(A/N): I intended on a nice, quiet chapter I swear. But no, the characters kept going and before I knew it, they'd taken over completely. So blame my imagination and the characters themselves for this chapter. As of right now, I'm about 13 pages ahead in my word document for this fic. So there will be more coming. As always, enjoy and let me know what you think.

What the Heart Wants

Chapter 22

The staff were all getting assembled in the staffroom, grumbling and complaining at the imperial summons they'd received the night before from the headmistress. Eddie watched them in a surprisingly dark mood, sipping coffee from his travel mug and wishing it was something stronger, Michael colouring solemnly beside him. He'd managed to get Philip to watch Michael the night before when he'd gone to Rachel's and sent the boy home later that night, promising he'd explain as soon as possible, but he hadn't slept well that night, nightmares of what could've happened haunting him and Steph and Rachel's horrified, broken faces as they asked him why. Why it had happened. Why their daughters were gone.

At barely gone six that morning, he'd bundled himself and a sleepy Michael into his car, dropping it outside Rachel's and leaving the little boy with Rachel herself, who looked as though she hadn't slept at all that night. Michael had been told by both him and Rachel that it had been a long night and Alia and another girl were hurt, but that was it. He'd been upset with the news but not as bad as Eddie had been expecting. From there, Eddie had grabbed a taxi to Steph's, not surprised to find the police tape still surrounding it and police still guarding the scene, vans littering the street. Thankfully, Rachel's car was parked outside of the police tape, so he could retrieve it without too much hassle, though he did receive a couple of odd looks from police who he assumed had been there to see Rachel pull up in the car the day before. He could only imagine what had gone through their minds, seeing the silver car screech up to them and a manic Rachel rush out, terrified over what had happened to her daughter and the other two pupils.

He'd stopped at a bakery on the way back to Rachel's, secretly thrilled at driving her car. He'd never trade in his more practical vehicle, but he couldn't deny that the stylish car was something else altogether. He had picked up some pastries for everyone at Rachel's including himself and Michael before driving back, parking her car in its usual spot on her drive, beside the 4x4 he'd originally driven to Rachel's in. Breakfast had been quite a noisy affair, though he strongly suspected the three teenaged girls were pretending for Michael's sake, who had stuck himself to Alia's side like glue instantly on seeing the bulky bandage and sling she sported, not even moving from her side when he'd had to eat. Alia had seemed to take it quite well, coaxing the little boy into eating more by making it a game between them to see who could eat the most of their breakfast. Doing that had got him to eat the whole of the pastry Eddie had bought him and had the added benefit of getting her to eat the majority of hers, though he knew the strong painkillers she and Maxine were on could reduce appetite a little. Jack had been watching her in concern, but apparently knew enough not to approach the fifteen year old about it. Steph and Rachel had been unnaturally quiet throughout though fully dressed, unlike the teenagers, drinking coffee that could probably rouse the dead if they tried. In fact, that was what was in his travel mug, the two women not letting him leave with Michael without making sure they'd both been fed and he had enough coffee to keep him awake for at least a week. He knew they would be bringing the girls in with them, but until then he settled himself with glaring at the more vocally argumentative staff members, most of which were utterly opposed to giving up their Saturday because "our resident lady of the night demanded it of us", that particular line having been delivered by an especially grumpy Grantly. Michael had looked up at his dad every now and then when someone was especially vocal in their displeasure, but he'd shut them up with a glare and redirected Michael to his colouring. Melissa had tried to ask him if he knew what was going on when she'd arrived five minutes earlier, but he'd pretty much ignored her as he'd told everyone as a whole that they'd have to wait for Rachel to arrive to find out about the summons. He knew he'd given away that he knew what it was about to an extent, but he didn't care, almost smirking when Melissa had tried to engage Michael in conversation. The little boy ignored her, solely focused on the drawing he'd earlier told Eddie was going to be for Rachel and Alia, to cheer them up.

Around ten minutes to ten, every staff member was there, albeit unwillingly, except Steph and Rachel. He felt more than saw Tom lever himself into the seat next to him. Eddie took a sip of his coffee, knowing it was probably the only thing keeping him awake; he just hoped it was working for the two women who had slept even worse than he had. "I hope Steph gets here soon. Rachel will skin her alive if she's late for a summons like this."

