The Heart Never Lies

I once again apologize for the long awaited updated; I've been busy spending as much time with my friend before she goes abroad to study so I hope you enjoy. Also I'm unsure of the reasons why Rachel did what she did in her past so I've made it up. Hope you like it.

Chapter Twenty Five: Christmas Time

After the success of the open day, the school remained open and Rachel, for one, was relieved; she was now 22 weeks gone and with her rounded bump, everyone at the school now knew their secret but it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. Phil and Lindsay were officially going out which made Michael happy because it meant she was over a lot more; and as for Michael himself, he was doing really well as school. It was early Christmas morning; Rachel and Eddie hadn't gone to bed until they were sure Michael was asleep so they could retrieve all the presents from the various hiding places. Hearing her door open, she felt a movement on her bed; she opened her eyes and saw Michael sitting in front of her with a big grin on his face.

"Honey, it's six in the morning; you should not be up this early" she whispered, trying to stay calm whilst slightly annoyed that she had been woken so early.

"But its Christmas" he exclaimed, loudly and rather excitedly.

"Yes, I know, but my baby likes to keep me awake so I don't get much sleep"

"But Santa's been…" he argued, with a hint of sadness and confusion in his voice; he couldn't understand why Rachel was so upset with him.

"I know Santa's been but it is too early to be awake; especially as nanny and granddad are coming and you don't want to be asleep when they come, do you?"

"I want my presents" he whimpered, tears slowly forming in his eyes and threatening to spill.

"Tell you what, come and lie next to me for a bit longer and then we'll get up, okay?" she tried to reason with him.

"No" he argued, his arms crossed and pouting.

By this point, Rachel was getting really fed up; she was tired, she was crabby and the last thing she wanted to deal with at six in the morning was Michael whining, Christmas or not.

"Michael, you either lie here or you go back to your room and be on your own; what's it gonna be?" Rachel said, sternly in her headteacher voice, as she sat up.

"Fine" he shouted before running out the room; his son shouting had finally awoken Eddie. He looked over at Rachel and ran his hand along her back as she sighed and put her head in her hands.

"Come here" he whispered.

She snuggled against his chest as he ran his hand along her hair and back.

"I've upset him at Christmas"

"You were right; it's way too early and you are physically and mentally and emotionally exhausted. You've been running around at work and Michael and been pregnant, you should be taking it easy"

"I'll go and apologise to him"

"Go back to sleep; I'll go"

He kissed her forehead before leaving the room; he went into his son's room and sat on his bed as he moved the duvet from over his head.

"I'm sorry daddy" Michael cried.

"Rachel is very tired; she didn't mean to shout at you" he said as he wiped his son's eyes.

"Can I still have my presents?" he asked, quietly without looking at Eddie.

"Course you can buddy but in a bit, okay? Come on, come and lie with us for a bit; I think Rachel might like a hug and to hear you say sorry"

Michael followed Eddie and laid in the bed inbetween them; he wrapped his arms around Rachel as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I'm sorry…mommy" he said.

Rachel looked at Eddie; even though they had agreed six months ago that she would be that person in his life, he'd never actually called her that before.

"I mean Rachel" Michael added quickly, scared he'd upset her again.

"You can call me mommy if you want to?" she said, looking at him as she ran her hand along his hair.

"I'm gonna be good today, I promise"

"I'm sorry I shouted at you honey; I didn't mean to upset you. I love you, you know that, right?"

"I love you too mommy"

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead as he drifted off. A couple of hours later, Rachel awoke and found herself alone in the bed; she pulled on her dressing gown and went downstairs where Michael and Eddie were sat on the sofa, watching cartoons. She sat next to them and rested her hand on her stomach as Eddie leant over and kissed her.

"Happy Christmas"

"And you; what time are your parents coming?"

"About one so we can eat in between two and three"

"Okay; I'd better get the turkey in the oven"

"Already done; I put it in an hour ago. You feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I just need some sleep; this baby of yours likes to keep me awoke all night…"

"I can't believe that in a little over two weeks, we're gonna know if it's a boy or girl"

"Me neither; I'm gonna give Phil a call and we can make a start on the…"

"Okay" he said, cutting her off.

A couple of hours later, all the presents were opened and the rubbish was in the black sack outside.

None of them had done that bad; Phil had some new computer games, DVDs, money and a CD (from Lindsay); Michael had lots of new toys and games and teddies as well as chocolate; Eddie had a new watch (from Rachel), a couple of DVDs and a 'World's best dad' mug off Michael; Rachel had gotten perfume and a lovely silver matching necklace and bracelet set (from Eddie), books, chocolates and a teddy that Michael had made Eddie buy for him to give her.

