A/U Episode 1, Season 4 – NO MEDDIE!

WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET

CHAPTER 1 - Rachel

What a day! And it was only 11.15. Rachel Mason had been nervous about returning to her job as head teacher of Waterloo Road, only weeks earlier she's sustained major injuries in a fire that had destroyed not only part of the school, but a part of Rachel with it. What was worse, the entire staff and student body knew about her past as Amanda, a life she'd long left behind but could never forget. She had been touched by the kid's rendition of 'Welcome Home' and warmed by the teacher's heartfelt messages of welcome back, she really did feel at home, well...almost!

Something, or rather, someone continued to play on Rachel's mind. On the day of the fire, the first day in ages she's made it to morning break without having to deal with any major dramas and the first time a while that she'd felt truly happy, he'd asked her out. She was surprised at how excited she'd been, yes, they'd shared an effortless banter and she'd dropped her defences around him but it hadn't been til that moment that she'd realised how she really felt about him; her colleague, her deputy, her friend, her Eddie! He'd seemed genuinely pleased to see her this morning but she wasn't sure that it didn't have more to do with wanting to get out of the office and back to the classroom than anything else. She'd realised that he'd been the one behind the choir at assembly, then when, just 5 minutes ago, he'd asked her to join him for a drink after school, he looked so deeply into her eyes that she was sure he was trying to read her thoughts. She just couldn't believe it, did he still feel something for her? She didn't even know if she still felt the same, so much had changed, she'd changed.

He knew about Amanda, how could he still have feelings for her? How could he even look her in the eye? She didn't know what to think any more. Rachel snapped out of her day dream when the bell rang to signal the end of break. She sighed, picked up her coffee cup, flicked on the CD player in her office and settled down to go through the hundreds of e-mails Eddie had saved for her.

Focussed on the screen in front of her, Rachel was taken by surprise when a tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the desk, why was she crying? She'd been reading about the teaching budget for next year, not good news but nothing to cry about! She sat back in her chair, then realised it must have been the music, the CD playing had some tracks from the musicals and the current lyrics had struck a chord even though she hadn't really been listening!

I don't know how to love him

What do to, how to move him

I've been changed, yes, really changed

In these past few days, when I've seen myself

I seem like someone else

I don't know how to take this

I don't see why he moves me

He's a man, he's just a man

And I've had so many men before

In very many ways, he's just one more

That's just it, she though to herself, he's not just a man, he's Eddie Lawson!

AN - This is my first fic, I've got a few more chapters, please R&R and if you like it, I'll add more!