Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and were so reassuring :) Watch out for some language in this one x

Rachel was, unfortunately, no stranger to waking up with a pounding head and a few sketchy memories. It hadn't been an occurrence for some years, however, so she was somewhat baffled for a long moment when she opened her eyes the next morning, only to have to immediately close them again as the light seemed to pierce her skull. Her stomach rolled, and she swallowed thickly, remaining perfectly still.

Eventually, she managed to crack one eyelid open. Her own bedside clock stared back at her, much to her relief, telling her it was late morning, which at least explained the sunshine she could see the gap in the curtain.

She needed to sit up. Very carefully, she went to roll over but a weight on her hip caused her to freeze, heart stuttering when she realised it was a hand.

What had she done last night? Her heart raced, panic barely contained as she twisted to look behind her, hissing under her breath as the movement made her very, very aware of exactly how much her whole body ached. That, combined with the sight of Eddie sleeping behind her, brought a sudden rush of memories back that made her cheeks heat as she recalled some of what had happened the night before.

What had they done? Carefully extracting herself from Eddie's hand, she gingerly stood, having to pause for a moment as a wave of nausea swept over her. She grimaced, pressing a hand to her protesting stomach. She hadn't been this hungover in a long time.

A few careful, even breaths and she was more certain that she could move without issue, her back protesting the entire way. She caught hold of her dressing gown from where it was slung over a chair, but before she shrugged it on she stepped over to the mirror, turning to see exactly what was hurting so much, only to inhale sharply. Next to her spine, a deep purple bruise was almost a perfectly straight line, parallel to the fainter, slightly thinner bruise next to it.

Just where had that come from?

The rest of her hadn't escaped unscathed either, she noted ruefully, turning in the mirror. Bruises encircled her hips, and she knew that Eddie's hands would be the perfect fit for them. There was another purple stain on her leg, and after a moment she was relatively certain she'd hit the bed frame when they'd tumbled into the room. Her wrists ached from when he'd pinned them above her head at one point, and more pink marks were trailed from under her jaw down her neck; she flushed as she remembered Eddie nipping his way down to her collarbone, where the marks grew in size and deepened in colour. She hadn't had a hickey in a very long time, she thought as she brushed her fingers over them, and resolved to be incredibly careful about what kind of tops she wore until the redness disappeared.

"Did I do that?"

She jumped at the sound of Eddie's horrified voice, quickly slipped on the dressing gown in her hands before she risked a glance towards him. As she did, she caught sight of the door, and abruptly knew where the bruise on her back had come from. "Strictly speaking, it was a combination of vodka, slippy socks and a doorframe," she said comfortingly, but the look on his face remained.

He climbed out of bed and she quickly spun around as he tugged on some underwear, trying to pretend her whole body hadn't flushed hot. It meant that she wasn't expecting his touch as he came up behind her, and gasped slightly when she felt him move the neckline of the fabric out of the way. "What are you doing?"

He didn't reply, studying the marks that marred her skin, pink and red and purple, and felt sick. "Jesus Rach, I'm so sorry."

She placed her hand over his. "Perhaps you should look in the mirror before feeling guilty."

Confused, he did so. His own torso was littered with red and pink splotches, a bruise on the muscle of his shoulder that when he pressed on it, he remembered being formed by Rachel's teeth as he entered her for the first time. As he turned slightly, Rachel caught sight of red lines streaking across his back; she'd dragged her nails down, she recalled, stopping just short of breaking the skin.

She bit her lip. "I think we both gave as good as we got."

The look he gave her still swam with guilt. She could understand it- they had always been good together, in every way but it had never been quite as... passionate, as last night. Their first time had been full of laughter, with teasing touches and pure joy that they were finally allowed to do this. She'd always been grateful for that, because it had taken away the awkwardness that came from not only it being their first time, but that also came from being co-workers and friends first.

And then the next morning, still sleepy-eyed, Eddie had kissed his way down what felt like every inch of her body, the look in his eyes leaving her no doubt that he loved her, even if he hadn't said the words yet. A far cry from the morning they now found themselves in, she thought.

"Rachel, I hurt you!"

"And I hurt you. Eddie Lawson, you listen to me," she said firmly. "We might have had more to drink than was perhaps advisable, but it was entirely consensual. I wanted it just as much as you did. Emotions were just running a bit high, that's all."

He looked calmer, still unsettled but he nodded, immediately wincing. "Does your head hurt as much as mine does?"

"Absolutely. I have painkillers somewhere- I'll hunt them down."

By the time she had, he was fully dressed in his clothes from the night before and looking increasingly awkward. "Rach..."