Eddie blinked in surprise at Tom before remembering that the subject of the summons hadn't been mentioned and he was the only member of staff that knew the content of the summons that wasn't directly related to the events that had transpired the previous afternoon. He managed a shrug in a half-hearted attempt to appease Tom before staring blankly at the doorway to the room once more. He sat impatiently through another five minutes of barely contained grumbling, though thankfully they all took heed of the small four year old in their midst and kept their language clean despite their grievances. He stiffened instinctively as he saw the door to the staffroom open and Rachel and Steph walked in together looking exhausted and put through the proverbial wringer, wearing jeans and t-shirts that Eddie was convinced were both Rachel's, as they fit Rachel better than they did Steph in both size and style, Rachel in trainers and Steph wearing the same heels she'd been wearing at work on Friday. Before any member of staff could say a word to the pair, they all spotted the three teenagers shuffling in together, following the two women into the room. Alia and Maxine were wearing baggy hoodies due to the cold weather, which Eddie thought were probably leant to them by Jack as they seemed too big and baggy for either Alia or Rachel, with leggings and boots, all things easier to put on one handed. They only had one hand each peeking out from their respective hoodie sleeve so Eddie presumed each of their other arms was still in the hospital issued sling beneath the hoodie. Janeece had a pink zip up hoodie on that looked a little too large for either her or Alia, so he assumed it was one of Rachel's, with a pair of skinny jeans and her school shoes. None of the group of five had any makeup on, and the ones with hair long enough to tie back had done so. They all looked exhausted and their unexpected arrival had shut up even the most opposed members of staff. Michael glanced up with their entrance and Eddie only just managed to catch him before he ran to either Alia or Rachel, putting him on his knee instead. It would be hard enough for them to say what they needed to, without having to deal with his son at the same time. He'd let Michael run to them afterwards.

Rachel cleared her throat, garnering the room's instant attention. She looked as though she instantly regretted it, but managed to paste on a professional, if distant, smile. "I'm sorry to take up your Saturday like this, but I'm afraid it couldn't wait. It's something you need to know and be aware of before the press get hold of it. Yesterday afternoon, Maxine broke up with Earl Kelly." She spotted the wince of the girl in question as her heart went out to her. The eyes of the staffroom flicked from the headteacher to the nearly seventeen year old as Janeece and Alia instantly moved to flank her, glaring at the staff on her behalf. "She went home, with the other two girls here, but Earl followed." She took a deep breath, glancing at Steph, who wasn't faring much better than she was. They were trying to be strong for the girls' sakes but it was all still too new, too raw. "He… he had a… a gun." She took several deep breaths as the staffroom practically exploded around her, the staff all clamouring with questions as she felt the sheer panic wash over her that she'd felt when Steph had initially called her. Steph wasn't faring any better than her as they moved closer together, wincing at the level of noise from the staff

Alia shot Eddie a worried glance as she spotted the expression on her mum's face, silently asking him to shut the teachers up. Realising what the girl was asking of him, Eddie put two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, shutting them all up but bringing the attention solely to himself. "If you lot shut up, you might learn something. Sorry Rach." The eyes turned back to the headmistress, but she was still caught up in the emotions of seeing Alia again, with Steph reliving what had happened as she'd stepped into the house. The three girls exchanged worried glances before deciding to take over from the adults. They knew that the two women were trying to protect them, but they could at least help a bit, especially when it looked like one good gust of wind would knock them over.

"He made me and Alia leave, said he just wanted to talk to Max." Janeece took over in a small, shaking voice. "We only went out the front door and we called the police straight away, but they weren't quick enough and we heard the gun go off and Max scream."

"Earl had shot the vase and was telling me I needed to give him another chance," Maxine added as the girls huddled together for comfort much like Steph and Rachel had. "Ali and Jan came back in and rushed Earl for the gun, so I tried to help."