They had also brought each other a couple of baby things; with all the presents opened, Rachel had gone to get changed into her black trousers and new purple jacket with her white top before going back downstairs. She stood in the kitchen getting the dinner sorted when she felt two arms wrap around her waist, hands resting on her bump.

"You look beautiful" Eddie whispered in her ear.

"Thanks; can you make sure the boys are getting ready?"

"I already am Rache" Phil said as he came into the room "Can I help?"

"That would be great; thanks Phil"

As Eddie disappeared, Phil took over with the potatoes as Rachel got on with the rest of the vegetables.

"You okay Rache?"

"I will be; I'm just tired and I really want things to go well today"

"Why are you nervous? You've already met them"

"Not officially, only when we've dropped Michael off and I've seen the looks Susan gives me. She doesn't approve of someone with my background been with her son; not when I broke his heart last year"

"Hey, you made a mistake; you shouldn't be judged by that. You've turned your life around; you've been a great mom to Michael and to me and you'll be a great mom to that baby too. If she can't see that, it's her problem…"

"What did Lindsay get you?" she asked, changing the subject.

"A CD I wanted; I've invited her round tomorrow. It's our last chance to see each other until after the New Year"

"That's fine"

"Rache, it's gonna be fine"

Rachel nodded as they carried on with the dinner preparations; at just before 1, the doorbell ran. Rachel sighed and took her apron off before going out into the hallway were Eddie had shown his mom and dad through.

"Mom, dad, you know Rachel" he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's nice to see you again" John said, kissing her hand and handing the flowers to her and the wine to Eddie.

"You too John, Susan"

"Rachel" Susan answered with very little emotion.

"This is Philip, Rachel's nephew"

"Nice to meet you" Phil said.

"Where's my grandson then?" Susan asked.

"In the living room" Eddie answered.

As Phil showed John and Susan into the living room, Rachel and Eddie went into the kitchen.

"A couple of hours, that's all; it's gonna be fine"

"You better see what they want to drink" she said as she put her flowers in a vase of water and checked on the food.

Two hours later, they were sat around the table, tucking into the food; Rachel had barely said a word all afternoon. Eddie took her hand and with a single look, she nodded to tell him she was okay.

"So, Rachel, how's the pregnancy treating you?" John asked.

"Not too bad; he or she likes to keep me awake all night bit its okay"

"When do you find out if it's a boy or girl?"

"Two weeks and we can't wait can we honey?" Eddie answered.

"No we can't"

"So, tell me Rachel, how exactly did you manage to lure my son into your trap?" Susan snapped.

"I'm sorry?" Rachel answered, slightly taken back by the sudden outburst.

"Mom, don't" Eddie warned.

"Susan…" John started.

"I'm just curious; a woman with your past…"

"I love your son, as simple as; I didn't lure him into a trap. What I did was a long time ago and I've regretted it since but I can't change the past; all I can do is try and rebuild my life" she tried to reason, her voice cracking and tears running down her cheeks.

"No amount of qualifications or smart suits will hide what you are"

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Michael asked as he climbed on her lap and gave her a hug.

"I'm fine honey; go and finish your dinner"

As he went back to his dinner, she wiped her eyes as they all ate in silence; with dinner over, Phil helped Rachel in the kitchen while Eddie and Michael were in the living room with his parents. As Phil washed up, he looked over at his aunt who was slowly clearing up; he dried his hands and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I thought you might need one; dinner was intense and you were really upset"

"Thanks Phil" she answered with a slight smile as she pulled him in for another hug.

With all the cleaning up done, Rachel and Phil reluctantly went back into the living room where Rachel sat next to Eddie and rested her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Mom, I think you owe Rachel an apology" Eddie said.

"Eddie, leave it" Rachel pleaded.

"No, she insulted you in your own home; you invited her here for dinner even though she made you feel uncomfortable"

I think he has a point love; you haven't made thing easy for her" John agreed.

"So, you're happy for our son to be with a…"

"Hey, so Rache has a past that you don't approve of but don't insult her…" Phil started as Rachel took Michael upstairs "All she's wanted for today was for it to be perfect; she's physically and emotionally exhausted carrying your grandchild, I might add or give her a break or get out"

"I think you'd better apologise" John said.

"For what? Telling the truth? She made a mistake, years ago and believe me she has paid for it several times"

"John, we're leaving" Susan announced, standing up.

"What? Don't like the truth? The amount of times she's suffered and had to explain herself is…unbelievable but she thought she could trust you two, obviously she was wrong" he concluded before leaving the room.

