A/N: Well this is it guys! This is the last chapter of the story. At least I made it extra long right? It's been a lot of fun to write, it really has and reading your reactions throughout has been also very entertaining. I had my share of hate, but I think it's because I decided to play with hard feelings. I regret nothing. This was a great writing exercise. But I do want to thank all of you who have lasted to the end and who have decided to trust me. I think you won't be disappointed :) So thank you, thank you a million times. xx

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Part III

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Chapter 5: Be with me (Forever preferably)

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They spend the rest of the evening together. They decide to go for a walk for a while and the tension mostly disappears. Emily holds onto Naomi's hand and the blonde is more than happy for this small contact.

They stop in some park at one point and sit by the foot of a large oak. They're not cuddling or anything, but Emily doesn't let go of her hand and that's a good sign. They talk then, for a long time they just sit there and talk. The brunette asks her about Sasha and Naomi lets her. She tells her everything the petite woman wants to know and it isn't a big deal. Emily is polite anyway and doesn't ask anything inappropriate.

"Are you still in contact with her?" she asks at the end and Naomi shakes her head.

"No. I mean, we're not on bad terms either it's mostly like... well we wouldn't have much to say to each other. We've never really been just friends without being lovers so..."

"I understand" Emily assures.

And then Naomi asks her about Alice, that older woman she saw so long ago on the brunette's Facebook.

"How do you know about Alice?" Emily asks astonished.

"I may have stalked your Facebook page that one time..." Naomi admits, feeling a blush creep on her cheeks.

The brunette sniggers though and squeezes her hand. And then she tells her about Alice, about the time they were together and how their relationship was. Emily surprises her when she admits they were so happy at one point that Alice proposed to her on Christmas after they'd been together for two years and she had accepted. Naomi is shocked to learn that if she's completely honest.

"Wow... that's pretty big... So you were engaged?" She mutters disbelievingly.

"Yes, I was"

"Can you tell me what happened?" She questions carefully.

Of course, Naomi is dying to know, but at the same time, if Emily thinks is none of her business, then she doesn't want to push.

"Of course" Emily replies with a smile. "We just fell apart honestly. She had a more stable job and kids and my schedule was all over the place and I couldn't be reliable. We fought a lot about that"

"Work does screw a relationship up doesn't it..." the blonde muses.

"Yes and no... I mean, my work didn't help, but I think I used it as an excuse to get away from her and the kids..."

"What d'you mean?" Naomi asks astonished because what Emily is saying doesn't sound like her at all.

"I mean that it was too much for me. I love kids and well… I'd like to have kids one day and I loved her kids as well… but I guess it was just all too fast for me. I barely got time to know her before I was thrown in this step mother life and I just… flipped"

"It's a lot of pressure" Naomi admits and Emily gives her a kind smile even though her eyes remain guilty and sad.

"It was, but that doesn't excuse how I reacted. I knew from the start she was a mother. I used to feel so guilty when she called me out on it being too much… In the end, we decided it was better to leave it at that. I gave her back her ring and moved here" Emily concludes.

Naomi knows this is a big deal for the brunette so she squeezes her hand and traces patterns on top with her thumb. She wishes she could just drag the other girl in her arms and hold her close, but she's afraid to do that. She really doesn't want to push it too far. Of course, when Emily shuffles a bit closer and lays her head on her shoulder, she's far from complaining. They intertwine their arms where they're holding hands and Naomi presses her cheek to the top of Emily's head.

"D'you miss her?" she asks in a small voice.

She's asking because she wants Emily to tell her, not because she doesn't know the answer.

"Yes. Sometimes I do" the brunette answers truthfully.

As glad as she is that the petite woman was honest, Naomi feels her throat tighten. She feels like she just swallowed a pound of flour. Emily spots her expression almost immediately, obviously, because she's just that attentive. She tugs on Naomi's hand until the blonde has turned around and is looking at her.

"Alice was an important part of my life, but she's in my past. You understand that right?" she says carefully.

"Yes I do" She answers truthfully.

"Good" Emily whispers leaning her head back on the blonde's shoulder.

"Yeah…"

They stay like that for a while longer after that and this time they don't really talk. They've talked enough for one night. When it's a lot later then they both ever expected to stay up, Naomi walks Emily back to her car. They hug again, the brunette's arms trailing naturally around the blonde's waist. When the hug is over and Emily pushes herself off slightly, hands still on the other girl's hips, Naomi has one of the most beautiful sights she's seen in a while.

There are a few locks of loose hair falling in front of the girl's gorgeous chocolate eyes, the tip of her button nose is red from the breeze of the night, her lips are slightly parted and she looks so calm, so bashful that Naomi wonders if it's possible for a human to look this alluring with so little effort. Naomi wants to kiss her so bad that she has a hard time thinking of anything else. So it's not that surprising when it slips out of her lips.

"I'm dying to kiss you right now" she mutters softly.

And the second the words are out, she feels Emily tense against her and a flash of panic pass through her eyes. Of course, her pupils also dilate and she shoots her tongue out to moisten her lips, but Naomi can't ignore the undeniable fear that crossed the brunette's features before any of that. So she gives Emily a half smile, a dejected smile and she steps away from the other girl, grabbing her hand though as she does.

"But you're still afraid" Naomi explains. "I'm not going to kiss you until I can make that terrified look in your eyes disappear"

She lifts the petite woman's hand and presses her lips to her knuckles lightly instead. And that gesture earns her another hug and a muffled thank you said into her coat. In all honesty, Naomi is rather proud of herself.

;;

After that night, they don't make specific plans to go on a date, but they keep seeing each other here and there. It's nothing official, it almost feels like they're hanging out as friends, but they both know there's more to it. They're getting to know each other again, but this time, it's not as friends, this time it's so much more. So when Naomi makes Emily laugh and Emily shoves her, the touches linger and it means something.

The blonde is on cloud nine, if she's perfectly honest. Because, yes, things are going slowly and two weeks after their talk in the car park they still haven't done much more than hold hands, but that's exactly how Naomi wants to take it too. They're creating memories together, replacing ancient wounds with better, more beautiful things. They're installing a foundation of trust in their relationship that was never there before and Naomi thinks that that's perhaps the smartest thing they could have done.

;;

Even if they're taking things slowly, Naomi doesn't hesitate to show she cares to the brunette. She doesn't so much say it in words, but she shows it in actions. One morning, she goes to Emily's Café before the other girl. She asked Emily the day before when she was starting work so she estimates at what time the brunette is most likely to show for her daily coffee and plans to go ahead. Then, she goes to the counter and smiles at the barista.