"We were all fighting for the gun when it went off," Alia told them, swallowing against the lump in the back of her throat. "He shot me and Max. Janeece got the gun away from him before I knocked him out. Steph arrived a minute or so after."

"I thought they were dead for a few seconds," Steph managed to choke out, her and Rachel pretty much holding each other up at that point. "Until I found Janeece putting pressure on their wounds and telling them to stay awake. I called Rachel and we took the girls to the hospital once the police and paramedics showed up."

"We will be getting a phone call informing us of the charges Earl will be facing once he wakes up," Rachel finished, all five of them looking like they wanted nothing more than to run from the room.

The entire staffroom was silent as they digested the information. Eddie watched the shock and horror battle over people's faces as the news of what had happened sank in for them. None of them could have ever imagined something like this happening, and yet, here was the proof stood in front of them. He was immensely proud of the girls for having even come in that day to face the staff, let alone be the ones to tell them what had happened. He knew it would be hard for Rachel and Steph to speak of what had happened; they'd both nearly lost their children yesterday. It would be difficult for anyone to talk of it under those circumstances, let alone with it only happening yesterday afternoon, not even 24 hours earlier. He saw Steph move over to the three girls, an arm going around Maxine's shoulders, careful of her arm, as she told the girls how proud she was of them.

He smiled as he finally let Michael go, the little boy wiggling off his lap in an instant before running over straight to Rachel and tugging on her pant leg. Rachel glanced down at the little boy before offering him a shaky smile and lifting him up to rest on her hip, his head automatically tucking into her neck as he hugged her tightly, a couple of lone tears making their way down Rachel's face as she hugged him back.

"I know you've all got questions, and I don't have all the answers, but so long as I can tell you and it's respectful, I'll answer the best I can." Rachel glanced out over the room, Michael on her hip as Alia moved from the rest of the group to stand on her other side, Rachel's free arm automatically snaking round her shoulders.

Steph was beside them, her arms round the two sixth formers. "We'll answer them the best we can," Steph amended, nodding out at the staff, silently telling them that she stood with Rachel on this one. How could she not, after all the other woman was doing for her, Maxine and Janeece when she really didn't have to. There was only so much she could blame on Alia's wellbeing after all, and that didn't even begin to disguise the fact that Rachel deeply cared about everything.

"What's going to happen with Earl?" One teacher asked from the back of the room.

"He'll be detained and charged once he wakes up," Rachel answered. "Alia here hit him pretty hard." She offered Alia a reassuring smile, knowing it was still something that Alia was scared about, never having intended on hurting the boy before the moment she'd hit him with his own gun.

"What are we going to tell the kids?"

"The truth." Steph shot the dissenting voices a hard look. "What happened yesterday is going to give the press a field day anyway. There's no point lying to them when we have the three girls here at school."

"Those three are coming back to school?"

Rachel and Steph glanced at the girls, their expressions clearly stating it was up to them. Janeece nodded. "Yeah, once Max and Ali can change their bandages to something they can put clothes on proper with." All eyes turned to the two girls mentioned, finally noticing they only had one arm each peeking out from the oversized hoodies. No one had asked how badly the girls had been injured, assuming they were fine from being able to walk in unaided. Guilt tinged some of the faces, horror flickering across more as they all finally realised that Earl actually had really hurt the two teenagers.

"I'm sure uniform can be relaxed for those two until they've healed," Rachel added, ignoring the incredulous looks she was getting off some of the staff. She knew it was highly unusual for injured students to come into school when they could have time off, but neither she nor Steph could take the necessary time off to be with them, so the teenagers wanted to come in, even if they had to hide in Rachel's office all day. Rachel had already offered that up as a solution, knowing that none of the governors or the LEA could possibly complain about them looking out for the welfare of injured students. "Alia won't be able to write, though both will be able to sit in their classrooms soon, and I've decided we're pushing the mocks back until January." She held up the hand on Alia's shoulder to stop the protests forming. "I know it's last minute but do any of you honestly think we're going to get any half decent work out of our lot once they find out everything that's happened? They'll be distracted and confused and we need to work with them instead of throwing mock exams at them."

