Thank you for the reviews.

So I have sort of touched on this before. Probably shouldn't have had two prompts about Christmas films because they were going to end up sort of the same. I am sure you guys aren't complaining.

Set during 2008 (and sort of series 4). And a prelude to Chapter 11 and set after the last chapter.

Day Fifteen
Hallmark Movies

Rachel wants to watch crappy Christmas movies whereas Eddie would like to keep it to the classics, so they compromise.

Word count: 1,355

"I think you need cheering up," Eddie said.

"Why do you say that?" Rachel said.

"Because you are still upset that Steph forced your hand and you felt like it was better just to say that we were in a relationship than to put up with the mistletoe in your office."

"I just didn't want her throwing it in our faces at the Christmas do."

Eddie smiled as he sighed, knowing that Rachel was taking it rather personally that Steph was using her free time to try and work out whether they were dating. He did have to agree with Rachel though, if Steph had enough time to be putting mistletoe in Rachel's office, then she had enough time to properly plan her lessons.

Although he had to give it to Tom when he apologised and said about why it had got out of hand. He didn't have to in Eddie's eyes, nor did he have to admit to the bet. But then again, Eddie saw that as the type of guy Tom was.

"It just added to the long week." Rachel said. "I'm sorry."

"About?"

"Being upset about telling them." She paused. "I hoped to wait until the new year. So I'd had the Christmas break to think about it."

"I think you do too much thinking."

"Can you really blame me?"

"No. But I do think that you do try and talk yourself out of things that way. Meaning that you might know that you want something, like me, but you might say that you think that it might end in tears, hence why you didn't want anyone else to know."

"It could end in tears."

"I bet I would cry more than you."

She smiled at him before it dropped. "I just… Everyone seems to leave me in the end. Choosing something else over me. I… was never enough for them."

"Maybe you are more than enough for me."

"Well, I wish that you wouldn't say things like that."

He smiled at her as he started to walk over to her. "What? Like I love you and I want to always be with you and you are one of the best things that has ever happened to me." He pulled Rachel into his arms and kissed her. "And I don't care if it ends in tears. Because I would have had the honour of loving you for as long as you allow me to."

"Can you stop being a soppy sod as well?"

"I can try but I'm not promising anything."

He was glad that a smile rose on her face, that seemed genuine as well. He had come to get to know Rachel well over the last year, meaning that he knew when she was trying to hide things from him. He knew that he wasn't always going to know when she was hiding something from him, but he hoped that she knew that he was going to be there for her. He must have proved that with everything that happened in the last 12 months.

"Go on then," Eddie said. "What would you usually do at the end of a long week at this time of year?"

"Melissa started it."

"What?"

"You know those crappy Hallmark movies? Well, I like to put one on, just because you can guess the storyline so you don't have to pay attention."

"Right."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"Because… they are just that. They are crap."

Rachel giggled. "I know. But not everyone can have a slow burn romance like ours. From strangers to friends to lovers. Some people do just fall in love in a couple of weeks."

"I would have thought you would have been the classics all the way."

"Well, how about we see what crappy Christmas movie is on?"

"We could do. Or you could do that while I find Miracle on 34th Street. Or I definitely have The Muppet Christmas Carol somewhere."

"Is that a classic then?"

"How could you question whether The Muppet Christmas Carol is a classic?" Eddie said with pretend surprise. "It is a classic and you know it, Mason."

He knew that Rachel was shaking her head at him as he walked off, whistling the song Scrooge from The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Rachel found herself feeling more than content as she half-watched the film. Eddie had managed to find The Muppet Christmas Carol DVD and the plan was that they were going to watch it after her Hallmark film but Rachel knew that she might not do that, as after 20 minutes, Eddie had fallen asleep and she felt like she could use that time to properly thing over the events of the last week.

She watched the two main characters, finding it hard to relate to them. Mainly because they seemed to only have one priority, which was Christmas related. She tried to ignore the stupid plot about them being old rivals and the bad attitude from them both because they had been placed on the same Christmas project. She knew that by the time the project was finished that they would be happily together.

Rachel knew that she was right earlier. That her and Eddie had a more natural progression of their relationship, with them falling into the friends' category the same time the year before. There was always a part of her that knew that Eddie wanted more and she knew that it was down to her to decide whether that was what she wanted. She was still finding it hard to tell herself that it was something that she wanted. And maybe that is why she overreacted with the mistletoe.

She found herself briefly looking up at Eddie before she snuggled into him further, knowing that she had to do something to show him and herself that this is what she wanted.

"Okay, so we aren't a Hallmark movie." Rachel said as she pulled back.

It was clear that Eddie was confused about the interruption. Especially when she was straddling his lap and kissing him. It was obvious that he was in the mood for something else rather than talking. But she felt like if she didn't say something then, she never would.

"Okay." He said.

"We are more like real life. Aren't we? Like we've taken the time to get to know each other and we've fallen naturally into this."

"Are you telling me this or are you thinking out loud?"

She went in for a short kiss. "Both. I am ready for this, Eddie. I… I have let you in and I know that we work well together and that the staff probably knew before we did. Take the bet that Tom was talking about. This is a natural progression of our relationship. And you are right. If it does end in tears, I want to have the good memories to look back on and say that I had my time loving Eddie Lawson and he loved me back. I do overthink things. This is the one thing that I shouldn't. Because it has happened without me really realising."

"So?"

"I've been worried to add the label out loud. I am your girlfriend like you are my boyfriend. I should embrace that rather than worrying about what could happen."

"Boyfriend or deputy first?"

"Boyfriend. Definitely." Rachel said before she kissed him again.

Not everyone falls in love in a couple of days/weeks like in the movies. Normal people fall in love over time. And that was what Rachel had done with Eddie. She had fallen for him and everything about him. She had included him and Michael in her life and she had to admit that to herself. Her life wasn't a movie. It was real life. And it was horrible and messy and nothing ended up nicely tied up in the end. But she knew that she could rely on Eddie. She might just have to remind herself of that from time to time.