(A/N): I was a bit concerned that people weren't actually reading this, I mean, it's good for me just writing it but I'd like to know people are actually reading this. That being said, special thanks to RachelMasonFan39 for reviewing every chapter, letting me know what you think! It means a lot!

I didn't know how much I'd done of this but apparently I've got a few chapters ahead, so I'm going to post the chapters I have now until I'm about a chapter ahead and then keep writing. Hope you enjoy!

What the Heart Wants

Chapter 16

It seemed to be too optimistic to hope that once the rumour had been denied, that it would stay within the student population. Later, it had been found that Steph had overheard it from a group of year 8 students just as lunch was ending and had told Matt, and the gossip had spread rapidly. A good half hour after the final bell had gone, Eddie and Rachel were both in the latter's office, poring over paperwork that desperately needed completely. Their conversation in the canteen at lunch had not been made up, merely repeated from when they'd spoke of it two hours before. In fact, the paperwork had been what they'd been getting started on when they'd been interrupted by the three year 11s. There was a new system the governors were insisting upon, which involved more pointless forms than usual, hence why the typically paperwork avoidant Eddie was helping her. There was just too much to be done for one person in the time they had. Not if they wanted the school open and running at the same time. Rachel leant over his arm to point out something she'd highlighted on her own paper.

"Why is this here? It's just a repeat of the one on page 3."

"They're trying to give us a death of a million paper cuts."

Before she could move back to her own position in front of the 'paperwork mountain', a term they'd coined early in their working relationship for the excess of papers needed to do anything, the door to her office burst open, revealing an incensed Melissa and a smirking Fiona. Melissa's expression only darkened at seeing the pair together, with her sister practically pushed up against the deputy head.

"What's going on here?" She hissed, prompting the two teachers to frown in confusion, Rachel settling back into her seat, and Fiona's smirk to widen.

"Paperwork." Rachel gestured to their self-dubbed 'paperwork mountain' in front of them.

"Oh, sure, 'paperwork'. Don't lie to me," Melissa scoffed, only causing their confused frowns to deepen.

"What are you talking about, Mel?" Rachel asked, placing her pen down on the sheet she'd been trying to tackle before the interruption. "We've got to get all of this to the governors by end of the day Friday."

"I'm talking about you two. Sleeping together behind my back. Don't even try to deny it," She all but spat out, surprised when the two accused seemed to slump in their seats, rolling their eyes. She'd expected shocked faces, immediate denials, maybe even some swearing. Not their almost anticlimactic reactions.

"I take it you've heard the rumours then," Eddie commented almost idly, finishing up the page of paperwork he'd been working on before setting his own pen down.

"How are you so calm about this? You haven't even tried to deny it!" Melissa's voice got even shriller.

"I'm calm because we dealt with the rumour at lunch time." Eddie gestured between himself and Rachel. "And as for denying it; you told us not to. For the record though, I'd never cheat on anyone, and I know Rachel wouldn't either. The rumour was false and we've made sure everyone knows that."

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Tell you what? That I wasn't having an affair with Rachel?" Eddie snorted. "That's not usually something I have to tell people."

"No, I mean why not tell me about the rumour!"

"Would you have taken it any better if you'd found out before now?" Rachel asked calmly. "We found out about it at lunch; we dealt with it at lunch. It's over and done with. Honestly, the kids seem to be more concerned with who started the rumour than the rumour itself." Both she and Eddie saw the jubilant expression on Fiona's face fall with Rachel's comment, only confirming to them that she had had something to do with the start of the rumour.

Melissa's eyes flicked between the two senior teachers wildly. "So, you're not having an affair?" She checked.

"You really think we would?" Eddie asked, disgust creeping into his voice.

"Oh, uh, no, I just…" She seemed to mentally shake herself before offering him a tentative smile. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Rachel watched, almost hoping that Eddie would say no. There really was a lot of paperwork to get through, and Melissa had just all but confessed that she didn't trust him. In fact, she'd said worse in the last five minutes than Rachel had done to push him away. She felt a tiny flame of hope that this conversation would be the one to make Eddie see what her sister was really like, as she was showing her true colours to the world. His next words however, brutally extinguished that flame.

"Of course we are. I've got to pick Michael up and get him settled with the babysitter, then I'm yours for a couple of hours."

