, put off by the tone in Rebecca's voice, and bring it up to my ear.

"Nice meeting you" I say as I turn around to start walking away.

The next thing I know, a sharp sting pierces through my neck, accompanied with an overwhelming feeling of nausea and my whole body suddenly goes numb. I feel my phone drop out of my hands to the pavement below me and my vision starts to blur. Suddenly two strong arms wrap around me and slowly pull me down into a chilling embrace on the ground. My mind is spinning, not entirely aware of what's happening, and my voice barely escapes my lips as I say the last thing that crosses my mind before it all goes black.

"Naomi…"

A/N: Like I said at the start of this chapter, shit is about to get real. I decided to split this chapter into two parts because of the length and I must admit, I love a good cliffhanger. I already have the next part planned out and I hope to get it both written and posted sometime this week. It took me an extra week to finish this chapter, even though when I posted my last update I said I would have it out the next day, because I was in hospital last week (everything is all good now) and I didn't have the ability to write for a bit when I came home.

Anyway, I'm not sure anyone will ever read this. But if you happen to be reading, please let me know what you think! I'm more than determined to finish this story and I have a pretty solid idea of where I want to take it and how it will all end.

The songs in this chapter are "Don't You (TV)" by Taylor Swift and "The Promise" by When In Rome. Both of which I listened to quite a lot while writing this chapter. I just couldn't resist putting a Taylor song in here because I felt that it fits this story so well and come on, it's Taylor Swift! (Shoutout to my fellow Swifties)

Thank you for reading and if you feel inclined, I would love to hear your thoughts on this very well overdue chapter. As always, stay beautiful friends! This is just the beginning of the end for our girls.

Cheers! xx

P.S. I noticed while writing there was a slight continuity error between this chapter and the last, but it's not detrimental to the story so don't worry. Just a silly mistake that I couldn't figure out how to fix. If anyone notices what it is, let me know and I'll reward you with a virtual cookie ;)