As he stood looking out the window in the kitchen, he heard the front door shut before footsteps approached.

"I'm sorry Eddie; I know they're your parents but…"

"Hey, I'm proud of you for sticking up for your aunt; everything you said was right. Rache doesn't deserve to be treated like that"

"You should probably check if she's okay"

"Yeah"

Eddie went upstairs where Michael had fell asleep in Rachel's arms as they lay on her bed; her eyes were red and puffy and her whole mood was sad. She lifted her head as Eddie spooned in behind her, resting his hand on her bump as he kissed her neck.

"I'm sorry"

"She's never gonna accept me, is she? She's never gonna approve of an ex-hooker been with her son" she said, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Hey, I don't care what she says; I love you and I don't care about your past. I wouldn't be here if I did…"

"But she's your mom"

"And you're my girlfriend, the mother of my baby and Michael. Don't punish yourself; I love you, Michael loves you and Phil loves you, that is all that matters"

"Michael kept asking me why she was shouting at me" she said, wiping her eyes.

"He's probably heard a lot of confusing things today but he won't understand what they mean; he isn't going to hate you, I promise"

"How can I prove it to her Eddie? How can I prove that I love you?"

"She's just a tradition woman"

"I'm gonna go for a drive; get my head together"

"You shouldn't be driving while you're this upset"

"I'll be fine, I promise; I just need some time to think"

"Want me to come with you?"

"I'll be fine; keep an eye on Phil for me"

"Be carefully, and take your coat; it's really cold out there"

She kissed him and Michael before grabbing her coat and leaving; she had no intention of just going for a drive. Even though a part of her was scared for what she was about to do, she somehow felt it was her fault and that she had to put it right. Considering it was early evening on Christmas day, the roads had been quiet as Rachel had hoped; as she pulled up outside the familiar house, she took the keys out of the ignition and sighed, rubbing her bump. She got out the car and locked it before walking up the drive; waiting for an answer from ringing the doorbell, she pulled her coat around her, secretly glad Eddie had made her take it.

"Rachel, what are you doing here? It's freezing out there" John had said when he had opened the door.

"I…I need to speak to Susan"

"Can't it wait until we've all calmed down?"

"Please?" she pleaded, something she very rarely did unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Come on in then"

He showed her thorough to the kitchen were Susan was getting herself a cup of tea; she reluctantly made Rachel one before they went and sat on the sofa in the living room.

"I haven't come here to argue; I've come to explain…"

"You don't have to explain anything" John said, squeezing her hand.

"She does" Susan snipped.

"I know you don't like me and, in a way, I can understand why but…there are genuine reasons why I did what I did. My mom and dad…died when I was 16; it was just me and my little sister; I didn't have the first idea of what I was supposed to do but I knew I needed the money. I didn't do it because I wanted to or because I enjoyed it because I didn't; I did it because I didn't have a choice; by the time I was nearly twenty, I realised that it wasn't the life that I, or my parents, would've wanted for me so…I made a deal with the police. In exchange for a confession and the capture of the ring leader, I got a new identity; a fresh start to be someone else. That's how I became Rachel Mason; it wasn't easy, hiding this big secret but the minute Eddie found out, he was so supportive. I'm sorry if I'm not the person you want me to be but the truth is, I'm not that person anymore; she died nearly nineteen years ago and if you can't accept that, it's not my problem"

She put her cup on the table before leaving; when she got home, she put her coat on the banister before going into the living room where they were getting ready to watch 'the Polar Express' (Michael's suggestion). She snuggled against Eddie, his arm around her, her head on his chest and her legs tucked under her as he threw the blanket over her. Phil was on the other sofa with Michael.

"You okay?" Eddie whispered.

"Yeah, I'm good" she smiled as they watched the film; when it was finished, Eddie carried a sleeping Michael up to his bed before he and Rachel got changed and lay in their bed, snuggled close to keep warm.

"You didn't just go for a drive earlier, did you?"

"How did you guess?"

"Your mood when you came back…and I had a call from my dad"

"I'm sorry; I, just, felt like I need to explain"

"You don't have to explain anything to anyone; I'm sorry today didn't go as you wanted it to"

"Let's forget about it; we're together, that's more than enough"

"Rache, I love you, more than anything and I can't wait for this baby of ours to be born; he or she is going to be so loved, it's not gonna know what's missing"

"I love you too; and today was perfect in a way. I got to spend it with you and Phil and Michael instead of on my own again"

"You'll never spend another Christmas or Birthday alone ever again"

She smiled and closed her eyes as he rested his hand on her bump and kissed her forehead.