Brown envelopes. Eddie was becoming rapidly sick of bloody brown envelopes. He had fully intended to show them to Rachel, spent the journey to her office trying to come up with reassurances and plans of action and anything to comfort her in a situation where he wasn't sure there was any comfort to be had. Fully intended, that was, until she looked up as he entered and smiled at him.

The smile immediately dimmed. "Oh no…"

He paused. "What?"

"I know that look." She looked adorably cross. "You're about to tell me something that's going to completely ruin my day. And I was having such a good morning."

Despite everything, he couldn't help but grin at her. "Were you now?"

She played with her pen, tilted her head. "I know this may be hard to believe, but you are looking at a happy headmistress."

And just like that, his steadfast intentions changed.

"Come on then," she sighed. "Let me have it."

He shook his head. "It can wait."

"Really?"

"Really." He crossed over to her, leant down to brush his lips across hers. Spotted, on his way over, that damn brown envelope sat on her desk. He only felt a flicker of guilt as he made up an excuse to get her across the room, as he slipped it out of her pile and into his without a hitch, expression carefully bland when she turned back around and handed him the file. Only to pause, quizzical when she saw the expression on his face.

"What?"

He waved a hand. "Nothing."

"Eddie, what?" she insisted and he huffed out a breath, brushing her hair back from her eyes.

"I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"How much you've changed my life."

There was a beat where she merely blinked in shock, before scoffing and rolling her eyes. "Really Eddie."

"I'm serious." Something in his tone had her pausing, looking at him with an almost wary expression and he couldn't help the wash of amusement he was sure she was aware of. "Everything I am is because of you."

A disbelieving look was plastered across her face. "Eddie…"

"You helped me decide which subjects to take in school, and helped me pass most of them" he interrupted, and she fell silent. "You were the one who convinced me not to leave education at sixteen. You helped me with which exams to take at sixth form, and persuaded me to apply to university- you helped me with the application, for God's sake. I studied maths because you used to tell me liking numbers was nothing to be ashamed of. I became a teacher because I saw everything you went through in school and wanted to make sure it never happened to another child. My whole life has been shaped because I know you, Amy. I am where I am because of you."

Rachel's eyes were wide, lips parted. "I don't know what to say to that…"

"Say that no matter what, you won't let my insane family convince you that you're anything less than extraordinary."

She laughed, relaxed as she looped her arms around his neck. "If they didn't scare me off when I was sixteen, I hardly think they could manage it now."

"I'm thrilled to hear it." He kissed her, and then once again for good measure. "I love you."

Affection coloured her voice. "I love you too. Now go to class, you sap. There are kids waiting."