"Hi!" She says cheerfully. "I want to buy coffee for someone, but they're not here yet"

"Hum, okay?" the barista says slowly.

Naomi fishes her cell phone out and shows the young girl a picture of Emily she snapped a few days ago.

"That's her. She'll come in later and order a soy late. I'd like to pay for it now" Naomi explains.

The barista nods, fixing her eyes on the picture to make sure she'll recognize the client later.

"Also" Naomi says digging in her pocket, retrieving a small origami heart. "Can you tape that to her cup and sign an "N" underneath?"

"No problem" the girl responds taking the heart and Naomi smiles brightly.

She knows shit about origami, she's got no talent at all for it, but she can make simple hearts. And she knows it'll make Emily smile. So she pays for the coffee and leaves quickly.

When she gets a text message about 15 minutes later, Naomi is rather pleased with herself.

Emily

You're so freaking cute

Thanks for the coffee

Ems xxx

She spends the rest of the day smiling like a loon and she doesn't even care when the kids make fun of her.

;;

When Lucy questions her and Naomi admits that Emily and her have been casually seeing each other, the teen is overexcited. If the blonde wasn't so happy herself she'd be able to pull off the eye roll she tries, but honestly, she's too damn pleased with the situation to be sarcastic about it.

"This is so precious!" Lucy exclaims and Naomi chuckles.

"Don't get all excited Luce, it's very casual, we're just... hanging out you know?"

"Yeah…" the teen drags out. "But you like her and she likes you, right?"

"Well… yeah" the blonde says with a goofy grin.

"Then it's not just hanging out, innit?"

"I suppose not" she concedes, her smile still etched on her face, unwavering.

"Bloody hell! Your eyes are shinning! You're such a sad sod Naoms! You're totally whipped!" Lucy laughs.

"Am not!" the blonde tries to counter, but without much conviction.

Lucy just starts laughing hysterically and Naomi lets her. She guesses she is pretty much whipped after all.

;;

It's three weeks after the car park conversation that Naomi finally asks Emily out on a proper date. When she asks the brunette out, she gets no hesitation in the answer this time and it's not a rejection. She's nervous about the night, but at the same time, she knows that she just needs to be herself. Emily and her fit in a way she doesn't think she's ever fit with anyone before. What they have is unique, she knows that, she's sure of it. And she wants to trust it, trust that link that holds them together against all odds.

She invites her to dinner first in a semi-fancy restaurant. It's not somewhere very posh where there's an official dress code or anything because she finds those wanky and she doesn't want to bring Emily there, but it's not some cheap joint where you worry about cleanliness either. It's a happy in between and that's exactly what they need.

Naomi picks up Emily at her flat and her heart about stops when she sees the brunette exit the place in a ridiculously flattering strapless red dress. The garment is tight around the girl's chest, but flows a bit more freely around her hips and legs. There's a silver belt dividing the top from the bottom and Emily has paired the dress with a leather bolero that makes her look fiercely gorgeous. Add the beautiful necklace and earrings and carefully placed hairdo and Emily is just jaw dropping, heart stopping beautiful. And that's exactly how Naomi feels like she reacts. Her jaw drops and her heart stops and she's wordless. Until Emily walks up to her and places a soft kiss on her cheek.

Then it's like an electric current runs from the spot Emily's lips touched and goes right to her heart, jump starting it back into action.

"Wow…" She mutters dumbly. "Ems you're… I… I don't even know what to say. You're… I mean, you're going to be named the 8th wonder of the world if you carry on looking like that"

Emily chuckles and rolls her eyes, but her cheeks colour and she bites her bottom lip.

"Do these cheesy lines ever work Naoms?" she asks.

"You tell me" Naomi replies with an amused shrug.

Emily blushes harder and it tells Naomi that they do work. At least a little.

"But seriously Emily, you're stunning" the blonde announces with a soberer expression.

"Thank you" the petite woman replies bashfully. "You look great too"

In all honesty, Naomi is dressed in a much simpler fashion. She's got a black pencil skirt and a cerulean satin blouse, but, at least, she knows that that blouse makes her eyes pop like sapphires. It's why she chose it to begin with. She knows Emily loves her eyes and well, everything is fair in the dating business, isn't it?

"Thank you" She says with a grin. "Shall we?" she continues in a posh accent, extending her hand.

"We shall" Emily replies in the same tones before giggling and taking Naomi's hand in hers.

They get to the restaurant and everything goes great. The food is fantastic, especially the deserts. They order three different types just so Emily can try them all. At the end, Naomi pays after a short argument. She's the one that invited the other girl therefore she pays.

She leads Emily to Nelson street afterwards because the grey, dull buildings have been painted on and what used to be a very mundane walk is now like walking through an exhibition, but with the fresh air of the evening. And obviously, she knows how much Emily loves the Arts, in all their forms, so it's no surprise when they round the first corner and the brunette gushes over the bright colours that compose the urban frescos. They stop to examine many works, Emily's hand tightly secured in Naomi's. It's such a natural gesture now between them, they do it without thinking and it feels amazing every time.

Once they're done looking at the pieces of artwork, Naomi leads them towards Pero's bridge because it's gorgeously illuminated at night and she thinks it's a rather romantic atmosphere. When they reach the place, the blonde knows it was a good choice because the lights flicker on the water of the harbour and Emily's eyes shine with awe.

"Did I ever tell you the meaning of the flickering lights?" Naomi teases.

Emily giggles and shoves her with her shoulder. Then she lets her hand go and leans against the railing, looking at the half sleeping town all around them. Naomi digs into her pocket and takes out the restaurant's receipt. A few seconds later, she presents the bill newly folded into a heart and offers it to Emily with a grin. The brunette takes it and although she looks happy, pleased by the gesture, she also looks a bit sad.

Naomi frowns and reaches her hand towards the petite woman's face. She tucks a stray lock of hair behind the girl's ear and brushes her fingers along her cheek until she turns around, leaning on her side, to look at the blonde.

"What's wrong?" Naomi asks softly.

"Nothing…" The brunette mutters, looking at the space on the ground between Naomi and her.

"Emily…" the blonde sighs. "You can tell me, you know? Just tell me what's on your mind"

The other girl hesitates for a moment and Naomi knows she's nervous. She gives her an encouraging smile then and that seems to give Emily the courage to speak.

"It's just… this is lovely Naoms… This night… you… everything. It's incredible and I… I'm loving everything, but I… at the same time I can't help feeling… weird I guess"

"Weird how?" the blonde asks weakly, feeling her heart falter at the other girl's words.

