(A/N): Okay, so my process of writing this honestly involves me writing a whole load of rubbish, then cutting out a bunch of it and reworking the things I've kept in. I swear, I've got about thirty pages of scenes that I've cut from this story. I had a whole Christmas party thing where Eddie met Rachel's dad and another thing where Alia and Jack found a missing Michael in the park and a whole bunch of other stuff that never quite made it in. I am hoping to keep this story going up until Alia leaves Waterloo Road, with maybe an epilogue chapter after that but I'm not sure. Would you guys be interested in reading that far with me?

Also, would anyone be interested in another story, in which Rachel still has Alia, but Eddie finds out about her in series 3 and helps them both with the Stuart situation? Please, let me know if you would be interested in that.

Whatever you decide, please let me know, and let me know what you think of this once again incredibly long chapter. This fic will remain rated T by the way, as I cannot write M rated to save my life.

What the Heart Wants

Chapter 31

Rachel woke up with a smile, her head resting comfortably on Eddie's chest, his arms wrapped loosely round her waist. She could tell he was awake but was pretending not to be. He'd been passionate yet tender and sweet, something she knew he was doing for her benefit, wanting things to go at her pace, make her more comfortable with it all. She fell a little further for him that night with his thoughtfulness. He had made sure to reassure her about her scar quite a few times, paying it special attention and endeavouring to prove that it wasn't ugly, but beautiful, a part of her that he loved just as much as the rest of her. He'd even willingly let her have most of the control, correctly guessing why she needed it after her past. She stretched slowly, delightfully sore from her nighttime activities with him. She really wasn't sure how they'd held off falling into bed together for so long and she definitely didn't regret it. Slowly, she pressed a kiss to his chest, smirking as he groaned low in his throat.

"Hmmm good morning." She stretched again, moving over to rest more fully on top of him, legs automatically intertwining as she smiled lazily at him.

"Morning." Eddie cupped her face, bringing it to his to press a tender kiss to her lips. "Good night then?" He asked with a smirk, knowing her muffled cries that night were all down to him. She slapped at his chest ineffectually, unable to help the silly grin that crossed her features.

"I don't know about that. Maybe I need a reminder." She let out a startled laugh as Eddie wrapped his arms more firmly round her waist and flipped their positions, her resting underneath him, hair splayed out on the pillow. He reached out with one hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her neck.

"Let me remind you then."

Alia glanced up from her toast as Rachel appeared in the doorway in her bathrobe, closely followed by Eddie, who was wearing the same crumpled clothes he'd been wearing the night before. She bit her lip to stop herself giggling at their appearances and surprised expressions at seeing the teenager sat in her own home. Philip had left about an hour earlier, Bolton offering a hand of friendship out to him by inviting him round to play video games. Philip had hesitated that morning but Alia had told him to go, that she'd tell Rachel where he was if she asked. They'd both heard Eddie arrive back with Rachel the night before and not heard him leave, so his appearance in the kitchen wasn't really a surprise to her.

"The kettle's just boiled," Alia commented nonchalantly, raising her mug of coffee to them to indicate her words before turning back to her toast and the homework she was doing, their appearance barely impacting the work she was trying to get done so she could go out to see Jack later that afternoon.

"Thanks love." Rachel grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and set about making coffee for both her and Eddie. She knew Eddie was confused that Alia wasn't more freaked out but she knew it was a mixture of the fact that Alia hadn't actually witnessed anything between them the night before and that she'd caught her mother having sex before, so to see them both the morning after hardly warranted a mention. "How was the party?" She directed Eddie to sit next to her at the table, opposite Alia, who set her homework down with a shrug.

"Alright I guess. Philip had a good time, says he had an alright birthday. You know how he is, that's a glowing review."

"And the kids? Do they know about…?" Rachel gestured between herself and the fifteen year old.

Alia nodded. "Yeah, they do. Why do Waterloo Road kids never react normal to anything?"

"We run a weird school." Eddie finally found his voice, still feeling awkward sat there in front of the teenager wearing the same clothes as the night before. He knew she was smart enough to know what had gone on that night between himself and her mother, but whatever reaction he'd been expecting from the fifteen year old he hadn't gotten. "So they're alright with it?" He checked. Not many teenagers would be anywhere near accepting of one of them being the child of their headteacher, but then he'd learnt not to put anything past the students at their school. They had a habit of surprising people, both good and bad.

"Sort of. The secret is currently contained to those who were at the party." She laughed at their confusion and surprise. The kids at that school were definitely a law unto themselves. "Apparently, it is wonderful prank material. No, not against you two. I'm letting you know because it's a prank on the teachers that don't know. Michaela's idea." Alia sighed at the unsure look on Rachel's face. "Look Rach, it's not going to be mean or dangerous or anything, I swear. It's just a little fun, and I'll take that if it means they accept me being your daughter."

Rachel stared at her daughter for a long moment. She didn't like the idea of fun being had at her teachers' expense but she knew Alia wouldn't have agreed to anything that was potentially harmful, no matter the personal fallout for herself. "Alright, fine. No doubt we couldn't keep everyone that was at the party in the cooler forever."

"Bolton certainly thought you could." Alia giggled as the two adults exchanged a light laugh. No wonder he'd been hightailing it down the street with a speaker when they'd arrived back. "He and Jan have split by the way. I figured you need to know in case it spills over into school time. You'd probably find out five minutes into Monday morning anyway." Alia managed a smirk. "I'm sure Steph had a wonderful night; Max couldn't walk straight when she left here. Thank god she only had to get next door."

"And how much did you and Philip drink?" Rachel asked sternly.

"I drank my body weight in vodka and Philip was doing at least twelve shots of tequila out of your best egg cups." Alia replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Eddie let out a chuckle as Rachel eyed her disapprovingly. "I'm not Philip's minder but I think he only had a couple of bottles of beer. I had one bottle of wkd and spent the rest of the night on water. Happy?"

"This place looks way too clean to be a party scene." Eddie commented before Rachel could start on the fifteen and sixteen year olds in her care drinking alcohol, no matter the small amount. He didn't know Rachel was more concerned with Philip drinking than she was Alia, who she already knew drank when she went out. She didn't know Philip's tolerance or if he wouldn't be able to handle certain drinks. She was more focused on Philip's intake at all, and how much Alia had imbibed, not that either female thought to tell Eddie that.

"Mum scared Bolton into making sure everything was perfect. I helped a bit, and told him when you guys were coming back. It scared him right out of chatting up Michaela." Alia laughed lightly. "Rach, I swear, we barely drank enough for a buzz, let alone getting drunk. But Phil had a good birthday and he seems to have made a friend in Bolton finally, which is where he is right now, so I'd say the night was something of a success." Alia smirked mischievously, prompting Rachel to let out a groan. "I'd say you two had quite the night as well, from the looks of things."

"Alia!" Rachel ran a hand over her face. "You're not going to believe me if I say Eddie slept in the spare room last night, are you?"

"Nope, not a chance."

"You're still okay with all this?"

"Yes, so long as you remember clothes are compulsory in the kitchen."

"Alia!"

Michaela linked arms with Alia the following Monday morning as they ventured into the school. Rachel had had an early meeting and so Alia had taken the bus to school, arriving about ten minutes before form was due to start thanks to rush hour traffic and a collision on the high street that screwed up traffic in the entire town. Alia blinked in surprise at the somewhat friendly action from the other girl, having thought those in the know wouldn't want much to do with her, at least for a while. Michaela smirked as a few teachers looked at them oddly, obviously wondering if Alia was Michaela's latest victim of bullying. Not that she would, for she had a feeling Alia knew how to give it right back tenfold even if she didn't portray herself in that way.

"Everyone's talking about the party." Michaela told Alia as they ascended the front steps into the foyer, breaking apart for the obligatory bag and person search that had been in place since nearly the beginning of the school year. Alia mainly arrived too early to be searched, but on occasion did require to be searched when she didn't arrive with her mother. "The teachers are really shocked, its great." Michaela added as they paired back up after the searches. "All of them are well surprised Mason allowed an actual party in her house. Everyone's still well up for the game though, thinks its hilarious we know something important to Mason that most of the teachers don't."

"So no one's let anything slip yet? That is surprising." Alia shook her head slightly. The game was a simple one, to allow things to go on as normal, with maybe a few veiled comments here and there. It was more that some of the students were now aware of the game and could join in the fun than anything actively against the teachers. "I've got art first thing. Campbell hates me, I swear."

"Sit with me in it. Campbell might leave us alone for a change." Michaela had had more than a few run ins with Kim herself and definitely could sympathise with Alia.

