Thank you for the reviews.

So I have mentioned the Christmas do a couple of times. Maybe it is time to let you in on what happened.

Set during 2007 and series 3.

Day Thirteen
School/Work Christmas Dinner

It is the day of the school/work Christmas dinner/meal and it turns out disastrous.

Word count: 2,585

Rachel knew that she did feel like she was maybe dampening everyone's fun but she knew how the school Christmas dinner could go from organised to disaster in a very short space of time. It was why she wanted the whole of the staffroom there to help out (but the usual suspects had shirked their duties again).

It meant that her and Eddie had lost their lunchtime so that others could have theirs. The queue was not dying down and she knew that lunch was going to eat into the fourth period. They had started lunch half an hour earlier for the younger years in hope that it wouldn't take as long as it was.

She was in control of the line heading into the canteen to get their food while Eddie was directing the line inside the canteen while also pointing students as to where they were going to sit within the canteen or sending them her way for her to seat them in the hall. Any bad behaviour was controlled by being sent to the back of the queue, meaning that the peace was sort of being kept.

But this is where more hands make light work. And with no one to really police the kids inside the hall, it was harder to stop when someone decided to start a food fight.

The peace that Rachel and Eddie had tried to keep was gone and anarchy replaced it.

Her voice wasn't loud enough. They were making that much noise that she couldn't be heard over them. It was a good thing that the anarchy had been heard by Eddie who ran into the hall.

"That's enough!" Eddie shouted.

The ones that were nearby him heard him first, stopping as soon as they heard him. It sent a ripple effect throughout the hall. Meaning that once the peace had settled, they were all turned to her, waiting to hear their punishment. She looked around the room, wondering if there was anyone who was sensible enough to do as she said.

"No one is to leave this room until it is put back to the way that it was." She turned to a couple of year sevens and point to two of them. "Come here. Names?"

"Daniel, Miss." One of the boys said.

"Matthew." The other one said.

"Daniel, Matthew. I need you to go to the caretaker and ask him for some black plastic bags and brooms." She turned to the girls, gesturing for them to come over.

"Hailey, Miss." One of the girls said.

"Rosie, Miss." The other one said.

"I need you to go with Mr Lawson. He will ask the canteen staff for some cloths to wipe everything down with."

Eddie shot her a look and she gave him a nod. She didn't quite think that they would start back up again with her in the room and he needed to make sure that they didn't start in the canteen, although she was sure that Candice would put them in their place if they did start anything in the canteen.

"I'll see if Tom is available," Eddie said before he left the room with the year seven girls, pointing the boys in the right direction.

Rachel knew that this could have been a disaster. She just wished that it wasn't.

Rachel dismissed the last of the students and with a sigh, she knew that the hall wasn't exactly how it was to begin with but it was a hell of a lot better than it was.

"We can't keep doing this." She said as she turned to Eddie as he joined her.

"How do you mean?"

"Doing everything on our own. I mean it started with the playground duty and now this. There was no way that we were going to stop this from happening, just the two of us."

"It hasn't exactly been the two of us."

"It has felt like it. I'm just at a bit of a loss as to how we make it work next year."

"Well, our Christmas meal is soon."

She groaned. "Oh don't remind me."

"Why?"

"Because the first drink will be on me."

"You don't have to buy everyone a drink. You can buy me one. And Tom, Davina and Jasmine. They are the ones that have helped. David, Jules, Tina and Katie as well. Reward those that did help, not the ones that didn't. Maybe they will think twice next year."

"I can't really see it working but we can try it."

"Let's just say Grantly, Steph and Matt should not get away with it. Steph has definitely been a bad influence on Matt."

"What? Sit them down. You get the order and we just buy the drinks that we think have deserved it."

"Why not? You have to partake in Steph's secret Santa. The most she could have done was give up half her lunchtime to watch the kids."

"If it goes down badly, I am going to blame it on you."

"Of course it is going to go down badly. We work with a bunch of cheap alcoholics. They are always out to get free drinks."

Rachel knew that it was something that she would have to sort out properly when she got a free minute. Because his crazy idea might just work.

"Honestly, my sister never understands 'I'm going out and I'm now going to be late'." Rachel said as she walked up to Eddie.

He laughed. "Well, I stopped them from making a tab."

"Good."

"Shall we go in and put this plan in action?"

Rachel found herself nodding at him and she had to smile as he opened the door to the restaurant for her. There was a lot of noise about her arrival and she said about the first drink being on her, telling Eddie to get the order while she stood at the bar.

She got the bartender's attention and ordered her and Eddie's drinks, noticing how naturally that order seemed to roll off her tongue. By the time those drinks were placed in front of her, Eddie was there with the order.

"Do you want to see the list?" Eddie said.

She took the list off Eddie and started to order the drinks of people that she was sure deserved it. She debated with Eddie the rest, crossing them out as they were either ordered or disregarded as they hadn't helped enough. Eddie started taking the drinks in batches until there was one tray of drinks left, which Rachel said she would bring over after she paid for them.

When Rachel got to the table and handed out the last drinks, she could tell that there were a few unhappy faces. And she already had her money on Steph having to say something.

"Aren't you missing a couple?" Steph said.

"No. I don't think so." Rachel said. "In fact, I think we need to make a toast. As I need to thank all of you that have helped over the last couple of weeks. It has been a long one with it being so cold but I think we have got through the worst of it. Only three more days of term left until the holidays and I think you all deserve it. So thank you for helping out and thank you for keeping on board with my plans. I am sure that ROBEC, as much as you all hate hearing about it, will help Waterloo Road thrive. So to all you lot and let's hope that next term won't feel as long as this one."