"What about our resident hall monitor?" Grantly griped, nodding towards Eddie, clearly recalling the events of the last mock week they'd had. "Have you managed to get Mr Mock on board with that plan?"

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Yes, as she told me before this meeting what the plan was. We agreed January was enough time for Maxine and Alia to heal as well as the storm surrounding this to die down a little, and an emergency call to the LEA gave us the required backing. The next week we will have classes, to give the kids a structure to the day, but no homework. There will be a counsellor for the week to talk to anyone that needs it, student or staff." He glared at most of the staff. "I, for one, am proud of those girls up there, not only for getting through yesterday but for agreeing to come in here today and face you lot." He glanced up at them, Maxine and Janeece smiling at him from Steph's embrace, who shot him a knowing smirk. Alia was also offering him a smile, but he was caught by the image of her and Michael being held by Rachel, all smiling at him and looking like they were a little family.

The staff descended into shocked chatter, trying to wrap their head around what had happened. He'd just made his way to Rachel when all those at the front heard Grantly address Rob. "You should've picked that Falan girl for your little boxing club instead of Smilie. She must have a mean swing on her if the Kelly psycho is still out cold even now." Rachel's arm tightened on her daughter's shoulder and her face pinched at the English teacher's thoughtless words. Both her and Eddie looked to Alia with concern, only to wince in unison when they saw a mischievous smirk light up her face. She was up to something, and it never boded well for anyone when she got that look on her face.

"Thanks Grantly, but I think I'll stick to avoiding PE right now," She replied sweetly but loudly, pasting on an innocent expression the three adults at the front of the room saw right through immediately.

Grantly turned an interesting shade of purple at being addressed by his first name by a pupil, even if it was a Saturday, spluttering as he tried to find the words for an appropriate punishment for the little miscreant. Rachel and Steph exchanged knowing glances before turning to the three teenagers in the room, all of whom were fighting back laughter at Grantly's reaction, trying not to look at one another for fear of setting off a giggling fit that would confirm their guilt to the headmistress and French teacher. Of course it would be something they were all behind. Rachel wasn't entirely sure if she should be irritated that they were teaming up to pull fast ones on the teachers, or happy that her closed off daughter had made such fast friends, even after they'd found out who her mother was. She knew Bolton hadn't taken the discovery too well, but Maxine and Janeece seemed to have taken it much better somehow. Rachel saw Grantly work himself up into a snit and decided to put the fire out before he could say anything that would have her and Steph going for him. She didn't think Eddie could hold them both back from hurting the man. Part of her knew he wouldn't even try. "Next time Grantly, maybe keep your snarky comments where the kids can't hear you, if you can't stop yourself saying them altogether." She wasn't aware just how intimidating she looked in that moment, even in casual clothing and holding a four year old on her hip, her arm around her fifteen year old protectively. Nearly the whole staffroom blinked at her in surprise. She directed her gaze to the teenaged girls, who were still trying to control their laughter. "You three need to stop causing mischief. First me, now Mr Budgen. Who's next on your list?"

"Who said we have a list?" Janeece managed to get out around her stifled laughter. Rachel shook her head, secretly amused at them and a little relieved they could still laugh about things.

"Right, well, we need to get my things from the office that I left yesterday and then sort things out for you three." Rachel began to guide the group from the room only to be stopped by Eddie's hand on her arm. "Eddie?" Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion at her deputy.

Eddie bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. It was probably only because she'd had no sleep but he did find the whole thing quite amusing. "Do you think you could give me my son back first, Rach?" They heard muted laughter from around the room at his question, including from Steph and the teenagers. The only people that didn't seem to find it at all amusing were Grantly and Melissa. Rachel felt herself flush as she realised she'd forgotten she was still holding Michael, who had snuggled himself quite comfortably into her side as soon as she'd settled him in her arms.

"Of course, sorry." She made to hand Michael to Eddie but Alia stopped her.

"Just bring him with us. Eddie, you too. They've got to go back to Steph's and we're staying here. I said I'd bully you into staying with us." Her words thankfully weren't loud enough for the staff to hear, though they all saw Eddie's face redden also to a similar shade as Rachel's. Her voice took on a hint of pleading as she turned wide eyes to him. "Please, Eddie. We can't go back to Steph's just yet."