"It's just… I know this, us, I know it's a clean slate and I want that, I want… I want to try this with you, I promise I do, but… I can't forget what happened and you keep making jokes about it and part of me finds it funny and the other part… the other part isn't so sure…"

Naomi nods slowly and licks her lips. She frowns a bit, trying to find her words. She knows how Emily feels, she feels it too, but there's something she understands about it that she doesn't think Emily does. So she searches her brain for the right words to explain it.

"Look Emily… I feel like I should apologize for reminding you in a way, but, in another, I'm not going to" she starts. "Just hear me out" She says when she sees the brunette's eyes widen in surprise.

Emily relaxes after that and nods.

"I know how weird it is in a way, but… but I don't see it as a clean slate like you do I guess. Ems I… I can't pretend we just met and I can't pretend nothing ever happened before because it's not true. It'd be dandy if we could close our eyes and pretend nothing of that ever happened, but A) it's not true and B) I don't want to forget what we had before" she continues.

Emily frowns a bit, but it's more like curiosity than disagreement. Naomi can work with curiosity.

"What we had before ended badly. You got hurt, I know that. But what we were before matters to me because it's also part of who we are now. We had that connection then and, yeah, I didn't realise and well… things were fucked, but that doesn't change the fact that we had that connection regardless. And I don't want to forget that because I don't ever want to forget how special we really are" She shrugs.

Emily's frown disappears and her eyes shine with understanding then.

"I don't want to erase our history just because it was a bit grey at certain points. It's ours Ems and just because of that well… it's precious" Naomi finishes with a blush on her cheeks.

She hates being this emotional, she really does, but Emily needs to hear this, she thinks. And Naomi is pretty certain she was right when the brunette's eyes sparkle with what feels a lot like love and she puts her arms around the blonde's shoulders and pulls her down into a hug. Naomi holds onto her waist tightly as well and lets the brunette burry her nose in the crook of her neck.

"You say the most perfect things sometimes" Emily whispers and if it wasn't such an emotional moment, Naomi would crack a joke.

But it is that much of an emotional moment, so she doesn't say anything and just holds Emily. A few seconds later, the brunette lets her go and turns to look at the water again, but she grabs the blonde's hands and positions her so that Naomi is hugging her from behind, enveloping her carefully in her arms. The blonde has absolutely no complaints to make.

It's in that moment though, while she's holding Emily close to her heart that Naomi realises how badly in this she is. She drags her nose along Emily's hairline and places a careful kiss there and when the brunette hums, Naomi's heart feels ready to burst with affection and… and love. She almost feels her blood freeze in her veins when the thought occurs to her, but then she feels Emily's thumbs against her wrists, tracing invisible lines there and she relaxes.

Okay, so she doesn't just fancy Emily anymore. She loves her. It's so obvious to her now, in that simple instant where her body is pressed against the brunette's. She's in love with Emily Fitch and no matter how much she'd try to deny it, she can't. She's a total goner. She loves everything about the petite woman in her arms. She loves the way she bites her bottom lip when she's shy or nervous or anxious, she loves the way her eyes light up when there's something that fascinates her, she loves the way her voice gets deeper when she's serious and she loves the way she's just perfect when she does nothing at all.

Naomi closes her eyes and lets herself get lost in Emily's scent and Emily's touch and if she was just a tad more whipped, she'd probably cry for how unbelievingly lucky and happy she is right now to be there with the other girl. She's not quite there yet though so she doesn't cry, but she does smile goofily. Love is a beautiful thing after all, she's got nothing to cry about and every reason to smile.

;;

After that date, they see more and more of each other. What makes them even more involved in the other's lives though is Naomi's idea and she's quite proud of it. It occurs to her during one staff meeting and she thinks it's bloody brilliant. So brilliant that she smirks coyly to herself the rest of the meeting. She's even more cockily proud of herself when she proposes the idea and it's welcomed enthusiastically by the entire staff. She gets the green light to talk to Emily and she plans on doing it as early as she can.

;;

As early as she can turns out to be that very evening. They go for coffee and Naomi just asks her.

"Hey Ems… I was thinking of offering some first aid courses to the kids at the centre and well… you're the only paramedic I know" she explains with a smirk. "Would you like to teach the classes?"

Emily stares at her a little, but then she raises an eyebrow and gives Naomi a curious look.

"You want me to teach at YBC?" she questions.

"Yes" Naomi confirms.

"What's in it for me?" she asks, obviously teasing.

"Well…" the blonde starts with a drawl. "For one, you'd be helping several kids learn the basics of first aid and that's like… helping humanity, isn't it?"

Emily chuckles and rolls her eyes.

"And well, secondly…" Naomi says coyly getting closer to Emily. "You'd get to hang out with like a totally fit blonde bombshell"

"Really! Who? You'll have to introduce me" the brunette exclaims.

Naomi laughs throatily and nudges delicately the other girl.

"But seriously…" the petite says, but there's still a hint of amusement in her eyes, so Naomi knows she won't actually be serious. "These kinds of gigs are usually volunteer work, aren't they?"

"Yes" Naomi nods.

"So tell me… why should I do this?"

And really, there's a challenge in those brown orbs and that's what pushes Naomi to react like she does.

"Well…" she starts, inching even closer to the brunette so that their thighs are pressed against each other now.

She lifts her hand and runs a finger on the length on Emily's arms. She feels shivers rise in her wake and she smiles to herself. Naomi turns her head slightly and brushes her nose to Emily's cheeks, tracing the curve of the brunette's jaw until her lips are an inch from the brunette's ear.

"Because it would make me very very happy" the blonde whispers, dragging her nose along Emily's cheek again after she's done.

She feels the petite woman shiver next to her and when she distances herself enough for Emily to turn her head, she has to bite her bottom lip to keep from chuckling. She doesn't know what's funnier, the darkness of Emily's eyes, the fact that she darts her gaze from the blonde's eyes to her lips or the fact that she looks like she's not sure if she should be mad or incredibly turned on. In the end, Naomi thinks Emily decides on feeling turned on, because her cheeks colour bright red, but she smirks and leans closer.

When it's her turn to be an inch from Naomi's ear, she mutters "Well in that case, how can I refuse?" and then she presses a lingering kiss right in the junction of Naomi's ear and jaw and the blonde almost moans at the feeling.

Naomi doesn't kiss the girl though. She doesn't know if she should. But she smirks at her and laces their fingers together and it seems enough.

;;

They spend the next few weeks discussing the project pretty often and when Naomi posts the inscription sheet in the centre's common room, she's happy to see it filled out rapidly. Of course, Lucy, who started coming to the centre again a while ago, is the first to enlist. She says she wants to learn first aid, but Naomi suspects she just wants to see the two women interact with each other. She's probably right.