"Doubtful. She threatened to drag my mother, Mrs Falan, into school last Friday because of my 'disrespectful behaviour'." Alia rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Lawson had to try and talk her out of it."

"Who's Mrs Falan?" Michaela asked with somewhat genuine confusion as Alia smirked at her.

"That's what I said." Both girls laughed. "Damn it, we best get to form. Clarkson really will tell on me if I'm not there."

"See you in art."

True enough, Michaela sat down beside Alia and Katie in art, in the corner a little away from those she usually sat with. Those pupils had also been at the party though and so they treated the new seating arrangements with giggles and smiles as opposed to suspicion and distrust. Kim seemed more disturbed than anything else at seeing the two girls that she really wanted to get through to sat together, smiling and getting along quite well. Something had happened and she wasn't sure it was a good thing. Dealing with those two separately was bad enough, without having them team up for anything. It probably had something to do with the party at Rachel's house the Friday just gone. Most of her current class seemed to have been present, if the low buzz of conversation she could hear was anything to go by. Kim passed one of the tables on her way to get some more acrylic paint from the cupboard, inwardly shaking her head as she heard more comments on how large Rachel's house was, or how laid back their headteacher was for allowing the party in the first place.

"The bathroom was as big as my bedroom." One of the pupils told another one who hadn't been at the party. "Her house is full of dead nice stuff."

"She even provided food for us." Another added. "Plus, there was the breakup no one saw coming: Bolton and Janeece."

"Word is she dumped him because she found a better offer, but then again he was chatting up Michaela before the end of the night." A third student commented idly.

Kim blinked at the new information, having not been aware of the latest development in terms of break ups. Usually, the staff figured it out pretty quickly as there was usually shouting and screaming in the corridors about it, but it seemed oddly quiet given the circumstances. Grabbing the paint from the art cupboard, she made a point of stopping by the table Michaela and Alia were seated at.

"I hope this pally behaviour isn't just a new way of causing trouble." She warned them in a low voice.

Michaela pasted on a terrible innocent expression. "Why would we do a thing like that, miss?"

"You really do like to see the worst in us, don't you?" Alia commented blandly, barely glancing up from her artwork. Kim had to admit, even begrudgingly, the girl showed some potential with art, with a good grasp of shading and light. "Don't worry, there isn't any nefarious plot to wreck the school or anything."

"Not that we'd admit it if there was." Michaela added unhelpfully.

"Okay, fine, I don't plan to wreck the school anytime soon." Alia clarified. "My mum wouldn't be best pleased with me if I did." Michaela bit the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing as the entirety of those in the class that had been at the party on Friday clutched at each other in silent amusement at Kim's confused expression. They were all definitely sold on the game.

"Fine, I'll give you both the benefit of the doubt, for now." Kim moved away from them, only then noticing the higher than usual levels of mirth in the art class and furrowing her brow in confusion, which unfortunately only served to increase the amusement further. Something was definitely going on with her class and she had no clue what, but it couldn't be good.

Classes continued much as normal over the days that followed, and even Rachel had to admit that the game the students were playing only served to amuse them and confuse the teachers only slightly more than normal, so wasn't really harming anyone. In fact, she seemed to have more outright acceptance herself from the students in the know, with more than a few of them approaching her to tell her they respected her and she was a good headteacher, high praise indeed from her bunch of kids. Rachel had also noticed a higher sense of camaraderie and closeness with the students that had attended the house party, the shared secret and night clearly bringing them together in a way that was surprising to both teachers and students alike. More than one teacher had approached Rachel to ask just what sort of witchcraft her house had invoked on the students.

The biggest selling point though was the acceptance the other students had for Alia, which had been the largest sticking point for Rachel. She'd resigned herself a while back that people would find out about her daughter, and it wasn't so dire as before in terms of consequences, when revealing her child would have given Stuart more than enough ammunition to completely destroy her. What she really didn't want was for the students to turn on Alia simply for who Rachel was, but surprisingly enough, they seemed to have accepted it wonderfully. Well, maybe not surprising at all, considering it was Waterloo Road and they didn't do anything normally.

She smiled at Eddie as they stepped onto the playground to supervise breaktime together. Eddie had spent quite a few days and nights at her house the past few days, seeming to be there more often than not. Though they were still taking things as they came, they both seemed to be settling much more into the groove of being together as opposed to single. Rachel kept waiting on tenterhooks for the moment Philip or Alia said they weren't okay with the relationship, but so far they seemed fine with it. When she'd asked Philip, he'd shrugged and said that Eddie was alright but he didn't want to see her hurt. When she'd asked Alia, she'd rolled her eyes and told her to stop worrying so much, that she wouldn't have spent so long trying to get them to get together if she had a problem with it. So all in all, everything was going quite well. If only it would last.

The army being scheduled for the day of her sixteenth birthday was pretty much the last thing Alia had expected, let alone being told she was one of the students that would miss a day's worth of revision classes to take part in the teambuilding exercises as she was part of the football team. Tom had reformed the team shortly after the winter break, drafting in Alia and Maxine after he'd spotted them kicking a ball about by themselves one night, waiting for Rachel or Steph to finish up for the evening so they could get a lift home, the women more than happy to take both teenagers home if they were the first to finish work that day. Rachel had agreed to Alia joining the football team instantly, for the increased social interaction for her daughter, and Alia had refused to join on her own, so Maxine had ended up on the team as well. But the team as a whole didn't work well together, and it had only gotten worse since the party, with Michaela and Janeece throwing vicious words at each other at every opportunity. If Tom wasn't watching them closely, they would also have gotten away with a few dirty tackles on the other during their practices. Honestly, it was no wonder he'd pulled such a drastic measure as to bring in the army for the day, but the newly turned sixteen year old wished it had been scheduled for any other day, especially when Tom walked into the room with the Captain of the unit, a man she recognised as having been in the same unit as her dad when she'd lost him. She felt Max take hold of her hand discreetly and knew the colour must have fled her face at the sight of the soldier. She'd told Maxine a little of her father, enough that the older girl would know she wanted nothing to do with the entire day. The pair managed to get through the run down for the day hiding in the corner of the changing room, ignoring Tom's concerned look thrown in their direction as he handed out coveralls for the girls and told them to meet up on the playground after registration.

"Happy birthday Ali," Maxine murmured as they finished changing up. "How come you're not having a party?"

"I don't think people have recovered from Philip's yet." Alia let out a slight laugh. "Plus, Rachel and I have this tradition of going out for a meal on the night of my birthday, just the two of us."

"Steph's noticed how often Lawson's car is parked outside your house." Maxine confided in a mutter as the girls assembled into a vague sort of order to leave the changing room for the playground. Alia bit her lip to keep from laughing. It was very true that Eddie was round at their house more often than not, a few more dates between him and Rachel only cementing their relationship further, though they still thought they were doing a good job at keeping it from everyone.

"I keep telling them they're not being very discreet. I don't think they care too much about who knows anymore. That or they really think everyone is blind."

"Wonder when Steph'll stop pulling a sickie. I'm sure Rachel's noticed she's not at home." Maxine rolled her eyes. She'd been over a couple of times for meals at Rachel and Alia's house, not able to be comfortable at home on her own again yet, and she had an inkling that Rachel knew Steph wasn't currently at home, but the headmistress had never brought it up and so neither had Maxine. Probably best they both had plausible deniability anyway.

"Probably, but I think it's got something to do with Campbell's baby. Haven't you noticed Steph's gone missing the same time that Campbell's stopped bringing the baby in?" Alia shrugged. There was definitely something going on there, but they couldn't figure out what. Well, they'd find out eventually; nothing stayed secret for long at Waterloo Road.

After they'd been in form, the girls trudged down to the playground reluctantly, not really wanting to be there that day at all. Alia glanced around cautiously, noting a couple more people she vaguely recognised and instinctively moving further back into the crowd of pupils before her eyes alighted on someone she did know, very well. Her feet were moving before she really registered it, speeding up to a run as she smiled widely, her bad day having a ray of sunshine for at least that moment. "Sam!"

"Princess!" Sam dropped his posture to catch the running teenager, spinning her round happily. He'd been discharged from the hospital just after Christmas and had subsequently been discharged from active duty, but had a job running community services as an outreach of the army, which was what the unit there today was about. He'd only been on full work, thanks to his injuries, for less than a month, and probably shouldn't be lifting a sixteen year old up with his ongoing physiotherapy but couldn't find it in himself to care as he hugged his goddaughter tightly. "Happy birthday," He whispered in her ear as he set her on her feet again gently. "When did you join the football team?" He asked in a louder voice.