Eddie smiled reassuringly, placing a hand on Alia's shoulder. "Of course I will, Alia. Lead the way Mason."

Rachel rolled her eyes at the use of her last name from her deputy, knowing he was trying to lighten the atmosphere a little, but internally wondering which one of them he was addressing. Alia was technically a Mason too after all. She turned and began to shepherd the group from the room, all of them letting out sighs of relief once they'd entered the corridor and the door had closed behind them, though it did little to mute the cacophony of noise that had erupted with their departure. The group trudged along the corridor, Alia leading the teenagers with the teachers trailing behind, Michael still in Rachel's arms. They reached the office and entered, finding the room exactly as Rachel had left it the day before, including the half-finished piece of paperwork she'd been working on when she'd gotten Steph's phone call.

Maxine and Janeece sat together on the corner sofa as Eddie sat at the table with his son, having picked up the boy's colouring before they'd left, setting him up to continue with his drawing. Alia sat herself in Rachel's chair, spinning in the swivel chair slightly and ignoring her mum's smirk at her actions. Rachel and Steph made sure the girls were alright, promising to be back as quickly as possible before leaving reluctantly, Eddie promising to keep them out of trouble in the time that they'd be gone. He also mentioned finding out the other names on the list, which set off a round of giggles in the teenagers and eye rolls amongst the adults.

Eddie saw the two teachers to the stairs before returning to Rachel's office. Michael was still colouring diligently at the table, Maxine and Janeece were talking quietly amongst themselves on the sofa and Alia was sat in the head's chair, angled to watch the view out of the window. Sighing slightly, he made his way over to the desk, perching on the edge with his back to the door, watching Alia stare out of the window blankly. "I'm guessing this wasn't how you were planning on spending your weekend," He said quietly, gaining her attention without scaring her too much as he leant towards her slightly. She blinked at him as his words registered, offering him a small smile tinged with sadness.

"Not exactly, no. I planned on seeing Sam yesterday and then bugging my mum on how many times I could visit until he's released. Did not count on being in a hospital for my own benefit at any point."

Eddie nodded, though his concern hadn't faded. "Just… let me know if you start feeling faint again, okay? We don't need your mum's stress bursting through the roof because you passed out on me a second time."

Alia watched him carefully for a moment before nodding. "I will do. I feel fine at the moment though." She sighed at the disbelieving look Eddie shot her. "My arm hurts a bit and I'm tired, but that's it I swear."

Eddie nodded again, trying to relax instead of worrying about the fifteen year old that somehow seemed to unintentionally invite stress into her life. He jumped to his feet as the door burst open, all three teenagers flinching at the unexpected noise and rushing together behind Rachel's desk, clearly an involuntary response on their part. Eddie couldn't blame them. He couldn't even imagine how jumpy he'd be after something like they'd been through. Turning, he caught sight of an incredulous Melissa in the open doorway, glaring at him. Why, he had no idea. What he couldn't see was that he'd been sat very close to the headteacher's chair, which was also facing away from the door, leant over it at about Rachel's head height. Melissa had no idea that Alia was shorter than Rachel, or that Rachel wasn't even in the building, let alone in her desk chair. "I knew it was true," Melissa crowed bitterly. Eddie frowned at her, half in annoyance half in confusion.

"What do you want, Melissa?"

"Is the whore not going to answer herself?"

Eddie's frown was full of confusion by that point. "What are you talking about?" He glanced at where she was staring, at Rachel's chair, so he grabbed hold of it and span it round to face her, showing that it was empty. Alia had thrown herself as close to the floor as she could manage at the noise of the door bursting open along with Maxine and Janeece. All three girls were nearly lay on the floor, shielded by Rachel's desk, Maxine and Alia's faces giving away the pain they'd accidentally caused themselves with the movement.

