Thank you for the reviews.

Now, I think it is time to find out where Eddie is with all of this. Because he has had the week from hell and, technically, the ball is in his court...

No Reason To Lie

It had been a long week for Eddie. Monday, he had meant to be out camping until Bolton ruined it all and he ended up in a neck brace. If that trip had continued, he was sure that he wouldn't have found out what he did that day as well. He wouldn't have found out that he could be the father to another set of twins, which was the start of the thoughts that would end up consuming him. If that trip had continued, he wouldn't have been in school on the Wednesday when Janeece found the remains of a baby, making him think about Michael and Stephen even more.

So that fact that it was Friday night was a relief. Because he knew that he could finish off the week with a takeaway and a couple of beers. But it didn't stop the thoughts.

Part of Eddie knew that the signs were there and maybe he should have realised that the two new kids that started on the same day as the new headteacher were related. Or even more so when he had Amelia in his class the next day. Maybe then he would have worked out the bombshell that Rachel told him, although he felt like Jamie was taking it exactly the same way as he was. Amelia seemed to just accept it.

As he mentioned to Rachel, Eddie was sure that he might have handled the news better if it wasn't twins. Actually, he was pretty sure that the only good outcome would be if he was just reunited with Rachel after 17 years. With no children involved. Because it was the start of him replaying the night that he found Stephen and the reasons why he didn't see Michael.

If anything, he wished that he could have been more of a help to Rachel the day that the baby was found, especially when he found out that she was suffering as well, but he had been sucked into his own feelings that had been growing.

And he knew that he had to sort himself out. Because he couldn't let this go on.

Because, professionally, he would always be at her side, as her deputy.

But, personally, after wanting to be reunited with her for the last 17 years, he didn't feel like he was making the most of the opportunity that he had been given. He knew what had happened the week before and he couldn't deny that his memories of the night lived up to what the reality of being with Rachel was like. Because there was still this spark between them and he was more certain now that he had fallen in love with her that night.

He would be lying if he said that he didn't understand why Rachel lied to him that night, from what she did as a job to her being on the pill. Mainly because he was constantly reminding himself of what she had said that night about loving a story because she had a bad one. He was sure that she didn't want his sympathy regarding her mother's suicide or the way that her father treated her, but he knew that those white lies that night was to protect her and him.

Which is why he came to the conclusion that, as much as he wanted her to be lying about him being Jamie and Amelia's dad, that Rachel had no reason to lie about it. Because there wasn't really anything for her to gain from lying about it, was there?

It had been a quiet week at Waterloo Road. Something that Eddie was glad of as it meant that he could focus on his teaching job rather than his deputy responsibilities, other than the weekly management meeting. He wasn't avoiding Rachel but he wasn't so sure that he was completely ready for the chat they needed to have.

So he wondered whether Rachel might have sent Amelia to see him for a little damage control.

"Are you still angry?" She asked as she sat on the desk opposite him.

"About what?"

"About us being your kids."

"I… wasn't angry about that."

"Seemed like you were."

Eddie sighed. "So you believe her?"

"Of course I do. And so does Jamie deep down. She wouldn't have any reason to lie to us about it."

"Then why is Jamie so angry?"

Amelia laughed. "Because he thinks that you are a prick and he thinks that he knows best and what Mum should want and this, that and the other. We… we haven't had a father figure and the only one we did have… James felt betrayed by him."

"Robert?" Eddie waited for her to nod. "Rachel mentioned about him. So Jamie is a James?"

"He prefers Jamie but me and Mum can get away with calling him, James. Mum refuses to call him Jamie, saying that she named him James so he is James. I go between the two depending on how much I've been talking to Mum. Try and keep it strictly Jamie for school though."

"Right."

"Don't you believe Mum?"

"I think I have also come to the conclusion that she has no reason to lie about it."

"Bearing in mind all the craziness of last week and the fact that you are asking me these questions, I guess you haven't spoken to Mum properly about this."

"That is what I am trying to work out. If you couldn't tell, I'm not great with words."

"I could draw a picture better than I could write something. Jamie and Mum are the ones that are good at English." She paused for a moment. "Just I did tell Mum that if you wanted proof then I don't mind doing whatever I need to do for a paternity test."

"I thought you said that you believed your mum."

Amelia smiled at him. "It was more for you than me. I will take Mum's word for it. But I suppose that proof will just help everyone."

Eddie knew what he thought and he knew that he could eventually wrap his head around the idea that he did have another set of twins, but there was a part of him that agreed with Amelia. Proof would just let everyone know where they stood with this. And maybe that was how he needed to tell Rachel about his thoughts.

"Can I just start with I don't think you are lying about it?" Eddie said as he made himself comfortable on one of the sofas.

"Okay." Rachel said as she leant back in her chair.