"I was tricked into it. There are devious teachers here." Alia shot a smirk at Tom, who laughed almost involuntarily at her words.

"Don't I know it," Sam murmured, knowing Rachel was probably the reason neither he nor Alia knew the other would be there on her sixteenth birthday. Clearly, a birthday surprise. He'd thought he was waiting until the weekend to see his goddaughter, instead of her actual birthday. Sneaky, Rachel was definitely sneaky. He caught the surprised glance Andy shot him and shrugged in reply, not knowing what to say. How did he even begin to explain the princess?

"Ali, can we start the day yet?" Maxine asked to break the awkwardness that had descended when the whole group had watched the most reserved person there fling herself at one of the army men with a wide smile.

"Sure, Max." Sam caught Alia's left arm as she made to go back to the school group.

"That's Max?" He checked, letting out a breath when she nodded. "I'll make sure you're both safe today, alright?"

"Thanks Sam." Alia walked back over to the group, ignoring the questioning, curious looks she was getting as she slipped into place beside Maxine. "That's Sam, by the way," She muttered to Max, who nodded, having heard a few things about the man from Alia, as well as hearing Bolton's disgust over what he'd inadvertently gotten Rachel to admit before Christmas about making out with the man. "He's going to watch out for us today."

Alia sat amongst the other girls in the back of the truck, all bored, wondering how stories of the army exampling teamwork was meant to translate to the girls playing football together. Danielle and Aleesha were blatantly on their phones whilst Michaela and Janeece, recently returned by Rachel, were doing their best to ignore each other and everyone else. Chlo had appeared for support during her free lesson, still an honorary member of the football team, but even she looked bored sat between Alia and Maxine, one hand resting on her baby bump.

The fight between Michaela and Janeece had been somewhat expected, though probably not for that day in particular, with Alia knowing Rachel didn't like them showing up the school in front of the visitors. She'd had a little wobble when she'd rushed to get Rachel earlier, during the fight, but Rachel had assured her that their meal was still scheduled for that night and if she needed to, she could hide away in her mother's office to have a break from the visiting soldiers. She might just take up Rachel's offer once they were released for their lunch break, the constant presence of the army and teambuilding exercises starting to get to her.

Andy sighed as he took in the bored faces, really having hoped some of these stories would have gotten through to at least some of them, to no avail. He only had one story left anyway before they would set up for the assault course. "And the final example to you all is that of Lieutenant James Falan, who-" He was unceremoniously cut off as Alia stood up with a glare, eyes welling with tears as she stormed out of the truck, unintentionally shoulder checking Andy on her way past the soldiers, not quite at a run but near enough. "Just what we need, another drama. What's all that about?"

Sam sighed. He could see why Andy would want to talk of his friend, explain how many people he'd saved with his sacrifice, but he could also understand that it was probably the last thing his goddaughter needed to hear, especially on the third birthday she'd spend without him. He could also see that everyone else seemed just as confused as Andy, with the exception of the pregnant girl and the one Alia had confirmed to be Max, those two looking after their friend with concern, calling her name frantically though she didn't appear to hear them.

"You touched a nerve," Sam explained quietly, though everyone hung on his words. "James Falan was her father."

Alia stormed into the school, not really paying much attention to where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away, hide away until the tears ceased and the pain lessened. She didn't need this, not today. Without realising it, she'd ended up outside Rachel's office, ignoring Bridget's concern, or rather, not even noticing Bridget was there, as she opened the door without knocking, her tears running in rivulets down her cheeks. "Mum." She called out, her voice cracking halfway through. Rachel rushed over, managing to get Alia into her arms as the teenager's legs gave out on her and they both sank to the floor of Rachel's office, Rachel cradling her daughter tightly as Alia sobbed into her shoulder.

"Ssh, sweetheart, it's alright." Rachel soothed on instinct, smoothing Alia's hair away from her face and ignoring the awkward way she'd sank to the floor to keep hold of her daughter. What could possibly have happened in the time between her leaving Michaela and Janeece with them and her daughter showing up in her office, distraught? It hadn't been that long, after all. "Ssh, love. It's all okay." She rocked her sixteen year old gently in her arms. "What's happened?"

Alia pulled back a little, rubbing at her eyes with the sleeves of her coveralls. "Cap-captain Rigby… he-he was on dad's… dad's unit." She managed to get out between sobs. "He… he th-thought it'd be a… a good idea to… to use dad as an example." She burst into a new round of sobbing as Rachel gathered her back up into an embrace. She should've realised how hard it would be to see the army in general for her daughter, but she certainly understood Alia's reaction to her father's death being portrayed as a teamwork example. She was more surprised Alia had come to her in tears instead of meeting up with Jack, who she usually went to with anything relating to their time on Army bases.

"Oh, love." Rachel pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter's head, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry."

"Some birthday this is turning out to be, eh?" Alia mumbled into her shoulder, the sobs reducing though the tears hadn't quite yet.

"Well, I seem to recall this day sixteen years ago when I nearly crushed my boyfriend's hand giving birth to an amazing little girl. I think I also threatened to chop part of his anatomy off at one point." Rachel smiled as her words gained a watery laugh from the girl in her arms. It was all true, and she had found out later that her grandfather had heard every word she'd yelled at her boyfriend during her labour and had actually felt sorry for him if Rachel tried to carry out even half the threats she'd made giving birth to her baby girl. "Come on, let's get you to the sofa." She managed to adjust herself so her legs weren't at quite so awkward an angle whilst still keeping hold of her daughter. She only realised that Bridget had watched the entire scene unfold with wide, concerned eyes when the woman hurried over to help Rachel get to her feet and help Alia to her feet as well, the woman assisting them both over to the sofa. Rachel had just managed to sit down, her daughter practically on her lap, when Andy walked through the open door to her office, followed closely by Sam.

"Miss Mason, I'm sorry but one of the girls-" Andy cut himself as he found the headmistress not at her desk but on her sofa, her assistant stood worriedly at her side and the girl he'd come to report as missing practically curled up on her lap, head buried in her shoulder. "Oh, uh, I-"

"I assume you're here to tell me she ran off on you." Rachel spoke quietly, her arms still wrapped around the sixteen year old.

"I, uh, yes." Andy shifted ever so slightly, awkwardly. Sam was watching Rachel and Alia with blatant concern. "I'm afraid that the final example given to the girls upset her."

"I know, Captain Rigby." Rachel ran a hand through her daughter's hair, knowing the sixteen year old had calmed quite a bit since first showing up in her office. "If I had known you'd been in the same unit as her father, then I would have warned both you and her."

"She… she is really James Falan's daughter?" Andy checked.

Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes as Rachel glanced at him questioningly. "I did already tell him, Rach. I guess being the princess' godfather doesn't count for much though." He moved over to sit the other side of the two on the sofa, placing a hand comfortingly on Alia's back. "No tears, princess. Today is a happy day."

"Prove it." Alia's mutinous tone was still muffled somewhat by her face being pressed into Rachel's shoulder. Sam shared a small smile with Rachel.

"I can't and you know it. But I need my stubborn goddaughter back and I know she's in there somewhere." When there was no response, Sam winked at Rachel. "Alright then, your mum and I will just have to dye everything in your wardrobe a horrible shade of burnt orange." Alia's face shot up to glare at him, though it was ruined slightly by her red rimmed, swollen eyes. He smiled gently at her. "There she is."

Rachel glanced at Andy, who seemed more and more confused as the conversation evolved. "To answer your question, Captain Rigby, yes, this is Alia Falan, the daughter of James Falan. She told me you were on the same unit as him." Rachel smiled as Alia shifted slightly, pulling a packet of tissues from her pocket for the teenager to wipe her face with. "Sam here is her godfather, for reasons I'm still not entirely sure of."

"I'm hurt, Rach, really. You know you love me really."

"In your dreams, Sam."

"Funny you should say that."

"Both of you, stop it." Alia rolled her eyes at both of them, finishing up wiping the remnants of her tears. She knew they were actively lightening the conversation for her benefit. It had been quite a long while since she'd collapsed in tears, let alone on her mother. "Also, Sam, promise me something."

"Anything, princess." Sam swore instantly.

"Never, and I do mean never, make out with my mum again." Alia fought back a smirk as Sam flushed a bright red and Rachel choked back a laugh.

"What? I, uh, er… Rachel! What have you been telling her?" Sam stammered over his words, shooting Rachel a panicked look.

"The truth." Rachel shrugged. "She thought it hilarious after she got over being freaked by it."