"You were leant over the chair." Melissa's brow furrowed. She'd been so sure she'd just caught Eddie and Rachel together, but the chair was indeed empty. "I thought…"

"You thought the rumour your own mother started was true," Eddie finished for her, his jaw set. "She admitted it before you say anything in that witch's defence." He could've sworn he heard Janeece mention something about how even he called that woman a witch. "Rachel isn't even here. She went with Steph."

"Then who were you leant over? And don't say no one Eddie." Melissa folded her arms over her chest. "I saw you."

Maxine and Janeece tried to stop her but Alia avoided their hands and stood up, pasting on her best unimpressed expression, one that Eddie had to do a double take when he saw, convinced for a moment that the teenager had morphed into her mother. "Not that it's any of your business, but he was talking to me. Also, who the hell are you to call anyone a whore?"

Both Alia and Eddie watched as Melissa did her own double take at the sight of the teenager appearing from behind the desk. For Melissa's part, she'd just seen her sister's face on a teenager, something she hadn't seen since her own sister had actually been a teenager. But, no, that was impossible. "I'll say what I like, thank you very much. Eddie, a word?"

Eddie shook his head, crossing his arms. "I promised Rachel and Steph that I'd stay with the girls whilst they were gone."

"The girls?" Melissa asked with a scoff that died in her throat as Janeece and Maxine also stood up from behind Rachel's desk, unintentionally flanking Alia. "Oh."

"Exactly. Mel, if you want to say something then go ahead. I'm not leaving them alone today of all days." Eddie sighed, almost sagging a little. He'd intended on talking to Melissa once Fiona had been dealt with, only for the woman to make herself scarcer than he'd ever seen her. He'd fully intended on talking with her over the weekend, but the phone call from Rachel and the subsequent events had thrown his plans all down the drain. Not that he minded. It was much more preferable that Rachel actually confided things in him, even if it was at the prompting of her fifteen year old. He'd take what he could get.

"I just… I thought we could go out for lunch today. Just the two of us."

"I've got Michael," Eddie pointed out, glancing at the boy who had stopped colouring to glare at Melissa. When had that happened? Had his son ever actually liked his girlfriend? Or had he just been so blind to everything he had missed his son's reaction to Melissa? "So it couldn't be just the two of us. Plus I don't know when Steph or Rach will be back."

"Phil can watch the kid." Melissa waved off his concerns, not seeing the anger welling up in Eddie and Alia at her dismissal of Michael. Or the worry in Max and Janeece at what they guessed she'd say next. "And these lot are old enough to look after themselves. God knows I did at their age."

"You had Rachel looking out for you," Eddie reminded her harshly, "and a close relationship with your mum. And don't give me any of that abandonment shit either, because I know why Rachel had no choice but to do what she did. I'm not making your son watch mine just to go to lunch with you, and I'm not leaving these three alone. Did you not just hear what happened yesterday in the staffroom?" He demanded of her, moving to stand beside the three girls in solidarity with them.

"No she didn't Eddie, because it wasn't about her." Alia also had her good arm crossed over her chest, a harsh set to her face as she rolled her eyes at her aunt.

Melissa once more did a double take at the teenager stood next to the deputy head. That was definitely another Rachel expression she'd seen more than a few times when they'd been children. Her eyes narrowed at the teenager, who raised one eyebrow in response, almost daring her to start with her. "Alison?"

"Nope. Pretty sure my name's Alia." Alia smirked despite the pain she was feeling from her journey to the floor.

"But…" Melissa glanced between Alia and Eddie before offering a smirk of her own. Somehow both Eddie and Alia knew what she was going to say next. It seemed the daughter was indeed like the mother, and Eddie was definitely questioning how he hadn't seen it earlier. "Oh nothing. It must be a coincidence. I mean you are about the same age as Rachel's daughter after all." Her smirk dropped to confusion as her reveal failed to make an impact on the man she'd been aiming at with it. "Oh yes, Eddie, my dearest, darling sister has a child."

"I know. Sweet kid." Eddie fought to keep a neutral expression with the face Alia had pulled at being called sweet. "Your mum tried to tell me as well. Both of you don't seem to understand that I already know."