Rachel was actually quite glad that she had a good view of Steph. As it meant that she got to see as the realisation what had happened hit Steph. She couldn't help but smile as Steph slid off to get herself and, maybe, the others a drink.

Eddie couldn't help but smile up at Rachel as she said her little speech and he enjoyed the way that she turned to him first to tap her glass against his. He had every expectation to go into a conversation with the people around him but his breath had been taken away as Rachel took off her coat, revealing the dress that she was wearing underneath. He was not one for fashion but he knew that it hugged her in all the right places and it had caused a reaction in him. Meaning that he was fairly certain that he had his mouth open as she turned to him after she had sat down.

"What?" She said.

"You… look lovely." He stuttered out.

"Thank you. You look rather smart yourself."

"Scrub up, don't I?"

He was fairly certain that his last sentence made little to no sense, but Rachel continued to smile at him and he felt like he was the luckiest guy in the room because of that.

"So Mr Lawson, you never did tell me how it went with Alison?"

Eddie was trying to tell himself to only have professional, platonic thoughts about Rachel. It was something that he seemed to be telling himself more often. But how could he not when she was sitting there, looking so beautiful, smiling at him. There was one thing for certain, Eddie knew that he was royally screwed if Rachel didn't want their relationship to go any further. Because he was more than certain that he had already fallen for her.

"I can't believe that she did that." Steph moaned.

"I can," Tom said, glad that someone had finally done something to address the lack of camaraderie from some of the members of staff.

"Why?"

"Well, she was right to. How many times did she say that she wanted everyone to pull together for you to constantly ignore?" Davina said.

Tom was glad that Davina had seemingly stopped Steph from saying any more. He'd had enough of hearing Steph moaning about Rachel moaning at her for not helping out. He was equally glad that Grantly hadn't said anything yet. Because he had equally annoyed him with his moaning and unwillingness to help.

"I bet he had something to do with it. He has never liked me." Steph said.

If anything, Tom hadn't been completely obvious to how Eddie and Rachel's relationship had seemed to have grown. It wasn't like they could deny it with the rather odd gingerbread house competition between them as well as the snowball fight. Tom was more than certain that Eddie liked Rachel but it was harder for him to know whether Rachel felt the same way. He had hoped that he would get the chance to talk to Davina and Jasmine about it. To get their take on it.

But as he looked over at them, just so he could look back and roll his eyes at Steph, he knew that Rachel did, just by the way that she was laughing at whatever Eddie was telling her. He turned back to the table, catching Davina's eye and smile. It was clear that Davina thought the same as him. Although, he didn't completely know where he stood with Davina himself.

"I don't see that as a bad thing," Tom said.

"Now why would you say something like that?" Grantly said.

"Have you seen them over there? I have a feeling that their working and personal relationship is only going to grow."

"Willing to put money on that," Steph said.

"Yeah. Fiver on by the time we break up for Summer."

Everyone that was around their table chimed up to that, so much so that they were all throwing their bets at Steph quicker than she could get them down. Tom had no idea what he had just started but he had started something.

"Eddie, you didn't have to do this." Rachel said.

"Do what?"

"You don't live anywhere near me."

"Maybe I just want to know that you got home safe."

Rachel was sure that she'd had one too many glasses of wine. Not so much that she was willing to test how far she could push her relationship with Eddie but enough to know that she was trying really hard to banish the thought of what it would be like to have his lips on hers. Probably didn't help that he had got in the taxi with her. To make sure that she got home safe.

"Then I am always going to stand by what I said." She said.

"Which is?"

"That you have a heart of gold."

She almost pointed out the fact that he was blushing but she could definitely feel the heat rise in her own cheeks at his bashful look. If there was one thing that she was increasingly becoming certain of, it was that she would never find anyone else like Eddie Lawson. Meaning that she was more aware that she couldn't rush things with him. Because she couldn't lose him from her life.

"Maybe you just bring it out in me," Eddie said.

"Well, it is quite a good trait to bring out in someone."

"I can't be slacking now. Not with you about."

"How do you mean?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Well, you can't be the only one to have this… massive heart. I mean, I could be in for an easy life and just leave you to sort out all the problems in your way."

"Anyone else and they would let you do that."

"Then I am glad that you aren't anyone else."

It was close. How could she not be close to kissing him after that? She was glad that it seemed like he was leaning in at the same time she was, meaning that she definitely knew that he liked her in that way.

The taxi stopped just before they got too close. Their relationship was still salvageable at that point.

Rachel took the opportunity to turn to her bag, hoping to pay for that part of the journey when Eddie put his hand on her arm.

"I've got it." He said.

"Don't be stupid. You are going to add another £20 just to take you home. I'll pay for this portion of the journey then it is just here to yours that you have to worry about."

"It's fine. I've got it. I wanted to make sure you got home safe."

Rachel knew that they could argue about this for a while and for a second, she felt like it might have been easier to ask Eddie in. Just she knew then that there would be no going back for them.

"I'll see you Monday then." She said.

"For more fun and games."

"Oh, it is definitely that."

Rachel hesitated about placing a kiss on his cheek and didn't for the pure reason that she needed to sort her head out and work out what she was going to say to him on Monday when they would need to talk about it. A sigh left her lips as she leant against her front door, once she was in her house, knowing that they were so close to being something more. Just could Rachel let that happen just yet?