"Princess, I swear, it meant nothing." Sam pleaded for Alia to understand.

"Well, now I'm hurt. I thought we had something magical." Rachel teased as Alia took pity on her godfather.

"She told me it was because dad dared her to." Alia informed him. "He never learnt not to dare her to do anything, somehow. It's okay, Sam, I think it's funny." She took a deep breath before looking at her mum, utterly exhausted. "I'm going to have to re-join the girls, aren't I?" She sighed as Rachel nodded reluctantly.

"Unfortunately, yes love."

Alia nodded tiredly, standing up with a final wipe at her eyes. "Sorry for crying all over your shirt, Rach."

"That's what I'm here for." Rachel waved it off as she stood up too. "Let me just grab my coat and I'll walk you all back out." She blinked as Sam handed over her coat, having not seen him get up, let alone pluck her coat from the stand. "Thanks, Sam. Bridget, redirect only urgent calls to my mobile, okay?" She waited for Bridget to nod before she put her coat on and buttoned it up, wrapping an arm round her daughter's shoulders comfortingly. She then caught Andy's still befuddled expression. "Ah, the information you're missing, Captain, is that I'm Alia's mum. Whatever James and I may have screwed up, we definitely got one thing right." She squeezed Alia's shoulders gently.

Andy nodded, the final piece of the puzzle falling into place as he recalled James mentioning his daughter a few times with only the highest compliments, and her mother, who he described as a force of nature, stubborn as hell but beautiful inside and out. It certainly matched what he could see in the mother and daughter before him, with Rachel assuring Alia it didn't look too much like she'd been crying. The four of them proceeded to go back to the set up on the playground, which they'd left Tom in charge of. Rachel kept her arm round Alia's shoulders, uncaring who saw them. Her daughter needed comfort and the whispers of the school came a distant second to being there for her sixteen year old.

As soon as they were in range of the army set up, Alia was approached by Maxine and Chlo, who immediately checked that she was alright. Rachel fought a smile at that, appreciative of the two girls being such good friends to her daughter. She nodded to Sam, who had stepped up to her side. "Sometimes, I wonder if it was a good idea, bringing her back to school." She told him quietly, watching as Alia was drawn into helping out with the food for lunch, with Maxine and Chlo making sure she wouldn't be alone at any point. "Then I see her with the friends she's made and I know, whatever happens, it's all worth it."

Rachel and Alia were just leaving the restaurant Rachel had chosen for a quiet, relaxed birthday meal when Alia's phone rang, the teenager answering it after a quick apologetic glance to her mum, who waved it off with an indulgent smile. "Hello?"

"Ali, it's Chlo."

"Chlo, what's wrong?" Alia paused in her tracks, ignoring the people moving around her on the pavement and Rachel's worry, the older woman spinning to face her, directing her out of the flow of people to a quieter part of the street.

"Well, it's Tom really. Davina's gone. Like really gone. Grabbed her stuff and done a bunk sort of gone. I hate to ask but could you and Rachel come round? I know it's your birthday. Never mind I shouldn't have asked."

"Chlo, Chlo, wait." Alia stopped her from hanging up the phone. "We can be there in about fifteen minutes, alright? Just stay calm and get Tom a hot drink or something, okay?" She got Chlo's assurances before hanging up and turning to Rachel. "Davina's left Tom. Chlo wants us to go round."

"Let's go." Rachel led Alia to the car and they both sped off in the direction of Tom's house, arriving in just under the fifteen minutes Alia had promised Chlo. Rachel turned off the engine before facing her daughter in the passenger seat. "Did Chlo say anything else? Like why, maybe."

Alia shook her head. "No, she just said Davina packed all her things and did one." They both climbed out of the car as best they could in the heels they were both wearing, having changed from school and work clothes to dresses and heels for the restaurant Rachel had booked that night. They were a little chilly as they hurried up the front path to the door, having left their jackets in the car, Rachel knocking on the door as soon as they hit the front step.

After a few moments, Chlo opened the door, Donte behind her, both of them looking relieved to see them there. "Thanks for coming. Tom's not said a single word since he told me she was gone. I got him sat in the living room though with a brew."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. Chlo, maybe you, Donte and Alia could hide in the kitchen and pretend you're not listening in whilst I try and talk to Tom?" Rachel got the three teenagers to nod in agreement before she shepherded them to the kitchen. Bracing herself, she turned and entered the living room, finding Tom sat on the sofa staring blankly at the window, an untouched cup of coffee sat on the coffee table in front of him. "Tom? It's Rachel." She saw him blink a little at the sound of her voice and knew he could hear her even if he didn't respond. "Chlo called Alia. She told us Davina left?" She perched herself onto the sofa beside Tom, only then noticing a crumpled letter in his hand. Tom seemed to fumble for a moment before handing her the crumpled paper silently.

Rachel read the letter in stunned disbelief; the things Davina had written sounded nothing like Tom. She'd pretty much slated his entire character before stating that she deserved better and was leaving, that he could be the one to explain her departure to the school as well. It wasn't a short letter and had clearly taken time to be written out. She'd known Davina had been angry about something that day to do with Tom, but apart from his disappearing act when Michaela and Janeece had a fight, he'd been focused on the kids that day, which was how he should be at school, how they all should. Obviously, it didn't always work out like that. "Oh, Tom." She set the letter down beside the untouched coffee and placed a hand on his shoulder gently.

"All her things are gone." Tom's voice was barely a whisper. "She didn't even try to stay, to work things out. What does that say about me?"

"I think it says more about her than about you, Tom, to be honest." Rachel decided on complete honesty. "It would have been different if she'd stuck around to tell you in person, but she didn't. She ran away."

"Why does it have to hurt so damn much?" Tom tipped his head back slightly. "Oh, god, I've got to be alright. I've Chlo and Donte in the house. What're they gonna think of me?"

"They're worried about you right now." Rachel informed him softly. "Would you like some time off, get your head round it all?"

"No, no I need to be in the school, take my mind off things a bit." Tom finally looked at her, noting the fancier outfit she was wearing and the heels that looked nothing like her normal work shoes. "You look nice; did Chlo interrupt a date or something? I'm really sorry."

"No, it's fine. She called at the end of Alia's birthday meal."

"Birthday meal? Oh I really am sorry she interrupted your evening, Rachel." Tom ran a hand over his face. Rachel shook her head slightly. Chlo meant well and she really didn't mind as long as Alia didn't.

"It's fine, Tom." Rachel paused for a moment before making a decision, refusing to let herself dwell on whether or not it was a good decision. "Right, let me tell the kids we're sticking around for a good while longer yet. Then we'll find whatever alcohol you have in the house and get pissed."

"It's a school night." Tom protested half-heartedly.

"So? Are you honestly telling me you wouldn't be hitting the bottle as soon as I left?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, almost daring him to argue with her. Tom sighed, shaking his head in defeat.

"Alright, fine. Whatever."

Rachel stood, leaving Tom to his thoughts as she made her way to the kitchen, where the three teenagers were sat at the table sombrely, all looking up hopefully as she entered. "Davina has left completely." She confirmed sadly for them. "Ali, do you mind having your birthday ice cream sundae tomorrow?"

"No, of course I don't mum. Is Tom alright?"

"He will be, eventually." Rachel assured them. "We're sticking round a bit longer, getting drunk. And no, that doesn't mean I'm giving any of you three permission to do the same."

"It's your birthday?" Donte asked the sixteen year old, eyes widening as he received a nod from both Chlo and Alia. "I'm sure we've ice cream in the freezer and some sauce and that in the house. We can do a sundae of sorts here whilst they get pissed in the living room." Alia nodded with a smile of thanks as Chlo found a full bottle of whiskey in the back of a cupboard and handed it to Rachel, trusting that the older woman knew what she was doing. Rachel took the bottle and a couple of glasses, smiling at the three teenagers making sundaes for Alia's birthday before she made her way back to Tom. This was not how she'd anticipated Alia's birthday but somehow, it didn't seem to have been ruined, not one bit.

Rachel groaned as the early morning light hit her face, her pounding head reminding her harshly why it was a bad idea to drink on a school night. Or any night really. Her ability to wake up without a hangover was long gone, she noted absently as she forced herself into a seated position on the sofa, taking note of Tom, still passed out from the alcohol, slumped on the other sofa. Someone had clearly been in during the night as the bottle they'd been drinking from and the glasses were gone, plus there were blankets covering both her and Tom. On the coffee table sat two glasses of water and a packet of paracetamol, post it notes on the glasses saying, "drink me, I help with hangovers". For the life of her, Rachel couldn't decide which teenager had written it and didn't want to spend the brain power trying to figure it out.