"Oh so you also know about her engagement then." He kept his face straight with difficulty even as he felt Alia stiffen beside him. Just when he thought he knew Rachel, something else would come out that would knock him back once again. Melissa continued in his silence, only guessing that he didn't know. "I wonder just how badly she screwed it up. Or who she screwed."

"It was a mutual thing," Alia piped up, glaring at her aunt with absolute loathing. She could see right through Melissa's game, but knew Eddie and her mum were too close to see clearly without her setting things straight. The last thing she needed was for Eddie to be led to another blow up with Rachel over something Melissa had deliberately exaggerated or made up. "And over a decade ago. What's your game in bringing it up now?"

Melissa blinked in surprise. "Oh, so you are Alison. Interesting."

"My name is still Alia. Which I believe my mum told you several times. But yes, I am Rachel's daughter. Alia Mason." Alia narrowed her eyes at Melissa. "The engagement you're trying to spin into something bigger was between my parents. I know how that relationship ended, and it had nothing to do with my mum having sex with anyone." She felt Eddie stand a little taller beside her at the knowledge that the engagement was in a relationship he already knew Rachel had had. "I also know Rachel never willingly told you about it, but that you made her tell you when she found you going through her jewellery box five or so years ago."

"You have no room to talk about anyone's relationships anyway," Eddie bit out before the blonde woman could start on her newly discovered niece. He'd promised Rachel and Steph he'd protect the girls in his charge, and as far as he was concerned, that included verbal attacks. He caught Alia's eyes widening from the corner of his eye, clearly not expecting him to go there. "Not when out of two sisters, you're the only one breaking the law."

Melissa scoffed, but everyone in the room could see the panic within her eyes. "My sister was a prostitute."

"Which technically isn't illegal," Alia helpfully pointed out. "Paying for sex is, but prostitution technically isn't."

"But bigamy is," Eddie finished. "We're done, Mel. Over."

"You heard it from Rachel didn't you? She's making it up, trying to break us apart. Eddie please, we're so good together. I love you. We could be great together."

"How could you keep such a huge secret from me? You've made me look like an absolute idiot!" He barely noticed Alia and Janeece creep over to Michael and help him over to where Maxine was still stood behind Rachel's desk. How on earth could Melissa pin such things on her sister when she was the one who had lied about everything? He'd defended her again and again, including to the people who knew the truth, and yet Melissa was still denying it, trying to pin the blame on Rachel. "It's not like I would've run to the coppers."

The sliding hatch window was open and the worried teenagers could see Rachel and Steph approach in the antechamber, stopping in their tracks when they heard Eddie yelling at Melissa about the cops.

"I wanted it to work between us!"

"To work?!" Eddie asked incredulously.

"We're great together Eddie. I love you. You can trust me on that."

"I can't listen to any more ridiculous lies." Alia wrinkled her nose slightly in disgust, interrupting the yelling match between the two teachers, but only calming one of the two slightly.

"I know that I was wrong! But I'm not the only one that's been lying here, am I Eddie?" She all but screamed at the man. "What about Rachel? You're in love with her Eddie, or you were in love with her. You didn't tell me that." She ignored the way the teenagers' eyebrows all rose to their hairlines at her yelled accusation of the top two teachers being in love. Not that it was much of a secret, but they hadn't expected it yelled about the school in such a fashion.

"Don't you dare! Don't you try and turn this round on me! This has nothing to do with me!" Rachel made her presence known with fiery eyes as she dumped her bag down on Bridget's desk, drawing Eddie and Melissa's attention to the fact they had an audience other than the four that had already been there. Steph looked like Christmas had come early, watching the drama unfold.

"Rachel and I are fond of each other, but for you to imply-" Eddie denied by rote, but Melissa interrupted him with a disbelieving scoff.

"You don't need to explain yourself Eddie! I know! I know you probably did love Rachel, but I.. I just thought you loved me as well!"

"This is about you lying to me, Melissa! You're married to two different blokes at the same time!"

"I love you Eddie, more than anything in the world. But you need to choose."

"Choose?"

"Well you need to be honest as well. I know you and Rachel feel for each other, I know you do. It's me or her."

Eddie stared at her for a long moment. "I already told you it's over Mel. Get out."

TBC…