Her heart twisted painfully, knowing what was coming and why had she ever invited him in, offered a drink? "It's okay," she said quickly, unable to take hearing it aloud.

"You don't know what I was going to say."

She offered him a smile, aware it wasn't reaching her eyes. "We were drunk and emotional. It's okay," she repeated. He gave a slow nod. She quickly turned away, busying herself with finding clothes and trying to pretend she didn't feel like she'd been sucker punched, mentally cursing herself and her apparently masochistic tendencies.

"Rach?" He came up behind her, and she quickly plastered on a neutral expression before facing him. He raised his hand, fingers brushing her hair from her face and her breath caught.

Instantly, a flash of anger at herself ran through her, and she pulled away. "Don't, Eddie."

He caught her hand. "I'm sorry," he said, and she squeezed her eyes closed.

"Don't be. We're both adults, we both made a decision."

The ache in her chest wasn't going anywhere, not helped by the warmth of his hand around hers, the intensity of the pang of longing taking her by surprise. She mentally shook herself, and ruthlessly shoved the feeling away, wrenching her hand from his as she busied herself with finding clothes for the day. It was an amazingly bad idea. It always had been, just look at what had happened. She'd had quite enough of being his backup plan, had had her heart broken by this man quite enough, she decided.

"I just… I need…"

"Eddie, you don't have to explain anything to me," she said tersely, still not looking around but knowing that his gaze was boring into her anyway.

"Yes, I do," he said and she stilled.

"It's okay," she repeated, and turned to face him. "Really."

She couldn't be mean to him, not when he had that look upon his face and all at once she cursed her sister, the school, the universe in general. This would be the last time, she knew, and thought she might have preferred not to know that.

"I should go."

She nodded, silent thanks to the lump in her throat as she turned back to her task again and so didn't see him hesitate, hover in place as he looked at her, before he shook his head and walked away.

W.R.

By the time Monday morning came around, Rachel's headache had thankfully reduced to a manageable level and the marks on her neck had faded to the point where a layer of makeup covered them completely. Eddie had left on Saturday with an awkward tension between them, and she wasn't sure if she would ever hear from him again. Part of her was glad, the part that was still hurting but equally her heart was breaking just a little bit, because he was the last person in the world she ever thought she'd wonder that about.

"Afternoon," Tom Clarkson flashed her a smile as she entered the staffroom, and she managed to give him one back.

"Afternoon Tom. Happy birthday!" she remembered, and he beamed at her. As she pinned her notices to the board, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

From: Eddie

Trying to get ahead on marking. Best answer so far: Jesus, because Jesus is always the answer. Save me from year nines who think they're funny.

Rachel stared at the message for a long minute, trying to make sense of the incredibly random topic. What on earth was she supposed to reply to that? Was she supposed to reply to that?

Her thumbs hovered over the buttons, beginning to type and then deleting the letters a dozen times over. Finally, she shoved the phone in her pocket without replying and made to leave the room.

"Hi Rachel."

She smiled weakly at Kim, attempting to escape past her. But the art teacher caught her arm, showing her the papers in her arms. "Look at this. I told them to paint from the heart."

The paper was covered in red hearts, apparently made by a stencil. "Well, I suppose technically, they followed instructions," she commented. Kim got an exasperated look on her face.

"It was supposed to be a self-portrait!"

Rachel snickered. Kim collapsed onto the sofa and she walked out, but paused when a realisation hit her, pulling out her phone. At least now she had something to reply to Eddie with, she thought sardonically.

She'd assumed that would be the end of it, but when she checked her phone again at the end of the day, there was another message. This time, it was a photo, a picture of an exam paper with a large drawing of an ice cream cone, instead of the answer to a simultaneous equation it was supposed to be. Rachel felt her lips twitch.

Artistic. She typed out, immediately wondering what he would reply this time. Then frowned at herself- hadn't she decided to stay away from him? But as she attempted to pack up her things, she found her gaze drawn over and over to her phone, hoping the screen would light up.

She threw it in her bag for the drive home, but as soon as she'd pulled up she was pulling it out, finding a smile playing across her lips when she found a message waiting. Isn't it just? Maybe if I get him to put his equations into drawings, he'll start paying attention!

She huffed out a laugh. Oh, because that will improve his maths grade.

Once again, she found herself glancing over at her phone, checking it over and over. She'd gotten changed out of her work clothes and started dinner, when she realised she'd picked it up for the third time in less than a minute, and rolled her eyes at herself for acting like one of the kids. Very deliberately, she placed it down, resolving not to pick it up again until she'd finished what she was doing.