She couldn't quite regret drinking the night before though, as she'd known it was the only way to get the whole story from Tom on what had happened between himself and Davina, the cracks starting before Christmas apparently, with Chlo's running away again, even if only for a couple of hours, something that Davina took as a personal affront to herself and the nature of her relationship with Tom. Plus, with all the help he'd been trying to give Chlo and Donte, and Rose when she had needed help too, Rachel was honestly surprised Tom hadn't cracked under the pressure. He'd let out absolutely everything that had been built up inside after thinking Rachel would be too drunk to remember anything. Rachel had let him think that. Honestly, though, she could probably outdrink any member of staff at the school if she chose too. She usually didn't, with it reminding her a little too much of her past and the copious amount of alcohol she'd consumed trying to forget some of her clients. It had never worked though, somehow she'd never forgotten, never blacked out quite well enough. Nowadays, she tended to not drink as much at all, focusing much more on setting an example for her daughter. Last night had not been her finest plan, but she also knew the teenagers had understood why she'd done it.

Taking one of the glasses and two paracetamol, she downed the tablets and the water, fighting the nausea she knew would accompany her until the tablets kicked in. Either way she was in for a rough day. So was Tom, who had drunk more than she had. She forced herself up, taking note that she would need to find her shoes before she left, and used her hand on the wall to keep herself upright as she made her way to the kitchen. She blinked in bleary surprise to note all three teenagers sat at the kitchen table, Chlo and Donte in their school uniforms and Alia in the dress she'd been wearing the night before, all eating another ice cream sundae for breakfast.

"Morning." The three chorused, fighting back smiles as Rachel clutched her head automatically.

"I've called a cab to pick us up in twenty minutes." Alia informed her quietly, highly amused at Rachel's state, though not the reason behind it. The teenagers had shamelessly listened at the door most of the evening and had heard all Tom had confessed to Rachel, so they knew exactly what had gone on. It was all in a bid to help him though, so they didn't feel bad about it. "We should have enough time for you to shower before we catch another taxi to school. We can pick up your car later."

"Thanks, love. Coffee?" Rachel asked, slumping into the free seat and wondering just how the teenagers could eat ice cream so early in the morning. Chlo jumped up and made her a cup, Alia specifying how her mother liked her coffee before the pregnant teenager placed a steaming mug before a grateful Rachel. She practically inhaled the coffee, feeling a little better with the warm drink in her system. "I'm assuming you lot eavesdropped last night." She sighed as three faces nodded at her.

"We'll look out for him," Donte assured her.

"Yeah, totally." Chlo added.

"We can keep an eye on him in school as well." Alia finished.

The four at the kitchen table looked up as Tom stumbled into the room, one hand clutching at his head and the other holding the wall to keep him upright, much like Rachel had done. He blinked at the four at the table for a few moments before focusing in on the food the teenagers were sharing. "Is that ice cream? For breakfast?"

"It's Alia's birthday sundae, take two. Plus, the baby likes ice cream," Chlo defended them lightly.

"Rach, about last night…" Tom started awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it, Tom. Really."

"Thanks, Rachel, really. Thanks."

Rachel smiled even as Alia's phone rang, signalling that the cab was there, earlier than anticipated. "That'll be the cab. See you at school." Alia helped her find her shoes and get out of the house, Rachel waiting until they'd gotten into the cab before she addressed her daughter solemnly. "Not a word about last night to anyone. I'll find something to tell Philip about why we weren't home. It's Tom's business and down to him who he shares it with."

"I'd never do that and the not hungover you would know that." Alia rolled her eyes. "Can we please just get through the rest of this week without another drama? That's all I'm asking for, a week."

Maxine and Alia sat together on the sofa in Steph's house, chatting together as they painted their nails, a ridiculously cheesy movie on in the background. Maxine had invited Alia, Chlo and Janeece round that evening, but Chlo was already doing something with Tom and Donte and Janeece was still being oddly frosty with Maxine and Alia in particular, Chlo to a lesser extent. The two girls had figured it was probably something to do with the Earl incident and how Janeece tried to pretend nothing had ever happened whilst they didn't try to pretend nothing had happened or that they were completely okay, even months later. The only reason that Maxine had survived two weeks without Steph had been because Alia or Chlo were round every spare moment they had and she knew Rachel, and sometimes Eddie, were right next door. She'd popped over to the headteacher's house a few times as well, surprised when Rachel hadn't quizzed her about her missing guardian, but that might have had something to do with Rachel trying to act casual about Eddie also being over there.

"I swear, Chlo looks ready to pop any minute." Maxine commented as she finished off her toenails in a sparkly aqua shade, wiggling the appendages in a bid for the polish to dry as quickly as possible. Alia glanced over with a laugh, trying to paint her fingernails a deep red to match her already finished feet.

"I think she's got at least a few weeks left yet, but who knows. At least she'll have the summer before she's back at school."

"Reckon she'll be able to get the baby in at the creche?"

"Yeah, between Donte working there on and off and Rachel's insistence, they'd probably be unable to refuse to take that baby." Both girls laughed lightly before the talk changed to Maxine's upcoming seventeenth birthday the following week. Chlo's birthday was early September, as was Donte's, which explained how they could be married the year before, whilst Janeece's was in early February, which she'd spent recovering from her surgery. Her boob job was her mum's birthday present for her. Alia's birthday was in late March whilst Maxine's birthday was in April. Steph had often joked that Maxine's birthday should've been April Fool's Day, instead of the fourteenth. Maxine had organised drinks at hers for a group of her friends the Friday after her birthday, including the entirety of the girls football team, a small party to celebrate her seventeenth birthday as opposed to a massive one she couldn't keep track of.

"Did you have a good birthday, that meal out with Rachel?" Maxine asked curiously. Alia nodded.

"Yeah, it was quiet. Just what I needed after the awful day I'd had. I bet yours will be anything but quiet though." Alia teased lightly, deliberately moving the conversation away from her birthday. Chlo and Donte kept an eye on Tom at home, with Alia and Rachel joining in at school, but apart from being shorter tempered than usual, he seemed alright, though a couple of days earlier, he'd had a bit too much to drink at the pub and Rachel had had to bundle him into a taxi before he did or said anything he'd later regret. She'd told Alia about it later that same night so she'd be aware of what was going on.

"Nothing too mental though. The last thing I need is to be scared of this house too." Maxine shuddered a little, Alia joining her as they glanced around the dimly lit room. "That's why it's a select group of us, not an open invite. I swear, your mum was insane to let that go ahead."

"Didn't turn out too badly though, did it? If you ignore everyone there finding out I'm the head's daughter." Alia rolled her eyes as Maxine sighed.

"The game is weird, but at least it's helping them accept who you are more. Did anything come of that thing between Phil and Flick, or did I imagine it that night?"

"Oh, you didn't imagine anything. Flick was trying to get one back at Marley and was actually pissed that Phil didn't sleep with her." Alia snorted. "He got her a card to try and be sweet, but she took it the wrong way so he's avoiding her like the plague. She's not too happy about that either though, thinks all the boys should want her even if she doesn't want them. My div of a cousin was probably taking a leaf out of Eddie's book, getting someone a nice thing randomly. Rachel hasn't took that bracelet off since she got it."

"Oh, so it was definitely Lawson that got Rachel that jewellery then?" Max asked with a smirk.

"The bracelet? Yes. The necklace I got her for Christmas. Eddie had it narrowed down to three and made me choose the one she'd like most after my maths class the week before."

"Well, he's got taste and clearly knows how to get on her good side, what with including you in decisions like that."

"I don't think she knows about that part." Alia corrected her with a laugh. "It's like they're both terrified of saying the wrong thing, or doing the wrong thing, despite how happy they make each other. Grown ups. Parenting them is a full time gig, I swear."

"I'll toast to that." Both girls reached out and picked up a piece of toast each, knocking them together before taking a bite of their respective slices. They'd decided against drinking on a school night and had mugs of hot chocolate and a pile of toast instead, to which they took the word of toast literally. It was silly, but they thought it funny and it had stuck. The sound of the front door opening had them frowning at each other in confusion. Who would let themselves in at gone half past ten at night? The girls could've sworn they'd triple checked that they'd locked all the doors and windows in the house. Silently, they shifted off the sofa and towards the curtained window, away from the door to the room, slipping down between the wall and the side of the sofa, squished in together rather uncomfortably, but well hidden from anyone that would glance into the room.

