Thank you for the reviews.

So this is set two weeks after the last chapter. At the end of May... so the pressure is definitely on...

Under Pressure

The stress.

It had definitely risen in the Lawson/Mason household over the half-term break and with both James and Amelia having exams in the first week back, Rachel knew that the stress was going to hit them in the ways that it did once before. Eddie could shrug it off with his own laid back attitude but he hadn't watched the twins stress over their GCSEs. He hadn't had to fight over an exercise book with James so he actually got some sleep or had to reassure Amelia that she did know what she had been taught when she was panicking that she had forgotten it all and couldn't do the exam.

Maybe they would have been a little calmer had they done the AS exams last year (with them getting their predicted grades after the fire). Maybe they wouldn't feel like everything was riding on these couple of exams.

And so Rachel knew the reason that James walked into the kitchen and turned his back to them. Because this was the same thing that happened last time.

"How is it?" James asked.

Rachel looked over at Amelia, knowing that it was probably best that one of them said something first.

"It has been worse," Amelia said, knowing full well that this time looked only slightly better than last time.

"It's been worse?!" Eddie said before Rachel shot him a look as James turned to them, looking horrified. "Although, what do I know? This is the first time I've seen it."

Rachel was sure that James had already made his mind up with what he wanted to do long before his father's comment and she hoped that this time they could have a conversation about it before James did something stupid.

"No, that's it. I'm shaving it." James said.

"James, it really doesn't look that bad." Rachel said.

"It might not look bad today but what is it going to look like tomorrow. I'm going to have a shower later, how much is going to fall out then?"

"Then we will go to the doctors…"

"Already been and I am back on the steroids but it doesn't look like they are working, do they?" James huffed. "Dad, do you have some clippers?"

"No, not really," Eddie said.

"James, you are going to a barber if you want it shaved." Rachel said.

"I am not leaving the house looking like this," James said.

"What about Chlo?" Amelia said.

"No," James said, very sternly. "Nobody is to know."

Rachel couldn't help herself from sighing and if she didn't know what James did last time, she might have been able to put it to one side. But she knew that she was fighting a losing battle and she would be better off giving into him than doing what he did last time. Although she was uncertain about how shaving his hair made it look any better.

"Fine. I'll go out and get some clippers. But I am going to do it. You are not going to do it in the bathroom mirror and clogging up the sink. Again."

To Rachel, that seemed like the best compromise that they were going to come to. It meant that she could still have some control over how short James' hair was going to go while also allowing James to do what he wanted to do without him doing it himself.

"Okay. Thank you." James said before he left.

"I'm sorry. It has been worse than that." Eddie whispered.

"Only slightly, Dad," Amelia said. "It started to fall out again when Mum was in hospital. Not badly but it does get to him. Plus he is so vain."

"It is maybe the only thing James is right about. It could be worse tomorrow." Rachel sighed. "Better go and do what I said I would do. Before he takes matters into his own hands."

Rachel was more than certain that Eddie was going to ask Amelia more questions but it got her thinking about how Amelia was coping with things and Rachel hoped that she was at least opening up to Eddie.

Rachel couldn't believe that she was doing what she was doing. The next argument was how short it was going to go. James just wanted it as short as it could go, shaving it so he was pretty much bald so that all that hair could grow at the same length. Rachel compromised by using the shortest attachment that she could, leaving some of his hair for them to keep trimming as the hair did start to grow back (and Rachel hoped that it was going to grow back).

"I don't like this." Rachel said as she was halfway through.

"And I do?" James said.

"Just you have lovely hair."

"And I would love to have it long on top and shorter at the sides. And I haven't done an exam yet. At least like this, I can't actually pull it out over my exam paper."

"I suppose so."

Rachel placed herself so that she could do the right side of James' hair to see Amelia standing in the doorway, with roses drawn up her arms. It was clear that Amelia was just coping in other ways.

"Drawing on yourself rather than the walls?" Rachel asked as she went back to her task.

"Dad said about it ages ago. I draw where I want to harm." Amelia paused. "Instead of harming. It has helped me to remain clean. I haven't done anything to hurt myself since. Could have after… Maxine's death but James didn't leave me alone long enough."

"Well, I wasn't going to let you down a third time," James said.

"I didn't enjoy it at the time. The one time I didn't want you to notice."

"And you are both making me really calm about you going off to uni in a few months time," Rachel said sarcastically.

"Well, I wonder where we get the worrying gene from," James said before he gestured to the door where Eddie had joined them. "Because it sure isn't from him."