The resolve lasted until she saw the screen light up from the corner of her eye.

No, but it would make my life easier! She grinned, easily imagining Eddie stood in front of her, saying those exact words with a half-smirk on his face, teasing her in an attempt to get her to respond.

What a fantastic example to set, Mr Lawson. She'd meant it jokingly, but three hours and a bath later she still didn't have a reply and she was beginning to regret sending it. Texts were so subjective, what if he'd taken it the wrong way?

She'd picked up her phone, intending to send an apology but before she could, it rang. She stared. Eddie's caller ID flashed up at her, and she hesitated. Messages were one thing, but phone calls? She bit her lip, before realising she was gawping at a phone and frowned at herself. Get a grip, Rachel, she said mentally, and hit the answer button. "Hello?"

"Rachel!"

Her stomach sank, even as amusement washed through her. "Eddie, are you drunk?"

"Most definitely!"

"Where are you?"

"At home." Thank God for small mercies, she thought, grateful she wouldn't have to worry about him passed out in a pub somewhere. "Will you come over?"

What.

"That, is a terrible idea."

"I think it's a brilliant idea!"

"That's because your bloodstream is currently eighty percent alcohol." This was apparently hilarious, because she heard a thump and then him hooting with laughter, apparently having dropped his mobile. She couldn't help but smile, because it was so ridiculous. "You should switch to water, Eddie," she suggested when he'd come back on the line.

He scoffed. "Water, shwater. This is better."

"Being off your face is better?"

"It doesn't hurt as much."

What was she supposed to say to that? But she apparently left it for too long, because Eddie suddenly spoke again. "Rachel? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Are you there?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm here."

"Oh, good." He sounded relieved.

"Eddie?"

"Mmhm?"

"I'm sorry."

There was a pause. "For what?"

"Everything." She was a coward, doing this when he was probably too drunk to remember. But she had to, and it was easier when he was like this.

"I don't think you're the one who should be apologising." He sounded thoughtful, almost too serious and she smiled.

"I'm still sorry."

"So am I."

They lapsed into silence again. Rachel could hear him moving around, could hear the pop of a bottle lid. "Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stop drinking tonight? For me?"

He didn't reply, and she half thought he'd put the phone down and walked away. But then his voice came through, with a tone she couldn't quite identify. "For you."

And she smiled. "Thank you, Eddie."

W.R.

Oddly enough, the rest of the week continued in much the same way. Throughout the day, she'd randomly receive texts, sometimes messages, sometimes pictures. About school, students, about Michael or on one occasion, about a dog he'd seen on his way to the shop. Rachel didn't really know what to think of it. Even less about the phone calls she then received on another two evenings, both times when Eddie was drunk and rambling. She hoped that meant that he'd been sober the fourth evening, but she found herself somehow doubting it.

On Friday, she'd received only one text, in the morning and then no reply. She checked her phone almost compulsively, each time disappointed when Eddie's name never appeared. It got to the point where Kim was giving her odd glances during the Friday lunchtime staff meeting, eventually leaning over to ask what was wrong.

"Nothing," she'd whispered hastily, shoving it into her pocket. But even as she attempted to listen to Max, her thoughts kept drifting away to Eddie, to where he was and why he wasn't replying.

It all added up to her waiting impatiently for the end of the day, a thrill running through her when the final bell rang. She had a pile of paperwork to deliver to Kim, but then she was officially free for the rest of the evening. Of course, her luck meant that the woman wasn't in her office, and Rachel had to track her down through the school, eventually finding her in the staffroom.

Papers safely delivered and pleasantries exchanged with the high number of staff members in the room, she'd turned to go, only to feel her phone buzz in her pocket. Her heart leapt.

From: Eddie

Getting drunk at bar we went to for your birthday. Would enjoy some company? x

Relief crashed through her that he'd finally made contact, that he wasn't laying in a ditch somewhere. Followed immediately by trepidation at his invitation- it probably wasn't a good plan, she thought to herself. But yet she didn't click reply, didn't want to answer either way yet.

"Rachel, are you coming?" Chris's voice broke through her reverie- a glance upwards revealed the man looking at her expectantly. "To the pub, drinks for Tom's birthday since we didn't go on Monday," he explained, seeing her blank look.

Rachel hesitated.

"Max is coming!" Kim added, as if that would influence her decision. It did, but probably not that way she expected. There was only one place she wanted to go.

"Actually," she said, looking back down at her phone and ignoring the cocked eyebrow the man in question was giving her. "I already have plans. But Steph owes me enough from the last night out to cover a round on me."