They squeezed in tighter into the small space, holding each other to minimise the room they took up as they heard footsteps in the hallway growing louder and louder, closing their eyes instinctively as the door to the living room swung open further than they'd left it, praying they wouldn't be found. Their eyes shot open as they heard a voice they definitely recognised.

"Max? Maxine, are you in here?"

"Steph?" Maxine managed in weak relief as the two girls pretty much tumbled out of the tight space they'd squeezed into, sprawling out untidily onto the floor to the amusement of the blonde woman who was stood just inside the doorway, a sleeping Grace in her arms. "Why do you have Campbell's baby?" Maxine asked from the floor, both girls trying to calm from the panic they'd descended into trying to hide.

Steph looked worried and uncertain for a few moments before she sighed, seating herself on the empty sofa and gesturing to the two sixteen year olds to sit themselves back on the sofa they'd already been occupying. Sure, she could lie to them, but they'd see through it in an instance and then she'd have to explain away why she'd lied to them. "Alright, but the pair of you have to swear you won't tell a soul. I mean it, this is no small thing." She informed them seriously, relaxing only ever so slightly once the two teenagers had solemnly promised her not to say a word to anyone. "This is Grace, Kim's baby." She motioned to the sleeping baby in her arms. "Only, it's not Kim's baby. Grace's mother made Kim promise to take her back here with her, and she did."

"So, Campbell stole a baby?" Maxine checked, frowning. Steph nodded reluctantly.

"Technically, yes. Someone got wind of it and sent officials round to her. I offered to help out and I've been hiding out with Grace for the last couple of weeks, until Kim wasn't being followed any longer." Steph explained hurriedly. The two girls looked surprised, but not like they hated her for helping Kim out, which was something at the very least. "Why were you two behind the sofa when I came in?"

"We weren't expecting you home and thought we'd locked the front door." Maxine admitted in a low voice. "We sort of panicked when we heard footsteps in the hallway." Both girls instinctively rubbed at their scars, on display thanks to the vest tops they were both wearing. Steph winced, nodding her understanding and regretting scaring them, albeit unintentionally. "Well, what you've told us explains why Campbell's been so jumpy recently."

"Are you going to tell Rachel?" Steph asked Alia quietly. Alia thought for a few moments before shaking her head, not missing the sigh of relief the French teacher let out.

"No, I'm not. If it comes from me, it's little more than a rumour at best. But I warn you now, she doesn't buy your illness even a little bit. You screwed yourself over by moving in next door to her. She can see that your car hasn't been here for two weeks."

"Yes, but how many times has Eddie's car been parked outside next door, eh?" Steph replied with a grin as the two teenagers laughed. She laughed along for a few moments before her face dropped, addressing both teenagers soberly. "Girls, this is serious. If the officials find out about Kim and Grace, you two know absolutely nothing about any of this. You've never seen this child and I never spoke to either of you about any of it. Got it?"

"Got it Steph." They chorused, looking worried at the seriousness of the situation.

"Good. Now, what sounds like a better illness to tell Rachel I've had, mumps or shingles?"

Rachel smiled as she let herself and Eddie into the house a couple of hours after school had ended for the day. She couldn't deny that she was honestly, truly happy, with Alia and Eddie and Philip and her job and pretty much everything in her life. Of course, she tended not to dwell on such hopeful positivity too often, having found that everything in her life that was so positive usually came swiftly to an end. But with everything that had happened, she couldn't help the smile that bubbled up as Eddie leant in to press his lips briefly to hers, both of them needing the relaxing evening they had planned for the end of the week. Most of the other teachers were all at the pub, but they'd managed to slip out without being caught and so weren't going to knock their good fortune.

"Think we can head straight upstairs?" Eddie murmured against her lips, his hands round her waist as she closed the door blindly behind her, nodding slightly, so close their noses brushed together with the movement. Unfortunately for their plans, laughter from the direction of the kitchen derailed their ideas for the evening. Rachel let out a light laugh at the unintentional disruption, taking hold of Eddie's hand and leading him through to the kitchen, their work things left in the usual pile on the floor near the bottom of the stairs.

Entering the kitchen, Rachel almost felt like she'd gone back in time slightly, the group of teenagers sat round her kitchen table sat much like the scene she'd walked in on at the beginning of the winter break. The differences between then and now though, were that instead of Maxine and Janeece, Philip and Donte were sat with Alia, Chlo and Bolton, whilst Jack was also there, sat between Alia and Philip. All of them were dressed for a party as well, but the crisps and cups of fizzy pop on the table were familiar, as was the laughter she walked in on. She felt Eddie freeze somewhat behind her, obviously not expecting six teenagers instead of two in her home that evening. Neither had she, until she recalled that it was the night of Maxine's seventeenth birthday party and Alia had mentioned some of her friends being there before the party was due to start. Plus, it was too late to pretend she hadn't just walked into the kitchen holding hands with her deputy, if the widely smiling faces surrounding her table were anything to go by. "Why do I feel like I've seen this before?" She commented dryly, waving her free hand in the direction of the teenagers. Predictably, this got a laugh from Alia, Chlo and Bolton.

"They're ganging up on me again, miss." Bolton complained with a laugh.

"Oh?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think I'll be on your side, eh Bolton? You called me weird, remember?" She fought the smile she could feel creeping at the corners of her lips even as Alia and Chlo dissolved into giggles, recalling clearly the previous night she was referencing. "Or maybe the whole disbelief about my having a life outside school?"

"Dude, you didn't." Jack shook his head at Bolton, though he was grinning. "If you're going to get in trouble with Rach, go big or go home."

"Do I need to start on the things you've said to me, Jack?" Rachel turned to the sixteen year old boy, arms crossed over her chest. Jack instantly shook his head. "That's what I thought."

"We're hiding here until it's time for the party." Alia informed them, jumping up from her seat to hug her mum briefly. "Didn't really fancy watching Steph have a meltdown over everything Max wants for her little party."

"You look lovely, sweetheart." Rachel glanced at the outfit her daughter was wearing as she stepped back from the embrace. Alia had a violet coloured strappy dress on with another pair of impossibly high black heels that Rachel thought could possibly have been Lia Rose shoes at one point, or they could be a pair she'd bought for that purpose and never worn. They went shopping a lot, though the last shopping trip the previous weekend had actually been for a couple of new school shirts and a couple of pleated skirts and knee high socks for Alia, who despite claiming not to want to wear a skirt for school, had agreed to it due to the warmer change in the weather that they were due. She'd put her foot down at a new pair of shoes though, informing Rachel that she would wear her Mary Jane wedges with her skirt if she wasn't wearing her boots. Rachel had sighed, even argued somewhat, but capitulated in the end with the proviso that she carried a pair of ballet flats round in her bag.

"Thanks, mum. All my stuff is in Jack's jacket because I don't have a jacket or bag tonight." Alia explained, making her way back over to the other teenagers.

"I feel like a pack mule." Jack commented wryly.

"You look like one too." Alia stuck her tongue out at him childishly, a gesture he returned just as maturely.

"Children, behave." Rachel admonished jokingly. "Have you lot eaten?" She sighed at the crisp packets that were thrust in her general direction. "That's not food. Eddie, grab the tomato pasta sauce from the fridge for me, please." She made her way over to the stove, grabbing the pasta from the cupboard on the way and setting two pans up to make pasta for them all. The group reconvened to the living room as there was no extra room for the two adults at the kitchen table, Eddie, Rachel, Jack and Alia on one sofa, Alia practically on Jack's lap which didn't escape Eddie's notice, and Chlo, Donte, Bolton and Philip squished onto the other sofa. There weren't enough soup bowls to go round, so Alia and Jack had ended up using cereal bowls instead, which Rachel had told Eddie they wouldn't mind.

A general round of thanks went up in appreciation for the food as the teenagers dug into the food with fervour, the two adults in the room eating at a slightly slower, less frantic pace, both recalling what it was like to be a forever hungry teenager.

"Miss, if Lawson's here, where's your boyfriend?" Bolton queried jokingly around a mouthful of pasta, having not been able to hold the mischievous thought in any longer. Eddie's head instantly turned to Rachel, his brow furrowed in confusion, though he had also caught sight of Donte, Philip and Jack seeming just as confused as he was, which comforted him slightly.

"Bolton, have you ever thought of shutting up?" Alia asked with a roll of her eyes. "And Sam's got a hot date tonight, actually. Someone he met through work or something. I don't know, I stopped paying attention after the third time he called her hot."

"I lost track after seven." Jack added. "Wait, since when was Sam going out with Rachel?" He questioned his best friend.