"Could you not get the babysitter for longer? I've not had you all to myself in far too long."

Eddie seemed to hesitate, giving Rachel time to send him a subtle glance she knew no one else would understand. She would smack him one before she let him take advantage of her daughter babysitting his son. Alia had told him five to nine, not a minute later, and if Eddie were to break that, then Rachel didn't know just how her daughter would react, only that it would be bad. It was already going against everything they'd planned, as they'd arranged for another meeting that evening to sort through the information and figure out how to use it to maximum effectiveness. The Fiona information would have to take priority after what had happened that day.

"No, I have to be back well before nine. I need to tuck my son into bed." He stood up. "Speaking of, I need to go pick him up and sort the babysitter out if we've any chance of making those dinner reservations. Rach, have you got this for now? I'll help out again in my non-contact tomorrow." He gestured to the mess of papers and Rachel nodded reluctantly. He thanked her before leaving quickly, Melissa and Fiona following in his wake without a word to the woman left behind. Rachel sighed, pulling another piece of paperwork towards her. Alia had told her that she was making her own way to Eddie's place, though Rachel would have much preferred if the fifteen year old could have managed to get a nap in at some point. She was already trying to figure out how to get her daughter a week off school in a couple of weeks' time, the week after the mock exam week, for a bunch of meetings related to her next album. Some could be done over Skype, some required her to be there in person. Either way, she'd need at least a week to get everything sorted.

Eddie had just gotten Michael home and put their things away when his doorbell rang. Hurrying to open the door, he found an exhausted looking Alia on his doorstep, still in her uniform with her leather jacket in place of the blazer, school bag slung over her shoulder. He realised that when he'd seen her earlier at school, she'd been wearing heavier makeup than she usually did, Rachel too, whilst now her face was clear of any cosmetics. They must have slept about as well as him after their conversations and her fainting spell. Immediately, he felt guilty for taking up the teenager's time when she had so much more to be worrying about. "Come in," he told her, opening the door wider to allow her access to his home. "Did Rachel not drop you off?"

"No," Alia replied with a shake of her head, standing uncomfortably in the hallway. "She was busy with the paperwork mountain and I'll be lucky if we see her before midnight at this rate." She didn't mention that she'd declined Rachel's offer of a lift, mainly so her mother wouldn't have to witness the man she loved get dressed up for a date with her own sister. How did things get so complicated so quickly? Alia already felt very uncomfortable being dragged into that scenario, not even adding on the whole thing of the deputy head making her babysit his son in his house, when she barely knew the man, whatever the relationship between him and her mum. "Where's Michael?"

"Getting changed." Eddie decided to leave the subject of the headmistress, feeling even guiltier for leaving her to the paperwork whilst he swanned off for a nice meal and a night out. He gestured for her to proceed him to the living room, a cosy room with a couple of leather sofas and a bookcase, a tv in one corner playing the kids channel. A few stray cars and blocks littered the floor. "He'll be down soon for his tea but I make him change first. He somehow manages to spill something on his uniform if I don't."

Alia sat down primly on the edge of one of the sofas, her bag dropping to the floor by her feet. She didn't want to be there, in fact wanted nothing more than to be able to have a nap, having regretted her lack of sleep not ten minutes after waking up that morning. Plus, she had homework to catch up on, and new music she really needed to finish by the end of the week, plus a shopping trip for new things before her meetings in a couple of weeks. She wouldn't have the time during the mock week. It was always the same when she was close to finishing an album. She'd get the final of the songs down, then have to travel down to London for a few days for recording and meetings, before coming back to Manchester and spending another few days in meetings and recording the final few tracks, not to mention a couple of music videos that would have to be fit into the schedule somehow. Then there would be even more meetings to decide things like tour dates, but they'd promised to hold back that meeting until they knew how well the newest album was selling.

"Alia!" Michael barrelled into the room, throwing himself on the teenager. "Are you here to look after me?"

"Do you know, I am." Alia smiled, brushing his messy blonde hair off his face. "I'll be here whilst your daddy goes out with his… girlfriend." She wasn't really sure what to call the relationship between her aunt and the deputy, and even less sure of what Eddie had told Michael of the whole thing. She glanced back up to Eddie, her voice hardening. "Not a minute after nine, I mean it."

TBC…