;;

About a week before the classes are to begin, Naomi invites Emily over to dinner to thank her for her involvement. She decides to cook the brunette something and although she's still not the most fantastic cook there is, she's certain she can do something that will be memorable.

So she goes to the market and laughs at herself when she picks out every vegetable carefully, examining them first. She also takes the time to buy two good bottles of wine. She doesn't want to get the brunette drunk, but she wants to treat her properly.

She gets home early to prepare everything. She sets the table and although she doesn't overdo it with like candles and stuff, she does get her best silverware and her best tablecloth out. When everything looks fine and ready for Emily the blonde hops in the shower. Afterwards, she puts on some dark skinny jeans and a nice white silk blouse with the first few buttons undone- showing what she hopes is a tasteful amount of cleavage- and she spends at least thirty minutes in front of the mirror, trying to fix her hair and her make up.

She's nervous, a lot more nervous than she thought she would be when she first invited Emily over. It's not that she has grand plans for the night, not really, but she hopes everything goes well. To be honest, ever since she teased the other girl in the coffee shop a few weeks back, Emily and her have been teasing each other more and more physically. It's like they've been finding new ways to tempt each other and it's just about driving the blonde nuts.

If it was just her, Naomi would grab the brunette and kiss the life out of her. She's been almost literally dying to do so for a long time now. Probably ever since she set her eyes on Emily again all those weeks back, but ever since she's realised she loves the girl, the urges have grown more intense. She just wishes she could press her lips against the brunette's perfectly full ones and show her how much she's into this, into them, into her.

Every time she thinks of telling Emily the depth of her feelings, Naomi thinks her heart will just skip right out of her ribcage and fuck off. It's like terrifying isn't explanatory enough to express how truly afraid she is at the prospect of opening her heart in that way to Emily. It's not that she never plans on telling her, she will... eventually. But she's not sure when. It's just that they haven't even kissed yet and Naomi doesn't think the other girl feels quite as much for her. She's scared of making a fool of herself or scaring Emily if she goes and confesses her love right away.

So she's nervous, nervous because she wants to kiss Emily, more than anything, and because she's afraid that if she can't let her feelings out this way, she'll end up blurting out something she's not ready for. And that's without taking into account that she doesn't want their second first kiss to be rushed either. She's determined not to ruin it this time around so even if she thinks they're ready to take their relationship to the next step, she could be wrong. And if she is… God she can't even imagine it.

She's so painfully brinking it that she paces her flat tirelessly as she waits for Emily to arrive. She keeps checking on the food every time she passes the kitchen and checking herself every time she passes a mirror.

When Emily arrives and rings the doorbell, Naomi goes to answer quickly.

"Hi" she greets nervously when she opens the door to the always beautiful brunette.

Emily opted for something casual as well, she notes. She's got black leggings on and a long grey tunic with colourful designs on the front.

"Hey" she replies simply, handing the blonde a bottle of wine.

"Hey..." Naomi repeats dumbly.

The petite woman chuckles.

"Are you going to let me in or are we dining on the front step?" she asks teasingly.

"Oh shit! Right! Sorry!" Naomi shoots automatically.

She steps aside and Emily walks in. When she closes the door, the blonde also closes her eyes for a second. She's ridiculously too nervous and she obviously needs to calm down. But Emily's arrival has only made things worse. She thinks it's the discrete gloss on the brunette's lips that's to fault because she'll be damned if the other girl didn't make herself even more kissable than she usually is. And it's entirely unfair that she has to deal with that.

With a sigh though she shakes herself out of it and turns around, all smiles.

"Make yourself at home" She says. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour I reckon"

"Good" Emily smiles.

If she's nervous too, she's not letting it show. The other just strolls in as if she's been there several times before. She sets her purse down near the kitchen table and turns around to give Naomi an amused look. Then, the blonde realises she hasn't stepped away from the door yet and makes a nervous chuckle before walking into the flat.

She lifts the bottle of wine in the air and says: "I'll put this in the kitchen, yeah? D'you want a glass?"

"Yes please" Emily replies politely.

"Grand!" Naomi squeaks.

Naomi turns around quickly, cheeks colouring and heart beating. Grand? She'd punch herself on the nose if she could. She walks into the kitchen and sets the bottle on the counter next to the other two she already bought. She grabs one to open and digs in her drawers to find the corkscrew. She methodically opens the bottle, trying to focus her mind on the menial task. Maybe if she can focus enough she won't be so damn nervous.

She puts the bottle back down and grabs some glasses. The blonde can't help noticing how much her hands are shaking when she does.

"Fuck's sake Naomi…" She mutters to herself. "Get it together will you?"

She fills the first glass and she's about to fill the second when she hears Emily walk in the kitchen. Even if she hadn't heard her, she's pretty sure she'd have known anyway because the hairs on the back of her neck rise the second the other girl is in the room.

"Hey" Emily says simply. "Everything alright here?"

"Course!" Naomi shoots out nervously.

She takes the glass between her fingers and offers it to Emily.

"Here, you take the first one"

Her voice is shaking just as bad as her hands and Naomi knows the other girl can probably tell how tense she really is. She tries to breathe slowly to calm down, but it doesn't really work, especially not when Emily takes a few steps towards her until she's right in front of the blonde. The brunette curves her fingers around the glass, but also around Naomi's own fingers.

Then, she reaches her other hand behind the blonde's neck and tugs her down gently. Naomi barely has time to wonder what Emily has in mind before the petite woman presses her lips fully against hers.

If Naomi had been expecting it more, maybe she wouldn't have frozen, but, as it turns out, she didn't expect it at all so she freezes, completely. She doesn't even close her eyes and just stands there completely shocked for a few seconds. Until her brain registers that Emily is kissing her. Then, she closes her eyes and it's lucky that Emily is still gripping the wine glass, smartly putting it back on the counter, because Naomi completely lets go of it and cups the brunette's cheeks instead. She feels Emily smile against her lips as she starts kissing back enthusiastically.

And it's really a fucking bliss. She knows she's kissed Emily before, but it's been so long that the blonde doesn't even remember it properly. At least she doesn't remember it ever being as fulfilling as it is now. Because it feels like her lips were never made to kiss anyone else. Not with the way Emily's fit and slip against hers. Not with the way they nip playfully at her bottom lip and part to introduce a godly hot tongue. Naomi takes it in hungrily, swipes her own against it and thinks she'll never tire of this feeling. Her heart is pumping fast, her fingers twitching in excitement on Emily's cheeks and there are goosebumps on her arms. She can feel the petite's grip on her hips and she's not sure if she's feeling so light-headed because she needs air or if it's just the effect of kissing Emily Fitch. It's probably a bit of both.

