Thank you for the reviews.

Who wants an early morning post because the madness of last night is still playing on their mind? I mean, I am currently waiting for an email to tell me what the hell is going on what it means for me. Although I am in a better mood than I was last night... despite only get less than 3 and a half hours of sleep...

So there was only going to be one way that I was going to change this episode (I think you can all guess how) until I watched the episode and had another idea. I ummed and ahhed about it (even went to twitter about it) and decided to add it in. Mainly because, if it did happen, it would have been a nice parallel to what happened in S03E20. Or not? Give me your thoughts on it. Because I don't know anymore.


Series 4 Episode 1 I

It was just the final check. Like Rachel had done for the fire. Just one last quick sweep. Making sure that there wasn't anyone else inside. Obviously, if there was a gun in the school, the only person who wouldn't be outside would be the person with the gun.

It was the last room that Eddie was going to look in before he was going to head out front. It must have just been like what Rachel must have felt like when she found Stuart in the fire. It was something that he wanted to talk to her about. They hadn't really had a chance to talk yet. About anything. Although he got the feeling that she was trying to shrug him and his attempts to talk. He just had to make sure that he was dreaming up what was happening between them before the fire.

The last room.

It was always the last room.

He heard the breathing. It was the only reason he looked a little better around the staffroom. He had hoped that Rachel had been right. That the note was some sick joke but it wasn't. It definitely wasn't a joke. Not when Earl Kelly came out of his hiding place, gun on show. It didn't help that Denzil was with him too.

"Earl. Can we talk about this?" Eddie said as he held his hands up.

"Someone grassed me up."

"Why have you got it?"

Eddie realised that this is where Rachel shined a bit more. She could talk people down. He was more of an act now, think later sort of guy.

It was amazing how she filled his thoughts. How the worry that he had at the end of last term while he waited for her to come out of the school filled him again.

Was this it? Was he never going to get the chance to tell her how he felt about her? Would he never get the chance to kiss her? Would he never get the chance to tell her that he loved her? Would he never get the chance to show her how much he loved her?

"I think we need to do something about this. Don't we, Den?"

By the look on Denzil's face, it looked like this isn't what the young boy wanted. It was clear that he didn't want to be there. That Earl was frightening him.

"Earl. Please."

It was a momentary decision that probably saved his life. Before the gun went off, Eddie had hoped that he could get to the door of the staffroom without getting hurt. There was a loud bang and Eddie was glad that the adrenaline kicked in at that point. He felt the bullet hit his upper arm but he carried on, trying to get as many doors between him and Earl as possible.


Rachel had only just told Ralph that they had the situation under control when they heard the shot. The students started to scream and panic. Everyone else was trying to take control of the situation but the one voice she needed to hear wasn't there.

Eddie.

She didn't know why she started running towards the entrance of the school but she was stopped when one of the police officers grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away. Something she knew that she would be grateful for later, just not now.

"Eddie is still in there." She screamed as she tried to fight the officer off.

She could just about hear Ralph talking to her about arresting her or something like that if she continued to fight. It wasn't the first time she had tried to fight off a police officer and the way that she was going, it wasn't going to be the last time either. She did finally give up as she lost her strength.

She was still staring at the entrance as Tom got her and walked her to where the rest of the school was. She could feel the fight gather in her again but he seemed to have his grip tightly on her. Maybe what had happened in the fire hadn't just affected her. Maybe it had affected the staff and student body. Maybe her running back into the school was the last thing that they needed.

But the last thing she needed was Eddie to be brought out in a body bag.

She tried to stop the sobs but she only grabbed onto Tom's coat as she finally allowed herself to breakdown. She had come back too soon. Her doctor was right. Melissa was right. She wasn't ready for this and, worst of all, she wasn't ready to face Eddie again. She knew what he wanted from her and deep down, she knew that she wanted the same. It was why she had been short with him and tried to brush off his advances.