"What's the point in worrying about something when you two have put in more than enough effort into your school work and revision?" Eddie said. "Anyway, we have Michael tomorrow for the weekend. How about you two take the weekend off and we can chill out?"

"Like I've just said, you are definitely talking to the wrong people to 'chill out'."

Rachel couldn't stop herself from laughing, the whole thing feeling rather ridiculous but, then again, it was nice that Eddie was so laid back. Because it was almost like he was the calming influence on them. That he could see the other side of things. Because Rachel knew that she would have found herself stressing out with the twins had Eddie not been there to distract her with other things.

Oh, how she could have done with Eddie Lawson in her life so much sooner?

With Eddie telling Michael that it was his job to distract James and Amelia for the weekend, it warmed Rachel's heart to see how seriously Michael took his job in pulling the twins out of their rooms and revision. There was a part of Rachel that thought that it might be going a bit too far but to hear James and Amelia laughing as their half-brother entertained them had stopped her from saying something.

It was actually Rachel's idea to have the movie afternoon on the Sunday, with Amelia finding the family-friendly films while James and Michael put together a running order.

And Rachel knew that she was concentrating more on how comfortable she was snuggled up to Eddie than she was on the film, more content on listening to his heartbeat than what the characters were saying. She could see why they did it as she was almost asleep herself with Eddie waking her up slightly as he gestured to where their children were on the other sofa.

At some point, like them, James, Amelia and Michael had decided that it would be more comfortable to lie down, with James taking up most of the sofa while Amelia was tucked into his side along the back of the sofa as Michael was lying on James' front, with James keeping his siblings in place with his arms as they all slept.

"Alison is going to kill me," Eddie muttered.

"The twins were probably going to be up half the night anyway."

"If they don't know it now, they never will."

"You try telling them that." Rachel said as she got herself comfortable again. "And we knew that they were never going to be a problem, didn't we?"

"It is nice that they do all get on. But he is going to miss them as much as we will."

"I don't think I can let them go."

"You know that you will drop them off in mid-September and, before you know it, it will be Christmas and they will be back." Eddie placed a kiss on her forehead. "Like I've said before, you've shielded them from the world you grew up in. You've given them better opportunities than you were given. They haven't been forced to make the choices that you have. Let them go and show you what they can do with it. Let them go to make you even more proud."

"Just… the thing is, it has always just been the three of us." She said as she looked up at him.

"I know. But you have me now." He said before he paused for a moment. "Or is that a bad deal?"

She couldn't stop herself from laughing before she pressed a short kiss to his lips. "I suppose you will do, Lawson."

"I'll take that, Mason." He said before he looked over at their children. "We could ditch the movie."

"Could we now?"

"Hmm, and I'll show you some of the ways I will distract you."

"Grandchildren. Not a sibling." James muttered as he moved around slightly.

Rachel couldn't stop herself from laughing. Eddie wasn't too far behind her, shaking his head.

"That boy has a sixth sense." He whispered.

Rachel was about to say something when she caught sight of her watch, not realising how late it was. She rubbed a hand down Eddie's chest.

"I think we actually need to get everyone moving and fed. Alison is going to be here soon." She said, pulling herself out of Eddie's embrace (and her comfy spot).

"Really?"

"It is half five."

"Christ," Eddie said as he sat up. "I'll get started on dinner."

"So I get wake up."

Eddie shrugged at her before he left the living room to the kitchen. Rachel just shook her head before she stood up.

"James." Rachel said.

"I'm quite comfy actually." He mumbled.

It was clear by the sharp intake of breath that Amelia was waking up as well, with there not really being the room for her to move as she woke up. She was definitely disorientated as to where she was and, probably, why she was cuddled up to her brothers.

"I didn't realise I was tired," Amelia said before she closed her eyes again.

"It does usually catch up with you." Rachel said.

"Can you help me up, Mum?"

Rachel helped Amelia out of where she was and it was clear that Amelia was still half asleep by how she stumbled out of the living room. There was only one person left to get awake.

"You go and help Dad, Mum. I'll wake Michael." James said.

"Sure?"

"Yeah. And I'll get him packed."

Rachel was about to ask him if he was sure again but she was sure that he would realise that waking up a five-year-old wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Or was getting him packed afterwards. But she left him to it, going to see if Eddie needed any help with dinner.

She stopped in the middle of the hallway, just realising how domestic things had become and as much as she was enjoying, there was just this feeling that this was happening all too late. Not necessarily for herself but for the twins. It was a feeling that she wanted to shake, with her knowing that she should just be grateful that it was all happening now, but she knew that there would always be a part of her that wished that Eddie Lawson walked back into her life sooner. And, at times, it felt like a bitter pill to swallow.