Eventually, the kiss ends. Entirely too early if you ask Naomi, but then again, they do have to breathe. Emily stays close to her though, even as she puts a bit of distance between them. A greater human being wouldn't stare, but Naomi is no such being so she most definitely stares when she sees Emily's coy and satisfied smirk along with her slightly swollen lips.

"You looked nervous" The petite says smartly. "I figured I'd help… ease the tension"

Naomi gives a nervous chuckle, but also beams. Because- by fucking God!- she's so in love with that girl. And also because, Emily just made everything so clear now and it's obvious they're on the same page. If her senses weren't still so full of Emily, she'd probably find it in herself to make a smart comment in reply. Instead, she connects her lips to Emily again and rejoices in the low hum that comes out of the other girl's throat as she does.

Naomi's not sure how much longer they kiss, she doesn't care. All she cares about is that they do. They kiss and eventually they laugh and eat and chat and kiss some more. It doesn't go any further, but Naomi couldn't care less. They're kissing and it's enough, god it's not enough, it's everything.

;;

A few days later, they're at the centre and Emily is giving her first aid lesson. Naomi has to be there because she's the centre's supervisor, but even if she didn't have to, she's pretty sure she'd be there anyway. Emily looks so beautiful when she's passionately explaining the medical protocols and techniques. Her eyes are sparkling and she moves her hands a lot when she speaks. It's adorable and Naomi is staring and she's being really obvious. She knows because Lucy keeps throwing her bits of paper and winking at her and Naomi would totally tell her to stop if she wasn't too busy perving on Emily.

She snaps herself out of it eventually and takes a piece of paper lying in front of her. She decides to fold it into a heart to give to Emily later, because it's sort of their thing now. She's not paying much attention to anything else so she's a bit surprised when a voice asks:

"That's so cool Naomi! How'd you do that?"

She lifts her head and sees Stacey looking at her expectantly. She blushes when she notices that everyone is looking at her including Emily. The petite woman also has this stern look in her eyes and, if it wasn't so sexy, Naomi might be a bit intimidated.

"Oh huh… well I don't mind showing you, but Emily's lesson is-"

"Over actually" The brunette specifies. "Go ahead, Naoms, I'm curious to know too"

"Alright then" the blonde shrugs.

She picks another piece of paper and starts instructing the few kids that are still around. It's not a really hard technique and it doesn't take very long before she's shown everyone. When she finishes her heart, she beams at the group.

"And then, when the heart is done" she explains. "It's very important that you give it to the loveliest and most beautiful person in the room"

And with that she turns towards Emily and offers her the paper heart shamelessly. She grins proudly when the brunette blushes furiously, but takes the heart nonetheless with a little smirk on her lips. She hears Lucy "aww" in the distance and turns to the teen just enough to give her an eye roll. When she turns to Emily again afterwards, it's just in time to see her put her paper heart away in her wallet. With a jolt to her heart, Naomi sees that the heart is stored in there with every other ones she's ever given the other girl. When Emily sees that she's noticed, she blushes even more and bites her bottom lip.

In that moment, Naomi wishes they weren't surrounded by a bunch of teenagers, because she wants nothing more than to wrap her arms around the other girl and kiss her senseless. It's also the first time she thinks that, perhaps, Emily loves her too. The idea makes her feel all sorts of things, from light-headed to giddy, without forgetting incredibly happy and slightly euphoric.

She can't walk up to the brunette and kiss her right there, but she can still talk to her. So she does walk up to Emily and instead of grabbing her by the hips, she places a careful hand on her lower back to get her attention. Of course, Naomi has a bit of fun when she realises that no one can actually see her hand, so she lowers it dangerously close to the brunette's ass and trails her thumb on the fabric of her shirt. When Emily looks flustered enough, she gives her a satisfied smirk and asks:

"So I'd like to know in advance what coming in the first aid class, d'you think you could meet me in my office when you're done packing up?"

"I think I could manage that, yes" Emily squeaks.

"Brilliant" Naomi exclaims. "I'll see you in a minute then, yeah?"

Emily nods and Naomi laughs and she's not even sure she has to wait a full minute in her office before Emily comes marching in. The second the door is closed behind the brunette, Naomi saunters over, traps the other girl in her arms and kisses her soundly. Emily meets her lips greedily and readily and the blonde just has to smile.

The brunette plunges her hands in Naomi's hair and pulls her towards her and the blonde moans in pleasure. The blonde doesn't even hesitate before pinning the other girl against her office's door. Their hips knock against each other as they kiss and Naomi can almost feel her blood pumping faster in her veins, redirecting itself everywhere so that she feels more connected to Emily. She loves how their bodies fit together, loves it so much that it takes all her will power not to shift her hips so that her thigh will move in between Emily's.

"You make it so hard for me not to kiss you publicly" Emily whines when they emerge for air a few seconds later.

"I know the feeling" Naomi agrees, pressing her lips to the brunette's jaw.

The blonde pushes her head back to look at Emily, when she feels her smile.

"God you're beautiful" she mutters in awe.

"Thanks" the other girl responds, blushing cutely.

They don't say anything for at least a full minute. Naomi doesn't even mind. She's just content to look at Emily. It's like she's cataloguing her every feature, her every beauty spot and line and well... just everything. In this minute of silence, Emily sets one of her hands behind Naomi's neck while the other starts playing absentmindedly with the hair along the base. It's so domestic in a way, but at the same time, it makes the blonde's heart leap.

And then she's dying to say it. She knows she won't, because she's still way too uncertain of how the news would be welcomed, but she's dying to said it nonetheless. It's funny in a way because it's a very simple moment, a very plain moment too. Since they've kissed in Naomi's kitchen, they've kissed plenty. So Naomi doesn't really know why it's while they're pressed against her door, saying and doing absolutely nothing that she wants to say it the most. She reckons it might be because you truly understand and know that you're in love with someone when they do nothing and it means everything to you.

;;

The girl is flirting with her; Naomi can't even pretend she doesn't notice. It's pretty funny because usually, when people flirt with her, she doesn't really notice, but this time she does. She guesses Ima is being very obvious though with her lingering touches on her arm and her sugary voice. Honestly, the only reason why she doesn't tell her to piss off is because the girl is from Bath's youth centre and, as YBC's coordinator, Naomi has to work with her. Still, it's annoying.