She was smiling as she walked out, ignoring the murmurs that sprung up behind her and already texting Eddie back. Order me something strong enough to catch you up x

W.R.

Eddie had been waiting impatiently ever since he'd received Rachel's reply. Logically, he knew that she had to leave, walk to her car, drive and find a parking space but that didn't stop him from glancing up hopefully every time the door opened. Within twenty minutes, the barman was laughing at him. "You have to be waiting for a woman."

Eddie looked sheepish. "That obvious?"

"Mate, you couldn't be more obvious. First date?"

"Not exactly…" He looked troubled. "I'm not sure what it is."

The guy leant on the bar, looking interested. "But you like her, yeah?"

"I more than like her." He tapped his fingers on the bar. "The problem is, I've also been an idiot to her. I hurt her a lot, more than once."

"But she's still coming," he pointed out. "Seems to me she must like you too, at least a little bit."

Eddie hoped so.

It was another half an hour before his constant swivels towards the door payed off, and finally Rachel was the one who walked through. Eddie felt his breath catch- her hair was doing that feathery thing that made it so fun to run his fingers through, and her blouse was one of his favourites. It had to have been coincidence, because she wouldn't have had time to change but all of a sudden he was sure the universe was punishing him.

She slid onto the stool beside him, shooting him a grin. "Hi."

"Hi. You look lovely."

He had the pleasure of watching complete surprise cross her face, before her cheeks flushed a brilliant pink and her lips curved slightly. "Thank you..." She avoided his gaze, teeth biting at her lip and he had to resist the urge to chuckle, instead sliding over the glass he'd ordered her earlier. "Here."

"What is it?"

"I have no idea," he admitted. "I asked for something strong and tasty- he gave me that."

She laughed. "Well, thank you."

"How was your week?"

She took a sip, pleasantly surprised at the fruity taste. "Oh you know, a couple of fist fights, a teenage pregnancy, a few dozen break ups and make ups."

"Normal week at Waterloo Road then."

"Exactly." They both grinned. "How was yours?"

He looked away, playing with his pint. "Not bad. My boss put me on compassionate leave- I've been catching up with marking, spent some time with Michael and getting blind drunk mostly."

That explained the messages, Rachel thought as her smile faded, and she put her drink down, teeth worrying her lip. "If I ask you something, will you be honest with me?"

"Of course."

"The drinking... should I be concerned?"

He frowned, irritation flashing across his face. "For God's sake, Rachel."

"Don't jump down my throat," she protested, holding her hands up. "You've been drunk-calling me almost every day this week- I'm just worried."

Maybe it was the words, maybe it was her tone or the sentiment behind both, but the fight instantly left him and he sighed, sagging backwards. "No, you don't need to be concerned. It's not out of control. I wouldn't do that to Michael."

"Okay." She nodded calmly, deciding to accept the answer for the moment, but resolved to keep an eye on him. "How is Michael? Has he gotten over his tractor obsession yet?"

His whole face lit up as he began to talk about his son. Rachel signalled for two more drinks, and felt her smile grow as she watched the man in front of her tell a story about bath time.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, Tom's birthday drinks had moved location. While none of the staff immediately spotted the pair at the bar, it was inevitable and eventually, it was Ruby who happened to look up after they'd been in there a while, and drew attention to the headmistress. The rest of the staff turned to look as well. "That is Rachel," Tom agreed, peering over. "Who's that with her?"

None could see due to the angle, and it led to all of them sat with their heads twisted, eyes fixed on who their boss was laughing with. As they watched, the man leant over to show her something on his phone, and Steph's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God."

Jo gave her a curious look. "What?"

But Tom had seen it too, and he had a stunned look on his face, mouth open. "But... isn't he having a baby with her sister?"

Ruby made a choking noise that went ignored. "Or has had a baby," Steph said with a calculating look on her face. "She was months gone last we saw her."

Max was frowning. "Who are you talking about?"

Steph got a gleeful look on her face, pretending not to see the warning glance that Tom shot her. He shot a hand out, gripped her arm. "Steph..."

"What? They'll find out eventually!"

Tom groaned, unable to stop himself from looking back over towards the bar. The pair were sat close, heads bent together so they could hear each other over the noise of the bar. As he watched, Eddie reached out and tugged on Rachel's hair, causing her to bat him away and stick her tongue out at him, laughing.