But, at that moment, he was all that mattered. The fact that she did feel something for him mattered. The fact that she knew what he wanted to say that morning mattered. The fact that he wanted to talk about everything that happened at the end of the school year mattered. The fact that they never got that drink mattered. The fact that he was her best friend mattered. The fact that he knew her like no one else mattered.

Eddie Lawson mattered to her and she worried that she would never be able to tell him that.

She wished that she could start the day over. She wished that she could tell him from the off that they could talk about it later. She wished that she could tell him that she wasn't mentally ready. She wished that she could tell him that she just needed time.

By the time she could focus on what Tom was telling her, she had realised that they were sitting on the grass, with his arms wrapped right around her, holding her close to his chest.

"Rachel?"

"He's one of the reasons I came back. I… I can't lose him, Tom."

"I get that. But I don't think he would ever forgive us if we allowed you to put yourself in danger again. You know, he waited here for them to pull you out of the rubble before he would leave. He sat by your bedside until I told him about the vote of no confidence and then that became the most important thing for him. To make sure that you had your job and the school was ready for your return."

"I… I think I love him, Tom."

"I don't think that is a bad assumption to make. Come on, let's get you with the rest of the school. We've got it all under control."

It was as Tom was about to turn her to walk her to the rest of them, that the doors flung open and Eddie half ran out of the school. Tom wasn't quick enough to catch her but one of the police officers that were standing around the entrance to keep people away, did.

She almost shouted out to him but there was the way that he was holding onto his left upper arm and the blood that made her stop. His eyes finally met hers and she could sense the relief flood over him. Did he think that she would do something stupid again?

The ambulance arrived and as soon as the paramedics got to Eddie, they dragged him away. Rachel could only hear her own breaths as she watched it drive away.


Tom had dropped her off at the hospital after they dealt with the fact that Denzil was with Earl. The poor kid was still in custody until the police had the chance to speak to Eddie about what happened. As much as Rachel wanted to go home, she knew that she could leave Eddie on his own. Not when she knew that he hadn't left her on her own. Ever since Tom told her, she wished that it was Eddie that she woke up to and not her sister. It might have changed her feelings about everything. It might have changed who she saw as an ally.

She lied to the people at the desk, telling them that she was his girlfriend, because she knew that they wouldn't let her through if she said that she was his boss or just a friend. She wondered whether he had used the same lie to sit next to her.

They politely told her that he was being seen at the moment but as soon as the doctor had cleared him for visitors, they would come and get her. She only left when they reassured her that they would get her from the cafe nearby and she left to get herself a coffee. She felt like she might be in for a long night.


Rachel didn't really believe Eddie was okay until she saw him. They warned her that he might not be feeling himself because of the pain medication that they had put him on. She didn't care. She needed to see him.

He looked shocked to see her and as she took the chair to his right, she knew that she was glad that she had stayed. She didn't think that she would have been able to be at home, worrying about how he was, with Melissa fussing over her.

"Hi." She said.

"Are you here for my telling off?"

"You haven't told me off yet."

"You are the boss."

"And I could only imagine what you were feeling when you were waiting for me to come out of the school when it was on fire. Tom told me. You waited."

"I… I couldn't have gone home without knowing that you were okay."

"Like I couldn't go home now. Eddie… I know what you have been trying to say to me all day. And… I'll admit… I was ready to push you away. But… I… I can't. Not… Not when today made me realise… I can't be without you. I… I just need time, Eddie. I shouldn't have come back so soon. I wasn't ready. I… part of me just wanted to see you again. Everyday."

"I can't be without you too, Rach. All I could think about when Earl pointed the gun at me… was you and how there was a chance that I could never tell you what you mean to me." He turned the palm of his right hand up. "I'll wait for you. I just needed to know that it wasn't a never. I needed to know that it was a possibility."

She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Of course it is a possibility. When I have sorted myself out." She paused. "Plus, you aren't allowed to do anything like that again. You could have been killed."

"Yes, Miss."

Rachel found herself smiling. It was the first proper reason that she had to smile since the fire. Everything was going to be okay. She was certain of it.