"You'll keep me posted on the project, won't you Naomi?" Ima questions when she's finally about to leave.

The blonde would roll her eyes at how elongated the other girl made her name sound if it wasn't completely unprofessional to do so.

"Course" She mutters curtly and Ima leans over to hug her before she goes.

Naomi pats her awkwardly on the back and lets a sigh of relief when Ima is finally gone. She starts gathering her things when she feels someone walk up to her. Naomi turns around and is completely surprised when she sees that Emily is standing right next to her. And she looks very agitated too.

"Ems!" she exclaims happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" the brunette demands hastily, not smiling at all.

"Huh... sure" Naomi nods, before following Emily to her own office.

She closes the door behind them and barely has the time to say "Emily, what's wrong?" before the other girl launches into a long speech.

"I'm so sorry to be barging in on you like this, but I wanted to surprise you and well, I couldn't tell you I was coming, because that's what a surprise is, right? When you don't tell the person you'll be there and then you are…. Anyway, I wanted to surprise you so I came and then I walked in and I saw you were busy so I decided to wait until that girl was gone, but then… well, she was flirting with you and… I don't want to say that I'm jealous because we've never discussed the status of our relationship and well, that means we're not dating exactly or at least not officially, but I thought…"

"Emily" Naomi tries to interrupt, but the other woman just continues to talk.

"We sort of were and well even if we are dating I guess we never discussed the exclusivity of our relationship. And I'm not saying I think you were flirting with her, but she really most definitely was and well she was cute, you know? And I didn't know if you were thinking of flirting back with her or not. I mean I don't know if you're interested in other people that way…"

"Ems"

"I mean, of course, you probably find other women attractive because you have eyes and that happens and I don't mind, but, well… I wasn't sure what were your thoughts on us because we haven't discussed it, like I said. So I wasn't sure if you'd think it was okay to see other people along with me and… well I'm not saying it's not, but well… I'm not sure it's what I want and…"

"Em!"

"Well if it's what you want, to see other people I mean, well I don't want to stop you, but I… I don't think I'm okay with that. I really… I really care about what we have and I was under the impression that we were exclusive and well it just occurred to me right now that I don't know if we are, so I'm asking…. Are we? Is it… I mean, how do you see this relationship and, please, just be honest Naoms, because it's okay if you thought this wasn't exclusive, I promise I won't be mad and if you want-"

The next words come out automatically. Naomi doesn't even think about it, she just says it.

"I love you"

"You can see other people, just not- wait what?!" Emily says, her eyes widening.

Naomi feels her cheek heat up under the other girl's stare. She's been holding this in for so long, she doesn't even know what made her say it finally. But it's out there now and there's no way to go back. And honestly, the blonde doesn't want to go back. Maybe it was the panic in Emily's voice that made her blurt it out like that, but as she stood and heard the brunette rant about their relationship and its exclusivity, Naomi just had to say it. Because, really, the idea that she's seeing other women now that she has Emily is ludicrous. She's ridiculously enamoured with the woman standing in front of her and if there's any doubt of that fact in Emily's mind, then Naomi had to tell her.

"You… you" Emily stutters.

"I love you" Naomi repeats with a shrug.

Of course she's not as calm and relaxed as she may seem. She's nervous and terrified actually, but the last few months with Emily has made her a lot more courageous she ever thought she'd be. It's probably why she's said it, if you look at it this way.

"I'm ridiculously crazy about you Ems… I don't want anyone else, I just want you…"

"I… you are?" the brunette asks dumbly. It's like she doesn't believe it.

"Of course… I… I didn't want to scare you so I didn't tell you… but I am, unwaveringly so. And well… I know we never discussed our status so I guess my feelings may sound a bit premature… but well… I'd love it if we were official… I just… didn't know if it was what you wanted. If you preferred we didn't put any label on us"

Emily continues to stare and Naomi starts getting scared, as in, her heart might not make it if the brunette just tells her they should end this right now. She's never felt so vulnerable, yet so open in her entire life. She's not sure if she's proud of herself or if she thinks she's definitely turned mental.

"You love me?" Emily says again as if she's not quite sure if this conversation is really happening.

"I love you" Naomi repeats again.

She thinks she'll repeat it forever if Emily needs to hear it forever. But then, her voice shakes a bit as she says it because, she really is terrified and standing there in front of the woman she loves and being so completely emotionally naked is rough.

It's like the quiver in her voice is what triggers Emily though, like it's the one thing that makes her realise what's happening. And then… She smiles. She smiles and her eyes fill with tears and the next second she has leaped in Naomi's arms and has pressed her lips roughly against the blonde's. And Naomi holds her there tightly because she's pretty sure her confession was just accepted and if that's not the most relieved she has ever felt in her entire life, she'll be damned.

Emily disconnects their lips and buries her face in the blonde's neck.

"Thank fuck it's not just me" the brunette says and Naomi's heart makes a furious leap.

"What?!" she says as she distances herself from Emily to see her face.

There, in Emily's smile and in Emily's eyes, she finds a thousand treasures, a thousand emotions dancing. And it's pretty evident then, what the petite woman means.

"I love you too Naomi" Emily clarifies regardless.

The blonde has never thought words could sound so beautiful and so perfect ever. She hugs Emily close and just starts chuckling. She's chuckling because she feels a bit incredulous and she's chuckling because it's like all the worry, all the tension that was weighing her down lately has disappeared. Because if Emily loves her back then there's absolutely nothing wrong with her life.

"I can't believe you do…" She whispers, her voice thick with emotion, thick with awe.

"How about me, eh? I've always felt so strongly about you so when I realised I had fallen in love with you already… well I wasn't that surprised" Emily admits. "But I never thought you would love me back so soon"

"Can I tell you a secret?" Naomi says shyly and Emily nods. "I wouldn't know how not to love you anymore…"

It's horrifyingly corny, much cornier than anything the blonde has ever said, but it's also fucking true. And when Emily kisses her again, lovingly, Naomi thinks it's worth it sometimes to say things like that.

;;

They decide that day to make it official and the blonde couldn't be happier about it. When Naomi tells her boys, they're so ecstatic that she's only allowed to hang up the phone after she's promised each of them individually that they'll have dinner one night all of them together.

The blonde is glad her friends are excited for her, if she's honest. She didn't really know what to expect from them. She didn't know if they'd think she didn't deserve the brunette, because, let's face it, she, herself, doubts that she does sometimes. Because Emily is like a little ball of sunshine. She brightens everything with her mere presence. And Naomi is more like a cloud, most of the time. She's got a temper and she can be quite moody. And since her boys know their history, Naomi wouldn't have blamed them if they thought Emily was too good for her.