"They're not. Even if they did make out once." Alia laughed lightly. "I teased Sam no end for that; it was great. It was a dare." She clarified for a puzzled Jack.

"Oh, let me guess, your dad dared them to?" Jack nodded, it all making more sense to him.

"Well, he dared me." Rachel told them. "My choice of dare was to kiss Sam, properly, or to kiss a stranger." She shuddered. "I'd barely left my past a year behind. I was not kissing a stranger. Thankfully, Sam caught on and we decided to make it very uncomfortable for Alia's dad." Deciding to bite the figurative bullet, she turned and pressed a sweet kiss to Eddie's lips. "Bolton was talking about Sam, Alia's godfather. And I only mentioned him to get them to stop asking about you."

"There's nothing between them, Eddie, I swear." Alia assured him as Rachel pressed another kiss to his lips, the lack of a shocked reaction from the collection of teenagers only bolstering her courage. "Right, we best get going or we'll be late. Max and Jan will already be jealous we got pasta again."

"You're still weird, y'know." Bolton told Rachel as the teenagers placed their bowls onto the coffee table in a start at getting ready to leave.

"And why's that?" Rachel laughed.

"You're still hella cool with us all being here in your house and going out and that." Bolton shook his head. "I had to promise my mum all sorts just to get out the house in one piece."

"We'll be back before one. I don't fancy trying to kip on Max's sofa." Alia told her mother as she stood, dragging Jack with her.

"My mum told me midnight, but can I stay out with Ali, Rach?" Jack asked the woman solemnly.

"Yes, but don't tell your mum." Rachel shook her head in amusement. "And both of you, please be able to at least walk yourselves to bed. Philip, that goes for you too." She told the boy, who seemed surprised at the lax rules in place when it wasn't her own house. He nodded anyway as Alia and Jack laughed at the condition. There had only been the one incident about a year or so ago when they'd shown up on her doorstep not able to walk in a straight line, only a couple weeks before Stuart threatened them. Rachel had thrown them both onto the sofas with blankets and buckets instead of trying to get them up the stairs, and she'd made sure to be especially loud when making breakfast the following morning. Neither teen had gotten that drunk again since, at least, not when they were returning to her house.

"I've a meeting tomorrow." Alia shrugged. "I don't really want to try and go to it with a hangover. Are you still alright to drive me to it?"

"Of course I am, love. Ready to leave at ten. Have fun, all of you. Say happy birthday to Maxine for me." Rachel bade them all a good night as they tumbled out of her house into the cool evening air. She'd be more concerned at her daughter's lack of a coat if they weren't only going next door. She'd barely shut the door on the group when she felt Eddie behind her, turning to wrap her arms round his neck, his arms automatically moving to cup her waist in response. "We've got time to carry on with our relaxing evening now." She smiled seductively, which dropped when she saw Eddie was still caught up by something. "What's wrong? I swear, it was over a decade ago that I kissed Sam."

"No, it's not that." Eddie pulled her in tighter, knowing he was being silly, but unable to help it. "You let her go out, dressed like that?" He winced at his words, not meaning them to come out like a judgement on his girlfriend's parenting technique. To his surprise, Rachel laughed slightly instead of the argument he was braced for.

"She's sixteen, not six. It was a dress, Eddie, quite a conservative one as far as Ali goes, as well. She's going to a party, not afternoon tea." She laughed at him a little. She could understand it, but she'd never had anyone else with her before when her daughter had left for parties. "She'll be fine. Jack's with her for a start, and they're only next door."

"I don't like it." He muttered mutinously, knowing he was being irrational.

"This is the first time you've seen a teenager leave for a night out, isn't it? Look, wait up with me and you'll see they'll be absolutely fine, if a little drunk." Rachel shook her head. She knew she'd be waiting up, just as she did every other time her daughter went out, and just as she knew her daughter did every time she went out. Just because she didn't make her child promise her everything under the sun didn't mean she didn't worry about her going out.

"I just… I care about you Rach, and I care about her too." Eddie confessed in an embarrassed murmur. "It didn't sit right, sitting there and letting her leave in that outfit, if you can call it that."

Rachel smiled at him, thoroughly amused but touched at his caring side, even if it was way too overprotective. "I love that you care, Eddie, really. She'll be fine. They all will." She tugged him down to kiss him deeply, letting herself get lost in his arms and the feel of his lips on hers, his warm hands on her body. Eventually, she pulled back, panting even as he grinned smugly at her. "Come on, let's go upstairs for a bit."

Rachel glanced up from her position on the sofa, curled into Eddie's side watching telly, as the door unlocked and footsteps could be heard in the hallway, one set clearly a pair of heels. It had only just gone midnight, and Rachel was surprised they were so early, though she could tell Eddie didn't share that thought, having been unbearably tense since half past ten no matter how she'd tried to distract him. She fought the urge to smirk. He wasn't taking the whole typical teenager thing very well and it was more than a little funny for her. She'd been dealing with her daughter alone for the entirety of her teenaged years so far and Eddie's reaction reminded her of the first couple of times she'd been faced with her daughter going out, though before she'd started at Waterloo Road it had always been with Jack which eased her worries in one way but doubled them in another. She herself was still somewhat caught up in Eddie's words that he cared for both her and her daughter, finding it harder and harder to stop herself from telling him that she loved him, was in love with him. She wasn't sure what it was that was holding her back, but she cursed herself every time another moment to tell him passed her by.

She smiled as the three teenagers stumbled tiredly into the room, Jack's jacket around Alia's shoulders as they offered the two adults weary smiles, tumbling onto the other sofa with grateful sighs at finally being able to completely relax.

"We would've been back sooner, but Chlo needed walking back home. Donte had a bit too much to drink." Jack told them, rubbing a hand over his face. "How're your feet not killing you?" He addressed Alia with a furrowed brow.

"They are killing me but walking barefoot is a last resort and I wasn't doing it." Alia slipped off her shoes, wincing at the pain, particularly in the arches of her feet.

"You should've said something. I would've given you a piggyback back here."

"You already gave me your jacket." Alia shook her head, though a tired smile remained on her face as she faced Rachel and Eddie. "Did you two have a good night?"

"Quiet night in for us, Ali." Rachel confirmed, feeling the tension seeping out of Eddie at the sight of all three sixteen year olds sat safe, if tired, on the sofa. "How was your night? Did Maxine have a good birthday?"

"She did. Even Jan showed up. Don't know what's changed but she seems to want to be friends with us again now." Alia shrugged, deciding not to think too much into it. Maxine and Chlo were just as confused as she was, but they weren't going to knock it. "Surprised you couldn't hear the music Max had on from here, to be honest. Steph was there, making sure we didn't wreck the joint. But it was good, spent a good time there, having a laugh. We left to see Chlo home when the shots came out. I think the party's still going on even now."

"Water and paracetamol before bed, all three of you." Rachel instructed, to which they both nodded obediently, knowing better than to argue with her. Jack climbed to his feet, tugging Alia up as well before turning, his back to her. Alia sighed in resignation before jumping onto his back, Jack holding her steady as they left the room to head up the stairs. Philip followed them with a tired smile still etched firmly on his features Rachel waited until they were out of earshot before turning back to Eddie. "See? Safe and sound, just like I knew they would be."

"Yeah, yeah. You can't blame me for worrying."

"No, I think it's quite sweet actually." Rachel pressed a quick kiss to his lips before shifting to get up. "They'll be too tired to come back down so I'll take the water and paracetamol to them. Then, we can go to bed too."

"Somehow, I'm not tired. Should be, but I'm not." Eddie stretched, pausing in the action at Rachel's response before jumping up to chase her from the room with her laughter ringing in his ears.

"I never said anything about sleeping."

"You don't look too good, y'know." Alia commented as she followed Chlo into the toilets a couple of weeks later, on a Monday break time, the thirty odd week pregnant teenager wincing as she tried to walk comfortably into a cubicle. Alia had had quite a quiet couple of weeks since the party, with her mother taking her to one of the final meetings she had over her fast approaching tour before her GCSE exams, which began the following day with an English Literature paper. Eddie had tried hard to help her, Philip and Jack all the weekend just gone, though he'd eventually conceded defeat when Rachel had taken over, ribbing her a little for being an English teacher herself. All three teenagers had moved their studying to Alia's room when it turned into a teasing match over which was worse, an English or a Maths teacher. It had made the sixteen year old girl smile, liking Eddie and how much he made her mum smile when they were together. She'd never been one for the typical family dynamic, but she wanted him to be the one to prove her mum wrong, to prove he could and would stick around for the long haul, even with a prickly teenager or two, or even three, in tow.