"Well, I don't think that you would have a reason to lie about the twins being mine. They are 17 after all. I don't think that you or they are after anything from me other than… just me. But I think that Amelia is right. I think for everyone, it might be best to do a paternity test. I mean, if it is there, in black and white, then maybe I will start believing it more."

"I suppose you are right there."

"With what?" Eddie said, his brow creasing.

"It isn't like I want you to repay me for the last 17 years. Because I always saw them as a gift. I want them to know you and know the other side of where they have come from. I know that I am only getting to know you as well but… It is something that I think they have missed out on."

"I get it."

"But you know someone else who is missing out."

"Rachel… there is too much with Alison. There is everything that happened with Stephen… and you."

"Me?"

"My friends destroyed most of my relationships after you with you. Alison was the worst because I hoped they were going to keep quiet. Just to tell her on our wedding of all days. I… never knew how to tell anyone. Because how could I tell someone that one of the best nights of my life was spent with… an off-duty prostitute."

"Off-duty." Rachel said as she laughed.

"Well, you were."

"Amelia is up for it."

"I know."

"And I'll try and get James on board. It will be hard to persuade him but I am sure that if I ask for him to do it for me, then he will. And I'll pay for it all."

"Don't be stupid."

"No, Eddie, I'll pay for it. Because if it isn't you, I have no idea who their father is."

"Then I am sure that the result will be exactly how you expect it to be."

Rachel gave him a smile and he was sure that the dust was finally settling over the events that happened last week and soon, things would be back to some sort of normality.

"Can you do the swab first and place it in the cup to dry before filling out the form please?" Rachel said as she handed over the envelopes to James and Amelia.

By the way that James snatched it off her, she knew that he still wasn't all for this idea. It has taken Rachel all week to persuade him to do the paternity test with them. They probably could have done it without him (mainly because Rachel wasn't in the right mood to deal with James being in a bad mood) but she knew that things would be neater if he did it as well.

She was slightly ahead of the twins, as was Eddie, having already done their swabs and waiting for them to dry while filling out their forms. She knew that she didn't have to be a part of it but she had been told that it would help with the result. Problem is, she knew what she had said to Eddie about if it was not him. Because it couldn't be anyone else but him with the dates that she was given (and maybe it was a little selfish of her to want Eddie to be their father rather than the guy who was in between Eddie and the raids).

As soon as she had noticed that James had done his swabs, she knew that her next battle with him would be coming. It was just one that she didn't have to fight.

"Surely I have to be 18 to fill this in," James said.

"You need to sign it as well as I do." Rachel said.

"Then I will sign it then I am done."

Rachel sighed as James did just that and if anything, she felt like it might be easier just to fill out the form for him rather than to continue to battle against him when Amelia pulled James back down onto the sofa and picked up his form and pushed it against his chest.

"Just grow up and fill out the damn form," Amelia said.

Rachel's brow creased at their behaviour before she turned to Eddie. She knew that they would always be divided over finding their birth father with help from Robert, but she didn't realise that James would put up so much resistance that it would cause friction between him and Amelia.

"You could have done this without me," James muttered.

"What is your bloody problem?" Amelia said.

"My bloody problem? I don't even know why you suggested this."

"So you can stop being an arse about the whole thing."

"We are fine as we are."

"You don't have to have anything to do with him. That is your choice. But maybe I do."

"Why? He is a prick."

"Well, maybe it is genetic."

"Alright, pack it in." Rachel almost shouted. "What the hell has gotten into the pair of you?"

They both went deadly silent at that point and as soon as James was done, he was off like a shot, not even giving her a 'see you later/at home'.

"What was all that about?" Rachel asked, hoping that she would get an answer out of her daughter.

"He's being a prick," Amelia said.

"I get that sometimes he isn't the easiest to get on with."

"Mum, this is different. I can understand why he gets angry at things. This isn't the same. You know his friends used to take the piss out of him but he is in a mood because you asked him to do this and his so-called friends wouldn't push their FIFA marathon back half an hour so he could do this. It is why he is so bloody eager to leave. He's never really liked them."

Rachel sighed. "Is something else going on Amelia?"

"No." She said with a shake of her head. "I think… It's still playing on our minds."

Rachel didn't think that it was that and she knew that she would be spending the weekend trying to work out what was going on between them. That and starting to prepare for the ROCBEC meeting that was in two weeks.

"They aren't usually like that." Rachel said to Eddie after Amelia left.

"It can't be easy for them. It is hard enough for me to wrap my head around it all."

"James… just seems to be making it so hard."

"He'll come round eventually."

"Maybe."

"Only maybe."

"Unfortunately, they are two completely different personalities. Which means that you can't really count on them to react to the same things in the same way. Other than Amelia is more open to things than James."

"I think he will change once we get the result."

Rachel knew that Eddie was only at the start of getting to know them with that comment. Because the result might only change James a little. There was a very steep mountain for Eddie to climb for James to accept him and Rachel wasn't too sure how steep it actually was.