But of course, that's not giving them enough credit to think like that. Because all three of them love her to bits and that includes her faults and her moments of weaknesses.

"You're having a laugh aren't you? How could I not be happy? Always thought you two should get your shagging on!" Is what Cook tells her happily.

"Although I may understand your worries on the matter, I do not hold what happened years ago against you. You are a fantastic person, Naomi and a dear friend of mine. I think Emily is a very lovely girl as well and I wish you both all the happiness you deserve" is what JJ has to say.

"It's cool mate. I wouldn't judge anyway, but I think you and Ems are gonna be great together. It's fine by me" is what Freddie thinks.

So all in all, her friends are really every bit as wonderful as she always thought.

;;

The more delicate situation comes when she mentions it to her mother and the woman is so freaking enthusiastic that she makes Naomi promise to bring Emily round for dinner. And as much as the younger blonde argues that it might be a bit early to meet the parents, her mother is adamant.

"Oh pish posh love! I've already met Emily, so this is completely different!" Gina says.

"I'm not sure it's that different… you are, despite how much I've tried to deny it over the years, my mother" she counters.

"Well I don't care! Bring her round! At least for a cuppa!"

"I'll ask" Naomi finally says with a sigh.

When she asks Emily, she figures she should have known the petite woman wouldn't mind one iota. And honestly, when the dinner does come around, Naomi thinks it could have been worse. Her mother greets Emily with "Emily! I'm so glad to see you love! You know I've been dying to know that chicken curry recipe you told me about for years! I'm so glad I'm going to be able to know it now!" and it's a bit embarrassing, but at the same time it's her mother's way of showing the both of them she supports their relationship. Naomi thinks her mother is mostly lovely when it comes down to it.

;;

They don't hang around that long to Gina's even if the older Campbell does try to make them stay forever. Instead, they decide to make it back to Naomi's flat and catch a movie on telly. They don't exactly care about the movie, but they do enjoy how they get to cuddle on the couch. Naomi lies on her side and Emily decides to lie in front of her, the blonde's arms wrapped around her. It's a pretty perfect position because, with the arm rest of the couch, Naomi's arm isn't crushed behind the brunette and she can therefore hug her as long as she wants.

They barely even talk. Sometimes, Naomi insults one of the characters and Emily laughs, but most of the time, they just lie together in silence. At other times, the blonde kisses her girlfriend's- she smiles every time she uses that word, she doesn't think she'll ever get tired of it- shoulder.

Hours later, when they've watched the end of a movie and a whole other, Naomi reckons they should go to bed. She starts getting nervous then, because it's not like they'd decided at the beginning of the evening that Emily would sleep over or something. So she doesn't know what's supposed to happen now. The blonde supposes she could always call a taxi, but she doesn't really want to. To be honest, she just wants to go to bed with Emily wrapped around her. But at the same time, she doesn't want the brunette to think that she just wants to shag her. It's not even about sex- although, in all honesty, Naomi wouldn't mind. The blonde really does love Emily and she wants to wake up to her smile and her voice. She thinks that would be akin to waking up in heaven.

She nudges the brunette lightly and Emily turns around on the couch to face her. Naomi waits before speaking just so she can admire the other girl for a bit. She kisses the tip of her button nose and Emily smiles at her bashfully.

"D'you want to stay over tonight?" she asks her.

When Emily doesn't reply right away, Naomi panics.

"I mean as in... sleep. Like... you could sleep over to, you know... sleep. I don't want you to think... not that I... I just... You could sleep over if you wanted and you should know it'd be fine... to just do that" she finishes feeling like a complete moron.

She doesn't know what it is about Emily that always makes her babble like JJ, but it's inevitable. Maybe it's because the brunette makes her so freaking nervous and because she sometimes still feels like she's walking on thin ice in this relationship.

"Okay" Emily agrees and Naomi's stomach makes a powerful lurch.

They move from the couch and start getting ready for bed. Emily asks the blonde if she can take a shower and, of course, Naomi guides her to the bathroom. Then, she starts pacing her room, picking up every little thing that's lying around as she goes. She grabs a t-shirt and shorts from a drawer and puts them on. She doesn't usually wear pyjamas, but she can manage for one night. She gets an extra pair of shorts and an extra t-shirt for Emily and sets it on her dresser.

A few minutes later, Emily walks in the room with a towel tightly wrapped around her petite frame, her hair wet and her skin glistening. Naomi gulps slowly and clenches her hands into fists to stop her fingers from lurching forward just so they can touch the girl.

"Hey" She says nervously.

"Hey" Emily replies.

"I huh... I got you some pyjamas..." she provides pointing at the clothes. "I hope the fit isn't too bad"

"Actually..." the brunette says, taking a few steps towards the blonde. "The thing is Naomi... I don't wear pyjamas"

The blonde feels her eyes widen as she takes in the entirety of that statement.

"Is that going to be a problem?" Emily questions teasingly, her body inches from her now.

Naomi shakes her head vehemently and wraps her arms around the brunette before connecting their lips. She kisses her with all she's worth and allows her her hand to roam the other girl's body over the towel. Her heart is pounding hard and she can feel her own body oozing of want and desire. Emily moans against her lips and walks them slowly towards the bed. When the blonde is about to be knocked on it, she stops the brunette though.

"Are you... are you sure about this?" she asks incredulously. "We don't have to if-" she continues but is cut off by lips.

"I am" Emily assures. "Naomi, I know you've put a lot of pressure on yourself with this relationship. I know you've been careful not to hurt my feelings and careful to show me you could be trusted. I also know that I was very scared at first and I can never thank you enough for the love and respect you've shown me. But there's something you've got to understand now… I trust you and I love you and I most definitely want you"

The brown orbs are full of sincerity and full of love when Emily says those words. Naomi knows she means it, knows she means everything and she smiles brightly. The thought that Emily trusts her is actually what really makes her feel like nothing could go wrong in the world. Because, honestly, if Emily trusts her then they'll be alright.

"It's actually a relief" the blonde says. "Because I don't wear pyjamas either"

And with that, she kisses Emily hard and grabs the towel between her fingers before pulling it off.

;;

If Naomi didn't remember much of their actual first time together, she certainly knows she'll remember their second- or real first night as she likes to think of it- for the rest of her life. There's no simple way to describe it, to describe that night they spend making love for the first time.