Steph was talking animatedly, telling Rachel and Eddie's story, and the John Fosters group were looking on with a sort of stunned fascination. Tom carried on watching, and as Steph wrapped up and the conversation began to segue into judging Rachel, he interrupted, his voice cutting across the others. "And just when was the last time any of you saw Rachel smile like that?" he challenged. They fell silent, looking back over towards the woman. In a case of perfect timing, she was laughing at something Eddie had, genuine happiness colouring her voice and her expression. "Because I'm fairly certain the last time I saw it was back before the summer."

There was an uneasy pause.

"Tom's right," Kim agreed suddenly. "Leave her be."

There was an awkward silence that no one knew how to break. Across the room, Rachel was giggling helplessly at Eddie's story from his new school, and he was grinning at her, thrilled to see her happy for the first time since Melissa came bursting back into the school. "It wouldn't have been so funny if it were you," he jibed good-naturedly, and she smiled even wider.

"Definitely not. But since it wasn't, it's hilarious!"

He ordered them more drinks, but Rachel shook her head. "Not for me, thank you. I'm done."

He looked at her curiously. "It's not even midnight."

"I've been at work all day," she reminded him. "And my hangover last week was quite enough, thank you."

He winced at the memory. "Point taken."

"I should go anyway," she decided. "I'm ready to fall asleep as it is."

Disappointment washed through him, and he quickly offered to walk her to the taxi rank, desperate for as long as possible with her. The night air was chilly, the streets quiet, although voices filtered out from the bar and the pub a few doors down.

"Thank you for tonight," he said quietly as they rounded the corner, cutting through a dark alley and she looked at him with a soft smile.

"As much as I hate the reason, I am glad to see you again, Eddie." They came to a stop, standing close- too close, Rachel's mind screamed at her. His hand came up, brushing a lock of her hair away from her eyes, which were fixed on him. "Eddie…"

His lips landed on hers, stealing her breath away. Gentle at first, but growing increasingly persistent, demanding entry and she was helpless to refuse, the world around them falling away as his arms wrapped around her.

He tasted of an alcohol she couldn't quite recognise at that moment, and something else that she knew as being uniquely him, the scent of his aftershave achingly familiar. Vaguely, she was aware of one of his hands moving from the back of her head to around the front of her, tugging at her blouse just visible through the opening of her coat. "What are you doing?"

"Checking," he murmured, stealing another kiss before drawing back. Confusion washed through her at his answer- cold air hit warmed skin, causing a shiver to run through her as he exposed her collarbone. "Still there," he noted, and bent down to lave his tongue over the now-yellowed marks he'd left the previous week. Her breath hitched, fingers threading through his hair, tugging but even she didn't know whether she was attempting to pull him away or pull him closer.

He pressed his lips over the darkest of the marks, right over the most sensitive area and she gasped as she felt him suckle, a small sound of pure want escaping her. They'd moved, until her back was pressed against the brick wall behind her and now her head tipped back, leant against it and the cold reminded her of where they were, of the fact that anybody could walk up at any point.

"Eddie, stop…"

He gave one last, hard suck, dragging himself away and upwards, landing a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Know I shouldn't," he murmured. "But I like knowing my mark is on you."

She froze. It was rare that she flashbacked to her past, especially with Eddie, but pinned to the wall in a cold, dark alley with a man trying to lay claim to her…

She pushed him away, harder now, hard enough that he was forced to step back and she stumbled away from the wall, head shaking. "No!"

"What's wrong?"

She skirted around him, heading for the light at the end and as she stepped out under the streetlamp, she felt foolish. It was just Eddie, after all, and he might have been a bit drunk, but he would never have harmed her, not like that, she reminded herself. The light chased away the icy feeling in her stomach, her breathing quickly becoming calmer.

"Rach?"

"We can't do this."

"Why not?"

She whirled to face him. "You said it yourself! Eddie, we're both still hurting, we've both had too much to drink and we both have lives that are complicated!"

But he was shaking his head, reaching out to catch a hold of her elbows. "No, I let you push me away once before and I almost lost you for good. I'm not letting you do that again."

"You're drunk."

"Tipsy."

"Drunk," she said firmly. "Eddie, this is a bad idea."

"You want this as much as I do, I know you do." He stepped closer again, reaching out to brush his fingers against her cheek, only for her to pull away.

"It doesn't matter! Eddie, I deserve more than being your drunken fuck-toy."

His eyes widened at her language. "That isn't what this is!"

But she was shaking her head again, stepping back each time he attempted to come closer. "No. Eddie, I'm sorry. I can't."

"Rachel!"

But she was walking away, as fast as she could and despite the alcohol clouding his mind, common sense told him it would do more harm than good to follow her.