"Thanks a bunch for that, Ali." Chlo managed to stick her tongue out half-heartedly at her friend as she closed the door to the cubicle.

"I didn't mean it like that. Do you want me to try and flag down Donte?" She offered to the closed cubicle door, not really wanting to leave her there with how bad she looked, but willing to do so if she needed to. "Chlo?" Her eyes widened in alarm as she heard a pained moan from within the stall. "Chlo!" She pounded on the door desperately, wondering why they were so flimsy when you didn't want anyone to open it, but somehow sturdy as a rock when you really needed it to open. "What's going on?" The sound of liquid hitting the bathroom floor in a rush had her glancing down, instantly spotting the new puddle that hadn't been there a moment ago. "Chlo, Chlo you need to come out of there! I can't help you if you're locked in there!"

"Call… call your mum. The baby's coming" Chlo ground out between gritted teeth as she tried to get herself up off the toilet to open the cubicle door, the pain too much to bear as she hunched over, arms wrapped around her protruding bump.

"Yes, yes, I can do that." Alia fumbled with her phone for a few seconds before hitting the right button to call Rachel. "Rach? Rach, I need you, down in the girls' loos outside French. Chlo's having the baby, now." She hung up without waiting for her mum's reaction as Chlo finally got the door open and practically fell into her arms, both girls sinking to the floor with a wail of pain from the seventeen year old. Alia yelled at the last couple of girls still in there to find Tom and Donte, which they rushed off to do without hesitation as Alia smoothed Chlo's hair back, sat behind the pregnant girl, not sure what else she could do to help.

"I want my mum." Chlo ground out around another contraction, eyes tearing from both the pain and the longing for her mum to be there for her in that moment.

"You'll have to make do with mine, unfortunately." Alia replied sadly, holding Chlo's hands in her own from her awkward position holding her sat upright, fighting the urge to wince at how tightly her fingers were being squeezed.

"No, I couldn't do that."

"Yes, you can. You need a mum in this moment and I'm offering mine up for the baby delivery service." Alia's tone brooked no argument and Chlo found herself nodding absently, the back of her head resting against Alia's shoulder as she took the much needed break between the waves of pain, panting. Both looked up a moment later as the door to the bathroom opened abruptly and Rachel nearly tumbled into the room, followed by Kim, both dropping to their knees either side of the girl in labour.

"I can't do this." Chlo moaned as another wave hit and she squeezed Alia's fingers, who in turn winced with the pain of her fingers losing circulation in the girl's grip. Rachel soothed Chlo gently, smoothing her hair back in much the same way Alia had.

"Yes, you can Chlo. You've got this." Rachel assured her.

"Stay with me." Chlo transferred one of her hands from Alia's to grip hold of one of Rachel's instead, wide eyes pleading with the headmistress. "I can't do this on my own."

"Of course I will, love." Rachel promised. "Kim, can you call for an ambulance?"

"I sent some of the girls to find Tom and Donte." Alia informed them quietly. Rachel nodded, still making soothing noises for Chlo as Kim lurched to her feet and left the bathroom in order to call the ambulance away from the screaming girl. As soon as she'd gone, Alia addressed Rachel properly. "Rach, she needs a mum right now and I've signed you up for it." She told the woman quickly, to which Rachel instantly agreed, knowing that they had to do what was needed by Chlo right now.

"That's absolutely fine, if it's alright with you, Chlo."

"Please." Chlo ground out. "You've been here though it all, Rachel."

Kim returned before anyone could say anything else, Tom right behind her as he poked his head into the toilets, looking thankful to see Chlo was alright and wasn't alone. "I'll just… wait in the hallway." He told them awkwardly before disappearing, Donte almost instantly replacing him as he didn't care where he was, jumping in to take his place at the opposite side of Chlo to Rachel.

Alia transferred Chlo's hand from hers to his, silently warning him it would hurt with her eyes, though she couldn't really leave as she was still sat behind Chlo, holding her in as comfortable a position as possible. "I'm here babes." Donte assured Chlo, kissing the back of her hand. "You're doing so well, and our baby will be here before you know it."

"It's too early." Chlo cried out.

"Lots of babies are early, Chlo. This one's just impatient to meet you." Rachel did her best to reassure the seventeen year old, squeezing her hand gently. Kim had arranged the room as best as possible before rushing out to meet the midwife that had preceded the ambulance, coming back with the woman in tow, who seemed surprised to see so many people in the small room but just went along with it, setting up gas and air for the pregnant girl and her equipment before examining the patient.

Everyone noticed the worried look on the midwife's face as she finished up the examination, though it took all of them several attempts at asking about the issue before she finally told them that the baby was breech. "We need to deliver this baby, now. Here."

Chlo refused to let Donte, Rachel or Alia move away from her, making the midwife work round them in order to not stress the mother to be out any more than she was already. Rachel could see that Kim was especially confused at Chlo's insistence on her headmistress and a sixteen year old girl being there with her, but she didn't have the time or energy to think up something to tell her. Chlo needed them and they were there. That was how it worked. Rachel knew Donte was glad they were there too, having had more than a few chats with the seventeen year old boy the last few months about how everything changed with a baby, and how he could continue on like Chlo could, even with a child. He'd been more open since Chlo had finally informed him about Rachel and Alia and why she felt the need to inform their headteacher of everything, finally understanding Chlo's need to have an adult female she could turn to over anything. And he could admit that it was nice to actually talk to someone who had been in their shoes and done so well for themselves, who wouldn't judge when he expressed doubts of being good enough for his unborn child but would give him real, practical advice.

The midwife guided Chlo through the labour, with Rachel adding a few titbits she recalled that had helped her, though she refrained from commenting when Chlo threatened Donte a couple of times. She'd said much, much wore in the same situation to Alia's dad, though she'd been in a hospital thankfully, not in the school toilets like Chlo was. Donte dutifully held her hand and told her how proud of her he was, whilst Alia stayed sat behind her, supporting her weight and adjusting her position as the midwife directed. The screams Chlo let out were deafening and heart wrenching all in one and more than once, Rachel had to fight the motherly urge to try and make the pain stop, to go away. Finally though, they all heard the sound of a baby's cry echo around the toilets, all present letting out sighs of relief as the midwife bundled up the newborn and placed her into Chlo's arms, head next to Donte.

"It's a girl." The midwife pronounced proudly as she had Donte cut the cord. Soon enough after the cord was cut, the paramedics showed up with the ambulance to take both mother and baby to the hospital, Donte insisting on accompanying them. Chlo shot Rachel a thankful look as she was lifted onto a chair and strapped into it, wheeled out by paramedics with Donte following them, their baby in his arms. Rachel sagged in relief from her spot on the floor, beyond thankful that Chlo and the baby were alright. She caught sight of her shellshocked looking daughter and closed her eyes briefly, having forgot that for everything she'd been through, the sixteen year old had never seen anyone give birth before.

Slowly, Rachel climbed to her feet, the midwife having followed the ambulance and Kim stood in the corner looking like the whole situation hadn't quite hit her yet. Shaking her limbs to get some feeling back into them, she held out a hand to help her daughter up, catching her under the arms when Alia's legs gave out a little, the feeling in the teenager's lower limbs having returned in the form of painful pins and needles. All three looked a little worse for wear and Rachel and Alia both sported bright red fingers from Chlo's grip as Kim moved over on autopilot and they both helped Alia move forward to leave the bathroom.

They found both Tom and Eddie waiting for them, the latter looking concerned for them and the former looking ecstatic. "It's a girl!" Tom proclaimed happily, darting forward to envelope Rachel in a surprise hug. "She's got a baby girl!" He moved on to hug Kim and finally Alia, who managed a weak smirk at him.

"Congrats, granddad." She deftly dodged the elbow her mother tried to nudge her with. "Do you need any help packing her a bag?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks." Tom glanced at Rachel discreetly, who nodded her permission, before turning to leave with the sixteen year old on his heels, the teacher asking the teenager what she thought Chlo would need for a few days in the hospital. Rachel turned to Kim, letting the professional mask drop for a moment as she smiled.

"Thanks for all that in there, Kim. God, what a day."

"What a day, indeed." Kim agreed readily. "Didn't expect to be helping bring new life into the world when I woke up this morning."

"Me either. I think we could all use a drink tonight. Pub?" She offered both Eddie and Kim, the former nodding his agreement.

"Sure." Kim said after a moment. "I think we need it. Just the one, mind. I've got to get home to Grace."

TBC…