Naomi guesses she could explain it in different ways. She could explain it in a more practical way. She could say how beautiful Emily is naked and how much time she spent discovering her body. She could explain how she nearly choked with tears when she finally got a chance to see what Emily's hip tattoo was again and marvelled at the carefully drawn peacock she found there, neck and beak following the curve of Emily's hip bone, making the whole thing incredibly sexy. She could say that she spent several minutes dragging her tongue across the ink and she could say how much it made Emily squirm.

She could try and explain how Emily's skin felt under her fingers, how very soft and delicate it was and how every brush, every caress raised goosebump. She could probably spend a whole hour describing how the brunette's pert breast felt when she held them with her palms compared to how they felt when she licked every inch of them. She could most definitely spend another hour telling everything she loved about the other girl's nipples because there were just too many.

Then, if people really wanted to know, Naomi guesses she could explain how utterly wonderfully wet Emily was when she slid her fingers inside her. And, really, the blonde remembers everything about that specific part so she could say it all. She could talk about all the moans and cries of pleasure and all the kisses delivered as she made love to the girl.

If Naomi decided to explain it differently though, she'd focus on how she really felt throughout. She'd explain first how she felt like their hearts were beating in unison, because it's one of the things that amazed her the most about it all. Naomi doesn't think she's ever felt this connected to anyone, connected enough that she really had the impression that she could feel everything Emily was feeling and vice versa. Then, she'd probably explain how completely, maddeningly crazy Emily drove her. And not because she was just that good- although she was that too- but because Naomi is so in love with Emily that every touch feels like a promise, every kiss feels like a testament and every moan feels like a confession. She feels everything tenfold when it's shared with Emily.

Honestly, Naomi could explain her night with Emily in all those details and it would be completely true. The problem is that it would never be enough either.

;;

Weeks turn into months and they stay together. Spring changes to summer and summer changes to fall. They have several dinners with Cook and several with Freddie and several with JJ and several with Effy. They have a couple of dinners with Gina and they even have a dinner with Emily's sister Katie at one point. Their relationship holds together really well throughout it all. It takes a bit of time before Katie warms up to Naomi though. Apparently she's still a bit bitter about what happened years ago. But in the end, her girlfriend's twin gets around to their relationship and becomes even supportive. Naomi couldn't be happier about that.

;;

One lazy Sunday of November, they're hanging out at Emily's, lounging on her couch. The blonde is settled in one corner, the brunette's legs on her lap and a book in her hands. They've been like that for a while, Naomi reading while Emily flips through the channels. At one point though, the brunette closes the telly altogether and breaks the silence.

"Babes? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Hum? Sure" The blonde says a bit sleepily. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the holidays actually…" Emily says nervously.

"The holidays? As in Christmas?"

"Yeah..."

"What about it hun?" Naomi inquires.

She can tell her girlfriend is nervous so she places her book aside and sets her hand on her knees and gives it a light squeeze. Emily takes in a big breath and asks:

"Would you… would you spend it with me? I mean with, well, my family"

Naomi's eyes widen.

"You want to introduce me to your family?" She questions.

"Yes. I want to bring you along as my girlfriend and I want to introduce you to my parents" Emily confirms.

"So I'm parents material?" the blonde smirks.

She knows it's a big deal for Emily to ask, because the brunette hates introducing her girlfriends to her parents. Apparently her mum is always a pain in the arse with her girlfriends which is why Emily tries to avoid it if the relationship is not serious enough. So the fact that she's asking Naomi to meet them, and furthermore to spend the holidays with them, means a lot. And Naomi can't pretend she doesn't know that and she can't pretend it doesn't make her happy.

"Yes, you're parents material" Emily confirms with a smirk of her own.

"Well I'll have to think about it" Naomi teases. "I mean… I'm not sure how excited I am to meet the infamous Jenna Fitch I must admit"

Emily chuckles.

"The less you know the better, hun… trust me" the brunette says.

"Is she really that bad?"

"Oh yes! I mean, don't get me wrong, you're beautiful, smart, witty and funny. If you weren't preventing me from perhaps one day meeting the man that would make me change my mind, she'd love you. Hell, if James ever brought you as his girlfriend, she'd adore you. But as it is, you're my sexy, witty girlfriend so she'll dislike you. I think it's a question of principle for her"

"She sounds positively lovely" Naomi chips.

"Very much so" Emily jokes. "Oh and, speaking of James, I'm terribly sorry if he grabs your ass and blames it on the alcohol"

Naomi laughs loudly at that. She wants to keep joking, but she also wants to acknowledge how happy she is that Emily invited her at all.

"Come here" she says, grabbing Emily's leg and tugging her closer so that the end of Emily's thighs is flushed with the side of hers now.

She kisses her girlfriend softly on the lips. She takes her time to kiss her too, doesn't rush it, but it's not because it's slow and gentle that it's not as passionately filled with love. When she disconnects the kiss, Emily's eyes are sparkling.

"Thank for inviting me, I'm looking forward to meet the Fitch clan" Naomi says sincerely.

Emily smiles even more bashfully and grabs the blonde by the neck to kiss her again. Naomi is more than happy to oblige, feeling the now familiar beat of excitement shake her ribcage as she feels Emily's tongue connect with hers. They pull apart just enough so they can speak, but their lips remain an inch from each other's.

"So I guess this is pretty serious then, eh?" Naomi whispers. "Us, I mean. It's pretty serious?"

"Yes, yes it is" Emily confirms nudging Naomi's nose with hers.

"Good" the blonde replies with a smile. "Because I'm kinda serious about you, you know?"

"Yeah, I know"

"I love you so much…" the blonde mutters giving a kick kiss to Emily.

"I love you too" the brunette says back her voice all smiles.

"I'm so ridiculously happy right now"

"And so am I… But God I can't believe the time it took to finally get there" Emily says with a chuckle.

"I know! And I heard it was all the fault of some blonde twat" she teases.

"Well she got there in the end, didn't she?" Emily says with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, she did" Naomi agrees.

Then they kiss again unhurriedly, because they can. It won't be the last time they kiss anyway, they have their whole lives to keep kissing. They say it's all about the journey and not the destination. Naomi wants to disagree when the destination is Emily Fitch, but then she thinks that it's because of the hardships they've been through, Emily and her, that they are so much more tied together, so much stronger and so in love now. And she thinks that, perhaps, in her case- because she's lucky like that- she might have gotten it both; the enlightening journey and the ridiculously perfect destination.

.

THE END

.

One last thank you to all of you who have reached this :P I hope you enjoyed the conclusion. Of course, I'd love to hear your final comments on this :) See you in the next life right? I don't really have plans to write anything else, but you never know. I love you guys! xx

This story is dedicated to V, who will probably never read it, but if she does, I hope it makes her smile.